Hadley was just sitting at the table loudly singing, “yes, Jesus loves tootie-face. The Bible tells me so.”

Another classic to file away.

Friday night was the first chance the girls have had to go roller skating.

People were doing a skate night in York to raise money and we thought it would be a good chance to get out and try something different.

Hadley immediately wanted to get out and skate. I think she saw how easy everyone made it look and thought it would be that easy. After a few minor falls, the frustration began. She would try and go around the outside using the railing, but wanted no help from anyone. She said that she wanted to learn to skate “RIGHT NOW!”, but that she didn’t need anyone’s help.

Zoey Belle, on the other hand, was more than happy to just hold on and roll. The place, which appears to have been constructed in the mid-17th century and still uses age-specific skates, actually had a pair small enough to fit her. She would hold on to our hands as we basically carried her around the rink. It was tiring, but Linds and I and the Schwarz’s all took turns with her.

Hadley spent a lot of time on a carpeted area and really began to figure it out. Once back on the rink, she was relying on the railing too much and I think if she would’ve just let go and tried more, she may have actually been able to go. That being said, she improved immensely and I don’t think she will have to go too many more times to really get the hang of it.

As our night began to get late, Lindsey got Zoey Belle ready to go home and I started to work on Hadley. I told her to skate across the rink so we could get ready to go. She refused and went the other direction. She began crying that she wanted to skate over to mommy. I told her this was fine, but then she didn’t go. After the third time of this conversation, I sat her down and took off her skates. That’s went it all went downhill. She took off running away from me, conveniently while I was still wearing my skates. After a complete mental breakdown and the help of our friends, we finally got her out of the rink and on the way home.

As a consequence I told her that she would not get a story before bed. This really seemed to hit home with her and we are hoping that it was an effective consequence, because I don’t know if I can handle an explosion like that again.

Zoey Belle spent this whole time just playing, laughing and enjoying watching Hadley’s meltdown.

Saturday night, Lindsey and I were lucky enough to get the night off. The church was doing free babysitting, so the we went out for Garrett and my birthdays. We went out to eat, bowling and hot-tubbing, even though the hot tub was really cold. It was a nice break.

The girls had a good time at the church with the youth group playing games, eating snacks and staying up late. We picked them up at 9:25pm, almost two and a half hours past bedtime. When we got home, they got into their usual bedtime routine of asking questions, singing, laughing and arguing. It was almost 11:30pm before they fell asleep. Late night, but we all had a good day, so it was worth it.

The past few weeks have been kind of rough. Hadley has formed a new attitude, and it is not good. Sass is her new middle name. Zoey Belle has been feeding off Hadley’s irritability, and that hasn’t been good for anyone either. Both of them have been very well acquainted with the time out chair.

In order to preserve my sanity, I have been trying to come up with options for doing some things differently around here. First, I wanted to have a bit of quiet time/solitude in the afternoons so I can regroup and get my bearings a bit. I decided that while Zoey is taking her nap, Hadley would have just 20 minutes of relaxation/quiet time where she would sit on the couch and just be quiet. I figured if she is tired enough to fall asleep 20 minutes would be enough time, and if not, it would be enough quiet for me to focus on gaining back the patience that I would have lost earlier in the day. We are on day 4 of this new time, and today, Hadley has fallen asleep. The last words she said to me were, “mommy, I want to watch my shows…and I did NOT get up too early this morning.” I told her no to watching TV during her quiet time and she pouted. Her pouting lead her right into sleeping with her mouth hanging open. It feels so good.

I am also going to work on implementing a way of having her pick up her own room. (Mostly.) I recognize that she is nearly four and cleaning her entire room by herself can be a bit of an undertaking, but I am just tired of doing it all by myself. I am kicking around some different ideas on how to tackle this one, but soon, it will be something she does with me.

I going to be the biggest carnivore in town and eat bags of dead meat.

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We woke up this Sunday morning and Zoey is still getting her cough on. It’s not that bad, but we decided we didn’t want to take her to church and be “those parents” who bring their sick kid to church and contaminate the congregation.

So Linds stayed back with ZB and Hadley and I headed out. She did a great job and even got to give $1 to the collection plate (thanks to Aunt Emily who actually remembered money).

After church we came home and had leftovers for lunch. Zoey Belle was really crabby, so she went down for a nap. Emily came over for a bit with Olivia while Glenn worked and Hadley loved giving her kisses and looking at her.

After Emily left, Lindsey was wiped, so she went to take a nap and the girls played in the kitchen. They took Hadley’s little couch in with some pillows and blankets and went “camping” on the floor. Everything was going good until Zoey Belle accidentally spilled water all over the couch. After that I sent the girls upstairs to wake Lindsey.

Since I am starting a “Health Challenge” tomorrow, we decided to go out for my Last Supper. We went to Applebees and thought it would be nice to have a special family meal together, since we won’t be going out or eating unhealthily for the next couple of months.

Hadley ate nothing and complained of a stomach ache the entire time. Zoey Belle loved her chocolate milk and apple sauce, but just picked at her food. Not too much of a shock when you look at their recent eating habits.

After supper we got home, Hadley sat down and ate her entire doggy bag and then we got pj’s on and read books until bedtime. The girls are now giggling and making noises in their room. Hopefully they pass out soon.

So it’s past the first of the year, so Linds and I decided it was time for the yearly remodel. If you have problems viewing the site, try downloading Firefox, it’s a much better browser than IE.

That being said, this morning we got up and didn’t have much to do. We knew we needed to make a trip to Lincoln at some time, so with that, off we went.

The girls did decently during the ride, so general arguing and then Zoey Belle crying for the last 10 minutes.

We got to the mall only to find out that Lincoln’s weather wasn’t York’s weather. When we’d left town it was almost 40 and sunny. What with our latest weather experiences, this really does feel like global warming. So we followed suit and did not bundle up that much. We stepped out of the car, though, and were greeted with wind, fog, no sun and the temp was around 20. Great.

We made the rounds and then stopped at the bookstore. The girls really loved the kids’ section. There is a little stage with some fake animals and trees around it. Hadley was captivated by it and kept walking around it and touching everything. Zoey Belle grabbed a couple books off the shelf and I read them to her while Linds looked for some books. The girls were doing fairly well at this point.

Next we headed to Olive Garden. It’s Lindsey’s favorite restaurant and we’d gotten several gift cards for Christmas, so it was the obvious choice. The kids didn’t want to eat or color. Hadley was just spacing off and not paying attention or following directions very well. Even the offer of ice cream after lunch didn’t sway her much. Zoey Belle refused to eat anything. She still isn’t feeling 100%, so I think her appetite will come back when she feels a bit better.

Next we headed to Best Buy so I could pick up some camera supplies. Linds put both girls in the cart and went looking at the big screen TVs. Luckily, they were showing clips from a kids movie on them, so the girls kicked their feet up and enjoyed the free HD.

We decided to take the chance with some ice cream, but I told the girls they would have to share. After a lack-luster lunch eating performance, I didn’t want them to just fill up on sugar and spaz out the whole way home. They got a small dish of ice cream and of course, Zoey Belle yells “MINE!” and pulls the cup away from Hadley. Yelling and arguing follow, but Lindsey gets them redirected, we finish our treat and head home.

It isn’t 5 minutes later and both girls are passed out. I think we all needed that.

Fast forward to later tonight, the kids have been better and are starting to wind down. Lindsey had rented UP, so we sat down to enjoy it as a family. Zoey Belle could’ve cared less, as she usually is when it comes to TV or movies. Around 7 she was getting whiny, so I took her to bed and she went straight to sleep. Hadley stayed up for the duration and cuddled with Lindsey the whole time. She really loved the movie and was already asking to watch it again when she wakes up.

Overall, a little stressful day with the kids in the “big city”, but we survived and will start all over again tomorrow…

Our week continues on as it has been…Meltdowns, time-outs, tears (and that’s just me.) Only kidding.

I asked Zoey Belle today, “what’s the problem?”

She said, “Two.”

I feel like she is forewarning me that she is going to be two soon, and we are headed down THAT road. You know the one…

This could be painful.

Speaking of painful, Zoey’s cough seems to be getting worse. It is looser now, but that poor kid can’t catch a break with it. With every exhale she is coughing and sputtering.

Hadley’s dance class started up again this week, so that was exciting for her.

Eric and I are working on a new look for the blog, so maybe we will get that done soon…since we have so much spare time together.

The past week has been going steadily downhill. We started off the week with going outside to play (finally!!!)
The girls got all bundled up and went to play in the backyard, where they wanted to play on the swing set. The fact that it was buried under a 4 foot snow drift meant nothing to them. So I got to scooping. It took me a while, but the girls cheered me on. Hadley kept saying, “oh mommy, you’re the best!” Then they played on it for all of five minutes. They also climbed to the top of the snow in the very back of the yard and found that they are taller than the lilac bushes in the back because the snow drift is probably close to 6 foot. Once the girls’ lips had turned blue I decided they needed to warm up, so we took a trip to Starbucks and got some hot chocolate. The girls thought it was pretty cool that they got to drink out of a cup that looked just like mine.

So, our morning was perfect and the girls were doing great, and then some form of mania took over and the girls haven’t been the same since. Zoey Belle was doing fine until about 1am the following night. Then the coughing started. It was not a normal cough, very dry and tight in her chest. So the next morning I took her right in, because I was fearful that it was croup. Sure enough, the Doctor told me it was the start of it, but said we caught it right as it was beginning so no worries. She is on a steroid to help. She slept much better the next night, and seems to be doing fine in general.

Hadley’s behaviors have been a bit unruly. She seems to be reverting back to her terrible two’s. I am trying to pin point where these behaviors are coming from…is she tired, is she not getting enough attention, etc, etc. Eric and I are thinking that her TV time might have something to do with it because she seems to throw monster fits once her TV time is over. She never has trouble turning the TV off when we ask, it seems like it is usually after that when her fits start. I am starting to think that she is loosing her ability to be creative and play once she has vegged out. Eric and I have tossed around a couple of ideas from turning the TV off all together with the possibility of her watching a movie on a weekend to having her earn some TV time through good behaviors. We will see where our brainstorming takes us.

I have developed a sneezing, runny nose with a bit of a sore throat, but drinking warm tea is helping it. It feels a lot like allergies. Yuck.

Otherwise, we have been keeping busy with all the things to do around the house amongst other errands/chores.

Remember that cabin fever I was talking about previously? I think it’s getting worse.

The cold and snow have finally started to back off. This weekend it looks to be in the mid-40s, which be an incredible blessing after weeks of subarctic temperatures.

Lindsey is doing her best to keep from going crazy with the girls. The girls are doing their best to drive their mom crazy. Today Lindsey took them grocery shopping and due to good behavior and as an incentive, they each got a pair of sunglasses.

This also helps Lindsey because they always want to wear her glasses while riding in the car.

After a lunch of mac and cheese and leftovers, I took Hadley outside to play while I changed the headlight in the car. She loved climbing the giant drifts and exploring them. She pointed to a whole in one and said, “I wonder how deep that goes?” I really enjoy her inquisitive mind, especially when she asks questions about science and nature. She’s already so smart and just keeps gaining everyday.

Zoey Belle is a crazy machine lately. She’s starting to get sick, but is also having some sharing issues. We hear a lot of “mines!” and “no!” when other kids are around. We think her defensiveness toward her toys comes from the older kids she’s been around having taken them for the last year and half. She’s finally gotten to the point where she can stand her ground. While it’s good to see the progress, we are working with her on appropriate ways to share and let people know that you are still playing with something.

Both of the girls still light up my days every time I get home from work and they run up to me yelling Daddy and giving me hugs. I love the time I get to spend with them before bed where Hadley asks me to tell a story, each night involving a dragon, a wicked witch and aliens. It’s tough, but it keeps my creative juices flowing. After I leave the room, we can always hear Hadley retelling the story several times to Zoey Belle as they both fight sleep.

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This morning Hadley turned to me and quite matter-of-factually stated:

“Joker and Penguin are master criminals and they can be dangerous.”

Amazing.

It’s been terribly cold outside. Today it doesn’t appear that we will see much of a positive number on the thermometer.

The girls are showing signs of cabin fever as they have been stuck in the house for days.

I know that Linds is trying to keep them busy but I can tell that they are all a little more irritable with each other and boredom is starting to set in. Linds has had them working on some craft projects and the girls have enjoyed playing with their new toys from Christmas.

One nice thing is their moods in the morning. Hadley’s doesn’t take long to sour, but at least the first things I hear from her are nice. She came upstairs this morning with a cup full of rocks and coins. “Daddy,” she said, “the tooth fairy didn’t come last night. I put these rocks and money under my pillow and they were still there when I woke up.”

I tried to explain to her the concept of the tooth fairy, but it wasn’t 7 yet and cognitive thought wasn’t in my brain yet.

A few minutes later we here the patented Zoey Belle, “MOM!”

She bumbles up the steps and begins shouting, “Morning!” repeatedly. It’s pretty cute and a great way to start our day. Granted 5 minutes later she and Hadley were climbing all over us in the bed and trying to kick each other. Next came Zoey Belle’s other catch phrase of “hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry…”, you get the idea.

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After visiting Arlington/Fremont this weekend we headed back home to see Gerry and Kallie for one last night. They stopped to stay on their way back to Texas. After they headed back we got ourselves ready and went to church. The girls did surprisingly well considering church was canceled for a few weeks and we were out of town in between that. We did bring a lot of their new books to look through though, so that really did help. Our afternoon was very lazy and we all just laid around. I let Hadley watch some movies while Eric and Zoey slept for about four hours. Now our weeks of travel, family, friends and fun are catching up with us. We are supposed to settle into some semblance of a routine, and I am not sure how that is going to go. The girls got SO MANY new toys that there is no way they will all fit in our little house. Thank heavens we have their play room downstairs. Except that it is probably 2 degrees down there right now. We have a window situation…that is all I will say about that. I think the solution is going to be putting some of their old toys down there and letting them keep the new ones upstairs.

I also forgot to mention that Saturday was Eric’s Birthday. We had so much stuff going on that day that we didn’t do a big birthday shindig for him like usual. We did get to see family and a few friends, so that was nice, but we usually do a day dedicated to him and all of his interests and activities that he loves. Zombie movies, violent movies, horrifically violent video games, etc… and we usually have him chose all the food. He is pretty predictable. It generally consists of double bacon cheeseburgers. Hadley has helped make his cake in the past too. And as I type this I thought it would be a good side note to add that the girls aren’t awake for the movies/video games part of his birthday. Just in case anyone was worried. We decided that we would pick a day to do all that for him and it would maybe be combined with our usual birthday celebration for Garrett’s birthday since his is late in the month.

In the next four months we have three more birthdays to celebrate and Eric and I will take a trip to Mexico. We think 2010 is going to start of pretty nice. We also will be seeing Chris in the next few weeks here as he is coming home to visit for two weeks. He has been in Iraq since the end of July, so we are anxiously awaiting his return home. Unfortunately, Eric can’t take time off work, so our visit will be short. We don’t care though, it will just be nice to see him at all!

If you haven’t had time yet, go check out the pictures Eric added of our festivities. It has been a full and busy last month, but we have enjoyed every second of it. We are very blessed with loving friends and family.

NEW JANUARY PHOTOS HERE

This past weekend we were blessed with cold but clear weather. This allowed us to get to Fremont and enjoy the Schmit Christmas.

The girls loved seeing all the family and were immediately kidnapped by the cousins. They can’t get enough of Madeline and Katherine.

After a great lunch we took some family pics and opened gifts. Hadley was bombarded with gifts and loved being part if the action. She got a really great scrapbook with pictures if animals and old family pictures. In the moment she didn’t seem too excited about it, but has since looked through it and continually declared it to be “awesome”. She really likes the pictures if grandma as a little girl and the fuzz-ball kittens.

Zoey Belle got a large stuffed dog that doubles as a pillow. Enough said. She immediately threw herself onto it and has been using it since.

The next day we did the Eckert side Christmas and the girls got even more presents. Spoiled rotten they are.

It was really good seeing all of the fam and we hope to see everyone again soon.

See all of our Christmas photos HERE