Bedtime crankiness and birthday cuteness

Well, all is quiet-ish here. The kids are in bed but are not yet asleep. Bedtime can be a little hellacious around here. Things can get a bit touchy by the time bedtime rolls around. Let me give you an example.
The man is putzing around the house, just puttering, putting stuff away, flitting like a mustachio'd butterfly from task to task. Blissful. Unaware of the tornado blowing in behind him. The girl suddenly appears with an apple in her hand and begins demanding, "Wash my apple, daddy." Over and over, louder louder, until the words are are blended together into one big, loud word. The man takes the apple, carefully, lovingly washes it for his starving offspring who shrieks "NO apple!" when he hands it back to her. Dumbfounded is the only word I can think of to describe the look on his face.

We have an ABSOLUTELY NO NAPPING rule in this house. It sounds mean, I know, but these 2 only need a few minutes of sleep in the afternoon to charge their batteries enough to keep them up until midnight. Trust me, this rule is strictly enforced! If someone falls asleep . . . I wake them up. The protesting, faking still being asleep and "I'm tiiiiiiiiiired, mommy." falls on deaf ears. (And the mean mommy award goes to . . . )

Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking, "Why is it a big deal to you, of all people, if the kids are up late? Aren't you up anyway, oh Queen of the Night Owls?" Yes. I am up. I am up really late every night BUT I am up doing stuff that I don't get to do during the regular hours of the day like the vacuuming and folding laundry and descaling the grout in the shower tile. Important stuff. I am not up surfing the net or playing computer games or mindlessly cruising E-bay. *wink*

Anyway, I have a few more pictures to throw your way. These are the recent birthday pics.

Here's the girl on her 2nd birthday. She and I and the boy had cake on her B'day, as the man was out of town on business. We had a party on the following weekend.

Is there something on my face?


Less cake on the face means more in the tummy.

These pictures were taken at the girl's party. It was the end of August and it was cold enough that we didn't know if we would be able to have her party outside. We had to bundle up and make a big fire. Crazy, eh? In August! Global warming my left cheek.

What?

The boy looking like a man.

He was chatting up his cousin, sitting by the fire, chillaxin. Look at him. They really do grow up too fast, don't they?


Well, the man and I are off to the BIG city for the weekend to do our Christmas shopping. Grandma will be here with the kids.

Bless her heart and wish her luck!

I'll let you know how it went when we get back.

Have a great weekend!!