I'M BACK!

How my babies have grown in the last year! As I look back at my old posts I feel so bad that I haven't kept up on my kids antics! Here are some pics of the kids on Christmas morning, I promise I will be up to date within a couple of days!

Santa brought the kids LOADS of gifts, but the fave's were the folllowing...Alex got another American Girl doll, that would be number 5 on her shelf! Jake's favorite was a Thomas the Train train table and Emily finally got Baby Alive (just to find out she is NOT interested in changing poopy diapers!).

Strollin'

Jake playing with Emily's doll stroller, boy style!

Kindergarten...Bonus Footage!!

Sorry for the shakey camera... you can hear it better if you turn off the music that automatically plays on the blog at the bottom of the screen.

Kindergarten, Then and Now

This was Alex's 1st day of Kindergarten....

And here she is on her last day. What a year, how she has grown, learned to read, write and discovered her love for math. I'm going to miss how much fun this year was for her, and also for me as I worked in her class on Tuesdays and got to be there and experience it through her eyes. This is her teacher Mrs. Muha, I can never thank her enough for making this such a great year!

Happy Birthday Jake and Emily!

My twins are 3. How did that happen? Didn't I just break the news to Gerrit that yes indeed we are having twins? Wasn't that just yesterday? Wow, time is flying by so fast it's making me dizzy. I want just one more year of the 2's, one more year to be able to carry them, one more year to be the only one that really understands what they are saying. I won't be sad to see the last 'pull-up' in the trash, but I am sad that they are not babies anymore, and barely toddlers at that.

Happy Easter

Yes, I'm old school, dress the kids in their Easter best...

NOT So Darling...

Sometimes my kids are NOT darling little ones, in fact I would say most of the time they seem to be quite the opposite. The twins in particular, seem to have the knack to sneak off at the exact time that I am, loading the dishwasher, loading the washing machine, mopping or vacuuming, etc.. Generally, anytime that I take my eyes off of them for a full five minutes. They love their new found games of fun, like, writing on the walls and floors with markers and crayons, finding my purse and destroying ALL of my make-up and covering their walls and beds with my lipstick, (not to mention the still missing lip pencil that they have cleverly hid for another days wall art). This morning they decided what fun it would be to fill Daddy's Ugg boots with toothpaste and hair gel.

Easter Bonnet

If I got to pick moments to freeze, several would be the days I pick Alex up from Kindergarten and she walks out, beaming with pride, wearing some type of hand crafted (by her) paper garment, (hat, mask, apron, etc). Someday she'll think she's "way too cool" for this, so I have learned that I really need to slow down and cherish these moments, because this age will be gone in a blink of an eye.

She's growing up...

Alex has been begging to get her ears pierced for about a year. I waited to see if it was just a passing phase. She usually asks for something, then begs for it, then forgets about it a day later. Not this time. I finally caved and took her down to the mall to do it. I thought if she watched a couple of kids in line before her, have them done, she just might chicken out. Nope. She jumped up on the chair and went for it!

I have never seen such a proud look on her face when she walked out with her ears sparkling, her smile stretched from ear to ear...

Then and Now Thursday

Then...


Now...


Where did the time go?

Remember When....

My beauty Alexandra at about 6 months old. It was about this time that she got signed to a modeling contract for Ford Models, for which she appeared in ads for Old Navy, Osh Kosh, Carters, Kohls and Self magazine. We have taken her out of modeling for the time being to have her put all of her energy into Kindergarten!

The Dog Party

This week was full, very full. Our washing machine died, our stove broke, our backdoor screens tore, but there was a highlight...a birthday party to attend. Not just a regular old birthday party, but my sister-in-laws dog Bud's 15th birthday. Yes, even my dog is getting party invites now. There were games like wrap up your dog in toilet paper and musical chairs with the dogs having to sit, etc. There was also a pinata, shaped like a dog bone, that was filled with dog bones. You can imagine the horror on the kids faces when they broke it and only dog treats flew out. Not to mention the goodie bags at the end of the party, filled with, yes, you guessed it, dog treats for the dogs. The only really happy camper was our dog Max, who by the way was, of course, the worst behaved dog there and had to be tied to a tree for most of the party! His only saving grace was that he did look absolutely adorable with his birthday hat, as seen in the pic above, which to my surprise he left on almost the whole time!

chocolate kiss overdose

Ahh...Sunday afternoon...

Merry Christmas!

Peppermint Bark

I have three little people under me as I stir melting chocolate. I can feel their staring eyes burning a hole in my back. I pretend they aren't there, and pour the chocolate into the cookie sheet. They are waiting, just waiting to pounce on the chocolate as soon as I step away. I can tell this will be one batch of candy I will have to guard with my life or it won't make it to the handmade candy gift baskets!

crayon holders

Okay, so I know it's basic stuff, but I'm still beaming with pride! Crayon holders for my nieces! I'm soooo in the handmade zone these days. I thought I'd throw in a couple of handmade gifts with the others that we have bought. I can't add them to my 3 "darling little ones" presents for Christmas, since they have been circling around me as I sew, but I will make them a couple to throw in the car travel bag for those long boring drives!

Happy Thanksgiving!

What kind of craft do you plan for 5 year-old Daisy Scouts? Fall wreaths! It turns out that waiting until 1 day before the scout meeting to plan a craft actually worked out okay, whew. Plus, BIG bonus...all the fall stuff was 70% off! Silk fall leaves, flowers, twig wreaths, some rafia and a glue gun, and 15 minutes later, ta-da!

All wrapped up

I have decided that I need to create shoe boxes so that every gift will be unique! So here I go making origami gift boxes. My only problem is that I keep making the boxes and I have no gifts! There's something so calming about just sitting down and folding paper.

My first gift goes to my soon to be born niece.

my own little darlings...

Yes they were my inspiration to quit my job and stay home to be a maid, cook, referee, teacher and chauffeur. Most definitely the hardest job I've ever had!