Scrappy Things to Share

I have put my old blogger site to use as a display for some of my digital scrapbooking pages. Look under my profile to link to that site.

I'm a Lumberjack

I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay.
I work all night and I sleep all day.

Tonight, after the girls went to bed, I went outside with the intention of planting a couple of flowers and plants that the girls and I bought today and ended up sawing limbs off of not one but two pine trees. I asked Keith where his hand saw was.

Why?
I want to trim the pine tree out back.
Can't this wait until another time?
Nope.

So out I went.
One branch.
Two branch, etc., until I lopped off 6 large branches from that tree. Then, if that weren't enough, I decided that I'd better do one of the trees out front while I had the time. I must have taken another ten off of that one. The boys next door are going to be so bummed. They like to hideout in there. The youngest told me it was his "secret" hideout. His dad thought it was really nice that his son had a secret hideout in our yard. I'm going to tell his parents that I trimmed the tree because I got sick of him playing in my yard! They will know that I am joking.

I do feel like I got a lot accomplished in the yard tonight and have finally embraced my inner gardener that I have been fighting for years. I have always loved flowers but hated to take care of them. Now, it is the best escape at night. It is so quiet and flowers don't cry or whine - ever!

I did get lucky today and had no crying when we went to Bordine's Nursery to buy the plants and flowers. The girls were so good. I have never gone this late in the growing season so I was really surprised to see how empty it looked from both lack of plants and lack of people. Lauren wore her new butterfly wings and helped me push the cart around the aisles of flowers, occasionally stopping to smell the flowers or put something in my cart which I would later take out. She looked adorable. I was asked several times where I found the butterfly. I just replied, "She was fluttering around by the roses. I think she is the last one." It was nice to go there and just walk around undisturbed while we looked at all the beautiful flowers. They even have a playscape in the middle of the trees! I need to go back for a few more things but it seems like such a hassle. It takes longer to buckle the girls in their seats then it does to drive to Bordine's since we live so close. I wish we had a nice sidewalk so we could just take the wagon and go. Maybe someday.

Dancing with Lauren

Lauren's Bike

Okay. We still have to wait another week yet because we are going to give this to Lauren when we celebrate the girls' birthdays next Saturday but I can't contain my excitement! This is the coolest pink tricycle EVER! This picture doesn't do it justice. The pink is so pink and the chrome is so shiny! We found it at Sunrise Bikes and Boards in Fenton when we went to look for a bike rack. (Kurt - explanation for Keith's weird call about borrowing your rack... He wanted to make you think we were just rudely taking yours again but we actually had our own. Would have been funny but you were so easy going and mellow about the whole thing that it ruined it. :D) Anyway, while Keith was looking at the racks (including the one on the sales girl), Lilly and I were following Lauren around and around and around the store as she rode this trike, ringing the bell the entire way. Pretty cute. They wanted a lot of money for it because 1) it is a specialty bike store and 2) duh, it's Fenton. So we came home and I used my trusty Google search and found it at Walmart.com for $30 cheaper!!!! So now it is sitting, waiting under the stairs for the big day when Lauren gets to ride it and I can barely contain myself! We also got her a pillow. I know that sounds pretty boring but it actually quite exciting in its own special way. It is her very first pillow. She is going to be a big girl! Tonight she was almost a big girl. After dinner, I was trying to get her diaper changed and get her pjs on. She wanted to do some streaking. It is one of her favorite past times lately because it makes Lilly laugh so hard. She decided to sit her little bare butt down on her potty and she started to try to poop. She farted and it startled her and then she hopped off and then back on a couple of times. We were cheering her on and I quickly grabbed The Potty Book for Girls so that she could look at another girl using the potty. We were just so surprised. We have talked about it, read about it and watched Elmo sing about it but we have never tried to push the issue at all. She is ready to give it a try! Yeah! Unfortunately she did not go on the potty. Instead, I chased that little blond demon around a chair in the living room as she clenched poop between her cheeks and giggled. At one point she tried to clear a laundry basket and smeared that with a little bit of poop and that is when I decided enough was enough. I tackled the Great Brown Streak-er and diapered her all the while screaming over her cries about what a big girl she is and how she is going to be an awesome pooper! Yeah. My life is vastly different then I ever could have imagined. After all of that, I discovered that one of the cats had puked on the floor. They never do it on the wood floor, naturally. Crap!
Keith: "And this girl wants new carpet."
I do.

Flashback

I just came across this picture of Mom with Kel and me on our awesome couch from the woodsy flower collection circa 1978. This pic of me looks a lot like Lauren and Kel is a great fill in for Lilly. How weird that my girls are so similar to mom's girls! Lauren's hair is even growing like mine. I have other pictures that show Kelle & me looking even more like the girls but I will have to scan those at another time.

I AM NOT ALONE!!

Now, I hadn't been posting for such a long time and I have overlooked something very important. My friend Andrea is PREGNANT - AGAIN! Andrea, just like me, will be having Irish Twins. She had her adorable little boy, Sean, December 11th and is expecting a very, very short time after that. Oh, life's little surprises, huh, Andrea? I think I will remember our conversation almost as well as when I found out I was having Lilly. She called me and I was in Home Depot on Mother's Day!!! She told me, and I later apologized, but I laughed and laughed. I think it just felt nice to know that someone else was going to understand what I was going through. Hey, Andrea, it really is getting much easier now but I am not going to lie, the first year is AWFUL! On that note, Good Luck & Congratulations! (PRAY FOR ANDREA!)

Andrea, Garth & Sean (at Christmas)

A Conzelmann Girl Is Born

Mark and Jourdan Conzelmann had a beautiful baby girl, Susan Ann on June 6th. I recently got some photos and thought I would share them. Congratulations Mark & Jourdan.

Susan & cousin Drew (Sarah's little boy who is the same age as Lauren)

Mark & Susan

Papa Dave & Susan

Jourdan & Susan

Susan

All the Way From Japan.... It's Keith!

Karaoke is not just for Keith's trips to Japan anymore. Yesterday, we started playing SingStar 90s. It is so much fun. For those of you who don't know about it, it is a karaoke game. You can sing solos, do duets or play the way Keith and I did last night in battle mode. That is where you sing the same song at the same time and get points for pitch, timing, length of the notes, etc. I am sorry to say that Keith beat me at Wilson Phillips' Hold On and a few other girlie songs that I knew and he didn't. Know how? I know the words but he sings no matter what and has better pitch. I sound like a Peter Brady on that episode of the Brady Bunch when his voice changes in the middle of the song. Work what you got, I guess!! Apparently, you just have to make noises and you get points. We started the game with Baby Got Back and while I was singing away and trying to get points, Keith was sitting, watching and banging on his microphone. He racked up 160 points just tapping the beat on his microphone. How unfair! Later, he had me laughing so hard that I couldn't sing. And you should hear our duet on Poison's Unskinny Bop. They really should give points for knowing the guitar solos. We had so much fun, didn't wake any kids playing it but did the stupid thing of staying up until 1 a.m. to play. Yeah, it was worth it. It was so much fun. I think we are going to have to unload the kids some night and have a SingStar party.
Speaking of sleeping kids. Lilly is doing so AWESOME! She has been sleeping through the night. She is way less drama then her sister. Lauren still wakes up once every night. She is getting new molars so I let it slide a little while longer.
I read Aunt Angela's comment that she could view Lilly's fish face video. I haven't deleted it and I can still see it but wondered if anyone else is having trouble with it. Please let me know whether or not you can see it. Just leave me a comment with a yes or no. Thanks.

No More Frank Family Website

Well, for the few of you who care, I have dismantled the Frank Family website. Only Aunt Angela, Scott & Katie, Amber and my mom had even visited it so I am done. I think it would have been a fantastic communication tool for such a large family and if enough people request it, I might do it again in the future. I am a little bummed it didn't work. Oh well, thanks to the few of you who tried to get things going.

And here is your daily Lilly. Both girls were splashing up a storm when Lauren told us to look up at the plane. (She never misses a single plane that goes over the house.) Lilly did just as her big sister told her to do and looked up. Taking after my "Grandma Kodak," I had my camera in my hand and snapped away. Cute.

Lilly Makes Faces

Is This Still Considered Art?

Lauren decided to crawl through the center of the easel. Smart but funny and another set of great pictures for the future. It was a lot of fun getting her out of there; her head got stuck! Don't worry. No toddlers were injured during this photo op!

Sweet Sisters

I got them together. Now, I just need to get rid of that darn juice box in Lauren's face!

Lil' Mama

Kitty likes to sleep on our bed. Lauren likes to climb onto our bed. Not always a good combination. However, this was really sweet. I found her in our room covering up Kitty so that she would by all tucked in. She was talking so quietly and sweetly. She would kiss her and pet her so gently. It was so cute. I am glad I was able to get the pictures.

McNuggets are for Sharing

While Keith was gone, I got Lauren a happy meal for dinner. On the way back to the house, I told the girls we were going to go right in and eat. I told Lily that she would have some green beans, some baby food and I would let her try one of Lauren's chicken nuggets.
I put Lilly in the high chair and went to find the sippy cups. Lauren set up shop on the floor. That is where she wanted to eat - not at the table, not at her table and not in her highchair. Okay. When I came back with the cups, Lauren had everything under control. She had all of her food on the plate I gave her, her happy meal bag was thrown in the trash and Lilly had her chicken nugget. How do you like that? Now, if she would just do dishes!

We Have Lift Off

Lilly started to pull herself up on the 15th. I am so excited! She did it the same way that Lauren did it... by pulling up on me. Now, you can't keep her down. She is always up. She is trying really hard to stand without grabbing on to anything. It'll happen soon.

Here she is after discovering how to pull herself up to the sand and water table. She was having so much fun.

Lauren was not. She wanted to play on the swings but I told her we were playing in the sand box. Not happy.

Markers!!!

Our wonderful neighbor, Esther, gave us this great easel to use as long as we would like and it has been fantastic! It has a chalkboard on one side and a dry erase board on the other. Plus, it has a roll of paper on the top that can be pull down for my budding Picasso to express whatever is flowing through her little creative body at the moment. And I have to say, GOD BLESS CRAYOLA! I love washable markers, chalks, crayons. I don't know what I would do without them. I guess little red beard here would look pretty different if they were permanent.

Loaded Up and Truckin'

This past Thursday, Keith had to drive a truck up north to put some miles on it and run some tests. He and two other guys drove the truck and a chase truck to Mackinaw City for the night. We were lucky enough to have him stop by the house and see us on the way.

Here is Lilly waiting for Daddy.

Lauren was singing and dancing to pass the time.

I love this fun smile!

Trying on Mama's sunglasses. Yup, perfect fit.

With Daddy in front of his big truck.

One For You

Lauren has discovered her independence now that she can reach many things off the kitchen counter. On this particular day, it happened to be a bag of tortilla chips that I was using to make taco casserole. She marched out to the living room, plopped down in front of Daisy, ate a chip and then gave Daisy a chip. Soon it was one for Lauren and a big handful for Daisy. Lilly was a joyful but innocent bystander in this mess. This whole "fun" game ended up with the entire bottom of the bag being dumped in front of the dog. We played another fun game after this. I like to call it Who Can Cry the Loudest While Mama Runs the Vacuum?

Modesty Starts Young

Lauren had on this tank top that was a little big for her, as you can see in the pictures above. She kept pulling her arms in through the holes and dropping the shirt down, spinning it around and just playing with it. Keith, just like I did, looked at her breasts to see if they were evening out, growing/reducing or just changing in general since we have to check up on this from time to time. Keep in mind, he is across the room and did a quick look. Lauren shot him a look that was stone cold, as if to say, "What you lookin' at?" She then promptly put up the straps to her shirt and walked further away!
K: "I wasn't looking, Lauren!"
She just looked at him.
K: "Are we there already? Have we reached that point?"
L: "Um-hum."
K: "Can you take a bath by yourself and diaper yourself? Lauren? Can you diaper yourself?"
L: "No."
K: "Well, then we aren't there."
K: "Way to make your dad feel like a pervert, Lauren!"

(Meanwhile, I am roaring with laughter! I wish you all could have been there because it really was funny stuff!)

Our 4th of July in Pictures

Nana & Lilly prior to the parade on Uncle Kurt & Aunt Erika's porch. Lucky for all of us, the Fenton Freedom Festival parade went right past their house this year. It was really nice to be able to run back to the house for sunscreen, umbrellas (to shade the hot sun), drinks, etc. while we watched the never-ending parade!

Love her or hate her? Not really sure, yet. But this is Butterfly the clown. I don't think the girls were all that impressed. At least no one cried.

Gram was so surprised when Lauren gave her a kiss through the railing on the porch. Not me. We have been practicing. Each day, when I put Lauren down for her nap, we kiss through each of the slats on the end of her crib. See, I am teaching her real world skills!

I took this photo of Lauren at the end of the day. She was pretty beat because she hadn't napped. Still so adorable. We love when our little Lolo is quiet!

Our host & hostess, Kurt & Erika, a.k.a. Dirt & Erika in their neighborhood. Nice job, guys! We had a great day. Next time, we will leave the kids home!!!!

Plain Jane

I know the blog is looking a little plain Jane right now but, trust me, I am working on it. I have designed my own blog header and it is really, really cute but every time I try to save it (and it says that it was saved successfully) there is nothing to show for it. I have searched and searched and read almost every forum and tutorial on the web for answers but nothing is helping. If you think you know what I am doing wrong, let me know. I would love to change this site.

Back to Blogger

Well, I said I wasn't moving again but here I am. I really did like my other website but found that it just took way, way too much time to update and it was difficult to tell where my updated entries were at. So here is our new home at Blogger. Besides, this is free. I swear I will do my best to update more often and supply you with all the funny tidbits and cute pictures the girls will allow me to do. Thanks for sticking with me.