Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!

Good morning, everyone!

This morning is absolutely gorgeous. We had some thunderstorms this past weekend and the air now looks so clean. We have the windows open and the fresh, spring air feels wonderful.

I have to share another good thing with you. I am officially OFF of caffeine and I really feel great! I'm not gonna lie to ya - it felt like someone was jabbing a thousand knives through my head over and over the first few days. I'm soooooo glad I got over that hump. Believe it or not, I actually have more energy now without the caffeine.

And one last piece of good news...Emma is now swimming WITHOUT floaties! Congratulations to our big girl! We're very proud of our little water bug!

Here's another layout of our sweet Lilly bean.

A Few of My Favorite Things...

A Fresh New Issue of Real Simple






Emma's "Starfish"





Lilly's Little Piggies





Buckets, Buckets, Buckets

Should I be Jealous?

This is what John saw when he came home from work. We don't know why, but the girls LOVE to play with their toys on OUR bed. Yesterday, we had a bunch of scantily-dressed Barbies sitting on John's side of the bed. Should I be jealous? ;)

Sneak Peek

Last night, I did some party planning for Emma's birthday. Here's a little peek at the paper for her banner. You can also see a blank invitation on top.

I'm having so much fun! Seeing pretty paper makes me absolutely giddy.

The Notebook Has a Purpose

Remember this Anna Griffin notebook?



Well, I have now put it to good use. I printed out all my blog entries on ivory parchment paper and put them into this gorgeous binder. Hopefully, when my girls are all grown up, they will read through it and get a clear idea of their mommy's personality during their toddler/preschool years. Maybe, my grandchildren and great-grandchildren will someday read it - wow, what a surreal feeling!

Busy Bees

Hello! We have had a busy week! John's birthday was successful and everyone had a great time. Emma and Lilly's present for their daddy was an ice cream cake. It took a lot of strength for Emma to keep it a surprise. She wanted to tell him so badly.



Part of my gift for my husband is a date night tomorrow WITHOUT our darling daughters. We haven't decided what we are going to do. All we know is that there will be NO high chairs and kid's menus.

We have really needed this date night...and I am forever grateful to my mom and dad for keeping the girls. I love my little cherubs with all my heart, but it will be a nice break.

Before I go, I want to show you these coupons that John made for me about a year ago.




Aren't they hilarious?!!? Basically, I was able to hand over one of those cards if I ever felt frazzled and needed a break. I could either have him take the kids and leave OR I could leave by myself...no questions asked.

Crayon Roll

We have very busy days ahead of us. My husband's birthday will be this week and we have lots of special things planned for him. Needless to say my "to do" list is extra long. Before I get back to work, I want to share this with you.




It's a crayon roll and so very fun for little ones. The one in these pictures belongs to my oldest daughter and she just loves it! A crayon roll would be fantastic for an older sibling who has a new baby brother or sister in the house. Just present it along with a little notebook or coloring book and you have the perfect gift! You can find the tutorial at Skip To My Lou. Make sure you snoop around on her blog for a bit. You will find AMAZING ideas.

Another Layout

Last night, my youngest little darling went from crib to toddler bed for the first time. We had no choice since she just started climbing in and out of her crib all by herself. I really don't know how I feel about it...maybe a little sad.

Here she is, sound asleep with baby by her side. Doesn't she look like an angel?

Wow, it's late!

I'm usually not up this late. I like to go to bed pretty quick after our girls are down. Tonight, I was going through some photos of my oldest daughter and suddenly felt the urge to create a layout.



Sweet dreams, everyone.

Auntie Em's Blackberry Sugar Pie

Hmmmm...I wonder if I could make this...

Look at this PERFECT pie! I always thought pies that looked this good were actually made of ceramic and not really edible. It's from a fabulous blog called Warm Pie, Happy Home. Don't you just love that name?

Someday, I might actually attempt to make that pie, but not without my mom. I've heard people say she cooks like a gourmet chef and I completely agree. She has taught me everything I know about cooking and baking and I am eager to learn more from her. If anyone can make a pie look as perfect as the one in that picture, it's my mom.

A couple of people asked how the meatloaf came out. Eh...it's not a recipe I'll use again - it was a little too dry.

Now, the enchiladas were awesome and so easy to make. The whole family loved them.

Smile for the Camera

Isn't that a cute, wittle face? I'm positive that he would love to reach through the computer monitor and give you a big kiss.

Chee!!!

There are days when my toddler decides not to take a nap and it can be really frustrating for everyone in the family. Today, Lilly was happily playing in her bed instead of napping and when I went in to check on her she gave me the sweetest smile. I quickly grabbed my camera and as soon as she saw me with it, she yelled out, "Chee!!!"
There is no way I can feel frustration with that sweet expression.

On My Wish List

There is a cool border punch made by Fiskars and I would LOVE to get it! Only problem is that everyone else wants it. I cannot find it anywhere but eBay and the ones there are going up to around $40! It's like the Tickle Me Elmo in the scrapbooking world and I refuse to play a part in it. So...I will just try to wait patiently and let all the excitement die down...but it's really hard. Did I mention that I really LOVE this punch?

Water Bottles

Aren't these adorable? I saw them at CVS this morning and snatched them up. Each bottle has a stick inside that you can freeze and it will keep the drink cold all day long.
Emma and Lilly just love them and I think they have already consumed about a gallon of water between the both of them. I consider that a victory because I sometimes have a hard time getting them to drink anything other than just juice and milk.

Fluffy Tutus

Last year, I found an excellent tutorial on how to make an adorable tutu. I could not believe that is was so easy. They are the perfect gifts for the little girls in your life.




So, wanna know how to make these precious pretties? Go to Plumtickled and I promise that you won't be disappointed.

Lazy Saturday

Hello, friends.

We have had a nice, care-free weekend so far. We started the day by picking up a Cinnamon Dolce Latte for myself and then did a little shopping. I needed a new pair of running shoes so we stopped by the shoe store. Let me just say my girls are OBSESSED with shoes. As I was trying on different pairs, the girls were excitedly pulling out every colorful, sparkly, flowery shoe they could find. They just HAD to try on all of them and say, "Awww, how pretty!"

I felt like I was in an after school TV special when Emma tried to convince me to buy them by saying in her sweetest voice, "Come on, you can get them. It will be fun." Is she trying to get me to buy drugs or shoes? I don't really know.

Now, they really did not get this obsession from me. I think I'm going to have to out their Grammy and say that they got it from her. ;)

Here's a sweet photo of our Lilly Bean. Have a fabulous weekend!

An Excited 4 Year Old

Well, Emma starts swim lessons today and she is VERY excited. I bought her a new swimsuit a few weeks ago and she obviously loves it. Here she is getting ready to go for her first lesson.



Did I mention that this picture was taken at 10:00am and her lesson isn't until 6:00pm? She is currently napping in the swimsuit right now as I write this.

I'm laughing at her pose in this picture. Emma feels the need to make a very dramatic pose every time I pull out the camera. John and I find ourselves snickering at her during her soccer games because she is very focused on perfecting her "getting down to business" pose while the ball sails right by her. The pose I'm referring to consists of her bending over and putting her hands on her knees like she is really concentrating on the game.

Happy Tuesday!