Week 10

So week 10 has been a blur of sorts. Everyone has been sick, except you and daddy! We made six trips to the doctor in seven days...kind of crazy. We were couped up inside all week and not many pictures were taken! These were taken after a long week of being inside and finally getting out!!

I think you were excited to have a change of scenery! I love when you go outside...I don't think you ever fully open your eyes...it's too bright for you!!!

It was a bit chilly so I put your hat on...which you really don't like! Eventually you persuaded me to take it off!! Here is looking forward to a new week with a healthier family...that is able to kiss and touch you more!! (Both girls were banned from touching you this week...since they were sick. It has been a hard week for everyone!!)

Halloween

This Halloween weekend was full of all kinds of fun activities for the girls. To start off B's preschool class went trick or treating at a college office building near by. It is so fun to watch the kids line up and parade over to the college! B was so excited to be a cat this year!

I had to throw this picture of B helping carve her cat pumpkin. We had kind of a crazy week and so the whole family never sat down together to carve pumpkins. I kind of did them when C was sleeping and I could find the time! I just love this picture of B...reminds me so much of my sister T...who I am sure B inherited "the black look" from! She did much more when she was younger...but B still relies upon the black look every now and then!! I also thought it was funny that she insisted on wearing her kitty cat ears while carving her kitty pumpkin!

On Friday night we went to the ward trunk or treat party and chili cook off! The girls were so hyper while we were trying to get ready and baby C was totally grumpy. She got her shots earlier in the day and by the evening she was tired and fussy. She spent more of the party in her car seat, which seemed to appease her.

M and her friend K have been friends since they were about two years old. I can't believe how big they are getting. It is nice having close friends around...especially when family is far away!

Right when we all started getting dinner B came up to me crying telling me she wanted to go home. She felt warm and said she didn't feel good. This is coming from a girl who was bouncing off the walls not ten minutes earlier. I felt so bad for her. I cuddled her for the night and when it was time to trunk or treat she sat in the car and tried to sleep while mommy took her bucket around to trick or treat for her. She did walk in the costume parade, but really didn't want to let go of her sister. I felt so bad for her.

M and B have had their costumes planned for this year since before last Halloween. I am surprised that they haven't changed their mind in the past year! They have talked about it a lot since last fall. M wanted to be a witch and B wanted to be her pet kitty. M wanted to be a mean witch and B wanted to be a mean kitty cat!! It was funny to watch her Halloween night walking around meowing at everybody! She felt good all of Halloween day and so we let her trick or treat. Later, at bed time she started feeling sick again, but at least she felt good while trick or treating!!

M was a great little witch this year. She wanted her face to be green, her hair green and a mole on her face! Mommy did the best I could with the makeup skills I have!!

B wanted black nails to compliment her costume, which she went around clawing the air with!

M wanted orange nails with black dots all over. She wanted long nails because she has seen witches on t.v. with long nails and pointy fingers. I let her grow her nails out a bit to help her be more excited about her costume!

The girls trick or treated with our neighbors again this year. They have so much fun going out with their friends! This year it was raining when they first went out, but the rain soon let up! I don't think anything could have stopped the kids from enjoying trick or treating!

Baby C was a skeleton this year. She looked so cute with her little outfit and big bow!! R thought the bow over powered her head and I thought it was cute. A lot of people have agreed with me about the bow...so it stays!! C stayed with me and passed out candy while the girls and daddy went out in the rain to trick or treat.

I think C was totally confused and eventually mad when I kept interrupting her nursing to pass out candy!

And finally the pumpkins from this year! M wanted hers to be carved into a witch to match her costume...

B wanted a kitty cat to match her costume...

so of course we had to do a skeleton to match C's costume! Not very cute for a baby, but we couldn't mess up the theme!!

Despite the rain we had an awesome Halloween. Now, here is to another full year of talking about the next Halloween!!

Week 9

Dear C,
On the day you turned nine weeks old we also celebrated Halloween...and I must say you made the cutest skeleton I have ever seen! Daddy thought your bow was a bit too big, but mommy thought it couldn't have been cuter!!!
















This week has been busy...but fun! One morning when I was getting breakfast ready, the girls surrounded you and had fun as you conducted them in singing!!

Evert time you waved your arms they would sing...and when your arms were still, they would stop singing! It was fun mixing up pancakes to all that giggling!

This week I also noticed you had eyelashes...and they are pretty long. I guess they just suddenly popped out and I didn't even realize it

We also took you to get your first shots this week...and daddy stayed to be with you to get your shots while mommy left to pick up B from preschool. Mommy doesn't do so well with the two month shots...I feel so bad. I usually do all the shot from here on out though. You were a bit fussy after the shots, but life went on!

We also took you to the pediatric cardiologist this week to get a check up on your heart. We found out that the hole in your heart has remained the same size and we will have to have it checked again at one year. The cardiologist did say it is possible that the hole would never affect your health and you would lead a very normal life. He also said it was still possible it would close on its own. Mommy was happy to hear that news, but I would rather you didn't have a hole in your heart at all! I guess as long as you are healthy, I will be happy. I loved these pictures of you with milk running down your chin. I love nursing you and spending that time with you. You are my best nurser so far, and my biggest baby. You are in the 60th percentile for weight...weighing 11pounds 6 ounces at your check up! I love you chubby little legs and your cheeks are just perfect for kissing! I love you so much little C and can't imagine my days and nights without you!

Love,

Mama

Ladybug Wranglers

Last Friday the weather turned warmer than usual which brought all the ladybugs out!! This seems to happen every spring and fall around here. M got off the school bus and saw all the ladybugs and never made it inside! She has been loving bugs lately so she of course wanted to collect all the ladybugs she could. I think by the time the afternoon was over she had wrangled 23 ladybugs.

B of course loves ladybugs, but screamed whenever one flew on her! It was pretty fun watching these two little ladies chase these bugs all afternoon.










M arranged the ladybugs in a flower shape and wanted a picture taken. I was surprised most of the ladybugs stayed in place. M promptly named the one that tried getting away, speedy!









B was really surprised to find that not all ladybugs have spots. It took her a few minutes to believe that the plain red bug was also a ladybug. She also thought it was funny that we found an orange and a yellow ladybug! I thought that was pretty cool as well!














I eventually got a bowl the girls could use to collect all their bugs. They wanted to save them and bring them inside...B is obsessed with having a ladybug for a pet...but mommy wouldn't let them. Ladybugs actually smell, especially when they accidentally get squished!

Here is speedy starting to make his escape!

It was such a nice afternoon to be outside. And while the girls had fun wrangling their ladybugs I had fun with my little bug!

Week 8

Week eight has flown by just like the previous weeks with baby C. She is getting bigger and is such a doll. Everywhere we go people comment on her cheeks. My other girls had cheeks as well, but C seems to get quite a bit of attention from hers! Maybe they are a bit rounder than the other girls...all I know is I love kissing those cute cheeks!

Week Seven!

So here is our little dolly one her seventh week of life! She is getting so big! My friend had a baby this week and I realized that C is not a tiny baby any more...she is growing so much!

She has turned out to be a happy little girl but no matter how happy she is she is still a lot of work!! Whenever she cries B tells me to "fix her mommy, fix her!" B also likes to "pet c" She is always saying, "I want to pet her mommy" or "Look mommy, I'm petting her!" The other day I was burping C and B walked up to her and said "Hi puffy cheeks...how are you cute puffy cheeks!" I suppose she was born with the cheeks...just like my other girls!!





















This is one of many pictures I have of C with her hands around her face. When she was in the womb we were never able to see her mouth because she always had her fists in her face! Things haven't changed much on the outside!! I think it is funny because she looks like she is getting ready to punch someone!!














M really loves C. She always wants to hold her and is doing such a great job at it! This night I was trying to read books to the big girls before bed and C was really fussy. M took and and rocked her to sleep. She was so proud of herself! She has done that a few times now and it has been such a help for me...especially Sunday mornings when we are trying to get out the door!

I just love that little neck of hers! I constantly want to kiss it! I love little baby necks...especially this one!

Peace Dude!

So M has totally been into anything peace for the last year or so. Lately she has started to acquire a lot of peace items! I was at the mall the other day and had to get these jammies for her! I was going to save them for Christmas but then realized she only has summer jammies and she has been getting cold at night! I surprised her tonight after her bath with these jammies waiting for her! She was so excited for her new peace jammies! I think they make her look so grown up! Weird how big she looks now that another little baby is here. It might also have to do with how mature she has become over the last year as well. I am always amazed at what a kind thoughtful and helpful girl she is becoming!! Sleep tight M!

Week Six

This past week has been a fun week. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone. I know I probably say it a lot, but time goes so quickly and little babies don't stay too little for long!


Here little C is enjoying a nice fall day out in her stroller. She loves looking around, once she decides to open her eyes to the outside light!





I love these cheeks and chin. She is such a cutie!













This week the smiles have started in full swing! Usually they come after a long nap and feeding and they are big open mouth smiles. We live for these smiles around this house! She has also starting cooing and talking to me. I had forgotten how much fun those first little noises are. I sometimes think she surprises herself with the noises. She is very expressive with her eyes and will sometimes lift her eyebrows up when she talks to me!




This week has also brought the discovery of little C's hands. She has started sucking on her hands and has even put herself to sleep a few times with the help of her hands!













This has also been the first week that I have been able to bath little C without her screaming in the bath tub. She still doesn't like the getting out part...but who really does?!

Here is my sweet baby after the bath. I love how kinky her hair gets when it is wet. I love it when they are so fresh and clean after a bath...I just want to squish her she is so cute!

Here are all the girls freshly bathed and ready for bed. As you can see C was in no mood for pictures but I just had to! I love my little ones so much.

I just threw this picture in for fun. R think it is so funny because her face is crooked! She wasn't really thrilled here! Still cute though! We have noticed this week her hair looks a bit red in certain light. We'll see what color it turns with time I suppose. Over all this has been a great week with little C!

Just for Daddy!

Here is little C today. B picked out this outfit and wanted daddy to see it. M and B think it should be C's Halloween outfit since it has monsters on it! Since R hasn't seen C today, I thought I would post some pictures for him!! This is what C did today.

She was just plain cute for most of the day!















Here she is trying to figure out her hands. I just stopped putting mittens on her hands because I figured she had to learn to use them at some point! She had been better about not pinching and scratching her own face this week. When she does pinch her face she gets totally mad and I think she thinks I hurt her!



Here is C sneezing...which she seems to do in sets of four to five sneezes! So cute!

Here she is yawning...she did take one really long nap today and the rest were really short periods of sleep.

And as cute as she is...she still cries sometimes!

Week Five!

Baby C is now five weeks old and officially one month old! She has changed so much. She is starting to fill out more and the newborn clothes might need to be retired soon!

She is starting to smile at us...and we work really hard to get those smiles! M and B seem to have an easier time getting smiles from their baby sister!

Some days I think C looks like she has reddish hair and other days it looks brown. We'll see what happens when more hair grows in!

Week Four

I can't believe it has been four weeks since C was born. Time is flying by! This week she started sleeping in her crib in her own room. I think all her little noises were waking daddy up too much, and maybe we were waking her up too much! Who knows! She seems to enjoy the room in her crib!

We sure love you C and are happy to have you in our family!

Week Three

Little miss C has started changing so much this past week. She has sort of woken up!! She no longer sleeps the entire day! She opens her eyes when she is awake and looks around. She isn't awake for long periods of time but she is starting to be a bit more interactive!

Tonight I was talking to her and she started giving me big smiles which was so fun! She has a dimple in her right cheek...hopefully that will stick around! I had to ruin her happy mood by giving her a bath. She actually didn't scream the entire bath this time...only when I pulled her out into the cold air. She was pretty mad at me for that!











She has such cute cheeks and a cute little double chin! I think she looks like she has filled out a bit. This week at her doctors check up she was 8 pounds 1 ounce. She has been a great eater and has actually slept pretty well for me at nights. The most I have been up with her in a night is twice...hopefully I'm not messing up a good thing by mentioning that!! C was actually born with a small hole in her heart. We have been to a pediatric cardiologist and he seems hopeful that it will heal on its own. We will go back in October for a follow up to see if it is closing. We have faith that all will be well and she will be a healthy and strong little girl.














So all my help has gone and R is back to work and I get to take care of C on my own!! The days I have to get M on the bus and take B to preschool by nine a.m. have been quite the challenge...but I have managed! It will be hard but I am figuring it all out! I love this little girl so much and am so grateful for everyday with her. My back is tired from carrying a baby, I feel like my house is a mess and I am not doing as much as I should with the other girls, I eat in a hurry to get back to baby, I'm constantly yawning... but I know this time will pass so I am trying to enjoy all of it! Here's to another fun week with little C!

Two Weeks!

So here is Baby C at two weeks. She has grown so much this last week and is turning into a baby!! She is waking up more and looking at the world around her! She has been such a good baby and has only been getting up one to two times a night. When she was born she weighed 7 pounds 13 ounces and was 21 inches long. We go back to the doctor on Tuesday for her two week check up and will see what progress she has made.

I love when she looks around she raises her eyebrows and gets little wrinkles in her forehead! I hardly hear crying, except when C's diaper gets changed or she is getting new clothes on. She loves to be snuggled and who doesn't want to hold a cuddly baby?!! We love her tons around here.

Baby C!!!

Baby C has joined our family!! We couldn't be happier! We all love her so much! More details to come!

Pregnancy

This third pregnancy has been quite a bit different from my first two! To start off I had morning sickness for the first time ever. I was never sick with the other two and never craved anything!

This pregnancy I crave crushed ice! Every morning I have to fill my glass full of crushed ice and put just enough water over it to start melting the ice so it is easier to eat! Up until this point in my life anyone chewing ice has always bothered me! I can't believe I'm the one eating the ice now! As long as I have my ice, I'm ok!! My girls have started liking crushed ice as well!

I have never really been a popsicles fan either. The whole first half of this pregnancy sweets didn't sound good at all but red white and blue popsicles did!! (Maybe that is why I've only gained 27 pounds this time as opposed to 58 with the last!!) As long as I have a few popsicles in the freezer I am a happy camper!!

Another new food like is green peppers. I have never hated them, I would just never purposely eat them!! Now I would cut up a whole green pepper and eat it for lunch. Another thing I have started liking is cantaloupe, which is something I would eat to be polite, but now I really like it!! In the beginning of this pregnancy I really liked ground beef as well. I never had much ground beef growing up, so it was something I have never really enjoyed. Now towards the end of the pregnancy, I don't crave it, but in the first part of my pregnancy I did.

I have enjoyed this last nine months of pregnancy. This little girl does not move as much as my other two during the day, but at night time she moves around like crazy! M just barley started saying about a month and a half ago that I finally looked pregnant. I'm not quite sure what she expected but I will take that as a compliment!!

This baby girl is now officially six days overdue!! M was eight days early and B was seven days late. As of yesterday I was only dilated to a one, which was sort of crazy. At this point with B I was dilated to a five!! I guess this little girl has a mind of her own!! The doctor told me yesterday that if I wanted she would induce next Monday or Wednesday. Since I don't take pain medication I am hoping that this little baby will decide to come out on her own before that! Although she is over due I actually don't really mind. I think other people seem to mind more than me! For right now I am enjoying the last few days alone with my girls while I get things done. I am also trying to enjoy my last few nights of sleep...minus all the bathroom breaks! We are all sure excited to welcome this little one to our home any day!!

My Girls!

I love my two little girls so much!! I am so lucky to have them in my life!! They are so loving and bring me joy every day. I love going into their rooms at night when they are sleeping and telling them how much I love them. They always look so peaceful and I just feel overwhelmed with love for them while they are in that restful state!

B, you have such a cute little personality!! You are silly and goofy but are super tender. You don't go a day without telling me you love me, which makes me so happy!

M, you have always been a thoughtful and loving little girl. You have concern for those around you and sometimes I think you are wise beyond your years!! I feel like you have always been patient with me as a mother, which is a blessing since I am learning as I go! I love you so much!!

Soon we will get to welcome little girl number three into our home!! I have loved watching both of you girls throughout this pregnancy! You love to feel my tummy and are always filled with questions about this new little baby that is on her way! I think you both realize that change is coming to our house. The other day was hard for you M, and I asked you why. You started crying and said you were scared that the baby would die or mommy would be really sick and not be able to come home after the baby was born. It made me sad that you worry so much, but I guess when you don't fully understand what is happening, your imagination takes over! I love all of my girls so much and can't wait to see the relationship to blooms with this new little girl and her sisters! Mommy knows all too well that sisters just turn into best friends as the years go by!! I love you girls!

Ten Years!!

On August 13th R and I celebrated out ten year anniversary!! I can't believe how quickly time goes by. These pictures of the flowers R gave me were the only pictures I have from that day!! My mom was in town so she watched the girls while R and I went out to dinner. It was so nice to sit and reflect on the past ten years and some of the things we have done during that time. I am so grateful for a husband and loves me and our children. I can't imagine how I got so lucky with the man I married. I look forward to the next ten plus years with him!

New Rooms!!

M has been asking for a blue room for the past year or so. A bit over a year ago she decided blue was her favorite color. I thought it was a passing phase, but have found out blue is here to stay!! This year for her birthday she got not bedding and the day before her real birthday (one day before the due date of this new baby!) her auntie A and I painted her room blue!! She was so excited. Both her and B got to help paint this time! It was a bit more work with two extra helpers but I think they had a lot of fun!!

This is M's new bedding! She loves it, although she says the sheets aren't as comfortable as her old sheets. I told her once we wash them a few times they will get softer!

M helped pick out the color of her walls and helped pick out her new dresser that was delivered the day after her birthday! She was really excited about the mirror on her new dresser! Since her room has been redone she has been really good at making her bed everyday and picking up all her toys!! I am so excited we finally got to fix her room the way she wants it!

B also has a somewhat new room! Auntie A helped me paint her room last summer, but we just got a new dresser and some artwork for her walls!

We call her room the "Birdie Room" Whenever anyone in our family is referring to her room, we say the "birdie room"!!

I love the bed set we found. I just have to find some curtains and hang a few more pictures and her room will be done!

This is B's new dresser and artwork. She did not pick out the color of her walls and has never stopped talking about how she didn't want blue...she wanted purple paint. She is under the impression that I will repaint the walls soon but I think she will have to wait a little while before I change the walls! I should have listened to her in the first place, but I thought the blue would grow on her!!!

Birthday Girl!!

Dear M,
Today is your 7th Birthday! I can't believe how quickly seven years has gone by. You were my first little tiny baby and I will always look back at becoming a mommy with fondness. You have taught me so much about life in these past years! I love you so much!

This past year has been full of fun and growing for you. You finished first grade knowing how to read, write, and do lots of math! You love reading and have even read a book everyday of the summer this year. You love playing library and school with your sister and friends, and you usually want to play the art teacher. You love being creative and coloring and have been a great teacher for your little sister! You have also developed a love for singing this year. You had a great music teacher who helped you learn to love to sing. You have also started writing poetry and have finished writing a book!

This past year you played soccer for the second time and you loved it!! You played with your daddy as a coach which you really loved. Not only did you like playing soccer in the fall and spring, but you have learned how to play kick ball, which is another thing you love!!

You love being outside with friends and always have a good time with them. You are silly, funny, and always kind. You take turns with friends and always care about their feelings. I am so proud of the little girl you have become!

You have lost four teeth this past year (six total) which always makes us happy when we see your toothless smile! You are a beautiful girl, inside and out. If you do get upset, you are quick to feel bad and tell me you are sorry. You love your little sister so much and I am always so surprised how compassionate you are towards her. I hope this quality of compassion continues to grow with you as you grow. You have also decided not to fear bugs! In fact, you have become quite enthralled with them. You always want to squish the bugs inside and when you are outside you squat down to study the little creatures! I am quite happy to have a bug squisher in the house!

This past year included many activities. You continued with gymnastics and ballet and added tap dancing to your activities! You enjoy all three, but I think you really had fun tapping. You enjoyed wearing your shoes and making beautiful music with your feet!!

Your favorite color this year is blue! It has become a standard in your wardrobe and your walls just got painted blue for your birthday!! You enjoy watching Phineas and Pherb, Max and Ruby, and Zack and Cody and staying up for movie nights. Your favorite foods is soup, french fries, and chocolate crinkle cookies (flour cookies)!!

I love you so much Madelyn. I look forward to seeing you continue to grow and become your own person. You are kind and generous and hope to see all those good qualities grow with you.

Love,

Mama

Where's B?!

A few weeks ago I walked into the girls room to find almost all the stuffed toys we owned were out! On closer inspection I realized that B was buried in all the animals and babies!

M did a great job of burying B and B loved every minute of it. I love it when I find my two girls playing so well together!

Last Day of First Grade!

A week ago today was the last day of first grade for my little M! She is getting so big on me and some days I just wish time would stand still so I could enjoy her being little! Other days I marvel that this little lady is so mature and it is a joy watching her learn and grow!

She had such a fun year with her teacher Mrs. Valentine. We could not have hoped for a better first grade year! This year she has developed a love of reading that has amazed us. She has always loved being read to, but now also enjoys reading on her own! She often gets out tons of books and plays library with her friends and sister! Her improvement this year in her reading abilities has astonished me! I love watching her read. It is funny to be driving with her and have her ask me about a certain sign she read. Kind of fun having another reader in the car!

M was sick for the last week of school, but went anyway. I probably should have kept her home but I didn't have the heart to! The last three days of school were fun filled, and when she cried about not being able to go to school, I gave in.


After she got off the bus, M was really excited to find out that her new teacher was the same one her friend had this year! I think she is nervous and excited for the second grade!

After the last day of school was out M jumped on the trampoline with the sprinklers under it with B and her friend M. After that she went swimming at M's house for a few hours!

So far, the summer has been kind of a bummer for M. She ended up with phenomia and has been sick for the past week and a half. Today she had to have chest xrays to see if she was getting better. The doctors office called and said that she didn't look good so they put her on an additional antibiotic. Hopefully she will be 100% soon. She is usually happy during the day, just a bit more tired than normal and when she has a coughing fit, it lasts awhile. Hopefully we will get her all better and have a fun summer ahead of us!

Dear B

Dear B,

You turned four this week! I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by since you were born. You took us by storm coming out (with daddy having to catch you) and you have been a great force in our lives ever since.You have been such a joy to have in our lives ever since you were born. You were such a smiley baby and that has continued as you have grown. You bring joy to our family every day.

You have always been full of enthusiasm for anything you have done. You seem to be fearless in all that you do. You are willing to try new things without worrying about failing. I have always admired that about you.

You have always been mama's little girl. You love being with me and I love that you love to be with me. The first day you were gone to preschool this past year I did get a little teary eyed because I missed my little helper girl.

When I look at you I see so much excitement in your future and am so thrilled with the little lady you are becoming.

This past year you started preschool. When most of the kids around you were scared and clinging to their moms, you ran right into school and told me you would be fine until I came back. Of course, I stayed a few minutes just to make sure, and you were right!! You have a personality that attracts others. You are silly and not shy in many cases! You are excited about going to kindergarten but even more thrilled that you have one more year of preschool!

This year you have grown to be quite a little artist. I am constantly amazed at the things you are drawing. You attempt to draw a lot of things that I think you won't be able to, and I am usually surprised by your talent. You have the patience to sit and work on a coloring page for several hours until you finish it! You have grown to love reading and learning about words. You ask me on a daily basis how to spell words and what letters words start with. You are also beginning to rhyme words and always laugh when you make a rhyme!

I love driving in the car with you. We have fun playing I Spy and singing songs. You love to tell me you will help me sing a song, and then you will tease me by covering you mouth and not singing! You think you are pretty funny...I guess I do too! You also love helping me at home. Your two favorites are helping with dinner and helping clean the bathrooms! I've made the mistake of cleaning the bathroom and having you discover it when I was almost done. Needless to say we started all over!!

Your favorite color is purple and you love anything with purple in it. You also still love ladybugs! One of your favorite birthday presents was a purple bike helmet with ladybugs on it!! You still also like The Little Einsteins but I think you would rather color than watch t.v. these days. You also love jumping on the trampoline, trying to ride your bike, playing with friends, and riding your scooter. You are constantly following your older sister trying to keep up with her and her friends. You always run a few steps behind, but you never give up trying to catch them! When you want to hear your favorite song, "I am a Child of God" you ask me to sing "Jesus of God" to you! You often want to hear "Jesus of God" before bed and after a time out! You also have come up with you own word this year. You are often overheard saying "Flubba Dubba" over and over again. We have all picked up on it and have started calling you flubbadubba!

You have always had brilliant blue eyes that strangers like to comment on. Your eyes tell a lot about you! You are very expressive and let us know how you are feeling! I love looking into your eyes everyday and knowing that the Lord has blessed me with you. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect four year old! I am excited to see who you become in this next year of your life! You have so much you are looking forward too. You are so excited for swim lessons, playing on the trampoline with the sprinkler and having a new little baby in our family this summer. I look forward to seeing what else you enjoy this year and seeing the ways in which you will grow. I love you BB and will always feel blessed to have you in my life.

Love,
Mama

Little Helper Girl

On the nights where I actually get dinner made, this sweet little face is usually right next to me on the counter making it with me! She has always loved to help me make things. M used to enjoy it more but has somewhat grown out of it...unless chocolate is involved! B however, loves helping do just about anything!!













Usually I don't let her help me cut things, but in pre-school they let them help make a few things, so now she thinks she can use a knife! I only let her hold the knife on her own for the picture...usually I help her!!










Here she is enjoying the fruit of her labor!! I do think having her help me cook has made her more willing to try more things! That doesn' t mean she eats it all, just more willing to try!

I am so grateful for my little helper girl! I don't always enjoy cooking meals, but her help always makes it a bit more fun!

A Little Preview

Tonight B had a dress rehersal for her upcomming ballet recital. (M had to miss hers because of her lovely pink eye!) I love watching three year olds do ballet. I think it is funny because it seems like their arms are barley long enough to raise over their heads to do some of the moves!


B has really enjoyed her ballet class this year. She really liked looking at herself in the mirror that was behind me while I tried taking her picture. I had a hard time getting her to focus on me for even a minute. I think she watched herself in the mirrow the whole dance! I guess there is something about seeing yourself in a tutu that is really exciting!!

Bendaroos

Have you ever seen those infomercials for bendaroos?? If not, I suppose you probably aren't watching too much kids t.v., because they come on all the time!! Every time they come on the girls get excited, and i f I were being honest I would say I do too!! Today, M had another round with pink eye. (B is jealous because she likes getting eye drops in her eye and M thinks it's the end of the world!!) For being good girls at the doctors office I told M and B they could pick out a surprise at the store after the doctors office!! M wanted bendaroos but I wasn't sure if they were sold in stores. Sure enough, we found a 500 piece set at our craft store and we couldn't be more excited!! They girls spent a couple hours on them once we got home, and I did get involved a bit!


Here is B's attempt at a ladybug...what else!! (We sometimes call her lulu the ladybug...cute book if your interested). I thought she did a great job all by herself.










M decided they would make a scene on our sliding glass doors. Her she is putting roots on her flower!



















Here a a couple of progress pictures but they are not done yet!! They have much more space on the window and probably hundreds of bendaroos to go!!!

Braids!!

While in Utah M wanted her hair braided like her cousins. I was actually pretty surprised because she is always complaining about me doing her hair, so I figured after a few braids she would be done! Well, she made it through her whole head being braided. I think it took them three to four hours to braid her whole head, over a couple of days! After she would have some braids put in I would ask her if it hurt. She said it hurt just a little.

Here is the finished product! She was so excited about her hair. I didn't know how long it would last, but it lasted for just over a week. She thought it would last longer, but I think she had fun showing all her friends at school and church!

This was pre taking out the braids...which took me two hours....crazy!

This is post braids! Taking all those tiny braids out was actually quite hard, but I only had to cut one knot out!! She had a lot of fun with her cute hair! Thanks to her fun cousins for spending all that time doing her hair!! I am sure she won't forget it any time soon.

Thanksgiving Point

We recently went out to Utah for a wedding and got to do lots of fun things. Since I haven't posted forever and have been overwhelmed by all I want to post I guess I will just start with one thing.

One day we went to Thanksgiving Point. While there the girls and their cousins rode the ponies. I wasn't sure if B would want to ride the ponies since the last time she had the chance she refused. This time she was so thrilled. She sat on the pony with this grin the whole time! It was so fun watching her on her pony. I think it also helped that she got the smallest pony.


M has ridden ponies before and she loved it as well. Maybe if they asked nicely enough daddy would buy them a pony. At least it would probably save us from having to mow the lawn, although other upkeep would come along with it!


We had so much fun seeing all the cool chickens, cows, and huge horses. It was also beautiful with all the flowers blossoming all over. We had a fun time. More pictures to follow in the coming days!

A Package!!!

The day before Eater the girls got a fun package in the mail from Aunt A!!! I can't tell you how excited they get for any mail...let alone packages!

They both got a cute dress, some bunny ears, and a few other fun things!






















Aunt A sent a couple little things for the baby and they girls were probably just as excited for that as they were for their own stuff!

Both the girls loved the new dresses from their aunt. They had to try them on that day!

M loved hers so much she probably danced around the room in it for a half hour. Every day this past week she has wanted to wear it! I told her she would have to wait a bit longer before wearing it outside because it is still a bit cold for it!!!

Thanks Aunt A for a fun package that lead to a fun night!! The girls were thrilled with your thoughtfulness! The only problem now is that whenever B sees the UPS truck go by our house and not stop, she gets pretty upset that they didn't stop to give her her box!! We love you!!

Easter!!

We had a fun Easter weekend at our house last week. The girls had been excited all week to decorate Easter eggs, and could hardly wait until daddy woke up Sat afternoon (he was on the mids shift) to decorate their eggs! As soon as he was awake, the painting began!

This year I bought a kit that you could roll paint onto the eggs, as well as the traditional dyes. My girls love coloring so I thought the paint rollers would be a big hit. They both enjoyed rolling the eggs, but B didn't like getting her hands dirty. Mommy helped hold the egg while B would roll the paint on. M did fine holding the egg and getting a bit dirty...I guess she has realized that she can wash her hands when all is done!!

We had some fun eggs this year. B was done before M so she went back and repainted most of her eggs! The colors didn't come out as brightly but I figured that her having fun was what was important. By the end B thought it was pretty funny to "accidentally" paint up onto mommy's fingers! She is a silly little girl!

Easter morning the girls had to wait for daddy to get home from work before they could see what the Easter bunny had left for them. Luckily they only had to wait about ten minutes! They were so cute finding their eggs. It was so fun watching them both get so excited for each other. M would help B reach eggs that were hidden high and they both just giggled the whole Easter egg hunt!

They both had so much fun finding all their eggs! The Easter bunny left a DVD for M and a Ladybug game for B, and they both got a little bunny. B decided to name her bunny "Honey" and carried it with her all day. R and I both laughed about that because he sometimes calls me Honey Bunny and B went around all day talking about her "Honey" bunny! I thought that was pretty sweet!

This year the girls were old enough to pick out their own dresses! M's favorite color is blue, so we went with that color!

I tried to get B to get the same dress as M but she was insistent she did not want to match M! She definitely has a mind of her own. I didn't dare buy the same dress either, because I knew she wouldn't wear it if I did! I do love the dress she picked though!

M looked so sweet in her dress. She is such a great little girl. She ended up coming down with a fever that day and has been sick for the past week. I am grateful she was at least able to have a fun morning before she started feeling sick! I love Easter and all the happiness it brings.

Silly Girls!

So the past few days both of the girls have said a few funny things I thought I would share!












B has really been liking jumping on the couch! I agree that it is fun, but our couches are getting worn out and I don't think it's a good habit to be in! This morning we had a conversations that went like this!

Me: "B, I don't like you jumping on the couch."

B: "I am not."

Me: "Than what are you doing?"

B: "Hopping!"




I thought it was so funny, I had to turn around so she wouldn't see my smile! She just gave me a huge smile and finished up her hopping!
















M has been funny too! Every time I want to take her picture she wants to give me the peace sign or do some funny pose! She is so cute!


Yesterday I made cookies from a mix...I know, crazy! I showed her that I was making cookies, which I know she likes. She saw the package and got more excited that there was a box top than the actual cookies! I thought that was pretty funny!

We've enjoyed a few sunny days in the past few weeks, but not enough! We are looking forward to more sunny days ahead so we can spend more time outside! I love these silly girls and the things they come up with!