help!

one of my favorite things about blogging is the cute backgrounds. (i know, total dork) but mine wont change!!! ive changed it a bunch of times and it still shows the AUTUMN background. who out there can tell me what to do? calling all blogging moms...

so... ive been entertaining the idea of doing a triathalon. i really want to do it but dont want to do it alone. whos with me? seriously, i need a partner! or 2! anyone... anyone... bueller? its at innsbrook on june 6th. a 500 yd swim, 3 mile run, and 18 mile bike ride. come on - you know you want to join me!

behind on bloggin'

a month has passed! wow! we have had so much going on! this past month we drove down to SC to visit Russ' family and have a vacation. It was so nice! Unfortunately, the photos from the trip are on my old computer! Russ and I decided to go out and splurge on new computers b/c our old ones were slower than death. Its amazing how miuch more productive I am with a computer that works. Imagine that?!

valentines day was awesome. skylar and i made bacon & pink heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast. russ and bianca were awake as well. it was nice to start out the day of love with each other! russ and i decided to keep it low key. we opted to just buy each other cards and keep it simple. we waited until the kids went to bed and had a late dinner and a movie together at home.

aunt krista sent the girls some darling valentine outfits. heres a photo!

Disney On Ice

Skylar had the joy of dressing up as Snow White and going with Momma to Disney On Ice. She and about 1000 other little girls were all dressed to the 9's in their princess outfits. Skylar and her friend Mackenzie (aka Tinker Bell) were so excited, that they hopped and hollered all the way from the entrance down to the pre-show princess viewing. We eneded up with front row seats!! This was great for Skylar and Mackenzie. Both girls stood in shock and awe for the entire 2 1/2 hour performance. Afterward, the parking garage was jamb-packed with cars, so we let the girls chase each other around in a circle for about 30 minutes. Skylar passed out in her carseat before we even pulled out of our spot. ;-) When we got home, she was so exhausted but refused to take her costume off and insisted that Bianca be one of her dwarfs. As usual, B was such a good sport!

Baby Bianca

Bianca got a few little toys for christmas and she is so entertained by them. Here she is playing with her baby elephant, and a few more recent pics of her. This little turkey only likes to take little cat naps during the day - like 30 or 40 minutes at a time. She is sleeping from 10-5 at night though and for this I am very grateful! She really likes her mom and dad and has already started crying at other people. This cracks me up! She seems to cry when she sees her Grancy and her Uncle Charlie - 2 of the kindest souls on earth. Thats why its funny... because its downright ridiculous!

Playing Pretend

Skylar: "Momma, should we pretend to go bye-bye?"

Mom: "No, Skylar, lets actually get in the car and go to the YMCA."

Skylar: "But... I want to PRETEND to go the YMCA."

Oh the world of a 2 year old and her imagination is incredible. Skylar got a kitchen for christmas and has been pretending to make meals in it day in and day out. Its been well worth the money already! If you come over for a visit, plan on having a meal of a hotdog sandwich with fries, a vat of soup, and coffee thats really hot. Yum.

My aunt Janelle sent Skylar a snow white costume, which she loves. She immediately had to put it on and dig out 7 baby dolls to be her dwarfs. They were lined up on our couch for 3 days! Shes never seen the movie (damn those disney people and their silly special releases... grrr.) but I've told her the story so shes invented a game of pretend. Thanks, Janelle, for the costume. She will also be wearing it to Disney on Ice this weekend. Woo Hoo!

My favorite game of pretend is "going to the beach!" We were out at the cabin for new years, and she was playing with her beach stuff inside. She knew she couldn't actually go down to the lake and go swimming, so she was sitting in her blow up boat, pretending to be down at the beach. Of course, she had to bring Bianca with her. B was a good sport to sit inside a blow up boat! This photo just cracked me up!

growing girls

i just cant get over how quickly these little ones change! bianca is cooing up a storm; when shes awake, shes always got something to say! russ says shes chatty b/c she has to learn to keep up with skylar (and im sure me too... im not really the quiet type). she's started this smile accompanied by a few gasps and coos - her little version of a laugh. its awesome.

skylar kills me sometimes! her growing personality is fascinating to me. she is so creative already! for example, a few days ago, we went to the YMCA and then to the library. she insisted that we walk forward into the buildings, and backward on the way out. literally backward, all the way from the door, through the parking lot, to our car. here's me, holding B in the pumpkin seat, the diaper bag, library books, and skylar's hand while we walk backwards in the rain to the car. my children have tought me to be patient and enjoy the moment. who cares if we got wet? it was so cute. she loved being in charge! she also loves to scream "ECHO, ECHO, ECHO!" in every new place we go. did you know that almost all public bathrooms echo? she is loud as all get-out (wonder where she got that?!) and it drives me crazy sometimes, but i love seeing the world through her explorations. the holiday post will come soon! i was too busy to take pictures! russ and i spent most of christmas eve trying to keep skylar from going absolutely ape when her cousin got a new toy and wanted a second to look at it before she ripped it out of his hands! im waiting for my sister to post hers so i can steal them. ;-)))

Bianca in the bumbo

Bumbos are awesome! We didnt have one with Skylar, but my sister recommended we get one for Bianca. Courtesy of Russ' aunt and grandmother, we bought her one! Technically, you aren't supposed to use it until the baby is 3 months old, but shes holding her head up so we went for it! She seemed shocked and pleased to be sitting up. We plan to use this during meals so the baby can be included asap. Right now, its perched in the hallway in front of the bathroom so Bianca can watch Skylar use the potty!!! Yep, thats right, our big girl is all over the potty training! Shes doing a wonderful job. She is very into playing pretend right now and is also loving her legos! She loves to build towers ad the cat HAS TO be on top... unless of course, someone else suggests it, then she must disagree. This has had Russ and I in hysterics a few times. Her new nickname is Little Miss Disagree. I know its just because she's reaized she can have an opinion thats different from yours but dang, it can be frustrating! Skylar helps me give Bianca her baths. She is so cute about it. Here are a few pics of our bedtime routine.