Little Toes

There's nothing sweeter than baby toes.

I especially love it when they cross their ankles.  Looks so "adult".

Confiscating Maddie's Toys

Today I happened to be checking through Brooke's dresser, as occasionally I'll find little "treasures" in there.  She never fails, as today it was one of Maddie's toys.  Apparently she's trying to hord the balls from the dog.  The poor dog, she's become more neglected with a 2nd child in the house, and now she's losing her toys!

*note, the dresser is empty, because otherwise, during some naptimes, she'll pull all the clothes out to make a "nest."  It keeps her quite busy, and quite awake.

Teasing of Warm Weather

Like last year, warm weather arrived for St. Patrick's Day and the day after!  Break out the tee shirts as we get a glimpse of warmer months to come.  Our friends Erin, Jack and William (plus Boomer their dog!) came over for a bit of a play date.  Jack did a great job pulling Brooke and William in the wagon.

Keira watched on from her stroller.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  I attempted to capture some shots of my two little leprechauns, but neither was interested in looking at the camera.  Rather Keira seemed to be laughing a lot.

Brooke must have been making her laugh.  Keira lights up when Brooke pays attention to her.

Brooke showing Keira how the "alphabet" train works, and Keira works on perfecting her standing skills. 

Dino - Giraffe Races

Introducing Dinosaur / Giraffe Racing!  Keira and Brooke get their respective mounts ready.

Keira seriously contemplating her next moves to pass Brooke to win the checkered flag.

Maddie watches warily.  She was "injured" (see pink bandage on front right paw) so she had to sit out.  Really, she was injured...broke a toenail pretty bad, requiring a trip to the vet.

Babysitter Follies

I don't lay down a lot of "rules" for babysitters, as so far generally the girls are pretty good.  But two funny stories to share.

PJ's: one night after we arrived home, paid the babysitter, and were heading to bed we checked on Brooke and found she wasn't wearing any pajamas!  We got her into her pj's with minimal waking.  The babysitter had mentioned she could hear Brooke "talking" in her room for a while after she was put to bed (common occurrence).  The next morning I asked Brooke
     "Did 'Jane' had put you into your pajamas?"
     "Yes"  Brooke replied.
     "Then why weren't you wearing any later in the night?"  I asked.
     "I took them off" she replied.
I'm so curious how that all transpired...

Stuffed Animals: Last week I ran some errands with Keira during the day while a babysitter came to watch Brooke.  As I'm putting Brooke down for her afternoon nap I find that most of the stuffed animals from her bedroom are missing.  Hmm? 
     "Where's Snoopy, blankie, Puppy, Lamby, Valentine dog?"  I ask Brooke.
     "They're downstairs in the tent."  Brooke replies.  (the "tent" is a play tent in the basement)
     "You carried them all downstairs?" I ask astonished.
I'm wondering if Brooke swayed the babysitter to help transport all these "friends" down 2 flights of stairs into the basement.  Brooke certainly couldn't have carried them all down herself (Snoopy is as big as she is!).

Oh, to be a fly on the wall...

Cinderella & the Step-Mother

Brooke loves Cinderella (or "Cindergirl" or "Cinderearl" or something she calls her), and enjoys telling me she is Cinderella.  She puts on her Cinderella shoes and a dress-up princess dress and "dances at the ball" while waiting for Dad to come home from work (Prince Charming).

Well today, the rest of the family was included in the charade, as Mom was named "Step-Mother," while Keira and Maddie became her "Step-Sisters" (or sometimes it was "Step-Maddie").  I asked Brooke if she realized that Cinderella's stepmother in the movie was mean, and luckily, she looked at me and told me I wasn't mean.  Phew...we'll see what she thinks at 15 years old.

On a similar note, Brooke's level of "imaginary play" has really grown and it's hysterical to listen to her playing in the next room.  I hear all sorts of talking and singing going on.  Especially amusing when I'm putting Keira to bed and I hear Brooke in her room talking to her babies (Baby Kate and Baby Alyce).

Double Bathtime!

I took a try at putting both girls in the bathtub at the same time.  We're not quite ready for that.  Keira is still too wobbly.  And she HATES having her hair washed, or at least the rinsing part of it with water cascading down her face probably.  So as she strongly swats at my hands and grabs my fingers to pull them away she starts to fall over...so, back to the toddler tub.

We'll try again in a few months.  At least Brooke was open to the idea.  The last time I asked she said "No, Keira has her tub, Brooke has her tub," or something like that.

Laundry Help

One morning I decided it was time for Keira to learn the laundry chores.  First, sorting the laundry.  Maddie helps by sniffing things out.

Brooke's been through the laundry lesson, but isn't helping too much yet.  Her allowance is currently being withheld.

All smiles through the lesson though!