Currently

Spring is here!  We've been enjoying the sporadic sunshine when we can.  Now that Millie doesn't nap, we get a little more one-on-one time while Syd naps.  I've enjoyed my time with her.  And popcorn.  We love popcorn.

Syd looks like she's soaking up the sun, but she's actually looking for the airplane she hears...one of her favorite things to do.  She also loves to say "nope" and "ohhhh man".  Milestone note: her other top canine came in.

Beansie survived the winter.  Healthy as a horse.

Buddy too.  Barely.  Millie always says he's "sick and old", and he is...it's starting to show.  He's lost a lot of weight and you can feel his bones.  My poor Buddy.

Break out the spring hoodies!  And accessories...Millie loves necklaces.

Millie has enjoyed playing games lately, like Sneaky Snacky Squirrel and Raccoon Rumpus (her fav).  It's been a fun new activity for us.  We might need to work on her being a good sport when she loses though.

 

Dirty knees, juice boxes, and funny faces...all is right with the world.

Sadly, we've also had a few instances of illness the past couple of months.  One day before I was supposed to leave on a girl trip, Syd gets the croup.  The doctor said her throat looked raw, so she had her first milkshake.

Last weekend, I flew to South Florida to meet my dear friend Ashley for a beach boot camp retreat!

JKK was so thoughtful to book this vacation for me and watch the girls for 4 days while I was away. It certainly wasn't easy with Syd being sick and the weather not being ideal for outdoor play time.  They managed to have some fun and I got cute pics, like these two below, to tide me over.  Buddy got a lot of treats that weekend.

JKK is such a good daddy ;)

The retreat was the perfect mix of exercise and leisure.  It was a great way to get motivated for shorts season and still have plenty of girl time on the beach (with a couple of mojitos).  I'm still sore.

Finally, we get to play on the swing set again!!  How we've missed it...

Big news: Millie has been able to swing by herself (pumping her legs) for months and months now.  Just this week was the first time I've seen her get on a swing and start it all on her own though.  No need for the initial push anymore.  She's completely self-sufficient when it comes to swinging!  Hurray!  You have no idea how much this helps at the playgrounds when I'm not being yelled at to push her on the swing the whole time.

Great (weird) find on the walmart clearance aisle...Millie loves her new unicorn scooter!

First popsicle of the season!  I forgot how messy they were.  Ugh.

It's been Spring Break this week, so no school or Little Gym for the girls.  I did send Millie to Little Gym camp one morning, and she had a great time.  It was a fantasy castle theme, so they got to make their own crowns and play princesses and dragons.  She had a blast.  So glad she's finally old enough to go to stuff like this.

So happy Spring is here...heading to the Tulsa zoo this weekend!

Flower Girl Extraordinaire

Two weeks ago, we travelled to Oklahoma City to be a part of Abby and Miles' wedding weekend extravaganza.  Millie was asked to be one of the flower girls, so we had to bring in reinforcements (a la Coco).  Coco was so sweet to come and watch Syd for us so we could focus all of our energy on bribing Millie to be good and smile for pictures.

Backstage: so fun getting ready with the girls!  Channing was the other flower girl, and she was such a fun, great example for Mills.

Loved every minute spent with these two before the Wedding.  Abby looked beautiful times a million.  Stunning.  And Dina too with her most perfect dress...very Audrey Hepburn.

Blaker was a groomsman!

I started to get a little worried when Millie was stealing my shoes and acting like a wildcat leading up to wedding time.

JKK and I were proud of our Mills...she looked adorable in her dress.  She didn't quite understand that this wasn't her wedding though.  I kept explaining that Abby was getting married to Miles, and she would argue that it was her wedding and it was "Milwie" that was marrying Miles.

The girls! <3  They were all so patient and sweet to Mills, even when she was being sassy and so very 3.

Papa! Mimi! Lacy!  Some of my favorite people.  Mimi looked wonderful in this teal/turquoise color. Lacy's dress was also perfect on her.  Everyone was looking very dashing that evening.

Oliver saved the day!  He had Paw Patrol toys to entertain them while we were waiting for the wedding to begin, and lollipops to keep them quiet during the wedding.  Lacy is a genius.  I made the mistake of not bringing enough food and things to entertain her...so she was so close to meltdown anyway, when she slipped and hit her chin, bringing blood only minutes before she was to walk down the aisle.  It was basically over at this point.  She sobbed the entire way down the aisle asking for mommy.  It was a bit overwhelming.  Somehow she managed not to let go of the basket of flowers and continued walking forward so that Channing could do her job.  

The rest of the wedding went off without a hitch!  Abby was visibly excited and super cute up there marrying this guy, whom we all love.  It was wonderful to witness!  Congratulations, Abby & Miles!

Shortly afterwards, Millie asked to go back to the hotel with Coco and Syd.  I was sad to see her go...I wanted her to get to enjoy the party with us, the dancing and cake cutting.  But the day was just too much for her.  She did her job and was asleep within minutes of getting to the hotel.  

So then we were free to enjoy the night with our family.  Love my pretty mommy.

The reception had so many good times, but the iPhone pics don't do it justice.  I had a few tears listening to Larry give his speech and watching the daddy/daughter dance (could not even handle those song lyrics).  We all loved seeing Papa and Mimi own the dance floor and win the longest married contest.  I miss my family and it was so so fun to see everyone!  It's never long enough to properly catchup, but I'm thankful for these happy times together.

We even had a little photo booth fun...

The next day, we went to the OKC zoo to get in a little more Nana time before she headed back to Colorado.  It was a beautiful day, and dare I say, almost hot.  Not complaining though.  The second we were back in the car and on the way home, Millie was asking when Nana was coming to our house.  Awwww.

Syd was laughing so loud, people were staring ;)  

Such a fun weekend full of family and love!

22 Months Old

Next week, Syd (aka Pid Pid, Piddy, P Lump, Lumpy, Syddy) will be 22 months old.  The same age that Millie was when Syd was born.  This little fact absolutely blows my mind.  Syd still seems like such a baby to me, whereas I always thought Millie was so grown up at this age.  That poor first child...always being forced to grow up too quickly. ;)

Syd's in the "Oh No" phase right now...always saying "ohhhh noooo" followed up by (just a few examples) it's broken or it's dirty or baby cry or change diaper.  See frown-y face below.

She plays so well by herself.  It's amazing, actually.  She is starting to play a bit of pretend even.

This is her beloved rabbit.  I wish I had video of her saying "rabbit".  She enunciates so well.  She has entered the lovey phase.  Right now, she has to have her blankie, kitty, rabbit, and usually one other item to go to bed or that must come downstairs with her in the morning.  Still has the pacis too; maybe we'll get rid of those after she gets in her last canine (top right canine came in at 21 mos).

Lots of kissing going on lately

Those legs <3

That wavy mullet <3

This winter has taught her to love TV a bit too much.  She loves to get comfy with a snack and watch a little Barney.

Speaking of Barney, we went to Chuck E. Cheese this week, and she was absolutely mesmerized when she saw Barney there.  She was stunned.  There was a minute of touching him all over, then she hugged him for like a full 2 minutes.  It was the sweetest and weirdest thing to witness.

Dinosaur hat she made at school was a favorite for about a week.  Then she ripped it up, of course.

Buddy sleeps in the purple chair every afternoon.  Syd gets so excited to lay next to him for milk time when she gets up from her nap.  He's really been great with her...I think he's finally just given up and resigned himself to the fact that they're staying.

She has the best stare down face.

I took her to a classmates birthday party today, and this girl finally got her cake.  She begs for cake and treats every day, and she even says "peeeeez peeeeez".  So obviously, the top of her Likes list will be cake.  Other current likes: playing chase with Millie, going for walks, feeding the ducks, eating, Little Gym, Audrey (her classmate who is also our neighbor), her loveys, pacis, movies in the car (especially Minnie Mouse), Barney TV show, Buddy, Mommy, big squeezes, going night night, going to MDO & Ms. Bridgett, singing (ABCs, Wheels on the Bus, Baby Beluga), mommy kissing her boo boos, getting "cozy" under blankets.  She talks all the time and we understand most of it!  She's still the sweetest and most snuggable gal.  I just love her so...

Sledding

We went sledding yesterday for the first time!  It took forever getting all four of us ready to go play in the snow, but it was worth every second just to see Millie's face flying down the hill.  Pure joy.  Video: Sledding

It's a popular hill ;)  Can't wait to go again...