Sea World

As a change of pace from our Disney trips, we got passes to Sea World for the year and went for the first time at the end of January. The weather was perfect and we can't wait until Heidi comes so we can take her with us and enjoy all the things we didn't have time for the first trip!

The first thing we did was watch the Dolphin and Bird show, which I think was everyone's favorite part of the day. The girls loved it, especially Naomi who joined in clapping when everyone else in the crowd did.

Charlotte was mesmerized!

I realize I look ridiculous, but the last time I was at Sea World was in 10th grade with a group from our church for leadership training, and some of the girls and I were being barnacles on the dolphin aquarium wall. I didn't feel as ridiculous 10 years ago when I did this with my friends! I tweeted a picture for Shannon, who I knew would remember!

Charlotte rode on some of the big kid rides and loved it! Since I'm all knocked up and whatnot, Daddy got to ride them all with her. He said her face when they went down the first drop of the kiddie roller coaster was priceless. It was part "I can't believe you didn't tell me it did this!" and part enjoyment. But mostly "I can't believe you didn't tell me it did this!". But after that one part she was all smiles and ate it up!

While Charlotte rode on the big kid rides, Naomi snoozed in the stroller.

Once she did wake up, Naomi was quite eager to ride some of the rides with her cousins. She maintained this same stoic expression the entire ride. Jared kept telling her to "Wave to Mommy!", so she started waving, but it was quite obvious she couldn't really see where or who she was waving to.

Playing in the sprinklers

Riding the train with her cousins

Naomi, removing the shades, to get a better look at something

Note to self: Jolly Rancher Push Pops are not a good idea for a two year old and four year old!

A family picture at the end of the day

Naomi was asleep before we got out of the parking lot. She was wiped out!

It didn't take Charlotte much longer to pass out!

We had a great time at Sea World and I think we'll really enjoy our year of trips there. For a significantly cheaper price, we were able to get passes good for the whole week, with no black out dates, as opposed to the weekday Disney passes we had that had blackout dates in the summer, Christmas, and Spring Break. It is nice being able to park and walk right up to the entrance of the park, as opposed to parking, taking the tram, then the monorail, and then finally getting to the entrance of the park, especially with a double stroller! They have a great kiddie area with lots of rides for the younger ones and the wait times weren't bad at all.

What I didn't enjoy as much as I remember was the Shamu show. The trainers don't get in the water and swim with the whales anymore, I assume from the drowning of a trainer a while back. And rather than introducing and telling everyone about the whales, they have huge TV screens that move and rotate with all sorts of "Love the earth" images, and hydro-technics with blasts of water shooting from just outside the tank. It was all sort of distracting from the whales, which is what everyone was there to see. But aside from that, we had a great time and are looking forward to our next trip!

January 2012

The Rollins ladies playing on their electronics: iPad, Leapster, and a "laptop"

I'm sure there is a very elaborate storyline behind the set-up here. When the girls play, they don't just get out one toy. To have a tea party, pillows and stuffed animals and smoothie cups and cake stands and a shopping cart are often required as well :)

Charlotte and her Daddy had a date at the circus and she loved every minute of it. And all it took was a "But Daddy, these toys are awesome!" to win him over and get her a tambourine. That's right, she came home with a tambourine. And it was only a day or two before she fell off of her rocking horse while trying to do some of the tricks that she saw at the circus.

While they were at the circus, Naomi and Mommy spent the afternoon together. We had ice cream for lunch, then went to the mall to pet the puppies and ride the escalator. Cheap entertainment for a two-year-old!

And my big ol', ever-growing belly at 34 weeks. You know those women who have tiny little baby bumps and carry the baby so sweetly... I am not one of them. My torso is short so there is nowhere for the baby to go but out. And while the baby is going out, my thighs and rear end join in on the party and go out too!

December '11

Snuggling with their pillow pets, most likely watching Mickey Mouse

Charlotte takes her coloring very seriously. She loves making books and would go through an entire ream of paper in a week if I let her. She has passed the phase of coloring an entire sheet with one color and is actually quite artistic and creative. Naomi's drawings still need interpretation, but her paper full of circles and doodles are adorable :)

Reading the Grinch with Daddy

Homegirl has style, right?!

And this is one reason I know she'll be a great big sister! She got down on the floor to talk and play with her little cousin, Katie Joy.

Charlotte's favorite Christmas present, by far, was this Rapunzel dress. When she opened the box and saw it, she couldn't get her jammies off quickly enough to get the dress on!

The girls playing with their new Leapster and "computer".

Giving Daddy a big hug, telling him "thank you" for all of their Christmas gifts.

A few days after Christmas we went to St. Augustine and rode the trolley around to look at all the lights. How cute are these kids?!

Happy Birthday, Naomi!

Our "baby girl" is two, and I can hardly believe it. Two years ago this "little" one popped out at a whopping 9 lbs, 3 oz. See that tiny little finger of hers? That's the one we've been wrapped around since the day she was born.

She is quite serious and independent. Tell her to smile and this expression is often what you'll see. She likes to do things on her own terms. Oh boy, are we in for it! :)

She has such a sweet spirit and is caring for others, with the exception of when she's bullying her big sister. Often when it is quiet and we go check on her, we will find her playing with her toys, entertaining herself. This is something Charlotte rarely did at this age, so we're enjoying the independent nature of our second born.

Just like her big sister, she loves to play dress up! No outfit is complete without the crown and the shoes. A true princess!

She is more careful and reserved when it comes to trying new things. Sometimes she can be coaxed into it if she sees Charlotte trying it, but more often than not, we cannot convince her of something if she has made up her mind otherwise. Stubborn. She must get that from her daddy :)

She loves her big sister. Even though Naomi is often picking on and bullying Charlotte, she loves to do whatever she sees her big sister doing. We are asked on a weekly basis if they're twins. While I do think they look alike, Naomi definitely favors her Daddy (she looks JUST like his pictures at this age) and Charlotte is a mini-me.

Naomi is a nurturer, a mother to her baby dolls, and cares for them sweetly. She feeds them their bottle and will tell us "Shh... Baby sleeping. Need to be quiet." Because of this and her independent nature, I think she will transition well to being a big sister.

Even before she was using words, her facial expressions said multitudes. Her vocabulary is exploding and she keeps us smiling with not only what she says, but how she says it. A few of her Naomi-isms...

"Juice" sounds an awful lot like a Summer's Eve feminine product

"Pacie" unfortunately sounds like slang for a woman's body part or a cat

"Grinch" sounds like she is talking about a female dog

She has a mischievous nature and will quietly find trouble to get into. As her personality continues to develop, it is easy to see that she will make sure that she does not fade into the background as a middle child, that is for sure!

Naomi Faye, we love you dearly! When you were born, our hearts grew more than we had imagined possible. Your smile and the way you say "I love you, toooooo!" melts us to a puddle. We cannot wait to see how the Lord uses you for His glory!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Girls!

On Saturday we had the girls' birthday party at Gingerbread Acres, a horse farm about 10 minutes from our house. Charlotte has been talking and asking about her 4th birthday party since her 3rd birthday party so she was quite excited about it! Naomi enjoyed seeing her friends but isn't as big a fan of all the attention as Charlotte is. Despite not wanting to ride the pony (or even pet one of the mini ponies), I think she had a lot of fun.

Naomi did laps around the van when Jared first brought them over :)

How cute are these girls?! And doesn't the warning sign add to the festivity?

 I labeled a lot of the food to fit the farm theme. The popcorn was "Feed".

 Oreos = "Tractor Wheels"

 It took me several hours, but I made the cake! The barn was a store-bought pound cake and the rest was pink lemonade flavored. I found the idea on Pinterest and it linked to Family Fun, which gave detailed instructions on how to assemble it. It wasn't complicated, just time consuming. But totally worth it when the girls saw it and got so excited about it!

 The farm cake had chicks...

 Pigs...

 And cows... But no horses. Charlotte pointed out that she was having a horse party and there weren't any horses on the cake. She doesn't miss a detail!

 After the safety spiel, we were asked if we had any questions. Charlotte popped her hand up and confessed that she had already fed the goats. Sweet girl!

 Naomi wanted nothing to do with the ponies, but Charlotte hopped on with no fear. And homegirl made sure she got to wear the pink helmet!

 So excited!

 Sweet Ella rocking her boots on the farm!

 Some of the party guests! The Riccis and Gambinos.

 Hannah, being coaxed into riding the pony. Can't you tell she loves it? ;-) It took her a minute, but she did get used to it and even wanted to ride again.

 Naomi found other things to occupy her time. They had games set up for the kids to play.

  My nephew, Donaven, let all of the girls go first. What a gentleman!

 Naomi, dismissing whatever Angela was telling her. She's quite stubborn!

 She figured out the best way to jump rope. You run and swing the rope behind you. Much easier than the traditional way!

 They also had a hay ride for the kids, which they all loved.

 Naomi, quite content to watch everything from the other side of the fence

 Charlotte had to ride on the other pony too!

 The kids had a blast feeding the goats. Charlotte had a clean conscience after she confessed she had fed them before she was told she could.

 Samantha was playing in the dirt with the stick and couldn't figure out how the ground kept getting wet

 The banner I made the girls

 The whole spread...

 "Vegetable Garden"

 "Hay Bales" (Sidenote: I am incapable of making rice krispy treats that don't fall apart.)

 The girls blowing out their candles

 One of the gifts was a sweet tea party tray. It was made by my sister-in-law's parents. They do custom wood working of just about any sort. We have quite a few of their handmade pieces in our home!

 Jared and I gave the girls each a scooter. It has two wheels in the back so is more stable for them to ride. Charlotte's has princesses, Naomi's has Tinkerbell. They both love them!

 My best friend, Shannon, drove up from Melrose for the festivities.

My mom was a ton of help. She was there early to help me get things set up.

The girls had a blast and are already talking about their next birthday party. Hopefully we can get away with a joint party for a few more years!