15.7 Inches!

If you have seen the weather, most of you know that we got a bunch. Here are some pictures. We actually lucked out on our street because the wind blew most of it out of our front yard, but some of our neighbors were not as lucky. The houses that face north have some pretty big drifts. These are the kind of snows I remember as a little girl!

Happy Birthday to these Sweet Little Girls Too!

Snow Day!

Okay, so it has been a while but I thought I would try to get back to updating my blog.

We had a SNOW DAY today and basically the entire city of Des Moines was shut down. Dave even got to stay home with all of us girls today! We never even got out of our jammies and we sipped hot cocoa. The drift out our basement window is taller than Addie. I hope to get a picture or two of her out in it, but it is extremely cold, so I will wait for the temp. to be above freezing.

The Latest Knit!

Okay, so this little lion has been sitting in my knitting bag for almost a year. I finally got him out and finished it today. Elise was happy to model it for me so I could take a picture. As I sewed the eyes and nose on, Addison, told me about how she was going to make a hat for Geoffy (her favorite, stuffed pet animal.) She unraveled lots of yarn and cut hundreds of pieces. She worked so hard, I might just have to knit up a hat for her little Geoffy to wear.

This hat is for my cousin's little boy Talen. Hopefully it fits! It is very stretchy, even Addie can put it on, so it should be okay.

Hope it keeps your little noggin warm Talen!

Geoffy's hat made with love by Addie!

Looking Back!

When I saw that Dave took this picture of Elise it reminded me of the one I took of Addison. I had to compare them both to see how much they look alike. They are not quite the same age in the photos; about 2 months difference from when the pictures were taken.

Back to School!

I can't believe it is already that time again. My niece and nephew in Atlanta already started back to school this week. The other morning a neighbor and I walked the girls over to the school bus lot. They got to check out the buses and counted all 4 of them. It was cute to see that their little heads just barely reached the top of the big wheels on the school bus.

I always have bittersweet feelings during this time of year. Half of me wishes I was getting my own classroom ready for the first days of school and the other half is grateful that I don't have to be worrying about all that beginning of the year stuff. They say that when you are ready to go back you will know it. I think my time to be back in the classroom is nearing, but I am certainly not ready this year. One more year of dust settling on my "teacher stuff" will not harm it... right?

Fun in the Sun!

This morning we headed over to the fountains at West Glen. It was a fun way to spend a hot August summer morning. Addison and Elise both had fun getting wet. I am hoping all that fun in the sun will equal long afternoon naps!!!!

Lil'Miss Giggles a Lot!

Poolside!

Today the girls spent their lunch hour by the pool! I thought they would certainly be ready for a long afternoon nap, but was wrong. Addison refused to nap at all and Elise snoozed for only 45 minutes. It seems the more I want them to nap the less they do. Sigh!

Then at 4:30 we loaded up in the car for TCBY. The only way to make a bad afternoon better is with a little ice cream (for me...of course.)

Up, up, and away....

Monday night we took the girls to the hot air balloon races in Indianola, IA. It was neat to see them air up and float off into the sky. The trip itself was mostly a disaster (cranky babies, hot and humid weather, etc...,) but at least we made it there and back home in one piece.

The balloon pictured here was Addison's favorite. Probably because it was blue (her favorite color.) She kept trying to get Dave or me to go with her and ride a balloon. It was cute that she thought we could just go up there and ride one. Anyhow the blue balloon was kind of special because it was the one that would drop the marker for the other balloon's to race to.

We did not stay much longer after all the balloons were in the sky, but we were glad to have made the trip.

Elise's Room!

Well, here are a few pics of Elise's room. There are still a few small projects I need to finish in order for it to be complete, but I thought I would go ahead and post a few pics.

When I get the dandelion photograph framed I will post a picture of that too.

Pizza for Lunch!

This video is way past due, but Elise has been crawling now for a little over a month. Yes, I got her first moves on video, but they are on the other camera and I still have not taken the time to learn how to download video from that camera into the computer. I probably never will now that I have my awesome iPhone and can just upload quick video tidbits this way. Some day I may get a chance to tackle all that old footage and make a DVD out of it.

Today Addison made a pizza and brought it upstairs for Elise and I to eat for lunch. She is such a nice big sister.

Notice how Elise crawls on her feet instead of her knees. She used to just do this only on the hardwoods, but she must have decided that it was best for crawling on any surface. When she spots a toy (or other item) she wants across the room she sure can get there fast. Sometimes I can hardly beat her to it. She especially loves shoes, so I try to keep them off the floor now.

Elise also has 4 teeth coming in for a total of 6 once they all break through.

Elisie Bed Head!

Elise rocks some pretty great hairstyles in the morning. I know her hair is getting long and her bangs hang down into her eyes unless I put a bow in it, but I just don't think I can bring myself to take her in for a haircut yet. I love that floppy mop!!!

Happy 30th to Me!

Thanks for all of your sweet birthday wishes and surprises!

I have been spoiled (and loved every bit of it!)

I Just Couldn't Resist!

I know, you can only look at another person's baby so many times and tell them how cute their baby is so many times, but I just had to post this pic of Elise. Something about the fluffy dark hair and big eyes makes it hard for me to resist pulling my camera out for a few pics.

Oh, did I mention I got a new lens too.... so, I had to test it out of course!!!

Addison provides lots of entertainment these days. She loves to swim and the other day she decided to try on one of my suits. It was pretty funny watching her figure out how to put it on and pretend swim on the living room floor.

Our Dog

This is Bo's new collar. Yes, it is quite stylish for a southern dog, but I think he'll be able to pull off this new look. Ever since a baby showed up at our door Bo has had to take a backseat in our lives. Don't feel too sorry for him though. He has a great life in Omaha and I don't think he'd have it any other way; 10 acres of freedom, steak dinners nightly, a private pool, and a best friend that takes him everywhere he goes. Thanks for taking care of our Bo-Jamma Mom and Dad. Can't wait to put the new collar on Bo.

Strike A Pose!

Elise finally unleashed "blue steel" for the first time!

Pursed lips

perfectly feathered hair

straight out of the crib!

Playing in Photoshop

Well, I have been playing around in Photoshop and found this cool new action called "Old West" from the PWPhotography blog. I love how it made these pictures look. Addison and her friend had such a fun time at the Omaha Zoo last weekend. Looking back I wish I would have taken more pictures, but I think I would have driven Dave crazy if I pulled out my camera one more time. We didn't make it around the entire zoo in one day, so I will be planning another trip back later this summer. What would be a good title for these pictures?

Time Flys!

Since April our life has been a whirlwind with one event/milestone after another.  Between holidays, weddings, baptisms, hospital visits, family and friends visiting, and daily life I have been finding it hard to get away to blog.  So, this is my attempt to catch you all up beginning with the most recent:

Elise had her 6 month checkup:

she is 27.5 inches long and 16lbs and 13 oz.  The doctor said she looks perfectly healthy.  Hurray!  Elise is quite mobile and can pretty much get where ever she wants.  She does the "inchworm" right now which looks like a modified crawl.  I am hoping she does not truly start crawling for a while yet.  Among other things Elise can sit up by herself unsupported and has even had a few tug of war matches with her big sister.  Addie usually wins the war, but Elise wins the internal struggle because it really wasn't the toy she wanted at all; just a little attention from big sis.  Elise screams with laughter every time Addie comes near.  Addie likes Elise too, but she can get a little annoyed that Elise does not play with the toys how Addie would like for her to.  And so...................... sisterhood begins!

Ouch!  I got 4 shots today.  At least the nurse gave me matching bandages.

Addison has started potty-training.....

Day 1: (yesterday) awesome!  She went on the potty and made several other attempts having only one accident; but was on her way to the potty screaming franticly "me go potty, me go potty" when the accident happened.

Day 2: (today) No wee wee or poo poo to speak of on the potty.  Has made several attempts (under heavy suggestion) and within the first 2hours of the day we had at least 4 mini accidents (please see pic) our underwear resources are running low (the flamingos were 1st to go down followed by the ladybugs, cats and monkeys).... hopefully things will pick-up after naptime.  There are frogs, ducks, and Tinkerbell ready for "dooty" if needed.

A few members of the Riley Family visited us for the Memorial Day weekend.  Thanks for driving all that way Skip, Tina, Chris and Sean.  It was great to see you all and hopefully we will make it back to OKC before too long.  Addison followed Sean around the whole time and wanted to sit in his lap each time he sat down.  He was a sport and played with Addie as much as he could and even read a few stories to her.  When it was time for them to go, Addie asked Sean for a kiss.  It was so sweet!

Don't mind Addison's bad hair moment.  She has decided to grow it out since getting out to the salon each month is a little tough to do.  Even though bangs are cool, Addie is going to let them grow!!!

Let's go fly a kite!

Elise was baptized.  Thank you Godparents Anthony and Jenny for coming and to everyone else who helped us celebrate that day.  I'm slowly working on the thank-yous!

I'm going to have to get back to this later.  It is taking too much time.  I've got laundry to fold and a sticky table to clean up before the little ones wake up.

Growing Like a Weed!

So, here I am at 5 months old already!  I love to smile and laugh at anyone who will look at me.  I like to jump in my jumperoo and watch Addison run around the room.  She is such a busy girl and enjoys trading toys with me.  She also likes to give me check-ups with her pretend stethoscope and thermometer.  

I am still unwilling to let my Mommy sleep through the night.  Occasionally, I will treat her to a full night's rest, but for the most part I still like for her to come in and see me for a while!  The night is long and I miss my Mommy!  

I have almost outgrown this diaper cover, so it was high time Mommy got the camera out and snapped a few pics of me.  

Ciao! 

New Floor for Elise!

I am admiring Elise's new flooring in her bedroom. It is so pretty. I can't wait to make her nursery all her own. Check back soon to see the finished product. It only took 1 guy 5 hours to complete the project. Elise slept through the nail gun and banging all afternoon! Woohoo!

For Your Tuesday Morning Viewing Pleasure!

Here you see Elise rolling over all by herself. She did it for the 1st time a few days ago and can now roll across the floor if she really wants to. She is such a happy baby and I think she must be pretty stoked that she can do something all by herself. I hope you enjoy the video. There is sound with it too in case your speakers are turned off!

The Latest Out of the Mouth of My 2 Year Old....

Hello! I know I should be napping right now, but here I am on the internet. I always say I will just quick check email etc..., but before I know it a half hour already has passed.

Anyhow, below are a few things that Addie has been saying lately:
"here come" = as in here comes the _____ (ball, car, Addie, etc...)
"now mama" = sounds very demanding so I always need it followed up with a please
"no, no Elise" = self explanatory; telling little sis what she can and cannot do is BIG fun

Addison's Brown Polka Dot Jammies!

No, she does not wear them every day, but it is funny that she has them on in the last 3 posts. I am very busy, but I promise I do change her!!!

In Just 3 Short Months!

Elise is growing so fast. With baby #2 instead of wondering "when is she going to do this or that" one day you are watching her and it is "Oh my gosh, she is already doing such and such! Elise is now grasping objects of any kind and bringing them into her mouth, she puts her leg on top of the rail on her bouncy chair, she can sit-up in the Bumbo well, she makes bubbles and raspberries, and she also tries to make conversation with you by making noises when you talk. She is ever so close to rolling over from back to front too. Way to go Elise!!!

Pugwug and Little!

One of Addison's favorite stories we have been reading to her is the story of Pugwug and Little. In this story a young penguin named Pugwug must take care of his parent's egg until it hatches into a baby sister penguin. We couldn't help but notice the similarities between "Little" and Elise.

(both are little sisters, both cannot throw a ball yet, and both have a little tuft of hair that curls on the top of their heads)

Addie also has a new favorite cereal...Rice Krispies...Snap, Crackle, Pop!!!