First Day of 1st Grade

Monday was the girls first day of first grade. I can't believe the Summer flew by that fast. But here we are. Today is the girls third day of school and I feel like they are really enjoying it. If you remember, the girls did a private school option for Kindergarten because of covid. I wanted them to have a year of schooling without the restrictions that were placed here in Nevada.

I wanted them to not wear masks, to be around other kids, to eat together, to play on the playground and learn in person. And that is what we got. Sure, they were super safe and the school took mega precautions, but this was the best option for our family. My girls thrived in their private school.

But this year, they went back to public school. It was a tough decision, but one we made for the time being. Now that may change next year, but for this year, this is what we chose. 

Anyways, here is a glimpse into their first day of first grade!

I didn't include the girls teacher on their apple for security reasons.

Time is sure flying, but I am so thankful for these girls and how much they have grown and thrived!

Kindergarten Graduation

My girls did it. They graduated Kindergarten and are officially first graders. As I have said a few times lately, this has been a big year and a huge change for them. They rocked Kindergarten and I can't wait to see what they do in the years to come!

The girls teacher snapped some photos their last "real" week of school and sent them over to us. She also sent a class photo from the first day to the last day and I can't believe how they all changed. I didn't post them one as they ask us to only post our own children which I appreciate and totally get. 

So here are some snaps from their teacher.

Avery

Sutton

Avery

Sutton

And here is my first and last day photos of the girls. The first is obviously from their first day of school and the last is from their graduation day. They had school/fun day Friday, but I chose to capture their graduation day.

Congrats my little ladies!! Mommy is so proud of you!

Our Preschool Aged Bedtime Routine

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Last week, Lynn (from Disposition Motion, I love her, go check her out.) wrote out her child's bedtime routine. I read it and nodded my head to a lot of the things that she does just like I do with my girls. But it also made me think that I should share my girls bedtime routine. I know a lot of mama's out there who struggle with bedtime routines and getting their kids to go to sleep. So maybe sharing our way will help someone out. Isn't that what blogging is all about?

So this is a glimpse into two little four year olds evening and bedtime routine.

Dinner/After School

We usually get home from work and pre-school around 5:15 pm. After changing into more comfortable clothes (or princess dresses for the girls), I will start dinner. We usually eat between 5:30 and 6:30 depending on the day and the dish that I make. The girls usually play, read, or help their dad build a fire.

After Dinner

After dinner, I will clean up the kitchen and the girls will start a puzzle if it isn't bath night or they will get ready for their baths if it is. If is bath night (every other night), then we start baths around 6:30 or 7 pm. We try to let the girls bellies settle a bit before bath.

The girls will go to the bathroom before they get into the bath. And then I give the girls their bath which now consists of toys, body wash, shampoo and conditioner (conditioner every other time). They usually are in the bath for around 15 to 20 minutes. Then I get them out and Rory gets them dried off, dressed and their hair brushed. I clean up the bathroom and then get their tooth brushes ready. Once they are dressed, they brush their teeth, grab their blankets and then we go snuggle on the couch for a bit.

Bedtime

At 7:30 pm, we head into their room. They each pick out a book or two and then climb into their beds. They just sit on their beds and I sit on the floor and read to them. Once reading is done, we plug in their night light that projects the sun, ocean or solar system onto the ceiling and then turn on their time to wake clock. Lastly, we turn on the color portion of their diffuser (I use the diffuser portion when they are sick with essential oils). While turning everything on, we turn off the lights. We tuck the girls into bed with their babies and a chosen stuffed animal and sometimes one of their books we just read. Then we give each girl kisses and hugs and they tell us what they are going to dream about. Then we will sometimes cover their faces with their "tiny blankets". Finally, Rory leaves and I tell them goodnight, I love you, sweet dreams and see you when you wake up. The girls respond to each thing I say and then I leave the room closing their door so there is a 4 inch gap.

Now I should note that this works pretty much every night, but occasionally, the girls will get fussy, want their eyes covered again, say they are too hot, want their noses wiped or another excuse. Last week, we had one of those nights where we went into their rooms 8 times between 7:50 and 8:30. But that happens very rarely. Usually they are asleep within 10 minutes. They sometimes talk to each other, read their books or just sit there looking at their night light projection.

What is your bedtime routine for your kids?

Happy Birthday Sutton and Avery!

Tomorrow is the girls 4th birthday. I still can't believe we are 4 years in, but here we are.

I remember the day of their birth like it was yesterday. The good, bad and the scary. It all started four years ago today. We spent the day relaxing, going to Target to finally get the items we needed for our hospital bags (we never got to pack said bags), went to dinner at a favorite Taiwanese place and then dessert over at my in-laws house. We had brownies and ice cream which I ate happily, but sat very uncomfortably.

By the time we got home, I felt like I did two days before and knew something wasn't right. Well after being stubborn and denying that I was in labor, we headed to the hospital. I came in at a 4 cm dilated and within about an hour, I was a 9 1/2. And at 2:37 am, the girls entered this world and forever changed our lives.

Dear Sutton

You are such a little fireball. That is why your nickname is bear cub. You have definitely been a little ferocious lady lately. But I know that your sweet little self is always peeking out.

You are my sweet little helper. I just love when you sing your clean up song and how helpful you are to your sister. If she needs something, you always help her find it. If she wants something that you have, you always share it with her. You are the sweetest, kindest and most caring little girl. I hope that never changes.

You have blossomed so much over the last year. You have found your voice. You love to dance and are excelling at ballet and tap. You love to sing. Snuggling and cuddling are your most favorite thing to do. You always want to cuddle just before bedtime. I love that.

You give the best hugs. You are full of sass. You love to explain things and remind us of what the day is to hold for you. You are adventurous. You love to go on walks and hikes. You love trying new things. You love riding your new bike. You love to go first and show your sister the way. You love to wear dresses. You love your sandals and would wear them in the snow if we let you. You love Walter something fierce. You love to swing. You love to go to the park. You love to go to Home Depot and Target. You love your shoes. You have the best smile. You love your family. You love to play dress up. You love to play pretend. And you love being a big girl.

You told me that you want to be Elsa and a princess when you grow up, but I have a feeling you might go into the medical field. Your passion for helping others and your fascination of doctors, leads me to believe you would make an amazing doctor or nurse. But whatever you chose to be, we will be right there supporting you.

Sutton, you came into the world quickly, but you have forever changed our world. I love you baby girl.

Dear Avery

You are my sassy girl. You usually chose your dad over me for cuddles and to carry you to bed, but sometimes you chose me and it makes my heart burst. But you are definitely a daddy's girl through and through.

This last year, you have really changed. You are very articulate and love to explain things. You love to learn and are definitely showing a passion for teaching.

You have the sweetest little voice. Especially when you sing to yourself in the car. You would rather hang out and play, than take hikes. You leave that up to your sister.

You love to tell the story of how you were born. You giggle the whole way through explaining how you were taking up too much room and were basically pushing Sutton out of me. You were just too cozy inside my belly and wanted to stay there...without your sister.

You have the loudest scream. You love to swing. You love spaghetti and chocolate. You would eat mac n cheese for every meal if I would let you. You love to play house. You are always hungry and ask me what we are having for dinner every day when we pick you up from school. You love to give the biggest hugs. You love being a mommy to your babies. You love your technology. You love to dance. You love to help everyone. You getting your nails painted. You love playing chase with your grandparents. You love to take charge. And you love being a girly girl.

Avery, I love your approach to life and the world. You are a no non-sense girl and fight for what you want. I love your goofy self and your silly smiles. I love you baby girl.

Girls, this last year has been full of fun, incredible adventures, sass, love, hope, wonder and excitement. I won't lie and say it has been all sunshine, but you two sure have made it an amazing year. I love watching you both grow and become little girls. You are no longer my tiny babies, even though I still call you my baby girls. I love when you tell me that you can do xyz when you get bigger. Girls, just take it one day at a time and enjoy being little.

Thank you for an incredible year and letting us experience everything again through your eyes. It is amazing how beautiful the world is. Especially with you girls in it.

I LOVE you both!

photos by Heather Aleen Photograpy

I am linking up with April, A Little Bit of Everything, Meet @ the Barre and Cup of Tea.

Have a great weekend!

4 Year Old Birthday Interview

I can't believe my baby girls are 4. How is that even possible? I have seen interviews of your children at xyz age floating around and I thought I would do one for each of my girls.

Up first, Sutton since she was born first. Even if it was only by a few seconds.

How old are you? 4

What is your favorite thing to eat? Strawberries and cupcakes (but she rarely eats strawberries).

What is your favorite toy? Mickey phone.

Who is your best friend? Harper.

What is your favorite color? Pink.

What is your favorite thing about school? Playing.

What is your favorite book to read? Goodnight Moon.

What is your favorite animal? Dinosaur.

What is your favorite thing to do? Play with mommy and daddy. And Avery.

What is your favorite song? God's Plan (but she calls it Dog's Plan).

What is your favorite TV show? Mickey and the Roadsters.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Elsa.

And now Miss Avery.

How old are you? 4

What is your favorite thing to eat? Spaghetti.

What is your favorite toy? Giraffe (a stuffed toy she got for Halloween).

Who is your best friend? Abby (another twin at school).

What is your favorite color? Green.

What is your favorite thing about school? Playing with toys.

What is your favorite book to read? Night Night London.

What is your favorite animal? Giraffe.

What is your favorite thing to do? Play with Abby.

What is your favorite song? Sunshine in My Pocket (Justin Timberlake).

What is your favorite TV show? Mickey and the Roadsters.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Superhero.

It is amazing how alike and not alike the girls are getting. They did so good with their questionnaire and I didn't have to ask the questions several times or try to get their attention. 

I can't believe my baby girls will be 4 in a couple days.

Father's Day Weekending

This weekend was different, unusual, weird. Between cranky toddlers, rainy weather, a sick child on Father's Day and Father's Day, nothing went quite as planned.

Let me back up to Friday. Rory had a golf tournament, so that meant that I was to pick up the girls after work. But first, I grabbed lunch, went to Old Navy and then a local clothing shop before heading to the hospital for a genetic DNA test.

After getting done, I went to Trader Joes to get snacks for the beach the next day plus a few of our favorites for the house. Oh and if you love a summer time cocktail, they have these seltzer flavored water alcohol drinks that are amazing right now. I got the pomegranate one. Yum.

After dropping off the groceries at home, I picked up the girls and took them to the park. We were only there for about 40 minutes before the wind got to be too much for them. Then I took them to dinner at our favorite Mexican place. They were mostly behaved.

Then we went home, got ready for bed and watched an episode of Mickey. Then I did the normal bedtime routine with them. Rory got home about 15 minutes after they went down, so he was able to kiss them goodnight.

Saturday morning we got up early since the girls had no interest in the dog wake up clock we got them. They didn't even pay attention to it. Even though they did Friday morning. Ugh. After we got up, we got ready and left to go to the beach. We grabbed coffees along the way and were so excited for our first beach day.

It wasn't too crowded when we got there, but it started filling up fast. We had an ok time. The girls were feisty, didn't want to listen, only wanted to eat non-stop and didn't want to go in the water since it was so cold. I don't blame them on the last one though because it was too cold and windy to go in. But we managed to stay there for 3 1/2 hours before leaving since Sutton refused to go to the bathroom there. Even though they were real bathrooms, flushable toilets and so clean.

The girls napped on the way home, but they didn't get a long enough nap because they were even more cranky and grumpy when we got home.

Once we were home, we gave the girls a bath and then let them have some quiet time in their rooms. That didn't last that long. Let's just say the rest of the day was hard. They were grumpy, didn't want to listen and threw a lot of tantrums.

I made salmon with the strawberry avocado salsa along with some rice. The girls had chicken and the rice. We put them to bed a bit early and tried to relax the rest of the evening.

Sunday morning the girls actually stayed in their room until their clock turned green. It was a success. We got up, got ready and met my in-laws at breakfast. Everything was great and we had a good time. We got home and hung out and the girls were doing pretty well. They were tired of being cooped up though, but it was raining and was supposed to rain all day.

My in-laws came over to put a new fan up in our living room and to play with the girls. I was going to go to Target while all of this was happening, but Avery told me her tummy hurt, so we snuggled on the couch and watched them put the fan up. My MIL played with Sutton while all of this was happening.

We made the girls lunch, but Avery didn't want to eat and Sutton only ate a bit. Then we put them down and I helped finish putting the fan up. As soon as we got done, we heard a weird noise and then Avery screaming. She threw up in her bed. So I took her into the bath and bathed her while Rory quietly cleaned her bed out.

Once she was out of the bath, she was happy and fine. I got her dressed and we snuggled on the couch. Not long later, Sutton woke up and then Avery was full on grumpy. I cleaned up from putting the fan up (vacuumed and swept) and then we got ready to head to my in-laws house for dinner since Avery seemed to be doing better other than being grumpy.

She complained the whole car ride over that she wanted to go home, but we thought she was still just being grumpy. Nope. As soon as we walked into my in-laws house, she threw up again. But then she exclaimed that she felt awesome again. Ha.

We cleaned the throw up up, along with Avery and her clothes. We were cautious in that we might need to leave, but she was in a better mood and so much more like herself. So we played it by ear. She actually wanted to eat, but we said first to try crackers after a bit. After about 20 minutes we gave her some crackers and she ate those. That is basically all she ate that evening.

We had bacon burgers with all the fixings along with two kinds of fries and salad.

After dinner we had some dessert and then headed out since the girls didn't get much of a nap and Avery was still under the weather. On the way home she was doing great, but getting tired. She fell asleep very quickly when we got home, but Sutton wasn't that tired. Rory hung out in their room to make sure Avery was ok and to keep Sutton company. When he thought they were both asleep, he took Walter for a walk. I got things ready for the week, but then Avery started screaming. I thought she had thrown up, but she hadn't. She said she had to go to the bathroom and wanted her daddy NOW.

I took her to the bathroom, but she was still screaming for her daddy. I tucked her back in bed and hung out in her room until Rory got home from his walk with Walter. He stayed in their room for another 10 minutes until she fell asleep. We managed to watch about 30 minutes of a show before she woke up again. She complained that her feet hurt, that she didn't want to go to sleep (she was scared) and wanted her daddy. So we put the travel bed up in the girls room and Rory slept in their room most of the night. What an awesome dad!

How was your weekend?

Oh I did want to mention that almost the same thing happened two years ago on Mother's Day. We had dinner over at my sister's house and Avery wasn't feeling well that whole day either. And when we got home, she threw up that evening. Not sure what it was that time either, but poor baby girl has been sick on both Father's Day and Mother's Day.

Toddler Easter Outfits

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Easter is coming up fast. Like less than three weeks away. A couple weeks ago, I bought the girls little jumpers to wear for Easter. We never know what Nevada weather will be like during Easter, so you always plan to wear warmer clothes or wear thick tights, cardigans and jackets.

Jumper  |  Slip-ons  |  Denim Jacket

I originally bought the girls these sandals to go with their jumpers, but the sandals were very big around their heels and not long enough. When we tried the size 10, they were swimming in them. So we went with plan b and got them slip-ons. The slip-ons come in pink and white. We originally wanted pink because pink is Sutton's favorite color, but they only had one size 9. And we can't have the girls fighting over the shoes daily. Update: the girls have been wearing their slip-ons daily (inside) since we got them.

Then as we were getting ready to head to the front of the store, Rory saw some jean jackets and asked if it would all go together. And it did. You guys, it is just the cutest outfit all together. I can't wait to see them all dressed up on Easter. Plus their denim jackets are very in style right now and I know they will be able to wear them for a long time. We got the girls a size 5T in the jackets, but they normally wear a 3T or 4T in Old Navy clothes.

What are your children wearing on Easter Sunday?

PS everything is on 40% off at Old Navy right now. Edit: The sale is now 31.4% off because it is Pi day.

And don't forget our Girl Chat link up tomorrow. The theme is What is in your Easter baskets?

Weekending - Potty Training and the Children's Museum

This weekend was a struggle. A big struggle. I thought potty training wouldn't be too bad, but guess what, it is. Especially with twins.

We decided to go full force into on Saturday morning since we worked Friday. So let me back up a bit.

Friday after work, we ran a few errands and then came home to the girls. After some play time, we got the girls ready and headed to pizza for dinner. The girls played in the restaurant and we watched some sports broadcast and happily had our beers and pizza.

After dinner, we drove to a school that is close to home and let the girls play in the playground. They had a ton of fun and didn't want to go home.

After playing we headed home and gave the girls a bath. After getting ready for bed, we snuggled for a bit and then put the girls to bed. We caught up on some shows and called it a night.

Saturday morning was the start of potty training. The girls were excited to wear real underwear. Everything was going pretty well. We asked the girls constantly if they needed to go to the bathroom and we put them on the potty every 30 minutes or so.

They were getting the idea since they have been potty training for awhile, but they would tell us just as they were starting to pee or right before and not in enough time to get to the potty. Avery had one accident in the morning and Sutton had a lot more. Every successful time, they got a M&M and they were pumped on it. But Sutton was very mad when her sister got one and she didn't. That happened a lot.

I headed out at 8:40 to get a pedicure since it was cancelled from the day before. I wasn't too excited to leave the girls since we were going full force into this, but I didn't have much choice. So I happily got my toes done and Rory took care of the girls.

We stayed at home and inside all day long and it was very boring. Ugh. I so wanted to be at the lake, but we really wanted to potty train. Such is the life.

Avery had two accidents Saturday, one in the morning and one right before bedtime. I told her we were going to go to the potty as soon as we found her paci, but if she needed to go, tell me or just run to the bathroom. She decided to pee on her little couch. Ugh. Sutton had many accidents on Saturday, but was still excited when she did go and got her M&M.

Saturday night we had wine after a long day and some take-out.

Sunday morning we got up and were excited to try again, but the girls were not. We still pushed through, put on their underwear and tried. They were doing pretty good. Sutton was going in the potty and so was Avery. Avery even went #2! Then we decided to take a walk since it was still cool enough outside (it was 99 Saturday and 93 yesterday). We made sure to try to go potty before, but Sutton had an accident about a quarter of the way through. She told us she had to pee and then peed. And then she didn't care that she had to walk in it. Ha.

Avery was good to go until the last 10 minutes of the walk. Then she said she had to go and she held it in as long as she could before she went a bit, but not fully.

We got them changed and I headed to the grocery store by our house to get a quick trip in. I came home and apparently they had 2 accidents each in that time. We still pushed on. We made the girls lunch and put them in their pull ups for naptime. Once they got up they didn't want underwear on. They were refusing it. We tried and tried, but nope, they were not having it. So we left them in pull ups and just asked them a lot if they had to go and kept going to the potty just with pull ups on instead of underwear.

And since we had been cooped up and the girls didn't want to wear the underwear, we decided to get out of the house and go to the Discovery Museum. The girls had a blast. We even went to the potty a few times when we were there.

The girls got half way up (way farther than this) and Sutton started to cry. The staff tried to have a kid help get the girls down, but no luck. So I headed up there and it sucked. I am not going to sugarcoat it. There is not enough room for adults in there. Especially tall adults like me. There were areas I couldn't fit through so I had to coach them to get down. I hit my head more times than I can count, had a bunch of kids climbing on me and felt like Reese Witherspoon in Four Christmases. Ha. But I did manage to get the girls down only for them to want to go back up. Nope. Time for the next exhibit.

Percussions 

We spent two hours at the museum and closed it down. We took a drive around the city and then headed home to make dinner for the girls. Once they had dinner, I worked on our dinner (which the girls ate that as well). After we ate, we bathed the girls and got everything ready for the week ahead. We tried to do more potty time as well. Once the girls went down, we sat down with a glass of wine and just relaxed, ie did nothing.

We went to bed early since Rory is in Las Vegas for the day teaching a class.

And there was our not so successful potty training weekend. Got any tips on potty training using pull ups or other methods? Send them my way.

How was your weekend?

I am linking up with Biana from B Loved Boston.

Cabins in the Mountains

We had such a fun time last week in Graeagle. From swings, to slides, to cook outs and cake, we indulged in everything.

We arrived Saturday afternoon and everyone quickly set up and unpacked their respective cars. The kids played and we set up some new toys for them (golf sets, tee ball and a few other items). The biggest hit was mini squirt guns which were used all throughout the trip.

We spent most of our days up at the playground, pool, in the hammock, golfing, playing games or people watching on our front porch (we were on a 9 hole golf course). We did this on the daily. There were no tvs except in the club house, so we were all unplugged other than our phones which had limited service.

Get ready for a photo dump of our week.

 The girls were very dirty on the daily. Dove now makes these wipes for your face, hands and body that worked amazingly in between baths.

 Papa taught them how to swing on their stomachs.

 The girls started riding their balance bikes more on this trip. They are finally big enough to sit and touch the ground to get their bikes moving.

 The girls are obsessed with their uncle.

 The girls taking a break with their aunt on the hammock.

 They were learning to golf and play tee ball on this trip.

 My sweet nephew

Daddy and his girls

 Enjoying wine after the girls and my nephew went to bed.

 The last two days it was raining and the girls really wanted to go to the park. That is all they wanted to do and when the rain let up for a bit, we decided to let them have a go at it. It started to rain again, but the girls didn't want to leave. They would have played there all day if we let them.

We had an absolute blast. This was my first time at these cabins as we usually go to another place. We are still going there, but this time in August instead of June. We hope to make both trips a normal thing.