Mama, I pooped!

Definitely not the words I want to hear at 3:30 AM on a Thursday morning.  Especially when crying accompanies the statement.  I bolted out of bed and went into the girls' room.  Kylie was standing in her crib crying, and that awful smell hit me as soon as I opened the door to their room.

I picked her up and hugged her.  Then laid her down to change her diaper.  As soon as I took her sleep sack off, I could tell she leaked out of the diaper.  I got her cleaned up and changed her pants.  I threw her PJ shorts and sleep sack in the laundry.  I cuddled with her a little longer. She was happy and talking to me (which of course woke Kendall up).  Finally, I put her back in her crib and covered her up.  I said goodnight and left the room.  Once I left the girls were bouncing around a bit, and Kylie kept crying out for me that she needed a hug.  I went into their room a couple more times to comfort her.  Finally, I grabbed a bunch of blankets and took them down to the couch. I was planning to bring her downstairs with me, to let Kendall get some sleep.  Before I went to get Kylie,  I sent Rachel a text and left a voicemail for my boss to let them know I was staying home with the girls that day.   I could tell Kylie wasn't right.  Kendall had been battling stomach issues since the previous Friday, but no one else had gotten sick.  And other than one or two bad diapers a day, she had been fine. (No fever or puking, and she had a decent appetite and energy).

I went back into the girls room to grab Kylie and she was all cuddled up with her pillow and blanket.  I reached for her, but she didn't want to get out of bed.  I just stayed there and rubbed her back for a little bit.  My girls actually like sleeping in their cribs.  They've never slept in our bed with us, and rarely have slept on the couch.  I decided to see if she would fall back asleep in her bed.  (Plus, Kendall was still awake and probably would have pitched a fit if I took Kylie out of their room.)

We all fell back asleep.  (Actually, I didn't until almost 6AM). The girls woke up around 7:15.  I went in and Kylie had pooped again.  I changed her and Kevin and I took the girls into our room.  I plopped Kylie down on our bed and went to the restroom.  When I came out, Kevin was holding her over the sink.  I guess she coughed and gagged and puked up some bile.  Gross.  Guess this was a stomach bug after all.  We took the girls downstairs and I put towels all over the couch and set Kylie up with a puke bowl.  We turned on Dora, and I fully expected to be hanging out on the couch all day.

After two episodes of Dora, I got Kendall some breakfast.  Kylie started crying and carrying on that she wanted yogurt and muffins.  It was so weird for her.  Every other time she's had a tummy bug, she refuses to eat for days afterward.  I gave her some banana and water and she gobbled it down.  

After breakfast we went upstairs and Kylie wanted to get dressed, do her hair and play!  Seriously, usually she is so lethargic when she's sick.  I guess it was a super quick moving illness.  

Singing Happy Birthday to Minnie and the Bear

          Coloring and calling Grandma

I stayed home with the girls on Friday too, just in case she was contagious.  I didn't want to run the risk of getting Rachel's whole house sick again.  We went to Kroger, met daddy for lunch at Panera, and just played.  Although, I hate the fact that she was sick for a little bit, I'm so glad I got to spend a little extra time with the girls.  We actually ended up having a really great time!

Definitely not the words I want to hear at 3:30 AM on a Thursday morning.  Especially when crying accompanies the statement.  I bolted out of bed and went into the girls' room.  Kylie was standing in her crib crying, and that awful smell hit me as soon as I opened the door to their room.

I picked her up and hugged her.  Then laid her down to change her diaper.  As soon as I took her sleep sack off, I could tell she leaked out of the diaper.  I got her cleaned up and changed her pants.  I threw her PJ shorts and sleep sack in the laundry.  I cuddled with her a little longer. She was happy and talking to me (which of course woke Kendall up).  Finally, I put her back in her crib and covered her up.  I said goodnight and left the room.  Once I left the girls were bouncing around a bit, and Kylie kept crying out for me that she needed a hug.  I went into their room a couple more times to comfort her.  Finally, I grabbed a bunch of blankets and took them down to the couch. I was planning to bring her downstairs with me, to let Kendall get some sleep.  Before I went to get Kylie,  I sent Rachel a text and left a voicemail for my boss to let them know I was staying home with the girls that day.   I could tell Kylie wasn't right.  Kendall had been battling stomach issues since the previous Friday, but no one else had gotten sick.  And other than one or two bad diapers a day, she had been fine. (No fever or puking, and she had a decent appetite and energy).

I went back into the girls room to grab Kylie and she was all cuddled up with her pillow and blanket.  I reached for her, but she didn't want to get out of bed.  I just stayed there and rubbed her back for a little bit.  My girls actually like sleeping in their cribs.  They've never slept in our bed with us, and rarely have slept on the couch.  I decided to see if she would fall back asleep in her bed.  (Plus, Kendall was still awake and probably would have pitched a fit if I took Kylie out of their room.)

We all fell back asleep.  (Actually, I didn't until almost 6AM). The girls woke up around 7:15.  I went in and Kylie had pooped again.  I changed her and Kevin and I took the girls into our room.  I plopped Kylie down on our bed and went to the restroom.  When I came out, Kevin was holding her over the sink.  I guess she coughed and gagged and puked up some bile.  Gross.  Guess this was a stomach bug after all.  We took the girls downstairs and I put towels all over the couch and set Kylie up with a puke bowl.  We turned on Dora, and I fully expected to be hanging out on the couch all day.

After two episodes of Dora, I got Kendall some breakfast.  Kylie started crying and carrying on that she wanted yogurt and muffins.  It was so weird for her.  Every other time she's had a tummy bug, she refuses to eat for days afterward.  I gave her some banana and water and she gobbled it down.  

After breakfast we went upstairs and Kylie wanted to get dressed, do her hair and play!  Seriously, usually she is so lethargic when she's sick.  I guess it was a super quick moving illness.  

Singing Happy Birthday to Minnie and the Bear

          Coloring and calling Grandma

I stayed home with the girls on Friday too, just in case she was contagious.  I didn't want to run the risk of getting Rachel's whole house sick again.  We went to Kroger, met daddy for lunch at Panera, and just played.  Although, I hate the fact that she was sick for a little bit, I'm so glad I got to spend a little extra time with the girls.  We actually ended up having a really great time!

Definitely not the words I want to hear at 3:30 AM on a Thursday morning.  Especially when crying accompanies the statement.  I bolted out of bed and went into the girls' room.  Kylie was standing in her crib crying, and that awful smell hit me as soon as I opened the door to their room.

I picked her up and hugged her.  Then laid her down to change her diaper.  As soon as I took her sleep sack off, I could tell she leaked out of the diaper.  I got her cleaned up and changed her pants.  I threw her PJ shorts and sleep sack in the laundry.  I cuddled with her a little longer. She was happy and talking to me (which of course woke Kendall up).  Finally, I put her back in her crib and covered her up.  I said goodnight and left the room.  Once I left the girls were bouncing around a bit, and Kylie kept crying out for me that she needed a hug.  I went into their room a couple more times to comfort her.  Finally, I grabbed a bunch of blankets and took them down to the couch. I was planning to bring her downstairs with me, to let Kendall get some sleep.  Before I went to get Kylie,  I sent Rachel a text and left a voicemail for my boss to let them know I was staying home with the girls that day.   I could tell Kylie wasn't right.  Kendall had been battling stomach issues since the previous Friday, but no one else had gotten sick.  And other than one or two bad diapers a day, she had been fine. (No fever or puking, and she had a decent appetite and energy).

I went back into the girls room to grab Kylie and she was all cuddled up with her pillow and blanket.  I reached for her, but she didn't want to get out of bed.  I just stayed there and rubbed her back for a little bit.  My girls actually like sleeping in their cribs.  They've never slept in our bed with us, and rarely have slept on the couch.  I decided to see if she would fall back asleep in her bed.  (Plus, Kendall was still awake and probably would have pitched a fit if I took Kylie out of their room.)

We all fell back asleep.  (Actually, I didn't until almost 6AM). The girls woke up around 7:15.  I went in and Kylie had pooped again.  I changed her and Kevin and I took the girls into our room.  I plopped Kylie down on our bed and went to the restroom.  When I came out, Kevin was holding her over the sink.  I guess she coughed and gagged and puked up some bile.  Gross.  Guess this was a stomach bug after all.  We took the girls downstairs and I put towels all over the couch and set Kylie up with a puke bowl.  We turned on Dora, and I fully expected to be hanging out on the couch all day.

After two episodes of Dora, I got Kendall some breakfast.  Kylie started crying and carrying on that she wanted yogurt and muffins.  It was so weird for her.  Every other time she's had a tummy bug, she refuses to eat for days afterward.  I gave her some banana and water and she gobbled it down.  

After breakfast we went upstairs and Kylie wanted to get dressed, do her hair and play!  Seriously, usually she is so lethargic when she's sick.  I guess it was a super quick moving illness.  

Singing Happy Birthday to Minnie and the Bear

          Coloring and calling Grandma

I stayed home with the girls on Friday too, just in case she was contagious.  I didn't want to run the risk of getting Rachel's whole house sick again.  We went to Kroger, met daddy for lunch at Panera, and just played.  Although, I hate the fact that she was sick for a little bit, I'm so glad I got to spend a little extra time with the girls.  We actually ended up having a really great time!

Reconnecting as "Us"

Kevin and I decided to have an "Us" weekend this past weekend.  On Friday night, I took the girls to Grandma and Grandpa's.  Kendall didn't take well to me leaving, but I think it was because she had a bit of a belly ache.  Although I missed the girls like you wouldn't believe, we had an absolute blast.  It was nice to be able to re-connect as Kevin and Marion, and realize that we're not just "Mommy and Daddy".

We started out the day on Saturday by getting up later (ha - 7:30ish) and just relaxed in bed until 8 or so.  Then we just had a leisurely morning, drank coffee and watched the Today show, and got ready to go over to Easton Towne Center (a huge outdoor shopping area in Columbus).  The weather was pretty dicey all day, but it didn't sound like it was going to be a complete washout, so we took our chances.  We walked around for a bit, and as we were ready to leave Gymboree to get some lunch, the sky completely opened up.   We managed to dodge the rain and got over to a place called "The World of Beer".  Kevin loves trying different kinds of beers, craft beer, etc so this was right up his ally.  I'm very much a "Bud Light girl", but I am open to trying different things.  We sat there, had a few beers and some lunch, and by the time we left, it was sunny out again!

After making a few more stops and running into an old college roommate, we hopped back into the car and headed downtown.  We had reservations at the Renaissance.  What a great hotel.  Kevin put on his salesman charm and tried to get us a nicer room, but they were completely booked.  Instead we just made friends with the front desk people and had them cracking up.  After we dropped our stuff off in the room, we decided to check out the pool area.  It was a really nice setup.  The pool was actually kind of cold.  It was cloudy and cool after the rain we had gotten, so we decided to go in the hot tub.  It was really neat being in a hot tub in the middle of Downtown Columbus.

After hanging out there for a while, we decided to head up to get ready and go out to dinner.  When I was drying my hair Kevin offered to go down to the bar to get us a drink while we were finishing up getting ready.  Minutes before he left, there was a knock at the door.  He opened it and a hotel staffer was standing there with a bottle of champagne sent up from the front desk.  Guess it pays to be nice and joke with the staff!  I was floored.  After that, we will definitely be returning!

Our view

We enjoyed a good portion of the champagne in the room, and still decided to head down to the bar before dinner.  We chatted with the bartender and one of the hotel guests about rum.  Kevin even scored a free drink out of the discussion.

We had reservations at a place called Sushi Rock in the Short North area of downtown.  Kevin and I LOVE sushi.  We don't get it very often anymore since having the girls (since most sushi restaurants don't cater to the crayon requiring clientele.)  Now it may be that I haven't had good sushi very often, but it was AMAZING.  We started with edemame (huge portion), and then ordered some yellowtail and tuna sashimi and three rolls.  Two of them were baked rolls, and they were TO DIE FOR.  It was so so good.  I have been craving sushi ever since we left!

After dinner.  Bad cell pic, but cute :)

After dinner we headed to a few bars.  One of them was a "Cantina".  We sat outside and enjoyed a beer.  Very chill type place.  Very us.  After a beer there,  we headed to a Piano Bar near the hockey arena.  It was crowded with bachelorette parties and just very little room to move.  We got down to the bar, got two beers (draft beers in plastic cups) and were kind of shoved into a corner.  We looked at each other after about five minutes (and two sips of beer) and were like "I'm not feeling it".  When we were 22, maybe...but in our mid-30s, meh.  It may have been a bit better if we could have actually seen the piano guys, but they were hard to see and even harder to hear.  We dumped our beers and decided just to head back to the hotel bar for a nightcap.

In front of Nationwide Arena

Waking up the next morning was a little tough, but luckily we ordered breakfast to be delivered the night before.  The eggs and toast we got were perfect and made us feel a bit more human!

We left the hotel at about 10:30, and headed home.  Kevin went to pick the dogs up, and my parents got back with the girls between 2:30 and 3.  I was so happy to see them.  As much as I had a blast, being away for two nights is not easy.  But don't get me wrong, we are going to do this again very soon.  It was great to be able to get away and just be us again.  If only for one night!

My parents and the girls had some fun too:

Pic with Grandma

And Grandpa

Kylie on the Carousel!  She was so proud of herself

Swing!

Swings with Grandpa

Hanging our with Toby the Bear

Grandma teaching them how to kick!

Kevin and I decided to have an "Us" weekend this past weekend.  On Friday night, I took the girls to Grandma and Grandpa's.  Kendall didn't take well to me leaving, but I think it was because she had a bit of a belly ache.  Although I missed the girls like you wouldn't believe, we had an absolute blast.  It was nice to be able to re-connect as Kevin and Marion, and realize that we're not just "Mommy and Daddy".

We started out the day on Saturday by getting up later (ha - 7:30ish) and just relaxed in bed until 8 or so.  Then we just had a leisurely morning, drank coffee and watched the Today show, and got ready to go over to Easton Towne Center (a huge outdoor shopping area in Columbus).  The weather was pretty dicey all day, but it didn't sound like it was going to be a complete washout, so we took our chances.  We walked around for a bit, and as we were ready to leave Gymboree to get some lunch, the sky completely opened up.   We managed to dodge the rain and got over to a place called "The World of Beer".  Kevin loves trying different kinds of beers, craft beer, etc so this was right up his ally.  I'm very much a "Bud Light girl", but I am open to trying different things.  We sat there, had a few beers and some lunch, and by the time we left, it was sunny out again!

After making a few more stops and running into an old college roommate, we hopped back into the car and headed downtown.  We had reservations at the Renaissance.  What a great hotel.  Kevin put on his salesman charm and tried to get us a nicer room, but they were completely booked.  Instead we just made friends with the front desk people and had them cracking up.  After we dropped our stuff off in the room, we decided to check out the pool area.  It was a really nice setup.  The pool was actually kind of cold.  It was cloudy and cool after the rain we had gotten, so we decided to go in the hot tub.  It was really neat being in a hot tub in the middle of Downtown Columbus.

After hanging out there for a while, we decided to head up to get ready and go out to dinner.  When I was drying my hair Kevin offered to go down to the bar to get us a drink while we were finishing up getting ready.  Minutes before he left, there was a knock at the door.  He opened it and a hotel staffer was standing there with a bottle of champagne sent up from the front desk.  Guess it pays to be nice and joke with the staff!  I was floored.  After that, we will definitely be returning!

Our view

We enjoyed a good portion of the champagne in the room, and still decided to head down to the bar before dinner.  We chatted with the bartender and one of the hotel guests about rum.  Kevin even scored a free drink out of the discussion.

We had reservations at a place called Sushi Rock in the Short North area of downtown.  Kevin and I LOVE sushi.  We don't get it very often anymore since having the girls (since most sushi restaurants don't cater to the crayon requiring clientele.)  Now it may be that I haven't had good sushi very often, but it was AMAZING.  We started with edemame (huge portion), and then ordered some yellowtail and tuna sashimi and three rolls.  Two of them were baked rolls, and they were TO DIE FOR.  It was so so good.  I have been craving sushi ever since we left!

After dinner.  Bad cell pic, but cute :)

After dinner we headed to a few bars.  One of them was a "Cantina".  We sat outside and enjoyed a beer.  Very chill type place.  Very us.  After a beer there,  we headed to a Piano Bar near the hockey arena.  It was crowded with bachelorette parties and just very little room to move.  We got down to the bar, got two beers (draft beers in plastic cups) and were kind of shoved into a corner.  We looked at each other after about five minutes (and two sips of beer) and were like "I'm not feeling it".  When we were 22, maybe...but in our mid-30s, meh.  It may have been a bit better if we could have actually seen the piano guys, but they were hard to see and even harder to hear.  We dumped our beers and decided just to head back to the hotel bar for a nightcap.

In front of Nationwide Arena

Waking up the next morning was a little tough, but luckily we ordered breakfast to be delivered the night before.  The eggs and toast we got were perfect and made us feel a bit more human!

We left the hotel at about 10:30, and headed home.  Kevin went to pick the dogs up, and my parents got back with the girls between 2:30 and 3.  I was so happy to see them.  As much as I had a blast, being away for two nights is not easy.  But don't get me wrong, we are going to do this again very soon.  It was great to be able to get away and just be us again.  If only for one night!

My parents and the girls had some fun too:

Pic with Grandma

And Grandpa

Kylie on the Carousel!  She was so proud of herself

Swing!

Swings with Grandpa

Hanging our with Toby the Bear

Grandma teaching them how to kick!

Kevin and I decided to have an "Us" weekend this past weekend.  On Friday night, I took the girls to Grandma and Grandpa's.  Kendall didn't take well to me leaving, but I think it was because she had a bit of a belly ache.  Although I missed the girls like you wouldn't believe, we had an absolute blast.  It was nice to be able to re-connect as Kevin and Marion, and realize that we're not just "Mommy and Daddy".

We started out the day on Saturday by getting up later (ha - 7:30ish) and just relaxed in bed until 8 or so.  Then we just had a leisurely morning, drank coffee and watched the Today show, and got ready to go over to Easton Towne Center (a huge outdoor shopping area in Columbus).  The weather was pretty dicey all day, but it didn't sound like it was going to be a complete washout, so we took our chances.  We walked around for a bit, and as we were ready to leave Gymboree to get some lunch, the sky completely opened up.   We managed to dodge the rain and got over to a place called "The World of Beer".  Kevin loves trying different kinds of beers, craft beer, etc so this was right up his ally.  I'm very much a "Bud Light girl", but I am open to trying different things.  We sat there, had a few beers and some lunch, and by the time we left, it was sunny out again!

After making a few more stops and running into an old college roommate, we hopped back into the car and headed downtown.  We had reservations at the Renaissance.  What a great hotel.  Kevin put on his salesman charm and tried to get us a nicer room, but they were completely booked.  Instead we just made friends with the front desk people and had them cracking up.  After we dropped our stuff off in the room, we decided to check out the pool area.  It was a really nice setup.  The pool was actually kind of cold.  It was cloudy and cool after the rain we had gotten, so we decided to go in the hot tub.  It was really neat being in a hot tub in the middle of Downtown Columbus.

After hanging out there for a while, we decided to head up to get ready and go out to dinner.  When I was drying my hair Kevin offered to go down to the bar to get us a drink while we were finishing up getting ready.  Minutes before he left, there was a knock at the door.  He opened it and a hotel staffer was standing there with a bottle of champagne sent up from the front desk.  Guess it pays to be nice and joke with the staff!  I was floored.  After that, we will definitely be returning!

Our view

We enjoyed a good portion of the champagne in the room, and still decided to head down to the bar before dinner.  We chatted with the bartender and one of the hotel guests about rum.  Kevin even scored a free drink out of the discussion.

We had reservations at a place called Sushi Rock in the Short North area of downtown.  Kevin and I LOVE sushi.  We don't get it very often anymore since having the girls (since most sushi restaurants don't cater to the crayon requiring clientele.)  Now it may be that I haven't had good sushi very often, but it was AMAZING.  We started with edemame (huge portion), and then ordered some yellowtail and tuna sashimi and three rolls.  Two of them were baked rolls, and they were TO DIE FOR.  It was so so good.  I have been craving sushi ever since we left!

After dinner.  Bad cell pic, but cute :)

After dinner we headed to a few bars.  One of them was a "Cantina".  We sat outside and enjoyed a beer.  Very chill type place.  Very us.  After a beer there,  we headed to a Piano Bar near the hockey arena.  It was crowded with bachelorette parties and just very little room to move.  We got down to the bar, got two beers (draft beers in plastic cups) and were kind of shoved into a corner.  We looked at each other after about five minutes (and two sips of beer) and were like "I'm not feeling it".  When we were 22, maybe...but in our mid-30s, meh.  It may have been a bit better if we could have actually seen the piano guys, but they were hard to see and even harder to hear.  We dumped our beers and decided just to head back to the hotel bar for a nightcap.

In front of Nationwide Arena

Waking up the next morning was a little tough, but luckily we ordered breakfast to be delivered the night before.  The eggs and toast we got were perfect and made us feel a bit more human!

We left the hotel at about 10:30, and headed home.  Kevin went to pick the dogs up, and my parents got back with the girls between 2:30 and 3.  I was so happy to see them.  As much as I had a blast, being away for two nights is not easy.  But don't get me wrong, we are going to do this again very soon.  It was great to be able to get away and just be us again.  If only for one night!

My parents and the girls had some fun too:

Pic with Grandma

And Grandpa

Kylie on the Carousel!  She was so proud of herself

Swing!

Swings with Grandpa

Hanging our with Toby the Bear

Grandma teaching them how to kick!

Brief Silence...

This month has been crazy busy.  We've switched up the girls schedules at night (including eating dinner as a family).  It's been nice, but now I'm trying to find time in the evening to write (I have so many things to write about!)  After cooking and eating dinner, playing with the girls, getting them baths and to bed, working out, and making lunches for the next day, I am spent!  I promise I'll be back soon, and more often.  Until then, please enjoy this pic I took of the girls last weekend.  It's definitely my favorite picture I have ever taken of them!

I die over the sisterly love!

This month has been crazy busy.  We've switched up the girls schedules at night (including eating dinner as a family).  It's been nice, but now I'm trying to find time in the evening to write (I have so many things to write about!)  After cooking and eating dinner, playing with the girls, getting them baths and to bed, working out, and making lunches for the next day, I am spent!  I promise I'll be back soon, and more often.  Until then, please enjoy this pic I took of the girls last weekend.  It's definitely my favorite picture I have ever taken of them!

I die over the sisterly love!

This month has been crazy busy.  We've switched up the girls schedules at night (including eating dinner as a family).  It's been nice, but now I'm trying to find time in the evening to write (I have so many things to write about!)  After cooking and eating dinner, playing with the girls, getting them baths and to bed, working out, and making lunches for the next day, I am spent!  I promise I'll be back soon, and more often.  Until then, please enjoy this pic I took of the girls last weekend.  It's definitely my favorite picture I have ever taken of them!

I die over the sisterly love!

Birthdays and More Birthdays!

The weekend after the fourth of July, my parents came down to Columbus so we could all go out and celebrate my Mom's birthday.  We got a babysitter for the ladies, and went to this little wine bar called the Wine Bistro.They have an enormous selection of wine (by the glass and bottle).  Kevin and I often grab a glass of wine there before going out on a date night, and have been dying to take my wine connoisseur parents there.  We all enjoyed a glass of wine before heading out to a Spanish restaurant in the German Village in Columbus called Barcelona.  They have paella and other amazing Spanish entrees.  We always have a great meal there.

Although we all love hanging out with the girls, it's nice to go out as just adults every now and then!

Then, this past weekend we went up to my parents house to celebrate my Dad's 60th Birthday.  60?!?  It's crazy how time flies.  Anyway, we got up to my parents house mid afternoon on Saturday (they live about 120 miles north of us).  Before we arrived, my parents set out a pool and water table for the girls.  As soon as we got there and they spotted them, they immediately wanted to change into their swimsuits and go play!

You can obviously tell who our swimmer is going to be

This just makes me laugh!  Kendall was coming down the slide.

Peek-a-boo

I see you!

Huggies

I just got my new 50mm f/1.8 lens last week, so I had to test it out.  So far I really like it!  It definitely has a narrow frame, but I love the sharpness this lens captures!  Of course, these are the only pictures I took while we were there, but we had a great time.  The girls were so good.  They played well, were very well behaved, got to stay up a little later than normal, and even got to split a piece of cake with mommy!  We had so much leftover food that we got to take some cake and "cookie cake" home with us (among other, more nutritional items!).   Kendall was asking for some cookie and cake for breakfast this morning (silly girl!)

We've had an extremely busy July so far, and I don't see it letting up anytime soon.  Gotta love summer!

The weekend after the fourth of July, my parents came down to Columbus so we could all go out and celebrate my Mom's birthday.  We got a babysitter for the ladies, and went to this little wine bar called the Wine Bistro.They have an enormous selection of wine (by the glass and bottle).  Kevin and I often grab a glass of wine there before going out on a date night, and have been dying to take my wine connoisseur parents there.  We all enjoyed a glass of wine before heading out to a Spanish restaurant in the German Village in Columbus called Barcelona.  They have paella and other amazing Spanish entrees.  We always have a great meal there.

Although we all love hanging out with the girls, it's nice to go out as just adults every now and then!

Then, this past weekend we went up to my parents house to celebrate my Dad's 60th Birthday.  60?!?  It's crazy how time flies.  Anyway, we got up to my parents house mid afternoon on Saturday (they live about 120 miles north of us).  Before we arrived, my parents set out a pool and water table for the girls.  As soon as we got there and they spotted them, they immediately wanted to change into their swimsuits and go play!

You can obviously tell who our swimmer is going to be

This just makes me laugh!  Kendall was coming down the slide.

Peek-a-boo

I see you!

Huggies

I just got my new 50mm f/1.8 lens last week, so I had to test it out.  So far I really like it!  It definitely has a narrow frame, but I love the sharpness this lens captures!  Of course, these are the only pictures I took while we were there, but we had a great time.  The girls were so good.  They played well, were very well behaved, got to stay up a little later than normal, and even got to split a piece of cake with mommy!  We had so much leftover food that we got to take some cake and "cookie cake" home with us (among other, more nutritional items!).   Kendall was asking for some cookie and cake for breakfast this morning (silly girl!)

We've had an extremely busy July so far, and I don't see it letting up anytime soon.  Gotta love summer!

The weekend after the fourth of July, my parents came down to Columbus so we could all go out and celebrate my Mom's birthday.  We got a babysitter for the ladies, and went to this little wine bar called the Wine Bistro.They have an enormous selection of wine (by the glass and bottle).  Kevin and I often grab a glass of wine there before going out on a date night, and have been dying to take my wine connoisseur parents there.  We all enjoyed a glass of wine before heading out to a Spanish restaurant in the German Village in Columbus called Barcelona.  They have paella and other amazing Spanish entrees.  We always have a great meal there.

Although we all love hanging out with the girls, it's nice to go out as just adults every now and then!

Then, this past weekend we went up to my parents house to celebrate my Dad's 60th Birthday.  60?!?  It's crazy how time flies.  Anyway, we got up to my parents house mid afternoon on Saturday (they live about 120 miles north of us).  Before we arrived, my parents set out a pool and water table for the girls.  As soon as we got there and they spotted them, they immediately wanted to change into their swimsuits and go play!

You can obviously tell who our swimmer is going to be

This just makes me laugh!  Kendall was coming down the slide.

Peek-a-boo

I see you!

Huggies

I just got my new 50mm f/1.8 lens last week, so I had to test it out.  So far I really like it!  It definitely has a narrow frame, but I love the sharpness this lens captures!  Of course, these are the only pictures I took while we were there, but we had a great time.  The girls were so good.  They played well, were very well behaved, got to stay up a little later than normal, and even got to split a piece of cake with mommy!  We had so much leftover food that we got to take some cake and "cookie cake" home with us (among other, more nutritional items!).   Kendall was asking for some cookie and cake for breakfast this morning (silly girl!)

We've had an extremely busy July so far, and I don't see it letting up anytime soon.  Gotta love summer!

Mama, Take a Picture!

This is a daily request I get from Kylie.  She always wants me to take a picture of her when she's doing something cute or funny. (And believe me, this girl knows when she's being cute or funny!) Here are the few I've gotten in the last week or so! (All iPhone pics)

Silly girls!  

Just so Kendall gets a little recognition, here is a video of her spinning and "dancing" to Kelly Clarkson:

This is a daily request I get from Kylie.  She always wants me to take a picture of her when she's doing something cute or funny. (And believe me, this girl knows when she's being cute or funny!) Here are the few I've gotten in the last week or so! (All iPhone pics)

Silly girls!  

Just so Kendall gets a little recognition, here is a video of her spinning and "dancing" to Kelly Clarkson:

This is a daily request I get from Kylie.  She always wants me to take a picture of her when she's doing something cute or funny. (And believe me, this girl knows when she's being cute or funny!) Here are the few I've gotten in the last week or so! (All iPhone pics)

Silly girls!  

Just so Kendall gets a little recognition, here is a video of her spinning and "dancing" to Kelly Clarkson:

Happy Fourth!

We started by making flag cake on Tuesday.  As you can see, my little helpers were more interested in sampling than decorating:

Finished product.  Not perfect, but not bad for two 2 year old assistants!

Yesterday, we went to a neighborhood bike parade in the morning.  It was really the only outside thing we were able to do because of the rain.  OMG, I hope this rain stops sometime...

Watching the bike parade.

Score!  Suckers

And lastly, dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.  Very patriotic.

We didn't see any fireworks last night.  The fireworks in our town were at 10PM, and although I'll let the girls stay up past 7:30 occasionally, 11-11:30 PM bedtime is way too late.  In a few years, we'll see tons of fireworks!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

We started by making flag cake on Tuesday.  As you can see, my little helpers were more interested in sampling than decorating:

Finished product.  Not perfect, but not bad for two 2 year old assistants!

Yesterday, we went to a neighborhood bike parade in the morning.  It was really the only outside thing we were able to do because of the rain.  OMG, I hope this rain stops sometime...

Watching the bike parade.

Score!  Suckers

And lastly, dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.  Very patriotic.

We didn't see any fireworks last night.  The fireworks in our town were at 10PM, and although I'll let the girls stay up past 7:30 occasionally, 11-11:30 PM bedtime is way too late.  In a few years, we'll see tons of fireworks!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

We started by making flag cake on Tuesday.  As you can see, my little helpers were more interested in sampling than decorating:

Finished product.  Not perfect, but not bad for two 2 year old assistants!

Yesterday, we went to a neighborhood bike parade in the morning.  It was really the only outside thing we were able to do because of the rain.  OMG, I hope this rain stops sometime...

Watching the bike parade.

Score!  Suckers

And lastly, dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.  Very patriotic.

We didn't see any fireworks last night.  The fireworks in our town were at 10PM, and although I'll let the girls stay up past 7:30 occasionally, 11-11:30 PM bedtime is way too late.  In a few years, we'll see tons of fireworks!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

It's Not All Roses

II love writing and posting pictures of Kendall and Kylie and telling about the funny, cute and crazy stuff they do on a daily basis. But, as much as I want to keep this blog lighthearted, life happens and not everything is always going to be roses.

Kevin was out of town on work travel last week, so obviously I have to take care of all the daily household responsibilties. No biggie. He's out of town usually 3-4 times a year, so the girls and I power through for a few days.

Tuesday morning, I was going through the normal routine. Kevin usually takes the girls to Rachel's in the morning, but I've done it, so I know the routine well. I got the girls breakfast, brushed teeth, washed hands, and we were ready to go. I just needed to take a few things out to my car and let the dogs out. We have an invisible fence, so I let the dogs out, opened the garage, took a few things out to the car, and went out onto the driveway to get the dogs inside.

When I was walking down the driveway, my neighbor across the street was walking down his driveway with his labradoodle. Bono hates this dog, always has. I think it is because he's hyper and always jumping and barking, but who knows. They walked in front of our house on the street while I was trying to corrall our dogs and get them inside. Bono was flipping out, when all of a sudden he decided he didn't care about the fence any longer and ran out into the street after the other dog. Mullen (thankfully) stayed put firmly in our yard.

Bono attacked the other dog. It was nothing short of terrible. My neighbor got in the middle of them and fell while trying to break them up. I was just yelling. Finally, Bono let go and ran up our driveway. My neighbor yelled and said his dog was hurt. He also threatened Bono (which I thought was just a "heat of the moment" type threat.) I got Bono inside. The girls were fine (thank god). Kylie was watching the whole thing, I'm pretty sure. She said something about "Bono fighting". Kendall was watching TV, so she was oblivious. I was obviously shaken up. Bono's paw had a few gashes, and I saw our neighbor go tearing down the street with his dog (I assumed) in the car. And Kevin was gone. I had no idea what to do. After talking to Kevin, he convinced me to just wrap Bono's paw and go to work. When I was loading the girls in the car, I noticed my neighbor had returned. I got Kylie latched in her carseat, left the door open, and took Kendall to go talk to him. I asked if his dog was ok. He said he was going to be fine. He just had a few puncture wounds in his rear and was going to be treated. I did the mature thing and started crying and apologized all over myself. I also offered to take care of the vet bill. He told me it was ok, but "we better do something about that dog, or I will", and left it at that. Pretty much with that, I told him I needed to get back to my other little one.

It was a rough couple days for Kevin to be gone.  Bono either goes out on a leash now or is on a lead in the backyard.  He no longer allowed to run free in the yard. We cannot risk this happening again. 

Now we're at a crossroads.  Maybe he would be better in a home with no kids or other pets that he could have a large fenced in area to run in.  But, I don't want to give him up.  He's our dog.  We all love him.  We've had him since he was 12 weeks old.  It's just a lose-lose situation.

**Edited to add:  There is a lot more behind this situation than I wrote about.  We probably wouldn't be entertaining the idea of re-homing him based on this incident alone.  We feel it is best to do for his sanity and safety, and to prevent any further incidents similar to this one***

II love writing and posting pictures of Kendall and Kylie and telling about the funny, cute and crazy stuff they do on a daily basis. But, as much as I want to keep this blog lighthearted, life happens and not everything is always going to be roses.

Kevin was out of town on work travel last week, so obviously I have to take care of all the daily household responsibilties. No biggie. He's out of town usually 3-4 times a year, so the girls and I power through for a few days.

Tuesday morning, I was going through the normal routine. Kevin usually takes the girls to Rachel's in the morning, but I've done it, so I know the routine well. I got the girls breakfast, brushed teeth, washed hands, and we were ready to go. I just needed to take a few things out to my car and let the dogs out. We have an invisible fence, so I let the dogs out, opened the garage, took a few things out to the car, and went out onto the driveway to get the dogs inside.

When I was walking down the driveway, my neighbor across the street was walking down his driveway with his labradoodle. Bono hates this dog, always has. I think it is because he's hyper and always jumping and barking, but who knows. They walked in front of our house on the street while I was trying to corrall our dogs and get them inside. Bono was flipping out, when all of a sudden he decided he didn't care about the fence any longer and ran out into the street after the other dog. Mullen (thankfully) stayed put firmly in our yard.

Bono attacked the other dog. It was nothing short of terrible. My neighbor got in the middle of them and fell while trying to break them up. I was just yelling. Finally, Bono let go and ran up our driveway. My neighbor yelled and said his dog was hurt. He also threatened Bono (which I thought was just a "heat of the moment" type threat.) I got Bono inside. The girls were fine (thank god). Kylie was watching the whole thing, I'm pretty sure. She said something about "Bono fighting". Kendall was watching TV, so she was oblivious. I was obviously shaken up. Bono's paw had a few gashes, and I saw our neighbor go tearing down the street with his dog (I assumed) in the car. And Kevin was gone. I had no idea what to do. After talking to Kevin, he convinced me to just wrap Bono's paw and go to work. When I was loading the girls in the car, I noticed my neighbor had returned. I got Kylie latched in her carseat, left the door open, and took Kendall to go talk to him. I asked if his dog was ok. He said he was going to be fine. He just had a few puncture wounds in his rear and was going to be treated. I did the mature thing and started crying and apologized all over myself. I also offered to take care of the vet bill. He told me it was ok, but "we better do something about that dog, or I will", and left it at that. Pretty much with that, I told him I needed to get back to my other little one.

It was a rough couple days for Kevin to be gone.  Bono either goes out on a leash now or is on a lead in the backyard.  He no longer allowed to run free in the yard. We cannot risk this happening again. 

Now we're at a crossroads.  Maybe he would be better in a home with no kids or other pets that he could have a large fenced in area to run in.  But, I don't want to give him up.  He's our dog.  We all love him.  We've had him since he was 12 weeks old.  It's just a lose-lose situation.

**Edited to add:  There is a lot more behind this situation than I wrote about.  We probably wouldn't be entertaining the idea of re-homing him based on this incident alone.  We feel it is best to do for his sanity and safety, and to prevent any further incidents similar to this one***

II love writing and posting pictures of Kendall and Kylie and telling about the funny, cute and crazy stuff they do on a daily basis. But, as much as I want to keep this blog lighthearted, life happens and not everything is always going to be roses.

Kevin was out of town on work travel last week, so obviously I have to take care of all the daily household responsibilties. No biggie. He's out of town usually 3-4 times a year, so the girls and I power through for a few days.

Tuesday morning, I was going through the normal routine. Kevin usually takes the girls to Rachel's in the morning, but I've done it, so I know the routine well. I got the girls breakfast, brushed teeth, washed hands, and we were ready to go. I just needed to take a few things out to my car and let the dogs out. We have an invisible fence, so I let the dogs out, opened the garage, took a few things out to the car, and went out onto the driveway to get the dogs inside.

When I was walking down the driveway, my neighbor across the street was walking down his driveway with his labradoodle. Bono hates this dog, always has. I think it is because he's hyper and always jumping and barking, but who knows. They walked in front of our house on the street while I was trying to corrall our dogs and get them inside. Bono was flipping out, when all of a sudden he decided he didn't care about the fence any longer and ran out into the street after the other dog. Mullen (thankfully) stayed put firmly in our yard.

Bono attacked the other dog. It was nothing short of terrible. My neighbor got in the middle of them and fell while trying to break them up. I was just yelling. Finally, Bono let go and ran up our driveway. My neighbor yelled and said his dog was hurt. He also threatened Bono (which I thought was just a "heat of the moment" type threat.) I got Bono inside. The girls were fine (thank god). Kylie was watching the whole thing, I'm pretty sure. She said something about "Bono fighting". Kendall was watching TV, so she was oblivious. I was obviously shaken up. Bono's paw had a few gashes, and I saw our neighbor go tearing down the street with his dog (I assumed) in the car. And Kevin was gone. I had no idea what to do. After talking to Kevin, he convinced me to just wrap Bono's paw and go to work. When I was loading the girls in the car, I noticed my neighbor had returned. I got Kylie latched in her carseat, left the door open, and took Kendall to go talk to him. I asked if his dog was ok. He said he was going to be fine. He just had a few puncture wounds in his rear and was going to be treated. I did the mature thing and started crying and apologized all over myself. I also offered to take care of the vet bill. He told me it was ok, but "we better do something about that dog, or I will", and left it at that. Pretty much with that, I told him I needed to get back to my other little one.

It was a rough couple days for Kevin to be gone.  Bono either goes out on a leash now or is on a lead in the backyard.  He no longer allowed to run free in the yard. We cannot risk this happening again. 

Now we're at a crossroads.  Maybe he would be better in a home with no kids or other pets that he could have a large fenced in area to run in.  But, I don't want to give him up.  He's our dog.  We all love him.  We've had him since he was 12 weeks old.  It's just a lose-lose situation.

**Edited to add:  There is a lot more behind this situation than I wrote about.  We probably wouldn't be entertaining the idea of re-homing him based on this incident alone.  We feel it is best to do for his sanity and safety, and to prevent any further incidents similar to this one***