Girly Girl

You know you’re a “girly girl” when you insist on wearing a tutu on TOP of a princess dress on TOP of another dress!

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(Many thanks to my friend Maria K. for the beautiful hand-made tutus for the girls!)

Worth It

Note to self: the next time you decide to go to the mall play area because the library is closed for the holiday, ask yourself if every other parent in the tri-state region will be heading to the same mall because their libraries and/or schools and/or places of employment are closed.  This overcrowding poses a particular problem when you are not a very good car-parker and have to wedge your SUV into any tight spot you can find, and when you have to keep track of two quickly-moving bodies at the play area among the throngs of even faster-moving bodies, and when you forget your stroller and have to navigate yourself and three children through a hungry mass of people at the food court.    

But also, remember that despite these difficulties, nothing makes your girls happier than milkshakes at the mall.

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Santa Baby

I finally took the ornaments off the Christmas tree today.  I know, mid-January is a little on the late side, but we’ve all been enjoying the tree so much I hated to see it go.  As I was wistfully wrapping up the ornaments, I came across a new one I had purchased this year in honor of baby Jimmy.  Don’t you think it kind of looks like him?   

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Jimmy’s Crib

Jimmy’s been pulling himself up for a long time now, but it wasn’t until tonight that we finally got around to lowering his crib to the lowest setting.  While Jim was working on the crib, he put Jimmy’s mattress on the floor.  The girls seized the moment and thoroughly enjoyed their makeshift trampoline:

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They also loved showing Jimmy around his newly-lowered crib. 

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When I was taking pictures of this process, I realized that I hadn’t yet posted pictures of the amazing wall decorations created for the nursery.  Believe it or not, my dad handcrafted these nautical silhouettes out of sheets of plastic that he subsequently painted white, and my mom sewed the boat quilt hanging above the crib. 

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I am blown away by my parents’ gifts (and I’m sorry it’s taken me eight months to get around to publicly thanking them for their talented work!).  THANK YOU BOTH!!        

Take my Breath Away

After seeing me give Jimmy a “horsey ride” on my knees this morning, Becky came over and asked for a ride. 

Me: “Hang on, hon.  Give me a second to catch my breath.”

Becky (looking around): “What?  Did it fall?” 

(For the remainder of the day, Becky kept coming up to me and triumphantly announcing, “I catched it!  I catched my breath!”) 

Restraint

I finally figured out a way to keep Jimmy from eating the girls’ game pieces.  Restraining devices and crackers.  Lots and lots of crackers. 

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High on Life

Jimmy had his first restaurant high chair experience the other night.  He was a fan. 

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Especially of the food!  

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Warm Winter

We’ve had some gorgeous weather lately, especially for January.  On Saturday, I let the girls ride their “motorcycles” outside in the 60-degree sunshine.  Jimmy was enthralled (and no, he’s not wearing shorts.  Let’s just say he’s had a growth spurt or two). 

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Yay for a warm winter!

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New Hats

The girls received adorable dresses and matching hats from Jim’s Aunt Mary, and so I asked the girls to pose for me this morning before church so I could get pictures of them in their new outfits. 

Susie was happy to oblige:

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Becky…not so much.  First I got this:

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Then, she thought about it, and realized she DID like the hat:

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But she wanted to make sure the bow was in the right place:

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Okay, we’re good now. 

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Well…but we’re kinda silly. 

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Really silly:

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Really, REALLY silly:

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Good thing she’s just so cute.  Especially in a hat. 

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Tea Party Crasher

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