MIA

Hi all! I hope you'll forgive me for not posting in a really long time! It just seems like the combination of the warm weather and just how much easier it is getting taking both girls places, has us wanting to go, go, go and do, do, do. We have been enjoying every minute of this summer! Ellie is at the perfect age to be trying everything! She has been doing ballet, gymnastics and swimming every week. We fill the other days with The Children's Museum, Zoo, skating, parks, and just hanging out with friends. Josie is loving all of this, too! She gets to do/see way more than Ellie ever did at her age. I hope you are all having fantastic summers too!

So, since I've been gone so long, I just now found out about the new "post video" option. Since I am constantly taking little snippets of video on my digital camera, I am so excited about this! I decided to start a new blog called "The Veggie Family" so I would have a place to share all these videos with family and friends. (This blog has only been shared with a select few...) So come on over and check it out! Over the weekend, I posted over 30 new pictures and/or videos to catch up from where I left off here (and also transferred a few already from here to over there). I'm so excited about it! The videos really capture the girls' personalities and I love that I can now share that. Thanks for sticking with me and I hope to see you all around here and/or over there!


Some of the cuteness you'll find over there!

Wordless Wednesday- "Trees In Bloom"

Earthquake

Did you all feel it? It's funny how you think a tornado in Indiana is no big deal but an earthquake??? Very unexpected...
I was just about to fall back asleep after getting up with Josie a little after 5 am when the whole house started shaking. It was the weirdest thing! My first thought was some sort of explosion (probably because of this mysterious event that happened not too far from here on Wednesday night). I looked all around the house and outside and then it finally came on the news as a 5.2 earthquake. Reports said it was felt as far as 900 miles away! Ellie and Josie somehow slept right through it. :)

7 Months

Happy 7 months Josie! You just keep growing and growing! A mere short three weeks ago, I lugged five totes of Ellie's old 6-9 month clothes up two flights of stairs, spent hours unpacking, reminiscing, and then organizing them oh so carefully in your closet. And then today, I tried on three different outfits before I realized that there was just no way you were going to fit in them anymore. Three weeks! And now I have to re-pack those five totes, carry them back down two flights of stairs and bring up three more of 12 months clothes (which are mostly spring/summer so come on warm weather). It is absolutely amazing how fast you are growing! Maybe you could slow down just a teeny, tiny bit? Soon you will be crawling and then, next thing I know, I'll be watching you chasse and pirouette across the dance floor like your big sis... Stay my baby just a little longer, okay?

(By the way, as cute as your hair is pulled up like that, don't worry- you only wear it that way at home...) :)

I Am Safe

Ever since that first night of Ellie's high fevers, we have been co-sleeping again so I could take care of her. Or, I should really say, "couch sleeping". We moved ourselves to the loft where Ellie has been sleeping on the little couch and I on the big one. It worked better this way while she was sick since neither one of us could sleep very well and the loft has a TV with 24 hours a day of Noggin available! Now that she's better, I will have to convince her to start sleeping back in her big girl bed...but, again, it's been fun telling stories and playing games as we fall asleep each night. And it's neat to hear glimpses of her inner mind when she talks in her sleep or when she tells me about her dreams when she first wakes up.
Last night, for instance, she was having what I imagine was some sort of scary dream and she woke up saying these words with complete confidence and assurance.

"I am safe. I am safe. Mommy and Daddy are always with me. Nothing is ever scary. I am safe."

And then she rolled over and went right back into a sound sleep.

It made my heart swell. We tell her anytime something scares her (usually the dark or something silly on Noggin) "You are safe." and that "Mommy and Daddy and your Angel are always with you. Even if we are not in the same room, we are still with you." I was proud of her for remembering our words and using them to not feel scared when waking from a bad dream. She didn't call out for me or get in bed with me...she felt protected enough with just her words. And that makes me feel like, that as a parent, I actually did something right. :)

Outside

Finally! A day warm enough to play outside and a healthy child to enjoy it! Even though it still only reached a high of 57 degrees yesterday, it was so nice to be out enjoying spring. We started out at my friend's house (who has the BEST backyard play area)...




and came home to play some more in our own backyard...




It was so nice to see Ellie have her energy back and Josie really loved the change of scenery too. Hurray for spring!

Easter (in pictures)

Ellie's Easter basket


Princess Ellie (eating candy for breakfast)



Found an egg!


Surprise kite


Little Bunny Josie


Hope everyone had a great Easter!