Daddy daughter date night

Recently Chick Fil A had daddy/daughter date night. We are lucky because the CFA near us does family nights on Tuesday, and they are always doing great things. We go there a lot and it has a great atmosphere for families.

Dan had to make a reservation for them (so cute!) and I got Olivia all dressed up for her "date" with daddy. Daddy was meeting us after work, so he was already all dressed up, too. Unfortunately, Olivia woke up from her nap not feeling great and she was a little cranky, so the evening didn't go quite as planned. I was hoping to get a picture of them together, but O was having none of that!

I took Luke next door to McDonald's for our own special little date night, where Luke got is very own happy meal for the first time. It was pretty cool to have dinner with just him. Meanwhile, daddy and Olivia were next door having their own candlelight dinner. Apparently she really wanted mommy, so they didn't end up staying as long as they would have liked. But it was fun and I think we'll definitely do it again.

Here is a picture our friend took of Dan and Olivia:

Playroom

Here is a pic of what our playroom looks like after playtime. We keep saying we are going to take the gate down, but then we realize it helps with containment. The toys, not the kids :)

Puzzle Time

Recently, Luke and Olivia have really taken to putting puzzles together. Luke, especially, has the patience it takes to put one together completely. Then, Olivia loves to come along, take it apart and start over again.

They have learned to match the faces and their current favorite is an oversized Thomas puzzle. Here is a pic of what they were able to accomplish all on their own.

And, yes, Olivia is wearing her Easter hat from last year. She saw it in her closet and wore it all day. She also had in her turkey hairbow from Thanksgiving. I can't wait to see what they choose to wear to school one day!

A mini van? Really?

I couldn't believe it when Dan mentioned to me several months ago that he thought it might be time to consider getting a mini van. We have always thought we could get by with the Rav-4, but after our last trip to Atlanta it was very apparent that we could use more room!

Between 2 pack n plays, 2 high chairs, luggage for 4, toys, etc, there was barely room for us to sit. It's also impossible for Luke and Olivia to eventually have a friend in the car with them, which makes carpooling once school starts a non-option. We could certainly get by with our current car, but a van would make life easier, and considerably more comfortable! We also considered getting a larger SUV, but for a variety of reasons, that just didn't make sense for our family.

We have been looking for awhile and a couple of weeks ago we test drove the 2 vans we had narrowed it down to: a Toyota Sienna and a Honda Odyssey. It seems as if that is what 90% of mini van owners buy now. I can see why. They are super nice on the inside (and outside, too), ride smoothly and have an abundance of safety features. And oh, my...the space inside is a dream!

After much discussion, we decided to get a charcoal gray/gray interior Honda Odyssey, which is now parked in our garage. Dan was off of work for President's Day, so we decided to take the leap and make the purchase before we changed our minds! Dan will take over my Rav-4, we sold his Xterra, and I will drive our new van. I know we will love the extra space, and we look forward to our next road trip! Now, I just have to figure out what all of the buttons are for.....

We're in!

When we got home from a play date this morning, I was excited to hear a message from Kelly at Cooks Methodist Playschool letting us know she had 2 spots for the fall session. Whew! If all goes well, they will be at Cook's on Tuesday/Thursday from 9:30am-1:00pm. We already know at least 3 of the other kids that will be in their class of 10 kids total.

We are also going to enroll Luke and Olivia in a 3 week, 2 days a week, summer program so they can see the school, classroom, playground, etc and start to get used to their new surroundings. I know they will have fun as Cooks plans lots of great activities and they will definitely learn a lot. But I will still miss them!

CMOM sale

It's that time again. Time for the bi-annual Moms of Multiples sale. I love this sale because I am usually able to get all of Luke and Olivia's clothes for the next season and find a few new toys as well. Thankfully this time I didn't have a lot of things I was looking.

I always start in the "big item" section to see if there are any good deals on table/chair sets, etc. We are pretty set in those areas for now, so it was onto the smaller toys,books, puzzles, etc. I could spend hours just looking at the books and DVD's, but these sales are all about moving fast :) I found a new Thomas the Train puzzle (their current favorite, along with Elmo and Mickey) and a few new books.

Then it was onto the shoes and clothes. There are always LOTS of girl clothes, so I started looking for Luke first. The selection didn't seem to be as big this time, but it's also because I am no longer looking in the "baby" section where clothes in good shape are plentiful. Sigh...our babies are growing up! I found some great play shirts for the summer and a few pairs of shorts as well, along with some new swim trunks. I had hoped to find some tennis shoes in good shape, but no luck this time.

Then I moved onto Olivia's section. I always have a hard time shopping for her because a)girls clothes are just so darn cute b)she is tall-ish but skinny so 18 mth pants are too short but 24 mths are too big in the waist c)there are LOTS of clothes to look through and d)girls can wear skirts, shorts, capris, shirts, one piece outfits...it's endless! For boys, it's pretty much a polo, a button down shirt or a t-shirt with shorts. I managed to narrow it down to just a few things that should work for all summer.

After I was done, I made one more quick trip around just to make sure I didn't miss anything and then it was time to head for home. I got to the sale at 6:30pm and didn't end up leaving until almost 10:30pm. Thanks, babe, for making sure Luke and Olivia got fed, bathed and in bed while I was out. Love you!

Olivia's first haircut

The time has come to get Olivia's first haircut. It's more like time for a trim, but nonetheless it's enough to save for her scrapbook!

We took Olivia to Snip-it's in Birkdale, the same place we took Luke to get his haircut. As luck would have it, the same person who cut Luke's hair for the first time (Mallory) was there and was going to cut Olivia's hair for the first time. I asked Mallory how many "first haircut" pictures she has been a part of and she said too many to count.

Olivia did great! She got to choose a sucker and watch something on TV...two of her favorite things to do. :) She didn't seem to mind the scissors and Mallory even gave her a cute little sassy braid at the end. She said "Mommy, I'm pretty." Tiny diva!

For an after first haircut treat, we had ice cream (just like we did for Luke's). Unfortunately Cold Stone Creamery was closed so we went to Jason's Deli for lunch and ice cream. Such fun memories!

Changes ahead

Well, it's official. No, we are not adding another Bartlett to our family. Dan just took a new job with Bank of America. Congratulations, Dan. We are SO proud of you!

Dan wasn't actively looking for a new position, but he was always talking with folks about their companies to see what else was out there. Oracle has always treated Dan well, but the travel was starting to get to him a little. He hated missing special days with Luke, Olivia, and me. He counted that he was gone 13 weekends last year (not to mention weekly travel) and missed Mother's Day, Father's Day, and most importantly Luke & Olivia's birthday. He also was starting to feel that he was kind of "stuck" without much opportunity for advancement. He did, however, have the benefit of working from home so he never had to worry about a daily commute. For me, it was a great time to grocery shop, etc while the kids napped because he was in his office at home. That will definitely change! But if he is going to make a career change, now is the time in our lives to take the leap of faith.

Along comes Bank of America. Our good friend Dave works for BOA and has been talking to Dan about a new team they are putting together. They asked Dan to come in for an interview a few weeks ago and he instantly clicked with everyone. They made him an offer a couple of days later and after much soul searching, we decided it was the right time for him to make a change. He gave his 2 week notice to Oracle and his last day will be next Friday. Oracle tried to counter the offer but weren't able to match it. Probably all for the best in the end.

Dan will start his new role on Monday, February 13th. This means wearing a suit and commuting to uptown Charlotte everyday. This also means he will be able to eat dinner with us every night and spend time with us on the weekends without wondering when the next trip will arise.

It will be an adjustment for everyone all around, but we are optimistic this is the best decision for our family. We will keep you updated as we adjust to our new lifestyle!

Let the potty training begin!

While Luke and Olivia aren't ready to fully potty train yet (ok, maybe it's us who isn't ready to train them yet!), we are trying to get them comfortable with the idea of sitting on the potty when they need to go. Sometimes they just sit on the potty with their diaper on so they can get used to what it feels like to "pee" in the potty. Olivia has peed in the potty, Luke not quite yet and neither one has done more than that yet. But they like to sit on them and they think it's fun to wash their hands afterward. Check out Luke's pic as he took off down the hall once he was done. How can you not smile at that face? Love me some Luke and Olivia!!!

We will probably start fully potty training them this summer, or sooner if they show signs of being ready. I hear it's one of the hardest things to do. We'll let you know!

Princess in training

Uh, oh! Could Olivia have any more pink on? Thankfully she loves to play in the dirt with trucks, too. A girly tomboy...love it!

My first wedding

This past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph a wedding for a great couple. The couple reunited at their high school reunion and haven't left each other's side since. Dan put on his daddy hat for the day and kept Luke and Olivia entertained while I was gone for most of the afternoon/evening. MauMaw and PauPaw kept them company as well. I got home just in time to help with baths and put them in bed...one of my favorite times of the day. I LOVE that I can spend most of my days with them and work on editing, etc (for the most part) while they nap/sleep at night. I only miss time with them for shoots, which usually don't last more than 2 hours or so. And it's great for them (and me) to have a little break and learn new things from other people. The best of both worlds!

Lil' Chefs

Recently Luke and Olivia have become interested in helping us "cook" in the kitchen. They stand across from one another on step stools with a cookie sheet, mixing bowl, a bowl of cheerios and various cooking utensils. They absolutely love it! Look out food network...we have 2 potential chefs in training!