Michael, Kristen, Jayla & Jessa

New Comforters

2012-02-14T14:05:00.004-07:00

I bought the girls matching comforters complete with ruffles, fancy pillows and polka dot and in Jayla's favorite color... PINK of course. They were so excited! Even Jessa got really excited. She kept telling me, "Mom! I love it. I love it" over and over. She ran up to me and told me thank you after she had jumped on her bed. Jayla was so excited too and had a big grin on her face. The girls were actually excited to go to bed and stayed in bed ALL night. We should get them a new comforter every night!

Horsie

2012-02-14T14:02:00.002-07:00

As soon as daddy lays on the ground he has two little girls hanging all over him. Jessa was begging him to play horsie with her...so of course she got her way. Cute babies!

Favorite Room

2012-02-03T16:13:00.003-07:00

After finding Jayla and Jessa in my walk-in closet at least a couple times a day I decided that it is now their favorite room in the house. It kills me how they always seem to pick the shoes with the biggest heels.

We Survived.

2012-01-24T19:48:00.002-07:00

Notice that Jessa is not wearing a diaper! We threw away all of her diapers and she is officially a BIG girl. She did really well. She is a smart girl and was highly motivated by "Nem & Nem's" and by calling daddy on the phone. Good work Jess!

More Conversations

2012-01-24T16:57:00.010-07:00

Jayla: I want to go to Grandma's house today.

Michael: We'll go when Uncle Tyson gets off of his mission.

Jayla: Go tell Tyson to hurry up and come home already!

Jessa: Mom. More pudding.

Mom: We don't have anymore pudding Jessa, sorry.

Jessa: A idea mom...more pudding.

Another Jaylaism

2012-01-24T10:57:00.005-07:00

"Jessa. You are the dad and I am the mom. I am the boss."

Cute Babies

2012-01-23T11:42:00.002-07:00

So these are the only pictures that I have taken since we moved to our new house. It is a work in progress. There are many things that we will be changing over the next little while, so there are more pictures to come.

Jessa's Birthday

2012-01-10T14:01:00.005-07:00

My sweet little Jessa. You are now 2 years old! I can't believe it! You have the best smile and you use it ALL the time. You have the best personality. Nobody can figure out how you laugh like that. You are so so happy all the time and you make us laugh ALL the time. You are a sweet sensitive girl and you love to give us hugs and kisses. You a good sister. You are always hugging Jayla and sharing with her. You are smart and you surprise us with all the things that you know...and we didn't even teach them to you. You just picked up on them all by yourself. You learned all your body parts and how to count to 10 without us teaching you those things to you. You are amazing. We love you and we know how much your birth family loves you. They think about you every day and they always want to know how you are doing.

Jessa you are our world and we would never have you without your birth mom Jelisa and the wonderful gift of adoption. We are grateful for you and we love you very very much.

Happy Birthday

Christmas Traditions at Kristen's House

2012-01-10T13:58:00.003-07:00

We had a lot of fun celebrating Christmas with Kristen's family. We usually go see a movie, have a big feast and of course we open presents. Jessa's favorite present was her toy Marshmallow. She had a stuffed on in front of her and the real thing right behind her. The first thing Jessa asked grandma and grandpa when we pulled up was, "Where Marsh at?"

A few of the cute cousins. We love them. Our girls had a LOT of fun playing with them.

I wanted to get a CUTE picture of Jayla and her daddy....this was as close as I could get.

Jessa is totally in love with her uncle Matt. I think Matt holds her more than his own son.

My mommy liked the calendar we got her of the girls. Priceless.

Traditions at Michael's house during Christmas

2012-01-10T12:57:00.009-07:00

Aunt Jamie started the weekend off with a bang. She spoiled the kids while we were there. She played with them every second that she had...literally. Bless her heart. She is a great aunt. We love her.

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without the gingerbread houses. We love this tradition! Do we look excited or what?

Uncle Jason was sooo excited to have his picture taken...can you tell? We love you Jason!

Daddy was helping Jessa with her gingerbread house. She was looking a little WORRIED that her daddy would mess up her house....but it all turned out ok.

Here is the finished product...not bad right!? So Jessa was worried over nothing.

Another tradition is opening family gifts on Christmas Eve and then going to look at all the lights. The girls all got matching pajamas thanks so Jared and Jessica.

Such cute girls in their cute pajamas. I love them!

The whole living room was littered with presents! It was so much fun to see everyone's faces light up as they opened their presents! I love love love this family!

The last two boys who are living at home...at least for the next month. They were so proud of their shirts.

And who could forget about the cute little princess girls! They cleaned up! They certainly are LOVED by their family and extended family.

Jason's Birthday is the 31st of December, so we always get to be there and celebrate with him. My favorite is that ALL of the little kids were surrounding Jason helping him blow out all the candles. Priceless. That Jason is always surrounded by kids! We will miss him a lot for the next 2 years while he is on his mission.

It also wouldn't be grandmas house, or Christmas without having a picture of a totally exhausted child sleeping in the middle of the chaos! Way too much fun!

Snow

2012-01-10T12:50:00.002-07:00

Who says it never snows in New Mexico...We had to go out and play in it when we saw the blanket of white outside. Who can resist a snow angel...do you dig the snow boots?

I love it! It took the girls a while to get the courage to jump off the side walk into the snow. They are so little they must not have remembered what snow is, so we had to get reacquainted.

Jessa...helping us make snow balls for our snow man that never really worked out.

Christmas Morning at our house

2012-01-10T10:35:00.007-07:00

All that Jayla wanted for Christmas was a scooter and a pink toothbrush from Santa. Wow...that Santa is amazing because that was exactly what he was planning on getting her the whole time. Jessa on the other hand doesn't even really know what Christmas is yet...I'm excited for next year.

We gave the girls a bunch of dress up clothes to them for Christmas. They LOVED it! It was great.

Jayla was in heaven wearing her pink dress. She rarely wears real clothes and you can find her in her dress up clothes most of the time.

Jessa was being funny and was trying to put on the stockings...after tears of frustration she finally succeeded.

Then Jayla wanted to try it out...only she put on EVERY stocking that we had.

My cute little princesses.

Family Pictures

2011-12-10T20:49:00.008-07:00

Sarah Halterman took our pictures and she did an awesome job, even with my restless kids. This is a link to her blog. http://www.bysarahjean.com

You can't really tell in a lot of the pictures, but Jessa was sooo not happy that day, but Sarah was able to get some good pictures anyway.

2011-11-30T07:08:00.003-07:00

"Hey! Don't squeeze me like that. I'm not your teddy bear. I'm just a real person."

Quote by Jayla

The Tower

2011-11-29T20:09:00.002-07:00

So I was cooking dinner when I finally looked over to see what Jessa was up to. She built this entire tower all by herself and she was almost finished with her master piece by the time I caught her.

I love this picture. You can tell how proud she is. Priceless. Did I mention that I have the hardest time keeping pants on this girl?!

Thanksgiving Part 2

2011-11-29T18:37:00.008-07:00

After spending time at my house we drove over to Nevada to spend some time with Michael's WHOLE extended family. Our family is unusual because we are all genuinely happy to see each other and we all have so much fun together. I love it!

This is Grandma A.K.A. great grandma to Jay and Jess and their lovely Aunt Dee. Grandma has about 49 great grandchildren with about 7 or 8 on the way. Yup, it is a HUGE family and I love it.

Everyone was checking out the black friday ads. We got some good deals, but by the next day and after no sleep everyone was wondering if it had been worth it.

My beautiful Jessa...She is starting to get good at posing for the camera.

All of the cousins on Michael's side of the family. I got almost all of the kids looking at the camera. My favorite is little Owen checking out the leaf in his hand.

It is a family tradition to play football or basketball and go shooting during Thanksgiving. It was
so much fun!

Some of the kids hiding behind the safety of the trucks away from the noise with their ear plugs in.

Michael is trying to give me some much needed pointers.

Jessa was so exhausted from all the fun that she crawled up on Justin and instantly fell asleep. If you look close you can see a puddle of drool.

Uncle Kev took some of the kids on a ride in the front end loader and the kids loved it! Yup...don't judge.

So...you might be a redneck if you get a family picture taken in a front end loader.

This child could not stay away from all the tractors. He thought he was in heaven. His dad was good enough to in them ALL with him. Cute!

Jessa is getting some more loves from her favorite Aunt Dee. We love her!

Who knows what grandpa was up to. Probably resting from chasing all the grandkids.

Oh yes, and don't forget the fabulous four...they were up to no good as usual with their air soft guns.

Best Friends. This was how these two were the whole time. They had so much fun together.

This kid was so sweet with my girls. He played with them every second he got. We love our Colby.

Well, I am sad as usual that I didn't get more pictures. There are a bunch of people who I wasn't able to get pictures of, but we love you all.

Thanksgiving Part 1

2011-11-28T18:40:00.008-07:00

Seeing cousin Joshua for the first time.

We were so excited to see Brittany's baby boy Joshua. He is precious and I still can't believe my little sister is a mommy. Now she will understand how AWSOME being a mommy really is!

Jayla was telling grandma that she wanted to get some toys for Joshua to play with. By the end of the visit Josh was buried in toys.

Cute cousin picture! These girls love their baby cousin and how small he is.

Jumpin Jacks

The next day we went to Jumpin Jacks to hang out with Jayla's birth family. We had A LOT of fun.

I had so much fun running around with my girls and visiting with Jayla's birth family. There was even a castle where we pretended to be princesses and daddy was the "mean guy" who would chase us.

This was Jessa's favorite slide. She would giggle the whole way down the slide.

The carasol was also a favorite. I think the girls rode it like 10 times. Here Chauntel is tickling the girls as they would go past.

Jayla caught telling her birthmom a long Jayla story.

Playing with the cousins.

All of the cousins on my side of the family (minus Jessa, who was sleeping.)

It was fun to see some snow again. The kids didn't care that is was freezing outside, they jumped in the snow anyway.

Thanksgiving Day

Michael was loving his extra time that he got to spend with the girls and he took advantage of it.

My girls love their uncle Matt. They are always snuggling with him and he is always chasing and tickling them.

Everyone after our Thanksgiving feast just sitting around and talking.

All the kids LOVED the pet rabbit that was found in the yard. All the kids went outside and chased it around the yard trying to catch it so that they could hold it.

After my mom and I were talking in the next room this was what we found. We thought that it was really cute how grandpa was making cookies with the girls.

Adoption

2011-11-06T16:54:00.004-07:00

I was talking with my girls about how we have been hoping to find a baby to adopt. Jessa, was listening real close. She said,"k be ight back." Then she ran into her room and grabbed one of her babies and gave it to me. It was pretty cute.

Pumpkin Carving

2011-11-06T16:43:00.002-07:00

The girls were really excited when we bought pumpkins to take home with us. Jayla kept asking us why there were pumpkins all over. (She is just discovering that there are different holidays.) She kept telling me that she wanted her pumpkin to have a scary face.

So I have the hardest time keeping pants on this girl. After putting her pants on 5 times that day I finally gave up. I guess she is preparing for potty training. Jessa's favorite part was playing with all the goop inside the pumpkins.

Michael was meticulously carving a scary face on Jayla's pumpkin.

Me and my girls.

I'm not sure what that face was all about, but when we were done carving Jayla's pumpkin she had to go show it to the neighbors and then she dragged it everywhere for the next couple of days. She was so proud of it.

Halloween Party

2011-10-30T12:51:00.006-06:00

We had a Halloween party with some of our friends. It was way fun. There were lots of games, food, and plenty of treats. The kids had a lot of fun. We made scary Halloween houses with Halloween candy.

This was supposed to be Michael's scary face. The game was that you are supposed to use tape to make your face scary. Jayla helped me tape up Michael's face.

This was Jayla and Jessa's scary faces. Are you scared yet?

This game was a little tough. Supposedly you had to get the oreo to your mouth without using your hands. Pretty sure nobody ever got it to their mouth without using their hands.

Pumpkin Babies

2011-10-30T12:37:00.003-06:00

We went to the store so that the girls could pick out pumpkins. Those pumpkins have been their best friends ever since. Jay and Jess are always lugging those things around asking me when they finally get to go trick or treating.

We had these cute fairy costume set out for them for Halloween, but they saw their costumes from last year and decided they wanted to be lady bugs instead. So, I guess we will have 2 cute little lady bugs again this year instead of fairies.

CUTE BUGS

FUTURE DIVA! I Just LOVE This Girl!

2011-10-30T12:34:00.000-06:00

Sand Castles

2011-10-27T08:06:00.003-06:00

We love playing in the sad. We have a huge sandbox behind our house and we play in it almost everyday. The girls LOVE it.

My sweet Dee. I love this girl. She is so great with my girls. She is the best auntie.

Huh....well, it all makes sense now. Now I know why Micheal always sticks out his tongue when he is concentrating on something...just like his dad. Well, Nolan will be proud to know that both our girls do it too...just like their dad and grandpa.

Grandma, helping Jessa build a tower for the sand castle. We love her!

Here was the finished product. I was fortunate enough to get a picture of it before Jessa completely destroyed it in 30 seconds.

The best part for the kids was when they got to bury grandpa's feet. The girls loved that!

Children's Museum (Get ready for picture overload!)

2011-10-27T07:34:00.009-06:00

Michael and Nolan spent a lot of time trying to figure out the brain teasers. The worker was impressed when Michael kept solving all the puzzles. You don't mess with an engineer.

Justin was proud of his tower. I'm starting to wonder is little boys ever grow out of that kind of stuff.

Jessa loves her grandpa. After he left she kept asking for him. If he wasn't such a great grandpa, then Jessa wouldn't miss him so much. We love this old guy!

Michael was working very intensely showing Jessa how the balloons can float in the air.

The best part of the whole museum was the bubbles. Notice how Jessa is concentrating really hard with her tongue poking out...Gee....I wonder where she got that from?

I'm pretty sure that the BIG kids had just as much as the little kids.

Daddy teaching everyone how the exhibit works and the physics behind it. He is such a good daddy!

This was a really fun exhibit were you could control when to release all the balls. The girls were fascinated! They watched it for forever.

This exhibit was Jayla's favorite. She liked to spin the wheel to make different colors.

This exhibit was Jessa's favorite. She would talk into the speaker and she could hear herself echoing in the head phones. She would try to walk away and start to cry if the headphones ever fell off of her. She spent a good 20 minutes there...now that is pretty long if you an energetic 2 year old.

Kids will be kids...and the adults will be too! There was a fun slide made out of a bunch of pipes that everyone had to tryout.

I'm pretty sure that the adults had as much fun as the kids.

Hiking

2011-10-27T07:17:00.004-06:00

We were so excited to have family come visit us last week. How do you like Jessa's fake smile? (Poor Michael. He was working hard while we were having so much fun.) We took the whole crew up the tram to take a hike in the Sandia Mountains. It was so pretty. Jayla said, "This is wonderful!" Ha ha ha...love her.

It gets a little tricky hiking with little kids, but we had plenty of people to help carry the girls when they got tired.

The view was gorgeous. It was hard to believe that our house is down there somewhere.

My family is awesome. I have the best family! It is so fun to watch them love my little girls.

Where there was grandma and grandpa, my girls were not far behind.

Apparently grandma and Justin were fighting over who got to hold Jayla on the hike.

Halloween Books

2011-10-18T18:01:00.003-06:00

Recently we went to the library to get some Halloween books. The girls didn't really know what Halloween was so we wanted to get them excited to go trick-or-treating. Well, it worked. Now Jayla asks us everyday if it is Halloween today so she can go get some candy and Jessa, hearing the word CANDY joins in. Aren't these girls BEAUTIFUL! It amazes me sometimes how much they look like their beautiful birth moms.

The Tickle Monster

2011-10-18T17:58:00.001-06:00

LOVE IT

2011-10-18T17:56:00.001-06:00

This was Jessa this morning when we told her we were having oatmeal for breakfast. She told me she wanted pancakes.

Air Show

2011-10-10T10:44:00.004-06:00

We went to the base to see the Air Show last weekend. Wow! We saw some amazing planes. Jayla kept saying, "Wow that plane is HUGE!" It was so crazy to see how the planes worked and to think about all the many man hours that went into designing these massive planes. To see everything up close and to see the planes flying over head gave us a greater sense of pride in our country . Seeing all the service men made us feel really grateful for those men and their families. They sacrifice a lot for our country and we have so much respect for them.

We also got so see some ground vehicles that are used by the military. These too were impressive.

I got some shots of some of the amazing moves the pilots did during the show. It was so crazy that the pilots could be so accurate in their flying to keep from running into another plane.

Oh yes, and despite our ear plugs...it was LOUD. But everyone still had fun.

Sweet Jayla Mae

2011-10-10T08:20:00.015-06:00

This girl makes me laugh. I can't believe some of the things that she comes up with. She is a happy little thing that is loving her dress up clothes right now. She practically lives in her princess dress that I bought her last year. She also loves to dance to music right now. She loves it when daddy is home so that she can dance with him (AKA her prince). She is sweet girl and whenever she tells daddy that she loves him she always has to tell everyone else too, so they won't be sad. We try to get her to tell us who she loves more...mommy or daddy and she will always say I love mommy AND daddy. She always tells us she is sorry after misbehaving and says, "but I still love you." Jayla adores her sister and usually wants to wake Jessa up because she wants to play with her. She is crazy social and wants to play with her friends every day. She has loved preschool and making new friends.

Jayla, of course, is a bright girl and she is excited that I have started to teach her to read and write. She loves books and pretends to read them all the time, so I couldn't hold this girl back. Some of Jayla's favorite things to do right now are to: help mom cook or bake, dance, wrestle with Jessa, watch movies, read books, play with friends, go to a new place, paint, play on the computer, take her stroller for a walk, go to preschool, and play in her kitchen. This girl likes to stay busy so we come up with new things to tryout.

Cars 2

2011-10-10T08:18:00.004-06:00

We found this great dollar theater close to our house and we have started taking the girls to a movie every once in while. We took the girls to see Cars 2 while my mom was still in town. It was a cute movie and the girls thought it was really fun going to see a movie with their grandma.

Making Cookies

2011-10-10T08:08:00.002-06:00

After my mom left the girls were really sad so we made Halloween cookies that my mom bought for them. It helped to cheer them up and get their mind off of how much they were missing their grandma. We had so much fun hanging out with her. Every morning Jessa will ask where grandma is.

Wrestling Girls

2011-10-10T08:03:00.007-06:00

This is what our girls usually look like before bed. They LOVE to wrestle. I always thought that little boys were the only ones that like to wrestle, but I stand corrected. They are so funny!

Pizza Time

2011-10-10T08:00:00.001-06:00

We took a tour to Dions for preschool. All the kids got to go in the back to see how all the pizza was made. The only thing that Jayla cared about was when we got to eat pizza. We also got some nice shirts out of the deal.

Zoo

2011-10-09T19:40:00.005-06:00

My mom came into town this last week. We were excited for a fun week of shopping, and playing with her. We went to the zoo. My girls love monkeys. We went to see the monkeys first thing. It was really cute because the momma monkey was trying to shield her baby from the rain. Jayla thought that was pretty cool.

The Flamingos are also a favorite exhibit since they are pink and Jayla loves pink. I'm just glad that Jessa doesn't know her colors yet so that they don't fight over everything that is pink.

Looking at some monkeys.

By the end of the day it was pouring. I got to tryout my rain cover for the first time. It worked great! I loved it and the kids stayed dry and happy.

My Jessa baby

2011-10-09T19:24:00.003-06:00

Jessa is getting to be so big. She is talking in sentences now. She loves following her big sister around and can't live without her. She copies everything that Jayla does. Jessa is a very happy, energetic girl as long as she has a full tummy. Most days she can usually be seen dragging me around. This girl goes 100 miles an hour and when she is sleeping you can't wake this girl for anything. She is the most loving little girl always giggling, hugging, kissing and mauling us. Our favorite thing is that she is still really cuddly. Right now Jessa is obsessed with doggies, wearing mommy's shoes, her neigh neigh AKA horsie, and talking in her low growly voice, which is quite entertaining. When we are out in public she has to wave to everyone and give them some "nucks." She is really smart and is starting to recognize her letters already. She is a fun kid. We love you Jess.

Disneyland

2011-09-25T18:57:00.027-06:00

This is our group that went to Disneyland. We went with 3 of Michael's brothers and their families. We miss them so much already. We had so much fun! We can't wait to go back again. I couldn't choose which from all the great pictures we have so be prepared for a long one.

These two were joined at the hip the entire trip. Jessa loves her Jason and that Jason is so sweet to her.

Oh yes, you can't go to Disneyland without riding on the tea cups. I'm just glad that the ride was short and sweet before we all got sick.

While Jessica and Emily watched the girls for we went on the Tower of Terror. It was great. It was one of our favorite rides.

This is a picture of some of us on the Tower or Terror ride. Can you spot us? We are all on the back right rows. Notice that the biggest guy in the black shirt named Jason is screaming his head off. Sorry Jas buddy...I couldn't resist pointing that out.

Jayla was so excited to ride in a bug and she also loved that she was able to drive the car.

Splash mountain was one of our favorite rides. Mostly because we all conspired against Jason. We all knew that the person who sits in the front always gets drenched, so naturally we made Jason sit up front. Of course he got soaked and to make matters worse we went on the ride after the sun was going down on a cold cold evening. It still makes me laugh just thinking about it. Thanks Jason for being such a good sport so that we could have a little fun and a good laugh.

The princesses were a big hit. Michael, Jay, Jess and I scheduled a breakfast date with all the princesses. The girls loved it and it was fun to see them get so excited to meet the princesses.

We were sad that we never got to meet Princess Tiana, but at least we were able to see her at the parade.

Michael and the girls at the princess breakfast.

The girls were a little timid when they met with some of the other characters, but as long as we were nearby they did great.

I think one of my favorite attractions was the splash pad. The kids were so much fun to watch.

Andali and Jayla chasing after Mini Mouse down. A security guy had to come out to protect Mini from these wild fans.

This was also one of Jayla's favorite rides because she got to use the Buzz Lightyear gun on all the targets.

These two fun pictures were taken in Toon Town by my beautiful sister-in-law Jessica.

All of the little cousins got to ride Dumbo and they of course loved it!

We rode the carousel a couple times. I think that this was also a favorite ride.

Jayla was really excited to go into the castle. I think that both Jayla and I were a little disappointed when we went through the castle because it was a little too scary for young kids.

Sweet cousins.

Jayla and Jessa LOVED their Mickey Mouse shirts and have worn them almost every day since we got back from our trip.

This was our last night at Disneyland. It was so sad. Nobody wanted to go home, but at least we got to enjoy the light show before we left. The kids loved that and we were all impressed. I think we all had as much fun as the kids did. We all had so much fun watching our kids enjoy the magic of Disneyland and we can't wait to go again.

Sea World

2011-09-25T18:34:00.009-06:00

It was fun going back to Sea World again. Our favorite shows were the dolphins, Shamu and the seals. It was even more fun to have family sitting beside us the whole time.

The seals were really fun. Michael bought some food for all of us to feed to them.

Jessa was completely amazed. She couldn't take her eyes of the seals and she kept trying to make noises like them.

Jayla was checking out all the Sharks. After going to Sea World she was afraid to get in the water at the beach.

We got to pet the starfish. That was pretty fun except for the freezing water that made your hand hurt.

Jessa was posing for this picture with her hands in her pockets.

There was a play area that was really fun for the kids. Her cousin Owen would work so hard building a tower and then Jessa would knock it down for him.

That's a good daddy for ya...trucking it through the tunnels with his girls.

The Beach

2011-09-25T17:51:00.007-06:00

We went to the beach and had a great time. The sun wasn't out the whole time, but we still had a lot of fun.

Jessa LOVED the sand and for some reason she kept eating it no matter how hard I tried to keep it out of her mouth. When we were leaving we hosed her off and she ran into the sand again before we could catch her. She didn't want to leave.

This girl also had a lot of fun, although she was a little afraid of the water she enjoyed the giant sandbox.

The boys checking out the water and working up the nerve to get in.

The boys tried out the boogie boards and then I went out in the water. I wish I had a picture of that for proof and I got in the cold water.

The crew...running everywhere.

Some if the kids running away from the waves. Awww they are so cute. I miss our trip already.

Just cute pictures.

Melon Days

2011-09-25T16:05:00.005-06:00

What would melon days be without a giant watermelon float. It is a tradition in Michael's family to attend this celebration every year. There is a parade, free watermelon, shops, and plenty of games and rides for the kids. Most of all we love spending so much time with family and once again I wish that I had taken more pictures of everyone.

Justin, Michael's brother, performed for us as a prelude for Miss Melon Days. (He is the giant one in the middle). They did a great job.

Oh yes, and Melon Days is usually during a big BYU game so we all get together and cheer them on. It is so much fun.

Justin loves our kids. He is always holding one of them. Here they watching the parade.

Some of my family came down for the celebration as well. It was so fun to see them.

My mom was loving hugging on the little girls. I'm glad I at least got a picture of her hugging Jayla baby.

Jessa, waving to all the people in the parade eating her spoils and loving her grandma. She was attached to her the whole trip.

Oh yes, and my beautiful Deanne. I love you girl and I love you in this picture.

This is my brother-in-law Matt. Jessa just adores him. She kept teasing him and hugging him. That Jessa is so social and loves to love other people.

Usually Michael plays in the melon days softball tournament along with a bunch of his brothers.

Jessa spotted her daddy AKA MIKOL on the field and had to give him a high 5.

Jayla got some good rides in sliding down the blow up toys and riding on the train.

Splashing in the Tub

2011-09-25T15:32:00.001-06:00

Nap Time

2011-09-13T09:07:00.002-06:00

This little Jessa is pretty amazing. Whenever she is tired she will come up to me and say, "nap" and then she wants me to put her in bed. She gets so excited to go to bed that sometimes she jumps around because she gets to take a nap.

She is such a good communicator. She first learned to communicate when we taught her baby signing and she has taken off from there. The other day we were outside playing at the park and she told me she wanted to go home because she wanted to eat and take a nap. Love you Jessa.

Disneyland Countdown

2011-09-05T06:58:00.003-06:00

This morning Jayla woke us up at 5:00. She said dad "Get ready so we can go to Disneyland." After that we made this princess countdown chain for Jayla so that she will know when it is time to go to Disneyland and hopefully we will be able to get more sleep.

After explaining to Jayla how it all worked she said,"Oh, so we are going to Disneyland in NEXTEMBER?"
I love this girl!

Morning with Jess

2011-08-31T09:19:00.007-06:00

This morning Jessa woke up before Jayla, which almost NEVER happens. She followed me around singing to me and asking, "what doing?" and telling me, "Mom! ove you." Then she would tell me lots of big long stories that I couldn't understand. Then she helped me unload the dishwasher and told me to put "bubbles in it"...AKA soap. It was a fun morning spending some time with my little Jess.

2011-08-26T08:36:00.003-06:00

Two words you never want to hear your child say. "Daddy, we made a butter castle!" Wish we would have gotten a picture of that.

Swimming

2011-08-23T08:15:00.002-06:00

My girls have gotten so good at swimming in the pool. We bought them these floaties that are as safe as life jackets, but they help them learn to swim. Jayla can swim all by herself and Jessa can swim all by herself as long as I am right next to her. (She gets a little nervous still.) They both will jump right in the pool and start swimming around. They LOVE it, so we go swimming a lot. Little Jessa LOVES the hot tub. She would spend the entire time in there if I would let her.

Zoo

2011-08-20T14:46:00.004-06:00

Last time we went to the zoo none of the monkeys or gorillas were on display because the cages were being cleaned. I was so disappointed because my girls LOVE monkeys right now. So I was excited to see that all the monkeys were out this time.

We tried to get a picture of the girls on the lioness, but Jessa was too scared.
She would start to get scared when the animals would get too close to the glass! Cute.

This time the zoo also had a few animals out so that the girls could pet them. I guess the zoo was a success.

It was a good day

2011-08-20T14:14:00.013-06:00

First, we rode our bikes to the park. The girls have been having fun this summer practicing. I think Jayla will be ready for a 2 wheeler soon.

Next, we went to the park. Its hard to get little Jessa to look at the camera. Mostly she just turns her head and runs away, so I was lucky with this shot...she is actually smiling.

My little dare devil Jayla...pushing herself to the limit.

This picture is one of my favorites of the day. Jessa acts as though I put her in jail. What a cutie.

I was telling Jessa to look at me and smile. Instead she said, "No wan tooooo!" That girl is starting to get some attitude. Can't wait until she is twoooo.

Then we practiced our major soccer skills. Jayla is getting pretty good.

Jessa, on the other hand was having a fetish that day with sitting on everything. I have the best job in the world...being a mommy.

Funny Jessa Talk

2011-08-19T08:12:00.004-06:00

We were playing outside at the park and Jessa saw a guy that looked like Michael. She kept shouting "MIKOW, MIKOW, MIKOW." She was so disappointed that it wasn't her daddy. This morning I was making pancakes as usual and Jessa jumped in her booster seat and said, "I'm ready." I laughed so hard. The other day Michael was talking to me. Jessa put her little finger to her lips and said,"SHHH" every time Michael tried to talk me. So cute.

Disneyland

2011-08-19T08:05:00.002-06:00

Only 4 weeks until our trip to Disneyland and Sea World. I am so excited!

People People

2011-08-16T08:57:00.002-06:00

For Christmas last year we bought the kids a bunch of little people. Both Michael and I had a huge collection of them when we were younger so its been fun watching our girls play together with their own set. This is usually what our living room looks like...with little people EVERYWHERE.

What the....?

2011-08-16T08:54:00.004-06:00

My little Jayla has been developing quite the imagination lately and I love to help her pretend. We spend the last couple of days playing with all of these belts. Can you guess what they were? Well...the biggest one is the daddy snake, and dark skinnier one is the momma snake, and the very thin ones are the baby snakes. She had to put them in the bath tub before she went to bed so that they wouldn't crawl out and get her during the night. LOVE IT!

Working Out

2011-08-16T08:50:00.003-06:00

Jessa has been watching her daddy work out for the past couple of weeks and she decided that she needed to start working out too even though you can already see her six pack whenever she flexes...no lie! That girl is strong!

Check out that form!

Happy Sealing Day Anniversary Jessa

2011-07-29T19:24:00.014-06:00

Dear Jessa,

Exactly one year ago you became a member of our forever family. We remember that day very clearly and we are excited to celebrate that day with you each year. We had so much fun with you today, watching you open your present, taking you to your first movie, making cookies together, visiting the temple and eating ice cream afterwards. We can't believe that so much time has gone by so fast. We have had so much fun watching you grow and learn new things. You become more beautiful each day. We are so grateful for your Birth Mother and that she gave us the most precious gift of you. We know that God wanted you to be in our family. We love you very much and we hope that you had a happy day!

The Inevitable

2011-07-26T16:27:00.002-06:00

For the past 3 years we have been very careful to keep ALL of our scissors put up and away from little hands. Well, this past week our plan failed. Jayla found the hiding place for the scissors and went to town. At least her little sister was asleep so she couldn't cause even more damage and I was lucky enough to catch her before she whacked the rest of her hair off.

Best Budds

2011-07-26T16:27:00.001-06:00

I LOVE IT.

Beautiful Jessa

2011-07-26T16:22:00.001-06:00

This is Jess eating her breakfast the other day...she LOVES yogurt! I think little kids are so cute when they eat and get food all over the place. This picture always makes me smile.

Botanical Gardens

2011-07-17T19:18:00.002-06:00

We went to the botanical gardens this last weekend and went to the butterfly exhibit. This was the girls' favorite part. They really liked to look at all the butterflies, although Jayla got scared of them every time they got too close.

Professional Puddle Jumpers

2011-07-11T14:41:00.004-06:00

Waterfall

2011-07-11T14:21:00.003-06:00

We went for a short hike up to Bridal Veil Falls. It was so pretty up there. The water was FREEZING. It was so cold that your feet went numb and little Jessa kept sitting down in it! Crazy girl!

My little Jayla is the best poser! She has the cutest smile!

Great family picture with a bunch of strangers in the background.

My little Jessa was fearless despite being shoeless and wading in subzero water.

Happy 4th

2011-07-06T20:26:00.004-06:00

We went and saw the fireworks for the fourth of July. I was surprised that the girls were not scared of them. They LOVED them!

They both had to sit on daddy's lap of course, to watch the fireworks.

This is Jessa's favorite. She loves her uncle Matt. She is always hugging his legs and wanting him to play with her.

Jessa was fascinated by the sparklers and Jayla was brave enough to try them out.

Boating

2011-07-06T16:29:00.004-06:00

We went boating with the fam for the weekend. The water was so warm and it fun seeing the girls having so much fun. We were out on the lake for almost 7 hours and by the next day Michael and I could hardly move!

Jayla was brave enough to ride the "Hot Dog" with me and daddy. She LOVED it! She even rode on the tubes. It was sweet every time I would crash while wakeboarding she would get mad at grandma for making me fall in the water and she would get all concerned. It was cute.

I love this picture. Jayla went and told her daddy that she wanted to sit by him and eat cherries. She is such a daddy's girl.

Poor Jessa was sooo tired. She fell asleep and even slept through all of the bumps and loud shouts.

Swimming

2011-06-27T18:23:00.004-06:00

Swimming has been our favorite past time. We go at least 3 times a week. The kids love it and whenever we are outside they have to go check out the pool. they are getting a little braver. We bought Jayla and Jessa some arm floaties and now they feel cool when they swim all by themselves. Jessa is always running back and forth from the hot tub to pool and she can now say hot tub. Most of the time when I ask her if she wants to go back to the big pool she tells me no. She is a big fan of the hot tub!

Puppy

2011-06-27T18:20:00.002-06:00

At our new place we see all of our neighbors walking their dogs all the time. Jayla found Michael's boot and came to tell me that she was walking her puppy, with leash and all. We have a toy box FULL of stuffed animals including many puppies, but they must not have been as cool as dragging daddy's boot around!

Another Great 3 year Old Conversation

2011-06-20T10:38:00.001-06:00

Jayla: "You're my little mommy."
Kristen:"I'm little?! No, I'm big."
Jayla: "No, you are short!"
Kristen: "Who told you I am short?"
Jayla: "Daddy."

Well, I guess I know who to blame. She kills me.

The Zoo

2011-06-19T15:09:00.004-06:00

The zoo is a magical place for little curious kids. They loved it. Jessa, as usual was captivated by all the birds that were flying around not in cadges. She probably would have been happy just to go look outside our house at all the birds in our trees.

The zoo also had a really awsome playground that the kids played on.

Here they are looking at the hippos...they LOVED it.

There was also a splash pad that the girls played on. Jessa would put out her hands and say "where go?" She couldn't figure out where the water was going. It was cute.

Jayla was a little nervous to get wet, but was brave and went out on the splash pad anyway...that's my girl...fearless.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T15:04:00.004-06:00

Today I told Jayla to go tell daddy Happy Father's Day. She leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Happy Mother's Day," and then gave him a squeeze...I guess we'll have to work on that one.

Our girls LOVE their dad! Jessa always wants her daddy to sit by her when he comes home and you should see how Jayla and Jess run to Michael screaming when he comes home from work. Jayla refuses for me to help her in the middle of the night...only daddy will do and only a daddy who adores his girls will sit down and watch Cinderella with them. We love you! You are the best dad to our little girls.

The Longest Tram in the World

2011-06-19T14:46:00.003-06:00

We went for a ride on the longest tram in the world. It was fun, but the views were obscured a little by all the smoke from the Arizona fires. The girls thought it was pretty fun.

At the top I was nervous to get very close to the edge even though there was railing all around ....still I held on tight to thegirls the entire time. Oh yes, and it was VERY windy!

This was the spectacular view. We didn't realize how much we missed being in the woods and the country until we got up there.

My little Jessa...looking at all the birds, her new obsession. So cute.

The girls, dressed in proper hiking attire, did really well on the hike. I was impressed by their agility and curiosity of everything. It was fun to answer all their many many questions. Even little Jessa was asking what things were.

The Store

2011-06-19T14:32:00.005-06:00

So, for the past couple of days we have been playing store round the clock. I gave some of my old gift cards to Jayla and both girls have been buying everything in the house. It is so fun to watch them play together and to have so much fun pretending.

Now Jessa has to carry a plastic bag around all day wherever she goes.

Jayla is a big fan of her credit card...hopefully that not a trend for the future.

This was used as our credit card signature pad. (Michael's idea) Jayla loved it!

Adoption as seen by a 3 Year Old Girl

2011-06-19T14:20:00.004-06:00

Jayla: "Dad, when we buy another baby do we have to give Jessa back?"
Dad: "No Jayla. You and Jessa are in our family forever."
Jayla: "Oh, so does that mean we can buy 4 or 5 babies?"
Dad: "......"
Jayla: "Can we buy a baby like that one?"
Dad: "We will have to wait and see what happens."

Although, Jayla still doesn't really understand the emotion that goes into an adoption felt by both an adoptive couple and especially a Birthparent; I am glad that from the very beginning she feels comfortable enough to talk about it with us. She makes me laugh.

Aquarium

2011-06-04T09:32:00.002-06:00

We went to the aquarium this last weekend. The kids had a lot of fun. Jessa kept pointing and screaming the whole time. Jayla was fascinated as long as she didn't get too close to the fish. She wasn't that fond of the eel exhibit. She said, "Mom, those are kinda scary," and then she wouldn't get very close. She was also afraid of the lobsters and said, "Mom, don't let the lobsters get me." I love my little kids...they say the cutest things.

My Little Divas

2011-06-04T09:23:00.001-06:00

Memorial Weekend

2011-05-31T08:36:00.006-06:00

Jayla, once again, was really bored while Jessa was sleeping so we decided to call Grandma. Jayla had to talk to everyone who was there. Almost the whole family was there except for us and it sounded like they were having way too much fun. I couldn't stand the thought that they were having so much fun without us so I started to pack.

I packed in 20 minutes flat and as soon as Michael got home I told him that we were going to Utah. About 5 minutes later we were out the door and on our way to Utah...(and the only thing that we forgot was a toothbrush for the kids...not bad for being spontaneous.) We were sooo GLAD that we decided to go because they really were having a lot of fun without us. No one knew that we were coming so it was fun to surprise everyone.

Jayla's favorite game of the weekend was pushing Owen in the bucket...some how Owen was the one who was always being pushed...smart little man.

My beautiful little Jessa stealing some popcorn outside...where we spent most of our time.

We were even serenaded by 3 little professional pianists.

This was the beginning of the usual water fight...you don't want to see how it ended.

The whole crew relaxing and enjoying a movie with some popcorn...we had so much fun!

By the end of the weekend I usually catch Jayla sleeping in an odd position from being so exhausted from playing so hard. She was in the middle of eating her ice cream when she fell asleep. It didn't last for very long because Jessa had to go poke her in the nose to wake her up. That Jessa is the biggest teaser I know...she is so naughty, but so dang cute!

Of course I can't forget all of the service men in our own family who sacrifice so much so that we can enjoy our freedoms and our time with our families. Thanks so much!

Best Friends

2011-05-31T08:18:00.003-06:00

Wherever you find Jayla, you find Jessa not too far away. Those two love playing together. Whenever Jessa is sleeping Jayla always wants to go wake her up and she gets so bored without her Jessa. i love that they have so much fun together.

This is the life...

2011-05-24T09:50:00.003-06:00

This past week once again the girls were sick along with their mother. I laid in bed most of the day while Michael cooked, cleaned, entertained the girls, gave us all medicine and made sure everyone took their naps, including me.

On top of that it was our anniversary. Although I was sick in bed and not feeling like doing anything, I had a great anniversary. I have a wonderful husband who was willing to take care of us all when we were sick and go the extra mile to make us comfortable. I can't believe that we have been married to 7 years already! I am so excited for our life together and making more memories. Thanks Michael for being such a great husband and father. I love you.

Happy Birthday Jayla

2011-05-23T09:31:00.001-06:00

Dear Jayla,

I can't believe that you are 3 years old now! The time has gone by so fast. I remember when we first brought you home. We had never been happier. Your daddy and I would even fight over who got to get up with you in the middle of the night because we were so excited to be your mom and dad. You have been a joy and a blessing to us and to so many people. We love you so much and we are so excited to make more memories with you. Happy Birthday my sweet little Jayla!

I love you!

Mom

Mother's Day

2011-05-18T07:55:00.004-06:00

This Mother's Day I was at home by myself with two little sick kids and not feeling so hot myself. I was wiping noses, making chicken noodle soup, comforting crying babies, cleaning up messes that only happen when you are sick...and yet I had the best Mother's Day...I even got pampered by Michael and was able to take a nap. Everyday I am so grateful that I get to be a mother through adoption and of course I am so grateful for my daughter's birthmothers. I love being a mom and I love my daughters more than anything in the world!

I love looking back at our old pictures at all of our memories we have had together...this picture was last year at a basketball game...back when Jessa was still on bottles...I have so many wonderful memories of being a mom.

I would like to add that I didn't realize how much time, patience, and love my own mother put into raising me until I became a mother myself. I have the best mother who still worries about my happiness and the happiness of my children. I love you Mom...yes I know that you are reading this. Thanks for putting up with me all those years and for putting so much time and energy into me. I appreciate all that you do for me.

We Made It!

2011-05-17T09:51:00.002-06:00

So we finally made it to sunny New Mexico. This is Jayla sitting on our balcony (which has been a great hit, along with the pool) curled up in a blanket. The weather has been great so far! It has been mostly mild and today...it actually rained! After taking a whole week to unpack we are finally all settled in. The girls are sharing a room in our new place and LOVE it. So far we are enjoying it here and Michael really likes his job and the people he works with, although he is waiting for his clearance so that he can start the real work.

The River

2011-05-17T09:42:00.002-06:00

On our way to New Mexico we stopped to visit with Michael's family. I decided we needed a picture of where Michael grew up. This is one of the many beautiful spots in Michael's hometown. (Just ignore the fact that I am still in my pajamas and that Michael is experimenting by growing a beard for the first time.) Don't worry I made him shave it a couple days later.

2011-05-17T09:29:00.002-06:00

We were able to attend Cloey's baptism. It was fun having all the grandkids together at once. We love those cute little kids. Here are all the grandkids on my side of the family. Not all of them were that excited to get their picture taken...and by that I mean all the boys were not happy while all the girls started posing and practicing their perfect smiles. So funny!

Cute little Jessa posing for her closeup.

My whole family. Awww cute little family.

Yet Another Easter Egg Hunt

2011-05-17T09:21:00.003-06:00

We had an Easter Egg hunt with my adoption playgroup. The kids never got sick of having so many Easter Egg hunts. They had so much fun! Jayla had to find all of the pink eggs and Jessa would just wait until everyone opened their eggs and then go beg for candy. Smart girl.

Beauty and The Beast

2011-05-17T09:12:00.004-06:00

I went to Beauty and the Beast with my mom, sister, Yvonne and her two kids. The two girls LOVED it! Jayla kept asking where Gastan was...then she kept telling the beast to "be nice". She was on the edge of her seat the whole time, especially when everyone started to sing. Every 2 seconds...literally, she would ask me what happened! She was in heaven. She kept asking to go back for the next week.

Easter Bunny or Santa Clause?

2011-04-26T11:54:00.003-06:00

We got the girls a few things for Easter. Jayla opened her dress and said, "Oh look what Santa Clause gave me!" How come Santa Clause always gets the credit for all of their COOL presents?!

Jessa posing with her new shoes...she does this whenever I get the camera. She's getting good at it.

More Easter Fun

2011-04-26T11:41:00.006-06:00

We spent Easter weekend with Michael's brothers and his sister. We had so much fun staying up late talking and chasing all the kids everywhere. I have the best in-laws ever! I love them all, especially all my beautiful sister-in-laws. I am so lucky!

Uncle Brent living up to the expectations of all the cousins...he never disappoints!

Jayla cheesing it while we were coloring eggs.

More cute cousins coloring some Easter Eggs.

We got to see our new niece Lydia.

Having a ball playing outside in the sandbox.

After playing in the sand all day, as many kids as would fit, jumped in the tub.

Graduation

2011-04-26T11:32:00.003-06:00

Michael finally graduated!!! We are so proud of him. After going to school for 8 long years we are finally FREE! Michael received his PhD in Electrical Engineering. I have to admit a little part of me is sad to leave our student life behind to become REAL grownups. I will greatly miss this time in our lives, but I am also excited to experience what is in the future for our family.

GREAT JOB MICHAEL. WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-15T21:08:00.003-06:00

We had an Easter egg hunt with some of the cousins. It was Jessa's very first one...she loved it! She caught on real fast and Jayla had a ball of course. The things we do to see our children's little faces light up. It was fun seeing that.

My little Jayla was so excited when she found some bubbles in the grass.

This is Jessa's best friend. He and Britt live below us and she stares out the window all day long watching for Matt to come home. Then she sits there yelling Matt at the top of her lungs so that he will hopefully look up and see her. She LOVES him.

Daddy showing Jessa how to be an expert Easter Egg hunter.

These sweet little kids. LOVE THEM. They are so cute.

New Hair Cut

2011-04-15T21:06:00.002-06:00

Although you can't see it in the picture I got a new hair cut. Jayla was so funny...she said, "Mom, who did that to your hair? It is so pretty and cute. Lets go show daddy how pretty and cute it is. She is so funny.

Sisters

2011-04-15T21:01:00.002-06:00

It is so fun to watch these two play together. Especially when they wrestle with eachother. When ever I put Jessa down for a nap Jayla gets upset because she misses her sister and she want to play with her. She always has to kiss her good night and she is getting pretty good with sharing with her. Jessa likewise follows Jayla around all day long and teases her. It is so fun to see how much they love each other.

The Big Move

2011-04-07T09:55:00.009-06:00

This is what we have been up to lately... We have been looking for a new home in Albuquerque. Michael was able to get a really great job there and we are excited. It will be flexible so he can still spend a lot of time home with us. We already have friends down there, so hopefully that will make the transition easier for me. It is really dry, but they have some pretty mountains that make me feel more at home. I'm just going to have to get used to all of the adobe.

Michael and I took a trip down there (just the 2 of us) to find a place to live. It was really fun spending some time with Michael alone. We found a great place with a playground and a pool. I told Jayla that we found a house next to a playground and a pool. She was so excited and said, "Oh thank you mom for buying me a pool." And then she gave me a great big hug. She is so funny. I have a feeling we will be swimming a lot this summer. It should be fun.

Bean Museum

2011-04-07T09:37:00.005-06:00

We go to the Bean Museum fairly often, but this was the first time that Jessa was old enough to really start to appreciate it. She kept pointing at all of the animals and running from one thing to the next. Jayla is getting really good at naming all of the animals too. They love it.

There is a baboon that Jayla used to be scared of... Here, Jayla is trying not to be scared of it by making faces at him, but I think that she was still a little nervous.

Jessa didn't care...she just wanted to pet him.

The whole time we were there Jessa kept pointing at everything. She was so excited to see all of the animals.

I love this one of Jessa checking out the bears. She didn't know what to think of them.

Daddy and Jayla

2011-04-07T09:30:00.002-06:00

Ten years ago there was no way Michael ever imagined that he would become an expert at painting little girly finger nails...He even puts on a top coat of sparkly polish. Its funny how he will do anything for our girls, even if it means doing something girly! Thanks for being such a great dad to my girls!

Finally....Grandma's House

2011-03-23T12:16:00.006-06:00

Jayla finally got to see her Jamie...and she never let Jamie go anywhere without her. That Jamie is an AWESOME aunt. We love her so much!

Jessa thinking she is funny trying to jump on Pooh. She is such a littler performer.

Jessa had her first bowl of tapioca pudding...a stable around these parts...she LOVED it!...as you can tell.

We went and fed the mules. Jayla was a little nervous about it, but after we fed the mules she kept asking to go feed them some more.
Jayla wasn't quite sure what to do when the mule took the carrot from her hand...she seemed a little concerned.
Jessa too wasn't sure what to think...she wouldn't get that close to them.

Jayla did Jamie's hair almost everyday. She LOVES doing hair and I love it when she does mine. I have always liked it when people play with my hair.

Grandpa and Jessa read about a thousand books while we were there. They read the same book over and over and over...you know how little kids are....they can't get enough of a good thing.

Jayla was glued to grandma the whole time...poor grandma, I think she had to take a nap everyday that we were there cause Jayla kept her going and going...haha, but I think that she loved it.
This is one of Michael's "little" brothers who is about 5 inches taller than Michael...they biggie size them around here.
Oh yes, and what would grandma's house be without play dough?

When it was all said and done I think that we can conclude that the kids played hard and we all had a lot of fun visiting grandma and grandpa.

Just Because I Think She's Cute

2011-03-23T12:03:00.002-06:00

My Girls Are Hams

2011-03-23T11:47:00.005-06:00

My girls are getting really good at posing for the camera. Even little Jessa has caught on. Every time we get the camera out they try to show off and smile as big as they can. Then they have to look at the picture afterwards. Even little Jessa asks to look at the picture. She usually says, "Pease," and then "OHHHH" when she sees the picture. They are pretty funny.

Children of Light

2011-03-09T16:29:00.002-07:00

My mom found this picture in the latest Ensign issue. I was so excited when she told me about it. I think I'm gonna have to buy it!

Girl After My Own Heart

2011-03-08T14:11:00.004-07:00

So what is so special about this blob on the floor? Well, nothing, until a certain little girl got to it. The other day I was in dire need of a chocolate fix, so Michael made us some homemade chocolate pudding. While cleaning up I accidentally spilled a couple drops on the floor. Before I knew it Jessa belly flopped onto the floor and was licking up the drops of chocolate pudding. This was all that was left when she was done. Apparently Michael is a very good cook. I'm just sad that I didn't get it on video.

Hoping to Adopt

2011-03-08T09:36:00.002-07:00

So we had a meeting with our caseworker the other day and Jayla wanted to know where we were going...these days she is not satisfied with a general answer. For example, she wanted to know why the witch made Snow White sick from the apple. I gave her a general answer and she said, "Just tell me mom." Nothing gets past this girl now a days.

Anyway, we decided to tell her that we are having a meeting so that she will be able to get a new baby brother or sister. The meeting went well and on the way out Jayla started to get upset and said, "We are leaving without the baby." Oops. We forgot to explain about the waiting part.

Kristen: "Jayla we have to wait a long time for that to happen."
Jayla:" We do?"
Kristen:"Yup."
Michael: " Do you want a baby brother or a sister?"
Jayla: "A sister like Jamie." (Michael's sister)

With Michael being busy finishing up his PhD we haven't been able to go see Jamie. Apparently it had been too long. Later we had to call Jamie on the phone because Jayla was missing her.

(Jamie is the one on the right.)

Sledding

2011-03-03T09:41:00.004-07:00

We took the girls sledding the other day. They had so much fun! Even little Jessa wasn't afraid to go down the hill with her big sister Jayla. Jayla, on the other hand, (a.k. little miss fearless) wanted to go down by herself every time. I'm pretty sure that we got tired way before they did after hauling them up the hill. We had a lot of fun watching their little smiles as they went down the hill.

Happy Black History Month

2011-02-23T09:27:00.006-07:00

We have been doing a few different things to celebrate Black History Month. One of the things we did was attend a children's fair that celebrated African American culture. Although the kids didn't really understand what was going on we still think that they had a lot of fun.

Jayla and Jessa after getting their faces painted. Jessa wasn't so sure about the whole thing, but held still long enough for them to put a few lines on her face.

The girls acting out the underground railroad...they mostly liked that they were allowed to climb on things.

We also attended a vigil commemorating the death of Pastor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They played his "I have a dream" speech. It was amazing.

The Latest Obsessions

2011-02-23T08:53:00.007-07:00

Although it still continues to be so cold outside we are dying to get out of the house. So we bundle up the kids really warm and go for a walk. We bought this stroller used and it comes with those pouches that snap onto the stroller. We are able to put blankets on the girls and not have the blanket get wrapped up in the wheels. The little pouches also act like little sleeping bags keeping the kids really warm. I love them! The kids stay warm, are entertained and believe it or not it gives Michael and I alone time since the kids are so enthralled in looking around. We are loving our walks right now.

Lately Jayla has been taking a fork out of the drawer and combs her hair with it. She calls it her Dingle Hopper...I wonder where she learned that one?

Jessa LOVES her babies. She will pack her baby around along with a diaper. She will then throw the diaper on the baby as if to change it. Then she will play with her baby by eating her fingers and patting its back. One of Jessa's favorite games for me to pretend to eat her fingers...she always giggles. It is funny to see her doing that with her own little baby.