Toddler Problems...

I just wanted to take a moment to rant about the newest problem in our house or as I like to say, the seventh circle of hell we've entered: the my-child-has-developed-a-sense-of-self (regarding fashion in our sense). Now before I rant, let's be clear--I am totally all for a sense of self and independence in small children. What I'm not ok with is the epic tantrums that ensue during these moments of independence.  Don't get me wrong, I would let either of these kids walk out of the house dressed like circus performers if it's what they really wanted but somedays getting from naked to clothed is like trying to square the circle. In fairness, Lu is pretty easy to please and go with the flow...Emma...not so much. I fear for this household come teenage years. An example of her recent assertion of fashion independence: we spent an ENTIRE day last week arguing over a pair of jeans she insisted needed to be rolled to her knees.  We finally compromised with them cuffed at her ankles but it was literally an ongoing dilemma all day. A few nights ago she INSISTED she needed SIX bows in her hair and when I didn't put one in the right spot she made me start over. When I threatened to take them all out she threw them at me. Yaaaaa. In these moments I usually just laugh but then I panic thinking I'm sending the wrong message because the behavior is in fact NOT funny but I digress....I guess where I'm going with all this is that we are all adjusting to some very new issues in this house. The girls want to be in charge of their bodies and clothes and I want to let them so long as things aren't being thrown at my head. I remember when I use to think teething was an awful milestone but nothing could have prepared me for the day they decided they were their own person :-)

My Cirque du Soleil Sleepers

Ever since we switched the girls' cribs to toddler beds crazy bed shenanigans have ensued. Everything from bed hopping, bed switching, to just plain sleeping acrobatics has taken place. These are some of my favorite moments I've captured:

I have no idea how long she slept this way before I noticed her on the monitor. 

What I found one morning. 

Late at night I could hear Lu tearing up a book, went in to take it away and found Emma curled up and dead asleep next to her :-)

She is wearing a Santa hat and reading a book...she is suppose to be napping...

That night she was still set on wearing the Santa hat to bed and this is Lu sneaking into Emma's bed...

And because Alex didn't believe this one was actually her sleeping standing up...this is the video..she continued to sleep this way for 30 minutes!!

The Final days of Ellie the Elf

Day 16

A little Miley-action on the mistletoe ;-)

Day 17

Uh oh...this is the SECOND time Ellie got captured...

Day 18

Awww remember when? 4 months old!

Day 19

Hint hint...

Day 20

Day 21

Day 22

Smores!

Day 23

Day 24

Ellie helped us make cookies for Santa 

Day 25

Farewell Ellie! See ya next year!

Ellie the Elf Days 1-15

Here's a look at Day 1-15 of Ellie the Elf this year:

Day 1

Day 2

See this video:
Ellie Day 2 Video at Bottom of Post 

Day 3

*Ellie takes nighttime pacis with her so new babies can have them...

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

*Poor Ellie was captured but no worries, the girls rescued her!

Day 7

*Everyone in our house has a cold, even Ellie :-(

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

Day 13

*ALL elves like maple syrup duhhhhh!

Day 14

Day 15

Big Girl Beds

After catching Emma rappelling in and out of her crib we decided it was time for toddler beds. Luckily their cribs were easily converted to toddler beds. We let them play in them for an hour earlier in the day to hopefully cut down on wanting to play in them at night. We weren't sure what to expect--chaos or calm. It ended up being a mixture of both but we were pleasantly surprised to find that NEITHER of them left their beds even one time :-) Emma did get herself quite worked up at bedtime but once she fell asleep she was out until morning! Olivia was quite excited about her big girl bed and sat up in it for an hour reading a book before finally falling asleep. All in all the experience went a lot better than I expected and I'm just in shock that we've accomplished potty training, ditching the pacis and highchairs, AND big girl beds all in the last 30 days.

So proud of these two!  I'm still finding it hard to believe they stayed in their beds all night BUT I know with certainty they did because I stayed up all night with my eyes glued to the monitor like a crazy woman :-)

The Holidays Are Upon Us!

We finished November with our family Thanksgiving get-together and my birthday.  Thankfully, this year was the closest Thanksgiving gets to my birthday because let me tell you, by the time Thanksgiving was over I just wanted to sleep through my birthday :-) Of course Alex wouldn't have that and instead took me to stay at the Ritz in LA for a night AND to see Michael Buble (4th row from the front, no less!). At the start of December we began our book advent calendar with the girls. I wrapped all their Christmas books and then bought a few more new ones to bring us to a total of 24. They get to open a book each night to read before bed.  On the 1st day of December the girls awoke to find Ellie the Elf clinging to the front door! Then that night book 1 was Elf on the Shelf.  That first day they didn't really understand her purpose and when asked what they wanted to name her Olivia chose Bananas and Emma chose Coco (my parents' dog).  Mom and Dad vetoed those choices and we finally all agreed on Ellie the Elf.  The second morning had much more exciting results when they found her climbing the banister :-) We are only a couple days into December but I'm already so excited for Christmas because the girls just "get" so much more about the holiday this year :-) Enjoy some pictures from the last few weeks!

Thanksgiving

Michael Buble Concert

                                                               Reading Elf on the Shelf

                                                                 Ellie's 1st visit

                                                                    My birthday

                                                            Sleeping Beauty at the Ahmanson Theater with my mom and sister

Book Advent Calendar

                                  Ellie's 2nd visit (I think this can only be viewed on a desktop, sorry!)