"so then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,
continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him,
strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and

OVERFLOWING WITH THANKFULNESS..."

Colossians 2:6-7

Friday, February 29, 2008

Sassy and Smiley

Meet Sassy and Smiley.


Lexy is quite Sassy.
Tori is Little Miss Smiley.

Recently, Lexy has a standard comeback whenever she is 'caught' doing something she knows she shouldn't be doing. It doesn't even have to be something bad, per se. It could be sitting on the couch and not responding to my calls... Or playing in bed after she's been told to lie down.
Her comeback goes something like this....

in her most exasperated tone, head shaking side to side, hands out to the side, palms up, BIG brown eyes starring at you square in the eyes...
"Heeeey! I jus, I jus, I just doin' somefing. Just go feed Tori! Leave me alone!"
I've also been told to "Just go lay Tori down".

My favorite, though, happened last Wednesday when I was getting ready to tutor. Lexy knows that Hannah comes over while she's sleeping, and that "mommy works with Hannah", although I hadn't said anything about Hannah coming over this particular day. At about 2:45, after having heard Lexy playing around in her bed for about 20 minutes, I peaked my head in to make sure she was still IN bed. I found her standing up on her bed, playing with her various dolls and stuffed dogs. All I said was "Lexy...." to which, she replied...
"Heeeey! I jus, I jus, I just doin' somefing. Just go work with Hannah. "
Well. I guess I got told.

Oh! How I wish I could capture it on video without encouraging her to continue with this naughty, naughty behavior. Her body language during the whole exchange is priceless.

Honestly, I find it hilarious and have to exercise EXTREME amounts of self-control not to laugh myself. I know that she needs to learn to respect authority, and we are working on it. But deep inside I'm laughing. She's a sassy one. (Someone remind me that I think it's funny when she's 16 and sassy.) :)
For all her sassiness, though, she does have a softer side. This morning, she and I were sitting on the couch brushing each other's hair when Tori woke up from her morning nap and was crying. This was our conversation...

Lexy: "Tori's frying, Mama!"

Me: "I know, I can hear her."

L: "She's frying. She needs her Mommy."

Me: having that special 'tender' spot of my heart touched as I have never heard her say that before, "Really? Who is her Mommy?"

L: big grin as she sheepishly says "Jennifer."

Why, I do not know, but I am somehow touched that she knows I have a name. She has known that Daddy is "Bill" for MONTHS, but for some reason, she only recently learned that I also, have an identity other than Mommy.

As for Tori, I feel like a broken record in saying this, but she is so smiley. She is just the happiest baby. She DELIGHTS in her sister, and recently has been ENAMORED with Daddy. Tori has always been a Mama's girl-- she will hear my voice from across a crowded room and turn to find me. So, it has been neat to see her develop that same love for Daddy in the last couple of weeks.
Smiling at Dinnertime.... with carrots on her face :)
Oh, and by the way... she has two teeth... Have I ever even mentioned that?

In other unreported news, she now is eating 3 meals a day and has fallen into a semi-regular schedule, which is nice. She is mere moments away from crawling.... She is PRO-army crawler right now... I'll see if I can post a video of it. I find it very amusing. Lexy never really did the whole army-crawl thing, so this is a new occurrence at our house.

Tori is also still large. :) (surprise, surprise) At our last Dr. Appt, which was at least a month ago (Thank God February has been a healthy month for us!), she weighted in at 22 lb 7 oz, which is where Lexy was at when she was 15 months old or so. Tori will be 8 mos old tomorrow. The comparison was so crazy to me that I got out Lexy's charts to get a side-by-side reading on their stats. The only apples-to-apples data I have is at the 6 month check up:

Lexy
Tori
16 lb, 10 oz (75%)
20 lb, 9 oz (off the charts)
26 3/4 inches (90%)
28 1/2 inches (off the charts)

Bill and I are already talking about the college scholarship she'll be earning in volleyball or basketball. Might as well put that height to great use, right?

Tori is starting to wear all of Lexy's hand-me-down summer clothes (since it's been 80 degrees this week) and it's weird to think that Lexy was WALKING when she wore these outfits. Tori is just learning to crawl! Even though their birth dates are only 5 weeks apart, unfortunately, Tori is about a season ahead of Lexy size-wise when it comes to clothes. And here I thought I wouldn't need to buy ANYTHING for girl #2...

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Amgen Tour of California

For all you cycling enthusiasts out there, today was a big day in beautiful downtown Valencia. The Amgen Tour of California (which is pretty much a Tour de France-type race in CA) came through our very own Valencia Town Center this afternoon. We decided to brave the winter weather (I know, CA doesn't really get winter weather) and head out to all the festivities.

BIG screen TV with the live feed of the race as it approached Valencia. Notice the VERY gray sky and people bundled up in jackets. It had to be, like, 55 degrees or something. Freeeeeeeeezing. :)
More live action on TV.
This is pretty much the most action we saw, as we left LONG before the racers actually arrived. It was naptime for the kiddos, not to mention the fact that it started raining.
Lexy and Daddy
She has watched MANY a cycling stage with Daddy. The summer after she was born (2005), they spent the entire month of July waking up really early (not hard for either of them) to watch the broadcast of the Tour de France. Those were the good ol' days when our cable company gave us the "Vs" network. I paid enough attention over the years that I actually learned a lot... I know all about the peloton and the break aways, and I even recognize the names of the elite riders. We were excited to see that Levi Leipheimer was in overall lead.

Oh-so-glamorous shot of Mommy and Lexy. Snuggly baby.
And proof that I do, in fact, use a hat in cold weather.
(Grandmothers, you can rest easy tonight...)

Lexy and Tori

Lexy hasn't quite figured out how to look up at camera without appearing as if she is in pain. :)

Eskimo kisses (in our freezing winter weather!)

Daddy and Lexy at the finish line, where there will be a mad dash of cyclists in about.... 2 hours.
Apparently, it was a pretty exciting finish! If you're curious, check out the website and watch the video ("Mark Cavendish Sprints to Win").


Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Love is in the air....

Happy Valentine's Day!!


The girls and I decided to get Valentine's Day pictures taken as a surprise for Daddy. These are some of the shots--- they are pictures of the pictures, so pardon the grainy quality....

Saturday, February 9, 2008

"What you have?"


Inspired by a recent lunch out at the China Palace for Gigi's 82nd birthday, Lexy has decided that she's a waitress taking orders from anyone who'll listen. I hope she's not expecting tips, especially because her service leaves a little to be desired.... :) This was our exchange the other night.

Lexy: "What you have, Mommy?"

Me: "Um, I'll have some Iced Tea, thank you."

Nods head, scribbles on her notepad furiously, and responds with conviction....
L: "Apple Juice. Okay."

Well, alrighty then.