Memories

I need to write down a few things so that I can look back and remember them.

On Christmas Eve Kadence and Shelby ran into bed because they knew they needed to go to sleep or Santa wouldn't come. Shelby surprisingly went to sleep immediately. Kadence....not so easy. At one point she ended up calling for her daddy by saying, "Daddy my cheeks hurt....Daddy my cheeks hurt..." When he got in her room he said she had the biggest smile on her face and told him how much her cheeks hurt. He told her she needed to go to sleep and so she closed her eyes (with a GIANT smile) and tried her best. After about an hour she finally went to sleep.

Today Shelby told us that she wanted to go to the North Pole. We asked her how she would get there since it was so far away and she said, "I'll follow Santas footprints." She is one clever little bugger.

The other day I was telling Kadence she'd be going to the dentist soon. She always takes some prepping before any sort of appointment or else her anxiety gets the best of her. We talk through all of her concerns and answer all her questions and it seems to make it go better for everyone. As we were talking she asked what the dentist's name was. I told her that it was Cam. She then said, "Cam? I don't get it." It was really funny. It was like she thought I was telling a joke or teasing her. I then had to explain that the dentist's name was Cameron and he liked to be called Cam, Dr Cam or Dentist Cam. It was funny that Cam was confusing considering her preschool class has a kid named Rowdy.

Shelby has a cold and with the cold she has a cough. The other morning she woke up and climbed in bed with me. (At like 9 am) As we were laying there, she started coughing. Then she told me, "I have a yucky cough....a really yucky cough." She coughed again and said, "See there it is! I need a popsicle." No matter whats wrong with her all she needs is a popsicle to make it better.

We went to the movies today with a giftcard that our Aunt Barb gave us. While we were there the girls did GREAT! For a 2 hour movie I couldn't have imagined better behavior. Toward the end Shelby was doing the up and down in her chair that she does when she's having a hard time sitting still. She eventually decided to steal her daddy's coke. He went to take it away and she said, "You need to share." Smart girl!!

Kadence is ALWAYS singing. If she isn't singing, she's humming. She loves music and anything to do with music. She knows the words to many songs and surprises me all the time with new songs. Christmas I think has been her favorite time of year for singing. She learned: Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, We Wish You a Merry Chirstmas (2 verses), Jingle Bells, Up On the Housetop, Away in a Manger, Silent Night, Hark the Harold Angels Sing (Not too clear for most of the song), A Song About Santas Twinkling Eyes (From preschool), and pretty much any other song she heard she would hum the tune for the rest of the day. It's amazing how she just soaks up music.

The girls were both so cute to watch whenever we would talk about the story of Jesus' birth. They would go straight to their Little People nativity and act out all of the scenes. They knew so much about all of the characters and even put together that Santa brings gifts just like the wisemen did. Their favorite pieces were the angel, Mary, Joseph and Jesus although Shelby was really fond of the cow. We tried really hard to focus on the true meaning of Christmas this year. If you asked Kadence what the angel told the Shepherds she would say, "Do not fear, baby Jesus is here." It was really cute.

When we took the girls to visit Santa we tried to prepare them for the occasion by asking them what they would ask for. We told them that they only get to ask for one present. Shelby immediately said she wanted a gingerbread man. Seriously? It took me forever to even understand what she was saying, but a gingerbread man?! Kadence put much more thought into hers on our drive to the mall. She would ask questions like "Can Santa make Barbies?" I told her he can and she kept on thinking. When we arrived at the mall, Shelby was sleeping so I figured she for sure would have a different request when I woke her up....NOPE, she still wanted a gingerbread man! Kadence decided she wanted a doll. We weren't sure if Shelby would sit on Santas lap, but once it was their turn they both took of running and jumped right onto his lap. It was really fun and I was so happy that both girls sat and talked with Santa this year. It was hard finding a gingerbread man gift, but I found a gingerbread man figurine, notepad, and book which made Shelby VERY happy. Kadence got two dolls, a Cinderella Baby and a Toddler Belle.

I have an inflatable Snowman in the front yard that struggled occasionally when we'd turn it on. It just took longer to inflate and stand up some days which meant for a while it would lay face down in the snow. One time we turned it on as we were leaving the house. Kadence could see it from the driveway and said, "Mommy somebody killed your snowman!"

These are a few things that I don't want to forget and I'm sure there will be many others throughout the next year.