there's no place like home

Wacky Wednesday

2012-02-01T08:21:00.000-06:00

Happy Tuesday

2012-01-31T08:17:00.000-06:00

Cheese!

New year's day

2012-01-29T23:10:00.000-06:00

New Year's Day was a perfect start to Mallory's year - it snowed!

Casey tried to share the snow with me ... inside the house.

It's part of being a kid, right??

I got to play inside with this cute little diaper buddy.

She found her favorite ornament:

Elvis - Suspicious Minds

and we danced while Mallie and Daddy cleared the driveway.

NYE 2011

2012-01-29T22:43:00.001-06:00

We went to my brother's house on NYE for dinner and ... well, not much else. While we were making dinner, Ember and Mallory found their way into some fairy costumes that had us all giggling. (I can't help but point out that they are only 10 weeks apart. I guess we should stop hanging Mallory upside down before bed every night - she just keeps growing taller!)

They are two peas in a pod!

Mallory looks a little "Harry Potter meets Fairy Princess" here -

about to cast a spell with her wand.

We all came downstairs after dinner and Abby was not excited about the 'no stairs' restriction.

So we moved the gate to the top of the stairs.

This gesture was lost on her. :)

Until it was her idea.

Then she was thrilled and pretty proud of herself.

She even posed for a few other pictures.

When the littles went to bed, Mallory and Ember were interested in a snack. Being the parents of the year that we are, we figured the 5 gallon tub of gourmet popcorn would suffice. They were totally on board and proceeded to eat not with their hands but with spoons and utensils from the play kitchen.

And you can see that the silliness continued ... Mallory is in a hamper and Ember is sitting on a doll stroller.

When that got boring ... they switched.

They topped off their evening with a little coloring by the fireplace (there was no fire!) Us big people had a few drinks, watched a few movies and some of us even updated our blogs. We really know how to party!! (and we're totally okay with it. :))

Tidbits from Christmas

2012-01-29T21:17:00.000-06:00

We started the Christmas season with Mallory's program at her school.

She sang 3 songs with her class:

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer

Frosty the Snowman

Sleigh Ride

She had a lot of fun and did a great job singing and doing the hand motions, even if she was the only one in her group of 10 kids that didn't want to wear the Rudolph nose. :)

First we had a little fun with Grandpa & Grandma Lynn.

Waiting patiently for her turn to open...

Princesses for Mallie

Tools for Daddy

A kitty keyboard for Abby

Sewing supplies for Mommy (not pictured!)

And who wouldn't enjoy a little Tequila for the holidays?

Then we traveled four hours south for some more cousins and Christmas fun.

Christmas Eve Mass

I love this picture of Abby taken after Mass

and it totally reminded me of THIS picture of Mallory taken after Mass in 2009.

Saying goodnight to Ryann on Christmas Eve

(matching jammies, tee hee)

Cookies & milk for Santa,

carrots for the reindeer

Christmas morning.............

A jammies picture, but not without tears...

We had a fun-filled Christmas day! A whirlwind of gifts, food and family (too much of a whirlwind to take many pictures appparently...)

After a wonderful weekend, we headed back to WI to wrap a few more presents and celebrate one more time with Grandma and Papa Butschli.

Everyone can use a few Cooties in their life, right?

And one can never have too many princesses...

...or kisses from Grandma

...or hugs from their sister

...or smiles from a cousin

It was definitely a very merry Christmas around here!
(and January has been pretty merry too!)

Chatty Abby

2011-12-31T23:38:00.000-06:00

DECEMBER 2011

2011-12-31T23:23:00.000-06:00

Pretending to be Snow White ... notice the apple...

NOVEMBER 2011

2011-12-31T23:03:00.000-06:00

November came and went in a flash!

5 children won out over our toy room...

Mallory's stop sign:

Introducing Caladae Raine!

(see mommy & daddy's wedding photo here)

Daddy's 31st birthday!

Thanksgiving

Celebratory cupcakes

Thankful for Silly Sisters!

A career in the making...

2011-12-31T22:38:00.000-06:00

Putting that birthday guitar to good use!

OCTOBER 2011

2011-12-31T22:36:00.000-06:00

Our October in pictures!

Costumes & Trick or Treating 2011

2011-12-31T22:12:00.000-06:00

Trick or Treating - Take 1

Trick or Treating - Take 2

Pumpkin Carving 2011

2011-12-31T22:01:00.000-06:00

SEPTEMBER 2011

2011-12-31T21:52:00.000-06:00

Here's September - month in review!

Pre-nap mischief

Post-nap outdoor fun

rest and relaxation

"SCHOOL"!

A lunch date with Cadence

Helping Momma

A visit from a couple Disney princesses

Some TV after a bath

Is there a way to eat raspberries that is more fun than this??

Apple Holler

2011-12-31T21:21:00.000-06:00

We met our friends at Apple Holler in mid-September. It was a great early fall day and worth the short drive we took to get there!

Feeding the goats is always a safe start.

And believe me when I say fun was had by ALL!

Don't worry Kenny, we have more quarters...

Posing with the pumpkins

Here's our friend, Ainsley

(it just so happens she is 8 days younger than Abby)

Paul Bunyan's Chair = family photo op!

Good job, Daddy.

On the wagon out to the apple orchard

Anne & Ainsley

The girls all had fun collecting apples!

I knew Mallory was snacking on the apples,

but I didn't realize she nibbling on ALL of them.

Momma Mallory sharing her apple with "Ains-wee".

"Take a bite, Ains-wee. Ohhh, is that good? Oh, want more - here you go, take another bite."

Mallory's 3rd Birthday Party - September 10th

2011-12-31T20:13:00.001-06:00

More catch up... I've had requests for Mallory's party pictures. :) There was no American flag inside her birthday cake like there was at Abby's party, and I'm sure that will bring long-term psychological issues, but Mallory's party was a success nonetheless.
I whipped up some ruffled streamers which were fun to make and looked nice too!

A pre-party photo :)
Cousin Ember, the birthday girl and Friend Aubrey

Cousin Kellan - an out-of-state visitor who stowed away in Meme and Granddad's suitcase for the weekend. Poor Buckeye - banned to the bedroom, but refused to miss out on the fun... (this was taken from the yard through the bedroom window)

Mallory's friend, Alex
Yay, a visit from Nick, Amanda, Jackson & Sawyer

A sparkler birthday candle :)

Just delighted to be opening gifts!

Happy Abby!
A guitar from Uncle Kevin!

And to top it off, she "waked up her eyes and there were bawwoons e'rywhere!"

AUGUST 2011

2011-12-31T00:25:00.000-06:00

In an effort to bring the blog up to date and not skip any of the good stuff (we've had lots of fun these last few months, we just haven't been sharing!!), we're going to call this ... month-at-a-glance ... so, here's August. :)

Aubrey's 3rd birthday

A yearly event ... zoo-a-la-carte

some DQ mommy/daughter time

picking dandelions in our jammies!

every day cuteness

a visit from ember and caelum

summer is fun!

OKLAHOMA - July 7th-11th

2011-12-31T00:15:00.012-06:00

We headed to Oklahoma in July for a family reunion and lots of summer fun. Some great memories were made in a few short days ... never believe anyone who tells you there's nothing to do in Oklahoma, haha.

... car time ...

We drove 13+ hours on baby girl's first birthday... I guarantee she won't remember it. But, if she does, I hope she remembers the watermelon and birthday welcoming committee over the time in the car.

bunnies4-wheelers

(tricycles)

(straws in our hair?)

smiley babies

and horses, oh my!

and more horses, haha...

family

guns

chicken

and fishing, oh my!

mmm, dinner...

117 degrees - thankfully we've all quickly forgotten (for the most part) what that kind of heat feels like

children's museum

for all ages :)

trying to beat the heat

what goes west, must come east... back to WI :)

It's true...

2011-11-10T16:40:00.002-06:00

...she has us under her spell! She is so cute we can hardly stand it!

*photo taken on Halloween morning*

We're still here...

2011-10-05T10:22:00.003-05:00

...and some of us are still causing trouble.

Abby's pre-dinner-I'm-so-hungry-I-could-scream (literally) tantrum.

You are going to ignore my tantrum?
Fine.
Then I choose therapy by toilet paper.

I feel better!
I love toilet paper!

We (I) had a busy September... the other night we were looking back at the last blog post and Casey said to Mallory (jokingly): "Look Mallory. There's the blog where Mommy used to post pictures of our family. Maybe someday it will fit into her schedule again."

Happy (and hungry) Tuesday!

2011-08-30T22:15:00.004-05:00

Yes, that is three cheese chicken penne in her hairline, but I swear a good majority of it went in her mouth. And ... has there ever been a baby that didn't stretch their little toes onto the highchair tray at every meal? So cute!

Swings & Slide

2011-08-25T07:37:00.002-05:00

I love park weather!

Magnadoodles by Mallory

2011-08-24T08:20:00.000-05:00

"Momma, WOOK! A spider!"

I was seriously impressed by this! She used the shaped magnets for the flowers and then used one to make the "grass". I also love that she doodled in the center of the flowers and added lots of leaves. This girl loves the details.

Ballerina Class

2011-08-23T22:49:00.004-05:00

Today was Mallory's last day of "Ballerina Class" at the YMCA, but here are a few photos from the first week:

Shaking her booty to the music.

Trying an arabesque ...

At the end of every class the teacher handed out fabric scarves to use during "freestyle" dance. Mallory LOVED dancing and I loved watching her with the other kids. She is such a happy girl. :)

Speaking of ballerinas, here's a bonus shot of Mal in her tutu. For some reason ... this:

... made me think of this. :)

Happy Tuesday!

2011-08-23T22:25:00.001-05:00

I guess she needed a snack!

Flower Library Bag

2011-08-20T08:18:00.002-05:00

It's clear that this design stemmed (ha)
from the Monster bag.
Something a little more feminine...
I love it!
Do you?
(That flower pot is a pocket for your library (or other) card!)

What little girl wouldn't love her own pot of flowers!?
Yay!

Wallets & Drawstring Backpacks

2011-08-18T13:14:00.006-05:00

It appears the Monster Library Bags are in high demand!

(and will sell for $18 each or 2 bags for $30!)
Thank you so much for your feedback!

Items from *Red Poppy Designs* by Kari Kane (yay!) will be available as of next Thursday, August 25th at Hometown Talents & Treasures in downtown West Bend.

So, you like the library bag?

How about a wallet for the boy (or girl) in your life?

Very slim and flexible.

Discreet on the outside, but fun on the inside -
where the money goes!

There has been some debate about the number of "cards" a child has - this wallet holds 4 - but I'm willing to bet kids would FIND things to put in these wallets!

Perhaps you have a need for a drawstring backpack!

Aargh!

Made from up-cycled khaki pants, these bags are durable and have a finished size of approximately 11.5 inches x 14 inches (i.e. will comfortably fit a single subject spiral notebook).

They are lined and have a zipper pocket on the front -

great for crayons, markers, snacks, toys, rocks, etc. :)

What do you think?

Your feedback is appreciated - thank you!

A New Adventure & Library Bags

2011-08-05T11:06:00.005-05:00

So. In an effort to figure out what I want to do when I grow up, ha, I'm starting a new adventure! As of August 24th I will be selling homemade fabrics items (mostly bags of different sorts) out of a shop here in town. Here's one type that is sure to turn some heads - a Monster Library Bag!

Look at that adorable little monster pocket!
It's for your library card!

Okay, you know you want one!
The question is ... how much would you pay to own one?

Stay tuned for other items and a new blog coming soon!

Custom Crib Bedding

2011-08-02T19:56:00.007-05:00

We totally went to Oklahoma mid-July and had a fabulous time. You can check it out HERE until I can post our adventures (which were adventurous and HOT!)

In the meantime, a post that is also overdue...

Our friends Amanda and Nick had twin boys, Jackson and Sawyer, on February 21st. Aren't they SO cute?!? Look out, Ladies!
In a moment of weakness, I volunteered to make some one-of-a-kind crib bedding. Two sets. :) Who am I kidding? I was thrilled that she would trust me to do it since I was going to be totally winging it. So, we hit Hobby Lobby and Joann's and came up with this:

...which, after some sketching, turned into this:
(times two)

I did a little googling with my sewing savvy S-I-L,
found this tutorial,
and tweaked it to look like this:
(times two)

Then with inspiration from a nursery close to home,
I fashioned this:

The window treatment was the easiest part of the whole project...
and the room only has ONE window. :)

And because every mom needs a little fun in the diaper bag (besides the dirty diapers), I used scraps to make this:

Good stuff, right!?
I am excited with how it all turned out.
Amanda and Nick are happy.
Jackson and Sawyer can't complain either. :)

Happy 1st Birthday, Abigail!

2011-07-06T23:08:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday to our baby girl!

It's been a year full of smiles for all of us!

We love you, Abigail!

Park Adventures

2011-07-06T22:33:00.005-05:00

Last week Mallory, Abigail and I went to our local park with my cousin Brandi.

We took a snack break to warm up because the water was nowhere near as warm as the air.

A "good luck" friend.

Searching for trinkets.

Mallory was "shivery" but wanted to continue playing in the water. The solution was to put on her swim suit cover-up and tie it up to keep it somewhat dry.
I was laughing at Abigail because she kept dunking her face in the water. Until I realized ... she was drinking it. Bath water is one thing, haha, park water ... eww.
We got to play in the "splash pad" too, but my camera battery died before I could get pictures ... another day!

Happy Birthday to Abigail & Happy 4th of July

2011-07-05T23:29:00.014-05:00

We had our annual "4th of July" party yesterday. And because Miss Abigail is going to be an entire year old in TWO days, we thought it best to combine festivities and shower her in stars and stripes. (You can see last year's excitement here and 2009's fun here. )

We had a little pre-party excitement in the driveway. With a hose.

Food as decorations.
YUM!

Grandma with Ember & Caelum

Addison with my cousin Jackie
(with baby #2 - a boy due October 5th!)Grandma Lynn and some kiddos

Laughing at Uncle Kevin

And crying with Uncle Kevin.
It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!

On the move with water balloons...

A snack break

Papa & Mallory

Pool time

A bath in the kitchen sink.
I took this picture from the deck though an open window.

Let them eat cake!

Poor Abigail ... she was sort of a whiny, teething, tired mess and at this point, she was beyond smiling. But still 100% adorable!!

After we sang Happy Birthday, she didn't waste any time!

Birthday Cake Clap!

While the birthday girl was whisked off for a bath, I served up the rest of the cake. I've never been more excited to cut into a cake in my life - isn't that awesome!?! It was definitely a hit (and tasted really good), but I sensed some hostility from the crowd ... the word "over-achiever" may have been thrown around a time or two. I say... "go big or go home", right?! (Anyway, I can't take credit for the idea ... check that out here. And don't get too excited ... I used a Pillsbury box mix and frosting from a can. YUM!)

There were squirt guns, candy bracelets and bubbles galore.

Annual family photo.
I always forget to take the photo early in the day when children are happy and dressed in their "party" attire. Oh well, no complaints here, it's frame-worthy as is.

Opening her gifts.

I had some great helpers (even the dogs) and there was tissue paper flying everywhere! Abby is one lucky little girl! She got A LOT of clothes, a bubble blower and an adorable pretend camera (Mallory hasn't stopped playing with either toy since we opened them), her very first baby doll and a beach ball, among other things.

Tuckered little lady.

The party wound down with a little sparkler fun. This was quickly followed by a little sparkler "boo boo" which left Mallory in crocodile tears holding a bag of ice. Ouch.
As always, some people stuck around and we enjoyed the fireworks around a campfire from the comfort of our own backyard. This was the first year Mallory stayed awake to see the fireworks. She very much enjoyed "ooh-ing and ahh-ing" over the display and chattered the entire time. I, on the other hand, was so relaxed after a crazy hot, fun-filled day that I actually FELL ASLEEP a time or two.

I'd call that a perfect day!

A visit to the farm...

2011-07-02T14:20:00.008-05:00

This week Mallory, Abigail and I met my cousin Brooke at her boyfriend's farm to see... well, take a look!

Cows, of course!

I would call Abby ... skeptical.

One of the farm cats had a little of kittens a few months back.

Mal, feeling pretty special.

These cows looked like they were trying to escape.

Knee high by July?

Mallory was promised a ride in a tractor - she LOVED it!
(but was thankful to ride on my lap...)

After we "toured" the farm, we drove to a little park a couple miles from the farm.

"Telephone"

I snapped this picture from an adjacent swing! Ha!

Busy day, tired girl.

Mallory keeps asking to go back to the farm and even prior to this - thanks to her daddy - every time we would drive by a farm/barn, she would say, "Momma, some day, we gonna live on a barn."

So proud of herself!

2011-06-30T13:13:00.001-05:00

Bubbles!

2011-06-24T14:59:00.004-05:00

It has been so rainy around here that we haven't been able to spend much time outdoors. However, Mallory has been dying to use her $2 rummage sale find rain boots to jump in puddles, so recently we took full advantage of an after storm drizzle.

Coat - check. Rain boots - check. Still in pajamas which makes everything more fun - check. Bubble machine (best $15 ever spent) - check. We had our very own slip and slide activity. (Mallory also had her own bubble wand ... just in case.)

She likes to "catch" the bubbles on her wand.

When you're 2, even rain can't stop you from having fun!

Happy Friday!

Crafty Goodness: Fabric Totes, Kindle Covers

2011-06-23T15:23:00.008-05:00

I've been putting my new sewing machine to good use. I made two simple, but versatile lined fabric totes. They're lined in the same fabric as the band on top ... next time I plan to add an interior pocket or two. I know, how exciting!
After a tip from a fellow crafter, I added a flat bottom to each bag so there was a little more room inside.
I am a huge fan of the "button foot" on my sewing machine. Sewing buttons on by hand can be pretty tricky and becomes tedious after about, well, after the first button.
After a receiving a Kindle for Christmas (which I love), I crocheted this cover in a couple hours for less than the price of one skein of variegated yarn. It's cute, but I'm not thrilled with how wonky the flap looks... it tends to curl up due to the tightness of the stitch I used.
I like the crocheted version, but in the interest of time I drew out a fabric sleeve. I made two of these for Mother's Day gifts. I got to use my button foot again because I added an elastic closure (which is actually an unused pony tail holder straight from Mallory's drawer- ha!)

Three cheers for sewing machines!

Mallory's First Haircut ... EVER.

2011-06-22T07:41:00.001-05:00

Well. She's almost three.
Her hair is long.

People often think she's older than she is solely based on the length of her hair. Weird, right?

My cousin was coming over to cut Casey's hair, so we threw around the idea of Mallory's first haircut. Her hair is gorgeous. I love it. It's thick. It rarely gets tangled. It air dries flawlessly. If she goes to bed with wavy hair, it's perfectly straight when she wakes up. Casey always jokes it's the kind of hair girls will be jealous of when she's older.

Anyway, decision time. Cut it. It will grow back. After looking back at pictures of her shoulder length hair from a year ago, we wrapped her up in a cape and went for it.

The first cut.
GASP.

Look at that curl.

It's been three years, we had to cut it eventually.
(I keep telling myself that.)

Entertained by Daddy's phone.

Just finishing up.

Super cute!
(It looks crooked here ... I promise it's not.)

The celebratory "sit still" popsicle.

It was a little sad at first,

but I really, really love it.

And now we shouldn't need to cut it until she's four. :)

Happy Tuesday!

2011-06-21T07:14:00.000-05:00

Can you guess what we had for dinner??

Strawberry Picking 2011

2011-06-20T22:23:00.006-05:00

We waited patiently (mostly) all year and it finally came - strawberry season! This was my cousin's and my 5th annual trip and it was another great day. Mallory had a great time last year (and she was such a good girl!) and we've been talking about this day for weeks - there was no way she was staying home!

Mallory was so excited!

She was jabbering in the car and at one point I caught something about the goats and how "their tummies were grumbling, better feed the goats!"

"Here, Momma, take a picture!"
(with a goat??)

"Icky! He 'wicked' my hand"

"Ohh, it's okay goat, my feed you again soon."

Off to a good start...

"Here Megan, yous a try one?"

Crazy huge - it was like four strawberries in one!

After 30 minutes...

it appeared most of the strawberries Mallory picked ended up in her mouth...

Wearing the evidence on her face. :)

She was much more interested in helping Megan than her Momma. :)

"Wook! Megan! A tractor! Here it comes!"

(Megan saw a lot of tractors...)

She was happy to get our bag since we left it at the beginning of the row.

Our haul.
20+ lbs.

I made freezer jam and packed the rest in the freezer
for smoothies and other goodies. Mmm.

Here's a bakers dozen ... total we ended up with 25 jars

The best part ... every time I use the jam or make a smoothie with our strawberries, I'll remember Mallory dancing around between the rows, pointing at tractors, using the flag markers as swords or twirling batons and, of course, I'll remember the smile on her face while she was shoving a giant, juicy strawberry into her mouth. Five years? I see a bit of a tradition forming - we'll see if Abby makes the cut next year. Hee hee.

Happy Father's Day 2011

2011-06-19T23:36:00.003-05:00

This afternoon my dad and Lynn came over, as well as Kevin, Jill, and their kids. Most of our day was spent indoors due to the (veggie feeding - yay!) rain, but we had plenty to keep us occupied.

Auntie Jill recently bought Mallory a "doctor kit" from a rummage sale. I'd say it was $3 well spent.

At the "kid's table"

Caelum and Abigail.
Seriously, they're only 4 weeks apart.
Why are our children so huge?

Just because it's father's day doesn't mean momma doesn't deserve some lovin' too.

Nothing says Happy Father's Day better than, well, this:

Okay, except maybe this:

And this:

And what a happy day it was!

See the past two years of father's day celebrations here:
2010
2009 *** Picture for Daddy

Finally!

2011-06-19T22:17:00.000-05:00

Do you smell that??Oh, no ... not the pie!

That's the smell of VICTORY!
A pie that isn't liquid!

I have had a rather unsuccessful run with baking pies lately. And by lately I mean, over the last few years. I can form the crap out of the peaks in my meringue, but do you think I can get the filling to set up? No. So Casey went from requesting lemon meringue pie to blueberry pie. Well, I made one that was okay, but the last blueberry pie I baked was dubbed "blueberry soup". By me. I think I just need a new recipe, but cutting into a liquid center doesn't exactly encourage one to continue trying new things.

So ... we (I) will be relishing in this Triple Berry Cherry Pie success for as long as we (I) can before I'm asked to attempt something new. At that point, wish me luck!

Our Garden

2011-06-18T08:09:00.001-05:00

We've had a vegetable garden for several years even though the location has changed often. Currently, it's not even in our yard ... it's in our neighbor's yard and it has the benefit of FULL SUN until well into the afternoon. This year we bought the plants and he's providing the water - sweet deal.

We transplanted about 30 strawberry plants (YUM!) from last year's garden, bought two Roma tomatoes, one regular tomato plant, one cherry tomato plant (in a pot on the deck, we're calling this "Mallory's plant"), one green pepper, two cucumbers, and three eggplants (remember, we're sharing with the neighbor). We also planted two rows of bush beans and a handful of carrots (Mallory's choice). To date, everything is doing well, except the beans and carrots. Hmm, we've never had trouble with those before. Darn seeds.

Anyway, these pictures are adorable so don't tell Mallory we need to replant the beans and carrots.
Once there are more than flowers on the plants I'll be back with an update.
Check back soon!

Who am I kidding? Skip the pictures of the vegetables - you know what they look like! - and tune in for more pictures of our kids. They are so much cuter than produce.

There's never a dull moment...

2011-06-17T15:07:00.001-05:00

...in the DQ ball pit.

Those balls are clean. Sure.

Abigail was navigating quite well ...

... but must have taken a wrong turn - face plant. Oops.

And suddenly she was eaten by the ball pit.

Smash your nose into a window today - it's fun!
Enjoy your weekend!

A walk in the park...

2011-06-16T00:35:00.002-05:00

Memorial Day

2011-06-15T22:42:00.000-05:00

We had Grandma and Papa over for some Memorial Day fun ... after dinner we venture outdoors to our back-backyard. It's equipped with a fire pit and our neighbor's swing set.

You can't stand around a summer fire pit without s'mores.
(I'm sure it's a law, at least in Wisconsin.)

See the marshmallows in Jill's hand? Seriously, Mallory and Ember would grab one from the bag, take a bite and grab another. Repeat.
The large "campfire" marshmallows were a good idea in theory, but they turned out to be a little too much "mallow" for the s'more. I made three s'mores with the same marshmallow because the outer layer kept sliding off when I'd try to sandwich it between the graham crackers. That's a lot of bang for your buck though, huh?

The blank stare is a dead give away ...
it's clearly past someone's bedtime.

That is just the start of the summer fun, my friends.
Love it!

Sleeping.

2011-06-15T08:03:00.000-05:00

This is totally random ... I was looking through some old pictures and I got to thinking about all the goofy ways our kids have fallen asleep or just cute pictures of them sleeping.

***click to see ... Abigail really is in there***
Okay, this one is fake. She was pretending.
But I know it's possible.
See for yourself ... Miss Fin ... click here. Hee hee.

Though that reminds me...

Mallory has actually fallen asleep on the floor before. It was a couple weeks after we moved her into her "big girl" bed to prepare for Abigail's arrival. She must have missed her old room because that's were we found her.

And apparently she was having mixed feelings about the new bed too ... we found her like this on more than one occasion. Poor girl.

And I've already shown you Abigail asleep ...
folded over and in her high chair.

Ooooh, but Mallory's friend Alex might take the cake ... click here.
Hilarious!

So there you go.
That's all.

Mallory Monday

2011-06-13T07:43:00.003-05:00

Not one to let Abby steal her thunder, Mallory asked me to share some of what she's been up to lately:

... posing for the camera ...
surprisingly!

... learning how to ride her "motorcycle" ...
without getting distracted by her shadow.

... emptying the toy box ...
she was no doubt looking for one specific toy.
yikes.

... baking ...
banana bread, mostly.

... "so big" ...
she's just reminding everyone that
abby isn't the only one who is "so big".

... dressing herself ...
it can be tricky getting one leg
in each hole of those undies.

... creatively accessorizing ...
no comment.

... oooh! more accessorizing ...
she was "going a work, momma".
and I promise she doesn't have a 'bump it' in her hair.

... singing and dancing ...
she's such a rock star
with her "tato head" glasses and microphone.

... being a drama queen ...
"ah, momma, help! I'n stuck!"

Casey and I are finding Mallory more and more entertaining each day. Looking back, each of these photos was taken while I was shaking my head and smiling ... wondering how we could be so lucky to have been blessed with such a hilarious, adorable, smart and thoughtful little sweetie (two of them, really!!). That being said, we are also learning how to hide our laughter when Mallory does something she really shouldn't see us laughing at.

Oh well, good and "bad", we'll take it all.
Have a great Monday!

Long Distance Love

2011-06-12T19:32:00.002-05:00

We called Casey's parents tonight and Meme wanted to talk to Abigail and Mallory. Abigail started attacking the phone when she heard Meme's voice, so we recorded her reactions for Casey's parents (and you) to see.

Really?

2011-06-12T07:32:00.000-05:00

You must be joking.

Claddagh is NOT allowed on the furniture.
Sad, but true.Doesn't she look so mistreated?

Buckeye IS allowed on furniture ... of the upholstered sort.
I guess I could have been more specific.
My desk is not on the list.

Some days it's like having two extra children.
And that is no joke. :)

it's not as easy as it looks...

2011-06-11T21:28:00.005-05:00

A recent excerpt from Abby's journal:

being 11-months-old is hard work. if i had known months ago what i know today, well, i may have waited to start crawling and exploring. there is never a dull moment around here... if i'm not being chased by my sister, i'm being licked by dogs or picked up by my mom and dad riiiiiight before i get into something that is bound to be a lot of fun and no doubt entertainment for hours. anyway, my daily activities include, but are not limited to:

... inspecting the dogs ...
after all, they lick me.

... putting random objects in my mouth ...

the things my mom has pulled from my mouth
in the last few days alone would be
enough to turn her into our local DCFS.

(mallory is pretending to be asleep.
what an attention hog.)

... eating lots of fruit and...well, anything really ...
my mom calls me garbage guts,
but maybe that's because I had chili for dinner tonight.

... driving ...
and believe me, i'm good.

... clearing toys off shelves ...
seriously. if this was a sport
i would take first place every time.
(do you see me putting that thing in my mouth?)

... emptying the pantry ...
(see "clearing toys off shelves")

... putting things in my nose ...
i didn't even do this on purpose,
but doing it occasionally will keep life interesting.
i just know it.

... splashing in the dog water ...
are you kidding me?
it's a bucket of water waiting to be splashed in.
could you resist?

as i said, exhausting.
it's the only possible explanation as to how i fell asleep...

... folded in half.

i can't even imagine what 12-months-old will be like.
or what about being two-years-old?

my mom and dad are always telling my sister,
"ohhh, being two is sooo hard."

yikes.
sounds scary.

Eleven Entire Months

2011-06-07T23:15:00.002-05:00

It's true.

She's 11-months-old.

I swear Mallory didn't turn one this fast.

My eyes will be wide open for the next four weeks.

I just know if I blink even one time...

...she'll turn one.

So bittersweet.

But mostly just sweet.And curly.
I love her curls.

Disney World - Day 5: Epcot

2011-06-06T21:14:00.012-05:00

I am totally slacking on the blog lately ... ugh. These long posts are time consuming, but such a good journal of our memories. Not a day has gone by that Mallory hasn't made reference, in some way, to our trip. After dinner tonight she wanted to go see the "Nemo" show. It breaks our heart ... we want to go back!

So, here is the last entry from our trip to Disney. EPCOT! For some reason, we were reaaaaaally early on this last day. Look at how empty the lanes are! I have to say, I think Epcot gets a bad rep as boring or too educational (ha). Personally, I would have loved to spend more time there ... I'm sure we could have spent an entire day just walking through the "countries", listening to music and enjoying other entertainment, including adult beverages! Even still we had a fun-filled, exciting day. I'm just sayin'.
Again, since we were early... DAISY DUCK ... no line! Mallory actually cried when we walked away from Daisy.
The week before we got to Disney World, Epcot wrapped up their annual garden festival and as a result there were character topiary every which way we turned. You know I love it.
While everyone else rushed to the rides, we had less than a 10 minute wait to see more friends.
No, no, Minnie is not eating Mallory's head ... Mallory asked to give her a kiss.
If you ask Mallory about Goofy, she'll tell you he's "big and ta-w and has wong ears".
We walked right on to the Finding Nemo ride... seriously, the park was EMPTY.
We also went to "Turtle Talk with Crush" from Finding Nemo ... about halfway through, the girls lost interest. We stuck around though, the adults found it hilarious since there was a good amount of adult humor. At one point during the show a kid named Jack asked a question and "Crush", proceeded to ask the kid his favorite color, favorite food, where he lived, etc. After Jack answered his questions, Crush said, "You might be wondering why I'm asking you so many questions since this show is supposed to be about me. Well, I just don't want anyone to be able to tell me that I don't know Jack."

Ba dum ching.
Like I said, adult humor. Kept us chuckling.

Next on our list was Soarin'. I'll go out on a limb and say it is by far one of the coolest rides, if not the best, we went on while at Disney. As I'm writing about it, I wish we would have gone on more than once ... or that I could go on it again now! It's really like nothing else I've ever been on. Indescribable. Google it. :)

To keep the girls occupied while waiting, we also went on the Living with the Land boat tour to explore how innovative technologies permit food growth while preserving the environment. It brought a whole new meaning to gardening and I would highly recommend it!

We had been hoping to meet Tinkerbell, so after lunch we jumped in line ... it was 11:45 am. Well, she is a popular fairy! We wouldn't get to see her until 1:00 pm! So while Summer waited in line I took the girls are on quasi photo shoot to kill time.
They are both (or maybe all young children are) obsessed with picking flowers!

OVER ONE HOUR LATER:

She was TOTALLY worth the wait!

The last stop on our (my) Epcot list was the elusive ...
and "Practically Perfect in Every Way"
MARY POPPINS.
(Mary Poffins, according to Mallory)
We were EXCITED!

She asked us if we were on "holiday".
Love it.
Yes, Mary, we were!
(And "It's a jolly holiday with Mary...")

Okay, well, Ms. Poppins was initially the last stop on our list, until we passed the water fountains. Casey and Brian went to use their Test Track fast passes and Summer and I watched the girls dance around in the water for well over an hour. I am betting it was a major highlight of their trip.

"I am cold and shivery, Momma."
"Should we get some dry clothes on?"
"Um... no danks!"
Oh, Disney World, how I miss your character flower beds and topiary.

Because it was our last day in Florida ... sigh ... we had no intentions of heading back for any night show or activity. After naps we swam in our heated, non-heated pool for the last time.
Aubrey, lounging with her life jacket on, IN an innertube (pretty good idea, actually), sipping on her frozen lemonade (not really).

At a reasonable hour the next morning,
backing out of our condo driveway............

Yes, yes, we definitely need to go back!
SOON!
(and it won't be soon enough...)

Disney World - Day 4: Hollywood Studios

2011-05-31T22:33:00.011-05:00

Hollywood Studios held an extra level of excitement because we had a reservation for the Disney Jr. character breakfast. Mallory and Aubrey had been hearing about "breakfast with the Little Einsteins, Handy Manny and Special Agent Oso" for weeks! Our reservation even got us into the park early!

Aubrey and Mallory were "patiently" waiting...

...but SO excited to see the characters.

I think Mallory was also excited for the food.
Buffets are a kid's best friend.
(...even though kids under 3 eat free,
she got her money's worth!)

Yummy Mickey waffles!

Special Agent Oso...
ridiculously goofy bear, but the kids love him.

June from Little Einsteins

Leo from Little Einsteins

There are FOUR Little Einsteins, but only two were scheduled to be at the breakfast. Just as I suspected ... Mallory asked, "Momma, where Quincy and Annie go??"

Handy Manny!

We immediately fast passed the Toy Story ride since it is the most popular ride in the park and we were not interested in standing in a 90-minute line!

Next Casey and I occupied the girls while Summer & Brian had their turn on Tower of Terror - I forgot how much I love that ride!! There's nothing like feeling your stomach jump into your throat, haha!
Hollywood Studios is a really cool park, but it's a different kind of entertainment. There are more shows than rides and yet it still has something to offer "kids" of all ages. We took the girls to see the Little Mermaid show (complete with cool ocean sprays of water over the audience and bubbles!) and then the Disney Jr. stage show where they got to see the rest of their pals. It also made me feel a little better about the amount of Disney Jr. TV Mallory watches ... every kid and parent in the room was singing along!

Lots of dancing and clapping!!

Jake & the Neverland Pirates is a fairly new show on Disney Jr.
...featuring none other than Captain Hook and Smee!

Okay, okay, you wouldn't have gotten ME out of the park without taken the girls to the "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" play area where you are the "shrunken kids". I still remember this from my first trip to Disney World when I was 10. SO much fun and of course, Mal and Aubrey could have played there all day!

Sliding down the roll of film...

Enjoying the tree root slides...

Okay moms ... you think Play-Doh is awful now ... imagine that giant can being ground into your carpet. Ha! Casey and Mal were standing under the "leaky hose" which kept squirting them with water.
Mallory would have walked through this cargo net structure 50 times ... we honestly dragged her out of here (crying) to go eat lunch.
After lunch, and four straight days of park excitement, the girls were spent. Here's Aubrey nearly napped out in her stroller. (I have no idea how that was comfortable...)
We headed to Aerosmith's Rock N Roller Coaster to get a second fast pass to use on our return trip to the park that evening. But .... we figured since the girls were wasted anyway, we might as well ride once and THEN head home. Casey and I went first - BEST ROLLER COASTER EVER!! Neither of us had ridden before ... it was closed for maintenance (or something!) during our trip to Disney in 2007 ... it was definitely worth the wait!!

Then, while Brian & Summer rode, we walked next door and enjoyed the Beauty and the Beast Stage Show (which also hasn't changed since I was 10, haha, although now it's in an amphitheater of sorts, it used to be standing room only). Lovely show and the girls were intrigued.

Mallory got a little emotional at the end ...
Disney movies have a way of tugging at even the smallest hearts.

I'm sure you're not surprised that we couldn't help grabbing a snack on our way out of the park. Kane family trip favorites: soft pretzels and frozen lemonade!

Like I said, they were toast.

We came back a little after 7pm and used our fast passes to ride Toy Story. Awesome ride and by far one of my favorites. It's like a county fair-type shooting game within the ride. And it's in 3-D ... super fun! Gotta love the glasses!
After the ride we made our way to find a seat for the night time show - Fantasmic! It's a live stage show combined with Disney film clips and just like everything else, it was pretty amazing. Good and Evil were represented by 30+ characters and I found myself as captivated as Mallory. She got to enjoy another frozen lemonade and her momma got to enjoy 20 minutes of Mallory on her lap. It would have been the perfect end to yet another day, BUT we still had that Rock N Roller Coaster fast pass to use up. And ... we got to sit in the very front seat! So that ended up being the perfect end to our day!

I can feel the trip coming to a close, but we still had plenty to do at Epcot, so I'll hold onto the fun for another day!

Disney World - Day 3: Magic Kingdom (part 2)

2011-05-29T22:39:00.017-05:00

Did I tell you that this was supposed to be our only day at Magic Kingdom? The first day I posted about was added only a couple weeks before leaving for our trip. One benefit to driving (there were more than you'd think!) was being able to change our departure time and leave 6 hours earlier than originally planned. As a result, we checked into our condo and squeezed in that first day - that was super awesome since there is SO MUCH to do at this park! I'm pretty sure you could spend a week at Magic Kingdom and still find things to do.

We arrived about half an hour before the park opened to see the "opening show" a friend had told us about ... complete with Mickey and Minnie and friends!
Is anyone else as fascinated by these character floral arrangements as I am? They are always flawless too. If we had one at our house, there would be a patch somewhere in Mickey's face that would be dead or discolored. Just sayin'.
So, before all of our Disney friends came riding in on that train, a super friendly employee just happened to stop us to give Mallory and Aubrey his last two Mickey Mouse stickers. Then, without being asked, he told us where we could go to meet our mouse friends and get some princess autographs too. (Besides having the run of the park, arriving early seemed to allow us to see our fill of characters without the long wait times.) As the show wrapped up, we were thrilled to follow his suggestion ...

... can you tell??

Coincidentally, the girls were wearing their matching princess shirts (thanks, summer!) on the very day they happened to meet those three princesses! Mallory was telling Sleeping Beauty all about her shirt. Since having met her, Mal will tell you Sleeping Beauty's name is "A-war-wa" (Aurora).
I love this picture ... A. Mallory's semi-smiling, and B. She's doing the really cute thing she does with her hands when she's being adorably bashful. It is rare that she doesn't use hand gestures while talking.

At this point in the trip, she had met enough "friends" to know that after she gave them a hug or two and got her picture taken, she could ask them to sign her bag. And so, she became very concerned with the signing.A friend gave us the idea to have characters use permanent markers to sign a backpack or some item Mallory could use over and over as she grows. I found this fun bag on clearance for $2 at Walmart - perfect for her and our occasion! By the end of the week random people were even commenting on how cute it was!

Mallory with Belle or if you ask her ... "Beauty"

Belle was marveling at Mallory's painted fingernails.
I couldn't help but smile.

Oooh, Momma! Wook! Cinderwelwa!

As if meeting three princesses in under 5 minutes wasn't enough ... we walked right into another short line to meet Mickey & Minnie! Again, not that the excitement shows on the face of a 2-year-old!

She was not holding back on those hugs!

A funny thing about Disney World ... it's totally fun and amazing, there's something incredible to "ooh" and "ahh" at where ever you turn, and somehow ... even the little things aren't lost on a 2-year-old. As we're walking, I hear Mallory start to get excited and laugh. I figure she sees someone I don't.

Nope. Not someone. SomeTHING.

MOMMA! A HORSE!
To see it all through her eyes.
...sigh...

While the guys ran ahead for yet another fast pass (best invention ever!), we took a short detour on Main Street to have a silhouette done for Mallory's meme (it will be added to her collection). I promise I wasn't totally annoyed while sitting there ... I have no idea why I have such an awful expression on my face. I will say ... I was trying to keep Mallory facing forward, making sure she didn't drop her pretzels and talking to the lady all at the same time. Maybe that's what my face looks like while I'm multi-tasking!?!? Anyway, the people that work in these booths (while forced to dress in not-so-flattering attire ... cute plaid though) are super talented!
Check out our girl's silhouette! They free hand cut these things out of paper - no drawing! And she was fast ... we sat in the chair less than 3 minutes. Seriously! It took her longer to glue it to the oval background than it did to cut it out. (The best part ... you actually get two for the price of one since they cut it out of paper that's folded in half. Sweet!)
Hmm, I wonder where Mallory gets that whole "impressed by the little things" quality...

Moving right along... Cinderella's wicked step-mother and step-sisters (with some random girl, we didn't wait in line)
Some fun props while waiting in the short line for the Haunted Mansion. My first time through this ride ... pretty creepy, but neat.

Again, being easily amused by some birds...

We took a ride on Aladdin's Magic Carpet...

Had a snack, rested in the shade and entertained ourselves while waiting for a fast pass time to come up...
In the fast pass line for Winnie the Pooh ... playing "Where's Mallory?" Don't you know? If she covers her eyes, you can't see her...

In our very own "honey pot" on the Pooh ride

On our way out of the park, Summer and I decided to take the girls on the train. It runs around the entire park, but if you pick it up in Frontierland, it's about a quarter of the trip, which we figured was just enough for the girls to get excited about the train and perfect since we wouldn't have to walk to the front of the park. The guys, once again, were sent for a fast pass (to use when we came back that night), so we headed by ourselves to the train. No big deal, right? Wrong! We asked a staff member how to get on the train with our strollers and were told (while she was standing directly in front of the handicapped ramp) that we'd need to fold our strollers up and carry them up the stairs (that I swear were built two feet wide and at a 75 degree angle). I'm thinking, so if I'm in a wheelchair, I can take the ramp, but if I have a toddler in a stroller, I have to carry it up the stairs? We looked at each other and did as we were told. We took 4 bags each out from under the strollers, unloaded the girls, folded the strollers and then proceeded to keep track of everything while hobbling up the stairs with it all. Nice. We got to the top only to find a turn-style too skinny to take the strollers through, so we then had to lift the strollers OVER it. The best part was, when we got OFF the train, we reloaded the strollers with children and belongings and walked down a RAMP. I'm still puzzled.

Anyway, please understand this may not seem like a big deal when reading it, but at the time it was awful and it's much funnier to exaggerate some of the details. (Although, the only thing exaggerated is the ... well, actually, it's all true.)

Enjoy the lovely pictures I took while we were on the train.
Oh, right. That's it. Just one. I was too exhausted from all the work I was required to do to get on the train. (Okay, so that might be exaggerated.) It was quite a relaxing ride and as expected, the girls were in heaven.

Despite all we saw and did, we got home fairly early to get some rest before heading back for the night parade and fireworks. Each afternoon looked like this for the girls (and some days for the adults too!)

After some quality naps, with their crowns in hand, the girls were very excited to be arriving at Magic Kingdom twice in one day!

I'm even more impressed by topiary than the floral arrangements.
We could use a Claddagh or Buckeye topiary in our backyard...
what do you think?

The classic Magic Kingdom photo!

We came back in time to grab some food at an authentic (looking) Mexican restaurant, but we didn't think to check the hours earlier in the day and it was closed when we got back. Darn. We made do and then hit up the Jungle Cruise with our fast passes. No pictures, but super cool (and funny!) ride. Think cheesy comedy and fake animals all while riding in a boat!

Casey still remembers a line from his Jungle Cruise years ago. The "tour director" said: "This job is so much better than my last job. I worked for a frozen orange juice packaging company. It was a good job, but in the end ... I got canned. ***dramatic pause*** They said I couldn't concentrate." :)

We used another fast pass to get on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (another great roller coaster!) and then found a spot for the parade!

(Aubrey took this picture of Mallory! WOW!)

For all you Dole Whip lovers out there: what better way to kill the time before the parade than by enjoying another pineapple treat! It was right around the corner from our parade spot so I made a mad dash once last time!

Here are some highlights from the parade:
We enjoyed the fireworks camera free ... the girls were thrilled to see the "lights in the sky" and hear the CRACKS and BOOMS. And when they were over, we knew everyone else would be high-tailing it to the exit, so we high-tailed it to Space Mountain to use our fast passes. And while on our way out, as our luck would have it, a guy gave us two more passes he wasn't going to use! Brian and I rode again and Casey and Summer took the girls for their second ride on Dumbo. I'd call that a pretty great end to their (our) evening! We exited through Cinderella's Castle - very pretty inside too! - and it was a sad ferry ride home as we realized it was the last glimpse we'd have of the real life castle for quite some time.

Oh well.
Keeping the two-year-olds awake until nearly midnight
probably isn't recommended on a regular basis anyway...

Next stop ... Hollywood Studios!

Disney World - Day 2: Animal Kingdom

2011-05-28T20:55:00.018-05:00

Oh my goodness. It appears Animal Kingdom held much excitement. I took A LOT of pictures. Hold onto your seats - here we go!
There's the tram again ... did I mention we arrived at each park before it opened? We had an agenda, people! No time to waste!
If you ask Mallory what/who she saw when we went to Disney World, her top 5 responses are (in no particular order):
Mickey Mouse
Cinderella's Castle
Tinkerbell (or something relating to Peter Pan ... Captain Hook, Tick Tock, etc.)
ANIMALS! (pronounced ah-nee-moles)
Dumbo ride

Tree of Life = Incredible

Mallory may have been catching bugs here.
Who knows??

She is not one to smile on cue (EVER), but she wanted to stand next to the rabbit alone.
"No danks, Momma ... my do it myself."
The guys ran ahead to grab a fast pass for Expedition Everest, so we headed on to Africa to get in line for the safari. Some random guy nicely offered to take Summer and my picture with the girls. He took three pictures no better than this ... one was off centered and he cut our heads off in the third ... I just had to laugh.

Waiting in line for the Kilimanjaro Safari

The safari was the highlight of Mallory's day.
FOR SURE.

CROCS.
And we're not talking shoes, friends.
(Can you click the picture? Several of them have their mouths open!)

Her face says it all. Yikes!

As we drove past, I said, "I could literally reach out and touch his neck."

The giraffe looked directly at me.
Okay, okay, I wasn't going to touch you. Relax.

This rhino walked up behind us and trotted across the road the second we passed him. I couldn't believe it. He ran over to a few other rhinos like, "Hey, what's up? That's like the 8th bus to pass through here today..."

Ouch.

We joked several times during the safari that the animals were being prompted to perform since people were watching ... the rhino running across the road, the giraffe snacking on some leaves within feet of our vehicle. Despite all of this, Mallory had apparently been holding out hope for gorillas. We exited the ride and she said to Casey, "Daddy, we didn't see any no gorillas (pronounced grow-was)." Well, Casey knows I give him endless credit for his incredible ability to distract Mallory at clutch moments to diffuse pouting or meltdowns and this was no exception. He took her over to see this waterfall hoping to avoid further talk of said grow-was.

We even got a great family photo out of the deal.

Then, as though someone pushed it from behind, out came a "GROW-WA"! (Little did we know this is where they appear in the exhibit.) I thought Mallory was going to explode. She proceeded to giggle uncontrollably. This was another one of my top 5 Disney Magical Moments.
This is a second one that walked out moments later.
From there we explored some of the walking trails. I had a little deja vu when we approached this aquarium and for good reason. I had taken pictures of some kiddos here before...

... so for nostalgia's sake, please enjoy two photos from Casey and my trip to Disney in 2007 (pre-children) with the Kane/Miller families.

Above: Finley, not quite 18 months

Below: Steve with Cole, 14 months
Wow, how time flies ... they will both be in kindergarten this fall!

Jump back to 2011...

Ooh, more fun! Face painting!

You would have thought Aubrey was being tortured. We all had to giggle. I have a feeling this is one of those pictures she'll see when she's 15 and say, "I can't believe you made me sit through that!"

Checking out some real ducks in the river:

Part of our amazing experience at Disney (with two girls under 3) can be chalked up to the fact that we didn't wait more than 20 minutes for anything ALL WEEK! Between fast passes and seemingly being in the right place at the right time, we continually marveled at our luck.

Waiting to get into The Lion King show.

Mallory thoroughly enjoyed all of the shows we saw. Last night at dinner she asked, "Can we go to The Lion Show? With the monkeys who swing on benches?" (There were gymnasts on trapezes, uneven bars, etc. - great show, so entertaining!)

Heat + face paint = hot mess. :)

Everest. Bring it!
I LOVE roller coasters!

After lunch we walked into the Finding Nemo show (NO WAIT!). Afterward we got Mallory her very own Nemo to go with the stuffed Dory she sleeps with every night.

A little Triceratops Spin (Dumbo-esque).

The girls were such go-getters all week. But they were no match for their beds. This day in particular, we tried to wake them after about 90 minutes of napping to swim in our condo pool, but they both whined and went back to sleep for another two hours! I guess you should also never wake a sleeping toddler!

The next day we went back to Magic Kingdom!
Who was more excited?!
The adults or the children?
It is truly hard to say!