6 is the best

Tay pretending to be Judge Judy
























Tay made a well from the ceiling


Here's why I love 6 year olds:

1. Every night when I go to bed there is a note in front of my door. Last night there were two pieces of paper rolled up with a hair tie wrapped around it. One said mom on it and the other said dad. Inside was 11 cents of Tay's hard earned dishwasher money with a picture of her and I holding hands. It said "to mom I love you mom"

2. We were at a stop light today and Tay saw a teenage boy on a skateboard with his pants so low his boxers were showing (on purpose). Tay said, "mom, do you know why that guy's underwear is showing? Because he thinks it makes him look cool." That's right Tay. "I know I want to get married, but not to a guy like that!"

3. Yesterday Tay said, "mom if you ever put me in public school I can tell people about Jesus, that's why someday I need to go there, because in public school teachers can't talk about Jesus." So sweet!

I thought the cutest age was two and three, but Tay is maturing into a sweet little Godly girl. I couldn't ask for a more thoughtful child.

Dorothy and the Good Witch

Remi is very into the Wizard of Oz so of course she had to be Dorothy. Tay was originally a ballroom dancer, but once my friend Rach mentioned that she looked like the good witch on Wizard of Oz she decided that's who she was. We all had a great time with our close friends eating Chili and dessert followed by trick or treating for our first time.

Update...Finally!

Brad and I feel like we are in a great place in our lives. The girls are at ideal ages. Rem says the cutest things, Tay's imagination is wonderful as well as her heart and I LOVE celebrating the holidays with them. When I get excited to bake Halloween cookies or make crafts I get to see the joy in my children as they too get excited. What a blessing! It's also so nice as they get older to spend more alone time with Brad like we did when we first met. Lately we have been dropping them off in the kids club at the gym and spending a couple hours together working out and chatting in the steam room with no interruption which brings us back to our roots.

Tay carried on a tradition that started with my mom and my grandma and was passed down to me which I in turn passed to my girls. Its finding a simple gift be it a magazine or a candy bar and wrapping it up and putting it on the persons bed for when they go to their room. I remember my mom doing this for me and it always made my day. A couple of days ago Tay found one of her favorite dolls. She decided to wrap it up, make a card and put it on Rem's bed. Tay is so sweet.

We are all doing well and feeling very blessed by what God is doing in our lives. Even though I am quite the soccer mom now (minus the mini van!) with school, gym, AWANAS, and home school twice a week I am really enjoying this stage in life.




















mama's heels

Spontaneous Beach Trip

Beach Tradition-New PJ's













































Why is it that a spontaneous vacation can sometimes be so much better than a planned one? We decided spur of the moment to head to the beach for the night. The weather was ideal and because Brad's weekends are Monday and Tuesday the rates were great. We had a great time playing pictionary in the sand and watching the girls discover sea urchins and starfish. It was so refreshing to get away and relax. It's amazing how much different life is becoming for us as we exit the baby stage and our children are able to interact with us a little more on our level.

Brad and I have always made up silly games since back when we were dating. While on the beach, we spit sunflower shells at each other and used a stick as a bat to try and hit them. I love the games we make up because it always brings me back to when we fell in love. I just love my husband!

The boy we always wanted

Several months ago we were asked to watch our friends' little 3 year old boy, Jonah every Friday during the school year. The timing worked for us so we said yes. Unbeknownst to us this little boy would become part of our family. Little Jonah is this stocky, tough little guy with such a sweet demeanor. We look forward to our Fridays with him and the girls adore him. Brad and I always imagined ourselves with a boy and to us, Jonah has come into our life to fulfill that image for the time being. Jonah and Brad have their own special trips they take to get hot chocolate and then go to the petstore. Jonah will say "Brat (Brad), I want you to take me in your truck and we can get hot chocolate and then you will take me to the petstore." Even though God did not bless us with a boy, we feel that for a season he has.

Jonah and The Girls Out For a Walk

Lessons Learned

Well, we don't have facebook or myspace and we don't tweet so we are a little out of the technological loop. I figure it's time to start a blog...

Last week I was sick with a "boomerang" flu (one flu followed by another), in that time Brad took 3 days off work followed by his weekend. He was forced to do an entire week of laundry, take both girls to dance, make 3 meals a day, take care of the dog and our new kitty, clean the house, keep the girls entertained, and buy groceries. He thoroughly enjoyed being a stay at home dad, BUT only for the first two days. By day three he was exhausted and ready to clock out. He said, "I could NEVER be a stay at home dad". He did a wonderful job and even though the house was a mess, my car was a disaster and the girls' diet was quite different (peanut butter and chip sandwiches), the girls were HAPPY. I have been a little bored with my job in which God has called me to do. Being forced to lay in bed made me realize how great life is and how blessed I am, not only to have the liberty to stay at home with my beautiful babies, but also to have such a wonderful companion.


On a light note, after months of praying for the right school, Tay made the list for Cor Deo Christian Academy. She is eager to be in school and loves to tell everyone that after Summer she will be in kindergarten. Tay is in dance and absolutely loves it. I have never seen her light up the way she does when she is dancing. As a mother, its so rewarding to see your child so passionate about something!


Remi on the other hand decided she would get her first hair cut, by herself! She found her toddler scissors (Tay calls them slizzers) and sat on daddy's lap while he was sleeping and snipped away. Thankfully her hair was pulled back and she only cut the front and not her curls! She cut a lot off, but unbelievably it looks very even.

Dancing Queen