~One Sweet Chick X 2~

I was feelin' the need for a jump start on Spring...so I bought these adorable Spring/Easter themed shirts for the girls! Alexa loves to have Payton match her these days, so we completed the ensemble with jean skirts and tights! I pretty much have the cutest chicks ever!!

Different...but similar!!

My sweet ladies definitely have some similarities in the looks department...but they also have their own unique qualities as well. I know who is who...can YOU tell who is who???

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(Payton: left, Alexa: right)

~LOVES~

We have a lot of love for each other in our little family!!!

Fun times in Arizona!

Our trip was a success...WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!! Wow, we're really entering into the world of grownups! But we're so excited. Here it is!

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This is the morning we saw the house for the first time!

Right after we put in our first offer on our first home!

Trying to relax and enjoy the day while we waited to hear back about our offer. My sister, Tausha, flew in from Canada to help us with buying our first home. She's a realtor in Canada and wanted to learn how it's done in the States. It was such a huge blessing having someone in our corner to help us along with this whole process! Thanks Taush!

We took Tausha and Madison (my neice came too) on a tour of the University of Arizona Campus. We had beautiful weather the entire time we were there. Here is where Kevin proposed to me almost exactly 6 years ago (on March 8th). YES, Kevin proposed to me on the UofA campus. :-) Those who know us well enough, know that that's exactly what Kevin would do!! But really, the fountain in front of Old Main is a really beautiful spot...I wasn't disappointed in the least!! And we thought it was fitting to take another picture for memory's sake!! :-)

And since we had put in an offer on the house we LOVE, and were just playing the waiting game, we thought...why not go to a basketball game? Kevin was in heaven!! It really was a lot of fun to do a lot of the things Kevin and I did when we were dating and newly married. And with no kids with us, it kinda felt like we were newly married again! Thanks Duane for taking us to the game, we all had a great time!

I mentioned that Kevin and I used to go to the basketball games when we were dating and newly married, right...well, here's proof! This was shortly before we got engaged, I believe. In fact, Kevin really wanted to use this first picture as our engagement photo!!! :-) And then here we are 6 years later! Wow...we looked so young compared to now!

YAY!!! We just signed the contract on our house!!!

And to celebrate, we took Tausha and Madison to one of our favorite restaurants, Oregano's. Mmmmm....it was seriously so good. We also celebrated my birthday early, thanks Taush!! It was a such a fun evening with tons of great food!

And we topped our trip off with the Home Inspection yesterday morning. Here we are right after the inspection was completed and all was deemed well with our house!! Woohoo....we're so excited to start this new chapter in our lives.

And we're so grateful for all the help we received in this process. We were definitely guided and directed from above in the search for the right home for our family. And we had the most amazing realtor! If you ever need a home in Tucson, let us know and we'll point you in the right direction! But really, we can't say enough about how thankful we are for the many blessings we've received lately, and especially pertaining to the purchase of our new home. We hope you all will want to come visit as we'd love to have you!!

Payton: 10 Months

Another month has flown by! Our little lady will be ONE at the end of next month, that's so crazy to me!! She's getting so big. Here are a few things that happened in Payton's life this last month:

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*She had an ear infection and a mild asthmatic episode in early February.

*She started shaking her head "no" on Feb 7th.

*Her left lateral tooth on top came through on Feb 11th.

*She's pulling up to stand now, as of Feb 11th.

*Her right lateral on top came through on Feb 15th.

*She can now crawl up into things like her small rocking chair.

*She went on her first road trip to Indianapolis on Feb 20th.

*She's getting into everything!

*She tries to disappear into the floor, makes herself as flat as possible, when she knows she's doing something she's not supposed too!!

*She loves to copy - fake laughing or coughing - to see how you'll react.

*She's still sleeping like a champ, usually 12-14 hours each night.

*She's still taking at least 2 naps each day, and sometimes even a short 3rd one.

*She doesn't like her breathing treatments.

*She's started taking tubbies with Alexa and she absolutely LOVES being in the water...but she's a little TOO brave!

*She started playing shy and only wants her mommy.

These two are just the joy in my life! Some days are definitely harder than others, but I don't know what I'd do without them! We're leaving them this week with friends so Kevin and I can go to Arizona and buy a house....and I'm having a really hard time with it! I've never left Payton before and Alexa I've only left with Kevin or my mom. I'm sure they'll be just fine but I'm still nervous and anxious! Here's hoping I'll have a good report next week! And wish us luck on the house-hunting!! :-)

T-R-O-U-B-L-E!!

Payton LOVES to get into the wipes. If the package is left open and within her reach, she makes a beeline for it! And if you turn your back for even just a minute or two, she's got practically the whole package of wipes taken out. She's a quick one!! We've definitely got to keep our eyes on her. I think this is just a glimpse of what she's going to get into in the years to come! :-)

We wouldn't have it any other way though!

We sure love this little lady and her spunky personality!

{Talent Show}

Alexa went to her first Primary Activity at our church last night. They are held quarterly for the 3-11 year olds and this one was a Talent Show. Alexa had gone back and forth deciding between doing a number on her "drums" (aka my kitchen canisters for flour, sugar, etc.) or singing a song. Well, after going to Storytime at our library this past Wednesday and learning a new song about teeth, she decided she wanted to sing that song as her talent. Kinda fitting don't ya think since her daddy is ALMOST done with dental school??!! :-)

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And here's our little singer! I'm so sad I missed it but sooooo glad Kevin was able to get it on video! (I was at home with Payton so she could go to bed on time!)

What do you think???

Should Kevin look into a career as a dentist????? :-)

Indianapolis Children's Museum

Today we ventured to Indianapolis to meet up with my dear friend, Stacey, from Canada. Stacey is visiting her sister in Chicago and since she was technically "in the neighborhood" :-), we knew we had to try and get together!! We were both pregnant the last time we saw each other and have since had those babies so it was a lot of fun to meet up and visit, even if it was for only a few hours. We had a great time and the kiddos got to do a lot of fun things...it was a wonderful afternoon!

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Alexa and daddy playing with the dinosaurs!

Alexa playing in the train tunnels.

There was this cool glass sculpture in the middle of the ramps that ran the entire 4 or 5 floors of the Museum! The artist only has one eye...pretty impressive!!

Alexa and her daddy with the bones of a wholly mammoth just like the ones her Great-Great-Grandpa Curtis found on his ranch, along with many other dinosaur bones that were found. The findings on Grandpa Curtis' ranch were displayed in the Smithsonian at one time!!

Payton just being her cute self! And Alexa having a teddy bear picnic with Lucas and Chloe, two of Stacey's kids. (I can't believe I didn't get anymore pictures of the kiddos together).

Me & Stacey...with the head of Tyler, her youngest.

There was a carousel...so OF COURSE Alexa had to go on it. She LOVES carousels!!

They had so many fun and interactive exhibits. Alexa had a lot of fun in this section, playing in water, playing in a kitchen they had talking about nutrition, playing in the dirt, climbing on things...so much to do!!!

The only picture Kevin and I got together!!

Too bad Payton looked down right as I took the picture.

Alexa wants to be just like her daddy, the almost dentist!!! :-)

I'm so thankful for great friends. Stacey and I have stayed close even after all these years since we lived together! I talk to her just about every day and am really grateful for her friendship, support and love! Thanks for the treats Stace and for allowing us to horn in on your visit with your sister!

We highly recommend the Indianapolis Children's Museum! If you're in the area, definitely check it out! And if you LIVE close by, get a membership as there's way to much to see in one afternoon!!! :-)

It's a...

FORT-MAKING kind of day!!!

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So surprise, surprise...we have yet ANOTHER snow day!! We woke up to several inches again and lucky us, Kevin didn't have to go to school! So what better thing to do but build a fort of blankets in the living room??!!! Alexa LOVED it. Payton thought it was pretty fun too!

'C' is for COOKIE!!

Yesterday, we had Jonny, Katelyn and their mommy over to decorate sugar cookies for Valentine's Day! I haven't made sugar cookies in FOR-EV-ER, so I was really looking forward to it. PLUS, with us being stuck at home due to Alexa having pneumonia earlier this week...we were really in need of something fun to do!! After the initial thrill of rolling and cutting out their own cookies, Alexa and Jonny just wanted to move onto the icing and decorating!! Who can blame them!

It was a fun morning, with fun friends and yummy cookies...much needed after our week!

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HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

I really am the luckiest woman in the world...I get to call this handsome fella and these two cuties MY Valentines!! They bring so much love and joy into my life! I am a better person because of them and I sure hope they know how very much I love them!

Sitting, Crawling...and now STANDING!!

We are now having to move things farther into the center of the coffee table or up higher on cupboards...Payton is pulling to stand!! And she's LOVING it!

OH MY...

Once there was a Snowman!

Yep...yet ANOTHER snow day!!! Will winter EVER end??? It's a good thing Alexa loves the white stuff! :-) She's been a little under the weather the last few days with a sporadic fever...but she was feeling up to venturing outside this morning and I'm glad because she got to help make her very first snowman. And most likely her last! Thanks Becky and Jonny for sharing a fun morning with our little lady!

A Favorite Place