Almost there!

Patrick is coming home this week! We are so excited and cannot wait to actually see him in person again! I'm not sure the girls quite understand just yet...a few nights ago I asked Hannah Kate if she wanted daddy to come home and she looked at me and just said "No." However, every time she sees his picture on my phone, the walls, and anywhere else she just lights up and starts talking about him. I can't wait to see what they do when he gets off that ship! And lets not forget about Micah...I'm sure he will be his usual happy little self and give a huge smile :)
For those of you saying "Wait, I thought he was supposed to be home last month" well, you would be right. He was supposed to be home the week after Thanksgiving but the ARG his ship is travelling with got turned back around and was sent to sit off the coast of Israel when the Israel/Gaza conflict flared up. So, here we are mid December anxiously awaiting Patrick's return a second time. I had a really rough time and cried a lot when I got the news that he wasn't coming home.
What we're up to these days:
We came back home to Virginia Beach about 3 weeks ago and we are doing really well. I was a little nervous about coming back home and managing 3 kids alone but it's been great! The girls are such good little helpers and love to mommy Micah. They are at such a fun age right now, despite the terrible two tantrums and independence that peeks through almost daily. I love that I can reason with them now because they understand so much. That really helps in warding off the temper tantrums...that and giving them choices for just about everything we do...play in the backyard or at the park?, wear shoes or boots?, pick out your own plates and spoons/forks and place them on the table at your spot, watch Mickey or Little Einsteins?, which coat and hat?, pretzels or crackers for snack?, turkey & cheese or PB&J for lunch?, etc. I try really hard to give them as much independence as I can, but sometimes it's not easy. When we're in a hurry to get out the door and I just stick some shoes on them, one will usually tell me she wants different ones so the other one typically chimes in with a request (demand) for different shoes as well. But, they really are good two year olds :) And they're my two year olds so I love them to pieces :)
Charlotte:
This girl is quite the little clown! She is always trying to make us laugh, but she is just funny most of the time without even trying. I keep saying she's going to get in a lot of trouble when she starts elementary school because she will do just about anything for a laugh and she is extremely independent and pretty outgoing. She has figured out that she's a twin and that HK looks almost identical to her so she's already begun playing the switcheroo trick. People are all the time saying "Which one are you?" and she responds "I'm Hannah Kate, that's Char Char!" (which makes HK upset and she starts yelling "NO, I'm Hannah Kate!") Char also likes to mix things up when each of the girls has a specific item that they like. Example: The girls each picked out a jacket while shopping- HK chose purple and Char chose pink. At school last week when the teacher asked who wears the purple coat Char told her it was hers and when HK saw her with it on she melted down but Char refused to take it off. The teacher felt so bad but told me that Char told her that the purple jacket was hers and the pink one belonged to Hannah Kate. This girl is going to play up the twin card big time by playing tricks on people for years to come I'm sure ;) She loves to tell people "no, no, no, no, no." She loves crafts, any kind and has a meltdown when it's time to put the craft stuff away. I think she's going to be my creative artsy child because she is always making things and uses lots of creativity to do it. In the TN preschool they always colored a picture that they got to bring home every day and you could tell which ones were hers before looking at the back to see whos name was on it because she is already understanding how to try to stay in the lines when she colors. She hates for her hands to be dirty at the dinner table and gets upset if she doesn't have on a bib and food gets on her clothes. She loves having her fingernails and toenails painted, wearing LOTS of necklaces, and putting on my chapstick. She is truly my little princess :) Nonny got the girls some leopard print rain boots with hot pink soles and Char is OBSESSED with them! She insists on putting them on at naptime and bedtime and falls asleep in them almost every day.
Hannah Kate:
She is pretty funny too in a different way. She does silly things and watches everything that Charlotte does, copying most of it. It's funny that even though they are only 10 minutes apart in age, Charlotte really does act like the older sister and HK acts like the little sister :) HK also loves having her fingernails and toenails painted, dressing up in anything she can get her hands on, wearing her winter hat that Nana made her (I often can't get her to take it off). She is still pretty shy and reserved at times, but has really started coming out of her shell and being silly and free a lot of the time. However, the girls had a Christmas program at school earlier this week where all the students went up on the stage and sang songs for the parents and HK was the ONLY child who didn't want to go. She spotted me on her way to the stage and ran out of line to me. I had to walk up there with her and convince her to sit next to Char and then sneak away when she looked away. She got through most of the program before spotting me again and left the stage while everyone was still singing and ran to me and wouldn't let go. She is a lot like I was as a kid- shy in crowds, doens't like the spotlight (I can't even get her to look at the camera most of the time because she doesn't like the attention and focus on her), but happy and talkative when she's in her comfort zone. I think HK is going to be my science and math girl. She loves puzzles and is really good at putting them together. She is also very particular about where things should go or how things should be in her 2 year old mind. Hmmm, that sounds familiar...I am pretty particular about things also. Sorry HK, you inherited that from me. But, she's also my sensitive, compassionate girl. She does not like to get in trouble or be laughed at (sound like Patrick?). She gets her feelings hurt easily and will sometimes cry if I just give her a look like I'm mad at her. But the good side to being sensitive is that she doesn't like it when anyone else is sad either. She is always trying to comfort Micah and Char whenever they are upset by hugging them and giving them kisses and saying "I'm sorry. I love you!" Such a sweetheart :)
These girls are also very smart. I am constantly amazed at what these girls remember and can recall. They will bring up things from weeks ago and start talking about them. Who knew 2 year olds were so smart? I sure didn't! They love stickers, finger painting (especially with her food), coloring, and all things Christmas! The girls are loving the Christmas holiday season this year pointing out all of the Christmas lights when we are in the car, asking for me to plug in the lights on the Christmas tree anytime it isn't lit up, hanging and taking off ornaments from the tree, shaking jingle bells, shouting "HO, HO, HO" and Frosty the Snowman's line "Happy Birthday," candy canes, stockings, and anything else having to do with Christmas! And they are OBSESSED with Michael Buble's version of Frosty the Snowman, insisting that I just play it over and over again whenever we are in the car.
Micah:
He is such a happy little boy, I thank God every single day for his happy, laid back disposition :) His newest thing is to roll over every time I lay him down on his back. I just can't keep this boy on his back now that he's learned how to roll! Of course he hasn't figured out how to roll back over again so he starts fussing after a minute to let me know he's done with his belly. I think he just likes to practice doing it because as soon as I roll him to his back again, he's right back on his belly :) I put him in the toddler swing last week for the 1st time and he just laughed and smiled the whole time. He LOVES his 2 sisters! They make him laugh and smile all of the time and they love him right back. They give him kisses on his head all of the time. Char likes to mother him by "holding" him, helping to hold his bottle, and change his diaper. HK also likes to mother him in such a sweet way: she helps him if he's crying by finding his paci and putting it in his mouth and holding his hand while saying "It's okay" and telling him she loves him. And usually as soon as she does that he just calms down and stops crying. She will sometimes sit for a few minutes holding his hand very gently. So sweet :) He smiles all of the time and makes perfect strangers in the grocery store very happy :) If you're willing to give him a smile, he's usually willing to give you a giant smile! He's been sick with ear infections and sinus infection for the past 2.5 weeks and he's still pretty happy. He's on his 3rd round of antibiotics now so hopefully this one will kick the bug he's got. If not the doctor said he will refer us to ENT for possible ear tubes. Now, part of me just hopes this antibiotic doesn't do the trick so we can just get ear tubes out of the way because I know he's going to have to get them eventually. And if he gets them now maybe he will be spared several more months of agonizing ear infections like the girls had. When they got ear tubes it changed our lives! I was no longer concerned that every single bug they caught was going to go straight to their ears and set up a nasty infection because of the tubes and they have been so much healthier since getting the tubes in February. So, I don't want my child to have to have them at all, but since odds are that he'll have to get them eventually why not sooner rather than later and save some pain in the process.

Pictures:

On the way to first day of Preschool in TN (HK)

On the way to first day of Preschool in TN (Char)

1st day of TN Preschool, Char (L) & HK (R)

HK with Nonnie's garden bunny. The girls LOVED carrying around  her garden art :)

Charlotte upset because HK is getting to play with the buckles on the swing. I love this picture because it is so typical of our day. These girls LOVE each other for sure, but they are almost always fighting over a toy or swing or crayon or basically anything else. That is why I try to always get 2 of everything :)

PopPop and Micah napping together on the swing.

A sweet moment of sharing :) HK (L) & Char (R)

These girls are so good at climbing now. This is HK scaling the "rock wall" by herself on Nonny & PopPop's swingset. They are very proud of their independence :)

HK trying to slow herself down on the slide...it's a very fast one!

Silly Charlotte!

Sweet Charlotte holding Micah Bug and watching TV.

Silly HK. The girls were outside helping PopPop pick up sticks and HK peeked in the window. These girls follow PopPop around like he is the king!

The kids loved sitting on Nonny & PopPop's bed in the mornings and watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Char (L), Micah (Middle), HK (R)

We went to a pumpkin patch out in Nolensville in October to pick out Halloween pumpkins and they had a little station for the kids with corn and empty bottles. Charlotte loved it so much we couldn't get her to leave it to do anything else while we were there! Char (L) & HK (R)

Char (L) & HK (R)

PopPop's carved pumpkin. Char (L) & HK (R)

Halloween costumes: HK was a bumblebee, Char was a kitty cat, and Micah was a dinosaur!

We went trick or treating with cousin Tripp in their neighborhood in Franklin. Char the cat, Tripp the turtle, and HK the bee.

Uncle Thomas with Tripp, Mom with the girls during trick or treating.

The girls practiced trick or treating at Nonny's front door before the real thing. This is HK :)

Char

Our pumpkins: Mike carved the face and I tried to carve "OHIO" and "Go Vols"

Post- Trick-or-Treat snack. The girls loved having popcorn with Nonny and watching Mickey or Little Einsteins before bed :)

The girls love popsicles! HK (L), Char (middle), Nonny holding Micah, and PopPop

The girls love putting raspberries on their fingers! Charlotte

Hannah Kate

Char (L), Micah in the middle, HK (R)

So if you can't tell from other pictures, it's so hard to get a good shot of HK because she doesn't enjoy the spotlight and often hides her face whenever the camera comes out.

On the other hand, Charlotte is a complete ham for the camera!

The girls got a box of Disney princess dress up clothes for their birthday from Uncle Thomas and Aunt Jess and they love playing with it all. Char enjoys the jewelry but doesn't like to put the clothes on but HK LOVES to play dress up!

They even dressed up Nonny with a bow and clip on earrings!

What a sport! Even Lilly (pronounced Yeeyee by the girls) got to be dressed up too! She is such a good dog :)

Micah & PopPop. I think they enjoyed their daily male bonding time away from all the girls in the house ;)

The girls would sit like this on the one Radio Flyer big wheel at Nonny & PopPops.

The girls wore these dresses my mom made them for the Halloween party at their TN Preschool.

HK cutting up her pacis. We cut all of the loose ones up and she threw them away in the trash can all by herself. She is down to only getting her Mac (wubbanub) at nap and nighttime.

This picture was taken by Debbie one morning. Charlotte was watching her get ready and saw her hair rollers and said "Pinecones Nonny!" And then when Debbie sprayed her hair with hairspray Charlotte said "Bug Spray Nonny!" It's so funny to think about what must be going through their little brains all of the time! They are constantly trying to make associations with what they see in the world around them.

SWEET sisters! Laughing and playing on the beanbag chair. Char (L) & HK (R)

HK wearing the hat Nana Colgan made her and Aunt Catie's shoes on her feet. The girls LOVE Aunt Catie!

Happy Micah

The girls started sleeping in big girl beds! HK

Charlotte  showing off her new hat

HK showing off Micah's new hat

We went to the Adventure Science Center in Nashville and Charlotte was "pretending" to eat an ear of corn. We have to work on what pretending means...not really putting our mouths on yucky germy things that a million other kids have done the same thing to ;)

Happy HK "grocery shopping"

My messy little eater, HK

HK LOVES Mac & Cheese!

Sweet Micah and his yummy thumby

Shopping is exhausting! Char (L), HK (R)

Happy boy!

Dino Micah in his Halloween costume!

Kids on Nonny & PopPop's bed. L to R: Char, Micah, HK

Eating lunch out after church.

Charlotte has begun doing this funny pose when I tell her to smile for the camera.

HK doesn't like to get pictures taken so she hides her face usually.

Micah LOVES to be held by Aunt Catie! He just stares at her the whole time he's in her arms :)

Happy Charlotte & momma swinging.

Bathtime fingerpaints! The girls love these made by Crayola. The fingerpaints are actually soap so they clean while they paint! HK (L), Char (R)

When we got back home in Virginia Beach the girls headed straight for the playroom and just played with their old but new again toys for an hour while I unloaded the car.

1st day of VB Preschool, Char (L) & HK (R)

Micah's first time to swing on the swingset. He loves it!

HK swinging

Char in the sandbox

HK helping me get out the Christmas decorations.

The girls LOVE all of the Christmas decorations at the  stores! This was a Home Depot trip. HK (L) & Char (R)

Happy to be back home in her sandbox! Charlotte

They are such little girls that their 18 mo. coats from last winter fit them great this winter! HK (L) & Char (R)

We love that this stroller gives us the flexibility to get to the park and give everyone a comfy seat. Char in the top seat, HK & Micah down below.

Sometimes we get to experience the sweetest twin moments! This is how I found them one night, asleep in the same bed. Char (L) & HK (R)

Fun at the VB Aquarium! HK (L) & Char (R)

Micah bug along for the ride at the Aquarium

This is the girls favorite breakfast by far! M&M pancakes! They help me make them and eat as many as a grown adult!

His daddy's son ;) He cannot take his eyes off the TV when it's on!

Loves to roll onto his belly these days. Just hasn't figured out how to roll back onto his back yet.

More backyard fun! I bought this teeter totter at a consignment sale for $3 last year...best $$$ I've ever spent on a toy! The girls love it! Char (L) & HK (R)

Sweetest and most laid back baby ever! He just swung until he fell asleep while we all played in the sandbox.