there is this girl...

named poppy.

and i am so in love with her

it hurts.

truly.

love you my smoosh,

xo,

mommy

Happy 4th

PHEW.

 this weekend.

what a doozy...

48 hours packed full of family, food, parading

fireworks, laughing, and did i mention eating?

well... we are certainly 

TINERD.

oh how i love this summer holiday.

i love dressing in red,white and blue...

even though i can't get a decent shot of them matching together..

*sigh*

my parents neighborhood parade brings it...

especially when THIS transpires.

i love how hot is always is..

and how smooshy this one never ceases to be.

fireworks

i. love. you.

that smell.. 

the smokiness that sort-of settles over the valley.

oh.. i love that.

there is really just nothing NOT to love.

last weekend.. 

i miss you.

hope your 4th found you as happy as it found our little family's.

BUT

let's be truthful here.

 i am officially exhausted.

i am not going to pretend that throwing a 

birthday bash doesn't exhaust me,

nor does staying up with a sick baby.

nope..

i will willingly admit that proofing the 

weekends photos has me worn out, 

as well as all this blogging.

i am looking forward to lazy days at the pool,

afternoon naps with the girls,

 late dinners with my NOW school free hub.

and a long weekend up to Bear Lake.

but i do feel quite pleased with myself...

i am all caught up

:)

HOOray!

Melmo Party

Consider yourself officially belatedly invited to this party.

She looked really cute in her birthday outfit..

and even got to match her sister.

I know..

 hardly ever happens

:)

Elmo was all over the place...

and Dorothy too.

There was bouncing..

and sliding.

and fishing too.

Family to love...

and presents..

and singing too.

and it ended just as it should...

with a little nakey slide time.

And now she's two.. 

and seems too old to be mine.

*sigh...

dear birthday girl,

i love you, my poodle poo... 

my minie moo, 

the lady marmalade,

moodles, 

mins, 

mimzy, 

crazy horse, 

my little red tornado...

i love your stawberry hair, 

and i love your almond eyes.

i love your crazy smile,

and i your booty bum.

i love how you still snuggle me,

and ask to go "nigh nights".

i love the way your breath smells,

and when your scared you squeeze ME  tight.

i love your crazy laugh.. and those crazy teeth.

i love that you love elmo,

and barbie, 

and did i mention that you love me??

i LOVE that.

i love how you are pink inside and out, 

and how you love your dad.

i love to make you happy,

because my baby girl..

you make ME just that.

happy birthday my smoosh,

i love you to the moon.

xoxo,

mama

HER "toof" birthday

it has come.

my little poodle bum is TWO today.

oh how i love her..

i walked into to her room this morning and yelled "Happy Birthday baby girl!!", 

she responded with a squeal and enthusiastic "Thank you!"

i don't remember teaching her that?

to start her day out 

she had a singing candle on her eggs (her preferred breakfast .every. morning), 

and got to wear her special birthday hat from Grandma the entire meal through.

and the off to the races it was...

this is HER day after all,

so it was only appropriate she choose the giveaway winner.

after much digging, crumpling, and swirling

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!

drum roll please.......

Bryton Morse!!!

Bryton...

just drop me an e-mail and we can set up the details. 

i am excited to shoot you and jake

:)

once again,

thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to everyone that commented.

it was even more fun than i anticipated, and i have "met" so many new blogging friends that i adore.

i definitely foresee more giveaways in the future.

so don't fret if you didn't win.. 

there will be more..

 

there will!

happy MINIE day to you all!

"Our house is a very very fine (*small) house..."

so dustin and i live in an extremely small town home located on the wrong side of town. :)

we actually love it.. 

minus the no yard business our little fish guts has been the perfect first home. 

i have brought my two girlies from the hospital to this house and it will forever be the breaking ground of where i became a woman, a mother, and a wife.

but 

if we are being honest,

in all my hopes and plans for this little home,

 i never envisioned 1/3 of the house and furniture consisting of nursery.

it still takes me by surprise as i walk by those two doors so very close to one another and peak in at not one, but two full blown nurseries in my tiny second floor. 

our space is cramped, we have become experts on organizing (read stuffing) our junk in every which nook and cranny.  every day i tell dustin it's time to move. but i do love this townhome, and my heart hurts a little when i think of leaving it behind. especially the girls rooms. 

i have had a request from Jenna to post some pictures of the little ladies domain, so without further ado.. here they are:

minie is all about dots. 

i think of her..

 i think dots.

as she was in my belly that is all i could see when i thought of her, and when we moved in 5 weeks before she was born, those big red dots were the first thing i painted.

who knows what came first?  the chicken or the egg,

but none the less, polka dots will always be her thing.

poppy's room is a little more eclectic. i am not really finished decorating it.. and probably never will get around to finishing it... *sigh*.

but i am just dying for some of these 

gorgeous prints to put up when that lovely little lady

 is back from her maternity leave. 

so we shall see..

and this has nothing to do with the rooms.. 

just the adorable girls who inhabit them.

i loved this photo,

it just feels like sisters to me, 

which really just makes me melt and feel all gooey inside.

isn't her name cute?

wouldn't you love to be named Poppy?

i will always love her name.

so there you have it.

these were all taken spur of the moment.

upon pulling them up on the computer i realized

 how messy and disorganized my house really looks.

oh well... what can you do?

it's real.

so goodnight...

it is almost officially a really big day in our home

:)

and 

hooray for the giveaway winner tomorrow!

stay tuned!

canyon breeze

i love a little canyon dining.

monday night we headed up the canyon for a weenie roast with the Hooper's.

seriously, canyon outings are pretty much my favorite thing to do in the summer,

 and monday night was no exception.

nothin' better than a little polish dog, watermelon, HOME MADE coleslaw, chips and dip, and funny friends.

i love my man. 

he did all the prep for our night out. NOT excluding shopping for food, packing such frivolities as a table cloth, AND even changed poop diapers while i stuffed my face with  marsh-mellows and gabbed with Angela.

he is my favorite and my love and adore the nights he gets to be school free with me.

:)

thanks again hubby

this is aaron.

he can roast a mean dog, and don't even get me started on his marsh-mellows...

YEESH!

angela is probably one of my favorite people. 

she is just funny, bizarre, quirky, honest, and did i mention hilarious?

 i did? well she is. 

we jumped back to high school again and thought we were so funny taking these action shots. some favorite things about this pic:

-angela's drill hands.

-my cheer fists

 -minie in the bottom right corner.

 she thought she was quite hilarious herself. .. look at that face.

i love her.

watch out..

i'm really coordinated. i know.

my natural athleticism just can't help itself.

aaron looks really amused too..

whatever...

 he and dustin are lucky to have such cool wives.

i told you...

she had to get in on the action as well.

needless to say, i want to do it all again. 

i love the smoke,

i love the smell,

i love the air, 

i love the food...

 really, i just love it all.