They are at it AGAIN!

Note that they are "hiding" the evidence behind their cribs, as if we wouldn't notice the paper off the wall...

CAUGHT!

Payback?

While working in my office yesterday afternoon, I heard some tremendous noise coming from the girls' bedroom-- where they were supposed to be napping.  But as I have learned, having two girls just 18 months apart makes for some noisy "naptimes."  They giggle.  They squeal.  They scream.  Then they laugh.  Then they jump.

It's fun.

But this was A LOT of noise.  I went up to investigate.  K, who had been up for almost 24 hours at that point, was sleeping through it.  No wonder I hadn't heard footsteps going in to silence them.

And then I looked in.  And wow.  What a sight...

Need a closer look?  Here is Hosanna's side of the room...

And here is ZuZu's side of the room.  Notice she hit two walls...

Now, I will freely admit that the wallpaper was not my favorite.  But it wasn't hideous.  The plan was as follows: 1) paint Moses' room; 2) paint the kitchen/dining room/family room; 3) paint the girls' room.  And #3 was going to come along sometime after Hosanna switches to a "big girl bed."  And because ZuZu still insists on sleeping in her crib, I figured I had a few years.

Looks like my kitchen is going to have to wait for a while...

My parents reminded me that I did the exact same thing when I was 15 months old.  They had just wallpapered my bedroom, and in anger one day I started tearing it down. 

Well... at least the wallpaper wasn't new.  And the girls didn't do it in anger.  And now I know two little monkeys who can finish the job!

THREE.

Still in disbelief, 24 hours later.

But alas, this girl is three.


She had a great day, and the weather cooperated and we got to play outside! Add a little "face time" in there with Uncle Jarrett, Aunt Emily, and Olive, and you've pretty much got a great day!

Grandparents and cousins are coming over on Sunday to celebrate, but we gave ZuZu her presents yesterday. And I will say, she asserts herself like a three-year-old. Especially when telling her brother "NO." I think she took "birthday princess" a little to the extreme, and that's going to come back to haunt her come April when we don't make Moses share any of his new toys.

But then again, it was a long and eventful day, and things didn't flow like normal. It was 9:30 last night before she was settled down enough to be able to fall asleep.  And who could be frustrated with this little cutie?! I think these pictures scream, "I am three and am as cute as can be!"






And this one screams, "I am almost 18 months and about as ornery as they come."


And this one (from earlier in the day) screams, "I am almost six, and I. AM. AWESOME."


Hosanna SO BADLY wanted ZuZu's new LaLaLoopsy doll...


One of my favorite pictures from last night: ZuZu playing with her "Calico Critters" house. Brought back memories of my own dollhouses and calico critters and playing at the dining room table after my birthday parties!


Hoping to install all those "birthday memories" that I had growing up! Birthdays are special, and you ARE the princess of your day. So I guess maybe ZuZu *might* have been a result of my own creation yesterday...  and I'm sure the extreme sugar content in the pink lemonade cupcakes might not have helped matters....

The many looks of a fashion trendsetter

It was a lazy Saturday in our house. With the exception of Moses' soccer game, we didn't have anything we HAD to do. And we take lazy Saturday mornings pretty seriously in our house. Pajamas and cartoons all morning. And then when we come back from soccer, we put our pajamas back on...

As proof of our low-key tradition, I offer the following evidence:


But that's just not how Hosanna rolls. This child is INTO her accessories. You never know what new look is going to greet you when you walk around the corner.  All of the following looks occurred in just one lazy Saturday...

Here is how I was greeted on Saturday morning. Before I was even up, she had already had her daddy put "pretties" in her hair.


And nothing screams "lazy saturday morning" like a sparkly tutu and snuggly lamb hat.


It is, after all, the perfect attire for painting the wall with a silcone barbecue brush.


She loves to accessorize with anything that belongs to Moses. Maybe this is the preppy gangster look?




Here's how I was greeted after her nap. I think we'll call this her "Wilma Flintstone" look...  Actually, maybe we'll call it her Betty look.  I always thought Betty was cuter.




And finally, she did her own hair in the bathtub:


I think the lesson learned here is that if Hosanna is going to be this... let's call it "fashion forward".... she is going to have to spend a lot more time with Aunt Emily to learn how to channel it properly!

We just made dental history

After weeks of trying to figure out what was wrong with the blog, I *think* I finally have it figured out. It was such a pain, and totally discouraged me from blogging. Which bums me out, because I never posted any Christmas pictures. Hopefully now I will be more motivated to post...

It is a day off from school and work (for me), so how did we spend it? At a 7:45 am dental appointment! Actually, the kids were really excited (I know... weird).

This was ZuZu's first appointment. And apparently, at not-quite-3-years of age, the youngest patient they have ever had.

As you can see, she was such a big girl!!!




Because she's a no-cavity kid, she got a picture on the wall!


Moses didn't have any cavities, either, so he got to put a sticker on his picture. We also made dental history in another way-- apparently, we are the only family of whom the parents (K and me) are totally filling free. So those genes bode well for our kids in the future!

Someone else also got to try out the chair!


We "celebrated" by eating at a favorite family restaurant. It was the kids' first time there. Moses declared the pancakes the "best in the world!"




We also visited the Verizon store for new phones (ours were well past the contract date, and falling apart). So by the point we got our food, Hosanna had had it...


It was a great start to the day... but unfortunately, the early start meant early naps for the girls, and Hosanna is awake about 2 hours earlier than normal. I think an early bedtime is in order...

Fall Fun

Since it has been OVER TWO MONTHS since I posted anything, I thought MAYBE it was about time to put something new on here! We've had a lot of fun this fall!

Playing in the leaves...




Playing in the leaves some more...








Roasting marshmallows...


Dressing up...






We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our new house and town! Tonight, multiple police officers who were patrolling stopped and gave the kids handfuls of candy. Houses in the area gave away full candy bars or packages of microwave popcorn. It's like living in a storybook! I know the fairy-tale feel will wear off sometime, but right now we are just enjoying the joy we have here!

The Summer in Review: Random

Other random events of the summer...

Snuggling with a new quilt from Aunt Julie!!!


Dancing at a family wedding...




Tree-climbing...


Hide-and-seeking...


Hamming it up for a walk...


Lightning-bug-catching...




Going to a movie- a first for ZuZu!


Today, Moses drops off his school supplies at his NEW SCHOOL! We are all EXCITED! Good-bye, summer-- HELLO, new life!