In Honor of Rainbows and Leprechauns

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

The girls woke up to tiny green footprints throughout the house and I was surprised that Kinsley was brave enough to eat a green breakfast with green milk. We also made several types of rainbows including a milk rainbow using food coloring and dish soap.

Green was the obvious fashion choice as I warned Kinsley about getting pinched if she didn't consent. That led me to question my husbands Irish roots because he asked me why I keep talking about getting pinched. He had never heard of such a thing.

Isn't that why we celebrate this day?

It Was Really Just a Twenty Dollar Piece of Cake

I love our town for many reasons, but mainly because it hosts a Daddy Daughter Ball. I love a night when dads get to ham it up for their girls and spoil them like a princess.

The anticipation and build up for Kinsley was outrageous. Since she mostly refers to herself as Cinderella, it was perfect timing for such an event. She was so excited to have a date with Ben and loved getting dressed up for him.


I think she must have had visions of herself alone on the dance floor just like Cinderella because she was nothing short of overwhelmed when they arrived. They had some refreshments and tried to make the most of it but Kinsley decided she did not like the ball.

Next year, the plan will be for her to bring along some little friends and I am sure she will stay till midnight.

Better Than 1-800-FLOWERS

So I hear that some people are opposed to Valentine's Day because they say you should not wait for one day a year to show your love to those you love. Although we hopefully show acts of love constantly, I am a big fan of the day because it is a good reminder to be intentional and thoughtful with each other. It's also a way to incorporate more fun traditions!

When Kinsley woke up in the morning, she followed a heart trail until it brought her to a new book we picked for each girl. Inside we wrote them each a love letter. Kinsley sleeps with her book and we have read it over a million times!


While I was out celebrating the birthday of this girl.....


I came home to discover that Ben and the girls were busy creating this....complete with feathers, stamps, markers, paint and stickers.

I love it so much that it just may hang on that wall until next year.

We topped off the day with a date for Ben and me which included a love letter and mix tape. (i cannot refer to it as a mix cd---just doesn't sound right) I will anxiously wait for volume 2 of the mix on February 14th, 2010.

A Big Kiss

Today we are going to deliver some Valentine love to special friends. Yesterday, we made Rice Crispy treats and formed them in the shape of teardrops.


We dressed them up super cute and are now ready to go!

Fairy Tale Ending

My sister and her family just moved to Colorado and today I was happy to have Gabe and Makena over to play. I am thrilled to have them all so close. It was a wild day but they all played together amazingly well. They played hard until they needed to catch their breath. I caught them in a corner flipping through Kinsley's Bible going page by page. Gabe and Makena were also familiar with the stories and I was cracking up listening to their banter.

I saw Kinsley correctly point out Delilah and share how Samson is strong.

Gabe was searching for Goliath then explained how David fought him.

As they continued to point out Moses, Daniel and baby Jesus, I felt myself getting prouder and prouder at the spiritual giants we are raising. This was until Makena asked who another girl was and Kinsley quickly replied, Cinderella.

I am humbled on an hourly basis.

She won't take her paci to Kindergarten afterall.

Today was a day I have been dreading for a long long time. Over the years, Kinsley and I have had a love affair with her pacifier and we finally bid a permanent farewell this morning. We tried to spin it into a positive memory by taking her to build-a-bear. Here is the bittersweet recap:
Until today, this is how Kinsley has looked in the car since the day she was born.

This is the pink monkey she chose to be the final resting place for her pacifiers.

Here she is undoubtedly contemplating if this is a good idea.

My heart was racing as I watched her kiss them goodbye before placing them inside.

Luckily, we both were able to make it without extreme amounts of tears. Kinsley is walking taller now that she has declared herself a big girl. In her words, "Now I can walk in the street by myself." However, it didn't take long for my baby to reappear when she later said, "Maybe if I hug my monkey enough, my paci will come out."

We have made it through one nap and half a night with little drama. I would say that we have freedom from the paci, but then I remember that it won't be long before we are doing this all over again.

For Hallie

I have had little motivation to re-enter the blogging world. However, as much as I have fought against a Christmas update, I fast-forwarded 15 years and envisioned a conversation with Hallie that I would rather eliminate. I figure there will be many things she resents me for in her teen years and I should do all I can now to limit what she can throw back at me, such as not blogging about her first Christmas.
This one is for you, Sweet Peanut!

The Cinderella nightgown was Kinsley's special Santa request and she wears it over her clothes every. single. day.

Kinsley also loved her Disney Princess collection...not many little girls have a daddy that can sing the songs from every princess movie.


This is one of the MANY attempts to get a cousin photo...even in it's blurry glory, sadly, it is the best.

This picture captures the fun and wild day that was Christmas 2008!

Happy First Christmas, Hallie Girl!