Hide n' Seek

I'm missing a bottle.  Last week I had both of my girls sitting on the couch enjoying some apple juice in their bottles.  It looked something like this....

Well, after the girls were done with their juice, both bottles ended up on the floor.  Once I got around to picking them up, Kinsie's yellow bottle was nowhere to be found.  I didn't think too much about it, until Saturday rolled around (my cleaning day) and the bottle was still M.I.A.  Now, a week later, Chad and I are assuming the bottle is gone forever. 

Here's our theory:

First, some background info.  At the beginning of the month Chad and I sat down at the computer to over our monthly budget.  Britnee sat on the floor, content to let mommy and daddy get stuff done.  Kinsie, however, decided she needed some entertainment.  So, I allowed her to play with my wallet.  She was in heaven!  After we were done I started putting my wallet back together and discovered I was missing a credit card and my Sam's Club card.  Luckily, I found them the next morning right were you would expect to find them...

...in the car, of course!  So, thinking I had discovered a secret little cache of Kinsie's I laughed and thought nothing of it.  That, however, was at the beginning of the month.  Since then, we have been playing the most interesting game of hide n' seek with Kinsie.  I think she would normally love playing this game, but of course she's too young to really realize what it is she's doing.  At least I don't think she knows what she's doing!?!  This past Saturday (after the loss of the bottle) we found ourselves searching for one of Kinsie's shoes.  We kept asking Kinsie where her shoe was and spent a good 20+ minutes looking everywhere.  We were stumped.  I mean there really are only so many places a shoe can go.  Finally it dawned on me that Kinsie has been spending a lot of her time trying to reach for all the goodies in the pantry.  Sure enough...

Then, the very next day (Sunday), I once again found myself asking Kinsie where her dress was.  She had picked up her dress while I was doing Britnee's hair and had managed to relocate it to some unknown place.  I was careful this time to start with the pantry, but the dress was nowhere to be found.  At that point I gave up and decided to go with another dress.  So, I changed her diaper, put on the new dress, and threw the old diaper away.  Look what I ended up finding in the process...

Yep, the dress in the dirty diaper trash can....SICK!  Since Sunday I have spent a good portion of my day fishing stuff out of this very trash can.  Things like....

...Britnee's clothes...

...the case for my glasses...

...and her favorite books.

Now all of this, in conjunction with the fact that Chad witnessed Kinsie throwing away Britnee's bottle in our larger trash can, has led to the simple conclusion that the yellow bottle (and who knows what else) has been tossed out for good.  At least my credit card didn't end up with the same fate!

Where does the time go?

That statement really applies to my life right now, on so many levels, however I actually know the answer.

First of all I've been attempting to accomplish some "fall" cleaning around here. Technically it's more organizing than anything, but it's making my life feel a little less crazy knowing where everything is. I've finished with the girls room and their clothes, their bathroom, the hall closet, the closet in our office, and the kitchen pantry. Sweet victory.

Then, I've been spending any free moment I have (which isn't that much since the girls don't take naps together anymore) creating things, working on projects, and coming up with some super fun ideas for the blog that my sister and I are doing together. I have a huge list that I'm trying to whittle away at and I've been trying not to let this aspect take over my life, but it's been hard since the creative juices are overflowing right now. I've actually enjoyed this outlet as it's given me something to do that's only for me (and those who check out our blog).

I've also spent a good portion of my time watching my girls literally grow up before my eyes. This is when I really start asking myself where the time has gone. Everyday Kinsie is learning some new death defying feat, or simply a new word, and with Britnee around she's seems that much older. Not to mention that next month she starts nursery. Is it bad for a mom to cry when they drop off their kid to nursery for the first time?

The same applies to Britnee. I'm amazed at all the little thing this girl can accomplish ever though she isn't crawling, scooting, or pulling herself up onto furniture. Not being able to do those things is the only reason she still feels like a little baby to me. Let's keep it that way!!!

With all of these things keeping e preoccupied I've neglected my blog. Which normally I wouldn't be kicking myself over, but since I look at my blog as my personal journal I really hate to slacking off on it. Especially now that Kinsie and Britnee both rule the house. So, I plan on trying to do better and intend to begin right now with these updates.

PUPPY LOVE
In July my sister got a miniature poodle for her birthday.  Her name is Nixxie, and she's the cutest little thing.  At the beginning of September Chad took off to Florida for work and left us girls at home.  I actually choose not to fly 5 straight hours with two girls who were to be contained on a lap.  So, we headed out to see family for the week instead.  We stayed with my parents and let the girls run/sit free with Nixxie for a good part of the time.  So cute!

STORY TIME

My girls love reading books.  Kinsie asks me to read to her more times than I can count, and I'm sure Britnee would too if she could walk.  Don't get me wrong, I love it.  There is nothing I want more than for my kids to have a love of reading and books.  That's why I love finding Kinsie doing this.

That just makes me smile!  As soon as I was done taking these pictures I turned around to find Britnee looking through a book by herself.  I tried to capture that moment too, but she simply wanted to play with me instead.

Don't you just love these two.  They make my heart happy!

Change is in the air!

And I don't mean Fall! 

I usually love change.  I enjoy trying new things, getting that fresh start, and having a new outlook on life.  (No, we're not moving)  As much as I enjoy the new beginning that comes with change, there are those  times in life when change isn't all that it's cracked up to be.  For example: I don't like it when it's time to change the laundry, or when I've changed about 10 plus diapers in one day.  I also don't enjoy change when it interrupts a perfectly good thing that I have going; like a routine and set schedule with my girls.

Our life used to be so predictable.  Believe me, with two girls this close together in age predictability is the only thing that keeps you sane.  We had everything all worked out:
Girls up about 7:00
Breakfast around 8:00
Nap time (FOR BOTH OF THE GIRLS) 10:00
Both girls awake around 12:30
Lunch 1:00
Britnee down for second nap around 3:00
Play time until 4:30
Go outside and wait for Daddy to come home 4:30-5:00
Dinner at 6:00
Both in bed by 7:30

LIFE WAS GREAT!!!!

But now! 
Britnee up around 4:30, then again around 6:30
Both officially up by 7:15
Breakfast around 8:00
Britnee down around 10:00, 10:30, sometimes 11:00
Kinsie down....hopefully no later than 1:30....if I'm lucky
Lunch around 1:00
Britnee now doesn't go down for a second nap
Play Time until 4:30
Wait for Daddy outside 4:30-5:00
Dinner at 6:00
Bedtime is now contingent upon their naps for the day and the stress level of Mommy :)

LIFE IS NOW UNPREDICTABLE....and I'm not sure how I feel about it.

I guess this is just another stage that I have to push through until I can learn to manage, and accept, the shift in their schedules.  I don't mind, really I don't!  It's just, now I don't know when I'm supposed to squeeze in a shower.

Oh well, I suppose I'll have time to shower when they are both in college.

So, here's to all the little changes that life brings to each of us!  May we learn to love the moment we're in and continue to count each blessing that comes our way.

Family Fun

At the beginning of the month Chad and I took the girls on Labor Day camping trip.  It was such a great little get away.  We took the trailer and were able to camp right next to the area we usually go riding.  I think this was such a fun trip because the girls were great at going on rides with us and not complaining.  In fact, they almost couldn't wait to go on our daily rides.

Each day we would take quick little 1 hour rides with the girls.  Kinsie would be on the four wheeler with me while Britnee hung out with Chad....literally.

We would ride up to a stopping point, eat, enjoy the beautiful surroundings, and turn around and head back to camp.  The girls loved it and that makes me so excited for camping trips with them next summer!

We also spent some time playing in the creek right by our camp sight.....

Watching and attempting to play with the local critters...

And sitting by the girls first fire.

Life doesn't get any better!

24 Days Until Autumn

Yet, I awoke this morning to find snow covered mountains.

Okay, maybe they weren't completely covered in snow, but with it being still being August I think I'm safe in saying they are as covered as they are going to get.

With snow in the mountains and temps in the mid 50's the feeling of Fall is definitely in the air. I'm really tempted to bust out the Fall decor, place a few Autumn Spice candles on their warmers, bundle up with my bundled up girls, and enjoy some hot chocolate while watching football. Unfortunately, instead of being able to do all of that I have to finish packing for our trip this weekend, make a salad for an F.H.E. get together with some friends, finish the laundry and then some last minute shopping. And never mind the fact that temps will be back into the low 90's by this weekend.

Oh well, at least I got a taste of what I have to look forward to! I love Fall and can't wait for it to get here.

Family Fun at Flaming Gorge

This is supposed to be a annual event for our family, but it seems like we're only able to make it out every other year....if that. Last year Kinsie was only a few months old, so we opted out of going. That made us more determined than ever to get in on some of the family fun this year. The girls did awesome and having a new camping trailer certainly helped in making this trip enjoyable for us and the girls.

Instead of giving you a play by play of our trip I'll just break it down main categories and give you a little feel of the fun we had.
The Trailer
We finally got ourselves a trailer. We've been looking to get one since we've been married and with the addition of the two girls we figured now was the time.The trailer was great and it made the girls naps, cooking, sleeping, getting ready, and pretty much our entire trip that much easier and the girls just loved being in there. I always grew up "tenting it" and know it's possible to camp without a trailer, but I honestly don't know how we would have survived this trip without one. So, to all of you out there who camp on a regular basis with lots of kids and nothing but a tent...I salute you!

The girls enjoying bath time in the trailer
The girls enjoying playtime with daddy in the trailer--Kinsie kept pulling this face the entire time we were there while saying OHHHHHHHHH! She still does it here at home and I can't get enough of it :)

The Boat

We really only had one day that we got to spend on the boat, but that was probably all the girls could have handled anyway. However, Kinsie was able to go out with dad every morning to watch Uncle Kyle and Grandpa ski. They both loved being on the boat and did such a great job in spite on the annoying life vests.

Skiing
I'm a wimp when it comes to skiing in cold water. Actually, I just hate doing it. It's not fun for me at all, so this year I didn't even attempt to go skiing. I'm kinda bummed about it, but at the same time it's just not worth all the shivering. Luckily, Chad and I balance out each other very well. Where I'm not man enough to set foot in the cold water, Chad will not only go skiing in frigid temperatures, but will attempt to do so one handed. (BROKEN WRIST.....REMEMBER!)

Now, you may be thinking to yourself that skiing one handed isn't really that big of a deal...and it isn't. I think almost everyone who can ski has dropped one hand off the rope at one point or another, but have any of you ever gotten up while holding the rope with only one hand? Well, that's what Chad did and I think that's pretty impressive.

The Sights
We always manage to have a great time and we really enjoy all the activities that we are available, but I think my favorite part of it all are the sites we get to see. I never tire of how gorgeous it is at Flaming Gorge.
Whether it's sitting at camp and watching 2 doe and 3 fawns cross by...or seeing the tail end of some big horned sheep...or if it's simply watching Kinsie as she takes it all in...

I love being at Flaming Gorge!