giveaway results

Grandma J, you are the lucky lady!  No guarantees on when I'll get it done (it's a very individualized gift), but when you least suspect it....

My date with Chick {and a giveaway}

It is Chick's birthday month, and our new tradition is a one on one photoshoot and a treat afterwards.

I MIGHT rethink that tradition after a few more cold and rainy January photoshoots, though.

At any rate, we had a fun time.  We ended up going into a leasing office, of all places, and taking pictures in there.  It was quite lovely.  And no one kicked us out, so that was nice too. 



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Afterwards we went to Jamba Juice and had hot chocolate and girl talk : )

These are the "outtakes."

Since I like getting comments, this will be just like Monkey's birthday pics:  leave a comment telling me your favorite picture (from the numbered pictures), and you'll be entered to win a giveaway.  I'll pick the winner next Thursday, January 27th, at noon.  The prize will be a surprise, but it's awesome (if I do say so myself).

So THIS is what happens

when I'm at a meeting and Daddy is in charge : )

{This is a frame taken from a video...but he said their names and I couldn't show it here.  Any ideas on how to blank out names from a video?}

Twinkle toes and new apparel.

Ok, first of all, Chick started dance classes!  I'm definitely more excited than she is.  One of those "living-vicariously-though-your-children" sort of things.  One of those "I'm-destined-to-be-a-stage-mom" things.  Anyhow, it's ballet for 3.5 - 5 year olds.  As in pre-pre-ballet.  But it's so cute, and she did a great job at her first class.

After Dance class the kids and I went up to visit my sister, who had a friend that was liquidating all of her MASSIVE supply of kids clothes.  I got so many cute things!  I tried to not look at the kids' current sizes, but I did get some things for them to wear now.  But it's mostly grow into stuff.  Seriously, I think I completely outfitted Moose from 2t-4t (I already had up to 2t).  And Chick is set for probably the next 2 years.  I got about 5 garbage bags full.  Plus some baby food and diapers for Moose.  A winter coat for each child, as well as a rain coat for each.  Tap shoes, leotards, 18 pairs of shoes & as many pairs of jammies.  Thank you Becky!

Here are the girls in some of their new finery.  Chick is wearing a new sweater, skirt, and tights.  Monkey is wearing a new dress and socks.

And I came home to find that HH had worked on some projects.  What a great day!

Salt & Sugar & Moose.

I've decided that Chick is Salt and Monkey is Sugar.

Chick adds life to whatever she's doing.  She's full of it (life, I mean).  She is strong-willed sometimes, but she'll be good as new if you give her a hug and tell her that you love her.  She's a name rememberer.  A "who can I walk with to class" kinda gal.  I think she'll be a swing dancer someday.  She is always pushing herself to learn new things.  She NEVER wants to go home, regardless of where we've been. 

Monkey has always had a special sweetness about her.  From birth.  Noticeably sweet.  She's a peacemaker, a toy sharer, a cuddler.  She's shy.  She does like to go out if she's with a loved one, but also likes to come home.  She likes people, but takes a very long time to warm up and show them that.  She is curious and gets into everything.  From the time she could walk she was pushing chairs up to the counter so that she could get into things. 

The line from the "Sisters" song in White Christmas is them: "there were never such devoted sisters."  They love each other.  Despite their differences, they are best friends.  I hope it continues.

And then there's Moose.  I was thinking what ingredient he'd be.  For me, he's the flour.  One of those ingredients that you rely on.  You don't often want to go without it.  That's Moose.  I'm crazy about him.  Three girls in a row would have been really fun, but I can NOT imagine our family without that adorable, happy guy.  He's all boy (the gender difference is striking--there's just a different aura or something).  He's an eater.  He's a lover.

And me?  I'm happy to be around them (most of the time).  Breaks are needed, of course, but after a little while I'm anxious to get back and find out what adventures they'd had in my absence. 

Cute Little People Today

Cute Chick: watching "Annie" and doing her best to immitate the moves of the Rockettes. (Next time they watch that one I'll have my camera ready and try to get a video of it).

Cute Monkey: she'd pulled all of Chick's dresses and skirts off their hangers. I asked her why and she said, "cause." I looked sternly at her, and she picked one up as if to hang it up and jumped (about 1/2"). The she turned to me, and shaking her head said "Reach it." Then she handed them to me one by one while I hung them up.

Cute Moose: in his exersaucer, and Monkey was sitting on a stool next to him. It looked suspiciously like Monkey was feeding him homemade pizza, and when I told her not to Moose turned and GRINNED at me, as if to say, "Whatever, Mom." That boy has us all eating out of his palm, I'm afraid.



(They weren't quite so cute when Chick and Monkey used Wilton's red and green food coloring as makeup...or when a DVD got broken...or when Moose cried for what must have been an hour and never DID take a nap....  Everyone has their moments, I guess.)



The girls thought it was wildly hilarious to have CHICK sitting on MONKEY's lap, rather than vice versa.