The one where I scare Olivia with my toes

Olivia has always had a strange fear of painted toenails. When she was a crawler, she would try to cover up my mom's toes. This fear was taken to a whole new depth when I painted my toe nails black for Halloween and just cause I am cool like that.

See? Aren't they pretty?

Olivia does not think so. Keep in mind that my toes have been painted for about a week here. This is not a first reaction.

Poor Olivia - And I am going to comfort her not to chase her with them. But she had a purpose, to get the rag that I used to wash off their trays. She decided to take matters into her own hands. Toward the end she blows her nose with it.

Hopefully she will get over this by the time it's time to paint her own.

Way Back When-esday - Pottery Barn Chairs

I have decided that catching up from summer posts is kinda like celebrating "Way Back", right? Right?? Well, I say so. And I realize some of you got this in your readers or email on Sunday. I was actually planning ahead and accidentally posted it instead of saving it. A h well, enjoy it again...

Here is a long overdue post about a summer purchase we were super excited about. One of the things we wanted the girls to have was soft chairs. We really really wanted Pottery Barn Chairs

We have heard great things about them, but you have to buy the slipcover plus the soft inserts. Grand total is around $160 for each chair. Umm, yeah... I'll wait for you to pick yourself up off the floor. There was NO WAY I was spending that much for a chair. No way, no how. I looked around a bit more and realized that I could get a smaller Pottery Barn Chair for about $100. Still no go. I couldn't do it. Then, they went on sale bringing them down to $80 a chair. Hmmm..better, but still way too much for our budget. I was so bummed.

THEN I remembered I had racked up a butt load of points on MyPoints That is a whole nother pt! So I cashed in my points for a $100 gift card to Pottery Barn Kids. Am I a genius or what?? I was so excited!

We decided to head to Dallas to the store there instead of ordering on line. Shipping was almost as much as the chairs! I walked in and fell in love with everything there. Rugs, dolls, kitchen toys, books, bed sets, lighting - Oh my so loverly! Focus, Sara! They had a green gingham floor model that the girls tried out for size. I really wanted to get a pink dotted one for Abby and a purple doted one for Olivia. Of course, these are their signature colors. But Abby fell in love with the green one. She cried when we would try to put it back up on the shelf. We even brought a pink one over and she pushed it out of the way and pulled the green one back down. Too funny! She knows what she wants at least. Heaven help me for the future if this is how she is at 1!

Even better was the fact that if we bought the floor model we got a discount. This just keeps getting better and better! I gave up my original plan of pink and purple (go me!) and settled on green and pink gingham. Would you like to know how much we ended up paying??

$45

A piece, you ask? NO! That is total with tax and everything! I know!! I was super excited! What a deal! I loves me some deals, you know!

So now I have to share the wonderful pictures of them sitting quietly in them smiling for the camera right? Bwahahahah!! You kow better than that! But I did my best and here they are.

This was back in August when we first got them.

Olivia posing, but nope, not smiling

They love to read their books in them.

They are good for standing in, too.

These were just a few weeks ago

Sometimes they end up in the same chair watching TV

They take a break from TV watching to cuddle up

I love this one

But soon Abby wants to get back to her TV watching

"Seriously, Mom. Can you do something here?"

So I do.
Lounging is the way Olivia likes to lay in hers.

I'll get all caught up some day :-)

Play along with Cheryl

New Fun Things

Last week I got to have a girl's night of shopping and chatting with my good friend, Linda. We went to the Just Between Friends Sale (Umm...yes, another one. Shut it!) I found a few things and they are quickly becoming favorites.

Both girls love to wear their shoes inside. They have to have them on when ever they catch a glimpse of one. I really don't want them wearing shoes all day. I think their little feet need room to grow and they walk better without shoes. But Winter and cold floors are coming up so I knew I need a solution.

Enter my solution for $2 each!! I am IN LOVE with these crochet shoes. They are soft with ties so that I can tighten them. Not too hot like house shoes would be. I really don't want sweaty stinky feet. PERFECT!!


What's better is they love them too! I asked Abby to show me her shoes.

Check out that pointed foot!

Do I have a budding ballerina? or a model??

I also got this super fun water table. It has a pump and I got it for a steal! $25! Of course, when I got it home it didn't work. Grrr!! This is what really sucks about consignment sales. Not everyone is as honest as they should be. But I opened up that bad boy and fixed it!! Oh yes I did. Go handy man, er woman! The small rudder inside the pump had come apart. No problem! New batteries and that baby was ready to go. We got to use this on the last day of really warm weather around here last week.


I seriously had to shoo the big kids away (that is the girl next door there too, Tierney). They were TAKING THEIR TOYS. Seriously! The big kids were very politely taking the containers away from the girls. Shoo, big kids!!

Clothes soon became soaked and so we just took them off.

I love how they play side by side.

I included this picture so you can see how long Olivia's hair is in front.

They love it! Another really great thing is the pump has a timer so it doesn't run down the battery! Genius! Of course, the girls soon figured out where to push to bring the water back. I think I will try to fill it with corn or rice for them at some point since it is too cold for water now. And maybe sand in the Spring! The pump can come off so it doesn't get all yucky.


AND...I had to include these two. They love to kiss, but they are so quick I usually don't capture it. This was before bath time so Abby was already undressed but Olivia wasn't yet. And yes, they were climbing on their stroller. Little mountain goats...

Another cute shot. You can really see the difference in their heights here. I think they are doing the whole nose chin kissing more than mouth kissing here.


New fun things "Make My Monday". Play along!

Using Spoons

My big big girls are using spoons!
They take it VERY seriously.

Olivia has to see what Abby is up to

Notice how messy Olivia is
Normal learning-to-eat mess, right?

Yeah, Abby doesn't believe in a mess. Period.

So far we have tried yogurt, potato soup, Cheerios with milk, guacamole, and taco soup. The taco soup was tasty but tore through their little systems. Wow! The gas and the sleep that night were bad so no more of that family favorite.

Also notice we have a lefty AND a righty. It should be very interesting as they start writing. My nephew is a lefty. I bet she got it from him ;-).

Camera Hogs

One day Olivia decided to try out sitting in a basket. She gets into everything!!

Along comes Abby...

She feels the need to tell Daddy that Olivia is sitting inside a basket!

I decide to take one more picture...

Abby thinks she should be in the picture too

How does Olivia feel about Abby's interruption?

How does Abby feel about Abby's interruption?

I guess we are all scene stealers in this house.

September in Pictures

I have such good intentions. But, well...you know. So I decided to do all the best pictures from September. (I am working on a summer one too)

And let me just say, my girls are happy. I didn't get one picture of them smiling and in some of them they are just plain glowering!

The girls got Cabbage Patch Babies.

What's that you say? You can't see them?? That is because they WILL not show them to me when I have my camera up. Will.not. Do you see the death grip Abby has below? That is because I dared to turn hers around!

They do love them. They love and rock and sing to them. They are such little Mommies! I wasn't expecting that so soon.

They love to push them around in their strollers

They also love their purses. They think they are big girls, especially Abby
She walks around with her arm in the air so it won't fall off.

Or maybe on her foot ;-)

Meanwhile, Olivia is busy climbing. Everything. Every.thing.

They love to wear shoes all day long.
They go to the basket where their shoes are and bring them to me.
Abby discovered Q-tips

And walked around with one hanging out of her ear.

Zachary did his annual Fun Run
The girls were happy to cheer him on. Really. They were.

He ran 47 laps this time.

He also joined Boy Scouts!

But see that shaggy mess under his hat?
We got that fixed...

Things were very quiet in the kitchen the other day so I had to go investigate...

See, Mom? It all just fell out of here!

I guess Abby wanted to get her own picture of the mess

Here is a video of a true representation of how most days go. Abby taking things, Olivia tattling, Olivia then trying to rectify the situation, and Abby...umm...not going for it.

Abby once again has Strep. Ugh!! I am thinking that a trip to the Ear, Nose, and Throat Doc is in the near future. She may be a carrier. Wonderful! Good news is that Olivia does not have it.