A Sunny Afternoon

We sure are enjoying this San Diego weather. The girls are still in their summer dresses, needing only a sweatshirt in the morning on the way to school. It's starting to feel a little strange especially with the East Coast getting their first snowfall this week. It is November after all, but it sure doesn't feel like it here!! Andrew and I took the kids to the basketball court in front of our house so the girls could ride their bikes.

 Maddie loves riding her bike.

Sydney stopping for a pose.

Race time!!

Sweet Eli!

Halloween!!

What a difference trick-or-treating in the warm San Diego weather, especially as the east coast is trying to pick itself up after Hurricane Sandy. This year Sydney was Ahsoka from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Maddie was "Belle" and Eli was a monkey. We kept to our neighborhood, getting candy for about an hour before heading back home. The girls loved it of course; Eli fell asleep about 10 minutes into it in his cozy suit.

Ultrasound 37 Weeks!!

I'm at 37 weeks now and baby is head down (way down) but looking great!! Andrew and the girls came along to see "baby on the TV." Sydney sat next to me and held my hand the whole time. Maddie was semi-interested and then tried to reach over and hold my hand too. I love my girls and they are so excited for the newest addition. Andrew and I are excited and scared at the same time...three is new territory and we know for sure that we are done after this pregnancy. But for now we are enjoying this time and counting the days until we are counting new baby fingers and toes!!

Gummi Bears

My Mom got the Gummi Bears on DVD for the girls this past Christmas and they are LOVING it. I enjoyed the show as a kid and it's fun to see them enjoy it now. Here is a video of them singing the theme song.

Basketball

Today was Sydney's last day of basketball practice. She is really enjoying sports and isn't afraid to try new things. Maddie seems to have the same interest in sports and considers herself part of Sydney's classes. Coach Ann was really great and let Maddie follow along for stretches, then Andrew and Sydney practiced drills while I practiced/chased Maddie around the gym. The last part of practice was the basketball game. Only three kids showed up for practice, including Sydney, so Coach Ann gave Maddie a jersey to play along. When the girls weren't busy giving each other hugs they did enjoy making baskets!!

Disney On Ice

We took the girls to Disney on Ice "Dare to Dream". I liked this show much more than the Disney on Ice Show we saw a couple years ago. Last time the show seemed to go on forever but this year they did focused on Tiana, Cinderella and Rapunzel. The girls were really excited to be there and dressed up like their favorite princesses. Sydney wanted her hair in a bun but I wasn't able to fix Maddie's hair since she napped up until the last minute before we had to leave. They each got to pick one gift during intermission...Sydney picked out an Ariel necklace and Maddie picked a glittery Snow White Doll.

Minnie, Mickey, Donald and Goofy

Rapunzel's Tower

Gymnastics at Home

I've been working with Sydney on her gymnastics at home. I am not a gymnast, nor do I know how to train her but I've been a little frustrated with her coaches in her class this fall. They just don't seem to pay attention or help the kids. It's almost like recess or free play. As much as we're paying for both of the girls, I would like to see them growing and learning skills from their coaches...especially since they love gymnastics so much. Their previous coaches at this center have been great so we are thinking of switching to a different day, possible a different class. I've been looking up YouTube videos and putting the couch cushions on the floor to work with the girls on rolls, cartwheels and handstands with Sydney, and physical therapy homework with Maddie. Before going to bed tonight I told Sydney I would tape her doing handstands and show her the video. Maddie got into it as well. Normally I put cushions around the coffee table and push it out of the way and put a mat on the floor, but this was just for fun. Here is the video.

Busy Girls

Sydney started basketball last week. It's amazing how much of a difference a year and a few inches in height can make. Last week she made three baskets and was so excited that she wanted Maddie and I to come watch her. Usually Andrew and I take turns going to practice with her but nearing the end of this pregnancy I am sitting out more often. Anyway, here is a video of her shooting her basketball. Also, one of her preschool teachers said Sydney enjoys playing basketball with a couple of classmates (who are also in the same basketball class) and that they are the best shooters in the class :)

I also added videos of Maddie and Sydney at gymnastics this past Saturday.

Playdate/Dinner with the Geisels

This afternoon we met up with our friends Jen and Drew Geisel and their three year old triplets, Rylee, Alex, and Cole. We first went to an indoor playground called "Nuttin' But Good Times." The kids had a blast. Andrew was watching Sydney and Maddie play in the toddler section and had told Sydney to watch Maddie while he came back and sat with the grown ups. Well before we knew it Sydney was leading the way on the big indoor equipment and Maddie followed her to the top. Here is a video of them sliding down the slide together...it made me a proud mommy to see them together. (They are on the right slide)

Then we had dinner at Bugaboo Creek. I had thought the kids would love the animals, but the triplets were so scared by the talking buffalo that they almost didn't finish their dinner. Cole spent the rest of dinner eyeing every animal and rodent to see who would talk next. Other than that the grown ups had a great time catching up and everyone loved their meal.

This photo was taken after dinner when we were all ready to leave...can you tell??? :)

Maddie's Artwork

Maddie drew a smiley face on the dry erase side of the girls' easel. First she made the circle (her favorite thing to draw) and then I asked her to add eyes, nose, and a mouth. Too cute.

Sledding

Behind our house is a huge hill that is a popular sledding spot this time of year. Dubbed "suicide hill" because you really do sled at your own risk, it still attracts tons of kids and parents on snowy days. Today Andrew took Sydney and Maddie on the hill. We have two sleds and at first Andrew went sledding with both girls on his lap. That almost gave me a heart attack as there was barely any room for them to fit, especially sledding as fast as they were going. So we helped Sydney sled on her own, starting halfway up the hill, and then starting at the top while Andrew and Maddie shared the other sled. I held my breath each time hoping they wouldn't knock into another person or hit the neighbor's fence at the bottom of the hill (which Sydney did once but was ok).

Snow!!

We have finally had a decent snowfall, albeit just two inches, but to the girls it's a winter wonderland outside. The girls in the courtyard had fun making snowballs and coloring the snow with colored water in spray bottles. They were even able to do a little sledding on Ms. Vicki's hill (our neighbor). I was surprised Maddie loved sledding so much. I don't think I'm ready for the huge hill behind our house just yet :)

Sydney and Avery.

Maddie and Avery.

Love my girls!!

I am really blessed to have two little girls who love each other so much. They don't always get along but they look out for each other and truly love being together. Today they were coloring princess pictures and wanted to share the same coloring page. I wasn't sure how long it would last before one of them colored in the other's spot, but they worked it out.

Birthday Party

Sydney's classmate, AJ, had his birthday party today at the bowling alley on base. The girls were excited at going to another bowling party. I always worry about seeing these little kids carry 6-8 lb. bowling balls but they do well. Andrew helped the girls get to the lane safely and then they rolled the ball. After it was pizza and cake!! Happy Birthday, AJ!!

First Night

Tonight is the first night the girls are sharing a bedroom and Maddie's first night out of her crib. We finally decided on new bedroom furniture for both of the girls before Christmas break and it arrived today. Since they are sharing a room now we decided to get two twin beds (instead of moving Maddie to Sydney's toddler bed) along with two night stands and dressers. I hope the nicer mattresses will help keep the girls in their beds instead of wanting to sleep in ours, as they have been for a while. But as Andrew put it, if they come to our bed, we can now go to theirs :)