Introducing....

Well...it is no secret I am a sucker for animals. So...when I show up to drop my daughter off at her in-home daycare and there are two kittens on the stoop.......needless to say...without further a due...introducing "Sergeant Pepper"....

You can imagine my hubby's suprise when I tell him he is not only picking up a toddler but grabbing another new addition on the way out the door!  I just couldn't help myself though.....I mean...LOOK

                                   

I had no choice in the matter really....and quite honestly, she is a good fit.  She doodies outside, lets my daughter carry her around, and she sticks up to my dogs.  I think her and nanners were actually playing today. Once her and Biscuit figure it out it will be all good in the hood.  Ella Mae keeps walking around saying "yes you can hold my kitty" and the Srgt has fun playing with all the fun dangly things with Ruber Doobs on her activity mat. So there you have it.....Welcome to the Plachta family Ms Pepper..goood luck :)
                                       
                                      
                                        

Terrible twos....

You know it has been a "trying" week with your two year old when Ballerina barbie says to Swimsuit barbie... "you're driving me nuts!!"  That was the conversation they were having in the back of the car on the way to lunch this afternoon.  This comes after a 30 minute struggle over what shoes to wear, and once we got the ones on she picked out on her sweet Fred Flinstone feet...Of course she wanted different ones. Needless to say...."you're driving me nuts" has been my anthem this past week.  It is mentally exhausting!!  Maybe I just need to stop all negotiations.  I sound like I took someone hostage or something (my sanity perhaps..Ha!) Her new thing is "three more minutes Mommy"...as in "I am going to watch this movie for three more minutes" after I tell her it is time to turn it off.  Or my personal fave " I will go to be in three more minutes"...and then the battle begins!!  She is funny because she puts her thumb and index finger together to make a circle and leaves the other three fingers up and will shake them at you...three more minutes...

                                        

Three more minutes mommy!!

                                                  


In between our "negotiations" though, she is still her wonderfully sweet Ella Mae self....her endless hugs for her sister..the way she calls her dolls "sweetie" like her dad calls her and strokes their hair and pats them to sleep.  Today we had a salon session...she pulled..I mean brushed my hair in an attempt to get it into a ponytail, and then I got to paint her toe and finger nails..her "po-tails" as she calls them.

                                                

Ella's "Poe Tails"

                                          



  So yes....some moments she "drives me nuts"....but if she was perfect all the time maybe I wouldn't cherish our "salon time" as much as I do  :) At least Ruber Doobers remains cool as a cucumber.  She seems  to wake up on the right side of the bed every morning...she has even started "giggling" a bit     :)

Lucky Ladies

I absolutely love watching my hubby with my girls when he doesn't think I am watching...........

                                                  


 I have the most amazing hubby...even though I wish he could throw a load in the wash occasionally(and remember he put it in there so I don't find it moldy a few days later) or scrub something every now and again...but seeing him with our girls...watching him get in below zero pool water because Ella Mae wants to swim, or the sweet way he bargains with her to keep her in line...  Working hard to give Ruby the undivided attention and love she needs after teaching someone elses kiddos all day...As much as he drives me crazy from time to time...Ella Mae,Ruby and I are one  pack of lucky ladies :)

Case of the Mondays

Mondays for me are long..but they are never that bad cuz I get to come home to this....

And I have been playing around with a new "do" for Ruby that the hubby likes to call the "Sumo wrestler"...

Our lil Sumo :)

Those cheeks will cure anybody's case of the monday's!!! 

Hope everyone is havin' a great kick start to thier week...                                                                            
                                  

Lost

So my hubby has gotten me addicted to watching the "'Lost" series...we are currently on season 2.  This has been the reason for my laggin' on the bloggin'....I am blaming it on him and Lost..HA!!!  Have you ever watched these??  It is like crack for TV watchers.  I actually got mad at him for watching episodes without me.  We have been watching at least two at night once the girls are tucked into bed....we have these conversations about what we think will happen next and where it is all going.  It is pretty serious business.

Anywho..we have had one of the biggest droughts in Texas in quite some time.  Last night there was the tease of some rain...the smell...the grayish sky..and the "under and the lights"...Ella's words.  She was so sweet last night.  She wanted to go sit out on the porch in our rockers and watch the rain....well..sprinkles really.  Once the "under" started coming she quickly hopped in my lap and we just sat there and rocked and listened to the rain on the tin roof of the porch.  "Nanners" hopped up on Ella's lap and she was talking to both pooches telling them it was ok and not to be scared of the "under".  Everytime I would even slightly sit up as if to go inside she would say "just a few more minutes mommy."  She would grab my face with both hands....how could I say no to that?  Iwill  ALWAYS  have just a "few more minutes" for my ladies......

And this one................

                                          

She is kickin' butt and takin' names!!  She had a therapy appt today and everyone is just too excited about her progress!  She is filled with so much love and inspiration...and if she even naps too long I miss those cheeks :)

Two Margaritas

So it doesn't take me two margarita's these days to realize what a lucky lady I am...but it does help me write about it.  My in-laws are in-town and they took us out for dinner.  My b-day slash mommy day dinner..that's right...not only am I turning 36 on Sunday, it is my first mother's day with my newest addition....my first mother's day with not one, but TWO amazing daughters. We aren't huge "celebrators" around here. Actually, my hubby and I rarely buy gifts for one another.  Don't get me wrong...we LOVE throwing a good shin-dig, but when it comes to he and I...we are pretty simple.  We recognize we love each other tremendously and don't feel the need to spend lots of money on another "thing".  An experience maybe...but we already have enough "things". 

Anywho..I had not one..but two margaritas tonight....which for this lightweight equals tipsy!   I guess you could say I had one for each kiddo...the first one loosens you up a bit and then #2 really puts you over the edge..HA!!  We have such a great time with the in-laws..or as I like to call them G-Ma and G-pa.  They are no fuss and I absolutley love the way they adore my girls.

Chillin' with G-Ma!!

 I have learned in my lifetime to not take that stuff for granted, not even the love of family, and appreciate all the good that comes our way...and I feel like it just keeps coming.  Nothing specific has happened since the wonderful news of Ruby Doobs hole in her heart closing on it's own...just a general feeling of overall contentment.  Ruby (through her amazing progress thus far) has given me the confidence I need to feel like "I can do this"...by this, I mean give her what she needs..give her what she gives me every day...JOY..HAPPINESS..UNCONDITIONAL SMILES ALL DAY LONG!!  The feeling both my daughters give me..they make me so proud to be in the catagory of mother it's ridiculous.  I feel like my heart is so ginourmas (yes..it's a word..I think :)) one can see it beating out of my chest..and that's the truth.  My smile comes from the love of my Sweet lil' family....and that's NOT the margaritas talking  :)

Take # 45 to get girls both looking our direction in princess gear

Happy Mommy's day to all the wonderful Mothers of littles, bigs, specials, and even the four legged variety!! LUV LUV!!

Disney..Oh MY!!

Ella Mae and her "Princess in crime"

So we took Ella Mae to Disney on ice "Princess Wishes" today....I've got three letters for ya...O.M.G!!  Went with Ella's BFF in the culde...cuz you have to have a "princess in crime"...Ha!!  The girls have been talkin' about it for two weeks now since we all walked to the mailbox (Condor had made up some special "princess" invitaions) and we opened them up together.  They carried the invites around everywhere..I noticed today her BFF's had been brought back to life with some tape as it had been ripped into three pieces from wear and tear.  What is it about little girls and princesses??  It is like crack for them..I wish you could have seen the looks on their faces when we walked into the venue.  Even just pulling in and parking Ella exclaimed "look at the castle!"  It was really just a hockey arena..but ok..we'll go with "castle."  Disney sure does know what they are doing...you walk in and you can't help but open your wallet and just let the money fall out!  I mean,  we were trying to pick out the one item to get for Ella...she had picked out a $12 Cinderella figurine thingy...and I kept pushing her to get the $22 barbie lookin' one.  It's like they have us figured out too!  Finally my hubby stepped in and told me to back off and let her get the cheaper one...seemed like a "no brainer"...right?  Good thing cuz her BFF got the $22 one and the head popped off on the car ride home....nothin' a little super glue won't fix..but still, that could have been a tramatic experience for some kiddo!  Anywho...mama got an over priced glass of wine (I was suprised to see it there, but understand why) and a $7 bag o popcorn (it was in a disney box..c'mon!) and nestled in for the "Disney on Ice" experience.  The experience for me was watching Ella and her BFF squeal with delight when Mickey and Minnie came out and the gasp as Tinkerbell make her way around the rink spreading her "fairy dust."  Seeing all the little girls dressed as their favorite princess...tiarra's, mermaid outfits..princess dresses galore...staring intently as the characters came to life.

  Ohhh...to be that young again!  Us old farts still had fun though.  Thank you Disney for taking all my money and putting a sweet, wonderful smile on my girl's face today  :)

The wonderful world of DISNEY!!

My "Sleeping Beauty"  :)