This little one is my buddy all day, everyday. Some days I can't believe how many messes she can make and how much she needs me every waking (and sleeping) second. But then when she snuggles up on me and gives me kisses, all that work just melts away. This is my view of her for most of our day...she's either hanging on my arm looking up at me with her big blue eyes or on my hip. I am truly blessed to be her mama.
After the big movie night, Elle woke up and had to put on a show of her own. She got herself and Gwen dressed head to toe in Hannah Montana gear (thank you, Santa) and informed Jon and me that we needed to take our spots on the couch. They both had microphones (gwen's was a fairy wand) and put on quite a show. Jon and I had to sit on the couch and Elle had the music pretty darn loud. Wow. I remember doing numerous performances for my parents growing up on our "stage" (fireplace hearth) just like this with my sisters. So fun.
Jon and I had Elle join us for our date night. Hannah Montana the movie came out and Elle has been begging to go and see it. I told her that I would take her to see it and Jon would stay home with Gwen. Elle looked at me and said, "PLEASE can you get a babysitter for Gwen so that you AND daddy can go"? I told her she would have to ask her daddy. Amazingly, Jon looked at her and said, "for you Elle, I will". Last night was the big night. She got all dressed up complete with her Hannah Montana necklace. We went to her favorite restaurant, Romanos, for dinner and then hit the theatre. She watched the entire movie with a cherry icee and popcorn on her daddy's lap. It really was a cute show but I think I enjoyed watching the two of them more than the movie. A fun night for all of us.
It has been a wild and fun ride. Life comes at you fast and you sometimes just have to hold on. But let me tell you, there is no one else I would rather be on the 'ride of life' with than my Jon. We have been married for 6 years. But who is counting...
My computer has been down for the last week and with Jon out of town, I was out of luck. My jon is home now, he fixed my computer and I am in business again.
The Easter Bunny hid lots of candy filled eggs in our backyard. All the brightly colored eggs looked so pretty in the grass and bushes that I almost didn't want the girls to gather them up. I really need to use our video camera because my favorite part was listening to them scream with glee each time they discovered a hidden egg. Gwen's basket got so heavy that Jon had to carry it around for her. Elle only liked the eggs with chocolate kisses in them and Gwen only liked the jelly bean filled eggs. As soon as the hunt was over they went through their eggs and swapped for their favorites. Needless to say, our home is brimming with candy. I let the girls eat candy all day long. Literally. Chocolate for breakfast? Sure! A jelly bean snack? Why not?!
Before the girls went to bed they each grabbed their empty pails and placed them in front of our fireplace. We of course also had the carrots that Elle placed right in front of the baskets for the Easter Bunny. We made sure to leave the fireplace doors open so that he could get into our home. The girls were so excited they could barely stand themselves. As I was getting the girls out of the bath and into their pajamas, Elle informed me that she liked their new jammie dresses (our word for nightgowns) but that they were not very "eastery". Apparently they needed to have ducks or bunnies on them. (I will remember that next year, Elle). Their anticipation for the bunny's arrival was just too cute for words. The next morning we woke up and headed downstairs to see if the Easter Bunny had visited our home. Well let me tell you, he did not disappoint. The girls ran down the stairs and were almost star-struck that the Easter Bunny had eaten their carrots! They both could not get over that. They loved their treats. The bunny knew that Easter means only chocolate from Sees Candy (wow, that was a long line) and they each had giant foil wrapped bunnies and chicks. They ripped the foil off and both bit off their bunnies chocolate heads. Gwen got the movie, Peter Rabbit and Elle got the movies, Charlie Brown Easter and (drum roll) Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Elle saw the movie and said, "how did he know"?! Silver piggy banks that daddy helped them fill with pennies were also so fun. We had a really great morning and yes, being the parent is WAY more fun than being the kid. Jon and I loved every minute.
Our house has been decorated for a few weeks now in anticipation for Easter Sunday. The paper mache' eggs are a big hit as is the bunny on the dresser in our entry. The bunny is on a box and if you open it, there are two (secret) pretty eggs inside. But I would have to say, the favorite decoration by a land-slide is our Easter Tree. It is adorned with pretty painted eggs and pictures of the girls. They love to hop on the kitchen counter and admire their little faces hanging in bunny and baby chick painted frames. I was happy to report to the girls this morning that we have just 'one more sleep' until Easter. Upon hearing the news, Elle ran straight to to refrigerator and then informed me that we DO NOT have any carrots in the house. That is at the top of our to-do list today... all in preparation for the Easter Bunny's arrival.
Elle was pretty excited this afternoon. We were lying on my bed while Gwen was napping and her baby sister in my tummy was being abnormally active. I told her to put her hand on my stomach and then to just be still. I wish I had a camera to capture her excitement. She felt her sister kick her little hand through my stomach for the first time. She was absolutely in awe. She sat straight up, looked at me with an open mouth and wide eyes and said, "mama, I felt her, tell her to do that again"!!! Pretty sweet and I think something she won't soon forget.
We rarely call this cute little girl Gwendolyn or even Gwen. In our home she is either referred to as 'Gwen Gwen' or Gwenners. She loves jackets with hoods and calls her hood a hat. And when she is lucky enough to have a jacket on that has an attached hood, the hood HAS to be on too. I love my 'Gwen Gwen' and I love how cute her little round face looks when she has on her "hat".
I woke up at 3:30 in the morning with this cute little face about one inch from mine (elle's that is, not tiger's). Elle said she felt sick and had thrown up. I hopped her up into our bed while I went to survey the situation in her room. Sure enough she had. I stripped her bed, started the wash, cleaned Elle up and got her back to sleep only to have the whole scenario repeat itself about 45 minutes later. Poor thing. Jon had gotten home late last night and so I tried to be as quiet as I could to let him sleep. Elle and I were in her room and she just kept crying that she just needed her daddy to know she was sick. She HAD to tell him. She tiptoed back into our room and in the dark she tapped him on the shoulder and said, "dadda, I am sick and I just wanted you to know". He kissed her and she tiptoed back out of our room and into her bed with me. Something about just him knowing she was sick comforted her. I thought it was so sweet and I could relate. When I had a few months of being super sick with this pregnancy I did the same thing to Jon on numerous occasions. In the middle of the night I would tap him on the shoulder, while wimpering I would say, "I know you can't do anything about it but I just need you to know how sick I feel right now". Just like he did with Elle, he would kiss my forehead and then just hold my hand as I would try to get back to sleep. Somehow just him knowing also made me feel better. The girls love their dadda and I love my Jon.
If I am in a hurry or not in a hurry, without fail, Gwen has to play peek-a-boo each and every time I get her out of her carseat. In fact, those adorable little chubby fingers will not budge from her eyes unless I indulge her in atleast one game. This is one of the little things about her that I know I will miss someday and most likely would even forget as time passes. So as long as she thinks it is funny, I am happy to play along. And let me tell you, she thinks this is VERY funny.
