PONYTAIL!!

You may have noticed in some recent pics on the blog, my dear Gemma-girl -- who hasn't let me do a thing with her hair besides wash and comb it for the past 2 years -- has finally decided ponytails are a good idea after all.  It took some nights of really nasty tangles after playing outside for most of the day to convince her that part of the reason mommy wears a ponytail some days is to keep my hair from getting so tangly when out in the wind.  And lo and behold, mama was right, and we're going on three weeks of daily ponies now!  I took her to Target and let her pick out some special hair things, and a friend of ours gave her some more, so she has plenty of exciting choices each morning...and I think she just looks so sweet!  She also seems more comfortable, as she is not constantly holding her hair out of her face when she plays outside (among other times)!  Still working on braids and piggy-tails and such, but the pony is a start for sure!

Kolbe's mealtime mohawk

Kolbe has always had a fascination with hair.  Maybe because for his first year + of life he didn't have any??  At any rate, when he was little tiny and I spent hours a day wearing him, he loved to play with my hair.  Now that he is a little older and he tries to do this when I rock him to sleep, I will admit, it gets a bit annoying (alright, it downright drives me up the wall, he's not as gentle as he used to be) so I have been discouraging the habit.  This has led to him messing with his own hair (now that he HAS hair), especially when he falls asleep.  And at dinnertime.  I'm not sure if this comes from the need to clean his hands, or if he just likes messing with his hair that much, but it has made for some quite interesting do's (or maybe "don't's" would be a better description) as you can see.

Kolbe's first haircut

Yes, you read that right. My essentially bald son had his first haircut here recently.  While he has the appearance of being bald from the front, he was actually beginning to rock quite the fuzzy mullet in the back, so it was definitely time.  Aaron used his beard-trimmer with the guard set on 4.  It was tough getting that little fuzz to catch, and ended up being a two-person job (!!) but in the end it was a success and our little guy looks very handsome I think.

BEFORE

AFTER

And the "during" shots!

MOMMY!  Make him STOP!!!!

He has hair!!!

...a blessed little bit, but hair none-the-less!

What we're up to

I feel like I've been terrible at updating on the kids lately, and I know that's why most of you keep coming back ;-D so here you go.

Gosh, where to start.  We've really been enjoying the days that are warmer and nicer outside.  We've been taking more trips to the park (our neighborhood one and another area park we like to frequent), blowing bubbles, chalking (as Gemma calls our sidewalk chalk adventures) and just soaking up the good 'ole vitamin D that finally returns every year around this time. YAY!  My MIL brought us some pretty pansies and we have them in a pot on the deck.  They make me absurdly happy and anxious for spring every time I see them.

picked out her own outfit

extremely rare piggytails

Gemma is getting very independent, in some senses. She dresses herself most days and has even washed her own hair a few times lately (with limited assistance).  She has figured out how to open the curtains and blinds on the window in her bedroom and has become quite possessive of that task.  She's really been enjoying coloring lately and is beginning to understand the concept of staying inside the lines.  Oh I am looking forward to doing some preschool activities with her in the coming year!  I think we'll have lots of fun.  It is definitely giving me a whole new perspective on homeschooling, which I really thought I'd never have any interest in.  Catholic schools are still the "plan" but I'm open to whatever God has in mind for us...just need to figure that out here in the next few years.  ;-D  We will definitely "homeschool" (if you can call it that) preschool though.  I don't think either she or I would be ready for the separation preschool would bring.  Speaking of, she's been going through some major separation anxiety lately.  And I don't leave her much, the main time is that either my mom or MIL come over to play with the kids while I teach 2-3 piano lessons a week (so only 1-1.5 hours).  Well, we'll talk about it all day, about the fun things she will do with grandma, and she will seem fine with it until grandma comes and I go down to the basement to teach.  She flips out.  She has spent the past month or so of lessons sitting in her little rocking chair beside the piano while I teach.  She's really very good, either sits by me or plays quietly on her own, so I really don't care that she's down there.  I'm just not sure what has caused this sudden change, she's previously always done fine when I've left her with grandma.  She's even starting getting upset the day I have a lesson and daddy is home.  It's crazy. Hmmm....

Hey, where'd the apple crisp go?

Kolbe, oh my Kolbe boy.  He is alllllll boy.  Have I mentioned that?  He loves to throw things.  Namely balls but he will really throw anything he can get his hands on, so watch out.  Still not walking but he'll pull up to standing on things and cruise along the furniture a bit.  He crawls fast.  He loves to crawl over to the TV and turn it on.  Grrrrrrr.  He likes to sign and uses "more", "milk" and "all done" very well to communicate with us.  I can tell he understands a lot even though he doesn't say much.  He loves to play peek-a-boo and if you ask him what Max (our dog) says he'll say "oof".  Doesn't talk nearly as much as Gemma did at this age, I'm still amazed when I look back at old posts how early she talked, but they each develop at their own rate and he's doing great.  He is very active and definitely keeps me on my toes, probably more so than Gemma ever did.

sharing icecream with daddy

Aaron is gearing up for spring yard projects (champing at the bit, really) and has prepped one wall of the garage for painting (it is currently sheet-rocked and partially taped and mudded).  I've been keeping busy with the kids and some political work I've been doing.  I'm working with a group that's in the process of trying to change our state's current vaccine mandates.  Vaccines are a hot topic, I know, and I really don't intend to start a big debate over it here on the blog (if you'd like more info, feel free to leave your email in the comments or private message me on Facebook). We're simply working towards giving parents back the right to make informed vaccine choices for their children in our state.  It has been consuming a lot of my time of late but it is good, rewarding work, I'm learning so much about the political process and I've been blest with an amazing group of women with whom I'm working.  God is good.

Thanks for checking in with us!  Happy (almost) spring and don't forget to set those clocks ahead this weekend.  BLESSINGS!

Gemma, 3yrs 2 months.; Kolbe, 14 months

Flower girl extravaganza

Gemma was flower girl this past Friday at the wedding of one of my husband's high school friends. We talked a loooooot about it in the weeks and days leading up to the wedding (otherwise the whole event would likely have been a nightmare for her and us as well) and she did just a really great job. I was so proud of her. So very proud. I didn't get any super-awesome-fabulous pictures (despite taking 50+) but I did get some pretty cute ones (if I do say so myself), so thought I'd just stick them all (mostly) up here for your perusal (this is for you, mom!). Hopefully the professional ones will be up on the photographer's site at some point soon (Megan and Brent are the couple for whom to look). But here are some of the ones I took.

Waiting patiently for her food at the rehearsal dinner.
Getting dressed
So pretty
Beautiful little girl
I think she looks soooooo big in this one. Where did my baby girl go?
With her handsome bubby-brother
Her flowers were so cool
Being silly!
I used hairspray on her hair for the first time. It helped keep it a little more tame and static-free, since I knew she'd never allow for barrettes or an up-do or flowers or anything like that!
With daddy (he was a groomsman)
And with mommy
The family picture just wasn't happening ;-D
Grabbing some dinner before the ceremony
Twirling around!
A huge pile of M&M's at the reception and she was one happy girl (had to change out of the dress so she'd fit in her carseat)!
And Kolbe crashed
It was a fun evening out as a family and we were sure proud of our sweet flower girl!

Folks, we have pigtails

Gemma, in a strange bout of cheerful acquiescence last night, allowed my mother to put pigtails in her hair after her bath. They. were. precious. Oh my heart. She said she'd like them again in the morning. We'll see what the next few hours bring once she's up. Any bets? Whatever the case, doesn't she look adorable?!!!

Small Successes VI

1. Processed more baby food (sweet potatoes, apples and more brown rice) and got it put up in the freezer. This boy can eat! Methinks he's going to give me a run for my money.

2. Scored a free sling with a promo-code I received on my email. I'll let you know what I think of it once it arrives, but it looks very similar to my hotsling which I use with Kolbe when I'm out and about all. the. time. (oh, and it was a tough decision, but I ended up going with the "Northern Lights' pattern)

3. Got my hair trimmed (not cut), and my last cut was over three months ago! I could bore you with paragraphs about why this was a success, but I'll keep it short. I'm an every-six-weeks type of gal when it comes to haircuts, but after going way too short in May (by my own choosing...sometimes you've just gotta learn the hard way), I vowed to let it grow this summer. And I did!! Bangs and all. My sis (who has her cosmetology license and takes quite good care of both my and my daughter's hair) trimmed it for me last night and I am quite pleased. I'm keeping the layers but looking forward to growing it a bit longer. We'll see where it is next year at this time.

And there you have it. Head on over to Faith and Family Live! to read about others' successes.

Some pictures

I realized it had been awhile since I'd posted any pics, so thought I'd remedy that.

Gemma. She will not let me do anything with her hair besides spray it down and comb it in the morning. No ponytails, piggytails, barrettes, nothing. I don't care a lot, and it really does look very nice that way. And while I know her hair would look super-sweet "done" as well, you pick your battles and this is just not one that I have any interest in fighting. But then she goes and does this to herself. Really? And you can't wear a ponytail?!! Silly girl.
Kolbe is sitting up really well now. I know he enjoys the new vantage point, and Gemma seems to be enjoying the fact he can sit, as well. Here they are playing with the stacking cups, which have hands-down been the perennial favorite toy at our house since the time Gemma was Kolbe's age. Build 'em up, knock 'em down. Hours and hours of fun.
The kiddos in their matching bumGenius diapers (we use these for overnite). Gemma hasn't wet at night for over a month, but she doesn't complain about it so we still put her in one just in case. I love how she is holding his hand in this picture.
Gemma with my water bottle. She loves drinking out of it. I think she looks like such a big girl in this picture. Definitely not a baby anymore.
Thanks for checking in!