2008 Year In Review

I'll sum up the year....



BITTERSWEET



Very Bitter.


Very Sweet.

Some Christmas Pictures

Insights and Thoughts??

Well, now that Mariah has her own blog, I'm not sure what I can write about. I guess her blog will be the exciting one now and I will have to think deeper thoughts to post. I'm not sure if I can do it.

I guess I can start with this...

I had a dream the other night that I weighed 197 pounds.

Is it all the Christmas cookies I have been inhaling?

I think I have a stomach ache.

Ok, that's all for now. My brain hurts from thinking.

Training Wheels & Finger Paint

Mariah has her own blog now.

Click here to see it
(the address is http://sweetmariahgrace.blogspot.com)

The Dress Dance

Ok, this will be the last dance that I post for a while. This was also last night--we took tonight off and read books instead (a calmer activity). Mariah is definitely our little dancer.

A Performer and A Pirate

Both girls chose their outfits for the performance. I guess last night was just a dress rehearsal. They are just too darn cute.

Mambo No.5 Mariah Style

An Attempt at an Impromtu Photo Shoot

Ambria and I got out the camera today, but she was insistent on trying to see the pictures on the camera before I could even take the picture.

Don't move, stay still. I'll show you the pictures later...

Too close.

"CHEEEESSSH"

I'll take it.

I Smiled Today (and so did Ambria)

Good news....

The Meijer Pony is BACK!!

For a quick review, click here

More from Mariah

"Fun is boring."

Mariah Conversations

Mom: Can you believe Thanksgiving is this week?

Mariah: Yeah. Are we having a big chicken?

Mom: No, turkey.

Mariah: I'll just call it a big chicken nugget.



Mariah: Mom, when are we going to go to heaven?

Mom: I don't know. What do you think it will be like up there?

Mariah: Snowing, raining, sunshine, summer, Christmas.

Jumping Jacks

A quick video of the girls and Ambria attempting to do jumping jacks.

Beauty Shop

They are growing up and loving being sisters

(for the most part)

Baby Girls

A few weeks ago, Ambria and Alivia were playing and for some reason, they both felt like they could fit into a baby doll crib...

The bottom fell out and they got stuck. Nice try girls.

Added Note: Before you think that I am a bad mom/bad babysitter/bad aunt, the girls were having fun playing in the doll crib so I ran to get my camera. As soon as I got my camera, the bottom fell out of the crib and they started screaming. I decided to capture the moment anyway.

She is Smart?

Mariah: Mom, what does "date" mean?

Mom: Well, it can mean a date on a calendar, to go out on a date with someone, or the fruit.

Mariah: It also means "stick"

Mom: Nope, not really.

Mariah's new favorite topic of conversation is Barak Obama and John McCain and I find her talking to herself at random times about these guys. My little politician.

Mariah is learning tons everyday and her latest is learning to write letters and words. We do have labels all over our house that she has created, ie: chair, basket, light, stove, etc. Don't mind the paper and tape all over our house--it does drive me crazy because it looks messy. (Love you Mariah, oh and don't get upset if those signs disappear in a few days).

Pink Magic

I took the girls to Meijer today and we spent over an hour in the toy aisle getting ideas for Christmas.  Mariah was so good and she understood that we were "just looking" and we weren't going to buy anything.  Ambria's eyes were as big as saucers as we went up and down the aisles and when we got to the dolls, all she kept saying over and over was "baby, baby."  (I think I know what she will get this Christmas).  When we got to the "girly" aisle and there was PINK everywhere, Mariah's eyes lit up and she said "whoa, mom, this is sooo magical!"  Yup, that is my little girly girl.

(On a sad note, for those of you that don't know, Meijer took out ALL of the mechanical ponies from their stores.  What that means to parents with little kids---no more bribes for good little shoppers.  Huge bummer).

Zzzzz.

Sleeping has been a pretty fun hobby of mine lately.

It is pretty exciting, you should try it.

900 Stickers

We got a gift bag and among the goodies inside were 900 Halloween stickers.  Somehow, I keep finding these stickers plastered all over the house and I'm sure I will keep finding them well after Halloween is over.

I looked on Ambria's back and she had a sticker that said "Bad to the Bone."  Too funny.

The girls are loving the fun "let's put stickers all over everything" activity.  Whatever it takes to keep them occupied...  (It they are happy, I am happy).

Scary Movies = Crazy Dreams

So, what happens when a bunch of guys watch "The Ring" before going to bed?...  (I politely excused myself from this activity)

I was awaken in the middle of the night by Jerry kicking and huffing and puffing and snorting like crazy.  I asked him in the morning what the heck was he dreaming about, and he started laughing and said that he was chasing someone.  I couldn't stop laughing.

I don't watch scary movies.  Jerry is solo on this one.

Little Bumps

Ambria loves giving "fist bumps" these days.  She will walk around the whole room giving everyone in the room a "fist bump" and then she will walk around the room and do it all over again.  It is pretty cute.  She will just walk up to anyone and hold out her fist and if they don't know what she is doing and they "deny" her, she just sadly walks away and finds a new person.

Just imagine this little tiny fist giving you a "fist bump."  It makes everyone smile.  Kids have a way of doing that.

Mom Shouldn't Laugh

The other night, Mariah was getting ready for bed and we were in the bathroom, brushing teeth, washing up, etc. The last thing Mariah does before bed is go potty. So, this night was not unlike any other... Mariah was done on the potty, but somehow she FELL OVER off the seat and hit her head straight on the tile floor!! I couldn't help but laugh hysterically. How the heck could THAT happen? Mariah didn't think it was too funny as she screamed her head off. So, she got a minor black eye, bumps, and bruises. I guess sometimes that porcelain seat can get the best of us. I'm still laughing about it.

A Smile for My Day

Ambria continues to melt my heart by the minute.

Her latest addiction is books, books, and more books and either wants to read them by herself or she will hunt me (or Jerry) down, pull on my leg, and give me the cute "read to me" look, until I give in and read to her (not just one book, but multiple books, and she has her favorites).
She has all the animal sounds down and she surprises me each day with new words, the latest are bubble, neigh, and Momo (Elmo)--it is just too darn cute to hear her talk with her soft voice.

Ambria makes me smile. She makes me smile when I see her run to the window, climb on the heater, and look out the window. She makes me smile when she gets all giddy when she gets her pink blankie. She makes me smile when she comes clumsily running to hug my leg when I get home. She makes me smile when she tries on all the shoes in the house and tries to walk in them. She makes me smile when I check on her before I go to bed and she is sound asleep. She just...make me smile.

Thank you, Ambria.

Pink Dirt

Mariah is the ultimate girly-girl who likes to wear dresses that twirl and pink sparkly shoes, whose favorite color is pink, pink, and more pink...

However, Mariah does have a tom-boy side to her as well. She loves to get dirty, play with worms, and hunt for roly-polies .

The other day I went into Mariah's bedroom after she was playing by herself, and this is what I found...
Hmm, Mariah put dresses on her play/plastic bugs. Not in the picture, were bugs in her dollhouse, in all the rooms and sitting at the table.

I guess when all the dirt washes away our little girly-girl appears - here is proof.

Hear Me Roar

Just a quick video of Ambria being cute.

Retro Flashback

Are you kidding me?! This was where it was at!!