Pass the popcorn...Please!

We broke the "no eating the bedrooms" Rule and it was so much Fun!!! Tess couldn't stop talking about the fun that we had! We had popcorn, watched a Clifford Video and snuggled. She looked at us and said...."look it is just our family, scoot closer!" Good Times!

helpers

He is such a wonderful Daddy....Our Kevin....

He was working, solo, and calmly on building our cabinets for our basement kitchen. Then his girls came home and of course they wanted to be part of "The Mix" (A Tessa saying)...Being the amazing Daddy he is, he said "come on out girls!" (Thank goodness for the garage heater). Ella was waiting at the door to join her sister. It was not at all how we planned to spend the evening, but those are often the most enjoyable!

Tess had a great time helping out, cleaning up. "That goes in the trash, that goes in the recycling..." We had a great time getting dirty and being with Daddy-O! Here are some photos of the evening:

Big Game ....

It was a "Big Game" weekend and we enjoyed the football games. Ella was dressed for the game! Tess was for a brief moment....it was outfit number 4 for the day, not on long enough for a photo! Daddy...was sad about the Jets losing....I mean not winning! But now he has stepped to the "Other side" he is now cheering for the Colts! Go HORSE! We will be watching in a few days!

Words of Kindness....

Tess has such a loving heart! Here are some of her recent comments....They melt my heart! "Mommy, Thank you for taking care of me (as I was getting her ready for bed)" "I Love our house and I love our life" "When is Daddy coming home, I hope soon!" "Mommy, Ella is so adorable, I really love her" "Come lay by me tonight when I am sleeping and hold me..." "Remember to say our prayers" "I hope Papa gets better soon, I am sad he is not feeling good" Our girls....SO Easy to Love!

"Winter, are you still here?"

It is that time of the year where I am "over it" in terms of winter! I am never one to want time to rush by. In fact I find myself wanting time to slow down. I have found myself praying about this from time to time. I struggle with time passing because I want to just bottle up the here and now. I feel that it stems from the joys of the current times. I find pure joy in the now, I thought the 20's were great, but so far my 30's are my favorite....Being a wife, a mother to little ones and I always feel surrounded by my family and friends and if not physically, I feel their presence emotionally! So while I follow James Taylor's advice "The secret to life is enjoying the passing of time"....I am ready for some warm weather.....SO...Knowing it is still far off.....I have decided to fight my frustration of the cold with some "Warm Reflections"...Here it goes.... Some positives of the cold weather... Hot cocoa,Playing in the snow, Warmth from the fireplace, Cuddling up with Kevin, the Girls and a warm blanket, Making soups aor chili and watching football, Snowmen, 2 hour school delays...although we haven't had any, Comfy clothes, "Having" to stay home when the roads are bad, I love being snowed in!, Having a warm house to call home....

We had some visitors the other night, look at those white tails....Beautiful!

Ahhh! So it isn't so bad after all....The power of positive thinking really works!

Piggy tail princesses

Humor, Joy, Smiles, Thinking, Innovation, Cuddles, Love....The many things that the girls bring to the day! Dinner preparation time always brings interesting times to the kitchen! Tess loves to help Mommy cook, but she also likes sitting at the bar and drawing while I am preparing dinner.....Recently, Ella wanted to "get int he mix" as Tess would say! I turned to stir the rice...Here is the result.....

Ella + Eating a Marker (non-toxic of course) = Laughs from sister!

Mommy got a bit frazzled about! But I found peace in the smiles from the girls! Hopefully, she didn't like the taste!

Inappropriate...But Funny!

I guess Ella has had enough of me taking pictures of her.....

She can't tell me, but she showed me!

A Daddy Day!

Kevin was able to spend the entire day with the girls on Tuesday. Our sitter attended a quilting and the girls were home with Dear Daddy for the day! Tess kept going on and on about how much fun they had! The took the day serious....A Day for PLAY!

When I came home from teaching, the girls were sleeping by Daddy, all snuggled in! They looked like they had a Fantastic day! There were toys aplenty and endless looks of joy on their faces as they slumbered in for a winter nap! I was so thankful that Kevin took the day with them! It was good for the entire gang! Special memories made!

Blue and Green!

The House is Divided! We had fun enjoying the football games this weekend! gO cOLTS!! gO jETS! We are so excited that both are teams are in the playoffs....But now they must face off! Who will conquer?? I go for blue and Kevin believes in the green! It was so cute to see Kevin and Tess celebrating during the Jets game, but, she did say "Go Colts" a couple of times, even though they weren't playing at the time! Regardless, It is part of winter fun! We will have to wait a week to see what will happens! May the best team win...although the Jets are due! "GO COLTS"

Grease Lightning....

Until yesterday, I did not know I was married to Danny Zooko! Kevin came home from work to find his girls (all three of us) enjoying the Grease soundtrack! We were having a great time having as Tess says "having a dance party with our family"

I was so glad that Kevin....Danny joined right in on the fun! The next song was Grease Lightning... "Sandy & Danny" brought out into the Grease Lightning Dance! The girls were belly laughing watching their Daddy and Mommy dance to the whole song!

Then we all started laughing! Then, Kevin picked up Tess and enjoyed a dance with her! Her big brown eyes were sparkling so bright! Simple times to enjoy a Friday night at home....Good Stuff!

Weekend Afternoons

We love playdates with our dear friends! Especially when it includes...

Some lunch and goodies

(courtsey of Kevin, as always! The kiddos eyes get as big as quaters when he walks out of the pantry!)

Some Beautiful Snow

A Concert

Dress-Up

Some reading

Rest Time watching Clifford

Good Times with Good Friends!

Cute Car Quotes....

The car brings out so many fun times, learning experiences and conversations. Yes, we do like to listen to music in the car and I see where people can benefit from a DVD player....But some great times come out of our car chats....And I must add....I love the view of the girls in my review view mirror. They often entertain one another and they are both laughing...good times...

Here are so recent "Deep" conversations with Tess:

Hey Mommy, Don't I Look Like a "ROCKSTAR"...Yes, indeed you do Tess, and a very cute one! (I am her number one groupie!)

Mom, did you know that Ada (our long term imaginary friend) is tall and has long arms? Really, Tess, How long are her arms? She can reach the tops of trees and all the way to heaven to see Grandma's Mommy" "She must be tall"....

"Mom, Ella is dancing like me"

AND...Some conversations with Ella ....

"La, La, Laaaa"then some smiles. She had discovered her tongue and found out that it makes some really fun noises.... Giggles....Usually directed at Tess. Luckily, Tess has a remarkable way of getting Ella to stop crying, sometimes by singing, dancing or talking to her... Tess is always calm about it, such a great big sister.

As time marches on the "Car conversations will change", some day we will be talking about friend issues, or even other tougher topics, but one thing is for sure, I believe strongly in the power of conversation and communication and I hope and pray that the girls always feel comfortable talking to Kevin and I.

Successful Shopping....

It is always unpredictable to take the girls shopping....Overall, they do Really well. I have always taken them so it is probably due to just being used to shopping. Some trips are more challenging than others, but then there are the Really great outings that make this Momma proud!

We went grocery shopping on Wednesday night, (I try to avoid weekend shopping about as strongly as I try to avoid the flu)....it can be madness on the weekend!

It was so much fun grocery shopping. It must be the teacher in me but I always look at it like a learning experience.....counting items, looking for colors. letters etc.,....Like many other Moms I find that we wear many hats one of course being entertainer. I often find myself making eye contact with other Moms with little ones, there is a commonality, we often exchange a positive "we are in this together look"!

The girls and I were laughing, talking and Tess was "driving" the car cart some of the time, we need some lessons in this area. Tess also does a fabulous job of keeping Ella pleased! I told Tess she could pick out some items....she chose...radishes, mini-bell peppers, strawberries and cheerios....(I was so proud of her)....Then she picked out some dried apples for Ella and they munched while I finished shopping.

Tess loves her peppers!

No tears or whining in the store - Check

Choosing healthy foods - Check

The girls having fun together - Check

Enjoying grocery shopping - Check

Smiles-Check

Enjoying the Journey of Motherhood-Always

So here's to a wonderful shopping trip and many more to come!

Their Boots were made for walking.....

Our On the Go Girls!

They are certainly on the move, now there are Two sets of feet moving about our home....Which results into a lot of fun for the girls! Mom tries to keep up....some days more successfully then other days, but it is entertaining!

Ella is truly walking now, an occasional crawl is a reminder that she is still "such a baby" (Mommy speaking of course)! Ella tries will all her might to keep up with her sister and Tess is so good about it! She told me the other day that Ella is her "favorite friend!"

They keep me laughing....

I am so pleased with the age difference of our girls! It is pure joy and many laughs to just sit back and watch them. They are really starting to play together and from my perspective form and alliance....not necessarily against Kevin and I, but a true team. They have been playing with enjoyment with their new Christmas toys. Last night there was a family band going on, I was the on-looker, we had a keyboardist, a recorder player, and a drummer! Motherhood has countless joys but just watching your children, being innocent and having such a simple joyful time being children is true JOY!

Recipe for a Snowy Day!

Hmmm...What shall we do? Stay home...Ahhh yes, stay home and enjoy!

Here is our Family Recipe for a snowy day!

Let it snow....I love it when it snows in the country....

Waking up to snow covered trees that glimmer!

Snowy Day

Serves - Family of 4 plus one dog

Ingredients:

Comfy Clothes, Warm Fire, Art Supplies, Snacks, Coffee (for the grown ups), Shovel, Fun, and Snuggles....

Wake up and have a tasty breakfast

Follow with library book reading

Allow girls to get out more toys than usual

Play, Play some more

Mix in some art time

Nap time, with soft blankets

Have fun in snow with Daddy

Plow with Daddy

Prepare and enjoy dinner with dear friends

Top with Cuddles

Enjoy!