Mooo!

 I have to do a better job of using my real camera for pictures.  While I do Groovebook to have prints from the cell phone made, the pictures are nowhere near as good.  I usually am reminded of that when I try to make photo gifts at Christmastime.

We took a trip to a friend's farm.

 

The girls were excited to see the cows up close.

 They were afraid to touch them, though.

First day of school!

Days before kindergarten started for Dani, we got the call:  our city would offer full-day Pre-K...but since the funding was new, the pre-k students would not start for a week or two while the district figured out the logistics.

 

So, Dani started kindergarten!  Tori was a bit bummed that she could not yet RIDE. THE. BUS. TO SCHOOL.

 

But Dani was stoked...with her light up Mario back pack.

Ten days later, it was time for Tori to go to school too!  A whole day means that she rides the bus with Dani and gets to do big kid things, like pack a lunch and forego naps!  Tommy looks excited in this picture but is woefully lost without the girls around.

 Dani was so excited for Tori's first day, that they agreed to dress the same!  And, every day that week they wanted to be "twinsies", wearing the same clothes to school. Dani was lecturing Tori about the importance of listening to the teacher, and behaving on the bus.

 Tori, meanwhile, had been dreaming about riding the school bus since she saw Dani do it a year ago!

 She mounted the stairs of the bus, with nary a look back.

 Peeked outside the window, and started her journey.

The current kiddie obsession.

Mommy, we aren't Dani and Tori, we're Mario and Luigi.

Herding cats.

That's what toddler soccer is like.  When you have a fifteen second attention span, dribbling drills don't really work.

 

 Although Tori did manage to do the "put your foot on the ball when we blow the whistle" a few times.

 It's like watching a pinball game during their games.  The ball bouncing everywhere, kids running in all directions, knocking each other down, and the complete inability to kick a ball into an unmanned goal.

 At least my kids didn't cry.  There were a handful of kids that after each play would wail and run off the field because they didn't get the ball.  Dani would just pick dandelions when she got bored.  Tori kept wandering off to the sidelines to say hello to the babies in attendance.

It's fresh air and sunshine.  That's about it, which is plenty at this age.

I took Dani and Tori to check out my new office today; they love the playroom.  Then we went out to lunch--at a restaurant!  They were amazingly well behaved.  After that, we braved two stores, Target and Kohls.  As we were finishing up, I spotted a Beatles shirt in the teen section.  I showed it to Dani, and we nabbed an extra small for her.  "I like it, Mommy.  But I wish it was the Beatles without the mustaches and the shorter hair.  I like them better."

Toddlers and Tiaras.

Well, I'm glad to report that I'm back from the sick and back at it. 

In preparation for this weekend's "Princess Tea Party" we erected a castle in the playroom.

Prince Tommy stood guard over the princesses.

 

 The girs were so excited to get dressed up.  And to wear make up!

 Tori took a liking to Cinderella.  She refused to pose for many pictures, or to remove her sunglasses for the first hour.  She was surprisingly timid when we first arrived, but quickly got her princess on.

 We met Belle and Rapunzel.

 Knightly young men brought tea, and finger sandwiches to our tables.

 Iced tea tastes so much better in real china!

Dani recently watched Brave, and was very excited to meet Merida!

 Ariel was even there.

 What a creative fundraiser for the junior prom at my alma mater.  I saw a ton of women I remembered from high school, that I hadn't seen in decades a few years or so.  There had to be 200 kids, in various forms of princess/dress up clothes, all acting like little ladies.  The girls had a blast!

Pole dancer. No!

Dani is always asking me to take her picture.   We did a whole shoot of emotions, "happy", "sad", "upset".  This was my favorite of the bunch.

 Big Man and I escaped for a night to attend a Halloween Party.  His costume was sooo appropriate, because we hadn't escaped together in months!

 And then I blinked, and Tori learned how to work a smartphone.  And to talk fluently, like a big kid.  Where'd my baby go?

 And this one?  If I told you she was loving first grade, you'd believe me!  All she needs is her own cell phone in this picture and you'd think she was 8.  She's not even old enough for Pre-K! 

Where the hell did my little kids go? 

 I am really hoping this is not a foreshadowing to a future career.  She loves the radiator pipes. 

There's never a dull moment here.

Big girls.

 The girls and I took a trip to the salon today.  Dani needed to relax her re-growth, and Tori was scheduled for a bit of texturizer--just a bit of curl loosening to make it easier to comb.  They were so excited!

Dani had been to the salon once before...it was Tori's first haircut.  Dani was poised and excited.  Tori cried and wailed, quite loudly at times, every minute the stylist was near her and she was in the chair.  She did end up with a cute new haircut though!

 

And Dani had a blowout after the cut--it will never be this straight again but she loved it.  I swear, she looks about 5 years older with straight hair!

 Here's Tori's new cut.  A layered, shoulder length bob.  Cute!

Thought this was a great shot of the just-got-home energy burn.  Dani had been still and good for so long, that the instant we got home she was a little banshee!

In other news, Tori is walking around saying, "You disgust me," because I let them watch Looney Toons last night and apparently Daffy said that a few times.  Nice, huh?  Thankfully she didn't tell anyone that at the salon, but she certainly enjoys saying it.  They literally watched the show for 15 minutes....so what gives?  When I was a kid we used to watch that crap all the time and we never said crazy stuff....she has a few minutes and is telling people off?  Damn you Daffy!

The darndest things.

I've just got to start keeping better track of some of the cute things that get said in this house.

Dani refers to cat litter as "cat glitter".  Tonight she told the kitty it was time to go potty in his cat glitter.

Dani can also answer the telephone and have a full on conversation.  Big Man thinks its amusing to let her answer when I'm calling from work, and she basically refuses to get off the phone, "Mommy, you can talk to Daddy when I'm done talking to you.  What do you want to talk about?"

Tori claims everything as her own, yelling "That's Mines" every fifteen seconds.  Much like Dani was to Tori, Tori has become the rule enforcer for Tommy.  We often hear "Tommy, no kitchen!".  This is almost immediately followed by "Good boy," even when Tommy continues on the forbidden path.  When Tori burps, she sometimes says "excuse me".  When she forgets, we always remind her by prodding, "What do you say?"  Tori's response is almost always "Thank you."  If you try to take something away from Tori, she asserts that there's "No Swiping!".

It's just so fun watching their little minds work.

A Valentine from Tori.

OH NO! I forgot it was Valentines day!

I don't have anything to give to my mommy or my daddy or Dani or Tommy.

I mean, I'm not even 2, I can't be expected to remember these things!

Hmmmmm, what should we do?

WAIT! I have an idea!

It's really kind of advanced for my age, too.

We can do interpretive art for mommy and daddy. We just need to cover ourselves in red food, because red is for valentines! That will make them so happy!

You go first Tommy!

Good work Tommy! Really smear it all over yourself.

Okay, Dani, now it's your turn! Great smirk!

OK, now me!

Happy Valentines Day everybody!

We turned ourselves red just for you!

Uh oh. Mommy says we all need baths now. Gotta go!

Sisters.

I don't have any sisters. Growing up, I could never figure out why I would want one. I had a brother, and that was all I knew. When we were little, we were the best of friends and the worst of enemies all in the same hour. He bedgrudglingly played with Ken or a GI Joe when I played with my Barbies; we played CHiPS (he was always Ponch), rode bikes, played tag and all kinds of stuff. As we got older we were different and really weren't friends through middle and high school (and well, to be honest, we were never really close until we started families); we hung with different crowds and were just different kids. Sure, we'd punch each other from time to time, but basically we were indifferent to each other at worst. But, a sister? All my friends who had sisters, hated them. They were always fighting over stuff, and clothes, and chores, and boys and god knows what else. Maybe I didn't always like my brother, but I was sure glad he didn't have boobs.

I'm starting to rethink my theory.

It's an hour past bedtime, and they are up there talking, and singing and giggling. I went up twenty minutes ago to tell them to quiet down and go to sleep, and Tori was at the edge of her crib facing Dani, and Dani on the edge of her bed talking to Tori. Now they are more boisterous.

They are the best of friends, and at times, the biggest rivals. We hear lots of "my turn" in this house, because if you do it for Tori, whether it's a quick toss in the air, or a silly rib tickle, Dani will insist that it's her turn next. Tori does the same. If Dani sees Tori doing something naughty (usually of the mess making kind), Dani will begin the same naughty act, just because Tori is doing it.

They share their snacks, toys, and hiding places, chase each other around, and mimic each other's silliness. Sure, there's the occasional bite (by Tori) or kick or shriek (by Dani) but for the most part, they just seem to enjoy each other's company a lot.

It's pretty magical.

Sure, I know they are going to fight, over who has the better hair, or the cuter boyfriend, or about who got to wear their favorite pair of jeans last, but I'm starting to finally understand the joy of having a sister.

Now that we're grown, most of my friends with sisters tell me their sister is their best friend. Certainly as I grow and age, and friends come and go--our lives change so quickly that sometimes we just don't have enough in common to stay in close touch--and I miss them. But you always have something in common with a sister, even if it's only to commiserate on how crazy your mom was, as I am sure Dani and Tori will.

I'm glad they have each other, and even happier to get to watch them grow together.

The bags got in the way.

Today, I took Dani to see an elderly man who is like a great-grandfather to me. His tailor shop was next door to my office years ago, and I got to know him well. He calls Dani his "principessa" and Tori his "estrella".

He lives on a busy street, and it's very hard to get in and out of his driveway. As I was trying to back in today, cars were whizzing past me, making it very difficult for me to maneuver the car. I *may* have uttered something like "D*****bags are in my way, under my breath.

Well, I thought it was under my breath. When we were sitting at Dario's dining room table, Dani announced that, "Mommy had trouble parking because the bags got in the way!" I knew what she meant, but he just looked at us, confused. Looks like I've got to clean up my language a bit.

You're looking at Team Naughty here! It was a day of insanity. Kids bouncing on furniture, banging on computers, and a constant "no" "no" from Big Man and I. Even naughty, they are just so flippin' cute!

So big-a-big-a-big!

I swear, I blinked and Dani turned into a KID. Where'd my baby go?

Conversation that I had with her tonight:

Dani: Mommeeeeeee, you're home!

Me: Hi Punkin'.

Dani: Is Daddy going to work now?

Me: No, why? Do you want him to go to work now?

Dani: Yes. He needs to go to work now.

Me: Why.

Dani: All the bad guys aren't in jail yet.

She's such a big girl. Such a sensitive little softie who wants to be Batman one minute, and a princess the next. Tonight, she was wearing a Batman costume, and wrapping herself in a blanket, declaring herself Princess Batman. Adorable.

And my little Dude-ly Dude is headed to the doctor for his 8 week visit tomorrow. He's alert, smiley and chirpy. And, amazingly, despite a zillion toddler kisses, and pokes from grimy toddler hands, he hasn't had a cold yet. Truly, I'm amazed. When I'm not looking Tori likes to try to stick her finger in his mouth so he will try to suck on it and she laughs hysterically. This is the same kid who eats food off the floor. Tommy has some serious, super baby immunity.

And, this little mischief maker is our wild and crazy one. She literally dances around the house all day long. It's like she's stuck onstage doing Tori Riverdance. She is an endless ball of energy that is smiley and bubbly about 75 percent of the time. The other 25 percent she is an angry wildabeast that I am convinced may be possessed by demons. The wildabeast comes out whenever she is told no or does not immediately get her way--shrieking, flailing and flinging herself onto the floor is the typical response.

She's starting to talk and it's awesome. She's the happiest, zaniest kid I've ever seen. And cute as hell.

As crazy as life is these days, I wouldn't change a thing.

Sloppy kisses!

I gave Tommy a bath tonight and put him in a chair for some photos. Then he was mobbed by his adoring sisters.

First Tori hopped up to give him some sugar.

Then Dani decided to help.

And then, DOUBLE KISSES!

Silly things they say and do.

This little Angel scared the pants off of me today. I'm sitting at the laptop at the dining room table, and I hear Tori walk over and sit down. Dani says, "Mommy look at Tori". I look down and see dark red liquid all over Tori's face, hands and front of her shirt, and my heart stops in my chest. Then I see a white ketchup packet in one hand and realize that she wasn't mortally wounded. And I wonder why I'm getting gray hairs!

She's just so darn cute!

And from our oldest today, "Mommy, every day I wake up and grow bigger and bigger like a flower. But flowers can't talk."

Tommy comes home.

We came home from the hospital on Friday afternoon. Big Man got me settled and went to get the kids. I was eagerly anticipating their reaction, both to Tommy and to me. Both kids ran in yelling "mommy" and "baby" (in Tori's case) and "Tommy" in Dani's case.

It was love at first sight for Dani. Many kisses were administered.

And then Tori started to cry. (She is cutting some teeth.) Then Dani started to cry. Dani told me, "Tommy makes me feel sad. I need to watch TV to feel happy again." (She hadn't had a nap, but could have been working her master manipulation skills on this one.) So they all got to watch TV and I figured we were in for some crazy transition time.

A little while later, it was time to feed Tommy, so I asked Dani if she wanted to do it. Super excited, she was (perhaps because the Mickey episode we had put on was over)! Even Tori had to come over to see what all the excitement was.

Tori had the opportunity to give Tommy a closer inspection and approved, or so it seemed.

Tori was fine with Tommy until we put his formula in one of her bottles this morning. Then she screamed bloody murder and basically didn't stop. She flailed and wailed and was just generally angry at the world each time he was fed. It was pretty sad, because there wasn't really much we could do about it--and she refused to be held or comforted, preferring instead to stomp off of fling herself on the floor screaming. I wasn't expecting this type of response--when we brought Tori home, Dani was jealous of the holding and lap time and wanted to be on my lap too and be held more often, etc. Tori was just clearly upset that Tommy was here.

Hoping tomorrow's a better day for poor little Tori!