Spring has sprung

Spring is here and we spent the weekend outside celebrating its arrival.

To take full advantage of this beautiful weather Isabella is helping get our garden ready for planting.

Not only did we enjoy the weather this weekend but we enjoyed it with friends. The kids had fun with the slide even though it might not look like it in the photo below.

Sarah and I enjoyed catching up which is always fun!

Proof that the slide was fun :)

Sisters on the 1st day of Spring

Sophia celebrates that Spring is here!

Happy Baby

The Cats Meow and Snuggle Bunny say

See you later alligator ...

... After a while crocodile.

Little Leprechauns

Sophia celebrated her 1st St. Patricks day at an Irish Bar. Yes, I did say a bar. Now mind you it was 10:30 in the morning. Anyway, we met a few friends from playgroup for an early lunch. The kids seem to enjoy the stage and the music. The kids looked like little leprechauns running around.
After lunch, the kids still had steam to run off so we enjoyed a trip to the park.
And if you know me the holiday would not be complete without corned beef and cabbage. Isabella's favorite part of dinner was the green jello for dessert!

Road trip

We spent this past weekend in Maryland to visit family. During our trip we also enjoyed a visit to the Baltimore Aquarium

It was great to see family and catch up. I enjoyed intoducing the girls to everyone. It has been years since we have all been together and of coarse the trip went by too fast. Which is always the case when we are having fun!

Can you say messy eater? I am sure she enjoyed every bite (that which made it in her mouth)

Sophia chillin' with Daddy

and Isabella discovers video games for the 1st time

I find it funny how hard it is to get a good photo when there is a toddler and a baby in the photo. So I am including the 1st one which shows Sophia's sweet smile and Isabella shark teeth. Isabella was showing off her teeth in anticipation for our trip to the aquarium.

Here we go, this shot is a bit better.

My cousin Rob met Isabella and Sophia for the 1st time. They bonded pretty quick and the girls felt very comfortable with Rob.

A big sailor and a bitty sailor

Isabella was not a huge fan of the shark teeth...take a look at that expression on her face!

Who is that pretty girl in the mirror?

Looks like Isabella found the perfect seat to see all the fishies! (thanks rob)

I even learned how Nemo got his name. Another name for Clownfish is Anemonefish. If you drop the 1st letter and the last few letters you get Nemo. Pretty neat huh?

A sleepy sloth in the rain forest

Proud grandparents

Samantha enjoyed meeting her cousin Sophia for the 1st time

Now the road trip would not be complete without some entertainment. As we were heading home to Richmond, Isabella dolled herself up with nutella "lipstick".

Sophia slept great in the car and we only had to make one stop each way to nurse.

and Isabella finally passed out, about an hour from home.

Despite daylight savings and sleeping away from home, the girls adjusted well. I enjoyed getting away to spend time with family. Its always a nice feeling to be back home, sweet home.

Fun x 2

Last week was twice the fun! Sophia had her 1st play date with Miles. Sophia is 2 weeks older than Miles so it was neat to watch them try to do the same things. Isabella can always find something to keep herself busy. She has been putting 2 babies (or bears) in the shopping cart just like Mommy.


The Sister Squeeze
Sweet Sophia is 4 months old now. She loves to watch Isabella and its cute to see them interacting. Isabella wants to play with her baby sister and now that Sophia can grasp objects it makes Isabella very happy. Bell likes to bring toys to Sophia and even shares her special Elmo .

Last week we enjoyed a nice visit with my cousin Stephanie. It has been years since we have seen each other but it did not seem like a lot of time had passed. Isabella had a blast with Kiersten (Stephanie's step daughter) and was so sad to see her leave. I hope we can get together again soon!

Isabella enjoyed being picked up by Kiersten. I thought it was super cute when Kiersten said to Isabella "you are so cute, I wish I had a car seat so you could come with me".

Just as we were enjoying a nice week of visitors we all came down with a horrible cold. Will and I are just starting to feel better but poor Bell and Sophia are right in the thick of it. They have both had fevers around 100 degrees for the past 4 days. Neither of them have much of an appetite and just want lots of snuggle time. One thing they both enjoy is bath time and I figured out a way they can enjoy it together.

For good measure I have to post a pic of our sweet cat Poca. She was the only one who remained germ free last week.

As I type this the girls are sound asleep. I hope tonight is a better night than last night. Sophia has a horrible cough and could not sleep well so I ended up spending most of the night in the rocker in her room. Its a good thing the chair is comfy since that is where I slept last night. Lets hope tonight I get more than the 2 hours of sleep I had last night.

Its so sad to see both girls so sick. Who knew a cold could hit so hard? In between the runny noses, coughs, fevers and spitting up my daughters still have plenty of smiles to share. I am very thankful for those sweet smiles.

Funny Face

Breakfast is a great way to start the day. Will made a special breakfast for Isabella over the weekend and rather than calling it a smiley face she called her plate a funny face. And of coarse there is a Mr. Funny Face
We enjoyed a make your own pizza night at home. Isabella was focused while making her own pizza. She made the dough and put all the toppings on. Well, a few of the toppings went in her mouth to sample. ;)
Taste tester approved

After dinner the girls went for a ride in the high chair!

Last week was Will's birthday. It was fun making the cake for Will with Isabella at my side. She enjoyed making the chocolate icing in the mixer. I even let the mini chef lick the spatula clean!!

Isabella is now at the age where she enjoys opening gifts or "surprises" as she calls them.

singing happy birthday to Will...

Make a wish

Sophia enjoys sitting up (with help) and looking around. We put her in the high chair at dinner and enjoy having her sit a the dinner table with us. It makes the meal complete. Here is Sophia enjoying her bumbo.

soft, pink, and cute!

Look at little momma feeding her stuffed lamb. She used a neck pillow as the boppy.