Silly Girls

We've been painting lately, and apparently we're being watched. Ashlyn has been using this little makeup brush for a pretend paint brush and periodically dips it in the the little cup in the picture. She'll "paint" anything. I caught her painting her toes beautiful here.

My girls love this doll stroller. There's always some toy in it, but this time it was Ashlyn. They both had so much fun. However, the $5 stroller is starting to buckle. Yikes! Oh, and yes, Emma is my goofball, and Ashlyn's long curls are out of control. I hate the thought of cutting it, but I think it's that time again. Sigh.

This isn't the first time this stroller has carried little people. This picture is of an 18-month-old Emma being pushed by her friend Maggie from when we lived in Laramie. We laughted then, too. Oh, I miss you Bades.

Playing at Grandma and Grandpa's

We had a great time vising Wyoming this past weekend. Nick's Mom and Dad moved out of their house so after spent a few days in Wyoming for work, he stayed in Mt. View for a couple of days to help with the finishing touches on the old house to get it ready for renters. His Dad has been building a new home for them and one for his sister this past year. After Nick helped his parents for a couple of days, I came with the girls. On Saturday we left the girls with Grandma and Grandpa and went skiing for hopefully not the last time this year. We didn't take pictures again, but we had a perfectly sunny day. It was so nice to spend some time together after several days apart. Here are some pictures of our various activities from the weekend. It was unseasonably warm and we made the most of it.

The girls love Grandpa's 4-wheelers. Despite Ashlyn's despondent look on her face, she got really mad if anyone went without her.

Grandpa's horses are a special treat, too. The girls couldn't get enough of them.
Uncle Brady's dogs are fun, too. They were a bit big and jumpy for Ashlyn't tastes though. When Emma was smaller, the dogs would tear around the yard right next to her and she would just laugh and laugh.

Here is Lacee with Emma, Cassidy, and Ashlyn. Lacee had the brilliant idea of having tinfoil dinners. It was so fun, and they were delicious. Thanks, Lace.

Here is my first time driving a 4-wheeler. I don't know how I avoided it for so long, but it was fun, and Emma was the perfect passenger. She just knew I could do it.
Ashlyn loves playing. I couldn't believe she was loving this. Emma tried it and was terrified. I guess they each have their own fears.
Grandma took the girls to the park to play while we were gone. This is one of my favorite pictures. Emma loves pretending, and I'm sure she'd love to be in the clouds like this.
Since we won't be together for Easter, Grandma also put together an Easter Egg hunt for the girls. They loved finding all the eggs. Luckily for me, most of the eggs were left at Grandma's.
Even Ashlyn caught on quickly. She loved finding the eggs, too.

New Kitchen Favorite

I love having sisters! My sister Kerri recommended this to me one day when I was complaining about the scuff marks in my kitchen sink. This stuff works as well as a magic eraser for my sink. I love it. I wish I had taken before and after pictures. It works well on practically everything. Here's one for the moms.

Kiddos

I'm feeling the need to write about my kiddos. We've had a really good day together today. It was actually warm enough for us to walk down to the park before lunch. Ashlyn took a nap, woke up happy, and actually called for me, "Mama," rather than for Daddy. Note that Daddy has been in Wyoming since Monday and she has been asking for him constantly. While Ashy napped, Emma and I colored and set up her tent. Then after naps we made pizzas together. We finished out the day by going to McKee's the local pet store. This place has everything, including a monkey, tortoises, and a petting zoo out back. The girls were in heaven. Ashy actually held my hand for almost the entire trip. After that, here is a glimpse into their little worlds.

Emma:
Emma is four and two months now, and she loves to remind people how old she is. She is constantly asking if she did something when she was three, two, or one. In other words, she's figuring out time. It's fascinating. She loves pretending. A common phrase around here now is "Let's pretend that . . ." She loves to draw, dress-up, and help me with anything. She especially loves to cook with me. Emma is my little cuddler and always wants me nearby. She is naturally happy and fun to be with. While she is occassionally loud, she loves trying to make others happy by trying to entertain them. I often look at her these days and wonder when she got so big. One of my favorite new things is how she loves playing with Ashlyn. I hope Ashlyn will want to play with Emma as much as Emma wants her to to play with her.

Ashlyn:
While Ashy is rather emotional, she is the funnest kid to be around when she's happy. I am amazed at how smart she is. She was sitting on my lap "writing" with my pencil this morning when she started making little scribles and saying "Q, R, S" over and over. And at dinner tonight I overheard her singing, "I can do and say, happy things each day." I didn't even know she knew that song. I'll have to add it to her list. She loves to sing the alphabet song (in its entirety), Old MacDonald, Twinkle-Twinkle, Ba-ba Black Sheep, Give Said the Little Stream, the chorus to I Am a Child of God, and parts of several others. She can also count to 12 and does so quite often. She also loves to help me cook. She's always saying, "My turn, Mama?" and even though she expresses it in interesting ways some times, she loves Emma very much. Every morning when Ashlyn first sees Emma she goes up to her, tells her good morning, and gives her a hug. I love that. Some of her common phrases are "Sit by you?" "No. I don't want to." "Taco Bell!" (for when she's hungry - Nick has been taking the girls there Tuesday nights when I'm teaching), and "Where Daddy go?" Some of her newest words are crocodile, caterpillar, and several color words. I know that she'll be turning two next month, but it seems to me like I already have my next 3-year-old. She's growing up so fast. We have our moments, but I love my little Ashy. I love reading her stories and listening to her sing. When she runs, she makes tiny, little steps on her tiptoes. She's just too cute.

Both of my girls are such blessings in my life. I wouldn't be the same person without them. I love you girls.

Results

Okay, it looks like I get to make something for Trish, Sharlene, and Ranee'. So, any ideas or desires? I am always willing to knit or crochet washcloths or hot pads, but if there's anything else you would like, let me know!

Emma's Picture

Emma loves to draw. She draws or colors multiple pictures every day. This particular picture is from a collection on a card she made for her cousin Jacob. This picture marks a new phase in her development. She actually put clothes on herself. She's even dressed up in her princess "FireRose" dress, complete with a tiara, necklace, shoes, and rose on her dress. My personal favorite touches, though, are her eyelashes and lips. Usually her drawings have fingers, too.

I love this stage of Emma's life. She is learning in leaps and bounds. In fact, on the back of this card she drew a large number 4, because she's four now. Everything seems to be clicking for her these days. We have such fun conversations, and she loves to learn about everything. Good job, Emma girl.

Picture Fun!

Okay, I'm trying to convince myself that either no one has checked my blog in two days or that they don't want to sign up to make people gifts. I'm hoping my friends and family aren't scared of home-made gifts from me. :( Feel free to let me know if you want a surprise present even if you don't want to do them for someone else. For some reason, I really like making things for other people, especially when there is no stipulation on what it is and I have a year to do it.

As for the goofy photo. Sarah R. inspired me to finally take my girls to the photo booth in the mall. We've walked past it dozens of times, and I've always told Emma we'd do it another day. So, we did it. It was hilarious trying to get Emma and Ashlyn to look at the funny circle across from us. They just didn't get it. It was really fun though, and now we have a silly memory. Thanks Sarah.

Pay It Forward

Pay It Forward Exchange is based on the concept of the movie "Pay it forward". I will send a hand made gift to the first three people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join the PIF exchange. All the gifts will be made and posted out 'sometime within the next year'. How exciting to not know when your surprise package will arrive! What you need to do in return, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. This Exchange is only open to those with active websites or blogs. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PROMISE TO POST THIS SAME 'PAY IT FORWARD' MESSAGE ONTO YOUR BLOG, WHICH MUST BE ACTIVE IN ORDER TO PLAY. YOU WILL PAY IT FORWARD TO THREE PEOPLE WHO COMMENT ON YOUR BLOG. I'd love for you to join me! Will you? Other comments are welcome, but only the first three will be my Pay It Forward recipients. Come and join me who doesn't love a gift or giving gifts???