They make me laugh....

As I am sitting here, this spunky little (actually, she looks quite grown up in this pic!) munchkin is giving a full blown monologue, apparently directly into the baby monitor, about how she is not taking a nap, and could "mommy come get me right now!"



Notice Ariel and the cell phone, which she has to have at all times these days.

On another note, we were out front riding bikes yesterday (BIG DEAL: BOTH two year olds started peddling on their own this week! Yeah!) And Elise said, "Lila, your bike is out of power. I need to update it." And proceeded to get the bike pump and pretend filling the tires with air.

It was Bennett's "term" to come on errands with me today, and we stopped to check on Mimi and Grandpa. He told them that he was "going to the beach to play golf with Daddy...."


They make me laugh....and smile........:)








**Update:
Look who didn't take a nap and is looking quite delirious.....



***please forgive the terrible pics...they are on my phone and the camera isn't the best....

Questions and challenges

Although some may not think I am using my college degree to its fullest potential, I have been feeling pretty glad lately that I am an educated person....why? My four year old is FULL of questions; tough ones at that.

Without exaggeration, here are a few of the inquiries she has had in the past 24 hours (this is not to mention a whole "drilling" I got about death a few weeks ago..that seriously was TOUGH to explain ):

1. How do you talk and what makes the sound come out?

2. How does God make thunder?

3. How does sunscreen work?

4. How does a bobo (what we call an injury) heal?

5. How does mail work?

6. How can God see everyone at once?

Ummm....yeah. Try trying to explain the abstract to a four year old. She looks at me as if thinking...so, I am supposed to believe that?

In addition, she has a new stall tactic for bedtime- "I'm scared". We are pretty sure she isn't really scared, but think she figured out that being scared isn't something you usually get in trouble for. Yikes.

So funny how things go in waves. For the longest time bedtime hasn't been a problem, and now all of the sudden we are fighting it again.

On a related note, we thought Lila and Bennett were done with their biting phase, and I can say with all certainty after today, that they definitely are not. I soooo want to believe that we are struggling with this because it is more common for twins to have to fight over things, but who knows. Regardless of the excuse (including exhaustion today) it is not acceptable, and we've got to put a stop to it. Lila did not nap today (that is a whole other story...and a tangent that I could go on forever), and all of her protesting interrupted Bennett, so the afternoon around here was not an enjoyable one. I think this says my state of mind best- When David pulled up at 7:00, all four of us were sitting on the front porch step waiting for him.

I was done.

Pooped. Patience gone. Throwing in the towel.

I am optimistic that tomorrow will be a better day, determind to put an end to the biting, and pretty thankful I now have internet on my phone- just in case I need to google one of Elise's questions. :)

Good night!

Love, Nic

Lila's love

Lila is loving Ariel these days...in fact, this morning, when I went to get her out of bed, she was laying curled up face to face with Ariel and talking to her about hot dogs. Seriously.
So, when I came across the mermaid fabric you can see below, I, of course, had to snatch up a yard because I knew my girlies would love some Ariel-inspired outfits.



I still have a lot to learn, but I am having fun, and they seem to love to be able to say, "My Mommy made this for me!" That they are proud of that....well, that feels good.



Off to visit some of our favorite people- Aunt K and then Mimi and Grandpa. Happy Tuesday everyone!
Nicole

sillyness, shots, sweets, and a shout out

We've stayed pretty busy this week in the Parnell house...summer seems to be slowly slipping away...
One of the highlights of yesterday for the kids was that I decided to make breakfast for dinner. It is so refreshing and fun how the littlest things make them SOO happy! I have done this before, but I guess they didn't remember. Elise was so thrilled (she actually EATS breakfast food) that she dressed up extra fancy for dinner!! She has newly re-purposed her feather tutu into a headpiece. I must say, I like the resourcefulness.



This morning, I took Elise for her 4 year well check at the pediatrician's office. We have come a LONG way in that area. Dr. visits used to be so horrible, she would make herself throw up she would get so worked up. She had slowly improved, and then the two ER visits in 3 days in June set her back quite a bit. Well, she was very brave today. The 4 year check up is actually kind of fun (or was for her) because while we were waiting we got to do a few specific "games" , her answers by which they gauge her developmentally. In addition, she did a vision test and a hearing screening, which she really thought were neat. Her Doc says everything looks great!! She is a petite little thing, although she has crept up to the 50% in height! She is still in the 25% for weight, but the Dr. didn't seem concerned. I think, unfortunately, they see so many overweight kids that being a little thin is probably better. She weighs a whopping 32 pounds, which is actually the exact weight Lila and Bennett were at their 2 year check up!!! :)
So, she did get a little lecture from our Doc about trying new foods...so far, I hate to say, it did not work, because she wouldn't touch a thing on her plate tonight (rice, zucchini w/parm cheese, and tilapia) and I finally cleared the table at 8, gave up, and (as she does many nights) she went to bed without eating. Doc stood by us in our choice to not offer her something she wants just to get her to eat...so, hopefully it is a phase and she will eventually get over this "fear" of new foods...



After all of the "fun" of the visit was over, we broke the news to her about shots, explained why she had to have them, and then commenced with the bloody murder screaming and holding her down. But, her recovery time has improved greatly and armed with my secret weapon (GUM- b/c big girls chew gum) she got over it very quickly! I also had another trick up my sleeve...she had not seen Ella in quite a while...actually since before her birthday party, which they were out of town for, and so it was perfect that Kimberly asked me if we could get together today. So, as we were leaving the Dr's office I told her that we were going to have lunch with Ella. She was thrilled. Kimberly suggested this cute little tea room in Old Mandeville that I had never been to, and it was adorable. As we were walking up the walk Elise fell in love with the fact that there was a little dollhouse with fairies having a tea party tucked into the landscaping...



The girls and the Moms thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! The tea room is very geared towards children and the girls loved it...Unfortunately, there was a table of older women near us that didn't seem to find the girls laughing and singing cute, but I guess that is just going to happen sometimes..In my opinion they were fine and just enjoying themselves and having fun!




Camille was so proud that she had panties on (sideways at that) that she made sure she showed them to all of us! I actually felt a little bad that I didn't take Lila with me as well, but then I would have felt bad about Bennett, and it wouldn't have been doable with all three...so, I guess it is ok that I just had some time with E, especially after her rough start to the day....I saw lots of cute events on the calendar at the tea room for the fall, and so I definitely want to take the kids back there...(hopefully those grumpy ladies won't be there next time!!!)



These cuties were very happy to see each other!!!



Ella and Camille gave Elise and Lila pretty, pretty bracelets for their birthdays and the girls were thrilled. I think they love jewelry just like their Mommy!



On another note, we would all like to wish my brother, Jared, a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't believe my "little" brother is 27!! I guess he is on Elise's mind, because we actually had an imaginary "Jared" that spent most of the day with us yesterday! So cute. See you soon Uncle J-rod.
NightNight!
Love, Nicole

MY space

One of the many things I am loving about our new house is that I have a great little space, hidden away, where I am able to store all of my crafting, stationery, and sewing supplies...complete with a little workspace! Our laundry room is right off of the kitchen at the front of the house...it is just big enough for me to have MY space/office right in it. You most often find me in there during nap-time/quiet-time...or any other "free" time I have...Of course, because of the way my mind works, I have grander dreams for MY space and would one day like to remove all of the wire shelving, paint it a cheerier color (probably my fav pebble beach- tks Suz), and have wooden shelves and cubbies built in....but, honestly I would be happy if it stays just as it is as well....

Above you can see my little desk and shelves with bins holding two you supplies, fabric, and paints.... (ok, it is also my diaper storage area as well....but hopefully not for long!)

I like to look at my 3 inspirations while I am working, so I have a pic of each of the kids right in my line of vision.... I am starting to sew some basic kids clothes, and really enjoying it...two of my friends, my "sewing sisters", are helping me out...and we all enjoy bouncing ideas off of each other....Maybe I am a big nerd, but it is fun, productive, expressive, saves money, and keeps my juices flowing. Not that hanging out with the 4 and under crowd 24/7 doesn't, but you know it feels good to give the brain a different kind of workout!

I also love this little print I treated myself to from etsy...on my ribbon board I keep some pics, things that inspire, and two very special emails, one from my Mom and one from my Dad, that I read whenever I am having a bad day...

I also spend a lot of time in this room because it is where I do laundry, which, as anyone with 3 kids knows, takes up a lot of my time. It is nice to have it where I am working because then I remember to switch the loads....I have a basket for each child up above the washer/dryer so that I can put their clean clothes up there until I am able to put them away...Now, if I could just find someone to put away the clothes for me...:)
My funky zebra rug from west elm, which worked in our old breakfast room, but not in this one, spices up the room!

And, to top it all off, I have a window to look out of as well! Natural light- yeah!!

I am so thankful to have my own little space to keep my creative juices flowing....

The shelving goes all around the top of the room as well...I'm sure those shelves will be filled up in no time...

Here is my little stash of fabric...the colors make me happy! When school starts I am going to be hitting that sewing machine hard!

We are all enjoying all of "our spaces" and are so thankful that we were able to get into this house. It was a bumpy road to get here, but as each box gets unpacked and as each week passes it feels more and more like our home, which is a good thing, because it is going to be for a long time!!