In Other News....

Delaney and Daddy got into a battle of wills--of whether to watch Elmo (Laney's choice) or a baseball game (Daddy's choice). Daddy won-barely.

Laney said--I like kissies from my mommy. And it made my week.

In the past two weeks, Laney and Elliot have had four different babysitters-and done wonderfully each time. What a difference six months make.

Elliot's favorite books right now are Wheels On The Bus, Busy Bunnies (yes, this is a very manly book), Goodnite Moon and Zoo Animals.

Elliot had his first nitemare this week. He woke up in the middle of the nite, screaming and shaking. After a few minutes of snuggles, he was calm and sleepy. He was too sweet. I resisted the urge to put him in our bed and put him back to sleep in his crib.

Elliot is into throwing everything-and I mean everything-he turns everything into a ball and throws / kicks it across the room. As a result, I have a swollen lip and Laney has had more than her fair share of bruises and scrapes.

Playing In The Dirt

We have the best backyard for kids--lots of grass, big shady trees, a little patio and wooden fence (perfect for chalk drawings!) and a perimeter of dirt. Delaney and Elliot love playing outside and especially love playing / 'gardening' in the dirt. They dig and dig, making holes and filling up cups with dirt. Elliot also enjoys throwing dirt, eating dirt, rubbing dirt in his hair and pouring dirt down the inside of shirt-but we're working on this.

Now that the weather is getting nicer, the kids spend more time outdoors than indoors, and I love it--little kids are meant to be outside, and by nighttime, Laney and Elliot are rosy cheeked and smell like the sunshine and grass.

Snowy Visit to Tahoe

I stayed home while Dave, Uncle Mat and Aunt Rebecca took the kids to Sand Harbor. Apparently, there was a bit of snow!

It's been great to have Uncle Mat and Aunt Rebecca visit-for everyone. The kids get to see some new faces and play with eager playmates, and Dave and I get to see much missed family and recharge our batteries a little. The kids have been crazy good since Mat and Rebecca have been here--like complete and total angels. I guess they're just trying to ensure that they have some Schwartz cousins someday!

Reading With Rebecca

Delaney absolute loves to read; she loves to be read to and she loves to 'read' to herself and others. I'm so happy that she already loves books, and nothing makes me happier than listening to her 'read' to herself--so sweet.

Carson Valley Swim Center

After a fairly long week with the kids, Uncle Mat and Aunt Rebecca came into town, providing entertainment for the kids, great company and free babysitting! After naptime, we all headed to the pool in Minden; it has a wonderful baby pool and a nice warm therapy pool. Since Uncle Mat was there to help out, I got to sit in luxury, chatting with Rebecca and not getting wet!

Both Delaney and Elliot love playing in the water, and this certainly is credited to their daddy, who doesn't panic when they go underwater and has always encouraged them to get their faces wet. Uncle Mat called Delaney a 'water baby'--she quickly corrected him--she's no baby!

Art Time

The weather has been pretty crummy all week--rainy, cold, windy and snowy, so we've had a lot of indoor time (to burn!). Delaney loves to do anything artsy or crafty and can entertain herself for a good 45 minutes with some paints, markers or stickers. And if she's starting to get cranky, crafts are a great way to change her mood.

Elliot, on the other hand, has a tougher time sitting still, but is just starting to play with play-do and stickers. Of course, he usually winds up eating the play-do and putting a good portion of the stickers in his hair, but it's a start! He's not yet into scribbling, but man, does he love to run around the house throwing and kicking a ball (and anything else that he can get his hands on!); he's in constant movement.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Delaney and Elliot have been giving us a run for our money lately. It's been pretty brutal. They fight and fight and fight until I'm pretty sure that I'm going insane. Delaney takes everything that Elliot has, doesn't want him to look at her, touch her or touch any of 'her' stuff. Elliot throws her dolls in the trash, laughing hysterically, and repeatedly tackles her to the ground.

On the 'good' side of things, we left the kids with a babysitter on Saturday night and they did great; we went out with friends and had a really nice time. It was really nice to have some adult time.

On Sunday morning, Delaney happily worked on her shamrocks and then we all headed to a great indoor pool. The kids had a blast and totally wore themselves out.

Delaney was a wreck all afternoon and evening--tantrums, tantrums, tantrums. It's frustrating because she had more tantrums yesterday, than she's had in the past two months. At bedtime, Delaney threw herself out of her crib-onto the hardwood floors---nice, huh? She's a little bruised but basically fine. I had been hoping to keep her in her crib until she went to college, but apparently, her crib days are very limited.

This morning Elliot learned how to open the oven door as well as turn the stove and oven on. Great.

I'm so frazzled and frustrated. I keep telling myself-Patience, patience, patience.

This is a picture of Delaney holding up one of her little trolls. They kinda look alike, huh?! :)