2 1/2 year update!

I know, I know... It's been way too long since my last update. The girls are doing so much and I really want to document it all. We had a great Halloween! I loved being in the new house, where we got a lot of trick-or-treaters. The girls helped hand out candy, since we went to the Fall Festival at church and did trunk or treat the day before. They dressed up as 3 Blind Mice this year. Here are a few pics:

Izzy, Abby and Ally




Ironically, the girls' best friend, Andi Mae went as a cat!

While at the Fall Festival, the girls got to jump in the bouncy castle. Here's a pic of Ally really getting some air and Izzy on her knees.


They love to bounce!


Izzy

I think Halloween can be extremely confusing for little kids.... with all these scary creatures coming to our door, as we hand out candy! The trunk or treat even had it's share of confusion, with big dogs and strange costumes. My poor little scaredy cats (mice) didn't know what to think about it all! Hopefully they're not too scarred by it! ; )

Now that we're all settled in to the new house and it's no longer 100+ degrees outside, Matt and his dad got the girls' swingset (a birthday present from Matt's parents and my mom) all set up in the back yard. The girls ABSOLUTELY love to go swing, and I love that I don't have to always go to the park and fend off geese just to swing a little!

 The Saturday they put it up, the guys didn't get finished until after dark and the girls had already had a bath and were in their jammies. We decided to let them try out their new toy... they loved it!

The week before Halloween, we took the girls to the pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins, pet the animals, go thru the hay maze, etc. While there, the girls rode the cow train, which is basically barrells painted like cows with wheels on them, pulled by a riding mower. Abby and Ally liked riding, but Izzy freaked out during the ride and tried to jump out (Ahhhh)! Luckily, Matt ran to the train and walked along beside it to keep her calm enough to stay in. She cried and hugged me pretty tight when it was over. She's the last one I would've picked to react that way! Here are some pics of the cow train:

Abby, Izzy, Ally

Abby

Ally

Izzy (before the freak out)

The girls love to line up their chairs at home, to play "train" all the time... Here's a pic of it.

 

Lately, I'm noticing the girls are getting more and more picky with their food, and it drives me crazy! I am bound and determined to not give in and give them mac and cheese at every meal, just because they're being picky. I think it teaches them that it's ok not to eat, because mom will end up giving them what they want anyway. BUT... I (of course) worry about them not getting enough! This is a constant battle that goes on in my head, as their mommy.

I think the girls are still loving the new house, and I think it's going to be so much fun for them to grow up here. They have what we like to call "the hideout" behind the loveseat (since the loveseat is on an angle in the corner). They spend time back there reading, or playing with blocks or peeking up over the couch saying, "Hey! I'm in the hideout". The laundry area is now called "the cave" and they love to pretend there's a bear in there and come running out. They also love it when Matt or I build them a tent to hide in. A few days ago, I came out from taking a bath to find Matt had built them an elaborate tent behind the couch. All five of us hung out in there for about 30 minutes, singing songs and reciting the "Going on a Bear Hunt" story. A memory I'll probably cherish forever. (By the way, we had an earthquake while in the tent.... one of many in the last few days.... very strange to Oklahoma!!!)

This pic was of a different tent time, but they sure look like they're having fun, huh? During this time, Ally said, "Daddy, get in the tent, Sugar!"


The girls are talking extremely well. I really think they're very advanced in the social/talking aspect, since they spend so much time with each other. They speak in full sentences and communicate very well. They have their share of fights and quarrels, but we're also learning how to resolve the fight and say "I'm sorry" and "that's ok" and "I love you", etc. after having a disagreement.

They're really into Dora the Explorer right now, and would watch for a couple of hours a day if I would let them. They still love Mickey mouse and Elmo too.

I started to potty train Ally a few weeks ago, but man, it's hard! I picked Ally to do it first, because she seems to show the most interest in it at this point. My plan is to train Ally, then Izzy, then Abby. I had pull-up pants, candies as a reward, juice to drink, a doll to show her how it's done, a potty seat, etc. We spent most of the  morning in the bathroom, but the other sisters were very curious as to what was going on and were very distracting for both Ally and me. After about 3 hours, I became very impatient and decided to start over the next day.... I haven't brought myself to do it again since then. The truth is, at this point in time, it's just not a big deal that they're still in diapers. I know they're smart enough to go in the potty, it's just not worth it to pull my hair out trying to train them, when I know it'll be easier if they're just a little older. Now, I may change my mind by next blog post, but I'm just playing it by ear at this point.

Here are a few things about each sister:

Izzy has learned the words to the song, "I Am A Promise" and it is SOOOO adorable. Especially when she sings, "I'm a great big bundle of Potentiality!" She is such a little cutie and is becoming surprisingly matronly to her sisters. I've seen her do similar acts before, but the lady that kept her in the nursery at church last week said Abby was crying, and Izzy came up to her wiped her tears with her fingers, hugged her and gave her a doll. Is that not the sweetest? I love these little girls so much! The odd thing about Izzy is, the next minute she might steal the doll and make her sister cry... but she is just 2 years old!

Abby is still such a cute little thing. She's very little and delicate in every way. I just love her big blue eyes and she's just all hair! She's getting a little more brave than she used to (bouncing in the bouncy castle, riding the cow train), but is still my lil doe in many ways. She's still extremely attached to Srog the frog, and I'm thinking she may still sleep with him when she's my age. I've even done searches on the computer to try and find an identical frog to Srog, so that I could have a back-up in case Srog falls apart or gets lost, but I haven't actually made the purchase yet... it just wouldn't be the same, ya know?

I have BIG news about Ally.... SHE NO LONGER TAKES HER PACI!! For the last year, she only had her paci at night and naps, but I was really fearful to take it away, since she's such a good sleeper. If I gave her the paci, she'd go right to sleep. It took about 3 nights of crying for about 10-15 minutes for her paci, but she finally figured out she could sleep without it and is now back to her good sleeping habits. It was hard for me, because I know how much she loved it. The first night she slept without it, we called everyone (daddy, grandparents, etc) to tell them. She'd say, "I don't take a paci anymore, I'm a big girl, I'm growing up". She was so proud to tell everyone this on the phone, but when it came to bedtime on the second night, she cried and said, "I don't want growing up!" Talk about breaking my heart! I really knew it was best for her though....everything I read says it's harder the older they get, and the last straw was when she developed a rash around her mouth that just wouldn't go away, even with medicine. I'm so proud of my little Ally because now, she doesn't even ask for it and goes right to sleep.

Here's a pic of the girls at the Health Department, right before their flu shots (mist in the nose) this year. Doesn't Abby look terrified? Cheryl came with me, and the girls did so good! I had been working with them on sniffing when the lady put stuff in their nose... we had Izzy go first, and when she came out she said "It's not so bad" and had a sucker. Next was Ally who did the same thing, then Abby was a piece of cake and came out saying, "I did it!" We were so proud of how good they were!


I haven't posted a schedule in forever, but here's our sleeping/eating schedule at this point:

8:30/9:00 wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast
Play
10:30 drink some juice and watch a show
Play
12:00 Lunch
play
1:45 pick up toys
2:00 - 4:00 Nap time!
4:00 Snack, juice and a show
play
6/6:30 Dinner
play
9:00 Pick up toys/bedtime routine
9:15 bedtime

I still think I'm pretty lucky to have them sleep until 9:00! This is why we continue to put them to bed a little later than the norm. This way, Matt's gets to spend a few hours with them in the evening, and they sleep in.

I'm so excited to spend the Holidays in our new house, and I'm already planning where I'm going to put the Christmas tree! I'll try to not wait so long to post an update again ;)