don't trust her with state secrets

On Sunday (Christmas Eve Eve), John and I had to run to the mall to pick up some things we needed for the funeral. When we got home, John took E upstairs and I settled in on the couch to veg for a few seconds. Suddenly, E comes bounding into the room.

"Mommy, I've got a secret! You've got Crocs!"
"Huh?" I asked.
"It's a suprise. Daddy bought you Crocs for Christmas! And I helped hide them. It's a secret, Mommy! You're getting Crocs! Right, Daddy?"

quick little update

I've really not had a chance to post for a while...we've been very busy here with both Christmas and everything surrounding Maud's passing. The funeral was on Monday. It was very nice. John and his brothers spoke. A and E were (relatively) well-behaved during it all.

Christmas was great. E was definitely psyched to see that Santa had been there. "He ate the cookies, and the reindeer ate the carrots!" she said as she checked the plate by the fireplace. "And look! He made a fire for us!"

She also really loved the dress-up clothes that Santa brought, prompting a new rule of "no dress up clothes outside the house". I don't mind going places with her dressed in her crazy fashion sense, but I refuse to be seen in public with a 3-year-old saloon beer wench.

A also liked Christmas. Her little piano has gotten lots of use, and she was very psyched about the Curious George DVD and the Diego coloring book in her stocking (though we've had to "read" her the coloring book a few times). But she had the most fun in a big box with a ton of tissue paper in it. Hours of fun for her!

We'll be heading back home on Saturday, so hopefully I can post some pictures or videos soon.

car trip + portable dvd player = trouble

What do you get when you combine a 6-hour car trip, a portable DVD player playing Dora the entire time and a 15-month-old?

A serious addiction, apparently.

We made it to Ashland in relatively one piece. A got car sick with about 45 minutes to go in the trip. Ritz Bits cheese crackers and the WV Turnpike do not mix well, apparently. But, they were pretty entertained with the DVD player. No big deal, right? Well, A now loves loves loves Dora and Diego. The last two days we have had to physically restrain A from the presents under the tree with Dora wrapping paper. And when we were in the Kroger, she started screaming bloody murder for the Diego yogurt. Apparently, she's going to be more of an addict than E. That's what you get for starting them young.

Oh, and E is becoming her mother's daughter. When I was a little girl (okay, even last year) my dad would tell me nightly that we could open a present early...and I would fall for it every time. Since we've gotten to Ashland, E has asked me approximately eleventy thousand times if we can open presents now. In a few years, I'll have hours of fun tormenting her in the same way.

In sad news, John's grandmother passed away yesterday. She was 94 years old. John's parents, his brother Dave and John were all there. The funeral is tomorrow.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas.

when all else fails...

Pack everything you own. I've...um...gained a few pounds of late, which has limited my already limited wardrobe. So packing for this trip has been a little more stressful than usual. I've just laid out most of what I'm going to pack on my bed. It's litterally anything I've bought in the last 5 months, as well as anything that recently has fit me, sort of fit me or I wish would fit me. I've also thrown in my workout clothes, for good measure. Because, really, being on vacation over Christmas is the perfect time to start an exercise routine!

conference call fun, part two

It's haiku time!

My house is filthy
Cleaning ladies did not come
No clean house for me

Update!
Cleaning ladies came!
Yay! Better late than never!
My house will sparkle again!

conference call fun

Thus far, while on my morning conference call, I've:

• Put away my dishes


• Addressed two more Christmas Cards


• Elfed the Slackers


• Refilled my coffee mug


• Cleaned off my desk


• Wrote this post

If they ask me a question, I'm so screwed.

you. must. comment.

I was all set to write a woe-is-me post about how I'm overworked, underappreciated, overweight and undermedicated. But then, I dropped the girls off at daycare. And, A's teachers had a little present for her. And John and I have not gotten the girls' teachers anything yet. So I need to. Today.

According to my elementary school teacher sister, gift cards are always appreciated rather than random crap. So, I'm thinking Target gift cards. Unless you think Panera or Starbucks will be better. (What if they don't like overpriced sandwiches or coffee, though?) But how much? Remember I have to buy four teacher gifts. Is $15 too cheap? $20? $10?

So, comment. Now. Tell me your vote on Gift Card store AND denomination.

Miss Anya, Idalia, Elizabeth and Robin thank you in advance.

are quirks genetic?

The reason I ask is that two of E's quirks are now starting to show up in A.

First of all, both girls love love love the shower. If they see you are in the shower, they are either stripping down and climbing in before you know it (in the case of E) or trying to climb in fully clothed (in the case of A). And now getting them out has become a struggle. This morning, they both joined me. I got out, dried off, put my robe on and went to get A. The little booger stood in the far corner of the stall so I couldn't reach her without getting totally soaked again. When I opened the shower door to get E out, she tried to get *back* in. Two little water monkeys we have.

Secondly, A is starting to display E's...uh..."colorful" fashion sense. We were downstairs getting our shoes on and I ran into the laundry room to get a pair of socks for A from the laundry basket. A followed me in, and came out with a pair of E's crazy socks -- pink and yellow and green and white with polka dots and stripes and wavy lines. When I tried to put the white socks on her, she shook her head vigorously and handed me the crazy pair.

They can be so different from one another...it's kind of cracking me up how they can also be so alike.

houdini in shopping cart

Last night, John had a business dinner so it was just me and the girls. We didn't get a chance to go grocery shopping this weekend, so I needed to run to the store and pick up a few things to get us through the week. So, I picked the girls up from school, and off we went to Panera for a little dinner.

Panera was the same old, same old. E kept trying to steal A's yogurt. A kept trying to steal E's PB&J sandwich. E had to potty which meant that I uttered at least a thousand different variations of the phrase "No touching anything!" Then we headed on over to Giant.

Giant has tried to renovate to keep up with the new Harris Teeter and the impending Wegmans...but it still sucks in my book. For example, the car carts were tiny and the three that I saw all had broken seatbelts. Undeterred, I shoved the girls in the car and off we went.

There were the requesite "Mommy, A's taking up the whole car" complaints from E, a few howler monkey screeches from A, but it was fairly uneventful. Until we got to the dairy section, where E and I had to go through every option of yogurt available to her. Diego or Yo baby? Diego. Cup or tube? Cup. Peach or Strawberry? Strawberry. Satisfied with her choice, I started walking toward the milk. Until I heard A yelling...and walking toward me.

She apparently had slipped out of the cart and was checking out the refrigerated foods, completely unbenknowst to me. Granted, she was only 3 feet away from me, but MAN did my heart skip a beat...and did I feel like a bad mommy. So for the rest of the trip, I held her tight and navigated the 10 foot cart with one hand.

Good times, I tell you.

e's great idea, part 2

Today, E came downstairs wearing her brand new sock monkey PJs, courtesy of Nonna and Pop-pop.

"I have a great idea," she said.
"What's your great idea, E?" I asked.
"How about if we wore our pajamas all day long and slept really late. Maybe when I get bigger I can sleep in your bed with you and daddy, too."
"That sounds like a great idea, E."
"Can I wear my pajamas and bathrobe to school today?"

Unfortunately for E, her uniform shirt, jeans and running shoes had to do.

e's great idea

E came downstairs this morning, came over to me on the couch, snuggled up close to me and said,

"Mommy, I have a great idea!"
"What, E?" I asked.
"How about for breakfast we either have cookies or chocolate?"

Unfortunately for E, Honey Bunches of Oats had to do.

Oh, my dad has "Elfed" himself, my mom and the girls. Check it out!

click!

E's had her digital camera for less than 24 hours...and she has taken over 125 pictures. Granted, there are a lot of shots of the floor, the couch, the ceiling. But there are also tons of shots of our noses, chins, hands, necks and feet.

The funniest thing? E busting while John was potty and yelling "I wanna take your picture!"

I'll try and download some of her pictures today. Ansel Adams she is not.

are we in the north pole, mama?

So today was our big Breakfast with Santa. Luckily, we avoided a huge "E is terrified of Santa" crisis by getting that out of the way on Friday night instead. The local fire department drives a decorated fire truck with Santa around the neighborhoods in December, and last night they came to ours. John and I raced the girls outside when we heard the sirens.

"Where are we going?" E asked me as we went outside.
"To see Santa, E! He's coming here on a fire truck!" I told her.
"NO MOMMY! I'M SCARED! I WANT TO GO INSIDE!"

Luckily she put on a brave face while hanging out with the other neighborhood kids. And then he came. He stayed a far distance away (on the top of the truck), but threw out candy, so E instantly loved him again. Though, John said that she told him that she didn't want to eat breakfast with him, but he could stop by her house and leave her presents.

This morning, though, she sang a different tune. She happily put on her Santa dress and we piled in the car for breakfast. We headed to the next community over, and when we stopped, E asked me, "Are we in the North Pole, mama?"

The breakfast was great, and the girls ate a ton. The Santa was very nice, and you could take your own pictures. And, since there wasn't a line to see him, all my babes got a turn with Santa, letting the big guy know what they wanted under the tree this Christmas.

Two Girls and a Claus

"I'd like a baby in a box with milk in a bottle..."

"I'd like to get off your lap, scary guy with the beard."

"I'd like Gator Bowl tickets and a case of Coors Light..."

Afterward, John's Aunt Kathleen came to exchange gifts. The girls got tons of cool stuff, including some puzzles, musical instruments and E got a kid-proof digital camera. Aunt Kathleen brought her fancy Digital SLR camera, and got a decent family shot of us in front of our dinky little tree.

not so slacker after all...

Oh yeah...we're on top of it this year. After a morning trip to Target, I am D-O-N-E with Christmas shopping for the girls. All presents AND stocking stuffers have been bought. I even found baby dolls for the girls that were less-creepy than I had anticipated.

Almost all of the other Christmas presents that we need to buy are bought. Just two more to buy (and we know what we are getting them!), and then we just have to wrap, which shouldn't take too long.

My MOMS cookie exchange cookies have been baked and are cooling. I ended up doing Nutella Kiss Cookies rolled in red and green sugar. They are a little flat, but still pretty tasty.

The Christmas cards have been addressed, stuffed, sealed, stamped and SENT. Expect the cuteness that is Hurricane E and Sweet Baby A arriving in your mailbox shortly!

And...tomorrow we are having breakfast with Santa! So, John and I won't burn in the firey pits of hell by denying our children the opportunity to see Santa...and we won't have to go to the mall to do it! And, there's breakfast, to boot!

oh what fun!

Things E did to entertain herself this morning while John and I got ready:

• Watched Curious George

Things A did to entertain herself this morning while John and I got ready:

• Watched Curious George


• Turned TV off


• Turned TV on


• Carried pair of socks around room


• Attempted to put socks on


• Opened bathroom cabinets


• Turned TV off


• Dumped out bag of hangers (going to be recycled)


• Carried empty recycled hanger bag around room


• Turned TV off


• Picked stuff out of trash can in closet


• Yelled in protest when mommy takes away trash and puts trash can out of reach


• Turned TV off


• Turned TV on

it's date night!

Nonna and Pop-pop are picking the girls up from school today. John and I are meeting at the mall near where I work to (hopefully) finish up Christmas shopping and then we're headed out to dinner for a little mid-week date night.

So, if you get crappy gifts from us, you'll know that we got hungry. Thanks in advance for your understanding!

it's just nuts!

Friday night is our MOMS Club Cookie Exchange. I'm excited because I actually get to go to an event...although by the looks of the evite response list, I don't really know many of the other moms who are coming. But, for wine and cookies, I'll meet some new people!

Anyway, the big debate is whether or not the cookies we exchange can have nuts in them. We are a nut-free group for regular gatherings, which I totally get, especially since E's friend Madelyn has a nut (and egg) allergy that requires epi-pens. But, do you know how hard it is to think of good Christmas cookies that don't have nuts in them?!?!?

Luckily, the moms in attendence have thrown caution to the wind and we are going to allow nuts in the cookies. We're ANIMALS, I tell you!

sit right down

So A is getting bigger and bigger these days. This weekend, she reached two milestones concerning where she sits. On Friday night, John was playing around with her, and sat her in E's cushy booster seat right before dinner. When we tried to sit her in her high chair for dinner, she pitched a fit. So we broke out our other booster seat and set a place for her at the table. She was happy as a clam, and has been sitting there ever since. It's so cute...when you tell her to "Go get in your seat" before a meal, she stands patiently by her booster.

The second milestone is that we flipped her carseat forward. She started to do the "straighten her body out so you couldn't put her in the car seat" thing last week. So on Saturday, we turned her around. Now she's happy. This will also be nice over Christmas so they can both watch the portable DVDs when we travel.

Seems like only yesterday we were bringing her home. She's such a big girl now!

good thing it was warm out today

When I picked A and E up from school, they were wearing their Orange Birginia jackets. They could be described as windbreakers, actually...but certainly not coats.

"Daddy let us wear these to school today. He's a good daddy."

i shouldn't have asked

Last night, E and I were talking, and (of course) our conversation turned to Santa. I asked her what she thought Santa was going to bring her. Usually, her answer is "I don't know" and I use that opportunity to "suggest" fun items that Santa might bring her (that may or may not already be stashed in the trunk of John's car). But, tonight, instead of "I don't know" she said,

"A baby in a box with a bottle of milk and a bottle of orange juice."

When we went to the toy store on Saturday to pick up presents for Madelyn and Ellie, E was fascinated with the baby doll section. Apparently, it was more than a passing fascination, and she might actually want a baby doll for Christmas. The only problem? Those plastic baby dolls freak me out. I mean, they are really, really creepy to me.

Oh the sacrifices that motherhood forces you to make...

another "to do" checked off...

So I ordered the family Christmas card today. I think it will turn out pretty cute. I do have one picture of the girls together, but because the aren't smiling in it, I have indivdual smiling shots as well. If they suck, nothing we can do about it now anyway. Of course, we have already received Steel Magnolia's card, which is GORGEOUS. John, ever so supportive husband that he is, took one look and said, "Their card kicks our card's ass!" Nice.

Anyway, here's a look at what the Slacker card might have been. It's a design that didn't win out in the end. But it was cute, so I thought I'd share.

And, in case you are wondering, our actual card won't actually say from the Slackers...

busy little bees

This weekend was jam-packed full of activity! We spent Saturday morning decorating the house and the tree for Christmas. After A's nap in the afternoon, we headed into Fairfax to get birthday presents for A and E's friends, Madelyn and Ellie. Since the stores were jam-packed, we headed to Coastal Flats for an early dinner and then back home.

On Sunday, we got up and did a little divide and conquer. John and E headed to The Teets for our weekly grocery trip. I took A to AC Moore, where we got a lot of Christmas shopping done. They have a pretty extensive Melissa and Doug section, so I got A's big present (a little piano), a puzzle for each girl, stacking blocks for A and lacing beads for E. I also got them some stocking stuffers, too. So, we've got to get a few more things, but we are almost done with our shopping. Woo hoo!

We met back up at home, and then headed out again for Madelyn and Ellie's birthday party. It was at Toddlin' Time, which was a local version of Gymboree/Little Gym. The girls had a blast, running around, crawling through tunnels, going down the slides and playing with the parachute. After pizza and cake, we headed home. All was well until E threw up all over herself as we turned into our development. All of the running around and junk food did not agree with her little tummy. She had partied 'til she puked. We got her cleaned up and both girls went down for a nap for over two hours. Then it was a little more playtime, dinner, baths, and time for bed!

All in all, a busy weekend...but fun nonetheless!

an interesting twist on traffic

On the way home from shopping and dinner tonight, we got stuck in traffic. I know, you could have knocked us over with a feather. Anyway, it ended up being more congested than your run-of-the-mill traffic. E started to get impatient.

"Are we home yet?" she asked.
"No, E. We're trying to get there, but there's traffic," I replied.
"Why? Why is there traffic, mama?"
"Because someone had an accident and so now we're driving slowly," I told her.
"Well, let's hurry up and find out which girl had the accident. 'Cause I have to go potty too!"

the slackers are fakers!

So the Slacker family got up this morning, made some waffles and then headed on over to Lowe's to buy some Christmas decorations. We got lights for outside of the house and then, we passed by the artificial tree display. After some consternation, we caved and ended up getting one.

Now, I'm usually a live tree snob. However, this year, the fake tree seemed like the better idea. A is a climber and we're pretty sure that she would topple a tree. E is also capable of knocking the tree over. Also, we're travelling over Christmas and I have a fear that the Christmas tree will burn our house down ever since, well, the Christmas tree burned my house down when I was five. And, since we have had wind and rain and snow over the last week, the real trees were looking pretty rough.

So, a fake tree it was. And man, does it look fake. And sparse. Charlie Brown Christmas Tree sparse. But once we put on our garland and ornaments and a bow on top (since top branch buckled under the weight of the star tree topper we usually use), E proclaimed, "That's the most bee-you-tiful tree I've ever seen, Mommy!" And I've already had to rehang the beaded garland three times, thanks to A!

So, though I probably won't take a picture of the tree for you to see out of fear of ridicule, the girls are delighted with their tree. Which means I am, too.

necessity is the mother of invention

The girls each have their own PB Kids Everywhere Chairs (thanks Nonna and Pop-pop!) and they use them all the time.

A and E hanging out in their chairs

Lately, E has started building forts with them, too. Last weekend, she ended up climbing on top of chair forts despite my warnings. Therefore, both chairs got taken away for the rest of the day.This did not discourage E from sitting in a chair with A. Here are the solutions she came up with.

"Take our chairs, Mommy! You can't stop us!"

"Come here, A! Check out our new chairs!"

"Oh yeah, this one is much better!"

use your words!

It's all a bit blurry to me, but I'm pretty sure that A talks about the same amount that E did at the same age. However, E communicated to us her wants and needs through baby sign language. She signed More, Eat, Milk and then a couple of random ones, but it was more than enough to get her point across. But, A? A...not so much.

Don't get me wrong, A knows these what these signs mean. If you ask her to sign them, she will. However, if she wants milk or food or to get out of her high chair or for me to pick her up...pretty much anything...she forgoes the signing in favor of her new form of communication: screeching like a howler monkey. It's loud. It's worse than fingernails on a chalkboard. And tonight, it was constantly happening from the time she got home until the time she went to bed.

Dear lord, if you can't get her to start using her words sooner, can you at least give John and I a MUTE button for her? Or at least ear plugs?

who wore it best?

US Weekly and People and all those type magazines always have a little section where they show two starlets who (gasp!) are wearing the same dress. Ninety-nine percent of the time, it's a different event so it's really not that scandalous, but it's fun to see how each person looks different in the outfit and makes it their own.

Since A was born 25 months after E, she inherited a wealth of hand-me-downs. And since Grandmom and Nonna and Kiki and Aunt Noreen (and even yours truly) have impeccible taste when it comes to kids clothing, she's really a pretty lucky kid. But it always cracks me up to have pictures of both kids in the same outfit.

Every time I go to the storage bins, I think to myself "This is my favorite batch of clothing." The velour jumpsuits in 3 to 6 months...the Dandelion Dreams Gymboree collection in 6-12 months...the adorable sundresses and sunsuits in 12-18 months...I love them all. But one of my favorites is the winter coat and hat that A is currently wearing. Both girls just looked absolutely adorable in it.

So here are pictures of the girls, looking equally cute, in their winter gear. Interesting note, both pictures were taking on the first snowfall of the year (though in A's case it was 6 o'clock at night hence the indoor locale) exactly two years apart. Doing the math for you, E is 15 months and A is 14 months!

Hurricane E - December 5, 2005
Sweet Baby A - December 5, 2007

Updated to Add: Now my girls are up against Violet Affleck in the hat department. Bring it on!

how cute are these clothes????

Man, I'm loving Baby Gap's newest line of clothes for girls! The flowers! The stripes! The pink and green and navy! I seriously want to buy it all! Luckily, it seems rather spring-y (lots of short sleeved tops) so hopefully I can snag some stuff on sale in a few weeks. But I am getting the girls the flowered dress for a Christmas present! I figure they can wear it with a turtleneck and tights in the winter and then with a short-sleeved shirt or sleevess in the spring. Shhh...don't tell them!

making up for lost time

So, A's appetite over the previous two weeks had been rather supressed. I think it was a combination of being sick and teething (darn those molars!). But last week, Miss Aniya and Miss Idalia were both saying how she was eating very little.

Well, this week, the appetite's back with a vengence. Miss Idalia said that she ate her lunch at 11:15 this morning, had her snack early AND at the regular time, and when I went to pick her up was standing by the refrigerator pointing and sqwaking (her "sign" for eat). When she got home, she chugged a sippy of milk, split a banana and an apple with E, and then had a pretty good dinner of tacos and rice. She was opening her mouth so wide for the rice that I got to see that her top left molar was pretty much completely in. Yay! Two down, two to go.

For lunch tomorrow, I packed her a turkey and cream cheese roll-up, a yogurt, a fruit cup, 1 1/2 clementines, goldfish and a cheesestick. Which is more than I eat at lunch. I'll let you know how much she gets through tomorrow.

it's beginning to sound a lot like christmas

Since E has been asking pretty much every day when we are going to decorate for Christmas, I thought I'd surprise her yesterday by putting up a few things for when she got home from school. (Oh, the joys of working from home...) So, I replaced a couple of our hanging pictures with a Let it Snow sign, a jingle bell wreath, and a little Santa Claus; broke out the Christmas books; and put our mini tabletop tree on the kitchen island.

While E was very very very excited for these things, she loved the singing bears the most. The singing bears are two teddy bears dressed up in winter clothes. When you squeeze the girl bear's paw, they start singing "Winter Wonderland" and bobbing along to the music. This was given to us by a family friend who obviously hates me for Christmas when E was born. We listened to the high-pitched strains of "Winter Wonderland" approximately eleventy thousand times last night before bed.

Not to be outdone, A has her own favorite Christmas decoration. This would be the sleigh bells that I hung on the pantry doorknob. Shaking the bells kept her occupied for at least 5 minutes so I was able to get some of dinner prepared in relative peace.

And, after dinner, we had Slacker family craft. The girls colored pieces of paper that we cut into strips and made a paper chain to decorate the tree on the kitchen island. After the girls went to bed, I "repurposed" an art project that E had brought home from school to make a little star topper for the tree. It looks really cute!

E's Christmas enthusiasm is definitely rubbing off on me. This weekend, we're tackling decorating the outside of the house and perhaps even getting a Christmas tree. And on the way to work, I even put on the radio station that plays all Christmas music all the time. I used to be a bit bah-humbug about this holiday...but I must say that seeing the magic of the holiday through E's eyes has really changed my tune...literally.

hope e doesn't get any ideas

This is a picture of Heidi Klum and her three-year-old daughter, Leni. Cute kid...cute hair. And how did she get that haircut? Well...according to USA Today:

Klum recently treated Leni to a makeover after hair-combing became a struggle. Leni presented the hairstylist with a DVD of Dora the Explorer to show how she wanted her short new 'do to look.

new habits die hard

Totally forgot that each girl started new habits this weekend...neither of them are particularly desirable.

Sweet Baby A has become a bit of a biter. She bit E twice this weekend. In her defense, E was taking her toy away or blocking access to her toys when this happened, but still. She's starting to fight back against her big sis and I can see some catfights on the horizon Chez Slacker. E told me that Christopher should tell Santa that A shouldn't get any presents because she was biting...how do I explain my way out of that one!??!?

Speaking of E...not once, but twice on Saturday she stripped down nekkid and told me, "I think I'll spend the rest of the day naked, Mommy." I'll take her constantly changing of clothes over being a nudist any day...especially since it gets a bit nippy in our house in the winter months.

girls girls girls!

This weekend, John headed off to Hotlanta to meet up with his dad and brother for the SEC Championship. So, it was me and the girls for the weekend! We had lots of fun. On Friday, I picked them up from school, we came home and played for a bit, had some dinner (angel hair with butter, parmasean, and peas!) and ice cream, and then headed off to bed. Seriously. I pretty much climbed into bed after I put the girls down and watched What Not to Wear and the new Stacy London talk show (which is terrible) before hitting the hay myself.

On Saturday, we got up, watched some 'toons and then headed off to Target. I managed to pry E away from the hideous assortment of Dora bedding with promises of a new Dora toothbrush and Dora toothpaste. We also picked up cute Ts and leggings from their holiday collection (they say Snuggle Bunny on it...so apt for Sweet Baby A). We then headed home, had some lunch and sent A off to nap. While A was napping, E and I baked some cookies. (Okay, they were the premade dough, but we did top them with sprinkles by ourselves!)

Since our afternoon outing to ride bikes and trikes was cut short because of the cold, I relented to E's wishes to go out for dinner...and she picked McDonald's. Now, usually I would steer her towards another choice, but I figured that the Playplace would be good for her so off we went. E had a blast...she made a friend within 2 minutes of getting there and spent most of the time frolicking with her and running back to the table to scarf down a nugget, fry or apple slice. A was content to have me feed her burger (she would hand it to me and open her mouth rather than try to eat it herself) and LOVED it when E would wave to her from the play structure. She would squeal and wave frantically. The girls came home full, happy and exhausted.

Sunday was pretty low key. John came home pretty early and we had a family lunch, E and I ran some errands while A napped, and I did heaps and heaps of laundry. In the evening, we broke out the Elf on the Shelf, courtesy of Grandmom. I had never heard of this thing, but apparently it's the "it" thing this year...most of my mom friends up here have one. I heard such cute stories of what the kids named their elf (E's friend, Madelyn, named hers Foofa) and was expecting E to come up with something good or at least amusing (like Dora or Diego). She named her elf...Christopher. But, she did straighten up a few times when we reminded her that Christopher was going to visit Santa so it's all good.

All in all, it was a good weekend. No Christmas shopping or decorating...but oh well. There's always next week!

it's a wonder i wasn't impeached

As of today, I am no longer the Membership VP of my local MOMS Chapter. I actually resigned in early November, but between Thanksgiving and the illnesses that have been bouncing around the Slacker house, I just got around to passing over the membership box. Although I'm kind of sad to let it go (the Board meetings were fun and I liked meeting the new members), it had certainly fallen to the bottom of the priority list...and I was, quite frankly, sucking at it before I resigned. I think the mom who took it over will do a good job.

I'll do a big weekend recap of my weekend tomorrow morning...I'm off to put away my laundry. Every week I think to myself that I should shoot for a load a day, and that way it won't be so overwhelming. But, you know what? Doing a load of laundry every night after getting up, going to work, sitting in traffic, picking the girls up from school, getting dinner on the table and cleaned up, making lunches, and getting the girls to bed doesn't really sound like a walk in the park either.

My dryer sounds like we are drying a couple of dumbells in there along with the towels. Since our washer and dryer were from the previous owners, they were crappy (we replaced everything in the kitchen except the dishwasher when we moved in) so I have pipedreams of getting new, fancy versions at some point. I was perusing the Sears Wish Book and they had a dryer that cleaned 23 towels at a time. Now I don't think I own 23 towels...but I just realized that maybe I could dump the colors in one load, whites in another and sheets and towels in a third and be done with it?!?!?!?

I so know what I'm asking Santa for this year!

thank god for collage christmas cards

This morning, the girls were looking cute (and somewhat festive) in their matching outfits, so I decided to try to take a picture of them for consideration for the Slacker family Christmas card. How did it go? Not well. The pictures contained A in various states of trying to get off the couch with E alternately trying to yank her back onto the couch or sitting there looking cute as a button. I plan on trying to take some pictures this weekend in their Christmas dresses, but I think the idea of having a picture of the two of them looking cute together is just a pipedream.

So, thank you Snapfish, Shutterfly, and Ofoto (or EasyShare or KodakGallery or whatever your name du jour is) for providing me with the option of showing friends and family how cute my kids are in two separate pictures on the same card!

party girl

Last night after school, E ran upstairs and "changed into something more comfortable" as she is one to do pretty much every day. Last night's outfit actually matched (a rare occasion for her)...it was a t-shirt and matching peasant skirt outfit that her Grandmom had given her. While the t-shirt fits perfectly, the skirt is still a bit big on her, so she kind of looks like Stevie Nicks in it when she wears it (which is often).

Anyhoooo, she comes downstairs and twirls around in her skirt.

"Guess what, mommy?" she says. "We're having a princess ballerina twirling party!"
"Wow, E!" I tell her. "That sounds like fun!"
"Whatchya doing, mommy?" she then asks.
"I'm making dinner. We're having quesadillas with guacomole."
"Even better!" E yells. "We'll have a princess ballerina quesadilla guacamole twirling party instead!"

I've been to my fair share of parties in my life ... but never one like that!

guess she has a sweet tooth

I picked up a couple of E's "art" project from school today and was thumbing through them. Of course, she had the requisite handprint-as-turkey craft that every preschool kid must complete in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. On the top of the paper, the teacher had written "I'm thankful for ... " and then filled in the blank with what E had said.

So what was E thankful for, you ask. Her family? Friends? Cute clothes? Dora and Diego? Nope. E was thankful for candy.

break out the guinness!

The Slackers and the O'Reillys are headed to Ireland in the late Spring 2008. This trip was originally scheduled for this spring as a celebration of our respective 5 year wedding anniversaries, but since Autumn was pregnant, we decided to hold off for another year so that I could have a drinking buddy we could all fully enjoy the trip.

As with all trips we take, John has made all the arrangements on our behalf. Therefore I don't know any details on where we fly into (Cork? Dublin? Shannon?), where we are staying or how we are getting around...so don't even ask. What I do know is that we are flying Aer Lingus...and I giggle everytime I say it.

sweet baby a (and her big ole belly!)

I couldn't have a picture of E without including one of A...so here's it is! Thanks to Nonna, who got the girls the polka dot t-shirts (on A) and dresses (on E in the post below).

I love me some polka dots. I love me some matching outfits for the girls. Not one, but two matching polka dot outfits for the girls? Pure heaven!

she's a child genius

E on Turkey Day

Since we were out all last week, I didn't get a chance to pick up E's report card until today. E's report card is based on the child development milestones from 36 to 48 months, and she did really well. Pretty much everything was an S (sometimes displays mastery of skill), with quite a few A's (always displays mastery of skill) especially with regard to cognition and general knowledge (i.e, counting, naming shapes, etc).

I think the two I'm most excited about are "Develop friendships with one or more peers" and "Demonstrate confidence and pride in accomplishments", both of which she got A's. Because, at 3 years old, I don't want her in some rigorous academic program. But it makes me very happy to know that she's a friendly and confident girl.

I did have to laugh that she got an A in the "Demonstrate personal health and hygiene skills..." task. Maybe she's got them fooled at school, but girlfriend asks me if she has to wash her hands every time she goes potty.

gobble gobble

Well, we survived the Thanksgiving weekend! Turkey Day itself was fun, if not a total whirlwind. The hostess' house had lost (and regained) power, the weather was in the 70s so the kids were playing outside all day, and A spent 60% of the day asleep on John's shoulder. E became a cranberry sauce-aholic (just like her mom...I LOVE that stuff), and had fun at the kids table with Anna and Charlie and James.

I ended up taking A to the doctor on Friday, and she had double ear infection. Poor thing. So I did what any loving mother would do...drugged her up and left her with a babysitter so I could hit a bar. Except that the babysitter was Nonna (who I'm beginning to suspect the girls might like more than me) and the bar was Champps so we could watch the LSU v. Arkansas game with my dad's high school friend and his family.

Saturday could be easily summed up in one word, FOOTBALL. We watched UVA lose to Virginia, UConn lose to WVU and Tennessee win in OT to Kentucky sending them (and John) to the SEC Championship in Atlanta next weekend.

On Saturday night, I checked on the girls before I went to bed. When I walked into E's room, she was not in her bed. I totally panicked. Was she kidnapped? Had she wandered into another room? Drowned in the bathtub? Luckily she was on the floor by her bed. She had either fallen asleep there or rolled out of bed. I put her back into bed, thinking to myself "That's about the worst thing that could happen when you check on your kid."

Of course, I was wrong. I opened A's door and smelled vomit. She was sound asleep...and covered in it. I grabbed John, and he cleaned up A while I cleaned up the crib. I then got her settled down for the night.

Sunday was relatively uneventful, if you overlook the Exorcist-style puke that A had when I put her in her high-chair. The on-call ped assured me that it was not a reaction to the antibiotic, but a stomach bug. Luckily for us, she did not puke anymore, slept most of the day and seemed to be in better spirits. E had a bout of Attention Withdrawal Disorder, where she acted like a holy terror because she no longer had Kiki and Uncle Steve and Nonna and Pop-pop to pay attention to her. She did nap for a bit, which was pure heaven.

And today, we've returned to normal. The girls are back at school, and John and I are back to work. Only, now, both John and I are sick as dogs as we've both caught the cold the girls had. Should be another productive work week, I'm sure!

well crap...

I thought we were on the mend. Then A woke up from her 2 hour nap (her second of the day!) about as ornery as she's ever been in her short little life and E is fast asleep on the couch. Fun times Chez Slacker!

it will be a miracle...

...if I don't catch this cold the girls have. I've been coughed on more times than I care to admit. Sweet Baby A has become even more of a snuggle-bunny now that she's sick, and has been showering me with her big ole sloppy wet (and germ-infested, I'm sure) kisses.

On the bright side, the girls seem to be on the mend. E is almost 100%, spent most of the day wearing a sequined tutu and calling herself "Princess E." A seems to be feeling better, laughing and playing a bit more, but she's definitely not school-ready. So, Nonna will be coming over tomorrow and I'll be working from home. Good thing it's a "light" week at work.

sick day

Both girls have a bit of a cold right now. Mainly, it's just coughing and a runny nose, with a bit of crankiness thrown in. Nurses Nonna and Pop-pop are over here watching the girls today rather than send them to school so they wouldn't (1) feel worse and have a miserable Thanksgiving and (2) infect other kids and make their Thanksgiving miserable.

And, somehow, wiping noses and dealing with cranky kids seems like much more appealing option than working today. Go figure.

walking wounded

Yesterday morning, A was playing around in the "sitting room" off our master bedroom, tripped and her cheek hit our elliptical trainer. She cried for a second or two and then was fine, but she did have a bruise in a straight line on her cheek. Well, when John picked the girls up from school yesterday, A had a bruise and a cut on her eye...apparently she tripped at school and hit the bookcase there. Not sure which parent we can blame on A's apparent clutziness/lack of grace as John and I run neck and neck in this department.

This does put a damper in the one thing I had planned to do this weekend, however. My mother-in-law sent the girls not one, but two, adorable Christmas outfits last week, so I was going to break out the new camera and attempt to procure a Christmas card picture. I still might try to do this, and just try to get a shot of A's good side (both bruises are on her left). Or maybe I could Photoshop the injuries away. I mean, if they can make Britney Spears look like this, I can figure out how to remove a bruise from Sweet Baby A's face, right?

it's not officially straight a's

But, A got her report card yesterday and she ROCKED! Who knew....they evaluate the infants and toddlers as well. The "report card" was a list of standards for 0-18 months old, and rather than grades, they assessed them on Totally Mastered, Sometimes Mastered, and Not Yet Mastered (or something like that).

Well, A pretty much totally mastered everything. She had a couple of somewhat mastered, and 3 or 4 not yet mastered. So, she's got the skills of an 18-month-old and she's not even 14-months! Woo hoo! Child genius, I tell you!

In other A news, she'll be moving up to the next classroom, Toddlers, in January. She was supposed to be moved at the beginning of this month, but the class is full, so she goes over in the afternoons occasionally. I'm excited because I think she'll have more fun (she's the oldest in her classroom now), they only take one nap there (rather than the 10 am and 3 pm schedule in infants), and I don't have to label her foods every day (seriously...I have to write A's name and the date on every banana, yogurt cup, cheese stick and sippy cup in her lunch bag!). On the downside, A and I really do love her current teachers, Miss Idalia and Miss Aniya. And, hopefully we won't have to go through a whole new transitional period...I like dropping the girls off with no tears!

wonder what the real party will be like

One of A's classmates turned 1 yesterday. How do I know? Well, she had a favor bag in her cubby. It was a little pink lunch bag with yellow tissue paper that said "Thanks for celebrating Carly's 1st birthday!" on it. Inside the bag were pre-packaged snack bags of goldfish and Gerber fruit puffs (in adherence to the schools no fun food food allergy sensitivity stance) as well as a cute little pink and yellow polka-dot hair bow.

I mean, how bad of a mom am I that I don't even have real birthday parties for my kids...let alone give out favors at their non-parties. I didn't even attempt to do something fun at school because of the stupid rules behind what you can and can't serve. And here comes this other mom color who coordinates her favors to her favor bag!

Oh well, at least my kid is cuter.

she'll never be a UT cheerleader

E was singing "Rocky Top" on the way home. It's funny what a few changes in lyrics can do to the meaning of the song.

Wish that I wasn't on ole Rocky Top
Down in the Tennessee hills
Smoggy smokes all over Rocky Top
Down in the Tennessee hills

ew! ew! ew!

There's been a confirmed lice case at A and E's school, in a class that E occasionally goes to. Apparently it was just eggs(ew!) and the dirty bastard kid was at school for 2 1/2 hours before being sent home.

Should I scrub them down with bleach in garage when I pick them up? Or should I do it in the parking lot before I let them in the car?

report card time!

Today when I was dropping E off at school, her teacher (Miss Elizabeth) told me that report cards were coming out on Monday. She wanted to let me know that I shouldn't get too concerned if E hadn't done all of the skills, etc., because she was young and doing really well. The report cards (in her opinion) were silly and very specific. Things like: Does the student ask about math? Does the student know her full address? Does the student ask about weather?

Now, I'm not too concerned about how E does on this because we all know she is brilliant. But I'm with Miss Elizabeth...I think it's a little ridiculous to send home a report card for a 3-year-old. I just want her to make friends, have fun, and if she learns a few things...great! But she's going to have enough time to study and learn, I'm fine with letting her be a kid for a while longer.

I wonder if A will get a report card, too?

what goes around comes around

Poor little A has always been pushed around by her older sister. Sure, we're (usually) there to intervene, but she has been pushed out of chairs, had toys taken away from her and has generally been terrorized by her loving older sister. And, in correcting E's actions, we've always warned her that one day the tables would be turned.

On Saturday, that day came.

E and A were playing at the table and chair set at Nonna and Pop-pop's house. A got off her chair to get a toy, and came back to find E sitting in her seat. A then grabbed E by the shirt and proceeded to pull her off the chair, and sit happily down.

Now I know I need to stop A from manhandling her sister, but it was so funny to see it all go down...and I feel like A should get a few good jabs in to make up for the last 13 months. But perhaps I need to change my posting label...Sweet Baby A might have to be Big Bruiser A from now on!

herein lies the problem

This morning, I got to get up and work at 6 am. We released a new version of the Web site, so I had to test that it was successfully launched, among other things. John took the girls to daycare and has since headed out to the airport (where he will be having his annual Father/Son trip in Knoxville -- sports, beer, and meat -- oh my!).

Well, I have one or two more things to finish up before I can log off. Which means it will be a bit after 12 when I'm ready to pick up the girls. So what do I do? Do I pick them up in the middle of lunch (pizza day!) and potentially nap for Sweet Baby A? Or do I let them nap/rest at school (something Hurricane E refuses to do at home)?

Whatever decision I make, I guess I need to change out of my PJs at some point this morning. Oh the joys of working at home.

i tumble for you

A is big into tumbling right now. She'll back into you and bend over. It took a few times to figure out what she was trying to tell me (first thought: diaper change). But now...she loves it when you flip her over. And then, of course, E gets a turn. The only problem is she tried to tumble on the hardwood floor last night and bonked her head. Not fun.

In other exciting A news, she is starting to understand simple commands. If I tell her "Go get Taggie" or "Sit in your high chair" she will do them, which is convenient and pretty darn cute.

Oh, and speaking of high chairs, they put A in a real highchair at school now, as opposed to the seats in the table contraption that all the other kids in. It's a space consideration really -- both that are too many kids eating to fit them all at the table and that there's too much of A's belly to fit in the table. But now A has gotten all territorial with the high chair. One of the other kiddos was waiting to get in it to have a snack, and A came running over and pushed her away. Luckily, at 13 months old, this still falls within "cute" realm not the bratty realm.

teach your children well

Our poor girls have grown up in a house divided. From the beginning, they have had to cheer on both the University of Virginia and University of Tennessee. I hate to admit that the first school song was "Rocky Top" rather than the "Good Ole Song" (though in my defense, John plays the Appalachain Stomp version of that song non-stop during football season).

Anyway, this year, A and E have attended two football games and a tailgate in "the Orange Birginya." And the tide has turned. The other night, when we were walking to my car, E pointed to my Virginia medallion on the back of my car.

"Look, mommy!" E yelled. "You have a Birginya car! The black car is a Birginya car!"

And, during their trip last weekend, John outfitted the girls in new windsuits. E loves hers, and put it on tonight as soon as she got back from school.

"Do you know what this says?" she asked me, turning to see the back of her coat.
"No, what does it say?" I asked.
"Hoo rah ray, hoo rah ray, UVA!" she said.

100

Woo hoo! It's my 100th post! Does that officially mean I have no life?

the divas

This picture that Kiki took of the girls just cracks me up. I mean, E is channelling Posh Spice with my sunglasses on. A has been carrying her pumpkin "purse" around non-stop since Halloween. She holds it in the crook of her arm a la Lindsay or Jessica or Nicole -- pretty much any starlet with a purse the size of Rhode Island. She's taken it to school twice this week and ate dinner tonight while wearing it.

she puts her pants on one leg at a time

E is really into dressing herself. And by that I mean both picking out her clothes as well as putting them on. For the most part, she's pretty proficient at putting on her clothes by herself (putting together a reasonably matching ensemble, on the other hand, is another story altogether). Occasionally, though, she'll end up putting both legs in the in one pants leg, as she did the other day.

"Mommy!" she yelled in frustration. "My pants aren't sharing my legs."

we are family...i got all my sisters with me

So this weekend was a bit of a mini-reunion of ye olde sorority sisters for the UVA v. Wake Forest game. It was tons of fun to see everyone...and while we certainly can't party like it's 1996 anymore, we still can give it a whirl. Kara acted as picture nazi weekend historian, and as soon as she uploads her pictures, I'll post a few.

Oooo! I also got myself a new camera! I've taken a few pictures on it, and I'll take some of the girls this week. It does the mini-movies with sound, so expect more videos of A and E coming soon, as well.

my favorite picture from last night

After a whopping 30 minutes of Trick or Treating, the girls came back. They actually got a pretty good haul. I'll post more pictures later, but this one cracked me up. E's looking at A like, "Nice job, newbie. Next year we'll really knock 'em dead!"

and they're off!!!

John just took A and E Trick or Treating...they'll be lucky if they make it off the pipestem! A's not too keen about going somewhere where I'm not and E was terrified of the first group of trick or treaters, two of whom were dressed in scary costumes.

A's dressed as a pumpkin and E is an elephant. At one point, I had her almost convinced to go as the Hershey Kiss...but in the end, she resisted. "I don't want to be a horsey kiss, mama." She did try to go as both a Hershey Kiss and a elephant, but the kiss didn't fit over her trunk.

I'll post pictures later, but I don't think they are any good...the bad news is that I have the world's suckiest camera. The good news is that John whole-heartedly agrees after the photo shoot, so fingers crossed that we'll get a new one soon!

who's on first?

This is the conversation E and I had on the way home from my birthday dinner.

"How many are you, mommy?"
"How old am I? I'm 33."
"You're 3, just like me. We're the same!"
"No, E, I'm 33."
"Yes, just like me!"
"No dear, I was your age 30 years ago. I'm 33."
"Am I 33, too? 'Cause we're the same."

Later, she asked me if we were going home. I told her we had to stop at Target.

"Oh good. I have to get you a present, mommy."
"Really? What are you going to get me?"
"A water bottle. Maybe a Dora water bottle."
"Wow! That sounds great!"
"Maybe I'll get lots of Dora toys. That'd be great, mommy! If you buy me lots and lots of Dora toys?"
"If I buy you toys? I thought you were buying me a present?"
"No, you should buy me lots of Dora toys. I had a birthday, I turned 3!"

boo!

Nonna and Pop-pop took A and E to Boofest, our community's Halloween Party, on Saturday. Here's a picture of the girls dressed up in their costumes. E insisted on being an elephant despite the fact that (1) she was an elephant last year and (2) the costume was entirely too small for her. A wasn't thrilled about the hat aspect of her costume.

happy birthday, kiki!

Today is my sister's 33rd birthday. Damn, she's old. You know what's worse? I'm four minutes older than that!

I hope she has some fantastic plans for her birthday up in the Windy City. She's travelling back to this neck of the woods on Friday to see the family and head to the UVA v. Wake game and I'm so excited!

my money's on john

This morning, as I was getting A dressed, I went to put our diaper remedy on her little tush (A's been battling diaper rash so we use a mixture of Maalox and Benadryl at home...I highly recommend it). Anyway, E comes on over, peeks onto the changing table and asks me,

"So, mama...are you going to put the pink sh!t on A?"
"What!?!?" I ask her, not sure of what I heard.
"The pink sh!t, mommy? Are you going to put some on A's heiny this morning?"

As of this posting the party responsible for calling the concoction "pink sh!t" within earshot of E has not been identified. I'll keep you posted on the investigation.

where in the world is slacker mama?

As it is Friday, it's time for my requesite post where I tell you what far-reaches of the universe I am headed off to this weekend. For those of you who haven't kept track, here's a schedule of what the fall has been like for us:

September 8-9: Me @ Atlanta for Wedding; John @ UT
September 9-15: Home for John's B-day
September 22-23: Family @ Charlottesville (UVA vs. GT)
September 29-30: Me and John @ NYC
October 6-7: Me and E @ Home; John and A @ UT
October 13-14: Fam @ Charlottesville (UVA vs. UConn)
October 20-21: Me and John @ Asheville for Wedding

So this weekend's destination is...drumroll please...HAPPY VALLEY, for the Penn State vs. Ohio State football game.

"Wait a minute, Slacker Mama," you ask. "Penn State? Ohio State? Haven't heard those teams mentioned before. Why are you headed there?"

Well, dear reader, our friends (and frequent partners in crime) Sean and Autumn have invited us to the game. Sean's parents went to Ohio State, and therefore, Sean is a big Ohio State fan. (Seriously, is it any wonder that he and John got along so well first year, with their mutual hatred of Notre Dame and their similar love of schools that they do not attend?)

Anyhoo, we're shipping the girls over to Nonna and Pop-pop's tomorrow morning and headed up to Penn State for the game. For Sean's birthday, Autumn got him this awesome grill, so we'll be tailgating it up before and after the game. On the menu:

• Brats and kielbasa
  
• South Georgia Caviar
  
• Hummus and pita
  
• Veggies and dip
  
• Pasta salad
  
• Grilled veggies
  
• Steaks
  
• Chicken wings
  
• Brownies
  

Gluttony, thy name is Slacker Mama.

diagnosis: brilliant

I just got back from taking A and E to the Ped's office. A needed a ear recheck (she had fluid at her 1-year) and a flu shot. E needed a flu shot and got her 3-year-check up...E turned 3 in August, but I totally forgot until September that she needed an appointment, hence the tardiness of it all.

E was ultra-psyched for the trip to the doctor's office...until we got there. She was definitely a little nervous. I tried to make her feel better by singing her a song.

"When you get in to start, she'll listen to your heart.
Then, she'll check your toes and then she'll check your nose!" I sang.

"But mommy! I don't want to her to check my NOSE!" she exclaimed. Not sure what her nose-phobia was...but there it was.

The rest of the appointment was uneventful. At the end, the doctor asked me if I had any concerns. After being reassured that the occasional clobbering of A was developmentally normal for a 3-year-old, I asked the doctor if there was anything that I should be concerned about in the next year development-wise.

"Not that I can think of," said the doctor. "I mean, she's a really smart girl."

Dude...when the DOCTOR says she's smart, you KNOW she's smart!

Oh...and for those who are curious, here are the heights and weights:

E: 32.5 lbs, 39 inches
A: 25 lbs, 31 inches

dixieland delight

We had an absolutely fantastic weekend! We arrived in Asheville around 5 or so. John's parents were five minutes behind us, so we met up and did a little Chinese firedrill for the last hour of the trip. Their car is in the shop, they had a new Volvo XC90 as a loaner car, which I got to drive. I love love love that car and totally want one now! My birthday is coming up next week....


Anyway, we checked into the Grove Park Inn, which is gorgeous. We met up with John's parents, Matt and Noreen, and Sam and Dave for a Seafood Buffet. I ate way too much (quelle suprise!), but it was yummy. After dinner, the guys headed back to the main bar to meet up with the wedding party while Sam, Noreen and I made our way to Elaine's Piano Bar. We had an absolute blast singing and dancing along with the dueling piano guys.

On Saturday morning, I woke up and headed down to the Spa for an 80-minute hot stone massage. It was absolutely amazing. If she had asked me if I wanted to pay $500 for 20 minutes more, I would have done so in a heartbeat. After the massage, I stuck around the spa for a few more hours. I did the contrast pool (alternating pools of 64 and 100 degrees), the sauna, the outdoor hot tub and had lunch on the sundeck. Then I headed back to get ready for the wedding.

The wedding was gorgeous. A friend of the groom is a minister and performed the ceremony, and his dad played the piano. The food was fantastic and their band was incredible. Lots of dancing by the entire Short clan. A couple of the wedding guests told us that they recognized Sam, Noreen and I from our hijinx at Elaine's the night before...slightly embarrassing, but whatever. After the wedding, we headed back to Elaine's and closed the place down. The end of the evening was a little fuzzy for me, but I'm pretty sure I had a great time despite EVERY request that I made to the piano guys being shot down. Bastards.

Today, we woke up and headed home. There was one 20 minute stretch where I thought I was going to die, but because John is AWESOME he did most of the driving and let me sleep pretty much the entire way home. The girls had a great time with Nonna and Pop-pop....but they definitely missed us. A didn't let me get more than a foot away from her without screaming bloody murder, though she's kind of a mess because all four of her molars are coming in.

But, everyone else is tucked in their beds and asleep...and that's where I'm headed as well. I have work meetings Monday through Wednesday that include dinners and the like, so most likely I will not be posting until later this week.

road trip!

John and I are headed off to Asheville, NC for his friend's wedding. It should be a good time. We're staying at the Grove Park Inn. John's parents, both brothers and their significant others will be there, too. Tonight, we're meeting up for a seafood buffet dinner. Tomorrow, I've got an appointment for a massage while John golfs, and then the wedding. We'll head home on Sunday.

happy birthday, sean!

It's our friend, Sean's birthday today! He's an old man today...33 years old! We celebrated with him in New York a few weeks ago, in Charlottesville last weekend, and next weekend we are headed to Happy Valley!

child geniuses

A's new trick is giving us kisses. It is so freaking cute I can hardly stand it. Her version of kissing is opening her mouth up wide and slobbering on your face. She mainly does it when asked...but tonight she grabbed my face and planted one on me. I was in heaven!

Her other trick is that she's starting to sign a little bit more. Tonight she used milk, more and all done. I tried to show her book and fan...she seemed to understand. She's about the same age as E when she started picking up a few signs, so we'll see. While somewhat helpful in figuring out what they want when they can't talk, I really think signs are more of a cool party trick than anything else.

Not to be outdone...E has a new vocabulary word, too. It's "wedgie" and it gets used a lot in our house. Mainly, when I see her dancing around or fidgeting with her pants our conversation goes like this:

"E, what's going on? Do you have to go potty?"
"No, Mommy."
"Whatchya doing then?"
"Oh. I just have a wedgie."

Classy. That's what we're teaching our kids to be.

slacker mama = sucky photographer

So Gap is having some sort of photo contest where your kids can be the next models for the Gap. Since I clearly have the cutest kids ever, I'm entering E and A. The only problem is I do not have singluar pictures of each girl that fully illustrates just how cute they are. And, since I own the world's worst digital camera ever, I haven't been successful in taking new ones. I still can enter three more photographs, but this is what I've submitted thus far.


Oh...the other thing that sucks is that the age groups are 0-4 and 5-12...so I'm pitting sister against sister. What will I do if only one of them wins?!?!?

just like mommy

E has definitely taken note that she is not the same age as me or A, and based on that, we all do different things. "Maybe when A is my age, she'll get to ride my Dora bicycle," she'll tell me. "Maybe when I'm your age, I'll drive the black car," she'll say as we drive in the car.

This morning, as I was getting dressed, E comes in holding a bra.

"Can I try this on?" she asked me. Not quite knowing what to do in this situation, we slipped it on over her Dora pajamas and clasped it closed.
"Does it fit?" I asked her.
"No, Mommy, it doesn't fit," she told me. "But maybe when my boobies get bigger I can wear it."

my mother is evil

How else could you explain her leaving a batch of brownies with chocolate drizzled over the top at my house yesterday? Especially when I had to work at home today...so I was home alone all day long with the brownies.

Luckily, they will no longer be able to tempt me...I ate most all of them over the course of the day. It was a dirty job, but someone had to do it.

a fun, fall weekend!

How do you know when you've had a fun, action packed weekend in the Slacker house? When the kiddos don't wake up until 8:15 on Monday morning! They were two tired pups, I tell ya.

We had a blast this weekend. On Friday night, everyone converged upon Chez Slacker...the entire O'Reilly clan, and Rick and Mark. The youngin's went off to bed, while E and Maura played and the adults had a late dinner. The girls headed off to bed while the boys stayed up 'til the wee hours of the morning.

Saturday, we got up, piled into the cars and headed down to Charlottesville for the UVA game. We had a prime tailgating spot and the weather was gorgeous! Though it was thrown together at the last minute, our tailgate was pretty nice. We had a sandwich platter from the Teets, Autumn brought cookies and made a 7-layer dip, and I contributed a spinach dip and one of my faves, Paula Deen's South Georgia Caviar!

Everyone had a blast at the tailgate...and then it was time for the game. The boys headed in, and the girls loaded up into the Suburban to head home. E was a bit confused.

"Where are we going, Mommy?" she asked.
"We're going home," I told her.
"But I thought we were going to the Orange Birginya?" she asked.
"We did, sweetie. But we're going to go home now."
"No, Mommy! We need to go IN! We have to go into the Orange Birginya!"

The girls all passed out on the way home. We picked up some Foster's on the way home, threw the girls in the tubs and then went to bed.

On Sunday, there was lots of playing outside, football watching, and finishing off of the dips from Saturday. The O'Reilly clan left in the late afternoon...we polished off leftovers from Friday night, and then the Slackers headed off to bed.

All in all, it was a great weekend. Good times were had by all.

E and Maura's Pajama Party

E, Maggie and Maura at the Tailgate

Watching the Band Play

E and Daddy

A and Maggie Hanging Out in the Shade

channelling katie holmes...

Alright...after about eleventy thousand attempts to come up with a half-way decent picture of me and the new 'do, this is the best I could come up with. I know that most people don't comment on my blog, but do me a favor and tell me you love my new do...even if you are lying! I'm still unsure about the shortness and darkness of it all...

Oh, here's a "Before" picture, so you can see what I used to look like.

girls! girls! girls!

John is having a boys' weekend this weekend. His college friends -- Rick, Snell and Sean -- are coming in town tonight, and tomorrow they are headed down to the 'Ville for the UVA game against UConn. Sean's wife, Autumn, had college friend plans of her own that fell through...so she's loading up the Suburban with her three girls and headed down with Sean for the weekend.

I'm not sure what the plan is...I mentioned us tagging along to the game to John and it went over like a lead balloon. So we might still go, or we might stay a little more local, like go to the Cox Farms Fall Festival. But, it should be a good time!

i hardly recognize myself

One of the great things during my tenure as a SAHM was "Cuts and Coffee." Maritza, a hairstylist at a swanky salon in McLean, does haircuts and colors at someone's house for a lot less than you would pay at the salon. You bring your kids and a snack to share and hang out. While it's not nearly as relaxing as a trip to the salon, you don't have to worry about finding a sitter or going on the weekends.

Anyway, today was Cuts and Coffee, and I popped over during lunch to get my hair done. I had taken a quick gander through InStyle's Celebrity Hair gallery, but didn't see much in the way of frizzy medium length hair styles. So I figured that I'd just be getting a trim and my roots done. I was wrong.

"What are we doing with color?" Maritza asked.
"I guess the usual." I told her.
"Since it's fall, why don't we do something darker? And warmer?" she said.
"Okay" I said...though not really sure how hair could be warmer.

As she was applying the color, I mentioned how there weren't any cuts that I saw for my hair texture, except maybe Katie Holmes' hair.

"I love her hair!" Maritza exclaimed. "Let's do that!"
"Okay" I said.

So, when I woke up this morning I had medium length, medium brown hair. I now have a dark (almost black) brown chin-length haircut. A little shocking, but I'm getting used to it.

political pop quiz!

With the presidential elections a mere 13 months away, do you know which candidate you are most in line with? My mom sent me this link to a quiz to help you find out!

While I didn't shock the heck out of myself and find out that I'm for Romney or Giuliani in '08...I did find my bleeding heart liberal self is a Kucinich supporter.

my babes at bedtime

I brought the camera upstairs last night at bedtime. Here are a few pics of the girls.

Wrestling with Taggie

Sweet Baby A

Dora PJs and a Stuffed Horse...what could be better?

Happy Girl!

dumbest. parenting idea. ever.

The Today Show ran a story today on the practice of Elimination Communication where by insane earthy-crunchy moms don't put diapers on their kids. Rather, they wait for the child to give visual cues that they have to go, run their kids to the bathroom (or bowl or whatever) and give some sort of audio cue to their children to go.

Advocates say it's better for the environment and is in practice in other areas of the world where they can't afford diapers...yadda yadda yadda. But really, aren't their laundry bills through the roof? What are they using to clean the inevitable accidents that occur? And, furthermore, don't these parents not have anything better to do than look for every grunt, grimace and scowl as a possible sign of having to go?

Last night, we let A have some bare-bottom time since she has a diaper-rash. The entire time she was pants-free, I was stressed that she was going to poop on her carpet, or even worse, me. I guess I'm just not mentally tough enough for this trend.

playing "waitress" with e

I was just IM-ing with my friend and co-worker, UT, who just returned from a two-week European vacation with his wife and 2 1/2-year-old. Luckily, all three lived to tell the tales! One of the things he mentioned is that Gasahn was "making" cappucinos for him by the time they left Rome. It reminded me of one of E's favorite ways to play with the stacking cups (besides making towers for the "Tower Eating Baby" A to knock over)...she likes to play waitress.

"Can I get you a drink, Mommy?" she'll ask me as she breaks out the biggest of the cups.
"Sure, E!" I tell her. "A drink sounds fantastic!"
"What do you want, Mommy? Coffee? Diet Coke? Wine?"

I tell you, once I train her on fetching me the actual drinks, I'll be set for life.

who are you? and what have you done with my husband?

This was an actual phone conversation that took place between me and John this morning:

John: I think we should have salads tonight for dinner.
Me: Yeah, I was thinking salads and that fettuccine alfredo that I made last week.
John: That sounds awesome! I could defintely use a meat free dinner.

belated weekend update

It was a great weekend in the Slacker house. John and A had a fantabulous time in Knoxville. A wore the "Go Vols" dress and tailgated at Calhoun's on the River until about 2 or so. She got lots of good stuff from Grandmom shopping, as did E. Daddy also loaded them up with UT stuff -- including a Smokey toothbrush and an Eric Ainge football jersey for E -- which she has worn non-stop since receiving.

E and I had fun -- the slumber parties were successful, though E did wake me up at 4 am on Saturday night to tell me that Daddy and A were home. It took a bit of convincing that it was the middle of the night and they would not be home until later that day. But other than that we had a great time.

Day care was closed and I had the day off yesterday for Columbus Day. We went to Heidi, Madelyn and Ellie's house in the morning, came back to our house for lunch and nap, and then went to Jenn, William and Julia's house in the afternoon. It was great to catch up with everyone. After dinner, we piled the girls in the bathtub for tubby time. After we lathered the girls up, E started yelling "I want a moo hoo! I want a moo hoo!" Took us a minute to figure out what the heck she was talking about.

what goes around comes around...

I was a picky eater as a child. Not nearly as picky as my sister, but picky nonetheless. I remember my mother muttering "My mother [an Italian immigrant] would roll over in her grave" as we eschewed regular pasta in favor of Chef Boy-r-dee Ravioli, and then my mom's homemade pasta sauce in favor of Prego jarred stuff. So, I was always pretty amazed that E has been a pretty adventerous eater. My three-year-old lists tomatoes as one of her favorite foods -- I didn't even try one until I was ten or so.

Last night, as part of our girls weekend, E and I did some cooking. She always wants to help, but usually when I'm cooking I'm trying to slap something on the table as fast as possible with both her and A underfoot, so it doesn't work. So last night, we made our own pizzas and ice cream. E was a great help with the pouring and mixing. We had tons of fun, until it was time to eat the pizza.

"I don't like it." E said after one bite.
"What? You don't like it?" I asked.
"No. The cheese is yucky." E said. The cheese was mozzerella slices from a ball of fresh cheese instead of shredded cheese. You know, the mozzerrella she at about half of while we topped the pizza.
"Can I have dinosaur chicken nuggets instead?"

Sigh.

On the bright side, she did devour the ice cream for dessert.

we're having a slumber party!

This weekend, John and A are headed to Knoxville for the UT v. Georgia game. Grandmom, Granddad, Uncle Dave and his girlfriend Sam will be in attendance. E and I are staying behind, after we decided the logistics of packing up the entire family for the weekend was going to be ree-diculous!

Since it's just me and The Hurricane, we're going to have a slumber party tonight! We're going to get into our "matching" PJs (well, she calls them matching, they're really just both pink...remember, she has her daddy's fashion sense!), climb into my bed, read tons of stories and then hit the hay! This could be either wildly successful or an absolute nightmare...wish us luck!

In other E news, she woke up this morning and told me that she didn't want to wear her uniform to school today. "That's fine, E." I told her. "It's Friday...you can wear whatever you want." She took me at my word...she's wearing a flowered dress, plaid shoes and a tutu to school today. I did draw the line at the visor, sunglasses and raincoat, however.

so long, farewell, au revoir, auf wiedersehen!

When you are a working mama (or daddy), daycare drop-offs are often a lose-lose situation. Either the kid is upset and you are therefore heartbroken because you feel terrible that you have to leave...OR the kid is fine and you are therefore sad because perhaps they aren't sad to see you go (as silly as it sounds). Luckily the latter is only a fleeting moment, and then you can leave knowing your kids are happy and well taken care of.

This week has been a surprisingly easy week in terms of daycare drop offs. A has been walking straight over to Miss Anya or Miss Idalia, and hasn't been crying, which is nice. And E is no longer stalling your imminent departure by wanting to talk about school, work, Daddy's work and A's school, or by recounting the plan for the day. In fact, today after I fed her three bites of her applesauce for breakfast, she looked at me and said, "Bye bye, Mommy! It's time for you to go!"

And, yes, I was a little heartbroken that she wasn't begging for one more bite from me.