Fall 2011 School Pictures

I just broke the cardinal rule of "professional photography"- I scanned in the kids' school pictures from this past fall without consent.  And you can plainly see why I HAD to do it- I want to have these for my viewing pleasure for many years past what the cheap prints last!!  They are to die for:

Ada- 3

Dax- 6 months {The photographer requested that the kids wear a cute hat or large bow.  I sent this one on purpose, but they told me the photog almost didn't use it out of fear I'd be mad!  I guess some people don't get me...}

Sweet Sister and Adorable Brother

{These were taken at the end of September- I am just now getting around to scanning them in, because I am just now getting around to learning how to scan things in in our new printer!}

Halloween- Long Overdue

Halloween was months ago.  In fact, we're even long past Thanksgiving (which I failed to get ONE picture of- we went to Pop and Honey's, and had a nice time!).  But I want to post our Santa picture, and feel the need to cross the Halloween blog post off of my eternal to-do list before advancing into the current holiday season!  :)

We kicked off the weekend with a Halloween Party at the kids' school, Kids-R-Kids!

Then we met up with friends to celebrate and trick-or-treat at the Klemach's.  This is the girls eating their self-decorated cupcakes... and Dax wanting in on the action!

About to take my monster and indian trick-or-treating! (So I can eat their candy once they go to bed!)

To. Die. For.

I love this girl so much.

Hitting the streets with her friends, Olivia and Rory!  Ada got some serious candy-age.

Been a while...

It's been a while since a meaty post.  It's funny how that goes- the more going on, the more you want to blog about, but the less time you have to do so.  Now that I'm taking the time to sit at the computer and write one, I can't remember everything I've been storing away in my frontal lobe.

I'll just blabber about the last 5 days.  Would you ever guess these adorable kids weren't feeling well?

They're totally sick.  Dax's teachers had been telling me for days they thought he was under the weather, but I wasn't seeing it.  He finally woke up about 3am on Thursday morning running a MILD fever, so I decided to go ahead and get him checked out by the doctor.  Lo-and-behold: double ear infection (one of which is severe), and nasty upper respiratory infection.  So nasty, in fact, that he has to have breathing treatments of albuterol.  :(

Dax taking his albuterol. 

 The good thing?  I got to miss 2 days of work and snuggle, snuggle, snuggle him!!!

Dax's began at 3am on Thursday... Ada's began at 4am on Saturday.  Casey and I wake up with her crying at the side of our bed "I just had a dream about creepy shadows... and I throwed up in my beeeeeddddd."  It was so sad, and such a mess. She felt icky all weekend, too. 

Snuggling on the pallette with her "Rat Princess" that Aunt Andi sent her from NYC!

Daddy built her a BOMB fort that she lounged in all day Saturday and Sunday and watched movies. 

Everyone is seemingly on the mend.  Dax has been on antibiotics for 5 days, though, and his ears are still bothering him.  He's also still sounding really rattle-y in the chest- tack on the email that I got from daycare today saying one of his friends in his classroom has RSV (a baby lung virus)- we are going back to the doctor tomorrow for a re-evaluation.  And then we're off for Thanksgiving break, yay!

And, something super random, but made my entire weekend:  Dax discovered the property of "elasticity."  He realized he could "pop" my elastic headband- and he sat there and popped it like a slingshot for a good ten minutes. (Such a boy!) 

He'd pop it.  Look at me.  Wait for my reaction (which was totally ridiculous in between shots with camera phone!).  Smile and giggle.  Then pop it again. And again.  And again.

This was one of the pictures I'd captured in the midst of all the popping!!  I cannot get enough of it!  This boy makes me smile so hard.

McDonald's Strawberry Banana Smoothie Recipe Uncovered...

I know I have a TON of things I need to update the blog about.  Halloween.  Family Pictures.  Dax's 8 month monster photo shoot (which still hasn't happened, because he's sick), recent Adaisms (and there are plenty that I'm quickly forgetting!), all of the new adorableness up for sale at Sweetish Baby, etc. 

But, I'm choosing to use my sparse free time to blog about the trivial things.  Like figuring out how to make an exact duplication (except without the high fructose corn syrup, and $3 pricetag of course) of McDonald's Strawberry Banana smoothie- which Ada can't seem to get enough of. 

Is it sad that that is the negative reinforcement that works best for us?  Not "you're about to get a time-out", or "You are about to lose your TV privileges for the day"... it's "You are about to lose the opportunity to get a "smoovie" on the way home!" 

See below for my make-shift, grossly unprofessional recipe! 

In the blender:

• 1/2 soft banana
• About 6-7 large frozen strawberries (8-9 if they're small)
• Cover the fruit about 75% with whatever-milk-you-have-on-hand.  It looks about like 1 cup.
• A liberal splash (on the verge of a pour) of french vanilla creamer.

Blend, and Oila!  It makes enough for a HUGE serving (think- 20 oz), or 2 smaller servings (think- straw sippy cup and small juice glass for mom!)

O.M.G! Family Pictures!

Visit this link: http://robmilton.zenfolio.com/dowells - to see our family pictures from our photo session with Rob Milton Photography a few weekends ago!  Warning: some of them he included in our catalog because they are just plain hilarious!  :) 

Now, I need to go to sleep- about 2 hours ago!

Sweetish Busy Baby

These are the orders we've received in the past week (the last 2 are just gifts- orders I've put in myself, if you will!)- and this is just via word of mouth, mostly from school!  (And we had 3 orders last week!  2 taggies and an Interchangeable Tie Onesie.) I'm so excited to see what will happen if/when I actually have the time to advertise.  As you can see- the "Baby-Shower-Gift-In-A-Bag" seems to be taking off-

Yay!

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Coloring you a picture!  The blue blobs are toys.

Happily watching from the sidelines!  "Happy birthday, Grams!"

Add caption

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRAMS!!!  We miss you!!!  (Sorry for the little devil red-eyes in the picture!)

New from Sweetish Baby -

Check out what's new at the Sweetish Baby Boutique!  :) 

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This year is killing me.

Ada got her hair did...

Ada got her 2nd haircut yesterday!  I took her to "my girl" so we could be sure to get a quality cut- I am so anal about haircut perfection (which is strange, because I wouldn't consider myself a perfectionist, typically), that I just didn't want to risk it anywhere else! 

(Remember her first hair cut?  The actual "salon" was a-maze-ing, but I wasn't crazy about the cut after it was all said and done -which is ridiculous, I know.  She was 2 for crying out loud.  But, whatever- because the experience was too adorable to be upset about the end result!)  

So, here are a few pictures I snapped with my phone throughout the afternoon!


So excited to be getting a hair cut!  And enamored with gorgeous Tracy....  (You can see Dax's leg hanging out of the papoose to the left in the mirror- typical!)



NOT sitting very still for Tracy!  But behaving well enough.  There are a few crooked spots because of her "activities!"

Getting a blow-out!

All said and done!  (It's actually even cuter than this in real-life)

Getting a chocolate-banana smoothie from Starbucksk afterwards!  Our fave.

I.  Cannot.  Get.  ENOUGH. Of this picture!!!!!!!

My gorgeous girl this morning before school.  This is what she looks like to me.  I wish I could capture her in photos like this ALL the time! MWAH!

I mean...

...I just cannot get enough of them!!!

Dax trying finger feeding for the first time- avacados.

Likin' the texture...

Maybe a *few* made it in his mouth.. but mostly were just pulverized on the spot with his fists.

Sportin' her shades on the drive home.

And talking my ear off- love her!  This afternoon we discussed her classmates' halloween costumes.  2 are going as sharks!

Recent Ada-isms

Hilarious things that have come out of Ada's mouth recently:

• "Daddy!! There's an ant on my crosswalk!  (Meaning swingset ladder) SHOOT IT!"
• "I'm kicking rocks.  Oh, and I stepped in dog poop."
• "Here, Dax- you want to choke on this toy?"  (Meant to say chew, but substituted choke.  Same difference, I suppose.)

• Ada: "Mommy is here, Dax is here, Ada is here."
• Me: "Yep.  Where's Daddy?"
• Ada (said with sincere empathy): "He's at work, Sweetie."
• Me (after cracking up): "That's right- Daddy's working, he'll be home later."
• Ada: "NO!  Wait- he's at the river with his friends!"

• She has been coming home and placing all of her barbies and princesses on different "seats" around the playroom and acting like their teacher.  Or instructor.  Or mentor.  Or something administrative.  Today they were being instructed to dance.

• Whenever she wants to make herself cry (for attention, usually- after either getting in trouble, or to postpone bedtime)- she will think about someone at school hitting her.  I know this because, when I ask her why she all of a sudden looks so sullen, she will say: "Bea/Maddox/Mason/Janelle/etc hit me todaaayyyy," which is when the waterworks begin.  (What is that, method acting?)

• She can do simple math- I'm not kidding you.  She refuses to prove to me that she can count to 20 ("1...2....4...5...6...7...11..."), but she will rattle off "1 and 2 make 3.  2 and 2 make 4!"

• I feel like I've cracked up laughing 100 times this week- so if I think of more Ada-isms, I will post a sequel tomorrow! :)

 And, now for some snapshots:

Silly girl- snorkle goggles aren't for indoor playgrounds!

Reveille is a pillow pet now!



Nothing warms my heart more than them playing and laughing together- Dax will laugh at Ada if she just looks in his direction.

Love this kid!

Dax- 7 Months

Dax is 7 months old!!  And utterly impossible to keep still long enough to do a proper monster photo shoot, now.  (I knew this day would come, but it still makes me sad!)  Here are our attempted shots:

No, you may NOT see how many months I am!

Well, looky there.

I'm gonna EAT IT. Or at least drool on it until it disintegrates.

I will not sit there for this any longer, Mom.

What's that?  You have a large, expensive contraption strapped to your neck (the camera)?

Nom nom nom!

Reaching for the backing to the onesie sticker, that would have otherwise been hidden from view.