Mom and the Frat Boys

This past weekend my mom and I took the girls to visit grandma and grandpa. Coming home we were stopped on highway 57 for about an hour. There was a flipped over car about a mile ahead. I have been stopped in traffic but this was a first. People were walking up and down the highway making friends and passing word along. We were lucky enough to have been stopped near a highway patrol officer that just got off work who was giving us a play by play. We were also fortunate it was only an hour and that the weather was so great. It turned a negative situation into a slightly festive one. I felt like I was tailgating in fact we started joking with these college kids and a lady from Georgia. There was a softball team that was late for the game and other kids being bounced on the side of the road. Not one person seemed angry or hostile it was a very jovial experience. My girls were amazing! Nessa fussed only for a bit and Maise sat there singing and chatting the whole time. Maise gets extra points because minutes before we came to a stop I promised her milk and we were out. Check out our highway 57 party!

Have a great week!

9 Months...Already?

Nessa turned 9 months on Wednesday. We took her to get her 9-month pictures on what seemed like the hottest day of the year. It was a crazy adventure, but we got a cute shot and met up with some friends for dinner afterward. Ironically the earrings I ordered for the girls came that same day so Ness kind of got a present. It was an awesome 9-month birthday for Nessa Pants! Although not planned, her 9-month marker turned into quite the celebration!

Vanessa's 9 month stats are:

                                                            21 and 3/4 lbs

                                                            28 inches long
                                                   (Dr. said she's PERFECT!)

Say Cheese!

Nessa's pictures will take a couple weeks to get back but Joe snuck Maise in for an impromptu photo shoot while I was paying. Check it out!

Have a great weekend!

Well Shit!

Disclaimer: You will all be glad that I didn't post pictures!

So yesterday morning the girls and I got up slowly as we didn't have any morning plans.  Joe had left for work and left me my coffee...it was perfect! So relaxing! The girls were sitting together on the floor laughing and playing and I took the opportunity to check a quick email.  Well that's when I heard Maise say "Momma, Nessa Poo Poo."  I tell her I am on the way and seriously I was less than 3 feet away with the door open. But when I walk in I find that Maise was not calling to have me change Nessa she was calling out to inform me that she was changing Nessa.  I thought I had a mess when Maise found the powder - I will spare you details except that Maise had the one diaper off and one on the side and a baby wipe.  Poor Maise might of been alright if Ness was not such a spin and twirl kinda gal.  I give the kid credit she did pretty good.  What a fun Sunday!  

1-2-3-4-5-6 Here I come!

Hiding go seek is Maise's new favorite game. Uncle C taught it to her and she thinks it is the COOLEST. She likes both hiding and seeking but is very demanding about the order. She will run up to you and say count and that means you are on. It is so funny when you are counting because when you start looking for her she runs right out. Guess she doesn't want the searcher to stress. When she counts you better be quick because she only gives ya till 6 or 10 and comes searching. She is pretty good at that part and actually likes a challenge. Maise has really been diggin' (literally) the sand box lately. Mom and dad finally got smart enough to bring our own shovel and bucket to the park.



Vanessa is crawling so well she will follow you from one point of the house to the other. It is awesome having her able to do that. She still is very clingy but I think her new found skills are going to do wonders in the confidence department. Vanessa is also well on her way to being a UFC Champion, THANKS JOE! Yep daddy has been teaching the girls to wrestle and Vanessa seems to be the girl with the upper hand. She has no fear and will go right for Maise when she is ready to play.



This week I learned why I love Ebay and I hate craigslist...well hate is strong but I really became aggravated with craigslist this week. I have done ebay many times for years now and never had the stress that I had last week selling baby items. These people were nuts, wanting pictures of the seams and such. They were calling daily to ask more and more questions. I was so done by Friday that I was ready to drop it all off in one full swoosh to the women’s center near work. But I took a deep breath and wound up making a little bit cash on the items my girls can't use and helped some families that really needed a good deal. I have been in my cleaning/organizing frenzy and was ready to let go. After the irritation with craigslist I went back to ebay and sold everything in record time with only one question..."Will I ship to Brazil?"...sure why the heck not! Clean simple business. I totally heart ebay. I can actually see some floor in my attic...I can't wait to fill it back up. NOT REALLY!



Sorry for the delay this week in posting but I really have a TON of stuff going on. I am looking forward at 2 weeks kind of-off, so that I can get some activities and pictures posted for all of you.



Have a great week!

From A to Z in 10 seconds

So I bet that Nessa would be crawling in two weeks...while the video may not be traditional crawling let's give this girl some credit. I have been waiting for this shot and I am glad to finally be able to share. She has done the "standard" crawl a few times but likes the "snake" much better.  I really doubt we will see her ever doing an "army" crawl. While she still only stands strait when on furniture she does really try to pop up from a seated position to standing...and she almost has it! Nessa did catch a bit of what Maise had; it makes me sad having my 8 month old cough. But she loves her baby fever reducer (yum, grape) so we are on the road to recovery

Nessa lost two earring backs this week and one about a month ago, in all this time that has never happened with Maise. So I am on a hunt for some earring that can survive Miss Nessa. I don't think hoops are cool for a baby but there were these latch things my mom had for me that I think I will look for.

Maise - Maise is so crazy but she really is a help. She is very comforting towards her sick baby sister and has been a great bed side nurse. With Maise only getting over the virus herself she has still been a little off. This weekend she was able to attend her big cousins’ college graduation party and was a peach for the most part but got a little tantrumy (if it is not a word it is now). You got to LOVE when the kids act up in public. Maise is so funny! This week she took a trip with Grandma Janet and Nessa to McDonalds and made a friend. Her friend stopped playing and sat down to eat. Maise came out of the play tubes looking around like where's my pal? When she spotted her new buddy eating with her dad Maise went to the table and said "You eating with your daddy?"...but as Grandma explained she said it in a tone like seriously you are gonna eat? now? while we are playing?...That is so my kid!

For the most part both of my kids are very social and don't mind being passed around. I love that but realize that I don't want them to comfortable with real strangers. Both will clam up a tiny bit when we first get someplace but then accept their surroundings but I feel they are both very high in the levels of social skills for their age.

Speaking of social skills (kinda) I would just like to announce that we have offically booked the Golf Course for Vanessa's big 1 Year Birthday Bash.

SAVE THE DATE - September 9th!

It's gonna be a hippie chic themed party and will be off the charts!

Face painting - tie dye - food - drinks...and I am not crazy, it is not early it is just over 3 months to plan.

Have a great week!

What a week!

Maise has been sicker than she has ever been before. She has been running a fever as high as 103 for a long time now. She was acting a little off and then 3 am Saturday morning the fever appeared. The wild thing is that it keeps going up and down and in some respects has been under control. I took her in to see the doctor yesterday and found out this is a virus that popped up and it was crazy how many people in our area all had the same exact facts to present to the doctor. She was not given any meds, but we can continue the fever reducer. The doctor said it would probably run around 5 more days. I took yesterday off and Joe will be home the next two...let's just hope she beats this quick. And PLEASE keep Nessa healthy.

So the battle of the virus put a few restrictions on this weekends activities. Maise missed her friend Athina's communion but wants to say good job!! Nessa and I went to celebrate but had to turn back around when Maise got a little worse for grandma. Maise was still running a high fever but was doing much better, not well enough to do our walk unfortunately. We have rescheduled and will be Marching For Babies, September 17th in Dixon, Illinois. You know what? We are cool with that because we are a Fall loving kind of family and this will be a fun way to celebrate Joe's birthday. We have never been to Dixon, so chalk it up to new experience.

Nessa went to a birthday party, for her cousins Vito (5) and Rocco (1), on Sunday while Maise stayed home resting with daddy. It was actually kind of nice to have a little mommy and Nessa time, and daddy and Maise time. It is hard to allow for separate bonding so I am very grateful to have at least had one positive from my poor sick babies situation.

I am back to work today, already swamped and behind but pushing forward. My "deadlines" for this evening are complete (BIG SIGH OF RELIEF)! Tomorrow we host the Bulls Game, so I better hit the store for some Bulls gear for the ladies!

Fun fact for the week....Joe and I celebrated 17 years together this past weekend.
                                          17 YEARS! Holy Smokes!!

Have a great week!

Pete Da Butta

This week Maise named her little people; Ciselle, Buddy, Gordy, Goshi, Nicole, and Jo. it is so crazy I don't even know where she got the names from but we were sitting and playing with our friends and I asked what one of the girls name was and she said Ciselle without skipping a beat. We continued and I tested her to see if she remembered. The wild thing is she did remember which one was which and continues to call them by their new names.

Vanessa is rocking on those knees like a crazy girl. She is pushing all over the floor this girl will be full time crawling in less than two weeks. BET! She can already cover some major territory just pushin'...this is going to be one busy summer. She is still working on holding on to couches and such but not really making the effort to walk. When in her exersaucer she looks like she is free standing. Vanessa is a very strong girl; her big trick of the week is gliding off the couch feet first on her belly. It is very cute but the poor kid just can't figure out what to do once she lands.

Mothers Day Maise said "Happy Mommas Day, Mommy" and gave me a big huge. I am such a lucky woman. I was so excited that she did that. Really made my day; I got to wake up and enjoy a slow morning with my family; Joe ran out to grab us coffees and then we cleaned up the yard and planted cherry tomatoes and attempted to plant some flowers. I say attempted because Maise was determined to not let that happen. I had this wonderful idea about planting in her sensory table and she had a better idea...use it AS A SENSORY TABLE...Duh! MOMMA!

Check out our Mother's Day Planting Pictures at The Rainy Day Toddler!

My Mother's Day gift to me is a shiny new laptop. I am so excited I have never owned one. I feel like such a big girl. I can't wait to go use it in public, lol, look at me working on the go. (Nerd!) After our gardening adventure we ran out to pick it out. Boo Hoo I went home without it. But that was so they could hook it up for me and then as always my schedule got CRAZY and it is still sitting at Staples. I will pick her up tonight...WOO HOO!

This weekend is our MARCH OF DIMES WALK anyone that still wishes to donate can visit my donations page today!! We are almost at our goal, I thank all of those that have already contributed and urge the rest of you to join me in helping save lives!!

Oh yeah some of you may still be wondering what's up with the title of this blog post. Well let me clarify:

In Maise Speak Pete Da Butta means Peanut Butter...I am not normally a fan of baby talk but how cute is that? It is a pretty log word. Also this week we learned a new song - Sticky Sticky Bubble Gum. Cute song but cutter when sung by Maise...Sticky Sticky Bumblebum!

These are some pictures from Mother's Day of Maise washing her ride...

Have a Great Week!

Catching Up with Meatball and Nestle

What an amazing week! I survived the Pancake Breakfast and now I have time with my girls again. The breakfast was a huge success and I would like to thank; my mom, Traci, and Heather for helping out at the bakery table, my mother in law for baking, my brother for coming out to show support and play games, and my cousins Candice, Gary, Eddie, and Heather for serving our guests. This was the most incredible experience! I was able to be part of every aspect of this event and learned so much. I can’t wait to tackle the project again next year. We really went in a positive direction and the results were very happy guests. I worked with a team to prepare for the event and I again am so excited that I was able to be part of something wonderful. For all those that missed it this year you are not going to want to miss next year! My mom won an American girl Doll, I won a family pack to Hollywood Park, Traci won something, and Candice won Cubs tickets…not a bad day.

The girls stayed home with dad on Sunday because the event was a little big for them to deal with at this point. I am excited and looking forward to the next event I can take them to for work because everyone wants to see how big they are getting. The next fundraiser is a small one and it is only a pick up but they will join me Saturday to pass out flowers then in August the will walk with me at the Austin Special Walk A Thon…I hope we can get them shirts in their sizes. Speaking of walks now that the Pancake Breakfast is over we can get back to focusing on our March of Dimes Walk for Babies!!

Our March of Dimes walk was supposed to be this Saturday but due to the plant pick up we had to reschedule for May 15 in McHenry. The girls will still join me and I am still pretty excited for Vanessa to make her first charitable effort. 

Vanessa has added dada, gaga, and caca to her vocabulary but momma is still her most used word.  Vanessa now has two bottom teeth in and Maise thinks that is enough teeth for a PB and J. Poor Joe nearly had a heart attack when he realized that Maise was sharing her sandwich with “Nesle”.

My “Meatball” Maise is a crazy nut she is a sneaky girl always trying to feed her sister. I am getting to the point of needing to separate them. Maise is so ready for preschool, Joe and I have started doing the research and Maise will be in school by Septmeber.  It is bitter sweet because I will miss our Lidia (babysitter) but I know it is best for Maise.

It is time to pack up old clothes again both of my babies are starting to bust at the seems we are getting crazy close to me having to buy clothes…I have been so spoiled by wonderful gifts and donations but they are finally getting out of those sizes. Watch out Visa Momma’s hitting the mall!

Now to catch you all up in photos:

Maise's Pirate Basket

Happy 1st Easter to Vanessa - Christine - and Charlie!!

(These kids are not going to be spoiled at all)

Momma and Vanessa

My sweet little Easter Bunnies!

Baskets For My Girls and their Cousins

The littlest baller

Look who is standing..

                          

                                                                           For Me?

 

Have a graet week everyone!

U - V - W - X - Y - Z

OK I guess this is technically throwing in the towel but one must prioritize! I am Unbelievably busy with work right now so doing a daily post is just to much. Vanessa is teething so every Waking moment I am booked! I wish I were an X-men with super powers of keeping one kid from startling the other up by Yelling. That would at least help at night. But life is a Zoo and I love it, thanks for joining me on the A-Z challenge next week we will go back to our regular schedule!

Have a great week!

Tooth

Sorry A-z friends the end has got me sloppy. This should have been Saturdays post but hey it was a holiday weekend. Cut a girl some slack.

T is for tooth. The teeny tiny little front tooth that Nessa popped on Friday! Bye bye toothless smile my girl has her 1st tooth. Explains the recent sleepless nights. Go Nessa!

T is for toddler. I have one of those "typical" toddles! She is sweet and adorable and mean and crazy and loud. I love my Maise!

T is for truth. To be honest as much fun as A-z has been I will look forward to getting back to weekly posts. I made a commitment to finish but substance is starting to lack. The truth be told I will be glad when the challenge is over. Although I love my new A-Z friends!

That's all for T!

SAMSONITE!

Ridiculously Rude RN Raising Rotten Runt

REALLY? I was nearly floored today (well yesterday since I published this late) when I pick up my kids from the sitter to find out that the mother of the twins that also go there left angry because Maise scratched her sons face. Hum, normally I would understand except for the fact that in less than just one week my kid came home with a bite mark on her arm followed by a bite mark on her face. This little boy I have witnessed being aggressive, smacking and hitting at other kids. I never said anything about the bite mark because they are kids. Kids rough house and play hard sometimes, in my opinion I just didn't think it was worthy of stopping the presses.

My sitter said that the woman seemed mad at her and not Maise. Still it upset me because I think my sitter is golden! I love her and more importantly the girls love her. We could not be happier with the situation so I guess it bugs me that someone would. Ok RANT over - I feel much much better!

Q is for...

...eh I got nothing! I am so burnt out and overloaded but in the spirt of the A-Z challenge I must post something. So here is a clip of my favorite cartoon character starting with the Q.

Pancake Breakfast - May 1st

My life is all about my girls and family. Their main competition at this point is the PANCAKE BREAKFAST. This is an event I am helping to plan for my work and is a huge deal. I never knew the amount of work and planning that went into an event like this. We will serve well over 500 guest and all proceeds go directly to support our agency programs including our 3 CILA's as well as out DT Center. The event is a lot of fun! We eat pancakes and enjoy coffee with our friends but we also gamble!! That's right we know how to have a good time. We have 3 raffle tables going a Pick Your Own with 20ish AWESOME PRIZES, The Big Raffle with over 100 prizes and gift certificates and then the Silver Dollar Raffle with over 300 prizes for the kids! We wrap up the event with our grandest raffle the $10,000 pot. That is right, $10,000! The thing that is so great about this one is that there are only 250 tickets sold so your odds are pretty darn good considering other than the $10,000 you have 7 other opportunities to double your money!

I invite you all to come! If you are not in the area you can still support Austin by buying a ticket for any of the raffles including the $10,000 CASH RAFFLE (winner need not be present).

45th Annual

Pancake Breakfast

Sunday

May 1, 2011

8:30 am - 1:00 pm

Austin Special Work Center

5414 W. Diversey, Chicago

Mmmmm.. 
                        fluffy Pancakes, sizzling Sausage, fresh Juice, and piping hot Coffee!

ADULTS $6.00

CHILDREN $4.00

Oh no you didn't!

Oh yes I did! Remember when I was talking about Maise needing a bang trim. Well my mom told me how easy it was and suggested a technique and yeah I tried it. Lol, the first day she looked kind of silly but the look grows on you. I am not counting this, as the first hair cut either this was just a bang trim. But I did save the tiny scraps.

Oh yes she (Nessa) did! Vanessa was caught standing and holding on to the side of the couch. She did not go anywhere but she sure was standing nice. She may walk as quickly as Maise. Let's see where the next couple of months take us.

Oh yes she (Maise) did! Maise is a big climber she has already made my heart stop when she attempted and masters the ladder. Well in less than like 5 seconds she scaled her high chair with the tray on. She got to the stop and stood steady on the very weak and unstable contraption. Oh My! Do I have my hands full! Oh she also learned how to use the play station remote to replay her Elmo's. Oh YEAH!!!!!!

Oh BTW keep your fingers crossed we are going to try and make it for bunny pictures tonight!

New Award

Thank you randomdanni at Random Thoughts By Danni for the following award:

Here are the rules for the acceptance of the award:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you the award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 15 other bloggers.
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award.

7 Things about me:

1. I am a Libra

2. I love my mini van

3. I wish I played sports

4. I love the show Modern Family

5. I like having weekends off

6. I am addicted to reality tv

7. I hate cell phones

Neil Patrick Harris

N.P.H. is way funny! I loved him in the Harold and Kumar movies. He really seems to be able to have fun with himself. Check out one of my favorite N.P.H. clips, of course from Seseame Street:

Long Day and Momma Mommmmm

Today's post is a 2’fer in the A-Z Challenge.

L is for LONG day and yesterday sure was. The next few weeks are incredibly draining with the big fundraising event I am helping to plan as well as the other fundraiser I am wrapping up. Yesterday I worked almost 10 hrs straight with no break. My choice but still, LOT's going on. Then it is home to maximize time with the girls! Come on May...that's when I get to slow down...ahhhh!

M is for MOMMA! Vanessa the MAGNIFICENT is now saying MOMMA, and not just a fluke, it seems to be her favorite word. Ok in all fairness it is her only word but so cool. This week has been huge! Not only has she been saying Momma and adding other syllables together; she is now finally rolling from tummy to back and starting to scoot. She is right on target! Go Vanessa! You MARVOULUS girl!

***Sorry for not keeping up with all my new blog friends i promise to catch up when I finally slow down!

Kiddieland

Kiddieland in my generations Riverview and it is gone and while I still have unbelievable memories I am so sad that my girls will never experience it. I remember one time going on the Little Dipper 13 times in a row. True story my brother was with me. My grandma would buy a ticket to sit and read in front of the arcade and we went wild. It felt like we owned that park. There was so much to do and it was big and fun and you could run at will yet it was small enough not to be frightening to a youngster. The Little Dipper is now at Great America so in some small way the girls will get a taste but it is not the same. What will their Kiddieland be? Great America? That kind of makes me sad also because Great America was always a special treat. A once a year shot. The park is huge things get expensive it's a bit more of a drive...yadda yadda yadda. All that aside as cool as Great America is; Great America has got nothing on a park with the essence of a Kiddieland or a Riverview.

Just Jazzy on this A-Z Journey

Just this morning I wake up to an email from a fellow A-Z blogger http://astorybookworld.blogspot.com/p/awards.html
awarding me a Beautiful Mommy Writer Award.

Beautiful Mommy Writer Award
received from
http://astorybookworld.blogspot.com/p/awards.html 

This is so cool! I am a new blogger and have been having so much fun sharing The Adventures of Fish and Pants. It feels great to get recognition from other bloggers. Especially the ones that are already developed and successful. I joined the A-Z Challenge just for fun and to see if I could keep up daily. I knew going in it was an incredible opportunity to discover new and interesting blogs. But I really didn't grasp how many new friends we would all make along our journey. What jolly good fun!

Since today's letter is J I must bring up Juice. Wow I remember as a kid drinking so much more then they let kids drink these days. A lot of parents struggle with getting their kids to slow down on the stuff but I can't get mine to drink any. She will drink water but wants nothing to do with juice. I am not concerned because she eats fruits and veggies with out any hassle. I just find it somewhat strange that a kid does not like juice. I thought it was a given, but I guess that was just an error in judgment.

"Jake and the Never Land Pirates" would like to bid you farewell for this Tues-J! Check out Maise's new favorite:


                                       

I's of Mommy

I am tired
I am hungry
I am stained
I am busy
I am hurried
I am crafty
I am loved
I am fun
I am a teacher
I am happy
I am running
I am jumping
I am a photographer
I am a coach
I am a provider
I am an example
I am there
I am the boss
I am the student
I am learning
I know it all
I am the bus driver
I am the storyteller
I am the bath giver
I am the cook
I am the maid
I am the boo boo kisser
I am a songwriter
I am a dancer
I am a hugger
I am #1...in their eyes! And that is all I need to be!

What are some of the I's that spell mommy to you?

Happy Harry Hardon

It's not what you think! Come on this is a family blog. Happy Harry Hardon is the pirate radio name Christian Slater gave himself in the movie "Pump up the Volume". A classic from 1990 and the feature film of girls night tonight!

Maise, Vanessa and I are headed out tonight to join our friends Lisa and Liz for a Slater Fest! Totally random but very exicting. There will be popcorn and nail polish and I am sure very bored kids. Ok I must admit tonight is more for the moms, the movie selections are over their head. But that's why there are three kids so they can play. Smiles! Tonight the girls have there first "sleepover".

Go! Good Job! Get Out! Get it!

It is so funny listening to Maise use more words and phrases. Some things she picks up without help or coaching and it always impresses me. G is used a lot in our house; Maise is always telling one of us to Go! or Go away! it is usually Puddlestaking the heat but she knows the word go and when she wants you to go. (How interesting the have a sneak peek into her developing personality). She will say Good Job when she does good or if you do good. She is great at encouraging others. Get OUT! is very similar to go away but yes this is another favorite phrase of my “princess”. Get it is usually used after the word Maise. Just like Maise do it.... Maise get it. Vanessa while limited in vocabulary at this point does goo and gaa. Gee those are some good G words used by my great girls! 

Family - Fun - Friends

F strarts so many great words! For todays post I would like to illustrate 3 of my favorite F words in photos :

Family, Fun, and Friends!

The above are all pictures from this weekends trip to the park. While this is not Vanessa's 1st trip to the park it is her first trip to the park out of the stroller. She loved it! Below is a snap shot of sisters being friends. I only hope they stay this close forever!

Early - Excited - Epidermis - Elmo

Oh it was EARLY when the kids woke up today. Nessa slept terribly up 3 times the last time being 5am. Then Maise was up at a 5:45am asking for candy in a bowl. Seriously? That so did not happen, but we compromised. All that compromising did nothing for the lack of sleep. Today should be interesting!

I am so EXCITED not only did we decide on a father’s day trip but our trip is turning into a meet up. I am so excited to be able to meet with my high school locker partner this June at the Cincinnati Zoo!! How cool is that? I can't wait! Not to mention I hear the zoo is EXCELLENT!

"Your EPIDERMIS is showing"...smart ass kids! Ever get that from someone when you where little?  It always drove me nuts! Makes me think; what kind of horror stories of playground hell will my poor girls come home telling? Kids are mean I have been an adult for so long I forgot that.

ELMO! Now we could not let E go by without mentioning the coolest 3 year old monster in the world. I would like to end today’s post with a Maise favorite:

Have a good day! Thank you and Welcome to my new A-Z friends!

Damn Dog

Damn Dog! No I really don't mean it. Puddles is a great dog and we are lucky she is so patient. Although she has her moments, Puddles and Maise go way back. They are best friends/ friendimies if you will. They love to play and wrestle and chase each other around but each has a secret desire to sabotage the others meal plans. Gosh Maise is a nut cake for dog food. (Sad to admit but I hear that came from momma. Mom and Dad both tell me I did that when I was little. ) She does not eat the dog food but she will feed Puddles one pebble at a time or throw the stuff everywhere. Or my absolute favorite! She will splash the water everywhere. Nothing is worse they stepping in a mystery wet spot when you are getting ready in the a.m. So back to the point of my ramblings, Damn Dog! Puddles lurks around Maise waiting for scraps or for Masie to turn a blind eye. Puddles is the Queen of the Hash brown Snatchers. Thank goodness they are only a buck a piece because I honestly buy them for Puddles. Puddles also like pizza, and sausage, and cookies (I know a no no), crackers, bread you name it! But Puddles really really likes McDonalds Chicken Nuggets. And wouldn't you know last night Maise was really eating well (something that is a struggle from time to time). She was not farting around and almost ate every last bite. Yeah that was until Maise came and sat by her momma with her last half a nugget in palm half asleep almost ready for goodnight and that DAMN DOG snatched it right out of her hands creating mega bed time drama and sadness. Poor Maise!

Crackers! Yummmmm!

Oops this was monday's C but yadda, yadda!

Vanessa is 4 days away from turning 7 months and this girl is ready for the next step. She wants to do everything that mommy, daddy or Maise do. Even eat! I tease that she is ready for a pork chop but this girls really is ready for something. I have been giving her fruit in her teething bag and she enjoys that and daddy gave her a cracker. And guess who LOVED her cracker? We know it is early, and we sit on top of her while she eats and removed big pieces, but she really doesn't need much help. She loves sucking and gnawing at it. I hope she keeps up this openness to food as we move forward. Although I am leery considering Maise ate much better when she was on baby food.

We went to breakfast yesterday and Vanessa started to fuss. When nothing could console her we asked our waitress for a cracker. And the cracker scored!!!

Oh Nessa and her crackers.

Bed Head and Bangs

This was to have been Saturday, April 2nd post

Oh I think the time has come... My Maise needs a trim!

I wanted to do it before her 2nd Birthday but I chickened out. I know once we cut it, we will loss all those curls. Oh it's so unfair she is so stinking cute with them. But she is nearly blinded by those long hippy bangs of hers and no matter how hard I try her hair always looks like she just rolled out of bed. She is still a beauty in my book but the bangs have got to go. Maybe we will just leave the back for now...

April's - A to Z Challenge

This was to have been Friday, April 1st post.

For the month of April I am participating in a challenge to write something to correspond with the letter of the day. Sunday is the only day off so starting April 1st (actually the 4th I started late) I will be posting 1x a day. After April I will be going back to once a week.

What I hope to get out of the challenge is the chance to discover new topics to write about. I am also hoping I can keep up. My goals for this challenge is to keep it family related. My extra goal will be to try and have my regular weekly post fit the letter of the day so I won't have to double post.

You can find more details on the challenge here: http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2011/01/very-special-and-exciting-announcement.html