Arizona Fun...

Aiden and Reilly had a weeklong break from school, so we decided to hit the road and drive out to Arizona to visit family. The girls and I had an absolute blast, although we did miss having Doug around (a little bit). Okay, okay...maybe we missed him MORE than just a little bit. The first few mornings were especially rough for the girls, so we sent Doug some photos of our bed-headed beauties as soon as they woke up as well as a few text messages/voicemails just to let him know we loved him and missed him.

It was dark by the time we got to Gma and Gpa's house the first night, but I made it a point to drive by THIS the next morning (and the next afternoon and the following morning and afternoon...and every day thereafter) so the girls could see the progress being made on the Gilbert, AZ Temple. We lived in Arizona when the announcement was made that the Temple was going to be built. It was very exciting news. And even though we have since moved out of the state, I hope to one day go and visit...it is going to be beautiful!

 

 

 

The warm/dry weather actually did wonders for Reilly and Aiden's asmtha problems. By day 2, they were breathing clearer, not wheezing, and could run around all day without getting the slightest coughing fit. Amazing. The week was filled with non-stop action - playing with their cousins, chasing soccer balls, picnicing at the park, having sleepovers, helping Grandpa clean the pool, tried out grass-boarding, loving on puppies...they basically had an all-around fantastic time with their cousins/aunts/grandparents.

 

 

 

  

  

 

  

 

 

 Poor little Mac spiked a fever while we were out there, however, and she had a few very rough sick days (but the little sweetheart tried to put on a happy face for her aunties and grandparents).

  

  

On the way home, we stopped by the Dinosaur Museum in Cabazon (Pee-Wee's Great Adventure, anyone?!). Reilly and Aiden LOVED it (especially the "broccoli-saurus" they met)...they really thought it was great.

 

 

 

 

  

Even though it was loads of fun, these 3 daddy's girls could NOT wait to get home to see their papa!! Thank you for the great trip to AZ cousins...let's do it again soon!!

9 Months New...

At 9 months, I am an army-crawling, squirmy-wormy, clappity-clapping, non-stop-bouncing little girl. I love to smile and laugh, especially at my silly sisters. I have 6 teeth, which means I get to try all sorts of "big-girl" food, but I especially love my morning meal of Cheerios and a fruit smoothie. Mom says I am a great snuggler...I love to give kisses and nuzzle into her shoulder. I am ever-curious and love learning new things.

Daddy Daughter Doo-Wop...

Tonight was a very special night for Aiden and Reilly. They got to take their dad to a 50's theme Doo-Wop dance. No mom. No baby sister. Just Dad, Reilly, and Aiden.

The girls got to dress up in poodle skirts and jangle bracelets and scarves, complete with 50's-ish hairstyles and makeup. They loved it...and looked absolutey adorable.

 

At the event, they took photos with their PopPop. They decorated frames for their special photos. They ate some dinner. Learned some cool dance moves. Blew LOTS of bubble gum bubbles. AND, they had a totally awesome time.

Here are some action shots from the dance (thanks Tracy!)...sure looks like they had a lot of fun!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Valentine's Day Goodness...

Seeing as how this was Aiden and Reilly's first year of celebrating Valentine's Day at school with school friends, we (by which I really mean me, myself, & I) couldn't accept just going with a simple store-bought card (I know, I know...forbid the thought, right?!). So, here are the Valentines treats we came up with instead.

Aiden picked out mini bubbles (from Target's holiday section $2.00/pack) and we added some lollipops and gum balls (we substituted some yummy kettle corn for some of her friends with dietary restrictions). 

 

 

Reilly picked out mini heart slinkies and bouncy balls (also from Target's holiday section, $2.00/pack) and we added some chewy sprees because they looked like mini bouncy balls.

 

 

We also made some of our signature chocolate covered strawberries for their teacher & student teacher, the wonderful (and very helpful) ladies in the school's front office, and some of our neigbors. I tried a new treat that turned out to be pretty delish (if I do say so myself) - a chocolcate cup covered with fresh raspberries and drizzled with white chocolate. Yumm-O!

  

Here are my 3 little Valentines on our walk home from school, aren't they cute?! Also check out what Cupid left behind (nope, I didn't get around to doing the daily treat as originally planned, so this was the next best thing)...

  

Unfortunately, A&R had an appointment with the pulmonologist V-day afternoon, so we didn't get to do some of the fun things I would have liked. They were troopers, though, and were really good at their appointment (which ended up lasting almost 2 hours). Doug and I let Reilly and Aiden decide where to go for dinner...they agreed on Chipotle. Then, we took them to the church and dropped them off for 2 hours of free babysitting, thanks to the wonderful Young Women in our ward. A few other families also dropped their kids off, so the girls had a blast playing with many of their church friends. They colored Valentines, made Love Bugs, got yummy cupcakes and rice crispy treates, and had a wonderful evening. While the girls were busy playing, Doug and I decided to visit the HB Street Fair, with MacKenzie in tow. It wasn't quite the same without Aiden and Reilly (they LOVE the street fair) so after we walked both lengths of the strip without stopping to look at much of anything, we decided it was time to head back to the church and get the girls. As we were in the parking garage strapping Mac into her carseat, THIS happened...

Yup...we ended up in a total and complete power outage. We were stuck in the garage for about 10 minutes before they forced the gate up, but it was kind of spooky just sitting there, hearing the alarms and sirens, and not knowing what caused the outage. As we drove out of the parking garage, we looked down the avenue where the street fair is and it was PITCH black...you couldn't see a thing... it was pretty eerie. Whether it was dumb luck, good timing, or us listening to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, Doug and I were both relieved we decided to head back when we did and that we were already at our car, in the garage before the power shut off. It goes without saying that by the time we got back to the church, the girls didn't want to leave. But it was already past bedtime and Mac was beyond ready to go to sleep.

All-in-all it was a full and busy day for our little family...but it was definitely a fun one, and we all enjoyed celebrating this year's Day o' Love (and I even managed to scrap a page about it....yay!)

Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day as well!! XOXOXO