Happy Easter!

I hope all of you are having a wonderful springy Easter.  We took some pictures this afternoon of our girlies all dressed up for church and we thought they were cute enough to send out into the blogging world.  Spring is trying to make it's way to us this week.  We've finally got a few daffodils blooming in our garden (Eden has been checking on them every day for weeks now) and she was so happy to see them today.  I hope you all have a warm and happy week ahead of you!

Randomness from this week

Just a few pictures from this past week.  We've had some really great weather so we've been outside playing at the park and having a good time while it lasts. Rachel is finally getting the chance to spend time outside (the weather hasn't been good since she was born!) and she loves it.  She's such a happy girl and she loves to sit in her stroller and watch Eden play at the park. 

Rachel is our little night owl.  She won't sleep in her crib until some time after 10:30 at night.  She'll sleep fine on the couch but if we try to lay her in the crib she wakes up.  She loves her little softie blankie and when we give it to her she gets so excited.  She bites it and rubs her face in it and then snuggles up with it.  She falls asleep faster if she has her softie to hug.  It's really been a hit.  Thanks Karla!
 

Just another cute Rachel pic.  She 's such a smiley girl but I can't seem to catch those smiles on camera.  As soon as she sees the camera, she stops smiling.  Maybe I've taken too many pictures...

Yesterday afternoon we were the napping house.  Andy had worked the night shift the day before so he was home sleeping.  We'd spent the morning at the park and we were all worn out.  Rachel fell asleep and I decided to take a little nap while Eden was in quiet time.  Eden fell asleep too (a rare and welcome event) and it was so nice and peaceful.  Eden woke up after a while and crawled up next to me on the couch and fell asleep again.  It was so nice to cuddle with her because she is usually so busy and won't hold still long enough for me to cuddle with her.  After a little while she moved to the floor and fell asleep again.  I wanted to take her picture because she looked so sweet but she woke up before I could take it.  She's still a cutie though! 

Artificial Sunshine

March has not been kind to Omaha this year. We have had a few days of sunshine and warm weather but for the most part, it has been cold and gray. Eden and I have been checking our garden for green shoots from the bulbs that were planted last fall but so far there is nothing. A few days ago I noticed we are finally getting some green grass pushing up through the brown, but that night it snowed, and it has snowed every day since. The girls have both been sick for over a week so we haven't gotten out much at all. We have some cabin fever to go with the coughs and stuffy noses. Today is another gloomy day and I have had to find something to keep it bright. Spring may still be weeks away outside, but I can try to keep things sunny and happy inside my house. I made this wreath to replace the winter one I've had on my door since December. Some fun eggies in our kitchen. The easter bunny is just warming up for the big day. Too bad they aren't all filled with candy... We have already gone through two bags of Cadbury chocolate eggs. And of course these two are always the sunshine of my life. Rachel is such a trooper- even when she's sick she is smiley and happy. These girls keep me laughing and smiling every day!

On Sunday Eden sang me two new songs she is learning in Primary. She just started learning "My Heavenly Father Loves Me" and it was so sweet to hear her singing it. She loves Primary and is always telling me about her class and what she got to do. I still can't believe she is a CTR 5 now. She's growing up so fast!

I guess March is going to go out like a lion this year. Hopefully April will be kinder to us and spring will make an appearance soon! And until then, we just have to keep reminding ourselves that spring will be much warmer for us next year. Sunny days in Las Vegas are ahead!

For those of you who don't keep up on this kind of thing, today is National Quilting Day. So I decided to do a non-child related post for a change and post some of the quilts I have made in the past year. So far, I've pretty much stuck with baby quilts (although you may note that these quilts vary quite a bit in size). In fact, Rachel's quilt is big enough for three or four babies. I guess she'll be able to use it until she's a teenager. Quilting is something I love doing, but never seem to have much time to do. I'm looking forward to having a house with a sewing room/playroom that I can work in while the kiddos play.

And since I can't do a post that is totally free of children, here's a picture of Rachel showing off her quilt and her chunky little thighs. She's 5 months old already!

February Fun

February was a pretty busy month for us. Andy had to do a rural rotation in North Platte which didn't sound like much fun for us girls so we decided to go to Utah for a few weeks and visit with family. We really had a good time, but we missed Andy and our Omaha friends so it was nice to come back too!

Eden got to decorate Valentine cupcakes and cookies with her grandmas. She definitely loved the frosting!

Rachel is just such a cutie I had to add a couple pictures of her. She turned 4 months while we were in Utah. She's growing so fast she seems to change daily. She is very vocal now and loves to squeal and chatter and chew on her fists. I just melt when I look at her pretty blue eyes and bald little head. After our trip, I can tell she has a lot of people wrapped around her chubby little finger!

I thought I would include this video of Rachel trying her first rice cereal. She wasn't so sure about it. We've tried it a couple times since this was taken and she still isn't too impressed with it. We'll keep trying!

What a way to start the new year!

I can't think of a better way to start a new year than with these two cuties. They make me smile and laugh every day and I just can't resist them!

Eden is now almost 4 1/2 and is such a little smartie. She likes to read books and tell jokes and play pretend and be a big sister. Princesses and 'House' are her current favorite things to play. She also loves to color and do crafts.

Rachel is 3 months old now and is growing so fast. I love to kiss her chubby little cheeks and see her smile and stick out her tongue. She is getting quite vocal and loves to

make noises and coo at us. She loves to be around people and will smile at anyone who will smile at her!

The End of 2010

It's been a little while, once again, since I blogged. I realize Christmas was weeks ago, but I thought I would post a few pictures from the last part of December before I move on to this year. On Christmas Even morning Eden helped Andy shovel some snow and then came in to get warm and have some hot chocolate. I did some more baking of goodies (even though I had decided I was not going to bake as much this year...) and somehow managed to throw my back out putting something in the fridge. I couldn't even stand up straight for a while. A few ibuprofin and a heating pad later, we were on our way to our friends house for dinner. Later that evening, we let Eden and Rachel open their new jammies and leave a treat for Santa (he really likes brownies) and went to bed. I have to say that as a parent, I think I get just as excited for Christmas as I did when I was a kid, only now I am looking forward to watching my own kids open their gifts and feeling the magic that only Christmas morning brings.

When Eden was a baby we bought this huge stocking to put her in and so we had to see how Rachel looked in it as well.
Our girlies in front of the tree. Note the slightly terrified look Rachel gets on her face when Eden is holding her. You can also see Eden's contribution to the tree in the background. She got creative with her pipe cleaners a few days earlier.

Time for jammies- Santa is coming soon...
Christmas Morning: Eden was kind enough to wait until about 8:00 to wake us.

Rachel got a new headband and a Bumbo seat, both of which she was excited about.
Eden got her very own Wii game- princesses, of course.

One of the other big hits of the day- Squinkies. She's been begging for these for months.

Rachel was all worn out watching Eden open her gifts for her. Life can be so rough when you are a baby.

We hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas season. We sure had a great holiday and are so thankful to have all of you as our family and friends.