happy

Two weeks ago I got to see my kids for the first time since October.  It had been waaaaay too long!!!  We had scheduled THREE other times before that to get together...and all three times are the days it snowed or iced here in town!!  Aaagh!! So frustrating!! 

  

But finally it worked out and in the months between visits, they got three (yes, three!) new puppies who are now five months old.  They are Great Pyrenees, super soft and fluffy, and all girls.  And I have NO idea how in the world they tell them apart! lol

I would put different colored collars on them..but the kids and their dad say they know them all, so that's good.  That is A LOT of dog to be greeted by in their sunroom, let me tell ya! :)

Then I took them to have their pictures done at our favorite place - Portrait Innovations. (Just the kids. No dogs. Ha.)  Love that place!!  They always do a great job and can do a studio look that I can't do.

And of course you know I'm going to put up some of my favorites... :}

We chose a purple theme for our first outfits because the outfit that LM Sunshine has on is her very favorite and she feels so pretty in it :) so we were pleasantly surprised when we got there and our photographer pulled down a purple backdrop to match! :)

Don't let this picture fool you, lol! They did this willingly for the photographer...but then later as we were looking through them there was plenty of "Eww! I can't believe we did that!" from the girls. Ha.

My sweet girl and my spunky one.  :)

The weekend before I was supposed to keep them all day but my end of town got snow and as I attempted to get out of my neighborhood - just driving down the hill in front of our house - I started slipping and sliding...managed to stop...turned around and said well, I'm not going anywhere!  Later that day my kids called and left me a message that completely cracked me up.  I wish I could put the audio of it on here!

LM Sunshine started it out by saying, in her sweet and quiet voice:

"Hi Kiki! I love you and I miss you and I wish we could have seen you today and uh Happy early Valentines Day and I hope we get to see you really really soon."

Followed by LM Giggles who said at full volume:

"HEY KIKI! SORRY YOUR HOUSE GOT ALL.....SNOWED UP!!"

Ha!! Sums up their personalities pretty darn well.  :D

And my sweetheart.  :)  I always buy my kids an outfit for their birthday as well as something fun and this was Mr. Happy's bday outfit.  I knew he would like it because it came from me...but I underestimated just how much he would love it!  He definitely felt pretty handsome in it and adored that hat!  

We had watched this music video way back in October in the Women Getting Real Bible study that I've been going to (and of course now I don't remember what the connection was to why we watched it...but the song fit that night...lol)  and I knew right then that was the look I wanted to copy...

...pretty good copy, don't ya think??  :)

Aaand...one more just for the heck of it...

I would MUCH rather be the one behind the camera..therefore, there are basically no pictures of me and my kids...so now at least we have one of all of us together.  :) 

Counting the days until I get to see them again...and praying for God's protection over them while I'm not with them.  :)

Insta-catchup

The last week was super busy with Valentine's day fun with the boys I take care of, plus staying at Lauren's house for a few days while her mom was out of town.  Not that I ever have to do much when Lauren is there because she won't let me! lol  But I am there just in case something happens and someone needs me.  Plus I get to play with two more cute boys...  :}

"kiki, i want you to sit right here next to my bottom and play trains with me!"

Hello. This is my belly.  That is all.

Chocolate oatmeal for a pre-Valentine's Day breakfast! 

Little Man thought this was most fabulous! :)

Helping make a treat for mommy and daddy.

Mmm... and yes, of course there was a taste test.  But just a small one, I promise.  :}

Superman LOVED broccoli!!

Couldn't decide which toy to let him play with....

I know this one is fuzzy but oh well.  My littlest Valentine gave me a box of chocolates. :)

Valentine's evening I met Michael and my friend Natalie for dinner at Market Square followed by watching The Princess Bride at the TN Theater.  It was so fun to have something to do that night!  And you could hear people all through the theater quoting the best lines from the movie. Ha! 

I think the cat got annoyed that I had been gone all week....

On Friday I got to meet an old friend for lunch with her super sweet little 3 month old - who just got her  first tooth!!  (Don't you just LOVE her chubby little cheeks and lips?!?!)

After lunch I visited my little bro at his new job at one of my favorite spots! 

Mmmm.....

Aaand that brings me to today...shopping with Leah for some dress clothes for when she starts teaching!  Crazy that the consignment stores are about as expensive as the mall!!  What's up with that?! 

Laura and I are always attempting to keep Leah well fed...Laura text us and told us we should get some ice cream...so I made sure to get Leah a SUPER LARGE frozen yogurt!  haha! :}

happy valentine's day (a day late...)

insta-hi +

1) about to roll over...with a couple fists full of blanket...

2) hey!! who turned out the lights?!  where did everyone go??  

3) OH!! there you are! whew!

4) haha! that was kind of fun!!  :)

Here is a rare glimpse of the nanny who is usually behind the camera...!  :)  In the afternoons, I usually put Superman in his bounce&play/activity/jumparoo/exersaucer-type-thingamajig (that would be the technical term for it...) while I wash up the bottles and stuff from the day and I usually bring in my iphone or ipad and turn on some happy music (my favorite kind to listen to...i don't like slow sad music...not usually...).  So today I got done and turned around to find my little guy staring at me  - probably cuz I was singing along... lol.  So I turned on Lady Antebellum and picked him up and danced with him around the kitchen.  He thought this was fabulous - but only if he could be positioned to where he could actually see the ipad where the music was coming from. Ha.  Just like my Mr. Happy - he has to study things and try to figure out how they work, I'm convinced!  :)

Now I can say I've danced with Superman.

:)

insta-hi +

I think we have yet to make it one entire day without needing to change outfits...lol  :)

Superman laughed out loud for me for the very first time today!!  Of course once I turned on the video on my phone, he wouldn't laugh quite as much...but (**if this video will work...) you can still hear him a little bit.  Soo cute!!  :)

Insta-hi

Insta-hi

We played a lot in this today. That is, when we weren't rolling all over the floor... :)