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."