Uh boo!

This afternoon Ashley was playing 'uh-boo!' (Ashely for 'peek-a-boo') with Natalie. Of course I think it's the cutest thing; have a look for yourself (click here). Even though Natalie looks upset in most of the pictures of she and Ashley, in this video she actually looks and sounds like she's enjoying her big sister for once. Not too long after the video was taken, Ashley was singing a song to Natalie so I had to catch that on film as well. Please pay no attention to me; I was desperate the get the video and resorted to the 'self-portrait' method of holding the camera. Pay close attention (click here) to Natalie and her reaction to Ashley's singing.

It doesn't take much...

...to entertain me. The folks at Jib Jab keep me in stitches!
Click here to share in my enjoyment. After that click here to share in my delight.

Flashback

It seems like it was just yesterday that Ashley was playing on the tummy time mat....
...oh wait....it was just yesterday.....

Splitsville, USA

Guess who's getting a divorce?
I'll give you time to think
.
.
.
.
.
.
Figure it out?
Would you believe me if I said Mom and Dad?
.....I'll wait and let you pick your jaws up off of the floor.....
No, you don't believe me? Well I didn't think you would.
But apparently that's the rumor going around my hometown. What a rumor, huh? I'm not sure who all reads this blog, but I have reason to believe the retards that started this rumor check in on occasion. And let me just say if you're going to start a rumor, why not go with something more reasonable like the sky is falling or the world is coming to an end. Or even that the recession is ending tomorrow. Because saying "Rick and Melinda are divorcing" is so idiotic that it'd take a real dimwit to believe it.
Just like it took a real dimwit to come up with such a lie.
So if you're around town and you hear "Rick and Melinda are going through the Big D" you can respond by "Well actually they're staying together for the girls. At 32 and 29 years old, Amber and Riane are too old to be the products of a broken home."

Isn't it obvious there is no love here?

Babyback ribs

Is it just me or does Ashley look like she wants to eat Natalie?

Tasty

What's in a name?

A good friend of mine has a book that describes what a baby's name indicates about their personality. It's fun to read through and see what it says and pick and choose the parts that seem to be right on and wrinkle my nose at the far-fetched descriptions. Thanks to Adrianne for sharing!

Ashley:
English origin meaning "ash tree meadow".

Personality:
Ashley's cheery act fools a lot of people - but not all. Most people think of Ashley as a bubbly and popular cheerleader who's innocent and sweet. She's most likely tall with curly, blond hair. But a lot of people argue that this rich girl is actually a picky and bossy snob.

No picky, bossy snob here. Just innocent and sweet with a touch of mischievous thrown in for good measure.
This is no act, I really am cheery!

Natalie:
French origin name derived from the Latin "Dies Natalis," meaning "Natal Day" or "birthday" in reference to the birth of Christ, and was traditionally given to girls born around Christmas.

Personality:
Natalie has brains behind her beauty. She's pictured as a fair-haired and classically beautiful woman who's smart, confident, and well spoken. People also imagine she's funny, talkative and independent.

I'm not fair-haired yet but Daddy thinks I will be soon
Classically beautiful works for me!

Why is it...

...that Ashley always looks so happy while holding her sister but Natalie looks fearful or upset?

Relax baby sister, I've got everything under control

I believe...

...that life was meant to be EMBRACED, not just endured.
TREASURED not just tolerated.
SAVORED not just survived.
ADVERTISED not just avoided.
ILLUMINATED not just ignored.
And most of all,
I believe that life was meant to be CELEBRATED.
*********************************************************
I have been carrying around this saying in my purse for about 15 years now (do you remember giving it to me, Mom?) and came across it today while cleaning out my purse(thanks to Jean for the awesome new purse which forced me to clean out my old one!). Sometimes I don't get what I want (and sometimes I do!). But it's not getting what I want that makes me appreciate what I've got even more. I love my family and even when it's hectic and topsy-turvy, I love my life. For all of the times that I feel like I'm just enduring, tolerating, surviving, avoiding and/or ignoring, I remind myself what's truly important; FAMILY. It may not make the gray clouds go away, but it makes me focus on the silver lining, no matter how small of a lining it is.

A 58 year old kiddo!

For Dad's birthday he decided he wanted to play at AC Gilbert Discovery Village. I was super excited because it's a place I've wanted to visit for over 10 years; nothing but hands on toys and learning tools and fun, fun, fun! Who could resist? It's also the perfect place for Ashley as it's one of those rare places where children are encouraged to run around, touch things, play, be loud and not.sit.still (need I remind you what happened when I took Ashley to the library last summer....). AC Gilbert is the man who invented the erector set, so in that hands-on fashion the AC Gilbert Discovery Village was created for children and grown up kids (like Dad and I) to go, touch, learn, play and make endless memories.
After Ashley touched everything there was to touch, went down the slide 20+ times, ran through, under, over and around everything there was to run on, we headed for a much-needed lunch at none other than Red Robbin. Dad's birthday present to himself; a nice, big, juicy bacon cheeseburger. Yuuummy!
It was a great day and I cannot wait to go back and play some more this spring!

Midgets in a giant's chair
Boo! You scared me, Daddy!
Mommy, you know I'm only going to last in this contraption for a short while, right?
Crawling my way through the 'stomach' - this is so much fun!
The Bubble Room - my favorite! Make me a BIG one, Grandpa!
Daddy's even having bubble fun
Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy
How's it going, Grandpa?
Riding the time machine back to 1952 when Grandpa was born
The Rainforest Room was so much fun
Grandpa makes a pretty flower don't you think?
Mommy's surrounded by monkeys
Tea time with Daddy in the China Room
Mommy loved this room - she's not sure how it worked but our images would appear on the giant screen. Mommy on the left, Midget in the middle getting a bite of cookie from Daddy on the right. Totally psychedelic man.
Checking out the trains while Daddy dreams of having one of his own displays
Back in the bubble with Mommy and Nana
Whatcha looking at Daddy?
Loving on Grandpa
The whole crew at dinner
We had so much fun with Nana and Grandpa today
Family portraits at Red Robbin - so intimate
After a long day of playing hard, we decided to cuddle on the couch for a minute
See that smile? Tummy time isn't all torture.
Happy birthday Grandpa! I had fun celebrating with you today!

And just for fun, let's look at pictures from Grandpa's birthday last year and see how much we've all changed....

Birthday Boy and his love
Mommy and me with Auntie A sneaking in the background
Aren't I cute with my two little teeth, Daddy?

Life on Planet Dad

Our girls are the luckiest; they have such an amazing and loving dad. I'm not that far behind them either as he's an amazing and loving husband, too. He's just great. That's all there is to it.

Catching a quick nap
Hey Daddy, I sure do love you
Mommy calls this my Botox look

Superman

Here's what we been learning lately - Ashley's a jumper. Doesn't matter what she's standing on, whether she's supposed to be standing on it or not, she's a jumper.
Last night she was standing on the sofa, and just as Jake and I told her to sit down, she launched herself at me. Full-on Superman style. I got my hands up just in time to tag her in the throat and take her head to my chest. Makes for a lovely thumping sound. But it also makes for blood, and plenty of it. It took a few seconds to find the source, but we finally realized where it was coming from; her tongue. She put two perfect tooth shape and sized holes on either side of her tongue. Once the bleeding stopped the swelling and discoloration began. Last night the marks were a lovely purple color and this morning they've switched to red.
I'm sure it's painful, but you'd never guess by watching her play.
Full on.
Superman style.

War wounds
A perfect pair
Makes for a great story don't you think?

You just never know...

...what's going to happen when we go to Mom and Dad's house.
Recently I loaded Ashley and Natalie up and spent the day doing nothing at Mom and Dad's. It had been a long time (too long in fact) since we got to hang out without an agenda. To say it was a nice day would be an understatement.
Before Ashley took her nap she helped Mom bake peanut butter cookies. Ashley *loves* helping; just give her a job and she'll be your best friend. So when Mom handed her a fork and showed her how to criss-cross the dough-balls, Ashley was all kinds of smiles. At first she needed a little assistance, but once she got the first dozen under her belt, she knew exactly what to do. She'd even say "One, two" as she made the criss-cross' in the dough.
Of course all of that hard work didn't come without a reward. Ashley was quick to get into a rhythm:
1. pick up sugar-coated dough balls from bowl
2. drop onto baking sheet
3. lick remaining sugar off of fingers
4. fork in criss-cross design
5. lick remaining sugar off of fork
6. repeat steps 1 through 5
She was a long way from being sanitary, but who really cares? Making memories isn't always about following the rules. Besides, any germs she got on the cookies were going to be baked to death anyhow!
Not too long after the cookies were baked and Ashley was sound asleep, Natalie decided to join in the fun by exploding out of her diaper, all up her back. Mom tossed her soiled blanket and onsie into the wash while I cleaned her up (Mom was the one holding her when it happened, so why was I the one doing the cleaning?!). I set her on her changing pad in nothing but her socks and wouldn't you know she peed. At that point the only place left for her to go was the kitchen sink to be washed up, so in she went while her socks joined her onsie and blanket in the wash. After a quick scrub and lotion job, I put her back in her pants and jacket but didn't have anything for her feet. Check out the pictures below to see how we improvised. Lovely, isn't it?
Nana and Poppie even came over to visit while we were there. We had a great time sitting around, eating cookies and playing cards. Too bad I lost. Big time. But even though I went home the biggest loser, we still had fun making memories. And cookies. And getting a bath in the kitchen sink.
You just never know what's going to happen at Mom and Dad's house!

You gotta make sure the dough balls get totally covered in sugar or else there's nothing to lick off your fingers
Nana's teaching me how to criss-cross the cookies
Step 3 - lick remaining sugar off of fingers
One, two criss-cross'
Step 5 - lick remaining sugar off of fork
Dude, where did my clothes go?
Come on guys, I barely fit in here
Nana's Easter socks are rocking, don't you think?