Lately

The past few weeks, Bailey and Avery have fought constantly. Really. From the moment they get up in the  morning, until Bailey goes to school they fight. And then as soon as Bailey is home, it starts up again. They are driving me crazy! They fight over the shadows on the walls, the color of their bowls, anything and everything. I am starting to feel really burned out by it. My patience is gone within minutes of them getting up (I like to blame it on pregnancy, but really I think it's the day after day after day of fighting).

We've talked about being kind, about doing what Jesus would do, about being friends. Nothing is working so far. I am really hoping this is a phase that ends REALLY soon.

Bailey also has some serious attitude. She doesn't just fight with Avery, she fights with me. She will ask me what day it is, I'll tell her, and she'll say, "No it's not." Arg! And this is repeated over and over all day!

This last Saturday morning I was gone, and when I came back I found Bailey and Avery on the computer playing with photo booth. I was so happy to see them getting along and having fun. Here are some of their creations as proof that at least for a few minutes, they were actually getting along:

Afternoon with the camera

One morning the girls were bored so I let them take pictures with the camera. Most of them were pictures of the messy house, the fan, and other odd objects around the house. They did however, capture some of the fun they were having:

Easter

This year Easter was pretty laid back. We colored eggs for Family Home Evening, and all ended up with colored fingers, and faces too. Somehow, Bailey managed to splash blue coloring all over herself- including her face. Unfortunately the dye didn't all come off right away. She had a blue face for a few days. Oh well.

The girls were lucky enough to have three Easter egg hunts this year. One family one, and two with friends. Needless to say, we had more candy than we could ever possibly need.

Mike had to work this Easter, but it's the first holiday he's had to work all year so I can't complain. We were invited to a friends house for Easter dinner, and that helped pass the day. Mike works every Sunday now, all day and all night. It makes for really long days...

It's a...

GIRL!! We are super excited. Mike and I both kind of felt like this baby was another girl, and we were right. No, we are not disappointed about not having a boy. Bailey and Avery are so much fun, we are excited to have another little girl running around! However, we are having a really hard time coming up with a name...

This pregnancy has been another challenging one. I was so sick up until about 22 weeks. I was really beginning to despair, thinking I was going to be sick until June. Mike suggested that I try taking Zantac, and once I did, I started feeling better. Finally. 

Bailey has been a huge help. During the worst of it, she would get herself up, dressed, and then help Avery get dressed. She would get both their teeth brushed and even pour both of them cereal for breakfast. All I had to do was get up and brush their hair. Avery was also a little blessing. She is such an independent spirit that she was mostly happy reading books in bed with me, watching movies, and listening to books on tape while I stayed in bed all day. The little sweethearts also made their own dinner on the nights when I was the sickest- PB&J. They even thought they were pretty cool doing it.

I am feeling much, much better and am hoping that the next three months fly by. These last few weeks I've finally really popped. Yesterday, a friend of mine saw me and laughed. She couldn't believe how big I'd gotten in the half week it had been since I had seen her. Today at the grocery store, another pregnant mom made a comment about how she was only in the second trimester, and look at me. Yeah. I'm only a few days into the third trimester. Oh well. I knew it was going to happen.  (:

Trip to Utah

Last month, thanks to Mike's sister Shelli and her job at JetBlue, we were finally able to make it out to Utah. We had not been out there since right before Mike graduated medical school. It was a quick trip- we were only there for a week and had a lot of people to see in just a few days.

We spent the first few days visiting with Mike's parents and his sisters Shelli and Lori and their kids. Bailey and Avery had a great time playing with their cousins. I was actually really surprised by Avery. She disappeared and I didn't really see a whole of her those few days. It was very unlike her. I'm glad that she felt so comfortable around her cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents that she was able to play with them and not just hang out with mom and dad. Both girls even fell in love with a dog! And there is the picture to prove it.

On one of those days, we went to the Tree House Museum in Ogden. It's a really great place. Bailey and Avery had a blast.

We even got a picture with President Obama, or really a picture with a card board cut out of President Obama. (:

The rest of the week we spent in Provo with my mom and brothers. It was fun to eat at all our favorite restaurants, visit our old University, and play games. Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures.

We made it home late Sunday night, and true to our luck, we came home to a flooded kitchen. That cursed upstairs bathroom leaked again while we gone- this time it was the sink. Next time we go on vacation we are turning off the water!

Valentine's

Every year, Grandma Windy sends Bailey and Avery new Valentine shirts. They of course, can't actually wait until Valentine's day to wear them. Aren't they cute?

I was a huge slacker when it came to actually getting the girls Valentine's this year. My excuse? I still wasn't feeling great. Mike had to stop on his way home so that we could surprise them at bedtime.

Bailey had seen the stuffed dogs at Wegman's earlier in the week. I really didn't want to get them yet another stuffed animal, but she had her heart set on it. Luckily, there were two left when Mike got there Valentine's evening. They have been greatly loved and named "Polka-Dotty" and "Bowie."

Mike took them to a daddy/daughter dinner and dance at the YMCA. Not surprisingly, Bailey jumped right in and participated in everything. Avery, on  the other hand, mostly clung to Mike nervously. Mike said she loosened up just once that night. They had a great time, and I had a nice quiet night to myself.

Next year, Mike will have three little girls to take to the dance!!

Straight Hair

For months, Avery has been asking me to straighten her hair. She sees me straighten my hair often- but her hair has really been too short to straighten. Finally, one morning, we just did it. She loved it. It was pretty funny. This picture really doesn't do it justice- her straight hair stuck out all over her head. We might wait until her hair gets a little bit longer before we straighten it again. (: