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this is a journal entry I wrote earlier in the week. I thought it would be a good one to share for mother's day coming up. Don't worry, I pared it down a lot and tried to fix it up as much as possible, so it wouldn't sound like a rambling journal entry.Today was a cleaning day. I spent hours getting the house clean. 20-30 minutes of it was spent cleaning the playroom. I also needed to clean the kitchen floor, so I sent the girls into the playroom to get them out of the way. (and keep Kiersten out of the garbage pile.) I didn't expect them to sit in there and not play with their toys, but I also didn't expect to walk back in after less than 10 minutes and see every shelf, bin, and basket completely empty and toys everywhere. I'm not joking when I say EVERY toy was on the floor. I didn't want to blow my top, so I closed my eyes and counted to 3. I made myself calm down. (Kiersten helped by looking at me with a sweet and innocent smile.) I put Kara on book picking-up duty, while I started clearing a path. I couldn't help but think back to my pre-kid days. Those days were so simple, so easy, and so taken for granted. I was free to do what I wanted, sleep when I was tired, and be selfish if I wanted to. After a moment, I realized that even though back then I had no diapers to change, no puke to clean, and a lot less whining to listen to, I had no Kiersten baby to rock to sleep at night. I had no mornings of waking up to see Karalee's smiling face hovering over me, and hearing her say, "good morning sleepy-head!" I didn't have little feet to follow me everywhere, or a chubby little hand to hold every time I went down stairs. I did have more alone time with Ben, but what I didn't have were lazy sunday afternoons spent playing with our kids together. I didn't get to experience the look on his face when he looks at our girls. And I didn't get to see those happy little eyes and the way they both look back at him.So I stopped feeling so sorry for myself and told Kara she had helped clean up enough and could go play. She excitedly ran into the livingroom to arrange a running race with her little sister. Then I started to think about how fast they are growing up. They have both changed so much since last year. I wondered how different they'll be next year. I was kinda sad to think of myself when they're all grown up and on their own. I'm sure it will be nice to have personal space and alone time. I think I'll be able to appreciate being kid-free again. Ben and I will be able to do whatever we want without stepping on toys, or listening to 2 kids screaming at once. But I wont be getting Kiersten's slobbery kisses at bed time. I wont be able to listen to Kara's crazy stories and silly versions of songs. So when I have a clean and quiet house, I'm gonna miss these little girls. I'll probably sit around looking at pictures and remembering cute things they once did. I'm gonna miss hugging them every day and being the person they always come to for everything. I'll probably be spending a few mother's days without them. I'll have memories and pictures, and even the teddy bear they gave me for this mother's day, but it will still be a little sad. Of course I'll be hoping for a phone call. I'll be overjoyed if I get it and a little devastated if I don't. I'll wonder what they're doing every day, and if they had something healthy for lunch. I'll probably pry into their lives more than I should, and call them more than they'd like. I'll know it, but I'll do it anyway because I always want to know they're okay. So I was thinking about the old me, who didn't get to know what "mother's love" feels like, and the future me, who is gonna have to watch those girls grow up and leave someday, and it made me feel pretty happy to have someone to clean up after today. Especially 2 girls as cute as mine. So I shut the door to the playroom and let Kara pick out a game, and spent the rest of the "cleaning time" playing sesame street chutes and ladders with my little girlies. 
see how cute they are?
Kiersten baby is talking more and more. While most of it is still sounding like jibberish, there are some words that she is now using on a daily basis. I thought it would be fun to blog about them.mommy/mama- her first word. she uses it mostly when she wants something, or needs to tattle on someone.daddy/dada- her second word. we usually hear this the moment Ben comes home from work, or when she is sweet and cuddly, and sometimes when she walks into the guest room she'll say it.hi- obviously when she sees or notices someone or a toy.bye bye- she almost always waves as she says it.uh-oh- usually meaning she has dropped something, but she will also say it if she has thrown something on purpose.Kara- she actually says it more like "Ka-uh" but it's really cute. I have only heard her use it when she is happy, and not yet when she's been mad at her sister.ya- this is the answer to most questions we ask her. Usually we ask if she needs a bum change, or that type of thing.no- she does say no occasionally, and is starting to use it more and more. She just said it this morning when I asked if she was ready to get out of the bath tub.hey- this is usually what she says if someone takes something away from her. Also, she says it sometimes if I put her down when she wants to be held.me- she knows to say this when we ask, "who wants breakfast?" (or lunch, or dinner, or a snack)that- she says this when she is pointing to somthing she wants. baa- this is her word for her cup.bee- this is her word for her binky.I'm certain there are more of them, but these are the ones I can think of right now, and they are definitely the most common. I'd say we hear all of these at least once a day.
Kara has started to blame people for things she does. I know this is a normal phase for her to be going through, but it still sort of shocks me. Of course there is the typical blaming of Kiersten for making messes, or for example, for pulling down all of her decorative letters off the wall the other day. (Kiersten could definitely NOT reach them.) But what surprises me, is the out of the blue, ridiculous blaming. A few days ago she woke up and immediately started saying that daddy took her cup. She looked all over the house and couldn't find it, so she was determined to convince me that he had hidden it. She kept bringing it up for several hours. She would just suddenly say, "daddy is a stinker-pot. He hide my cuppy mom!" or something similar. When he came home from work, she still thought he had done something wrong. Kinda funny though. Yesterday while we were on our way to go grocery shopping, she said, "Papa Howard stole my bike mom!" She said it in such an angry way. I told her that he didn't, but she was sure of it. She kept saying how he was so naughty and needed to go to time out. When I was checking out, she told the checker, "my papa is so mean. He took my bike." the cashier said something like, "oh, He took your bike? oh no." and then she said, "and he kicked my butt." I started laughing and said, " no he didn't. he's at his house in Utah, you silly girl." The cashier still looked at me pretty funny though. Of course she was thrilled to see her bike when we got home, but I don't like her telling people things like that. What if someone takes her seriously and thinks there is a real butt-kicking problem? (or whatever else she decides to say.) Finally, this morning she told me that daddy got into her easter candy. I know she did it, because I caught her with it last night and took it away. we had a talk about it and everything. So I told her, no, that daddy was gone to work, and didn't get into her candy. Then she tried to say Kiersten did it. Which would be believable if Kiersten hadn't already gone to bed, and if I hadn't caught her red handed. So I had a talk with her about lying, which she's been talked to about before, so that covers getting into the candy. I'm not thinking she needs to be disciplined about the other, random blaming, she isn't really being naughty, but I need to figure something out to get her to seperate her imagination from reality. She has seemed to really be convinced that these things happened, and pretty upset about it.
The day Kara has been waiting for finally arrived. She got to go to her first dance class today. I originally wanted her to do the toe, tap, and tumble class, but we were out of town for the first class. so I switched her to a pre-ballet class. She was excited enough to get to wear her new dance clothes and have her hair done up. when we got to the class, she was triple thrilled about it. The teacher made us wait outside, but I peeked in the window a few times, and she looked like she was behaving well and having fun. After the class, the teacher told me that Kara followed directions very well and understood everything she was asked to do. She also commented that Kara had a really nice quality leotard and tights. Who new there was a difference? Not me. So we have Ben to thank for getting them for her on his way home from work.
All of the little ballerinas were so cute. Kara introduced me to her friend, "Soapy". I repeated it and she said, yes, that was her name. I'm guessing her name is Sophie. I'll figure it out next week.
Kiersten can't get left out of the blog!
She and Kara have been fighting over these sunglasses all day. They are Kara's, but Kiersten has decided that she likes them too.
Kara trying to hug the biggest squirmer on earth!
This is just a silly picture of both of the princesses. hehehe.
On saturday, we took the girls to see Monsters vs. Aliens. We stopped at Mcdonalds on the way there, and I thought this picture of Kara was funny.
After the movie, we took the girls to the park to fly Kara's kite.
I love this one of Kiersten pointing up at the kite. She thought it was so cool flying way up there.
I made them take a cute family picture at the park.
I was trying to take a picture of our old couch for a craigslist listing, and Kara insisted on having her picture taken too. Of course Kiersten joined her. I was surprised as I snapped the shot, that Kara grabbed Kiersten and smooched her.
Kiersten was so tired last night, that she fell asleep during dinner.
Kara has been asking and asking to make cookies. I talked her into making lemon bars instead on sunday, and that just wasn't good enough for her. She really wanted to make cookies that she could "color". So I finally let her make some sugar cookies last night.
