Catching up with the crew

So everyday (um yea a lot), I have several blogs that I read. They vary from sewing/crafts, coupons, friends and just random but I rarely ever stop to think about MY blog. I have to be more consistent with this!! Just now I clicked on the link to my old blog and almost cried to see how fast life is flying by... (sniffle) Here is the link I was looking at. Where has the time gone?
 
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Now back to the present! We have been busy busy lately. The girls and I are going to a bible study every Thursday morning. They both go to a preschool/ toddler class. Scarlett is warming up to playing without me but Sienna is LOVING it. She talks all week long about 'school' and the books they read, songs they sing and of course the My Little Ponies they have to play with. I'm so proud of her! I'm sure if you have been around me for more than five minutes, you have heard me talk about our nightly visits from Sienna. Well, (knock on wood) I think she has figured out that her full size bed is much better than three people in our queen. Yay, no more frizzy curls in the face or elbows to the side!! Speaking of growing up, it hit me this week that Scarlett is a toddler. After breaking down sobbing to Hubby about the ever increasing volume and demands coming from Scarlett, I realized that she is not the little baby she was. If Scarlett can tear it, climb it, pour it, push it or eat it, she does. As Sienna says, "She's nuts! Let's call her Acorns!" Here are a few pics of our latest adventures...


We had a little camping playdate with a few friends. That night we attempted to camp out in the backyard but that turned into a living room camp out.

Scarlett's camera face!

The cousins go marching two by two

We just got home from a fun weekend at Lake Whitney! Along with Grammy, Pops, Aunt J, Uncle D and the girls' awesome cousins, we had a blast. We stayed in a house that was surrounded in thick trees and perched on a hill. The little ones had so much fun going on "adventures" around the perimeter of the house with their flashlights, binoculars and magnifying glasses. We made smores (which I think was more exciting for Aunt J and I than for the kids) and played flashlight games. The lake was perfect since it had a soft sand beach and little waves for the kids to play in. We even took out a pontoon boat but the wind was so strong it made it seem like we were in the middle of the ocean. If you ask Sienna about the boat all she'll tell you was that a BIG wave came and washed everything away in the boat! This was just such a neat trip because it was so many "first" for all of us. Scarlett hasn't ever played at the beach and built sand castles. She thought was pretty cool until she ate a huge bite and blamed Hubby for her poor choice. As I sit here and look a the pile of laundry and stuff I have to unpack, I'm wishing we could just go back:)

Oddly enough when we cam home we were greeted with the strong smell of campfire. Wild fires have been popping up all around our city. Everything seems contained surrounding us but there is still a big threat in many areas. Instead of coming home to relax, Hubby was rushing around preparing to work at the shelters the school sets up. He didn't have to go last night but just the anxiety of the unknown was exhausting... With the winds calming down today, I think things will cool off.

"Hi! This is Sienna!"

Every time I tell my mom a cute story about the girls she always tells me to "write it down". So Mom, I'm writing this one down. On multiple occasions now, I have gone to put Scarlett down for a nap and taken a shower or, like today, ran out to clean my car while Sienna is playing quietly. While out of sight, Sienna picks up my phone... I guess by pushing the talk button she can scroll through my recent calls and gives someone a ring. Fortunately she normally calls Hubby but apparently this is how the conversation goes....

S: Hi Daddy!
H: Hi....What are you doing? Where is Mommy?
S: Oh I'm playing, I don't know where Mommy is..... I am playing with Barbies.
H: Is everything ok? Can I talk to Mommy?
S: No she is not here. She is in her car...

Ok, so after after being outside for maybe a couple minutes I look up to see Sienna standing it the garage talking on my phone. Lovely! I can only imagine what goes through Hubby's head during these phone calls. So the moral of the story.... If you get a phone call from Sienna, I swear I have not abandoned them, I'm probably in the shower:)

Hey Friends!

Hello Friends!
So I wanted to put down some thought and share all kinds of random pics that are piling up in my camera. First, deep thoughts:) A few weeks ago I posted about Hubby going back to work but really until this week we have still been cruising in summer mode. Hubby would come home relaxed and ready to party with his monkeys. This week, it seems, the teachers came back and jolted him out of summer mode. Poor guy is exhausted, stressed and getting home later and later. So today it's back to the full time homemaker, mom, wife and most of all cheerleader. As I hear friends talk about missing the classroom, or finding myself dreaming of ways I could produce something new to introduce to the craft world, I'm truly blessed to have such a valuable job. On that note, I'm off to change a toddler who smells and won't stop yelling at me....

Randoms from the last few weeks

haha! Nothing gets in the way of her beauty rest!

cousins painting

Scarlett's new camera face. So goofy...

Pretty Sienna about to go down the slide.

At the circus. So fun!!

Watching Sienna's swimming lessons

The cutest baby shower ever!!

Mama to be due in September:)

my latest nail trend. Its a sticker though now I'm onto something else:)

Something I'm going to try to make if I can ever find Elemer's blue gel glue...

Scarlett and her / Siennas remote controlled car... 

Take care guys! Let all pray that fall gets here before too long....

Hubby is going back to work:(

Holy Cow! I just realized how long its been since I've posted anything... Not that I have really anything exciting to share. Oh wait I guess I haven't talked about my little sis getting engaged! I'm very excited for her, not to mention I'm so excited to (help) plan a wedding. It's fun since I can help with all the fun stuff but then I don't get the actual stress:) She will be getting married at the end of December here in Austin. Yay!! I took a few engagement pictures for them. I did my best but I think they turned out ok. The week leading up to the pictures Hubby kept teasing me b/c I was "reading up" about how to shoot engagement pics and taking practice shots. Hey go big or go home right?

hehe.. I was trying to be artistic.

Other than that we have just been enjoying our last week with Hubby home before he goes back to work on Monday:( We have just been swimming, going to birthday parties and having dance parties in the living room. I was going to put up a picture of Hubby floating on a float in our inflatable pool (It was funny!) but he deleted from the camera...Boo!

Scarlett cried b/c she wanted to dress up like Cinderella too!

After getting her way....

That reminds me, let me tell you what (not so little) miss Scarlett has been up to... That girl dances all the time! She dances to any toy that makes noise, music anywhere, the rhythm of our voice when we read to her and even without any music at all. She tries to mimic EVERYTHING Sienna does. She put out her hand to Hubby and said "ah!" which we think was "stop" since Sienna does that to her all day long. She also has been doing a lot of running and jumping on us, Sienna or really anything... She is one funny little girl.

Sienna has a new word or phrase daily that just makes us crack up since we have no idea where she heard it. For example at dinner tonight I asked her to do something and she replied "That would be my pleasure!" 90% of the time she loves Scarlett and will do anything to make her laugh but they also have those moments that end with Sienna's hand in Scarlett's face pushing her down. Oh sisters...

Well I'm off to try to put this house back together and get ready to for the circus that is Sienna and Scarlett that begins tomorrow....

San Fransisco

My sister, Dad and me just got back from a last minute trip to San Fransisco. The trip was bitter sweet since the main reason we went was to spend time with my Dad's uncle who has always been a influential mentor in our lives. Even though he was not at his physical best, his witty detailed stories of our family and his life were very memorable. When we were not spending time with him we were able to squeeze in some tourist attractions. I'm not sure how we pulled it off but we were able to see the Golden Gate Bridge, San Fransisco City, Napa Valley and many other beautiful sites! Besides the gorgeous country side, I could not get over the weather. With highs in the 70s/80s and lows in the 50s and zero humidity, how could I ever leave?

Mark did great with the girls for four days at home. He would send me pictures of what they were doing and they had a blast. I am so blessed to have such an awesome husband who is such a great dad. However, I think he was very relieved to have me home to help with those little monkeys:)

I thought this was a cable car at first....

but this was the cable car...duh!!

fireworks in the San Fransisco Bay

Golden Gate Park

Golden Gate Bridge

Muir Woods

Robert Mondavi Winery

China Town

Family Time:)

Over the weekend, all of Scarlett's grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins came to help celebrate her first birthday. Besides showering her with gifts we took family trips to the bounce house, spray park, Oasis and of course our backyard BBQ. She is very lucky to have a so many people that love her so much!

The Big One Year Old

Spray Park with Cousins Zach and Gabe

After several pictures, Sienna said "Ok I want to take a picture now!" This was her shot. Beautiful pic Grammy!