The year in review!

We opened our year with our big (if slightly soggy) trip to Disneyland. It was such a fun, fun trip- rain and all. I'm wishing we were going again this February. My favorite posts about it are the one with the girls and the princesses, our rainy day recap, and this one with the girls dancing before the parade.

Shortly after Disneyland, Birdy had a birthday and turned 3 with a super-fun pool party (and mustaches!) Then DMP decided to go to grad school and take the GMAT all in the space of a few weeks (whew!). EJ practiced her new found talent for writing and drawing - especially the things in nature.

The highlight of the year for our family was the addition of baby butter brother Bear in July. It is hard to believe he started out a (relatively) tiny 8 lb 15 oz adorable boy. It didn't take long for him to grow big and bigger.

EJ started Kindergarten, and DMP started grad school. I turned 30, and then climbed a mountain (and I thought I would die, but I didn't). Chester found a good new home, and I went back to work. EJ had a birthday and turned 6!

The sad point of our year is when we lost DMP's mom. We will miss her a lot!

We are the luckiest parents, because throughout it all, our girls have kept us happy and laughing a LOT. No really. A Lot. No, REALLY. Yep, they really are funny. Even the boy (who can't talk yet) is pretty darn funny!

Found

I was reading my latest issue of Smithsonian and got to the middle of my interesting article on the link between ancient dinosaurs and birds and found the message above. If you look closely, you can see it says "EJ has discovered". There is no other writing in the magazine. Funny kid.

Last week I asked EJ to help clean up. Because Birdy was asleep in the girl's room, I asked EJ to take some toys upstairs and put them outside the door until she woke up. When we went upstairs later, I found the arrangement above. BTW- the head is one of those Barbie styling heads. EJ called it an "angel". Maybe we have a modern artist on our hands?

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas blog readers!

Take some time to read this Smithsonian article. It is about a man during the depression who took out an ad in the newspaper offering to help give people money for Christmas. The man used a made-up name and got a lot of letters from people asking for help- everyone from a former company president to a young girl. He sent $5 to 15o families.

Read the article- it is worth it and it will make you smile this Christmas!

Boy Plus

Boy + Cat

Boy + Rainbow Armadillo

No, you can't have a stripper-pole cake for your birthday...

I was talking to DMP and I had the cake-wrecks blog open to this one. Birdy kept trying to interrupt "Mom! Mom! Mom!". I finally said "What!?!?". She pointed to the first cake and said "I want that cake for my birthday!"

"No, honey, you can't have a stripper pole cake for your birthday".

"Please? Please! Please! I really want a stripper pole cake!"

My life in one picture

EJ wanted me to take a picture of her "ribbon dance". As I looked at the picture that I took, I realized this picture pretty much defines my "Mommy life". Let's look at it, shall we?
EJ is dancing and asking for an audience. Bear is just chillin', happy to be part of the crowd. Birdy? she's licking something she isn't supposed to and bugging her brother.

My Girls

First off- two milestones. On Sunday when I asked Birdy how she wanted her hair done, she asked for "bumpy" hair. Huh?! Then she clued me in by saying "Like EJ". Ohh- braids. Her hair is now long enough to have her hair in two braids and it was way cute!

EJ lost another tooth and Mommy is SUPER happy- it was the front "snaggle tooth". I have no hope or expectations that it will grow back in straight, but she is adorable with her 3 missing teeth in the meantime!

One day while Birdy was supposed to be resting at Aunt Cyndi's, she got into some lotion. Cyndi knew that we needed to book it to literacy night at EJ's school, so she somehow turned greasy lotion-hair into what you see above. Now that's talent (and the best child caregiver ever!)

This last one is just for fun!

A visit to the big guy!

It was with great joy that we saw that our local grocery store had arranged a visit from Santa one Saturday. Since I'm all about multi-tasking, we set off with shopping list in hand to see the Big Guy. Both girls were super-excited and the free sugar cookies they decorated only fueled their excitement. EJ went first and she had "itchy eyes". She was able to tell Santa what she wanted, but as she said "it isn't fun to see Santa with scratchy eyes". She asked him for a Pillow Pet, pet fish, and a boy Barbie.

When Birdy's turn came, she launched herself into Santa's lap (notice the blurry action shot above). She was so concerned while waiting in line that she'd forget her list and she kept asking "Mommy, what are the words I should say again?". Santa said her hug was the best and biggest he had all day! After the hugging was done, Birdy did a great job remembering the "words" and let Santa know she wants a Pillow Pet, Legos and a Fashion Fairytale Barbie.

We wanted Bear to take a turn with Santa, but alas, he fell asleep as he and Daddy took care of the grocery list while Mommy and the sisters waited in line for Santa.

My Boys

Seriously- aren't they handsome?

Thirty-Six

DMP had birthday- he's now 36! Since he had school all day on his real birthday, we celebrated Daddy's Birthday Observed on Sunday. We had chocolate cherry cake (pic above). It wasn't anything to look at but it tasted good. I swear- one year I will make a cake for DMP's birthday that both tastes and looks good! Last year, I phoned it in with a chocolate cake we won. The year before I had small person help, but still...

After a birthday dinner of turkey pillows and roasted potatoes, we opened the presents the girls picked out just for Daddy at the stuffed-up-animal store (aka the Heber Thrift store. Some lady heard me encouraging the girls to pick a present for Daddy there and she gave us the most sympathetic look. I think she thought we were poor instead of just cheap :>). EJ picked out a "back-feeler-gooder" (as Birdy calls it) and Birdy picked out a special Zions Bank mug for his hot chocolate.

Twenty Pounds

So I've been working to lose my pregnancy weight (and, let's be honest, pre-pregnancy weight). Last week I hit the 20 lb mark- I've lost 20 lbs since EJ's birthday in Sept when I started keeping track. I was going to post some sort of before/after picture, but I never think about taking one when I'm cute.

So instead I'll give you another reference point for what 20 lbs looks like. Yep, our cute not-so-little Bear weighs 20 lbs, 13 oz at his appointment on Monday. My ultimate goal? Loose the equivalent of a Birdy or EJ (since they weigh about the same!).

Seriously- how can you look at those chubby legs and not die?!? Is he not the cutest, chubbiest baby EVER?

The Christmas Miracle

On Tuesday night, we experienced our very own Christmas Miracle. I just had to share this special story with both of my readers!

My friend and coworker kindly invited us to his house for dinner along with my new boss who was visiting from our San Francisco office. He also kindly invited the kids to come, too. I accepted and the date was set for Tuesday. Monday came and Bear was super crabby and running a fever. I warned my coworker that he and DMP might not make it to the dinner if that continued to Tuesday.

Tuesday came and in the morning, Bear seemed to be feeling better and almost back to his normal, cheerful self. Birdy, on the other hand, was in full boundary-testing mode. As the day progressed, Bear got grumpier and grumpier. By the time I got home to get everyone cute and in the car, I had a full on crabby baby who had only slept for about an hour and a half all day TOTAL and a screeching, uncooperative girl (some of you know how she gets...). Just the act of loading her into the car prompted a full-on hissy fit.

As we were driving over to my coworkers house we kept asking ourselves- "What were we thinking?!?" and I'm starting to panic. Ours would be the only kids there. My coworker is a Grandpa, so he understands kids, but my new boss is single without kids... No one likes crabby or bratty kids at a "big kid dinner".

We got there and it was like the kids were totally transformed. Apparently Bear's 15 min. cat nap was enough to sustain him with relative contentment for the evening (as long as we didn't put him down!). Birdy was an angel. I only had to tell her not to lick the table, and other than that, she was sweet, polite and ate her food.

My coworkers wife had prepared a German-themed meal for us (just 'cause they like German food). There was a yummy cooked red cabbage dish that Birdy called "purple vegetable" and she had two helpings! In addition to eating all their food (including the second helpings of cooked cabbage, people!!) they played nicely in the "toy room" and cleaned up without complaint!

So the dinner and evening was a success! However, I kid you not- the second we pulled into our parking spot at home, Birdy was throwing a tantrum that lasted until she was finally sent to bed. Bear started fussing and crying and wouldn't sleep. We finally had to put him in bed to cry it out because nothing else worked.

After everyone was finally asleep and quiet, DMP and I sat back and marvelled at the small oasis of peaceful, happy, well-behaved kids. Truly a Christmas Miracle!

The things these two think are fun...

Rare- a cute pic of all three!

It's a Thanksgiving Miracle!

Old...but funny

We were watching our niece and nephew shortly before I went back to work from maternity leave. Jr. had borrowed the "Rabbids" game from his dad and was playing it on our Wii.

Drool

We were trying to catch him laughing and we caught this instead...

Fun Pics

These two pics were taken seconds apart.

You knew it was only a matter of time before this kind of thing started. The girls put the crown on him and thought they were so hilarious.

Birdy put together this beautiful outfit. I think she has a future in Fashion design, don't you?

It's beginning to look like Christmas around here!

In spite of our pre-Thanksgiving adventures, we were able to get the house and the tree decorated. EJ did the honors of placing our Angel on the tree. Birdy got to choose if she held the star or the wreath this year. I love our angel- DMP's Grammy made it.

A couple of weeks ago, I picked up a couple of copies of the Toys R Us big book.

The girls wasted no time in circling the things they want Santa to bring. EJ created a very organized system for indicating the presents she wants this Christmas (marked with a "C"), next Christmas ("NC") and her Birthday ("B").

Birdy on the other hand just circled everything that caught her fancy!