Hmm...Wanna Guess Who Had a Hard Day?

Not a single tear, no whining, no complaints, as a matter of fact...we had to REMIND them to give us a kiss as we dropped them off at their first day of preschool today!! Being the cautious mommy that I am, I packed their backpacks with TWO sets of clothes this morning and I'm happy to report that BOTH sets came back (yes, mom, we told our teacher we needed to go potty). HOORAY!!




Okay, so I will admit, I'm SUPER proud of them...and I'll also admit that both DrillSgt. and I had a hard time with it all today. We both complained of feeling nauseous, of tightness in our chests, and of slightly watery eyes (which magically disappeared as soon as we walked in to pick them up). We wondered if we should call and check in on them, we had a difficult time knowing what to do without them (let's just say the laundry basket is finally empty), and the house was so quiet I had to turn on the music. We said we'd pick them up at 4pm and then ended up getting there at 3:30 (it's just down the street from our house---LOL!!) I'm seriously glad that they handled it well, and I'm really happy that we started a few weeks early and I didn't have to worry about their first day at preschool AND my first day back at work.

Secretly, I'm also happy that they were both ready to come home too!

LongRifle said, "Come on mom, let's go home!"

One Door Closes...another opens.

May 28th was not just DrillSgt's birthday, it was also the last day of group AND Bright Start (support program for high risk infants) for Da'Gorgeouses. These wonderful ladies were with us almost every step of the way starting the month we brought Pistol and LongRifle home from the NICU. Marisa, the lovely lady holding Pistol on the far right, came to the house to work with them EVERY week (except the 6 week summer vacation). Teacher MaryAnn, seen here holding LongRifle, came to our house that first year to teach Grammy and I infant massage and she ran the get ready for preschool group they've been a part of these last few months.

I cannot speak highly enough about Bright Start. It is a wonderful program and the people we worked with were EXCEPTIONAL people. I really appreciated getting to know them, having that extra set of unbiased eyes watching over the girls making sure they met their developmental milestones, but most of all I appreciated the genuine love and affection they all showered my girls with. Just look at how happy Da'Gorgeouses are sitting there with all those wonderful women. I know we'll keep in touch, after all, I still have their cell numbers programmed in my phone! LOL!!

DrillSgt. Turns 39!!

Goodness how I love this man.

See those strong arms watching over our little ones?

• Those are the same arms that give the biggest hugs and let us all know that we are being watched over and protected.
• Those are the same arms that ever so gently held Da'Gorgeouses when they were but tiny little beings.
• Those are the same arms that lift them up and make them squeal and giggle and laugh and ask for MORE.
  
• Those are the same arms attached to the hands that pray over and bless our girls every night before they go to sleep.
  

♥ What a wonderful man he is! ♥

Happy Birthday Love!

It's Just Not a Birthday Party...

unless it's complete with piñata pictures!

Not An Easy Task...

M-365: *Group Photo*

Let me tell you, when it comes to getting ALL of DrillSgt's. family members together it's QUITE a difficult task. I start verbally notifying everyone of the date in March, formal invites go out ~1 month in advance, etc. I was so glad that EVERYONE was able to make it to Da'Gorgeouses 3rd Birthday party (my girls were SO excited that their Tios/Tias and cousins were all there) AND lucky for me, one of my SIL's decided to motivate everyone to pose for a "RARE" family photo!

DrillSgt., his 9 other siblings AND my MIL

MIL & ALL her grandchildren!Believe it or not, this was the best shot out of all of them, too bad
my oldest nephew wasn't looking forward--LOL!! I still can't believe
he was only 3 when we got married! YIKES, has it really been that long ago?!

BTW, I REALLY love the fact that my girls are hugging each other --LOL!

Okay girls, this post was 'specially for you!

THREE!! This many...

Only Because I Know...

some of you might have been waiting...LOL!!

I made their tutus, bought their crowns & wands, bought their
leotards & added the bits of flair. Their birthday party was a hit,
all the people that loved them & were able to attend did, food was
wonderful, company was great, bounce house was well used, and both
Pistol and LongRifle were EXHAUSTED by the time we put them to bed!

Thanks to all that made it & to those of you that wished my very special Princesses
a very Happy 3rd Birthday and were with us in spirit!
We love and appreciate each and every one of you,
thank you for being a part of our lives!

Goodbye 2, HELLO 3!!

Da'Gorgeouses turn THREE on Friday. Our house has been a hustle and a bustle trying to get ready for the BIG Princess party on Saturday. The cake is ordered, the bounce house is hopefully showing up, we have borrowed tables and chairs, the meat/chips/drinks and favors are purchased, and invitations were sent out a month ago. I'm almost finished with their birthday outfits & if I have a chance I'll take & post a pic soon!

We've invited family and a few of Da'Gorgeouses close friends (who by the way are all over 30---can anyone explain to me why that is?). Their BEST friends are coming too, did I mention that they're in their 80's?! So as we say goodbye to the "terrible twos" we welcome the "trying threes" (TIMES TWO remember?) with open arms--LOL!!

So CELEBRATE with me, the joy of having TWO wonderfully amazing, super funny, super smart, silly, beautiful girls!

An Unexpected Gift...

I'd like to thank my blogger friend Holly for the wonderful surprise that arrived in my mailbox yesterday. She and I share the common bond of being preemie moms---now times TWO, and you may have seen my previous post about her Superbaby. She was so wonderful to think of me when she saw this, and had an extra pearl added to represent Da'Gorgeouses!


And the super-extra special thing is that she has the same one too!! How cool is that?!

Dear Holly,
Thank you for brightening my day and my tiny section of the blog world! If my wishes came true, you'd live right next door too!

Dear Holly...

Okay, my dear blog friend Holly went on bedrest not too long ago and happened to stop by and leave a comment today. She used to be a California girl, but right after I found her blog she decided to move to Wisconsin of all places! I secretly wonder if she thought I might visit her someday, seeing as how we have so much in common---LOL!! Anyway, of course I've been checking up on her, stalking her blog daily, waiting for her to post how she's been doing. Seems she had a pretty good excuse for neglecting her blog, please stop by and congratulate her, on her precious bundle of joy!!

Praying that Little Flower Bud's NICU stay is short and only includes the happy parts of the rollercoaster ride!

A Couple of New Years Pics...

An Explanation...

Let me explain the title of my previous post. December Madness begins on December 7th with my sis & bil anniversary, it is then followed by Grammy's birthday coming up on the 15th, my bil's b-day on the 18th (I do have that date right?!). Somewhere before Christmas we all gather to make the traditional tamales, and we can't forget Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (which we traditionally have plans for on both days). Let's add to that the fact that DrillSgt. and I being slightly psychotic and delusional at the time, were convinced/and only slightly coerced (thanks Grammy & Welo--LOL!!) to get married on December 30th (this due to the fact that my younger cousin that lived down south was getting married on the 23rd and ALL our out of state family would already be in town). Oh yeah, and then New Year's EVE!! All in all it's a rip-roaring, exciting and celebration filled month (albeit a little crazy and stressful). I'm thinking about convincing DrillSgt. we should move our official anniversary date to some warmer, less crazy and stressful month, maybe then we could actually get our act together enough to really GO somewhere and DO something---think he'll go for it?!

December Madness Begins!

Happy Anniversary (December 7th) to my wonderful sister (Tia NaNa) and bil (NoMike)! Hope you two enjoyed a wonderful day. Please notice I just sent a text wishing you a happy day, didn't want to ruin any romantic breakfast/lunch/dinner/plans you may have had for today---LOL!! May your relationship continue to grow and flourish. Hugs & Kisses to you both!