The Dickinson Family

Natalie

2012-01-19T13:57:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to share a couple pictures of my beautiful growing girl.

She now has bangs too!

I was so mad at myself b/c of the last pic. Mike took it, and I made a face so when she looked at the picture later, she'd laugh. (and she did) but it's a great picture of her, and ruined b/c of my silly face! Thank goodness we can crop!

I spend my days herding

2012-01-19T13:54:00.003-06:00

and redirecting. She is into everything. It's only going to get worse when she starts walking. Which, she has no desire to do at the moment. That's just fine with me. Her crawling is adorable. Especially if you say her name (as a warning) or tell her 'no.' Then she squeals and crawls away at hyper-speed.
Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Exhibit C:

I'm not going to lie, I often feel like I'm spending my time just preventing disasters from happening while she's awake. You know, instead of actually making any headway on getting the house in order or any number of other things that need to be done around here. But oh, I would not trade these moments for anything in this world. I'll blink and she'll be starting kindergarten.

Let's be honest, I'm pretty blessed to wake up to this happy face every morning (not to mention her sweet sisters as well!!)

Swinging

2012-01-19T13:47:00.000-06:00

We have been to the park a few times in the past week or so, taking full advantage of some of the beautiful (long-gone) weather we had. Lexi loves to swing! Natalie was too busy playing on all the other stuff to have her picture taken, so I soaked up the cuteness here with my second-born.

I don't think I could possibly pick a favorite picture here. She's so adorable and happy 99% of the time, I get such a kick out of her. Natalie was much the same at this age. I could tell some stories about Lexi when she's not happy, but we'll save that for another day... ;)

2012-01-08T17:04:00.000-06:00

Our Christmas with Mike's side of the family started out so nice, dignified, and lovely. I mean, just look at this beautiful tree and presents!

Nani & Pop brought dinner for everyone, and we got down to opening gifts after our feast! Lexi was everywhere, and held by everyone that night, I think. Total chill baby lately, she is.

Sitting with Aunt Abbey:

Playing next to Pop:

I love this stage. Tissue paper is just awesome, and she could care less about presents.

Family picture time. This is us. Christmas 2011. This is THE PICTURE we will keep in our hearts to remember this evening:

Alright. I feel a need here to explain the rest of these pictures. We were tired of taking pictures. Natalie asked if we could do silly pictures. We said yes! Let's do silly pictures! And here we have it:

Nani rounded out the night with a car ride with Lexi, and the girls went to bed shortly after!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-08T16:46:00.001-06:00

We were able to go back to my hometown for Christmas this year. The Christmas Eve service at church is always something I look forward to. The last time I was there for a candlelight service, I believe Natalie was in my tummy. It's been awhile. I prepped Natalie on how careful she had to be if she wanted to hold a candle. She is always my reliable rule follower, so I trusted her, and she did great. I don't think she moved the entire time the candle was lit!

The usher handed me a candle as well. I laughed, put it back, and told him I didn't think it was such a great idea with Lexi on my lap. I mean seriously, she'll lunge at anything she wants (and has been known on occasion to have a fit if you won't let her have it...*ahem*) Anyway, I really thought I'd have to take her out when the candles were lit. But instead, she was surprisingly happy just to look.

The best part about the service this year? We were sitting in the back row, Lexi was on my lap, and while the minister was talking, she let out a loud burp! Everyone around us turned around. I started laughing, couldn't stop, and the harder I tried to stifle my giggles, the worse it got.

Our family on Christmas Eve, 2011. Do you see Rudy?? I had him in a lovely little headlock so he'd sit still for the picture:

Sarah & Cory:

Mom & Cory:

Christmas morning!

Coming to see what Santa brought:

Santa did great this year!

She loves this car!

Good morning, sunshine!!

Santa brought a fun toy for Lexi too!

Thank goodness we had something for Rudy--it kept him out of trouble for a while.

Climbing onto other gifts:

Here I am, opening my stocking. Don't laugh at my apparel either. I know you all have Christmas reindeer flannel pj's too. Don't hate. Appreciate.

Here we are, about to let her open the big gift that has taunted her from under the tree for the last two weeks!

A princess castle!! The ONLY thing she asked for!

This busy ball popper is another fun gift. Not something I'd recommend with a puppy in the house, but Lexi does love it!

Lexi was so happy and content, playing next to the tree all morning even with the chaos around her.

When she got tired, she laid her little head down while PawPaw patted her back. She stayed like this for a long time:

More gifts:

I'm holding a peek-a-boo bear that cracks Lexi up.

Our little one stripped down and stole a car later that morning too:

This is my nephew Chase, doing what we've all dreamed about for years! ;)

Riding on the plasma car:

I'll leave this next picture open for captions. It needs a title:

This might need one too. This is not posed. My brothers were in the background of another picture, and I just cropped this down. Apparently, Cory made the mistake of telling Doug he needed to sneeze. That's probably the last thing he remembered:

Merry Christmas!!!

Catching up again

2012-01-04T20:04:00.001-06:00

This month has been so busy for us, much more so than usual and all of that on top of the normal Christmas preparations. Is it bad to say that I'm glad Christmas is over? To clarify, I'm glad the chaos that we create for ourselves during this season is over.

Probably the biggest news I should share is that Natalie will now be attending a charter (public) school instead of home-school. We have always wanted to send our children to public school, but that option is pretty much a joke because of where we live. So we home schooled instead of forking over Mike's paycheck for a private school. Home-school was wonderful, and Natalie is such a good student and loves to be challenged. I would say the only negative part about it is how quickly we move through it, leaving her bored in the afternoons. (Natalie has never self entertained well) I wasn't ever bothered by lack of socialization b/c we're around other children several times a week. But home-school wasn't our first choice, even though we made it work well for us. Mike can attest that I worked by rear end off with curriculum, lesson planning, and teaching. I did not take that responsibility lightly.

BUT! My uncle (who is an expert in the education arena) found and visited a charter school in this city that is just amazing. And if he was impressed and had something to say about it, we were definitely going to listen! Mike and I learned all this on Thanksgiving day. We visited the school soon after, were very impressed too, and got Natalie on the waiting list. She got in, and before Christmas break we'd already met her teachers and she got to know her class and routine by sitting in for half a day. She officially started yesterday, and is doing so well. She has no reservations, and didn't even tell me 'goodbye' yesterday! Just joined her class, and she's so excited to be there. I'm so glad this transition is going smoothly for her.
First day, before we left the house:

Natalie with her kindergarten teacher on Natalie's first day of school:

I, on the other hand, have been having a rough time. This transition is falling at a time where I am slowly weaning Lexi, hormones are at play, and my monnie heart is struggling to let go. *sigh* I am confident this is what is best for Natalie, but I miss her terribly and have cried many tears after I drop her off and also just before I fall asleep at night. If anyone ever tells you that letting go of your children is easy, they are lying through their teeth. We didn't do daycare or preschool. There was nothing to ease into this separation...which obviously would have been for my benefit, Natalie is totally cool and happy with all of this. THANK YOU GOD FOR THAT! I would be a wreck if she was anxious, clingy or crying about it.

I'm rambling on and on, but to sum up: I love her to the moon and back. I miss her terribly, but I'm also happy and SO excited for her. Most importantly, I'm confident in our decision. She is in excellent hands, and will do amazing work at this incredible school. I also appreciate the one-on-one time with Lexi I get more often now. She needs that too. I've also been working out daily (which helps the sappy monnie blues) and catching up on things around the house. It's a good situation, I just can't wait for 3:15 to roll around every day!

You fellow monnie's will understand. Those of you who aren't monnies, don't judge. I realize all of this is fueled and made worse by weaning. Oh, and did I mention my period is due any day?? I can only shake my head and chuckle at this timing. Poor Mike. He is my rock and supporter. His shoulders have been pretty soggy this week. Thank you baby for your comfort.

Good grief, I've already written a novel and that was only ONE topic of many. Onto the other stuff!

Rudy was neutered about a month ago. Maybe we should bond over our mutual hormonal distress... His recovery went smoothly, thank goodness for no unforeseen vet visits/bills. Whoo!

Several weeks ago, both girls decided to get sick with a weird cold virus called "Fifth's Disease." This was just like a normal cold, but with the additional lovely symptoms of bright red cheeks, a lacy rash, and low-grade fever. Natalie was only affected for a couple days. Lexi however, *sigh* this poor baby was absolutely covered in an angry-looking rash. All over her legs, bottom, back, and finally face and arms. Thankfully, it didn't seem to itch or bother her much unless she got too warm. But this persisted for almost TWO weeks, and didn't clear up until just after Christmas. I'm glad it's over and she has her beautiful smooth skin back.
Here she was with her rudolph nose. Pretty festive if you ask me!

My friend Jen came for a visit with her daughter Mikaiah for a couple days. This was the first time I have met her, so it was a precious moment to get to hold her. It was a long drive for them to come visit, but I'm so glad they did! Mikaiah's daddy (Jen's husband) is currently deployed overseas. God bless him!! Please keep him, and our military men/women in your prayers. This was Mikaiah's first Christmas, and I'm sure that was rough for all three of them. I thought about their sweet family quite a bit on that day.
Jen, Mikaiah, and I:

I will update about Christmas (with pictures) in other posts, but will go ahead and tell you about our New Year together. Usually Mike works NYE, so I have celebrated by myself for many years now. I'll be honest and tell you it's lonely knowing so many others are out celebrating with friends and family, but last year holds a sweet memory in my heart. This year, NYE fell on Mike's day off. We didn't do much, but he surprised me with a bottle of champagne to enjoy together. Oh, and after the ball dropped, he told me "happy anniversary" and went to go get my gift.

Now, let it be known that Mike sticks to the "traditional" anniversary gifts and always looks for a way to fit them in. For paper, I got paper flowers. Leather was a leather bound bible. Wood, we bought a kitchen table together. But somehow, some way, he has always managed to get an "appropriate" gift for our anniversary. This year, we celebrated 7 years of marriage. I wondered...he could either go with something wool, or copper.

He comes back into the room and says, "here babe!" and tosses a pair of wool socks at me. These things are men's wool crew socks that will go up to my knees. My thoughts?:
1) Be still my beating heart.
2) Hawt.
3) The jokes on him, b/c I'll be wearing them! :)

The next day (the day of our anniversary--you know, after we got some sleep) we served at church, and then Mike's parents came back to our house with us to watch the girls while we went out! Thank you guys! It was refreshing to get away for a few hours. Since then, we have been thrown into the school routine!

I think that about covers the updates!

Let's start this day off right!

2012-01-04T11:35:00.000-06:00

Let's Compare

2012-01-04T11:33:00.000-06:00

December 2010:

December 2011:

Christmas Festivities

2012-01-04T11:28:00.001-06:00

The kids in our small group decorated sugar cookies several weeks ago:

Nani took Natalie to paint some ceramics a while ago. Natalie really enjoyed this, and I even pained an ornament with the girls hand prints on it.

Our Christmas tree this year:

We also took the girls through a park that was decorated with Christmas lights. Mike drove and I got both girls out of their seats to sit on my lap so they could see better. This was Lexi's first experience with Christmas lights, and it was so fun to watch her squeal in delight, kick her legs, dance to the music, and slap her hands on the windows. Natalie was thrilled too. We knew we did well when she exclaimed, "Oh this was just the best night ever!!"

Attitude & Sweetness:

2012-01-04T11:18:00.000-06:00

Natalie gets glasses

2011-12-08T22:30:00.000-06:00

Natalie did something unusual during her routine eye exam at the pediatrician's office several months ago. We were then referred to the pediatric optometrist. We never suspected anything wrong with her vision. In fact, we thought she had great vision! So I was quite surprised when he discovered that one of her eyes has problems. In fact, her vision in her left eye has been poor for so long, her right eye has compensated. By that, I mean about 90% of her vision is through her right (good) eye, and only 10% from her left. Which explains why we never noticed the vision problem. So although she will always have to have a lens for her left eye, the good news is that she is at an age where part of this can be corrected and the left eye can be strengthened. We just have to patch the good eye for 2 hours a day, to force that left eye to work and get strong.

Here is our girl in her new glasses:

She has two pair, but these are by-far her favorite!

We ordered her glasses online, and paid $29 for each pair. If you've ever owned a pair of glasses, you know that's a tenth of what most cost! Mike ordered 3 pair for himself for a total of $32. I would highly recommend zenni optical. Equal quality to other lenses, just no overhead or advertising. :) I like it.

She hates the patches, but she can manage 2 hours a day. I'm just glad she loves her glasses, we sure do!

(As she gets older, she can graduate to wearing just one contact, and/or eventually get corrective surgery if she wants)

Lexi's Party

2011-12-08T22:13:00.001-06:00

We had Lexi's birthday party (with family) a couple days after her birthday. I wanted to just enjoy her first birthDAY with just the four of us, and not have to worry about cleaning, fixing food, and prepping for party guests. I did that with Natalie, and felt like I missed out on most of my day with her. Let's face it. The first birthday is not just a milestone for baby, it's a huge milestone for the parents. We survived the first year. Bonus? She's healthy and happy! Whoo!

So now that the emotional, bitter-sweet actual birthDAY was behind us, we were ready to party! Well, most of us:

Rudy was pumped! Can't you tell??

Giggles:

A very cool gift from UB and Aunt Abbey:

Opening gifts:

Apparently something was very funny...I doubt it was the socks she opened, but they were much-needed.

She loves this puppet book:

This music cube is the coolest thing ever. If you have a baby, get one!

Matchy-matchy. Lexi is not happy to pose:

Coordinating jammies. I love Lexi's expression here!

More cake:

She still enjoyed it!

Lexi is ONE!!! Please hand me a tissue.

2011-12-08T21:58:00.001-06:00

We gave Lexi Natalie's old toy house on her birthday. She loves it!!

A wonderful distraction from the tree! ;)

See!

She has so much fun with all the buttons, doors, switches, etc.

Natalie spent a lot of time playing with her too.

LOL!

I helped her open a gift earlier in the day, just something that she could play with on her birthday:

She didn't seem too impressed, but then again, she didn't "get" what was going on.

Mid-afternoon bottle...one of the last ones, we're ready for sippy cups.

The weather was about 51 degrees, so we decided we'd take her to the park and let her swing. She LOVES to swing! I highly doubt we'll be able to do much outside for future Dec. 1st birthdays!

She loved it! Although she kept slumping forward in her swing. LOL, even when I stopped her to sit her up, she'd scoot forward again:

Rudy kept pulling these stunts on Mike...

I thoroughly enjoyed pushing our birthday girl and watching her smiles.

Marveling at the past year and what a little person she's become. I love this little one so much.

We opened gifts after dinner. Lexi stayed pretty serious throughout the whole evening. I don't think she knew what to think of all the attention!

With Daddy:

LOL:

So serious!

Bath toys! Yeah!

A new book:

Of course Rudy kept getting into an empty box and got his head stuck:

Natalie and Lexi spent some time playing together:

Natalie is probably the best big sister ever. She's amazing with Lexi:

See?

Happy Birthday little one. You are so loved!

...and if anyone had any doubt, she LOVED the cake!

Only crumbs left:

Bath time with the bath toys! (please ignore the awful mildew...blah!)

The bathroom gets very crowded at bath time. :)

Lexi attacks the puppy...and the tree. Thankfully both survive.

2011-12-08T14:43:00.001-06:00

Lexi is very interested in Rudy. She swats him away when he approaches while she's busy playing. However, when he's resting peacefully, she cannot resist him!

These two are buddies already:

She lays her head down on him and coo's "awwwww!" It's adorable:

Then she ruins the sweet moment by putting her fingers where they don't belong. Today, it happened to be up his nose. He just lays there and waits for me to move her. (which I do) Have you ever seen a more patient puppy!?! He's only 15 weeks old.

Onto something else!

She enjoys pulling the ornaments and shaking the branches. I love this picture b/c it shows the movement:

She can be such a whirlwind, but how could I possibly get flustered with this sweet face??

Getting ready for Christmas

2011-12-05T00:12:00.001-06:00

We planned to put up our tree and decorate it while Lexi napped. Those plans were thrown out the window, as Miss Lexi did not want to nap that afternoon. Instead, she joined us and we did our best juggling a curious 11 month old, a nosy little puppy, and an overly helpful 5-year-old. We started by putting a path of toys between Lexi and the tree. She pulled up to stand several times on this:

The curiosity wore off quickly from Rudy. He was worn out from playing with his cousin from the prior evening. This was bliss for us:

When we lit up the tree, Lexi couldn't wait to get close to it!

So precious:

Natalie truly was a big help. She probably hung half the ornaments on the tree for us as we took them out of the boxes. We were all having a great time talking together, listening/singing to Christmas music, and taking turns distracting Lexi from the tree. Here it is!

After we finished, Natalie wanted to watch one of her favorite Christmas movies. It was such a special moment for us. We were all on the floor watching the movie together, the tree lights were on, we could hear the rain outside, Lexi was crawling on Mike jabbering constantly, Natalie was sitting in my lap snuggling with me, and Rudy was laying next to me chewing on a toy. Such a treasured memory. I try and soak up these moments. My phone was handy, so I tried to take a picture from my perspective. This is what I captured! This makes me giggle every time I look at it! Lexi completely foiled the shot, and it's so cute and funny!

Rudy has been such a good boy. He is about 95% potty trained, but that percentage goes down when we have company. He gets the happy leaks when we have people over and I'll find random drips where it looks like he tried to write his name on my floor. Ahem. As I was saying, he really is a good dog! Minds well, and very gentle. Especially with Lexi. We love him to pieces.

Natalie is especially attached to him:

On another day, we spent some time putting up window decorations. I don't really care for window clings, but Natalie loves them, so we put them up. We have random crap all over our windows now, but she did it, so I won't touch a thing. I love her creations:

She was feeling extra silly one morning earlier this week:

Holding her sister for a quick picture a few days ago.

Family visit and Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-04T23:39:00.000-06:00

The day before Thanksgiving, we had Mike's family over for dinner.
Aunt Janet, Natalie, and Pop:

Lexi getting Rudy's paws:

Mike, Lexi, and Mimi:

Dog pile on Pop!

Lexi and Aunt Janet:

Mimi and Natalie:

On Thanksgiving afternoon we took some pictures in the park. (It was beautiful weather that day! Sixty-one degrees!!!)
Lexi enjoyed some swinging:

...and gave some adorable bunny faces:

We had a delicious dinner with Mike's family that afternoon, but I failed to take but a couple pictures...and those didn't turn out. :(

We stayed most of the afternoon, and then later that evening visited with my side of the family, and Lexi enjoyed making more faces:

Natalie called her cousin-to-be on the phone, many times:

Hello to the lady taking pictures on her phone:

and Lexi gave me side-eye for interrupting her playtime:

Fast Track Updates

2011-11-22T00:25:00.000-06:00

A couple weekends ago, (yes, I'm THAT behind on blogging again) I met Kathleen and her kiddos at a pizza place nearby. When I was little, a great pizza place requirement was to have dessert pizza as well. Now-a-days it's a pizza place with arcades, bowling, bumper cars, rides, and racing!

Although this was the lamest ride there. It went up and down, and bounced so hard when it changed directions. Natalie hated it. I stood there and took video and pictures. ;)

This was more her style:

Aidan and Natalie were both tall enough to do the bumper cars. So we let them (and said our prayers they didn't get ejected) and they had SO much fun.

They even figured out (much to our surprise) how to work the controls:

Natalie sleeping backwards in her bed:

Small group last Sunday. Some strange, unrecognizable person with Avery and Natalie:

Eatin' peas:

Getting into ANYTHING within reach:

A fun breakfast-for-dinner (thank you Emily for this fantastic idea!)

Some pumpkin pancakes for the rest of us:

Dancing in the kitchen with my girls for laughs:

We dance often before or after dinner...

Love the pig tails here:

Working for smiles:

Love love love!

Digging in a box (little does she know, those are her birthday gifts)

Climbing steps:

See how big I am?

Picking on big sis:

Exploring Rudy's toes:

Inching toward the steps again:

Self pep talk:

There she goes!!

Meet Rudy

2011-11-09T22:28:00.000-06:00

Mike and I decided several months ago that we would get a dog. We decided to wait until after our floors were done, and after we got back from Disney. We also decided we didn't want a purebred dog, (to avoid any purebred health issues) but still wanted a lab mix. We thought lab/beagle would be good. The next day I saw the ad for Rudy:

He is a lab/beagle mix, 11 weeks old, and a ball of energy.

Natalie is in love! What a joy to watch her with our new puppy.

Playtime

2011-11-09T22:02:00.001-06:00

"Monnie gave me these things so I'll stop getting into mischief for two seconds. That way she can fix my sister breakfast without me hollering at her or pulling on her legs"

*back up a second* Did you notice those gleaming floors in the previous picture. Please admire those. I never thought they would be in MY home...and certainly not with young children living there! (happy dance)

This is was Natalie's tent. She is hollering at me to stop Lexi from destroying it:

Sleepy Lexi pulled a thermal bag off the shelf and used it as a pillow:

She was done!

Natalie before church on Sunday. I love this color on my beautiful girl!

Look who is pulling up now!

New Hair

2011-11-09T21:52:00.000-06:00

The list of improvements
1) The haircut that was botched a couple months ago is now fixed
2) Blonde highlights
3) Bangs for the first time in almost 15 years.

My Natalie trying to get into the picture and making me laugh :)

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-04T00:24:00.002-05:00

I wasn't sure if I was going to get to enjoy Halloween with our kiddos or not! I had fever all night before, and the morning of Halloween, accompanied with my sinus junk. I was really feeling miserable, but after we got the fever down, I was much better. By that evening, minus some lovely congestion, I felt fine.

Behold the cutest fairy you've ever seen:

With her lovely sister Aurora:

Showing off the fairy wings:

I enjoyed making her tutu, I even made Natalie one just for fun:

We drove the girls around the neighborhood in my parents subdivision. The houses were so far apart out there, I was glad we did!
Later that evening, Bob showed up:

The next morning (Tuesday, if you're keeping track) I went to my stylist for a cut and color. I have blonde highlights and some bangs now. I haven't had bangs in over 16 years. Quite a change, but I'm liking it. I'll get a picture on here as soon as I have an excuse to fix it. Still being sick and teaching Natalie school in my pj's doesn't quite motivate me to break out the thermal spray and iron. It's an accomplishment that I'm even wearing a bra.

There's something new going on in our lives as well. I'll share as soon as I can!

Happy Birthday Dad!

2011-11-04T00:12:00.000-05:00

After our trip, we spent one night at home, then loaded up and drove to my parents house for a couple days. Mike and I were not feeling well with congestion and cold symptoms. Natalie and Lexi were fine at this point, and Natalie was so excited about seeing her uncle Cory, I was not going to be the one to tell her we were too sick to go. So we went!
Natalie playing with her Uncle Doug, Chase, and Uncle Cory:

Doug showing her how to hold a football:

Chasing Cory through the yard:

...and back! The expression on Chase's face is so funny. They were both laughing so hard, trying to catch him and pick on him:

Sweet Natalie:

Myself, Doug, Cory, Chase, and Natalie:

Happy birthday Dad!!

We had just a couple clusters of blue candles, but Natalie insisted we throw some pink in there too:

Lexi scooting under the coffee table:

Playing with Monnie:

Natalie hitting the ball:

Natalie and her beloved Uncle Cory:

She has already requested this picture to be put in her room:

Natalie had so much fun playing with Cory, and can't wait to see him at Christmas!

Date night at Universal City Walk

2011-11-03T16:12:00.003-05:00

Mike and I have rarely gone out for dates this past year. We have already made plans to rectify that situation, even before our trip. We decided to have a night out for us while on vacation. We went out on Friday, the night before we flew home. That may not have been the best timing (in hindsight) but we sure did have fun!

Together for nine years now:

Natalie wanted to take a picture with us (Lexi was already out for the night):

Our dinner location was Margaritaville:

Mike and I had such a good dinner together! Great food, company, and atmosphere. It was wonderful!

We did hear a few familiar songs here as well. The decor reflected a lot of the lyrics...that we sang obnoxiously loud to (everyone there did--we fit right in):

Mike stayed sober (he was driving) but I did exactly as he requested: let loose and had a great time! We were together, on vacation, and without children for the evening!

The next pictures you'll see are completely dumb, yes, I know. But Mike and I are on a mission to crack each other up on our date nights. I'm documenting it here.
They had hats everywhere!! Instead of buying, we tried them on:

Aviators...we so should have bought those!

Not-so-much:

A hot pink version of my sun hat!

Bawhahahahha! I love him, oh my goodness, I love this man:

I just couldn't pull this one off! Maybe I should have kept my drink in my hand. I don't know...

In front of a Universal sign:

They had a jumbo screen so we could watch the end of game 7!!

See?!

Another angle, I really have no clue why I took this one. I might have been the drinks Mike was buying for me...

After the Cardinals won the world series, YEAA!) Mike took me dancing in a night club. SO. MUCH. FUN. We came back to the condo, I said goodnight to Mom (who was laughing at my attempt to act sober) and crashed for 3.5 hours before we had to get up and fly home. Yep, a lovely little nap.

Thank you to my parents, who watched our girls (well, just Natalie, Lexi slept the whole time) so we could have a fun night together. We appreciate it! This entire trip went so smoothly b/c of your help. You guys are awesome, and we love you both lots!

Mickey's Halloween Party

2011-11-03T15:43:00.001-05:00

We put Lexi to bed, and headed out to Mickey's Halloween party on Thursday night. Natalie was SO excited about this evening...and I was too. We did up her hair and I even let her wear makeup that night. (She is always begging to wear it)
Here are the party people:

She wanted to be Sleeping Beauty again this year for Halloween. We got her a crown and wand to add to her costume:

Oh the makeup!

Spooky!

The castle was lit up all night as well. It was very bright, but I couldn't capture it very well without my flash. So here it is with flash:

We waiting in line for about 40 minutes to see these 7 drawves. Apparently it's a big deal b/c they only come out on Halloween. Natalie announced she didn't want to about 5 minutes away from our turn, and then didn't want to get a picture done with them. LOL. Mike scooped her up for our pic...a couple seconds later, Mike felt a head on his shoulder and heard snoring. Sleeping dozed off again!

Watching the fireworks!

They were amazing! See the castle?

This is the headless horseman holding a pumpkin. From my angle, he doesn't look so headless...

Parade characters:

Pirates of the Caribbean...Natalie surprised us and wanted to go on this ride a couple times. She really liked it:

Thanks for posing for me Jack!

Check out the spooky (or "scoopy" as Natalie says it) castle!

Speedway again at night time!

Daddy chasing us:

Dance club:

Our girl loved this! Dancing away around 11pm:

Disney is so much fun!

Dancing with goofy:

The characters at our dance party (there was another one going on across MK)

Here is how bright the castle was without my flash on. A bit blurry, but still impressive considering my shutter was open for 5 seconds and no tripod! Ah-thank you.

Daddy was carrying her to the car around midnight. Mike had glitter ALL over his head that night! LOL

Magic Kingdom, day 2

2011-11-03T00:32:00.001-05:00

Monorail was down, so we took the ferry boat over. You can imagine the line just to get onto the boat. The weather was beautiful that day, and it was much less crowded at MK.

Natalie, riding on the ferry boat:

The folks!

Smiley Lexi...note that tooth coming in down there? She worked on that all week in Florida. It's finally through.

We walked up to the castle to the same show this day. Natalie loved it just as much. But this time I knew exactly when the fireworks would go off and caught it in a picture!

Oooohing over the fireworks:

Hey there Natalie!

In tomorrowland:

This was before the Buzz Lightyear ride. It was so much fun, I think Mike and I enjoyed it more than Natalie. You sit in a cart and shoot lasers at aliens as you go through the ride. Lexi just looked at us like we were nuts.

Waiting to get on the ride:

We got 'em!

During one of our restroom/nursing breaks, Chip & Dale were walking right up the path toward us! No line! Natalie ran over to hug them. It was adorable.

She also met stitch. Stitch is an ornery booger, and most kids talk and play around with him, Natalie ran right up for a hug and the whole line behind us "awww-ed" at it. It even caught stitch by surprise, a split second after I snapped this, he hugged her back.

Ready to drive some cars on the speedway! (This is what I remember most about DW from when I was Natalie's age. I thought it was so cool that I got to drive, and my dad's reaction to my driving made it even more fun!) Natalie was excited too when we told her she could drive. Waiting in line:

Dad took these pics from the grand stands. They kept Lexi there with them (thanks guys!)

Mike was in front of this and took this with my phone:

Happy Natalie

We covered most of the ground in this park by toting our kids:

Right when the parade (and loud music) started, Lexi fell asleep:

I walked away so she could sleep, and snapped this with my phone to show her when she's older:

Some of the pics of the parade:

Our family:

Natalie in trouble:

We went to the haunted mansion, which frankly I'm impressed she was even willing to try it. She was fine with it until the ride tipped us back just a bit and went backwards. She did NOT like that!
Here we got her the classic Mickey ears ice cream:

She didn't want to share too much with Daddy:

Before we left, we met Mickey and Minnie:

Family pic:

Lexi got her hands on Mickey's nose!

Beautiful sunset as we were leaving the park:

Tuesday at the beach!

2011-11-02T23:47:00.003-05:00

We intentionally planned a day of rest between our Disney park days. Ohhh we needed it! Tuesday morning we slept in and then after swapping out the rental van (dead battery) we were on our way to the beach! I planned for the closest beach to Orlando, in order to spend as little time in the car as possible! Cocoa Beach it was! Before we left, we had a couple of silly girls playing together under the coffee table:

The drive to the beach went quickly, and Lexi stayed happy as long as I had my arm next to her face in the car seat. No imposter arms were allowed. Only Monnie. She has become fiercely attached to me recently, and carrying her around at the park the entire day before didn't help. Now she apparently needs me in the car as well. We're working on it...baby steps you know.

Lexi and I didn't wear swim suits that day, b/c I didn't plan on going in much, just at the edge to play with Natalie and let Lexi dip her toes in. Mike wore his trunks, and I packed Natalie's swimsuit...or so I thought. We got there and I discovered I forgot her suit. *face palm!* Argh! We let her go in anyway, clothes and all. She had a blast, and that's all we wanted from our day at the beach!

So here we are at Cocoa Beach, FL! The weather was beautiful, but windy.

Yes, I took several pictures of my sandy toes, just so I could brag that I have been on the beach! Remember, this is my first vacation in many years...I'm getting a little bit into this.

Look! More sandy toes!! (Actually, my favorite part about these pictures are the background with my little Natalie playing)

Nursing on Cocoa Beach

Jumping in the surf with my fun five-year-old:

Here she is going in the water with Daddy. She was having a blast and I could hear her giggling, then they came back to the edge again. I asked Mike what happened, and he said a big wave knocked into her (even though Mike had a hold of her) but it startled her, she got a taste of the water and she was done. LOL.

MawMaw kept Lexi happy on the sand by feeding her:

Natalie jumping between us. This is probably my favorite picture from the day:

Dipping Lexi's little toes in the Atlantic. Now we can say she's officially been in it...for 20 seconds. Can you tell if Natalie was having any fun?

Sweet beach bum:

Here are all of our sandy toes. The hairy one's belong to Mike. Just so you know.

The ride back went great (again, the arm next to Lexi) and Natalie was happy playing angry birds on my iphone...naked. At least we wrapped her in a towel. Next time, I'll pack the swimsuit!

Magic Kingdom, Day 1

2011-11-02T19:02:00.000-05:00

This was us, glossed up with sunscreen on the first morning into Magic Kingdom:

Natalie got her "1st visit" button! She was so excited! (The necklace she has on is what I wore 20-some years ago there)

My family walking down main street:

When Natalie first saw the castle, her jaw literally (I have a pic of it) dropped. It was so great to see her reaction! We walked up to the show at the castle, and Natalie was so into it. Waving arms:

Waving at the characters:

Blowing kisses:

Ohhing over the fireworks:

Next stop, teacups!

Lexi hung with my parents for this while we got ourselves dizzy:

The next ride was dumbo. Natalie did NOT want to ride this, as she said it was a roller coaster! LOL!! Mike forced her into the line and made her ride it (b/c we KNEW she'd love it--and we'd just spent how much for tickets?? We were going to have fun, darn it!!) Natalie would have nothing to do with Mike throughout the 35 minute wait. She was so mad, she wouldn't let him hold her hand, guide her forward in the line, and she'd turn her head away when he'd try to talk to her. It was hilarious!! She told him she wasn't going to ride with him, she would ride with MawMaw and PawPaw. *hair flip* Here they are:

This is the three of us in our dumbo...you can barely see Natalie behind us. Oh, and by the way, after it was over, we heard her say, "let's do that again!!"

Mike, Mom, and Natalie rode the carousel:

I found a shady spot not too far away to nurse Lexi:

I expected Lexi to be difficult while we were here, simply b/c she wouldn't get her scheduled naps in. All she wanted though, was to be worn (Thank goodness I brought my moby wrap! I ended up carrying her about 80% of the time!) and she was totally content. No drama at all. She was so happy as long as she was close to me:

Then she was out like a light! I am also grateful I packed some light receiving blankets, I put that on my chest to keep us from sweating/sticking together. She later learned when I put the blanket on my chest, that was her signal to lay her head down.

Before we left, Nani & Pop gave Natalie a gift card to buy whatever she'd like at Disney. She couldn't pass up this hat. It was really cute:

While standing in line for Peter Pan (ridiculously long line-45 minutes!) Natalie made a friend that was her age. After that ride, we grabbed some lunch and the girls got to sit together. Her mom and I have swapped info, and the girls will be having a skype chat soon! They are both looking forward to it:

Daddy & Lexi:

Magic carpets! Mom, Natalie, Lexi, and I sat up front. Guys were in the back. Lots of giggling as Natalie did everything she could to flip PawPaw's stomach. (Natalie was at the controls) Oh, and by-the-way, I was so pleasantly surprised at all the rides Lexi could go on with us. I assumed we'd have to take turns sitting out with her, but I'd say she rode on most of them with us. It was great!!

Castle at dusk:

Very tired, happy family:

On the way out, our stalking skills paid off as we found out where they were having the princess meet-and-greets. Natalie's favorite is Aurora. She finally got to meet her!!

With Belle:

...and Cinderella:

As we were coming out, the electrical parade was starting. Mike put Natalie on his shoulders, and she thoroughly enjoyed the parade. Here's tinkerbelle:

Waving:

After the parade, we went back to the condo and Natalie was so excited, talking a mile-a-minute while we were half passed-out from exhaustion! First day was a success!!

We are home! Finally!

2011-11-02T17:25:00.002-05:00

We just went to Disney World. What an experience! Mike and I decided several months ago, that we needed to make this trip. Natalie is the perfect age for this, and her interests right now are very much into Disney characters and princesses. Not to mention we have not been on an actual vacation in FIVE years. We have been busy paying off debt in those years and living on "beans and rice, rice and beans." So! We planned this on a budget...as we pay for everything in cash.

Several months ago, I'm looking up resorts down there. A place with 2 rooms and a tiny kitchenette was over $650/night. Whoa! I guess Disney and my budget have never met. I called up my mom. It went something like this:
Me: Mom, I know this is a long shot, but do you guys happen to have an extra week in your timeshare we can use?
Mom: Actually, I think we do. What's going on?

So I explain this to her and she talks to dad, and they decide to gift us with this marvelous week in a very nice condo. Then, Mike and I got to talking and wondering how this is going to go with Lexi coming along with us. We promptly decide that we are going to need helping hands. Lots of them. Because I've come to the conclusion that anyone that does a Disney trip with children two years or under without help are out of their freakin' minds. Messing with little kids schedules and nap times = drama!!!!
*RING*
Me: Mom! Would you and dad like to GO to Disney with us???

So that is how my parents got roped into this with us. You give a mouse a cookie...

We kept our Disney trip a secret from Natalie until about a month ago. We told her and enjoyed watching the excitement build. She even had trouble falling asleep the week leading up to our trip. (She has been asking to go to Disney World for a couple years now)
This is on our way to the airport:

We had a short layover in Birmingham. Natalie quickly made friends with a bunch of kids that were also headed to DW, and had a card game going with them before long. (They are in the background of this picture) Lexi finally gave it up, and crashed on Daddy's chest.

The girls flew great! It was hard work keeping Lexi entertained while sitting down, but when I ran out of options, I just threw her over the back of my seat into MawMaw's lap.

Natalie had terrible ear pain when we landed in Orlando. We worked with her a long time to try and clear her ears, but to no avail. She cried all the way to our condo (also extremely tired) it was awful to not be able to do anything for her. As soon as we were on the condo property, I unbuckled her and scooped her into my arms. She cried and whimpered all the way up the steps. I gave her pain meds and a decongestant, and she crashed for four hours on the sofa. After my parents and I got back from getting groceries, Dad checked her ears and said they were not infected, and I put her to bed. The next morning she woke up bounding off the bed with a smile and asked if we were going swimming! I blinked a couple times and said sure!

This is what church service for the golfers in Florida looks like:

We took Natalie putt-putting the first day while Lexi napped. We were all still tired from traveling and enjoying a slow day:

Natalie had fallen on the course and after that wasn't having any fun. We were trying to get her back into it, with very little luck:

So we decided to take silly pictures instead...

which seemed to cheer her right up!

More silly pics:

Silly with Daddy:

Pics with monnie--the kiss was unprompted. I love those moments!

Our trek back to the car earned Natalie a piggy back ride:

Family pic!

Poor girl was melting while wearing jeans. (It was cool in the shade, hot hot hot in the sunshine) I rolled the windows down and she was loving the breeze!

Swimming later that day:

Lexi knows just how to vacation!

Natalie dunking Mike...and giggling hysterically! (the whole pool side was laughing with her)

When Lexi was done I wrapped her up, plopped her in MawMaw's lap, and popped a bottle in her mouth. Happy baby!

I promise we did NOT wrap her in a straight jacket. Just bundling with towels...although some days that idea would have appeal. ;)

Daddy-daughter chats:

One of the many things we planned ahead for were souvenirs. It is much cheaper to buy them away from DW/Orlando area! We bought things we thought Natalie would like ahead of time, wrapped them, packed them, and gave Natalie one gift a day while we were there. She received Perry the Platypus on the plane ride down. (She loves Perry!) He chitters too! Natalie gave him stroller rides in our condo:

Two more down!

2011-10-19T11:27:00.000-05:00

(A total of 5 lost)

This is making me happy!

Because I know you're wondering...

2011-10-16T15:13:00.000-05:00

Mike finally got a new belt. Actually two belts. You know, for next week when this current new belt is now too big. *snicker*

I am actually less joyfully-bitter about this because I have started losing weight as well. Two pounds down this week, for a total of 3 lost. I was able to squeeze into a smaller size pair of jeans this morning. I can't wear them out in public yet, God forbid I would have to sit down somewhere! But I'm on my way.

My husband is melting away.

2011-10-13T00:32:00.002-05:00

Mike and I have started p90x. If you are unaware of what p90x is, I will gladly give you a brief explanation. Feel free to quote me on this: It is a brutally intense workout program that lasts for 90 days. Each workout is something different, every day of the week, and each of these workouts is about 55 minutes long. It changes the style/intensity of the workout so you confuse your body to never "plateau." It will whip you up into the best shape of your life. You have to take a fitness test before you start it, just so you know you're fit enough to do it. Mike and I passed this first test. Barely. He did better than I did. I kept thinking "what the heck have I gotten myself into?!"

We are committed to this. We are holding each other accountable, and come hell or high water, we're DOING THIS!

So! How's it going, you ask?

Well, we've just finished day 18. I am sore almost every day, but I like it. I feel good. Not only physically, but mentally/emotionally. Working out daily gives you such a boost of happiness. Who knew right? Workout guru's and medical health professionals have only been telling us this for years.

Mike is losing weight. Quite a bit. Within the first week, I was hearing "I think I've lost a pound every day!"

*side eye to Mike*

I might have lost half a pound at that point. The past few days, I'm hearing "I need a new belt, my pants are sagging." Or, "hey hon, are you going to the mall anytime soon, I really need a belt!" Or, "Sarah, look at this," and he holds his pants away from him in front to reveal how much room he has in them.

I tramped down the urge to throw something at him, and went to stand on the scale myself.

Damn you scale.

I have lost 1 pound. ONE! *gaze upwards to the heavens* Thankfully, the wise man I married did not come around the corner to ask me how much I have lost.

I did measure my waist again and I have lost 1 inch there. So there's something I guess. But I wanted this fat to melt off I say! I'm working so hard!

I have two thoughts on my slow progress. One: is the classic muscle-weighs-more-than-fat line that everyone tells themselves when they're not losing weight. Two: is that I'm still just eating to much. Highly likely, but I am still nursing, and won't give that up yet. Lexi decides that at this age. I'm certainly not eating any more than usual, in fact, I'm not snacking anymore, and haven't had sweets in a long time. (I almost considered smuggling oreo's in the house today...but didn't) Now I have added hard workouts to my routine, you'd think that alone would make a difference. So we'll see what gives. I'm not stopping my workouts! I'm not!

I'm very proud of Mike. We both working hard, we're doing this together, I just want to see the results he's seeing. So if you see him, pat him on the back. He deserves it. He is doing fantastic! Yeah Mike!

Time for the Pumpkin Patch again!

2011-10-12T23:34:00.003-05:00

I am going to bombard you with pictures. You're going to like it!

We hadn't been there 5 minutes, and Natalie was already stirring apple butter. CHILD LABOR! CHILD LABOR!!!! (I didn't see any other kids doing this...Natalie just asked)

This is the ghost house she chickened out of. She did it last year, and couldn't seem to go this year:

Her expressions coming down these slides were hilarious. Mike took this because I was trying to entertain misshighmaintenancefortheday.

Love this kid!

Mike didn't have to pose with her this year, now that she has a sister!

Nani did a lot of stroller pushing for miss fussy britches:

My goodness she has grown up a lot in just one year!

Fun with strangers! LOL

The horse rides were fantastic this year! I handed over the money, put the helmet on her, then hoisted her up there and waved. No trotting alongside to try and keep up...or dodging horse poop! It was great! I may have sniffled on the side, at the wonder of my grown up girl!

Natalie looks like she needs a pony. I wonder what the city would think of one tied to our chain link fence out back?

Hayride! (Lexi is reaching for the bottle in my hand)

They might be related:

Hmmm, I wonder how that hay got all over Pop...

Nani took this awesome picture of Lexi. I had her under the blanket, trying to keep her out of the bright sun.

If each of us had a caption for this next picture it would go something like this:
Lexi: Mom, seriously! I really don't care to be shoved in this barrel for a photo op. Totally lame.
Natalie: *siiiiiiigh* Get used to it Lexi. She does this a lot. I wonder when they'll start this ride anyway.
Me: We are going to take this picture, and you're going to like it. Now look happy and smilllllle!

This is how our little Lexi was happiest that day:

On a self-absorbed note, do you notice how LIGHT my hair looks in that last picture. In the sun, it could almost pass for a darker blonde again. Be sure to note the last picture in this post.

Back to the kids!

Natalie DID get to take that barrel ride:

Mike told her to try and lift this!

Gator chomp time! Confession: I can't find Natalie's little gator's shirt. I have been in SO much trouble over this. We are sporting Mike's clothes for this pic:

There! That previous picture! See how dark my hair is?? What is up with that? *sigh* I miss the blond hair of my youth. I may have made an apt with my stylist to correct this. Mike said no more hair dye operations in the bathroom. Harumph!*hair flip!*

Grandma's Birthday

2011-10-12T22:53:00.001-05:00

Quick family snapshots:

4 generations:

Natalie ran up to her great-grandpa, and yelled "TAG! You're IT!" and then runs off. To my surprise, he chased her...and CAUGHT her! Go grandpa Jack!

The lovely dinner party:

After dinner musical entertainment:

Natalie plays, Lexi dances (she didn't have a choice-ha!):

Lexi plays, Natalie dances!

I realize Lexi looks completely miffed in those last two pictures, but she loved it. I promise.

MIMI

2011-09-27T21:31:00.003-05:00

Thank you for the beautiful dress (and tights) for Lexi!!!

...and the jammies for Natalie are adorable too!
THANK YOU!

Pop's Birthday Party

2011-09-27T21:28:00.001-05:00

We finally got around to celebrating Pop's birthday!! Between vacations, house projects, and sickness, it was delayed a bit...perhaps a month.

Look who is showing off some skills on the rug here:

This is Lexi's "bunny face." She wrinkles up her nose and sniffs (loudly) through it. It kills me. The cuteness factor is too much!

Hanging with Nani:

Pop making angrysmileyfacestoplaywithNataliebecause

atfiveyearsoldmydaughterstilldoesnotdoaprettysmileyfacebutlooksincrediblyangry. Stuff it spell check!

This is hilarious to me. Not only b/c I think I have a similar picture of Pop's last birthday (playing with fire), but look at the expression on Natalie's face. You can see the wheels turning. Like, "Hey, that looks cool. Pop's cool, and Pop's playing with a torch of fire. Playing with fire is cool! Awesome Pop!"

Mike requested cake from the opposite of where Natalie was sitting. Smart man, that Mike.

More love for Nani:

Sweet smiles for the camera! All we have to do is tip her upside down and make whooshing noises while the photographer calls her name. Simple!

This girl was done! Tuckered out! Hanging with the guys until someone carries her sleepy buns home!

Into Everything!

2011-09-27T20:58:00.001-05:00

Nothing can hide from Lexi these days. Natalie is just now figuring out that her toys are no longer safe.

She can be quite the aggressive little thing:

(This picture is blurred b/c she jerked my camera strap right as I took the pic)

She investigates every single speck of dust/dirt/hair/fuzz/lint on the floor!

...and finds things to chew on. She's worse than a puppy when it comes to this!

But have you ever seen a sweeter profile? Me neither.

Bath Towel Time

2011-09-27T20:50:00.002-05:00

She loves it!

Baby Pull Ups

2011-09-20T16:05:00.001-05:00

Lexi is into EVERYTHING! She scoots around the floor with ease now. Our latest diversion is getting her NOT to chew on the bars of our chairs. (She got a hold of Mike's leather belt the other day and it now has Lexi teeth marks all over it!)

We are going to ignore the fact that her clothes are completely mismatched in this picture. There is a perfectly acceptable explanation as-to why she is lacking style this day. In fact, I put those pants on her (closest I could reach) while I was nursing her. That takes some skill, shimmying those on her one-handed!

"Monnie, I did something..."

2011-09-20T15:57:00.000-05:00

Me: What did you do?
Natalie: Well, I think it was bad.
Me: What was it?
Natalie: I don't think I want to tell you.
Me: Why not?
Natalie: Because I don't want to get into trouble.
Me: Do I need to know about it?
Natalie: *sigh* Alright, here! (points to her feet)

She had been using markers on some paper, and I was guessing she was going to tell me she got some marker on the floor. I was actually relieved to see that it was just on her socks. Honestly, I could care less.
Me: Natalie, it's not a big deal. Just don't do it again. We don't want your clothes ruined. Why did you do that anyway?
Natalie: Well Monnie, I thought it looked kind of cool. You know, dots everywhere. I really liked it at first. Then I thought, 'Oh no. It's not coming off. Monnie's not going to like this!'

She is a gem! That sweet girl cracks me up all the time with the things that come out of her mouth...especially the WAY she says things.

Good Morning!

2011-09-20T15:46:00.000-05:00

This pic is not great quality (taken with my phone) but it's so sweet of Lexi. Yes, she really is this happy 99% of the time:

Dedication

2011-09-20T15:43:00.000-05:00

Mike and I dedicated the girls this past Sunday. It went smoothly and was a great service!

This pretty much sums up my thought process:

After the service we had our family over for lunch. Lexi had some time to snuggle up with Nani, and then she slept for the rest of the afternoon:

Natalie had fun with her cousins! As you can see they were getting bored. LOL. This was before Mike rounded them up and gave them something to do:

Grandmother's:

Natalie opened up a couple presents from family:

This is when Mike intervened and put all four on a Wii mission:

Natalie with their cake, Lexi was still snoozing upstairs:

Just as everyone was leaving, Lexi-girl wakes up to say goodbye:

My Sick Baby is Cooler Than Your Sick Baby

2011-09-20T15:22:00.001-05:00

101.4 fever right here folks. AAANNND smiling at me!

Playing peek-a-boo with a teething ring. Which doesn't work so well, but I wasn't going to be the one to tell her that.
I played along. "Wheeeere's Lexi's right eye??" "There it is!!" "YAY Lexi!"

Ready to party at 1 o'clock in the morning! She might as well live it up....not like she can sleep well with a stuffy nose anyway. Don't worry about me, Lexi. I'll sleep when you go to college. ;)

DONE!

2011-09-20T15:09:00.001-05:00

The exterior of our house is finally done!!

Shutters are up and workers, gone!

Our spring project is going to be tearing out the stacked wood edging in front of the house, and putting in stone blocks. Then adding some nice green shrubs to fill the space. I can hear Mike groaning already...HA!

Living Room Makeover

2011-09-20T13:51:00.000-05:00

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After (We sold our big TV and plan to sell the armoire as well. Then our small flat screen can go back upstairs):

The beautiful flooring!! LOVE IT! Such an improvement from our old, worn out carpet. I had originally planned to get a much lighter flooring that this, but then I found a sale on laminate for around $.68/square ft and decided I wasn't going to be picky after all!

Now for some of my favorite things in this room:
I think this is my first official painting purchase. I loved it and had to have it.

Extra balls of yarn in a beautiful crystal bowl make for a great piece!

I would love to say I did this free-hand and I'm just that talented...but that would be a lie. ;) This is a vinyl rub-on stencil, but pretty all the same.

Another beautiful frame...I'm waiting on some of our wedding reprints to arrive so I can put our pictures in it.

Note the background wall color in the last two pictures. It's the same paint in the same room. See how it changes!? I planned that. Seriously, I did. I went with a neutral brown tone in the living room, that had subtle shades of lavender in it to complement our green sofas. (I also had a couple people to bounce ideas off of and help plan this out) It turned out exactly how I wanted it!! Mike just smiles, nods, and says, "it looks nice hon." Inside, I know he's cheering. I just know it! LOL.

Bathroom Transformation

2011-09-20T13:25:00.005-05:00

Before:

After (shower curtain isn't quite so bright in person but I love how it shows up here too!):

EDITED to add another picture. I think this picture better represents the actual color of this shower curtain:

Before:

After:

Before:

After (we put up 4 towel racks since all four of us share this bathroom):

Natalie told me she likes these little pieces of carpet we have in the bathroom now. LOL! Yes, dear. They're called rugs. We haven't had them for a while. (a hair dye fumble a couple years ago proved fatal to our old rugs...ahem...)

Thanks to my friend and color consultant Kat for answering my emergency calls most of the time. ;)

Just Because!

2011-09-20T13:25:00.003-05:00

Sneaky Boys

2011-09-13T16:47:00.000-05:00

As we were walking into church last Sunday, Natalie whispered she had to go potty before we took her to class. No problem, we usually plan on that. As Natalie and I walked into the stall, we both noticed at the same time that the toilet seat was up.

Natalie: *gasp!* Monnie, a boy has been in here!!!!
Me: (laughing) No, I think they just cleaned them.
Natalie: Are you sure? I think a boy has been here, Monnie. They better tell go him this is the GIRLS bathroom.

LOL!

Fa La La La La!

2011-09-12T11:49:00.000-05:00

The part for the dishwasher is here! It is fixed. It is running. My hands are once again smooth, creamy, goodness.

Moses and his lack of manners

2011-09-12T11:45:00.001-05:00

Natalie was watching an animated version of The Ten Commandments
Moses: Let my people GO!
Natalie: (surprised) Daddy! He didn't say please!

Dish Pan Hands Over Here!

2011-09-07T13:45:00.002-05:00

Our dishwasher has been out of service for the nine days. (Before any further explanation, I acknowledge I am spoiled and yes, I hate washing dishes by hand) This dishwasher tragedy was discovered while the floors were being put in. We have a part on order, and I have been stalking our mail carrier every day to see if it has arrived yet.

Natalie Gives Monnie Angina

2011-09-02T16:03:00.003-05:00

I went upstairs for less than thirty seconds to grab something, and come down to see that Natalie has dragged Lexi the entire length of our house on her blanket. Natalie later told Mike she was planning to drag her upstairs to surprise me. HeavenhelpmeLexisin'tevenwalkingyet!
(shut up spell check, I know what I'm doing)

On another note, doesn't our laminate flooring look marvelous!?

Hair Grabber Extraordinaire

2011-09-02T15:57:00.002-05:00

Don't let this sweet face fool you:

If she gets a hold of your hair, she will take you down!

Natalie looks SO much like my mom in that last picture. Maybe it's the dimple. Maybe it's the blonde hair and fair skin. Maybe it's b/c she's hollering at me? LOL. We saw that expression from Mom a lot more often while growing up. Totally uncalled for too, as we were all angels. :) :) :)

Monnie is VERY happy!

2011-09-02T15:49:00.001-05:00

Sweet Lexi is sleeping anywhere from 12-14 hours a night with ZERO wake ups!!

Now that I have jinxed myself, feel free to bring me a cappuccino tomorrow morning. :)

Rough Day?

2011-09-02T15:47:00.003-05:00

HA!

2011-09-02T15:47:00.000-05:00

Park Time!

2011-09-02T15:44:00.001-05:00

Natalie found several friends to play with at the park. Before long, they had formed a club and had secret meetings (under the slide) to chit-chat. Minutes later they were playing tag and racing down the slides. It was highly entertaining!
Lexi had fun too:

I love how low-maintenance babies become when you take them outside. They are happy just to watch everything going on around them:

She was giggling just watching other little girls swing:

...and loved watching her big sister slide!

Natalie in motion:

Dusty

2011-09-02T15:37:00.001-05:00

Our laminate flooring is in. What a nasty process it was, pulling up carpet and flooring in our kitchen! We had wonderful help, and I'm so grateful! Every night we worked, a layer of dust was left on the furniture that wasn't covered up. These little footprints happened to catch my eye one evening:

Why I Don't Co-Sleep

2011-09-02T15:34:00.003-05:00

Last time we visited my parents, Lexi was just starting to sleep better at night. Not wanting to mess up a good thing, I let Natalie stay in my bed that night. (Mike was still at home) I can count on one hand how many times Natalie has shared a bed with me in her five years of life.
There's a reason for that.

Exhibit A: I am on my pillow. Natalie is not on hers. She is in the middle of the bed.

She has some kind of spidey-sense that alerts her as-to when I get in bed. While asleep, she will find her way over to me. Exhibit B: I'm being silly b/c I know I'll show her these pics in the morning.

Exhibit C: As if the sleeping-in-the-middle-of-the-bed wasn't enough, now she has rolled over ON to me, draping her arm and leg across me, pinning me to the bed. Untangling myself from her will now be a delicate dance of trying not to wake her....KNOWING it'll just happen again and again throughout the night.

It reminds me of the scene from Uncle Buck where he lets the kids sleep in his bed for the night.

Awesome People in our Lives

2011-09-02T15:19:00.000-05:00

We love them!

Kindergarten

2011-08-24T15:48:00.001-05:00

Our sweet Natalie started kindergarten this morning. Homeschooling allows us to keep her close to us this year, but the milestone is just as great!

How did our girl get so grown up? Didn't we just bring her home from the hospital that cold, rainy, May evening?

Five-years-old and starting school. We are so proud of her!

Monnie is a bit emotional today:

Natalie requested her picture by the "pretty" flowers:

Mike took a couple pictures of us at the table after he got home:

Natalie was working on her letters here (please ignore the clutter everywhere, we are in the process of major home improvements)

Natalie and her teacher, "Miss Monnie" (I'm not kidding you, that's what she's called me for weeks now):

She did great on her first day! Although about half-way through, she asked if we could skip the rest. LOL! Nice try dear...

So in love with my blessings!!!

After Mike wakes up, I will try to get a picture of him and Natalie on her first day and add it here later. :)

BathTime

2011-08-24T15:23:00.004-05:00

As I was bathing Natalie the other night, Lexi was having a fit to get in with her. I shrugged and said "why not!" Natalie says, "Alright...but I hope she doesn't poop!" LOL!

While getting Lexi dressed, she was very tired, cranky, and getting quite loud about it. We discovered her "off switch" months ago by rubbing her ears. She gets very still and stares. Best of all, she stops squawking at us! :)

Last minute snuggles with MawMaw:

Still Not Tired...

2011-08-24T15:15:00.000-05:00

Natalie

2011-08-24T15:14:00.000-05:00

How did she get to be so grown up??

I must be doing something right...

2011-08-24T15:13:00.002-05:00

I handed Natalie a couple of pennies to throw in a wishing pond, just for fun.

Me: Natalie, do you know what you're going to wish for?
Natalie: I wish for a Sleeping Beauty castle!
Me: Anything else? I gave you TWO pennies. That's two wishes!
Natalie: I wish my monnie and daddy will be nice to me...

My jaw is on the floor, eyebrows past my hairline, and my parents (overhearing this) are falling out of their chairs with laughter. I have been razzed non-stop about it since. *sigh* It's such a shame we're so mean to her! Thank goodness for her innocence of not knowing how good she has it!

Debt

2011-08-14T12:25:00.001-05:00

A quote from Dave Ramsey on his radio show:

“If the US Government was a family, they would be making $58,000 a year, they spend $75,000 a year and have $327,000 in credit card debt. They are currently proposing BIG spending cuts to reduce their spending to $72,000 a year. These are the actual proportions of the federal budget & debt, reduced to a level that we can understand.”

I think it's time to sum up this stupidity with:

Railings Are UP!! WooHoo!

2011-08-12T16:12:00.000-05:00

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Remember this hot mess??

Better:

After! Just waiting on shutters:

Electrical Issues

2011-08-12T15:38:00.001-05:00

You are about to see why we are feeling very blessed today. As I was getting Lexi ready for bed last night, Mike unplugged something downstairs in our living room (directly under her room) and everything went dark. A/C's and fans shut off...its getting rather stuffy very quickly! Neither one of us knew what happened initially. We assumed the circuit breaker tripped, and when Mike went to flip the switch, he discovered it hadn't tripped. At the same time, I'm watching the digital display on the window a/c flicker on and off, and started to get an eerie feeling that something isn't right. Mike checks the outlet he had just unplugged something from, and sees this:

He can see it sparking. He runs downstairs to turn off the breaker, and comes back up to pull the outlet out of the wall. I am on the phone with an electrician we know for advice (he lives almost 3 hours away) Mike talked to him, cut the outlet out, capped the wires, and once he turned the breaker back on, everything came back on. Thank goodness for having a few extra of those wire caps!!

The electrician told us we were very lucky we didn't end up with a house fire. That breaker should have tripped. He suspects (hard to tell over the phone) that the wire wasn't screwed in tight enough.

This is that wire...

The electrician will be here tomorrow morning.

Things That Make Me Smile

2011-08-12T15:12:00.000-05:00

I found a picture of us on our wedding day. I didn't even know I had it!

Sweetness

2011-08-12T15:08:00.000-05:00

Bottles after nap time:

Natalie being silly and Lexi trying to eat the wii remote strap:

Natalie and Lexi making faces in a mirror-toy:

Random kisses from Natalie (this was not staged)

Happy smiles:

Happy floating:

Mike and his little ones:

Naps on the sofa:

Running errands together:

Morning smiles and attempts to grab my phone:

My love for thirty-one bags!!!

Weekend Visit

2011-08-12T14:50:00.002-05:00

Mom and Dad met us at a park, but we got there before they did. I let Natalie out of her seat so she could sit up front and watch for them. Watch, she did! She couldn't wait for them to get there!!

I also took Lexi out of her seat, so she could stretch out and roll around on the floor. *Yet another reason why I love our minivan!* She was all smiles as well:

Bath time for Lexi is usually in our kitchen sink...which she is rapidly outgrowing! I now have a baby/toddler tub (that fits inside our tub) to bathe her in. Thank goodness! That sink was getting very small! I am in love with her chunkiness and big 'ol tummy!!

Joy:

Mom is very lucky she didn't end up with a wet lap!!

Lexi played on the floor for a long time with us. She rolled around to get to anything that caught her eye. She likes shiny things. Dad's watch was the target, and she would not leave it alone! :)

We Are Busy...and Worn Out!!

2011-08-12T12:25:00.000-05:00

My ENT has finally declared me healthy, and I won't go back for 3 months now. He just might have been relieved when he walked into the room and I finally had nothing to complain about. I'm on a steroid nasal spray that smells like lilies. Weird.

The baby dedication at our church is in September. We are looking forward to it! Natalie will be dedicated at the same time as Lexi. They only offer it once a year, and because of scheduling conflicts that we COULD NOT resolve for the past four years, we have missed the opportunity to dedicate Natalie. Now the girls will be together!

Natalie has started piano lessons, and I'm completely impressed with her aptitude! She enjoys it, and I love teaching her.

Lexi is rolling around very well right now. It's funny to watch her work to get where she wants to go. No where near crawling yet, she can pull her knees up under her, but that doesn't last long. I am guessing she'll be close to ten months when she crawls. I am loving all these baby stages again! They say you only take the multitude of pictures with your first, or document everything well with your first? Pshhhaw! That doesn't apply to me, or probably any other woman who despaired of possibly never having children again.

Perhaps the biggest news for me, is that Lexi is finally sleeping better at night. She goes 12-14 hours with only ONE wake up (to eat) during that time. Ohmygoodnessitiswonderfultoactuallygetmorethanthreetofourhoursconsecutivestretchesofsleepatnight!!!
My spell check is having conniptions about that last sentence.

Railings are going up outside as I type this. Quite noisy. Lexi was less than impressed when they started again this morning.

Mike and I are pooped, and have been complete couch potatoes the last two nights. We have swapped the girls rooms and are worn out! Because of the crappy house design (that we didn't consider when we bought it because we didn't have kids) we have walk through bedrooms upstairs. No hallway. Lexi was in the middle room, and we'd have to walk through there to get to Natalie's room. Lexi can apparently sleep soundly through the siding being redone on our house with constant sawing and hammering. Tip toe through her room when she's asleep, that little head pops up and she starts crying incessantly until you pick her up. *sigh* This was getting rather old. Natalie couldn't even go potty during the night without waking her...not to mention we'd have to make Natalie's bedtime earlier so she was in bed before Lexi. Just unfair to both girls all around! Now Lexi is in the furthest room, totally undisturbed by any of us, and happy as a clam. My only complaint is that my baby girl's room is very BLUE and I can't find any bedding to work with that. Remember the glider that I reupholstered? Doesn't match anymore. We could repaint, but I get the stink-eye from Mike any time I hint at it. I'm working on it...

If you are ever tempted to buy your five-year-old a recorder. Don't do it!!! Even if Target has them on sale for less than $2. I repeat, DON'T DO IT. You'll go insane within the first twenty minutes.

Oh and in other minor news, we're very blessed that our house didn't catch on fire last night. Seriously. (no fault of our own...another lovely hidden problem with this house) I have some scary pics to share. Hopefully soon. Lexi is awake, rolling around in her crib and will probably be hollering at me shortly. :)

Happy Friday!!

Nicknames from Natalie

2011-08-05T14:44:00.000-05:00

Daddy-bear
Miss-Monnie
Little-Lexi

Me: Natalie, you can just call me Monnie...
Natalie: Nope! You're miiiiiss monnie!

Heaven

2011-08-05T14:42:00.000-05:00

I have been fielding lots of questions about death and Heaven from Natalie. Some have me praying for wisdom, and other questions have me stifling laughter. Here is one of these conversations I wrote down minutes after we talked:

Natalie was asking about death a lot, and seemed to start getting anxious about being separated by death. I turned the conversation toward Heaven, and started describing how beautiful it is there. The streets of gold, the pearly gates, etc.

Natalie: OK Monnie, here's what we need to do, right before I die, bring me my jewelry box so when I go to Heaven, I can help decorate and make it even more beautiful!
Me: You can't take anything with you to Heaven, Natalie. Just you.
Natalie: Well how are we going to sleep if we can't even take our PJ's with us to Heaven??
Me: We don't sleep in Heaven, Natalie.
Natalie: But what do we do when it gets dark?
Me: It doesn't get dark in Heaven, Natalie. Not ever!
Natalie: *jaw drops* Do they have a store for puppies or kitties?
Me: To buy a puppy??
Natalie: Yes, I would like to buy a puppy in Heaven.
Me: No. I highly doubt they have a store in Heaven that sells pets.
Natalie: What do we eat?
Me: I don't know that we will eat.
Natalie: WHAT?! But I might get hungry!! Do we have teeth??
Me: I think so.
Natalie: Do they have chairs for us to sit on?
Me: (do I even bring up the throne for God/Jesus?) For us? I don't know.
Natalie: Do they have a clock?
Me: I have no idea. You can ask Jesus someday if they do.

"Da Da!"

2011-08-05T14:28:00.000-05:00

Lexi was protesting sleep at bedtime, and ended up in our bed. I was busy cleaning up clutter around the room, but Mike and Lexi were nose-to-nose, chattering nonsense to each other, and playing with little toys. Then she said those sweet words that made Mike light up with joy...just as he did when Natalie first said it.
"Da Da!"
Over and over and over.

Help, I'm stuck!!

2011-08-05T14:21:00.000-05:00

The sofa ran me over!

Lexi scoots backwards, gets stuck, and hollers at me for help. LOL!
I move her.
Repeat process.