top of stairs. christmas morning.

hmmmmmm . . .

not impressed.

<~~~t-bean having a *major* time  looking at the christmas windows at macy's.

santa & fiona

<~~~my sweet fiona on santa's lap - after @ an hour-long wait in the freezing rain outside of the daley center without a single complaint. she had her first hotdog on a bun & fancy hot chocolate. i must say that this was a really good santa - very caaaaaalm with a nice deep voice. she was a little unsure at first but he made her laugh & then she jumped right on his lap. she asked for 2 things: a pink car & a pink purse (daddy & mommy already took care of it for 'ya 's'!).

we like to move it, move it!

i took fiona & jon (my nephew) to see madagascar 2 last night.  there were only @ 6 other people in the theater. jon & fiona were dancing & laughing - it was so fun to watch. and the movie was actually quite good too.[*side note -  i was laughing throughout the preview of the new pink panther movie/steve martin - must see that one!] anyhoo, after the movie i took the kids to steak & shake where they devoured a huge plate of fries with cheese sauce all over them! they had a good 'date' & i was so happy to be the chaperone! :)

to my sweet baby tilda:

happy 1st birthday, sweetheart! you are so beautiful and perfect and sweet and funny and silly and precious. you make me happy every day. thank you. mama loves you so so much.

would you like to try our new pumpkin spice latte today?

my friends (ha), the next time someone asks you this question, the answer is 'yes, please.' 

like you, i cannot seem to say 'no, thanks' fast enough when asked if i want to try some seasonal concoction at the *bucks. i like my regular [venti iced white mocha with 3 pumps & 2 splenda, light whip]. i LIKE that i HAVE a regular. BUT for whatever reason i did not have the regular. i pulled up. the question was asked. oh, don't get me wrong. this decision was not made lightly. i was gonna say the usual 'no, thanks' - my tongue was up behind that ledge-like part of the top of your mouth that assists us all in making the 'n' sound. BUT . . . i stopped myself. i thought, i like pumpkins (pie, muffins, scones, ice cream). i like coffee. i really really really like whip cream, a lot. i like a lot of whip cream a lot.

so, you know what i did? i said 'sure.' that's right. and that, 'mf,' has made all the difference. 

now, i invite you to join me in the specialness that is this nice warm fall beverage. please enjoy.

 . . . and, you're welcome.

octoberfest at zoo

i took fiona & my neice, cassie, & nephew, jon, to a small family-run farm/zoo on sunday. they all had a wonderful time. i think fiona's favorite was a big *nest* for kids to play in. she seemed very comfy there. it was a sweet day all around.

tweet tweet!

matilda mae's 1st birthday pic

um . . . yeah, i know.

tilda bean

my matilda mae. luvs her.

vote for bucket (?)

<~~~ 'this one' is our new puppy. his name is bucket. 

um, i'm pretty sure that this was a *really* good idea. 

stay tuned . . . 

STAY!

'hello kitty gots pink ones'

random comment from fiona re poop.

sooo candy

that is sooo candy! 

my 3-year-old daughter, fiona, said that to me once when she thought something (don't recall *what* anymore?) was really cool. 

i, in turn, thought that was really cool. 

she is sooo candy.