Texas Cowgirl

My little cowgirl. Sometimes we play with hats. Jim invented the hat game a few years ago and the kids love to try on different hats. Recently, Nicholas has gotten into the whole cowboy thing. He will wear his hat, use a jumprope as a lariat and gallop around the living room. It's too cute to see! I didn't get the camera fast enough to catch Nicholas in the hat, but here is Abby. It's really a shame that she hates having her picture taken...not!

Mr. Serious

My little man is such a serious kiddo. I love this picture of him studying his Batman helicopter. There is a hint of the baby he was from this angle. Part of me really misses that little baby. But the little boy he is today, he amazes me. He shows me the most incredible things. He talks about his favorite planet - Saturn. He loves telling knock-knock jokes. And every night he gives me big hugs and kisses. My sweet, intense little boy is so special. I love him so much!

Have two kids...they'll entertain each other

Ha...ha...ha...HA! As those of you with children know, two siblings generally DON'T play together and entertain each other. You are more often than not trying to separate them...ironic isn't it?!

Here is a rare shot of a moment when Nicholas and Abby were happily coloring together. They were sharing markers and not fussing. It was bliss! For about ten minutes...and then they weren't sharing and were fussing. But it was nice while it lasted.

We have a clear top on our washing machine and the other day both kids wanted to see. I had just started a load so I pulled the step stool over for Nicholas and put Abby on the dryer. They were thoroughly entertained! Sometimes the goofiest things are the most fun.

A Mother/Daughter Moment

Abby and I had a Mother/Daughter bonding moment this weekend. I gave her her first mani/pedi! It's a super light shade of pink so it barely shows up, but she loved it. And she let me cut her toenails without a fight! She loves that we have matching nailpolish and keeps asking to see my nails as well.

My little girlie girl is already asking to change the color! Maybe next time I'll give her a little darker color.

I'm losing my mind!

I am the first to admit that my life is so crazy and busy that it could descend into chaos at any given second. Last night it almost happened! LOL

I was making dinner. Nicholas kept running into the kitchen and I kept chasing him out. Jim was in and out as well, seeing what was for dinner, etc. I opened a bag of frozen vegetables, poured them into a pot and then resealed the bag to put bag in the freezer. And of course I was interrupted about a dozen times.

A minute or two later, I looked into the pot of veggies and realized that I hadn't poured enough in and went to get the bag out of the freezer to add more. The bag wasn't in the freezer...or the refrigerator...or anywhere else that I could see! It had disappeared!

I finally called Jim in to help me look and he couldn't find it. We even went into the living room thinking that one of the kids had taken it to be funny.

Seriously...the bag of veggies was GONE! I realized in that moment that I seriously was losing my mind. Dinner was almost ready but I couldn't forget about the missing veggies. I opened every cabinet and drawer. Do you know where I found the bag of veggies??!!

The drawer where I keep the scissors!!! Help me please...I'm losing my mind.

Boys will be boys

So the other day Abby drags out her pink, Disney Princess castle and three princesses (Cinderella, Belle and the latest addition to the gang - Snow White). She also has all their outfits, shoes, and two dwarves (Grumpy and Happy, I think) spread across the living room floor.

Then I hear Nicholas saying "I want to play, Abby!". Okay, so I try to be open-minded about the kids exchanging toys and not trap them in gender roles...but it was odd hearing that from my son. I turned around to see him sitting down in front of Abby's PINK Disney Princess castle. I'm ashamed to admit that I felt a wee bit odd watching my son happily seated by the pink castle surrounded by princess dolls. He grabbed Snow White and started to play.

I had a friend tell me once about a study that was done overseas. She said that girls were given traditionally "boy" toys to play with and boys were given traditionally "girl" toys. The study found that girls would make "families" and play with the trucks, etc in a girl-like way. The boys would take the dolls and make guns out of them (bending them like guns) or play war with them.

I don't know if I believed it until I saw it for myself.

Nicholas picked up Snow White and immediately started putting her on the top of the castle and having her jump off. Then he had her rolling down the stairs. Then there was a brawl with Snow White, a dwarf and Belle. I had to laugh...he may be playing with dolls and a pink castle, but Nicholas was doing it HIS way!

I love my kids.

My daughter the drama queen/caretaker/princess/lovebug

Subconsciously, I never expected to have a daughter. Somewhere in my mind I had decided that I would have two boys and that was that. I suppose that my certainty somehow transferred itself to Jim when I was pregnant. I will never forget the look on his face (and I'm sure mine) when the ultrasound technician told us we were having a girl.

It was a complete shift of my expectations, but looking back, I wouldn't trade my little girl for anything in the world.

If Nicholas is my little technician...Abby is my lovebug. She is colorful and volatile and amazingly sweet and loving. There are times when I look into her sweet little face and feel overwhelmed with my love for her.

She can also be a challenge. She is dramatic and stubborn and I both love her for it and pull my hair out by the roots at the same time!

The bottom line is that I love her with every cell in my body. This morning I was getting ready for work when she came into the bathroom. I hadn't brushed her hair yet so it was just a bit messy and framed her face. She said something very softly and I had to kneel down in front of her and ask her to repeat it. She was upset because Nicholas always gets to pick the morning cartoon. He is always dressed and ready before her. I told her that in the afternoon, she could pick a cartoon.

I can't even tell you how sweet she was with her big, earnest eyes looking at me from under her messy morning hair. I had to give her a big hug and a kiss.

One of these days she will be too big and too busy to give Mommy hugs and kisses. So for now, I enjoy every sweet moment that I can.

My son the astranaut/engineer/architect/palentologist

Nicholas is such an interesting child. He loves space and is always asking questions about the Milky Way, the planets, etc. The other day I saw that National Geographic Channel was showing a series called Known Universe so I recorded it. Nicholas loves it! He's watched it everyday this week.

He also loves to build things. His teacher told me yesterday that he should be an architect. He was amazed at the designs that Nicholas comes up with using simple blocks.

He's a champ at taking things apart as well...just to see how they work. Unfortunately he's not so good at putting them back together! LOL

And like most boys his age, he also loves dinosaurs.

Oh yeah and he wants to learn to play the violin, trumpet, tuba and drums. Lovely.

And then there are the pictures that he draws and colors. Jim and I are still surprised at what Nicholas can come up with using paper and crayons.

I don't know what he will be when he grows up, I just hope he enjoys his life.

My Kids are the Cutest!

I have to say that I have the cutest kids in the whole world. I mean seriously...look at those little faces...is there anything cuter?!

I do love my little ones. They challenge me almost daily and I love them. Last night I tucked Abby into bed and from the depths of her covers came this sweet little voice, "I love you, Mommy...you're my friend."

Come on...say it with me..."Awwwww!"

Then I go in to tuck Nicholas into his bed. He's already half asleep but he pulls his arms out of the covers, wraps them around my neck and says, "Mommy!" like he hasn't seen me in days. I give him a big hug and tell him goodnight, sleep tight and that I love him. And once again I hear the words that every mother waits from the birth of their child to hear, "I love you too, Mommy."

Life doesn't get any better.