Oh, My Goodness

I am always surprised by how quickly things can go from neat and tidy one minute to a complete disaster zone the very next.

For the record, the girls did help clean up.



Really?

We've got a little problem with whining over here. We made it through the temper tantrum phase with Mallory a while back, and now Anna Claire is trying our patience big time with the whining ~ over everything...sippy cup the wrong color, missing lovies which inevitably end up to be right beside her, too much toothpaste on her toothbrush, chair pushed too close to the table, not wanting her hair brushed, Mallory's leg touching her...you get the idea.

When Darby mentioned the book The Boy Who Cried Over Everything a few days ago, I didn't even think, I just hopped straight over to Amazon and ordered it. It was waiting for us on the doorstep this afternoon after we got home from running errands, and when I read it I couldn't believe it ~ at the end of the book, the bird dies!

Did you read my post from earlier today? Do you see the irony in this? Two dead birds in one day. Really?

It is a cute story, though, and you should have seen the look on Anna Claire's face as I was reading it to her...she was thinking hard {about the whining and yes, about the dead bird, too}. Despite the dead bird, I think this little book might go a long way in helping us curtail all the whining going on around here.

Mommy, do you know what my favorite animal is?

...The beautiful birdies singing their cute songs in the winter time. ~ Mallory at lunch today

She has no idea Cody killed a wounded birdie that had gotten on our screened porch this morning...and we'll certainly keep it that way!

Playing in the Mud

...because you can do that in February when it's 80 degrees outside! 

Girls' Night In

Since there was no school or work Monday and Walter was helping Jeff with some late-night power washing, the girls got to stay up a whole hour past their bedtime ~ until 8:30 {!!!} ~ for a special movie night. We were finally able to watch Lady and the Tramp from start to finish since having to return our original Valentine's Day copy which had a scratch on it straight out of the case.

I have two issues with letting the girls stay up "late" ~ 1) they are sooo whiny when it's finally time to get in bed because they're overly tired and 2) they never sleep any later the next morning! What is that all about?!

Before the Rain Came...

Sunday it was supposed to rain all day {and it sure did ~ a total washout}, so we made a point of getting out and enjoying the beautiful weather Saturday at Wannamaker Park.

There was a huge, steep hill that we must have run up and down about a million times ~ Anna Claire and Mallory loved it.

 We packed a picnic lunch...

Then, we rode the paddle boats {pedal boats? I never know.} I think it's been about 25 years since I've ridden a paddle boat, but we all enjoyed it!

 Love this pic...

That night we headed over to Aunt Michelle and Uncle Brian's for steaks and crab legs {yum}, then the rain came...and did not stop until late Sunday afternoon. I am so glad we got out the house Saturday!

Buckets of Love

Anna Claire and Mallory had a lovely Valentine's Day. Walter and I gave them each a little bucket of treats: a book, new dance tights, cute socks, a bit of candy {I knew granny and grandmom would load them down with sweet treats and I was right ~ love y'all}, and the newly~released Lady and the Tramp dvd. I loved this movie when it first came out. The girls were facinated to know I had a huge stuffed Lady dog I got from Disney World and kept on my bed {I wonder where she is...probably long gone}.

I tried getting the girls to hug each other so I could take a picture, but Anna Claire pretty much attacked Mallory which turned into a wrestling match on the kitchen floor. These girls sure do love each other...most of the time!



Happy Valentine's Day!

Since it was f-f-f-f-reezing Sunday, we spent all day inside getting ready for Valentine's Day. Anna Claire and Mallory are great helpers in the kitchen, they love arts and crafts, and they get so excited about holidays.

Making cupcakes...

Sugar cookies with royal icing {best cookies I ever baked, if I do say so myself}...

Mallory helped me with our felt-heart garland {I really need to find something to cover up my 3M hook}...

Making Valentines for their classmates...

We're ready to share the love; are you?

Future Actresses?

Did you get a sneak peek at this today without any text? Sorry for the technical difficulties.

Anna Claire and Mallory don't just enjoy dressing up like princesses. Every now and then they pull out their very first Halloween costumes which still fit...kinda...not really.

They are also into putting on little "shows" {not much plot but a whole lotta cuteness}. Most of the time they act out scenes from thier favorite Disney movies. They'll practice for a little bit, set up their little chairs in the play room, and then we have to pretend to be the audience.

In case you couldn't figure out what's happening in the skit below, the butterfly is drinking nectar from the flower, of course.

And just for giggles...

Weekend Sewing

Winter finally arrived this weekend, so we found ways to entertain ourselves inside. Granny bought me a baker's dozen of fat quarters, so along with the tissue cozies, I got some embroidery done for the girls. A special shirt to wear on Valentine's day...

and I finally got to applique this cute owl on to the girls' pink corduroy jumper.

Knock, Knock!

Who's there?

Ah-choo!

Ah-choo who?

Ah-choose you to be my Valentine!

I made these tissue cozies for Anna Claire and Mallory's teachers last year, and they were just too easy and too cute, so I am pulling a repeat this year. I think this might be my go-to teachers' Valentine's gift for years to come! Who doesn't have the sniffles this time of year, right?

Dinner Deconstructed

Do you have picky eaters in your household? Well, I do!

Over the past few months both girls have become increasingly picky about the foods they will or will not eat; Anna Claire is the worst {she particularly detests meat and I can't really fault her for that}, and as long as it's something Mallory can dip in ranch dressing she's usually okay. More often than not, though, dinner for the girls looks something like this:

I refuse to be the mom that cooks one meal for the children and something different for the parents. My compromise is what I like to call "dinner deconstructed." The food in the photo above was not what Walter and I ate but it's constituent parts. I took this pic last week, so I think it was pasta, green beans, mushrooms, almonds, chicken, and Alfredo sauce. Before I mixed everything together, I made Anna Claire's and Mallory's plates. This is about as far as I am willing to go to make them something "different" to eat, but it doesn't always work.

Just last night we {by "we" I mean Walter and me} were eating homemade vegetable soup, and Mallory informed me she doesn't like to eat things that are all mixed together. What child doesn't like vegetable soup? Mine did until about six months ago! I think that's what gets to me the most. The majority of the foods they won't eat are all things they used to gobble up!

Breakfast isn't that much of an issue; I guess they wake up starving after refusing to eat supper the night before. Lunch all depends on what's being offered {Corn dogs? Yes, please.}. Dinner is the real battle. Of course it would be; we're all tired and hungry!

Our go~to menu items these days:

broccoli

tomatoes

avocado

corn on the cob

chicken {may be "oven fried" or plain white meat}

macaroni and cheese {homemade only, not the stuff from the box; talk about being picky!}

spaghetti

plain pasta

bread in any way, shape, or form 

If I'm serving something not on this list; it's a total toss~up whether it will be eaten or if we'll have a complete meltdown at the kitchen table. Oh, how I hope this is a phase ~ one that is almost over!

Happy Birthday, GiGi!

This past weekend was GiGi's birthday, so we had a little impromptu dinner party at her house with the great-grands.

They all love playing the piano; all we need is a longer bench.

What are these three so focused on? Aunt Michelle's iPhone, of course! Amazing to me that my children play on iPhones, iPads, and iPods!

I don't even try to get a pic pof all four anymore. If it happens, it happens! And, it did not...

Happy Birthday, GiGi. We love you!

Sunny and 79?!

You never would have suspected it was February!

We played outside all day today starting in the front yard with a little hopscotch. The girls are getting much better at hopping around on one foot.

Later, while we were playing in the back yard, our neighbor offered Anna Claire and Mallory popsicles. Popsicles! In February!

And tomorrow's high? 55 degrees. That's more winter-like, but it's no wonder we can't get rid of the sniffles around here!