May 1, 2009 - Filed Under: -
Our little Ali-gator will be two tomorrow morning, so to celebrate, we threw her a huge party tonight, complete with friends, pizza, presents, and a one-of-a-kind, custom-made KNUFFLE BUNNY CAKE!!!!
Now, for those of you who don’t know what Knuffle Bunny is, let me explain. Knuffle Bunny and Knuffle Bunny, Too are Ali’s favorite books. She literally makes us read them to her every single night. The premise is that the main character (a little girl named Trixie) has a bunny (named Knuffle). Knuffle goes everywhere with Trixie, much like Wrigley accompanies Ali everywhere she goes. The stories are super cute and fun to read. You can pick them up at Barnes and Noble-the author is Mo Willems.
Anyway, Knuffle Bunny turned out pretty well. (I won’t begin to describe the painstaking amount of time and effort I put into this cake. It seriously made me sad to have cut into him!!!) Ali recognized her Knuffle Bunny right away, and was soooo excited. We’ll post more pictures soon, but for now, this is what you get.
Update: Photo album is up right here.
Knuffle.
Ali and Knuffle
October 31, 2008 - Filed Under: -
Pebbles and Bam-Bam… Monsters from “Monsters, Inc.”
This year, Halloween included costume changes for the kiddos. For their school parties (and parade) on Friday, I made them little Pebbles and Bam-Bam costumes to wear. Josh and I decided that their monster costumes would not only be too hot to wear all day, but if you’ve seen Ali try to walk in hers–with it’s big padded belly–you’d understand that it would have been a disasterous day at preschool. 
That said, this year we got some awesome pictures of our kiddos, in their various costumes. They must’ve looked pretty cute, because each came home with their pumpkin buckets overflowing with candy. (Really, I have no idea what we’re going to do with all of it!!) I know for a fact that I never got that much candy when I was trick-or-treating, but apparently it’s hard to say “No” to the two cutest little monsters ever. (Prepare yourself for a tangent here…)Ali even milked her way into more candy. At one of the first houses we went to, the family had a little bitty dog (I mean, teeeeeeeeeeeeeeny), and it stood by its owners legs as she opened the door to dole out the goods to Xavier and Ali. Ali took one look at the little ”cat” as Xavier called it and burst into tears and cried so hard that her little body violently shook. The lady who owned the dog felt so bad that she dropped like 10 pieces of candy into Ali’s bucket, and then a whole handful more just to make her smile. Then she did the same thing for Xavier, because “They’re just so darn cute.”
Later, Ali fell (her belly threw her balance off) and practically landed on the feet of this sweet old lady. The poor old lady also felt bad and loaded Ali up with candy. Josh and I kind of joked that this would just be Ali’s system and she left with her bucket almot half full from that woman’s house.l
Not to be outdone, Xavier would walk up to people’s door, and act really shy. Then they’d lean over, drop a couple pieces of candy into his bowl. Then he’d turn on the charm, and finally look at them, and go “Mooooore peeeeeeeeeeeeez.” …And of course, no one could resist. My little con-arist (who is not in the least bit shy in real life) would then practically yell thank you to whomever he had just suckered into giving him way more candy than they shouldv’e, turn as fast as he could, and with a big grin on his face say, “More houses-more candy Mommy!”
Haha. It was a fun, fun night. Pictures in the gallery.
August 20, 2008 - Filed Under: -
I love you too.
Megan
June 22, 2008 - Filed Under: -
Maybe it’s selfish, but since Xavier is the spitting image of Josh and mimics everything he does, I can’t help but get a little excited whenever Ali shows signs of taking after her mama. I secretly love when she looks at me with that look that clearly says, “No way lady,” or when she fights with me as I put a dress on her for church. I love all those little things that remind me that she is mine, and that she is like me.
…Yesterday was no exception.
Xavier’s friend Aston had his second birthday party yesterday and we all went over to the Hopmann’s house to celebrate. We were welcomed inside, and quickly made our way out to the backyard, so the kids could splash around in the baby pools Marc and Casey had set up for them to enjoy. Everyone, including Ali, was having a blast (though completely ignoring the mini-water park) just enjoying the warm weather.
And then it happened.
Ty, the Hopmann’s dog, came outside to greet everyone. Now, as far as I can tell, Ty is just your run-of-the-mill good natured mutt. He’s not particularly slobbery, large, or eager to make nice with anyone’s leg. As far as dogs go, he’s A-OK in my book, and that’s saying a lot. It’s no secret that I’m not the world’s biggest fan of animals. They’re great at a zoo or an aquarium, where I can observe them from afar and move on in two minutes after their initial cuteness wears off and all I’m left noticing is their smell and foul mannerisms. Dogs are ok, as long as they’re outside animals that actually resemble what I feel to be canine: big, furry, and loyal with barks that terrify any would-be-offenders, and are generally low-maintence. Cats annoy me with their aloofness but constant need for everything, and fish tend to die a little too quickly. Rodents gross me out, and reptiles scare me. In general, I’m good with the concept of having a dog, and not much else. I’m just not an animal person.
And this trait of mine comes from a recessive gene. As far as I can tell, the majority of people love animals. My hubby, bless his heart, tries to hate them for my sake, but I get the feeling he’s really pining away for the day when Xavier asks for a cat or dog. Xave-o LOVES all things animal. He enjoys trips to the zoo, his favorite books, puzzles and movies all feature various members of the animal kingdom, and one of his favorite activities is making sounds like his favorite animals (currently dogs, pigs and monkeys).
So, you can imagine my surprise when, upon Ty’s initial entrance on Saturday, Ali burst into tears. The dog was no where near her, but still, her little body shook and her cries began to sound more like angry demands for Ty to go back to where ever he came from and get far away from her. This little outburst was repeated, with greater volume and intensity, as each of the Hopmann pets made themselves known to Ali. Poor Josh took Ali into Marc and Casey’s bedroom to change her diaper, and everyone in the living room was treated to another round of screaming and tears. I thought maybe she had a dirty diaper and was mad about having to get changed. When Josh finally emerged from the room, he looked dazed. “All of that,” he titled his head toward the bedroom, “was because their was a cat sitting like six feet from her.”
… So, animals beware, take cover, and hide. Indoor pets, make nice with the outdoors, because when Ali comes near, you’ll want to escape from the pitchy screams that I’m certain must shred your eardrums in two.
My daughter folks, Ali-gator, animal-hater.
March 19, 2008 - Filed Under: -
Happy birthday to you.
We love you so much.
Meg, Xave & Ali
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