Ignore the writing and focus at the pictures!

My brain can't seem to form a coherent thought but I really need to post because I am so behind. So ignore the horrible writing and just enjoy the pics. (That's all that matters, right?)

We had a jam packed Memorial Day weekend and spent as much time as possible outdoors. We started off the weekend going to Scott County Park with some great friends. I REALLY wish we could have stayed and camped out, but we left bright and early the next morning for our last trip to Nauvoo. (More on that later). I was a little nervous to see how Em would handle being out among the critters and bugs, but she loved it! Neither of the girls wanted to leave, and loved hiking, playing around (and almost in) the fire, and making s'mores. I have to admit I didn't want to leave either. A lot of it was due to the awesome ppl we were with, but it's been TOO long since we were able to spend any significant amount of time in the great outdoors.

Banana with her Bestie Miss Kini.

Cleaning off sticky hands in the stream.

Em was a trooper on the long hike and lasted almost the whole time. She spent the last little bit riding like this. I offered to trade her places but she wasn't about to give up her spot!

Saturday was spent in Nauvoo. It was our last trip down there and I have to admit that it was a pretty emotional trip for all of us. It has been such a blessing to have the Nauvoo temple as our temple.

I love the peaceful feeling that exists there and how much I learn every time we visit. A few tears were shed as we walked away from the temple


but we know we will get to come back and visit someday!




One last stop at the Fudge Factory. Oh caramels, how I will miss you!

Birthday Festivities

For My Baby Girl

I can't believe this little girl has gone from this,

to this,




to this.



She turned two today and I am completely amazed how quickly the last two years have flown by. She is such a character so I thought in true birthday tradition I would share a few of the things I LOVE about this girl.

1. She has enormous blue eyes that melt my heart, and all she has to do is bat them at me and she can usually get out of a WHOLE lot of trouble.
2. She loves to snuggle. And snuggle, and snuggle...Her favorite thing to do in the morning or after naps is to crawl up into my lap, put her arms around me and give me kisses. It makes the crazy days worth it.
3. She is a feisty girl. Those that know her well can atest to that fact. She is sassy and isn't afraid to speak (yell) her mind frequently. Lucky for me I've learned to laugh at her instead of going crazy because it's just too cute to sit and watch this teeny tiny pipsqueak of a girl get all fired up.
4. She has a HUGE heart. She is always looking out for her big sister. She is the first to give comfort when I'm upset and loves to make everything "all better."
5. She has her father wrapped around her finger. She (and her sister) have a connection with their father I don't think I'll ever be able to fully understand. He can get her to calm down when I've exhausted all my efforts, and she actually listens to him. :)
6. I think the biggest thing I love about Miss Em is that she brings me so much joy every day. She pushes me to be a better mother and is always so forgiving when I fall short. She makes me excited to get out of bed every day and keeps me on my toes.
Happy Birthday my baby girl!

Happy Wednesday

The girls and I survived a LONG week of gloomy, rainy weather and Running Man survived his last round of National Boards. Woot! The atmosphere in our house is noticeably lighter and it feels oh so good to know that Running Man's schooling is (for the most part) behind us. He only has a few weeks of classes left, but no more tests!

He spent all of last week bunkered down in the basement studying away. The weather did not want to cooperate with everything I had planned for us to do (outside), so we had to change it up a bit. We spent some time at the Children's Museum, which is a fave spot of ours. I picked the wrong day to go because it seemed like all of the mom's in the city had to the same idea. We had fun, but I about had a nervous break down trying to keep Em from running off. She's not the best listener...I think she has selective hearing already. :)

All of that playing made Banana crash and she decided to fall asleep here...
(She only slept for about 10 minutes but is convinced it's the best nap spot ever.)

When Running Man could take a break he came upstairs and helped the girls burn off some of excess energy from being cooped up all day. They did this...

And when Running Man tired out, but they hadn't yet, this happened.

Banana had her first "official" visit with the dentist. (My sis works for a pediatric dentist and an orthodontist so whenever we go to Utah we all get our teeth cleaned). It all went smoothly, and Banana seemed like an old pro. The assistant was excited that she didn't scream the whole time!

The sun FINALLY came out on Friday so we headed to the zoo with some super fun friends! This zoo is the perfect size. We can hit everything in two hours which helps prevent meltdowns! We pulled up to the parking lot and there were a thousand buses. Apparently it was field trip day for a lot of the local schools. We hit the train first thing and I didn't even mind the crowds!
This is Kini. She's a doll and the girls' BFF. I don't know what we're going to do without her.


I also decided to get my craft on last week and finished this fun project!And made this skirt for Banana and vamped up this tank for Em. My project list is two miles long and it just keeps getting longer....

On a sad parting note we had to say good bye to this beauty. It bit the dust this morning. I am upset that it broke, but it will be kind of nice to not have to transport it in the move. (It weighs about a billion pounds).This is the replacement. Another ancient TV we own. It looks pretty pitiful in our giant entertainment center.

Livin' the Life

Before all of this rainy weather set in we spent most of the waking hours outside. The weather was GORGEOUS, and there was no way we were sitting around inside. :) Running Man took us on a hike to one of his mt. biking spots. It was really pretty and not that rough of terrain so the girls handled it pretty well. (We need to toughen them up for all of the hiking we will be doing when we move to UT)!

(Em is a teeny tiny bit scared of all kinds of vegetation at the moment. Grass, plants, flowers...they all freak her out. Is that normal)?

We also have gone on some picnics and spent LOTS of time at the parks. The girls' new fave thing is to have Running Man do underdog while they swing. I attemped...and failed. So now I am not allowed to even push them on the swings. Em couldn't decide if it was terrifying or awesome, and will usually hide her face in terror the first time, then beg for him to do it again. Crazy girl.


It's getting towards the end of the school year for Banana so for Teacher Appreciation week we decided to make these little thank you's for her teachers. Her teachers are amazing and have already instilled in Banana a love for school. She is our little bookworm and I love watching her soak up knowledge. She is so curious about everything and her mind is like a sponge. She surprises me with the stuff she remembers. I definitely need to give her more credit when she asks questions and I try to dumb it down for her. Definitely not necessary.

One of my super cool friends hosted a Kentucky Derby party, and it was so much fun. The food was amazing and the girls and I had a blast hanging out with our friends. I didn't get a chance to make myself a hat so I settled for a flower. I didn't know how the girls would react to their hats, but they loved them, and Banana's hat is a permanent member of her dress up closet now.

I had an amazing Mother's Day, but sadly forgot to take any pics. :( I was served breakfast in bed, didn't have to get the girls ready for church, took a nap, had a delicious dinner made by Running Man, and got a gift certificate for a massage! Heaven. I am so blessed, and consider myself lucky that things like this aren't the exception around my house. Running Man has ALWAYS helped around the house and is totally present in the girls' lives. They adore him. (And so do I)!

Hello May, What Happened to April?

I feel like everything is moving in fast forward now. This winter was never-ending, but now as soon as I want time to slow down a bit, it's doing the opposite. I can't believe we move NEXT MONTH! Crazy. I feel like I'm making some progress on getting organized and dejunking. Not a ton of progress...but some. I'm good at procrastinating.
We have been wasting out time away playing outside and enjoying this gorgeous Spring weather. We've had a few thunderstorms this last week and it has made me realize how much I will miss them. I was TERRIFIED of them when we moved here. But I find them so comforting now. :Sigh:
This is Em trying to convince me that she really is an angel...That girl is going to be the reason I get premature gray hair. I can't ever complain about things being boring at our house because she always keeps me on my toes.
And here she is in her fave hangout, time out. Banana is explaining to her little sister why it is important to not throw Rocket at mom's head. Repeatedly. Such a good big sis. :)
She has also recently discovered toe jam. And the joys of cleaning it out. Running Man and I walked in and saw her doing this. She looked up at a us with a HUGE smile and a piece of lint on her finger. She was so proud.
Finally, here is Banana modeling her new 'do. I love it! I have always LOVED her long hair, but it was just getting to the point where it drove me crazy to do it every morning. Her cousin has always had a super cute short cut, and that gave me courage to chop Banana's off. It's not as short as her cousins, but I'm not that brave! Banana loves it, and I think it looks fabulous on her! (I love this pic because you can tell she thinks she's cute and her confidence shows)! I hope she always feels this way.