Sissy is dirty....

Abby loves to tell me "sissy go poo-poo"!! Most times Maddy has not, but she insists she is stinky, and signals to me by swaying her hand in front of her nose as if she smells something bad and makes a sour face. So last night I told her Maddy needed a bath because she was "dirty"....Abby insisted on helping.

Cute profile shot! Love her little dimpled chin & chipmunk cheeks! They are sooo sweet to kiss!

Scrubbing her little feet. Abby likes to do everything I do....of course! Look at those chunky thighs!!! Abby never had rolls like that!

i LOVE my sister

Abby now asks to hold Maddy from time to time, and Maddy is very patient with her.....not so much the other way around :) I laugh though because when Abby holds her it seems like Maddy is 2/3 her size!! She's our little chunkster!

Whats new....

Well, the weather has been putting a damper on our activities lately, specifically the S-word (snow!).

So the snow from last weekend just melted as of Friday, and now it just started snowing again at noon today (Saturday!!). No break whatsoever. Hopefully it doesn't accumulate too much this time around. But we have been up to other things.

Last Friday Abby had her 2nd dentist visit. They only checked her teeth and did flouride because they said they like to wait until all her baby molars are in to do the 1st cleaning, and she only has 1 more to come down. So that cleaning will likely be this summer at her next appointment. But she was a big girl and let the dentist look in her mouth.

And Abby is still going to preschool on Wednesdays and LOVES it! She learns new songs, plays with her friends, and lets mommy have a few hours to herself....KEY!!!

And yes, Mike is still gone for another 4 weeks. We just got over the half-way hump, so now we are headed downhill on this journey. We love getting to skype with him on the weekends so he gets some face time with his girls.

Then this coming Friday Grandma Donna will be here, and the following Tuesday Great Grandma/Grandpa Reiss will be here to visit as well, so our house won't be so quiet, and I can talk to someone other than a 2-year old (kind of a one-way conversation most times!!). And before we know it, March 6th will be here and daddy will be home.

Happy Super Bowl weekend to everyone!! XOXO Allison, Abby & Madelyn

Playgroup @ Fire Station #7 in Norfolk

We had a very fun and hands-on playgroup at the firestation today!

Aside from the snowy drive to get there, we did have a nice visit!

The firemen were very accomodating to our group of mostly 2 year olds and showed us the ropes! They even got a call while we were there so we got to watch the ambulance leave in a hurry!

Abby......looking up and probably thinking that hose will probably hurt if it falls on her head! Or at least thats what I was thinking as I quickly took the photo!

Abby wasn't all that enthused when it came to touching and especially sitting in the firetruck.
Up until then she enjoyed it all and walked hand-in-hand with her best friend Emily following the fireman's lead. The only thing she willingly touched was the hose.
How tall am I??? Just shy of a firetruck tire in case you were wondering.

Waiting at the beginning of the tour for instructions from the fireman....listening carefully!

Oh Sooooo Sweet

We were snowed in all weekend.....just the THREE of us (plus Roxy of course!)

So here are a couple cute shots I got of the girls this morning while we were lounging around.

When I look at this first photo, I see so many facial similarities between the girls! But Maddy is definitely chubbier than Abby ever was! She has cute chipmunk cheeks that are SO fun to kiss!!!

More snow....

This is what the pool/yard looked like this morning after 8 hrs of snow

Let it SNOW!!!!!!

Well we finally got a real snow storm. They say it is one of the top 3 in this area in decades!!

We woke up to about 6+ inches of snow and more is expected to fall through tonight and will likely stay until Monday or so until the weather warms up enough to start to melt it!

Abby woke up, ran in my room and said "go play"!!

So......on went the rainboots and the clothes and she was ready to play! I was kind of surprised how eager she was to touch it since it was her first experience but she didn't hesitate. I opened the back door and she and Roxy ran out to enjoy the snow. Abby mostly liked dusting the snow off the flat surfaces and she'd say "look mommy I did it". Until she went for the bbq and since it was up high the snow she knocked off fell right on her face and she was in shock for a few minutes until I came to the rescue and cleaned off her face.

Fun to watch her enjoy something new and rare! Too bad daddy isn't here to do it with us :(

Old Friends renewed!!!

My college dorm roommate Kristin and her two boys Liam & Eamon came to visit us from D.C. for 2 nights this week. Her husband is busy finishing up his last semester of Law School, so he was eager for a few nights to himself to study, and we got 2 days to catch up on old times. Plus the kids got to meet now that we both have 2, and Abby & Liam had a great time playing together. Liam is 3 and Eamon is 1!

Unfortunately we didn't get a picture of the two of us......hence no adults around, so we will have to make sure to do that next time!

Eamon & his monkey
We took a trip to the zoo....and met the zoo turkey! Abby ran away crying after this picture as the turkey started to confront her! No harm done though.....I think he was just letting them know who's boss! And toddlers think they are boss, so he had to set them straight.

Silly kids!!

All three of them!!

Liam holding Maddy!! He was eager to hold the baby the last day!

Princess Party

One of Abby's best friends "Emily" had her 3rd birthday party and you had to arrive dressed in your own princess style! So Abby wore her Cinderella dress!!! She was so excited to go dressed up! First time the dress left the house.....and it came back in one piece!

Here are some memories from the fun afternoon.

Emily's mom/dad dressed up too (Cinderella & Prince Charming of course), and they had "Princess Belle" arrive to greet and read a story to the girls. They were all impressed!!

Toddlers deep in thought!
Abby & Birthday Girl Emily

The Group!

Julie & Dan all dressed up! (I know I would NEVER get Mike to do something like this....at least not publicly)

One tired princess (no nap for the day....and lots of princess dancing = tired girl who fell asleep on the way home)

I was actually asked by another parent if I curled her hair for the occaision......nope! Totally natural of course thanks to daddy's genetics!

Ring-around-the-rosie princess style!

Sitting with "Belle".....she was glued to Belle and sat there many times!

Throwback!!!! To 1983/84??

Brenda sent this as part of my birthday package.....so I just had to share it!

Aside from being cute!!! OF COURSE!!! It reminds me a LOT of Abby these days, so I'm guessing I was somewhere between 2 and 3 years old??? Genetics are a kick!

B.O.B has entered my life.....

Here are some quick shots I got of my new double jogging stroller!
I really needed something to get me active & out of the house with the girls, and the weather is only going to improve going forward!
It is called a "BOB" and has many great features that I love!!
I got the girls in it tonight to get their harness straps tightened and ready for our maiden voyage......as soon as it stops raining!!

Abby was so excited, and when I reclined her seat (big bonus....separate sun shades and separate reclining seats) she told me "night night mommy". SO CUTE!

Looking at them side by side it really makes Abby look big.....or Maddy small....either way.

Abby practicing her sleeping. In reality I think Maddy will be doing most of the sleeping while we stroll! Thats what she does best.....Abby, not so much.
Side view (with Abby's side reclined)

Full coverage sun shade down

Oh my silly girls......Abby's hiding and Maddy's just thinking...."mom, this is not a real walk, so what are we doing"

Playtime for Maddy

Maddy has been enjoying laying on her playmat lately! With the toys within reach she is intrigued when she hits them and they move!! So cute to watch her learn.

Exceptions, Exceptions

Abby ate dinner after bathtime tonight, and chose to eat in the nude!

Not a battle I was going to fight, so I grabbed the camera!

And of course Roxy was close by to prance on any crumbs!!

Monkey Book Anyone??

I caught Abby reading her book to Maddy while she was swinging the other day.

Who cares that the book is upside down......really.....I think they both enjoyed it!

She's quite the little mother!!