BooFull Words

The girls just crack me up with the funny things they say.  I always think I will remember these cute expressions forever, but in the back of my mind, I know I will forget in a week.

The annoying things that I hear all day long will probably be what I remember.  Unfortunately, "Own.  Self.  No.  Teeth hurting." is not what Haley wants me to think of her in 30 years.  And, I don't think "Tummy hurting.  Not tired.  Milk NOW" is a true representation of Shelby either.  So, here's what I want to remember:

Haley
~BooFull (Beautiful)

My BooFull girl's teeth are hurting, hence the finger in the mouth.

~Nook (Milk)

~Wuv you, Mama!  (She said this about 2 weeks ago for the first time and melted my heart)

~DeeDee (Lilly, the dog).  She will scream "DeeDee, NOW!" when she wants her to come inside.

~Me:  Don't touch that.
  Haley:  Why 'cause?


~Profey (Privacy, when she is doing her business in the bathroom)

~Guan (Juan), Jonson (Jonathan), Suess (Jesus), and 'Me (Jaime), our nanny's kids that the girls adore

Making cupcakes with Suess and 'Me 

Shelby
~Shelby: Daddy, Haley, Daddy, Haley was, Daddy!
  Bryon:  Stop tattling on your sister.
  Shelby:  I'm not tattling on her, I'm just telling you the truth about what Haley did.

~Me (while dancing around the living room):  Shake your bum!
  Shelby:  But, princesses don't shake their bums.  They just jump and turn.

~Me:  Get in the tub, NOW.
  Shelby:  But, I don't want to get my crown wet.


~Rest-er-hunt (Restaurant)

"I Like Your Craft Posts"

I recently had lunch with a "girl" I used to babysit back in the 80's, Regan.  Funny thing is, she isn't a "girl" anymore, but a grown up, incredibly smart, and very classy woman.  Must have been my great babysitting skills!

The conversation somehow came around to my little ol' blog (probably because I brought it up!), and she mentioned how much she liked the craft posts.  I was totally flattered since she and her sister are beyond talented in the craft department.  Just take a gander at their pieces of art on their blog, Artes Domesticas Miztontli.

So, Regan, this post is for you!  The rest of you looking for adorable pictures of my children will just have to wait...

My sister recently slyly requested I make her a tree skirt she had seen on pinterest.

Source: mycrazylife-lauren.blogspot.com via Molly on Pinterest

And, since we all know how everything on pinterest turns out EXACTLY like it should, I just knew it was going to be an easy, yet incredible, project.  Once again, I was wrong.

I used this post for the general directions, but changed it up a little to save on money and effort.  Maybe I should have stuck to the original plan..

I scored a red felt tree skirt at Target for 90% off ($0.59 to be exact) and some green stretch taffeta at Joann's for $3.50/yard.  It took almost every inch of the 3 yards of taffeta I bought.  Using 3" strips, I used a ruffler foot to make miles and miles of green ruffles.

Great practice for making ruffles

Only the best for my sister ($0.59!)

Against the advice of my friend, Mya, I sewed 9 rows of ruffles onto the cheap red felt.  She wisely thought I should glue the strips on since the felt was so thin.

Only 7 more rows to go!

This project only took me about a week, a record considering I have two eager "helpers" climbing around.  It also doubles as a can-can skirt for a REALLY skinny girl....Enjoy, Ms. Molly!

It's the German in Her

This may be completely normal in all kids, but I'm thinking mine is special.  Shelby has always counted to five on her fingers starting with her thumb and then skipping her ring finger.  Is that cool or what?  I think it has to do with her strong German heritage, as anyone that has seen the movie Inglorious Bastards knows the Germans count differently than the Americans.

So, parents, is our child cool or just normal?

Princess Wishes and Silicone Dreams

I tried really hard to shield my girls from the "I am a princess" idea that Disney has implanted into society.  Alas, it didn't take long before Shelby shocked me by announcing she was, indeed, a princess. I'm still wondering where she heard the term first.  We can no longer go through the check lanes at Target without her begging for these tiny princesses that you can dress up in odd silicone clothing.

Oh, Cinderella, what a lucky girl you turned out to be!

Needless to say, we now own several of Disney's stupid little princess dolls.  I first saw the Cinderella version when my niece, Carly, was about 3.  My sister told me how annoying they were, but I didn't believe her.  Being the official Best Aunt Ever, I humored Carly by dressing and undressing the teeny-tiny-plastic-people until my fingers were cramping.  

Only half of the princess spread in our house.  

By the time Shelby was begging for the same toy, I foolishly assumed that Disney had improved on the clothing and that the dressing and undressing part would now be easy enough for any 3-year-old to accomplish herself.  DUH!  Anytime the girls start playing with them, my heart sinks, as I know I will be changing their outfits non-stop.  And, the pieces are so tiny, I'm constantly finding them in the most random places i.e. under my sheets, in the bottom of my shoe, chewed up in the dog's crate...

Just look at that concentration!

So, for now, we will humor the princess syndrome.  But, I will also be teaching them the idea that they can accomplish anything all by themselves.  No prince or silicone dress necessary!  

How to Potty Train in one week (or less!)

1.  When picking out the baby you want, be sure to get a strong-willed and competitive one. 

2.  Deal with your strong-willed child's need for independence for two years.  Try not to pull your hair out with the "Own" and "Self" statements (as in, "I'll do it on by myself, and I do NOT want any help from you.")

3.  Use your child's older sibling as an example, which may or may not turn into a competition for the potty each and every time one decides to sit on it.  This will test your patience to the limits, but hang tough.

4.  Pick a day, and go for it!

In other words, training Haley has been a breeze, totally opposite from Shelby.  I didn't have to offer any bribes and didn't have to spend days at home with a naked kid.  Maybe picking out that strong-willed child wasn't such a bad decision after all!

Christmas in New Mexico

For the holidays this year, we braved the Irving-to-Los Lunas drive to Bryon's parents' house.  Just hand over my "Mother of the Year Award" for riding in the car a total of TWENTY-FIVE freakin' hours.  I think we had to pull over at least 25 times for potty breaks.  Good thing we keep a $1.99 IKEA potty in the back seat! 

Nothing but the best for our kids!

Unfortunately, a stomach virus joined us on the trip.  Shelby puked in Bryon's favorite Mavericks cap.  Haley learned to puke in the potty like a big girl.  Janice didn't come out of her bedroom for over 24 hours.  Monica actually lost weight instead of gaining 5 pounds.  Fun times! 

The girls did have a great time with their cousins. 

Ashlee, Shelby, Isa, and Haley before the puking began

 We got lots of great gifts, but the winner was the legos for Shelby.  Something tells me she got her dad's engineering genes.

Look what I made!

I was most excited about giving Janice a quilt her mother had started before she passed away.  I pieced the back to look like a garden, which reminded me of her, and my cousin Meredith finished piecing the front that she had started.  Meredith also did the binding and quilting, since I was WAY short on time. I just loved how it turned out!

Back by Monica

Front by Helen and Meredith

Other highlights included lunch with Bryon's nanny from when he was little and also a wild adventure to the mall to let the kids ride the carousel.

Aaron, Leao, and Bryon

Haley, Mom, and Candy Cane, the horse

Santa's Visit

You know how some Christmas celebrations stick in your memory, while others have faded?  I'm hoping today's Christmas will stick in my kids' minds forever!

Since mid-November, the girls have been asking Santa for a "fluff", a shovel, and some dirt.  When Haley first said dirt, I thought she was kidding and would be asking for a pony in no time.  Lucky for Santa, she stuck to her guns!

"Fluff"

And, what about that "fluff"?  Shelby first saw it at Walgreens and fell in love.  Again, I thought she would fall in love with the next sparkly thing she saw, and then the thing after that, and then the thing after that.  Wrong!  She stuck to her guns too and kept asking for that fluff.  Santa couldn't be more thrilled at the $4.99 price tag.  Proof that Santa made his annual visit to the Pfaff house:

Dirt and a shovel for Haley, sand castle by Bryon one of Santa's elves

I was still half asleep while taking pics this am...

Following in every kids' habits, the girls had just as much fun with the boxes as the toys. 

The kids' "boat"