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No! you listen to me!

It has been a busy couple of weeks for the girls. The weekend before Thanksgiving my mother came up to visit the girls. I think the girls were excited because Grandma Duncan lets them get away with just about anything (and I do mean anything–some call it spoiled, I call it how it is). Plus she always brings them something–okay maybe that is being spoiled.  This time it was clothes and cheese puffs while the girls wasted no time deciding who got which shirts and pants.  Funny how we have things like clothes or toys that are not designated for one or the other but somehow those little darlings designate it for themselves or their sister.

You think I look funny? Obviously you haven't seen you!

The first night Grandma made dinner and I enjoyed not having to come home to cook and Aaron also enjoyed not having to cook.  So it was win-win for everyone–okay, alright–that is being spoiled as well. That night Grandma gave baths and let the girls stay up late to “play with her” (I will stand firm on this as getting away with it.  You see the girls know very well how to work that option, whether it is to go pee or to say I love you or to get a hug–and they got away with it). They were getting a little wild and about wore Grandma out with playing horsey.  Finally around 9 pm we told Grandma it was time for the girls to go to bed. There was some resistance, but not as much as I expected.

The Picture Taker

Of course getting them to sleep and them staying asleep turned out to be two completely separate issues. Around midnight I heard Bella cry, which is not terribly uncommon as she regularly wakes once or twice a night, whether from a dream or just the natural progression of her sleep cycles. I heard my mom go into their room and I just went back to sleep. Then at about 2:30 or so I hear talking and running/jumping and my mom talking to the girls. This time I got up.

Happy Horsey Ride

Mom had them in the bathroom to potty, but proceeds to tell me that after Bella woke up she let them both come into her room to sleep (totally taking advantage of her). There was no sleeping going on and they had both been awake since midnight. I finally had to put the mommy foot down.  I told them to go get in their own beds to sleep. There were tears and protests and I think I heard Bella talk about calling CPS while Norah proclaimed she was moving in with Grandma so she sleep when and where she wanted, but the foot was down.

Socks as mittens

I had to go back in one more time because Bella was laying at the door crying. But finally they both fell back to sleep.  Unfortunately, I was not so lucky and it took me another hour or so to try to get back to sleep. Of course Aaron who literally can sleep through a fire alarm (long story, but the truth) slept like a baby that night.  The next day I made sure to tell mom that under no circumstances was she allowed to let them try to sleep with her and that if they woke up she could re-tuck and comfort them and they would go back to sleep.

Puzzle Time

On Saturday after I got off work Aaron and I were able to go do the majority of the Christmas shopping for the girls. We largely struck out on presents for the nieces and nephew, but that is what the internet is for and they are done with the exception of the other half of a gift for one. I am always thankful when my mom comes up so that we can get stuff like this done because the girls have a blast and it saves us money on babysitting (so maybe we do take advantage of her for that and are spoiled by that, but hey! That’s what Grandma’s are for, right?!?)

The sourest PEZ

On Thanksgiving we made the day trip down to the Hufnagel’s house in Dale. The first half of the trip down Bella pretty much talked non-stop, but when Aaron tried to turn off the DVD player she about had a meltdown. So, we restarted the DVD and let her chat away. Once we got down there the girls got small goodie bags with Pez, books and a few other little things. They also got shoes that Paula thought were really cute (and they were), but unfortunately they will probably not fit either of the girls until they are about 4 years old and have enough shoes to last until they probably graduate–college.  But that is Mimi, always making sure her little “sweet peas” don’t go without.  And well, Mimi likes to shop for them too!  So Bella definitely will not be short on any “flippy-fops” for a decade or so!

Laughing Love

The day was largely dominated by watching football (ugh) and Aaron carefully tracking his fantasy team with the girls running around playing inside and out. They both refused to take a nap. Dinner had been partially prepped the night before, so when it was time to cook, the girls were able to help their Mimi make dumplings.

Cooking with Mimi

Just a taste

There was a little table that they got to sit on in the kitchen with a sheet laid down. They had little kitchen towels tied around them to act like bibs/aprons, but their clothes were still a hot mess by the time it was all said and done and they both were in desperate need of a complete outfit change. But the girls got to help make dumplings with Mimi and how they loved it!  They were both so cute and funny, yet so serious about helping Mimi to cook.  Aaron did get lots of pics of the girls foray into cooking and Norah was trying to eat the dough and ended up with dough and flour all over her face as well.

Read to me Mimi

We ate dinner and then settled into the living room to relax.  Because of the lack of nap both girls were getting very wild and all over the place.  Norah and Bella kept crawling up in the recliner. Norah wanted to rock in it and Bella kept wanting the footrest put up, so it was a never ending battle of that.  Later, Norah was sitting with her Granddaddy and she was getting down from the chair, but instead of getting down the correct way she decided to be silly and went over the side.

Lip Gloss for Mimi

She managed to miss getting her feet on the floor and ended up busting her top lip open.  She ended up with blood all in her mouth, her hand, her shirt and Aaron’s shirt.  She is a reckless little girl, but tough.  And by tough, I mean tough.  She will even tell you, “I a tough little girl!”  It is really cute when she does it.  She only cried a little bit, but she sure had a hugely swollen lip that looked like she went 12 with Ali, so we had to ice it down.

Playing with Granddaddy

We finally left Dale around 8:30 to come back home and the drive back was not fun as it was very foggy and a little rainy. Bella was asleep before we even got to the interstate. Norah held out to almost Corydon, but once they were both asleep they pretty much were out the rest of the way. Once we got home and got them into bed they went right back to sleep without a peep of protest–worn out by Mimi and Granddaddy.  Worn out by the great Thanksgiving with all the laughs, tears, cries, giggles, cooking (which is hard work), and even one fat lip.

Bella reading to Mimi

I think the holiday and the traveling had the girls a little thrown off because it seemed that almost every day they have fought taking their usual nap. Usually they will go down after lunch and easily sleep for an hour and a half to two hours. Instead of nap time they have decided it is play time. Plus, Norah has decided to boycott sleeping in her bed about half the time we try to put her down for nap or bed time. She will ask to sleep in the chair or the floor. Usually we tell her no, but lately I have just told her it was fine, but I wasn’t going to tuck her in unless she was in bed, so at least she starts out in bed.

Ouch! You poked my eye out!

Back to the non-existent or extremely short naps….because of this both girls have been holy terrors by the time 5o’clock rolls around. There has been hitting, kicking, food stealing, cup beating, temper tantrum filled evenings for Aaron and I to enjoy.  And by enjoy I mean enjoy–I think Aaron and I might have to start a 12 step program soon, but we for right now we can’t get even get to step 1.  It is possible that this is a new fun phase because I have also noticed in the morning on the way to daycare that the “Norah’s touching me!” stuff is already starting.  Norah goes out of her way to annoy Bella, whether it be throwing her leg over the side of her carseat to kick Bella’s seat, to stealing food off her plate, to taking her baby dolls…. the list goes on and on.  Aaron told me the other night after I got home from Zumba that it was evenings like that that made him consider leaving and I pretty much was thinking, “Sure!  Where are we going?” Not sure what to think, but maybe it is the beginning of the terrible twos that will surely progress to threes that are even worse.

Lots of pictures from the past few weeks….so click here to see them at Flickr.

Also Picture of the Week is a dandy.  We hope to have another short post up in a day or two or three or four (depending on how much the girls cause us to drink) about putting the Christmas Tree up and decorating.