Our Front Porch Looking In

2010-11-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

We had a great time trick or treating with the girls. In addition to visiting family and friends, we did our first real up and down the street trick-or-treating. Haddie didn't want to stop until her bucket was full, but her sisters (and her mom and dad) got cold a little earlier. Nevertheless, we managed to come home with a ton of candy. The girls had fun trick or treating but since we had only visited family and friends before, I had to remind them several times that we don't walk into everyone's houses. They are just too friendly for their own good sometimes!

Best Friends

2010-09-17T08:32:00.000-07:00

I am having such a good time these days just watching the girls. They each have such unique personalities.

Haddie is my little go getter. She is always ready to tackle anything new and throws herself wholeheartedly into everything she does. Most recently, she has begun gymnastics lessons and is has been a joy to watch her. She absolutely loves having an outlet for all of her energy, flexibility and creativity. We have also been having "school time" each afternoon while her sisters nap, and Haddie just soaks up everything I tell her like a sponge. She is so enthusiastic and will remind me that it is school time each day. Of course I am her mother, so I am biased, but I am very impressed with how quickly she is learning to write letters, learning their sounds, and sounding out short words. She loves hearing new Spanish words and often asks me how to say things (yikes, I need a dictionary!) Her thirst for knowledge is such a neat thing to watch. She is also becoming very responsible and loves to help around the house and often surprises me with her compassion and caring for her sisters (not all of the time, of course :)

Sierra is little miss independent right now. I am impressed with her patience and determination. Although sometimes things take longer, she rarely gives up until she can accomplish something herself. Sometimes I get impatient and I have to remind myself that this is a really wonderful thing, even if I need to adjust my schedule. She has a natural charm that just makes me laugh. With a giggle, smile or a silly question, she can engage the most aloof person we meet. She doesn't know a stranger, and of course we are talking about this, but I love the spirit behind it.

What can I say about Brooklyn. From the moment of her surprising entry into the world, nothing about her has been as I expected. We are so thankful that she is happy and healthy after everything she has been through. She has been my clingiest baby as well as the child that has stayed a baby the longest. She began walking at 16 months and still is not talking beyond babbling mama and baba. This may sound frustrating, but to be honest I am really enjoying her. Knowing that she is my third and that I did not have the early time with her when she was in the hospital, I have loved every minute of her "babyhood." She is pretty busy but her favorite place to be is sitting on my lap with a favorite toy and whenever I pull out her special blanket her fingers go in her mouth and her head immediately rests against my shoulder. It makes my heart melt every time. I think maybe God is restoring lost time to us by giving me this extra time with her as a baby. Having said all that, the doctors think that she is doing great and is right where she should be as a preemie, on the slow end of normal for most developmental milestones.

Each of these precious girls is such a blessing to me and I just wanted to share with friends and family some of the joys we have in our life right now. Thanks for listening to my ramblings...

Lady Antebellum

2010-05-26T06:40:00.000-07:00

So the girls' favorite song right now is this one that their aunt Reatha taught them. I don't love that they sing it, but it is cute.

On vacation last week, we had our own church service and everyone shared something. Haddie wanted to share this song. She even promised to put something about God into it:) Thankfully, she ended up sharing some of her Awana verses and the Cubbies song instead.

Branson #1

2010-05-23T10:33:00.001-07:00

Gone Fishin'

2010-04-21T16:45:00.000-07:00

Haddie went fishing with her daddy on Saturday. She caught a fish on her first cast and then was very frustrated not to get another bite the entire time we were out. Our little fisherwoman!

Portraits 2010

2010-04-19T11:25:00.000-07:00

We headed over to Portrait Innovations to update the girls' pictures. I decided that it is too hard to keep up with 3 different times to go in, so we will just continue do to them all at the same time. It worked pretty well and I was able to do some group shots as well. They just didn't fit into the collage. I'll share some soon.

Preschool and organizing closets

2010-03-05T12:34:00.000-08:00

So, what have the Ulrichs been up to lately? Well, I have begun the massive task of changing seasons/sizes for my 3 girls. Brooklyn was a big help here holding down the tubs. She loves standing up and attention!! She cried when I went away to get my camera.

As you can see from the top of this picture, I have an assortment of sizes out for Brooklyn at the moment. I just hate to miss out on cute winter clothes, so I got some stuff out of my 6 and 9 month boxes just in case she could wear it. At first I was trying things on her to see if they fit, but that didn't last too long. The sleeper she is wearing her is 0-3 and still fits fine. Crazy girl!

Haddie also started Preschool on Monday! She is having such a great time and we are doing it with some of her friends from last year which is great for her and me (I get to reconnect with some moms I haven't seen in a while). We are doing the MTHS preschool, so her teachers are high school students learning more about early education. It is a great program. There are as many teachers as kids so she gets a lot of personal attention and we get some babysitter ideas, too. Plus it is super cheap ($20 for the entire semester, 4 days a week!)

An Introduction to the Ice

2010-02-09T09:43:00.000-08:00

We spent a few days this week down in Saint Louis with my parents, and it was a much needed change of scenery for all of us! One of the hilights was spending a day at the St. Louis Mills Mall. It has great outlet stores like Carters, Gymboree, Children's Place, Gap and Old Navy, a movie theater, and best of all, a skating rink. Brendon took each of the girls out for their first spin on the ice, and they both loved it. We are looking forward to coming back and trying it again when the girls aren't so tired.

Sierra posing with the smallest skates they made. We were lucky they fit. Childrens size 8.

Haddie did a great job holding her skates steady. Here dad is demonstrating the finer points. Maybe he should give me lessons, too. I stayed firmly on the ground with the camera this time.

Sierra was a little more wobbly but she still had a great time.

Smiling with daddy. You can't see it but I am taking pictures from the penalty box :) This was a practice arena for the St. Louis Blues.

And when the girls got tired, Brendon gave them each a ride around the rink. We were fortunate to have the whole place to ourselves. Thanks for a great trip, mom and dad!

Christmas Festival

2009-12-14T08:16:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, we went to a small town Christmas festival. The girls had a wonderful time. Haddie got a candy cane painted on her cheek. Sierra had a gingerbread man. I was impressed with how well they stayed still.

Afterwards, we went for rides on a shetland pony named Sandy. They did a great job.

And here are our little carolers.

Finally, we took a picture with Santa (and now you can see that Brooklyn was with us, just too little for some of the other activities). I was really surprised at how well they did. Sierra was a bit nervous, but she warmed up with her sister next to her.

My favorite was after the picture when Haddie said "Mommy, santa is really big. Is he bigger than God?" This prompted a very interesting discussion. In case you are wondering, we take pictures with Santa and tell him what we want for Christmas, but presents are from mommy and daddy. He isn't magical or anything.

They also had a balloon man, which was the end of our fun because Haddie received a balloon while Sierra, being 2, was too young and could only have a little plastic whale. This was not a good substitute and there were many tears. Once we got home, we ignored Mr. Balloon Man's safety suggestion and Haddie had to share her balloon with her sister. This was somewhat better, but the balloon still didn't make it through the day. Sigh. Oh well, they had some good times with it before it popped.

Taking a break

2009-10-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

Well, hello again! After a long rest from blogging I am ready to dig in again. Brooklyn had her 6 month check up today and we are happy that she is growing very well along her own little curve. She was 23 in. long and weighed 10 lbs, 11 ozs. The doctor says she is doing really well and we are going to start working on solids, hoping she will begin to catch up to the normal growth curve for a baby her age. She is also starting to lift her head up off the ground from her tummy really well. Her legs always come up behind her making it more difficult. It is hard work, catching up!!

Checkups

2009-07-22T15:14:00.000-07:00

We had a marathon of doctor visits today. Brooklyn and Sierra each had a checkup. Since they both see the same doctors, we were able to make one trip and schedule them back to back.

Sierra had her 2 year checkup and weighed 25 and a half pounds (40th percentile) and was 33 inches tall (25th percentile)

Brooklyn had her 3 month checkup and weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces and was 20 inches long. She is growing well compared to her previous measurements but is still under all the growth percentiles for her age (which is normal for how premature she was for the next 3-6 months). The doctor says she is doing great for where she started. Her umbilical hernia is still present, and apparently should go away on its own but it could take anywhere from months to years.

It was hard to find pics of Sierra and Brooklyn together, but here are a couple. Sierra loves to pat Brooklyn when she fusses.

Photo Session and Braids

2009-07-20T19:40:00.000-07:00

After the older girls went to bed, I got a chance to take some pictures that were long overdue. Brooklyn is almost too old for these "naked pictures," but I thought it was still very cute. We are blessed with each of our girls, but Brooklyn is our little miracle child! If you look back at older pictures from May especially, she has really filled out!!

Sleeping with mommy.

Wide awake

Playing with daddy

I had to include this one. Sierra's hair is just barely long enough, but I have been wanting to try it in braids for a while now. This isn't a great picture, but I thought they just turned out adorable! Of course they didn't last all night.

A day at the farm

2009-07-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

We have been having a great time on Brendon's parents farm this summer. The girls love the animals and the room to run around. Here are some pictures from a recent day on the farm.

Liz cuddles up with Sierra and Reatha's dog, Max.

Sierra and Haddie both like to sit on the saddles and pretend they are riding a horse.

Sierra climbing the fence.

Brooklyn slept through pretty much the whole afternoon.

Brandis sitting with Haddie and Sierra on a rack full of hay.

Playground

2009-07-17T11:17:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from a recent day at the park. The girls love to play at the park. The swings and slide are two of their favorites, along with the teeter totter, but I help with that so no pics.

Brooklyn and the Parade

2009-07-10T05:16:00.000-07:00

The older girls went to the parade with grandma. They had a great time, although Sierra was a bit timid after the fire engines started wailing. Her big sister, along with some other kids, helped her fill her bag with candy anyway.

Here they are at the park checking out their haul!

This didn't turn out that great, but Brooklyn is getting so big and I wanted to show her next to me for comparison.

Our purple girl. Even when she came home from the hospital, she had that double chin. It was probably the only fat on her then, but she is really starting to fill out now. We are starting to outgrow some of our preemie clothes now, although newborn stuff is still pretty big.

Old Settlers Days

2009-07-09T08:41:00.000-07:00

So these pictures are a bit old, but while Brendon was in Washington D.C. with the youth group, my mom came out for a few days and we went to Metamora's Old Settlers Days festival. The girls had a blast, and so did we, despite the really hot weather.

Mom and the girls rode the big ferris wheel. It actually went pretty fast. Brooklyn and I stayed behind to watch, and even from the bottom I could hear Haddie yelling "Caw, caw, I'm a bird!" Grandma said they were flapping their "wings" and everything. How cute! Haddie also had to be told by the ride operator not to rock the car. Uh-oh, a troublemaker from the beginning.

Riding the little ferris wheel all by themselves. Looking down apprehensively.

Feeding and petting the fawns. They absolutely loved this; I could hardly get them out of the pen.

Haddie rode the big slide all by herself. I offered to go with her, but she marched right up the stairs and came down like a pro. She is so indepedent these days. Sigh, growing up so fast...

I Get Around

2009-07-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

Mom found a great deal at a garage sale and I got some wheels! I've been practicing and am ready to show everyone my bike riding skills. I can go really fast, but I'm not ready to take of the training wheels just yet. Look at me go...

I am so happy to be able to get around on my own, and now Sierra and I don't fight over the tricycle!

Look at me go!

I learned that you can even ride with the handlebars backwards!

A lot going on!

2009-07-02T19:08:00.000-07:00

We are adjusting to life with 3 little ones. Haddie loves to give Brooklyn (supervised, of course) rides in her baby stroller. She and Sierra also push each other around from time to time, usually to the "doctor," where, I am sorry to say, someone is usually getting "cut up so they can take the baby out." It is kind of disturbing to me, but they are both very interested in my scar and what happened. Hopefully they will remember the whole experience without too much trauma.

Cheesin'

I let each girl pick one flower (hopefully that doesn't backfire), and Haddie took the task very seriously. She had to show me which one she picked.

Sierra loves to smell the flowers. She gets right down next to them and blows air out her nose loudly instead of in. It is pretty funny to watch.

My mom was in town last week and we took my Grandma out for breakfast for her birthday. Happy Birthday, Grandma! Here is Brooklyn in her first four generation picture. We are blessed with a wonderful extended family!!

Haddie and my cousin, Johnathon were having fun making towers with the jellies. Boy was my Aunt Carol in trouble. She had strawberry jam on her toast, making the stacks uneven, which Haddie explained to her in great detail.

Afterwards, Haddie went to Johnathon's house to play while mommy and grandma bought paint to get Haddie and Sierra's big girl room ready. Pictures will be coming soon. It is looking really good so far, although painting with 3 little ones in the house is no easy task. I couldn't do it without you, mom!

Cowgirls like us

2009-07-02T15:53:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite things to do is riding horses. Although it is a bit of an ordeal now that we have 3 children, Haddie and Sierra never get tired of the horses, and are both very respectful of and careful with the animals. Heather's rehearsal supper included a square dance in a barn, for which Heather got the girls these adorable cowboy hats.

Riding double with daddy. Hang on tight.

What a big girl, all by myself.

Cheese, I love the hats! Reatha's new puppy, Max in the background.

I finally got a picture of all 3 girls.

We are so thankful for our 3 wonderful blessings!

A day at the park

2009-06-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

Today was the first time I ventured out to the park with all 3 girls. Haddie has been asking to go for a while, and today it all fell into place. The weather was nice, we met some friends from our MOMS group (yeah, reinforcements :), and we were all feeling pretty good today.

Here are some pictures of Brooklyn and Evan who was born shortly after her. His mom and I have been wanting to do a picture together for a while, and you can see that they were both very cooperative (aka sound asleep). How cute!

I love this one. What a difference being full term (and 9 pounds) makes. Baby feet are so precious!

Haddie playing on the digger. It was almost too heavy for her.

Sierra loved the horse. They both had a great time and I would call our first park outing with 3 girls an overall success.

Swim Time

2009-06-10T19:45:00.000-07:00

We went to an indoor preschool swim at Five Points in Washington. They have a great zero depth pool with toys that are perfect for the girls.

Sierra and Haddie are both getting pretty good with floaties. Haddie always says that she swims like a fish and grandpa swims like a whale (he told her that).

Sierra is so brave. She loves to be out in the deeper end where she can't touch. I think we have two brave little swimmers.

Our Three Princesses

2009-06-09T19:23:00.000-07:00

We found adorable dresses for the girls to wear as flower girls in Heather's wedding. Of course, when we bought them, no one expected us to have a 3rd little girl. So we put the doll dress that came with Sierra's dress away for later. How special that we were able to bring it out and it actually fit Brooklyn. Now we have 3 beautiful princesses. They wore their matching dresses to church on Sunday to celebrate mommy's birthday.

As adorable as they are, it was worth the bribe of fruit snacks to get everyone to sit together for a picture. This was the only way to get them to pose this close together, both smiling. Oh, well.

Haddie is a wonderful big sister. She is so careful with Brooklyn. Such a little mother.

Sierra loves being a big sister, too. She just requires a little extra supervision. Doesn't Brooklyn look like a little doll here?

Proud big sister again. Brooklyn looks a lot like Haddie's baby pictures here.

Cousin love. We found that Brooklyn liked being close to David for pictures. As soon as we snuggled them together, she stopped crying.

A New Do

2009-06-07T19:18:00.000-07:00

Finally long enough (almost). She really has a ton of hair!

Busting out the Pool

2009-06-05T18:53:00.000-07:00

So it is finally warm enough to get our swimsuits on and fill up the pool. The girls were so excited. I warned them that the water would be cold at first, but they didn't seem to care. I put my little toe in and let's just say that Sierra is much braver than I.

Haddie was just convinced that the water wouldn't go in the pool unless she held the hose :)

I love this picture of Sierra. Her face is in focus and the background is blurred. I wish I could attribute it to my camera skills, but sadly, I lucked into it. I know because I have since tried unsuccessfully to duplicate the effect. So, until my next lucky shot.

This girl has nerves of steel, that was some seriously cold water.

Haddie's new swimsuit from grandma. Pink is definitely her favorite color right now, and she loves the pink flowers.

This just made me laugh. We are trying to work on potty training Sierra, and I thought, what the heck, we'll just take the potty outside (in the backyard). Sierra does pretty well, but she likes making her dolly go potty more than she enjoys going herself. At least she's interested in it, I guess.

First cousin pictures

2009-06-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn got her first visit from her cousin, David, today. He and Mel came over to say hello. Here are the two youngest together.

Sierra loved "holding" baby David and pointing to his eyes, nose, and mouth. Aunt Melissa was on hand, just in case she got carried away.

Haddie is a wonderful big sister. She is so careful with Brooklyn and loves to snuggle with her.

Here is a shot of the 4 cousins. It will be so much fun to watch them grow up together. We'll have to work on evening out the ratio a bit. David is pretty outnumbered right now.

No Wonder No Flowers Grow Here

2009-06-02T15:21:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Flowers (and girls)

2009-06-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

After Church, the girls wanted to play outside and it was such a beautiful day, so we decided to go looking for flowers.

Haddie really liked the irises, but we had to talk a lot about them being for looking and not picking.

Of course, flowers are also for smelling, which Sierra is doing here, complete with duck lips.

Then we found some flowers they could pick and Haddie was very happy.

Picking wildflowers.

One Month Old Brooklyn

2009-05-31T17:13:00.000-07:00

So Brooklyn is a month old today, and I decided to do a little impromptu photo shoot. Of course I am biased, but I think she is adorable!! Her eyes are so big, but they say preemies are often that way for a while (until their head catches up, hehe).

She is a squirmy little girl!

Brooklyn's (exciting) fourth week

2009-05-31T16:55:00.000-07:00

First of all, congratulations to my sister, Heather, and her new husband, Ned on their wedding Saturday. It was a beautiful day of celebration. We are so happy for you!!

All dressed up and ready to come home. If you notice, there are no cords to watch as she is now unhooked from everything, even the feeding tube!! Yeah!! We were so excited to bring her home on Sunday.

Family photo, with all the equipment and monitors in the background. We are thankful for the excellent care Brooklyn received, but will be glad to be done with machines and monitors.

Sleeping so peacefully in her open crib (finally keeping up her temperature on her own).

Here is Brooklyn in her open crib. It looks like a regular crib, just much smaller.

And finally in our carseat ready to go home!! It has been a long road, but every bit was worth it to bring her home healthy and happy:)

Finally, some at home pictures. I am in awe of God's care and faithfulness. He was with her every moment even when we couldn't be, and now He has entrusted her to our care. What an awesome responsibility!

And a classic pose, napping with daddy, the first of many:)

The rest of the family

2009-05-31T16:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I realized that I have maybe been neglecting the rest of the family as I blog about Brooklyn's entry into the world, so here is a glimpse at what the rest of us have been up to.

The girls loved hanging out with their aunt Heather for a week!! Here everyone is playing with some of our old dress up clothes from when we were children. The girls' princess castle is set up in the background. Way to use that architecture degree, Heather!

Haddie also graduated from preschool shortly after I got home. Unfortunately we missed several days at the end including her class picture, but we were still happy to celebrate her graduation. She had so much fun.

Getting her diploma at the beach-themed party.

And at the hospital...

Haddie got a chance to visit her little sister in the NICU when she was just a few days old. She had to wear a mask and wash her hands VERY well (2 minutes, they make you set a timer). She was sooo good, we were both impressed.

She was so careful in the NICU and enjoyed seeing her sister (under the bili light which is why the light is funny).

The girls came to visit me in the hospital on Sunday after going to church with their grandparents. It was fun but hard because they (especially Haddie) wanted to be close to me and have me hold them and I wasn't really able too. Haddie cried when they left and it absolutely broke my heart.

Brooklyn's third week

2009-05-31T16:29:00.000-07:00

Here I am still in the isolette, this is how I see my mommy.

Notice they moved my feeding tube to my nose so I can work on drinking from a bottle.

Mommy gets to help take care of me by taking my temperature (we do this each time before I eat, to make sure I have enough energy to eat and digest my food).

Sweet little girl!

I've been able to have some visitors while I was in the hospital. Here is a rare shot of my grandma, mom, and 2 aunts. They don't all get to see each other very often any more.

Brooklyn's second week

2009-05-27T08:20:00.000-07:00

Well, here is week 2 in the life of our little miracle baby.

This first picture was taken inside the isolette when she was 8 days old (34 weeks). I can't believe she was already smiling!! This picture is a little blurry, but it just melts my heart. She can't wear clothes yet because she still has the umbilical IV, which is really delicate, so they keep her in a closed bed and regulate the temperature inside.

There are 2 little doors on the bed I can open to reach in and touch her. She is such a sweet, bright eyed little girl. Here she is with her feeding tube in her mouth.

This is one of the first times she was old enough to try to eat with a bottle. At first, it was just once a day so she didn't get too tired out. They feed her most of the time with the feeding tube because they want all her energy to go into growing. I guess the doctors have figured out that if she takes more than 20 minutes to eat, she is actually burning more calories than she is getting, so anything she doesn't take with the bottle in that amount of time, they feed her through the tube that goes all the way into her stomach. At first she really wasn't too sure about the bottle, but she picked it up quicker than some babies who were earlier and hadn't started to develop their sucking reflex (32 weeks, weren't we lucky!)

Brooklyn is 12 days old here and they have taken out the umbilical IV and put in a pic line (an IV threaded all the way to her heart-scary!) so now we can finally wrap her up and hold her.

She is a pro with the pacifier, this will be my first time using one. You can't see it in these pictures, but the doctors are concerned that her belly is tight and distended and she might not be digesting everything correctly. So, and this was very hard for me, they stopped feeding her completely for 3 days and put a suction tube into her stomach for 2 days to keep her completely emptied out and give her intestines a chance to catch up. She also had several x-rays. Apparently there are some pretty serious intestinal infections that preemies are susceptible to, so this was necessary. It was really hard to see her on the suction, though, and to hear her cry because she was hungry and we couldn't feed her. Thankfully they were giving her IV nutrition, but still a sight to break a mother's heart.

I think she is just the most precious thing ever. Can't wait to be able to bring her home. It is weird to think that the girls have a baby sister and Sierra hasn't even met her yet (Haddie was allowed 1 brief visit to the NICU, but Sierra was too young).

Brooklyn's first week

2009-05-20T12:20:00.000-07:00

So this first picture isn't of Brooklyn, but some friends at church got us a cookie bouquet and Haddie was SOO excited!

Each girl has her name on it, and Haddie was especially happy when we told her Brooklyn was too small for her cookie, so Haddie could "help" her eat it. She also had a lot of fun with the ribbons that came with the bouquet.

What a little angel. Here is Brooklyn with daddy's hand on her in her little bed, called an isolette.
We had to touch her through the holes in the plexiglass.

After 3 days with the bili light, a mask to shield her eyes, and the c-pap machine (from my last post, which covered her nose and mouth), it is so wonderful to see her face with just a feeding tube in her mouth. You probably think it still seems like a lot of wires, but we were so glad to see her face for the first time. If I am there at her scheduled time, the nurses let me check her temperature and change her diaper. I was excited to do something for her but so nervous to do her diaper with all the cords and IV's hooked up. The IV in her belly button is the most fragile, and I was really nervous. They won't even dress her until she gets it off, and we aren't really able to hold her much with it in, either. The nurses are so careful and so protective. I am thankful, but it is strange to have to ask permission to hold my baby, especially when the answer is no!

Welcome, Brooklyn Nicole

2009-05-16T06:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I have some catching up to do. We have had a lot going on in the Ulrich household, so I will try to start at the beginning and work my way up.

Brooklyn Nicole
Born 4/30/2009
3lbs, 8ozs
13 inches

Here is a pretty new picture of her the day she was born. She was born on the day I turned 33 weeks pregnant and had to be on oxygen for a while as well as moved to the NICU in Peoria, where she still is. I went to the hospital on 4/29 with severe abdominal pain. After a day of tests and ruling out a lot of things, I started going into labor. The doctors gave me medications to stop labor, but still couldn't find out what was wrong. Meanwhile, my pain is only manageable under some pretty heavy duty drugs. On Thursday, they transferred me to OSF in Peoria so I could be at the same hospital as Brooklyn if they had to deliver her early. At OSF they took me into surgery pretty quickly without really knowing what was wrong but suspecting my appendix.

Once I went into surgery, they took Brooklyn out after realizing that sometime ago my appendix had ruptured. We don't really know how long before, but it was pretty serious. I ended up having a blood transfusion the next day and received 4 units, so I lost quite a bit of blood. The next days, I perked up quite a bit and enjoyed visiting Brooklyn in the NICU, but of course I missed my girls at home. It was (and still is) very hard to be torn between the 2 places. More to come on Brooklyn next time (I could write a lot but don't want to get too long).

P.S. I don't know why all this text is underlined; sorry if it makes it hard to read.

Matching Garage Sale Find

2009-04-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

I love when we can find matching clothes anywhere, but at a garage sale is an added bonus. They look so cute in these polo dresses:)

It was even warm enough to wear them for church on Sunday and take pictures outside:) Yeah for Spring!!

Chuck E Cheese and Makayla's Adoption

2009-04-22T14:21:00.000-07:00

Haddie, Sierra, and Brendon all had an important first today: our first trip to Chuck-e-Cheese. We went to the courthouse to attend the adoption of Brendon's cousin, Makayla. Congratulations, Jo! It was such a happy and interesting experience. Afterwards, we headed to Chuck-e-Cheese to celebrate.

The pizza went over well, and Haddie especially liked it.

Haddie had a great time in the overhead play area.

She also loved the horse. They didn't really care about the tokens; just had fun running around everywhere.

Sierra liked driving the car with Mr. Cheese.

Brendon even got into it trying a roller coaster simulator with Carter. What a fun day :)

Haircuts all around

2009-04-18T01:51:00.000-07:00

We headed over to New Dimensions Salon where Brendon's sister, Reatha, works to get trims for the girls. They were much needed. Here is Sierra squinting through her bangs.

Haddie went first to show Sierra that it wasn't scary at all. The girls both did very well.

She had lots of fun watching her sister and even found a little curl to show the camera.

Afterward, there was even a cookie for doing a good job. Haddie sat very quietly with her treat while Sierra got her cut.

Easter

2009-04-12T09:59:00.000-07:00

After church, we had lunch at the Ulrich's and afterwords had an Easter egg hunt in the house for the girls.

Haddie even found the ones hidden in the tree.

Sierra was great with the lower eggs.

Collecting our "loot" after we found the eggs.

Family picture at the church. Brendon was helping the youth group cook breakfast at the church, so he left super early. The girls and I came to church a little later and he was able to sneak away for a few minutes to eat with us and have a family picture.

Haddie loved her dress and even found a flower that matched. Thanks for making them, aunt Marj.

Haddie and her flower!

Dying Easter Eggs with the Ulrichs

2009-04-11T09:37:00.000-07:00

We had a great time dying Easter eggs with Aunt Reatha, Uncle Brandy, Liz, Katy and Grandmother and Grandfather.

The eggs turned out beautifully.

But Haddie wondered why there wasn't any candy inside :)

Flower Girl Dresses

2009-04-11T08:37:00.000-07:00

The girls are going to be flower girls in my sister's wedding in May and we had a great time shopping in St. Louis for dresses. It was a long search, but we finally came up with the perfect outfits and I was just too excited not to share them.

I also found a bridesmaid dress for myself (we each get to pick our own dress), which was a relief. I was worried about finding something appropriate being 8 months pregnant. Luckily, there are currently a lot of high-waisted styles. I am getting so excited for her wedding. What a special occasion it will be!

The Kittens Finally Came Out!

2009-04-10T06:46:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Brendon's parents' cat, Fat Louie, had kittens in the barn. Haddie and Sierra have been waiting with baited breath for the kittens to be old enough to play with. We stopped in to peek at them with a flashlight (they are back behind some bales of hay) and lo and behold, the kittens were ready to play (sort of).

Sierra wasn't quite gentle enough to hold the kitties, so she had fun looking at the horses through the fence.

And playing on daddy's tractor.

Aunt Reatha showed Haddie how to hold the kittens very gently while Sierra and momma cat looked on.

I think she's got the hang of it now.

She thought it was so cute when the kittens clawed their way up her sweatshirt. We had to put them back pretty quickly so they wouldn't get get too tired. See you next time, kitties!

Saint Louis Part III

2009-04-09T14:14:00.000-07:00

Haddie discovered Grandma's jewelry box and had lots of fun trying on different things.

What a pretty girl!

Saint Louis Part II

2009-04-09T13:50:00.000-07:00

The girls and I just had so much fun at the zoo that I had to include a few more photos.

Here is Sierra in the petting zoo brushing a goat.

Sierra and grandma watching the zookeepers feed the sealions.

There was a rope spiderweb that Haddie loved playing on.

At the end of the day everyone was tired but happy.

Saint Louis Part I

2009-04-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

The girls had a great time at the St. Louis Zoo. The children's zoo was busy and Sierra enjoyed making friends with several other children.

There was a little boy playing the drums and Sierra tried to get in on the action.

Later she made friends riding the jungle safari jeep.

What a little social butterfly. The children's zoo had a lot of neat things to see and do.

Saint Louis Part I

2009-04-08T06:06:00.000-07:00

We had a great trip to St. Louis to spend a few days with my parents. One afternoon, we found a little park with playground equipment just the girls' size. Sierra played peek-a-boo in the yellow tunnel.

Sierra in the tunnel.

Playing on the "sort of" swings.

Grandma helping the girls on the teeter totter.

Haddie loves to bake or really just do anything in the kitchen. She always wants to help with the dishes or mixing things up. She and grandma made yummy brownies.

I spoke too soon!

2009-03-29T17:41:00.000-07:00

Well, my last blog was entitled "Spring is Here," but it appears that I spoke too soon. Here are some pictures of the rapidly melting snow in our backyard. We actually had church canceled. I know all of you Michiganders are thinking we are pretty weak, and I sort of agree, but our church is out in the country and the roads did not get plowed very early, which is why they canceled (I guess).

The girls both REALLY wanted to go outside. I was less enthusiastic because I knew that under all that pretty snow was a layer of mud, but we did head out for a little while.

Sierra did not want to keep her mittens and hat on. She had to come in pretty quickly.

Haddie posing by our pine tree.

Spring is in the air

2009-03-25T06:58:00.001-07:00

We were so excited to see our daffodils peeking out today!! It was windy and rainy most of the day, but we did find a little break in the weather to get out for a few minutes.

Haddie can't wait for the flowers to bloom.

Sierra loves coloring with her big sister.

Haddie loves to color and I love color wonder markers that only write on their special paper. We got some for vacation and had a few pages left over.

Sierra enjoying a snuggle with her daddy. She comes up to us now and asks to "suggle" (snuggle). It is really cute!

Cousins at last

2009-03-20T16:29:00.000-07:00

Since Brendon and I are both the oldest in our families, our children have been the first on both sides. We have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the girls' very first cousin and are happy to announce that he is here. Melissa and Lucas are the proud parents of David Gifford Hedding. He arrived on March 5 weighing 5 lbs, 4 ozs and 17 inches long. What a little peanut. He was about 2 weeks early. The girls were so excited to finally get to see him up close.

As you can see, Sierra was very interested in David. She loves babies and carries her own baby doll around the house constantly patting it on her shoulder. It is adorable.

Haddie was interested as well, but her attention span is short these days and she was more interested in climbing on the couch. Mom and baby are both doing very well and he is gaining weight steadily.

Enjoying the great outdoors

2009-03-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

The girls had a great time playing outside today. It was a lot of fun, just the kind of day we have been waiting for.

This was after Sierra's nap so her hair was suffering a bit.

Haddie loved playing with Fat Louie, the cat up at the farm.

She is pretty big but very tolerant of Haddie's efforts to pick her up.

Preschool and an interesting morning

2009-03-16T06:53:00.000-07:00

Haddie started preschool last week. We weren't necessarily planning to send her to a preschool, but the opportunity for this just kind of fell into our lap. She is attending a preschool at Metamora High School facilitated by a class of high school students. This has its ups and downs, I discovered when I observed on the first day. The students are learning themselves, so Haddie is a bit of a "guinea pig," but there are 16 high school students and 14 preschoolers, so there is a lot of individual attention and help. She thinks it is great fun!

The girls have started playing nicely together in the morning when they wake up, giving me a few more minutes before really "beginning the day." How nice, or so I thought until I came into their room and found this! Somehow, they had found a pen in their room and, as Haddie put it "decorated themselves so they were pretty like princesses!"

I had to laugh and take a picture and then we headed straight to the tub. Unfortunately, it did take a couple of days to really get it all out.

Sierra has been wearing pigtails lately. I love that her hair is long enough and she has been able to keep them in. It makes for some scary hair in the morning, though.

Here is Haddie all ready to go on her first day of preschooler. I must admit to having some nostalgia as I dropped her off today. It makes me so thankful for each day I have with her. She is such a blessing and I really do love being able to stay home with her.

Grandma came to town :)

2009-03-11T08:15:00.000-07:00

Here is Sierra meeting her second cousin, Bailey. She certainly has grown since we saw her last. Sierra and Haddie both love babies and it makes me excited to introduce them to a new little sister. It is hard to believe we will have our third baby in 3 short months. The time has really flown!

Playing with grandma in the car. The girls loved having someone sit in the backseat with them (almost as much as grandma did, I think:)

Some big shoes to fill. Sierra found a pair of water shoes in my closet and had a great time clomping around the house in them. Here she is concentrating pretty hard. This is also right before we cut her bangs. They were getting pretty long. We are trying to grow everything out to the same length in back so we can do a few more things with it.

The last couple of mornings the girls have had "parties" when they wake up. Haddie sets up all the dishes and invites her sister (I get Sierra out of the crib) to share her party. It is so sweet to watch, and I have also enjoyed having a few minutes to myself in the mornings. What a blessing. After the time change, it seems much easier to have them up at 7 rather than 6. We are going to try to stick with the new time getting up.

Preggo Pic 23 weeks

2009-03-03T05:44:00.000-08:00

Well, I had a couple of requests for pregnant pictures. I have to say that there isn't too much to see yet, but I am definitely "thickening" around the middle. Here is a picture of me at 23 weeks (a couple of weeks ago). Everything is going well, I am feeling baby move and we are getting more and more excited for this new addition to our family.

In more news, my sister is due March 19 and we are excited to welcome her little one as well. She is dilated to a 3, so we are waiting for news anytime. Please pray for a safe and healthy delivery for her :)

We had a shower this weekend and she is doing well.
Haddie had lots of fun helping. She was very good and sat quietly for (most of) the shower. She did a great job of entertaining everyone.

Swimming Fun

2009-02-25T13:37:00.000-08:00

We went with our moms group to Five Points in Washington for preschool swim and a snack. The girls had a great time!!

It was such a nice warm day out we could finally break out some spring clothes.

Sierra had a wardrobe malfunction and ended up swimming in a onesie and little swimmer. It all worked out in the end, though.

Haddie loved being a big girl with her floaties.

Sierra played with some of the water toys.

It was a great morning and the girls both took wonderful naps!!

Face Painting

2009-02-21T05:53:00.000-08:00

Haddie went to a Rivermen Hockey game with her aunt Reatha on Sunday. They had all sorts of games for kids, including face painting, so here is our little kitty!

She was so excited to have her face painted and did not want to take it off at night. We took pictures so she could see it whenever she wants.

Sunday morning photo opportunity

2009-02-03T10:34:00.000-08:00

Before church I took some pictures of the girls. It was really sunny so Haddie is pretty washed out.

They both loved wearing Haddie's sunglasses. She was very generous sharing them with her little sister.

Not sure what to think...

Haddie and Daddy in their "matching" coats

Christmas with the Giffords

2008-12-25T11:00:00.000-08:00

The girls got adorable coordinating umbrellas from grandma and grandpa. They were so excited!

Haddie loves to play with hers.

Heather showing off her engagement ring to Melissa. They got an antique emerald ring. It is beautiful and so her.

Sierra liked the boxes just about as much as the presents!

Christmas with the Ulrichs

2008-12-24T10:21:00.000-08:00

Haddie & Sierra got matching Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber shirts from their Uncle Brandis. He got them in the smallest size they had, but we will probably be using them as nightshirts for a while. The girls loved their cabbage patch kids dolls and Sierra was so happy to receive her baby carriage. She loves taking care of her dolls.

Haddie posed with her new dress up set from Grandpa & Grandma. She is such a cheeser!

Here is the cabbage patch doll again.

The next morning we had to try on our dress up clothes again. You can't see it very well, but she is even wearing the clip on earrings. What a fancy girl. She thinks heels are pretty tough to run in, though!

Water babies

2008-12-17T12:44:00.000-08:00

The girls both loved the water park and it was built just for them. I had to include some pictures even though the lighting is weird in some. I was having some camera issues. There was a zero depth entry and lots of toys that were just their size. Haddie is being cheesy by the teeter totter in the water.

Sierra wasn't too sure at first.

Playing in the fountains.

There was a big frog slide that the girls could actually do all by themselves. They liked to sit together and see who would slide down first.

This picture is small, it came from my moms camera, but there was a bigger waterslide too that we took the girls down. It was a ton of fun for all of us.

Wisconsin with the Giffords

2008-12-17T12:30:00.000-08:00

We went to Wisconsin with my parents for a week and it was super fun. The guys got out and skiied for a couple of days. The girls were too young but they had lots of fun back at the lodge and at the mini water park in our hotel. It was lots of fun. They even loved the locker room!

One day I actually had trouble getting them out of the lockers to go to the pool. Go figure!

Sierra's hair is getting so long! Time for a trim.

Grandpa, aunt Melissa (expecting in March for anyone who didn't know), and Haddie got bundled up for a walk in the snow. She is so excited that her mittens have thumbs because she is a big girl! Sierra's are just one big mitten.

We found all sorts of creative places to nap. Haddie didn't really sleep in the drawer, but I did think it was very cute and creative.

Decorating the tree and Christmas Pics

2008-12-15T12:20:00.000-08:00

Well, we had the best of intentions this year to get Christmas cards out with a cute picture of the girls. As you can see, we even got everyone dressed up for the occasion. Here is Sierra sporting some crazy peacock hair.

Haddie was having a hard time sitting still long enough to take pictures.

Here is one of the best pictures we got. Sorry you didn't receive one. Maybe next year they will make it all the way to a Christmas card.

Georgia or bust, Part II

2008-12-03T14:00:00.000-08:00

We had an open house for Brendon's grandparents' 50th Anniversary while we were there. Haddie could hardly stay away from the mints. Here she is licking her lips in anticipation.

Brendon's cousin, Norm, was there with his 4 month old twin boys. Sierra loved to sit under the exersaucer when one of them wasn't using it. I didn't think she would stay still enough, but she just loved to be next to the baby.

Great Grandma & Grandpa got some neat presents, but Haddie's favorite was the gold bow from one that they let her play with. Brendon's cousin, Miranda, showed her how to look like a cheerleader. She loved it.

Sierra was a pretty happy girl while we were down there. I was impressed with how well she did, considering there were always so many people around. She was a trooper.

Reatha helped Haddie put pick up sticks in her pigtails. They didn't last long, though, because we were afraid she would either hurt herself or someone else.

Georgia or bust, Part I

2008-12-03T13:46:00.000-08:00

Sierra had a lot of fun playing with Makayla her cousin (sort of, I never keep track of those extended relationships) while we were in Georgia.

They both loved the stairs. We had our hands full keeping an eye on them.

Sharing, I think.

So happy to be out of the car!! It was about 15 hours one way. We were glad to finally get there!

Making the most of the journey. Brendon's brother, Brandis, and Sierra took a nap together in the back seat. I thought they were kind of in the same position, aww!

Sunday best

2008-12-03T12:48:00.000-08:00

The girls were dressed so cute for church on Sunday that I tried to get a couple of pictures. Here they are dancing to a veggie tales song. They love the silly songs.

Haddie in her western skirt (thank you, aunt Phyllis).

What a ham!

Sierra in her poncho and black pants.

Happy Halloween!!

2008-12-03T11:02:00.000-08:00

Daddy had to work on Halloween, so we went to visit him in the field when they had their supper break.

Sierra didn't have shoes, so she had to stay off the cornstalks. What a cute little bug!

Sierra sure did love the candy! She was like a little birdy. Every time someone held out candy, she just opened her mouth!

We started at my sister, Melissa and Lucas' house. The girls were so excited, and I was happy that we began with some healthier "treats;" cereal and raisins.

I never did get a picture of both of them wearing their antennaes at the same time. We did have 2 sets, though. If you saw my halloween pics from last year, these are much improved. Haddie does not like the costumes with the hoods, and was pretty unhappy last time. I think this year we found outfits they were much more comfortable in. Live and learn, I guess.

I don't know how many years I will be able to match the girls, but it was lots of fun this year!

Pretty fall scenery

2008-12-03T10:47:00.000-08:00

The leaves were so pretty at our house this year that we just had to take some pictures.

Riding in the tractor (catching up)

2008-12-03T09:22:00.000-08:00

The girls had such fun riding with Brendon in the tractor. He is driving the wagon on the right.

Haddie got to sit in the "buddy seat."

The girls loved playing around in the tractor cab.

Fun Fall Day (catching up)

2008-12-03T09:11:00.000-08:00

Sierra had a pretty rough tumble the other day. She and her sister were playing at the park and she fell down right on her face in some little gravel under the swings. Poor thing. She managed to scrape her cheek, her nose, and her chin!

Another day, we decided to play outside for a while after running some errands. Haddie usually isn't allowed to pick flowers, but since the growing season is pretty much over, I let her today. She was so excited, but kind of squirrely for the picture.

She loves to peek out from behind things. Here she is in our landscaping hiding behind a bush.

Sierra loved all the leaves that were falling. Luckily she wasn't too interested in putting them in her mouth :)

I just love her in pig tails! As much as she hates to put them in, it is worth it.

Long Needed Update

2008-11-22T08:39:00.001-08:00

Well, sorry it has been so long. We have been busy with this and that and I have been a bad blogger. I hope to get some posts up soon with our recent pictures. On a positive note, I was pretty excited that I finally figured out the video function on my camera, so here is our first official video. It took a couple of tries.

The second time we got a pretty good video.

The Many Faces of Sierra

2008-10-11T17:54:00.000-07:00

At my grandma's house (Sierra's great grandma), we were playing on the front porch on the glider and I caught some really cute shots of Sierra. I just love her new pigtails! She already has more hair than Haddie does.

Playing with her fruit bowl.

Concentrating very hard.

Happy girl.

This one is looking in from the house through a window screen.

Horses and Cows

2008-10-09T17:18:00.000-07:00

Haddie just looks so grown up in this picture, I think.

Sierra smiling as she peeks at the cows through the fence.

The girls both had fun watching the cows. Haddie loves to climb the gates.

Sierra sitting on Daisy in the Barn. Brandis in the background on his crutches. Only 4 weeks to go and he is ready to be done with them.

She looks so tiny sitting on Daisy. Both our girls love horses!

Nighttime Shots

2008-10-08T16:42:00.000-07:00

Brendon and Sierra pose for a close up. We went up to see his parents at the farm and it sure got dark quickly.

Haddie was being a bit of a ham. She has crazy hair, as usual.

Blustery Fall Days

2008-10-07T12:26:00.000-07:00

We had our first really cool day today and decided to bundle the girls up and head outside anyway. Sierra has a really cute sweatsuit with matching hat.

Brendon and Sierra enjoying the cool day.

Haddie loves to help feed the horses.

Her new favorite drink is Capri Sun. I know they aren't as good for you, so they are just for a special treat once in a while.

Small Group Camp Out

2008-10-04T12:33:00.000-07:00

Our small group had its second camp out at the Masters'. We have also expanded to include another couple. Now we are 6 couples and 18 children under 7. Pretty wild. This picture has most of the kids in it.

Nevelle, Haddie, and Eliza played in a culvert on the "paintball course." (No we didn't do any paintballing)

The kids all had a great time on the hayrack ride.

There was no hay, but we were comfortable in our lawn chairs on the "hayrack." What a fun evening!

Fun with Friends

2008-09-29T12:15:00.000-07:00

We had lots of fun last week when our friends Amberly, Isaiah and Chaius came over. They were all pretty busy; I'm suprised I got them all in one picture.

Chaius and Sierra enjoyed playing house together.

Later we went up to the farm with aunt Reatha.

Last weekend I met my friend Sarah in Chicago for a weekend of fun, scrapbooking without little hands, and shopping. We had a blast! and got lots done too!

Haddie was so happy to see me when I got back that she put on every hat and headband she owns, including a pair of bunny ears to model for me.

Little Red Wagon

2008-09-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

We walked up to Uncle John's house and the trampoline in the wagon. Johnathon had lots of fun helping pull and Haddie wanted to help push.

Whew, we made it!

Haddie found some cucumbers in the garden which she brought to me and said to "cook them into pickles." I wonder who she's been talking to.

Sierra tried out the kiddie saddle; still a little big.

Happy Birthday, Great Grandpa

2008-09-23T11:43:00.001-07:00

My Grandpa celebrated his 78th birthday on Sunday. We had a great time seeing the family. Haddie climbed up on her great grandpa's lap and helped him open presents.

The girls had a great time with my cousin Johnathon on the trampoline.

We did have to remind him to be gentle, though. The girls didn't like to bounce too hard.

Haddie took turns bouncing with Johnathon so he could go high some of the time. She is so enthralled with the concept of turns, which is great!

Of course, she got some good jumping in too.

Belated Labor Day Post #2

2008-09-17T18:50:00.002-07:00

Here are some random pictures from the weekend. Haddie is busy at work with stickers she received in the mail from grandma. They are one of her favorite pastimes. You can see the stool in the background. Haddie no longer needs it to climb onto the kitchen counters. She has discovered that she can just dig her toes in and climb up. Lovely!

Haddie wasn't too sure at first of all the people at the cookout.

But when they brought out the bubble machine, that seemed to spark her interest.

Here are a bunch of kids crowded around the bubble machine. We had to watch so that no one stood right in front of it. Haddie had soapy knees after a while.

Belated Labor Day Post #1

2008-09-17T18:50:00.001-07:00

We haven't had a lot of new pictures lately, so here are some belated pictures from Labor day. We went to a cookout at Walt and Penny's (our fabulous youth pastor). Sierra was so happy to have some big kids to play with. She and Taylor (Brendon's cousin) had a great time together.

Penny brought out a really neat bubble machine and they had lots of fun chasing the bubbles.

Sierra even had some friends her age to play with. Here she is with Chaius and Makayla.

She sure likes those Kennell girls!! As you can see, the twiggy in her hair didn't make it through the day.

Church Picnic continued...the Pie Eating Contest

2008-09-09T06:40:00.000-07:00

Brendon had the distinct honor of participating in the annual pie eating contest. The winner receives a golden pie pan. Unfortunately, all his hard work was in vain. He did not take home the prize. But he did get some great chocolate pie. If you know Brendon, he is not a big fan of getting dirty, so this is definitely a stretch for him.

Sierra was so tuckered out by the end of the day that she just couldn't keep her eyes open.

Luckily, everyone else was ready to go too! Haddie was upset that she couldn't eat the pie left on the table after the contest. Yuck! But I guess to her, pie is pie.

Church Picnic

2008-09-09T06:22:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, our Church headed out to Comlara park for a combined worship service under the big tent. It is always so much fun to get everyone together. Brendon's brother, Brandis, led worship with the youth group worship team and they did a great job!

There were about 20 kids from the youth group to get baptized, which was sooo cool! Actually, I think the lake was pretty cold.

We headed over to the lake to do the baptisms and everyone watched from shore.

There were games for the kids in the afternoon. Haddie had so much fun on the inflatables.

She loved the slide!!

And the bouncing room. She is in with some bigger kids, but she did great!!

Big Girl Powder

2008-08-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

Haddie was helping me unpack a diaper bag this morning and came across a travel size container of baby powder. She asked me what it was and I told her it was baby powder, of course. She ran over to Sierra's room, climbed up the changing table, and got the big baby powder container. She brought it to me and said, "Mommy, that is baby powder, and this is big girl powder." It is so interesting how her mind works!! I thought this story was just too cute not to share.

At the Park

2008-08-25T07:04:00.000-07:00

The girls and I discovered a new park today with some other moms we met at a garage sale in Washington.

Haddie is such a daredevil. She loved climbing the rock wall and was actually pretty good at it. She only fell the last time climbing it before we left, but wanted to get right back up and try again.

Future rock climber.

Her other favorite was the curly slide.

One of the other moms brought cookies, so of course we had to stop for a snack.

It wasn't really warm enough, but Haddie just had to try out the sprinkler section of the park. She didn't get very wet, instead pretty much ran around the water. You can see that she is standing just past where the water lands.

Running in the water.

It was pretty cool but still humid enough to make her hair fuzz.

Relaxing Outside

2008-08-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

Brendon and Sierra playing on a blanket. They both love to be airplaned by their daddy.

I found this baby mosquito netting when I was organizing some kid stuff and thought the girls might enjoy playing with it outside. Was I ever right! Haddie had great fun even though she barely fit in it.

Touch your toes! She makes it look so easy.

She loves to lay down and pretending to be asleep right now. She can never stay still for long, though, so I didn't quite catch it.

Sisters sharing. Haddie is getting lots better at sharing with her sister. It is so fun to watch them play together.

Georgia, here we come...Part III: Swimming

2008-08-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

Haddie had a great time swimming off the dock. She wanted to do it all by herself (our motto these days). We threw her a rope a couple of times and pulled her in closer. She loved it!!

Having a great time in her life jacket and floaties.

What a cutie :)

She is a little fishy. <><

Georgia, here we come...Part III: Moments

2008-08-18T09:07:00.000-07:00

Sierra playing and just looking adorable.

Haddie in her supercute sundress and matching hat, made by our very own Spools. I know it is a little small, but I just couldn't resist. Thanks Lins!

Katie teaching Haddie "Red Dress" by the Jonas Brothers. Oh, dear! She now loves Ipods.

Haddie and Sierra playing with Liz. If you look close, you can see that Haddie has put stickers all over Liz's legs!

Sierra is trying on Katie's aviators, or as Brendon's dad nicknamed them "boywatchers." Isn't she a little young for that.

Georgia here we come...Part II: Down at the Dock

2008-08-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

Haddie and her daddy had fun on the Jetski. She loved it!!

Up close...

Sierra had fun on the dock with grandmother. She loved soaking up the sun and watching her big sister, not so much the water.

Georgia here we come...Part I: Packing and Driving

2008-08-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

We are all so excited for our trip. Packing for 4 for a week is a big job, though. Good thing I had two little helpers.

Haddie thought she should ride down in the suitcase. She is showing me that she fits in just fine. She actually slept in one once when she was a tiny baby. I told her about it and she wanted to try again.

It was a long car ride and the girls were so good. Sierra and Reatha's friend, Katie took a nap.

Reatha was sleeping, too.

We both liked reading our books.

One Year Old

2008-08-06T08:40:00.000-07:00

Sierra just had her 1 year check up and she is doing well. Healthy and just waiting for that first tooth. Here are her stats:

18 lbs 11 ozs
29 inches

She is in about the 25th percentile for both height and weight.

Michigan Trip Part II: The Wedding

2008-07-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

Haddie and her daddy at the wedding in Dinment Chapel. It was a beautiful wedding and it was great to be back on Campus after such a long time.

Mommy and the girls outside the chapel. 5 years ago I was on this same lawn getting ready to graduate. I was very nostalgic.

Haddie sitting pretty in her pink dress.

College roomies posing by the anchor with our children. It's amazing what 5 years can do!

Sierra and Anna holding hands in front of the Haworth (reception). The flowers were beautiful and so are the girls.

Michigan Trip Part I: The Hotel

2008-07-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

Sierra and Anna playing together at the hotel.

Haddie loved flipping in and out of the pack 'n play. She is such a little monkey.

Gabe and Sierra met for the first time.

Relaxing after a long hard day!

Travel Time

2008-07-25T07:55:00.000-07:00

This weekend we drove to Michigan for a friend's wedding. The girls did really well in the car. Here is a first shot of Sierra in her big car seat. She loves facing forward!

Haddie is our little Houdini. It seems like no matter how tightly we buckle her in, she manages to get her arms free on long car rides. Here she is just starting her escape routine.

And here we are with both arms free. If we don't notice right away, she tries to use the headrest to pull her body up and get her legs out. I definitely give her points for creativity and persistence.

Unfortunately, mommy takes all the fun out of it by making her buckle back in right. What a bummer!

Early Birthday #1

2008-07-23T06:31:00.001-07:00

This weekend, my parents came for a visit, so we celebrated Sierra's 1st Birthday, even though it isn't until the 27th. We had a great time.

Sierra and Haddie both loved the present grandma and grandpa got them. Mommy found it on craigslist (sound familiar Karissa? Thanks for the great idea) for a great deal in St. Louis. It is definitely a new favorite for both of them.

Heather moved into an apartment in Baton Rouge and mom and dad are going to take her some furniture, including this bookshelf that mommy and daddy don't need anymore. Sierra and Haddie are helping daddy move it.

The cake. Of course it doesn't look quite as good as the picture I planned it from, but I thought it was such a neat idea. The ducky is floating in blue jello jiggler bathwater.

Sierra had some help from her big sister opening her presents.

Happy face chasing mom as I try to back up for a picture!

Play date

2008-07-23T06:25:00.000-07:00

Today we got together with some of our friends at Sue's neighborhood pool. It was kind of overcast, but we had the pool to ourselves. The kids had a great time and so did the moms. Thanks for your hospitality, Sue!

Haddie and Carter have fun by the side of the pool. They played really well together, giving us mommies some time to catch up.

Isaiah loved Sierra's innertube. He played in it for a really long time. He and Sue named it the "Black Pearl," which he said just like Jack Sparrow!!

Horses and Kitties

2008-07-13T14:44:00.000-07:00

Haddie and Sierra both love animals and the outdoors, and at Grandma and Grandpa Ulrich's, they get to experience plenty of both. Here are two of their favorite animals:

This is Daisy, Reatha's horse.

Sierra trying out a saddle for size. I think it's a little big. But everyone says she'll be riding in no time.

Grandfather bought Haddie her own brush to help brush out the horses. She has to be VERY careful, but she loves to help.

Whoops, wrong kind of horse. But seriously, it is so hard to get good pictures of the girls together, and this one actually turned out. They are playing together a lot more lately, and it is so fun to watch.

Grandma and Grandpa's kitty, Fat Louie (from princess diaries if you remember it), had kittens this spring, and the girls love to play with them.

Haddie and Sierra petting Fat Louie.

Sierra loves to crawl after the kitties. I think it is soo cute.

Almost walking

2008-07-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

Sierra is getting closer and closer to walking and we are so happy for her. She is now an expert at walking around furniture and with two or even one hand for support. Here are some pictures of her recent accomplishment.

With daddy.

and uncle Brandy...

Almost there!

Rock on!

2008-07-05T07:27:00.000-07:00

Sierra's new favorite thing to do is rock in our roly poly chair. We thought you might like to see...

Happy Independence Day!

2008-07-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

Sierra's first 4th of July. We went to Steak 'n Shake on the river with Brendon's family and then watched the fireworks. There were tons of people and lots of kids. We had a good time. We got there early to stake out a spot and then had a bit of a wait until it got dark. The girls were both so tired from the long day that they fell asleep within the first few minutes of the fireworks, even with all the noise.

The girls are all dressed up for the 4th.

Lots of people.

Patriotic pair.

And the fireworks.

Picnic at the Farm

2008-07-02T08:50:00.000-07:00

Haddie enjoying a bowl of snacks.

Sierra sitting on the blanket eating strawberries.

Both girls playing with straw in the barn.

Over the river and through the woods

2008-06-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

Well, you won't be hearing from me for a few days. Brendon and I are off to Colorado with the youth group while the girls, as you may have guessed by the title to this post, are staying with their grandparents. We are all excited, but I am nervous to leave them for such a long time!! It will be the longest ever that we have been apart. I will miss them very much.
Haddie sitting with Grandfather up at the farm and Sierra practicing her walking with Grandmother. Have a wonderful week, guys! We will miss you lots :)
If you look close, Sierra is petting a new kitten. The girls both love to pet the kitties! Haddie is asking if we can take one home. We'll see what happens...

Sisters at the Chapel

2008-06-19T12:23:00.000-07:00

It was a special day for Melissa and Lucas, and such a joy to share in it. She was a beautiful bride and they are off for a honeymoon in the smokies!

Melissa, Heather, Haddie and I pose for pictures in the chapel.

You can't see it very well, but Haddie got a cute doll from aunt Melissa whose dress matched her own. It was darling and the most interested I have ever seen her in a doll. She is usually pretty much of a tomboy.

Sisters again...