Lost and gone forever...

There is no creative or happy or nice way of saying this so I'll just say it like it is - I lost my wedding ring - the diamond one - the engagment ring. It's gone and lost forever at the bottom of a lake in Colorado.
Am I devestated? Am I crushed beyond all measure? Am I saddened to the point of crying so much there are no more tears in my eyeballs? Yes.

I have learned some valuable lessons in the last week:

1. These material things can be replaced. Family and the people that matter MOST to me cannot.
2. The ring was a token, a symbol of my husbands love for me and I know it is just that. A material thing that I wore on my finger. Though beautiful and very expensive, the meaning and true symbol of the ring still exists - our love. I know that just because the ring is absent, his love for me isn't and HE is my constant reminder of that now!!
3. How tender and forgiving my husband is. I know he wiped out his savings (a couple of times) for me to have that beautiful of a ring and I know it hurt him when I told him it was gone. But he wasn't mad, or even upset at me for being careless and losing it. Instead he has been very tender to my feelings. Making sure that I am happy and trying his hardest to put a positive twist on the situation- like "won't it be fun to go ring shopping again?". He's the best and I am a lucky girl to have his love!!

There might come a day when it can be replaced, but until then, I will often think of what is lying on the bottom of a lake for someone to find and call their own precious.

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God

I REALLY needed to hear this these last couple of days! I am a little bit of a control freak and when I feel like I have lost it with the girls I tend to not handle that very well...I am a self punisher and I can really beat myself up about how terrible I can be as a mother sometimes because the girls are misbehaving or sreaming or fighting...etc. I know deep down that I am a good mom and that my girls love me whole heartedly and even though there are some days that are a struggle to get through just breakfast alone - I know that my Heavenly Father is strengthening me all along the way! I know that because I have felt his strength. I have felt lifted in those "I AM DONE!" moments. I feel his love and his encouragement in me to continue to love and teach my children. Through the temper tantrums and the "I WANT I WANT I WANT!" phases...I am becoming a stronger and more loving and patient mom when I rely on his spirit to lift me and help me to be stronger. I am SO thankful for the two little blessings in my life, my daughters. I am so thankful for the blessing to be a mom and to have the Lords trust in me with these little sweet spirits. The girls are learning who they are and they are growing into little girls who are ready to explore this world ALL BY THEMSELVES!! I love them both so much and when one is screaming and the other is climbing on the table, I know that I can call upon a higher strength and be comforted and receive that strength that I SO desire in those moments. I love that.

A little late....

Happy Father's Day to the BEST daddy and husband in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!

We are three of the luckiest little ladies in the world to have this wonderful man in our lives! For all of the love and all the laughs, we thank you and we love you! Thank you for taking care of us and for being patient with us and playing with us every moment!! We are so blessed to have you as the head of our family!! WE LOVE YOU!

Butterfly Farm

We had a big group of friends go to Butterfly Farm last week and the girls had a blast! There were so many butterflies to look at and we were able to feed them with these little sugar pads. Evelyn was so excited to see them up close and Claire was just happy to be outside and running around!! We had a great time!!

How do you solve a problem like Maria?

Ok so change the words of the song to How do you solve a problem like CLAIRE!!??!!!???!!! I have to say that Claire is cute, funny, busy and everything that a new toddler is supposed to be - BUT....no one could have prepared me for this little monster - because that is what she truely is - a monster!!
Let me tell you a little bit about Claire...sure she's cute and snuggly and adorable -WHEN SHE IS SLEEPING!!!!! This little terror bites, hits, climbs, pulls hair, screams, spits, scratches, pinches, and destroys anything and anyone in her path!
She will be playing with you one minute - you know the adorable backing up the rump to sit in your lap to have a story read to her? Well that doesn't last long because then the next minute she's half way up your back digging her knees into your side and using your hair as rope to get to the top and when she does, it's SMACK SMACK SMACK on the head because you aren't moving and giving her a ride!! What happened to the peacefull story time we were just having??
And please don't get me started on why every second of every day I am moving chairs around and turning them upside down or lifting them off the ground so that the beast can't climb to the top of the table and pretend that she is King Kong or push the chairs over to the sink and let the water run constantly making a splattering mess or push a chair over to the fridge where the water dispenser is and pushing the buttons on the dishwashers or pushing over the trash -no no no, don't get me started there!!!
Today, I decided to just follow her around it was exhausting and funny and frustrating and funny and annoying and funny...! You get the idea!
How do I tame the wild thing? She is quite the adventure every day! I need to start wearing a helmet and cover my body in padding because she is beating me up!!! I have the bite marks and scratches to prove it!!
I love her, but MAN she is a handfull!!

me with Claire after a LONG and EXHAUSTING day!!

(excuse the no make-up and no shower look!!)

Hair Cut

Whenever I would hear about someone's child cutting their own hair or the hair of a sibling or pet, I would always think "Well, just don't put scissors in places where your kids can reach them! DUH!" I mean how hard can it be to keep those things out of their reach? I would mock them so, well, the tables have turned! Mock away!

At the end of the school year, each kid was sent home with their belongings from preschool in their back packs. Evelyn got into her bag and found her preschool scissors. The rest is history and so are her bangs!!!

BEFORE -

bangs are beautiful and growing out into the length of her hair!!

AFTER -

no bangs, but also notice she only cut half of one side and up the center!

Crafty Project

This is past due, but that seems to be a theme with my blog!! I LIKE to craft, but I don't think of these things on my own to do. Thankfully, I have friends to do that for me! They come up with the idea, plan the night and get the stuff and I go, have a good time making something and then I get to come home with something new and cute that I made all by my lonesome (well, with a little help!).

Here's a recent project we did with $1.00 frames at Michaels and scrapbook paper. I think they turned out pretty cute!! I hung them in my entry way so they are the first things you see when you walk in. I liked the project so much I made some bigger ones for the girls rooms. They turned out WAY cute! I just need the ribbon to hang them up.

Cruise to the Bahamas!