My joys....

I needed a pick me up for many reasons right now... and I saw this picture which is like a little ray of sunshine! Enjoy!

Fun Pictures

We've had a busy week...but what's new? We had a little toy roundup this week. The kids received so many toys in addition to what they already had that they were so overwhelmed and not playing with ANYTHING! So... I spent some time taking ALL of the toys out of our family room. I brought back 2 toys for each of them and they played with them and each other all day...imagine that!! So, some toys were put away and will be rotated around every so often to keep things new and fresh (and keep my sanity if that's possible).

Arianna is also showing signs of walking- it won't be long at all! She is taking steps while holding our fingers (tightly I might add). Not quite standing independently yet, but that isn't far behind. She is definitely trying to keep up with her brother! And anyone who has seen her in person can attest to how FAST she is...giving me a workout. She and Daniel have been playing together very well and having a blast- it's great watching them! Daniel is loving his Pirate/Batman/Disney bedroom :-).

Other than that...we're just annoyed with this Texas winter. You don't know from day to day what it is going to be like. It's 80 one day and 40 or even lower the next! It's just crazy!

Here are a few random pictures for your enjoyment :-) Have a great weekend!!

Pirates or Batman???

Right at the first of the year, we finally bought Daniel's new "big boy" furniture for his room. We (or should I say "I") picked it out a few months ago, but Tony likes to digest those big purchases a little before taking the plunge. I'm definitely not complaining as he usually gets good deals for us! They were offering some incentives and the prices were quite a bit lower than the last time we looked so we jumped on it.

Everything was delivered Friday. On some things, I am one of the most patient people you will find...yet on other things I just can't stand waiting! Tony was working from home on Friday, so that seemed like a good day to get this done. We usually go out to lunch, but they gave us a delivery window of 11-3...guess that means lunch is out (well, we actually went- just really late lol). They did a great job setting it up, but I have to say that it was one of the longest deliveries in history. Daniel stood at the front window and watched them unload the truck. They laid all of the boxes out in the driveway to get everything in order for assembly. I got a kick out of watching Daniel so excited. At one point he said "Um....Mama, exactly how many boxes does it take to make a Pirate bed???" Well, apparently the answer to that is "A Lot"!
Once everything was set up we went to check it out and he of course loved it. We all did. The set we bought was a "Pirates in the Carribean" bunk bed set. Now, I know you are wondering why the bunk bed for one boy.... well, why not? I just think that they are neat and I trumped everyone so there! He says his sister can sleep on the "down bed" if she wants- how sweet! Maybe we'll get her bunk beds in a few years too so she can share hers! Actually he says we can sleep down there if we want to also. After lying down there, I realize how bad WE need new mattresses so I might just take him up on the offer sometime! :-)
Those of you who know Tony, know that he has always liked Batman...and after looking at Daniel's room you have to wonder if it is all for Daniel or for Tony! I think they are both enjoying it immensely. We put up the Batman Fatheads and a few other things to set up the room. We still have the blinds to get and a few odds and ends, but as far as Daniel is concerned...he's all set!




eta. I just showed this to Daniel and he said his bed doesn't look like the one at the store. He says he needs pirate sheets and pillows instead of Batman....better not tell Daddy!

Monthly Update

Where does the time go??? Here are the monthly pictures of the kids. Daniel is 4 1/2 (ok...technically 4 years and 7 months, but who is counting) and Arianna is 13 months. They are both growing and learning so much each day- it's amazing watching them! Their relationship is changing and growing as well. There was a short span of time where Arianna screached when Daniel came near her, but now all you hear when they are together is laughter. He loves to make her laugh whether it is by dancing, acting silly or just tickling her. She takes her turn at making him laugh as well.





They are truly a joy and Tony and I are enjoying EVERY single day!!

Finishing up December...

Well, as I said before, I have been neglecting my blog. Things are starting to slow down and I'm taking a stab at my Photoshop software so I should get caught up soon! For today, I'll post a final blog about Christmas...

We had a GREAT Christmas! Daniel is at a great age where he was in total awe and excitement- it was so fun to watch! Arianna was a little overwhelmed, but took it in stride and followed Daniel's lead. On Christmas Eve, we put out our cookies and milk...well actually I think Santa got a bottle of water. We didn't forget the reindeer either- we left them carrots by the fireplace as well as sprinkled Reindeer food on the lawn! Daniel said we needed to sprinkle LOTS of reindeer food and shared some with the neighbors lawn as well! After that, the kids got into their new PJ's from the Elves (sure was nice of them to wash the pj's as well) and we got settled in to watch a movie. We rented Horton Hears a Who and it was cute- Daniel enjoyed it so that was what mattered anyway. Daniel was so excited about Santa's impending arrival that he would NOT go to sleep! He kept pretending to be asleep but no dice! We were tracking Santa on the internet and he got to San Antoino close to midnight-which happened to be when Daniel dozed off...FINALLY!! Time for Santa to get to work!!

And boy...Santa did not disappoint! I think Daniel woke up around 7:30...maybe one of the last years we are up before him (although we are early birds). I loved seeing his eyes go from half closed sleepy to wide eyed excitement! It was pure joy! He saw the tunnel (who couldn't- it took up half the room) and his Buzz remote control car. Then he quickly found the Batman Batcave that was cleverly hidden behind some boxes. We went at a nice pace and really enjoyed everything... a little nicer than last year where he just ripped packages open and moved on! He of course performed his brotherly duties of opening Arianna's presents while she looked on. The two big things that he asked for were the Batman Batcave and Spike the Dinosaur...he asked for them over and over and over. Well, he had the Batcave, but looked like there was no Spike in his future. Oh but what is that? One last small box for Daniel from Santa. What could it be?? I'm not sure it mattered as it couldn't be Spike in that tiny box- afterall, he's over 2 feet tall. What...a shoebox? What a cruel joke from Santa- nobody likes getting shoes or clothes for Christmas! Oh, but what is in the box??? Hmmm... a remote... a SPIKE remote. He knew instantly what it was and went on the hunt. Spike was quickly found hanging out in the laundry room...and now everything was complete! I couldn't even count how many times Daniel said Thank you that morning to us and to Santa!

So, let's see what were the hits of the day? For Daniel, the Batman Batcave, Spike the dinosaur, an impression maker thing and a Mo toy (from Wall-E) and Vsmile games. For Arianna, it was definitely the Fisher Price Learning home (actually they play with this together), her stacking cups and her toothbrush! They also got joint gifts of a tunnel to crawl through and a musical set- those were both definitely a hit and they love playing with those together! All in all, it was a great morning!



During the holidays, we were also invited to Tony's sisters house to celebrate with his family. His parents, sister and husband and brother, his wife and their 8 month old daughter were all there. We had a nice time and it was fun seeing the 3 kids playing together! We also spent time celebrating with my family as well. In the end, I think it was overwhelming for the kids...but isn't that the way it always is when they are young?

We had a great holiday and hope that you did as well! On to 2009...Happy New Year! We wish you all much health, happiness and prosperity in the new year!

Time to get caught up!!

I was recently reminded :-) that I've been slacking a little on my blog! So, it's time to get some things caught up!! This has been a busy month for sure! Coming off the heels of Thanksgiving, we had Arianna's birthday, my birthday and Christmas...mixed in with a lot of other little things here and there! I think May and December are definitely the busiest months in this house!! Tony just recently re-formatted my laptop as well, and until I get my photo software back on here, I am a little limited! We'll get that up and running this week for sure! That will give me time to fully recover from these nasty allergies I am suffering from at the moment!

But, I did take a few minutes to finish up the Elf blog for this year and you can see that here.

So, check back in a few days and I should have things all caught up (well, that's the plan anyway)! Have a great day!!