Feb: Gearing up for Spring

With the weather giving us little sneak peeks of whats to come...we are starting to get all giddy inside! We are an outdoor family and this housebound stuff is for the birds!

~*~ Madi is gearing up for summer softball. What do you do when you don't have a catcher to pitch to?

You kick off your shoes and take advantage of the trampoline net!

~*~ At the end of March, it will be Molly May's birthday....2 years old! I remember how excited I was to buy her for Mark. I just knew what a great friend she would be to the family...and what a great watchdog, too!

Whelp...at least she held up on the "family friend" deal! The only time this dog barks is when she is patiently waiting for the "king" to give her permission to eat. Yep...the "king" still rules!

~*~ This pic gives me goosebumps. Why? Not only because I love this little stinker...but it is a sign of whats to come....SUMMER! And I do love me some summertime!

You know...the days that you can wear half of your hair in a braid and the other in a tangled mess? But nobody cares...IT'S SUMMER!

The times you can go all day and never hear the words "Wash your face"!...because IT'S SUMMER!

Or how about the late afternoons that you realize that you still have on the clothes you wore the day before...with spots of watermelon stains...and its ok....IT'S SUMMER!

The carefree days of summer....please come soon!

Day of L♥VE

Awww... a day of special suprises...lovenotes....celebrations and sweets...also dubbed as "Valentines Day". Well, in the girls case this year...."I-am-going-to-spoil-my-nieces-rotten-and-you-can't-do-a-darn-thing-about-it" Day! Yep...Aunt Jill has struck!

The UPS man arrived...the girls squealed...and the fun began! Callie and Abbie were thrilled with the new PJ's and slippers for their Build-a-Bears!


What teen wouldn't love a box full of trendy clothes? Madi wasn't an exception! I personally was surprised there wasn't a purple shirt in the mix!!!lol

Sydnee was instantly in love...isn't that what its all about?!?! I could have done without the 2,301 time I had to help change Barbie's shoes...but hey, its V-day after all!!!

Later, the girls took the time to fill out their Valentine cards that they would pass out at school. I can't tell you which ones where sealed with a kiss...I was sworn to secrecy!

The school party....I can remember how exciting of a time this is for a child! We use to decorate big boxes...transforming them into doily coated...pink and red hearted...XOXO mailboxes. They would sit in the classroom windows until the big day when they would be filled with all kinds of goodies. I guess now days they decorate sacks...but just as sweet!

Hope you all had a great Valentines day...spread the l♥VE!

February

It seems a bit odd that I am sitting on the deck...laptop at my fingertips...getting ready to blog about the out-of-this-world cold weather we had just a week or so ago! Oh...did I mention that it is now 70 degrees out? Yep...a change of 80 degreees in a weeks time...cRAzY!!!

~*~ It started out as a few flurries...a light coating a sparkly white.

It kept coming..and coming. We soon realized that we would not be going anywhere without snowboots and a shovel!
Needless to say...we didn't have much company those next few days! Or maybe we did...and just didn't hear their cries for help!

Of course...Superman (aka Mark) came plowing down the drive. Seriously....he plowed down the drive. Ended up walking the rest of the way home! We all managed to stay cozy and warm in the house during the worst of it.

~*~ Sibling love. Is there anything so sweet?

As a big brother...you get to come to the rescue and help your mother.

You know, little things like go get the diaper bag...throw away the diaper...get the burp rag..and another.

You get to hold a screaming baby while the bottle is being warmed up....but you don't mind. Because you know that he will soon be at peace with a steady flow of milk and that is another hour closer to you being fed!

You take out the trash that contains the stench of dirty diapers that would make any grown man cry . Once again..you don't mind, because there will be a day that you know longer have diapers to tend to. And surely wiping a toddlers bum isn't nearly as troublesome...right?!?!

And whoever said that toting a baby seat around in a public place full of other teens isn't a cool thing?!? If anyone has a problem with it...well, they never experienced sibling love!

But the best part of sharing your willingness to help...is the look of happiness that emits from your face and everyone around you gets to also enjoy!!!

~*~Smile Madison...come on'...you can do it! What? You just got braces and your mouth is in no way, shape or form ready for any kind of smiling? Your telling me it hurts to smile or eat? Even just to open your mouth? Come on'...you know I'm going to get my way! Just for a couple seconds....pllleeeeeezzzzzzeeeeee!

Awwww....thats my girl!

January: Housebound

Whatever did our parents do with us when we were young...bound inside the house due to the cold...no handheld electronics...no online computer games...no playstations and netflix!! I'm sure we kept busy with games, pretend play and bickering! I don't remember my mom going off the deep end, but thinking back...I'm sure she had to come close a time or two!

I am a parent who likes to think that my kids are well-rounded enough to find and form their own entertainment. But who am I kidding! Sometimes those craft projects and endless amount of dress-up clothes strewn across the house becomes a daunting task for me! Mommies need pointless, brainless time too! And it is at this time that I thank my parents over and over in my mind for all those electronics and gadgets they have given the girls throughout the years!

And after their brains have basically turned to mush... its time to switch gears! One of my guilty pleasures is to sit in front of the TV with the girls and endulge in an hour of laughs and OMGoshes as we stare in disbelief.

Guess what show yet?

I can't believe I am publically admitting this....Toddlers in Tiaras. Why is this show so captivating? I can stand on my soapbox for hours about all of its wrongs...yet I can't turn the channel!!!

Soooo......it was only natural when the girls got bored and piped up to say "HEY MOM, LETS PLAY TODDLERS AND TIARAS"!!!! Boredom does this to you. And I do love to make fun of snotty 5 year olds who are way overdue for a spankin' and their mothers who are way overdue for a reality check!

So the game began!

Sydnee and I was on a team...one hour to dress, pamper and come up with a talent.

Madison and Callie were a team. Abbie was the smartest of the bunch and declined. We later talked her into being the judge.

Sydnee won the "best dress" category!

Callie won the talent show...that girl can dance!

I think they both are beautiful inside and out...and I am glad they didn't slap me across the face and send me to the corner because I didn't give them enough pixie sticks before the show!

And just because the boredom continued throughout the night...I had to give Syd a little "glamour" shot makeover....she thought it was pretty funny stuff!