One of Our Favorite Places, Playdates, and Talia's favorite new word

Now that most of us are feeling back to normal (kids are fine - mama is sick) we decided to get out of the house. We went to one of our favorite places in Charlotte yesterday - Imaginon. It's a kids only library. The entire building is a certified "green" building (US Green Building Council) and isn't anything like your normal library. The whole place has this great whimsical feel.

There's a lot more than just books at this library. There are dress ups . . .

puppet shows . .

trolley cars to play in . . .

fun computer games . . .

and, of course, great books!

I think my favorite part of visiting Imaginon is that you don't feel like you have to be QUIET!

Here's a shot from Siena's latest play date. And to think a year ago I was fighting the princess thing with all my might. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

Talia's picked up a new "word". When I finished changing her diaper the other day I pulled up her pants and said "Ta Da!" She immediately repeated it and has been saying it ever since.

Warning: Sleeplessness May Occur

Both girls have been sick for the past week. Between the coughing and congestion neither one of them has gotten much sleep and Mike and I have gotten even less. Siena came up with some great excuses as to why she needed to come sleep with us when her stuffy nose kept her up. They were:

• There were boogers in her eyes


• She wanted to check on me to see if I was lonely (when Mike was up with Talia)


• Her water cup needed refilling


• She couldn't find ___ stuffed animal (of the many that she sleeps with)


• She was blind (which Mike quickly disproved with the old "how many fingers am I holding up" routine)

The poor kid spiked a fever of 103.5 yesterday (ear infection). When she has a fever she seems so fragile and I just want to hold her until she feels better. I even promised to play Littlest Pet Shop with her all day (I usually only last 20 minutes before it drives me crazy). Hopefully she was so delirious from the fever that she won't remember.

Talia has mostly been her usual funny, cheerful self through her constantly running nose. One exception was when I took Siena to the doctor for her ear infection I asked them to check her too. She's fiesty! It took the doctor, a nurse, and me to hold her down so he could look in her ears (they were clear). The doctor finished and said, "Whew, she's a strong one, isn't she?!" It was one of those mother moments of being both proud and embarassed of my child at the same time.

I can't count how many times I went out in public last week only to discover that my shirt was covered in snot slime.

Hoping for better health this week!

Reading means SO MUCH to me!

Ok, I know, cheesey post name but watch the video and you'll understand. The funny thing is the dog that Talia is carrying around in the video is the thing that really means so much to Siena and she'd probably freak out if she saw Talia with it. I like this video because it shows so well their completely different personalities - Siena the drama queen reader and Talia the wild woman that never sits still. Also, that line (That means so much to me!) was not in the book.

The other pictures are recent photos of the girls. The first one is of Talia in the car on the way to visit family and friends over New Years. She was a disaster! That's a big chunk of fruit leather on her head. The last one is of one of Siena's many dress up designs.

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Stranger Danger

The other night we were discussing with Siena the topic of stranger safety (don't open the front door without permission, etc.). She wanted to know what the "not nice" things were a stranger might do. While we struggled with what to to tell her she came up with some things on her own. They were 1) they might take your favorite food you were saving for later or 2) they might unstuff your stuffed animals. Needless to say we had a hard time keeping a straight face while we agreed with her that those were pretty bad things to have happen. I love how the 4 year old mind works. I definitely don't want the first one to happen to me!

Jumping In!

I decided to join the family blogging world! Now you'll know all the latest (or as often as I can get to it) on the Duncan girls . . . and Mike. We're doing well in NC and enjoying the crazy weather (70s one day and snowing the next!). Siena LOVES school, ballet class, singing everything she wants to say (her latest ambition is to be a singing veterinarian), and sort of tolerates swimming lessons. Talia is our crazy girl. Nothing is safe when she is around especially kitchen cabinets and magazines. She is so entertaining and we love having her in our family. Mike and I spend our time chasing the girls and everything in between.