Merry Christmas!!!

This Christmas was perfection. Complete, utter perfection.

I only hope you had as joyful and wonderful a Christmas :).

More to come...

Bananas

"Time for my daily banana..."

"You don't stand a chance against me, Banana!"

"Mmmmmm...poor Banana never saw it comin'."

And remember Ana's "Banana Episode"? I guess it's the bananas???

Happy Birthday, Nana!

We LOVE you!!!!!

xoxo,
Your girls :)

Survived

We survived the week! It was jam-packed but I made it (and on VERY little sleep, mind you!). I'd love to write all about it but Christmas Eve is knockin' on my door and I have a couch full of projects that are calling to be done! I do have an entire list of stuff I want to write about so, to help keep me honest, I think I'll go ahead and list some of them.

• Maddie's 18 month letter (yes, I KNOW she's almost 19 months!)
• the great Christmas things we've done this past week
• an update on the ol' fat tracker (sneak peek - this week was not great but it wasn't awful either)
• a post inspired by something I read about marriage (deep, just wait)
• a letter to another certain someone I'm seem to kinda fancy these days :)
• some "Chit Chattin' with Ana" updates - there are SOOOO many!!!
  

So I'll do my best to write it all while it's still fresh but this week is going to be another doozy!!! Is that even the right word!?!? Anyhoo, with my mom's birthday, our annual girls' tamale night, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, my bff's birthday, and a Christmas celebration with Anthony's side of the family, and another celebrating my awesome friends I'm sure I'll totally get to it :).

Until soooon!

My Week

I'm writing it down for sanity's sake....

Mon. - playgroup. Finish recipe books.
Tues. - having friends over for lunch. Go to Hobby Lobby and get the materials for some gifts for Friday.
Tues. night - Marisa's coming to take our pictures!
Wed. - Christmas dinner with my crazy mom friends :). Make gifts for Friday.
Thurs. - get ready for Fri. Get food and activities together. Finalize for Saturday's party.
Fri. - little Christmas party for the girls' bestest friends!
Fri. early evening - watch 3 little ones (plus my little ones) while their mamas do some good for society.
Fri. night - go out with our bff's.
Sat. - throw a birthday party for my mom.
In my free time - raise kids, keep house, make husband happy, and eat...but not bad cuz I'm still on a diet!

Ok, Monday down, the rest of the week to go.

Two little bunnies...

Ana at 18 months...

Maddie at 17 months...

Day 7: Already off track

No, no. Not with the "diet". With the updates. Remember? I vowed to update 3 times a week. Rememberrrrrrr? I should know better. I wish I was one of those people that actually did the things she said she was going to do all the time. Seriously. I wish I was THAT person. I'm really good friends with THAT person. But THAT person I am not. Life always seems to throw me off course, off my "plan". "If you want to hear God laugh tell Him your plan". No joke!

Anyhoo, back to my regularly scheduled "Fat Tracker" :).

Successes:

1. I successfully got through a Christmas playgroup without overindulging!!! This is big. No, this is HUGE! I can't even begin to describe the amount of food at these things. And it's good food - food made by mamas with little kids that are all about indulging (or at least wanting to impress other mamas with their fabulous recipes!). Like I said, HUGE conquest!
2. I did AWESOME the first 4 days. I stayed right at my target calorie intake of 1200 and can already feel the difference. Since I'm not weighing myself I don't see the numbers but I feel less, shall we say, puffy? Yeah, let's say less puffy.

Ok, so I say I did awesome the first four days not because I fell off the wagon but because days five and six were back to back parties. So I did indulge. BUT I indulged in things like fruit and tortilla chips....and drinks and guacamole. Not the best, but I did write it into my plan.

This is going to be another busy week so wish me luck - 1 playgroup, 2 Christmas parties, and a birthday party. Good luck to me :)!

Countdown to Christmas: Days 8 - 13

Ok, busy week (hence the lack of updates!). But here's the wrap up:

Day 8: BIG Christmasy day! A Christmas party with all of our friends from my mom's group that included a visit from a jolly old fella. What did they think of him? See for yourself :)....


Then, we were lucky enough to be invited to Karmen & Alex's "Rockin' Christmas" show. We trekked through the snow and made our way to Oswego to see the girls' favorite cousins perform in their school's Christmas extravaganza! The show, followed by some pizza and a couple of over-tired babies amounted to some big fun for these two.

Day 9: Hot chocolate and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" under some blankets. Precious.

Days 10 -13: Christmas shopping, putting up some lights, and some Christmas movies. Quite frankly, these days blended together for me.

Back to the daily updates!

Day 1: I'm Fat

OK. As previously stated, this is it. I'm hanging out here at rock bottom feelin' all sorry for myself thinking I've never looked or felt so out of shape. I spent the weekend partyin' it up down here but today's a new day. It's a new week and I'm ready to make some changes. I realize I must be completely crazy to try and get my act together right before Christmas. I get that I must be delusional to hop on a diet as we approach countless get-togethers where food is the guest of honor. But I need to do this and I need to do it now.

So today I start a diet. A full-out-count-my-calories-never-actually-done-this-before diet. This is new for me and I'm not sure how either of us will do (me and food) but I NEED TO DO IT. And this is where I'm going to write all about it. This is where I'm going to hold myself accountable.

So here's the plan:

1. Take in between 1300 t0 1500 calories a day with room to "induldge" on party days.
2. Rethink my definition of "induldge". It does NOT have to mean that I eat until I physically, not just figuritively, need to roll out of a party.
3. Do some sort of exercise each day. Even the smallest effort will count!
4. Do NOT weigh myself. Numbers only discourage so instead I'll measure my successes but how I feel and what the heck I can fit into.
5. Find a target pair of pants that I'm dying to get into.
6. Write about my successes and failures at least 3 times a week.

So this is Day 1. And I'm fat. I feel fat. I look fat. My clothes keeping screaming at me "You're fat!!! I don't fit you!!!!" So ok, we go from here. This is where I begin so here I gooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

Flashback: Ana

I ran across some film from my old camera that had never been developed so I took it in. And what I got back has me all gooey with nostalgia. It's so hard to remember our big girl being this small. Oh, how I miss it.

At 9 months...

With Nana...

With Papa...

With Auntie Vicky...

At 15 months...

Man, does it go by fast.

Countdown to Christmas: Days 6 & 7

Yesterday was a rough day - for me, for the girls, with the weather, with everything it seemed. So as much as I hate to actually put this into words, we did NOTHING to countdown Christmas yesterday. I was exhausted and just not up for a whole heck of a lot so I'll hastily admit I surrendered to my utter laziness.

But today, today we had QUITE the Christmas countdown day! The girls and I made spritz cookies in the morning with the help of our cousin Christina. I have to say, as far as cookie recipes go, this is one of the easiest. Some butter, sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and an egg. Seriously. That's it. Super easy. Super quick. And super yummy.


Ana loved it of course as she loves all things cooking/baking/helping/being all grown up like mama :). And this was Miss Maddie's first time helping to make the cookies and she did wonderfully! Complete impatience aside, once we got to the decorating part she was in heaven! I'm pretty sure her little fingers are permanently red but hey, small price to pay, right? Christmas activity #1, check!

While the girls napped I took a run over to the Super Wal-Mart and managed to get some more Christmas shopping done. I found what I'm sure will be THE HIT of Christmas morning for girls. I can't wait to see them open it!!!! Christmas activity #2, check!

After dinner, as we racked our brains thinking of something fun to do I found a few Christmas-y games that Ana could play on the computer. Needless to say she LOVED that. What's that, you say? I get to put my sticky little hands all over your computer AND you're not going to yell at me? Ah, a dream come true! Christmas activity #3, check check!

So I think I should be pardoned for yesterday :).

Countdown to Christmas: Day 5

Yesterday the girls and I braved the very cold weather to get some Christmas shopping done! I know these "Christmas Countdown" events are supposed to be magical and all but this was so not. It was too cold, too crowded, and too boring for these two. But hey, at least we were together, right?

Daddy did come pick them up and I got to have a nice 2 1/2 hour lunch with my super best friend, Dana. I needed it (both the Chipotle AND the company). So as far as an event for mama goes, I'd consider it an utter success. Thank you, my sweet, sweet friend!

Rock Bottom

This morning I put on one of my husband's sweatshirts as part of my "outfit". My 225 lb, 6'1" husband's sweatshirts. And not in some half-hearted attempt to be comfy either. But rather because almost nothing I own fits me.

I'm here. I'm at rock bottom.

I figure I have two choices. I can either buy clothes that fit or I can lose some of this holiday weight (yeah, I do know we've only had one holiday so far!). And since the ol' budget doesn't exactly allow for a new wardrobe of fat clothes, I guess that leaves me with the latter.

So, I SWEAR, this is it!!!!!

Countdown to Christmas: Day 4

Last night the girls and I read EVERY Christmas book they own. They have, like, twelve. It's not like they're novels or anything but we did read them all. And we read them while sitting under the tree :).

Countdown to Christmas

As part of our countdown to Christmas this year we here in Ullsmithland have made it our mission to do at least one Christmas-related event for every day leading up to the BIG day. And here's what we have to far:

Dec. 1 - The girls and I put up the tree in their loft. It was pre-lit so I just plugged it in and they decorated it themselves! Maddie didn't quite get it but Ana LOOOOVED it. "It's soooo beautiful, Mommy. This tree is just so beautiful!" is how she described it.

Dec. 2 - We put up the big tree in the family room. Once again, a HUGE hit with the sweetpeas.

Dec. 3 - Perhaps my very favorite Christmastime memory to date (not just this year!). The four of us curled up on the couch, ate popcorn, drank hot chocolate, and watched the 1964 classic "Rudolf" cartoon. This, my friends, is what it's all about :).

I would love to say that I have a list of our daily events to come but honestly I have no clue what's next. And you know, I kinda like it that way!

Sigh...

I'll be honest. It's been a rough few months. A rough year if we're going there (which I'm not). But today I felt really happy for the first time in a long time. Like, genuinely happy. That kind of happy that comes from the inside out. It seeped through my skin and I left it all over my kitchen floor.

This little family that I get to call my own, this saving grace of mine, is the only thing capable of making me this happy.

As I was cooking dinner and the girls shared a chair in the middle of the kitchen, Ana asked me to put on her "party music" (the Fiesta CD from her birthday). I put it on and instantly Miss Maddie began her bootlicious shake. Ana followed with her little girl bounce and soon Mommy and Daddy joined in. So there we were. The four of us - two in pajamas, one in work clothes, and the other in a sundress (don't ask) - breakin' it down. Taking turns dancing with each other and then dancing all together. It was something out of a movie. I wanted to grab my camera and capture it but decided instead to just live it. I danced and laughed with the loves of my life. In that moment I was reminded just how lucky we are. How ridiculously blessed we are.

Our life isn't perfect. It's as far from it right now as I can remember. But it's funny how in the midst of trying times and hardships, God never fails to show His grace. In the eyes of my sweet toddler. In the laugh of my baby. In the simplest things. He humbles me with the unconditional love of these girls and reminds me that even when I feel as though I'm failing I am everything to them - everything they want and everything they need. How lucky I am to have children I am blissfully in love with. How lucky I am to have children I get to hug and kiss and care for. How lucky I am to, even for a moment, be able to sigh and just know I have everything I need.

They're coming...

The updates. I swear :).

Happy Halloween!

Our Slurpie, our Popcorn, and a Zoo Keeper :).

It was over as quickly as it began...

9/09/08 - Ana's first soccer practice. She LOVES it. She kicks the ball, runs around, warms up, even plays a practice game with her team. Soccer is her sport. Mommy and Daddy beam with pride and look forward to a promising season.



9/16/08 - Auntie Carie and Baby Wyatt come to see Ana play. She refuses to go out onto the field. Doesn't go out even once. She's suddenly afraid of everything - her coach, her teammates, the ball, the other team. Mommy and Daddy's dreams of a future soccer star are slowly fading.


9/23/08 - Ana gets out onto the field! But she insists on holding her coach's hand at all times. Maybe soccer's not her sport. At least not for now anyway.

I don't know what the right thing to do here is. Do we let her give up and quit? Or do we force her to do something she's so obviously not into? Ugh. Mamahood is tough.

My Dearest Ana,

Today's the day. Today is your day. Your very big third birthday. You're officially no longer a baby. Somewhere between your little infant snore and your acquired knack for singing everything, you've grown up.

You've grown up to be a talker, a chit chatter really. Sometimes you're content in pure silence. But when it strikes you, you chit chat with the best of them. You go on and on and on and on and I. LOVE. IT. The things that you say crack me up, melt my heart, and boil my blood.

You know SO MUCH. You know things I've never taught you. You teach me things I didn't realize I should know. You have a memory like nobody's business that can get Mommy in trouble sometimes but a lot of times (like when I'm looking for my keys) it comes in very handy :).

You are becoming the very best sister we could ever dream of for Miss Maddie. Your concern for her when she cries overwhelms me. The way you talk to her in your sweet mommy voice chokes me up. Sure, you still have your moments with her and have single-handedly taught her the words "mine!" and "no!" but there is no doubt in my mind that you will be this little girl's very best friend.

How in the world you could be everything I've ever wanted in life, everything I've every wanted to be, is beyond me. Before you, I didn't believe perfection existed. You're a sweet potato. You're hilarious. You love to laugh. You're feisty. You're so smart. You're so witty. You're a stinker. You love big. You have such incredible concern for Mommy, Daddy, and Maddie. You're stubborn. You're sassy. YOU ARE EVERYTHING.


I love you.

xoxo,
Mama

Slowin' Down

I can admit that I've been letting myself get overwhelmed these last few months with everything under the sun and today I let myself slow down.

I let my sweet girls play in the bath while I watched them and reveled in their giggles. I brushed their hair and teeth, lotioned those little legs and arms, and searched through loads of clean laundry to find the coveted Little Mermaid pajamas. And for this I was rewarded. These sweet girls let me rock them both (together) for all of five whole songs - the same five songs I sang to them each when they were infants as I'd nurse them, stare at them, and take in their sweet baby smell. Ana, snuggled up on my chest with her long legs wrapped around my waist. Maddie, not quite as calm but still affording me a snuggle here and there. As I sang to my babies and turned my head from one to the other taking in their yumminess, I felt myself slow down for the first time in months.

There's nothing in this world quite like your own little girls' fresh-out-of-a-bath baby smell. And I'll (shamefully) admit I don't take it in quite as often as I should, quite as often as we all deserve. Maddie's inability to sit still and Ana's long, long legs took me to the days when I could fit them in the nook of my chest. Some days it feels like a lifetime ago but today it felt like it was just yesterday. And so I'm forced to remember something none of us should ever forget - that these days won't be here forever and I owe it to myself, I owe it to my girls, to just slow down.

I love you

I don't have the time to write much of a post (shocking, I know!) but I do need to write this. My little Miss Maddie, 2 weeks and 1 day ago said this mama's favorite words. "I love you". Clear as day. From my 15 month old chunk of love. Oh baby, how I love you too!!!!

Ovah thrrr!

I'm featured over here today! Check it out and leave a comment, pulease!!! :)

Labor Day Weekend 2008

Last weekend we had a family reunion up in Wisconsin. It's funny to call it a family reunion since our entire family gets together literally once a month, at least. But that's besides the point. Anyway, we spend 3 days doing a whole lotta nothing. Things didn't go exactly as envisioned but all in all it was a weekend away so there's something to be said for that, I guess.

When we got home on Monday I braced myself for a week of deprogramming the girls from lates nights, late naps, lots of screaming and eating whenever, and living in bathing suits. I thought for sure I was in for a heck of a week. And to my pleasant surprise, it has indeed been a heck of a week but in a good way! They have been ANGELS!!! Right back on track and sweet as ever. Honestly, how did we get so lucky? Perfection is what these little girls are :). So I'll leave you with some pictures from this little getaway of ours....

Uncle Yaros rescuing Ana from the waterslides. She was not a fan :).

Me and my sweetie.

Our Bathing Beauty.

One of the very few family pics we have. Isn't that sad?

Right before my eyes

So Miss Maddie Mac is now saying...

Bounce
Good girl!
No
Mine (thank you very much, Miss Ana!!!)
and Pasta


I love, love, LOVE a baby's first words. Especially my baby's first words. She's becoming a big girl right before our eyes and it's bitter sweet. I melt when she wobbles across the room just to hug my leg. And her humongous laugh makes me want to fall over. She loves her sister and wants to do what she does but she's very much her own little person. I love that she calls for Daddy when she hears him come in and she calls for me every morning. But I have to say I already miss the little baby she was.

Goin' Green...

I'm so excited! Months back as I was perusing this here web trying to inform myself on ways to "green up" our house I came across this great website, Green & Clean Mom. What I love so much about it is that Sommer, the founder, has a very nonjudgemental, easy way about it. She knows there is a slew of moms, like me, that want to make a difference in the environment and do whats best for their kids short of shoving them into a Prius. So I became a member last week and Kirstin mentioned that they were looking for contributers to do weekly posts on their community forum. Um, sign me up! So she did. And now I'm contributing to the site every Friday. And no, I'm not pretending to be an expert on anything. I'm just blogging about life as a mama that's trying to green things up without getting overwhelmed. So if you want to check out my green blog just go here...every Friday. Don't forget. And leave me a comment so people will think you like me :).

Peace

I sat the girls in front of the TV just to get a moment of peace. Not that they never watch TV but I've never purposely put them there to get a break from them. To have some quiet. Without having something to get done. Yep, no Mom of the Year award for me today. Sigh....

Talk away, Baby

I realized after I published the last post that I forgot to give Maddie credit for a few words. Among the ones I mentioned, she also says agua, duck, Daddy, Mommy, Mama, and Dada. And today she added cookie and baby to that list.

I am so looking forward to hearing her talk, really talk. I daydream of, months from now, hearing her and Ana have actual conversations with each other. I'm so looking forward to it but cherishing this Maddie language she has now because, before long, I'll be missing it so much. I can hardly remember what Ana sounded like just a short 18 months ago. I miss her baby voice and words only I could understand. But, I'll tell ya what, I wouldn't trade anything for the conversations, opinions, and Ana-isms I get to hear now. That....is what I'm looking forward to with Miss Maddie.

Sigh....

It has been forever since I've sat down and written anything. I finally got around to finishing Maddie's birthday letter (that I started weeks ago, months after her birthday still). I feel like there's been so much going on these last few months that to actually catch things up on here would take days in itself. So I guess, for my own sanity's sake I'll just try to list some highlights.

Maddie -

She started walking a week before she turned 13 months. She still wobbles a bit and pretty much looks like she's been at a really great party for 3 drinks too many, but when she is up and about she's quick. Check her out :)

She's talking. Says words like dog, cow, down, spoon, uh-oh, wow, buh-bye, hey, yeah, hi-ya!, nana, ana, tickle, and toes. To name a few :). And her first two-word sentence is "that way!", as in , "where's your bear, Maddie?" "that way!"

She recognizes everything. "Where's the cow?" "Time to clean up." "Where's your belly?" "Where are your toes?" "So you want to take a nap" (to which she shakes her head 'no'. haha.). She understands and answers in her way.

She's picked up a handful of animal sounds and will make them when you ask her what certain animals say. Her very favorite is the ducks "quack, quack" but she knows the cat, dog, lion, and, bear.

Ana -

She might be starting pre-school this fall. Might be.

She has turned that little girl in her into a big girl with BIG drama. Everything's a big deal some days.

She loves taking care of Maddie and making her happy when she cries.

She comes up with phrases that crack. me. up. Whether she's heard someone else say them or they're complete "Ana originals", coming out of her little mouth, they take on a delivery of their own. Today she told me "Mommy, I'm sick and tired. I'm sick and tired of this." Um, okaaaay.

She's had a really hard time with Daddy working so much. Never one to demonstrate separation anxiety, she's gone through a phase of getting upset whenever he has to leave (for work, to the store, to the bathroom). It breaks our heart but it's getting better.

She loves to help clean, do laundry, shop, and do the dishes.

She went to the dentist for the first time. No cavaties and some reassurance that her crooked little teeth should end up just fine so long as she keeps that thumb out of there. Here's to hoping!

She's learning her past presidents. We got George Washington and Thomas Jefferson down :)!

Us -

Too much to get into right now. Things have been rougher than I'd like and life may be about to completely change for us but that's still to be determined. I'll get into it later since I'm giving this whole blogging thing a renewed commitment. Again, here's to hoping!!!

Until next time...

Chit Chatting with Ana...

As I'm working on something, I can vaguely hear Ana going on and on about something. And then I very clearly hear this...

Ana: "Mommy, don't n'nore me."
Me: "Don't what?"
Ana: "Don't n'nore me."
Me: "Don't ignore you?"
Ana: "Yeah, don't n'nore me."
Me: "I'm not."
Ana: "Yeah. I'm talking to you and you don't answer. You're n'noring me."

And that was my day's lesson in being polite :).

Dear Maddie...

OK, so you're 14 months already and this is technically supposed to be your 1st birthday letter but I can promise you it's been writing itself in my head for months - for the last 14 months actually. What's funny though is that I'm not really sure I know even where to start. So how about we just rewind almost 2 years...

The news of you came on September 8th, 2006. After a "feeling", I took a pregnancy test at home while Daddy was at work. Within seconds two little blue lines appeared. Unlike with your sister, I wasn't surprised. I wasn't in shock and I wasn't speechless. I knew before I had taken the test that you were inside of me. Somehow, I just knew.

At 7 months pregnant with you, I began getting regular contractions and, just to be safe, the doctor put me on bed rest. And I got scared. I got scared that you may come too early. I got scared that I had done something wrong to make this happen. And I got scared that anything could be wrong with you. I vowed to stay off my feet and put every once of effort into making sure you stayed put for as long as possible. Daddy was amazing. He would work all day and then come home and take care of Mommy and Ana. At 36 weeks the doctor took me off bed rest and said it was OK if you wanted to make your arrival at any day. And though I desperately wanted to meet you, I prayed everyday that you would stay put until your due date. I prayed because I knew it was what was best for you but I knew you would come when you were ready. And that you did.


You were born right on your due date after 6 short hours of labor and 3 big pushes. And you were a girl. And you were our baby. Your chubby little cheeks barely gave way to your beautiful eyes and your chunky legs resembled those of your sister's. I cried as I saw them carry you to the warmer and I cried when they finally placed you in my arms. I had waited 9 long months for you and there you were. Our beautiful Madelyn Grace. All 8 pounds and 10 ounces of you. The same 8 pounds and 10 ounces that were about to rock our world.


This last year with you, my sweet girl, has been both a blur and one long moment pressed into my memory. It went by too fast. I feel like I've missed so much. Yet I feel like you've been with me forever. From the start you have been a mommy's girl. The touch of my hand or the feel of my lips softly against your head was all that you required to soothe you for months. We spent all of our days together, so many of them with you in my arms. I watched you sleep and let you sleep in our bed more times than I can remember. You always loved to be held and absolutely loved to watch people. "Mama" was your first word at just 6 months I LOVED that. You spoke it loud and clear and you said it often. "Dada" came soon after and melted Daddy's heart each and every time he heard it.

You have been such a light in our life this last year, Maddie Girl. When you were an itty bitty baby you loved the song "You are my Sunshine". And our sunshine is exactly what you've been. You are that baby girl that they show in movies and commercials. You've always goo'd and ga-ga'd and giggled like a picture perfect baby. You make the cutest faces, have the most infectious laugh, and have the sweetest Maddie-isms we've ever had the joy of experiencing. Your mere presence makes everyone around you happy. In 14 short months you have learned how to make people feel loved. You. This tiny little baby. Have the ability to make me feel loved. You, sweetpea, are amazing.

I never wondered, when I was pregnant with you, whether or not I'd have room in my heart for you. I never wondered whether or not you'd fit into our world. But I could never have guessed how perfectly you would fit into our life. I couldn't have predicted how incredibly complete you would make our little family feel. You're our little rockstar, our cuddlebug, and our spitfire. You embrace everything with your whole little self and love every second of learning something new. When you're happy, your little body shows it from the squint in your eyes to that gummy little smile to your chubby tippy toes. And when you're upset, oh boy! When you're upset we know to watch out. As passionate as you are when you're happy is as passionate as you are when you're not. It can make things a little bit trying at times but I honestly love every ounce of you, the drama and all. I wouldn't change a bit of who you are, my sweet angel, because you are, in every sense of the word, perfection. And oh how I love you.

Happy 14 months, Madelyn Grace!

xoxo
Mama

Our Happy Girl

And her sister that loves making her laugh....

*it takes a minute for her to get going but once she does, forget it!



I LOVE this so much :).

Chit Chatting with Ana...

At Target Ana was walking in front of the cart when I stopped to look at something...

Ana: Come on, Mommy! We HAVE to keep going!
Me: Hold on. I just want to look at something real quick.
Ana: Mommy! We HAVE THINGS TO DOOOOOO!!!!!

It was like hearing a mini-me talk :).


Sitting outside having dinner Ana noticed Daddy swatting away some "little bugs"...

Ana: Dadddyyyyyy, don't hit those little bugs!
Daddy: Ok. Sorry.
Ana: You have to say sorry to the little bugs.
Daddy (with a sigh): Sorry, little bugs.
Ana (with a HUGE smile): Awww, Daddy, you did such a good job! Good job, Daddy!

:)

Pre-school? Really???

Not sure where this came from but it's just hit me, right at this exact moment, that my first baby will be three in just over three months and I'm going to have to start thinking about pre-school. PRE-SCHOOL. My baby. In school? So now I can't stop crying....

Happy Birthday, My Sweet Girl...

Your birthday letter is coming...I promise :).

Foto Friday: It's Tea Time, Ladies!

I took the girls to a very cute Ladies Only Tea Party at my great friend Kristie's house today and they showed up all decked out. Ana had a hat too but it didn't make it past the few minutes in the door.

*For my 2 faithful readers: In between crazies I will be back :).

Wordless Wednesday: Cheerios

I guess this is what happens when you leave Cheerios within reach of a 2 year old and walk away for 5 seconds.  No wonder little Maddie was so quiet :).

Foto Friday: A SweetPea Creation

As if she could get any cuter. Now she has a headband with interchangeable bows to go with every outfit!

Foto Friday: We're ready for you summer!

Ok, so I missed the second Foto Friday. Ok, so adding a weekly segment didn't prove to make me any better at this whole "keeping up with the sites" thing. Ok. But it's been a crazy week. Good crazy, bad crazy, crazy crazy. Next week will be better. Let's hope.

Wordless Wednesday: MK Photography

My very talented friend Marisa has finally decided to go professional with her photography.  She's so good at what she does and has been taking pictures for people here and there but now it's official.  These are a few of the pictures she took of my girls.  She uses natural light to capture life's true moments and is honestly amazing.  She's done weddings, families, pregnancy and children but she's open to more.  To see more of her work you can visit  http://gallery.mac.com/marisa923/100047.

If you're in the Chicagoland or Northwest Indiana area and are interested you can contact her at 630.362.5074 or marisa923(at)sbcglobal(dot)net.  Her rate for a 2-hour session with children is $100 and includes up to 50 proofs.  She comes to your house so your wee ones will be in their own environment, providing for more relaxed pictures.  Please contact her for the rates for events and family, pregnancy, and couples sessions.