When Chris makes me laugh

When Chris makes me laugh, it is absolutely the highlight of my day. He knows when I'm stressed out. He knows when I'm not feeling good and need a good pick-me-up.

So about a week ago, he went to give the kids a bath ... and all of a sudden, the kids came out of the bathroom like this.

I could NOT .. STOP .. LAUGHING.

A little pajama switcheroo! The kids thought it was hysterical, too. I am so blessed to have a husband who takes a few minutes out of one of the frustrating times of day (bath/bed time routine) to make me laugh. :)

Soccer Dad

This is Kennedy's first attempt at soccer. She has had a few games and practices, but here lately -- everything has been cancelled because of weather or lack of players from the opposing team.

At practice this week - our coach had to leave for an event for his daughters. And the assistant coach was a no-show. So he asked Chris to fill in. What a natural.......


He was patient with the girls (who showed up).... doing drills, giving pep talks and advice, and demonstrations.


Seeing him in that environment just melted my heart. He would be an amazing coach. He coached young boys baseball in Maine before I met him. I hope he's able to do that again here in Louisiana.


Meanwhile, Brady wasn't feeling so hot. So we just laid low and snuggled and made faces and took pictures.











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Zoe

In the last couple of weeks, I have noticed something.


Zoe has worked her furry little self into that place in my heart where Roscoe used to be. I will *always* have a place in my heart for Roscoe. He was with me during some really tough times in my life.

But I think it's taken this long for me to realize that it's ok to love Zoe the same way I loved Roscoe. I guess deep down I felt like I was betraying him.

I can tell Zoe loves me by the way she puts her head in my lap.... the way she follows me all over the house... the way she jumps up on her hind legs when I walk in the door. I still consider myself her step-mom, but step-moms can love their babies just as much as their first moms. :)


I am so happy Zoe joined our family. She is the perfect addition to the LaPierres.

(ps. Chris is just as smitten with her. I can tell by the way they play together after the kids go to bed...)


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Fabulous hair

I'm a bit if a hair snob. I like my hair to look good. I pay a small fortune for cut and color. And I truly prefer to have a stylist trained at Toni & Guy do my hair. I know, I know. Silly, but I'm unashamed. It's my only indulgence. I don't get my nails done; I don't get massages; I don't get beauty treatments. Just...hair.

I've been through PLENTY of bad hair do's. I bleached it platinum in college. When I was broke after college, I dyed it brown. But I always likes it to be somewhat "fixed."

When I was little, I had medium-long hair... but VERY fine hair. So as Kennedy gets older, I am amazed by her locks.



Absolutely adorable.

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Time with my B...

I haven't had as much time with the kids this week as I would like. And having two to try to make up that time with is very difficult. Each kid wants to do something different. And one gets jealous when the other gets time that the first one desperately wants. It's one struggle (of many -- that I'm certainly willing to deal with) of having two kids.

So when Kennedy was invited to a sleep over at one of her favorite friend's house -- it seemed like a fantastic solution. Kennedy won't get jealous and Brady will be sick of me tomorrow and I can hang with my sweet girl.

So Brady and I had a Mardi Gras parade in the living room....


It is Mardi Gras you know!! One of my ULTIMATE favorite times of year. We went to the parades last weekend, but opted to stay home this weekend. ((Good choice 'cause it was VERY cold and rainy!))



We donned "beeeeeads" and silly, blinking glasses and hollered "Happy Mardi Gras!!!"



We snuggled and watched movies.... (even Zoe joined us).



Oh... And dinner? Mint Oreo Blizzard.

We had a fabulous Saturday.

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Monkey on My Back...

There are very few disadvantages to working from home. VERY few...

But I will say that when there's a "snow" day - the work goes on for me. We've had two already this year in Louisiana (insert laughter from my Maine family)! Usually it's just icy, but as you saw already from the previous pictures - there really was snow accumulation on the ground. And around here, if there's anything in the ground - school is closed.

So imagine the "fun" I had trying to work with two kids at home.

At one point, I gave up trying to talk on the phone and just answered emails, but this cute little visitor kept coming back.

So - I flipped on the web cam:

Adorable? Yes.

Distracting? You bet.

But absolutely hysterical.....

Poetry Contest

My heart is exploding with pride this morning. My sweet baby girl got up in front of the ENTIRE 1st grade, including parents, and recited a poem for the American Heritage Poetry Contest. Did I mention she had to MEMORIZE it?


I bought her a Betsy Ross costume, for a little extra flair. She did an AMAZING job!!! I couldn't be more proud of her!

Right before the assembly started -- I went over to her seat, gave her a quick hug and "good luck"... and she looked at me and said, "Mama - I'm not even nervous!" :)

Here it is on YouTube...

It's not important that she won in her class. What's important to me is that she put I'm the work to memorize it and marched up on that stage, grabbed the microphone and said her poem in front of hundreds of people.

Yay Kennedy!



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