the daily life of two sweet baby girls

BOO!!!

2011-10-16T20:00:00.000-05:00

BEST.CRAFT.EVER
Is our spooky ghost...
I'm amazed this little guy is floating in air, well not really floating, but completely suspended with out any support. I heart him!
This is totally the best, most fun craft I've ever made. Completing the task is very easy & he's so darn cute. I accompanied him with a couple mini pumpkins & a BOO sign made by, yours truly, with scrap wood, black paint, BOO letters & modge-podge!
Here is the link for instructions to my new friend. You'll find great instruction, I will just add I was very anxious to complete him so I think I could have had more patience & added a couple more layers of spray starch. The sun was going down when I made him so I did use a hairdryer & it worked great. All of the will make sense once you read the link.
I hope all of y'all add a new ghostly friend to your house!
Happy Fall Y'all :)

http://www.everydayisacraftingday.com/2010/09/floating-ghost.html

Punkin-mans

2011-10-04T17:53:00.000-05:00

Lily has a name for pumpkins and since Morgan has heard it so often she does, too.
It's "Punkin-mans"
I'm thinking Lily named all pumpkins, Punkin-mans, because during this time of the year most are carved with a "face". But who knows maybe she says Punkin-mans because she can't pronounce pumpkins? Oh, well, I think Punkin-mans is a cute name. So we'll stick with it :)

I had big plans for these Punkin-mans..
But before I could decide which method of decorating- you know there's so many ideas on Pinterest- my girls got out their sparkly paint markers & went to town. They then followed up with a pumpkin decorating kit we found at Wal-Mart, a treat they received by behaving well at the store.
These Punkin-mans won't win any awards, but they're kinda cute in a preschool, graffiti way. :)

I've been creative.... :))))

2011-09-29T11:48:00.001-05:00

I promised in an earlier post I would keep you abreast of my creations that are for sale. I plan to attend a few trade shows and church craft sales this upcomping Holiday season, but for now I've opened up an etsy shop. For those of you unfamiliar with etsy, it's a site where everything for purchase is handmade, made to order or vintage. Anything you can imagine is on this one website! I could literally spend hours cruising through all the unique items that are up for sale!
My shop is.....
www.etsy.com/shop/KatAntoniaDesigns
I hope you find something you fancy!
Have a good day :)

Bring on the fall!

2011-09-22T11:33:00.000-05:00

Summer is officially over, as of tomorrow, so I wanted to talk about our summer. We as a family started our summer in South Padre Island for Memorial Day weekend, A great weekend we spent on the beach, at the pool, eating lots of seafood, and enjoying our girls. We spent a few weeks at home then as a family we went to Winter Park, CO. We drove our truck to CO because the girls and I had planned to spend the month of July there. Daddy Frank spent a week with us, then he flew home, and planned to fly back at the end of the month so we could all drive home together.

While the girls & I were in WP we made so many fabulous memories. We had a great time together. I would say that I am a patient person, but being alone with two baby girls 24/7 for a month really made me dig deep and have even more patience. Every morning, on Monday thru Fridays, we got an early start for either gymnastics or swimming lessons for the girls, or a workout class for me. After our respective classes we spent time at the pool. The Rec center, where we spent all this time, in WP is very, very nice! It is such a welcomed place for WP and surrounding towns. You can workout alone, take yoga, Pilate's, spin, or a plethora of other classes, spend time in the hot tub, sauna, steam room, swim laps, rock climb, or pick up a game of basketball in the gym. And all that's for the adults. The kids schedule is just as busy!

Anyway, back to our schedule, after our mornings spent at the Rec center we either went home for lunch, went to park for a picnic, or picked up a slice of pizza from the local pizzeria. After lunch we went home for naps. I tucked both girls in my bed, read them a story then took Morgan to her crib and each one always had a restful nap. Prior to nap time everyday I told myself, "today lay down and take a nap". But I never did. I, 99% of the time, ended up on the back deck reading, folding clothes, making a few phone calls and enjoying the sun, refreshing breeze and, of course, just quite time. After naps, the girls were ready to go again. We usually went to the neighborhood park, took a walk around the block, or attended the free concerts in Hideaway Park. Dinner time and showers was next followed by, usually, a trip to the store for a little ice cream. Then it was night-night time and we started it all over the next day.

Was our "alone" time in WP all perfect? NO! I admit, sometimes we laughed, sometimes I yelled & a few times I cried. But as I mentioned before, I learned to dig deep for patience.
But the most fun was just letting the girls play, laugh, dance, sing & love each other. Several nights while I was preparing dinner I turned of the TVs and turned up their favorite Sugarland CD and let them dance. The doors were open, windows were open and they were free. They danced inside and outside and I'm sure our neighbors thought we were wild Indians..... Wait, we are!!!

Will the girls & I spend our summer in WP next year? ABSOLUTELY! In a few years we won't be able to do it, the girls will have soccer games and softball games all summer, so until then we will spend our summer in WP.

Daddy Frank flew in to WP for a few days, then we made our drive home. I was in a funk for a few days I will have to say, but soon got over it. We went back to WP for Labor Day weekend then home for a couple of days before school started. But as you read in my previous post, the girls missed their first day of school due to a stomach bug.

But they started their first day on the second day. Lily LOVES school. She was very excited and welcomed the idea. She into her new classroom "meeting & greeting" everyone. Morgan, on the other hand, was excited about school when we talked about it, but when I dropped her off and it was time for me to leave she started to cry :( Poor little thing! I can't believe it is already time for her to go to school! I tell everyone "it seemed like forever for Lily to start pre-school then I literally blink my eyes and it's time for Morgan to attend school! When I picked up Morgan from school her teacher told me as soon as left Morgan quit crying! I felt so relieved! And she had a fabulous time!

Here are some pics of their first day....

Morgan at the play-doh table

Morgan & her teacher

Lily & I

The girls ran to one another for hugs when seeing each other after school :)

Daddy Frank & his girls

Now we are ready for fall, cooler temps, pumpkins, yummy candles & decorating :)

The "non" first day of school

2011-09-06T11:21:00.000-05:00

Today is the day my living dolls were supposed to start school.

Last night I was preparing a "night before our first day of school" blog post, all in my mind (that is), when Lily needed to go potty. She had been fighting a stomach virus so I went into the bathroom with her in case she needed help. The next thing I know Morgan walks into the bathroom with us and starts projectile vomiting everywhere! I know as a mom to expect the unexpected, but I really had no idea I would have one child on the potty with diarrhea and the other vomiting everywhere on everything, including me!

Once Daddy Frank & I bathed the girls, scrubbed the whole bathroom & got them ready for bed, Lily slept with her daddy while I was caring for Morgan. She was very restless and didn't sleep well, AT ALL. We went from the towel covered recliner to the towel covered sofa at 1:15 a.m to her room at 4:15 a.m. (p.s. I covered our furniture with towels expecting for the worst!).
As of right now Morgan hasn't vomited in 12hours... And I'm praying she stays vomit free. Lily is better, too. This morning she's running, playing, drinking fluids & eating!
I believe if we are in the clear today my dolls will have their first day of school, on the second day of school, this Thursday. Wish us luck & stay tuned for a blog post telling you all about it.

Additional note... The following is Lily's conversation, on her play phone, to "I have no idea" after Morgan vomited everywhere...
Lily: uh, hi there...
Pause
Lily: could you please come clean-up my bathroom? yes, my sister just made a mess in there...
Pause
Lily: okay, thanks, bye!

It was as if she was calling the front desk at a hotel to have a maid come do her dirty work! This conversation was the most hilarious thing and I definitely needed the laugh! Later when Lily & I were talking to Grandma Suzy, Lily asked her, also, to come and clean her bathroom. I guess she was very worried about her bathroom which was just cleaned by "yours truly" while on my hands & knees. Now let's just hope I don't "catch it"....

Ogress....

2011-08-16T00:46:00.000-05:00

This the outfit I wore today... Yes, I was wearing a scarf... I heart scarves... And as soon as it's not 100 degress outside I will be wearing more.
Today the girls & I made an early start to the grocery store. The outside temp was just below 90 so I took advantage of the cold-front & wore a scarf.
Anyhoo... After I dressed myself the following is a conversation between Lily & I.
Lily: "Momma, you're dressed like an ogre!"
Me: "Dressed like an ogre? What do you mean?"
Lily: "You know, like Fiona."
Me: "Oh, Princess Fiona! Thanks Lily!" ;)

I'm just hoping she meant I looked like Princess Fiona & not Ogress Fiona!
Maybe it was the cut-offs that were a little suspicious of being ogreish! Lol!

Someting on Sundays

2011-08-14T22:30:00.001-05:00

This weekend was a very "easy-going" weekend. We enjoyed dinner out Friday night and woke up to rain on Saturday morning. Shocked we were! We haven't had rain since June and the heat has been so terrible the rain was very welcomed! Frank worked in the barn Saturday morning while the girls and I took it easy which gave me time to be a little creative. I had been wanting to make cakeballs for a while so this was the perfect time. Miss Lily loves helping however she can so I let her pour in ingredients and "try" to break eggs.

For other fun & creative stuff, I am planning to open an etsy account so I made a few items for it, also, this weekend. When I get it open I'll let you know. But for now, here are some pics from my "creative" weekend.

Orange Cakeballs

First, bake a cake, let it cool & cut in large pieces to break apart.

Use two forks & break apart the cake into crumbs.

Then mush in almost a whole tub of icing.

I also used some orange rind & fresh orange juice.

The cake will end up like this, mushy, but not too mushy.

Roll dough in balls or better yet use a melon baller.

Then put them in the freezer for a few hours to harden.

I didn't have any sticks so I used toothpics, inserted them into the cakeballs & dipped them in melted chocolate. I used two different kinds...some were dipped in melted chocolate almond bark and some in dark chocolate with toffee on top.

They are yummy...And easy to make, too!

Blueberry Lemonade

Remember the blueberry patch? Well, they sold blueberry lemonade that was soooo yummy. Ever since then I've been searching for a recipe and finally found one that looked worthy. So I made blueberry lemonade this weekend, too. And the recipe was worthy. I thought it was just as good as the blueberry patch's lemonade.

You will need:

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

3 lemons cut into 3 slices

3/4 cup sugar

3 1/2 cups water

Throw all ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. The water should reduce by a 1/2 cup, leaving a 3 cup syrup.

Strain mixture, let cool, add water to taste & enjoy!

It's really yummy, too!

Last, but, not least & my FAVORITE part of the creative weekend....

These precious stocking hats with darling bows attached! I'm one of those moms that kept hats on my baby's head when it was winter time. My dilema, however, was "Do I put a cute bow on their head?" or "Do I put a hat on their head?"... Well, I always put a hat on their head, then when we arrived where we were going, I took the bow out of my purse or diaper bag and put it in their hair. So here's the best part, these hats will serve both purposes..... A warm hat & a darling bow.
I will be selling these hats along with whatever else I can find to make on my etsy account. So when it's open I'll let you know.

Y'all have a good week, now :)

Something on Sundays

2011-08-07T22:14:00.000-05:00

There is a favorite town & lake of ours in Colorado located outside of Winter Park, very close to the Rocky Mountain National Park entrance called Grand Lake. The old town has one main road running through it with shops on each side lined with boardwalks. We love to walk through the town, hit a few of our favorite shops, let our girls play at the playground then stop for ice-cream. This year I found out about a beautiful hiking trail, just outside of town, which leads up to a waterfall named Adams Falls. I decided to go check it out so I packed a lunch for the girls & I, we hiked up to the falls, ate our lunch and took some pics of one of God's masterpieces. The hike and falls were so amazing that when Frank joined us in Colorado we introduced him this special place. He loved the hike, also. I see it being must-do every time we are back in town. Well, not when it's 20 degrees and snow on the ground, but definitely in the summer and fall.
Enjoy the pics...

I guess Lily & Mojo were tired at the end of our hike! My sweet baby girls don't look too happy, do they?

Addicted...

2011-08-02T21:19:00.000-05:00

Yes, it has happened! I'm totally addicted to making friendship bracelets. I've made 5 since my first post about them.
I can't wait to get more supplies & try a new "style" of a wrap bracelet. I'll keep you posted!
Since it is so flaming hot here in Texas I think staying inside & being creative is the best thing to do, don't you?

Reasons why I love WP in the summer...

2011-07-26T20:53:00.000-05:00

All my readers know how I feel about WP. I love the place year round! But summer-time is especially beautiful! The girls and I went exploring for some of our favorite spots around the house. Enjoy!

BEAUTIFUL WILDFLOWERS

AMAZING ASPEN TREES AND BLUE SKIES

SEEING THE SKI MOUNTAIN FROM OUR FRONT PORCH

A LITTLE GATHERING OF PINE CONES

A DARLING CHRISTMAS TREE ;)

A PATCH OF BABY ASPENS

RIVER ROCK
(I KNOW KINDA WEIRD, BUT I LOVE LOOKING AT ALL THE ROCKS, NO TWO ARE ALIKE)

AND OF COURSE THESE TWO LITTLE MUNCHKINS :)

Something on Sundays...

2011-07-25T01:08:00.000-05:00

Friendship Bracelets....
Do you remember them?
I do!
But I think the last time I made one was probably to 20 years ago! Until now!
Let me give you some history...I love wearing bracelets! And several of them at a time. The more the better! I wear all kinds, some are expensive, some are cheap, some are cuffs & some are bangles.
So recently I've been seeing the "friendship" type make a come-back, and I spotted a few on a blog a couple of days ago which tweaked my curiosity. So what did I do? I took off my other bracelets and went to the store to purchase a few $.29 embroidery threads so I could practice my friendship bracelet making abilities. And I have to tell ya... It's addicting! I've made myself two & each baby girl has one. And I'm dying to go back to the store for more colors of thread.
But for now my precious baby girls & I are BBF!!!!
I ADORE our similar but unique, matching friendship bracelets!!!!
And the next time you see me/us we might be wearing a ton more! Lol!

Triple I Ranch

2011-07-23T11:42:00.000-05:00

Before we left for the mountains I took a few pics of our pasture. At the time the pasture was covered with beautiful red wild flowers. Last year the flowers were present, but this year they were amazingly beautiful. I loved pulling into our gate and looking over the slight rolling land full of these flowers. I'm sure, however, that they are all burnt up now due to the terrible heat and dryness north Texas is experiencing now. At least, I have my pics...

4th of July in the Rockies

2011-07-22T21:57:00.000-05:00

Every summer we drive up to the Rockies and celebrate the 4th of July holiday at our home in Winter Park. The weather in the Rockies in July is amazing! Especially since Texas is brutally hot right now. I think parts of Texas and Oklahoma have experienced 2 weeks of 100 degree plus days. Crazy! So I'm especially thankful for the wonderful weather in WP. The mornings start out 60s and usually work up to the 80s. We've maybe had a day of upper 80s, but the heat is tolerable. There is usually a nice breeze and a sometimes a quick thunderstorm rolls through in the afternoon to cool things down. The evenings are especially wonderful! I love sitting on our back deck, eating dinner, having an adult beverage, and roasting marshmallows for s'mores from the outdoor fireplace. The nights we make a fire we are usually wearing pullovers and sometimes a blanket covering our legs! Again, lovely weather! And I'm so thrilled we're here!

For the 4th of July celebrations we usually meet our friends at an Old School House playground/picnic area to watch the local fireworks. Everyone brings food and drinks to share. This year we had a pretty good spread, everything from steaks, grilled shrimp, hotdogs for the kids, many salads, different cheeses, olives, crackers and of course desserts. The night got chilly so the fire we built for grilling the food just kept on burning to keep us warm.

Family pic in our backyard

Cheese...Happpy 4th!

Watching fireworks!

The Yellow Dress

2011-07-15T18:10:00.000-05:00

This is Miss Mojo in her FAVORITE dress of all time!!! I have to hide it at times or it is all she would wear!
This afternoon while the girls were napping I folded a few loads of laundry but couldn't put it all away because I didn't want to disturb nap time. Once Morgan woke up and came down stairs she spotted her dress in the stack of folded clothes and of course she demanded to wear it!
Lily was still napping at the time so Mojo & I relaxed on the back deck. I read a little & Morgan cruised around the backyard, which is where this pick was taken.
It's amazing right now in the Rockies with beautiful blue skies, comfortable temperatures & nice breezes!

Blueberry Patch

2011-07-11T22:10:00.000-05:00

Several weeks ago the girls and I headed out to a blueberry farm with some of our friends. The farm grew blueberries, blackberries and had a pond stocked full of catfish. My girls were not on their best behavior that day so we didn't get a ton of blueberries picked and totally missed out on the blackberries, but Lily & Morgan did get to feed the fish. I think they liked that part best of all. I was able to snap a few pics before meltdown time.

Morgan, Lily & Kendall

Miss Lily

Sweet Kluv!

Fish Food!!!

Those crazy catfish!!!

Dentist Time!!!

2011-07-11T18:01:00.000-05:00

So it was time for Morgan's first dental visit and Lily's check-up, also, so I took them at the same time. Because Lily does very well with her dental visits I needed her to "sit in the chair" first so Morgan could realize it was no big deal. And I have to say everything went very well! The girls actually enjoyed their visit and they received goodies which made their visit that much better! The only time we had a slight issue was when the Dentist came in to look at Morgan's teeth and it was a "no go". She let the hygienist polish, floss & poke around, but the Dentist was not allowed! Morgan sat there as if her jaws were wired shut. It was kinda funny! She didn't scream, whimper or freak-out, she just sat their with her mouth closed!
Here are a few pics of their dental visit...

CHEESE!!!

Lily's turn, but Morgan's really paying attention!

Lily getting her pearly whites shined!

Holding hands for moral support :))

Morgan's thinking, "Are you sure about this?"

Again, Morgan's paying close attention...

Mojo checking out her goodie bag!!!

Last day of school & Memorial Day Weekend...

2011-07-10T17:53:00.000-05:00

South Padre 2011
Lily's last day of school was the Thursday just before Memorial Day weekend. We've made it a yearly event to be in Padre on Memorial Day weekend. I needed to pick up Lily early from school on Thursday so we could meet Daddy Frank for lunch then catch our plane. Miss Lily had a different idea... She was very upset I showed up early before lunch. Being that it was the last day, her teachers had decided to move the younger "three's" in with Lily's class so they could all have lunch together. The kids were very excited and poor Lily had to leave. I explained to her we needed to meet Daddy for lunch then go to the airport to board a plane and fly to the beach.She was still upset and crying. Lily's teachers were so sweet and tried to console her. They thought Lily was upset she was leaving because it was her last day, however, she didn't understand the "last day of school" concept, she was just mad I was there early to pick her up. We were a sight to see. Lily upset and I, myself, was a little upset, too. Lily experienced a WONDERFUL first year of pre-school. Her teachers were so loving, caring, sweet and knew exactly how to handle the children. They let the children explore and play all the while giving them directives, but allowing them to learn on their own. The children were not treated like babies and they blossomed in return. Everyday I dropped Lily off at school I knew she was going to have an awesome day. When a mom believes and knows that in her heart it's a wonderful, unique feeling. This is why I was emotional. I was sad for Lily and her last day with her sweet teachers. I can only hope this next fall she will have great teachers as well.
Now on to Padre... Our days were full of breakfast, beach, lunch, naps for kids, pool, and dinner time with lots of seafood!!!
Here are some pics...

Girls at the airport...

rest time in front of the TV

Beautiful babies on the patio!

Pool time...

Momma Nat & her baby girls :)))

Out Back...

2011-07-10T17:16:00.000-05:00

The girls and I were playing outside one day... Jumping on the trampoline and climbing all over our playset when they decided it was time to cruise around "outback". In my mind this area is not really our backyard because it's not watered by sprinkler system, but it's not really a "pasture" either... So I just call it, "outback".
I had my camera handy, however, I am no photographer, but I like these shots I took, then played around with them on my photoshop.

Miss Lily, saying, "CHEESE!"

Sweet Mojo!

The girls dancing atop our tornado shelter!!!

Easter 2011

2011-07-10T16:57:00.000-05:00

And finally....Here are some pics from Easter Sunday.

Something on Sundays

2011-07-10T16:48:00.000-05:00

WP,CO 2011
Wow! I'm really behind on my blogging...It's as if nothing has been happening in our lives. The case is just the opposite.
This post should've been posted in March... But I do think it is appropriate to post now. Why? Well, it is over 100 degress in Texas and, even though, I'm not in Texas right now maybe these pics will cool off my followers in Texas & Oklahoma! Enjoy!
These pics are of Spring Break 2011 in Winter Park, CO...

Miss Lily in her ski gear!

Morgan needed a little rest...

Ski buddies!

Cheese!

Sledding!!!!!

It was Madri Gras, after all! Love the mask! lol!

Daddy Frank & his girls :)))

The FAM!!!

Something on Sundays

2011-05-15T23:53:00.000-05:00

Cryin' cows, darling little girls and a hope of mine.

This is what's going on...We are in the process of weaning our calves, when last night after coming home late from a fun Birthday party, we pull into our drive and hear our baby cows crying. And can I tell ya, it is the darnedest thing! Our Longhorn never make a sound much less "MOO", but when the weaning process starts the calves go to crying. And it's kinda sad.
So as Frank and I unloaded the girls from our car this is the conversation Lily & I had together.
Lily- "Momma, why are those baby cows crying?"
Momma Nat- "Well, we have to wean them."
Lily- "What's that mean?"
Momma Nat- "Lily, do you remember when I fed Morgan my milk?"
Lily- "Yes"
Momma Nat- "Our baby cows drink their mommy's milk, too, but, now they're getting too old so we have to wean them and that means we have to separate them from their mommies."
Lily- "And that's why they're crying?"
Momma Nat- "Yes."
Lily- "Well, that's not nice. I'll go give them chocolate milk and change their diapers."
Momma Nat- as I'm swelling with pride because she's being so thoughtful and trying not to die laughing I say "Oh, Lily you're so sweet, but Daddy gave them some hay in their corral. They'll be okay."
Lily- "Okay, mommy."
And with that we went inside, put Morgan to bed because Lily slept with us, which has happened often this past week (I'll blog about that later because if anybody knows me they know I'm not a fan of sharing my bed, how sweet it may be. I still want my kids in their own comfy beds.) And we wake up to crying Longhorn, again, this morning. In fact, they were so loud we heard them all the way across our property, Hurricane Creek and the golf course when we ate brunch at the Club this afternoon. And, yes, Lily commented, again, on those crying cows. I'm sure she'll be worried about them for a few days. I'll have to reassure her, "Don't worry, they'll be fine."
I think it's precious Lily has the ability at such a young age to feel emotion, express concern for someone/something in pain and then problem solve to find a way to help the someone/something in need. I adore the innocence of her reasoning that chocolate milk & new diapers would help our baby cows. Sometimes I'm just in "awe" of Lily & Morgan. They're just innocent little people, I would love to shelter & protect their whole life, but since that's not an option, I let them explore, experience, problem solve and play all the while I try to keep a good balance between catering to them & throwing them to "the wolves", as some people say. Before children I heard moms say "Having and raising children is the hardest and most rewarding job ever." Now that I live it I completely understand. Crazy as it may seem to some of my readers, but I felt completely rewarded as a mom knowing at 3 years old Lily felt compassion for our baby calves and she so innocently knew chocolate milk and new diapers would help!
I hope as my daughters grow into little girls, teenagers, young ladies and then adults they have a healthy balance of helping and caring for others, but always making sure their first priority is their own-self.
(It's easier said then done, believe me.)

This fabulous and most informative email was sent from Natalie's iPhone :)

Something on Sundays

2011-05-01T23:01:00.000-05:00

Morgan's 2nd Birthday!
We celebrated Morgan's 2nd Birthday yesterday. Morgan wore a colorful, fabulous tutu and matching bow, both made by yours truly, and a customized 2nd Birthday tee made by my dear friend Ashley. We had a Dora themed party with the Swiper swipping Morgan's Birthday cake so the kids went on a scavanger hunt to find her cake. The first stop of the hunt was making yellow friendship bracelets just as Dora wears and grabbing their Dora backpacks, which I made from purple gift bags with magnifing glasses inside, then following Rainbow Rd. to Crocodile Lake where a Crocodile was waiting to be scared away by blowing bubbles in his mouth. After they scared the Crocodile away the kids were on their to Windy Valley (our play gym) where they climbed up the ladder and down the slide for more goodies to put in their backpack. Finally, after the scavenger hunt we feasted on hotdogs, hamburgers, chips & dip then Morgan's Birthday cake magically appeared!
Lily and Morgan had cousins in town from two different states and they really enjoyed their time together. These fun days together are the times to celebrate and cherish forever.
After the party, while the little kids were playing inside the big kids, my husband, his brother in law & the girl's papa, decided to take the boat out on Hurricane creek. I took a little video just in case something hilarious was going to happen, (cause ya never know about those three), but they were safe as they were just checking out their future fishing hole.
That evening while Grandma Suzy, Uncle Randy and cousin Jaxon entertained the girls, Frank & I went out to eat with some friends. We enjoyed yummy, yummy Asians dishes & sushi rolls. We didn't stay out too late and therefore got in bed at a decent time for much needed sleep.
Happy Birthday to my sweet baby Mojo!

Mojo

2011-04-26T21:54:00.000-05:00

This pic of Morgan was taken after an Easter egg hunt we had with the mom's group we belong to.
The weather was a little warm & getting ready to storm like crazy so I hurried & sat the girls on the curb to take pics. The pic of both the girls didn't turn out so well, but in this one Morgan is actually saying "cheese!" Her bangs are hanging in her face & her little cheeks are red from running, playing & hunting those fun, colorful, plastic, eggs. Her favorite eggs were the one with chocolate inside!!! Mmm!!
I will type this so many times throughout my blog so sorry if you get tired of reading it, but here it goes....
"I can't believe she's getting so big!"
And....
"I can't believe she's growing up so fast!"
My little Mojo is not a baby anymore. And more & more a toddler everyday. She'll be 2 in a few days & I get teary-eyed just thinking about how fast 2 years have flown by.
What a living doll she is :)

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T08:27:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics from an Easter egg hunt we had at the club on Saturday.

Something on Sundays

2011-04-24T22:58:00.001-05:00

I just woke up from a little nap. You see we've been having storms since about 7pm-ish this evening & about 8pm-ish our electricity went out. At the time Morgan was already in bed asleep & Lily was relaxing with me on the chair. When the power went out Frank opened up a window in the living room to let a nice breeze flow through. I laid down in the couch with Lily laying on my chest and we fell asleep for about an hour. I loved this moment. I cherish the times when Lily falls asleep on my chest. When she was a tiny baby & endured colic every night from 7-10, I often had her laying on my chest. I guess I became so familiar with the feel of something laying on my me I would have Morgan take many naps while laying on my chest & even to this day I fall asleep better on my back with a pillow on my chest. I guess it's my body's way of remembering such a wonderful, comfortable moment of babies falling asleep on my chest.

Today, Easter, has been such a perfect day. We woke up early and met Frank's family at Church for early service. After Church we came back home with everyone so the kids could hunt Easter eggs before brunch. The Easter bunny "hid" (and I use the term "hid" loosely) all the eggs outside and the kiddos had a great time collecting the eggs in their baskets. After the egg hunt we enjoyed brunch at Hurricane Creek Country Club and then came back home so the kids could play outside on the trampoline and swing set. They had so much fun. It's really great watching Lily, Morgan and their cousin play, share, smile, laugh, count, run and experience special time together.
After everyone left, the girls opened up their Easter baskets. Daddy Easter bunny gave the girls their surprise (precious flip-flops & a bathing suit cover-up) earlier in the day so this evening they opened the rest of their Easter presents. The girls received rolling suitcases filled with panties, new PJs and plastic eggs filled with peanut M&Ms. I told Lily she could take her new rolling bag to school and she informed me that her new bag was for vacation & not for school! I guess she's ready to go on vacation again :)

You will have to wait for Easter pics until the morning. My night is all of schedule due to storms and power outage, therefore, I'm going to force myself to go to sleep so I can go workout at 5am. I'm hoping to post pics after workout and before the girls wake up.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Easter as we did ours....Happy Easter from Texas y'all!

This fabulous and most informative email was sent from Natalie's iPhone :)

Something on Sundays

2011-04-17T22:23:00.000-05:00

This past week Lily's school hosted a "Wee-lay" for life to raise money for cancer research. Each classroom alternated with 30 minute "Wee-lays". The kids were ushered outside to the roped off circle drive where they ran around the drive while listening to music, laughing, holding hands and enjoying their outside time. They finished the "Wee-lay" with cool popsicles treats.
Morgan and I attended the "Wee-lay" with Lily so she was given a popsicle to enjoy, also.

Lily worked up a thirst while running around the circle drive.

Mojo & her popsicle!

Lily & her new favorite color "purple" popsicle!

Lily's class enjoying their treats! This was probably the only time they were quiet that day!

Ain't that something?

A new favorite

2011-04-15T09:22:00.000-05:00

Miss Morgan has found her new favorite breakfast to start her day off just right!....
Honey-nut Cheerios, bananas & strawberries all dipped in Nutella!
"mummy" she says!

Something on Sundays

2011-04-10T23:10:00.006-05:00

Today, Sunday April 10, 2011, I accomplished something I've never accomplished before and because I'm so proud of myself I have to blog about "it" or "me", I should say!

So, on this Sunday afternoon some people were following the Master's, others were watching Nascar, while I, along with a few of my bootcamp partners, were conquering "The 2011 DFW Original Mud Run!" Let me explain the Mud Run....
"The Original Mud Run" is a fundraiser for the National MS Society, The Young Marines and Salute Inc. It is a course of 6.21 (ish) miles to run with at least 15 muddy obstacles, that we knew of (via the registration packet), and a few "suprise" obstacles thrown in just to keep us wondering what is next. The first run is 1.8 miles then an obstacle and for the rest of the race there is an obstacle every 1/2 mile. Here are some of the obstacles...
The Hurdles, The Mud Pit, The Quigley (belly crawl in mud), The Mine Field (low crawl in mud), The Stairway to Heaven (3 story giant "ladder" to climb), The Rope Swing (if you can't swing across you will fall in the mud!), The Wall (take a good run at the wall, put your foot on it & pull yourself up...I had to jump up to reach & grab the top then pull myself up & over!), The Tunnel (crawling thru a tunnel), The English Channel (literally about 30-40 yrds of treading thru waist deep water while your legs are sinking in mud up to your chins), The Low Crawl (42 feet of crawling thru mud & under wire), The Cargo Nets (a climbing task on loose cargo nets), The Over and Unders (you have to take a breath, go under the mud & log, then back up over another log & so on), Leap of Faith (just as it sounds, climb up to a platform about 15-18 feet off the ground then jump into the mud!), and a swim of about 100 meters across the river. There were a couple more obstacles, but this is all I can think of right now.
So here is my background story. I met Pam, my trainer, last summer as she was Lily's swim coach. I found out Pam is, also, a fitness trainer and so I started going the her bootcamp on Monday, Wednesday & Fridays at 5 a.m. Yes, I just typed 5 a.m.! It's literally like working out in the middle of the night for me, but I love it! 5 a.m. is the best time for me to workout, before the kids & the husband wake up, I don't have to find a babysitter or send the girls to a daycare at a gym, plus, when I come home after working out I still have at least an hour to myself to do "whatever" I want! Sometimes I catch up on my DVR, read a book, make my grocery list, cut coupons, clean, start laundry, take a long, hot shower with no one bothering me or sometimes I go back to sleep!
I love my workout group and have met some awesome people! We are all on different endurance levels, but support each other in every way! And that is how I accomplished the Mud Run! Because I had the support of my bootcamp girls. When we started talking about the run I really wanted to do it, but was afraid to. Afraid that I couldn't "keep-up" or even finish. This is when my supporters said, "Natalie, you can do it!" So I took their word to heart and signed up. And, of course, they wouldn't let me sign up in the "non-competitive" race, only the "competitive" race where we had to wear combat boots & utility/cargo pants! So that's what we did... Dressed up like military and ran our Mud Run. I will have to say there were a few times today when I was thinking to myself, "What have I got myself into?" But I never wanted to quit. The running was the most difficult for me because I'm not a distance runner. I'm good with a 1/2 or full mile so the first almost 2 miles really tired me, but when I came to "the Wall" and used my upper body strength to pull myself up & over, I thought to myself, "I can do this, I am strong & I will push thru!" Oh, and couple of times while running I did think to myself, "I have been thru 29 hours of natural labor, I can finish 2 hours of mud, running & obstacles!"
I won't lie it was hard, but I will do it again & I will beat my time because I will do more running to train for it next year!
The Original Mud Run was the most exciting, agonizing, fun & rewarding Sunday afternoon I have EVER experienced!

Pre-Mud Run pic

During Mud Run

first pic taken after Mud Run

fun pic taken in front of Mud Run wall
(post race)

Pam & I getting hosed off by the fire department!!!

unfortunately the fire engine is missing from pic :(

Ain't that something?!

Ain't that Something?

2011-04-03T21:53:00.002-05:00

I'm going to start a new something for my blog. It will be called "Ain't that something?" More like a themed day... A little something on Sundays. It may be good, bad, sweet, wonderful or amazing, but it will be a little something. I'm sure most posts will be about baby girl stuff such as PJs, socks, bows or great deals I've found here or there, but I'm looking forward to keeping my blog up to date by this new "themed day" plan.
So my first "Ain't that something" starts today! And the topic is amazing!

My Grandfather's 101st Birthday!

The girls and I just got back home from Oklahoma where we spent the weekend. We attended our Grandpa's Birthday party on Saturday morning and had so much fun. I hate to admit the obvious, but I'm pretty sure Grandpa's friends have all passed away so needless to say there were only family members at the party. Some of my aunts, uncles & cousins I haven't seen in a few years, and for some it was the first time to meet both of my girls. It was such a cherished moment for all of us to be together. Grandpa looked amazing for 101 years old. He told me his knees were giving him trouble so he has to make sure he takes it slow & easy when getting around so he doesn't fall.
We enjoyed fried chicken, beans (of course!), cornbread, different salads, and Birthday cake. Grandpa's cake was decorated with a garden on top because he is a gardener. And has been for as long as I can remember. No wonder his knees are giving out on him!
The girls enjoyed themselves with all their cousins. Running, chasing, screamimg, eating a ton of cake & icing and just having good kid fun! I had an uncle, referring to my girls, say to me, "wow they're wild!"
I said, "Yes, they are!" with a grin on my face. As my girls, who started their day in white tights, a cute purple balloon dress and, as Lily calls them, "her princess shoes", were now wearing no shoes, no tights, bows had been pulled out of their hair and cake was smeared from their toes to the top of their heads!
We, along with many family members,and, of course, Grandpa celebrated an amazing 101 years of his life!
Ain't that something?

This pic is of 4 generations...
My grandpa, my dad, my brother, my sweet baby girls & myself!
(Before my girls went totally wild, took off their tights and smeared chocolate cake all over themselves!)

Lily in ski school

2011-03-23T22:24:00.001-05:00

This is a pic of Lily in ski school. I forgot to mention the ski school little ones wear neon vests. She, also, is wearing a GPS cuff. The instructors gave us her GPS code which allows to log in to her "ski day". By having this cool system we were able to view her skiing pattern/ routes & mph.
Sooo cool!

WP,CO

2011-03-23T22:09:00.000-05:00

We drove back home from Winter Park Spring Break 2011, a few days ago, but before I post about that vaca, I need to update from last time we were there in February.

WP, CO Part 3....
Aunt Lisa flew in town to be our "day-time" nanny. This meant Frank & I were able to ski together, yay! (which hasn't happened since 2004!)
While Frank & I were skiing together, Lily skied, yay, again! We dropped her off at full day ski school with "Mr. Potato Head" (the name of her instructor, because he tucks his gloves in his goggles on each side of his head and, therefore, looks like a Mr. Potato Head!) She was excited about her ski school and VERY excited about her helmet! In fact, That's all she was asking about, "where's my helmet?". At least she's all about safety! After our day of skiing we came down to "Mt. Maury" (the ski school mountain with a magic carpet) to watch Lily. She did very well with both attending ski school with-out becoming upset & learning how to ski. I'm thrilled she's learning to ski at an early age instead of in her twenties, which is when I learned. It's much harder when your old!!! Lol!
That night we feasted on fresh Salmon which was flown in from the Pike Market in Seattle. Frank used a few special spices on the fish then grilled it on cedar planks & can I tell ya, "it was to die for!". We, also, indulged in a ton of wine that night. As I stated before we drink a lot of wine while in WP. Well, that night was a whole other story! Five bottles of wine later & everyone was calling it a night. No, not me... I finished the night off with a margarita. Yes, ridiculous, I know. Believe me, I know!

WP,CO part 4...
I was suffering from the self-inflicted cocktail flu! No skiing for me. Instead, I took the girls to gymnastics, came back to the house, ate a quick lunch & we all took a long nap! It was just what I needed since overindulging the night before!

WP,CO part 5...
Frank & I were able to ski & have lunch together with our friends. What a fun, unique day it was. I use the word unique because right now having young children those "adult only" days are scarce. The skiing was fabulous! We were skiing "white-out" conditions, which is not always fun, but we layered up to stay warm, the powder was awesome & we enjoyed a tasty lunch at Sunspot which is 2 miles high!

WP,CO part 6...
I decided not to ski this day and let Aunt Lisa ski. She is an awesome skier so we let her slice-up the slopes! Instead, we had an easy morning, took the girls to the base & let Lily show us her skills on Mt. Maury. It was a thrill to watch my first born wear her ski bibs & adorable matching jacket, helmet, cool goggles, teeny-tiny ski boots & skis then ski down Mt. Maury! She had a blast & we did, too, just by watching her!

Stay tuned for Spring Break 2011 news & pictures.

This fabulous and most informative email was sent from Natalie's iPhone :)

Winter Park, CO 2011: part 2

2011-02-22T21:09:00.001-06:00

Today was ladies day on the slopes! Which also meant today was "daddy daycare!"
The daddies made sure the kids were entertained all day. They attended gymnastics in the morning came home for lunch, naps & then swimming in the afternoon.
Us mommas had a blast on the slopes. We didn't attempt anything too crazy just a day full of nice & easy runs with a relaxing lunch in the mix.
Once everyone arrived home we wanted to prepare a fast, fuss-free dinner. You have to understand while we are in WP we prepare & eat fabulous meals & drink amazing wine. Most meals would rival a 5 star restaurant. But tonight we needed an easy fix. So we went with chicken & steak quesadillas and, of course, margaritas!
What a perfect way to end a perfect CO day & evening!
Thanks Frankie for whipping up our tasty dinner!

Winter Park, CO 2011: part 1

2011-02-22T01:18:00.000-06:00

We are back in WP and I'm thrilled. As I've stated before it's a different way of life here. No deadlines, no times schedules, no contracts to be dealt with, just a complete relaxed way of life. Yes, we do have to make it to the slopes on time, still feed & put the girls to bed on time, but I feel as if I'm in no "rush" while I'm here. Another great thing... We drink A LOT of wine while we are here!!! HAHAHA! That wasn't what I was gonna initially type, but I thought it sounded good plus it's true!
Back to my story... I don't always have to put on make-up & fix my hair while I'm here. My hair is short so I can put on a cool, ski beanie & I'm good to go! Love it! Hey, I figure I'm still more appropriate looking than the family I encountered at the Safeway, who had a mom with dreads, older than her kids, which, by the way, looked as though they had just bathed or rolled themselves in dirt! Now, how is that possible when there is literally 6ft of snow in some places? Anyway, I digress.
So, you get my drift, We're on vaca & we love it! I took about a 2 mile walk this morning. Yes, it was 7 degrees outside, at an altitude of about 8,500ft above sea level, and you might say, "well that's no vacation", but I will tell you it was one of the best walks I've had in a long time. No "momma-momma" noise just the sight of beautiful snow, fresh air, the sound of my feet crunching in the the snow & of course frozen snot! Yea, I had to type it. It was part of my nice morning alone, after all. Then, I came inside & did 20 push-ups, just for good measure! My trainer, Pam, will be so proud!

Late this afternoon the girls, Frankie & I ventured outside to test-out the "make-shift" sledding hill in front of our house. Frankie packed it down real good, (wow! I sounded like a real hick saying that!), so we could put the trusty ole orange, plastic sled to work. I videoed & took pics while Frankie sat the girls on the sled with him & away they flew down the mini-sledding hill!
It was hilarious! The girls loved it & wanted to go again & again! Morgan clapped her hands & squealed after the ride and Lily said, "I go fast, fast, fast!"
I think I have some dare-devils on my hands!

Enjoy the pics...

Sweet Baby Mojo clapping her hands! She loves all the snow garb & being outside!

Lily... She's like, "yea, I'm cool in my snow suit!"

My "living dolls" in matching snow suits! When I bought their matching suits I was thinking to myself, "If they're wearing matching snowsuits, at least, I will be able to spot them in a crowd of people or when they're skiing down the mountain" Clever, huh? I think I'm giving myself more credit than I deserve! ha!

These pics are taken as Frankie & the girls partake in their Christening of the "mini-sledding hill" in front of the house. I giggle everytime I look at these pics!

1st snow of twenty11...

2011-02-15T21:55:00.000-06:00

These pics were taken a couple of weeks ago hours after the first snowfall of 2011. Yes, my "living dolls" are wearing faux fur coats, tutus & cowgirls boots! That's how we do it in Texas!
Yesterday, Valentines's Day, and today's weather was beautiful. So, I feel it's fitting to post my pretty pics of the snow because the weather here in Texas can change in an instant!
I love referring to my girls as "living dolls" because it reminds me of my mom. She referred to me as a "living doll" when I was young. So I guess I can say, "I'm turning into my mom!"
That's okay for me. My mom always knew exactly what to say to me when I was feeling down, stressed or if my confidence was waivering. I knew she was my biggest fan...and still is!
Happy Valentine's Day, Mom! See you in a couple of weeks. My "living dolls" will be excited to see you!

This won't be funny when she's 16!

2011-02-08T23:29:00.000-06:00

Sweet Miss Morgan has found her boogers!
You're probably thinking "why in the world would I post this pic?!?!"
Well, I think it's hilarious! Gross, but funny. I guess I think it's humorous because Lily never picked her boogers, but Morgan does & I don't know where she learned it. Most of her actions she performs these days are learned from Lily or I. She very much mimics everything we do so I'm just confused about the booger situation....
Wait, I know where she learned it.... Her "papa!" Yes, that's it. In fact, in this picture she is sitting in her papa's office chair, holding down the fort, while he is out of town. She obviously must have been channeling him.
I sent Morgan's papa a text message with this picture via my sister-in-law telling him "Morgan picked you something for Valentine's Day!"
I'm sure he appreciated my "odd" sense of humor.... He is an Okie after all!!!!
P.S. She didn't eat it! Hahaha!

Oh nutella....

2011-02-02T23:38:00.001-06:00

How I love u!
I had no idea you are so versatile! You tantalized my taste buds in Paris while being spread upon fresh croissants & crepes.... I enjoyed the fact you were everywhere in Italy when I needed you so.... And here in my small town in Texas you've thrilled me once again!
I've been afraid to bake with you due to the fact your labeling states "do not refrigerate" & "do not microwave".
I guess I was afraid to "alter" your room temperature ways.... Until, I found a recipe of my FAVORITE cookie containing you as an ingredient, so I had to try!!!
And who knew you could make "no-bake cookies" (cat sh*t cookies) even more rich & tasty than they already are?!?!
Well you did & these cookies are soooo delicious I'll probably eat all of them! Actually, I KNOW I'll eat all of them!

P.S. "no-bake cookies" can also be called "cat sh*t cookies" because once you pour the cookie batter atop wax paper thats along your countertops it looks as if your sweet feline has come thru & did his #2 business all along your countertops! Gross, huh? But it doesn't stop me from eating em!!!! Lol!

My favorite things....

2011-01-29T14:58:00.000-06:00

I have a couple right now...
1. I don't have to buy "pull-ups" any more... Lily's potty trained! Yay!
2. Little, cute & soft camisoles for the girls.

Back to the potty training... Lily has been #2 potty trained for months now... I can't remember the last time she pooed in her pull-ups or panties. But #1 was a different story, until, Jan 1st... That morning I told her "mommy didn't buy any more pull-ups so you have to wear big girls panties" and Lily said, "okay, mommy"
Alright, no big deal! That was that and she now wears big girl panties & a bra shirt! (that's what she calls her soft camisole!)
I will have to say I was kinda worried about this whole potty training thing... We live about 20 minutes from town and I didn't want to be stuck on the road with one of the girls about to pee in their panties because I forgot to make them "go potty" before we left the house, but so far so good. We have not had this situation, yet!
I am worried, however, about our upcoming 16 hr long road trip so I think a child size "port-a-potty" is in the works!

Now back to the camisoles... I bought these sweet little shirts for extra warmth on cold days, plus, they are so soft, cute & sweet I couldn't pass them up :)
They, also, serve another purpose.... And only our playdate friends will appreciate...but as I've mentioned before, Lily likes to get strip down to, well,,,, nothing, at our playdates. So I was HOPING that instead of being "neckid" at these events she would strip down to her "bra shirt & panties"!
Did it work?
NO!
I guess my hopes for her were too high!!!! Lol!

And for now I loooove my sweet baby girls wearing their sweet camisoles :)))

The everlasting pumpkins!!!

2011-01-28T15:32:00.000-06:00

Okay, seriously what's up with my pumpkins???? Why won't they rot?
Back in October I got tired of looking at my plain orange pumpkins so I painted them. The top one is, of course, "leopard print" & the bottom one is painted of our Triple I Ranch brand.
So I like them and don't want to toss out my paintings, but enough is enough... Why won't these things rot? I'd feel much better about tossing them outside if they stunk a little & pumpkin seeds were falling out of it's bottom!!!
Oh well, I think it's time they hit the creek bottom.
I'm helping host a bridal shower at my house in a couple of weeks... I don't think the pumpkins will fit in with our spring bridal shower decor!

2011-01-24T19:24:00.000-06:00

What my dinner does.... It patiently waits....
How is it my sweet baby girls know when it's time for me to sit down & eat... As soon as I'm about ready to dig in one of them wants more chocolate milk or one of them wants a cookie. It never fails.
And tonight it happened again, the girls had already eaten their dinner so they were watching TV while Frank & I started to eat... Well, Frank was able to eat. My dinner, however, patiently waited for another 5 minutes or so before I devoured it.
Tomato basil soup & Texas size garlic bruschetta with fresh Mozzarella (one of my favorite snacks at the moment!)
Finally..... It's all gone!
And yes it was yummy!!!!

Patiently waiting....

2011-01-24T18:59:00.000-06:00

2011-01-24T15:40:00.001-06:00

Yea!!! It works!!! But it left off part of my message, so here is the rest of the story....
And you will get to see my new pair of shoes!!!! I'm in love... They're so impractical for a mommy of two baby girls, but, oh well, I'm sure daddy Frank and I will have a date soon! I think Grandma Suzy is coming in town & of course she will be on babysitting duty for a night!

This fabulous and most informative email was sent from Natalie's iPhone :)

2011-01-24T15:35:00.000-06:00

Text blogging.... Does it really work????
I will know here shortly... If it works you will be reading this and I will be thrilled... Then I won't have to get my laptop out of it's bag, turn it on, wait for it to do it's magic (it's soooo slow), log in to my blog, upload my pics and type all of my important info (lol!)... I can just do it from my phone... Oh my life will be so much easier!! And you my readers will have more fun stuff to read!

almost caught up!!!

2011-01-21T13:48:00.000-06:00

Okay my precious followers... a few blog post readings for your pleasure. Granted I'm still a couple of holidays behind (ex. Christmas & New Year), but for now I'm caught up from this past fall.
I did the same thing in '09 I did in '10 and I'm not happy about it. In '09 I told myself "do not get behing again", but unfortunately I did it again.
In my mind I'm going through all the fun times we've experienced since October 2010 and by not keeping my blog updated I haven't filled y'all in on it, so the next few posts you read are just pieces of it all.
Hopefully, in the next couple of days I will post more reading and viewing pleasure.

Lily's 3rd Birthday Party

2011-01-21T13:39:00.000-06:00

Lily's Birthday party was a blast! We had a few friends over for jingle-bell necklaces, making reindeer headbands, snacks, juice boxes, Grimaldi's pizza, Birthday cake, and...... here it goes..... SANTA!!!!
Yes, this year Santa was a hit! Last year Lily wanted no part in Santa, but this year she was excited to see him. She even held him by the hand and walked him inside after he arrived on the mule. Everyone took turns sitting on Santa's lap and telling him what they want for Christmas. And, in return, Santa handed out party favors from his big, red, Santa toy bag.
After Santa's visit we feasted on our FAVORITE cake from Panini's bakery in Dallas. Oh my gosh, the "white chocolate, raspberry filled" cake that we always order from Panini's is soooooo yummy!!!! They decorated the cake exactly like the napkins & plates we used for Lily's party. It was decorated so cute, too!
After cake, Lily opened her Birthday gifts. She received some really great presents and the kids had fun playing with them.
I'm always so thankful our friends & family take a few hours out of their Saturday, in December, right before Christmas, to celebrate Lily's birthday.
I'm, also, thankful we are able to give to the "Marine Corps Toys for Tots".
I always want my girls to know it's fun to receive, but it's awesome to give.
Thank you to our friends & family for such a FUN, SPECIAL, CRAZY, LOUD, MEMORABLE
3rd Birthday party for Lily.

Feeding donkeys!

2011-01-21T13:21:00.000-06:00

The day after Thanksgiving we met some friends out at their ranch to eat leftovers, let the kids play, have a little adult conversation, and feed donkeys!!!
It was a very cold day so we layered up, rode out to the pasture on the Kawasaki Mule, with a bucket of apples in the back, and treated the donkeys to an after-Thanksgiving Day treat.
I've fed our longhorn out of my hand, but this was my first experience feeding a donkey out of my hand and I have to say I was a little weirded out by it. The donkeys literally grab the whole apple out of your hand by their teeth and in one CHOMP the apple is in pieces. I was totally afraid the donkey would miss the apple and go for a hand, but the donkeys had good aim and everyone came home with all their fingers and hands.
Thank goodness :)

Morgan's walking!.....

2011-01-21T13:15:00.000-06:00

And has been for several months, but I never posted her milestone.
This is what happened...The husband went out of town for a long weekend so the girls & I had our friends Ashley & Kendall over for a couple of nights. Lily & Kendall, at the time, played, ran, colored, and climbed all over the place, where as, Morgan was only able to crawl or walk by holding on to something near by. Well, needless to say, I guess Morgan was tired of watching Lily & Kendall have all the fun so the very next day she let go of everything & began walking!
It seems she turned into a toddler overnight. No more "baby" stuff like riding on my hip all day long or whining until I figure out what she wants. Now she lets me know exactly what she wants! If she wants her shoes she says, "shoes!" and brings them to me so I can help her put them on, if she wants a cheese stick or fruit snacks she opens up the fridge or walks into the pantry, grabs her snack of choice, brings it to me so I can open it up for her, if she wants her "bebe" (pacifier) she says "bebe", and if she wants her sippy cup she says, "memma" (lemonade). She follows one step directions like throwing away trash, picking up toys, or handing me something I need.
She, also, has suprised me and is putting two words together.. Like "night, night daddy", "bye-bye daddy", "where's sissy?", "no momma", "you okay?", and "bye-bye ken-kal, (our friend Kendall)"
Morgan is such a sweetie and growing up so fast!

One day of Thanks

2011-01-21T12:05:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving dinner was held at our house this year. Our family came over in the late afternoon and we ate about 6pm. We had a very good time. Lots of yummy food, wine & desserts. Lily & Morgan's cousin Chace was in town so they had a blast before and after dinner running around the house and playing in the playroom.
Frank & I are very thankful everyday for our many blessings, but this "special" day of thanks is very important and so memorable for us.
Some pics of the day...

Happy Halloween!

2011-01-21T11:58:00.000-06:00

Because we live out in the country and have only a couple of neighbors, every Halloween we go to our friends house in town to "trick or treat" in their neighborhood. This year Lily very much understood "trick or treating". Last year she new to walk up to houses, ring the door bell and greet the homeowner, but this year she new she was to receive candy at each house. She was very proud of all the candy she had accumulated in her "Shrek head" Halloween container. Sweet Miss Morgan, on the other hand, had no worries at all. She just cruised around in a wagon pulled by daddy Frank, picking up and eating random pieces of candy that landed on the bottom of the wagon.
Morgan was dressed up as "Puss in Boots"
Lily was dressed up as "Dronkey" both from "Shrek 4"
They were cute little characters, if I do say so myself :)

Happy Fall Y'all!!!

2010-11-10T06:55:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I've taken so long to update my blog...especially because I loooove this time of year. I enjoy the weather, fall colors, falling leaves from trees, being able to take the girls outside without it being soooo hot, decorating with pumkins, crazy squash, bales of hay, spider webs & spiders, Halloween costumes for the girls, and knowing that Thanksgiving, Lily's Birthday & Christmas celebrations are just around the corner.
The girls and I just got back from Oklahoma. We had a fun time. It seemed as if we didn't stop for one minute. We were constantly going and the girls had sooooo much fun playing all of their cousins. Although we've made some really fabulous buddies here in Texas, it's very special & memorable to watch my girls play with all of their MANY cousins in Oklahoma. We were there for a week, but it still wasn't enough time to visit everyone I wanted to see. I made a few drop-in visits. Which I feel is just not fair to those family and friends I dropped in to see, but really wanted to hang out or have lunch with.
So, I remember making this same complaint last year. I guess to resolve this issue I need to visit my home town more often than once a year or stay a month next October!
Before the girls & I went to Oklahoma we visited a couple of Fun Fall places. A Pumpkin Patch not far from our house and the Dallas Arboretum, which I loooovvvveee!
Above are a few of my favorite pics from those places!
Happy Fall Y'all!!!
(i totally stole that saying from one of my facebook friends! it was too cute so i had to use it!)

SCCHHHOOOOLLLLL!!!

2010-09-19T01:09:00.000-05:00

I'm about two weeks late in posting this, but Miss Lily started Pre-School! She attends school twice a week from 9am to 2pm. On the first day, I walked Lily to her "ladybug" classroom where all of the kids were making pretend pizza with Play-Do. She sat right down and joined in. I wanted to take pictures so bad, but I was afraid if I lingered too long she might decide, "something is going on and I'm not staying here!" So I took only a couple of pics and walked out. At this point I'm thinking, "wow, I can't believe this was that easy!" During school Lily had a very good time. She gets a mini-report card everyday giving me details of how her day went. On the first day she was chatty, friendly, busy, cooperative, curious, happy &.....teary! Okay, so the first 6 descriptive words are fabulous, but the last word is, well.... SAD. So this is what happened... Nap time rolled around and instead of napping Lily took the princess clip out of her hair and started playing with it. One of her teachers took it away and this BROKE Lily's heart. She immediately started crying and wanting her mommy! The director came in to hold & comfort Lily and, finally, she calmed down then fell asleep. After nap time, the kids play for a bit until it's parent pick up time. When I arrived to pick up Lily she was all smiles. That evening before bed I asked Lily if she had fun at school and she said, "yes!" I asked her her favorite part about school and she said, "apple juice!" Even though she had a tough go of it at nap time I still feel she enjoyed herself very much :)
So the second day came, this is when the husband & I thought Lily would oppose. Lily, Morgan & I pull into the parking lot of the school and Lily said, "No, Momma!"
I said, "Lily this is your school, remember? I packed your lunch and you have a juice box?!" She said, "Oh yea, okay, Mommy"
Morgan & I walked Lily to her classroom, she walked in and over to the pizza making play-do table & started playing. I just stood there for a few seconds dumbfounded. I totally expected her to throw a fit because, at this point, she now knows I'm leaving her all day. So she's totally fine with school!
"Okay, wow, it's time to go" I say to myself. Miss Lily is growing up!

Editor's note: I just now re-read this post...I totally miss-spelled several words...I guess I'm the one that needs to go back to school!
Or learn to use my "spell check"!!!

WP,CO

2010-09-12T20:12:00.000-05:00

Since my last post we've enjoyed many happenings. We went on a long weekend getaway to Winter Park for Labor Day. We had some landscaping done since the last time we were there in July, so we wanted to go back and view the finished product. We are thrilled with our new back yard. Its totally different. What used to be an almost minor landslide is now an awesome rock/boulder retaining wall with Aspen trees and a variety of other newly planted trees & bushes. We, again, enjoyed ourselves very much. I totally ruined the nutrition plan I had been following, but eating bad is what you do on vacation, right? The husband & I loved having coffee outside before the girls woke up, taking the girls on our daily walk around the neighborhood, swimming at the rec center, traveling to Grand Lake & listening to live music while having a picnic & shopping the cute stores along the boardwalk. The girls got matching Moccasins to represent their American Indian heritage. The weather was perfect. I was expecting it to be a little bit cooler than it was so with the warmer temps and no humidity I was in heaven. One morning, though, we woke up and it was verrrry chillllly...19 degrees, ouch! It warmed up quickly once the sun came out. Thank goodness!
We have such a nice time in WP. No schedules, no errands, no rush just good ole family time. Okay, so I'm counting down the days till we return.
I almost forgot.... We had a visitor every night, Mr. Fox. The last night Frank & I were feasting on pizza out on the back deck when all of a sudden Mr.Fox jumped up to join us! It scared me...I heard the "landing thump" noise and my first thought was BEAR! I let out a little scream then realized it was Mr. Fox so I relaxed a little bit. I guess he sniffed out of pizza and wanted a piece of his own!
I, also, have to thank Frank's parents for baby sitting for a couple of hours one day. Frank and I put the girls down for a nap then went to Devil's Thumb Ranch (were he proposed!) for a spa afternoon. We both enjoyed wonderful massages then relaxed in steam rooms. Thanks Nana & Papa for our afternoon away!

a new routine

2010-08-26T21:54:00.000-05:00

Miss Lily and I have started a new routine. She goes to bed a little bit later than Morgan so I read to Lily separately from her sister. Usually, Lily and I sit in the living room and read together on the couch. It never fails she gets distracted by whatever her daddy is watching on TV. A few nights ago a new idea popped in my brain. I hesitated about it at first because I thought Lily would want more than what she was about to experience, but I decided to try it anyway. My idea was for Lily and I to cuddle up in my bed for our story time. This is when I thought she might want to stay in my bed, which she never does, but with Lily sometimes I give her an inch and she takes a mile!
So I tried it anyway. I said, "Lily, lets go read in mommy's bed"
Lily: "Okay, Mommy, put on your jammies"
Me: "okay Lily"
I put on my jammies, we crawled into my bed and cuddled while reading. She loved it! The same event has happened every night since then and I love it! When we finish reading I take her to her bed and her daddy comes in to say prayers.
It's a perfect ending to the day!!!

Miss Morgan

2010-08-23T01:43:00.000-05:00

My past few posts have been about Lily so it's time for a post about Miss Morgan. Now days Morgan is getting through the house via walking while holding on to everything...Couches, chairs, walls, cabinets, tables, anything she can grab a hold of, she uses it to maneuver around. She has a very sweet disposition, cute as a button, with hair hanging in her eyes, that I try to keep in a "pebbles" style, until she pulls out her hair band. She is very good about playing by herself, however, she is, also, very interested in what Lily is doing. Many, many times during the day I have to mediate the "toy snatching" that goes on between the two. They both steal from each other, but Lily is in her "mine" stage, still, and it never fails Morgan will be playing with a toy, minding her own business, when Lily comes over and steals it out of her hands. Poor Morgan will scream as if she is saying, "No, sissy, don't, why did you do that???" Sometimes, though, Morgan has such a death grip on the toy, Lily is unsuccessful in the stealing of the toy. I chuckle inside because then Lily leaves her be when she realizes Morgan is not "giving in" to her.
As I stated before Morgan has a sweet disposition. She will come up to Lily or I while we are playing and lay her head on us. She loves to place her forehead on my forehead so we can see directly into each other's eyes. As a baby, she did this when she started to get sleepy, now she does it when she knows someone is going to give her kisses.
She blows kisses & waves at strangers, she returns my smiles when I look at her through the rear view mirror, she loves chocolate milk and eats a ton of fruit. Morgan says a few words now... hi, bye, mommy, lily (yeye), puppy, dadda, ball, belly (baye). She loves to dance and will do it anywhere, anytime! (like her momma!)
She lets out a little scream & giant smile when she hears her daddy unlock the front door and walk down the hallway.
She is an absolute doll & I can't wait to watch her grow up. It will happen too fast I know.

with the good comes the bad

2010-08-11T07:42:00.000-05:00

Last week ,Frank and I had to rush Lily to the emergency room. She had an abscess on her bottom which needed to be drained. Let me back up... last Tuesday night I took Lily to the Acute Kids Care for an abscess on her bottom. The Pediatric Doctor, also named "Lily", lanced the abscess (which was horribly painful for my Lily) and wrote a prescription for an antibiotic. We came home with Lily running a 102 temp. The next day we followed up with our Pediatrician. She drained it some more and told us to continue draining, warm compresses, and warm sudsy baths, but if Lily continued to run a fever bring her back the next day. Guess what? Lily was still running a fever and the infection was spreading. Every time I drained the abscess a ton of infection came out and the whole process was traumatizing for Lily and I both. So we went back to our Doctor and she sent us straight to Dallas Children's Hospital. We checked in to the ER and waited for the Pediatric Surgeon to see us. I couldn't feed Lily anything to drink or eat because there was a possibility she was going to have surgery later in the evening. During the waiting time in the ER we had three different diagnosis, plans/opinions. Finally, when we saw our Pediatric Surgeon he said, "Surgery and IV antibiotics, you should go home in a couple of days"
Wow!!! Here we are in the ER, Frank and I trying to wrap our heads around our baby, "going to sleep"? We just couldn't believe it.
The nurses came in to install Lily's IV. TRAUMATIC!!! I remind you Lily has nothing to eat or drink. She was dehydrated and the nurses took three tries before getting it right. So here is our sweet baby lying on the bed, hands & body wrapped in a tight blanket so she can't move around, all the while screaming because she is in pain and flat pissed. Again....TRAUMATIC!!!
Surgery went perfectly fine. Literally it took 5 minutes. The recovery process was longer than the surgery. When Lily woke up she asked for her shoes and juice. We gladly accommodated her! Our nurse brought in a DVD player with Thomas the Train DVDs and in no time at all Lily was up dancing to the theme music. Frank and I were very relieved! Lily and I were escorted to our room and were pretty much in quarantine.
Aunt Lisa was so nice to bring us dinner on Thursday & Friday night and Frank spent most of the Saturday with us at the hospital. Miss Morgan was at home being taken care of by Frank's mom and my mom which came in from OK to help out. I knew Morgan was in great hands so that was one thing for me NOT to worry about.
Lily had a dose of IV antibiotic every 6 hours and Tylenol & Motrin when needed. I haven't mentioned during surgery Lily was given an incision with two draining tubes coming out of her bottom. The dirty diaper thing was very difficult to deal with and I will spare you any details.
We spent Thursday, Friday, Saturday night in the hospital. I will always remember room 670, yellow & blue painted walls, with a strange, upside down, painted hot air balloon on one of the ceiling tiles. Weird? The nurses were very sweet to Lily. They brought her stickers, bubbles, and a little stuffed frog. The "child life" services, also, brought Lily toys, bubbles, DVDs, stickers, crayons & coloring books to occupy her time. What a relief, because remember we came to the ER with nothing but the clothes on our back and a diaper bag.
On Sunday, the Surgeon came in, took Lily's drainage tubes out, gave me directions for future cleaning of the wound, and gave us our walking papers!!!
We came home to tell Grandma Suzy, "Thank you, I love you, and Bye, bye!"
Then later that evening Frank's family came over for dinner. I know it sounds crazy having people over just after getting home from the hospital, but the company took our mind off of all the hospital stuff. We enjoyed steak, egg plant rattitoue (sp?), salad, and Sangria.
As of today you would never know Lily had been in the hospital for 4 days. Except for her name bracelet which is on her ankle. She will not let me get close to it to cut it off. It's like it's her battle scar. I might have to sneak in her room and cut it off if she doesn't give in shortly! But other than that you would never guess she was in the hospital. She is back to being my sweet, spicy, caring, independent, curious, loving, active, smart little girl!

Lily's first bike ride!

2010-07-27T00:04:00.000-05:00

Lily diving for her rocket

2010-07-27T00:02:00.000-05:00

Miss Lily graduated swimming lessons as a Level 1 Red Cross Swimmer. She learned how to blow bubbles, hold her breath underwater, glide underwater, swim with "big" arms underwater, jump off the step and swim to me underwater, and finally fetch a rocket at the bottom of the pool. I'm not talking 6ft or anything, but she can go down to about 3ft underwater to grab her rocket. She is totally a little fish. I have to be extra careful now, though, because she will jump off the step into the water no matter if anyone is there waiting for her. Scary, huh? Needless to say she loves swimming, I'm thrilled, but we keep a careful eye on her while near a pool.
The video is of Lily going underwater to grab her rocket.

WP, CO

2010-07-26T22:07:00.000-05:00

Over July Fourth we've made a tradition to be in Winter Park, Colorado. This place is very special to our family....
The husband & I met there, he proposed to me there, and Morgan was conceived there!
While we were there the weather was perfect. No humidity, about 70ish during the day, and evenings 50ish, with a couple of nights dipping into the 40's. During the day we did some walking and Lily started riding her first bike! When we first arrived Lily saw all the bicylists in town and she just had to have one. We bought her a pink Huffy bike, with a Barbie helmet, knee & elbow pads. The evening times were filled with live music in the parks. Tons of families piled in the parks, kids running around, dancing, & playing, while their parents chatted, sipping on their favorite beverage. Just let me say, "I was not ready to come home. I have not had enough of Colorado this summer, and I want to go back!!!!!" But in the same breath, we missed our family and friends. If I could take my family & friends with me to Winter Park, I would be a happy camper!

Celebrating my Birthday

2010-07-26T21:40:00.000-05:00

My mother and aunt came in town to sit for the sweet baby girls so the husband and I could have a whole 24 hours alone. Spending it however we wanted to. We were kid-free with no decisions to be made, like.... what's for lunch?, what's for snack?, what's for dinner, what time is nap?, when did I change her diaper last?, is it too hot to go outside?, should I try & teach Lily a color today?, someone is crying, what happened?, did Lily steal the toy away from Morgan or was it the other way around?, have I yelled too much today?, did I tell the girls I love them today?, did I hug & kiss them enough today?, did Morgan drink too much chocolate milk today?, is Morgan teething?
See... it's exhausting at times!!! Needless to say the 24 hr, kid-free, birthday celebration was much needed!!!
We left the house at noon on Saturday and returned the next day at noon. We went to the club, I layed by the pool and the husband played 18 holes of golf. The day was soooo hot. I stayed cool by taking a dip in the pool, but those poor golfers. I don't know how they do it. The husband said about every third hole was a huge cooler containing ice towels. He said this was the only thing that saved him from having heat stroke. He literally took the towel straight from the ice and placed it on his head and neck. Crazy what these golfers endure for the game!
After our day at the club, we went to downtown McKinney and stayed at The Grand Hotel. After a nice shower we had drinks in the bar at Rick's Chop House and stayed there for a fabulous dinner. The Grand Hotel is just next to Rick's so we didn't have far to go to get into bed. Thank goodness, we were exhausted.
The next morning we went to Starbuck's, sipped on coffee while reading the Dallas Morning News, and actually had an adult conversation. It's the small things we take for granted once babies are in the family.
But of course, while at Starbuck's, my mind kept thinking about our sweet baby girls. Wondering what they were doing, if they slept all night for Grandma Suzy, what they had for dinner, what they had for breakfast, and how Lily did with potty training. (That is a whole other blog post waiting to happen!)
The only pic I took of that weekend. A faaaaaabulous bottle of wine!

So much on my mind...

2010-07-26T21:38:00.001-05:00

I don't know where to start!
I have so many thoughts cruising around in my head. I have so much to post. You should be prepared to sit and read for a bit.
Actually, I will have to break it down into a couple of days worth of blogging so keep in touch :)

Pease Daddy, Bubble baff?!?!

2010-06-29T21:22:00.000-05:00

When Frank does "bath time" it is the best!
After the girls eat dinner and if Frank is not outside on the tractor he likes to do "bath time". He tries to get away with giving the girls a shower, but he quickly figures out Lily will not stand for it. She looooves her "bubble baff"
Frank will say, "Come on girls it's shower time."
Lily replies, "No daddy, bubble baff!" We are trying to teach her manners, so Frank says, "What's the magic word?" Lily will say, "Pease Daddy, bubble baff?!" And gives him a big hug!
Of course he can't say, "No" :)
Morgan knows exactly what's going on and she zooms into our bathroom, via crawling, with a smile on her face and squealing once she gets there.
While the girls are taking their "bubble baff" I get to do about 15 minutes of chores before helping Frank get the girls out of their bath and starting their bed time routine.
These last minute chores could be starting a load of laundry, putting away laundry, cleaning up from the girl's dinner, filling the girl's humidifiers with water and getting their bedrooms ready for bedtime, picking up toys, sweeping, making a phone call, getting our diaper bag ready for the next day, laying in the closet stretching my tired body (my favorite 15 minute alone time!), or just sitting, watching the girls smile, laugh, and enjoy their special "bubble baff" time with daddy.

"Good Luck"

2010-06-25T22:33:00.000-05:00

In my husband's office stands a Buddha. Lily has not paid any attention to it until recently. She goes up to Buddha and names all of his body parts. I thought this would be a perfect time to add a little "good luck" to Miss Lily.
I tell her, "Lily, rub Buddha's belly for good luck!"
She now has some good luck coming her way!
(Maybe a shake or some chicky-frenchfries are in her near future!)

and one day it all changes

2010-06-20T22:40:00.000-05:00

I feel it is very important to show affection. Hugs, kisses, a pat, or something as simple as swiping away a tendrel of hair from one of my girls' faces are all so critical. Everyday I make a special time to tickle, kiss, and hug every inch of their body. When the girls were tiny babies I massaged them with lavender baby lotion after every bath. The believe touch is vital for bonding, the massage is awesome for development, and the lavender smell is so relaxing for bedtime. Lily still loves for me to massage her feet and slowly tickle her back...it will stop her in her tracks and immediately relaxes her to an almost trance like state.
I am also the type of mom who notices small details. Especially when it pertains to my girls. I have memorized every part of their body, from their brown spots, stork bites, toes, fingers, belly buttons to their bottoms. I remember their chubby feet and grummy little fingers and palms. Then one day it all changes and their feet aren't as chubby as they used to be and the creases in their palms aren't filled with goo.
Then sweet baby Lily is putting on her own sandals with the strap in between the wrong toes!!! :)

a couple of my favorite things...

2010-06-16T23:32:00.000-05:00

Just bathed, sweet smelling baby girls wearing their soft, new, matching pajamas!!!

If I was lost....

2010-06-16T22:43:00.000-05:00

Lily would direct me to where I need to be... Or where she thinks I need to be.
Chick-fil-A, Braums, Nana's house, Giulia's house, gymnastics, daddy's office, or the pool are a few of her favorite places.
Let me give you some history.
Every Wednesday, Lily has gymnastics and if she behaves well I treat her to Chick-fil-A. I wake her up on Wednesday mornings and say, "Good morning, today we go to gymnastics!"
She then replies, "Chicky, french-fries?!?!?!"
I say, "Only if you listen to Coach Laura Beth"
She says, "Okay Momma!"
While driving to University Of Gymnastics she pays close attention to where we are and as soon as we take the exit to the gym she says to me, "Thank you, Momma!" I say, "Your welcome :)"
When we finish with gymnastics she doesn't forget and demands/questions, "Chicky, french-fries?!!"
Of course we go to Chick-fil-A.

More cute stories.... Lily knows when we enter Nana or Giulia's neighborhood and she says to me, "Thank you, Momma!"
A couple of times a month, I take the girls thru Braum's and order them a shake. So now when we drive past Braum's.... Lily points to the big Braum's sign while saying, "Momma, Momma shake over der, shake over der!!!"
She, also, knows which road leads to the pool and when we don't turn down that particular road she points in protest, "No, Momma, No, Momma, I wanna Go to Baf, Go to Baf!" (In the lily language- pool AKA baf!)
Finally, when we drive past her Daddy's office and don't stop to visit him she REALLY protests, "Stop Momma, Stop. Daddy! Daddy!"
She starting realizing where we are, or are going about a year ago. At first, it started with gymnastics, but now it is a whole different story!
I love it, but I have to be careful, because I can't pull any tricks on her!

"Big Girl Lily"

2010-06-08T21:34:00.000-05:00

Lily has enjoyed her past week as if she were a "big girl"!
She went to see Shrek, and today had her first dental appointment.
She was very entertained with Shrek. I was almost tempted not to take her to see the new Shrek. I bought the book for her, read it to her once, and then realized the next day it was gone all of the sudden. I actually think she threw it away. The book made Shrek out to be a very mean Ogre by doing lots of shouting and scaring the towns people to death. So, in my mind, I think she didn't like the book and tossed it. Anyway, during the movie she sat with a bowl of puffs in her hand, munching away, with her sippy cup in the cup holder. She paid great attention to the movie. Before the movie, I told her we were going to the big girl's movie so when we get home she needs to go pee-pee or poo-poo in the big girl's potty. Has it happened? No. Is it my fault? Yes. Most of the time Lily fights me about putting a diaper on her and she likes wearing her panties, so I need to be diligent and get this potty training thing in order!!! I'm really dreading it. We've been toying with the practice, but no success. I have taken Lily to the potty, put panties on her, set a timer for 15 minutes to take her back to the potty, then we walk into the living room, I turn my back on her to do something, and next thing I know she is poo-pooing in her panties! I can't believe it! I get so discouraged I end up putting another diaper on her. Potty training is going to be a great task! I'll let you know how it goes.
Lily's next big adventure was today at the dentist. The appointment went very smooth. Not much happened on this first appointment. The dentist counted Lily's teeth and examined them for any decay. Lily left with a balloon & a box of sidewalk chalk and a wonderful report! The dentist said, "Lily's teeth looked nice & clean." I'm thinking to myself, "Thank goodness, they had better look nice & clean." Lily loves to brush her teeth and she is famous for sneaking into my bathroom, getting out her toothbrush, putting "Thomas the Train" toothpaste on her toothbrush, and standing in my drawer so she can see herself brushing her teeth.
And, if there happens to be any random make-up nearby, she helps herself to that, too. She will come out of my room with squeeky clean teeth, what looks like a bruised eye from applying too much eyeshadow, and sparkly lipgloss all over her face!
What can I say, "She is her mother's daughter!"
Yes, she is 2 going on 22.
The above pics are of her at the movies and at the dentist office.

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-05-30T21:34:00.000-05:00

Memorial Day weekend starts the summer and we usually spend it at the beach.
South Padre Island
And good news... No oil!
In months or years to come, when I look back over my blog, I will wonder "what in the world does that mean?" Then, I will remember of the most horrible and disasterous oil spill of American history. Thousands of barrels of oil are spilling out into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico as I am typing... And the Louisiana shore line is being attacked by this escaping oil. The ocean, fish, eco system, and life as the "Louisiana people who live and work off the waters" know it, will not be the same for a LONG time.
Not to make light of that situation, but this blog is about us, so here we go...
Our weekend at the beach has been full of ocean, sand, pool, sunscreen, and lots of seafood (for us adults). Lily and Morgan have enjoyed their playtime at the beach.
The schedule of our vacation days have gone as the following... We started our days with an early morning dip in the ocean, once the girls had enough of that we headed to the pool. We finished up there then came inside for lunch and naptime for the girls. Today, the husband and I were able to spend some nice, quite time on the beach while the girls slept with Nana nearby listening for them to wake up. After naps it is round two at the beach and pool. This is followed by bath time and out to dinner! We've visited Daddy's once and Blackbeard's twice for our weight in yummy seafood!
Thanks to Papa and Nana for a fun family weekend!!!

Farmer's Market Saturday

2010-05-24T22:09:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday, the girls and I met our friends Ashley and her daughter, Kendall, at the Farmer's Market in downtown McKinney.
Ashley and Kendall had a nice, earth friendly bag full of healthy stuff.
We, on the other hand, purchased sweets. Lily insisted on muffies (AKA: mini cup-cakes with sprinkles). The muffies were a little hard to hang on to, and because Lily dropped a few, we had to go back and buy more. On the last trip back to the muffy stand, the sweet lady said, "Don't worry, this one is on me!"
The girls were very cute together...Sitting next to each other on an old wooden step eating their muffies, petting a nice dog, dancing to a folk band, then giving kisses to one another when it was time to go. Unfortunately, the only pics I took of the girls were when they were playing with sticks.
Thanks to Ashley and Kendall (AKA: Ka-Ka, when Lily says it) for a nice Saturday morning :)

Saturday Night Fun

2010-05-17T00:29:00.000-05:00

Russell and the sweet baby girls

Lily trying to take off in the Mule!!!

Daddy and Mojo sitting in the top seat!!!

Riding in style!!!

This past Saturday night we enjoyed a good "ole-fashioned" country night out. Our neighbors hosted a benefit honoring Susan G Komen. One great thing about living in the country is you can have a LOUD party and no one complains!

We enjoyed fabulous live music, BBQ, and a jump house for the kids. But the best part of it all is simpleness of watching our children laugh, dance, sing, and smile all night long!
And giving to a great cause!!!

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T21:35:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to my mother who would do absolutely anything for me.
And to all the other mothers out there who have given up everything, at one time or another, to become a mother.
THE HARDEST JOB OF ALL!!!

Morgie's cook-out!

2010-05-06T22:17:00.000-05:00

Form Morgan's Birthday we invited a few friends and family over to induldge in hotdogs, hamburgers, and yummy birthday cake from Panini's Bakery. Here are a few pics from the fun day.

Dear Miss Morgan

2010-04-29T23:17:00.000-05:00

I can't even express how much I adore you!
Let me tell you some of the ways.....
Your sweet smile with your crinkled nose. Your calm disposition. The way your second toe is shorter than your big toe. Your precious giggle. The way you wrestle and hold your own with big sis Lily. The fact your first word was, "momma!". The way you know to clap your hands when Lily and I say, "Yay!". The way you give me, "five". The way you lay your head on my shoulder as if your saying, "I love you, mommy!" . The way you smile at your daddy when he enters the room. The exciting little screams you deliver to your sissy and I. The way you dance when I sing to you.
But most of all just because your you!
Your daddy and I love you more than you'll ever know!

Happy First Birthday!!!

2010-04-29T22:19:00.000-05:00

Today, one year ago, sweet baby Morgan Antonia was born!
The "actual" induction started about 7:30am. Three short hours and a few minutes later she was born. The pitocin set in and worked very fast! I was given a little something through the IV because I was not ready for an epidural. This drug was horrible. I went from sane to crazy in a matter of seconds. I was crying one minute then laughing hysterically the next all while having a contraction. The husband finally said, "You have got to get ahold of yourself!" Which makes me chuckle today because when you are under the type of drug I was given there is no "getting ahold of yourself!". Anyway, I was dilated at a 5, given an epidural shortly later, and literally went from a 7 to 10 in a matter of 25 minutes. With lots of pressure down below, I was ready to push, but no doctor! I started to become very nauseous and I remember the head nurse saying, "DO NOT LET HER THROW-UP... IF SHE THROWS UP SHE WILL DELIVER THIS BABY AND I DO NOT WANT HER DELIVERING THIS BABY UNTIL THE DOCTOR GETS HERE!!!"
I'm thinking "oh my goodness, did she just say that?"
No fear, fabulous Dr. J arrives and a few pushes later Miss Morgie was born. All of her sweetness. Just amazing!
Morgan Antonia
April 29, 2009
10:58am
7lbs 1oz

the night before...

2010-04-28T21:03:00.000-05:00

One year ago, tonight, after eating a big bowl of pasta, the husband and I drove to Baylor Frisco for the inducing of our second baby. While driving to the hospital we finally decided on a full name for our "soon to be born" baby. We had tossed many names around but finally we got serious in the car ride over.
We didn't quite know what to expect for the induction. I went into labor on my own with Lily, but with our second baby we needed more of a definite answer as to when the baby was to be born because we needed to arrange the grandmas for babysitting duties of Miss Lily.
We arrived at the beautiful hospital and it felt like we were in a hotel lobby. As we walked through the labor and delivery doors it seemed a little more hospitalish but still we were very impressed. No hospital smell, beautiful floral arrangements, comfortable waiting areas, and awesome nurses. I was prepped for inducing and was told to try to get comfortable. I was allowed to eat until midnight so the husband raided the snack room and brought back cookies and other snacks for us to munch on. I pulled out my book to read myself to sleep, but it didn't work. My night of sleep was terrible. Not because I was in pain, but I just couldn't sleep. It didn't help that the nurses came in every hour or so to check my vitals. They were very sweet and polite so I wasn't that preturbed at them. I don't think the husband slept very well either on the pullout chair. Imagine a six foot man on a five foot pullout chair. Not that comfortable! I should of given him the sleeping pill I was allowed to take because it simply didn't help me at all.
This not being my first rodeo, I knew I should have made myself go to sleep. With the sleepless nights in the very near future I should have slept. What is that ole saying, "hindsight is 20/20"?
Oh well, things will turn out perfectly, but you have to wait until tomorrow to read more!!!

When mommy talks on the phone...

2010-04-19T21:33:00.000-05:00

As a child, what did you do when your mommy talked on the phone?
You know, before cordless home phones. Before we could chase our child around the house while he/she is screaming way too loud and making it a very horrible for the person on the other line.
We had those old heavy phones with the spin dial. I'm sure they have a specific name but I can't think of it right now.
Any way, before all of that, did you do anything funny or dangerous while your mommy talked on the phone?
My brother used to strip my mom and dad's bed. My mom would walk into her room and find sheets, pillows, and blankets all over the floor. He also would get the eggs out of the refrigerator and smash them on the floor. Lovely, right?
These days, sweet Miss Lily has realized she can take advantage of my phone conversations. It seems to me she knows she can get by with a little more that usual just because I'm on the phone. Maybe, she knows I'm not going to scream at her like a crazed woman with someone else on the other end.
A few things she has accomplished in a very stealth like manner while I'm talking on the phone.
1. She just all of the sudden disappears...
2. I find her completely neckid, diaper and all, GONE.
3. I find her up on a stool where she found a highliter and is going to town coloring on whatever paper she can find.
4. I find in our fireplace and because it is open on both sides, she makes her way through to the other side, while I'm trying to grab her before she gets ashes everywhere.
5. I find her in the freezer looking for her frozen corn.
6. I find in the refrigerator looking for cheese or pudding.
7. I find her in the pantry looking for cookies.

You know, as I re-read this I think I need to get of the phone and feed my child!!!

My Review of Swaddle Designs Polka Dot Ultimate Receiving Blanket - Apple Green

2010-04-14T21:31:00.001-05:00

Originally submitted at Toys R Us

Swaddle Designs swaddling blankets are larger than typical receiving blankets at 42 inches by 42 inches square and features designer prints by RN and mother of two, Lynette Damir. Swaddle Designs Ultimate Receiving blanket is made from 100 percent premium preshrunk cotton flannel. Each blanket come...

a must have

By mommanat from anna, tx on 4/14/2010

Pros: Lightweight, Easy To Put On, Soft, Strong Seams, Breathable

Best Uses: Everyday Wear, Sleeptime

Describe Yourself: Parent of Two or More Children

I received this swaddle blanket for my first daughter and loved it so much it was a must have for my second daughter. I am a firm believer in swaddling so my girls were literally swaddled in their "swaddle" blankets religiously. In return they were easy soothed and slept very well. Now my girls (2yrs and 11 1/2 months) use these blankets as their "blankies". Our swaddle blankets have been washed constantly and they are still in great shape and soooo soft. The index card gives perfect instructions for those who don't know how to swaddle! It is a must have!!!

(legalese)

Nutella anyone???

2010-04-06T20:42:00.000-05:00

When Lily goes to Giulia's house she thinks it is snack time. Giulia always has tasty treats for Lily so when we arrive at her house Lily takes herself directly to Giulia's pantry and digs out her favorite snack of the day. It could be crackers, rolls with cream cheese, or, as in this picture, straight Nutella! Giulia was spreading the Nutella on bread for Lily at first, but that wasn't good enough. Lily dove right in scooping out the Nutella with her pointer finger!

100 years old

2010-04-04T21:17:00.000-05:00

My grandfather, the girl's great-grandfather turned 100 years old on April 2. We were not able to attend his Birthday party, but our thoughts, prayers, and well wishes are with him. My brother helped him with his truck last week (spark plugs or something), anyway, after that my grandpa said, "Heck, I might as well go on and trade in my truck." Yep, he still drives! Can you imagine a 100 year old man, wearing overalls and, probably a cowboy hat, going to a car dealership wanting to trade in his truck for something newer! The thought of it makes me chuckle. I haven't mentioned, either, that grandpa still has a garden and sells his fresh produce around town at a few businesses. The thougth of that makes me smile, too!
Happy Birthday Grandpa, see you soon!

Dallas Arboretum

2010-04-01T21:52:00.000-05:00

Today, the girls and I met our friends Lauren, Riley and Sutton at the Dallas Arboretum. Our plan was to shoot adorable spring pictures with the beautiful flowers in the background, enjoy a picnic then let the kids run & play. We accomplished most of that until the kids spotted the gigantic sprinklers shooting out of the mouth of even more gigantic statue frogs. The kids splashed in the water and Lily attempted to strip down to a diaper, however, I didn't think it was proper "Dallas Arboretum Etiquette" to let your child run "NECKID" through the sprinklers! We very much enjoyed ourselves today. Thanks to Lauren, Riley and Sutton for a fun day!

11 months

2010-03-29T21:13:00.000-05:00

Sweet baby Morgan is 11 months old today. She is an absolute doll. She owns a contagious grin and kind of crinkles her nose when smiling at you. She is very sweet, loves to cuddle, and likes to lay her head on Lily's chest when they are playing as if she is saying, "I love my big sis!". Morgan gets very excited when Lily walks into the room and watches every move she makes. I know one day they will be the best of friends. I'm sure they will have their disagreements, but my dream is for them to be "as thick as thieves". I can imagine them even sharing a room... two twin beds, with matching or coordinating duvet covers, bed skirts and pillows. I can't wait.
But for now I am thrilled with crawling, cuddles, drools, and giggles from my sweet baby Morgan.

Priceless...

2010-03-26T20:44:00.001-05:00

I was telling my girlfriend Ashley about this picture I took of Lily and she said, "I have to see it. Email it to me."
So I just thought I would post it on my blog.
Better yet, I thought I should make it into a credit card commercial.

Diaper... $0.15
Cowboy boots... $30.00
Dad's Elk Hunt cap... $15.00
Princess purse... $9.99

Growing up a "Country Girl"... PRICELESS!!!

I'm back!

2010-03-23T21:14:00.000-05:00

So my computer received a nasty virus. Husband had to take it to the doctor to get fixed or as my husband calls it, the computer had to get blown up! I lost everything. I saved all of my pics on flash drives, thank goodness, but all of my favorites, saved documents, etc. are all gone. I will have to start all over. Those many websites/pages I saved hoping to come back to them one day are lost forever. Oh well, no use in worrying.
Some good news, though. Baby Morgan is crawling. Yep, all 10 months of her sweetness is all over the place. If she had been my first baby I would have been stressing out. "Wondering why she crawled so late?" But I figured out quickly each child reaches their own milestone on their own individual time. All children develop and learn differently. That's what keeps us moms guessing (or stressing), right?!

Beauty Shop!

2010-02-28T20:20:00.000-06:00

These days, Lily has been the perfect "terrible two!" I have said the "terrible twos" started months ago, but, lately, they have come on very strong. She has been very defiant and selfish and now believes ALL toys, whether they are hers or not, belong to her. She pulls toys out of her sister's hand and hands of her buddies, all while saying, "MINE!"
I did catch her being sweet, however. Lily loves to dig in the drawers of my bathroom vanity. And tonight she pulled out two hair rollers... One for her and one for Morgan.
At least she shared her rollers!!!

Date Night

2010-02-22T21:55:00.001-06:00

This past weekend Grandma Suzy came to visit. Lily was thrilled to see and play with Grandma Suzy. And Morgan took advantage of Grandma Suzys' snuggles. Grandma Suzy has an IPhone and Lily is so entertained by it. They listen to songs and dance together, draw pictures, and watch videos. We really enjoyed Grandma Suzy being in Texas with us.

We, also, love having Grandma Suzy here because husband and I get to have a date night! Above are pictures of our night out. Husband, myself, Giulia, and Antonio started the evening at their house for a glass of vino then on to Loft 610 for a delicious meal.
I will list what we ordered and devoured from the menu.
Appetizers...
Braised Pork Belly
Jumbo Lump Crap Cakes
Braised Beef Short Rib Potstickers

Salad...
Chopped Iceberg and Watercress with Blue Cheese Dressing

Entrees...
Grilled Buffalo Tenderloin
Crispy Seared Sea Bass
Grilled Prime Lamb T-Bones
Seared Diver Sea Scallops

Dessert...
Pineapple Cake
Creme Brulee
Chocolate Torte
I can't remember the last dessert.

When I look back and read this, I am amazed by the amount of food we can put away. And not a spot of food left on our plates! This is what happens when you are in the food business, you have to try almost EVERYTHING on the menu!!!

Thanks to Antonio and Giulia for a fun night out!
And, especially, thanks to Grandma Suzy for babysitting! We love you! We're also thrilled you found your boots!!! :)

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T20:49:00.000-06:00

Today, on Valentine's Day, I want to give my husband some props. So here it goes...
20 things about my husband.
1. He has gorgeous legs (I'm jealous of)
2. Eyes like Derek Jeter
3. Sweet daddy
4. Creative
5. Athletic
6. Tall, dark, handsome
7. Proud son
8. Cool older brother
9. Hits a target from three hundred yards with his rifle
10. Very well rounded
11. Can drive a golf ball three hundred yards and put it in the fairway
12. Serious, but we can have some great laughs, too
13. Keeps our ranch immaculate
14. Prepare a fabulous meal
15. Hard worker
16. Wear a suit like a runway model
17. Drives a tractor like a farmer
18. Faithful
19. Adores the girls and I
20. Surprises me with thoughtful, beautiful, and often expensive gifts

And I could go on & on with my list.
But the best part about it all is... if all of these traits were gone, would I still love him?...
Absolutely, because our love is unconditional.
Happy Valentine's Day!

Picture Playdate!

2010-02-12T13:34:00.000-06:00

Because of the, almost a foot of snow, the girls and I didn't get to go to Ashley's for our Friday morning playdate. I talked to Ashley this morning and we agreed to pray for eachother's sanity due to the fact were going to be stuck inside all day long with our children! Sounds like we are terrible mom's right? No, the snow is calling our names! We feel like we are so close but, so far away from playing outside in the snow. My girls do not have waterproof clothes, therefore, we can't just run outside and jump in.
So what does Momma Nat do? I say, "Forget the snowsuit, we got Valentine t-shirts and tu-tus!" Yep, I dressed up the girls and we had our own "Picture Playdate". Aren't my "livin' dolls" precious!

It's snowing in Texas!!!

2010-02-11T21:51:00.000-06:00

Here in Texas large, beautiful amounts of snowfall is few and far between. We do get some snow and ice, but today is a different story. Snow has been falling for about 18 hours and forecasted to continue snowing for another several hours. We have received about 7 inches and more to come.
Out here in the country we really get to enjoy the beauty of the snow. It is pure and undisturbed. When I look out to the pasture I see our longhorn huddled together eating their hay and trying to stay warm. The snow is falling so hard, though, I can just barely see them.
This evening I bundled up Lily and took her outside to play in the snow. She loved it. We even went for a swing on the girl's new playset Santa delivered them for Christmas. This was a mistake... Lily did not want to get off the swing. I had to bribe her with a "BIG BATH". This means a whirlpool bath in mommy & daddy's bathroom! She eventually came inside to warm up in her "BIG BATH".

Sweet baby MOJO!

2010-01-31T20:13:00.000-06:00

Morgan loves to giggle & smile. The girls and I were rolling around in Lily's room when I was able to capture Morgan's precious smile!!!

After Morgan was born, I started calling her Morgie. I guess daddy didn't like the nickname "Morgie" so he started calling her "Mojo". Most of our family still refers to her as Morgie, but she is "Mojo" to daddy, and "Sissy" to Lily. Every morning Lily says to Morgan, "Hi Sissy!". I love it, Lily is so sweet!

It's a queso kind of night!

2010-01-29T20:23:00.000-06:00

The day started with the girls and I going to a playdate. Lily will now be known to our play group as "the streaker"! We were having snacks in the kitchen when Lily goes back into the playroom to play, alone. She is quiet so I should have known she was up to something. The next thing I see, out of the corner of my eye, is Lily dashing into the kitchen then back into the playroom wearing nothing but her shirt and diaper! She has accomplished to take off her shoes, socks, and pants, but thank goodness leaving on her diaper. I don't know what she was thinking. I guess she wanted to spice things up a little! After the playdate, we pickup daddy for a big lunch at Macaroni Grill. We decide then we would be staying in for dinner tonight because we weren't for sure how bad the weather would be. All morning had been rainy then the snow started falling this afternoon. The girls went to bed early, I guess they were tired from their big day of a playdate and lunch. So I decided to make queso. Which brings me to a little story. When husband and I were first married the majority of our dinners consisted of a special ingredient, "velvetta". Tortilla soup, potato soup, many casseroles, dips, etc. all contained velvetta! Now 5 1/2 years later, with a husband on cholesterol medicine, I've had to change my way of preparing food. We eat more healthy and our meals have better ingredients. You know NOT the ones with an experation date of June 15, 2015!!! But tonight we caved in and ate velvetta! It is snowing outside, we have a fire crackling, a bowl of sausage queso, and a beer to wash it down. And did I mention the girls are asleep! WOO-HOO!!!

By Invitation Only!!!

2010-01-28T20:59:00.000-06:00

Okay, so anyone who knows me well knows that I RARELY pay full price for anything. I want stylish, unique items, but I will put something back, even if I love it, because it is not a "great deal". I am the type of person that even shops sale racks at Target! I know I'm giving away all my secrets, but I see no sense in paying full price for something when in a couple of weeks it will be on sale! My thought is the less expensive something is... the more I can buy!!!
My friend sent me an invitation to the website below. I will try to explain, but I may not make sense. Each day new "boutiques" open. Each boutique stays open for two days and it is first come first serve. The boutiques carry high-end designer products. And did I mention everything is on SALE? Yep, that is correct, everything is on sale. I even did some price comparing to make sure. Once again, I stress, "first come- first serve", I have missed out on some great shoes and tops due to logging in too late.
So good luck and happy shopping!!! If you don't see anything you like keep going back to the website because everyday a new "boutique" opens.
Copy and paste the website then enjoy!!!
http://www.ruelala.com/invite/nwalker28

Dads and daughters

2010-01-27T22:03:00.000-06:00

This article below is so true and I believe it is a must read for any dad raising a daughter.

Dear Dr. Dobson: Talk about a father's impact on his daughter and what he should hope to accomplish through that relationship.

Dr. Dobson: Fathers have an incalculable impact on their daughters. Most psychologists believe, and I am one of them, that all future romantic relationships are influenced positively or negatively by the way a girl interacts with her dad in the childhood years. If that is true, then fathers should give careful thought to this responsibility and seek to be what their daughters need of them. There are, I believe, at least seven components to that assignment.
First, a dad's leadership at home should be a model of strength and authority, but always tempered by love and compassion.
Second, a dad must remember that he is being watched closely by that little girl around his knees. The way he treats her mother will teach her volumes about how men and women should relate to one another.
Third, I think it is good to begin "dating" a daughter when she is six years of age, or even earlier. Dad should let the child help plan their evenings and then see that they occur when and where promised.
Fourth, a dad should always look for ways to build the self-confidence of his little girl.
Fifth, a father should keep the lines of communication open throughout childhood so that he is seen as someone to whom his daughter can turn when she needs advice.
Sixth, God designed men to be the "providers and protectors" of their families. Dad is often his little girl's "hero," and it is wonderful when that kind of relationship develops.
Seventh, a father must be the spiritual leader of his family, making clear his devotion to Jesus Christ and to the principles in Scripture.

I believe a daddy's role in his daughters life is priceless and this article is so easy to read and understand. (men need that, ya know!) So, thank you, Dr. Dobson!

p.s. I copy and pasted this article from the website of a newspaper, but Dr. James Dobson's website is very informative, too.
www.focusonthefamily.com

Are they twins?

2010-01-25T21:22:00.001-06:00

The girls and I do our grocery shopping every Monday morning. While at Market Street Lily sits in the shopping cart and I carry Morgan either in our BECO or Baby Bjorn carrier. The girls are not the same size. Morgan is big for her age, but not the size of a two year old. Therefore, I think it is funny (odd) when the following happens and it never fails I always have this conversation with someone....

Random person: "Are they twins or just close in age?"
Momma Nat: "Not twins, just close in age."
Random person: "How close in age?"
Momma Nat: "16 months apart."
Random person: "Wow! You're busy!!!"
Momma Nat: "Yes, very busy, but lots of fun!"

Love Dare

2010-01-12T21:59:00.000-06:00

Sometimes life gets in the way. I'm talking about relationships here. It is very easy to take a marriage for granted. Cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, changing diapers, & raising kids, etc., etc., will take over, if we allow it, and our relationship gets moved to the back burner, so to speak. Just like the following... Last year for Christmas I gave Frank, the book, "Love Dare". We very much enjoyed reading and participating in the daily "dares". Did we get through it? No. We let life get in the way and had another baby. So what do we do to guard our relationship and have more one on one time? I know when my mom comes in town, she barely makes it in our door before Frank and I are saying, "See ya, we are going to dinner!" We always take advantage of these times to have a date!!! And guess what else we are going to do? We are going to take up where we left off in the "Love Dare", and maybe finish before next Christmas!

Breast Feeding

2010-01-12T21:52:00.000-06:00

I have been meaning to post about breast feeding.... I have weaned Morgan so I need to post now or I will forget about it. First of all, let me say, "Breastfeeding Morgan has been an absolute joy". I have created an amazing bond with her and I can't help to mention "breastfeeding is cheap!" I will now spend at least $100, a month, on formula due to weaning Morgan. I have had no issues with breastfeeding in public and I am glad no one has had an issue with me doing it. Granted, when I would breastfeed in public, I was always covered up, but you never know how people are going to react by a mother nursing her child. The process of breastfeeding is amazing. It is so empowering that we as mothers carry, deliver, and actually "feed" our babies breastmilk. We are directly in charge of the growth & nutrition of our babies. I mean come on that is awesome! After Lily was born she never latched on so I had to pump and give her breast milk. When Morgan was born I knew I wanted to try breastfeeding again, but I didn't want to stress out myself (or the baby) if things didn't go as planned. Thank goodness Morgan took right to it. We had no problems at all and the process of breastfeeding Morgan was easy.
I do have to admit the drawbacks, though. At about 6 months of age Morgan became very attached to nursing throughout the night. Every night was like an "all you could eat buffet" and in return neither she nor I got much sleep. I became very exhausted, was sick at the time, and I could not get well. I was not extremely ill, but I was having a tough time with my sinuses and I couldn't shake it. These "all-nighters" were more of Morgan wanting to nurse for comfort instead of hunger. This was exhausting me. At the same time I wanted to sleep train her. Needless to say, Morgan and I went to her 6 month check up with me in tears. I was not emotionally ready to wean her but, yet, I had to get some sleep. Our pediatrition is awesome. She listened me to cry, heard my concerns, and completely understood. Her baby is six weeks younger than Morgan so she was experiencing the same events as I was. After much thought, I decided to not wean Morgan at that time, but to sleep train her. She is now sleeping better. Thank godness!
So now two months later, Morgan is weaned. When I look back I remember having to nurse Morgan many times in public. I have listed some places (I remember) where I had to nurse her.

Rick's Chop House, McKinney, TX, DFW Airport, several airplane rides, Starbuck's, Winter Park, CO, Randy's, Winter Park, CO, Nordstrom, Frisco, TX, several different parking lots in TX, OK, & CO; University of Gymnastics, a few birthday parties/playdates, Ashley Thompson Photo Studio, Muskogee, OK, I'm sure I've forgotten places, when I remember, I will post more.

New Year Pics

2010-01-11T21:48:00.001-06:00

I wanted to post a few pics....

Lily watching "Thomas" go by at the "Trains at Northpark"

Morgan Christmas Day

Cotton Bowl

2010-01-11T21:46:00.000-06:00

As I stated in a previous post, husband and I went to the Cotton Bowl. We met at Russell's house to get on the party bus at 10:00 am and didn't get back to his house until about 8:00 pm later that night. This was the first "full day" Frank and I spent together away from the girls. Thanks to Rochelle for coming to our rescue and babysitting the girls. I checked in a few times her and she always replied as everything was good and to enjoy ourselves. That we did!!! Here are a few pics.

As far as the game went... well, it was good until OSU started losing, but it really didn't matter to us. We were enjoying ourselves by hanging out with our friends in a suite at the Texas Stadium. Jerry knows how to do it. Each suite comes with a private bathroom, private servers, all you can eat & drink, three flat screens, (as if the GIANT screen above the middle of the field is not enough!), theatre seating, bar tables, bar chairs, and somebody to clean up after you! What an event to remember!

Bye-Bye, Peg!

2010-01-05T20:59:00.000-06:00

Before Christmas, I sold our PINK Peg Perego stroller. BOO-HOO! I feel kind of sad. I'm sure you're asking, Why?". Well, this stroller was a part of our life. I would just strap Lily in and away we went. The weekend before I sold it was our last trip to the mall with Lily strapped in our Peg.
Now, I need a double stroller. Yes, I sold the only stroller I owned without buying a double stroller, first, and, now, I have no stroller. But I'm on a mission to find a phil & teds sport buggy with doubles kit for a great price. So wish me luck!

An update!!!! We now have a new stroller! And it is so sassy! I found a pink, camo phil & teds stroller with doubles kit for a great price. I accomplished my mission! Doesn't Morgan look so cute chillin' in her new stroller?

Happy New Year

2010-01-04T23:53:00.000-06:00

I love the holidays. Shopping, decorating, cooking, and all of the other fun stuff that comes along with holiday season. Craziness is the term I like to use. Lily's Birthday is the start of the season and our festivities don't stop until after the New Year. Here was our rough time line. Lily's Birthday Party, play dates, gymnastics, my dad's Birthday, Frank sister's Birthday, family dinners, hair appoinments, girls night out, Christmas Eve in Oklahoma that we missed due to inconvenient, bad weather, Christmas Day, day after Christmas shopping, another family dinner, New Year's Eve/ Frank's Birthday!, and it all ended this past Saturday with a memorable day, (away from the girls), to the Cotton Bowl at the new Cowboy's stadium! Hello Jerry's World! This place is the MECCA of all football stadiums. The teams playing were OSU and OLE MISS. We were rooting for OSU (of course) but OLE MISS won. Oh well, we still had a fabulous time!!!
Am I glad the holidays are over? Kinda, now the girls and I can get back to our same old routine. Mondays-grocery day, Wednesdays-gymnastics, Fridays-playdates, and of course Tues & Thurs are for playing, cleaning, laundry, etc.
I'll post holiday pics later.

Happy New Year!!!

Christmas Cards

2009-12-13T20:54:00.000-06:00

When the girls and I were in Muskogee, in October, we had our pictures taken by Ashley Thompson. The end results are FAAAAABULOUS!!!! If you live in the Muskogee, Tulsa, Ok area and are in need of a photographer... I have your lady and her website is... http://www.ashleythompsonphoto.com/ But don't call her until February because she is on maternity leave. Ashley and her husband welcomed their first baby, Ayden, into the world! He is a beautiful baby weighing in at 9lbs 9oz.! Congrats to Ashley and her family!!!!
Ashley and I designed our Christmas cards and I love them!!!! I wanted to wait and post a picture of the card until I put them in the mail and everyone received them. (I didn't want to spoil the surprise) So I hope you enjoy!

See, don't you love our Christmas cards! I describe them as "darling"!!!! Of course anything that has a picture of my "living dolls" is gonna be fabulous!

Merry Christmas!

Lily's 2nd Birthday Party!!!

2009-12-12T21:11:00.000-06:00

We had Lily's 2nd Birthday Party today. We celebrated with family, friends, and a visit from Santa!!! Yep, Santa rode up on his sled (our Kawaski Mule) and the excitement began!!! Santa took pictures with everyone (some more willing than others) and handed out party favors.
I just feel so fortunate that we have a healthy family, friends, and we can all come together to celebrate special times. We enjoyed watching all the kids look at Santa in amazement and tell him what was on their Christmas list. The kids, also, gave to the less fortunate. Everyone brought a new, unwrapped toy for "Marine Corps Toys for Tots". The party goers also partook in stuffing themselves on pizza, salad, and YUMMY, YUMMY White Chocolate Birthday cake with strawberry filing!!!! If anyone is curious... Panini's Bakery in Dallas made the cake.
As for Lily, she loved entertaining everyone at her house!!! She cried when it was time for everyone to leave.
As for me, I can't believe my "Lily Pants" is two years old! Time flies when your havin fun! Seems like yesterday when Santa brought us a tiny, 6lb 10oz, baby girl. What a sweet life we have with our sweet baby girls.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-12-01T22:59:00.000-06:00

We hosted Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year & I can truely say, "What a fabulous day!". The day began with husband, the girls, and myself all having breakfast together. After breakfast, the girls and I, proceeded with our normal morning routine. I wanted Lily to think this day was just like any other day. If she knew we were about to have a house full of people she would have been so excited. There would have been no way to get her to nap and I needed her to nap, for sure. Thank goodness she didn't catch on and when our guests arrived Lily was thrilled. Our guests included family and friends. Frank's parents, his sister and her boyfriend, Wes, Antonio, Giulia, Alessandro, & Lorenzo.
I am from a large family in Oklahoma and so I very much miss the large family gatherings at the holidays, but I have to say this Thanksgiving was a great one to remember. The weather was beautiful so after eating our delicious Thanksgiving meal most everyone walked down to the lake for a little exercise. After hanging out down by the water it was back to the house for the Cowboy's game and to enjoy dessert. Later in the evening we sat around the fire pit, a couple of us drank Prosecco, and watched Frank, Antonio, and the boys toss around the football. And wouldn't you know it Lily wanted to be in the big middle of it all. Lily already had a bath and was ready for bed until she spotted the boys and demanded to go outside and play. So we bundled her up and let her run with the big boys. Needless to say she slept very well that night!
I can't forget our menu.... ham, turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, candied sweet potatoes, bacon wrapped greenbeans, mashed potatoes, gravy, brussell sprouts, risotto, traditional Italian brocolli salad, several different types of bread, rolls, & pies. One of the best parts of hosting Thanksgiving.... leftovers!!!!!

My "Living Dolls"!!!

Chef Antonio & Lisa

Giulia & Sr

Everyone gathered at our table,

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Ta-Da!!!