E Squared

Blogs ..... they are a changin!!!!!!

2010-07-31T14:09:00.000-07:00

Well two of my blogging buddies have switched bloggy homes ..... and I, being the copy cat that I am, have gone running after them. I think I like it so please join me (us) over at the new site ....

www.edieandella.posterous.com

Barefoot at the county fair !!! Well one foot was bare .....

2010-07-29T20:21:00.000-07:00

You know it was a good day when I pay 25 dollars for theseAnd a sweet angel .... passes out ...............just plum tired !!!
We headed on down to the annual Sonoma County Fair today and had a blast!!! Edie, as I suspected, L.O.V.E.D. the rides ..... she was disappointed on more than one occasion to discover that she did not measure up for the height requirements. We were allowed to ride some of the rides with them but not others ..... and I will tell you this is yet another way that she is JUST. LIKE. HER. DADDY!!! The kiddy carnival is about as far as my riding goes ....I am a chicken!!! We did have a great time today though .....
Ella was a little freaked out and being so overtired did not help .....
DAREDEVIL !!!!!!
She was so proud ... she kept waving out of both sides of this little truck ... like she was in a parade......
Ella didn't mind this one because it didn't lift off the ground...
We all enjoyed our fair burgers .... but who doesn't love a good fair burger. NO?
They are much better when you smear the mayo all over your face ..... like so!!!

Isn't this the sweetest little guy/girl !!!
Edie and Ella both loved the animals ..... we couldn't find the petting zoo this year but we saw plenty of farm animals ....
It sure was a licky little calf.....

*** disclaimer *** I do NOT love the mexi sandals !!! I was desperate !!! I SWEAR !!! You see, I buy my shoes in bulk. Two for Five Old Navy flip flops .....my BFFs !!! I love flips, I live in flips .....and I obviously overestimate the ability of a good flip flop to withstand county fair conditions. So when my favorite flips busted as Edie and I excited the jumping jumbo ride, I was left in quite a predicament. There was NO WAY they were having any part of us leaving that fair to get me some shoes (and I was smart enough to NOT EVEN present that idea to them) ..... so Jon stayed with the wild and wide awake Edie for more ride riding and I strolled THROUGH. THE. COUNTY. FAIR. with a sleeping Ella and BOB with ONE shoe off. GROSS!!! I looked EVERYWHERE (I know I am YELLING alot but this is serious people) .....do you realize there is so much tacky crap for sale at a fair ........ but NO flip flops???? Why ???

So anyhow ......I ended up finding those sandals and talked the guy down from $40 to $25 .....and even though I got majorly ripped off ..... I was happy to cover up my foot that was both filthy and a little blistered at this point because I was walking across HOT asphalt......

So don't judge me !!!

Call me what you will ......

2010-07-16T21:32:00.001-07:00

Slacker

Slow poke

Bad mommy blogger

Loser

These are just a few of the "nicknames" that you guys may be calling me lately! I have been terrible about keeping up with the blog ... but I have a VERY good reason. I have TWO 2 year olds ..... OMG!!!

They are into anything and everything at any and all times!!! It is fun and exhausting. A month or so back I switched their "school" days to Wednesday and Friday when Jon was home with them because he was getting annoyed and having a hard time "babysitting" them for 12 hours twice a week while I worked. So that left me with NO ......as in ZERO days/hours/minutes to myself. Well I changed that back this week .... just so I can have one day to myself. That will restart this coming week and I can't wait !!!

I wish that I could have a video camera running at all time to catch the funny things that they say/do ...

Ella Grace is rolling full sentences off her tongue these days ...... examples!!!

Yesterday in the car she lost her sock ..... she yelled out "oh no where my sock go?" ..... there are many many phrases/words that pop out of her mouth on a daily basis that keep us admiring her genius!!

Edie too is a little talker, just not the chatterbox that Ella is. She does take after her mommy after all and Edie after her daddy. It is remarkable how much each of them are like us .... Ella is me in a miniature body and vice versa with Edie and Jon. So sweet!!!

We spend our days outside mostly .... weeding and pulling tomatoes that have not turned red off the vine.... tossing them like balls and hiding in the vines from mommy and daddy. Ella still thinks that if she hides and can't see you then surely you can't see her. It is funny. Jon told me tonight that he couldn't find her outside but he could hear her giggling ..... she had burrowed herself into the raised tomato bed, face down and was thinking she was hiding from him. Too much fun.

We went to Armstrong Woods yesterday. It's a great State Park here with awesome giant and majestic redwood trees. So beautiful. We went on the spur of the moment after we were already in the car so I did not have my camera and I am still kicking myself. It is so beautiful and they (and we) had so much fun. We will go back VERY soon and I will take pictures. These trees are unbelievable. GIANT!!! And there are even bigger ones North of us .... there is one you can drive through somewhere up there.

I promise to update more. I have been feeling quite guilty this week after talking to Auntie Kaye and her mentioning that she checks the blog about "every other day' ...... gasp!! Sorry ya'll!! I'll do better. Speaking of A. Kaye ...... she and I and the girls are going on a road trip in September and I am sooooo excited!!! Any and all Aunties are welcome to come along ... we will have too much fun!!! Can't wait!!

Now on to the cute little ones.....the blueberry lover!!

This is funny. Now keeping in mind, I am a Cardiac Nurse. I see some stuff, right??? I've walked in on blood and poop and blue lips, etc.....but nothing prepares you to walk into a room and find your sweet angel covered in giant red (what looks at first like gashes) marks. Now all my senses told me that it could not be terrible ......that is all except my Mommy sense. For a split second I could feel a little vomit in the back of my throat and my heart skip 61 beats ... but then calmness (aka Jon) took over and I realized that a red ink pen busted on her.

Seriously people ..... even my friend who saw us like 2 days later (because this CRAP does not wash off) wondered how she got all those "abrasions" ...... no joke. But, Ella is an artist .... she will draw for hours....no matter the medium. Paper, walls, skin, easel, ottoman, you name it!!!

We made brownies for daddy ......

Here she is in full on artist mode. I would not have come up with this easel painting idea on my own. We went to a party for our friend that turned 40 and they have their daughters easel set up in the garage so that she can paint on it with finger paints. Well Ella spent soooooo much time out there ... all the adults were commenting how occupied she was. So when we got home I drug our 5 dollar easel outside and it's her new favorite thing to do. It's so fun. I love it too because you just whip out the hose....spray.....and VOILA .......good as new....
Now this takes a little more than spraying .....

and my BFF Spray N Wash comes in quite handy!!!
Masterpiece !!!

We love Wonder Bread !!!

2010-06-28T20:38:00.000-07:00

Last week the girls and I met my friend Rachael on our Town Green for a little fun. All summer long the greeen is packed with fun stuff to do ... Tuesdays are kids movie night with a giant inflatable "big screen" that plays a movie, Thursdays are Summer nights on the green with a Farmers Market and a different band every week then Sunday is the regular Farmers Market!!! Well Wonder B.read 5 played this past week and OMG!!! There were thousands of people .... it was PACKED!!! We spread our blanket out waaaaaaaaaay in the back and could barely hear the music BUT we were next to the awesome fountain so we still had tons of fun!!!

Edie quickly snatched her little friend Liams nuggets while he was off splashing.

Ella snagged the fries ...
They pretended to be eating their lunchables when he was looking!
Serious cuteness .... crusty nose and all!!
Ella has finally been letting us put ponies in her hair .... I guess the 90 plus heat has gotten to her.
Poor Liam had NONE of his nuggets ....
My friend Rachael is from Louisiana as well ... she is a dietician at the hospital that I work. I joked with her about how to tell the cajuns have come to town because in a park with thousands of people and a street long fountain .... we were the only ones who let our kids get in. They sure had fun ....Liam and Ella BFFs!!!
Who cares if the water is "reclaimed"
She's off to steal more fries probably!!

A little catch up!!!

2010-06-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

Well goodness ... where on Earth have I been??? Time slips away so quickly!!! We haven't been up to much ... just playing and whining mostly!! Edie and Ella are doing and saying so many new things ... every day it seems like. One or the other catch us off guard on a daily basis...so sweet and smart!!

As you can tell they love to dress themselves lately ...

We painted outside today.... using some acrylic water based paints. More of it got on skin than paper though ..... it was a great time!!
Reloading the brush ...

Edie discovered "straw blowing" today ... fun times!!!

Isn't she lovely???
Making herself a mud puddle to jump in ...
a little whining never hurt anyone ..... however this may be an all out temper tantrum!!
Little daydreamer ...
Lovin some strawberry cool whip!!
I love their little lips when they suck through a straw!
YUM YUM
Waiting for the breakfast orders to come in!
Cooking em up !!
They signed their own Fathers Day cards this year ....
Love the popsicle ... just waiting while she writes!!
She means business .... and she needed a haircut!! AGAIN

Redheaded Stepchild? Cinderella?

2010-06-19T20:15:00.000-07:00

Well she is not redheaded nor is she a stepchild..... and she better not be sneaking out to balls at night .... at least not yet!!! Edie has been working her little fingers to the bone around here lately.

She has been ironing .... and I have NO IDEA how she knows how to do that because our ironing board has been sitting in the exact same spot since we moved into this house November 2008!!! That in itself is ridiculous because it is always in the way and falls off the little hook constantly! Why haven't I put it out in the garage or passed it on to the Goodwill??? I love the pattern on the cover but should that be a reason to house such a nuisance???

She has been making calls ....
And making dinner! The thing is she won't let any of us eat it ... especially Ella. Anytime we get close to her stove she yells at us. Quite possessive this one!
She even has stuff in the oven ... she points to the open oven and says .....hoootttttttttt !!! I picked up this little wooden stove today at a garage sale for FIVE dollars. It is adorable and a huge hit so far. I also got a great easel for five bucks. I love garage sales. Oh yeah ... I got a Jeep double umbrella stroller for TEN bucks too ... I gave them twenty though because it was a benefit for Breast Cancer. STEAL!!!
Happy Fathers Day to all you baby daddies out there!!! Jon has been in Carmel/Monterey area at Pebble Beach for the US Open this weekend. We get to see him late tomorrow night ... I sure hope he is having fun ... he's in Fathers Day heaven!!! The man LOVES golf!!!

Bobby McGee

2010-06-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

What can I say ... the girl has taste!!! One of my favorite "girly time" songs!!! A must listen to on a girls trip ....... so since daddy went away to the US Open this weekend at Pebble Beach ..... we had a mini staycation right here at home ..... eating steak and dancing the night away!!!

Edie is a monkey!!

2010-06-14T16:50:00.000-07:00

Randomness ... including pee pee and cantaloupe!!!

2010-06-13T20:32:00.000-07:00

Give me an S .........S

Give me an A ........A

Give me a double S ...... SS

Give my a Y ..........Y

What does it spell???

SASSY !!!!

Ella Grace loves to draw/write/doodle ... it does not matter to her the medium. She leaves her mark (haha) on walls, dolls, books, legs/arms of both she and her sister, mirrors and anything that will accept a "mark" .....but she looks so darn cute ... love the ponytail that lasted about 1.243 seconds after this picture was snapped!!!
Look Maw ..... there's pee!!!
The girls love love love melon ... watermelon, honydew melon, cantaloupe ... you name it. The other day they ate an ENTIRE mini seedless watermelon in O.N.E. day!!! I know. Crazy!!

Ella says Edie

2010-06-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

LaLa

2010-06-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

This is how Edie says her sisters name ...

Cooshie Tooshie!!!!

2010-05-30T21:36:00.000-07:00

I must warn you. If you can't stand cuteness ... TURN BACK NOW!!! Since I had these undies on hand (thanks Marianne) ...... I decided to let Ella and Edie start to get used to wearing them. O.M.G.........so stinking cute!!!

Gosh has it really been 15 days???

2010-05-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

WOW ... I just realized today that I haven't posted a thing here in 15 days!!! Goodness ... it's not like we haven't been rolling in barrels of fun though (sarcasm). These girls are taking the terrible twos and running with the phenomena!!! They (mostly Ella) kick, scream, push, pull hair, etc.....FUN.AND.GAMES.

It's great fun though because they are both starting to talk ... ALOT!!! Ella is a little chatterbox ... just one more reason that she is JUST like me. I do NOT pull hair though ... I have been known to kick and scream. It really is amazing how much they each favor us. Ella is a mini me ... she looks like me when I was a child, she is left handed, she is bossy, whiny, talkative, etc...

Edie looks JUST like Jon then and now ....right handed, laid back (mostly), etc.....

They are fun ... just loads and loads of work. Good thing they are so cute!!

I know I cut her eyes off here but I still wanted to share this picture ... she is so stinking adorable when she cracks up!!
The other day Edie brought this puzzle piece to me (you can string laces through it) and said, very matter of factly ....Pish !!!! I assured her that she was correct that is a fish. Well, later as I was walking up the stairs I looked down into the fish tank and ......there it floated!!! In her mind ... fish belong in fish tanks!!!
Shopping .....
So serious ....
Our back yard is looking fantastic these days .....when the sun is out anyhow. It is very out of the norm for us to still be getting rain this late in the year!!!
These are two things that Ella carries in her purse .....at all times!!! My old cell phone and her cool Gap shades!!!
Edie ....isn't she adorable!!! They have a new love of band aids ....if they have ANY spot on their skin ....they will point and say over and over and over and OVER .....owie!!! Until I put a band aid on it. It's not uncommon for each of them to have an entire box of bandaids on them at any given time. Not really .... I do draw some lines .... but at least two per arm.
Sick little sweetie .....highest fever yet. 102.9. YIKES!!!
I'll tell you one thing I haven't been doing. Obviously!!! And that is cleaning out my pantry!!!

Being fancy takes practice!!!

2010-05-10T20:42:00.000-07:00

Fun in the sun ....but it rained today!!!

2010-05-09T20:02:00.000-07:00

We have had a really nice streak of sunshine lately! Of course it rained today ... but we still had fun. Since Jon works every weekend night we did a little Mothers Day dinner on Thursday ... it was delicious!!! Steak, corn, asparagus and lemon cake with lemon icing!!! Who doesn't love lemon on lemon??? Ella Grace of course .... I am beginning to wonder if she is really my daughter. First cotton candy gags and now this ..... the outright refusal to eat lemon cake. The kid will eat rocks, drink water from the outside sink ... the same one she dumps dirt into to make "soup" and the same one Rubi loves to drink from ...... but she won't touch lemon cake. Oh well more for me!!!

I tried to edit this picture .....FAIL!!! It's antiqued and all .... I love those little t shirts!

Now back to the lemon cake!!! Can you tell I LOVE me some lemon cake??? Edie and Ella did help me with some stirring ......you can all just about imagine how much "help" TWO 2 year olds would be in the baking process. But we had fun ......
While the cake baked we ate our dinner outside. I bought this awesome garden bucket thing for all the yard work I really need to get started on .....well Edie, as I suspected, had other plans for it.

After reenergizing with some corn she was off to do some gardening!!!
It tasted much better than it looked!!!

Lovin Life!!!!! And our new clothes......

2010-05-08T20:00:00.000-07:00

We got a fantastic giant box of gently loved clothes in the mail yesterday!!! From Finn and Chloe (and Marianne and Aunt Margaret too.....). Most of them are a bit big but some fit Edie and Ella now .....there is something to be said about the way Southern ladies dress their babes!!! Fantastic and Exquisite per Fancy Nancy!!

We chose to take the fantastic and exquisite clothes and ROMP!!!

We drank from "big girl" water bottles at the top of stairs....

We fed strawberries to baby dolls......isn't this the sweetest thing EVER?!?!?!?!?
We picked our noses with forks.......
We let the sun glisten our hair.......
We made funny faces.......
We let mommy wipe boggers from our fingers......
We let mommy take pictures of us between her legs.....it is Mothers Day tomorrow after all!
We rode our (annoying) worm on wheels.......
And had major traffic accident. I mean, who has gravel as a backyard Mr. and Mrs. Previous Home Owners????
We made the best of the gravel and panned it for gold. BIG FAIL!!!
We stole Rubis Kong and ran with all our might!
We said .....pane, pane, pane, pane, pane, pane, pane, pane, pane, pane, pane, pane, pane.....and on and on and on until someone else acknowledged that there was, in fact, a PLANE flying over!!!
We gave our mommy a heart attack or SEVEN by pretending we would jump from the chair onto the CONCRETE before she could catch us!!!!

We live in the best town!!!

2010-05-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

The town we live in ROCKS!!! It's a small town right in the center of wine country. There is a fantastic "town green" and during the spring/summer months there are all sorts of weekly events. Every Thursday night there is music on the green ... a different local band every week and you can bring your own picnic and ice chest ... I think that is great because most events like that require you to buy the food and drinks they sell ...that gets pricey!!! I mean 3 dollar waters ....SERIOUSLY?!?!

I was super excited to find out there was a Cinco De Mayo (is that how to spell De?) celebration this afternoon. It is awesome to get the girls out of the house ....even though when it's just one of us with both of them it can get a little stressful keeping them roped in! But with our work schedules it is almost always "just one of us" ....so there is no choice but to brave it solo!!!

Ella Grace has been obsessed with my old cell phone lately ... WILL.NOT.PUT.IT.DOWN! That and her baby ....she carries a baby doll around ALWAYS ....(it was in the stroller when this picture was taken). As a matter of fact the baby and cell phone and bear and "yight" aka little tykes light are asleep with her NOW. So today we were walking along and I turned around to check on her and this is what I found ..... is she texting? calling da -eeeee (daddy)???? As a really funny aside ....we were walking along a man was talking on his cell phone and Ella stopped in front of him, put the phone to her ear and said .... HeyYooo!!! (fyi ... hello) ... she was imitating him.....so cute!!!

One of the great groups that performed!!! Man ... this music is so festive!! LOVE IT!!!
Edie and Ella love to drink from water bottles and big girl cups ....Edie actually sticks her tongue in the glass/bottle and lets the water/juice touch it .... and often says Ahhhhhhhh!
Little wind blown Amish haircut orangutang .....LOVE HER!!!
screwing the cap back on ....
dancing and rehydrating....
put on my my my boogy shoes .......
"what do you mean you are taking a break?"
They had beer .....for sale....outside .....in the public ......in California!!! I had to have one, even though I don't really love beer .....just for principle. It made me very very thirsty!!!
See .....the tongue!!! She is so sweet ..... and looks so much like her daddy!!!!
people watching!!
food covered (and a little snot) sweet face!!!
We ate pizza with knives!!!
GIANT burritos .... this thing was at least 3 pounds!!! I ate a little, Edie ate ALOT and Ella ate some .....we still tossed over half a burrito!! I know we could have saved it but with TWO 2 year olds to keep track of ....the burrito didn't make it.
Ella suckered me into buying one of these obnoxious balloon things. FIVE bucks!!! Now ask me if she has touched it since I bought it ....or has she even looked at it again??? Ummmmm NOPE!!!
VERY shortly after this picture was taken she knocked this entire display over. I think it was the wind but I think the sweet Spanish speaking man thought it was her ....or at least I think that is what he said!!!

Can I get a whoot whoot!!!

2010-04-29T20:09:00.000-07:00

We had a GREAT day today!!!

First of all I must give a giant shout out to my super smart husband for passing his CCRN (Critical Care RN) exam. Yeah!!!

He took the test in San Francisco so E Squared and I drove him the hour to the city so he would not have to deal with traffic and parking (or lack thereof). It was a win-win situation because, well it was San Fran!!! It's awesome that we live so close and sad that we don't get there more often.

So, while poor Jon sat before a computer test for 3 hours answering really hard test questions, we played tourist!!! We walked ALOT around Pier 39.

Had fantastic/clear views of Alcatraz! It's often foggy so to have such a clear view is fab!
We watched and SMELLED (yuck, per Edie) the Sea Lions. These guys are awesome and if you ever make it to SF they are a MUST SEE/SMELL. They mysteriously disappeared last year but are back now. I could watch them for hours ...and by the looks of this guy he could be watched for hours.
We paid NINE dollars to ride the famous Pier 39 carousel!!!
WOW
Weeeeeeeeeee

We watched weird people strolling the pier ...
Tried to get a good picture of these flags. FAIL!!!
Ate cotton candy ...
or didn't !!! She gagged. Who gags at cotton candy?
Posed with gold men !!!!
Bought shoes ...
Paid outrageous parking fees !!!
Watched people not pay attention to rules ....
you can't see the sign in this picture, but it's right between those TWO backed in cars!!!
barely missed side swiping bus # 62
And when the people started getting shadier .....
and pimpier .....
we decided to heed the warning signs and turn around!
These streets are S.T.E.E.P.
LOOK ... it just drops off!!! Like STRAIGHT down!!!
There's Alcatraz again ... see it down there at the very very end!!
We passed the crookedest street in the world .....
and laughed at their signs. Seriously, you live on one of the most famous streets EVER and you don't expect noise. HOITY TOITY!!! So we waved to the nice people .....and blew our horn!!! (not really)

Fishermans Wharf San Francisco!!

2010-04-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

toddler or preteen???

2010-04-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

We love water!!!

2010-04-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

My girls LOVE water. Especially Ella. She is constantly asking for "wah er". In the sink, the bath, a cup, a faucet outside or a hose....the girl is not picky. She loves her some wah er!!!

And picking her boogers!!!
And saying "cheeeeeeese".....
Edie likes to hold the water hose. She just stands and stares.....

Brush brush brush your teeth....

2010-04-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

...brush 'em really good. Brush 'em brush 'em brush 'em like I told you that you should!!! That's our little teeth brushing ditty .....

Ella prefers diaper rash ointment over Toms Silly Strawberry toothpaste. I did stop her very shortly after these pics were taken ....but the girl LOVES to eat the ointment. What is up with that? Does anyone else have this issue?

Girls night ....with one boy!!!

2010-04-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

Since it's such a challenge to find a babysitter (not that I have tried much)(but people feel more sorry for me if I say it that way) .... and Jon works EVERY weekend NIGHT .... my girls and I have started having people over. A couple weeks back we had my friend Kelly and her girlies over. Last night we had Rachael and her little one, Liam over..... even though he is a boy. Her mom lives in Louisiana and the last time she visited she made a bunch of etouffee (I really should know how to spell that)(but I don't) .... it's a yummy dish ... sort of a stew. It had a potful of CRAWFISH!!!! Oh yeah ....it was good. Rachael even left the leftovers for me ...ahem Jon!!!

So we played and ate and drank wine and pink lemonade!!! Liam is a fun little guy .... all boy!!!

Ella supervised him ALOT......

supervising and rocking her baby.....
"did you see that? COOL"
a little distracted but holding tight to the baby!
Rachael .... her mom is a magician in the kitchen!!!
Liam .... isn't he sweet!!!

How to make Spring soup.....

2010-04-17T15:55:00.000-07:00

Ingredients: Sink full of water, dirt!

Never leave your baby behind.
Directions: Combine ingredients and stir with a fly swatter.

VOILA!!!

Resemblance?

2010-04-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

Well poor Ella Grace!!!! As we all know she needed a bang trim in a major way and since I have attempted several times in the past and botched them I decided to take her over to G.reat C.lips. Even though I would not let them touch my hair with a 10 foot pole. But she is TWO people and her hair grows faster then her fingernails. What is up with baby fingernails....????

The picture speaks for itself .... even though it only cost 7 dollars we got RIPPED off!!! But she may be able to snag a role in Kingpin 2 !!! No???

Caaaaaaaaaaaaaaandyyyyyyyyyyy!!!

2010-04-12T14:22:00.000-07:00

What happens when your mommy won't refill the carrot egg with candy for your sister????

Here's what

I'll try another tactic (with my new Amish style haircut).....maybe I can charm her into giving me some candy. Then I can scream ......."mine MINE mine" .......

Testing Settings!!!

2010-04-11T16:48:00.001-07:00

Two 2 year olds are exhausting!!!

2010-04-10T11:20:00.000-07:00

Ready for a girls trip????

2010-04-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

Well I think I got it .... when our professional photographer was here getting ready for Edie and Ella's party shoot he showed me a few cool tricks with my new camera. In the meantime he changed the RAW setting for me ... which helped with the photo quality but made my files way to big to upload into blogger. So I changed the settings ... shot this little white trash beauty queen and VOILA!!! It uploaded just fine. FYI ... I did not choose this outfit......

Now my chore will be to fix all the awesome pics that I have to share ....and if I am too silly to figure that out you will not ever get to see them. Bummer!!!!

It could be my camera settings!!!

2010-04-10T10:09:00.000-07:00

Well I wonder if my inability to upload pictures has to do with my camera settings??? I went back and uploaded this older photo just fine. Hmmmmmmmmm? I'll work on that but in the meantime enjoy this awesome oldie of Ella Grace!!!

2010-04-01T21:11:00.000-07:00

I absolutely canNOT upload pictures.....I have been trying and will continue to try!!! So sorry peeps......because I have some awesome ones!!!

I may switch over to wordpress ... I actually have set up an account already but it seems so complicated compared to Blogger ....GEEZ!!!!

Anyone have any input on Wordpress ... will I get used to all the stuff everywhere??? Will I have time??? Help meeeeeee!!!

There is no way to call/email blogger support anymore so I am left to figure it out in my spare time.....which we all know I have oodles of!!!! Those of you on Facebook have seen some of the cuteness but those that aren't I promise to get caught up .....don't quit me/us!!!!

We got Ella and Edie's first "school" pictures today ....the cuteness is un freaking real!!!! Brought tears to my eyes .....how did they get them to pose? POSE???? So sweet!!!!

Hang in there with me ... I WILL get this figured out!!!!

Kiss me you fool........

2010-03-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

Finally BDay pics!!!

2010-03-22T15:18:00.000-07:00

Well ... we have been BUSY!!! We had our birthday party last weekend then my dad came to visit this past weekend from Louisiana. It's been nonstop fun times at Casa Marbut!!! We are (read I am) exhausted. It's back to reality now ... but I did finally manage to get some of the professional pictures up for those of you who have not already seen them on Facebook. I have 2 tons of pictures that I will be uploading over several posts so stay tuned ... I really need to get caught up so I plan to be posting quite a bit this week .......hopefully!!!
First off .....my FAVORITE pictures first!!! We haven't had a nice family pictures since they were 3 weeks old... and they have changed slightly. Me, not so much.....but aren't these great!!!

We had a candy buffet at the party ... all the kids loved it!!!

I love this picture of me and Edie ...me kissing her and she me!!! So sweet!

The favor bags...

..and cupcakes!!!

This is soooooo Ella Grace!!!

Jon had a huge burger making production ...very methodical!!!

Birthday Party Fun!!!

2010-03-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately I am having a great deal of trouble with my internet connection ... and the lovely folks at ATT are absolutely NO help. The computer lingo is already somewhat foreign to me and trying to talk to someone who has VERY POOR english speaking skills does not help any of us!!! So this post will be pictureless ..... FOR NOW!!!

We had a fantastic party for the little TWO year old beauties!!! Ladybugs and lollipops .....with the emphasis on ladybugs since I ended up having ZERO lollipops except for those on the invitations. We had a candy buffet which was a gigantic hit with all the little tykes ....and the big people too!!! A good time was had by all ...if you are on Facebook I have a few pictures there. For some reason it is much easier for me to upload pics to FB than Blogger. Go figure. You can send me a friends request if you want to because noone can have too many friends. And if you have enough FB friends .....well, add me anyways!!!

But never fear because we had a professional photographer here and as soon as I get the link to the pictures they took I will post it for y'all to see the awesomeness that is E Squared!!!

In the meantime I will continue to work on getting pictures here if it's the last thing I do.....I have NEVER been in a fist fight but Mr. ATT in India may be my very first opponent. I will get back on my in vitro meds so I can go all bat shit crazy if I have to Mr.

Stay tuned.......

Happy Birthday My Sweet Little Girls!!!!

2010-03-12T21:16:00.000-08:00

I am ....
Amazed at the ways that you have changed our lives!

In awe of the intense love that we have for you two!

Baffled by the incredible changes that have taken place over these two years ... from newborn to teeny person!

Thankful that we did not give up our IVF journey!

Choked up about SO many different things! I can't believe you guys are TWO!

In love with both of you more than you could ever even begin to imagine. Even more than I could have imagined!

Happy SECOND Birthday Edie Claire and Ella Grace!!! March 13, 2008 was, hands down, the absolute best day of my entire life!!!

Maybe we are partial to orange.....

2010-02-28T14:43:00.000-08:00

Way back when.....

And now.....

Loving on daddy!!!

Ella Grace aka Pouty McPouterson!!!!

2010-02-18T12:57:00.000-08:00

Funny how as they grow you notice litttle traits that do not change even when the rest of them is changing so so so rapidly.
Notice the lips on the day she was born ......

And the same expression almost 2 years later .....when nothing else looks the same!!!

Getting ridiculous.....

2010-02-18T10:36:00.000-08:00

I am beginning to consider switching blog host sites ... I have had so much trouble with getting my pictures up here! I have lots to share but it's such a hassle that it's becoming less fun. I am just not sure if it's blogger, my computer or ME!!!
OK!
Rant over!!!
I feel better!!! Now, you want cuteness??? Because I got cuteness. I obviously DON'T have good grammar but who needs that when you GOT this......
I found Ella outside the other day pitching a tiny fit. Ok a HUGE fit but she is so tiny! In her first attempt ever to climb a tree ... she got stuck. Notice though how she .....DID.NOT.DROP.HER.BISCUIT!!!

The girls have been taking turns being sick this week and last. Ella may have had Roseola ... but she feels much better now. She had 3 days of unpredictable fever then a rash that covered her little body. It did not seem to itch but it looked gnarly. Here she is resting on the couch ...

Edie is all about "dipping" snacks these days. Well she was on the day I snapped this picture. Their desires change hourly. She loves to ask for things lately. She points and says "ball" when she wants to munch on a juicy apple ... she also says "ball" to a ...well, BALL. She calls milk a bottle .....or baaoooou to put it exactly. The other night when she and I were up just hangin at THREE FOURTY FIVE.....A.M. (she was actually sick so I won't fault her)(not that I would fault her anyway because she is still under 2)(but once they turn 2 it's on girls.....you are on your own)hahaha....so anyway!!! We were up and she got a bowl from their dish drawer and handed (threw) it to me and said ...."pop pop" ..... after some guessing I realized she wanted popcorn. When I took it from the pantry and asked her if that's what she wanted she yelled "yeahhhhhh" with her hands up in a V!!! Now how could I say no to that .....even before the crack of dawn?!?!?!

We have been talking about what to plant in our raised beds this year ...so Ella is picking the perfect spot for her plant!!!

Have you ever had one of those time that you realized 4.7 seconds too late that you should NOT have just done what you just did??!! (yeah I know, again with the grammar)!
Well that happened to me the other day. We were outside enjoying the recent awesome weather (sorry East coast friends). I asked Edie to find me a flower.......OH NO .....WHY??? She did find me a flower and brought it to me, then another, and another....smart girl....not so smart mommy!!! She will end up picking all my pretty flowers .....

Nosy Rosy!!! Spying on the neighbors......

Sweet sweet Edie.....

2010-02-07T20:06:00.000-08:00

We have been covered up with rain lately!!! I mean the kind of rain that almost needs one to construct an ark! But I know that we need it and well, blah blah blah....I was shocked anyway to wake up to glorious sunshine this morning. The already bright at 7 am sunshine.....WOOHOO!!! I immediately decided that I would take Ella and Edie to The Bay Area Children's Museum....partly because I have been wanting to check it out and partly because we NEEDED to get out and do something!!! So we got ready and off we went......have I mentioned that I would be taking TWO 2 year olds to a big place ......BY MYSELF ??? Well, I was nervous, sort of ....but it turned out that I had no need to be nervous ... the place is awesome and it's geared mostly towards tiny tots and these girls ROCK at having a great time.
See that teensy paragraph up there ... the one you just read... yeah, that took me about an hour to write!!! Wanna know why???? Well, your gonna......The Saints won the Superbowl!!! Who Dat???? And you may or may not know that even though I live in California I am a Louisiana Cajun Girl .....and my friends are even more Cajun crazy than me!!! They are some proud (and really drunk) folks right now ....so they all want to call and share their joy with me. I appreciate it!!! I am jealous!!! Not about the drunkenness but about being in the midst of a bunch of crazy fun cajun folks!!! And the food!!! Really, I am jealous mostly of the food ...
Now some California fun......we pulled up to the museum and parked right in front of this.....(that is NOT our Volvo....)

Edie and Ella were so excited and had such a fun fun time!!! Edie mostly skipped, hopped and ran yelling weeeeeeee through the place!

The "tot spot" had a little outdoor stream set up and we all know how much our girls LOVE water!

They had an arts and crafts building.......

A place to do wall painting.....

A "shipwreck" area where you could dig in the sand for treasure! Well, Ella Grace dug her heart out!!! Seriously, like 20 minutes of digging and dumping....which is really like 47 hours in toddler time!!!!

And some more "stream" time....

The girls were worn out by the time we left!!! Ella fell asleep before we even left the parking lot! Since they were asleep in the car I took advantage and drove around a while for some awesome sunny scenery! I only had my "old" camera but she's still got it!!! I mean it's hard to take bad pictures when your subject is awesomeness!!!
We saw surfers.....

Strolling couples.......(gosh I just realized if you click on this picture to enlarge it ...it looks like a tidal wave is on it's way to sweep this lovely couple out to sea)

Fabulous greenery ...I am so sorry to my East Coast "Snowed" in friends......love ya'll!!!

An freaky ....REALLY FREAKY tunnel to get to the awesomeness!!! It was the longest, darkest tunnel I have ever been in. This picture does not do it justice because by the time I thought to take the picture (and yes I was driving and picturing) we were almost out....you can see the light. Imagine driving 5 minutes with no idea how much longer you have!!! FREAKY!!! And to make matters worse ....you really have no idea if you are under water or land...and at one point this huge leaky area dumps a bucket of water on your car.......I don't know about you but that scared the CRAP out of me. But you know me it may have been less dramatic than it sounds.....or NOT!!!

Some great Golden Gate Bridge shots.....

Here is where the Pacific meets San Francisco Bay.....

More GG Bridge......

The Next Top Models!!!!!

2010-02-02T21:28:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to control Ella Grace's too quickly growing hair I bought them some adorable (overpriced at the Gap) kitty cat headbands. She will NOT wear bows or ribbons or bands or glue .....and she has already had 2 haircuts. Well ... the kitty headbands did the trick ... for 32.45 seconds anyways.....love love love the giant toddler glasses!!!

Sweet Edie Claire...

So today I think we got a glimpse of our future fashion .....how do I say ....."ideas" ....I bought the girls some new clothes at Old Navy since they grow an inch per hour these days ....included in the giant bag o'goodies were some really cute dresses. Both Edie and Ella pitched a rager until I put the dresses on... and since it's so cold (sorry to my snowed in friends....it's not THAT cold) I opted to put them on over their clothes ....they are so opinionated. Hmmmmmm....wonder where that comes from???

Sweet Ella Grace .....

So let me set the scene.
Mommy in the kitchen making some dinner!
Edie "helping" me!
Daddy and Ella watching a little Sponge Bob on the tube.
......Sponge Bob ends ....mommy hears "shake, shake, shake" ....thinks nothing of it.
Mommy hears ....oh Ella ......"what have you done?" ......
Enter mommy .......to THIS.......

Ella Grace found the cookie sprinkles and noticed Daddy was preoccupied with the new show that had come on....so she went to town!!!!
What was the new show that Daddy was so entranced by??? iCarly!!!! Yep, that's right ......i freakin Carly!!!!

What a difference 2 years makes!!!

2010-01-31T20:08:00.000-08:00

Remember this????

And here we are now...

I NEVER in my life thought that I would own a vinyl tablecloth for a table that would reside indoors. However it turns out that I am very proud to say that I do own one. It does reside indoors. And it is fantastic!!! Oh AND...it was only 6 bucks at Target. It's terribly tacky but it does a great job ... so let's not judge a book by it's cover!

We had a great time with finger paints. I was super relieved to realize that they do clean up very easily...I was a bit nervous going in but it all worked out. We are happily accepting indoor activity ideas ..... our idea bin is running low!!!

2010-01-27T21:13:00.000-08:00

We have had a massive amount of rain here lately! Not flooding, ark building rain but enough to notice when you are cooped up with TWO TWO year olds!!!! Our fun has gotten creative!!! But we have managed to have fun indoors. Messes are plentiful!!! And thanks to my awesome new camera you can have a taste of the rain drops!!!

Aunt Kaye gave Edie and Ella an Aqua Doodle for Christmas!!! That has been great for some indoor water lovers!!! And their mommy....

And it's great because in the midst of all your doodling ... when you get thirsty ... you can just suck the water from the tip of the water pen!!!

And when your mommy hogs the doodle pad you can paint the wall with water......

Ella thinks we have the wine cooler temperature set too high ....."no mommy I think 55 is the right temp!"

Edie says ... "I agree with mommy .... 58 is just right"

They are making RNs smaller these days....

And a bit more evil ....muahahahahahahah!!!!

Ella loves to run!!! She will run from you or to you depending on what you have for her. If it's a toothbrush or diaper or PJs ...there she goes! If it's a cookie or juice here she comes......and she always has this look of ....well weirdness on her face. See for yourselves and nevermind the mac n cheese and ketchup crust.....

I had something else in mind for these V Day stickers....but obviously Edie had her own adorable agenda!!!

I had a CRAPTASTIC day at work today!!! That's the thing with nursing ... you really never know what's in store for you! You show up, get your assignment.....sometimes it's good and often times it's NOT!!! But it's a great profession. I am thankful to not worry about losing my job every day and I do realize that the patients that I have are having much worse days than me. But today we were working 3 nurses short and that stunk!!! HOWEVER I came home to a fantastic package. Now if you know me .... you know I LOVE packages. My husband being the sweetheart that he is ... knows this so well that even when he gets a package he saves it for me to open!!! I know huh!!! I've FINALLY got him sort of trained!!!! SORT OF!!! Well I came home to a super surprise from my SIL Kaye ....out of the blue!!! I have apparently made it clear to her and all that I love cupcakes and wine....even better when served together. So she sent me this.......

And with all the CRAPTASTICNESS .....I immediately put it to use........Thank you Kaye!!!! LOVE IT!!!

Rain Rain Go Away .... well it doesn't matter. Because we have GEAR !!!

2010-01-25T14:09:00.000-08:00

Well I thought some of the best baby purchases involved things that made it easier to handle two babies ... ie, BOB, Bumbos, etc.... but thinking that would make me wrong. So far it seems the best things that I have purchased are rain coats / boots!!! They love them and wear the boots in particular from the time they get up to the time they go to bed ... NO. KIDDING!

Madame Butterfly says......Don't mess with my tutu !!!

2010-01-24T18:10:00.000-08:00

No words needed really ... other than that Edie Claire loves to dress up!!

Splish Splash .... I love taking a bath!!!

2010-01-24T15:56:00.000-08:00

It seems like just yesterday that bath time was horrible...especially with Ella Grace! Every time we would bathe her it was like we were pouring soap in her eyes or scalding her or both. Now she spends F.O.R.E.V.E.R. in the bathtub. She still screams sometimes but only when we are taking her out of the tub. She has all these cups that she methodically fills to the rim. She seems like she is working and taking it so seriously! It's fun to watch. She absolutely does not share her cups either. Poor Edie ... bath time is so boring for her.
Love the snot EVEN in the tub look!!!

Filling her cups .... so precise!!!

She even lets me do funny things to her hair!

WOW ... this is so cool!!!

Her bathtub "chem" lab ....

No not the weird foamy soap ... NOOOOOOOOOO!!! (seriously this stuff is gross...I thought it would be fun but it's just gross)!

And we are back....

2010-01-23T09:42:00.000-08:00

I am still having a little trouble with uploading pictures but I think it's blogger issues now. Thank you Kathy Lane ... clearing my cache and restarting my computer was just what I needed!!!
We have been having fun as usual here at Casa Marbut..... fun with some ridiculousness thrown in just to keep things interesting. Jon had his jeep broken into at work last weekend .... they busted out the drivers window to get to the radio, ipod and sunglasses. Of course it would be the week that we had the MOST rain in Sonoma County. Anyway, we got the window fixed and will replace the radio eventually, in all our spare time!!! People like that are just assholes....pardon my potty mouth but they are and there is no way around that!!!
Edie and Ella are loving their time at "school" ... they both wave bye bye when we drop them off and it seems they could care less that we are leaving. Their teacher Ms. Carol is great and they seem to really like her. There are a total of 6 children in the class so they get to interact with other tots. They finger paint, color, hula hoop, play ball, dance...you name it!!! She sends home a little report card every day with everything they did and all their artwork. So sweet!
Ella Grace had her first crazy girl tantrum the other day .... in public!!! We went to Home Depot while we waited for the jeep to be fixed ... since it was so wet/rainy out we thought that would be a good place to let them run around a bit. Well Ella had a ball!!! She ran and ran for about a half hour then we had to leave. She threw her little body down in the parking lot ... right in a water puddle of course. It was awesome!!! Then she did it again when we got home . She needed a nap obviously but it was a taste of what is to come. She is her momma's daughter for sure!!! I bought them raincoats / boots last week and I will post pictures of those later but I have to say ....STINKIN CUTE!!! They both wear the boots ALL. DAY. LONG. They put them on as soon as they get up, wear them for naps if we let them....it's hilarious!!! Now some cuteness to hold you over until later or maybe tomorrow.....I have TONS of pictures to share so I'll have to break it up!!!! Prepare yourselves for too many updates!!!

Here is Edie stylin in her PJ/boot get up....this is part of the reason that I got them rain boots. I remember loving to play outside in the water/mud puddles as a child and I want them to be able to do that too. Just not at the cost of ruining every pair of shoes they own. Which isn't many by the way.

Ella running from ????

Ella Grace definitely picked up her table manners from her daddy....

CHEEEEEEEEEEEEESE!!!!!!

New camera awesomeness !!! Mandarin Oranges.....

S.O.S.

2010-01-21T12:20:00.000-08:00

Is anyone else having trouble uploading pictures to their blog??? I have been having lots of problems and that is why I haven't posted anything. I have TONS of great pics to share but can't get them on here. I will work on it but if anyone has any input ...please put it in!!!

The girls are fun. That's all I can say!!

2010-01-11T21:18:00.001-08:00

Ella whining to be picked up ... she is rotten to the core!!! But so adorable that it doesn't matter! (never mind the runny nose ...it's like a faucet and I can't keep up)

A little dress up fun.

Edie discovering that if you poke your finger through a marshmallow it will stick!!! FUN!!!

One of the GREAT things about having a twin sister!!! You can steal her popsicle!!!

Can they get any cuter?!?! I'm afraid so....

2010-01-09T21:23:00.000-08:00

Fun times in the Marbut house!!! The Tide Rolled all over the Horns......SWEET!!! Daddy is back home from SoCal ... even sweeter if anyone watched Edie's little video demonstration of how much she missed her daddy!!! And I still have this awesome new camera!!! Best present that my honey has gotten me since the little rock on my left ring finger.....OK OK the house, new car and children were great gifts as well ....and possibly even better. But if I said that then it would take away from the drama/excitement of the new camera!!!
Edie and Ella are more and more independent these days too. That is bittersweet .... being more sweet than bitter!!! They walked all the way through the mall while I pushed an empty BOB. They walked into the elevator, out the door and across the parking lot. And after a mini stroke AND heart attack I, I mean we, made it to the car. I want to let them explore .... but there were moving cars out there PEOPLE!!! Ok...ONE moving car two levels down from us in the parking structure ... but still you never know with people these days!!! These are my babies and they are growing UP so darn fast. Little Ms. Independents.....
Edie with her "booty" booty ...... get it!!! Love the new boots and the fluffy "diaper" booty.....

Not only will she be a catch because of her "booty" booty .... but she also licks rocks!!!

Sweet Ella Grace ... and mommy perfecting her background blurring.

Edie showing kitty Tabasco some love....

Do these pumpkins EVER die?????

HUH???? Do they???

Edie loves to explore......

So these tween girls passed us on the sidewalk and were so sweet! They said "hey babies" but kept on walking. Well, Edie the ever loving "big kid" lover decided she wanted more. She would chase them down....

Roll Tide !!!!!

2010-01-08T16:13:00.001-08:00

Ella watched The Tide bring home a victory last night. It was a real nail biter...

Edie enjoying composing a little music!!!!

Ella's opinion of her sisters new composition....

Ya think she misses her daddy???

2010-01-06T19:18:00.000-08:00

Jon is down in Southern California for the Rose Bowl ..... ROLL TIDE!!! I thought it would be a good idea to show Edie and Ella pictures of their daddy on the computer......well!!!! Just see for yourself!!!

Pitiful? I know!!!

Over the mountain and through the hills. It's off to school they go!!!

2010-01-06T11:03:00.000-08:00

Ok it's really just around the corner .... no mountains or hills to climb but Edie and Ella did start school yesterday. And when I say school, I mean La Petite Academy. It sounds sophisticated doesn't it La Petite Academy. Well, it's not even though they charge you sophisticated fees.
Jon and I have been thinking of finding a little half day program for them a day a week and as the terrible two's started approaching terribly fast we hastened our search a bit. Ideally we wanted one day/week and just a half day but none of the places we liked offered that. The minimum seems to be two days/week ... I can understand that. So we changed our minds a trillion times then decided to try it out this week. We will do Tues/Thurs 9:30 to 2:00! I did not want to use a home daycare because of my trust issues so we found this little place around the corner ... exactly one mile from our house. Everyone there seems so nice and it's a preschool so as the girls grow they can move up through the programs. We have been thinking about this for a little while and I have refrained from babbling on about it here out of respect for one of my blogging buddies who struggles every day with having to use child care for her children. However since this is our baby book I felt the need to document this for them.
We dropped them off yesterday and they both ran off playing with all the toys UNTIL we walked out the door. Now I was sure Ella would throw a rager on them but once we walked out it was Edie who screamed and tried opening the door to follow us. We stuck around for a while to make she would stop crying and she did. UNTIL she saw us peeking at her through a little TINY window that we though she couldn't see us through. The girl may have Xray eyes!!! So again we waited out the crying and went on home. I know you are thinking we went home, kicked back and ate oreos......but we did NOT. We had to undecorate our house. It's way more fun to decorate for Christmas than it is to undecorate. And yes I do realize that I may have made that word up. You like?
They did fabulously ... we know this because they were sent home with a report card. I should take a picture of that and their artwork. We'll see. They both finger painted and colored. They ate well with Ella having seconds on the quesadilla and Jon letting the teacher know she gets that from her mother. Even though he has gotten up in the middle of the night to eat bananas and chocolate. The MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT PEOPLE!!! Anyway I kid....she does get her love of all things food (well most things food ... I don't do liver, hominy or creamy corn) from me.

New glow buddy!!!

2010-01-05T20:42:00.000-08:00

Now that Edie is free to roam her room, being in a big girl bed as opposed to the "cage" that her sister still sleeps in, we have struggled with the night light situation. She unplugs their night light EVERY. DARN. DAY. So I found this awesome little guy at Wal Mart (is there a space in there?). It's adorable and they can hold it without it getting hot and it turns off after 15 minutes unless you choose to let it burn without the timer. If you have night light issues ... this IS your answer!!!
MOBI Tykelight Jr is his name!!!

Sweet Eyes !!!

2010-01-05T15:50:00.000-08:00

***Updated*** So I have decided that if I get enough comments that one of you lucky (good guessers) WILL get a prize. It's basically a freebie since, if you read my blog, you have surely seen enough pictures to tell who's who. So tell your friends...because I give GOOD presents!!!!

Man ..... this new camera is AWESOME!!!

Can you tell who is who??? Leave me a comment with your picks ... you may or may not get a prize. Lean more towards the may NOT but you will have fun doing it!!!

Lollipop Lovers !!!!!!

2010-01-03T20:26:00.000-08:00

New camera fun with a dab of cuteness!!!

2010-01-02T14:16:00.000-08:00

Edie humming in the New Year !!!!

2009-12-31T19:28:00.001-08:00

Daddy taught Edie how to play the harmonica!!!

My new diet plan for 2010

2009-12-30T21:37:00.001-08:00

The Miracle Toddler Diet:

Day One
Breakfast: 1 Scrambled Egg, 1 piece of jelly toast. Take 2 bites of egg, using only your fingers, then see if the rest will stick to the ceiling. Take one bite of toast, then smear the jelly on your face, clothes, and white table cloth.
Lunch: Find crumbs on the kitchen floor and eat them. Find that lollipop you lost last week and finish it off.
Dinner: Drop pieces of spaghetti onto back of dog, insert meatball into ear. Dump pudding into apple juice and suck it up with a straw.

Day Two
Breakfast: 4 crayons, any color. 2 dimes, 3 nickels, and a penny. Wash it down with a squirt gun filled from the dog's dish.
Lunch: 2 bites of peanut butter and jelly sandwich, 3 jelly beans you found from last Easter. Dump milk on table, slurp up with your tongue.
Afternoon Snack: Lick an all-day sucker until it's sticky, drop it in the dirt, then continue licking until it's no longer dirty. Bring in the house and drop on the rug.
Dinner: Small bowl of ice cream, making sure you let the cat share the bowl with you, Handful of cheese puffs, and kool-aid. Be sure to spill the Kool-aid all over the freshly-washed white tablecloth.

Day Three
Breakfast: Stale toast found under couch, 3 sips of flat Coke.
Lunch: 1/4 tube of toothpaste (any flavor), handful of potato chips.
Dinner: Half a tube of lipstick (any color), handful of Purina Dog Chow. Ice cube if desired.

Repeat this menu as needed until you achieve desired results.

Follow this toddler diet, and you too, will be fit and trim like every toddler on the block!

Some new camera fun!!!

2009-12-28T20:21:00.000-08:00

I'm having a great time not knowing how to use my new camera. It's fun but I definitely need a class or two ... it's the photographic lingo that gets me ... maybe a book like Digital Photography for Dummies. Hey, who you calling dumb?!?
This was one of my favorite gifts to get the girls for Christmas ... since they LOVE to bounce. They are a little frightened of it because as they bounce along they tend to fall of the back of it ... they don't like that!!! Not sure why!!!

I think I mentioned that this new hot camera could get nose hairs ... if any of us had nose hairs big enough to photograph. Another great thing about my husband ... no gross nose hairs!!! Well, here is Ella pointing out where her hairs would be...

Ella Grace aka Crazy Bang Lady ... I know, I know she needs another hair cut. Well, she did until I went crazy with the scissors tonight ... I don't think I botched it up too bad but we will see in the morning. She is humming out a little ditty on one of their harmonicas....

They both have learned to say CHEESE!!! Or what sounds like cheese anyway.....

A great picture of Edie with some computer photo enhancement ...I may have gone a little overboard with the "highlight" function but that's how blonde her hair looks in the sun. And speaking of her hair ... see those little horns ... yeah, she's earned those!!!

Edie doing a little posing with her shopping cart and Ella still playing the harmonica....

Ella AGAIN pointing out where her nose hairs would be.....the girl LOVES to pick her nose!!! She actually got a booger tonight and didn't know what to do with it......MOMMY TO THE RESCUE!!!

Rubi ... was my first subject!!!

And I caught Santa in the act.....

Still looking for the hidden camera!!!

2009-12-27T10:01:00.000-08:00

Both Jon and I were so excited to see Edie and Ella's Christmas morning reaction. He had to work Christmas Eve night so we thought we would open our gifts then he could go to bed for a nap before heading over to our friends' house for dinner. Well all of these things happened BUT the process of making them all happen turned our Christmas morning/entire day into a friggin disaster ... leaving both of us wondering if we will ever do it again. Seriously folks we may just ban all things Christmas next year.....not really but trust me when I say it was bad. And if you find yourselves laughing through this post just remember that Santa is already watching ...again, I kid because I have been laughing (now that it's all over) ... I mean it's hard not to. Right?!?
So here goes......

I waited for Jon to get home from work before bringing the girls downstairs .... we both knew that (or thought we knew) they would be amazed by the under tree transformation. They notice every little change these days ..... they did not disappoint (yet!) Edie exclaimed "WOOOOOOOOOW" and Ella yelled something in her native tongue (if you have not heard her speak in her native tongue yet scroll down a ways to watch a video).....Jon decided he wanted video on the camcorder and of course we could not find any cd's. I planned to just use my camera for video .....that is if there were any good video to get ....and of course there was NOT!!! So once he finally scrounged up a disc we started with the opening of presents. Well they loved it at first then started getting cranky .. neither of them have been feeling really well with runny noses and all. Jon was overly tired because he had taken care of a really complicated patient the night before, one that kept him running ALL NIGHT!!! We got most of the gifts open ... except for my last one and one for the girls that still sits unopened under the tree. It was a disaster at this point and I can't even put my finger on why really .... it has just gone nuts!!!
Jon and I decided to not spend much money on ourselves and instead helped another family. Well as I opened my first two gifts I have to be honest and say I was thinking ......"Geez you don't have to spend much money to be thoughtful" ....I opened a box of Sham.Wow rags (yeah!!!) and a tea kettle which Jon has been dying for. So on top of all the chaos, I was feeling a little under appreciated. (Slightly selfish? Maybe! But seriously Sham.Wow?!?) ...so, the you know what hit the fan with the girls running mad and I didn't end up opening my last (MOST AWESOME) gift until later in the night. I am glad though in hind sight because I don't think I would have been able to get super excited about it like I did later. I do have go give honorable mention to the other cool gift I got though before I move on. A Bis.sell steam mop ... I used her last night and she ROCKS!!! I love that thing!!!
So please be aware that my portrayal of these next chain of events is sketchy .... it is sort of a blur because it all happened so quick .....and even though we all know that I love to be dramatic ....this has NOT, I repeat NOT been dramatized!!!
Jon went to bed.
I look into the kitchen and Edie is standing at the counter, on a chair that she pushed up, with my HOT coffee cup upside down. In my mind it was HOT but in reality it was only luke warm. Thankfully! But my reaction was based on a blazing hot cup full of coffee. I ran in and grabbed her and threw her off to the side (I didn't really throw her ...just quickly placed). I intended to check her for burns (even though she was not crying)(YET!) Instead I slipped in the coffee, knocked the chair over sending it flying across the kitchen floor.....right into my lower oven door. Which of course SHATTERED. And being the safety glass that it is.....shattered into a trillion tiny pieces!!! Sidenote: I am fine and Edie was not burned. So I had to run upstairs to get Jon to help me...he was so tired that he could probably have fallen asleep standing up but he didn't!!!
Here is what my beautiful oven looks like now .... even though it wasn't so beautiful before!!!

Then I put the girls down for a nap after all the cranky tiredness and the kitchen drama. While they rested I thought I should make the sweet potato casserole that we were to bring to the dinner. Of course garbage disposals and sweet potato peelings don't really get along. And I found out the hard way.

Out of desperation I turned to Dr. Google and found this AWESOME and easy repair ....and it WORKED. Jon tried to fix it and ran out of time because he had to go to work and the plumber was going to charge 200.00 PER HOUR to come out. I mean seriously !?! So some folks with the same issues on the internet recommended stopping up the clear side of the sink and plunging and wouldn't you know....it worked like a charm!!!
And that my dears is why we want a Christmas do-over!!!!
We did have a nice time (minus two little girls running on fumes and two spent parents trying to control their chaos) ... I regret not taking my camera to the dinner but .....well, you can imagine why I didn't!!!

And Rubi decided ......to hang it up!!

**** SEE BELOW FOR A RUNDOWN OF THE FUN STUFF ******

2009-12-26T16:33:00.000-08:00

We had a nicely ridiculous Christmas.... story deserves a post of it's own so this one is for the good stuff!!! Santa was good to everyone here...we must have all been nice.... or Santa had his sights on other naughty folks when we weren't being so angelic!!! Christmas eve after the munchkins were tucked in Santa moved all the toys from his sleigh (aka our pool table) and placed them under the tree.....

Then when Jon came home from work Christmas morning we brought the girlies downstairs for Edie to exclaim "WOOOOW" ...and Ella to say something in Chinese or maybe it was Japanese .....only she knows!!!
Edie was super excited to see the baby doll stroller she had asked for ...

Ella preferred to ride her packages ...

Edie getting into the fun !!! They were both cranky (and so was daddy a little but he had been up all night) ...

Papa Jim and Yanming sent what ended up being their favorite gift for most of the morning ... baby dolls. They carried them around EVERYWHERE!!!

Edie could not choose which stroller she loved more ... so she fought Ella off and tried pushing them both.

When Edie tired of her hogging of the strollers Ella had her turn .....she couldn't decide which one she preferred either ...one was more fun to push .....

.....and the other more fun to sit in.

Edie really loved the wooden building blocks ... she stacks them up as high as she can get them and steps back jumping up and down yelling YAAY YAAAAAY!!!

Both girls loved their gifts from Aunt Kaye ...

Edie showing a little tutu love!!!

Ella likes to wear her tutu as a necklace!!!

Ella LOVES LOVES LOVES to have these wings on ... she throws them at me and backs up to sit in my lap so that I can put them on her...

Edie likes the butterfly antennae ...

Rubi joined in on the tutu fashion show...

Jon got a bunch of useful household stuff like a garage hose (which has a car detail kit ....my car really needed him to get that) and a pressure washer and a Bose system for his daytime sleep room, etc......
I got useful things as well .....like the tea kettle Jon has been dying to have and a box of shamwow rags!!!!

Then.....THEN!!!! I opened this beauty..........

Isn't she lovely!!!! Stay tuned for some awesome pics .....you can almost take pictures of nose hairs without blurring them with this baby!!!!

Christmas Shopping ......is NOT fun if it's not online!!!

2009-12-21T22:21:00.000-08:00

We have had a bit of busyness going on around here!!! We hosted our third annual minus 2 years(because I was pregnant and had newborn twins for two years) .... but anyway ... for the unit I work in the hospital. The Cardiac Telemetry Unit!!! I love doing it and it always seems to turn out AWESOME!!! Thanks to the cash from the hospital and a couple of the doctors and my love of all things party planning!!!
It wasn't until yesterday after the party that I realized I had not bought a single gift for my children or my husband. I had list after list after list lined up but nothing tangible. So I had (begged) our sweet little babysitters Nicole and Jenna over and they watched the girls while I went out to buy presents and fight for my life .....nearly!!! It was only after my Christmas week shopping experience that I came up with a few rules that if we could all abide by would make this crunch time a bit more tolerable.
1) Crosswalks ..... are just that!!! Walk over to them and walk ACROSS them. Don't walk if you don't see white lines because that causes cars to stop every 2.5 seconds to let your selfish uncrosswalking self along.
2) If you are too fat (now we all know I am not skinny so please don't get offended) but I mean if you are so fat that it causes you to walk slow .... you especially need to use the crosswalk. There is almost nothing worse than waiting for someone to struggle along while they JAYWALK!!!
3) If you are in a wheelchair....then CROSSWHEEL!!! Just remember WHITE LINES are your friend!!!
4) If you are in the crosswalk ... I totally appreciate your effort ... But...BUT if you are texting it totally voids the entire effort because ....I mean seriously can't you wait for 2.5 seconds to reply to that stupid text. And, AND if you are pretend texting while in the crosswalk ...... IT AIN'T COOL.....so move on!!!
Now while in the store...
5) If you are browsing....COOL!!! Most of us who shop browse!!! But seriously .... BRING YOUR CART WITH YOU!!!!!!! Please, Please Please....don't leave it cross ways in the freaking aisle!!!!!!
6) When you see a friend.....of course GREET THEM!!! Hug them, kiss them, ask about their children.....but AGAIN take your stupid cart with YOU!!!!!!

7) And nothing to do with shoppers but a little lesson learned today ...... if you see some cool looking wrapping paper and think to yourself ......."wow 2.00 a roll what a steal" .......just know IT IS a steal. They are stealing from you......it is CRAP!!!

I love Christmas.....really I do!!!

Now onto the cuteness and fun stuff !!!
So I did not get many good pictures from our Christmas party even though I made sure to have the space and batteries on my camera....it's a TON of work to be a good hostess!!! I simply forgot to take pictures while everything still looked pretty. But I did get some and here are a few.
When we had our Alabama baby shower Jon's sisters had this awesome pink feather tree ... so I decided to us it with my Christmas decorations this year ...... my semi theme was trees and wreaths so it was perfect

Here are all the presents for Edie, Ella and Jon so far......you can imagine my issues with placing packages under a tree on the same level as 2 toddlers......so another job for the pool table!!! It really has come in handy!!!

So some randomness from the party .... some girls.....and me somehow seeming to feel up my friend Sara!!!

Here is Dr. Korver ... our beloved heart surgeon .... he contributed much of the money that I was able to use to make the party even better!!!

Sara and Rob ..... now Sara was my preceptor when I was a new RN and she ROCKS!!! I love working with her!!! And her husband is no eye sore either!!!

Randomness.....

Our managers husband......

Our manager there in the red .....with her thumbs up ..... I don't think she was dancing ??!!

Just party fun.....

Here is how my husband prepares for a party .....those who know him GASP!!!!

Looks good.....

Tastes good.....

Feels good....so Edie and Ella got the most adorable little dolls from their aunts Jennifer and Alice!!! OMG ....they are so cute. I am so glad to know now why Amber has ignored me .....hahahahha!!! I can't remember how to link but if you look at my blogroll and see Lovell Family Updates and/or let me know ....she may be able to hook you up!!! They are Alabama Crimson Tide themed (of course) and so stinking cute and you really canNOT tell they are handmade ... other than the fact that I am telling you they are!!! GOOD JOB AMBER......they are so GREAT!!!

Ella loves brownie bites....but who doesn't right !?!

Here is my downstairs "guest" bathroom ...... sort of decorated......never mind the streaks ....you can't tell in real life!!!

Ella Grace ....sweet cup hugger, finger sucker and short toesy girl!!!

Edie ....CUTE

Edie says ......"who says Desitin is just for booties"

A little sisterly sharing of the raisins.....

Dear morning nap....we really really miss you !!!

2009-12-13T20:30:00.000-08:00

Phew ... we have been a little busy around here. We are having a HUGE party here next weekend...it's for the unit I work at the hospital. Since our hospital no longer has a Christmas party we are on our own. I have had it twice before then took a break when I was pregnant and last year the girls were too small and our house was ... well, very undecorated. It looks awesome now .. it's decorated and so pretty. We got new wood blinds and had the kitchen repainted this week ... the original color I chose was too wild and made the cabinets look more orangey yellow so I went with a cool brown color ... YUMMY!!! I'll post pictures of all my decorations and things in another post ... I have been busy making some cool things...I am the queen of stealing ideas ......fun times!!!
It seems that we have eliminated our morning nap....that is a milestone that is not one of my favorites. The girls are so so so much fun ... it seems to get funnier as the weeks roll on. They are loving all the new decorations ... I have them all up high so they spend a lot of time pointing .... Edie loves to say WOOOOOOOOW!!! The entire bottom half of our tree is bare except for lights .... but the top is really pretty so it makes up for it. Now here is some cuteness....
Ella is a messy eater...

both girls really love the nutcrackers ...

Ella is a phone girl for sure ...

I attempted to do pictures for our Christmas cards ....yeah not so much!!! So we ended up using old pictures but here is one that I altered and thought it was sort of cute....

We got our tree this week ... it was fun!!! Ella spent the tree hunt perched on her favorite spot...

Edie studied the trees and all the people ..... she likes to wave at people and say hiiiiiiii !!!

I walked into the living room to this.......

Edie Claire .... sweet little blue eyed tortilla eater!!!!

Ella has become quite the fashionista ..... upside down sunglasses is all the rage!!!!

Sweet little twinsies......

This next picture will surprise NOONE......

Ella talks fashion!!!

2009-12-12T17:22:00.001-08:00

Edie and Olivia!!!

2009-12-03T16:33:00.000-08:00

An adorable video of Edie dancing to her new favorite song!!

Who are you and what have you done with my babies?!?!

2009-11-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

Well ... Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!! We had a great day with lots of food and good friends.....(and wine)!! I have to give a big shout out to Willie Birds Turkey .....oh man it was hands down the best smoked turkey on the entire planet and it will be our bird of choice for every future holiday meal that we host!!! It rocked the house .... for those of you who don't live near us you can now find Willie Birds in the Williams Sonoma catalog or online. You will pay a pretty penny for that turkey and the WS name but I assure you ...you WILL love you some WB turkey!!! FYI ... we don't pay near that being locals and all!!! OH Willie where have you been all my life. Jon sort of almost let us drink some of his prized collection of wine but just couldn't bring himself to do it in the end. He did open some good wine but not THE good wine!!! Everyone brought wine too and we had some great things to try!!! I do realize that it sounds like we were swimming in wine but there were 10 adults here ... you need alot for that many wine lovers!!! I made an awesome-ish butternut squash gratin (along with some other sides, but they don't have funny stories)...I worked so hard to decide what to use the squash in ...most butternut recipes are soups and I don't have enough soup serving dishes .... so I ended up combining 2 recipes and blah blah blah.....then just when we were all done eating I realized that I never took it out of the oven for everyone....and by then we were all too stuffed to eat it ....so needless to say I am all butternut squashed out!!! So how was your day???
I have had a bit of a stressful 2 days though ... because of course Edie and Ella (mostly Edie) have decided to tic another milestone off the list......I usually like to spend time researching things before I have to buy them. I like to read reviews, shop around (online of course) for the best price, etc....but little Ms. EC had other plans for me ....she decided yesterday would be a great time to climb out of her crib. So I had to spend most of today deciding what to do...but something had to be done because she came to my room this morning with a bloody lip. I, of course, lost the conversion kit for her crib ...so I needed to either find a rail or get a toddler bed or just get them both twin beds.....you see my dilemma. The rails are 75 dollars and just any old bed rail won't work on a crib ...I don't want to get them twin beds all hastily because I want to get them good quality stuff and for that I need research!!! So I headed out and decided to whip into Walmart ... they had a 55 dollar toddler bed. PERFECT!!! They only had one but that was OK....I thought I would just keep Ella in her crib for a while anyway. But just before bed tonight she seemed so pitiful in her caged in crib while Edie ran free so I took off the front of her crib too. She does not have any rails but I made her a pallet on the floor just in case she rolls out. So here they are in their new big girl sleeping devices.........

Auntie Margaret made Ella and Edie the most adorable Alabama outfits ... they are fantastic!!! She is so talented .. you can't even tell that they are hand made really.....If we lived closer I would so hit her up to teach me how to sew......

Ella Grace ......loves to carry purses!!!!

I have been hanging lots of pictures lately and making some crafty things for Christmas, etc......and I think that someone has been watching me.....

Leaps and Bounds!!!

2009-11-22T20:56:00.000-08:00

First of all I must say that I cannot believe that all you over achievers have no shame!!! You really make the rest of us look bad...even if we are, say juggling jobs and TWO mobile climbing monkeys, houses, etc.... I must know how and more specifially why??? The Christmas decorations is to what I am referring. IT'S NOT EVEN THANKSGIVING!!! Ok, so all kidding aside...pass your creative ideas my way .. you obviously have the time on your hands now that your shopping and decorating are complete!!!
We have been busy around here...mostly having fun but some "real" stuff is happening too. Like Thanksgiving for instance....we are having some people over for some yummy food!!! Then I am planning a GIGANTIC party for the unit that I work at the hospital. We have to have our own parties....the hospital is cool like that!!! I had the party twice before but haven't done it in 2 years because.....well, take a guess why!!! I am ready to get the show on the road again...the last times that I had it we had about 60 people!!! It will be fun and I will have pictures to prove it!!!
We just ordered new wood blinds for our house ....*gasp**sigh*. Gasp because we have had ZERO window treatments in our entire downstairs for months now. So not only am I the white trash mommy of the year but now I am also the white trash homeowner/wife of the year too. And sigh because...those things are sooooooo pricey!!!
Donations gratefully/ungracefully accepted!!!
Now on to the cuteness!!! Ella and Edie are two tons of fun!!! They are a challenge to keep up with but it's fun. They have figured out how to open/close the baby gate so we took it down...it's working out well but it's bittersweet. It seems that every few days they graduate...it's going too fast!!!
We have started a new bedtime routine ... routines are sacred!!! Is it that way with singleton moms or is it a twin thing? They finally enjoy bathtime....Ella actually loves it. She used to cry like you were scalding her and pouring soap in her eyes now she does NOT want to get out of the tub... we've added bubbles and bath markers so that makes it even harder to pry them out. Once we are out of the tub they stand on stools at the double sink and brush their teeth.....CAAUUTE!!!! Naked little teeth brushers.....sweetness!!! Then they bundle up under the covers to watch a little Olivia......Edie especially loves to snuggle under blankets now.

They are both fairly addicted to writing/drawing/scribbling....they will write on any piece of paper they can find with any writing utensil in reach. Sharpies are way up high ... remember Edie can climb... and she's crafty about it!!! Here is the little Picasso in action...

They often branch out to other artist tablets......skin works!!!

They will write/draw/scribble standing, sitting or lying....

They will doctor up already printed pictures.....

They will draw pants on one another...

My friend Mrs. Solomon and I took Edie and Ella to a sweet little play place about 1/2 hour south of us ... she bought them the most adorable tutu's....you will see pics some time soon!!! They love to play .. it's a nice life!!!

Sweet Potato Pies.....

2009-11-12T11:26:00.000-08:00

This post has nothing to do with sweet potatoes ...
Edie has taken her teeth brushing a step further! She likes to stand at the sink, on the back of her "very safe" climbing thing. Most of us would use it as a chair....not monkey girl Edie Claire though!!!

Who doesn't love to kick back on the couch with a big fat corn dog???

Guess who.....

Doing guess what....(yes she did push both stools into position) (did I mention she is not even 2 yet, which I am glad about because it's going fast enough, but heaven help us!!!)

Sunglass babes...

Edie having a little morning iced coffee....(not really!)

One of our coworkers (mostly Jon's coworker) gave us this great kitchen that her son was bored with. Thanks Darcy!!! It came with tiny pots, pans, utensils, fake food...even tiny boxes of cake mix, cheerios, canned green beans and tuna...so fun!!! I put all the little things away for now but not after playing with it all myself while they napped. They find all kinds of fun...they put their lunch in the cabinets and the oven only to retrieve it later to actually eat. It's so stinkin cute!!!

I found Ella reading this magazine the other day ... her nanny would be so proud!!! Notice the title ... Psychology Today!!! I think that is Jon's way of trying to understand the craziness that is his house full of girls!!!

Halloween ... a week late but who's counting!!!

2009-11-07T21:05:00.000-08:00

It is amazing to me how many people felt comfortable telling me what a terrible mother I am because I did not dress E Squared up for halloween. Never mind the 300 sleepless nights, the (at least) thrice daily poop swiping, the constant worry over the climbing, not eating and giant teeth poking through tiny gums.....GEEZ!!! But just to clarify my decision...they are 19 months old!!! Have you ever tried to keep something that wasn't duct taped on a 19 month old??? If not....then stop judging!!! They did wear adorable halloween apparel ...complete with the BOO and candy corn shirt! You know the ones I am speaking of....the ones they have worn all fall.... WHATEVS people!!! Walk a mile in my shoes, walk a mile!!! Edie and Ella did help me pass out candy and had a great time.....
Ella spent most of the time filling and dumping one of the candy containers....

She also pointed out the fact that we actually have fish in our aquarium ... "tish, tish, tish".....

Edie, I think, really enjoyed having a constant stream of trick or treaters... she was watching Yo Gabba Gabba and everytime the doorbell rang (which was friggin constantly) she walked to the front door with me and after I gave the candy out she would wave and close the door.... and walk back to watch her show.....

and when she wasn't watching Gabba she was stealing candy...

Ella Grace ..... sassy, bossy, prissy, whiney.......and ?!?!?!?!?!?! I found her like this the other day ... on her new laptop!!! I promise you neither Jon nor I EVER sit like this when we are on the internet.....

Edie took great measures to get her candy ... she tried to climb on the pool table for it...

Ella loves to be bossy ... here she is pointing her finger saying "don't don't"....

Edie still trying to climb for candy.....she does NOT stop climbing!!!

Ella likes to ride on daddy's golf travel bag...

Edie chowing on an egg roll...

They have both started taking their plates and eating in the living room.....here they are eating in their chairs....how darn sweet are they???

This is the way we brush our teeth....

2009-11-01T20:23:00.001-08:00

E Squared LOVES their daddy!!!

2009-11-01T17:20:00.001-08:00

Here is where they like to wait for him to get home from work in the morning.....Edie climbed up all by herself. She got stuck!!!

This is what they do when he gets home.........

2009-10-24T13:28:00.000-07:00

I am just practicing with my new AWESOME computer ... so I have uploaded a very short video for Jon to watch while he is on his man trip. Go ahead and view it yourself if you can stand the cuteness....

Pumpkin patch and the monkey girl...

2009-10-22T15:16:00.000-07:00

Jon is away on his man trip of the year .... it's raining so much and they are not able to play any golf yet. That stinks. Hopefully it will not rain for the football game on Saturday. Before he left we took the girls to the pumpkin patch. It was only ok! I have high hopes for these types of things and so far I am usually disappointed. This was no different. Edie basically hit the ground running and Ella wanted to be held most of the time ... we played for a bit and left with no pumpkins. There is always next year though......here are some pictures (which was my main goal really)....
They had a jumpy house there and Edie LOVED it ... Ella was ok with it but only when we were in there with her.

Edie and daddy strolling around....

the maze was fun.....

Edie pulled this gigantic pumpkin around for a little while....

then she stopped to wave at some folks....

the girl is always on a mission...

Ella either saying cheese or pick me up .....

Edie is so stinkin cute.....

they sometimes eat at their big girl table .... so cute!!!

There is constantly something on their faces or their clothes .... I give up!!!

So I took their chairs apart the other night to wash the covers ... Edie was not deterred ... she grabbed one of the inserts and used it to try and climb up on the counter.....

Here she is before I took the chairs apart ... she actually peed on it so I could not put off washing them any longer.....

Who me????

Ella again with the messy face....and the crazy long bangs!!! She got her first "real" haircut today ... she did so well and it looks so much better ......

some Edie cuteness...

They have completely different eating styles ..... Edie is an eat n run kind of gal ... she dumps her plate as soon as she is finished ...then she is outta there.......

Ella likes to take her time .... savoring every bite. Just like her mommy, she loves food!!!

Edie is so pitiful when she cries ... it's really heartbreaking!!!

Ella having a turn with the 3D chalk glasses....little tiny nerd!!!

Piggy PJs......

A little umbrella fun ... I sure hope we don't get 7 years of bad luck for this.....

Ella likes to carry this purse on her shoulder now....

I busted Edie ponied up to the counter eating butter with a fork....

See this little innocent looking spin toy ..... wonder why it's been banished to the garage????

First big girl birthday party!!!

2009-10-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

My friend Lauren who I went through Nursing school with has a daughter named Klare and she had her 4th birthday party today. It was sooooooooo much fun!!! It was at a place called Kids Party Central and I was super happy to find out they have "open" play there ......so we will definately be going back!!!
Here is the birthday girl ..........

Of course the biggest thing in the entire building was Edie's favorite.......

As you can see Ella and Edie had a fabulous time.......

This must be what they mean when they say double trouble.........check out these little partners in crime!!!

Climbing that hill.........almost to the top!!!

2009-10-08T20:33:00.000-07:00

So the hill I am referring to is the one that you fall "over" ..... as in "over the hill"!!! I know, I know start playing your tiny violins for me....I turned 35 today. THIRTY! FIVE! I remember the time when I thought the thirties were so ollldddddddddd. Well, I have lived to tell you that they are NOT!!! Being in your 30's is NOT old!!! My day started off dreary outside with the inside holding two grumpy babies, one grumpy husband and one unexpected, self invited, extended stay guest..........but it did turn around. The babies snapped out of their funk with a little sun, some milk and a nap and the husband did the same minus the nap and milk.....the guest........well we are just dealing with that one. He did buy steaks for dinner though and is sweeping my kitchen floor as we speak here.......or should I say as I speak.......or type. But, I digress!!!
We had some fun, ate some yummy food and cheesecake.......had a glass or two and a half of awesome wine.........and I have the pictures to prove it!!!
Here is the cake....awesome fresh fruit topped cheesecake......can I just say ....as Ella would........YUMMY!!!

Now this picture will again put me as a front runner for the mommy of the year award....Yes, my child is dipping her toothbrush into her cheesecake and yes she brushed her teeth with it and yes I laughed as she did this!!! But never fear....we did a good old fashioned "real" tooth brushing sans cheesecake later. But looking over and seeing her do this .........well, that's funny stuff!!!

Here is Edie very impatiently waiting for her slice of heaven.........

We played with play doh and coloring books for the first time today...and it was sooooooooooo fun people!!! Here is Ella Grace's first creation....I did the hair!!!

Edie preferred the play doh...once she figured out it wasn't something to eat...here is her first creation!!!!

Ella gets serious about her coloring ... she is wondering what is going on between Edie and Daddy that is causing such a commotion interrupting her coloring....

Not sure what is happening here.........

Edie wondering what daddy is making with his play doh........

Edie is quite proud of her play doh figure......

Ella liked the play doh......

Ella watching Edie color.........stealing her ideas!!!

Ella and then Edie coloring.......

Edie eats colors.........that's how she rolls!!!

My friend Letha and her awesome boyfriend Chad were here this weekend from Louisiana......we had some fun!!! I managed to get NOT ONE single picture of either one of them.......NICE!!! I did get a couple of the sweeties though.....of course!!
Here is Edie wondering what Auntie Letha brought her.......

We headed to a couple of our favorite wineries.........both girls were on a mission as you can see.........

Ella decided to take a load off.......

Our designated driver.........I kid, I kid......I was the designated driver....they did the wine tasting and I did the baby chasing.......

Bloody noses in 3D

2009-10-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

Your Honor ... please enter photo #1 into evidence.

Yes my friends. That is a bloody wad of toilet paper that you are seeing. It is the result of one tiny little girl with one gigantic temper ... or something. I would like to think it's only because she doesn't have the words yet ...... not that she is a sassy little fire ball. ALREADY!!! Her daddy calls her bossy and she is living up to that little pet name! Unfortunately. So here is what went down.
Edie was sitting on the floor playing with the cordless phone. Ella sashays by, reaches out and grabs the phone. And keeps on walking...until Edie throws herself backwards, stiffens and starts wailing. Now this is not an uncommon occurrence here at Casa Marbut. One would believe that Edie should be the bully because she is so much larger ... but don't let size fool you people. What happened next has us all in shock ... Ella stops in her tracks, turns around and THROWS the phone at Edie hitting her square in the nose. Then, THEN she turns around and sashays off .. as if to say ..."there you big baby"!!! Heaven help us!!!
Now while Ella Grace is a little spitfire ... Edie Claire is a little daredevil. I left them for less than a minute this morning. They were standing at the counter (the only place I can get them to eat now) and I ran upstairs ....very very briefly. I came back to this.........

I bought the sweeties some sidewalk chalk ... it's supposedly 3D so it came with some glasses.......that they LOVE to wear. I think because it distorts things a bit making it look all rainbowy ....here is Edie all hyped up with her glasses on.....

We will have some fun pics later in the week ... my friend Letha is coming to visit us tomorrow and it's her first time meeting E Squared!!! Fun times!!!

Family Portraits ......

2009-09-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

We had a family portrait taken and I was going to save it as a suprise for our family but I need help deciding ....... So family. I am sorry to blow it for you!! Which should we order?????????

All together............

Just me and Ella.........

or Jon and Edie with their tongues stuck out.......

Seriously ... I love the potato head family and so do Edie and Ella ......
Looks like Ella Grace is conducting some serious business on the cell phone...

Edie has been more and more steady while climbing up and down steps .... but she sometimes loses her balance which is especially bad when it happens out our back door, because she flops face down on the pebbled concrete patio.......
the bruises don't bother her as much as they do me ...... I feel terrible and I wasn't even there when she fell. I had left them alone while I went to the grocery store........I kid. I kid. I was at work though .......

Here they are trying to decide what to wear ...... they find that sitting naked on the laundry is way more fun than actually folding it and putting it where it belongs.

So lately both girls, but especially Ella kick and scream when they are bathed. Put them in a nice warm bath with toys and soap and mommy to scrub them off .....nope!!! Not having it!!! Yet, give them an ice cold bucket or sprinkler and they are there......

Sweet little Ella loves sitting at the table like a big girl.....

Ella and daddy snuggling up ... he had just gotten home from work and she was having some breakfast.......

Who needs a vacuum when you have a gigantic furry puppy dog......

Now here is the bucket picture I promised in the last post ..... the girl loves playing in water.......as long as it's not the bath ....