Pigtails and Ponytails!

This time has come! I can now get Ella's hair up. My Mommy opinion is that it looks really cute! I enjoy doing Tessa's hair and now Ella is involved in the daily fun! The many joys of girls!

Fun Visit!

We had the joy of having friends in town this weekend staying at our house...We had a fun weekend of relaxing and visiting with dear friends! It is always enjoyable to share, joys, laughter and memorable moments with friends you love! Did I mention...laughs....

Random Thoughts on the blog...

My friends have recently posted "random thoughts posts", in fact, I have been tagged to be "It", so here it goes.... I will limit myself to a few thoughts. 1. I miss my flip flops...I am back to teaching, not the place for my 'ol trusty black flip flops, My toes are going through withdrawal, they are feeling very claustrophobic in my other shoes. It is too early to break out my Uggs to replace the flip flops? I will be seeing those oon! 2. Ella is crying in bed, teething, I will be back later. 3. School: Love my job, I work with great people...but missing being home with the girls and having the daily freedoms! My class is great but they are talkative, (I suppose I had this coming to me since I was a youngster) Hint: I was not always quiet like I am today HA! HA! 4. Dinnertime, always important to eat together in our household at the table, even if Kevin has to work late the girls and I do this...I always love this time, especially on a work day! 5. Kevin has almost finished our Movie Room. We are so excited! I wonder what movie we will watch first? Any suggestions? Kevin did an awesome job....My handyman, he is so handsome! 6. Coffee sounds good, I could really go for some with hazelnut creamer. 7. Our landscaping looked so pretty when I pulled in today, it had just rained, wet mulch that has recently been raked, NICE...I can be a bit landscape/weeding obsessed. 8. I Love watching our girls, regardless what they are doing, it amazes me, Being Mommy is AMAZING! God is so giving! They were especially funny the other day on the stage Kevin built in the movie room, singing with Eva and Jaden, Ella even tried to get in on the fun! 9. I need to print some pictures off and learn how to play with / enhance my photos...Help please, Jamie, Dad, Brooke! 10. I thoroughly cleaned the car this week, Clean black car=happy black car, then we went to the car wash (Tess loves it), then it rained, what can you do? I suppose, enjoy the clean car. 11. My parents should buy a home closer to us, it would be a good thing! I guess I could continue on... I better stop for the night, maybe a random post monthly might be fun! Random is exercise for the brain! I think I will go peek at the girls, blow them kisses, and wait for my hubby to come home from work so we can snuggle.

Daddy Day!

Tess asked Daddy Saturday morning if she could go with him to the office...He said "Sure", Her eyes doubled in size, she was so excited she could hardly stand it! They left about 9:30. Ella and I had some Mommy ~ Baby bonding and play time. Then around 1:00 Tess and Kevin came home.... With a Kohls Bag, (Of course they went to other places after the office)! Their grins said a lot!!

They had purchased, an adorable outfit, the cutest pajamas, and some shoes! They were both SO excited about the goodies and I think even more so about the special time they had together! I am so glad for their special time. (I wish I could have watched them together in the store) Tess kept talking about her morning with Daddy! They were so cute together. We spent the afternoon home together and Ella took a nap while Kevin held her! A great day had by all! "Ella, your shopping days are coming..."

Well Done Kevin! You're Our Guy!

Adjusting with a little help from my Family and Friends!

Back to school, Missing the girls, adjusting to it day by day, I have a good class of students, I work with Amazing people, I am blessed with my Journey.... Most importantly I could not do it without my Dear Family and Friends!

I knew this week would be hard, harder than the usual return to school because of my special extended time how with girls! My friends and family knew it and as always, there they were, helping me with Love, Prayers, Hugs, Calls, Comments, and Some Special extras....

Prepared, Delicious Meals brought to us by Jamie & The Kiddos! SO HELPFUL and I need to say it again, DELICIOUS!

Flowers...The Power of Flowers ....Priceless, My Classroom looks so beautiful, The office staff, said you are loved....I know, I am so blessed with love & thoughtfulness! Thank You, Kevin, Jamie, Kevin, Mom & Dad, and of course fresh from the yard from Tess! I Love Flowers!

Hugs and Love....From my friends and family have been so instrumental in my adjusting!

THE GIRLS ...They did not miss a beat, they love Lorene and the love she gives them everyday!

I have found energy and strength in my conversations with God, prayer is powerful!

Thank you Family and Friends I Love You!

(Photos to look at help to!)

Summer Fun!

We certainly make it a point to enjoy the joys of summer! It is hard to believe that it is almost back to school time...How is this possible? As for now, I just have to say that I LOVE Summer and I Love spending it with family, friends, Kevin and Our Girls! The sunshine is pure joy and the smell of flowers and the sunscreen, breathtaking!...AHHH! So with school time approaching, I am sending my thanks for the blessing of summertime and the joy it brings. Each season has its beauty! Fun, Fun, Fun!! A morning bike ride, Pajamas included! The Splashpad...."RULES" in our opinion!

For now, Here to an amazing and memorable Summer!!

Cheers!!

Part of the Journey...Can I have a tissue please?

I DO Enjoy the Entire Journey...There is good in all things ....But at times there are challenges along the way...I know this reality. I go back to teaching tomorrow...Did I just type that and the the tear faucet turned on...Yep, tears on the keyboard, (UGGh, I told myself I was not going to let this happen, at least not until tomorrow)...Good bye Flip-Flops, Hello Heels !?! I am SO thankful for the AMAZING 9 Months that I have been off of work (so much longer than most are able to have). Off from a teaching job that I TRULY Love! It is a blessing to be able to teach and have the endless joys of time with my students, I care for them deeply. My TRUE Love is being a Wife and Mommy. I am convinced that I am capable of being a "teaching Mom~Wife, I have proven this before when I went back after Tess was born. But, getting back in the groove of things is the tough part, finding the new normal, the balance, the feeling that you are in sync...it take some time. The time home has been without hesitation the best time of my life! I would not change a thing about any of it, except of course make it last longer. I say to myself now, "There are so many positives and it will be fine". We have such a wonderful child care situation that it almost seems unreal. Lorene does not just take care of the girls, she honestly loves them as family. They benefit so much from the time at their home, picking peaches, reading books, paperdolls, amazing homemade lunches, so much more, and endless love. Tess and Ella both smile when I have taken them there and they smile when I pick them up, those smiles are what it is all about. My friend Jamie and I have discussed that there is a strong possibility that our girls will be working Moms someday. I can be a positive model to how this can work. Teaching is a wonderful profession for a Mom! FAMILY comes first! If I do have to bring work home, it does not come out until the girls are asleep. When the school bell rings, IT IS FAMILY TIME, Dinner as a family is something I treasure. In all reality and honesty: It is all going to work out, I know in both heart and mind that it will. I am at peace with our decision, and God will help us to adjust to that new normal. Kevin and I rely on our teamwork and we are in this together. Luckily, he will be taking the girls in the morning :) Thank You Kevin, I Love You! Tomorrow and other days to come will be tough, just because I will miss the girls tremendously, but I will be a smiling Momma when I go and get them each day! Part of The Journey....Part of being a Mommy! I Love Our Girls!

The Name Game...

I could seriously use a notebook when I play with Tess! She always has something entertaining to say! A prime example....Her imaginary friend Lily..."LLLLily" has been with us for some time now, about 6 months or so, I of course can't see her but Tess can..."Mommy, LLLily has pink hair, it is so pretty, she lives with her Mom and Dad and she loves to play with us" Tess will call her on her pretend phone and ask her Mommy if she can come over.

This is so fun to watch my little imaginative girl, she is a pro! She makes a super doctor "Let me scheck you out Mom", Chef, "Supper is ready Mommy and Daddy (table set perfectly), Teacher, "I be the teacher Mommy, You and Ella are the students", and so on...She amazes me...

One thing I can't keep up on is all her friends names, Now we have the true (Real) friends...Eva (EEBA), Jaden, Bryce, Bailey, Ruby, Brianna ... But her pretend friends as she calls them, I need a "Tessa Friend Directory"... We have Kelsa, Peeta, Teela, Meela, Sofie, Seea..WOW, I am overwhelmed. She told me the other day "It's fine Mommy, I tell them to you again", she must see the concentration in my eyes as I am trying to take this all in!!

One this I can keep up on is this...I think this is so creative and fun, ...part of the joys of the journey all the stages of our girls!

Snuggling with my Sunshines!

I just tucked both girls in....that is after some very enjoyable snuggle time in Tessa's Bed. I have learned that there is nothing like taking special times like this the girls and taking it all in! There is nothing like it! Kevin encourages it, he says they are only little once so take it all in! SO TRUE! We take it all in every chance we can and we love it! There is nothing like them both snuggling on me as close as one could be, holding my hair and being loved by their Mommy! I am so thankful to God for these precious moments! I love nightly snuggle time with the girls, then the time with Kevin...A great part of the journey!

Playing at the Park!

Having our children close in age is something my friend Brooke and I do well, even though it was not planned. We did enjoy being pregnant together. Our girls are just 2 months older than their boys. Which makes play dates a lot of fun and this should only get better as they get older. Bryce and Tess had a fun time playing together at the park, while Cam and Ella stared at one another, giggling once in a while. I was very thankful for the play date...My Mom, Cheri, and I had an enjoyable time visiting!

Look at these cuties!....

Hanging Around

We have been doing a lot of "Hanging around" the house in the last few days! It is always fun to get out and about, the girls travel well, but there is a certain special enjoyment about being home! With "school time" approaching, I have made certain to take extra time to be at home relaxing and playing with the girls, we love the time! Playing with them and snuggling is always enjoyable!

I have been thinking lately on the fact that it is interesting to see the differences and similarities between the girls! Their own unique "personalities"....(see below, she picked this one)

make it interesting and it keeps up on our toes! There is never and dull moment and the joys are countless, I am so glad we have the blessing of being parents and furthermore, that we can be parents to our loving daughters! Kevin is the King of the Castle of girls....the joys are endless!

Flower Power

I truly enjoy flowers! We have added to the landscaping a little bit each summer and I am so please at the enjoyment of gardening! The sprinkler system that Kevin put it has helped sooooo much this year! Sure, sometimes it is "work" to weed the flower beds, but it is still enjoyable solitude for me, of course I often have a little helper in tow. But to see each of the plants explode with blooms and show amazing color it is a true sign of God's Beauty!

I has to post a photo of a weed, they are powerful and they try to take over,

Grrr... Small, but mighty!

She is on the MOVE!

Ella has had a big week! She is now moving, crawling everywhere she can get, and picking up speed by the day! Seven months sure have past quickly! Tess is fascinated by this, "Here she comes, Mommy", "look at her sitting up, Mom"...The more Tess talks to her the more Ella moves and the more she giggles! It is a whole new world to her and she is not letting much get in her way!

That IS a GREAT Idea

We enjoyed a forgotten art at our house, Flying a Kite! Something I enjoyed when I was young! What is it about kite flying? Is it the beauty of the colorful kite against the blue sky, it is the challenge of keeping it in the air, or maybe, it is the sense that you are being taken away by the fresh air??? Could it be all this and more?

It was certainly a windy day. I had been telling Tess that we would fly the two new kites that we had in the garage when it was a nice windy day. It did not occur to me that today was a perfect day for it. However, it did occur to Tess. We were out playing in the yard and she disappeared "I am going to get another toy Mommy, It's OK Mommy (our constantly reassuring 3 year old at her finest!)" She comes running out with the kites, "It is windy Mommy", well said! I am constantly amazed by the girls, it is part of seeing the joys of child from the eyes of a parent!

Tess was right, it was windy... a perfect day to fly a kite, she remembered why we were waiting for a "good day" to "Go Fly a Kite". Tess and I loved it! Ella was all smiles at the sight of the color in the sky. Tess learned new vocabulary, including: tangled, flight, and gust...did I say tangled (yes, several times) ?

We had so much fun and she can't wait "to showed Daddy how to flies a kite"! Everyone needs to do this on the next windy day, let yourself get taken away, you won't regret it!

Lets go Splashing Now!

What is it about water? Even as an adult, I enjoy the joys of playing the water. Give me a pool, lake, ocean, you name it...I still enjoy it! Now, I enjoy seeing our girls enjoy it! Bath time is one of the favorite times of the day at our house, and playing outside in the sprinkler...that is "good fun" as Tess would say! Today, we enjoyed one of the many kid-friendly joys of our local town...THE SPLASH PAD! Tessa loves it! We met some of our friends there, played, had lunch, and played some more! One of the numerous joys of summer is watching children play so hard they could nearly drop! Truly, to see them run around, not a care in the world, except enjoying the water and their time together, simple joy! I should have taken more photos, but I did take some videos, we can enjoy those for years to come! Two superheros! Ella loves taking it all in! Lets GO!!....Would you look at those smiles!

"I think I will lay here and get some sun"Tess loves her friends!

The second generation of "Animals"

It is a wild world and we sure experienced it at the Zoo this week.... My dear cousins and I set off for the zoo with our six little ones. I enjoyed our time together and seeing the kids interact. I always looked up to my cousins Christy and Jenny, they were always so good to me. Now, I can see our girls watching their kids in the same way. I can hardly wait for the future slumber parties and the creative toe nail painting...we used to spend hours doing this! As for the Twins, well they can play rubber band guns someday...AHHH! those memories! Grandma & Grandpa are probably looking down with pure joy of the next generation being together! Trying to hold still....HA! Good Luck!

The Little "Animals"