snow days

holiday cheer

I'm not naming any names, but someone thinks sending a photo in a Christmas card is a stupid idea.

funny girl

Last week when Elly and I were playing with the camera, I asked her to show me her "big smile." Apparently there has been some progression.

Ummm....at least her eyes are open now. I seriously need to get this child a mirror.

kids rule

Our Halloween was awesome (as usual)! Hope yours was, too!

timer

I always forget how much I love the camera timer. We hurry to get in our spots. Hold a cheesy pose. Race to see what it looks like. Laugh when we see the wonky angles and crazy crops.

I'm not sure if you can tell, but these two girls were having lots of fun.

my elly

She is quirky and cooky. She's pretty talented at faking a fit if she doesn't get her way, but she is hardly ever in bad mood. She brings a bit of whimsy into our little family. For her...burps, toots and "poo-poo" diapers might possibly be the funniest things on the planet.
She loves to make fake serious faces and then burst into fake fits of laughter.
She's the cuddler in the family.
And she is three-years-old. How can that be?!
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We had to cancel our plans for Elly's birthday because Canon might have the flu. We had planned to go to a high school football game because Elly seems to like football. [And it's at this point Elly would most definitely interject and clarify that it is football PLAYERS that she likes. Not football. But the players. Seriously. She corrects me every single time. My daughter is three-years-old and already has a thing for football players.]

wordless wednesday

first day: preschool style

Since my freelance job is gearing up again, Elly is going to preschool a couple days a week so I can get some work done. Today was her first day. She loved school. She was most excited about eating out of her lunchbox.

I had grand plans of running errands, sipping coffee and shopping for business clothes, but instead I spent my free day on the couch with a migraine. Apparently every time I cry now, I end up vomiting thanks to a splitting headache. I'm just thankful I didn't have this problem during my hormonal teenage years.

Anyway...Elly's teacher sent out a little information email. I noticed on her class calendar that Elly's day for show-and-tell is Thursdays. Just the idea of her (or any two-year-old, for that matter) presenting something to the class for show-and-tell has been a constant source of amusement around our house. I would love to be a fly on the wall for that one.

in bed

For the first few years of our marriage Alex and I slept in a full-size bed. I hesitantly agreed to a queen when we moved into our house several years ago. I just felt that distance in the bed could easily correlate to distance in the marriage. But the truth is...we don't cuddle in our sleep. So last week we upgraded to a king-size bed and passed the queen on to Elly since she had long ago outgrown her little toddler bed. And I love this bed. All I want to do is be in the bed. Our whole little family fits just perfectly. This photo is of us on a Friday night....just hanging out in bed. Turns out that more space in the bed actually brought us closer together.

happy thursday

She isn't even three-years-old yet, but she is already so aware of her humor. The funny faces, the silly voices, the comedic timing...this girl knows she is hilarious. She drives me a little bonkers, but she also makes me very happy.

until it's gone

On a normal day this little thing drives me crazy. She is hyper and loud and CONSTANTLY doing things she knows she shouldn't. But right now she is very sick. She hasn't eaten in almost a week, which has left her thin and frail. And her voice is so hoarse that she doesn't really bother trying to talk much. It's like there is just a shell of my daughter lying around the house. I can't believe I'm about to type this, but...I miss the crazy.
She does have a pretty cute hoarse laugh though.

my world this wednesday

I'm having lots of sweet alone time with my youngest while keeping up with my oldest and her adventures in Disney World via facebook. Weird.

summer's in the hair

Streaks kissed by the sun. Air-dryed into waves and curls. Smelling sweet of sweat and chlorine. Untamed and free and crazy. I love their summer hair.

to be fair

I couldn't exactly leave Elly hanging out there after yesterday's post. There will be a day when she discovers I posted pictures on the internet of her walking around naked and making silly faces, and I'm sure she'll hate me for it. So...I'm trying to counter-balance the potentially embarrassing with the not-so-embarrassing. Hopefully this here glamour shot does the trick.

And one of Canon, too.

(Seriously, girls, please don't hate me.)

wordless wednesday

working hard

I can't lie; being a stay-at-home mom during the summer is nothing short of freakin' awesome.

I feel replenished by the sun. Happy and content. My brain is total mush and I'm okay with that. It feels good to just be.

growing up

She's still doing the "big smile" face. I know it's a total mom-thing, but it makes me laugh every time.

My little girl is growing up. She moved out of her crib this week. And although she is accepting the change very well, she isn't able to sleep all that well. Sleep deprivation is the cruel curse that comes along with all the magical wonders of parenthood. Sorry for my blogging absence. I'll be back when my girl gets used to her new bed and we get some sleep around here.

gratitude

Last week I was sick and lazy, so I skipped out on my yoga mat. Today was my first day back to the practice. My teacher spoke quite a bit about gratitude and I was hit with a flood of emotion. It's not that I don't usually recognize how much I have to be grateful for; it's just that sometimes the realization punches me in the chest causing my heart to swell.

Today I am especially grateful for my two happy, healthy daughters. I am grateful for a husband who loves me. I am grateful he makes it possible for me to stay home with our girls. I am grateful to be home with the girls for another summer. (Of course I am grateful for many more things, but these are the things that were getting me today.) What are you grateful for?

(by the way...Canon took this picture.)

summer preview

Sand between our toes and sun kisses on our noses. Our first trip to the beach this year was a little short and a little chilly, but with it came promises of many more road trips and beach days ahead. If summer turns out to be anything like the preview, I think it's going to be a good one.

happy earth day