Happy New Year!

So this posting is a little late....Happy New Year!  I  rang in 2008 with my dear friends here in Gainesville, VA.  Truly one of the best New Years I've ever had.  Duane celebrated 2008 with my brothers and Dad at the Rose Bowl.  They all had a boys trip to watch USC win.  It was a lot of fun!

There has been a lot of fun/action/adventure in the past 10 days!

I hired our first maid service "Rosalita's" to come once a month and deep clean...ahhhh....

When one of the coldest days here (12 degrees) our heater broke.  The house was 48 degrees and I had everyone bundled up.  Jonathan was gone so I called a heating service.  $400 later, we had heat.  And got down to the bottom of the problem....the batteries in our digital thermostat died.  Ugh!

Austin has started getting Ashley out of her crib in the mornings and changes her diaper! This doesn't occur every morning , but when it does, it's heavenly and buys me a little more time.

I started working out again after my holiday "sabbatical".

Austin and Ash yell BATTLE and they start throwing things at each other and the first to cry loses.

Austin was wiping his nose and told me that he had something special for me.  I asked him what, and he said "Snot lotion".

Austin has been making breakfast for me the past few days.  It's a special sandwich made of Hershey syrup, oreo's, m&m's, and 4 layers of 12 Grain bread.  Good morning!

Austin's been "stocked up" so an xray told us.  We had our special "cleanout" with him drinking magnesium citrate.  That night we had a lovely "poop slumber party" where only he and I got to watch movies and be cleansed out!  The plumbing is now working properly.

Austin will do things around the house and say, "Like father, like son."

Austin got the Air Hogs for Christmas (Thanks grandma and grandpa!) and he and Ash both love the remote control helicopters.  They come whizzing by my ear, get tangled in my hair and smash into the side of my head many times a day.  But the kids love them.

Austin was leaving preschool the other day and a girl told him bye and he said, "Boys Rule, Girls Drool."  I had to laugh out loud!  

Ashley will help me cook, throw things in the trash, assist in any way and says "Help Mama!"  She loves being my little helper!

Ash painted her toenails for the first time this week!  I was painting them for her and of course says, "I do" and grabbed the little wand and went to town.  There is polish from the base of her little sausages up past her toenails.  Pretty pink feet!

Ash loves when visitors come to the house.  She grabs her toys and shows them off.  She grabs things in her room and runs downstairs and grabs more to exhibit her goods.  

Ash has been very "tactical" recently.  She loves to pinch the cheeks of people smaller than her.  She also "pats" heads, sometimes harder than she should.  Austin never hits her back so I don't know where she's learned it!  We're working hard at not hitting.  She's brought Austin to tears many times!

The January thaw here's been nice.  Beginning of January, and for three days its been upper 60's, low 70's.  It was a spring teaser, but we sure enjoyed the warm weather!  

We took a trip to Ikea in Woodbridge with Erika, Cam and Gavs and had a lot of fun!

I hosted my monthly BUNKO party at my home last night and we all had a surprise baby shower for Allison.  Such fun.

Finally, Ashley has been showing tremendous potty interest for a few weeks.  She's been telling me when she needs to go pee-pee.  We'll go and she actually goes!  I'm just terrified to actually start the potty training (which she's really doing by herself right now thank goodness) because she's so tiny and is all over the toilet.  It's so much easier and cleaner if she just goes in her diaper!  But, she obviously can do it and I must buckle down and be consistent!  (Thanks Cherilyn for the potty protector idea!)

Have a great week!

Angie