NO MORE QUESTION MARKS

A few weeks ago I posted about how some nice weather might finally be here to stay, but used a lot of question marks in hopes that I wouldn't jinx our good luck and scare the sunshine away.

Well today was yet another super nice day, so I took the girls on a lunch walk (that is, the girls sit in the stroller and lazily eat while I push them all over the neighborhood), and look what we found!

Yes, I think I will post without any question marks this time.
It seems spring is most definitely springing!!!
And we are all smiles about it.  Welcome back sunshine!

TAKING OUR BED BACK

Tim and I have been having a little trouble lately getting a good night's sleep, 

namely because lately, Tim and I have been having a little trouble keeping children out of our bed!

It all started back in January when the girls spent a few weeks taking turns with the sickies... 

They share a room, which is great.  Except for when one of them gets sick and has rough nights.

Then it's just double trouble.  The days get long and the nights get even longer when just one of them isn't sleeping, make it two and it's just misery!  So, mostly for our sanity, we spent most of the month having them sleep away from each other.  We figured McKenna would be the tougher one to break of bad habits, so we thought we were being really wise trying to keep her routine as close to normal as possible.  She had a few bad nights where she mostly slept in bed with us, but as much as we could, we figured she was the one that needed to be in her bed and her room. So again, thinking we were really wise, we made up a little bed on our floor and left it there for a while for Brinlee.  That way neither girl could wake up, or be kept awake by, the other.  Brilliant!

Or so it seemed.  Until the bugs passed and it was time to get everyone back to normal.  Bless her heart, poor Brinlee just couldn't adjust!  The story varied a little: some nights she was scared, some nights she didn't feel good, some nights she was hungry or lonely, some nights McKenna was coughing too much, some nights she really was still mostly asleep and was just confused, weepy, and wandering.  But regardless of the story, for several weeks, every night turned out the same: 

Brinlee in our bed, sleeping great, 

Tim and I almost falling out of our bed, sleeping terrible.  

For a while we gave her the benefit of the doubt.  She probably really did need time to readjust.  But by the time we figured her adjusting period was becoming more of a game, well then we were just too tired.  When you haven't slept for a month, it's a little too easy to put a crying kid in bed with you at 3:00 in the morning rather than deal with the problem! But it was indeed a problem... 

So, one morning, after another long night, I decided that enough was enough.  Tim and I were taking our bed back!

I got online and googled some images of banana splits, and all through breakfast I showed them to Brinlee and talked to her about how awesome they are!  Then, during lunch, she and I drew one up, and I made the picture into puzzle pieces.  We counted out the pieces (5 all together), and I told her that for every night she stayed in her bed for the whole night, she would get one piece of her puzzle.  And once she had earned them all and built her puzzle banana split, we would buy the stuff for a real banana split.

I actually didn't have super high hopes.  But that very night we didn't see or hear from her until 7:00 in the morning!  Hallelujah! 

And she has done it every night since!  

This morning she was able to put the cherry on the top of her puzzle, and after lunch, we had the real deal.  She was one happy little camper!  

I figure eventually we'll have everything back to the way it used to be and we'll do away with the incentive.  But for now, Tim and I are loving these sleep-filled nights too much!  Besides, who doesn't love some left over sweet treats sitting around the house?!  It's a win, win, win!

She looked through my cookbooks today and we got her next puzzle up and ready.

Any guesses as to what her next prize will be?

PIGGY TAIL PRINCESS

Look what we tried today!!!

Yes you counted right.  Not one, but two little tufts up on top of that head!

It's no secret that both of our babies have been little baldies.  We really haven't been able to do much of the girlie hair stuff so far as it is.  But even if we could, McKenna doesn't seem to be a lover of hair-do's anyway.  She sits still just fine for them, and if you can distract her quickly afterward then sometimes they stand a chance.  But most of the time, those bows and hair ties come right out!  It's a bummer, she looks so cute in them.  Most days I don't even bother.  But for church we do try to spiff up a little, and today I thought I'd try to see just what this little hair can do!  Is it terrible that I didn't get much out of my meetings?  I was too distracted by how dang darling she was!

I barely got these in as we were running out the door, and of course by the time we got home they were long gone, which I figured would happen.  But a girl's first piggy tails are a big deal! Hence, the car seat photo shoot.  Maybe next time she will let me oogle over them a little bit longer.  And there will be a next time!  That darling little face topped with darling little pig tails is to die for!!

HAPPINESS IS...

...a three-year-old's sidewalk chalk drawing of Belle dancing with Beast.

LITTLE MISS MOODY

"Ah Ha!
So mom eats Oreos and Cheetohs while she's making dinner I see.
So, maybe, if I cuddle up to her legs...
and act reealllllyy sweet...
maybe... she.... might.....

Yes! success!"

Don't be fooled by that messy, obviously darling, angel face.  It can flip at the drop of a hat!  And it does.  Frequently!

I don't know why, but for the last week or two this little lady has been one moody little missy!  One second she's all smiles and the next minute, she's all not!  

She's laughing, then crying. 

Cuddling, then hitting. 

Smiling, then pouting. 

Don't ignore her, but certainly don't look at her the wrong way (or at all!).  

It's all been fun.  But my personal favorite is the scowl.  She's really been perfecting that one this week, and she flashes it all the time.  Sometimes it's because she's in trouble or frustrated, but often it's out of nowhere and for what seems like no reason! And we just never really know what we're going to get.

Happy? Mad?

Sweet? Sour?

Nice? Naughty?

Jekyll? Hyde?

Jedi? Dark Side?

Bruce Banner? The Hulk?

From minute to minute it's something different.  This poor baby is like a fish out of water, just flip-flops all day long.  It's exhausting.

But, it is also pretty funny! 

Bless that cranky/sweet/happy/angry/bawling/laughing/cuddling/tantrum-throwing child.

SISTER SUNDAY

Tim got up with the girls this morning and let me sleep in a little :)

The morning was surprisingly quiet, and when I got up I found the girls set up in their room enjoying a nice, relaxing sabbath day together.

It made my heart happy.

WHOOPS

I mixed up some bread today.

I wasn't sure we needed a huge batch, so I measured out a half recipe's worth of yeast and water and set it aside.  Then, not really thinking, I measured out a full recipe's worth of everything else, kneaded it all together, and put it in to bake!

Then, feeling very accomplished, I ran a few doors down to the neighbors house to see their new little baby!

I figured I would be quick and get back in plenty of time to take care of bread myself, so I didn't bother to tell Tim that I'm still experimenting a little with bread in this oven, and that it would likely need more time after the timer went off. 

He pulled them out looking like this.

And I came home a while later to them looking something like this.

Doomed to fail from the start.

We'll do it again tomorrow.

A LITTLE DIRT NEVER HURT ANYBODY

I don't want to jinx anything by getting excited prematurely, so I won't say anything definite.  Maybe a lot of question marks won't scare it away? But I think spring might be here?  We have had several warm days, and I was realizing just the other day that our coats seem to be collecting dust?  For the last week or two now we've been running errands in light jackets and sweaters?  I LOVE THAT!

And the girls are really loving it!  I really try to avoid getting out much at all when it's cold and snowy, and I think they were starting to get some cabin fever.  But, dare I say, it seems that those days might be over??? Fingers crossed.

The other day I was elbow-deep in a few freezer meal recipes while McKenna was napping, so Princess Tiger Lily asked if she could go outside. I propped the back door open and let her loose, but told her to stay out of the dirt in the garden box.  She said "I will mommy, of course!"  I guess this is her idea of staying out of the dirt

Sheesh. Look at those fingernails!
It was actually fairly impressive how quickly she got herself so dirty, and got SO much dirt spread all over the patio! But I can't say I was even upset.  She was sure cute out there making "dirt soup bird food". I guess I don't mind a happy, dirty kid.  At least not on a spring day as perfect for playing outside as that one was!
And, I guess a little dirt never really hurt anybody, right?
Thank goodness for bathtubs!

ODUS 2.0 vol 16: CONCLUSION

Awe.
Finally.
All up to date!

Whew... Well this was fun, don't you think?
Ok, no. Actually, this was some hard work.  What do you say we not get that far behind again for a long, long time? Or hey, maybe ever??
Ok, well maybe not ever.  You and I both know me well enough to know that's a little unrealistic.
But! A girl can dream, right? And I promise I will try :)

Here's to a foreseeable future full of more up to speed updates!

ODUS 2.0 vol 15: A FEW RANDOMS

You didn't really think we were going to get through almost 3 months worth of updates without having a random short-captioned photo dump post, did you? Of course not, it's a crowd favorite!
Here it comes.

We finally had to say goodbye to the beloved bowler hat.  A certain little someone got her hands on it, and it was after all made out of paper and gorilla tape...

You know it's real love when your sister will share her Valentine's party sucker with you in the bathtub

Being stuck inside sick all of January meant we had to get a little more creative with our play time.  I had never made salt dough before, but I'm wondering now why not! It was super easy, and super fun!

I got some photo practice time with our sweet new little next door neighbor!

We had a breezy but decently warm afternoon a week or two ago.  And when the weather cooperates in February, you kind of have to get out and enjoy it!

Our little reverence leader, getting ready for the dinner prayer.

We really do love that little neighbor girl

Is there a kid in the history of photography that hasn't said "Hey, take my picture!", made the goofiest face they can come up with, and then immediately asked to see themselves?

The squinty eyed goofball smile.  A McKenna classic

The face of a little girl riding front-facing for the first time.

The Joy School bunch

It's not an exaggeration.  We really do read books, all day

Daddy brought home a model leg bone for Brinlee.  She's never been happier.

This little backpack is Brinlee's, but McKenna loves it!  She snags it every chance she gets.

Brinlee inherited a bunch of my old toys for Christmas.  I love watching her play with them

Who doesn't love a little buddy sitting right by them when they're on the toilet?

Future physician poised and ready for action

Oh, just a little trip to the zoo, in February

The proper way to eat a chocolate cookie. Now you know.

One of Brinlee's creative outfits.  Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates. We found her this way at 7:00 in the morning.

Just a little Friday afternoon date with Mommy

Even grocery shopping is more fun with these two cuddle buddies