Art Gallery

Here's a sampling of some recent "Art by Jillian". She really likes to paint whenever she visits Grannie and Papa's house, and she takes it pretty seriously. These are all pictures of people, though if you ask Jillian who they are, you'll get a different answer each time.

Easter Playtime

Both Jillian and Bridget received some very cool gifts in their Easter baskets. Jillian couldn't wait to get them out and play with them. The first thing she wanted to do when we got home was to put on her new Dora ballerina outfit, complete with tutu and shoes. She couldn't stop smiling while she was wearing them. Then, she wanted Bridget to get dressed in her new "ballerina" outfit, too. So, Mommy got her dressed up, as well.

The other gift Jillian wanted to play with was her new Princess sleeping bag. She has been pretending to sleep in a sleeping bag for a while now (in the little pocket in a blanket that Cindy made for her). She was very excited to finally have a real one, and said that Bridget could sleep in the little blanket pocket now. Both of them did a little sleepover on the family room floor in their respective sleeping bags.

Easter Sunday

It was Jillian's 3rd Easter, and Bridget's first Easter this past Sunday. We woke Jillian up early at 7:00 am, and we she got to the family room, she saw that Easter eggs were hidden all over. She immediately started looking around, and found them all pretty quickly (since she had gotten lots of practice at Grannie and Papa's house).

Once we Bridget woke up, both of them got dressed up in their pretty dresses. Jillian chose her colorful "Dora" dress this time around. Then we went to church for the Easter service. Jillian did pretty good, making it about half-way before going to the nursery to play; Bridget was also good, watching everything going on. As soon as we got home, we put the girls to bed for naps so they'd be in a good mood in the afternoon. When they woke up, we took off for Castle Rock.

At Castle Rock, Jillian found Cousin Rielee right away, and they played together the whole time. When the rain stopped, all the kids went outside for the egg hunt. Cousin Emmy held Bridget, while Jillian and Rielee got to look for eggs in the small garden area behind the house. Jillian was very determined, and even when all the eggs were found in the garden, she still wasn't done ... so she ran up to the big kids' hunting spot to look for more eggs. She managed to find some coins and candy laying around to pick up. When she was all done, she took her Easter baskets inside the house and opened them up (see the next post).

Later, we went back outside for the raw egg toss. Jillian partnered up with Daddy, and got to make the first toss. She wound up and tossed the egg over-hand as far as she could, but it didn't quite make it and splattered on the driveway. While everyone else kept going, Jillian and Rielee practiced some more on the grass. The final event was the egg roll. Jillian chucked the hard-boiled egg on the lawn pretty far, close to Rielee's egg. They both got some prizes for their efforts. Back in the house, they kept playing, and after Rielee left, Jillian started getting tired and crabby. Bridget had enough naps, though, that she was in good humor.

We packed up the girls and headed for Papa Ken's house. Jillian and Bridget got to see Papa, Bev, Cousins Meagan and Adam, and Zach. They even got to see and pet Zach's bunny, who had hidden some eggs in the backyard. Jillian and Adam went hunting for eggs, and found them all in short order. Then, they went back inside and played until crabbiness set in again. By the time we all got home, the girls were ready for an early bed time.

Eggs-ellent Coloring

Last night, Mommy got out the Pez egg coloring kit and got the dyes ready, along with hard-boiling the eggs. Then, she called Jillian in for the egg coloring. She wasn't quite sure what was going on, but once she saw the pretty colors, she was all over it. She liked pink and green the best, and did a pretty good job of coloring them all over. There were just a couple incidents, like some spilled dye and a cracked egg. But, Jillian kept going until all the eggs were pretty.

Bridget was watching the whole time, but it was way past her bedtime, so she was a tired girl. Both of the girls went to sleep quickly.

Party Dress

Bridget got all dressed up for Cindy's birthday party in Woodland. It was a dress that Jillian has been wanting Bridget to wear for a long time now. It's not easy getting any photos of Bridget any more, because she refuses to just sit in one place ... as soon as she's on the floor, she immediately tries to crawl (though she hasn't quite figured it out, yet).

Busy Day Outside

Bridget had so much fun outside today in her walker. She could watch the cat or Tucker and Mocha play fighting. Then she would take off moving fast to where Jillian or I were doing something. She was almost running at times her legs were going so fast. She needed a hat since it was sunny but I could only find one of Jillian's, so many times it ended up over her eyes. Jillian was Papa's little "helper" as he was cleaning out the fountain. I'm sure he appreciate all her help.

Next came the scary part where Jillian gave Bridget a ride in her jeep which really thrilled them both. Of course, they were wearing their seat belts which is just a Velcro strap so I held Bridget's hand the whole time which gave me some great exercise running in circles. I made Jillian keep it in low speed but sometimes her starts were a little jerky. Bridget never did let up in holding my hand in a tight grip but she was mostly laughing all the time. Every once in awhile Jillian would stop and say she needed gas or to turn a knob on the radio. Quite an exciting ride since Jillian doesn't always pay attention to where she is going.

So Cute!

Jillian can be very helpful with Bridget. Today it was so cute as Jillian sat down beside Bridget and her toys. There is the toy dinosaur that will move and play tunes if you press its' stomach. Bridget couldn't do that so Jillian sat down with her and pressed the dinosaurs stomach for a long time. Bridget was so thrilled to have Jillian do that as she would set the dinosaur on the floor and it would move around. Bridget of course would try to get it on all fours which is still fruitless for her.

Lots of Excitement

Jillian got to go to Regionals on Friday with Grannie, Papa, Daddy, and Jaws. She was excited to stay in the Hotel and check everything out. Saturday at the games at Salem she got to play with Adam and Rielee all day which wore her out. At one point she sat quietly for an hour and did workbooks with me because she was too tired to run any more. Then later after a nap she got to go to dinner with the Uhlenkotts and Jaws. She did very well there too.

Then on Sunday it was on to Corvallis where the team did very well taking third overall, but there was very little room to play with Adam.
On Monday, Jillian and Bridget got to go to Ty's birthday party. They got dressed in their prettiest dresses for the occasion. Bridget loved to watch all 14 candles on Ty's cake and Jillian liked to play with the leftover gift bags, making sure that everyone in the room got a basketball and a card as a gift. Ty scored very well.

Little Miss Rodeo

Mommy and Bridget made a trip to Ellensburg this past weekend to watch the Little Miss Rodeo festivities. Lindsey and her horse Jazz were entered in the competition. There was lots to do, and Lindsey did a great job. So great, in fact, that she was crowned Little Miss Rodeo Washington! Now, she'll get to tour around the state rodeos this summer, riding on Jazz and waving at everyone in the stands. Bridget had a fun time at the event, and even got to wear a little crown, too.

You can check out Lindsey's profile on the Miss Rodeo Washington website.

Easter is Coming

Every holiday is new and exciting for Jillian as she understands the concepts now. I have been reading Big Bad Bunny Trouble to her every day as kids love books where someone other than themselves gets into trouble. Also she likes the tale of Peter Rabbit. Today she came up with the idea of me hiding eggs for her to find. We did that way too many times. The first time she had trouble finding them in plain sight but by the end I had to hide them a lot better and in every room in the house. If she couldn't find an egg I would give her clues but not tell her where it was, like, "look up high". She would still be playing that game if I hadn't distracted her to something else. We then made big decorated eggs to hang up. She wanted to glitter the whole egg but I talked her into choosing some pretty ribbons and other things to put on the eggs. She's ready for Easter!

New Stuff XLII

Just a quick little update, since some new things have come up with the girls:

1. No to School : While Mommy went into Calvary Community Church to register Jillian for the 3-year-old pre-school next year, Daddy asked the Sweetie-Pie about going to school. Jillian responded with a melt-down, crying "I don't want to go to school, I want to stay small."

2. The New Puppy : All of a sudden, after coming back from a walk with Mommy, Jillian has been talking about getting a new puppy. She keeps asking us "I want a new puppy of my own; will you think about it?"

3. Crawling Update : Bridget is way out there on all fours, but she just can't quite get her right leg to stay under her, so she always ends up with a belly-flop. There have been a couple instances where she's tried to raise herself up from her tummy, though. So, we'll see which way it goes.

4. Tooth Update : One tooth is in, while the other is still just under the gums. Bridget is now chewing everything in sight.

5. The Polka Dot Dress : If Jillian had her way, she would wear her pink polka dot dress every day. She tries to do exactly that, sneaking off into her room, taking all her clothes off and putting on the dress; then she'll walk into the family room with a big smile and saying "look at my pretty dress."

Pretty Girls

As usual, Jillian got all dressed up in her favorite dress ... the pink one with the polka dots. Mommy also put in a pony tail and clippy, put on some stick-on ear rings, and gave her bracelets to wear. Then, Mommy dressed Bridget in a pretty blue dress, along with a bow in her hair. Jillian was pretty excited that Bridget was getting dressed up; she actually gets even more excited about all of Bridget's dresses in the closet. So, now that both girls were dressed up, Jillian was willing to sit for about 10 seconds for a photo of the two of them.

Beach Trip & First Tooth

We finally got down to the beach for the weekend, since there was a little bit of nice weather. Jillian had been asking about when we would go to the beach, or when we would go swimming, for a long time. So, we went late Friday night after Grannie's birthday party (in which she got sick ... poor Grannie). We didn't show up at Ocean Park until about 11:30 pm, but both girls slept all the way, and went right back to sleep after we arrived.

Unfortunately, Bridget was very crabby all night long, so Mommy and Daddy didn't get much sleep. Turns out, Bridget had her first tooth come in! We had known for about a week that her bottom 2 teeth were just about to break through, as her gums were very bumpy, and Bridget was crabbier than normal. Once a tooth came in, though, Bridget was a happy girl all day, and she was constantly rubbing the tooth with her tongue.

When we got up Saturday, there was some sun and the temperature was OK, so we headed immediately for the beach. We stopped at Full Circle Cafe for some hot chocolate and coffee, then threaded our way through all the clam diggers to get to the water. The wind made it pretty chilly, but Jillian still had a great time digging in the sand and building "castles", and playing in the water. Bridget stayed in the stroller and pretty much slept through the whole thing.

After returning to the cabin for some lunch, we took off for the Astoria pool. Jillian wore her flower swimsuit and new pink goggles, and even Bridget got to wear a swimsuit for her first time in a pool. Unfortunately, the little wading pool was closed, so we had to stay on the shallow ramp in the Activity Pool. But, Bridget loved sitting in the water and just watching all the activity going on around her. Jillian has gotten even more brave, and liked to walk out to some deep water up to her neck. Both of them had a great time, and Mommy and Daddy took turns with both of them, while the other could get some hot tub time.

Back at the beach cabin, it was relax time as we finished out the trip with some some movies and dinner, and a little better night's sleep. On Sunday, when it was time to go, Jillian cried, saying she wanted to stay at the beach house. We told her we would be back soon.

Pre-Standing

The time that Bridget has spent in the Exer-saucer has gotten her some leg strength. When we prop her up against the ottoman for some standing practice, she knows to lock her legs so that she can stay up. She actually likes to spend time in the standing position.

Aren't We Pretty!

Anyone that comes, that is willing, will get "decorated" as Jillian calls it. Ty was there also but he would have nothing to do with getting "decorated". First Jillian gets on an outlandish outfit, this time consisting of plaid shorts, skirt, striped top, hat and gloves. Then since Tierney was sitting on the couch, she got the full treatment. We hope there is improvement in her fashion sense as she gets older.

New Stuff XLI

No matter the weather, the girls keep bringing on the new stuff:

1. Holding Hands : Daddy's car is small enough that when both Jillian and Bridget are sitting in the back in their carseats, they can reach each other. So, when we drive home from Grannie's house, Jillian grabs Bridget's hand on the way and holds it all they way home.


2. No Habla Espanol : Jillian has watched enough Dora the Explorer that she occasionally uses Spanish words that we haven't heard before (like the words for "up" or "down").


3. Hiding Behind the Back : This is Jillian being sneaky ... if she has something that she isn't supposed to have, she'll hold it behind her back; most times, she's not even that sneaky, and instead just takes off running with the forbidden item.


4. Peek-a-boo : This is one of the easiest ways to make Bridget laugh hysterically. Without any teeth, she still has a big, open-mouthed smile.


5. Exhausted Little Girl : As Bridget has gotten more active, she has also gotten more tired, and is taking longer naps and sleeping at night for longer periods, even sleeping in until 10 am!


6. The Youngest Princess & The Smallest Princess : Jillian has a couple little dolls that have these names, based on how they look; they are younger and smaller versions of Cinderalla, her favorite princess. She routinely sleeps with them at night.


7. The Sleeping Game : This is one of Jillian's favorite games to play in her room. She enjoys telling her guest that it's time for bed, and giving them a pillow and blanket to sleep with. Then she goes through the bedtime routines (i.e., story, etc).


8. The Replay : Jillian likes to re-enact many of the interactions that she has with Mommy and Daddy. For instance, during her Sleeping Game, she'll tell us that "you're not listening, so I'm leaving", and then she'll leave the room ... something that has happened to her many times.


9. The Lunge : Bridget was getting pretty good at getting into a crawling position so she could reach and get her toys. That has now turned into a lunge forward, where she propels herself forward onto her tummy to get to her toys even faster.


10. Standing Teaser : Just for fun, we put Bridget on her feet and hold her hands so she can practice standing. She does very well, keeping her legs straight almost the entire time. She can also lean up against the ottoman and hold herself up, much like Jillian used to do, though her concentration time is not very long. More to come soon ...

Amazing Bridget

Bridget really surprised me today. Seems she is learning new things so fast but that she picked up on this was amazing. She gets tired of her regular baby toys so I gave her this wooden clacker from the play musical instruments. To work it you have to twist your wrist back and forth for the clacker to work. As soon as I gave it to her she would put it in one hand and twist her wrist to listen to the clacking and then switch to her other hand and watch herself twist her wrist to make it work again. Great concentration for a baby. Of course sometimes it just went in to her mouth to chew on.