A Pirate and His Cowgirl Princess

Marci is finally old enough for dressup, and she and Osten had a big time donning costumes last week.

As usual, Osten wanted to be a pirate, while Marci opted for a country-princess look.

Suspenders, which are usually Osten's favorite fashion statement, were not what Osten had in mind.

But as it turned out, they were the perfect compliment to Marci's wand and tutu!

Fun with FaFa

Here's a shot with FaFa from our trip to Piper's house. As usual, Osten had a big time playing with FaFa.

Dishin' Daddys

Check out the two Daddys on the deck, dishin' about who knows what! Since they weren't dressed alike this time, they hit the local watering hole while Ang, Heather and I hit the President's Day sale at Kohl's. What wild lives we lead!

Ka-Boom!

Look how big baby Boom is getting!

And he is so alert. He's laid back, but very observant!

Story Time

Both Osten and Marci had a great time playing with Piper's toys, most especially her books. As an added bonus, Aunt Ang entertained them with a spontaneous story time without a nap or bedtime attached!

Marci especially liked this Gossie & Gertie book. Who knows, maybe the Easter Bunny will put a new book or two in her Easter basket this year!

Footloose and Paci-free!!

Today marks two weeks as paci-free! Unfortunately, lots of other things wind up in Marci's mouth now, like her hand and pretty much just about everything else that isn't nailed down. On a more positive note, she has started talking up a storm! Her most recent words include good girl, ball, cookie, more, and bye-bye Miss Tiffany.

Spiderman Lullaby

Spiderman is still a constant topic of conversation in our house, and the theme song is now Osten's favorite bedtime song. (Daddy knows all of the verses from watching the cartoons when he was little.)

The Heavy-Handed Pianist

Here's a shot of Marci doing some heavy-handed tickling of the, er, ivories, I mean plastics! Judging by her facial expression, the melody was not music to her ears.

Kilroy: Revisited

We had another Kilroy sighting the other day!

Just the Four, Five or Six of Us

Lately, the backseat has gotten rather crowded. On the passenger's side, we've got Marci and Parker-piggie.

And on the driver's side, we've got Osten and Wyatt.

Oh, and I almost forgot Batman and Alligator the Dinosaur!

Lego My Fire Truck!

When Daddy was in Orlando, he picked up this Lego fire truck for Osten. It has lots of tiny pieces, so Osten is not allowed to play with it until Marci has gone to bed. Osten loves putting it together with Dadddy, and we can always tell when he wants to play with it because he will start telling Marci that it's time for her to go to bed!

Osten is quite protective of this toy, and he can often be heard saying "my fire truck, my fire truck" as he helps Daddy put it together.

Look Who's Cookin'

I am so happy to report that I now have two little helpers in the kitchen! Here they are making chocolate mousse for dinner with Gramma Sue and Wally. Of course, helping is not any fun without a little sampling!

Marci's favorite part is standing on the chair for a bird's-eye view of the counter. She was quite proud of herself and even figured out how to tap her foot while she was standing on this chair. It was quite a sight, and I wish I would have caught some video of her new moves!

(Not So) Grumpy (Not So) Old Men

Check out the two lil' guys in their matching outfits. They could be six weeks (Jackson, left) and three months (Boone, right) in these flannel shirts or they could be octogenarians! Regardless, they are the sweetest, happiest and cuddliest lil' fellas!

Princess Piper

Piper's princess party was so much fun. Here's Her Highness with her birthday crown cake. Mmmm!!

Look at the big girl opening her presents all by herself!

Speaking of presents, her new tricycle was a real hit!

Here's another crowd pleaser!

Dippity Doo Dah!

Hamilton sent some Fun Dip Valentine's Day cards home for Osten and Marci. Here is Osten's first forray into Fun Dip (one of his Mommy's favorites as a child).

His blue teeth were an added bonus!

Treats for Our Sweets

We had a nice early Valentine's Day celebration with Osten and Marci at home this year. Marci is really getting the hang of opening gifts.

Of course, she has a professional gift unwrapper for an older brother!

Marci loved her "My Little Pony," and she got busy combing her hair right away. Check out her concentration!

Osten loved the new dinosaur to add to his ever-growing collection!

Catch o' the Day

So far, our fishing pursuits have not yet put dinner on the table. In fact, other than a couple small bites for Daddy, we've come home completely empty-handed.

The only fish being enjoyed are the goldfish that Marci brought along for a snack. (Oops! It looks like this picture is from one of the days that animal crackers were the snack du jour.) She also brought along the cash register that you can see in the foreground of this picture as she is all about her plastic coins these days!