Addie Bear

I adore the fact that 99% of the time, Addie goes to sleep holding Bussi Bear and wearing the same bear hat she has had since being 18 months old.

Happy Valentine's Day

A puppy named Valentine for Ellie. Sunflowers and a baby teddy bear for Addie. They couldn't have been happier.

Super Bowl Winners!

Whoop! Whoop!

Keeping up with the Joneses

It I think we all have conversations about keeping up with the Joneses. Sometimes it presents itself with a colleague getting a new fancy house or even one in fantastic location.  Maybe it's a neighbor who just got a really nice car. Or maybe it's a friend who recently got back from a fantastic exotic trip.

We have all had to deal with situations in which you find yourself a bit jealous of what someone else, where you stay to wonder if you, too, should get a nice house.  Maybe it's time for a new car.  Maybe we should put more of our money towards (enter whatever item here)?

But when it comes to my rock star husband, I think he deserves some kudos.  Whenever the topic of "keeping up with the Joneses" makes a tempting assistance, without fail,  he starts with giving the topic at hand some consideration. He will even dive in with some quick research on options.  But he ALWAYS ends up on websites reading articles on how to SAVE more money instead of how to SPEND more money.

I somehow managed to catch myself a keeper and I am still so thankful for him.

Surgery

We were all concerned.  Addie said Coconut needed surgery and wanted to put a nice patch on him.  She said it would help her remember Patchy (who sadly has still not been found).  Whether the patch be in memory of an old friend, or to help heal the new one, Gramma helped me come up with a great solution and after a few hours of post-surgery rest, Coconut was himself again, filled with all smiles and snuggles.

Then, as luck would have it, Mittains fell down the stairs and needed some tender loving care too.  Ellie requested a special monogrammed patch of love.  Her recovery went just as smoothly.

There may be no better way of knowing for certain that a stuffie is well loved than when they have been marked by their child, and no doubt both Mittains and Coconut now have been the mark of love.

The truth comes out

Apparently I took too many photos while on our trip to Paris.  In Addie's words, "My mom kept taking pictures.  I think she took too much.  I'll give you a clue - She took some on the bridge of the castle next to our hotel.  We called it Blue Door."

In my defense, some photos are simply worth the extra effort.