Sharing

Lately the girls have been fighting a lot over toys, books...you name it. If one has a doll, the other one wants it and I have to be the referee and one always ends up crying because they don't get what they want. Olivia watches her toys very closely in fear that her "bully" sister Belle, as we have nicknamed her, will come up and snatch something. She refuses to share with her because Belle usually steals her toy or book. Isabelle will hold on for dear life and pull that toy as hard as she can to get it out of Olivia's hand. She usually ends up winning! I try to always give it back to the person who had it and get the other child a toy close to what they wanted...blah blah blah... I am getting sick of this already. I almost feel like I should leave them alone and let them work it out themselves.

How do you teach sharing???? Anyone have a fun way that the kids actually get? I try to teach Olivia that Isabelle is still learning and doesn't understand that she can't grab things but she certainly doesn't care! I know this is totally normal, but I guess I didn't expect it to come so soon! I can't wait till they are teenagers and stealing each other clothes! That should be fun!

Vacation

We got our taxes done today and with some of our return we are planning to take a family vacation. Brad and I haven't been on a vacation in about 4 years!

I have been researching a lot and we have decided to go to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, particularly Nags Head. If you have ever watched the famous "Jon and Kate Plus 8" you may have seen the episode where they travel to the Outer Banks. It is a beautiful vacation spot! Also they still have wild horses on some of their beaches! And they have tours you can take where they will take you to see them! That will be really exciting!

I am however nervous about the drive to and from with my little sweethearts!!! We are planning on buying some mobile DVD players for them so hopefully this will help out! We are also thinking about leaving around dinner time and driving through the night so they will sleep most of the way there. That might be the easiest for everyone! I am just excited to be able to walk outside onto the beach from my rental house and watch the girls play in the sand!

Eating Healthy

Yesterday I was on the hunt for some new heathier foods for the kids and us too for that matter. All Isabelle will really eat lately is hot dogs, mac & cheese, and mandarin oranges, oh and we can't forget her gerber cheetos!!!! The gerber cheetos are actually pretty healthy made with whole grains, vitamins blah blah blah. Anyways I went searching on google and got some ideas. I am going to make these for sure this week: http://stephchows.blogspot.com/2010/02/banana-oat-bars.html I think that we might all like them. Plus they might be a good choice for breakfast since Olivia is always asking for a cookie as soon as she gets up, haha.

I also bought these for the girls. They are Gerber Graduates pasta pick-ups. They have spinach and cheese, chicken and carrot, and turkey and vegatables wrapped up in a little ravioli. Hopefully they will like them!

Then I bought a bunch of frozen/fresh fruit: Strawberries, blueberries, pinapple, cateloupe, magoes, kiwis, oranges. Wow I guess that is a lot! I think I will make fruit kabobs...I know Olivia will like them, and hope Belle will too! I also bought cheddar rice cakes, fruit cookies, and yogurt covered raisins for snacks. I got sweet potato fries last week that we still haven't tried but I think they will be a hit.

I just can't believe how expensive it is to eat healthy! I went in the organic, healthy food aisle at wegmans and wanted to buy these oatmeal circle things for the girls and they were $5 for the smallest bag...I couldn't do it, haha. Also the rice cakes are much more than chips cost, sweet potato fries were like $4 vs regular fries $2! I got fresh brussel sprouts for $1.49...less than a pound...I guess that is not that bad??? I figured I could steam them till they are really soft and maybe Isabelle will eat them. Something that is pretty cheap and healthy is the mini pizza's I have been making Olivia that she loves! I buy Wegmans mini whole grain or wheat pitas for $1.79. Then pizza sauce for $1.19, and mozzarella cheese (I got a 1lb bag at Aldi's for $3). She asks for them all the time so I make sure I always have this stuff in the house!

So hopefully I will be able to mix it up this week and make some new stuff for everyone that is a little more healthy! Feel free to give me any ideas!!!!!

Isabelle is ONE!

I can't believe I haven't posted anything since JUNE! I am going to start to write more...especially since I need to do something more productive during naptimes then just catching up on TV shows! Anyways Isabelle turned 1 last week! I can't believe she is already a year old! She is walking a lot, especially in the last 2 days! She is preferring to walk as much as she can until she falls and then she starts crawling after her big sister! She has learned to climb the stairs as well...I sure have my hands full lately! She is such a happy girl! She is almost always smiling laughing and playing unless she is hungry or sleepy.

So now that she is 1 and walking I almost feel like I have only big girls and no babies! I know it's silly but it makes me kind of sad. If we had the room I think I would have as many as we could fit! Brad, however wouldn't go for that!!!! I love to watch them grow and change everyday. It is so exciting that Belle is walking and I love to see the look on her face when she reaches her destination! I love that Olivia is so chatty and can talk so well and can tell me " I WUV YOU SO MUCH MAMA!" It is simply the BEST thing ever. Eventually I would like to have more babies...at least one! But if we don't or can't I will always be grateful for my 2 beautiful little girls!