Our Little Firecrackers

I am posting some pictures of our "little firecrackers" from Independence Day. They light up our lives and ignite wonder and delight in us. And they definately keep us on our toes! I can't believe in a few short days we'll have a third to add to the craziness!

We had a great time on the 4th...parade, swimming and fireworks.

Here they are patiently waiting for the parade to make its way to us:

Anagrace was particularly proud of her patriotic fingernails and toenails:

Both of the kids did great staying up to watch the fireworks....waaay past their bedtime! There were no tears, whining or even fear of the loud noise! Here's sweet Anderson ready for bed:

Learning New Things

Anagrace is learning to ride her bike without training wheels! She can ride several yards by herself and hasn't had too many wipeouts. She is usually pretty apprehensive about trying new and difficult things, but she has been very persistent with learning to ride her bike "like a big girl". If she falls down, she gets up, dusts herself off and wants to try again. I took several little video clips of her practicing at the park, but only downloaded one. I chose this one because there's a bonus to the video...at the beginning Anderson walks into the frame and then back out again. He is quickly learning new things, too, and I don't think he will have much hesistation at all with trying scary new things. He's got the walking thing down pat...working on running and climbing, now! He had a great time exploring at the park while Anagrace practiced riding, even tasted the dirt on the baseball field! Just another difference between girls and boys, I guess.

Third Time Is a Charm?

No, I'm not talking about the baby on the way. I'm talking about taking Christmas portraits...I don't even want to think about adding a third child to the mix for next year's pictures! We have been to JC Penney's twice already trying to get the perfect decent photo. I mean, is it too much to ask for both children to be looking in the general direction of the camera? Am I crazy to think that they both might smile? I am giving these photos as gifts...who wants to open a framed portrait of Anderson looking behind him and Anagrace with an expression of boredom and confusion? But, that may just be the best we can give. It is very difficult to find a time to even take the photos between Anderson's sleep and eat schedule. I hope that I have it timed correctly today. And that something or someone can get my children to look at the camera and smile.

I'll post the photo for your opinion later.

My big, brave girl

Anagrace is growing up so fast! She's had several "big girl" experiences the past few weeks. A few weeks ago she went to the dentist for the first time. She was so brave. She climbed right into the purple dentist chair and opened wide. She had her teeth checked and cleaned without more than a whimper. I was so proud. She was too!

Then, a few days ago she went to the "big girl salon". Actually, it is the salon I go to for my haircuts. She has had her hair cut at one the children's salons that have the cool chairs shaped like cars and rockets facing the TV showing cartoons. She really enjoyed that. I have been worried that the next haircut she gets will get rid of her beautiful curls! So, I wanted to take her to my salon to have her hair cut by a stylist who has been trained how to cut curly hair. Again, she climbed right up into the big chair ready for action. She sat still "like a statue". I think it helped her to be brave knowing that her best friend Jordyn was going to get her hair cut,too. But, she did ask if next time we could go back to the place where she could watch TV while they cut her hair!

Anagrace recently got a flu shot, too. I did not get a photo of that experience, she was brave but not as composed as she was at the dentist's office and salon. She cried for 30 minutes (Anderson had 3 shots that day and cried for about 2 minutes! Tough boy!)

It amazes me how fast she's growing...and it's fun to share all of the new experiences with her!

Thankful

Today, Anagrace and I did a few art projects. We did the classic turkey made by painting her hand. And we also used peel and stick letters to write "thankful". Then I asked Anagrace to tell me three things she is thankful for and draw it. Here is the result:

She is thankful for her house, brother and 2 cats. Once again, I did not make the list! A few days ago, she and Justin were talking about how much they loved eachother by stretching out their arms and arguing who loves who more. Cute, right? Well, then Justin says "Who else do you love?".
She answers, "Brother".
"And who else?"
"Bebe and Grammie."
I'm sitting right beside her. Justin nods his head in my direction as a cue for her to add me to the list. Still, she names a few other people in our extended family.
"What about Mommy?" Justin asks.
I jokingly say, "I know she loves me....but I'm at the bottom of the list"
"Yeah, she's at the bottom of the list" Anagrace agreed.

Nevertheless, even if she or Justin or Anderson do not give me any appreciation or recognition (that I so deserve [LOL]) I am thankful to have them in my life!

By the way, isn't that artwork adorable?! I just love Anderson's alien fingers and toes and those incredibly strange looking cats!

Halloween Fun

The kids really enjoyed Halloween. Well, Anagrace did. Anderson seems to be okay with most everything....he's such a "go with the flow" type of baby. Anagrace dressed up as Sleeping Beauty and Anderson was a firefighter. We went to Carowinds on the Saturday before Halloween for some "Nick-or-treating". Anagrace loved getting candy and hugs from the Nickelodeon characters.

Then on Halloween night we went trick-or-treating in a nearby neighborhood with some friends and family. Here are all the trick-or-treaters in their costumes.

I was amazed at how similar these photos are! A comparison of my babies at 5 months of age...

Happy Birthday, Anagrace!

I cannot believe that my baby girl is 4 years old! Where does the time go?! She has grown into such a sweet, smart and funny little girl. She has been planning her 4th birthday party since the day after her 3rd birthday...seriously! Last year we rented a park down the road from our house that had a shelter and beach for us to use. When Justin's family, my family and our friends all gather togerher it is quite a big crowd. So, this year I thought I would "break it up" to make it easier...or so I thought. We went to the beach for the weekend of her birthday with my mom's side of the family, so we had a little party for her while we were there. Then, two days after we returned from the beach she had her "princess party" with all of her friends here at the house. And we will have one final party this Saturday with my dad and Justin's side of the family. Whew...that's a lot of parties! Anagrace was a little confused after her second party and wanted to know if she was 5 already! So, for her fourth birthday we traveled 4oo miles, had 9 preschoolers in our small home, and spread her birthday celebrations across a week's time. I'm not sure this way was the easy route...but she had fun and that's what matters!

Anagrace with her cousins, Tyler and Shalom, at the beach

Princess Party with some of her friends

Our Soccer Princess

Anagrace started soccer today. She really seemed to enjoy it. I had my doubts. Everyone knows that Anagrace is a "girly girl"! Justin played just about every sport you could in high school and was good at all of them. Me....well anything that required throwing, catching, kicking or dodging a ball I was not that good at. I was a cheerleading and track type of girl...no balls involved! So, I assumed that Anagrace may follow in her mommy's footsteps. She was participating in gymnastics, but we took a break for summer. Before signing her back up for that Justin asked her "Would you like to do gymnastics again or...Soccer ?" It was obvious by his tone which one he wanted her to choose. But, apparently not to her! She said "gymnastics". Justin eventually convinced her that soccer would be fun and that she should try it. (I think it had something to do with getting a pink ball!) Anyway, she had a great time today. They had multiple stations set up to practice different soccer skills that she and Justin rotated through. Her favorite was the obstacle course.

You can still play soccer and be a princess, right?

The Polite and Pleasant Princess

I had said a while back that I was going to blog about the "behavior system" we (meaning I (-:) put into place. A few months ago Anagrace began acting what we call "sassy". Sassy meaning she was talking back, using an inappropriate tone when speaking to us and stomping away when we would correct her. After constantly correcting her verbally, I made a visual behavior system using a chalkboard with a princess face on it. With each "sassy action" she is told to remove a pretty clothespin (that she decorated herself) from the princess board. As clothespins are removed, the princess's smile begins to turn downward. Also, as the clothespins are removed there are more consequences she receives from us. If she keeps all of her clothespins (we check it twice a day-after lunch and dinner) she gets a lot of verbal praise and a treat from the candy bowl. Since we put this into place, she has been a much more polite and pleasant princess to be around!

*Disclaimer: I did not write this blog for criticism in my parenting skills! I am sure that this may make some people cringe...Oh Well! It works for us! Just thought I'd offer it up in case anyone wanted to try something similar.

Cooking with a 3-year-old

It's always an experience when cooking with a 3-year-old! Anagrace loves to help out in the kitchen! Today I actually planned ahead for our dinner. Usually, around 5pm I start to wonder what I should cook for my hungry family. Anagrace and I made "Easy Beef Stroganoff" in the crockpot. I'll supply the recipe at the bottom of this post, if anyone is interested (it's so easy a 3 year-old can make it!).

We placed all the ingredients into the crockpot and stirred it up. Anagrace peered down into the pot and asked with a tone of uncertainty "Have I ever eat this before?" I told her no, but that she would like it. I reassured her, "It won't look the same when it's all done...it will be like beef and gravy!". To which she replied "Well, now it looks like throw-up and seeds!"

Here's the recipe, hope you enjoy:

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 cup water

1 lb. beef tips

1 pkg. onion soup mix

1 pkg. egg noodles

Combine soup, water, and onion mix in crock pot. Cook on low 4-6 hours or high for 2-4 hours. Cook noodles according to directions on package and drain. Serve "easy beef stroganoff" over noodles.

Rules!

My daughter and husband can come up with some ridiculous rules! Don't get me wrong, I like structure and boundaries...I was going to talk about the "behavior plan" we set up for Anagrace, but I had to vent about the rules that are placed on me! First, in order to play with Anagrace, she has multiple rules that I have follow. I have to say something specific that she tells me to after she does some kind of cue. She'll tell me something like "Mommy, you have to say 'The baby is hungry when I point to the food, then pick her up and give her the purple bottle not the blue one cause that's for the other baby". Or there is a certain way or order of how we have to play with her toys. It is kind of humorous, but frustrating. I've told her that she won't keep friends and her playmates won't play if she continues to make up rules as she goes along.

But, what was way more frustrating were the rules that my husband, Justin, came up with tonight. Get this, he says that he cannot change 2 diapers in a row! Are you kidding me? How many diapers do I change in a row. I believe the first diaper that he changed was the only diaper of the day! I'm trying to think of some rules for myself. I cannot cook dinner for 2 nights in a row. Or maybe when he says "I changed the diaper last" that means I get to go shopping the next day! How you like them rules!

In all honesty, Justin is a wonderful father and husband! And if I am being honest I have rules that probably drive him and Anagrace crazy as well....put down the lid, pick up your dirty clothes from the floor and place them in the hamper, if you are finished using/playing with something put it away, don't chew or talk with your mouth full...but all of my rules make sense!:-)

Inquisitive Little Girl

Anagrace has always been an inquisitive little girl. I cannot even begin to guess how many questions I answer in a day! Sometimes it gets overwhelming, especially if I don't know the answer or how to repond.

A few days ago her "theme of the day" was marriage. All questions about marriage.

"Will I get to wear a pretty princess dress like you did when I get married?"

"Can I marry brother?"...."Okay,then, can I marry cousin Parker?"

(I explained that we can't marry people in our family, to which she replied "But, Daddy is in your family!")

The theme lately has been about God and Jesus.

"How can he hear us when he's not in the room?"

"How does he take us to heaven?"

"Will brother go to heaven?"

I try to answer all her questions as best I can, so that her almost 4 year old brain can understand. Sometimes it is a challenge. I pray that I will be able to lead her to a relationhip with Christ by not only what I say, but by my actions. How I react to people and situations, that can be a huge chellenge! (I"ll talk about how I try to model good behavior in later post)

Anagrace sings her ABC's

I hope this clip doesn't make anyone feel "sea-sick". Anagrace wanted to rock in her rocking chair while singing. She made a little ABC remix by combining 2 endings she knows. After "now I know my ABC's" she combined "tell me what you think of me" and "next time won't you sing with me". Her new ending is "Next time won't you think of me"... too cute!