What's better than a sleeping baby?

MY sleeping baby!!!!! Hip-Hip-Hooray for Hope!!!!

Horizontal stripes never looked better!

Watch out world, she's six months old and exploding with cuteness. (.....has it really been 1/2 a year? yikers.)

My mom always said, "don't eat the icicles!"

...good thing I didn't listen!

I am pretty sure that I heard there is even an icicle in the deep freezer out in the garage awaiting to be licked! And of course all icicles planted in the garden are edible as well! Heck, they are made from God's water so lets even call them organic!

Bring it on Mr. Winter...

Can't contain her.

Bumbo seat...packed up. Stationary bouncy seat...packed up. Swing...packed up.

That's right. At just a mere five months, Hope has mastered climbing over the side of the bumbo seat by getting on her knee and hanging over the edge...she has successfully completed a half somersault out of the bouncy seat while being buckled in...and with those two incidents, the swing screamed danger to me. Seriously, Hope!

These pictures below are from after Christmas. Hope's Uncle Todd made her a bench. She loves it. Currently climbing the best she can. Won't be long until she is sitting on it while I am putting her hair in ponytails as she gets ready for school too. -sigh- Where does time go?


For every stage there is something to help, thank goodness. Hope's cousin has loaned us the jumpy swing for the doorway. So far, so good. She LOVES it. She can jump, dance and move like a crazy lady. As for Hank, beware...that tail gets too close and it's gonna hurt, buddy.

New York City in 24 hours...

Date night in New York? ...wait, date night??? :)

Adam had a meeting in NYC on Monday morning and we decided it would be fun for me to go and we would leave early Sunday morning and be back home Monday evening. And of course all made possible with Grandma to stay with the girls! Thanks Emma's Grandma!

So here ya have it...NY in 24 hours...

Our hotel room was 10 windows up from the McDonald's sign, left of Oprah.

Ground Zero. Breathtaking. Pictures do it no justice.

Times Square!

None other than the lady herself. A must see.

Grand Central Station...just like in Madagascar! ;)

The perfect show to see on Broadway. Outstanding.

The Good Morning Show!

I wasn't one of the people that stood in line at 6:45 am, but rather got there at 8:45 and stood outside the window with another gal...Robin Roberts gave us a wave!

Fun times. It was short, quick, yet sweet. My first time there and just enough to give me taste to want to come back and see the rest. All though next time I hope it isn't 7 degrees with razor sharp wind!

Push to your goal, then push harder.

Two miles down, two more to go.

When you're a mom, sleep is over-rated.

Poor Emma...three days of a fever. Went to doctor today, and she is doing much better. To quote the doctor, "It will pass."

....and it has...passed right onto Hope.

Two kids calls for two fevers...but still only one mom. For some reason that math doesn't seem to add up right now doesn't it?! ;)

Stop and smell the roses.

We hear that saying all the time, but does anyone actually take the time to stop in this rush rush life? All the time I walk into the house hands full of grocery bags, a diaper bag across my shoulder and car seat with child in tow. We stumble into the crowded back door, hitting corners and walls. As soon as we get inside it is put groceries away, take care of child, go to the bathroom (because you know mom's only get to do that twice a day), and of course yell at the dog for being on the couch while we were gone only to get the sweeper out to clean up the dog hair nest he left. Then with just seconds to breath, it is time to go pick up Emma from school, so back in the car and do it all again.

....not this time. The groceries sat unattended, the dog seemed invisible and well, my bladder, it can wait.....all because I noticed there was a need to stop. Just look at that. The sun was perfect, the smile was perfect...oh where is that camera? Ahhh, right here....

- click -

Let me tell ya, those roses have never smelled so good.

And that's why moms have teeth...

It never fails when Emma is in the car with me and there is silence for more than four minutes, something funny and random is going to eventually come out of her mouth.

Today after the mind-churning silence, she sporadically throws out very intense question;
"Mom, how did Hope and I eat when we were in your belly?"

I began to explain to my intrigued child that babies get the food that their mommies eat. And as always, I knew that my ever so down-to-earth-simple-minded-five year old would have something to conclude.....and so she did...

"Ohhhhhhh, I see...that is why God gave moms teeth! So they can chew chew chew their food up good to make it into juice and then the baby can eat the juice since they don't have teeth."

She's so clever.
(....and just for the record, after that conversation there was another moment of silence follow by, "Mom, where did Hope and mine pee and poop go in your belly?")

Wild Child

Anyone that knows Hope can tell you she may look EXACTLY like our first daughter, but this second daughter has a whole different personality!
Emma is the shy, quiet type. She sits for hours and can create all sorts of crafts, draw, read, and play imaginative things all day. Hope...she can not be in the same spot for more than 20 minutes without getting cranky. Hope is a mover and a shaker - her arms and legs don't stop moving...I'm not kidding, never stop. Never. When Emma was a baby she would sit very contently...and sleep! Hope only takes 30 minute naps during the day and still feels like she needs to wake up her parents twice a night.

I put bows in Hope's hair, she pulls them out. I put bibs on Hope, she pulls them off. Yesterday in church, I had to excuse myself and take her out...not because she was noisy, but because she was flapping her arms everywhere and trying to grab the ladies bulletin beside me that was on her lap! When it comes to eating, Hope can't keep her head still enough for the spoon to hit her mouth! She is wearing several of Emma's baby clothes which have zero stains on them...not now - Hope has made sure during every meal, food hits some article of clothing whether it be her's or our's!

Ohhhhh Hope. She will never be the one to sit still enough to "craft" like Emma. But we still love her! ....welllll, most of the time....wink wink.

And here she is...her shirt states it perfectly. "Wild Child"

p.s. Her hair has done that for the past three days. I comb it down and it still sticks up! Wild hair, for that wild personality. Either way, she's the dang cutest little sister I know.

Purify.

One week in...six pounds down. Purify.
1 Corinthians 6:19

Snow buddies.

This year at school, Emma has made a new friend..."Emma L."
We all just adore Emma L. and her little brother, Carter. This Thursday, the three had such a blast playing in the sparkling snow. I'm not sure why kids never get cold outside and can just play in that snow till the moon gets hung. Guess it just must be the magic of the snow. :)

Ok, are you ready? ONE....

...TWO...

...THREE! (can you hear the giggles?)

"We'll always be best buddies, right Emma P.?" .... "You betcha, Emma L."

Tough love.

30 minute naps just don't cut it for 5 month old. Currently she is upstairs crying her little heart out because she doesn't want to sleep, even though her cute little pudgy face is painted with tiredness all over it. So I sit here and listen to those crys over the monitor...posting this picture lets me know that it is all OK in the end. Right? Right. -sigh-
PS - The jogging stroller does fantastic on snowy slick pavement. Me however, welllllll....... :) One mile down, several to go.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.

You betcha.

Thank you Jesus for taking me on a journey the past year and showing me how precious life is....showing me how each moment can count....showing me that you have put the perfect things on the earth to make us be able to live up to our potential....making me realize this body you gave me is a gift from your hands and I need to treat it with the up most care and respect.
It is time to get back on track and fuel my spirit and my flesh the way You intended it to be. Please give me the strength and faith to see the beautiful results You will bring!

Can. not. wait.

Friday Funnies

Haaahaaaa HAAhaaaAA ha HA hAAAaaaa HAAaaaA HA

Love, love these kiddos....to the moon and back.

Calling all Hoosiers!

To the normal person these pictures look like a "Candy Cane Explosion Gone Bad Christmas Card 2010". However, if you were born and raised in Hoosier territory (or know my husband) will you truly appreciate these pictures! These kids have no idea how jealous their Dad/Uncle Adam was that the pj's didn't come in his size!!!