Sometimes The Cuteness is Too Much!! ( with videos)

Sometimes the cuteness of these 2 little munchkins is too much! I am so blessed that Heavenly Father chose me to be their mommy and that I get to spend each day growing and learning with them! These girls are AMAZING!! They have definitely grown to be great sisters and AMAZING friends over the past 16 months. They do everything sisters do....they cuddle, they fight, they make up, they play together, they play NOT together, they look out for each other and most importantly they LOVE each other! When one of them wakes up in the morning they can't wait for the other to wake up so they can start talking and playing together!!

Micah and I waited a long time to become parents, but I am so grateful that Heavenly Father knows us so well and knows just what and who we need in our lives and family and now we are blessed to be able to welcome a 3rd baby to the crew too! And we couldn't be more excited about it (and a little nervous too)!!

No one can have more fun than 2 little kiddos in a box together!!

Especially these 2 silly girls!!
Almost got them both looking at me at the same time:)

Our Little Cook LOVES her kitchen!

I love how Haley always says cheese when we go to take her picture these days....too bad it is usually in the opposite direction:)

This was Emily at about 14 months.....walking in Daddy's Shoes(notice Haley taking note in her car seat)!
And here is Haley, at about 16 months, following in her sister's footsteps!

Their newest game!





Emily "playing" and singing!!

Emily's VERY FIRST Swimming Lesson!

Emily has never been a huge water baby, and granted part of that is probably due to the fact that I am not a water fanatic myself. But recently, in our little baby pool in the back yard she has been showing more interest in actually swimming. She started laying on her tummy in the pool and trying to move her arms, and then trying to swim on her back in the bath tub! And then, luckily for us, we bid on swimming lessons at a service auction at church a few months back, so I called up our friend who was offering the lessons and he was excited to get started!! So, Thursday July 7, 2011 we headed over to their pool in DunLora (the neighborhood right beside ours) for Emily's first lesson!
At first Emily was very nervous and a bit apprehensive, but once Daddy got into the water with her she started to loosen up a bit! She made friends with Troy rather quickly and by her second lesson the following Tuesday she even jumped to him in the pool and allowed him to walk her around in the pool while she practiced floating on her back! She has AMAZED us so far with how quickly she is picking up the basic skills that she is being taught! In 2 short lessons she has already become quite good and getting out of the pool on her own ("Elbow, Elbow, Belly, Knee) on the side of the pool to pull herself out!!
In short we are very grateful for Troy's willingness to help Emily with some of these most basic but extremely important skills and we are glad that Emily is truly enjoying it! I know as her mom I am really excited to watch her strengthen her abilities in the water and in trusting others to help her out when she needs it!

Just getting in the water for the 1st time with Daddy!
Listening to Troy in the water!

Getting her to trust the water (and Troy) by "fishing for a ring"!

Blowing Bubbles in the Water!
Practicing Getting Out of the Water at the Side of the Pool!

A Priceless Daddy/Daughter Moment!

Learning to float on her back!

You can see the concentration in her mouth!

"Shimmying along the side of the pool" (I LOVE this picture!!)

Getting used to water in her face!!

At the end of her lesson she got to play in the kiddie pool for a little while and she REALLY enjoyed that!

The Best Play Times are When Cousins Are Around!!

Last Thursday the girls and I were lucky enough to have Luke and Emma (their oldest 2 cousins) come over to play for the morning! I wasn't sure how it would be having 4 kiddos around, but I made a tentative plan of what we could do and the kids took care of the rest! All 4 of them had a BLAST!! Emily and Haley just adore big kids and Emma and Luke were no exception! They wanted to do what they did, they wanted to be where they were, they wanted to eat what they ate! It was really sweet to watch and Emma and Luke were such good examples to the girls too! They were so patient and kind to them! And when we built blocks they helped them build towers and when we did art they showed them how to decorate with stickers, Popsicle sticks and glue and when it was movie time they all cuddled up together and relaxed!! And we can't forget that later Dooders came by to pick up Emma and Luke and took us all to McDonalds!! One of the kids highlights, I am sure!!
We don't get to spend too much time with Emma and Luke because they live in Northern VA, and definitely not much one on one time, so this was a nice chance to bond and get to know them better!! And I, for one, am grateful to have had that opportunity!!

All 4 Blue Eyed Kiddos in front of one of their MANY masterpieces!!

Too Cute To Pass Up!



Working Together to make the PERFECT tower!

Haley: "Man, Luke sure can build an AWESOME tower!"

Posing with Another Lego Masterpiece!

Now it was time for some Gymnastics!

The Girls like Somersaults Best!

Hugs for Luke!

It was Art Time, but Haley was pre-occupied with the sail boat in her hair:)

Emily and Emma Working together to make something Spectacular!

This Boy can be creative now!

Still Steadily Creating:)

Luke and his FOUR Creations!

Haley didn't want to pose with hers, so I taped it to the side of her chair:)

Emma was very excited about her creations too!

Emily would only display hers if Emma could be in the picture too!!

Then it was time for Toy Story 2, for everyone but Haley!!

She just wanted to run around and pose for pictures!

And look out the window!

But these 2 were happy to share the couch for the movie!

Emma was all comfy and ready to relax!

Then Emily decided she would try out Emma's couch!

And it was a Perfect Coziness!

Then it was time for Emma and Luke to Go and Emily was a little sad about it, so we decided one more photo shoot would do the trick!

And Haley was excited about it too!

And Emily was happy to just be silly with her Cousin, Luke!

Celebrating a Great Friend's Birthday!!

Last weekend, July 3rd, we got to head up to Northern Virginia for the afternoon to celebrate Wyatt's, an amazing friend's, birthday!! We have been privileged to get to be at his last 3 birthday parties and the year before those they actually were traveling and stopped by our house instead:)
Micah and Wyatt have known each other for many years now and have formed quite a strong friendship and the girls and I have been fortunate enough to have been able to know the Murchison's and get to know and love them all over the past 6 years as well! Family and Great Friends truly do make life all the sweeter!!
We had a GREAT time with the Murchison's, as always! They always make us feel right at home and all of us LOVE spending time with them! This year's party was filled with Great Company, Amazing Food and LOTS of play time (and snuggle time) for the girls:)

Micah and Wyatt!

Wyatt, Matthew & Micah Getting Chummy!

Wyatt, Waiting for Cake with his little nephew Victor!!

Making a Birthday Wish!

Present Time is ALWAYS a Fun Time!

And the more kids you have gathered around the better!

Our Girls DEFINITELY enjoyed all of the party paraphernalia, that is for sure!

Happiness!

Emily sure LOVES her Norma!!

Even though Emily has the same smile in this one, I thought it was a Great Picture of Norma!

Haley wasn't quite ready to settle down for a picture quite yet:)

Now she was Ready!!

A Cute Little Video of Haley Dancing to One of Wyatt's Musical Birthday Cards!