What? A new post!

Tired of seeing Tucker?

Awe, that's not very nice (ahem, Grape! and anyone else thinking the same thing)...I won't tell Tucker you said that...Tucker is very tenderhearted and that would make him very sad. Poor guy; he hardly ever gets blog time.

Sorry I've been MIA. After our wonderful visit with our families in SC, late night online shopping on Thanksgiving night, Black Friday at Target at 4:30 am and my high school reunion over Thanksgiving Weekend (which I helped plan and it mentally exhausted me)...I got really sick. I was put on an antibiotic for strep throat but the culture came back negative so I don't know if I had the flu or just a really awful cold. And as many of you know, it's almost impossible to be sick and be a mom.

I'm all better now (YAY!) and my online Christmas shopping is done...so I won't be neglecting the blog! Check back again soon because I have lots of pics to share!

Happy Holidays!!!

Back from Bazil

Todd was in Brazil for 2 weeks in November for his business, this project he's on continues to be very involved, stressful and gets more and more complicated instead of getting better (and I hate that for him).

Who knew Brazil was so far away!?!? A straight 10 hour flight plus a connection! I have to admit that I am geographically challenged and of course didn't realize that it takes THAT long to go down past the Equator.

We're so glad to have him back home not only because we missed him terribly, but because it is a BIG city and has a lot of crime. Todd witnessed a hostage/mugging - a man held a broken bottle to another man's neck and escorted him into some business to make him buy him something. And shortly after he left, a civil war started between the drug cartels and the government. Ugh - scary! Makes me more and more thankful that we live in the U.S. and don't have to worry (too much) about our safety!

I am so proud of Todd for working so hard, being successful, and taking such good care of our family. It looks like he'll be traveling quite a bit next year as his company tests and rolls out this IT project. Makes me sad that he be away from us so much. Thank goodness for the blog, email, and cell phones!

Thank you to Ellee, Todd' mom Lee, for staying with us for a week while he was away...it was so wonderful having her here - she played with the girls, helped me move furniture, tackled house projects, and I just enjoy her pleasant company...so THANK YOU again.

And now on to the real reason you probably check the blog - PICTURES!

Todd flew all night and landed at Dulles at 6:30 am and got home around 8 am. He found us in Delaney's new room (I swapped her room with the guest room - I plan to post pics of her nursery once her curtains are finished and pictures are up).

Gracie was so excited that her Daddy was finally home. She gave him a great, BIG hug and he quickly spoiled her with presents.

Her 1st silver necklace with a pink bunny charm!

I think she loves it!

A real Brasil Futbol!

Kisses for Miss D

(& she got a fancy towel and washcloth

because this child loves bathtime!)

After 2 long weeks, she was probably thinking:

"Who is this guy?"

We love you Daddy!

Birthday Boy!

Happy 11th Birthday to Tucker!

He's the sweetest and we love him so much!

Spice Girl

If it's spicy...she'll eat it!

I made Cincinnati Style "Skyline" Chili last night for dinner and G couldn't get enough of it.

In between the noodle slurping I would hear,

"More noodles, please!"

Time to clean-up!

What am I going to do when she too big

for the kitchen sink?

If you've never had Skyline Chili, you should try it. I just use the packets we buy from the restaurant when we go to Naples, FL but you could try this recipe. Harris Teeter has the sauce in the frozen section...it's not quite as yummy as making it fresh but it's quick, easy and still pretty good.

The Cincinnati "Skyline" Chili Ordering Code

1-way: just the chili

2-way: chili served over spaghetti

3-way: chili, spaghetti, and grated Cheddar cheese

4-way: chili, spaghetti, cheese, and onions

5-way: chili, spaghetti, cheese, onions, and beans

All "ways" are served with oyster crackers.

Gracie likes a 2-way and eats some handfuls of cheese in between bites. I like to have a 3-way; Todd likes a 4-way plus hot sauce. Any leftovers reheat really well and it's also delicious on top of a hot dog...or better known as a cheese coney! Seriously, this chili is so good and perfect on a chilly night! Give it a try!

Morning Glory

We had a pretty good night which means we're having a good morning! Gracie went to bed around 8 pm and woke up just a bit before 8 am - YAY! She's come a long way.

And Delaney slept from 8:30 last night until 3'ish...that's a 7 hour stretch....Yippee! But then she "snacks" every 1-2 hours after that...oh well, I'm excited about the long stretch and I'll enjoy my frequent early morning snuggle time with her.

Keep your fingers crossed that the long sleeping stretches will continue for both girls. This mommy likes her sleep!

Me: "Are you sleepy?"

G: "No, I'm just snuggling with NightNight."

Melts my heart!

Rise & Shine

Good Morning Sunshines!

Gracie loves to climb up into Delaney's crib to get some morning snuggles with her little sister!

Fallin' for the Girl-Lees

Ellee, Todd's mom, and I tried to get some fall pictures with the girls this afternoon. We got some cute ones of Gracie while Delaney was sleeping in her car seat...and when Delaney woke up, Gracie started getting grumpy which you'll see below...so we didn't get too many of Delaney; I'm sorry D. Ugh - just like so many of my friends say...it's really hard to get a GOOD picture of everyone!

But here are my favs!