1.7.12

today

we went

museum hopping

Cutie Face had a blast

playing with the puppets

at the Center of Puppetry Arts

check out her priceless facial expression for proof!

(you might need to click on the picture to make it big enough to see)

this is how we roll

should you happen down

to our neck of the woods

you might be greeted by this sight on the sidewalk:

the girls LOVE

their new jogging stroller

in fact, i have received three requests this week from both girls

they want to go runnin'

once this sweet pea gets better head control

(or i actually remember to bring her head positioner--oops!)

we'll be unstoppable 

(at least when we go down hills)

because that's just how we roll

1.6.12

knock knock

whooo's there

Cutie Pie!

on a roll

today

i had the extreme privilege

of teaching my girls

how to roll down a hill

much laughter and giggles ensued

Cutie Cakes was primarily busy

trying to figure out what was inside acorns

under the leaves

and below the tree

(which made for extremely dirty fingernails)

While Cutie Face was constantly

performing

and showing me her new skills

of strength and balance

they both also enjoyed challenging each other

on who could be

the fastest

down an ancient (my era?)

metal slide

(old school slides are where it's at)

Cutie Pie...well, she's cute

Unlike the majority of the days

where she is awake for hours and hours on end

today she actually slept

(hallelujah!)

she did, however, get in some

bonding time

with the Cutie Family's favorite first friend

the Baby Einstein Octopus

he can't always be entertaining though...

1.5.12

vestis virum reddit

(the clothes [might] make the man)

but the tutu makes the baby

at least it does when she's not smiling

but watch out!

when she smiles, that's killer!

Giggling with GiGi

Following a great week with Grammy in Florida

my girls were blessed to be with their GiGi

Gigi met Cutie Pie

we realized how much Cutie Face looks like me, 

how much i look like my dad, 

and how much my dad looks like GiGi 

(ie, how much Cutie Face and GiGi look alike!)

Cutie Cakes loved hugging on her GiGi

(maybe she's thanking her for her infamously indispensable blankie)

and i don't think GiGi minded the hugs 

at a spry 82

GiGi played and played with the girls

needless to say, giggles abounded

they LOVED it!

sweet

sweeter

sweetest

We love you GiGi!

1.4.12

Princesses can most definitely

play with cars 

while simultaneously playing dress-up!

1.3.12 {picture a cute}

What a great afternoon we had

visiting our GiGi!

(...more to come in a real, non-picture post...)

1.2.12 {picture a cutie}

Well here we are, at the end of our 12-day vacation, the first as a family of five. What a fantastic time in Florida we had--playing with cousins, visiting with extended family, enjoying God's fabulous creation (hello beach!), and soaking up time together.

now we are blessedly loaded down with Christmas gifts and crammed full of sweet almost-sleeping children. I can hear cutie face, once the only and now the biggest sister, softly complaining about goIng to sleep. If it was still just her in the car, I'd crawl in the back and tell her stories, sing her a song, and do prayers until she fell asleep. My heart hurts for her a bit because neither of us have known those times of such undivided and individualized attention in nearly two years. And how sometimes I wish we could go back to those times so she knows how much she is loved and valued--more than just being the excellent role model for her sisters and the incredible helper for me, her mom.

But then I know how rich her life (& mine!) is because of her siblings--the love expounded, the lessons learned, the forever-bonds formed. How amazing to think that our God can give us, his children, individual attention and a plan just for us but then plop us in the middle of our Christian family to learn the same lessons and experience the same love.

I anticipated just attempting to see if a picture could upload from my iPhone to snapfiah to blogger while we drove home. I wanted to keep the daily picture streak alive! Sorry so long winded!

1.1.12 {Picture a Cutie}

Maybe if she took more than one bath a week she'd actually enjoy it. 

Maybe if I took more than one picture a day, 

I wouldn't have to embarrass her with this photo. 

Maybe it's not good to start a new year on "maybes"

*Trying my hand at Picture a Year again...this time, Cutie Face style. Maybe only having one blog to update won't be so intimidating?

ECHO farm fun

There is an incredibly cool farm with an awesome mission about 30 minutes north of where we stay in Florida. Since it's so close to us we've always wanted to visit it, take a tour, and buy some fruit trees for the backyard. 

We figured what better time to go than with a 3-year old, 22-month old, and newborn?! Right...While our timing could have been better with the kids' ages, we are still very glad that we visited and took their 60-minute tour.

ECHO is a creative working farm with six Global Farm simulated settings. They test new and innovative techniques for farmers and urban gardeners in third world countries, helping to diminish hunger and poverty. They let us taste leaves and berries while exploring rain-forest habitats, visiting their fun farm animals, and taking a rest in at a simulated Haitian school. Cutie Face could not get enough of the cranberry hyacinth plant and kept going back to it--we will definitely buy one for our house! The animals were the highlight of the tour for Cutie Cakes--she kept making goat sounds and hopping for the bunnies. 

My highlight? Showing the Cuties broccoli in the ground! They were so curious about it--I loved that they were able to see how their favorite veggie grows.

As a Christian organization, ECHO's motto is Honoring God through Sustainable Hunger Solutions. They hire 10 interns every year who are either college graduates or masters/PhD students and who will, one day, go out onto the mission field and bring their innovative initiatives to third world countries. It's so inspiring to see it in action! Here is our tour guide showing new ways of pumping water for drinking (on the left) and pumping waters into specific planters. Very cool!

The newest Cutie (blog moniker yet to be determined) took it all in but wasn't too happy about it--she needed rocking, holding, or nursing to get through the 60-minute tour but then turned on the smiles as soon as we were done. I knew she'd be a spunky one! 

The big Cuties were also a little feisty but definitely earned their honey stick treats at the end of the tour for being patient and good listeners! I just can't wait to take them back in three years or so when they can really appreciate how wonderful ECHO farm is! Until then...we'll just be back to buy plants!

Ornamental Cutie

This is what happens when:

1) mommy gets a new camera

2) daddy gets to implement his creative ideas

and

3) we have a willing subject 

(or at least one who doesn't object strongly to manipulative poses!)

Classic

Festive Lights, Holiday Sights

Do you seek out Christmas lights and gaudy Christmas decor on neighboring streets? When we run during the Christmas season, the girls and I love to stop and ooh and ahh over crazy inflatable displays that seem to cover every square inch of a neighbor's lawn. We've even taken a few night runs just to see the 'hood lit up with blinking multi-color, icicle-hanging, 1000-strand lights. It's safe to say that our family is definitely taken by the "fairy lights" (as they say in the UK).

The girls got their light fix in one fell swoop when we visited Flesher Farms in Bonita Springs. TWO MILLION lights set the sky aglow and have been doing so for nearly 25 consecutive years! The twin and I visited when we were kiddos and now we're carrying on the tradition with our families.

The varying lights and dozens of lit animals and inflatable displays definitely kept the kids' attention.

Cutie Cakes was most taken by this random but hilarious one--with Santa popping in and out of an outhouse while an elf stands by and chuckles embarrassingly. Random, right? but it moves and it involves a potty, two things that capture a potty-trained toddler's attention, i suppose

I am glad they had the nativity scene near the entrance. Jesus is the Light of the World so all the lights  at Flesher Farms can be viewed as a testament to how effective one little light for Jesus is when it stands with so many others.

May our family shine bright for our Savior in 2012!

{iheartfaces}: Best of Summer 2011

{definitely click on the pic to make it bigger...}

ahh, Martha's Vineyard in September

simply perfect

{to see other awesome Summer 2011 photos, hop on over to iheartfaces today!)