Our Trip to the Zoo

Yesterday we spent Easter at the zoo! We went to church on Saturday night, so after the kids found their Easter baskets, we headed to the zoo. The weather could not have been more beautiful, but I am not sure the girls completely enjoyed the trip. Just a few minutes after we arrived at the zoo, Ellie said she wished that there were more rides and less walking! Olivia loved seeing the animals, but after about an hour, she told us that she was tired and ready to leave. :) I was a little sad because I LOVE the zoo! It is such a happy place and I love to watch the animals. Oh, well, at least we spent some quality time together!

A Break to Remember

I have been on spring break this week and it has been the best week! I have enjoyed the girls more than ever and am SO excited about the summer. This is the first time I have truly felt like I have two little girls rather than having a baby. We have had a ball. We slept in, snuggled in the mornings, attempted Monkey Joes (Olivia isn't quite old enough for this to be super yet), played outside, did spring pictures, ran errands, went to have lunch with Daddy, and hung out at home. Tomorrow the girls are going to daycare for their egg hunt and Easter party, Saturday is Olivia's birthday party and the Easter service at church, and Sunday we are taking the girls to the zoo.
I just want to remember this break... it has definitely been my favorite one since I have had both girls. Nothing special, just easy... that makes it memorable. :)

Months of Catch Up...

Well, it has been a LONG while since I have posted. I need to do a better job of updating the blog. So much has happened in the past three months. I will try to hit the highlights and post a few pictures.

*Ellie turned 5 on January 24th. We had her princess party at Oogles & Googles. Although she was a little under the weather, she still enjoyed the time with her friends.
*We registered Ellie for kindergarten at JELV a few weeks ago. She looked so grown up as we walked into the room for her screening. I was so proud of her. Many people have asked me if I am sad about her going to kindergarten. I don't think sad is the right word. Ellie has been ready to go to school for a few years now. I can't wait to spend time with her while driving to and from school and am looking forward to having her so close.

*This week we will have our first appointment with Ellie's new counselor. We are going to try to learn some new strategies to help with her anxiety and sleep problems. As many of you know, Ellie has struggled with sleeping well since she was very small. She also worries about things in a way in which no 5 year old should. I am very hopeful that this will help her.

*Olivia will turn 2 in two weeks. I can hardly believe that my baby is already turning 2!!! We will have a little Elmo party for her next weekend. We have plans for a big egg hunt and lots of good food.
*Today we moved Olivia out of her crib and into her new big girl bed. She looks so precious in her new bed and is SO excited to be out of the crib.

*We put our house on the market in late November and had a contract on it the next month. However, the contract is contingent on the sale of their house and so far, no luck. We have had LOTS of showings and sure are ready to be done with this.
*After a great deal of thinking and praying, Danny and I have decided not to build on the lot we have in Jessamine County. Building was going to be very expensive, time intensive, and stressful and we were just not at peace about starting this project right now. I have felt uneasy about building for several months. Last Sunday we finally reached the decision that we could be just as happy in a much more affordable home and that not having to rent and go through the building process would reduce our stress levels a great deal. So, we are still planning to move, but just not to build.

*This week is SPRING BREAK!!! I am thrilled to have some time to unwind and hang out with my girls. I am not planning to go in to work at all which will be VERY NICE!

Snow Day!!!

Today was our first snow day of the year and we had a fun day at home in our pjs. Believe it or not, I think I was ready for a day at home after three crazy days of work! I enjoyed spending time with the girls and a quick adventure outside to take in a little bit of the beautiful snow! Thanks Becky, Austin and Matthew for getting us out for a little while!

Christmas 2009

This year Christmas was particularly fun with the girls. Olivia is just old enough to really understand the the presents are for her and be excited! We had a great time at home on Christmas morning - just the four of us and then we headed to Inez and Ashland to celebrate with the family. Danny and I were also both off work for the majority of the two weeks surrounding the holidays. It was a nice bonding time for the four of us!!!

Images Headshots

Ellie graduated from her modeling and acting class at Images last month. She did a great job and we were really proud of her. She learned so much in her weekly classes. At one of her last classes a photographer came in from LA and took the girls head shots. Here are a few of El's.

Tots Landing Christmas Program

Every year Tots Landing puts on an evening Christmas performance for the families of the children. It is always so much fun to see a little glimpse of what the kids learn during the day. I feel genuinely blessed to have found a daycare like Tots Landing. The greatest challenge of working the hours I do is balancing work and home. It sure does help to know that my kids are in good hands. Although no daycare is perfect, I have never once questioned whether or not the staff at Tots Landing loves my children. I know that they think of them as their own and truly love them. This year at the performace Ellie had a little trouble. She had a little anxiety about all of the people who would be in the audience. She pulled through and we were very proud of her. Olivia sure did well. She shook her little bells and stayed where she was supposed to be! It is so sad to know this is Ellie's last year at Tots. She has been there since she was 2 and I know she is really going to miss it there next year!

Great Wolf Lodge

A few weeks ago Becky and Jason and Danny and I took the kids to Great Wolf Lodge. We had a great time despite me having a bit of stomach trouble. The kids loved playing in the water and Ellie of course tried out most every slide. She loved being there with the boys. They talked about it for weeks before we went and have already started talking about when we can go again!