Kodak Moments!

Future pianists?

I thought this was cute with their little feet dangling! (Maddie pulled out her pigtails so that is why her hair is so crazy!)

Reading silly stories with Dad is one of the girls' most favorite activities!

April showers bring...

May Flowers!


A small town circus came through Kirksville the other day so we took the girls. They loved it and haven't stopped talking about the tigers, the camel, and the balloons!

Mama's Day

I've had a wonderful mother's day. Scott kept telling the girls all day to say "Happy Mama's Day." They would say it and then say, "Party? Presents?" Thanks for everything you did to make it a wonderful day Scott! You have so much going on with finals this week and you are always so good to me.

Sometimes I can't believe that I actually have two girls of my own. I still feel like a little girl a lot of the time. I can't even describe how much joy I have felt in being a mother. I always knew that becoming a mom was what a wanted most. When I was growing up and we were supposed to tell people what we wanted to become I'd say a teacher or a fashion designer or an artist or a florist or a dancer... I think I even had a phase of wanting to be a horseback rider! Inside I always knew though, that I wanted to be a mom and not have to work outside the home. I'm incredibly thankful that this dream of motherhood has come true. Since our girls were born almost two years ago our lives have become "them." Everything we do revolves around naps, or meal time, etc. etc. I wouldn't trade it for anything and feel so fulfilled with the important job I get to do. I'm amazed at how much my girls learn and that they truly do soak everything up. I love teaching them things and watching them grow up. Every stage is exciting and rewarding.

I've learned a lot about myself since becoming a mom.

-I've realized that I'm not as patient as I want to be. When I lose my temper with the girls I always feel bad about it immediately after. It is a good thing they are so forgiving!

-I've realized that I expect a lot of my girls. Sometimes I forget that they are so little and when I say, "No dumping the bath water all over the floor," they might not comprehend that I REALLY mean it!

-I've realized that at this stage of life I'm just not able to get a whole lot out of Church. Between the snacks flying everywhere, the girls battling for my lap, and us trying to teach them how to whisper we are happy that we make it through the 3 hours every week!

-I've also realized that even though everyday with little kids is different that I thrive on keeping a sort of schedule and structure.

-I've realized when the girls are happy mom is happy, but if Mom is happy the girls stay happier too.

-I've realized what a big responsibility motherhood is. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed that I've been entrusted with 2 smart and beautiful daughters of God.

-I've realized that I can't do it alone! What would I do without my Scott, our families, good friends, and of course the guidance of the Spirit and the love and blessings from our Savior and Father in Heaven?

I've also realized that...

-I can go on little sleep.

-I can rock crying or sick babies all night long.

-I can nurse twins for a year.

-I can put my girls needs in front of my own.

-I can push a grocery cart and pull a stroller at the same time.

-I can sing primary and silly songs over and over again.

-I can come up with creative ways to keep the girls happy.

And most importantly, even though I make a lot of mistakes I can love two little girls more than I ever imagined and I'd do absolutely ANYTHING for both of them.

Before we were putting the girls to bed Scott was playing the piano and I was holding the girls on my lap on the rocking chair. They held still enough to snuggle with me for a few minutes and I was overwhelmed by the tenderness of being a mom. I had flashbacks to when they were babies and I would rock them in that chair and wait anxiously for Scott to come home from school and help me. What precious times these are. Thank you Maddie and Bella for letting me be your mama!

Happy Mother's Day

Scott and I have incredible mothers and examples in our lives.
I love my mom sooo much and can't even explain how much I appreciate all she does for my family. She amazes me with her generosity and love for others. I hope someday I can be as good of a hostess as she is. She throws a great party. She is a supportive wife and it seems like nearly everything she does is for her husband or one of her children or grandchildren. She is the rock of our family. That lady has done a lot of good for a lot of people. I love you mom and hope to be more and more like you!



Scott's mom is also amazing! Melanie is so happy and spunky and a definite go-er. (is that a word?) She is fun to be around. She makes others feel good about themselves. She also amazes me with how hard she works for her family. When we are in St. George she spends half of the time cooking everyone's favorite foods. She's also a wonderful labor and delivery nurse. Moms who get to have her as their nurse are so lucky! I love Melanie and couldn't ask for a better mother-in-law. I will be forever grateful for the wondeful son she raised.

Where would we be without these two women? We owe so much to them and we realize that we are only starting to understand the sacrifices they have made for us, the tears they have shed for us (both happy and sad) and the love they feel for us. We are grateful for the wonderful role models they will be for our girls and we know Maddie and Bella are blessed with the two greatest grandmas ever.

Lately...

So what have we been doing lately? It is amazing how the time flies by some weeks. Here it is May. Sometimes I don't really know what we've done the past while. Regular life I guess. We are enjoying our last few months here in Kirksville. Scott has been busy studying for his classes and the boards coming up. He's starting to feel the pressure and I'm so proud of him every day. He's such a hard worker.

We are loving the warmer weather and have already enjoyed lots of picnics at the park and walks. I love meeting Scott for lunch at the park and letting the girls play. Scott really does an amazing job of spending as much time as possible with the girls. He usually comes home for lunch everyday which makes me feel like we see him even more. He also comes home for a few hours at night and plays with them. The girls really look forward to this Daddy time. Scott amazes me at how well he can balance everything.

Maddie and Bella are as cute as ever. They are talking a lot and repeat pretty much everything we say. They always try to say big words and it is really cute. They are so smart too! They pick up a lot more than I realize. They have both started saying (actually shouting) "NO WAY" when they don't want something and it is driving me crazy. I keep trying to tell them that we use nice words, but it just isn't clicking. I've caught myself saying "No way" to them though, and that is why they are saying it! I didn't even realize I was doing it. I never yell "NO WAY" at them or anything (okay I usually don't :) We do have moments...) but sometimes if they are doing something naughty (like coloring on the walls or furniture for example) I'll say, "No way, we don't do that," or something to that effect. We'll see if I can "undo" this one.

They currently have an obsession with "rella" (Cinderella), but they've only seen the singing parts with the Mice and birds etc. We have to skip ahead in the Disney movies because there are a lot of scary parts. The other obsession is "Barbie Fairies." I have the cartoon version of Barbie and the Nutcracker and they love to watch the opening credits that has two little barbie fairies flying around. It lasts about 20 seconds but they love it and want to watch it over and over again. Then we skip ahead to the very end where barbie and the prince do the grand paux de duex (sp?) and they like to watch the pretty ballerina princess dance. I knew we'd have little dancers ;). Their very favorite books are Fancy Nancy and Alice the Fairy. We read both of these over and over again. When we get dressed for church or when I try to put bows in their hair I tell them they look like Fancy Nancy and they get so excited. They are both getting a new tooth, which may explain some of the recent crankiness, but also I think they are just getting to be two year olds who want to do things by themselves. I'm trying to be more patient and let them do things on their own- like climb into their own carseats for example. It feels like it takes 10 minutes each time we have to get in or out, but they are much happier and then we avoid screaming fits. :)

Some of my favorite moments are when I'm in the other room and then I hear them laughing hysterically about something. I peek in and usually they are sitting together making funny noises or faces back and forth and laughing at each other. It is so neat to see their bond already. They battle for toys and mommy's lap, but they love each other so much. I like to see them taking care of each other. When I give one of them her bear, she asks where is the other's bear etc. They are little sweethearts and I love them so much!

Other noteworthy news is that we are closing on our house on Tuesday. Then we will officially own our first home. It is exciting. We're so grateful to my parents who have helped us a ton as we've been trying to figure out all the ins and outs of everything to do with home ownership. They help us and support us so much in so many ways and we look up to them and appreciate them more than they'll ever know! Anyway, the amount of paperwork involved in buying a house is amazing! We are still so happy about it and can't wait to decorate and settle into life in Cleveland. It is definitely bittersweet though. We'll miss our friends here in Kirksville a lot.

In my down time I've been learning how to knit and working on a friendship quilt- that I'll post more about later. I also spend my free time looking at decorating ideas and online shopping ("window shopping" really). I'm hooked on Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, and yes I must confess... The Bachelor. (Thanks to my BYU roomies for that one...)

We are doing well and happy with our little life. We are finding joy in the day to day- most days- let's be honest here. :) We have so much to be thankful for and we can't believe the blessings that we have in our life. Love to our family and friends.

Dad and the girls watching "rella."