Happy Birthday to My Nate!

Today is Uncle Nate's Birthday! Emma wanted to send a special message to her Nate for his birthday! Emma says "I love you Nate, come see me soon!" Elle says ditto!

Fun with Friends

Elle and Emma have been asking to play with their friends Ryan and Dylan for a couple of weeks, so Saturday, they came over. The girls had a great time! They all played inside for a while, and then we took the fun outside! The girls were kissing on Ryan, and he did not seem to mind much. It barely interrupted his drinking! Dylan was a bit camera shy..

Hair Cuts!

Well I finally got the nerve to cut the girls hair, not just trim...cut. Mom Kim (Logan's Fraternity House Mom) cut Elle and Emma's hair on Wednesday, and she took off about 2 1/2 inches! The girls love their new dos and really like how much easier it is to comb. I got a picture of Hollywood getting her hair cut, and the final product on both.

I love having my camera back!

I love my digital camera, but it has been a rocky road. I have sent it in twice for battery issues, and have been told twice that there is not a problem. I guess I just need an additional battery because the charge does not last as long as I think it should. Anyway, I love all of the special effects that it can do! Here are some of my favorites!

My Eyes Are Open!

We have been working on keeping our eyes open when we smile for pictures...as opposed to the typical Cheese! w/ eyes completely shut! The bad habit has made it difficult lately to get great smiles and eyes in pictures. When I took the picture on the left of Emma, I told her to make sure her eyes were open...and she did. Emma is so good at following directions....sometimes!

Calling all Models

I took the girls to a model search today at Eskimo Joe's. They had an ad in the paper that they were looking for models of all ages for their Joe's Clothes Magazine. Scott actually saw the ad first and suggested I take them. After the fact he told me he was only kidding. Oh well, the girls were #95 of the evening. They just took their pictures and you had to write down contact information on the back of the number they were photographed with. We'll see if they get a call! I took these pictures outside Joe's after the Model Search Photo. I think Elle smiled in the Joe's picture, and she wanted to pose with a Joe's Football. Since I was standing just to the left of them, I really never saw their faces, but I don't think Emma ever smiled.

Attack of the Geese!

We went outside on Sunday and we were being invaded by Geese! There was probably about 50 or so. Luckily the wild ones were close to the house and not the domesticated white ones that the girls call the "mean geese". Otherwise we would have been back inside and not able to enjoy the cool air and peaceful sounds of the evening. The girls just continued to play and act as if they were not there. I do love our house and the bit of country that we have, with the luxury of neighbors.

Cowboy Corral--Try 2

Well we tried going to the pre-football game events again. We had about the same outcome. It was raining on Saturday morning--the game was at 12:00 noon. About half of the events at the alumni association were cancelled due to rain! So this week we did not see Pistol Pete or Bullet! But we did see the Bathrooms and the Hall of Fame at the Conoco Phillips Building. I also got some pictures of the girls in their almost too small cheerleader uniforms! Thank goodness the second-hand sale in Stillwater is in just a couple of weeks because it is the BEST place to pick up OSU cheerleader outfits at a reasonable price, and obviously we need new ones!

I'm 2!

As you might know, both of the girls are very vocal. At 2, they have a pretty good handle of the English language. We have been having a few problems with some particular phrases. The first is Elle saying "leave me alone". She says this when she wants to be by herself playing, in the bathroom, or right before bed to her sister. We have tried to encourage a modification of the phrase to "please leave me alone, mommy, or sister, or whoever". It has been fairly successful. Emma's favorite word lately has been NO! She says it loud and proud and with her lips puckered a bit. On Tuesday, we were riding home from Daycare and Elle was saying NO! over and over again for some unknown reason and Emma popped off "you don't tell me NO!" multiple times. Good thing I was pulled over to get the mail, because I might have wrecked the car. I heard my voice come out of Emma's mouth. I now wonder what they say at daycare! Anyway Emma has figured out her own modification for NO! it is now "please don't" in a softer kinder voice, and she has noticed a different reaction from her roommates. I love it that she did that on her own. I hope it sticks!

Wanna Leaf?

We were waiting for Scott to come pick us up on Campus and the girls were being cute, a far cry from what they are while I am typing up this blog. Anyway, we were people watching, seeing lots of boys and people on their way to the game. Notice Elle is still sporting the sunglasses. She wore them through dinner and decided to take them off at 7:30 for her bath.

Hula, Hula!

Monday was the long awaited first day of dance class. The girls had a good time. Emma's favorite part was when they did the bunny hop. Elle liked to sleep. The top picture is of them sleeping on command; it was part of a song. They would wake up and put different kinds of shoes on and dance around. I expect them to be really excited for next week. Scott and I both went and watched. It was sooo cute! The video is of this hula song they were doing. The teacher Miss Meridith was great, and so patient! Elle noticed her shirt and started yelling "Pistol Pete" in the middle of class. Leave it to my kid to be the disruptive one!

Wow he is tall!

We went to the OSU Alumni Association on Saturday to try and take part in some of the game day festivities. We got there a bit late, and missed the real Pistol Pete (as if he is real). We did get to see Bullet and the Spirit Rider. After the Alumni Center, we went over to the Student Union to look for some t-shirts for the girls. We left with a book rather than shirts. It is titled "Hello Pistol Pete!". We had to get it because we are getting sick of reading "Hello Big Jay" and we need to have some equal time around here. The girls, as you will see later in the week, are getting brainwashed!

Ballerina Emma

Emma was the first up from nap, and she wanted to try on her new leotard, tights, tutu, and ballet shoes. She looked so cute! She kept pulling the tutu lower and lower on her hips. It was so funny! She posed for this picture. Just a few more days until dance classes start (Monday 9/8). I think I am far more excited than the girls, but they don't quite understand.

Hollywood!

OK, so you may have started noticing Elle wearing sunglasses in a lot of pictures. That is because lately she has been wearing them all of the time. We have about 6 pairs of sunglasses, all of which she believes are hers! She wears glasses when it is sunny, cloudy, or dark; inside and outside, she does not care. I have a back-up pair of glasses in the car, to make sure she has access to them at all times. Otherwise, she is a bit testy. She likes her glasses, almost as much as shoes! I guess she is just in to accessories.

The reaction that we get from other people is typically the same. Everyone calls her Hollywood! And, almost everyone can get away with it. Everyone but me. She tells me, "I'm not Hollywood, I'm Elle". (In the tone of her voice, I can hear a geez mom get it right, you named me!)

Christmas in August?

Last year's Swartz Christmas party was cancelled due to a blizzard, so Gram Great (my grandma) wanted to have a summer cook-out to get the family all together. The girls and I stayed with my cousin Heath and his family (Dawn, Maddie, and Baby Kaleb). Maddie is a year and a half older than the girls, but they have some common interests, like toys and Dora. The girls had a ball playing together. When we got there on Saturday, the girls all played in Maddie's room. After about 5 minutes, Maddie looked at me and said, "My room is Messy!". It was too funny! On Sunday we went to Hyde Park and had a Family Picnic. The girls enjoyed swinging with their Pops! I even caught him going down the slide! We also had a gift exchange; it was a belated Christmas party you know! The girls got these little aprons and chef's hats. They were pretty cute! Emma and Maddie played peek-a-boo with their hats! It was so funny! All of the girls had so much fun they did not want to leave!

Fall Festival

The girls and I went up to NE Kansas and NW Missouri this weekend with Gram and Pops to visit my grandparents. My dad and I took the girls to the Wathena, KS Fall Festival. It was about the size of the Payne County Fair, but the girls thought it was amazing. They had never seen all of the rides up close. We ate dinner at the Festival, and let the girls ride on the Merry-Go-Round. I had to ride with them, because they were not tall enough to ride alone. It was so fast that I had to concentrate so much on holding on myself, I was glad the girls were able to pretty much keep themselves on the horses. You know it is like their fifth time on a horse, and this one was not even real!

Elle Stories

Elle has a gift that we are just discovering. She can tell great stories. Not bedtime stories, more like fish stories. She has told three lately that all involve her Gram and Pops. She first told Scott that Pops puts lotion in her mouth after bath. We were appalled and asked about it....totally denied by Pops! Next she told Scott that I was the wicked witch. He asked who told her. She said Gram did....totally denied by Gram! Tonight on the way home from a surprise birthday party for Gram she told us that Gram and Pops take her money! and Logan's too! Again totally denied by Gram and Pops! I really don't know what is going on. I decided to call Logan to see if he could confirm or deny the accusations. He was not available for comment (I got his voicemail). So the jury is still out....How does she come up with this stuff?

Friendly Luau

On Friday, we went to JD and Kendra's house to join their family luau party. Although we were a bit late, the girls had a great time. Kendra has the worst luck planning outdoor events, it always rains! So guess what happened on Friday afternoon...complete downpour! The backup plan was to watch Finding Nemo. The kids humored us for about 10 minutes. They watched just long enough for me to snap some pictures. Then it was on to bigger things..like turning furniture into toys. As you can see, the rain did not impede the kids fun! They turned a chair into a teeter-todder. Before we left, the Terminator Batman made an appearance! I have never seen that movie but apparently, it is out on the Disney channel, because Elle has seen it! Beware, it is very scary!