that would be cool...

Every night before bed, E and I talk about her day and what's up for the next day. Last night I was giving E "the plan" for tomorrow. She asked me if I was going to work at home or go to my classroom (aka office).

"Where's your classroom?" she asked me.
"Ashburn," I told her.
"Where's Daddy's?"
"Herndon."
"Where's Grandmom's?"
"Shawnee, Ohio."
"Granddad's?"
"Ashland."
"Where's Kiki's?"
"Chicago."
"Uncle Steve's?"
"Chicago."
"We're going to visit Kiki and Uncle Steve." she said.
"Really?" I asked her. "Who's going to go?"
"You and me and Daddy and Baby A. We're going to get on a plane and Kiki will pick us up," she replied. "Or...Kiki and Uncle Steve could come visit me. That would be cool, too! Actually, that would be much better."

C'mon, Kiki and Uncle Steve...E wants you to visit!

weekend update

In honor of not having to work non-stop through the weekend, I actually took the weekend off from my computer. This was surprisingly less difficult than I had imagined (though I did peek at my e-mail on Saturday afternoon). I spent a lot of time playing with the girls, which was nice. Suprisingly, drop-off today was no worse than a usual Monday...sometimes when we have a lot of fun on the weekends, they are especially tear-y on Monday.

Saturday was John's birthday, and while we couldn't procure a victory against Florida for his beloved Vols....we could at least make the viewing a little more pleasant. For his birthday the girls and I got him a new TV for our family room. It's a bigger, flat screen thingamagig -- this is one aspect of technology that I defer to John on. But it sure is pretty, and we no longer have a need for the massive TV currently taking up 1/2 of my "formal" living room. Woo hoo!

E had lots of fun playing this weekend. She helped me make queso dip for the games on Saturday. Granted this involved emptying some cans into a bowl and the occasional stir, but she had to put on her apron and get a new spoon for each stirring session. She also went with me to the new Harris Teeter on Sunday. It was Sample-rama there for E -- she had free ice cream as we walked in, a sugar cookie at the door, and then samples of (and I'm not exagerrating) turkey, cheese, german chocolate cake, more cheese, bread and butter and then a big gulp of my coffee.

A is a walking machine these days. I would say she's about 50/50 walking to crawling now. She is also a big climber...she makes a beeline for the stairs whenever she gets a chance and is trying to figure out how to get herself up on the couch. We started the process of transitioning her over to whole milk (my baby is almost one!), with mixed results. She likes milk, but was not enraptured with the sippy cup it came in. She walked over to the kitchen island, where one of her earlier bottles was and started pointing and crying. Her other big thing is shaking her head no. When you tell her, "No thank you, A" as she's about to climb the stairs/pull her sister's hair/play with the electrical outlet/whatever mischevious thing she's about to do, she smiles, starts shaking her head and continues with whatever it is you are trying to get her to not do. Oh well, understanding is half the battle, right?

All in all, a good weekend indeed!

e's no picasso

A and E's Uncle Dave's birthday is next week, so last night John broke out the crayons and paper for E to make a birthday card. When I dropped her off at school yesterday, they were working on drawing lines and circles, so I told E,

"Maybe you should draw some lines and circles."
E happily obliged.
"Ooooo! I have an idea," I told E. "What about drawing a birthday cake?"
"Mommy, I can't draw a cake. I just learned how to draw circles and lines." she told me.

No wonder whenever you ask her what she's drawing, her answer is always "A rainbow." It is only made up of colored lines.

a first in the slacker house

Last night, I was finishing up with work when John went to give the girls a bath. I'm usually off-the-clock between 5:30 and 8:15 regardless of how busy I am so I can spend time with the girls and help put them to bed....but last night I just wanted to get the site launched. All of the sudden I hear John yelling.

"Alright girls, out of the tub! Uh...Katie...I'm gonna need some help up here."

Yep. A had pooped in the tub. Luckily both girls were swiftly removed and the offending items made it down the drain easy-peasy. But I had to laugh because in the three years that we've had kids, that was the first time that someone has pooped in the tub. Even as newborns, neither girl ever did. Hopefully, last night was the last time it ever happens as well.

5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... Launch!

My project at work has finally launched. Hopefully things will finally settle down now.

she's a player

So A has really started to play with others more. When I picked her up at school today, her teacher mentioned that she and her boyfriend Cooper were racing today across the room. A was a bit of a cheat...they would both start out walking and then A would switch to crawling to win.

Tonight after bath was another rousing game of peek-a-boo while I was getting her dressed. She was covering her face with her towel while I said "Where's A?" So, cute.

This then evolved into Peek-a-boo, Mama edition. After I read her a story and sang her the bedtime song I always sing, she was fidgeting around to get comfortable while I rocked her. Suddenly, she sat up and shoved her Taggie in my face.

"Where's Mommy?" I asked...and she pulled down the blanket and laughed. We did that again and again (and again and again) for another 5 minutes before she finally put her head on my shoulder to start the rocking again. So cute.

pictures from the wedding

On Saturday, I flew down to Atlanta for my friend Steger's wedding. I met up with my sister Kara and friend Susie for a girls' night out (we left the husband and kids at home...or in Knoxville in the case of John). The wedding was tons of fun. The reception was held at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. It just so happened that the Allman Brothers and The Dave Matthews Band where having a concert in Piedmont Park...so during the cocktail hour and whenever we went to get a drink at the bar (which, if you've been to a wedding with me, you know happens quite frequently), you could hear the concert. I also had fun catching up with our friends, Kerrie and Stacia and their husbands.

It was a whirlwind of a trip...but fun nonetheless. Here are a few pictures that Susie took!

Stacia, me, Kara, Susie, Kerrie

Steger, Kara, me, Susie

enough about me

The last few posts have really been all about moi, so I thought I'd give you a quick rundown on the girls. Exciting happenings in their world and, really, that's why I started this blog.

E is doing really well with the potty training. She's pretty much accident-free (except for poops) and stays dry at night. We're trying bribery for the poops -- but any and all suggestions from those who have been there/done that are welcome. She's also warming up to her new class -- even Miss Elizabeth (her teacher) said that she was suprised how well she has adjusted. She looks like such a little girl in her uniform and backpack. I'll try to post a picture as soon as I get a new battery for my camera.

A is walking more and more every single day. Before this weekend, she would walk if she was already cruising or if you stood her up...but now, she stands herself up and goes. This morning she made it from our bed into the bathroom without falling! At this rate she'll be full-blown walker by her birthday! She's also becoming so much more of a toddler. She loves to play chase and peekaboo...she just laughs and laughs. Oh...and she has a sign for milk...she goes to the cabinet where we keep the bottles, starts banging on it and whining. Not as elegant as the actual milk sign, but it gets the point across.

Anyway, I'll try to upload pics and/or videos this weekend. It's looking more and more (fingers crossed!) that I'll have some time!

diet starts tomorrow

So, I certainly haven't been eating so healthy in the past few weeks. And exercise? No way, no how. I'm well aware that I've probably gained a few pounds of late.

Last night the girls and I were playing chase/peek-a-boo around the kitchen island. This involved me at one point crawling on my hands and knees. E comes running over and starts to climb on my back.

"Mommy! Mommy! I want a ride. It's a cow ride! Moo, Mommy, moo!"

Uh, yeah. Diet starts tomorrow.

damned if you do...

So, I've been complaining about this to anyone within ear shot (or reading this blog), but work is absolutely crazy busy right now. Hopefully, the project will launch by Thursday and things will return to normal, but until then it's just overwhelming.

Anyway, after working 60 hours last week, flying to Atlanta and back in 24 hours over the weekend, working all Sunday evening, and then working a full day in the office yesterday, it would be an understatement to say I didn't want to cook. (Also, I would have been forced to McGyver some meal out of a can of artichokes, three overripe bananas, a carton of yogurt and frozen waffles -- which is about all we have in our house right now.) On the other hand, taking the girls to some sort of public eating establishment after a long day of school by myself (John was working late) wasn't exactly my idea of a good time either.

It was the classic dilemma -- which mode of feeding your children will be the least heinous choice? I chose Panera. I chose wrong.

First of all, E ran staight for the bread sample basket and grabbed four pieces, and touching countless others. She then proceeded to tell me she had to potty, which meant that I had to negotiate the three of us in the public restroom touching as little as possible without the aid of a stroller/sling/means of putting A down. Then, as I was ordering, I noticed E was touching the bundt cake that was not fully behind the sneeze guard. Once we finally got our food, A decided that every other piece of food was not worthy of her mouth and dropped it on the floor. The excursion was rounded out with one more trip to the potty and a tantrum about wanting a cookie.

But, we made it home in one piece, had fun playing chase around the kitchen island and having A show off her walking and climbing skills. (I turned around to make her a bottle and found her standing on one of E's chairs.)

And tonight for dinner, we're ordering pizza.

reunited...and it feels so good!

E-mails are flying fast and furious among ye old Kappa Deltas. Looks like we've got a little reunion in the works for November 3rd. Good times are sure to be had.

And tomorrow, I'm headed to the A-T-L for a wedding...going stag along with Kara and Susie. I need a girls night out (and an open bar) like nobody's business.

UPDATED: I just realized that I look really fat in that picture. In case you didn't know, the picture was taken at my sister Kara's wedding last year when I was 6 months pregnant with A. Little piece of trivia...that maternity bridesmaid dress was the only bridesmaid dress I ever wore after wedding.

shake that booty!

I love my husband. He's wonderful. But, if you know him, you know that he is absolutely, postively a guys guy. He lives and breathes sports -- basketball in the winter, baseball in the spring and summer, and then in the fall, it's football season.

Because of this, most people assume that John wants (or needs) a son. We get the "When will you be going for the boy?" question quite frequently. He's had people ask him if he was disappointed that A or E wasn't a girl. That last one he finds particularly offensive, because it couldn't be farther from the truth.

Granted, neither of my girls are truly girly-girls, but they aren't tomboys either. And John is wonderful with them. Today was a prime example. He was in charge of pick-up. When I got home, he and E were playing "fashion show". This involved strutting across the living room, shaking their booties and spinning. Even A was getting in on the fun.

Sure, on Saturdays he dresses them up in their Tennessee and Virginia garb...but it certainly is sweet to see him playing girlie stuff with the girls.

if my day job doesn't work out...

I can always consider becoming a sherpa. Why is it that the smaller the person, the more stuff you have to carry? Yesterday, when I picked up the girls from school, I found myself carrying:

• One set of car keys
  
• One cute 20+ pound toddler squirming to get down
  
• Two daycare issued lunch boxes
  
• One grocery bag filled with A's poop-covered clothing
  
• One grocery bag filled with E's pee-covered clothing from that day's accident
  
• Thirty-seven various art projects completed by E at school. (On a side note, what do you DO with all of them? I mean, I should probably keep a few around for the memories...but how do you determine which ones -- the crayon scribbled on construction paper or the macaroni and cotton balls glued to a paper plate?)

As we set out across the parking lot, E decides that she wanted to carry her own lunch box and she wanted to carry it right now. As it so happened, the strap to hers was wedged between A's heiny and my arm, which was also carrying the precariously stacked art projects. A's lunchbox, however, was easily accessible on the arm with the car keys and the grocery bags.

"Here, take this one," I say, offering her A's.

E took one look at the nametag and screamed, "No! I want MY lunchbox." And with that, she threw herself to the ground in protest.

After kicking myself for teaching her to read her name, I did what any other harried working mother of two would do...bent down, scooped her up and added one 30+ pound, kicking and screaming three-year-old to my load.

So after carrying all that to the car, I'm pretty sure with a yak and a pair of snowshoes, Everest would be a piece of cake.

milking it for all it's worth

I got home tonight right before it was lights out for E. Though Daddy had already read three books, I told her I'd read one more. I asked her which book she wanted to read, and she grabbed two of our current favorites are Owen and In My Heart (thanks, Kiki for the birthday gift!). I told her to pick one since it was so late and she had already heard some from daddy.

"How about two stories since I pee peed in the potty?" she asked.

Girlfriend has been pretty much accident-free since we went cold turkey last week. I wonder how long she's going to milk the praise and rewards for potty training?

she walks!

A is really mastering that whole walking thing. Here's a quick little video I took. She claps every time she stands up by herself...she's used to the cheers from Mommy and Daddy, I guess. (Sorry about the sideways-ness of the video...I can't figure out how to rotate it!)

labor day

Today, in honor of Labor Day, I'll be working all day long. The project I was hired to work on supposedly launches either Friday or Sunday (depending on who you ask), so I'll be busybusybusy working until then.

Daddy has whisked the girls out of the house for a day of fun and adventure. In typical Daddy fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants fashion, Daddy wasn't quite sure what they were going to do. Definitely breakfast. Maybe a playground. Maybe a trip to DC to see Bettie and David Dansby's new house. But, I sent them on their way prepared. E's got two spare outfits (including shoes) in her Dora backpack. A's got a bunch of diapers and a bottle in the diaper bag. Silky and Taggie are along for the ride in case a nap is needed. And they look cute as buttons. Here are pictures I took before I sent them on their way.

Have backpack, will travel

All dressed up and ready to go

The Three Musketeers

happy birthday, autumn!

Autumn and I met through our husbands (then boyfriends), who have been friends since they were roommates first year together at UVA. Friendships between signficant others is always a dicey prospect...it seems that a lot of time even though the guys get along, the girls not so much or vice versa. But not so with Autumn...I consider her to be one of my closest friends.

In the course of the 8 or so years that we've known each other, we've been through a lot -- engagements, weddings, pregnancies, trips to Antigua and the Outer Banks, a stolen golf cart -- to name a few. We have five beautiful girls between us. We have plans to hit NYC this fall and Ireland in the spring. And yet, the only picture I have of just the two of us is this:

That picture was taken in July 2004, when I was pregnant with E and she was pregnant with Maura...before she started lapping me on the kids.

Have a happy birthday, Autumn!

no one likes a napping a

A is down for a nap right now. Hopefully, she'll get a good one in, since yesterday she didn't get one in the morning (we were out running errands) and her afternoon one was cut short by E running in and yelling "Is Baby up from her nap yet?" in her face.

But, apparently, E isn't the only one who would rather play with A than have her sleep. On Friday, Miss Anya was telling me that her boyfriend Cooper kept crawling over toward her crib while she napped. And, when she finally did wake up, he started clapping.

On the walking front, she's been taking tons of steps today. It's so cute because every time she stands by herself, she starts clapping. I guess a girl can get used to all the applause.

guess i need to wear more sunscreen ...

During breakfast E yelled, "Look it's a picture of Mommy!"

And what was she looking at? This bottle.

you know what happens when you assume...

When E was about 5 months old, John gave her a bath by himself. He had done it before, but this time he couldn't find the usual bottle of baby shampoo. He picked up what he assumed was a new bottle and went about with the bath.

Needless to say, it wasn't shampoo. Rather, it was baby oil, and the result was this:

Well, tonight we noticed that E's eczema had flared up a bit. No biggie, it occasionaly happens. I asked John if he could put her special cream on, referring to the Rx steroid cream that we use when her ezcema really flares up.

"Yay! You have white legs!" I hear John yelling.
"That's funny, I thought the steroid cream was clear," I say to myself.
"White legs! White legs!" Elizabeth yells as she comes running in.

As she danced around I smelled the distinctive smell of Desitin.
It turns out John had rubbed diaper cream all over her legs. Granted, I had been raving that this stuff was practically a miracle cream in clearing up A's diaper rash, but I had assumed that he knew that wouldn't clear up eczema.

But, like they say, you know what happens when you assume.