Snow, snow, snow

So our nice little dusting of snow turned out to actually be a SNOW STORM. Nice huh? Man, I wish I could do my job with the quality that these meteorologists do! So with some slow cautious driving we've made it thru the last two days. I took P to gymnastics last night, she loves it! I'm not being biased when I say that she really is the best behaved kid in class......sure, there were only 4 kids in class but whatever.
Tonight I took P to soccer! Steve has taken her the last 2 weeks and he wanted to get the snow blowing done so I got off work a little early to take her. She did SO good! I was so proud of her! There were three kids (including P and B) and she was the only one who participated the whole time. She tried hard, she had fun and she did good! It is so awesome to watch her become more comfortable with her surroundings! I just love it! Makes me realize how much she is really growing up!
Poor Piper. We have been giving her cereal at dinner so tonight I decided to try to add some baby food into the mix to see what happens. Peas. I gave her most of her cereal and then tried to mix the rest of the cereal and peas tonight....you know, to try to diminish the potency of the peas. She was NOT impressed! She shuttered, shook her head and then started literally gagging. The poor thing couldn't even make herself swallow it! So we'll crack this up to being first-time-food-tasting and try a little more tomorrow night.

Side notes :
- I'm a big American Idol fan. I always watch it, every season. I think it is ironic that some people aren't watching it b/c they don't like the judges this year....but aren't we watching the show for the contestants?! Also, most people don't like Nicky Minaj on the show and I never expected to like her. I actually do! I don't always agree with her but I think she is kind of funny!
- So it has been two weeks without Facebook. What I miss the most is the announcements, people having babies, people who just had their babies, people getting engaged or married.....that is the stuff I miss, that I feel out of the social loop on. But for the most part, I really don't miss most of the posts. Especially during these last 2 snowstorms, b/c I'm sure 90% of the posts were ALL about the weather, blah blah blah.
- April told Steve on Monday that Presley is always good for her and she can't imagine her being bad. What? Excuse me? But you know what, that goes along with her being the best behaved in gymnastics and I'm sure in preschool too....she does what she is supposed to. She listens, she doesn't get in trouble or talk when she isn't supposed to. I hope she keeps up this attitude in school forever!
- Did anyone watch the Oscars on Sunday? I did, I never really care about the Oscars b/c I never watch movies but I was interested this year for some reason. I thought Seth MacFarlane was funny, sure he was crude and wrong on so many levels but people need to lighten up and have a sense of humor!
- I'm a bad friend. I missed two of my friends birthdays and you know my excuse? B/c I didn't have Facebook to remind me, isn't that sad! So here is a shout out to Lyndsi and Lisa....sorry guys! Hope you both had great birthdays and we'll definitely need to do dinner again soon!

Sunday Funday

My sweet baby. She'll sit there watching. Just sitting, eventually getting bored enough to fall asleep.

My smiling baby. She is so easy to make smile, her whole face lights up and you just can't help but smile back as your heart melts.

 

Presley made her grocery list for today. I'm not sure where she learned to write some of these letters but I was super impressed! I only had to help with her 'k' and 'g'.

(milk, cheese, bottle, pop, phone, bubble gum)

Today we actually had a very productive day and it feels good! I got up with the girls (7:30 for Piper and 8 for P, not too bad in my book) while Steve slept in (we take turns sleeping in on the weekends). He got up about 9:30 and I jumped in the shower and went to Target, alone. (yes, alone!).  I got home and hung out while Steve put ceiling fans up in the girls' rooms. I did laundry, dusted, played then Steve took Presley outside to run off some energy. He grilled some steak kabobs and we ate dinner. We played Minnie Mouse Bingo with Presley until she got mad about something and threw the game across the room....game over. 

We did more laundry, dishes, the girls went to bed early, I worked out for 26 minutes (not 25, but 26...b/c EVERY minute counts!) and now I'm sitting here, the only one awake in the house. The Oscars are on and I'm eating Reese Pieces (see, that extra minute of working out is already worth it!).  Sure the house is still a mess and there is crap everywhere but it was a good, good day!

On a side note: I'm hoping to get into working out again. I did good for a couple weeks, then we spent 3 weeks with sickness in the house so now my excuses are over....for now.  I really want nice weather so I can come home and take one or both kids for walk around the neighborhood! 
On another side note : I think this weekend we have discovered that Piper doesn't like to be snuggled or rocked to sleep, three times this weekend she just fell asleep in her swing (something Presley NEVER did) and then tonight I just put her in the crib and after a couple pacifer fixes she (I think) is sound asleep! (something Presley NEVER did either!)

Five Question Saturday

1. What is a hobby you would love to learn and why? Photography. We have a nice camera but I wish I knew how to actually REALLY use it. I know there are classes I could take that would teach me but I've just never done it.
2. What do you wish you could have delivered to your house but does not deliver? Groceries in general. I do think they have services that will do your grocery shopping for you....but I'm not sure I'm that lazy yet to look in to it.
3. What's your favorite snow day activity? Inside and out? Inside, watching a movie, cuddled on the couch, eating homemade chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes!
Outside....I don't really like the cold and snow is cold. But if I had to choose something, it would be something with Presley.
4. Would you meet a stranger from an Internet dating site? Well, since I'm married I think that would be frowned upon?! But if I weren't married, I would still say no.
5. If you had to spend 35 hours in a car with 4 other people, who would you choose? Well, Steve b/c he can be funny. And Holly b/c she can be funny too, but not the two of them together. The other two people, I couldn't even begin to choose. There are many people I find interesting or that I think would just be fun to hang out with.

Th/F/S

Well, we all survived the winter storm. I think this storm kinda faded as it hit DSM b/c it wasn't nearly as bad as they made it out to be. I thought it was funny that kids were getting out of school early and it hadn't started snowing yet. Alot of people went to work early so they could leave early to miss the snowy drive home. It finally started snowing about 3, when I left work at 4:30 it was snowy and there was hardly any traffic! Thank you everyone for going home early, making my drive much more enjoyable!

I woke up Friday with a headache and a sore throat. I felt like I was getting sick again! I just got over my cold there was no way I was getting another one. I don't do that! I made it thru the day, toughed it out and went to bed early!

 

I woke up this morning barely being able to swallow and with another headache. Steve left to help Kyle and Maggie move so I had no choice but to suck it up and deal with it. We just hung out in our pjs. Then Layla stopped by to see if Presley wanted to come out and play. Layla is 'that' girl in the neighborhood. She is 5 years old and walks door to door looking for a friend to play with. She is outgoing with no filter. Presley didn't want to go outside until Steve got home, so we told Layla she would come out but it wouldn't be until after her daddy came home. Layla suggested that she just come inside and play with Presley. (since we were all still in our pj's and all just getting over being sick, I just wasn't up for that...but thanks for offering Layla). We said that Presley would be outside later and said goodbye. Layla stood at the window looking inside. Ok child, time to leave.

 

Steve got home and we finally convinced P to go outside. She won't wear snowpants! If she has to wear them she doesn't want to play outside! So fine, whatever. They got the sled out and had a blast!

We have the perfect spot right in the middle of the yard between our house and the neighbors house, she could go fast and far enough to have fun and not get scared!

 

 

Even Piper enjoyed the sled and snow....for about 30 seconds. (Mainly so I could use the snow suit for the 2nd time in 5 years. So now it has been used a total of about 3 minutes)

 

I finally started feeling better this evening, but still feel like I'm getting sick. This can stop, I'm over it. Miss Piper is feeling better and has been sleeping back in her crib the last couple nights. She's been having her cereal at dinner time with us and is doing pretty good with it!

 

Yuck

Well, Miss Piper is still yucky.  Steve woke up with her all night b/c she just doesn't sleep soundly and can't get comfy and can't breathe and wants the pacifer. So we decided to take her to the doctor since the weather is supposed to get crappy on Thursday we didn't really want to wait and have her get worse. Even though we knew it was probably just a cold, you never know about ear infections. So for the third time in three weeks we went to the doctor and she just has a cold! Ears looked good, her weight was up (just from a week ago), they said to try to have her sleep semi-upright, like we have been doing with her bouncy seat and that it will probably last about 5 days. So we'll just wait it out, I am still happy that we took her, just to ease our worries.
I must say this whole 'cold', being sick think sucks. I'm so used to my friends and their kids being sick and being thankful that we didn't have to deal with all that......now it's us. And I must say, I like it better when it is everyone else! No offense to my friends, I would never wish sickness or sleepless nights on you but if you could take some of these germs back, that would be awesome! LOL!

We were supposed to have gymnastics tonight. Presley fell down in the driveway while getting into the car and the world ended. Life as we know it was doomed. The tiny scrape of the knee, sent her into a whirlwind of tears and screaming. We got to gymnastics and she refused to go. Every time I opened the door to get out of the car she freaked out. We sat in the car for 15 minutes, me trying to bribe her, make her laugh, take her mind off of her poor, poor knee (I suggested that we just cut it off, she didn't think I was funny). So what was I supposed to do? I wasn't going to carry her in kicking and screaming and crying, I can't force her to participate....so we agreed no McDonalds for dinner (which is our usual Tuesday night treat) and no movie when we get home (when she is tired or sick, aka sad and pathetic, she just wants to sit and watch a movie)....so we headed home.

Weekend Update

Friday we decided to try out some cereal with Piper, she was not impressed. We'll kept trying just a little bit every night for her to get used to it. Mainly I just think she likes sitting at the table with us at dinner!

Piper started coughing Friday night into Saturday, a sign that she was probably getting the cold that Presley and I had just gotten over! We went to Merle Hay Mall and got our car into Sears for an oil change and such and while we waited we did some shopping....though all we bought was Girl Scout cookies and pair of shoes for P.

My mom came over to watch the girls so that Steve and I could see a movie and go to dinner for my birthday/valentines days. We saw Safe Haven, it was actually surprisingly good! Much better than I had expected...even Steve liked it! Then we went to Johnny's Italian Steakhouse for dinner, one of our favorites that we haven't been to in ages!  I got the crispy dilled tilapia (as I do, every time we go), it was delicious! And I splurged and got a butterscotch martini...A.MA.ZING! We left there and stopped by The Boat House for a drink before heading home. It was a nice night out! Thank you mom for watching P and P for us!

My mom had said that Piper was coughing and sounding hoarse, not good. It was a rough night, she woke up quite often and eventually Steve took her to the bouncy seat and slept on the couch next to her....as I've said before, it is much easier than getting up and going to her room every 15 minutes!

 

 

Poor Piper is snotty, coughing, sneezing, water eyed....and smiling! She is still in a fairly happy mood, considering how she should feel! I'm just hoping she doesn't get an ear infection! We spent Sunday running errands, hanging out and playing outside. Presley and I played some kick ball in the backyard and determined that there is a shit-load of deer shit in our backyard! :)

I slept on the couch next to Piper last night, poor thing sounds so stuffy and just cannot get comfortable sleeping. We'll see how tonight goes and maybe we'll have to make a trip to the doctor tomorrow (before the weather gets bad!)



Miss Piper, Genius?

So right after I'm talking to my friend Janelle about how I don't think that Piper will move around as much/early as Presley did, I caught her in the act. She was originally in the middle of this quilt and I took a picture once I realized she was inching herself forward. She likes to push up on her knees and scoot and not more than 5 minutes later she was off the blanket.... even though I know she has no idea what she is doing and has no real purpose, it's purely by accident. Or maybe she is just incredibly gifted and I don't want to brag! LOL! Totally kidding!

This week has actually gone fairly fast! Tuesday we had gymnastics and then tonight Steve took her to Happy Feet in Waukee. Sam has been taking Boston so we decided to have her go along to see if she would like this soccer practice. They have a league that she could join too if she decides that she likes it!
On the way home Steve was singing a song and Presley told him to stop singing b/c his singing was weak! WHAT? Did she really say that? Yes, I'm sure she did. I'm sure she has heard Steve say something was 'weak' before and has picked up on it! Too funny!

Best daddy EVER!

Make Rum (room) in your heart for me. 

Deep Thoughts

- Presley likes to be independent and do things herself, her new phrase "I do it my own self"! Or we'll ask her where she learned something "I learned it from my own self!" LOL!

- I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that we 'pray' before bedtime. She says her little preschool God, Our Father prayer and it is the cutest thing ever!

- I have been reading some, the books seem to all be along the same story line....nice girl, bad boy, fall in love, yada, yada, yada...I might have to change up my genre of books soon.

- Presley said to me tonight "Mom, I think when it is summer out that you can take a day off work and we go swimming and then get white ice cream after we swim" I told her that sounded like the perfect summer day!

- She also thinks now that she is 4 years old that she has grown. She'll stand next to something shorter than her and say "When I  was three I was only that tall" Like she suddenly became taller now that she is SO MUCH OLDER!

- On Saturday Steve asked her if she knew where she had to go for daycare the next day (teasing her since it was Sunday), she said Aprils? Gammas? And he asked 'what is better than going to either of those places'? (thinking she would say that staying at home with mom and dad).....She looked at him and said "Disneyworld?". LOL! Well, she is right that probably would be better Aprils, Gammas or staying home!

- Steve and I might go see a movie this weekend. What? Me see two movies in one week?! That has to be a mistake! :) I want to see Safe Haven and it is my birthday/valentines day 'date'! Steve said that Julianne Hough is hot and he liked The Notebook, so he agreed we could see this one.

- Have I mentioned how much I hate the gun control talk? I don't like guns. No, I don't think we should take away everyones guns. No, I don't think we need to have assault, high power rifles out there either. There is just no need for them. I think the problem with the school and mass shootings isn't b/c we need stricker gun control laws or looser gun control laws. I don't think if teachers had guns that it would prevent these school shooting from happening, I don't think if I was able to carry a gun into a movie theater with me that I would be safer. I think the problem is society in general. We have SO little tolerance and understanding. We are so mean to each other. Parents are too busy or focused on other things that sometimes they don't want to admit or see when their child has a problem and is reaching out for help. Life is hard, it isn't fair and sometimes it sucks! We have to be able to help each other and to be able to reach out and ask for help. Kids don't know how to communicate besides text messages and social media sites. They don't have to pick up the phone and talk to people, they don't have to actually pick up a pen and WRITE something. Do we expect them to know how to actually ASK for help?

- I also hate how people talk bad about the President. No matter who the president is, people think they are out to destroy the world.  These people work hard, they are passionate about their beliefs (as are most people) and again, people are mean and not understanding. Do people really think that Obama is trying to completely sabotage our economy? Of course he isn't. He just has a different idea of how we should do things. Heck, I'm not sure any president is going to do everything perfectly, so why do we always expect them to?  I'm not sure why anyone would want to be president, that job would SUCK!

- Well there is my political rant....that is the most you'll get from me. I won't argue or debate politics b/c I hate it so much.

Goodbye Facebook

Yes I gave up Facebook for Lent. Normally I'm not a very good practicing Catholic, in fact, we don't practice anything religious (except our praying at bedtime with Presley but we'll give credit to preschool for making her a well-rounded 4 year old christian child). I don't go to church, I eat meat on Fridays during Lent (and will continue to do so) but I decided to give up something this year. Mainly b/c FB has become too much of a focus. I check it at work, on my phone, at home. It's really not necessary. Sure, I love being nosy, but do I really care who is going to work out this morning, where someone went out to dinner or who is having relationship problems over and over again? Again, I am nosy, so that is why I enjoy FB but in the grand scheme of things I really should be doing something more productive.
Of course Steve thinks I'll just play computer games. I go through phases of playing games and I'm hoping I can kick this habit too. I'm trying to get more reading done, I want to work on my photo books of the last 2 years (b/c no one has photo albums anymore!) and really, I want to play more. Without this distraction, I'm hoping to enjoy more individual Presley play time and hopefully the weather will be getting nicer and we can spend some more time outside!
I hope none of my friends or family don't take this the wrong way. I do love seeing pictures of your kids, I do love wishing people happy birthdays, I love being able to comment or make sarcastic remarks, or 'liking' statuses and photos.
My guess is that by the end of Lent I will realize there are a lot of FB people I need to delete....clean out my list of 'friends' and hopefully FB will just become something I will check every other day (at night when the kids are sleeping)! LOL!
Wish me luck!

Four Months!

Miss Piper was four months old yesterday! She is growing but is still petite (as the doctor said). The doctor said she is very strong for her size and age and had 'amazing' head control! Way to go, sweetie! She is :

- 13 lbs, 8 oz (33%) and 23 inches long (8%)

- still wearing 3 month clothes, we are trying to work our way into 3-6 months but most of them are just too big still

- sleeping thru the night, maybe waking up once for a quick pacifier fix

- still rockin her reddish hair, though her blue eyes are not nearly as blue as they were 2 months ago. They are falling into the hazel category. I'm still holding out for green eyes like me!

- is happy and smiley and loves talking

- rolls from her tummy to her back

- looking more like my baby pictures, and less like her sister.

- just got pinkeye from her sister. We always tell P to share, I'm just not sure this is what we had in mind.

- we still don't have a real schedule down for her yet....seems like like long afternoon naps at Grandmas house, but on the weekend's she wakes up a couple minutes after you lay her down. Oh well, guess I'll embrace the cuddle time while it lasts...soon she will be 4 years old and have the attitude of a 14 year old.

Presley had her 4 year well check, she was very good for the doctor. Unlike past years she actually cooperated, she is growing too fast! She was 38 lbs (71%) and 40.5 inches tall (64%). She is doing everything she is supposed to also. She can write her name, speak in sentences and all that. I look back at her 3 year post and that is when she was studdering so bad! No more studdering, though she is sometimes hard to understand but she does a good job of describing or explaining what it is she is talking about. She is doing better with Piper and is not SO intense with her these days. She has her moments but for the most part she wants to help hold, feed and dress her so that is nice!

We are SO lucky to have such happy and healthy girls! I hope they both continue on the great paths that they are on now. Everyone says time goes too fast and they aren't lying! So when both kids are screaming at me tonight I'll just enjoy it (or I'll fake that I am!)

Weekend Update

Ugh. That is how I feel about this weekend. I just keep hoping as another day goes by that I will feel better and be able to breathe. No such luck, yet. Saturday we didn't do much. We were supposed to go out for my birthday/valentines day dinner but I just wasn't up for it. I didn't leave the house, stayed in my sweats and never put make up on.  Steve was able to take Presley to Walmart and get her outside to run off some energy since it was a balmy 45 degrees!

 

She rode her new bike like a pro! Surprisingly she wore her helmet though she kept pushing her hair out of her face and in the process pushing her helmet back on her head...oh well, she went fast, was able to break, had no fear...which made me nervous. She even told Steve she wanted him to take the training wheels off! LOL! I don't think she is quite ready for that!

Today was more of the same though I actually left the house today (still unable to breathe), I went and saw Silver Linings Playbook with my mother and Samantha. It was really good! I loved it!

It's 8:15 and both girls are sleeping and I'm on my way. We have Pipers 4 month dr's appt tomorrow and Presley's 4 year dr's appt tomorrow so we can see how big our girls are really getting!

Week of germs

So we started out the week with Piper beginning to feel better and sleeping better! Monday Presley started coughing...runny nose, waking up in the middle of the night. The coughing was bad enough that we didn't go to gymnastics on Tuesday night. Wednesday she went to preschool b/c she didn't have a fever but by that night I was starting to feel the sickness hitting. My neck and shoulders were getting very achy and I could just 'feel' the cold in my head, know what I mean? But I still met Lyndsi and Lisa out for dinner and drinks! It had been SO long! Lyndsi and I realized that it has been a year since we have seen each other! So sad for living in the same city!
Yesterday P's woke up with a crusted shut eye. Not good, I called the doctor and they agreed that it sounded like pinkeye and we should bring her in. Sure enough, pinkeye and a double ear infection. Booooo! I'm very glad we took her in but was bummed that we had to miss going to soccer with Boston that night (to check out the soccer program) and we missed the 'teddy bear picnic' at preschool today! Presley didn't seem too disappointed though.
It has been a pain in the butt to get her to take her medicine! They eye drops are a joke. We have to hold her down and pry her eyes open to get a drop in there! It sucks!
Then the medicine they gave her for her ears is grape flavored. She says she doesn't like grape flavor...whatever kid! She refused to take it until Steve told her that we had bubblegum flavoring (aka red food coloring), then she decided it was good! Now her favorite medicine flavor is banana (aka yellow food coloring)!  She wants to take her medicine now!
I still feel like poo, but I'm thinking it is my semi-annual head cold. I'll just suck it up and move on. Work still needs to be done, family still needs to operate...I'll just go to bed a little earlier.
We have no real plans for this weekend, so I'm thinking a little relaxation and deep cleaning will be in order!

Five Question Friday

1. What holiday do you wish did not exist? Well, when I think 'holiday' I think about the days that we don't have to work and realized there are two 'holidays' we still have to work. St Patty's Day and Valentines day. Now I love myself a little green on St Patty's day, so we need to keep that holiday around but Valentines day?! I think I could give that one up.


2. What is your favorite romance/love movie? The Notebook...there is nothing better than a little Ryan Gosling! YUM
3. Do you make a big production out of celebrating Valentine's Day? Heck no! I do understand why people like this holiday, but we never 'celebrate' it. In fact, I told Steve "I know you won't, but DO NOT send me flowers on Valentines day!". I would rather him send me flowers on a random day, not a day where it is expected and everyone else on the planet is getting them.
Growing up my dad would always get us girls a little something, and I always looked forward to that! You never know with my dad what we might get! I'm actually trying to get Steve to carry on this tradition and get the girls their own little something.

4. What is something weird you did as a child? (or even now!) Weird? Like what? Aren't all kids a little weird?! I don't like this question.

5. What makes you love your husband, really LOVE him, you know since Valentines is coming up? Watching the way he is with Presley and Piper. He is such a good daddy and will do anything for them...spoiling them! But as I've said before isn't that how daddy's and daughters are supposed to be? And the fact that he cleans the bathrooms and cooks for me. He is handy, artistic and always has to be busy doing something, he's social and funny and makes a mean homemade macaroni and cheese!

Another day of birthday fun!

Since yesterday was her actually birthday we got up and made cinnamon rolls for breakfast! and then of course, like any other kid rode her new bike around the kitchen table! Why not?

We had a birthday party to go to for Kyle and Maggie's little girl Grace who turned 2 on the 31st. They had her party at The Little Gym in WDSM. I wish I would've known about this place sooner, I would've totally had Presley's birthday party there!  It was an awesome gymnastics, tumbling, fun place to have a birthday party and the staff was SO good with the kids! It was a great set up!

And we thought maybe we had accidently brought the wrong kid with us b/c this girl was ALL about it! She wasn't shy, she participated, she had fun w/o us having to be by her side every minute! It was amazing and she had so much fun she cried when we had to leave!

 

They did some running, jumping, follow the leader type stuff.

And I'll even include a picture of the birthday girl, Grace! She is adorable and a little spit-fire!

Surprisingly they got all the kids to sit for pictures!

 

After the party we headed home and got ready for a couple Super Bowl parties that afternoon/evening. We got invited over to the neighbors house, which was nice b/c I hadn't even met him yet! I mainly wanted to go to check out his house b/c it is a very nice house and I'm super nosy! We didn't stay long b/c we went over to Jared and Lisa's house for the game! It was fun to meet some of their neighbors! It's funny that Presley was the only girl at that party! (completely opposite of what we are used to!). And again she played really well with Colton and another little boy Fletcher. At one point Fletch and P were hiding in the same bed under the covers....I warned Steve that P was already in bed with a boy!  Disturbing! :) It was late and she was tired, but she didn't want to leave their house either! Such a fun filled weekend for this little girl! We knew she had to be exhausted!

 

I can't believe our baby is 4 years old! It is amazing how much she has changed in one year! She'll go in for her 4 year appt next Monday, should be interesting to see how she has grown. I think she is a couple inches taller but I don't think she has gained that much weight in the last year! I always tell her to stop growing and she just rolls her eyes at me and says "I have to grow!" :)

Birthday girls!

After Friday's date with daddy we had to get up and get ready for Presley's birthday party on Saturday! It was my birthday so I was lucky enough to sleep in until 9 am and then wake up to waffles! Perfect! P and daddy left to go pick up the balloons and cake while Piper and I hung out and did some cleaning.

 

The birthday girls!

We did talk her out of her Christmas birthday party and she decided on Tinkerbell....it was a big decision for her!

We decided to have a family party and then invite some of her 'friends' too. We never know when to make that family to friend transition for birthdays! There were 7 girls and one boy under the age of 5 (including one girl older girl and 2 older boys).

Presley, Mary, Sadie, Ava, Ava....(far right) Piper and Grace...and Boston in the background!

Presley did a great job playing and letting everyone play with her toys and help her open presents.....until it was cake time. Now, if you know Presley, you would remember that the last 3 years she had cried when we sing her happy birthday...well this year was NO different! She said she wouldn't, she didn't cry at preschool when they sang to her but she hid.

 

She wouldn't blow out her candle b/c of course everyone was looking at her. Tramatic! We gave Ava the honor of blowing out the candle for her, she pouted and ran to her room. She was sad b/c she didn't want us to sing and she wanted to blow out her candle but not with everyone looking. So Aunt Holly came to the rescue and the three of us went to her bedroom, relit the candle and let her blow it out herself. So lesson learned.....after 4 years, DO NOT sing happy birthday to Presley.

People started filing out but we were able to keep Mary with us for a couple more hours while Holly and Jerry went to dinner with his family. These three girls (Mary, P and Ava) had a fun time!

 

 

 Then P and I had some good snuggle time watching the end of Alvin and the Chipmunks (one of her favs) before bedtime.

She had such a good day with our family and friends and got SO many nice presents! We are all very lucky that everyone was able to spend this day with us!

There is something about daddy's and daughter's

Our week started like any other, with the unexpected. Piper not being herself, Steve not having a whole lot of work to do so he basically worked for home doing some online OSHA training and Presley....being Presley, so that in itself is unexpected.

Steve took her to gymnastics on Tuesday night, I'm usually the one that takes her so he was impressed to see how much she has improved. She has been going for almost a year now and has learned alot!

This week was full of crazy weather! Sunday we had ice, Monday intense fog, Tuesday thunderstorms and then 5 inches of snow on Wednesday! I went into work late b/c I'm just not comfortable driving in the dark thru snow on roads that have no curbs or shoulders...just mailboxes and ditches! I had planned on working late that night anyway, so Steve picked up the girls. I got home about 7, Presley was in the tub, Piper was taking her quick evening nap and dinner was in the over! Sorry ladies, he is all mine! :)

 

Today I got to join Presley's preschool class. It was her snack day and during the 2nd half of the school year a parent gets to join, have fun and help out! I was excited to see her in the preschool surroundings but concerned that she would cling to me the whole time. She did great, she listened well and is one of the better behaved kids (and I'm not being biased!). It was so cute to have all the little kids excited to have me there too! It's amazing how some kids are not afraid of strangers (totally unlike Presley and her stranger danger)! I got to hold hands with Penelope, Emerson showed me everything she did, Gabi sat on my lap, I got a hug from Leah, Parker wanted to play magnets with us and Kain was just flirting with me while we sat in the reading circle! It was fun! Steve will get to go with her next time I hope he enjoys his time there as much as I did!

 

Tonight was the daddy/daughter dance! A friend of ours had taken his daughter the last couple years and I thought this would be a good year to join them! So Steve and P met Chris and Bridget at the zoo for their 'date' night.

Steve was super excited, I think even more excited than Presley was. She finally got excited tonight when she got to dress up and when she got her 'present' from daddy. A red heart necklace and red bows for her hair. They were too cute!

There is just something about daddy's and their daughters! Daughters make their daddy's more sensative, more emotional, more patient and so much more lovable! Thank you Steve for being such a great daddy!

Five Question Friday

1. What is your favorite book to read with your kids? We go thru phases, we love books in this house. I still love the fact that P likes to read God, Our Father (or what most people call the bible)! But who can pass up a good Dr. Seuss book?

2. After having kids, what body part has changed the most? Right now my stomach and I hate it. I just don't like the pooch. I know I had a baby 4 months ago and actually read that b/c it takes your body 9 months to stretch out you should give it 9 months to work it's way back to normal. So I'm trying to keep that theory in mind instead of getting down on myself.

3. Would you ever go back to college? What would you study? Nope, been there done that! I guess if I had to go back for something, maybe teaching. I think maybe I would have more patience and after spending today with Presley at preschool, those kids are so funny and cute!

4. How do you close a phone call? Bye, bye bye or other? Probably bye or see ya!

5. What is the one food that will always be your "cheat food" on a diet?  I don't think there is anyway I could name ONE food. Carbs in general are a big downfall for me. I mean really bread, pasta, pizza, beer..........it's all good!