Famous!

One of the Little Rock television stations was at the kids' school filming them for an upcoming story - and Jackson made the "teaser!" Carlisle's big bows were in another shot, but this one of Jackson and his buddy Jude is too cute!

Here is the link to the story on Today's THV Little Rock news station. I hope you can watch it! There are shots of Jackson and Evie but - alas - none of Carlisle (and she was NOT happy about it!). But, what a great story about our community and one of our business leaders, Southern Bancorp. So proud to live in Arkansas :)

More Cereal Pics!

Just a few additional pictures of sweet Evie and her FIRST CEREAL MEAL! The girl ate the entire bowl - success! In the says since, she's taken to eating two to three bowls at one sitting. Can't wait to see what she thinks we when we can start adding a little fruit to the mush :) Kendal has been on cereal duty the last few days and I think he's really enjoying the bonding time with his baby girl. Could we be any more in love with Evie??

It was quite the family affair! While Kendal and I fed Evie her oatmeal, Nana got some great pics of the twins. Why can't they hug like that all the time?!

Oatmeal Time!

In other exciting news, Evie Claire is now four months old! We just can't believe that. She is really trying to sit up - her "core" is strong as can be, she will be a natural in yoga classes soon. She continues to be a sweet, content baby and coos and smiles all the time. We have noticed she's been a lot more hungry than normal so we decided it was time to introduce a little oatmeal into her diet.
Wouldn't you know... she likes it! The first bite was a big surprise to her, but she got the hang of the spoon very quickly and ate the entire bowl! Nana was here during the first meal and got some great pics I'll share soon. Here are a few I took during another oatmeal snack - yummy stuff!

Last night, I got to enjoy a most fabulous girls' night out with my friends. We needed it! Six of us headed up to Little Rock to meet our friend Laura for a night of great wine, cuisine (Bosa Nova, the best!) and conversation. Why is it that we can't do that every weekend? Oh, right - kids! While the girls hit the town, the guys gathered at our friend Nathan's house. The six guys and four kids ate barbeque and played Thomas the Train - I think they had a pretty good night out, too! Nana got to spend a little one-on-one time with sweet Evie. Thank you, Nana, for all your help this weekend!

Before I sign out for today, I want to record a few of the really funny things the twins have been saying lately. A friend at church reminded me today to write these things down, so here are a few of the more humorous statements...

• Jackson and I are sitting at the table finishing supper when he puts his chin in his hands, smiles at me and says, "So, talk to me mama!" like we were old friends.
• Driving home one evening, Jackson points at the moon and says "I like that banana moon!"
• Jackson really likes to talk about Thomas the Train, robots and ghosts. The ghost part makes me a little nervous as kids are supposed to have the ability to see them... Anyway, Jackson is talking to us about a ghost that he sees in the kitchen. Kendal asks him if it's a friendly ghost or a bad ghost. Jackson shrugs and says "Good ghost, bad ghost - still a ghost!"
• Not sure if I should share this but oh well... Carlisle is hanging out in our room as I'm frantically getting dressed for work. She points at me and says "Mama, is that your body?" to which I reply "Yes, Carli. Do you have a body?" She points to her booty and says "I have a body in my diaper!"
• Carlisle loves to sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and her new favorite is "Baa Baa Black Sheep." She sings at the top of her lungs, "Baa baa back sheeps dav' you ady bool? Yes sir, yes sir, yes sir, yes sir..."
  

More snow - the REAL stuff!

We had the perfect Valentine's weekend! Some of our best friends, Mike and Amy, and their daughter Claire came up to visit. They are expecting a little boy in just a few months so wanted to get a good visit in before his big arrival. We met Mike and Amy at LSU - Mike and Kendal were Lambda Chi's, Amy and I were KD's and they set us up on our first date! They were even with Kendal and me on a New Orleans streetcar during Mardi Gras '99 when Kendal and I had the DTR ("define the relationship") talk, so we've got some history! We see them as often as we can, but this visit was the first time our kids have actually gotten to play together and everyone had a great time. Mike and Kendal immediately got to work building a train-track that wrapped around the entire playroom and the kids were in complete awe!

On Sunday, Kendal had the opportunity to preach at Allison Memorial Presbyterian Church in Little Rock. We all made the trek to Little Rock and our best Arkadelphia buddies Mary E, Conner and Will joined us for church. There was no nursery (horror!) so we spent most of the service wrangling "the three twins" who were honestly as good as three 2 1/2 year olds can be! On the drive home, a steady rain turned into a steady snow... We were so excited! By the time we pulled into our driveway the yard was covered in a perfect powder. We immediately bundled up and headed outside. Carlisle wasn't so interested in the snow this time but Claire and Jackson Camper tore it up! Mike had the snowman technique down to a science so he led the charge in building our first Arkansas snowman. The kids had a blast putting him together, and an even better time knocking him down! We also made time for a few sled races down the hill (Mike and I raced once down the Indian Mounds at LSU - this was a lot less painful!) then went inside to warm up. Claire and Mike taught Jackson some ballet moves - he nailed his plie - while Amy snuggled with Evie and Carlisle played with all of Clarie's toys :) It was such a fun weekend and we were sad to see our friends head back home but we can't wait to meet the new baby in just a few months!

From Collages

From Collages

From Collages

More Snow!

We woke up on Friday morning to the perfect snowy day! The snow was pure powder, no ice, and perfect to play in. Unfortunately the kids preferred a little early morning TV and Pop-Tart action to bundling up to go outside, so we made a mid-morning, post-gym playdate with the snow. It was melting pretty fast, but the kids still got to make snowballs and explore. Gabby the dog loved the weather - her full winter coat is more fit for Michigan than Arkansas - and I think was sad that the snow was pretty much gone by noon. But at least it was a good morning!

From Collages

The kids then helped decorate sprinkle-topped chocolate pretzels for their Valentine's Day party. The clean up was a doozy (dust busters don't really like sprinkles, FYI) but they had a good time and the snack is perfect for kiddos (and moms). All the Land kiddos wish YOU a Happy Valentine's Day! Much love to everyone :)

And here's just a little Evie to make your day happy... These are her Valentine's pj's from Nana, too cute!

Carlisle Gets a Haircut!

From Collages

Finally, I took Carlisle to get her very first salon haircut. Not sure what took me so long! I have been trimming her bangs myself, but now that we've got the professional's hands on her hair, I think it is time to put my scissors away :)

C and I had a fun little date. We went to the salon after school, talking about haircuts during the drive as we watched snow falling outside. She was happy during the bulk of the visit, fussing only when the stylist tried to put an apron on her. Once the trimming commenced, Carlisle licked on a lollipop and hammed for the mirror. Seriously, she is a little diva! She looked at herself from all sides and had a good little time. We only trimmed the back, evening everything up. The next step will be the process of growing out her bangs - headbands, bows, any ideas how to make this process cute??

I am so proud of my little girl!

Crayola in the Tub

From Collages