Scootin'

This is Piper on Teagan's new scooter (birthday present - thanks Oma!), and Teagan on her old scooter because she refused to wear her helmet.  No helmet, no scootin', little lady!  Them's the rules.

Teagan is two!

She was a little grumpy when we presented her with the cake and had the audacity to serenade her with the happy birthday song.  Seems pretty fitting for someone entering the terrible two's :)

Happy birthday sweet, sweet Teagan!  You've brought so much joy, laughter, love and so many snuggles into our home and hearts!

Swimming graduation

Piper graduated her first 'semester' of swim lessons!

 

That bookmark thingie is her record of all the new 'skills' she learned in class.  Nice work, Piper!

Dear Teagan: Take two

 Dear Teagan,

How is it possible that my sweet, *little* baby girl is already two years old?  My oh my how you've grown this year.  You've changed from a baby into a toddler, and what a wonderful toddler you are!

You are definitely developing a willful side.  I'm not surprised - look at the house you're growing up in!  You don't have much of a choice, being surrounded by Piper and me.  But it's neat to see you stand up for yourself and what you want.

You're still twirling knots in your hair when you're tired or a little bit uncertain or stressed.  Occasionally you'll even play with the other kids' hair at daycare.  You're in the Ones with Michelle and Jessi, and you're just as attached to Michelle as ever.  You even cry when she leaves for the end of her shift in the afternoon.  But you two have a special bond and she loves you right back.  I'm trying to keep you in her room for as long as I can, and she's helping me to keep you there too.  You're coming out of your shell and showing so much personality.  You're a little bit mischievous, but the teachers have a hard time not laughing when you're misbehaving because you're so cute.

One of your favorite demands is being held during dinner prep time.  My left arm is getting so strong!  If I don't carry you on my hip while I make dinner, you lie down on the floor and wail and kick your arms and legs and basically look really like you're losing it altogether.  So of course I pick you up.  It's another time for us to cuddle and I never pass that up :)  I think you need that physical closeness after a long day at school.   

You love to sing and to dance.  You actually have some really good dance moves. You're great at truly shaking your hips.  And you have some nice rhythm.  Whenever there is music on or in the background, you get your moves going.  If music comes on while we're watching something on tv, you hop up and dance.

You're talking a TON, and you have excellent comprehension and speak some long sentences.  You love to use little phrases, like "I don't know...."  You also love to mimic Barbie (from Life in the Dreamhouse) saying "Hi, I'm Barbie, what's up?" (feminist around the globe die a little every time a kid still in diapers utters those words).  It's fun to her your language develop.  When you do you a phrase for a the first time, I'm surprised by how well you use it in the correct context.  You must really be listening and watching what's happening around you.

What I think of most when I think of you is just how incredibly loving you are.  You are so sweet, and kind, and always ready to show love and affection.  I love our cuddle time, and we cuddle a lot.  The word that comes to mind when I think of you is 'precious'.  I think you're the walking definition of 'precious' - that word was meant for you.

We are so proud of the little tike you're becoming and we love and cherish you!  You're an angel gift.

Love,
Mom and Dad

Dinner cutie

No reason to pout here!

Pouty? Not for long!

Say Cheese!

We finally ventured to Chuckee Cheese! Piper got to hang out with her bestie Brady - a friend back from her old daycare days at Connie's.  These two have known each other since Piper was 4 months and Brady was a year and a half old!  Their friendship is very sweet - Brady is so kind and thoughtful toward Piper.  He's very aware of any assistance she might need in order to 'keep up' with him, and always slows down to help her stay caught up :)  They don't see each other all that often, but always fall back into their rhythm within seconds of being together.

Teagan was, in general, over stimulated and traumatized by the giant mouse.  He tried to give her a high five.  What was he thinking?  She kept a wary eye watchful for him all night.

 

Hi Gwamma!

On Thursday the girls called Grandma Sue while she was in the hospital.  It was a bit chaotic on our end because Dan was working late, and because... well... the girls rarely have a phone conversation that doesn't get chaotic at some point.  So, Grandma Sue this is for you - thought you might like to see what it looks like on this end of the phone line :)

Rockin' the shades

My kitchen elf

Teagan usually falls apart around dinner prep time.  Piper too, for that matter.  It's just a simple matter of math that it takes two hands to put dinner on the table, and that leaves no hands left over to hold, calm, and otherwise attend to a needy child.  (After dinner, everything changes and you can't catch one of those buggers to save your life they're running away from you so fast!)

Anyway, my latest trick is to push a chair over to the counter and let Teagan be involved in the dinner preparations.  Mostly, she plays with things in the dish rack and asks for refills on her servings of "peaches" (peas).  Kid otherwise won't eat peas, but put her on a chair and put those peas in a bowl at counter height and suddenly they're magic in her mouth.

This whole arrangement has made dinner prep so much more manageable!  Except that Teagan has just started to experiment with some climbing (from the chair onto the counter, back down to the chair again, off the chair onto the floor with one hand ("Wah chiz mommy!").   She's impressively agile, but alas, gravity has a way of besting even the most adept of children in the end.  So her days on the chair by the counter may be numbered...  For today, though, we had an evening free of meltdowns!

Little monkeys

 Bike racks are the girls' new favorite jungle gyms :)

 

 

 

Piper Mac graduates!

On Friday, Piper graduated from preschool.   The theme was superhero.  She was very excited to receive her diploma :)

 

 

Piper and her preschool "besties".

Bad idea

An almost-two year old at Cherry Berry frozen yogurt shop.  With lots of sample cups and her own spoon.  What was mom thinking?  I can't remember.  It seemed like a good idea... until it didn't.

Feeding the ducks

Here in Minnesota we're soaking up every last bit of summer.  Which means evening and weekend outtings to all of our favorite outdoor space and places.  One of our favorites is the pavilion area behind the Maple Grove library, where they have giant musical instruments, plenty of things to climb on and ducks to feed.  Winter is so close - we can feel it approaching like a dreaded cold in your bones.

 

 

Teagan's first haircut

The girls had plenty of fun before the hair cutting started.

 

At first Teagan was a little nervous, but then she saw all the toys. 

 Piper was the statue of liberty, with her birthday party crown acting as a perfect replica.

In this one picture we have of the actual haircut, Teagan looks pretty calm.  She wasn't.  The stylist put her in the chair, she screamed, turned purple and we thought she was going to pass out.  Then I held her on my lap, and she screamed through the entire haircut.  When the stylist asked if she could put a ribbon in Teagan's hair at the end, Teagan said without hesitation a very emphatical "NO."  And that was the end of that.

Piper was pretty chill throughout her hair cutting experience and graciously accepted the offer of a ribbon. But she's an old pro.