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!

mommy love

Somehow the days have passed me by and I am facing the eve of my baby's 1st birthday. This year has slipped by quicker than I could have ever imagined. Cecilia and I definitely went through some difficult times in the beginning, but now things are smooth sailing and this little creature is bringing me more joy than I ever expected. We just celebrated Mother's Day so I was able to reflect on just how blessed I am to have these two amazing girls in my life!

The weekend started with a lovely Mother's Day luncheon at Olivia's school. The kids spent a great deal of time preparing their gifts for all of us and could hardly contain their excitement. It was nice spending some one on one time with Olivia and meeting some of her little friends. Olivia's school is an amazing community of teachers and students, and I am proud that my little girl is a part of it. This school has helped to shape Olivia into the wonderful little person that she is today and I am lucky to be her mother.

Mother's Day fell on the same weekend as our association garage sale, so by the time Sunday rolled around I was exhausted. We all went to church together that morning and spent the rest of the day working in the yard. I know...that does not sound like a relaxing way to spend the day, but we had a garden that was not going to plant itself. My Mom came over and helped me get the veggies in the ground and my very patient husband put the fence up. It was a big job, but we got it done. Olivia ran off to a friend's house and Cecilia hung out with us in her baby pool for a bit. She spent more time trying to crawl out of it, but had a some fun nonetheless. I was surrounded by those that I love the most that day and that was all I needed to have a wonderful Mother's Day!

Lady Cecilia is a baby on a mission. Her mission is to explore her world by getting into anything and everything. She is a very curious little thing, but not in a naughty way. But just like with any 10 month old baby we do have to keep an eye on her at all times. So far we have not had to put up any baby gates or put locks on our doors or drawers. My goal is to keep it that way. She does have full range of our Tupperware drawer. She keeps herself very busy making a massive mess, while I am busy in the kitchen. On a good day she can clear out that drawer in minutes!

This child is growing up entirely too fast, right in front of my eyes! Here is a rundown of all she can do at 10 1/2 months. She waves bye-bye, does "SO big", claps and plays patty-cake, blows kisses, gives kisses and hugs and dances along to music. She can walk while holding on to her little push car and has been working on standing without help. She pulls up on everything and will climb over anyone and anything to get what she wants. Everything she does, she does with a big smile on her face. There's no doubt about it...this is one happy baby. Most mornings when I walk into her room this cutie pie is waiting for me. This talented girl can smile with a paci in her mouth!

So in just over a month my sweet girl will be turning one. I am still trying to wrap my head around that idea. I have been doing a pretty good job of soaking it all in this time around. Knowing that this is our last baby has made me slow down and enjoy every second of these early months. I find myself looking ahead to the days when Cecilia is no longer my little baby, and I get sad. She has brought me more joy than I could have ever imagined. When Olivia was born I thought it would impossible to ever love another little person as much as I loved her. I am amazed by just how much love I have for both of my girls and I know the feeling is mutual when I get showered with sweet little kisses and tight hugs.

Luckily Olivia is still just as enamored with her sister as she has been from day one. She is always willing to play with her, even though Cece only wants to destroy her toys. She takes times to show her things, tell her stories and help her when needed. Olivia was especially excited to take her sister to the zoo for the first time this season.

We took Cece a few times last year, but she was only months old at the time. We made it a point to get to the zoo as soon as it opened for the season. Cecilia enjoyed the afternoon strapped to her Daddy's back. We didn't have time to see the whole zoo, but that is the joy of the zoo pass. We can go back anytime, and often as we like throughout the season. I am excited to create many fun memories with my girls at the zoo this summer!

My goal this summer is to enjoy my girls to the fullest. Stop and enjoy all of the little things. You know...the things that we often take for granted. I am going to take in every smile and giggle, watch my girls play together, while Cecilia experiences things for the first time. I am so incredibly blessed to be the mother of these two amazing girls. Next up...Cecilia's 1st birthday!

god bless this girl

I count my blessings on a daily basis. I often wonder how I was lucky enough to be blessed with not one amazing little girl, but two! For five years Olivia was the center of our world. Nine months ago she had to start sharing that spotlight with her new baby sister. She has adjusted to this change in her world with great ease, and has no problem allowing her sister to steal the spotlight from time to time.

Cecilia recently was the center of attention as we celebrated her baptism. It was a beautiful Spring day and of course our girl looked absolutely stunning. Making it even more special was having Cecilia baptized in the same gown as Olivia. Cecilia's godparents are two very special people in our lives. My close friend, Leslie is her Godmother. I have been friends with Leslie since high school. Last year she lost her baby Aiden, a few short weeks after he was born. I have admired Leslie for her strength and how she has dealt with everything she has been through. I want to instill the qualities Leslie possesses in Cecilia, and make sure she knows Aiden's story. Todd's brother, VJ is Cece's Godfather. VJ has a special touch when it comes to our girls. They just take to him and his gentle personality.

The baptism took place smack dab in the middle of Cecilia's nap time. I was hoping my sweet girl would sleep through the service leading up to the ceremony. No such luck! She was too interested in what was going on to sleep. When the time arrived to take center stage she was ready to go! She did not cry. In fact she was a delight throughout it all. It was a very nice ceremony, and Olivia being able to share it with us made it even more special.

Immediately following the baptism we celebrated the occasion with our friends and family during an afternoon brunch. Unfortunately Cecilia was completely worn out from the previous festivities, so she slept through it all. Once she woke from a solid nap she was ready to party, even though the majority of our guests had gone home. It was a beautiful day completely centered around one beautiful little girl.

Now let's focus on our other little blessing. I am not sure if I have mentioned this yet, but this fall we are taking Olivia to Disney World. It will be our first major family vacation, as Cecilia will be coming along with us as well (with a little help from my Mom). Anyway...to prepare for this exciting event we thought it would be fun to take Olivia to see Disney on Ice, when it was in town last month. Olivia anticipated this for weeks. All of the anticipation paid off, as it was one heck of a show!

I think I enjoyed it as much as she did. It was pure joy and fun from beginning to end. Olivia was captivated by all of the skating characters and colorful costumes. The props were super impressive and the skating wasn't too shabby either. We let Olivia pick out one souvenir for the night and she chose a cute little Aerial necklace. She wore it proudly that night. This show made me super excited to take our girls to Disney this fall. I can only imagine what sort of memories we will create!

Easter weekend closely followed the baptism. I think next to Christmas this may just be Olivia's favorite holiday. Egg hunts & candy...it doesn't get much better than that! We had an official mascot that weekend. Meet Little Bunny Cece...

Our incredibly thoughtful babysitter, Holly gave those adorable bunny ears to Cecilia and surprisingly she did not mind wearing them. Both girls were beyond cute on Easter morning in their sweet, little dresses. They turned quite a few heads at church, as you can imagine. Little old ladies seem to have a weakness when it comes to little girls in cute little dresses. Plus, Cecilia's bunny coat pretty much made her irresistible.

We had Easter dinner plans later that afternoon, but stopped at my Mom's first for some Easter basket fun. Olivia had her first egg hunt of the day, immediately followed by digging into her Easter goodies. Cecilia received her very first Easter basket, but seemed to be most interested in the tag of her fuzzy bunny. Doesn't take much to satisfy a 9 month old.

My Mom had one simple Easter wish...to have a photo taken with both of her granddaughters. Easier said than done. Getting two kids to pose and smile is incredibly difficult. I think I took about 30 shots and maybe ended up with a few good ones in the bunch.

The kind people that have us over for Easter dinner each year, treat our girls like their own. They always do a big egg hunt for their grand kids and shower them with huge Easter baskets. Well Olivia and Cecilia are treated no different. They are extremely generous and help to make Easter extra special for our family. Olivia had double duty this year, as she had to find her and Cece's eggs. There are definite advantages to being a big sister and searching for twice as many eggs is one of them!

Cecilia had a wonderful first Easter and Olivia, as always enjoys every holiday to the fullest. I love nothing more than watching my girls get joy out of life. I'd give anything to stop time and live in this moment for a bit longer, before it passes me by and the girls are not as interested in all of these fun family events. 

Now it is update time. Cecilia is a busy bee. She is now waving bye-bye, clapping, and pulling herself up on furniture. One day she was playing on the floor, I turned around and saw her standing up, playing her piano. She can do "so big", but only chooses to do it on occasion. In fact, she pretty does what she wants, when she wants. Doing things on demand is not top of the list for Cecilia. Shocking, right? She is still as sweet as can be though. The smiles go on for miles and one thing she does do on demand is give big, sloppy kisses.

The bond between Olivia and Cecilia continues to grow stronger. Cece is has become much more interested in her sister and often follows her around the house. What impresses me the most is how much attention Olivia gives to her sister. Even though she is over 5 years older she still is more than happy to sit on the floor and play with blocks. Nothing gives me more pleasure than watching Olivia be a big sister to Cecilia.

Olivia has taken a step towards becoming even more grown up. She has graduated to a "big girl" bike. She has outgrown her smaller bike and although she has not learned to ride without training wheels quite yet, it was necessary to get her a bigger bike. Teaching her to ride without the training wheels is on top of the "to-do" list this summer.

We are looking forward to a fun summer with the girls. We have lots of fun things planned. Top of the list will be the celebration of Cecilia's 1st birthday. Hard to believe that my (not so) little baby is approaching the end of her first year. What I wouldn't give for a few extra months of "baby time". For now I will just keeping taking those sloppy kisses.