Play Day!

We love a day at home with NOTHING to do! I had every intention for us all to be unanimously lazy today...but it hasn't exactly gone that way! I've got two very playful little ladies on my hands who want non-stop action! We started at early thirty this morning with a road trip to the beach. Towns was determined to try to fit Cate in her doll's car seat and when that didn't really work, we came up with this...

Cate was cooperative for a full three minutes...cue the temper!

(Towns has on a leotard with her fleece..she's not in the front seat driving bottomless!)
After the road trip, I reluctantly pulled out the moon sand. That's one of those things that's fun while it lasts, but the clean-up is not the greatest!

By this time it's started snowing outside...oh, the excitement...until I attempted to take the girls outside to play in it and Towns started crying that it was messing up her hair. She's such a girl!

So it was back inside and time for bubbles...blurry pics, but fun times!


Once the bubbles got old, Cate was in the mood for climbing all over her mama...she's such a wild child! Towns took over the photography role...see her little finger here? Love it!


We played for a little while longer before our indoor picnic...



Towns dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood and filled her picnic basket full of snacks...

My grandmother made the Little Red Riding Hood costume for me for Halloween when I was four...so fun that the girls are playing in it now!

During the picnic, Cate learned how to put gummie Lifesavers (shout out, roommate...those remind me of you!) on her fingers for decoration...she was absolutely amazed at herself!

After snack time, we had a full on dance party! Can't think of a better way to spend a day off...it would only have been better if Bet had been here!

On a completely different note, I think I'm a little OCD (I'm only halfway exaggerating) and it's beginning to rub off on the girls. The other day Towns came up to me and said 'I have a GREAT game' and when I asked her what it was I had to try really, really hard to hold my laughter in. Her great game was taking everything out of her dresser, laying it all out, folding it back up, and then 'orgarizing' (you might call it organizing) it when we put it back in the drawers. I persuaded her to play babies with me instead, but the girl does thrive on packing and organizing. The girls spent the weekend in Selma with their grandparents, and Towns being the traveler she is, was ready to pack it all up and go again the minute we got home from picking them up. There's not a day that goes by that she's not getting her bags out and packing for a pretend trip...

And there's a bag for everything...a bag for shirts, a bag for pants, a bag for shoes, a bag for bathing suits (despite the frigid weather), etc. I could go on and on!
She folds everything so neatly and puts it in its place...

She's so meticulous about it. I should have known she would be like this since she's been folding towels (upon her request) perfectly for me since age 2. It's insanity!

See the smile on her face...she's in heaven!

Not only has Towns been bitten by the neat freak bug, Bethany has joined in too! Look at what she did this morning without anyone asking her...

And she even cleaned up after herself after dinner last night! Just had to brag a sec! You're the best, Bet-Bet!!!

It's Time!!!!

The hot mama in the yellow dress is about to bring sweet Baby Blair into the world at any minute now!!! Say a prayer for Tara for a safe and speedy delivery...

We love you already, Blair! Can't wait to meet you!!!

Christmas & More...LOTS More!

Think it's about time to do away with the Christmas owl? I do. Maybe I'll work on replacing him really soon. In place of the monstrosity of a Christmas post I was working on, this is what I've got...a recap of our Christmas vacation! Three glorious weeks of absolutely nothing to do but enjoy each other and all of our down time!

Our Christmas was pretty fantastic...we had a very large time, which calls for a very large story to go along with all the pictures! Unfortunately, I don't have a large amount of free time!! So click here and you'll get our Christmas in pictures (and a few captions)!

Christmas Eve was one of those days where we had to keep busy to try to make the time go by quickly. It didn't really work...the kids were overcome with excitement and were begging to get a jump start on Christmas! So to keep them occupied we did a little baking to celebrate the birthday of Someone super special...Jesus! Can't think of a better reason to make cupcakes!

Click the picture below to see more...

After the cupcake baking session, Towns conned me into letting her change into a more appropriate outfit for the celebration. You know, naturally a tutu and a 'liptard' make everything a little more fancy!

Cate didn't make a wardrobe change, but the two of them did manage to run laps around the living room and act like monkeys until they both collapsed. At that point I'd have let them do anything they wanted if it meant running off some energy and getting in the bed early!

But all the running didn't work...they weren't about to close their eyes and go to sleep! Way too much excitement for that...so we all made a Target run for a few last minute Christmas treats!

B was in Wetumpka for the first few days of her Christmas break, and we picked her up on Christmas day and headed to Selma to do Christmas with J's side of the family. We gave B her present while we were there...

And this is all we've seen of her ever since! I'm kidding! Well, kind of...

{Towns took this one}

Christmas night we had McClendon family pictures made at a church in Marion which was a sight! While everyone was trying to get in position for the big picture I caught Towns dancing a jig and singing a little Hannah Montana at the pulpit...

The girls and their cousin Keaton...

After the pics, it was present time with Granny 'Clendon and a house full of family! Fun times!

We also celebrated Christmas with both of my parents' side of the family...maybe I'll get to that in another post??

In other news, Cate's been pretty entertaining lately. She's developed a fascination with the fridge and loves to sit in it, climb up in it and take a few things out, arrange them all on the floor, climb back in and reorganize them again in the fridge, you know...all the normal stuff a 1 year old likes to do!

When she's not busy sporting her super cool furry boots...

she loves hiding in the pillows on our bed...as long as her face is hidden she thinks we can't see her!

She's also really into her baby dolls these days. Yesterday I taught her how to feed a baby with a bottle which she thought was the most innovative idea ever! She gave me this look like 'why didn't I think of that?'....so funny!

Taking these pictures reminded me of the day Towns learned to feed her baby a bottle...I think the first time I ever got it on camera for the both of them they were standing in almost the same spot. Not something anyone else would notice other than yours truly, the sentimental mother! The ones with the blue baby above are of Cate, the ones with the orange baby below are of Towns...

When it's not raining (which is a rarity these days), we love to be outside....be it at Bridge Street or the hills....we're easy to please!

When we're shopping around, Towns likes to snooze in the stroller while Cate pushes...

Our trip to Bridge Street last week was rather monumental. Bethany donned the wool overcoat also owned by Miley Cyrus (of course we had to take a quick snapshot in the Juicy dressing room)!

Any maybe even more monumental than that...B made her first real Juicy purchase...make that the second, but the first time was just socks so does that count? I promise we're really teaching her to stay grounded and level-headed, but you can't blame a girl for having good taste! :)

B might be a serious shopper, but she's also rather crafty with her sisters. Earlier this week my friend Amy and her son Hart (Towns' best buddy) came over, and while the grown-ups enjoyed lunch (thanks Amy....it was delish!) B entertained the kiddos by helping them make icing-dipped animal crackers with sprinkles! All her idea, I might add. She transformed the kitchen into the work area and even had stations for dipping, sprinkles, and drying! So creative! The kids threw on their aprons and got to work...when icing and sprinkles is involved, they're game!

Cate showing off her apron...

Hart and Towns...

Last weekend, Towns helped her friend Anna Bekah celebrate her 4th birthday...bet you can't guess the party theme!

As if all the pink tulle didn't give it away...


J's been at home a lot over the break which we've all loved...these girls are slighly smitten with their Daddy!

That pretty much sums up our Christmas break...I'm so sad it's all over with! I think I was deliriously happy having everyone home with nothing to do but play and relax together. I l-o-v-e seeing my girls in action...it puts a smile on my face like no other!

Here are a few of the younger two on their way to school this morning...if only I could get B in a lady bug shirt for a group shot...not getting my hopes up on that one!