a problem with naps

Today the girls had a lunch date with Mr. H and Ms. M. We went to their house to play for a little bit and then we had some grilled cheese sandwiches, grapes, pretzels and cookies. Of course Little Bird didn't want to eat and Little Pie was trying to escape from her chair, but we managed to have a good time. The kids sure liked making each other laugh and copying each others' silliness.

The cuties getting ready to eat lunch.

Ms. M and Mr. H

I had asked Little Bird to put her milk down so I could take a picture, instead Little Pie picked hers up to take a drink.

The girls were really tired and starting to get crabby so it was time to go home. We headed upstairs for a nap and as has been the case recently, the girls started playing and talking and gabbing and laughing at each other instead of falling asleep right away. Sometimes it can take up to an hour before they fall asleep. However, after two hours of playing in their cribs (yes, I was that determined to get them to sleep), I finally went in to get them up. 

Can't you just hear the LOUD noises coming from her mouth???

Ha ha! I didn't nap!!

What was most hysterical about this was that after I got them up, they both wanted to go back in their cribs. Huh??? It's going to be an EARLY bed time tonight.

While it's annoying for me not to have any time to relax (who can relax when there are so many screeches and hollers going on), it's so hard to deal with two crabby girls for the rest of the day. I just don't understand these days when they don't nap. They are seriously tired, so why don't they sleep???? I hope this isn't a sign that they are not going to be regular nappers any more. I think I will pull my hair out.

shhh...good girl church

I'm not sure what we are thinking when we go to church and sit in the sanctuary. The girls used to be really good; Little Pie would be a koala and would hardly look up from my shoulder. Little Bird would sit sweetly on Daddy's lap and would occasionally need to be escorted out for a wee bit to stretch her legs. Now both girls are crazy loud and very antsy. We always end up leaving the sanctuary and standing in the back. Today, Little Pie was so loud but so cute. She would say "shhh...good girl church!". What she didn't know is that what she was doing was not good! I also LOVE how she sits with the bulletin in her hand and "reads" along with us. She loves to "sing" the hymns as well and claps after ALL songs. It just gets to be too much though, so we are considering taking them to the nursery next week. I'm not sure how they will like it since they have never been left in that kind of situation before. I'm sure we will be called back there before the service is over. Before we try it, I may need to check to see if some of their friends would want to join them!

Oh, and today we didn't even make it through the whole service even though we were in the back. Little Pie started throwing a huge tantrum about who knows what. She wouldn't calm down so we just packed up and left! We really weren't interested in going home, so we decided that since it was a beautiful morning, we would head to Main Street, get a coffee and treat and walk around. It turned out great! We got some cute pics at the Town Green too.

Little Pie smashing a scone in her face.

Little Bird of course doesn't want to try the scone.

Mommy and Little Bird

A Little Bird pose.

Trying to get a picture of the two of them smiling at the same time. ha!

What we do on chairs now.

Finally sitting, but not for long.

Close up.

Cheese!?

Modeling.

I don't want to look at the camera.

Mommy and Little Pie.

Mommy and Little Bird.

Mommy and her girls.

Saying cheese together.

Running away, not wanting to go to the car.

Captured by Daddy.

Finally heading back.

apple orchard!

Today we took a quick trip to Apple Jack's. It was a perfect cool and sunny fall day so we just had to enjoy ourselves at the apple orchard. I love taking the girls to do things that I loved doing as a kid. It's also fun to take them somewhere new (usually only when there is another adult!) so I can see how their personalities come out. When we do our every day routine, I can't quite figure out how the girls will handle themselves out in the "real world", but giving them a new experience seems to give me a little idea!

Of course an apple orchard on a beautiful fall Saturday is very busy, so it was a little challenging giving the girls (especially Little Pie) the freedom to run and roam that they so desperately want. Little Pie typically just takes off for wherever she finds interesting. Little Bird is eager to explore too but she always has her eye on mommy and daddy. We can trust that she won't wander far. Both girls loved checking out all the fun stuff at the orchard. Little Pie even tested out some apples before we bought some to bring home. 

We were going to attempt a hayride, but Little Pie was against it. Little Bird was really excited to try it, but with the wait and it getting late, we thought we would save that for another trip.

It was finally time to go when we went down to check out the river. Little Bird found a really fun tree to check out (see pic below), but Daddy was struggling to convince Little Pie that she could NOT jump into the river. She just wouldn't let it go, so finally he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder and started heading towards the car. Little Pie could be heard screaming "WATER IN! WATER IN!" the entire walk to the car. As Daddy struggled to strap her into her car seat, Little Bird calmly got into her seat, looked me in the eye and said "Pie naughty". Little Pie sure doesn't give up on trying to get what she wants!!!

It will be really fun to take pictures with this growth chart every year!

Despite wearing sunglasses, they couldn't look up at the camera very well because the sun was in their face.

Little Pie not quite 3 feet tall.

Little Bird just a titch taller.

Trying really hard to pick up this white pumpkin.

Little yellow school bus!

Mommy and the girls...wish the bus said 2010 and not 2009.

"Giant" slide

Loves to slide.

Making their way around the maze. They just ran and ran and ran.

Trying to catch Daddy on the other side.

Laughing at the goats.

The goats are HILARIOUS!

What a big girl!

HUGE grin!

Daddy and the girls

Little Bird and her tree!!

elmo's ok

The girls haven't been taking super long naps lately. They aren't terrible naps, but they could use a little more sleep. Because they are waking up too early, they are a tad (using this term lightly) cranky. We've been watching Elmo after waking up so we can get a little more quiet time. 

However, when Little Pie is tired, she can be quite sensitive. She gets especially concerned when Elmo is not on the TV screen the entire time. When he isn't there, her bottom lip quivers, tears well up in her eyes and she says with a crack in her voice, "Elmo's OK! Elmo's OK!". It is the sweetest and saddest little sight; tears well up in my eyes! After awhile she settles down and is not as concerned about where Elmo is because she has realized that he always reappears. 

Can't you just see the concern in her face?

She does the same thing when we are out of the house and she gets tired or sad and cries for her bunny. She says it in such a way that it sounds like she is concerned for bunny's welfare. I started telling her bunny was at home and that he was OK. Now when she cries for bunny, she says "bunny's OK!".

What a sweet, sensitive little heart!

she wears her sunglasses...at dinner!

Little Pie insisted on wearing her sunglasses at dinner tonight. She continued to wear them while playing after dinner (inside!). Maybe this will be her bracelet thing?

And because Little Bird has to do EVERYTHING Little Pie does, she needed to have her picture taken at dinner too. She (shockingly!) is not interested in her sunglasses.

so far, a busy september!

Wow, we have been busy! The end of summer came quickly and we are trying to pack in a lot of fun. Tomorrow we start our new "fall schedule" and we are anxious to get in to our new routine. I think back to the beginning of summer when I was so anxious to get outside. I was slightly disappointed because it seemed like it was a HUGE challenge to be outside by myself with both girls. It was a new freedom that they just needed to get used to; and now that it's the end of summer I can't believe the difference! They aren't afraid of grass or sand or dirt or water (they, in fact, love to be in it). They constantly BEG to go outside (I guess the new challenge is going to be distracting them with indoor activities on cold and rainy days). While Little Pie still likes to test me by running towards the street, it's not as hard to keep them entertained in just our yard. They like to walk to the park now instead of ride in the wagon or their cars. I can't believe there was ever a challenge with playing outside! Well, it's still not super easy, but it's A LOT better than it used to be.

Here's a recap of the first couple September weeks:

The girls had their first Girls Night Out with BFF and her mama. Both daddies were busy, so the mamas thought it would be fun to take the girls out to eat. I was hesitant at first since it's ALWAYS a challenge to take the girls out to eat, but I thought we should just try it anyway. What's the worst that could happen? Well, all the girls (mamas included) had a blast!! Just look at these little dolls...

We went to visit Grams and Grandpa over Labor Day weekend. The girls sure love to go to their grandparents' house! They are so comfortable at Grams and Grandpa's; they know where their toys are, they know where their room is, they know where to find all the good stuff. We had a great weekend!

The girls had to visit Grandpa on the golf course and test out their skills too!

We also visited GG (great grandma). Little Pie looks sad here because we made her stop running around and take a picture with us. 

We visited the Red River Zoo.

Getting ready to run. She loves to be free from mommy's grasp.

Wow Little Bird, you're getting heavy!

Little Bird looking at some ducks(?) with Grandpa.

Mommy not getting any lovin'.

Always trying to figure out how to get in with the animals.

Getting ready to run again.

Is your mama a llama?

Looking at llamas with Grams and Grandpa.

Little Bird absolutely LOVED the carousel. As we were going around she made all sorts of adorable excited sounds. She was quite upset when it was finished and shouted "more!". After we left she kept talking about the horsey ride.

Having the time of her life!

Little Pie did not enjoy the carousel at all. Grams had to sit with her on the horse but the whole time she was yelling for bunny. Of course there is nothing we could do until it was over. After it was over, she also couldn't stop talking about the horsey ride...but I think she was just grateful it was over!

This past weekend, we took Uncle Rye to the Defeat of Jesse James Days in Northfield. He loves history so he wanted to see the reenactment of the attempted bank robbery. We also took him through St. Olaf so he could see where I went to school. It was a BEAUTIFUL day and we were able to take full advantage. We also got to see mommy's BFF (Auntie B) and Mr. S., and Joel. It was fun be outside and do something different and even though we skipped the girls' nap (oh boy), it was well worth it! I'm glad that it is easier (still not easy) to do things with the girls and not have to always be home for meals and naps. I think the girls enjoyed themselves too (they were really ready for bed!).

Mommy and Little Bird waiting for the reenactment to start. It ended up being a long wait and the girls didn't make it through the whole thing.

Daddy and Little Pie.

The Teddy Bear Band performed (next to the Beer Garden, ha!). The girls LOVED it. Look at Little Pie getting jiggy with it.

Even Uncle Rye got into it!

Mr. S. wasn't as into it...it was a little too loud for his taste.

Little Pie was obsessed with the Teddy Bear. She followed him around everywhere and kept trying to grab his hand. She either wanted to give him a high five or hold his hand. We had to chase her around and keep her out his way.

A bear hug from Teddy Bear. She loved it!

The girls danced and danced and danced and danced. They could have stayed there all day. Check them out as they do the hokey pokey...