The Newell Gang

Jeremiah's 6 month & Bella's 5 year pictures

2012-02-02T19:57:00.001-08:00

So I've been a little delayed taking Bella's 5 year pictures, so a few weeks ago we went shopping and she picked out her outfit (being very opinionated), we also had to get the little man a new shirt that was a little bigger since he's now growing into his 18 month clothes. We headed downtown and Bella of course modeled everywhere. Jeremiah fell asleep on the way so he just napped while I took Bella's photos. When we were done he woke up. He was a little sleepy and distracted by the grass, but we got a few shots. When we got home he was all giggles and smiles so I spiked up his hair and got a few more.She looks so grown up and tall in this photo....where has the time gone?

Gabby accepting Jesus

2012-01-22T21:55:00.000-08:00

Gabby kept talking about Jesus being in her heart today. On the way home from dinner she asked if Jesus was in all the animals' hearts. Joel said yes, in which she replied "they can't even talk". When I was putting them to bed I asked Gabby if she wanted Jesus in her heart and she said yes. She prayed for God to forgive her sins and to come live in her heart. She was so cute.

Joel Completed Another Half Marathon

2012-01-15T21:01:00.000-08:00

Today Joel finished the PF Chang's Half Marathon again. We didn't get to see him running...mainly because we were told to go the wrong way and it took us 40 minutes to get the finish. I don't know which is more exhausting running 13.1 miles or walking a mile with three kids...two on foot. The girls were troopers and Jeremiah had a nice nap until we were all reunited in the family area. The girls keep telling everyone Daddy won the race and got a medal.Bella is student of the week, so Rosie got to go to the race with us.On another note...here are some cute pictures of the kids. The girls just LOVE their brother and he sure does LOVE themJoel was tossing him up last night and he loved it.I finally got a picture of his two bottom teethBella and RosieGabby was playing with her Rapunzel braid yesterday and scratched her eye. She pulled it down and the combs that were attached got her right eye. Papa fixed her up, but she was worried people would make fun of her. We were trying to go to dinner so Joel could get some carbs before the race, so we assured her that Daddy and Mommy wouldn't let anyone be mean to her. She finally agreed to go, but as we were leaving she said we needed to bring the paddle in case anyone needed a whoopin'. No one said anything to her so she was fine.

Moving into 2012...two big steps

2012-01-08T19:59:00.000-08:00

I have to say that our little man is on a mission to move. He will push himself backwards, but the past few days he'll do a little froggy, jumping move and get his knees under him...and tonight he got his front end up and started rocking. It is going to be soon and he's not going to stop. I can already see him chasing down his sisters. His second big milestone is that he said "Daddy" today. He said it twice and Joel was there otherwise I would have denied it. Oh he's growing too fast!

Looking back at 2011

2011-12-31T15:21:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Christmas has come and gone and we are looking at a new year. Looking back it has been a full year.

Bella accomplished two seasons of soccer and is gearing up for her third in February. She really has enjoyed it and is always hustling. She finished up gymnastics in the fall and in the spring had a gymnastics competition...where she lost her first tooth on the way home. She lost a total of two teeth this year, but has another loose one so I'm sure 2012 will bring the tooth fairy back to our house a few times. Bella started swimming on her own this summer too. In the fall she started a semi-kindergarten program and I can't believe she'll be in big school come August. She loves to write things and asks how to spell everything. She is doing a great job reading us the books she brings home from school. Art is something she practices all the time and she loves her art set from Nana and Papa. She also had her first dance recital and was amazing. The biggest gift this year was her accepting Christ a few weeks ago.

Gabby has just grown into a spitfire. She has a rationale and answer for everything. She is still our comedian. She is getting better at her letters. Tracing dots help and she can almost do a G on her own. She also started gymnastic in the spring and soccer in the fall and loves scoring goals and she might start gymnastics again in the spring, but we'll have to see. She loves being a big sister. In the spring she was in ICU and we hope that she will stay healthy in the upcoming months. So far she has done great with keeping her asthma under control.

Jeremiah will be six months this week. How the time has flown by. He is starting to sit a long time by himself and has discovered how great food is this week. He is an eating machine and still our smiley guy. He has started to giggle at funny noises we make, but right now seems to want to make his own noises.

As work has had a lot of ups and downs this past year I am excited that things seems to be evening out and we have a great staff right now. I am happy that Joel is enjoying his job. He works really hard to provide for our family and I'm glad he has found his niche.

Looking ahead this up coming year Joel is hoping to run the half marathon in January and a full in San Diego the beginning of June. We are hoping to make it a small 9th anniversary weekend. In May we are planning on heading to Disneyland for Gabby's 4th birthday. Jeremiah will turn 1 in July and Bella will start big school the beginning of August and will turn 6 in October. Our big hope for the year is that we will be in our own house. We will see what God has planned. Happy New Year.

Christmas

2011-12-28T21:54:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone...almost as hard to believe that Jeremiah is almost 6 months. We had a fun and relaxing Christmas. I didn't get out of my pjs until it was time to go to the Zoo Lights.We went to Christmas Eve Service at 1 and then came home with an attempt to have the girls sleep; however, naps never happened. We headed over to my parents and had enchiladas and buckeyes. Joel and Jeremiah were so handsome in their matching hats.Let's just say that Jeremiah was more into the noise the paper made than the presents. We got home around 8 and put out cookies for Santa, apples for the reindeer and the girls letters to Santa.In the morning they were excited to see that Santa brought bikes for both of them and a bouncy for Jeremiah.At the end of opening presents our family room was a mess of boxes and toys.The girls went outside with Joel to ride their new bikesGabby put "Baby Jesse" (or baby Aurora) in her basket and rode around.That night we went to zoo lights. In the past going Christmas night was the perfect time because it was empty. Apparently the word has spread and it was pretty packed. We still had a great time looking at all the lights.

Christmas Cookie Tradition

2011-12-28T21:41:00.000-08:00

Making Christmas cookies is always a favorite...although messy. The girls had a blast decorating, but I did have to put a limit on how many different kinds of sprinkles were allowed on each cookie.Gabby made a marshmallow snowman at schoolI also attempted cake pops for the first time. We gave them to the kids' teachers. I think they turned out pretty cute.The girls also got to decorate a tree for their room. They had fun picking out the animal ornaments at their favorite store (mine too)...Target.

First Dance Recital

2011-12-28T21:04:00.001-08:00

The girls had their first dance recital a few weeks ago. They were so freaking adorable. I couldn't believe how well they did never practicing on stage and they danced two songs, plus did a beginning and finale. Both girls knew every move and we were so proud of them. Halfway through both songs the girls danced together. On the second song Bella got to going too fast and swung Gabby around. At the end of the song I think they were supposed to put their feet on their partners back, but Bella missed the cue and tried a second time and ended up kicking Gabby in the head. The whole thing was two hours. Some of their teachers from school came to entertain the kids between songs. I don't know how they kept that many preschoolers entertained for that long. Jeremiah slept through most of it...but I'm sure there will be more for him to enjoy.Papa, Nana, Gloria and us got the girls flowers.

I want Jesus in my heart

2011-12-19T18:52:00.000-08:00

So I have to write this down before I forget.

Tonight when putting the girls to bed, Bella kept saying how she was so happy that Jesus died on the cross and that at Easter she was going to have happy tears. I asked her if she knew why Jesus died. She said she didn't really know. I went on to explain that God sent his only son, Jesus as a baby, and Bella said Christmas is Jesus' birthday. I said that was right, but when Jesus grew up there was a lot of sin in the world so Jesus died on the cross for all our sins. I asked her if she knew what sin was, and she said no. I explained that when we disobey God and do things he doesn't like it was sin. He wants us to be kind to everyone and help those in need. She said like the quarters to buy kids food (the girls filled m&m tubes for Feed My Starving Children the other night). I said that was right, and that God wants us to be an example for people that don't know him and that when Jesus is in our heart he can shine through us and other people can learn about Jesus. She asked if Jesus could live in her heart, and I said it was really easy to do all you had to do was pray for God to forgive your sins and to let Jesus live in your heart. So she prayed "God please take my sins away and Jesus please live in my heart forever."

Bella has always been very sensitive to others needs and always talks about God. She tells Jeremiah bible stories and this morning said she was writing a book about Jesus. She spelled Jesus as "GZZ".

Ear Infections

2011-12-14T22:53:00.000-08:00

So it finally feels like winter and with that comes sick season. UGH! It started with Jeremiah getting an ear infection 2 weeks ago, then Bella got sick, then Gabby had a double ear infection, and now Jeremiah is on round two of antibiotics since his left ear is still infected. Luckily he didn't really get a fever or as sick as the girls, but both Bella and Gabby had a low fever that wouldn't go away for three days. The girls seem to be great...fingers crossed they will stay that way since they have their first dance recital tonight.

Gabby loves to snuggle with Jeremiah and doesn't really mind that he pulls her hair.Jeremiah partaking in a tea party with BellaThe big man has started solids. So far so good. He doesn't eat a lot but really likes peas, squash and green beans. Cereal and Oatmeal are okay and carrot are really the only thing he didn't like, but you have to time it just right. He's working on some teeth on top of being sick. He is such a good baby. We had a few nights where he woke up a few times, but all in all we are lucky and he's so happy. When we went into the peds office today to have his wheezing looked at, he weighed in at 18 pounds and 12 ounces. He is so big...his nickname at school is BEAR which seems appropriate on many levels. He is almost to sit by himself. He'll last a few seconds on his own, but then gets excited and flys back. He loves to roll from his back to his tummy, but still can't get back over. He does lift his stomach off the ground and can turn himself around. He always ends up in a different place on the floor. He can scoot himself backwards and once he figures out how to crawl there will be no stopping him. He loves his dragonfly toy, but his hands and feet seem to be the most fascinating. He'll just stare at them or anyone elses. He still squeals more than giggles. My most favorite part of the day is when he snuggles in while I'm rocking him. I know he'll be too big soon, but for now I'm loving it.
We are having a lot of fun doing holiday crafts and baking. It's a full month, but it was nice to have this week off to spend time with the girls. I know next year when Bella is in school we won't be able to do this. More to come...hopefully more timely :)

Christmas Tree

2011-12-14T22:46:00.000-08:00

When we got home from Pinetop we put the tree up. The girls had fun looking at all the ornaments. They are always so cute when we put up Zona and Cosmo's ornaments. They say we miss them, even though they call them by the wrong names. Joel took the kids to get their 2011 ornaments--Bella got an angel, Gabby a soccer player and Jeremiah got a little blue baby's 1st Christmas. The girls went and saw Santa that day too. Santa told them to be nice to each other...so we'll see. Bella was excited to show off the tree to Jeremiah

Soccer is over for the season

2011-12-14T22:36:00.001-08:00

We couldn't be more proud of both girls this season. The season was supposed to end before Thanksgiving, but the first game got moved to the beginning of December after the mosquitoes were so bad in September. Anyway, Bella just runs and runs and is always ready to go in. She gets so focused and got really aggressive in the last game. Although she didn't score in the last game she had a lot of attempts. Bella's team was the Blue Horses! We hope to be with the same coach in the spring.

Gabby is our little scoring machine. Her team name was the Hulks. She is so cute running around the field even if she's playing with her hair half the time. Honestly most of the kids are looking at the sky or the grass, so it's not hard to take the ball away and score with little opposition. The last game she scored 8 goals. She would score then run over to Joel and give him a big hug. It was so cute.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-14T22:27:00.001-08:00

So I'm playing catch up. We went up to Pinetop for Thanksgiving again this year. The cabin dad rented was on the 18th hole, so we had a great view and went on a ton of walks.Thursday morning the girls helped make mini-pies with Nana and Uncle Ryree. Then they helped set the table.After dinner Papa and Jeremiah took a nap while we went on a walk.There was a great swing in front that everyone had fun on.Our matching monkey pjs that Joel got us girls.Saturday we of course watched the Ohio State vs. Michigan game. It was a great game even though they lost.
It was a great trip and nice to relax and be outside.

4 months

2011-11-10T19:49:00.001-08:00

Jeremiah weighed in at 17.5 pounds and 26.25 inches at his 4 month appt yesterday. Bella had her 5 year appointment and was 59 lbs and 45.5 inches...both kids are in 90-95% in all categories.

Pumpkins & Halloween

2011-11-05T20:45:00.001-07:00

Holy cow...when did it become November? I feel though life is in warp speed these days. I can't believe Jeremiah is now 4 months old. The girls LOVE to sing to him...especially Katy Perry's Fireworks. He lights up whenever they are around. They are great helpers with him. He is squealing a lot, I don't think he's figured out how to giggle so he just squeals when he's excited or you tickle him. He likes to kick his legs over and rolls to his sides but not all the way over yet. He lifts his head pretty high when he's on his tummy. He loves his hands and he'll just stare at them...he also loves to suck on them...I think he may be teething. He is just so laid back and smiley...I just love him to pieces. My favorite part of the day is when I rock him to sleep at night.

Gabby has turned into quite a little sassy pants. She has an answer for everything and rationalized every thing you say. The other night I was giving the girls a bath and I told Gabby I was going to wash her hair first. She said "do Bella's", to which I replied "yours is already wet" so she dumped a cup of water on Bella's head and said "now you can do Bella's it's wet too". The only thing that is keeping her in line right now is her not getting candy when she talks back.

Bella is just growing so fast. I can't believe she is 5. She is doing great at school. She is still LOVES drawing and comes home with about 10 pictures everyday.

A few weeks ago we went up to Prescott to a pumpkin patch. Daddy found the perfect pumpkinGabby finally touched a pony...and wasn't scared!Halloween...we had so much fun. Bella was a "good" witch, Gabby was Rapunzel, Jeremiah was a skeleton and I was Cleopatra (or an Indian according to Gabby). We didn't see many kids out trick-or-treating, so the girls ended up with tons of candy since the neighbors were trying to get rid of their candy.The little man lasted until the last street.

Bella Is 5!

2011-10-10T16:34:00.000-07:00

Today our first little miracle turned 5! We had a whirlwind weekend with Auntie & Uncle Shawn in town, as well as Pappa and Granna. Both girls had their soccer games and then we celebrated by cooking out at Papa T & Nana's house. It was so much fun just hanging out with perfect weather. Sunday we went to breakfast and sat outside and then headed to the park where the girls went on the choo-choo and carousel.

Bella has become such a little person. She has an amazing heart and is so sensitive to things around her. She is extremely creative and an extremely bright. Her art is becoming so detailed and she loves to learn. She loves soccer and being a big sister. She is very gentle with Jeremiah and he lights up when she sings to him. I am excited to see her grow and the great things she will achieve.

Soccer has started

2011-10-02T21:57:00.001-07:00

The girls started soccer for the fall. Gabby gets to play this season and she gets so excited. She runs around and squeals she get so into the game. Bella's team is all girls, but Gabby is on a co-ed team and there is one other girl on her team named Gracie. Gracie has no intention of playing, but during the first game Gabby would grab her hand and try and coax her onto the field and teach her how to play. Bubba just sleeps through it all or eats. Bella is quite the hustler. She runs all over that field.

She is so happy when she plays

Now onto our little man...he is now in 9 month clothes and he's just shy of 3 months!! He's so big it's hard to look at him and remember that he's only 3 months. He has started to giggle...even though I haven't heard him yet :(. Bella and Gabby LOVE their little brother. They love holding him, telling him stories and of course singing to him. He coos back to them and loves to sing with them.

2009 Memories

2011-09-11T01:06:00.001-07:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Jeremiah Newborn Book

2011-09-11T01:04:00.001-07:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Our Smiley Guy

2011-09-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

He's smiling!! He is so handsome and BIG! When I look at him I think he's more like 6 months instead of almost 2. He still is a pretty sleepy guy and went on a 9 hour stint last night!!! He is getting strong and loves to lift his head up when we are holding him or on his tummy. He also loves to sit up and look around. We may need to get him a bumbo soon. He started day care two days a week. It seems strange dropping him off in the baby room, since the girls were home until they were one, but he did great...I mean he slept most of the time :)Getting ready for football season to start. Thanks to Nana and Papa's chair they got him.Bella wanted to have a tea party after he was born.And showing off their muscles. Both girls are fantastic big sisters.Bella started Private Kindergarten a few weeks ago. This was on her first day. She is doing great with her numbers, patterns, comprehension and of course all her art she comes home with every day. Last week they started homework...she is so excited and did all her homework the first night.She and Gabby sleep with so many animals. The other night she had them lined up on both sides.The girls have started dance class at school and can't wait for their recital in December. They both keep saying that Santa is making their costumes!

Gabby loves her little brother and makes sure he always has toys. He is starting to grab his rings and toys. He loves lights and the blinds. He stares at the blinds when we hold him on the couch.

Gabby is still our funny girl. She talks so much sometimes you can tell her mind is going faster than her mouth. She is super cute and always tells Joel and Jeremiah that he is her "best buddy". She also has been saying "yeah uh-huh" or she'll start this elaborate story and at the end say "and I'm not lying that really happened, yeah, uh-huh". She keeps us on our toes. She has an answer for everything. She has been staying home with Jeremiah and I on Tuesday and Thursday. She loves to do crafts...especially if she gets to use glue or cut paper. She can't wait to start soccer.

How does 5 weeks fly by so fast?

2011-08-10T22:34:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe our handsome little man is over a month old. He had his 1 month check up on Friday and he was 11 pounds 14 oz and 22 3/4 inches. Some of his 3 month clothes don't even fit him anymore...he's getting so big. I LOVE his snuggles and that he's becoming a mama's boy. The girls have been amazing with him. They love to hold him and play with him and his toys. He is also getting pretty strong. He lifts his head up and looks around when we hold him. He is a pretty smiley little guy. He finally has started waking up more, well a little bit more. Sometime when I look at him I think I'm looking at the girls. It's kinda crazy how much they all look the same. He is starting to lose his dark hair and his blonde hair is coming in...another toe head.

We had a shower for him on Saturday, but I don't have the pictures so I'll have to blog about that later...but we had a blast.

The girls love playing with him on the mat even though he sleeps through a lot of it.I love this picture. It was right after he was born and Gabby was so curious. She also looks so much like me in this picture when I was that age.

Jeremiah Arlo Newell - 7.5.11

2011-07-11T22:33:00.000-07:00

After giving up that he was going to come early like his sisters. I woke up last Tuesday morning (7/5/11) and got out of bed. Within minutes I was having contractions 5 minutes apart, which soon turned to 3 minutes. I called mom and said I needed her to bring me to the hospital and I called Ryan to take the girls to school. We got to the hospital around 10 am and I was dilated to 5. It took awhile to get to a room since they needed to call some nurses in. I was at 7 when we finally got to a room and my favorite doctor (the anaesthesiologist) was there within minutes to alleviate the pain. He did a great job and by the time Dad came in (who knew the anaesthesiologist) and then Steph. I had no pain and we all just hung out for a few hours. Dr. Purhoit came in, since Dr Watters had left out of town on vacation that morning (so Dad didn't get to deliver this one), and after 3 pushes he was out. All 9 pounds and 1 ounce and 21.5 inches of him. I was shocked when they told me how big he was. He looks like his sisters, but thinner and longer. He is such a great baby and it's hard to imagine our life without him in it. It's funny how an instant can change your life so dramatically. Joel was surprised at how well I feel after having him. I guess it just gets easier the more you have. He loves to snuggle into my shoulder after he eats...and he sleeps most of the day and night. He makes the cutest little noises when he eats and he hardly fusses at anything. The girls are fantastic helpers. Gabby is more concerned about him than I thought she'd be. She loves to get everything ready for a diaper change and puts it all away when I'm done. They both love to feed him and hold him. I think they are a little disappointed at how much he sleeps, but that won't last long. They give him the cutest kisses. Gabby is very protective of him. The other night mom and dad stopped by and Gabby was holding him. Dad asked if he could hold him and she put her hands over him and said "No, he's my Jeremiah". A few minutes later she said he could hold him "but only for one minute." Today Nana watched him while I took the girls to gymnastics. When we went to get him we had been chatting and then Gabby came up and said "Nana we need Jeremiah so we can go home". We still have some transition moments, but it's been easier than I expected. Bella I think would just sit and hold him. We are very blessed family of five!

36 weeks

2011-06-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that I'm 36 weeks. Although I feel like I've been pregnant forever. The girls cannot wait for brother Jeremiah to get here. They keep asking when is going to come. I've been having some strong contractions on and off. A few weeks ago I told Bella it was too soon for Jeremiah to come, so she said I needed to wish on 3 stars at midnight so they would go away. Before Joel put her to bed she came out and said "Remember Mommy 3 stars at midnight." They both say good morning and good night to Jeremiah by kissing my tummy. The girls came at 37 weeks, so I'm anticipating next week but think I may be psyching myself out. I do think he's bigger than the girls were and even though I haven't gained much weight it is all in my belly this time so I feel like I'm carrying a bowling ball around. He just keeps dropping so my back is starting to hurt and I have pee constantly, so I am ready to get here although I'm nervous to see how the dynamic of our family of 4 will change when we are a family of 5.

Here are a few pictures Steph took of the giant belly. The girls went with us and of course were quite characters...you don't need to encourage too much to have them turn on the diva.

Gabby is 3 (well last month)

2011-06-22T20:33:00.001-07:00

Gabby turned 3 last month. I know I'm a little late. She had a monkey party and had so much fun. At her check up she weighed 35.8 lbs and 37 inches. She is so funny and a keeps us on our toes. She is so quick to respond to anything and her hand gestures - she is so animated.

Bella's funny sayings

2011-05-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

Today I picked Bella up and she said, "Mom I have a really sad thing to tell you." So I asked what happened today and she proceeded to tell me that she had a big boogie come out of her ear today, "but don't worry I washed my hands." Then she asked if we could go see Papa so he could check her ears for more boogies. When we got there he checked her ears and said there was a little more wax in the other one, but then Papa asked her why she had a band-aid on her arm. She said she had "unskinned her elbowed at school today." She had fallen on the play ground and skinned her elbow pretty good. Papa thought it was more appropriate how Bella described it as "unskinned".

Bella has been on this healthy eating kick lately. So Monday night I was bringing in Gabby's cake for her birthday and Bella said, "Mom can I tell you something...I know you're an adult, and the boss and pregnant, but eating cake isn't very healthy but it's okay you can have some."

The girls have been so cute talking to Jeremiah and wondering when he's going to come. I do have to admit I miss being able to cuddle the girls on my lap...the belly is just too big. Gabby always brings Jeremiah toys and Bella is always talking to him. They both have been overly sensitive lately, so I'm not sure if it's because of it getting close to time or if it's something else. Hopefully it will turn around, it is exhausting these days.

Two Peas in a Pod

2011-05-17T21:11:00.000-07:00

As we anticipate the arrival of Jeremiah the girls couldn't be more close. We can't wait for the new adventure to begin and the girls are starting to ask every day when will he be here? Here are their school pictures.

It's been so nice outside and we've been spending time at Papa and Nana's house. Mother's day Bella decided to try her roller skates. She almost has outgrown them, so it was a good thing we put them on.This weekend we went to my friend Eve's house. Eve and I used to ride together, but she has turned into quite a cowgirl these days. Of course Bella loved riding Bonita and Gabby swept the barn and stayed away from the horses unless Daddy was holding her.Monday, Gabby joined Bella's gymnastics class. They had so much fun together. It's hard to get good pictures in the gym so they are a little fuzzy.

Wrapping up Bella's Soccer Season

2011-05-07T22:12:00.000-07:00

Bella finished up her soccer season with 6 goals!! Her record was 8 and she became quite a scoring machine. She had a great coach and really worked with all the kids and taught them a lot as far as dribbling and control of the ball. We can't wait for the fall league to start where Gabby will get to play! She has quite a leg of her own so it should be fun to watch even though she'll only be 3. Bella will move up to an all girls team, so hopefully we have good coaches in the fall too.

Gabby's Trip to the ICU

2011-05-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

Well after 4 days of a fever that started on Easter, we went to the pediatrician on Wednesday. Her pulse/oxygen level was 84 (normal is usually 98). After two breathing treatments her lungs were still congested, after giving her a little oxygen her numbers came up but then went down as soon as she was taken off. They got as low as 78. We were sent to the ER and the she was admitted. After 9 breathing treatments, blue lips and no progress they sent her to the ICU. They continued with more treatments and more steroids and antibiotics, she started to progress. It was a long few days and she was stuck in the bed until yesterday. They finally changed her oxygen line so she could walk around her room. They started to wean her off the oxygen but it took 5 days to get her off. It was quite a challenge to keep an almost 3 year old in one spot for 5 days. We took "rides" on the bed and played with the buttons, styled her dolls hair, blew bubbles to help her lungs, Nana brought scissors, glue and tape which were the biggest hit. It was a long 5 days, but we are happy she is home. They think she had a virus (probably what Joel & Bella had a few days before her) and the mucus collapsed part of her right lung so she couldn't get enough oxygen. They think she has underlying asthma issues and we talked to the pulmonologist. They ran allergy labs and they all came back negative, which surprised us. Since she hasn't had any wheezing for 18 months, I'm still skeptical of the asthma diagnosis, but I'm just glad she home. So she's on two inhalers and a steroid for a few more days. doing crafts with NanaBella came to visit Friday night and brought Gabby McDonalds for dinner. Bella was so worried about Gabby although I think she liked hanging with Nana and Papa a few days. When we went home Friday night she kept asking what was wrong with Gabby and saying she keeps praying for her. When we came back Saturday after her last soccer game she didn't get to stay long as she went to hang out with Nana. Mom asked her what was wrong and she said she was having a sad day. They went to help McKenzie get ready for prom and Bella wanted to buy surprises for Gabby. They ended up with two outfits and some new crocs - which Gabby promptly put on and would not take off.

This morning Joel sent this picture and I was so excited that they had taken her oxygen tube out. She still had to have oxygen over night, but during today she was able to take an almost 2 hour nap with no oxygen and her levels stayed around 91 (they just wanted her above 88 when she slept) and she was at 98 when she was awake. Thank you everyone for your prayers. They really helped get our baby well.

Easter

2011-04-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

The other morning I snapped a few pictures of the girls before picture day at school. Bella had gotten sick the night before but still wanted to go take pictures.
You can see Bella's missing bottom tooth.

Saturday we stayed home from soccer and decorated eggs.

Saturday night Gabby came down with Bella's virus. Neither one of the girls slept very well and Gabby got up about 12 with a 102 fever. Of course she noticed the Easter Bunny had come and brought her a ladybug pillow pet, so while we tried to get Motrin down her she pointed and said I want to sleep with that. We skipped church in the morning, but headed to brunch at the Phoenician. We had a great time even though Gabby wasn't feeling well.

Bella loved the petting zoo and pony ride. She loved petting the bunnies and picking up the baby ducks.

Well Bella is getting better but Gabby can't shake her fever and Joel can't shake his cough. I just hope I don't get this bug. I had my 28th week appointment today. Hard to believe I've started my 7th month. We can't wait for Jeremiah to get here, but time is flying by really fast.

Gabby has been quite a smarty pants lately. The other night she asked for grape juice. I got in a debate with her since the only grape juice I thought in the fridge was Cran-Grape. Gabby frustrated said "Mommy can I show you something" and she promptly opened the fridge, moved some things around and said "See Mommy grape juice". Joel was laughing so hard. She has also been asking how everything is made. "How are strawberries made?" "How are doors made?"

Spring Time, Ice Capades & Gymnastics

2011-04-18T19:38:00.000-07:00

Last week we had a fun Mommy Monday! We started with jumping on the bed and then headed to gymnastics and came home and played outside.

Papa and Nana took the girls and I to the princess ice capades. Of course they had to dress up as Jasmine and Cinderella. They had so much fun seeing all the princesses...Gabby kept waving to Jasmine and talking to her. They were so enchanted.

Saturday, Bella had her first gymnastics recital. She was so excited to get a trophy.

Gabby has been so funny lately...Daddy has taught her to fart when someone pulls her finger. The last few days she's come up to us and says "pull my finger" then she'll laugh and say I tooted.

Bella has been spelling everything. She'll spell words on coloring books, cereal boxes, magazines. She's doing well with her sight words. I'm torn to test her into Kindergarten early, but I think we'll just do private kindergarten at her school next year...I'm just hoping she won't be bored when she starts public school in a few years. She surprises her teachers with words she knows...guess all the reading at night has paid off.

I can't believe how much they've grown and how we now run around to activities for them. Having Jeremiah join the family soon should be interesting. The girls can't wait to help and I can't wait to not be pregnant anymore. If he's early like the girls we have about 10 weeks...which seems really soon but the next 5 weeks are busy with Easter, Mother's Day, finishing soccer, and getting ready for Gabby to turn 3. It will be here before we know it.

Bella lost her first tooth!

2011-04-16T20:36:00.001-07:00

After her gymnastics recital today all the kids got Popsicles. Her bottom tooth had been wiggly since Monday, but as we were driving in the car. She handed me her tooth and said, "Mommy, this was hurting my mouth." I said Bella "That's your tooth, it came out." She got the biggest grin and said "The tooth fairy gets to come tonight!" She made an envelope and promptly put it under her pillow.

Bella's Soccer Team

2011-02-20T19:26:00.000-08:00

Bella started soccer and had her first game was on Saturday. She was such a good listener at her practice. She was so intent and focused on what the coach said. Most of the kids just kept wanting snacks from their parents, but Bella just kept playing.
This Saturday at her first game, she was so cute. The rain held off, but the wind really kicked up. They practiced about 30 minutes before the game, so here's Bella kicking the ball into the net before the game.
Bella scored her first goal!!! In practice they only did drills, so once they started playing 3 on 3 none of the kids really knew what to do or which way to go! It was funny to watch...I'm sure once they have a few more games they will get the hang of it.

Joel's 2nd Mini

2011-02-20T19:12:00.001-08:00

I figured I should post something since Christmas has since been long over. In January, Joel ran his 2nd mini. It was a beautiful day. The girls and got there about an hour and a half after we thought Joel had started. As we waited at the finish line, cheer leading outfits and signs ready, I started to black out. Luckily there were some nice ladies that had a protein bar, but I just kept wondering if they call the paramedics what will happen to Bella and Gabby. I sat for awhile and finally the world stopped spinning long enough to get to the family area. We sat there waiting for Joel to text and when he did, the poor guy who just ran 13 miles had to bring me his snacks and Gatorade. I felt horrible and it took us stopping twice to get back to the car even though Joel carried everything and the kids back...I was just in horrible shape and all I did was walk the girls a 1/2 mile to a finish line. Anyway we were so proud of Joel.

Christmas

2011-01-20T19:30:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's past the middle of January and I'm just posting Christmas. The girls LOVED Christmas this year, and I still can't believe there will be a 3rd little one this time next year.Gabby loves her pianobut her favorite thing was BUBBLES...she is obsessed with packing bubbles.Bella loved the Barbiesand Gabby loves her Barbie slippers she got at the family exchangeThey LOVE Papa and Nana's present of a swing set...and it wears them out so it's really a present for me I think.

After Christmas we headed to Ohio. We flew into Indy and stopped by Great-grandpa and Great-grandma Newells. They had quite a bit of snow. Bella tried a snow angel but it was on a hill so it ended up being more a butterfly.

At Granna and Pappa's house there wasn't as much snow, but they still made a snowman with corn for eyes and a carrot nose.The girls loved the dolls and the clothes that Granna made for them.They especially loved their cousins...and keep asking to go play with them.As my 2nd trimester begins I'm more exhausted. I'm not sure why, maybe because the girls are wearing me out. I'm not sure if they are acting out because of the baby, but it's exhausting. I'm hoping once we find out what we're having it might calm down. But of course they have been funny. Nana picked them up today for mani-pedis and Bella ran to get her friend Dazzer to introduce him to Nana. She said "This is Dazzer. Mommy says when I grow up and go to college I can marry Dazzer." Then Bella proceeded to pick Dazzer up off the ground. Just like my girl taking charge.

The other night Bella said "God I love you to the stars." Gabby says "I'm going to dream of pancakes, eggies, rainbows and unicorns." Tonight Bella said "I can't stay in bed I have ants in my pants."

Grandma Shotton

2010-12-14T21:22:00.000-08:00

Grandma Shotton passed away early Monday morning. (12.13.10). She was two hours late to their 71st anniversary. To say she was amazing is an understatement. When I was little, Ryan and I would spend countless hours at their house with my cousins Les & Nate. We would have sleep overs and build tents. We'd wake up to Grandma making us the perfect animal pancakes...I still don't know how her animals came out so perfect no matter what animal it was. We'd play on her typewriter, ride her bike, help her with her strawberries and tomato garden, play in grandpa's old pick up, build tents, go on walks to the duck pond and look for baby eggs, walk and pick wild flowers in Pinetop, build forts, play her organ or her harmonica, road trips to Kansas, the memories could go on and on. She encouraged us to explore and be adventurous. Her face would light up when we'd walk into the room. Her family meant the world to her, but so did God. He always came first and she was a true prayer warrior. Her faith was unwavering and her service was steadfast. She and my grandfather were amazing examples and love and faith. I enjoyed reading her devotions to her and she would always say "that was a good one". She was beautiful and her eyes shined. Her wisdom always was true. Although I am happy she is back with Grandpa and both are with the Lord, it still leaves an empty space in all of our hearts. Grandma and Grandpa you will be missed and although I'm sure Nate is showing you

around...I can't wait to catch up with you in heaven where we will have eternity.

Getting ready for the holidays

2010-12-11T20:36:00.000-08:00

Well I finally had time to sit down and catch up the blog. I know I haven't been so good about this, so hopefully everyone follows us on Facebook...it seems easier to put snippets about what is going on on there. So anyway here's a little catch up.

The girls in typical fashion have been funny. Their personalities are becoming more unique. You can tell in how they say good night. The other day Bella said "Mommy I love you all the way to Heaven" Gabby said "Good Night Toodles".

Bella is very sensitive. She'll say "I love you mommy" out of the blue, or come up and hug us. She gets worried people don't like her clothes, so I'm trying to instill that it doesn't matter as long as she does. The other day she wanted to buy presents for kids that didn't have any. It means a lot that she's learning the importance of giving at such a young age.

Her inquisitive little mind did get a rock stuck up her nose a few weeks ago. I had to go pick her up and then Papa had to get it out with forceps...pinchers as she called them. It took 3 of us to hold her down. I think she was for afraid of forceps than it actually hurt her.

Gabby is our little comedian. She seems to be okay with having a brother or a sister now. For awhile she would insist on only having a sister. We would try and tell her that Jesus would decide what we would have and we'll be happy with a brother or sister and she would reply "Jesus better pick a sister, a girl, girl, girl". Finally she has turned the corner when I explained she could play catch with a brother, since she loves sports and has quite an arm. I think she's just excited to be a big sister. She prays for the baby every night and hugs and kisses my tummy. She is still a little lover and definitely Daddy's girl. We are trying to discipline her more as we recognize she gets away with so much more than Bella.

Polar Express

2010-12-11T20:11:00.000-08:00

Last night we drove up to Williams, AZ to go to on the Polar Express up to the North Pole.
We headed on a carriage ride before dinner...Bert was our horse and Bella thought that would be a good name for her brother...if we have a boy...not so sure about that.After dinner we put on our pjs and got on our train.Gabby loved the hot chocolateBella was so excited when we got to the North Pole. Her face was smashed on the glass in awe. When Santa got onto our car he started at the other end. She was so excited bouncing on her seat. He handed them bells and Gabby now like Santa. She didn't touch him, but she didn't cry either.We sang carol on the way back and even shy Gabby joined the other kids at the front of the train. Bella of course was one of the first out of her seat if you can see her little face in the back. Bella didn't know the words, but it didn't stop her from singing. The conductor came and punch their tickets so it would snow on their heads.
We had a lot of fun...and can't wait to go back when Gabby's a little older and the baby too.

Thanksgiving

2010-12-11T19:45:00.000-08:00

The night before Thanksgiving we headed up to Pinetop and when we woke up the next morning it was snowing. "Hundreds of snow" according to Bella. So we got the girls bundled up and headed outside.

snow angelsWe came inside and warmed up with some hot chocolate and marshmallows...or marshmallows.The girls helped Nana make the pumpkin pie and pecan pie. The girls had made place cards and place mats for everyone. They set the table and were such big helpers. Bella asked if we were having Moose or Turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.We went on a walk after dinner...some of the snow had melted.The next day we went sledding. Gabby was not a fan of snow getting in her face, but Bella loved it and would have spent all day there. She even went down by herself.Bella helped Nana make a snowman...possibly the world's smallest snowman.Having a snowball fight with Papa

Soon to be a family of 5

2010-11-16T21:02:00.000-08:00

So we found out last week that I'm pregnant with our third (probably another girl). I'm still wrapping my head around this soon to be reality, but we are all so excited. I'm due July 17th and I'm hoping I'll be early like I was with both girls...not sure about having a baby when it's 115 outside. Bella wants a brother and Gabby wants a sister, so at least one will be excited. Gabby is so funny...I don't think she really knows what this all means...she keeps asking if the baby is going to come to Target and the grocery store with us. Both girls keep hugging and kissing my tummy. One thing is for sure...this is going to be a very loved sibling!

Our growing girls

2010-10-28T23:03:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast our girls are growing. I just bought Bella size 6 jeans thinking they'd last through the winter, but then she grew again and back to shopping for size 7s. Luckily I was able to find a few pairs of shorts left. She is going to be tall.

Their personalities are coming out more and more. Bella is definitely the drama queen and LOVES animals. She says she is going to be a horsey girl when she grows up. Gabby on the other hand would be fine seeing them from a distance. I'm not sure if it's because Bella was around with Cosmo and Zona, but Bella has my love of animals.

They are both sensitive and caring. They pray for anyone who is hurt. It is really cute. Gabby's teacher hurt her hand and the next day she told Miss Katie that she prayed for her thumb to get better. Sometimes Gabby's prayers are funny. The other night she said, "Thank you God for my people." I'm not sure who her people are.

Bella also loves to clean and pick up. It is actually nice as she will pick up the entire playroom. Gabby (our little sassy pants) put herself in timeout the other day so she wouldn't have to pick up. Needless to say, she still had to pick up once she let herself out of timeout. She is so smart. They both are, but Gabby seems to process through final outcomes more than Bella.

Gabby loves to run around. She is in gymnastics at school and has been doing jumping jacks everywhere. She would rather wrestle or play catch. She also loves her dolls. Bella loves to run around but she loves dressing up and puzzles and coloring. She has about 8 pictures in her cubby every day at school.

They are both very independent, but Gabby seems to be a little more strong willed than Bella...I didn't know that would be possible. Lately when I ask her anything if it's the 2nd time to clarify she'll say "I already told you mom I want milk" or "I already said..." She is also quite a clown. Her laugh cracks me up...sometimes it seems like a curiosity laugh. She found Nana's scary Halloween wolf the other day and won't stop talking about Nana's wolf. She keeps saying Nana's wolf went back to the forest.

October Recap

2010-10-28T21:55:00.001-07:00

So I can't believe October is almost over, so I'll try to give a brief recap. It was a crazy month to say the least. Pappa and Granna came out the first weekend to celebrate Bella's birthday early.

The next weekend, Joel and I took the girls to Disneyland for the weekend to celebrate Bella's 4th birthday. We had so much fun. We had breakfast with the princesses again. This time we got to meet Cinderella. Gabby was not a fan of meeting any characters except Ariel and Tinkerbell. They loved the rides and fireworks, but I think we spent most of our time in line waiting to get autographs...yep we filled up the books. They also loved the parades. Bella even went out and danced with Goofy...she's so not shy.

My grandpa passed away while we were gone. We got to spend a few days with him before we left and I will miss him dearly. When we got back Sunday, everyone came over to celebrate and open presents. We even got sprinkles cupcakes....mmmmmmmmmm.

Then Auntie came to visit! We went to the state fair. Once again Bella wanted to go on everything. She had a blast, but then saw the adult one and wanted to go on that Gabby kept standing on her toes so she'd be tall enough.

I think Bella would have taken this goat home if we'd let her. She sat there feeding it and hugging it. Gabby wanted nothing to do with the animals.

However, she did love the corn! We raced down the big slide by the time Gabby and Joel got to the bottom her shirt had come up and her belly was hanging out.Last weekend we got pumpkins on the way to Papa and Nana's house to celebrate my 33rd birthday and Uncle Chad's birthday...as Bella says "that's a lot mommy"

Ryree helped Gabby make her pirate pumpkinand Nana helped make Bella's princess one, she even sewed a tutu on itDaddy's pumpkin

Well I will try to be better about posting. It has been one crazy summer and that has turned into one crazy fall and winter.

Grandpa Shotton

2010-10-22T23:16:00.001-07:00

My grandpa passed away 10.9.10. We happened to be in Disneyland for Bella's 4th birthday; however, we were lucky to spend several days with him before our trip...they are memories I'll cherish forever. His services were a beautiful tribute to his life and how many people loved him and his service to others. He was amazing and lived 90 years. We are glad his is now pain free.

Grandpa Shotton

2010-10-22T23:15:00.001-07:00

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Pinetop

2010-09-18T21:10:00.000-07:00

So I obviously haven't done well with keeping this thing up to date. I can't believe how much we've been doing the past few months and how fast the girls have been growing up. I fear that it's about to get busier with holidays just around the corner and Bella turning 4 in a few weeks (holy crap she'll be 4)!

So I'll start with Pinetop, or Pinetree as Bella kept calling it. We went up for Labor Day. Papa rented a cabin and the whole family went up. I have so many memories from Pinetop so it was nice to share those fun spots with the girls. I drove up early with mom and dad, ryan and the girls. We got there late Thursday night, but the girls were so excited they didn't go to sleep until 11 and then were up at 5am! So we hung out and then went for a walk around the woods. Of course Bella and Gabby picked flowers, which seems to be one of their favorite things to do in the woods. Bella ended up with quite the bouquet.
Papa also bought one of the hardest puzzles we've ever done. It took all of us the entire trip to get it finished. Bella LOVES doing puzzles. She's gotten up to 100 piece ones and finishing them by herself. She has been doing 3-4 a day. Just like her mommy...I loved puzzles and still do.

Saturday morning we headed to Fred's Lake, so Papa could "really teach them how to fish". Well to our surprise the stocked lake had changed hands and wasn't opened, so we headed to Woodland Lake (which was not stocked). It was beautiful and we walked around most of the lake; however we did not catch anything, but I got some good pictures anyway.

Sunday we headed to the Rim. It was great hiking around and seeing the view. The girls even got to see a horny toad. That and one squirrel were the only animals we saw all weekend (not like the Colorado trip).

The girls had so much fun with play dough. Bella made a giant cake and then served it to everyone.

Gabby has started singing more and more...and making up more songs...it reminds me so much of Bella at that age.

Bella is pointing to a butterfly that kept fluttering by us on our final walk before heading back to the heat.

So now an update on the girls...we have started to notice the girls' personalities coming out more and how different they are. They are both still funny and love goofing off, but Gabby definitely likes playing catch, running and playing chase. Bella LOVES her art time, puzzles and dress up. They both love it all and love playing with each other, but it's funny what they gravitate towards.

Colorado Summer 2010

2010-09-12T23:42:00.001-07:00

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Bella's First years

2010-08-28T22:27:00.001-07:00

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Gabby First Two Years

2010-08-28T22:26:00.001-07:00

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Colorado

2010-07-24T22:04:00.000-07:00

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Colorado Journal

2010-07-24T21:57:00.001-07:00

Here's the journal from our trip…

We left Friday night around 7:45, five minutes later Bella had to potty. So we all went potty again. We headed to Flagstaff and then went through Albuquerque. Gabby got up at 4:30 and Bella got up around 5. We all watched the sunrise together outside of Raton, New Mexico. We stopped outside of Colorado Springs as a final potty stop. We thought it would be a good idea to let the girls run some energy off. On the last lap Gabby face planted on the cement and busted her lip open. There was quite a bit of blood so we rinsed her mouth out and she sucked on some ice. We got back on the road and headed to the cabin after a stop at Starbucks.

Bonnie, Eric, Miriam and Shawn got there about an hour after us and Auntie made wonderful Pesto burgers and grilled corn. We sat outside and enjoyed the view. The girls had filled up all the animal feeders earlier in the day, so we were joined by squirrels, chipmunks and hummingbirds. Joel found the axe and chopped some wood. The girls played on the bench swing but ended up with splinters since they had shorts on. Lessoned learned.

SUNDAY - Our friends Joe and Robyn Marmo drove down from Denver to meet the girls. The last time we saw them was Joel and Joe's law school graduation and Bella was 3 months old. We went searching for some trails in Florissant and after driving around for awhile we headed into town for some burgers and beer at the Ute Inn. We walked around town and headed into the cowboy shop. Joel humored us and tried on boots and a holster. We went back to the cabin and took the girls on a walk. They enjoyed picking flowers and searching for every color of the rainbow. The girls made pizzas with Granna for dinner. Joel made a camp fire and we roasted marshmallows and made s'mores. Gabby loved the chocolate and Bella loved the marshmallows. The fire was hot so the girls kept covering their eyes and face when holding the skewers over the logs. When I burnt mine, Bella yelled "you have chocolate on yours mommy" when she saw the black part. We headed back up to the cabin to star gaze. We all laid on beach chairs bundled up. Shawn set up the telescopes to see the craters on the moon. We were soon welcomed by a raccoon in the tree. Once we came in the raccoon came down to eat with the "mip-muncks" as Gabby called them. Gabby was very upset that she couldn't bring the raccoon in and sleep with it. Her prayer did change from "thank you God for the clouds" to "Thank you God for the raccoon" that night.

Since there was a water shortage in the cabin the girls quickly learned "don't flush, need to save the water."

MONDAY - We headed to the stocked lake, Barbie poles and Papa T's tackle box in hand. After being there a few hours with no luck, we had a picnic. We were soon greeted by a bat who decided to nap behind Granna. The girls had fun playing with the worms and the crawfish that Shawn caught. With no luck I headed to the other side of the lake. The owner helped me re-hook the Barbie poll and we cast it out with the hope to finally catch one. Meanwhile everyone packed up and headed to the car. Once the girls were loaded in the car the poll started to dip and I had one on the line. I yelled for Joel and Bella came running with her sippy cup. She grabbed the net and helped catch the fish. Gabby wasn't quite sure what was going on and grabbed my leg to watch. She kept saying "look mommy, you caught a fish". The owner got the hook out and Gabby stated "mommy the fish is crying", we put him in the bucket and Bella named it CoCo. Joel gutted it and we took it home for dinner, Bella enjoyed eating CoCo and Gabby was not a fan. The girls made brownies with Granna and then we headed out to watch the sunset. We hung out on the porch after dinner and heard a pack of wolves howling while the girls were downstairs taking a bath and putting on sparkley lotion from Granna. We also found out that the neighbors had seen a bear in a tree near their house the night before. Joel and I went downstairs with the girls to read to them. Bella's prayer was so cute. She said, "Thank you God for the coyotes, even though I was in the bath and put on sparkely lotion and missed them, thank you."

TUESDAY - We got up and went to the Garden of the Gods. The girls loved the gift shop at the visitor center and ended up with a wolf and black bear from Granna. We walked around one of the main paths and Bella was able to crawl through a "cave" (two rocks that were close together). We walked a little farther and Bella climbed a little rock…she was so excited. We saw a pair of rock climbers scaling one of the mountains. We also stopped by Balance Rock and climbed around for a bit. We headed to Rudy's BBQ for lunch. The girls enjoyed their "pig sandwiches" and corn on the cob. We headed home and the girls napped in the car. They colored with daddy and did puzzles with mommy. It started to rain so we didn't cook the hot dogs in the fire pit. When the sun peaked through Gabby thought it would be a good idea to put peanuts in the feeder. She found them behind the curtain where Bella had hid them from her. While she filled it up she kept saying "no no birdies, these are for the mip-muncks." Bella sat on the porch and created a story using a picture album she found in the house about a bear that had been seen at the cabin earlier this spring. Her story went a little like this…"There were two bears and then lived in the tree. They came down and walked around on the ground. And then someone dumped all the trash out and the bears left." After that the girls went downstairs and climbed a tree while Daddy cooked the hot dogs. At dinner daddy introduced Gabby to a new word when he told Gabby to eat her "wiener". Gabby also ate so much watermelon she tooted the rest of the night. After dinner the girls and I made homemade ice cream in the ice cream ball. It took a little longer than the 15 minutes the box said but it turned out delicious. Then Gabby wanted to play chase…so they chased daddy around the upstairs and then Auntie and then Granna (well for part of a lap). Granna read them stories and put them to bed. Eric, Bonnie, Joel and I then played a few rounds of scruteneyes during the lightening storm.

WEDNESDAY - We got up early and headed down to Colorado Springs to ride the Railroad to the top of Pikes Peak. The girls made a friend from England named Rosey. She was Bella's age and will turn 4 in December. They were so excited to ride the choo choo. We got up to the top in a little more than an hour and when it was time to walk around at the top Gabby crashed on daddy's shoulder. They both found necklaces at the shop and Granna bought them matching moose. On the way back down Bella compared her moose to Rosey's mountain lion and wolf, whom she named Bella and Gabriella. So Bella returned the favor and named her moose Rosey. Gabby and Joel slept most of the way down. We stopped at sonic on the way back and then we all napped. Auntie and Shawn went out and picked up pizza for dinner while we set up the princess tent downstairs. The girls had a great time playing in it and telling scary monster stories with Pappa. After the girls went to bed in their tent for the night the adults played more games.

THURSDAY - After blueberry pancakes that daddy made we headed to the fossil beds. The girls looked at the fossils at the visitor shop and then when on a trail to look at the petrified wood. They both became Junior Rangers and got badges…thanks to daddy filling in the answers. We took a long nap and then got ready for the Hoe down at the Flying W Ranch. The girls put on their cowgirl outfits that Pappa and Granna bought them and we headed into to Colorado Springs. It was raining but let up enough to enjoy all the shops and different buildings around the ranch. They saw a big chestnut horse name Tetonka get new shoes on, and there was a little paint pony named Daringer next to him. Gabby would have stayed there the whole time and kept asking to go back. Daddy bought them cowgirls hats to go with their outfits. We walked around and they were able to go into a tee pee and an old jail. They also went into Navajo house and Bella and Gabby made up songs and danced around. We ate a chuck wagon meal and Bella ate almost her entire plate…Gabby was a little pickier but told daddy she wanted cow not chicken. After dinner the band sang some country songs. Joel and I were under the impression that the "show" was a western gun show, so daddy had tried to prepared them for loud noises and gun shots. However, it was just a cowboy band and no gun show. Both girls love dancing around to the music, but Bella kept asking where the guns were. They sang a squirrel song about one that went berserk and one of the men dressed up as a squirrel and Gabby was so excited. She kept yelling at Joel and Granna that there was a giant squirrel on the stage. The girls passed out on the way home.

FRIDAY - We headed to Cripple Creek to walk around an old mining town and pan for gold. Little did we know Cripple Creek had turned into a huge Casino town with about 8 different casinos. We stopped by the visitor's center and ended up driving further to Victor. There at the town's museum they had a little panning station set up. We went through the museum and looked at all the things the town had collected over the years. They had a great old fashioned doctor's office set up with an old x-ray and ecg machine, instruments, tables, medicines, etc. They had a play room and a press room with old typewriters. Then we headed out to hit it rich. The girls loved picking out the pretty rocks and iron pyrite (fool's gold). Bella did a great job digging for rocks and Gabby ended up drenched from dipping her pan in the water. After daddy ended up with the only real gold flakes for the day we headed back to Cripple Creek for some lunch. We found an Irish pub and got some fish and chips. Even though we were all stuffed we walked up the road to the fountain shop for some ice cream. We headed back to the cabin and packed up. We headed home and got in about 7am. Gabby was funny throughout the trip she would know who's turn it was to pick out the movie. She'd say "Bella it's my turn, but you're turn is next, so after we watch Pocahontas you get to pick." She'd also be on the lookout for animals. She'd say "Belle, Belle there are cows, mooo (then we'd say horses), oh horses Belle on your side, neigh."

We had so much fun, but the girls were glad to be back in their beds...Bella took a 4 hour nap this afternoon...now I'm headed to bed.

Papa T’s Meeting

2010-07-13T22:57:00.001-07:00

So as my dad transitions his practice to our partnership with P&G, we had a meeting tonight for patients to ask questions. We thought we'd use the girls as the cute factor…and everyone knew right away that they were Dr Turner's granddaughters…guess he shows their pictures off. Bella and I bought dum dums at Target today and we practiced saying "Thank you for coming" that was shortened from "Thank you for coming to my Papa T's meeting" since we kept getting different variations of that thought yesterday. So I picked them up and like usual Bella had to tell everyone she came in contact with that we were going to Papa T's meeting to hand out lollipops. We got home, got a snack, changed into clean dresses, did their hair and headed out. On the way Gabby piped up in the back saying "Thank you for coming to Papa T's meeting". I couldn't believe she got the whole sentence out several times…as though she was practicing…Bella's version kept changing. On the drive Bella kept telling the cars to go faster that we had to get to Papa's meeting, and "there sure are a lot of people going to this meeting". I think she thought everyone driving was headed to the meeting. We got to the hotel and they both carried their bag of lollipops. There was a small mixer beforehand so they got to practice, but Bella kept getting impatient that no one was coming. Soon people started coming in but they couldn't figure out to only give each person one. I'd tried to tell the girls, now Bella you say thank you to the lady in the pink shirt and Gabby you do the gentleman…both girls gave everyone a lollipop, so people were walking in with 2 they couldn't tell them no. It didn't take long and Gabby plopped down on the floor and took her shoes off (they were a little tight), and then there was no stopping her. Anytime someone rounded the corner the girls ran up and said "thank you for coming". Gabby was so quiet and soft spoken and didn't understand when someone said "no thank you"…like they didn't know what they were giving up but she just went on to the next one. Gabby is usually more shy but she approached everyone but was just very quiet when she spoke. Bella on the other hand wouldn't take no for an answer and I thought was going to tackle a few that passed her by. I think one gentleman was just trying to sign in and didn't mean to ignore her, so she crept up next to him and yelled "does anyone want a lollipop?" It was so funny to see their personalities. Of course they were both spinning and dancing and Bella was talking to everyone…"do you like my mom's dress"…"I'm three and Gabby's two"…"I love my sparkly flip flops"…"I love my dress do you like it?" …etc. etc.

Nana went to make them name tags and Bella wrote her own name…she is getting so good at her letters. They aren't always in the right order but all of them are there.

Joel came to pick them up while dad had started his speech. He introduced them and from the back when Bella heard her name she started to wave to everyone. I don't think they wanted to leave, but they took their lollipops and headed out with daddy.

Gabby's 2 Year Pics

2010-07-06T22:27:00.000-07:00

She was such a ham and so cute in her strawberry dress and plaid. Oh she's growing up so fast.

Funny things kids say

2010-07-05T09:04:00.001-07:00

Bella has said some of the funniest things lately and I wanted to write them down before I forgot them:

At dinner Bella declared "I hate something, I don't know what that something is yet, but I know I hate it"
At T-mobile today the girls were chatting up the fake phones and dancing to all the music since we were the only ones there...all of a sudden Bella busts out "where's my girls at...come on, come on" and started dancing...i thought the sales guys were going to fall on the floor laughing...then gabby had to add her "I'm rocking it out"
We met Nana and Papa for dinner the other night and Bella asked where Nana's car was after seeing Papa's. I said that they probably rode together and she said "why? Doesn't Nana know how to drive here."
Bella: "I can't wait to be a mommy so I can drive" then I had to explain that mommies were the only one allowed to drive.
Something she says constantly is "Oh Man" and/or "My Bad"

Gabby of course always repeats whatever Bella just said or adds "me to"

Gabby's new question about EVERYTHING..."did you buy that mommy" tonight she asked this about everything she saw...juice, plates, cups, plant...don't know where she picked that up but at the end she said "you buy a lot mommy"...yes even my 2 year old knows I have a shopping problem.
Any time music come on now Gabby shouts out "Mommy I'm rocking it out"

Changes, changes, changes

2010-06-13T23:55:00.000-07:00

Well there have been a lot of changes lately, and life has been so busy. We hopefully sold our house and we close June 28th, so we found a new house in my old stomping grounds. So now I'm closer to work and the girls' daycare. We will have space, which we are all excited about. So in the mean time the girls are growing up so much. Gabby and Bella are so similar, but Gabby takes the personality to a whole new level. She is finding her independence and is becoming quite a stinker. She is definitely pushing the boundaries to see what she can get away with and spends a lot of time in time out. Her vocabulary amazes me...the other morning she kicked me in the eye while rolling around in bed and she said "so sorry mommy, it was an accident"...I was so excited she said such a long word. She moved to the big class the end of the week and loves it, as much as her new teachers love having her, but could be b/c she's potty trained where most aren't. She is finally sleeping in her toddler bed since we bought princess sheets. However now Bella wants new sheets.
Bella is spelling and drawing every chance she gets. She writes her name on everything (although it took a lot of convincing this morning that there was no "H" in her name). Her people actually look like people now...she's so funny she's start with a circle and then make eyes and a mouth, and now has added ears and some time hair, but no noses. Below she drew a yellow whale with water coming out of its spout and an ocean

Here is our family (left to right: Gabby, Daddy, Mommy & Bella). Gabby is sideways. Daddy has pants and mommy has hair.

Bella is her typical diva-self...Gabby has not quite gotten to Bella's diva level, but she is starting to pick out her clothes and wear my shoes everywhere. Gabby in her new bed.

She is loving her babies and carries them everywhere.

Giving Cinderella a "haircut"

I'm not sure if I'll get anything updated before we head to Colorado and moving, but I'll try to at least get pictures up.

Gabby turns 2!

2010-06-08T23:11:00.000-07:00

So I'm a little delayed, but Gabby turned 2 a few weeks ago. We took doughnuts to her class the Friday before...of course we had to dress up. Bella enjoying her doughnut

Bella was such a big helper, passing out the munchkins to all of Gabby's friends.

Gabby LOVES her maime (Miss Jamie)Heading to the princess party Princesses Galore

The girls dressed up as Belle and Sleeping BeautyLittle miss Presley...so cute in her white gloves

Gabby hanging out with little Blake

Miss Reese and Presley were so cute dressed up.

Cake time

Presents...she was so cute. After opening each present she would run over and say Thank you.

Uncle Chad brought out the big present from Papa and Nana...the girls love it. They have a little trouble steering, but they found the gas pedal really fast.

Indy - cows, race, birthday and family

2010-05-21T21:05:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we headed to Indy to watch Joel, Miriam and Shawn run in the mini...it was the most packed weekend...we walked around AU

Gabby loved picking up all the pine cones.

Friday we headed to Traders Point Creamery to look at some cows. We paid for the self guided tour...and after walking two miles, the only cows we saw were the ones at the front.They loved looking at the chickensSaturday we started bright, early and freezing for the mini. Our little cheerleaders stayed bundled up...poor Gabby had tears coming down her cheeks and Bella was quivering. We were excited to spend time with Great-grandpa Callison and Mary Anne. She was so cute in her tutuOnce it started and we lost the three of them we headed back to the room where we watched the rest of the 35,000 racers start. We found them at the end. Our cheerleader shirts (inside) After the race we headed back to Anderson to celebrate Gabby's 2nd birthday (a little early)We were excited the Vaughters (some college friends of our) came to celebrate. Mia and Bella hit it off, which Angie and I thought they would if we ever got them together. Mother's Day we played outside after church and had a bbq with both sets of great grandparents.

Catching Up

2010-04-30T22:18:00.001-07:00

So I am definitely playing catch up. We have been so busy this month I can't believe May starts tomorrow and in 23 days Gabby will be 2! She is growing into little miss do it herself. She is testing her limits and seeing how much she can get away with. The other day Bella was in time out and Gabby had just gotten up and she started picking on Bella. I told her she should be nice or she was going to be in time out and she threw out her hip and pointed her finger at me and said "no no no" and then giggled. Her little attitude was so funny I had to turn around so she couldn't see me grinning. She also has her sweet moments…the other day after her breathing treatment she proceeded to say "I need a kiss", walked into Bella room gave them both a kiss and then said "I Love You Daddy" and "I Love You Bella" Then she went in again for "one more kiss".

Bella is growing taller and taller. I can't believe she is in a size 5 and some of those are getting too short on her. She is doing really well in gymnastics and she did a backwards somersault the other day after only a few tries. She's also getting to be a pretty good swimmer. She is now working on lifting her head to breathe. She has figured out that kicking and using her arms gets her moving forward, but now she is working on turning her head to catch a breath. I was amazed after swimming in Florida how far she could swim to the side in one breath by herself. I have no doubt by the end of summer she'll be a little fish.

Anyway here are the pictures from Easter and Florida...they are long so here's my apology in advance. We head to Indiana next weekend to watch Joel, Auntie and Shawn run in the mini, so we are excited for that.

Disneyworld

2010-04-30T21:04:00.001-07:00

After dropping Joel off at the airport we headed to Orlando. Both girls napped, but after 3 ½ hours we were ready to eat and head to bed. We got up early the next morning and headed to Epcot where we had breakfast with the princesses. Before we got to the restaurant we got front row to the opening of the park. Goofy, Donald Duck, Pluto, Mickey and Minnie were saying hi to everyone before the park opened. Bella was so excited she got to high-five Mickey and Minnie Mouse, but Gabby was scared to death. Once it was opened we headed to breakfast. The girls first got to meet Belle and she called Gabby a "teacup".
Then we ate a little breakfast, but they were so excited to see all the princesses they hardly touch their food. Poor Gabby's eye had started watering, we were sure if it was the sunscreen or allergies but her poor eye was so puffy, red and teary in all the pictures. Sleeping Beauty was the first one around the tables, she asked the girls if they had fairies that helped them get ready in the morning too. The girls were so excited having the princesses sign autographs. Gabby and Bella gave them all hugs and would wave to them.
It was so funny that once Aurora came through Gabby wouldn't sit still until they came over to our table. She would wave from across the room. Snow White and Jasmine were next. Gabby and Bella would introduce each other to each princess. Gabby was so excited once she saw Ariel that was all she would talk about. She even asked Princess Jasmine where Ariel was.
Once Ariel came to the table the girls were elated. Gabby was touching her all over and Bella kept playing with her necklace. OK, so honestly Gabby grabbed Ariel's boobies. I'm not sure if she was looking for her seashells under her dress or what, but it was pretty funny (probably not to Ariel). Ariel kept calling Gabby a "little starfish". The girls were so preoccupied meeting the princesses Bella just kept staring and not smiling for the pictures. Once breakfast was done we did a little shopping and Gabby made a huge decision on which princess to buy. I thought for sure she would go straight for Ariel, but after going back and forth for about 15 minutes she chose Jasmine and would not put it down unless she was on a ride. Bella bought a light up crown. We headed for the Starship ride in the big golf ball at Epcot. The girls loved the stars. Nothing else opened until 11, so we headed to Disneyworld. Nana was great and stood in line to meet Daisy, while Bella and I went and got Chip and Dale's autographs. They were the only characters that Bella wasn't sure of. Once she petted them and felt how soft and nice they were she was all about them. Then we headed to see Daisy...this was the only one Gabby got close too because Nana was holding her.
We finally left Main Street and went on the teacups. The girls had so much fun. Then we ran into Cinderella's step-sisters and mom. They were so cute holding their books waiting for autographs. We also ran into the Queen of Hearts and the White Rabbit.
We headed for the Winnie the Pooh ride and Gabby fell asleep in line and slept for about an hour and all through the ride. We then went on Dumbo and they both loved it! Gabby kept going "Dumbo, bye bye Dumbo".
We waited for Peter Pan because they wanted to go on a pirate boat, but Bella fell asleep right before we got on and I held her for her hour nap. When she woke up we all headed to It's a Small World. Both girls loved the music and seeing all the different people and animals. Bella asked me how I knew the song, so I got to tell her that I had gone on the ride when I was her age. It was starting to rain a little bit so we headed to the Haunted Mansion and once the lights turned off Gabby was out again. It was funny because she was talking and then I looked down and she was out. After that nap we headed to Pirates of the Caribbean. We were all a little disappointed compared to the one in California but the girls loved it however, Bella did tell Ryan to stop singing the song. We went on the Jungle Cruise and Gabby loved seeing all the animals, including a "Li-Li". The last ride was the Aladdin Flying Carpets. Bella loved making it go up and down. We ended the day back at Epcot and we watched their Illuminations Show. Gabby didn't like the fireworks and buried her head in Ryan's shoulder but Bella loved it. We finally got back to the hotel exhausted.

We went to Universal the next day. Most of the day we spent at Adventure Island and in Seuss Land. We rode the Cat and the Hat ride and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish and got soaked. We met the Cat and the Hat and the Grinch. He was funny playing with Bella's hair.
We grabbed some lunch and ice cream and headed over to the Universal Lot. We ran into Dora when we first got there. Bella was so excited and Gabby of course wasn't too sure, but she warmed up and almost touched her bracelet. Once we started to walk away, Gabby started saying "Bye Bye Dora, Hi Dora".
We watch Shrek 4-D and once the lights went out Gabby was asleep again. We went on the Disaster Ride and Gabby wasn't too sure of all the effects, but she clapped at the end. The girls got to pick a clam and both had a large pearl in each. Papa put them in a heart necklace for both girls, just like when I was little.
Both girls had a giant lollipop and got it everywhere. We closed out the day with Ryan taking Bella on the Simpson's Ride. It was a virtual ride but it went upside down and she loved it.
We got back to the hotel and got some room service. The girls put on their new princess pjs, Gabby was Cinderella and Bella was Minnie Mouse and we watched the Princess and the Frog again and about halfway through both girls were out. Actually Gabby crawled up and was out in a few seconds. They had so many animals to sleep with: monkey, Gabby, flamingo, Thing 1, Jasmine, Rabbit, Li-Li, Bella, Bolt (aka White Puppy), Thing 2 & Pinkalicious It was such a fabulous trip. The last day we played all morning at the hotel pool. They had a great shallow area for the girls to run around in. I almost couldn't get them out. We left and headed back home.

Florida Beach

2010-04-30T21:00:00.001-07:00

As we go to eat dinner after a long day of flying, Bella said "Whoa that a big hamgumburger and it's hot" when her dinner came. We got up to the room and unpacked. Finally got into bed about 10 and they were both out; however, about 2 hours later they were up and ready to play. I think they were confused that it wasn't a nap but time to stay in bed.
When we got to the hotel there was a wedding. Bella LOVED the white dress and purple flowers the bride had. When we got to the room she asked if I had brought my wedding dress with me, because she had hers. We have since seen several weddings at the hotel and Bella just loves all the white dresses, she asked Nana if she had hers too. Then going to dinner she said her blue dress with white flowers was her wedding dress. I said if I can get away with a $29.50 wedding dress then we're set!

Our first day at the beach. The three of us got up and had breakfast in the room. Bella devoured my bagel and Gabby did pretty good with her banana and rice krispies. Then we got ready and headed down to the beach. We got there right when Papa did, so we walked out and found some lounge chairs. Gabby didn't like the sand on her feet. She kept trying to wipe it off, so I took her into the water and she didn't like that either. We finally started digging and filling up buckets with sand. Bella kept tip toeing around the seaweed, when I asked her what she was doing she said "stepping over the spiders." She thought that was pretty fun…although she didn't want Papa to bury her. After building sand castles and a sand turtle, Bella and Papa headed into the water. It was nice and calm and cold. Bella and Papa ran away from the waves and Bella thought that was a lot of fun. Gabby wasn't too sure still so I kept picking her up when a wave came so she could "jump" it. Finally I plopped her down in one and she made a big splash. After that she loved the water. Of course it soon turned into "myself". Bella decided it was time to head to the pool, but once she started picking up the sand toys, she started playing again for another hour. We finally got rinsed off and headed to the pool. There was sand in every part of the their swim suits. We got some chairs and blew up Gabby's floaties and Bella's fish tube and we headed in. Gabby thought she could swim and kept trying to get away from me. She'd sit on the step and say "myself, myself". Nana finally came down and we convinced the girls to get out of the pool and to get more "hamgumburgers". While waiting for the burgers Gabby just about fell asleep. We kept her awake long enough to eat and head back to the room. The girls then proceeded to take a 2 ½ hour nap.

When they got up Joel had arrived from his flight. We headed to find something to eat and ended up driving to a great restaurant that had boats come in and bring people to eat there. We saw a school of flying fish too. Bella had calamari for the second night in a row…and devoured her chicken strips and chocolate cake. Gabby was funny making her kissy face poses and showing everyone her muscles.

She kept sneaking her French fries during dinner, we would say "eat some more chicken" and she would grab a piece put it in her mouth and then when she thought we weren't looking she'd put it down and grab a French fry. The next day we headed to the beach before the rain came in. It didn't take long and it was pouring outside

so we headed to the children's museum. They had a great aquarium exhibit and then a huge exhibit upstairs about the body. Bella like playing the different notes to see how sound waves work

Gabby liked the little slideOne night the girls and I went down to the beach to listen to the waves.

Finally our last beach day the sun was out in full force. Once we told the girls it was sunny, Gabby grabbed her swimsuit, floaties and fish. I have never seen the girls get ready so fast.

The last night in Fort Lauderdale we ate at an old landmark – Cap's Place. We felt a little like we were camping, but the restaurant that started in the 1920 was an old rum running establishment. Al Capone used to visit as well as the Rockefeller's. Churchill used to meet with Roosevelt to strategize during the war. The food was good, but the history made it worth the little boat ride to the "Island."

Easter

2010-04-30T20:14:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at Easter. The girls were so pretty in their flower dresses. Bella was excited that the Easter bunny knew what size flip flop she wore and that she got a pink and purple ones with glitter on them. She was also excited about her "Pocamahamous" doll although she was a little upset about Gabby getting Jasmine.
After church and naps we headed to Papa T and Nana's house for brunch. The girls loved touching the ice bunny.

Then we had an Easter egg hunt. Bella was on a mission to find eggsGabby shared with Reese.Then after Gabby had found a few eggs she plopped down and started eating her candy.

Pappa & Granna Visit

2010-04-03T19:31:00.000-07:00

I don't think we could have squeezed any more into one week. It was crafts galore. We started with coloring the Easter eggs the afternoon Granna and Pappa came to visit. First we dyed, then painted, then glittered, or as Gabby called it "more sparkleys" The next day we went to the zoo. We got there when it opened and had so much fun. We only lasted 3 hours, but it was long enough.

Gabby looking at the rattlesnakes.

We got to feed the giraffes...Bella and Gabby got to feed them lettuce and everyone else fed them pellets. This was Bella favorite part of the day.

We also saw the Manta Rays. Gabby just wanted to play with the water...we had to keep her from climbing and going for a swim. Bella got brave and put her hands in but was the first to say "I didn't touch it". They didn't want to leave, but once they got splashed with a fin they were scared to put their hands back in and ready to move on.Bella got to ride the camel with Daddy and then again with Pappa.

We had fun looking at the monkeys. Gabby loved them and would say "look Mommy, monkey". When we went by the lions the male lion had just laid down and she said, "Shhh, Mommy the LiLi is sleeping...shhhh".

The girls stayed home all week and had so much fun. They played Don't Break the Ice. Gabby now LOVES this game. She kept saying "again, again"

Pappa read to both girls the Easter story. Bella understands the empty egg now. It was so cute the first thing she said to Pappa when they came in from the airport was that they needed to do the eggs. She got them down and went through all of them. When they got to the end she told Pappa that it was empty because the stone (in the previous egg) was rolled away and the tomb was empty because Jesus was alive. Then she told Granna the cloth was not a Kleenex and we can't blow our nose with it.Everyone's nails got painted, including Pappa.They made and decorated construction paper Easter baskets and cards for everyone.They made candy to fill the basketsThey tie dyed shirtsMade sock bunniesGot tattoosBaked cupcakesMade blankets

Making CardsHad running races and played hide and seekGabby's new way of doing a somersault.

Gabby has always been a talker with a large vocabulary, but this week she started with sentences and doing everything herself. She puts her shoes on and doing great with her cup and silverware. She gets so excited and says "I did it myself". She also loves to show off and says, "Look at me, Mommy" "Look at me, Daddy". Tonight after baths Joel was reading to Bella and I was reading to Gabby while doing her breathing treatment. When we were done, she said "I need a kiss" and then opened Bella's door and gave both a kiss. Then for the first time she said "I love you Daddy...I love you Bella". It was so cute. She ran to get her monkey and then went back into the room and said "one more kiss". She is so funny. She dances around right now by skipping and hopping and is just as independent and bossy as her sister...even though she said today "Bella's bossy". Through gaining her independence we have quite a few tantrums, but she is also a little actress just like her sister and will pout or make sure you're looking at her. Oh she is a character.

"The Easter Bunny Forgot One"

2010-03-24T20:52:00.001-07:00

So I was going through the Resurrection Eggs with Bella tonight for the first time. When we got to the last one she opened it and said "The Easter Bunny forgot to put something in this one". Which then turned into a 30 minute conversation of why it was empty and who actually filled all the eggs...I thought she was finally grasping the symbolism when she said "I still don't know why they forgot that last one." It was so hard not to laugh...she was so serious.

Starting Tantrums

2010-03-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

Well it took Gabby a little while longer to hit the full on tantrum stage than Bella, but she is full into it now. She is actually funny about it, because she doesn't roll around on the floor she just curls up in a ball with her butt in the air and sits there, or goes to a corner, or turns her head, or glares at you and tries not to laugh. Oh she is a character. She makes all kinds of faces and her new word is yes, but she says it like "eeyessss". She is so opinionated and wants to do it all herself (so familiar). Here they are posing for the camera.
They both love to play games.Picking out her purse for school

Sulfa Allergy...and Rashes

2010-03-09T19:59:00.001-08:00

So I'm starting with the cute pictures. This morning the girls were playing and cracking up at each other. They had a tea party then took "naps" under the table. New gymnastic pictures from Monday...

So Gabby's MRSA was going away when Sunday she woke up with red cheeks and speckles everywhere...so she stayed home with Daddy. Papa T thought it was an allergic reaction to the antibiotic...so I called the pediatricians office and was told since it wasn't raised or itchy it was probably viral...so I kept her off the antibiotic the rest of the day anyway...

Monday morning the spots were all gone, so I thought maybe it was viral and gave her the antibiotic...figured we see what happens...(I don't know what this face was at gymnastics but it cracks me up)

By the time gymnastics was over the cheeks were getting red again...so we made another appointment to the doctor. By the time we got to our appointment she was red all over. Dr Yoblonski was pretty sure it was a reaction to the Sulfa but the rash was looking like Fifths Disease (viral rash). Once we got home and gave her some benadryl she woke up with less of a rash (so hoping by tomorrow it's gone).

So...this all means that she can't have Sulfa drugs. The probably with that is Sulfa is one of two drugs that kill MRSA. Luckily it is gone but if it comes back we may be in trouble since we'll only have one drug left that will work and we will have to pray that she doesn't become allergic to that one.

Now for Bella. We had her blood work done Friday morning and most had come back when we were at the doctors office yesterday...it all looked good but the test we were waiting on was still pending. She had a rash two weeks ago on her hands and then it went away...a week later it came back. Since it was only on her hands and nothing has changed they ran blood work to see if she has juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. She complains a lot of things hurting, but most of the time I think she just wants attention...as tonight she came out and said her finger hurt, then her arm, then her leg...5 minutes later it was her hip and eye ball. She'll do anything not to go to bed. The cutest thing was after about 45 minutes of getting in and out of bed you could hear Gabby calling "Bella are you okay".

With all this rain we've had I'm hoping warmer weather and sunshine will help get all these bugs to go away!

Cabo book from Jennifer

2010-03-09T18:59:00.001-08:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Spinning, Puddles & MRSA

2010-02-28T19:21:00.000-08:00

We have had quite a week. I can't believe it's March. We celebrated Joel's birthday with weekend and I just wanted to get some pictures up before another crazy week starts. Gabby has started spinning like her big sister. We've had quite a bit of rain lately (for us), so the girls played in the puddles last Monday.

They either love each other or are fighting...but they are definitely best friends.We had tacos the other night and they were a huge hit.

Gabby has also been getting horsey rides from everyone...including Bella.Yesterday we went to Nana & Papa's house to celebrate Daddy and Stephie's birthdays. We took along Great-Grandpa Everett's kite.Bella walked around the rocks

and the spinning began again.Gabby on the way down.Bella also thinks she can carry Gabby around even though there is only a 1o pound difference.

My poor baby girl. Actually Bella had a UTI this week and then a strange reaction on her hands. But Gabby ended up getting MRSA some how. Last weekend she had what I thought was a diaper rash and a cyst. I thought it was a little strange since she's been in panties but thought she might be having a reaction to Tide, so I changed to an organic soap and rewashed all her clothes. She got another little cyst on her leg and a few days later there was a large red circle around it. Papa said it was an infection of some kind so the next day we went to the pediatrician for her to look at both girls. That's when she said she was pretty sure it was MRSA. She cultured another spot on her hip and then drained her leg. I was so surprised when I saw the scalpel and then how much junk came out. She said if the circle got any bigger we needed to go the hospital to have it surgically drained. So we have no idea where she got this and the pediatrician said that it could have come from anywhere...and that it much more prevalent everywhere. So we've been keeping her leg wrapped and praying. She's on two antibiotics a topical and an oral. It has gotten smaller but the spot is still pretty red. It didn't help that she's allergic to band aids so it was making the spot more red. Today we started wrapping it with gauze and co-band and that has seemed to help...plus it's purple so she's all about that.

On another note she is 95% potty trained!! She has an accident every once in awhile. Most were when we first would get home and she has stopped that. She's also lasting longer between potties so that's good too. She hasn't had an accident at school for weeks. The only accidents this weekend were at nap time...since she's in her crib still, I just didn't get there in time (since I was napping too). I guess the next step is converting her bed...but she has started to use going potty as an excuse not to go to bed...so I don't think I want to tackle that yet!

Fanfest, friends and fun times

2010-02-14T22:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to fan fest for the Diamondbacks. The girls were so cute in their jerseys and they loved the bouncy house.Today Uncle Ryan came home with us from church so he could babysit and we could go out. This is what we came home to...

they even sang a tune for Ryan I put Gabs in pigtails today...she was so cute but wasn't very excited about having her picture takenLast Monday it was so nice we went for a walk and played with bubbles...here the girls are playing ring-around-the-rosey. Enjoying some mac n cheese

Getting a mani-pediLast week we got to spend time with the Hodges to watch the Superbowl. We didn't actually get to watch very much until the end...but it was so much fun seeing the kids run around...poor Cash didn't feel well....

The girls sharing goldfish with RyanGabby loved the ball pitThe kids were running around racing...I love Gabby's tonguepj timeShe's just so cute...

Watching cartoons

Playing in the Snow for the first time

2010-02-06T22:10:00.000-08:00

I had been dying to take the girls to see snow since Bella was a baby...after little luck going to Ohio and Indiana the past few years...we actually have got tons of snow this year up north...well apparently everyone has recently gotten a lot of snow too! I love the snow (just not living in it) and I miss skiing so much...I can't wait a little longer for the girls to learn. I have so many great memories of being in the mountains when I was little and can't wait to pass on those fun times to Bella and Gabby. Enough of memory lane...so Friday I took the girls up to Flagstaff with Uncle Ryan. Bella was so excited the night before she came out about 15 minutes after she had gone to bed and stated, "I took my nap, can I have breakfast so we can get in the car and go play in the snow?" The weather was perfect.Gabby's bear on her booty and her boots cracked me up. She did great potty training too. She was dry all afternoon and the car ride home.

I stopped at Target in Flagstaff (who was sold out of gloves) so we stopped at another store...Gabby refused to wear gloves but we got a purple sled!They had so much fun going down the hill together.

The first time down - actually I was surprised when Uncle Ryan let go of them at the top of the hill...they were both laughing so hard all the way down.

Bella loved the snowmen all over the place. She wanted to build one but didn't really want to help. As I started one (a small one) she kept stealing pieces off this one and bringing them to me for ours...

Mommy and Ryan had to get in on the action...but once I went down with the girls...and we crashed Gabby got the first feel of cold snow on her hands...after that she was done having fun...and still refused to wear gloves.

Bella on the other hand would have stayed all day.

Gabby's jacket barely fit from Thanksgiving...the only thing that was still too big was the hood.

So excited about the snow.

Heading back to the car.

Potty Training...I can't believe we're to this point

2010-02-04T21:17:00.000-08:00

Gabby has done so great this week. I'm still amazed she has caught on as fast as she has...four months earlier than Bella did. I'm sure it helps having a big sister to copy. It's hard to believe after only a week she is in big girl panties and has only a few accidents. She is so funny and we still have a way to go. Saturday we started in panties and had tons of accidents so I thought this was going to be a long road, but by the end of the day she was saying "wet". Sunday we went to church and hung out at the family day afterwards...she went potty twice at church and stayed dry until after her nap. Then she was dry the rest of the day. Monday she only had one accident at school. Tuesday I picked her up in the same clothes I dropped her off in. I had bought her new Tinkerbell panties, thinking the 9 pairs I had wasn't going to be enough and she was so excited carrying them around waiting to show daddy when he got home she had an accident. Wednesday she was dry all day at school again and today she had one accident. We are SO PROUD of her. Bella is funny and says "Gabs I'm so proud of you." She is learning. She is a little tinkler - the last two days she'll go a little bit and get excited, say "I did it" and then stop. Sometimes she'll stay on a little longer and go but then about 15 minutes later she'll have an accident. So I've been trying not to acknowledge it until I know she's completely done. If she does start to have an accident she'll stop herself and say either "uh oh" or "poo poo" or "pee pee" and then run to the potty going "hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry." So it's a work in progress...but it's so funny to have Bella coordinating their panties in the mornings. I don't think we're ready for night training yet, but once we change her crib to a toddler bed we'll see. I do have to say she is the cutest thing running around in her panties at night and in the morning. I can't believe what a big girl she is. The past week she has been singing with the High School Musical Movies. It's so funny she just belts it out in the back seat. Oh my girls keep me laughing.

My Little Ladies

2010-01-24T23:32:00.000-08:00

So I'm catching up on posting...three in one night...I guess this is what I get for a 3 hour nap today. Anyway life is flying by and I can't believe January is almost over...and Gabby is only 4 months away from turning 2! How is that possible? She is becoming quite the character and Joel and I have started to discipline her she got her first (of 2) time outs this weekend. It was actually really cute because Joel put her in timeout and she just got up and walked over the to chair and sat so quietly (so hard not to laugh b/c she was so adorable). The 2nd one definitely gets away with more. I think when they are close you make the older one grow up faster and keep the little one little. I think back to right after Gabby was born and Bella seems so much older than Gabby does now. I have to constantly tell myself that Bella is only 3 (even though she's tall and acts older) and Gabby is almost 2...she's not quite a baby anymore...although she has us all wrapped around her finger.

She is starting to go through the same phases Bella did...she loves playing with babies and putting them to sleep. Tonight she stickered my leg like Bella used to do to Cosmo. She is starting to undress herself at night and put her clothes in the hamper and get her pjs out. It's funny that kids do the same thing.

The exciting news is that Gabby pee peed twice this weekend on the potty. Her teacher (who she also has wrapped around her finger) asked if she could start working with Gabby on the potty...there was no way I was going to say no...so we started this week. We got the little potty out and Gabby loved it and sat there for about 30 minutes the first time...I had to bribe her to get off, but before she went to bed we tried one more time...and she pottied. I was so excited...then tonight we didn't have success all day but tonight she peed again...so we'll see. I'm not sure she'll pick it up as fast as Bella and I'm not ready to change her to a toddler bed yet, but we're off to get pull-ups tomorrow.

So here's Gabby with her baby sleeping on the couch with her...then the other night she shared her sippy cup.
I love her little curls...she still loves to dance and was running around with my ipod...

and hitting her booty

My big girl has had a nasty cough for weeks. It was better for a few days but seems to have gotten worse with another fever today. So far tonight I haven't heard her hacking away so that's a good thing. Here she is so beautiful.She was spinning around and making herself dizzy.

Gabby rocking her hood.

My beauties...not even have to say anything else...

Bella loves coloring and is getting really good about staying in the lines. Everything ends up the same color but she stays in the lines. She is also drawing more things free hand. She draws people, which consist of two circles and a rectangle. It's pretty cute especially when she draws 20 people and names them all and repeats where everyone is although they all look the same to me.

Photo Class

2010-01-24T23:11:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Eric & Bonnie for my photography class for Christmas...I learned a lot of stuff about my camera and loved using a tripod (although that part wasn't so easy once I was home with the girls). I am still learning but am figuring out my new toys from Christmas. So here are a few pictures I took at the botanical gardens for my class...

Ice Capades

2010-01-24T22:50:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we had a date with Bella to the ice capades. She loved it and was glued to the show (and enjoyed her snow cone and cotton candy). I thought it might be one of those things that was only cool when I was little...but it was a great show...probably because it was Minnie & Mickey, Cars, Little Mermaid, Lion King & Tinkerbell. I did bring my little camera, but am so not a fan of the pictures since I have my nice camera now and had taken a photography class that morning....anyway I did get some video that turned out better than the pics, but here you go...

Lions, Tigers, but no Bears

2010-01-17T18:58:00.001-08:00

Last Monday we went to the zoo (before it starts to get too hot). I had the brilliant idea to have them in the wagon...it worked out well except that I couldn't walk until about Thursday.We went to the giraffes first and once Gabby realized that we were seeing animals, she jumped out of the wagon and ran up to the giraffes squealing...and then she started dancing.

Nana met us for a little while, which was a good thing because I don't think I could have made it up the hill toting 70 pounds. It was a beautiful day and the animals were all pretty active. The tiger was roaring and then jumped up onto this huge rock. Gabby was climbing the fence like a monkey. The lions were sleeping but we got a great view of them too.

Gabby was walking around the monkeys and baboons and I told her to look up and she jumped because there was this monkey right next to her.

The little monkeys were jumping around their tree houses and eating oatmeal which the girls thought was funny.

After Nana left we went to the petting zoo to brush the goats. Bella LOVED it and Gabby was a little nervous. She would hand the brush to me and then she would do it...then we'd move to another goat and start the process again.

Near the end Gabby was tired of being in the wagon and wanted to pull Bella aroundWe saw the new Komono Dragon exhibit and Bella is obsessed with learning about them now. We bought a book and she took it to school. She keeps telling everyone they are longer than her room or her and daddy put together (since they are 9 feet) and they eat deer and eggs and have sharp claws. However, she did tell me that if one was eating mommy she would grab it and save me.

The elephants came close to where we were too...and Bella decided to pose.

shottons 70 anniversary

2010-01-07T20:12:00.001-08:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Two Princesses

2010-01-04T21:10:00.000-08:00

Both girls are back into princess dress up and Gabby has become obsessed with wearing heels around. She needs help putting them on, but once she's up she lasts a long time making laps around the kitchen. Gabby has even started saying the Disney princesses names - Ariel, Cinderella, Belle, Aurora. Bella loves her Aurora dress...I'm not sure if it's because she bought it with her gift card (thanks Cassie) or because it's pink, but that leaves Gabby loving that she gets to pick from the Cinderella, Snow White or Belle dresses, although it is usually Cinderella...she's so cute when she says it, then she goes and finds the blue matching heels.
The girls love to chase each other around. Gabby is getting pretty violent and we are trying to stop that. She's got quite an arm and just hits Bella or pulls her hair, and has started pinching. The other night she grabbed a huge chunk of Bella's arm. She has also started throwing huge tantrums when she's told no...or she'll mimic us and run around going "no no no no no" (her other favorite word is "mine"). She is quick to boss everyone around "sit down here mommy". This past weekend she was definitely attached to Joel. We went shopping and Joel had to push her stroller or the cart. She would say "no mommy daddy push" or would try moving my hands off the handle. She only wanted Joel to get her out of her car seat or get her drink. Oh I think she's going to be more testing than Bella - what happened to my laid back little one?!? It is nice that she's talking so much and saying 4-5 word sentences but she doesn't take "no" very well. Catching butterflies from the elephants trunk

Gabby has also started tackling Bella. I think it's because Joel tussles with Gabby pretty rough so now Gabby will run and take Bella down. The other night she sat on her and wouldn't get up. But she's still our love bug (the rest of the time) - daddy's girlBoth girls have loved their strollers and take their babies around the house. Gabby has been mimicing all of Bella's actions. She has started covering up her toys...I went in after her nap today and she pointed at her doll and said "abby go night-night" - she had covered up her Abby doll with a blanket. She has also become obsessed with blankets and has to have all of the ones on the couch. She'll carry/drag these huge blankets around the living room and kitchen.

Not to leave Bella out. Since her 2nd set of tubes and adnoids taken out a month ago, she has been very sensitive. She'll randomly cry and be hysterical about random things. Sometimes she'll come in to our room in the morning. If Joel has already left for work she'll start crying that he didn't kiss her good-bye. It's happening less and less, but she's started other things...such as when she gets a time out she'll say "Mommy you're not my friend anymore"...not a fan of that one...but a few minutes later she'll say "Sorry mommy you're still my best friend". She's still pretty funny. The other day I said "I was pooped" and she quickly replied..."ewww mom not in your pants"...other funny things are she'll reply when she agrees with something we say "oh yeah yeah yeah". Both have such moods swings...Bella is starting to comprehend more things like accidents or starting to think through actions or cause & effect, and Gabby is just learning boundaries, but it completely drains me lately. However, both girls were fantastic with no tantrums (until about 10 minutes before Joel got home) today. They played great and shared. Hoping these phases go by fast.

Christmas - posting before it's January :)

2009-12-31T20:31:00.001-08:00

I wanted to get Christmas pictures up before January...so here you go...checking out presents under Papa and Nana's Tree Christmas Eve

Bella was so excited she kept pointing at every present.

Pushing her baby around

Putting cookies out for SantaOpening presents Christmas Morning

Gabby LOVED all the Hello Kitty Chap stick from Santa

Zoo Lights

Christmas Cookies with LOTS of Sprinkles

2009-12-20T20:26:00.000-08:00

This was so much fun this year. Saturday we made the cookies and today we decorated them...both girls LOVED doing it. Needless to say they both got showers when we were done.
Gabby loved mixing the dough

Gabby loved decorating the counter at first. Then she finally figured out to put the sprinkles on the cookies...she went a little crazy with the red ones.Bella insisted on having blue frosting for the cookies, so we bought her a little tube of blue...I think she put blue on every cookie she did.Gabby's hands were covered with red frosting and sprinkles...it may take a few days for the dye to go away.

70th Anniversary, Tree and Lights

2009-12-19T22:48:00.000-08:00

I wanted to get some pictures up since it seems like we have had so much going on...and more to come. Last weekend we celebrated Grandpa & Grandma's 70th Anniversary and Christmas.

Gabby's getting so grown upBella looking at the pictures on Nana and Papa's treePlaying with the helicopters Papa boughtNo surprise that Gabby LOVED all the homemade Mexican food

We put our tree and lights up a few weekends ago. Gabby loved the ladder and helping daddyhanding Joel lightsGabby loved the box the tree came in...so she climbed up and got inBella was so excited she got her camera and took a picture (really close)Bella loved putting the ornaments on...especially Zona and CosmosGabby couldn't figure out how to hang the ornaments so she would just shove them in the tree. When they fell down, she'd crawl under and get it and shove it in another location.She kept her Santa hat on the other night and was dancing around in her tutuenjoying the lights while wearing the pjs Granna made themI was bummed this picture was fuzzy...since Bella looked so cute with her hands on Gabby's shouldersSuch a snuggle bug

I just had to thrown these in of her playing peek-a-boo across the table the other night...so cute.

Visiting Santa

2009-12-14T20:34:00.001-08:00

This picture pretty much sums up our trip to visit Santa this year. We got the girls dressed up in their matching pjs and gingerbread men shoes...curled their hair and headed to Scottsdale where the Santa is always plump and jolly. It of course took almost 3 hours to get out of the house but we got there and we were in luck with no line! We got Gabby out of the stroller thinking she would warm up to the strangers around her. Bella was excited to tell Santa she wanted gum for Christmas...and Gabby was asking for an Elmo. It was our turn and Bella just walked right up and starting asking for gum...Gabby was more into the girl helpers than going up to Santa so while I tried to steer Gabby in the direction of Santa, Santa proceeded to tell Bella she couldn't get any gum...well at that point Bella was done with Santa and ready to go. (Why on earth would Santa tell a child they couldn't have what they asked for?) He tried to explain that if he had gum it would get in his beard and all over his suit and we kept trying to explain that was what she was asking for as a present. (I'm sure no has ever asked him for gum before but roll with it). We finally got Bella back up next to him promising her gum when we got home and a treat in the mall...and she just sat there mad...then Gabby was just screaming and crying. It was actually the classic kid picture and was funny. We tried everything to get her to sit with him (cell phone, snacks, etc). Nana finally held her and we got another one with no tears, but no smiles either. Here's hoping to next year.

Pictures and Gabby's 18 months

2009-12-10T21:09:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we had family pictures and I did Bella's 3 year and Gabs 18 months. They went better than expected. Bella of course was a ham in front of the camera and Gabby loved the rocking chair and when we took it away she kept running and finding it, so we gave her the next best thing...Joel's blackberry with Beyonce' singing. So Gabby went crazy dancing everywhere and people were cracking up at her. Her pictures were just so perfect because it just captured her perfectly.

I still can't believe Gabby is a year and a half. Bella is still center of her world. She LOVES her big sister and mimics her every move...it was so cute watching her chase Bella and Dean around the yard at Thanksgiving. She was going to keep up with the big kids. I love watching her figure things out. She hasn't mastered eating with silverware but she now gets upset when she can't get the food on the fork/spoon and is barely using her fingers anymore. She is still a chatterbox and I can't even count how many words she knows...her verbal skills continue to amaze us. Nana watched her today and she asked for an apple she saw on the counter, so Nana asked her if she wanted to eat it and she replied "I do". Since she's so verbal she didn't go through the tantrum/frustration stage as bad as Bella did. She still throws a fit every once and awhile, but we know exactly why she's mad (usually because we told her no) where sometimes Bella would just make noises and we had no idea what she was trying to say or wanted. Gabby is also quite the love bug. Bella likes to snuggle but Gabby lays on the big hugs and kisses all the time. She just wraps her arms around our shoulders and squeezes or runs up and buries her head in our chest. She loves to play chase, look at books, color, sing and dance of course. The other day driving home she kept singing the baby bumblebee song...she sings along to everything even if she's never heard it before. She is so funny...she even cracks herself up and just giggles...over the littlest thing. She has started tickling everyone's toes and goes around saying "tickle tickle". Oh I could go on and on...she's just so funny.

Thanksmas 2009

2009-12-05T19:45:00.000-08:00

We had such a good time in Ohio for Thanksgiving...here is Gabby waving to Baby Rylan
Dean, Bella and Gabby playing the piano

The rest are pictures from outside that I took...the girls loved playing in the leaves

Gymnastic and our talking toddler

2009-11-11T22:27:00.000-08:00

Monday mom watched Gabby so I could actually watch Bella's lesson. Mom enjoyed Gabby alone (which hardly happens) and I enjoyed Bella's class and a short trip to the mall for Daddy's Christmas present (which she promptly told him we bought as soon as he got home that night). Anyway...Bella is so cute in gymnastics. She loves trampoline time

It's hard for me to remember she's younger than everyone else by over a year when she's bigger than them.

On the "big" balance beam

practicing

Now onto my growing toddler...I can't believe she is almost 18 months. It's hard to believe I was 7 months pregnant when Bella was this age. Bella seemed older, but it's probably because I'm trying to keep Gabby as much as a baby as I can. However, she is anything but little anymore. She is so smart and is putting two-three words together. Much earlier than Bella did. Last night she said "Mama blow" and then helped me blow on her mashed potatoes. It was so cute...she would test them and say "okay". She loves books and mom was surprised when she sat for about 30 minutes just looking at books with her. She's great saying what the pictures are and is obsessed with Elmo right now (her Christmas present from Bella although mommy bought it online so Bella can't ruin that surprise too).

We (I) love to make pancakes for dinner, and Gabby loves to dip them.

She was so funny and wanted "gatrade" so much she picked up and brought them over to me...she's a little impatient too. I loved her face. Her hair is getting really long and she isn't looking too much like a baby anymore.

Being silly for the camera. She is getting into so many routines. After a meal she says down and then runs over and climbs up the stool to wash her hands. She has so much fun playing in the water. She also loves to brush her teeth and runs into the kitchen and climbs back up and grabs her toothbrush. At school she'll run to the fridge for her cups and then to her teacher to get her paper for the day.

She was rocking out the other night...just like her big sister. This weekend we got the girls tent out....but they wanted daddy to go in but it's a little small. It was so cute if you can see both girls hands are patting him night night.

Playing puppets

They love to tackle each other

We've been practicing letters...she looked so studious.

Both girls are so similar...their independence is growing. They are pretty good about sharing but Gabby's new favorite word is "mine". The other night Bella was playing with my purse and I asked her to leave it alone (this was after several conversations of needing to listen to mommy and daddy). She put it down and promptly said "I didn't want to play with it anyway" spun around and stormed off. Joel ran to the bathroom cracking up. Sometimes it's just so hard not to laugh.

Tonight Gabby was in the back seat and said "Mama movie" and pointed to the screen that I had turned off because Bella didn't want to watch any more Hannah Tanna, but in the end they compromised and Bella will get to pick what we watch tomorrow.

While I was at our provider dinner Sunday the girls found the Christmas presents while Daddy was ordering pizza. He came out and they were trying to get the princesses out of the packages. Then we went to Target on Monday and Bella goes "Oh Mommy I want the big package of princesses" (apparently the individual wrapped ones aren't as cool even though they are the same). We decided after the over spending last year on stuff that the girls didn't need that we would limit gifts this year to one present from everyone, so Gabby will get a present from us, Bella and the big guy in a red suit. I'm hoping I can keep to this as all the shopping is done for everyone (except Ryan and Chad), as I want to focus on the real reason of Christmas, continuing traditions and enjoying moments instead of stressing over presents they don't need.

I have been enjoying extra snuggles lately as I was reminded of how short life can be. Our small group pastor's wife past away after a huge battle with cancer. She had been in remission for quite awhile, but the cancer came back over the summer and last week she finally met our Savior. She had a 16 year old daughter and they were definitely best friends. Bonnie was a fantastic mom (and Juno a great dad) because McKenzie is amazing. I had only met Bonnie once at the silent auction mom and I helped with to raise money for her and she was just a person people gravitated too...she was a light and had a fondness with Ryan. Anyway, thinking of all she will miss as McKenzie graduates and gets married and has kids it's so sad. So even though Bella and Gabby have both been trying to stay up later but I've been holding Gabby longer and giving into Bella's attempts to stay up "Mommy I want a big hug, now a baby hug, big kiss, baby kiss, Eskimo kiss and butterfly kiss". The funeral is tomorrow and trying to explain that McKenzie's mom is in heaven to a 3 year old is quite challenging with all the "whys" but not having any answers.

Well I'm headed to bed.

State Fair

2009-11-08T23:32:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we headed to the fair with Uncle Chaddy and Aunt Stephie. We weren't sure if Bella would go on any rides, but we were shocked by her dare devil spirit. When she was little she was fearless and would climb and jump off everything. Then she was scared of the merry-go-round last year at the zoo so I wasn't sure what to expect even though she loves the merry-go-round now. But she loved all the rides and kept pointing to the adult rides to go on.

Daddy and Chad made the climb (barely) to the top of the slide and came down with Bella. For a second I thought Bella was going to just sit down and go by herself but Joel grabbed her.
She seemed to like this ride, but this pictures shows otherwise...

She did love the helicopter she went on by herself.

That's Joel and Bella at the top of the ferris wheel. I thought she might freak out at the top, but she would not stop asking to go on it (I think because we have a carnival book with a picture of cookie monster on one she wanted to ride it). They even had to stop at the top to let someone else one and Bella was looking over and waving and the seats were swinging...I think Joel was a little scared she would try and stand up or fall off.

Gabby even had a little ride on a tractor. She seemed to have fun but think next year will be more fun when she can ride too.

Bella giving her sister a little love after the ferris wheel

Gabby did enjoy petting the pigs in the petting zoo. Bella freaked out though. Chad had bought food for the animals (as you can see his friend sneaking under his arm) and they swarmed us when we walked in. This was the only time Bella would stand on the ground until Chad's friend came over. There were lamas, sheep and goats and some were pretty big and jumped up on Chad.

Of course you have to play games...

which means you find a booth where you are guaranteed a win (when you are the only one to play).

Bella won a giraffe, but Gabby quickly claimed it as "mine" (her new favorite word). She would not let go of it, even when she was out of the stroller she was carrying it around and dancing with it. Luckily Bella was too busy with the rides to care that Gabby was now the owner of the "raffe"

Food was another focus of the trip...I couldn't wait for curly fries and Indian fry bread (both were fantastic). Gabby wasn't sure of the cotton candy. It was so light she couldn't figure out that you ate it.

but both devoured their corn. Gabby just kept looking for more kernels and it finally had to get taken away when there was none left.

We had a fantastic sunset to finish off the evening.

Drawing Tigers and Sharks

2009-11-04T23:44:00.000-08:00

Bella seems to be blossoming everyday...and I LOVE watching her grow and learn. Besides her new fondness of making up stories, she has started connecting her drawing/coloring with actual objects. The other day at the ENT's office they have a giant chalkboard. Waiting for over an hour gave her lots of time to play. She was so intense and drew a rectangle and then a square inside of it. I was pretty impressed since all of her previous drawings were just lines and circles all over the place. Then she made a tiger with stripes. She added eyes, ears, tail and stripes. It looked more like a bug but she was so detailed with creating this tiger. Today when I picked her up from school she had drawn a shark and fish. She was so excited to tell me all about her picture (two ovals with dots in them).

Tonight when we were working on letters she says out of the blue, "Mom I have a great idea" and then ran and got a different marker to write with, then would say again "Mom I have another idea" and would go and get another pen. After she did her letter "L" she wanted me to help her with the letter "T" and eventually just wanted me to do the first page. When I was done she said "Awesome. Good Job Mommy. Okay my turn" She's such a great little cheerleader.

Gabby is such a cuddle bug. Tonight I told her to tell Bella good night, so she ran up to her and tackled her to the ground and just laid on the biggest snuggle and kiss. Bella was trying to get up but Gabby had her pinned and just kept hugging her. It was the cutest thing and I couldn't get to my camera fast enough (actually I didn't think there was any angle I could get to capture that moment, so I just enjoyed the moment).

Poor baby seems to react to antibiotics. She had 3 blow out diapers yesterday at school...so when I went to pick her up they had put on a spare outfit. It was a yellow striped ducky romper...but was a 3/6 month size, well Gabby is in 24 months. I don't even know how they got this thing snapped...but it was so funny. When I picked her up today...she had only one blow out (apparently it was huge though) but her poor bottom is so red from a rash...but the first thing she said was "poop" and pointed to her bottom. It was so pitiful.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T23:56:00.000-07:00

There are three posts... but so many pictures I made two of them quick scrapbooks...hope everyone had a great Halloween. Both girls have ear infections and Bella already had an ENT appointment coming up this week...so I'm sure tubes will be put in for the 2nd time this week or next...please keep her in your prayers.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Pumpkins

2009-10-31T23:55:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook