To Bunk or not to Bunk....

Bunk it is! The girls decided a couple of weeks ago that they wanted to bunk their beds. I wasn't sure how the whole "sharing a room" would go, especially since Ashlyn has more sleep issues than Makenzie. We are working on proper sleep etiquette. Ashlyn is having to learn that when she gets up, she needs to come out of the room quietly in hopes of not waking up big sis. She would much rather climb the ladder and wake up Makenzie or turn the light on. Just this morning I heard a tired voice through the monitor say, "Ashlyn, you aren't supposed to wake me up!"

I still have some work to do in the girls' room. I am hoping to get the dresser sanded and painted with the help of my mom. I have a list of projects for when she gets here!!

Colorado Trip

A couple of days after Christmas, we headed to South Fork, Colorado. Aaron had some time off from work, and we decided that it would be nice to get away. Plus, we hadn't been back since Makenzie was 15 months old. When we first arrived, there was little snow on the ground around Gary and Dale's house, but things changed quickly as the week went on. The girls had so much fun sledding at the park near grandma and grandpa's house. I was a little nervous about Ashlyn going down the hill, but that child had no fear whatsoever. At one point, we have her on video holding her mouth at the bottom of the hill. My first thought was that she hurt herself, but we soon discovered that she was just holding her mouth and laughing really hard! We checked out a new hot springs spot which the girls really enjoyed and the girls also took their first skiing lessons at Wolf Creek. And talk about COLD! When we got out of the car on Friday at Wolf Creek ski area, the temperature was -9, and that didn't factor in the wind chill. Since I hadn't skied for 13 yrs, I also took a class. We had only been in class for about twenty minutes and I already could not feel my toes or fingers! The girls were troopers considering how cold it was. Ashlyn took a private lesson, but only lasted about 20 minutes of the hour lesson. Her ski instructor took her in for a break, and Ashlyn decided she didn't want to go back out! The instructor was kind enough to take Makenzie the remainder of the time and then Makenzie took a class with some other kids her age for a about an hour. Grandma and Grandpa were so kind to take the girls back to their place and let me and Aaron ski together. Hopefully, we can get the girls back in ski class again this year and by the time they are a little older, we can all be skiing together. I know their daddy would be super excited about that, given he has been skiing since he was really young. Here are some pictures from our trip....

Madelyn's Visit to Wylie

My niece came to stay with us for a few days before Christmas. This was a huge deal since Madelyn is hardly ever away from my sister. She had some moments of separation anxiety, but all in all, she did great being that this was her first big stay away from home. Plus, my girls had a great time playing with their cousin. We planned a trip to Grapevine for the girls to ride the North Pole Express. Our time with Madelyn also consisted of taking the girls to see Christmas lights in Highland Park, lots of jumping on the bounce house, playing at parks, and coloring. We were so glad to have Madelyn with us and are looking forward to her next visit.

Cookie Tasting

Can I have a cookie with that icing, please?

The Heard Museum

We took a trip to the Heard Museum before Christmas. I had learned there were new dinosaurs on the "Dinosaur Live" trail and with the addition of their current bug exhibit, I thought the girls would really enjoy going. Well, as it turns out, they were not huge fans of the animated dinosaurs. I believe Ashlyn's actual comment to me and her grandma was, "I don't like the dinosaurs so much!" Grandma and I actually had to take turns carrying Ashlyn around the entire trail. Even more shocking was that Makenzie was a little apprehensive, which is not characteristic of her at all. As long as the dinosaurs weren't moving, roaring, or spitting water our of their mouths, she was okay. Oh well...they enjoyed looking at all the insects, especially the praying mantis and tarantulas. If you look closely at the pic with Makenzie, you can see a HUGE tarantula in the box behind her. If I remember correctly, this particular tarantula is sometimes fed mice!

Trip to the ER

Aaron's grandparents were in town for a week so we headed to Plano one evening to spend time with everyone. We had just finished dinner and dessert and watched the kids take off down the hallway to play. We were standing around talking when all of the sudden we hear Ashlyn fussing, followed by our niece Megan saying, "Ashlyn is bleeding!" Aaron scooped her up and by the looks of her forehead, we knew we were going to have to take her to the ER. Apparently, Ashlyn turned around and hit the corner of the wall, splitting the skin open. Good thing Medical Center of Plano is just a few miles from my in-laws' house. We left Makenzie with Grandma and Grandpa and made our way to the hospital. Once we got back into the room, we met with a couple of doctors who explained that Ashlyn was going to need stitches. Glue was not an option because of the direction of the lesion. Then we were given two options for anesthetic. A topical anesthetic could be applied, but it takes up to 20 minutes to numb and we were told that sometimes, it doesn't completely numb the area. Or, we could bite the bullet and have the doctor use a needle filled with numbing fluid. The doctor then proceeded to tell us that this would be the worse part, because it stings terribly. We decided on the second option. I didn't want to put Ashlyn through the wait only to have the topical anesthetic not work. So, I am sitting in the chair holding Ashlyn and knowing what is about the happen to her. All the emotions of the evening eventually took their toll on me. Ashlyn is sitting there quietly and I am the one Aaron is having to console-wonderful!! The doctor and staff wrap her up like a burrito and then lay her on the bed. They ask Aaron to hold Ashlyn's lower body to keep her really still. And then the needle............Ashlyn didn't budge! No crying, no movement, nothing. We were talking to her to keep her distracted, but I think she was just not sure what was going or too shocked to move. The doctor just kept calling her "Precious" because Ashlyn wouldn't say her name. They were amazed that she wasn't reacting to the numbing agent! Next came what looked to me like a fish hook with stitching material. Again, Ashlyn didn't budge or say anything while the doctor applied a total of 4 stitches to her wound. What a trooper! Aaron took a few pictures of Ashlyn with her stitches. And, in trying to "lighten the mood," said something on the lines of, "well, if she takes after her daddy, this won't be the last trip to the ER." Lovely, positive thoughts, babe! I feel better already!!!

Adolphus Children's Parade

We took the girls to the Adolphus Children's Christmas Parade in December and met up with my sister-in-law, niece, and nephew. My sister-in-law is such a trooper and always offers to head downtown very early in the morning to get a spot for everyone. The last time we went was in '08 and Ashlyn was seven months old. I looked back at older posts and it was really cold that year. This year, the weather was much warmer, so it was easier to sit and enjoy the parade.

Decorating the Tree

Once we got home from Tomball, we began the tedious task of pulling down the Christmas decorations. Don't get me wrong, I love pulling out the tree, manger scene, ornaments, etc., but I really don't enjoy all the time it takes to put up our tree. Most people these days have trees that they pull down from their attic, assemble in a few minutes because there are only two attachments, and because their tree is pre-lit. Nope, not ours. Ever single branch has to be placed in a specific hole. And then it takes me about an hour and a half or more to put the lights on the tree. Aaron tried so sweetly to encourage me by saying, "but you do such a good job with the lights." Then he quickly departed the room, leaving me with strands, strands and more strands of lights to tackle by myself.
So, here is where the excitement comes to fruition. I had already talked to the girls about the importance of not pulling on the stockings over the fireplace since they are held in place by very heavy, wrought iron holders. They seem to understand me, don't ask any questions, and don't even go near them for a while. I proceed to place lights on the tree and Makenzie decides to join her dad outside. Ashlyn starts to talk to me about the dogs' stockings and how we need to put candy in them. I tell her that we aren't going to put candy in them, but some other treats, all the while I continue to place lights on the tree. At some point I look up and Ashlyn puts her hand on the stocking as if she is going to pull on it. I look at her and say, "Ashlyn, don't pull on the stocking." What does my darling two and a half year old do? Yep, she takes a split second to process what I have said, gives a little tug, and the stocking and holder comes straight for her. I couldn't get to her before it made contact with her face. Blood is dripping on her clothes as I am frantically yelling for Aaron and trying to figure out if we need to take her to the ER. We got the bleeding to stop and I attempted to use a butterfly bandage to pull the skin above her lip together (pretty hard to do with tears and snot rolling down her face). Looking at the pictures, you can't really tell how bad the cut is, but I am here to testify that there was a lot of blood from the injury. I am SO THANKFUL the holder didn't hit Ashlyn in the eye!!