Caldwell Family

Dress up time!

2012-01-23T18:39:00.001-08:00

I got Olivia this purple dress for the spring-but once she spotted it there is no getting it off of her now! She felt so pretty in her necklace and high heels.

Charlotte taught her how to "TA-DA"!

pop beads

Grandma Sherrie got Charlotte these cool beads for Christmas. They come in the funkiest shapes and colors-we've had so much fun exploring the possibilities. Even Finn gets to wear our creations sometimes.

Charlotte came up with this creative use all on her own.

Christmas

2011-12-25T21:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning was filled with joy as we watched our girls open their gifts. Olivia was thrilled with everything she opened. Who knew a Minnie movie would be so exciting!

Charlotte adores the new dino Santa brought.

Thanks for the Barbies Grandma and Grandpa Hoth-we love them!

Olivia and "Punzel" are best pals already
(I secretly bought Rapunzel so I could play with her-she is too cute).

Charlotte has had her eye on this Pony set for a while.

She spent about 3 hours playing with it today.

The girls looked darling in thier Christmas attire.

While Olivia napped Charlotte was busy playing with toys, puzzles and new craft kits.

Did your house look like this Christmas afternoon?

After a lovely turkey dinner we had Rudolph cake.

It was difficult, but we finally separated the girls form their new toys and into bed. Olivia made sure Rapunzel was comfy and Charlotte snuggled in tight with her t-rex.

The girls couldn't have been any cuter today. We feel so blessed to have such sweet and beautiful daughters. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-25T21:41:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Eve we decided to head south and warm up a bit in Sedona. The girls had a great time on a short hike.

Cool cactus.

Charlotte brought along a case for catching lizards-but we didn't see a single one. I told her they were too busy wrapping Christmas presents to play outside; I think she believed me!

That evening we watched a great Church DVD about the brith of Jesus and then we let the
girls un-wrap their new PJ's.

Someone was really excited!

Around 8:00pm Charlotte volunteered to go to bed.

She even said we could skip stories.

Later that night, we spied on the girls and found Olivia teasing Charlotte about being on the naughty list.

Winter Wonderland

2011-12-18T14:30:00.001-08:00

We've been enjoying 18 inches of snowfall in Flagstaff. Saturday finally gave us a chance to get out and have some snow fun. Charlotte surprised us by going down the hills all on her own this year; only if Mommy "tested" them first.

Olivia was not as impressed.

She had more fun hanging back and watching sister slide down the slopes. For some reason she thought it was really funny and laughed each time.

Cute little snow bunnies.

For craft time we made some homemade snow globes-thanks for the idea Martha. I found these round ones at the craft store. The girls thought it was the coolest thing to pick out their little figures and colored glitter. Charlotte went with a deer and pink glitter.

Olivia picked a snowman and a Santa and blue glitter.

Pickle, baby food, or jam jars also make unique snow globes.

It is fun to have snow for Christmas. As far as I am concerned it can all go away after Christmas.

Christmas cuteness

2011-12-15T08:39:00.000-08:00

I thought it was time to get some Christmas photos up since December is half over. I made the girls these Christmas aprons. We put them to the test the next day and made some pizelles.

The girls had fun playing with these pretend cookies
I made from the extra scraps of Christmas fabric.

Finn looks like he ate one too many cookies.

Olivia likes to pretend the tree is "eating " her.
The poor tree is getting used and abused.

Fantastic 5

2011-12-04T20:44:00.001-08:00

We had a dino-mite Birthday party for Charlotte this weekend. Charlotte has been planning her party for weeks, and wanted to be sure it included her current favorite-the spinosaurus. Notice the cool spinosaurus hat she and "Hip" are sporting.

I went for simplicity with her cake this year-but it was still cute. It was a rainbow cake on the inside.

The kids made dino scenes; Olivia was very proud of the finished product.

We had a dino egg hunt. The final destination was Charlotte's room where they found a Mommy T-Rex guarding some nests.

The big red T-Rex was a big hit!

There were lots of nice gifts.

Charlotte had so much fun at her party. We spent the rest of the day playing with all her new toys, crafts and games. We just love this dino-crazy girl!

Happy 5th Birthday Charlotte-rex!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T20:35:00.001-08:00

We had a lovely Thanksgiving at Scott's Mom's house. Thanks Kristal for cathcing these family pictures. Olivia is a little clown; I included some out-takes below.

This is her ugly man face that she just loves to pull to ruin pictures.

We went to the Tuscon Zoo on Friday morning.

Olivia liked the giraffes best; Charlotte said she liked the monkeys.

The girls always have a wonderful time with their cousins. Here they were playing Princesses and servants; I'm not sure who conned them in to that one.

Charlotte was sad to see them go she cried herself to sleep Saturday night because "she missed her cousins" . We are thankful to have such wonderful families on both sides.

Sleepy heads

2011-11-18T20:51:00.000-08:00

The girls have been trying my patience at bedtime lately. They think bedtime is their cue to get hyperactive and go crazy. They start up pillow fights, jump on the beds, or insist on flossing their teeth 5 times; getting them to bed is a serious feat. But, here is some evidence that they occasionally do sleep.

Olivia snuggling her favorite baby and her toothbrush. Aren't they cute when they are asleep!

Finn and Liv enjoying a nap together.

This is Finn's favorite place to sleep at night. I kick him off after a while so Charlotte doesn't have to battle this bed hog all night.

Liv just couldn't make it through her Dora movie before bedtime.

Good Bye Circus

2011-11-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

Every year at work we go all out with a Halloween theme as part of a department wide decoration and costume contest. This year we were a circus. It turned out great. We used a giant parachute that we use for playing games with kids as our tent.

We even had a trapeze.

The "audience" was my favorite part. We took pictures of all our employees & their kids or grandkids to make our audience. You can see me and the girls down in the left hand corner.
Is that Justin Beber?

We painted an elephant, tiger, seal, monkeys and a few clowns too.

I also painted a few clown pumpkins. The girls came to check it out.

We ended up winning best lobby and best group costume! Hooray! I will miss this Circus where I have worked for the last 9 years. I will be starting a new job in town on Nov. 15th. I have had a wonderful experience here at the Health Department. I don't think I will ever find co-workers as fun as these guys again!

I posted some pictures of our Trunk or Treat also-you may have to click "older posts" to view them.

Trunk or Treat

2011-11-01T08:37:00.001-07:00

Here we are all ready for the Church Trunk o'Treat. Charlotte was so cute; she told me I look so pretty and that everyone would think I was a real clown!

Olivia thought that donuts on a string was the greatest game ever.

The girls with their pal Superman (Draven) and baby pumpkin Ayla.

Charlotte would quietly mumble "trick or treat" at each car. Olivia would just burst out with "I'm Tinky-bell!!!" They were cute.

Eating their spoils. This year Charlotte discovered Pixie Sticks-darn.

Sneak peek

2011-10-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

Each year I have the girls pictures taken in their costumes. It is so hard to get good photos of them on Halloween-they are too excited and the lighting is bad etc. I was pretty pleased with this years photos. Charlotte is the tough viking Astrid from the Dragon movie. Olivia is Tinkerbell. They've both had so much fun in their costumes already. Olivia wears her on a daily basis. She took a nap in it yesterday. My costume for work is coming together nicely-check back next week for a look!

Bootiful girls

2011-10-11T09:27:00.001-07:00

These outfits I made for the girls were just begging for a photo shoot. Luckily, they were being cooperative and I got some cute pictures.

Charlotte's skirt has these cute little pumpkins making different faces on it, hard to tell from far away.

The gold shoes are courtesy of Aunt Katy-she bought them for Charlotte one Christmas-now they are Olivia's favorite shoes, she wears them with sweats.

Such a little lady.

We are very excited for Halloween at our house. The girls have been playing "tick or treat". They come up to me with their little plastic pumpkins and say "Trick or Treat"; I pretend I'm a little old lady and drop one of their toys in the bucket. They could play for hours.

Upside down hugs

2011-10-04T20:32:00.001-07:00

I walked into the living room to call the girls to dinner and found Olivia giving Finn this upside down hug. She was just chillin wathcing some tv. I'd like to see how she got there.

Fall is in the air!

2011-09-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

Fall is officially here! Which means its time for fall dresses. I fell in love with this apple fabric and just had to make some dresses for the girls. They turned out pretty cute!

I love fall! The cooler weather, the beautiful colors, apples, pumpkins, -what's not to love!!

Rain rain, go away...

2011-09-12T11:13:00.001-07:00

Actually, we like the rain! We've had some epic storms in the last few days. The hail woke me up at 6:00am this morning. When it rains the girls want to get in their raincoats and boots and stomp in puddles; sometimes I let them.

Olivia is totally obsessed with "brellas", as she calls them. She is pouting because it was sisters turn to hold the umbrella.

When it wasn't raining cats and dogs it was a beautiful weekend with very pleasant temperatures. We tried to snap a few family photos in the last bit of summer sun. Charlotte posed like a pro.

Olivia would not hold still-so this is what I got.

I love this sassy shot with her Daddy.

My pretty little princess is looking so grown up!

Fair fun

2011-09-05T20:00:00.001-07:00

Pretty face painting.

Pony Rides. This pony's name was Fancy Jelly Bean.

Olivia had a big smile on during her entire pony ride.

We shared some cotton candy; it isn't a proper fair without it!

My favorite part is always the animals. Isn't this a cool looking spotted llama.

We watched this goat eat his sign.

While in the bunny house I decided that bunnies are the cutest creatures on earth; too bad they poop so much.

Ahh the County fair, so dirty, so greasy, so expensive, but so fun! The girls had a great time. Charlotte rode the Ferris wheel and Olivia chose a train ride. They came home dirty and exhausted. Good times.

Summer round-up

2011-08-22T09:14:00.001-07:00

Summertime is quickly melting away. Here are a few shots from our final days of summer fun.

I finally got both the girls twirly dresses made. Olivia was not in the mood for pictures. It quickly went from this.....

to this face of agony. But, doesn't she look cute!

Charlotte was happy to pose in her cute dress; she loves the attention these days.

We've been after one of these all summer. I caught this one mid air-I'm getting good after a whole summer of butterfly catching. We let him go.

Rainbow toes to match rainbow dresses. Her purple pinky toes are hiding.

Oh yeah, I turned one year older this summer.

Mmm, I could use some more of that ice cream cake!

Hooray for new playdough! Charlotte made some cupcakes for one of her stuffed dinosaur's birthday. She does in fact have some shorts on in this shot.

Speaking of cupcakes; we made some yummy butterfly cupcakes for FHE yesterday.

Charlotte got really creative and started making caterpillars and rainbows too.

Ice cream on the pcrch!

Staying cool in her Birthday suit.

Glasses, beads and ghetto-blaster complete the look.

Enjoy these last few weeks of summer!

Working out

2011-08-19T08:38:00.001-07:00

The girls came down from their bath the other night and joined me while I was doing a workout video. They were so cute trying so hard to do what the lady on the screen was doing.

Look at them concentrating.

Olivia couldn't quite figure this one out.

Eeew, were both wet-but mine is sweat!

A fitness instructor in the making!

Camp out

2011-08-10T10:00:00.001-07:00

A few weekends ago we went camping near Camp Verde, AZ. It was a lovely spot with huge cottonwood trees and a creek to play in. It was extremely hot and humid, but we

had a great time. As we were setting up the tent Charlotte screams "I can't wait to go to bed!" I've never heard those words before!

Enjoying some roasted hot dogs-one day I'll think of something other than hot dogs to bring on a camp out.

Later that night after the temperature dropped below 90 degree; we made s'mores. Charlotte prepped the marshmallows for us; I think a few found their way into her mouth un-toasted.

So excited to go to sleep!

But, first a favorite movie to help them settle down.

In the morning Scott made some delicious blueberry pancakes and scrambled eggs.

Then it was off to the creek to cool off for a few hours. It was beautiful.

Ahhh!

Sew and tell

2011-08-02T10:46:00.000-07:00

I've been sewing nearly every weekend this summer. Here are a few of my projects.

A skirt for me from my most favorite fabric ever.

I just love the colors-they are much prettier in person.

I made this dress for Charlotte with some super cheap fabric from Wal-mart. It has yards of fabric so it is super twirly. I couldn't get her to put it on for a picture this morning-it is much cuter when it is on.

A doll for Mia's Birthday; her name is Mermia. Her face got a little square-but still cute. I like her colorful yarn hair.

A pillow case dress to indulge Charlotte's butterfly love.

I am hoping to take some family pictures in these outfits I made for the girls-out of my favorite fabric. (I didn't make the shirt-Target clearance rack. I did add the flower.)

Olivia is so cute in this dress. She loves it and asks to wear her "blue dress" everyday.

$5 tutu skirt. I love that tulle is so cheap.

Look what I got! A sweet Aunt heard through the grapevine that I like to sew. She said she had an unused serger sitting around and sent it to me.

So, more professional and more comfortable (Charlotte always tells me that the stuff I make is itchy) clothes for the girls coming soon! If only I knew how to use it!

Little garden fairies

2011-07-22T11:01:00.001-07:00

Remember these?

2011-07-19T10:32:00.000-07:00

I found this paint with water book at the used bookstore for $1! I was so excited when I spotted it-I love these kind of things. I swear Katy and I had this very same book when we were little; the pictures look so familiar. The copyright says 1988; so it is very possible. The girls are having a great time painting them.

Could these vacuums be any cuter?

Gotta love a snake eating spaghetti!

Doesn't this nurse have more important things to do? How sexist!

100th Post!!!

2011-07-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

I happened to notice that this is my 100th post! It only took about 4 years. I never have much to post except cute pictures of my girls. So, I hope you won't mind a few more. Blogging has been so much fun. I love to see what my sisters and their families are up to. Thanks for sharing!

The girls looked like pretty yellow flowers before church last week. I couldn't get them to just be normal for a second.

Here are some shots after an evening ballerina dance session. My camera was on a funny setting so they are fuzzy; but still cute.

Singing time.

Charlotte was really getting in to it!

Cutie pies.

What is a crysalis?

2011-07-11T16:40:00.000-07:00

A chrysalis is the real name for a butterfly cocoon (we recently learned from several butterfly books we checked out at the library). A few weeks ago Charlotte found a big spiky black caterpillar in our yard. We kept him in her bug house and the next morning he'd built a chrysalis. The one in the picture here is a new caterpillar-who also built a chrysalis-we can't wait to see what kind of butterfly he becomes. I'd love to show the cocoon-but they are hard to photograph inside the bug house.

Here are the girls heading out for a bug hunting adventure in their official bug hunting hats.

Charlotte is so cute running down the trail waving her net. We call this the butterfly trail; there are all sorts-orange ones, blue ones, black, white and yellow.

Goin on for the catch-she actually gets one every now and then.

Here's the one that "hatched" out of it's chrysalis a few weeks ago. We let him out and he flew and landed on Scott's arm briefly, then he took off into the wide wide world.

We'll keep you posted on our new caterpillar.

Little Miss Make-Up

2011-07-07T13:56:00.001-07:00

Olivia loves to put on make-up while I get ready in the morning. Maybe I shouldn't encourage wearing make-up at the age of two. But, if it keeps her out of trouble for 5 minutes so I can get ready for work-I'm okay with it!

A little eye shadow to start

I love her kissy lips when I put on the lipstick.

A dusting of powder...

It works best when the powder puff is backwards you know.

Blush, the finishing touch...

A little in the hair looks nice too.

The finished product!

So pretty!

Bears

2011-07-06T14:55:00.001-07:00

We were walking in the woods the other day when we came across this guy.

Just kidding. On Saturday we went to an animal park not far from Flagstaff called "Bearizona". It is a drive-though park with bears, sheep, buffalo, burros and wolves. The park is still under construction and will eventually have a grizzy bear and some mountain lions. It was a very hot day and the animals were pretty much all zonked out. It was cute to see them all lounging about. The wolves were especailly cute.

Olivia sat on Scott's lap so she could get a better view of things. Then she decieded to take over the wheel for a while.

Don't you just want to pet this big mop head?

They also had a walk-around section of the park where all the baby animals were, along with some birds, and a petting zoo. Olivia thought this bird was super cool. If you held money out he would come and take it and put it in a container in his enclosure.

Pretty clever way to get us to hand over more money!

The petting zoo had these adroable baby pigs-isn't he scrumptious!

(I mean not in a bacon sort of way!)

The goats were Charlotte's favorite attraction.

Overall we had a really fun time; despite the 90 degree day.

Staycation

2011-07-05T11:17:00.001-07:00

While my whole family met up in Oregon for a party at my parent's house-here is what we were up to in Flagstaff. I'll post new pictures each day for a week-so come back soon!

4th of July!!!

We went to the parade on Monday morning. Charlotte has been looking forward to the parade for weeks. She brought her favorite dino "Mud" along.

Our favorite entries were the horses of course. They had sparkly painted hooves and some kind of sparkly dust all over their coats-they were so pretty.

The Hopi tribe was also a very cool entry. The Hopi Indians along with the Navajo make up a huge portion of our population in N. Az. It is so cool to see them in their traditional wear.

For some reason the kid in the front was decorated with bags of chips; his back said "feed me". This was amusing and sad at the same time.

Olivia had a blast and waved at everyone that passed by. She also ate about a dozen lollipops throughout the parade. As soon as the candy hit the pavement it was inserted in her mouth!

Even Finn got to celebrate with some juicy watermelon.

This is Olivia's Statue of Liberty impression.

Charlotte and I spent Sunday afternoon making these confetti rocket poppers.

She thought they were so cool.

Here they are making a mess on the porch.

Happy 4th!

Cake!

2011-06-27T10:15:00.000-07:00

Here are the promised cake photos. Like I said, I was feeling lazy and bought a cake this time. Olivia was so excited to see the Fairies that she knows and loves on top of her cake. Silvermist, the blue one is her favorite.

Ready, set ....

...make a wish!

Mmmm, tasty!

She got a couple of Barbies. She immediately gave one to Charlotte and said "here sissy".

They've had a lot of fun playing together with them.

I can't believe she's two.

The big 2!

2011-06-13T13:53:00.001-07:00

Two years ago...

Olivia Grace turned two last Thursday. These aren't your typical Birthday photos; we decided to spend the day in Sedona. The pictures speak for themselves-we all had a great time.

I love the beautiful red rocks in the back of this photo.

Does it get any cuter than this girl?

She was like a little mermaid sunning on the rocks all day dipping her toes in the cold creek water. Next time I think we'll bring swimsuits.

Charlotte with her consolation prize. She got a new net and a bug house. We needed somewhere to put all the bugs she's been catching. In Sedona she caught some crawdads, some tiny fish, a tadpole and a few lizards.

Sorry-I have no cake and present photos. I couldn't get the other camera card to download. I'll try it again later. Olivia had a great Birthday. It is as if she knows she is older; suddenly she is talking all day long and saying the cutest things. She calls Charlotte "Sissy" and refers to Finn as simply "Dog". She can repeat the entire alphabet (one letter at a time after Mommy or Daddy say each letter), she knows all of her colors and sings the cutest lullabies to anything that resembles a baby. We are so happy that she is part of our family.

Sweet things

2011-05-31T10:06:00.001-07:00

The 3 day weekend was lovely. I had time to finish up some craft projects and make some cookies. The weather was really nice so we took lots of walks as well. These cookies were inspired by Charlotte's new obsession; butterfly trapping. She looked so cute running down our favorite walking trail waving her insect net around-I should have taken a picture! Do not worry; all butterflies were set free a few hours after capture.

Aren't these cool! I thought I'd give it a try after watching a web tutorial. They were really fun to make.

Cupcakes.

I love the disappointed look on this un-frosted cupcake.

Finn in a tutu-just for fun.

Hope your weekend was nice too!

Out Little Graduate

2011-05-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday Charlotte "graduated" : from Pre-school. She learned how to write her name, stand in a line, share with classmates, raise hands, and other such important skills this year. She also made lots of new friends and was in craft heaven all year. We're so proud of our big girl!

The kids performed a few cute song and dance numbers for us.

Here she is next to the growth chart. At the beginning of the year you can see her name right at the 41 inch mark; now she's standing tall at 43 1/2 . Must be all that healthy food she's eating, or candy.

On to bigger and better things now!

Actually, one more year of pre-school and then kindergarten.

Pic-nic season!

2011-05-13T10:15:00.000-07:00

We took advantage of some warm weather last weekend with a pic-nic. We went to a beautiful place in Sedona called the Crescent Moon pic-nic area. We pic-nic a lot in the summer because it is cheap and fun!

Charlotte brought her lizard friend along.

Here she is hunting for real lizards. They kept scurrying across the sidewalk while we ate, as a result not much lunch was consumed.

The girls did a little fishing.

Olivia had fun throwing rocks in the creek.

We discovered that Finn is a terrible swimmer. Dogs are supposed to glide noiselessly through the water; Finn splashed and thrashed and looked quite terrified. We laughed.

Luckily we didn't have to jump in and save him from drowning.

Scott tried to catch a lizard to show the girls. In a desperate attempt at escape the lizard lost its tail. This is Olivia's "eeeeeew" face at the site of a detached lizard tail.

One tuckered girl after a day of lizard chasing and creek wading.

Mother's Day

2011-05-09T14:44:00.001-07:00

Me and my gals on Mother's Day morning.

Charlotte insisted on wearing her new dress-up hat (above) to Church on Sunday; it is not something we normally do. She was awfully cute in it!

I got to attend a Mother's Day brunch at Charlotte's pre-school. They made all kinds of hand-made gifts for Mom and practiced serving their Moms using good manners. It went something like this...
"Would you like some juice Mom? Mom, I need a drink of that."
"Would you like a fruit parfait Mom? Can I eat all your raspberries Mom?"
then they sang us a song about being a wonderful Mom.
It was priceless.

I love Mother's Day. It is the one day a year you can brag about your beautiful children without being annoying! Scott and the girls woke up Sunday morning and made a delicious breakfast of egg, bacon and cheese sandwiches and fruit. I ordered my own Mother's Day gift a few weeks ago-a beautiful necklace with 2 silver flower charms and a pearl. The flower charms are stamped with the girl's first initials. The day came with lots of extra hugs and kisses too. I love being a Mom; it is a crazy, fun, emotional and ultimately rewarding business. I am so grateful to have my two blond haired blue-eyed cuties!

Farm fun

2011-05-05T14:26:00.001-07:00

During our visit in Utah we spent an afternoon at Wheeler farm. It is such a fun place with lots of cute farm animals, cool old tractors, wagon rides and more. The kids had a blast.

Olivia thought the chickens were hysterical. She laughed every time they shook their wings.

Grandma stopped to take advantage of a well-placed stump.

Olivia looks like a natural on this tractor.

More chickens.

Charlotte looks like a little country girl in her floral shirt and braids.

Grandpma and Grandpa Hoth + a cow.

The kids thought this chicken coop tree house was the coolest thing they'd ever seen.

Charlotte and Camden carrying all their treasures.

Happy Easter

2011-04-27T10:50:00.001-07:00

We were lucky to have a chance to spend Easter with my family this year. We all gathered at Katy's house for a few days of chaotic fun. Here we are on Easter morning.

Easter cuties. I made Charlotte's dress; it was my first attempt at a dress. It is not perfect, but it looked really sweet on her.

Stuffing eggs for the hunt (keep in mind it is late at night after a long tiring day; not our most flattering hour).

Here we are looking slightly more fresh before hiding all the eggs.

The spoils.

We almost got them all in one shot. Somehow all I got of Kayden was a green sock; poor Camden is making the saddest face due to an irritated eye and Mia is blocked. I think I was distracted by Olivia who was being an adorable ham.

Charlotte wasted no time; going straight for the cadbury egg.

On Easter Andrea, Jennifer and Katy prepared a splendid Easter feast (I cut some onions; so I really don't deserve any credit). The thought of Jennifer's rolls are making my mouth water right now! Despite the crummy weather we had a great time together. I'll have to post some of our other photos later. Katy- I hope you got your house put back together in one piece; including the little square in the basement!

Spring at last!

2011-04-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

It finally feels like spring here. We've had several 70 degree days recently. We've been enjoying the nice weather with lots of trips to the park.

Charlotte's ultra-cheese face.

Yup; she still rides in the baby swing; hopefully we'll get her out of it before Junior High.

You can;t tell, but Livy is actually dangling here; she's our little monkey. I made the cute ruffle pants she is wearing; I just love her in them.

Cute little behinds.

Finn was lying on Scott while he was reading the paper. Livy took the chance to smother him with some love.

They're pals.

Had to throw in this one of Livy taking a nap on our bed, she looked so sweet.

Happy Spring!

DIY SIlhouettes

2011-03-29T09:52:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I made these cute silhouettes of the girls. I think the one of Olivia looks just like her. Charlotte's doesn' t look as much like her-but I think I am just getting use to seeing her without bangs. They were so fun to make. I might try the dog next.

These are the pictures I used.

Olivia still has that oversized baby head; so cute.

I made some mini ones to put up in my office.

Want to make one?

1. take a picture of your child's profile.

2. download the photos and copy the image into a computer program; I used Word.

3. enlarge or shrink image to desired size and print.

4. Use a fine pen to outline the silhouette; this makes it much easier to do the cutting.

5. Tape printed picture to black paper and cut out silhouette.

6. Mount in cheap frame (got these for $3 at Michaels; they are made out of recycled plastic-but you couldn't tell right)

Easy!

Livy lately

2011-03-25T09:57:00.001-07:00

I felt like I've only been posting pictures of Charlotte lately. So, here are a few recent ones of Olivia. I finally gave her a haircut the other day. I just couldn't handle the mullet anymore. It looks much better.

All ready for church looking so pretty.

Eating one of her favorite foods; olives! I told her 'time for prayer"
and...

she stuffed all the olives in her mouth and bowed her head.

Sponge love.

Spongebob or "spa-bob" as she calls him is her new favorite. I'll admit that I like a little Spongebob; but 3 times a day week after week is a little much!

The other day I found the girls crammed in the toy chest; after they had so nicely emptied it. There is a shocking amount of toys in there! It makes me happy to see them playing so nicely together.

Are you wearing green?

2011-03-17T10:55:00.001-07:00

Charlotte and I made some rainbow cupcakes last night.

I went a little overboard with the food coloring!

The finished product

Pretty!

This morning I made green smoothies. Yep; that's bananas, strawberries and spinach (add some water or apple juice to desired consistency; give it a try) smoothies. But, will they drink it?

The answer is....yes! The spinach adds the lovely green color, but you can;t even taste it! I'd never guessed Charlotte would chugg a spinach smoothie; but she drank two large glasses of it!

Olivia was a little skeptical.

She eventually drank it all.

May the luck of the Irish be with you today!

Move over scrapbooking!

2011-03-13T14:37:00.001-07:00

Lately I have a new favorite hobby; sewing! Our fabric store recently re-opened after collapsing in the snow (note: do not build flat-roofed buildings in Flagstaff) last winter. I've got a pile of fun projects just waiting for me to find the time to complete. I did find some time to make these cute dolls for the girls last weekend. There were lots of fun and a complete breeze to make.

Meet Hazel & Ruby

Ruby is Charlotte approved-she sleeps with her every night.

(This is where a cute picture of Olivia snuggling her doll should go. But, for some reason she's totally shunned her doll. When I try to offer it to her she holds up her hand and says "uh-uh". Maybe it' s because she doesn't have a nose!

How could you shun this face?

Zumba Fashion Show

2011-03-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

My Mom requested some pictures of my bright Zumba clothes. They are rather flashy; I always say it helps me dance better. It is funny; Zumba is the only fitness class where I make sure my hair and make-up look good. Please excuse all the cheesy poses!

These are my Shrek green pants; they are a cargo pant-so cute and comfy.

Charlotte wanted to join in. She's going to make a fine Zumba dancer one day.

Here's one to make you laugh; Charlotte took this shot.

Katy bought me these super-cute tye-dyed pants. The first time I wore them down the stairs Charlotte said, "Mommy you look like a cow". But, I love them and get compliments every time I wear them-thanks Katy!

These are my pink cargos; I love them. Scott makes fun of them and tells me that pink pants are for little girls. I agree pink pants are for little girls...and Zumba dancers!

Second-hand finds

2011-03-04T14:54:00.000-08:00

There is a great 2nd hand bookstore here in Flagstaff that the girls and I love to visit on a weeknight when we need somthing to do. It's great because you can bring in a few things you don't want anymore and get store credit. I can always rummage up something to take so we never really pay for anything we buy. Last winter the store collapsed in a huge snowstorm; it recenly reopened in December. We're so glad it is back; here are our most recent finds.

Story-book Paper Dolls

Katy and I use to spend hours playing paperdolls. I still love to play with them! These paper dolls were printed in 1979 with a price tag of 79 cent on it; I paid $2. I love all thier 1970's outfits. I lamenated them and put a velcro sicky on each of the clothes so the girls can play with them without ripping them. We've been having lots of fun with them.

Each of the girls have thier own scene; there is Little Red Riding Hood, Little Bo Peep and Little Miss Muffet. So cute!

I made the mistake of showing this to Charlotte and of course she talked me into buying it. It is pretty cool; if I ever get it assembled. It is about 20% assembles so far. Price $2.

Here are a few books we found. The bunny one was such a find for $1. The illustraitions literally make me want to cry they are so cute (Richard Scarry of course)! We've found so many treasuses at this place; always at a resonable cost. We will miss it when (if) we leave Flagstaff.

Snow, snow and more...snow

2011-02-28T11:48:00.001-08:00

Up until last week we'd had a very mild winter with little snow. Last weekend we got about 18 inches; we were supposed to get two feet this weekend but we were quite relived when only 6 inches fell. Here are a few shots of our fun in the snow.

My little angel.

Charlotte ready to get to work with her "Charlotte size" snow shovel.

working hard!

Charlotte and I had some Mommy time together in the snow, we sledded, made angels, and had a snowball fight. A self shot; it was very sunny.

Snow fort!

This is a picture of the field right across the street from us. It is great for playing Frisbee in the summer and snow play in the winter.

Olivia loves to watch the snow fall out the window (don't worry; Scott is standing right behind her). She says snow in the cutest way; she sticks out her lips and forms the tiniest little "o" -I wish you could hear it.

This is what Finn would look like if his ears stood up.

One evening there was the most stunning sunset. I raced out to try to get a shot, but it was changing by the second. It was so gorgeous with the snow in the trees.

Happy Birthday Finn

2011-02-20T21:01:00.000-08:00

Finn turned one year old today. I am quite surprised he made it through the year with us; he was an exceptionally naughty puppy-and we talk about finding him a new home many times. But, he has been settling down a bit and I think he will one day be a fine dog. He is very sweet and gentle with the girls and he loves to snuggle. He has the softest light yellow fur you've ever touched. I love him despite all his bad habits. here are a few recent pics.

When he naps Charlotte often donates a stuffy for him to snuggle. She tucks it under his arm for him.

In celebration of the day Charlotte colored about a dozen pictures of doggies and hung them around the kitchen. I love how she colored this one. She wanted to bake him a "bone-flavored" cake; but fortunately we didn't get around to it.

The other night we were watching a movie when Finn climbed up on Scott like he is a 10 pound cat instead of an 80 pound giant.

We found Finn curled up in Charlotte little dog bed she uses for her stuffies; I think it is meant for a cat or maybe a Chihuahua.

Poor Finn, he is Charlotte's favorite pillow.

Finn often gets to be part of dress-up; he is usually a very unwilling participant. But, I guess he was tired enough this day to wear a headband. Charlotte said his name would be Finsterella for the day (we call him Finster sometimes).

Frolicking in two feet of snow on his Birthday; does it get any better than this?

Charlotte dressed up in her dog costume to honor Finn today; he looks more annoyed than honored to me! Olivia also loves Finn; she is always bestowing hugs and kisses upon him. But, she simply doesn't hold still long enough to get it on camera-so sorry no Livy shots.

Happy V-Day

2011-02-14T20:46:00.001-08:00

Charlotte modeling her valentines outfit; she is quite the poser these days.

I made these little outfits for the girls for Valentines Day. I've been wanting to try some ruffle skirts; and after a quick Youtube tutorial I discovered that they are pretty easy and fun to make!

Not such a good picture; but its the only one I got of the two of them.

Olivia was not in the mood. She insisted on wearing the purple headband (even though I explained to her that it didn't match) and I am not sure where she found that pootie-but she wasn't giving it up!

Another Charlotte pose before pre-school this morning.

Had to get a shot of Olivia in the heart antlers.

Charlotte was so proud of her valentines. She put the stickers on each one and drew cute little lady bugs on some.

She looks like Johanna to me in this one. I realize Charlotte bangs are hanging in her eyes; I am growing them out.

I spent another Valentines Day delivering Balloon Grams all over town as part of our Wellness Team fundraiser at work. There were 330 this year; luckily I had some help.

Just had to throw in this shot of this cute bug in a rug. She was feeling very silly after church and kept rolling her self up in this rug.

Scott and I were able to go on a date Saturday evening in celebration of Valentines Day. I had planned to go Ice Skating, but unfortunately it was hockey night at the rink. So we resorted to dinner and a movie. Dinner was delicious and relaxing for once! It was slim pickings at the theater so I convinced Scott to see Gnomeo & Juliet. Romantic, ehh?

Weekends at our house

2011-01-31T12:51:00.000-08:00

Olivia wore her first pair of pigtails to church this Sunday. They made her look instantly grown-up and more like big sister. Too bad they didn't even make it half way through Sacrament.
Oh so cute!

Olivia spent much of the weekend talking on the phone; or in this case a calculator.

We had a wild Viking/ballerina on the loose.

Terrorizing Daddy and Olivia.

Luckily, she also does dishes. I came down from a trip to the potty to find Charlotte working on a load of dishes I had started. She did a whole sink full. She's so big!

Finn discovered he really really likes to sleep on the couch. It is hard to kick him off when Charlotte covers him with a blankie and tells everyone to be quiet because her baby is sleeping. She also lent him some of her favorite dinos.

Artists in the making

2011-01-17T20:39:00.001-08:00

Olivia has recently discovered the joy of painting. It always nice to find a new way to keep her busy for 10 minutes. I thought these pictures were cute; so here you go.

Look at that focus!

Speaking of artists; I've noticed Charlotte's drawings have made a leap in sophistication lately. Her characters are often wearing patterned clothes or have wonderful facial expressions. Here are two recent masterpieces. She said this one was her and Humpty Dumpty; I like his striped pants.

This is my favorite drawing she's made to date. She told me it was an angry spider. His facial expression make me smile.

Christmas

2011-01-03T20:56:00.001-08:00

I hope you are ready for the longest post ever! We had so much fun at Christmas; I had a hard time narrowing down the pictures. We stayed in Flagstaff for Christmas; it was so nice to just be at home and enjoy our girls.

We should have made Olivia the Angel on top; but we decided to stick with the star.

Charlotte and I were given some tickets to see the local production of the Nutcracker. Here we are before the show. We loved it! Charlotte is getting to the age where all little girls want to be ballerinas, but in the end the rat king was her favorite (sticking with her habit of rooting for the villain).

Two excited girls on Christmas Eve.

We tried to set out cookies for Santa, but Olivia kept sneaking up, grabbing the cookies and retreating to the tree where she ate them hastily. Unfortunately Finn also grabbed a mouthful of chocolate covered cookies and ended up with the Hershey squirts for for 2.5 days (sorry, TMI)

Olivia got this adorable stroller from us, and the cute baby doll from Grandpa & Grandma Hoth. They have been inseparable.

Despite the cookie troubles; Finn had a nice Christmas too.

He's thinking, "hurry, can't hold it much longer!"

Grandma and Grandpa Hoth sent this neat-o horse barn and horses for Charlotte. Grandpa made an extra set of fence for her corral, some miniature hay bales and a personalized gate for Charlotte's ranch. It is adorable, and she just loves it.

Charlotte has been arranging her horses all over the house. If you ask her what they are doing she has some elaborate story about Carnotaurs coming so the horses are staying together in their corral while the King pony runs out and pokes them in the eye.

A few days after Christmas Charlotte's T-rex arrived (thanks for the late delivery Amazon). But, she really didn't care. He is quite the character; he likes to play dead and burst to life when you are close enough to be eaten.

I bet you didn't know that Vikings often serve tea with their favorite dinosaur pals.

Happy New Year.

Sedona with Katy

2011-01-01T13:09:00.001-08:00

For Christmas I got a rare chance to get together with Katy. We decided to leave the kids at home and make the most of our few short hours. We met in Sedona where we had a hike, ate a delicious lunch (still dreaming of pot-roast and mashed potato sandwiches Katy?), some brief shopping (where Katy treated me to a pair of funky Zumba pants-I'll have to post em) and ended the day with an outback Jeep tour. Needless to say; we had a fabulous time! Thanks Katy for treating me to a wonderful day. I wish I got to see my sisters more often.

This picture was supposed to be last-oh well. This was on our Jeep tour; the sun was setting and putting an orangy glow on everything-gorgeous.

Katy on top (almost) of Bell rock. There really is no clear trail up the thing. People just scurry about like ants; trying to find an easy way up. We picked a goal point on one of the mesas and reached our destination. We were planning an hour of meditation on top (just kidding; but people in Sedona are really into things like that); but there were too many people waiting for our view.

A view from the top

The 7 sacred pools; part of the jeep tour

Our tour guide "Buck" took this picture. He was quite the stereotype of a Texas man in a leather vest, spurs and a gun holster.

Ahh, Sedona (named after a settlers wife-we found out on the tour). It really is such a beautiful place. It felt great to be walking around in a light jacket in December for a change.

Holiday happenings

2010-12-20T10:53:00.001-08:00

Last week we rode on the Polar Express at the Grand Canyon Railway. It was a beautiful train built in 1928. We had such a great time. The staff were great, the train was comfortable and the chocolate chip cookies were perhaps the best I've ever eaten.

Charlotte was so excited; I had to hold her tight to keep her from bursting with excitement!

Charlotte was pretty friendly with Santa; Olivia-not so much.

They were pleased with their bells.

Charlotte has a Holiday performance at her pre-school. They sang lots of cute songs; including one about 10 little presents; and did a few dances. It was so cute. I love how that boy is smiling at her.

More oogling from boys.

Here are the girls in their Holiday dresses. Olivia wore one that Charlotte wore on her 2nd Christmas.

I loved Charlotte's dress this year (it was a very expensive dress that I got on ebay at a really good price). You can't see it, but it had a pretty pleated layer at the bottom. Too bad she wouldn't sit still for a good photo. She kept making faces and thought she was so funny.

Candyland Birthday

2010-12-12T13:13:00.001-08:00

Charlotte had a Candyland Birthday party this weekend. I used some decorations we'd painted for our Halloween contest last year at work. The rest I made while at home sick last week. It tuned out really cute.
Charlotte was literally jumping and screaming she was so excited for her party.

Here is the strawberry cake with strawberry filling and strawberry frosting; is it pink enough? All the kids wanted a frosting filled icecream cone.

The kids decorated crowns, played pin the horn on the unicorn, and had a giant game of candyland using the path on the floor.

She got all 4 candles in one big blow!

Aren't we done with pictures yet?

Livy had a good time too.

The girls spent the rest of the day playing on the rainbow path.

Her favorite gift was probably this dino bones model we put together as soon as all the guests were gone. It is now perched next to her bed so it can "protect her from dragons".

Happy Birthday Charlotte Belle! We love your sweetness, your crazy imagination, and they way you love your sister.

Turkey Day highlights

2010-12-09T22:09:00.001-08:00

Poor Thanksgiving never gets the attention it deserves. When else do you get to wear a turkey leg hat! (Thanks cousin Abbey for making this adorable hat.)

I made everyone play "Pin the Hat on the Turkey". I spent a whole dollar on that! At least Olivia liked it!

The feast. (Cousin Kassidy, Olivia, Charlotte and Cousin Abbey).

I dug out the old pilgrim costume for Olivia to wear. Charlotte filled in as the Indian.

Charlotte's "Indian warrior" face; most likely her T-rex impression.

On the way home from St. David we stopped at the Mesa Az temple to see the Christmas lights; they were beautiful. Inside the visitors center they had a display of manger scenes from around the world. They were all so fun.

I liked the mossy stuff around the edge of this one.

I think baby Jesus might have been frightened by these Kachina doll faces starring down at him!

This one from Japan was my favorite. Although, baby Jesus doesn't look so comfy

in that rice bowl.

Little Gnome

2010-11-23T11:24:00.001-08:00

I found this little gnome on my doorstep.

Sedona

2010-11-16T21:00:00.001-08:00

This is what Livy does when you ask her to smile these days.

Taking a rest so Charlotte's legs would'nt "fall off"

Bell Rock (on the left) I am not sure what the other one is called.

Last week for Veterans day I took the girls to Sedona; Scott was working of course. Sedona has been out little getaway while we've lived in Flagstaff. It is only 40 scenic miles away and is always 10-15 degrees warmer than Flagstaff. There is a beautiful creek that runs though the canyon that we like to visit too. The girls and I had lunch and then took a walk around the red rocks. We walk until Charlotte started telling me her "legs were falling asleep". Olivia rode happily in the jogging stroller. When we got to the car I said "was'nt that fun?" Charlotte replied "I never want to walk that far again." She had fun despite the dramatic comments.

Halloween-finally

2010-11-14T22:18:00.001-08:00

Our beautiful fairy/butterfly/princess

This is her excited face.

More pictures;are you serious?

After first deciding to be a triceratops, then a viking, Charlotte settled on a pink butterfly. As you can see; she felt simply beautiful in her costume. In fact she told everyone she knew that she was going to be a "beauuuuuuutiful butterfly". She also wore her old dog costume to pre-school and her old witch costume to the church party. So many costumes; so little time!

You are probably wondering what happened to Olivia? Well she was the cutest little garden gnome this year. But I took pictures of her using the camera on my phone because I had left my camera at work-and I haven't figured out how to download them from my phone if you actually want to view them in a size larger than a pea. So, I will have to keep working on it.

So, another Halloween come and gone. We had so much fun carving pumpkins, reading Halloween stories and singing about witches. It was a fun year.

I've got lots of cute pictures of the girls recently that I plan to post. So, stay tuned.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-27T11:58:00.001-07:00

Cutie pies at the pumpkin patch.

This pumpkin is heavy!

I love Livy's furrowed eyebrows as she tries to lift this pumpkin.

This one is more Charlotte size.

Charlotte had a blast scooping out guts.

Don't worry; it's a safety knife!

Spooky green eyes Finn.

Halloween isn't complete without a trip to the pumpkin patch (or dressed up gravel lot in our case). The girls had so much fun picking out the perfect pumpkin. Olivia just wanted to sit on all of them. Charlotte spent a good 20 minutes searching before she found "the one'". She insisted it have a "spooookey" face. It turned out cute.

Zumbathon

2010-10-19T11:18:00.001-07:00

My friend and fitness mentor, Karen. She turns 50 in February and can still move it just as good as I can-amazing!
We had over 100 women come, and a few guys too.

Here I am on stage.

We had 9 instructors teaching ranging from young to old.

Last weekend I participated in a Zumbathon to raise money for Breast Cancer research.

It was fun to get to teach with other instructors and see their unique styles. It was awesome to see so many people come together for a good cause and for fitness. The next day there was a terrible picture of me in the paper. I was pulling a funny face. Oh well, the rest of me looked pretty good. Zumba has really helped me grow as an instructor. I feel like it has also helped me except my body just the way it is; because when you are having so much fun you don't really care what is jiggling!

Pictures for Mom

2010-10-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

Olivia playing peek-a-boo through Charlotte's potty seat-gross I know.

Charlotte and her pal Draven at their pre-school field trip to the fire station.

Charlotte riding the horse at the park. She named him Yoko.

A storm in the bathtub.

I wanted you to see how big Finn is. He was being very uncooperative.

Olivia saying "cheese"

Big smiles.

My Mom recently joined the modern world and got the Internet at home. She's been telling me how much she enjoys looking at our Blogs. I told her I would post more often. So I posted a few pictures from the weekend. Hopefully this won't make you feel so far away.

Sew cute!

2010-09-27T11:57:00.001-07:00

Playing hopscotch on the bricks.

I made Charlotte this skirt and t-shirt last weekend out of a pair of women's pajamas I found on clearance for $3.00. I just couldn't resist the roller skate fabric! Charlotte is looking so tall and grown up these days; I forget she is only three.

Farewell summer!

2010-09-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

A rare shot of the two of them; where no one is crying!

Olivia was not very amused. She wanted her blankie.

She tried to make a run for it. I love how she hold up her little arms.

Fall is coming. These last few days the temperature has dropped and there's a chill in the air. Last Sunday we took one last chance to get some fun summery pictures. I thought these sunflowers along our walking trail would be perfect. Flagstaff is covered in sunflowers right now. Unfortunately, it was windy and cold,but I did manage a few cute shots. Before long I'll be posting picture of our first snow storm; ugh.

1st Day of Preschool

2010-08-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

Here is Charlotte's self-portrait. The preschool sent the blank face in the mail and asked us to decorate it for the first day of school. Charlotte drew the cute face all by herself; I helped with the hair and flower.

This is Charlotte's little buddy Draven. They are in the same preschool class.

It will be nice for them to see one familiar face.

I love this one; she is sitting so sweetly.

Charlotte was very proud to show me her beautiful necklace she made on her first day at school. What preschool day is complete without a macaroni necklace!

Charlotte had her first day of pre-school today. Saying she was excited is an understatement. There is singing time; book reading, snack time and lots of crafts-her favorite! Charlotte walked right in this morning and found the bin of dinosaurs; which she told me were "even cooler than our dinosaurs". She took them to a table and started playing with another little girl. She is going to love pre-school.

Family Reunion

2010-08-18T13:58:00.000-07:00

On our way through Southern Utah we stopped at the coral pink sand dunes. It was pretty cool-although not coral pink if you ask me.
Coral pink (orange!) sand angels anyone?

Olivia was so fascinated by this croquet set.

My sister Andrea on her 36th Birthday. We had a joint party for all us summer Birthdays.
(note to pink ponies: if you see this lady coming; run!)

We enjoyed a really fun evening at a beautiful park.

Aunt Katy & cousin Johanna lead the little girls in a few rounds of

"ring around the rosies"

We took a lovely walk around the beautiful lake in the mountains.

Cousin Ed and Charlotte made friends during the hike.

Riding on Mommy's back; what could be more fun!

Keep in mind this photo was taken on our last reunion day after many days of

staying up late, eating junk food, and skipping showers!

Baby bonding time. Kayden is just 8 weeks older than Olivia.

A happy couple out for a drive in their convertible.

We had a wonderful time with all our family in Utah last week. These are just a few of the pictures out the the more than 200 I took. We had a girls shopping day, the guys had a night out at the go cart race track, and the kids had a day at the dinosaur museum (zoomeum as Charlotte keeps saying), as well as a tour at the Church's Welfare Square. My favorite memories include watching Andrea beat the pink pony with a stick, hot tubbing and star gazing, and who can forget playing Mad Gab with the talking Ipad! Thanks to Katy for organizing a wonderful week. I hope we'll all be recuperated by next years get together!

Little fishys

2010-07-19T09:13:00.001-07:00

She is such a poser these days.
Charlotte is very confident in the pool. She hangs on to her little fish,kicks
her legs and swims all over the pool.

Olivia was having fun; I promise. She just didn't like it when I let go of her.

Charlotte gets out of the pool periodically to shake herself off like a dog. It is cute.

More shaking.

It's been hot here! We've been cooling off in our friends pool. On this day we swam for an hour or so and then the clouds moved in. In a matter of minutes it was thundering, lighting was flashing and then it poured. We got out just in time. That's Flagstaff in the summer time!

Red, White and Cute!

2010-07-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

Charlotte was super proud of the windsock she made.

Happy 4th! Here are the girls decked out in thier patriotic best.

First Birthday

2010-06-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

Olivia turned 1 year old on the 9th.

She had so much fun opening presents.

She was especially delighted with her Little People barn.

Her new dolly was a hit.

Thanks for the fun Monkey-in-the-Box Aunt Katy!

Mmm, florescent frosting.

This should make for interesting colors in the diaper.

We truly can hardly believe Olivia is a year old. What happened to the last 12 months? She is such a happy smiley baby; we just adore her. She took her first steps last weekend and has been walking short distances all week. It is so fun to watch her grow.

We love our little Olive!

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-12T21:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the super Moms I know. Including my sisters who are all inspiring Mothers and our own wonderful Mom.

We took these photos to send to Grandmas for Mother's Day (We took some of Scott too, but since this is a mothers Day post he didn't get any face time). The girls are wearing outfits I sewed during a snow storm this winter.

I am so lucky to be a Mother, I can't imagine being anything else. These two keep me smiling and laughing all day long. I love them to pieces!

Meet Finn

2010-04-22T13:54:00.001-07:00

His favorite place to hang out is in Olivia's bouncy seat.

Good thing she really doesn't use it anymore.

He slept there on Scott's shoulder for over an hour.

Making a getaway with Olivia's keys.

I found him pigging out in his dog food bag yesterday.

We were not planning on getting another dog for a while after loosing Toby. But, we had a chance to get this little guy and who could resist! He is an 8 week old yellow lab. He is cute no doubt. But, we did forget how much work a puppy is! The girls have mixed thoughts about him; he is always grabbing at Charlotte clothes and he thinks Olivia is a chew toy. He is learning fast and when he is being sweet we really like him. It is fun to have something furry in the house again.

10 Months

2010-04-22T13:48:00.001-07:00

You probably get sick of all my photos of the girls. But, I found these 10 month shots of Olivia so irresistible-they make me smile. I hope they brighten your day too.

Easter festivities

2010-04-06T09:23:00.001-07:00

An Easter picture isn't complete without a set of bunny ears!

Olivia's favorite singing, dancing Easter bunny

Rice crispy bird nests. Therese were a tradition in the Hoth house; one we were happy to continue.

The egg hunter.

Mom, are you trying to blind us?

They look so disappointed; really- they had a great time!

Livy's new toy chain.

My bunny cake had a major crack at its core; it died shortly after this picture.

Mmmm, chocolate bunny.

Happy Easter. Hope you had as much fun as we did.

9 months

2010-03-23T10:12:00.001-07:00

She loves her new standing toy-doesn't want to sit anymore.

Gotta love the snowman towel.

Not her most attractive angle; but it makes me laugh.

Babies are so messy!

Olivia is 9 months now. Her personality is really beginning to emerge. She loves to babble, scream and spit. We can hardly get her to sit anymore. She wants to stand or hold your hands and walk. She started crawling just last week; although it is not your standard crawl. She leaves one knee on the ground and then her other foot is flat on the floor pushing her forward; she looks like a wounded crab. She keeps us smiling!

What happens when Mom leaves the room for two minutes...

2010-03-04T12:04:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when you leave Daddy in the room unattended with two girls and a black marker. To be fair we gave him a silly face too. Don't worry; it was washable marker.

Pink elephants!

2010-02-16T09:03:00.000-08:00

I made these pink elephants for the girls for Valentines day. Charlotte loved hers immediately. Olivia isn't really into stuffed animals right now. Charlotte told us that Olivia said she could play with hers and has pretty much adopted Olivia's elephant.
This is the closest I've ever been to getting a picture of the two of them. Charlotte still refuses to hold her sister.

Charlotte goes to great lengths to avoid having her picture taken these days.

A few weeks ago we got nearly 5 feet of snow. It was crazy. Scott made Charlotte a snow fort.

Charlotte's favorite thing to do lately is play dress us. She especially loves Mommy's shoes.

She wanted me to do her make-up. She's 3 going on thirteen!

Olivia was a total ham for her 8 month monkey shoot. Here she is showing off her standing skills.

Her best puppy dog face.

This post is a bit random. Just wanted to share the latest cuteness. Olivia is 8 months old. She can clap her hands, wave bye-bye and loves to say Dada. She is also growing her two bottom teeth. Charlotte is still in love with dinosaurs and elephants. Otherwise she spends her day saying funny things that makes us laugh. She is recently very curious about what is inside of things. She asks me "whats inside of milk?" , "what's inside this playdough" or "what is inside of our body?" The other night she asks me "what's inside our bottom?" We've been over this before so I asked her what she thought was inside she said "my brain." They are so much fun.

Tutu cute!

2010-01-29T09:03:00.001-08:00

I had these photos taken at Sears yesterday. I wanted them at 6 months when she was sitting-I was nearly two months late; but better late than never! I like the ones with the tutu best; although I thought the flowers were a little tacky-I just didn't have the heart to tell the girl I didn't like them. In the end they turned out cute because Olivia is simply adorable right now. These will be the last of those sweet gummy smiles since her first tooth is about to poke through. Oh they grow so fast!

Toby-we miss you!

2010-01-20T13:56:00.000-08:00

I am finally ready to write about this. Our sweet Toby was hit by a car and died in the beginning of December. I was out jogging with him on an urban trail near a busy road. He was off his leash (as usual). He could not resist the urge to chase a cat across a field, under a road barrier and into the street.

Toby joined our family as a puppy in the summer of 2006. He was rescued from the Navajo reservation where he was found starving and covered in ticks. He was a good boy right from the start. Charlotte arrived a few months after we got him. He loved her from the moment we brought her home. He was her little shadow. He always let us know when she needed our help. He loved Olivia as well. He was a permanent fixture next to her bouncy seat.

I feel sad, I feel guilty, but most of all I miss him. I miss his "kitty cat" stretches, his snuggle session in my lap, the funny sounds he made when he yawned, the pitiful looks he'd give me when Charlotte was picking on him. We are so sorry he had to leave us. We love you Toby, we will always remember you.

A Merry Christmas!

2010-01-04T07:33:00.000-08:00

Olivia had fun playing with wrapping paper.
Charlotte got some cute plastic ice cream cones.

The stuffed Triceratops (from Santa) was Charlotte's favorite present.

Yummy Chocolate Rudoplh cake.

Ahh, a nap by the tree.

Santa bribed Charlotte with a candy cane, you can see she still doesn't trust this old man in a funny suit. He asked if she'd like a doll for Christmas; she politely requested a stuffed Triceratops instead.

We had so much fun with our girls this Christmas. I tried my best to teach Charlotte that we celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day. One day in the car I was quizzing her and asked her why we have Christmas and she said, "so we can eat candy". Well, maybe she'll get it next year! Happy New Year.

Photo fiasco

2009-12-17T13:23:00.001-08:00

Charlotte was unhappy because Olivia kept touching her.
Olivia needs a nap!

This is Charlotte guarding her reindeer that Olivia kept trying to grab.

We did get one smile.

Olivia Loves her new walking toy.

Mmmm, rice cereal. Charlotte asked me with a disgusted face "what is that stuff? "

We tried tried to take a holiday photo the other day. It was a fiasco! Olivia was fussy and Charlotte refused to smile and didn't want her sister to touch her. I did get a few cute photos, but none of all of us. I managed to piece a few together for our Christmas card. I also threw in a few photos of Olivia. She has reached 6 months and is changing quickly. She is eating a few foods, babbling, and sitting up now!

Look who's 3!

2009-12-08T11:50:00.000-08:00

I'm a big little girl!

This is the first time I've ever attempted a cake of this sort. The colors were a little gruesome, but she said she wanted a red and blue one.

She really liked her stuffed Dumbo.

I had to post this cute moment. Charlotte and Olivia were playing on the bed.

Olivia couldn't quit giggling at her big sis.

Charlotte turned 3 on the 7th. We had a dinosaur themed party (her latest craze). She loved all of her presents; especially her set of dinosaur puzzles and the stuffed Dumbo. We keep telling her that she is a big girl now. When being a big girl doesn't sound like fun, she will tell me "Mom, I'm a big little girl". So true! She is always amazing us with her grown-up view of things, but at the same time she is still so little and cute. We hope she will stay a little girl for a long time.

Halloween in Texas

2009-11-04T10:53:00.000-08:00

Charlotte and her spooky cousins Kassidy and Abbey
Trick-or Treat! Charlotte told everyone who answered the door "I'm a Dalmatian!"

I think she did pretty well!

White Sands New Mexico

Charlotte kept running off into the dessert. I only got pictures of her behind.

Scott leaping off the dunes. He later hurt himself by landing wrong and whacking his tailbone. He is still in serious pain. It's always fun until someone gets hurt!

I love her little footprints in the sand.

We made a quick weekend trip to Texas to visit Scott Brother & his family. His brother will soon be leaving for Iraq for the 3rd time so Scott wanted to hang out a bit. The little cousins had a blast trick-or-treating together; until one sick-o in a freaky costume scared the daylights out of them. They quickly forgot a few door later and continued to rake in the candy. We ended up in New Mexico at the White Sands Park. It was beautiful! Charlotte ran until her little legs couldn't;t run anymore. We had fun sledding down the dunes, jumping down the dunes and struggling back up them. What an awesome place!

Halloween preview

2009-10-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

Woof! Big pup & little pup.

Finally, a costume she loves!

I made me a spotted sweatshirt to wear, such a dork!

Charlotte and the boys.

I should have known they'd discover the sandbox.

Bring on the treats!

We had a few kids over for a Halloween party this weekend. We played a few games, made treat bags and decorated pumpkin cookies. Everyone had fun. The girls look so cute in their doggy costumes. Charlotte asked to be a dog this year; she loves it! She asks me to draw her "doggy face" everyday. When she's dressed up she barks, growls and licks! We are excited for trick-or-treating!

Olivia

2009-10-26T11:45:00.001-07:00

Cute new fall dress.

She has recently discovered her amazing feet.

Her new favorite pose.

She looks like she's about to recite some Shakespeare.

I had so many cute photos of Olivia I just had to post some.

It's Autumn time!

2009-10-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

We attempeted some family photos on Saturday.

Charlotte felt very put out over the whole thing. What a grump!

On Sunday we took a drive to see the fall colors on our mountain. It was a lovely day.

Charlotte wanted to take her Daddy for a walk.

Charlotte is all about elephants these days. She especially loves Babar.

Olivia with her new chewy banana.

I'm 4 months old!

I tried to cram as much as possible into this post. It has been a lovely Fall here so far. Nice warm days and not too cold at night. We got out a bit this weekend to enjoy it before it snows. Our family photos were a bust; Charlotte was being so grouchy, which made me grouchy-so we just gave up. Olivia just turned 4 months. At her check up last week she was 12 lbs and 9 ounces and 24 1/8 inches long. She is drooling and chewing like crazy, so teeth probably aren't far behind.

Happy Fall!

Got Milk?

2009-09-24T14:15:00.001-07:00

I came downstairs one day and found Charlotte breastfeeding

her favorite dog Curly. Look at that perfect positioning!
My freezer stash-over 100 bags, whoa!

I do have room for one bag of edamame beans!

Happy Breastfed girl!

I know; this is just what you wanted to see when you visited my blog today. But, breastfeeding has been consuming about 1/3 of all my time in the last few months it seems. When I'm not breastfeeding, I'm burping the baby, when I'm not burping Olivia, I'm pumping; when I'm not pumping ,I'm washing bottle parts, and then its time to feed again. Will it ever end!? Olivia is growing fast and doesn't need to be fed quite as often and soon she'll be eating some solids. So, yes it will end, but for now you can call me the milk maid.

3 months

2009-09-09T11:46:00.000-07:00

3 month photos with her monkey pal.

Our little cutie is 3 months old today. She is quickly changing from a squishy newborn to an active and interactive baby. She recently started rolling over and loves to stand on our laps. She is sleeping through the night too! She is such a good baby.

Road trip!

2009-08-19T12:39:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving Point Gardens
Grecian Goddesses.
Me, my sister Andrea, her daughter Johanna and my sister Katy.

This is how Olivia chose to spend her day in the gardens.

Can you say Ahhh.

Charlotte got all wet playing in the fountains.

This is what she had for lunch, seriously.

We sorely missed our 4 Hansen nephews. But, here is the rest of the Hoth offspring; Johanna, Logan, Camden, Mia, Ed and Charlotte (Olivia was sleeping).

Here she is at 2 months old.

We took a last-minute trip to Utah to go to a family reunion last weekend. Mainly because my Mother who just had a mastectomy (breast cancer) was able to come. It was so good to she her-she is doing pretty good. One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to the gardens at Thanksgiving Point. It was beautiful; the kids had fun running around in the grass and feeding the coi fish. The trip ended with a Hoth family reunion in Logan. There was an animal park, hundreds of relatives and unlimited cotton candy-fun times!

Good-bye 20's

2009-08-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

Mmmm, cake!
I don't know why these hats say Feliz Cumpleanos!

The famous traveling card. My sister Andrea got this card when she turned 30, she then sent it to Jen when she turned thirty. Watch out Katy-it's coming for you!

I turned 30 this weekend. I don't feel older, but I know that I am older. It is kind of sad to leave behind the 20's. Thirty certainly isn't old, but the glory days of youth are officially over I think. I had a nice Birthday with lovely gifts from my sisters, a yummy cake and some time to myself (Scott and Charlotte went to visit with his family overnight). I'm going to go reapply the wrinkle cream now.