a family of snowmen

molly finally was able to build her snowmen this winter. it was the perfect day because the snow was melting so it was nice and wet, plus, it was warm out. molly didn't even have to wear a coat (yes, mom, i know it was still chilly - but she had gloves on!).
and here we are: molly, mommy, daddy, sophie! aren't we cute?!

tube painting

need a last minute valentine's day craft/activity to do with your kids? try tube painting. i got this idea from http://tonsoffunpreschoolactivities.blogspot.com/. it's so easy. bend a toilet paper tube into the shape of a heart, dip into paint, press on paper.

done

sophie is completely done nursing. :) :( she weaned herself, which was great, however, i wasn't quite prepared to stop. so i have had mixed feelings. she wasn't really getting much, it was more of a comfort thing for her, but still a special bond that only she and i had. i thought it'd be a gradual process that might be a bit of a struggle, but it was quick, easy, and painless. for that, i'm thankful. sophie lets me hold her, stroke her hair and sing to her to get to sleep and when she wakes in the middle of the night (yes, she still does) she generally goes right back to sleep when i hold her.

she's started on cows milk and is doing okay drinking it. it's not her favorite, but each day gets a little better. she's just getting so big. hard to believe she'll be a one year in a month!

expanding the taste buds

molly is a picky, picky eater when it comes to healthy food. meats and veggies are a struggle for her to eat. the meat has always been better than the veggies, but still something had to be done because molly was not eating. when she was much littler, i would make her something different than matt and i were eating so she would eat, but then, she turned the magical age of 2 and she had to eat what we eat (most of the time -there are exceptions). she's not always too keen on this and has skipped many meals because she didn't like what we were having. sometimes, she didn't even try it. needless to say, she was hungry by the time the next meal rolled around. this worked for a bit but i still didn't feel like she was eating well enough, aka, no veggies. i can't blame her though, i hate them too. i just choke them down because i know they are good for me. i tell molly they're good to eat and grin and bear as i chew up a rubber greenbean or a piece of broccoli that taste like i'm truly eating a plant. i watched on the doctors or doctor oz, some show like that, that some people are born with taste buds that allow them to like, tolerate, or basically can't stand the taste of vegetables. i'm on the tolerate side. i think that is where molly is too. so anyway, we started a chart, a food pyramid chart. now i know the food pyramid isn't used anymore but it works well for stickers. we drew a big pyramid and glued pictures of the different food groups on. molly earned a sticker for each item she ate from a particular food group (we did not include the fats and sweets as she has no trouble in that department!). after 10 stickers in each group she chooses a treat from the grocery store. saturday was her big day. she chose cookies with pink icing. she was so proud to have completed her chart (it took about 2 1/2 weeks). it really did motivate her to eat her veggies and meat (she likes broccoli and cauliflower the best). plus she learned all the food groups and can tell you what grain and dairy is. we're planning on starting a new one this week to keep up the motivation!

serious conversation with a 2 year old

molly treats her baby like a human and it often mimics behaviors and things that she does. tonight, her baby was getting in trouble for throwing a fit. molly took her into her room and disciplined her and made her stay in there. then she came out and the converstation went as follows:

me: molly, when your baby doesn't listen and obey you what is she doing?

molly: making sin

me: does God like sin?

molly: no, she's making Jesus sad and me sad

me: what did God do to help us with sin?

molly: died on the cross for our sins

me: yes, Jesus died on the cross to take away our sin. did Jesus stay dead?

molly: no

me: where does Jesus live now?

molly: in heaven

me: how do we get to heaven?

molly: we probably ride flying horses up there!

me: well, not exactly, you have to ask Jesus to come into your heart and save you from your sin.

molly: yeah, and bears. Jesus can save me from bears.

i love that molly is learning about Christ at such a young age comprehends what sin is. she doesn't like to say that she has sinned when she gets in trouble - just hides her face and says i don't want to say it so i thought this was the perfect opportunity to talk about it when her baby was "misbehaving".

***just so you know, the baby is no longer being punished and has moved on to being sick and throwing up.

a sweet reminder

i'm tired. molly was sick last night, sophie was cranky and didn't sleep well. i was on the couch with both girls. i miss my bed. then this morning i went to set sophie down and she arched her back, cried and refused to sit. i picked her up and in my frustrated voice said "it's going to be one of those days." then i got a sweet little reminder. immediately after saying this molly started singing "this is the day". and she was right! this is the day the Lord has made, i will rejoice and be glad in it! my mood changed instantly and molly and i have been singing the song on and off all morning. thanks molly for reminding me that i need to rejoice always!

christmas

i feel as if christmas was a month ago and it's only been two weeks. i had big plans to blog about christmas as it was lots of fun this year. sophie's first, and molly really got in to it. instead, here's just a short version of the highlights....

christmas was very relaxing. we spent christmas eve at home lounging on the living room floor watching miracle on 34th street and playing with the girls. christmas day we were at home until 5:45 that evening. my parents and brother and sister came for lunch so molly and sophie would be able to nap that day. and they did - 2 whole hours, both of them! matt and i had some much needed alone time! then we went to my parents and celebrated with the family.

santa came and brought molly her cinderella dress and glass slippers. molly was amazed when the milk and cookies were gone from the plate christmas morning! she asked if santa would come back next year.

sophie got a basketball goal. i think i was more excited about this than her, but hey, i've got to start training her young! she was excited about the balls that came with the goal and loves to make baskets. my favorite gift the girls received, however, came from my parents. they bought them a personalized cd with songs that have their names in them. molly's is called a princess tea party. she loves it. it starts out with belle asking if she'll help prepare a princess tea. "a perfect princess tea, for molly and me...". sophie's is a jesus loves me one and so sweet. "just like the stars that twinkle in the night, sophie, your precious in God's sight..." then later on it quotes john 3:16 with sophie's name.

christmas was fabulous and a great way to finish out a great year. oh, and probably the best christmas present i received was a positive pregnancy test on december 2nd!