2.11.12: Pedi, please! {175}

Kelly didn't want a huge bridal shower so we took her to get her nails done and then out to lunch. Grandma watched Abigail and I brought Audrey along. She was so good! We went shoe shopping while we waited for the restaurant to open. She loved trying on shoes and walking around. One day we'll be doing the same thing for her wedding :)

2.10.12: Low Rider {175}

For me, the most challenging part of shopping with 2 littles is logistics. Usually I unbuckle Audrey and let her wiggle out. I go to the other side of the car, put the diaper bag on, then take out Abigail. I go back to Audrey's side and help her climb down. Carrying the infant carrier on one arm, wearing the diaper bag and holding Audrey's hand while trying to walk through a busy parking lot is hard. When we get into the store I get the obnoxiously huge cart where 2 kids can ride in the front. I put Abigail on top (I know, it's bad and you're not supposed to do it but I promise I'm super careful and I also don't care what anyone thinks.) Audrey sits in the front and she gets buckled in and we're good to go!

Of course on this night there is not a single cart to be had. So we ended up with a regular-sized cart. Abigail went in her usual spot but Audrey had to walk. Which she actually loved doing. And it went well! She kept up with me, didn't touch anything, and every once in awhile she'd hop onto the side so we could speed up a bit. When we got in line she was thrilled that she could freely play with the little Barbies in the checkout lane (she's so good though, she puts them right back when it's time to go!) But then came the challenge of walking back out to the car. I couldn't push the cart AND hold her hand at the same time. Before I had time to really think about a solution, Audrey slid right onto the bottom. I was skeptical but she was tucked in really well and I told her she had to stay there until we got to the car.

I walked super slow, talking to her the whole time. She was having a blast! Luckily we were parked super close and as soon as we got back to the car I slid her out and put her in. Now she always wants to walk in the grocery store. So the last couple times we've gone I let her do it. She continues to be super good but I still get the large cart for when we're walking out!

2.9.12: Bath time {174}

Abigail is insane in the bath. At first she worried the heck out of me. She just flops onto her belly and splashes and doesn't even care if she gets water in her mouth. Audrey was not like that at all. Now it doesn't even phase me...she sits back up and flops down again. She loves having water poured on her head and face (courtesy of Audrey!) I love it!

2.8.12: First time in a highchair! {173}

As we were leaving Grandma's house, Christopher showed up since he was in the area fr work (such a great surprise!) Audrey rode with Chris and they met us for dinner at Roma's. With Abigail thisclose to outgrowing her car seat, I decided to put her in a high chair for the first time. She loved it!

2.7.12: Audrey's First Tat {172}

Courtesy of Grandma. I really don't care about tattoos now and I'd be a total hypocrite if I was against her getting one when she's old enough. But about a week later she was heartbroken when we had to scrub it off for the wedding. It was the perfect opportunity to tell her that tattoos are much better where they can't be seen when you wear a pretty dress. Stay classy, girlfriend!

2.6.12: Bubble Wrap is Just Plain Cool {171}

I was making the bed when Audrey noticed the mattress pad control. We keep Chris's covered because he never uses it. *Note to self- pack some bubble wrap in the diaper bag for long waiting room times!)

2.5.12: Grading Papers {170}

I must've been feeling very motivated because I was grading papers at home while the girls were awake, lol. Audrey really wanted to help and it just so happened that there was a paper in the stack from a boy that had moved away. She did an excellent job!

2.4.12: Reading {169}

Audrey wanted to read to Abby as she drank her morning bottle.

2.3.12: Hi! {168}

I stood her up for this shot because she got the biggest kick out of it :) You can tell by the red mark on her head that she tried many times, lol. Today was her 9 mo appointment. She weighs 21 lbs and is 28 inches long. Still in the 95th percentile :)

2.2.12: Almost standing up! {167}

2.1.12: New Discovery {166}

Abigail has been exploring more of the house. She loves the play kitchen and the back door (where she can watch the dogs.)

1.31.12: No Food for Me {165}

Audrey is still the pickiest eater ever. Sigh.

1.30.12: Mmmmm, coffee {164}

As much as I love to sleep, I also love my quiet alone time when everyone in the house is still asleep. I have at least 2 cups of coffee and get caught up on Facebook the news. So worth missing out on 30 minutes+ of extra sleep!

1.29.12: Hi, there! {163}

Abigail is so wonderful in the car. She either falls asleep or watches Audrey the entire time. When she hears my voice she tries so hard to turn and see me. If we're stopped I lean way back to see her and she gets so excited! I wish I could turn her around soon but thanks to my friend Lauren and her advocacy for rear-facing car seats, we're keeping her rear-facing until she's 2.

1.28.12: Flower Girls {162}

Audrey loves practicing for Aunt Kelly's wedding, which includes her throwing flower petals all over our house. I walked into the room as she was laughing hysterically and covering sweet Abigail with petals.

1.27.12: Shark Attack {161}

Some of my kids really let their personalities come through in their projects. This young lady (yes, she's a girl and she's hilarious!) did her project on sharks and she just had to have them attacking Lego men. Another student added a folder to her tri-fold board and put extra sloth pictures for her classmates to take. Before I let them tour the room (aka "Zoo") to look at the projects, I made a big deal about not touching the projects. As I was walking around I saw that a student had taken out a couple of her Sea Turtles and made a sign, "You can touch these Sea Turtles." LOL, love them!

1.26.12:Time for School {160}

Tonight was Reading and Math Fun Night at our school. Audrey loves coming into my classroom. There are literally a thousand things she can get into. She loves the dry erase boards and the long finger pointers for the Smart Board. I just cannot wait until she's officially a Gator and coming with me every single day.

1.25.12: Step by Step {159}

Usually Audrey likes Grandpa to carry her out to the car. But lately she's been wanting to hop down the steps and then RUN. She wants me to chase her around the massive driveway. As soon as I snap Abigail into the car I chase her around and it's so fun...except for the daily reminder that I am really out of shape :)

1.24.12: Amazing Animal Projects {158}

The projects were so great this year! Some kids even did Power Point presentations :) I was editing a rough draft and just loved the ending of her paper. Go River Turtles! LOL.

1.23.12: Daily 5 {157}

I'm starting a new management system for my literacy block and guided reading groups. I found out about the Daily 5 on Pinterest (how I love that site!) I love that the whole group instruction is split up in between meeting with small groups. I love that kids are making choices about which activities they want to do (ownership!) I think it will work great but I'm really excited to fully implement it next year from the very beginning.

1.22.12: Night time {156)

Before bed the girls drink their milk and watch Mickey in our bedroom. Audrey stays up on the bed and Abigail has taken over Audrey's old pillow (for a long time when Abigail was a newborn I thought we were going to have to buy another Boppy pillow...Audrey has been using it forever!) It's nice because I can get a few things ready for the next day. As soon as Abigail is done with her bottle she gets her teeth brushed and we read a book. By the time we're done Mickey is over and it's Audrey's turn to brush her teeth, take her vitamins and read a book (or two or three...)

Lately though I've been holding Abigail for her night time bottle. I love that time with her and it definitely won't be much longer before she's hanging out on the bed with Audrey!