I don't know if I've mentioned it here, but Andy has been out of work since around Christmas time.  He started a new job yesterday in a totally different field, but he is very excited about it and is actually using his forestry degree!

While he was home, the girls were used to staying up late and sleeping in with him.  He has to be at this new job at 6:30 am, so I am on my own getting the girls up and ready for daycare.  Luckily they woke up fairly easily on Monday and they had a good time at school.  When we were leaving yesterday, a little boy yelled "Goodbye Audrey.  I'll miss you!"  This morning, however, when I woke Audrey up, she asked "Where are we going?"  I told her that she was going to school, and she said "Again??"

I have also been trying to get them to bed earlier for the past few nights.  Bridget STILL has to have one of us sitting next to her bed in order to go to sleep, and Audrey is the queen of excuses to get out of bed.  I started keeping a list:

• I'm hungry
• I'm thirsty
• Avalanche is in my room
• Bridget is crying and keeping me up.
• Bridget isn't crying and it's too quiet
• Bridget left her baby doll in my room
• Your old Barbie is in my room
• My iPhone is on
• I don't like the color of my walls

I usually ask her what the best part of her day was while I'm tucking her in and forgot to do so last night.  I thought she was asleep, but she came walking into my room at about 10:15 saying "I'm having trouble sleeping because you forgot to ask me what my favorite part of my day was."  I asked her what it was and she said that it was coming home from school!

This past weekend, we went and had dinner with the Korey's and Bridget was all about Baby Andrew again.  He's a wee bit bigger now than the last time she held him:

It was fun watching Audrey and Emma play because they are at an age now where they go off and play together.  They were both super sweet about including Bridget (when she wasn't holding the baby) but I'm sure in a few years, she's going to the pesky little sister!

Audrey's ballet recital dress came in last weekend and I was a little worried that she wouldn't want to wear it because of the colors, but she seems to like it. 

Her class is going to be dolls in the recital and her teacher wants their hair in a ponytail with ringlets.  I have a month and a half to learn how to do ringlets and get Audrey to sit still while I use a curling iron on her - wish me luck!

Bridget Palin

I think Bridget is ready to move to Alaska and join the Palin clan.  Daddy already has her chopping wood, and now she likes to play with (water) guns and he has her saying "You betcha!"

We are still enjoying this great weather, but I think poor B has allergies.  Her eyes are all watery and puffy but I don't think she has a cold.  I called the pediatrian yesterday to see what kind of allergy meds I can give her and they said that I could give her Benadryl but I may not want to because it might make her sleepy.  And the problem with that is...?  :)

Audrey is still obsessed with flamingos and Grandma H found this bathing suit while flipping through a catalog:

Audrey insisted on wearing it while playing outside yesterday. 

Andy took Amos out on the canoe on Sunday to see how he would do.  He said Amos did fine until he randomly decided to jump in the river.  Luckily he is a better swimmer than Roscoe was.  Roscoe couldn't keep his back end up and would struggle to keep his head above water, but Amos did well enough that Andy just kept the boat next to him and steered him to shore.

Here are the explorers in the backyard yesterday:

This one is kind of fuzzy but I like how they look like they are actually canoeing and looking at something other than the back yard!

Picture Post

We had a beautiful sunny weekend so we spent lots of time outside. We went to Home Depot to get some blueberry bushes to plant in the back yard.

Bridget's bangs were getting a little long and she refuses to wear barrettes for very long, so after we got home (and when Andy wasn't looking), I grabbed some scissors and trimmed her bangs.  The last time I tried to trim Audrey's bangs, I butchered them, so I took my time and got hers right.  Here is before:

And after.  Andy still thinks she looks goofy but I think her bangs are cute!

Audrey grabbed the water bottle that I sprayed Bridget's hair with and started cleaning the kitchen windows.  I told her that they may still look a little dirty because some of the dirt is on the outside of the window and she goes "Mmm hmm... Instersting..."

While she was busy working, Bridget wanted to help me cook dinner

And this is how Amos helped plant the blueberry bushes.  He was holding down the mulch.

He also "helped" by running off 4 times during the weekend!  The first time, a neighbor found him and called us to come and get him.  The next 3 times, we just happened to look up and see him walking down the street.

Audrey has been wanting to go to watch Bridget's gymnastics class and since I have to be out in the gym with B, I had to convince Andy to come and watch too.  This is how Audrey dressed to come to class with us:

Amos jumped in the car to go with too.

I don't think Audrey and Andy will be coming back to gymnastics.  Andy was bored and every time I looked over at Audrey, she looked pissed.  Andy said that she complained the whole time about how she wanted to go out and play with Mommy too!  She seemed interested in watching the bigger girls do gymnastics, but I don't know if I want to sign her up and then have to balance that along with ballet, B's gymnastics, and work!

Audrey

I have to brag on my big girl a little since the blog seems a little Bridget-heavy lately (maybe that will make up for the fact that I totally forgot to take her to gymnastics this week)!  Audrey is so smart for someone who doesn't go to daycare very often!  She knows all of her colors in Spanish (I guess from Dora) and came up to me the other day and started counting by odd numbers (don't know where that one came from either).

She loves to act goofy - she makes up silly words to songs and tells terrible jokes.  Last night she told me that she wanted to put on her jammies by herself, and she came into my room giggling with her pants on her head and her shirt around her waist. 

As silly as she is, she is also super sweet, especially with Bridget.  She has always been pretty good about sharing with B, even though Bridget isn't good at sharing back yet.  This is the girls at the playground the other day.  She pushed Bridget on the swings for a while, then followed her to the slides.

They also love sleeping together.  When Audrey is super tired, she doesn't like Bridget in her room, but most nights they don't mind shacking up in either Bridget's or Audrey's bed.  Audrey has even been napping on the big chair in the living room with B.

Last night we took the girls to a restaurant called Bobby G's Authentic Chicago Restaurant to introduce them to their Chicago roots (Audrey was only about 18 months old the last time we went to Chicago and Bridget was just an embryo!).  The girls split a hot dog and had an Italian shaved ice for dessert.  When we left, Audrey said "That was a really good dinner!"  Here are some photos that Bridget took with my phone at the restaurant, and yes, Andy is flicking off his 2 year old. 

This picture is of Bridget trying to help Amos get his ball that had rolled under the dresser - the two beings with the shortest arms in the house were both stretched out on the floor trying to reach it!  Bridget was in the same position as Amos when I first grabbed my phone.

I wish I had a camera that could take pictures in the dark because Hazel slept with Bridget in her tiny twin bed all night last night.  When I went in to peek at them before leaving for work, Bridget was down at the foot of the bed with Hazel!

3 Posts in 3 Days -woo hoo!

I just had a couple of pictures to share.  I used Bridget's birthday money from Grandma and Grandpa to get some more accessories (curtains and a lamp) for her big girl room:

This is hard to see, but it makes me laugh because I caught Audrey in mid-booty shake while trying to take a picture:

And this is the blue tye die dress that Audrey had to have.  I washed it yesterday and she had to grab it out of the laundry basket and wear it.   

When I asked her to hold still so I could take the picture, she said "Not today.  Maybe you can take a picture on Friday."  That is what she says when she doesn't want to do anything - "No, maybe tomorrow" or "No, maybe on Friday."  :)

Two Year Stats

Bridget had her two year check up this morning and the pediatrician did not call DFACS on us for her black eye and rope burned neck!  She passed all of her milestone questions and took her shots with very few tears.  Her height is 33 1/4" (25-50th %) and her weight is 24 lb 11 oz (10-25th%).  Although she doesn't look like she has a giant head, her head measured in the 90th %!

I looked up Audrey's 2 year stats for comparison: 28 lbs (50-75th percentile) and 35.5 inches tall (90-97th percentile).  She is so tall and Bridget is so petite!

Bruiser

Bridget has has a rough couple of days.  She still isn't digging her new bed.  On Saturday night, Andy was gone all night for a bachelor party, so I just let her sleep with me so I wouldn't have to battle her and deal with big sis.  Sunday afternoon, she fell asleep on the couch at nap time and I carried her up to her bed.

She was PISSED when she woke up in the bed!  She just lay there pounding her feet and screaming at me when she woke up.  On Sunday night, she kept standing at the door screaming.  Audrey came out of her room at one point and said "I can't sleep with all of Bridget's loud screaming."  At around 10 pm, she was so tired that she fell asleep in the bed with Andy sitting on the floor next to it. Last night, after 10, she finally said "I want Audrey's room," so I put her in Audrey's bed and she fell right asleep!  Punk!

We took the girls on a wagon ride around the neighborhood on Sunday and Amos clotheslined her with his leash.  She has a rope burn on her neck and cheek from that, then yesterday she tried to either ride or carry a ride on toy down the front steps, so she also has a shiner under her eye.  After she fell down the stairs, smarty pants Audrey said "See, Bridget - that's why we don't ride cars down the stairs."

We had gymnastics last night and I felt the need to explain what had happened to everyone and let them know that we didn't punch B in the face and then try to strangle her!  She has her 2 year check up tomorrow morning, so Andy gets to explain it all to the doctor.  Bridget is really making me realize what an easy kid Audrey is! :)