On Nights Like Tonight

My kids are lucky they are so cute. 

  

Little Garden Friends | Halloween

So we are going with a garden theme this Halloween...

We got ourselves a garden gnome and a ladybug!

So they might look confused in this picture, but I still think it is magical :)

Harper makes me happy, she just goes with whatever...now if only she could just sit up.  She makes such a sweet little bug.

Sawyer is the cutest little gnome I have ever seen.  She loooves her "Halloween dress", as she calls it.  I am surprised she likes the hat as much as she does too.

Every garden gnome needs a chicken friend...that is where Ellie comes into play :)

Happy Halloween!!!

Where Did You Come From Baby Dear?

Where did you come from Baby Dear?
Out of everywhere, into here.


Where did you get your eyes so blue?
Out of the sky when I came through.


What makes your forehead so smooth and high?
A soft hand stroked it as I went by.


What makes your cheek like a warm, white rose?
Something better than anyone knows.


Where did you get that pearly ear?
God spoke, and it came out to hear.


How did they all just come to be you?
God thought about me and so I grew.


But how did you come to us Baby Dear?
God thought of you, and so I am here.


- George MacDonald


This poem was in a book my mom gave Harper after she was born.  I try to read it to her before she goes to bed at night - I love love it.  I tried to read it to Sawyer too but she closed the book on me ;)

Watercolors

It is so exciting now that Sawyer is getting old enough to do more artsy things.  It will be so fun when Harper can play with us too :) This was Sawyer's first time using "real" paint.  She has finger painted with Crayola Color Wonder paint, but she had never used a paintbrush.  Rainy days are kind of fun...it encourages me to think of new & different things to do inside. 

After Sawyer was done with her creation she went and gave her sister some attention and love...

(These two are so lucky to have one another!)

Three Little Words

I. Love. You.

Drool Sisters

Confessions of a Shopaholic

We like shopping and we like clothes.  It is fun being a girl.

Sugar Cookies

Sawyer and I made sugar cookies together the other day while Marc was watching the USC game.  This was Sawyer's first baking experience, and I am pretty sure she loved it!  Her favorite part was definitely the sprinkles...

We used a really easy sugar cookies recipe that didn't require chilling the dough.  If you want to make some really easy sugar cookies you can check them out here.

oof.

We have been working on potty training over here.  I thought it was going to be easy.  I took Sawyer to the bathroom 3 times in a row, I thought she had to be "empty" for awhile...I sat down to feed Harper and Sawyer informs me that her pants are wet.  How does that happen?  Who pees that much?  oof.

The Cousins

For my Dad's birthday my sister and I wanted to send him pictures of his granddaughters together.  It was a challenge to say the least.  

I hope my dad can find the humor in these...my sister and I thought it was hilarious (Notice that Harper has little to no expression in these pictures...she spends a lot of time just hanging out and being mellow)

Our Trip to Washington

So all the way back in July, my little family took a trip up to Seattle and we met my parents there, as well as my sister and her family.  The reason for the trip was for my cousin's wedding in Gig Harbor, but we did a little site seeing along the way.  I was so happy we made the trip; lots of good memories.  Flying to Washington was Harper's first time on an airplane (she was about 6 weeks old), Sawyer's first time with her own seat on an airplane, and mine and Marc's first time flying with two kids.  It was also our first time renting a car as a family.  Lots of firsts! 

(packing was a little stressful)

After a long day of traveling and no napping, Sawyer started to get a little loopy...so into the fountain she went with all of our clothes on.

Harper had a crib in the hotel room, but Sawyer slept with us.  I moved Harper into our bed in the morning...do you see that little smile on her face? :) 

Me, and mis padres, baby brother Bryce & Sawyer...it was a COLD morning

(I am glad I can say that I have been to the top of the Space Needle now, but honestly, it wasn't really that cool)

We checked out Pike's Place Public Market....loved that.

This was in Gig Harbor.  There was a sidewalk chalk festival going on.  My mom borrowed some chalk and wrote our last names on the walkway.

(My oldest babe, her Uncle Bryce, and her Tutu & Bubba)

This was before my cousin's rehearsal dinner.  There aren't any pictures from the dinner really because my sister and I spent most of the evening in a room by ourselves trying to soothe our sleepy babies.

This was at the wedding.  It was at a bed & breakfast with a great view.  Sawyer was a wild child at the event, but at least she was having fun, right?

This trip seems like it was oh so long ago, but I wanted to post some pictures before any more time got away from me.

I had such a great time with my family - I savor every second with them :)

Do YOU See the Resemblance?

Maybe it is just me...

But I see A LOT of similarities in these two.  

This is Sawyer at 110 days old...

And Harper at 101 days old...

I would have to say that these two definitely look like sisters.  Sawyer had a stronger neck though...she was holding her head up better at an earlier age:)

Changes on the Horizon

Our little girl is truly exiting babyhood now...

Just last week Sawyer started to tinkle on the potty (she isn't actually potty trained, but from time to time she will tell us she needs to use the restroom) and last night was her first night in her whole entire life without sleeping with her bink! These things are big people, Sawyer is growing up.  I love love this little gem of ours.    

Little Beauty

I like it so I wanted to share it. That is all.

Once Upon a Vacation

Just last Saturday we got home from a week vacation in Kauai for Marc's family reunion.  We had so much fun and we were so grateful we got to go on such an amazing trip.  Sawyer loved running around with her cousins and Harper was happy just hanging out :)  It got a little hectic at times with so many kids (12 kids, 7 adults) but I wouldn't have changed any of it.  

One of my most favorite experiences was taking a helicopter tour of the island.  Grandma & Grandpa watched our kids, and Marc and I went with our oldest nieces (Matisse & Aubrie) on the tour.

It was incredible seeing the island from up above.  We even flew into a volcanic crater, that was a first.

Harper was spoiled with lots of love (and Sawyer was too).

Sawyer liked the beach, but I think the highlight for her was the shower.  

We visited one of the wettest places on Earth (which happened to be breathtaking).

We drove to Princeville and enjoyed the beach there.  Marc and his brother-in-law played a little game to see who could get washed up onto shore the furthest...

I love my family.

One of my most favorite parts about vacation is having Marc with me and not working.  Blissful.  Wouldn't it be nice if we could retire at the ripe old age of 25/26 and move to Hawaii and bask in the sunshine all day everyday?

Grandma & Grandpa were kind enough to watch our little rascals for us again so that we could go on a boat tour of the Na'Pali Coast and do a little snorkeling.  We saw SO many dolphins it was ridiculous.  There were literally groups of like 10 dolphins at a time swimming.  I got a picture of one of the dolphins that was dancing in the water next to our boat.  I wouldn't mind being a dolphin.  

Harper slept through most of her Hawaii beach experience, but she did get to stick her feet in the ocean :)

We caught some pretty sweet sunsets.  There really was something heavenly about the pink sky.

I have a new food obsession...too bad I have to take a 6 hour plane ride to satisfy my craving.  Jo Jo's Hawaiian shaved ice was divine.  The Jo Jo's special comes highly recommended by me (and by like a million other people)!

We went to a luau.  The food was delish.  Sawyer was intrigued by the dancers.  She would watch them and try to imitate their hand/arm movements, so cute.

And the people that made all of this possible...

Grandma & Grandpa :) Thank you!