February Fun

We've been having a fabulous February around here! Abby is rockin' it in her tutu/cowgirl boots and Garrett is a master bubble blower.

Abby got this Snow White dress for her birthday and she is in love! She wants it on every morning as soon as she wakes up and then asks to watch Snow White so she can sing and dance along. She also loves to accessorize with bracelets, headbands, tiaras, high heels, cowboy boots, etc.

We had a great Valentine's Day! I have always loved Heart Day (even when I was single) and think it's a great opportunity to celebrate all kinds of love--not just romance. Greg and Garrett spoiled Abby and I with beautiful flowers! Watching Garrett run in and give his flower to Abby was one of the sweetest things I've ever seen.

We knew the kids would be getting plenty of candy (like the ring pops they are eating in this picture), so we got them new paints and stickers instead. They enjoyed testing them out while I made dinner. 

No Valentine's Day celebration would be complete without heart-shaped Jell-O Jigglers!

A blog I absolutely love posted the suggestion to set a "fancy" Valentine's Day table. It honestly took me maybe 10 extra minutes to set this up, but the kids loved it and it made the day seem extra special. Greg got home from work just in time to eat dinner with us for 15 minutes before heading to Scouts. (Who has Mutual on Valentine's Day? Clearly a woman didn't plan that--haha!)

My sister and I copied this idea from another favorite blog and made these fun envelopes for our families. We left little notes and surprises in them for everybody in the days leading up to the BIG DAY. I love all holidays and think any chance to make life a little more exciting should be capitalized on!

Phillips Family Pictures

My friend Candi took pictures of Greg's family for us last month while everybody (but Matt) was home. The Wilford and Jan Phillips family isn't the easiest group to photograph, but she did a good job. We are obviously missing our favorite Spanish Elder, but nobody knows when the whole crew will be together again, so Jan decided just to go for it. 

You may notice my children inherited their father's ability to mess up a good picture by goofing off or not looking at the camera. Sorry about that.   

Happy Birthday Dear Abby-Cakes!

We had a great time celebrating Abby's 2nd birthday last week. 

We enjoyed a little lunch at the BK Lounge.

We got pizza for dinner--Abby's favorite!

Abby (and Garrett) enjoyed opening a few presents.

Our little hoarder was thrilled for some more stuffed animals to add to her growing collection.

The highlight of her birthday was getting her very own Princess bag and play Princesses--just like Annabelle's.

We're not sure who was the most excited about this little 4-wheeler.

We branched out this year and had birthday skookies in place of the traditional cake and ice cream. A great new tradition!

We had a little "beach party" on Sunday to celebrate with our families. The coconut cream cupcakes were a huge hit. Click here for the recipe.

Abby had to wake up early from a late nap to celebrate and was a bit overwhelmed with everything. She was quite serious for a good spell and hardly cracked a smile.  

Check out the princess dress and cowboy boots--classic Abby!

Abby is one lucky little girl to have so many great people in her life who love her. Thanks to everybody who helped make her 2nd birthday one to remember!

Abby--2 Years Old

Two years ago...
One year ago...
And now!

Miss Abby had her two year old check-up today and let's just say it would fall into the "not sensational" category. She must have had some PTSD from her visit to Primary Children's Hospital because she FREAKED OUT the second we walked into the room and she saw a stethoscope. And when I say "freaked out," I mean it! It was the shortest doctor's appointment in history because they could not wait to get us out of their office and we could not have gotten out of there soon enough. Please pray that Abby does not have to return to any sort of medical facility until next year when she is three years old and maybe a bit more easy to reason with...or at least understands the fine art of bribery. I think Greg can take her to that appointment. She likes him better than me anyway, so it will work out nicely for all parties.

We managed to pry her off from the death grip she had on me long enough to discover she is still at the top of the charts in her height, weight, and head circumference. That's our girl.

A few things I want to remember about her at 2 years old...

*She is a delightful little mixture of sweet and sass.

*Everything is a big deal to her and she "needs" everything and she needs it NOW. She has the whiniest little voice (in a cute way) and repeats everything she says about 15 times just to make sure you've got the point.

*She loves stuffed animals and is quite the little hoarder. She currently sleeps every night with her sheep, lion, duck, two Minnies, shark, baby, and beloved blanks and "nother one" blanks. We realize this is not a good thing and are working on it. Thanks.

*She loves her mommy, but she is a daddy's girl all the way. She cries every time he leaves and she only wants him when she is hurt or sad. She collided with a little girl at Church on Sunday and cried "Daddy hold you" until we were able to find him. She loves to ride in "daddy's tuck" (truck) and will always choose to go with him over anything else. She also loves to put on her cowgirl boots and tromp around outside with Greg.

*She also loves Garrett and really misses him when he goes to pre-school. They play well together (for the most part) and Garrett is always looking out for his little sister. He doesn't like to go places without her and gets worried about her when she is not around.

*She is a great little talker and loves to sing. Her favorite songs include (in her words): "Twinkle Little Star" "Monster Mash," "Frosty," "Mad Alvin," "Follow Prophet," "Knees and Toes," and "Popcorn." We go through the line-up several times a day.

*She loves treats (especially suckers), but is a pretty good eater and will eat just about anything.

*She loves books and asks just about every day if we can go to the library.

*Like most little girls, she loves the Princesses and all things Disney. Her favorite movie right now is Rapunzel, but she also has a thing for Elmo and anything Sesame Street.

Abby was a bit of a surprise package for us, but we are sure glad she came to our family when she did. We weren't sure how we were going to handle a girl after having Garrett, but she has been such a joy and we love her so much!