Girl Time to Music

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Kowalski, we have a BEAUTIFUL piano in our house.

This was something that I always put on my "homeowner wish list" which included all the things I would someday put in my fantasy house, because pianos are SO wonderful, but SO expensive and there always seems to be something that is a NEED over a "wish" item. So, thank you to them for crossing off the second item on my wish list (the first was a home with 2 wet bars :) )

Anywho, we just got it tuned after letting it settle after the move, and Daphne REALLY likes to play the "pee-no".

Girl can jam.


She begs me to help her get up on the bench, then swings her legs, and insists that I sit with her and GIGGLES.

So, in short, the piano seemed the perfect place to gather for another installment of "girl time."

(though I just realized that the piano is not so much visible in these shots)

*that is ice cream bar on her face*

*I SO LOVE that she will mimic my face making now - it is so "best friends in a mall photo booth" which is TOTALLY the vibe everyone should go for when snapping oneself in an iPhone camera

And for good measure, I made Coop sneak in.

When did Daphne become a disgruntled teenager? Oh yeah. She was born this way :)

I kid, I kid, she is actually one of the happiest children I have ever known (though she definitely was not born that way). The constant: the volume.

(This is a picture of her when Steve got her up from a nap).

She has taken to dressing herself in Cooper's clothes. Themed, even. See: Thomas.

In non-Daphne specific news, inspired by our good friends here in Houston, we purchased some water guns and filled up some water ballons, and thoroughly enjoyed having a back yard.

If I had the time or wherewithall to do so, I would totally write a post about how fun this was, how both of our kids are remarkably good sports when the hose is turned on them (in fun) and buckets of water are dumped on their heads (also in fun). I might even comment on how oddly appropriate it was, here in the south, land of the 2nd Amendment, to be purchasing water guns.

Sadly, I do not. Thus, pictures will have to suffice.

Randoms

Seriously, why do I even allow her to have suckers?  Excuse me, "sthu-kuhs". She is literally glistening with sticky drool. 

But that doesn't slow her down. 

Not much does. 

Coop, I mean Michaelangelo, has some sweet custom nun-chucks. 

Which prompted Daph to require some couture attire. 

In Coop's words, "Daphatella looks like a princess."

What up, Daddy?

We were lucky to have the Kowalski crew with us this past weekend, which meant multiple (two) generations of amazing Dad's in our house, with a Grandma bonus. The kids were in heaven and, I think, amidst being overwhelmed by all the spoiling, they showed the Dads a pretty good time. Unfortunately, we were having so much fun, that I completely failed to take any pictures of it...

I do however have a picture of Daphne wearing Coop's shorts:

And a picture of the kids in the local mall's train (which is a once in a lifetime experience, because OMG I could have bought a paid of shoes for the price of one ride... and even under 2 year old Daphne required a full price ticket... Thank you, Grandpa, for funding that one!)

I hope these kids realize how lucky they are to have such a wonderful dad, and such exceptional Grandpas.
Not all Dads will make up stories EVERY night to help you fall asleep.
Not all Dads will cut up shirts to make Ninja Turtle headbands.
Not all Dads will dress your babies and rock them to sleep.
Not all dads will look for HOURS to find your special bear.
Not all dads will play the same Ninja Turtles game for hours. Literally hours.
Not all dads will teach you how to dance.
Not all dads will not only tell you, but show you, every single day that they love you more than life.

A happy belated father's day, to the most rockingest dad that I know, and to the Dad that taught him how to be a dad, and to the dad that taught me what to expect from my kids' dad.

Where Stockings Will Hang

As Promised

Daphatella attacks!

Little Helper

Who would have thought that THIS girl..

Would be such a helper?!?!

yes, she really likes to swiffer.

And Lord knows the house needs it. Always.

And having been a child who was also rather keen on floor cleanliness, but who was never allowed to mop the floor, because, apparently, it took longer and was not done as well when I did it...

Well, I am not going to stifle this. Sweep on, sister.

In other news. GUESS WHO IS NO LONGER SLEEPINGI IN A TODDLER BED????

Yep!

And aren't we clever - if you turn the day bed around it becomes like a crib / cage for big kids who still thrash around in their sleep too much to not roll out of bed, and whose parents are too cheap to buy actual railings.

Sleep on, my friend.