FFFF- Pets

Sophie and Sage are very fond of Shadow, their Cat. For awhile they thought Shadow was the name for "cat", so every cat they saw they excitedly squealed "Shadow"... It confused them when we played with a black dog the other day named "Shadow". They love animals and it's good to see how gentle the girls are with them (most of the time). To see more cute pics of "pets", click on Donna's Double Happiness.

taken 11-27-06

We REALLY miss Panzer. We think of him often and the kids still talk about him and pray for him. It's comforting to know he is happy and with a great family! See Good-bye Panzer. I'm pleasantly surprised to see that Sage isn't allergic to cats- Yae!

Happy Easter

We spent most of Easter Sunday in the car, but we did watch some good Easter movies on the way home. So the next day we got dressed up to visit Grandma and Uncle Mike, we picked out our favorite shoes to wear with our dresses, don't they match well? Grandma even had a goody basket for all of us.

Thank you Grandma and Uncle Mike, we love the hard to pop bubbles, paddle ball, and watching the foam animals grow in the water, and thanks double Uncle Mike for sneaking some jelly beans and chocolate in our bag. It was a real treat seeing the chickens and gathering some real eggs. (Sorry about the broken one, they really are fragile :)

and enjoying a Jamba Juice on the way home...

Spring Break II- Scenic Lake Powell

Wish every day was Spring Break. Sophie and Sage loved cruising in the boat and playing in the water, true beach bums. The boys had a great time water skiing and touring the lake. Way to go Paul, great slalem! I like to slalem also, but I'm a real wimp in cold water- the weather was fabulous, but the water was too cold for my blood. The girls (and boys) traveled very well on this longggg road trip, they said "all done, no more," when we were almost there, and they kept checking to make sure the boat was still behind us. When we first saw the Lake, they about jumped out of their seats and shouted for joy- "Daddy did it!" The boys thought it was cool to have their own hotel room next to ours (scary, we need two now). We had a relaxing drive home on Sunday (well, most of it)- tried to drive through Zions National Park, but we couldn't with the boat. It was still a beautiful drive with the stunning redrock sandstone and the awesome mountain passes. Very fun traveling and playing with our family!

Spring Break I

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Spring has Sprung...

Sophie in yellow, Sage in pink

We will be missing our big family Easter Egg Hunt, so we had one of our own. The girls were thrilled to have their own new purse to collect the eggs in, and looked hard for their easter baskets hidden in the back yard. They adore Trevor and followed him everywhere he went to find Easter Eggs. Trevor proudly helped them find the easy ones, and kept the hard ones for himself. Sage scored when Trevor set down his basket and as she ran by, she happened to find an easter egg right in his basket :). They liked their bubbles, new sunglasses, and best of all- chocolate!! It's gone already. Thanks Nick for hiding the Easter Eggs.

Meeting the Easter Bunny- FFFF

Sophie and Sage were brave seeing the Easter Bunny,

as long as mom saw him too.

They were eager to give him a good-bye hug.

They love good-byes, unless it's from mom or dad.

For more cute bunny pictures, click on Double Happiness

Don't Leave Me Mom...

You'd think they were going to the dentist. As happy, and playful as Sophie and Sage are, they still have deep fears of being left, especially when they're in a large group. I'm not surprised, with all they've been through, but we're trying to help them trust others and us, and let them know that we aren't leaving them for good, we'll be back soon. It breaks my heart to see their sad eyes and hear their traumatic cries when we leave them. Sage is struggling the most with being apart from us. Sophie would be fine and even says "good bye", but when she see's how upset Sage is, she gets scared and cries too. They do warm up after awhile (10-20 minutes, used to be 30). As upset as they get, they still participate and follow directions through their tears. They will be starting a great pre-school in the fall. I know it will be good for them, I'm just trying to help prepare them for being away from mom for awhile. Any suggestions?
My heart goes out to them and I can't complain- we're thrilled at how well they've bonded to our family. But I know how important it is for them to overcome this fear.
Also, the teachers and friends we have left them with have been wonderful!! Thanks Lindsay, Stacey, Janet, Kim, & Laura! Sophie and Sage adore them, they just want mom or dad there too. And the children have been so sweet, they share their treats and try to cheer them up. Notice the picture on the bottom left. The little girl holding Sage's hand at Little Gym. These girls are definately loved, not only by us.

FFFF-Bubbles

Donna chose "bubbles" for this week's Foto Challange... Sounds Fun!

Notice our grass turning green already- Spring is here :)

Sophie

Sage

More "bubble" fun at Little Gym (taken last month)
Sage is in Pink, Sophie in Red

For more cute pictures of "bubbles", click on
Double Happiness

Happy St. Patrick's Day

The Leprechaun visited our house while we were gone. We came home to some messy rooms and the younger kids found their pot of gold hidden in their bedrooms. They quickly cleaned up before they enjoyed the green treats.

Afternoon in the Park...

Catching a glimpse of Sophie

As much as we enjoyed sledding and ice-skating this winter, we are so ready for Spring. I really like where we live to have a change in all four seasons. Although, if it were up to me, we would have a longer Spring and Fall, and shorter Winter and Summer. But no one asked me.

Love how the boys (Trevor & clan) group together doing what boys love most... digging in the sand:)

FFFF- Footsies...

Donna's Double Happiness Foto Challenge this week is "feet."
Love my girls perfect sandal feet and loving the bare foot weather.

Mirror image

Speaking of feet, the first thing Sage does when she wakes up is put on her shoes and socks. She comes and greets me each morning in her nightgown, shoes, and colorful socks on her feet, prepared for the day :)

Sunday Afternoon

Yae!! Sunshine.

Love these light jacket "almost" spring days.

Love these girls everyday!!!

(Notice the picture on the left,

they are sharing their suckers with their doll :)

Thanks Grandma & Grandpa D. for the outfits, so cute!

Rub A Dub Dub

Sophie and Sage love their baths and storytime at night. Wish I could say we enjoy this each night, but we are often juggling dinner, homework, etc. and they end up with a quick shower in the morning. We're getting there though, and I try to never miss our storytime each night. It's great to see them get engaged in a good book before bed, and I love their cuddles.

"Hands"- FFFF Challenge

Donna's Friday Foto Challenge is "Hands". Sounds like a good one, here are some favorites of my girls...

I love their little hands

Very curious hands

Busy little hands

Extra pair of hands?

Mom's gentle hands

Raise our hands

The Popcorn Bandit

Sage, the Popcorn Bandit- Caught Red Handed...

They both keep me laughing with their fun and playful sense of humor. They love to joke & tease.

Gimme a "J"- things I dislike

For Donna's friday foto challenge, here are ten things I "don't like" that start with a "J" (wasn't easy to find all ten, but fun :).

Gimme a "J"