two lil' sweeties

Let's just say that getting a sister picture these days isn't as easy at it used to be. Just as Nora is getting the hang of "cheese" (aka: looking at the camera and smiling - pretty amazing stuff, huh?), Elsie is now rolling and scooting all over the place which of course doesn't help this mama's picture needs.

Here's a few pics I snapped yesterday in an attempt to capture these sweet little girls (in their super cute t-shirts made by Lauren).

And here's the best I could get...

And of course it was followed by this...

watch out Nora...little Elsie is learning to hold her own in this house!

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the bib club {2 yrs old}

Some of you may remember the following video - taken of Nora and Reagan at 4 and 3 months old.

That video still totally makes me laugh as it represents EXACTLY who these two little girls are to this day. (so cute). It never ceases to amaze me how God gives us sweet little glimpses into our child's personality at such an early age.

Recently I had the opportunity to watch Reagan for a bit and was able to shoot an updated video of the two girls.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

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our move :: the bitter and sweet

We're still alive... we've just moved and are busy unpacking boxes. LOTS of boxes.

{Note to self :: Don't keep so much junk next go around.}

It's amazing to me how the simple act of packing up all of your things and moving from one home to the next can bring to mind so many bitter and sweet thoughts.

With that in mind I thought I'd try and document just a few of them for you.

Let's start with...

Ice Trays ::

I can't believe I lived 5 years without an ice machine!!!

Yes, you read that right. We've been living in the {ice cube} stone ages for the past 5 years. Thankfully about a year ago I decided to upgrade from just 2 trays to 4. Woot woot! Talk about a promotion!

Without sounding too cheesy, I'm going to miss these things. There really is something to be said for hard earned ice :)

Patio Play ::

As much as I'm already loving our new YARD, there was something so sweet about Nora's ability to play wherever and whenever. She didn't care that her only outdoor space for all 2 years of her life was a 10 feet x 10 feet patio! She made that 10x10 space an outdoor wonderland filled with adventure upon adventure.

We spent countless hours on our little patio blowing bubbles (for the whole condo complex to enjoy), playing catch and riding her brand new {used} Radio Flyer Rocket.

Love the joy my children bring to our home!

Stairs to our 2nd Floor Condo ::

Oh boy do I have a love/hate (ok - mostly hate) relationship with this set of stairs.

Up and down. Up and down. Up and down. Over and over and over again. Pregnant (x2) and not.

I'm sure there were plenty of lessons I learned by climbing these stairs (with two children) but at this point leaving these things is PURE SWEETNESS!

Address Stamp ::

Can you believe I posted about this stamp over 3 years ago?

This stamp has certainly been a dearly loved (and used) item. Because of my love for snail mail, this little stamp has been used more times than I can imagine. From countless birthday cards, to our annual Christmas card, many of you have received mail with this sweet little emblem in the top left corner.

I'll be honest - upon taking this picture and later throwing this stamp away, I without a doubt shed a tear - ok tearS. It was as if the releasing of this little item was the symbol of moving on from the past and looking forward to the future.

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Aw... so many incredible memories were made in our very first home. It really is so hard to say goodbye to so much sweetness.

{Excuse me while I go grab a tissue.}

Promise my next post won't be so sappy :)

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But before I go ... here's a blast from the past.

Here's the photo we took before moving out of the apartment into above mentioned home.

Boy how things have changed!

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sister comparison :: 4 months

Because it's just too fun to put together these monthly comparison's... here's a 4 month shot.

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Steph's Pick | Postponed

Here's a little honesty for you...

Between packing, writing (check out some of my recent writing on the Family Matters Blog - Brave Sunglasses and Shoes off at the Door?), working, planning for AZ Mom's Night Out, packing (did I say that?) and simply caring for this little munchkin

and her sister I just haven't had a lot of time to do anything else. Imagine that?! ;)

The "anything else" includes pretty much everything I'd highlight on "Steph's Pick" - cooking, product reviews, reading, etc.

Don't worry... I'll be back soon...don't give up on me just yet. Just give me a few weeks :)

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a home tour

One of my very favorite {blog-reading} things is when bloggers post tours of their homes on their blog.

I don't know what it is about touring a virtual "friends" home. Maybe it makes me feel like we could be friends in real life? Like I could picture myself having dinner at their table or having a cup of coffee with them in their little reading nook. Whatever it is - it's just dang interesting to me.

Now I know I have posted pics here and there of our condo, but never have I taken you on a "tour" per-say. Well... wait no longer :)

You see we are moving in a little over a week so there's a bit of a bitter sweet underlying message in this post. Here are some bitter & sweet thoughts...

Bitter -

- This was the first home we purchased.

- We brought both of our girls home to this cozy space.

- We've called this place "home" for the past 5 years so there are tons of memories.

*tear*

Sweet -

- We're just outgrowing our 2 bedroom, 2nd floor, no garage space home.

- We're moving to a home that has a lawn (YIPEE!) and has 4 bedrooms ( double YIPEE!)

Without further ado....I invite you to picture yourself coming over for a cup of coffee at our place RIGHT NOW....

Here's what you'd see...

Full Disclosure: Yes - these pics were taken for the MLS, so NO - our home never looks this clean.

*****

In case you care : Two of my top pick virtual tours are Sherry and John from Young House Love (of course - how could I not include them?) and coming in a close second is Michelle from 4 Men and 1 Lady.

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we laugh in this home

When your children leave the home, what words do you want them to use to describe your home?

I've been thinking a ton about this lately.

As we mentioned in Elsie's Dedication Blessing - two of the things that we certainly (with no exception) want our home to be marked by are 1) a passionate love for Jesus and 2) an unquenchable love and concern for others.

Those are non-negotiables.

But one other thing I was reminded of the other day during bath time was the importance of laughter in our home.

Nora reminded me of the great gift of laughter just the other day.

It was nearing the end of her bath time when Nora asked me to spray her mouth with our diaper sprayer. (yes - I did say diaper sprayer - stick with me). Now I have no idea what even made this simple action so hilarious but after fulfilling her request, we both immediately died laughing.

Now I'm not talking my child is being silly so I'll laugh with her type of laughing. I'm talking full on belly laughs that result in tears of joy and the hiccups. For BOTH of us. It lasted for a good 5 minutes and then it was over.

While putting Nora to bed that night I said a prayer to the God who created laughter. I thanked Him for the moment just a few minutes prior when my sweet little Nora and I were laughing with one another, and asked that He would bless us with 100+ more moments just like it in the coming years.

You see, there is something special about laughter. It may seem cliche but Laughter really is the BEST medicine.

My prayer going forward is that our home would be full of laughter. And not just your every day kind of chuckles but the laughter where tears are running down our cheeks and we're helping one another try and get rid of our hiccups.

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And just in case you need a little chuckle yourself (don't we all?) - check out Elsie's face in the following picture... she must have gotten the memo! :)

Love my girls!

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