The Apple Doesn't Fall Far...

After snapping some pics of Brent and the girls in their Sunday best I realized something seemed familiar... REALLY familiar. Almost creepy it was so familiar. I asked Mom to check out my baby book and sure enough, there it was.

Dad and Ireland

Me with my dad walking into the picture

The photo of me as a little girl was taken on Easter so I would have been about 18 months. Exactly the same age as Ireland. In a pale swing dress. With pine trees in the background. And Dad in a suit. Uncanny, eh? Especially since it wasn't staged.


A photo of all of us minus Mom. I love, love, LOVE the huge green bow tie on Logan!



Impressive...Most Impressive

To prepare Liesel to enter preschool this fall, Brent and I have been drilling her on how to spell her name. Little by little, she caught on:

Little by little, we realized Ireland would pop out her binkie and make some noise too. I finally realized she was making her own attempt:

Mugging for the Camera

I love how the girls look first thing in the morning with their bright eyes and fuzzy hair. My enchantment only lasts so long before I want to scrub them down and get them ready for the day.

I think Ireland's been observing Liesel give her classic "CHEESE!" face whenever I pull out the camera. Recently she's been practicing a picture perfect smile of her own.

Without the video she might look a little creepy. I think her attempt at a big smile looks oh so funny and it endears me to her all the more!

Which is Cuter?

Liesel making fish faces on the balance beam at gymnastics?

Or Ireland crawling under the barricade to sneak into her class?
I can't decide!

Shoot

For the girl's birthday photos I had a brilliant concept. I found out I could get a bunch of 3' balloons from a nearby party supply store. Imagine two tiny girls with oversized balloons... could it get more festive? Well, the balloons didn't fit into the car so I had to hang them outside the door and hold on to the strings for dear life. We weren't even 1/2 mile down the road when they had all blown free. I was SO sad! The photos turned out well regardless, but I'm determined to make it happen for a future photo shoot. Stay tuned for that one. Ireland was in a giddy mood right up until we got to the studio. Then she cried and fussed pretty much the entire time. I was amazed the photographer got any good shots at all. Liesel on the other hand is getting more and more comfortable in front of a camera. She was a pro and we got a lot of good pictures of her. The laughing ones don't show off all her features, but they make me smile. I couldn't help but go for another ultra girly wardrobe. In my defense, I did think about plain t-shirt and jeans... but this seemed so much more fun. Especially with huge balloons *sniff* This studio encourages multiple wardrobe changes so I thought we'd pull out our BYU gear and get a family picture. In Brent's efforts to hang on to Liesel, he inadvertently covered half his face in every shot. This is the best one and I love how the girls are looking at each other, sharing their confusion about these crazy parents of theirs. We got a more traditional photo but I like the fun ones. It shows our personalities much better! I'm thinking about framing this and hanging it near the desk where our diplomas reside.

Smile

Here's a little song I wrote.

You might want to sing it note for note.

Don't worry... be happy.

In every life we have some trouble.

But when you worry you make it double.

Don't worry, BEEE HAPPY! :)

Hawkeye Fans

Game day in Iowa City is a big deal. I mean a big, BIG deal! Even the workers at the local grocery store are completely decked out in Hawkeye gear. I've gotten in the habit of dressing the girls in black and gold every Saturday. I noticed these tiger hawk stickers and thought they'd be a cute addition.

To get them off, the instructions said to just use some baby oil and rub with a washcloth. Turns out it wasn't that easy and both girls had bright, red cheeks for a couple of days. I'm glad I got pictures because we won't be using these again!

Baby Fresh

We were given strict instructions not to get Liesel's cast wet. After two days it was apparent we'd have to get creative. Mom covered her cast with a ziplock bag and covered a folded quilt with a towel so Liesel could prop it up. Sitting in the kitchen sink, she was able to look out the window on the backyard and field beyond while Mom sponged her down.

Now that Ireland is sitting on her own, Mom thought she might enjoy the same treatment. Mom really knows best.

There's nothing like a squeaky clean baby!

Sunday Best

Every time I do laundry I find myself setting aside clothes Liesel and Ireland have grown out of. It's a bit more painful with Ireland because I have no guarantee I'll ever pull them out again. Thank goodness for cameras! Here are some photos of the latest fall fashions:

This dress is very old. I don't think I wore it as a kid but

Reagan or Whitney did. I flipped out when I found the tights with red hearts and anchors on them. Ireland only got to wear it once. *sniff* *sniff*

Liesel rocking the mod look.

I gave her a zig-zag part to tie in with the dress pattern.

Liesel's cast kind of became an accessory. Lots of people didn't even notice she HAD a cast on because it coordinated so well with the outfit.

I love my girls!

What's in a Name?

Tonight while eating dinner with my girls, Ireland looked up at me with her big blue eyes. I couldn't help myself, I exclaimed, "Hello Gorgeous!" Liesel overheard and piped in enthusiastically, "Hi Gorgeous!" Not wanting Liesel to feel left out I addressed her next, "Hello Beautiful!" She smiled and responded, "Hi" there was a brief pause, "DANIKA."

And that was my laugh of the day.

Watermelon Babies

My sister Reagan and I are similar in many, many ways. Among those traits is a love for all things Gymboree for our two daughters. While we were at the Gymboree outlet in Park City, I pitched the idea of getting coordinating outfits for our girls and taking some photos. I already had some items from their Watermelon line and she spotted the same tops. Then she held up the white tennis skirt with tiny watermelons for Ireland and I found myself yelling across the store, "I WANT THAT!!!" So the photos became a reality. Here are some of the results:

Liesel, Piper and Paisley
All the girls. I have about 6 photos and one person isn't looking at the camera in each of them. I selected this one because Liesel and Ireland's faces crack me up.
Ireland's first taste of watermelon
We were finished taking photos so the girls ran to change and I started playing with Ireland. She went into a laughing fit and Reagan got some pictures of it.
I had SO much fun hanging out at Reagan's. She has no idea how lucky she is we actually left because we would've happily stayed another month!
I hope my girls grow up to be good friends like I am with my sisters!

Oldie but Goodie

Can you tell Brent is in town and I'm frantically catching up on my blogging while I have access to our laptop? Anyway, this pic is just too cute not to share. We were minutes away from O'Hare airport to catch our flight to SLC when the girls fell asleep... holding hands. Moments like these make me love being a mom!

Anatomy

Liesel: I wanna feed Ireland!

Me: Sorry honey, you don't have boobs.

Liesel: *eyes light up* I hab a boo boo!!! *points to bruise on shin*

Happy Father's Day!

Lest you think I'm jumping the gun by posting the night before Father's Day, let me clarify. I actually had Liesel paint a card for her father and two grandfathers. I intended to get them sent out along with the latest photos of the girls. For Ireland's 3 month photos we wanted to capture her in her blessing dress. Because we don't have any sister photos yet we put the girls in slips during the same sitting. I'm really happy with how they turned out. Unfortunately, I never made it to the post office to send the cards and photos so the grandfathers would have them in time. This is just a preview of what's to come. Watch your mailbox!

My favorite is the first photo because you can see the shamrock cuff links I gave to Brent when he blessed her. They were an early Father's Day gift and they coordinate with the shamrock charm from Tiffany's he gave me for Mother's Day. Great minds think alike...

Jump! Jump!

I had to get this on video before Liesel actually learns how to jump. I love how she ends up kind of trotting like a horse.

Last night I was nursing Ireland and holding her head in my hand. Even though it still fits in my palm, I can tell it's bigger than it was. My baby is growing up! So sad. But good. I wouldn't want her to be in arrested development and stay a baby forever. I just wish I could enjoy the moment a bit longer I guess.

Da Girlz

I don't claim to be any great talent when it comes to shooting abstract photos but I'm really happy with how this one turned out:

This is a typical Sunday morning on Mom and Dad's bed. Doesn't Liesel look just ginormous compared to Ireland? Liesel still can't get enough of her... SWEET!

Sibling Rivalry or Sisterly Love?

In case you were wondering how Liesel reacted to meeting her new sister: