Bailey Says...

Her speech has come along leaps and bounds these past few months as now she is constantly saying things that make me laugh. She may have inherited her father's humor...which couldn't make me happier.

While eating her greek yogurt for breakfast she spilled a drop on her ice cream cone pajama pants:

B: Look Mom, a gogurt ice cream cone.

Minutes before a gas/potty/treat stop during a 12 hour drive home:

Me: Bay, if you can be a good listener when we stop you can pick out one treat!

B: (excited gasp) and Hazel one treat, too. 

Me: Yes, Hazel can pick out one treat, too.

B: Hazel one treat and me two treats. Hazel one and me two.

Me: Nice try. Hazel gets one treat and Bailey gets one treat.

Robby may have taught her to say 'chicken butt' and since then she walks around the house chanting it and laughing. I would probably be more mad about it if it wasn't so hilarious.

It is mandatory for her to help me cook/bake in the kitchen. While she was helping me stir the muffins.

B: Me turn.

Me: Ok, first its bailey's turn now its Mom's turn.

B: Ok, Mom. We a team.

Treasure Hunt

One of these days...when my little babies are all grown up, have stopped playing with toys, and move out of my house I am going to miss walking through the house each night to straighten up the hurricane of toys that blows threw each day and finding the remnants of their imaginative play.

Of course, it will be nice to not have to clean up the tornado of toys 243 times a day.

The Treadmill

About a month ago I went for my usual Saturday morning run while Sam watched the girls. When I finished Sam decided he would hop on and go for a little run (a rare occasion). I hopped into the shower while he was running and I was shocked at how loud the treadmill was. When he finished his run I told him how loud it sounded and he reassured me that it was super loud when I ran too. Later that day Sam came across our neighbor downstairs (my brother's roommate other Robbie) during a trip to the trash cans. They made their casual chit chat and then Robbie asked if we had run on the treadmill that morning. Robbie asked if maybe Terri ran first, and then Sam; and Sam said yes. He said ok, I thought so. I was watching tv and heard a noise and had to think...is it the vacuum, a loud movie, no, probably the treadmill. Then he told Sam that he jumped on the treadmill and his first thought was "Oh my goodness, the house is coming down!!!" Ha. So much for me being super loud too.

 (Hazel is angry. They are having a fight over the pacifier. One of about a million fights they have during the day. They are either about to claw each other's eyes out or the happiest of friends. They haven't just figured out how to leave each other alone yet. One day.)

 Karma did come back to get me a few weeks after teasing Sam so much about making the house fall down.  I have gone through many scenarios over the past few months to try to find a small chunk of time where I can run in peace. The television worked decently, but I didn't love all the screen time they were getting. I moved them to the back room with toys and snacks, but that only lasts still the snacks are gone or a big fight breaks out (which usually isn't that long). Chair barricades are climbed over, under, or through and I paid the price dearly a few weeks ago. When they broke through the barricade they used to just sit there and watch me run. After a few days then would get more adventurous and touch the belt just barely with their fingers. And soon enough it was sending down toys and almost taking me out.

The final straw was the morning when Hazel decided to trip and fall on the end of the belt and send herself down while taking me out in full swing. Thank goodness I had the magnet clipped to my shorts so the machine stopped about five or so seconds after the spill. She hopped on at the top of the belt and was kicked off about half way down.  Hazel came out unscathed, just scared to death. I wasn't so lucky. My knee came down hard on the belt and then I was launched into the back wall. I have no idea what my shin hit, but it swelled up like a goose egg. I basically came out all bloodied up and bruised. My first fall ever on the treadmill and it was all Hazel's fault (yes I do stoop to blaming my children for things). I called Sam right after it happened and after making sure I was okay his next question was, so was this a horrible incident that needs to be forgotten or will it be funny enough one day that it can go on the blog. Well, there you have it Sam. You are all free to be like my Mom and laugh away.

Dr. Mario

About a month ago there was talk about dusting the good old nintendo off and pulling out Dr. Mario to rekindle our early marriage battles. We never did get around to it, but the game did manage to find a new home on top of our dresser. Bailey would see it on a daily basis and always ask "Mom, what's that?" I explained to her each day it was a game and she would always ask to play it. We constantly put her off, until today, when Sam decided it was time she learn to master Dr. Mario.

Sam did say at one point he was half paying attention to her playing and he became extremely excited about the idea of a Dr. Mario prodigy when he mistook her playing for the demo.

She loved every second and has asked every day since to play more of the game. Her training has begun and don't be too offended when our children destroy all of your children. Let the games begin...

Another Princess Tent

For Christmas this year the girls scored a second princess tent from Grandma Pam. Today was the first time it actually got pitched and you would not believe the shrieks, giggles, laughter, and all out wrestling that ensued as soon as it was upright. (And by upright I mean Sam was inside finishing the final touches on it and they could hardly control their excitement for him to navigate his body out. He may or may not have hollered a little bit at them to calm down and hold on a minute...)

 They were running in and back out, chasing each other around it and then diving back inside, looking out the window, and wrestling each other in and out of the door....it was complete chaos. I thought boys were supposed to be the crazy gender. It took a whole ten minutes before we heard a snap...pop...and the tent collapse over to its side. 

 Sam pulled out the duct tape and after some finagling with a broken pole it was back, but not quite as good as new. It now stands up with a slight (and by slight I mean significant) tilt to the right. The good news? Thanks to the girls it is hardly ever in the upright position.

China may not make quality princess tents like in the olden days, but nonetheless it was a huge hit (at least for the few minutes that it actually lasted). Thanks so much Grandma Pam.

Potty Training

Well we officially started the potty training adventure last Saturday because of the MLK holiday weekend. I figured it was the only way to keep my sanity and get all 3 of us girls out alive. I must say that after day 1 I was ready to throw in the towel. It must be easier to change diapers for the rest of my life than to have to ask the busy two year old every five minutes if she has to go pee or poop yet. 

After 2 days of trying she has had only 3 pee accidents and about a million successes. She has eaten more candy, juice, ice cream, salty snacks and other bribe related food in the past 30 hours then possibly in her entire life put together, but at least it keeps her on task.

The girls are sympathy criers, get sympathy band aids and owies and have now stepped over to the sympathy underwear over diaper look on potty training day #1.

The kid can pull off the wife beater undies look quite well.

As the week progressed and Sam returned to school there were a few hours in there that I was sure I would kill someone. I about gave up a few times, and actually sort of did on Thursday afternoon. After a day full of pee and poop in the panties I decided I couldn't clean up anymore bodily waste for the day and put her in pull ups. It was at this point that she decided to finally pull her weight and from then on she has asked to wear big girl undies and hasn't had an accident since. I hate to jinx myself, but I think I officially have a potty trained toddler; and for my sanity sake just in time.

Package

This package came in the mail for Sam today. When Bails got up from her nap she gasped and asked me what it was. History tells us they are usually fun presents so she was quite disappointed when I told her she had to wait for Dad to get home. She was okay with it until Robby came up and inquired about the box. Bails immediately told him "No, No Robby...That is for Sam." Robby told her she didn't know who Sam was and she said he was a guy. Good description Bails.

After he left she couldn't handle her curiosity any longer. She ran over to her kitchen and grabbed various play knives to try to cut the box open. Eventually this happened to which she exclaimed, "Woah, so cool Mom" as she swung it around and demanded I take a picture of her. Seriously, where did this girl come from?