A Tale Of Birth Order Buddies

I was lucky enough, when pregnant with my girls, that my good friends were pregnant at the same time. Amelie and her little friends are all spaced by 2 months. Maeve and her little friend Leah were born 2 weeks apart and it's so fun to see them together now that they're big and independent and precious.

Leah was really cheesing it up for the camera, unfortunately all I had was my point and shoot so I always missed her smiles! I took, or tired to take, tons of her big brother who never smiled so it was a big moment for me =)

The one below is my favorite that I got of her--if you look closely her Mama is standing in the background.
Here they are plotting evil. Or cuteness. Or Something.

We will cause trouble, Oh yes! We will....

And the one time all three of the girls were standing together my camera was so slow that the only thing I captured was them walking away from each other! Oh well!

Amelie spent the morning with one of her birth order buddies at Mr. Wonderful's Disney show--and I heard, that they had a wonderful time singing and dancing and coloring together.

Friends are some kind of miracle!

3

*A* Rose @{---'--------

4

Getting Her Disney On

My husband is running a "small" Disney song revue show at the elementary branch of his school today. Amelie has been talking about it for months with him and is all set to go today! The Princess of Choice? Sleeping Beauty! (My favorite too!). She started walking around the house singing...."I know you I walked with you once upon a dream..."

Well, sort of anyways....

Hello Spring, It's Me Shelly, Can You Hear Me?

I like need it to be spring.
yes, NEED!!!
My poor big girl was CrAzY today.
Amelie literally lost her mind and tried to off a few of her playmates with pool balls.
She went to bed exhausted and Grumpy!
She took a 4 hour nap!!
And then woke up
Super Grumpy with a capital G!
I think a little sunshine and a lotta heat wave would go a long way!
I will stop whining now.
But seriously, who's with me my peeps!??!

My Dancing Sous Chef

Everybody 'ought to have one!

5

HI-larious

My friend Devin posted this a little while back and I thought it was so funny I had to do so as well--first of all, I heart Conan (did you see his "Inside the Actor's Studio" interview? he's super smart well-educated, etc--very interesting). Second of all, I have no idea who the other guy is, but his rant is awesome.

Watch more SpikedHumor videos on AOL Video

6

My Funny Valentines (Better Late Than Never)

Another Reason To Sleep In (As If Any More Were Necessary)

My girls and I were up, dressed and out very early today because I haven't had any time to squeeze in a very necessary Target trip.

Not wanting to put it off any longer, and not having any time today other than this morning to go, I had the girls ready to leave by 7 and we found ourselves at Target by 7:20.

And that's exactly when I realized that Target doesn't open until 8.

Mer.

And this isn't the first time I've done this.

Why do I always forget the whole world doesn't wake up at 6:30?

Oh well. At least we're up and ready!

She's *Picky*

Sorry....I couldn't not put it up.

Carry on with your day =)

7

It's Still Winter (And We Have The Red Noses To Prove It)

8

You Know Your Husband Loves You When...

...he walks outside and it's 25 degrees out and he says:

"Oh! It's kind of warm out here actually! I'll be just fine walking to work. You take the car today because I don't want you to be stuck at home."

Honey. TAKE THE CAR. I want you to be safe and warm. We'll be FINE here!

"Oh, the walk will be good for me. I'll see you later honey!"

What.

a.

guy.

Let's hope the car doesn't cost an arm and a leg to fix or Mr. Wonderful might be buying a bike =)

The Kind Of Message You Don't Want To Hear On Your Phone When You Awake From A Nap And It's Pouring Outside And Cold And Wintery

"Hi honey. The meeting after church ran really late. My car wouldn't start so Amelie and I are walking home. Actually I'm carrying her. We'll see you in a while."

Urgh.

My poor soggy, coat-less, car-less family arrived home a few minutes after I recieved the call.

*sigh...

9

TBA

ha! ya'll surprised me with the pregnancy guesses--it is actually, as julie said and granny surmised, a countdown until my

30th birthday

(which is coming painfully closer everyday).

my parents are down from NY for the weekend and we celebrated with a delightful ultimate chocolate cake from wegmans with a HUGE *30* on it.

now, the age thing really hasn't ever bothered me--but seriously, seeing that big *30* on the cake was a little daunting. don't get me wrong--i'm thankful for each year i have a birthday (you know, since i'm around to celebrate it) but it's a mi-le-stone!

i'll post pictures of the awesome cake with the GIANT sized numbers on it later....you know....when i can maneuver my old bones to get the camera and all =)

happy saturday night friends!

10

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

Happy Sweet 16 (Months) Sweet One!

The world is a brighter place when you are around and I'm a better person just for having you!

I love you so much my squishy little Beac's!

11

Amelie Says Alternately Titled "Life In The Sister-Hood"

While laying on the bed talking about life together last night Amelie told me:

"Maeve-Beacon is funny.

Sometimes I love her.

Sometimes she cries at night and scares me and that is not nice and she is a BAD girl.

I am a good girl though and she is my best friend."

Random

Words Of Encouragement

In our Ladies Bible study we've been working through a book that deals with contentment in Christ and this past chapter focused on Psalm 139. I've always really enjoyed reading Psalm 139--it offers such encouragement and perspective on life and I've always found it very comforting. As a mother, it speaks to me even more and I really appreciate verse 16:

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

I spend so much of my time in worry--worry about tomorrow and all of the "what-ifs" and it is so humbling, comforting and exciting to know that no matter what happens to me, my husband or my babies, my friends or my family, in life, that God has pre-ordained every single one of their days. What a comfort! What a challenge--to rest in the peace of His promises and lay my load of worry and concern at His feet!

A Toddler And Her Passion For Popsicles

Mr. Wonderful passed a love of popsicles down to our sweet girls and Maeve is quite smitten. Whenever Daddy grabs one she starts screeching with delight and attacking him with ravenous glee!

p.s. it's sooo dark--hopefully you can make out some of Maeve's cuteness =)

Amelie Says

Today while driving through H-field on the way to dance class, we spotted a high school boy dressed up as a large fish creature--wearing some type of team jersey.

I pointed it out to Amelie and she asked if we could follow fish-boy b/c he was heading into the pretzel factory.

I told her, "Maybe next time."

And then she said,

"You know what girl, we should put this up on the blog so people know that we saw the fish boy."

Well, girl--that's just what I did!

(After an extensive talk about how Mommy should only be called Mommy or versions thereof and not, girl, even though Mommy, is one =)

Do you ever just look at your babies and think...

that you really do have it all?

I am blessed beyond reckoning.

Unsolved Mysteries

How is it possible that my 4 year old daughter has a more active social life than her parents do?

[ Maybe it's cause she's way cuter than we are.]

The world may never know!

No Boys Allowed!

Upon spying this box in the kitchen Amelie casually requests,

"May I have some Lady Crackers please?"

What!?

So Now You Know: The Chore Score

*I love to load the dishwasher*

{I loathe to unload it}

*I love to cook and bake*

{But am very messy when doing so and dislike cleaning up}

*I dislike vacuuming*

-(But enjoy scrubbing the floor on my hands and knees-

-Cinderella style-

-and I sing that song she sings will scrubbing the floor too)-

*I love washing laundry*

[folding laundry is A-nnoying]

*I do not do windows*

*I do not sweep*

*However, I do organize our closets by style, color, and season; just for fun.*

*I enjoy dusting*

[I do not scrub the inner toilet]

-but will the outer, the shower, bath and sink-

Luckily, Mr. Wonderful enjoys or at least, pretends to enjoy, doing exactly all of the chores I don't do, don't like, won't do.

What's your chore score?

A *Wonderful* Day

We Wonderfuls didn't do too much today.

We ran a few errands, ate a few meals, took a few naps

AND

spent some quality time babysitting little Ryleigh Wonderful!

She was presh and slept the entire time--so I just stayed right next to her, gazing at her lovely baby-ness and she was perfect. The only time she wasn't sleeping she was doing this:

Gotta love the newborn stage! What a sweetie!

We had a nice dinner and some competitive Wii gaming with Uncle Ryan and are now quiet and eating after dinner snacks.

It's the little things that are full of the most joy =)

Say It Ain't So Charlie!

Being the super nice and overly-indulgent Mama that I am, (ahem...occasionally), I let Amelie stay up extra late last night to partake of the Charlie Brown Valentine episodes that aired on tv.

I know personally how much I loved Charlie Brown Christmas and the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and was so excited to be sharing this moment with my sweet girl!

Then it happened.

Every few minutes someone (usually Lucy) was calling someone (usually Charlie) stupid or dumb or saying, "I hate that old Charlie Brown."

It wasn't just once or twice--it was frequent and intense to Amelie's sensitive ears!

Amelie was soooo sad---"But Mommy!! Why are they so mean? Why do they say such bad words!?? Why isn't anyone giving that sad boy a Valentine's day card!?"

She was so disturbed and perturbed at the language they used and the gist of the story line. I was disturbed and perturbed by how mean everyone was to Charlie Brown!

Poor kid, he just couldn't catch a break!

So that settles it! No more Charlie Brown Valentine shows for us! Sheesh! Who knew?!

Happy Sunday! Wherein Shelly Is Very Chatty...

I hope you all had a wonder-full Valentine's days!

I had a quiet, fun day with my family--they're just so enjoyable!!

We tried to take the girls to Chuck E Cheese last night

(it's valentine's day--won't everyone be out at a romantic dinner? um...NO)

It was JAM packed--like sardines--9 million kids and their caregivers--the line was

20 long x 3 deep-

-they weren't letting people in until other people left.

We saw all of this through the glass windows and turned promptly around and went to Barnes and Noble so the girls could play with the Thomas the Tank Engine display.

It was better than going to chuck e cheese by a long shot!

Mr. Wonderful ran out last night to get us Cheesecake Factory's delicious food for dinner-

-it was lovely, thank you honey!

We have a busy week ahead!

Mr. Wonderful has Monday off (yay!!)

Preschool starts this week

Amelie has a special Valentine's day party

Dance class

Bible study

My parents are coming for a visit/birthday/valentine's day celebration

Not to mention all of the regular errands we must run--

we've missed preschool however, our new schedule will take some getting used to!

Maeve is in the process of deciding whether or not to take a morning nap.

I'm sitting here hoping she does and is content or doesn't and I can go to church on time.

Six to one, half a dozen to the other.

Happy Sunday!

He Knows Me So Well, He Can Tell By The Sound Of My Voice That I'm Really In Love With Him...And I Am...Yes, I am. A.K.A. CardArt by Mr. Wonderful

Mr. Wonderful has a tradition of making the envelope of any card he gives me special.

I like it.

I think I'll keep 'im.

My Funny Valentines

More Here!

Night Cap

Last night Mr. Wonderful and I had a lovely time at our favorite local eatery and had hours of uninterrupted conversation!

The babies were in bed by 7 so we took our time and enjoyed ourselves.

We decided we weren't interested in the desserts that the restaurant was offering so we decided to recreate one of our favorite discontinued deserts from Fridays.

Ever had their Oreo Madness?

It was like a large oreo sandwich cook with ice cream in the middle and hot fudge and caramel on top--we did an excellent job recreating it and it was DELICIOUS!

Yum-O!

(of course, everything tastes more wonderful when your children are sleeping and you have peace and quiet! ha!)

This day has flown by!

We had a wonderful afternoon hanging out as a family and are looking forward to three whole days of relaxing--Thank You Mr. President's for letting us celebrate your birthdays with TIME OFF!!

In other news, Mr. Wonderful found out from the department of education that he's well on his way to rec. his state teaching certificate which means, we're well on our way to something--we'll see what!

Good night friends! Happy Weekend!

Guess Who....

...Has a date tonight?

It's ME!

WOO HOO!!!

Mr. Wonderful and I haven't had dinner out, by ourselves, in ages!

Yay for Grandparents!

Yay for date night!

Hello 65 Degrees!

My flip flops and I missed you!!

Dear Lands End,

Please start making precious applique skirts for ladies and not just for toddlers. Because I would really like to wear this! (And I don't have nearly as many cute clothes as my babies do!)

Sincerely,

Shelly

Upon Making Ribs For Dinner...

Mr. Wonderful says, "What is this we're eating?"

Shelly, "......."

Mr. Wonderful, "Oh, they're boneless ribs. What animal do we get boneless ribs from? Gumby?"

Shelly, "....."

Um, HA! But No!

Shelly...

* doesn't like fruit and has never eaten any type of melon
* speeds too much
* doesn't like talking on the phone at all
* just discovered Lands End and their tres chic matching rain coats and boots and umbrellas
* has a crush on a television show host, much to the chagrin/confusion of herself and her husband....(mike rowe is dreamy)
* is lucky to be surrounded by such good friends and loving family
* and wishes more than anything that she had a sister
* is dreaming of a 3 bedroom 1.5 bathroom house/apartment/condo (anything really)
* is awkward and quiet in person and wishes, occasionally, that she were cool
* will be 30 in about 2 weeks...
* loves her husband much more today than the day that they married (even though I loved him A LOT then!)
*needs to dye her hair
* isn't sure now if she wants to be an elementary school librarian or college art history professor when she grows up
* believes that everyone could benefit from 2 minutes in the morning to put on tinted SPF moisturizer, blush and mascara
* has the name/initials, LMLMW, picked out for the next baby girl I'm praying to have (I told you that I plan ahead!)
* is going to take a nap now =)

Ooo La La! Amelie and Anna!

Tres Chic, no?

I'm A "PlanAhead" Kind Of Girl, Don't 'Cha Know?!

Uncle Sam wants to dish back some of what we dished out to him so I'm thinking of putting a teensy bit of our return into a family fun trip.

I keep getting stuck on Florida (free housing)

and the Jersey Shore (convenient, fun and ocean-y).

I'd love to do a cabin in Gatlinburg (ahem SRV) and DollyWood or somesuchness.

Do ya'll have any excellent inexpensive vacation ideas for people with little ones?

If you do...

Pass 'em my way!

Shaken And Stirred

Little Ryleigh came for a visit last night with her parents.

She was very exciting and slept the entire time.

I love the "sleeping through everything" newborn phase.

Seeing her reminded me of...

this:

and this...

Ah! My Maternal feelings are shaken and stirred!

I love the sight of a baby girl.

I need more.

The end.

Let Sleeping Babes Lie

Where do the days go?

It seems just like yesterday that this sleeping bundle of sweetness was just a wee babe.

4 years ago, this month, she was a tiny 7 pound 1 month old baby.

Grumpy, squeaky, barfy but wonderful.

Oh how far we've come!

From this wee one to my big girl helper.

I'm so thankful for all we've been through together and all the things she has taught me about being a mother and a better person.

I love you sweet one!

*I'm Not The Only One That Window(s) Shops In Our Home!* Presenting: "Mr. Wonderful's Picks For Spring"

When in the world...

...did sleeping in become sleeping until 7:15?

Oh 7:15...how I love you!

Shelly Has...

Really Freakin' Cold Toes.

Come To My Kitchen Lover....

I need you in my life!

(That is all.)

My Favorite Little-Big Girl In All The World

Education Motivation

Amelie has been on a letter/sound kick lately and has been grilling me on how everything

(and I mean everything)

is spelled, what sounds letters make, how to write letters/words etc.

So...I've decided to capitalize on her language interest and invested in a few stacks of flash cards.

We've been working with these really fun and inexpensive ($3) cards from Target and are having a blast with numbers and letter sounds/recognition.

What I really wanted was this fun alphabet letter set from Target/Parents Toys but now that I want it, it's out of stock and only available on ebay for $25! meh!

I'm totally a lazy parent about things like this but knowing she is so interested in learning is exciting! I've always loved learning--it's most of the reason I became a teacher--and it's so cool to see that mirrored in her!
This stuff is so fun--I think our budget would be in big trouble if I started homeschooling her--I have a hard time resisting this stuff!