Emma the Acrobat

I guess I have to find a new place to hide her pacifiers!

Sweet Dreams

I suppose that when you're really tired you'll fall asleep in the most interesting positions!

I Spy With My Little Eye...

A Minnie Mouse, 2 Tinkerbelle flip flops, 4 pink baby blankets, a chocolate donut, 4 Trader Joe's stickers, a broken digital camera, a pink spoon, a white bunny, a navy blue hair bow, 2 sippy cups, a pink purse, a red baby doll pacifier, 1 not so white sock, a set of keys, a pink tin with the letter C, 2 tiny butterfly clips, a pink Build-A-Bear and a plaid headband. What's in the backseat of your car?

The Girl's Room

I've been doing some changes in the girl's room trying to make it more fun and comfortable for them (and still remain on a budget). Charis' bed Emma's bed
(The plaque above her bed says, "A face without freckles is like a night without stars".) I saw this in Pottery Barn Kids but couldn't quite afford the $80 price tag so I made my own version.

Charis' Birthday

As Monday marked the actual day of Charis' birth we celebrated as a family by going to her choice of restaurant. She chose Peter Piper. Even though Ben and I tried to persuade her to choose differently she stuck with her first choice so we ended up enjoying pizza and games as a family on Monday evening. The girls had a blast! (And secretly I think Ben did too!) After Peter Piper we drove to Toys R Us where Charis was able to use a gift certificate to pick out what she wanted. Then we headed home for cake and presents! Emma gave Charis a Ken doll and some new outfits for her Barbies. Mommy & Daddy gave Charis a new lunch box and backpack full of school supplies. She looks so grown up! I also had a video of us singing happy birthday but it won't load for some reason. I'll try again another time.

Charis' Princess Tea Party

This year Charis requested a princess tea party to celebrate her birthday with friends. Most of these pictures are for my mom to see since she wasn't able to be here. So you'll have to bear with me on the amount of pictures that I'm posting. We had found a Belle gown that Charis wanted to wear at her party but was much too long. I definitely surprised myself by being able to hem it and it actually looked ok.

Now on to the party...
party favors craft table The True Princess which we read for story timethe dress up corner birthday cake that doubled as a centerpiece a little bit of what the table looked like Charis chatting on the phone with Grandma minutes before the party started Charis & Emma (We really tried to get Emma to wear a Cinderella dress...it wasn't going to happen!) craft time with all the princesses Charis & Evi all the princesses together and one token brother story time time for tea and cupcakes then on to gifts Charis has been blessed with a great group of friends!
Thank you all for coming and celebrating with us! And finally, a token cute Emma shot.

Happy Birthday Charis!

This morning, at 12:22 am, my sweet Charis turned 5 years old! I cannot believe it! It seems like just yesterday that I was a fumbling new mom trying to figure out how to make this screaming baby be quiet. (I finally figured it out...the paci!) But those days of pacifiers and diapers are long behind us. These days were into nail polish & school supplies. How quickly she went from crawling on her knees to toddling around the living room to taking herself to the bathroom during church! There was a day when I wished that the tough moments would pass quickly. I was always looking for the next thing...wondering when she would get her teeth, then waiting impatiently for the day when she walked to praying for the day that she was potty trained. Now I feel as if I am trying to stop time with all my might. I'm digging my heels in trying to make this Summer last as long as possible and not taking even a single moment for granted. Because in 36 short days my little Charis will be a Kindergartner! Today Charis turns 5 and today she starts a new era of her life. She's not a baby, she's not a toddler, she's a little girl that is quickly becoming a young lady. My prayer for her is that she would not just grow physically but that she would grow in wisdom and in her love for Jesus.

"Do you want to be pretty? A fine piece of art?
Even better than "pretty" is Jesus in your heart.
If you love Him the most and follow His ways,
His beauty inside you will reap His best praise."
-taken from God's Wisdom for Little Girls by Elizabeth George

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30

4th of July

Yesterday we drove out to Surprise to visit Ben's grandparents and spend the 4th of July with them. (For those of you who don't know, Surprise is a place. We didn't surprise his grandparents...they knew we were coming.) The girls loved having Great-Grandma & Great-Grandpa all to themselves. We swam in their pool, had a delicious BBQ then rested in the air conditioning while Emma attempted to nap. I say "attempted" because she laid on great-grandma & great-grandpa's bed for 2 hours and probably slept for 40 minutes of it. Meanwhile, Charis was in seventh heaven playing with all the goodies that great-grandma spoils her with. We had a really fantastic day (in spite of the raging heat).

Happy 4th of July

Summer means swimming, relaxing and BBQ? Oh, yes! Here's what we're having for dessert today!
(Thanks to Heidi for all her help assembling them last night.) If you can't tell it's cupcake/brownie burgers. Yummy, right?