Jilly's Birthday

Jill had her second birthday earlier this month, and had a good time as far as I could tell. We did do a little party for her, which seemed like a big party in our little apartment. Thanks to all the friends who stopped by!

I decided to be crafty and make this banner for Jill. There is a major flaw to it (enlarge to see if you can make it out), but I didn't throw it away because it took too long to make. We both laughed (after I said "Gosh dang it!" a couple times) a lot the next day over this.
Ev convincing Jill that the best thing for her to do before breakfast is open presents Mom and Dad said she couldn't open until party-time.
Dad and Mom giving in and letting Jill open Grandma's presents after breakfast.
My kids love cupcakes, and I was too lazy to frost them. I found that canned whipped cream is a very fun alternative, with sprinkles added. Both girls love the stuff.
This little party was my first experience with a lot of little kids running around. It was fun watching them get as, if not more excited about Jill's stuff than she was. I'm seeing the future of grade-school parties.
Yeah, I think she had a good time. This year kind of makes up for last year's not-so-spectacular birthday due to being sick. I'm glad I had the energy for it this time around!
At two, she is really coming into her own. She has just started having temper-tantrums this week, but is finally sleeping through the night on a regular basis. (Today we moved Ev into Jilly's room to see how they sleep in the same room. I'll let you know how it goes). She is incredibly sweet most of the time, so snuggly, and talking so much. Most of the time in full sentences. It's strange to have two little girls around, instead of an older one and a baby like it's been for quite a while now. Jill really complements Evelyn's easy-going style, and their relationship reminds me very much of Nicole's and mine as kids. Happy Birthday Baby Jill!

I'm going to have to stop saying that soon.

I need a breath....

This month has totally gotten away from me. I'm beginning to understand the holiday stress people come under. And it's not necessarily associated with the holidays, it just seems that everything has decided to crash-land in the last 12 weeks of this year. The girls are taking it in stride (mostly), and driving has become fun again with our graduation to the mini-van tribe. We went with the Honda Odyssey, due to the fact that Ben said it's "less nerdy" and more reliable than other models. And nerdiness is a huge factor for a man driving around in a mini-van. We like it, and the girls LOVE it. They have named it the "river-van-car." I've got absolutely no idea where that name came from.

End of semester crunch-time for Ben has arrived, and that's adding to the overall stress around the place. He has the luxury of spending Thanksgiving break at my Grandma's holed up in the basement formulating his term paper. I'm bringing lots of stuff to keep my kids entertained so Daddy can accomplish something while we're there. Because he's been gone more, the girls are missing him, and today I caught some distinctly "I'm trying to be like Daddy" moments...

Making "compooders" or lap-tops from puzzle pieces.
Playing trumpet...Ben has three mouthpieces, and because my children have already mastered the art of spitting, they actually 'play' really well.
When the trumpet gig was no longer fun, Ev pulled out the xbox controllers, asked for Star Wars, and proceeded to play the best a 3 year old girl can. She knows how to jump and shoot really well. Walking in the right direction (instead of into walls or corners) needs some work.

There are my cute children. And the Super bowl event of the week....Ultrasound!....is tomorrow afternoon. Last week this kid's heart rate was in the 130's...much lower than either of the girls. So that added to our boy hopes. Although studies say that heart rate is no indication of gender. We shall see. If you ask the girls if they want a baby brother, 90% of the time they will say no. They want a "baby sista."

My Dad and post-mission brother stopped in for a few days last week, and I've found out that Jilly's quite the 'Grandpa's girl.' She's loved being around both Grandpa's in the last few weeks. It's nice to see her becoming more friendly around people she doesn't see too often, instead of pasted to my side like she was for so long. Both girls were wary of their long-lost uncle, especially Jill. She had just gotten up the morning after they arrived, was walking toward the kitchen, when Bryson made an appearance in the hallway. She promptly turned around, walked/ran back down the hall to the master bedroom, and the protection of Mom.

This is where my life stands at the moment. Once I get through packing for Christmas vacation, I'll get my breath back. I hope.

It's cold outside.

I really don't know what to title this, it's been a crazy week full of meetings and appointments.

Evelyn absolutely loved dressing up in her chicken suit. My neighbor dubbed her "Chicken Little" on our jaunt around the neighborhood trick-or-treating. Jilly was wary of the monkey suit at first, but got over it enough to wear it everyday for the next week after she tried it on. We went to a ward carnival, the library story time, and trick-or-treating. It felt like a real Halloween.Enjoying their spoils. This is the first time I've ever let them have a lot of candy at one time, and I was unprepared for the sugar high they were both on for the next 2 1/2 hours. They got used to it pretty quickly because the next day there was no problem with the sugar.

Jilly did this the other night right before family prayer. She sang a song, which I cannot remember right now, while her head was in the box. She reminded me of a curious puppy.

Evelyn started saying prayers on her own this week, ("Mommy, don't help me!"). She is thankful for her chicken suit, Jill's monkey suit, food, all family members, and for Jilly peeing her pants at the park the other day. I guess I'm grateful her bladder functions properly.

This morning while I did dishes the girls played "church." It involved four or more prayers, interspersed by 15 second song bites. They sang "I am a child of God", "As I Have Loved You", and "Teach me to walk in the Light." I'm not sure what pulling out the couch cushions has to do with church, maybe it makes the seat more uncomfortable like the chapel benches.

The baby is fine, maybe it'll be a boy because it's such an active little thing. I've felt it moving around since 15 weeks, and yesterday it was pummeling me for 4 hours. We make an ultrasound appointment next week.