365:Day 28 ~ Thirty-Nine in '09

Today is my darling hubby’s birthday…his 39th birthday! Wow. All I can say is that it’s amazing that the first birthday I spent with my favorite man was his 23rd! I’ve celebrated SEVENTEEN birthdays with Bill. Seventeen is how old I was when I met him. Weird, huh?!?! But totally cool!

We celebrated this year with a group of our dearest friends at a yummy Mexican food restaurant…La Hacienda Ranch! And of course – the wait staff sang Bill a birthday song LaHa style, complete with a gooey messy brownie!

Happy Birthday, Babe!
I love you more than you know!

365:Day 27 ~ Blogger Buddies

My dear friend, Paige, came into town for the weekend with her little man, Jagger! So, this afternoon we had a playdate with Katie and Cole! It was loud, crazy, covered in Goldfish crackers, and loads of fun!!! :) Macy and Carly loved playing with the little ones…for a little while anyway…then they colored on their own while the little men played.

Now, Jagger and Cole aren’t just blogger buddies anymore…now they’re real buds! I’m so glad that Paige and Katie got to finally meet, their munchkins got to play, and the girls and I got to be a part of it! Personally…I can’t wait until next time!

365:Day 26 ~ Homework

Our big kindergartener brings home a book – “a guided reading book” – each and every night. It’s her homework. She has to read it to us a few times and tell us about the story.

Well, as much and Bill and I look forward to this…and as much as Macy loves it…I do believe that Carly loves it the most! She absolutely cannot wait for her sister to read to her. She practically sits on top of Macy, looks at each picture, and hangs on her sissy’s every word.

Precious. Truly precious.

365:Day 25 ~ First Position

Today was an early release day for Macy – which the girls LOVE because they have so much more time to play together! I had to laugh. They were in the middle of playing a little mini bowling game on our tile floor and asked for my help in setting up the lane, pins, etc. As I was assisting, I glanced over and noticed that Macy still had on her school clothes, but with a slight alteration in footwear. She was sporting her ballet shoes...with her jeans and shirt! She such a little dancer.

So, when I asked her to bust out a little First Position for me...she very carefully and precisely placed her feet exactly how she wanted them and then instructed me to take the picture. :) I swear this girl even dances in her sleep! Love that little prima ballerina......

365:Day 24 ~ Working Girl

As most of you know, in addition to being a wife, mama, house keeper, chef {and I use this term lightly}, chauffer, room parent, etc., etc., etc…I also work from home for a few hours every day.

And some days – like today for instance – I almost can’t stand the sight of my phone, keyboard, pens…well, my desk in general. Today, work was particularly demanding, which is SO difficult on Tuesdays. Since we have dance, I have an extremely limited amount of time to work and it always seems to be the day that I have the heaviest load.

I didn’t get done before Carly and I left to pick Macy up from school, which meant that I had to work tonight. For an hour and a half. Ew. AND THEN…I had to pay bills. AND NOW…I’m blogging.

BUT…the blogging part is relaxing and is repairing my relationship with my desk for the moment! :) At least until work time tomorrow…

365:Day 23 ~ And Speaking of Comfy...

I hated Crocs…for like a year after they really became popular.

And then, I buckled and got Macy a pair a few years ago.

Suddenly, I’m hard pressed to find something that I think kiddos look cuter tooting around in. There’s just something about them – and, I think that the smaller they are, the cuter they are.

Anyway, I’ve been wanting to get the girls each a pair of the super soft, comfy, cozy, sherpa lined Crocs for this whole fall / winter season. There’s a little kiosk in our mall that has had them buy one get one ½ off for the whole season, BUT every time I have been by there, they never had both girl’s sizes in stock. So, I’ve been checking back and checking back with no luck.

Then…a couple days ago, Erin told me that right now the lined Crocs are $15 on sale at Dick’s Sporting Goods. HOORAY! And double HOORAY that they had both girl’s sizes this afternoon on the way home from gymnastics. To say that the girls were thrilled would be an understatement…they wore them out of the store and had them on most of the night.

Oh, and did I mention that the lining is TOTALLY washable? Awesome.

THANKS, MISS ERIN!!! :)

365:Day 22 ~ The Big O

I had a date tonight. Really wish that I could have gotten a better picture of him {I tried and tried, but just couldn’t make it happen. Clearly, this is where I need better photography skills}. I had a date with Oscar tonight…just as I do once a year.

I love all things Hollywood.
I love movie stars.
I love movies.
I love tv.
I love the Academy Awards.
I love Oscar!

365:Day 21 ~ Comfy

Macy chose this lovely outfit all by herself today. Yep. I was informed that she wanted to be “comfy” and that she likes BRIGHT ORANGE and BRIGHT PINK together. So, who am I to argue? We went to the gym and the grocery store in this outfit. Out in public…yes we did. Wow.

I’ve learned as a parent sometimes you have to choose your battles. And “comfy” wasn’t a battle I really thought I needed to win. :)

365:Day 20 ~ Ribbons and Bows...4x

Having two girls means that I do hair at least FOUR TIMES almost.every.day. Sometimes more and sometimes less…but usually it’s four times a day. Pigtails, braids, headbands, ponytails, buns, knots, parts, rubber bands, ribbons, bows, barrettes, clips, bobby pins, brushes, combs, spray bottles, detangler, blow drying…and often a few tears, whimpers, and protesting…from the girls too, not just me! :) HA! {Oh, and that's not counting doing my own hair!!!}

Part of the multiple-time-a-day hair fixing is my doing. I just cannot seem to be okay with letting the girls walk around with their hair in their faces. Yep. Anal. Can’t be helped. And also, neither of them really have the kind of hair where I could get away with that. It’s wispy. So, I continue to do their hair many times a day. Kinda fun…kinda a pain.

In fact, I’m off for time #3 and #4 right now…...gotta look presentable for our dinner date with the Bryces, after all!!! :)

365:Day 19 ~ Oh Baby!

Ever since I took that picture of Jill’s baby bump last Thursday, I’ve been so excited about Sweet Allie’s arrival! Nathan and Jill’s precious little bundle was born yesterday afternoon. Alexandra Jo weighed 7 lbs., 14 oz. and was 19.5” long. Jill and Allie are both doing great!

And of course, the highlight of our day today was going to meet this little mama! We went by the hospital after we picked up Carly from school. Unfortunately, Macy woke up with a mysterious cough this morning, so she had to miss our visit {pretty sure that she’s totally fine, but didn’t want to risk it!} BUT…Macy ahhh'ed and ooh la la’ed over this pic! :)

Allie is just precious…and Nathan and Jill both look fantastic – especially Jill! :) I think that it’s fair to say that what I was doing while we were there could be considered baby hogging! I.just.couldn’t.help.myself. Allie is too yummy for words! I mean really…look at that face!

Congratulations, Nathan and Jill!

Welcome to the World, Baby Allie!

We’re so glad that you’re finally here,

and that we have a new member of the “family”!!!

365:Day 18 ~ A Monthly Fave!

I have been meeting with the same bunco group once a month for the last 4½ years. We met when we were all in the same Baby Boot Camp class, and started this bunco group. Our kiddos are the same ages for the most part…we’ve had babies together…playgroups...shared recipes…etc. And we still meet once a month for what is now Girl’s Night. We haven’t actually played bunco in I don’t know how long! We just eat yummy junky food, drink wine, and chat, chat, CHAT!!! I have to say that I adore this group of women and so look forward to the third Wednesday every month!

Oh, and a big, giant, thank you to Joanne…aka Grandma…for being my bunco babysitter every month! The girls look forward to it just at much as I do!!!

365:Day 17 ~ Cha Cha Carnival

When I started this 365 blog, I mentioned that I had seen the idea on the blog of a girl named Natalie. Katie had gotten a camera strap from of Natalie’s Etsy store, Cotton Candy: by Natalie, and I found a camera strap that I wanted. I might have dropped a few hints to my hubby that I might like this camera strap for Valentine’s Day. Maybe. A few hints. Possibly an email with the direct link to the exact strap. Ahem.

Well, my darling hubs took the hints, and he and the girls got me this totally cutie camera strap for Love Day! And I am tickled! Just put it on last night and it really makes the camera look better, I must say! :) It’s called Cha Cha Carnival and is a tidge girly, but lucky for me Bill doesn’t mind at.all. I think that he kinda thinks it’s all just part of the package of having 2 girls. I love, love, LOVE it! Thanks to my 3 favorite people for my fun Vday gift! :)

365:Day 16 ~ Sweet Lovin'

So, Macy had today off of school because it’s President’s Day. And boy-oh-boy were my little girls worn out from all the fun they had with my parents this weekend! Needless to say, they were a little cranky. Especially the wee one. Carly has been in better moods, to put it mildly. Everything was an argument from the moment she got up this morning. I mean everything! Somehow, we made it to the gym, and after that, we went to Target for some major grocery shopping. And Carly proceeded to act like a total basket case for the first 15-20 minutes of our little shopping experience.

I had already decided since Macy was off of school that as a special treat, we could stop and pick up Chick-Fil-A for lunch on the way home from Target, but hadn’t mentioned it to the kids. So, during one of several “fits” while we were shopping, I busted out french fries as ammo, and voila…my little stinker started to behave. The rest of the shopping trip was better and we made it home in one piece with our yummo lunch.

And the best part for me was, of course, the sweet tea! The title of this post is one of Bobby’s favorite phrases. Chick-Fil-A sweet tea can only truly be described in one way…SWEET LOVIN’! :)

You know what else is sweet lovin’? Bribing your kids. He, he, he…

365:Day 15 ~ Tally...I mean......Marley and Me

My Valentine and I had a little Love Day date last night…dinner at a hole-in-the-wall Italian place, brought dessert and a movie home, and the girls stayed the night with my parents. Then as a continuation to our date, we went and saw a movie today – Marley and Me – and wow, was it a good one. I know, we’re a little behind considering this movie’s been out since Christmas, but I’m happy to say that we caught it at the dollar theater {I HATE paying full price for movies}!

Bill and I used to be major movie goers back in the day. Now, we probably only make it to a handful each year. As a result, it’s even more important to us now that we really like the movie that we see. And Marley and Me was so good. So, so good. And so sad. So, so good and so, so sad. Wow.

I think that’s it’s safe to say that I was moved – literally moved to tears. Full on tears…rolling down my cheeks…trying to choke back sobs. This movie hit pretty close to home for me. Now, in order for you to have a similar reaction to mine, you have to be a dog person. I mean REALLY a dog person…like you’re happy to see them when you get home, like to snuggle up with them, and think of them as a member of the family. A DOG person.

In the past 2 months, Tally has started to lose her sight – I think that it’s actually completely gone now. For the past couple of years, she’s looked a bit older in her face, but hasn’t really “acted” older…until this loss of vision. It's hard to watch her age. Without spoiling the movie for those of you who haven’t’ seen it, Marley’s life story could be Tally’s. Marley is full of spunk, trouble, and mischief…and so is Tally! Of course, as the preview outlines, Marley passes away at the end of the movie. And although I was prepared for this…I wasn’t prepared for just how much Marley’s attributes would mirror Tally’s.

I.was.a.mess. A hot mess. I’m pretty sure that I’ve never, ever cried that hard from a movie. And I consider myself an emotional person that gets teary-eyed extremely easily. But this was crazy. I could barely talk when we left the theater. BUT…I will say that it reminded me of the fact that we love and adore Tally, not in spite of all her shenanigans, but because of them. She is our very first baby, and I wouldn’t trade one naughty moment. I hope that she still has several years left in her, because I honestly don’t know what I’d do without her…




P.S. I know what you are all thinking, and YES, Jennifer Aniston did remind me of myself. Almost a perfect match in terms of looks, don’t’cha think??? :) HA...I wish!

365:Day 14 ~ Love Is In The Air...

…everywhere I look around. Love is in the air…every sight and every sound.

Sing it with me now…

Love is in the air – doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo.
Love is in the ai-AIR – doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo.

Ahem. I got a little carried away! Anyhoo…Valentine’s Day is my very favorite holiday and I hope that each of you has a good one! This little photo compilation is of some of the Valentine décor that is throughout my house! I really can’t think of anything better than a holiday to celebrate people we love!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

365:Day 13 ~ B.I.N.G.O.

Today was Macy’s completely adorable Love Day Party at school! I’m lucky enough to be one of the room moms for her class and got to help out at the party! My “jobs” were reading 3 stories to the kiddos…takes me back to my teaching roots…AND I was in charge of Heart Bingo!

I had a great time {as always} with MG and her class…but more importantly, the kids had a FANTASTIC time! And even more important than that is how much Macy loves when I come up to her school and help out! It warms my heart…and I have to get in on it now because I have a feeling that it won’t be too long before she doesn’t want me around all the time!

365:Day 12 ~ Baby Allie

Today Carly and I had lunch with Miss Jill, Miss Erin, and Sweet Landry at Tin Star…one of my very favorite places to go. I seriously heart their queso, tortilla soup, cobb salad, and corn salad. Yum, yum, YUMMO!

Jill is about to pop! Baby Allie is going to make her debut next Wednesday…unless she decides she’s cooked long enough before then. {Wasn’t Jill an AWESOME sport for letting me snap this pic?!?!} Jill started maternity leave this week and we thought it would be fun to have a lunch date before Allie arrives! We had a fun and delicious lunch, and I can’t wait until next time! :)

365:Day 11 ~ Three

I do believe that we are officially entering a new chapter in Carly’s life. What chapter you ask? Well, let’s see…how should I describe it…oh, I know, how about The Assertive, Opinionated, Independent, Sassy, Strong-Willed, I Want It My Way ALL.THE.TIME Toddler Chapter. I think that we’ll call it Chapter 3.

I seem to remember this happening with Macy…and Ashton for that matter…and Erin and I talking about not knowing what in the world to do with the 3 year old attitude. And, it’s rearing it’s ugly head in the Leonard house yet again. Carly has always made her opinion known, but in the last few days, she has been particularly – shall we say – vocal about it. Very vocal. Loudly. Repeatedly. I’m not sure that I can even count the number of times that Bill and I have heard the word “no” or some sort of sassy talk in the last 2 days. What I can count is the number of times that this little chick has been to the corner in the last day and a half…THREE. Kinda fitting…since this is Chapter 3 and all.

At times I am finding it difficult not to laugh at her when she’s in the throws of “telling us how she feels.” BUT…I do know that this will pass. And that it’s part of her finding her place in the world…finding her voice…finding her self. It’s all about learning and growing and it’s our job to help her find her way. So, I have a feeling that our Bixie will be spending a bit more time in the above pictured corner……

It’s hard to be 3 years old…in the middle of Chapter 3…spending 3 minutes in the corner each time.

Three.

***

P.S. Do you see that little smirk on her face while she's standing in the corner? Little toot. Oh, and I failed to mention this, but the reason she was in the corner this afternoon {for the second time today} was because she cut a hole in her shirt. With baby scissors. A hole. In her shirt. Nice. Those baby scissors barely cut paper...can't believe she managed to cut a hole in her shirt.

365:Day 10 ~ Tie Chicken

Last week, Macy asked me to make “Tie Chicken” for dinner, but our meals were already planned for the week, so I told her that I’d make it on Sunday night. Tie Chicken…or Chicken Pesto Pasta to the rest of us…is Macy’s very favorite meal of all time. She likes it better than peanut butter sandwiches, hot dogs, soft tacos, pizza, and everything else! I think that I can safely say that I don’t think there’s a meal out there that she gobbles up more quickly!

And it is VERY delish! I got this recipe from my friend Erin. It’s cubed chicken, bowtie pasta {hence the “Tie Chicken”}, sun dried tomatoes, Italian cheese, and pesto. Super easy and soooooo yummy! A couple months ago Erin and Bobby spur-of-the-moment invited us to dinner and Erin happened to be making this. The kids sat down to eat and Erin saw Macy chowing down and said, “I’ve never seen anything like this…in Macy’s 6 years, I’ve never seen her eat so fast!" HA!

Anyway, tonight we had leftovers! Macy was actually disappointed that it was gone. Chicken Pesto Pasta…who woulda thunk it?

365:Day 9 ~ Beep, Beep, BEEEEEP!!!

So, unfortunately….

I turned the alarm off this morning. In 4 years of Macy going to school, we have never overslept! Normally, I get up at 6:15am and wake Macy at 6:20. We have to leave between 7:25-7:30, so that gives us a little over an hour. For those of you who know her well, you are aware that she is so not a morning person! Doesn’t like to get up and get moving…eat breakfast QUICKLY…etc. {she comes by this naturally – Bill and I aren’t morning peeps either – and Carly seems to be following in our footsteps, too!}

Somehow, I woke up and 6:58am, flew into Macy’s room, got her dressed, fed, teeth brushed, face washed, hair done, and dropped off at 7:37am. I don’t know how we managed, but we did! It was a cah-razy 39 minutes and all I can say is PHEW!

Note to self…“off” does NOT equal “snooze”!!! :)

365:Day 8 ~ Bulls Eye

I just got back from a trip to Target…probably one of my very most favorite places to go! We were in desperate need of some groceries. {I feel like we are perpetually out of fruit. Anyone else feel me on that?} So, this is more than likely the first of many trips to Target this week, but what was different about this trip is that I went all.by.myself.

No kids.
Just me.
On my own.
Alone.

And really, there is only one word to describe my glorious, leisurely trip to one of my favorite places…BLISS….well, and maybe bulls eye! Ahhh…

365:Day 7 ~ Book It!

I got the idea for today’s pic when I was reading Carly a book before nap today. This is one of many shelves full of kid’s books in our house. We have them in almost every room – Macy’s room, Carly’s room, the playroom, the family room, and even our cars. Books, books, and more books! Both of our girls love to look at books and love to be read to! They were both sitting in our laps turning pages before they were 6 months old! It’s definitely a favorite activity for all 4 of us in the Leonard house – something we look forward to more than once a day! And honestly, I think that reading to our kids is one of the single-most important things we can do for them…it definitely plays a roll in shaping their future!

Macy’s current fave is Priscilla: Superstar! by Nathaniel Hobbie {from the Priscilla series that she loves}

And Carly’s current fave is Corduroy by Don Freeman {which also happens to be my very favorite children’s book of all time}

The girl’s favorites are always changing, weekly even! In part because although we probably easily have over 400 kid’s books in our house…I can’t seem to stop buying more!!! :) I suppose there are worse habits I could have…

365:Day 6 ~ H2O

In an effort to be a bit healthier {and lose a little weight}, I have really been trying to drink more water. It’s suggested that people drink the same number of ounces of water every day equal to half of their body weight. Oof…that’s not very easy! I feel like all I do these days is drink water. I take this 30oz. bottle with me to the gym each day and try to force myself to drink additional water throughout the day…a minimum of 60oz. per day. It’s no problem when I’m at the gym, but wow…I pretty much gag it down the rest of the day.

My question is – why does water taste so great, perfect even, when you’re thirsty...and when you’re not, it’s slightly torturous to drink it? Ponder that, but don’t wait too long to give me an answer…I might float away! :)

365:Day 5 ~ A New Little BFF

Well.

I have a new, super duper CUTE little BFF. His name is Cole, and he is a.dor.able!!! Cole is Katie’s little guy. As I mentioned, Katie and I have been meeting up at the gym regularly. Cole is 18 months old and I have been determined to make this little man love me! We’ve been working up to the love…first a couple of high-fives, a few fist bumps, I held him a time or two, and we played a little bit of informal peek-a-boo! But, today we had an unexpected visit with Cute Cole…Katie got a last minute hair appointment, but had no one to keep him. So, Cole got to come and hang with us for a few hours. And let me just tell you…there was a lot of love flowing! Cole was completely content…like he’d been here a million times. No tears. No whimpering. Nothing. BFFs!!!!!

Carly and Cole had fun playing together. He played with funny Mr. Bill. And, we played cars while Carly was napping. It was a fun unexpected afternoon with our new little BFF! Can’t wait until next time we can play! :) Seriously…is that not the CUTEST face ever?!?!?!

365:Day 4 ~ Milt

Carly’s class at My Gym is every Wednesday morning. Each week, the teacher leading the circle time that day asks the kids to tell everyone their name and asks them a question. It’s great for getting the kiddos to come out of their shells a little bit. This morning’s question gave me the idea for my picture for today.

“What’s your favorite drink?”

No shocker here. Carly said “milt” {quit loudly and with authority, actually}! She loves her some milk and will choose it over just about any other drink! Yes…our Bixie has a special little love affair going on with Silk Very Vanilla Soymilk! And as much as I hope she outgrows her dairy allergy, I can’t help but wonder if this kid will ever like regular milk after years of having a vanilla shake three times a day!

365:Day 3 ~ Tax-EE!

Pretty sure that this one’s self explanatory, but do you ever feel like you spend your life in your car? Sometimes I feel like a taxi driver…school, My Gym, dance, gymnastics, grocery store, Target, bank, car pool {several times a day}, plus all the other errands! I took this pic on my way to pick Carly up from school – my third trip to a school in 3 hours. And in 30 minutes, I’m going to head out for my forth.

But. The truth is, I wouldn’t trade one taxi driving moment. I love carting my girls around to all the places they love. I love our great convos in the car…I love to listen to them chatter and sing…I love that Macy has become a backseat driver and cracks me up almost daily {"Mama, are you supposed to be going 50?"}...and I love that Carly says “turn it up peez” about 200 times a day! AND…I know that one day I’ll miss driving them around everywhere. So until then, I think I’ll buckle up and enjoy it! :)

365:Day 2 ~ Let's Get Physical!

Back in November or December, I had the pleasure of finally meeting my blog buds, Katie and Cole, in person up at the gym so Katie and I could work out together. Since it was the holidays, I think that we only met up there like 3 times, but we have really gotten busy in the last few weeks.

I’ve been spending 6 days a week up there! Bill gets to come work out with me 3 days a week, Macy can come on the weekends, but usually it’s just Carly and I that head up there. She loves the Kid’s Club…and likes spending time with her new friend Cole. Everyday, she asks if Katie and Cole are going to be there! Cole has been feeling a little yuck for the last week, so they haven’t been up with us since last Tuesday. And I have to say…I can’t wait until Cole is feeling better because once you start working out with a friend, it’s hard to go back. Katie and I hit it off right away, and the time passes SO much faster when there’s someone to chat with! :)

So, in the words of Olivia Newton John…I hope that I start “to hear my body talk” very soon!!! It’s not easy for me to make myself get up there and “get physical”…

365:Day 1 ~ Bald is Beautiful

What better place to kick things off than with my husband’s newly bald head?

Okay. I guess he’s technically not completely bald…but pretty close. There’s only a speckle of hair to be found.

Last night, we went over to Erin and Bobby’s house because our friends Chris and Kynda were in town with their new sweet baby, Bailey. We were all having a great time...as usual...and somehow the boys got on the topic of shaving Bill's head {Bobby’s been trying to talk him into it for years}. They wanted to shave it right then and there, but Bill just said that maybe he’d surprise them one day.

Apparently that day was today. This morning he told me he was going to quickly cut his hair before we left for the gym. When he was done, I was surprised to find that he’d actually followed through with it, and cut darn near all his hair off! Of course…he looks cute as ever to me!!! :)

***

And so begins my new blog. I personally can’t think of a better way to spend Superbowl Sunday than creating a new blog. Considering I have zero interest in football – I think that making this “Bloggerbowl Sunday” instead was more appropriate for me! :)

Happy February…
Happy Day 1 of Project 365: Photo-a-Day for 2009…
Happy Hair-Free Hubby!!!