Slacker Blogger...

Okay, I admit it, I'm a slacker blogger. But this isn't as easy as it looks : ). Yesterday we started listening to a new kids praise and worship cd. Evelyn LOVES it. We listened to it on the way to the store and by the time we got to the store and were shopping she was singing as loud as she could "I want to be like Jesus!" She really has a knack for remembering lyrics. As she and I were rocking out in the car she told me to turn down the music and she told me, "Mommy, thank you singing with me... I so proud of you". How cute is that!!! Elora kinda rocks her head back and forth as we sing and she every now and then pipes up. When we sing our abc's she waits very anxiously until the end when she can chime in on the very last word...."won't you sing with ME." She does this also with some of our praise music. What a cutie. We have been dog sitting this week. Our friend Brenna brought us her dog while her family is moving. So Bridges has been sleeping on the back porch and Elora gets so excited to look out the back window and see him. She runs to the back door to see him through out the day and so desperately wants to go play. "Puppy!!!" She screams..."Side" follows (her version of outside).
Elora's vocabulary has been increasing leaps and bounds. I asked her the other night if she wanted spaghetti pie for dinner. I figured she would nod her head yes and happily scamper to the table as she is always hungry, however, this time she responded with a decided "No" followed by "HOT DOG". Little girl LOVES food and she was determined that night to have a hot dog. That was the first time she said "Hot Dog" without seeing one, or me telling her that was what she was eating. I guess I have learned not to ask what she wants for dinner. Because dinner is for them whatever it is for everyone else. No options nor substitutions : )

THey are happily napping right now. It's raining outside. A beautiful restful day. Elora is cutting 4 teeth and growing rapidly. She and Evelyn are now sharing 24 month clothes. Evelyn is very compassionate to her little sister. She still calls Elora "Baby" and we are trying to encourage the use of Elora's name since Baby Emma will be here in a few weeks. When not calling her Baby, Evelyn prefers to call her Elora Madison. Elora can say Emma and knows that for some reason there is a baby that we call Emma in Mommy's Tummy. Amazing how they can just take what I say as truth even though they can't see what I'm talking about. This is reiterating to me how important children's ministry and outreach is. Kids trust their parents and elders so much that they readily believe what they are taught. What an awesome time to teach about the Love of Jesus.

Back Home....

We arrived back home after a loooonger than usual drive home from "the ranch". A 30 minute stop in Columbia followed by Elora crying most of the way home. She was so very tired and just couldn't bear to be in the car at bedtime. Before going to Grandma's house she was rocked to sleep for nap and bedtime, but in our bedroom at Grandma and Grandpa's there is no rocking chair so Elora became accustomed to falling asleep in her bed with me just sitting nearby. What a joy. Bedtime went off without a hitch tonight. Tucked the girls in their beds and David sat and read his school book in the rocking chair and 1o minutes later he was back in the living room. Praise Jesus! Bedtime has always been a struggle with Elora. She's doing much better.
David got home from work and the girls were so excited to see him. Frequently today Evelyn would say "I miss my daddy". She and Elora were so joyful when he got home, squeals of delight and a big hug from the girls. Evelyn ran away shortly after hugging him, but Elora took two steps back, squealed and then reurned to her daddy for another hug and kiss. One thing they missed while away from David was wrestling after bathtime. Tonight they wrestled for about 20 minutes and the girls were sooo delighted to play.

9 weeks....

Baby Emma is due to arrive in 9 weeks. My-oh-my how time flies. Nothing is done yet for the baby. Her bedroom is a playroom, the bassinet is in storage at the Irminger house, clothes are still in a bucket. Lots of things to do. I kept thinking that I had many weeks left before Emma joins our family, but two months and one week are all that remain. And depending on her timing she could come slightly sooner.
I've decided that Elora is an appendage of mine. She's very attached to me. She and her daddy are spending more and more time together in preparation for the baby. She loves her daddy but she's stuck on her mom. This week the big step for her has been that I have not been rocking her to sleep but just sitting next to her on her bed patting her back until she falls asleep. She has also spent much of the week with Grandma.
Evelyn is Miss. Independent. She really enjoys playing by herself, or sitting on the couch by herself watching a movie. She's very focused and intent on whatever she is doing at the moment. Usually the only time she wants to snuggle with me is when I can't hold her. As we're driving down the road she will whine, "Mommy, I want You". She just hasn't grasped the concept that I can't drive and hold her at the same time.

Visiting Grandma and Grandpas...

We're currently visiting Grandma and Grandpa's house. We're here for the week while David is back home working hard and providing a good life for us. The girls are spoiled rotten while here (of course, mommy can over ride any grandparent decision at any moment) but, I too am spoiled. The girls tend to over ride grandparent decisions when it comes to me resting or sitting at the computer. This is why our blog has started. I have had a few spare moments while here and am able to blog. We're getting ready to go to a Valentine's party. Evelyn thinks it is HER party that we're going to and Elora has no idea what we're doing beyond that we're going "bye-bye". Elora has spent countless hours chasing Claudia the cat. Elora tilts her head to one side and "Meows" as she chases the cat. That poor kitty. She can't escape the abuse.

Evelyn's Musical Repetoire....

Lately, Evelyn has been singing, singing, singing. She loves to sing her ABC's. Usually as loud as possible in the middle of the grocery store or whatever other public location we happen to be at. She is rather adorable. Elora also sings along and sings her own version. She tends to follow Evelyn's lead and comes out with similar sounds to what Evelyn just sang. Evelyn also sings "Row, Row, Row The Boat" this boat goes merrily down the street instead of the stream. "The bear went over the mountain" is another common song, she's not as comfortable with this but it still comes across fairly well. "Tinkle, Tinkle, little star" is a definite favorite. She likes to sing that as she sits on the potty. She is potty training now. This makes our outings more interesting. We carry a travel potty in the car with us wherever we go for emergencies! I never knew motherhood was full of such fun and exciting surprises.

A few nights ago at dinner I was getting frustrated with Evelyn. She was sitting on a bar stool that swivels and she kept swiveling. I was nice a few times and asked her to stop then, I just held the stool in place. She proceeded to accidentally fling mashed potatoes off her fork onto the floor. I got so agravated and told her she better behave or she was done eating. Evelyn's response to me was, "I'm just a baby, mommy".

Just a start....

I decided that in an effort to keep in touch with people I'd start a blog. I have no idea how this will go. I don't know that our lives are exciting enough for such journaling. But I'm sure we'll find out soon. Please, don't tell me if you're bored by my rantings and reports. Just smile and nod. It has worked for me for years.