More Flooding...

None of this water is where the river should be...

We just wanted to show everyone back a home a little bit of the flooding that's going on out here. We're nowhere near as bad as a lot of places, but it is still taking a toll.

Trying to Talk

She is trying so hard to communicate now. It is so fun to watch, and all of the little noises she makes are adorable!

Miss Emma

The Fathers

I just want to say a big Thank You to all of the amazing fathers in my life. Russ is an incredible dad, and has always put our family first. He is so sweet with Hannah and Emma, and really treats me like a queen. I couldn't ask for a more perfect match. He has a hilarious sense of humor, a gorgeous smile, and endless patience!
I'm not sure about the old man w/o teeth face Emma is pulling :)

My dad is awesome. I have so many good memories of growing up, and almost all of them involve him. He was always so supportive of any deciscion I made, and was at every performance, competition, game I ever cheered, danced or sang in. Some of the best memories involve our fun camping trips, rides on the motorcycle, daddy-daughter dates, our super interactive FHE's, his famous potatoes, and all of our trips to Disney World. He is a great example to his 7 children, and his 4 grandchildren.

My FIL is also incredible. Russ and I started dating nine years ago, and from the first day I met him he welcomed me with open arms. He is so easy so talk to, and I have always been able to talk to him about anything. He took such good care of me when Russ was on his mission, and always tried to include me in their lives. I have loved getting to be a part of their family traditions, a lot of which my SIL mentioned in he post. Things like tree hunting, GOBS, conference nachos (which we now do at our home), and trips to Park City!

I love all of the men in my life!
I just want to say a big Thank You to all of the amazing fathers in my life. Russ is an incredible dad, and has always put our family first. He is so sweet with Hannah and Emma, and really treat me like a queen. I couldn't ask for a more perfect match.

He's going the distance

I just have to brag on Russ for a minute! He competed in his first triathalon today, and I have to say that he did amazing! He finished with a time of 1:22, and I think that is pretty dang good! Definitely at least an hour faster than I could ever do it in :) not that I am crazy enough to put my body through something like that!! He has found a new passion in doing these races, and he is already counting down the days until his 12 hour adventure race. I am so proud of him for training so hard, and leading such a great fit lifestyle. It gives me motivation to get these extra baby lbs. off. So, what I am basically trying to say is that my husband is awesome!

This is our friend Chris who is one of Hannah's fave baby sitters

The weather here has been crazy lately. We had the longest, freakiest lightning/thunder storm I have ever seen the other night. I think it started around 7 p.m. and I remember waking up with Emma around 2 a.m. and it was still going strong. You could close your eyes and still see the bolts of lightning...And the flooding is out of control. We have been blessed to not have it creep into our home, (well that's not entirely true, the entire basement of the church we live at is almost completely underwater). That makes for a lot of clean up for us. Davenport has had quite a lot of flooding to deal with, but so far we are nowhere near what they are dealing with in the other cities. Between the tornadoes and the floods and I am ready for it to be June 2010!

The girls are still doing great. Hannah is in heaven because Grandma T. is here to play with her. It has been almost 6 months since they saw each other and I was worried that Hannah might have a tough time being around her, but it was completely opposite. She was so excited, and hasn't let her out of her sight since she got here! My mom was exhausted when she left and I am sure that Grandma T. will be the same. We are so glad that people are taking the time out of their busy summers to come and see us. I am more than a little homesick lately and I it helps so much to see familiar faces.

Finally...I had a really fun birthday with my little family. Russ always tries to make it a special, fun day for me and this year was no exception. He treated me to some new, non-maternity clothes. It is always exciting to go put real clothes on after you have your baby. I felt human again! Then he took me out to outback for a yummy steak dinner. The only down side was that I didn't get to enjoy and awesome blossom. I didn't think Emma would appreciate eating that much onion...Birthdays aren't as exciting as they were ten years ago, but this one gave me a lot of great memories and I have to admit that I love being pampered!

I let Hannah blow out my bday candle, it means so much more to a two year old than to me. And that's right...we were letting her eat a sucker and ice cream cake, right before bedtime. I think we get the parent of the year award for that!

Cute kids

There's not a whole lot going on around here, so I just thought that I would show you all some cute pics! Hannah is loving being a big sister, and is so good at helping me out. I promise to write a much more interesting post when I can think straight! Love you all!
They spent a lot of time in the kitchen, and hannah is now obsessed with her "special treats."

Hannah was trying to do an arabesque here...you decide what it looks like!

Life as we know it

Daddy's girls

My amazing mom

I don't know how my mom raised 7 children, or how my MIL raised 6, and kept their sanity. I feel like I am barely keeping my head above water, and my mom has even been here for a week to help. Everyone assures me that I will adjust and life will keep moving forward. Let's all pray that's true! Really though, I have two totally incredible little girls that are such a blessing in my life. Emma is such a good baby, and Hannah is an amazing big sister. She absolutely loves taking care of Emma, and seeing that all of her needs are met. She adores her, and I can't believe how quickly she has adjusted to this huge change in her life. I also have an amazing hubby who, despite his crazy schedule, has stepped up to the plate and is taking such good care of all of us. He never complains about taking turns on the night shift, or the endless amount of diapers I ask him to change. And, he has taken extra care to make sure Hannah still feels loved and has given her that extra attention she needs now. My mom has also been amazing. It was horrible to have her leave today, and I we miss her tons already. She went so far beyond what she needed to do.
So...we are slowly adjusting to our new life, and loving (almost) every minute of it!