my busy bees

Where to begin? There has been so much going on with our girls lately. My busy little bees keep me on my toes, that's for sure! By the time they are both in bed I am spent. For me, finding time to sit down and blog is the biggest challenge. By the time I get around to it so much time has passed that I have a whole laundry list of accomplishments I have to highlight. My girls are in completely different stages in their lives, but they both have very exciting things happening. So let's get caught up on the last month or so.

Back in May Cecilia was asked by my dear friend Korrie to model for the diaper bag line of Cinda b handbags. Korrie is the creative mind behind this company and is responsible for putting together their marketing pieces. That also gives her the ability to pick her own models at times. Who wouldn't jump at the chance for their baby to model for a national company? Cecilia was a very cooperative 10 month old, which made for some adorable shots.

I am not exactly sure how Cecilia is going to be used, but I will definitely share it with everyone once I know.   I love the fact that I now have some gorgeous shots of my girl all gussied up! Just look at that face!

The weather did not waste any time warming up this summer. It has been crazy hot since early May and has hardly let up since then. Although we are desperate for some rain we are enjoying spending so much time outdoors. Our first attempt at cooling off involved getting Cece in her baby pool. She was not a fan at first, probably because the water was pretty cold. But once Olivia hopped in with her she was more entertained. She and her sister have splashed around together a few times, but we quickly found that this was not going to satisfy their swimming needs for the summer. As soon as my brother-in-law's pool was open for business we started spending our weekend days there.

Olivia is at her happiest when swimming in her Uncle's pool. She is officially a swimmer this year too, so no more floating device! She loves spending her weekends playing with the kids that stop over for a swim. It is the perfect place for her to spend her summer, plus she is able to spend lots of time with her family. With all of the time we have been spending there Cecilia has quickly adapted to the water. She loves floating around watching everyone else splash and play. She is becoming my little water baby, just like her sister, and I love it!

In May we also held our very first garage sale. We decided it would be smart to do since we had so much baby stuff to sell. What a good decision that was! I made a killing on baby gear and clothes over three days. It was well worth the work that went into putting it all together. Olivia participated too. On the last day of the sale she set up her very first lemonade stand. I knew she would have some success, but she surprised us all by raking in a whopping $57! She was very proud of herself and I was proud of what she learned by running her very first little business.

Last month Olivia wrapped up her fourth year of school at Peace Montessori. Hard to believe that my first born has completed four years of school already! She has grown so much in the past year, but I think I say that at the end of every school year. Olivia has one more year with her teacher, Ms. Laura and then she will move into the next classroom. Not sure if we can make it without Ms. Laura...she is simply the best!

What impresses me the most is the friendships she has made over the years. There is one little boy that has been with Olivia at this school from the beginning...Tyler. Well this was Tyler's last year at Peace, as he is going to Kindergarten at a different school. Olivia was quite sad to see Tyler go. They were true friends. Although they were not as close this year as they had been in the past, when it came down to it they were still best buds. I am sad for Olivia that she is losing her pal, but I am going to make sure that they still get to see each other on occasion. 

The biggest news for Olivia over the past month is the loss of her two bottom teeth! They both came out within one week of each other. The first tooth came out at school, thanks to a gentle tug from Olivia's teacher. The second came out the night before she left for her trip to California. It was an exciting week at our house with two visits from the tooth fairy! Gotta love that toothless smile.

I guess Olivia's teeth fell out just in time for Cecilia's to come in. We've got two teeth on the bottom and two on the top! We are just a few days away from her first birthday. My little girl seems to be trying to squeeze in as much as she can before she turns one.  She little personality has really started to blossom. In fact she has become one loud girl. She always has something to say, and she tends to say it with gusto! She says, "Da da", "Ma ma", "Uh-oh", and a bunch of other stuff we cannot understand.

She has also recently taken her first steps. If the mood strikes her she can take about 6 solid steps, before crashing to the ground. She can also stand up on her own in the middle of the room without holding on to anything. She is amazing me with how much she has accomplished lately. She is a girl with a mind of her own and I cannot believe that in a few days I am going to be helping her blow out the candle on her cake. I am still looking for a way to freeze time and enjoy this stage of her life just a bit longer.

Next time I blog I will be taking about my one-year old! I will also share Olivia's wonderful trip to California with her Nana to visit Aunt Sue-Sue. It was her first trip without Mom or Dad and she did great. I will also share Olivia's dance recital and Todd's 40th birthday. June has been one busy month!