Finally got it....

I finally got a picture of Reese where she is looking at the me! She was so smiley & actually stayed smiley while I took pictures. Claire was asleep & Paige was out with Mark at the driving range. It was nice & quiet..... no distractions for a successful photo session.










She was being so serious about this ladybug. She wouldn't take her eyes off & was determined to get it. She couldn't of course, but she tried. I'm afraid it won't be long before she's crawling.
She rolled over a few times yesterday. It wasn't on purpose... but she can do it.

Cousins

We are lucky that we have at least one cousin up here in Idaho (but we still miss all the others). Jacob & Claire are only two day apart so they love to play together. I never remember to take pictures. I finally had my camera out when he came over. Brooke & Jacob came to hang out with us while the boys were in California helping their Mom move up here. It was nice to have a break in the day & the kids kept each other occupied.

Paige thought it would be a good idea to have a slumber party in the living room while they watched a movie. For some reason, our girls will NOT fall asleep while watching a movie. They never have, unless they've been sick. In general, they will only sleep in their beds. The idea was cute, but it didn't last. Had to get a picture at least....

Date night

There are many advantages to having grandparents live nearby. Who doesn't love FREE babysitting??? Thanks to Grammy for calling us up & asking if we'd like to go on a date. Of course we would!
My friend Dede has posted pictures on her blog when she & her hubby go out. I NEVER do & thought it wasa good idea....especially since Paige helped me pick out my outfit. She was very cute about it. She first picked the earrings & then had to find a shirt that matched. Luckily when she picked "blue jeans" I had a pair of denim capris... its way too hot for jeans!
Reese fell asleep right before we left. I thought for sure she'd sleep the whole time we were gone because she'd been fussy & hadn't slept much in the afternoon. We went to dinner & she was awake the whole time, but happy & cute. It is so nice to spend time together without kids... the older two at least. Mark is always fun to be with & I love being able to talk without interuptions :0) We kept it an early night because we have talks to work on for Sunday. We got home, watched a quick show with the girls & then tucked them in. We had time for a quick episode of Seinfeld & then called it a night.

Paige was very excited for my big date with Mark. She had a date with her Dad earlier in the week. She was so cute about it.
Paige: I know Dad, let's go out to dinner for our date. We could go to Old Mcdonalds & eat inside!
She was so excited to have one on one time with her best buddy. Claire & I had fun too. We played princesses while Reese took a nap. Both girls love getting undivided attention and its fun to enjoy them on their own.

So sweet....

Claire has been so sweet lately & it seems she is coming into her own. Mark joked that she must be like Samson. Once her hair was cut she's been so mellow. Her feistiness must have been in her locks of hair. I guess we should thank Paige for the haircut after all. We actually really like her hair being short & think she looks adorable (but what biased parent wouldn't say that?).
Claire talks so much & talks pretty clear. She has the sweetest little voice. She has started to repeat everything we say during prayers. She doesn't always start when you do, she just jumps in... then you have to slow down so she can catch up. The other night I got her to sing "I love to see the temple". She knows the whole song, but was being goofy so she needed a little help.




(Does anyone know how to turn the video?)

Reese is 3 months old!

Reese was 3 months old yesterday. I can't believe how fast that has gone by. I'll post some new pics of her soon. She is so sweet & good. She sleeps through the night (8-10 hours every day). She is started to push herself up & that makes her seem older than she is. I'd like to enjoy her "Babyness" for a little while at least.
Just excited to be caught up on my blogging. There's an older post before the 4th of July with more pictures that I just posted today (It had been saved as a draft because I wanted them in order).

Faith Zinnias

We had a FHE lesson last month on faith & thought that planting flower seeds would be a great way to explain. Paige had picked out some Zinnias awhile back & had been begging to plant them. They're growing really good (suprisingly) & I'm glad I haven't killed them yet. As we tried to explain faith, we were taught by Paige & Disney.
Paige: I know.... its like faith, trust & pixie dust!
Thank you Peter pan & Tinkerbell for simplifying the gospel for our kids :0)


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Priceless

Staying up too late after Dad took us swimming....
Waking up too early after staying up too late...
Falling asleep in the car on the way home from running errands with Mom...
Priceless!

I turned around to find both of my over tired girls had fallen asleep. Paige hardly ever falls asleep in the car anymore. She's usually in the way back (3rd row) but had requested being up front. She thought it was fun to help Reese with her pacifier. She made the comment that Reese wasn't crying because she was sitting by her.... that was the truth!
Reese was asleep too, but it was too hard for me to get my phone back there to get a picture without disturbing the other two. Getting everyone in the house was quit a project (it is SO hot today) and Paige woke up after a short 15 minute nap in the car.
After two stores we went to Walmart to look for a little pool for our backyard (which they were out of) and a a few groceries. We have a community in our neighborhood, but I can't have all 3 girls there safe yet.. I know we'll get there one day...... It's going to be hot this weekend & I thought the backyard pool was a good idea- but so did everyone else.
The best adventure of the day was using the restroom inside walmart-
Reese was in the baby bjorn -awake now & getting hungry (She prefers that to the carseat & I've learned after several failed attempts its just easier to carry her than deal with a crying baby throughout the store)
Both girls needed to go potty (Claire will use the potty if I take her. She's actually doing a great job & would probably be totally potty trained if I had more time in my day to work with her).
I also had to bring the shopping cart into the bathroom (don't worry- not into the stall).
As crazy as those few minutes are in the bathroom, I can always laugh about when its over. There is NEVER a dull moment in my day & I'm thankful for that!

Baby Claire

Reese will finally take a pacifier! It is so nice to know someone else can hold her now when she's fussy- They just need the magical pacifier :0)
My Dad came up with Nick & Renee to help with their move. We had them over for dinner. Of course I didn't take any pictures of my Dad with the girls, but they were SO excited to see him. It was fun to be able to visit.
Claire grabbed Reese's pacifier & climbed into her swing. We usually discourage this, but I had to take a picture. Too funny!

Zoo Boise

Mark's brother Matt & his wife Kyra (who is 7 months pregnant) came to visit us after the 4th. They stayed with us for a week & we had so much fun with them. So much fun that I only took the one picture of Kyra holding Reese



Mark was able to go golfing with his brothers twice & was well deserved. Apparently someone took pictures while they were on the course & I promise to post them once I get ahold of them. In return, the girls had a night out of our own. After Red Robin, we saw "The Porposal"- so hilarious & very entertaining! Reese did good through the night out too. She was asleep through most of dinner & was quiet during the movie. That was a first for me... I know other people who've taken their babies to movies, but I've always been too afraid mine would ruin it for someone else. It's all about the timing I guess.

We made a trip to Zoo Boise with the entire Bryant family (minus Grammy & Papa who are moving up next weekend!). It is a simple zoo & perfect for our little girls. They had nothing to compare it with, so they thought it was great. After about two hours we had seen everything & were all ready to go. We hit Old McDonalds on the way home for lunch (as usual) and then we all got to take naps when we got home. It was a good day.....







The giraffe slide was a big hit. FYI the giraffe is the actual size of a real giraffe.









Not the best family picture, but hey- we are actually all in it!


We are so glad that Matt & Kyra could come stay with us. They were great with the girls. Uncle Matt even babysat the older kids so I could go out to lunch with Kyra & Brooke. We went shopping at some consignment stores that sell baby & kids clothes. I was mostly along for the ride, but I had fun getting to know my sisters in-law better & its always nice to get out of the house & take a break. I also found a way to make money on my maternity clothes & various kids stuff taking up room in the garage! Matt had the kids for 3 hours & everyone survived!

Happy 4th!

Holidays are always so much fun. As the girls get older they seem to be more enjoyable, but never what I envisioned them. Mark teases me that I'm like Clark Griswald when it comes to holidays & my expectations are too high. I would have to agree with him & can laugh about that. When things don't go as planned, I laugh and say "just call me Sparky" (if you haven't seen Christmas Vacation that may not make any sense). We thought about getting sparklers for the girls, & then thought that might not be the best idea. We did decide to venture out & head up to the mountains to a place called Cascade Lake. We were going to meet up with some friends there. We heard they were supposed to have a good firework show right on the lake. We timed things perfectly so the girls would take really late naps. The fireworks don't start until after 10:15 here. We drove though Old McDonalds for dinner & headed up the mountain. About 45 minutes into the drive (which was beautiful & along a river), traffic came to a dead stop. We were on a two lane highway. We could see emergency vehicle lights up ahead. We figured we'd wait for a few minutes to see if they'd move us through. After about 15 minutes a life flight helicopter came down to the scene up ahead. For sure once it left, we'd be moving again. After an hour of waiting (with a crying baby who doesn't like the car seat, and a bored 2 & 4 year old) we decided we'd better turn around. We wouldn't make it in time to see the fireworks & it didn't look like the accident would clear up anytime soon. We headed back to Boise & made it in time to park in an empty lot nearby Ann Morrison Park. The girls were being cute & had fun sitting in the camping chairs. They loved their headbands ($1 bins at Target). Paige loved the fireworks. Her favorite were the purple & yellow ones (go Lakers! Mark has Paige convinced that Kobe is our cousin :0)
Claire wasn't too thrilled with the fireworks. She CLUNG to Mark the entire time & would occasionally look up. We told her the fireworks looked like pixie dust (they're way into Peter Pan right now). She would look for a minute, but then turn back towards Mark. If you ask her about the fireworks she'll say "fireworks go Boom, Boom" as she holds her hand up in fists. Sometime she'll say "fireworks not scare you". She is talking so much & its so fun to hear her sweet little voice.
The 4th made me homesick for my sister. Last year we went swimming at their house, had a bbq & watched fireworks together. Time for new traditions here, but it still made me miss her. I had all the intentions of making a traditional 4th flag cake, but the day went by too quickly. Instead I opted for vanilla ice cream with strawberries & blue berries. Still red, white & blue & delicious but just not the same. It's okay Sparky, there's always next year :0)
PS- Sorry the pictures are not in order or captioned. You'll just have to read through everything for them to make sense.
I did have the girls in white t-shirts, jeans & matching bows. Of course I didn't get them all together at the same time & I didn't even get one of Paige. I'm trying... at least I got two out of three???? The picture of Claire pre-bow is her "crazy Louis" hair. If you've ever seen Meet the Robinsons, Louis has crazy blond spikey hair. We put conditioner in Claire's hair to stand it up & then she loves to see it in the mirror. Oh, the little things that make us smile.....

June flew by....

I'm not sure where June went, but I do know that it was busy & went by way too fast! June was filled with visitors- my Mom came to stay with us for a week. It was fun to have her here & so nice to get out of the house. It is much easier to do with an extra set of hands. She came with us to the doctor, to get the girls pictures taken & our first outing to the Boise mall. I'm excited because they have a Disney Store which the girls loved. Claire got her first pair of flip flops. We didn't have a stroller so we would have room for my Mom's suitcase. The mall isn't the best place for a two year old to try out flip flops.... although she did love them & had fun wearing them, my poor Mom had to keep picking her up. I tried to get pictures of the girls in their matching tinkerbell nightgowns. It is impossible to get them to both look & smile at the same time (hence paying someone at JC Penny to get the other pics).
We had a lot of fun while my mom was here & were apparently too busy to take pictures. I only have one picture of her playing with the girls. She did a good job spoiling her girls- Thanks Mom!







My mom was here while we celebrated Father's day. We were able to get on skype & talk to my Dad. The girls think that's so much fun, but their attention span is so short. We also talked to Mark's family. It was weird because they were all together without us. It was a quiet day & one of Mark's presents was a sweet & happy Reese who let him hold her without crying & then fell asleep. She is a mama's girl & usually will cry when I hand her off to Mark. I'm not worried because once she turns two she'll turn & be a Daddy's girl. I'm two for two so far. I don't mind at all.... I love that the girls adore their Dad. Especially Paige... she's always talking about marrying him one day in the Redlands Temple. It's not worth trying to explain to her- we've already tried to tell her she needs to marry someone else... but who can be "just like her dad". Mark was sick Father's day weekend so we weren't able to go out while my mom was here. We were looking forward to a night without kids while we had a willing babysitter.
Since I didn't post appropriately on Father's day to pay tribute to Mark & my Dad, here goes. Mark is the BEST dad! He is so good with our girls & loves them to pieces. He's been so great lately to come home from work & give me a break. He'll take them swimming or on a trip to lowes or just to get an ice cream. He is so wonderful & I'm thankful everyday for an awesome husband. Love you Babe!
My Dad is the best! He had become the most amazing grandpa. The girls really miss him. He & Claire had become total buddies while we lived with them. Thanks Dad for being so loving & supportive during CRAZY time in our lives! Love you tons-

Carey was here for a few days to look for a house. I picked her up from the airport as I was dropping my Mom off. What a crazy day! We dropped her off at Brooke & Dustin's house where she was staying (they were in Cali at her house). The girls couldn't figure out why they were having to say goodbye to two grandmas on the same day.. it was all very confusing for them.
Carey did find a house the first day she was here- so crazy fast! She'll be up here mid- July. By the time she got up here, both girls had been sick & I was the last one to catch it. Mark & I went out to dinner while she was here. It was nice to get out the house & have some "almost" alone time. We had Reese with us.... of course. She was actually really good.