girly giggles

so the other night, clay and i are in our room getting ready for bed and we hear this uncontrollable giggling from the girls' room. i let it go for a few minutes to let them get it out, but after a while i decided they needed to get their beauty rest. i cracked open the door and whispered, "you know your mom and dad can hear you, right?". hailey answered back, "thanks for the warning". when i closed the door, hailey asked, "who was that?". her sister maddy answered, "i don't know". that was the last we heard from them that night. i have no idea what they must think about the mystery voice, but it worked wonders, so i'm not revealing it was me anytime soon!

sisters

lately, i've been struck by our girls and their relationships with one another. over the last two or three months, things have changed between them...in a great way. they seek each other out for advice and as a sounding board for what went on in their days. they still come to mom and dad, but more and more they rely on each other. there is still a good bit of sibling rivalry, but the way that they laugh and carry on with each other is so sweet. i can remember so clearly what it was like to grow up with siblings who i could laugh and cry with. it's such an unbreakable bond. my siblings and my parents are my best friends. isn't it great that someone can know you inside and out and still love you anyway? this sense of security is what i hope our girls will have. it makes me think of this quote from Barbara Alpert:
She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark. She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink. Some days, she's the reason you wish you were an only child.

hailey's celebration continued

hailey was allowed to pick our weekend outings in honor of her birthday. she picked alice's tea cup on the upper east side (it's a tea place with an alice in wonderland theme). we had a lot of fun and our tea time was topped off by a sprinkling of fairy dust as we left. too cute.

hailey also chose ice skating at prospect park, but i had to stay home with maddy who is sick, so there's no pictures. ice skating is hailey's absolute favorite thing to do, so you can imagine that she was all smiles.

hailey is 9!!!

hailey turned 9 on january 29. we celebrated at home with chinese take out and an ice cream cake.

every year on the girls' birthdays, we pull out their "birthday box". the box has all their keepsakes from year's past (hair from their first haircut, baby socks, baby albums, preschool graduation memorabilia, cards from every birthday, and anything important or significant). we take out all the items and i tell the birthday girl any stories behind them or who gave them the special item. usually, this is a time one on one with me, but this year, the girls insisted that it be a shared experience. i thought it was so cool that they are just as interested in one another's histories as their own.