Sweet Rewards

Sophie has been doing such a great job using the potty. We started by rewarding her with a few M&Ms each time she went successfully. After about a week she was 100% successful at home during her awake hours so we switched to a sticker chart. I promised her that she could go out for ice cream when she got 20 stickers, and last night was the night. She ordered blue ice cream with M&Ms and ate the entire thing herself. She did try to share with her sister, but Zoe continues to dislike most sweets. Now we are working on using the potty in places other than our home. The other day we went to the library without a diaper and Sophie used the big potty twice. That was a really big deal and earned her a "cookie" immediately. This is probably the first major lesson that I feel like I really have a part in. I didn't teach her to sit up, crawl, walk or any of the other amazing developmental milestones she has met. It's been fun to be her partner and cheerleader in accomplishing such a major milestone in her life.

She's Got Curls

We frequently get comments on how light and straight Sophie's hair is since it's very different from mine. I love her hair - it's what I always wanted and could never have! It seems though that Zoe's hair is developing a good amount of curl to the bottom, and on some days the top is curly too. As much as I've complained about my own curls over the years, I hope that Zoe gets them! They look pretty cute on her and when she's ready I know just what products to put in it!

Play Group Decsends on Gieseke Home

Last week we hosted our play group for a craft and water activities. It was raining when the kiddos arrived so we thought we were going to be stuck inside, but after we finished our snack and the craft (a water bottle filled half with water and half with baby oil, food coloring and glitter and sequins - aka a lava lamp) it had cleared up and we let the kids out to play. There was lots of splashing and laughter, and it's fun to see how big our kids are getting. Lots of moms have already had their second baby, and three of the moms are currently pregnant with number two. We were the first in the group to have a second baby, and now we will be the first to have their third too! I don't know if we're crazy or trend setters, but I'm definitely grateful for having this group of women in my life.

Outside!

The girls, like most children, love to play outside. Unfortunately in the summer it's hard to find outdoor activities other than playing in the water. Now that it's monsoon season though, sometimes there is an hour or so during the day when it's cloudy and not too hot. During those times we have been having lots of fun playing on our driveway. I know that sounds strange, but when we built the house we actually considered the fact that we probably would be playing on the driveway quite a bit, and sure enough we do. The girls love to push the baby stroller and other push toys, and ride their ride on toys and now Sophie rides her tricycle. They can go into the cul-de-sac and have tons of space and get some exercise, and it's been a change of pace which is really nice for me, because I have to admit that there are days when I am bored out of my mind!

Surprise Surprise

This past week has been full of surprises. One day I went to the...ahem...bathroom all by myself. For those of you without young children, this is an extremely rare occurrence. Usually I get about 5 seconds before someone is crying, but on this day I returned to the playroom to find the girls sitting quietly on the floor reading their books. I was shocked! That morning we had a play date with a friend that we haven't seen in a couple of months, and she had a present for Sophie: a hippity hop. It took Sophie a couple of tries, but now she has the hang of it and boy does it wear her out! That same day during nap time, a package arrived at the door. It was a tricycle for Sophie that daddy had gotten with his credit card points (and something that mommy has been wanting for her for a long time but had stopped asking about 2 months ago). Sophie's legs are still a little bit short, but with shoes on and the slight hill on our driveway, she can "ride" it.

Speed Walker

Zoe has quickly moved from her wobbly first steps to an official speed walker.

Happy 4th!

We didn't do anything exciting for the holiday, but I realized it's been awhile since we've posted. This is partly because the batteries in the camera have been dead for about a week now, but I noticed that we had some pictures that hadn't been put up, so here you go! Zoe's birthday present from Grandma Ann and Papa Clark finally arrived (it was back ordered). She now has her own chair with her name on it, which she so nicely shares with Sophie. It's fun to see the girls take turns sitting in each other's chairs. I picked the colors of the chair knowing that in the future Zoe will be sharing a room with Sophie. I decided to put the chair in there temporarily to see if I picked correctly, and I think it looks pretty good! I've also included a picture of Zoe sleeping in her high chair. She has done this before, but she has good reason this time. Ever since she started walking (and now she practically runs) she's had trouble at nap time, which means that by dinner she's very tired. On this day she took a 20 minute cat nap and then was good to go until bed time. Oh well, these things happen!