Abby

 I put Abigail to bed early the other night because she really needed it.  When I went to put Carter to bed we couldn't find Abigail (even though the door to her room was locked).   We finally found her feet sticking out from Carters' blankets and her pillow.  That was all she had exposed.  It was pretty cute and hilarious.  Love her! 

 Don't we all just want to eat octopus while we bathe?

 Typical Abby faces

 Trying to be like daddy... she can lift as much as mommy (how pathetic is mommy?)

Helping in the kitchen is one of the girls favorite things to do.  I usually enjoy spending that time with them, but in this kitchen I am starting to hate it.  The counter space the girls are sitting on is pretty much all the space I have to work with and they always want to sit on it!!!  It gets really annoying and hard to cook, but it is only temporary.  I have probably been looking at my possible kitchens in Ohio too much, for now I am impatient and can't wait to be in one of them!

Abigail is a good girl.  Somewhere deep inside her is a darling little child that knows how to listen.  Sometimes she even lets that child show through.  However, usually I get a little girl who acts like I don't exist when I repeat the same words over and over (when asking her to do something, not do something, or to come here).  She is like talking to a brick wall and it can get really old.  I haven't found much that will motivate her.  The other day I was being extremely patient and trying very hard to an hour and a half just to get her to put her blanket and Mickey Mouse on her bed.  She never did it.  I tried to bribe her to do it with many rewards (she'd get a book with mommy, dinner, a treat) then I resorted to negative consequences, ie:  time-out or being locked in a room away from us.  NONE of these worked.  I even picked her up and put the blanket and Mickey in her arms and brought them to her bed with her, only to find them downstairs again in a manner of minutes.  What is the deal?  Sometimes I feel that she is testing every mothering capability that I have and that I am failing miserably!  Oh well... I've decided that that is what two-year-olds are for!   Can't wait for her to turn 3 :)