DC Day

We spent most of the day (starting at 7:30am!) in DC today, doing everything from breakfast at Eastern Market to exploring the Museum of Natural History to picnicking in Georgetown.  It was so tiring, but so fun!  Sophie and Grace are incredibly lucky to have so many cousins their age who all get along and love to play together.  It seems as if every few days it's something fun with another cousin.  Thanks to my own cousin Quynh who invited us to come along and encouraged us to get out and about early this morning!

Carny

Pics from today...including the annual Fairfax Fair we enjoy every year!

 

Listmania!

Rifle Paper Co. "Sweet Briar" notebooks, $13

You've heard of those people who make lists of everything, right?  Well, that's me.  It helps me clear my head when my hundreds of "to-do's" are written down somewhere.  Plus, I have "mommy brain" which means I'm forgetful and always a little frazzled.

I've got lots and lots of little stickies languishing at the bottom of my purse and crumpled up in my wallet, and the notepads I take to meetings at work are hideously tattered.  So I picked up this cute threesome at Anthropologie the other day.  Now, I can keep all of my grocery lists, work notes, and doodles in one stylish place!

Lazy Sunday

It’s a rare weekend day when we’re not totally booked with birthday parties, activities and errands.  And frankly, it’s really easy to burn out when you never get a break from running around.  That’s why today was so amazing.  Darren dropped the girls and I off at a nearby café for lunch, and then we had a leisurely walk home.  Gracie took a nap, which tones down the chaos in our household by at least 90%.  Sophie did a little painting, and then she and I planted some herbs, strawberries and tomatoes that we bought last week.  We got a lot of fresh air and sunlight and had nowhere in particular to be.  Perfection.

National Zoo

We took our annual Spring trip to the National Zoo yesterday.  For the first time in my 20+ years of going to the zoo, all of the animals were out and front and center for us to see.  It probably had to do with the fact that the weather was overcast but pleasantly cool and that it was lunchtime.  I know I sound like a broken record, but we had a great time!  As tired as I am, life is good with the two munchkins.

Tanning

Sophie got sick on her mattress the other night so we had to wash it and let it air dry outside.  Here’s what I found the girls doing while I was doing the dishes in the kitchen:

Tender

A lazy Sunday morning - Sophie 4 years and Grace 19 months.

Once in a blue moon, between the fighting and the whining, they manage to snuggle up together and show some love.

Lazy Sunday

We had a much needed lazy Sunday today. The kind of day where we don't change out of our pajamas all day...

A playhouse (not) built for 3.

Sophie enjoying hot cocoa from her new mug.

Christmastime is here

Christmastime is my favorite time of year, however I've been incredibly busy with work these past few weeks.  This weekend, I'm making it a point to do some traditional Christmas activities with my girls.  We're baking, decorating, and spending some quality time together...and tomorrow--The Nutcracker Ballet!

Gifts arrived from my talented cousin Mylene....original collage and acrylic art!  Best gift-giver ever!

Sophie and Grace got these cute animal-themed boxes.  I may mount these on their walls.

Sophie loves helping me bake.  And she has such Christmas spirit!

Grace got her first haircut yesterday.

Sophie has been wanting to make her gingerbread house for a month now.

She and I did a pretty awesome job together.

Sophie and Bodhi are besties.

The finished product!

This says it all!

Little Me

Sophie and I after a birthday party this afternoon.

Quality Time

It goes without saying that my favorite times of the day are when my kids are asleep (yes, I admit it!), but my second-favorite times are when I'm alone with either Sophie or Grace and there are no TVs, no gadgets, no running around on errands, no cleaning the house or making them food---just me and one of my girls spending quiet, quality time together.  I enjoyed one of those fleeting moments today.

Skip to my lou

When my sister and I were very young, my thrifty mom would scour garage sales and come home with records and toys for us.  We may have been poor, but we felt rich with the few things we had.  One of the best things that my mom bought for us was an old LP called Disney's Children's Favorites.  I spent countless hours listening to songs such as "On Top of Old Smokey" and "Skip to My Lou" over and over again.  I recently found the LP on sale on ebay, and I'm on a mission to get this music for my girls.  Unfortunately, I don't have a record player anymore...anyone know how I can convert an LP to digital music?

Girlfriend

One of the great things about having a 4 year old is that she's like a girlfriend who comes along to all my personal grooming appointments and can wait patiently.  I shouldn't even be admitting this, except that she looked so cute in the picture that I had to share.

Sophie waiting for me to get some hair lasered off, October 2011

Sophie on a roller coaster

See how she puts her arms up? I love her fearlessness!
 

Singing in the Rain

Sophie, August 2011

Keeping Cool

It seems like in the DC area, it's either unbearably hot or unbearably cold. Why can't we have milder weather once in a while? Right now we're suffering under the former, and there's little that we can do but sit at home, cooling ourselves down with ice cream.

Grace and Haagen Das, July 2011

Balmy

I am totally loving having my cousin Ashley stay over this week. She's been driving Sophie to school and helping babysit Grace in the afternoons. And not just that, she even takes pictures for me to post on my blog! I have to say, we are really lucky to have such great family.

Sophie at the fountain on a balmy summer evening, July 2011.

Happy Birthday Gracie!

Wooohoooooooo....my baby is one year old today!!  It's been a draining, tiring, tough, but wonderful year.  I can't imagine an easier baby.  Sleepless nights were rare, and she was a champion breastfeeder, decent eater, and all around happy and gentle kid.  Grace got sick quite a bit more often than Sophie did, but *knock on wood* nothing ever serious.  By now, Grace saying "mama", "baby", "helloo?" and "uh-oh".  I'm not sure if she knows what she's saying, but I think talking is just around the corner!  She's not quite walking unassisted yet, but loves practicing while holding our hands.  I'm kinda sad that she's growing out of babyhood, but at the same time excited about the fun times we have ahead of us.  We can't imagine our lives without her....she completes our family.

sweetest.baby.ever.
Grace at exactly 1 year old.