A Little Lady

Millie's Third Birthday: August 9, 2013

2013-12-05T02:25:00.000-05:00

Back in August, my little Millie girl turned three! It was a special little celebration.

We were days away from moving from Michigan (sigh! I miss it!) to Utah, so most of our house was in boxes.

We woke up that morning, Cason went into work late so he could celebrate a little with us, and we got breakfast (ham and egg breakfast sandwiches, pecan rolls) at Millie's favorite place Hermann's Boy in Rockford. We brought it home and had a little picnic in the family room.

All Millie wanted for her birthday was a helmet and a computer. So wishes were met. We bought her a little play computer and a helmet. :)

Later in the day, we met some friends at the park (another favorite activity), ate lunch, had cupcakes requested by her, and sang Happy Birthday! She loved it and we loved (and miss) having friends there to celebrate with us. After the park, naps were had, and we just played with new toys until Dad came home from work.

I had Millie go outside and come back in with her eyes closed. She was so surprised by this present. She doesn't wear the helmet much (eek!) but she loves her scooter!

We took the scoot for a spin downtown Rockford. Enjoyed some delicious pizza from Marinades (another favorite of Millies) and hung out as a little family.

We finished the day off with another Millie favorite-banana splits-on the kitchen floor.

It was a day full of favorites and a special one at that! Happy Birthday little Miss!

Still taking naps and not potty trained...but we sure love our three year old daughter and big sis! :)

We love our little Millie!

Girls

2013-09-03T10:00:00.000-04:00

I just have to post these pictures so they are documented and so I don't forget my precious girls at this age (a few months ago). Ivy was 13 months here and Millie was 21 months. These pictures were taken in Michigan in the spring right when all the blossoms were blooming. They didn't last long, but they sure were pretty! I just love their matching dresses that Grandma Green gave them.

Ivy couldn't walk here...just stand. And Millie was loving all the flowers. They were tired and ready for naps, and I can't believe we got one of them both looking at the camera and semi smiling. We sure love these girls!

4TH OF JULY 2013

2013-08-07T07:00:00.000-04:00

yes, we are busy over here. blogging has taken a backseat. but as long as it gets documented for the books right?

this year for the 4th of july we stayed in michigan. we went over to our friend's house and played.

we ate bbq, the girls splashed in water, played a few water balloon games, and finished the night off with some fireworks. it was pretty low key, but fun to spend it with friends.

^^^Miss squints. it was so sunny!^^^

^^^my favorite picture! such good sharers. this is a rare occurance.^^^

^^^she loves watermelon now!^^^

^^^He was loving the fireworks/sparklers^^^

we had a great night and are so thankful for all our friends we have met here in michigan.

Cinco de Mayo 2013

2013-06-17T01:28:00.000-04:00

This year for our Cinco de Mayo party, we had a few friends join us to celebrate. We all wore fake mustaches ~~the whole night,~~ beaded necklaces and listened to fiesta-esque music all while enjoying Cafe rio recipes.

Mustaches never get old. No, but seriously. We laughed and laughed.

these two babes were so cute together playing on the blanket. Such little hams!

The spread that you can't see very well. But I have to document.

Happy cinco de mayo two months late!

Ivy's First Birthday Party

2013-06-15T00:14:00.002-04:00

Ivy's first birthday came and went...and so did all of April, May and part of June.

Things have been busy around here. But I couldn't let this ol' blog go another day without updating this big event. :)

We are pretty low key for birthday's around here. No big bashes with friends, just our close little family for these first few birthdays. Ivy got some new books, and a lame toy that the girls don't even play with. But oh well. They both love the books!

I went with a gold, orangey, yellow, pink theme for this birthday. She's a girl, what more could she want right?!

Ivy wasn't all that into opening her presents. She didn't really know what to do, so Millie helped.

the life of the party! Such a ham!

She loved her cake. Honestly it wasn't pretty. Just a round cake with pink frosting and cheap sprinkles. But it was just going to get thrashed anyway.

I think it was a success! And what a fun year it has been! We love our Ivers!

Millie says series

2013-05-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

Millie 2.5 yrs old

Had green beans for dinner one night and Millie said, "I'd like some more green sticks!"

Cason was brusing Millie's teeth one night and out of the blue she said, "Dad, you're my hero!"

I bought her some leggings with hearts on the knees. I put them on her and she looked down, touched the hearts and said, "you've got to be kidding me! Hearts on my pants?!"

Millie was eating carrots and cucumbers before dinner one night. Cason came home and said, "woah! You have a healthy dinner!" Millie said, "you bet your money!"

Yesterday I was wearing white shorts and I got some red marker on them.
Millie looked at them, "what happened mom?"
"Oh, I just got red marker on them"
She very sternly, while pointing her finger, said, "we do NOT draw on our clothes! If we draw on our clothes we have to put the markers away." (I wonder where she learns that from!)

Anytime Ivy is sleeping and Millie checks on her she says, "aww! Ivy's soo cute!"

Ivy: 12 months old

2013-04-25T09:00:00.000-04:00

Ivy's 12 Month Stats:

Height:

75th percentile

Weight: 25 lbs 8 oz

95th percentile

Our baby girl turned one on the 9th of April. Tears! We can't believe another first birthday has come and gone. But we are happy that she is healthy, growing and happy. Such a bittersweet milestone.

This little lady loves loves loves her sis. She is always looking for her. We can already tell these two are going to be quite the troublemakers together. They kinda already are. Millie and Ivy are the best of friends. They watch out for each other, and Ivy cries when Millie cries and is very concerned when she's not happy. They love each other and we really love to see their relationship and how they interact.

She loves dad. She gets so excited when he gets home from work. She crawls really fast over to him and waits at his feet for him to pick her up.

She gives great snuggles. If you tell her to give you snuggles, she will nuzzle her head into you and give you loves. So sweet.

Ivy loves the bath. She gets really excited when it's time to get in and fusses when it's time to get out. She loves to try to grab the water-and it is my favorite to watch.

She loves animals, but mostly ducks. Whenever she sees a duck it sounds like she is trying to say "quack!" or "duck." Ask her what a lion says, and she roars.

She enjoys books. Give her a book and she will sit and open and close the book for hours. They keep her happy in the car, while I'm in the shower, getting ready, or just when she's bored. She loves them. And we love that she loves them.

She can say, "dada!" "na-na!" (banana) "Hah!" (hi), "uh oh!" "ah-puh!" (apple) She is also very good at jabbering.

She loves to wave. She will wave at anyone. If you say, "can you wave?" She immediately puts her hand up and waves. It's our favorite. I think she loves the attention she gets from it. Speaking of waving-she is obsessed with the toilet right now. She loves to play in it. If you can't find her, the first place to check is the toilet. Disgusting, I know. I tell her "no no! That's yucky!" She looks at me at just waves. haha. It's so funny.

She just learned how to blow kisses. It is the sweetest!!

She loves food. Is obsessed with smoothies, bananas, oranges and edamame and loves meat. Doesn't care for bread or rice. She's a pretty good eater. When I feed her she opens her mouth really wide and says "ahhh!" until I put the food in her mouth.

Ivy has four teeth. Two on the bottom, one middle tooth on the top and one of her side teeth. We call it her snaggle tooth. For a short time, it was the only tooth up there. Made for some cute smiles!

She's obsessed with balls and balloons. She will literally wrestle them and roll all over the floor playing with them. Big or small she loves them.

She's got a great personality. Always happy, smiling but rarely giggling. Millie can always make her laugh. Mom, has to tickle her quite a bit to get giggles out of her. Such a fun age!

She loves to play peek-a-boo. If you hide behind anything, she will search for you. And grins the whole time. She loves it.

She is a very sweet, easy going baby girl. We love her and are grateful she is a part of our family.

Happy 1 year baby girl!!

St Patrick's Day 2013

2013-04-03T23:32:00.000-04:00

Our traditional St. Patrick's Day was a hit this year. We had our friends over for a green dinner of green buns, hamburgers, asparagus, kiwi, green salad and green cupcakes.

We put the girls down for a nap after church, and prepped for the festivities. I put little green footprints on the floor to pretend that a little leprechaun came and decorated the kitchen. Millie came downstairs, gasped and said, "don't step on the pawses!" It was really so cute!

She kept looking at them and was a little confused. But they were a fun surprise.

After dinner, Millie and Will went on a little scavenger hunt around the house. The clues led to the mailbox where their treasures were.

We look forward to St. Patrick's Day every year and we are thankful for friends to share in this funny little tradition of ours!

Ivy eleven months old

2013-03-18T07:30:00.000-04:00

We love our little Ivers and can't believe she is almost one!!!

happy 11 months baby girl!

Michigan Winters: Snow Day

2013-03-08T07:30:00.000-05:00

A few weekends ago we had our friends over for a delicious breakfast and a morning playing in the snow. We had waffles with pure maple syrup tapped from Michigan trees from a friend. It was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.! We all can't stop talking about it! After our delicious breakfast we bundled the kids up and enjoyed the snow.

They all loved it at first, but once they realized it was a bit cold, a few tears were shed.

Millie was obsessed with sledding. She'd ask to go again time after time.

The girls all loved it! I must've been afraid or something by the look on my face. It's been years since I've been sledding, so this little hill was a good one to start on.

Our friends enjoying their first winter here in Michigan. We love having them so close to us!

Ivy started to get tired/cold/hungry so I took her in and Millie and Cason made snow forts and snow angels. She was loving it!

We ended the morning with sips of hot cocoa and a show of Mickey Mouse.

We love the weekends when Dad is home.

It's always more fun!

Ivy: ten months old

2013-02-21T13:37:00.002-05:00

I can not believe 10 months has come and gone. It sure does fly by. Especially the second time around. I can only imagine the third, fourth and fifth child. Crazy!

This girl has quite the personality. A little stubborn, sweet and fun!

We sure love this happy girl of ours!

Happy 10 months baby girl! (on the 9th of Feb)

to see our Christmas 2012 post, go here.

sisters

2013-02-19T13:55:00.004-05:00

this is by far my most favorite picture right now. These two are at such a fun age. they are the best of friends, yet bug each other...already! but that's what happens when you have a sister close in age. and honestly, i love it. these girls bathe together every morning. its a party in the tub with splashing, "swimming", and giggles. the walls are drenched in water, the floor is covered and i'm usually soaked. nothing a towel can't fix, right? millie usually stays in while i get ivy dressed. then straight to the tub ivy goes. and these girls play together...one inside the bath and one outside the bath. happens everyday. such a sweet little relationship these two have. and i love watching it bloom.

Ivy: nine months old

2013-01-29T01:20:00.000-05:00

We love our little Ivy girl!

The Girls First Time to Disneyland

2013-01-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

Over Thanksgiving break, we decided (well I pleaded and begged Cason) to take the girls to Disneyland. While Millie and Ivy are still free, it couldn't be a more perfect situation, right?! Ha! We went with Cason's sisters and a few of Millie and Ivy's cousins.

Good morning!!

We started the morning off with delicious donuts and a ride or two or three or five million on the carousel. Lets just say, we shouldn't have booked it to the carousel first. ugh! Millie is obsessed!!!!! We pried her hands off the carousel and took her to dumbo. She cried the whole time because she wanted to go ride the horsey...So back to the carousel we went. We bribed her to try out some other fun rides. She loved the teacups with Cason, and wanted to do it again again! There was lunch, a few other rides, and naps in between.

Ivy loved being on Cason's shoulders. She patted his head, played with his hair and giggled.

Next up...Minnies house. I waited 45 minutes in line to see Minnie. I love Minnie and Millie loves Minnie. So I thought she'd love it! Well...not exactly.

She loved to play in the play kitchen inside though! She would've stayed there for hours if we let her. Ivy wasn't sure about her. She made a little pouty face at first, but then just stared at her.

"cheese!!"

Another ride on the carousel

Cason and I went on a few rides without the girls and had a great time!

We ended the night with the parade. Mills and Ivers loved it!! They watched the whole thing from start to finish. Lots of fun dancing, lights and characters.

And our last ride was Autopia. Millie was in h e a v e n ! ! !

She got to drive all by herself!! Her dream come true. Cason said it was hilarious. She'd laugh so hard every jerk and crash.

We really did have a great time at Disneyland. And would definitely go again! There's something so magical about that place, especially at Christmas.

Christmas 2012

2012-12-28T23:21:00.000-05:00

Christmas came and went so quickly this year. Luckily we were all able to head to Utah to spend time with family. I was there for about a whole month. It was a great month, and I wish I could go back. My girls, especially Millie, had fun with all her cousins. She always had to know where Grandpa was, and would leave my side the second she woke up to head down to her cousins bedrooms.

On Christmas eve we did our traditional fondue dinner. Filling, but delicious, like always! The kids ate pizza, and then headed to bed so the adults could enjoy the night worry free.

Sarah was the fun aunt that night. The kids played a few games of ring-around-the-rosie and sang Christmas songs. Rudolph the red nosed reindeer was a hit...with Sarah!

The kids performed the Nativity. It really was so cute.

:::Millie holding the star on the left:::

Later that night, the elf came and brought the girls matching jammies. That is one smart elf! He knows the way to this mama's heart. Matching!

And the dinner table. No pictures were taken at dinner as we were all having such a good time.

The kids woke up at a decent hour and waited patiently to see their loot. They were all really excited!

Ivy's first Christmas was very relaxing. She loved watching all the kids open their presents.

These Mickey Mouse figurines weren't wrapped and naturally they were the first thing Millie grabbed. Christmas could've been over after them. That was all she needed. She played with them for a long while and then realized she had presents to open.

good morning!

There wasn't all smiles that morning. We did have a few tears...probably because she couldn't find her baby's bottle...or someone was playing with her new dollhouse.

Best aunt. Tired babe.

Millie still talks about Christmas. Any new fun toy she sees, she says she wants it for Christmas. And she still talks all about her cousins, grandma and grandpa and flying on the airplane. We miss them.

We had a great Christmas with family remembering the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. How grateful we are for family to surround ourselves with during the holidays.

Ivy: eight months old

2012-12-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

We love this little happy giggly girl of ours!!

Trick-Or-Treat

2012-11-12T14:15:00.001-05:00

This year as the tornado siren went off at 5:30pm to let us know it was time to trick-or-treat, I was still squeezing my babies into their costumes. Cason was on a phone call for work, kids were ringing the doorbell that I was unable to answer, broccoli cheddar soup was on the stove, and rolls were in the oven about to burn. It was a crazy day (evening mostly), all for some free candy. We finally made it out the door around 6pm. BUT, I love the holidays more now than I ever have (in a different sorta way). Nothing brings me more joy than to see my children get excited and anxious for the events of a holiday.

Millie loved trick-or-treating. She walked right up to the door, would sometimes forget to say "trick-or-treat", and a treat always landed in that round plastic pumpkin. She ran from house to house. But she mostly enjoyed all the doggies outside. It was almost as if she was out there for the dogs and the trick-or-treating was just an added bonus. The girl and her animals!

Ivy just sat back in the stroller, with her paci in her mouth, enjoying the crisp air and watching all the kiddos. It was freezing, so we let Cason and Millie do the rest of the trick-or-treating while we went back to the house to pass out candy.

We finished the night off with treats and full tummys.

We had a great Halloween week and are looking forward to the rest of this holiday season.

Millie Says...

2012-11-06T00:02:00.002-05:00

Just some funny things Millie has said lately that we don't want to forget:

1. We were in the garage and heard a loud noise outside of the garage on the road.

Millie ran to the stairs to go inside and said, "we hafta get outta here!"

2. Many times a week we go on rides just to get out of the house. As we drove down this pretty street lined and covered with trees

Millie said, "Woah!!...looks mazing!"

Me: "It does look amazing huh, Millie?!"

Millie: "lots trees!"

3. Cason gave the opening prayer in church on Sunday. After he finished and said Amen, Millie yelled,

"yay! You did it!! Good job, Dad!" and clapped her hands.

It was hilarious! Everyone around us giggled.

4. Every night Millie reminds us we need to read "scrippers." (scriptures)

Might be a way for her to stay up longer, but I like to think she really wants to read them. :)

Happy Halloween

2012-10-31T13:53:00.000-04:00

This is how successful I was yesterday at getting a picture of the girls together:

I wasn't. This is the best I could get. At least they are both smiling!

Happy Halloween! I will be enjoying my little chickens tonight walking the neighborhood asking for free candy. Enjoy your little ones!

Everyday Moments

2012-10-18T21:58:00.000-04:00

I am trying to be a little better at taking pictures of the everyday. I feel like my pictures are so mundane and very repetitive. I need to be better at catching more spur-of-the-moment pictures, rather than posed smiley pictures. I do love posed smiley pictures, but also want to catch our everyday life.

So...here goes a random post of a few everyday moments.

When Dad gets home, this is what our nights usually look like. Dad on the couch or floor with the girls around him trying to soak up all his attention. Millie is usually stealing the show, while Ivy sits and watches every little thing that Millie does. Ivy tries to catch a few seconds of Dad's attention here and there when Millie isn't watching.

Millie's latest favorite is to play doctor.

"let me take your temp-it-chure...oh! you have a fee-ber."

"lets take a look..."

"open wide!" followed by a screwdriver, spoon or a ruler jammed down your throat.

"let me listen to your heart beep."

We know what to ask Santa for this Christmas!

getting ready to check dad's temperature.

And this little peanut is on the go all day long! You lay her on the floor and she rolls to and from all corners of the room. Her favorite place is on her changing table. She giggles, squeals, squirms and kicks her legs on the changing table more than anywhere.

She loves to reach up and grab her clothes.

I think she is quite pleased with herself that she got it!

The other day, right after I finished doing Millie's hair. I hopped in the shower and came out to find the little miss like this. She had put this hat on and was watching a show. (which I turned on for her so she wouldn't get into EVERY SINGLE tube of toothpaste and use EVERY SINGLE toothbrush that we own. Whoops! Looks like she grabbed a tube of toothpaste.)

I loved it so snapped a picture.

This girl is getting more and more fun and funnier by the second!

Happy Weekend!

Ivy: six months old

2012-10-12T16:31:00.000-04:00

We love this sweet little bug of ours!

Happy 6 months Ivers!

This weekend...

2012-10-05T14:00:00.000-04:00

our church has a conference where we all gather together; whether it be in our homes, churches or wherever it may be, to listen to the living prophet and the leaders of Christ's church. Watch this video and join me this weekend in listening to good words and counsel spoken by those called by God. Whether you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, atheist, catholic or any other religion, there are many wise words spoken during this conference that are beneficial to everyone! Tune in this weekend!

Happy conference weekend!

Ivy: Five Months Old

2012-09-23T23:22:00.002-04:00

This happy girl is five months old. (I'm late again.) Oh the joy you bring to our lives, especially to your big sis. We sure love you and are glad you chose us to be your family. Here are a few things about Ivy girl this month that we never want to forget:

Millie is always poking at you. You don't mind most of the time. I think you just wonder why she is poking your eyes, rubbing your head and squeezing your arm.

We sure love this little peanut!! Happy 5+ months Ivy girl!

Michigan Summers: Mackinac Island

2012-09-07T09:00:00.001-04:00

---------------------picture overload---------------------

For Labor Day weekend, we decided to head up north and experience what all the rave is about. It's about four and half hours away. We made the drive to Mackinaw City on Friday night, woke up on Saturday and rode the ferry to Mackinac Island. We kept asking Millie if she wanted to ride the boat to Macinac Island to spend the day. She'd get so excited and keep reminding us that we were going to ride the boat. When we got on the ferry she was upset and kept asking to ride the boat. I think she was expecting something a little different. Once we got going, she was ok.

Mackinac Island is an Island in the Northern part of Michigan. There are no cars on the island. Only horses, buggies and bikes. Millie and Ivy loved the horses. Millie would spot them and yell, "horsie!" and then wave at them and say, "Hi, horsie!"

Everyone just parks their bikes along the road. It's crazy to me that people don't just walk away with a bike that's not theirs. I'm sure it happens, but I guess you couldn't get too far with a stolen bike on the island.

Michigans advertisement is "Pure Michigan". I always wondered why they advertised the state that way. But when we went to Mackinac Island, I realized why. It really is pure. Blue clear water, untouched land, lush green trees, white clean rocks and just beautiful.

Mackinac Bridge

We visited a butterfly exhibit and Millie would wave and say hi to all the butterflies. She's a friendly little one.

The island has a trail that goes around it that is 8 miles long. We rented bikes and did the trail ride. It took us about 2 hours. It was gorgeous. We stopped off at a few spots and explored. Millie loved to pick up and throw the rocks. We dipped our feet in the water, and just enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

The girls in the "burley" as the islanders call it.

We finished the night with a delicious dinner that ended early, due to someone who didn't want to sit at the table.

Note to self: Never let your daughter wear a white shirt on a vacation where there is lots of walking, eating, getting messy and having fun.

Getting ice cream and "fudging". (sampling fudge on the island.) They are known for their fudge, so we went to a few shops and tasted the different flavors.

We ended the night watching the sunset, chasing geese, and listening to dad do what he does best...whistle. The girls love it and I know it'll be a fond memory they have of him as they get older.

On our way home we stopped in Traverse City. Millie and Cason took a little ride in a kayak. Millie loved it...for about 10 minutes. Ivy and I just sat on the beach in the shade and watched.

We really enjoyed our weekend away from the daily grind exploring a few of the fun, beautiful areas Michigan has to offer. Come visit and see for yourself! :)

Michigan Summers: Blueberry Picking

2012-09-05T09:00:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, I took the girls to go blueberry picking. Millie was ecstatic. And had fun for the first 15 minutes. She didn't like the bugs that would fly around the trees and it was close to naptime, so she was tired. But I know she did have fun because she has asked to go again a number of times since. She loved to eat the blueberries. I kept reminding her that she needed to put them in the bucket for us to take home, but only about three of her pickings made it into the bucket.

She loved the blueberries so much, she would sit down, hold the bucket and ask me to take pictures. All so she could dig in and eat all the blueberries she wanted without any effort. Little stinker.

she got sick of picking after a little bit and decided to pick up rocks

Ivy girl just enjoyed being outside while we picked and ate away. Someday she'll be able to join in on the picking and devouring.

It was a fun little activity for the afternoon. Millie fell asleep the second she got in the car. Nothing like a belly full of sweet blueberries and a tired baby girl.