Summer

We had a dog for an hour. Our girls are dog obsessed. Lilly has always loved dogs and Ella is completely "puppy" infatuated. She looks for puppies everywhere we go and she repeats the word over and over again. She can spot them a mile away. We were actually going to get a dog this spring or summer until we found out we were expecting the boys.

Today we found a stray. She was running down our street so fast as we were on our way home. I called her to come but she ran faster. I actually thought it was our neighbor's dog, "T.O." but saw she had on a pink collar. We got close to her at one point and she just looked at me, circled in front of my car, I opened the door to see if she was nice or not and she hopped right in and laid down on my passenger seat. The girls were squealing from their car seats!

I found out her name is Summer and I called the number on her tag but no one answered so I left a message. Then, we just drove around with her and I fell totally in love. She is the sweetest dog!

I finally figured out where she lived and drove to the house. Someone came to the door and told me he was a contractor and they had accidentally let the dog out and there were search parties out looking for her. He was so appreciative he was crying. It was really sweet.

But the sweetest part was what Lilly said on the way home. She said, "Mommy, we help people, old people, and dogs."
Yes, that's right, we do.

Happy Mother's Day!

I had a wonderful Mother's Day doing nothing!

Friends borrowed my camera but Andy documented our day with my cell phone. We went out to breakfast, I took Lilly to swim lessons, and we just hung out as a family which I really enjoy.

We also went to a garden center and picked out a dogwood tree for our yard. We picked out a Cornus Koupa ('Miss Satomi) which is a hybrid dogwood that was actually created at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Due to the Anthracnose disease, researchers at Rutgers University began hybridizing the Spring Flowering Dogwoods with the Chinese Dogwood. I love the look of the full grown dogwood; it has an Asian flare. Now I want it to hurry up and grow!

The best part was driving home with Andy hanging out of the back of the van holding the tree. I giggled the whole way home.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!

Beautiful Weather

This weather rocks. Sunny skies, low humidity, and a nice cool breeze!? Awesome. Lilly and I enjoy hanging out for some one-on-one time while Ella naps. There's so much to do in this weather!

Dancing is always at the top of the list!

We also discussed the helicopter issue in our yard. Our neighbors on either side have huge maple trees that release these annoying seed pods that germinate in our mulch so that I can then pick out hundreds of teeny tiny maple babies a week after they fall. Lilly and I picked some out of the mulch but it would take days to complete the job.

The culprit. This is how it looks when it roots into the ground. I do not like these little suckers.

Focus your eyes to see the teeny tiny baby maple trees everywhere!!!

Lilly wouldn't let me get her picture. But I love this picture.

It is so much fun to watch Lilly and her physical abilities. She loves to run, jump, twirl, dance, flip, and so on.

I am loving this spring. Some years we skip right over this awesome season but this year we're getting a fabulous one!

Mother's Day Tea

Lilly's preschool class had a Mother's Day Tea for moms or grandmoms. Lilly was very excited as they spent quite some time planning and preparing for the special morning. The children had written some really sweet things about their special someone, prepared food, and had practiced songs which were adorable.

Lilly with Mrs. Hill (one of her 3 teachers) sharing the flower she made me.

I really didn't even want to write this blog entry after I saw the pictures of myself with Lilly. Then I remembered that I keep this blog for the girls so that one day they can look back and say, "Oh my gosh Mom, your face was soooooooo FAT!" and I can then explain to them that pregnancy wrecks my body and will likely wreck theirs.

I am not blessed with beauty in pregnancy and instead I lose my neck bones, lose my neck, and gain three chins and a very round face. Forget about the rest of the body. I won't even go there. But it's temporary and in time I will recognize myself again. So Lilly, this is for you. Mommy was indeed at your preschool Mother's Day Tea and I loved every minute of it.
(This one was not so bad though I look like I have a deformity on my neck, but Lilly didn't smile.)

Oh holy moly Lord give me strength.
It's Barney at Lilly's Mother's Day Tea!

I will now go look for a brown paper bag. We'll make eye holes. It can be a fun game.

Thank you Lilly for making the day so special for Mommy! And thank you Daddy for going to work late so Ella was taken care of.

Girly Girls

Today we ate lunch at the park. The lighting was great, weather beautiful, girls (by chance) in coordinating dresses, yet they were not into cooperating and I was getting hot.

Lilly's class had a Mother's Day Tea this morning (another post on that later) so she was dressed for the occasion.

Sisterly love?

Aunt Sherry gave Ella these monogrammed bloomers. I am so in love with them.

I don't know how photographers do it. I guess they have a lot of patience, time, great lenses, and are not pregnant with twins.

Spring Has Sprung

Our yard is, once again, booming with nature. I love it. Thank goodness Andy has a keen eye and finds all the secret nests in our yard.

This weekend was warm and beautiful. Andy worked in the yard (it looks great!) and first found baby cardinals. We knew there was a nest in our forsythia and we had been watching the mother and father cardinal fly in and out of the nest. There are two babies, whom I like to refer to as twins, and we caught them just in time because as of this evening they're off enjoying their newfound freedom.

Twin A

Twin B

Both babies!

"I feel like I'm being watched."

This morning Andy found a nest of very newborn robins in another tree. There are 4 babies and they are totally adorable. The girls really enjoyed looking at them.

I can't stand the cuteness factor here.

Finally, Andy spotted another nest of bunnies. I don't know how attached I can become this year. It seems we do not have luck with baby bunnies. I only took a very quick peek since our crazy bunny-loving cat was nearby.

I love nature. I love springtime. I love the smell of fresh cut grass and newly laid mulch. It is beautiful out and I am totally digging it.

Growth Scan

Today was my first growth scan for the twins. I'm happy to report that they're doing really well. Luke (Baby A) is head down and 2 lbs, 1 oz. Hi Luke!

Gabriel (Baby B) is up high and weighs 1 lb, 14 oz. Hi sweet boy!

The perinatologist said they look great and all is well. I'm officially measuring 30 weeks (a month ahead) which is normal. I don't have to go again for another month so I hope the boys keep on growing and thriving!