This is how Reese feels...

...about all the rain we've been getting this spring. She is so eager for sunshine.

You gotta love the Sunday post-lounging-around bed head!

Anniston 10 weeks....

The cuteness speaks for itself!

Reese's bedtime routine...

brush teeth

go potty

say prayers

read two books of choice

two rounds of itsy bitsy spider

sing I'm a Child of God, Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam (2 times), and In the Leafy Tree Tops while mom scratches her back

This routine is the same every night, that is when mom puts Reese to bed. Daddy has his own routine that involves a lot more play time. That's why it's so weird that Reese wants mommy every night. Arnold and I used to switch off with the bed time routine, but lately Reese insists that I put her to bed every night.

Rain Rain Go Away!

All we've seen this last week is rain, rain, rain. But that hasn't stopped Reese. She's prepared!

Anniston - 2 months

I can't believe it's already been 2 months. Anniston is growing up so fast, and we just love her to death. I mean...what's not to love. Just look at this face!

Stats:

Weight - 10.96 lb. 47%

Height - 23.5 in. 94%

Head - 14.5 in. 16%

The facts:

• Anniston is a great little sleeper so far. On most nights she goes to bed between 8:30 and 9 p.m. and wakes up between 5 and 6 a.m. then she eats and goes back to sleep until about 9 a.m. There are a couple days a week that she'll wake up a little earlier, between 3 or 4 a.m., but she still just eats and goes back to sleep until around 9 a.m.
• Recently Anniston has had a hard time eating. She screams the whole time I feed here and acts like she's in utter pain. She was finally diagnosed with Acid Reflux and is now on medication. Feeding time is getting much better and Anniston is much happier.
• Anniston has started smiling, and it is sooo cute. She especially loves it when I make strange noises and funny faces at her.
• She loves her big sister. When ever Reese plays with her, Anniston just smiles and watches her every move.
• I still think Anniston's eyes are going to be blue, or even green. They just keep getting lighter.
• Anniston loves being outside. In the evenings when she gets a little fussy, we take her out on the back porch and she immediately calms down. If it's rainy or too cold outside, she just likes to look out the window.

Reese likes to hold Anniston and talk to her. Most the time Anniston just stares into Reese's eyes and listen's intently, but there are rare times that Anniston isn't quite as happy....



But Reese has a simple solution....

The funniest thing about this photo is that we have a video of my sister doing the same thing to me when I was a baby! It's genetic.

Determination

Reese is full of it! Nothing gets past our little 2 year old. When she sets her mind to something, there is no stopping her.

One night she kept begging for a cookie. It was almost bed time and both Arnold and I had told her no several times. Finally she disappeared upstairs. After a few minutes she started coming down the stairs carrying her bathroom stool. It's a fairly large stool, over half her size. It's also somewhat heavy. Arnold and I sat on the couch watching her maneuver this stool, hoping she and the stool didn't end up tumbling down the stairs.

Sure enough she managed to get the stool down the stairs and into the kitchen. She put the stool up against the pantry doors, climbed on top and tried to open the doors. She quickly realized that she couldn't open the doors because the stool was in the way, so she climbed down the stool, moved it out a little ways from the doors, climbed back up and opened the doors about two inches. She then climbed back off the stool, moved it a little further from the doors, climbed back up and opened the doors a little more. She then climbed down, moved the stool out of the way, open the pantry doors all the say, moved the stool back into the pantry, climbed up and reached the cookies.

The whole time Arnold and I are watching and wondering if she really thinks we can't see her! Once she had the cookies, she comes into the living room looks right at me and says, "little tiny little bit cookies mom?"

Arnold and I both looked at each other and shook our heads. Anyone that determined, and willing to go to that much effort for one little cookie certainly deserves to eat it.

"Yes Reese, little tiny little bit cookie!"

Little tiny little bit...

I hear these words about a hundred times a day. It's Reese's new favorite phrase. It's her go-to phrase any time she's told "NO".

You have to imagine her head tilted to the side with those big brown doughy eye's, and a soft little voice...

Reese: Can I have a cookie?

Mom: Not right now, it's almost lunch time.

Reese: (insert adorable face) Please mom, little tiny little bit cookie?

Reese: Can I watch George?

Mom: No, it's bed time.

Reese: (insert adorable face) Please mom, little tiny little bit George?

Reese: (Reaching for and trying to get to my make-up)

Mom: Reese get out of my make up right now!

Reese: (insert adorable face) Little tiny little bit make-up mom?

...you get the point. I have to say, at first it was just so darn cute that Arnold and I had a hard time resisting, but we're not as big of push overs any more.

Binky Baby???

We're still not sure if Anniston will be a binky baby, like her big sis. She likes her binky sometimes and will suck on it when she gets upset, but she's not quite as obsessed as Reese was. Anniston is a much better self soother. Many nights she can be put to bed still partially awake and drift off to sleep all by herself...sans binky.

But there are times that she really really wants the thing...like this nap time.

Peter Pan Party!

Reese's friend Christian Staheli had a Peter Pan party for his 3rd birthday. Everyone was supposed to come dressed as their favorite "Never Land" characature. Reese of course wanted to be a fairy.

After the party we came home to find dad and Anniston relaxing on the front lawn. Reese was anxious to show Anniston some of the fun things she got at the party...and Anniston was all ears.

It's fun to watch these two interact. Reese loves to talk to Annistion and sometimes it feels like Anniston is really listening. Her eyes fixate on Reese and she watches her every move.

Anniston got to dress up too. She looks so cute in her tutu onsie that my friend Melissa Staheli gave her (Christian's Mom).

Curly Princess Hair

We curled Reese's hair for a party she went to the other day. She wanted me to take some pictures of her "curly Princess hair". She's such a little model.

Potty Trained!

That's right, Reese is officially potty trained. A couple weeks ago on a random Wednesday, Reese woke up and told me she didn't want to wear diapers anymore. I was a little shocked and wasn't sure she really understood what she was saying. I explained to her that if she didn't wear diapers that meant she had to wear panties and she had to go to the bathroom on the potty. She agreed, so I hesitantly let her put on her panties, and I prepared for a stressful day.

But to my surprise and huge relief, she knew exactly what she was doing. Day one came and went with no accidents at all. I thought to myself, "Is this for real??? After months of trying and agonizing over this...did Reese just really potty train herself in one day???" It appears so!

The second day, she had a couple accidents and lost her confidence a little. She asked to put her diapers back on. In her words, "Diapers mom...too hard. I can't do it!" But she had already proven to me the day before, that she could in fact do it, so I was not backing down. After day two she's only had one accident, and that was when she was at a friends house playing (sorry you had to clean up my daughters mess Whitney! I owe you.) We've even gone shopping and up to Salt Lake for the day with absolutely no accidents. I don't' even have to ask her if she has to go anymore. She just goes in the bathroom when she needs to and goes all by herself.

Honestly I can't believe I spent so many months stressing over this. I should have know that she would just decide one day...and that would be that! She is my daughter after all.

That being said, we still have one little obstacle we need to overcome with the potty...pooping! Reese does not like to poop on the potty. She doesn't like to poop anywhere. She just holds it for days. This is a problem we're still working on. Solution suggestions are welcome!

Happy Birthday Uncle Kit!

My little brother is 33! We had a little birthday dinner and celebration for his big day.

Reese loves her uncle Kit...and so does Anniston. She snuggled right up to him and fell fast asleep in his arms.

Reese, of course, had to help blow out the candle...we'll have to see which one ends up getting their wish.

Church

We've finally become active in church again. After a very long and painful pregnancy...the Thiebauds have made it to church for 1 whole month now...all 3 hours. Impressive I know. Anniston is such a good little trouper. She makes church very easy for us!

Spring is such a tease...

we're patiently awaiting it's permanent arrival. But when it shows up to play for the day...our neighborhood comes alive with little kiddo's that don't waste a minute of it's visit.

Back Row (Claire Nuttall, Holden Bunker, Tyler Gardner, Gavin Gardner, Hudson Bunker, Brayden Wood)

Front Row (Reese, Lucy Nuttall, Brynn Tate, Brooklyn Wood, Brighton Tate)

Random...

Anniston is growing so fast. She's still gets a lot of comments about how little she is, but she's over 10 pounds now and as as cute as ever...



...especially when she falls asleep in funny little poses.

Bath Time

Our little Anni wasn't too fond of bath time at first, it was usually more of a scream fest, but she's come around. Now she loves the bath. She'll chill in her little tub for as long as we'll let her.

This little bucket head has loved the bath from day one, and nothing has changed. She's counting the days until her baby sister can join her in the big tub!