Easter

The girls loved finding eggs outside on Easter. There were little candies hidden inside.
Izzy has also started talking a lot more - last week she said Abby, please, excuse me, okay, & up.

A bit of catch up

I think I forgot about my blog since it's been over a month since the last post! So what are the girls up to? Well . . . .

Abby is 3 1/2 and loves to be a helper. She follows me around, folding the laundry, stirring food on the stove, she LOVES to make cookies - and when we roll them she says she's making them into basketballs. She lines up her toys to keep them organized, likes to go out on errands, and loves library story time. We go (almost) every week. At night she likes to have a story book - kinda long ones!! And she always asks "what did we do yesterday" meaning, "please talk through todays events with me".

She's also super affectionate. Today at church she gave two of her friends hugs and kisses when we left. She's great about giving Izzy hugs and kisses too, especially if Izzy is sad. She often mentions friends and family and asks if they'll be wherever we're going. Sometimes she mixes up names and it's kinda funny! She asked the other day if Mr. Jim and Mrs Cathie would be at Disneyland. And often when I ask her, "guess who's coming over tomorrow?" She'll say, "Charis!"

New stuff on Izzy? Hmmm . . . I think the last post still covers it. Except now she'll often point to things and have you say the word, then she repeats it after you.

Izzy Fun Facts

This post is especially for all our out of town family who don't get to see the girls much! So what's Izzy up to?

• Her current words are: Mom, Dad, Yeah, and she signs please and all done.
• Favorite food: scrambled eggs. Oh wait, chocolate chips.
• She's good at walking (and running) now.
• Nicknames: twinkie (she's light!) and baby-zilla. The second one is because she can flatten a polly pocket village in seconds.
• She ADORES abby. If Izzy is sad, a hug from sissy will usually cheer her up.
• Izzy is really adventurous. It's not uncommon to find her hiding in a bathroom cupboard. She also has great dexterity. She completely disassembled her mobile - not by destroying it, but by unscrewing all of it. I thought it was a fluke till she did it twice.
• Baby stats: She's long and thin.
• She likes to dance - mainly by bouncing up and down.
• She LOVES to be chased - and growled at as you do it.
  

Izzy's Birthday

A couple of days before Christmas, Izzy turned one. She was sick on her birthday, but she still had a great day. The highlight was having cake together. She liked the cake, and loved the dum dums on it. Abby helped me make it - she loves to cook. I'm not much into box mixes, and figured as long as I was making a cake, it should be homemade yellow cake with chocolate ganache. Yum Yum!!

I'm so thankful for my baby - busy little Izzy!





























Off to the tub with you!!

Christmas Activities

This Christmas we had some sick kiddos at home, but we enjoyed the day together anyways. John told the girls the story of Jesus' birth and how he came to forgive us from all the times we disobey. The girls really liked it and went through it again.





The girls opened stockings to find little treats.




Abby found a safe place to enjoy her treats - safe from the clutches of baby Izzy.


We read books and played with some gifts. Oh, and the Minnie Mouse costume is just because. Abby asked if she could wear it and "why not??"


Abby asked almost everyday if it was Christmas because she REALLY wanted to make a gingerbread house.








Izzy was safely contained within sight but not within reach.

Ballet

For Christmas, John bought me a ballet workout video, and Abby got a ballet skirt from Grandma Jackie. Since then we've "done ballet" together several times. I have so much fun watching her have fun.

She was transfixed by the video and liked to try to copy what they did.












After a while I turned on the Nutcracker. She wanted to be picked up like the ballerinas in the show. I guess I'm not up to being the lifter since I thought she was heavy to swing around!

Christmas with Grandpa Pleasnick

This year we got to celebrate Christmas all through the month with visits from family. We had a great time with Grandpa Pleasnick. After dinner, we made chocolate chip cookies like we do every year. This year though, Abby loved being in on the action.







Abby loves playing "baseball". And now she has an official bat and ball. I love it too, since it's super soft and doesn't go very far in the house!





Missed!!



Abby also loves Polly Pockets. When we play, her dolls tend to cook dinner. Usually mac & cheese, cookies, and cake. She was so excited to get a Polly Pocket kitchen. Thanks, Grandpa!