Awesomeness Since 2002

PicsArt

2012-02-09T10:40:00.001-05:00

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Lauren's valentine's day cards

2012-02-01T19:28:00.000-05:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless smartphone

2011-11-30T12:00:00.001-05:00

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2011-11-30T11:57:00.001-05:00

2011-11-30T11:56:00.001-05:00

Fall Photos

2011-11-07T19:39:00.003-05:00

Just a few from Halloween

2011-11-07T19:32:00.002-05:00

Learning to Drive with Barbie

2011-10-09T19:00:00.000-04:00

The girls got a Barbie Jeep for their birthday two years ago from Grammy & Pa but the little buggers have either been afraid of it or just not interested until late this summer. Lauren decided to take Lilly for a spin around the yard after Lilly got it stuck on the sandbox. Lauren has begun to master reverse, turning and stopping. Still it is funny to see their two little heads as they rumble away in their cool jeep.

Who Gives This Child....

2011-10-07T12:55:00.000-04:00

Today is our first no school day due to the teachers having a professional development day. Nice. We slept in and played with my awesome nephew Derek. Lauren loved playing with him and helping him. You could see how much they loved hanging out with each other. After Derek left, the girls asked if they could get out their mini La LaLoopsy dolls. (They weren't allowed to have them out while Derek was over because they have some very small parts.) They set up their "village" which consists of the boxes they came in all strategically lined up in our front bow window. They were playing so well when Lauren got a little excited and a doll slipped from her hand that was waving around excitedly. You know the correct physics law that applies to this one, right? An object in motion always comes to rest on the top of a siblings head. It didn't hurt Lilly but she acted the part. Lauren said, "I'm sorry, Lilly. Do you give me?"
Lilly says nothing.
Lauren" "Do you give me, Lilly?"
Me: "I think you are trying to say forgive me."
Lauren: "Do you give me, Lilly?"
Lilly: (Very matter of fact) "I believe I do."

Playing continued.

You Really Gotta Go - OH!

2011-10-03T20:06:00.000-04:00

Lauren's favorite song forever has been Katy Perry's Hot n Cold. When she first started singing it, she got a few of the words right but now, I am pretty sure she has begun singing an entirely different song. I managed to get a little sample out of her complete with her own choreographed moves. Good stuff.

Lilly

2011-09-12T00:08:00.001-04:00

Lilly.

What can I really say about that girl? She is a hoot! Really. Hilarious! She does this funny thing with her eyes... think Chevy Chase. She tells silly jokes and often adds a comedic wha wha at the end of something to signify a failure.

Tonight after her bath, I was trying to get her to focus on getting dressed. She was too busy looking at a photo of me from when I was a little girl.

Lilly: You were so cute when you were little.
Mama: Thank you. It looks like a picture of Lauren doesn't it?
L: Yes..... You were little like me?
M: Yup and someday you'll be big like me. You'll be a mama with kids. Do you want to be a mama?
L: Nooooo! That's silly!
M: No, when you are older. Do you want to have your own little kids?
L: No.
M: Why?
L: I don't want to change all those stupid diapers!

(If you are aware of how difficult potty training has been with this stubborn little girl then you know how ironic her answer is!)

So now that my little darlings are in bed and actually sleeping for once, I need to head to bed myself. I'm looking forward to week two of school and hoping that Lauren's bus ride home goes better this week. She has cried every day this week. She has one more week to stop crying or I am going to have to start picking her up. Fingers crossed!

No More Preschool Tears For Lilly

2011-09-07T13:34:00.000-04:00

Sitting on the carpet at school getting ready to read a book with Mama and Lauren

Sitting in the car super excited to go in!

Posing pretty for me

This outfit is so awesome on her! And yes, that is a Toy Story backpack filled with a T.S. lunch box, thermos and snack container. Do you see why boys love Lilly? They love her T.S. stuff!

Outside her classroom waiting for the doors to open!

Kindergarten?!! When Did That Happen?

2011-09-07T13:30:00.000-04:00

Lauren started kindergarten!!!

Daddy and Lauren

Mama and Lauren

Grammy surprised Lauren by showing up to watch her get on the bus! (Lilly saw her and said, "what does Grammy need now?)

Sweet sisters


Lauren is the first kid picked up on Mr. Norm's route! She did awesome on the way to school but the way home was another story. (The school over crowded the bus - 4 kids per seat - and had to pull kids off the bus. She was crying because she didn't think she was going to get home! Thank God our neighbor Ethan stayed right by her side the whole time!)

Warrior Keith

2011-07-30T23:22:00.000-04:00

I am so unbelievably proud of Keith. Not only did he run his first race but he did it and then came home and continued to roof our house. That is some amazing stamina!

Keith raced in the first ever Michigan Warrior Dash held in Mt. Morris and did awesome! The race consisted of 3 miles plus obstacles. (You can check out the ins and outs of the race at warriordash.com ) He did it in a time of 35:17:65 which placed him at #99 out of #1048 in his age group! Of the thousands upon thousands that raced, he placed 700-something! Right now (11:15 p.m.), he is still running high on adrenaline!

(Oh, and for those of you who haven't seen Keith in a million years.... this is what he looks like now. Yeah... I'm married to THAT. )

I also have pictures from when my sister was visiting plus the Wiggles concert yesterday but let's just focus on Keith for now. Way to go, honey!

My Little Mermaid

2011-07-29T23:39:00.000-04:00

I know, I know, I am not cut out for this blogging thing. I got a bit obsessed with facebook... It is so much easier to share photos and stories on there and so many friends and family are on facebook. However, I am no longer there and I have no outlet to share how stinkin' cute my girls are or how ridiculously funny Keith is being so I am back to Blogger, again.

As usual, time has been flying. We have been camping and hitting the beaches this summer and today we are heading to The Wiggles concert so it is clear that we find ways to stay busy. We are also so excited to celebrate the girls' birthdays in the upcoming weeks. Lilly will be four. Yeah, let that soak in for a minute before I hit you with the fact that Lauren will be five! Kindergarten! School bus! Not at all a preschooler anymore. She is growing so much - even the attitude! One day earlier this week she laid out Lilly's clothes for the day all by herself. Plus, every night she puts the toothpaste on Lilly's toothbrush and sets it on the counter with a full cup for rinsing. While that is all very helpful, we constantly have to remind Lauren that she is not Lilly's mother and to leave her alone! But true to Lilly's personality, she just usually goes with the flow. Until one day when Lilly rises up...

Last weekend we celebrated Keith's cousin's high school graduation. (I'm still not really sure how he got old enough to graduate.) It was a pool party and I was a little nervous about that because the girls don't swim in deep water ever. Lil took a little tumble into the pool right away and Uncle Kurt saved her so she already had a bad feeling about the pool. Lauren, on the other hand, got right in there and would not come out. She was a little mermaid. She almost always had a big smile on her face as she swam back and forth across the shallow end of the pool which was three feet deep. She wasn't even phased but the little brat of a boy who nearly jumped on top of her three times! Keith and I were certainly phased... don't make the mama bear show you her claws!
Anyway, here are a few pictures of the pool party.

Concept of Time, Place & Eyeglasses

2010-11-08T19:59:00.000-05:00

Okay the big news of the day... our little Lauren has to wear glasses. I had noticed her eye turning inward once in awhile, especially when she gets tired and knew I had to get her in right away. I made an appointment and during that two week wait, it got a little worse and her teacher also pulled me aside and mentioned it. I was all prepared for the whole patching routine. A friend of mine is going through it for the second time with her daughter so I had prepped Lauren for what might happen and even browsed some super cute, girlie patches online. Surprise, surprise, no patching. She is farsighted. Her eye sight is worse than mine. Poor thing. I am having a hard time adjusting to the idea of her wearing glasses. I'm sure we will all adjust. Her eyes were dilated so she couldn't see the glasses when we were trying them on so I picked out a pretty, princess-ey pair that have pink and purple hearts on the side. I will take pictures of her when we get the glasses next week.

Lilly has been starting to label things with her new found sense of time, which as you can imagine is not the greatest at three years old. When she can't go potty, she'll hop down from the toilet and say, "Maybe I'll try next week." She will randomly assign days of the week to sound like her teachers and us: "That will be perfect Friday." Um, okay. Tonight she asked for a yogurt. When I asked her to pick between blueberry and strawberry, she picked blueberry and said the strawberry would be perfect next month. Not sure about that but whatever you say, Lil.

And finally, last night the girls and I were in the bathroom getting ready for bed and Lilly noticed a yellow spot on the linoleum. I told her it was a stain that was there when we bought the house. Next, Lauren and I had the following conversation:
Lauren: You bought us a house?
Me: Well, yes, Daddy bought us a house.
Lauren: And then we came?
Me: Kind of. Daddy and I were little kids, we grew up, Daddy bought the house, we got married and then we had you.
Lauren: So we live here.
Me: Yes.
Lauren: Before that we just lived on the grass?

I had to explain that we have lived other places but she and Lilly had only lived in our home and no one lived on the grass. It was really cute.

The older she gets, the better the conversation. I love it. Now, I have to go attend the rock and roll concert going on in my living room. Keith, Lauren and Lilly are playing Rock Star, again.

2010-10-28T09:17:00.001-04:00

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2010-10-27T17:53:00.001-04:00

I hope she'll wear it tomorrow because she won't try it on.

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2010-10-20T16:30:00.001-04:00

Lauren's skirt. Not done sewing yet.

2010-10-19T12:51:00.001-04:00

They held hands on their own as we walked out of Meijer.

2010-10-16T17:28:00.001-04:00

2010-10-16T09:55:00.001-04:00

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Take It Back

2010-09-29T20:02:00.000-04:00

Lilly.
What can I say about that girl?
She has such a stubborn, independent streak that it has taken me totally by surprise that school has been a huge ordeal for her. She was fine. Loved school and now she does not like it and doesn't want to go. She cries, screams and kicks trying to get to me. Tuesday night, Keith asked her why she cried at school that morning. She looked at him like he should already know and said very matter of factly, "Because Mama left me." Ouch. That hurt. I am hoping to have a better outcome tomorrow so I bribed her. If she doesn't cry when I leave her, Lauren and I will bring her a surprise when we pick her up. She agreed to it but let's just wait and see.

Lauren is doing awesome at school. She loves it and wakes up way too early on school days. She just can't wait to get there. That makes me very happy. I always loved school and hoped to have kids that liked it too. Lauren's class made applesauce today and Friday we take our very first field trip. This will be the first time they get to ride the bus. This is MAJOR! All the kids are looking forward to going to the cider mill. (A few of us moms are, too!) Poor Lilly doesn't get to go. There are age restrictions for the school bus plus the school tries to make it a special outing for the 4 year olds and their parents. Besides, Lilly gets to do it next year.
While Lauren was at school this morning, Lilly and I helped our friend Erin with a babysitting emergency. Erin babysits and cute little baby boy but had scheduled someone to watch him while she went to the eye doctor. She was a no show so Lil and I got to hang out with baby Keegan. He is a really good baby but that didn't sway Lil too much. She took one look at him and said, "I don't like that. Take it back." I am really, REALLY glad I am not pregnant. She would be a tough one to win over! She was delighted when Keegan went back.

I'll let everyone know how Lilly does with school tomorrow and, of course, I will take lots of photos on Lauren's field trip!

Lilly's 1st Day

2010-09-09T13:32:00.000-04:00

She did AWESOME! She is talkative and explores the room to the fullest. Plus, she made a little friend, Logan. It is going to be a great year for her.

Tomorrow we'll take Lauren to school, again. Tuesday, Lilly is the first Special Helper so Lauren and I will go with her to school so she can share a snack with the class!

Lauren's 1st Day of 4 Year Old Preschool

2010-09-08T20:36:00.000-04:00

This morning was Lauren's first day of 4 year old preschool. She was so excited to "go to the big school." Just for the record, she is in the same classroom at the same school with the same teacher. She was back with many of her old classmates and friends. And, just like last year, Lilly cried because she couldn't stay. (Lilly gets her first day of school tomorrow!)
Here is Lauren's first day in pictures:

2010-09-02T15:04:00.001-04:00

2010-08-16T17:21:00.001-04:00

Found my kitchen curtains...

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2010-08-10T23:08:00.001-04:00

Lauren's castle cake.

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2010-08-10T22:40:00.001-04:00

The inside of Lauren's birthday cake.

Robot Girl is Three & so is the Princess

2010-08-07T23:03:00.000-04:00

Lilly is now three years old as of Monday, August 2nd! She really does seem so much older now. She talks and talks and talks especially when Lauren is not around. She said the most amazing sentence today. It was so thought out and made lots of sense. I don't remember what she said or what it was about but right in the middle she said "because" and then explained. It was so smart! I love her to pieces! The one word I would use to sum Lil up would be happy. She is almost always happy and she makes me so happy. She is so darn cute... the way she looks at me, the way she eats... everything. I am so lucky to be Lilly's mama.
Lilly has been growing again. This morning, I got out the tape measure and lined the girls against the door. Two inches separate them. Two! I need to start measuring feet too because I think they might be wearing the same size shoe now. We will get an official weight and height in a few weeks when I take them to see their new doctor. Yes, we had to leave our beloved doctor because of our stupid insurance. I cried and cried and then felt completely sick to my stomach. It isn't fair that we have to leave after 10 years but hopefully, we will be back.
Finally, Lauren was calling me on her pretend phone today. We were sitting about five feet apart. Our conversation was just like the three we had already had on our phones but this time we had a slight interruption:
L: Hi Mama.
M: Hi Lauren. How are you?
L: Fine. What are you doing?
M: Well, I am still reading...
L: Hold on for a minute, please.
(L: Lilly that is mine. Put it down.)
L: Okay. Hi Mama.

It was so hysterical to me that she stopped talking to me politely instead of just yelling like she always does and then came right back to our conversation. I think she has been paying attention to me when I am on the phone.

I love my girls!!!

2010-08-01T23:18:00.001-04:00

What little 3 year old has the best mama ever? Happy birthday, Lilly!

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2010-07-25T11:17:00.001-04:00

Keith is such a good dad... Lilly asked for blue eggs so she got blue and Lauren got pink. Yuck.

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A Celebrity Bought One of My Dresses!

2010-07-14T19:16:00.000-04:00

Nicole called me today to let me know that Romany Malco (the black guy in 40 Year Old Virgin, Conrad on Weeds, the doorman from Baby Mama) bought one of my dresses from her store, Morgan's Boutique. He was shooting a movie in Grand Rapids and came over to Holly with the producer to scout filming locations.

This is the guy:

And this is the dress:

Cute, huh?

That is my brush with celebrity.

4th of July and Such

2010-07-13T19:05:00.000-04:00

We went camping at Lost Lake Woods in Lincoln. It is a private hunting/sportsman club that Keith's friend's dad is part of. We hauled the camper up and spent the fourth of July weekend up there. It was a lot of fun. It is a beautiful area with lots of lakes and trails. They really have something for everyone. We watched their parade and fireworks on the 3rd and then headed to Tawas on the 4th to do it all over again. Unfortunately, we did not make it to the Tawas parade because Oscoda shut down their south bound traffic during their parade. Oh well. It was still fun. Here are some pictures of some of the fun that ensued.

This was the group we camped with. Keith and the girls are on the left then Harrison, Dave, Dennis, Jaimee and Kimmie is in the golf cart. Lynne, Matt and Jack somehow escaped this photo.

Matt and his son Jack. Keith and Matt work together at Isuzu.

Dog in the parade that really did look like a lion from a distance.

Lilly watching the parade and Jack eating some of his goodies after the parade.

We did the pony rides after the parade. The girls each got to ride Star. He is a 28 year old horse. Lauren seemed a little scared but Lilly really liked it.

Lauren made Lilly sit in the driver's seat! Before this Lauren was sitting in the driver's seat and Lilly was pushing the accelerator.

Picnic time at Dennie and Lynne's house.

Lauren and Harrison. (He is Dave and Kimmie's 4 1/2 year old son.)

Standing on the dock looking out over Tawas Bay to the Tawas Point Lighthouse.

Pa had to give Lilly a lift because she got so tired walking on the dock. We did go all the way out the longest stretch of dock.

She was so tuckered out from our walk on the dock that she slept the whole time we visited Uncle Kurt, Aunt Erika, Derek and Erika's parents out at the state park. She looks like a little froggie!

Pa got the girls some new bikes to keep at his and Grammy's house. Lauren has a Princess bike and Lilly has a sea star bike. I was amazed how well they did on their new big girl bikes!

I made a new style of dress for my upcoming trunk show at Morgan's Boutique. It is also the first time I shirred anything. The above pictures were taken before I completely finished and that is why you can still see the thread on the sides of the dress. Lauren loves this dress and looked adorable in it. I had a hard time getting her to take it off so I could finish it. I will definitely be making more of these.

And Lilly could not be left out of the photographing so this is what she did to be like her sister.
I can't believe my girls are going to be 3 and 4 in a few weeks. Kind of makes me sad especially when I look at Lauren. She is not baby at all anymore. They are both growing so much and saying the funniest things. I love them more and more every single day! Still sad to see my babies grow up.

2010-07-07T15:49:00.001-04:00

Hot!!!

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...And We Danced The Achy Breaky Heart Polka

2010-06-27T17:25:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we went to a birthday party for one of Keith's co-workers, Matt. He may be better known as Keith's hunting buddy. It was held at German Park in Ann Arbor with lots of jolly men in lederhosen and a polka band. FYI: If you give Lauren a decent beat, she will dance, which means mama is dancing, too. It was a lot of fun. I got to meet all the people we will be camping with next weekend and later again in August. I loved them. They are all so nice and have little boys around the girls ages.
I was disappointed with the food. Come on! A German Festival consists of beer, brats and sauerkraut, naturally, but they didn't do very well with any of it. It cost $5 for anyone over 12 to get in but then they work you over with the price of food and beer. Plus, once you paid to get in, you could not get back in without paying $5 again. Did I mention our hands were stamped when we paid but the stamp said, "No Re-entry." It was like the Berlin wall of beer drinking festivals. The perimeter was secured with 7 or 8 foot chain link fencing with barbed wire on top.
We did have a great time and of course, I took pictures of my little dumplings before and during the party. I wish Lilly would always let me put her hair in "punky" tails. They are also sporting so Wearing Mama Out dresses. I made Lilly's the morning of with the cutest robot fabric. She looks so good in green and orange and freakin' loves robots!
Today we are just hanging around the house. We had planned to go to the Michigan Balloon Challenge in Howell but the weather really isn't cooperating. It rained early this morning and we haven't had anything else but a storm is about to roll in any minute. Plus, I heard south of us is getting drilled. Wouldn't want to pay to see balloons and a carnival and then have everything shut down due to the weather. We'll just try again next year.
Enjoy the pictures:

Did you notice how red Lilly's hair looked in these pictures? She looked so cute. Everyone was in love with girls and they were so well behaved. Matt's mom is ready to spoil them when we go camping with them because they only have grandsons. I think they picked the right girls!

Strike a Pose

2010-06-18T19:45:00.000-04:00

I have these great business cards for Wearing Mama Out. There is a silhouette of a sassy little girl in pig tails that I just love. I wanted this to be my logo. Problem is, the woman who makes them doesn't sell the jpeg file or charge a decent price for anything over 30 cards. So... I took a picture of my sassy little girl with her pig tails and then did a little Photoshop magic. Here is the result:

I am so pleased with the way it turned out. This is what I have been looking for all along. What do you think?

The first picture below is the picture of Lauren that I used to make the logo. The rest are the outtakes from my photo session with Lolo and then some pics of Lilly, too.

These last two pictures are included because I think this little league umpire looks so much like Jerry Stiller. You know, Arthur Spooner from King of Queens or Mr. Costanza from Seinfeld. He made a miserable call that put the whole blame on our neighbor Ethan but I still couldn't think of him as anyone other than Arthur Spooner!

Bailamos!

2010-06-17T21:50:00.003-04:00

Just a funny and cute video to share with you. You don't have to watch much of it to get the gist of it. This proves my theory that Latinos are born dancing.

Reminds me a little bit of Lauren dancing when she was about 18 months. Fun.

Count Them Again...

2010-06-15T19:56:00.000-04:00

I had a rough day so I asked Keith to read the girls a story and put them in bed so that I could go to Hobby Lobby for a little while. I just need to get away for a little bit. He said yes. I told Lauren that Daddy would be reading tonight and she was a little mad at first. She asked if he would read 3 stories. I told her if she asked him nicely, he might read three. So this is their conversation:

Lauren: Daddy?
Keith: Yes, Lauren?
L: Will you read three stories?
K: Three?
L: Yes. 1...2...3...4.
K: Four? You said three.
L: No. I said four.
K: You said three stories.
L: No. I said four. FOUR.
K: How did we go from three to four? You women are all nuts.

Name That Song

2010-06-14T17:09:00.001-04:00

Okay. For today's blog, let's play a little game. I will give you Lauren's lyrics and you try to figure out what she is singing.

hot but not go
yes and you're no
into your heart
up when your done
why is why
has to be why
has to be done
you really gotta go now....

Do you think you know it?

Take a guess....

It is...............................
.......................................
Katy Perry's Hot n Cold

The real lyrics to the part that Lauren is singing goes like this:

'Cause you're hot and you're cold
You're yes and you're no
You're in and you're out
You're up and you're down

You're wrong when it's right
You're black and it's white
We fight, we break up
We hug, we make up

You, you don't really wanna stay, no
But you, you don't really wanna go, oh

She loves this song and will just randomly start singing it in stores. This morning she was really belting it out so I quickly grabbed a pencil and notebook and jotted things down as she sang them. If I missed something, I would prompt her to start over again but starting to sing You're hot and your cold.... She would do it over and over. I LOVE listening to her sing!!!

Yo Ho Blow the Man Down...

2010-06-10T17:24:00.000-04:00

Lilly has been in the bathtub for quite awhile now... at least 40 minutes. She does not want to get out because she has the entire tub and every bath toy completely at her personal disposal. No Lauren to interfere. I asked her if she wanted to get out and she politely said, "no, thank you."
"Are you turning into a fish?"
"No. A pirate."
Arrrrggggh!

It is 1 a.m. and

2010-06-10T01:09:00.001-04:00

It is 1 a.m. and Keith is sitting outside waiting with his bow to get the raccoon that keeps getting into our garbage.

2010-06-10T01:06:00.001-04:00

Omg!!! This is Lilly one year ago! I can't believe how babyish she looks. I love my Lilly Girl!!

Memorial Day Camping Trip + More

2010-06-09T10:10:00.000-04:00

Our camper took her maiden voyage over Memorial Day weekend and did just as you would expect a camper to do. We were very comfortable in it and can't wait to go again.

The girls and I were buckled in and waiting. He said we would leave early so we could be at Sleepy Hollow State Park at check-in (3 p.m.) but you know how Keith is. And can you believe at 7:37 p.m. it was still 90 degrees outside!!!??

These are pics of our camping trip with Nana and Papa, Kurt and Erika and Derek. Then I put some pictures of the girls and Ethan playing on the slip n slide in the backyard. I took some pictures at Ethan's game and the last one is a dress I made for Morgan's Boutique. I will be posting other pictures of dresses on my Wearing Mama Out blog.
I was going to put captions for each of these pictures but blogger is being a butt-head right now so leave a comment if you have any questions about these pictures.

10-4 Good Buddy

2010-06-07T18:53:00.001-04:00

What you don't see is the three foot antenna on the roof of the family truckster. Take that soccer moms!

Grammy took the girls to the beach.

2010-06-05T12:19:00.001-04:00

Time to Make the Donuts

2010-06-04T01:13:00.000-04:00

It is time to celebrate the doughnut. It is National Donut Day and today only, with the purchase of a beverage, you can enjoy one tasty FREE doughnut at Dunkin Donuts. I will not be enjoying this uproarious occasion because I'm not even sure there is a Dunkin Donuts in my area. There was one in Flint but I think it might be a porn shop now. Definitely not a place to buy donuts. I find it highly unlikely that they sell donuts but I have never been inside there so there is a slight possibility. Chalk up another point for the good daughter, Mom and Dad. (Side note: my sister lives above a pot palace. Okay, medicinal marijuana, a.k.a. pot palace.)
I think what we truly need to spend this day doing is pondering the words donut and doughnut and why my spell check only likes one of them. Grab a beverage, a doughnut and talk amongst yourselves.

https://www.dunkindonuts.com/donut/

Summary of the Day

2010-06-02T15:03:00.000-04:00

- Woke up about 6 times with the kids BEFORE 2 a.m. (You don't even want to know how cranky I am.)
-Discovered before 2 a.m. that Keith's cat (Kitty) pissed (yes, pissed, Mom, because peed doesn't expres how pissed I am!!!) all over one of my favorite purses and the dining room wall! WTH? It was this pretty little dusty blue leather clutch with a chain strap that made me forget I was a mommy when I used it. I want to strangle that cat with the number of accidents she has downstairs but this is the first time upstairs and I want to throw her out!
- Kids are constantly fighting because we can't get out due to the rain.
- Lauren built a block castle and called it the summer home! Not sure where she heard it... oh wait... must be our imaginary summer home in the Hamptons. (That was the only funny thing about today!)
-Am sick of hearing "I am hungry", 15 - 30 minutes after I served an untouched meal. There is a little girl screaming in her room right now because she is so hungry! Eat what I give you or stop complaining!
- Did I mention I am cranky?
-Kids wanted to paint so I set them up at the table with paintbrushes, newspaper, paper to paint and said do not paint anything but the paper. Lilly, this means do not paint your arms! Meanwhile, I tried to do a rush cleanup job on the living room because I am tired of how dirty the girls get it. Come back and not only are Lilly's arms painted but her dress is too! Plus, she tried to eat it. (It is non-toxic so hopefully, she won't reproduce two headed messy children with arms coming out their ears when she is a mama.)
- I think I am getting sick. We all started the whole allergy mess again when we were camping but I have developed this cough that seems to be sucking my lungs dry every time I cough. Sucking them dry could be a good thing in the long run but right now it feels like they are being dried with sandpaper.
-Plus, I still have about 3 1/2 hours to go until Keith comes home!!!
I can do it.
I can do it.
I can do it.

2010-05-27T03:37:00.001-04:00

I can't sleep and this is my temptation at 3:30 a.m. Good thing they aren't made. I make it a rule not to bake after midnight... I call it my Gremelin Law.

Look who TRIED to be funny.

2010-05-25T15:29:00.000-04:00

2010-05-25T15:15:00.001-04:00

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2010-05-25T15:13:00.001-04:00

2010-05-23T17:57:00.001-04:00

Kelle and Luke at today's Tigers @ Dodgers game.

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2010-05-21T12:25:00.001-04:00

Drinking lunch today.

The Girls and Their Hair

2010-05-18T16:28:00.000-04:00

Lauren in braids looking a little like Dakota Fanning.

Lilly in piggy tails! My beautiful girls!

2010-05-13T20:40:00.001-04:00

Coolest kid ever.

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Have You Seen My New Blog?

2010-05-09T17:42:00.000-04:00

I have started a new blog for Wearing Mama Out, my, well... my clothing line! Right now, I have only a few posts but just put some pictures up for things I have already sold or have for sale at Morgan's Boutique. I will be posting some new items soon so please check it out!

To find it, just click view whole profile and it show a list of my blogs. Wow. I have multiple unread blogs. Impressive. :-) It is called Wearing Mama Out. Thanks!

Birthday Shout Out

2010-05-06T12:57:00.000-04:00

There are certain things in life that I am really good at remembering. I remember my 2nd grade best friend's phone number. I remember my grandma's address. I am great at recalling birthdays but not so great at remembering to mail cards on time. There are probably just as many things I am terrible about remembering. For example, do we have Ranch at home? (This is why I have 3 bottles in my pantry.) What did I come into this room for? Or one of the embarrassments of my adult life... I can't remember how to play euchre. I don't even know if I spelled it right. Spell check says so... I have tried to learn around 6 + times but I think I have a mental block that prohibits me from retaining anything related to euchre. Why is this an embarrassment? I am from Michigan, duh! Self proclaimed birth place of euchre. Therefore, every natural born Michigander (and Michigoose, hee hee) knows how to play. I think we can just chalk this one up to my genetic defect of being unnaturally stubborn. I know which side of the family it comes from but I won't point fingers at him. (Oops! Love ya Dad.)
Why does what I remember have anything to do with the title of this blog, 'Birthday Shout Out?' Well, today is my fabulous cousin Rachel's birthday. I wanted to call and wish her a happy birthday but even though she has had the same work schedule for, well, a really long time and she has told me over and over, I cannot seem to process this information. Luckily for me, Rachel is a fellow blogger and one of my three readers so she will see this.

Happy Birthday, Rachel!

I hope you have a wonderful day (at home or at work, whichever) and give me a call on one of your days off so we can plan a little get together. The girls and I like to check out new parks so maybe we can do that together. Happy birthday! (For some strange reason, when I finished typing that, I started to hum the Star Wars theme song. All for you cuz!)

2010-04-29T11:52:00.001-04:00

Potty Training Teddy Bears is Easy, Apparently!

2010-04-27T18:04:00.000-04:00

Lauren has been "driving" her big kids to and from "school" this afternoon while I babysit her baby boy named Color, who, incidentally wears a dress. This means wearing a skirt, a necklace and carrying 5 bags, including a turtle backpack that is, in her words, "my best friend." After getting everyone home from school and changed, she has decided to train each and every one of her teddy bears how to use the potty. She goes into my bathroom, I hear some banging around and then the toilet lid slams shut. After which, she comes running out with the teddy bear to tell me who went to the potty. After she told me the twin bears used the potty, I hear her on the phone:

Hi Mrs. Mama Bear. It's me, yes, Lauren. (giggle) Yes, just Lauren (giggle, sigh).
Your teddy bears used the potty.
Yes. I am so very excited.
Yes. (giggle)
They did a good job. (giggle)
(Lilly says something.)
Oh, that's just Lilly. (giggle) Yes.
I'm so proud of the teddy bears.
Bye. (sigh)

The girls have been pretty good all day long. They were quiet while I fought of a migraine and they are quiet right now as I sew. It has been awesome. I'm debating whether or not to let them stay up late to go pick up Grammy from the airport. I need to be at the airport around 9:30 p.m. and since it is a hop, skip and a jump away, it would be a quick trip but they might be spent for the night. We'll see. I know Keith will be spent. The guy needs to realize he is not the Energizer Bunny. He works all the time. When he isn't supposed to be working, work is calling him and then presto, he is working, again. Plus, he has been sick for about two weeks now. He has a bad wheezy cough, he is tired and has been running a mild fever for days now. He will not slow down. I am worried he has pneumonia but he won't stop. His bosses even tell him he sounds awful but then give him more to do. This job is going to kill him.
***** He is almost home now. (6 p.m. - quitting time is 4!)********

I need to go finish dinner and then back to sewing. I am making a romper for Lauren's teacher. Her last day is Thursday and then she is going on maternity leave. She is having a baby girl sometime within the next few weeks. The parents of the class got together and got her a $100 gift card to Target and a cake. I hope to have the romper finished within the next couple of hours (allowing interruptions) and then I want to make matching crib shoes and a fun bib. I'll post pics, too.

2010-04-25T05:58:00.001-04:00

Lauren: Daddy is going to love this flower! Me: Yes, Daddy WILL love it!

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2010-04-16T15:29:00.001-04:00

Hat i just made.

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Laurenisms

2010-04-13T22:43:00.000-04:00

Lilly was acting crazy and not listening to me.
Lauren: Mama, what is Lilly doing?
Me: She is being naughty and not listening.
Lauren: Mama, Lilly needs to focus. Lilly, you just need to focus.

Grammy had just spent the night...
Lauren: That room is too messy for Grammy to sleep in.
Me: Did Grammy say that?
Lauren: Yes.
(Mom completely denies this!)

Lilly was crying over something...
Lauren: Lilly, take a deep breath and go to your room.
Lilly: Ooh-kaaaay (between wails).

Last night the girls were being pretty wild after "lights out" and I had already had to go into their room several times. On this particular trip in, the lights were on, toys and bedding were dumped in the center of their room and there was all kinds of delinquency happening in that room! I.was.mad.
I was giving Lilly a talking too and putting her back in bed when Lauren, sitting pretty as a picture on the side of her bed with her legs crossed said very matter of factually, "Mama, try not to be so mean." (Oh boy!)

On top of the funny things that come out of her mouth, she has started to pose like no other when the camera gets in front of her. I'm talking Miley-kind of posing. Where did she pick it up? I don't do it. Keith doesn't do it. She isn't around older girls and she doesn't watch anything other than cartoons on nick jr. and Disney. She likes to flash the peace symbol (which she has to really think hard about it before she does it and often comes out looking like she is pointing at me).

The rest of us are trying to get more sleep and stay healthy. Keith came home (late) from work complaining of pressure in his head, upset stomach and aches. Uh-oh. Plus, Lilly has had diarrhea all afternoon and evening on top of being very cranky the last two days. Uh-oh. She just started coughing and crying in her room as I type this (10:45 p.m.) Better go check it out.

2010-04-10T09:36:00.001-04:00

This is how a pretty little girl pirate does it. She was creating her treasure map.

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2010-04-01T11:43:00.001-04:00

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Daddy-Daughter Dance

2010-03-20T18:44:00.000-04:00

Keith and Lauren left not too long ago for their first daddy-daughter dance at the Lake Fenton High School. They looked great! My mom made the most beautiful ball gown for her to wear and it fit her perfectly! Lilly was just so upset she didn't get to go.

2010-03-20T17:48:00.001-04:00

Daddy daughter dance.

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2010-03-17T22:57:00.001-04:00

While at Barnes n Noble today, both girls were being so good. Lilly was busy at the train table and Lauren pulled up a chair in the reading area and read. So cute.

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New Hair!!!

2010-03-16T17:04:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, while shopping with the girls in Meijer, a woman approached me and asked if I was a stay at home mom. She is a hairstylist who just moved to Fenton from Muskegon who was trying to hire in at a salon in Grand Blanc. Her boss told her to find a stranger who she could demonstrate her skills on and offer her services for free. So today, I got a cut, color and highlight for free and my hair feels great! She took a lot of my length off and used the thinning shears to get rid of a lot of my heavy hair. It is so light feeling and it is a fun color of blonde again. Lauren keeps saying, "Mama, you look different." She says she likes it. Keith isn't sure. I think I want to go back and get it cut even shorter. We will see.
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2010-03-04T17:04:00.001-05:00

Yeah... he resealed the tortillas with duct tape. I usually use a baggie but his way is sooo much stronger.

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2010-03-03T18:16:00.001-05:00

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2010-03-02T18:34:00.001-05:00

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2010-03-02T11:47:00.001-05:00

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Dresses for Morgan's Boutique

2010-02-28T13:02:00.000-05:00

Here are a few of the dresses my mom and I have made for Morgan's Boutique in downtown Holly. Hope you like them. Let me know if what you think, please.

The Morgan Dress

The Avery Dress (back)

The Avery Dress (front)Left: Avery Dress Right: The Sunday Dress Left: The Morgan Dress Right: The Ashley Dress

Both: The Sunday Dress Left: The Lilly Dress Right: The Callie Dress

The Bella Dress

The Lilly Dress

The Callie Dress

The Lucy Dress

The Lauren Dress

The Chloe Dress

Here are a few things I have been working on...

This is a hooded sweatshirt made from recycled t-shirts A dress made from t-shirts for Lauren. It also has a hood and I will eventually make some of these dresses for the store, too.

I can't believe I didn't take pictures of the first dresses I made. I will have to take some pictures the next time I am in there.

So let me know what you think. Do you like a certain style or certain fabrics? What would you like to see? Give me some feedback please. Thanks.

2010-02-20T17:02:00.001-05:00

Guess who fell asleep in my lap and completely made my day?

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2010-02-18T19:34:00.001-05:00

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2010-02-18T19:31:00.001-05:00

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2010-02-17T10:45:00.000-05:00

Just a few pictures to show what we have been up to.

Great Grammy and the girls. Lilly wanted down to play with the dog toys. :)

Here is one of ties I made and put on good ol' Eeebee Baby. It is now for sale at Morgan's Boutique in Holly.

Next, Lauren models a tie. (I am having a tough time spacing the pics and writing comments so bare with me.) When Keith got home from work last week, Lilly grabbed a hold of him and would not let go. (They hadn't seen each other in days.)

Okay. I give up trying to caption the photos. Let me tell you what the photos are about. There are a few from our visit with Great Grammy. A couple of shots from Lauren's Valentine's Day party at her school. The Scooby Doo sweatshirt Lauren is modeling is something I made. The little yellow dress is another I made. The hanger is making it look funny because it is a very small dress. There is a picture of a bow tie I made all packaged up for sale. And there are a few pictures of Lauren on Valentine's Day.

Last night as the girls were supposed to be falling asleep. I overheard Lauren say, "Hey Lilly. Want to smell my feet?" Lilly answered with a very enthusiastic, "Okay!" Goofballs.

Oh, I almost forgot. The picture of Lauren with the lotion on her face.... I was making dinner and Lilly came out to the kitchen wanting her hands wiped off. I gave her a towel and then caught a familiar wiff of lotion. I couldn't quite place the smell so I asked Lilly to show me where she got the lotion. She led me to her room where Lauren was covered with Desitin! For a split second I was mad but then started to laugh so I slapped my hand over my mouth and walked back out to get my camera and to stop laughing. We ended up having an unscheduled bath before dinner. I still can't get over the fact that Lauren was the messy one. Lilly was nearly clean! Shocking!

For today, we are off to the store to buy some more kitty litter. We are having a major issue with the cat that KEITH BROUGHT HOME! Yes, Kitty. She is peeing on everything! I am furious! I guess the potty training never ends!

2010-02-17T05:45:00.001-05:00

Lauren drew a cute little 'Mr. Sun' on a placemat. i just love his heart nose.

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I think even Keith's alarm

2010-02-17T05:43:00.001-05:00

I think even Keith's alarm clock has given up on him ever waking up today!!

2010-02-06T22:38:00.001-05:00

Not the best pic but here is what part of the fabric became. it looks really cute in person.

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2010-02-06T13:05:00.001-05:00

While Lauren is out, Lilly is enjoying doing everything Lauren won't let her do.

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Gladiator Lilly

2010-02-04T00:03:00.003-05:00

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Just a picture I took of Lilly while we were fooling around in Michael's. Lauren was at school.

2010-02-04T00:01:00.002-05:00

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This is in the lobby of the Fenton Pizza Hut. I found it funny because instead of putting in 25 cents or 50 cents to get candy or a sticker or even a rub on tattoo, the lucky kids in Fenton, MI can spend their money on fake mustaches! Or maybe you are hiding out from the law and need a quick disguise? Well, it is your lucky day! Just pop some coins in and you are no long Mr. X, you are Mr. Smith from Yuma, AZ. Nice.

Sewing Mama

2010-01-25T23:16:00.000-05:00

With my handy new sewing machine, I have begun to dress my children the way my mom dressed Kelle and I as kids... with beautiful handmade clothes. I have a long way to go before I can be considered in the same category seamstress as my mom but here is my attempt at being a Little Debber.
I had a pattern for this dress but decided I wanted to jazz it up a bit so I used guitar patterned fabric and added my own guitar creation. I was amazed how easily and quickly it went together. The most tedious part of the whole thing was sewing all the little parts of the applique on. I love the way it turned out and have plans to make many, many more in funkier fabric and some in girlier fabrics, too. Lilly's robot dress is next up. Here are some pictures of the dress alone and with a very happy Lauren wearing it. She loves it so much, it is hard to get her out of it. She calls it her "Kiki dress" because Kiki on the Fresh Beat Band (Nick Jr.) plays guitar and loves pink. Therefore, she is Kiki because she loves pink and now has a guitar on her dress. Let me know what you think of the dress. It has been a long time since anyone other than my sister has left me a comment. Thanks, Kel!

And what post would be complete without a picture of our dear, sweet Lilly girl? She was sitting in her bed, dressed as Cinderella and reading her Tag Jr. books. She was doing the cutest things with her feet so I had to take a picture of her tootsies.

And to prove that I don't just write nasty driveway notes to the hubby using chalk, here is a picture of a sweet love note I left in tonight. I ♥ Keith!

Nothing New

2010-01-23T17:57:00.000-05:00

So I really don't have anything new to say, I just had to post something new because it is January and I still had a Merry Christmas post up.
I don't have many new pictures to choose from because I haven't been taking any new pics. I go in waves. I find that every few months I stop taking pictures and just chill. I think the girls like it when I take a break from shoving a camera in their faces all the time.
I have been playing with a lot of my photos in photoshop and figuring out how to work my camera better but not really taking pictures. I have also been getting back into sewing lately. I have a new machine that is completely AWESOME! It is a Brother sewing/embroidery machine and it is by far the easiest machine I have ever used! The bobbin just drops in and it picks up the thread all by itself. Anytime I get stuck, I can hit the help button and it shows me the steps to take to fix the problem I am having by displaying pics on its LCD screen. Nice. It has an automatic threader, 70 built in embroidery designs + 5 different fonts and about a billion stitches! I love it! I have a feeling I am going to be sewing a lot more! I have a dress for Lauren all cut out and ready to go but I screwed up when I was first putting it together. I make the same mistake every single time I start sewing after having not done it in awhile. Instead of sewing the right sides together, I sew one wrong side to one right side. This time, I had a row of straight stitches and a row of zigzags that had to be pulled out. I haven't had a chance to resew it. Maybe tonight but I have had a migraine all day and yesterday so we will see what I can accomplish as the night goes on. Amazingly, my headaches always seem to let up once the kids go to bed! That is a skull scratcher!
Here are a few pictures that I have been playing with in Photoshop. They are some older pics but so much fun to look back on.

Here is Lilly playing Rock Band. Well, she thinks she is playing. We don't actually turn on their instruments because they don't usually finish a song and then leave us hanging. Lauren is actually quite a good drummer. She always counts us in while banging her drumsticks together. She can stick a song out so maybe we will have to play a couple songs on no fail to see how she does.

This is a book I made for Lilly with robots. She loves robots. I had a lot of fun making this book because I got to try out a lot of different stitches on my new machine. The girls love it and I am going to make a book for Lauren. She wants rainbows. I'll post pics when that is done.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-30T23:39:00.000-05:00

A happy belated Christmas everyone!

We had a very nice Christmas at home... very low-key. The girls I were sick for an entire week so things are just getting back to normal around here. I am just now getting around to sending my cards out so I am so sorry they are late. I had an initial problem with my order and then when they showed up, I was sick, sick, sick... too sick to even think about sending cards. So you can start holding your breath now because they are on their way quick.

We also visited with our new nephew this evening and finally got to hold the little bugger! He is so cute! It really took me back to when Lauren and Lilly were that tiny. So cute.

Keith and the girls listening to Twas the Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve. Jan gave us this book. It is one of those Hallmark books that you can record someone reading the book and then save it. It is such a thoughtful gift and the girls will love hearing Nana's voice reading to them year after year after year.

Lilly and the girls' new Cinderella carriage pop up tent-like playhouse which is really, really cute but the biggest pain in the butt ever!

What would Christmas be without the Red Wings? Oh yeah! Jesus and stuff! (hee hee)

Pa and Lil cuddling.

I do not even try to dress her anymore. She picks out what she wants. I promise you that at any given time of the day, she has on at least two skirts. I am fostering her creative genius!

Kurt and baby Derek

Oh-my-goodness-don't-you-just-want-to-scoop-him-up-and-take-him-home?

Another beautiful red head.

Grandpa and his grandson.

I love this picture of Lauren probably because she is actually smiling! I also think she looks like Keith's cousin Kayla in this pic. My cutie!

Another one of Derek looking all cute and sleepy.

Grandma and her grandson.

Aunt Erika helping Lilly open her Christmas present.

Lilly and Mama playing with the camera.

The girls comparing. (Read: Lauren scooping out what she will later take from Lilly.)

Terry's new look.

Another happy picture of a happy Lauren. She is setting up her grocery store and/or tea party.

Cooper, our hairier nephew!

Lilly could see herself on the screen of the camera and thought it was great! Silly girl.

This is the last post for 2009. We are headed to Matt and Lisa's to ring in the new year in the best way we can... hanging out with our best friends and their three beautiful daughters. Us and 5 girls... twin 7 year olds, a 3 year old and two 2 year olds. Hm. That should make for some interesting stories for 2010!

Happy Safe New Year Everyone!!!

Introducing Derek Michael Swartz

2009-12-20T19:57:00.000-05:00

Keith and I have a new nephew! Kurt and Erika had a baby boy named Derek Michael Swartz on December 19, 2009 at 5:37 p.m. He weighs 5 pounds 10 ounces and is 17 1/4 inches long. His hair is red, like Lilly's and he has brown eyes. Super cute.

Model Behavior

2009-12-16T12:06:00.000-05:00

Lauren was such a good girl yesterday and may actually be taking this whole "Santa is watching" thing pretty seriously. This truly is a wonderful time of the year. What will I do when she no longer believes in Santa? I hope it lasts a long, long time.

One thing I hope does not last too long is her sudden posing for the camera phase. Where she learned this, I have no idea. She kept posing, so I kept snapping pics. Enjoy the results.

The last picture is from today. Grammy surprised us with an "emergency" 24 pack of Diet Coke. :-) and Lauren made her "read" the songbook to her. They were singing Mary Had a Little Lamb in this picture.

New Blog Banner

2009-12-15T14:44:00.000-05:00

As you can tell, gone is the pink banner with the frog and in its place is a black and white Swartz photo banner. I've been wanting to do a new one for awhile so now is the time. However, since I dated it, I will have to change it again in a few weeks.
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Lauren had school today and has finally, completely adjusted to it. She loves going, loves her friends and loves her teacher. Found out today that her teacher is pregnant and probably won't finish the year with the class. Bummer. I had a gut feeling about this when I placed her in this class. She wouldn't have been pregnant when I signed Lauren up but I just knew this would happen. Weird. It is the teacher's second baby and the most amazing part is that she is just starting to show at 5 months! Just showing!!! She is so tiny! We still are super excited that, as Lauren says, "she has a baby under her shirt." Speaking of babies under shirts... we are also anxiously awaiting the birth of baby cousin Swartz. We can't wait to meet the little bundle Kurt and Erika are going to have! Yeah! Very soon...

Lilly is still driving us absolutely nuts! She is exactly like Keith. She likes to sleep in until 8 but likes to stay up all night! She parties after lights out even without her afternoon nap. She jumps on her bed, hauls everything out of her toybox, throws books across the room, and my favorite, shuts the bedroom door. She still gets naked every night and keeps Lauren awake. After about an hour, Lauren just passes out and doesn't hear anything but I feel bad she is kept up that long. We're not quite sure what we are going to do with our little Lilly.

Santa Pictures & School Picture

2009-12-10T13:18:00.002-05:00

While Lauren was at school today, Lilly and I went to Gerych's to pick up our family Santa picture. It didn't turn out as badly as I expected but I wish the girls had even given just the slightest hint of a smile. Also, we got Lauren's class picture back earlier this week. I just love it! Again, she could have smiled. We didn't even bother to purchase her individual pictures because she look so unhappy. Maybe next year!

This Year, Santa is.... SCARY

2009-11-30T17:35:00.000-05:00

Well, not really. We went to see the same Santa and Mrs. Claus, again, and the girls wanted none of that! They were so excited and couldn't wait until we tried to put them in the sleigh with the Christmas couple and it wasn't happening. Lilly had a death grip on Keith and Lauren would not smile. I was bound and determined to have a decent picture of the girls with Santa so I grabbed Lilly and stood alongside the sleigh and had Keith stand with me. It was a family picture. We are waiting anxiously to see how it turned out. Until then, here are some cute pictures of the girls in their beautiful Christmas dresses.

(Plus, we got to see baby cousin, William with Jon and Shannon, as well as, cousin Jenna, Justin and a very pregnant Carla. Aunt Evie and Great Grammy were there, too. I must also mention the picture of the two boy in rugby shirts is kind of a funny story. The boys were flirting with my girls!!! They kept smiling and waving hi. Then they started with, "Hi pretty ladies." It was funny at first but Keith and I were both ready to bump them to the back of the line for swooning over our girls. The girls were way too young for them! Now, I know how you feel Rachel! Also, the last picture is not us. The couple in front of us had two little girls, Lily (2 1/2) and Sophia (baby). Sophia was happy to sit with Santa but Lily didn't like him so they also did a family picture.)

November 20, 2009

2009-11-20T16:53:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Mom (Grammy)!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T12:30:00.001-05:00

Happy Halloween, Everybody! Keith and I dressed up - the first time since the year before we had kids, so that was fun. We went trick or treating in Fenton and then off to a party with some friends from high school. The girls were completely exhausted but had a good time. We were a little disappointed that we couldn't get the girls to say trick or treat despite all the practice they had with Daddy prior to Halloween. We were, however, impressed with how much candy the girls got. We only went to about 10 houses but the people hadn't had many trick or treaters so the girls got loads of candy from each house. We had a great time and I am going to start thinking about my costume for next year right now!

Keith's Fort

2009-10-21T11:35:00.000-04:00

Normally, I wouldn't blog about this but, long story short, it was much easier than emailing it to Keith so enjoy the pictures of Keith's ~~playhouse~~ tree stand for his hunting blind. (The paint is still wet, Keith, so you'll have to move your GI Joes and Star Wars things in later.♥)

I Know Some Little Artists that Need to be Surpressed!

2009-09-28T14:43:00.000-04:00

You know me. I love to do things that are creative and I have never shied away from letting the girls do something messy if they are being creative. However, I have found the big, black line that needs to stop being crossed!

Yesterday evening, Esther came over to talk. Keith, Esther and I were sitting at the dining room table while the girls were playing quietly in the other room. They were being really good. We talked with Esther for a very long time. As she was getting ready to leave, a purple scribble in the hallway caught my eye. I grabbed my magic erasure and with a little bit of effort, I got rid of it. Then I noticed another and another. There was red, black, purple, green, brown and blue. Dry erase markers! It was especially bad in the guest room and the living room. You could tell the path that the marker bandits took because you just had to follow the marks on the wall. Keith and I were very firm with the girls but we had to hide our laughing when we saw their creative outlet masterpiece...

You can't even tell just how bad this really was. They drew on toys, walls, ottomans, couches, chairs, pictures, the remote adn radio. It was ridiculous. The "pig" drawing was what had Keith and I cracking up and trying to hide it. The girls were so upset that we gave them each a baby wipe and made them clean their toys. We have confiscated all the markers except one. A blue marker is missing. We have the top. I wonder how long it will be before the girls enter their blue period?

Preschool, Brillancy and Sickness

2009-09-24T19:45:00.000-04:00

Preschool didn't go great today. This morning and Tuesday morning, Lauren was very sad. She didn't cry but looked like it when I dropped her off. This morning, I found her friend MacKenzie and told her, "Lauren is sad today. Will you take care of her?" I knew if she was anything like Lauren, she would jump at the chance. She did. The teacher said MacKenzie held her hand. When I picked her up, she started crying when she saw me. Mrs. Rogner, the assistant told me that she would sit and cry quietly to herself and didn't really want to participate in anything. When they went outside to play, Lauren started really crying. I was baffled. My big girl who was so ready for school, always wants to be there and was one of the few who didn't need me to coddle her during drop off was suddenly not liking school. She says she wants to go back and that she likes school but I think I figured out what is going on... She is sick. She coughed all night and didn't sleep well. This afternoon she started the sniffles and now she has a fever. Poor thing. She actually asked me to go to bed nice and early. Aw. I hope she gets a good night sleep and feels much better tomorrow. I would hate to think that the crying at school will last any longer than it has.

In brilliant child news...(hee hee) all Lauren wanted for dinner tonight was jelly toast. So I made her some and put the spaghetti away. (Spaghetti is her favorite...especially made with Grammy's homemade sauce.) She took a couple bites out of her toast, looked at it and started laughing. "It looks like a little child." It did in a very abstract way. She pointed out its head, eyes and legs! It was quite amazing to see that she picked up on that. Now I should get out the ink blots, huh?

Overheard Conversations...

2009-09-23T15:06:00.003-04:00

Lauren: Lilly. You smell like poop, sweetie. I'll get you a diaper....and the wipes.

Ah, now if she would just change her, too!

(Lauren calls Lilly sweetie a lot. I love it. It warms my heart!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AUNTIE KELLE!

Lilly's Two Year Checkup

2009-09-23T10:01:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was Lilly's turn to go visit the doctor for her well child check-up. She did so great! She was really talking to the nurse and doctor and giggling. Luckily, like Lauren, she didn't need any shots so that made everyone happy. Dr. Marshall told me I have another absolutely perfect child! What mom gets tired of hearing that? Not this one!
Lilly is right behind her sister growth wise. She weighs 28 pounds and is 34 inches tall. Lauren is 31 pounds and 38 inches tall. So close!
Keith also had a physical yesterday. He did good, too. He didn't have to get a shot either! The doctor did tell him that his job is too stressful and ordered some blood work just to do some early screenings.
We love going to see the doctor! The girls always get suckers and the entire office is sweet to all of us! We are so lucky to have found Dr. Marshall!

I was Unaware ...

2009-09-20T22:36:00.000-04:00

After reading Clifford the Big Red Dog while the girls ate spaghetti for dinner, Lauren and I had the following conversation.

Lauren: I have a dog!
Mommy: You do? Really?
Lauren: Yes.
Mommy: Who is your dog? (I was expecting her to say Daisy, Grammy & Pa's dog.)
Lauren: Um, Millie.
Mommy: Millie? Nice name. What color is Millie?
Lauren: Pink!
Mommy: Must be a pretty doggy. What does Millie like to do?
Lauren: Eat.
Mommy: What does Millie eat?
Lauren: Pss-ghetti.
Mommy: Just like you! What else does Millie like to do?
Lauren: He likes to play.
Mommy: What do you play together?
Lauren: Blocks.
Mommy: Does Millie go to school with you?
Lauren: Yes.
Mommy: Do the other kids at school have dogs, too?
Lauren: Yes.
Mommy: Do they bring their dogs to school, too?
Lauren: YES!!!

I guess we are thisclose to having imaginary friends in our house. Maybe Lauren will be like her Auntie Kelle and have 3 pink piggies following her around.