Happy 4th of July!!!
Mary-Gail (what a ham!) & Rebecca (so photogenic!)
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Chrisman Cutes
Chrisman Cuties
Gage Michael, 5 yrs
Reese Carly, 4 yrs
Cy Jedidiah, 14 months
Taylor Lynn, 2 weeks
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Two little Monkeys and other Crazy Cats
Look at these crazy cats!
Two little monkey's swinging in the tree...
Just swingin' in the shade, just swingin' in the shade,
What a glorious feeling, I'm swingin' in the shade...
Rebecca playing footsie with Cy
Mary-Gail in her own Little Tikes world
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
A day with my mom
I spent the day with my mom today. We had a wonderful experience together spending some time at the Provo Temple working on family names. I can't help but marvel at the simple beauty of the temples (both inside and out) and the calmness I feel once I step inside. There is something to be said about leaving the world behind and focusing on the future and families.
We ate lunch together and roamed the streets of Provo and Orem. We bought some lawn chairs for my backyard (Rebecca & Mary-Gail's favorite request is: "Go outside") and we laughed till our tummies hurt trying to maneuver the chairs in the back of her Lexus. We always seem to buy things first and then try to figure out how to get them home.
Thanks for thinking of me today on your day off Mom. I'm very fortunate to have you in my life and so are my girls. They just can't get enough of "Bamm-Bah!"
Being silly w/Bamm-bah
I like this video: Rebecca is doing her silly "courtesy-laugh."
Rebecca gave Mom a kiss just seconds after I cut the video off...wish I would have caught that
Catch phrases
Rebecca & Mary-Gail's "catch phrases" are cute and funny and sometimes unbelievable, but we love hearing their voices and listening to them put words together.
Mary-Gail's catch phrase/word has always been an enthusiastic "HI!" as she waves excitedly at you. You could be playing with her and not have left her side, and out of no where she'll say, "HI!" and wave. She expects you to say "hi" and wave back and she'll continue until you do (this is especially fun during Sacrament Meeting). Just like Mary-Gail's "hi!" she says, "Yeah!" with the same excitment and energy. She's also started saying "Go outside" and then screams her window-shattering scream. And, I can't leave out her incessant requests for "Cookies." Even at our 7 am breakfast she'll ask for "cookies."
She also says, "Good Girl." This was a little bit shocking for our pediatrician to hear at our 18 month appointment 3 weeks ago. SueAnn was examining Mary-Gail, and Mary-Gail kept saying, "Good Girl, Good Girl, Good Girl." Yes, Mary-Gail, you are a Good Girl and you haven't done anything wrong.
Mary-Gail also loves looking for "Sister" and will wander the house saying, "sister, sister, sister." Once she "finds" sister, she gets so excited she screams and runs the other direction. Silly girl. Mary-Gail will say "dance" and then proceeds to do several reps of deep, seated squats followed by small jumps (her toes don't leave the floor, but she thinks she's jumping).
***********
Where do I begin with Rebecca? She is so independent minded! By far Rebecca's catch phrase is "Don't tell me." She says this as she scowls at you: She bows her head while looking up at you with her big, brown eyes as she furrows her brow. She'll then roll her eyes at you and look away disgusted. Oh my gosh - where did she get that from?!!
"I do it!" is another favorite of Rebecca's, although she much prefers "Don't tell me." She also calls Tony by his name - it was cute the first thousand times she said it, but now it's not so cute. Rebecca says: Arla, Come! Sister, Come! Becca, Come! (Rebecca sometimes calls Mary-Gail "Becca"). She is so funny and will mimic and copy words you say (which is why she started calling Tony, "Tony.") Rebecca will say (beg) for "Signing Time" and almost has an out-of-body experience when we push start.
During eating time and our walks, Rebecca will stand up and say, "Sit down...bum...Thank you." I started telling her and Mary-Gail to sit on their bums when they'd stand in the tub or wiggle out of the straps on their chairs in the kitchen, and now Rebecca & Mary-Gail think it's funny and do it just to hear me say (and copy), "Sit down, on your bum. Thank you."
Rebecca has also become our little informer. If Mary-Gail is into the doggie food, or if she's into my drawer, Rebecca will come to me and say, "No-no, Becca. No-no."
I am loving this time and age. I'll admit it, I couldn't wait for them to sit up. Once they did that, I wanted them to crawl. Once they did that, I couldn't wait for them to walk. Now they're talking and signing and we can communicate and understand each other. This is my favorite time by far.
The next few videos don't highlight their language skills. But again, we're talking cookies here - cookies supersede everything!!!
Mary-Gail, my "Cookie Monster" (at 9 am)
Mary-Gail's catch phrase/word has always been an enthusiastic "HI!" as she waves excitedly at you. You could be playing with her and not have left her side, and out of no where she'll say, "HI!" and wave. She expects you to say "hi" and wave back and she'll continue until you do (this is especially fun during Sacrament Meeting). Just like Mary-Gail's "hi!" she says, "Yeah!" with the same excitment and energy. She's also started saying "Go outside" and then screams her window-shattering scream. And, I can't leave out her incessant requests for "Cookies." Even at our 7 am breakfast she'll ask for "cookies."
She also says, "Good Girl." This was a little bit shocking for our pediatrician to hear at our 18 month appointment 3 weeks ago. SueAnn was examining Mary-Gail, and Mary-Gail kept saying, "Good Girl, Good Girl, Good Girl." Yes, Mary-Gail, you are a Good Girl and you haven't done anything wrong.
Mary-Gail also loves looking for "Sister" and will wander the house saying, "sister, sister, sister." Once she "finds" sister, she gets so excited she screams and runs the other direction. Silly girl. Mary-Gail will say "dance" and then proceeds to do several reps of deep, seated squats followed by small jumps (her toes don't leave the floor, but she thinks she's jumping).
***********
Where do I begin with Rebecca? She is so independent minded! By far Rebecca's catch phrase is "Don't tell me." She says this as she scowls at you: She bows her head while looking up at you with her big, brown eyes as she furrows her brow. She'll then roll her eyes at you and look away disgusted. Oh my gosh - where did she get that from?!!
"I do it!" is another favorite of Rebecca's, although she much prefers "Don't tell me." She also calls Tony by his name - it was cute the first thousand times she said it, but now it's not so cute. Rebecca says: Arla, Come! Sister, Come! Becca, Come! (Rebecca sometimes calls Mary-Gail "Becca"). She is so funny and will mimic and copy words you say (which is why she started calling Tony, "Tony.") Rebecca will say (beg) for "Signing Time" and almost has an out-of-body experience when we push start.
During eating time and our walks, Rebecca will stand up and say, "Sit down...bum...Thank you." I started telling her and Mary-Gail to sit on their bums when they'd stand in the tub or wiggle out of the straps on their chairs in the kitchen, and now Rebecca & Mary-Gail think it's funny and do it just to hear me say (and copy), "Sit down, on your bum. Thank you."
Rebecca has also become our little informer. If Mary-Gail is into the doggie food, or if she's into my drawer, Rebecca will come to me and say, "No-no, Becca. No-no."
I am loving this time and age. I'll admit it, I couldn't wait for them to sit up. Once they did that, I wanted them to crawl. Once they did that, I couldn't wait for them to walk. Now they're talking and signing and we can communicate and understand each other. This is my favorite time by far.
The next few videos don't highlight their language skills. But again, we're talking cookies here - cookies supersede everything!!!
Rebecca shared her "piggy" w/Mary-Gail who
showers piggy with kisses, kisses, kisses
Mary-Gail, my "Cookie Monster" (at 9 am)
Mary-Gail is asking (and signing) for "mo" cookies.
This is what happens when there is NO COOKIE
I see the cookies. Give me the cookies. Cookies make me happy!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
The Silver Lining
This post should have been called "The Good, The Bad, The Oh-My-Gosh!" or, "Warning! Not for weaklings" or, "Why does it smell like a farm in here?"
I transferred the girls to their cribs shortly after we arrived home from our shopping excursion at IKEA. I didn't bother putting their shorts back on after changing them because it was hot and I knew they would fall asleep on the drive home.
I commented to JoJo as she & I went downstairs to visit, that I thought Mary-Gail had a dirty diaper. Should I change her? Nah, let her sleep.
So, the girls wake up from their nap and I come up to get them. I could smell dirty diaper (farm manure smell), but I didn't give it a second thought as I knew Mary-Gail had a dirty bum. But here's what I walked into find. Weaklings, avert your eyes...
What's wrong, Mr. Frog? You're smiling, but you don't look so happy.
I transferred the girls to their cribs shortly after we arrived home from our shopping excursion at IKEA. I didn't bother putting their shorts back on after changing them because it was hot and I knew they would fall asleep on the drive home.
I commented to JoJo as she & I went downstairs to visit, that I thought Mary-Gail had a dirty diaper. Should I change her? Nah, let her sleep.
So, the girls wake up from their nap and I come up to get them. I could smell dirty diaper (farm manure smell), but I didn't give it a second thought as I knew Mary-Gail had a dirty bum. But here's what I walked into find. Weaklings, avert your eyes...
What's wrong, Mr. Frog? You're smiling, but you don't look so happy.
Mr. Elephant, how come you have streaks on your face/body? And what's on the wall?
Mary-Gail, where's your diaper?!!!
OK. Time-out. This is really ironic. Rebecca took her diaper off yesterday morning. I panicked because she normally has a morning poop. Luckily, she didn't (phew!) and all was well (except for Rebecca's pee soaked socks & bedding). Both girls will pull their diapers off if they don't have bottoms on, but I thought for sure they were so tired from shopping that they would be zonked for their nap time...
Nope. Poop is much more interesting
Lovely little poop pellets
EVERYWHERE!!
Silver Lining?
- Mary-Gail's poop was NOT mushy. Can you imagine...?
- I clipped her fingernails the night before
- I have indoor plumbing
- I spent all last week and part of the week before cleaning up vomit and serious diarrhea from ear infection (Mary-Gail) and stomach flu (Rebecca & Mary-Gail). I can do ONE mess
- The backyard hose and my HUGE washing machine, which I can program to run for a 99 minute wash in HOT water
- Clorox Clean-up is my best friend
Yeah, there is some silver lining to this story.
P.S. I stripped Mary-Gail's tank and socks (why couldn't she have just pulled off her socks instead of her diaper?) and threw her in the tub. And yes, I did use the scrub brush on her hair, hands, legs, face, all over!
Another day, another dollar
3 girls, all in their "infant" car seats
(Sorry, Auntie JoJo, we have to be 1-year old AND 20 lbs to face forward)
JoJo & I took yet another trip to IKEA. We loaded up the girls and cruised in the 'burb to Draper. JoJo magically grew 2 extra arms to keep peddling Nibs licorice pieces to Rebecca & Mary-Gail to calm their incessant cries for more! more! more!, and administering a bottle to Taylor while pumping. (And JoJo doesn't think she could have done twins. Yeah right!)
Mary-Gail and Rebecca managed to keep their "cool" and said "Hi!!" to just about everyone.
Mary-Gail sporting her "cool" (it's what she & Rebecca call sunglasses)
And little Taylor was a perfect angel at 2 weeks old
After shopping - sorry, Tony, I did buy another mirror - we made an assembly line of changing diapers in the back of the 'burb and headed home. All we heard were ZZZZZ's from the back seat.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
The Treasure Trove
Our garden tub has become the Treasure Trove for Rebecca & Mary-Gail's toys (mostly Rebecca's toys). She'll bring her toy to our bathroom, climb on the step, or in this case, the scale, and ever-so-sneaky she'll drop her toy and then say, "ough-ooh."
What an innocent face! And what cute little legs.
A ginormous present
A swing set!!! Sharon, a friend of ours, gave us her kids' swing set that they've outgrown. She and Sean, her youngest (8), came over Monday and assembled it for us (at 4 o'clock in the 95 degree weather too).
This was Tuesday (yesterday) after we went swimming in our pool. Grandma came over early to play with us before I left to volunteer at the NICU. Look at these amazing little girls!!
Mary-Gail saying"Bam--bah"
as Grandma holds onto her hand
Can you see the twinkle in Mary-Gail's eyes?
Her eyes always twinkle.
I cherish these smiles. I really do. When Mary-Gail and Rebecca smile I feel like I'm doing a good job at being their mommy; they give me hope and reassurance and I know that they love me.
Sharing the chair
After our trip to the Kemp's, the girls relaxed in "their" chair by watching their Signing Time video
Swimming at the Kemp's
With promises from Isaac, our nephew, that the water in his 6' deep pool was warm, Tony & I loaded the girls up and walked down to Isaac's house to swim with the girls.
Yeah, right the water was warm! Maybe warm for his 12-yr old body, but not for our 18 month old girls' bodies.
Rebecca humored herself in the kiddy pool we brought, and then found this:
Mary-Gail stayed on the sidelines with Tony in the shade. Although we didn't go swimming, we still enjoyed our Monday afternoon
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Kemp Kuties on the Charleston Pier
September 2007
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