Fun at Hogle Zoo!

Last week Russ took some days off for a little family "staycation". Yes, I just used that very lame term that everyone is using, but don't blame me, blame the media! And the economy as well... Anyway... back to the zoo. We had a great time with Anna and Emma enjoying all the animals! Anna had to make a stop at all the lion water fountains along the zoo, they are just too much fun.
Hi Emma! She was so happy to be out and about, she really didn't care what we did as long as we kept moving. She was great the entire time.

Mommy and Anna found a distant relative (or so they say) and decided to take a picture! :)


Here we are! The cute Sperry family enjoying the bird show at the zoo, which by the way, was awesome! Anna had a bird take a dollar from her hand and put it in the donation box all by itself! It was a major highlight of the outing.

Check out the eagle! It flew right by us, it was quite amazing.


We're off on a train ride! Emma decided to "roar" most of the time during the ride, I don't know why...
Mommy and Anna! We loved our train ride!

At the end of the trip, Anna was hot and really wanted to play with the spinning water ball, as she called it.
And Emma was done. Off to dreamland! ;)

We had a great time! We'll have to take more of these little outings soon.

Happy Birthday Dear Emma, Happy Birthday to you!

Emma is one! Her birthday was on July 22nd, she was born at 7:55 am, she weighed exactly 6lbs. I remember like it was just yesterday, not a whole year ago. I remember buying preemie diapers for her, since she was 6 weeks early. I remember wondering if she would be okay, when would I get to see her, if I would get to take her home when I left the hospital. I remember even before all that, when we found out we were going to have another little person in our family, it was December 26th, 2007, and I've never had a better Christmas present. I remember a few months later finding out that Anna would get a little sister, and as we looked at the ultrasound screen, Emma waved at us! She did, she really did!
Now look at this chunk of sweet delicious baby. Where did my preemie go? :) She's just delightful. And boy does she like to eat!
She really loved this cupcake, I think chocolate might be her favorite flavor. She was really quick to dig in!
Yum! Or as Emma would say: "Num, num!" She loves it!
To make things fun she finished with the icing! This was our little celebration we had on her actual birthday. We had a party for her the following Saturday, but since I was playing hostess I didn't get any pictures, hoping I could get copies from all the family who took a whole bunch! So family, please send me pictures of the party!

We sure love our little Emma, she is a joy to our home, and it's hard to imagine not having her around. I can't believe this year went by so fast, but at least I was there to witness every single day so far. It's been magical watching her grow and discover her little world and interact with it. I can't wait to see what she'll be up to next. I can't wait to open her bedroom door every morning and see that sweet smile and messy hair, waiting to start her day.

Emma you are a beautiful little girl, you are a blessing from our Heavenly Father. You can't even imagine how loved you are by all of us. Happy birthday my sweet princess. I'm so glad you came to be part of our family.

4th of July!

There's nothing more fun in the Summer time than 4th of July barbecues, ice cream, playing in the water, and fireworks! We had a wonderful 4th of July weekend this year. Friday we had fun with the Sperry's and Saturday we had fun with the Dutra's.

Here is Emma enjoying her very first creamsicle, she's game for anything you give her to eat! I think she ate most of that one in the picture. Cute Emma.


Girls having fun at Grandma and Grandpa's backyard, in the kiddie pool. They LOVED IT! It's so cute to see how much fun these little ones can have in 3 inches of water! :) And they look darling in their bathing suits.


Check out Emma's chunkylicious thighs! She wants to walk so bad, and spends as much time as she can grabbing people's hands and going for a walk. She's getting close! One of these days I just know she's going to let go and take off. Until then, I sure love those chunky thighs!

Anna enjoying her very first experience with fireworks. She loved the sparklers and called them "princess fairy fire wands" and had lots of fun seeing the beautiful colors of fireworks. I think she also really loved getting to stay up late. Isn't it so fun to see things we enjoy through a child's eyes for the first time? I have to say I have never enjoyed fireworks, or even really cared about fireworks, until this year. Every comment, every awed look up at the skies was delightful to me! What a fun time we all had!

Emma's hair is getting longer!

I love this picture! Can't you just see the bubble popping up from her head saying : "Whaaaat are you doing?" hahaha!

Emma's hair is finally long enough for a little pony that sticks straight up. Only one pony, but, it's still a hairdo, right?
She's growing so fast and crawling all over the place. We have now gated every possible falling points, and I have been paying greater attention to my floors, and especially sweeping them more often, since everything ends up in her mouth.

Emma, we love your new hairstyle!

Happy (Belated) Birthday Russ!

On June 7th we had the chance to celebrate Russ on his 33rd birthday! We made him one of his favorite cakes, and had our family and close friends over to play games, which was Russ' birthday wish. What a great time we had!





On a more personal note, I've known Russ since 1998, and I have been grateful for every June 7th I've gotten to share with him. He is a devoted father to our girls, and a very dependable, caring husband. I know I can always count on him for whatever it is, any time, no matter what. What a blessing it is to share your life with someone who is so devoted to his family.





These girls have him wrapped around their fingers, and I think he loves every second of it!

Happy Birthday Russ, we love you!