Dramatic B&W

This is my first entry into a I Heart Faces contest.





Each week they have a contest, anyone can enter by posting a pic on their blog. This weeks theme is Dramatic B&W

Here is my Entry:

I love the contrast in this picture, and the expression on his face.

I am sure I wont win, but its fun to be able to enter and have others critique my work!

Yep...Still Here

Not to worry y'all. We are all still alive an kickin' here in Vogelville. Mama Vogel has just been a bit of a slacker when it comes to the blog!

It seems by the time I get home, we have supper, play with the kids, have Tub time, and do the bedtime routine, the night is gone. Plus lately, the weather has been great so we have been trying to get outside at night. Add to that the fact that I have been trying to fit in some exercise in the evenings, plus the fact that I should be studying for my Mutual Funds Exam.....and well, I just feel like there isn't enough hours in the day!

The kids are doing great. they loooooooooove daycare. Seriously. LOVE it. Spudster is doing good in the Big Boy Bed, sleeping through the night.....

But wait.....

There is a catch. Ya. The little booger has been getting up at 5:30AM. Uh huh. NOT impressed. Anyone have any ideas how to get him to stay in bed and go back to sleep? Laying with him doesn't work, nor does getting angry. When he got up this early inhis crib we would just leave him in there. We could sleep through his chit chat and whining...however, sleeping through a small boy pounding on his door isn't as easy.

Must go. Bed time is approaching here in  Vogelville, and since I am manning the fort on my own, its up to me to round up the troops.

Night-Night, Big Boy.

This is Spud's Room.

And that is his brand new Big Boy Bed.

In fact, he is having his 1st ever nap in it in the picture. Can you see him???

There he is! You had to get right up there to see his little head just peeking out of the great big Duvet!

Soooo cute.

We all built his big boy bed together today, because that is what Daddy wanted to do on his birthday (Happy Birthday Cody!!)

And we got it done just in time for the Spud-man to take a nap in it.

After we were all done, he crawled in under the covers, and looked at his Daddy and said "tay-too" (Thank You).

He only got out of bed once at nap time....I opened the door he looked up at me and said "Hi!", looking very proud that he had made it out of that BIIIIG bed.

I layed him down again, and that was it...he slept for 1.5 hours.

And tonight? He went to bed at his normal time. And fell right asleep.

Night-Night, Big Boy. Ove ewww.

Of Bikes....and Boots

Betcha can't guess who looooves their new yellow rubber boots...

Seriously, we can hardly get the kid to take 'em off. He is a major fashionista. He's gotta pick his shirt everyday, and we have meltdowns if we can't find the right jammies. And he appears to have a bit of a shoe fetish. Or in this case boot fetish. Although we usually can't get him to take his daycare shoes off at the end of the day either....silly boy.

Do ya think she likes her bike? Yeah, me too. She has been asking to bike since we had to put it away in the fall, so you bet she was pumped when we let her ride it today.

Spud got to "ike" too. He was pretty darn excited as well. Although, lets be honest, there was a whole lot of pushing on Daddy's part and no "iking" on Spuds part. Cuz its pretty tough to bike when you can't reach the pedals.

Prince

Daddy: Sweeter, did you notice Daddy's new haircut

Sweeter: Yeah

Daddy: Does it look good?

Sweeter: Yeah!

Daddy: Does Daddy look handsome?

Sweeter: Yeah! Like a prince!

BUBBLES!!!!

We were "bubbling" again today. It was exactly what I needed after a rather long, frustrating day at work (Stinkin' Mondays!)

How could I not feel better, when this is what I come home to?

These two monkeys are The.Best.Ever.

Thank you my Small Boy, and Sweet Girl, for being there to remind me that a bad day at work,

Is just that.

A bad day at work. Which really isn't a bad day at all.

Because it is what happens after work that counts!

Spring!

It feels like Spring is here. 'Course I've lived in Alberta long enough to know that what feels like spring, and looks like spring...probably isn't spring. At least not the first time around. I once heard frome a very wise man (Hi Dad!), that we need to hear the frogs chirp 3 times before "true" spring is here. I don't hear any frogs where I am but, I'm bettin' that it ain't been three times.

That said I will take any bit of warm weather I can get. A winter girl I am not! Today, the kids and I were out on our front step blowing bubbles. Without jackets. Actually I was even in a tank top. Not that I am one of those people who start wearing shorts in February because they feel like its warm enough, I just was in the house with one on, and noticed how sunny our front step was, so I went out there to soak up some rays. Which of course meant the kids wanted to be out with me...and which eventually led to buuble blowing, in a tank top. I love how excited the kids get over bubbles. Hopefully if we do it again tomorrow, I will take pics.

Speaking of needing to take pics, Mr. Spud has decided that he can walk upstairs like a big boy. Don't get me wrong, it takes a heck of a lot of effort to do so, and he grunts at each stair, but he is pretty stinkin' proud of himself. Must get a video of this accomplishment. SOOOOO cute.

We went out to Nana and Papa's for Supper tonight, and when we were driving away, Sweeter said to me, But Mommy, I LIKE my Nana and Papa, and I want to go back there right now. That girl is so cute.

Moo-Mees!

Last night, Daddy made "Moo-Mee's!"

Or Smoothies, if you don't speak Levi-ese.

They loooove them. My bottomless pit (AKA Spud) drank a whole glassful. More than me. More than Sweeter. This was after he had been eating since the second he got home. He is going to eat us out of house and home.

Sweeter has been learning to count to 20. Actually, she knows how to count to 20, but she is playing us so that we think she can't. We bribed her with treats once to convince her to count that high (above mentioned "Moo-Mees" was a treat) And now she figures that if she acts like she can't count, and then does, she gets a treat. Stinker. 

** And for the record I do take pictures of Kayla too. I just have a hard time getting good ones. Apparently she doesn't like having a crazy lady in her face with a Camera all the time. What can ya do?**

Gimme a D-A-Y...

...C-A-R-E

Yep. The kids started at Daycare today.

And they did great. The care providers said the kids just fit right in. It was like they had been there forever. And they couldn't stop talking about how big an eater Spud is. Yep. That's my boy! Spud only napped for about 1/2 hour, but given that he has to sleep on a Mat on the floor, it wasn't a surprise. I was just glad he slept at all. It should only get better.

When Daddy dropped Sweeter off at the Daycare after Playschool, she ran outside to play and yelled "Hello Kids! I am here to PLAY!!!" She was pumped. When I was talking her in to bed tonight she hugged me and said "I had fun at Daycare mom. Absolute fun." Silly girl.

I am just so thrilled with our decision. The dayhome was great. But I just knew it wasn't the right fit for my kids. This feels right. They are busy, there is tons of kids to play with, and they were both outside playing today. When Cody went outside to get Small Boy to leave, he didn't want to come home. Good sign...No? And both Cody and I feel good about it. Here is hoping that this feeling continues and that the kids continue to love going there.