Trick or Treat 2012

Halloween was a big hit this year!  Madeline was very sure of what she wanted to be this year:

A PINK fairy, of course.

Grandma and Grandpa joined us.  Grandma likes to walk around with us.  Grandpa does a great job holding down the fort and passing out candy.

Grandma got into our stash of candy pre-trick or treating for quality control purposes, and where's there's Grandma with a treat, there will be two Stewart girls.

Amelia was going to be Blues Clues, but she wanted absolutely NOTHING to do with the costume.  So I decided it didn't matter when you are 22 months old and cute as a button.  Luckily, we have seasonal clothes, and this spider outfit was perfect.  And, yes, she insisted on wearing this ridiculous hat.  :)  We went with it.  However, Amelia held her own like a champ out on the streets.  She carried her bucket, said please and thank you, and in some cases, weaseled her way through the big kids to get to the front door.  She had no fear.  She also had to learn that you only stand on the front porch.  I lost track of how many houses she wandered into about to make herself right at home.

Trick or treating at some of our closest friends down the street.

Mr. Shannon has been blessed with only boys, so he loves my girls like his own.

Our friends, Brian, Jen, and Holston came to the hood to trick or treat.  Brian wanted Holston to have a photo opp with the Clemson Tiger, but as you can see Holston wasn't exactly keen on the idea.

We had a fantastic night & two very tired children!  All in all, a great Halloween for the Stewart girls.

School Carnival

Madeline's preschool class spent the month of October learning about farms, zoos, and ranches.  As a culminating celebration to the unit, her class participated in a Western Roundup Carnival.  It was pretty cute - there were a variety of stations that the groups rotated through such as apple bobbing, horseback riding on those old school pony heads attached to a broomstick, ring toss, hay bale rolling, and other fun activities.  It was a fun morning.

 

Madeline sporting her best cowgirl attire.

The parade of four year olds around the courtyard.

Bobbing for apples

A little bit of teacher assistance

Cheering on her classmates during the hay bale roll

Madeline was very excited for her friends.

Madeline's shot at hay bale rolling.  Her little buddy, Jubilee, pulled most of the weight.

Don't let her fool you - that look of hard work was all for show! :)

 The morning ended in a train ride.  What fun!

Pumpkins 2012

Our little family had fun carving our pumpkins this year.  Although the girls we not too enthralled with the pumpkin insides, they enjoyed the final products!  Madeline requested a kitty again this year, so Daddy was able to create another kitty masterpiece.  Of course, Mommy wanted something Clemson, so we tweaked our neighbor's Palmetto tree & moon stencil a bit.

Amelia was NOT a fan of the pumpkin insides.  She was incredibly bent out of shape that Daddy put the spoon full of insides in her face!

 Madeline patiently waiting to help make the markings on the outside for the kitty face.

 Hardworking Daddy

 The Kitty!!  Amelia was so excited.  She repeated, "Meow!" over and over.

 My Clemson pumpkin

 These next few pictures make me cringe thinking about trying to get a Christmas card photo.

 At least both girls are facing the camera and smiling...

 Yoo Hoo!!  Amelia!!!

 Madeline was losing steam.

 Madeline was over.it.

 Amelia just walked off into the house.

Happy Pumpkin Carving!

Not Your Traditional Date Night

My husband spends many of his fall and early winter evenings & EARLY mornings in the woods.  He's been wanting to get me in the deer stand for awhile now.  We finally had an afternoon/evening that my parents could babysit, and he could be away from work in the afternoon, so we donned our camo gear, headed to his hunt club, and sat in the woods.  I even wore a deer call around my neck!  Madeline would be so proud that even while hunting, Mommy had on a "necklace". 

 

It was INCREDIBLY quiet, but I enjoyed myself.  I very much enjoyed the quiet.  I can certainly understand why the peacefulness is appealing to Eric after a hectic workday.  We didn't see any deer, but that's okay, I got a little taste of my honey's world.  And, we had a little date night even if we had to text each other in order to "talk" - that is until it started getting dark, and I had to cut my phone off.  :)  Eric said I followed all the "rules", so I suppose that means he'll invite me back to his little slice of peace and quiet.

Madeline Grace

I adore this child.  Just look at her!

My first born - a rule follower, a girly girl through and through, a book lover, a kindhearted friend, a respectful student, a chatterbox, a Daddy's girl, a dancer and singer, an all around sweet-natured, sensitive child

Since Madeline has started her four year old preK class, I feel like she has grown by leaps and bounds not only academically but socially.  Madeline is soaking everything up during her school day, and she is obviously responding quite well to her teachers' teaching style.  She never ceases to amaze me with her random facts that come out of her mouth.  And, the questions!  Although they are non-stop, are really thoughtful and at times, complicated to answer.  Madeline has branched out this year socially.  Last year, she and her best little buddy, Aubrey, were attached at the hip almost to the point of being exclusive of others.  This year, she has branched out socially playing with others on the playground and picking centers based on her interest not because Aubrey chose that particular center.  Four K is clearly working for her, and I love that school is such a happy place for her.  I hope her zest for school remains with her always.



Madeline's "little Mama"personality is a blessing and a curse.  She adores her little sister, watches out for her, tattles on her, and enjoys playing with her.  Unfortunately, Madeline can hover too much and really get under Amelia's skin.  It's annoying for me to witness her hovering tendencies, so I can only imagine how irritated Amelia must feel at times.  They have really started to play so well together, and while Madeline is the one creating the imaginary scene, Amelia has started to catch onto Madeline's antics.  Much to Madeline's liking, Amelia usually goes along with whatever Madeline wants her to do.  The giggles and squeals that erupt from them during happy sibling play is absolutely precious.  It stops me in my tracks, and I just enjoy the moment.

Madeline's ferocious four behaviors have calmed down tremendously, and I'm so thankful she responded well to our stern "nip it in the bud" discipline.  She's back to her "every once in a while testing to see if the rules have changed" self.  Everyone is a much happier camper when privileges and toys have not been removed from daily life.  :)



I am so thankful, even in the tough moments, that I was chosen to be Madeline's Mommy.  She's truly a little gem, and I am enjoying this journey as she leaves toddlerhood and enters "BIG kid world" (as she likes to say). 

Madeline, we love you to pieces, and we are so proud of the little girl you are becoming. 

Amelia is 22 Months Old

Sweet Amelia,

 

You are such a BIG girl, and you have grown so much in the last two months!  (I missed your 21 month update, so this will serve as two updates in one.)  Your little personality is blossoming more and more everyday, and you are a sweet, silly, bull in a China shop, stubborn, feisty thang!  You think you are four years old just like your sister.

 

First and foremost, you LOVE school, and love is not a strong enough adjective for that thought.  You now attend school five days a week from 9am-Noon.  I had to break down and send you because you were having NO part of being left behind on Tuesday and Thursday mornings when I dropped Madeline off in the carpool.  You literally screamed the whole way to school when we didn't bring your school bag with us.  You screamed when Madeline got out of the car in the mornings.  You screamed all the way to the gym.  You pouted the entire time I was working out, and then you screamed until we picked Madeline up from school.  There was no way I was doing errands with a screaming almost 2 year old, so "the in-between time" was killing me.  Oh, and just in case I didn't know just how mad you were, you screamed the entire 20 minute ride home AFTER we had your sister in the car.  After three non-school days for you of this nonsense, I got over MY idea that you were too little for a five day per week program, texted your Daddy that I was going to talk to Mrs. Becky ASAP about sending you five days, and enrolled you as quickly as I could.  Your happiness (and my sanity) are well worth the nominal difference in tuition fees.  Now, that you are a full fledged five day per week preschooler, you are happy as a clam.  You happily say good-bye to Madeline, blow her a smooch, and off you go with your teacher!  It's pretty darn cute watching you walk up to your teacher, give her a hug, and a high five each day!

 

 

Sweet Girl,

You are really turning into a girly girl - you adore shoes, purses, necklaces, hairbows, bracelets, baby dolls, Barbies, playing dress up, "talking" on anything that resembles a phone, and wearing Mommy's shoes JUST like your big sister, but you are a messier, clumsier version of Madeline.  You will sport ten necklaces and two purses, but you will fall down trying to walk around in my high heels.  It's pretty doggone cute.  You love to play outside and run around.  You watch Madeline dance and do ballet moves, and you do your own rendition of those moves.  You don't mind getting dirty and messy, but if it's too much or makes you the slightest bit uncomfortable, then you want to be cleaned up.  You are quick to tell me you have a dirty diaper, and you walk to the cabinet for the diapers and wipes.  You love to take walks and ride on your bicycle or ride in the wagon.  You have so much fun on the swingset and going down the slide is your favorite part.  You are fearless, so your nervous nelly Mommy can't relax while your climbing all over the swingset. 

 

 

Eating with you is a little frustrating right now.  Although you love to eat and enjoy most foods I put in front of you, you have become super picky depending on your disposition at that moment.  One second you devour something, and the next you act like it's the nastiest thing on the planet.  Your plate looks like a buffet with a little of what we're eating plus any other fruits, yogurt, or veggies that I think will strike your fancy.  I do draw the line and make a normal plate for you with a few extras on the side, and if you refuse all of that, then tough luck kiddo.  You refuse any help with your utensils, so you can become quite the disaster by the end of the meal.  Although practice makes perfect, and your fork usage is quite good and your spoon usage is a work in progress.  Your hunger bell goes off and there's no patience when it comes to preparation.  I have learned to cook, cut, and do all sorts of things with you on my hip because when you are hungry, you want to "EAT! EAT!"  You enjoy going out to eat, and you will try almost anything.  As long as we have some coloring supplies, you do really well in a restaurant.
   

 

You continue to be a fantastic sleeper (when nothing is ailing you, of course!).  You love naptime and will sleep for 2-3 hours each day, and you are ready for bed at night.  Sometimes, you ask for bathtime because you are ready to hit the hay.  You enjoy our ritual of story time before naps and bed, and after 3 board books, you are done.  You get in your crib, and it's lights out.  Rarely do you cry, talk, fuss, or bounce around before going to sleep.  Your four canine teeth have finally come through, and your sleep was quite touch and go for several weeks.  Teething really disrupts your sleep, and a sleep deprived Amelia is not amusing for any of us.
   

 

Amelia,

You are a goofy little thing.  You love to be a ham and make us laugh.  You crack yourself up which always gets my funny bone.  Peek-a-boo is still a fun game for you.  Out of nowhere you will hide your face, shout "Boo!", and giggle.  Repeat over and over.  You love to be tickled and chase your sister around.  You enjoy making a splashy bath with lots of bubbles.  You are also a wiggle worm - you never stop moving.  You still have temper tantrums when you don't get your way, but those have started to go away.  You don't like to be scolded even though you seem to test the boundaries quite often, so you should be used to a stern scolding by now.  You've become very huggy and snuggly lately, and we do not mind one bit indulging your requests for a "hu".  You also ham it up for the camera.  You automatically say, "Cheeeeeeese!" when we get the camera out.

 

Your speech has improved drastically since you've started school.  You have more interest in verbalizing to us now that you have been forced to do so in school.  Your speech is still garbled, but your words are starting to sound more like the actual words you are trying to say.  It's becoming easier and easier to figure out what you are trying to say.  Your tongue issue continues to prevent certain sounds due to lack of range of motion, so there is a physical issue we will be dealing with once you turn two.  Your comprehension seems to have skyrocketed as well.  You can do multiple simple tasks when we ask you to do them.  You also respond well to a scolding and consequence - you have seemed to pick up on the cause-effect relationship of your actions.  When we ask you a question, you also seem to truly understand us because your answers seem to be more than "NO!"  You actually try to make your opinion known.  Slowly, but surely, our communication with you is improving and becoming less frustrating for everyone.

  

 

Amelia,

You complete our little family of four, and we adore every ounce of you!