E Squared

Sweet Potato Pies.....

2009-11-12T11:26:00.000-08:00

This post has nothing to do with sweet potatoes ...
Edie has taken her teeth brushing a step further! She likes to stand at the sink, on the back of her "very safe" climbing thing. Most of us would use it as a chair....not monkey girl Edie Claire though!!!

Who doesn't love to kick back on the couch with a big fat corn dog???

Guess who.....

Doing guess what....(yes she did push both stools into position) (did I mention she is not even 2 yet, which I am glad about because it's going fast enough, but heaven help us!!!)

Sunglass babes...

Edie having a little morning iced coffee....(not really!)

One of our coworkers (mostly Jon's coworker) gave us this great kitchen that her son was bored with. Thanks Darcy!!! It came with tiny pots, pans, utensils, fake food...even tiny boxes of cake mix, cheerios, canned green beans and tuna...so fun!!! I put all the little things away for now but not after playing with it all myself while they napped. They find all kinds of fun...they put their lunch in the cabinets and the oven only to retrieve it later to actually eat. It's so stinkin cute!!!

I found Ella reading this magazine the other day ... her nanny would be so proud!!! Notice the title ... Psychology Today!!! I think that is Jon's way of trying to understand the craziness that is his house full of girls!!!

Halloween ... a week late but who's counting!!!

2009-11-07T21:05:00.000-08:00

It is amazing to me how many people felt comfortable telling me what a terrible mother I am because I did not dress E Squared up for halloween. Never mind the 300 sleepless nights, the (at least) thrice daily poop swiping, the constant worry over the climbing, not eating and giant teeth poking through tiny gums.....GEEZ!!! But just to clarify my decision...they are 19 months old!!! Have you ever tried to keep something that wasn't duct taped on a 19 month old??? If not....then stop judging!!! They did wear adorable halloween apparel ...complete with the BOO and candy corn shirt! You know the ones I am speaking of....the ones they have worn all fall.... WHATEVS people!!! Walk a mile in my shoes, walk a mile!!! Edie and Ella did help me pass out candy and had a great time.....
Ella spent most of the time filling and dumping one of the candy containers....

She also pointed out the fact that we actually have fish in our aquarium ... "tish, tish, tish".....

Edie, I think, really enjoyed having a constant stream of trick or treaters... she was watching Yo Gabba Gabba and everytime the doorbell rang (which was friggin constantly) she walked to the front door with me and after I gave the candy out she would wave and close the door.... and walk back to watch her show.....

and when she wasn't watching Gabba she was stealing candy...

Ella Grace ..... sassy, bossy, prissy, whiney.......and ?!?!?!?!?!?! I found her like this the other day ... on her new laptop!!! I promise you neither Jon nor I EVER sit like this when we are on the internet.....

Edie took great measures to get her candy ... she tried to climb on the pool table for it...

Ella loves to be bossy ... here she is pointing her finger saying "don't don't"....

Edie still trying to climb for candy.....she does NOT stop climbing!!!

Ella likes to ride on daddy's golf travel bag...

Edie chowing on an egg roll...

They have both started taking their plates and eating in the living room.....here they are eating in their chairs....how darn sweet are they???

This is the way we brush our teeth....

2009-11-01T20:23:00.001-08:00

E Squared LOVES their daddy!!!

2009-11-01T17:20:00.001-08:00

Here is where they like to wait for him to get home from work in the morning.....Edie climbed up all by herself. She got stuck!!!

This is what they do when he gets home.........

2009-10-24T13:28:00.000-07:00

I am just practicing with my new AWESOME computer ... so I have uploaded a very short video for Jon to watch while he is on his man trip. Go ahead and view it yourself if you can stand the cuteness....

Pumpkin patch and the monkey girl...

2009-10-22T15:16:00.000-07:00

Jon is away on his man trip of the year .... it's raining so much and they are not able to play any golf yet. That stinks. Hopefully it will not rain for the football game on Saturday. Before he left we took the girls to the pumpkin patch. It was only ok! I have high hopes for these types of things and so far I am usually disappointed. This was no different. Edie basically hit the ground running and Ella wanted to be held most of the time ... we played for a bit and left with no pumpkins. There is always next year though......here are some pictures (which was my main goal really)....
They had a jumpy house there and Edie LOVED it ... Ella was ok with it but only when we were in there with her.

Edie and daddy strolling around....

the maze was fun.....

Edie pulled this gigantic pumpkin around for a little while....

then she stopped to wave at some folks....

the girl is always on a mission...

Ella either saying cheese or pick me up .....

Edie is so stinkin cute.....

they sometimes eat at their big girl table .... so cute!!!

There is constantly something on their faces or their clothes .... I give up!!!

So I took their chairs apart the other night to wash the covers ... Edie was not deterred ... she grabbed one of the inserts and used it to try and climb up on the counter.....

Here she is before I took the chairs apart ... she actually peed on it so I could not put off washing them any longer.....

Who me????

Ella again with the messy face....and the crazy long bangs!!! She got her first "real" haircut today ... she did so well and it looks so much better ......

some Edie cuteness...

They have completely different eating styles ..... Edie is an eat n run kind of gal ... she dumps her plate as soon as she is finished ...then she is outta there.......

Ella likes to take her time .... savoring every bite. Just like her mommy, she loves food!!!

Edie is so pitiful when she cries ... it's really heartbreaking!!!

Ella having a turn with the 3D chalk glasses....little tiny nerd!!!

Piggy PJs......

A little umbrella fun ... I sure hope we don't get 7 years of bad luck for this.....

Ella likes to carry this purse on her shoulder now....

I busted Edie ponied up to the counter eating butter with a fork....

See this little innocent looking spin toy ..... wonder why it's been banished to the garage????

First big girl birthday party!!!

2009-10-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

My friend Lauren who I went through Nursing school with has a daughter named Klare and she had her 4th birthday party today. It was sooooooooo much fun!!! It was at a place called Kids Party Central and I was super happy to find out they have "open" play there ......so we will definately be going back!!!
Here is the birthday girl ..........

Of course the biggest thing in the entire building was Edie's favorite.......

As you can see Ella and Edie had a fabulous time.......

This must be what they mean when they say double trouble.........check out these little partners in crime!!!

Climbing that hill.........almost to the top!!!

2009-10-08T20:33:00.000-07:00

So the hill I am referring to is the one that you fall "over" ..... as in "over the hill"!!! I know, I know start playing your tiny violins for me....I turned 35 today. THIRTY! FIVE! I remember the time when I thought the thirties were so ollldddddddddd. Well, I have lived to tell you that they are NOT!!! Being in your 30's is NOT old!!! My day started off dreary outside with the inside holding two grumpy babies, one grumpy husband and one unexpected, self invited, extended stay guest..........but it did turn around. The babies snapped out of their funk with a little sun, some milk and a nap and the husband did the same minus the nap and milk.....the guest........well we are just dealing with that one. He did buy steaks for dinner though and is sweeping my kitchen floor as we speak here.......or should I say as I speak.......or type. But, I digress!!!
We had some fun, ate some yummy food and cheesecake.......had a glass or two and a half of awesome wine.........and I have the pictures to prove it!!!
Here is the cake....awesome fresh fruit topped cheesecake......can I just say ....as Ella would........YUMMY!!!

Now this picture will again put me as a front runner for the mommy of the year award....Yes, my child is dipping her toothbrush into her cheesecake and yes she brushed her teeth with it and yes I laughed as she did this!!! But never fear....we did a good old fashioned "real" tooth brushing sans cheesecake later. But looking over and seeing her do this .........well, that's funny stuff!!!

Here is Edie very impatiently waiting for her slice of heaven.........

We played with play doh and coloring books for the first time today...and it was sooooooooooo fun people!!! Here is Ella Grace's first creation....I did the hair!!!

Edie preferred the play doh...once she figured out it wasn't something to eat...here is her first creation!!!!

Ella gets serious about her coloring ... she is wondering what is going on between Edie and Daddy that is causing such a commotion interrupting her coloring....

Not sure what is happening here.........

Edie wondering what daddy is making with his play doh........

Edie is quite proud of her play doh figure......

Ella liked the play doh......

Ella watching Edie color.........stealing her ideas!!!

Ella and then Edie coloring.......

Edie eats colors.........that's how she rolls!!!

My friend Letha and her awesome boyfriend Chad were here this weekend from Louisiana......we had some fun!!! I managed to get NOT ONE single picture of either one of them.......NICE!!! I did get a couple of the sweeties though.....of course!!
Here is Edie wondering what Auntie Letha brought her.......

We headed to a couple of our favorite wineries.........both girls were on a mission as you can see.........

Ella decided to take a load off.......

Our designated driver.........I kid, I kid......I was the designated driver....they did the wine tasting and I did the baby chasing.......

Bloody noses in 3D

2009-10-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

Your Honor ... please enter photo #1 into evidence.

Yes my friends. That is a bloody wad of toilet paper that you are seeing. It is the result of one tiny little girl with one gigantic temper ... or something. I would like to think it's only because she doesn't have the words yet ...... not that she is a sassy little fire ball. ALREADY!!! Her daddy calls her bossy and she is living up to that little pet name! Unfortunately. So here is what went down.
Edie was sitting on the floor playing with the cordless phone. Ella sashays by, reaches out and grabs the phone. And keeps on walking...until Edie throws herself backwards, stiffens and starts wailing. Now this is not an uncommon occurrence here at Casa Marbut. One would believe that Edie should be the bully because she is so much larger ... but don't let size fool you people. What happened next has us all in shock ... Ella stops in her tracks, turns around and THROWS the phone at Edie hitting her square in the nose. Then, THEN she turns around and sashays off .. as if to say ..."there you big baby"!!! Heaven help us!!!
Now while Ella Grace is a little spitfire ... Edie Claire is a little daredevil. I left them for less than a minute this morning. They were standing at the counter (the only place I can get them to eat now) and I ran upstairs ....very very briefly. I came back to this.........

I bought the sweeties some sidewalk chalk ... it's supposedly 3D so it came with some glasses.......that they LOVE to wear. I think because it distorts things a bit making it look all rainbowy ....here is Edie all hyped up with her glasses on.....

We will have some fun pics later in the week ... my friend Letha is coming to visit us tomorrow and it's her first time meeting E Squared!!! Fun times!!!

Family Portraits ......

2009-09-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

We had a family portrait taken and I was going to save it as a suprise for our family but I need help deciding ....... So family. I am sorry to blow it for you!! Which should we order?????????

All together............

Just me and Ella.........

or Jon and Edie with their tongues stuck out.......

Seriously ... I love the potato head family and so do Edie and Ella ......
Looks like Ella Grace is conducting some serious business on the cell phone...

Edie has been more and more steady while climbing up and down steps .... but she sometimes loses her balance which is especially bad when it happens out our back door, because she flops face down on the pebbled concrete patio.......
the bruises don't bother her as much as they do me ...... I feel terrible and I wasn't even there when she fell. I had left them alone while I went to the grocery store........I kid. I kid. I was at work though .......

Here they are trying to decide what to wear ...... they find that sitting naked on the laundry is way more fun than actually folding it and putting it where it belongs.

So lately both girls, but especially Ella kick and scream when they are bathed. Put them in a nice warm bath with toys and soap and mommy to scrub them off .....nope!!! Not having it!!! Yet, give them an ice cold bucket or sprinkler and they are there......

Sweet little Ella loves sitting at the table like a big girl.....

Ella and daddy snuggling up ... he had just gotten home from work and she was having some breakfast.......

Who needs a vacuum when you have a gigantic furry puppy dog......

Now here is the bucket picture I promised in the last post ..... the girl loves playing in water.......as long as it's not the bath ....

18 month appointment ... a week late !!!

2009-09-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

Last Monday we took E Squared for their 18 month doctor appointment!!! I am sure that I don't have to say what I ALWAYS say ..... but it's just baffling to me that my babies are so big. And smart!!! Man are they smart ... and I am not at all biased because Jon thinks the same thing.
It is so cool how we went through 5 embryo during our IVF cycles and each failed cycle was devastating. However, now that we have Edie and Ella we could not even imagine having different babies. It's really hard to describe but trust me .... it's amazing!!! It is also cool to be able to watch a tiny human learn EVERYTHING that they do ......from lifting their heads and rolling over to submerging their bodies into ice cold buckets of water (more on this later)!!!
So for a little flashback to their 6 month appointment when Edie weighed nearly 17 pounds and Ella nearly 15.....

Dr. B was pleased with their growth and development ... they are right on track with everything. We are fortunate to not have any concerns or health issues!!! Now stats:
Edie Claire: 33 inches
24 pounds 7 ounces
Ella Grace: 30.25 inches
22.5 pounds
Ella may be small but she is fiesty. She is quite the bully ... pushing and pulling Edie ... I saw her pull her hair yesterday. Before we even brought her home from the hospital, Jon gave her a little pet name .."bossy"! Call it daddy intuition but he hit that nail right on the head. She is sassy!!! I often speak sternly to Rubi, who is a big furry pain in the you know what. Usually I say NO RUBI, DON'T DO THAT! Well Ella has picked that little line up and has added a little finger shaking. It's hard not to laugh ...
Now on to the cuteness.......
Ella was playing in a bucket of water this afternoon and nothing could get her out ... except for when she needed to pick her nose!! (I'll post the bucket picture in another post...I thought I had it uploaded here)

Edie watching her sister in the bucket ... preferring to stay dry and warm.

We recently had Applebee's takeout ... Ella got into the ketchup!!

Here they are in their new booster seats........

Edie loved dipping fries in ketchup but not as much as she loved trying to get ketchup out of the packets......

Ella drinking from a sippy cup with a straw........

Edie .... going for the fries and ketchup!!!

We had a little piece of cake to share for their half birthday ..... and just like their 1st birthday cake ......Edie was more cautious about it than Ella ...

Too soon for chores ???

2009-09-12T20:16:00.001-07:00

I don't know about you guys but we go through some laundry around here. It seems like we are constantly doing a load or 4 of laundry. Well just yesterday Ella and Edie thought it would be nice to help us a little and toss a load of laundry in to wash........

so sweet huh!!!

These girls love to go outside...especially now that they are more independant. They pick flowers and put gravel in their pants. Good times! Good times!!

We have found a new favorite spot to hang out for E Squared ... they LOVE LOVE LOVE to stand on chairs at the counter. They will eat there....

They scribble there ....

So proud of her new tile art!!! Lesson learned ... pencil wipes right off of tile. Sharpie...not so much!!!

Edie looking unhappy but just like her daddy ...

Edie digging for gold or pointing to her nose one...

Ella loves to cozy up with a good book ....

I love this picture of Ella ...so sweet

Both girls in their chairs ... looks like Edie had a call to make!!!

Edie loves to drink from straws ... NO she is not drinking soda ... it's iced water. I swear!!

Ella throwing her classic fit ...she is R!O!T!T!E!N!!!!!!!!!!!! to the core!!!

Here is Ella Grace making her very first mud pie .... she did NOT eat it.

My friend Dani came over with her sweet little potato Elle Marie and Edie and Ella LOVED her. As soon as they got here Edie ran to her toy box and found an old paci for baby Elle Marie .... she ran back and threw it at her. So nurturing!!! They fought over the baby seat too...both loved it. It seems like they were JUST in the teeny seat themselves.

We had some friends over for the first Alabama game last weekend. Here are Ella and Edie helping me make the Mexi Dip ... good stuff!!!

Sweet Ella....

I had some adorable dresses made for the girls by my blogging buddy Missy but they were sadly too big for this season .... but Edie was determined to show her spirit...

Rubi waiting for Edie to apply some lip gloss on her snout...

Ella checking her date book........they turn 18 months old tomorrow Sunday .... crazy!!! It's also crazy that my sweet husband and I have been married 6 years tomorrow!!! I deserve a big gigantic present..........teehee!!! At least a cupcake. No?

Just when we think they are as fun as they're gonna get..........they get more fun!!!

2009-08-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

So when you look at this picture what do you see???
1.) Two cute little girls helping mommy put away the groceries
2.) Two cute little girls reorganizing the pantry so their snacks are more accessible.
3.) T!R!O!U!B!L!E! ....... in the double form!!!

If you picked #3 ... either you are a complete genius or a mommy.
A little Garam Masala anyone???

how about some black peppercorns???

Ella hangin with daddy ... he had a long day playing golf. Everyone get out your timy violins to play for him .....

Ella felt like helping with the dishes ...

These girls love watermelon ... it's quite messy so we have it outside!!!

Edie is such a little angel ...

or is she ?????????

They really like to play outside ...

Edie taking a sip of juicy water (cup of water with a splash of juice) ... she gets worn out from all the dancing!!!

Ella has been biting her nails lately...

and kicking back ....

This is actually a terrible picture in a terribly funny way ... Edie sort of reminds me of a Whoville resident or something equally goofy here. I am posting the picture though because it shows that she is getting some hair ... see here you can tell it's messed up a bit ...

little miss resourceful.....

jump jump jump !!!!!

Ella spends much of her day wanting to be picked up ....

Ella looking cute and feeding herself with a spoon ...

Edie looking cute and feeding herself with a spoon ...

1 shoe 2 shoe.....little shoe big shoe!!!

2009-08-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

Opinion please...........Keen model???

or her daddy's daughter???

Little Ella Grace has her first blemish...

Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeese!!!!!!!!!

They love their new ride on toy...I think it's a caterpillar....

Edie is oh so serious.........

Ella wearing her self portrait shirt........

Rubi doing a little babysitting.......

they love to roam around the backyard........

Edie loves to peek through the fence.....

she also loves to climb on tables.........

I bought them tiny Keens this week... I had no idea they made them so itsy bitsy...

sweet Keen feet.......

Edie trying to show daddy a thing or two about golf.......

Ella up close and personal....this is about the only way to get a picture of Ella lately because she takes great joy in running from me. Anytime she sees me coming she takes off running in the opposite direction cracking up. I really should get a video of it because she is still slightly wobbly when she runs.......it's so adorable!!!

Edie's new favorite mode of transportation...

looking content.......

up on daddy's shoulders......

just plain cuteness........

Edie loves to pour water over herself........

and the plants........

through the kitchen window........

Ella making sure her dolly is ok.......

My My ... 200th post!!!

2009-08-08T15:13:00.000-07:00

I intended to do a picture loaded post but when I logged on to blogger I realized that this is my 200th post!!! Gosh time flies when you are having fun. I can't believe that I have been blogging for 1 1/2 years...it has been fabulous!!!
Being the boring swine flu infected family that we are.....I have nothing special for a fancy 200th post. So I decided to do a flashback in rememberance of why I started this blog.
What I was doing in the beginning..........was waddling around everywhere!!!

Waiting patiently some days and impatiently others.........FOR..........

It was sad the first few days with Ella Grace in the NICU but it was for her own tiny little good........

I will post tomorrow with some recent pictures.......adorable ones!!! Of course!!!

**disclaimer** we are not (hopefully) infected with Swine Flu.....we just are all except for Ella and Rubi a little under the weather!!!

County Fairs have a whole new meaning.....

2009-07-31T20:19:00.000-07:00

We went to the Sonoma County Fair today!!! I am not a big crowd lover so fairs are not up there on my list of things to do for fun. But this year was different...I initiated the plan to go...usually Jon decides when we go. He likes rides...I am too chicken. He likes the horse races... and honestly, I enjoy those as well...even though I feel incredily guilty because it borders on cruelty in my opinion...but it turns out I AM GOOD AT WINNING!!! Anytime I have ever bet money on horses (like 3 times) I have the best luck. I choose my horse based solely on it's name....phooey on the odds and jockey and all that nonsense! For example, my lucky horse today was named Truffle in Paradise...I chose him because I had an embarrasing incident at an overly fancy restaurant here in Sonoma County. The "truffle cart" gentleman asked if we wanted truffle shavings over our food (65 dollars per shave, thank you! NO!)he said..."they are so nice because they are in season now"....my response was "I had no idea truffles had seasons"....I said this because up until that moment I had no idea that all truffles were not CHOCOLATE!!! Yes I have heard of truffle oil!!!
Anyway...the beautiful Truffle in Paradise brought me a big fat 25 dollars!!!
So anyway...the reason I initiated the fair plan is because they have a bunch bunch bunch of livestock and, AND a petting zoo!!! Oh my did we have some fun and I've got the sweet pictures to prove it!!!
Here is Edie all strapped into her carseat on the way to the fairgrounds...she wore these awesome shades for the longest time today...we got lots of comments on the sheer cuteness...

and Ella Grace...wondering what all the sunglass hype is all about...

Edie with the first group of goats she has ever seen...

there were several of these sweet baby pigs...some were even smaller than this one...

Ella threw alot of hay...

Edie trying to get down on the baby goats level...

a sweet baby goat that followed Ella and I around for a while...

Ella petting a baby deer...

sweet, sweet baby Ella...

these goats were snuggly cute...

Edie petting a baby goat...

both girls with a Llama......

Edie petting a Llama....

Edie loved the baby pigs...

They had a wallaby.....he/she was so darn adorable......

Picture overload...just playing around here!!!

2009-07-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

We haven't been up to much around here. Mostly playing...inside and outside. Edie and Ella are playing with each other more which is really cute!!! They watch us like little tiny hawks and imitate many things that we do. Some examples......
Edie: puts things in the trash can...the problem is it's not always trash so we have to check the garbage before taking it out to make sure there aren't things like sippy cups or wallets or watches in the bag.
Tonight she was standing next to me while I changed Ella's diaper. She grabbed a wipe from the container and swiped Ella's butt with it. Then she took one and wiped her mouth and face.
She can now open the latch on the gate to the stairs
She pushes a box or basket around the house and puts anything and everything into the basket.
Ella loves to pretend she is talking on the phone. If she has a phone handy she carries it around on her shoulder and jibber jabbers into the thing. If she does not have a phone handy she uses her hand. If you say "telephone call for Ella Grace" she lifts her hand to her ear and starts talking.
She can say shoe, juice, muyah when she gives kisses (opened mouth of course) and something we swear sounds just like backpack......and when we say backpack is when she says it......genius!!! PURE GENIUS these girls!!!

Now onto the picture overload
Ella is so cute...from behind she is so short and roly poly!!!

Edie concentrating...

Edie reading on the porch

now she is really getting into the book....

Edie makes such a pitiful face when she cries...

bopsy twins.....

blue eyed beauty queen.....

Ella and the phone...

Ella's first fountain top...

kicked back..chillin!!!!

another blue eyed beauty queen...

the girl loves corn...

we love this sweet face...it is so fun to make Edie crack up....this is her new face with the tongue on the teeth...

here she is laughing at daddy.....

playing peek a boo...we could not get her to take that hat off...for hours!!!

up close and dirty faced......

love Ella's almond shaped eyes...

up close and dirty...

they love corn on the cob...

She's her mothers daughter!!!

2009-07-20T20:40:00.001-07:00

Don't let her looks fool you. Edie Claire may look like a little clone of her daddy but she is definately MY BABY!!! First off.....anyone who knows me KNOWS my passionate love affair with Starbucks.........

she's got people to see......notice the starbucks cup STILL in her hand....

and NEVER EVER weigh yourself with pants on.......

Curiosity and Summertime Yumminess!!!

2009-07-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

E Squared relaxing in the chair and a half.....watching a little Noggin.....

Edie having a hard time finding her popsicle against her confusing tie dyed onesie...

Ella is a hippy chic........

Lovin popsicles....

Edie eats anything and everything in pairs....if you give her one of something she begs for another....both hands must be full! Notice how poor Ella has NO popsicle here....now how do you suppose Edie ended up with TWO???

They love to stand in the window and look outside... if I am not there to put them up and stand with them Edie will drag her chair or carry their little stools to the window and they climb up.......

DELICIOUS........aren't they!!!

Our new favorite clothes.....bubbles!!!

check out the rolls on her thighs......yum yum!!!

Edie must be up to something.........this is her sly like a fox look!!!

Remember my last post.......the one about the little escapists.....well here is Edie caught in the act!!! She can't get past the deadbolt. YET!!!

Now to the untrained eye this may look like a stack of pictures that some lazy chic hasn't gotten around to hanging yet. Well you would be partly correct. But think again and remember the little McGyvers that we live with. Take special note of the tiny picture in the very front of the pile!!!

Remember earlier when I said in order to look out of the window when I am not there to boost Edie runs for her chair and/or stool........well desperate times call for desperate measures people...........

here ....... need a closer look??????????

No pictures.............sorry!!!

2009-07-09T21:35:00.000-07:00

I do realize that my posts are typically riddled with photos....this time though.........we come pictureless!!!
My memory card is full. I know. I know...... I could just scan them......blah blah......friggin blah...........
I choose to have several backups........this blog, a CD and my memory card......whatever peeps.....choose somethin else........
even though I have no pictures right now......(I plan to get a card tomorrow)...I DO have a good story that I MUST document........
Jon had E Squared while I worked Tuesday.......
He came out of the bathroom.......and they were KNOWHERE to be found........unless you looked out the front door.........Edie was 2.....TWO.........drives down......and when Jon went for her.........she RAN.....in the OPPOSITE direction..........HEAVEN help us...............

We love the beach!!!!!!

2009-06-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

We headed out to the coast over the weekend! We are only about 30 minutes from the Pacific Ocean....Bodega is the little place we go!!! It's beautiful out there. Not the kind of beaches that folks picture when they imagine California beaches...they are rugged and can be dangerous with rip currents and frigid waters. We have had some really hot weather here so being able to drive 30 miles and have a 20 degree temperature drop is nice. Of course this year we have AC in our new house...which is heavenly!!! The coast was very crowded because of the hot weather...but stiff fun. Edie and Ella had seen the ocean before just not as close as we were this weekend...
Here is our family picture that some nice lady took for us...

Ella prefered to stroll the sands with daddy...

Edie trying to decide if it was safe to walk in the sand...

Ella and daddy again...

Edie sitting in the sand...still not sure about it!!!

Ella looking cute.....or maybe she was chewing something...

Edie has a new favorite thing...the empty clothes basket. She likes to sit in it and she likes to push it around. She pushes it through the house and picks up anything she can find and tosses it in....

We may have finally gotten off the bottle...

just kidding...they still enjoy their bottles at nap/night time but they equally love the mustard bottle!!!

This is the way we.......

2009-06-20T21:22:00.000-07:00

Brush our teeth, Brush our teeth........

Ella Grace and Edie Claire are getting to be big little girls! It's happening so much faster the older they get. The girls are super sharp, observant and perceptive. Our days are filled with fun and amazement....which is a normal parental phenomena (is that how to spell that word?) but it's AWESOME!!! Just some of the things.....let's start with Ella Grace.
The girl can move...she's a full time walker! She does look a little like someone spiked her milk with all the wobbling but she makes it to where she needs to get. I kick myself every night for not working in a little video before she gets more steady on her feet and the opportunity passes.
She likes to snuggle more than her sister...she likes to pat Rubi and the kitties...and believe me they LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE it too.....(wink wink)! Her pats are a little on the punchy side.....but we practice gentle.
She knows how to identify people and herself....when we say "where is Ella?" she pats herself on the head....when we ask her where mommy, daddy or Rubi are she points at the appropriate person.....or dog! Brilliant, I tell you!
Here are some pictures of the little Einstein.......
See here..how she sits..smart huh??? Biased, I am not!

making sure she didn't step in a puppy pile in the backyard......

she likes to smile....good thing because she has a fabulous smile!

........there she goes!!!

here she comes.............

Now little Miss Edie Claire....
she is SOMETHING! ELSE! She has quite a sense of humor...likes to joke around! Her favorite joke is putting some piece of clothing over her head, walking into things and smiling or pulling the cloth off really quick and smiling as you say "where is Edie"......."there she is". Fun times people. Fun times!
When she is ready for you to come and get her from her crib she yells....."aaaayyyyy" really loudly and over and over again. Cute!
She demonstrated her newest skill for the first time today.......door opening! Yeah that's right......she stands high up on her tiptoes and opens doors!!! We have no deadbolts! We will soon have many deadbolts! Tacky.....but necessary!
When she is doing something that she knows she isn't supposed to.....say hitting her sister on the head....she looks at whoever is there and as soon as we say nooooo she starts shaking her head nooooooo......trouble!!!
Here is her photo shoot.......the little brilliant one!!!

Inquisitive.......

seriously mom....I am trying to play here!!!

Edie learned really quickly how to turn their little play sinks faucet on....

wheels are for chumps......

what can I get into next???

Rejuvenated........

2009-06-13T20:19:00.000-07:00

Jon took this with his iphone. Edie pushed the high chair up to the sofa...(see the sofa arm there on the left...just barely!) She then climbed up on the sofa and across the tray into the chair. Not to be outdone....Ella followed her lead...

We have this bizarre small drawer under our double ovens...I assume it was meant for baking pans but you can't fit very many pans in it...what you can fit though is a 15 month old....

We had a great time in Florida...nice and relaxing!!! Just what the mommy ordered!!! There were 4 of us girls and we all enjoyed the rest and relaxation. I slept until 10 most days...ate and drank whenever and whatever I wanted! With the heat and humidity though I did not eat/drink near as much as I thought I would. I brought my friend Victoria with me and we met 2 of my long time friends in Louisiana and drove from there to Perdido Key! We had 3 full days on the beach, a night at the famous Flora-Bama, and nights filled with fun girl talk and it was FABULOUS!!!
Here is a picture from our balcony...it's blurry because every time I would bring my camera out to take a picture the lens would fog due to the humidity...

We ate out on the balcony most nights...it was usually boiled shrimp, salad, cheese and olive trays, etc.....

a view of our stretch of beach from our beach chairs....

our beach chairs that were set out for us each day.......by really cute beach boys...VERY VERY underage beach boys!!!

Since we had Victoria along and she had never been to New Orleans we decided to stop in on our way to Florida for lunch....we walked around and did some touristy shopping for a couple hours....it was fun and nice to show her around a little....we ate lunch at this little place called The Coffee Pot....it has a great tiny courtyard...

I highly recommend getting away for a girls trip...it was hard to make the plans because I was worried about being away from E Squared for so long...I miss them terribly when I work 12 hours shifts so I worried about not seeing them AT ALL for 6 days in a row. I did well I thought...I missed them but I was still able to have a great time and now that I am home I feel refreshed...I guess!!!

Is this why they call it Double Trouble????

2009-06-02T19:47:00.000-07:00

Now that Edie and Ella are mobile we often find them digging into anything and everything. They are full of curiosity and mischief...it's great fun and 2 tons of work. It's awesome to watch their little wheels spinning...cool stuff!!! It is not uncommon to hear me say (way more than one time a day) "WHAT HAVE YOU GOTTEN INTO NOW???" ...of course in a very animated voice...you can't very well scold a 14 month old....and our house is pretty childproofed so they are usually into harmless things... I have noticed that Edie responds to this by either dropping what she has or turning around and walking away....it's is hilarious people!!! Funny too because it's not like she gets in trouble by us or anything but she definately knows right from wrong......here is a perfect example!!!
I came downstairs yesterday and found them with all their nighttime diapers strewn around the room...they love to do this. So I say something along the lines of ....WHAT DID YOU GIRLS DO????

Edie immediately got up and ran over to the ottoman......look at her....leaving her sister behind and acting like she did nothing of the sorts....

This must be why they have those straps on the highchairs....

No words needed........

They both love to lie on their bellies and play...too cute!!! Never mind the toys everywhere...usually the first thing they do every morning is empty the toybox...

here mommy...let me take some pictures...

sweet Ella Grace...

Ella kicked back watching some Backyardigans......

Edie ... playing a little ditty...or is it diddy???

Ella.........is a WALKER.....

Just pictures........

2009-05-30T20:41:00.000-07:00

Another attempt at the white trash mommy of the year award....

Edie just figured out today that she can see reflections in glass and/or mirrors...I was making faces at her and she was watching me in the entertainment center and cracking up. Never mind all the tiny handprints...would you believe we just got that thing yesterday...those prints happened in about 2 seconds. FLAT!

If you are eating something or drinking something in the kitchen and happen to look down...this is what you see. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

Ella has a new favortie pastime (passtime, pass time ????) Now how do YOU think she is able to reach the window that is several feet off the ground?

Ella is so serious sometimes....

This is the way we wear our pants. Wear our pants. Wear our pants........

Wassup peeps???

Peace out.......