such cutie pies

I know I am partial but I really do think these two little girls are super cute. As long as they have had enough sleep they are the best girls too. The last picture shows Thing 2 doing something she has always done since the day she was born. She blows on her tongue and usually gets whoever is holding her a little wet.

Camping

Who doesn't love S'Mores and all the campfire goodness?



This is Brandi and Juliette, the babes are about a week apart. 

Happy Birthday

Bob is turning a year older next month and so while we were in Moab we threw a little surprise birthday party for him, Lindsay's idea. The kids had a grand ole time with the pinata and huge amount of candy they each got, playing pin the tail on the donkey and eating their share of cake and ice cream. Bob was a good sport through it all. 

Moab

Kids at an arch in Canyonlands.
Delicate arch
The hike down from delicate arch. I wish there was some way to have shown how tall the mountain was. Thing 1 did just about all of it on her own too.

Park Ave

At Canyonlands
Look at that face, she was such a good baby.

These were taken by the windows.


This past week we went to Moab with the majority of B's family. If they lived out on the West Coast somewhere and weren't on a mission they were there. It was a blast, hot but not unbearable. We had a campsite for the dads and the kids and a house for the moms and babes. Thing 2 did stay at the campsite the first night but we went to the house gladly the second night. In the morning we'd get the kids up and go on a hike and then go back to the house when it was too hot. Then after dinner we'd go back out again. It was a lot of fun. I had never been to Arches Nat. Park and was amazed at the beauty. I have seen pictures but it is so much better in real life.  Thing 1 was excited to go camping and to roast marshmallows and climb the mountains.

I was proud of her she did the hike to the delicate arch and did pretty well. We hit a rough patch for  a bit due to a "sleeping" leg, but once the tingling went away she was better. I was proud of myself for carrying the baby down the mountain, namely because I didn't fall. I went up it with her as well, but that wasn't the big deal. For those that actually read the posts, you'll know I fear falling. Going up I thought it would be much harder going back down, but it really wasn't too bad. The scariest part was when one of my nieces dropped her water bottle and started to go after it. I was afraid the bottle would go right off the edge and Maddy would follow it. Fortunately, she stopped when I asked her too and Brandi was able to get the bottle for her. 

Sisters

I am so glad that my girls love each other. Here is a picture of the two in the hammock. Thing 1 is such a great big sister and Thing 2 is enthralled with her older sister. She just watches her and smiles all the time. Sometimes when we are holding her and she can see Thing 1 playing she tenses her little body and lurches forward towards Thing 1. We can tell she wants in on the action.

Park City

My parents are here for a little over a week with my brother C and his girls. They stayed at our place for a few nights and then went to Park City for a week. Our little family joined them for a few nights. While we were there, we did the Alpine Slides. Each of us took a turn going down with Thing1.  B went first and then told me that it really isn't scary at all and water slide rides are faster then this, so  I should go. So contrary to what I wanted to do I went. Yep that is right I was afraid to do the ride. It should have been easy peasy puddin' and pie. While I was waiting for him to come down I saw little children come down the ride and they were fine. Shouldn't have been a problem; however, I can honestly say it was terrifying for me. As I get older, my fears of heights and falling get worse and worse. It doesn't help when I have my children with me and think of them falling as well. Maybe, I would have been less afraid if one of the doctors B works with hadn't taken his little girl on it and flipped over and slid down the rest of the ride with her under him. The entire ride I just kept thinking, "Don't flip over, don't flip over." Realistically, I think I would have been just as fearful even if I hadn't heard Dr. G's story.

The best part was listening to Thing 1 cry and scream at me, out of frustration, most of the way down,"THIS IS NOT FAST. MY DADDY WENT FASTER THEN THIS. GO FASTER! THIS IS NOT FAST!!!!!"

I had to explain to her that I am chicken and her daddy is the brave strong one.

Snakes, snakes and more snakes

In the past two weeks I have seen not one, not two but seven yes seven SNAKES in my yard. Today we saw a really pretty big one. Too big for comfort. Last year when we moved in it was hotter so the snakes hung out by the canal that is behind our yard. This year it is still cooler and well the snakes are a comin' out to play. Usually they are these little pencil size snakes, still startle me but are small and fearful. Today' was way bigger and the cat was trying to get it. My friend and her daughter were over and the girls found them. They came over to us and said in excited tones, There is a snake, we found a snake. Even though Thing 1 has seen several of these real snakes I couldn't help but think she was just using her imagination and saw one of the million branches in our yard. But to my dismay, it was a real snake and 20 times bigger then any of the others I have seen. They freak me out in my yard and make me nervous when I have to go outside at night.

Thoughts from a three year old

Thing 1 says the funniest things. I really feel that I should keep a little log of them so here it will be. That way when she is grown up we can look back and laugh at what she used to say.

-first I love the way she says yellow- "lellow"and yogurt- "logrit" the best part is that she says yes and other "y" words just fine. 

-we have a plethora of box elder bugs around our home. She saw two mating and she asked why their bums were stuck together. Not wanting to go that route just yet I avoided the question and said they just are. A week or so later, she came up with her own answer. She told me, "Mom, I know why the bugs' bums stick together. They have magnets in them. That way they can click together."  I told her well there you go, magnetic bums. 

-we live about 1/2 mile from Wal-Mart. The other day after we went shopping there and Thing 1 told me she was tired. When we got into the car she told me she wanted to shut her eyes for just a minute. Trying to keep her awake I told her I would miss her while she was asleep. She laughed and said, silly mommy, I'll wake back up. I'll go to sleep and then I'll wake up. That's how it works. You go to sleep and then you wake up. By this point we were half way home and she still managed to fall asleep before we pulled in the drive way.