New House

Here are some pictures of our new house...

A garage is a MUST in this heat...

We searched long and hard for our patch of grass in the back!

Unfurnished front room...

Kitchen...

Living room featuring James in the recliner watching college football...

Toy room...best part of the house if you ask me! James even put a TV and DVD player in the corner for Lexi.

Upstairs...I am taking the picture from the door of the guest bedroom (aka Chase's room). There is a bathroom between Lexi and Berkley's rooms and the master bedroom is around the corner. So 5 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms. Basically quadruple the size of our Ohio townhouse!

Lexi's 3rd Birthday

I can't believe she's 3! It went by so fast! But I have to say, it's nice that I can finally say she's 3 since I have heard a million times "Wow, she's really big for a two year old!".

Anyway, Lexi had a great birthday! I was kind of worried since we had just moved, and didn't have very many friends and I thought she would have a hard time not having her Ohio friends with her. But everything went great, 3 year olds are easy to please! :)

We met up with some friends from church for swimming, so Lexi got to open her swim presents when she first woke up. She got princess diving toys and goggles...She is a fish--She loves the water, and is doing really well at swimming. She dives under the water and can hold her breath for a really long time!

On the phone with Grandma...Lexi in her new wagon filled with presents...

Opening presents...A jump rope...I love that $1 toys can make her this happy!
Lexi loves to be able to play with her friend Lynlee again! Lynlee moved to AZ last year, and these girls hardly missed a beat connecting again! I filled a tub with sand and buried treasures for the girls to find..
Lexi's birthday cake. Fancy, I know. The lady at the store wrote Happy Birthday on the cake and then sprinkled the whole thing with edible glitter. Lexi still talks about her cake with "fairy dust." She keeps telling me we need to go to the store to get her cake for her next birthday, and reminds me she will be 4 on her next birthday. If only she knew how far away that is!

Lexi has had a hard time adjusting. She did fine with the move, she refers to everyone out here as her "new friends", and she loves the new friends she has made. But the first month was really hard...She cried over everything, always seemed to be in a bad mood, and was always getting in trouble...This basically sums it up...How dramatic!

Forced smile....

I'm 3, just leave me alone!

But...this little girl LOVES to color. She got water colors for her birthday and loves them! She can sit at the counter with crayons and color for really long periods of time. She spends so much time on her pictures, and they are actually really quite good.

We're Back!!

Well, I guess it's about time I catch up on some blogging. So much has happened these past few months, but I am so bad at taking pictures of anything except the girls. What am I going to do without Sherri Perry around? She always has her camera and gets pictures of everything! I guess I am going to have to step it up!!

Here are some random pictures of the girls while we were still in Ohio...

Lexi went to see Kung Fu Panda 2 with her friends Ethan and Austin ... She loves those boys. I wonder if she will always remember them. Just the other day she was talking about something with Ethan and Austin and then she looked at me and said "Ethan and Austin, those are my bestest buddies," as if I don't remember who they are! :) We made them some Panda cupcakes to thank them for taking her to the movie!

Lexi surrounded by all of her favorite babies, Berkley being one of the favs...

My favorites....

Berkley is such a good sport. Lexi LOVES this baby so much! Lexi doesn't get jealous of the attention we give Berkley...if James and I are doing anything with Berkley, Lexi is right there next to us doing the same thing! She acts like she's B's 2nd mom!

There's nothing girly about this girl!

More sister love...

Getting bigger!!

So sweet!

We love this little girl...

Trying to keep Lexi entertained...This was some milk that we left out....We poured it on a plate, put a few drops of food coloring in it, dipped a toothpick in dish soap, and watched the colors swirl around!

2 MONTHS!

Berkley is now 2 months old! She is 11 lbs 12 oz (75th percentile) and although I am sure they measured wrong, she is 21.5 inches (25th percentile.) Yes, according to her appointment, she is short and pudgy. She loved our Pediatrician, and smiled and cooed at her the whole time she was in the room!

She doesn't love tummy time, maybe this little contraption will make it a little better... She's starting to grow fond of her adoring big sister...Ouch...lots of shots! Look at those chubby legs...

Berkley's Blessing Day

This last Sunday, April 10th, we had the opportunity to bless Berkley Elle. Her Great Grandma Shupe made the dress she is wearing, which was originally made for me when I was blessed. It's an absolutely beautiful dress, and our baby looked like an angel wearing it. I am grateful for my Grandma, and seeing Berkley in the dress she made has brought her to mind the last few weeks. My Grandma passed away the summer before James and I got married. She was so talented, and I am grateful to have a few of the wonderful things that she made all of her grandkids. I have also thought a lot lately about how wonderful children are in our lives, and I am so thankful for the opportunity I have to be a mother to these two beautiful daughters.

Lexi's "Photoshoot"

We blessed Berkley yesterday...I need to get some good pictures of Berkley in her dress, and then I will post about that. Lexi got a new dress for the blessing, and LOVES it. Lexi is going through a phase right now where she will only wear dresses. She refuses to wear jeans, or any other pants except leggings. She tells me "jeans hurt me." When I do get her dressed in jeans/khaki pants, she throws a huge fit and usually sends herself to her room (Yes, when my two year old gets upset, she will send herself to her room and shut the door.) If she is upset about what she is wearing, she will come downstairs a few minutes later wearing a different outfit. I've decided it's not a battle worth fighting, so I went and bought her some more dresses. Luckily the weather is starting to warm up!

Anyway, here is Lexi , according to her, in her "beautiful princess dress that twirls." And oh does she love to twirl in it....I had fun playing around with my camera...

This picture sums it up...She is definitely not lacking in the personality department! I could have photoshopped the bruise off of her face, but I decided not to. It adds personality, and it's kind of funny how she got it. She was sitting at the dinner table eating and then sneezed and her head slammed into the table. Ouch!