Pinkalicious

Cate loves the book, "Pinkalicious," and I have been meaning to make pink cupcakes, just like the character in the book does, for months. I thought it would be fun to make the cupcakes and then dye the frosting pink and let her decorate a cupcake with sprinkles and candies. Every time I think about actually doing this project, I remember that Timmy will want in on this action and it will be a huge mess. Huge. And it was, but totally worth it.

This morning after breakfast, fort building and walking the dog (them in their snowsuits), we made the cupcakes so that they could cool during nap time. I think that they might have been happy just arranging cupcake papers in the pan.

With the cupcakes in the oven, Cate and Timmy each got a beater. I had to wrestle the bowl away from a howling Timmy who just kept yelling, "Cookie....cooooookie!"

After dinner it was time to frost and decorate the cookies. I gave C&T their own little ramekins of frosting and sprinkles.

Timmy just started eating his cupcake, wrapper and all.

Cate was a bit more meticulous.

I would have liked to have let Cate decorate more cupcakes after I frosted them, but it is just hard to do anything that takes that much time with Timmy on the scene. He is, after all, the boy we affectionately refer to as "pigpen." I had to get him away from the table and the mess so that I could clean up.
Maybe I'll let them decorate cupcakes as they eat them this week.

Baby Brothers

Sometimes it is hard to be the big sister. You just want to get your dollhouse out, set up all of the people and come back to find them the way that you left them.

When you live with Timmy, this is not always possible. Cate had all of her people arranged and when we came back to her room, we found Timmy like this.

He is the King Kong of the dollhouse world.

It's Just for the Girls

"It's just for the girls, T....no boys are coming to this party."

This is what Cate tried to explain to her brother before he was taken to the Y to play basketball with Tim. I don't think he cared.

Cate got a very special invitation to Carolyn's wedding shower and we thought that a shower for Carolyn was a good reason to skip nap time, get dressed up and party with the girls.

Cate kept asking when we were going to "her" party, so I had to explain that this occasion actually had nothing to do with her. What a concept.

When we arrived, Mimi was already there helping to set up.

Auntie Jenn was there too. When we first arrived, I thought that Tim was going to have to pick Cate up and take her home for a nap.

After her usual 30 minute warm up period, Cate came alive and had fun. She wanted to help with the cake.

And try on the wedding dress balloon.

Cate didn't demolish her cake quite like flower girl Lia did, but she did eat the candy meant for the Bingo boards.

We had a great time at Carolyn's shower and Cate took a four hour nap the following day to make up for the one she missed!

Cupcakes, Balloons and a Day with Daddy

We have been celebrating Valentines Day around here for two weeks. Anything to break up the seemingly structureless days with a one and two year old. We have colored hearts, made Valentine cards, made Valentine people and had a Valentine party at Cate's class.

I ended up being quite sick this weekend and even stayed at my parents' house on Saturday night and all day Sunday to try to recover. Tim hung out with Cate and T, took them to church, fed them and got them to bed just fine while I was gone.

I managed to pull myself together on Sunday afternoon to go out and get a few little gifts for Cate and TT.

We stopped at the grocery store and I thought that I would pick up a few balloons for them. I could have just stopped shopping there. They both loved the balloons and played like little maniacs with them for quite awhile. Timmy didn't stop moving for long enough for me to get a picture.

Cate was in serious need of some new pajamas (since that's about all she wears). Her beloved pinks are looking pretty pilled, so she got the red and pink pair below and another blue pair. Timmy got the red and grey skateboard jammies, but they just weren't that exciting to him after the balloon. Cate was very excited to find that her bag included her very first headband. She has been wearing it nonstop. Nana sent C&T some fun new books and they both dove right in. I love how there are four feet in this picture but only one sock.

Mimi and Pop gave them each a singing bear because they both love music but Timmy is a little bit afraid of his.

Mimi made some yummy chocolate pumpkin cupcakes which were a huge hit. After Cate ate her cupcake, she asked for another. I told her that she could share one more with Timmy, that she could have half. She said that she wanted a whole cupcake. As I went to get it, I told her that it was half or nothing. She said, "Ok, T has nothing." She settled for half.

Worn out in her Valentine pink bed! Happy Valentine's Day!

Long Winter Days

Today was a long day. We didn't have any classes or open gym and Tim had to use my car today so we were trapped. I tried to plan a few little activities to break up the morning. Timmy played with his cars in the bathtub, we colored and made Valentine hearts and finally, when I got desperate, I took out some muffin tins and a bunch of little spoons. I let them scoop dry beans into the muffin cups. I knew that it would be a mess, but I tried to just let it go and remind myself that I have to sweep after every meal anyway, so what's one more time? They were entertained by this novelty for a little while.

It is really difficult to have any structured playtime right now because Timmy is just wild. He eats crayons, rips paper and just generally messes with Cate. In the late afternoon Mimi and Pop came over to save us and Cate's imagination was on display as we rode the train (this time Timmy's tiny room), went to the beach and went out for lunch. Thank goodness for Mimi and Pop's afternoon "visits" and for a community center that we can walk to even with twenty inches of snow on the ground. We will be first in line for open gym tomorrow.

Letting Her Imagination Run Wild

Cate is all about imaginative play these days. Most of her scenarios involve getting on a train, stopping for snacks and then heading downtown to "get some lunch" with her friends. This little playhouse that we got them for Christmas is Cate's train. She sits in the window and beckons anyone she can to come in and get on the train with her. Timmy just runs around, goes and in out of the house and generally doesn't play out the plan the way that Cate had envisioned. He knows that something funny is going on, but he has no idea what it is.

Crib is the new Pack N' Play

I was never good about having Cate or Timmy play in a pack n' play. I should have trained them to do this for a few minutes (when they were smaller) so that I could clean up, shower or catch my breath.

Lately, Cate and Timmy have been retiring to his his crib after meals to read books...or boops as Timmy calls them. I know that the novelty will soon wear off and I do usually have to go in there to stop Timmy from somehow annoying Cate, but for now, it buys me enough time to clean up the dishes or throw my clothes on or drink just one more cup of coffee.

Figuring it Out

Every time I think I have something parenting related figured out, it changes. I'll think, ok, this is when they sleep, this is what they like to eat, this is what makes them feel secure in a new situation. Then, just as I'm about to congratulate myself for conquering a given challenge, they change the rules on me.

Deciding what time to go to church has been a two year battle. There does not seem to be a good time. We are always rushing to get them out of bed, back into bed, fed, dressed, etc. This morning we decided to just have a relaxed morning and go to the latest service. We even seemed to have a little bit of extra time, so I tried to take some pictures since Cate was actually out of her pajamas.

As you can see, she is rather solemn in these pictures. I should have known that trouble was brewing.

She wanted Timmy to hold her hand by the window...

He had other plans.

This picture is blurry, but this expression is so Timmy.

As his expression above might indicate, Timmy has always been easygoing about getting dropped off in the nursery at church. He sees a few balls and he is off to play. He never looks back.

We have had quite a lot of difficulty dropping Cate off in the 2 yr. old room at church. For weeks or maybe even months, Tim would just stay with her. Then she seemed to get more comfortable on her own. She talked a lot about what she learned, what songs she sang and of course, what they had that day for a snack. This morning, she was so upset after I left that they had to flash our number on the screen to come and get her. So Tim made his way to go and get her and returned with a very blotchy Cate. She sat with us quietly for a long time and I felt so bad that she was so stressed.

So now I'm back to wondering if we should go at a different time, try to get there really early (yeah right) so that it's less busy/crazy, if I should stay with her again.... I always have the nagging feeling that if I just did things a little bit, better, smarter, earlier, faster... then life would be smooth. It's probably time for me to accept that life with little kids is just messy and unpredictable.

This is what I Love to See!

I ended my last post hoping that I would have something interesting/exciting to report in the near future. I know that looking at this picture of C&T in their pajamas does not look like much progress, but at our house, this is HUGE progress. Cate and Timmy spent quite a bit of time playing together without me this morning! The stars must have aligned because Cate felt like reading books to T and he complied. She got him a blanket and sat and read him board books. Then they moved on to their new playhouse. Cate always pretends that it is a train and that she is going downtown to see her "fwiends." After that they played with their little dollhouse and with the Thomas train set. Of course there was some yelling involved when Timmy didn't follow Cate's plans, but this is the best they've ever done playing together.

I didn't take many pictures because I didn't want to break the spell, but the fact that I could get a few things done around the house while they were both awake is revolutionary around here. Let's hope that this is the beginning of a trend!

Sometimes it's so good....

....that you just have to lick the plate.

Timmy does, anyway. This morning Cate requested banana cinnamon french toast, so I got out my awesome, foldaway electric griddle and whipped some up. I hadn't planned to make anything exciting for breakfast because we needed to get to open gym so that Timmy could run around, but Cate really wanted french toast and I was feeling flexible since they both slept until 8:30 this morning.

After I hosed Timmy off, we raced down the street to open gym and Timmy played basketball the entire time. The only problem is that he is not content to use the small hoops, he wants to use the adult sized hoops, so I have to hoist him up and help him to shoot the ball. Cate brought her bitty baby, Maggie, to open gym but agreed to let her take a nap in Mimi's office while she ran around. I am hoping to have something besides Timmy's messy face to report sometime soon, but we have all been sick since Christmas and we have not done much lately. Let's hope that February is a healthier month around here!

Sick Day/Snow Day

Days like today make me very thankful to be able to stay home with Cate and Timmy. For one thing, it is really cold outside and we got a fresh coat of snow last night. Chicago winters really aren't so bad when you never really have to leave the house if you don't want to. The second reason is that poor little Timmy is sick again. He seems to have croup and the accompanying head cold. He only had about three days between his ear infection/cold and this. Poor thing. I was thinking this morning that although taking care of sick babies is hard work, at least I don't have to figure out who is going to stay home with him, make sub plans, etc.

Two nights ago, Tim was up with Timmy from 4:30am until he left for work. Timmy just could not go back to sleep and ended up sleeping with Tim on the couch. Last night, he made it through the night, but when he got up this morning, he did not want to be put down at all. This would have been ok, but I had already promised Cate french toast which is hard to make while you hold a baby.

I finally got Timmy to snuggle up next to Cate and watch a little "Dinosaur Train" while I cooked. I almost didn't post this pic b/c of Cate's pacifier, but oh well. She still uses it at night and for a few minutes when she first gets up. We tried to get rid of it when she got her big girl bed, but that didn't work. I don't know how we're ever going to get it away from her.

Sweet potato french toast

Timmy was allowed to eat at the little table in the playroom with Cate. I think he felt like such a big boy.

Timmy has dropped his morning nap, but this morning he needed one, so Cate and I went outside. I really needed to get some housework done, but I knew that Cate would love playing in the snow. She got dressed in her pink snowsuit all by herself and we headed out.

Getting out the Door

Cate and Timmy have been sleeping late these last few weeks, which is great except that it is so hard to get them moving. Cate (like me) really likes to move slowly in the morning, sit with her blankies and juice (the rough equivalent of my coffee) and just wake up before going anywhere. Although we decided to go to church later than usual, she still did not want to move. Everything I asked her to do was met with, "Mama, I don't want to." We negotiated through breakfast, a bath and getting dressed (the pink dress I chose was not in her plan for today). In the picture below, I wanted her to put her coat on. She was not ready.

Finally, with the promise of a box of raisins, she got her coat and shoes on.

She gave her brother a hug because he now seems to have a cough and runny nose (again) and could not go.

Finally, out the door they went and Timmy and I went downstairs to play trains until he was ready for an early nap. You may notice in these pictures that Timmy is almost as tall as Cate is. At his 15 mo. appointment this week, we found out that he is officially off the charts for height (Tim is busy finding him an NBA scout and planning practice drills on the court) and he is only an inch and a half shorter than Cate. We have had a few people ask us if they are twins, but as he starts to look more like a toddler, I think we will be hearing it more.

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day

It was a tale of three Christmases for us this year and we had a great time with family and friends. We arrived in Des Moines late Tuesday night and got to relax for a few days before all of the festivities began. We had lunch with Nana at work, visited Great-Grandma Zee in Pella and hung out with Uncle Rusty.

While in Pella, Tim, Cate and Diane picked up a gingerbread house at their favorite bakery. This was definitely the cutest, best tasting gingerbread house that I have ever seen and Cate loved it because there was candy hidden inside the house.

Here they are peering inside to see the candy.

Cate loved choosing which parts of the house to eat...

...but she mostly favored the green dollops of frosting that served as bushes in front of the house...

We broke into the gingerbread house after presents, church and Christmas eve dinner but after that, the night was not so relaxing. We ended up in the emergency room with Timmy until 2am. He had been sick for a few days and, of course, got worse at night, right before Christmas. Thankfully, we did not wait at all at the hospital and were home and in bed with an antibiotic in less than two hours.

The next morning, we got up late and headed to Pella for Christmas dinner at Great-Grandma Zee's house. Although she was initially shy, Cate had a great time playing with her second cousins, Claire and Nicole. They did a lot of dancing and jumping on the bed which Cate thoroughly enjoyed.

We left Pella around 5 to head back to Chicago for "Boxing Day" with my family and the Beneshes. When we got into the car, Cate saw that we had installed a dual screen DVD player (Merry Christmas to us!) and looked at her brother and said, "Look, T! We're gonna watch a show in this!!!" Timmy was still not feeling well and both were very, very tired, but the DVD player helped and we made it home quickly.

We made it to Mimi and Pop's house the next morning and exchanged gifts with them. They loved all of their fun, new gifts.

Cate is obsessed with the eyes on a doll. It makes her very uncomfortable when they open and close. This baby's eyes stay open. Nana got her an adorable Bitty Baby (and tons of accessories), which Cate loves, but she had to get used to the fact that her eyes do open and close.

TT on the motorcycle with his Mimi.

The tent and tunnel...a big hit.

Cate and Auntie Jenn...not sure what kind of face she is making...

Taking care of her Bitty Baby. She loves to "change the baby" and pack and unpack her diaper bag.

Bee Bee and Lia Bee

The four of us.

We have a few cute videos from the past few days that I should upload but here is just one of my favorites from Nana's house:

(The first three words are her favorite Christmas song (that she made up and sings in bed), "Jesus is boooorn".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4-vVEjGves