Princess Birthday Party

Kenzie got to go to her little friend Hannah's birthday party this morning. They dressed up like princesses, had cupcakes, danced to princess music, made crowns, and played "Ring Around the Rosy, Pockets Full of Rosy, Ashes!" among other games. What more could Kenzie ask for? (Well, she was upset that she was giving a present and not getting one, but what do you expect, she's 3!) She did get all sorts of little princess goodies, and is still happily running around in her Cinderella dress.Parker and I went to the grocery store without her (not that Kenzie is bad, she's actually always good at the store, but with my gimpy leg it's sure hard to push that gargantuan race car shopping cart she always wants to ride in!). It was kind of lonely, though, without her!

I Guess I'm in Denial

Parker turned 10 months on Sunday and I haven't yet posted about it! So here are some silly pictures I took today: This is how Parker helps me change his diaper. This is the most helpful position for me to be in, right Mom?

My sweet little guy has a cold but is still really happy

Just check out those goofy teeth! How can you not smile back at that?

How I Baked a Batch of Cookies...

...and kept on top of both dishes and laundry, AND kept the bedrooms relatively clean! Thanks Grandma Susan for playing with both Kenzie and Parker all day!

Grandma Susan is Here!

The kids are being spoiled! (And me, too; I got Crown Burger for lunch...yum). Anyways here's Parker helping me do laundry while Kenzie went with Grandma for a haircut and a Frosty.

Kenzie trying to walk my mom's new dog (he's busy checking out Seiko, who wouldn't give him the time of day!)

Kenzie and her new pal, Gizmo (and if you look too closely and see that Kenzie's bum is wet, don't worry - she just sat in the snow to demonstrate to Gizmo how to utilize the front yard for his "business")

Cooped Up Too Long

We even got outside and went to the playground today, so I don't know how to explain it.

She held this pose way too long waiting for Parker to look up. But he was busy with a fake french fry and couldn't be bothered.

My handsome little guy. He loved Kenzie going down the slide today and would yell when she'd pop out at the bottom. He took his nap an hour early, even - it wore him out just watching his sister run around!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Few things get Kenzie more excited than, "Do you want to help me make...?" Cookies, pizza dough, bread, pancakes - anything she can help stir gets her bolting to find her stepstool!

Ironically, since she was the one the most excited for this holiday, she was the one without any green clothes! Finally, after digging through her entire dresser, we found this shirt with tiny green butterflies! Phew!

I like baking with Kenzers, but she never wants to stop. I tell her the dough needs to rest, and she's over there poking it. "My baby dough is resting, but I'm just patting it."

Poor Daddy was eating and not entirely ready for this shot, but it's proof that I'm an awesome wife - a traditional New England boiled dinner, green Irish soda bread, and the remote to watch a hockey game - what more could you ask for? (The answer had better be: Nothing!)

It's a good thing I don't even like corned beef, because Kenzie ate my whole piece! And a lot of cabbage, actually, and about 4 glasses of juice. She's a good eater, and is a better example of healthy eating to me than I am to her, that's for sure!

What a Confusing Holiday

Kenzie's having a hard time understanding St. Patrick's Day. She's called it Patrick's Day for awhile now, and then this morning she told me, "When Patrick rings the doorbell, we're just gonna pinch him on the arm!!"

Happy Patrick's Day!

Shopping Carts

Last time I was at the grocery store, I thought Kenzie and Parker looked so sweet riding together in their car cart. So this time I did the totally dorky thing of bringing my camera to the store!

It wasn't too busy, so as soon as I came across an empty aisle I'd whip out my camera. And they'd both stop "steering" and give me blank stares (they preferred to be in motion, for obvious reasons). I'd say, "Come on, smile!" until I started to feel really embarrassed at people piling up behind me. Then I'd just give up and take the picture.

Then they got balloons - Parker yelled at his! He was quite amazed. (Of course he doesn't look amazed in the picture - he smiled right after I took this)

I was thinking, "Maybe I shouldn't post four pictures of the exact same thing." But then I figured, "Why not?" So here's yet another picture of Kenzie and Parker at the grocery store. Yeah, I'm definitely one of those moms...

Disney on Ice

Daddy and Kenzie, heading to the train

Kenzie got a George Washington gold dollar (change from our tickets) - she was excited for the "penny" Daddy showed her and promptly claimed it as her own

Working hard on her Mickey Mouse Surprise Ink book

We arrived just as the show began. This is the expression Kenzie had through most of it!

Anytime Mickey and his pals came back on the ice she perked right up

After the intermission, she watched the rest of the show from Daddy's lap Peter Pan and Tinkerbell were definitely the highlights for Kenzie. I thought Ariel would get the biggest response, but she definitely liked the pirates! Go figure! I liked the giant crocodile - spoiler alert: it snacked on Capt. Hook Finally, Peter Pan got Kenzie to clap! Kenzie and Daddy leaving Energy Solutions Arena, otherwise known as the Land of Ten Dollar Cotton Candy

Heat Pads Make It Better

Here's what Kenzie's seen too much of lately - so when she tripped on the stairs last night, it was only natural to let her use the heat pad for a few minutes. Looking over my shoulder right now, Kenzie pointed out, "It just made me feel better! I can walk now!"

"I'm Up and Parker's Down!"

Here's how things have been this month at the Arnold house - I asked Kenzie to get dressed this morning, and she asked, "So we can go to the doctor?" Thankfully, though, I was able to say, "No, so we can take a picture!"

I think this is my new favorite of my two goobers. Oh, and things are basically back to normal because Seiko was meowling down at the bottom of the chair, although he didn't quite make it into the picture.

Kenzie really wanted a picture where she was sitting on the table (sorry Mom!).

My job as photographer is about to get trickier, though, now that both of them don't want to sit still! I guess I'll just have to try that much harder!!

Busy, Busy Kids

Parker is a busy boy all of the sudden! A few examples: there are two rugs in the bathroom. The cat was sleeping on one of them, so I put Parker on the other rug to do laundry. He immediately leaned all the way forward, grabbed hold of the cat-laden rug with a big grin, and pulled it toward him. Then he turned around (because the cat of course skidaddled), opened the bottom drawer, and started rifling through it. When did he learn that? I set him on the counter, and he promptly reached over and turned on the faucet! I forgot how busy little babies can be! Example 2: His tray was dirty, so I pulled his chair up to the table instead. That cute little hand darted out, grabbed hold of the tablecloth, and yanked so hard Kenzie's tea party set (thankfully the plastic one) went flying. She was not amused, by the way. Kenzie has been my little helper this past week, even despite having a cold herself. She's heated up Parker's food in the microwave, brought me everything, and even patted me several times and said, "It's okay Mommy. I'm sorry your leggie don't feel good!" We bought her a big bag of Cheetos and let her watch 101 Dalmatians from her bed - she earned it!

Why I'm Not Funny Anymore

You know it's bad when I haven't taken pictures for a few days... I get to start physical therapy tomorrow! The slip says for, "Right SI joint strain, low back pain & radiculopathy." With any luck I will be able to sleep for more than an hour at a time, walk up the stairs, change a diaper without crying, and get back to the important business of taking pictures of my kids!