A little regroup

Don't you love the first of the year? We have been spending a lot of time reflecting on our goals for team Dunaway for 2011. There are so many things that I want to improve and change this year.

One of my top priorities is to reenergize this little blog of mine. I going to change up the focus and the look as well as have some friends and family help with posting some of their treasures.

One of the biggest changes you will notice is the lack of family posts and pictures. I will still be sharing little tid bits and fun little experiences as well as cute little day to day pictures of my cute babies but I have found that my privacy is becoming more and more important. I've been tossing around the idea of making a private family blog for grandparents. ( but who really has time for that really... I'll just send some pictures through snapfish)

It's going to take a few weeks to get things up and running, I'll be adding some small posts here and there but the majority of my focus over the next few weeks will be changing the layout.

I so excited to share everything with you, so stick with me.... the launch will be Feb 1st.

I hope you all have a wonderful new year.

xoxo

Ash

Merry Merry Holidays

We have had the most magical Christmas. It really takes the whole season to a new level when you have a toddler. This is the first year that Taylor has really "understood" Santa.. and WOW... we have had the best time.

Christmas Eve Day was a nice 75 degrees. So we played in the leaves and spent a few hours at the park.

Taylor loved it... not so much the dirty part.. but everything else

at the park

singing jingle bells

Daddy and Coop at the park. ( isn't my husband dreamy)

Christmas Eve night we made cookies for Santa, went to Candy cane Lane to see the lights and made reindeer food. This is Taylor and Dusty discussing the best place to put the reindeer food.

This is my FAVORITE.. Taylor looking up for Santa

pouring the reindeer food.

looking over the goods: Oatmeal, sprinkles, and marshmallows.

Cookies. milk and carrots for St nick

Taylor was very excited and went right to bed no questions asked. Both kids were fast asleep by 7:30

and then Santa came!

Stockings all hung

Taylor woke up at 6:45 so we started getting busy right away.

Thank you grammie and papa for daddy's new driver!

Cooper getting in on the action

Santa brought Taylor a bike. This is the hot new ticket. No peddles or training wheels so they learn to use there balance right away. This is Daddy helping Taylor get started

Of course the outfit is the most important part of the bike riding experience. { Again this is genetic.. not from me but from my sister Allie, they are kindred spirits}

getting ready. Look at those shoes! Thanks Nana

Starting to understand how to balance!

Daddy helping Cooper with his new tool set

Dinner Table is set. We are having my aunt and uncle for Christmas dinner. Prime rib, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Green Beans, roasted garlic mushrooms, home-made dinner rolls, Salad and almond chocolate cake

Entertainer

Taylor is quite the entertainer... Let me set the scene.

Taylor: "mommy please please please can we have dance party."

Me: " okay"

Taylor " no, not this outfit... it doesn't match!!!"

Me: " Taylor you have to wear pant"

Taylor: " No Pants don't match my BOOTS!!!!!"

Me: "Okay, what song" I start going though my play list.

Taylor: No, No, No... I want California.

Me: ""Ummm That's not a kids song"

Taylor: With big puppy dog eyes "PLEASE, I'm so pretty"

Me: "silly, okay"

Taylor: " Mom this is the stage... I'm dancing here"

Me: okay

* Please note: I am aware that this song it a bit inappropriate but this is pretty funny and I want to share with my family... and she it two. she doesn't care about gin and juice just dancing. and yes her favorite part is the snoop dog solo. Please judge your own parenting not mine :) I say this with lots and lots of love.

* A little long but trust me the best is the end so fast forward to the end if you get board.

I LOVE THIS GIRL

Merry Merry

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Visitors

We had a sleepover this past weekend wish some of our best-friends. Miss Makenna is one day older than Taylor and they have been buddies since they were only 2 weeks old. I bought giant gingerbread men to decorate and we ate homemade mac and cheese and hotdogs for dinner. It was the BEST.

Sleeping was a diffrent story.... it took a little longer than usually to get them settled.

Christmas Party

Taylors preschool had a wonderful Christmas party last week. It was pajama day and we saved the cute P.J.'s that auntie Allie send just for the occasion. All of the parents were invited and it was quite the packed house. I was shocked to see that every parent made it.. the only one missing was Dusty ( don't people work around here?... it was a stretch for me to make it and I only work 25 hours a week) They sang songs, had a wonderful pizza party, decorated cookies and read Christmas books. ( last week was the Chanukah party, but I missed it do to a conference call and Taylor was the only one without a parent for that... sad)

frosting and decorating cookies

Look at the concentration....Taylor takes her work very seriously

Taylor's teacher read christmas stories and I read the Grinch ( not sure how I got suckered into that one!)

Cookies

Taylor and I made cookies for some friends down the street last week. She was a great help! I've wanted to do so much cooking and baking the past few weeks but the heat around here has really put a damper on things. We took these pictures at 4:30 pm and it was still 80 degrees. I love this weather but I wish Taylor and Cooper could get the feeling of cozy white Christmas.

Santa

We were so excited to visit Santa this year. Taylor had been talking about her wish list. We had made our letter to be mailed and practiced what we would say to the jolly old man.

Taylor couldn't contain her excitement

She was very good in the long, long line

So excited!

Cooper was not interested

Wait... Where is Taylor? She freaked and wanted nothing to go with him once he opened his mouth. In this picture she is hiding behind Dustys legs...but Cooper thought he was great... Cooper thinks everyone is great

She was willing to sit on my lap, but didn't want to look at him

It took a minute but she started to warm up

and than asked for her yellow horse ( not sure where that came from)

My boys... and Coopers BAD hair

Dusty's "mini me"

Look at these cute boys and Cooper's really bad hair. I'm cutting it off the bad over grown mohawk tonight! What you can't see is his new hair that's coming in.... because it is bleach blond.

Dusty had just fed Cooper his dinner, a little messy. Nice comb over little man.

This week for Dinner

Sunday: Spaghetti and Meatballs with garden salad

Monday: Seafood Stuffed portabello mushrooms and roasted asparagass

Tuesday: Some sort of supper yummy Thailand creation from our nanny. She actually made it as a gift for welcoming her into our home. It looks amazing!!

Wednesday: Ribs, Baked Potatoes and roasted butternut squash

Thursday: Pork tostadas

Friday: Left Overs

" Christmas is AWESOME"

We spent Saturday getting geared up for the holidays. The morning was spent picking out the perfect tree as a family, Taylor was in heaven! After a long family nap ( by family I mean everyone was napping but me so I could clean the house, get dinner started and put the lights on the tree... but you get the gist ) we made homemade pizza, started holiday cookies, decorated the tree and watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The best part of the night was Taylor saying over and over.... "Christmas is AWESOME" seriously she says it about 20 times a day. It cracks me up and make me so happy. Having a toddler in the house during the holidays is AWESOME!!!

Cooper had a great time too.

This was after she smelled the tree

Taking a ride on our new 8 ft tree

All set up in the front yard