Sugar and Spice...

and FROSTING and SPRINKLES...that's what our girls are made of. Ella pretty much will eat anything, and Lily is more our salty snack and picky eater, however when it comes to cookies with frosting and sprinkles that is a totally different story. Not the cookie part so much as the frosting. That kid will lick a cookie, cake, cupcake, or anything in frosting completely clean and not indulge in any other part. So needless to say holiday cookie decorating is one of my girls' most favorite and asked for activities.

Halloween 2010

We sure had a fun Halloween this year. Hello Kitty didn't really want to get her full costume on (face paint), but she sure enjoyed knocking on doors and collecting candy. Batgirl loved her special costume complete with Uncle Packie's "Batman" boots from when he was a little boy and custom cape made by her Mimi and Aunt Margaret. She stomped around the house in those boots for days :) We were invited to a little party in her classroom for Halloween, and it was our first chance to see her interact with her friends and teacher. They were all so cute in their costumes and had fun singing us a few songs they had learned. If you look closely you can see Lily's "brother" Keaton in the background in his fireman costume.

Brothers and Boyfriends

The only part of the IWU homecoming we could attend this year was the landing of the Blackhawk chopper. Jeff was , of course, there for all the events, but I had a wedding to attend later that day. Lily and Ella loved getting to see the chopper up close and even better they enjoyed the experience with some of their favorite buddies or as they call them their brothers. Lily and Keaton have known each other since birth and she refers to him, as well as Dalton and Calem, as her brother. Ella refers to Eoin as her boyfriend though :)

Ella Days

Ella and I have a lot of fun on the days that Lily is at preschool. Sometimes we go out to breakfast or visit friends. Other days we enjoy strolling through Meijer and picking out fun treats. She talks non-stop and always has something funny to say. No matter what we end up doing each day, this is time I will always cherish :)

Back Blog

I just found these pictures from a family brunch we had in August to celebrate Mimi and Papa's 30th wedding anniversary. Not only did we enjoy the company and the delicious food we also enjoyed a private room so that the girls could run around :) Congratulations Mimi and Papa on 30 years!!

First Day!

Lily had her first day of preschool this past week. She has been talking about this day since March, and it finally came. I wasn't worried in the least that she wouldn't love it. She was so excited and couldn't wait for her classroom door to open and for me to leave. Jeff, Ella, and I dropped her off--and Ella wasn't very happy to leave her sister. However, Ella is happy to report to anyone that asks that mommy wasn't either. "Mommy cried," she says.

Ella is 2!

What a fun second birthday Ella had!! Not only were all her favorite people at our house, she also had a special guest. Aaron from Funbelievable Balloons came and made all the kids (and adults) special balloons to take home. He was definitely a hit. We had such a beautiful day, and the birthday girl loved every minute of it!

My BIG Little Girl

Our second child is now 2! I can't believe it. She has grown up so much in the last couple months and really has quite the personality packed into that little body. Jeff likes to say she packs a punch. It's hard to believe all the things that come out of such a tiny person's mouth. She loves to push her older sister's buttons on a daily basis, but at the same time loves to come and snuggle on the couch. Don't be fooled by that angelic face either because she knows exactly what she is doing :) She makes us laugh all the time, and I am so thankful she is a part of our lives. I love that she is a stinker, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Lily--HHI 2010

Our serious child :) Lily really enjoyed being at the beach and playing in the ocean this year. She did plenty of running and jumping into the water like her crazy sister, but she also enjoyed just sitting in the water and playing nicely in the sand. What a great trip we all had!

Ella -- HHI 2010

"The sea was angry that day, my friends..." Seriously, how funny is this kid? All she did all day was run down the beach into the water, screaming. She loved every minute of it too!

Shannon Tanner--HHI 2010

Shannon Tanner is a fixture on Hilton Head Island--and he's a family favorite. He's been making children and grandmothers smile for years. This was our first year of Lily really participating, and while we weren't sure whether she would enjoy it, she very quickly answered that question. At the end of his show Shannon always invites kids up on stage, and if they want to they can come up and sing. Lily was insistent at this point in the show that she "talk to the guy," and while we were somewhat hesitant about it, we told her she could do so if she waited her turn and politely raised her hand when the kids before her were done singing. Within a millisecond of the aforementioned singers completing their rendition of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" or something similar, Lily shot both hands straight up in the air and asked "My turn next?!" Shannon immediately turned and picked her up, asked her name and age, and asked how old Lily thought he was. After correctly sharing her age, Lily then guessed Shannon was 21 (about 30 years shy of his actual age), and he--and the crowd--got a kick out of that. He asked what she wanted to sing, and she responded with "Tomorrow," then promptly launched into a well-practiced version of the popular Broadway tune. She neatly finished up, hopped down, and walked down the stage and back to us. Lily was all business. Something tells us this won't be her only interaction with Shannon Tanner...