Baths, Soap, & Throw up!

Abby is at the age now where she tries to eat a wide spectrum of items. These items include, but are not limited to: crayons, dirt (also potting soil), grass, paper, and baby wipes (clean ones)!

Well, tonight we have a new item to add to the list! SOAP!!!! I gave the girls a bath at the same time tonight. It went VERY well, I think I will do it from now on! Abby was still playing in the water, I was dressing Alivia in the bathroom, not really paying alot of attention to Abby. When I looked over at her, she had taken a bite out of a bar of soap (and swallowed it). YUCK!!!! She had her tongue stuck out trying to scrap the taste off. I rinsed out her mouth and was getting ready to take her out of the water and then she threw up everywhere! Then, she threw up again!! ~Just taking a wild guess here, but I bet she won't EVER eat soap again! After we got out of the bath, she kept running through the house scraping her tongue, yelling YUCK, YUCK!!! Oh my, the things kids do!

Richard's truck

We are selling Richard's truck! He got a new(er) one, so now we need to get rid of his 1985 Chevrolet Silverado. It runs good. Up until this past Saturday (when he got his new truck) he had been driving it everyday.
PLEASE help us find it a new home!!! Contact us, or leave us a comment for more info.

Easter

Richard and I have to work every other weekend, and we had to work last weekend- which was Easter. I didn't really think it would be a big deal to work on Easter because we had already planned to have our Easter the following weekend (this weekend). But, Easter Sunday came and I was kind of sad because I wasn't home getting the girls ready for church in their Easter dresses and giving them their baskets from the 'Easter Bunny'. It all turned out ok though, and today we celebrated Easter!
Here are the girls' baskets! Well, instead of putting Abby's stuff in a normal basket, we got her a Dora purse and filled it with stuff!

Here are the girls right after church in their matching dresses that their grammi and pops bought for them! They were so adorable this morning!
Abby was laying beside Alivia giving her kisses.

Alivia waiting patiently in her swing before church. She's holding her bunny blanket she got in her Easter basket! Doesn't she look pretty?

Pops

This weekend, my dad and step-mom came down for a couple days. It was so nice to get to see them. Abby clung on to her pops from the minute she seen him until they left the next day! She loves him so much!!!

After bathtime!

Alivia is 7 weeks old now! Wow how time has flown by. Here are the girls after bathtime.

Abby sure loves her sissy!

"I suppose that's the way God made it..."

Richard and I first started attending a small group at our church when we were pregnant with Abby. I remember a discussion one evening soon after we started attending where our friend Adam Utecht was giving his insight on the feelings you have about your child going through different stages as they grow up. He said, "When Hannah was a little baby, I thought that it was the best stage-I loved it! I didn't want her to grow up. But as she got bigger and learned new things, I thought, No-this is the best, this is my favorite stage." He was making a point that with each new stage their daughter entered, it soon became his favorite.
Well, Richard and I were not parents yet and didn't really understand exactly what he meant. Since we now have 2 children, I have often reflected on that discussion and thought how completely true his words are. I remember when Abby was a small baby, I thought that I never wanted her to get bigger or grow up. But, with each new thing she learned, and each new stage she entered, I found myself feeling proud of her and soon realized that I loved it when she was a baby, but I also loved watching her grow. I have felt exactly what Adam was describing, each stage Abby enters, soon becomes my favorite! Alivia is still very small, but I find myself already having these same feelings towards her.
Richard and I work different shifts, but there is about 1 hour in the afternoon where our shifts overlap. Joy Will (Jennalee Ekeland's mom) is kind enough to watch the girls for that 1 hour each day. Joy is an amazing woman and we are very grateful for her willingness to watch them. Abby just loves seeing her and Joy is great with Alivia! Today when I picked up the girls, Joy said, "Don't you just love it when their this small" (referring to Alivia). I told her I did love it, but then told her about my feelings towards the different stages and how in the moment, each stage is my favorite. Her response was, "I suppose that's the way God made it." This response justifies everything you feel as a parent. With each stage or season of life, God makes you proud and thankful for what you have. I am so very thankful each day that God has given us 2 beautiful little girls to raise and love. They are such a blessing, and we will continue to enjoy each of the stages they go through in life!

Crazy Life!

Here is our beautiful baby! She is getting so big, I can't believe she is 5 weeks old already!

Our life has been very busy lately. It is so much different having 2 children. We are adjusting pretty good, though. Alivia is sleeping pretty good most nights. She sleeps 3-4 hours at a time during the night, which is a big accomplishment from her 1-2 hours at a time when we first came home from the hospital!

Also, I went back to work full-time 3 weeks ago. I started working back at Schowalter Villa in Hesston (where I worked before I had Abby). Richard went back to work there also. We are working different shifts so that we don't have to take the girls to daycare. I work days and Richard works evenings. Richard is such a good husband. Since I work day shift and have to be to work at 6am, he ALWAYS gets up at night with Alivia! I have been so lucky to get to sleep through the night, and he doesn't even complain about it-he just does it! I love him so much and am so thankful for him!!