Temper tantrums galore

This is where we were a year ago. So sweet and kind...

And now... Oh my! We have had quite a week here. I can't tell you how exhausting it is. My 2 year old is being just that, a 2 year old. My dad said Anabelle will probably stay sweet and not put me through the wringer like Emmie. I told him I deserve it. I mean she is only 2 and almost 3 months. I have 9 more months to go?! I am not sure I will make it.

She can be so sweet and fun and then it can all change in a moment. This week has been a true challenge. 2 massive tantrums yesterday, enough to make her have a hoarse voice today. She woke up sweet this morning with a nice "Good morning mommy". And within 2 minutes she was having a tantrum and had her first time out of the morning. I wish I could write about what we are dealing with, but it will take forever. In a nutshell, she is just not getting what she wants or doesn't want to do something I want her to, ie. go potty!, get dressed, brush hair, etc.

So after doing some reading I have decided to cool my jets and stop getting my panties in a wad ever time we have a situation. I have kept my cool ( for the past 2 days atleast). I stay calm and let her know if she continues then I will walk away. Seemed to work but we will see. Sometimes I get so dang frustrated I need to walk away and vent.

Temper tantrums are awful, but they wont last forever. I hope... Lets just pray that they get better and not worse.

8 months old and Sister is growing up

Here we are. 8 months ago our life changed with the addition of little Miss A-belle. She has been a pure joy thus far. She is a super sweet baby. She loves to snuggle, give kisses and hug. She puts up with her big sister and is still going strong. The first 6 months were pretty tough, I can't lie. But I think we are finally getting the hang of having 2. It is definitely man-on-man coverage. And you rarely get a break. One of my favorite stories... One day Brent was lying on the couch trying to "rest his eyes and take a nap". Ha! I just laughed. He quickly realized that naps are a thing of the past.

We have our hands full, but couldn't be happier. A-belle and Emmie are starting to play together. It is super cute. Emmie will play peek-a-boo with Belle and she goes wild. I have also had to put an end to many wrestling matches with Anabelle. Emmie just can't quite understand that she can't tackle, lay on top, or pick Anabelle up by her neck. It is interesting for sure. But Belle hasn't sustained too many bumps or bruises from sissy. Atleast, not like she did in the beginning.

Anabelle has dominated the army crawl and is now up on all 4s. She is everywhere! Being on the move wasn't enough for her. Now she is trying to pull up on everything. I think she really wants to walk more than crawl. Oh Dear!

She has learned to wave. She says Dada all the time and a bunch of other nonsense. She still only has 2 teeth but I have a feeling some more will be popping through any day. She started to eat some "fist foods". Cut up banana, cooked corn, stars. She loves it.

She is making new friends with Champy

All smiles and wearing new shoes. They were Emmie's shoes but by the time Emmie could wear them she was walking, so they didn't get much wear. So, just like new!

She loves her walker

. Emmie is talking like a magpie. She has developed a bit of a southern twang. Not from the Yankee Kirleys. I am sure it came from Commerce :) Still potty training... I feel like it will never end. But my mom has reassured me that she won't be doing this forever. Ha! Well, it is getting better, but we still have a ways to go. I have tried pretty much everything. Being naked seems to work the best. M&Ms worked for awhile, stickers were a short lived reward. Now I have reverted to a Potty training App. She likes to push the buttons and listen to the music. We got rid of the little potty pretty quick. It was good for her to get used to the idea, but Mommy doesn't like having to empty it. We use a potty seat on the real potty instead.

All this potty talk probably has you bored and I apologize. But I write this all so I can remember what it was like when I start training Anabelle. :)

Here is cutie patootie in her Daddy's work boots

Working on their computers. I came into the living room and this is what I found. Hysterical!

Thank goodness for better weather. We were having some super cabin fever around here. Its nice to feel the sun again and play outside! She really doesn't wear this shirt all the time, but we went through a bit of a phase and we had to.

Bath time is one of their favorite times together. They love to play in the water together. And killing two birds with one stone works for mom too!