Good Morning Snow

And the reaction...the "Happy Snow" dance.

Interpretive Snowman

A snowman's interpretation of Baby.

Baby 2.0

A tragic incident occurred last week while Rob and I were in Charlotte.  A certain dog that will remain unnamed (not Reebok!) took a loving nip at Baby. I can't tell if the bandage makes the wound more tragic but Madeleine insisted the bandage stay on. When it finally fell off we both gasped and immediately put it back on. 

I don't know who was more upset, Madeleine or me, but Baby has been a part of our family for as long as I can remember. Madeleine takes her everywhere she goes, every single day. She's never left us. Somewhere in the back of my mind I thought Madeleine's children would someday play with Baby. So this was oddly devastating. 

Tonight, Madeleine finally gave up on Baby. It broke my heart a little. But I took a closer look at Baby and realized...what a mess this doll is!!!!  No clothes, dirt that won't wash off, a wonky eye, and a gaping hole where her hand should be. This baby is going down in a blaze of glory.

But it is all okay. After endless Google searches by Grandma, an all-day adventure to several toy stores, and two other babies that did not pass Madeleine's test...meet "new baby". Clothes are already off. 

Baby It's Cold Outside

What The...?!

The Game

Some days, it is very hard to be a Carolina Panther fan. They truly have earned their nickname "Cardiac Cats". Saturday's game was not quite a 'sit on the edge of your seat' kind of game but it was hard to watch. We drove to Charlotte Saturday afternoon in hopes of watching the Panthers start their run to the Super Bowl but it was not to be. We had fun anyway. 

I missed my very favorite part of the game - the start. The music starts, smoke is pumping, the panther cat is growling, Sir Purr is going ballistic, the crowd goes crazy and the players come flying out of the big inflatable cat tunnel (yes, I'm serious). It's quite an event. But this is how I saw it...

Waiting in line at the ATM while a slew of drunk idiots could not manage to make a simple withdraw. Infuriating.  Here's the inflatable cat tunnel. Intimidating, yes?

Of course I had to get my face painted. It's become a tradition for me and I quite enjoy it. It makes me feel like a "fanatic". I mean, really, who doesn't love a glitter paw on their face?

Good thing we brought the ponchos! Luckily the rain wasn't near as bad as expected because then I just would have been downright angry that we sat in the pouring rain to watch them throw the game away. I'm fine with sitting in the drizzle to watch them throw the game away. It made me feel better to get my  money's worth out of the poncho.

We ended up leaving shortly before the game ended. Rain was getting worse and the game was becoming too painful to watch. We made it to a bar in time to catch the end of the game and the press conference. Jake was pitiful to watch. 

Our impression of Jake...

Got back to the hotel and came to a stunning realization. Let's see if you can figure out what we figured out...Here is the hotel website photo of the bed.

And here is a photo of our actual bed. Notice anything missing?

That's right! PILLOWS! No pillows! Rob called the front desk but was told there were no extra pillows. So sorry. End of discussion. End of conversation. No pillow for you. Click. Too tired to fight (for now) we went to bed and woke up to...NO HOT WATER!  Let's just say it ended up being a pretty cheap night's stay because they gave us our money back. Jerks.

Only one thing made this weekend better. STEELERS WON!  Here we go Steelers, here we go!

Weekend in Review

A very dull weekend of just doing "stuff". Madeleine got a fancy new hat and she knows just how to wear it.  Cool as always.

We started something something that we may regret. The kids playing spelling and match games on our iPhones. Madeleine said she needed her own phone or that I could share with her. Great. 

Looking at this picture, I feel like I can see the future. Two teenagers laying on the couch playing with their phones.  

Dinner. "Nooo. I don't want carrots. I don't like 'em. You eat them, Mommy." (say it in your most whiney voice)

After dinner, Austin thought it would be fun to wear Madeleine's princess shoes. 

But he was still manly about it. Kind of. 

Tonight we will end the long holiday break with a bath for the kids, a glass of wine for Mommy and football for Daddy. Back to the grind.

Cheers

From my house to yours, best wishes for 2009.

New Years Day

I hosted a little dinner for the family on New Years Day. I felt like Holly Homemaker. 

A toast to the new year.
Madeleine needed to get in on the toast action too. 
Austin showing off his manly side again. Wearing napkin rings as bracelets, I mean super power bands. 
Then he ended the night with a melody. 

Santa Cookies by Heather's Aunt Kate (kind of)

On Christmas Eve the kids and I made cookies for Santa using Heather's famous recipe. We broke out all the fancy bakeware, delicious decorations and a cup of cheer for mommy. 

As you can see, the kids take cookies very seriously.

Ta da! They almost look edible. If only I hadn't forgotten the shortening. They are pretty though! 

New Years Resolutions

A few things I wish for more of in 2009...

Laughing out loud

Music instead of television

Hugs (yes, I said hugs)

Playing outside instead of inside

Smiling faces in my camera 

Happy New Year everybody!