Audrey's 1st Birthday

Make a Smilebox slideshow

What a year this has been. Wow. It has flown by. Just a year ago, Jessie was living with us and we were getting ready for Audrey. When I found out I was pregnant and looked at my 6 month old, I was overwhelmed. 9 months later, I was still overwhelmed, but the minute Audrey joined our family (Nov. 29, 2007), I fell head over heels in love with her, just like every single person that meets her. I created a slide to remember her year by. Some of these are repeat pics but most have not been posted to my blog. We had a big party for her today and thanks to everyone that could come. You are all such a wonderful part of our lives. We have so much going on this week, that everything for the party was done in the two hours of naptime right before the party started. I guess that goes with this age group though. Audrey, we love you so much and I cannot imagine our family without you!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We have a Thanksgiving tradition since living in NC, to get pictures with Travis and Stephanie at Metrolina Greenhouse in their poinsettias. With kids our age, we don't have high expectations. The sun was in just the wrong place so all the pictures have shadows, but just imagine miles and miles of poinsettias. Metrolina grows for all the Lowes on the eastern seaboard, so if you want a beautiful poinsettia, head to Lowes.

I would be totally ungrateful if I didn't mention some of the things I was thankful for today.

1. My amazing husband. One word - WOW!

2. Two wonderful kids that make me laugh (and groan) every single day.

3. In-laws that never cease to surprise me. Think of every terrible in-law story you have every heard and mine are just the opposite.

4. A fun job, with the best co-worker ever.....Tom. (Technically he is my co-worker in BOTH my jobs.)

5. A beautiful home in a great neighborhood.

6. Super neighbors.

7. Friends who I am close enough to rely on for everything from help with my kids, to advise, and just an ear to listen to my complaining.

8. Finding old friends on FB and the blog.

9. Dinner at home. Tom and I BOTH love to cook.

10. Most of all I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Thanksgiving Day closes and the Christmas holiday begins, I hope we can remember the true reason for the season.

Pillow Talk

Not everything in a marriage can stay the same. I think back to our first married days and things were a lot different. Tom was traveling 5 days a week/3 weeks a month which really helped us adjust to each other since we were both rather set in our ways. But those days he was home, we tried to spend as much time together as possible. We would lay awake talking non-stop because we just didn't have enough hours in the day. We moved to North Carolina and life adjusted as well. Tom and I were together a LOT more and working 10-18 hour days. That was one of my favorite times in my life. We didn't have a lot of free time, but our work time was spent together. We added Ella in the mix and what little free time we had disappeared. Soon after came Audrey and now we don't find time to do half of the things we would like to. When Tom and I go to bed at night, it is usually at different times and we fall in bed exhausted. Last night as I was about to drift off to sleep, Tom repeated something funny Ella said. I started giggling. Before long, we were both comparing our favorite "quirks" about our kids and each other. I was laughing so hard I couldn't stop. I would never trade all the changes that have occured in our marriage, but it is nice to keep some of the little traits from the beginning as well. Although I am tired today from less sleep, I would never trade my Pillow Talk.

Sharing Means.....Time Out

Although I don't work full time, I still do work.....usually 2 or 3 days a week. Ella and Audrey are watched by a wonderful woman in my ward. She has a daughter, Madison, that is just older then Ella and she recently started watching a little boy just a couple months older then Audrey. Ella and Madison are both still trying to work on the whole sharing concept. It is pretty common when I pick Ella up and ask her if she was a good girl she says "Ella Time Out. Madison Time Out." As soon as she knows she is doing or has done something wrong, she will come up and tell me "Ella Time Out". So Tom and I have been trying to work with her. Today while making dinner we were all in the kitchen and Tom asked Ella if she shared today. She promptly replied "YES!". Then Tom asked "Do you know what sharing means?" She quickly answered "Time Out"


PS.Self portrait

Birthday Week....

It is kind of a running joke between Tom and me about birthday week. I had a good friend whose family didn't have a lot of money, so they did little things the entire week of their birthday. They didn't get huge presents, but they got to pick out dinner, or family members would leave them little notes, they had the house decorated the whole week, all leading up to their birthday. Tom thought it was a great idea but WITH the gifts. Our Birthday Week has kind of morphed into a birthday month, because it seems we do things the week before, after, and everything we want in the vicinity of the birthday gets tagged as "Birthday Week" gifts or dinner or activity. My birthday was on Saturday. Tom and the girls got me beautiful jewelry to replace the all my necklaces and earrings that the girls have broken. (I stopped counting...) I also loved the other gifts I got from wonderful family and friends, especially the egg beater from Mom and Dad H. Tom surprised me by taking me the Melting Pot. For those of you that don't know I LOVE the Melting Pot. The food is good, but fondue just holds a special place in my heart from my childhood. (It was always my birthday dinner as a kid.) And if you have not tried their Bananas Foster, you are MISSING OUT! You will probably even see the 5 lbs I gained at dinner.






Continuing with Birthday Week, yesterday I had a training in Columbia, SC. After the training I stayed and did a temple session. Columbia is our closest temple (little over 1 1/2 hours away) so it was nice to be able to just combine the trips. It was the first time that I have gone to the temple by myself. They have very few sessions there and can only do one at a time, so I had to wait for the 7pm session. We were done by 9 and so I didn't get home until 10:45. Tom picked the girls up from the sitters...we love Cassie.... got them fed, cleaned up, played with them AND Daisy, prayers said and on to bed. What a great husband! On top of that, he is doing Daddy duty again on Friday night so I can have a girl's night out to see Twilight!!! What a wonderful birthday week it has been!

Family Pictures Below

So I tried to post this with the slideshow, but no luck. If any of you would like any of the pictures, let me know. We have a ton and we bought them to give to our family and friends. I am trying smilebox, we will see how it goes.

Some of the pictures are of my attempts at actually doing the girls hair. It is harder then it looks when your kids are that young.

Fun Fotos

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Fall Festivities!

It is jacket season in North Carolina. It turned cold quick! These were taken right before our visit from Grandma and Gramps. The girls LOVE to play outside and as long as it is not raining or freezing cold, we try to spend time outside everyday. The bike is actually Ella's, but Audrey sneaks on it as often as she can without getting caught. The first picture is one raining day when the girls were entertaining themselves with loading up the dishwasher. They think it is the coolest "toy" we have.

Grandma loves to spend time with the girls and they sure love her back. She is reading to the girls and Audrey was reading back to her. (It was right after bathtime.) Audrey finally warmed up to Grandma after spending some alone time with her, plus Grandma let her ride the horse and gave her lots of treats....and hugs.

Heading to the ward Trunk or Treat. Ella quickly learned that putting on the kangaroo costume and saying "Trick or Treat" gave her the sugar high! I think that Halloween is her new favorite holiday. (At least until she understands about Christmas!) Tom helped Ella color and went with the girls for their first trick or treating experience while I handed out candy.

Audrey is our Monkey. The first picture gives you an idea of why we searched for a monkey costume for her. When the stair gate is closed, she has decided that won't stop her from climbing the stairs. She will just go up outside the banister. Sabey, Travis and Stephanie came Trick or Treating with us. Our neighborhood had lots of decked out houses and Ella charmed all the neighbors with her "Trick a Teet" and "Happy How-wa-ween".