I hope they are always good friends…

After coming home from swimming both girls needed a bath – they were so cute in the bathtub. Grace is playing away w/ some bath toy while Eva stands behind her talking away (no clue what she was saying) playing w/ Grace’s hair. I hope they are always good friends…

Swimming @ Rick & Vickie's...

After Eva finished w/ her nap, we (Grace, Eva & I – Mattie was stuck working due to the storms that came through last night) headed over to Rick & Vickie’s to go swimming! Grace had only asked like 100 times since Vickie said we could the day before… the water was a little cold but both girls had a GREAT time!

Eva cried when she first got in the water – it was a little chilly but the temp outside was like 85 & once you were in the water it was fine. Eva was actually braver than Grace; Eva hung out in her little whale floaty having a great time. While Grace had a good time, but in order to have a good time she needed to be strangling the life out of some poor soul (Vickie, Rick, Kevin – or me) b/c she was afraid we might let go of her.

After playing in the pool Vickie offered the girls a snack & of course they don’t turn down food! I thought Grace might eat her out of house & home! I swear you’d think I don’t feed them… they had popsicles (which Eva loved, it’s a given w/ Grace), pretzels and Oreos:-) It was cute b/c this was the first time Eva had ever had an Oreo (I know they sound like they would have milk in them but surprisingly they don’t), so anyway – her first Oreo and what does she do? She immediately pulled it apart & ate the icing out! Almost like it was instinct :-) She’s a smart cookie!

The ice cream truck...

Today a little after lunch, I head this music – my first thought was, did Eva turn on her mobile? But no – it was the ICE CREAM TRUCK! I grabbed my wallet & Grace took off running, we caught up with it at the end of the block & Grace got to get her first item off of the truck! What fun:-) She got a Dora ice cream popsicle – below are pics of her eating it… she had it all over her face (I think that means it was really good!).

OH NO! Daddy forgot his keys!

We had Rick, Vickie, Kevin & Britney over last night – played in the yard, roasted marshmallows – of course Nanni, Poppy & Uncle Rob were there too. It was a great evening, but storms rolled in north of us – hit us later that evening, but Matt was certain he would be called out (and he was right). So he wanted to get some sleep before they called, so we told Grace that Daddy had to leave for work… she does a better job going to bed for me.

We’re in the bathroom brushing her teeth when Grace looks at the countertop and says, “OH NO! Daddy forgot his keys! (his car keys – obviously he hadn’t left)” It was so cute b/c she was sooooo worried for him! Smart little cookie!

Funny Sounds

Eva doesn't like me...

The girls were in the bath tub (I know a lot of stories come from there!), I'd washed Eva's hair & it was Grace's turn. When I started washing Grace's hair, Eva started screeching, stepping on Grace to get between us. I couldn't believe it - she had to be jealous, she didn't want me semi-holding Grace... wanted me to hold her. When she did this Grace said, "Mommy! Eva doesn't like me..." it was so sweet & sad at the same time... she was so innocent, but it really hurt her feelings. I said, "No honey, Eva loves you she's just jealous." Not sure she totally understood but she seemed to think about it for a bit.

Eva's starting to walk so much more...

Eva's starting to walk so much more... and she's soooo cute when she's doing it! At first she would only walk when Poppy made her, now its cute, she'll be standing up & when she starts to squat to go to "crawl mode" Poppy will say, "no-no you have to walk" & you can tell she's really thinking about it. She will then generally stand back up & start doing a wobbly walk across the room. Too cute! Then she'll clap for herself - I just love it!!! I'm not ready for her to grow up, but she's just so darn cute:-)

Why did Emma break her arm?

On Tuesday 5/27/08 Emma fell off the monkey bars & broke her right arm... on Wednesday I was ready to break mine or something else! Oh my, Grace asked at least 100 times an hour, "Why did Emma break her arm?" The first 50 times I tried to explain it, when that didn't work, I just started saying, "I don't know why - do you??" That would at least temporarily stop the questions... whew!

Inky binky bonky...

Grace is in the bath tub singing (while Eva dances)...

Inky binky bonky
Daddy had a donkey
Donkey died
Daddy cried
Inky binky bonky!

After singing, Grace says, "what is died?" I tried explaining but the message wasn't getting through, so we changed the song:-)

Inky binky bonky
Daddy had a donkey
Donkey MOVED
Daddy cried
Inky binky bonky!

Much better!

Brushing Eva's Teeth

When I get bigger I'm going to have RED hair...

It's funny b/c Grace has been hooked on this red mesh piece of fabric I guess you would say - I think it's left over decoration from a Christmas present... but she wants to wear it as a headdress. Yesterday and today I just gave in and let her wear it, figuring "whatever, she's four - if it makes her happy great". Well I think I finally figured out why she wants to wear it - beyond making her look fabulous.

Tonight before bed she says "when I get bigger I'm going to have RED hair like Ariel, and a tail w/ purple boobies!" She's so in love with the idea of long red hair and a tail that she wore her headdress to bed:-) Life through her eyes is so perfect, when I look at her I see the glimmer... and some how no matter how crappy things can be, they are perfect if just for that little moment.

Pineapple whip posing as ICE CREAM... should be a crime!

Well, Eva's probably going to be sick... we had such a wonderful evening the other night - ice cream for Gracie, pineapple whip for Mommy & Eva (Daddy opted out) and it was sooooo cute Eva LOVED the pineapple whip. Well Daddy & Gracie went back tonight to get some as a surprise, when he found out that Baxter's pineapple whip isn't the same as "traditional" pineapple whip - they put a GALLON of milk in a 3 gallon batch - can you believe that??? UGH! So frustrating, I'm happy Matt found out - we could have been eating there every night... but still so frustrating.

Bubble gum bubble gum in a dish...

Grace is so cute! Tonight in the bath I hear her singing, "Bubble gum bubble gum in a dish, how many pieces do you wish?" then she'd say a number and count out the number! TOO CUTE! Eva liked her singing it too, she'd sway back & forth dancing:-)

Eva w/ her 1st brownie...

For my family birthday party Nanni made angel food cake & low fat brownies... making sure both of them didn't have milk in them so I could eat them:-) Which was a huge plus b/c that meant Eva could eat them too! And boy did she want to eat a brownie! She started out w/ one of her own, when she tired she'd set it down - go about doing what she wanted, and then just find someone else who had a brownie to befriend:-) Smart kid!

Here is Eva w/ her 1st brownie:

Grace and her cereal...

I'm not sure why I let Grace eat cereal - other than I figure she has to get better at it the more she does it! I'm certain that if Vegas had odds on Grace eating cereal vs. Grace wearing her cereal - the odds would be she'd be wearing it! Seriously, at least 50% of the time she flips the bowl, ending up w/ cereal EVERYWHERE!

She was eating her cereal, & I "thought" doing a good job b/c she was sitting w/ her behind on the stool (this is often one of the causes... her behind is on her knees rather than on the stool) - when all of a sudden I hear what sounds like dripping water. I look over & see Grace who is eating her cereal in a T-shirt & her panties covered in milk & Cheerio's. But hey what can you do? Grab a paper towel & start cleaning - well right after you grab the video camera:-)

See clip below!

Grace riding her bike...

Indianapolis Art Museum...

Today we went to the Indianapolis Art Museum, I wanted to check out some new spots for photos... and who better to take pictures of - my two FAVORITE subjects! The weather was WONDERFUL when we left home, & wouldn't you know it as soon as we got there it started to rain. But Matt must have made a few calls to correct that, b/c he said lets drive up here (like 200 yards) & by the time we parked & got out it was clearing off - we had nice weather from there on out:-)

Grace had a great time running through the gardens - we just had to work really hard to make sure she didn't pick anything! She loves to pick the flowers, so anytime she touched one, we were like "no-no don't pick it". After a while she was giving us "the look" - but you never know! I would have hated to be booted b/c she picked flowers.

Eva had a great time too - she was wearing her new shoes. When I would put her down, in general she'd be willing to stand & take a few steps, which is great b/c in general she hates the grass!

The whole place was sooooo beautiful. Matt & I both wished that could be our backyard - what a dream!

Grace's gymnastics recital...

Last night Grace had her gymnastics recital - it was soooo cute! All of the little girls performed on the floor, they had the floor divided into around 5-6 quadrants so there was activity everywhere! Grace did the balance beam, a line of summersaults, the jumping mat & the uneven bars. She was so cute doing all of them! I think my favorite was watching her jump up to grab the uneven bar & the swinging - she's so grown-up! I asked her what her favorite part was & she said "jumping!"

Then at the end of the performance everyonewas recognized & called up onto a mock Olympian awards stand to receive a metal. Grace thought it was great. Before bed she told me, "they said Grace Elizabeth Lux on the microphone & I got up on that thing that went like this... and I got my necklace!" I was so sweet how excited she was.

She loved her award necklace so much she wore it to bed:-) She wanted to wear it in the bath but I said that probably wasn't a good idea.

During the night she woke up & said she was scared, but I reminded her that her necklace had special powersthat would protect her... she didn't totally buy this but it must have worked enough b/c she went back to sleep:-)

How did my little angel turn into this MONSTER???

Ugh! I don't know what is wrong w/ Eva - last night she was up till 2:30 a.m. screaming! And still got up several times... no temp, no nothing - I almost think that between teething & the milk allergy she just doesn't feel well so she's grumpy and she's gotten spoiled so she wants to be held ALL the time! Which I love holding her but I can't do it 24-7!

Oh & this isn't new w/ today's post but she's started slapping - yes, my cute little angel slaps. Shocking I know, and frustrating... she slaps & then when you tell her no she looks at you, scrunching her face up - like, "what's your problem?" THEN she does it again! UGH!!!!

An evening out...

The weather today was GREAT! I had some pics to take in the afternoon, while Daddy mowed... then we headed to Greenwood to do a little shopping & run a few errands. Both Daddy & I were amazed - we had such a good time! I know sounds strange, I mean we always have a good time, but both Eva & Grace were so good! The weather was nice, it was just like everything was as they say "in the cards".

Grace got hungry so under pressure we had to pick somewhere to eat - we tried Paradise Cafe, and it was GREAT! Grace got a meal she would eat & I approved of:-) And Eva was happy eating my fruit salad, the place was totally clean... then we went to Lowe's & looked at a few things for the house. We didn't get home till nearly 9:00 p.m. & both girls were still in a good mood. Eva dosed in the car, Grace said she was going to... but no screaming & yelling. Generally that is what happens when we push it & do to much. I wish every outing went this smoothly!

Eva's attempt to escape from the bathtub...

Eva's attempt to escape from the bathtub... During bath time I tend to sit further back, often getting items ready for Brenda's b/c if I sit right by the side of the tub both girls fight for me to play w/ them - I get soaked & neither of them are happy. But if I just hover near by, they happily play with each other (I stay relatively dry!) and I get to enjoy watching the two of them:-)

First I hear Grace say, "Mommy Eva's trying to get out of the tub!" so I turn & see, sure enough, Eva has one chubby leg hiked up in the air trying to get it over the edge... not sure what she thought would happen if she did. I first told her no - which she didn't like (go figure!). Then I decided, I'm sitting right here, I should see IF she can even do it - that way I'll know for future reference... so Eva again has her leg up in the air & it's a good I have relatively good reflexes (yes I'm clumsy but good reflexes!) b/c Grace did something to Eva's back leg (maybe she thought she was helping her???) but Eva flips out of the tub! SCARED me but I caught her so she didn't hit anything - scared her to death!

So then I had to talk to Grace about how that could have really hurt Eva... Grace then wanted to know if it could make her "dead" (where does she come up w/ this stuff??!!) So I said, "yes, maybe" - thinking that would be the end of it... but no... Grace wanted to know if that happened, "could we get a new baby?". Seriously! I said, "I don't know, but that would mean we don't have Eva - we don't want that! If Eva is dead we'd never see her again." Grace said, "she'd never crawl again?" I said, "that's right, she'd never crawl, never laugh, never play w/ you" - I think that stumped her b/c she was quiet like she was thinking. But wow - four years old & asking about "dead", hopefully we don't have a reason to explain things further to her for a long time to come.

Best friends...

It was so cute after dinner last night Grace was pushing Eva around in her little wagon... Eva's sitting inside - shockingly happy! Letting Grace push her where ever... Eva generally wants to be the one in charge, so it's rare to see her sitting letting Gracie push her. In fact, Grace left Eva in the wagon while she ran to the bathroom and Eva waited for her! They are sooooo cute!

I LOVE seeing them play together - makes my heart melt... I mean this is what life is all about right? And Matt wonders why I say I'd love to have another one... :-)

A moment in time...

Whew! I don't know what is up w/ Eva but today she has been soooooo CLINGY! She's either eating or wanting me to hold her:-) Or both together... wanting me to hold her while she eats:-) Which she's so messy holding her while she eats isn't easy! So after wanting to pull my hair out all day I have to say the highlight was around 4:00 p.m., I was holding Eva in my rocking chair when Grace decided she wanted me to hold her too. So have both girls in my arms, practically sitting on top of me, when Gracie & Eva start competing for kisses! Kisses lead to blowing raspberries & making funny sounds - before you know it, I'm covered in kisses, baby Eva drool and LOVING every minute of it... while all three of us giggle uncontrollably!

It's too bad you can't stay in a moment forever b/c I could have picked that one to remain in for a long time.

Gracie and the hula-hoop...

Tonight we went to Gram's house to take senior pics. While we were out there Gracie & Eva got to play w/ Gram's & Kim... Eva's still working on warming up to new people but Grace is totally at home out there! She learned how to hula-hoop! And she's sooooo cute doing it, you can TOTALLY see the child like glimmer in her eye while doing it, makes me want to jump into her skin & join her:-)

More pics of Gracie for Stana...

More pics of Gracie for Stana... to be posted on the Lovely Knits website. Grace LOVES posing w/ the hats on! Doesn't she look super cute! We still have more hats to photo, but here are the latest...

Eva's 1st birthday party...

Ugh - I've typed this once & who knows what happened but I lost it all... so here goes again!

So today was Eva's first birthday party - everything turned out so GREAT! The weather was wonderful, the guests were wonderful, the party decorations - it all just went to plan... perfect! I couldn't have asked for it to be better:-)

We had the party at Nanni & Poppy's house, & decorated the garage. Eva had red table clothes w/ recycled glass jars w/ spring plants inside & red ribbons... they turned out so cute! And it was nice b/c when the party was over Grace got to give away the flowers as little party favors. She loved passing them out:-)

The first thing we did is presents - Eva was so cute, such a little lady sitting in her rocking chair unwrapping presents only when handed to her... happily letting Grace help her unwrap them. And Grace being a GREAT big sister helped a lot. Eva got so many wonderful presents - and tons of cute clothes! I can't want to start dressing her up, she'll have tons of things to where for photo ops!

After presents we did cake & ice cream. When we sang Happy Birthday to Eva, she almost seemed in shock that everyone was singing and watching her:-) We got her a special cake from Linnie's Bakery - Bill the owner made it special for her w/ no milk. She loved it! Her first cake ever - she had at least two handful ls before she decided she wanted down to push her wagon.

The whole day was just wonderful - we're very blessed to have such wonderful friends & family.

Gracie and Emma...

Eva's 12M doctor apt...

Today Eva had her 12 month doctor apt. I talked Matt into going w/ us because I knew Eva had to get shots - yes more than one... and I just hate shots. I hate them for myself & I think I hate them even more for my girls. Oh it breaks my heart knowing they are in pain:-(

Today she had to get FOUR shots - four, can you believe that? Crazy, huh? Poor thing - one right after another.. makes me sad even typing it. But on the bright side, she's developing right on track. She fell 50% in range for her weight - weighing in at 20 lbs. 13 oz., and 50% in range for height at 29" long. Her head circumference wasn't quite as big as Grace's, she's only 75% in range - measuring in at 46 cm. So chubby little cheeks & she's just average... so all of you reading this thinking Eva is "well fed" she's just PERFECT:-)

Oh & Eva's treat for enduring the shots... drum roll please (probably a bigger deal to Grace - who is much more of a TV addict) we got to turn the car seat around! Eva can now look out the window, see Mommy in the front seat - or watch a DVD w/ Grace if she wants:-)

The terrible FOURs?

This morning was AWFUL! Matt calls b/c Grace was throwing a fit this morning - didn't like her panties... one of her repeat complaints. She's always saying, "they give me a wedgie!" I've tried explaining what a wedgie is but that hasn't apparently sunk in yet b/c when ever her panties are distressed she starts yelling "wedgie". I had Brenda check & make sure she didn't think they were too little, she didn't... I'm thinking if I get her bigger panties she's going to have baggy drawers!

Matt said, "you need to talk to your daughter - either she cuts this crap out, or you can take them to Brenda's or just stay home! I'm not putting up with this every morning!" I know it sounds like I'm laughing right now, but I'm not - I feel sooooo AWFUL for him! It's bad enough going through it, but starting your day that way is terrible!

Then to make it worse, he's running late b/c of Grace's fit & while he's on the phone telling me about it he gets pulled over! I can't believe his bad luck - you would think it was Friday the 13th.... poor guy! Gracie you need to cut him some slack!

I'm not "rupting you"...

Grace is too funny - after work today we had to go get gas, I'm sitting in the car while the gas attendant pumps (yes I know I should be pumping! but I think it's safer staying in the car w/ the girls). Grace hollers from the back seat, "Mommy I'm not rupting you"... I was like "what?" totally clueless as to what she was talking about. She says, "when you was talking to that boy I didn't rupt you!" It finally clicked she wasn't INTERRUPTING me:-) We've been working on this - looks like something is getting through her hard head:-) Got to love her! She's just tooooo SWEET!