How Cute

is this??

xo

HOW did I miss these??

happy weekend

xo

Hidden Gems

From a previous visit to MI.

This is Maddie....

in Holly's old shirt...

that my parents got on the NJ board walk,

where, child labor is apparently legal?

And this is Miss Maddie chilling in the

antique potty chair.

All toddlers LOVE to park their bottom in

this chair for some reason.

Pool CLOSED

but we were all decked out in swimsuits

AND sunscreen was liberally applied

so we busted out last years slip-n-slide

guess who wasn't a fan?

guess who threw a water balloon at me and thus ended

the photo shoot...

(b/c the camera got wet, people, not b/c I am a wuss!)

xo

Cake Pops

and jelly beans...

we are the picture of healthy today:)

xo

the bulk of the day

this is what I am up against.

cute.

smile-y

than spitt-ey

sassiness.

hitting

kicking

sqwaking

little monsters

with big tears

and sad faces

than a burst of silliness

and smiles

and a spoonful of peanut butter

and wiggles

and jumping

and climbing

and a declaration that the 2 year old is going to

get EARRINGS when she goes to school!!

declared by the 2 year old!!

ugh!

xo

A moment of sanity

today.

xoxo

Lots of F.U.N.

THis was Saturday.

Awesome friends + fun

Boo sunburns

Incredible school

Family day

Overall successful outing..

despite Piper not napping:)

Pure Sweetness

zoe at 1 week

xo

THis weekend

two incredibly excited girls

two corsages

two giggles

two mega dancers

two pretty princesses

two lipgloss wearers

two ice cream sundaes

two late curfews

one VERY happy man

xo

my friend

could use a bit of support from my friends....

go here to help

go here to understand

thank you

Introducing

xo

the new face

Introducing: the pout

this is what I am dealing with, people!

xo

This one was the most difficult

birthday to accept.

My munchkin turning 2.

I suppose since it happened in December

I can now talk about it now.

She is A.Mazing.

funny and bright.

she says "WHAT?!" loudly and inquisitively but bordering on cartoonish

She can sing her ABC's...with only a couple of letters missing

She loves Elmo, and big bird and cookie monster

She really loves the beach and the park

She is a fan of water in any form

She can get into mischief in less than 2 seconds,

likes to skype her aunt and the twins,

LOVEs watching videos of baby piper

She sings happy birthday on command

She loves her papa...

and puppy dogs.

SHe will reenact her latest puppy dog kiss

and list all the sand castles she has made

She rides her tricycle like a race car driver,

and dribbles a basketball like the friends

We read Go Dog Go or Love You Forever or

a random elmo book before bed time

She wants to pick stuff herself and runs to Keegan

if she doesn't get "her way".

The terrible 2's are approaching

the fits and throwing things

but she manages to get over most things pretty quick

and definitely makes us laugh in the process.

xo

Splash!!!

This girl is very competitive+ a fish.

this isn't my girl but I really like the picture:)

I digress.

This girl had an amazing swim meet yesterday

She has been out of the pool for a bit...

a little strep throat here, allergies there, lets throw

in a dozen basketball games and perhaps a schedule

conflict or two.

But she managed to drop ALL her times.

Even in her IM...grinning the whole time.

Uber proud of you kiddo.

xo

Cake

Nothing better than some girlfriends and a

cake or two....you can never have too much cake!

Celebrating

last month, with my kiddos.

Keeg is 8...it physically hurt to type that big old number.

sigh.

But she is 8 and she is evolving into a little mother..

nagging her siblings

trying to corral the mischief and/or tattle a bit on the side.

She is phenomenally artistic

She is brilliant in math (though she denies this gift)

Loves Harry Potter

Loves Swimming

Enjoys playing defense in Basketball

Has one insane competitive streak

and an equally insane breast stroke kick.

Has a kind, sensitive heart

Is well-liked by her peers

Is a leader

Is a helper

Enjoys her Disney TV

and some itune-age

She is 8 and my heart is breaking a bit.

Mock me all you want;

8 is soooo much bigger than 6 or 4 or 2...

so 8 seems REALLY flippin big these days.

ugh!

xo

Not a single

entry in January.

sheesh.

grabbed the camera for this photo loveliness today

3 girls.

lots of giggles.

2 homemade dresses.

a couple ant bites

and loads of silliness.

xo

For my Brother

who pretends to despise my paparazzi tendencies:)

Brief Vacation summary:

We had a great holiday hanging with family...

It was brrr chilly but we bundled up for nature walks

and random exercise.

Brad was on call but was able to enjoy most of the festivities.

we celebrated this munchkins birthday a bit late

but she didn't seem to mind TOO much!!

Mostly we relaxed, ate food that didn't require tooo much prep

(other than the awesome turkey uncle J)

My kids were terrors at times but 3 positive strep screens

explained most of that.

Overall, lots of relaxing and smiles...and an insane amount

of toys!!

Fa-la-la-la-la

visual now-recap to follow!!

xo