I Want a Snow White Dress. mmmmhmmmmm.

I Want a Snow White Dress. mmmmhmmmmm., originally uploaded by DerekandRebecca.

I told Greta to just tell Santa what she wanted to find under the tree. She does as she is told! He didn't ask her but she let him know!

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies

When Santa is mentioned, Greta twirls. The excitement for what will happen on Christmas Eve is mounting and Christmas morning can not come soon enough.

What is Lovely

Just out of his bath, Derek always brings Jack to me for a cuddle. He is warm and soft and smells like buttermilk baby bee lotion. His hair is damp and his eyelashes still have splashes of water in them. He always lays his head on my heart and snuggles in close. No more peek a boo. Time for sleep and dreams.

Our days are full of romping around the house and playing chase with sister. Jack squeals with delight at almost everything. He is a baby of few words at this point, but he has no issues communicating with us. Jack understands much of what we say and he reacts. I always ask, "Jack, do you want to go up to the kitchen and get a banana?" He responds by a vigorous head shake and, "Neh". "Jack, do you want to go up the kitchen and have some milk?" And he is on his way. Bath time is his favorite. Stairs are a joy. It tickles me to laugh every single time he goes down the stairs he lays down on his tummy at least 10 feet away from the stairs, and sometimes even in a different room and slides backwards to the stairs until down them he goes. He has moments to himself between the curtain and the window as he gazes out at the yard. LIfe is beautiful.

the diva sings before noon...

the diva sings before noon..., originally uploaded by DerekandRebecca.

You are going to want to turn up your speakers for this number...

She's Goofy, Let's Party!

Greta had a Goofy party to celebrate turning 3. It was quite fitting! We kept it very intimate and even got to invite our cousin, Chase. Just weeks ago he had a very important surgery to remove his trach and widen his sinuses and shorten a muscle in his eye. It was so exciting to see him playing with Greta and Jack. Jack took to crawling and was by his side for the duration. Chase is a miracle and is so loved by Greta. She kisses his cheeks and talks lovingly to him. I think he is very special to her.

And, once again, Greta chose a party theme with elements hard to come by. Mickey Mouse and Minnie are easy, Goofy is hard. I made green Goofy party hats with long Goofy ears. I made fondant Goofy hats to top the double chocolate cupcakes. We decorated in Goofy colors, orange, green, blue and black. We had hot dogs and macaroni and cheese straight from the oven. With the cake, I served daisies potted in chocolate chip ice cream and cookie crumb dirt, and sparkling juices in fun bottles with silly straws to sip. We made the parents nuts with Goofy videos on the flat screen and "Goofy sings the hits". We gave Goofy goodie bags with Tootsie Pops, wooden kazoos, and a Goofy magic wash cloth to wipe off the sticky.

We ate and drank and opened presents. The first gift Greta opened was from her great friend, Evie. It was a Cinderella dress and Greta exclaimed, "OH, Is it my size????" She put it on immediately and we let her party until midnight (7:00) when we all turned into pumpkins. I hope her wish comes true...

Tootsie Pop, I Think I'm in Love With You

Greta and Jack are sharing a seat to have their Tootsie Pop treats.

Greta is 3

Make a wish sweet little girl!

Highlights

We experienced unseasonably warm weather the day and night after Thanksgiving this year. The four of us were home that day resting, decorating the Christmas tree, and renovating one of our bathrooms. (I am so excited about this! That bathroom was hideous and we were all tired of avoiding it.) The sun set and, behold, our neighbors had put Christmas lights up on their houses. It was beautiful and inspiring. Our inspiration was to book it to Home Depot, buy lights, book it to Sonic, buy hamburgers and shakes, book it home, eat, and put lights up on our house, too!

We did it.

So, there we were in the living room with the tree and the Christmas music still playing, having a picnic around the coffee table. It was kind of fun , and actually I wanted to write the memory down because Jack made me laugh so hard. Right...So, there we were, each of us with a burger and tater tots, and Jack would take a bite and walk around the table nodding his head to the beat of the music. This is normal for him. Then I noticed that he was doing something else. Here is the funny part. He would pick up a tot, and touch it to the discarded tomato laying on Derek's burger wrapper, and then he would walk around the table nodding his head to the beat. He did this every time he took a tot. Derek and I locked eyes and started laughing. He thought the tomato laying there was ketchup. Round and red. Ketchup. Dip. And the squeal of delight when I actually gave him a squirt of ketchup was heard across the state line! I bet he'll be that person that likes ketchup on his scrambled eggs.

Then we all ran outside and lined our house with lights while Jack and Greta took turns sliding down their slide in the dark. It was quite a sight. And the house looks lovely, too. This was the first time Derek and I put lights up. We are all grown up, now!

Hey Jude

On Wed. November 18th, we took our poor old kitty, Jude, to be put to sleep. She was 14 and had been suffering for about a year. I am crushed and I miss her so much.

This time of day, when I have gotten both babies to sleep, was our time. I always shared my lunch with her and brushed her and pet her. We would curl up and have a cat nap or she would watch me working on the computer.

It has never been so quiet here. But, I know that her strong and vibrant life force was not snuffed out, but she lives on in spirit, and she is feeling the warm sunshine on her cheeks and she is sharing it with me.

I'munna Get You, You better Run!

Hide and seek was our morning activity. Greta told me, "I will count to 12 and you go hide in the curtains!" Jack was on my team because he wouldn't let me put him down - my sweet little monkey. So, we agreed and Greta began counting with her hands over her eyes. I decided not to hide in the curtains, but to hide on the stairs so I could watch her run by and try to find me in the curtains...heh heh heh.

"One, two, free. Ready or not, herewhy come!" She ran past me snorting and laughing and and then realized she had seen us out of the corner of her eye. "You aren't in the curtains!" She got me, smarty pants.

Our turn. Jack and I counted to 12 slowly to give her time. "Ready or not, here I come!" I opened my eyes and started to trot around the room and pretend to look for her, who would be hiding in the curtains. And, upon taking my first step out of the corner where I was counting, I almost squash her into the floor. "I got you!" she said. She sure did. I thought she would hide and not stand there and watch me count. So, I gave her another chance. I told her to go and hide again and I would count to 12.

This time it worked. She hid. "Ready or not, here I come!" And with that, she was running out from behind the curtains, squealing like a piggy. This happened 4 more times. Then I got to hide again. I said, "Greta, count to 12 slowly so I have time to hide." "OK mamma. One, two, free! Ready or not herewhy come!"

Greta's enthusiasm overwhelms her, sometimes. And, it overwhelms me all the time!

I'm gonna make a funny.

Chocolate.

Now, what was the question?

Adorable Bed Monsters

I am a Nerd

On Halloween night, right after we got the babies back from trick or treating, I was pulling bread out of the oven and getting everything else ready for our guests. Derek took Greta and Jack back outside to look at the pumpkins and from what he told me, they went back over to our neighbors, Mike and Dottie's, house. They returned and came back inside and Jack wanted me to hold him. The door bell rang and it was Greta's favorite friend, Catilyn, who was dressed as Snow White. I brought them in to get treats and was still holding Jack. He started crying so I handed him a box of Nerds to fondle. I love Nerds. I wasn't thinking. I wanted those Nerds. I was talking to Snow White and not even paying attention and then I heard the sound of tiny candy falling and bouncing all over the hardwood floors. Jack, the cardboard eater had munched through and my Nerds were lost forever.

And, I confess that I ate them off of the ground...all of them that I could find. And, Greta came up to me this morning and held up a tiny pink rock and said, "Mamma, what is this?" And, I said, "Its a pebble, let me throw it away." nom nom nom nom.

Eye of newt, cup of milk

Eye of newt, cup of milk, originally uploaded by DerekandRebecca.

Greta said, "hopicus" which means, Hocus Pocus.

Smoke gets in your eye

Smoke gets in your eye, originally uploaded by DerekandRebecca.

Bewitching Night

When two people that absolutely love Halloween as much as Derek and I have children, the outcome is...this:

Greta knew what she wanted to be for Halloween this year even before she was quite sure of what the holiday entailed. This would be her first year out to trick or treat and this was the first year that she could express her enthusiasm with more than squeaks and grunts and 2 word phrases. Greta chose to be a spider way back in August. I let her wear it around the house, but had to fight her to take it off before we ran errands. And, the only reason I made her take it off was that I wanted it to still be special and exciting on Halloween night.

Whew. We made it to Halloween and wouldn't you know it, she told me she wanted to be a witch. ARG! This was my fault, really. We watched Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. She thought it was fascinating and scary, but not too scary. At the end she looked at me and said, "Is the witch alright?" "She really was kinda nice." My jaw dropped and then I had to laugh! What is this little baby girl going to do in this world? Should I be scared or relieved that she isn't just going to be a princess? I love that about her. I love that she is unique and thoughtful. I should have known this when she exclaimed that her favorite color was undoubtedly orange and not pink or purple or pink with sparkles. Greta is going to surprise us every time. And, in the end, she was a perfect big, black and hairy spider.

Derek and I had the best time decorating the house and filling the month of October with fun for Greta and Jack. A Halloween Express opened down the street and Greta named and seemed to know the monsters and zombies and creepy fellows on display there. We went every few days to let her be scared and giggle and squeal. And, poor Jack hated it and dreaded going. He takes things a little more seriously than his sister does. He much more enjoyed painting pumpkins and sniffing candy bars and watching The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. But, they are going to be the perfect Trick or Treating pair come next year. Jack knew exactly what was going on...and not once did he get a rock in his sack!

So, on Halloween we played outside in the leaves and set our Jack-o-lanterns in a row. We took long naps and I made a pot of spicy chili and breadsticks (old witch's fingers). We simmered cider and chilled the Hornsby's. We dressed up and went out before dark and were back to have a party with our great friends, the Lytles and the Grovers. Derek made a witch's brew with dry ice and we lit the candles and turned on the lightning and thunder on our door step (Greta called it the underboomens). We had a spooktacular time.

Legend Of Sleepy Hollow

We woke up to the most beautiful fall day - blue skies to contrast the vibrant leaves, and the sun was glorious. We planned on meeting friends at the KC Pumpkin Patch for some fall fun with the babies. It was the perfect day for it...and then it got even better! We drove out and found the pumpkin patch, stepped out of the car and loaded up the stroller. And with that, the wind picked up, the sun went behind a cloud and a gray mist crept up from the creek by the pumpkins. I felt like we were about to encounter the headless horseman. I know he is looking for a new head this time of year. We will try to carve him a good replacement!

Pajama Party

Greta and Jack went to their first pajama party! Cohen, Tara and Jason invited us over for hot and spicy chili, sweet cornbread, cheeses and drinks. It was in the midst of the mass of cold and rainy weather we have been getting this fall. It was so nice to snuggle up with a warm mug and baby in footie pajamas.

We played and played and then filled our tummies. Tara made chicken and sweet potatoes and buttery corn on the cob for the kids. And we all saved room for the homemade peanut butter and chocolate brownies with ice cream. We may have stumbled onto a great way to get together as the weather gets colder and colder!

A New Friend

My very good friends, Rachel and David, are going to have a baby tomorrow morning. I have this big smile on my face thinking about Rachel holding her new daughter. Will she have Rachel's eyes and thick dark hair? Will she look like her big brother, Liam, who was almost regal at birth? He was perfect and gorgeous. I am out right thrilled for them in this special time.

I never knew what it would be like to have two babies until it happened. Now I know that it is not love divided in two, it is love multiplied.

Greta and Jack, and Derek and I are waiting patiently for Ivy! God bless them!

Let's Go on a Train Ride!