Tiny Dancers

Trista's dance class had open viewing this week and what fun it was to watch her shine!  She loves dance class!  I think she smiles more at this class than she has at any other class she has ever tried.  Could have something to do with the amazing teacher....or Trista's innate love for music and rhythm.

Friends waiting for class to begin!

Marina inching her way towards the big girls!

Another exciting event this week was Marina's first gymnastics class!  UGA has a class that they can join once they start walking, so Marina and 2 other little ones attempted a class because the moms decided that running around in the gym sounded better than chasing them around the lobby!  It was an adventure!  Marina loved it for awhile!  Hard to take pictures when I had to help her do everything, but here are the few good ones I got!

Encouragement from big sis before classes began!

Crawling under the mat!

Climbing over the rungs of the ladder!

Crawling through the tunnel!

I'd say this week's classes were a success!  I love watching my girls experience life...now if only I could muster up the energy to keep up with them!

Day Off Escapades

So thanks to Trista being sick (or as she likes to say, "puking all over Mommy's bed!) one night last week, the Geagan girls got to have a sick day on Thursday.  Lucky for us, Trista was feeling perfectly fine by morning, so we ended up enjoying the day.  We began our morning at the Geagan salon...

The beginning of the make-up routine

Marina feels that lipstick is more suited for her cheeks!

Trista's final look...although she was not willing to cooperate for a photo op!

Fancy dresses were requested, but denied, due to Mommy's continual fear that the stomach bug could return at any minute!  Instead, I chose to put those beautiful faces straight into the bath! 

After splashing and soaking, it was time for some hair styling!  As you may have noticed in the previous pictures, Trista had some crazy braids going on (done right after a shower the night before).  Daddy likes to call her Snoop Dog when she rocks this looks!  However, once the braids come down, her hair looks amazing!

New favorite hairstyle!

Now clearly in a little girl's dream day, it is time for some Barbie fun...

Barbies at the Ball...Marina just wants to know why she can't have her Ken back!

And of course, some fun with art!

My little writer!

My little monster who can't use crayons or markers anymore due to her strong desire to bite the tips off!

Then it was off to Grandma's...and out for a little shopping therapy!

I'd say it was a pretty complete sick day!  Wish we could have more of those....minus the sickness!!!

Slumber

Sleep in my house is an interesting topic.  I often read articles about how much sleep kids really need.  Most say that kids age 1-6 need about 10-12 hours a night, along with a 1-3 hour nap (at least up until age 4).  HA!  I don't know that there has ever been a night where either of my children has slept that long!  And they are not nappers either!  Sometimes I worry about that, but then I look at how happy and healthy they are, and realize that sleep may just not be in the cards for us! 
When they do sleep, I like to catch their many crazy positions on camera!

I don't understand how you can sleep in this position, but she looks pretty comfy!

Marina likes the more traditional sleeping positions, even away from home!

Passed out on the couch while watching TV!

Another couch sleeper!

Together in the crib (Trista's request)!

Little bodies entwined!

Trista wakes up every morning looking the same...hair stick straight, needing a quick brush and a tuck behind her ears.
Marina, on the other hand, wakes up most mornings looking something like this...

Time Flies

Everyone tells you to enjoy every minute with your babies because they grow up so fast!  So true!!!  My "babies" are getting so big and changing so quickly!  I'm so proud of them everyday and am so thankful for the love and joy they bring to my life!

Big sis teaching her little sis how to do puzzles!  Love it!

Marina has suddenly had an explosion of language.  It seems that she is a little parrot these days, trying to repeat anything and everything she hears! 

Helping Mommy get ready for the colder weather!

Some of her newest words include: popcorn, hi, papa, hot, cold, apple, kitty, juice, bird, pop, shoe, eyes, doggie, and her favorite word, baby!  She is even starting to say Trista...although it sounds more like Ti-ta!

Such a good little mommy!

And Trista has had her own explosion with language.  My big girl is learning how to read!!

Ignore the paint mustache...Focus on the eyes!  These look like the eyes of a reader, don't they?!?

Tonight she read all of these sentences:

And, of course, Trista continues to love drawing.  Here is her latest masterpiece!

Proud Mama moment of the day:  Trista's teacher told me that today she told one of Trista's friends that she could really learn a lot about listening from Trista.  Ms. Lydia says Trista is an "expert" listener!  What a great thing to hear!  Now if only she could bring some of those listening skills home!!! ;)

She never ceases to amaze me though.  One night last week, I asked her what we should have for dinner that night and here is the response I received:  "Let's have noodles so we can use those China sticks to eat!"  Love it!  Silly girl!  And she did use those "China sticks" (or chopsticks, as the rest of us like to call them) until she had dropped at least 74 noodles on the floor!

And then there is my little Marina...talk about amazing!  She is a little bundle of energy and does everything in her power to keep up with her big sister!  She has recently learned the joy of reading!  I love to capture her enjoying a good book!

Down on the Farm

As if we haven't had enough Fall fun yet, we visited yet another Pumpkin patch this weekend.  This time we tried out ButterPrint Farm.  It was unique because it is a real farm, so it is not as commercialized as the big name patches we usually visit.  We did finally get our pumpkins and spent hours scooping and carving away!  Here are a few of my favorites from the 175+ pictures I took to remember the day!

Rubber Duck Races - The girls LOVED these!

Marina, of course, loved the animals!  Trista, of course, was nervous around them!

Looking so grown up while learning about corn!

Marina enjoying the jump rope that Trista got to make!

Time to go...somebody needs a nap!

Trista surprised us and dove right in to scoop out her pumpkin!

She did wash her hands a few different times during the process!  This is her pretending to be a zombie!  I personally think she is far too cute to successfully pull off the zombie look!

Marina's first pumpkin carving experience!

Not sure what to do with the goo!

Checking out what Daddy is drawing on her pumpkin!

Attempting to pick up Trista's pumpkin!

Trista's Kitty Bat pumpkin that Mommy carved!

Marina's pumpkin that Daddy carved...Jack the Pumpkin King!

Now for the real Halloween fun tomorrow!  Hope my little Marie and Dorothy enjoy trick-or-treating...

Spelling and Climbing

The conversations that I have with Trista while we are driving are priceless!

I promise I wasn't driving when this picture was taken!

   Today, out of the blue, she says to me, "Mom, remember when I was afraid of the E.G.P. at Lori's house?"  I immediately begin racking my brain to figure out what exactly that could mean.  After a minute of being clueless, I ask her, "E.G.P?"  Her response, "You know, that spider that was on Lori's house."
   Ha!  So last time we went to our hair dresser's house, there was a giant spider decoration near her front door.  My mom and I were discussing it before we got out of the car and we spelled out the word spider to each other, thinking Trista wouldn't know what we are talking about!  Although she doesn't completely get it, I'm thinking that the spelling is pretty much done now?!?
  
   And then I have my climber...

   This is how the highchair must be sitting now whenever she is not strapped into it at the table.  The last few days, I have turned around multiple times to find her standing on the footrest part, ready to climb more.  Tonight, I turned my back for a minute and she got herself completely up the chair into the seat!  I figure climbing on it when it is sideways and on the carpet is a much safer option!