Big girl beds....

In our attempt to get ready for our little boy arriving this summer, we decided to get the girls adjusted to new living arrangements. They already shared a room, but Aleece was in a toddler bed, and Madelaine was still in her crib. So yesterday we bought Aleece a new "big girl" bed. She is now the proud owner of a twin size bed, with lots of fun drawers and stuff! She was so excited to make this transition. We went to the store to pick out some new bedding and she had such a great time making her choice and helping us put her new sheets and comforter on when we got home. And of course, Lainey is thrilled with the fact that she now also has a "big girl" bed. She loves that she can climb in and out of it on her own. The best part is, night #1 in this transition period went fabulously! Leecy T even informed us when she was put to bed, that she didn't need her lamp on or even a story read to her. (I'm not sure how long the no story part will last however!) What a big girl she is! I love my girls so much and love watching them transition from one stage to another. They continually amaze me!!! Here are some pictures for your enjoyment!




Leecy T on her new big girl bed!!!



Leecy and Lainey having a great time being silly!


What a big girl!


I'm a big girl too! :)

Leecy's Fish

Aleece recieved a fish tank and some fish from her Uncle Chandler an Aunt Jessica when they came to visit us last week, and she has been so thrilled with them! She loves to stand in front of the tank and watch them and even gave them all names (mostly princess names, but there are some other Disney characters thrown in for a little variety!). The other day one of her fish died, so we took it to the store to replace it. After we returned home and had placed the fish in his new home, Val heard Leecy talking to them. She was telling them that while this new fish wasn't the same as the old white fish, he was still very nice, and that the new fish was in a better place. How cute is she?

Easter surprise!

I guess I didn't get our Easter paraphanalia put away quickly enough, because this is what I entered the living room to find the other night! What a great after Easter surprise! How funny is it that at almost 17 months, she can still fit inside an Easter basket?!

Happy Easter!!!

An Easter Blessing

May your spirit soar on a joyful breeze.....
May your wishes fly to where rainbows begin.....
May your dreams take root in a hopeful heart.....
...and may happiness walk beside you always!

Happy Easter everyone!
Here are some picture highlights from our weekend!
We hope yours was as wonderful as ours!

Tagged

So I was tagged by Kathy to list 7 random things about myself. Here goes......

1. I love being pregnant. I'm in better shape when I'm pregnant than any other time, for some strange reason! I don't gain much weight and I don't have to worry about just being fat! Plus feeling the baby kick is such an incredible experience!

2. I absolutely love going to the zoo. Maybe more than my children! :) I don't know what my fascination is, but I always have such a great time!

3. I can totally tune anyone and anything out when I am reading. Blessing or curse? I'm really not sure!

4. I hate throw up. I will do anything in my power to prevent myself from doing it (even if it would make me feel better!), and I can't be in the same room as someone who has. I know it's my subconcious but I just can't help it! Baby spit up I'm fine with, but as soon as my kids have been old enough to have substanstial puke, it's Val's turn! Sorry honey!

5. The older I have gotten, the more fears I have developed. I think part of it has been in becoming a mother. I have such a strong need to protect my children that so many more things seem unsafe. Bridges collapsing, public shootings, flying, heights. Pathetic, I know. I really try hard to not let allow it to affect me too much. But I always have those underlying fears!

This is getting harder. I can't seem to think of anything interesting....let's see....

6. I'm never sure where to call "home" when someone asks me. I've moved around so much in my life, it's hard to pinpoint any one place. I resided the longest amount of time in Texas, and have so many fond memories from there, but I was born in Ohio, started school in England, moved to Utah after graduating high school, have also lived in South Carolina, Minnesota and now Tennessee. I guess I would have to say home is wherever my family is. One of my favorite quotes is "Home is not a place, it is a feeling." I 100% concur!!!

7. I love any and all holidays! My parents always made every holiday fun and it has made me want to do the same for my children! Any excuse to celebrate! I love all of our traditions and hope our children will pass them on also!

There you have it. Not necessarily interesting, but seven random things about me, nonetheless! :) I guess I am supposed to tag a couple of people, so I tag Patty, Katchie, Mary Rose, and Noelle!

Can I, May I?

The days all seem to pass so quickly, before I know it, it's been a while since I've had the chance to blog!

We have tried to get Aleece to start saying "May I?" versus "Can I?" Well, we've definitely succeeded in confusing her! Now she simply says, "Can I, May I, please......" It really is quite humorous!

The other day while the girls were taking a bath Lainey put her hand over her heart and Leecy says to her, "That's right Lainey. That's where the Holy Ghost lives!" How cute is that? I couldn't ask for two better girls! :)

We went to an Easter picnic/party for our ward this morning and the girls had such a fun time collecting eggs on the Easter egg hunt! It was supposed to take place at a really nice park in our area, but due to inclement weather it was held in our church building. Not nearly as fun of an atmosphere, but when candy is involved, what do kids care?

We are excited for this coming week because it is Val's spring break! That means we get him all to ourselves for one whole week! We can't wait!

Tribute

My sweet husbands birthday is today and I've been thinking all day about how very lucky I am to be married to him. This is the seventh birthday I will be celebrating with him--it's remarkable how quickly time passes us by. We have been through so many changes in our lives since we first met, but our love has continued to grow each and every day since the moment our paths crossed. Val is one of the most caring, passionate, loving people I know. He is an amazing husband and father and he works so hard to provide for our family and allow me to stay at home and raise our children. He is one of the most talented people there is. I love to hear him sing and play the piano. He is so passionate about the way he performs, and the way he teaches and anyone who has the opportunity to hear him is truly blessed. Sometimes when you hear people perform, you know they are playing the right notes, but there is no passion there. I love to listen to Val because he always brings something new to what he is doing. He loves it and you know it. I love that Val can make our girls giggle like no one else! They love to tease him and play games with him and I just like to sit back sometimes and watch. They are the moments that I lock away into my memory, so that I won't ever forget them. I love that Val is an incredibly hard worker. He has always been dedicated to his jobs, even when he hasn't enjoyed them. It's nice that he finally has been rewarded with a job he enjoys so much. What it all boils down to is that I love my husband with my whole heart and soul and I am so thankful to be his wife. He is an incredible spirit and he has touched many lives! Happy birthday sweetie! I love you!

Baby bump

Okay, I know I've slacked but here is a picture of the baby bump! I am approximately 22 1/2 weeks. I haven't gained any weight yet, yet am somehow still huge!

Frosty the Snowman

Aleece and I made a snowman this morning! The weather was so nice outside despite all of the snow! She affectionately named her snowman Frosty! Lainey wanted to be outside too so Daddy brought her out and we had a snowball fight. Madelaine would just laugh and laugh every time someone threw a snowball. It was so funny to watch! Here are a few pictures!




Aleece gathering sticks for her snowman's arms.


Aleece giving the snowman arms.


Aleece and Frosty holding hands!


Lainey and Frosty--she thought he was hilarious!


They are the same height!

It's raining.....it's snowing!

Who would think that there would be snow in Memphis in March? I mean, we didn't get any all winter long, but sure enough we have been in a winter weather warning since midnight last night, and already have several inches on the ground, with several more to come! The girls were enthralled with the snow and begged to go out. Aleece had a carrot all ready for her snowman that she was going to make (which we never got around to...it was just way too cold!). So we bundled them up as well as we could and they ended up looking like little stay puft marshmallow men! (Ghostbusters, anyone?) They were so fun to watch! Aleece just ran around the yard, made a few snowangels and enjoyed every minute! Madelaine had a hard time staying upright with as much as she was bundled up, but enjoyed it even when she was flat on her back! :) Here are a few pictures to commemorate this occasion---trust me this doesn't happen very often here! The whole city has pretty much shut down--nobody knows how to deal with this! It's actually pretty funny!




Aleece running through the snow!


Madelaine trying to stay upright! Loving the snow!


Our little snow angel!


No matter the temperature--she loves the outdoors!

Pet peeves and cookies

We took the girls to the most fabulous park today. It has several playgrounds, swings, plenty of picnic benches, and the weather was perfect. The girls had so much fun. Val and I thoroughly enjoyed playing with the girls and finally being able to spend some time outside. My only pet peeve when it comes to the park is children who are unattended. This doesn't always mean that there isn't a parent there, it just means the parent obviously has something better to do than watch their own children. Everything would go so much more smoothly if all of the kids took turns, instead of shoving other kids out of the way and blocking slides, etc. I know most of these parents probably have no idea what is going on because they believe there children are old enough to 1) hopefully know better than to bully younger children and 2) not have to be supervised at all times. Unfortunately that isn't always the case. I guess being a mother to younger children I notice more of this, and am going to make sure I never get included in the group of parents I mentioned previously!
Another thing I have noticed over the past two weeks is the sudden appearance of girl scout cookies EVERYWHERE! I can't leave my house without coming across a stand of some kind with cute little girl scouts pleading for you to buy there cookies. I was a girl scout myself and remember all of the drama that came with selling cookies. Knocking on doors and begging people to buy something was not my favorite part of being a girl scout by any means! I remember wanting to sell enough cookies to win certain prizes, but in reality, I don't know how ANY of those prizes where even really achievable! It has been enough years without having had a girl scout cookie, that I'm almost afraid I've forgotten what they taste like! And I have to tell you, that being pregnant, I have to try and steer clear of all of these stands, because I want to give in and buy a box of Samoa's so badly! But they now charge a whopping $3.50 a box! I just can't see spending that kind of money on a box of cookies, no matter how good I imagine they might taste! Plus, I'm almost certain they are better in my imagination....so why ruin a good thing? :)