Hippity Hoppity....

... Easter's on it's way...

Googie is IN LOVE with the Easter Bunny. He is her new best friend. BabyBrother could have cared less.

I love the picture! I love how Googie is looking over at BB. The photolady wanted to "toss it", but The Hub and I are huge fans of the "more natural" photos. Googie was doing her own thing, ignoring the sqeaking toy the photolady was using to catch her attention.

*If you look closely, you'll see Googie's attire is complimented with some lovely bandaids on each knee (Dora the Explorer to be exact). That's another blog all together... but, it explains why I often hate OPKs!

Kiddie Swag???

I am new to the "Mommy" game, having only started playing with the birth of Googie in July 2005. I've only hosted one child's birthday party so far. I've only experienced a handful of kid parties as an adult guest... so can someone PLEASE explain to me the fascination with "goodie bags" at birthday parties? To me, the whole "goodie bag" name is an oxymoron. In my (admittedly limited) experience, "goodie bags" are filled with crap no parent really wants to take home.

A friend of mine is planning a party for her two girls and asked my advice about whether or not to give out a goodie bag. I told her I didn't understand the concept. Why are the host/hostesses giving the guests gifts to attend a party? Especially in these days of "over the top" parties. It's no longer just an afternoon of cake and ice cream at the birthday girl/boy's home. No, it's hours at the local indoor play palace or a dress-up tea party or an afternoon at Libby Lu's [But that is another blog all together].

[Ahem... excuse me while I put on my best "crotchity old woman voice"...]

In my day, we didn't have these fancy new-fangled goodie bags. We got a hat, a blow out and if we were REALLY lucky, a balloon we could blow up ourselves. We didn't get a fancy schmancy SWAG bag. We got two lumps of coal and a tube of fungus creme and we LIKED IT.

Ok, we didn't really get the coal or fungus creme but you get the gist. Who needs Play-Doh, suckers, stickers, toys, etc? Seriously? It's not enough to go and spend an afternoon running around with friends, followed by the chance to fall into a sugar induced coma courtesy of birthday cake with that lovely thick icing and all the ice cream one can eat?

My friend is worried the parental backlash from the lack of craptastic, junk-filled goodie bags will be massive. So I told her to send a miffed Muffy or Biff my way, I'll take care of that conversation.

Oh yeah, and memo to any parents and kids coming to my children's birthday parties. Go ahead and make plans for disappointment. There will be no goodie bags.

You've been warned.

And They Called It Puppy Love...

And they called it puppy love

Oh I guess they'll never know

How a young heart really feels

And why I love her so

An afternoon of play in the backyard recently brought to mind that old Paul Anka song. And by the time you finish reading this post, you'll understand why.

Our family of four humans also includes a mini-zoo of sorts. 4 cats and 3 dogs. Googie loves our little zoo. Her favorite canine pal is our Airedale/Doberman mix, Tully Mars. Googie *ADORES* Tully... to her, he's the size of a pony. What's not to love for a toddler? He's mild-mannered and loves every bit of attention she gives him.

While outside in the yard the other day, Tully dropped to the ground and began engaging in one of his favorite outdoor activities these days... rolling around in the grass.

But wait! Not to be outdone, Googie decided she wanted to join in on the fun.

So she did, promptly falling backwards (into our weed filled backyard) and enjoying a roll as Tully looked on (probably wondering what in the heck the little human was doing down there!).

Googie thought it was great fun. She'd laugh as the grass (and weeds) tickled her ears. The hub and I looked on, shaking our heads (and secretly praying she wouldn't discover some overlooked dog poop we missed in our scooping expeditions!!!).

Eventually, all that rolling around can make even the most rambunctious of all toddlers a little tired. That's when you simply lie in the shade, enjoy the cool grass and look straight up at Daddy as he takes your photo. Isn't she just the cutest?

Once Googie caught her breath, she was able to sit up again and enjoy the company of Tully (who by now was bored with rolling in the grass and just wanted to rest himself).

Here's Googie getting a "taste" of that Puppy Love I mentioned at the beginning of this little post. (Ick! Dog germs! Grab the disinfectant! Get the iodine!).

And they called it puppy love
Oh I guess they'll never know
How a young heart really feels
And why I love her so

And Introducing...

It's been more than 6 weeks since BabyBrother joined our family. I've only just realized that though I have mentioned him a few times here, I haven't actually introduced him. So here goes.

This is BB and I in the operating room just minutes after he was born the morning of Thursday, February 8.

Check out his chubby little cheeks just a few days after birth. You'd never know from this photo that BB had to stay in the hospital for a week. Like his older sister, he developed pneumonia shortly after birth. BB didn't have as severe a case as Googie did, however. His illness only required 7 days of IV antibiotics.









I think he's pretty cute, but then I AM biased... being his mom and all. But I'm not the only one who finds him irresistible.

Googie loves being a big sister. I don't think she ever passes up a chance to give him a smooch and she's great at letting me know the SECOND he starts crying.