Wishing You a Merry Christmas!

(I have to apologize for not including a bio in our Christmas cards this year). Our Christmas cards were done last month...but then I got really tired and just couldn't seem to get addresses on the envelopes and get them out the door! I am sorry...but here is the rest of the card!
What are our favorite things this year?

Jason: Finished school! He is officially "the tranquillizer" and truly loves his job! He will be working in Syracuse (commuting) for the next few months, ships off to Alabama for Officer training in March, and then moves us to Las Vegas in April. He still loves movies, the x-box, playing rough with the girls, running, and really loves being done with school!
Chloe: Loves Kindergarten. She wants to be a teacher when she grows up. She loves reading, phys-ed, art, music, library, and telling her teacher that she loves her. She is an excellent swimmer and really likes dance as well. She is starting to enjoy being the big sister in the house and is getting better at being responsible. She loves to play and make new friends. Just about everyone knows her name.
Lily: Loves Pre-school. She goes twice a week and enjoys being the best swimmer in her class! She likes to dance but is not quite as ambitious about it as her sister. ( I guess she's still a little young)! She loves to paint and will pull what she needs out of our art closet and get started. She loves Dora and all the princesses. She already has an opinion about what clothes she wears everyday. For the most part if it's pink it's good!
Stephanie: Is enjoying the miracle of pregnancy once again! I'm still teaching fitness classes and love being home for my children. I'm the Compassionate Service Leader at church, so that keeps me quite busy too! I've started painting again so if anyone has a need for artwork...I'm available at the moment!
We miss you all and hope this season finds you well and happy. We are so greatful to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at this special time of year. It is such a great time to contemplate his love for each and every one of us. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

So Much to be Thankful For....

I need to recap all the wonderful things that have happened in the last two months.

1. We had a beautiful Thanksgiving filled with family and friends. I got to have my wonderful niece here with us in Buffalo for four days. On Thanksgiving Day I didn't have to cook! (Thank heaven! Most days the thought of cooking makes we want to throw up)! We went to my in-laws and all I had to do was make a salad! Coming home to a clean kitchen was marvelous! We also celebrated Uncle Jamie and Uncle Joe's birthday!

2. On our way to Rochester for Thanksgiving we hit a deer with Jason's brand new car. The young buck looked me right in the eye and charged our car anyway. He lost. But he dented the side doors a bit, took out the passenger mirror, and his tiny antler busted through the back passenger window. (the little triangular shaped one all the way in the back). We were amazed at how much glass was shattered all over the car. Particularly how much glass and hair was all over Lily, her car seat and what was left of the window frame. We pulled over, got her and her car seat out and brushed them off. A nice gentleman stopped to see if we were okay...and made sure to tell the girls that the deer was okay and ran off into the woods. ~such a lie! We've been able to drive the car and no one was hurt. But this is the second time my children have been in a car that got attacked by a deer this winter. Now...every time we get in the car they wonder if we'll have another encounter with Bambi or one of his affiliates.

We went back to Rochester to celebrate the holiday with my family and had great fun letting the girls bounce their hearts out on a borrowed bounce house from our neighbor. Thanks David!

3. We found out that Tranquill baby #3 is on its way. The girls kiss my belly every day and talk about possible names. Lily wants to name it Conclue after her favorite blue elephant. She refers to the baby as a he, but insists she wants a baby sister. Chloe would prefer Angelina Ballerina. We're hoping for a baby boy to balance out the estrogen level in our home. Even our dog is female...poor Jay is so outnumbered!

Nine weeks

4. Jason graduated from his program and will start working at a hospital in Syracuse very soon! We can't wait to make some real money and not be students anymore! He will commute to work for a few months and then ship out to Alabama for Officer Training. We will then move to Las Vegas in April. Looking forward to some sunshine! This picture was taken during their class celebration at a typical Buffalo bar. We ate lots of pizza and wings and watched everyone slowly get trashed. Carolyn, Kalisa, and I left early because we were cold and not excited about watching people get waisted. We had no real interest in watching the football game either! We also thought that we should go find the rest of Anna's shirt for her! In all fairness, we really needed to relieve our babysitters!

5. Since Jason graduated that means many of our good friends did as well, and are therefore leaving the Buffalo area much sooner than we are. We had a mourning party for our friend Kalisa who just flew back West today. Her husband Derek was one of Jason's favorite people to hang with...we'll miss them and there kids a lot! But Chloe and Lily know where they are on the map and feel better about moving to Nevada because Idaho looks close to Nevada!

6. Carolyn and I went to an ornament exchange party and had a great time! Chloe and Lily helped me make the ornaments. It turns out Lily loves to Modge-Podge and Chloe loves glitter!

A sample of what we made....

The assortment of what I came home with!

7. Chloe and Lily got to be angels at our Ward Christmas party. They missed rehearsal due to ballet class...but had no problem winging it!

8. We went to Stokoe Farms today to cut down Nana Davis' and Aunt Jennie's trees. This is a tradition for us. We always go there in the fall for pumpkins and in December for Christmas trees. We eat hot dogs and hamburgers for lunch, play on the slide, climb the hay mountain, see the chicken show, feed the animals, cut down a tree or two, check out baby Jesus in the manger scene, pose with Santa Clause, and then have hot cocoa and donuts before our fingers fall off!

So, like I said before....we have so much to be thankful for!

"Mommy, How Does the Baby Get Out of Your Belly, Really"?

Me about 8 or 9 weeks ago.

When it comes to the conditions of my uterus, I have a hard time keeping secrets. So, for all of you who may not have heard yet, yes, I am pregnant! I'm 7 1/2 weeks along and feeling quite nauseous most of the time as well as very tired...but the rest of time I feel great and enjoy indulging in my cravings. Examples: snow crab, fillet-o-fish sandwiches, junior whoppers, chicken salad on an everything bagel, pickles, Coke Icees, and ice cream to name my most recent favorites!

7 weeks

I found out I was pregnant 5 days before my missed period...I went in for my annual exam, not expecting to get a positive result, and was rather shocked at the news! After 5 months, I was beginning to think I was too old to get prego or something....well, I was wrong! Phew!

The first person that I told was Chloe. (Only because Jason wasn't returning my text messages-he was in a part of the hospital that he couldn't and took forever to get home that day....so I had to tell someone!!!!!) I told her it would be a secret and that she shouldn't tell anyone. Well, that didn't work. The phone rang, she picked it up, and blurted out, "Guess what, Nanna! Mommy has a baby in her tummy"! So my secret couldn't really be a secret...as she continued to tell more and more people as the days went by.

Both girls are very excited and have been putting their baby dolls and stuffed animals under their shirts. It was reported to me today that Lily was caught nursing her baby in the football position at school today. (How she knows about that I'm not totally sure)!

This morning was the kicker. Chloe was ready for school and we were sitting down eating breakfast and she says, "Mommy, how does the baby get out of your belly, really? Do you cut it out?" Previous to this she figured that I would throw it up. She was constantly asking me to open my mouth so she could check it out. I guess she figured that wouldn't work very well. So, upon considering the honesty approach from my friend Angela, I decided to give Chloe a quick anatomy lesson. I told her that the baby is inside my uterus and made a circular shape with my hands. Then I told her that when the baby is ready to live on its own, he or she would travel through the birth canal and come out of my vagina. You know that hole that you have down there? That's what that hole is for. Sometimes that doesn't work and then they will cut the belly open. But most of the time babies come out of the vagina. She then stared at me for what felt like forever, and said, "Wow. That's really gross, Mom!"

I just wonder how many of her friends at school now know where and how a baby really comes out.!?...

The 4'9" Momma Bouncer...Don't Mess With Me!

Today we took the girls to a local mall to play. Daddy had to get a new prescription for his glasses and I wanted to tire the girls out. (They were already to ballet class and other Y activities...but I thought they needed more activities on such a dreary and rainy day to become sufficiently worn out)! So they were playing in this area designed for young children-all mats and things to climb on and jump off of. -Perfect for them! They were having a great time until Lily comes to me, crying, and says a boy kicked her. I told her it was probably an accident and she should just try to avoid that little boy. But Chloe came to me and said it wasn't an accident and he was really being a mean kid. So, I started watching like a hawk. I watched this boy as he stalked, pushed, hit, kicked, and pounced on other children. He was an absolute bully. After watching him do this several times in a grand total of 3 minutes I got up, walked straight over to him and told him that what he was doing was innapropriate and he needed to stop. That was his only warning. As I sat back down and kept watching he deliberately pushed my 3 year old to the ground and looked at her as if to say "don't get up or I'll do it again". Okay...so now I'm pissed. Lily was crying but I knew she was fine. I went right over to that little boy and told him he was done playing and that he needed to come with me. I put my hand on his back and gently guided him to the front of the play area and asked all the parents there who belonged to this child. They all looked stunned and no one claimed him. (Honestly I wouldn't have wanted to claim him either)! They all shrugged and looked around. So then I tell the boy he needs to take me to his parents. He gave me this stunned look and started walking and pointing. His father was sitting about 40 feet away, by himself, sleeping. The little boy then said, "Okay? I'm going back now." I said, "Oh no you're not. Excuse me sir, (tapping on his shoulder...his eyes open in surprise). Your son has been beating up on other kids. He pushed my 3 year old down for the last time." As he came out of his sleeping state he started to chastise his son and stated they were leaving. My response as I'm walking away..."Thank God!" When I returned to my seat some other moms started to clap and tell me how glad they were that I did that. Heck, I'm only 4'9" tall but I'll kick your ____ if I have to...so don't mess with me or my kids. I don't care how old you are!

A Five Year Old Struggles for Power, Ballet Lessons are Painful, and Zoofun

This picture has nothing to do with the day in question...it just shows a bit of her attitude.

Before I rant, I have to preface my words with the fact that I love my daughter more than words can ever describe. Okay...now that I got that out of the way here's the story. The other day we went to Blockbuster. Chloe decided that she wanted to get Mermadia. So in route to Blockbuster I tell her that we should probably get a movie that we haven't seen because we were only getting one movie. She ignored my suggestion and remained fixated on Mermaidia. When we got to Blockbuster Lily and I found The Purple Elephant. Chloe found Mermaidia. I told Chloe that we were not going to get it because she knew it by heart and we wanted to see something new. She did not like this and proceeded to take her video up to the check-out counter. The lady told her she would have to wait for her mommy. You could see the disappointment on Chloe's face as she realized she couldn't just get it all by herself. (Now... everyone in line heard me tell her we weren't going to get that movie). Lily and I gave the check-out lady the elephant movie and I quietly said "just this one please". These few little words initiated the tantrum. Chloe started screaming at the top of her lungs......"No mommy! I don't want THAT movie, I want Mermaidia!" Crying hysterically and screaming at me magically did not make me want to give her anything she wanted. I simply gave her the mom look...you know the eyes that cut right through to your heart, and escorted her from the store as quickly as possible. The screaming did not stop, but actually escalated as we proceeded outside. As soon as we were in the car I laid into her with the meanest sounding mommy voice that I could muster and actually didn't even know I had. I don't remember my exact words because my blood pressure was through the roof...but I think it went something like this...."Chloe Mae Tranquill you will close your mouth this instant! I will NOT tolerate this kind of behavior, it is TOTALLY unacceptable and I will not have it! With every sentence she would try to interject and every time I cut her off with my pointer finger and some kind of grunt. ( I don't know ~but it worked)! My rant started as we were parked and then kept unfolding in the three minute drive home. She then had to go straight up to her room and wait for me. Because her crying and tantrums have become an issue lately we decided that she needed a spanking. I first explained to her what was going to happen and why. She got three swats on the bottom and then had to sit by herself in her room for 30 minutes. I really hate spanking but there are times when I think it might be the only way to get the message across. Immediately after the spanking, I hugged her and told her I was sorry, but that she made some very bad decisions and had to suffer the consequences. We also told her that she really needs to learn how to listen, be obediant and respectful of me and the people around her. And quite simply no means no! She is now banned from Blockbuster until further notice.

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On another note the girls had their first ballet lesson together. (Chloe took lessons about a year ago and this was Lily's first time. Jason and I decided that watching children ages 3-5 try to learn ballet is quite comical and painful. There are a few of them that try really hard and then there's Lily. She kind of reminds me of the outfielder picking flowers or knocking on his cup to pass the time. Just kind of there, looking around, and will occassionally do something that resembles what she's supposed to be doing. The interesting part is she remembered and could do everything the teacher taught them the day after in our living room. So I guess she did pay attention!

first position

stretching

plie

Nice toe point!

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On Election day we voted. Chloe asked me, "Are we red or blue mommy"? I said, "We are totally red, honey. We don't want a socialized government. It doesn't work well in other parts of the world and it won't work here either". Chloe's response, "Yeah! We want the red guy!"

I just hope Obama lives up to everyone's expectations. I honestly don't think he's going to make things better. I think he's going to make us less independant and cripple our drive to better ourselves. Anyway........

We then went to the zoo, and swimming. The Buffalo Zoo now has an new rainforest exhibit that was very cool! The kids loved the bat cave, pirhannas, blue poisoned dart frog, and alligators! I never knew that bats flip their wings back and forth to help them walk anywhere on land. It's the coolest hobbled walk ever! But kinda freaky!
Here the girls are with their friends Annie and Cannon in front of the bat cave. I guess Chloe should have picked a batman shirt to wear that day!

Why can't we just love one holiday at a time?

I went into Wegmans on Friday and they were already setting up their Christmas decorations. It was Halloween day. What's up with that? Why does everyone seem to forget about Thanksgiving? I'm not ready for Christmas lights. I love them....but in their own due time. I like to enjoy the oranges, reds, and yellows of Fall and look forward to turkey day! So here are some of my favorite FALL pictures! Christmas is just gonna have to wait~

Any guesses for the owner of the schnauz in the upper right hand corner?

Griffen found his very heavy pumpkin! What's up there? The best part is Jason had no idea she was doing this until I showed him the picture!

Covered head to toe in straw and loving every second! (until Mommy insisted on picking it all out of her hair)!

Notice the cold pack....it was warm by this time. But she insisted that she still needed it! (She burned her finger on the curling iron about two hours before this shot was taken).Chloe drew this face on her pumpkin and Daddy cut it out for her. I'm not sure who was more excited about it! Both of their faces were just as animated as the pumpkins'!
Lily insisted that her pumpkin should be Dora the Explorer! Mommy remembered how nicely wood cutting tools work on pumpkins!



The nurse-anesthesia kid gang all ready for trick-or-treating!

Happy Birthday Lily!

My youngest is now three years old. It just blows my mind how fast she is growing. I wanted my children to get a little older before we have babies #3 and 4. Jason and I wanted it this way to help save our sanity....I just don't know that that plan is going to work!

Miss Jane loves Dora, Barbie, Tinker Bell, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, playing with our neighbor David, playing with Chloe, trying to do Chloe's homework, going to "pretty school", swimming lessons, dress-up, going to see the two Nanas, and wearing pink. She will put on a different outfit 3 times a day if I let her...and they all have to be pink. She will have a melt down if she can't wear pink pants. So every few weeks I go to Target just to pick up a pair of their toddler $4.00 comfy pants in some kind of pink pattern. She has a ton of other clothes but it's like pulling teeth to get her to wear them! What can I say? I'm glad she's a kid that knows what she wants!
Chloe and Lily are very different. My friend Carolyn commented on this as we were taking a walk one day. We were watching them run ahead of us and she pointed out how Chloe runs with a purpose and determination, knowing exactly where she wants to go, pumping her arms and gritting her teeth. Lily runs while looking around at anything and everthing, her arms swinging casually, and her feet kicking her butt. She often runs into things because she is looking behind her and not at where her feet are taking her. (please see the Calamity Jane post for questions on this)!

Lily can have fun in any situation but often wants me to hold her hand. She'll go and do things independantly and then makes a bee-line for Mommy as soon as she's done. Maybe this is why she stayed in the womb two full weeks longer than her sister.!?... She loves to sit on my lap and cradle my face with her two little hands. She tries to "mommy" me...it's really very sweet! She also gives the greatest hugs!

She's my peanut, a total light weight. She found a pair of shorts that are size 6-9 months at Nana's house a few weeks ago and they still fit! They are pink so she has decided that she really likes them a lot and need to be part of her winter wardrobe!

She knows how to get into trouble and also likes to point out when others are getting into trouble. I know that I use middle names when I get mad. This realization came to me when I heard her say, "No Daddy Jane"!

She is such a sweetheart and has brought so much joy into our lives. Here are a few of my favorite Lily pics:

This is about 12 days before the day she was born.

Her first Halloween. Only 11 days old!

Three weeks old!

Three months old!

11 monthssame 1 year old!Eighteen Months!

Two!

Practically 3!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PEANUT! We love you!