Solutions and Bike Rides

Amelia has had a stuffy nose/congestion since her cold in February, and has snored for a long time now.  I took her to her regular Dr. a few weeks ago, who suggested that she probably had allergies, but also suggested we take her into an Ear Nose Throat (ENT) specialist.  We decided to hold off on the allergy specialist for a bit, but took her to the ENT yesterday.  He concurred that Amelia definitely has allergies, but also prevalent is large adenoids and tonsils, plus adenoid-itis (similar to sinusitis . . . but apparently young children can't get sinusitis because they don't really have sinuses yet).  So the first solution is to give Amelia antibiotics 2 times a day for 20 days to get rid of the adenoid-itis, then probably remove tonsils and adenoids within the next year or so.  The first dose of taking the antibiotic went down smoothly, but the following doses have been forced down . . . even with a "spoonful of sugar" promised afterwards.  It's going to be a LONG 20 days.  Today Amelia picked out special treats at the store to take after her medicine, but I suspect it's still not going to be pretty.

On a happier note, Amelia surprised us by riding the big girl bike all by herself.  She was mad that Sophia was on the tricycle, so Ken suggested she get on the bike - which she's never really wanted to get on.  And then she proceeded to ride by herself.  Amazing!

Sophia had fun riding on the tricycle (with Daddy's help), and at the rate she's growing, it won't be long before she's able to pedal it all by herself.

You go girls!

Random Updates

Today was such a better day than yesterday.  I did 3 loads of laundry, emptied the dishwasher, fixed a crockpot dinner, cleaned 3 bathrooms, got a nap, went on a walk with girls, and played without tantrums!  The only thing that would make this day better would be to end it with more ice cream, but alas, the ice cream cake is all gone.

And speaking of cake, I regularly read The Cake Wrecks Blog and laugh at misspellings and other cake decoration blunders.  I thought of them as I picked up Ken's birthday cake.  It was a small cake (since we had already celebrated with gourmet cupcakes), and I told them that if there wasn't room to write "Happy Birthday Ken", that they could leave it off.  But I guess they were determined to try anyway.  It's the thought that counts, right?

For some reason, the girls like to sit on the kitchen floor when eating snacks.  I really don't mind, since it makes clean up super easy.

We went to Portland last weekend, and among other things, enjoyed a visit with Ken's Dad and Mom.  Amelia loves her "Grandpa Ernie".

Sophia wasn't so sure.  Some times she let him hold her, and other times no.

Sophia loves to climb.  She climbs up chairs, onto our bathroom counter top, and today I found her here.  I guess Sophia wanted more snacks.

Today's Happenings . . .

• The only good thing about spilled milk inside the fridge is that it gives me an excuse to clean the shelves.
• Things we lost under the refrigerator today:  Ken's birthday card and Amelia's harmonica.
• In a quiet moment:  I found the girls playing quietly and nicely with the play-dough.  AND Amelia even put away the play-dough when she was done.
• The only good thing about food spilt/thrown/dropped on the floor - at least the floor gets spot mopped.
• We got mylar balloons for Ken for his birthday.  I can't count the number of times I've gotten them down from the ceiling today (thank goodness for long strings).
• I bought some new summer clothes for Amelia and Sophia and brought them home for them to try on.  Both girls threw fits trying them on; they like getting new clothes, but for some reason they hate trying them on.  The only plus side was that the tantrums were at home and not at the store.
• In another quiet moment I found Amelia methodically pulling off the leaves of my Christmas cactus and tearing them into shreds.
• In response to being sad about the cactus, Sophia gave me a hug and a kiss.
• And if I haven't completely lost it by bedtime, I'll reward myself with some of Ken's leftover birthday ice cream cake.

Amelia said . . .

The other day, while driving down the street, Amelia says to me, "Mommy, slow down, you're driving too fast."  (Ken thinks this is hilarious, btw.)  When I asked Amelia why she thought I was driving too fast, she said "I can't count the trees because you're driving too fast".   Seeing that we live in an area with a lot of trees, I suggested that perhaps she try counting something a little easier, like cars.

Finding Joy in the Rain

Amelia got an umbrella and raincoat for her birthday, and just recently, I bought her rain boots to go with it.  But we haven't had a good opportunity to play in the rain . . . until today.  The weather was perfect for playin' in the rain - not to cold, no wind, mild rain, and nowhere to go afterwards.  So here we are, enjoying the rain, and of course, the puddles.

Finally caught a smile on camera.

 Very serious about puddle jumping.

Sophia hates getting her hands dirty, so after playing in the muddy water, she had to show me her muddy hands so that I could clean them for her.

Amelia showing off her umbrella skills (sorry for the sideways video).

The Things I've Heard & Seen Recently

• Amelia loves to dance and sing . . . and Sophia loves to do just what her older does. So here are 2 short videos of the girls singing and dancing on Easter morning.

• I've wondered when this day would come.  Today I heard, coming from the backseat,  "she's looking at me".  I just started giggling from the front seat.
• I've heard of "mud slinging", but I've never actually seen it.  But every time the girls go outside with me, they start "slinging" dirt at each other.  I'm glad they like being outside, but I wish I could figure out a way to prevent the "slinging" to make outdoor play less messy.
• Sophia has the cutest smile, but I rarely catch it with a camera.  This is what I got when I asked her to smile.
  
   However, when I asked Amelia to smile, I got this:
  
  

Egg-cellent Day

A beautiful sunny day, two happy children, just the right amount of eggs to find, no crowds = a perfect egg finding day.

Amelia is an old pro at looking for/finding Easter eggs.  Here she is showing off her egg finding pose.  

We got their Easter baskets on clearance last year . . . but I think Sophia's is almost too big for her.

This was Sophia's first time.  She was excited, but a little unsure of how it worked.  She caught on pretty quickly and got almost as many eggs as Amelia did.

Our yard is perfect for egg hunts.  I can't wait to hide them better and better each year ;)

A successful egg hunt.  The girls look cute . . . too bad Mommy blinked.