Monster Blog

Here is another monster blog about the two San Diego cuties. Lots of pictures. I won't tell you how many, but if you can get to the end in one sitting, Syd and Ash will personally tuck you in tonight-bottle, books, and all.

Syd the kid picking apples in September. (Yep, this post starts in September, so get comfortable.)

The fam at the apple orchard

These girls are runnin' the show. The suckers, I mean adults, are sitting at the kids' table.

I think I may have already blogged this picture, but give it up again, this girl is cute (and stylish.)

Chillin' in the front yard during the Great San Diego Blackout

You can't really tell but this future Olympian is 3 feet off the ground.

Sydney translates "Little Sister" to "Major Buzzkill."

Always fashionable while shopping.

"Do you mind I'm trying to get my beauty sleep. (As if I even need it, I'm gorgeous people!)"

Sydney salutes the military and is dying to get her hands on that bazooka/oozy/gun shooty thing.

Sydney fights for our freedom.

Hey it didn't work. She's still alive.

Note: Giving beads to a 2 year old is a terrible idea.

Practicing for Halloween in September

We took Sydney to a winery in Temecula. Apparently she can't hold her liquor.

Sydney translates "Big Sister" to "Totally Awesome."

Doing the Nixon (I have no idea if this reference is correct or not, but it feels right, so right.)

Syd cannot sleep without 20 books in her bed.

One of Syd's many Mr. Potato Head masterpieces. And yes he does have a potato masher for an arm.

Ro and Syd enjoying a romantic meal together. I wonder who's picking up the tab? We've already taught Syd the "I forgot my wallet" line. Works every time.

Syd adoring her animals. She is admiring a seahorse on a throne. Seems totally reasonable to me.

"Hey mom, who are you taking a picture of? I'm way cuter than that cat."
(You got to admit Charlotte looks pretty glorious in that sunshine!)

Pink camo girl with her animals!

Syd with lots of balls.

Ro and Syd doing puzzles.

Syd painting her choo choo ornament. I had to cut her off after about 15 coats of paints.

Ash bundled up for the harsh San Diego winter.

Little Mo

Ash lookin' real "hard" with her dad.

Okay, it may seem a little excessive for Mr. Potato Head to appear twice in this blog, but look at this guy-Darth Vader helmet, purple lips, and bunny slippers-who comes up with this stuff? Sydney, you're the best!

Sydney's architectual marvel

Ash spending some quality time with Grandpa.

Okay so maybe it wasn't so bad, but the first picture was classic.

Dad batting a thousand with the little one.

Tandem bikes are awesome! Sorry Lily three's a crowd.

Uncle Pat looking pretty ridiculous.

Mo's friend Tess got married in Fresno.

Mary (the Mother of God) and Mo have a lot in common. Yep, you've guessed it-good looks.

Pat, Joe T., and Jordan looking cooler than ever on the court. (I'm pretty sure none of them have ever held a tennis racket before in their lives.)

Syd at her swim lesson.

Sweet Ashley

Monster pumpkin poop

Syd loved these greased up pumpkins.

"Please mom, can I have all of them?"

Swimming with fruit. "First I put my butt on it, then I eat it!"

More Animals!

More Ashley!

Wow! Sydney is a pumpkin prodigy. No college for this girl!

Syd trying on her first booty Halloween costume.

This goat is totally blowing Syd's mind.

Cousin Shannon with the sweet one.

Hay bale maze

The tractor ride

Happy Halloween! (in December, what can you do?)

Bates Nut Farm

Pump-i-dos!

Okay Syd likes animals, we get it.

Syd prefers to sleep in the nude.

Noodle brain in action.

"Hi guys."

Ashley is one brave baby to be messing with these two wild girls.

Syd on the bungies at gymnastics.

The angelic cherub visited with Aunt Terry and Uncle Don at Shannon's place in Oceanside.

Three-way kid torture, but great photo-op.

"Don't worry dad, I got this."

Cutie Booty

Booty in a bowl

"I do not approve of this vacation you speak of."

The Francis family getting their holy on. A baptism and marriage blessing by Deacon Bill, the man with Sacraments on hand.

Mo, winning favorite Aunt status with Knox and Lily. "Move it Knox, I want Aunt Mo to hold me because I love her so much!" Oh Lily, you doll! 

Syd enjoying an awesome tie-dyed cupcake made by cousin Amber.

Syd and mom riding the manatee at Happy Hollow in San Jose.

One cute girl and one cool girl on one totally geeky granny bug

2 mile an hour dragon roller coaster thrill ride 

Aunt Alice with Lily, Audrey, and Sydney

Audrey, Lily, and Sydney enjoying cousin time (Sorry RoRo.)

Hey what's that boy doing there? Oh it's only Knox.

Super Uncle Curtis with Knox and random baby (Just kidding it's Leslie's kid, Connor)

Syd the thrill seeker loving every second of the roller coaster ride.

The girls are really pumped about the swings.

But not as pumped as Ashley is about her Nana!

Syd the iPad stealer

Ash and Papa

Babies-they're just giving them away! Joe with Quinn and Uncle Matt with Ash.

Syd playing with cousin Xavier.

Back to Halloween! Wow there sure are a lot of pictures. We're not even halfway done yet!

3 cowgirls and a bandit

Don't mess with this little lady.

Syd, Ro, and our neighbor friends Caylin and Lena

Syd's always at the front of the line for candy.

Shannon and the little bandito

RoRo on a post trick-or-treat candy binge.

Ninja baby has spotted you.

Hee-ha! Hee-Ha!

Syd helping me feed the chinchillas. Thanks but no thanks kid.

Precious sisterly bonding

"I'm Ashley!"

Safe!

Spoons are for suckers!

Stretching before the double back handspring triple loop quadrupal flip.

Daddy's girls

Charlotte it only goes downhill from here kitty.

Syd showing off her new haircut.

Sleeping beauties

Syd showing off her sticker masterpiece made by Aunt Alice.

Hangin' in the backyard.

Our little Elton John in the making.

Syd is known as the "Toy Burglar" at her swim school. I wonder why?

"NEMO!"

"ASHLEY!"

Big Girl

Very sophisticated lady.

I think the kid is supposed to go in the car.

Conditioning for the rings. This is a baby gymnasts factory.

Peeking through the rain shield. Just making sure no one's ditching the precious baby.

Pearls and Dinosaurs, that's my girl!

Touching some sea critters at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium with Nana and mom.

Syd loving the wave room.

Swing fun

"Weeeeeee!"

Eyes locked on target. Mission: Kill.

Dad and his little sweetie

Nana introducing Ash to technology. Can you see her mind being blown?

Syd getting a pedi at the Salon de Amber.

Ash eating her first food. (Hey check out that awesome crotch holster.)

Cars buddies

Ash and Quinn (AKA The Angel Babies)

My girls sure like their pearls. I mean they go with everything!

Thanksgiving dinner at the Drobicks. That's one fancy kid table. The adults ate in the bathroom.

Syd ripped both of those bottles of booze.

While Sydney contemplates dad's toot, Ashley shows her disapproval.

"Hey Nana, you know I'm laying on rock right, what the hey dude?"

Super Dad

"My big sis is so cool."

Practicing for the next Survivor challenge

"I've heard turtles are slow, but this is ridiculous!"

Whoa for a second there I was scared, but then I realized it was just a turtle head.

Baby Moses. Find me the nearest river, we got a lemon here. (Just kidding. Ashley is wonderful, except at night when she indeed is a lemon.)

Syd fell in love with the Drobicks' kitty Max. She loved picking him up.

Max did not and really let her have it. Yes this picture shows Max trying to bite Sydney's face off.

When we got home Sydney thought she should also pick up Charlotte.

Except Charlotte's got a little more junk in the trunk so it turned into more of a wheelbarrow race around the house. Needless to say Sydney no longer has a face.

Speaking of faces, check out this one.

"Does this outfit make me look fat?"

Super dad strikes again.

Joe and Ash

"The best thing about stuffed animals is that you can squeeze them as hard as you can!" (This is not a stuffed animal, this is our real life chinchilla that almost became a stuffed animal.)

Christmas baking with Syd and Ro.

Ro feeding Ashley some yummy pretend food.

Pat and Shannon baking cookies that Mo took all the credit for.

Man those are some beautes, did it all by myself too.

Aunt Trudy and Rosemary decorating a gingerbread house. You can't see, but Rosemary has 10 candies in her mouth. True story.

Ashley displaying her gingerbread work of art. And yes that is a Christmas sweater I'm wearing and it's awesome!

Ash auditioning for the part of baby Jesus.

Syd and her loyal subjects.

"What is life? Are we life? Is life life?"

"Oh no, I killed her!"

Backyard brick project before

Loads of bricks

Syd helping dad

Syd helping mom

Brick project finished! (The window turned into a door. Sorry no pictures, but it looks great.)

Pretty backyard sunset

Syd the raver walking down Christmas card lane.

"Lightning McQueen!"

"And I'm supposed to look up to you?"

This girl loves robots and dinosaurs.

The fam with Santa

Our little cancer patient (Not true Ash is very healthy, a little too healthy, 87% for weight = big butt)

"Okay so this seat isn't so bad after all."

Buns McGee hard at work

If this kid thinks bottles make you happy just wait till she turns 21!

Ro and Syd at a lunch with Santa

Santa lap superstars (Note: Rosemary who is Santa obsessed majorly choked when it was her turn to sit on his lap. We're talking screams and tears. Update: Ro received 0 presents from Santa.)

Weekend visit to Big Bear

Yep, we got just about everyone in there.

Little suck-ups vying for favorite grandkids status

Can you see my heart melting?!

Santa delivered on his promise of dinosaurs.

Mom and Ash on Christmas morning

Even the cat's trying to get in on the present action.

Ash eating her Christmas breakfast of rice cereal. Gross! We had loads of bacon.

New A's hat for dad

Syd and her major crush Lightning McQueen.

"Toys for me!"

Okay who's cuter? Did you say the giraffe? All right you're in trouble.

Ash's first lap top

One of Ashley's many admirers.

All right you made it to the end! If you haven't fallen asleep already it's time for the girls to tuck you in. Close your eyes, you can picture their faces can't you. Sydney. Ashley. So beautiful. It's almost as if they're right there with you. That's what 200 pictures in one sitting will do to you! Good night.