Thursday Outing

Today we had a fun outing to the Boise Zoo, I really have fun when we go there and this time was no different. This time we went with my cousin Cheryl and her 3 kids and this year Olivia got really into the animals! It made it even more fun to see her stand up in her stroller to see all the animals and squeal with delight as she'd watch them move around. I was impressed with how easily she'd spot each animal, such a big difference from last year. I think we'll have to go back at least one more time this summer especially since both the girls are still free.

Nap Time

We're doing good sleeping in our big girl bed at bedtime but today was the first time Olivia took a nap in her big girl bed. Olivia also has a new friend, Olivia the pig. Its actually a backpack, I think it'll come in handy on our upcoming adventure.

I'm A Big Kid Now!

(Here is Olivia cleaning the table between the girls beds.)

So lately I've really been into refinishing things, I've gotten picture frames I've repainted, furniture I've painted, I'm even making a coffee table out of old pallets from Jacob's work. Since I've been in a re-purposing phase I've also really gotten into going to yard sales and thrift stores, I just love getting things for a good deal! Jacob and I decided that by the end of the summer we wanted to find a dresser, a cozy coupe, and a bed for Olivia. We scored and found a almost new cozy coupe last week or the week before so now we are hunting down the dresser and bed. Jacob and I had talked about when we wanted Olivia in a bed and we knew that we at least wanted the girls in the same room by July. We'll be moving again in August and knew that wherever we ended up we wanted the girls to be in a room together. We figured on doing it while still in the house we're in to get them used to the idea. We didn't want them associating moving with having to share a room and maybe think of it as a bad thing. I mentioned the idea of sharing a room to Savannah last week or the week before and that very night she started scolding Jacob for not putting Olivia to sleep in her room. Savannah was instantly in love with the idea of having her sister sleep in the room with her. We told her that we needed to find Olivia a bed first and then they could share a room. The reason behind this is basically because we're lazy. We didn't feel like taking Olivia's crib apart and reassembling it, what if it didn't go well having them sleep together? We didn't want to have to take the crib apart again and then put it back together in Olivia's room. We just decided that since Olivia would be 2 in July it was time she got a bed so once we found one we liked that was inexpensive we'd move the girls into the same room. On Saturday we hit up a ton of yard sales! The day literally got away from us because I think we went to 3 or 4 neighborhood yard sales where multiple houses in a neighborhood have things for sale and then we also went to 4 individual yard sales we happened to be passing while driving to our next destination. The neighborhood sales were kind of a bust and we were a little discouraged and finally decided to head home. Then we saw a sign for a yard sale and decided to see what they had. That's where we saw it! An adorable antique day bed with a mattress, also right next to it were 2 matching headboards that we're adorable. At first I only had eyes for the bed and I made Jacob get out of the car to come check it out. We both liked it and all the parts we needed were there. I kept looking at the headboard and thinking how nice it would be for Savannah to have one for herself. The headboards were $20 each and the daybed was $30, I talked with the owner and told her I was interested in both but I was wondering if we could go down a tad on the price. She mentioned how bad she wanted both out of her garage so she'd do $40 for both. I was sold and put the money in her hand. Jacob had to drop off the girls and I and then head back to pick up the beds, as soon as he got home we put them all together and now the girls share a room and Olivia has a big girl bed.

 

 (Luckily I had some sheets for Olivia's bed but now we need to find a bedspread.)

 

 (I also have plans to do something with the gold knobs, they just don't do it for me.)

 

 (Here is Savannah's new headboard.)

 

 (It actually has two storage compartments behind where I have her pillows, I'm debating on weather to leave them be or cover them with bead board. I'm going to wait till we move since I might like that storage space in our next house.)

 Savannah is ecstatic and she and I had a very long talk before bed about what I expected from her and how I needed her to be an example to Olivia. Olivia loves jumping and playing on her bed and its perfect for her, although it is a bit high so it takes her a little while to climb on by herself. That fist night we put the girls in bed together and Jacob and I had very low expectations of how it would go. Savannah did wonderful! She only got up once to try and coral Olivia back in her bed but other then that Savannah just stayed in bed and even went to sleep all while Olivia kept climbing out and making noise. After an hour we put Olivia in her crib and she went right to sleep. Last night we tried again to see what would happen and low and behold Olivia went right to sleep! She even fell asleep before Savannah did, Savannah was still wonderful and kept quiet and didn't wake up Olivia. Now at 2 Olivia did wake up and come into my room and start hitting my bed to get my attention. I just scooped her up and took her right back in to her bed. She laid right back down and didn't get back up till 8. When I went into there room Olivia was trying to sit up and Savannah was sitting at the head of the bed singing Rock-a-bye-Baby. I'm not sure if Savannah woke Olivia up or not but I was just thrilled with how well the girls did. For nap time today I had to put Olivia in her crib but I'll keep working on that too and we'll see how Olivia does tonight.

Never Again

Its not the best photo I've taken but it gets my point across. This is all that is left from our dinner tonight, and its barley enough for another serving. Let me start by saying I've never been a fan of tomato soup, in fact I really never eat it because I really don't like it. This has now changed. I made this AMAZING soup for dinner tonight and I can't get enough of it. I may just hid the little bit we have left over from Jacob so I can eat it. I got the recipe from my Our Best Bites cookbook but here is the link to the recipe as well. It was a huge hit with our dinner guests who asked for the recipe before they left too. I will never again eat tomato soup now unless it is this, I'm already planning when I can make it next.

Feeding Ducks

 

 Having fun with our good friends the Baker's.

 Olivia kept getting too close to the water so we had to constantly hold her back.

The girls have been terrors all day! They keep making one huge mess after another and the only thing that has kept me sane is our play date we had this afternoon. The girls were even misbehaved during our outing but I at least got to visit with my friend JaNeil and have some adult interaction. It literally saved my sanity today because I was most definitely on the verge of losing it. Its quiet time and nap time right now which is also a nice break and a way to stock up on some more patience to last me threw the night. Oh I really do love my girls but today has just been one of those days.

Local Fun

I love summer! After being stuck indoors for months I love when the weather finally decides to warm up so we can go outside and have some fun. We had planned a play date for Thursday because they're my favorite because the zoo is half off and my girls are still free so for $6 we get to hang out at the zoo all day. Now this was our plan last Thursday but it was of course the only day of the week that was windy and cold! We were so disappointed that morning but soon another fun idea came into my head. So what place could bring these looks to my girls faces you may ask?

Well spending time with mom and their friends at the aquarium that's where! I will say after going to the Baltimore aquarium I was a tad disappointed but it was still such a fun time! Most of the exhibits are ones the kids can play in and touch the fish. The first tank you see holds the tropical fish and we had paid extra so we could feed the fish. I'm not sure what I was expecting but I quickly discovered what a wuss I am and Savannah followed my example. You're suppose to break off pieces of seaweed and hold it underwater while the fish come up and nibble it out of your hands. Well this simple task totally freaked me out so Savannah and I ended up breaking off pieces and then just dropping them in the tank. We also got to touch sharks and sting rays! Even Olivia got into that action and I was so proud of both my girls. They also brought out an iguana and Savannah fed it some lettuce! For Savannah this is huge and I was beaming with pride.

I loved seeing the kids explore and have so much fun, Savannah kept running around looking at everything and anything she could, she wanted to show me everything! Olivia loved to stare and watch all the fish and she though playing in the water was the best thing ever. I was so proud of the girls and we had such a great time playing together and with our friends!

Mother's Day 2012

Mother's Day...Where to begin? I really do love this day, I love seeing the cute things the girls make for me and I love having a day where I really think about what it means to be a mom. I feel so blessed to have the example of my own mother to look to when I question myself and have moments when I don't know how to handle a situation. My mother is amazing! I really don't have words to even describe how wonderful I think my mom is. The older I get the higher my opinion of her gets, I see tiny glimpses of things she went threw now that I'm a parent and I'm amazed with how well she handled herself. I know that my mother is by no means perfect but to me she really is and she can do no wrong. I hope that I can be like her and she is my best role model, besides Jacob she is one of my most treasured and best friends. I remember that when I was younger my friends wouldn't want to tell me their secrets because I would tell my mom everything. Now that I'm a mother I love thinking back to my memories of my mom. I know that I stumble along my path and have moments where I think can't someone just take these children away?! But as soon as they're gone I'm missing them desperately and counting down the minutes till they come back. I was driving home today after running to the store and had one of those moments where life was perfect. The windows were down, the radio was on, both girls were singing and dancing in their car seats, and I was filled with so much happiness and joy. I was filled with such gratitude that I am the mother to these two darling girls, that I get to be home with them all the time. Like many mothers I have moments where I sometimes wish my life were different but those moments seem to quickly disappear and are very soon replaced with happiness and joy. My days are filled with hugs and kisses, lively debates, snuggling, making treats, temper tantrums, reading books, working on projects, the butting of heads, patience learning, and about a hundred other things. In all honestly though I never want it to change, I love watching my children grow up, seeing their accomplishments, and being their best friends. My girls know I love them and I know they love me and really what more can a mother ask for?

Daddy Daughter Song

So every night Jacob and I each put one of the girls to bed. To figure out who takes care of which girl we let Savannah decide who she wants to put her to bed. Typically she ask if I'll do it but then she heard Jacob singing to Olivia and she started to get a bit jealous. One night she asked Jacob to put her to bed and for a good two weeks now she always picks her daddy. Jacob either sings Somewhere Over the Rainbow or Daddy's Little Girl per Savannah's request. We learned last night that Daddy's Little girl is her favorite when she started singing it in the bathtub while getting ready for bed. Jacob and I just couldn't stop smiling as she sang the song word for word all by herself. As soon as she got dressed in her nightgown I asked her if she'd sing it again with daddy so I could record her, she was very happy to comply. I think I've watched this video more times then I can count and it has helped me fall even more in love with our sweet little Savannah and my wonderful husband Jacob. I love that they have a special something that is just theirs. I hope you enjoy there song as much as I do.