Georgia baby fun photos

Rag Tie Curls

We had some fun last night and tied the girls hair in rags last night. I knew we would get curly hair but I forgot how curly it would be. The girls were a bit shocked and we did have some tears but once we got past the fact that it was temporary they enjoyed their new look.

It's Cute Sometimes

Growing Up

These girls are growing up so fast. Helen 3.75, Carys 6

Ahh Gymnastics

There are kids classes that are of a certain quality that you know you are getting your money's worth because of quality instructors, quality equipment, and a great group of eager kids.

We found that class in Oak Park's gymnastics program. I heard about this program but due to my work schedule, their enrollment process and my pregnancy, I was unable to enroll Carys and Helen earlier.

I have thought Helen would love gymnastics for some time. She's strong, fearless, motivated. Even before she was three, I realized I needed to give her an appropriate outlet for her energy. Since I've been at home and it's wintertime, it's even more apparent.

Her first class was great. Helen was on the waitlist and missed two classes so her group was two classes ahead of her. They have 15 kids and split them into separate groups, 5 kids each. They have unique ways of teaching the basics. Helen was able to do her favorite jumps and run but she did follow instructions very well. Her coach commented on how well she did and asked me if this was her first time at gymnastics.

This program does have a competitive track if gymnasts prove they have talent and interest. I'm not pushing Helen but if she wants to go further, there will be an opportunity here in Oak Park.

Since Helen enjoyed the class so much, I signed Carys up for the following class. So now every Tuesday I will pick the girls up at 12:30 and spend the next few hours at the gym. The upside for me, they are also family friendly. There is a small play area and study area for kids and benches for parents. I met another few ladies, one has children much the same ages as ours. The downside, Carys and Helen are learning tumbles and jumps they want to execute downstairs and off the love sac. I hope I can keep them injury free, at least at home:)

Proud Sisters

See their smiles, they tell the story. Of course, he can't walk or talk yet.

First Big Snow 2008

Poppy took the girls sledding this year by himself (pretty brave of him considering how scared they became last year). It turns out they LOVED it. They even went down the monster hill together without Poppy. Poppy admitted it was probably best that I did not go, I probably would have freaked out. I will try to work on that in the future, they obviously proved they were up to the challenge. Carys is now ready to go down by herself. I'm sure she'll make it this year.

I will say, Helen's snow angel is a little too close to the road for my taste though.

Faking Holiday Baking

I'm trying to push past the extreme exhaustion of taking care of a newborn 24/7 and give the girls some holiday fun. I'm taking shortcuts this time and not trying to bake from scratch (which is a huge challenge for me even when I'm fully alert). We've done sugar cookies from the package, icing from the container and we do have sprinkles to make it fun.

The best part is the girls don't know the difference right now, the cookies are actually edible and we enjoy eating them as much as making them.

We did also make these delicious buttermilk cinnamon muffins from scratch. The girls love the muffin tops (they were basically bathed in butter and cinnamon sugar- who wouldn't love it) but the rest of the muffin went uneaten. Poppy and I love these muffins and as soon as I start getting more rest, I will be trying more baking recipes from scratch.

Poppy Love

One thing you should not do when you bring a new baby home is ignore the current "babies". The girls got plenty of love from us and here's a few pics of them with Poppy.

Big Sisters

Here they are, the big sisters!

They were very happy to be able to hold baby Walker in the hospital and almost each night they get two minutes to hold the baby. They really love this time with him even though it's short.

Now they have at least one thing in common, they are both big sisters, and they do seem bigger to me.

The girls are holding up well but they are bouncing off the walls a bit. I think partially due to the interrupted schedule baby brother has introduced as well as the wintertime lack of outside activities. I'd still be taking them to the zoo at this time of year or the park so I do feel a bit sorry for them but they are the luckiest big sisters in the world.

Roommates

Poppy worked extremely hard today rearranging and organizing the girls' room. We had to make a trip to the container store for more shelving so each of the girls could have their own drawer space in the closet. I had a meltdown about where the PJ's would go but we eventually figured it out. After tossing out some dozens of kids hangers and random kids bits and pieces, the girls are on their way to sharing a room.

We've decided to put bunk beds on hold for a while b/c of safety questions since they are so young. This makes the room even tighter. We are going to try the set up as is and see how they are able to sleep and use the room. We've left the bookcase and I intend to have some space or cubby or box for each of them for "their" stuff. "Their stuff" was an issue prior to moving in together so I'd like for them to be able to keep personal items to themselves without having to share since they are already sharing a room. Of course, I will always encourage sharing but I don't want everything to have to be shared via parental mandate or situation mandate.

Now the dining room and baby's room are a mess and tomorrow I hope to sort out the remaing stuff without a home at current posting.

UPDATE: Helen fell asleep before Carys tonight, wonder of wonders. They were both tired since we got up super early. I know this is the honeymoon stage and things can (and likely will) go downhill before they are permanently settled into sharing a room. But it's interesting how happy and content Helen seemed tonight to be sleeping in big sister's room. And Carys does have a generosity that is beyond her age allowing her sister to invade her room with a happy heart.

We'll see...

Tiny Dancers

Helen has a CD player in her room for her nighttime soothing music. Now her room has morphed into the princesses ball. She and Carys have been dressing up and playing the one princess CD they have over and over. It's great fun for them, now that they are taking dance class, they are very interpretive of the music. Carys is looking forward to teaching a dance class to Helen and the new baby once he arrives.