Spring has Sprung =0)

And we are out enjoying childhood =0)Yeah! I love when Spring actually comes =0). I can't get enough of the Warm sun!
This is Olivia with our neighbor Olivia. They haven't played much all winter, and now since the sun is out, we have seen her a bunch. I love hearing them giggle together. Liv loves that they have the same name =0). Isn't this the cutest moment. They had been putting on "make-up" with sidewalk chalk =0).

Favorite Moments from our BR CLAN week
{thankyou to Jill for the idea}
Favorite Activity with the girls:Making a happy birthday banner for Brad. We hung it on the garage... We also organized the basement, and swept/organized the garage for his Birthday surprise =0).

Favorite Birthday Surprise:
Couple Massage at Balance Day Spa =0).
I don't have any pictures....although, believe me, I was SO tempted. I thought Brad's 30th birthday deserved something special. SO I booked a couple massage at a local spa. It really was just as amazing as it sounds =0).
*despite my best efforts, Brad suspected our activity the whole time...

Favorite other Surprise:
Brad was supposed to be at a meeting Friday, and he stayed home instead.....Yeah!

Favorite non-birthday activity:
Lunch with Girlfriends. You have to love that =0).

Favorite Taste:
Blue Berry and Strawberry rubarb pie from Frank's bakery
Favorite Feeling:
1. Being outside without a jacket =0). 2. Tickling Liv's hand in the car....and she says, "Mommy, I really love it when you put your fingers on my hand so softly like that. It makes me so happy." {insert dreamy gaze =0).}

Favorite Sight:
50+ degrees on my outdoor thermometer =0)... and more to come...{double =0)..}

Favorite Sound:
Gwen starting to call Liv--- "Li".... and "Doodle" =0). When I ask her to say "Gwen", she says, "baby" =0).

Least Favorite Sound:
Gwen and Me coughing.....again, argh.

Favorite Experience:
Getting to sustain Thomas S. Monson as the 16th President, and prophet during the Solemn Assembly on Saturday. It was really neat to be able to watch everyone raise their hand to sustain him, and then feel the confirming spirit in my heart, confirming to me that he is the man God would have lead the church at this time. The Holy Ghost is an amazing thing =0).
Happy Birthday Week Daddy!!

Happy Birthday TO YOU!!

It's Brad's 30th birthday today! And since I'm so glad he was born, I can't go today without a post dedicated to HIM!

First, some random pictures of Brad through the past year. Don't they show how fun he is =0).
And second, my list of 30 things about my hubby =0
1. He is very adventurous with food. He likes most everything, and is always excited to try something new.
2. He loves to exercise, and this keeps our whole family active.
3. He was raised with 3 sisters, and I am convinced this is what makes him such a good listener =0).
4. Brad is the most dependable person I know. If he has a responsibility, he will always do it, and do it well.
5. He cleans and polishes all of his shoes once a week. And often volunteers to do the same for his friends.
6. He can read me like a book, and always knows what I am thinking.
7. He has an infectious laugh. He laughs all the time, and you can't hear him without smiling yourself.
8. He gets bored really easily =0). This also keeps our family active =0).
9. He can talk to anyone about anything.
10. Life is more fun when Brad is around!
11. He was raised in Maine, in the same town where we now live.
12. He is a Dentist, and loves everything about teeth =0).
13. He is always willing to humor me by going to an art museum.
14. He is just like his dad.... and his mom.
15. He supposedly doesn't like pets, but is drawn to them whenever we around them. That being said, he loves birds, and probably wishes I wanted one.
16. He is really funny, and makes me laugh every day. He also finds himself very funny, and often laughs all the way through the stories he tells me.
17. He beats me at every video game there is, except Wii boxing(I trounced him =0)..).
18. He is the best gift giver I know, and he loves to spoil me. He always comes up with gifts that I absolutely LOVE.
19. He loves pickles.
20. When we go out to eat, he almost always orders a hamburger, and will be really disappointed if it doesn't come with a pickle spear.
21. He makes the best wheat bread I have ever tasted.
22. He always follows the rules
23. And used to always read the directions, but I think I have been a bad influence on him in this department.
24. He loves to have the bed made, and will make it before he gets in if it's not already made.
25. He loves to recycle.
26. He is really good at playing practical jokes.
27. He is a really good artist, and doesn't know it. This makes him REALLY good at being a dentist. He is great at matching colors, and "sculpting" fillings, etc.
28. He has very distinctive hands. Both in the way they look, and in the way he uses them.
29. He loves to vacuum and is VERY good at it.
30. He loves birthdays and LOVES surprises =0).

Happy Birthday Babe! I love you!

What happened to my baby??
Is it just me, or does she look like....dare I say a Toddler.....in this picture?? I don't know how I feel about this!

On a lighter note, I'm happy to report that she is her happy old self again. We're glad you are back Gwenabeanie.....we missed you!

Sometimes....

The randomest things make me "gitty". Last year about this time the snow was getting REALLY OLD. I had been cranky for about 2 weeks because of the white blanket that COVERED my yard. Then, just as it all melted away, the day before Easter, we got a HUGE snow storm that left behind 15 inches in a day. Everyone else was angry, and somehow it struck me as really funny. All day, I just kept saying "Happy Easter," and laughing. Well, this "spring" has really been fine. The weather has been fine+ the snow is melting+ my expectations are lower= I don't hate spring like I did last year. That being said, my friend posted a picture of her green grass on her blog today, I made some comment about a lawnmower, and now the word "lawnmower" keeps popping into my head......and it makes me gitty every time =0). I know we won't need one for quite a while still, but I think it's been so long that I had almost forgotten they existed =0).

I thought I would share
This awesome resource for Family home evening lessons. I found it today...and I plan on putting it to work tonight =0).

here's the link-->

Deseret Book Gospel Study Archive Topic: Family Home Evening

What we've been up to
The weather has been nice on and off through the last week. So we have done a little of this
and then some of this.

This time of year, when it's muddy from the snow melting, I always put Gwen in the back pack, so she feels like she is playing, but she remains--- sans DIRT =0). We look like this-->But, today Gwen is Sick Sick...... so that means it is a laundry day, and Liv and I.... I mean The elephant spider princess and I (notice the elephant legs, Tinkerbell costume, and what she terms her spider hair =0).), have been doing a lot of this--->
No, not posing.........DAnCinG =0)!!

5 things I want my children to know

1. Learn to resonate: Every once in a while, I think of a lesson I had in college. It was in my "Physics of Sound" Class. My teacher pulled out a tuning fork, and we talked about how if you take a tuning fork, leave it's end unobstructed, and hit it just right, it will resonate with a beautifully clear tone. In contrast, if you hinder the tuning forks ability to vibrate....by say holding onto it's end, and then hitting it....it will give you nothing but a muted "Thunk." Sometimes I "thunk" for different reasons (i.e. I'm stressed, PMSing, the weather is less than ideal, I've done something I feel guilty about, I haven't done something I know I should have done...etc.) One of the greatest lessons I have learned in my life, is to learn to look at myself, realize that I am thunking, try to figure out why I am thunking, and then decide to try to resonate, and then pray for help =0). One thing that always helps me resonate, is remembering who I am. And when I say that, I am referring to something my dad told me once, he told me a couple of things that he called, "my hallmarks". A couple of things that he thought stood out about me. I find that when I thunk.....if I try to be these two things, I can begin to resonate =0). My hope is that my children can learn to resonate.

2. There are times when you will think no one in this world would ever understand you...... God will always understand you. He makes a great, "listening ear."

3. There is nothing more important to me than my family

4. Your dad is my best friend.

5. When in doubt, give me something you made yourself for my birthday =0).

Playing with Texture
I had a FUN conversation with a friend from Iowa today {Jessie}. She and her husband lived below Brad and I when we first moved to Iowa. She is the one who gave us our first roll of toilet paper.....and a 2 year old phone book =0). Anyway, today we talked cameras =0)........something we are both always willing to talk about. She gave me this cool idea, and I've been playing around. I also have some other new ideas of things I want to try with my portraits in the near future..... stay tuned =0).

Sometimes, When you are a really lucky girl =0)

You get to make chocolate pudding with your daddy, and then..... he lets you eat it=0).and Sometimes, when you are a lucky girl...

your mommy gets to be your best friend

Growth Spurt

Do you ever have those moments when you look at your child and suddenly realize how grown up they are? I had that moment a couple of weeks ago with my little Olivia. She was walking down the stairs dressed up (as usual). This time she was wearing some jean shorts and her "glass slippers." It had been a long winter and I hadn't seen her legs in a while... They were SO LONG. Then somehow, even though the heels she was wearing were made out of plastic, her little ankles were so shapely..... she had lost all that cute little chub =0(. Then she wanted me to take a couple of pictures of her, and when I looked at them she looked so grown up!

Well, today, I had another confirmation that she is definitely growing up. She put on her pants this morning.... The same pants she has been wearing for the past 18 months... They have always been plenty long..... and then this morning I noticed it. Their floods! My little girl is officially leaving the life of toddler hood.... I guess it's a good thing I have so many pictures, so I'll never have to move on. I can just live in this day forever =0).

Just a cute little Liv story from today:

She had been playing chase with Gwen. Both parties loved it. Then, Liv got a little too rough, and Gwen went down. Gwen started Crying and Liv had a time out. When I went back to retrieve Liv after her time out, she said, "Mommy, I'm so sorry I hurt my sister, I just said a prayer while I was on the stairs that I could be gentle to Gwen." What a sweet little angel she is.

Because just looking at these pictures makes me smile =0)
I have been thinning out my pictures this evening. Trying to delete enough, without deleting too many. As soon as I saw these pictures I had to just smile. They really capture the way I see little miss O. She is such a vibrant little soul with so much exuberance for life. She has inherited laughter from her daddy....one of my favorite things about him....and her =0)

Motherhood is definitely scattered with moments of impatience, but it always amazes me how I feel about my two little girls. I just look at them and I get so sentimental. My heart just melts for them.

She's a climber!!And she gets into everything!!! Gwen just started climbing about a week ago. She can get on any and everything. I can't keep anything away from this little munchkin. This is the look she gave me when I found her. When I took the markers away, she kept saying, "NONONONO." I couldn't get this blue marker off, so she has been walking around with a blue mouth all day today.... But I must say I don't think I've ever seen a cuter blue mouth =0).

Easter Egg Hunt

We had a fun little Easter Egg hunt with our friends on Saturday. It was so nice to be outside and we had such a good time hiding and hunting for eggs. Liv thought it was great, and she was so sweet afterward to share her candy with everyone. Even if someone said no, she would try and try offering different kinds of candy until they accepted. We had gone to lunch with some other friends earlier and as we left the restaurant, Liv wanted me to put her coat on backwards. This worked out great, because then she used it to hold her eggs. I thought this was very creative =0). We were sad that little Gwen slept through the whole thing. Brad and I were excited to watch her and see what she thought about it all.

Welcome baby Trew
Megan came over today and the kids played while we took pictures of her sweet new baby boy. He is 5 weeks old now, and I had so much fun with him, I can't even tell you! I love his dark eyes, and his chubby little cheeks. The best part was having him sleep while I held him (after we were all done). He was so peaceful and warm. It makes me sleepy just thinking about it =0).

Cute little cousins (picture overload)(I know these last two pictures are totally fuzzy, but I think they are hillarious. They were taken in succession, and they show just how goofy Gwen was being. She has developed quite the little personality lately =0)...)


These girls are such cute little cousins. They are 6 weeks apart (Gwen is the oldest) and they have always had a special little bond. Even when they were very young, they would kick and smile and squeal, whenever they saw each other. Today, Gwen started calling her "No-a" (Nora), oh it was so cute!

Happy St. Patricks Day!Happy St. Patrick's Day!! We hope your day was full of: Green Clothes, Green Eggs, Green French Toast, Green Yogurt, green grapes, Corn Beef, Cabbage, and Pistachio Pudding=0).

Liv's first blog post

pppppppp pop
cat
fat
egg
dog
bird
me
dad
hhhhhand
now
post
stop
pig
mgin- "megan"
no
frog
*all words written by LIV, except those in red. She asked to be able to type, and I said ok. Until this minute I thought she could only read -at words (hat, sat, mat, cat...etc.). Way to go Liv!

Also, she is practicing only pressing the letters quickly and not holding them dddddown =0). and she especially loved using bold and italics

Have I mentioned Gwen loves Sunglasses: Part 3

I found Gwen on the couch today playing with my sunglasses....again. I thought it looked innocent enough, so I grabbed my camera quickly. When I took a closer look, I saw this-->
One lens broken out, and one side broken off...
But, really...how can I get upset at a face like this??
A few little things about what Gwen is up to:

• She has a quiet, innocent way about her. She can do anything and somehow it seems like it's not a big deal
  
• She started Nursery on Sunday. The nursery workers said she was an angel. I dropped her off, and she never even looked back to notice that I had left. They said she was quiet and cooperative, and that she especially loved bubble time.
• She has started really communicating. Her favorite word is "no no." She especially thinks it is funny when I ask her if I can have a kiss, and she shakes her head and says, "no no no no" and then she wrinkles up her nose, gets a twinkle and gives me a giggle. But she also says, "Yeah" whenever I ask her about something she does want.
  
• Some of her recent words are: Cracker(cack-uh), Thank you (den-to), Bonk (buh), boo, nose (noh), eye, ear (e-yah), Diaper (die-die), Nu night (nie nie), More (while she signs more food) (mo), All done (while she signs all done) (Ah-Duh), Gentle(Den-to) ....directed to Liv =0) , and Baby.
• She LOVES to be a big girl. About 2 weeks ago, she decided that she will no longer let me feed her, she wants a utensil when eating everything, including dry Cheerios, and she would refuse to drink out of a sippy.... she only wanted a big girl cup. Luckily, I think I have broken her of this last one, although she still doesn't have the same love she once had for her sippy.
  
• She is most always happy and willing to laugh when we play with her. She also isn't afraid to let me know, on occasion, that she has a mind of her own =0).
  

RatatouillesLiv is developing a great imagination. It is so much fun to see her in a room all by herself, playing in her own little world. a few days ago, she came into our room to introduce Brad and me to her imaginary friend, Cinderella (90% of the things she names are named Cinderella.....Cindy for short.) We watched Ratatouilles last week, and today Liv was excited to show me how she had given her toys these Baker's Hats. Don't you love the face =0). That's my girl =0). (by the way, she is pretending to be asleep in the second pic.)

The newest member of our family =0)

Brad had the great idea of getting a piano for our anniversary. It has been the best thing! I absolutely love having music in our home. I have been trying to learn how to play and that has been fun, but my very favorite part of all is listening to Brad play. It is beautiful, and it makes me fall in love with him all over again.

Grocery Store Embarrassment

I was in the zone, grabbing canned fruit galore off of the shelf, when I realized there was a woman behind me. She looked as though she was looking at the shelf beside us, but still I asked, "Are you waiting for me?" She said, "Yes," in a very low, very man sounding voice. Without saying it out loud, I had a conversation in my head which brought me to the conclusion that this woman...was actually a man. Just as I came to this conclusion, I realized that Liv had been having the same conversation in her own head... and this is why-

Liv: Momma why does that woman have a low man voice?
Me: Because that's not a woman, he is a man.
L: Oh, so do some mans like to have long hair?
me: Yep
L: But Daddy, doesn't like to have long hair.
Me:That is right, Daddy just likes his hair short
L: Yeah....me too, I like mans to have short hair too. (man with long hair still in ear shot, and me worried about what might come out of her mouth next)

Finally we parted our ways with the man with the low voice and long hair.... and I realized how grateful I was that I had figured out that this woman with a low voice was in fact a man before Liv piped up.

And, I thought that was the end of it...

Later that afternoon--
"Mommy, This dolly is just the boy now."
And the sad thing is, this happens to be my favorite doll =0(

Have I mentioned Gwen loves sunglasses??We were over with Nana at Brad's parent's house today. We made granola together, and Gwen LOVED these sunglasses. They are pretty hillarious, and cute I must say =0). I am happy to report that she is herself again! I feel like she went from miserable to all better over night. AND the weather is beautiful outside today, SO life is great at our house. I'm going to turn off my computer right now and go get some things done OUTSIDE, in the SUN.....YEAH!

Sunglasses to the rescue
Man, I am a posting machine lately =0). Now that I can publish my blog into a book form, I am so motivated to document everything. For the first time in my life I am actually motivated to keep a journal long term. Today was a combination of a great day and a really sad day. Gwen has had a miserable cold/Flu, and has spent the last 5 days hardly napping and walking around like a zombie crying no matter what I do. I really think she is just SO tired, but constantly wakes herself up from coughing and so she is not sleeping, and then when she wakes up she feels so crummy she can't fall back asleep.
This means we have basically spent the last 5 days at home. And today, Liv and I made the most of it. We cleaned together, I gave her (and Gwen) manicures, hand massage and all. Then Liv and I played that she was a princess, and I was a witch who ate little children....heehee =0), this may concern some of you but Liv thinks its great =0). She would share her princess crown with me and it's magical powers made me a nice witch, and controlled my urges to eat her cute little arms =0). Then we played hide and seek. Liv would hide with Gwen, and one time, they were hiding under the piano where I could see them plainly. As I walked into the room, I could see that Gwen had both of her hands over her eyes just like her big sis.
Then Liv was doing a chore.....taking all the shoes from next to the door, upstairs. Each time Liv took up one or two shoes and then came downstairs wearing a different dress =0). I think she must have changed at least 5 times=0). In the middle of this costume extravaganza, Gwen found some sunglasses. She brought them over to me, and had me put them on her. And for the only time, the entire day, she was happy for 20 minutes, all because of these sweet little sunglasses =0).

"I DEFEAST you......WITH MY POWER"

Lesson Learned: If you are a witch, and you are thinking about taking even just one little bite of a little girl, make sure she doesn't have a princess crown around because she will be able to defeast you with its magical powers!

Don't mess with this princess =0)

Playing with Papa Kent and Grandma JoLynn
The highlight of our year is definitely visiting my parents in St. Louis. We always have such a great time. This trip was no exception. We played and played. My mom is has an amazing imagination, and is SUCH a fun play mate. Plus, she has TONS of toys. As you can tell from these pictures, Liv especially loves the dress ups. There really is no reason for me to bring her any clothes when we go, other than clean underwear, because she is constantly changing out of whatever I put on her, and into whatever creation she finds in the dress ups.
These guns are Liv's favorite. This visit, I was smart and taught her how to cock the gun herself, so she would fill it with Nerf bullets and come at me. They are really quite fun!This is my cute dad. We were sad that he was so busy while we were there, but we were glad he could take off at least one day while we were there so we could play. Gwen loved this magnetic wall, and would play here forever making creation after creation.
My mom loves playing with My Little Ponies. She plays beauty parlor with them and we put little barretts and curlers in their hair. The curlers actually work and sometimes we come up with some pretty amazing dos =0).
My mom also hung up this clothes line and we hung the doll clothes "out to dry" after we were all done, we would take them down and use her little pink play iron to iron them out and fold them up.And of Course we could never forget Twitchell. He is the best dog for my girls. He is so quiet and mellow, and he puts up with them following him around.....in hopes that someday they will throw him a few scraps at lunch time. They never let him down =0). (This is a picture of him with his buddy. My mom got it for him for Christmas and he naps all curled up to it. Very sweet.)