Bed Head

Thirty years from now, when I look back on these sometimes hectic days of two little ones running wild in the house, I will remember images like this.It's the simple things that I love most. The way that Charlie sits on the top of his booster seat rather than the seat itself causing him to dribble milk as he tries to get the cereal into his mouth throught the extra long distance. And that ever since his last cold, he has had a very strange addiction to Kix. He eats about 4 bowls a day. I wish I was kidding.

And the morning hair. Oh, I love that bed head. There's something about it that just makes me want to snuggle up with him.

And then there's Grace, who on this particular morning was clearly feeling the need to bond with this little noise maker. I love this nightgown. It's her favorite, and she looks like such a little girl when she wears it, which happens to be most nights.
I love slow mornings when we just get to sit around in our pj's and messy hair. We seem to be having less and less of them lately, and I'm sure that trend will continue, but for now, I'm choosing to treasure them.

Young Author

A Big Fairy Rush

by Grace

Once upon a time there was a little girl. When there was a big rush, she didn't know what to do! She needed to go to Fairy Land, but her butterfly friend wasn't' there yet.

Then a different butterfly friend came. "Gracie! Gracie! Your butterfly friend needs your help!"

A big golden butterfly statue came. It was telling her what happened. "The butterfly got too big for town and is knocking everyone over!"

Then she got a big rope that went all the way to Fairy Land, and she got all the way to Fairy Land. She put the rope through her window.

She got him and she pulled him back! She shrunk him to his usual size. She puts lots and lots of water all over him and he got smaller and smaller and she stopped when he was his usual size.

The End

Birthday List

Grace's birthday is just a week away, and I haven't done any shopping for her yet. We are getting her a new bed, so she won't be getting much else. Hmmm, I wonder what I'll choose...

• Fairy Wings


• New Umbrella


• New Fan-one that doesn't poke you in the eye


• New wrapping paper


• New Shoes


• A Nose Picker "So I can pick my nose without my fingers getting all yucky"


• Transformers


• A Siren


• 31 Butterflies-Pink ones with princesses on them


• More Transformers
  

I always love these lists. She is so random! I'm thinking I'll go with the fairy wings and a nose picker. :)

Valentine's Party

We had a great time celebrating Valentine's Day yesterday with one of our playgroups. Our house was filled with friends (both the kids' and mine!), and we had fun decorating cookies, making cards, and playing.

Cookie decorating...I love how you can see the concentration as the kids make sure they get plenty

of frosting on their cookies.
Time to eat!

Grace and Clara...these two have been the sweetest friends since Grace was a baby.

Jam Session

You've heard of the Jackson 5, The Osmonds, and The Jonas Brothers, but let me introduce you to the next big thing in the world of family bands. Ever since Jeff got Rock Band for Christmas, we've become quite the musical family over here! On New Year's Day, Ryan and Lindsay came over, and we all had a great time at our family jam session!

Jeff gives Grace a quick guitar lesson. She's got the beat!
Father-Son Dynamic Duo
Sing it, Charlie!She may not sing the same song that everyone else plays, but this girl sings with all of her heart! (My favorite combination was Beastie Boys with Jingle Bells.)

Our band wouldn't be complete without Uncle Ryan and Aunt Lindsay!
Charlie rocks out on the drums.
(Grandparents-please don't get any ideas. We do NOT need a real drum set! :0)

New Year's Interviews

I loved interviewing Grace this year and wish I would have videotaped it. After every question she replied, "Hmmm...I would say..." She put a lot of thought into her answers and clearly loved giving her opinion on these topics. To see last year's interview, go here.

What is your favorite...

• Color: pink
• Food: chicky-noodies-mash-potaties and chocolate chip cookies
• Toy: Charlie's train set
• Restaurant: Red Robin
• Holiday: Christmastime
• Cereal: Strawberry cereal
• Vegetables: carrots
• Drink: milk
• Book: The Cat in the Hat
• Game: Uno Moo and the Elmo card game
• TV Show: Cinderella
• Place to go: the park

What do you love about...

• Charlie:that he cries
• Mommy:her nose
• Daddy:his hair
• Yourself:having stuffy noses

If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Cinderella

Where would you like to go on vacation? Disneyland

Who do you like to play with? Emily and Macy next door

What makes you feel...

• Happy? hanging up Christmas cards
• Sad? when I get hurt
• Scared?when people are being mean

Do you have any wishes for the new year? I can't tell you or they won't come true.

I also interviewed Charlie. At first, he answered every question, "Elmo!" What's your favorite food? Elmo! What's your favorite color? Elmo! Eventually he got the hang of things and answered some of the questions.

What is your favorite:

• Color: blue
• Food: Cheetohs
• Toy: Playdough
• Vegetable: Avocado
• Drink: Water
• TV Show: Elmo
• Place to go: Bop
• Person to play with : Boppo

Happy New Year!

Our New Year's celebration was quiet but fun this year. We contemplated letting the kids stay up to watch the ball drop in New York, but decided that since the kids still don't understand the concept of sleeping in no matter how late they stay up, we would stick to the normal bedtime. So, at about 6:30 we got ready for our New Year's toast. We poured sparkling cider, clinked our glasses, and yelled, "Cheers!" But when it was all over Charlie looked at me with some anxiety and confusion in his voice and said, "Toast? Toast?" He thought he were sitting down to eat some toast! We couldn't have an upset little guy on such a festive evening, so of course, we made toast! (Actually, he didn't want to wait for it to toast, so he just had bread.) And since Charlie was having toast, Grace had to have toast. Who knows, it may be the start of a new tradition!

New Year's Kiss!

All partied outOnce the kids were in bed, the real party started. Jeff and I had a serious jam session playing Rock Band. More to come on that later...:)