Cowgirl, Baby!

Gwyneth is in love. She has not parted with her "girl hat" (translation: "cow-girl hat." Again, something Camden must've told her) since it arrived in the mail 4 days ago. This girl definitely has an opinion about everything, and cares not one iota what anyone else happens to think.
Do you see how she's purposefully avoiding any and all eye contact?

Stinker.
Please excuse all those stray hairs. I must've brushed them out of her eyes 1000 times, but alas, even her hair has a mind of it's own.



I fully intend to re-shoot. This is just what I snuck in while she was playing at the kitchen faucet.






My goodness! This is so Aunt Heidi.

It's like stepping back in time...


For sure.

My little pot of gold...

You are the left to my right,
The sunshine to my rainbow.
You are the glitter to my gold,
And the Sunday of my week.

My Dad...

I love you!

Happy Father's Day!






























And my Grand-Dad
He treated us like his little princesses growing up.
Love you too, Papa!

Daddy

Our Daddy shows us God's love when he...


*plays hide-&-seek and tag with us...every day

*[almost] never raises his voice at us

*always gives us hugs when he comes home after work

*is never too tired to check on us when we need him in the middle of the night

*tickles us until we can't laugh any more

*makes sure we go to church every Sunday

*tells us he's proud of us

*disciplines us when we need it

*plays "wrestle mania" with us

*takes us outside with him while he's working on a project

*makes sure to tell Gwyn how pretty she is

*makes us the best popcorn...ever

*gives us piggy-back rides

*prays with us & tucks us in...every night

*loves our Mommy


Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

We love you, too!

Ornery little bugger...

Ornery. That’s what he is.

Stinkin ornery.

For the past 2.5 weeks Jude has decided to pay Mama & Daddy back for taking away his “Baba”.
He’s coping quite well with the separation as he’s decided to replace his beloved blanket with his father.

Daddy must now be the one he snuggles while watching a video.
Daddy has to be the one to check on him during the night when he throws himself into a screaming tirade.
Daddy is the one who must console him when he gets an ouchy.
Daddy is the one he screams for when he loses sight of him.
Daddy is the one he clings to when he’s feeling insecure.

Only, Daddy is at work for 10 hours…every day.
Daddy has music practice 2 evenings a week.
Daddy doesn’t sit with us at church.
And sometimes, Daddy needs a little breathing space.

So, who gets to enjoy the full gamut of Jude’s rage?

Mama.

Mama gets to greet him in the mornings when he looks at her with contempt and says, “Daddy!”
Mama gets to clutch his screaming, squirming little body when he's filled with fury because Daddy wasn’t there to comfort him when he fell.

Mama gets to hold him back, as he's kicking & screaming, and trying to run up on the stage with Daddy during church.
Mama gets to battle with him for 2 hours every day at nap as he defiantly throws every pillow, blanket & teddy bear off his bed. And gets up and plays with his brother. And makes sure to squeal and laugh and make a ruckus in order to keep his brother awake, too.

And grins when Mama opens the door.
And grins when Mama gets after him.
And grins when he wakes up his sister.
And grins. And grins.
And then starts again from the beginning.

Because, after all, who could stay angry at such an ornery thing when he's so stinkin cute, too?

He soooo knows.

Silly ol' me...

10 quirky or little known facts about myself:

1. I don't like ice-cream. I can pass it up any day, any time. Probably because I'm always too cold to eat it.

2. I love the rain, almost more than the sunshine.
(Just not on my wedding day!)
It comforts and relaxes me. I could never get enough of the sound it makes on a metal roof.

3. When trying to fall asleep I repeatedly crack the toes on my right foot. (Gross, I know)
The weirdest part? Tess does the exact same thing! We only just discovered it last year when she was staying with me while Lyle was away on business.

4. I hate competition, of any kind. It makes me feel strange for some reason.
(Except when I beat Lyle at Phase 10. That feels pretty good!)

5. I love, love, LOVE being pregnant! If I had the choice I would stay pregnant for the rest of my life! (only 1 baby at a time, please.) I feel completely empty without a little life moving around inside of me.

6. I can NOT sleep on my left side. My stomach gurgles and churns and I get seriously ill. I also can't sleep if there's any kind of light on. It has to be pitch black or I toss and turn all night. I think it's because I sleep with my eyes open.

7. I don't like the color purple.

8. I loathe being the center of attention and will do almost anything to avoid it!

9. My "love language" is quality time, followed by a close second, physical touch. (as in hugs, kisses, holding hands, etc.)

10. I love the words, adore, intrigue, blossom & passion.

Okay, I tag Heidi! (Mostly because I know she'll follow through and not make me look like an idiot!) Now you have to tell us 10 quirky or little known facts about yourself!

"Doo-aw Pa-pooh, Mama?"

This little girl loves to draw. It comes very naturally to her and it always has. From the time she was itty-bitty she could hold the pen in perfect form and she can already command whatever her little heart desires to appear on the page. (Keeping in mind, of course, that she still has a very limited "2 year old" heart.)

She begs me at some point every day, "Doo-aw, pa-pooh, Mama?"

While at Grami's the other day we were practicing her name together,

"G W Y N E T H spells Gwyneth," I told her.

She looked at her work proudly and then stated, "B, Beck!" and proceeded to draw little B's all over her paper...completely un-aided! I had no idea she even knew what a B is, or even what her last name is, for that matter. I guess Camden has been teaching her a thing or two when Mama isn't lookin.

Anyway, this is one proud Mama here. She just turned 2, people!