All grown up!

When did my little babies become little girls? I looked at them this morning and couldn't believe how old they looked. Scott had a meeting at our house this morning so they girls and I were hanging out upstairs and had lots of time to get ready for church. I painted their nails and round brushed and flat ironed their hair, and they looked so cute. They loved these darling Christmas dresses from Grandma Melanie too! Yes, we already have our Christmas tree up and all our holiday decorations. We have an ornament from all the vacations we've been on since we've been married. I also have quite a few from when I was growing up, so it is always fun to get them out and have the memories. The girls loved helping decorate.

Bella


Maddie


Trying to get them to smile for a picture is difficult these days- they say CHEESE really big and we end up with all sorts of silly faces. This was our new strategy of telling them to strike a pose!


I adore these girls!

Family Weekend!

Scott had all weekend off for the holiday so we ate up every minute and loved having him around! Friday we did a little Black Friday shopping and then had brunch at First Watch- a delicious diner. Saturday we hit the Great Lakes Science Center. The girls love the play area they have there and could have spent hours in the ball pit!



The museum is right on Lake Erie, so it is fun view. We enjoyed the break from the snow and the "warmer" temperatures this weekend. (Okay by warmer I mean still in the 40's- live it up my Arizona and California friends!)


The museum is also next to the Rock and Roll hall of fame. We didn't go in, but will have to go back there at some point while we live here.

They were playing all sorts of great music outside the Hall of Fame, so of course Maddie and Bella wanted our whole family up on the platform to dance. They were loving it, and provided quite the entertainment for everyone around.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had the Gowdy kids over the other day and all the kids were insistent that they each wear a different hat. I love that Cade really wanted the pink pooh bear one, but he put it on backwards to make it a little more "cool."

We had a thanksgiving tradition growing up that we would make and deliver thanksgiving fruit baskets every year. I always loved doing this and we have been continuing this tradition in our little family. I was always in charge of making the card every year. This year the girls helped me put all the fruit in the baskets and got their new snowboots on to help deliver them. Thanks mom for this fun tradition. We have so much to be grateful for.

Thanksgiving was fun for us this year. Mike and Chantele came from Indiana to celebrate with us. It was a treat to be with family. Since it was just us we learned to make the entire Thanksgiving spread for the first time. I must say we had pretty much everything- turkey, potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, rolls, rasberry jello, the classic Lunt baked peaches, and even some tasty pies that Mike and Chantele got from an Amish town near them. Scott took care of the turkey and gravy and they both turned out excellent! What a great chef. He'd done all his research on the food network and it paid off! Thanks honey!


We went and saw Madagascar 2 and it was Maddie and Bella's first experience at a movie theater. Bella was a little nervous at first, but then warmed up when all the animals started dancing and the music got going. It was actually a pretty funny movie, and a good thanksgiving outing. The day ending with lots of food and then of course we were all exhausted. Thanks Mike and Chantele for coming and for the wonderful holiday family time!

Notre Dame

This was our first snowfall of the year. The girls didn't have snowpants or boots yet, so they lasted about 2 minutes. I had to document it though!

We headed a couple weekends ago to South Bend, Indiana where my brother Mike is getting his MBA at Notre Dame. We had such a fun weekend staying with Mike and Chantele. I surprised Scott with a weekend getaway after his surgery rotation. Mike and Scott went to the football game on saturday and lasted the entire time despite the subartic temperatures! They have all sorts of traditions and tailgating before the game so they joined the festivities (minus the drinks) for a once in a life time experience! After the game they hit a local restaurant that got the BYU v. Utah game so they could watch it. We won't comment on that- poor cougs! The girls and I had fun shopping and playing with Chantele. They absolutely adore her! Thanks Mike and Chantele! You were so nice to let us invade your house and play with the girls. We loved being with you!

Meet me in Toledo!

We had such a fun day yesterday. We met Tobey, Addie, and Noah Roos in Toledo for the day. It was such a treat to see them. They are our close friends from Kirksville and we've missed them so much! All three girls were absolutely in heaven! They just picked up right where they left off. They were loving being silly and playing together. We had an exciting time at Chuck E Cheese's and then played and cruised around the mall. Between all the games, rides, playing with Addie, Pizza, and icecream the girls were truly in heaven!



Here are the girls on a little carousel at the mall. Tobey got some better pictures so I'll get some from her. Thanks for meeting us Tobey! It was so nice to have our regular old girl chat and to just hang out. I loved it. We definitely need to plan another trip very soon!

$1.89

We filled up our car for $1.89 a gallon yesterday! UNBELIEVABLE!

Our week

We had a fun week with lots of little outings. We had beautiful weather so we made it to the zoo, the park a couple times, and even the Science Center. Scott went to his first ever NFL game and saw the browns play with some friends. He had a great time and was completely hoarse the next day!


This is the front of our house and I'm sad that I waited to take a picture until mostly all the yellow leaves had fallen off our front tree. It was beautiful though. No one really saw our front yard before this picture so you can't fully appreciate all the yard work we've been doing but it has been a project. The entire front of the house was overgrown wildflowers that were quite crazy! Scott is in the middle of putting up the little stone divider between the grass and flowerbed so that is what the stack of bricks is from. He's done a great job.

This picture doesn't even do justice to the HUGE amount of leaves in our back yard. This is only a tiny portion! The girls have loved playing in them!

Friday night date with dad!! The girls and I were excited all day to go on our date with dad. He's a pretty lucky guy to take out three lovely ladies! They wanted to get all dressed up in their dresses and everything. We went to the Olive Garden, to the icecream shop, and to the movie store! Although the girls insist they always want vanilla, they ended up devouring my chocolate cone!



We also enjoyed another trip to the Columbus Temple yesterday! The Smith's were nice enough to switch babysitting with us so we could go together. Scott says with our new President we may need to go quite a bit more often! :)

Happy Halloween!

We had a family of doctors for Halloween last night. The girls had the greatest time trick or treating. It was very exciting!


Here they are checking out their stash of candy! They wanted to eat everything right away.

Last weekend we had a trunk or treat at our ward party and the girls really wanted to wear their flower fairy dress up clothes so we had to throw in a picture of these costumes too. Halloween is always fun but I'm so sick of the candy so thank goodness it is over and we can move on to Thanksgiving!

Its a...

BOY!

We are thrilled. Everything looks great and we are set for March 24th! The girls came with us to the ultrasound and are very excited to have a baby brother!

PRIVATE BLOG

My mom has convinced me it is time to secure up our blog. It is always so personal and I've been meaning to do it now for a while. So I think I'll wait a week or two. Will you let me know if you want an invite?

Wonderful Visitors!!

We had the best week. On wednesday my mom flew out to come play with us. The girls were so excited when we picked her up from the airport. The weather was chilly all weekend so we didn't get to do any of the fun autumn outdoor things that I wanted to but we had a wonderful time. We took Grandma to our library storytime and play center. We had excursions to Michael's and Costco and Grandma spoiled the girls and myself a ton! The girls are already having withdrawals! She helped us stock up our food storage and got the girls some great fall crafts and stories. They had so much fun having grandma around and keep talking about going to her house for Christmas!


My sister in law Chantele drove over from South Bend for the weekend and it was a blast! Mike is in China with the MBA program for 2 weeks, so she came to stay for a couple days. She brought her dog Promise and he was so exciting for the girls! They couldn't get enough of him. They followed him around the whole time and kept giving him hugs and kisses. It turned into a fun girls weekend because Scott was on call at the hospital all day and night saturday so I was really glad to have visitors. We hit up the mall and did a little shopping. We tried to play at the park but got too cold! We watched girl movies and after my mom flew out on saturday Chantele and I took Maddie and Bella to Cheesecake Factory. We all had such a great time together and I'm so grateful for family. I miss them already and so do the girls. They can't figure out why we can't just go see them! I wish it were that easy. Anyway, thanks mom and Chantele for coming to see us. It was a highlight for all of us! We love you both!

BIG GIRL BEDS!

We finally gave the girls' "big girl beds" and took off the front of their cribs. Once they graduate to twin size beds it really will seem like big girl beds, but for now this is a good step! Can you believe that I actually cried when we were taking off their cribs? I am pregnant so maybe that has something to do with it! :) I just can't belive that my girls aren't babies anymore. They are getting so big. Here they are showing off their room!


Maddie is doing some sort of somersault in the picture above. Maddie and Bella's room has always been one of my favorite places in our house- even in Kirksville. It is because it is filled with things that remind me of the people we love and the people who love them. It is a special little spot and I get nostalgic whenever I have a minute to stop and look around their room. Their cribs were given to us by both their grandparents at our family baby shower. One is from Scott's parents and one is from mine. We've loved them. In the picture above you can see the long picture hanging by Maddie's bed. This picture hung in my room all growing up and I think it is perfect for a little girls' room. Above the bed there is a little shelf and there is one above Bella's bed as well. Scott made these shelves for the girls' room while I was pregnant. It will always remind me of when he worked so hard at Sunroc delivering doors while we lived in Provo. He used the scraps and tools from his work and then painted these little shelves! So handy! On this shelf is a beautiful doll that my mom sewed and painted the porcelean face on for me. I'm not sure if she did it when I was a baby or how old I was, but I've always cherished this doll. Against the wall is a pink and green magnet board made by Aunt Lacey. The girls have hours and hours of fun playing magnets on it. It always reminds me of her and all her work to make it for us.


Above the bed on Bella's shelf are two pink little sheep that were given as a shower gift from my high school friend Abby Taylor. Everyone needs sheep to help them fall asleep right? They remind me of my wonderful high school and college friends who I'll always feel close to no matter how far away we spread out. On the top shelf with the baskets in the creme basket are two little dolls given to the girls for their first Christmas by Grandma Rynearson. I got a doll every year for Christmas growing up and want to do the same for Maddie and Bella. These soft dolls remind me of that first year and of Grandma Rynearson. Above the shelves on the wall is a picture of Christ holding twin girls. I first saw this picture at my friend Jessica's house. She lost twin girls, Brooke and Avery a couple of years ago. I love and admire Jessica as a friend and I look up to her for her strength. I fell in love with this picture and think it is a special thing to have for twins!


Above is the wall opposite of the girls' beds. The SISTERS letters were made by my darling and talented friend Katie in Kirksville. They will always remind me of the incredible friends I made in Kirksville and the great experience of living there. The pictures on the dresser were taken by Tobey- my wonderful friend and the girls' second mom in Kirksville. She's a talented photographer and I miss our long walks and great girl chat! The pillow was embroidered and sewn by my sister in law Sydney. It is the perfect saying, "Best Friends are we, my sister and me." I love it and know that a lot of work went into it! Sydney is one of the most perfect mothers and homemakers I know. I have wonderful family! I can't wait to see you all. The box under the pillow was a gift from my Aunt Joan. The girls talk a lot about Aunt Joan (and Grandma Sue) these days because they now understand that their middle names are after them. I love these women and am glad to have something from Aunt Joan in their room. This white dresser was a $25 antique store find by Scott and me. When I was pregnant we saved all our extra money for the "baby fund" in a little yellow sack and would go out and buy things for the twins. We loved this dresser and it is the perfect size for a changing table pad on top. This pink chair is one of the girls' favorite things! It came from Grandma Sue and Grandpa Larry's living room before they remodeled. It is our perfect story time chair. Speaking of stories the basket of books will always be a must in our world! Maddie and Bella LOVE to read. They always have. I remember a time when we would literally read stories for hours and hours everyday because that is all they wanted to do! I almost hid our books once because I was so sick of it- but I know it is a great thing. I'm sure reading a lot is one of the reasons the girls are so smart. They never want to stop reading at night. On the pink chair is a quilt that was made by Wanda Beach- the mother of my folk dance friend Alex. It was a wedding gift for Scott and me and we've loved it. I have such an appreciation for all the work that went into it. I love Wanda and especially her daughter Alex! She will be a lifelong friend as will all of MAHAK! I'm blessed with wondeful friends spread all over the place!!

Well, this post turned out pretty long but was really for my girls to someday learn about all the sentimental things in their room. I'm grateful for all of the wonderful family and friends who have influenced my life and Maddie and Bella's as well.

Artists!

Scott is on call all night at the hospital so the girls and I decided to do some fun things today. We went to Michael's and got fingerpaints and SKITTLES of course. The girls LOVE going to Michaels for some reason. We played at this amazing park called the Preston's Hope at the Jewish Community Center. Then we got Panera for dinner. We came home and tried out thie finger paints for the first time and it was of course a hit! Good thing we decided to paint naked! I had a feeling this would happen...

Today

I just got back from the RS broadcast tonight and felt totally uplifted. It is so nice to be able to sit in a conference meeting and be able to completely listen and focus. I thought it was fabulous and especially LOVED President Uchdorf's talk. He talked about how women have a tendency to feel inadequate. He said when his wife cooks a delicious and beautiful meal she always ends up apologizing for something and saying, "Next time I'll add less ginger." I find myself doing the same thing. I loved what he said about creating as well. I hadn't really thought about it in that way, but we have the opportunity to create things all day long every day. I'm excited to read it again.

I also liked Sister Allred's talk about the temple. It was fitting for me when she told the story about all the people who sacrificed so much to take the five day bus ride from Costa Rica to the Mesa temple because we went to the Columbus temple today. It was a 2 1/2 hour drive for us and we had to leave by six o clock to make the 9 o clock session. I found myself grumbling about it and thinking that it was such a process to get there, keep the girls entertained, try to keep from falling asleep in the session, and then run out right after so Scott could make the next session. Ultimately it is just such a blessing that we are able to drive there and have a wonderful experience. I'm determined that next time we go I'll have a better attitude (and go to a later session) because I'm grateful to have a temple. I love going. Speaking of temples... My Dad was recently called as the first counselor in the Salt lake Temple Presidency and my Mom the assistant matron. THey'll start November 1st. They will do a wonderful job and I'm excited for them to have this great experience. I'm also excited that this calling doesn't require a move anywhere! :) I know they'll be busy, but I'm sure it will be a blessing for our whole family.

On the way home from the temple we stopped at some great outlet malls and found some cute fall clothes for the girls. They each picked out a dress of course, and weren't too thrilled about the jeans I got them. We'll see if I can get them to wear them! These outlets had a fun train station at them so we all went on a 15 minute train ride. The girls thought it was SO exciting and they even got a free train whistle for being so cute! We ended up having a lot of fun and staying a while. I'm sure we'll frequent these outlets on the way home from our temple trips often!