Awards

I am just now getting to these, sorry!! I do love getting these...yes, yes, I do. They make me feel speshawl!! And I am so sorry I am just getting to them now.

First from Elyse at Following Him

The Friend Award

This award represents this: "These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find, and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers."

Awwwawww!!! Me?? Thanks, Elyse, really. It is great to have found you in this blog world of friendship.

Now I'm supposed to pass it on to 8 bloggers! These women have truly become my bloggy friends. Thank you for your support and advice. I love you guys!! In no particular order:
1)Deb at Postcards from the Edge
2)Heather at 3 Under 3
3)Debbie at Sousa Sisters
4)Monica at Jonas Family
5)Rachel at little bites of heaven
6)Katie at A & E
7)Linda at Twice The Love
8)Cheryl at Twinfatuation
9)Sarah at twins +2 more + 4 girls

If have already been awarded this, then just relish in the fact you have a lot of friends.

And I got a photo tag from Monica

Rules:

1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer.
2) Select the 4th picture in the folder

3) Explain the picture

4) Tag 4 people to do the same

NO CHEATING! (cropping, editing, etc!)

So here is my picture - Don't you just love what my mouth is doing??

We are making a gingerbread house. This was 2 Christmases ago in 2006. And I had to post the final product :-)

And I am really sorry but...who gave me this??

Or did I steal it borrow it when the author of a blog said anyone could take it
like I did with The Superior Scribbler Award over there?

Ah well, if you did give it to me thank you so so much!

All About Zachary

Oh my baby. My baby ya'll, is almost 7 years old. Dang! That makes me feel old. I guess I should put his stats too, huh?? He is 60 pounds and 4'2". Just about a foot under me. He will surely be taller than me sooner than I want.

He is reading. Not just "reading" like when they start off looking at the pictures to identify words, but really looking at any word and reading it. He reads things off the T.V. on signs, on papers, everything. Wow!

He wants to grow his hair out like his cousin Jordan, see below. That is Jordan in the white t-shirt, Collin in the navy and Z in the orange and navy. I say let him. Who cares? right?? Hmmm...the debate goes on at our house. His Daddy is not too crazy about it either.

This is the rocket he got for Christmas, one of his favorite gifts.

He loves his sisters. Really, he does. There has no been one drop of jealousy from him. Not even a little bit. He just talks and coos and plays with them all the time. We finally have to tell him to leave them alone if they get too stimulated. When I talked to him on the phone from Florida he said, "I can't wait to see the babies!" Thanks, I miss you too :-)

He still wants to be a weatherman only now he has added a rocker to it, so a rock and roll weatherman. Hey, it could happen. He is still very much into art, drawing, and creating. He still loves Science, and really dislikes sitting at his desk doing worksheets all day.

Gotta ham it up!

He talks. Non.stop. All the time. All.the.time, people! About anything and everything, the sky, a commercial, what so and so said at school. And the way he phrases things! You would think an adult was talking. He uses words like particular, actually, and others that neither Gary or I can think of right now. He asks questions that boggle our minds and leave us stumped at where it came from.

He is terrified of getting in trouble. I promise I never beat him! He just got my sensitive nature, I guess. He still hardly ever gets in trouble, but I can tell we will have to start nipping the attitude in the bud here lately. He still tears up quite easily, when he is sad, and when his little heart gets touched. We both cried at the end of that American Girl movie, Kit Kitrich or whatever is was called. I know it will help him out in life to have such a sensitive nature, but I really hope he only has a small portion of my overly sensitiveness. I sent him off to school this morning in tears because he thought we might get in trouble for missing school for Disney World. Oy!

This child of mine is ticklish under his chin and still pretends he doesn't want me to get tummy sugar. We have a goodnight handshake we do every night along with our kisses and hugs...and one more kiss. He still has his blanket, what's left of it, and still needs a nightlight plus the hall light on to sleep. He still cuddles when he has time in between the video games and Hot Wheels.

Me and my Zach

Menu Plan Monday

Last week went as follows:
Monday: Sandwiches
Tuesday: Spring Creek Barbeque
Wednesday: Outback Steakhouse
Thursday: Panda Express
Friday: Chicken Sandwiches
Saturday: Chicken Sandwiches and Babe's Restaurant
Sunday: Frito Pie

Needless to say the whole idea of trying out all those new recipes went right out the window. We haven't eaten out this much in a very long time. Outback was yum yum good! I had a fillet and it was just the best ever! We actually took the girls and sat down and ate with them, a first for us. Any previous meals out have been buffet or super quick like Pei-Wei. They did pretty good. The worst is when they are constantly trying to grab anything and everything off our plates. And every time we drink out of a glass they want to too. They can officially sit in their highchairs with those padded seat covers. So we have opened a whole new door. Fun fun!!

So here's this week
Monday: Bacon Cheese Burger Chicken - a new one and looks super yummy
Tuesday: Spaghetti or Ravioli
Wednesday: Roast with veggies
Thursday: Chicken Packets - also a new one and I can't wait to try it
Friday: Breakfast for Dinner - Omelets or sausage biscuits

A few of you asked for my Monkey Bread Recipe so here it is:

Monkey Bread
4 packages of refrigerated biscuit dough (12 oz. each) I used regular biscuits or crescent rolls
1.5 cups sugar
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup margarine or butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional - I didn't use them, but I will next time)
1/2 cup raisins (optional - I didn't use them)

Place sugar and cinnamon into a large ziploc bag and shake well to combine. Cut the biscuits into quarters and place several at a time into the bag. Shake to coat with the cinnamon sugar. Lay coated pieces into a Bundt pan, interspersing nuts and raisins amongst the pieces. Melt the butter and brown sugar in a small pan and let boil one minute. Pour over the biscuit dough. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a plate. Serve warm - just pull the bread apart with your fingers and enjoy!!

The thing I forgot when I practiced making it the first time was that it rises. So only fill the pan about half way full. I use two small Bundt pans, but you could get away with using a loaf pan I think.

Have a great Monday!

All About Abigail

Abigail Suzanne
6 1/2 months old
17 lbs 13 ozs -- 75th percentile
26 in tall -- 70th percentile
42 1/2 head circumference -- 50th percentile

Oh, my sweet sweet Abby Girl, my Abby Dabby Doo, my Abby Sue. This child is a true delight. She is the happiest little thing! When I walk into the room, she just positively lights up. I swear she says, "Hi!" or something like it. She smiles and squeals and just wiggles her whole little body when she sees us.

She is a cuddler. She just folds herself into me and tightens her whole body like she is giving me a hug without squeezing. She loves kisses and will give us open mouthed ones right back (yummy). She is so soft and squishy that I could just cuddle her close all day long.

She loves loves music. And she dances when I hold her and sing. It is the cutest thing ever. It takes her a little bit to get started but she gets her groove going with her head going back and forth and her body just follows along. I have got to get it on video to share with you.

One night she trying to get my attention by making a noise at me over and over. When I finally looked over at her she jumped up and down and just grinned at me. She babbled on and on as she rocked the exersaucer back and forth.

She is definitely Daddy's girl, no doubt about that. She only eats for him and mostly wants him to put her to sleep at night. Which she fights tooth and nail on. She fights and jerks and cries, she so does not want to go to sleep. When she does finally give into it, she just lays there in our arms with her eyes closed and talks and babbles and sings until she goes to sleep. She is hard to get to sleep but then more often then not, this little angel sleeps through the night. Lucky Daddy.

She has so many facial expressions. In the course of a minute, she will look a dozen different ways. Her queen look is one of my favorites, where she looks down her nose at us.

She loves to chew on her hands and tags. She loves tags! Which is so funny to me because Zachary gagged when he touched tags. He had to have me cut every tag off of every animal, pillow, everything he could get away with. But this is about Abby, right? Tags are her friend.

She found her feet about a month ago


And she is just about sitting up on her own

She loves to eat play with her sister.

She is really tired of laying back. She tries to flip out of the bouncer and succeeded once.

Separation Anxiety has set in a little bit.


She will sit like this a lot with her hand up by her head.

She will flip over to her to her tummy right away when you put her on her back, but then she fusses and fusses. It is like she has forgotten that she can roll the other way.

She loves to play Peek a Boo and just belly laughs at Zachary when he plays with her.

Me and my sweet Abby Girl

All About Olivia

Olivia Ann

6 1/2 months old

15 lbs 5 oz -- 45th percentile
25 1/4 in tall (short) -- 25th percentile
41 1/2 cm head circum -- 25th percentile

My beautiful Livvy Girl, my Livvy Divvy Doo, my Livvy Lou. This child's beautiful face takes my breathe away as least once a day. And it is not just because she looks like me either :-). Sometimes I just can't believe she came from me. She has the biggest smile that lights up her face. And she said, "MAMA" !!!!!!!!!!! Oh yes, she did. I tell myself she doesn't really know what she said, however, she only says it when she is upset and wants me, so....I say she knows. And I am who matters cuz I am the MAMA!!

She loves loves to cuddle with her dolls and blankets and me. Anything soft is in her hands and she is feeling it and touching it. Tags are also her friend. She also is into giving open mouthed kisses. (Double Yummy!) Around 6:45, she lets us know that she is ready for bed. When we go upstairs she puts her head on her blanket on my shoulder. We rock for just a bit before she drops off to sleep. She goes in and out of sleep until about 11:30 then she sleeps until 3:30 then until about 5:30 then until 7:30. I am not sure what to do about helping her sleep through the night.

She has rolled over both ways but really doesn't care to practice it at all. She is fine with just laying there playing with the things hanging from her gym. She is sitting up really well in her inner tube ( Thank you Sarah!! ).

She has definitely found her voice. She screams when she wants something. Screeches and screams have replaced the soft noises she was famous for. They are still there but not very often. She is babbling all the time as she is playing.

She also has a range of looks and expressions, but we are the only ones who see it. You want to see what everyone sees when they see Olivia?

Lovely isn't it? My brother finally got a smile from her, he had to work for it. It is almost like she is saying,"I have not said you could speak to me, mere mortal." She does give this to us but very rarely. I think she just gets freaked out a little by all the people around.

Separation Anxiety has set in for her big time

She loves to eat play with her sister.

She is also tired of laying back in the bouncer. She digs her elbows into me, the chair, the swing, anything so she does not have to lay down.

She is super duper high maintenance. She knows what she wants and she wants us to hold her all.day.long. She has a very short attention span. She has to be changed to another activity after about 5 mins. She is also teething two more bottom teeth. We were so surprised because usually the top ones are next but not with her. She has had an ear infection off and on since Thanksgiving, so needless to say she has been a little needy.

And she is the best at being so pitiful. She just gets broken hearted
when we don't do what she wants. Poor little thing.

And you have seen what Olivia can do to a container (not jars anymore, WTH??) of baby food. Well, this little girl thinks she is big. So big that she does not want her bottle anymore. On a fluke I tried this:

Yeah, she drank the whole thing. So now she drinks her milk from a sippy cup except for her nighttime bottles. It is so funny to me how this tiny thing wants her food and a cup and her sister would drink her bottle exclusively.

Me and my Livvy Lou

P.S. Stay tuned for an All About Zachary Post.

Catching Up

We all got it, people. Both parents down with sickness along with 3 kids is no good! Thank God it was only an 18 hour thing. Everyone is better except Little Miss Olivia. She is tugging at her ear so we are heading to the Dr. today. We haven't seen our pedi since Christmas Eve, so we are due for a visit. ;-)

Zachary is headed off to Disney World today with his Daddy, complete with his new snaggle-toothedness.

I am getting my Menu together, plus a lot of other catch up posts. I have a lot to say about the cuteness that abounds but I have to tell you about the highchair and who like to paint with peas!

You guessed correct! It is Olivia who loves to get her peas on...all over her.

And I have to share these pictures! This was the first time we tried it with them. Olivia of course was all into it.

And Abby is looking at us like we have lost our minds
"You want to do what with this green stuff??"


And this is what she looks like every time we feed her

Lips locked tight. Look at that little clenched chin! And she will not eat for me, only Gary. Little Stinker!! If Gary can manage to get a few bites into her, to prove that it is something she likes, she will finally open up and she does like the peas.

And the after pictures:
Olivia is in food heaven
and Abby's expression can just be described as painful since we put her hands in it.

Poor Abby. I think she may be our super fussy little girly girl that does NOT like to get dirty.

Well, there you have a small taste of the cuteness that has been happening around here. Be back later with my menu. It will be filled with new recipes since Zachary will be gone and we can try out some new things while he is gone.

Still working on my signature...

Sick

Sick again...and again...and again. Zachary is sick again with the same thing. Poor kid was just getting his appetite back. He has to leave for Disney with his dad on Tuesday. Hopefully this will be gone by then. Olivia has it too. Prayers would be appreciated! I am really really tired of cleaning up throw up and poop. Seriously. I want to cry I am so tired of sickness.

New Years's Resolutions

Happy New Year Everyone!!

Can I just say that I so so enjoyed my week off from the computer. I tweaked my blog here or there but for the most part I stayed away. And I missed you, but I also got so much done around the house. I actually cleaned up the downstairs one day. Wow! I know...

I have not done New Year's resolutions in years! But I feel since I have this blog now that I have all my readers to hold me accountable. So here goes...

1) I will become a better blog reader.
~What this entails is several things. I will decrease the number of blogs I read on a daily basis. Sucks, I know, but there are so many blogs I read that I do not even know the person. I have just followed along just to follow along, you know? I skim their blogs and never even comment. Having said this...I will comment more on the few blogs I read.

2) I will focus on getting this house decorated and in functioning order.
~I have a love/hate relationship with this house. I love it because it is ours, mine and Gary's, it is our sanctuary and the place our love has grown. I, however, do not care for the layout of the house. It is not a family style of layout AT ALL. I also do not care for the colors of the floor, walls, outside paint, I could just go on and on. But I won't because I am going to be better! I will work with what I have and change what I can about it to help it to function better for our family. This includes organizing, decluttering, and cleaning. To help me stay on target I am including 50 things I want to accomplish this year on my sidebar. I will cross them off as I do them. I got this idea from one of my favorite bloggers, Tonya. This also includes doing more around the house on a daily basis; vaccuming, mopping, cleaning the bathrooms, laundry, dishes, picking up toys, oh the list goes on and on.

3) I will not spend money on frivolous things just to spend money. Before every purchase I will think about how it will help with the functioning of our home.
~I have a slight addiction to shopping. It has gotten better, but I know I need to rein it in even more. I am great at saving us money on groceries, but it is the little trips to Target and Wal-mart that add up; $50 here and $60 there on things that really don't add anything but clutter to our lives. This has to stop.

4) I will eat more fruit and drink more water. I will make it a goal to take care of myself and my body.
~I think this is a given. We all say we will do this. We got a Wii Fit for Christmas and it really does help to focus us on our goals. I have got to do something about my weight and it so begins now. Think Thin Thursday will go on! This also includes other things such as doing my daily skin care routine, getting my hair cut, and other things that make me feel more like a human.

5) I will play more educational games with the twins.
~I have to admit these past 6 months have been little more than surviving. I play with them, sure, but not as focused as I need to be. I need to do more activities that use their little brains!

6) Keep my Inbox clean
~This means keeping it under 100 message to look through, delete, and file.


So there they are...Wish me luck!

I am also going to do more of little snippit posts of the kids instead of one big one on Fridays. I have more time to do a quick post than a marathon one. It takes me most of my day on Friday to do that post, so look for more posts during the week.

And one more thing...I am so bummed to see that most everyone does not see my super cute signature. I plan on rectifying that soon. But until then...

Sara

Daddy Labels giveaway

Jen is giving away a great prize over at her blog. I get an extra entry if I blog about it. I love her giveaways! I actually won a great pair of shoes for one of the girls a couple of weeks ago. Wish me luck!