Today

"Are we going on a run with Jen Corley Mom?"

I feel "yuckystrated" frustrated

After the bath, pointing to her boobies, "here is another belly button"

"I am not a baby!!!!!"

"Moooooommmmmm, I have to go pooooooo pooooooo" YELLING from her crib

"Are you happy?" A question she asks me after I scold her for doing something bad

"Are these for me Mom...HOORAY " , as she gripped her princess pullups in the shopping cart,

- Caitlyn

I broke down and bought Emma a lunchable for lunch tomorrow (so bad after doing the cleanse, I know). In Montessori preschool she could not have any processed food so I am trying to find a happy balance this year between granola bars, pre packaged applesauce, etc. and the healthier choices Anyway, she was soooo excited. She told me "Mom, Spencer and Tori showed me how to use those." WhAt?? They showed you how to use those? I did not realize that their is a technique to lunchables now a days. Well, once I saw the jillion choices of lunchables I realized why there must be a technique. Because, it is no longer just cute little cheese and crackers...it is pizza, chicken and lots of other crap. So, after making the tough decision, she went with cheese pizza (which will be cold, uuukk). She followed up with "Mom, we should probably get two in case I really like them." I responded with "let's give this one a try, these are more like a treat and are not totally healthy for our bodies." She was ok with that and was just happy to have her lunchable for the morning.

I know the girls love each other but today the "loving bickering" wore me out ! I felt like a broken record in a room where everyone was wearing ear plugs. ahhhh, the sweet sounds of bed time, now time to recharge

4857 Saddlerun Lane

As I was surfing the time capsule, looking at old photos, I came across pictures of our first house in Powder Springs, GA (in the burbs of Atlanta). I decided to give a shout out to the Country Walk hood and post some pictures of our house that our realtor used when we listed it. This house will always be dear to us as it was our first, we did a TON of work to it and we brought our first baby girl home here.

I think it will be fun for the girls to look back and remember our old casa. It was a wonderful first house. We had awesome neighbors who we are still friends with and we made many first memories here. I miss GA and was not ready to leave at first. I am happy now that we are close to family here in PHX and that we have made friends. Oh yeah, I don't miss the big bugs, poison ivy (that Bryan got after living there one month- he had it when he walked in graduation for his PhD) and the bad hair days due to humidity. I do however miss the basement play area and good ol southern charm and hospitality.

slow down baby girl

Miss Em is officially cruisin on her bike without training wheels !

She has grown up so much in the past few weeks.

Lost a tooth and ready to lose a second one

Finished Sam books and is enjoying reading to us at night

Writes all the time and makes little books about all kinds of things

Learned to snap her fingers

Helps around the house

I always tease her (like my Grandpa Don did to me) about getting a brick to put on her head so she will stop growing. Emma (and now Caitlyn) reply with "we gathered up all the bricks so that you can't find them." This is such a wonderful time in life, watching the girls learn and grow. Thank you God for watching over us and guiding us everyday.

Spring break - 2

I have to admit that I feel like I needed a two-week spring break more than the girls did. The day to day hustle bustle was really getting to me. I am so thankful that we had some time to be adventurous, spontaneous, time to do projects and just relax. We took the girls to the Sea Life aquarium (since Em missed her field trip due to a stomach bug). We had a lovely morning.

PS- we were spoiled having the GA aquarium in downtown ATL...this one was just ok- it is in a mall ??!!

The sea star was giving us a little wave. Emma loved this. She did her first report (Internet search and all on the sea star).

Daddy and C checking out the sea horses

With Caitlyn's 3rd monkey birthday party coming up we did some monkey painting

Park play date with Miss Melanie from school

Morning play date with the Stenhoff family

This picture cracks me up - I love that Mathea is just chillin, steering the car

Adalia, Em and Caitlyn

Since the Stenhoffs will be in Washington when we have C's party, we had an early celebration. We did two little monkey crafts that we will be doing at the party. Bethany and Anna made cupcakes. The little girls had fun decorating them. Oh yes and we also did an early egg hunt.

To top it off, C got to open her presents from the Stenhoff family. Thank you for making C feel special and for an awesome morning.

Take me out to the ball game

We spent a lovely overcast Sunday with the Bradleys at the new Salt River Field baseball stadium where the Colorado Rockies train.

We started our afternoon off with a golf cart ride from our car to the front gate. You can't beat that.

A surprise

We surprised the girls on Saturday after Emma's swimming lessons and took them to see Cinderella at the Hale theater in downtown Gilbert. Cinderella was Cailtyn's first play. We stopped at Liberty Market before hand for a pastry.

They both enjoyed the play. Caitlyn did a great job. Here they are with Cinderella and the Prince.

the wiggles

Em lost her first tooth tonight. She had been wiggling it for the past few days and it just popped out. She is sooo excited. After writing a note to the tooth fairy asking her to leave the tooth behind, she rinsed with salt water, set her tooth in her little wooden tooth holder and turned off her ceiling fan (she didn't want the fairy's wings to get hit by the fan). I will update later after the tooth fairy visits. How can it be that my baby lost her first tooth?

In addition to our eventful day, Emma finished her last SAM book !! Yippie Miss Em. Congrats to you. Now onto Reading Counts books and book reports.

desert botanical gardens

We spent the morning at the Desert Botanical Gardens

Dale Chihuly's glass art is featured as you enter

This is the red chandeler that hangs as you enter the Jundt school of art at Gonzaga also done by Dale Chihuly !!

Miss Em had fun identifiying all kinds of plants on her sheet and checking them off. She has been studying the sonaran desert so she had a lot of information to share with us.

Our favorite part of the DBG was the butteryfly exhibit. The girls loved watching all of the beautiful butterflies. Caitlyn got the giggles when they flew right past her.

Caitlyn bear (2011) 2 years and 10 months

I thought I would post a picture of Emma at the Desert Botanical Gardens when she was the same age as Caitlyn is now

Emma (2008) 2 years and 8 months

This is what a butterfly sees

cactus hotel (as Emma called them)