Quarantine Camp

We are in day 8 of quarantine for an undiagnosed virus that is extremely comparable to the Swine Flu. Anna started out with a dry cough, runny nose and fever last Thursday, and had one off and on for 5 days. Brynn started her fever and runny nose on Tuesday night and is still fighting it even with alternating Tylenol and Ibuprofen. Overall, the girls are doing well considering. They have gotten overdosed with TV and movies, but we've also been playing Memory and Candy Land, playing with play-doh and cookie cutters, painting pictures and coloring. Any other ideas for inside play are greatly appreciated!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

We continued the tradition of going to Grandma's house for dinner and trick-or-treating. Grandma's neighborhood is perfect for trick-or-treating!! Anna was a perfect Snow White and Brynn was an adorable Elmo. Next year, we'll find a very girly costume for Brynn so maybe no one will call her a boy (again)!

They both enjoyed trick-or-treating, but Anna was very eager to get back to Grandma's house. I think she wanted to eat her candy! Brynn's costume was a little sauna, but she never complained! What a little trooper.

Happy 2nd Birthday Brynn!!

Brynnie is our little ham. She loves to clown around, mimic Anna, and dance. Her favorite answer to questions is, "Ummmmmm, I don't know." She still loves to eat and isn't very picky. Elmo is her favorite character, but Mommy made her branch out a little for her birthday party and combined Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street with Elmo. :) We had a small family party for her birthday and couldn't have had better weather! We enjoyed lunch on the back porch. Brynn let Anna open most of her presents, and has done a fabulous job sharing her 2 new baby dolls, stroller, play center, and art easel. Maybe she doesn't have much of a choice, but she handles it well! It's hard to believe that "baby sista" is now a 2 year old!

Just in case you need to smile.

We are so excited to announce the arrival of our FIRST girl cousin!!

Ann "Chappelle" Carpenter

born August 4th

weighing 5 lb 15 oz

We can't wait to meet the newest addition to the Carpenter family!

Congrats, Bryan and Lorie!!

Happy Father's Day!! We love you Daddy!

March 12, 2009

Anna's 3rd birthday

John and I took her to Kangaroo Jack's to bounce around and celebrate our big girl's day.

She climbed all the houses, slid down slides without fear, and thoroughly enjoyed the 2-1 undivided attention.

That evening we opened presents where Anna received her first set of golf clubs. Yes, there were tears in John's eyes as he witnessed her excitement.

Brynn's future career??

For a while, she loved brushing her teeth at all hours of the day, but now she's content with the normal routine.
Even Sessa learned proper dental hygiene.

Lately I've found that reading blogs and facebook updates have taken away my free time to add to the girls' blog, so I will try harder to add more pictures and updates!! I promise!

So much has happened with the Barrow babes since I last posted. They are back at St. Mary's daycare, which is associated with the hospital where I work, so their tuition comes out of my paycheck and they are able to go part-time (4 days a week) since I only work 3 days a week.

Anna has a "best boy"at school, Timmy, who is my co-worker Elizabeth's son. He's adorable- looks like the kid from that glad trashbag commercial who pulls the trash through the kitchen out to the can in the garage. She talks about him all the time, tells us if he was at school or not, what they played, what he said. Sometimes I use his name as a bribe to get her out of bed in the mornings. The conversation goes a little like this-

Me- "Anna, it's time to get up"
Anna- "No"
Me- "I bet Timmy will be at school today!"
Anna- "Timmy??? Ok Mom!"

Anna loves being outside in the backyard, swinging in her "big girl" swing, using Sessa (her bunny lovey) as her babydoll, and anything Diego or Dora. She always is carrying something around, whether it's a little toy animal, a block (Sessa's carrots), or just recently a little plastic tissue box that she can stuff coins and rocks into. She loves listening to the Barenaked Ladies' kids cd "Snacktime" and her favorite song is "Pollywog in a bog". Mimi brought up some tadpoles last time she visited so she knows exactly what a pollywog is! Anna is really turning into a loving child. Just recently she's started giving random hugs and kisses, out of the blue saying, "I love you Mommy (or Daddy)" followed by a leg hug. This past Sunday we were at the baby pool and I caught her giving Brynn a kiss on the head while they were sitting together.

Brynn's starting to put words together, like "Get it", "Pink bubba", "Eat it", and "Anna hit". She really is a little comedian and knows how to work it. Lately we've noticed a stubborn streak in her, but I remember the same thing with Anna so I think (hope) it's just a phase! It's hard to believe she's 20 months old!! I was just getting used to saying 1 and a half...now almost 2? Eek! Brynn's favorite things right now are her Bubba (a crochet'd blanket or hat), strawberry milk, the song "The wheels on the bus", and anything Elmo. She fusses at TV time when she doesn't get to watch it first, but doesn't mind watching Anna's shows either. She eats anything and everything she can get her hands on, so we're very lucky in that regard!! Also she started using the potty a couple months ago. Nothing constant, but with her sibling copycat syndrome, she HAS to do everything Anna does. I wish we could get her out of diapers completely, but daycare won't potty-train until she's 2. Only 4 more months!

Lately Anna has requested to sit next to Brynn for meals. She will grab a chair and drag it over right next to Brynn's chair, making them touch. I didn't realize that siblings could really like each other at these ages!

Anna also makes sure we sing the blessing with every meal, which is interesting because she learned this at daycare (which has no religious affiliation!).

SNOW!!Sunday evening- Brynn's first big snowfall

Anna shares the experience with Sessa

Monday morning after breakfast we braved the 25 degree weather and went outside. It was an adventure in that it took 30 minutes to get organized, dressed, pottied, corralled, etc. Note for next time: use 2 adults.

Ready to go!!

Our little snow bunnies: Anna (almost 3!) and Brynn (17 m)

Anna couldn't wait to make snow angels!

She then learned what happens when you take your mittens off in the snow...

"BOOOBOOOO!!!"

We went inside shortly after this picture was taken!

Brynn liked being outside, but didn't get to do much- her boots (Anna's) were 3 sizes too big, and her outfit restricted her bending at all, so any movement resulted in a face-plant into the snow. After many attempts to move, she settled for watching her big sister strut around.

After about 5 minutes of snow time we'd had enough tears and falls and cold hands to call it quits.

Once inside the girls got a special treat of hot chocolate!

John came home in the afternoon and took them out again (this time Anna got to run around the back yard with our neighbor's daughter), and Brynn was happier inside with Grandma! I hope the snow lasts for a little while so we can have some more family play time and go sledding!

Not to be outdone by her sister's new haircut,

Brynn requested multiple bows for her new style.

I think we have a comic on our hands.

Anna's new 'do!