One Complaint

So, M is home sick from school today so the only logical thing to do is take the girls for donuts. I guess she also had a breakfast sandwich, which is at least a bit of protein! So as we are at Dunkin Donuts I realize that they don't even have one donut worth eating. What a sad thing!

I grew up in a family that really loves donuts. I remember my dad going to get donuts for us quite often on Saturday mornings. And in my family, one donut is not enough...at least two is OK, if not three! Where I grew up there were lots of good local donut shops that we were able to frequent.

Unfortunately, where I live now, the only choice is Dunkin Donuts. I guess it serves it's purpose, but the donuts are definitely not homemade. Some days I just want a good donut and can't get it!

A few years ago, on one of our trips to PA, I discovered this donut shop. Their donuts are soooo good. They have Peanut butter cream donuts with chocolate frosting. Hello, does it get better than that. So today as I was at our donut shop I thought, maybe on our trip to PA this weekend, I'll have to stop for a donut...or more! (OK, who am I kidding, I've been thinking about these donuts ever since we decided to go to PA, I know, I am obsessed but I have been deprived for so long!!)

First Grade Concert

Last night was M's first grade concert. She really has never liked singing much until this year. It has been so fun to watch her grow to love singing! She has come home from school several times singing the new songs she has learned in music! She usually asks me if I know the song, and I have known a lot of them. She seems amazed that I know them!!

When M got on stage she was all smiles! It was so exciting just to watch her. She is such a sweet girl. R and I just sat in the audience grinning so big! She has been so excited for this concert and enjoyed every minute of it! She wanted to go early, which worked out since we got pretty good seats!

A few days before the concert M came home a bit upset, so I asked her what was wrong. She said

"Mom, whenever we have a concert I am never on the risers."

I realize that she is always in the first row because she happens to be on the shorter spectrum of things, but I just told her how lucky she was because now her mommy and daddy could see her better! I'm sure she'll realize what is happening some day!

I am so proud of my little M. I love waking up hearing her singing in her bed...what a good way to start my day. She is getting so big and is maturing so much. I love you tons M and hope you keep singing!!

Blue Eyed Girls!

So, here is my blue eyed B! She is so funny. She wanted to take pictures of us yesterday and this was as good as it got! I have so much fun with my little B during the day. She follows me constantly and loves to cuddle. Although she loves cuddling, just don't try to make her kiss you on the lips. She'll kiss you on the check or shoulder, but it is rare to get a lip kiss. I think she thinks it is yucky! She loves to help me with whatever I'm doing. She loves scrubbing toilets, wants to help me cook, is great at folding towels, and is overall a great little helper!

A week ago she had a little cavity filled. I felt like such a horrible mother knowing my three year old had a cavity. I actually made R take her to the dentist so my nerves wouldn't wear off on B. I figured I'd show up after all the shots were in place. By the time I got to the dentist's office I figured the worst would be over. When I showed up I heard laughing and went and peeked in the door. Twenty minutes after it started the whole process was done and B had not shed one tear. She kept telling me the shot tickled and she was so excited about it all. I was so relieved. What a good little girl.

Last night we went out to dinner and when B's food came there were some pickles on it. She looked at me and said...

"Mom, I told the servant I didn't want pickles."

It was so funny. I told B that they weren't called servants and she wanted to know why. It was so funny. R and I both got a pretty good laugh out of it!

I am so happy to have such a fun, blue eyed side kick all day long!

More to Come

Okay, I realize I have been a total blog slacker but I can't get any pictures downloaded with my new computer. Hopefully, since R will be off for a couple days soon, this will all change. I have attempted it myself and have wanted to send our new computer back! I am sure I will love it eventually...but if I can't figure it out it is obviously a dumb computer!!

Valentine's day!

So I realize this is totally late, but better late than never!! I actually LOVE Valentine's day! I know it is a made up holiday, but I love it all the same. R and I actually didn't do much to celebrate Valentine's day until we had kids. I love making a special dinner and putting a present out on the dinner table. I can't tell you how much the girls look forward to it!

B had a party this year at Pre-School and had a lot of fun. She picked out Mickey Mouse Valentine's cards to give to all her friends. She actually had two Valentine's shirts and had a hard time deciding which one to wear to her party...the one she is wearing is the winner! She got a ladybug stuffed animal and a ladybug bracelet this year for Valentine's day! She really likes ladybugs, ever since she dressed as one for Halloween!

M talks about Valentine's day all year long. She loves that we eat dinner by candle light and have a present waiting on their dinner plate. This year she got a pretty big stuffed dog, so it had to be on the chair next to her! She picked out Littlest Pet shop and Transformer Valentine's cards for her friends at school and church! She is such a cutie in her little heart dress!

We had a fun dinner and night after dinner!! The girls had so much fun all day and so did I!! I am so glad they love each other and I love them so much!!

The Badest Worstest Day Ever!

Today M came off the bus and I wasn't paying close enough attention to the time. I suddenly hear a knock on the door and realize I had forgotten to open it for her. As I get closer to the door I realize that M is outside crying. I open the door to a somewhat hysterical M, who has snow all over the front of her. Apparently on her way up to the door she slipped on the ice and fell into the snow. I think that was enough, after the day she had had, to send her into tears. I asked her what

happened and after telling me about falling, she told me she "had the badest, worstest day ever!" I asked her why her day was so bad and these were her reasons:

*I missed two words on my spelling test. (She has never missed a word before, which is much better than I did as a first grader. In her defence the words were mad and made, and she just got them mixed up.)

*At lunch the lunch line was really long, and since I brought lunch no one sat by me for a long time, and when they did, they didn't talk to me!

*I got a paper cut and my teacher didn't have a band aid, so I had to go to the nurse to get one.

*My band aid fell off in music, and my music teacher didn't have a band aid, so now I don't have a band aid and my paper cut hurts worse. (Imagine tears intensifying at this point)

*I was trying to walk up the driveway and I fell on the ice and now my new Valentine's dress is all wet and I am cold...it's just the badest, worstest day ever.

We ended up coming inside and I held her on my lap for a few minutes and then we called daddy to see if he could help her calm down. For some reason she was really worried she would disappoint daddy by not getting all her spelling words correct. The phone call with daddy and cuddling with mommy were enough to calm her down a bit. The promise of homemade cookies also got her past her bad day! I know not everything on her list was the end of the world, but as a mommy it makes me sad when she is crying and so upset. I was glad the day ended on a good note for her and she went to bed a happy little girl. If I could take all the badest worstest days away for her, I would!

B, on the other hand, had a pretty good day. Lately, B has been obsessed with Lady Bugs. I guess since she was a lady bug for Halloween, she has decided they are one of her favorite things!! Yesterday, while at Target, she spotted these lady bug pajama's. She instantly asked (very nicely) if she could have them. I figured I would let her hold them and then put them back when she forgot about them. Well, she never let go of them! I told her I would buy them for her if she would promise to wear big girl underwear everyday. (She has been potty trained for awhile, but always wants to wear pull-ups for some strange reason!) She said she would, so she got her lady bug p.j.'s! Today she worse panties without question, until we were in the car on the way to the library. She said, "Mommy, I think I need a pull up because the library said I couldn't wear big girl panties there." Nice try little B!!! I quickly explained that you were allowed to wear panties at the library and the subject was quickly dropped. She is so funny. She loved making cookies today as well. I haven't made homemade cookies in months and she has been asking me for the past few weeks to make them. Of course, she loves the dough, but when I gave her a cooked cookie, she was upset it wasn't the dough!! O, she is my kind of girl!!

Purple Ballerinas

Lately, M and B have been putting on lots of shows for me. The other day both girls got their princess costumes on that grandma made for them and put their ballet shoes on put on a performance.











M is the creative director behind the shows. She plans the play and makes B practice until she feels it is perfect. Sometimes she gets upset when B doesn't do what she wants her to, but then I just remind her she only has control over herself. I know it's a hard concept, but she does pretty well!









M practices all sorts of moves from her ballet class. She tries telling me the names of the positions she is doing, but since they are in French and have to do with ballet, I don't know them. I just smile and nod my head!
















B usually is pretty good at doing what the director tells her to! For this ballet she was a baby, so she mostly just sat on the stage!

















At the end both girls bowed and then went on to new costumes and a new play!

When Daddy's Away!

So, R has been working during the evenings this past week and the girls really miss him when he is gone. Usually, around seven at night, the girls wrestle with daddy. Since daddy is the resident wrestler, chaser in our house, mommy doesn't always fill in when he is gone!


On the nights daddy is gone the girls seem to do just fine rough housing together!

Tonight M even discovered that she could give B piggy back rides! B was very excited about this new found skill.

The girls usually end up on the floor someone sitting on top of the other. Tonight B kept asking M to sit on her, which was kind of weird, but I guess if they are having fun it's ok!

I always worry that someone will get hurt, which happens on occasion, but it resolves itself pretty quickly and then they are back to wrestling!

M is such a cutie. I love her big brown eyes.

And just because it is cute, I thought I would add the picture of the girls in their somewhat matching monkey jammies! The monkey's fit how they were acting tonight! I love my little monkeys...now if they just don't fall off that bed!

Merry Christmas!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

We wish we could be closer to all our friends and family, especially during the holidays! We are thinking about all of you and missing you! Hope you have a great Christmas!

Snow Angels

Yesterday it started snowing about noon and it has been snowing since! (the past 21 hours) They say it is supposed to stop snowing today and give up a break before another foot is expected on Sunday. We thought we would take advantage of all the fresh snow and go out and play for awhile! Yes, I even braved the elements and played with the girls outside!!





R took the girls out back where they had fun sledding down a little hill we have. He also helped them go down the slide, which was blanketed with snow! They especially liked doing that! B got a bit worried when R went down the slide because she thought he would break it.







M is getting so big and really does well in the snow. She is big enough that she can walk around without getting stuck! I think she would have played longer if mommy and daddy weren't tired! One of her favorite things was trying to throw snow balls at everyone. She also liked the huge slats of ice that R got off our trampoline and threw on the ground. I think she thought she had her own personal ice rink!













B is really fun to watch in the snow. She is still little enough that she has a hard time walking through so much snow! She really liked the slid, sledding and eating all the snow! At one point I watched her and she would just stick her had in the snow and then suck all the snow off her mitten. I think she did this for a good five minutes. She would also try and lick the snow that was blowing in her face. (as shown in the picture!)













Daddy, M, and B all made snow angels.

This is daddy's snow angel.



This is M's snow angel!

This is B's little snow angel!

We had a fun time playing in the snow and the girls are excited to go out again!

Christmas Ornaments

Every year we try adding to our Christmas ornament collection! Each year I buy the girls each an ornament that sort of represents something in the life for the past year.

This year B got a Little Einstein's Rocket for her ornament. It even plays the theme song from the show, which B loves to play...a lot. Each time she pushes the button for the music she runs around the house saying... "zoom zoom!" She loves her ornament this year! What a fun three year old she is!


This year M got a ballerina that twirls and plays a song from the Nutcracker. She has LOVED the nutcracker this past year and wants to watch it all year round! She was so excited to get this pretty ballerina. She has been doing ballet herself since she was four, so hopefully someday she will be able to be in the Nutcracker! We went to see the Nutcracker this past weekend. It was so fun just watching her as she watched the ballerinas perform. She is such a sweet girl!



This year I added to my collection as well! When I saw this red shoe I knew I had to get it. As I am sure most of you know, I love shoes....especially red shoes! It was just too fitting to pass it up!










Our cousins brought us this ornament when they came from New York City for Thanksgiving. I try to get ornaments from places I have lived and visited and after seven years of New York I still didn't have an ornament! This will always bring back good memories of our time in New York for me!

Ice Storm

This past Friday we had a ice/snow storm. We were pretty lucky and didn't lose power for very long. I love the trees the day after a storm when the sun in shining. Especially with an ice storm, when it looks like the trees are sparkling. I guess I can find beauty in all this cold!

Little Miss Piggybank

Yesterday I was looking online at something I want for Christmas. B came up and sat on my lap and saw that it was purple (her favorite color!) and got really excited. She said

"I wanna get that for you mama!"

I said "If you have a hundred dollars I can get it!"

B then got off my lap, and I assumed she went to play. She came and found me a few minutes later, carrying her piggy bank. She said

"Here is a hundred dollars mama!"

She was so sincere in her offer, it was really sweet. I am so grateful for such a kind little lady. Love you lots B!

Yellowlicious!

So I got a really cute, yellow jacket this weekend that I love! I know it is kind of hard to see (I took the picture myself so this was the best it got) but I love the collar. It buttons really cute. Sometime when R is off work I will have him take a better picture.


It's more of a cute jacket...not an outdoor coat, but I love it. I'm thinking of getting a patent leather belt to wear over it to make it more fitted!

Anywho, just thought I would share my exciting purchase from the weekend! (I wore it to church today with a black dress...did I mention I think the right color of yellow and black look great together....just my two cents!)

By the way, I thought I would be consistent with my title and continue on with the colorlicious theme!!

Greenalicious!

M loves spinach and arugula! I don't think I've ever met a kid quite like her! We had soup tonight with arugula in it and she was so excited. She wanted seconds with mostly arugula in it! Is this saying something about me...am I not feeding her healthy enough so she loves greens?!!















A couple of weeks ago she came home from school and told me that the teacher asked the class if anyone liked spinach. Nobody did so M decided to say she didn't as well. She came home quite upset because..."Mom, I do like spinach but no one else did!" I told her it was ok...she could still have it and not have to tell her whole class.





My friends found this recipe from Rachel Ray and it is now mine and M's favorite soup. M especially loves the arugula!

Chicken and White Bean Stew

4 slices of bacon, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 pound red potatoes (or just regular baking potatoes)
1 32 ounce container of chicken stock/broth (I used this plus an extra smaller can of chicken stock)
1 whole rotisserie chicken
1-2 15.5 ounce cans small white beans, rinsed
5 ounces arugula (5 cups)
salt and pepper
1. In a large soup pot cook the bacon over medium heat until cooked but not crisp, about five minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about five minutes. Add the potatoes and chicken broth and simmer until the potatoes are tender about 15 minutes
2. Pull meat off the chicken; discard skin. Add the chicken and white beans to the stew after potatoes are done and cook until heated through. Just before serving, stir in the arugula and season to taste with salt and pepper. It looks like a lot of arugula but it shrinks a lot when you stir it in.



I just thought I would throw this picture in since M learned this from her Uncle Brett this past week. Heaven knows I would never teach my nephews or nieces to show their food!! Thanks Uncle Brett!!

Pinkalicious!

Today I took B to the doctor and found out she has an ear infection and pink eye! I thought this book M got at the book fair today was appropriately titled... Pinkalicious! B even picked it out for her bed time book.









B was really good at the doctors office so when we went to pick up her medicine I let her pick out a toy. She wanted a Little Einstein puzzle.

Once she put that puzzle together she couldn't let any of her other puzzles feel left out! She LOVES her puzzles!

M had pink eye last week and hated the drops that we put in her eyes. To get two drops in each eye took me about twenty minutes. B let me put the drops in her eye today with no problems. Of course, she only has one, compared to M's four drops...and it is only the first day. We'll see how the week goes! Hopefully the pink doesn't spill over to me!