The Babes

There's no real reason for this post... just showing off how cute my babies are... Isn't that my job as their mother??? Just look at all those chubby cheeks!

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My Valentines

I just love LOVE day! Especially when I get to spend it with the people I love most in this world!

I like to do fun little things on Valentine's Day (that tend to embarrass my husband). This year, Mikey found little love notes and a car covered in lovey-dovey car chalk writing (You know, the stuff you used to decorate your car during homecoming when you were in high school.) I think that was the embarrassing part... but he just laughed. I think he's just come to expect stuff like that. And I was woken up to Kylie's excited little screeches as she brought me a singing Disney Princess card that she picked out all by herself.

After Daddy left for work, Ky and I enjoyed some heart-shaped french toast and orange slices. (I discovered a new recipe for french toast by the way and it is divine! Who knew french toast needed a recipe???) So festive, right?

I made these cute little decorations for my mantle. Felt is my new best friend by the way. There were more decorations throughout the house, but I was too lazy to take pictures... (what? I'm just being honest.)

After breakfast the UPS man knocked on our door (Am I the only one who gets super giddy, heart racing and everything when the UPS guy knocks on my door?) It was a special Valentine package from Mimi! Cute little outfits for the girls, some princess panties for Ky, jingle toys for Em, and an adorable book to share. Here are some pictures of the girls in their cute new duds. Kylie picked the location and poses for all of these pictures (she makes me laugh).

(I know that most of you will probably stop reading at this point since there are no more pictures, but for the sake of memories, I want to write down what we did for the rest of our special day...) Daddy brought home a bouquet of gorgeous flowers at lunch time. He even picked everything out himself and had them arrange it with my favorite flowers: Roses, lilies, daisies, those other pretty ones that I don't know the name but get them every time I buy flowers... He's so thoughtful. He also gave me a really sweet card (which is big because he hates store-bought cards) and a gift certificate to get a mani and pedicure.

I got a babysitter that night (which Mike didn't know about) and went to pick him up from work. He was very surprised when he went to look in the backseat and there were no little babies there. It was our second, (you heard me right) second time going on a date, just the two of us, since Kylie was born. (I think we need to work on that...) We went to Chik-fil-A which I thought would be prefect since Mike likes simple, inexpensive dates like that. They were having a special Valentines Date Night so there were table cloths and live music and everything. Fancy, huh? Most of our date was spent talking about the girls or awkwardly asking each other "first date" questions and blushing when we would accidentally brush up against one another.  

After dinner we headed home to our girls, put them to bed and then enjoyed cuddling on the couch while we ate big bowls of  "Chocolate Covered Strawberries" Blue Bell ice cream. (Have I ever mentioned my addiction to Blue Bell?) It was a great day and I am so glad I was able to spend it with my 3 Valentines.

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Superstar!!!

Kylie is ALWAYS singing and dancing around the house (usually to Beauty and the Beast songs). It was no surprise to me that when we had a ward talent show last month, she wanted to get up and perform for everyone else. Between each act, while the audience was clapping, Kylie would turn to me and ask, "It my turn now? I want to go up there!" and then she would try to make a run for the microphone. During every performance she would sing along and shake her little booty. Next time we will definitely have to sign her up!

When the show was finished we asked if Kylie could sing with one of the mics (unplugged of course). She snatched it right up and began belting out the opening song to B&B ("Little town, quiet 'illage, evey-day one before") While she was "performing" everyone was cleaning up/leaving and someone turned the houselights up and Kylie demanded. "Hey, turn the lights off. I'm doing a show!" With that little diva attitude, she is destined to be a star!

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Snow Days

A couple weeks ago we had some record snowfall in Northwest Arkansas. Like, as in, it has never ever snowed that much in a single day, ever.  (It was funny because the local weatherman predicted 1-2 inches of snow that day... boy was he wrong! We ended up with 20-24 inches...)

During "Round One" of the storm I just had to go out and enjoy the snow with my Ky. There's a part of me (be it a small part) that just adores the snow, especially when it comes down in the big, fluttery flakes. It's so fresh and new and peaceful. Kylie couldn't get enough of it. She loved throwing it in the air and eating it too. When I was finally able to drag her back inside to warm up, the first thing out of her mouth was, "I wanna go outside again!"

Over the course of the week or so that we had this crazy snow we made a little snow-lady named Daisy (pictured above), threw plenty of snowballs and watched them disappear into the snow, and ate lots and lots of yummy snow ice cream. It was a great "Winter!"


Want to see how much snow we really got?

 

I could have sworn the south wasn't supposed to get snow like this...

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Princesses Go on the Potty

It's official!!! I was nervous to make the announcement until we were for sure for sure, but for over a month now Kylie has been an official big girl!!! We are so proud of her!
While trying to convince her that she should use the potty, we told her that princesses go on the potty. Something clicked and she was all of a sudden super excited about the whole thing. She even told us that when she goes on the potty she gets a yellow Beauty and the Beast dress. (okay, sure. If you go on the potty you can have whatever you want!) We used m&ms and jellybeans as treats and Disney movies as motivation to fill up her sticker charts.

On the last sticker chart her prize was a "Princess Surprise." She didn't know what it was but she was sooooooooo excited about it. On the morning that she got that last sticker (and was officially in big girl panties all the time) we brought out her surprise - a yellow Beauty and the Beast dress and Cinderella glass slippers.

And she was really excited about it!

She had to put everything on immediately. And we didn't tell her how to hold her dress like a princess either, she did that all on her own.

She danced and twirled and sung her Beauty and the Beast songs all morning and has worn her princess dress just about every day since.

And then she asked the Beast to dance with her. So sweet. (After they danced Mike whispered to me, "Yep, I'm definitely going to cry when she gets married." He's such a softy when it comes to his little girls.)

[Kylie often insists that we are all characters from her favorite movie. She is always Belle, Daddy is the Beast (or Gaston, or Papa), I am Mrs. Pots, and Emily is Chip. If I try calling her by her real name she will quickly correct me, "No, I'm Belle!"]

Some of my favorite things Kylie says about Beauty and the Beast and our alter-egos:

• "I brought back the book I bahdowed (borrowed).... Couldn't put it down... I bahdow this one... Thank you very much!" (she quotes the entire scene from the book shop and can sing most of the opening song- it's stinking adorable!)
• "You like spot o tea, Mrs. Pots?" 
• "No, not Em Grace. That's Chip!"
• "Beast, you want to dance?"
• "Daddy, sing the Gaston part."
• "I go outside in the snow and I feed the birdies their treats."
• ...and many many more...

Good job, KyKy Belle! We are so proud of our little Princess!

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"Mama" Wins!

Remember how Mike and I (and Kylie) have had a very competitive contest to see whose name Emily would say first? I WON! hahaha! She says, "Mama." Does it matter that she doesn't know what it means? Nope, not one bit! She says my name and it's the sweetest sound in the world!

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