5 on Friday

First, can I just say that I LOVE SUMMER!

Ok, now that that's off my chest, here are 5 reasons I'm loving my girls this week:

1.  Campbell and I went for another run together yesterday.  Nana bought her a cute new running outfit and we had a great time running on the "zig" and "zag" (curves on the sidewalk). It was great until Campbell tripped on a crack in the sidewalk while running full-tilt and scraped her forehead.  But, as usual, it didn't slow her down for long and she was soon smiling and laughing.

2.  Campbell had cheerleading camp this week (more on that later in the post) which left me and Maggie with a lot of one on one time.  I really enjoyed the rare chance for her to be my only child.  We went to the pool, shopping, lunch, etc. 

3.  We recently learned that Campbell needs glasses.  She has been followed by the same pediatric ophlamologist since the NICU and last year at her check up he noticed that one eye was more far sighted than the other.  This year it was even more so and he is concerned about her developing amblyopia ("lazy eye") if we don't correct it with glasses.  She, Nana, and I went to pick out her glasses and she fell in love with a pair of Vera Bradley frames with flowers on the sides.  She looks so cute in them and is so serious about taking care of them. 

4.  I think Maggie may be a budding photographer.  She loves to take our iPhones or camera, point them at us and say "Cheese!"

5.  Campbell had her first cheerleading experience this week at a week-long camp.  She loved it.  Robbie and I loved hearing her say her little cheers at night that she had learned "R-O-A-R, Hey Let's Roar!" and "Here we go Tigers, Here we go! *clap, clap*".  About mid-week, she asked us at dinner: "If I'm cheering for the football team, who is cheering for me?"  We responded "Mommy and Daddy!"

The first morning when I dropped her off, she was so brave and excited that she barely looked back as she walked into the camp with a counselor. 

Today we got to go watch her cheer at a football game (there was a football camp going on at the same time as the cheerleading camp).  She seemed to have so much fun and it was so much fun for us to watch her do her cheers and even a little "stunt"!

They even did some "tumbling".

Maggie and Mommy enjoyed the performance!

After the game, she got her cheerleading certificate and had a perfect ending to a great week: a hug from the Chick Fil A cow!

Happy Father's Day! 2012

In Campbell's own words:

 (template from here)

In Mommy's own words:

I don't think God could have given my two girls a better father.  Robbie was born to be a Daddy.  He gets an incredible amount of joy from the simple moments of life with two girls: taking them to the pool, showing them new things, completing puzzles, playing games, etc.  Watching him with them inspires me to be a better mother.  He is patient, loving, firm when needed, and playful.  

Robbie, my greatest joy in life is being in this crazy journey of parenthood with you.  I can't imagine having a better partner for me and father for our girls!  Love you!  I hope you love your present.  I can't wait to fill it with a picture of me and the girls from our photo shoot with Abbie later this month! Many thanks to Stacey at Sweet as Peas!

5 on Friday

Here are 5 reasons I'm loving my girls this week:
1. We moved Maggie to the other big girl bed in Campbell's room.  The first night they were up until after 10:00 despite numerous attempts on our parts to convince them to go to sleep.  At one point I went in there to find all the pillows and blankets on the floor and the girls jumping on the beds.  It was so cute and I'm excited to think about the memories they'll make as they share this time.  And luckily, most nights have been much easier than the first night!  (Oh, and yes, if you can tell from the picture, Campbell's name letters are above Maggie's bed.  This used to be Campbell's bed and the letters are pretty much glued to the wall because she went through a phase where she kept knocking them down.  Campbell decided she wanted the other bed so we're going to have to figure out what we're going to do with Maggie's letters...)

and isn't this a cute picture of them coming to join me in the bathroom as I tried in vane to take a peaceful bath about an hour after they went to bed...

2.  Campbell and I picked some Queen Anne's Lace flowers on our run the other evening.  I remember doing "experiments" with these flowers with my mom as I was growing up by putting them in water with food coloring.  So, Campbell and I are repeating this experiment and having fun observing the changes in the flowers!

3.  The girls and I took an impromptu trip to the zoo last week.  They were so much fun!  I'm loving this time that they are more independent and fun.

 

4.  I've already talked about how much we're loving going to the pool and it just keeps getting better.  As well as going on the weekends, several nights we've met Robbie there after he got off work and had a picnic dinner and played in the pools.  Maggie is getting so brave and with a little help from Campbell, will go up the steps and down the little slide.

5.  We have been working on another big girl milestone with Maggie this week: potty training!  I have to say, she's been amazing.  I put her on the little potty while watching a TV show and she went the first time and there's been no looking back!  Today was day 2 and she didn't have any accidents and even had a dry diaper when she woke up this morning and after nap!

Oh, and kind of a cute story regarding #1: the writing of this blog was just interrupted by Maggie doing her best Lassie impression and running out of the bedroom (we put them down about an hour ago but they've been talking and playing) and pointing to the bedroom frantically and saying "Daddy, Daddy, chaoeaeorhneonjdnodaaonowaloa!"  Turns out Campbell was stuck between her bed and bedside table and she told Maggie to come get help.

My new running buddy

Since New Year's Day, I've been pretty committed to my running and exercise.  Just last week, I celebrated National Running Day by going running with my friend and neighbor, Sarah.

This dedication is paying off in more ways than I ever imagined.  Now when I put my hair into a ponytail and put on  my running shoes, Campbell knows Mommy is going for a run or doing some sort of exercise.  One of my biggest motivations in this healthy lifestyle change is to be a better example of health for my girls

Recently a friend handed down a pair of silver sneakers to Campbell and they look a lot like my running shoes.  Today she pulled them out, put them on, changed her clothes into "running clothes", and announced she was coming with me for my run.  So, we went together and had a great time.  She was only able to run for short bursts of time but we spent the time in between walking and talking.  We talked about how good running is for our bodies, how good it makes us feel, and about the butterflies, bugs, and flowers we passed along the way.  She was so cute, excited, and serious about the running

It was awesome and I look forward to making this a regular Mommy/Daughter activity.

Here we are after our "run".  Campbell was so proud of the fact that she was sweating.  (Notice the flower that she was holding...we picked it on our "run".)

The cutest running partner ever!

Maggie is 2!

Maggie had her 2 year check up last week and it went great.

Her 2 year stats:

Weight: 31 pounds 95th percentile

Height: 35.5 inches 80th percentile

Head Circumference: 49 cm 75th percentile

At 2 years old, Maggie continues to be our spirited, feisty, opinionated wild child.  "Spitfire" is a nickname that seems appropriate but instead we mostly call her "Miss Maggie".  She loves to play with her sister, friends, and her Mommy and Daddy.  She is affectionate and loving with us but a bit slower to warm up to other people.  She talks in 3-4 word sentences, can count "1, 2, 7, 8, 9", and understands when there are two of something and will label those appropriately.  The doctor asked if she had at least a 50 word vocabulary and we were shocked when we realized we couldn't even begin to estimate how large her vocabulary is because she talks all the time!   And yet, she just this week has started calling Campbell by name.  She calls her "Tambell" or "Hambell" and it's adorable.  She can walk up and down steps, jump, step up and down from curbs, and climb anything her heart desires.  She loves to swing, play with her baby dolls, play with her train set, and chase our dogs.  Maggie is very flexible and can practically do a split.  She loves to sing and dance.  She loves Dora and Doc McStuffins.  She has this crazy head of curly hair that we love.  I am learning to style and use hair products I never knew existed to try to tame it.  She loves to eat fruit and vegetables more than anything else.  She loves the book "Going on a Bear Hunt".

Here are some random and cute pictures of her this past year:

Here is a cute video of her at the pool on the slide:

Dear Miss Maggie,

We love you so much.  One day I hope you read this and feel our love for you coming through.  You bring us so much joy and we are so blessed to have been chosen to be your parents.  Your spirited personality leaves us no doubt that you will grow up to be a strong young woman and this is something we are so excited to watch.  Your curly hair is representative of your spirit: a little bit wild, occasionally untamed, but always beautiful.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

5 on Friday

Here are 5 reasons that I'm loving my girls this week:

1. This doesn't have a whole lot to do with the girls exactly, but my last day of school was Thursday.  I am so excited for this summer and all the time I'll have to be with the girls!  We have so much planned: swimming lessons, a beach trip, cheerleading camp (for the big girl), the pool, and much more!  Yippee!

2.  We started our visits to the pool this past weekend!  The girls loved the water and we had a blast!  Campbell is becoming an excellent swimmer and Maggie is so much more independent in the Splash park at the Baxter YMCA.

3.  I have been making mental notes (and pins on Pinterest) of activities to do with the girls this summer.  This morning, I got out a cheap can of shaving cream, filled up our old water table, and let the girls have fun! Next time I'll add food coloring and let them "paint".

4.  My girls love accessories.  Headbands, sunglasses, bows, etc.  Here are a few of my favorite recent pictures that show their fashion!

5.  Every night I rock each girl and sing to them.  It's become such a special time for us.  I started off just singing the first verse of "You are my sunshine" and as time has gone on, the song has evolved.  Now, each girl gets the traditional "You are my sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey...", then they get "You are my Maggie/Campbell, you make me happy when you smile..."  Campbell has gotten so creative (and demanding!) that hers is about 5 or 6 verses long and contains versions such as "You are my dancer/princess/other random thing, you make me happy when you do ballet/wear your crown/etc...".

6 on Saturday

Again, I hate that it's been a while since I did one of these posts...I love writing them and then reading them later so much!  I'm hoping that with only a few more days of school before summer break, I'll have more time and energy to be more consistent!

Here are 6 reasons I'm loving my girls this week:

1.  Recently, for the first time without prompting, Maggie reached up and hugged me and said "I wub you."  Translation= "I love you" and my heart melted!

2. Campbell has been very interested in relationships and status and who is who's boss.  She says things like "Daddy is the boss because he's older than you, Mommy." When I respond that not only is he not older than me, but that he's not my boss and I'm not his boss, she seemed very confused.  She also thinks Ms. Chamberlain, her teacher, is the boss of us all.  She told Robbie this week "No daddy, metal can't hurt you. Ms. Chamberlain told me. She knows more than you."

3.  Maggie has very definite opinions and one of those opinions is not very favorable of her Daddy's singing...check out this adorable video of her letting Robbie know exactly how she felt about it:

4. Robbie is determined to make Campbell into a golfer.  He even got her a toddler-sized left handed club.  They have gone together to hit golfballs several times and she loves it.  I wish that there were a ROAR golf league...

5. So, Robbie has talked frequently over the years about a cereal eating contest he won back in college.  Whenever we'd hear about some competitive food-eating event in our area, he'd talk about entering and winning it.  So, when I heard about a local bakery having a cupcake eating contest, I knew he'd be all over it.  And he was.  We had so much fun and the girls even got to participate in a kids' version.  Maggie ate 1/2 of a cupcake and Campbell came in 2nd place when she ate 3!  However, neither of them came close to Robbie's winning number of 16 cupcakes!  You heard that right, 16!  He even took a "victory round" and ate number 17 just for fun.  The 2nd runner up in his round only at 9 so he won by a lot!  It was a fun evening and one of so many memories we've made this month!

This first picture isn't great of Robbie, but I love how Maggie is looking up at him.  What a good role model he is!

6.  Campbell finished her first year of preschool this week.  We have been amazed to watch her grow throughout the year.  We had a parent teacher conference this week and the teacher was full of praises for her academic and social skills.  Campbell can write her name, knows all of her letters and numbers, can count to 29 (then skips to 40), and do all kinds of other smart things.  She is sweet, is never in trouble, and has a lot of friends.  We were so proud!  Here she is with her teacher, Ms. Chamberlain, as well as a picture of her at Water Day on the last day of school.