Just a random assortment, opening up the Aunties goodies , Christmas Eve story time and Christmas morning.

I know, I know... I promised Christmas pictures. I just keep thinking about poor Grandmama going back to work tomorrow when just a couple days ago we were playing on the beach and laying in the sun. This way she can remember how much fun we had... thanks for a great visit! We miss you!

First let me apologize, we've been out of town and away from the computer so I haven't been able to post anything. Second - what are those pictures of and where the heck are Christmas pictures? Well, we're moving rooms around getting ready to set up a home studio. The girls are going into one room(ack - scary, I know!) which meant we had to put in twin beds(yes Meri is going into a big girl bed!) and take out the double which meant new bedding. So these are up to show MiMi the fabric so she can pluck some coordinates out of her stash and whip us up some snazzy valances. Ohh and just a side note - you may or may not have noticed that these are totally not my style, not a floral in sight but the thing is I let Evie and Meri pick them out. they actually chose these over some princess ones! I'll get some Christmas pictures up very soon! I wasn't even going to type anything because I was just going to take these down, sheesh! Well, Happy New Year!

Christmas Cookies!

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Deck the halls...

"what do you think Daddy"... "Perfect!"
Evie decorated the tree this year. She did a fabulous job, very serious about the whole thing. She would put some ornaments in her little chalk box take a step back to study the tree and then hang away. Seriously, I didn't move any and it looks wonderful - all spaced nice and even.
Daddy and Meri put the angel up.

What she thought about the Santa hat
Decorated the front porch but no lights this year.

We're so proud.

This wasn't censored to be funny... she really didn't have anything on under there! And I have to add for the sake of my Mothering, we didn't teach her this. We always play, "get your heiny" after baths and during changings and well she's just so smart that when you say heiny now she sticks out that little bottom and points with her finger. Okay, I will confess that while I would never have taught it to her, I do think it's awfully cute!

Tree planting time!

Our order finally came! Nathan and I can't decide if we're cut out for this country life. We'd much rather be watching cartoons on Saturday morning than digging holes...but I guess you only have to dig them once, right?
The girls enjoyed mixing up the potting mixture, maybe a little too much. I told Evie it was like making a cake, one bucket of this, one bucket of that. She seemed to understand and did a really good job, until I turned my back...
I hope the ratio wasn't vital for the trees survival! Nathan had to finish planting them at night, poor guy was out there with a light attached to his pick axe, I really have to wonder what the neighbors thought, digging holes at 10:00 at night in 30 degree weather? Hmmm seems kinda fishy. And now there are just a bunch of sticks out there. Very stange indeed.

I love this one. They had both fallen asleep in the car, Nathan and I brought stuff in and he went out to get the girls. I messed around waited awhile for them to come in and finally stepped out to see what was taking so long. He sat down on the swing and they both fell asleep again. Such a sweet Daddy moment.
So the other day Evie was sick and I got out my nifty forehead thermometer, and took her temp. I said, "oh poor baby you do have a fever" and she told me "I not a feber, I Ebie". Lol! I'm loving this whole talking thing!
Meri is napping right this moment but she has been so busy lately. Doing the spider song at the dinner table is a favorite thing as is carrying around my baking chocolate all day long. I had to pry some kisses out of her hands at the checkout yesterday, you would have thought the child was giving up a million dollars! She's definitely getting a candy ornament for the Christmas tree this year!

Check it out...
www.mogphoto.com
Let me know if you can read it okay!
I am so proud of this! I wrote the code (okay I copied some of it! but still) and figured out how to do most of it all by myself! Little 'ol computer illiterate me, I can still remember when somebody had to show me how to open an email account!

Now some Evie stories but no pics, I've been so busy on business stuff I haven't had much time for pictures. I just read a marketing book - wonders never cease do they? Now if I can just conquer the small business association website and the whole IRS thing the most mind boggling things will be done!
Anyway, I let her wear her cowboy hat and boots to school today since it was show and tell. She informed me before leaving, "it's not a cowboy hat, it's a horse girl hat" same deal for her pink boots! Isn't she cute! AND... this is HUGE for me, she's been singing with me! Like I'll sing some lines and she'll sing them back, might not mean much to you guys but I've been trying to get her to sing with me for well, years now! She never has been willing to do hand motions and things like "itsy bitsy spider". So that's been super fun, I can't really attibute it to her therapy though, I mean she's been 3 times - surely that can't be enough to do anything. Really all they do is play with her. And lest anyone be worried about Meri Rose, the therapist(Evie's that is, we haven't had her evaluated yet) commented on how much she was talking and something about synataxes or something like that, point is she might be a smidge delayed but she is saying new words all the time! Which is weird to go through since Evie never did that.

Just a couple from this weekend, went up to Birmingham for a visit. Evie loved the animals at the petting zoo but wouldn't ride the horses, we're wondering if she has some objection to riding them! Would that be a conscientious objector? And... I thought I'd show the real Meri, too bad I can't post sound clips or you could hear the squeal that accommodates this look!

Once upon a time...

... there was a little girl who had to cook and clean for her family. It was such hard work and at the end of the day she didn't even have a bed to sleep in. Poor little thing had to sleep on the bench in the hall with no covers.
Seriously though, where did the drama come from? She's only three!! It worries me, combine her dramatic nature with her spirit and whew, what does the future hold! She was actually playing on the bench and just conked out, poor thing, she gets so tired on the days she has preschool but refuses to take a nap. We were making cookies in the second on and it was just too much work, she couldn't handle it!

Mmmm!

This girl loooves her candy. She still goes to where the Halloween candy was and grunts and reaches for it! She got very mad when I tried to give her just a half of a candy cane, don't come between Meri and candy!
Also just wanted to let you know that I changed the comments - you shouldn't have to be a registered member now to leave a comment.

we're cooking!

Holidays are about traditions, or at least they should be. We always have scalloped corn for Thanksgiving and I always had to make it. This year we let Evie "cook" it, she actually does really well in the kitchen. I just open everything up for her and tell her what to do and magically she listens and follows the recipe. Although yesterday she did sneak extra sugar in to the cookies! And like her Poppa she does try to eat all the dough before it goes into the oven which is always a struggle and her egg cracking is hit or miss but over all I'm very proud. Now if she would just learn how to go grocery shopping...