Quiet days at home

It seems a little odd to do a post of pictures of life in Spruce Grove when we've been in Denver for a week already. :o) Be that as it may, this is what the girls were up to before we left. Cheese sticks - Joy loves 'em.
For the most part, that is. :o) Apparently that piece was too big, so she spit it out.
Sometimes this just works the best... :o) Joy's a funny one when it comes to eating off a spoon.
The girls have loved playing with their Fisher Price nativity Grandma (Lorrie) gave them last Christmas. I asked Hope to tidy up the nativity one night, as most of the pieces were scattered all over the floor. This was the way she "put it away" - people lined up along the side, animals in a row in the front, and baby Jesus in the manger by Himself. :o) Made me smile.

And this would be Joy - not enough to have both hands full, gotta have something in the mouth too. What a kid!
Hope loves my pots and pans, and Joy is starting to like to play with them too.
Hmmm.... maybe she'll like meat. She sure liked chewing on the chicken bone.
Hopey showing off a video or picutre of herself playing piano that Daddy took on his iphone.
She loves it when Daddy lets her have his iphone. :o)
After a bath Saturday morning, Hope sat and played with the alphabet puzzle for over an hour. Josh and I played with her for a while, but then we went off to do the things we needed to do and she stayed there and made new configurations of the letters on her own, placing all 26 letters in their proper places. Cute little one. Typical Joy - the foot is almost always moving. :o) Even when she nurses, she swings her feet merrily. :o)
And a wee bit of Christmas cheer in our home.
Angels in the china cabinet.
Lighted garland on top of the piano with stars hanging from the ceiling in front of the Christmas quilt.
A new combination Hopey and I put together. Some sparkly red berries underneath a white pine cone in a rose bowl. We did two of them, and one sits on each end table in the living room.
Angel trio adorns the center of the table.
Kitchen window. The morning sunlight throws little rainbows on the wall when penetrating the glass ornament. So pretty.
Not only has Hopey gotten tall enough to climb up onto the piano bench herself, but Joy is now tall enough to reach the piano keys when standing on the floor. She has to stretch onto her tip toes, but she can do it.
Little miss laughter.
"Here Joy, yike dis." (like this)
Grown into these warm jammies Hope used to wear. :o)

Joy feeding herself pancakes. Laughed at how she said "ummmmm" when she put them in her mouth.

The girls at home

Life at home these days is full of new discoveries for Joy, who seems to be skipping the "feed me" stage, and moving on to the "feed myself" stage. At least... she'd like it if we let it be that way, but we don't for everything!

She's figured out how to hold her cup and can drain it of its contents all on her own.
Hmm... what must she be thinking?
:o) Hope got to "help Daddy" one night after supper. They were installing some cupboard locks on my bathroom cabinets, as Joy is a curious and mobile child and I'm not always with her. :o)
Colouring, colouring! Hope loves it.
And Joy too. Strange as it may seem, I let Joy have pencil crayons and I let Hope have regular crayons. I figure the pencil crayons are less edible, and Joy has already figured out how to draw with them too.
Love her soft, kissable cheeks!
She comes up with these new faces on her own. :o)
"Ahhh dah dah dahhhh." I think she likes hearing her own echo. :o)
Who's gonna win?
Hope did, with a little intervention from Mommy. Even though the bowl was empty, it had had a snack in it I'd given Hope to share with Joy. :o)
Another play date with Reba and Summer.
Joy had fun helping Summer move in the walker. :o)
L-o-v-e the drool Joy!
Ho ho - a new person to read to Hope! Doodle-Bug was thrilled, and a little shy. She knows almost all of those nursery rhymes, and will say them with/for me, but not for Reba!
Methinks Hope will become more of a snacker with Joy around. :o)
In her glory - holding 5 week old Bennett Ardron. She apparently told big sister Breanna that Bennett needed another blanket on him, pointing to her pink dolly blankie that you see on top of him in this picture. :o)
New friends. Hope and Joshua Dyck tackle the shape ball.
Hello Hope.
Finding that boring, Hope moved on to other things and Joy quickly took her place. Joy has figured out how to turn the shapes the right way and can put them in if you turn it to the right hole for her.
Reading books on the couch with Katelyn seemed much more pleasant to Hope.
"Mommy - yook! (look) I made it y-onger (longer)."

Life

Here's more of what our busy, beautiful girls have been doing.

Walking along everything now, and sometimes between things and people.
"Wait - there might be a Cheerio under here, Mom!"
Standing up on the edge of her chair because she was finally done and ready to get down.
Busily emptying the Play Dough box.
Meanwhile, Hope and I and her very-important-doll were setting up to actually play with the dough. :o)
Hope loves her new hat and mittens. Coats from last year still fit her, but she needed some accessories.
Happy to have Daddy home after a week away.
Joy's first time wearing the purple corduroy jumper Hope wore so much when she was little.

Little miss laughter!
"Oh Daddy, you're so funny!!"
Didn't like the fact that she was being told not to chew on the table. :)
The girls were watching a movie and Joy had been playing the xylophone at the same time. It ended up on the floor and she somehow stood up on it with both her feet.
Hopey loves to spin lettuce for me.
Seeing that her sister moved off...
the littler one tackles it.
Two hands.
And then it really got spinning!
This is what happens sometimes when Joy takes a long time to nurse after lunch. :)
I had to sweep under the couches and retrieve some missing toys that had rolled underneath them, so I pushed the couches together in the middle of the living room and dumped the toy basket out for the girls while I cleaned. Worked well!
I had pulled the piano bench away for some reason, and Joy discovered piano pedals can be a lot of fun!
I had to try and keep Joy busy so Hope could enjoy the train track we built together.

After shopping together for these items, Hope helped me pack up some shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child.
It was fun, and she loved helping. It was good to talk with her about giving to children in need, and she seemed to understand what that meant.
I was so blessed by doing it together with Hopey.

This made me laugh! I noticed the girls playing at the fridge and went searching for my camera. Hope's words and actions started out synchronized, even though by the time I got the camera she was a little off her rhythm. :o)