My Talkative Hairstylists

Kaylie
Taylor

Sweet Kaylie

Taylor sleeps with her behind in the air

Kaylie

Curious Kaylie

Taylor still tries to close the mailbox. Neale says she must have OCD.

Kaylie kissing Daddy

Kaylie styling Daddy's hair

Kaylie styling Taylor's hair

We like to brush hair

Taylor giving Kaylie a new hairdo

The girls are talking and repeating everything I say. Today I asked the girls "Can you say..." and said a bunch of words. When I first asked them I really thought they wouldn't even know what that meant. To my surprise they both repeated every word I said. Taylor said "Taylor" for the first time. They also said "Roxy", "Sydney", "Kaylie" "Nana", "Apple", "Banana" and a bunch of other words I threw out. They get excited when you tell them they do a good job. Their eyes light up and the get a huge smile on their faces. They also clap for themselves.

The girls have been getting lots of "time outs" lately. Kaylie takes it very seriously. She cries and gets so upset when she has a time out. And when you sit her down she will stay there until you tell her she can get up. She tries hard to obey the rules and to do the right thing. Taylor doesn't and it really bothers Kaylie. Kaylie will be sure to tell her when she is not doing the right thing. Kaylie will point her finger at her and babble at her. The new thing is "Not nice". If Sydney snaps at the girls they will shake their finger at her and say "Not nice". If one of the girls is misbehaving then her sister will shake her finger at her and say "Not Nice". I was fussing at Taylor the other day and she listened to me and apparently didn't think much of it because she then walked off and mumbled "Not nice." Kaylie likes to get right in Taylor's face when she is telling her what to do and point her finger at her. She tries to tell her what she is supposed to do. It is funny because Kaylie is usually right and trying to get Taylor to do something that I want her to. The new daycare says Kaylie is the "bossy one". Kaylie likes to please you. She helps me clean up and goes and gets things I ask her to. She is very helpful. The other day I said "Why don't you take those clothes and go put them back in the dirty clothes basket." I never thought she would understand that but down the hall she went with the clothes and in the basket they went. Taylor likes to do her own thing. She is into brushing her hair and if you take the brush away from her it is like the world has ended. Taylor doesn't think much of time out. She will get up and not follow the rules. But she has the CUTEST thing that she does when she is sorry for something. She will come up to me and hug me and lay her head sideways on my shoulder or my lap and wrap her arms around me. It is her way of saying she is sorry and it melts my heart.

It was sad leaving the old daycare but I love the new one so far. It is so nice taking them and picking them up every day. I feel like I know more about what is going on with them. The daycare teachers say the girls are "Daycare pros" and they haven't skipped a beat. They said they act like they have known the other kids in the room forever. She said the first day they took a nap on their cots which were side by side. She said they woke up and held hands.

I am loving every minute of being a mother.

A Nice Visit

Mama and Taylor
Kaylie Coloring

My Sweet Babies

Taylor watching tv at her table

Laying on Sissy

We are BUSY, BUSY (arms in the air)

Coloring is my new favorite thing (besides reading)

Sitting at our new table that we love

Reading

And more reading while sitting on our toybox

Dancing with Grandma Fran

Dancing with Daddy

Having a tea party, eating goldfish and coloring. Kaylie the Fashion Diva decided she did NOT want to wear her dress.

Giving Hi 5's to Grandpa Dale

Taylor and Grandma Fran

Taylor reading with Grandma Fran and Aunt Cathy

Taylor

Our Dance Party...the girls LOVE to dance

Taylor with her "Trouble" look climbing on the furniture

We had a nice visit with Fran, Dale and Cathy. We had a dance party in our living room that Aunt Cathy started that the girls absolutely loved. The girls got some new books so they have been reading those non-stop. Thanks for the books and clothes Fran and Dale! And thanks to Aunt Cathy for coming to visit and for her extreme kindness. We really appreciate it.

The girls got a new fairy table that they love. They sit at it and eat their snack, read, and color. They LOVE to color. We had a lesson about only having crayons at the table. The girls understood the lesson and have been obeying it. They are so smart and so amazing and kind and loving...I could go on forever because they just amaze me every day. They share have such great personalities at only a year and a half. You can have a discussion with them and they understand it. I am just so proud of them and I can't get enough of them. I am glad for women's rights so don't get me wrong because if women didn't have the rights we have then I would probably be at the front of the line fighting for them....BUT .....sometimes I can't help but wish for the old days when the woman stayed home and was a MOM. Time just goes by so quickly. It is like you blink and they aren't babies anymore. Of course, I love my job so I would have to work but maybe just not as much.

Kaylie is back to her fashion diva ways. Fran and Dale bought her an adorable dress but she was not wearing it. It had to come off. So opinionated already.

Kaylie's new word is "Baby". She says it very clearly and often. I had no idea where she got it from and then I kept catching myself saying it to her. I would say "Are you mama's baby?" or "I love you Baby", etc. She also loves to say "No". And if Taylor or the dogs do something wrong she will tell them "No" and shake her finger at them.

The girls get in these moods where they want to be wild and they just take off running after each other giggling and screaming through the house. It cracks me up. They have just learned how to run and it is so funny.

The girls are great so I couldn't ask for more. Life is good.

Kissing Sissy

Photos Coming Soon

I tried uploading some video a couple days ago but it didn't work so I will have to try again when I am not quite as busy. The girls are growing too quickly! I wish I could just freeze them right at this age for a couple years. It is just so fascinating how their little brains work and I love to hear them talk. I love the baby babble. They look at me so seriously and talk and talk. Their vocabulary is rapidly expanding. They can repeat words exactly as I say them. I have alphabet books and I read them to the girls and make the sound of the letter and the girls repeat them.



They have started stomping their feet when they get mad or don't get their way. Both of them do it. When I was reading their daily sheets from daycare yesterday I figured out where it comes from. It said "Kaylie loves doing morning exercises. She LOVES to stomp her feet."



Kaylie has been home sick for part of yesterday and today but I think she is starting to feel better. I have also been sick. Taylor was sick for one day but is better now. So far Neale is in the clear. I woke Kaylie up last night before I went to sleep to give her some medicine. I hadn't gotten to see her all day because by the time I got home from my photo session she was asleep. I told her I loved her and she relied "I Love You" and then I told her "Night, night" and she said "Goodnight" and waved to me and rolled back on her stomach and went to sleep. So sweet. Kaylie stayed home sick today so I went to pick Taylor up from daycare. Sometimes they put the girls in different rooms for part of the day. They move them around according to how many students are there per teacher. Taylor must have thought Kaylie was in the room next door because when I was walking out the front door Taylor pointed at the door to another room and said "Sissy". I think she thought I was forgetting Kaylie.

The girls will start a new daycare next month. They have been on the waiting list for this place since I found out I was pregnant and they just got a spot. The daycare is closer to me which is really important because I can take them to daycare and pick them up every day. Neale does it most of the time now because it is on his way to work. I just feel like I don't know what they do all day. I don't know any other kids or parents in their classes, etc. The teachers where they are now have been great but I just want to be more involved because I feel like I am missing out on too much so this is a step in that direction. So I am excited about it. Summer is almost over which I am thrilled about. I am so grateful that my summer was so booked but the most important thing to me right now is spending time with my family so I am hoping to get to do more of that in the near future.

Neale's dad and Cissy just left town and Neale's mom, Dale, and Aunt Cathy are coming this weekend so we are looking forward to their visit.

Girlie

My Little Taylor

Love those blue eyes

My "Trouble" look

Hanging with sissy eating goldfish

Taylor relaxing (and putting a piece of her book in her mouth)

Kaylie being silly (and cute)

Taylor

Taylor playing the "Where Is Taylor" game. She would hide behindthe corner of the porch and I would ask "Where is Taylor?" and she ran out smiling

Playing "Where Is Kaylie"

Kaylie on the move...she puts her arm out like that when she dances too

OLDER PHOTOS BELOW...some I never got around to posting

This is how I carry my purse (and Sissy's purse too)

Kaylie loved this .....as long as it wasn't moving. She just wanted to sit on it.

Chillin in my car

I think this photo is so funny because Kaylie is doing exactly what the guy is doing

A couple weeks ago when it seemed like everything that could go wrong was going wrong I had a photo session at Huntington Beach State Park. I was meeting the people in the parking lot nearby and it began raining HARD....big storm. The photo session got rained out but where that tree fell is where I normally park (facing the road) to meet people. When I pulled into the parking lot I looked at the tree nearby swaying in the wind and decided to go to the other side of the parking lot. Right when I pulled into the other space the tree snapped and fell right where I would have been. So I guess I may have a little bit of luck left in me afterall.

Kaylie swinging in the neighborhood

This is by far my favorite age for the girls so far. Their vocabulary amazes me. They are starting to say 2 and 3 word phrases and popular words are "All Gone", "Up please", "Down", "I Love You", "Sissy", "No", "Fish", "Dog", "Quack", "Moo", "Book", "Mama", "Daddy". They talk all the time. A good bit is baby babble which I adore. Kaylie comes right up to me and looks me right in the eyes and just talks and talks and talks. And she is so serious about it. I usually say "Yes" and she agrees with me and then walks off. I would love to know what she is thinking or trying to communicate. They can repeat words you say exactly.

The other day Kaylie walked up to me so seriously. She was just staring at me and I was wondering what in the world she was doing. She seemed to be concentrating really hard. Then she leaned in and kissed me. Very sweet.

The girls are very girlie. I have no idea where they get it because all I have time to do is hop out of the shower and go. They on the other hand like to walk around with their purses, talk on the phone, brush their hair, and try on shoes. They can get shoes on by themselves sometimes. And Kaylie.....it is unbelieveable to me but she is picky about what clothes she wears. If you put her in an outfit she doesn't like she will let you know. She will pitch a fit and try to take the clothes off. She definitely has an opinion about what she wears....at one and a half!

"I Love You" A Year and a Half Old

So I haven't blogged in a while because I am just trying to keep my head above water these days. My summer schedule is torture. Last night I was editing photos until after 3 am. It is never ending. I haven't gotten to spend much time with the girls or with Neale which needs to change. I miss them.

The girls turned 1 and 1/2 ( it was over a week ago but I am trying to keep up). They went to the doctor for their check up and shots and I forgot to get their info sheet with their height and weight. I think they are both 20 lbs. Going to the doctor with both of them is not easy so as soon as they give the girls their shots they start screaming so the nurse tries to get me out of there as quickly as she can at that point so the sheets got left behind.

Usually when I go to work the girls will give me hugs and kisses and wave goodbye to me. Sunday when I was leaving I told Kaylie I love her and she gave me a big kiss (with her kiss sound effects) and very clearly said "I Love You". Even the babysitter was surprised when she heard it. They are growing up so fast. I am a very proud mother. They are sweet little girls and I absolutely love the stage they are in right now. I love that I get responses when I say things to them. They are wide open. Now they are at a stage where Kaylie wants to please you and do what you ask (sometimes) , sit in your lap, and give you lots of hugs and kisses. Taylor is at a stage where she wants to do what she wants to do. And if you want her to do it she probably won't. Although sometimes I ask her to give me a kiss and a hug and she will think about it and finally do it. Other than that she is always on a mission to do something whether it is climbing furniture, trying to race to the top of the stairs before I see her, trying on shoes, getting the mustard bottle out of the refrigerator door, getting a brush to do her hair, etc. She gets it in her mind that she wants to do something and she has a one track mind until she gets it. And if it is something she can't do by herself she will say "Uhhhhh...Uhhh...Uhhhh" over and over again until you help her. She also constantly is still saying "Up, please" and "Quack, Quack" when she sees a duck in her books. Kaylie likes the cow and to say "Moo". Books are still the big hit around the house.

The girls like to say "Shhh" and Kaylie often tells that to the dogs and points her finger at them. She also does it to Roxy when Roxy tries to eat her snacks. It has been sad not having Marley around. Roxy and Sydney have started barking all the time at every little noise they hear. I think they used to use Marley as a guide for when they needed to bark and when they didn't need to and so now with her gone they bark constantly.

I will post photos tonight or tomorrow if all goes well. Thanks for following.