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Motivation.

This morning we ventured out to have Landry's 2 year pictures taken and we also wanted to try for a family picture IF the toddler in our bunch was cooperative enough.

Well....my poor youngest daughter has NEVER in her life had a sucker or lollipop of any kind. Nope, not even at dance when Miss Heather gives all the other kiddos one, not when Big Sis gets one, not when Carly gets one...not at the doctor's office...not ever.

After the picture taking fiasco we had with her for her 18 month pictures this last summer, I decided today might just be a good day to let her have a sucker for the first time. She is beginning to understand the "If you do ______, you get _____".

This sucker turned out to be a LIFE SAVER! This girl cooperated much better than I expected. Daddy even opened it up and let her have a lick or two part way through the shoot when she started to lose interest in the pictures. I only wish I had gotten a picture of her face because it was priceless when she took that first lick...and then the second one. And after those few licks she went back to being Miss Cooperative. It was greatness.

The best part was how she sat in my lap and licked her sucker while we went through our pictures which is quite time consuming. After she finished her sucker she and Sis went to play with the legos. I wasn't stressed and I didn't break out in a sweat trying to keep up with her and look at pictures like I did last summer.

Don't get me wrong...we did have a few times where she acted like a normal two year old, but overall, I was quite pleased! There was not one single fit and it was so nice!

Today I got the "Best Mommy Ever" award in her eyes. She loved her sucker....and it totally worked. I am so glad we had some "motivation" for her today! These bad boys will be used in the future when we need her to cooperate for something...these are "special occasion" suckers after all!

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Today our BG attended a "Legacy Line Jr. Clinic" at the high school where she will most likely go. She absolutely loved it!

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mmmmmmm.....

Today I busted out a few of our Valentine's Day decorations....which include this double heart candy dish with valentine colored dark chocolate M&Ms.

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ummmmmmm....really.....already?!

YEP. This is what you think it is.....Our little 2nd Grade Rock Star Daughter is learning CURSIVE!

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sigh.

I have been looking online for over a week now (actually longer off and on) at ideas for what I want on my blogs. It is a new year and I am SO ready for new layouts! I only have 4 days left before I finish my 365...I am so sick and tired of looking at our family blog....I really, really, really don't love it....it bothers me every single time I pull up my page....I am just over it!

My problem is that I have found several things I think I kind of like, but nothing that I just love. I have no idea what I want. I don't even know what colors I wanna use. Why won't something just jump out at me....maybe because I am a VERY indecisive person...yep that could be it!

I am frustrated....and wish I could find something. Sorry for all the negativity on this one...I will keep at it and I will find something....

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no lunchbox today for our BG!

Ashton LOVES when she gets to buy her lunch on the days her school serves "Breakfast for Lunch". This happens every other Tuesday and she gets so stinkin' excited!

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{I apologize for the not so great picture of the tv....I took a ton and tried several different things but this is the best I could get}

LP doesn't feel good today...she has a cold that has turned into an ear infection so she and I snuggled in my bed for most of the morning watching Hi-5 {her favorite show} over and over.

We have 5 recorded and we watched most of them multiple times. You know she doesn't feel good when all she wants to do is lay on me and watch tv...this is a busy girl who usually plays while the tv is on.

I was happy to snuggle my littlest girl...I only wish I could make her better fast!

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practice...practice...practice

Today Ashton and one of her friends {who is also going to be on the same softball team} went up to the school to get a little practice in with their Daddies. It it just about time for "Spring Softball" to begin.

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already?!

This morning we took Lan-Lan P to an Open House at Apple Creek. This is the same preschool that Ashton (and Macy, and Grayson, and Anna, and Carly) went to and we LOVED it. We can't believe Landry will be going to preschool in the fall!

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Date Night For Mommy and Daddy!

Since we don't have grandparents that live here or regular babysitters we have to get creative with our nights out. My Gym offers a "Parents Night Out" once a month where the kids can come play and have pizza for a few hours. My hubby and I enjoyed a yummy sushi dinner then did a little shopping and headed back to pick up the girls a little early.

Oh how I LOVE date night with my hubs!

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the newest obsession....

...in our house belongs to two little girls. Our ice maker in the fridge broke and so I went and bought a bag of Sonic ice to tide us over until it gets fixed. The girls are loving eating the ice...I am sure it isn't great for their teeth, but it isn't like they eat it all the time!

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this is gonna take me awhile!

One of my "mom friends" from Ashton's school has been determined to get me hooked on the Twilight books. She couldn't believe I hadn't read the first one so she asked a friend of hers if I could borrow her book. She brought me the book just after Thanksgiving break. After having it for a month, and the fact that it didn't even belong to her...I felt like I needed to read it and give it back. So over Christmas break I busted my tail to read it whenever I could and the car rides to and from Waco helped a ton!

I was so proud of myself when I had it finished and I gave it back. The next day she showed up with these two massive books...which she again borrowed from her friend.

Oh my.....I really liked the first one, but reading two like this....holy moly! It is gonna take me a while! I hope they are good!

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"I do jammies myself!"

This is what has occurred several nights lately when Daddy has taken Lan-Lan to get her jammies on. She picks out the most random set of jammies in her drawer...the ones she hasn't worn in forever because they are out of season and I am not sure why they are still in her drawer...yep those jammies.

And tonight, she picked out the top with "parkly hearts" and her "cind-ella" pants. She was pretty proud of herself...not only did she pick them out by herself, she also put them on all by herself.

This is a battle that we don't care to fight...it isn't one that we need to win...we are very much into picking our battles with this "very two year old toddler" of ours these days.

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widdle crocs for a widdle girl

Today we went to the mall and { after a GINORMOUS fit because she didn't want to be in her stroller} got a certain little two year old of ours her very own crocs. Two pair...one fuzzy for winter and one regular for summer and two sparkly heart jibbits for her fuzzy ones.

She thinks she is so BIG because all the big girls she knows have crocs! I didn't used to be a fan of crocs....I used to think they were the ugliest things ever. But...they have grown on me, they are so convenient, and the smaller they are the cuter they are.

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Guess My Coins

This evening after Landry went to bed, we spent some time with Ashton working on counting money and playing "Guess My Coins". We would tell her how many coins we had and the total amount we had in our hand and she had to figure out which coins we were holding.

It was a fun way to practice some math skills and play a game all while spending some time with our BG. I remember doing this with my kiddos when I taught...I love watching her mind figure things out!

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Family Game Night = FUN times!

Santa brought UNO to Ashton in her stocking this year. Tonight is the first time we have all played it together. It was so much fun. Daddy's "trash talking" has rubbed off on Ashton and it is hilarious!

I love game night with the fam!

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Get Your Craft On!

Since my BG didn't have school today, we took advantage of Landry's nap time to work on her letters. Mamo and Papo gave her these wooden chip letters and lots of fun stuff to decorate them with as a Christmas gift. We made another trip to Hobby Lobby this morning so she could pick out a few more things for them.

She was having a hay day getting her craft on and watching American Idol. She loves to be crafty.....loves to make things sparkle and this was such a great gift for her! She can hardly wait to hang them on her wall!

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Steppin' Outta My Box...

...isn't easy for me sometimes. My sister gave me this sweater and scarf for Christmas and since I am totally in an "accessories" phase right now, I was excited about the scarf. This is my first scarf to own that doesn't go with my big heavy coat. I had no idea how I was supposed to tie my scarf.

After messing with it for a while and getting frustrated...my hubby suggested he tie it like his ties. He told me he thought it was "hot" and "sassy". Then he said, "I am not sure why I am I sassing my wife up to go out to dinner with her girlfriends...at Hooters!"

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There is nothin' like Tin Star chips and salsa and QUESO and Dr. Pepper and tortilla soup! Today we met the Leonard Ladies at the dance store to get some tights and stuff and then we went to dinner since both Daddies were not home this evening.

Let me tell ya....I was so excited when Jodi suggested Tin Star...I looked forward to it all day long.

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I just had to take this picture of Ashton tonight when we got home from dance. It shows three of her FAVORITE things...dance, choker necklaces, and zebra print! She is such a seven year old little girl and I just love her to pieces!

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This "cup stacking" is an activity the kids learn and practice every year in PE as part of an eye-hand coordination skill. I remember the excitement and buzz when I was teaching from my students. This is Ashton's third year to do "cup stacking" and she loves it!

They have actual cups that are made for this activity that you can order through the school. Ashton was telling me about the cup stacking ordering process today-trying hard to convince me we needed to get them for her. Later on, she asked me for some cups that she could use to practice. She must have practiced for about 15 or 20 minutes...it would have been longer if she hadn't been interrupted when dinner was ready.

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We have had redonkulously cold temperatures in our parts here lately...like I am talking in the teens! We live in Texas....we don't really know what to do with ourselves when it gets this cold.

I took this picture of the fountain at the entrance to our neighborhood...isn't it crazy?

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I am pretty sure she LOVED her birthday cake!

{I didn't actually take this picture...Jodi was in charge of my camera during most of the party and I she took some great pics~but it is on my camera so I am sure that counts}

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I really, really don't like this stuff!

We went out to dinner last night for Landry's birthday dinner. I will spare you the long details but we all got food poisoning...it was not fun at all! Needless to say, this bottle of Maalox sat on my bathroom counter for most of the day.

We will not be eating pizza for a while and we will add CPK to our list of places to never go to again.

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this is one time I will never forget...this is the time our sweet little Landry Paige was born TWO years ago today.

Happy Birthday Lan-Lan P!

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our nightly routine for our BG...

reading log....check!

planner....check!

snack...check!

lunch made and in the fridge....check!

water bottle ready to get filled in the a.m....check!

every night when our big girl goes to bed, we make sure she is all set to go!

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Ashton's own 365...

Daddy has had one of these tear off calendars every year for several years. Sometime in 2009 our BG noticed this neat thingy and loved tearing off the pages, which I think kind of took the fun out of it for Daddy.

Well, Mamo-the-Great (with a little help from Mommy and Daddy) bought her one of her very own for Christmas. She loves that it is in HER room and SHE gets to tear it off all by herself every night AND she gets to read and learn some neat info and facts about animals and such. She had it set up on Christmas Day and could hardly wait for January 1st to roll around so the tearing off could begin!

I love the simple things that make her happy....I love how she wants to be like her Daddy!

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you can't tell...

...but it is fuh-reezing outside today. I love the way the afternoon sun comes through the playroom windows. I love that while Ashton was having her "down time" watching her shows after school, Landry came in to color. I love how the sun makes it look warm, but it really isn't.

I really don't like the cold....but I do like little girls all warm inside having fun while mommy makes homemade chicken noodle soup!

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toddler legs in a nightgown...

It is tradition to get the girls matching Christmas pajamas. This year, I broke down and got Landry a nightgown to match her Big Sissy. I wasn't sure if I would like it...I really wanted her to be in footed jammies one more time.

She was in love when she put it on....I mean in love! I love it too. Tonight after bath, I wanted to snap a picture of her little legs in her nightgown. I have to admit that it is cute on her and one of my favorite things is when the girls have matching clothes!

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Do you know what this means?

yep. uh-huh. you got it. Lan-Lan P has masted opening doors. And now that she is a "door master", she feels the need to open and close doors all the time. She has a new independence~or at least she did for a short while before I put these bad boys on the door handles.

This one in particular is on the pantry door. She felt the need to open the pantry on her own and help herself to some cheetos...just because she could.

Ashton isn't loving that these things are bacl on. It takes her longer to get doors open and she gets frustrated when she can't get it. I have to admit, it was nice not having them on all the doorknobs.

Now these pretty things just blend nicely with the "Baby Proof" decor we have around our house these days. You know the pretty plastic gate in front of the fire place and the toddler locks on cabinets. It is all so PRETTY...but that is part of being the parent of a curious toddler!

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First Bath Night of 2010!

Ashton LOVES to put these color tablets in the bathtub. She has since she was about two. This is the first time we have used them since the girls have been taking a bath together. Ashton was so ecstatic that we were finally going to color the water again. She has been asking and knew we had to wait until Landry was old enough.

Landry didn't quite have the reaction we thought she would. She was so excited to hold the container. and to see the tablets. and to watch Ashton throw them in...but that was it.

She liked looking at the pretty blue water from OUTSIDE the tub. She wanted no part of getting IN the water. Finally, I just put her in standing up....she didn't like that her feet were in the blue water. She kept pulling her feet out of the water one at a time. After a while of showing her it was fine, she sat down and eventually got used to it. It was hysterical to watch!

It is so funny to me how differently kids react to things. Ashton was never concerned with the bath water....the first time we did it with her, she could hardly wait for us to get the tablets in the water. Landry who really isn't afraid of much was completely unsure of this whole colored water thing.