My Bella

So sweet how protective and possessive Veronica is becoming of her big sis. Sometimes she'll randomly break into those moments of gentle hugs and kisses for her sisty (Isabella much prefers those to the hitting and hairpulling!).

"Mommy, I so hungry"

...with those 4 simple words my beautiful Veronica captured my heart and OWNED IT:)

It was 8:30 p.m. Wednesday night, a half hour past bedtime and an hour past bedtime snack time. It was one of those nights we've all had as a parent...groceries needed to be bought, Dad was out of town, it ended up taking longer than expected, etc...

The drive home was quiet as my two little ladies were tired...I in fact thought that Veronica might have fallen asleep on the drive home. But when I opened up the back van door, her dark brown eyes were wide awake. As I lifted her out of her carseat and came face to face with her beautiful face, surrounded by the chocolate furry brown hood of her jacket, she said with wide eyes and quite the serious tone and expression, "Mommy, I so hungry".

Maybe it sounds silly, maybe you had to be there. I don't know, but holy cow, was it precious. She seemed so old when saying it, yet young with her round baby cheeks and the baby tone to her voice. Oh she is something precious, that's for sure!!! Thanks for that sweet little moment Baby V!

A tale of two friends...Veronica and Jocey

It has been quite some time since I have come across a dynamic duo as adorable as Veronica and her best buddy, Jocelyn Dawes.

Jocey was born September 11, 2006 and Veronica on September 30, 2006. They first met at open gymnastics when they were just a few weeks old. No, they weren't doing gymnastics, but were snuggling close to their mommas while their siblings attended open gymnastics.

I was quickly drawn to Emily, Jocey's mom, a fantastic lady who I am blessed to have come to call a dear friend. Not only are Jocey and Veronica the same age, they have big sisters that are the same age. The big sisters - Julia and Isabella - have ended up in dance class together and we were pleased as punch when we saw Julia in Isabella's class the first day we brought her to pre-school. I also discovered some connections with Emily. Her husband, Chris, is well known in town as an amazing singer and I had seen him sing at a wedding when I was only 13 and still remembered it! Emily is also friends with Kim Cooley, my former dance teacher and we discovered that we were standing next to each other doing the Macarena at Ki's wedding back in 1996!!! The real kicker was that Emily was a neighbor of my best friend Mindy when they lived here in GF! In fact, when Mindy came up to be here for Veronica's birth, I remembered her telling me she was also going to visit a neighbor who'd had a baby...I later came to find out that baby was Jocey!

I always love the quilt that our lives stories weave as we develop relationships and histories with one another. I truly believe that there is no accidents in life regarding the people we meet or the way in which our paths cross. God has a plan and a role for each of us to play in one another's life.

So let's get back to the matter at hand - the cutest 2 year olds on the block - Jocie and Veronica:)

J and V hung out here and there in their infancy and at a couple of playdates last year. This fall they ended up in the same dance class and the rest is history:) Veronica would talk about Jocey a lot, asking where she was, when she would see her, etc...Their greetings at dance class became a real joy to watch - full on hugs, screaming for each other, running to one another, and than sticking close to each other throughout class. Lots of lunch dates and different playdates gave this dynamic duo even more bonding time and they have developed the sweetest little friendship. Veronica, in fact, has a thing for Jocey's whole family and spends most of dance class hanging out with Jocie and Emily. She also very much loves Jocey's older siblings - Julia and Jonathon.

Jocey and Veronica have become quite the little dancers! On Wednesdays they have their class at 9:30 and than watch the pre-school class - V has to stay and watch since I'm the teacher and Jocey's older sister is in the pre-school class. J and V often do much of the dances from the pre-school class while watching. It is amazing to see what they have learned and know simply from watching. These two little girls LOVE to dance together...it is a precious site and the other parents seem thoroughly entertained by them!

Veronica also very much sees Jocey as a comforter. One day at dance class, V was getting tired and cranky. We were sitting down to do "The Dancers in the Class" ballet arm position game where the dancers often sit in their mom's lap. Veronica walked right over to Jocey, plopped down in her lap and put her two fingers in her mouth. Jocey held right onto her and sang through the whole activity. It was so darn cute!

Jocey and Veronica giggles are like angels singing to me! These two giggle and laugh with one another with such pure joy...it is just beautiful. I could be in the worst of moods and I could hear these two giggling together and there is no way I could feel anything but 100% happiness.

As of

late, Jocey and Veronica have had two playdates all their own - no other friends, no siblings, etc...WHAT FUN!!! We had Jocey over one morning while the big kids were at pre-school! It was a pretty long playdate - almost 3 hours and these two just had the greatest time. From the second Jocey got in our car it was non-stop chatter "Oh Jocey, my Jocey, you comma my house, Jocey comma my house"...and "Hi 'onica, Hi 'onica, I play, your house, I play". The girls read books, played a little bit of Little People, but very quickly the playdate turned into Dance Party USA:) It started when we went into the kitchen and the song "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" came on the radio - the two of them immediately broke into their recital dance routine. Their excitement at hearing their song and doing their steps was precious!!!! On the dance dressed went and we headed downstairs and I put in the cd from their dance class and they did all their little games and activities together. Than I put on the cd from the big kid pre-school class and was really amazed to watch at how much they knew and how well they could do it on their own. Than we put on the video of their holiday dance recital and oh my goodness - the excitement at seeing themselves on tv...they couldn't stop talking "Jocey - there you, there you, there Jocey mommy, you dance Jocey, you dance, there MY mommy" and the same from Jocey. They kept squealing with delight and pointing each other out...it was ADORABLE!!!
On our next playdate, I took Jocey and Veronica to the mall, while Emily hosted a 'Happy Birthday Jesus' party for Julia, Isabella, and some of their friends. Veronica and Jocey took pictures together in the little photo booth at the mall, played at the tree slide, looked at the animals at the pet store, and looked at clothes at the The Gap - which was hilarious...they kept unfolding shirts and showing them to one another...it was so FUNNY!!!

It is so fun to see two little girls love each other so much...to see them so bonded. If you try to mess with one of them, you know you'd have to deal with both of them:) They've got each other's backs:)

So let's talk about clothes...

You may remember a bit back that I did a blog entry about giving in to using some of Isabella's hand-me-downs for Veronica. I have a bit of an OCD issue about the second child having their own things:) Plus I really enjoy kids clothes...I love shopping for kids clothes/outfits whether they are for my own children or for a new baby or the children of my friends. Even moreso, I love getting an amazing deal. Basically, my husband would say that I just like to shop:)

But I've been trying to turn over a new leaf and not do the excessive amount of shopping for my girls that I've done in the past. And I've gotta tell you...I've been doing pretty darn good!!!!:) And thank goodness for that because if I had bought a lot of new clothes for my girls lately, more likely than not, they wouldn't wear them. Let's talk about my fashionistas...

*ISABELLA...most of note is the fact that Isabella now has lots of opinions about clothes. This has pretty much stopped my 'shop ahead' lifestyle. For those of you who have been to our house, you know that the closet in Bryan's office has been filled with 'clothes for the future' since Isabella was a baby. I tend to shop ahead, buying 3T clothes when Isabella was one, getting holiday wear for future years when it is clearanced after the holidays, and so on. But now, Isabella has different likes and dislikes, so it will be much more beneficial for me to take her with to help choose things.

My 'clothes for the future' closet is also viritually empty because Isabella pretty much skipped size 4 and 5 in clothes and I had to move my stock of 6x stuff into her closet to wear now. She is 100% a size 4 (or less) in the waist, but those long legs and arms, quickly put her into a 5 this fall and now we've moved to a 6 for pants. In fact about a month ago, I had to take Isabella shopping to get some new shirts and pants that would fit - we needed them NOW...a first or us with her wardrobe!:) It was fun having Isabella show me the different things she liked and didn't like...she's got some style:) As we were going through the racks at Target, she told me, "These are the most awesome clothes ever, Mom!".

Fitting Isabella in clothes right now is not fun. To get pants that are long enough, she has to deal with adjustable waistbands that are cinched as much as possible. Every morning seems to find her upset or irritated about how somethings fits or feels. Some of it is drama - she hated jeans on Monday, so Tuesday I pull out leggings and she throws a fit wanting jeans because something is wrong with the leggings, etc...A morning with no clothes battle is rare around here these days. I've tried letting her pick her own clothes, but even that does not solve the fact that she is just often uncomfortable with how her clothes fit. Socks and shoes, her winter jacket as well, nothing fits to her liking, leading to a great deal of frustration, and at times, a Momma taking 5 in the bathroom while Daddy swoops in to save the day and tackle getting shoes and socks on for me. I am very grateful for those moments:)

It is very fun to watch Isabella dress herself! She puts together some really interesting outfits - she is a real fashion statement at times:) It is also a good exercise in teaching me to let go and let her wear what she wants at times instead of Mom's vision of perfectly coordinated outfits with matching hair bows:)

If all truth be told, Isabella would be happiest spending her days in a pair of underwear or a dress-up costume:)

*VERONICA...thank goodness I did not spend a bunch of money getting Veronica her 'own' clothes this year. Veronica spends most of her time in a swimsuit or a leotard. I will dress her in clothes in the morning, but a short time later, they are discarded for a leotard or swimsuit. These items are also her first choice of clothing for bedtime, until she started to get a diaper rash from the way her leo would push her diaper up...we realized that she couldn't be wearing the leos or swimsuits for the long periods of time that she had been (thanks to Grandma Grace for helping us figure out the cause to the diaper rash) We have to do some fancy convincing at times when we are going out in public to get her in something other than a leo or ss. Veronica also has strong opinions about what she does or does not want to wear, whining incessantly to pick her clothes from her closet. Veronica has the opposite problem of her sister and is shorter which sometimes makes her pants uncomfortable. Even when things fit perfectly, Veronica can throw a fit shouting, "It too big, it don't fit, too tight". I don't think she even knows what she is saying, but is just repeating what she has heard. Whatever the cause, it is not a fun way to start the day:( But this too shall pass...right???:)

I was looking at the girls opening gifts on Christmas morning and realizing how strong their opinions on clothes have become and also patting myself on the back for letting go and not fighting this battle. My vision on Christmas morning - they would have been in their Christmas pj's and red hair bows - FYI for anyone who doesn't know - I LOVE holiday themed pj's:). Reality - Isabella was in a regular Dora nightgown and Veronica was in a red, white, and blue 4th of July pj set that she thought was a swimsuit...a short time later she was just in her diaper:)

'Sisty' Time

Isabella and Veronica continue to develop their relationship as sisters...80% of the time they are at odds, 15% of the time they play peacefully, 5% of the time they have the sweetest, most precious moments I've ever witnessed. These are of course estimates on the percentages...hee hee hee:)

But they are definitely growing in their relationship. In the morning, Isabella is always asing if she can go in Veronica's room to wake her up. Some days we say yes and off she will go and climb into V's crib and we delight in eavesdropping on their funny little conversations and delightful giggles.

Veronica has become passionately defensive of her big sister. She immediately tries to rescue Isabella when she gets in trouble or has to go spend quiet time in her room, defiantly saying to us, "Can't do that to Bella" or "Bella crying, Bella ok?" or my favorite, "That's MY sister, Bella it's ok". We have had some playtime with babies or other younger children that Isabella has doted over recently which has made Veronica very possessive of her big sisty - "Where my Bella?", "I want to go with my Bella", "That's MY Bella, that's MY sister". It is ADORABLE!!!

It is really neat to watch the increase in the communication between them as Veronica's vocabulary grows and their ability to play together more and more. They currently really enjoy playing babysitter together, which basically involves playing babies. They push their babies in the strollers, they put them to bed, they read books to them, they change their diapers, they give them pretend baths and wash their hair with diaper rash cream (hey, I'm all about creative play:). It's fun to watch!

The girls also, as of late, really enjoy dancing and singing together. We often find ourselves after dinner lounging on the couch watching the two of them do their moves and sinigng...LOUDLY!:)

Up next in the grand adventure of Isabella and Veronica will be sharing a room...Isabella's room has been freshly painted to make it brand new and the bunk beds arrive on Tuesday...more on that soon:) What have we gotten ourselves into???:)