Fabulous Day - No Photos

I usually do not post without photos. Today is the exception. Today was too great of a day to not journal about.

It started with two sweet girls cuddling with their Mommy.

Next I got a phone call from Aunt Cinnamon Toast Crunch...who just had a sweet baby boy. (He will be called Sweet Baby Boy at least until I meet him to decide his nickname.) Aunt CTC wanted advice. The advice involved having to look at an emailed photo of Sweet Baby Boy...what torture. People - he is the cutest thing since I don't know what! I am in love already. And to top it off, I got to hear him making sweet baby noises while I was talking to Aunt CTC. Bliss!

After my wonderful phone call, we went to breakfast. I might have spilled a beverage all over Cap'N Crunch. And if I had done that, I most certainly would NOT have laughed....which would have made Cap'N Crunch really mad at me. (In my defense, I didn't mean to laugh...it was a nervous reflex.) So, breakfast did not go as planned.

I have been wanting to go to Milberger's Nursery forever. Today was the day I got to go! There will be more trips to the nursery in the very near future :-) We bought some monkey grass and mulch. Baby steps....I wanted to buy one, or two, of everything.

The whole family worked in the yard for a couple hours. The girls helped a little but mostly played. I fufilled the request to have a picnic on the front lawn. They ate while the Cap'N and I worked. Then Cap'N Crunch chased them around the yard....for this I wanted a camera - still or video would have been great! Watching three of my favorite people laugh and have fun is the best feeling in the world.

Once Cocoa Puff and Cheerio were covered head to toe in dirt, I lead them inside to be showered. The three of us got clean so we could go shopping. I have a student who works at an accessory store near our house. I have been telling her we would come in...today was the day. The girls each got a fancy headband and I left with new sparkly "flop flops" - as Cheerio calls them. We also walked through Old Navy...and left with a bag or two.

On our way to the grocery store, Cocoa Puff and I had this conversation:

Cocoa Puff: "Mom, I love Train with love from my heart." (Train is the band that sings "Hey, Soul Sister" among many others)

Me: "You are such a sweet girl."

Cocoa Puff: "I have never gotten to see them close up though." (We took her to see them in concert in February)

Me: "It's hard to see them close up..." and before I could think of a reason why...

Cocoa Puff: "Let's have a playdate with them."

Me: "Umm...I don't think that will be able to happen sweetie."

Cocoa Puff: "Why?"

Me: "Because they make a lot of money to have playdates." ???

Cocoa Puff: "Maybe one day."

Cocoa Puff - never give up your dreams!

Our day ended with hot dogs grilled by Cap'N Crunch and two tired girls sleeping in Cocoa Puff's bed.

Texas Bluebonnets

I LOVE bluebonnets! And this year the most amazing patch of them found us one day when I was totally prepared....camera and dresses were loaded in the car!

Enjoy our bluebonnet photo shoot...

This was the first photo of the day....just sitting and admiring the beautiful flowers!

What can I say about this one?

Sisters





This girl is a natural. She poses for me without even being asked.


This girl is a little more difficult...Cheerio and her many faces :-)

One of her favorite faces....

And these bluebonnets popped up in our backyard one day! Nice surprise.

Kitchen Remodel

In February Cap'N Crunch and I decided it was time to tackle the kitchen. The flooring was at least 25 years old.

We went to Home Depot and Lowe's looking for the perfect flooring. We found it. As soon as we got home with it, I started pulling up the old yucky floor. While sitting on the floor, I started thinking "Maybe we should paint the cabinets before we put the new floor down?" Cap'N Crunch said, "Okay, I guess."



Off to the home improvement stores....found the right paint color after much agonizing. Got all the supplies we needed: paint brushes, sand paper, primer, and more sand paper.





During the sanding process, the Cap'N and I had a small (ha! large) altercation. We both realized that we had bitten off more than could be chewed in a weekend - the original goal. Once we settled down, we got back to work.



Fast forward a month and the kitchen is done. Now, let me say that during the month we had a visit from a very helpful Papa and Nanny. Without them, we would probably still be living in an unfinished kitchen...we will never know!

Lessons learned from the 2011 Kitchen Remodel:

1. Sanding your skin does not make it smoother. It was an accident, but yes, I did sand my skin.



2. Dust makes it way into every room when you sand indoors.



3. Finish the original project before deciding to refinish the dining room table.



4. It is only "fun" to picnic on the living room floor for so long.



5. It is really not a good idea to take on any kind of remodeling less than two weeks before having visitors.



6. Peeling/prying up old laminate flooring will result in a grumpy husband.



7. It is not smart to aim a sharp object towards your body and then hit said sharp object with a hammer. The sharp object will draw blood and result in pain.



8. Remodeling is like having a baby...Labor is painful. Then you meet your beautiful new perfect baby and you forget all about the pain.



9. Tell all your friends to forbid you to remodel anything for at least a year.

The table before...yuck!

Notice all of the groves....they were a crumb magnet.

Papa andCheerio doing some plumbing

Cheerio loves her Papa :-)

Nanny helping with the cabinets

Cap'N Crunch sanding the cabinets

Finally the after! Can you believe that is the same table? Do you like the two-tone cabinets?

Can you see the turquiouse cabinet knob on the second door? What do you think?

Well, that's it for tonight. I will post soon with some photos of the girls. We found an amazing patch of bluebonnets this year!

Happy Easter, y'all!

The day Cocoa Puff bribed her Mommy....

It's been so long since I've posted that I had trouble remembering the web address I needed to type in to get here....

Here's a fun story for you until I get my hienie in gear with some photos.


I took the girls to the grocery store today.

No big deal, right? Ha ha!

First let me say that no naps were had by either small person, we had just finished shopping at Lowe's and we were all hungry.

Cocoa Puff wanted everything under the grocery store roof: donuts, tortillas, cookies, cereal,

And the straw that broke the camel's back was a '5' candle for her upcoming birthday (which I would not have minded except that it was not the prettiest candle...so I told her I wanted to find a prettier one.) She all but threw herself on the floor. I remained very calm. Okay, well, fairly calm.

I started to walk to the next aisle which usually works. Instead a very nice woman thought she was crying because she was lost. She tried to take her hand and bring her up front...I thought that was a little funny. When I told the lady what was happening, she gave me an 'I've been there look' and said, "I have three of my own."

We get the rest of our stuff and start heading to the check out when I make my fatal mistake. I walked down the ice cream aisle. Cocoa Puff stops to pick the ice cream she wants. I tell her we are not getting ice cream and to come on. The tears start falling harder (because they have been falling ever since the candle incident). She refuses to walk. I suppose I could have just picked her up and carried her to the check out. But by this point I was in no mood to carry a 39 pound child.

We stare at each other for about 3 minutes. Then she opens the freezer door, picks out a tub of ice cream and tells me, "I will go with you if I can have this ice cream."

I know now that I should not have laughed, but I did. Did my child just try to bribe me?

I did not let her have the ice cream.

And that was the story of the time Cocoa Puff tried to bribe her Mommy....

Sew exciting!

Cheesy title - I know! But I am so (I resisted to urge to spell it the other way!) in love with sewing :-) I have always aspired to sew things for myself and my girls.

I have bins of fabric and patterns. And that's after getting rid of more than half of it!

A year ago, I started sewing a robe for Cocoa Puff. I could not find a cute one in her size, so off I went to the fabric store. I bought a pattern and some really cute cupcake fleece. Cocoa Puff was very excited. I cut out the pattern, cut out the fabric, sewed the front pieces and then I stopped for the day. I thought I would finish it up later that week....

Fast forward a year.

THE ROBE IS FINISHED!!!

Okay, rewind just a little.

I made a list of all my unfinished projects. The list is on the refridgerator.

It is a long list :-( But since most of the projects are at least started it shouldn't take me long too finish each one. My goal is to finish one project a week....totally do-able!

Okay, back to the robe - sort of. A little over a week ago, I took a sewing class at Joann's. It was very worth the time and money. Not only did I gain some basic skills, I gained confidence....much needed! I made this pillowcase in the class. I am trying to talk Cocoa Puff into letting me turn it into a dress...but she loves sleeping on it every night.



Back to the robe...I decided that it was the oldest unfinished project so it would be first to be finished. And it was a great choice!

Cocoa Puff couldn't be happier. It's been pretty chilly here the last couple of days. She has slept in the robe every night. I tried to tell her that people don't really sleep in their robes, but she didn't listen - she is 4 afterall :-)



A helper...he likes to attack the thread.

It's a good thing he's so cute or else...Oh, who am I kidding. I love this handsome kitty boy!

And my sweet, happy girl in her new robe.

Cheerio did not want to be left out of the photo taking!

Hmmm?

So, I have been horrible at blogging. I took on three classes this year instead of the one I did last year. I love teaching and I really love the group of kiddos I have this year. I have been so blessed with this opportunity....just wanted to say why I haven't been blogging, well at least that is one of the reasons.

It is really overwhelming to think about all the posts I have wanted to write and haven't...then I wanted to go back and write those posts to catch up...but instead I will do it all in one post - a year in review....so get ready! This post will contain way too many photos and probably too much typing....but I need to preserve the memories from this year because it was a super fantastic one for our family.

Now, where to start?

We were briefly growing sunflowers in April. This is as far as they got...but it was fun.



Cocoa Puff turned 4 in May...


She loves:

• Her Mommy and Daddy
• Her sister, Cheerio
• All things Hello Kitty
• Clothes, shoes and accessories...the girl is stylin'
• Her family....every one of you!
• Her friends - even the "minute" friends (you know, the ones you meet at the grocery store, the park or anywhere else she goes)
• School
• Dancing - ballet more than tap

All about Cocoa Puff at 4

• Height - about 42 inches (I think) feet Weight - 38lbs
• Has the kindest heart you will ever find.
• Loves to cuddle.
• Is a stinker...you know, in a good way :-)
• Wants to live at home forever! Even after she "has a baby." I told her her husband might not like that...she said she would "get one that wouldn't mind." Hee hee.
• Loves being outside...swinging, running, playing soccer, you name it - she loves it.

And we had a visit from Granma and Granpa - click here to read that post.

In June, we:

*Attended Cocoa Puff's very first dance recital!


Cocoa Puff and her dance friends waiting to practice.


Dress rehearsal - the girls were entertained with a movie. Good thinking P for bringing the dvd player!


Cocoa Puff after the dress rehearsal...very excited.


And this is Cocoa Puff's excited face!


Some more dance friends.


After the real performance. Cocoa Puff was so excited that D and his mommy, Ms. A came to watch her!

The little dancer and her very proud Mommy :-)

*We said farewell to some very good friends. Cocoa Puff and N have been "friends" for over three years! Which means N's mommy, V, and I have been friends for over three years too...sad good-byes. We will see you soon....have a fun new adventure.

Cocoa Puff and N (I really love this photo...maybe it will be used at a wedding one day? ha ha!)

*Had a visit from Nanny. Click here to read that post.

Beautiful flowers from Ana...they really helped. Thank you Ana :-)

*took a trip to the zoo....and it was hot.


Cute hippo was socializing with the kiddos.

Our zoo has a "beach" area that we love to play at in the summer.

Miss cutie tutie herself - Cheerio!

Random yard photo...our grass was so green this summer.

And Cheerio discovered pockets are a great place to put things...unless you pack them too full. Then your pants fall down!

*went strawberry picking with friends Ms.A and D.

Yum!
Cheerio just couldn't resist.



Ms.A and D


After the strawberry picking, we drove into Fredericksburg for lunch.

In July, I celebrated National Ice Cream Month(Did you know such a great thing existed?) by hosting an Ice Cream Social in my backyard...

I hand-dipped these little ice cream cones then coated them in sprinkles and colored sugar...I think they were pretty stinkin' cute, don't you? You can bet you'll see them again :-)

And I have to give credit to the wonderful photographer...Ana. Thank you for taking these photos and editing them!




The kiddos played in the water to cool off.

Miss Cheerio

Miss Cocoa Puff



I think someone may have been getting a "talking to" in this photo...thanks Ana for taking it :-)


Making new friends...such a sweet thing!



More pool play



They were a slidin' except they weren't....maybe they were talking about who should go first?



Playing house


Miss Cocoa Puff enjoying her ice cream cone

Olivia's friend from MOPS


Mr. C - that was good!

D eating his cone.

Does this photo even need words? Isn't he adorable!



Oh, so sweet!


"Why are you taking my picture? I am TRYING to eat this delicious ice cream!"

We also celebrated National Ice Cream Month by making homemade ice cream sandwiches.
This is Cocoa Puff helping me make the cookies. Don't you love her baking accessories?

Oh, my....I am starting to get hungry for an ice cream sandwich. They were double chocoalte cookies with mint chocolate chip ice cream.

We had a visit from the L family. They drove all the way from Florida to see us. Read about there trip here.

The girls and I took a trip to Florida in July. We sadly left Cap'N Crunch at home...we managed to have a little fun while we were staying with Nanny and Papa.

Cocoa Puff and Cheerio with their cousin R eating "Pinkalicious" cookies - for BREAKFAST!

Cheerio was very excited to be on the "big girl" tire swing. Mommy was a little less excited...can you say nervous?

Granma drove to have dinner with us. Granpa wanted to come but he was feeling yucky. Thank you Granma for dinner! All three girls enjoyed see you.

On our way back to Texas, our plane was delayed in Charolette, North Carolina....overnight. I was a little overwhelmed but decided to stay positive and remain calm. Thank goodness. We ended up making the best of it and even having a little fun!

SLEEPOVER! The girls love to sleep together.

And aren't they cute sleeping together?

This is just before we left the hotel for the airport.

One last photo for July....our little sassy cowgirl!

In August,

Cocoa Puff started Pre-school. That post is here. She is really loving it. She asks me everyday when we are going to school next. Cap'N Crunch and I are so grateful that she loves school so much.



We also had our last visitor during our "Summer of Visitors" Tour! Uncle Sam was our last visitor of the summer...and a great guest. We really enjoyed having him. Read about it here.

I'm sure we did more in August, but those are the highlights.

At the end of September, we took a two week trip to Florida. We drove. (gasp!) I must say that if we ever drive that far again we will need to have a larger vehicle. A four-door car is not sufficient room for two adults and two children. This vacation should really have its own post, but I'm afraid I will never get it done....so here are the highlights. I tried to narrow the photos down. I took somewhere around 4100 photos.

After spending twenty minutes trying to figure out which photos to post and which ones to skip, I decided I am just going to have to write a post specifically about our trip...two weeks is a long time and 4100 photos...WOW! So, maybe I'll get around to it in March? (Hopefully before then, but you never know)

While we were in Florida, Cheerio celebrated her second birthday...Happy Birthday Cheerio!

Cheerio at 2

• Sweetest little girl...she will melt your heart with one glance
• Not the least bit stubborn (that was dripping with sarcasm!)
• Loves her sister with a passion
• Is a "Daddy's Girl" all the way!
• Has an agenda of her own...please do not deviate from her agenda - or else!
• Is beginning to like pre-school, but she loves Ms. Susie (her teacher)
• Height - short weight - changes every day - somedays she wants to eat some days she does not
• Has a shoe obsession - seriously. But if she doesn't "like" the shoe...don't even try to get it on her foot. Currently she is liking a pair of orange crocs. Oh, yes...ORANGE! She wears them everywhere with everything...everyday!

In October, we continued our vaction. When we got home, we unpacked and took our time getting settled in. Our cat missed us. Thank you E for taking care of him while we were gone.

And of course we dressed up for Halloween and attended several festivities!
Cocoa Puff, after much deliberation, decided to be a fairy princess.

Cheerio the Octopus

We even had the opportunity to meet Curious George :-)

Cheerio and her friend L

The two wonderful hosts of the most amazing Halloween Party....this is our second year attending. So much fun....

Cheerio with a cookie on a stick


In November, Cap'N Crunch was wisked away to Austin for business. We really missed him, but managed to stay busy...plus we were able to visit him. I didn't take many photos of us visiting because we had so little time - I just wanted to enjoy the time we had. Here are a few things I did take photos of....

I made worm cupcakes for Cocoa Puff's preschool class for "W" day. The cupcakes were a success.

Friends of ours - T, G, M, and W went to Wurstfest with us. Fun was had by all!

T even took the three biggest kids on the spinning bear ride...

And on a trip to Austin, we saw Santa. Cocoa Puff was in awe. Santa remembered Cocoa Puff and asked her about her birthday. They had a nice long chat.

Fast Friends...

This child of mine, on the other hand, was not so sure about the big guy. Isn't this face pretty cute? "You want me to sit where?" "No THANK YOU!" Oh, well. Maybe next year.

And we took photos for the Christmas card....Here the best ones are.

Making their very best "mad" faces

Christmas tree hunting



In December, well, we celebrated. Keith was returned to us at the end of the second week....distance does in fact make the heart grow fonder.

Oh, yeah! Not only did I get some great photos for our card - I got them out near the beginning of December!

Cocoa Puff had her second dance recital...her class danced to "Up on the Housetop" They did an amazing job.

We had a party at our house after the recital. It was great really getting to know the other parents and seeing the girls play - not just dance.

Mommom and Buck drove to see us. We made our way down to the Riverwalk to see the lights. We all had a great time.

A very happy Cocoa Puff!

We went to a birthday party...Happy Birthday M! It was a cooking party. Both girls had a fantastic time making pizza and decorating cupcakes.
Cheerio and her pal W.

Cocoa Puff showing off her creation

And of course, we had a holiday version of Flapjack Friday...cute snowgirl flapjacks!

Creating a snowflake mosaic with her friend D.

Cheerio chillin' in the stroller because she can't be trusted around breakables...hee hee sweet girl

And a random park photo....sweet sisters.

Making our gingerbread house. I do believe Cheerio tried to taste everything :-)

Making sugar cookies...we had so much fun during our night of baking! I don't know why Cocoa Puff has "wild eyes"???

The "this is what your gingerbread house should look like" photo and the actual gingerbread house...our is definitely a home!


Christmas Eve dinner - our friends E, T, T, I, and G came over for dinner. What a great way to spend Christmas Eve. We all had fun and enjoyed our dinner - even though someone turned the oven off and the meat was raw when it came out of the oven. And since I would have never done that we all know who did it...actually maybe it was me? We thought about getting mad at each other and then just laughed. What else can you do? Cap'N Crunch grilled the meat - we just ate a little later than we planned :-)

The apple pie was FABULOUS...not the toot my own horn.

Leaving cookies and carrots for the big guy and his reindeer. Cocoa Puff is thrilled beyond words and Cheerio has no idea what is coming!

Where did all these presents come from?

Cheerio checking out her bike for the first time...

Cocoa Puff giving me some kind of look...I probably told her everything was for me. hee hee

Big girl on her bike

OH MY GOODNESS! A Hello Kitty helmet!

I love this look! No doubt I said something silly to her.

The note Santa left to the girls

Opening presents

And going outside to ride bikes. It was really cold.

What a big girl! I wish I had a better photo of the outfit. She has on red and white stripped leggings, a strawberry skirt, twinkle toes sneakers, about four shirts and a jacket. And more jewlrey than I wear in a year.

"Mom - I'm doing it!"

Cheerio did not like trying to peddle...So, she just pushes it home.

My yummy Christmas creation. Thank you to my friend K.J. for making the for a party...and sharing the recipe. I think they turned out pretty cute. They melted in our mouths. And we shared some.

Cheerio going to the park. She is READY!

Riding her bike in the park like a big girl...except she didn't really ride the bike. Cap'N Crunch ended up carrying the bike.

For New Year's weekend, we drove to Houston. It was great to see my family. Thank you Buck for hosting the best New Year's Day dinner!

I hope you all have a great 2011!