Little Interior Decorator

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I added vinyl letters to the girls bathroom mirror and the helped put it up and Ashley was cute I had to grab a picture.

The girls bathroom is princess theme and the poem that's on the mirror reads:

I am a daughter of royal birth. My spirit was born on the courts on high. My Father in Heave in king of the earth. Daughter beloved a princess am I.

I thought it'd be a nice reminder each morning while getting ready for the day. The like me to read it to them and soon they will have it memorized and hopefully internalized.

Upgrading

Ashley has upgraded her boxes to climb in. She was happily playing in here with Little People.

big girl bed

Little Lady

And no I'm not referring to Ashley but what she calls ME! It's too cute though. She ran into my room one morning while I was getting ready saying, "Little Lady, Little Lady come with me" She just now came to me and said, "Little Lady, I can't find the baby blanket" She says it in this ubber cute little girl talk. Oh I love you Ashley!

Because I two

The following is an example of conversations lately with Ashley

Ashley you did such a good job eating dinner.
Because I 2 (with corresponding fingers)

Ashley you're such a good helper
Because I 2 (with corresponding fingers)

You can climb in bed all by yourself
Because I 2 (with corresponding fingers)

Thank you Ashley for being nice to Rachel
Because I 2 (with corresponding fingers)

I think Ashley's excited to be 2.

lollipops from the bank

Ashley hopped in her little tikes car and I asked where she was going she said, "Bank, buy lollipops".

Happy Birthday Ashley!

Wednesday morning Ashley had a Jungle Party for her birthday. She woke up to the front two rooms being streamered into a jungle. There were 9 trees with leaves and branches from one to the other making a canopy. I wish I would have got her reacation on tape, because her jaw dropped and she turned towards me with a wide eyes and a huge grin and said, "It's a jungle". It reminded me of Christmas morning.

While all the little guests arrived we had coloring pages and puzzles out to keep them busy. Once everyone was there I started the party by telling a tale about our poor zebra who's stripes were missing. While the zebra slept the jungle animals came and took them! The jungle animals thought it was silly but it made the zebra sad. The zebra needed our help to get his stripes back.

Before we can go into the jungle looking for animals we need binoculars. The kids decorated their own binoculars with animal stickers and crayons.

Then they were off! We had a jungle animals (plus a bear and sheep); enough for each kid to find one animal and the accompanying stripe. After they found all the stripes they got to put the stripes on the zebra. They were so excited they didn't wait for tape.




After our zebra was happily put together we played a rhyme game.
"If I were a lion, a lion, a lion I'd go like this _____" and we substituted in other jungle animals.

Then it was Cake time!

After the cupcakes, we brought to life the song "5 little monkeys swinging in the trees". Some kids were monkeys while others were crocodiles. Ashley couldn't wait to play the game and kept running over asking me "play crocodile now?" and I'd say not yet. By the time we finally started she went and sat on Grandma Wendy's lap and cuddled and watched the others play. After all the monkeys were "snapped" we played another round and only had two monkeys, Rachel and her friend Preston. When the crocodiles went to "snap" them they were smart monkeys an ran away- that was the end of the game.

Now it was time for presents.

I hope everyone had fun, because I know Ashley did. We got a group picture but Ashley refused to be in it.

Like most parents I wanted Ashley's birthday to make her feel special. I think she got it.

Happy Birthday Ashley!

2 year old stats

Ashley had her check up this morning and she's perfectly healthy even if she does have a tiny head.

weight: 23lbs 10 oz 10-25% - dr. said she's really close to the 25% line

height: 33 1/4 inches 25-50%

head: 45cm under 5% the dr is used to this and didn't remeasure it again like every other visit.

She's meeting all her milestones, some of the newest are walking upstairs alternating feet, 3/4 word sentences, knows colors and shapes, gallops and jumps with knees up. Speaking wise she's not as clear as what Rachel was, but Rachel understand everything so sometimes we turn to Rachel to decipher Ashley language.

Ashley usually freaks out as soon as we pass the waiting room doors to head to the back. And she got a little fussy, but did well through the vitals. While waiting for the Dr. I brought the toy dr set and had Rachel show Ashley what the dr. was going to be and then Ashley did it to me. Ashley did a much better job and didn't cry. But then we had to get a shot, just one which was nice. To prep her for this one we talked about her needing one to keep her healthy and that it would be a pinch and I lightly pinched her. When the nurse came it I reminded her it would pinch and asked her to see if she could be brave and not cry and SHE DID IT!!! No tears at all. I was very proud of her.

Boxes, bins and buckets

Ashley has an obsession with sitting in things

March 13, 2011

March 31, 2011

May 22, 2011

June 24, 2011

My turn to paint the tub

I thought it was time to let Ashley have the pleasure of painting in the bathtub. She had a blast.

First she paint the tub, but instead of using her hands she utilized the foam number 1.

Then she started painting herself.

Her cute smile

Rachel teaching Ashley to stick her tongue out. Look at that green water!

Rachel had some alone time while I got Ashley dried and into pajamas. This is what I found when I checked in on her. Bath time Guerrilla Warfare

For the recipe or to see Rachel's first time with bathtub paint click here

bucket

Here's one more spot we found Ashley in.

patiently waiting for a cookie

My silly girl

Destined for Glasses

Mike and I both have contacts which are in the -4's. Mike's had glasses since I want to say first grade, but it was definitely early elementary school. My first pair was bought in 6th grade. So already we know both of our girls are going to need glasses at some point, but Ashley I think is rushing into them.

Saturday night we needed the vaseline out of her room where we thought she was sleeping. I turned out the bathroom light so there wouldn't be any light in the hallway spilling into her room when Mike opened the door. Rachel and I tried to silent as we waited. We waited only a moment when Mike calls for me, "Shell, you've got to come see this." I walk into Ashley's room and start scanning for Ashley in her crib, but it was dark in there so it took a minute to realize she was in the corner of her bed, "reading" a book!

As daddy, took the book and laid her back down I heard him tell her, "You're too young to be ruining your eyes already."

Ashley's Report- she had a growth spurt?

This mornings visit to the doctor for an 18month well check had me chuckling. Of course this is the morning the girls decide to sleep in and like every other dr apt Ashley started crying just having to be weighed and measured. I'm thinking it's the crinkly paper she dislikes so much.

The dr. said she was glad to see that Ashley's weight was up and that she moved up a percentile. She was also glad to see that her head was almost back on the growth charts! I knew her head was small but when you say less than 5% I don't think negative, but she showed me and for the past 6 months and continuing fwd for a while I'm sure she will be off the chart.

Stats:
Height: 30inches 10% (grew 1")
Weight: 21lbs 15 oz 10-25% (she gained 1lb 13oz)
Head Circum. 44cm below 5% (grew .5cm)

Her language skills have clicked and she makes tons of animal sounds like mooing loudly for all to hear during church and growling while I try to read Rachel a book about Tigger at the library. She's finally saying mama and tries to say imitate the sounds of whatever you say todays was "rude". She's also jumping with both feet off the ground, every third try since her timing of it is all off, she climbs and is tip toeing now, and sliding down slides head first trying to keep up with big sis. So no matter how small her head or short and thin she is I know and the doctors not concerned with her learning and progressing.

Sunday she started nursery! She was very good they said, and she really connected with one of the leaders so as long as she could see that one leader then she was reassured that all was okay.

Finger painting

After finding the girls painting on my floor in the craft room (thankfully they kept it on the paper), I decided it was time to let Ashley use real paint. Normally, I give her water and paintbrush, but not anymore we've moved up to washable finger paint! I was very glad to see that she resisted the urge to eat it. She eats everything else, so I was pleasantly surprised she did taste it. I think you'll agree that she's a fan of the stuff.

What a surprise! I have paint on my finger.

Watch me put it on the paper

I like the way it feels on my hands

But squishing it through my fingers is AWESOME!

little one

The term of endearment that got pinned on Ashley from birth was "little one". That's how we distinguished between the two girls. Never did we realize that it would fit her so well.

I took her to her 15 month well check today (a little over a month late) and here are her little stats:

Height: 29 inches 5-10%
Weight: 20 lbs 2 oz 10%
Head: 43.5 cm below 5%

Some of Ashley's new found passions are girls dress-up shoes (heels and all), pretending to cough which she instinctually covers her mouth, coloring on my carpets, doing puzzles, and learning fun songs that I should have been doing with her for a while now but forgot about like itsy bitsy spider, wheels on the bus and head shoulder knees and toes.

She's such a girly girl. From painted toes to wanting to have bows in her hair and her love of shoes I think I'm more on the side of nature rather than nurture because if you know me you know I'm a pony tail and flip flop kinda girl. ... but with that said she's already got a love of football which makes Daddy happy. She'll actually throw and try to catch a ball unlike Rachel who will throw a ball and then run if you want her to catch it.

Me, Me, Me

Ashley wanted her picture after Rachel's got taken. Ashley wants to do everything that her big sis does and she's too cute to not to take her picture. So here she is.