Merry Christmas!

Can it really already be Christmas? Wow, it has been so busy. I have so much to catch up on the blog. Now that Christmas is here I should be slowing down for the next few months so I hope to post more regularly.

The girls are so much fun! I really miss not having any babies in the house but the girls are so funny. The things they say just crack me up. The girls are excited about Christmas. Taylor has already decided that she is bad and Santa isn't bringing her any gifts. Kaylie told her, "Taylor, that is okay because I will just share my gifts with you." Taylor decided that was good enough for her and she didn't need to be good because she would just play with Kaylie's toys.

Taylor likes to put "Baby Pout" (baby powder) on her legs
Kaylie alwasys says it is "Foxy" (foggy) outside
Kaylie calls a computer a "Gumanapeter"
They like to eat "tickles" (pickles)

Kaylie walked up to me and told me she knows what my name is. I asked her what it is and she replied,"Mama Kari Stovall Photography Chinn".

The girls like to play hide and seek. Taylor will tell Kaylie (before she goes to look for her) ,"No, I don't want you to hide there. Hide over here." If I a looking for the girls I will walk around and act like I don't know where they are. I will say,"Hmmm...I don't see them in the kitchen." They will reply,"We are hiding on the couch." Then they turn their backs to me or hide their heads like they suddenly just became invisible.

Taylor and Kaylie found baby wipes and "cleaned" the bathroom. I walked in and there were streaks and you could barely even see in the mirror. taylor said,"It looks so romantic!" I asked her what "romantic" means and she replied,"Beautiful."

Kaylie was Snow White and Taylor was Strawberry Shortcake for Halloween. They had a big time and grandma and grandpa went trick or treating with us. They only ate one or two pieces of candy that night and never asked for it again.

The girls love gymnastics. Kaylie got a ribbon for doing a forward dive roll. Taylor was out sick with the flu.

I can't believe in a month the girls will be 4! Where has time gone? I just want them to stay this little forever.

The girls seem to take turns with one always behaving and one not really listening. Now Kaylie is listening and following the rules and Taylor has a mind of her own. She is still as sweet as can be but just a little stubborn (I have no idea where she gets that....lol).

We are looking forward to seeing all the family for Christmas!

Hair Opposite Day

The girls already want each other's hair! My girls have always been very opinionated about how they look. They have been picking out their own clothes and dressing themselves since they were 2. They only want to wear dresses. Kaylie wants to be "beautiful" while Taylor has a more funky, mismatched style. There are many days where I will discover that Taylor has a skirt under her dress, etc. Bridget said she dresses like Pippy Longstockings. Well the girls have been admiring each other's hair so I told them I would make Taylor's hair straight and Kaylie's hair curly. Well there is no making Taylor's hair straight! I actually thought I could do it but there is no taming that hair. When Taylor takes a bath and her hair is wet it is down to her waist. About 20 minutes after we were outside the curls all came back. She loved it though. They both thought they were pretty hot stuff.

Well dance class didn't work out so the girls are back in gymnastics. 2 girls from their class at school are in their gymnastics class so they are thrilled. Taylor wouldn't even go into the dance class anymore. We tried and tried to get her to but she just refused. They both said they preferred gymnastics so we switched.

The other morning I woke up because I could feel someone running their little hand through my hair. I rolled over and Kaylie was in my bed. It was so sweet. The good times are great, the bad times are trying, but I wouldn't change it for the world. I am blessed and I absolutely adore my sweet girls.

Funny Sayings

Taylor - "Well, I had my Pop Tart in my hand but Kaylie lost it!"

Kaylie - "Taylor, you can pick up the toys and I will sit here and wave my magic wand."

Kaylie introduces herself when entering a room, "Mama the princess is coming."

When I got a new car Kaylie said, "Mama, you lost your dirty car."

Kaylie - "Mama, when I am big I will drive your car. Will you sit in my seat?" Taylor - ,"I will make sure you are all buckled."

Kaylie, "Mama, you can't work all the time!"

Taylor to Kaylie, "Don't talk! Don't talk! Be quiet!"  Kaylie - ,"Excuse me, I can talk."
(Kaylie likes to talk non-stop and sometimes it is too much for Taylor. Especially when she is tired.)

3 1/2 year old Drama Queens

I
I don't know where time goes but in the last year my girls have changed from being babies to little girls. It is amazing the difference in a child between ages 2 and 3. I am SO SAD to see the baby phase go but the girls sure are entertaining these days.

They girls had their first friend from school over to play last weekend. They all had a blast but Taylor ended up playing with her more than Kaylie did. At one point Kaylie was coloring by herself and being quiet. Neale went over to ask her why she wasn't playing with the girls and she burst into tears! She sobbed,"They said I am not a princess!" Oh goodness. Does this really already start at age 3?

Taylor always talks about a boy in her class. When she pretends at home she talks on the phone to him, etc. Well when I was picking them up from school the other day he called Taylor "Kaylie". You should have seen her face. Her mouth dropped open and she got bright red and looked at me and said,"Mom, he doesn't even know my name!" I think her feelings really were hurt. Boys....already??

Kaylie grabbed my face the other day and said,"Mom this is what people do when they get married." and gave me a huge slobbery wide open mouthed kiss. Maybe too many princess movies.....

The girls are starting dance class on Thursday. They love to listen to music and dance but their dance moves mostly consist of standing on their heads and running in circles so hopefully that will improve. We pick out songs and play them and the girls dance around the living room. Taylor still loves "Hey Soul Sister" and Taylor still loves "the rainbow song". They are now also into Hootie and the Blowfish and "Mommy's music". Taylor likes Hootie but other than that she mostly just wants to hear "girl songs" where a girl is singing.

The above was written a week or so ago but I am just getting around to posting. :)

Happy Birthday Fran!!

Vacation July 2012 Destin, Florida

Taylor

 Harbor Walk

 View from our room

 Taylor and Daddy on our balcony

Kaylie at the amusement park

I love Destin, Florida! It was so nice to spend a week with my family just relaxing. Neale planned this trip with one of his army buddies, Josh (a/k/a Steve which they have a story behind from back in the day). I wasn't expecting the beach there to be so beautiful! The sand is white with no seashells and the water is clear blue. We went to the beach most mornings, then the pool, and then out to dinner. It was a very long 11 hour ride to get there but the girls were extremely well behaved (in the car that is...I can't say that Kaylie was on her best behavior otherwise....no nap = moody child). The movie player in the car is a lifesaver. I think they must have watched the Barbie movie 20 times. Since we went out to dinner most nights I didn't get much of a chance to take photos. I saved it for the last night there which as a beach photographer I knew was a huge mistake because if the weather was bad there was no time to redo it. Well just my luck we got dressed for photos and walked out to the beach and it started raining! By the time it was done it was really too dark for photos. The beach photos above were taken when it was really dark (ISO 3200+ which is why they don't look so great). It is a real shame because with a place that beautiful I could have gotten some amazing shots. So now I am determined to plan a return trip and plan photos the second day we get there. It is eating me up that I didn't take photos but to be honest I was just relaxing and enjoying being with my family and not working. The other family that went with us also has two little girls so they all played well together. There was a floating trampoline and slide out in the ocean that Neale snuck out to and took advantage of. We did have one incident at the beginning of the trip. We had a cabana set up right at the ocean (you can actually see it in the photo above). The above photo was taken at 7 am so the beach wasn't packed yet but it got PACKED! Taylor was playing in the ocean and walked up right beside and past me. My chair was at the front of the cabana so I thought she was walking right behind me under the cabana to play in the sand with the other kids. A few minutes later I turned around to check on her and she was gone! She apparently hadn't seen me (even though she walked right beside me) and kept walking. We were all in a panic and I took off following where I thought she could have gone. It was only a couple minutes but she made it a long way. A woman must have read the panic on my face and she told me where Taylor was. What a scary moment! I see it happen at our beach all the time and I always question how a parent could lose their child but it can happen in an instant.

The girls are getting so big! At age 2 they were still like babies but age 3 is much different. There is a huge change. I am sad not to have any babies anymore but at the same time the girls are at a fun age. Kaylie is a bit of a diva but she is also the most loving little girl. She thinks she is Cinderella and corrects me all the time if I call her Kaylie. She loves to pretend and dress up. She spends most days in princess dresses and crowns. I can't even tell you the last time she wore pants or shorts. She is all about dressing up. If I ever wear a dress she will say,"Mama, you are so beautiful." She is very much a mama's girl.  She loves puzzles and movies. We are working on the whining and trying to teach her that she can't always get her way. She is a bit of a handful when she has her moments but she really is a very sweet, loving little girl. She loves to me silly and she is very hyper. Taylor is still more laid back and quiet. I think she likes being good. She will always say,"Mama, Kaylie is being bad but I am not. I am being good." Taylor also loves to be silly. When you get them both together and they are both in a silly mood it is pretty funny. Taylor likes to play outside. We have started going to the waterpark and the girls love it. Taylor likes to help in any way she can and she prefers to do things on her own. She likes to dress up too and to pretend she is Belle from Beauty and the Beast.

The girls are losing most of their baby ways but they still call Pop Tarts "Poptops".There are several other cute things they say that I have meant to post and now I can't think of them so I will try to remember and post soon.

My "Tater Tot"

 Pajama Day at school

 Fixing Nana's Hair

 Dancing her little heart out

I tell Taylor that she is my "Tater Tot" and then I pick her up and tell her I am going to dip her in ketchup and dip her down to the ground. She thinks it is pretty funny. She has the cutest little giggle. She loves to listen to music and dance. Above are some photos of her dancing to her song 'Hey Soul Sister' by Train. She was wearing her Ariel costume. She likes to say "Mommy, watch this!" and twirl around.I love my Little Tater Tot!

Our first gymnastics show at age 3

Our girls had their first gymnastics show. They loved doing it and when it was over they asked me when they could do another one. They started taking gymnastics when they were 2 so this was their first class season. When they first started the class they wouldn't let go of my legs to go into the class and they would cry. They have come a long way! All of the kids did their routines quietly. During one of Kaylie's she was talking away to the lady spotting her. It was hilarious. There was a crowd watching her and I have no idea what she was saying but she just kept talking.  She will start talking about something and she can go on and on. We were leaving and Kaylie's coach said. "They have come a long way. And this one (pointing to Kaylie).....she was about to climb the rope and I said,'Lets go Kaylie.' and she said,'I am not Kaylie. I am Cinderella.' " So far she has told him, the waitress, the lady at home depot, and her teachers that. She says it to me all the time too.  Every time I call her by her name she corrects me. She also tells me that Taylor is Snow White or Ariel, I am The Princess and the Frog, and Daddy is the Prince. She will say,"Mommy I have to go talk to the Prince." This age is so funny. Kaylie has dressed as Cinderella almost every day for the last 6 months or so. The first thing she does when she gets home from school is to put on her costume and her crown. Taylor has started dressing up as Ariel too. Taylor is excited about playing with her friends. She has recently started asking me if people in her class can come over to her house. The girls are going to move up to a new class at schoon June 1st. They are just growing way too quickly!

Taylor likes to read to me. She will say,"Okay Mommy. I am going to read to you about God." She is very inquisitive and asks me "Why?" all the time. She will say,"Mommy, why does God make it rain?" I told her it is because all of the animals need water to drink and the grass needs water to grow. Taylor is definitely the quieter, more easy going child. Kaylie has been having a few "Terrible 3's" weeks. We are trying to work through them and let her know that although she thinks she is a princess (and she is definitely one of my princesses) she can't always get her way. She is a very high strung but also a very sweet and sensitive child. There are points where she will just burst unto tears and her bottom lip will come out if you hurt her feelings. Those moments break my heart. The other day Talor said to me,"Mommy why do you love Kaylie more than me?" THAT BROKE MY HEART! Kaylie requires more guidance, instruction, and discipline than Taylor does and I guess Taylor is reading that in a different way. Believe me I love both of those girls equally and more than anything in the world. I am glad she said that to me though because now I realize that I need to work harder to show her just how much I love her.

Field Day 2012

Thanks to my friend and photographer, Kip Beech, for taking these photos and sending them to me of the girls at their field day at school.