happy christmas...

We hope yours was merry and bright!

freakin' cold New Hampshire...

We are so thrilled to have Aunt Melissa and Uncle Rob only a six-hour drive away!

We played with Uncle Rob when he was supposed to be studying,

we helped Aunt Melissa in the kitchen,

we snuggled and waited for Baby Holmes to come play,

and we loved Mo during nap time.

Thanks, Rob and Melissa, for letting us use all your new baby stuff and for the yummy meals and for just letting us come and visit. We miss you already.

daddy's late...

Yes, daddy's late and we have a salad to make and a Christmas party to attend and mommy has a headache and we've had a long day and...

...well, thank you, Boppy swing, binky and, of course, Dora.

ode to Uggs...

Okay, so this isn't really an ode because it is not going to rhyme and, well, there is nothing lyrical about it. Nevertheless...

I love my Uggs.

They are cozy warm, completely comfortable, and oh-so-versatile. If you live anywhere the temperature drops into the teens, I highly recommend them. Want to know what I love more than my Uggs?

Zoey's new baby Uggs.

No, I did not go purchase a $50 pair of shoes for my almost 5-month old daughter (though tempting, it is not in my current budget). Rather, a friend knitted, yes knitted, these cute little things. Thanks, Laurie!

a love of food...

Have any of you actually tried rice cereal? YUK with a capital y-u-k! I figured I should at least try this mushy delicacy I am spoon-feeding to my little lovey. Big mistake. I nearly puked - no joke. She, however, loves the stuff. She throws her whole body into each mouthful and enjoys licking - no, sucking - no, devouring the spoon afterwards. Just wait until you can have Cafe Rio salad or chocolate or cheeseburgers or - well, you get the point.

to all you turkeys...

...happy Thanksgiving!

to each her own...

Some of us prefer thumb-sucking and others...

Aah, the sweet taste of success!

4-month picture

Happy 4-month birthday, little one.

pink panic attack...

So, I was reorganizing Zoey's closet after I put all her 0-3 month clothing in bins (big, sad, teary sigh here) when I realized I could no longer organize her hanging clothes by color - as we all do in our own closets - because all her clothes are pink (with the exception of a few adorable purple pieces). I moved to the next mode of organization: cute onesies, onesies with matching pants, dresses, jumpers, etc. It makes sense, right? All of a sudden I thought to myself, "[Sharp intake of breath] What if Zoey does not organize her closet this way when she is older? [Sharper intake of breath] What if she does not like to organize? [Even sharper intake of breath - with some coughing because of the sharpness] What if she doesn't like things color-coded?" That's right, people, the world is worried about the economy and such and I am worried about whether or not my one-week-shy-of-four-month old daughter will like things organized. Judge all you want.

happy halloween...

Trick

or Treat?

keeping austin weird...

5 sisters;

1 sister-in-law;

1 new sister adopted;

1 mother, 1 grandmother, 1 aunt;

0 husbands (except rare Rob-sightings);

41 pairs of earrings, 19 bracelets, 3 necklaces, and 120 magnets made;

2 babies loved on;

4 pairs of pants peed in (not the babies');

3 yummy meals out;

2 yummy meals in;

1 rap created (1,000 White Women, These is My Words);

5 beds slept in (plus the couch);

235 pictures taken;

1 necklace bought;

0 scorpions spotted;

1 tarantula crossing;

4 days of no sleep, beautiful weather, lots of talking, and loads of fun.

Thank you, Jenifer, for hosting the first annual sisters' weekend!

(Oh, and 1 daddy totally missed!)

13 weeks...

That's right!

I am 13 weeks...

...post-partum!

So, I will be honest and share that I gained way too much weight while I was pregnant. That whole "gain only 25 pounds" thing is a load, if you ask me. Anyhow, two weeks after Zoey was born about 30 pounds melted away without me doing a darn thing but eat and sweat. The next 30 pounds are holding on tenaciously but I'm kicking them out. 4 pounds down and 30 to go!

I'm bringing sexy back.

Oh, and Zoey is 3 months old today:

i love my daddy because...

... he makes his hair spikey, which I love to look at.

... he always changes my diapers without complaining.

... he likes to play with me during tummy time.

... he wants me in his life even though it means less sleep.

... he bounces me to sleep, even when I scream at him.

... he swaddles me for bed every night.

... he works so hard so that mommy and I can hang out together all day.

Why do you love your daddy?

nobody told me (#1)...

Nobody told me I would cry when Zoey moved up a diaper size.

My baby girl is getting too big too fast.