Breakfast at the "little table"

We have had this "little table" (as Bella calls it) for over a year; however, we had taken it to Brannon's office so that while the girls and I were there, Bella would have somewhere to sit and color, etc. We just never brought it back home until last week. I really had forgotten how very much Bella likes this table! She wanted to eat breakfast at the "little table" this morning, so that is what these are pictures of!

Happy Wednesday to you all,

Taking Monkey for a Stroll...

WHY YOU SHOULD NOT SWALLOW CHEWING GUM

Bella has company...

Bella usually does not like her bedroom door closed, so when I saw it closed this morning, I asked her "Bella why is your door closed?". She very matter-of-factly answered "Tinkbell in there".

When I opened the door, I saw that Tinkbell was reading from Bella's Princess book and her latest issue of Animal Baby!!
She "set" this up for Tinkbell all by herself and I thought it was too cute!!

More Sleep Issues...

I thought for sure the girls would sleep last night, if for no other reason than to catch up from Sunday night! Since Brannon had to be at work so early, we really enforced our 8 pm bedtime. Brooklyn again is no problem - you just lay her down and she can't get out of her crib, so that is that. Bella , on the other hand, is usually a fighter when it comes to bedtime. She did fight it a bit, but I wasn't giving in last night. We said our prayers, gave "hugs kisses" and I left her room. She of course followed, but she eventually stayed (after I told her I was going to close her door). I covered her up and she was reading her princess book and I remembered that I had a book light (which is need of a new battery, so it isn't too bright) and I took that into her and she thought that was great. After about 45 minutes, she was fast asleep!! All was good in our house. Then around 10:30, Brooklyn woke up screaming. I got up with her and we sat on the couch. Bella woke up, but I simply told her to go on back to bed and she did (woo-hoo)! Brooklyn nursed and fell back asleep, so silly me, I thought it was safe to put her back in her bed - HAHA, joke's on me! After trying several times to put her in her bed, I gave in to her and we slept on the couch until around 2:30 when I was able to put her in her bed.

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So while, Bella did GREAT with bedtime and sleeping in her own bed last night, Brooklyn must have needed some extra one-on-one Mommy time! She is cutting two back teeth/molars and I think they must be giving her a hard time because she normally sleeps all night.

This morning's pictures...

Nothing special going on with us today - just hanging around! We do have to run to town to run a few errands, but other than that, just another lazy day!

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Brooklyn loves playing with her dinosaur and balls! Bella even liked playing with it! Brooklyn will just squeals and claps her hands when she drops the balls in and it starts playing music!

Here is Bella "posing" for a picture! She has become obsessed with t-shirts! That is all she wants to wear - I did at least manage to convince her to put some pants on today!

Happy Tuesday to you all!

Our day...

I just couldn't leave that last post up as the first post people see! While, yes, it was a rough night - that is just part of having kids!! They have been surprisingly good today- I was ready for them to be grumpy grouches all day!! This morning I folded up some more clothes (I swear does the laundry ever get done?) while the girls played and watched Pochantas on Disney, then I fixed the girls spaghetti for lunch, we went and checked the mail, and the girls took their naps (an hour and a half, at that) and I got Brannon's clothes ironed for work tomorrow (he has to be there at 5 AM!!)! Everyone has been up for about an hour now and we are having our afternoon snack - yummy cinnamon rolls with icing, of course and watching Mickey Mouse!

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Bella received her (well, their) most recent issue of Animal Baby magazine! She briefly looked through while I finished up Brannon's work clothes. We will sit down and read it together later.

Here is Brooklyn showing off her coolness with her red shades on!!!

Here they are enjoying their cinnamon rolls! Bella just said to me: "these are good, Momma"!

Hope you are all having a great Monday!

Oh What A Night!

The girls spent the day with Nana and Pop yesterday. Brannon and Roger (aka Pop) moved some equipment out of his office and back into storage (office was getting too crowded and this isn't equipment he uses on a regular basis). Nana cooked supper for us and then we brought the girls home! All seemed well as the girls fell fast asleep in the truck on the drive home. Brannon and I even commented to each other "can we do bedtime like this every night?" (specifically with Bella)! I went to bed and read my book (YAY!!) and Brannon worked on catching up on some of his shows that we record. I think he came to bed around 10:30 or so (I was already asleep). Not five minutes after he came to bed, Bella woke up crying. He went and got her and put her in bed with us. She tossed and turned, turned and tossed, cried, fussed...I ended up getting up with her and trying to get her to sleep in the living room. She continued to fuss and be restless and soon Brooklyn woke up. This makes things interesting because when Brooklyn wakes up like this I nurse her and she usually goes right back to sleep..It is interesting because Bella also wanted to be in my lap - kind of hard! Brooklyn did go back to sleep and I put her back in bed. Bella continued her restlessness and Brooklyn, of course, woke up again. So now everyone is up - Brannon got up too. We watched some TV - tried to put Brooklyn back to sleep with no success. Georgia was up during all this too and got sick - so now we're cleaning up dog puke, too! Finally, around 2:30 this morning, I put Brooklyn back in her bed and she went to sleep. Bella never did really calm down - the three of us eventually went back to our bed and she slept on me most of the night - what was left of it! Brannon had to be at the office for an 8 am appointment - hopefully he made it in time - it was close considering he didn't leave until around 7:35 and it is usuallly a 30 minute drive! Brooklyn was up a little before 7 this morning and I woke up Bella a little before 8 - I wasn't letting her sleep the day away! She was not the least bit happy about waking up. I was singing "good morning, good morning, it's time to face the day" and her response was "no good morning, no face day"!! HAHA - I have become my mother singing to my children!!

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Anyway - Brooklyn woke up in a good mood, as usual! Here she is playing on their table (which they got for Christmas 2006) with her abiscus she got for Christmas!

And here is Bella from this morning. After I woke her up and took her out of our bed and straightened the covers, she proceeded to climb back up and get back under the covers!

Happy Monday to Everyone!

You should never use oil as wiper fluid....

Memories...

Do you ever think of something, or smell something, or hear a song that reminds you of someone from years past?

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Well, I have some of these "memories" that I've thought of lately - I can, at least, tell you what triggers them.
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The first one has to do with smell. Whenever I am driving and I smell a skunk (or pole cat, as they are called around here), I think of the Reichs, specifically Mr. Reich. NOW, NOW let me explain why. Jennifer is one of my oldest (in terms of length of friendship, not age) and dearest friends and when we were growing up her dad was the Director of the Museum. The Museum had an exhibit where you lifted this little "door" and you could smell what a skunk smelled like! Hence why when I smell a skunk, I think of the Reichs. I also think of the Reichs, specially Mrs. Reich, whenever I hear the song "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" - I think one year she did a skit to this in Mascars (did I spell that right?) or something. I think this is the cutest song and I always think of her when I hear it....

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The second one has to do with music. When I was growing up, my mom listened to Oldies, which meant that by default that is what we listened to as well! There are some Oldies that I can remember loving when I was younger - one of these was Henry the Viii I Am by Hermans Hermits! I mean I loved this song - perhaps because I could remember all the words, since "second verse same as the first" (I was notorious for not singing the right words to songs, oh wait, I still am)! I can remember my mom calling into an oldies station one night to request the song for me - I remember we were sitting in the car in the garage listening to it after she called it in! This one was triggered when I was "searching" for music for the playlist for this very blog!

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The third (and final one for today) also has to do with music. When I was in college, they had a showing of Grease on a big screen at the Ferguson Center, so a bunch of us went to see it (I mean who doesn't love Grease?). I guess it was more than just watching the movie because I remember them getting people up on stage to "act" out the song Summer Lovin! My friend Leslie, of course, got up there (and I think most of us that went did too)! But for some reason (that I now cannot remember - I'm not sure what part she played while on stage) I always think of her when I hear that song. I also think of her when I hear the song Jose Cuervo by Dottie West. This is because I had never heard this song before until I went to college (she was our suite mate the first year) and I remember her singing this song!!! These, too, were triggered when I was "searching" for music for the playlist for this very blog!

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While these might not mean much to most of you who read this - these memories brought a smile to my face when I "remembered" them and thought of the people who have been a part of my life!

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Say Cheese!!

Since I had the camera out taking pictures of Brooklyn in the clothes basket, I told Bella to "look at Mommy and say cheese" and this was the result (sorry it is sto dark)!

What is it about the clothes basket?

Again, I must ask what is the fascination of kids and the clothes basket! I had the clothes basket on the couch (it's permanent resting place, or so it seems - although it only had socks in it this time) and Brooklyn climbed right in and starting randomly dispersing the socks!

Climbing

These girls LOVE to climb! So far we have only had one broken bone as a result of this oh so favorite pasttime!!! Just to prove how much they love to climb - here are some photos from the past couple of days strictly of their, well mostly of Brooklyn's, climbing skills (none of these pictures were "staged")!!!

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* Here they are climbing up onto the changing table. Bella has been able to climb up onto the table for a long while now. Brooklyn has apparently been watching and taking notes; although, she still has trouble getting from the top shelf to the top of the table. Give her a little time and she'll get the hang of it, I'm sure!

* If you leave a chair out from under the table, even just the slightest bit, Brooklyn will climb into the chair and onto the top of the table.
* I guess she was just thirsty and felt she wouldn't have been given a drink unless she got up there and got it herself!
* Now Brooklyn has discovered that you can climb and stand up on the back of the couch - again I must give credit for this to Bella who loves to climb up and sit on the back of the couch. I believe Brooklyn was just checking to see if there was anyone outside!
* Hey walking along the windowsill is pretty fun!
Would anyone like to place bets on when our next visit to the ER and subsequent trips to the orthopaedic might be????

My List of Things to Do Today

Brannon's work schedule has been changed once again and he now has to work all day (12 hours) on Saturdays. So, the girls and I are flying solo for another day. Here is what our day has been like:

* Clean bathroom -- DONE
* Scrub bathroom floor -- DONE
* Empty dishwasher and reload dishwasher -- DONE
* Clean kitchen -- DONE
* Wash sheets -- DONE
* Make bed with clean sheets -- DONE
* Climb Mt. Laundry -- In Progress - load in wash and load in dryer; all that has been washed/dried is folded and put away
* Pick up Brooklyn's room -- DONE
* Pick up Bella's room -- DONE
* Vaccuum -- DONE (at least until the girls dumped their popcorn boxes onto the floor)
* Bathe dog (clean sheets require a clean dog) -- DONE
* Prepare dinner -- 30 more minutes until I need to start that
* Get girls to nap -- DONE (they napped for almost 2 whole hours)

I even managed to make myself a salad, eat it and catch up on an episode of Monk (still a week behind, though)!

Hope everyone is having a Happy Saturday!! Our's has at least been productive!

Have you heard...

the song, Stealing Cinderella by Chuck Wicks? I heard it the other day. This isn't the best video but it is the only one I could use from You Tube. You can also go here and see the video! I could not help but think of the day a boy dare come to ask Brannon for one of our girls' hands in marriage!! In all seriousness, it is such a sweet song! You'll have to go to the bottom of the page and pause the music player I have....

Brooklyn in the dishwasher

Eating Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ok, well they are actually Soy Dreams Lil' Dreamers Vanilla Frozen Desserts...Many of you know we do not give our girls dairy, and that includes ice cream. They do however get sorbet (when I can find it) and whenever I see a soy treat or any non-dairy treat like this, I get it. They loved these little soy cream sandwiches!!!

Brooklyn "dug" right in taking the biggest bites!! We had originally just given them each a half of one and couldn't believe that Brooklyn had already finished hers! We were both looking in her chair, on the floor - just couldn't believe she ate it that fast!

Don't let her "dainty" bites fool you - she ate the entire thing!!!

Getting to Know Me

So instead of emailing this to everyone and everyone feeling obligated to send it back - I am just posting here. Feel free to email it to me or post in the comment section - I'd love to read your responses!

1. What is your occupation? Just a mom

2. What color are your socks right now? gray.

3. What are you listening to right now? The Wizard of Oz and music playing on my blog

4. What was the last thing that you ate? Brownie mix - yummy!!!

5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes

6. What color would you be, if you were a color? Pink

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My mom, on her drive home from school

8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes
9. How old are you today? 29.....

10. Favorite drink? I like fountain cokes (yes there is a difference) and I drink a lot of tea (unsweet)

11. What is your favorite sport to watch? College Football - specifically Alabama Football!

12. Have you ever dyed your hair? No - I did highlights once, but that was all

13. Pets? Yes - Georgia, an 8-year old Boston Terrier

14. Favorite food? Spaghetti with meat sauce

15. Last movie you watched? The Wizard of Oz - sort of watched it. Last movie I went and saw in the theater was "I Am Legend" with Will Smith

16.. Favorite Day of the year? Every day, but oh how I love Christmas - but I like the whole season, not just the day!

17. What do you do to vent anger? I just get in a really bad mood and most everyone around me knows about it! Anyone disagree??

18. What was your favorite toy as a child? I don't remember - I do remember that for one Christmas I got a "life size" baby doll and I loved her. Don't know what happened to her. Then there was of course, the Sesame Street yellow nightgown I carried around with me.

19. What is your favorite, fall or spring? Spring for the relief from winter and Fall for the anticipation of cooler weather and FOOTBALL!

20. Cherry or Blueberry? I don't really care for either - but prefer the cherry flavor in say a slushie or something.

21. Do you want your friends to email you back? I'm not emailing this out - so they probably will not email me back!

22. Who is most likely to respond? probably no one since I'm posting on blog instead of emailing.

23. Who is least likely to respond? everyone!

24. Living arrangements? Myself, Brannon, Bella, Brooklyn and Georgia in a house

25. When was the last time you cried? today - it's been a week of sad news it seems!

26. WHO IS THE FRIEND YOU HAVE HAD THE LONGEST THAT YOU ARE SENDING THIS TO? Not sending this to anyone in particular - am posting on my blog

27. Who is the friend you have had the shortest that you are sendingthis to? Not sending this to anyone in particular - am posting on my blog

28. Favorite smell? Fir trees, oranges (because I associate it with Christmas), and diesel because I think of big cities I have visited on vacation with their horrid traffic, gardenias

29. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? plain - only ketchup and pickles

30. Favorite car? I love my Suburban

31. Favorite cat breed? don't know...

32. Number of keys on your key ring? 4 - house key, car key, office key and post office box key

33. How many years at your current job? 2 1/2 as a mom- 1 year as a Stay-at-Home mom

34. Favorite day of the week? Every day - but especially days when I have someone here with me (preferably Brannon)

35. How many states have you lived in? 2 - Alabama and Georgia

Did you know?

That one box of Duncan Hines Family Style Chew Fudge Brownies makes 24 mini-cupcake size brownies and 5 "normal" cupcake size brownies?

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Bella has been able to climb up onto the changing table for a while now (way longer than a year, it seems). Brooklyn has apparently been watching!! Brooklyn, however, has trouble getting from the second shelf to the top of the table, but that doesn't stop her from trying! Brannon set her down in her room (on the floor) last night while we were doing a few things around the house, and I looked into her room to check on her and this is what we found! I foresee many more trips to the ER and orthopaedic doctors!!!!