I don't know what was going on outside this afternoon, but it definitely had Jefferson, Virginia and Paige's attention.

The girls woke up early this morning. They did fine for most of the morning, but come lunch time they were pretty exhausted. This is how lunch ended. Paige is in the pink and Virginia is in the blue.

My mom came to visit today and to watch the girls so I could run some errands. She brought the girls snacks from Starbucks, complete with paper bags. Paige was having so much fun with one of the bags tonight. She kept putting things in it and carrying them around, then she'd take those out and put something else in and carry that around. That game lasted until she tried to put too many of her blankets in it and ripped the bag. Here she is walking around carrying her bag.

This evening when Paige and Virginia ran out of their sickness induced low energy supply, they decided to relax on their couches for a little bit. They used their favorite things (blankets and bear) as pillows and laid down. It didn't last long, though. Soon after this picture was taken they were up and playing again.

Paige may have an awful cold and her first ear infection, but that doesn't mean she doesn't want more Puffs!
I was a slacker photographer today and only took a few pictures and those were while the girls were eating Puffs after dinner. I'll do better tomorrow, I promise.

The girls did not take a good nap today. I'm not really sure they napped at all in the 3 hours they spent in their cribs. They're both sick with colds and coughs, so I thought they'd want to nap, but apparently I was wrong. When they got up from their "nap" Paige would not let me pet her down for quite awhile. When I finally was able to set her on the couch beside me she ended up laying down and falling asleep for a few minutes. Here she is taking a short pre-dinner nap on the couch. And that pillow she has her head on- we have a picture of her laying on it as a newborn and the pillow was about as big as she was. Not anymore.

This morning Paige and Virginia sat down at their picnic table with their new tea sets and decided to have their own little tea party. I walked in from the kitchen and saw this:

How sweet is this little girl?! You'd never know looking at this picture that she was running a fever (only 101.0) and has a cough. It hasn't really effected her mood. Hopefully she'll feel better in the morning. Here's my little Paige.

I don't know what they were doing, but Virginia was sure entertained by her daddy! I wish this photo came with sound so that you could hear her awesome laugh. It's seriously one of the best sounds in the world.

I took this picture today when Virginia climbed up on the couch beside me and looked out the window. I love the lighting in it and I also love how chubby her cheeks look in this picture. Makes me just want to pinch them! And, I promise that my girls don't normally run around in just diapers (and she is wearing a diaper), but I did let them run around for a little while this morning after I took their sleepers off and before I decided to fight with them to get dressed.

minus the make-up.

I have no idea what they were saying, but they were talking to each other when I took this picture. Paige said something in her own language and Virginia responded. I don't know if they understand each other, but sometimes it sure seems like they do.

Jefferson went yesterday and got groomed, got his nails cut and got a new harness. Isn't he handsome?!

This evening Virginia decided it was fun to climb on top of the toy box and stand on it, no matter how many times we asked her not to do it. She got her sister in on the action as well, but Paige was a little more reserved about it. I have a feeling this is an expression we're going to be seeing a lot over the years- Virginia knowing she's doing something she's not supposed to, but being proud of the fact that she's doing it. We're going to have our hands full with this one.

Ben and Virginia aka "Daddy's Sweetheart." How cute are they?!

We went to Ben's parents' house this morning for lunch and so that I could do our taxes. Before we left the girls wanted to go upstairs, so Mimi and Pops let them climb the stairs and followed them around upstairs for a few minutes. When it was time to come back down Mimi let Paige walk down the stairs (with Mimi holding her hand, of course). Paige did great! Virginia got carried down the stairs by Pops- which she didn't mind because she loves her Pops. Here is Paige walking down the stairs.

I dressed the girls in their Halloween costumes this morning. I wasn't in the mood to pick out outfits, so I just grabbed those. Then the girls and I went to Target and on the way home they both fell asleep in the backseat. While stopped at a red light, this is what I saw behind me: a sleeping Paigey Monkey.

I think the title pretty much sums it up.

These are some of the icicles that are hanging from our downspout right outside the changing room window. This was taken this afternoon when the snow finally stopped and the sun was trying to come out.

Tonight we had Chili Mac for dinner. After throwing a huge fit, Virginia finally sat on my lap and ate her dinner. She loved it. She was literally eating it by the handful (and holding her fork in her other hand) and ended up with it all over her face. Ben took a few pictures of her with Chili Mac all over her face. Can you tell she enjoyed her dinner?

After hearing a weather report predicting another 10-20 inches of snow tomorrow night into Wednesday, we decided to go out to dinner tonight. We called Ben's parents and they met us at Rio Grande for some Mexican food. It was really nice to get out and to see Ben's parents. Here are Paige and Virginia walking out to the car with Mimi and Pops.

We got a blizzard this weekend. I don't know exactly how much we got, but the official total at Dulles Airport, which is about 10 miles from here was 32.4 inches. This morning while Ben was shoveling out his car I bundled the girls up and took them out to walk around a bit. I figured they needed some fresh air and would enjoy seeing the snow. Here they are with Ben looking at the broom sticking up out of the snow. Paige is in pink and Virginia is in blue.

For Christmas the girls' Mimi and Pops got them a play set that has two tunnels, a clubhouse and a tent. Before today the girls had only ever seen the tunnels. But since we had the big snow storm we decided they needed something new to play with, so last night Ben and I put the clubhouse together. The girls love it! They had so much fun playing in it and around it today. It definitely made being stuck in the house a little easier. Here are Paige and Virginia in the clubhouse with their daddy. Notice Ben's legs sticking out the side.

We are currently getting a major snow storm, so before the snow started this morning I took the girls and Jefferson outside for a walk. I thought we could all use some fresh air. The girls loved it! They were so happy to be walking around outside. They took turns walking Jefferson and even played in the snow from Tuesday night's storm a little bit. The girls went on to take a really good nap this afternoon, so I think the fresh air did them well. About two minutes after we got back inside I looked out the back door and noticed it was snowing. I'm so glad we went out when we did. Here's Paige walking Jefferson with Virginia walking ahead of them.

When I picked the girls up from daycare yesterday Paige's hair was in a ponytail (her second one ever). After the girls finished eating their dinner Ben took the ponytail out of Paige's hair. This picture was taken probably 30-45 minutes after he took the ponytail out, but you can still see exactly where the ponytail was. Paige's hair is still sticking up from it today!

This is what I saw when I looked outside this morning. We got about 5 or 6 inches of snow last night and it was wet snow, so it stuck to the trees. The trees looked beautiful this morning with the snow on them. They're not as pretty now without the snow. But they won't be snowless for long since we're supposed to get another snow storm Friday and Saturday.

My brother gave me this turtle pillow for my 21st birthday. Over the past few years Jefferson has taken it over. He spends a good portion of this day laying on it and/or licking it (which drives Ben and I crazy). This evening Virginia climbed up on the couch and hugged the turtle pillow to her. I couldn't resist the photo opportunity.

You're right, I don't have any sons, just two daughters, but the first "child" that Ben and I got together was our dog, Jefferson. He's such a good boy (most of the time) and is great with the girls. We're so lucky that we got such a laid back dog 6 and a half years ago when we got him. Here's Jefferson on the back of the couch- his favorite place to hang out.

YAY, I made it a whole month without missing a day! Now only 11 more months...

Virginia was very tired this morning, so tired she didn't make it to nap time before she fell asleep. She curled up on Ben's lap and laid there for awhile trying to stay awake, but got to a point where she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore and fell asleep on his lap. He repositioned her so it was more comfortable for both of them and she slept like this for 15 or 20 minutes before we put both girls in their cribs.