Wide awake past midnight... again!

well, there is a thunderstorm in december. wth? it woke me
up about 20 minutes after i fell asleep, my body thought i'd
napped, so here i am, messing with my blog at 12:15am. i
tried to make it cute but somehow managed to really mess
it up! somebody, please tell me how i get my text to fit inside
the designated area that shabby blogs created for my cute
new christmas background!!! im frustrated!


anyway, i hope you can read this ghetto, poorly aligned
post. the girls and i had a such a fun afternoon. we made
our 1st batch of gingerbread cookies. i cheated a bit and
im so glad i did. i bought the ready made dough so we just
got to cut out and decorate. the 1st year we lived in this house,
i made russ gingerbread cookies and they were SO nasty.
not only did they burn, but after i was finished decorating, i
noticed that they resembled little black sambo, so i ditched the
whole batch. i digress... skylar had so much fun helping me.
she took her decorating very seriously, and baby b decided to
suck the icing right out of one of the decorating tubes, and skip
the gingerbread. silly girl.

at christmas, i insist on listening to john denver and the muppets

christmas cd on repeat for pretty much the whole season. why

decorate the tree to anything else? '-) anyway, i searched

high and low this year, and could not find that darn cd anywhere!

wouldn't you know, when i went to pick up the girls from

their sleepover with grancy and grandpa, my mom had purchased

me the cd... and she didn't even know i'd lost my copy. yay! i got

my favorite xmas music back! thanks mom!

1st haircut

baby bianca - who now answers to the following...

b

b'ster

bia

biatrice

b-bop

b-bop-a-loo-la

b-nut

b-nut butter

b-nut butter and jelly

paloma

got her 1st haircut today! it was getting a bit mullet-ish so i decided to take my little sweetie to the hairy elephant (hair salon for kids). she got a nice little swing bob, stacked in the back of course. my baby is getting big!

miss pig tails/miss mcdonalds/butterfly house

this really should be 3 different posts, but i just don't have it in me to get organized for that today. plus, sky isnt napping, so i've got a lot to do during her 1 episode of dora (including this posting).

bianca wanted to be just like skylar and wear pigtails. here's her new signature look. how cute is she?

skylar's aunt mimi sent her the coolest gift... a mcdonalds drive though set! let's just say its been a non-stop drive through around here! she is hilarious bc she takes her job as a mcdonalds employee SO seriously. let's hope that doesn't become her goal career. she's got it down to the pickles, and is sure to ask her customers if they need katsup with their order. she even suggests desserts. ;-)

today was a perfect day for the butterfly house. that place is so cool. i love it because; the video is short enough for the kids yet informative, all the tarantulas and scorpions are behind thick glass, its free for kids 3 and under, there is a stellar park nearby, and of course you get to walk among a million butterflies!

bianca absolutely loved the butterfly greenhouse. she literally ooohed and ahhhhed as we walked though. skylar loves it until a butterfly gets too close. she's silly about bugs (and yes, even butterflies) these days. it is so humid in there and my camera lens kept fogging up!

after the butterfly house, we headed over to the park where the girls played hard.

we followed it up by a trip to the bread company, which was suggested by skylar. a stellar idea, if you ask me! we had a nice lunch together. its a bit of a cold and dreary sunday, so now we are all snuggled up in the house and im sitting by the fire. love it!!

Swell Foop!

I have some exciting news to share! My sister and I purchased an organic clothing company! We are thrilled to be working together and promoting a truely "green" product line. Our shirts and totes are 100% organic and are made, printed, and finished right here in the USA. Please take a look at our site www.swellfoop.com to find a shirt or bag that is right for you! They are great for gifts too. We donate 10% of our profits to groups that keep the world healthy.

We appreciate your support!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

we had a great halloween! skylar helped me make little pumpkins out of cheese, & monster eyeballs & i carved a watermelon to look like a brain. we made a big batch of soup and invited family & a few friends over. thank goodness, it FINALLY stopped raining in st louis! we were blessed with a beautiful fall day. it was what i would describe as "perfect." a cool 55-60 degrees, full sun, and the peak of fall colors on the trees. we were so glad that the chicken and the rooster were able to head out and go trick or treating! skylar and her little buddy sayde lead the way, but bianca was not far behind. she got the hang of it pretty quickly! she took the candy and put it in her bag just like a little pro. ;-) great night!

i cant sleep!

why you ask? i have no freakin idea!! maybe its because my husband is in dire need of those breathe right strips. however, he only snores when he has gained some weight and let me tell you im not complaining! russ has been a workout machine! he's beefed up to 210 lbs! huge arms, back, chest, and he's even getting a badunkadunk! i wish i had a picture to post. thats right, my husband is lookin good!

maybe i cant sleep because both girls are running fevers. skylar has a cough and a mild fever. she seems to be doing ok, except for the fact that cough wakes her up at night. its not draining her too badly because she is still skipping her nap on occasional days like today. bianca's fever came on fast, but didn't slow her down either! she ate 2 pieces of pizza, about 10 grapes, and dessert with her milk before going to bed. this swine flu (no, my kids dont have it, that i know of anyway) scares the crap out of me. i saw on the news tonight that 86 children have died from it. isn't that awful?

everyone is sleeping soundly but me! since i am working on gratitude, let me just say that i am glad to have a little time to myself. i watched my tivoed episode of project runway (i should've been a fashion designer) and got a lot accomplished work wise.

GRATITUDE: it is the essence of good mental health and spirituality! I try to focus on the things I am grateful for. I suggest you try this! Before you go to bed, make a list (for me, written is better but mental will work) of all the things you are grateful for, while reflecting on your day. Tonight, mine looked like this.

I am grateful for Skylar's clothes that I saved and organized for Bianca. I don't have to fret over her wardrobe each season or size change. I am also grateful for the money this saves.

I am grateful for my husband, and all the hard work he does outside of the home. I am grateful that he is happy to stop and grab something if I just dont feel like cooking!

I am grateful for my internal love for our planet. I find such joy in keeping things green! recycling, reusing clothes, getting creative with toys, cooking with fresh vegtables, etc.

I am grateful for the heat in our house! The motor broke a week or so ago, and we were able to have it fixed before the cold really set in.

I am grateful for my working body! I have no ailments, or alergies, and I am able to stay in good shape by working it, and keeping up with my exercize plan. I have a new found love for running and I am grateful that my children dont mind a 30 minute stroller ride every morning.

I am grateful for russ, and the fact that he sets up the coffee pot at night, so all I have to do is press the button in the morning!

I am grateful for my family of origin. I love that we have stayed close knit and connected as we've grown and developed our own families.

THATS IT FOR TONIGHT! And tomorrow, I will wake up feeling great, ready to tackle whatever those 2 little ladies throw my way! Hopefully we will be able to get out of the house!

WAIT! I simply cant post a blog without a picture or 2. Here are a few from bianca's 1st birthay celebration. we kept it really simple... just family and 2 friends. I learned from Skylar's 1st party that kids get pretty overwhelmed when 30 people are singing and staring at them. ha!

here's the B's! B for Bailey and B for Bianca!




the B-Nut and her Uncle Charlie. He brought her an awesome toy and a super cute dress!

me, and my 2 best girls and their girls. guess who was being a stinker and wouldn't get in the picture. 3 is the new 2, let me tell you!

mmmmmm.... chocolate cupcake!

outdoor play

bianca loved this monkey that my cousin, justin brought for skylar. she got a frog and she loves him too.

and our best attempt at a family photo...

bianca turned 1

can you believe it? time has flown by with my second child! it seems like yesterday she was just born...

to celebrate her birthday, we went to our favorite cafe and had lunch. bianca had her 1st cupcake! you'd never know the petite little thing that she is eats like a horse! she honestly ate the entire thing! and aside from her face, she didn't make much of a mess. we followed lunch with a trip to the park where she went down the slide and swang next to skylar. last night for dinner, i made her her favorite lasagna and skylar baked her a chocolate cake.

today we went to the toy store and i let her pick out her own present. it was such a nice treat to be able to spend some 1 on 1 time with her while skylar was at school. b and i played at the store for about 45 minutes. the thing she liked the most was a pull along barking puppy. (go figure) and a glockenspiel. ;-)