Middle Child Monkey...Monthly Update

Presley Ella
2 Years, 3 Months Old
This little lady is one small peanut who still can fit her cute little tush into a size 18 months or 2T.
She is a LOVER of anything baby related...babies, blankets, bottles, strollers, diapers, clothes.
Presley has started kissing my belly everyday now saying "Awe, my brother! He so cute!"
Girly has embraced school with a smile,  and boy does she have them fooled with her cuteness!

First Born Princess...Monthly Update

The girls are growing so damn fast! I blink and they are taller, smarter, and more beautiful! I try my best to document the growth on our blog through our daily, weekly, and monthly events, but I get behind because life happens. So, I've decided to start doing a monthly update on each one of them to more vividly show their growth, their progress, and to simple state something that strikes me about them in the short four week span, because we all know that one day we won't remember these little moments like we do today! So...here it goes!

Giulietta Elizabeth
4 years, 5 months old
This girl LOVES anything to do with drawing, painting, or making her creative mark on this world. She is hating change these days, and is especially sensitive when it comes to her new shared room.
G is writing all the time, asking how to spell things, and noticing patterns in language & vocabulary.
She takes a special interest in keeping Presley safe, taken care of, and happy!

Hop Hop HIppity Hop!!

This Easter was filled with lots of Hippity Hopping and bunny basket fun, a yummy breakfast with my first ever attempt at festive deviled eggs, visits with lots of cousins, an Easter egg hunt,  pretty dresses & big brimmed hats, and LOADS of candy!

The girls woke up to Bunny prints, candy filled eggs, and carrots sprawled all over the floors of our home. I was so excited to capture their faces when they witnessed this magic that I literally slept with my camera on my night stand and set my alarm clock so I would make it into the hallway before them. They pointed, touched, giggled and hopped around imitating the bunny that had left his mark in our home the night before. With the magic flowing, the girls followed the prints to our dining room table where they found their bunny baskets overflowing with a few of their favorites as well as a bunch of candy! And, of course I allowed them to dive into the chocolate at 7 AM in the morning! Why not?

The day continued with breakfast around our table that included festive deviled eggs, delicious baked french toast, a crock pot ham, and a few others. Nana & Fafa, Fafa Rick, Uncle Nick, Auntie Laura & Baby Isla joined us as we ate, chatted, & enjoyed each others company. In the early afternoon, we ventured over to Aunt Bonnie's house for an Easter Egg hunt & more chocolate with more cousins! The girls took a quick trip with Nana to Knott's later in the afternoon, and we all ended up back at Nana & Fafa's house in the evening for a little TV watching.

All in all this Easter was amazingly spent with family celebrating love and life. It's becoming more and more real that next year we will have a little man joining our family. And, YES he will be wearing a Pink tie!

Egg Dying Party...A Family Tradition Continued

When I was a young child, we would dye Easter Eggs every year with my cousins! The colored tablets would be placed in cups, hard boiled eggs would lie in there cartons, each child would get a spoon, and we all would sit around a table turning the plain white eggs into magical colored ones. Even though this was one afternoon a year, the memories of the time spent with my family have been permanently imprinted on my heart.  So, I have continued this tradition with my own children.

Every year, we have dyed Easter Eggs sitting in our dining room with our "cousins, " the Phee Family! Every year, I invite more and more family & friends to join us, because for me...the more the merrier! This year, the Phees (both Charlie & Alice), as well as the girls new friends, Kate & Vivienne, joined us in our yearly tradition. The kidlets turned their eggs & little fingers brilliant colors, played a little, listened to Nana read them a special Easter story, & indulged on some yummy Spring cupcakes! It was a wonderful afternoon spent with our "cousins" & dear friends continuing a tradition that I hope one day my girls will hold dear to their heart just as I do!

Keep Wishing First Born

A few weeks ago I took a walk with Giulietta...just Giulietta! This is a rare occasion for us, so I spent a lot of time soaking up my first born. I walked quietly behind her, watched her peddle and peddle her bike down the sidewalk, and sat in awe as she gently picked this dandelion and blew it into the wind making a wish! As I am watching this precious moment unfold, the Rascal Flatts song "My Wish" popped into my head. And, it hit me that I have so many wishes for my sweet girl!

Giulietta...

Keep dreaming, 

keep growing, 

keep smiling, 

keep questioning life, 

keep laughing, 

keep being the peace maker, 

keep taking care of others,

keep loving life,

keep looking at the world with the glass half full,

keep exploring,

keep learning, 

keep knowing exactly what you want, 

and, keep wishing! 

We love you! 

I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.

But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

This is my wish
I hope you know somebody loves you
May all your dreams stay big

*Lyrics are from the song "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts & this was the song Ryan danced to with his Mom at our wedding! 

That Sneaky LIttle Leprechaun

This year, Giulietta hasn't stopped talking about St. Patrick's Day! I'm not sure why, but for some reason she feels like everyone has skipped over this little holiday rather too quickly! Just like most of us, my observant four year old has commented about how stores started carrying Easter and Summer items long before St. Patrick's Day was here. And, this really seemed to upset her! She expressed that St. Patrick's Day, Leprechauns, and little green shamrocks should be given their time!

So, what was I to do? I needed to make it special for my little lady who felt like something was passing her by in flash! I bought fabric, made dresses (with holes in the pocket so little gold nuggets could fall out, oops!), created special leprechaun art projects as well as Lucky Charms treats at their preschool, and let green into our home! She smiled all week as we talked about leprechauns, shamrocks, the color green, and St. Patrick's Day. Presley enjoyably followed along, finding her big sisters amazement with this holiday fun exciting.

To top it off, that sneaky little leprechaun visited our home today leaving my girls some green little footprints, some green shamrock cookies, and two green peppers for an art project! They squealed with delight when they saw that he had been there, they danced on his footprints marveling at how sneaky he was, they took huge bites of their green cookies relishing in the magic of St. Patrick's Day, and then they made a few shamrocks of their own with the peppers Mr. Leprechaun left them! Today was certainly a magical St. Patrick's Day and one I hope they never forget!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you & yours!