School Days, school days...March 22nd, 2011

I know, it is so hard to believe but the time was upon us. Not long after we began to settle into our life with two kids, I began to feel immense guilt. There is something that happens when you feel like you work so hard to develop a smart, fun, happy, loving child and then you add a newborn to the equation and you feel like you have just dropped your first child off a cliff to fend for themselves. So many moms know it, but the first weeks and months are a challenge and there is a huge learning curve. We started realizing in this time period that Harper needed some outside of the house influence, and Reiss and I need some time too. Here enters Orange County Cooperative Preschool. This wonderful little school starts accepting kids at the age of 2.5 years old and has two classrooms of preschoolers each with a wonderful teacher. Parents volunteer in the classroom a few times a month so you are able to see the teacher and children in their environment. They have classes 3 times a week from 9am-12pm. After our spring break this year we decided that it was great timing and was a great trial period before her having to go to school next year so we jumped in. This was our beginning... Our big girl all ready to go. Yes, she picked out the Dora the Explorer backpack, which is funny since she had NEVER watched the show and she resembles Dora a little bit too!

Can you believe that she is this big already?

So excited!

Giving the backpack its due props.

Little sister tagging along on Harpers big adventure.

Such a big girl...

Her first cubie...

Getting comfortable with our helper of the day, our good friend Em, Mason and Mrs. Jeanette.

Already settling in with Hudson and Sierra.

At noon, I arrived to this scene...perfectly at play.

Ready to go with all my stuff.

Let's blow this joint!

You have to appreciate these moments, we love this little girl and are so proud of her today.

Our first piece of preschool artwork...so sweet!

Sisters - End of February

I have tried to take the lead of my fellow blogger friend Em and capture the girls monthly, so you can really see the changes as they happen for all those family and friends far away. The only problem is that I have not been taking my job as a blogger very seriously and am only now beginning to show interest in catching up. So here are pictures from February...wow.
Big cuddles, Reiss not fighting the love!

All smiles!

Adoring big sister.

Smerky, smerky!

For a while the girls really seemed to be on the path of being those sisters who didn't look alike and shared very few features. As you can see here, that is changing, each day they start to look more alike and meld into one another. Its a really sweet and crazy thing how you can wake up and say "wow, she has eyebrows today" or "did her nose change in her sleep?"

Oh, Melissa and Doug, how I love thee!

As so many of my fellow moms will agree, I love Melissa and Doug toys. Somehow most of their toys manage to squeeze in multiple games/learning milestones. One of our more recent toys has been a block set that is the toys that will never die...in a good way.

It is a great way to work on colors, numbers, counting, shapes, manual dexterity...I feel like I am missing a few. Oh yeah...Reiss just likes to throw them and then leave the star shaped ones as booby traps on the living room and dining room floor.
On this morning we were making some "gorg" necklaces...needing some assistance from mom.

Stinging, stringing and stringing-we better have some strong necks!

So content...

Tada! Look at this lovely! Jewelry/Gift Mart here we come!

Velvet's Photo Shoot

Harper has many photographers in her life so she has learned these lessons honestly. Her Aunt Gray is a great photographer, her Uncle Robbie loves being behind the lens and our great family friend Carrie Coleman is an amazing photographer. We are finally out of the phase when taking pictures Harper smiles so much it is a scary face and not a happy face and she is beginning to understand what a REAL smile is. On this morning it was not Harper in front of the camera, it was Harper behind the camera.... Our favorite subject...Velvet, the bunny rabbit.

the perfect subject...that's going to be a good one.

The shutterbug.

Reiss all poised for her close-up. No scowl in sight!

Her coy face!

Our lady of mystery shot

Matchy, Matchy...not really.

I never thought I would dress my girls in the same outfits and I still have not prescribed to the idea but I have put them in "similar" items and I think I can be honest enough to know that this will not be the end of this idea ...here is one of the girls on their cuter matching days. (thanks gap and thank you jenny b.)This is priceless...Reiss wondering why Harper has a muffin and she does not?I'll take some of that, thank you! Way to stand up for yourself Reiss! (Harper seemed pretty willing.) I am so proud of me. It's fine, now I have a ice cream cone!One of Harper's favorite videos...Sesame Street and Elmo (yes, that is Adam Sandler!)Look at Harper's scared face and Watson's look of concern...

Much better now...we are together and all is right in the world.

Reiss falling into the Sesame Street trap too.

We recieved these cute singing dogs for Valentines day and Reiss likes to square off with it. The below video is Reiss putting the smack down with the doggie...she always dances (rocks) with him for a bit and then turns him on his bottom...too funny! (Video to be posted later...)

A Valentines Day Reflection

Since we have two girls, Reiss was supposed to live in Harper's hand-me-downs...not true. As it turns out the almost 2 month and almost 2 lb difference at birth has kept Reiss from having to live in Harpers shadow completely. This Valentines day we were able to slip Reiss into a holiday outfit that Harper wore and we had to giggle at how different the two girls are.

FEB 2011: (Reiss - 7 months)

Reiss looking non-plused in her holiday attire.

There is a happy girl.

See! She is not all frowns!

APRIL 2009: (Harper - 8 months)

The eyes of the girls are totally different and you can see here...and their lips too. Harper has these Betty Boop lips and the pentrating dark eyes and lashes. Reiss has the lashes but they just don't flutter like Harper's do....

Cutie Pie!

Always the smiley, giggly one...and still is.

Valentines Day 2011

A Happy Valentines Day at Woodberry Forest...Since our playgroup meets every week and we had such a festive fun group of kids we decided to have our first valentines exchange of cards and goodies. Harper and I decided it would be fun to make a valentines box to collect and share our goodies in. We used all our old catalogs, stencils, stickers and tissue paper and this was our final outcome. Not too bad for our first time. We loved painting with glue, she wants to decoupage everything!We signed all our "Olivia" valentines and filled little goodie bags for everyone to enjoy and piled them all in our box all ready for our playdate.For our Valentines trade we decided to make rice krispie sweethearts...we had to taste them while working so hard to make them. The booty of cookies and treats that we recieved at the party. They were all soooo delicious, mom and dad enjoyed them more than Harper :(

Harper still is using her box and pulling out all her Valentines that everyone made, they were all so cute. The party was a great hit with the kids and the parents. We all love a reason to celebrate. I put together some Valentines treats for all my sweeties to wake-up to. This was one of the fondest memories of my childhood, my mom would always surprise us with the best little treats for all little holidays. Harper sporting her new hat and mittens...hopefully we will be able to use them next year too!

A Valentines Day romp at the playground.

On this warmer but still brisk day Reiss worked hard keeping her toys warm.
Somebody likes to swing!