Girls, Girls...

These two pumpkins are getting so big, and it's been a while since I updated what they are up to.  I'm not very organized about this, but here it is :)

Emily Mae

* Poor baby has been sick again.  I just know her immune system someday is going to be stellar.
* Em loves books.  Notice that I didn't say that she loves reading?  She just loves books.  She loves to flip through the pages and point out anything circular in shape.  The sun, the moon, circles, any round object...
* Em is cruising around, but she sits right down if I try to prod her to walk.  She seems quite determined to walk on her own time (hmm... that reminds me of someone).
* She LOVES locating her belly button.  She loves locating other people's belly buttons.  At any random moment.  Complete strangers have their shirts lifted and their belly buttons pointed out.
* Em loves to giggle.  She does a fake laugh at about everything when she's happy.  When she's not happy, she does a pathetic, fake sobbing tactic.  That isn't quite as funny :)
* She is still a total clown.  She is just waiting for an audience as she eats, goofs off and plays.  Elyse is her preferred audience, but she'll take anybody.

* She finally started saying "Mommy!"  I admit, she crawls around the house chanting "Daddy" most days.  She will try once in a while to mimic words we try to get her to say, but she is mostly content to make funny noises & squeal.
* She is getting quite attached to sucking on her right hand's index finger.  It's cute now, but...
* Em has mastered the look of false innocence.  It's priceless.
* Em's jabbering is so funny.  It's completely nonsensical, but she usually waves her index finger around while she does it.  If I only knew what she was trying to say!
* New favorite activities include: jumping around in her crib, screeching, throwing one toy across the kitchen floor just to chase it down, sticking her fingers in her nose, dancing, trying to get my phone, and wrestling with Elyse.


Elyse Noelle

* Typing her name reminded me that she named a little pony of hers "Ottoman" the other day.  Now, she refers to herself as "Elyse Noelle Ottoman."  I'm sure she'll fix that someday.
* Elyse is getting into all things girly.  I bought her some chap stick today (I'm sick of sharing mine), and I might as well have given her the moon.  My sweet neighbor came over with armfuls of new books and toys for the girls, and all Elyse could do was show her the new chap stick.  *sigh*  She has about 24,000 layers on as we speak.  She was very sad that it couldn't come with her to bed.  I also broke down and painted her toenails, and she just loves it!  It is pretty cute, I must admit.
* She's been talking up a storm, but singing is the new favorite activity.  She loves to make a medley of every song she knows.  I love that she'll just make up words when she forgets.  It's great.  The other day I heard her singing, "Our God is an awesome God, he went to work then took a nap..."  I wish I had listened closely to the rest of the song, but I was too busy laughing.

* She loves to hold hands.  It's quite possibly the funnest thing ever.  I got to sit in the back seat of our van with her last week as we drove home late, and she asked to hold my hand.  She said, "Mommy?  I hope we can see the stars and moon!"
* She is my classic anticipator.  She loves to remind me what will happen if she runs on the kitchen floor when it's wet... she'll slip.  She will shake her little finger around as if she's a very experienced teacher.  She's also so excited when we tell her when we'll be going on vacation, or when she's going to see her grandparents next.  She'll be eating her breakfast, and she'll say, "Guess what?  When Emmie's done with her nap, we're going to see Gramm & Pops!"  I hate telling her otherwise...
* She is still a Daddy's girl.  Daddy is the first person she wants to see every morning, and she asks for him all day.  I'm starting to wonder if she'll ever get used to the fact that he works!

waiting for Daddy

 Yea, that about says it all.

What's up?

Well, that's a good question.  What is up?  How we can be so busy with ordinary things is always a mystery...  We've got a busy July ahead of us, but we're thankful that the "busy" is fun.  That's always a perk.  Here's a little of what we've been up to lately.  Yes, it's so exciting.

* OBX trip over Independence Day.  SO fun.  We visited with friends and spent a couple of nights down there.  We enjoyed the beach, the park, and lots of good family time.  We knew it was truly a successful getaway when 2 full days seemed like a week  :)

* Birthdays!!  We've had some "little" friend's birthday parties and also had extra fun celebrating my nephew's birthday on Sunday.  He and my niece are now FIVE, and my mind often drifts down memory lane...  Crazy how long that lane is getting!  Shiloh had a beach party, and I was especially glad to see that my toddler is overcoming her intense fear of waves.  YES.  Em has not yet developed a fear of being filthy, which is kind of sad.

* Parks & More Parks.  We've been frequenting the park often, and though Elyse is having a blast, Emily just wishes she could walk.  I'm really hoping she'll brave a few steps soon, but I'm not going to hold my breath :)  She will try and try to get around, but when she fails, she'll just start playing in the dirt.  I happen to know from a little experience with my eldest that chasing a toddler around is actually worth it!  Em's doing well cruising around, so I hope she will get a bit more daring soon.  They both love the swings, but Elyse could go up and down slides all day long.  Yes, her going "up" slides takes a bit longer, but it's fun to watch her look of accomplishment.

* Swimming!  We've been swimming a few times this summer, and I'm thankful both girls are enjoying it.  I seem to vaguely remember days of lounging in beach chairs by the pool, but I think I'm getting an extra workout keeping two kiddos afloat.  That's good, right?

* SHARING.  We've been working a lot on sharing lately.  Emily's getting to that age where she's more persistent, and Elyse has been at that age for a while.  It's kind of hilarious to watch them both persist, but they can get quite loud.  I made the mistake of bringing home a toy yesterday that I got on clearance at Target (one of those plastic balls that bounce and light up...) for the girls to share.  It took all of 1 minute to hear how that was going down.  After numerous talks about sharing & generosity, I resolved to accomplish the task of DINNER, so I set the egg timer for 2 minutes, and we started the routine of taking turns.  Elyse was very puzzled at the beginning of the experiment, but she then started standing in front of the egg timer to wait for the "ding."  After a turn or two, she started giving the toy to Emily during her turn, just so she could wait for the "ding."  She ended up forgetting about the toy altogether by the time we served dinner.  Oh, my.  Emily obviously learned nothing during that whole process :)

* Jordan overheard Elyse having a "picnic" with Hippet (her little stuffed blanket animal) at bedtime the other night.  Her imagination is really getting active!  She stretched out a blanket on the floor in her room today, invited Emily ("Emmie, come here!") and spread lots of books out for them to read together.  I knew the camera would ruin the moment, but I had just had to record it.  Elyse had an eye exam today, and it was the first exam that they could ask her to tell them what she was seeing.  The eye chart consisted of lots of objects, most of which she knew right away: birthday cake, hand (she said "five" for the 5 fingers), a duck, a truck, etc..., but one picture seemed to stump her.

She finally came up with "birthday chair," so that's what it is to her :)  ???  Speaking of Hippet, today Elyse asked me where he was born.  Hmm...

* Emily's talking is cracking me up.  She uses so much inflection to say so little.  I have no idea what she wants to say, but it comes out as just a series of soft little noises with lots of expression.  She pulls out "Daddy!" all the time now, and I quite like it.  I believe I heard her say "Mommy" today, but it's unconfirmed...  She's also being quite a ham lately.  She'll close her eyes and rest her head against the back of her highchair while she's eating.  The food sometimes makes it into her mouth, and sometimes doesn't.  Elyse loves to remind me to pay attention to what Emily is doing.  Why, thank you, dear.

That's what's up.  See, I told you it was exciting!

The Scoop

It's been a while since I've blabbed online, so here's a brief update:

* Speaking of the "scoop," I do wish I wasn't attracted to ice cream.  This time of year, I always love a good bowl of ice cream.  I never pay full price for a carton, but it's almost always B1G1 at one grocery store I frequent, so I then purchase TWO cartons.  I've found a couple of frozen yogurt favorites (triple chocolate trumps the others), but either way, it's not the best attraction.  Moderation, moderation...  Am I the only ice cream addict out there?

* My girls have been up to their usual antics.  They keep me and each other entertained with goofiness quite often.  Their favorite new pastimes of theirs are beating on the washer & dryer as I do laundry, closing doors (just for the fun of it), burying themselves in clean laundry (yes, I do eventually fold it), reading books together, wrestling "gently," and laughing hysterically at nothing.

* I've had to tell Elyse quite often that certain foods are good for her.  That should help her understand why they don't taste awesome, right?  Well, she'll remind me that certain foods (aka desserts) are "so yummy for you!"

* Apparently, it's a cool thing to be funny around here lately.  As Elyse will watch Emily get scolded for something (which can happen quite often some days), she'll tell me afterwards that Emily is "so very funny."  She will also tell me how funny she is when she herself is getting scolded.  I have to remind her that funniness is subjective.

* On our anniversary a few weeks ago, Jordan showed Elyse our wedding album.  She must have remembered, because as I was folding laundry, she held up a white hand towel to her front & asked, "is this your wedding, Mommy?"

* Elyse said, "Thank you, Mommy Heijermans!" the other day.

* Emily is pulling up on everything these days, and she's officially started cruising around.  I had the most difficult time in Target today trying to keep her strapped into the cart.  She was desperately trying to turn around and stand up on the seat.  My eldest was sitting illegally in the base of the cart removing caps from all of the products I was getting ready to purchase & throwing them out onto the floor.  I totally felt like one of those out-of-control moms that I pity as I walked through the store.  Anyone else been there?!?!

* Elyse has FINALLY moved on to other favorite songs.  "Jesus Loves Me" is the current favorite, and I love that she will start singing about anything and everything right in the midst of the song.  I enjoy hearing her set everything to music these days.  She seems to be getting better at finding the melody, too :)

* Emily, Emily, Emily.  That girl.  She knows how to make me laugh.  She can turn any rotten situation into the Emily show.  I think we're in for it.

* Elyse has been calling Em "sweet girl" or "baby girl" all the time.  I didn't think I called Emily that very often, but apparently, she got it from somewhere!

* I get such a kick out of watching Elyse mother Emily.  She puts on a different voice and will remind her not to put certain things in her mouth (good luck, Elyse), not to drink out of the wrong cup, not to throw her food, etc...  We've already had to have talks about who the real mommy is.

* I haven't been doing much blogging, but I have been trying to mentally record lots of fun moments lately. I hope my memory holds up on me.  Some things are too precious for words, like slobbery kisses, bear hugs, bedtime giggles & family dates.  How do you capture those?  

Elyse update

Still not sure if it's possible to give an accurate update of what this girl is up to.  But, I have to try.

Eating

Elyse has become kind of a picky eater, I'm sad to say.  She still likes her vegetables, but has added pasta, meat, and potatoes to her yuk list :(  I am grieved, but I'm sure she'll come around.  She's still getting a steady diet of each.  *ahem*

Ever since we went camping, she's fallen in love with marshmallows.  You'd think she'd love the taste of them, but she actually likes to carry them around more.  Some days, marshmallows are the first thing she asks for in the morning and the last thing she asks for before bed.  Poor girl; nothing like hearing "no" all day!

When I do give her something for dessert, she takes about a year to eat it.

Sleeping

We finally removed one side of her crib railing, so Elyse officially has a "daybed."  We had been dragging our feet on this milestone, but she finally started swinging her leg over the side to be goofy at times, and we figured it was time we made this transition.  She fell out once the first night.  She has fallen out two times in the last week.  We pad the floor with pillows, and as you can see in the picture below, she takes advantage of them :)

Elyse has started to cut down that afternoon nap, which helps her bedtime a bit.. She usually sleeps for about 2 hours in the afternoon these days.  She and Em still love to play before they fall asleep, but it's not for nearly as long.

Elyse is officially diaper-less at night, and though she doesn't have a perfect track record, she's doing pretty well.  She likes to think that cereal is her reward for staying dry overnight!

Playtime

Elyse loves her books.  I'm not surprised by this one bit.  She's always loved books, and she is starting to "read" her books out loud and display all that she remembers . . . and doesn't remember.  It's pretty funny to hear what she thinks the books are actually about.

Elyse has started to like "The Wheels on the Bus."  She always asks to sing about the bus on the bus, the cats on the bus, the dogs on the bus, etc. . .

Her new quirk is to carry around small piles of things.  One pile might include: 4 small books, a puppy, her cup of water, and the Flintstones vitamin bottle.  That particular bottle has been "disappearing" off the counter lately.  Other times, her "pile" will consist of a block, a headband, her "Away in a Manger" book, and her snack cup.  She's always prepared.  The disadvantage to this new quirk is if she collects more than she can carry: trouble.

She's become a bit more adventurous outside, and she is in love with playgrounds.  She stopped crawling around the playgrounds (that was getting old), and she loves to brave slides and ladders.  She loves sidewalk chalk, swings, rocks, sand, dirt, and flowers.

Conversations

We have conversations ALL DAY.  I am amazed at the stuff she brings up... so random!  She observes and loves to comment on each thing we do.  I love the way she words things.  She'll be getting ready to take her nap, and she'll say something like, "I'm going to take a little, tiny sleep."  Some of her favorite phrases are:

"Mommy- I'm funny!"
"Mommy, can we cuddle on the couch?"
"Guess what?  Tomorrow we're gonna go to big girl class!  And camping!  And see Grandma & Grandpa at the lake!"
"Emmie cannot get this!"  (aka SELFISH)
"Can I have a snack?"  (this might be the most popular phrase)
"Do not lie!!!"
"I need to obey the first time... right away!"
"Emmie!  No screaming.  You need to obey Mommy!"
"Help Mommy?"

I think my favorite sentences from her are those that she just makes up to try to "plant" ideas in my head or show me she's thinking about certain things.

"If you do not scream, you will get jelly beans... or marshmallows!"
"If you do not push, you will get candy!  You will get suckers!  You will go to the park!"
"If you are selfish, you will not go camping!"

Sometimes, it goes on and on.  She gets this excited expression on her face, and it's NOT fun to say "no" to those cute little comments.

Personality

Elyse takes a while to warm up to people AND new things.  It's something I can totally understand, but we have been working a lot on kindness & adapting in general :)  On the bright side, she never talks to strangers!

Lately, Elyse has seemed a bit claustrophobic.  She panics a bit when she's in tight spaces or backed in a corner.  Both Jordan and I struggle with it, so it wouldn't surprise me.  She's also pretty scared of water. We went swimming yesterday, and we had to try extra hard to make her have some fun.  I hope she gets used to it soon, or it might be a long summer!  I must say, though, she's pretty cute bobbing around in a pool.

She's also into being a clown.  She loves trying out silly faces on us (mostly at very inopportune times) & making us laugh when we least expect it.  She has started trying to bargain her way out of getting in trouble, too.  I knew this day was coming :)

I took her to the store the other day and let her pick out something for the first time.  She was ecstatic.  She picked out a little bouquet of Tootsie Pops, and she refused to even eat one because she wanted to play with all of them.  Silly girl.

I must say, I love this age of 2.  It's way more challenging than I ever thought, but she makes it so fun.  I feel like everything is all the way or not at all.  It's a riot.  Jordan and I are starting to say more and more to each other, "Can't you almost just see her at 16?"  I know it will be here in a blink. . .

Right now

Right now I am thankful that my husband is sitting next to me on the couch.  I enjoy the evenings he has home, even if it's because he is watching a certain hockey game...  It's the little things :)

Right now I am thankful that Emily does not need glasses.  I had been freaking myself out for quite some time thinking that her eyes were doing the same things Elyse's were at this age...  My fears were unconfirmed when her doctor told me she's just fine for now.  He still wants to see her next year sometime, but I'm off the hook for now.  Notice how I said, "I'm off the hook.."?  I literally mean that.  It hasn't taken long for me to realize that kids adapt so well.  I don't feel badly all the time that Elyse has to wear glasses, just like I don't pity myself for needing to wear contact lenses.  It's just part of life.  BUT, I think putting a pair of specs on my little Miss Em would put me out of commission for at least 6 months :)  I am thankful that I don't have to worry about that battle as of now.  We'll see what next year brings, but I will be thankful for today!

Right now I am waiting to upload a funny video from dinner time.  Elyse glances at her small Gerber-brand fork, and starts pointing to the writing on the back.  "Elyse Noelle Heijermans..."  She then told me that her Gramm and Pops made it that way.  Little does she know it says "C-H-I-N-A."

Right now I am thankful for air conditioning.  We're having a week of weather in the high 80's/low 90's, and I am thankful for this modern convenience.  My kids have been running around in little to no clothing, and I know the heat is just beginning for the summer!

Right now I should be pondering how to teach Elyse a different favorite song. "Away In A Manger" is like a little bit of Christmas torture every time I hear it.  If it weren't so stinkin' funny, I'd be even more annoyed... the hilarity helps.  When we sing bedtime songs, I'll start a song, and inevitably, she'll start singing loudly and very slowly... "Away in a manger..."  I love how she gives me this sideways glance, like "What are you going to do?  Stop me from singing about Baby Jesus?"

Right now I am thankful that two of my sisters-in-law are carrying healthy little babies.  I am also rather excited that the newest baby (suspected to be a girl) will share a December birthday with Elyse!

Right now I am enjoying my evening, as I know tomorrow will be busier.  I have procrastinated in getting the girls room cleaned/organized, and tomorrow is the day!  Bins of clothing need to be switched/sorted, etc... Elyse is always a little confused when I'm in their room digging around, but she loves the opportunity to try on any clothing I'm messing with.  Wish me luck in getting anything done!

Right now I am overwhelmed with God's blessings.  I definitely do not deserve even one of them.  From health to air conditioning, He is gracious and kind.

Firsts

Isn't parenting FULL of firsts?  We had some of those recently, and since I'm a bit behind on my blog, I'll lump them all into one giant post :)

CAMPING

Yep, we camp.  We're campers.  A bunch of friends decided to go camping over Memorial Day, and we never turn down a good time with friends!  We borrowed a friend's tent, filled our mini-van to the roof, and had a great time for not one, but two nights.  

 It was a bit "toasty" out, but we had such fun with our friends (14 other adults plus 9 other kids?) & the girls.  Overall, they did great.  It was definitely a good experience.  Jordan and I ended up with more bug bites than we've had in years.  That part was not fun!  

Elyse related everything to her story of Curious George going camping.  

Elyse loved the s'mores and Em loved the dirt.  I think my favorite comment from that trip was from my nephew, Eli.  He was watching Jordan crack lots of eggs to scramble, and he said, "Look!  They're playing ring-around-the-rosie!"  There they were, in a neat circle :)  You almost feel grimy looking at those pictures, don't you???  Be honest!!

BEACH

We took Emily to the beach for the first time today!  It was a hit.  It's hard to say what I love more: kids covered in sand OR incredibly long afternoon naps after time in the sand.  I think I'd have to say that I love kids covered in sand.  I love it more because I can join them in the fun.  There's no way Mommy can sleep for three hours and feel NORMAL when that nap is over.  The beach today was wonderful.  Jordan and I were semi-dreading this first trip to sand-land for quite some time, and, yet again, we were pleasantly surprised at what a wonderful morning we had out there today.  

Our anniversary present to each other was a nice pair of beach chairs & a lovely umbrella.  Can you tell we were convincing ourselves that we were about to embark on a summer of time at the beach?  My predictions of our trip were: Emily braves ALL, and Elyse enjoys the blanket & stash of sand.  I was right about both.  Emily loved crawling in the surf & Elyse loved watching her.  

 Okay, how does Elyse's wedgie NOT make you laugh???

Elyse was a bit terrified of the waves, and I'm hoping she will get more comfortable the more we go.  This picture sums it up quite well.

But, I do understand her fear of water (as I went through my days as a child), so we let her play in the sand all morning.  

It was such a fun morning, we might just try it again soon :)  

KIDDIE POOL

There are no words, just a couple of pictures.  Emily's first time in this pool & she treats it like a party every time.  Elyse loves the fact that there are no waves.

Eight Lovely Years

My husband and I are celebrating eight years of marriage today.  It's hard to really sum that up.  I won't even try.  I plan to look through our wedding album, perhaps wonder a bit if I can still squeeze into my dress, cherish those memories from eight years ago, but most of all, I plan to enjoy my husband's amazing love to me.  I'm so thankful God put us together.  Seriously, I could never imagine life without him.

I love you, J!

Happy anniversary of the day we started this life together.  

It keeps getting better.

XOXO

"News"

Yes, "news" is relative, right?  But, here's a little of what's "news" around here:

* Emily officially loves peanut butter.  She loves it, loves it, loves it.  We were at a friends last week, and on impulse, I fed her a wonderful pb&j sandwich as I held my breath.  No worries, here, folks!  She is a fan.  Hey, it was a belated birthday gift, right?

* Em also loves milk.  BYE, formula!  Can't say I miss buying you, but whole milk isn't exactly cheap, either :)  She just recently mastered her sippy cup, so she's in business.  She transitioned beautifully from her bottle, and I'm thankful for that.

* Elyse is really into getting dirty.  Every time I take this girl outside now, she's filthy in minutes.  In fact, in the time it took me to buckle the girls in their car seats today, she was covered in dirt and wet grass.  I'm not sure where the little girl who hated getting dirty went, but this could be a long and messy summer!  Her favorite spots are little holes in sidewalks that are filled with dirt, muddy puddles, SAND, and anywhere gravel is present.  It's funny to watch her choose good ol' dirt over toys for entertainment!  She likes to spread the dirt over her skin and giggle.  Gotta love kids.

* Elyse has also enjoyed hockey playoffs with Daddy.  Good thing he has another hockey fan in this house!  The other morning, she cozied up to him on the couch and asked for, "hockey highlights, please, Daddy?"  Somebody was pretty happy about that.

* I'm kind of amazed at how much groceries have gone up in price this year.  I knew it was coming, I guess, but I've really noticed a difference in the little things.  I've definitely become more of a sale shopper, and I'm very proud to say that I haven't been to Wal-Mart in about a month!  For me, that's quite a record.  I've been shopping store ads and couponing when I can, and I must say, I don't miss Wal-Mart yet.  I have a feeling I'll still visit once a month if necessary, but that's better than two or three times, right? :)

* Emily and Elyse have been making an event of nap times.  For a while, I was able to put Elyse down first (since she usually sleeps about 3 hours and Em only sleeps about 2 to 2.5 hours), and sneak Emily in there, but Emily is just too loud.  SO, we've been trying to put them down at the same time.  They play for almost an hour every day.  That, in turn, makes my eldest not-so-tired at her 7pm bedtime.  I had to go in yesterday to remind Elyse to go to sleep (She was singing her medley of "Away in a Manger," "The Wheels on the Bus," and "Happy Birthday."); she looked up with the saddest eyes and said, "Mommy?  Can I please still laugh at Emmie?"  *sigh*

* I am loving sweet corn!!  YAY for awesome produce!

* Emily has cut her top teeth, and another tooth is just about to poke through.  I'm glad she's been pretty easy-going about these last two.  NOW, though, she's starting to grind her front teeth.  Not cool.  She smiles when I try to stop her :)

* Emily is still really into "wrestling" with Elyse.  I really do try not to encourage it too much, but they have so much fun, it's hard.  Emily is definitely the instigator, and Elyse loves it.  I'm amazed at what she puts up with from Emily that she would never put up with from other kids!

* Elyse has come up with a new "silly voice" that she likes to use.  I need to try to get a video of it, but it sounds very pouty and pathetic... somewhat like she's on the verge of tears.  As soon as I give her my full attention, she just starts cracking up.

* We're going camping this weekend, and it's all Elyse has been talking about.  She keeps telling us about how she gets to sleep on a tent!  We might put her up there if she doesn't sleep nicely for us...  This event could require a separate post in the future!

* Emily can now handle eating raisins & I'm not sure that I'm too happy about that.  Those of you who know what I'm talking about understand :)  Enough said.

Yes, all of these noteworthy events are true.  I know: we live on the edge, don't we?!?

Party, party!

We had a fun day with Emily on her first birthday.  We met up with some families from our community group at a local park & had a nice little picnic together.  Emily seemed to enjoy herself greatly, but probably not as much as we did.  We are so thankful for brothers and sisters in Christ to share these fun events with!  Here are some pictures of our sweet birthday girl with her family and little friends :)