Dixie (26 months)

My little two-two is really hamming it up for the camera these days. She loved every second of this shoot, it was darling to watch. She stole the show from Lucy.... it was Lucy's 8 month pictures and dixie was just tagging along. Ha! (See lucy's pictures in the previous post)

Happy 8 months

Happy 8 Month Birthday to my sweet baby Lucy. We love her oh soooo much. She is giggling like crazy, sitting up, rolling around, eating bread crusts, baby cookies, donuts and anything else she can get her little paws on. She is still waking up a couple of times a night, but really i have only myself to blame for that because I suck at sleep training. It hurts my heart to hear her cry and I'd rather soothe her little soul then let her cry it out.

We got some photos at our local picture place to celebrate, and while Lucy is usually very happy and smiley, she was not cooperating for this shoot. So sad, because I booked it especially for her since she is sitting up on her own now. Dixie pretty much took over and was the star of the show. I can't really afford to do another one anytime soon, so I guess Lucy will just have to wait until she turns 1. Hopefully she's more smiley then!

Funny little things Dixie does or says

The fun thing about being a stay at home mom, is that i get to hear and see ALL of the funny things my girls do and say... its precious really. Heres a few to share with you, and so i dont forget about them when they are angry teenagers...

Fruit snacks- Dixie hates the Orange ones. She immediatly hands them to me, or tosses them on the floor and says "NO ORANGE"....

Goofy- I'm not sure what he did, but Dixie does not like goofy. She has a set of plastic figurines of all the clubhouse characters, and she always says "NO GOOFY", and tosses him off to the side, never including him in her play.

Sparkle Jeans- Dixie has a pair of jeans given to her from her best califorina friend Jade. They are sparkly. For some reason she Hates them, and whenever I am picking out her pants she says, "No Sparkle!"

Hotdog Song- At the end of an episode of the mickey mouse clubhouse (her favorite), they sing and dance to the hotdog song. Most kids I know love dancing along to this song. However, the moment it comes on Dixie says, "Another one", meaning that she wants to watch a new episode, and she'll have no part in dancing to the hotdog song.

Stickers- Dixie is a sticker fiend. Santa gave her a mickey mouse sticker activity book for christmas, and shes addicted. She can finish and entire sticker book in a day if I let her. She's already done 5 entire books. At $8 a pop, its not cheap either! I've scoured the shelves at costco and purchased the last 3 mickey mouse sticker books they have, and Im hiding them for use in emergencies (ie- when sean is out of town and Im about to loose it!)

Ok, so this post was all about Dixie. I totally love lucy just as much, she's just not in this funny phase yet. However, I can say that my little lulu LOVES food. She can pound an entire jar of baby food, whereas Dixie used to eat the same jar over a few meals. Lucy gets really angry when I dont get the spoon to her mouth fast enough, and she usually wants to take over, grabbing the spoon away from her slow mommy. Ha!


Ta Ta for now!

XO

Eve

Mommy's Girl

Dixie is all about her mommy these days. She wants almost nothing to do with Daddy when I am at home (which is 99% of the time). Also she does not ever want to share me with her baby sister Lucy.

These are a few of Dixie's Mantras these days...


* "Mommy do dixie, daddy do Lucy"

* "Mommy Up!" (this was recurrent theme at the zoo today, i seriously had to carry her around for an hour and a half. Sean and I were talking about how our 2 year old is our boss. I asked him how i can regain control, and he laughed saying "I'll let you know when i figure it out". Ha!

* "Daddy hold Lucy"

* "Lucy down"

I'm feeling very neglectful of Lucy these days. I feel like the only time I get to hold and enjoy her is when I'm nursing her, and even then its usually with Dixie sitting on top of her head or something, begging for attention. And its not like I don't give her plenty (of attention)! I'm pretty lucky that Lucy is super easy going right now. She is sitting up on her own, and is perfectly content sitting on the floor in the midst of the action (aka, Dixie playing), with a couple of toys. These toys are generously lent from miss Dixie's collection, who hand picks the specific toys Lucy is allowed to play with. Should Lucy grab a toy not allotted to her, Dixie immediately takes it away exclaiming "Dixie Toy, Lucy NO!". My poor baby Lucy. She's going to get a boatload of toys on her first birthday with her name tattooed on each if I have anything to do with it.

On another note, in early December my big sister Betina took a few pictures of my girls. They are pretty great, and she did them in 15 minutes top with challenging lighting.. not that you would know it. We love them... thank you Betina! (Her business is called Wits End Photography). Note, Lucy is exactly 6 months and Dixie is exactly 2 in these pictures.

Our Little Lulu

My darling little tutu!

My sweet dixie mae turned 2 on Dec. 8. She had 2 parties, one with her cousins in Colfax, WA, and a friend party at home in utah. Dixie is so special to us. She is determined, persistent, loving, sensitive and she likes to wake up at 6am everyday.

Santa Claus made an extra special visit to her Utah Party.
She whispered all of her hopes and dreams to him,
and hopefully he delivered.

Dixie has become quite the little baker. These are her "muffins". She baked these while her mommy made pumpkin bread for the neighbors. Dixie will never sit on the sidelines... she always wants to participate in the action.

Dixie is full of laughter, joy and curiosity. She's always got leftover treats on her little face. She loves icecream, candy and anything sweet. I think she might just turn into a tootsie pop one day.


This little girl changed our lives forever, and we love her a LOT!

Random Happenings


Dixie loves little Lucy and is quick to shower here with hugs and kisses.


Poor little Dixie would rather hide in various places and poo in her diaper than to just go poo in her lil' toilet. She is quite embarrassed by these episodes and does not want to want to talk about it.


The Farm at Thanksgiving Point continues to be Dixie's favorite place to go, especially when she wakes up from her nap in a grumpy mood. Now all she has to learn is how to keep from spilling the oats all over the sidewalk!

Little Lulu has reached the remarkable step of being able to sit up in a grocery cart! She is a bundle of happiness who is quick with her smile and loves to giggle.

Dixie and Mommy standing next to a couple of horsies at the Farm. The mild winter here in Utah thus far has made these visits possible, even in the dead of winter.

Dixie's favorite thing to do is to relax in the bean bag draped with the plush Canada blanket as she watches the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

When it does get too cold outside, we love to go to Cabela's and explore, eat snacks, and purchase an item or two.

Dixie just being Dixie. Happy New Year to everyone!

c

Dixie the Negotiator

The Culprit

Dixie has been honing her tactical negotiating skills as of late. A prime example involves a certain show popular among younglings called "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse". (On a side note, those Disney people are geniuses of the highest order in regards to their use of propaganda. Lil' Dixie, although not yet two years of age, is already a Disney addict!) Anyhow, each morning Dixie is able to watch an episode of "the Mouse". She will cuddle her Daddy in the bean bag and devote the entirety of her attention to that big eared rodent. Of course when it is time for the hot dog dance (an indication that the conclusion of the episode is approaching), she begs and pleads to be able to watch another. These pleadings have a decent success rate, although she is never able to watch more than two episodes during the morning.

The aforementioned pleadings are of course the most basic negotiating tool inherent in an two year old. However, Dixie is exhibiting a more advanced method of negotiating as of late. She realized that the afternoon is not a time that we allow her to watch "the Mouse", so she has developed different methods to achieve her goal of an afternoon cartoon. The other day she came up to Daddy, the weaker of the two parents as far as Dixie's charms are concerned, and fulfilled her aims in a most clever manner. She confidently held up her right index finger, looked her Daddy in the eye, and pleadingly said "One mouse, One mouse". Her Daddy, completely caught off guard by this new approach, quickly acquiesced to his daughter's demand. In order to feel like he still had some control of the situation, Daddy told Dixie that we could watch only one episode. To make sure she understood, Daddy asked Dixie how many Mouse's we were going to watch. Dixie's reply: Two!

Clever girl.

Mommy and Dixie watching the Mouse with Lulu napping

5 months & 23 month update

My little lulu is already 5 1/2 months old! She just the cutest little chubster you ever did see. She is right on track with development- shes rolling over, she is eating solid foods (just rice cereal & bananas for now), she giggles and is constantly babbling. I just love this girl! Lucy is completely enamored with her big sister Dixie. She always yelps with joy whenever dixie pays her even the slightest bit of attention. She is happiest when I put her on the floor right next to where ever Dixie is playing. Lucy and Dixie absolutely LOVE taking their bedtime bath together. I always ask Dixie, "Who do you want to take a bath with, Mommy or Lucy?", and without missing a beat she relies "Lulu" every time. Dixie is really a great big sister. She always gives Lucy kisses and hugs, and she shares her toys with Lucy, and piles up stuffed animals on top of Lucy while she plays. Its so fun watching their little relationship develop.

Lucy's sour face after eating the butternut squash!

Lucy is a rock star napper while driving, and is slowly learning to take daytime naps in her crib as well, although she much prefers the car. She is still waking up 2-3 times a night, which is really taking its toll on her mommy! Its a good thing I don't have to wake up early and make my self look professional for work in the morning, bc i think I would probably have a break down if that was the case! To all you working mommies out there, I salute you! On that note, to all you S-A-H-M's I salute you too.... this mommy thing is no joke!

Lucy is wearing 9 month clothing, and is filling it out well. I bought her a new Christmas dress size 6-9months from children's place, and the sleeves cut off the circulation in her chubby arms, so i had to cut them a bit to give her wiggle room.

Lucy eating a banana. Sean was scolded for the choking hazard.


Dixie is all about Mickey Mouse Club house. She begs for it all the live long day and it is driving me crazy! We have a Mickey Mouse chapter book that is a combination of short stories, and it is ALL dixie ever wants read to her. While I love that this girl has an avid interest in reading, I think I'm going to have to hide this book for a week or so!

Dixie decorating Cookies for the first *of many* times!

Oh, and Dixie has completely stopped napping, lucky me (not)! She is like the energizer bunny from the time she wakes up to until her head hits the pillow at bedtime. It is exhausting keeping up with her. I try to get out of the house on 2 excursions a day to keep her occupied. We are also getting some backyard play toys next week so that we can go outside without having to actually drive anywhere. I'm pretty sure i was just like Dixie as a child, so i guess this is my mom's payback!

One of our favorite places to go is the Farm at thanksgiving point. We go about twice a week and dixie is never bored of it. She feeds the goats and ducks. She goes for a wagon ride and a pony ride. And she just loves to look at all of the animals. Her favorite is the pony named ROxy. After a trip to the farm she talks about Roxy for the rest of the day. Dixie has the sweetest disposition ever. We just love this girl!

Dixie playing in the leaves


Oh, and Today Sean finished the last class of his Masters in Emergency Management, I'm soooo proud of him! This means that I can have my husband back when he is home! It will also be a nice blurb on the resume and a small pay increase at his job.
Congrats to my Seany sean!

( i would add a picture of him, but after searching it appears that since the girls came into our lives, the camera is always on them)

HALLOWEEN 2011

This Halloween was our first holiday in our new house in Orem, and it was Fan-freakin-tastic. It was Dixie's first year trick or treating and she got right into it. She said "treat", "Moo" and then "next" (as in the next house) for and hour and a half. My sister was surprised that I took Dixie out for so long (shes only 22 months old), but Dixie just loved it so much I just couldn't stop. I asked dixie about half way through if she wanted to stop at our house to say hi to Daddy and she was adamantly opposed and wanted to keep going! She filled her little treat bucket to the brim with candy and was very possessive of it the following week. My mommy heart melted when we went trick or treating. I was so excited for her that i felt like i was a kid again, seriously!




Dixie (the cow) and Lucy (the Dinosaur) with our neighbors. The 2 older girls dote all over dixie and lucy. It is just darling to watch. I remember being a 10 year old and i absolutely loved holding babies, especially my baby cousin Nicole, so I let these girls hold Lucy and play with Dixie whenever they want, because I know just how they feel. Plus I believe that babies are meant to be shared, because they bring so much joy to everyone.






This is Dixie after her hour and a half trick or treating adventure. She was the official Candy girl. She diligently sorted out her candy treasures at her nearby kiddie table and then when the doorbell rang with more goblins she raced to the door and gave them each a handful of candy. It got a little excessive so i had to start limiting her to 2 candy bars per goblin. But then I ended up with a ton of extra candy which i have been eating all week and gaining back any libbers I lost so i probably should have let her just dump handfuls into everyone's bags all night long! I would have been better off in the long run, I'm sure. Note to self, I must rid myself of the excess candy this week. Perhaps i will bag it up and dig a hole in the back yard. Then I can dig it up in the spring with dixie and she'll think that candy grows from the ground, HA!


Dixie and her bag of candy! Her first worldly possession!



Dixie and Lucy (my little goblins)!
I think this is such a classic shot. I got these done a week before Halloween at camera shy in Lehi. Its a great little no fuss kid's photo studio.

Halloween was so much fun this year, I just cant wait until Christmas. When is it ok to start decorating anyways?? I suppose I'll wait until the day after thanksgiving.... I cant wait. Living in a house is sooooo wonderful. Its seriously like a whole new world. We are Loving it!

so far so good....

its been about 3 weeks since our big move from Cali to Utah. The first week was a little rough as it was all cold and rainy outside and I had no friends to have play dates with. I was a little lonely for my friends, but loving our new house. Since then I've met our neighbors, had a couple of people over for dinner, had a play date or two, been to a couple of pumpkin patches, parks, and discovered the PG rec center which has toddler classes for dixie. SO... its been great!

We are loving the space of our new house vs our old apartment. Its so nice to have places to put everything and to have more than one room to play in (which is especially important when it is cold outside). Im loving the kitchen. SO wonderful. And once my sewing/hair room is unpacked im sure i will love it too. The garage is a mess of boxes... and we are working on it... but its a slow process with the girls to say the least.

Anyhoo, i just thought I'd let you know that all is well. I will post some pictures of our house once the boxes are unpacked.

Pumpkin Pie Theft 2011

Following a fabulous Sunday dinner conjured up by Eve, an unknown rogue desecrated the sumptuous pumpkin pie and fled the scene prior to the arrival of the security detail. Unbeknownst to the unnamed assailant, evidence documenting this dastardly deed was captured by a remote camera which was monitoring the unsecured location of said dessert. Below are detailed images of the suspect as she commits this heinous act. If you know the name and location of the suspect, please contact authorities immediately.

This image suggests that the suspect was possibly aware of the location of the security camera, thus leading us to believe it may have been an inside job.

The suspect left behind DNA evidence on the spoon pictured above. If such a spoon has been used in similar criminal acts, please forward the case number and details of the event to us.

Note the wanton disregard of proper pie consuming etiquette.

The scoundrel will pay for her deviant behavior once she is identified and apprehended.

The Monster

Oh the things parents will do to their children for entertainment. We will never be like that!

Lucy's 4 month photos

I have much to write about, seeing as we've moved from California to Utah. I must write a nice farewell letter to my first love (California), and tell you all about my new life :) But in the meantime, please enjoy these pictures of baby Lucy at 4 months. She was so good, and just smiled her little heart out. As you can see, my little Lulu is quite a chubba baby.... and i love every ounce of her!

hmmm. for some reason blogger is only allowing me to upload one picture! I will add some additional pics in another entry.

3 months & 21 months

My sweet baby Lucy has reached the 3 month mark! Where did the summer go?? Baby Lulu is such a happy happy girl. She smiles whenever I (or anyone for that matter) makes eye contact with her. She coo's like crazy and is often so loud I have to bring her into the bedroom so that she doesn't wake up Dixie after bedtime! I need to get Lucy's coo's on video, they are priceless.

Lucy Loves the outdoors and has logged many many hours in the bjorn during our morning park excursions. Often times she gets grumpy inside, so i try to feed her, but she wont eat. Then I take her outside and she immediately perks up. This girl just love fresh air, that's for sure.

Lucy still lags on the whole sleeping thing. All my friends tell me that their babies sleep 12 hours at 12 weeks... not mine. Lucy FINALLY had a 5 hour stretch for the first time last night, otherwise she has been consistently waking up every 2 hours. Because of this, I've kicked Sean out of the bed and I co-sleep with Lucy. I know most people shun this idea... but I also have a 21 month old that needs to run and play all day and I need energy to keep up with her in the morning. So yeah.... we snuggle all the night long. I really really really love our snuggle time, because I feel like I dont get to snuggle her during the day as much as I'd like too, or as much as I snuggled Dixie. And I start feeling guilty that im not giving her enough love and attention, so I think shes deserves to share my bed.

Oh, and lets not forget that Lucy is ginormous! Seriously, she's already tipping the scales at 14 libbers and that was a few weeks ago. She is super long and chubby. She's just the cutest little Buddha baby i ever did see. She has AMAZING neck control, in fact shes had it since like 2 months... and I have a suspicion that its really the chub holding up her neck rather than pure muscle strength... hee hee.

And onto my first love, Miss Dixie Mae. She is now 21 months old... only 3 more months until she's a two-two!! She is very inquisitive, loving, sweet, stubborn, determined and contemplative. On Sunday we were at church and she wanted me to hold her up to the water fountain, because she is obsessed with water these days. I told her "No", because I didnt want a big mess to deal with. She marched directly down the hall, into the sacrament room and grabbed a plastic chair at the entry way. She dragged the chair back down the hall, propped it next to the water fountain and climbed up it. I was so impressed with her thought process and determination that I surrendered and let her play in the water fountain for the next 20 mintues. Thats my girl, and I cant get enough of her.

Lucy's Baby Blessing -Aug 6, 2011

We were in Utah for 3 weeks in August for the Werner Reunion and Payne Mini Reunion (aspen Grove). Since we had so much family there at the same time, we figured it would be a great time to have Lucy Blessed. Rather than have her blessed in a random ward that we don't attend, we decided to do it at our Orem house with friends and family. It was wonderful. Little Lucy had a great turn out and we felt so loved. In her blessing it said that she would be a happy girl, and that she would bring happiness to those around her. She is already smiling her little heart out and Cooing like crazy. We love this girl! Oh, and just so you know.. Lucy is 94% weight and 97% height. I bought this little dress for her in the newborn size before she was born. By the time we blessed her she was 2 months old and she just barely squeezed into it. The top button wouldn't do up and I had to cut it off of her at the end of the party!
3 Cheers for Chubby babies!

Here are a few pictures. Looking at my pictures I really didn't get very many good pictures, so if you happened to be in attendance and have any good pictures, could you please email them to me? Here are the best ones I've got, enjoy!

Grandma Werner & Lucy


Mommy & Lucy


Our little family


Ivy & Lucy (Ivy is a love bug, and gave so much love to both Dixie & Lucy)

Aspen Grove 2011

What would any vacation be without the tantalizing tastes of Double Stuff Oreos

All the participating family members of Aspen Grove 2011

Grandpa Payne and lil' Lucy sporting the official reunion shirt

Momma and the girls resting by the cool stream

Ivy and the other cousins showered Dixie and Lucy with lots of affection