If you don't like the weather, stick around a minute- it'll change!

Wow, those words really ring true this time of year. WE were enjoying 40° temperatures all weekend through yesterday. Now today, with the windchill it is -22°. When I went to bed last night the clock we got for Christmas (thanks Dan & Mary) said it was 39° then when we got up it was 5°.

I was looking on one of the local news channels' website to see what they had to say about the "lovely" weather today and found out that South Dakota holds the record for the largest temperature swing ever recorded in North America.

It happened in Spearfish, on January 22, 1943. The temperature at 7:30 a.m. was –4°F. Suddenly, a blast of hot air hit, and two minutes later, the temperature had risen to 45°F, the fastest warmup ever recorded in the U.S. By 8:45 a.m., the temp reached 55°F — before plummeting back to 0°F 45 minutes later.

So I guess we really can say "if you don't like the weather, stick around a minute (or two) and it'll change!

The girls' bathroom

We have color now in THREE rooms in our house (sad huh). We painted the girls' bathroom this weekend a nice sunny yellow.

I am DYING at the poses the girls pick for these pictures.

We picked out paint for our bathroom too, but decided to wait to paint until we can buy a new light fixture.

More fun in the snow

The girls used the hill that formed from our shoveling to sled down. Actually it was more like Jeremy PUSHING them down the hill, but they still had fun.


Here is Addy out in the snow for the first time wearing a snow suit Grandpa & Grandma Mc bought Sydney when she was Addy's age.

Snow Day!

The forecast called for 3-5 inches of snow, but I think we ended up with 10-12 inches instead. It was above 10 degrees, so I sent Sydney & Hayley out to play (and burn off some energy).

Addy enjoyed watching from the window. As soon as the girls would look away she'd pound on the window for their attention. When they'd look she'd wave and laugh.

Hayley kept throwing more snow in the air to fall down on her.

Here is addy watching from the inside of our front door.

Sydney & Hayley on top of their snow pile. They were digging a tunnel under this for dOg to hide when he's outside.

Earrings

Sydney has been very clear that she did NOT want to get her ears pierced since Hayley had hers done last March. Then this past Friday she came in to tell me she wanted them done. I guess there had been some discussion about it at daycare with some of her friends saying they were going to get theirs done. So we took her on Sunday, and she did great. I was sure she'd be nervous about it and not let them actually do it, but she didn't even flinch.

Rock 'n Roll

Addy got a hold of Sydney's CD player and KNEW what to do with it. She's been watching her sisters closely, obviously.

Uh-oh

So, she isn't actually SAYING "uh-oh" but she'll throw something off of her highchair tray, and then make this face. It is SO funny!!!!

Words words words

I was reading through some of my favorite blogs today and ran across this one that is sent to me by Wondertime. The dad is talking about his daughter's first words:

In the beginning was the Word, the Bible tells us. But parents of a 1-and-a-half-year-old know otherwise. In the beginning is the Wail. Then come the Shriek, the Laugh, the Demanding Grunt, the Gibberish ... And only then — at last, when you've waited and waited — the Word.

We have LOTS of words at our house. Addy is just starting with her words, which today include:
mama, dada, baby, bye-bye, milk, more. And a few others that just WE understand. And the head nod- which isn't a word- but is sure funny when you ask her a yes or no question and she nods appropriately.

Then there is Hayley who has always struggled with her words, but she is growing SO much. Just the last couple of weeks she has started to realize the difference between she, her, hers. And she is starting to correct herself, which is GREAT. (I'm so use to emphasizing my own use of she, her, hers- it's hard to stop even when writing)

And Sydney who has ALWAYS been a talker, but who can now express her emotions to let people know how their words make her feel. One of Sydney's first words was opposites and bicycle. BIG words!

It's just amazing. And I think I forget how amazing it is, until I get to watch one of the girls start the journey to words. To go from NO words to 6 and then to hundreds in a matter of months. Our pediatrician told us at Addy's one year appointment to expect her to double her words in the next 3 months. Can you imagine? DOUBLE! Her little brain is growing so fast!

Then by the time she is 7 not only will she know words like circulation- but she'll be able to explain to me, like Sydney is, how the blood travels through the body and the heart and the lungs and how each of those organs help the blood. (See- I can't even explain it)

And the anticipation of what funny things will come out of Addy's mouth. I look forward to those days and being able to share those stories.

Bye bye- Love you!

Addy has this purse loaded up with all of her pretend phones. After I helped her put this purse on, she turned to me and said, "Bye, bye" and then blew me kisses.

Funny things I don't want to forget

So it's hard enough to have THREE girls, but I guess as much as I have been complaining (ok, not really complaining- but commenting. I still need to find her that t-shirt that says "Daddy does my hair") about Addy being bald I need to be more thankful I think.

Every morning it is a struggle to get out of the door, and the hair only plays into it.
But what I want to remember is not the screaming and the tears and the "YOU ARE HURTING ME MAMA!" But the fact that every time I sit down to do someone's hair- Addy has to be RIGHT THERE. Wedging herself between whoever is sitting in front of me and my leg.

One day Addy... one day...

Feeding Time

Addy has never been a child to want anyone to feed her. She wants to do it herself (is that something typical in a 3rd child???). But she LOVES foods like applesauce and yogurt- but would gag herself with a spoon and gets mad when you try to feed her.
So Santa brought her some "Dippers" and she loves them!

Here she is using it, but using the wrong side. OH well!


And here she gave up on the dipper realizing she could get it IN to her mouth faster by the handfull. Lovely mess!

Christmas Round 3

Our final round of Christmas was spent with my dad. Addy had fun having Grandpa push her around his house in the doll stroller.

Christmas Round 2

The day after Christmas Nana took us to see the Rockettes! Here are Nana and the girls ready for the big show!

Christmas Round 1

Here are some pictures from our first round of Christmas:


Here are Grammy, Papa and the kids. (Our camera was still cold so that is fog on the lens)

Here is Hayley rocking and feeding her new baby.

Hayley ready for fun at the barn


Sydney at the Barn

And Addy playing with the paper (NOT the toys)

Random Mail of the Day

In my OFFICE mail today I got a mailing from the Church of Scientology asking me to be a volunteer minister. Not that there is anything WRONG with that. But wow, talk about random.