Calista Rides A 2-Wheeled Bike!

We were all so excited!

She's on Ursula's bike... the actual first good attempt today was on her own bike, but of course, I didn't get that :( But, she was real comfortable on Urs' :D

My Girlies :)

I took these today.

Nowadays, its hard to get a 'good' picture of Ursula simply because she wants to make funny faces all the time!


Now, Calista, is as photogenic as ever :D

I can always count on her to take good pictures :)

Oh, this picture with her next to Jeremy's car, that's a pose she wanted to do :D heh heh

Testing Week

Calista only had to go to school for 30 minutes this week; and that was today. The school is testing their students individually (last week was the Iowa tests).

When Calista came out, she said her teacher said she passed and I told her, "I knew you would!" Then she told me that her teacher said she was reading at 2nd grade level and that she'd had had the best results so far our of her classmates.

Meanwhile, Ursula, Wyatt, and I waited... Ursula was growing antsy; wanting to go to Calista's classroom. So, Ursula passed some of her time looking at the mural.

Oh, isn't Calista's school just soooo cute? I found that at a thrift store for like 15 cents! I just love finding great deals! Her shoes were also a thrift store find for like $1.

Calista & Ursula Today

Headstands

Calista is doing handstands a lot now :D She's really good at it.

Tasha took these pictures :D

Finally Some New Pics of My Girls

Taken today with my new Kodak EasyShare 5.0 MP camera (THANKS KIMBER!!!).

I haven't taken too many pictures yet as we had a really busy day today and I just received it.

Ursula was telling me how much she missed Nannie, Angele, Cherie, Olivia, and Racquelle... so, I told her I'd call mom when we got home from Tasha's house.

When we got home, I saw that mom had called a few times while we were gone anyways. So, I tell her about Ursula and she figures she can come over for a couple of days since she hadn't been here in a little while. So, she's here since yesterday evening.

Ursula had fever Sat. night and yesterday... and she was crying about her left ear. So, today, I went ahead and brought her to the dr. to see if she has an ear infection, and sure enough, she does. He also suggested that we bring her to speach therapy. He said he'd get his nurses to look up some info about it and call me later.

Look at Calista's arms in that picture! hehehe She's cut :D hehehe She'll be an excellent gymnast. I'm going to see about putting her in there.

Oohhhh, Ursula can whistle! Its so cute!

Just a Few Tidbits Concerning Ursula

She can work the mouse really well now... in fact, she opens up programs on my desktop (the ones she wants to play with anyways).

She can work the VCR and TV in her room.

She's been on a carbohydrate kick lately... eating plain rice, noodles, and bread. Weird. Otherwise, she's been eating PB&J all day long. I fix her one bread at a time though. She'll eat like 3 a day or so.

She still likes coffee and alcohol but isn't sneaking it as much as she was... yay!

When she watches TV, she'll imitate the people's actions and lines and expressions.

She likes to imitate Wyatt too... she'll watch him and then tell me, "Mom, he just did this" and do whatever he did; its funny because it can just be a funny look or a look with his mouth open.

She keeps picking Wyatt up.... moving him from chair to chair to sofa to me, etc. Tells me that he wants her to do that.

She does a good job matching her clothes too.

She is still into her baby dolls. She's been making them dance and kiss... LOL And if I watch her and she sees me watching, she says, "Mommmm...." and clicks her tongue... she does that alot... that little sound and rolls her eyes... yes, she continues to have an attitude! And she's still conniving... Lots of people saw that in her eyes from way back when she was still a baby!

And she loves The Veggie Tales! hehehe

Calista's 7 Years Old!

Being that we had all of the 14 grandchildren from my side of the family at our Gram's house, we went ahead and gave Calista an impromptu birthday party.

It went really well :D

My brother, Jared, dressed up as Wolverine (I think our oldest sister, Aimee, had bought the costume for him and he had it, so he put it on) Calista was in the back room watching cartoons and in walked my brother! hehehe He picked her up and she hung on to him like a monkey does, and they walked to the dining room, that was decorated with some balloons I had bought that day from the Dollar Tree and a Happy Birthday banner that Aimee had brought.

I had also bought a number 7 bday candle, but we couldn't find it anywhere!!! So, we improvised with a couple of tea candles! lol She didn't care. Calista's very easily pleased and isn't demanding.

Aimee had also thought it would be a neat idea if the bday girl gave out presents, even though being 'her' day, to represent the notion of sharing and stuff like that. I thought that was cool so we went along with it :D

And since I didn't have my camera... its not working :(( These pictures came from Jessica, my sil. I would have taken more pictures, of course :D lol But, at least I got these. No pictures of Wyatt though :( I know he was sleeping and all... but... And Ursula's in a couple, but not really.

I can't wait to get a new camera.

See Anything Different?

I was changing Calista's earrings when Ursula stated that she wanted earrings too. So, Jeremy was more than willing to accomadate (sp?) her by getting out the ear-piercing thingie we had bought when she was 20 mths old. Her ears aren't red today like they were in that picture. Of course, I took these pictures immediately after Jeremy pierced them last night.

Update on My Girls

Jeremy and I brought them to a KidMed checkup.
Ursula's 37½" tall and weighs 35lbs
Calista weighs 45lbs and is 43 3/4" tall.

None of the nurses gave me any problems about them not being vaccinated. They were kind of shocked when I told them about Wyatt's birth :D hehehe But, none of them were condescending or anything.

Ursula just came out of the bedroom with one of Wyatt's sleepers on... "it fits me!"

Ursula's latest sayings, "That's why..."
"because"
".... you know" as in "That's my baby, you know."
"Its my favorite"
"Its my favorite in the whole wide world" or
"... in the whole wide world" in relation to something else.

Still working with her on her pronounciations... like trying to get her to say the 'f' sound and the 's' sound. She said, "gross" the other day... pronoucing the 's' sound... so, that's a start! I didn't even know she knew that word though! lol

Calista got her 3rd 6 wks' report card in and made all A's and S's with one U in handwriting! A 4.0 :D She raised 2 B's from last report card :D I just wish she'd take more time to write better! I think she's just wanting to finish up first or something.

OH! Calista has a photo shoot at the end of next month! I have her and Ursula listed at onemodelplace.com and a child photographer contacted me about 'shooting' her for a Mardi Gras theme shoot :D I went to his site and he does some excellent work :D I'm excited for her :D Plus, I don't have to pay anything and he gives me a disc of all the pics :) I'll be going to Houma for it.

Someone from that site had also contacted me about Ursula but didn't write me back yet.

December 2nd, 2006

Aren't they cute?

Last Day of 2005

My girls in their PJ's :D
Notice that Calista's always behind Ursula... I don't know why. I kept telling her to get to the side of Ursula. I am guessing she does this so that she looks like the oldest, but I'm not sure.

The Life of Wyatt

The Life of Wyatt: Calista and Ursula's little brother's blog :D

My Dad and Kids

Here's my dad with Ursula, Olivia (my niece), and Calista... looks like they're trading off who's gonna close their eyes, huh?

It was my dad's first time visiting my house! He drove up here on his motorcycle (2 hrs). He spent a good part of the time at the Christmas Program trading off Olivia and Ursula... putting them on his shoulders and all... hehe I think they wore him out :)

I wasn't able to get any good pictures of Calista due to the way it was set up... I couldn't get close to the stage (which is where she was singing at) because the dancers were on the floor in front of it. And I didn't get any video footage of it because I still need to buy a new camcorder battery :( I better hurry up and get one before the baby arrives, huh?

Bigger Vocabulary

Ursula's newest things to say:
"Don't you 'shush' me!"
"Don't you dare ______."
"_____, you know!"

Of course, fill in the blanks with stuff like, 'don't you dare touch that' 'I have a bed too, you know'.

She says so much... and Jeremy and I just look at each other and laugh... she really has a good understanding; its crazy! Reminds of me of Calista. I remember telling people that I could just sit on the sofa and watch Calista (at that same age) and she'd keep me laughing.

Update on my girls

I have to say that its so very cool that Ursula has a good handle on how to work the mouse on my old PC! Its so cool watching her play the educational CD-ROMs we have. The JumpStart series. Although, sometimes she gets mad and just turns the whole thing off! lol The girl with an attitude, that's for sure!

Her favorite things to watch on regular TV are Elmo's World (a segment on Sesame Street) and Caillou.

And she loves to sneak stuff and hide them. Yeah... if she knows that she shouldn't have it, she'll hide it. Like my photo albums... she took them out and hid them under my bed! She loves to use scissors and sneaks them regularly.

Calista brought home her progress report from school Tuesday. We're so proud of her!

She has A's or S's in every subject. A S- in handwriting... but, hey, she brought that up from a U! lol

This is what her teacher wrote on it:

"Calista is a very good listener. She does good work and pays close attention when I am teaching."

She also used two codes, a G and a H which stand for:

G = It is a pleasure to teach your child
H= Courteous, cooperative and well mannered

Calista was so excited because she made her first 100% A on her last Friday's spelling test. She usually gets an 'A' but not a 100% one :D

We reviewed her spelling words again this morning for today's test and she did really well with them. I hope she gets another 'A' :D She was just so excited for last week's one!

Calista is in her school's Christmas Program. It will be on a Tuesday though! I am totally baffled as to why they would put it on a school night! Not to mention the fact that it'll be hard for other family members to attend! Anyways, she's singing this year. Last year she was a dancer. So, I've downloaded a few versions of Walking in a Winter Wonderland for her to listen to. Of course, they're practicing at school too. I also downloaded two patiotic songs since she's to be singing them as well. God Bless America and The Star Spangled Banner.

Oh, I forgot to mention this. For Thanksgiving Day, Calista said the blessing over the meal! Yeah! I was totally floored! Apparently, they do it at school! That really surprised me due to the controversy over prayer in school. It doesn't bother me... just surprises me. But, it was cute to hear her saying it. I've never heard her recite it before! hehehe Its just so funny to me how 'spiritual' she is and we haven't done anything to make her that way. There's a channel on our TV from the 'Trinity Broadcasting Network' that Calista LOVES to watch. She calls it the 'Bible Channel'. She doesn't watch the preachers... but they have shows for kids... sometimes cartoons, puppets, and even The BibleMan, which is Willie Aames from Charles in Charge.

About that Princess swing/backpack... it hasn't come in yet. The guy said he hasn't received the money order yet. That same day, I mailed off 2 other money orders and I've since received the products from eBay that I had ordered. I'm kind of irritated. I did do a trace on the MO and it hasn't been cashed yet. I asked the man to call his local post office and see if its stuck there or what.

Yesterday & Today's Events

Today is Open House at Calista's school. Brandy will be picking me and Ursula up so that we can go since we still have no car!

Calista brought home her 2nd 6 wks report card. She got the honor roll :) 3.5 gpa. She had all A's and S's except for math... but, I've seen her tests... she skips some problems... probably due to her trying to go too fast. And that causes her to have B's instead of A's. No biggie though. And this time, she only had a B in conduct in one of her classes.

For Christmas... I'm thinking of getting one of those interact TV thingies for them. Either the Fisher-Price InteracTV DVD Learning System (ages 3 to 8) or the Fisher-Price Read With Me DVD System (ages 3 to 7). To aid in reading and stuff. Calista told Jeremy she wants fish. So, the other day, he said he's buying her a fishtank. yay... more animals...

Seeing how much Ursula LOVES playing with her baby dolls and even that one teddy bear, I bought something off of eBay for her. I KNOW she'll love it! Its a Princess baby doll swing. The swing can be removed and used as a backpack doll carrier too! Which is great because Ursula loves putting things on her back... even a real carseat! She'll put her baby doll in there, strap them in, and then get behind it and use the straps to put it on her back and walk around with it like that! So, I know she'll just love what I bought for her! In addition, I think it'll help her once our baby is born... she'll have something to occupy her and let her nurture her mothering instincts while I'm tending to Wyatt.

Its not that I was looking for a baby doll swing, I was actually looking for a baby doll snuggli or backpack carrier. I swear, baby doll gear is so frickin' expensive! So, when I found that swing/carrier combo at the price I got it for, I couldn't pass it up. I'm probably going to sew her a Maya wrap type of baby carrier too... I have some old 100% cotton jersey knit sheets to use for that. I was thinking of using them to make one for myself as well :D I think my little baby will like it.

Ursula Talk

Ursula talks soooo much... she's saying so many things... stringing sentences together easily... the only thing is her pronounciation. Like there are still about 4 sounds she doesn't say and substitutes with other sounds.

Like fart is bart.
Sophia is Topeela
myself is mybelf as in "I do it mybelf"

Than on a few a words, she adds a syllable for some reason:
bottle is bah-tah-no
gum is gum-ma

And a couple of other examples:
stroller is strollie
vagina is jye-nee
noonies are ninnies

Some phrases she says often:
That's not fair! (what does she know about fairness??? LOL)
I don't want you to leave me! (like we've ever left her!)
You are my mommy/daddy! (that goes along with sweet hugs)
Its bedtime! - followed by:
Its storytime! Then she wants me to sing to her.
LET ME NURSE NOW!!! She'll sit on the sofa and yell this at me.
I love you, ninnies! (yes, talking to my breasts, with hugs and kisses to them)
I want to go to your house (to whomever she's talking to on the phone)

Halloween

Aren't they so cute? Another thanks to Aunt Tasha for giving the girls their Halloween costumes! hehehe


Ursula wouldn't let me put the red yarn wig on her this time though :(( Oh well.


Ursula carried that bear with her the WHOLE time! I guess it actually kind of fits the costume though.


Everyone thought they were so cute... well, for Calista, everyone thought she was so pretty! hehehe





I have to say, that after I finished with her make-up, her eyes were so pretty! She will knock those boys out of their boots when she starts wearing make-up!!! She has such pretty eyes! I know, I sound like the typical mom... but, actually, I wouldn't say it if I didn't think it, even about my own children! I'd say I'm somewhat biased... but, not too extreme like most moms! hehehe




Here's a couple of other pictures I took after coming back home :D She actually posed for these... It was funny. My mom said she looks like Wednesday Addams in that picture to the right :D hehehe

Aimee is right though, one of these years, I'm going to have to get her a Betty Boop costume :D

Calista's Flea/Fly Game

The above picture was all of the cheerleaders, both Fleas and Flies, doing their halftime show... a dance :D Of course, it was cute :D

And here's most of the Fleas posing for pictures. They should have at least one picture in the local newspaper today that I'll keep and treasure forever, of course :D hehehe

I wish my back was feeling better because then I could have gotten more pictures of Calista doing her cheers.

Here's the only picture I took of Ursula yesterday :) She actually did pretty good at the game. Of course, she did go up and down the seats where we were, but, there wasn't anyone sitting too close by to be irritated with it. In fact, whenever I did look around at the others that were sitting closer to us and they would just smile, so, I'm guessing Ursula's antics weren't aggrevating them, woohoo! :D

Also, I'm so glad that the weather was pretty nice yesterday! The sun was out, but there was a cool breeze blowing softly around us :)