I’m cheating a little bit here, because I made it 71 weeks without missing any and I hate to ruin my picture-every-day record. But with vacation last week I didn’t get one up (and I missed a couple days) – so lucky you, this week you get a dozen pictures of blue water and self portraits PLUS a regular boring week. Try to contain your excitement.

Sunday:

I am amazed at how close they get this REALLY BIG BOAT to the pier.

I told you there was champagne.

Happy to be on vacation

Monday:

Oh look, another ModCloth dress. SHOCKING.

Tuesday:

Oops.

Wednesday:

Blue on blue

I'm on a boat

Thursday:

Our view during breakfast

Excuse me, you have a palm tree on your face

Can I go back now?

Friday:

Ok, that's just unnecessary. STOP SHOWING OFF, ISLAND.

AND YOU. Stop taking so many pictures of yourself. GOOD LORD.

You can see the footing of that pier all the way to the bottom. It's deep enough for a cruise ship to dock. That's some clear ass water.

Saturday:

I SAID KNOCK IT OFF. (p.s. I'm totally in love with this dress)

Sunday:

Tan (well, at least less pale) and relaxed

Fly over

That's Manhattan, right behind the window specks

Monday:

To celebrate being back from vacation, I went to the dermatologist and had a chunk of my ear removed (it ended up being nothing serious)

My boys caught up on their naps

Celebrating an early spring with bubbles

Tuesday:

A picture of me looking at my vacation pictures. I'm TRYING to make you leave at this point.

The Very Hungry Toddler

I acknowledge your request to "Please sit in my chair" and I reject it.

Wednesday:

Ready for gymnastics

Fire truck at Stop & Shop was the highlight of Evan's YEAR

I'm not exactly sure what game they're playing, but I love it

Thursday:

This face, all morning. Her life is SO HARD.

Even Evan was exhausted from Caroline's tantrum

Showing us how eating his dinner makes his muscles big and strong

Friday:

Peek a Boo!

Hey kid, throw some Cheerios my way

Redneck in training

Saturday:

I think this means she's hungry

My to-do -list for Evan's birthday - I'm not sure how that ruffle dress ended up in my cart but I assure you it was a totally necessary purchase.

It's important to transport your Girl Scout Cookies safely.

Come back you cowards! I want a rematch!

Frozen fruit, pina colada mix, and mango rum. Vacation rewind!

My plans to get all the things done this weekend were derailed by too much Saturday morning dawdling at Target, a cook-out all afternoon, and sleeping in on Sunday so my week is going to involve much birthday crafting and baking. We have family coming to visit next weekend so in between all the dinosaurs I also need to clean the entire house. Thank goodness my mom did indeed scrub all the kitchen grout (and the bathroom grout and the laundry room and the yard and and and…) Fortunately (unfortunately) the weather isn’t supposed to be as nice as last week so I won’t be tempted to ignore my housework in favor of patio sitting.

Did you take any camera phone photos this week? Link up with one or lots using the linky below and grab the code (so it shows on your blog too!) over at Amy’s . It’s really fun!

My best internet friend Amy and I had such a good time checking out everyone’s childhood Halloween costumes we decided to do another vintage link-up for Easter. Did you wear white patent leather shoes? Did you insist on a spring dress even though it was freezing cold? Were you a fan of the traditional Easter bonnet? Did your mother dress you up as a bunny? (PLEASE, someone, share that picture!)

Matching dresses and bonnets. Doesn't my sister look THRILLED?

We’ll be posting photos of our best Easter outfits on April 2nd and will leave the linky open until the Monday after Easter, so you have plenty of time to track down your old albums or ask your mom to drag them out of the attic. I hope you’ll join us!

Wooooooooooo Date Night!!! My super old husband turned 32 yesterday. I get to call him super old until I turn 30, so it’s a good thing I’m only 22.

We celebrated in style with a little birthday music:

A super delicious carrot cake:

Swear to God, the best cake I've ever baked - and it was from a box and made with applesauce instead of oil.

I managed to light all 32 candles with only one minor thumb burn:

Plus we only burned one tiny hole in the tablecloth!

Then we put the kids to bed, left our babysitter on the couch with the remote and hit Mohegan Sun. It’s handy that we have two of the biggest casinos in the world right down the street.

E's yearly cigar, one of the many cool light fixtures, Leffingwells Bar

Fake sky over Leffingwells

Indoor river, riding the elevator, ceiling over the craps table

You know how people throw coins in fountains for good luck? At casinos, they throw CASH.

We brought home hats "for the kids", Birthday Krispy Kremes, my handsome husband

Terrible cell phone photos are what happen when you're too embarrassed to take a real picture at home in front of the 19 year old babysitter.

Sparkly top: Dress Barn (I’m not even ashamed, they have cute shirts)
Jeggings: Nordstrom Rack
Ridiculous platform heels: Charlotte Russe
Earrings: I don’t remember and it doesn’t really matter since you can’t see them.
Clutch: Ditto the earrings

We lost, of course, because that’s what you do at casinos but it was SO GOOD to be out and doing adult-type things without having to wipe anyone’s nose or mouth or butt. We chatted with grown-ups about things other than our kids. We made angry faces at the douche-canoes who sat down in the middle of our blackjack shoe (because we’re so fancy and worldly we know that’s poor manners). The kids slept the entire time and didn’t even know we ditched them. Let’s do it again soon!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband and Happy Sunday to you!

It was a good week! We had a lot of adventures, made some progress in the sleep department (going to bed at 9 pm helps), and it’s ending with cake and a date for E’s birthday.

Sunday:

I bought some Jason Wu at Target - one of these days I might even WEAR it

Lazy toddler is lazy

I brought my knitting to a Super Bowl party. I'm so cool.

Monday:

15 Weight Watcher's points. Totally worth it.

I am amazed at how quickly she fell in love with this seahorse

I'd call her a genius artist, but she keeps trying to draw with the wrong end.

Birthday crafting has begun! I got all 45 flags made this week.

Tuesday:

Beeyotch, don't be lookin' at my grapes.

Car naps FTW

Nice healthy dinner, until I ate like FIVE portions.

Wednesday:

Still having mixed feelings about gymnastics

Oh hey, whatcha got? Can I see it? Can I can I?

Adorable toddler photo opp ruined by my lazy housekeeping

Thursday:

Library turtle! Meaning a turtle at the library, not some sort of special species

The entire top floor of our town library is for kids. I feel like a total idiot for not going sooner.

Library train table. I'm surprised I EVER got Evan to leave.

I'd actually been in bed for at least half an hour when I took this. My life is so exciting.

Friday:

Evan and T sharing a hiding spot

Smug elevator face

This look is called "The Lazy Mother's Smock"

Sometimes, everyone gets along

Saturday:

I'd like to speak to a manager about this restaurant - there's a weird guy lurking in the corner

Someone was a little confused about whose birthday it actually is

Do I LOOK like I'm enjoying this, Mother?

I am a wee bit overexcited about tonight, because E and I are going OUT with NO KIDS because I found a baby sitter. We’re actually paying her an obscene amount of money to just be in the house – we’re not leaving until we put the kids to bed so they won’t even know we’re gone. It’s too bad we don’t live in the 1950’s when we could have just locked the door and told the neighbor to call the fire department if it looked like the house was burning down. Then we could afford to play a few more hands of blackjack tonight. Child endangerment what?

Did you take any camera phone photos this week? Link up with one or lots using the linky below and grab the code (so it shows on your blog too!) over at Amy’s . It’s really fun!

Now that she’s a TINY PERSON instead of just an adorable lump I can dress up like a doll I don’t put Caroline in quite so many delicate vintage dresses – but that doesn’t mean she’s any less fashionable. I can’t even tell you how much more fun dressing a girl is than dressing a boy – especially a toddler boy who thinks dinosaurs and helicopters are the height of fashion. With the HUGE number of hand-me-downs (hmd) we’ve received, Caroline’s wardrobe is a zillion times better than mine. She isn’t the hugest fan of clothes in general – I think they restrict her ability to roundhouse kick me in the face – and by 6 pm she’s usually half naked. But even just for our everyday mall-errands-home activities I try to make sure she’s at least out of her PJ’s. Here’s what Caroline wore this week: