Love my girls!

Matthew is out of town right now, so it is just us girls.

Even though Nora has been "fuhrustrayting" me lately, I had a really good time with her tonight. We played puzzles and she surprised me with how good she is doing. She was able to put a 25 piece puzzle together with minimal help. Puzzles are not something we have really worked on...I guess I need to get some more.

She also had a good time making some pudding for dessert. If you're looking for something easy to make with your kids, pudding is the way to go. EASY! She started out by saying that she wanted muffins (cupcakes) and I cringed a little bit. I still said yes though, I was trying to be a good mom and be fun. Then she thought for a few seconds and said, "No, let's make pudding." YES!
She is such a sweet girl and I am so lucky to have her. I feel bad when she drives me crazy, like I'm not cutting it as a mom. But, we're family. That is going to happen! I'm sure (I'M SURE) I drive her nuts too.

She has recently been feeling "angry". I don't think it's a new feeling for her, I just think it's one she recently became aware of. We are trying really hard to let her know that is is OKAY to be angry with someone but the way she REACTS to that anger is something that she needs to work on. She has been going directly to her room when she gets angry with us/Elyn-without us even telling her to (which is AWESOME). HOWEVER, once she gets there, she screams at the top of her lungs (which is NOT awesome). We have had many conversations with her about how it is ok to be upset with us but it is not ok to scream AT THE TOP OF HER LUNGS when she gets to her room.

Well, I think those conversations have been making an impact. The other night she got frustrated with Matthew for one reason or the other. We could tell that she was getting angry and were waiting for the explosion. You could see the wheels spinning in her head and the discussions we have had coming back to her. She looked at Matthew and breathed hard and said, "You don't understand me because I am angry with you right now!" Then she stomped off to her room and did NO YELLING! (Matthew and I were laughing so hard...which, thankfully, she didn't see).

I don't ever want her to get in trouble for being upset with me or Matthew or Elyn...it's completely natural for her to get angry (I've even started stepping back when the two girls are arguing with each other and seeing if they can work it out themselves...never too young, right). We are just trying to teach her proper ways to express that anger and channel it.

And I have really had to watch myself when I start to get frustrated with her or Elyn or Matthew....I want to be a good example for her in EVERYTHING.

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Elyn. She is at such a fun stage right now! She has always been so funny and so clever with her personality. As she gets older, it is becoming more fun to watch her develop that.

I went into the playroom tonight to tell the girls it was time to start picking up and getting ready for a bath. Elyn was sitting on the floor with a baby doll between her legs, "reading" a book. It nearly made me cry. At that moment I loved her so much and was so thankful that I was able to see that. I had heard her doing quite a bit of talking but didn't realize what the talking was all about until I walked in. It would have been great to have a picture...no camera nearby.

This is a picture that my sister took while we were on our ski vacation. Elyn is putting cuticle oil on my fingers.

She had seen my mom doing it and wanted to share. This is a perfect example of her right now...she wants to do EVERYTHING that an adult does.

For example, after the girls got up from their nap, I asked them what they wanted to watch (they always get to watch a 30 minute show). Elyn said "Backyardigins". I found it on DVR and got it started. I went into the kitchen to start dinner and 10 seconds later, she was standing right beside me, wanting to help. Forget the show, she wants to do what mommy is doing.

She also ONLY wants me the majority of the day. "Hold you me" is a phrase I hear a ton. It's sweet that I am her favorite person on the planet, but I would like to GO TO THE BATHROOM without having a friend go with me.

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It's been about two weeks that the girls have been living together in the same room. It has worked out wonderfully! It is has gone even better than we ever imagined!

(My mom told me that when she was growing up she had to share a room with her sister. Because of that, she was bound and determined that her kids would never have to share a room. Well, my sister and I, for the most part, did not share a room. When we found out that we were having Elyn, I knew immediately that the girls would share a room...I'm sure when they have kids, they won't make them share a room....funny cycle!)

They have had a little trouble during nap time. Elyn thinks it's funny to get out of her bed and bother Nora-but ONLY at nap time. Night times have gone pretty good. Tonight neither one got out of bed!

And the playroom....OH MY GOODNESS! I love our playroom! It is so nice to have all the toys in one space. AND the girls have done a much better job playing independently (not needing me to constantly be playing with them...giving me time to catch up on novels and naps...hahahahahah, I wish!) since the birth of the playroom. Matthew and I were commenting the other day about how the week of being a shut-in hasn't been quite as miserable as it could have been because the girls have done such a good job at playing together. Some day they would play ALONE for over a hour in the playroom...heaven!

One day, when we get everything as decorated as it's going to be, I will post pictures of both rooms. (Our budget for decorating is currently "zero", so we are getting creative.)

Goodnight friends....this post has taken much too long to write...I have ADD tonight.