Corgan

On Friday night, we had the Saunders and the Bowers over for a little Wii tournament and pizza. When you combine Ewan, Fynn, Ben, Brady and Natalie together, the chaos that ensues is far worse than any accounts you'll hear of the L.A. riots. It's loud, and I mean LOUD. We laid Corgan down for the night, and we were all amazed at how well he stayed asleep through all of it. Our house is quite small, so the chaos was basically right outside the bedroom door. But he slept right through it. I may know why - I stepped in to check on him at one point and found him covering his ear.

Drum roll...

... Missy and I are so excited to launch our labor of love and invite you over to check out our new website, Primp and Tell. It's about all things girly, makeup-y, primp-y, fashiony, and fun! There might even be a little celebrity gossip from time to time. We have been working on this for a while, and hope it can be a resource to which you come to help influence your primping decisions. Several times a week, we will be reviewing our latest drugstore buys. Our aim is to bring to your attention the products that we love or hate - and tell you why. The website is still a baby, so pardon any growing pains we may go through, but we have a lot of great ideas and can't wait to see what happens.

To celebrate our first month online, we will be giving away one of our favorite picks each week. Please check in at Primp and Tell over the next few days to find out which pick is going to be this week's giveaway. Once we post that review and announce the product for this week, please leave a comment on the review post to enter. After our first four giveaways, we will still hold a new one each month. Please spread the word to anyone you know who loves cosmetics, girl talk and a great buy. We hope you have as much fun with it as we have.

My birthday

On Thursday the 5th, my parents celebrated their 49th anniversary, and I turned 32. (Holy cow to both.) It was a good day. (Not counting my two-hour pity party. What is it about birthdays that make me whiny?!) I had mistakenly scheduled a dermatologist appointment for that morning, and I had double-booked a play date with Shannon and the gang. When I realized my mistake, I just asked if she could sit with Ewan and Fynn for my short appointment. Shannon made me the cutest little mushroom house for fairies that I totally love. I used to draw little ones identical to it all over my papers in high school. (I found out later several teachers and a friend's mom thought I was into 'shrooms. I didn't even know you could "do" 'shrooms. So there, haters!) At my appointment, the doctor wished me a happy birthday and had her assistant pack me a bag full of nice samples from Aveeno and Eucerin, among others. Awesome! When I went back to pick up the boys, Shannon had made my favorite cake: yellow with chocolate frosting, and the kids helped put on the sprinkles. It was very yummy, and again, thanks, Shannon! Then Julie stopped by with a can of Coke and two little birds she had made. They are so cute, and actually go quite nicely with Shannon's mushroom house. Bryce came home from work with some beautiful flowers and we went out for some Italian food. All in all, a simple, good day with lots of wonderful well-wishes on Facebook and in messages. Happy anniversary to my parents, and be forewarned for next year the 5oth!


Ignore the fact that I need to dust, and look how cute! I love all of them. Do you see the little door and window on the fairy house? Divine. I don't deserve such good friendships.

Best pictures ever

Ah, Missy, I love you! You are an awesome friend, and such a talented photographer. And Julie, the hat is so totally fabulous, thank you so much. Isn't it so stinkin' cute on him?

These are pictures from a photo shoot Missy did for me as part of my shower gift. Corgan was a month old when we did the shoot. There are SO. MANY. good ones that it's hard to choose what to post, and whether I like black and white or color better! I think I need to wake him up to snuggle now...

Neverland

I am actually pretty sad that life will be returning to normal. It's not that I'll miss the holidays exactly, just being able to visit with family, having Bryce home from work, and just the sense of laze and fun that surrounds the season. Not that there isn't any joy in day-to-day life, but there's also the grind. We've had a lot of fun, and we had two important events this weekend. Corgan was blessed on Sunday, and that afternoon we had Fynn's birthday party. Because I am so incredibly disorganized, I did not get a picture of Corgan in his blessing outfit, which was also worn by Ewan and Fynn. But sometime this week I'll get him back into it just so we can have a record. For now, here are some pictures from last week on a crazy warm winter day, and some from the party.

A grin to make you swoon.

He loved it outside. Both pictures were so good, I couldn't pick just one.

Showing us a tiny rock.

Another swoon.

Ewan is so proud of himself, learning how to swing on his own. He does it all the time now.

Fynn has an obsession with these shoes. His feet looked freakishly big as he was sitting there.

I could not ask for a better big brother for Corgan than Ewan. He loves that baby so much, talks to him all the time, and kisses him so much it's actually a little nerve-wracking. Corgan loves him right back and often gives him the best grins.

Birthday boy!

I'm thankful for our home, but it is so tiny. This isn't even a big party, and there's barely room to move. More people were in the kitchen.

The cake. Again, I didn't plan very well, so the Grover and Elmo were totally improvised from some of Fynn's toys. At least it tasted better than it looks.

Fynn and Ben under the table.

A comfortable way to eat chips and hide from people, apparently.

Peek!

And the funny part... If you've read my blog for any amount of time, you know I'm a little crazy when it comes to animals. When Sarah asked for birthday ideas, I half jokingly said a gerbil. Sarah asked if that would actually be okay, and I said yes, but also as an early present for Ewan so it would be both of theirs. I didn't tell Bryce about it, but said that Sarah was bringing a friend that had been staying with them. When James and Sarah walked in with this huge box, I couldn't stop grinning, and he knew something was up. But he wasn't mad. Thanks, Sarah! And thanks, James, for the Potato Head hideaway idea. Ewan wants her name to be Sophie. I tried to talk him into Piper, but he won't have it. So Sophie she shall remain.

Gorgeous boys, talented and wonderful friends

This is a perfect way to close out the year, with some family pictures taken by Missy. We met at a (cold!) park for our first official session of our life as a little family. Missy did such an amazing job, as usual, and here is a sampling of what she did. It had to have been a challenge for her as Ewan was extremely hyper, Corgan was cold and cranky, and Fynn was, well, a two-year-old. You can see more of the session here. We are so thankful that we have such wonderful friends, and for this past year. Bryce and I still have a lot of growing up to do, but there is nothing we wouldn't do for our boys, and we continually look around us and are amazed at the presence of these special little spirits. We still can't believe they are ours. Growing so fast, changing every day. I look at Ewan's hands clasped together in this second picture, and my heart swells with both pride and sadness - sadness that he is growing up and someday away from me. His little hands just look so grown up and mature. And don't you just want to drop-kick Fynn for being so dang cute?! *Sigh* Forgive me for waxing poetic. 'Tis the season. Thanks, Saunders, we love you guys! (Oh, and Bryce and I decided we finally look 30ish.)

Christmas, farewell 'til next year

Well, Christmas has come and gone, and it was spectacular. I was so excited, even the night before Christmas Eve, that I had trouble sleeping. I coudn't wait to give the kids their gifts, and to catch a glimpse of Santa. Ewan recieved lots of Transformers, and has been transfixed by them. His behavior has been better, and we have a new theory that he really gets so bored, that his mind and hands need something to challenge them, and that's why he acts out. Fynn wasn't really all that impressed with anything other than the baseball glove and baseballs he got. He sleeps with them both. I'm glad and sad it's over, but now we go on to prepare for Corgan's blessing and Fynn's 2nd birthday. I'll let the pictures tell about the rest of our Christmas.

I had to throw this one in, just because it is so darn cute.

Our pitiful Christmas tree, after falling victim to young children that repositioned ornaments, and cats that ate Christmas light cords.

Sorry to subject you to this, but we needed documentation of Bryce's blue tongue after Missy's yummy train cakes. I can't figure out why I don't have other pictures from our time with the Saunders. Visit the link for Missy's from that day.

Let's just say my dad is no fan of Obama. This was our gag gift to him. Unfortunately, all the pictures of my mom were very blurry, but we'll get some up soon.

Puppies and babies.

Ewan's Transformers from my parents, all lined up for Santa to see.

Cookies and milk for Santa, and some cheese for Santa Mouse.

Fynn hit the chocolate first thing. Must have been a rough night.

Bryce's mom and dad, Jerry and Mary Ann.

Fynn carried that baseball around all day long. He slept with it. And for fun, a glimpse of my favorite shoes.

Ewan found other uses for the butterfly net from Grandma Taylor.

Fynn and his rad Uncle DJ.

Ewan's loot.

Fynn's loot.

Santa didn't forget the littlest Taylor. The fun stuff was in the stocking.

Reading a new book.

Fynn's present that he picked with Daddy's help. I've been talking about how I want to buy myself a Barbie just so I could brush her hair and look at her. She comes with a kitty.

Ewan's gift to me, which he picked out all by himself. A toucan can opener.

Bryce ordered these really cool custom-made books directly from Apple. They lost the first order, so he redid it, and we ended up receiving both of them, slightly different from each other. They are bound and covered with a dedication and are awesome, full of pictures of the kids, sisters, my kitties and just all the things I love.

The dedication says, "No words are needed to show how much Kelli loves her family and children. This is a dedication to her love and care." I guess I'll stick with him.