I have to brag a little...

Okay, so I'm way excited about this little tidbit of news. It kind of brags on myself, but I can't help it. For those of you who don't know, I create digital scrapbooking pages for Amber at Stolen Moments. I recently made a layout with one of her kits, then made into a quickpage. A quickpage is basically a layout where people can "drop" in a picture and their layout is done! So here is the bragging part...it got picked up by IkeaGoddess! She actually placed it on her blog! I was shocked! To those of you who don't scrap this probably means nothing, but to those of you who do scrap you probably understand why I was jumping up and down when I saw MY QUICKPAGE on her blog! Okay, enough tooting of my own horn!

Daddy's Solution

There is something about chubby little girls in their bathrobes and towels that makes you HAVE to take a picture of them. As a BONUS you get them BOTH smiling with their eyes open!

Look at that chunky adorableness!

And then of course there is the blurry picture that illustrates the REAL reason for this post! Lily always wants her hair wrapped up in a towel "Like Mommy does". The only problem is that the hand towels are too little for her head, and the regular towels are WAY too big. This night while I was finishing up with Allie, Russ discovered a solution to our problem. Tie the hand towel on with a belt wise man style! Lily couldn't have been happier! She actually cried when I made her take it off for bed. I'm such a mean mom!

New Glasses...and eye color?!

Right before leaving Idaho Falls I got some new glasses. I hadn't been to the eye doctor in 5 years. Since things were getting slightly fuzzy, we thought I should go. I REALLY wanted contacts, but with the move coming up I decided to go with just glasses. Russ said I can get contacts soon though if I want :)

Everything went like normal, until the doc turned off the lights to look into the back of my eye. He looked, then "hmmmmed" Looked again, then "hmmmmed". All I could think of was that I was going blind and he was trying to think of a nice way to tell me! :D After switching the lights on he asked,"What color did your mother tell you that your eyes are?"

Me:"Green...with a little blue

Doc:"Looking at you that is what I would have said. But looking at your eyes with the magnifying thingy(I'm paraphrasing here!) you actually have brown eyes."

Me:"Really?!"

Doc:"Yep. 90% brown, 5% green, and 5% blue. The way the light hits your retina, you reflect green, but you definitely have light brown eyes. Like the color of that box over there."

I couldn't believe it! You seriously can't see any brown in my eyes. Just another "random" thing about me to add to the list! :D Anyway, here is a before shot of my glasses, and a after shot. There wasn't a huge change. My new ones are just a little squarer!

Before
After

Sink Bath

What is a parent to do when her baby has had spaghetti for dinner, and she REALLY doesn't want to give her bath. Give her a SINK BATH! I've never been lucky enough to do this. All my past sinks have been too gross to even think of putting my kids in. Gross = old and nasty. Allie thoroughly enjoyed her first sink bath. Probably because she didn't have to share it with Lily! :D

Mooch baby!

Allie LOVES food! If someone has ANY food she has to have some of it. I can never keep this girl full. She definitely has empty leg syndrome. This morning Lily had a biscuit she was eating for breakfast. She was talking to me when Allie noticed the biggest just hanging in Lily's hand. She opened her mouth and started trying to get. By this time Lily noticed Allie trying to eat it.

Almost there!

Got it! MMMMM!!!!
What a mooch!

Mommy! Help, I'm Stuck!

I can't tell you how many times a week I hear this. Some times she has fallen into the toilet, the bathtub, the flower bush, but this one really got me. How did she fall back there?

Our Anniversary

Can you believe that this was one of our FIRST times to celebrate our anniversary actually on the true date. We kinda did last year...but most of the day was spent trying to get our computer to feel better. I saw Russ for approximately 1 hour that day when we ate out. All the previous years either I worked ALL day or Russ worked ALL day.

So imagine my surprise this year when NOTHING kept us from celebrating this year. While Russ was at work Lily, Allie, and I snuck over to Wal-Mart and bought Russ MarioGalaxy for the Wii. You should have seen his face when Lily gave it to him. He had that "I'm a little boy that just got a HUGE piece of candy" look on his face. I'm glad I always know what to get him!

He asked me a few days previous what I wanted. I just told him that I wanted one thing, and by now he should know what it was. Well, he pulled through and bought me a DOZEN roses. I LOVE getting flowers. Not just one flower but a bouquet of flowers. He did a great job of picking them out. I had to show this second picture because I am really proud of it. There was no editing to this. Just a great shot straight out of the camera. This are few and far between with me!

Russ also had asked around at work for good Mexican place to eat. He knows that is my favorite. We ended up going to this restaurant called La Casona. Oh man! I was so impressed with this place. It was packed first of all. Just entering the parking lot I thought we should go somewhere else. The girls just weren't going to be able to handle a long wait. But we went inside anyway. We were seated in less than ten minutes! Wahoo!

We ordered and ate our chips and salsa. The chips and salsa were divine! Nice and warm. (Have you ever tried warm salsa? I hadn't, but man it was good!) Not even 10 minutes later (probably like five) our food was on the table piping hot. Then we ate. Oh gosh, I'm drooling just thinking about it. It was REALLY good food. The best part was when we were paying. This place was cheap, like Bajio or Cafe Rio cheap. FOR A SITDOWN RESTAURANT! Lily was sold when they gave us FREE icecream cones on the way out. I can't wait to go back.

Even though we didn't get to go to Vegas like we had wanted to for our Fifth Anniversary, we still had fun. I am so glad the girls could celebrate it with us.

Happy Anniversary

Has it really been five years?! I guess it has. We've changed a bunch...our family has grown...we've moved far, far away....we've finished the student phase of life...we certainly don't look the same...I don't call you the same name anymore...but I one thing will never change....
I LOVE YOU RUSS!
Happy 5th anniversary!

(Forever and always you will be Pots to me! Even if I'm not allowed to call you that!)

Easter

The Easter Bunny brought the kids Easter baskets on Sunday. The girls got matching dresses, hair accessories, and a few toys. The big monstrous baskets were from grandma. Of course she can buy them candy, because she doesn't have to deal with the hyperness.

Allie was thrilled with her new alligator. You push the birdies down on its back and it rolls across the floor. She LOVES chasing it all around.

Lily got a fishing game. She beat Russ on the first try. She catches on to things so quickly lately!

Russ thought it would be funny to put Allie's bow on her like a bowtie. Then she decided to be a show off and pull herself up on a chair for the first time!

I needed a new family picture and I figured since we ALL had new clothes this would be a good time. Also, I know this isn't a good picture to tell on, but see the bows in the girls hair?! I made those! It was so EASY and CHEAP! I'm NEVER going back to buying them!

Aren't these two darling?! I got a lot of compliments on the dresses. Gotta love Target!

After church we came home and made dinner. Russ made BBQ ribs for us, and I made baked beans, au gratin potatoes, and deviled eggs. It was ALMOST like being home for easter. I feel bad because I great intentions on focusing on the Savior this easter so the girls would know the true meaning of it. Things didn't go as planned. I just plain forgot to do anything, and it turned into a lazy Sunday. I hope next year I can get on the ball more.

Dying Easter Eggs

I LOVE dying easter eggs. Russ always gives me a funny look when I say I want to dye at least a dozen. This is mainly because that means a dozen hard boiled eggs that we probably won't eat. They'll go bad before we get around to it. :D This was Lily's first year of being able to dye her own eggs. Okay, I helped her a little. Just enough so that she wouldn't crack them on the bottom of the cups. This is of her stirring the colors with the vinegar. She LOVED that part!

Swirly, bubbly, MAGIC!While waiting for the eggs to soak in the color, I made bracelets for Lily out of the cardboard egg holders. If you look at her wrist you can see one of them...She was picking out stickers to put on her OTHER bracelet.I have this same picture of Russ EVERY year. He always pulls this, "Why are you taking a picture of me?" look for it. He also leans on the table. Get a new look honey! Here the eggs are in their colored bathtubs.
The finished products. Ummm....Russ's was SUPPOSED to be red. It didn't quite turn out that way! LOL!

Lily was so proud of her egg. She wrote her name with my help. Oh, look at her cheeks, that is leftover rash. It doesn't look bad because she was on a ton of Benedryl by this time.

Allie didn't really participate in the dying part, but she LOVED her egg!

Maybe she LOVED it a little TOO much!

Russ of course made his traditional "butt-crack dad" but you can't see it too well in the pic.

Yeah thats me in all my geeky gloriness! At least I was sticking my tongue out in the picture.

Easter Egg Hunt

This year the Easter Bunny made a new decision. She decided that she didn't want all the focus of Easter to be on her. She wanted everyone to focus on the TRUE meaning of Easter. So, she decided to leave Easter eggs for the girls a day early. Russ took Lily to our on-site playground so the Easter Bunny could visit. Allie was sleeping. Can I just say here that the Easter Bunny thoroughly enjoyed her 45 mins to herself, even if she was hiding eggs?!

Mommy called daddy to let him know that the Easter Bunny had arrived. This is of Lily before she found out that the Easter Bunny had left her a letter and "FEW" surprises. Allie was still sleeping so we decided to let her sleep, and let Lily get hers for her.

This my absolute favorite picture of Lily that I have right now. She just has this "aura" of happiness around her. Also, it shows what the humidity does to her hair. I hadn't done ANYTHING to her hair this day. It curls up all by itself. Wonderful!Lily got a little excited and was yelling. Allie woke up and decided to join the fun. I have no idea why she has her pacifier. She usually only takes it for like two minutes right before falling asleep. She seemed content on having it this day.Lily finding more eggs...
Allie loved all the shiny eggs. She knew exactly what to do without us showing her.

Look at those chubby arms and hands!

These "BIG" eggs had My Little Ponies inside for both of the girls. They were completely plastic so Allie was allowed to chew on them.

Pardon the mess...we are still unpacking.

This picture makes me giggle because Russ was trying to get Allie to drop the egg in the basket. She would not let go of it. We finally had to PRY it out of her hands. The girls were excited about the hunt. Lily loved the candy and the ponies. Allie...well, she enjoyed chewing on the eggs the most! :D We were a little bummed though that we couldn't have the traditional egg hunt at Grandma Lala's house with cousin Tyler.

Rash

When Lily was a bout 18 months old, I noticed she had a hive on her stomach. One lonely hive. It was about the size of a pencil eraser. It would come and go. One day, it got REALLY big. I took her in to the doctor that day. He didn't know what it was, so he sent us to a dermatologist. That doctor drilled out a piece of that hive, and sent it off to be tested. The results came back. Lily had a gathering of histamines under her skin creating a hive. It was nothing to worry about...well kind of. The doctor said that because of it she may react more aggressively to bee stings and other skin allergens.

Lily went on her merry way with life. If a bee got near her, I would try and shoo it away so that we didn't have to find out if we needed to rush her to the hospital. I also let her play outside just as much as any other normal child. We never had any incidents. Then we moved down to Texas.

Two days before Easter I noticed a faint rash on Lily as I helped her get ready for bed. I didn't think too much of it because she usually gets a little rashy from her clothes going on and off. The next morning she got up and the rash had broken out more. By this time I was a little panicky. We didn't have a doctor yet, it was Saturday, and it was Easter weekend which meant most businesses were closed. (Gotta love the Bible Belt!) I gave her some Benedryl and hoped for the best. The rest of the day went well, the rash subsided and I figured it was just a fluke. That night I noticed it was starting to come back just a little bit I didn't worry....

Easter morning Lily woke up and I about screamed when I saw her. The girl was COVERED in hives/rash. I didn't panic though. I just doped her up again. I WAS NOT going to go to the emergency room when I didn't even have an insurance card to give them. By this time I had also noticed that when the rash subsided one hive/bump did not. I looked closer and it appeared to be some type of a bug bite.

That night I gave Lily another dose of Benedryl because the rash/hives were coming back. We had made the decision that Russ would go online at work the next day, and find where I could print a temporary insurance card. Then we would go to the doctor. All of this turned out to be in vane though. Lily woke up the next morning with the rash almost completely gone. I really had to search to see it, EXCEPT for that one bump/hive. That one bump/hive was smaller but not by much. We (or should I say I) came to the conclusion that she had been bit by something that her "histamine bump" did not agree with. We decided we would be a little more careful in watching her bites that she gets.

Yeah, that said about two days later Lily somehow managed to walk through an ant hill. I swear she wasn't even NEAR that ant hill but she all of sudden started jumping on one foot screaming that her other foot was "owie". I looked at her foot and about 30 -50 ants were on it. I swatted them all off, but it was too late. Many of them had bit her. Her foot swelled up HUGE. So, we learned that she doesn't agree with ant bites. Great! There are only about ten ant piles right outside my front door! Oh well, I guess we will just be more careful.

PS Of course I didn't take ANY pictures of her. Why would I do something smart like that? But if you check out our easter pictures you can see what the "medicated" Lily looked like. Very rosy cheeks = many hives.

Big Box Fun

Daddy thought it would be fun to make a tunnel for the girls to crawl through. He took one of our ginormous dish boxes and put it in the hallway. Allie was a little hesitant at first to go through, but once she was through she loved it! The girls could not stop giggling as they each took turns to crawl through. The box ended up going in timeout though because Lily started locking Allie inside. Of course this made Allie cry. Why does Lily think it is fun to terrorize Allie?! I'll never understand!

Allie's Favorite Food

The first time I gave Allie cottage cheese she shied away from it. I think it was too cold. I decided to try it again a week later. She LOVED it. If I would let her she would eat a whole carton of this stuff. The only problem...it is a HUGE mess to clean up!

A package

Grandma Lala and Papa Joe sent the girls a package for Easter. In it was Easter cards, stickers, coloring pages, an alphabet game, and a hat. My mom had crocheted this hat. It was her first attempt at one. It looked great! Just one slight problem....somehow it came out too big. It was supposed to fit a preemie baby. It fit Lily! I know she has a small head and all, but not THAT small!

This is what it looked like with the flower I had made for Allie to wear on Sunday.
I took this pic to show mom how big it was on Allie. Cute cheesy picture huh?!

It falls down to her nose!

Okay mom, I'm done taking pictures now!

Thanks for the package Grandma Lala and Papa Joe! I can't wait for winter so the girls can wear this adorable hat. I've almost convinced mom to make another one that will fit Allie! I'm so excited to see it!

Just ONE picture please!

Allie woke up from her nap incredibly happy this day. She was jumping up and down, smiling, and laughing. I ran to get the camera. When I came back she was still happy. Then I tried to get a picture. Join me on my journey to a good picture.

1st stop wasn't too bad, but I wanted a close up.

Hmmm...weird face, I'll try again.

Aaaalllliiiieeee....look at the camera please! (This was were she was throwing her head back and laughing!)

Crap...eyes closed!

Adorable picture but where is the smile?!

"Take a picture of ME mom!"
"Lily get out of the way!"
"Oooooohhhh!" (That was what Allie kept saying as she pulled Lily's hair)"Okay Lily just one picture of you."Dang it, pushed the button! Hmmm...I need to paint my toenails.Oh, there's my pretty baby! (I thought showing the other 30 pictures I took would be a bit too much, so I'll end here.)