Winter Warm-up

Last week it snowed. Today it is sixty degrees. The girls and I took advantage of the weather and went to the park this afternoon. They had a great time running around and playing in the puddles. They got really muddy too but luckily oxi clean was on sale last week.
Unfortunately, just as Maggie was starting to really hit it off with another little girl Lucy started falling asleep and we needed to get home to lunch and naps.
I can't wait for her to start making her own little friends. Next Friday we have a tour at the preschool I hope to send her to in the fall.

Weekend wrap-up

I have been off work for the past four days and it has been awesome. The best part was that my husband was also off Friday and Sunday so we were really able to get some family time in.
Friday night we went to the Lincoln Park zoo to see the Christmas lights.  It was cold but the girls really enjoyed it. It was kind of fun to see all the animals already sleeping and the zoo looked beautiful.
The girls and I spent Saturday with my aunt and grandma. I am so glad the girls get to spend time with their great grandma and I hope they grow up with great memories of her.
Today we spent most of the day around the house. I took down the Christmas decorations and the tree.  It's always bittersweet for me to put the decorations away but it's time for a fresh start in 2013.
Most importantly, we started painting our kitchen today. We finished the first coat and it looks awesome. I'm so excited for this kitchen project to be over!
Here's a cute shot of the girls coloring while my husband was busy sanding.

Giving thanks

Between Christmas and Maggie's third birthday we have been inundated with toys and gifts these past few weeks.
I am so grateful that our girls are blessed with so many people who love them. Now it's time to write the thank you notes. Writing thank you notes was ingrained in me as a small girl and I think it's so important.
This year I thought it would be cute to take some pictures of the girls playing with their presents to send with the thank yous.  Since they got a lot of things we have a lot of pictures to take but I think people will appreciate it. Now I just have to remember what Maggie got for her birthday and what she got for Christmas.
Here are a few pictures of the girls with some of their presents.

Resolutions

I go back and forth about blogging. It seems like fun and I enjoy reading other blogs.  But free time is at a premium for me and I do worry about privacy.
I think I will try to write more and see how out goes.
Wow! How boring!
Devon applied for a bunch of new jobs yesterday.  I can't wait for him to start working enough so that I can quit my part-time job. I also can't wait to get a new job myself.
I am really excited about this new year.  I hope this is the year we really get our shit together.
So, no official resolutions from me this year. Just the plan that this year will be better than last year. And hopefully I will remember to document it here!
Also, how cute are these girls drinking jello water out of shot glasses.  (Don't ask, just enjoy the cute)

Trip Back in Time

Today the girls and I took a trip to the Chicago History Museum. We have had a membership for the past two or three years but we don't go often enough.
We had a blast! They had a cool new exhibit about magic that we all really enjoyed. They even had an area where the kids could dress up as magicians. Maggie was not too sure about it, but Lucy looked really cute in her cape and top hat.
Maggie loved "driving" an old steam engine and Lucy liked riding on the old "el" car.
They both liked sitting in the hot dog bun too.
When I was little, my family used to go to the History Museum all the time. One of the things that I love most about living in the city I lived in as a little girl is recreating my childhood memories with my own kids. I remember coming to the museum and seeing the dioramas and the Lincoln bed (there was no giant hot dog when I was little). I hope that when the girls grow up, they remember these outings we take and even take their own kids to the museums and around the city.

Side note: We wish that my husband could have come with us but he was busy at clinical for school. (Less than twelve weeks until he graduates!)

Milestones

Lucy was born four weeks early. I was in total denial throughout most of my labor because it was only July and she wasn't due until August.
Now, I know that in the grand scheme of things, four weeks isn't much. In fact, she barely qualifies as a preemie (a 6 1/2 pound preemie). But, she was preterm so along with our pediatrician we have been basing her developmental milestones off of her due date rather than her actual birthday.
At her one year checkup last month, she was babbling but had no specific sounds meaning specific words. So, the pediatrician suggested we give her another month.
Today we went in for a follow up appointment and she is still not making sounds with meaning. So, now we have a referral for a hearing screen and a speech therapy eval.
I'm sure everything is going to be fine and I would much rather give her help while she's young than try to catch up when she's older. But it sucks hearing that your perfect baby toddler is not perfect to everyone else and needs a little extra help.
But, she is very social, loves to interact with other people and WILL NOT SIT DOWN EVER AGAIN OMG! She needs to stand and walk all the time!
And she really is pretty perfect.

Just funny

These girls of mine are so funny.
Lucy has decided in the last week that she is going to learn how to walk. She was never too interested before, but this girl is determined. She is starting to pull herself up on furniture and she grunts as she stands up. When she gets nervous, her palms get sweaty. She sweats up a storm walking, but she is getting really good at it!
Maggie is starting to say some really funny things too. The other day, she woke me up by coming in our room and telling me "I'm ready for action". Today when I was talking to my sister in law, Maggie asked if she could play with my hair. I said yes, so she stood behind me and starting playing with my hair. All of a sudden, she announced "I think I need a chair". Then she went and got her little chair out of her playroom, sat on it, and proceeded to play with my hair some more.
And to top it all off, tonight at dinner, Maggie put a pea up her nose. She was sitting in her highchair (on the floor, don't ask) talking about peas while I was making dinner. Then all of a sudden, she tells me "Mommy, I need some help getting this pea out of my nose." It was really funny. Luckily I was able to push it out from the outside. Of course when it came out, she wanted to eat it.