facial expressions

The kids were being mushy and adorable with each other (pictures to come) so I pulled out the camera.  It's sad how rarely I take pictures of our everyday.  Anyway, somehow we got started on a little game of "facial expressions".

Top row (from left to right): happy, angry, excited
Bottom row (from left to right): confused, lovey, sad

 

Seriously though, my kids are the cutest on the planet.  I should probably have 100 more.

she tried to take off her pants, too, but i had to draw the line somewhere

Yesterday I took the kids to the park.  It was a last minute thing, so I just scooted them right on out the door without much thought.  When we got there, they had no interest in the playground... they just wanted to get down to the lake.  Hoorah.

LAKE > PLAYGROUND anyday.

I was just starting to regret leaving their swimsuits at home when this happened:

So worth it.

give Jesus the clues

Tonight at bedtime the girls were quietly saying their personal prayers.  Bev finished her "prayer" just about as soon as she started it, ending with a resounding AMEN.  Meh, whatever.  She'll figure it out someday.  But Lenna.  Lenna figured this was a pretty big deal,

"We need to say our prayers longer, Bev.  We have a lot of problems, and we need to give Jesus the clues so he can help us."

Awesome.

Aaaaaaaand this picture is a few months old, but somehow I never posted it, so... 

how big their brave is

I can't stop watching this video.  My babies are just too freakin' cute.

bffs

When we found out we were expecting our second girl, I immediately started hoping and dreaming that they would be best friends.  The kind of sisters who take care of each other and paint each others' nails, you know?!

We made conscious efforts when Bev was born to keep Len included, and make sure she knew it was HER baby sis.  I decided really early on, that I would basically force the "best friend" thing on them, and see how it went!  So when Bev would fuss, I'd call Len over and tell her "your best friend is sad, how do you think we can help make her happy?"  I verbalized that they were best friends all the time, and still do.

If you ask my girls who their best friend is, they will squeal and say their sister's name.  And it's sweet, because they know that Rauland and I are best friends, as well.  They've always had a really sweet relationship with each other, but the older they get, the stronger their bond gets.  They really DO take care of each other.

This morning, when I went in their room to wake them up, I found this.  They were just snuggling, and quietly giggling and playing with each others' hair.  Just, being sisters.  Best friends.

four years old

Lenna turned four last week. I'm the mom of a four-year-old.  I can't wrap my head around it.  But she really is so big (the little kind of big), and capable.

I made her this moses basket for her dolls, and she has been dragging it everywhere!  She says her favorite part is the little green braid.

A few weeks before her birthday, Lenna requested that Rauland make her birthday cake, because, and I quote, "he's better at cooking".  #momfail.  She wanted a carrot applesauce cake, and he did a killer job!

Also, she asked for salad and brussel sprouts for her birthday dinner.  Little healthy weirdo.

FAVORITES

color: pink
food: salad
drink: "cheap orange juice"
show: nerdy nummies
game: pretend camping

EXPRESSIONS

"Big-girl cheese sandwich"
"Hippominappotomus"
"You're breaking my heart"
"__________ in the whole wide world"

SKILLS

Starting to read and write
simple math (addition and subtraction of 1 digit numbers)

QUIRKS

shrugs her shoulders and looks at the ceiling when she's explaining something.
puts both legs in one pant leg and hops around calling herself a mermaid.

lenna quote

"Mommy, you know what?  You make me happy."

Lenna hollered this from a room away, at random.  And I just want to look back and remember this moment someday when she's a teenager and won't speak to me ;)

I've always dreamed this day would come...

Today I introduced the girls to the world of sewing.  And it was fantastic!  We all loved it.  I think weekly sewing lessons are in order.  It was such a great indoor activity, and we didn't even have the needle in!  Read more about it here.

thing 1:

Lenna LOVES lining up rocks.  This pleases my outdoorsy, linear-loving husband, very much.

phrases i hear daily + summer snapshots

"Mom, you're breakin' my life."  -Len

"Oh, cap."  -Bev

"You DID it!"  -Bev

"That sounds a good deal/ that doesn't sounds a good deal."  -Len

"'Nuggle, mama"  -Bev

"How 'bout I get three (fill in the blank), because I'm three years old."  -Len

lenna quote

"Mom, I found some elf poop."

lenna

our little family

three

 

I keep thinking that I never want her grow up, I want her to stay exactly the way she is.  I thought it when I first held her, a mere 4 lbs.  I thought it when she first started to smile and play.  I thought it when she became a big sister.  I even thought it all the way through those terrible twos.  

When it really comes down to it, I love the memories of how she used to be, but they pale in comparison to the way I love watching her learn and grow.  So I'm going to stop wishing she'd stay little (that's what pictures are for), and embrace the fact that my baby is growing up.

HAPPY THIRD BIRTHDAY LEN!

this little world of ours

is filled with things like rocks and sticks and dandelions and maybe best of all, ladybugs.

len's finger

About three months ago Lenna's finger got shut in our front door in a hectic moment, and she lost most of the top joint.  All in all, she handled it like a champ, and I didn't.

I shed agonized tears in seeing my little sweetheart's pain.  I shed guilt-based tears.  I shed feared tears as I envisioned kids teasing her for her disfigured finger.  And, I'm ashamed to say it, but I even shed vain tears over the fact that it was her left ring finger.

A few weeks ago her finger finished healing, and we discovered that she had a new nail bed.  The human body is capable of so much!  And what seemed like something huge before, seems so minor now.  Yes her finger looks different than it used to, and yes it's more sensitive than it used to be, but it's fully functional, and that, is perfect.

fashion forward