1st Born vs. 2nd Born

Sometimes I feel bad for Max, born into a house of 1st born, type-A people.

Often this is when Ainsley recites all of the rules pertaining to the new couch ("Max, you can't drink milk on the couch. Max, you can't jump on the couch," etc.)

Nothing illustrates the difference between these two better than pictures of their first sledding experience of the season. (And yes, they were thrilled to sled on 1/2 inch of snow and we've had about 12 more since then!)

Mullet Removal

Thanks for everyone's comments on MulletGate.

It was a tough battle, but Mommy won & we are a Mullet-Free family once again.

Hooray!

Max was a true haircut champion as long as he was plied with mini candy bars.

He impressed everyone at the salon, including his stylist, Erin.

Ainsley was there for moral support in case Max cried.

"Did I cry when I got my first haircut, Mom?" she asked.

Ummm, you mean did you shriek like you were being waterboarded when Erin attempted to shampoo your hair?

No, you didn't cry at

all.

"Oh, you were just a little nervous, sweetie," I lied.

Max is Sold Out to Santa

We finally received an emailed copy of our picture with Santa this week.

After a month of brainwashing, we convinced Ainsley to visit Santa on December 23rd.

As you can see, she wasn't entirely sold on the idea of physical contact with this bearded elf, so instead, she volunteered,

"I will not sit on Santa's lap, I will only stand by him, but Max will sit on his lap, Mom. That's a great idea!"

Yeah, he was thrilled.

MulletGate 2011

Like many great Midwesterns before him, my son has a mullet.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

We weren't trying to achieve this amazing hairstyle, it just sort of happened.

Really, you can't even tell there is a party in the back going on when you look at him head-on.

Exhibit C:

This has caused great debate within our family. Brad & Ainsley don't want Max to get a haircut, but I do.

Guess who is going to win?

Brad wants Max to grow his ponytail (see below) longer & donate it to Locks for Love. Seriously?

Feel free to leave your comments for MulletGate/MulletWatch 2011 - we'll let you know our decision.

Anne Geddes I'm Not (or, Happy New Year!)

We hosted a black tie affair on New Year's Eve, & I attempted to photograph 4 kids under age 2 & a 3 year-old pirate.

My mom knitted Max, Ronan, & twins Anna Kate & Connor matching tuxedo sweaters for the holiday season.

That was reason enough to get this destructive foursome together for a playdate.

I quickly learned why most of Anne Geddes' photos are of babies sleeping soundly in pea pods.

This crew did not care to take direction - except, of course, for the pirate, who decided that this would be the one day she would smile perfectly for the camera.

Anna Kate quickly realized that the photographer was an amateur & she had better places to be than squeezed on my couch between her brother, Connor (on the right) & second cousin, Ronan (on the left).

The photographer quickly realized that Anne Geddes probably sedates those pea pod babies with barbiturates.

The pirate was just happy she could be in costume & could wear a "t-shirt with words," as that is her preferred formalwear.

See ya, boys. Anna Kate's going over the couch.

Connor's crying at his mom's lame attempt to entertain him with a football.

Max looks confused & Ronan is just making sure his mom doesn't leave him with all of these crazy people.

All in all, I would consider our photo shoot a major success.

Happy New Year!

"Christmas is NOT over yet, guys."

"Mommy, does Santa bring presents to big girls that

accidentally hit their little brothers?"

The dynamic duo preparing for Christmas Eve brunch at Pops & KK's house. They LOVE to brush their teeth.

Max quickly became a pro at opening presents.

Christmas Eve night - Ainsley & Max had so much fun with cousin Annie. Of course they had outfits made by Granny Thea.

I had to brainwash her for a month & wear a dress myself, but she wore a dress

after 6 months of saying "no."

Cousins! Annie, Ainsley, Kaedi & Max at Aunt Kathy & Uncle Cliff's house.

Curly haired dancin' machines!

Christmas Morning! Ooops! Looks like Santa forgot to set up some toys before he left!

Ainsley was most excited about her new mechanical toothbrush. Seriously.

Christmas was no excuse for Max to stop being naughty!

Christmas morning at Grandma Connie's - look what Uncle Josh got Max!

Just what this troublemaker doesn't need - an ATV!

Max knows he can use this ATV for good or evil.

Just hanging out with Annie & George the Monkey.

Christmas night at our house - Auntie Julie thought Ainsley definitely

needed a microphone.

"Oh, I just love you Max."

Auntie Julie hit the jackpot with Ainsley's pirate outfit - we didn't realize

she was such a fan!

Ainsley & her favorite pirate, Auntie Julie.

Dance-Off

I haven't been able to post lately because I've been too busy judging Ainsley's dance moves, playing freeze tag, taking pictures of "me, mom" or gluing something back together that Max has broken.

Ainsley has really perfected her dance moves & definitely rivals Max in this department:

The above is some kind of break dancing move - Brad could probably describe it better because I'm pretty sure that is who taught her how to do it.

Not sure what move this is, neither does Max, but it definitely involves being graceful while holding lip gloss.

What sweet kids! You would never know they get up before 5 am some days!

Merry Christmas!

"Did God Spit Us Out?"

Ainsley is officially 3 1/2 & keeps us laughing with some pretty ridiculous stuff:

Me: "Ainsley, did you rip this book?"

Ainsley: "No, Mommy. I think God did it. I think God made it that way, Mom."

*****

Our neighbor: "Where's your mom, Ainsley?"

Ainsley: "Oh, she's at home with the cleaners because she really can't keep our house clean."

*****

Me to Ainsley's friend Wyatt: "So, Wyatt, what is your favorite thing about Preschool?"

Ainsley interrupting: "---Is it playing with me, Wyatt?"

Wyatt, with a little stammer: "Yes, it is."

Ainsley: "My favorite thing about preschool is playing with you too."

*****

Ainsley: "Mommy, who made us?"

Me: "Ummmm, who do you think made us?"

A: "God."

Me: "Yep, God made us."

A: "Well, how did God make us? Did God just spit us out?"

Me: "Do you think he spit us out?"

A: "Yeah."

Me: "He probably did then."

*****

One of my friends: "Ainsley, what princess do you want to be?"

Ainsley: "I don't want to be a princess, I want to be a doctor."

*****

"Mommy, I lost my balloon & it went up to heaven."

*****

"Mommy, Max is ready for a nap, he's getting wild."

*****

"Mommy, can you get a job today so I can stay for A-Team?" (after-school care)

*****

Ainsley's new-found love for my cooking:

- As I pour pasta into boiling water: "Mommy, I love you. You are a great chef."

- As she eats microwaved Mickey Mouse chicken nuggets: "Mommy, this is a great meal, thank you so much for making it! It is delicious!"

*****

Ainsley's new-found love for her brother:

-"Mommy, I love you & I don't want to throw Max in a trash can." That's reassuring.

-"Max, I love you. I want to keep you FOREVER! I want you to stay with me FOREVER!"

I Just Wanna Dance!

Max has a new hobby.

He is a master of dance - his favorite move is "raising the roof" and he only moves from the waist up.

He likes to "raise it" during commercials or during "The Backyardigans."

Don't be surprised if he shows up on "Dancing With the Stars" some day - you can say you knew him when...

Happy Halloween!

Do you still have a sugar high? We do!

This pumpkin pair was ready for a neighborhood parade & pizza party before the competitive candy-eating began!

Max trying to rip off the hat before we made it out the door.

Max did not really enjoy the wind, cold, riding-in-the-wagon aspect of the holiday-he just wanted candy.

Lots of giggles!

Max became a frozen pumpkin so we had to break the coat out.

Trick-or-treating last week at Brad's firm. Max screamed until he got chocolate so he had 3 or 5 candy bars - at some point we stopped counting.

Pumpkin carving!

The family activity that sounds so fun, but really is a big pain in the ---. (This comes from the spouse that did absolutely nothing & just watched.)

Max was disgusted with the whole pumpkin-carving experience. It was pretty funny.

Ainsley & her pumpkin (& one of her fabulous "look what I picked out" outfits).

The end result was great - 3 jack-o-lanterns & then we roasted the pumpkin seeds-how domestic is THAT??