To my TWO year old . . .

Oh Emmalee, you are such a ray of sunshine. So happy and bubbly and energetic. Everyone comments on what a happy kid you are. You are my mini me, an exact copy down to the shape of your teeth. You are Mommy's little buddy (especially with Annagrace being gone to school) but you are starting to move into the "Daddy's girl" stage. There are times, when you are upset and Daddy is the ONLY one who can console you and make you happy. AND I love that!! I love that you have an amazing Daddy and that you love him so much.
You are such a cuddle bug still, I'm so thrilled that you haven't outgrown this. You are just as happy to cuddle in bed with a movie, on my sick days, as you are to play outside. You are always quick to say "I love you Mommy" and always respond to an "I love you" with an "I love you too."
You are talking up a storm and learn a ton from your sister. You always want to be treated as an equal to her and not a two year old. This makes you a little bit of a dare devil! But, you are one tough little booger. Falls, bumps and bruises don't faze you. If you fall down, you immediately get right back up and assure me, "I okay Mommy!"
You follow directions very well and love to help with any jobs, big or small. You sweep, dust, rotate laundry, and even sing as you pick up toys. I'm so excited to see you as a big sister, how loving and helpful you are going to be with Katelynn.
You let me know when you need a diaper which means we need to work on potty training!! But, I've been a little too lazy about it so far. We really need to work on that before Katelynn gets here!!
You are so curious and stubborn. You don't care about the consequences, you have to know what all is in that desk drawer. But, punishment, even a mild scolding hurts your feelings so bad that I hate to fuss at you. You can't stand when Annagrace is in timeout, you feel like you have to go keep her company and entertain her, even when she's in timeout for hurting you. You get your share of hits and kicks in too! Annagrace has to be on her toes with you but she only has herself to blame :) you learned it all from her!
I worry constantly about you being a second child (and a future middle child). I never want you to feel like you get less attention, less hugs or kisses, less of my time and energy. I have been sick during most of your two years, between Migraines and another pregnancy, I worry I haven't  been the same Mommy for you that I was for Annagrace. I try to make sure that Grandmother or Daddy entertains you during my sick days, to make up for my shortcomings. I just don't want you to ever feel deprived. You love your Grandmother and Granddaddy and I think you would choose them over me ANY day. I don't blame you, they are very fun Grandparents who entertain you constantly. They keep you outside in the garden and the swing, which you absolutely LOVE!
You love Mickey and Minnie, Caillou, and most recently Doc McStuffins. The way you say Doc McStuffins is so adorable that it makes me smile every time you say it. Movies don't usually keep your attention for the full time, especially when your sister chooses a Barbie movie. Our trip to Disney World was amazing. Your excitement when meeting Mickey and Minnie was one of the greatest moments of my life. You just hugged them over and over and over again, not scared one bit! I'll never forget how happy they made you.
You still love your Passy and Blankie and they are a requirement at nap and bed time and when you just feel like curling up. You are in love with the same blankies as Annagrace so they are getting worn out but neither one of you care at all.
You LOVE to sing!!! And you know the words to I am a Child of God, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Porpcorn Tree, and you're almost there with the alphabet song.
You are such an amazing little girl and I love you so much. I love watching you learn and grow more and more everyday.

To my 5 year old . . .

I know everyone says this every birthday, but . . . I honestly can't believe that you are FIVE YEARS OLD!! We waited so long for you and now it seems like my time with you is flying by. 
You are SO amazing! 
SMART - your vocabulary amazes me everyday. Your latest word is "suppose," you always use it correctly and it makes me laugh every time. Anything you see or hear is permanently in your brain. (You got this from your Daddy. You are so much like him that it scares me sometimes!) You can count to 100 and beyond and are happy to do it at ANY time. You have known the alphabet for a long time but now you know their sounds and how to write them, upper and lower case. You have learned so much in Pre-K with your amazing teachers: Mrs. Cooper and Mrs. East. You have gone from writing ANNA to Annagrace and even learning to write sentences!! You have truly loved going to school everyday. 
FUNNY - you try to make up your own little jokes. They usually don't make sense, but you think they are hilarious! If you see someone else do anything that makes me laugh, you have to copy it immediately to get a laugh as well. You say the funniest things that crack me up on a daily basis. Sometimes you don't mean them to be funny and you get embarrassed when I laugh (this is part of your sensitivity, I'll get to that in a minute). You love to entertain your little sister and she is a captive audience. 
SENSITIVE - I was so scared at the start of the school year that someone would hurt your feelings. But, you have handled school like a champ. You have been told "I don't want to be your friend" and have been able to handle it. You have dealt with kids not playing with you or not sharing with you. It's a hard reality, but you have learned how to handle it. You are so sensitive at home and I have to be careful and cautious of this. If any compliment is given to Emmalee and not to you, it hurts your feelings. You notice EVERYTHING and make sure that everything is always equal. You were an only child for 3 years and got all of the attention so these last two years, having a younger sister, has been an adjustment for you. But, this sensitivity is also what melts my heart because it means that you still love to cuddle with me. It's what makes you so sweet to Emmalee and your friends. It's what still makes you my "little girl."
FRIENDLY - you are so good at including everyone. Anyone you meet is an instant friend. You have formed friendships with girls in your class: Miller, Emily, and Zoey. They are your little group, yet everyday when I ask who you played with outside, it's always someone different. You are able to get along with anyone and play with them. You are an amazing big sister and such a good helper. 
ARTISIC - you are an amazing artist and love to draw and paint! You love drawing people, rainbows, and butterflies.
Your loves:
Purple
Barbie movies
Barbie dolls and your doll house
Stuffed animals
Reading
Chocolate
Gardening with Grandmother
Dressing up and playing any type of imaginative play 
Saying your prayers and blessing the food
School
You are such an amazing little girl. I pray daily for help to be the Mommy that you need and deserve. I pray for the patience to handle you correctly and teach you everything that you need to know. I love you more than I can ever express in words and actions. 
You are my wish come true. 
Happy Birthday BABY!!

Annagrace turns 5!!

When we went to Disney World, it was supposed to be in celebration of all of our April birthdays. But, we went so early that by the time Annagrace's birthday came along . . . I felt bad not doing anything!!! So, after school, we went to Chuck E Cheese for games, dinner, and cake.

 We were so excited that Angie and Will were able to join us so last minute! They have been at every one of Annagrace's birthday parties, I don't think we know how to party with out them =)

 Princess Cupcakes

 Icing faces are always funny!

She was excited for all of her birthday presents. She has amazing, on the ball, Aunts and cousins who had everything shipped to us in time so she had LOTS to open!

(Sadly, I'm not this good, I owe all three of my nieces and nephew birthday presents still!!)

Also, sorry about the photo quality! We have a new lap top (OUR Anniversary present) and Tyler hasn't loaded any photo editing programs onto it yet!! It's kinda killing me!

Spring Break

We headed down to the beach Wednesday morning with Grandmother. Then Tyler and Granddaddy came down late Thursday night.

Playing on the beach:

kicked back and taking it easy with a snack

the pool was freezing but the girls got in anyway

birthday photos on the beach

updated foot pic

Pier Park hosted an Easter Egg hunt on Saturday. They had it split up into age groups. Luckily the group was 2-4 so they got to hunt together.

There were TONS of eggs

We had a wonderful trip with the exception of my allergic reaction. When I was pregnant with Emmalee I was allergic to seafood. I had hoped it was a one time thing and so I tried seafood on this trip. Come on, you can't go to the beach and not eat seafood. But, within 15 mins my throat was getting tight and my chest was hurting.   My reaction hadn't been that bad last time but I've heard that each time it gets worse. We rushed to CVS for some Benadryl and I spent the rest of the night laying in bed dizzy and groggy but breathing!

Easter

Easter Morning: All of the baskets

I made these cute carrot sandwiches for the family lunch at Aunt Brendas. I found them on Pintrest and fell in love. They took WAY longer than I had planned on but they were cute. Too bad they didn't get eaten.

My beautiful Easter girls.

My preggo belly at 20 weeks.

We took A LOT of eggs, Tyler took BIG glasses.

The hunt!

The very last egg found, sitting right on a can.

My 5" heels. I had hoped that wearing these would make my long dress the right length without hemming. But, it was STILL too long. I had to play with it and pin it up. I guess I'll actually have to hem it up now.

My Man

Words can not express how much I love Tyler. This week we will be celebrating our 11th Anniversary. I really don't know where the time went. In some ways I still feel like newlyweds and others, I can't imagine or remember my life before him. 

When I married Tyler, I knew he was fun, loving, and generous. But, 11 years later he still amazes me with his energy, his generosity, and his eternal love for me and our girls. Pregnancies are not easy or fun for me. They are full of sickness, depression, laziness, lifelessness, extreme mood swings, back aches, leg cramps, etc. And every time I get pregnant I forget how bad it was last time. But, Tyler, he remembers and doesn't care. He is there for every miserable moment cheering me on, reassuring, and now more than EVER filling in for my short comings. He does more in one day than I can get done in a week. He is Super-Dad, Super-husband, Super-Man. My Superman!! Our house, our girls, our life would be in shambles without him right now. He gets up every morning and gets Annagrace ready for school, goes to work, comes home to cook dinner, play with the girls, put them to bed, and then clean the house until he crashes for the night. I know he must feel overwhelmed, tired, and aggravated. But, he never complains.

This week is also my half way mark. I'm hoping this means I'm half way back to myself as well. I feel incredibly guilty for the responsibility that Tyler has had to take on. I'm tired of being the invalid. I want to feel normal again - happy, energetic, crafty, CLEAN, motherly in any way shape or form. 

I honestly don't know what I would do without this man. I'm so grateful for Heavenly Father's plan and hand in our meeting, dating, and marrying. I'm grateful for every moment of every day that I have had with Tyler and look forward to our future. Three girls aren't going to be easy for a Manly Man, but I couldn't think of a better Manly Man to take on the task. He is an even better Husband and Father than I could have ever prayed for. He is our Superman.