MAZZY & SEVI hansen-murray

07.12.10

2010-08-11T19:20:00.000-07:00

Purple stripes! I cannot believe I only got such awful pictures of Mazzy's cool hair. She didn't want to pose for me at all. Meanwhile, Sevi's busy reading a magazine on the couch. Then, at some point, the kids get their hands on the camera and take pictures of our dog, Lobo.

06.21.10 - Sea World San Antonio

2010-07-01T20:02:00.000-07:00

Sea World hardly needs explaining. The kids had a blast (we also spent two days at Six Flags Fiesta Texas but neglected to take any pictures). Sevi was a bit intimidated by dolphins and didn't want to touch them; Mazzy got very upset because she didn't "pet" one when she was feeding them, but we managed to get a touch in even without fish. Roller coasters are always fun. And we could have spent at least 45 minutes watching the sea lions and the two babies. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the Shamu show (the kids' favorite part) because we sat in the "Splash Zone" and I was worried about ruining the camera. Orca water is very, very stinky! Baths for all that night.

05.02.10

2010-07-01T19:58:00.001-07:00

Mazzy and Sevi with the camera! Sevi is getting better about keeping his subject in the frame, but not always (note Mazzy's skirt picture and her hand without a face - although I suppose she could have asked him to take a picture of her skirt!).

04.26.10

2010-07-01T19:57:00.001-07:00

I don't know what prompted this, but while I was making dinner, the kids and Robert decided to put up our tent in the backyard. Once it was up, we ate our hamburgers in there before taking it down and putting it away. It hadn't been used in 4-and-a-half years, but now that the kids know that it exists, it might get more use, even if just for fun meals and not for actual camping.

04.04.10 - Easter!

2010-07-01T19:56:00.000-07:00

Look! The Easter Bunny came to our house, and he even ate some of the carrot we left out. That sneaky bunny left the kids lots of yummy treats, and so we had candy for breakfast as is our usual Easter tradition. The bunny left Mazzy a book that came with a gold locket, which she promptly put on and wore for days on end.

04.03.10 - Renaissance Faire

2010-07-01T19:55:00.001-07:00

We took the kids out the Sherwood Forest Faire. It was a hot day, but the kids had a good time. They rode this medieval ride (pushed by a live human, not run by electricity) and a rickshaw, saw a real live donkey and everyone in costume. Sevi decided he needed some armor, but we decided that (1) it was too expensive and (2) he was just a little too small this year.

04.03.10

2010-07-01T19:54:00.003-07:00

Easter's almost here, and the kids have been so excited about the prospect of decorating eggs. I finally have everything ready, although I forgot to let the eggs (cold from being in the fridge) come to room temperature (they sweat when they are cold). Oh well, they ended up taking the color just fine, although being patient is hard for the little ones!

03.27.10

2010-07-01T19:54:00.001-07:00

Mazzy loves to practice her letters. Her new school has encouraged her love of writing, and now she will practice all the time. She's got all the uppercase memorized and most of the lowercases, too. (Robert wrote "egg" and "igloo" in the bottom left at her request.

02.27.10

2010-07-01T19:53:00.001-07:00

Nice bed-head Robert! It might be early, but not too early for a sword fight!

02.23.10

2010-03-03T19:44:00.001-08:00

Our first Texas snow! The kids were at school and got to play in it there, so Robert took this picture at home. Not really enough to do much with (no snowmen this year), but the kids still enjoyed the snow flurries.

02.20.10 - Sevi's party

2010-03-03T19:35:00.000-08:00

Time for a party! Look at the cake that Mommy made! Yup, I made it, (No, I didn't paint the picture or anything, what do you think, I'm up 24/7? Nope, ordered this edible cake topper online and just gently set it on the sheet cake and then decorated. Easy-peasy.) Sammie and Dick presented him with his very own bike, and not just any bike but a Buzz Lightyear bike. (Do you see the theme here? He's obsessed with Buzz.) He's also obsessed with turning ANYTHING into a sword and trying to hit his sister, so Mom and Dad bought him a sword and shield set that's made of foam. There are two swords and two shields, so now his opponent can fight back and defend herself... Oh, and the card! Sammie and Dick got him a little Toy Story card that plays the theme song from the movie. It has had as much playtime, if not more, than any of the gifts.

02.19.10 - Sevi Turns 3

2010-03-03T19:27:00.001-08:00

Today is Sevi's birthday. He's three now. Mom left work early to take the kids to Chuck E. Cheese's for playtime, where Dad met us, and then we headed home for presents! Aunt Tandy, Uncle Todd and family sent a new, smaller Buzz Lighyear toy, which talks. Sevi was so excited! He also got a big-boy bed. No more crib for this little man! Now he has a loft bed (bed on top and play space underneath) complete with Buzz Lightyear sheets.

02.15.10 - Valentine's Day

2010-03-03T19:22:00.000-08:00

Another holiday? Seems like there is one thing each month... Today they woke up and got to have their candy before breakfast (a special holiday tradition they get to enjoy at Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter). There is more than just chocolate hearts and gummy bears, of course, since family members sent small gifts. Sevi is more than enthralled with his new Pixar book, which includes a figurine set, and Mazzy colors her fairies, wanting me to read each page (all 200+ pages have some sort of descriptive sentence above the image).

01.16.10

2010-03-03T19:03:00.001-08:00

Kids took the camera from me when I was downloading the images from Christmas and ran around taking pictures of stuff and each other. They did really well sharing. Super cute pic of Sevi:

Humm, Sevi is NOT so good at aiming. We seem to be missing Mazzy's face.

Look, it's Daddy's junk in the office! (It has since been cleaned up.)

Daddy's double monitors...

Why does Mom only have one monitor?

The office chair. (Mazzy took this one, see how it's all in the frame?)

Sevi's got a snack.

Here's our new dog, Lobo (whom we got from the animal shelter. He's five years old and very calm).

01.01.10 - later that day

2010-03-03T18:57:00.001-08:00

We go to Sammie's mother's house (Grandmama) and visit with her and her friend Bob. The kids just love being with her. Well, she gives them undivided attention, of course, because when they come over she focuses solely on them. More presents! A Playdough activity set for both, Toy Story book for Sevi and activity princess set for Mazzy. She hunkers down at the kitchen table to work on her set of paper dolls and sparkly clothes (you dress them in the stickers and then scratch the colors to reveal the sparkles underneath - who thinks of these things?). She works quietly for at least 30 minutes if not 45, when it's finally time to pack up and go to bed! (I wish I had gotten a picture of her "working" - her words - but I had already packed up the camera.)

01.01.10 - New Year's Day

2010-03-03T18:48:00.000-08:00

It's a new year! Today Aunt Cathy and Uncle Wade came to visit the kids at Sammie and Dick's house, and brought Christmas presents! The kids were so excited to get to open more stuff... But they were very polite about it, at least. They got Mazzy a princess purse with all kinds of goodies (like pretend money, a pretend credit card, and other stuff that one would need for a purse), and Sevi a character from Yo Gabba Gabba who dances and sings and basically interacts with him. At some point Sammie and Dick give Mazzy the SECOND Ariel costume (they bought two and couldn't figure out which to give her, so she ended up with both). She loves it and plays dress up in it immediately, complete with her new red wig. She really is Ariel now!

12.31.09

2010-01-10T18:56:00.000-08:00

In Nashville at Sammie and Dick's house, we have another Christmas celebration. All Disney here, too. Toy Story is one of Sevi's favorite movies, even more so than Cars (yes, we cannot wait until summer when Toy Story 3 comes out), and it was the whole theme of Sevi's gifts: Rex, Zurg, Toy Story book, a Buzz blanket, Buzz coat and Buzz underwear.

Mazzy's been really into Ariel, as you can see from her gifts, although she did get some general Disney princess stuff.

12.26.09 - Christmas with Dave

2010-01-09T19:31:00.000-08:00

Uncle Dave came to visit, and we completely forgot to take some pictures with him. Hopefully he's got some on his camera he can share! But they got more presents. Spoiled, really, by their uncle with three gifts each... I've got to get a picture of one of them in their new mini red recliner. "Just like Dick!" they love to say when they are in it, because Dick has a recliner in his TV room.

12.25.09 - Christmas continued

2010-01-09T19:25:00.001-08:00

Opening gifts from Mom and Dad. Sevi's got chocolate all over his face from eating treats from his stocking. And you can't really tell what Sevi is opening but it's another Lightening McQueen set, this time a play mat/rug with red Lightening and some other characters from the Cars movie. They also really got into their new Hungry Hungry Hippo!

12.25.09 - Christmas

2010-01-09T19:04:00.000-08:00

Toys! Santa came! Wow! He brought Mazzy an Aurora (aka Sleeping Beauty) head, to style her hair, and Sevi got a Lightening McQueen set with Dinoco helicopter, Dinoco-painted Lightening and Mater. Stockings were a hit, too, since Santa put in chocolates! And a mini-Mr. Potatohead for Sevi.

12.24.09

2009-12-28T20:17:00.000-08:00

When Mom was a kid, her family always opened up one present on Christmas Eve. So, we let the kids do the same. They chose presents from Uncle Todd and Aunt Tandy — a Raggedy Ann doll and a musical train. They biggest hit: the train! Both kids got really into laying the notes down and watching the train go round and round. Thanks Todd and Tandy!

12.17.09

2009-12-28T17:15:00.000-08:00

Sevi and Mazzy's Montessori preschool put on a cute Christmas program. The kids were adorable, of course. The toddler classrooms had bells to jingle while Christmas songs played, and the preschool group actually sang five or six songs. The lighting was pretty dim, though, and the two night settings on my camera turned out to be pretty pathetic. But you get the idea. See that blur to the left and in front of Sevi in the fifth picture? That's a little girl dancing. Many of the toddlers hopped around on stage, but Sevi stood frozen, not even jingling the bells. Then the toddlers got off the stage to make way for the preschoolers, but not my Sevi and the little girl next to him! Mazzy performed better under pressure and actually sang and waved.

12.05.09

2009-12-28T17:08:00.000-08:00

We invited a few girls over for a mother/daughter playdate to make gingerbread houses. The girls got really into it! Moms handled the icing, and the girls stuck candy everywhere. Mazzy's favorite part? Spreading pink glitter all over the snowy lawn.

11.28.09

2009-12-28T16:54:00.000-08:00

Decorating the tree! Just after Thanksgiving, and we already bought our little tree. We let the kids stay up a little late to decorate it and the house.

11.26.09 - Thanksgiving

2009-12-12T06:17:00.001-08:00

We recorded the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and watched it after dinner. When the Rockettes came on with their high-kicking dance steps, Mazzy, Aunt Laura and Uncle Joe tried to imitate it with hilarious results. Mazzy didn't understand that they were trying to form a line... She then ran upstairs to change into her dancing clothes so she could dance with the dancers on TV. Soon after, she ran up and got the box of instruments, and began passing them out to all of us so we could play them like the bands in the parade. Only a kazoo, drum, harmonica, maracas and egg shakers don't sound nearly as nice as a marching band.

11.05.09

2009-11-07T05:03:00.000-08:00

Sevi, with his splint and popsicle in the bath. The weird squares on his chest are left-over sticky stuff from where the doctors at the hospital put the monitors on him while he was anesthetized for the rock-from-ear excursion.

The orthopedic surgeion won't put on his real cast until Tuesday (nearly a week after the fracture occurred, which was on Wednesday), due to possible swelling. Apparently if they put it on when his arm is swollen then it will be too loose when the swelling goes down. But just having a splint and not something more sturdy is annoying, especially since he thinks he can do anything he used to do: play chase, jump on the bed, climb the banister. I'm watching him like a hawk, saying 10 times a day, "You can't do that with your arm!" The fracture is just behind his wrist, not on a growth plate, thankfully. I'll post the X-rays later—the hospital is supposed to give them to me on a disk so I can take them to the orthopedic surgeon. Oh, and here's a new pic of Mazzy, who didn't want to be left out of the picture-taking.

10.31.09: Halloween

2009-11-03T19:18:00.000-08:00

Back in Austin, now, for more Halloween fun. Right after nap we scarfed some food down and got the kids into their costumes for a Halloween fair put on by the YMCA of Williamson County. There were at least 10 inflatables, carnival games, a few rides, food vendors, and even a Haunted House that Mazzy and Dad rode! Sevi got in line but decided at the last minute not to attempt it.

As soon as the sun began to sink, we headed home for door-to-door trick-or-treating. The pictures from trick-or-treating turned out awful, but the kids had a blast. We made it to about 10 houses in the neighborhood (which was BUZZING by the way) before heading home for a potty break (I swear Sevi has to go about every 10 minutes) and CANDY! Mom, being much more lenient than Dad, let the kids have unlimited candy. Of course much of this was trial and rejection, as the kids haven't had much more than chocolate chips, M&Ms, bits of Mom's dark chocolate bars and lollipops. Rejects this year: Dots, Jolly Ranchers, Milk Duds, anything with nuts (Mom ate the Snickers and Baby Ruths) and 3 Musketeers (rejected by Mazzy but don't worry because Sevi ate hers and his). New found favs: Whoppers (Mazzy's pick) and Nerds, which I think we had last year. Sevi decided to open up and lick five of his Dum Dum lollipops, just to taste them, not to finish them... Days later they are still there on the plate. We should throw them out.

10.24.09

2009-11-03T18:59:00.000-08:00

Halloween Party, Nashville:
We had a small Halloween party with our Nashville friends. A teen from our church there painted faces, we broke a pinata (with strings instead of a bat), had good food, and played together. Oh, and Megan's boys are obsessed with Star Wars, and so Dad and Sevi found light sabers. They had some brief combat, but no one was hurt.

10.23.09

2009-11-03T15:51:00.000-08:00

We visit Nashville and Mazzy gets to see old friends, like Teagan. Here they are playing dress up. The red wig is for Teagan's Halloween costume: she's going to be Ariel.

10.14.09

2009-11-03T15:42:00.000-08:00

We discovered Kiddie Acres, a very small amusement park in north Austin. It's fantastic—old with lots of character—and perfect for the young set. On Wednesdays they offer $1 tickets, and all rides are only 1 ticket! (Except for the pony and train rides.) We had a blast, and I have promised to take them back soon.

10.04.09

2009-10-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

It rained so hard our yard flooded, and we had our very own mud pool on the side of the house. Yippee! (Playtime was immediately followed by bathtime.)

09.28.09

2009-10-04T13:28:00.000-07:00

Best friends! These pictures are blurry because they were too busy playing to stand still. They got along together peacefully and happily for a good hour, taking all the doll stuff outside to the playscape. Sevi's got a doll down his shirt because he said, "Put a baby in my belly!" I'm not sure how the bicycle helmet came into play... But I was able to clean the floors in peace!

09.23.09

2009-10-04T13:10:00.000-07:00

Face painting! Mazzy got a face painting kit for her birthday and she loves for Mom to paint her face all fancy. Sevi likes to have is face painted, too, but has a hard time sitting still for the duration.

09.14.09

2009-10-04T12:50:00.000-07:00

Mazzy's new friend Magnolia came over to play. Then our budding little photographer Mazzy took the camera for some pictures of her own (the last three).

08.15.09: Mazzy's birthday!

2009-09-04T20:48:00.000-07:00

Mazzy had an awesome birthday. In the morning we let her open presents from family. Sammie and Dick had come to visit and actually bought her a car! A pink Jeep with a working radio, seat belts and a little key. Really, it's their own fault. She saw a little car when she was out with them nearly a year ago and Dick told her that it was for ages 4 and older. So she said, "You can get that for me when I turn four." And apparently they agreed. She never, ever, let them forget it, and would remind them at random times, "You'll get me a car when I turn four, right?" At the time we were living in Nashville and she said that she would drive it from our house to Sammie and Dick's. I think after we opened all the presents, she said something like, "Where's my big box?" Luckily, the guys had stayed up late putting it together the night before, so it was ready to drive. She drove it really well, but Sevi refused (and still refuses) to steer. However, he will put it in reverse to get unstuck.

Sevi, so as not to be left out, got a real Buzz Lightyear (from Mom and Dad) and a Woody (from Sammie and Dick). He could not have been more enthralled with them, and kept saying it was "Sevi bir-day."

We had a little party for dinner, and Aunt Laura and Uncle Joe came over, along with friends Allison, IX, Baxter and Logan. Mazzy loves playing with Baxter and got him to play family. She's the mommy with the baby doll.

08.14.09

2009-09-04T19:57:00.001-07:00

We had a little tea party for Mazzy for her birthday with some of the kids from one of my moms' groups. We made cookies (well, I made the dough and the kids cut out shapes with the cookie cutters), had tea and hot cocoa, and then played outside.

Old pics I forgot to post

2009-09-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

In May I took the kids for a "walk" around our Nashville neighborhood.

Then, in early July, Aunt Jill took a few cute pictures of Mazzy all dressed up in a ballerina costume that she had...

The little princess going out to eat on July 5.

At a playdate on July 24.

08.11.09

2009-08-11T20:14:00.000-07:00

I gave the camera to Mazzy for about 10 minutes, and she managed, somehow, to take 114 pictures. Here, I've posted my favorites, most for obvious reasons. I love getting to see the world how she does. She took about 10 pictures of her new princess keys, which she bought today at Target with her $4 birthday money from Aunt Karen and Uncle Rich (thanks!) and of course, her favorite blanket. The rest were a surprise to me.

08.10.09

2009-08-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

I finally remembered to take the camera to one of Mazzy's swim lessons. She's been going all last week and this week, and learning to put her face in the water. They play "ring around the rosie" and then go under. She's also learned how to make "ice cream scoops" with their hands and kick like crazy - while wearing a flotation belt, which helps her feel safe. No lessons for Sevi yet, who's recently started jumping into the pool from the side. No fear, that one.

08.09.09

2009-08-11T20:02:00.000-07:00

At Phil's Ice House and Amy's Ice Cream in Austin, because we can eat fantastic burgers and ice cream while the kids play on the playground. And the cows, which Mazzy was a little obsessed with. She pet them, hugged them, climbed on them. Here she is with Baxter, a friend's son. And then we've got Sevi, Brandi (in town from Colorado) and Robert watching something fascinating on the iPhone. I think it was something X-games related, but I cannot be sure.

08.02.09: Brenna's Birthday!

2009-08-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

Robert threw me a surprise party, the wonderful husband! Of course he had a LOT of help from my friends Laura and Jill. We fired up the grill and had some beer and wine. Couldn't have been better. Jill made, from scratch, the beautiful, professional-looking cake (chocolate with vanilla butter cream icing covered with chocolate ganache), which we had in addition to the cake that the kids helped us make that morning (box mix but with homemade chocolate cream cheese icing). We let the kids help us blow out the candles on the "regular" cake, since they tend to spit some...

End of party: who's that boxed kid? Don't let the nail polish fool you - it's Sevi!

07.23.09: Robert's Birthday

2009-08-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

Today we busted our butts trying to make Robert's birthday special. We started with a trip to the grocery store for just a few ingredients, and we ended up with balloons, flowers, cake mix, card, glitter cake candles, Wall-E cake decorations, and ingredients for lasagna (his request for dinner). Got home and made fresh bread (thanks to our breadmaker) and Mazzy wanted to eat the raw dough, of course. Then we go to work on the cake - the kids love to "help" make cakes, meaning stir, spill, stick in their fingers... Yum. And lastly the lasagna, but not without a second trip to the grocery store because we forgot stuff.

Anyway, long story short, we were super busy and Sevi was running around eating his popsicle, and then he asked, "Where's Mazzy?" I started calling for her, because just a few minutes before they had been together, watching a movie... No answer. Where was she? Asleep on the couch, crashed because it was after 4:30 and they had not taken their usual 2:30 nap, which they will only do if I lie down as well. And Sevi? Still running around like a crazy hyped-up Energizer Bunny.

07.19.09

2009-07-24T23:19:00.000-07:00

Bubble bath!

07.10.09

2009-07-24T23:18:00.001-07:00

Mazzy "working." She asked for the i-Pod, and no, I did not suggest it.

07.09.09

2009-07-24T23:07:00.000-07:00

I have no idea what she is doing here except that I thought it was funny that she decided to lie down on the kitchen floor in her dress-up clothes, so I got out the camera.

Afterwards, she took the camera from me and wanted to start taking pictures - for the first time. And I let her, although her father would have freaked out that she might drop and break the camera. Her first-ever picture: of me, Mom. And then about 10 of Sevi and the floor before I finally told her that she was done... This one of Sevi was one of the better pictures. I tried to explain about centering on what she saw on the digital screen, but she obviously didn't really get it.

07.06.09

2009-07-24T22:59:00.000-07:00

Fast forward nearly two months and we have moved to Texas. New state, new house, new lives. But Sevi still loves making pancakes and eating pancake batter! Check it out - he's potty trained now. See the big boy underpants?

Second favorite thing, after making pancakes (well, after all things food-related since the boy loves to eat): riding his fire engine around the house. And down the street. And at the park. Basically anywhere we will let him take it. The seat lifts and underneath is a small storage bin. I cannot tell you all the things we have found in there: crusty chewed-on blankets, fermenting juice, long lost toys, food. Really, you'd think we would know by now to check it nightly...

05.14.09

2009-07-24T22:55:00.000-07:00

Playing outside. I have no recollection of what is going on, although I think the plastic bin in there because I was washing the outdoor play equipment... I do know that they got pretty dirty outside and ended up in the bath!

05.13.09

2009-07-24T22:53:00.000-07:00

Brushing teeth. Sevi cooperates so well. He loves having Aubrey help him, the little flirt...

05.08.09

2009-07-24T22:47:00.000-07:00

Mazzy and Aubrey, her favorite babysitter. Aubrey is trying on her prom dress and Mazzy is playing "dress up" with her, not that Mazzy needs an excuse...

05.08.09

2009-07-24T22:45:00.000-07:00

Uncle Dave visits. We happen to have a lot of rain, and we accidentally left the cover off the sand box, so we end up with smelly sand soup that the kids want to play in. Baths tonight!!!

4.13.09

2009-07-24T22:34:00.000-07:00

Mazzy's first "people" pictures. Up until now she's only done scribbles, so this is pretty exciting. developmentally. A head! A body! Arms!

04.12.09 - Easter

2009-04-21T19:31:00.001-07:00

Oh that Easter Bunny. She brings lots of toys and useful stuff like markers, books, animal-shaped crayons, nail polish and "lipstick" lip balm, but she still manages to give the kids chocolate. Who needs breakfast when you can have chocolate? Unlimited chocolate? And some jellybeans.

04.11.09

2009-04-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

Decorating eggs. Sevi had about 2 minutes worth of attention for this activity, while Mazzy really got into it. She did not like waiting for the eggs to soak (light colors like yellow had to sit in the color bath for a long long time) but she got to paint them with a clear glitter gel, which she enjoyed. Next year I think I'll just set her up with some paint and hard boiled eggs. What kind of paint is good for egg shells and will dry nicely?

03.20.09

2009-04-21T19:25:00.000-07:00

Making cookies is serious work.

03.09.09

2009-03-22T16:07:00.001-07:00

Leaving Little Rock on Monday morning, and we try to get a picture with the grandparents. Kids don't want to cooperate.

03.08.09

2009-03-22T16:01:00.000-07:00

Still in Little Rock. Sevi's having lunch, and here's Mazzy having a snack.

Later, after nap, we go to the park.

03.07.09

2009-03-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

We visited Little Rock to attend the bridal shower of our nephew, who's getting married in May. We stay with Grandpa and Grandma Murray, and Mazzy and Sevi enjoy playing with their cousins. Robert's brother has five kids - two are older and not pictured, including the one getting married soon, and three are just a bit older than our kids. Here is everyone all together.

02.21.09 - Sevi's 2nd birthday party

2009-02-23T20:26:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, we have Sevi's party. He gets rather upset when everyone sings to him and turns to Dad for solace. He doesn't eat much more than some frosting off the cupcake. And he gets more presents! A new movie from Uncle Wade and a horsey from Grammie Sammie and Dick!

02.20.09

2009-02-23T20:23:00.000-08:00

Alright, so these are not the best pictures. I either didn't have the flash on, or I was just too far away. But they crawled up on the table and started begging Dad for spoonfuls of his frozen limeade (our new child-friendly term for virgin margarita, which was what we used to call it). It struck me that they looked like little begging puppy dogs.

02.19.09 - Sevi's 2nd Birthday

2009-02-23T20:11:00.000-08:00

Sevi turns 2 today. We open up some presents. Grandma and Grandpa Murray get him this fantastic raincoat and matching frog umbrella (luckily it rained over the weekend and he got to wear it out of the house). Uncle Dave sent him his first regulation size football, which he proceeded to carry around the house for days. It's as big as half of his body. Mom and Dad got him a doctor's kit so he'd stop borrowing Mazzy's (and sending her into a screaming frenzy).

01.07.08

2009-01-21T12:14:00.001-08:00

For some reason, I thought it would be a fine idea to let Sevi play in the box of styrofoam peanuts. Then Mazzy got in. And then they both got out, then back in, then out, then back in... Within 30 minutes peanuts and peanut parts were everywhere: the kitchen, hallway, and living room, as well as along the walls (I managed to not let them into the bathroom or their rooms). I had no idea how hard it would be to clean up. Sweeping is counterproductive: you just end up creating more static electricity and the stuff swirls around sticking to more stuff. Vacuuming was also a bad idea. I ended up clogging the vacuum. So finally I got out a spray bottle and got everything damp, then swept it up after the kids were in bed. I've learned my lesson.

12.31.08 - later

2009-01-21T12:08:00.001-08:00

Aunt Nessa babysits Sevi (Mazzy is spending the night with Sammie and Dick), so that Mom and Dad can have a nice dinner out. Sevi paints. Mom and Nessa get to go out later to ring in the New Year with a girls' night out down on lower Broadway...

12.31.08

2009-01-21T11:56:00.000-08:00

Mazzy is off with Grammie Sammie, so Sevi, Aunt Nessa and I go play, after we clean up the house. Oh wait, that's play, too - at least for Sevi! We visit the Parthenon at Centennial Park, and watch the geese outside. Sevi poses so kindly for Nessa. It's very very cold - hence his runny nose.

12.27.08

2009-01-21T11:50:00.000-08:00

Aunt Vanessa comes to visit all the way from Portland, Oregon. She gets a new camera, and shares these pictures with us. Mazzy is playing dress up in her Minnie Mouse costume from Halloween.

12.25.08 - Christmas! Part 2!

2009-01-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

Later we go to Grandmama's house (Sammie's mom) and the kids get MORE gifts. They really got it good this year. Sevi's not sure what to make of Mazzy's new talking doll.

12.25.08 - Christmas!

2009-01-08T19:42:00.000-08:00

Santa visits! Mazzy woke up and called out for us, like usual. When I went into her room, the first thing she said to me was, "Did Santa eat the cookies?"

Luckily, Santa did eat the cookies, the glutton. And he kindly left a pink doctor's kit for Mazzy and an instrument set for Sevi (with his first real drum and harmonica). Lots of other instruments were in the stockings. We can make a lot of noise now!

Mommy and Daddy gave Mazzy some Strawberry Shortcake toys and Sevi a Little People car carrier to go with the Little People Racin' Ramps Garage that Sammie and Dick gave him.

12.24.08

2009-01-08T19:41:00.001-08:00

We spent Christmas Eve with Sammie, Dick, Uncle Wade and Aunt Cathy. Pictures Sammie's camera coming.

12.23.08

2009-01-08T19:33:00.000-08:00

Amanda visits and the girls exchange gifts. Amanda gave Mazzy a wand and a little coin purse. Mazzy gave Amanda a notebook and pen. When Mazzy handed Amanda her wrapped gift, she exclaimed excitedly "It's a notebook!" What a surprise!

Here's Mazzy holding Amanda's little sister, Samantha.

12.12.08

2009-01-08T19:29:00.000-08:00

We got snow! Mazzy was so disappointed that we didn't have enough to build a snow person.

12.05.08

2008-12-06T15:12:00.001-08:00

Tonight we decorated our little Christmas tree. Sevi just wanted to throw all the ball-shaped ornaments, but Mazzy got into it and had a great time. Then she learned how to take a picture with the camera, and got her first, and certainly not last, not-so-flattering picture of Mom.

12.01.08

2008-12-06T14:52:00.002-08:00

Parent observation day at Mazzy's dance class. First, she would not participate with her classmates, and wanted to stand with us at the back of the class. Nearly halfway through, she decided to dance some, and we captured a few pictures. The students dance with stick horses, with star wands, and with these feather wands. And tumble some on a mat. I missed getting pictures of those since by then Sevi had decided he'd had enough of waiting with us and wanted to get in on the action. We had to step out.

2008-12-06T14:52:00.001-08:00

11.05.08

2008-12-06T14:44:00.000-08:00

Mazzy plays dress up with the new fairy costume she got from Grandma Murray. Then Sevi gets in on the action.

10.31.08 - Halloween!

2008-11-02T09:32:00.000-08:00

Aren't they adorable? Mazzy was Minnie Mouse, in case you cannot tell, and Sevi was a pumpkin. We met up at Jason and Mary's house (one block over) for a potluck before heading out. Sevi was obsessed with pushing the baby stroller, which is why we have him posing with it... The pre-costume stroller pic is just so you can see his face covered in candy - he loved the M&Ms. I don't know that he had ever had any before, but he crammed as many as he could fit into his mouth and then left a trail of colored drool across the floor. This year the kids covered two streets (last year it was only five houses). Sevi kept falling down, since it was so dark and the hood got in the way of his peripheral vision. He couldn't keep up with the big kids, and I ended up carrying him a good part of the way. He also didn't understand that we were just going to stand outside and get candy, and kept trying to walk into people's houses.

10.17.08

2008-10-30T19:14:00.000-07:00

Playing at the house. Is that a toy, or a Sevi???

09.20.08

2008-10-01T21:40:00.000-07:00

Our second day at the beach. Sevi has decided that he does not like the waves, and will not go near the water. Mazzy actually prefers the pool, but we convince her to walk down to the beach. She will go in the water, but only with Mom or Dad to hold. Both play in the sand, and Sevi explores, seeing what this seaweed stuff is all about.

09.19.08

2008-10-01T21:32:00.001-07:00

We visit New Smyrna Beach, Florida, to see Mom's maternal grandfather. Mazzy tries on Aunt Liz's shoes and poses (a bit) with Grandpa. Sevi runs around their condo. Round and round and round, and Mazzy joins in.

09.13.08

2008-10-01T21:30:00.000-07:00

Mazzy playing "baby" with friend Amanda at our house.

09.08.08

2008-10-01T21:22:00.000-07:00

Lots of cuteness today: Sevi reading a book, Mazzy all ready for her very first dance class. Then Sevi tries on Mazzy's pink sparkle shoes, and he looks so great I cannot pass up the opportunity to take a picture - only he won't smile. I sweet talk him all I can, and ask Mazzy to help me persuade him. So she goes over to him and grabs his hand, only she also refuses to smile, so I end up with the two of them staring so seriously into the camera. Oh well.

08.16.08 - Mazzy's Party

2008-09-10T20:44:00.001-07:00

We had Mazzy's party this year after her birthday at the YMCA pool. Only this year it was unseasonably cold - like mid-80s - and everyone was freezing! You can never predict the weather. Actually, the water felt great, and it's only cold, cold, cold when we got out. Mommy made her cake this year, pink and purple like she asked, and she insisted on it having flowers. Version 1 did not.

08.15.08 - Mazzy Turns 3!

2008-09-10T20:27:00.001-07:00

Mazzy on her birthday: she gets a dress-up fairy skirt, and immediately dons it. Then she plays tea party with her new tea set from Grandma and Grandpa Murray. We play a bit with her new Leap Frog computer. Then, dressed up in her new skirt and birthday tiara with her computer in her new backpack, she is ready to attend the Cumberland County Fair. We go, and she rides the ponies, a bunch of roller coasters and rides, and has a wonderful birthday. Sevi, being 37 inches tall, is tall enough to ride a bunch of rides too, whereas last year he just hung out in Mommy's carrier.

Oh, and Sevi has cotton candy for the first time. Notice his blue face at the fair?

08.14.08

2008-09-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

At the beach at Lake Tansi: The kids are obsessed with sand, and love to squish it between their fingers and hand it to Mom or Dad. Sevi also really wants this giant truck another family has brought, and tries to "borrow" it, much to the other boy's dismay.

08.14.08

2008-09-10T19:43:00.000-07:00

Vacation at Lake Tansi in East Tennessee. We go every year, and this is the first year that both kids are old enough to enjoy it. Our daily schedule: wake, breakfast at the condo (while watching cartoons!), playground, putt-putt, beach play, nap, dinner, more beach, movies, bedtime. Really strenuous. Mazzy likes to play store owner at the putt-putt kiosk. During these pictures, she'd rather play with the crumbling concrete than putt.

08.02.08

2008-08-06T15:08:00.000-07:00

My friend Brandi took these pictures of the kids at the Puffy Muffin in Brentwood on my birthday. Note that they are eating cupcakes - I didn't get one. Oh well, I'll stay in my seat regardless of whether I have sugar in front of me, whereas they won't!

07.26.08

2008-07-31T04:44:00.000-07:00

We tried to take this picture of the kids playing in the rain, but it just looks like a regular day. Try to imagine that it is raining.

07.20.08

2008-07-31T04:41:00.000-07:00

The couch potatoes! You don't have to ask Mazzy twice if she wants to watch a movie.

07.19.08

2008-07-31T04:38:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Murray visit. Here is Grandma reading bedtime stories to Mazzy.

07.05.08

2008-07-31T04:31:00.000-07:00

The best picture of Sevi ever.

06.09.08

2008-07-30T05:19:00.000-07:00

Our little friend Rohan came over and we played in the sprinklers. Rohan plants himself in one place and squeals with delight when the water hits him. Both of my kids end up naked before long (not shown!).

06.01.08

2008-07-30T04:48:00.001-07:00

At the end of May we visited the Little Rock Murrays and stopped at the Memphis Galleria on the way there and back. We love to ride the carousel. Well, the kids love to ride carousels in general, anywhere!

05.16.08

2008-07-30T04:33:00.001-07:00

Mom lets Sevi play while making dinner. He loves the pots and pans and pouring stuff back and forth, so she gives him dry alphabet pasta. Month later, we'll still be finding little letters peeking out from under the cabinets.

05.02.08

2008-05-17T06:19:00.000-07:00

Mazzy has found herself a real live doll to use in her baby doll stroller.

04.05.08

2008-05-17T06:11:00.000-07:00

Party at the train place. Mazzy does not want to leave; she loves the wooden play food.

04.01.08

2008-05-17T06:06:00.000-07:00

Mazzy discovers she can fit in the fridge. She wants us to close her in, and doesn't really understand that there's just not room.

03.31.08

2008-05-17T06:03:00.001-07:00

Snack time. We discovered that Sevi loves smoothies. Mazzy, however, would rather play with her food than eat it.

03.23.08: Easter

2008-04-30T04:28:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny found us all the way in Lake Placid! Mazzy get her first taste of white chocolate, and loves it. Then we go to Whiteface Mountain (apparently a double black diamond) and ride the gondola up to the top, where it is so windy we can only stay for a few moments before wanting to go back down.

03.22.08

2008-04-25T12:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures from Lake Placid. We had our very first dog sled ride on the frozen lake.

03.22.08

2008-03-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

Dave surprises us with a two-day trip to Lake Placid. While there was plenty of snow in Sacket's Harbor, where Dave lives, it's not in the mountains... See Dave, the Mountain Man? Mazzy of course, is happy playing in the snow, since it's still a novelty.

While shopping, she hunkers down in a store where she discovers these bears that sing when you press their hands. And sing again. And again. And again. Finally, worried that we were wearing down the bears' batteries and bothering the owners, Mom made her leave. Crying.

03.21.08

2008-03-30T16:23:00.000-07:00

Another weekend of travel. Mazzy and Mom go to Syracuse, NY, to visit Uncle Dave. He'll leave for Iraq in April.

It might be spring in Tennessee, but up here it's still winter. Dave lives right on Lake Ontario - and there we are standing on it since the ice is nearly two feet thick (we talked to some guys who were ice fishing). Mom's not sure she's ever stood on a frozen lake before, and Mazzy sure hasn't. She's torn between wanting to play in the snow, a novelty, and wanting to be inside where it's warm. At the restaurant, we go in and out about four times. The last picture is Dave and Mazzy relaxing at his house.

03.17.08

2008-03-30T16:22:00.000-07:00

Mazzy, Blair and Glenn play the piano. Well, Blair plays and Mazzy helps by hitting a few keys. We'll wait a few years for some lessons.