Warm Weather!

It's here! It's finally here! The sun is gone and we've all snapped out of our winter blues. We've been taking full advantage off all the sunshine this past week. With daylight savings time we've been staying up later and playing outside. Avery is loving being able to go in her swing again. Addison pushes her over and over:) We've taken a few walks around the neighborhood and hope to continue to do it a lot. We've got out our Easter decorations and Addison made a fun egg shaped banner to hang. She could color for hours and hours and I love it! She colors very carefully and then glues little pieces that she has cut out. I've started doing some home workout videos and so far I'm committed. My foot is feeling great and the girls love to roam around trying to do the workouts with me. One of Avery's favorite snacks is a blueberry smoothie. They are dark and MESSY! Sometimes I don't know why I give it to her since she ends up throwing it on the ground and all over her body! This past weekend I got to go to Time Our For Women with my mom in Indianapolis. It loved it and it truly was a pampering for my soul. The speakers are always amazing and the music is so powerful. I end up crying, laughing and listening all in the same moment! We got to stay in a nice hotel and enjoyed eating nice lady food. We squeezed in a little shopping on our way back and then headed home to the little ones. I scored some clearance clothes for Addison this fall. This was my fourth TOFW with my mom and I look forward to it every chance we get to go. I found a bench for the end of our bed that I've been searching for! I scored it marked down due to a small scratch on the leg that you can't even see. I love it and now I just have to convince Dave to pick out some night stands:) These past couple of weeks the girls have been so patient in driving around with me. I've had a lot of  things to take to people and our ward is so spread out. They sit in the car and color, eat, sleep and sometimes I give in and let them watch a movie. I'm teaching them about what it means to serve someone. Addison seems to be picking up on what it means and gets excited to help me drop off a nice loaf of bread or card to someone in need. This calling is teaching me to truly have Christ like love for everyone.We're headed to the zoo tomorrow with Grammie to enjoy the almost 70 degree weather!

Water Please

We've hit the phase where Avery LOVES the toilet brush. I actually got a nice shower today while she scrubbed away. There was so much water on the floor that she slipped and hit her mouth on the toilet bowl. There was a lot of blood and tears. Addison finished her second session of swim lessons and loves it! Finally!!!! She is getting more confident jumping into the pool with her life jacket on. She had an amazing teacher who pushed her and didn't let her whine on the edge. Dave's on call tonight and I'm gearing up to catch up on some tv and crafting:) 

Snow Days

We got dumped on these past two weekends with snow. Somehow Dave talked me into going sledding:) We went over to a friends house and used their back yard. By the end Addison was climbing up the hill herself with her sled. Avery enjoyed sitting on someones lap going down and only ended up with one bruise of her cheek. Dave and I have been better about getting babysitters or asking my parents to watch the girls. We went out to get Thai food and then walked around the mall last weekend. It was a nice evening out and of course I enjoyed not having to make dinner. I took the girls down to Cincinnati last week to meet my mom for lunch. The girls were wild at lunch, but we had free coupons so it made it worth it! Addison loves to play dress up at Grammies in all of Katie's old dance costumes. Addison has NEVER passed out on a couch or taken a nap in a random place. It got really quiet and I went down to look. She had fallen dead asleep on the couch! We party hard when we're at Grammies:) It's our turn to host preschool again this month. We learned about the letter N and the girls had a blast. Addison loves to have it at our house which makes the efforts worth it. The girls loved making noodle necklaces out of colored noodles Addison and I made. Addison loves to learn and create. She reminds me so much of myself. Avery likes to sit and pull at my leg and cry during preschool. One of the girls call her , "Angry Avery". It's really sad and funny at the same time. We've been meeting a friend at the science museum for a couple weeks now. The girls love it and Addison enjoys running around with her little boy. Avery has perfected her "cheese" face and now her "scowl" face. She is starting to say more words and when she says them it is really soft and quiet. She loves to say, "Hi" over and over.  Her favorite thing to do is run over and hang and pull at the food pantry. She screams and cries until someone opens it and she steals a pack of fruit snacks. She's a little sneak and she knows what she wants! Her hair is starting to come in and it looks like it's going to be curly. She loves to sit and let me comb it in the morning while she sits in the sink and brushes her teeth. Grammie and Papa came up over the weekend and brought us dinner and dessert. It was such a nice surprise and the girls were really happy. Dave and I convinced my parents into letting us sneak away to go see a movie. Addison talked my parents into letting her stay up late and watch Frozen. Grammie braided her hair like Elsa and helped her put on her magic ice gloves. Things are crazy busy between balancing new callings and family life. I had three meetings last week and I was exhausted by the end of the week. We've had to juggle the girls with us a couple times and they are learning to behave. The busier I get the better I am at preparing a head of time. I've had dinner on the table and am finding more ways to spend time with the girls. The girls are starting to play better with each other and I love watching it!

Happenings

We've made a lot of visits to the doctor this past couple weeks! Poor Avery got a really bad stomach bug and it landed her in the ER. Dave of course was working and I had to scramble to find someone to take Addi. Luckily her babysitter was home and I was able to take her there. We waited a long time and they sent us home 5 hours later with nothing. It was frustrating, but in the end I was glad that it wasn't anything serious. The following week we were back at the doctor with a bad ear infection for Avery. On top of cutting molars Avery can't catch a break. We're pumping a steady steam of motrin for her these days! I found some funny pictures on my phone...Addison got into my makeup during quiet time over Christmas break. It was everywhere and all over her. I was pretty ticked since I had just bought new expensive makeup! She had to clean it all up and it took a while. Addison started sunbeams at the beginning of the year and she loves it! She has to give her first talk in primary this Sunday. It's on her favorite topic of Jesus Christ was resurrected and so will we. We wrote it on a piece of paper for FHE and she practiced for us so she won't be "scared" (that's why she told us she practiced!). I'm so proud of her love for the gospel and primary. Avery got to go into nursery a whole FIVE weeks early!!! She looks like such a big girl sitting on the chairs and eating her little snack. I got called to be the first counselor in the relief society and with Dave in YM is was impossible to contain her. She was a huge distraction so the nursery leader let us put her in early. She didn't even cry! We've been doing a lot of painting and creating over here. Avery likes to still eat the paint and Addison just sits and colors and cuts for hours! Addison came in and stole my bridal pictures from Dave's nightstand and put them on hers. She replaced her photo on Dave's nightstand and loves to sit and stare at the pictures. Addison also is currently in a phase of not wearing any pants. The second we get home she strips down to a short sleeve shirt and the tallest socks she can find. I recently got a curl wand and Addison is fascinated by it. She will grab a pencil and pretend to curl her hair on the hot iron. It makes me laugh watching her and how hard she tries to do it. She also has a large bruise on her head in the pictures. This was before her new stitches. Poor girl doesn't have good luck with her head these days! Avery is becoming a big helper in the kitchen. She likes to pull at my legs until I put her up on the counter so she can get into whatever I'm doing. Most of the ingredients end up in her mouth!  Grammie and Papa came up for Friday pizza and movie night. Someone Addison talked Papa into painting her toenails. Avery was also offered, but she preferred running around crazy instead.  I love living close to my parents and the special times we have been able to create! Here's to make more this year!

Love is in the Air

We've had a great time celebrating the month of love! Addison was beyond excited to plan, make and hand out her valentines. She chose bubbles with a tag that says, "You blow me away valentine!" She also helped make Avery's valentines. We started off by going on a little lady nail day with Grammie. It was a Jamberry nail party and Addison picked out rainbow nail art. She got to make a valentine craft, eat a treat and I did her nails. It was a fun outing even though Addison picked her nails off by the next day! The girls enjoyed playing matching games with conversation hearts and painting hearts and doilies. Grammie came down on afternoon and took us to a lady valentine lunch at Olive Garden. Addison had just gone to her preschool valentine party so she showed us all her treats. She shared a heart necklace with Avery and some chocolates with the rest of us. Avery ate her weight in breadsticks and mac and cheese. Addison was too wired from her party to do anything but color! We came home one day from running errands and found out that our door had been "heart attacked" by the sister missionaries. They put scriptures and quotes on the hearts. The girls kept opening the door and squealing when they saw them. It was a very nice surprise and it brightened our day. We went to a playgroup valentine party at the church and enjoyed playing with almost 20 friends. It was complete chaos, but the kids all had a good time. Both girls came home with way too much candy and goodies. Grandma Michael sent her love to the girls with lots of heart shaped toys and treats in a package. Avery especially loved this rubbery bear that lit up when you smacked it. She carried it around growling at it. Valentine's Day landed on a Saturday this year and we lucked out with Dave having Friday off of work. My parents offered to take the girls for us and we couldn't refuse! Dave took the girls down while I grocery shopped for a fancy dinner I was going to make. We had a candle light dinner and exchanged cards and small gifts. We later got a call that Addi had split her head open when she fell on a rock. Poor girl and poor grandparents! Luckily our insurance approved to take Addi to a local urgent care by my parents. She got two stitches and a lot of screaming to go with it. She survived and then had a nice weekend with the grandparents. Dave and I got crazy and went and played laser tag for a couple hours. I had never been and so I did terrible, but Dave was a rockstar and scored well each time. We got up the next morning and went to Panera for breakfast before heading to the temple. We hadn't been to the temple in a while together so it was the perfect way to spend a day surrounded on love. We ended up being able to be a part of a couple in our wards temple sealing. It was the parents of the girl that babysits for us so it was extra special to be there. We made the snowy drive back to my parents where my mom had a delicious steak dinner waiting for us. We brought yummy brownies to share with everyone after dinner. Addison had made us some homemade valentines that were so fancy! We gave the girls some new play dough and M&Ms. I love valentines day. It is a day I remember how blessed I am to have two little girls that I can say I love you to all the time. I have a loving husband who dislikes celebrating any holiday and particularly this one... I forgive him for being a grump about valentines day :) My family and wonderful friends who I cherish and love as well! It's a great day to remember how much we are loved and I love it! Happy Valentines Day!

New Year,New Goals

Well, it's 2015 and I already and behind on blogging! January only has one week left and it has flown by. Dave has had two snow days which has been really fun. I never thought working at a hospital that he would get snow days! Some big changes have been happening in our house and it looks like this year will be busy. Dave got called as the young men's president at the beginning of the month. That has added early morning meetings, firesides, BYC, campouts, presidency meetings, mid week activities and the list goes on! He is handing it like a level headed stress free champ. Even though he is busier we seem to be managing our time as a family better. Friday nights have become pizza, rootbeer, treat and movie night for us. I take the girls to the library on Thursday and we pick out a movie to watch the next night. It has been a lot of fun to having a little family tradition each week even though it is simple. I probably just enjoy paper plates and no cooking! Addison has enjoying taking swim lessons at the YMCA this month as well. They are going so much better than they did this summer. She is learning to trust her teacher and use big arms to move around the pool. Avery is going into the nursery at the YMCA a little better each time. She cries less and less so I have hopes that she'll like it soon. Addison is enjoying her preschool class so much lately. One day she came home and I got a text from one of the moms asking when Addison's Frozen party was??!?! Apparently Addison had planned a Frozen themed party complete with invites, games and blue cupcakes. She told her friends to come to our house and to wear their Elsa dresses. I about died! Luckily the library was having a Frozen party later that week that was a good substitute to throwing together a party. She is very creative and loves to sit and draw, cut, glue and create anything she can get her hands on. Her curly blonde hair is getting so long we had to upgrade to big girl shampoo and conditioner. Miss Avery Mae is still keeping me on my toes. She is starting to sleep in later in the mornings which has me really happy. I'm trying to transition her to one long nap in afternoon and she is struggling with that. She is addicted to her bottle and I'm afraid it's going to be worse than cutting the binky. Her hair is growing in and we have been putting a little poof on top with a tiny bow. It makes her look so grown up. Avery is really into saying, "Hot!" for every piece of food that is put in front of her. I had to startle her one day when I was straightening my hair and I think it became implanted on her brain that everything it HOT. She'll blow on her food forever!! She loves to sit in the kids chair in our family room and flip through a book. The girls have a hard time sharing the space and I have a feeling another one will have to make an appearance later this year. Avery seems to find her new broom from Santa everyday and sweeps under the table before getting stuck:) She is growing out of the baby stage quickly and entering the toddler phase. She is starting to throw tantrums and has territory over certain toys from Addison. The countdown is on until she goes to nursery and I CAN.NOT.WAIT! The most challenging time for me as a mother is between 15-18 months at church!!! There is no hope to go to second or third hour for me. Avery rolls around on the ground crying and there is not much I can do to help her. She wants candy that the old ladies sneak her and that just makes things worse! Avery is finally cutting some teeth and won't have a toothless grin for much longer. The girls keep me happy, busy and mostly worn out! I'm enjoying a little crafting here and there these days. I have a new visiting teaching partner and route which I've really enjoyed. My route has changed a lot that I've had a difficult time making friendships with people. I'm hoping it stays the same for a while. That is how I developed some of my best friends in Buffalo! Addison has been conducting and planning our family home evening lessons lately. She is really stuck on the story of David and Goliath since she gets to throw 5 stones at her dad:) I'm grateful to be a stay and home mom to 2 spunky and  determined little girls. I have high hopes that 2015 with be a great year filled with many milestones as a family!