Shopping Day!

Monday morning was spent saying good-bye to the girls' grandparents. DJ and I are so thankful they were able to take the time to drive up on Sunday and spend the day and night with us!

MC loved hanging out with her grandparents and really enjoyed her pops!

G posed with her build-a-dog before we headed out to shop for the day.

We went to lunch and then headed out for shopping. The girls were exhausted from our late night at Dixie Stampede, so we ended up going into a few select stores rather than my typical spending the entire day at Tanger mall and eating A&W chicken strips for lunch. After getting the shopping done that we needed to, we headed back to the condo for naps.

Unfortunately, DJ was the only one that fell asleep.

After rest time was over, we went out for dinner at Falls Creek Steakhouse. I thought it would be fun since they throw rolls, but i'm not sure that we'll actually go back. My mom always says that you don't go to Branson to eat- the food is never good, and every time I try somewhere new, I think she's right! 

It also didn't help that our girls were beyond exhausted!

G did love the rolls and adding honey, and MC even ate most of her roll too. We got the girls corn dog and french fries (to share) and I ordered fried shrimp with a sweet potato. DJ ordered steak, but his was over cooked and he had to send it back and wait on a new one.

MC was all smiles until the food came and she decided that she was not going to eat. Most of hers ended up on the floor, and to be honest, I don't think she ate anything other than one roll that night.

We had a fun time being together, and DJ and I can now laugh at MC's behavior that night, but boy we could tell that she was tired!

We were reminded several times, that sometimes, you just have to let them your kids do what makes them happy, just to keep them from throwing a huge fit! I was MCs punching bag most of the evening, and she broke out of her high chair several times. I've figured out though, that she's highly entertained by "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" song and the "Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee" song, so that helped us make it through the rest of the meal.

After dinner, we headed straight back to the condo for bedtime!

By: Unknown On 08.20

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Dixie Stampede

After Build-a-Bear, we headed to our condo to get checked in. Much thanks to DJ's uncle for letting us use his time share! We were able to get a two bedroom condo with plenty of room for extra guests and more than enough space for us! DJ and I decided that while the girls are young, we need to have two rooms when we travel. MC never falls asleep when we're in the room, and this allows DJ and I to stay up a little later, while the girls get to sleep. We may be spoiling ourselves doing this, but if we can get two rooms, we're going to do so!

Once we got checked into the condo, we freshened up for dinner. All of a sudden G came downstairs wearing this:

She had packed her sunglasses, rings, bracelets, and a feather boa in her backpack without us knowing and told us that she wanted to look her best for dinner. Who are we to argue- so we let her go out to dinner like this! Hey, we're on vacation.

Here's MC and I before leaving.

We headed out to the Dixie Stampede and to be honest, i was very nervous about taking the girls. Not necessarily, G, but definitely MC. We went to the 8:00 show, which is past MC's bedtime, but we waited too late to purchase the tickets, so that's what we were stuck with.

Surprisingly, both girls did great and I can't wait to take them again!

We enjoyed the pre-show, and I must say we were very entertained with the jugglers! We bought G a "boot cup" with a special strawberry drink inside.

Before the show, we managed to get a picture of her with one of the workers all dressed up. 

Pops and Grandma Dee went with us! They had never been before, and we weren't going to tell them that you don't receive silverware, but they had heard before hand from some friends.

We didn't have to purchase a ticket for MC because she's not two, and she was able to sit in our lap and share our food. I wasn't sure how well she would eat, so I brought some fruit snacks and a jammy sammy for her.

I also brought silverware for the girls. I actually used it myself for the soup, and G didn't eat the soup, although she at least tried a bite. And, the fork was so helpful for shredding the chicken for the girls, although, they ended up not eating much of it either. G requested ranch, and I had to tell her that they didn't have any. Next time, i'll sneak some in :) G ate the pork, because I told her it was pig- she's had a fascination with it since our bowl trip, and MC ate my corn.

Here's DJ and I enjoying the show:

And, G again with her boot drink:

I would definitely recommend going to the Dixie Stampede at least once every few years! It's not something that I would want to do every time we're in Branson, but if you consider you get a huge amount of food and a show, then it's a good value! Often you can find condo tours that will give you free tickets when you sit through their tour. 

G enjoyed Dixie Stampede so much that she wanted to go back there every night for dinner! MC sat surprisingly well since it was past her bedtime. I would just definitely take some snacks in case the kids don't like the food (soup, cheese biscuit, chicken, pork, potato slice, corn, and apple pastry) as well as sippy cups for drinks & silverware for the kids. And wipes, take wipes, because eating with your hands is a mess! 

I'm glad we were able to go as a family and enjoy the entertainment! G was spoiled with a flag and she was super excited that our side won the show!

By: Unknown On 08.01

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Build-A-Dog

We headed to Branson on Sunday morning for a mini-vacation. I'm so glad that we were able to get away as a family of four! It's probably our last official vacation until next year, as i'll be too pregnant to travel this summer, and then we'll have a new baby!

We ended up getting to Branson around 1:30, and DJ's dad and stepmom met us there for the day. We had lunch and then walked around The Landings. G had saved her birthday money and she decided that she wanted to spend it at Build-A-Bear.

This was the first time that I've let G build-a-bear. I wanted to wait until she was old enough to really understand, and we have two that I had made in college, that she never plays with, so I wasn't sure if she would really appreciate the bear later on.... but, she loved the experience!

She chose a puppy with pink and red hearts. She was so excited that it even had a heart-shaped nose!

Next, she chose a sound for her puppy. She decided that the puppy should make a kissing sound.

Here's G with pops and Grandma Dee.... she's waiting on getting her puppy stuffed.

Filing her puppy with stuffing:

Giving her puppy a big squeeze!

She picked out its heart and gave it a kiss.

I remember making a build-a-bear, and they use to go through a whole routine with the heart, like giving it a kiss to make it full of love, rubbing the heart in your hands to make your bear warm, and putting the heart on your forehead to make the bear smart, etc..... and now, you just kiss it. Let me be honest, that I wish they would bring back the whole routine, even though it might make the wait a little longer.

G put the heart inside her puppy.

Then, we went and gave her puppy a bath.

We let G pick out her puppy's outfit, and she was determined it would be a princess outfit. At first, she picked out a Brave dress, but we guided her toward a pink dress with butterfly wings.

 Then, we got her puppy dressed.

 And, gave her puppy a name.... She named her Lovie Heart.

G was so excited to take her puppy home and she's played and slept with her all week!

She's getting a gift certificate to Build-a-bear in her Easter basket, so we'll go pick out another outfit!

By: Unknown On 07.40

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Spring? Maybe Not Yet....

Last Saturday, we had a warm day, and it was so nice to let the kids get outside! I actually spent most of the day inside getting the laundry done and cleaning the house, but DJ stayed outside with G, and cleaned out his truck and they took Bailey to the kennel. 

I snapped a few pics of the girls playing.

Here's G playing in the back of the truck, and below, both girls..... We've discovered that it's the perfect play pen for now! MC tends to head straight to the street so this keeps her contained while we are working in the front yard.

We also broke out the sidewalk chalk and some of the neighbors came over to color with G.

DJ raised the seat on G's old tricycle so MC can learn to ride- once she can reach the pedals.

The warm days we had last week, make me long for spring! I know technically spring is here, but it's in the 40s for the rest of the week, which makes me sad!

By: Unknown On 07.31

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Early Stages of Potty Training

We have been in the very early stages of potty training with MC. Honestly, I wasn't planning on potty training her at 22 months. We waited until 23 months with G, and it took us an entire year of feeling confident enough to say that she was fully potty trained. And, another 6 months after that to keep her dry at night. It was just a battle of wills, and I'm not so sure that DJ and I won. 

We thought it would be fun to let MC sit on her sister's potty seat before bath times. She had been telling us pee pee and poo poo for a few weeks, and you could tell by her face when she was pooping. MC does not like change, so we thought we'd start slow, and just get her use to sitting. (Also, I don't have the energy being 23 weeks pregnant, or even 9 months pregnant and think about potty training a child right before a baby arrives.) Anyway, I sat her on the potty one evening, and sure enough, she peed. I really don't think she realized what happened. But, I was still excited!

About a week later, she said poo poo, so I put her on the potty. She was a little frightened at first, but she did it!

The next day, I talked to her daycare teacher, and she agreed to let her sit on the potty during diaper changes.

The next week, I brought down the potty chair from the attic, and we cleaned it up and put it in the bathroom.

The next day, she was eating dinner, and I could tell that she had to potty. She said poo poo, but by the look on her face, I figured she had already gone in her diaper.

I picked her up and took her to the bathroom, and discovered that she had not yet pooped. She ended up pooping in the potty!

The next evening I bought her training panties, and let her wear those or go naked around the house.

We've been having fun with her learning, and trying not to stress over it. If she gets it before the baby arrives, then great! If not, then i'm fine with that too.

By: Unknown On 03.57

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Lancer GT / Proton Inspira Plug Cover RM70

By: Unknown On 21.35

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The Girls Lately

I feel like I haven't blogged about the girls in a while, so this post is dedicated to the two little girls that hold my heart.

G is just getting so big lately! She has really proven to me that she is growing up and maturing. She's helping out around the house more and she's learning so much! She is also strong willed and determined, and I really do love that about her! For the past several weeks, she has slept on top of her covers so she doesn't have to make her bed. It makes perfect sense, and i'm not going to argue with that reasoning- I wish I would've thought of that when I was younger!

She has also been enjoying the ipad and it's tv shows and learning apps. She asks to play every night, and we try to limit her to just the weekends, but she snags either the ipad or the phone any chance she has! The ipad had died one day, and we were charging it in the office. the next thing we knew, G wasn't in the playroom or in her bedroom- she was on the ipad with it plugged in.

This is her last Friday night watching t.v. She and MC have enjoyed moving the couch cushions and stacking them on top of themselves. When she came home from school, I asked her to change clothes, and she came back out in a Cinderella shirt and faux fur vest. (Her style choice made me laugh, b/c I've been trying to get her to wear that vest all winter!)

I was sitting on the couch beside her one evening, and she asked me to hold her feet. I smiled, because I use to ask my mom the same thing- it was just comforting to me (plus it kept my feet warm)! And, I love that G inherently asked the same thing.

Last Tuesday, I told G that she would have to be helpful that evening because I wasn't feeling well. She asked if she would get to cook dinner, and I told her no, that I would cook. She replied, "I wanted to make candy soup!"

MC is such a little ham. She seriously has the best personality. It's been really hard getting on to her, and she really keeps us on our toes because she is so determined. She climbs like no other child i've seen, and i'm surprised we haven't found her on top of the refrigerator! She's up the stairs if the gate isn't up, and she's on the kitchen counters and the kitchen table if it gets her what she wants (i.e.: food) She loves to eat, and if we're in the kitchen preparing, she's at our feet saying, "eat, eat" and then in the cabinet getting out her cup and plate.

She loves to have  her picture made and will say "eeeee" for the camera. She often takes my phone and pretends to take pictures of herself.

She's very helpful. She'll throw things in the garbage, take her shoes to her room, or dirty clothes to the laundry room. She even likes to help dust.

Lately, she has enjoyed coloring, and spends just as much time as G does drawing at the bar, kitchen table, or in their play room.

She has started to tell us 'pee pee' and 'poo poo' and we've sat her on the potty a few times. At first, she was afraid, but now she'll ask to go, and try to take down her pants and take off her diaper. She actually did pee pee on the potty before bathtime last Thursday (3/7) but I don't think she really meant to, and she didn't notice that she did anything. I wasn't planning on potty training her until after the baby came this summer, but we'll let her enjoy sitting as long as she wants.

She loves bows and shoes. If i'm looking on facebook and she sees those pictures she'll say, "shoe" "bow". It cracks me up.

The girls are starting to get along better and play together. Saturday morning, I think they played together in MCs bedroom for around an hour and I heard no fighting or arguing!

MC also loves babies and will carry one around with  her when she thinks about it. I know she'll be a good big sister.

Here are the girls last Friday morning before school. I'm glad I managed to get this picture at home, because MC apparently cried the entire time. She hates new situations, and getting out of her comfort zone, so i'm not surprised at all that she cried during pictures.

We had a family movie night last Friday and after a failed attempt of getting a movie at Redbox, and then renting one on the ipad, which we later figured out won't transfer over to a computer, so the three of us sat around the ipad watching "Wreck It Ralph" Friday night.

I really thought "Wreck It Ralph" was not going to be an age appropriate movie for G, but I really loved it! It's one that we will likely have to add to our movie collection!

I love these girls so much and I love seeing them grow and change! They are such blessings to my life!

By: Unknown On 06.00

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