Picture shuffle....

This is the most random sampling of pictures....














Look at all of these mini-cupcakes we made for the girls' Valentine Day parties. Each topped with a pink-strawberry heart marshmallow. I am sure all of the other parents were reeeeeallly happy with me.














In the bath --Connor thought Taylor's silly faces were hilarious.














One of Taylor's Valentines included a mini watercolor kit.  She enjoyed it - but I forgot to take the after picture where she was entirely covered in the water color water and paint.  I'm sure you can imagine...

Snow Days

In the last two weeks, we've had 3 snow days. I've been able to work from home (mostly) during these snow days and stay home with the girls...but trying to work and give the girls the attention they need is quite a struggle. To help offset the time that I had to be focused on work and not playing, we did try to do some fun things...
















We baked cookies late at night, after bedtime. Connor didn't/couldn't make it that late - so it was just T & I cooking/eating.






While I had to be on conference calls, I pretty much just let the girls destroy/play with whatever they could in the living room while I was able to work and watch them.

Aunt Lisa made the girls these aprons - they both enjoyed wearing them while we made pasta one night - good news, the stains came right out :)

Finally, Taylor was able to play in the snow.  The first week of snow, I couldn't let them get out in it because they were both fighting ear infections.  Last week was a rough one for Connor - she wasn't able to go to school at all, due to a 'viral temperature' and still lingering ear infection.  She did a lot of clinging to me like a leach for about 20 hours of the day.  She seems to be so much better now, no more fever - back at school and we are all sleeping again! 

OH and finally... I helped Taylor paint her toenails one night, and she asked if she could paint Andy's. Without hesitation, he peeled off his socks and told her to go for it.  He is now sporting 10 sparkling blue toenails :)

A Baptism and A Snow Storm

 The second weekend of January, we set out on a road trip to Minneapolis for cousin Anya's baptism.  We left ON TIME (I know!) and only stopped once, halfway there.  Great trip up...the girls did great.

We stopped at Lego Land when we arrived....it wasn't near as 'hands-on' as I remember it being, but Taylor sure did love this Giant Woody!

The Wagner's and the Godparents of Anya.

A reeeeeally tired girl that semi-behaved during mass.  If she only knew all the snow that was falling at our house while she was inside.

As our good friend Marc would say, when you travel always pack your swim trunks.  Well, Andy & the girls were successfull at that.  I apparently managed to pack only my top, so no swimming for me.  I also managed to completely leave my wallet and the cash I had withdrawn specifically for travel at home on the kitchen table.  It, and 8 inches of snow, were both waiting for me when we got back. 

You say you want a resolution....

My house is a MESS.  An absolute disaster.  Instead of cleaning during these quite few hours before I drift off into totally interrupted sleep, I've decided I need to update.  And upon doing so, I realize that I have done an absolute piss-poor job of taking pictures this holiday season.  So, as tradition rolls,  here are some of my resolutions for 2011:
1) Remember to take photographs.  There are a lot of important things I'm not capturing for Taylor & Connor to look at in the future. 
2) Get all four of us to eat more veggies.  With the holidays, most vegetables were replaced with fudge, cookies, candy canes, or hot cocoa.  While that made me popular, that does not help anyone in the long run.  We will all be eating more veggies in 2011, sometimes creatively or in ways they don't know!
3) Make my day to day life easier by forcing myself to get more chores done during the week and declutter.  I will lose my mind by Groundhog Day if I can't get a hold of this fast. 
4) Be a duck.  I heard this once a long time ago, and it holds true for work, relationships, kids, family, etc.  Basically it means to not let little things get to you, let the rain run off your back - just like a duck does.  Or, it means I'm going to start quacking.  Yep, probably that's it.

There are more, but if you've suffered through my long, terrible writing - you deserve to see some disheveled Christmas morning pictures:

The only thing Taylor would say she wanted from Santa was a princess doll & a horse for the princess to ride. A what?!  Where, how, who did you see that from??!  Well, thanks to some searching help from Aunt Ellie the Elf....Santa was able to deliver.  And thus....Christmas morning was magical for T this year!

Connor said she wanted a tonk-tonk.  Clearly, that meant a turtle that she can bounce on and it sings and adds more noise and fighting in our house.  Good thinking Santa.  Oh - you can also totally make fun of Andy when you see him about his pants or his hair or what fungus seems to be oddly growing on his face.  I wisely took the pictures - you no see my morning beauty!

And finally, more outtakes from the Christmas Card attempts.  I'll give the girls credit - they were tired when we did this...but oye.  Here's hoping next year goes better...and gets done in November instead of December 20th!

I thought I liked this one at first, but then decided it was creepy. T wasn't using a normal smile really, and Connor looks like a possessed cowgirl.

The winner.  I know it would have been ideal to NOT have Connor sucking her thumb, but well, this was still the best.  There are 30 others you haven't seen!

Ahhh....Sisterly love.  I'm counting on some epic fights in the coming years.

What, you didn't get your Christmas Card yet?

Well, that is because trying to get a 3 year old and 1 year old to take a GOOD picture (or at least one where they are both looking at the camera) is nearly impossible.  Don't believe my excuse?  Fine, I'll prove it:

The first, and probably the best - except Taylor doesn't have her eyes both fully open, Connor looks like she is being held in (she was) and my awesome camera-skills are shown...why don't we zoom in to NOT have the bar in the background??

Um, no.

Taylor suggested that they sit on the step in front of the bar.  Yep - the fully carpeted, 1977 style bar.  Clearly, Connor thought that was hilarious.

After begging me to just take a picture of her....

Aside from the fact the two girls are in their own little orbits - this would have been a terrible picture because you see the Classy fake-tree pole exposed without presents under it. 

Ok, for fun, this time - Connor, you look at the camera and Taylor - you become totally enamored with the carpet or sock or whatever the HECK WAS ON THE FLOOR.

Oh let's put this ornament on the tree together.  Yeah, that's reeeeeeeeal cute. 

See what I mean?!  AND I didn't even post ALL of the outtakes.  Thank goodness for digital cameras; just 6 years ago I would have had to develop all sorts of film for this.  Keep your fingers crossed, there's still a chance that I can get a couple more pictures taken for the card before Monday.

Thanksgiving Part 1

Today I am thankful for a flexible job that allows me to work from home when needed. Because of this, I was able to attend the girls' Thanksgiving lunch at school, twice!  I spent the first hour with Connor's class...messy 1 year olds.  And the second with the CRAZY 3 & 4 year olds...Taylor's class made special hats for the occassion.  Anyone remember when I dressed up like a Pilgrim in preschool??

Warning! The following pictures are not attractive!

This is what happens when you take a tired baby & a crazy preschooler shopping....

One falls asleep in the cart.

The other walks around with a shopping bag on her head.