:)

Good Times!

:::::Nothing is better than spending time with these faces::::::

We want to thank Andrea for letting us crash at her place!

My heart is full...which is good, because it is going to be broken in a few days when Paul gets on the plane and travels far far away for a month :(

I can't believe-------

that this gorgeous girl is mine! I also can't believe that she is almost 2 and 1/2.

She is definitely 2 and had her first really big screaming/crying/kicking tantrum about a week ago. I really thought that since it hadn't happened yet, that we were going to just skip that part of the 2's. At least it has only happened a couple of times.

Right now this little beauty is::::::

So into CARS!! She would play cars 24/7 (and pretty much does!) She eats, sleeps, breathes cars! (I was the same way when I was little) She has no care in the world for dolls. She did pick a pink carseat for her new seat though....first "girly" thing she has done!!!! Well, she LOVES shoes too...so really, she is a well rounded.

She dips almost everything in ketchup

Loves to help me in the kitchen, and pretty much with everything.

She doesn't wake up until 8am and then likes to play in her bed until 9am!! (this is such a gift for me!!!)

She LOVES her little brother (most of the time)

She loves reading and books.

LOVES to travel and try new things!! She is so adventurous.

She loves singing and dancing and she is GOOD.

She still loves Curious George, but now she also loves to watch Yo Gabba Gabba (which is a hilarious show!)

She loves animals

loves to get ahold of my camera and take pics ( I love to see what she captures)

loves to steal the last bit "sip" (as she calls it) of my coffee.

Can drink sparkling water down like nothing (for anyone who has tried this...it burns!!) doesn't phase her.

Her favorite songs are Dave Matthews Band song and a Jack Johnson song...perfect!

She loves to get dirty and have a good time.

There are so many things about this "little mama" and I just wanted to capture some of the things that she is and is into right now.

We love you "dyllie monster" !!!

It is too hard to believe.........

that this little-big man is SIX months old already!!! WOW...I can't believe it.

***Look at those cheeks!!***

He is a beautiful little guy (which he will hate that I said that as he gets older)

He is such an amazing little guy. He is so mellow and laid back. He only cries when his big sister "accidentally" falls on him or hugs him a little to hard. Or at really loud noises...other than that he is happy. We are lucky.

Right now he is:

LOVING his jumper!

Trying new foods and doesn't like them very much!! So far, he has tried sweet peas, sweet potatoes, rice cereal, and whole grain cereal. He likes the whole grain cereal best (but that just means he doesn't gag and spit it out right away..he actually swallows a little before spitting most of it out!). This will be our work in progress!! He doesn't cry about it or anything, he just doesn't seem to enjoy eating. This is pretty foreign to us, as Madilyn liked almost everything from the beginning when she was his age. (It is a different story now though :)

These days Cowen is::::

Smiling!!!! and laughing...he is SO ticklish and it is too fun!

Teething...he has his two middle bottom teeth already.

Trying to sit up

Playing with everything he can get his hands on!

Babbling up a storm

He is in love with his dad and gets giddy when he gets Paul's attention.

Is my little cuddle bug...I can't get enough cuddle time with him (I am so thankful that he likes it and I am eating it up while it lasts!)

trying to drink a little water from a sippy cup (and he is doing really well with it).

loves traveling and is the best traveling baby ever! (hours upon hours in a car without a peep)

Rolling over

loves to steal his sister's toys

loves to "talk" with his sister and laugh at her.

loves being "out and about" just like his sister..they are always up for new adventures with me/us!

has grown out of his infant carseat and most of his 6-9 month clothes already

is sleeping really well at night (finally!)

loves his toes!!! and is almost flexible enough to get them in his mouth...and succeeds when his diaper is off!

never pees on his mom! (which I hear is remarkable!)

and many more things that I probably just can't remember right now :)



Cowen, we are definitely "head-over-heals" for you!

Home Projects 2010

Why can't my mind ever rest when it comes to our home? I am always thinking of new things to do. Right now we are working on putting boarding on our walls similar to what you see in this picture.

also, some built in shelves in our dining nook

built in "cubbies" in the hall the the 1/2 bath

possibly some built ins in the entry-way

painting, painting, and more painting

new moldings

finishing our backyard

and organizing everything!

and did I mention that these are just the projects we hope to get done this month?

We'll see how that goes.

Cheers to 2010.

*****UPDATE: We got absolutely NONE of this done (unless you count buying the materials for some of it!!!) Oh well, at least we got a good vacation in!!!!

Right now we are a little *OBSESSED* with this------

and this-----

Yep...this is our little date nights at home after the kiddos go to bed. We love the coffee ice cream, but mostly just the coffee and caramel macchiato flavors. SO SO GOOD. The Mario Bros game reminds us of being a kid again. Too much fun.

The last few days of 2009

This past week has been all about the TOYS! and with the new year already here, I can't help but think about what a great year we had and can't wait to see what 2010 brings.

The kids are growing like crazy..and besides playing with all their new toys, here is what they were up to this week:

Cowen found his feet and is so fascinated with them! I absolutely love this age of babyhood. He is also teething like crazy (which is NOT one of my favorite parts), but is handling it pretty well. Good thing he got lots of fun new things to teeth on this Christmas.

Madilyn is working on dressing herself. Here is her progress.

and playing nonstop with toys... Madilyn loves playing with the plastic food set that her Auntie Jess got for her. We make all kinds of things with it. It keeps her and Cowen really entertained! So much fun.

How cool is this bed tent? I would have LOVED one of these when I was little. Madilyn is so thrilled to have this!! I have to admit that it is too much fun to crawl in it and read with her! We turn on the little nightlight that came with it, or use her new "Cars" flashlight and read and read.

and now back to the accomplishments: A job for the Big Sister...showing her brother how to get his foot in his mouth.

This little guy is changing everyday and I just want to remember this time forever, but it is going way too fast! Look at this little chubby man!

and more toys....we still have many, many toys to still open and get acquainted with. This little mama is going to be entertained for months and months!!

Christmas

We had our first (but hopefully annual) Christmas Eve party at our house this year. We had fondue, tons of different dips and finger foods, and of course way too many sweets. Madilyn was so excited to have her Uncle Brian here from Phoenix! We stayed up W_A_Y too late and then had to "help" Santa! Exhausting, but so much fun.

here is Madilyn putting out cookies and carrots!

Christmas morning was so much fun with these two monkeys!!

Madilyn was a little overwhelmed, but loved the whole experience of Christmas morning.

Cowen loved his sock monkey

One of the highlights of Christmas at Grandma's house...popsicles!

So happy to have Uncle Brian in town to hang out with us

Winding down after a crazy day!

We had an amazing, but very busy Christmas. It was full of great time, conversations, and overall fun with our families. This year was so much fun, as we got the enjoy the magic of Christmas again through Madilyn!

And a BIG

THANK YOU!!!!

to our families for all the wonderful gifts!!!