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Ellie and Addison

A secret weapon and kiddo catch-up

I have a secret weapon.  A weapon I’ve used with all three of my babies/toddlers.  A weapon that ensures I’ll have at least one small moment of peace during each BUSY day.  A weapon that causes even my Kole (busiest of all babies) to STOP dead in his tracks.

EXHIBIT A (incredibly active baby stopped dead in his tracks):

EXHIBIT B (incredibly active baby still stopped dead in his tracks):

So without further delay I present my secret weapon…

Mommy & Me Playgroup favorites.  This little movie is worth all the gold in the world to me.  I got it free with a toy I bought for Ellie when she was 9 months old.  In a desperate attempt to cheer her up one day I turned it on and it was like MAGIC.  She froze, glued to the TV.  Before long she was smiling, clapping and dancing to the music.  It was her favorite little show and she loved it for years.  So did Addison. 
And now?  It is saving me with Kole.  It’s a really cheesy movie with bright colors and parents dancing with their babies.  If I turn it on when my girls are home, they are still glued to the TV!  And they are now 7 and 5.  I’m telling you – if you have a baby or toddler and are looking for 30 minutes of peace each day (or more since it has a “repeat play” option…not that I’ve ever used it…) this is what you need!  I’ve shown my toddlers Baby Einstein movies and a variety of others, but they haven’t enjoyed anything as much as this movie.  Buy it if you have a little one or know someone who does.  You will turn it on and think that I’m crazy.  But then you will witness your baby stop DEAD in his/her tracks and love the show and you will get a moment of peace and you will love me for it. You can order it here.  You are welcome.  And my favorite flowers are tulips.  
Moving along…
I took this picture of Addison last week on her way to Kindergarten and when I saw it on my computer it  looked so familiar!  Something about the way she crossed her legs tipped me off.  I searched through my picture folders back a couple of years and found this…
Isn’t that funny!  Ellie.  Second week of Kindergarten.

Same outfit, same time of year, same spot by the front door, same little pose with legs crossed, same hair style with a white bow.  I couldn’t have planned it better if I had tried!  Looking at these pictures really made it seem surreal to me that Addison is now in Kindergarten and Ellie is in 2nd grade.  That picture I took of Ellie feels like last week.  She is getting so big.  The other day she came home and I asked her if she had a good day.  She said “in a word mom, yes…although there was a technical difficulty.  In a word?  Technical difficulty?  Is this how 2nd graders talk!?  Turns out the “technical difficulty” was that she lost a flower off of her new pink shoes.  A little super glue to the rescue.

The next morning as the girls were leaving with Kenny for school Ellie yelled out the car window “thanks for fixing my shoe mom!” and then Addie yelled “and thanks for getting born with me mom!”  I had to laugh.  Addison says this to me all the time.  Her way of thanking me for bringing her into this world.
(Anytime Addison, anytime….)

We started dance up again this week.  Addison in tap/ballet and Ellie is trying out a hip-hop (perfect for each of their personalities as you can see by the poses I got when I said “show me some moves!”).  They loved their first class.  Which is a good thing because if they’re going to star in So You Think You Can Dance season 2022 we’ve got some work to do.

Oh and about Kole….don’t believe for a second that my little dude is sitting around watching movies all day.  He spends plenty of time on the go.

In fact, guess who finally started walking this week!!!??  
WOOT WOOT!  You go little man. 
:)
xoxo, Erin
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18 thoughts on “A secret weapon and kiddo catch-up

  1. Go Kole :) My daughter started kinder last week and within a day she came home and told me that one of Taylor Swifts songs is about a boy dumping her! Seriously, dumping?I asked her what that meant and she had no idea…Oh my!!!!

  2. Woot, woot for the walking!!! We used to have shows taped on our DVR that would be a lifesaver to allow a few moments of quiet! That is so cute about the pictures of the girls.

  3. Oh my gosh!! that exact same video was my secret weapon too when the boys were Kole’s age. I had two copies (twins) gave one to my friend and her kids devoured it as well. Cheesy, catchy…
    B.I.N.G.O. hahaha

    walking! whoa, I predict there will be lots of chasing baby this fall. :-)

  4. Kole sounds like a typical boy! They are on the go all of the time…busy busy! I had 3 boys then a girl and I am shocked that she will sit still and color and do play-doh and quietly play with her princess figures for hours. Such a different life with boys vs girls!

    And my favorite flowers are tulips too!

  5. My secret weapon when my son, now 5, was an infant were the Sesame Street Sesame Beginnings videos. There are 4 of them. They were coming out just at the right time! I know they say you shouldn’t put your kid in front of the TV but hey, if that’s how I could get something done around the house I’m gonna do it! I don’t think it has damaged him!!
    Love reading your posts!!!!

  6. What I wouldn’t give if Trav was just starting to walk at 18 months!! He started at 9 months….while I was out of town for the week!! He is so dang cute!! Gotta love those 30 minutes of peace…they save me while trying to get dinner done!

  7. Your little guy looks so little to be walking! Such cut pics of him mesmerized by the show. Pretty cool that you have the same picture of your girls at the same age/same outfit, same spot….you couldn’t have planned it any better if you tried!

  8. Way to go Kole Buddy! Love all the cute pics of him, walking and mesmerized by the show!
    Love the pics of the girls! It’s so funny how they are so different yet so much alike! Love that you have them in the exact same outfits and hairdos, right down to the bow.

  9. yay! for Kole walking!
    And I just ordered that DVD. With my 10 month old twins and my 2 year old nephew I watch all day I will take any help I can get. I’ll let ya know how it works! :)

  10. so cute of Ellie and Addison! So cute of Kole. I can’t believe he will watch the movie. I need to try that with Charlie. Maybe I need to get an ipad or portable dvd player so he can watch it in a stroller as we push along?
    love it Erin!

  11. kole is walking! horray!! such cute pictures of the girls. i cannot believe they have the same exact outfit…hairstyle and all for each of their second week of kindergarten. too funny!!

  12. Super cute that they had the same pose! I have to ask what brand her pink tennis shoes are. So cute and practical since my little one hasnt mastered the tie shoe yet.

  13. I just ordered that DVD Erin! I’m excited to see if my 7-month old boy loves it just as much. I’m willing to try anything for a few minutes of peace and quiet during the day. :) Thanks for the tip!
    Yeah for Kole walking!!!

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