Lately.

“E” pancake for Elna!  Fun Dad!

Dancing with both girls.  Such a fun dad!

Hiding in the tomato plants at Brian’s parents house.

An impromptu family picture at Brian’s parents house…on my iPhone—I need to start taking more pictures on my real camera!

My hair seems extra dark lately—I think with each baby it gets darker and curlier. 

Can you believe their cuteness?!

These next pictures are of the girls at my doctor appointment—my mother-in-law has been out of town for like 2 months and she usually watches them when I go to appointments.  For some reason I have had about 5 doctor appointments while she has been gone—and several more on the calendar in the next few weeks.  They aren’t quite as relaxing with children there—one of the reasons I really love living near family!  But, since family wasn’t available to watch them, and while we were waiting for the doctor I took these cute pictures of my girls:

Cheers from these three amigos!  Eating Dum Dum’s at the splash pad.

I walked into the kitchen after putting Harriet down for a nap to find Elna watching her show like this—it’s that blank look on her face that makes me feel like cutting back screen out all together—but it is so helpful at certain times during the day right now…

Elna fell out of her highchair during her timeout.  She got some pretty sad scrapes on her chin.  She wanted to send a picture to Brian at work with the band-aid on her chin.  You can see her eyes still watery from crying, but she’s still managing a smile.  // her baby needed a band-aid too—obviously.

I am so crazy about these pictures of Elna riding her horsey—all decked out in her cowgirl gear.  I took 7 or 8 shots of her on my phone and they were ALL so darling and different enough that I wouldn’t have even known where to begin with weeding them out.  She was just being especially cute.  Somehow how I copied them to my computer all but two of them disappeared.  I’ll try to get over it.

My Uncle Ray and Aunt Diane stopped by for a few hours to visit during their motorcycle trip up the coast of Oregon and then home to Utah.  I lived with them while I was pregnant with Clark, while I was going through my divorce.  Words can’t explain how much I love these two.  I was in a very sad place when I started living with them.  I knew I shouldn’t want to go back to the abusive situation I was in, but knowing that and feeling that in low moments is a different thing.  At nights I would hand my phone to them so that I wouldn’t be tempted to call him (I was weakest, lonliest—and so, so sad at nights), they would also let me crash their alone time at night—we would watch their shows together and I would sometimes cry or throw up (I was sick sick sick with my pregnancy).  They were such good listeners and validators.  They were my champions and I will always be grateful to them for letting me heal with them.  I don’t think I could have moved on without them.

Elna, me, Diane

Hattie & Diane

Are all mom’s obsessed with watching their children sleep?  She was sleeping on her side and I had to capture that since it never happens.  This picture almost makes me want to go into her room right now (it’s 10 p.m.) and wake her up to snuggle her…almost.

Wearing her new-to-her jammies (from her cousin Callie—we love hand-me-downs!)  She loves these jammies!  We loved them that night too, since she slept ALL night in them.  The night before (and the night before that and the night before that…you get the idea) she got up about 8 times.  Unfortunately, the magic wore off the next night.  If only they were actually magic!

And because she slept all night without getting up 8 times, she got icecream for breakfast.  Parenting at it’s best, folks!

I love what the care instructions said for these plants: “soil should not be kept moist at all times”—I think I can do this!

These girls are going to grow up knowing Home Depot better than the average contractor--

Underneath the siding Brian was getting for his shed.

Sitting on top of the siding.

While I was on my mission (more than 10 years ago!  Can you believe it?!) I saw this painting in an Ensign and I cut it out.  I’ve kept it all of these years.  A few Sundays ago I pulled it out and framed it so I could use it in a lesson I was teaching my Young Women.

It was painted by 28 year-old Minerva Teichert, who was asked to paint it by the president of the Pocatello Idaho Stake.  It depicts Mary Fielding Smith with her young son, Joseph F. crossing the plains.  “Left alone she sets her face amid the howling wolves and the fear of savages…yet they are not alone.  For to the side is a shadowy form mounted on a classical charger representing the captain of the Lord’s host and his men protecting the saints.”

I would love to own a larger version of it someday.  I want my children to see it every day and remember that even when they feel alone, especially when they are making good choices that no one else is making, that really they are surrounded by soldiers that they can not see.  Angels who are rooting for their righteousness!

The girls eating dinner—I love how Hattie is completely covered in her applesauce/oat bran.  When I took the picture of Hattie, Elna requested a picture too!  Any time, Elna!

August in pictures.

We came home from Yosemite at the beginning of August.  We left Friday morning early, when the girls first woke up, and drove straight home, only stopping for bathroom breaks/gas.  It was a long 13 hours!

Two hours into our trip home and we pulled over for Elna to go to the bathroom 3 times, she didn’t actually go any of those times, but she woke up Hattie each of those times, and then she threw up more than I thought could come out of her little body. Poor girl!  I’m sure all of those times she said she needed to use the bathroom she actually was just needing to throw up, but didn’t know how to express it.  The rest of trip got much better!

We were happy to see this sign for Troutdale!  Home!

And happy to be back home and back into a routine.

Love when Elna’s little friends come over!

The picture on the left is of Brian tearing down the shed—it was actually taken before we left for Yosemite, in July, but I forgot to post it then—it took way longer than I thought to take that thing down!  //  Elna playing with a fun water toy.

Such a helper, I’m sure!

Brian worked super hard all day Saturday and promised to take Elna to the pool for an hour at the end of the day.  She had so much fun jumping and jumping into the pool and swimming around with Daddy.  Harriet and I watched.  Right after I took this picture the lifeguard made her take off the yellow tube she is wearing because it isn’t approved—she had to wear a life vest that just seemed to choke her instead—I was bugged.  She didn’t care though!

Papa is such a good sport!

Love these two!

Hydrangeas from our backyard in my new favorite vase.  Fun story about this vase—my friend had one just like it that I fell in love with, but she got it at the thrift store.  I was bummed, because I knew how unlikely it was for me to find one.  A few months later I popped over to my next-door neighbors yard sale and saw a smaller version of the vase for sale!  I was about to purchase it when Doris Dobis (my neighbor—love saying her name-it rhymes!) told me she had a bigger one (like my friend’s) inside she was also selling.  She sold both of them to me for the price she was going to sell just one.  I never go to garage sales, so the fact that this happened was very random and a sweet blessing—I felt God’s love and recognize that he cares about what I care about, even a random vase!

Zoo day as a family!

I’m totally hit and miss about buckling her in—luckily she hasn’t ever fallen out…but it looks close here.  I must have felt she was pretty safe if I took a picture.

The picture above cracks me up—look at the way Elna is holding Harriet all protectively.  Harriet just goes with the flow—always.

When I see them interacting like this I just pray that they will love each other like crazy when they are 2 and 4, 8 and 10, and 14 and 16.  I just love these two!

And in case you wonder about them being naked all. of. the. time, you aren’t alone.  A few people lately on Instagram have mentioned how often my girls are naked.  I should change it, but don’t cross you fingers because I probably won’t.  In fact, we sent my favorite picture of the girls in to put on our credit card (they do it for free), but they wrote back and said they couldn’t do it because of partial nudity—one of them didn’t have a shirt on.  I was bummed, but thought that surely I could find another to send in.  As it turns out, all of my favorite pictures of these two has one or both of them partially naked in it. 

The other day, Elna said at breakfast time, “Elna nakey, Hattie nakey, and Mommy nakey.”  Haha.  Moral of this story?  Call before you come over because we may  just be wearing our underwear! :)

I’m realizing as I do this post how many pictures I take of the girls on the couch—Elna asks me all. the. time. to take a picture of them together and this is where she is allowed to hold her.  The ones above kind of have me rolling because of Elna’s face.  I was probably telling her to smile or maybe saying “no, a real smile” and she was just confused and it came out a little awkward.

And just in case there aren’t enough pictures of the girls on the couch, here are a few more!

Elna’s Aunt Stacy gave her some new clothes—so fun!  They are darling!  Elna was so excited about her new prizes!

Pretty dress from Stacy!

Cute Harriet is such a good sport—Elna surrounded Hattie with her baby dolls.  I love it!  Elna is such a little mommy…except today when I caught her stomping as hard as she could on her doll’s head.  At least she hasn’t done that to Harriet…yet.

And a few thousand more couch pictures.

We were having the toughest time getting this girl to stay in bed, so on one particular night I told her I would give her anything she wanted if she stayed in bed all night.  She wanted yellow cake.  So, yellow (or a little white) cake I made!  Just a single-serving cupcake—and she ate it for breakfast.  I couldn’t choose between all of these pictures so I just included all of them of course.  I’m obviously obsessed with the cuteness of this girl!

And while Elna ate her cupcake, Harriet jumped around.

All ready for church—wearing her new dress from Stacy!

Maybe I shouldn’t take pictures during Sacrament meeting?

Doing all of the things you shouldn’t do…tummy sleeper surrounded by soft blankets and pillows.  She kept rolling over and waking herself up, so for a while we had to surround her so that she couldn’t move much.

Blurry picture of cute Hattie ready for church.

I LOVE the picture above where Harriet is looking up at Elna!  Sweet girls!

And the same pictures in black & white from Instagram.  Clearly, I had a hard time weeding out pictures this time.