Big Girl

A few nights ago we decided to take the plunge and move Hayden into a "big girl bed". She hasn't shown a real interest in getting out of her crib but we figured we shouldn't keep her in there until she was ten (even though it was tempting).

The crib that each of the girls have is a convertible bed. It starts as a crib, then moves to a toddler bed and then moves to a twin bed. To make the crib a toddler bed we simply had to remove the front panel. The bed is low to the ground so if she falls out of bed it's a short fall.

We talked to her about being a big girl and staying in her bed. We told her that she needs to stay in bed until we come in and get her and that if she needs us she just needs to call for us. The last three nights and her two weekend naps went really well. We know that she'll test the limit and her boundaries soon enough. But for now we're really enjoying being able to tuck her into bed, snuggle her, and tickle her back.

Yay for big girl beds!

El Encanto

Last night we had dinner at El Encanto in Cave Creek with Matt's parents. The restaurant has a little pond with ducks. We went there are few months ago when our friends the Lecces were in town. We love it and Hayden gets such a kick out of seeing and feeding the ducks.

The temperature was perfect and the food was delicious! Thanks for the fun night out Dave and Sarah!

Softball Monday

Matt plays in a softball league on Monday nights. He goes almost every Monday but it's been over a year since I've been out to see him play. Anabelle has never been to a game and Hayden was much smaller the last time we went, and certainly didn't know how to cheer for Daddy.

Matt's team had playoffs tonight so I got the girls ready after daycare, picked up McDonald's on the way, and got there in time to see the team play a few innings. Hayden loved watching the game and really loved cheering for Daddy. She kept asking where he was and commented that they were "sharing" the ball because they were throwing it around to each other.

We ate our dinner and once the game was over we took the kids over to the little playground for a bit. There was a little breeze and the temperature was perfect. Hayden swung on the swings with Emmy Raines and then went down the slide about 10 times. Anabelle loved the weather too and was happy hanging out in her stroller.

Nights like these make me happy to be a wife and a mother.

Super Cute...and a Little Scary

On Saturday morning I got Anabelle dressed and then took her into Hayden's room to get her ready. I laid Anabelle down on the floor and then realized that Hayden's clean clothes were in the living room. I told the girls I would be right back. I was gone maybe 20 seconds and when I came back, this is what I saw.



My heart filled with love, and then a little bit of fear crept in. I mean, this is super cute but it's also a little frightening to think about how Hayden moved Ellie from flat on her back into a sitting position in her lap.

I took a few pictures, smiled thinking about how much I love these two little girls, and then told Hayden to not pick up her sister like that again. :)

Our Beautiful Girl

Big Girl!

Early this month Anabelle finally started to get the hang of sitting up! Yay! She hasn't shown a lot of interest in it and her head tends to make her a little top heavy but we've really been practicing with her lately. A few nights ago Afton sat her up and she stayed up for about a minute. A new record! She's growing so much!

Clowning Around

We're getting ready for Hayden's 3rd birthday circus party! Come one, come all...to the Greatest Show on Earth!!

042411 Easter

Easter this year was a blast. Now that Hayden is getting older she totally loves holidays and its so much fun watching her enjoy everything.

Saturday night Ash and Afton came over for fajitas and then helped us dye Easter eggs. Nothing says Easter like fajitas!! We also did a little craft project and made a couple of cute little chicks. Anabelle put on her bunny hat and helped supervise.

Sunday morning Ash and Afton came back over for the great hunt. We put the girls in their Easter dresses and let Hayden run wild. The Easter Bunny hid 20 eggs between the living room, kitchen, dining room, and backyard. We had fun giving her hints to find the eggs and she made us all laugh.

Matt made a delicious breakfast complete with country potatoes, an egg/ham/sausage/cheese casserole, fresh cut fruit, and cinnamon rolls. We were able to eat on the patio and Ash and Hayden ventured into the pool afterward.

What a great day!

Ellie Eats

When Ellie turned 6 months old we started to introduce "food" into her diet. We started with rice cereal, oatmeal, and veggies. Here are a few pictures of her first "meal".

Ellie Eats

After she ate we played a little bit:




A few days later Hayden wanted to help feed her:

Oma and Opa Visit!

In Early April Oma and Opa came to visit for a long weekend. We had such a fun time with them! We hung out with Ash and Afton, took the kids to the zoo, went to the buffet at Talking Stick Resort, and introduced them to Five Guys.

Oma's birthday is later this month so we were also able to celebrate with her. Ash and Afton made her a cake, we had a couple of birthday dinners, and she got her presents from us. One of the best gifts that she got was a special serenade from Hayden on her keyboard. It took her some time to get into it but by the time she started shaking her head and singing we were all cracking up.

What a fun weekend! Thanks for coming to visit us Oma and Opa!

Oma and Opa Visit