It's Cookie Time!

Tell me the name of the movie the blog title goes with and you win 7276 Dojo points!  A box of them would be so nice...

But seriously - the girls and I made cookies the other day!  We've made cookies before, but never the cut-out variety, so it was a new experiment.  I thought I'd practice in preparation for some Christmas cookie making.  Thank you $1 bin at Target, for making our "fall" cookie-making experience possible!

I'd say the girls had a great time, as they are still talking about "painting cookies."  I was a little control freakish about letting them cut them out because the concept of "gentle" is still not completely understood and cookie dough is not so forgiving to little toddler hands!  I think next time, I may make the cookies ahead of time and then just let them go crazy with the icing.  That, or take a chill pill.

Hopefully, they will remember painting leaves & turkeys & owls this fall instead of the fact that I totally forgot to get a pumpkin to carve for Halloween!!  Oops.

Kate loved pushing down on the cookie cutters.

Elle liked picking up the cookie cutters to see her creation.

Funny side note: Elle calls the legos she's holding ice cream.  Chocolate ice cream, to be exact.

In answer to your question - Yes, it is very important to wear your backpack while decorating cookies.

The finished products!

#2

Not only #2 out of the womb, but also the first to go #2.  Not to be outdone by her older-by-a-minute sister, Kate took it a step further and went poop in the potty tonight.  You go girl!  Literally.  

A smidge grosser to clean up, but we're still very proud!  And I think she is too, though she was very nonchalant about the whole thing.   She was way more excited about her previous "pooping on the carpet" escapade.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I will spare you the details, but she thought it was hilarious. 

Sidenote:  I had such positive feedback on my previous potty post (yeah, alliteration!), I'm considering making it a weekly blog feature.

No?

Okay, fine. 

Did you know...

that bees and dogs can smell fear?

This picture?  Makes me snort.  And if you don't get the above movie quote, please return to 1996 and then please click here.

One small stream for Elle....

One giant leap for potty training!  That's right folks - Elle went pee-pee in the potty for the first time tonight.  If that seems a smidge delayed, I know.  We have not been pushing it at all and the girls only just recently became interested in the past couple of weeks.  It's funny, because she actually did it while I was in the other room.  I guess in keeping with the 2 year old theme, we don't always do things when Mommy tells us to - we do them when we want to!

So, after both of them sitting on the potty for about 5 minutes after bath time, Kate was done and Elle had a conniption because she was not ready to get up.  So, Kate & I went into their room to quickly put her diaper on before she peed on the carpet.  Yes, it's happened before.  And yes, I'm sure it will happen again.  Good times.

When I went back in to get Elle - there she was!  Proudly playing in her pee-pee.  I was so proud, I decided to ignore the fact that she had pee all over her hands.  Well, kind of.  I may have told her that our hands do not go in the potty.  But only after I told her what a big girl she was and how proud I was of her.   :)

Have I sunk to a new low by blogging about my child's bathroom habits?  I like to think not, unless it becomes a trend.  I had to record it for posterity, right??

Way to go, Elle! 

PS - You know I now have to blog about it when Kate does it, so just be prepared.

Feed the Birds

One of our favorite days of the week around here is Friday.  For obvious reasons (hello, weekend with Daddy!), and also because we have dubbed it "Field Trip Friday."  Each Friday, schedules permitting, we go on a fun outing with our friends Jessica & Campbell.   Currently, we are alternating the Zoo & Aquarium and this past Friday was Zoo day. 

We had lots of fun, though all three of us were exhausted afterwards!  There's a parakeet house there we hadn't been in before and you can buy little sticks with bird seed on it to feed the parakeets while inside.  Thanks, Jessica, for treating us to our first sticks!  Totally worth the $1, as the girls loved it.  Another fellow toddler mommy & her little girl were there with us and snapped these cute pics of the girls.

I tried to refrain from singing the song from Mary Poppins while we fed them.  It was hard, but I managed.

Pig-In-the-Box

As promised, here is video of Kate & Elle loving the new "Olivia-In-The-Box" that Daddy picked out for them.  My favorite part?  Elle saying "Daddy funny".  Also, as a bonus - listen closely and you can hear me snort-laugh.  You're welcome.  

Back to smelling the delicious ribs that Tyler's smoking on the Egg today.  A nice end to a fun weekend!

Kate & Elle are 2!

My, how time flies.  2 weeks ago, my sweet little stinkers turned 2!  We celebrated with our family and a few friends.  The girls were MUCH more interested in the actual gifts this year than the tissue paper!  And apparently, they now believe that cake & ice cream is an everyday thing.  Seriously.  After every meal they say "Eat cake?  Eat ice cream?".  Granted, they did get it like 3 days in row after their birthday, so that could be partly our fault.  :)

This last year has been amazing.  The difference between Elle & Kate at 1 year old and Elle & Kate at 2 years old is astonishing.  Last year?  They weren't walking yet... This year?  They are running at the speed of light.  They are stringing their words together, they are developing their own unique sense of humor,  they are learning so quickly and growing so fast and it is rather incredible to watch.  

Here are a few words/phrases to describe the girls right now:  jointly - the word I would use to describe them is:  BUSY!

Elle - independent, focused, sassy, passionate, loving, likes to say "Amen" at the end of the blessing, enjoys singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, loves jumping & marching, when we put her to bed, will say "Night, night, Superstar". 

Kate - sweet, sensitive, silly, fiery, makes Elle (and her parents) laugh so hard, calls herself "Baby Kate", would wear her sunglasses all the time if she could, loves building towers, snuggler

These 2 little girls keep me amazed, challenged, humbled and thankful.  Here's to the Terrific Two's!

Kate wanting to test the icing before blowing out candles

Elle's turn!

The cake.  Dora?  Pretty much rocks their world.

Enjoying cake & ice cream.  Note use of spoon.

Kate has cast the spoon aside in favor of her hand and is now in a "sugar trance".

I believe she's still in the sugar trance here.  Perhaps she's pretending her new Dora microphone is a scoop of ice cream.

The new jack in the box.  Cracks. them. up.  I'll have to post video soon.

Daddy manning his station at the Big Green Egg.  A welcome new addition to our family.  :)

As previously mentioned, Kate LOVES building towers.

Elle "CHEESE!"  Kate "MOVE!"

The Dora house/ball-pit that Daddy picked out.

Elle & Mimi laughing

Gabby and the Girls

Awesome.