Many Things...

First of all, here is the cute "big girl" bed we got off of craigslist. We got a good deal, so we bought it even though the girls aren't quite ready for it yet. :)

Next, I had to post this picture. I posted Lexi's first Magna Doodle drawing and it is only fair to do the same with Lilly! She loves to draw and tries so hard, but she has a soft touch that usually won't leave a mark. Poor girl will try and try, then throw the pen down, cry, and go do something else. She is finally getting the hang of it though....
I was trying to take a picture of their eye color because it is changing a tiny bit...clearly more pictures will be needed! Lexi smiled too big...
So did Lilly...
I just like this picture...

My two sweet girlies crashing Sneezy's sleeping spot!

The next thing makes me soooooooooo happy!!! I was so totally in love with a Christmas dress that I saw somewhere for $18. I thought that was expensive, especially since I need 2 of them. The ones at Wal-Mart are cute, but not "to die for cute"!! Today I ran by Marshall's to price their dresses. I figured I would just save up for the two that I loved the most. WELL...look what I found (and promptly bought!)

The dress is silk (maybe not real silk :)) with a sash and bow that ties in the back. I just adore the gathering at the top and the print. The bottom of the dress is also "bubbled", if that makes sense. It also came with a nice warm coat....a black, hooded, dressy, winter coat. The coat is lined with the same silky material that the dress is made from. I am saving the pictures of the girls modeling the dresses for their Daddy for a later post!

Oh yeah, it also came with matching bloomers. :) So that is 3 pieces for a VERY good price! I am so excited! Cute, huh?
The flash makes it lighter, but you can see the details, at least...
Note the hood and the lining of the coat...
Last but not least, here are the pumpkin cookies I made yesterday. They were so much fun to make. I will use regular sized chocolate chips next time, but I already had the little ones to use this time.

If you like baking and pumpkin-flavored things, you've got to try these. Here is the link from one of my favorite blogs ever! I check it daily and have make almost a dozen recipes from it so far. Eric is a huge fan of the recipes too, which is saying something!

http://joyinmykitchen.blogspot.com/2009/10/great-pumpkin-cookies.html

Update...

It has been FOREVER since I blogged and I hate that. It has just been super crazy busy over here lately. I watch Annalise, who's almost 3, three days a week right now. Eric has also been in the midst of crunch time with tests and papers and homework.

Then I have had the aching to decorate, redo, and spiff up the house. We did find a great toddler bed and attic ladder on craigslist last week, so those are here and ready to be put to use soon. The toddler bed is perfect and we got a good deal on it. It is the same one that we love from WalMart too, so if we can't find a matching one online, then we will still be able to go to WalMart and get it there.

Today, I cleaned out the garage. Eric was supposed to do it, but has lacked the time. So I just did it, since it was driving me crazy. I have been re-arranging the twins room again and cleaning out Eric's office. I love this house, but it does lack some nice storage spaces. Maybe when we rig up the attic door with the new ladder, we can actually store some baby things up there. I am having a hard time deciding what things to keep and store and which things to get rid of and buy later if we have another child. The clothes are one thing, but what do you do with large baby items for 2 for four years until you may/may not have another one??

I have been cooking a lot this week too. Yesterday I surprised Eric and the girls after their naps with Pumpkin Cookies. They were super easy to make and really good!! Plus they were cute. I will post a link to the recipe and a picture of mine later tonight. I hope you all are doing well!!! Look for a picture-ful post late tonight!! Have a great weekend!

Crock-Pot Tips from Kraft Foods

Hey! I found these great tips on www.kraftfoods.com, and thought they were too good not to share. I didn't know any of these things about cooking with my crockpot, which I am trying to do more often these days. I hope you guys like the tips....

"Slow Cooker Tips & Tricks

Master the mystery of this appliance and it will spend more time on your counter than in your cupboard.

• Don't fill it up. Your slow cooker should be one-half to two-thirds full. If it's too full, it will take too long to start simmering. If it's not full enough, you risk overcooking.
• Keep it thrifty. This long, moist cooking method is ideal for inexpensive cuts of meat, since it provides plenty of time for tenderizing.
• Leave it alone. Don't lift the lid, unless you want to extend the cooking time by 20 min. To check the progress, spin the lid until the condensation falls off. If the recipe gives you reason to lift the lid, replace it quickly.
• Customize it. If you want to thicken the juices or concentrate flavors, remove the lid and cook on HIGH for the last 30 min.
• Stick to the cooking time. Slow cookers work by simmering food at a low, even temperature, so adhere to the recipe."

UMHB Homecoming

Yesterday was UMHB's Homecoming game. I am so proud of all the work that Eric is putting into his school work, and just think it's the coolest to see him at my alma mater. :)

For those of you who are familiar with UMHB traditions, then you know about the "Couch Cru". They started a few years back when I was there. It was basically a group of students who took their couches and set them in the end-zone, painted their faces, and cheered on our Crusaders. It is now a big thing and the bookstore even sells "Couch Cru" jerseys.

Eric got this idea that we should get the girls onesies and make them say, "Stroller Cru". So yesterday, we *hopefully* introduced the university to the very first members of the "Stroller Cru"...Lilly & Lexi. I painted logos on the onesies, the fronts said, "Stroller Cru" and the backs were designed to look like jerseys. We had Sanford 1, and Sanford 2. Plus, if the girls bent over and you saw under their tutus, you would see "UMHB" painted in little block letters across their booties. :) These were fun to make and Eric and I had a blast designing them. The purple and gold tutus were just the final touch.

So here they are...THE STROLLER CRU!!!

Lexi really liked the cheerleaders and Lilly really liked the crowd and her Daddy!

It was so windy. I am not even sure why I fixed my hair. :) It was so windblown in this picture. :) We asked a group of 4 UMHB girls if they would take our picture and it was ooh's and aww's for about 5 minutes. The twins were definitely a hit!
Home again, ready to play...

If you are my friend on facebook, there are lots more pictures in an album there. There were just so many to post on this blog. :)

HOW???

How did my girls get so big so fast??? They look so grown up in this picture!!

Good Pictures

Let's start off with this cute little face, shall we? :) Lilly has been such a "ham" lately and it's adorable. I told her I was gonna give her a kiss and this is the face she made.

And don't you just love getting the perfect picture when you weren't trying to get it...Miss Lexi was playing with her storage toy when I got this one.
Now, Lilly has also been extra, super giggly the last week or so. She gets in these moods where she runs all over the house doing this goofy laugh and smiling from ear to ear. I have gotten some classic pics of her as well. Here are a few...

See? I just wanna scoop her up and never let her go...
And last, but ABSOLUTELY, not least...I got some sweet pictures of Alexis and her puppies the other morning while she was still in her pajamas. She just wanted to snuggle with them so bad. She carried her blanket and teddy bear around from couch to couch, trying to sit with them. :)
Toby was wary of her getting too close but she did it so slowly and sweetly that he realized he would be okay and just went back to sleep beside her.

2nd Pumpkin Patch

We took the girls down the road the other day to the Harker Heights Pumpkin Patch. It was a gorgeous day and we thought it would be fun to let the girls RUN, RUN, and RUN some more. :) Lexi was more calm, which is becoming her new thing, while Lilly went nuts. She picked her tiny little pumpkin (or gourd...we're not sure!) and carried it around with her the whole time.

I just love fall days with sunshine and a breeze, don't you? Here are the girls in a wheelbarrow like last year, although last year they both smiled at the camera.

Lilly talked to and giggled at the scarecrow.
Lexi wanted to help me carry the pumpkin we were going to buy. She kept dropping it and saying, "Ohhhh!"
This was the scene most of the time we were there...a little baby running off into the pumpkins. This is Lilly...
She found it!!! Her perfect pumpkin...
Lexi went to say hi to all the scarecrows...
Well, 1 picture with their fall bows was good. :) At least Lexi looked at her Daddy!
"Mommy!! Look at all these cute pumpkins!" - Lilly
And lastly, we have ONE of Lilly's new things...She woke up one night around 11:30 pm so I brought her into our room to snuggle for a while. She was super groggy at first, but I told her she was funny from something she did and this is the face she then proceeded to give me. Now, if we tell her she is funny, she gives us a huge, goofy smile! I love it!
Have a great Wednesday!