Life with two

Wondering what life is like with two? Baikal is not really interested in Rybolt, unless he is crying. Then she starts to cry. Rybolt is obsessed with everything that Baikal is doing. He is constantly trying to crawl over to her and grab her hair. Life with two... its great... as long as no one is crying or loosing hair.

Grandmother Bookie is here: A series

Grandmother Bookie was here for a few days! She brought books for the kids and even took Baikal to the build-a-bear workshop. Baikal made her very own teddy bear and named it "Weetee". At night, Matt and I were able to go out on a date. What a wonderful weekend!

Baikal's room

Baikal is now in a big girl bed, potty trained, and without a pacifier! Here is her room. Check out the crafty memory board that I made. I was inspired by seeing one that my friend, Laurie Burlington, had at her home. She is super crafty. I also made a mini bed sheet that matches her bed sheet for her baby doll bed. The fabric paint dried a bit darker than I expected, but I think it looks great! You can't see in in the pictures.

Rybolt's room

This post was a request by a certain family member who frequents the blog. She asked me to post pictures of Rybolt's finished bedroom. Unlike Baikal's, his room took a bit longer to get together. Here is the finished product. Check out the changing station in the tent!

Growing like...kudzu

These kids are growing fast! Baikal has jumped from a shoe size of 5 to 7 in two months. Rybolt can now sit up unassisted. These kids are growing like kudzu (which can grow up to 1 foot a day)!

Is Rybolt a Redhead?

The Miller family has a long history of distinguished redheads. OK, so it's a short history, but Jerry Miller is extra distinguished.

Is Rybolt the next Miller redhead?

Gavin and Rybolt

Laura and I try to have playdates with our boys every month. Here are Gavin and Rybolt up to no good at their most recent playdate.

Pool time

Our neighborhood pool opened on July 4th. It has made our summer!

Where is thumbkin?

Baikal sang me a song today. She was trying to sing Where is Thumbkin. The tune was spot on, but the lyrics were not. She really does take after her mom!

"Where is pumpkin? Where is my pinkie? Here are my fingers. Here are my fingers. Where is pumpkin? Where is my pinkie? Here are my fingers. Here are my fingers."

Technical difficulties

Our internet has been down for almost a week, but is now back up and running. More posts coming after I catch up on all of my usual web surfing.

Story time and summer reading

It is summer and that means summer reading lists. I am still plowing through the second book in my stack and will get to that review soon, but let's focus on something more interesting, shall we?
I have started to take the kids to the public library. Now that Baikal is older, she is less likely to tear the pages in a book. I still try to keep the borrowed books out of reach at home, just in case she decides to turn one of them into a coloring book. I read these "special books" before nap time and bedtime.
The library has also been having story time on Tuesdays in the summer. Baikal will put in 10 minutes of her time towards sitting and listening and then is off to other things. Between the two kids, I usually don't have much time to sit and peruse the children's book selection. It is more like the game show supermarket sweep, where I run up and down the aisles throwing anything that looks age appropriate into my arms. It isn't until I get home that I am able to check out my books. Last week, one of the books was about how to add large numbers and multiply. I just made up a story to go with the pictures.

Au naturalle...

Nap time

I try to follow a schedule on most days. Rybolt is now taking two naps a day. I put him down at 10 and 2. Check out the bumper that Nana made for Rybolt. It is made out of Papa's old dress shirts. Baikal goes to her room for quiet time at 2. She doesn't have to sleep, but does have to stay quiet. I let her come out of her room at 4. Most days she naps during this time. I tried to get a picture of the kids napping, but as you can see, someone woke up! Baikal surprised Matt and I by coming downstairs the other morning all by herself. She walked right in to the kitchen and said, "Good Morning!" I wonder how long we have until she figures out she can come into our bedroom at night?

Happy 4th!

We had a great 4th of July. It started with made from scratch blueberry pancakes with peach syrup (thanks Matt). I made BBQ sandwiches, fruit salad, and Asian slaw for lunch. Then it was over to the Frilingo's house for a grill out and dessert buffet (thanks Beth and Tim). Now THAT is a holiday! Here is my recipe for lunch. Super easy and can feed a lot.

Fruit salad
Watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, and basil in bowl. Cut items into bite sized pieces.

Asian slaw
Place pre-cut slaw mix, sliced almonds, and Asian Salad Dressing in bowl (I like Annie's Asain sesame dressing).

BBQ sandwiches
Cut pork tenderloin into 2 inch medallions. Place pork in a slow cooker for 4 hours. After 4 hours, the pork should fall apart, but you can use a fork to help. Add BBQ sauce of choice. Serve with toasted buns.

A Bedtime story 2

Baikal sat down in her rocking chair last night and told me a bedtime story.

"Once upon a time, far, far away there was a princess. A small princess named Mommy. She was so tired. There was a big giant. "Fe, Fi, Phone. I smell Mommy." He gave mommy a big hug and he never went there again."

Pool time!

Matt and I have found that managing two kids that can't swim at a pool is tricky, but when it all works out it is a lot of fun!