Santa breakfast

We went to Riley's school last weekend for her Santa Breakfast- you pay $5 and get two little pancakes and a sausage patty- and then the kids can have their picture taken with Santa. Riley was excited about it, and talked about it nonstop last week, so Annie was all about eating breakfast with Santa!

We walked into the cafeteria and no one with with Santa, so we decided to do the picture first. I didn't think Annie would do it, but we decided to try anyway. She had even rehearsed what she was going to ask for- TOYS- so off we went....BIG mistake...she wanted nothing to do with him. She wanted me to carry her (the kid weighs a ton now!), and Riley went right up to sit on his lap but Annie shoved her face in my chest and that was it!



So, we got this great picture of Riley with the big guy, but none for Annie! I am really tempted to go to the mall and get one of those screaming pictures of Annie with Santa, but not really all that excited about paying $20 for it!

Santa is watching....

When we visited Santa’s Village with Grandma and Grandpa Buckley this summer, at the end of the trip, I bought a Santa Letter for Riley….it was all computerized and I selected a few things that we did when we were there, and they would mail a letter to the child before Christmas. And then I forgot I did it!

Yesterday, Riley received it in the mail and she was THRILLED!!!!! It was on Santa’s Village paper and said how much Santa enjoyed their visit this summer and some of the rides that were her favorite and who she visited with….she brought it with her to school today and was going to show all of her friends.

I am so glad that she still believes. I am not sure how many more years she will- probably a few more knowing my child- but I am treasuring each and every wonder through her eyes….

She is all WOMAN!!!

Riley's school does a Santa shoppe for the kids in December so that they can buy gifts for their family, which I think is a very nice idea. I can't remember what she got us last year- just small little trinket things, but she has fun doing it!

So, we sent her off with $10 to buy for me, Todd and Annie. Her class went to the shoppe yesterday and she brought the bags home and put them under the tree. But, there were 4 bags. So, Todd and I asked her about it this morning...turns out she had some extra money so she bought something for herself and had the wrap it!!! It is now under the tree!!! Haha! Not sure if she learned that from me, but she is certainly a woman-in-training with that move!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She is very much TWO

Annie has been…ummmm…asserting her independence lately! She is two. She is very strong-willed and certainly knows her own mind. She has very strong opinions about what she wants (or does not want) to do. And she has subjected us to some massive tantrums of late….wow!

They started off small. A refusal to put on her coat. Wanting to wear a different pair of pants. Things I could either work through or make concessions for. I am a mother who believes in picking her battles. So, if she didn’t want to wear that shirt or those shoes, it was fine. As long as she eventually let me dress her, I didn’t really care what she wore.

Then she started fighting us about dinner time. Dinner is always a rough time I think, for most children. We had fights with Riley when she was this age. I know she is tired, and hungry and just done with the day by that time (and so am I). Couple that with not much attention from me since I am trying to get dinner on the table ASAP- well, it is the perfect storm. But- she now refuses to sit in her seat most nights and if she does (if we make her) she screams and cries the whole dinner and ruins it for the rest of us. We have tried everything, and now I am hoping it is just a phase and it will pass eventually….one can hope!

Mornings are also rough. She gets up ok, but all she wants to do it watch TV! We have a rule that says no TV in the morning downstairs when it is time for breakfast- it distracts them both and then neither of them wants to leave for school. So, Annie pitches her fits and I have to bribe her to eat some breakfast most mornings (today, however, she actually ate some cereal), and then pin her down on the floor to put on her coat, which she never wants to wear (this did happen today!)….then I have to buckle her into Todd’s car, kicking and screaming and he drives off with them….

She is like a little schizophrenic- you never know what you are going to get from one moment to another….I just have to keep reminding myself that she is 2….it is normal….it will pass, right???

Randomness....

So much has happened since the last time I posted, and much of it is boring and really not important and to be honest, I really can't even remember :)

I went on some trips- CT and Washington DC. Annie had a cold- not a bad one, but enough that her sleeping schedule is all messed up again...child does that to me every.single.time she gets a cold! Halloween happened- will get some pictures up here soon. We had a small party with a few friends- painted some pumpkins and decorate some cookies and had some food! I went to Annie's school to do trick-or-treat. Riley had an awards ceremony at school and then I went back for lunch one day- that was...uh....interesting!

Here are some random Halloween pictures to tide you over until I get my sh*t back together enough to post more!

October is ALWAYS a very busy month for us...here at home with the girls and also at work. It is right in the middle of our fall travel season at work and while I do not travel as much as I used to anymore, I do usually pick up a few things that either no one else can cover or that I really want to go to- definitely a perk of being the boss :)

So, this weekend I am traveling to CT for a chiropractic convention (because the person we asked backed out) and then the weekend after I am in Washington Dc (mostly because my boss wanted me to go), and while I am looking forward to both trips, I am sad to leave my girls. They will be in their Daddy's very capable hands...hope they don't drive him batty!

Riley also has a bunch of things going on both at school and after school and they both have a few days off this month because of teacher conferences and mandatory furloughs, so we had to arrange for other care....Todd's birthday is at the end of the month, Halloween and our Halloween party (just decided to do that one) and miscellaneous other things and that makes me a bit of a controlled- schedule freak....think I have it all under control- at least at this minute!

Showers

Riley has decided that she is too old for baths so for a few months we have been taking showers. I say we because at first I had to get in there with her. She does not do well at all with water in her eyes, so I had to do everything for her while she stood there with a towel over her eyes. A few weeks ago I decided she was old enough to start to do some of the showering on her own, so for a while, I stood outside the shower and did everuthing while she stood there with a towel over her eyes but I ended up getting just as wet!

So, I told her that was it- she was learning to do this herself and after some nashing of teeth and a bit of histerics, she is doing pretty well. I still have to tell her what to do, but she pretty much does most of it herself.

Well, last week, Annie happened to notice that Riley was taking a shower. Before, with me in there with her, I guess she just wasn't aware of what was happening. But this time, she noticed and she wanted to get in there with her!

So, I put her in and she played a bit and just got wet....but tonight she decided to take a shower with Riley again and this time I did wash her hair and her body and got them both clean in one shot. I have to say, while very cute, it was also quite convienient and I hope that Annie will continue to want to do this....even though she does love her baths, too....we will see what happens....