Ohio!

Let me tell you how long all of us (but especially ME!!!!) have been anticipating this day. My brother Joseph and Amy got married! Amy and I have had a special connection since moment one and I could not wait for her to become my sister for real.  I make am so grateful they were able overcome some incredible obstacles and make this beautiful day happen!

First off, I am so grateful for good friends (Casey and Brooke) who took Noelle and Madeleine for us!  We would not have been able to go without their help.  We had a really early 6am flight on Friday morning.  We got a late start, the check-in lines were a mile long, and I thought I lost my ID.  Nightmare!  But we got on our flight and made it to Chicago and then on to Columbus.  The babies did great on their first flight.

Next, it was off to get our car and check-in at the hotel. 

 Then I realized I left my phone on the plane. 

I ran right back and people supposedly looked for it but could not find it. 

What a pain!  I didn't have any one's phone numbers. 

We got to the hotel and it was time for some very important introductions. 

My brothers and sister have not met the babies. 

Love at first sight!

(Babies and Uncle Jimmy)

Then we went to Amy's Mother's home for an open house. 

It was a wonderful evening meeting so many great people and eating some delicious food.

It has been almost 15 years since all of us siblings have been together at once.

Only our brother Adam was missing.

(Uncle JoJo, Uncle Matthew, Uncle Jimmy)

The next day was WEDDING DAY!

And it was pouring rain.  I mean pouring rain.

Supposed to be good luck, right?!

Let's hope the good luck pours down on them.

She was stunning.



 

Amy's brother, Mike, got ordained so he could officiate.

And he did a fabulous job!

I wish I had words to describe how special it was.

Not a dry eye on that deck.

And it wasn't because of all the rain.

Uncle Matthew, Adam Boy, and Mikes wife Sam

I love this picture. 

He makes this face and does that thing with his thumb all of the time.

Next we went to a Restaurant for a wonderful dinner.

There were toasts by the happy couple.

Matthew said a few words...

Cutting of the cake!

And lots of good times.

Then it was back to the house for more shenanigans...

The next morning was a late brunch and an afternoon spent lying on the grass.

It was divine!

Ohio was so lush and beautiful. 

We had no idea!

Trees, grass, flowers, and brick homes on sprawling lots.

Aaron wants to pack it up and move to the mid-west.

Ha!  He'd be crying his eyes out once winter hit.

The next morning we left for an early morning flight to get home to our big girls.

It was supposed to take us 5 hours to get home but due to mechanical issues, it took 15 hours.

But, once again, the babies did amazing and we were all so happy to be together!

Sink Bathtime

Man, oh, man.  It's so much easier doing it in the sink (with a little washcloth under their bummies to prevent too much slipping around).  And having Daddy around as a second pair of hands sure helped!

Reunited...

aaaand it feels so good!  My camera and I are back together.

Got my new lens.  I am in love!  I have had no spare time to spend with it but I cannot wait!

I am totally embarrassed to say that it was not the reason for my camera not metering correctly.  Some how the flash exposure setting was all the way up.  No idea how that happened but happy I figured it out all by myself!  Also irritated all these months I have spent taking crappy pictures and missing special moments.

I am short on time.  The girls had their surgery on Wednesday.  They are doing so well!  Madeleine is having a harder time than her Noelle, but still better than expected.  Will get pics of my phone and update separately. 

Meanwhile, here are a few pics I snapped in the car while we all waited for Daddy to run an errand this afternoon.

I had to include this picture because I never want to forget something about it. 

See that crease on the right, between his nose and top lip? 

 He always gets that while nursing.♥

Big Sis ♥

She must make this face at least 10 times/day.♥

Sabbath Joke

The girls are hilarious these days.  Hi.la.ri.ous.  To their Mother anyway...

On the way to church this morning:

N:  Hey Boppie, you wanna hear a joke?

M:  Sure!

N:  Since it's Sunday I will tell you a Jesus joke.  OK?!

M:  OK!

N:  Why didn't Jesus want to die?

M:  Why?

N:  Because He wanted to live!

*Hysterical Laughter*

Update!

What's going on around here, you ask? A lot more of the same 'ol stuff. And not a lot of pictures to show for it.  Back and forth to school, meals, naps, dishes, laundry, church, diapers, you know!

My new lens is STILL back ordered. Madeleine got ahold of my camera and broke my other lens for real. Now it will be spending the next few weeks in the shop.  Such a bummer.

The babies were picked to be extras for a TV show.  That kept us super busy for several weeks, but nothing for the last couple, so things have slowed down.  It was fun but the waiting takes over your life!

Spring break starts Monday. YEA!

Big girls are getting their tonsils out Wednesday. BOO!
Yep, both on the same day. Ripping that band-aid right off

These babies turned 6 months old. 

I cannot get enough of that baby boys smile.

He flashes it at EVERYONE he meets.

And Courtney...I love your stunned look.

This picture is so typical of our house. 

The girls cannot leave these babies alone.

And somehow a flashlight got involved.

The love to make a big deal out of all the holidays.

Aren't these Valentines just awesome?!

 We started the morning with red heart shaped pancakes.

Candy sent from Grandma.

And a great outfit for school!

Heart shaped pizza for dinner.

And we dipped strawberries ourselves!

Couldn't you just cover her in kisses and nibble those precious feet?

Watch out Bon Jovi!

This stinker somehow kicked herself out of her jammies.

Hmmmmm...

I ran over to a friends house to snap a few 7 month old pictures.

Oh, we just love them both so much!   



More better blogging to come!

Courtney Ann

Someone was in a fantastic mood this afternoon. 

I soaked up every single second of it. ♥

 I just made goo-goo, kissy faces at her the whole time and clicked away.

 

My new lens is backordered.  Can't wait for it to come! 

These turned out pretty good given this circumstances. 

And this house has the worst lighting EVER.  

But really...how can you go wrong with that sweet thing on the other side of the camera?!

Where We Are Right Now...

Noelle:  My first baby.  The one who made me a Mommy.  Oh, how I love her.  She is such a good, sweet girl.  Once in a blue moon she will throw me a curve ball, tell me "No!" and it is such a shock,  I hardly know how to handle myself.  Luckily, she is almost always obedient and I love being the one who gets to watch her grow.  Oh, and let us not forget what an amazing big sister she is.  Just this morning she was begging me not only to let her watch cartoons but to take her baby brother with her.  Warms my heart!  She and Madeleine are the best of friends, too.  Oh, they have their moments and know exactly how to drive each other crazy but even that can be pretty funny (and incredibly annoying!).

Disclaimer:  I am about to gloat. 

I do realize she is only in Kindergarten, but hey, the Kindergarten I went to and the one she goes to are two very different worlds.  We were able to attend her parent teacher conference this week.  When the teacher starts off, "I love Noelle!"  You know things are going well.  And then proceeds to tell you she is, "Leaps and bounds above where she needs to be."  Ya, there was no wiping that smile off my face.  Of course, I knew all of these things already but hearing it from someone who is actually qualified makes it that much better. 

She is still in ballet, she willingly goes and seems to have a good time but does not seem all that enthusiastic about it like she used to be.  A few new girls who are younger and never in ballet before were added to the class and I am wondering if that is holding her back a bit.  Maybe bored?  She wants to try soccer too, so we're looking into that.

Her two top teeth are loose, the right one is ready to pop right off, but she is not ready to have it yanked.  A few more days I think...

Lastly, she is just so pretty.  And her legs seemed to have grown at least 6 inches over the last few months.  We love you, Noellie Bellie Boo!  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so awesome.  :)

Madeleine:  My second baby.  The one who turned us into a 'real' family.  The one who made my heart grow by such a proportion, I didn't know it was humanly possible. 

Such a stinker.  Such a trouble maker.  So dang funny.  And I mean funny.  And I am not the only one who thinks so, everyone tells me, "That kid is so funny!"  And you know one of the reasons why she's so funny?  She's always stating the obvious.  In her little smug way, of course, strutting around.  "Ya, that's an oven.  A black oven.  My Mommy has one, too.  She makes rolls.  And she makes cookies."  Toys and playing by herself are not for her.  So, she's stuck by my side allllllll day (unless she snuck off to make some mischief). If she's not busy stating the obvious or emptying a tube of something or other, she's begging for food.  She loves fruit.  Mandarin oranges.  Bananas.  Apples.  Pears.  Pineapple.  She'll take anything.  But forget tomatoes and broccoli.  "Those are deeeeeeeeegusting!" 

Our little Boppie is incredibly affectionate.  Several times a day she begs me to stop what I am doing just for a hug and kiss.  She will gladly hop in your lap any time of day or night for some sweet snuggles.  I love it!

Although playing by herself is a rarity, the minute we are through the door after picking up her sister, they are off.  Playing...playing...playing.  Unless, of course, I give the go ahead for some TV...

Never to be out done whenever her big sister refers to school Madeleine talks about her preschool.  The slight problem with all these 'preschool statements' is that she does not go to preschool just yet.  I may have something in the works and she will be the happiest kid.

Most days you have me at what I think is my limit, but I am so glad you're mine.  You teach me to be a better person and for that I am forever thankful.  Oh, and thanks for all the laughs.

The Dilemma

Just put both babies down to sleep which unfortunately is not all that common.  And let me tell you, when they're both awake, I am otherwise useless. This is my constant dilemma:  what do I try and tackle first from my seemingly endless list of things I HAVE to do?  Work on laundry?  Vacuum?  Pick up messes?  Mop the floors?  Spend some one-on-one time with Madeleine?  Get dinner started?  Make phone calls?  Change the sheets? Ugh.  I could go on for days.....

OR

Do I lay down and take a well deserved break because I am ALWAYS exhausted?  If I do that then the rest of the day I feel so overwhelmed and just plain grumpy because my house is trashed.  And I have a million things I feel I need to do but can't get done because there are 5 other people that always need something from me. 

"Mama!"
"Whaaaaaaaah!"
"Mommy?"
"Whaaaaaaaaah!"
"Hey, sweetie?"

Can you tell I am having one of those days?  Or, um, weeks? 

Anyone have a personal assistant they want to lend me?  Hello?  Hell-ooooooo?!

And Aaron has agreed that keeping the office for his use only is a complete waste of space.  It's been two months since we came to this decision, but have we had the time to clear it out and sell the furniture?  Nope.  Having that play room will change me life!  Just have to get around to it...

While You Wait

I am working on some longer posts.  While you wait, check these out!

On Sunday someone had fun with their little doll stroller. 

I have a sneaking suspicion Daddy may have been an accomplice.

Hello to the most handsome boy in the whole wide world! ♥ 

I laid them down with some toys...it only lasted about 90 seconds.

And then they were...pissed.

Have you ever seen such a sad face?

This baby boy cries the biggest tears you have ever seen.

After some sweet talk from Mama...they were feeling a better. 

 But not too much...

Yes...Yes I do

“I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived.”

Marjorie Pay Hinckley