Stormy

 We had such a fun weekend and one of our outings included a stop at Aunt Dianne & Uncle Mike's house to see the new baby pony that was born (she told me the correct name for the baby pony is a stud but I will continue to call it a pony).  He's adorable and they are going to call him Stormy because he was born on a stormy night.  The girls love their house because they not only have horses and chickens but also a trampoline, a playset, a pool w/ a slide, AND a playhouse.  It's all on one huge acre and it's so much fun.

Ryder's 4 month birthday

Ryder is 4 months old.  Where does the time go?  I can't believe that we are 1/3 of the way to his 1st birthday.  Someone please stop the clock.   He is the happiest, sweetest baby and he loves watching his big sisters run and play.  You can tell that he's dying to get in on the action and can't wait to be mobile.  He's rolling all over the place and pushing his strong legs to move around.  This kid is going  to be on the move really soon. 

Design on a dime (kinda)

 We have been making subtle changes to our house recently and it's been fun to "fix" things up.  We moved R&R into the front bedroom and recently painted it pink and painted the bathroom yellow. It's definitely a better fit now.  We bought beds for them and put their names on the wall.  It's a beach theme just like the playroom.  I am really happy with the outcome--it's so much brighter than the bland taupe that was there before.

Mr. R's room is a mix of surfer dude and soccer dude.  It's leaning towards soccer dude but we have some fantastic surf bedding that we borrowed from our friends and some vintage surf posters.  Auntie Casey made the adorable soccer mobile that hangs from the fan.  We love it.We recently painted the outside of the house and changed the landscaping of the front island.  It had lots of crusty dead bushes before and Cory had the idea of building a planter with flowers and adding 2 small palm trees.  It turned out so great and the darker paint on the exterior made a huge difference.
There is still lots to do.  We want to add a security door soon, add more pavers in the backyard, redo the firepit and bbq grill.  It's always a work in progress.  Stay tuned to see what's next.

Facials with Emmie

We went over to Auntie M's house for a visit and she gave the girls "facials" while we were there.  They have been dying to go to her house and we made an impromptu visit the other night.  They loved being pampered in her luxurious spa.

Little dancers

Can you tell who is almost 5 in this photo and who is 3?  My girls were obsessed with their suckers and couldn't focus on anything else.  Miss E was a doll and smiled so cute in every photo :)

My little helper

I love when I download photos off my old camera that the girls use.  I find all kinds of photo treasures that crack me up.  They both love taking pics and these recent ones made me laugh.  The past month or so I've had a mother's helper come over to play with R&R while I get stuff done around the house or make dinner.  She's 11 years old and we love when she comes over.  She's somewhat of a neat freak and it's so great because she loves to pick up the toys and straighten things up. These photos show Miss A cleaning up the girls room.  Notice how she is doing all the work and they are just taking photos of her.  She made their bed at 4 in the afternoon, which cracked me up and was getting help from no one.  I was quite impressed with the finished product.

New landscaping

We are making small improvements on our house and this is one of them. I wish I had a before shot because the front island area was so ugly.  Cory and our landscaper came up with this concept and it turned out great.  We have also painted the outside of the house, the girls bedroom/bathroom, and Ryder's room.  More photos to come.  Stay tuned :)

I can't resist this face

Those eyes.  That hair.  The cheeks.  He melts my heart.

Easter fun

Easter is one of our favorite holidays.  The significance of the day is enormous in our world and we love to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.  Beyond that it's always a wonderful time of year with the weather and it's SO much fun to dye eggs and hunt them.  Here are a few photos of our Easter adventures:

He found it

Ryder has officially found his thumb. I love it. Both the girls are thumb suckers and blanket babies and I have been waiting to see if Ryder is going to fall in love with his thumb and blankee. This picture proves that he's on the right track.

Apples to Zebras

The girls started preschool yesterday at Tumbleweed Rec Center and they really seemed to enjoy it. I had volunteered to bring snacks on the first day so we arrived a bit early so we could drop them off and get photos of the girls. They were running and playing with all the kids in the courtyard before class. It was cute to watch them interact. Their teacher, Miss Michelle, is an identical twin, so that's kind of special and she understands what it's like to be a twin. Reese looks less than thrilled, but she really was in good spirits. I just couldn't get a good shot.

Peas in a pod

These two love to sleep soundly in the morning. I couldn't resist snapping this photo.