Happy Halloween

Some cute pics of our princess fairy and bumblebee tonight. They had a blast. Lia was runing up to all the doors with the biggest grin on her face and bailey is such a pro at saying "trick or treat." i decided on a whim to dress up as a devil. bailey was thrilled. daddy is back tonight! YEAH!!!!!

Morning Pictures

Bailey did a great job picking out clothes this morning for her and Lia so we took pictures by our pumpkin before school. The girls look adorable in their fall dresses :)

Brownie High

Lia became a bit hyper after eating her brownie this evening and got a hold of both a red and black pen. She had such fun playing picasso on her tummy, legs, and, unfortuanely, the couch. I didn't realize she had the pen until after she did the couch, but she was having such fun decorating her body I let her roll with that for a bit. Here are pictures of her cute artwork. I'm not sharing photos of the couch :) She was really proud.

Chocolate Deliciousness

Bailey and I made brownies today while Lia was taking her nap. Bailey had such fun licking the spoon and both girls really enjoyed the brownie dessert after dinner tonight. Yummy!!!!

Tantrum

Lia has discovered the art of the tantrum. Whenever she doesn't get what she wants, be it a yogurt from the fridge or her paci on the table, she CAREFULLY lays herself on the floor and whines, cries, and kicks the cabinets with her legs. It's quite comical to watch. She knows exactly how to lay herself down so that doesn't bump her head too hard and then she proceeds to fuss and throw a bit of a fit. I captured a couple of pictures of her in the act the other day.

I also had to include some cute ones of her in a dress that Bailey used to wear. It was actually a hand me down from Anna & Rose too. She is too cute in it!

Wrapped Around Her Finger

Bailey has been really hungry lately. Eating a lot more than she usually does and wanting to eat all the time.
Mommy: "Bailey, you must be growing. You are so hungry lately."
Bailey: "I am growing. I'm almost as big as you."
Mommy: "Are you too big for Mommy to tuck you in tonight?"
Bailey: "not yet. When I'm a mommy like you I'll be too big to be tucked in."
Mommy: "Are you too big to snuggle with mommy."
Bailey: "No, I'm just the right size to snuggle."

Needless to say, we snuggled a little more on the couch than we normally do. I am so wrapped. But, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Daddy's Away

Bill has been out of town since Sunday and isn't returning until Halloween Day :( He is in Virginia @ a training for work. I miss him desperately! It is easy to forget how much he does for me and the girls when he is here. But, I definitely feel it in his absence. He has only been gone for 3 days and I'm already counting the days until he returns. He says he never reads my blog but in case he does while he is away, I just want to tell him, "I love you & miss you lots!!!!!"

My mom and Sue Gay are coming down here this weekend to babysit the girls while I work a wedding on Saturday. I am excited about seeing them and getting to hang out in the evening while they are here. They bought Bailey the Barbie in the Diamond Castle doll and I know she is going to FREAK when she sees it. They also got a singing pig for Lia that she always smiles @ when we are in Target. And, they have the Sleeping Beauty movie for the girls. They are going to be in hog heaven (especially Bailey).

Allowance

Bailey and I made up a Chores list for her today. These are her chores:
1. Help make my bed
2. Brush my teeth
3. Help empty the dishwasher
4. Pick up my toys & straighten the playroom

this is the conversation that ensued about the list:

Mommy: "When you do your chores all week, you'll get an allowance."
Bailey: "What is an allowance?"
Mommy: "It's when mommy gives you money for doing your job. I'll give you $1 every week if you do all the chores on your list."
Bailey: "How about $5?"

Already negotiating. didn't know it started this young....

All You Need Is.....

A cool fall day, an outside swing, and not a care in the world.

Pumpkin Picking

We took the girls to the Pumpkin Patch last night to look for our pumpkin to carve. They had such fun running around and trying to pick up some tremendous pumpkins. We finally settled on one. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

I have ANOTHER wedding on saturday. But, I can't complain. It's good to make money :)

Picture

A photographer @ one of my recent weddings got a really good picture of me. I'm going to put it on my wedding site but wanted to share here. It's not often there is a picture captured of me when I don't have food or other kid stuff on me. Photo Credit: http://www.freewisefotography.com/

Nursing (or lack thereof)

At 14 1/2 months, I think Lia has weaned from me. I haven't nursed her in 2 days. Not because I have denied her the opportunity but because she simply hasn't asked for it. I have to admit that I was ready to stop. But, at the same time, I'm sad about stopping. It's hard to explain. I feel that now that she has begun to wean it's official she is no longer a little baby. She doesn't "need" me like she used to. Alright, I know that is a ridiculous statement..of course she still needs me. She's only 14 months! But, instead of getting her milk from me, she would prefer to drink it like her sister does; in a princess cup!

Now that my nursing days are coming to a close, I am so glad that I had the opportunity to nurse Lia. I had such trouble trying to get Bailey to nurse and never was successful with it. I still endured troubles with Lia in the beginning, but with the help of my nursing friends, was successful in getting her to latch. It was such a beautiful experience feeding my child and knowing I was the only one who could REALLY console and comfort her when she needed it most (although at times it was a bit tiring). And, I am so glad that it is the norm in our house to nurse babies. Bailey regularly gives her babies mommy milk and rarely pretends to feed them via a bottle. It is precious when she lifts her shirt and puts her babies on her tummy and says she is nursing :)

Mommy & Daddy

Bailey's friend Nathan came over for dinner last night with his mom and brother, Zach. Bailey is really into pretend play and it wasn't long before she and Nathan were playing Mommy and Daddy. At one point, they crawled into my bed, unmade it, and pretended to be asleep. When asked what they were doing, Bailey replied, "we are a mommy & daddy and we are sleeping." She later told me that while they were playing, "the daddy got up to go to work and the mommy stayed in bed. That's what mommy's do." Yep, that is what I do. I sleep in bed all day while daddy goes to work :) That little stinker.....

Pumpkin Patch

Bailey is telling me what to write in this post:

"These are my pumpkin patch pictures. And I love you because you are the best mommy. Let me sign my name.

bailey tate

Let's do sounds that letters make. B makes "bah", A makes "ah", I makes "ih". I'm done saying that word."

While @ the patch they were supposed to find a pumpkin that matched up with the length of their string, find the bumpiest pumpkin, and made a pumpkin out of toilet paper and felt. The kids had a blast!

Riding bikes

Bailey has gotten really good @ riding her bicycle. Here are some pictures & a video of her riding today. Lia really enjoys her push car. She likes to prop her feet up on the dash & just chill while Bailey rides down the street. Right before we filmed the video, Bailey crashed her bike so she was a little leary when she was making turns. I was really proud of her, though. She jumped right back on her bike immediately after falling. She was still crying as she was climbing on the seat. Oh the drama!

Big Shoes To Fill

Lia loves shoes and puts on any that come across her path. She was walking around with Bill's boots on last night. They are about as big as she is! She obviously has some pretty big shoes to fill!

Eggs

Over the weekend, Bill brought home an ostrich egg that he said he is going to cook. The thing is HUGE and is very heavy. He said it is going to take a dremmel to crack it (what?!).....

I feel like we are the flintstones and I think we're going to need a ginormous pot and skillet to cook this beast of an egg in. I'm a little nervous about eating it but, shhh, don't tell Bill. He is quite excited about making omelets. So, if ANYONE wants to eat an ostrich omelet please come to my house. This thing is going to make so much food.

In case you are wondering where the heck Bill acquired an ostrich egg, his friend has an ostrich and he got the egg from him. (don't ask) It is fresh, the date 9/30/08 is written in pencil on the shell :) I am trying to keep an open mind and not make too many faces when we talk about it. I don't want to discourage Bailey from trying it. Don't you just love the comparison picture besides the chicken egg? I'll let you know if it tastes like chicken :)

My Song

I LOVE the Jack Johnson song "Better Together" and Bailey asks me to play it when we are in the car. so, we often boom out to it. So, I felt compelled to put it on my blog. It just makes me smile :) Bailey's favorite song is "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper but I couldn't find it on the website. it is so cute when she sings it.
I hope you smile when you listen to this song too! It reminds me of sitting on the beach or the boat with a cold beer and enjoying the hot sun on my face. What more could one ask for?

Baby Turtles

One of Bill's colleagues does baby sea turtle rescues. One day she had a whole box full of newborn sea turtles that they had rescued from the beach and were going to put in the ocean later that day. I brought the girls to see the little turtles before they released them. They were so cute! Of course, Bailey was a little scared of them but Lia wanted to touch them.