Precious Moments ...

It is always so important to me to take in the special family moments with all of us! I had to take in all the joys of a recent moment....Tess wanted Kevin to rock her, (well yes!) he will savor a Tess moment since she usually wants Mommy when she is tired. So they went into Ella's room to sit in the rocking chair, I held Ella and walked her to sleep in her room as well. All the while, the dog assumed her usual spot under Ella's bed, the bedtime CD played and the four of us plus the dog were peacefully in Ella's room. A perfect way to spend the evening!! I wanted to soak up all the visuals of the moment. Both girls snuggled in and fell asleep and we of course did not put them right in their beds, we enjoyed the peaceful joys of seeing them sleep....The Journey is Awesome....We are so blessed and thankful!!

"Wading" for Spring!

Spring has sprung and there is couldn't be anyone more excited! We are so glad to have the warmer weather and to be able to enjoy the outdoors! We had the joy of spending time this weekend with our dear friends and the kids had a fabulous time putting on their boots and getting in the mud to have a grand time, the big kiddo...Kevin had the most fun!

The kids couldn't decide what was the most fun this weekend... Was it...feeding the fish in the pond, playing in the dirt, walking around our property, or was it watching the frogs??? They could not decide and we really enjoyed seeing the joys on their faces as they were together. They looked too cute in their boots and sweatshirts, Jaden's sweatshirt obviously came from Tessa's Closet...He didn't seem to mind!

The weekend was a tale of City Mouse and Country Mouse....We enjoyed the fun of the country while at our house and then we spent some time at our friends and enjoyed the joys of neighborhood life. Two different worlds and a beautiful thing because our little ones can enjoy both of them anytime!! We are so blessed by our friendship and so glad the little peanuts have so much fun together.

Kevin had a wonderful time in "his element"! He loved sharing his love of the country and being outside with the kids. They sure enjoyed themselves, to the point that they were very tired at the end of the day....AAAHHHH what some fresh air can do!

So, here's to good friends, great kids and special times together, we are so thankful!

Home with the Girls!

Say cheese (with her playdough camera, so creative!!) I see you!!! There is no such thing as too many hugs!

Sister snuggles!

I wanted to just Thank God today for my special time home with my girls! (I thank God often for this)...It is such a special time and I am savoring every moment of our joyous days! Kevin and I adore our girls and this is such a blessing that I can be on an extended maternity leave to enjoy the daily joys of being with them! We have so much fun and we snuggle a lot...and we love it!!!

Glad to be home...

Tess enjoyed marking off the days until we came home on this calendar we made for her! She also enjoyed her daily little gifts from Mommy & Daddy!! Tessa Sandwich! Our Smiley Girl!

Now that we have been home a couple days from Kevin's business trip we feel like we are back in the swing of things! We certainly missed the girls! We did enjoy our time together and the girls enjoyed the time with their Gamma and Pops! Traveling is always interesting and enjoyable...But Dorothy was right..."There is no place like home".

It is funny to hear Tess discuss her time with Gamma and Pops. As we were reading bedtime stories last night she asked why I don't lick my finger then turn the page like Gamma, she also stirred her juice with her spoon at breakfast, tapped it on the side of her cup and said Gamma and Pops do this with their coffee....Tess loves to do this with her Grandparents, she can spot a Jeep a mile a way and say "That's like Pa-Pa's car...Or she can tell you that her Grandma loves to drink "Yummy tea"...Kiddos don't miss a thing! So funny what they pick up. I can remember special things like that from my Grandparents and those are "little" things that make for special memories.

Separation Challenge....

I am joining Kevin on a business trip this week away from home... which being the focus on the positive type of person that I am...this means a bonding time for Kevin and I even though we will be working... However, we both REALLY miss our girls. I even brought a blankey that belongs to the girls so I can get a sniff of our babies! The good news... they are with Gamma and Pops being taken care of, loved, & Tess is probably getting to do some fun things she can't do with Mommy and Daddy. But, regardless, we want to snuggle them and hold them. Kevin and I are enjoying our together time, as we always do, but we are MORE then ready for a "Tessa & Ella Sandwich", as she calls it when we Mommy & Daddy hug her and Ella! We are looking forward to the homecoming. We are glad to hear when we call home that they are all doing well. Grandparents are great! To our girls...Be home soon ....Endless XOXOXOXO to both of you!

Pass the lipstick please...

We seriously have a true girly girl on our hands. I am certainly concerned about the amount of drama our house will endure as the girls approach the teenage years...Dear Kevin, you will have such a fun time, but you'll be tired. I can see Kevin just finding reasons to go and "work" outside to get some fresh air, although he will probably have both girls in tow...Never a dull moment in our world.

With this all being said the following is just a preview of the Girly fun that goes on at our house, especially when "Gamma" comes to town. She definitely loves on the girls and even more exciting to Tess, she lets her explore her bag, equipped with makeup! On this day, she allowed and helped Tess to put on some "Maketup" as Tess calls it! She had a ball, and so did Gamma.

I walked into the bathroom and before I could get a word said Tess assured me..."Mommy itssss fine, Okay, It's Pretty" I told her I loved it and she just grinned from ear to ear. So as the years go on so does the drama...We wouldn't change a thing! We love having our girls. We can't help but think of the things Tess will show Ella!!

I Found One Mommy!!

Easter was an enjoyable day and we were able to top the day off by having a special dinner with our friends, Fred, Cheri, Bart, Brooke, Bryce, Cam, Nic & Kasi. Kevin had to leave town for a business trip during the day, so they invited us for Easter dinner. We are so thankful they did. We had a fabulous time being with them. It is so special when you have such dear friends that you feel like they are family!

Tess loved hunting with Bryce for the hidden eggs. Fred and Cheri had hid them in several rooms and the kiddos loved finding the loot!! At times Tessa's eyes were as big as quarters, she just kept finding more eggs!!! Ella enjoyed just hanging around and cooing. The dinner was delicious and more importantly the time with our dear friends was so special, the three of us girls felt very loved and thankful for the evening!!

Hoppy Easter

Spring has Sprung and Easter is here! We were sure to have our first egg decorating adventure this year with Tess, she thought it was pretty fun, and told us that she Loved her eggs, she was so proud of them. She asked if Ella could do it next time, we will see...

Easter morning started early fro 8:00 a.m. church service and the girls + one doll looked very adorable in their Easter Sailor Dresses. Tess wanted to be sure that she had her purse along with her, she is so funny about her accessories! We enjoyed the morning...church,Easter Baskets, (Daddy was sure Tess had some fun things including a gigantic bottle of bubble bath and bath paints...he is so fun!) , and a filling Easter Breakfast. God is good all the time and we are very glad it is beautiful and sunny on this Easter Day!!!

A Joy for the Senses...

I sure enjoy those special Mommy moments that I am able to enjoy everyday with our girls. One of the moments today occurred this evening. Kevin, Tess, Ella and I were all snuggling in Tessa's bed preparing for bedtime. After Tessa's attempts to sing, talk, move around etc. she fell asleep, and so did little Ella. I had to give Kevin a big smile before we got up because of these special moments when we put all things aside and take it all in. Before I walked out of the room, I said a special prayer of thanks for our many blessings. Then I took in another moment of joy... The scents of Johnsons and Johnsons Baby wash on my girls from their baths, Dreft laundry detergent on their jammies, and Ella's formula breath. Then the sounds...Binky's going a mile a minute, classical music on Tessa's radio, and the sounds of their little breaths. The Feel of their little hands in mine and the warmth of them snuggling me. And of Course the sight of our gifts from God! I wish I could bottle this all up and enjoy it for eternity, however, I know that is impossible, but enjoying the journey is possible and that is what I truly try to do with the blessing of each day. I am so thankful for our family!!

Checking Out..

Tess getting stamps when she checks out her books, Mommy always has to get on to, soon Ella will need one... This is Tess handing her selections to Miss Linda, her friend.

Our little bug Tess has many joys during her days, one of her favorites is going to our small town library. She calls it the "LiBeary". She has made it a point to even become acquainted with the kind individuals who work there. Our library is amazing, it is small but so cozy and it has a fabulous children's section. Tess has been going since a very small age, it must be the teacher in me, books and reading to the kiddos is a true enjoyment for me. It is my hope that the girls have a love for books. Tess loves to be read to and the other day she was "reading" to Ella... this was very exciting to Mommy to watch her enjoy the time with Ella.

Pa-Pa's Buddies

Grandparents are so much fun, and our girls have four wonderful grandparents. We are so glad that they have the four of them to love and enjoy! Our girls love them very much, and so do we! We were together the other night for Aunt Teri's Birthday Dinner and the girls were able to have sometime with Pa-Pa, we missed Grandma, she is out of town. We will be glad when she returns! Thanks for the nice evening Pa-Pa, your catered dinner was great!

You need to see...

Kevin and I had the joy of some quiet time this past Sunday after the little angels had gone to bed. We watched the movie Fireproof. Our church did a showing of it in February and we were unable to attend so we rented it and watched it Sunday. I highly recommend that all couple watch the thought provoking movie. The acting was not the best at times but the story line and the deep meaning to the movie was very good. We enjoyed our time together, as we always do. It is important for us to make time for "Us"...Enjoy!

What's Cooking.?..then some ice cream!

Fun times in the kitchen!

I really enjoy cooking and I get this from my Mom! I think Tessa is on the same path, she loves to help in the kitchen, and anywhere else that she can! While my parents visited we were making supper and Tess wanted in the mix, so we gave her the important job of washing the potatoes. She was so excited to share with Daddy and Pops that she had made the potatoes. In my opinion this sense of pride and involvement is so important! We had a wonderful supper as a family!

Ella had a front row seat to watch us cook, she is learning already!

After supper we had a special journey out to the Dairy Queen for some ice cream, which Tess does not get often so she was very excited! She was able to wear her dress up shoes out to get her treat! She loved her kiddie cone but it must not have been enough, she asked all of us..."What does yours taste like?, can I try, (with a big smile)! She had a tasty good time enjoying her treat and a little bit of Daddy's Blizzard, Pop's waffle cone, and Gamma and Mommy's ice "Ceem" cones.

Just waiting....

We recently had the joy of going to the Farmer's Market while my parents were visiting. We took the girls to walk around and enjoy and Kevin came to meet us for lunch. After we had all sat down we were preparing to start our lunch and I noticed Tess just staring at her plate...very quietly. I asked her "What are you doing Tess, she simply stated..."I am waiting for us to says our prayer". This was so sweet for all of us to hear. We usually says our prayer of thanks before we eat but I suppose we were in need of a reminder from our dear Tess on this particular day, she reminded us of this important aspect of the day...we said our prayer and had a wonderful lunch. Ahhh, sweet Tessa!