Halloween

Well - this is an extremely overdue post - especially since Christmas is knocking at our door!! Oops.

This year for Halloween I went on Pinterest on my phone - typed in 'Halloween Tutu Costumes.'  I scrolled for quite a while and saw many adorable ones - many that I'd have chosen, BUT I decided to let them look.  So they each had a turn with my phone scrolling (yes it is also crazy that a 2 and 4 year old know how to scroll so well) and Maree stumbles upon Maleficent.  All of these cute princessy costumes and she picks the Villian - again lol. (Last year she was a witch). Once she saw it she had her heart set completely on it so I decided I could make that.

Ellie, also took my phone, and I was SO SURE she would pick a minion tutu dress… but no, she picked Sully from Monster's Inc.  And honestly, I felt like it couldn't be more perfect for her lol.  Both costumes only took about 30 minutes to make… but the horns definitely took longer.  I had to cut them out of plant foam, modge podge glitter on to them, and spray with a sealant.  I love crafting though, so it was fun to come up with it all.

Then came the school Haloween party - Maree LOVED showing off her costume to her friends.. and they did a parade of all the students in their costumes and I could tell the girls felt pretty special b/c no one else was Maleficent or Sully.  Nana and Papa came to school to see them too :)

Maree with her teacher

October Fun

In October Grandma Robbie came for a visit and the girls sure loved getting to see her.  October is also one of our favorite months here in AZ & we were able to get some good shopping and outdoor meals in while she was here.

We also attempted some pumpkin patches - BUT the lines to get in were ridiculous.  So we tried to take a few pictures and then decided to try the train park -- and that was a much better idea

Maree at 4

              

Four??!!  I'm still not sure how we got here so fast, but we did and you're sure growing up! I love to go back and look at past birthday blogs to see what's changed… and I feel like this past year (specifically the last 2 months) has been your biggest change to date!  Here is a quick list of changes that have happened

1. You can walk BESIDE me instead of holding my hand in a parking lot and I don't have to fear  you're going to run off in front of a car
2. I ask you to put on your shoes or your clothes and you actually do it!!
3. You like to get your arms in and buckle the chest harness seatbelt all by yourself even before I get to your side(SO helpful!!) & Get in and out of the car without my help most of the time
4. You've been swimming on your own without water wings since you were 2.5… but this year you do flips and dolphin dives!
5. You can actually tell me when you have an ear infection!!! Granted you always tell me that I've put boogies in your ear… but at least I know what that means :)
6. You've also started letting men now when something is wrong… or if Ellie is doing something she shouldn't - so far this hasn't turned into tattle tailing.. but been super helpful.. like "Mom! Ellie has scissors!"

The past birthday blogs I've talked about your super intense emotions.  You do still have these but on a different scale.  Over the summer we went to a specialist who suggested all kinds of things we do for you - including behavior therapy.  I, however, really felt that your emotions were tied to you not hearing for a year.  Trusting my gut, I found a speech therapist lady who comes to our house (which is amazingly helpful) And even from the first week, I could tell a difference.  She said you didn't have a speech issue, but a language issue.  You never heard the ebb and flow of a conversation and were missing some skills to put all that you now hear together.  Let me just tell you, the past two months have been a huge change and you are making great strides my sweet girl.  Here are some of my favorite things that you still make little mistakes on, or things you really mentally stop to think about and then answer very exaggeratedly

• Mommy what time is it? - (This is how you ask me what the plan is for the day)
• It's an alligator! (elevator) which you can say, but still have to be corrected every time
• Mommy I look hungry
• Hootball (obv. football.. and now you make all F sounds perfectly.. but hoot ball is just one your brain doesn't even want to use an F for
• It used to be if someone asked you how you were doing, you'd answer with your age.   Now, someone will ask you how you are doing and you pause…. and then very exaggeratedly say I'M FINE! 
• It used to be if you did something wrong or even if it was an accident.. your response was always NOTHING! Now you'll say "so sorry mom" and holy moly if that doesn't knock the socks off me/my anger if I'm mad.  Amazing how helpful those words can be.

But back to the speech therapy, you're now able to put language to things inside your head.  You'll actually tell me about school - how a boy found your headband and put it on your head and now he's your hero.  Or you tell me about your best friends at school.  This didn't even remotely happen last year and it is an amazing change!!  It has also greatly helped with your intense emotions.  Any meltdowns you used to have can now get talked through much easier.  BUT you are still super sensitive.  If you do happen to get in trouble, or if you don't like something I've asked you to do… you do run off and hide. Usually in your closet behind the clothes. Eventually you come out and want a hug… but these are way more far and few between.  This sensitive side is very sweet though too… you'll tell me I have a beautiful heart.  Or if Ellie or anyone else gets injured you want to get them an ice pack right away or you sing to them to make them feel better. 

iPads. I was so against iPads and now I'm pro iPad.  First, it started with educational games.  You learned how to trace letters on the iPad and then duplicate the process at school.  Over night your worksheets came home completed!!! What a change! You also know every single letter of the alphabet AND you can say what sound each letter makes - so fun to see your brain grow :) Then the iPad has also been useful because I cut out your afternoon nap because you weren't going to bed at night.  Well, mommy still needs quiet time even if it is for an hour. SO, I let you take the iPad back to your room and you often watch a video on amazon prime, or lately, you've been watching youtube videos of kids playing barbies.  I think because you didn't have the language to pretend play before, watching other kids pretend play has really helped you - and NOW that you got a barbie house for your birthday you love to emulate what you've watched.

Strong willed. You are still very strong willed and really want to win at things.  You always want to be the best.  I obviously don't want to stifle your leadership personality but it does have challenges. A positive side to it though is that because you want to be the best you want to master something first.  We have gotten a few toys (magna tiles and legos, and a tool box set) and you LOVE to create something and figure out how it works/how to put it together.  It is amazing to see.

It's also been fun to see you start to have your first actual memories that seem to stick more than a a month or two.  You talk about your cousins Anna and Caylee all the time and want them to come back to your house. You even remember they live in Omaha and we have to take a plane to be able to see them. You also talk about our ocean trip and going to a Hotel all the time too.  It will be exciting to see how this progresses and what all you continue to remember!

Daddy and I often joke about what traits you have from me, and what traits you have from him.  One you definitely inherited from me… and even Grandma Robbie… is your sense of smell.  You smell EVERYTHING.  You can be in your own world playing or watching a movie and a smell will stop you in your tracks and you very LOUDLY point out that you smell something.  This is always wonderful when we are in public.  You'll either ask, "Mom, you smell that?!!!" or you'll ask "You fart?"  (Of which btw I'm still working on teaching you fart is a bad/unlady like word… but thanks to the boys in her class, she thinks fart is way more funny.)  The worst with this so far though, was one day I was picking you up from school and some boy in your class had pooped his pants.  You unfortunately happened to be beside him.  You smelled the smell and freaked out that it was coming from you and you started stripping off your clothes!!  Thank goodness I arrived right then and was able to ensure you that you hadn't caused the smell and it was ok to leave your clothes on. Whew!

You've also been a fountain of knowledge lately - telling me things I didn't even know you knew!    I'm not sure if it's the speech therapy that you're putting voice to more things, or if it's just you deciding to say things now. The other night I was putting you to bed and you are very set in having 3 songs sung to you by each parent.  Depending on how tired you are… you sing with me.  One night you just randomly started saying the pledge of allegiance…. the WHOLE thing!  I couldn't even believe it! You also started singing "He has the whole world.. in his hands" also didn't know you knew that song.  You showed Ellie the other day a picture of a flying horse and told her it was pegasus.  I could go on and on.

You continue to be very physical.  You're the tallest kid in your class again this year and love playing tag  at recess. In fact, you love running and showing everyone how fast you can go.  You've even gotten to where you've been requesting your purple shoes for school because they make you run faster! This is always funny, except when you try to hold Ellie's hand and make her run as fast as you… she can't keep up and then you both end up falling!

Speaking of Ellie… it only took 2.5 years (Ellie's whole life) for you to really start to enjoy her.  Up until recently my entire day staying home with you consisted of me refereeing.  You loved to take things from her and definitely didn't want her coming near you.  WELL. right at about the time speech therapy started, you also started playing with Ellie.  Now, on occasion, you'll both disappear to a back bedroom, shut the door, and play!  And I mean play for 30 minutes!  It's absolute heaven.  You both play well if she does what you want her to do… you love to both be mommies and whatever you do to your baby, she does! Now that we have the barbie house I also hear "Mom!!" coming from your bedroom all the time.  I often come running only to discover you were just playing pretend.  I'm absolutely thrilled to see your imagination come out :)

You still have a bigger than life personality! You hug random people all the time… even if they aren't ready for it. You love walking in places and saying hi.  At school this year on your birthday I opened the doors and you flung both your arms open and announced to everyone in the front office "IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!"

Some other funny notables:

**We were driving and stopped at a stop light. There was a tiny trough of water below the road way.
Maree: Mom, if we fell in that we would die
Me: Well probably not  because there's not very much water in it
Maree: what if there was LOTS of water
Me: Well, that could be bad and we could get trapped in our car and we could die.
Me:  Maree, where do we go if we die?
Maree: Iowa
I laughed for about 10 minutes.  Not even hesitation.. just Iowa. Clearly Marc talks about back home A LOT.


**She's lately been loving a cartoon called PJ Masks (which is a little superhero cartoon.) After watching it one day she looked at me and said: Mom, I want to be a gecko. I want to be a green gecko and climb the walls and be a super hero.  I told her that somedays I wish I was a superhero too.  She looks at me… drops to her knees.. and folds her hands and says "dear god. please make me a gecko."

** We were in Maree's room getting ready for bed and she comes flying into the room trying to slide/dive?!  And trips and falls.
Maree: Mom! I hurt my legs
Me: you'll be ok
Maree: NO!!! I need new legs! Mine don't work anymore!
Me: Your legs work just fine - it's ok you just tripped.
Maree: (Stands up and hops up and down) See Mom! I can't jump anymore!
Maree: We need to go to the store and get NEW legs
Me: We can't get that at the store - God gave us our legs
Maree: NO! We need to go to the store right now.

** Lastly. You have a phrase you love to use "That's a great idea"  You'll INFORM me of plans.
Maree: Mom, I go night night, and when I wake up, it be morning and then we get donuts and go to church
Maree: That's a great idea

I am sure I could go on and on - you are at such a fun age/stage.  Daddy and I are so proud of the big girl and big sister you are becoming.  We love you to the moon and back sweet girl.
Love,

Mommy           

Maree @ 4 - The Party

Every year so far for the girls birthdays I decorate outside and make some cookies or cupcakes.  It's always just family mainly because I'm not sure I'm ready for a house full of screaming girls! While Maree has been to some pretty elaborate birthday parties, I still chose to wait another year or two before doing an actual party with friends.  But, even though I kept it family… I did want her to feel special because she is remembering SO much more and so I took on a few things that seemed like a good idea at the time… and they WERE fun… but they were a decent amount of work on my part!!

*************Pre-Birthday week**************

The day before her birthday we made sugar cookies to take to school-- not sure why I thought this was a great idea.. it took us/me 3 hours by the time they were done and frosted!!

Thought I'd start a chalkboard birthday snapshot at each age.  Again, in theory this was great… took me longer than I wanted it to!

I almost wanted to cry after I opened this thing up and realized how much I had to put together!! Luckily about half way through Devon showed up to help :)

Finished after about 2.5 hours

On Pinterest I'd seen a punch box game and thought I could use the barbie house box we got for it!  SO. We wrapped it in purple of course… and I did the easy part of tracing circles and filling bags while Devon cut them out!

Next covering the holes with tissue paper

And taping on the goody bags.

***************Birthday Morning**************

I let her open 1 present before school and it was a new Descendants lunch box!  She wore this whole outfit to school and walked in the doors…threw open her arms and announced IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!

Ellie had to sneak in there for a picture too!

While at school I made purple cupcakes

And tried to hide/wrap the giant doll house.  Somehow this wasn't obvious to them.

And during nap time Maree miraculously watched a movie so we could set up!

Matt and Casey with the girls

Devon with the girls too

Now for the game.  They had to toss a ball into buckets bozo the clown show style… and if they made it...

They got to push out a circle!

Loved opening gifts and was so patient with each one because I was trying to video tape the opening of each one for family who doesn't live here to see.

I'd say she's a lucky girl!

Ellie got a suitcase from Nana to help occupy her.  Oddly she wasn't even remotely jealous of Maree and then took off with her suitcase

It even looks huge next to grown men lol

And it's final home.  Now if only the doll house furniture pieces actually stayed put!