She doesn't ask for much!!

As most of you know, this past Easter all that Hallie wanted was Bunk Beds and a Brother. She had a babysitter over this past week and they wrote a letter to Santa. When the babysitter asked Hallie what she wanted to ask for she said "A DVD player, a TV, and a dolly!" Yikes!!

So Tired!

The past few weeks have been really exhausting. Chris has been working a TON of overtime and it feels like we rarely see him. Tonight I was supposed to go to a Ladies progressive dinner with the church and I was supposed to leave 10 minutes ago...needless to say, I'm not going. Chris called and is still at work :( He was going to leave early but for some reason, that didn't happen. It's been hard on him and the girls as well.

Will try to blog more soon, when something is actually happening!!

Not much to blog about...

but before the harassing gets any worse, I thought I'd better post!!!!

Most of you know that I've been quite sick lately. Not contageous sick, just "internal issue" sick. Not sure of the cause of it at this point but hopefully by next week we will have some answers. You can pray for me that I would have less pain and more energy!!

BIG NEWS! Hallie went DRY through the night last night. We had a little party and I gave her a Curious George chapstick. Raya pooped on the potty yesterday!!! I can see a small light at the end of the tunnel when I will regain $80/month in my pocket for something other than diapers and pull-ups. I know it is a ways off yet and Raya pooping on the potty was probably a one-time deal since she's only 18 months but hey, it was a glimpse of things to come.

Chris has been working ALOT of overtime lately. It's a crazy time of year for them. I don't mind so much since it's all for a good cause. If it was just so some greedy boss could have more money in his pocket, it would be a different story :) Knowing that Chris is contributing to the fact that unfortunate kids are going to get some AMAZING shoeboxes this year makes it all worth it! We have decided that Chris needs a vehicle again. It's been over a year since he started taking transit and he is "in-transit" for 3 hours each day. It's getting quite wearing so we are on the hunt for a small car that he can commute with. Nothing pretty...just practical.

Well, the girls have been really cute and busy lately. Here's an example of cute...

Troubles helper got into Trouble

Normally, we call Raya "Trouble" and Hallie "Troubles Helper" however, this time it was Hallie!!

We had company on Saturday and they have three girls. Hallie and their oldest play quite well together. Hallie doesn't really cross over the lines and try new things or delibirately do something she KNOWS is not allowed but I found out this weekend that apparently with some encouragement, she will do just about anything. The least of it was finding stickers on my basement windows.

The girls had been playing Polly Pockets (Hallie's new obsession) for quite a while in the afternoon and after supper we assumed they were doing the same thing....WRONG. They were playing Dr. Katelyn was the dr and Hallie was the patient. They were found in the bathroom where Katelyn was administering some medicine (ANTIBACTERIAL HANDSOAP) through a seringe into Hallie's mouth. Once found, Hallie came straight to me and said "Mom I don't feel good, my tummy really hurts". At first we didn't think too much of it but then read the bottle to be safe. That's where it tells you to call Poison Control Immediatly in ingested. Well, it turns out that if you are going to eat something that you aren't supposed too, soap is probably an okay choice. She had a really bad stomach ache and a few nasty bowel movements and that was it! She couldn't drink that night though because liquid added to soap would bubble and make her feel worse. Some friends (guys) of ours thought we should have given her lots of juice and thrown her up and down in the air so we could have our own bubble machine :)

She won't eat soap again!

Raya has kind of backed off a bit lately... I think she enjoyed seeing Hallie get into trouble this past weekend. As I'm writing that I glance over at her and she has a pen and a bunch of books....AAAAAHHHHHH. She did open my oven door the other day while I was baking cookies! Good thing I was right there.

Muffins Anyone?

Lately Hallie has been begging to bake. Nearly every morning last week we made either muffins or cookies. Today she really wanted to bake and I didn't feel like it. Yesterday I made two different types of squares which turned out to be disasters (that could be a blog on it's own). She just kept following me saying "what do you want to help me bake today mom?". I had a million reasons why I didn't want to but none of them were good enough for her today. I dreamed up a great plan to give Hallie flour, water, a spoon and a bowl and she could sit at the table and mix it all. Ya right! That lasted about 2 minutes and then she said

H- "these muffins need some more gredients mom"
M- "like what?"
H- "eggs"
M- "you are too little to eggs remember"
H- "remember mom, my grandma lets me do the eggs when I make pancakes with her"
M- "no eggs Hal, pick something else"
H- "okay OIL, and how my supposed to make these without a card?"

So I gave her some oil and a recipe card. Then she asked for salt and pepper. I gave her that too. It only lasted about 3 minutes at which point she said

H- "these muffins are going to agusting if we don't add something else!"
M- "what do you think they need?"
H- "raisins"

I gave her raisins and then she needed pretzels and wild rice too!

What a mess. It was disastrous. It would have been quicker, more fun, and I would have used less dishes if I had just put my own agenda aside and made muffins with her... and we would have had something edible to show for it! All I had was a dirty kid, a very messy table, tons of dirty dishes and this gross mixture of stuff that she doesn't want me to throw out....and I didn't get anything done anyway because I ended up being the bakers personal slave!

Hallie's First Day of Preschool

The girls have been getting up at 6am all summer and now this past weekend decided that sleeping in until 8:45 is much better! That would be fine except for the fact that Hallie has to be at preschool by 8:30. Wednesday morning was a little crazy and was a bit of a change from having all of us dressed, fed and waiting outside Walmart at 7:55 for it to open. I had to wake both the girls up at 7:45 to get them ready.

Hallie went in to her class with no problem at all. Raya fussed as she didn't want to leave without Hallie. I went and did some shopping and visiting while Chris watched Hallie from his office on the "online security web cam". We have a password and are able to watch her while she is there. It is quite neat.

Her class is 3 hours long and she did say "it took you a long time to come back and get me Mom". She hasn't been left for that length of time before but I'm sure she will get used to it really soon.

More "Firsts"

Raya wore her first barette today as seen in the photo. Raya looks so much like me in this photo. It's freaky. I have a few pictures of me at 16 months (raya is now 15 months) that look so incredibly similar to this. Both of the girls have gone through phases where they looked just like I did and then they change a bit. Raya's mouth isn't the same but the shape of her face and her eyes and nose are exactly the same. Hallie right now looks nothing like me....and Raya could be my clone! Looks wise I mean, not personality!!!! In all seriousness, I think that Hallie is smart like Chris and Raya will be a little more social like me.





Here is a picture of Hallie and her FIRST school BackPack. She picked it herself. I tried to get her to choose between two that I didn't mind but she spotted this one at the bottom of the bin and there was no changing her mind. She loves blue and green. She will rarely pick something pink when given a choice...although her favorite color is "rosada" which is spanish for pink.

Yesterday was fun

Hallie blowing bubbles for Raya







Raya looking at all the bubbles




Hallie and Raya in their Cool Shades





Raya admiring herself in the bathroom...once again she disappeared on me and this is where I found her!

She doesn't stay still!!!

Raya has this thing about sneaky downstairs when noone else is down here and getting into trouble. Yesterday we found her IN (how dangerous is that!) the bathtub. She was happily playing with the pumps on the shampoo and conditioner. Chris tried to take a picture of her smiling at us (she is quite proud of herself) but she doesn't stay in one spot for more than 2 seconds. We need a new ultra quick camara just for Raya!

It's been a month

since I blogged last and apparently it's causing some issues!!

Lots has been happening around here but I rarely think to blog unless I have pictures to go with it. This time I don't. We've been so busy and I am drawing blanks as to what to write about.

Hallie starts preschool in a couple of weeks and she is really looking forward to that. I'm going to take Raya to a mom and tots program once a week while Hallie is at school. I still need to go buy Hallie her first backpack!!! How exciting.

We spent the weekend at Chris's ball tournament and the kids got SOOOO dirty. It took a while for me to get used to them having dirt all over but I had too...it was unavoidable. Everyone laughed at me when I would go put hand sanitizer on them because they would just go straight for the dirt as soon as it was rubbed in...oh well. From Chris's perspective, "the dirtier they are, the more fun they are having"

We will be in Lethbridge this weekend coming up for a family BBQ which is always a good time. I'm looking forward to seeing my sister and Hallie can't wait to see her cousins.

I think we'll be going to the waterpark this afternoon and I'll try to get some pics of the growing girls :)

Fun in the Sun

This morning we enjoyed our backyard with some friends!

A few pictures...

And then there were 3

Chris and I are very pleased to formally (or informally, i guess) announce that








....drum roll please.....














Raya got her third tooth last night!!!

TROUBLE...aka Raya

Cooking up a storm :)



She crawled in the dishwasher when I went to check on Hallie...



Apparently she was quite proud of herself!



Just playing and having fun!



I used to put this ottoman in front of the tv and vcr so that Raya couldn't push buttons. I guess that won't work anymore.

Why do I ALWAYS forget my Camara?

Today I went with some friends to the Hull Home Stampede Breakfast. It was phenominal and the girls had such a blast. I wish I would have brought my camara. Both of my friends forgot theirs as well :(

It is at this great big HUGE park with tons of grass which sure beats standing on hot pavement! There was tons of food and Mcdonalds cookies. There were police cars and firetrucks for the kids to go in, a few bouncing tents, helium balloons, face painting, craft tables, hay rides, pony rides and even real hot air balloon rides. There was also a huge petting zoo which was awesome. Raya giggled like crazy while petting the goat and sheep. It was soooo cute. I really needed my camara....next year I will take it. I need to take my nephews too!!! They would have had so much fun. We were there about 10 minutes when they announced that Stars Air Ambulance and the Hawks Helicopter would be arriving shortly. Sure enough, within a few minutes, they both circled the park and landed in the middle. The kids could go in and have a look around. Trae and Nate would have LOVED it.

Stephen Harper was there and said a few things...I didn't hear what he said but I thought it was pretty cool that he was there!

Hallie and Raya had such a good time. It was a great morning!!! One of my friends has two older girls (grade 5 and 2) that took care of Hallie the whole time which was nice....they even wanted her over for a play date so she didn't even come home with me...what a bonus! I'll pick her up around 2.

Tomorrow Chris and I are going to experience the Stampede. We are going to the Chuck Wagons and Grandstand Show. We have a babysitter coming at 415. I'm looking forward to getting out on a date :)

Hopefully I will have some pics to post soon. Raya is starting to walk but best of luck to me trying to capture it! She moves so fast!! SOON....I promise.

Trying to Keep Cool

We have spent the past few days in the basement as our house in unbearably hot. Thankfully today is much cooler and we can actually breath upstairs. Raya had a 2.5 hour nap this morning and I'm guessing it had alot to do with a more comfortable temperature.

We have been going to the waterpark in the late afternoon/early evenings to cool off and have fun. I forgot to take the camara there yesterday which is to bad because the girls had a blast. Raya has so much fun there and loves the water. Hallie was a little more timid at that age but she really enjoys it now.

I took a few pictures when we got home last night of Hallie watering the lawn and flowers for us.

It's Always an Adventure

Last Sunday we had company, Steve and Lisa, arrive from Grand Forks BC. They were in Calgary for a job interview on the Tuesday and decided to come a few days early to visit. They have three children...Katelyn (4), Naleah (2) and Alexa (1month). We were looking forward to a relaxing week with them but........we all ended up with the flu. I have to say, without going into details, that it was disgusting. So, Monday-Thursday were taken up with taking care of 4 sick kids. They ended up staying until this morning so we did have a few good days of visiting with them :)

So, I guess when it rains it pours. Hopefully this next week will be more eventful (in a fun way) and I will have more to blog about next week!

Hallie did have a fever of 105.4 the other night when she was sick so I brought her into bed with me after giving her a cool bath at 10:30pm. Chris went to sleep in Hallies room because he had to work the next day. At midnight she was still awake and chatting and so I finally said "Hallie you have to go to sleep and let mommy get some sleep too". She wasn't happy. Then she said "Mommy?" and I said "Yes Hallie" (but not very nicely I have to admit) and she replied with "you are a beautiful woman!!" It's like they know when you are just about to hurt them and they turn on the charm. She then proceeded to tell me I was precious, gorgEous (she says the E) and that she loves me all the way to the moon.

Man, I love my kids.

Well, I better to sanitize my house to get rid of all the sick germs in here!

Food Poisoning

I don't have much to write because the past week has been uneventful around here due to the fact that I had food poisoning. I haven't been this sick since the Norwalk virus when I was pregnant with Hallie. It started last Friday night and I am still feeling the effects of it today. Not good.

I have to say though that Hallie has been a good support through it all. She has given me many many back massages and has even offered to hold my hand while I'm busy on the toilet!! Today she came in there while I was using the facilities and I told her that I was sick. She went into her room and grabbed her little chair, brought it into the bathroom and sat down right in front of me. She said "I'll be right here if you need me Mom". Then she proceeded to tell me that "pooping is easy mom, you just have to go like this...(at which point she groaned as if she was trying to go herself)" She handed me toilet paper, offered me a drink and said that she could massage my back with lotion if I wanted. I was just really wanting a little personal space but I have become accustomed to not having much of that :)

Raya has been a blast the past week (with the exception of today when she was teething hardcore and really cranky). She is so smiley and happy most of the time. She can make a mess of this house though in record time but she looks so cute doing it...and that's a good thing. She stands at the book shelf and grabs as many as she can in one hand and chucks them onto the floor. Then she looks at them and shakes her head.

I'm off to bed after I tidy up a bit....must sleep away this sickness. Next time I get my food packed up at a restaurant I'll come straight home and put it in the fridge instead of letting it sit with me on the patio for 3 hours while I have a few drinks :)

Raya's 1st Birthday

We celebrated Raya's 1st birthday this past weekend in Lethbridge and it was so much fun. We rented a hotel room...a big hotel room...at the Ramada. There is a great wave pool there with waterslides and a little kiddie pool as well. The plan was for my sisters family to join us there on Saturday night for swimming and then my parents would come with Chinese food for afterwards. Chris's sister Bev and Jason's girlfriend (i love that!) Becky decided in the afternoon that they would like to join in on the action and then a big surprise was that Chris's other sister Barb and her newly wedded husband (i love that too!) Ryan showed up! So, Raya had 3 aunts and two uncles there to celebrate with. Hallie thought that was the best!! We had chinese food, ate cake and opened gifts. The girls slept really well after swimming.

On Sunday, we celebrated with Chris's family which included a great roast beef dinner, cheesecake, blackforest cake and a toast "To Raya"! I opened gifts on her behalf as she was sleeping for most of the afternoon :)

My mom's camara has most of the good pictures...or at least I hope it does. I have a few though.

This is Raya's cake right after I finished making it before doing some final touch ups. I stole the idea from Chris's cousin Val.

My mom (abuela) with Raya at the pool

An unflattering family shot....I hope my mom has a better one :)

Daddy and Raya...check out that Farmers Tan!!

On a more serious note...today went by quite well for me. I have to say that I shed quite a few tears this morning as I remembered that it was a year ago today that the Lord allowed Raya to be recessitated. I remember taking Hallie in to the ICU to see Raya when she was intubated and had all the IV's etc because the nurses recommended that we should allow Hallie to see Raya before she was taken to the Foothills in case she didn't make it. I didn't want Hallie to see Raya like that but the staff at the hospital encouraged us to do it so that we would have a memory if things didn't turn out as we were hoping. They took two pictures and Hallie slept with one of them until Raya came home. Raya obviously made the trip to the Foothills and then back to the Rockyview and then soon after she came home. She is such a blessing to us and I am and will be forever grateful for both my girls.

Raya had her 1 year check up at the pediatricians office today. She weighs 19 lbs 7 oz and is just over 27 inches long. Hallie at one year was 18 lbs 4 oz and was 26.5 inches long. So, Raya is just a little bit ahead of her!!!

The past few days

Hallie had a play date with her friend Ethan yesterday. They are so good together. They play "Dora and Diego"...it's so funny. Speaking of Dora (and the map), Hallie told me on Tuesday that in order to get to mom and tots "we have to go to the van, through timmy hortons and that's how we get to mom and tots!" I think I may go there a little to often!!




Raya enjoyed her first popsicle yesterday. It felt great on those teething gums. She still only has two teeth.





Hallie helped me make Raya's cake last night. This is a picture of the incomplete project. It is now finished and in the freezer, awaiting it's trip to Lethbridge tonight. Hopefully it makes it. We are celebrating Raya's birthday tomorrow night at a hotel in Lethbridge with my family so the kids can all go swimming and then again on Sunday with Chris's family at his parents house. I'll post pictures when we get home!

Surviving the next few days...

Well, it has been a while since I posted. We haven't taken many pictures lately and that has to change! Hopefully soon I will have something worth posting.

The past few days have been really hard for me as we look upon Raya's first birthday which is coming up on Monday. I am an emotional person and these milestone dates make me reflect back to why we celebrate (christmas, easter, birthdays, weddings etc). I am the type of person that looks back at what I was doing the year before at this exact moment and relive it in my mind. I am trying not to do that right now but I am constantly fearing reliving Raya's birth and first fews days. I try not to think about it but I can't get it out of my mind. It is supposed to be such a happy time right now but to be honest my heart is aching. I still can't even look at pictures of her in the hospital without shaking and crying. It was the hardest time of my life and while the turn out was an amazing miracle it is really hard to reflect on still. I have incredible feelings of guilt that creep up on me because I wasn't beside her 24/7 when she was so helpless. I know she doesn't remember but I can't fight the feelings sometimes. It was so hard to watch her with all the tubings and iv's and to leave her bedside to come home was heart wrenching. We didn't ever know what we would come in to the next morning. Would she be worse, or better?? Thankfully we had more of the betters but the times when she had dropped left were hardly bearable. Leaving the hospital was never pleasant but having to put on a happy face for Hallie so she wouldn't worry was nearly equally hard. My mind keeps replaying the things that the neonatalogist had told me the morning after Raya was born when she had to be recessitated. I don't know how I survived that converstation on my own. Hearing that my babys blood vessels closed and that she turned bright blue and had to be recessitated, that she was now intubated and I couldn't see her.....God was obviously very present and gave me faith to manage. I remember our pastor sitting beside me and after praying for Raya saying that if it was a life or death situation Raya wouldn't be here, she would be transferred to the Foothills if her life was in danger. And then minutes later, seeing the neonatologist come in to tell me they were taking Raya to the Foothills. I also remember leaving her at night and coming in the next day to find her all packaged up and being sent back to the Rocky View. I remember them saying it would be at least 10 days before she could come home and then 3 days later leaving the parkade with her in the back of the van! GOD IS SOOOO GOOD!
I think that Raya's birthday will always be hard for me but hopefully it will get easier as the years go on. Don't get me wrong, I am very HAPPY and GRATEFUL and that is why I am having a hard time with these feelings. I should be jumping for joy and hopefully when Monday May 29,2006 comes I will look to the future and not the past!

Thank you to all of you that were there for us when this was going on. Your prayers pulled us through it and we felt incredibly loved in the process.

Abuela- you came up to stay with Hallie and were a HUGE support for us. You cleaned and cooked and played. You encouraged us and stood by our decisions. You were our cook, nanny, housekeeper and errand runner.
Abuelo-you came up to meet our precious angel the moment you heard she was born
Auntie Cheremi and Uncle James- you came for the birth, you cleaned my house, you called every day to make sure I was okay, you cried with me, you prayed for us and you loved us
Uncle Jesse and Auntie Natasha- you supported us in prayer and sent flowers to brighten our home
Grandma and Grandpa Nieboer- you came to help and do whatever you could to make life easier. You took care of Hallie and made dinners for us...not to mention the prayers
Auntie Barb and Uncle Ryan- you cleaned all of our carpets!!!!!! and prayed your hearts out
Auntie Bev- you came to help during my postpardum depression...thank you thank you...and you helped potty train Hallie.

The rest of you, including our friends and church family, did amazing things as well. We didn't have to cook for a month, we received gifts for both kids, some of you watched Hallie for us and others encouraged and prayed for us...too many things to mention. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED US!

She's Mastered the Art of Stairs

If we can't find Raya we know where to look....she is heading upstairs to experience some freedom. She loves to climb the stairs and is really good at it. She hasn't fallen....yet, although I am really nervous about it. We have gates at the top of the stairs but not in the basement so it's wide open for her to climb. Perfect for a monkey like her.







Like the teeth!! More on the way.



She fooled me the other day and was hiding in the entertainment unit...Man, we had it easy with Hallie.

A new kind of Crazy

Yesterday I was sitting on the couch nursing Raya and the living room window was open. I could here this guy talking really loudly for a few minutes before he was in my line of vision. He stopped in front of my yard and I was waiting for his kids to catch up to him, but they didn't. He kept talking and I couldn't see anyone or anything around. I eventually stood up and saw...I am not kidding you...TWO farrets on my lawn that were on leashes. Buddy was walking his farrots (or how ever you spell that). I have often thought my mom (along with other dog owners) was a little crazy for talking to her dogs so much and treating them as though they were children, but this, this takes the cake by a long shot!!! This guy had two little tiny weasel things on a string and was talking like I would talk to Hallie and Raya. Then, here is the kicker, he picks them up and shoves them in this little tiny cooler thing (with a mesh door so they can see and breath) to carry them across the street. I called for Chris to take a picture but by the time he got the camara out it was too late. Hallie saw them and thinks they'd be great pets...ha ha. Just the thought of it makes Chris shake....me too truthfully.

A Wonderful Weekend...with no pictures to prove it :(

We had a wonderful weekend and forgot to take the camara everywhere we went. On Sunday morning we had our own church at Fish Creek Park. It was amazing. To stand in the middle of the city and see such amazing beauty is too much for words. Hallie had a blast. She threw rocks and sticks in to the river and anytime we past a tree and lost track of the river for a minute, she thought it was a new river that we were seeing again. On the way back towards the van we played Dora...she was Dora, her stick was the map and I was the Bird. I had to take the Map to the tallest mountain (on top of my head) and she would come and get it after going through the Corn Field (tall dead grass field). It was fun...for Hallie anyway. And the smiles and laughs were great. Raya slept half of the time we were there and then woke up and enjoyed the sun with us.

Sunday night was Guys Night and they played hoops and then came here and ordered pizza. It was pretty good...considering I'm not a guy.

On Friday night we had alot of company over for dinner and to watch the hockey game. That game I must say was better than Sunday nights!! Hopefully the Flames win tonight!

Today is Mom and Tots and the office for me...busy busy. And work, and clean and cook and bath the kids and ..... OH YA, at the end of it all I get a massage tonight at 7:45!!!! That is called a light at the end of the tunnel.

I thought this day would never come...

or at least it would be a big battle when it did. Hallie no longer has a bottle in her bed. This was long overdue, however, it kept her from pulling her hair out (literally) and it was just water so I let it continue for longer than I would have liked. I have tried a few times to put her down without it but it was always too big of an issue. On Monday during her nap she pushed the nipple part into the bottle and told me "My bottle's broken, I broke it..." I agreed and told her that she couldn't use it anymore because it was broken. And that was it. I threw it in the garbage and she hasn't asked for it since.

Raya has had a really big week too. She loves to wave and it's so cute. I think she has one of the biggest smiles ever. It's so contagious. She crawls everywhere, pulls herself up on to anything, empties the cupboards and walks along furniture. Man, she is growing way to fast.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to everyone!!

One of our good friends (Dan) posted this on his site this morning and I loved it so I thought I'd share it with all of you.

Easter reminds us that even though injustice may run rampant at present, even though it appears that darkness is pervasive and final, we know God is working, that His love is greater and that resurrection is real. As morning came on the third day a sun-cast freshness burst on the scene to reveal a subversive hope that thrusts us into a new story, one that rests on the work of Christ, a grassroots grace that upends every injustice. Through the brilliant light of the resurrection we can walk in newness of life. In a time when the Caesars of our day still claim to rule and injustice seems commonplace, the revolutionary hope of new life springs up in our hearts as we embrace the promise of Christ and experience the call of an extreme God to believe.
Brian Orme <http://www.relevantmagazine.com/newsletter/link.php?URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.brianorme.com&EncryptedMemberID=OTkyNw%3D%3D&CampaignID=155&CampaignStatisticsID=101&Demo=0&Email=taubensee@shaw.ca> quoted at Relevant Magazine www.relevantmagazine.com

To be honest, today began as a Happy/Sad day for me as I remember my Grandpa. This was his favorite holiday and I couldn't help but reminisce this morning on all the wonderful Easters that we spent with him. We would traditionally go to my Grandparents house after church and have Easter dinner. All of us kids could hardly eat as we knew that outside, hidden all through the yard, was a paper bag with our name on it filled with goodies. It was always a race to see who would find their bag first. I think I was most often the last. I would find everyone else's but mine...or maybe it seemed that way to everyone. I had a few moments of tears today and they started with sadness and quickly turned to joy as I realized that today, my Grandpa is in heaven and for the first time he is celebrating his favorite holiday with Jesus Christ. I can only imagine!!!

Happy Easter to all of you from our house to yours!

She Loves Her Dad...

Chris has a pass card with his picture on it that he needs for work in order to gain access to the building and various things....

Chris forgot this card at home a few weeks ago (after returning from Dallas) and Hallie found it. I saw her with it didn't really think much of it as she was just wearing it. Well, since then it has been missing. When we would ask her about it she would say it was "hiding". I didn't really push her too hard as I didn't know if she was just saying that or if she really knew where it was.

Well, today when Chris was at home depot, I sat down with her and said "We really need to find Daddy's name card, could you help me find it?" There was a really long pause and she looked down and said, "No, because then he will go away to Dallas"

How sweet is that...she hid it (actually threw it in the garbage in the office, which thankfully hadn't been emptied yet as it's just paper) because she didn't want him to go on another business trip.

Chris is often wondering if Hallie loves him as much as she loves me and there is his long awaited answer!!

Our Little Flower Girl

The wedding was great and Hallie did awesome. We don't have any of the professional photos back yet but Becky took some snap shots before the wedding and this is a picture of Hallie and Auntie Barb waiting for the wedding to start. What a lady!



This is Hallie kissing me...she was such a sweetheart that day. She felt like a princess.





Better have a drink before the big job of walking down the isle. She did pretty well at this. My mom was sitting in the back row by the isle and she instantly spotted her and went over saying "look...my Abuela's here!" (abuela-spanish for grandma). It was really cute. Then she kind of wandered down stopping every 3 isles or so to see if she new anyone else.




WOW....That was alot of work. This is Hal at the end of the night with Auntie Bev. She fell asleep in her arms after a very long and tiring few days.

Enjoying the Great Outdoors

We spent alot of time outside this past weekend. This is a picture of Hallie at the zoo. We went first thing Saturday morning. It was great...the sun was shining, the girls were happy, and the animals were all out and moving around. Hal's favorite was the gorillas. We bought an annual pass again which pays for itself if you go 3 times. We traditionally go there for a picnic on Fathers Day and Mothers Day after church.



We took Hallie on her first bike ride on Sunday. She did really well. I can't remember learning how to ride a bike....thankfully! It's painful to watch. She made alot of progress within the hour. I was amazed at the amount of patience she has (which she certainly didn't get from me). I would have given up within the first 5 minutes....and I tried...but she wanted to keep going. She has almost figured out the peddling and then we will work on steering. She had so much fun learning something new. Chris and I took turns helping her and Raya was happy to just watch from her stroller.



On Sunday afternoon, we spent some time in the backyard. We are looking forward to enjoying our backyard this summer after last years renovations. It's flat back there now and has new grass etc. Still a bit of work to be done but it's useable. This is Raya enjoying her first swing ride (other than the indoor baby swing). She is so smiley most of the time. She has two teeth now and I think more are going to follow right away. She can pull herself up to the standing position and walk along furniture now. I keep telling her to stop growing but she isn't listening to me. I'm not ready for her not to be a baby anymore.


This coming weekend Barb, Chris's sister, is getting married. Hallie is the flower girl and is REALLY excited about it....stay tuned for pics from that next week!!!

She was as proud as I was!

Raya is changing so quickly that I can hardly keep up. This morning I came into the living room and found her looking out the window. Apparently she can pull herself up onto things...who knew. I got the camara and took a picture really quickly and then once she saw me she was so proud...

She got her first tooth on Sunday!!! and thankfully started taking a bottle on Thursday. She has been quite picky when it comes to nursing vs a bottle but we have finally found a bottle that she will take and have now begun the weening process. About a week and a half ago she started sitting by herself (for more than a minute) without falling over and is quite enjoying this new freedom. If I can't seem to find her, I have learned that she is most likely in the bathroom pulling on the toilet paper roll and proceeding to shove it in her mouth. She is a little turkey and is offened being referred to as "Little Miss Trouble" around here. This morning at Mom and Tots she was found eating sand a few times and wasn't happy when she was moved away. I promise I feed her...ALOT.

Hallie is full of words and wisdom these days... She is quite proud to recite her 1st memory verse that Daddy taught her. It's John 3:16 and she can say the whole thing. It's so cute! She wanted her picture taken this morning with Raya so here it is...