My Birthday Parties Part 1

Mommy apologizes, she was realllly busy this week.  So busy she had to call in reinforcements from Nashville (thanks, Babi and Duda!!) 
Here are some pictures from my "real" birthday party at Gattiland on my actual Birthday (which was 9 days ago!)  Mommy, Daddy, Anna and Duda were there to celebrate it with me!  When you turn 3 your birthday is really a week/month-long celebration and it ROCKS!

 Daddy bought me this fabulous cupcake.  I didn't like the frosting, though.  Had a weird aftertaste.  You  know what I'm talking about when it comes to pink food coloring?  Yeah, that.  Frosting is my favorite part of any cake.  In fact, at my birthday party I said, "May I please have more frosting with cake on it?"

 My present from Mommy and Daddy was this BIG, HUGE Princess art kit!  Fabulous!

 And this is a travel Princess art kit from Uncle Mark and Miss Kimberly.  Look at my hands, and my expression!  Thanks, Uncle Mark and Miss Kimberly!

 Duda and Daddy braved the merry-go-round with us.  Mommy and Daddy call this the "Pukey-go-Round."  But we LOVE IT!

 Even Anna looks a little sick here...

Duda hooked me up with about 200 tickets.  I got to pick out so much junk (I mean, PRIZES)!  Note the different shoes...I guess that's a 3 year old thing.  Mommy is really fascinated by my fashion choices.  It's kind of fun letting me do what I want, just to see what I'll do!  I'm very opinionated about what I want to wear.  Mostly I do a pretty good job!
I'll play catch up this week and get more pictures up soon.  Mommy better go, I'm sitting on Anna's head in the play room right now.
Have a Happy Halloween weekend!
Love,
Lilly and Anna

Mommy No Speaka English

We are on our own today sans Daddy, but we had a really fun day.  We made breakfast muffins that Anna decided to add a little (fistful) extra baking soda to (blech) - tossed those right out!  Not easy, either when you make the stupid things from scratch!  That's what Mommy gets for playing Suzy Homemaker.
We went to music class, came home, played with my new stash of birthday presents while Anna napped and then we went to the mall to kill a little time with my BFF Mallorie and her Mommy Melanie.
We were sitting in the food court running around like rampant little animals - 'cept for Anna who was sitting down nicely eating crackers - when this really nice foreign lady approached and said to Mommy:
"Excuse me, but may I ask, is there a costume party at the mall today?"
Mommy looks at me and Anna, both in Princess dresses, "Um, yes in fact there is, right there at the Disney store."
Weird look from foreign lady, "Oh.  She is so beautiful." Points to Anna.  Looks at me, "Is she yours, too?"
Mommy, kind of used to this because yes we do look different and yes, one time the checkout teenager at the grocery store ACTUALLY ASKED if we had the same Daddy (yes, we do!), "Yes, they are both my babies."
"Oh," foreign lady says, looks at Anna again, "she is so beautiful...but, her nose..."
Mommy thinking, Really?  Really you are going to say something critical about my 1 year old?
"Yes, she has a nose."
"Um...her nose, it's German."
Mommy, thinks to herself, THIS is new..., "Her nose is German?  No, actually it's Slavic, I'm of Slavic descent.  Eastern European."  Mommy quite proud of herself and her heritage.
Foreign lady gives Mommy quite a perplexed look, meanwhile Mommy Melanie looks like she just saw an alien spaceship land on our table.
"No, its GERMAN."
"Um, thank you.  I actually have an Aunt from Germany." She's a lot like you, too, says exactly what she thinks manners be damned!
Foreign lady shakes her head, leans over and looks at Mommy like she's missing half of her brain and says, "YOU NEED TO WIPE HER NOSE."
Mommy looks at Anna, snot is dripping down her chin. 
"You need to wipe their noses, they don't like the mucus and they can't do it themselves.  Thank you, thank you so much.  She's beautiful."
Mommy thinks she really must be missing half a brain and Mommy's friend Melanie is about doubled over in her chair.  Melanie tried to make Mommy feel better by saying something nice and fellow Mommy-ish, nonetheless, always looking for something fun to write about!
Love,
Lilly and Anna

Happy 3rd Birthday Lilly Bean!!!

 Happy Birthday, my Lilly, my Lilly!!  I believed in love at first sight the moment I saw you.  You were a perfect, beautiful, very pensive newborn baby.  I remember how tiny your little hands and feet, how soft your baby skin was, how beautiful your dark blue eyes were just staring up at me like, "Okay, here I am, let's go!"  October 21, 2007 was a gorgeous, beautiful Fall day.  All the colors of the leaves on the trees were at their peak, the sun was shining, the air was perfectly cool, there was no wind, it smelled like bonfire and Fall - the world was made even more beautiful when you (finally) made your arrival that Sunday night.

 Lilly, you won your Daddy over the minute you were born.  What a sucker he is for you still (and always will be, I'm sure).  We took this picture on your first trip to the pumpkin patch right around your 1st birthday in October, 2008. 

 

 October, 2009 Halloween at the Zoo!  Look how big you were already.  I just love those gorgeous blue eyes, those beautiful lips (you get those from Teti and Uncle Dan - lucky girl!) and that cute little nose (Babi!) - everything else is all Daddy!  Except for your sass, you get that from ME!

And here you are now, 3 years old!  Smart, funny, gorgeous - PERFECT.  I just love you to pieces Lilly Bean.  You have brought sheer joy into our lives, every day is a gift with you in it.  I love watching you grow, I love watching you learn, I love watching you just be.   This morning, for the first time, I saw you do something you've never done before.  You played peacekeeper!  So BIG!  Every day a new thing.  This might all sound trite and cliche I don't care.  Everything every Mama has ever said who loved her kids is true.  I am a better person because of YOU Lilly, and I love you more each day than the last and I will love you forever and forever ;) 
Happy Birthday to My Baby,
Mommy

Thanks Grammy and Grampa!

 I got my first birthday present from Grammy and Grampa this weekend!  Look how excited I am!!

 I love my new crown...

 My new cape and wand, and beatiful "glass slippers"!  Thank you so much!!!  I am going to wear this ensemble for my Princess Party!

 Grammy gave me my first french braid, too!  This eludes Mommy, she tried to braid my hair and it just kept slipping out.  So she hairsprayed the heck out of it and got something that resembled a french braid...must be a Grammy skill.

 And Mommy forced us to pose for some pictures before we left.  Mommy quick snapped 17 pictures and these two are the best she got!!

We are such STINKERS!!
We had a great time at Grammy and Grampy's house this weekend.  Thank you soooo much for taking care of us!
I hope you don't get sick, Grammy.  Poor Anna isn't getting any better at all!  Mommy has already driven all over the state the past two days for appointments, too so she's stuck at Mary Lou's.  Mary Lou NEVER gets sick!  I wonder what her secret is!?!?
Love,
Lilly and Anna

That's What She Said!

 Last week we went to boogie at the Veggie Tales concert.  We're not real Veggie Tale-heads, not the way Mommy refers to herself as a Phish-head.  We're kind of new to the music so it took us a while to "get into it" and jam, if you will.

 Do you see where we are?  That's a CHURCH in town.  We went up to the way back, so we could boogie.

 I like to boogie with my tongue out.  Cute.  Know what else is cute?  This dress Duda bought me - when I was born!!!  I LOVE it!  It's the perfect twirly skirt!

Last night was Mommy-Lilly-Anna night because Daddy had to work.  I rang out a couple doozies.  Below:
"Mommy you can't tell me what to do, you're not Mary Lou."
"Mommy, you're mean!" (Upon Mommy telling me "NO" to something)
"Mommy, you were WRONG!" (Upon giving me the wrong kind of ice cream) "That's NOT what I WANTED!"
This morning I woke up and said, "Happy Birthday to you, Mommy." 
Happy birthday indeed, my Lilly Bean.
Love,
Lilly and Anna

Reunion Weekend!

This weekend we are going to Troy for Mommy and Daddy's high school reunion!  We get to stay with Grammy and Grampa!  Yay!!!  We have a busy weekend planned.  We are going to our first football game Friday night, to the park Saturday, Mommy and Daddy get alone time Saturday night (yay!!!) and then Sunday we are going to Fulton Farms to pick out our pumpkins!  What a weekend we have planned and we are so excited!  Thanks Grammy and Grampa for taking us in for the weekend!  We can't wait to see you!  Anna can't wait to plant one right on your kisser! 
Love,
Lilly and Anna

Have I Told You Lately...

How much I love Anna??  She is just absolutely, positively the sweetest, most adorable thing ever (aside from Lilly, of course!)  For instance, this morning Mommy went upstairs to wake Anna up, and Anna had her blanket over her head.  When Mommy got to the crib Anna popped up from underneath her blanket and yelled, "Peek-boo!" and then gave Mommy's neck the biggest bear hug.  Anna has this thing with kissing too, man she plants them RIGHT on you - over and over and over.  I just love her so much!!
She is cutting yet more teeth, too.  Pretty soon she's going to have a mouth full of them.  I can't believe she's getting so big.  My little baby!  Mommy is so blessed. 
Love,
Lilly and Anna

&%#! My Daddy Says

I'm sure you've all heard of the book and now the new sitcom, &%#! My Dad Says, and Mommy thought all the married women of the world could compile a list of &%#! Their Husband Says which would become an instant and runaway best seller.
Daddy mouthed off a couple of his own doozies this weekend, that made Mommy laugh, and since I've got an inside track on Mommy's brain I have here for your enjoyment &%#! She Was Thinking.
Daddy to Mommy: "You are a lot messier than you were 5 years ago.  Everywhere I look there's piles and I feel like every time I open the dishwasher it's full of clean dishes that need to be put away."
Mommy thinks: Well gee, I had a little more free time on my hands FIVE YEARS AGO.  How's about instead of noting the piles and the dishes you go ahead and put them away...hmmmm???
Daddy: "I need new shoes.  I need new boxers.  I need a double trailer for my bike (that I haven't ridden not once since I met you).  I need to pay my sister.  I need, I need, I need..."
Mommy thinks: I need a million dollars! 
Daddy:  "Who hung up those pictures?  I didn't do that, they need to be screwed into the wall properly or they could fall on someone's head."
Mommy thinks: Picture frames remain on the floor waiting to be "properly hung", two weeks and counting!
Daddy:  "I hope you raked up those leaves for fun, because you left the whole pile on the lawn and half the leaves.  It's going to be more work for me to clean that up."
Mommy: Weeeee!  Leaves!!!!!!!!!  Let's jump, girls!
Ha ha ha, Daddy.  I'm sure Mommy could come up with more, but what fun is that at your expense?
Stay tuned tomorrow for, &%#! Lilly and Anna Say!
Wait, that's the whole point of this blog, no?
Love,
Lilly and Anna

Snooze...

Zzzzz...
It's quiet in the M---- house right now. It's wonderful.
Love,
Lilly and Anna

Indian Summer

 What do you do when it's nice outside in October?  We get nekkid and take a shower with the hose!  Unfortunately because of the nature of the internet we can't post too many of our outdoor shower pictures.  Mommy asked Daddy if he thought "butt" pictures were okay and he said, "I'll show you my butt let's get nekkid and make a baby" and Mommy laughed and Daddy said, "Does that turn you on?" Mommy said, "No but thanks for the blog material." 
It's going to be a balmy 85 degrees this weekend.  We plan on getting out to enjoy it as much as possible. Our big zoo Halloween party starts this weekend and so does our annual fall festival.  We can't wait! With or without or clothes on.  You gotta love Indian Summer.
Cheers and love,
Lilly and Anna

Open Letter to Lauren - and All My "Working" Mama Friends

Well, this would be kind of weird if I wrote it from Lilly's perspective, so I'm writing it from my own today. 
I got a note from my friend Lauren last night:
"Kristen.. I need some kind of funny pep talk right now... 2nd week of FT work at a place I am loving... kids are happy where they are... just so emotional, it's a huge transition!"
Indeed - and therein lies the problem, right?!  Lauren started a new job that she loves, and her kids are happy and yet still she feels guilty!  Of course I responded with my requisite: "Go buy something to make yourself feel better" but I haven't stopped thinking about you all day, Lauren, and it got me to thinking about all my other Mommy friends, too.  So, I feel compelled to give you the funny pep talk you are looking for (and raise my own spirits while I'm at it).
This morning, like every other morning, was a frenzied attempt at waking myself up (next to sleeping Lilly who woke up screaming twice in the middle of the night and eventually made her way to our bed), getting showered/dressed - Oh!  There's Anna, got to run upstairs and get her, change her diaper, warm her milk - crap!  Forgot her blankets, her lovey - wait...why won't she stop crying?  Now she's screaming.  Lilly's up, wants to watch TV, get her milk, can she have a banana?  Not that banana - it's green.  How about grapes instead?  Hair's still wet, I'm not wearing any clothes, the windows are open, better get dressed.  Why won't Anna stop crying?  Pick up Anna, hold her, screaming, kicking, crying - how did it get to be 8:15?  Got to be at work by 9:00!  Go upstairs, get clothes for girls, Lilly doesn't want to wear these pants today, go get different pants, still don't have my own pants on and on and on and on and on...
Flash forward its 9:03 I'm pulling up into Mary Lou's driveway (finally), phone rings, it's my boss: "Are you coming in to the office today?"  Is this a rhetorical question? I want to ask...  Anna is still screaming, I get the girls to Mary Lou's (screaming instantly ceases) get in the car, gas tank is empty, arrive at work, 23 minutes late.
I am going to kick ass while I'm at work today, (I actually *gasp* love what I do as well), try to make up for lost time by skipping lunch (again), call Mary Lou to check on Anna, schedule their Dr's appointments (18 month and 3 year check ups!), go home get dinner ready, fold and put away laundry, play with kids, clean up afterwards, do the whole 2 hour bedtime thing, get everything ready for tomorrow, somehow find time in my day to be/do the following to my kids and family: teacher, mediator, financial planner, personal shopper, short order cook, housecleaner, musician, good wife, loving mom, involved mom, community volunteer, committee member, party planner, etc. and oh by the way: I have to LOOK good and I CAN'T COMPLAIN!
I think of all the amazing Mommy's I know.  My friend Kelly, mommy to Maxwell, who accepted an award yesterday on behalf of her organization and the work she and they do to promote the well being and recovery of breast cancer survivors; my friend Tiffany, mommy to Olivia and Luke, who is working towards her PhD in nursing while she works full time, teaches and has a husband in an ER residency; my friend Becky, mommy to Nate and Maddy, who manages a major shopping center and her own successful side business she started just 6 months ago; Kimberly, mommy to Marina and Ambrielle who manages a household on one income, every daily activity planned to the minute, and her kids never want for anything.  I could go on and on but you get the idea.  These and all my other mommy friends are mommies I am so proud to know and lucky to be associated with.  Whether we stay at home or leave every day we are all working Mommies and we are all AMAZING.  And, we shouldn't feel bad!
Hillary Clinton said a few years ago, "It takes a village."  And how!  And you know, working outside of my home makes me a better person (because I enjoy it), more fulfilled, it is helping my family secure a better future for my kids, and I am setting a good example to my daughters.  My kids get more out of being with Mary Lou four days a week than they would if they were with me.  That's not to say your kids would get more out of being with Mary Lou, you know what's best for your kids and if your new job is one you love, and your kids are happy - I say, celebrate!
Go buy yourself something!  :)
I know this is long winded, Lauren and girls, but I love you all and I for one appreciate the sacrifices you make on a daily/hourly basis and along with your family you've got someone in your corner.  Me!
Love,
Kristen

Sunday Finest

So...what did YOU wear to church on Sunday?  If you keep up with our blog at all, you'll note I am QUITE into my princess dresses, etc. lately.  So much so that I insisted on wearing THIS outfit to Sunday school.  Mommy did make me put on "sensible" shoes, however.  Mommy appreciates painful blistery high heels in the name of fashion just as anyone else does, but draws the line when you're two years old.  Plus, we had to go to the grocery store afterwards and it's just too much walking for my princess slippers.
I do Mommy and Anna a big favor by dressing in such opulent gowns for everyday activities.  We get lots of attention.  I make servant Mommy do all the "Thank you's" and "Yes, we realize it isn't Halloween this is just how we dress" and "I'm not looking to stifle her creativity or crush her Princess dreams at 2 years old - that can wait until she's 4" and finally the "Doesn't Angelina Jolie let her daughter dress up like a pirate?"
I am too busy not paying any mind to my throngs of admirers.  Mommy says when I'm dressed in my palace gear I have a royal responsibility to be polite to my subjects even if they are silently judging Mommy.

 After church I came home and changed Princess dresses, crown, and wand.  And since my future's so bright...well, you know...

And, Mommy just thought this picture was hilarious.  And we are all about laughs in this house!
Have a great week everyone!
Love,
Princess Lilly and P.I.T. Anna (P.I.T = Princess In Training, in case ya didn't know)