Emma Jo is 5!

Cousin Emma had a back yard beach party this year!  So much fun, pool, sprinkler and best of all, the Slip & Slide!  Happy Birthday sweet girl, we love you!!! 

Ella enjoyed the Slip & Slide - and I mean she really enjoyed the Slip & Slide.  I thought to myself before we left for the party, hmmmm, Ella + Water = Multiple Changes of Clothes!  I must be getting better at this motherhood thing, because I packed 3 spare outfits for her and used all 3!  Every time we turned around she was back in the water!  Oh, Ella Mazzy!

The pool was a bit to chilly for Livy, but she still got her swim practice in.  This is her first tubby in the big tub!  No more tubbies in her baby tub. :(  Another sign of how big she is getting.  Love her thunder thighs!  She was kicking her feet and enjoyed being able to splash around.  Can't wait to take her swimming!

Nap Time!

I still can't resist taking pictures of Ella in wild napping positions.  This one was on a weekend, just after lunch.  I told her she could play for a few minutes before her nap while I switched the laundry over.  I came back upstairs a minute later and found her like this on the couch!

These sisters have something in common - crazy nap positions!  Livy is starting early!  She moved right before I took the picture, but her feet were originally up resting on the bumper in her crib.  You can tell she has been working on getting more teeth by the all the drool puddles!  She popped another bottom tooth through on Friday, that makes two!  She smiles ALL the time to show off her new teeth. 

Happy Father's Day Daddy!!!

These girls love their daddy!

We were lucky enough this year to spend Father's Day with Grandpa too!  Grandpa came out to visit for cousin Emma's birthday and to spend some time with the grand kids! 

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads in our lives!

Ella kept telling Bob, "Happy Daddy's Day, Daddy" and giving him big kisses!  Both Ella and Livy are defiantly "Daddy's Girls" and I love every second of it! 

Bob you are a wonderful husband and father and we would be lost without you!  You provide us with endless love, laughter, security and joy!  We hope you know how appreciated and loved you are every day, not just on Father's Day! 

 

Livy enjoying some play time before bed.  She certainly doesn't have any trouble getting to where she wants to go, she is a professional roller! 

Ella has informed us that she is a "big girl" now and big girls, do not swing in "baby swings"!  That is just fine with Livy, she is enjoying her first swing!

1st Tooth & Green Beans! It's a Big Week!

Livy had her first tooth pop through yesterday!       What a big girl! 

She also started green beans this week.  She didn't seem to have a strong like or dislike for them, which made for an uneventful first feeding, which is just fine with us!  Hopefully she will continue to be a good eater as we introduce more foods over the next weeks and months.  She is growing up so fast! 

Weekend Fun!

On Sunday we went bowling for cousin Dayne's 5th birthday!  Happy Birthday Dayne!  Ella loved her first time of bowling and did great!  She came in second place with a score of 90 only 3 pins behind her cousin Ethan's winning score of 93!

Nana Margie had her retirement party last Friday night!  Congratulations Nana!  After teaching for many years, Margie is ready to spend more time with her grand kids and travel!  In sticking with the travel theme, Megan had this cake made for the party which was unbelievable!  The cake was so detailed with the suitcases and the rice crispy earth on top.  The fondant figurines were so cute of Jim and Margie on top of the earth and of Bob, Ella, Olivia & I on the left and Ben, Megan, Carson, & Brady on the right.

Memorial Day Weekend

The four of us in the dinosaur display at the zoo! 

(I just noticed the date on the picture says 2006 - whoops! We are having to use one of our old cameras while our usual one is being fixed - turns out, it's not good to spill an entire can of Coke on your camera!)

"Uncle" Jason was back for a visit this weekend!  "Uncle" Jason and "Aunt" Kelly came to the zoo with us on Friday.  Followed up of course by our traditional meal at HuHot, where we all eat until we can no longer move!  As always, it was great to see Jason again - but we still haven't been able to convince him to move back to Iowa!

Sisters!

"Spaghetti Coma"

I couldn't resist posting this picture!  This is Ella at the tail end of a long holiday weekend, exhausted and stuffed with spaghetti.  A nap followed shortly!

Livy enjoying some tummy time with Sofie, her giraffe!  

Livy is really coming in to that rollie pollie stage.  We love it!  She is our little butterball!

Aunt Pat got this adorable dress for Ella when she was a baby and I can't remember if I ever was able to get a picture of her in it.  I didn't want to miss of the opportunity the other day when Livy had it on and looked so cute!  Thanks again Aunt Pat, you know how to doll up these girls!

Nebraska Weekend!

More attempts at capturing a family picture with all of us looking at the camera!  I feel like I will be fighting this losing battle for the next few years, but I am determined and will keep trying!

After Ella was done watering every flower (and I mean every flower), she decided she needed to wash the Traverse!  Go for it girl!

Awww, Olivia enjoying some sweet cuddle time with her Bamma!

On a mission of blowing bubbles! 

These weren't any ordinary bubbles though, these bubble came in the shape of an ice cream cone

and were even ice cream scented!

Ella making her baby sister Livy smile, like only she can!

Ella giving Bamma a hug to make sure she is okay while keeping a watchful eye on her baby sister.  We were playing with the new golf set that Bamma got for Ella and one of the golf balls that daddy had, hit Bamma.  Ella came running over to Bamma's rescue and then proceeded to yell at her daddy for hitting her Bamma!  It was so cute!  Luckily no one was hurt since the golf balls weigh about an ounce! 

What do you hear Ella?

I love my sweet little Livy! 

The weather was gorgeous while we where in Nebraska, so we spent a lot of time outside,

which Olivia is a big fan of.

Ella loved Bamma's flowers - especially watering them!

Ella showing Bamma what a good climber she is.

Slide!

Fabulous Ella ready to go the park to play!

Fabulous Livy ready to go the park to play!

My favorite part of the museum is the rattlesnake display, it still scares me!  When you push the button on the case the snake's tail rattles, so bis sis Ella had to show her little sis Livy how to do it.

While we were in Hastings, we visited the museum.  It was so funny to see Ella running around the museum that I remember taking field trips to when I was in school.  It didn't seem like to much has changed, except of course everything seemed so much smaller!

We finally made it back to Nebraska for a quick weekend trip!  We had a good excuse to come back, it was Aunt Tootie's 90th Birthday!  Happy Birthday Aunt Tootie!  Of course I once again failed to get any pictures taken at the party itself or of Aunt Tootie!  Regardless, the party was so nice and Aunt Tootie was thrilled, as were we, to see so many of her family and friends.  

Big Girls Eat Cereal!

Another bitter sweet moment of parenthood!  I can't believe my little tiny baby is old enough to be eating cereal!  As much as I beg and plead with our girls, they continue to grow like weeds!

  Livy took to eating her cereal like a champ!  We really could have started a while ago, but decided to wait until we were both a little healthier after being sick for the last few weeks.  Just hope she does as well with veggies and fruit in the coming weeks!  Which reminds me I better get started making a fresh supply of baby food!