Springtime Snow

It snowed 8-9 inches today.  Our family decided to make the most of all of this snow, even though we really would like to see it go away.  Tonight Vera and Adam headed outside to play.  They convinced me to come out and play too.  I don't know who had more fun, Vera or Adam.  We built a snow igloo on our porch.  It worked out well because, according to Adam, "It was a solid foundation for the igloo and also out of the wind and cold for Vera."  He was right.  It turned out pretty cool. 

Adam had it started when I arrived.  It wasn't this far along.  My job was to shovel buckets full.  Adam did the engineer work.

Vera has the best mom and dad.  Or at least the best dad.  He was pretty excited about the project.

An igloo for two ladies.

We built a little seat inside.

And a window to watch for intruders.

The finished product.  It's supposed to be a castle.  Vera said Princess Sofia lives here.

 

 

 

I also showed Vera how to make a snow angel.  She thought it was so fun to lay down in the snow. 

Vera struggled with the angel-making, but she giggled the whole time she laid it the cold, wet snow.

Happy girl!

Sometimes I Need This Reminder:

 

I think it's so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life that I forget to take the time and play, laugh, and enjoy the moments.  Vera will be 2 years old in 2 weeks, and it amazes me how quickly that has happened.  I try to find the balance of work and family, but somedays it sure isn't easy.  (Vera is serving me a hotdog sandwich as I type this.)  Laundry is never-ending, groceries and meals must be done, and the house can turn into a disaster in a matter of a few hours.  I guess this is our life.  We'll call it beautiful chaos.  

Vera's 1st Happy Meal

Yesterday morning Vera and I ran errands in Piqua.  We returned a few things at the mall and managed to find an outfit for Vera to wear for Easter (since it's going to be COLD!)  Since she was a good girl (and hungry!) when we left the mall, I took her to McDonald's for lunch.  She was good at the restaurant even though it was insane busy!  Her first Happy Meal included Chicken McNuggets, Apple Slices, French Fries, Apple Juice and a toy.  She ate like a big girl and was thrilled to play with the toy on the way home.



The little container for fries was so tiny and cute.  Reminded me of a McDonalds fry-making toy we used to have as kids.

Mindy & Sanchez's Wedding

Mindy & Sanchez got married yesterday!  It was a very nice wedding and reception.  Everyone looked so nice in their dress clothes and the day went off without a hitch.  Even Vera did really well.  She was out of control and super-wild at the rehearsal the  night before and Adam's blood pressure was through the roof and his patience were as thin as they could go.  On Saturday, we kept everything very low profile.  We didn't talk about the wedding, what she was going to wear, or who she'd see at all.  I put her hair in sponge curlers, and she took a nap with them in. 

This was a bit of a "problem" because she couldn't find a lock of hair to twirl as she soothed herself to sleep.  I found 3 curlers in her bed today.  She gets this soothing habit from her mom.  We noticed this habit way back when she was about 3 months old.

When we got to the church, Vera was really excited to see everyone.  She ate some lunch, watched Mickey Mouse on my phone, and then got her hair all ready.  Vera was really cute all dressed up, and she was so pumped to wear a pretty dress.

Having a snack while waiting to get her hair done.

The ceremony was really short and sweet...15 minutes to be exact.  Bailey backed out of walking down the aisle at the last second, but Vera pulled through.  She ran down the aisle...literally.  My mom and Adam had her in the back of church, Adam handed her the basket to carry, and she kept saying, "My petals, my petals, my petals..." because she had a basket full of them.  Then, they told her to walk to Grammie, and she took off running, while shouting, "Grammie, I coming to get you!"  It was cute.  She did a great job.  I was relieved that she didn't start crying or stop in the middle.  Grandma Otte watched her in church, and she had a whole bag of treats to keep her occupied.  Grandma did a great job of entertaining Vera, as did "the boys," and Uncle Brian. 

One of many treats of the day to keep her sitting still.

Yes, even a few sad faces when she had to sit down and relax instead of running around.  Grandma is so mean!  haha

A good picture of Adam's parents with their granddaughters.

Kristina came to the ceremony!  It was fun to see her.

A few family pictures.  Mostly outtakes.  We never did get a good one.  I guess this tells the story of our life right  now.

Vera was too busy scribbling on paper...or else she smelled and no one wanted to sit by her.

We determined that Vera's picture-taking is quite unpredictable.

I really like this picture!  :)

Another good one!

...and an outtake.

The food at the reception was superb and the decorations were gorgeous.  The highlight of my night was watching Vera chase the disco lights on the dance floor.  She ran.  All.  Night.  Long!  Her slippers got lots of miles on them, and she wasn't real interested in dancing with anyone.  She mostly wanted to chase the lights and run with Bailey and the other little girls.  She would run, try to stomp on the lights, and then stop, perplexed, because the lights moved.  For a few moments, she'd stand and watch and think about how to catch up with the lights.  So cute.  My parents especially got a kick out of Vera, her inquisitiveness, and her innocence.

Grandpa Otte and Vera sitting on the stage.  This was one of the few seconds Vera sat still.

She is determined to catch those lights.  And here she's thinking about how to pull that off.

Vera lasted until about 10, and then grandma and grandpa took her home.  Adam and I got home around 1:30.  It was a fun day, but a very long one.  Our feet hurt today, our house is a disaster, and we're tired.  Congratulations Mindy & Sanchez!

Snow day!

I'm not too thrilled about all if this snow. I'm mostly just ready for spring! But, Vera and I did enjoy our day off. It was a bit too cold and windy for her to really play. But I did capture a few photos of her dressed like a marshmallow.


She had a hard time walking with all of her clothes on.

She had issues keeping her gloves on...

And she really doesn't like the wind in her face.

Hurry spring!!

Getting All Ready...

...for Aunt Mindy's wedding!  I've been really debating on what to do with Vera's hair for the wedding next weekend.  Vera's hair is really fine and still pretty short.  I decided to try sponge curlers tonight to see if her hair would take curl.  I turned on Mickey Mouse and sat her in her high chair in the living room.  Surprisingly, (or not since Mickey was involved?!) she sat fairly still.  Once the curlers were in, she didn't mess with them too much either.  We got a laugh at how she looked while she wore them around the house though!  Adam said she looked like an old lady.

How did it turn out?  I guess you'll have to wait for pictures of the wedding to see...

Snack Time!

Vera knows that after she takes a bath in the evenings she can have a snack before bed.  Her favorites include pretzels, fruit snacks, and popcorn.  Adam usually pops a bag of popcorn and he and Vera sit together to eat.  Vera sure doesn't get cheated.  She definately eats her share!  This reminds me of my own childhood when my dad would make popcorn and we'd sit with him and eat it.  If I remember correctly, he probably didn't get much by the time he shared with four sets of hands. 

Time For Your Check-Up!

Vera has a Doc McStuffins doctor bag, and to say she loves it is an understatement.  Mom, Dad, babies, and Minnie have all received check-ups from Doctor Vera.  Anyone who stops by our house is liable to receive a check-up.  She checks our heart with her "heartbeat," tells us to say "aaaa" when she checks our teeth and throat.  When she checks our ears, she usually tells us that we have bugs in our ears, and then will use the "shot" to get the bugs out.  She also has a "temperature" and she'll tell us that it's "not to hot, not to cold...juuust right!"  The set also came with a blood pressure cuff and a bandage, which are also a hit.

Here's Vera giving baby a check-up one afternoon:

 

Potty Training

We started working on the potty thing more seriously about 2 weeks ago.  I will admit that I've had a bad attitude about it, mostly because I know that it's one of those things that really isn't much fun.  It's also something that you have to be on everyday, every minute for a long while.  To our surprise, Vera has done really well.  She doesn't tell us that she has to go potty, but she will go if we put her on regularly.  We also discovered that Vera does much better if you put her on the potty and then walk away for a few minutes.  If you sit with her and wait for her to go, she usually doesn't go.  We've had lots of success with doing both #1 & #2 on the potty. 

Our incentive has been M&Ms and a sticker.  I made Vera a sticker chart about a month ago, and it clicked really quickly with how to earn more.  She's was very proud of her stickers for about a week.  Now she knows that if she doesn't go, she doesn't get a treat.  Sometimes when we stand her up and she doesn't go, she says "aww..." because she knows she won't get a treat.  She already has gone through 1.5 bags of M&Ms herself.  I told Adam our next issue will be a dentist bill. 



This is the first sticker chart from most of February.  As you can see, she likes to put the stickers on top of one another.  She also scribbled on the chart one afternoon when we came home from school.

The Dora sticker chart was a hit.  Stickers are more plentiful than they look.  Notice how she separates the different kinds of stickers.  Stars all together (and on top of each other), Sesame Street together and butterflies/flowers together.

She's been wearing Pull-Ups and doing a decent job at keeping them dry.  They have Diego on them because I bought the boys' version instead of the girls'.  They work just the same.  Vera calls them "Eggo" pants because she can't say Diego.  Pretty cute.  Patty has been on-board and Vera uses the potty at her house too.

Vera tried wearing panties this weekend, and it didn't go so well.  I thought that maybe it'd keep the process moving forward.  Wrong!  We had several accidents.  I piled the soiled laundry in my laundry area and washed it all at the end of the day because I knew if there was one accident, there'd probably be two. 

I'll admit that this is going better than I thought, but it's a lot of work too.  I told Adam on one of the first days that all I feel like I do is take her to the potty.  But, on the plus side, I've enjoyed not changing diapers as often and I appreciate even more that I don't have to buy them!