you are seeing right..

yep.
those are acrylic press-on nails my 2 year old is sporting.
i realize how creepy it feels to look at that baby hand with sparkled white-tips.
but what can i say?
sometimes her requests are just too darn silly to not submit too.

we get grocery store treats.
every. time. we go.
if anyone out there has figured a better way than bribing to make it through those delectable outings.. please let me in on the secret.

SO,
as you might have guessed our last trip produced these little beauties.
mins found them all on her own and insisted they be hers.

she's crazy, and 120% girl.
a bag of any type turns into her purse,
make-up (chapstick) must always be in said purse,
princesses and barbies are found in everything and anywhere,
if it's sparkly, tacky, and pink she loves and adores it,
and should a bow should fall out? well that's ground for tears.
*sigh*...

when talking nature vs. nurture i used to ride much
more on the nurture side of the argument...

having kids has maybe changed my tune.
because i definitely know acrylic nails and hannah montana were not on the docket for my child rearing ambitions.

it's a good thing dustin likes girls...
in this house there is more than enough to go around.

my dear baby minie,

xoxo sweet lady girl

i love you forever and ever.

-mama

update

i've thought about it.
we should be able to hibernate all winter long. why can't we?
really... nothing sounds better to me right now than to wake up and have spring here. we've all been sick for about 2 weeks straight..
enough said.
me being the truly great parent i am, refrained from taking the girls to the doctor. i never know when to make that judgement call.. finally after 14 days of mucus puke, coughing fits, flowing green snot noses, and 3 AM wake-up calls i took MINIE in. turns out she had flaring sinus/ear infections... probably should have guessed that seeing as poppy's ears were gooping green nasty for a couple of days, because you know.. when one has it, so shall we all. also turns out the draining ear garble needs to be checked out and treated. i learned the wrong way. i thought that's what the tubes were for? nope... ear infections STILL can happen. *sigh*.... she was taken to the doctor a couple of days later, and now we have so much amoxicillin flowing through the home you can practically taste the yeasty bubble-gum flavor as you walk in the door. but alas, all is well. things seems to be on the mend. THANK heaven for modern medicine. :)

that all sounds a tad depressing doesn't it? don't worry... it is not all doom and gloom. dustin had a crazy work/school schedule this past week, so after a mild prompt from this lady, the girls and i were in the car headed south. we spent the week in sunny st.george with our favorite sugar babies. and it was heaven. did you know it was pushing 7o degrees there this past week? are you aware that my girls were wearing short sleeves, capris, and played at the park every day?? ahhh... it was sublime. i should move there. wait. i am moving there ( no.. not really). not to mention how i love sneaking in on robyn's life. it is busy.. basket ball, school, singing lessons, dance lessons, scouts, spelling, homework, meals, etc. ect.. but somehow she makes it look easy, and always makes it fun. and how i adore all of her friends! i feel like i want to stop calling them her friends, because really.. i love them so much, they should be mine too :)
we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.. even in the midst of the illness. thank you rob for the sunny, fun week. i love st. george, and i love you.

*SIGH**

so here are some photos... as you may have guessed,
no
i haven't really taken many pictures as of late. seems my mojo has indeed decided to hibernate, and my will to even pick up the camera is waiting for the trees to bud and bushes to blossom. it makes me feel rather guilty really.. but such is life i suppose.

here is what we have:

a valentine breakfast.
we were in the thick of sickness, and it shows.

poor girlies... pink heart pancakes couldn't even bring them out of there sicky-ness.
at the time i thought these photos quite festive. especially the one of minie eating straight butter from her pancake..
but now they just sort of break my heart.
i hate having sick kids :(


the work of minie:

she seems to be the only one who takes pictures these days.
and as she should...
as i was clearing up my memory cards tonight,i felt mighty impressed with her talent. hats off to you my moodle moo.
and yes, i've been known to throw a pose or two for the camera when shes behind the lens..
what? don't act like you haven't done it yourself.
:)

here is to me updating and the little renos being on the mend!
yay!

the poppy walk

that's right.
we are now a household full of walkers.
it feels nice.. and just the tiniest bit sad.
i've found this to be the case with almost every milestone i reach with my children. i've been dying for poppy to walk for months now. she has been on the brink of it since November and finally last week she just stood up and took off. as that darling little smoosh plunkered off with out me, my heart broke just a little. just like that she is a toddler.. not a baby any more. and that is sad. isn't it?
however,that waddling little diaper bum sure is scrumptious. i missed out on minie's first steps. she literally started walking the day poppy was born. i watched a few wobbly steps from my hospital bed.. and then all of the sudden fast forward 3 weeks after i was done with narcotics, my mom's help, and some intense sleep deprivation i actually woke up and had this little toddling big girl. and as silly as it sounds i felt horrified i wasn't really a part of that gigantic transition in her short life.
needless to say i am thoroughly enjoying my littlest lady's new talent. she and minie all of the sudden play together. minie loves to chase her around and around the couch, and poppy loves to be chased. they are quite the pair those girls..
*sigh*...
i just love my family.

have you read about bronson ?
kennan found his tragic story through a friend's blog, and had asked, as i do too to round up any and all prayers for this little man.
i can't explain it.. but the whole story has really affected me. i check for updates several times a day, and almost always have him and his family in my mind.
perhaps it is because he is poppy's exact age.. and his older brother is minie's exact age.
perhaps it's because i know this could very well happen to me.
too many times i have slipped out of the bathroom while the girls were bathing to attend to something or other "real quick".

i don't know... but i really just want him to be okay. it gives me hope as a parent, for some reason i can't really pin point.
all i know is that my girls have been given many extra squeezes, loves, and a much more attentive mother. we are so blessed to have healthy children. i literally cannot fathom my life without either one of them. they are the reason i exist.
just give your babies all the loves you can muster.

being a parent is incredible.
i love watching my babies grow.
i love the looks on their faces when the discover something new.
a lot of the time the job is really hard..
but more often it is just really, really, REALLY wonderful.

sometimes that fact gets lost..
but tonight it is all that is on my mind.
and i will try all i can to make it stay.

xo,
brooke

to this man,

you are the love of my life,
and
you wear 29 so well.

happiest birthday my hub.
i love you.