Day One Hundred and Seventy and Counting...

Grandma came over for a visit today!  (And Jeremy and I went shopping -- kid-less!)  The girls were thrilled to see her, and have her all to themselves!  Thankfully, they do a much better job sharing her now than they used to!  They all wore each other out, too!

 Yes, Mom is hiding in the shade!  It's really humid today!

 She is reaching and...

 Yes, Grace is hanging from the top post of the climber... little monkey!

Livie is hanging out in the cool sand!

We made dinner for Mom to thank her for hanging out with the girls while we were out... and I managed to nearly ruin it!  I opened the barbecue and there was fire everywhere!  It was very scary...

Thankfully, they just look awful... they tasted great!

Day One Hundred and Sixty Nine and Counting...

Jeremy and the girls went right from the van to the backyard today when we got home from school.  He was anxious to let the girls try out the new soccer ball he bought them... and just spend some time with them.  (Apparently we were rather missed today!)

 Livie really likes the soccer ball, and does well kicking it around!

But soccer just couldn't last with Grace beckoning from the top of the slide!

Climbing up...

... the slide??

On her way up...

and back down!

Yes, she is climbing into the baby swing.  All by herself.

After dinner, it was time to just wind down a little before starting the girls' bedtime routine.  Both of them love to read, and Grace loves to 'read' to anyone who will listen:

They are reading an "Olivia" story...

So cute!

Day One Hundred and Sixty Eight and Counting...

For some reason, today was just exhausting.  PMS?  Maybe.  Stress?  Likely.  Just plain worn out?  Definitely.  Jeremy and I were just dragging our butts around tonight, but the girls were just wonderful.  It was one of those I-can-barely-stay-awake sort of hazy-around-the-edges moments where I just totally fell in love with Jeremy and my girls all over again.

 Yes, he is asleep.

This is how my girls like to watch television:

Grace likes to sit on a chair in the middle of the room, centered in front of the tv.  Livie is still short enough that she doesn't get in the way when she stands right in front of Grace!

Hmm... I feel vaguely threatened...

 She climbed up in the armchair all by herself!

Love her little feet!

Day One Hundred and Sixty Seven and Counting...

The girls could not wait to get on the floor and play together today!  They were just so happy to see each other this morning!  It was great... a very happy-sigh kinda moment.

Grace was 'discussing' with Olivia what they should do with the family in the house...

And Livie wants to wear Grace's flip flops...

Grace was just being her adorable self!

Day One Hundred and Sixty Six and Counting...

We were all a little worn out tonight, and the family room was just beckoning to us to come and relax for a bit before bedtime routine needed to commence.  The room was a disaster area!  But the girls were perfectly happy in the middle of their mess!

Modeling her new Wonder Woman tee!

Keeping a close eye on Daddy!

Uh, Grace... your tag is showing?

Uh-oh, Mommy... I just added to the mess...

Day One Hundred and Sixty Five and Counting...

Ah, Monday.  Yep.  Not really my friend.
Poor Olivia was a basket case by the time I got the girls home tonight.  She wanted to have a snack, but she wanted me to hold her while she did.  She wanted to play, but she didn't want Grace anywhere near her.  She wanted up, but I wasn't allowed to do anything else while she was up.
So, at my wits end (and nearly deaf) I decided that the counter was the perfect place for her to sit.  Yep, I did.

And, just like the captions suggests, it worked like a charm!

She went through everything she could reach on the countertop!

In the search for more snacks...

Got a booger, Mommy?

My poor Grace!  She was just so happy to be home, and she really wanted to play with Olivia.  I stressed to her that Livie was really cranky and not it the mood to play like she wanted.  And let me tell you, Livie let her have it more than once - at the top of her lungs!  Grace eventually got the hint.  So, she decided to draw a picture of me.

She is putting flowers in my hair, apparently.

She is asking me if I have ever worn flowers in my hair?

I am in there... somewhere.

Day One Hundred and Sixty Four and Counting...

In previous posts, I shared photos of my girls in their little inflatable pool.  What I didn't share was the mess Grace made with it, adding lots and lots of sand and soil to the pool.  More than once.  So, it just wasn't worth it to continue filling the pool, just so she could make mud stew.

Instead, we bought the girls this:

We figure it will use about the same amount of water, if not less... and no mud stews!

The girls were very excited, if a bit timid at first...

Livie's initial approach...

Grace starts circling...

And then runs through!

Braving the cold water!

She is fascinated with the water!

Trying for a drink!

Livie's attempt was not so successful!