I never had any intentions of taking a sixteen day blog break, it just happened. I think it's safe to say I've had a little trouble keeping up with the blog in recent months and I really hate it. There just isn't enough time in the day for everything and when I have to let something go, this is it. It doesn't mean I don't miss it or that I haven't been taking tons of pictures to share, just that I've been filling my evenings with more important things for now. BUT, I'm back (at least for today!) and have tons to share. Sit back and enjoy! WEEK EIGHTEEN: Sunday, April 29 (Day 120): It seems like every year a squirrel gets into our attic over the winter and chews a hole in the drainage pipe of our central air unit. I cannot count the number of times that SD has had to climb up there and ...
Hoppy Birthday
Sophie's bunny bash was perfect. She was happy and healthy (for the first time in over a week) and giggled every time you said the words birthday and party in the same sentence. She sampled her cake, read her favorite story book, hunted eggs with her friends and opened a fabulous selection of birthday gifts. She clapped after the birthday song and blew out her candles like a champ. I only have about 250 photographs to upload and organize, so maybe I'll be ready to share the details in a month or two. Kidding. Sort of. This is her "cheese" face. Now every time you aim the camera in her direction this is the face she makes. No more cheeky grins, just teeth. K & I did manage to catch her unaware a few times, so there are some sweet smiles to come. ...
My Sophie Girl
Two years ago today, our lives were irrevocably changed. Things went from quiet and scheduled and organized to crazy, colorful and spontaneous. You were always whirling around leaving tracks behind you. It wasn't long after you achieved mobility that your sweet daddy dubbed you Taz. You will proudly declare it if asked what he calls you. The response is usually closely followed with "Gran calls me Monkey, Ella calls me Wild Woman, Heidi calls me Booger". And you are. You've proudly achieved each of those nicknames for good reason. Sophie, you are tiny, but you pack a big punch. You are a firecracker - spunky and spirited, with an incredible sense of humor and a twinkle in your eye. You are adventurous and mischievous. You challenge me in new ways every day and compliment your sister so ...
Marley
Meet Marley. Isn't she darling? Pop made the big announcement on Sunday that his little girl belongs to my little girls. To say that they were excited would be putting it very mildly. Josh told Ella that we needed to name her and without any hesitation she declared her Marley. I'm sure those of you who don't live in the "country" you are staring at your screen wondering why we would want a cow. I know. We will keep Marley and let her make lots of babies, who will either be sold or make more babies! Fortunately, nice cows fetch a pretty penny and we might be able to add some dollars to the college funds because of this pretty girl. These two couldn't care less about that, though, they just wanted to know if she could come home with us! I'm guessing you know the answer to that. Of ...
The Day
I always remember to schedule someone in our family to come by before church to snap a few family pictures in front of our porch. Always. Well, this year I completely forgot and we had to rely on the tripod. SD & I both laughed because this might be my favorite Easter picture to date and we were running like crazies. I was setting the timer, running in heels and a maxi dress through very wet grass and we were swapping kids so that no one got icky grass on their feet until the last minute. I realize not everyone is smiling here (thanks, Soph), but I love it just the same. Some of my favorite memories as a little girl are of Easter lunch at my great-grandmother, Granny's, house on the lake. If it was warm enough, we would run down to the pier and dip our toes. We played in her ...
Guess who came to visit?
At almost two (4 days to go!), Sophie is at the perfect age to enjoy most everything. Talking about her birthday and the arrival of the Easter Bunny has elicited much excitement at our house for the last several weeks. Sometimes I wonder how much she's really understanding, but when I went into their room to announce the EB's arrival, she was giddy and couldn't wait to check out the goods. I know that everyone celebrates a little differently when it comes to Easter. Sometimes, baskets aren't even a part of the equation, some people do candy only and others make it look like Christmas. I try to find a happy medium and fill our baskets with things we would otherwise need for Easter along with a few fun surprises. I also let up on our limited sweets mantra and we indulge a little for the ...
An Egg-cellent Time
I don't usually procrastinate about holidays, but somehow we managed to wake up on Saturday morning and we still hadn't dyed our Easter eggs... or boiled them. Okay, okay, I hadn't even bought them! I also discovered the night before that Ella's basket might have a little more in it than Sophie's, so Josh & I decided to grab dinner (at Chuy's!!) and up pick a few more things. After dinner, we bought eggs and new pajamas for the girls and came home to get our party started. They were exhausted after their second day without a nap and I was surprised we actually made it through the evening with no meltdowns. I'm always stressed about these moments... that my OCD will prevent me from letting the girls have fun and experiment, that my photographs will turn out horrible, that the mess will ...
Project 365: Week Fourteen
Maybe I've said this before, but this year is seriously going by way too fast. I feel like every time I turn around it's another week, another month, a holiday, a birthday, a growth spurt. It is so overwhelming and I feel like I'm falling behind more and more every day. There are so many things I want to do and enjoy with my children and instead the days are ticking away, each one less productive that the one before. I have got to get 2012 under control before 2013 sneaks up on me! This week had some really great moments. I finally felt a little more productive (at work AND at home), Josh & I started a new workout routine after the girls are in bed at night, we spent a lot of time outside enjoying the gorgeous weather and we started making preparations for Easter. Here ...