Sweet Sisters

Thanks to my patient husband, we captured these precious moments on camera before our Sunday afternoon walk. Everyday I see new signs of sisterly love... & frustration. Abby is protective of Katie & very often notices a need Katie has before I do & then takes initiative to address it. Yesterday, we went to a wholesale fish market to buy some salmon for dinner. While Abby & I were watching the staff clean fish behind the observation window, Katie was sitting on the floor in her car seat bucket. One of the ladies who was cleaning fish opened the door & stepped into the waiting area all decked out in her big rubber apron, boots & arm-length gloves. She walked right up to Katie &, before I could step in front of Katie, she leaned into her bucket & with her gloved fingers, pinched her cheeks. I held my breath & tried to stuff my concerns. But, then, just as I was wrestling with the same thought, Abby says, "Mommy, that lady had raw fish on her gloves." Then she climbed up on a stool, pulled down a paper towel & cleaned Katie's cheek... wow! I laughed out loud. She is already showing signs of being my daughter... as if she read my mind!

Anyway, Katie thinks Abby is magical and funny at all times... well, almost all times. Katie is a very happy girl (she wakes up talking and laughing 99.9% of the time), but every now and then, she lets it be known that she wants her space. "Back off" seems to be her message to her big sister, as she pulls out a new whine specifically made for the situations in which Abby is too much in her face. I have to say that Katie has a lot more patience than I do. It takes a lot less to make me whine.

Blog Changes

Hey friends and family. I want to let you know that I am going to be making my blog private again in the next week. When I originally created the blog, I opted to set it up as private, accessible to only those I invite. At some point along the way, I opted back out. Anyway, just to be on the safe side, I am going back in that direction. So, if you are a reader, please send me a quick email to yargile@gmail.com to let me know your email address so that I know to send you an email invitation that will allow you to access the blog. Please know that I am thrilled for you to enjoy reading our blog, even if you are a friend of the family by way of another family member or friend. I just don't want strangers with bad intentions reading the blog. Make sense? Thanks for understanding!

Little Mommy In Training

Abby is practicing to be a Mommy someday. She is so thrilled to have a real live baby to practice with, and (most of the time) Katie is thrilled to be part of the training. In this photo, Abby had just announced to me that Katie needed a nap & then proceeded to put her baby doll's tiny pillow behind Katie's head, cover Katie up with a blanket, put Katie's paci in her mouth & place a tiny baby doll right next to Katie's face for sleeping. Then she pulled the sun shade down over the car seat & sang Mimi's famous lullaby "night, night Katie; night, night darling"... all while I was getting dinner ready! Once again, win, win, win! :-)

Rainbow Drops Keep Falling On My Head

This morning Katie was a little fussy & I was not able to pick her up because I was rushing around making breakfast & packing lunches. I was so grateful when Abby, on her own initative, decided to entertain Katie. She sang songs and danced for her. I was counting my blessings as I heard Katie laughing hysterically while Abby was singing "rainbow drops keep falling on my head". However, I did not turn my eyes to their direction to actually SEE what was going on. Well, when I went to put Katie into her carseat to take Abby to MDO, I discovered why there had been so much laughing. Katie was covered in orange juice... "rainbow drops of orange juice", to be specific!

Mommy, My Head is Bumpy

Abby bumped her head one day and, after the tears dried, told me her head was "bumpy" and that she needed a band-aid. She insisted on wearing that band-aid for a solid week. She bathed & showered & slept, but that band-aid did not lose its grip. I even learned from her teachers that they had to bargain to get her to take it off for a class Christmas photo (and even then she insisted on holding it in her own hand during the photo). Eventually, the thing did fall off... leaving two raw red scars where the adhesive had been, far worse than the original "bump". She has a full-blown band-aid obsession now. No day goes by where there has not been some reason to say she needs a band-aid. I am beginning to see a significant pattern of learning obsessions... one always gives way to another right on its heels, and we never know what's next. Do you remember the obsession with turning the water on (and the scary water bill that went with it)? Then there was the obsession with picking up doggy poopoo in the yard. Then, with washing hands. Then, with going potty. I've skipped a bunch of them, but you get the picture. In the next post, I will highlight the most inconvenient obsession for me that is going on right now...

Happiness

I have found so much happiness in being at home with my girls this week. I count my blessings everyday. I realized this morning that the happiness is a kind of contentment that comes from realizing I am a good mother because I am a tool in the Master's hands for shaping these treasures into women who bring glory to Him. What excitment to be used by Him and to see Him unfolding those purposes day by day.

Next Up: Christmas

I planned to post Christmas photos tonight, but that is a bigger job than I have energy for right now. I took way too many photos & it is going to take me a while to go through them. Here's the preview. Mel took this one as Abby came through the front door of Mimi & Popop's house in her jammies on Christmas morning. Priceless.

Lazy Afternoon Bath

Katie is quite a talker these days. On this particular afternoon, she was up while Abby was napping. She seemed to know what a treasure it was to have alone with Mom, so she was talking up a storm. Of course, she quieted up as soon as she saw the red light on the front of my camera. The video is cute anyway.

Lots of Help

Abby fed Katie her lunch last week. I had been resisting her requests to help, but she did a good job. Katie was a little messier than when Mommy feeds her, but she got what she needed, Mom got dinner into the crockpot, and Abby was satisfied in her role as big sister. Win, win, win!

Mud Puddles & Marshmallows

Many blog opps have passed by me without being blogged in the last few months, so I am going to try to catch up so that someday I can have the blog printed for my baby book / photo albums. So, here goes...

In November, Abby & her Daddy went to their first Daddy - Daughter campfire. They had a great time, although Jake realized quickly that he needed to adjust his expectations for the evening. Abby was more interested in playing in mud puddles created by the hot water thermos dripping on the ground than admiring the campfire & Jake spent more time following her around the campfire than standing by it having meaningful conversations with her or other fathers.

Daddy Has Cold Feet...

...no, not about being a Daddy or a husband. Literally, Daddy has cold feet, all because Abby has had such great behavior!

OK, here's the story. It all comes about because I often forget that pre-schoolers still take everything quite literally. One day a few weeks ago, I made the following suggestion to Abby in attempt to inspire obedience and cooperation: "Abby, let's knock Daddy's socks off with a great attitude and obedience!" Well, after demonstrating a great attitude and nearly perfect obedience in getting ready for bed, she told Daddy, "I want to knock your socks off!" I made a futile attempt to explain the non-literal meaning of the phrase, but only ended up frustrating Abby & myself. So, she got to remove Jake's socks that night... and pretty much every night since. Jake says I owe him big time!

"Somebody Cut All My Hair Off & Put It in a Hole..."

Abby got a hair cut. We did not intend a dramatic change when we walked in the door of the kid-sized salon, but dramatic we got. And spunky. Perfect for Abby. She is so pleased. When Dad got home from work, she reported to him many times with lots of drama that "someone cut all my hair off and put it in a hole!" I'm not sure what hole she saw the stylist put her hair into.... I am not nearly as observant as Abby... perhaps a trash can? I suspect not, since Abby definitely knows the word for trash can... I am betting it is something else... will definitely check it out next time. When she spotted her reflection in a store window yesterday, she turned to Mimi and said, "Mimi, do you like my hair?" This hair cut has been a lot of fun...and good for her sense of adventure and individuality.

Just in case you wondered.... it is Jake walking goofily in the background of this video... he was sneaking up on Katie and playing the "I'm gonna get you game"

Toddler Wii

Boy, I am behind on blogging. So much to record, so little time. I prefer to keep the posts in chronological order, but I am just going to dive in with the most recent & then go back to add earlier posts. Here is a clip of Abby enjoying one of her Christmas presents... a toddler wii! Thank you, Mimi and Popop!