Sunday, January 31, 2010

*going down the slide with Madelyn at the park

*getting new books at the library

*all of us watching Little Bear on the couch together

*the excited way Madelyn said "Dada" when she saw him after her nap

*watching Madelyn tickle herself in the tub and giggle

*seeing what a great big sister Gracie is becoming

Thursday, January 28, 2010

*putting Madelyn's puzzle together with her

*watching the girls play dress-up

*seeing Gracie try to put a clip in Madelyn's hair and watching how patiently Madelyn sat there

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

*hearing the news that Bethany's baby, Alice Bay, was born on Monday!

*seeing pictures of her on Tuesday

*doing a letter book with Gracie and seeing her excitement when she writes them correctly

*watching Gracie draw

*seeing Madelyn walk around in dress-up shoes, carrying Gracie's laptop and a baby

*Gracie's excitement over catching a cricket for her bug cage and her naming it Crick Jimmy Cricket

*Gracie: "The reason I'm scratching is because I'm cleaning my bones." Me: "What?"

Sunday, January 24, 2010

*listening to the girls giggle together in the tub

*Gracie saying, "I'm trying not to wake the sun up by stretching." She truly believes that she can wake the sun up when she stretches.

*the girls climbing into bed with us in the morning.

*Madelyn getting put in her first time-out for throwing crayons and paper and telling me no--not a favorite moment, but a memorable one.

*laughing and playing with balloons with the girls

*watching Gracie practice catching a ball with Jim and doing a great job

Thursday, January 21, 2010

*listening to Madelyn sing to herself

*Gracie falling on her knees and praying because I asked her to do something she didn't want to do

*Gracie sining, "We all live in a yellow subbarine."

*the girls dancing with their teddy bears

*playing with a toy car with the girls

*listening to Jim and the girls play basketball...and all the giggles from the girls

*watching Madelyn walk around on her tip-toes with no clothes on before her bath

*hearing Gracie say her bedtime prayer all by herself for two nights in a row

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

*listening to the girls playing under a blanket "tent" for several minutes together. It was so sweet!

Monday, January 18, 2010

*seeing Gracie draw people who actually look like people

*buying Madelyn Elmo underwear and her wearing them for an hour on Saturday, using the potty, and staying dry!

*hearing Madelyn say the letters J, I, and M

*listening to Jim and the girls roaring at each other

*watching Jim be a great dad to his little girls

*While doing a CAT mining truck puzzle with Jim, Gracie said to him, "Well, it doesn't give you any challenge." She said it in such an adult way, it made us laugh.

*Madelyn's new words as taught by Jim--"Bella" (a bear) and "butt"

Friday, January 15, 2010

*the way Madelyn covers her ears when I vacuum

*cuddling with the girls on the couch under the blanket, singing, and saying a prayer...and the way Madelyn folded her hands for our prayer

*Gracie's green peppers (play-doh) that she put in her crockpot (a plastic egg)

*Madelyn's giggles in the trampoline

*Madelyn learning yet another new thing...climbing onto Gracie's bed

Thursday, January 14, 2010

*M saying "sister" for the first time

*playing doctor with the girls and Gracie wearing the stethoscope around her waist like a belt

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

*the girls' crazy bed hair after sleeping in past 7:30

*Gracie grabbing Madelyn's hand at the lake and leading her as we walked, and all the people who walked by and smiled at my darling little girls walking hand-in-hand

*Gracie saying things like, "My, this soap smells good!"

*Madelyn realizing she can reach the handles and open the doors

*listening to Madelyn "read" a book for the first time

*Madelyn putting her little purse on her arm, waving "bye-bye", and blowing kisses (imitating me)
*Gracie: "I would like to make a quilt."
Me: "I'm not sure how to make one."
Gracie: "You just get a big blanket, pick out some decorations, get some squishy stuff, sew on the decorations, and you might be done."

I didn't know it was that simple!

*watching Gracie draw. Her drawings are taking shape and starting to look like things! Yesterday, she drew a big castle.

*hula-hooping with the girls

Monday, January 11, 2010

*homemade apple pie

*Gracie helping Madelyn brush her teeth. Madelyn never lets me help, but she opened up for Gracie!

*Madelyn sat through three Curious George stories on the couch with Gracie and me

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Me
*holding each of the girls in their towels after bathtime

*taking a walk with Jim and the girls

*hearing the news that a MOPS friend, Jill, had a baby boy today

Gracie and Madelyn
*playing with new, clean plungers at Lowe's. Yes, they found this very exciting.

*watching a new DVD in the car

Friday, January 8, 2010

*the Snoopy mailbox we saw

*Three Little Kittens day at school

*the tumbling class Gracie went to. She liked it better than the dance class she tried earlier this week.

*I'm just so thankful for my girls and trying to enjoy every moment with them, even if Madelyn is crying right now and doesn't want to go to bed.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Gracie's
*coloring with Madelyn and Mommy

*putting stickers on her calendar

*playing in the tunnel with Madelyn

Madelyn's
*playing with Elmo underwear

*sitting with me and typing x z dddeed xx ccc

Mine
*hearing Madelyn say, "Where's Gracie?" while putting her hands up in the air. She has been doing this all day!

*watching Gracie do such a great job riding her bike today. She was so proud of herself!
My Favorite Moments
*the sounds and smells of home--the dryer running, food cooking, kids playing

*After singing Come Thou Fount at breakfast, Gracie told me, "Wow! You sing really good!." If only that were actually true!

Gracie's
*getting an ice cube in her lemonade at supper

*eating a chocolate chip cookie right out of the oven..."That's a pretty good cookie."

Madelyn's
*helping me make the purple puree for our cookies and soup. Helping just puts a smile on her face!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Our Favorite Moments
*Dance class with Gracie. Both girls enjoyed it!

*talking to Bethany on the computer for the first time

*taking a walk in the warm sun

Monday, January 4, 2010

My Favorite Moments
*lying on our bed, reading to Gracie while Madelyn napped

*listening to Gracie read The Missing Mitten Mystery to Madelyn. She remembers books word-for-word and even uses the same expressions and tone of voice that I use. It's amazing to me!

*watching Gracie play with her dollhouse

*Madelyn's helpfullness with chores

*exploring the backyard with Gracie


Gracie's Favorite Moments
*exploring the backyard, looking at weeds, and jumping on the trampoline

*wearing a pink Snoopy shirt from Grandmother and Grandpa

*wearing new comfy pajamas from Bethany that has a cat on it that she can touch because it's not real

Madelyn's (I'm guessing)
*pointing to Snoopy on Gracie's shirt and squealing

*seeing Lily and bringing her home. When Jim walked in the door after work, Madelyn was excited to show him that Lily was home.