Lake Powell Picture Overload - SERIOUSLY

In July we went with the Hunter Family to Lake Powell. This was our first week-long vacation as a family. I was super worried. I have this thing with dirt...I don't like it. But, the girls had so much fun and it was totally worth every dirty minute.
Jason and his brothers and sisters.

There was a slide someone made on Sand Hill. Tessa loved it.

Tessa also loved her Tattoo.

We went to Rainbow Bridge.

Sisters

Seriously a fun time. The sun was hot, the water was cold. The girls still talk about the boat and the sand and the tent and the shells and the bugs. I love seeing how excited the girls get about life.

Jordyn's Birthday Day

I took Jordyn and Tessa to the movies. We saw the new Winnie the Pooh movie. It was so super cute! Jordyn cried the entire time that it was too scary and Tessa pooped. After the movie we went to Costa Vida for dinner and Daddy met us there.

Jordyn is such a character to have around our house. She is always singing, playing new games, and asking to do art projects. Jordyn's favorite phrase right now is "Here's the deal." She says it whenever she wants something. She love chicken nuggets and anything pasta. She doesn't care much for suckers or sour treats. I'm surprised constantly by her imagination. She speaks her own language, literally. She says it's English...but trust me....it's not. She has an amazing memory. I know because she is constantly repeating things she has heard me say....good and bad things. She is a good big sister and is so excited to have a new baby at our house. I'm so blessed to have such a talented, smart little girl teaching me every day to be a little more fun, a little more Christ like, and a little more crazy.

Jordyn's Birthday Party

Holy Cow! I can't believe she is 4. Can you tell that she is thrilled? Poor kid. This was a bad day for the red, itchy hives. She was miserable.

We had her party on Sunday, August 7th. Everyone in the family came...even Aunt Julia (who lives in China) and Josh and Cheryl (who live in Georgia). We are so lucky to have so many awesome family members who love Jordyn, and support us. Jordyn is lucky to have 8 Aunts, 7 Uncles, 4 Grandparents, and 4 Cousins who all live within 20 minutes of her house. Jason made the cupcakes. He stayed up til 3 in the morning working on them. They turned out AWESOME! Jordyn was SpOiLeD! She got way to many gifts and loved all of them, but her favorite is the MagnaDoodle from Grandma Sue Sue and Grandpa Day. The other day she wrote "MOM" and but flowers and hearts all around to surprise me.It turned out to be a great party. Thank you so much to everyone who came. Tessa even had fun, and can NOT stop talking about her "3" birthday....coming December 2011.

Yo Gabba Gabba, Hives, Cookies, Princess Camp & Miss Tessa's Hair

My kids are addicted to TV. Seriously. This has become a blessing and a curse. I love that I have a free babysitter, but I hate that the TV has to be on ALL THE TIME! They fight over which show to watch, who gets to choose, and where they get to sit on the couch. Some TV shows are great. They learn about colors, numbers, animals, sharing, cleaning up, and about a million little songs that they love. (I'm talking about Barney, Mickey Mouse Club House, Dora and Diego, Blue's Clues and Dragon Tales.) But, there is one show that I hate. REALLY! Yo Gabba Gabba. YUCK! Well, they love it. Look at them shaking their little booties.

Jordyn had another run of bad luck in the health department. I have no idea what happened, some internal virus the doctor said. My poor baby was covered in itchy hives from head to toe. This picture hardly shows what it was really like. She was miserable.Tessa is messy. Especially with food. What more can I say?Jordyn went to Princess Camp at Dance Showcase Company. She was so excited. She asked everyday for weeks how many more days. She was sick the day before...again. I was worried she wouldn't be able to go, but she did. She had so much fun. She is our Dancing Queen!

Oh, this kid. Look at that face. "Oh, Mom...put the camera away." You can't see it well, but Tessa has the best little twisty braid thing in her hair. Jordyn cries just looking at a brush. Tessa is tough. She'll sit in a chair and let me pull, yank, and tug her beautiful, thick hair until I think it's perfect. She can be a monster sometimes....WHO AM I KIDDING?!?! She is a little monster most of the time, but I sure love her and she is stinking cute.

Thing 3

Thirteen and a half weeks. Are you ready to hear me cry about it? This pregnancy has been a lot different for me. I've had a major aversion to food. Nothing sounds good. Nothing tastes good. Nothing looks good the second time. Eh! I've been tired and crabby. I get impatient quickly. I want to stay in bed all day and at night I have a hard time sleeping. Jordyn asks me almost every morning if I'm sick. Poor neglected girls.

But, it's all worth it. I love thinking about having a new baby around our house. I imagine how cute Jordyn will be...and how extremely jealous Tessa will be. I think about cute baby toes and fingers, baby smells, and baby smiles. What a blessing!
These are the shirts Jason made. They turned out so cute.

Our Yard 2011

We've worked hard in our yard this summer. Well, Jason has. I really haven't done much. We planted a bunch of new perennials this year. Plus this fall we'll be planting a bunch of bulbs for next spring. Jason also planted a bunch of corn...that we're still waiting on. Our Raspberries haven't been so great, but that's probably because we only planted them in the spring. Jason's grow box turned out great. We've had a bunch of zucchini and tomatoes. I'm excited for next year already, just so we can add a couple more boxes to our yard. Well, Jason can add them. I'll watch. I'm good at that.

My favorite flowers this year were the Black-Eyed Susans and the Lilies. They turned out so beautiful. It's amazing to me how my love for flowers grows each year. I love teaching the girls too. Jordyn is constantly asking what a flower is called. It's great!

Longest Post Ever

I'll start off by saying that there's a surprise at the end of this post. Then I'll tell you, I am terrible at taking pictures. Sometimes I take a bunch at an event and sometimes I only take one or two. I need to do better. Time is passing so quickly and the girls are growing so fast. Sometimes it makes me so sad and other times I love seeing life through their beautiful little eyes.

STRAWBERRY DAYS PARADE

It was so fun. The girls loved it. Jason and I taught them all about yelling for candy. We came home with an entire bag full. Jordyn loved the dances and marching bands. Tessa loved the little kids from dance companies and gymnastic teams. FATHER'S DAY

Yes. This is the only pictures I took. Grandpa Day and the girls. Thanks Dad for being such a great grandpa, for helping whenever we ask, and for being such a good example to me.

To Terry aka Papa T: You are so great with the girls. They love playing on the tramp with you. They love when you read them books. Jason and I are so grateful for you advice and love of family.

To our Daddy...We love you so much! You are the best at story time. We love when you cook for us, play games with us, and teach us things. Thank you for growing a garden, for working so hard, for teaching us new things.

4TH OF JULY

We went to my Mom and Dad's for a BBQ. It was super fun! The girls especially love the cupcakes with blue frosting.After dinner we went up to the Hunter's for fireworks. The girls had fun sitting on a blanket. They loved the marshmallows Papa T made for them and the glow lights from Gammy.

LAST T-BALL GAME

Jordyn finished t-ball...finally. She had fun, but I think it was a little too much for me. I'm not a very good sport. But, she learned how to hit the ball a little better and she learned to run a little faster.Tessa had fun playing on the grass steeling drinks and playing with babies.STEVEN CAME HOME

Need I say more?? We are so happy to have Steven home and safe. We're so grateful for his service to our country.I can't even imagine what this hug felt like. Seriously.Cute family!The girls were super excited. Especially Jordyn. She prayed for Uncle Steven every night.Father and Sons

Hayden, Jake, Steven, Terry, and JasonThe entire family. What a happy day!

And last of all. A story or two. Jason made t-shirts for me and the girls. I'll post a picture of them soon. Jordyn's said "thing 1" and Tessa's said "thing 2". Each shirt had the real Cat in the Hat thing 1 and thing 2 guys. Mine was a red bean with blue hair that said "thing 3". We told the girls our little secret and headed up to the Hunters' to show them our shirts. We'd hoped the girls would keep quiet but we got out of the car and Tessa yelled, "My Mama's having a baby!" So much for that surprise.

A few days later we took the girls with us to an ultrasound appointment. You see, I've had two miscarriages, one before each of the girls. After my first I had an ultrasound and about 7 weeks with each pregnancy to make sure there was a heart beat. I was nervous taking the girls. I didn't want them to be there if something was wrong. Luckily, everything is great. Anyway, the ultrasound was pushing hard and said, "Sorry, I'm just trying to get a better picture of this cyst." Jordyn sighed, looked right at me and said, "Oh man. It's a sister." HA! What a kid. (If you couldn't guess...she wants a brother.)

So, there you have it. Baby #3 will be joining our family the beginning of February.