What a week this has been for the O'Dell girls! It seems as though everyone is finally healthy again, and we are doing everything we can to keep it that way. Emmalee has her milk challenge on February 9, and she cannot be on any medications other than her daily meds at that time, or the test will be cancelled. Keep your fingers crossed for a healthy ten days!
Emmalee has decided this week to be a big girl and take showers instead of baths. She has always enjoyed taking showers, but this week she has been a big girl and gone solo. It is hilarious to be in the bathroom giving Tori a bath at the same time Emmalee is showering. She sings songs while she is washing and checks in to make sure she has rinsed all the shampoo out of her hair. So grown up! Tori doesn't mind too much, as she gets the big tub all to herself!
Tori has done her fair share of big girl things this week. She has been counting to three for some time now, but this week she took me by surprise. I was asking her to pick something up, and she responded that she didn't want to. I asked her again and started to count, so she knew I meant business. I said one, and she started in at two and counted all the way to ten. I was too stunned to correct her for her sassiness. I thought perhaps I hadn't heard her correctly, so I had her repeat herself in front of daddy too, so I had a witness. Usually she is not one to perform on command, but this time she indulged me and counted to ten again. I was pretty impressed. And in case you were wondering, she also indulged me and picked up her mess!
Other than the grown up moments we had this week it has been pretty calm. The girls scored lots of new books as the book fair was at mommy's school, and I had also just ordered from the elementary book order I get sent to me every month. We have spent lots of time this week reading new books. Emmalee is really getting into chapter books and looks forward to finding out what happens the next night-she even asks if she can go to bed so she can hear more of her book. This from the child who did her very best to not sleep at all the first two years of her life! We'll take whatever we can get!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Singing and Counting
Friday, January 23, 2009
Sinus Infections, Sleep (the lack of), and Surgery
Sickness has hit the O'Dell home. Last week it was me with something that had me at the emergency room once and back the next night for another round of IV antibiotics, along with another visit to the Dr. and strict bed rest for the weekend. Emmalee went to the Dr. Saturday and had a sinus infection. Tori started feeling bad and ended up at the Dr. Tuesday with a sinus infection and a severe case of bronchitis. She didn't sleep at all last night, as she is still not feeling very well. She is not very enthusiastic about using the nebulizer for breathing treatments, and is certainly not as content to have them as her big sister always has been. Of course, for Emmalee it has been a way of life since she was 15 months old.
While Tori was at the Dr., my mom, who took her because I had missed so much work last week, asked the Dr. about a bump she has on her right eyebrow. She has had it since she was born, and we were told it was nothing to worry about. As she has grown, so has it. Now she cries inconsolably when she bumps it. The Dr. said we need to have it surgically removed and gave us the name and number for a pediatric surgeon. He is not at all concerned about it, even though he calls it a cyst. He just thinks it will be easier to remove while she is younger and it won't leave as big a scar. I am not very excited about this, as she had surgery back in October for her MRSA, and Emmalee had her tonsils taken out almost two years ago, and neither experience was at all pleasant. I am sure everything will be fine; I just hate the thought of it.
Other than the sickness, the girls are doing great and continue to be full of energy and fun. Emmalee is loving school and learning so much. Tori is learning new things every day and loves to surprise us with the big words she can use. She pretends to be much older than she actually is! There is never a dull moment at the O'Dell house!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Deana, Dancing, and "Dot you Mama"
So this past weekend we had Aunt Deana come over to play for a while. The girls love to play with her, and she enjoyed playing with them as well. They played beauty salon, where Emmalee and Tori took turns using mommy's make up on Aunt Deana and each other. This was actually quite hilarious, and I am sorry I didn't get a better picture of the end product.
Here Emmalee is putting princess hair glitter in Aunt Deana's hair, after she has styled it with a hair bow.
If you look closely, you will see that Tori does in fact have a mow hawk in this picture, courtesy of Aunt Deana!
Here is a picture of my crazy girls dancing before bed on Sunday. These two love to dance, no matter the time, the place, the music or lack there of... And yes, I know Tori's jammies weren't zipped-never are. Her security object, in addition to her bankie (aka blanket) and her Abby Cadabby doll is, of all things, her belly button. Crazy, I know, but this kid loves her belly button. Someday I am sure she will outgrow it; I am just too amazed at it to figure out how to break her now.
The last part of the title to this blog was "Dot you mama." This is the sweetest little thing Tori does when she wraps her arms around my neck, especially when she is almost asleep. She usually whispers it, and for some reason, she hasn't quite got the "G" sound down yet, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. It's the little things that mean the most!
Monday, January 5, 2009
And so it goes...
Well, our mini-vacation has come and gone, so I am now back to work and the girls are back to their daily commute with daddy. Emmalee was the only one at all excited about this, as she has been anxiously awaiting the start of preschool again since early last week. This eager anticipation and strong desire on her part to be in school has brought me to the realization that in very little time (not nearly enough for this very sentimental mommy), she will be leaving the nest and going to kindergarten. While I know, from a teacher's point of view, that this day is inevitable and yes, even good for her, I do not want my little girl to grow up so quickly. I am sure this sentimental state of being is common, but I hadn't expected it to hit me so early in the year. I cried all the way to work today, and I am sure it won't be the last break down I have between now and August!
Our time at home was great but obviously went way too quickly! The girls had a great time together and played more together than I have ever seen them play. Tori has become quite the "big girl" in her own way, and she reminds me often through her actions that I no longer have a baby at home. She is as different from Emmalee as I could have ever imagined. I loved every minute of being at home with them (well, some moments reminded me of being at school, which wasn't so great, but...) I am looking forward to this summer when I will get some more time at home with them, but in the meantime, we will savor every moment we have together. We are looking forward to a blessed, healthy, and happy 2009, and we hope 2009 brings all of you the same!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
A Belated Merry Christmas!
We hope all of you had a blessed Christmas! We are sorry this is late, but we are just now recuperating from all the Christmas festivities. The girls loved every minute of our Christmas celebration, and it was so fun to watch them get so excited. We went to Christmas Eve services with the Powell family on Christmas Eve and then opened our gifts together. Then we headed home to put out cookies and milk for Santa. Christmas morning was lots of fun and spent at home as a family. Then we went up the road for the O'Dell Christmas gathering. The girls enjoyed their time there as well. We are truly blessed with wonderful, loving family, so it is always fun to spend time together and watch the kids play.
Here are Emmalee and Tori in their Christmas finest at my parents.
This is Christmas morning. The girls were so good about waiting to open their gifts. I am sure this will someday pass.
Here is an exhausted Emmalee Christmas night.
Here is an equally exhausted Tori hanging out on her new chair.
Literally two minutes after the photo above was taken.
And then 20 minutes later, she was refreshed and potty training her babies.Monday, December 22, 2008
Emmalee's Big Day
Emmalee had a really big day yesterday. It started off by picking up Grandma around 9:30 A.M. and driving to church in Richmond, where we sat with Gamma, Pappi, Uncle Brian, Aunt Brandi, Dylan, and Alli for the church's Christmas cantata. Once church was over, Grandma, Gamma, Emmalee, Flat Stanley (a school project for cousin Dylan), and mommy loaded up into mommy's car and headed off to Crown Center.
Once there we wandered around for a bit while we waited at a table at Crayola Cafe, Emmalee's favorite restaurant there. We took some photos of Emmalee with Flat Stanley so we could send them back to school with Dylan at the beginning of the new year. We ate at Crayola Cafe and then roamed around a bit more. Here are some pics of our time at Crown Center.
Here is Emmalee braving the bitter cold to get a pic with Flat Stanley in front of Crown Center.
Here are Emmalee and Gamma at Crayola Cafe.
Grandma and Emmalee
Emmalee and Flat Stanley
...Emmalee's first professional ballet!!! She said it was like a dream come true!
We decided to take one more picture with Flat Stanley in front of the Music Hall despite the bitter cold. Flat Stanley was quite a trooper! 
Emmalee and Flat Stanley inside the Music Hall in front of Christmas tree. 
Emmalee agrees!!!Thursday, December 18, 2008
Snowy Days and Sugary Treats
The past few days have been full of cold, blustery days and sweet, sugary treats. The girls have enjoyed some fun time out in the snow (okay, Emmalee enjoyed it a lot more than Tori did-she must take after her cold-natured mommy), and Emmalee had her school Christmas party yesterday. She has a dance performance tonight, but we are waiting to see what the weather will do. 
Emmalee was thrilled to get outside and make snow angels. She absolutely loves to play in the snow and could do so for hours on end. However, she despises scarves so her face bears the brunt of the cold weather.
Tori loved being pushed down the hill by big sister, but she wasn't sure about the cold. She also found it a bit difficult to get around in the snow, but I wonder if that wasn't because I had her so bundled up.
This is a picture of Daddy and the girls sledding down the gravel road in front of our house. Mommy was able to push them and then catch up to them to snap a photo. Obviously they weren't "flying" down the hill!
Here are my two best girls helping bake cupcakes for the school party. 
Another picture of my budding chefs. By the way, they do not get their love of helping in the kitchen from their mommy.
Here's Emmalee at her class party. They made lots of fun crafty stuff and played pin the nose on Rudolph. She also got lots of great gifts from her classmates. I was thrilled to be able to attend the party, and she had lots of fun!
If you look closely, you will see that these are Rudolph the red nose reindeer cupcakes. I know, creative huh? I have been quite domestic this week, so I think I will take a break and take the girls out to dinner tonight! :) 
