The First of Many Birthdays! (5/2)

Part of the painting trip up for Heather and Seth was being able to spend some time with the girls and celebrate Gracie's upcoming birthday! Heather and the girls kept busy throughout the day while the rest of the adults worked on projects...they had a GREAT time going to the park, having a picnic lunch in the backyard, reading books, and jumping on the trampoline. Heather does such a great job of engaging the girls and truly giving them her undivided attention when she spends time with them! So special ;)

The girls at the top of the twisty slide at the park...they did start the day with pigtails ;)Gracie wanted for Heather to sit by her on the picnic table so bad ;) she was such a trooper and ate her lunch up there! It was a beautiful day!They took out their ponies on the trampoline and the static took over....everyone had some great hair going on! Love it!Then later after rest times it was time to get fancied up for the party and get their nails paintedI think Karys' favorite part was getting to paint mommie's nails...too bad she tipped it and got some on her shirt ;)So proud of her "Hot Pink"The birthday girl with her presents....we were all set after a supper of hot dogs and burgers. It was Gracie's request to grill at home-She loves doing that ;)Whoa! Look at that big thing of bubbles! Thanks guys!Heather is so good at bring birthday treats! She brought yummy cookies, with a special Happy Birthday cookie for Gracie! WOW! Four candles....crazy to think my little girl is that old already! Blowing out the candles...we are fortunate, she is pretty good at it and doesn't even spit ;) The Birthday girls with Uncle Seth We headed outside for some good bubble blowing before bed...great bubbles, great company, and a spill proof container....what more could you ask for? Uncle Seth was an awesome bubble blower

He blew some really great bubble for the girls to chase and catch! What a great gift! Thanks Comfort's for a GREAT weekend!

Getting Ready for Baby...

My husband has been a total rock star when it comes to getting stuff done around the house. With all of my little projects that i have come up with he is so great and helping me accomplish them. However, I claim all credit for finally getting the baby room to the point where we were able to paint. I sat in there over the course of 3 days and peeled all the little wallpaper goop off from by the border bit by bit. Thank you Jesus for the Pampered Chef stoneware little scraper thingie or I would probably have no finger nails left. I cannot believe that I didn't get a picture of me doing it b/c it would have been quite the site to see a preggo lady, sitting on a little kid step stool, spraying on some fabric softener and peeling wallpaper! Once I finally did get it all off, and maybe even as I was finishing the last section, Rob was able to start painting. He just flew around the room ;) It was so great!We basically had the entire thing painted in less than a day...we were on a time frame ;)We also really lucked out with the paint...we ended up using the rest of the brown we had left from our kitchen and getting just enough pink from my friend Ang who had a bunch left over from painting her nursery!Once the brown was on he rolled on the pink and we were ready for Heather and Seth to come! Well, almost...I finished trimming all of the pink the next morning. Again, no pic of me--but I am sure it was quite the site to see my preggo self up on a ladder with my center of gravity off a little bit;) They came up on Saturday (5/2) to aid in the completion of our project. He was coming to paint a tree on the wall of the nursery and Heather did an awesome job of helping take care of the girls. I am not even sure where the idea came from, but once I had it in my head I just really felt like that is what I wanted ;) He sketched out three ideas to choose from and then set to work on the winning design! I was and am so happy with how things turned out!!! It looks so GREAT and he did an AWESOME job! I am so ready to see all the little things continue to piece together...can't wait to be able to post a pic of the finished project...just not sure you won't be seeing posts of a new baby before that happens!

The Final Kindermusik (4/29)

The final Kindermusik was held on a Wed evening instead of in the morning so that dads and other special ppl would be able to go. It was perfect, b/c it started at 6 so Rob had time to come before having to be to youth group that night. The girls were so excited to show him everything and he didn't get to go to the last one last year so I think he was kind of excited too! until of course he realized what it all entailed ;) Hopefully I will be able to add the video soon...it is pretty great!Daddy and his girls....

Mommy and the girls...I am going to miss doing this with the both of them next year!Fun with hula hoops! Doesn't Rob just look so thrilled!Shaking eggs is one of our favorite things to do! I love the way this incorporated so many instruments and interactions....Gracie was really getting into it with Daddy there!There is also a time where we just rock. When Gracie and I used to go just the two of us, I would rock her in my arms and cuddle....at the beginning of the year we still did that-one in the front and one on my back, or I would hold both Karys and her. But as the year went on and my belly grew we moved to the rocking chair and eventually I got told "Mommy I will just rock my baby" They must have sensed the growing difficulty to hold them close and cuddle with this beach ball in the way; however, I looked at it as the most comfortable way to hold all three of them ;)Karys rocking her baby, she is so gentle and nurturing sometimes This would be the girls favorite part of all....the parachute! We sing songs and go in circles while holding onto the handles...

We wave it up and down, but the kids' favorite part is to sit in the middle of it and have all the adults wave it up and down on them! It's so fun to watch the rush of wind blow their hair and their different facial expressions as it moves up and down!

We loved Kindermusik this year and looked forward to it every week! It does such a great job of providing you with the materials you need to keep singing the songs and doing the activities so hopefully we can keep some of it going and providing entertainment throughout the summer! Thanks Miss Shelly for a great year!

another glimpse of spring

First of all I just loved this pic of the girls sitting so contently watching Rob fertilize the yard ;) Second of all, we have come to realize that the spreader we used put the fertilizer on rather "thick" shall we say....so needless to say Rob will be in for some frequent mowing this spring, giving the girls plenty of chances to be in these same spots again!

Springtime Stroll (4/24)

On one of the few, truly warm days we have had this spring, the girls were excited to have on tank tops and skirts and head out for a stroll with their babies. We were fully equipped with strollers and sunglasses and took a walk to the library to return our books and check out some new ones. I know, I know...we should have been headed to the park or somewhere to play outside, but the library was the vote and we go with the flow of what the masses would like ;)We were out of the house, and they got all ready to go at the end of the sidewalk...made sure everyone was buckled in and had sunscreen on and we were on our way-or so I thought ;)All of a sudden, Karys was watching all of the babies and making sure the strollers didn't roll away. I couldn't figure out what Gracie was doing but she headed over under the tree in the front yard to get something....Pretty soon she returned with dandelions in hand...2 for her and 2 for Karys, b/c they both brought 2 babies with! I love that my little girls get so excited about a "flower" that everyone sprays their yard (including us) to get rid of! Joy in the small things...gotta love it!Finally, we were on our way...or again so I thought ;) Karys got a phone call about 10ft down the side walk. So here she is, trying to talk on the phone and push her stroller which is already occupied by not one but 2 babies. It was not working out very well for her at all but it was CUTE as ever!

Here is a little glimpse of one of Karys' phone convos: "Hi! How was your week? I will-I will TOTALLY call you back. OK, talk to you later. Love you! Bye!"

We had a GREAT day and I am TOTALLY ;) ready for some more of this nice weather on a more consistent basis so we can have more outings like this one!

On a slightly serious note, I am not sure what to think about the cell phone thing. It is an inevitable thing that kids will pick up on in today's society but she has to take breaks from playing to check her messages and gets calls all the time...is this a sign that I am on the phone too much or too dependent on my cell phone. If anything her pretend play involving these things has really caused me to be more conscious of that and how it fits into my priorities. Do I drop everything...even time with them to answer my phone or to check to see if I have a message? Wow...never thought a two year old's play habits would provoke actual thought and conviction in my own life ;)

John and Katie Sorrell's Wedding

The wedding we attended that weekend in Des Moines was that of John and Katie Sorrell. John and Katie are a both part of Rob's seminary cohort. They actually met for the first time face to face during intensives last July. They have an amazing story of adventure and just the will and grace of God. It is amazing to hear their story and just the ways that God led Katie to pray for a man and the journey they embarked on from there. With John living in China and Katie in Des Moines there were many obstacles to cross, but none the less they got engaged over Christmas and we got to share with them on their wedding day....April 18, 2009. I am blessed to only know tidbits of the Sorrells ;) but even more blessed that they are two of the ppl that Rob walks with on the seminary road! Thanks for sharing your day with us! Arriving at the wedding and getting to meet David White, another cohort buddy. It was a beautiful ceremony!I don't know if you have all seen the movie 27 Dresses but one of my favorite parts of weddings as well is seeing the groom's face as the bride walks down the aisle. It is priceless! This wedding was no exception and it was even more special b/c this was John seeing Katie for the first time all day!They are both so playful and carefree! This was their response to being told "You may now kiss the bride!"Just a glimpse of their fun personalities...
The seminary group! We had such a great time with these cool kids....looking forward to many more celebrations in the next 4 years and beyond!

Egg Hunt and Easter celebrations (4/17)

After the girls woke up from their naps, they were so excited to find that Uncle Seth, Auntie Heather, and Grandma Great had arrived and Chad and Nathan were on their way! We all gathered at the Stroud's for an evening of Food, Fellowship, and Fun ;) A GREAT grilled dinner, a couple egg hunts in the front yard, and goody bags for Easter from Grandma! The girls had so much fun just laughing with everyone and playing "golf" in the front yard with "Tiger Woods" (aka: Cousin Nathan). We really cherish these weekends when we all get to spend time together with no real agenda or to do list and we get the chance just to catch up on life a little!Making a train with Auntie Heather....do you think Auntie's arms are long enough to reach around another little lady?Once the Egg hunt was under way, Karys had a hard time getting going on where to find the eggs. Uncle Seth did a GREAT job helping her get started and in this case reach into places she didn't want to touch ;)All the kiddos running around the yard to find eggs...exciting to think this tradition is only going to continue and more and more kiddos will be running around the yard very soon!Gracie had a good find and quickly grabbed the egg out of the bush...She was just tall enough to grab the egg off the door handle...funny how long she stood in front of the van with the egg right above her head ;)Maggie was pretty excited/hyper to be out in the front yard and was barking at EVERYTHING...so Rob claims he put her in his shirt to calm her down, we all know he just needed some good cuddle time with the puppy he loves so much ;)An egg had migrated up into the down spout a little farther than intended so Daddy needed to help to get it out.Posing for a picture after the first successful egg hunt! They were all thrilled!"Are you sure you have the same number of eggs as me?"We decided since it went so fast to hide all the eggs again for them. Grandma and Auntie took them into the garage and led them through a rendition of the song "Father Abraham"Gracie was quick to catch the egg hiding in Daddy's sock...Karys followed suit finding the one between Uncle Seth's sandals...All three kiddos were in search of the egg over by Grandma Great's car...Uncle Chad and Grandma Doreen even had to help.After helping her count her eggs, Auntie Heather helped Karys figure out that she still needed one more egg...

"Run fast Karys! Its over here!" Gracie helped scout out the location of the final egg...Gracie posing with her eggs...she was eager to try the organic fruit snacks that Grandma had inside ;)Proud Nathan...fruit snacks in hand ;)Karys wasn't super fond of the snacks but was SUPER excited for the playdough that was hiding inside all of the little eggs

Then it was inside for the goody bags...All the kiddos got new PJs which they were excited to get on and get ready for bed. The girls then got High school musical jewelry boxes, Nathan cars undies, and all three new sets of silverware! Great job Grandma! Thanks so much for the fun stuff!

Grandma also did a very brave thing and took on watching all three kiddos for the day Sat and throughout the weekend while Chad and Shay worked on home projects and we headed to the wedding festivities on Saturday late afternoon and into the evening! Those kiddos have so much fun playing with each other and spending time at Grandma's house! Thanks Grandma Doreen for a GREAT weekend!