Dinner at Auntie Al's

Prior to dinner, Taylor gave Auntie Al the "once over" as she stirred the Marsala sauce. . .



Colleen and Taylor really enjoy each other's company. It is a miracle they stayed still long enough for me to get this picture!

Potsou and Auntie Al built a barricade (I felt like I was on the set for a modern version of Les Miserables). Colleen squirmed right through the barricade and laughed when she saw that she was busted by her big brother:


Peyton had her "prince" pose with her Daddy for this photo:

Brendan shared popcorn with Patrick:

Teacup Ride

We did not return to Walt Disney World for a "teacup ride"...we simply headed over to the mall and rode the carousel. Peyton loves going fast. Daddy rode in the teacup with her and a little 8 year old boy. During the ride, the carousel operator asked me if she should turn off the teacup in order to slow it down. I saw that Peyton was still smiling so I said "Daddy will slow it down if needed." Once the ride was over Peyton was fine but Daddy said "Wow, I didn't think that little boy could get the teacup going THAT fast...." Taylor and I were right behind the teacup. She was on a brown horse and I was her spotter just in case she got bucked off :-)

Bitter Cold

Try posing a 1 and a 2.5 year old for a photo. Just try. It is especially difficult when the small one never stops trying to run away from big sister and/or constantly wants to grab the camera string. Hey, give me credit for trying:


It was cold enough tonight that we looked out the window at Culver's and saw snowflakes blowing in the wind. Culver's, home of the famous Butterburgers and delicious frozen custard. Taylor earned her dessert in a hurry, downing part of a hamburger, a couple green beans, some fries and a few pieces of Peyton's extra chicken tender.


Daddy needs to train Peyton on how to at least look at the camera while being photographed. . .


Was that fat-free?

Taco Night

Thursday night was taco night at our place. Even Taylor tried to gum some authentic Mexican cuisine :-)

Peyton in the sand

Just in case the Miss Elaine video had you thinking Peyton is MUTE, think again:

Miss Elaine

A couple weeks ago Peyton received a special package in the mail which contained her Deedee Doodle costume. Ever since then, everyday when the mailtruck is heard coming up the street Peyton exclaims "Oh, it's Miss Elaine. Maybe she haDaddy's costume!" Peyton wants to dress Daddy up as "Busdriver Bob" for Halloween. Reality is there is no Busdriver Bob costume (Daddy sizes) sold in stores. Perhaps Auntie Nana can sew one for Daddy. . .

GO MITT GO

I was thrilled with the outcome of the Michigan primary. There is something about Mitt that makes me feel he deserves a 4 year internship in Washington. All of the candidates are crooks but I am sMITTen!

January 14th

We are still alive around here but poor Miss Peyton has been fighting a nasty virus with nightly high fevers and mild sweating. Enough details? Somehow (knock on wood) little Taylor is strong and healthy.

Miss Holly was kind enough to deliver us dinner from Rich & Charlie's tonight. Thanks again, Miss Holly! While we were anxiously awaiting the arrival of our dinner delivery the girls posed on my lap. Taylor sits still very well however Peyton is a squirmy little thing:

$10 says Miss Moshi just noticed some body art on Peyton's left hand. Rest assured it came off easily during tonight's bathtime. The temporary tattoo application was one of several new activities Mommy introduced while dealing with our "lock down" mode :-)

Ozzie the Octopus

Ozzie the Octopus is the newest addition around our home. It is an octopus attachment placed over the faucet. You simply insert a color tablet into Ozzie's mouth while the water is running and it colors the water. Tonight we used one blue tablet and then later added a yellow tablet so the girls could watch the water turn to green.

Daddy helped Peyton "tune" her Doodlebops guitar just before bedtime:

Check out those dimples:


Taylor loves to ride on the "Charlie Caterpillar" that Grandma Hun gave Peyton at Mommy's baby shower almost 3 years ago (oh how time flies). . .


Either Peyton is on her toes or Taylor is slouching because I measured them tonight. Peyton is 38.5 inches and Taylor is 31.5 inches. Maybe it is the just the odd angle from which I took this shot:

Our very own Doodlebop!

Peyton's Deedee Doodle costume arrived today. . .

New Hampshire goes to McCain & Clinton

The girls got to eat dinner in their feeding chairs while watching the New Hampshire primary returns on the Fox News Channel. Taylor likes Romney but Peyton is a Huckabee fan. Daddy is under the weather and joined us mid meal for some hot soup. In order to keep the girls interested in watching the returns, I gave them each an ice cream cone. Taylor eats the cone EXACTLY the same way Peyton did as a one year old....she eats the cone first. Odd but true- and quite messy, too!



Taylor loves to cruise on her Winnie The Pooh car:

New Shoes for Taylor

After a six week absence due to the Disney Trip, a brief virus, and Christmas break, Peyton returned to school today. Training pull-ups and all! For the first time she got to use the "little potty" at school. Needless to say, her potty training is coming right along.

While Peyton was in school Taylor got to enjoy the mild weather while swinging in our backyard. At 10a.m. Mommy did a conference call during her naptime. As soon as she woke up we went to Laurie's at the Mall and bought her some new shoes. She is in a 6M and is very proud of her new white tennis shoes. Check out these struts: (oh and I promise Kia will fix the fact that these are sideways...as I am computer-challenged)

In case you got a headache looking sideways, here is a still shot of the gal in her new shoes:

Peyton feels like a woman of the world now that she is back in school. Tonight she insisted on helping me prepare some side dishes:

Queeny Park

It was unseasonably warm today....temperatures exceeded 70 degrees so there was no doubt in our mind we either needed a trip to a park or the Zoo. Since it is quicker to goto a park we had lunch at KFC (it was too windy for a picnic with a 1 & a 2 year old) and then went to Queeny Park. The girls absolutely loved the playground. Mommy loved watching a group of teenager acrobats do gymnastic and various stunts. Taylor loves to mimic Peyton so she climbed a rock wall (with Daddy's assistance, of course). Please simply tilt your head to the left while viewing this clip (I tried to adjust it but for some reason it keeps coming up sideways). . .

Look at Peyton's "I am having a blast in this weather" expression:

Taylor found a climbing apparatus and slide just her size:

Daddy and Peyton climbed their way to the top of the playground:


Here are the acrobatic teens in action:

After naptime, we went to Auntie Al's for our "Epiphany Dinner" (a.k.a. belated Christmas dinner) and gift exchange. It was delicious and the girls received darling smocked baseball Carinals dresses. Stay tuned for photos of them once Spring Training is here.

Happy Birthday Stella!

Tonight we attended a surprise birthday party for Stella (a.k.a L.H.A.) at Bar Napoli. I finally got to meet the infamous "Greyhound"....Panther and I even got to pose with him:



Stoke and "Stoke's Wife" were in attendance to celebrate the special event. I hadn't seen them since Frank & Stella's wedding nearly 6 years ago!


Clause and Frank took a break from socializing to pose and make a "Panther sandwich". . .


Here I am with the birthday girl. . .

Harlem Globetrotters

This afternoon Uncle Charlie invited us to join his family at the Scottrade Center to see the Harlem Globetrotters. We were thrilled with the opportunity and agreed to go...little did we know they were VIP court side tickets four rows from the court.


No Scottrade Center outing seems complete without a bag of cotton candy. Baby Colleen had her first taste of blue cotton candy tonight and she loved it! Look at here licking her fingers and eyeing out the remains in the bag:


75% of the family is looking at the camera. . .

"Grandma Hun"

Today Peyton hostessed a luncheon for "Grandma Hun". . . look at Chef PEW in full cooking gear:

We even provided the ladies with appropriate beverages. Read the labels. . .


After dessert Peyton taught Hun how to be a Doodlebop.


Taylor napped during most of our visit but she was wide awake tonight while Daddy bathed her. She loves to lay back in the bubbles and laugh at her silly Dad.

Miniature Monorail

It is freezing outside so we stayed in our warm home and the girls enjoyed playing with some of their newest toys. Peyton played dress-up in her lavender tutu and put a pink ballet skirt on Taylor. Here are a couple cute candids of them with their Disney monorail set:

Happy New Year

We stayed home and opened the doors to anyone interested in playing with Peyton. Believe it or not as I type this Blog entry at 12:50a.m. she is getting her bedtime bath. Daddy and Mommy are crossing our fingers that she'll sleep until 11a.m. but typically no matter what time she goes to bed her "body clock" wakes her around 8:30a.m.

Taylor managed to pose with Miss Moshi while wearing her party hat just before she went to bed around 9p.m.

Sorkie began the New Year by establishing her new Yahoo email address. Congrats, Los Arcos!

Three generations by the delicious dessert . . .

Julia's blue eyes caught by the camera:

Peyton begging for Nicholas to play fair after he stole her Snow White medallion.

"New Couple of the Year 2007" goes to Lady X & Joe.

Kelly and her "Favorite Rushee - Fall 1997"


Daddy prepares for the midnight toast:


"Happy New Year 2008" group shot:


Peyton enjoyed the party favors


She even made Joe put a hat on so that he could party with her.