Tough stuff..

My darling Harper.  This stage of your life is so amazing and yet so difficult.  Tonight you melted down starting on the way out of the grocery store and continued into the parking lot and then you proceeded to yell at me the entire way home.  My tactic to dealing with this behavior was to keep quiet.  I then had you head to you room once home to take a time out from the madness.  Mommy needed a time out too.  I came and talked to you about your actions and you apologized.  I don't know if you apologized because you really understood that your behavior was inappropriate or just to appease me.  The rest of the evening was about the same of crying, demanding, and melting down.  By the end of the night I am exhausted and defeated, trying to figure out how it is to deal with these outrageous moments.  These moments (and stage) are difficult but will soon pass.  My darling Harper, you have amazing moments as well.  Amazing moments where you are sweet, loving, and kind. Tonight was one of those tough moments that lasted oh too long.  Tomorrow morning you will wake and it will be a whole new day.  A day full of exploring and embracing life as its handed to you.  I am pretty sure you will apologize in the morning without being prompted to, because thats just how amazing you are.   

Aunt Kate is getting married!!!!!

 Some of my favorite people:)

 Our crew:)

 Liv's favorite person in the whole world:)

 the lovely hosts

 the bride to be and her flower girls

 great group of ladies!

 G-ma and her dollies

 Aunt Shay

Kate with her aunt and her momma

Such an exciting time in our lives.  Aunt Kate is marrying Uncle David and we couldn't be more excited to celebrate their love in June.  We celebrated Kate at her bridal shower this past weekend and it was a really fun day.  Her sister-in-law hosted at their lake home and it was a lovely picnic lunch on the deck overlooking the water.  The girls helped Kate open her gifts and were little angels during the entire party.  I wish they were that well mannered at home when no one is around.  We're workin on it;) 

just another day in the life...

 Harper & her best bud Ryder

 Asher (Ryder's younger brother)

 over @ the Pincsak's house opening X-mas gifts from Bruce & Linda:)

Liam (Scott & Merris's beautiful son;)

Weekend before Mother's Day we were in Lincoln for the weekend visiting with Scott, Merris, & Liam from Colorado.  The girls camped out at the G-rent's (Cindy & Frank) house on that Friday while we enjoyed adult time.  Saturday we did our backyard photo shoot in the morning, hung out with the Reynolds family during the day, ate Cinco de Mayo dinner with g-ma Dorsey and then went over to the Pincsak's for the evening to do more visiting.  Whoa, busy weekend!  It is so nice to be back in the good life enjoying our family and friends thats for sure!!

Parenting..

Having two children 3 and under has really brought a lot of new perspective in my life.  I definately respect the job of parenting so much more (like 10 fold) and it has shed light on things that I thought about how it was to raise children.  I love children and have worked with them ever since I can remember from babysitting to in a group home setting and now the hospitalized child.  Working with children has minimal reality to what it actually means to be a parent 24/7 and this is ever so clear to me now having two.  The idea of teaching two minds everyday is amazing and all the while extremely exhausting.  There are days when I feel that I am the worst parent in the world.  The concept of everyday is a new day is so powerful when one bad day ends because it gives hope that the next can and will be different.  I love these little girls with every inch of my soul but there are many days that I am simply exhausted and can't imagine another day of teaching them the ways of the world.  The next day arrives and its completely amazing and I am super mom.  (or so I think;)  I blog a lot about the people in our lives and I really can't express the gratefulness that I feel to have amazing friends and family to help us raise these girls.  Thanks to all of you for your unconditional love and the endless support.  If I could repay you, believe me I would, because without you I don't know if I could do it.   

backyard pictures

Grandma Cindy & G-pa Frank have an amazing backyard full of florishing plants, beautiful flowers, and an awesome koi pond.  A perfect setting to do a photo shoot.  We have been meaning to hire a professional but that hasn't made it to the top of our priority list, which I am totally fine with.  I have a MILLION pictures of my family and I cherish them for being taken with my eye and my feeling behind it.  Don't get me wrong, professional pictures would be good too, but I am content with our outcomes:)  Grandma Cindy and I both had our cameras out the weekend before Mother's Day and between the two of us we captured some great shots.

Wednesday nights...

Wednesday nights Aunt Patti (& Tom) have the girls while Lateaf is in class and I'm still at work.  The girls love the time that they spend over at their house.  So FUN!  It's nice to have Aunt Patti around to help take care of us:)  I tell ya what, it takes a village to raise a family and we couldn't be more blessed with our village!

A rainy day at the zoo...

Last Monday the forecast called for only 10 percent chance of rain until well after the girls would be napping, or at least I thought that was what I read.  Instead it was 100 percent raining minutes after we arrived at the zoo.  Go figure.  We made the most of it walking through the Gorilla exhibit and the Aquarium.  We were one of the few folks who had umbrellas, thanks to the hubs.  We still were soaked but not drenched;)  Fun times! 

The Safety Expo

Two weekends ago we headed out on Saturday with our pals Liz, Ian, & Rhys to the Safety Expo here in Omaha.  There were fire trucks, heli-copters, a police horse, animal control with a dog to pet, and a ginormous blow up fire-man.  We walked around for a bit and then headed inside the mall to eat and walk some more.  The safety expo was alright but could have been more exciting if they had some better kids activities.   It was definately fun to hang with our pals that we don't see enough.    

Sister Moons...

These two wee ones are quite the pair.   Harper is definately the boss in the relationship but Liv keeps up with her loud demands and her rough and tumble play. On this particular outing they were so sweet with each other.   Holding hands, chasing, and looking out for one another.  I love that they have each other and it is amazing to watch their sisterhood grow.   

"that dad"...

"that dad" (as I often say to the girls) pretty much rocks this world.  Although "stay at home dad" wasn't his "calling" in life, (so he says;) he has done an extraordinary job at teaching and nurturing our girls.  Parenting is tough work and "that dad" is a hard worker.  "That dad" is equally as amazing as my husband.  He gets me, loves me unconditionally, and is one of my rocks in this world.  Thanks for being you!