Happy Birthday Sierra!

My big girl is 5!! Sierra is getting to be so grown up - and acts way more mature than 5 - lol! She has to have a say in everything, even her own party, cake, and presents. We had a Tea Party on Jan 4th for her while Grandma Patty and Papa Donn were here. Sierra got to pick out her own birthday presents, she helped make her own cake, and helped make the tea for her tea party. Here are some pictures from her party.








She also got a fish tank because Daddy had promised her fish for her birthday (months ago!) and she rememebered last week. And then on her actual birthday (Jan 13th) we took her to Chili's for lunch and the Baskin and Robbin's for ice cream. Oh, and she has a Webkinz coming in the mail. So spoiled!

What a DIFFERENCE!!!

A whole nights sleep makes!! We moved Karis into the third bedroom Sunday night... she only woke up once, at 3am to nurse and then I put her back in her bed and went back to mine. She fussed a little, but did great. So I wasn't so tired, and when the girls woke up at 8:30 I was well rested and did not have to drag myself out of bed. That is a big accomplishment for me as I usually have to drag my butt out of bed about 9am and change diapers and get juice because Sierra can only do so much! LOL!

Well, last night, I nursed Karis before she went to bed (we had cut out that nursing as she was still waking up 2-3 times a night to nurse). SHE SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! I woke up at 7 am to pee and checked on her and she was out. Then Ruby woke up about 7:20, and when Karis woke up to nurse at 7:35 I GOT UP!!! I wasn't tired or anything!!! That is a GI-NORMOUS feat to get me out of bed before 8!!

So cross your fingers that Karis keeps this up and I am able to sleep through the night... I mean, its only been 18+ months since the last time I was able to sleep through the night without nursing 2-5 times! (add a few months to that for having to pee 10 times a night and being uncomfortable while pregnant too!)

On the other side, Dustin said it breaks his heart that his baby is in a room all by herself! LOL! I think her moving rooms is the hardest on him! But HE wasn't the one having to nurse all night long!



And because a post is not a real post without a picture *wink wink*

This is from the day after Christmas when it snowed about an inch! Note the leaves peeking through the snow - apparently this is what 'desert people' call enough snow to sled - LOL! It was just enough provide a smooth slide down the hill by our house and melted the next day.

Paris and Disneyland Trip

We had a blast in Paris. Here are some highlights of our trip:

1. The Notre Dame Cathedral looks so much cooler from the back! (we only saw the front)
2. No pictures, no flash is not even a 'guideline' Not even for the Mona Lisa or places of prayer!
3. The Louvre is HUGE!!!!! But I enjoyed the wing we did see
4. Um, yeah, La Grande Roue is one of the largest Ferris Wheels in the WORLD!!! Way too high for me!! Won't make that mistake again!
5. Just because you can see the monument from 3 miles away does not mean its close enough to walk to!
6. There are 704 steps from the second floor of the Eiffel Tower to the bottom - it feels like 1408 when you are carrying your children down!
7. Disneyland is COLD in December!
8. The Euro exchange rate SUCKS!!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!! I'm changing up the blog template and colors because apparently the other one is harder to see because some of the backgrounds are not loading. I also think I got rid of the crazy rap music... and I'll be changing the Christmas music soon now that its not Christmas anymore. Here are some pictures from Christmas - enjoy!

BeforeThe girls in their matching jamas! Thanks Grandma 'Salvo

Karis playing with the Santa and Reindeer

Mommy and Sierra

Karis opening a baby doll

Chocolate kisser with stylin' glasses

Vacuuming with her Barbie Vacuum

Daddy getting all the Barbie crap opened

More Barbie crap...

And more Barbie crap!

Karis was such a little stinker!!! She kept getting into MY stocking and stealing the candy out. She had candy in her own stocking, so I put mine up on the couch. I turn around and she had pulled it off the couch and was sneaking candy out of mine (which her hand is in now) and putting it in her stocking... which is behind her in the pic. LOL! Such a character!

Aftermath!

Whaddaya Think?

Karis broke my glasses a few weeks back, so I got new ones yesterday. The style these days is colored plastic frames. You should have seen the 'selection' on base. WOW! Um, yeah, I don't think tiger striped is for me! Or lime green. They also had blue, red, white, orange, yellow... lots of purples and pinks! I told Dustin I might go back and get the hot pink with bling as an alternate set! LOL! Finally decided on these... they are a burgandy red. Still not too sure... the pictures look okay, but every time I look in the mirror I think - what did I do - I have to wear these every day!



Oh, and I picked the frames out by myself, but I had the girls with me when I picked them up. Sierra saw the kids Disney Princess glasses and asked if she could have them. I told her, no, they are for kids who can't see and need glasses... you have sunglasses. About a minute later, Sierra tells me, Mommy, I think I need glasses, things are blurry and I can't see a lot of stuff, can I get the Disney Princess ones? LOL! Um... no, you little stinker!

Thanks Shawnel - Dustin said... oh, that's who you look like! GRRRR!

Whoa Santa!

We went to the Sugar Plum lane again this year. Santa had his hands quite full. We told the girls to stand on the side. Then I told Santa I was going to give him the baby, take a few pictures, and take the baby for the girls to talk to him. So we did. And this is the best picture I got! Oh well... the girls were pretty quick with Santa, I didn't even get another pic of Sierra and I got one of Ruby just as she was sliding off Santa's lap. They said they had already covered their lists when they had Daddy help them write an email to Santa! LOL!

Look What Sierra did!

I have been 'playing' in an online crop this weekend. So I've spent a lot of time in the scrapbook room. Sierra had asked me to stamp some pictures for her to color while I was in there. Instead, I gave her a little 4x4 scrapbook, some pictures (that were doubles) some stickers, and the markers. Added a little glue stick and she went to town!!! Check out what she did, it is SO VERY CUTE!

I love the doodles - which are very 'in' right now and the colored in images. Watch out, we have a scrapbooker in the making ;-)

Okay, I'm going to call it OFFICIAL

At 3 years, 2 months, and 17 days Miss Rubriana Lynn is finally potty trained!!!! Woohoo! She woke up Wednesday and changed her own pullup (like she does every morning) About an hour later I caught her with her 'poop face' You moms know what I'm talking about! LOL! So I asked her if she had to poop, fully expecting her to tell me no like she usually does. But she said yes! I asked if she wanted to poop in her pullup or on the potty. She said potty!!!!! OH MY GOODNESS! We rushed into the bathroom and I sat her on the potty. She asked me to shut the door and leave. So I left, thinking, okay, she's going to play, I'll put a new pullup on her, and then she'll poop in it.

SHE CAME OUT AND SAID 'MOMMY I WENT POO-POO!' YAY! I did a happy dance for her in the bathroom! Then I asked her if she wanted to wear underwear or a pull-up. She said UNDERWEAR!!! Okay, calm down, trying not to get my hopes up... she'll probably pee and go right back to pullups. Nope, a few hours later she came to me and said she had to go pee-pee. And when I sat her on the potty she went!!! OH YEAH!!! Can you tell how excited I am!!!!

She's had 3 accidents in the last 4 days. All because we didn't make it to the potty in time when she tells me she has to go. So we are working on it, but at least she's telling me and she can get up and down and pull up her underwear and wipe all by herself!!! Before she would hide to pee or poop and then sit in her wet clothes until I noticed because she didn't care!!! YAY! RUBY!!!!

So we picked out underwear at the BX and she has been such a big girl. I'm going to call it official, Ruby is potty trained!! FINALLY!

EVERY SINGLE DAY

Every single day I have to hear Sierra ask if she can move the Christmas Star (on our Christmas countdown calendar) and 'How many more sleeps 'til Christmas?' And then she counts the pockets on the countdown calendar every day and says '24 days until Christmas is here!!!!' LOL! We keep telling her that the calendar doesn't work until Saturday! So I am trying to think of crafts to do with the girls to keep them busy and just because they love to do 'art.' We spent the last few days making an Advent calendar (complete with candy!) They had a ball, and if you want instructions, I'm going to put them on Aleta's Art

Getting Ready for Christmas!

Here is our Christmas tree. Its a white pre-lit one, but lo-and-behold, only the middle section works this year :( So we just bypassed the pre-lit sections and added our own 'Rainbow Lights' as Sierra calls them. Notice only the top half of the tree is decorated. Yeah, well, the whole tree did have ornaments on it, until Karis kept bringing us the ornaments. So we would just put them up higher! Yesterday I caught the little stinker dragging a chair over trying to reach the ornaments!
We don't have a chimney, so here is our Santa Stocking Holder. These are the girls stockings, from the top, Sierra, Rubriana, and Karis. Mommy and Daddy's are on the other side.

Our Ruby-Rudolph!

Sierra is getting so big!

Oh what a stinker!!

UGGGHHH!

Thanksgiving is Thursday... I still have to go to the commissary and buy everything. Maybe I'll get there this afternoon... or maybe after Dustin gets home. But if I don't get a Turkey today, I don't think it will be thawed by Thursday!

Sierra is excited to help me bake, so we will be doing most of the baking on Wednesday. And the girls are super excited about getting the Christmas decorations out this weekend! I told them they have to keep the house clean until Friday.

Anyway, this is what I have planned for Thursday:

Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes (Dustin's favorite)
Green Bean Casserole
Pumpkin Pie
Apple Pie - the girls both are excited about the pies because they get to use their child size pie tins for their own personal pies :D
Crescent rolls

ADDED: Peanut Butter Fudge, Pecan Pie, Dressing, a TURKEY (duh) and a Ham. And I'm cooking it all myself... nice...

I asked Sierra if that sounded good and if we should get anything else. She said, "Yeah Mom! We need Turkey!" and looked at me like Duh! LOL! Um yeah, I kind of figured that would be a given! What a hoot she is!

From the mind of a 4 year old!

Sierra is such a character! She, of course, knows EV-RY-THING! And she will tell you matter of factly (with an eye roll and a head shake) what she thinks!

Conversation while watching TV and discussing what Daddy would like for his birthday:

Mommy: Sierra, what do you think Daddy wants for his birthday

Sierra: Um, I think he doesn't want anything.... Oh wait, maybe he wants a pink birthday cake!

Mommy: You think DADDY wants a PINK birthday cake. Hmmm... well, what present should we get Daddy for his birthday, what does he like to do?

Sierra: Daddy likes to do dishes
(insert much laughing from Mommy and Daddy!)

Daddy: you think that's my favorite thing to do, I don't do anything else?

Sierra: Oh yeah, you like to sit on the park bench and watch us play!

Daddy: I don't ever play anything, any games? (trying to get Sierra to mention Xbox 360)

Sierra: Oh yeah, you like to play Barbies and cars too. Maybe Daddy wants a boy Barbie because he says he doesn't like to be the girl Barbies!


Conversation while eating breakfast (waffles and sausage):

Ruby: Mommy, why are you eating waffles with us, don't you eat diet food?

Mommy: Well, Mommy tries to be healthy, but I'm eating waffles today, its okay.

Sierra: Yeah, Mommy and Daddy eat diet foods

Ruby: Do you guys like diet chicken food?
(hehehe, we eat a lot of chicken)

Mommy: Yeah, we eat chicken too. We should all be healthy and eat our chicken and vegetables

Sierra: No, Daddy, likes pizza, he ALWAYS wants pizza. And then Mommy gets mad and tells him 'no more pizza' and then Daddy says he wants Pizza Hut, or Anthony's or Kid Zone... and then Mommy says 'Fine! Get pizza if you want it!' So Daddy likes pizza, not diet food!


Comment from the Peanut Gallery

Dustin and I were discussing him needing to eat more vegetables - he was getting changed from work and I was sitting on the bed. The girls were playing in their room.

Me: You need to eat more vegetables - you don't eat any veggies!

Dustin: No, I eat green beans

(I started laughing)
Me: oh, I'm sorry, you eat green beans my mistake (still laughing)

Dustin: No, I eat asparagus, and broccoli, and carrots... I ate a whole can of carrots yesterday!

Sierra comes out of her room and pops her head in our door
Sierra: (she clicked her tongue - think like nuh) you ate a whole can of carrots (insert more tongue clicking, an eye roll and head shake) and then she walked away

We looked at each other and busted up laughing!!!