Popeye Jr.

This is what my Dad does in his spare time...

He draws on pictures of my precious children!

I know my posts have been non-existent lately. I would list out why...but don't have time. Suffice it to say that your prayers for the sale of our home would be most welcome!

Thanksgiving Feast - Ace

Today was all about Ace.

He was so excited about his Thanksgiving Feast at school.

Here was his place card. Such a cute idea.

We were thrilled that TWO of his soccer teammates were going to be in his class at school. Brendan is in the middle and Stuart is on the right.

Just had to insert her "stink face" which is STILL alive and well.

Ace's friend Trent. Trent is a twin and Ace and I have had LOOOONG conversations about what twins are. Don't you just love Ace's dimple in this photo? And those red lips! I do.

Super cute centerpiece made by a classmate's parent.

Silly boys. These tee-pees turned into swords about 5 minutes after this.

Lily Kate went to TOWN on this apple and downed about half of it. I'm bringing one to every football practice from here on out in hopes it will entertain her for as long as it did today!

And this is how we ended up.

Gum on the shoe.

Ha! Car looks pretty clean from this angle. You'd never know we could feed all of China off the floor in the backseat.

WARNING: This photo will make your heart melt.

This morning, I asked Ace to pick out Lily Kate's bow. OF COURSE, he chose the Florida State one. She will sport it proudly at his Thanksgiving Feast this afternoon!
Want a laugh??? I dressed Ace in his "fashionable" splatter-painted jeans this morning and he says, "Look Mom. There's bird poop on my pants!"

We're Official

Here's our listing.

We'll take any advice you have about staging, showings or decorating!

If you know any secrets that will help us sell faster, I will take them.

I will be so sad to leave this house. The layout is perfect for us. I love my office with it's big windows that let me look out onto the green park area across the street. The playroom has been great for soccer and flag football practices! I am groaning over leaving behind all of the special painting I did in Lily's room. I hate to leave the moulding and slate floors that we sweated over with contractors.

But, it's all material right?

I'd rather have our family together and Jonathan starts work December 1st.

We haven't had any showings yet.

Please pray for a fast sale but also for a FAIR sale. Our realtor has told us unbelievable stories of buyers asking for all sorts of crazy concessions and I don't take it well when I feel like I'm being taken advantage of. I love this house and want to sell it to someone who will also love it.

PJ DAY

I got Lily Kate up this morning, got her dressed in the cutest little outfit, went downstairs to make her lunch and found a note in her backpack that it was Pajama Day. So, off came the cute outfit and on we threw her jammies.

I LOVE that she actually reaches for her hairbows in the morning. I pretend it's because she wants to wear them and not that she just wants to rip them all down off their hanger like she tends to do.

I think, in this picture, she's telling me that she's ready for me to leave, she's alright and I'm embarrassing her with the camera.

Never one to be outdone.

Is it just me, or does that headband actually look pretty on him?!

The Sound of Silence

Both kids put to bed and Jonathan out at the EBS birthday party. I had forgotten the sound of silence. It's rather nice!

Happiest Halloween

We had the most beautiful trick-or-treating weather last night.

Darth Vader woke up from his nap crying to go trick-or-treating. We started about 6:30. Good thing because we didn't finish up until about 8pm!

The only thing I don't like about Halloween masks is that you can see this handsome face! We went up to his old daycare lady's house and she didn't even know it was him until I came up and told her!!!
This little pumpkin outfit was a hand-me-down from the neighbors down the street. We actually ran into the family who it came from and got a kick out of showing Lily Kate off in it.

She didn't quite get the whole trick-or-treating thing. She rode in the stroller or walked with Pops for most of the night. She stopped about 7:15 and gave out candy with Daddy.

My precious punkin' pie. She got mad at this costume several times. It was made up of strips of fabric and she kept getting tangled up in them. Sacrifice for fashion I say!

The funniest part of the night was when this guy came to the door eating a bag of Doritos. I guess he was out of candy because he gave Ace a handful of Doritos in his Halloween bucket! Ace immediately ate one before I could get to him!

Halloween is second only to Christmas in this house.

Enhancements

I have FINALLY figured it out!

The computer server at work has locked me out so...(thank goodness I started work early and got my hours in before it went on the blitz.)...I decided to see if I could figure out how to change up my pictures using the Adobe Photoshop I begged Jonathan for.

One, five-minute tutorial later...
How snazzy is THIS!

Yes, she's naked in a pumpkin. Long story. Going to do some more Adobe Tutorials, fix up some of our photos and post them later. For now, I'm soooooo excited about changing the color on these.

Pretty Lily

Lily Kate LOVES it when you say "Pretty Lily." It's like she knows what you are saying. She gets a big smile and kind of ducks her chin like she's being modest. Or...it's all in my imagination. Whatever, she's adorable.

Today, I was saying, "Pretty Lily" and Ace started pouting, threw himself on the floor and said, "You didn't call me handsome!" Oh gosh. Apparently I'm overpraising and focusing on appearance too much. I'm allowed to do that as their mother, right?!
(Yes, she's scratched her nose. Her nails grow super duper fast!)

If you're gonna be sick...

...don't you wish you looked this cute?

I know that I certainly don't look this cute when I'm sick.

When I woke Lily Kate up on Friday morning, she was covered in throw up. All weekend, Jonathan and I took turns trying to avoid her blow out diapers. This morning, she blew it out again and I figured she had a bug. In the car, on the way to school, I heard something suspicious in the back seat (exactly like the sound of someone crumpling a ziploc bag). I asked Ace what was happening: "She's throwing up all over the place Mom. You've got to see this!"

Everywhere. Milk. Everywhere. Milk!

I can't possibly do anything other than love her. I set her on the ground to get the carseat out and she came over and gave me a big hug covered as she was in her own throw up.

We are seeing the doctor this morning.

(P.S. I love those ears.)

Halloween FUN...in the wrong spot.

I totally spent the last 30 minutes creating a post of our Halloween fun last night but I put it on the WRONG blog! Click here to see what an awesome time we had when our cousins came over....and to read all of the things I love about my Lily! Oops.

Fashion Statement #929

I have been waiting for Lily Kate to fit into this delectable dress FOR-EVER!

Yes, I know she needs a second pair of shoes! She has to wear sneakers to school and mommy has never had more than one pair of black and one pair of brown shoes herself. I'm learning.

My mischief makers.

They are in charge of letting Hula out to potty in the mornings while I make lunches. That's why they are staking out the back door.

Fashion Statement #927

Have I mentioned lately that having a girl is SO MUCH MORE FUN than I imagined it would be? Even Ace is getting in the on the fun. He picked out her hair bow today (or, I should admit that he threw an all-out fit that she wear this one).

I can't pic just one photo and you can't make me.
It's really the girl that makes the clothes. My girl. My precious, rambunctious, giggly, toddling sweet baby who likes to pat my shoulder when I hold her.

Loves Her Daddy!

I caught some photos of Lily Kate and her Daddy. She just loves him so.

I thought these two first photos were funny because they even opened and closed their smiles the same!

No doubt where she came from.
These days, Lily Kate likes to "wallow." Whoever is around, she wants to lay and roll all over them. She doesn't want to be cuddled or held. She just wants to sit, unhindered on your lap or roll all over you without you stopping her.

Never fear! The "scrunchy face" is still around. This one shows that she just does it to humor me these days.

Darth Vader is the newest addition to our clan. Don't worry, he's come over from the dark side and he's nice now.

Just silly days around our house. Life is sweet with these faces for company.

Who is this?

No, I did not dye Lily Kate's hair blonde if that is what you're thinking!

This is JONATHAN!
I've been back and forth between this and Lily Kate's photos a bazillion times and they are like twins! Lillies has two dimples, my ears and darker hair (and less of it) but put him in pink and add a hair bow and we've got it!
Everyone always told me I looked like my Dad growing up. I guess we'll all tell Lily Kate the same thing!!!

First Double Sleepover

This past weekend, the kids went on their first double-sleepover at B's house. My mom has kept both kids while I've gone out of town before but this is the first time I've been ALL by myself without them. (Jonathan was away on a guys' weekend.)

I LOVE the look Lillies is giving Ace! It is just a matter of TIME before she gives him the "what for." She is jabbering up a storm and I swear yesterday she said "quit it Ace."

It is VERY hard for me to let BOTH of my kids out of my arms. I am SUCH a worrier and I lay in bed thinking up elaborate plans of how to get us out of situations if someone carjacks us or burgles the house, or if there is a fire or if our car gets submerged in water...and those are the realistic scenarios!!! It's paralyzing sometimes and only the grace of God digs me out of my imagination. So letting both my kids out of armslength just makes my worries run wild.

They had such a great time. They always come home from B's smelling like clean, Johnson's nighttime lotion and happiness.

I, on the other hand, spent a night alone with Hula, working on the kids yearbooks. If I couldn't be with them, I at least wanted to be going through pictures of them. =) Is it possible to have empty nest just in a night? Oh the prayers I need to pray!!!!!

Can't get enough

I just can't get enough of her (even though she wouldn't smile for me today).

Decked out for her second day of school.

Wearing her new twinkle toes.
Her baby cankles are almost gone. =(
She did whimper a little when I gave her to the teacher today. I think it's only because I wasn't the one to set her on the floor. She doesn't really like being passed around. She was happy enough in the 5 seconds it took me to sign her in and get out of her line of sight.
One less hiny to wipe until 2 this afternoon.

School Daze

School days are here again!

Ace started Mrs. Samstag's class on Monday. Getting up, ready and dropping off through car line was old hat for him. He was really excited to play with all of his friends.

Lily Kate started Mrs. Young's class this morning. (Tear)

She did fantastic. No tears and once she was on the floor she just took in her surroundings and then went about finding a toy to put in her mouth.
Where did my babies go?

Bet your wishin...

...you were at our house right about now!

This is the kind of day I DREAM about.

My ingenious (and generous) employer lets everyone have every other Friday off during the summer. I typically fill these days with...work...making up time for hours that I've spent changing diapers, consoling criers and wiping hinys.

Not today.

Today was a special day. Mrs. Klaassen released her chocolate chip cookie recipe to the Tyler magazine when they covered Canaan's trip to the Little League World Series and that (for me) is reason to call a household holiday.

So we TRIED our hand at it. (Walmart was out of butter-flavored Crisco. We just used regular. And I took the "ice-cream scoop" size a little too literally and one cookie will feed a family of four they are so huge.)

Scrum-dittly-umptious.

(And the cookies were yummy too.)

While we are on the topic of things that are in our bellies...
Yup, Ace swallowed a marble yesterday. He's told everyone from the doctor to strangers to the checkout lady at Walmart. I think it scared him pretty bad because he was hysterically crying after he did it and I didn't even spank him.

My last Free Friday of the summer. Spent with my two favorite munchkins and chocolate chip cookies. Got to tuck this one away in the memory treasure chest.

Fast Fun in San Antone!

We picked up and drove over to San Antonio for some last minute summer fun. Friday was ANYTHING but fun (I mis-scheduled a lunch with Kate who was actually out of town!!! Then, Mary Kathryn was unexpectedly in town but when she called to get directions to the house my phone DIDN'T RING!) Double bummer.

But Saturday, we found redemption.

We started out at the Pearl Brewery's farmers' market.

We took a neat tour and enjoyed just looking at all the yummy stalls.

After a nap, we wanted to get the kids out of the house so we went down to the RiverCenter Mall. On a complete whim I said, "Let's get Lily Kate's ears pierced." Jonathan wasn't opposed so off we went. This picture is PITIFUL.
Don't worry, she only cried the amount of time it took me to unwrap a lollipop and stick in it her mouth. One very sticky baby later, she was happy as a clam.

One ice cream mustache later, she didn't even remember getting them done.

Turns out, she loves Mommy after all. Who knew?!

San Antonio was fun as always: Sashi and Honey rotated being Ace's best friend. Ace gave everyone "super names" and we role-played all weekend: Batman, Flash, Basketball and Soccer Coach, Sacafwika and many, many more. Thanks for a great time and great mexican food. Love you Honey and Sashi.