The Pictures...

The day I've been waiting for finally came. When I got pregnant with Tessa one of the things I always thought about was how fun it would be to get their pictures done together. I always loved taking Jordyn to get hers taken...today was not quite as fun as I thought it would be. Actually, it was really hard work. Jordyn is now at the age where she loves to say "no" and she doesn't want to sit still. Tessa, well, is still a baby. All in all, I still had fun. So, here they are...the pictures.

I took the girls to Portrait Innovations at the River Woods in Provo. I really like them and I think that they're pretty cheap for what you get...

The six pose package is $99.00. For each pose you get 3 pages of your choice. (10x13, 8x10, 2 5x7's, 4 31/2x5's, or 8 wallets). Yep...that's 18 pages for $99.00. I think that's way good, especially when you could pay that much for only 8 pages at Kiddie Kandids. AND they usually have a special where you can choose one pose and get 1 10x13, 2 8x10's, 4 5x7's, 4 31/2x5's, 32 wallets, and 6 greeting cards for only $9.95! Plus with the six pose package you get two free 10x13's and the CD with all the pictures on it.

Okay, so I know that was a free ad for them, but I really like them. If you don't understand what the heck I'm talking about let me know and I'll try and explain it better.

Go Me Go

I am so proud of myself! I have been trying out this new recipe for a week now and today the cookies turned out so good I would actually pay money for them! YUM!

Here is the recipe...

Peanut Butter Candy Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 Pkg. yellow or chocolate cake mix

1/2 cup Peanut Butter

1/4 cup Butter, softened

1/4 cup Milk

2 Eggs

1/2 cup peanuts (opt.)

Add Chocolate Chips, Peanut Butter Chips,

Candy Coated Chips, or anything you want.

Bake 8-11 minutes or until golden brown

Place on wire racks immediately.

Yield: 36 cookies

(Hint: The batter will seem really sticky.)

Also, here are some pictures of the girls from today. Jordyn, my little monkey child, figured out how to climb into Tessa's swing. I've told her "NO" a million times and every time I leave the room she manages to get herself in and turn it on.
And, here is Tessa. She is getting so big. She is almost 2 months old and already in 3-6 month clothes. She is much fatter than Jordyn ever was. Her hair is turning blond. The roots are so light, it's amazing.

Valentine's Day

Say Cheese!

Well, Jason didn't take me to the "Monster Truck Show"...and boy am I glad that he didn't. I had asked Jason to surprise me. I like to be surprised. This morning he gave me a card with a gift certificate to get a pedicure and a set of nails. He bought donuts for breakfast and got the girls little gifts too. This afternoon he surprised me with a huge bouquet of flowers. THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL! (His mom helped...Thanks Norah!) Tonight he told me that we were going to a show and to dress up a little, but not a lot. We went to the "Valentine's Variety Show". It was with Daniel Beck and Jesse Clark Funk. Jason knew that I liked Jesse Funk a lot so that was a great surprise to me. It was a great show! Then we went to Red Lobster for dinner. They have the best coconut ship ever. I am stuffed!

Nonie, Camie, and Janae watched the girls for us. It was nice to have a break for the night, especially when you have good baby sitters that you trust. Jordyn loves playing with the girls. The other day when the twins were over Jordyn cried and cried when they had to leave...I think you could say that she's attached.

So, thanks Jas, for the wonderful night out. I had a great time! You spoiled me rotten today and I'm not sure that I deserved it. You're amazing!!!

On that note, I thought I'd make a list of all my loves.

Jason, Jordyn and Tessa

My family and Jason's

Sugar cookies from Smart Cookie

The smell in the air right after it rains

Good music

Games

Movies on the couch with Jason

Playing animal sounds with Jordyn

Watching Jordyn play with my Dad

Sleeping in

Clean sheets

Eating out

Late visits at the Hunter house

Flowers, especially Daisies

Happy Endings

Hanging out with my Mom

Reading great books

Being a mom

Listening to Jordyn talk to herself

Tessa's smile

Hearing my babies cry for the first time

Sunday dinners with family

My Dad's exaggerated stories

A clean house

Catching up with old friends

Making Jason laugh

Taking a hot bath

The Gospel and the peace it offers

I'm sure there are many more things I should add. I'm a very blessed person. I have a great family, lots of support, and the chance to grow and change everyday.

My Beautiful Flowers
Giving Tessa a Kiss

Six Weeks Old

Happy Six Weeks Tessa!

I can't believe how fast Tessa is growing. Time goes by so quickly. Sometimes I feel like I'm missing things because Jordyn keeps me so busy. Tessa is such a good baby. She sleeps pretty good at night, only waking up around three or four and then six or seven. During the day she is awake a lot, and loves to have someone play with her...but she's just as content in her swing or bouncer. She just started smiling last week. I think she laughs too. She sounds like an old man...it's so cute. Tessa loves to be held, and cuddled. She really is a great baby!

25 Random Things About Me

I did this on Facebook, but wanted to add it here as well.

1. I watch "Days of our Lives" almost everyday and can get you up-to-date about what's going on in about ten minutes. This is not something I'm proud of.
2. I'm reading at least 8 different books right now. I have this problem where I start new ones all the time without finishing the ones I'm already reading.
3. Sometimes I think that I would rather work than stay at home playing mommy, but I know the guilt would kill me.
4. We're getting a dog in a few weeks and I'm actually excited about it.
5. I served a mission in Argentina...I miss the food, but not the work.
6. I hate winter because it is too dang cold and I hate summer because it is too dang hot. I wish it could be spring or fall all year long.
7. I hate trying on clothes at the store because I swear the lights in the dressing room add about 20 pounds and make my skin look so pale I could be a cancer patient.
8. My main goal everyday is to get Jordyn and Tessa to take naps at the same time so I can sit down by myself for more than 10 minutes. During this time I eat lunch and then waist time on the computer.
9. I'm SO tired of changing dirty diapers.
10. I am always paranoid that my house stinks. I love candles and anything that smells good. It makes me feel like my house is clean.
11. Speaking of a clean house, I take pride in mine. I love the thought that anyone could stop by anytime to use my bathroom and I wouldn't be embarrassed to let them.
12. My new hobby is my blog. Jason says that I spend too much time working on it, but I don't care because it's my way of showing off my beautiful girls.
13. This is my very first "tag" and I'm so excited about it!
14. My dream vacation would be a cruise, but I'd be too embarrassed to get in a swimsuit in front of all those people. Having two babies has really done my body in and besides, I wasn't that skinny before.
15. Every night I go to bed with a big plan to start my diet the next day and every morning I give in by eating something chocolate and drinking diet coke for breakfast.
16. I hate wearing socks. If I could afford pedicures every week I would get one.
17. Sometimes, when the babies are crying in the night, I pretend to not hear them so Jason will get up with them. (Don't tell Jason...but I'm sure he's already aware of my evilness.)
18. By the time Jordyn was a month old I had taken hundreds of pictures of her. I've taken less than 50 pictures of Tessa. I wasn't going to ever be one of "those" parents. I'm starting today to be a better pictures taker.
19. If I don't get up in the morning, take a shower, do my hair, and put my make-up on I feel like a total slob. My day always goes better when I take care of myself first.
20. Of the 32 months I've been married to Jason I've been pregnant for 22 months. Do you know how long that is! I'm glad that we're taking a baby break for a few years...
21. I love spending money. Especially on books I might not ever read and movies I might never watch. It would be great if I could have unlimited money...but who wouldn't love that. Maybe then the economy wouldn't be so terrible.
22. I hate cooking! I hate how much time it takes and I hate cleaning up when I'm done. I never think that what I've made tastes that great and Jason isn't very good at pretending that he likes it either.
23. When I was younger I used to fight with my sisters all the time. Now, one of my favorite things to do is hang out at my mom's house with all of my family there. We are so stinking funny!
24. I’m in love with Jack Bauer. He is so tough and handsome. It’s amazing that he can be tortured for over an hour and then be back to saving the country as soon as he escapes.
25. I love the outdoors, but I do not enjoying sleeping in it, or getting dirty in it. Great camping to me would include a soft bed and a warm shower. Oh, and no bugs!

Little People

Remember these? When I was little we had a huge bucket of "Little People" and we played with them all the time. We had stuff for a school and a post office, lots of beds and chairs. We always had a great time.

This was Jordyn's Christmas present from Grandpa and Grandma Halladay. It's the new version of "Little People". I guess the old ones are just not safe for kids anymore. She loves to play with this house because it makes noise. (It seems all new toys now make noise.) The toilet flushes, the door bell rings and so does the phone. It's really cute....but guess what!

Jordyn would much rather play with the old stuff. She is really funny. It's amazing that kids learn so quickly to make things talk and move. Sometimes she plays for an hour and her attention span is NEVER that good.

In other news, cold season is upon us. Jordyn has been sick for a week with a runny noise and cough. And of course she gave it to Tessa. When we found out we were going to have a baby in the middle of winter I was nervous because of RSV. Well, I Tessa to the doctor on Thursday and he said that most likely she does have RSV but she's not bad enough to test for it yet. He said that she'll probably get worse before she gets better, but hopefully she won't get bad enough for a hospital stay or oxygen.

I've been a nervous wreck. It's been a long couple of days. The good news is, that so far, she is still doing about the same. She is still sleeping well at night and eating the way she should. I'm also lucky to have lots of family around to help me out. And I'm sure everything will turn out just fine.

Puppy Love

Jason and I are getting a dog. It's kind of bad timing with it being tax season, winter, and just having a new baby but we are getting one anyway. My Dad and my sister, Julie, both have dogs...Boxers. Julie's dog had puppies two weeks ago and they are so cute. Jordyn is really excited. We took her over last night to see all the puppies and she was holding them and kissing them. She loved it and so did we. Hopefully our new dog will be a fun part of our family.

This is probably the dog we will pick!