She DOES look like JAWS!!!

I LOVE the Apple Orchard!!!!

Okay so all I need to say is "I LOVE the Apple Orchard!!!!" And apparently so do my girls:-) After a long, crappy day at work, what is more fun than a trip to the apple orchard? Matt was working on the house so the girls and I headed off together... we got there around 5:00 p.m., and considering they close at 6:00 p.m. I couldn't believe how busy they were! It was packed. As soon as we got there Grace asked for the special apple drink (aka: apple cider slush). I said before we leave... we picked Mitzu apples (my favorite - they aren't ready till early October), then we headed in for an apple cider slush and an "apple w/ a straw" (aka: caramel apple).

We had so many apples crammed into our little bag they were nearly busting out, but we made it back to the car w/ the apples, caramel apple and the slush. From there the three of us sat in the grass drinking watered down apple cider slush (which Eva thought it was out of this world!)and sharing one caramel apple. I probably shouldn't have let Eva even try it but it was so hard to bit into I don't think she really got any of the caramel (which I'm sure would contain some milk - ugh!) but I just couldn't tell her no - it's impossible to explain to her why we can have things that she can't. So for this one occasion we all partook and loved it:-)

**Follow-up... if she ate any caramel it didn't seem to affect her adversely, beyond a VERY sticky face:-)

School picture day!

Today is School Picture Day!!! I can't wait to see how the pictures turn out, of course I was horrified when I saw how much school pictures cost, and they try to get you ever where... $5 for different colored backgrounds, $5 for their name, sneaking $10 in for retouching... like my 4 year old needs retouching! We went for a basic package - I want a pic and her class picture, but otherwise I think we have TONS of pic of Grace... but wow-ie! Maybe I should go into the school picture business;-)

Sidewalk chalk comes in paint!

Ok after a spectacularly terrible day at work, all I wanted to do was scoop up my little girls and hold them. But since they were both kind of wiggly and if you hold on to Eva too terribly long (after the day she had at Brenda's) it's likely that she will take a bite out of you, I decided to paint w/ sidewalk chalk. We broke out the sidewalk chalk paint, and great big paint brushes - forgetting to even change into old clothes.... and boy was it fun.

Grace decided to paint her whole foot - so of course Eva did EXACTLY what Grace did... from a bystanders point of view its so cute to watch and see how long it takes Eva to mimic Grace - not long! When we had to clean up so Grace could get ready for gymnastics, Eva did not want to go in... she grabbed the bottle of pink paint and shook her head at me, saying "no". I promised another day and we'd come back out and finish off the bottles.

Is there a vaccine available for bitting???

Ugh! Today was Eva's first day back at Brenda's after the double ear infection. I called around lunch time to hear how she was doing, and it wasn't good. Brenda said she'd pinched everyone, and BITE Allysia! She bit her hard enough to break the skin, and on the back! On the back, you can't argue self defense... what am I going to do w/ her? It's hard to believe she is so cute, and such a little stinker! While at work I talked to Eva on the phone (I did the talking while she listened), I told her, "Eva we don't pinch, and we don't bit. That's not nice." Brenda asked me what I told her, b/c Eva looked down at the floor and scrunched her face up, then bit her hand (where Allysia bit her the last time) shaking her head. So she totally understood what I told her, now I just have to get her to follow through!

When I picked the girls up, Allysia came running up trying to show me where Eva bit her, poor thing. It wasn't until Grace informed me, and properly showed me that I could see the small bit mark on her back, and sure enough it did break the skin. I of course apologized profusely not that it made her back better, I wish it would make her not do it again. But she seems to get very upset when you correct her, and you would then think it would prevent her from doing it again, but no - give her a few days and she'll be pinching someone or worse!

On the bright side, Grace did have Brenda get out the "magic Cinderella boo-boo fixer" (aka: a special ice pack I have there for Grace to use).

A better day... if only fractionally

Okay so today was better than yesterday so someone must have listened to my prayers some what:-) Eva's still grouchy, and wants to take it out on those around her, but we're improving. There are more smiles, now she's still a little landmind... you have to walk lightly around her. One minute she's happy and the next she's throwing her little body in every direction. I think she just doesn't know how to deal with the pain. She's not been a good patient about taking her medicine, so I'm sure the ear infection hasn't improved much unless it's b/c her body is doing a good job fighting. The doctors office has changed her antibiotic so that's a plus, at least this one she only gets once a day... nothing like being sprayed with medicine twice a day:-) (You know when she is spitting it out!)

Making jewelry....

Earlier in the week Grace made a beaded necklace at Brenda's w/ Breanna, she's been wearing it every day since then! Uncle Rob told Grace he wanted her to make him one too (not sure if he really did, or just wanted her to say "yes"). Apparently Grace ignored Uncle Rob's request when he asked her, but then came to me and told me, "we need to get beads I have to make Uncle Rob a bracelet - he's sad b/c he wants one..." So we went to Walmart to pick out beads:-) We got a bag of pink/purple hues, and I talked Grace into a more manly selection for Uncle Rob... greens, kaki, etc...

Outcome: Grace made Uncle Rob his bracelet - which he loved, even the pink beads she slipped in when I wasn't watching;-)