Grandpa Tuesdays

Grandpa Tuesdays has become a tradition for the girls and I. Ever since Barth began his weekly Tuesday conferences for work (we are going on our 5th year now) we have tried to fill that evening with fun outings that range from play dates, to shopping trips, to walks to the park to our favorite.....Grandpa Tuesdays!! It is such a blessing to have my dad around during the week and the girls can never get enough of "papa"! We love you so very much!!

We Love you

Chloe getting ready to feed the fish

Hanging out on grandpa's comfy couch

Chips and dip @ El Torito....always Ella's choice

future orthopedic surgeons

The girls love trying on all the stuff daddy brings home from work. Today it was scrub caps!!

Fleur du jour Boutique is now online!!

I am so happy to announce that my flower clips can now be viewed online!! I decided to attempt to build my own website. I must admit, it was just a little intimidating at first, but once I figured out how everything worked, I was able to really enjoy myself. For the time being, I am selling the clips via the "old-school" method...through the mail. If all goes well and orders pick up I will set up a paypal option on the website, which will allow for better turn-around time. Thank you to everyone who has given me some much needed encouragement with this new endeavor...especially my amazing hubby! Please check it out if you have a moment and let me know what you think.

http://www.fleurdujourboutique.com/

Chloe vs Flu shot

I took Chloe to the pediatrician this morning for her flu shot. I think that I dread it more than she does. It is always hard to see your little baby in tears. We arrived and I walked her into the office, only to find ourselves facing a 45-minute wait, which was way too long, even for mommy...she entertained herself by blowing kisses to all the tropical fish painted on the walls. I still don't think she really comprehended where we were at this point. However, her memory was quickly refreshed when we were lead to room #1.
She cried as only Chloe can, and tried to kick her way out of the shot, but soon realized that wasn't going to happen. With tears streaming down her cheeks she looked at the nurse when she was finished and somehow managed between cries to say "thank you, all done". It was so so precious! Mommy is very proud of you Chloe!!

We ♥ Grandma

Last week the me and the girls got to spend a couple of days with grandma. With Barth's never-ending busy schedule, we really look forward to these days! It not only gives me a chance to enjoy a little adult conversation, but the girls seem to have endless fun whenever grandma comes around. Chloe got to have a little one-on-one time while Ella was at preschool. We took a walk, did a little window shopping, and ended the morning with a photo shoot. Ella was ecstatic when grandma was there to greet her at preschool, and proudly introduced her to Kyah and Janessa (her two best girlfriends).

While Chloe was napping, grandma had a surprise for Ella. It has been their little tradition to go on movie dates whenever a new one comes out. Toy Story 1 & 2 was being double featured in 3D. Needless to say, Ella was overwhelmed with excitement. They headed out the door, mints in hand (this was their snack for the movie...Ella's choice), and enjoyed over two hours of movie time. We finished our fun-filled day with dinner at Red Robin. Talk about more fun then a mommy and her two little girls can handle....Thank you grandma for a day of fun! We ♥ you.

The Great Bedtime Battle...

Every child has that one thing, whether it be a bad habit, behavior trait, or little quirk that can drive their parents bananas! Our little Chloe is a screamer. It doesn't matter if she is happy, sad, tired, you name it, she loves to scream. We are amazed that something so loud and high pitched can come out of such a little body.
Ella...well, she would prefer to stay awake and bypass both nappies and bedtimes and not miss a thing (at least she thinks so). After she turned three it became more and more apparent that her daily afternoon needed to become a thing of the past. So, with hesitation we have slowly begun to eliminate it...she does okay on most days without the nap, but we have those days where she is tired (with the crankiness to prove it), but just does not want to give into it. However, once the sun has set and clock creeps closer to 8:00, we brace ourselves for the great bedtime battle. Okay, so I am being a little dramatic, but getting Ella into bed and keeping her there all night is no easy task...

We begin with changing into our jammies, brushing our teeth, going potty and reading a book or two. She always appears tired and ready for some good shut-eye upon completion of our routine, but it is usually not the case once we enter her room. We have tried many different strategies to help her bedtime anxiety and they all seem to be a temporary fix, but we some how manage back where we started.

I often times talk to my mom when I just don't seem to have an answer, and lately this bedtime battle seems to be the topic of our conversations. Thank Jesus for moms and grandmas!! She is an amazing encouragement with endless suggestions...

Our current motivator: The Princess Chart (wish I had one of these, its pretty cute)

It is a chart with a Disney princess theme where a grand castle awaits her arrival...she has little stepping stones that represent one night of good sleep which lead all the way to the castle doors. Ella had so much fun creating it with her grandma, and for the time being it seems to be all she can talk about...let's hope it does the trick, if not we will keep on trying!!

Construction

Adding the final details

The Princess Chart

One stepping stone down....

Roses for mommy

On Monday while daddy and Ella were playing outside, Ella insisted that she pick some roses for mommy. One of the many reasons we love living in California...we can pretty much enjoy our flowers year round! She excitedly tapped on the sliding glass door, her little hand holding a gorgeous bouquet of roses. Thank you Ella...I love you!

Pumpkin Patch 2009

We made our traditional trip to the pumpkin patch this last week. Ella had been anticipating this day for weeks. Chloe actually understood the concept of picking out a pumpkin and bringing it home with us, which she was very excited about. The entire time we were there, I was desperately trying to get that one cute picture of the girls together with all the awesome colors. They however, had other ideas. There was just too much to see, and it was a little too close to dinnertime. Ella carefully chose the "perfect" pumpkin, while Chloe insisted we take every one in the field home...even the funny shaped ones. I am sure we will be back for some more adventures before halloween.

Ella and her pumpkin

One of the many pumpkins Chloe wanted

The girls were not into the picture...

Our Pumpkins (barth's is the one with the weird stem..of course)

Fall is here...

Which means we can now wear our "fall attire" without getting heatstroke! The cool air is a welcome change here in southern California. Up until a couple weeks ago, our temperatures were still creeping to the upper 90's sometimes 100's. We now enjoy taking walks in the middle of day (rather than after 7pm), going to the park, leaving our windows open to enjoy the cool breeze, and wearing our jackets. Yes, my girls actually get excited to put on a sweater or coat cause on a typical California day you just don't need it!

Jessica Davis Photography

Here area few photos from our recent family photo shoot with Jessica Davis. She did an amazing job!

I ♥ Chloe

I love both of my incredible girls...but I had to share a few of these pictures of Chloe. From the time she was a baby, she has had the most amazing expressions. I think there is a new one everyday....

Carrot anyone?

Like most kids, my girls have certain foods they love and those they would rather do without. Ella is no exception. She loves meat, noodles, rice, fruit, cheese, and of course sweets. Unfortunately, her longing for "treats" is probably due to the sweet tooth she inherited from her mommy. The one food that she almost always will refuse, or try to, is veggies...more specific CARROTS. Yes, everyday around noon, you will probably find Ella sitting quietly at the table longing for that carrot to just disappear. Of course to her disappointment it never does. She has sat patiently at the table for two hours now...we may hold the record. Before you call me harsh let me first tell you the details of these "carrots". I give her three baby carrots and usually dig through the bag to find the smaller ones...on top of that she gets a generous portion of ranch dip. Somehow the "dip" always seems to vanish long before the carrots. After lots of encouragement telling her how beautiful it will make her eyes (cause that's what my mom always told me), and the passing of many minutes, she somehow always manages to get that dreaded veggie down...

Fleur du jour Boutique!

What do you think? I have been brainstorming lots of potential names for my flower clip business and came up with this one over the weekend...actually, my husband had a huge input into that one (thanks love). I made my first sell this last week, okay so it was to my sisters, but needless to say, I was really excited!

My flowers made their little debut this past weekend. Ella, Chloe and Ariana wore the flowers in their hair as well as Simone, Jasmine and I! We had fun....Thanks Simone and Jasmine for being my spokespeople :)