Farm Girls

Ahmma and Dumpa are in town to help us remodel our bathrooms for renters. Although Dadda and Dumpa are working around the clock to paint, lay down new flooring and install new vanities, we've managed to squeeze in trips to some farms: Mills Organic Farm and Rowell Brothers Berry Farm.
The organic farm is owned by Mark Mill's father, and Mark is helping us buy our new house.  We tried mulberries for the first time and saw his father's extensive collection of science exhibits. Today we went to pick berries at Rowell Brothers while Dadda was at work. We went in the morning to escape the heat, but by 10 am it was already in the 80's. It was Piper's first time at a u-pick farm, and she loved it.  The pictures don't accurately show the amount of blackberry juice around her mouth.

Wearing Momma's Keens.

MILLS ORGANIC FARM:

Picking marionberries.

ROWELL BROTHERS:

Mommy and Me Gymnastics

McKinley and I just finished our last class today.  We've been meeting every Thursday in the Armory for the month of June, and the teacher of the class is our good friend Christine.  McKinley's recent revelation is that eating healthy food will give her strong muscles, which will make her strong for gymnastics.  During the class she was fearless and always the first to volunteer. Her favorite apparatus was the tumble track, which was a long, bouncy runway.  But her favorite activity was, by far, when Christine blew bubble into the fan. Go figure!

McKinley and Airy warm up on the bar.

Major air!

Her first assisted, back flip.

Doing flex-arm hangs.

The infamous tumble track.

Parachute time was fun too.

Christine brought popsicles for the kids on the last day of class.

Father's Day 2013

The best thing about Father's Day this year was Dadda took the day off to celebrate with us.  We drove out to Spirit Mountain Casino for their all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch, but it appeared that everyone had the same idea, and the wait was atrocious! So we drove back home and feasted on a simpler breakfast of eggs, bacon and hashbrowns.  Dadda's only request for Father's Day was fried salmon for dinner.  And Momma was happy to oblige. Our girls love salmon, just like their Dadda!

Good.

Better.

BEST!

Still munching on garlic bread.

Pregnancy Report

I'm well into my second trimester and happy to report that I feel great! No more nausea, and the multiple extra feedings have died down significantly.  I still Crossfit three days a week but have totally cut out lifts, like overhead squats and snatches, that strain my back.  I've gained twelve pounds thus far, and I'm breaking out like a teenager. My current go-to snacks are Cocoa Puffs & milk when I'm craving something sweet and Cup-O-Noodles when I'm wanting something savory.  I felt the baby move as early as thirteen and a half weeks but brushed it off because I thought it couldn't be true.  Our next pre-natal appointment is this week, and we're hoping to schedule the big, anatomy ultrasound at the end of the month. I'm so anxious to find out whether we're having a boy or girl. In the beginning, McKinley said she wanted a baby brother, but she has since changed her mind and thinks the baby is a girl.  Both her and Piper love to hug and kiss my belly.

Dating ultrasound at 12weeks to verify due date of Nov 29.

Alien baby flashing a hang-loose.

If it's a girl, I'm loving the idea of triple twinkles (3 matching outfits)!

Piper - 18 mos. Update

Piper is our baby.  But it's crazy to think that in five short months, she will no longer be the baby.  She had her 18-month well-check last week.  She weighed almost 25 lbs (56%) and measured 32" in length (72%), but her head size was a whopping 19" (91%).  The pediatrician's only concern was her speech development. She currently says about four words: Momma, yes, up and thank you.  If she isn't making progress with learning new words by the end of summer, she'll probably be referred for hearing and speech evaluations.  You know, months ago, I was worried. But not anymore.  She is a chatterbox!  She loves to read books out loud, she loves to sing, she knows many animal sounds, and she communicates very well for only a four-word vocabulary.  Just like her arrival into this world, it might be a bit late but it'll happen when she's ready.  Piper is fearless, our little dare-devil. Most of the time you can find a goose egg or scrape on her forehead. She's relatively cautious, reserved and shy around people she doesn't know, but when she's relaxed, she's feisty, spunky and spilling over with personality. One of my favorite moments is during the girls' bedtime routine. We begin with music videos on the iPad (we love songs by Go Fish), and when she starts dancing she goes nuts!  She'll clap her hands, stomp her feet, and sway to the beat. It's too cute! She's also a major copycat. If McKinley grabs a chair to watch me cook, Piper wants a chair too.  If McKinley wants water in her sippy cup, Piper wants water too. If McKinley brings me a book to read, Piper grabs one too. But when it comes to eating, she can out eat McKinley any day. She's super efficient with a spoon, especially when eating yogurt.  Boo boo, we love you, and we can't wait to see what's in store for your next 6 months!

Like I said....fearless!

She's modeling her cool, new shades and her current bruise. 

Picking blueberries even though they're far from being ripe.

I asked her to look at me and smile, and this is what I got.   Love it!

Crazy

Things have been pretty crazy around here.  With pre-natal appointments, well-check appointments, tons of tutoring, dadda's overtime shifts, Crossfit, the girls getting sick, and our latest endeavor of buying a new house, we're non-stop from morning 'til nighttime.  I haven't even had time to take many new pictures in the last couple of weeks.  I know, I'm totally slacking off.  When things quiet down I'll have to write some individual posts about our latest happenings, but until then, here are the most current pictures of the girls.