Happy Spring

I love springtime. Our house has lots of pink in it lately and I couldn't be happier. I switched up our front room a bit. I needed a computer/office area and just couldn't make it work anywhere else in the house. Putting the computer in the front room meant I had to go for a desk that would not only function but would also look pretty. I found this rustic, natural wood console table and have loved it from the first moment it arrived in our house. We use this room a lot more now too which has been great. It is directly next to our front door so now I can work on the computer while the kids play on the sidewalk in front of our home. Perfect. My other very favorite piece is this turquoise armoire. It was my good friend, Reny's and she decided she didn't have room for it anymore. I have admired it in her home for years and now I am the lucky one to get it in our home. It will eventually make its way to Lily's room. Right now it is still in our garage. As we were walking in from church yesterday, it looked so pretty with all of our pink, I had Jon take our picture. Happy Spring!

Little Lizzy

Meet Little Lizzy. The cutest, tiniest little lizard ever. Elle and Gwen have both loved holding her and caring for her for the past day. I am not a lizard lover but this one is pretty cute. (Almost as cute as Elle's freckles)

Daddy's Girl

Jon is preparing for big mountain bike race in the morning called Vision Quest. Not one part of it sounds fun to me but he is really excited. With work and family life being a little crazy lately, he hasn't been able to train as much as he would have liked but he's going for it. This afternoon he has been checking and re-checking all of his gear. I went out into the garage and found Gwen and her daddy working on their bikes just like this. The cutest thing is that she thought of this idea all on her own. Jon said she just pulled her bike up next to his and went to work. Gwenners has always been 100% a daddy's girl. Whenever she gets hurt it's her daddy that she wants to comfort her. I usually have to call him on his cell phone and as soon as she hears his voice she calms right down. There is nothing sweeter in my opinion than watching him with our girls.

My Lily

Lily is wearing green today but I dare you to try and not pinch those cheeks. Oh, how I love her.

Easter Trees

We love holidays around here. I try and make them special for our girls. They get so excited every time I pull out our decorations. For Easter, I love Easter Trees. I have bought a few of them over the years. I kept buying them because they were never really what I was envisioning. So this year, I decided to just make one that was exactly what I wanted. I ordered manzanita branches from the florist, sprayed them white and then arranged them in a big pink vase. Gwen helped me decorate it while Elle was at school. We were pretty proud of ourselves. It turned out just as I had hoped. Our other tree I moved up into Elle and Gwen's bedroom. And let me tell you, they LOVE having it in there. They decorate and re-decorate it daily. Having their own tree also keeps them off of our kitchen table playing with, (in elle's words) "our fancy tree". It's a win-win for sure.

Disneyland

Yesterday I loaded all 3 girls up and met Jon's parents at Disneyland. We had an amazingly fun day. The girls were in heaven. We rode every ride and for the first time, in a long time, I was able to ride with them. Grandma and Grandpa McGee took turns watching Lily. Gwen's first ride choice was Dumbo. It was VERY important to her that she rode the pink elephant. As soon as the gate opened she sprinted for it. And as you can see...mission accomplished. Elle's number one ride choice was Space Mountain. On this trip she finally got enough courage to try it out. As we were making sure she was tall enough for the ride, Gwen realized that she too was tall enough. My 3 year old is tall enough to ride Space Mountain. Wow. As soon as the ride was over Elle was half-smiling, squeezing the life out of my hand and shaking a little. Gwen on the other hand was yelling, "again, again"! On Splash Mountain as we were in the log heading up the the steep part before the big drop Gwen yelled, "hands-up"! Elle and I died laughing over that one. Tarzan's treehouse was also a favorite...especially the bridge. We all went on Pirates of the Caribbean and It's a Small World (Lily included). Lily's eyes were wide-open and she was so excited. Lots of churros, popcorn and lollipops were consumed. Pretty much a perfect day.

Tooth Fairy

Last week as I was in the kindergarten pick-up line waiting my turn for Elle to hop in the car, I saw her beaming on the sidewalk. As soon as she hopped in the car she could not contain herself. She said, "Mom, this is the best day of my whole life. I lost my tooth, we had an assembly today, it is the 100th day of school and I am the star of the week". Wow, what a day. She then showed me a little plastic treasure chest which held her tooth. For a kindergartner, losing your tooth AT SCHOOL pretty much equals celebrity status for the day. We came home and immediately the tooth fairy pillow came out of the closet. She has looked longingly at this little knit pillow for years. The day had finally come. Before bed she put her tooth in the little pocket on the pillow and carefully tucked it under her pillow. The next morning she came running into our room yelling that the tooth fairy had visited her and had left her some very fancy gold dollar coins. My Ellers is growing up and I can't believe it.

Home

This past weekend I headed up to LA with 3 friends for a 2 day photography workshop. It was so much fun to learn new things and to get excited about photography again. I also took an Illustrator course. It totally overwhelmed me but I am excited to take some more classes online with the same teacher and really figure the whole program out. We laughed a lot, ate a lot and learned a lot but I did miss my babies and Jon. Jon took Friday off of work and watched all 3 girls for the full two days. Amazing, I know... (he's a keeper). When I walked into the house late Saturday night the house was clean and all three girls were asleep. I asked him how it went with all the kids....he smiled and said, "they worked me". So funny! I loved it.

This morning I was cleaning up around the house and found Gwen just like this...in full costume. She is so hilarious. She kept flapping her wings and chirping. As fun as it was to get away for a bit I love being home.

Cheerios

Last night I was up with little Lily. She now has double ear infections. Poor baby. I settled her down, got her comfortable and back to sleep and then went in to check on Elle and Gwen. For the last year Elle has been begging me to have another midnight cheerios date. I whispered in her ear to wake her up and as soon as her eyes opened, I asked her if she wanted to join me downstairs for cheerios. Her entire face lit up. We tip-toed down the stairs in the dark and I got out the milk, bowls, spoons and cheerios. We sat on our kitchen bench with no lights on and a quilt wrapped around us. Neither of us ate very much but that wasn't the point. I asked her about kindergarten and noticed for the first time that she had a band-aide on her arm. She said she fell on the rug at school and got a rug burn. Something I had not even noticed the day before. I also learned some fun facts... she really wants to take an art class because she wants to learn how to draw penguins. Cute. Her very favorite thing about kindergarten recess is going on the swings but she does not like the rule that you only get 20 swings before you have to get off for the next person...I then asked how she liked that rule when SHE was the one counting....big smile. Elle also said that she wishes she had an older sister. I told her that even though she didn't have one, she could be the kind of older sister to Gwen and Lily that she wishes she had. That seemed to make her happy. I then told her 5 things (because she is 5) I loved about her and she then started to get sleepy. As we tip-toed back up the stairs she said, "mama, will you write me a note and put it on my wall so that when I see it in the morning I can know this was not a dream"? I grabbed a post it, wrote a quick note and tucked her back into bed.

I took this picture of her this morning before she woke up. So cute. I love my Elle and can't wait to start this tradition with my Gwen and my Lily.

Be Mine...

Forever.

(Balloons and photography compliments of Elle and Gwen)

My Little Lily

Miss Lily is still struggling with her breathing. She is eating more these days so that is a huge improvement. How cute is she with her bottle? I remember my grandma, Grammie Gwen, used to be so sick at the end of her life but she always looked so great every time we would see her...all dolled up in a cute outfit and jewelry. I remember her feeling really sick one day and saying, "you don't get very much sympathy when you're sick if you look this good". Funny. Well, the same goes for Lily. She looks adorable and keeps her smile almost around the clock but she is still having a lot of breathing problems. The nebulizer is helping a lot. I am still doing that for her around the clock. I am really tired but am so thankful there is something that makes her feel better. I am hoping things will improve this weekend.

Today is my Jon's birthday. He went out for a ride this morning and is still not home. I got the girls up early and we went to the store and they picked out balloons for him, a card, his favorite breakfast (an acai bowl) and of course donuts. Elle and Gwen both worked really hard decorating the card. They are currently sitting on the porch with all of their loot just waiting for him. It is so cute to see them so excited to surprise their daddy.

Kindergarten Valentines

Today is Elle's Kindergarten Valentine's Day Party. She is soo excited. I remember my elementary school valentine parties like they were yesterday. The night before carefully writing my name and choosing specifically which valentines to give to boys and which ones to give to girls. A mistake in that department could be very embarrassing! We worked on Elle's valentines last night and this morning for her to pass out to her classmates. She worked really hard and had to write her name 30 times! Yesterday at the store she chose Hershey's Kisses for her candy. She is my chocolate lover so it was an easy decision. Elle chose her outfit all by herself. I actually had her in something different earlier in the morning but before it was time to leave she came downstairs in this hot pink dress and cream sweater. She wanted to look extra fancy today for the party. I can't wait to hear all about it when I pick her up from school.

On a side note...please keep our Lily in your thoughts and prayers. She had a really rough night last night. I will take her back to the doctor this afternoon. xo

Sickie

Lily has been sick. Really sick. For the past week I have had a little girl who has been having a lot of trouble breathing. She starts coughing which leads to choking and it terrifies me. I am so nervous I have her right next to me in our room to sleep. We do rounds with the nebulizer every 3-4 hours around the clock, lots of saline drops, steam showers and she sleeps on an incline. She is so sweet and doesn't even try to rip the mask off during her treatments. As long as I keep eye contact with her while it is on, she is happy. Elle and Gwen think the rhino mask is hilarious. I think the best part of the week was finding this fabulous sleeping aid. I wish I had known about this years ago. Genius...and so cozy. My Lily is on the mend and I am so happy.

Baby Girls

Lily Grace:

Gwendolyn Paige:

Elle Madison:

All three of my girls at about the same age in their blessing dress. I went through my files yesterday searching for these pictures of Gwen and Elle. I want to frame them for our home. I love these little girls more than anything.

5 1/2 Years Old

If you ever run into Elle do not make the mistake of thinking she is 5 years old. She is NOT 5. My Elle Madison McGee is 5 1/2. She reminds me constantly and of course all of her friends. I took these pictures of her yesterday on our way out the door to church. For the first time she let me style her hair curly. We used mousse and a diffuser. She felt very grown up and in her own words, very "sassy". I asked her if anyone in her primary class told her she looked extra cute and she said, "no, but I bet that's what they were thinking".

Love Her

Gwen has been getting up a lot lately in the middle of the night. I wake up to whimpering next to my bed and little finger pokes on my face. She wants to get into bed with Jon and me. I don't want to start that habit so I take her back to her bed where she says, "lay down with me". I snuggle her for a few minutes and tip toe back to bed. That usually does the trick. Two nights ago however that routine was not working. I put her in her bed on 3 separate occasions. 20 minutes later the whole scene would repeat itself. On the third time I looked at her and said, "Gwen, this is soo frustrating". She looked at me, started to cry and said, "I not fwusawating, I your sunshine". With that I just smiled, pulled back the covers to our bed and she hopped right in between Jon and me. How could I resist?

I took these pictures of my little sunshine this morning. I couldn't find her in the house so I looked out back and she was just like this... in Elle's nightgown and her very own hello kitty rainboots. I asked her what she was doing and she said, "mom, I'm on a hunt". She was climbing the slope in our backyard and inspecting the bushes. I LOVE this little girl.

Sunshine

The sun came out this morning and it looked so pretty in our kitchen. We switched out our pendant over the island a few weeks ago. I am loving it. I also found these beautiful flowers at the flower stand the other day. Gwen went with me and begged for the pink roses...as usual. They are so nice and always give her a few of the older ones. Elle is off to Kindergarten and Gwen is at playgroup at our friends house down the street. I think Lily and I will head out and run some much needed errands. Happy Wednesday...

More Lily

I seriously can't get enough of this baby. How am I supposed to get anything done around here?

Lily Pie: 6 months

It's official. Lily's nickname is Lily Pie. It fits her perfectly. Someone asked Gwen what her sister's name was in the grocery store the other day and Gwen said, "lilypie". Lily Pie McGee...I like it. It seems impossible but I love this little girl more every minute. It is that way with all 3 of my girls. I think my heart has literally grown larger with each child I have had. I love them all so much. My Lily will be 6 months old on Saturday. Where did the time go? I gave her a bath this morning and Elle and I lotioned her up. Lily loved every minute of it. You can't look at her and not smile. Often I am running around doing dishes or laundry or chatting with Elle and Gwen and then I catch a glimpse of Lily pie from the corner of my eye... there she is just watching me and smiling. So adorable. It stops me in my tracks every time. I have to stop everything and just pick her up. I feel like I can't kiss her enough or snuggle her enough. She is truly a gift from heaven.

Rain

It has been pouring rain for 4 days straight (that's a big deal around here) and I couldn't be happier. Gwen sat in her chair this morning just watching the rain with her bag of pretzels and grapes. On our way home from kindergarten pick-up yesterday I took the kids to get hot chocolate. You would have thought I said we were going to Disneyland. I think they all love the rain as much as I do...especially since it goes hand in hand with hot chocolate and whip cream.

...but better

A few months back, Elle learned how to ride a bike. I know...a little late but that was our fault for not teaching her sooner. Our house is on a hill so it was hard to learn in our yard. Jon took her to a flat parking lot and she picked it up in just about 20 minutes. She was more than ready. I love that I have a picture of her in her UGG boots too. She got those boots for Christmas and I don't think she has taken them off since. She even tries to wear them with her pajamas at night. She feels really grown-up in them. Lately I have felt that we are in a constant silent struggle. Elle wanting to grow-up and me continually trying to keep her my little girl.

I was lying in bed with her the other night as she was dozing off to sleep. We were nose to nose and she was pinching my neck. She has done that since she was an infant. When she was little she would just say, "mama neck". So random and to me, so cute. So there we were lying in the dark and she said, "mama, you're like a best friend or sister... but better". With that one little sentence my eyes immediately welled up. She can be so trying at times and I think how can I be a better mom. I am learning that you have to mother each child so differently. I try my very best each day and on lots of days I just hope that I am giving my girls what they need. I know I am not the world's best mom but I do think that I am the best mom for my girls. I think we were meant for each other so that we can learn from one another. And I hope that I will always be like a best friend or sister to them...but better.

True Love

Today Jon came home from mountain biking and the girls went running full sprint outside to meet him. It is like that any time he comes home. He has his own personal fan club. They hear the garage door opening and I can't contain them. Maybe not for a few years but someday they will realize how lucky they are to have him as their daddy.

My Lily Pie

My brother Jason came into town last night. We were sitting on our front porch this afternoon with Lily watching Elle and Gwen run up and down our sidewalk. Jason grabbed his camera and took these pictures of me and my baby. I love having pictures with my girls. I want them to look back on them someday and see how I adored them. If Lily stayed this age for the next ten years I would be thrilled. I adore this stage. I can't get enough of her. I hope she will always know and feel how much I love her. What a gift to be her mama.

January

January. I love this month. It is like a clean slate. I need order and have a hard time with clutter. We put all of the holiday decor away, went through drawers, cupboards and even tackled the girls' toy baskets. I always have the girls help me. Elle is great at sorting and organizing but Gwen on the other hand...not so helpful. That little girl is a ball of energy and just wants to please. It felt like one step forward and two steps back but I guess that is how she will learn. We ended the day with a drop off at the salvation army and a trip to the flower stand. Elle and Gwen both chose pink roses (of course) and I found these pretty cabbage flowers. Here's to the beginning of a great year!

Just Ducky

This little ducky is now 5 months old. I wish I could slow the clock down. I am enjoying her so much these days. The little outfit was Elle's. We passed it down to Gwen and now our Lily is wearing it. I put her in it this morning and died. Seriously, how cute is she? The rocking chair was mine when I was a little girl and those pretty blue eyes...those are all her daddy's (lucky duck).