Below: Kaila on a mission, & Brooke helping Elise
Kaila is more traumatized by this than Elise, because she blames herself. Elise will never remember it, and I pray the scar won't be too bad. I knew this day would come, and figured it would be Elise first---but I didn't get my first stitches until I was 5, so I thought we might have a few more years.
I'm off to Salt Lake City tomorrow for my girl's weekend--after the last couple of weeks, I am so ready!
We have made a little progress with Elise, but she's still not sleeping through the night in a bed with her clothes on--and these pictures were taken at nap time:) Some nights are perfect, but those are few and far between. We usually put her back into bed from the floor several times a week, and I still have to put her clothes back on. (She is outgrowing the footed ones, so they're not backwards unless she does it several nights in a row.) I question why we bother with PJ's or
a bed? The other night I locked her in her room and didn't hear anything until 5:30am when she hurt herself somehow--I went to check, and she was only wearing her diaper and walking around the room looking lost. She also climbs in bed with us around 7am most mornings which is too early for me. Every night I go through the same routine with her and she repeats "No crying...No screaming...No mamas...No knocking...Stay in bed" but the brainwashing isn't working either. On the flip side, she is wanting to use the potty more and has stayed dry several times during the day. I'm optimistic that she will be good as gold when she turns three in November!!
I usually don't post things the girls day because they talk so much, but this is a new Elise quote: "My eyes are melting" when she has been crying & has tears.
Kaila making mud pies in mid-August after playing in the rain and our infamous driveway puddle. She was covered with mud by the end, but Elise had no interest this time other than walking through the water and playing on the slide. Very strange for Miss Messy.
On April 14th, we woke up at the Belmont Hotel and celebrated being married for 7 years. I've made references before about time going by fast, and this is just another example. Our little get-away was probably our best anniversary so far because we actually did something to make it special. My mother was gracious enough to stay with the girls, and we escaped for a night out with dinner, a late night swim, and time to talk with no interuptions while overlooking the view of downtown Dallas. The next day, my mom brought Kaila and Elise over, and they enjoyed walking around the hotel grounds to see where we were the night before. It's a beautiful oasis just west of downtown filled with little bungalows and the warmest swimming pool I've been in. They have a great little bar and patio with fabulous views! Well recommended--
It was parent's week at ballet, so on Monday the 21st, Elise and I were able to watch Kaila dance--ballet and tap. She is making wonderful progress and is learning all of her different positions.
They are also practicing their routine for the upcoming recital at the end of May. Today was picture day in their costumes up at the studio--just wait until you see how adorable Kaila is in her tutu!!
Yes, we let Kaila ride her bike in the house--and now Elise has discovered how to get a ride. I have had to warn Kaila to slow down and no wheelies while Elise is on.
Watching a little TV in the morning--They can't wait to see each other when they wake up. Just look at the love:)
Two weekends ago, the weather was perfect! We spent most of our time together outside--playing, planting, eating....
Since then, Kaila and I have planted flowers in the front beds. Spring is definitely my favorite season!
I have wanted to keep Elise in her crib for as long as possible, due to the nature of her personality. Well, she has now figured out how to escape on a regular basis. Try putting a 2 year old down for naptime when they just get out of bed, and how can I justify making Kaila have rest time when her sister won't sleep?!? Needless to say, we have had a couple of VERY long days around here with no naps (Elise usually sleeps for 3 hours), late bedtimes, and early mornings. The worst was Sunday from 3:30-6:30am when she kept knocking on our door. She was definitly happy and proud of herself, but her timing wasn't real good. I tried to ignore her and hoped that her room wouldn't be too destroyed, but around 6am I went in for the third time. She wanted her diaper changed--so I set her on the table, reached for a diaper, and none were in there, along with no blankets, no burp clothes, etc..."Elise, where are your diapers?" "There" Repeat.. "There" and pointed "Where, in your tent?!?" "Yea" Along with everything else from the cabinet. After a spanking (because she got out, not because of the mess) and diaper change, she finally stayed in bed...until I had to wake her up for church. This has continued for several days now, but tonight she only escaped once. She came down the hall and was excited to see Kaila, and as soon as she heard me she took off for her room and was trying to climb back in her bed when I reached her. I have to laugh because she is such a character, but I also need a good night's rest and some 'my time' during the day. I was really hoping for a few more months before I had to move her into a big bed....
Kaila had four celebrations for her 4th birthday. We opted not to do a party with her little friends, and I'm sure we won't be able to get away with that next year. This picture was taken on her actual birthday in Ft. Myers, FL on New Year's Eve.
Kaila, the adorable flower-girl, watching the waves on the beach--camera in tow!
The happy couple: Sam & Heather Jacks (Heather is our former nanny and Kaila LOVES her)
Elise, the entertainer---need a plate with that cake?
DisneyWorld in the winter...The lights were beautiful, and we all love the rides.
Starstruck--We waited in line to see Belle and a mystery princess, and I kept reminding Kaila that it might not be Cinderella and she can't expect to hug her every time we come to DisneyWorld. Well, Kaila was right and I was quite surpised when we were able to meet, hug, and talk to Belle, Princess Aurora, AND Cinderella. Elise just kept jumping up and down and saying "I'm excited, I'm excited!"
Elise's first time at a real beach, and they had fun picking up shells and digging in the sand. They did have trouble deciding whether to swim or not to swim. You should know my answer--I'm a warm weather gal and didn't even bother putting on my swimsuit.
FYI: There is an ice skating rink at The Plaza of the Americas in downtown Dallas, and on Wednesday nights an entire family can skate for $10. This was Elise's first time on skates (Kaila's third--she's a pro), and we had a wonderful time eating dinner there and then skating with the Granados.
The weekend before Valentine's Day, Grant and Kaila dressed up for the Father-Daughter dinner & dance at ballet....of course, Cinderella had to go to the ball.
Kaila wanted to make a tiger cake for Grant's birthday--this is as good as it got:) Vivian (his mom) and Paul joined us for a week, and Gretchen flew in for the weekend to surprise him. We had a nice visit with everyone.
Grant wanted the girls to put on a performance for his birthday present--easier said than done with a 2 & 4 year old. We counted through milestones in his life, and this is the scene when Grant became a daddy at 29. 'Yea' says Elise.
Company left, and my mom & I took the girls to OK to see my Grandmother. This was the weekend that all the dreaming was going on:) Since we have discovered that Kaila is allergic to cats, we only stayed one night at a hotel, then drove to my mother's house.
Do you know anyone that actually plays an accordian? My mother does, and this is Kaila's first attempt--I'm not real sure what to think about it.
Happy Easter!! Should I feel guilty that we didn't color eggs or Elise didn't get to hunt? With those smiles, I don't think it even matters. (Kaila is actually a good 3-4 inches then she appears--with her hand on her hip and legs bent, she has started 'posing.')
If you haven't been to the zoo in the last few months, you might be pleasantly surprised in the children's area---the rocks are covered by soft, bouncy chips and there are wonderful tunnels, giant eggs, a spiderweb, and slide to play on--and most are protected by the sun. The water area still runs through the middle of it. We loved it when we went this past week--and no skinned knees!
The night before Grant left, he had storytime with Kaila. Well, Elise could see them from her room and kept calling out "Kaida, Kaida, Daddy!" We rescued her so she could join them--notice her position, she still loves to climb on top anyone, but especially Kaila.
Well, this has been our first quarter in review--and I hope not to do it this way again. Hope you enjoyed!
Grant is in Florida, and Kaila likes to sleep in the big bed when one of us is gone. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep last night and was extremely moody most of the day. Elise cleaning the bathroom sink with toothpaste while I was trying to fix lunch didn't help much either. I finally had a nap and shower this afternoon which helped immensely, but then the mail came--and in it a CD of all the maternity and infant pictures that we had taken when Kaila was 19 days old. We have been trying for three years to get a copy of all the proofs on disk, and it arrived today.....My evening was spent having some wine & dinner at friends and watching 7 little girls play. Life is Good.
That saying is used quite frequently around our house by our little princesses, but do you really know what your children are dreaming about? As infants, you see their little eyes fluttering when they sleep and since we can't possibly know what they're thinking at such a young age, we say that they're talking to the angels. However, I had the luxury of staying in the same room with my girls this past weekend and witnessed both of them talking in their sleep. Kaila does wake us up ever so often when she dreams, but this weekend she was crying and saying "The jellybean cake isn't straight!" which would be very upsetting if you know how particular she is about things being just right. Elise on the other hand, just talked and then went back to sleep. This is classic Elise: "Mine. Mine. My backpack. My paper. Kaila, share!!" As most of you know, I try to write down things that they say, so there are others from Kaila I could add....but, have you heard any good dreams lately? **One more note-the pic is a few months old. Elise now sleeps with her pjs on backwards, and is quite content. She has also undressed herself several times at naptime, but has left her diaper on!! Yea!!
