Catching up with the Cross Family

And the help continues...

2012-02-11T21:22:00.003-05:00

My sister Jessica and her little boy Braden came to help out and entertain for a long weekend and we had a great time. The girls were thrilled to have a buddy to play with and Emory just loved being spoiled and held all weekend by her Aunt Jessica. Once again, we are so fortunate to have such a great family to help us out!

The kiddos did enjoy the car one afternoon when the weather was nice. They also enjoyed snuggling up and watching movies.

Jessica and Emory hit it off immediately of course.

Logan still keeping an eye on her baby sister.

Braden even wanted a chance to hold his newest cousin.

We had so much fun and were so glad to have Jessica and Braden around!

Our little Leighton is 2!

2012-02-03T15:19:00.011-05:00

On Thursday, Leighton turned 2! It is so hard to believe that our little girl is actually two. Since Leighton is very into Minnie Mouse at the moment we decided that would be the perfect theme for the day. So, to start it off right, I made pink Minnie Mouse pancakes for breakfast. I think they turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself! Not sure if the girls were impressed or not.
Then of course I had to make a few decorations for the big party...Styrofoam balls spray painted black and put together to make Minnie heads, as well as a pink lantern with tissue pom pom ears. The dessert plates turned out cute too.
Nothing too over the top, but it all turned out cute.

And had to top it off with some balloons of course.
Our friends the Weathers joined the party for dinner, cake, ice cream and presents. They enjoyed their own party table too!

Lance enjoyed a little hands on time with Emory...the other kids had to help out of course. I actually made the cake this year and it turned out great. It did take a lot of time to ice, but well worth it for our little girl.

She loved the cake and kept telling me to "cut it, cut it!"
She did a great job trying to blow out the candle.Best buddies. Leighton loved the cake!
Logan thought it was finger licking good.

As for opening gifts, she needed to direction.

However, all the other kiddos insisted on trying to help out.
She loved all of her gifts!

And of course the singing cards are always a huge hit! All and all it was a great party. She had such a good time as did we all. Happy Birthday Leighton, we love you so much. The past two years have been great and we cant wait to watch you grow even more.

#2!

2012-01-31T13:13:00.004-05:00

Just a quick little post about my precious #2 child...she actually went #2 in the big girl potty last week! Leighton really cracks us up. For months we would ask her if she wanted to sit on the big girl potty like Logan and she was always adamant in her response, "NO!". Then about a month ago she decided she wanted to sit on the potty so we of course encouraged this. With me being huge and pregnant, I didn't want to push the potty training, but we don't want to discourage it either. So, she has been sitting on the toilet for about a month now but not doing anything of course. She just wants to sit there for a second and then insists on being wiped and flushing the toilet. She has to wave bye to the disappearing water as well before washing our hands. So, she essentially has been going through the entire process, except for actually using the restroom. Well, a little over a week ago she looked like she was getting ready to poop so we asked her if she wanted to sit on the potty and she did. Brian took her to the bathroom and she actually pooped! We couldn't believe it. So, I of course had to get a couple pictures of this milestone.

She was so proud of herself...it was hilarious!

The next day she found some Minnie Mouse panties that her Mimi bought and wanted to wear them too. So funny.

Needless to say, she has yet to do it anymore but I am confident it will only be a matter of time. I just love this kid so much!!! She is definitely a special #2!!!

Two very special guys!

2012-01-29T19:08:00.003-05:00

We have to send out a special shout out/thank you to two very special guys...Uncle Matt and Grandad.

After my mom left to go home my brother Matt came to help me with the girls and everyday stuff for a week. Needless to say, Logan & Leighton absolutely loved their time with their Uncle Matt. He would get up with them every morning and get them ready for the day as well as keep them entertained. The girls were definitely sad to see him go. Thank you for everything Matt, you were amazing and such a huge help!

Matt with his three girls.

He definitely got his workout throwing the girls around and playing.
They sure love their Uncle Matt!Since I wasn't supposed to drive for 2 weeks after the c-section or pick up either of the big girls, my family fortunately split up their visits to help me out. After Matt left, my wonderful dad came to help out. Thank you doesn't even cover how appreciative we are for all my dad did for us. From taking care of the older girls so I could get some rest, installing a dishwasher, reattaching our kitchen cabinets, doing laundry and dishes, to driving us around...there was no shortage of things for him to do. Dad, you were such a huge help and we all loved having you here. Thank you so much for everything!
Grandad and Emory hit it off instantly.
Logan always keeps her eye on anyone holding Emory to make sure they are doing right.After a week with all these girls, I am sure dad was ready to get home to his quiet house.

I have such an amazing family and support system! I can't thank you guys enough for all your help and support...don't know how I would have made it through the last several weeks without you. I love you so much!

Emory's 1st week at home

2012-01-25T15:22:00.009-05:00

We were allowed to take Emory home on Saturday, January 14th. Her breathing ended up being Transitional Tachypnea, which is relatively common in c-section babies and wasn't even an issue after her first day of life. However the jaundice of course kicked in just like the other two girls. They allowed us to take her home with a slightly elevated level at 10.4. We went back to the doctor on the following Monday and the doctor said she looked pretty good. She weighed 7 lbs, 1 oz. Since she was gaining weight nicely they didn't even do a bilirubin test but said we should bring her back on the following Thursday. At our return appointment they decided to do a test and it came back at 14.1, which meant we would have to keep a close eye on her and bring her back the following day for a recheck. (This just means lots of foot pricks.) By Thursday her weight was also up to 7 lbs 5 oz. Fortunately, the next day her bilirubin level was down to 13.7. With her steady weight gain and a leveled out bilirubin level their guess is that it is breast milk jaundice. If that is truly the case, we shouldn't have to check her back into the hospital for phototherapy like we did with the other two girls. So as of now, we are doing good but we have another follow up appointment tomorrow.

Here is Emory ready to head home from the hospital. In her car seat for the first time and you can definitely tell from her skin color that she is jaundice.One of the things mom did to distract the girls was paint the finger and toe nails.
As you can see they love this!
Mimi of course had to get her hugs in before heading back home.
Logan of course was so thrilled to have her new sister home. She tells me about 20 times a day, "Momma I love my new sister!" and the look on her face shows that she means it.
We were trying to get Emory to eat as much as possible (to poop out all those bilirubins) so Logan was thrilled she got to feed her a bottle. She had been talking about doing this for months.
I love her maternal instinct!Here is sweet Emory at 1 week.
Leighton is slowly coming around to the idea of having a baby sister. She at least will acknowledge she exists.
Even smiles at her every once and awhile and will give her little loves.
Insists on holding her multiple times a day.

And of course we have to show pictures from Emory's first bath.
Who doesn't like her first sponge bath??? Emory!
Finally snug and warm.One good thing about being jaundice...she looks very tan compared to her sisters!

Hospital Visitors

2012-01-16T15:38:00.006-05:00

Emory was blessed to have several visitors in the hospital. Mimi of course took every opportunity to come up and hold her newest granddaughter... Logan was always thrilled to see her new little sister and loved holding her.
This picture is worth a thousand words...Logan loving on Emory and Leighton trying to get away.We did finally get Leighton to acknowledge her new baby sister as we got her to point to all her facial features.Our friends and neighbors Ryan and Jacquelyn came by to see our newest addition.
Good friends Sean & Anna Lockwood stopped in to get their hands on our baby girl.
So nice to have such good friends and family!

Emory LeeAnn Cross has arrived!

2012-01-14T20:56:00.010-05:00

Emory LeeAnn Cross is finally here! She arrived on Wednesday, January 11th at 8:02 am. She weighed 7 lbs, 3 oz and was 19 inches long. This was our first scheduled Cesarean, so things were a little different. After both Logan and Leighton had shoulder distosia (Leighton's was pretty severe) the doctor figured it would be best for everyone not to risk doing a regular delivery again. So, we were scheduled for 7:30 Wed. morning. We arrived at the hospital at 6:15, got checked in, and they were wheeling me back to the OR at 7:30. It all happened so fast, they gave me the spinal, Brian got suited up to join us, and we took this "we are ready to go" photo.

By 8:02 am, they had Emory out and were cutting the cord.
Babies are definitely a little goopy when they arrive!
And here was our first look at our precious little girl.They of course have to clean her up a bit and suck out all that nasty fluid.

And here is the ever so proud daddy! He just cant get enough of his little girls.
Emory is absolutely adorable! He mommy couldn't wait to meet her. They are right, these c-section babies are a lot less beaten up.

Definitely some proud parents! Just look at that face!

They of course had to get her a little more cleaned up and checked out before I could hold her more. I guess it is important that they get the mommy sewed up too.In the recovery room, I did get to hold her for a little longer.It truly is amazing the instant love you have for each and every baby! She had to hang out in the nursery for awhile before they gave her a bath. She seemed pretty content all sprawled out and relaxed.
While hanging out in the nursery, Mimi was able to bring up Logan and Leighton so they could see their new baby sister for the first time. They seem pretty proud!

They all just so happened to be in the hallway when they wheeled me by.
Poor Mimi definitely go her workout taking turns holding the girls up to see their baby.Emory finally got a good scrub down...She does clean up nicely!Once back in our room, the girls were excited to open up their gifts from Emory. Long story short, we did have a little bit of a stressful first day. Emory was having some rapid breathing so they felt it was best to keep her in the nursery for observation for several hours. I think this was hardest on me because I just wanted to get my hands on her. Finally at around 3:00 in the afternoon the doctor let them bring her to me so I could feed her. It made everything better once I could just see her and hold her. She is perfect and doing just fine...just a stressful morning.
Logan and Leighton finally got to meet her that night. Logan instantly wanted to hold her and love on her, while Leighton wasn't quite as excited. Leighton didn't really want much to do with her while Logan couldn't stay away. Leighton was more interested in the snacks available at the hospital.
Logan is so proud to be a big sister yet again!
One big happy family!Mimi was pretty thrilled to have a new granddaughter as well.

The next day she did get dressed up for her hospital photo shoot.

The girls were excited to come up the next day as well...Logan to see Emory and Leighton to get more snacks.It wasn't easy to even get Leighton to sit near the baby. Finally we got her to with Brian, but she definitely wanted her daddy to focus on her!
Brian and his girls.We are so thrilled Emory is here and so happy and healthy. We are definitely blessed and look forward to watching her grow along side her big sisters. Only fun exciting times ahead for us!

Soon to be...Party of 5!!

2012-01-10T21:53:00.005-05:00

It is so hard to for me to believe that tomorrow is the big day! In around 10 hours our family will officially be "Party of 5" and we are so excited. I go in tomorrow morning around 6:00 for a scheduled c-section at 7:30. I am currently experience a few mixed emotions. A little nervous (because this is my first c-section) and a ton of excitement because our newest addition Emory will be here.

I did allow Brian to take a pregnancy picture of me a couple of days ago so we could have one on record. Just a few fun facts regarding my 3rd pregnancy...

**We somehow managed to get pregnant the first month of not preventing pregnancy this time around.

**I did have morning sickness at the beginning. The funniest part was Leighton in the bathroom mimicking her mother vomiting. This included making the throw up sounds as well as the spitting gesture that followed.

**The girls loved talking about the baby in mommy's belly. For around the first 20 weeks if you asked Logan if she wanted a boy or a girl her response was, "My daddy needs a boy".

**Our friend Lance (cardiologist) and Brian (GI Fellow) did an echo on me at 14 weeks and were convinced we were having a boy. This of course led our close family and friends to "believe" as well. So, it was pretty funny when Emory decided to show us the truth at the 20 week ultrasound.

**Throughout the pregnancy I haven't had any specific cravings (just sweets in general). However chomping on ice is something I have wanted to do often. This of course has been the one big thing that has driven Brian nuts.

**I have gained around 40 lbs this time, which is right on par with my previous two pregnancies.

**My favorite things this time around are (1) how active Emory is...she is a mover and a shaker for sure, (2) talking to Logan and Leighton about their new baby sister, and (3) the lovin I get from the girls because they are so excited to have a new sister.Logan and Leighton really are so thrilled to be a new big sister. They love to hug on my belly and talk about all the things they will do with her when she arrives.

Thanks to all our friends and family for your thoughts and prayers, we are so fortunate to be surrounded by so many loved ones!

Day 12 (2011 Wrap Up)

2012-01-07T15:22:00.009-05:00

Well, well, well, who would of thought I could actually pull it off?! Day 12 is here and I somehow managed to stick to the 12 days of blogging. I figured what better way to end then to do a wrap up from the last year. So here goes...

So funny to see the girls from one year ago. My how they have changed! When last year started, Logan had just turned 2 and Leighton wasn't even 1 and walking.

Leighton had quite a personality even before she could walk and talk! In February we celebrated Leighton's 1st birthday back in Arkansas. She of course was spoiled by friends and family and had a great time.

Logan enjoyed the party too.

By March the girls really started playing great together. It was easy to see how much they loved each other, even at such an early age.

This last year Logan really transformed from a toddler to a little girl.In April the girls and I were able to make a trip back to Arkansas for a visit. They of course loved being around friends and family and had a great time.

By May, the girls were ready to hang at the pool. We spent many afternoons this last summer swimming. This was also the month that we found out we were expecting baby #3.

Another favorite pastime for the girls this year was playing dressup. Logan still thinks she is a princess when she gets all dressed up with her jewelry and all.

By June, we enjoyed spending as much time as possible outside as the weather in Lexington is great. Here is a classic fudge pop moment!

And they clean up so nice.

In July Brian started his GI Fellowship at UK. You can tell by the smile on his face that doing something you enjoy at work (as well as having more weekends off to spend time with the family) really makes you happy. Hanging at the park is always fun too.

By July the girls really had become best friends. They get along the majority of the time and love playing together.

Nothing like those summer cookouts with friends. We will be lost this next summer when our friends the Weathers make the big move back to Arkansas. The girls will definitely miss their boys!

In August, the girls and I made the long haul to Kansas City to visit Jessica, Chris, & Braden. We had a great week hanging with them. We went to the zoo, hit the mall, helped Braden celebrate his 4th birthday, and just enjoyed being together.

Such cute kids! I truly wish they could spend more time together.

By September, the weather was still nice enough to swim every once and awhile. I never get sick of seeing these cute girls in the swimsuits!

Brian's parents also paid us a visit this month and the girls loved having them here!

October was a crazy busy month for us...from Disneyland, to pumpkin patches, to CA weddings, and Halloween - the month just flew by. We loved every minute of it!

November photo shoots and fall weather...a perfect combination!

Of course, the big 3 for Logan!

Finally, what a way to end the year...driving around in a new pink Caddie!

2011 was really a fabulous year for the Cross family. We have so many things to be thankful for and so many great memories from this past year. The girls have grown so much and we know each day how blessed we are to have them. I can only imagine how much fun we will have with three little ones. With that in mind we are ready for 2012 and all the new fabulous memories we plan on creating!

Day 11 (Go Hogs Go)

2012-01-06T15:21:00.005-05:00

Well, with it being day 11 and all I decided to change it up today. These are actual pictures from today, so you all get a glimpse of the girls as they are right now. The Razorbacks are playing in the Cotton Bowl tonight, so the girls had to get ready to support their team. This includes wearing their new dresses from Uncle Doodoo and Amy, the face stickers and nail stickers from Uncle Matt and Aunt Ashley, as well as the Sooie tattoos from Mimi and Grandad. With all that they were happy to pose a little for the camera. :) And our "cheese" faces.
The tat... They started doing this on their own...every once and awhile they will show out for the camera. I sure love these girls!!!

Day 10 (Christmas 2011)

2012-01-05T02:44:00.006-05:00

Well, another early morning and I cannot sleep (one would think my body would take advantage of the last few days that I can actually sleep through the night without a newborn, but that is not the case). So, at least I can get today's blog updated. :)

No surprise, but Christmas was a big hit this year. The girls particularly enjoyed Elf on a Shelf. Our elf is named Elfis and the girls loved looking for him every morning. Surprisingly, Leighton was actually better at finding him. As for gifts, the girls were so spoiled by family and friends that we knew they wouldn't be able to handle opening them all in one day. So, they got to open gifts every night for a week. By the time it was Christmas, they really had it down. Here a some pictures from Christmas day.The girls actually took a break from opening gifts for breakfast...but then got back to it.Of course the bubble wrap is a hit!The girls loved their big gift from Santa...but then again who wouldn't love getting a pink Caddie?! And...after their naps, more gift opening. No, these girls aren't spoiled at all.
Thank you so much to all our friends and family! We definitely missed being back home for Christmas, but the girls did still manage to have a great holiday!

Day 9 (KY Horse Park Christmas Adventure)

2012-01-04T14:43:00.006-05:00

The Kentucky Horse Park here in Lexington does a huge light exhibit every year. We took the girls last year and were pleasantly surprised by all the fun activities it had to offer as well. So, we definitely will try to go every year that we are here. This year was even better than the last. We decided to meet up with the Weathers Family and all pile into one vehicle. Not only did this save a few bucks (they charge per car), but it allowed the kids to enjoy it together.

The lights looked great! And the kids loved their seats. Even though it was cold outside they loved having their heads out the sunroof (don't worry we were driving very slow).

The petting zoo was Leighton's favorite part. She was not shy at all and loved feeding all the animals. They had goats, cows, camels, deer, zebras, pigs, kangaroos, and even porcupines. Logan on the other hand refused to feed them, but enjoyed walking around and looking at them all.Just goofing off. She may have no interest in feeding the animals, but she was definitely up for riding them. Here Logan is riding King. Leighton surprisingly did not want to ride. Daddy was there just to be safe. Logan even hitched a ride with the Weathers clan on the camel Nacho.Love my sweet Leighton!
And finally a fun train ride to top off the night!

Day 8 (December Christmas Craft)

2012-01-03T16:42:00.005-05:00

We did manage to pull off a craft in December. The girls were partial to singing Frosty the Snowman, so we decided making a family of snowmen would be fun. To do this craft, you need the following: white construction paper, multi colored paper, cotton balls, 3 size bowls to trace, scissors, and glue. Trace your circles and cut them out. Next cut out facial features (eyes, noses) and any accessories you will need (hats, pipes, buttons, bows).
Next, glue the three circles together and then glue the cotton balls to the circles.Make sure to have something to distract the kid that gets bored. Coloring books and stickers work around here. Here is what the snowmen should look like covered in cotton balls.
Finally, glue on all facial features and accessories. Logan insisted that her snowman have a pink skirt and Leighton have a purple one Then of course we had to have a daddy and mommy snowman to complete the family.And then of course the fun part...showing off our creations!

Day 7 (Such Big Girls)

2012-01-02T17:47:00.005-05:00

So, with a third child on the way and a three bedroom house...it stands to reason that somebody was going to have to share a room. Really I think the only person who was worried about the transition process was me. I just didn't know how the girls would handle naps and bedtime. Who knows why I was worried because they absolutely love it. Granted Logan talks Leighton's ear off when it comes time to go to sleep, but she doesn't seem to mind.

The first phase was moving Logan into my old daybed and moving Leighton's crib into the room. This lasted a couple of months until Leighton started trying to climb out of her bed. She never actually got out, but we caught her on the top rail and heard her up there knocking things off the book shelf. So, phase 2 was taking the front off of Leighton's crib. We did this several weeks back and she really has done pretty well. It helps to have a little tattle tail in the same room who yells, "Momma, Leighton got out of her bed!".

The two things that crack me up the most are that 1) Logan is meticulous about her bed. She hates for it to be messed up and throws a major fit when Leighton messes up her bed. She makes her bed every morning before coming downstairs. And 2) Leighton loves to go up and get in her bed and read on her own. I think it is mainly because her passy's and blanky's aren't allowed to come out of her bed so she goes up there just for them. Anyway, here are pictures of the new big girl room.

The girls were thrilled to have the front off of Leighton's bed.

Story time also works out great now that we have a bigger bed to sit in.

Day 6 (Fall Photo Shoot)

2012-01-01T14:14:00.022-05:00

Happy New Year!!! I can hardly believe it is actually 2012, my how time flies....especially once you have children. Well, here we are day 6 of my blog-o-rama. I have been wanting to get these pictures up for awhile now, so I am so thrilled to share them now. One of our good friends here in town is a great photographer and she so wonderfully agreed to take some pictures of our family (mainly the girls). So, first and foremost...thank you Jennifer! I love them all. The hardest part was narrowing it down for the blog....and yes, this is narrowed down. It actually has taken me all day to do this blog because for some reason I could only upload one picture at a time and they took forever to upload. Who knows what the deal was, I am just thrilled I am done...at least for today. The girls really enjoyed playing outside. It was funny because it of course took Logan awhile to warm up to the camera, her being the shy one. Leighton was happy to goof off right from the start. Oh how I love it when they are sweet to each other!

Day 5 (Off to the Racetrack)

2011-12-31T13:32:00.004-05:00

Of course, our fall wouldn't be fall here in Lexington without heading to the racetrack. Instead of actually going to the horse races we decided to do Keeneland's weekend breakfast and horse workout with the girls. The girls love being up close to the horses and watching them warm up. Aside from the waking up early to be at the 7:30 am breakfast, it really is a fun morning.

We met up with the Weathers' clan, so the girls enjoy the experience even more because they get to share it with their best buddies.
I am sure this will continue to be an annual tradition for us as long as we live in Lexington.

Day 4 (Playtime at the Park)

2011-12-30T16:09:00.011-05:00

Well, I was worried I wouldn't be able to update the blog today as our Internet has been down all day. Fortunately for me, it is now up and running...so day four and I am still on track!

One of the girls favorite activities this past fall was going to the park. So, we would try and hit the park on those nice days. To top it off, we would even ride our bikes...yes even me who was known back in college for falling off her bike. (I blame the toe clips!). Either way, we decided to hook the girls up to Brian's bike, just to be safe.

The girls are so fun to watch at the park now as they really enjoy the fresh air and just running free. They don't even have to be on the play equipment to have a good time.
The girls love the double slide.

And the swings are always a hit.

No shortage of things to do at the park.

Looking forward to many more park days in our future.

Day 3 (November Craft - Turkey Time)

2011-12-29T16:59:00.004-05:00

Well...coming up with a craft idea for the month of November wasn't that difficult - I knew we had to do something with turkeys.

So for this fun fall craft all you need are the following items: colored paper, brown paper, scissors, stapler, glue, google eyes, and feathers (optional). First, trace your little ones hands onto the colored paper. We did three different colors and traced both hands.
Next, cut out all the hand prints.
Next, cut out the turkey bodies.

Next, glue on all the cutout hand prints to the turkey bodies to make their feathers.

Finally, add your accent feathers, google eyes, feet, and a beak. Voila! You have an adorable little turkey.

Here is the finished product.
Finally, the girls favorite part...standing on the table showing off there work.

And a little fun just messing around before their mom makes them get off the table.

Day 2 (Pretty in Pink Party...Logan is 3!)

2011-12-28T04:37:00.007-05:00

Fortunately for our blogger followers...I am now on Day 2 of my blogging adventure. It is 4:00 in the morning and this huge, very uncomfortable, 37 week pregnant woman cannot sleep. So what better thing is there to do than update the blog, right?!
Back on November 7th, our beautiful little Logan turned 3. I still can hardly believe we are parents to this spunky little girl, she is absolutely amazing and blesses our lives in so many ways. Each and everyday she manages to crack me up with her antics and sayings. She is so smart and funny, there is definitely a special place in our hearts for this girl.
So of course on her 3rd birthday I allowed her to do pretty much anything she wanted all day long.

For starters we had donuts for breakfast and then she chose to watch Cinderella. For lunch she wanted chicken and french fries from Chick-Fil-A, and of course a picnic in front of the tv watching Tangled tops it off.
Now that she can "choose" what type of party she wants, it was humerous to me that all she asked for was a pink party. She constantly tells us that "I love pink, it is my favorite color!" So, I shouldn't have been surprised. Anyway, of course I was going to indulge my little girl with as much pink as possible.
No shortage of pink presents for this little one.

When she woke up from her afternoon nap, I had the dining room all decked out in pink and she was thrilled.
Pink cupcakes of course.
She actually enjoyed being the center of attention this year and even managed to blow out her candle.

Licking of the icing...how else do you eat a pink cupcake?

It was fun to watch her opening her presents this year as she was much more into it. Our friends Ryan and Jacquelyn came over for the festivities and she just had to wear the dress up earrings they got her.

It was so funny how much she loved the singing card...it made it to where she was actually a little disappointed in all the cards that didn't sing.

Leighton enjoyed the party as much as her big sister.

And her big gift...a new bike!
We were a little surprised she was willing to share it with Leighton. :)

What a great party it was!

12 Days of Blogging (DAY 1 - California Trip)

2011-11-06T08:29:00.012-05:00

Okay...so I have been more then MIA the last two months, I realize this. I started this post on 11/6 and have just now returned on 12/27 to try and finish it. So to make up for a lot of lost time and fun family times my goal is to do a 12 days of blogging "catch up" if you will. Hopefully I will be able to post something new everyday for the next 12 days to show all the crazy things that have gone on the last couple of months.
Back in October, we travelled to California for one of our close friend's wedding. Andy Harman finally met the woman of his dreams and the wedding was north of Los Angeles. We decided to make a mini-vacation out of it and Brian's parents ended up meeting us there for all the festivities. This vacation of course included taking the girls to Disney Land. So for starters, here are pictures from that adventure.

Can you tell Logan is so excited to go into Disneyland?!

We started the day off with the Breakfast with Minnie Mouse. Leighton was happy to meet Minnie, but Logan preferred her from a distance. It was nice because there were a bunch of Disney characters that came around to all the tables while you ate. Logan and Noni dancing in the streets. A family teacup ride. Meeting Mickey Mouse...Logan wouldn't go near him.Logan might not have wanted to meet Mickey, but she was thrilled to hang out in his house and sit in his chair.Probably the girls favorite part of Disneyland...the playground.What would it be without a family ride on the carousel...I love that you can see Noni and Dandan watching in the background.

Daddy getting some love from Leighton....these moments make all the chaos worthwhile! The next day we decided to meet up with our friends the Hunters at Santa Monica Pier so the girls could see the ocean.

The whole gang!

Logan actually got her feet wet...it was short lived though. Leighton wanted nothing to do with the water surprisingly.Brian and his "not so" California girls.The girls did enjoy playing on the pier. We all got dressed up and had a fabulous time at Harman's wedding!

Dancing the night away.

The girls definitely enjoyed the candy table and cupcakes!

It really was a fabulous trip and we loved sharing it with Noni and Dandan. The girls still talk about riding on airplanes and going back to Disneyland, so I am sure we will have repeat trips in the future.

October Craft

2011-11-06T08:08:00.005-05:00

I know it is November, but I still need to post our October craft because it turned out so cute! We decided to make bats for our Halloween craft. To do this you will need black, white and brown construction paper, scissors, glue, a pencil, and accessories (nose and hair bows). First cut out the bat shaped head,circle body and feet from the brown paper. Next cut out the eyes and fangs from the white paper.
Next, trace both hands onto the black paper.We cut out hands (wings) for each of the members of our family. (Don't worry, we did make Brian do his when he got home from work).

Leighton helped by coloring on the scrap paper. Logan is my #1 glue girl. The next step is to glue the eyes, nose, fangs to the bat's face. Then glue the head, feet,and wings to the body.

And, voila you have an adorable bat!

Here is the entire family.

Then make them fly.

Halloween Festivities

2011-11-05T21:07:00.009-04:00

From making Halloween cookies and crafts, so church carnivals and trick or treating...the girl really enjoyed it all last month! Halloween was so much more fun this year now that the girls could get into it all a little more. They loved dressing up and all the fun activities that went along with the holiday.

The Halloween cookies we made (meringue ghosts and rice krispie treat pumpkins) were great incentives to get the girls to eat their dinner. :)As for costumes, what is easier to get the girls to dress up in then tutus and ballet slippers?! Come to think of it, they have worn their costumes a bunch over the last several weeks and we had the majority of the items already (thanks Mimi), which made Brian happy because there was little expense for this year.
We went to Porter Memorial's church carnival again this year and the girls loved it. Brian was on call and couldn't go, so fortunately our friend Jacquelyn joined us for the fun (and was a huge help).

Logan decided to go for a pony ride this time, but we couldn't convince Leighton.

Leighton did however love the petting zoo, while Logan preferred to watch. The girls picked up on the trick or treating pretty quick this year at the trunk-or-treat portion of the carnival.

Their favorite was when they were allowed to reach in and pick out what they wanted.
Enjoying a little bit of the candy... And down for the count after the sugar high wears off.

My favorite part of the day, Logan decided she wanted to go down the 20 foot blow up slide. I couldn't believe it, so Jacquelyn took her up to the top and she actually did it!!

What is a carnival without a little cotton candy?!And onto Halloween night, there really can't be cuter ballerinas then these two! The pet bee is pretty adorable too.
Dancing in the driveway...

And we're off. And playing at our friends house after more trick or treating Logan added another cute accessory to her costume.

It's Minnie

2011-10-02T21:03:00.006-04:00

Okay, so just a heads up that this is not our most "creative" craft to date. However, the girls enjoyed it and that is what counts, right?! We leave for California in a few weeks to go to our friend Andy's wedding and while we are there we plan to take the girls to Disneyland. They are infatuated with Minnie Mouse at the moment, so for our September craft I decided they might enjoy a Minnie project. Here it is.

Supplies needed: paper, ribbon, scissors, glue, something circle to trace, & brads

Trace one large circle and two small circles on your paper.
Next, cut out your circles. (What 20 month old doesn't love scissors?!)
Feel free to color on the scraps.

Next, you should have all the shapes ready to be glued.

Glue on the ears.

Tie your bows.
Use a brad to connect the bows to the Minnie Mouse head and VOILA!
Simple yet adorable little Minnie's.
Think my girls like standing on the table?
Personally, I think it is their favorite part of our monthly craft projects.

A visit from Noni & DanDan

2011-09-30T14:41:00.007-04:00

We were so fortunate to have Brian's parents visit us this last weekend (Noni & Dandan)! They came in for a long weekend visit and the girls absolutely loved having them here. I think it was so great for them to visit us here so they could see the girls in their environment where they are the most comfortable. It was nice because it didn't take the girls but two seconds to warm up to them. The weekend was full of good food and fun activities.

Having fun at the pumpkin patch!

Noni helping Logan pick out the perfect pumpkin.
Just running around the pumpkins.

Happy to be hanging with Noni & Dandan, it was the perfect day.Leighton was thrilled to ride the horse Chick...but Logan surprisingly wouldn't.

Running through the apple orchard.One happy family! Leighton particularly enjoyed the evenings just hanging out and playing with Noni's new puppy. Logan on the other hand was partial to Fifi. We all really enjoyed the visit!

Finally here is a video of the girls showing off for their Noni & Dandan...Ring around the Rosie style.

Oh boy....

2011-09-01T10:57:00.004-04:00

We are having another girl! It is a good thing Brian loves his girls, because he will definitely be surrounded. We had our 20 week ultrasound yesterday. The little one looks great and so far seems to be doing really well. It took quite awhile to determine the sex since she was being bashful. We were actually surprised because we truly thought we were having a boy this time. It is a good thing though, she will have no shortage of clothes, shoes, and toys....and she is already loved tremendously by all of us. Now we just need to convince Logan that it is a sister. She has been going around telling people, "My daddy needs a boy"

Her sweet little profile picture.

See those three bright white lines the arrows are pointing at...definitely another girl!

August Craft

2011-08-29T11:32:00.004-04:00

For the month of August our inspiration for our craft was a book we really enjoy reading....The Hungry Caterpillar. We didn't get as many pictures of our work in progress as it was happening, but we do have the end results. Logan still of course loves to use the glue. My apologies for the underwear pictures, but this is pretty much how we run around the house these days. Since she started wearing big girl panties she is very proud of them and loves to show them off. Fortunately I can still get her to wear clothes when we go out, but the second we get home she strips down. What can you do right??? As my mom says, "choose your battles".

A Cross Family Update...

2011-08-28T18:38:00.003-04:00

Yes an update...what other post could I do since it has been over a month since my last visit to the blogger world.

Brian started his GI Fellowship last month and absolutely loves it. The hours aren't too terrible and he has really enjoyed it so far. I am so thrilled he is finally on the downward slope of his training....granted he still has two years and 10 months to go. He just recently sold his boat, which was a hard move for him. However, he has made up for it by hitting the golf course now as often as he can. He really hardly played at all the last couple years so I think he has enjoyed revisiting one of his true loves. Brian also just got back from a "mancation" with a bunch of boys. Who knows what all they did besides eating out every night and playing a bunch of golf.

As for me, I really only have two big things keeping me busy lately. My two girls of course! I don't even know where the time goes but we seem to stay plenty busy doing who knows what. My other big thing currently is the fact that I am pregnant with baby #3. I am 19 1/2 weeks along and we are thrilled. I was pretty sick there for awhile and so tired, but am doing much better now. The girls and I just got back from a 2-part vacation. We drove to Kansas City to visit my sister Jessica and her family and see their new house. We had a great time there doing all kinds of fun things. Then we ventured down to Fort Smith to see the rest of our family for a week. As always, we enjoyed all the family time but the girls really missed their daddy.

Logan has some big news....she is officially potty trained. I do have to say she has been super in this area and all the credit goes to her. She has been using the potty occasionally for months now, but she got rid of diapers completely about 7 weeks ago. She wore pull ups for one week with no accidents so we moved onto big girl panties. To date she has had one accident (overnight) and has been just amazing. I think she loves being a big girl. She is just turning into quite the little girl. She dresses up like a princess everyday and loves it. She enjoys coloring, running around in her big girl panties, playing outside, and asking tons of questions. I tell you...this girl can talk your ear off - think she gets it from her dad!

Leighton is still growing like a weed. She wears the same size clothes that Logan does and her feet are nearly the same size as hers as well. She is our very good eater and usually so happy and carefree. The last few weeks she has decided to be a little more emotional and whiny though....hoping she is just teething and this isn't the next stage before she is two. :) She absolutely adores her big sister. It is funny now to watch her mimic Logan. She wants to be and do anything that her sister is and does. Her vocabulary still consists of all single words like mama, dada, yaya (Logan), Murmur (Murphy), mill (milk), no (my least favorite), and many more. She loves to run and jump and dance.

Anyway, just thought I would do an update and do hope to follow it up with pictures to show what we have been up to soon.

4th of July Fun

2011-07-07T13:42:00.005-04:00

A fun fourth of July project is to make flag wind sockets. To do this you will need the following: 2 (12X12) sheets of blue paper, 1 sheet of white paper, scissors, star punch, 1 sheet of red tissue paper, 1 sheet of white tissue paper, and glue.
Cut your tissue paper into 1 inch strips, cut your blue sheets in half lengthwise, and punch out a bunch of white stars.

Glue on your star punch outs to the blue sheets.

The finished blue sheet covered in stars should look similar to this.

Next you glue your red & white tissue paper strips to the bottom of the back side of the blue sheet.
Finally you glue the short edge of the blue paper to form the wind socket.

VOILA!

Proud of her flag wind sockets!
We spent the evening of the fourth with our friends the Weathers. The kids favorite activity was driving around on their tractors. Then of course we enjoyed a great meal to celebrate the holiday!

Such a great time, thanks for having us over Weathers' clan!

A few ways we entertain ourselves...

2011-06-22T12:03:00.010-04:00

Just a few pictures of fun things we do to keep busy around our house...
Playing dress up is always a hit!

Sitting poolside, with the occasional dip keeps us cool.

And of course, what better activity is there than eating fudgesicles?!

Chocolate kisses anyone?

Watering the yard (or the driveway).

April Showers Bring May Flowers

2011-06-19T17:27:00.005-04:00

Yes, I know it is June and I am just now posting our May craft...what can I say, that is just how things are going these days. At least I can say we did do this craft back in May, so we are still on track. :) Logan particularly enjoyed this craft because it involved the painting of her hands and feet. We actually sat on a big tarp in the garage for this craft and the most difficult task was keeping Leighton out of the paint. For starters, all you will need are the following: finger paint colors, a paint brush, plain white paper, scissors, and a child's foot & hand.

Start by painting the foot green.

You will need to make a page of right foot prints and one of left foot prints (these will be the leaves of the flowers. Next, paint several thick strait lines (these will be the stems).

Next, paint a hand the color of your choice and make the hand prints to create the petals of the flower.

Logan of course wanted to paint both hands and use multiple colors, so we did.

She is obviously very proud of our craft thus far (just a side note, we did paint blue circles in the center of our hand print petals).

You will need to let all your paint projects dry before continuing with the next step. Next, you cut out all your individual foot prints, stems, and flowers.

Then you glue the feet (leaves) and hand print flowers to the stem.

Voila! You have these adorable flowers!

Of course we prefer to hang our project from the chandelier to showcase it.
So proud...as usual.

Easter and Last Month Wrap Up

2011-05-21T21:55:00.011-04:00

So...I have been a complete blog failure this past month and I apologize. We travelled back and forth to Arkansas twice and even made it over to Oklahoma once. Things have just been crazy here and I have been neglecting my blog duties, this I know. So, below are several pictures that will give you an idea of what we have been up to.

1st and foremost, we did do an April craft and it turned out adorable. Below are some pictures of the chicks we made for Easter. (My computer wouldn't allow me to rotate a couple pictures, but you get the idea).

Logan's favorite part of the craft still is the glue part.

And yes you are correct, the wings are our traced hands.

In Arkansas, the girls really enjoyed their time with family!

Chilling with Grandad

Riding Cherokee, Matt and Ashley's horse. This was Leighton's first horse ride.

We dyed Easter eggs for the first time...Leighton was a little confused about what to do with the some of the utensils.

The white shirt had to come off during the dying process.

Fun times were had just hanging out with cousins!

And hanging with friends...

We made a quick trip over to Tulsa to visit the Hoffman crew and the girls had a great time.

Of course the girls were spoiled for Easter...

Noni & Dandan hosted a wonderful Easter egg hunt at their new cabin.

Logan was a little under the weather but managed to hunt eggs and eat some candy in between her crying fits.

All and all we have had a busy and wonderful last 6 weeks!

Another BIG transition...

2011-04-20T18:28:00.007-04:00

We have been in no big hurry to move Logan out of her crib and into a big bed as it is kind of nice to have her confined during the night and for naps. However, I went to get her out of bed last week and low and behold she was laying across the front part of the crib looking at me with a big grin. It is about four inches wide and she seemed quite proud of herself. Fortunately she didn't fall, as she really isn't the most coordinated child around. So, this was our obvious sign that it was time to make the transition and move her into a BIG girl bed. We took the front part of her crib off one evening and told her all about her new bed. She was so excited about it too! She crawled up in it and was yelling for Leighton to join her. We also decided to get a little video of her after her bath and thought you all might enjoy (however it is not letting me upload it at the moment - will try again soon). She absolutely loves her bed!

Fun Family Weekend

2011-04-11T15:53:00.011-04:00

Despite the fact that poor Brian had to work all weekend, we still somehow managed to have a great family fun weekend! Saturday morning we set our alarm and got up at 6:30 so we could get up and going before waking up the girls. We woke them up at 7:00 and they were surprisingly in good moods. We got them dressed and headed for Keeneland (this is the big horse track here in Lexington). The races run in April and October here and they are a huge deal...go figure. So Saturday was opening day and they open up at 7:00 so people can bring their kids to watch the horses warm up and also enjoy a breakfast buffet. We met our good family friends the Weathers out at the tracks and had such a great time. The kids loved it! Even Leighton loved it, she would neigh and point every time a horse would go by...it was pretty cute. We even made it home in time for Leighton's morning nap - it was perfect!

The kiddos admiring the horse who stopped right in front of them.

Oh boy, here comes another horse.

The horses couldn't help but stop and check out these cute kids. It really was neat to see these very expensive horses up close! Logan couldn't get enough...she didn't even want to go eat breakfast.

Logan and Alexander showing off their "happy" faces.The big kids decided to sit at their own table.The closest we could get to a family photo...Our partners in crime...the Weathers clan.So after having a great Saturday activity we decided what the hey, lets all go out on the boat. This is the first time this year for the girls and me. It ended up being a great day, Brian caught a few fish (which puts him in a great mood) and the girls were relatively well behaved. The weather was perfect and we really had a great time!

The girls were in awe at their father's fishing skills!

The girls didn't seem to mind their lifejackets too much.

The next couple of pictures truly capture our girls and their differing personalities! Leighton...do you want to touch daddy's fish? "YES, YES...let me have it!"

Hey Logan, do you want to touch daddy's fish? "NOOOOO, OOOOOH YUCK!"

And what to do with the girls during the down time on the boat.... Feed them lots of snacks!

And coloring of course.

ABC...easy as 123

2011-04-05T15:41:00.006-04:00

This was cracking me up so I just had to share. Logan has been all about singing her ABC's (she even requests it to be sung first thing at night before bed). The only issue is I can't get her to do it for other people. Well, give the kid a microphone and off she goes. She took to it like a natural if I do say so myself. :) I was worried when I got out the camera that she wouldn't do it, but low and behold...she did! Her favorite part of course was watching herself on the computer, she kept asking to see it over and over. Anyway, enjoy! (Be sure to pause the music at the bottom of the blog so you can really hear her.)

What would you do for a gumball????

2011-03-25T17:21:00.005-04:00

I don't know about you, but there really isn't much that I will do for a gumball. Fortunately that isn't the case for Logan...it was the bribe that finally got her to pee pee in the potty! Yes she finally did it! She has actually been sitting on the toilet for months now and loves doing just that. However, she never actually put it to use. I would tell her to push and it would crack me up because she would sit there and toot. :) So, I know she was trying. Anyway - two nights ago she actually did it and all for that gumball incentive! She did it again last night right before her bath. Now make no mistake, we are nowhere near being potty-trained but this is definitely a step in the right direction. Logan we are so proud of you!!! Great job!

If you can't find a Leprechaun at the end of the rainbow...make one!

2011-03-09T21:35:00.006-05:00

Logan and I didn't have to wrack our brains too hard to think of a craft to hang from our chandelier for the month of March. With St. Patrick's Day this month it was pretty much between 4 leaf clovers and leprechauns...so we decided to go with the leprechauns and they turned out so cute. This is yet another simple craft to do and I already had all the supplies, which makes it a cheap one too!

To start you will need paper plates, green/black/gold construction paper, markers/crayons, scissors, and glue.

We started by coloring the faces on the plates, be sure to color a nice full beard.
Next, use your scissors to cut little slits all through the beard to give it a little flare.

It's encouraging to have someone cheering you on...
Next, cut out the hats from the green construction paper along with the black strips and gold squares to decorate the hat. Glue the embellishments onto the hat.

Finally, glue the hat onto the paper plate face.

Voila! You have an adorable paper plate leprechaun!

As usual we like to decorate above our kitchen table and leave them up all month.

Logan gets so excited to climb on the table and show of her art work...she still constantly reminds me - "look mommy, Yogi makes that!"

A date with mommy.

2011-03-07T15:44:00.004-05:00

I decided that Logan was in need of a little fun time out with mommy. So, we went out to lunch for pizza this Saturday (we let daddy and sissy tag along). Then I took her to see her very first movie at a theater. Tangled was still playing so we went to an afternoon showing and she absolutely loved it. She got a children's tub of popcorn (which she ate all of), a sprite to drink, and fruit snacks. She sat through the entire movie just mesmerized, it was hilarious. We had a great time and will definitely be doing it again.

Enjoying our pizza.

She can't take her eyes of the screen, or her lips off her very first sprite. Just being silly for the camera.

And cheesing it up.

Our wonderful amazing little 2 year old!

13 months old today and...

2011-03-02T21:46:00.006-05:00

...she finally took her first steps!! Our little Leighton figured out that walking is actually pretty fun. I wouldn't say she is a walker by any means but at least she took a few steps. She actually went back and forth between Brian and I many times and loved that we made such a big deal out of it. Brian was thrilled that he was actually here to witness the first steps too. Other fun facts about our little 13 month old:

22 pounds (60th percentile)
30 inches tall (70th percentile)
47 cm head (90th percentile) - big head is a Cross family trait :)
She says the following words - mama, dada, yight (light), bye bye, Murr (Murphy), eeers (cheers), muh muh (milk), nana (banana), bank (blanket), and uh uh for everything else.
She can sign for milk and more.
Her preferential means of getting around is walking on her knees.
She is an amazing eater. The only two things I have tried to give her that she doesn't eat are broccoli and turkey lunch meat.
She has started feeding herself with a fork and spoon (we have to put the food on the silverware but she puts it in her mouth).
She adores Logan and Murphy and enjoys watching them do just about anything.

Leighton is such a laid back little girl and we love watching her learn and grow. Below is the video from tonight...we actually caught some of her first steps!

February Fun

2011-02-27T21:40:00.005-05:00

What better activity for our February craft could there be then making hearts?! To jazz it up a little Logan and I decided to make a little heart family. All you need to make a heart person are the following: heart cut out, four 1 inch wide strips of paper, two small heart cut outs for feet, two cut out hands, pair of eyes, a mouth, and a small heart for the nose.

This is a simple project that turns out great. First glue on the eyes. To make the nose, pinch the heart and glue onto the face, then glue on the mouth. For the arms and legs you will need to fold the strips in an accordion style and glue to the body. Next, glue the hands and heart feet onto the arms and legs. That is it...simple! For an added touch, we included flowers for the girls and a bow tie for the dad.

Since we wanted to make an entire family just multiply the supplies times 4 as seen below. Logan's favorite part of this activity was using the glue of course.
And of course this is her camera "cheese" face you are all familiar with now.

She is very proud of the finished project and this heart person she decided to name Logan (or Yogi as she calls it).Here is the entire family (Daddy, Mommy, Yogi & Sissy)

We decided to hang them from the chandelier so they are out of the way and continually on display. Logan loves it and daily tells me "look mommy, Yogi made that."

She is very proud!

Look Whooo's 1 (Part II)

2011-02-20T15:10:00.019-05:00

What a lucky little one year old....2 parties to celebrate Leighton's first birthday. We had our first party back in Arkansas with family and friends, then we celebrated with yet another party here with several of our close KY friends. The theme for the occasion was the same and it all turned out really great for round two! I had a great time putting these parties together and may have gone "a little over the top" (according to Brian) - but hey, my kids only turn 1 once, so I might as well go all out!

There were decorations everywhere including out front. The wreath I made out of pink and green tulle. I actually got the idea to make this wreath using the left over materials from the highchair tutu and think it turned out great. Then as soon as the guests walked in the door they were presented with the glorious treat table. The sweets included green popcorn balls, suckers, marshmallow pops, suckers, owl smores, owl kisses, krispie treats, gummy rings, gumballs, glitter pretzels, whirley pops, whoppers and even owl pellets.Then of course the handmade sign asking "Whooo wants treats?
I found these cute little owl goody bags on etsy and then filled them with the coordinating sixlets (from Hobby Lobby in the wedding section). I found the idea for the owl smores online, which were originally made as a Halloween treat. Decided to change the colors of the eyes and beak to make them coordinate with the theme colors and they really turned out great and were super easy (and cheap) to make.

The gummy rings were a treat favorite, which worked out nice since I just picked them out because they were the right color.

Marshmallow pops we made by dipping strawberry marshmallows in white chocolate then coating with pink and green sprinkles.

The mantel was decorated with pink and green mesh and the Happy 1st Birthday banner that I made. Brian made fun of me for how long I spent cutting and gluing to make the birthday banner, but I figured it was better than paying someone else to do it. (Yes, the tv was on during the party, but how else do you convince all the men to come to the party?!)

The handmade tissue pom poms turned out really cute too. Lacy helped me make these for the first party in Arkansas. They are actually really cheap and easy to make too and look great hanging from the fixtures. The center piece on the table was my original inspiration/vision for the party. My mom actually found the vase in Louisville and the majority of the owl ornaments in Chicago (post Christmas). I loved how it turned out!You can't see it real well in this picture, but in person it was so cute. I made a photo banner with 12 pictures of Leighton, one from each month of her first year.

Pink lemonade was served in cups lined with pixie sticks and lime wedge garnishes. Then pink and green swirly straws made the perfect accent. (This artsy photo was compliments of my friend Natalie...I cant take credit for it.)
All party guests received individual handmade treat bags to fill with goodies before they left.

My very sweet neighbor Mary made this cake for us just as a gift to Leighton and it turned out great and matched the party perfectly! And yes, another smash cake.
This was the banner that went on the highchair over the tutu.

Such a happy little birthday girl!

Here is the birthday girl relaxing with her daddy before the real fun begins...more smash cake!

Oh yes...she knows what this is. She doesn't even want to wait for the candle to be blown out anymore, just ready to dig in!

Yes, she loves birthday cake! From her hair to her toes, she was covered in icing and loved every minute of it.

Still likes to show off the fact that she is one now! (This really took a lot of practice to get her to show us her one)

Still so happy...and not even full yet.

Then slightly against her will, we have to get her cleaned up. She gets over it quickly as it is time to open up presents.

See...one would think after all that cake she would be full, not Leighton though.

So many great gifts, from clothes to toys, Leighton is very spoiled yet again!

I just loved this photo my friend Jennifer managed to get of the birthday girl hugging on a balloon.

Once again, Leighton was in such great spirits for her party! Who can blame her though, so many great friends showed up to help her celebrate her first birthday and we can't thank them enough for making her feel so loved.

Look Whooo's 1 (Part I)

2011-02-16T22:07:00.012-05:00

Yes, it is hard to believe...our baby is 1!!! Leighton's first birthday was February 2nd. Seeing that it was her very first birthday we of course had to take her back to Arkansas for her first big birthday bash with our family. We ended up having an owl themed party and it really turned out so great. Leighton was so happy and had a great time. She had no problem being the center of attention.

The birthday girl

The invitation

Decorations...

The cakes

The treat table and all its goodies.

She now can show everyone how old she is...

Stripped down and getting ready for the smash cake.

She didn't mind her party hat or the fact that everyone was staring at her and singing.

Yes, all the practice cupcakes paid off! ;) She started with one finger...

Moved onto the whole hand...

Then onto double fisting it... Lots of family and friends made the party a memorable one!

Thanks to all of those people who helped to make Leighton's 1st birthday so great.

2011 has arrived...

2011-01-27T16:35:00.008-05:00

A new year is here...welcome 2011!! Last year went by so fast and we had so many amazing experiences. The girls are getting so big and learning new things daily. With that in mind, I have made one of my goals to do more projects/crafts with the kids. My hope is to do a minimum of 1 per month. This sounded like an easy goal to obtain to me at first thought, but I found myself already nearing the end of January and I had yet to make/find the time to organize a project. So, hopefully I will be an over-achiever in this "new years resolution" and the next months I will manage more than one!

With all the snow we have had recently here in Lexington, what better craft than to make snowflakes. Logan and I decided to do this one without Leighton, so we waited for her to go down for her morning nap and away we went.

To start this project, one will need the following: paper, scissors, glue, glitter and string. It was an easy craft to start with and we really enjoyed it. Here is the step-by-step directions....

Cut your paper into a circle. (I traced a bowl so it would be symmetrical)

Fold your circle in half.
Fold your semi-circle in half.

Fold your quarter-circle in half.

Next, cut shapes into your folded triangle...you can do anything you want. (Remember no two snowflakes are alike so cut away)

Open it up and look at your beautiful snowflake!

Now, there is no way we would settle for a plain ole white snowflake at our house, so we decided to jazz it up with some glitter. This requires adding some glue.

This next step was Logan's favorite of course...adding the sparkle.

We did it in phases so we could have several different colors of glitter on ours.

Finally, just look at the finished snowflakes. Just beautiful if I do say so myself!

Here they are hanging over our table.

Logan is so proud to show off her first homemade snowflakes.

And finally this is what I get when I tell her to smile...

Goodbye 2010 - It was an amazing year!!!

2011-01-21T20:41:00.046-05:00

January 2010 - The year started off pretty rough since I was put on bed rest. I felt fine but was having continuous contractions and was already dilated to a 3 and 80% efaced. Apparently doctors frown on this when you are only 33 weeks along. So, being unable to pick up Logan (14 months old) we needed help. Andrew came and stayed for a week and a half to help, Lacy came ad stayed a week to help, and them my mom came and stayed for several weeks until Leighton made her presence officially known. It was a crazy month of waiting, but I was so glad to have great people around to keep me company.

February...the best month of 2010 because we were blessed with this amazing baby girl! Leighton was our perfect little purple baby. She and I had a little rough time getting her here, but she was definitely worth all the trouble. She is so sweet and definitely loved by all. Logan wasn't so sure what to think about this new baby we brought home, but she loved her from the beginning too. My mom was here fortunately to take care of Logan when Leighton arrived and my dad was here shortly after to help out. How lucky we are to have such a great support system.

We love our girls so much and and can't believe they are both ours!

March Madness at our house, no other way to describe getting used to having two children. Little sleep for me, but it is totally worth it as we love our girls. Jessica, Chris & Braden drove out over spring break to meet Leighton and visit with us. We had such a great time and Logan particularly loved having Braden around. By this point she has the walking down pretty good, but still isn't the best at communicating and Braden doesn't understand why. It is pretty funny to watch.

April - all I wanted for this month was to be able to get a picture of the girls together for Easter. So much for that idea. I did get some cute separate pictures though. We did however have a great time visiting the family this month. This was a big trip because it was Leighton's first time to meet some very important people! From Logan playing with her cousin Ryan in Noni's dog pens to swimming in Grandad and Mimi's pool. We always have so much fun! My friend Tara drove over with Hannah to meet Leighton and see Logan. and we also took a trip over to the Hoffman's house in Tulsa and really enjoyed our time there. Jon even kept the kids so Courtney and I could go out to eat. What a guy?! All and all a great month!

In May we ended up taking a last minute trip to Arkansas because our Mamaw passed away. She had lead a long and wonderful life and we felt so fortunate for all the time we had spent with her. We were glad we were able to spend some time with her shortly the month before so she could meet Leighton and we could visit with her. Mamaw was always there to support Brian and I in any way she could. She was and so generous and always so sweet to us. We definitely miss her! The girls of course were thrilled to see the rest of our family that month and were sad to leave.

The big exciting news for the month of June was Brian matching for his GI Fellowship training here at UK. We are so proud of him and know how hard he worked to obtain this goal. To celebrate we also took a weekend trip to the lake with a big group of friends. We have so much fun and decided a Pontoon boat is on our want list for family fun.

July was a crazy month for travel for me and the girls. We did enjoy the 4th here with Brian and Logan got to see her first round of fireworks from our patio. My mom flew into Lexington to make the big drive with us and we headed out to Kansas City. We spent the weekend having fun with Jessica, Chris and Braden and then drove onto Fort Smith to visit more family. Courtney drove in with her kids to visit so we enjoyed getting our kids together. After that we drove on to my grandparents house so Leighton could meet her great grandma and grandpa for the very first time. The girls loved spending time with family and friends this month! The girls big new discover for this month...Icee pops.

August - the end of summer, but no shortage of fun. Logan and Leighton really are starting to become buddies. Leighton just rolls around but I think Logan enjoys having her on her level. The big thing for me this month was that Leighton started Mother's day out. So, I get every Tuesday from 9-2 all to myself and it is amazing. Who knew being able to get my teeth cleaned and hair cut would be such a big deal. Leighton also started eating baby food this month and loves it. We definitely have a good eater on our hands with this kid! We also took Logan to the Circus this month and she was thrilled to see all the animals. It was her first outing with mom and dad with out the baby sister and I think she loved it!

September was a spectacular month! The girls loved swimming in our backyard "white trash" pool. From pool time to playing with the hose and sprinklers to the fort out back, we always have a good time outside. I do have to say however, the highlight of my month was the fabulous anniversary trip we took down in Mexico with my two best-friends and their hubbys. It was such a relaxing trip! There were definitely some exciting and crazy things that happened, but you will have to ask me in person if you want to hear about it...I wont post all the details on here. :) The girls got to spend the week with Mimi and Grandad and I know they had a fabulous time as well. Of course Leighton started to crawl while we were
gone, but that is just the way it goes.

October was full of fun! The girls absolutely love going for bike rides and Brian and I enjoy this family activity tremendously. The weather this month was so nice, so the girls loved any activity that took us outside. One of our good friends Jennifer also did a family photo shoot for us, which got us some great photos! We finally have some
good family photos, so we are so thankful. This month we also had a great time down in San Antonio. We got to see my Uncle Matt and Aunt Brenda along with my cousin Kim. It was great for the girls to meet them. While there we also enjoyed Sea World, the Alamo, the zoo and our visits with the Hardin family. October was also topped off with a great Halloween. I have yet to see a cuter Pebbles and Dino out there! Logan's highlight of this month would have to be her first pony ride. I think she is addicted. I would say Leighton truly enjoyed the swings at the park the most.

November was a funfilled month as well. Logan celebrated her 2nd birthday. Her Nemo themed birthday extravaganza was a blast and she was so much fun to watch opening presents. We enjoyed pumpkin patches, carving & painting pumpkins and playing outside when the weather permitted. My parents also made it to town for a visit over Thanksgiving which was wonderful. My dad and Brian had a good time fishing, while mom and I enjoyed Christmas shopping together.

December was a crazy month to say the least. From playdates and craft projects to playing in the snow and celebrating Christmas, there was absolutely no shortage of fun to be had. The girls were showered with gifts by Santa, grandparents, friends and family. It was so much fun for the girls to see all our family. It was also the perfect end to a great year.

So, that is the 2010 wrap up for the Cross family. A great and memorable year. We can hardly wait to see what 2011 has in store for us!

Christmas Festivities

2011-01-11T16:16:00.011-05:00

Christmas was so great this year! It was Leighton's very first Christmas and Logan's 3rd. Santa was very generous this year and brought the girls a kitchen. They actually ended up with two kitchens, but that is a long story. Needless to say, they absolutely love it and play with all day everyday. After having a fun-filled Christmas here in Kentucky, we were fortunate to be able to go home to Arkansas to spend more time with our families.

Just a few pictures from Christmas in KY.

A few breakfast and lunch dates were nice.

Logan loved Noni & Dandan's new puppies!

Christmas Eve was spent with Brian's family and we were all spoiled!
The whole clan.

Who needs gifts when there is tissue paper?!
Logan would say "Oh WOW" after opening each gift and then give it a hug. It was really fun watching her open presents this year...and man did she get a lot!
A little dance party following the gift opening.

Dandan and Noni with all their grandkids!

Then onto Christmas at Grandad & Mimi's...needless to say the girls had just a few presents to open here as well.
Leighton definitely was worn out by the end of the morning...opening all those presents was a lot of work!

Braden and Logan were best buddies this trip...it was so cute to watch them interacting together. Lacy even brought her girls over one afternoon, however Logan refused to be in any of the pictures.
The girls just loved being around all our family!

The picture says it all...

2010-12-22T11:39:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Craft

2010-12-17T20:39:00.008-05:00

What better way to entertain the kiddos...a new Christmas craft! Such an easy project and it was a huge hit. All you need are sugar cones, green icing, and sprinkles/candy. They make the perfect little Christmas trees. Not only that, but the kids enjoy licking the icing off their fingers and the occasional snacking on m&m's.

We had such a great time!

What better place for these adorable trees to sit...then right next to our first homemade gingerbread house (kit compliments of our Mimi)
It all turned out so cute! Then, with all the kids on a little sugar high...some "Ring-Around-the Rosy" helps top off the perfect afternoon.

And we all fall down!

Finally, nothing beats the three big kids running away from little ole Leighton.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

2010-12-12T22:34:00.004-05:00

It is snowing! Yes, it is actually snowing right now. However, these cute pictures were from the big snow we had last week. We got a decent amount so we had to get the girls out in it of course. I tell you what, my girls look pretty cute all bundled up! I really can't quit smiling when I see these photos. They are just so much fun at this age (aside from Logan's occasional tantrum of course), and Brian and I really are enjoying them!

I love this picture because you can see Leighton's big front teeth that just came in last month (we call them the Cross buckers).

Our little snow bunny. (Although when we put her in the real thick snow she just started to cry because she didn't actually want to walk in it.Even Murphy got in on the snow action.Such cute girls we have!And finally, this is my "mom please leave me alone so I can play" face. Love it!

Fall officially comes to an end...

2010-12-07T22:12:00.015-05:00

Well, with the four + inches of snow on the ground and the single digit weather tonight I would say fall has officially ended here in Lexington. The snow is great, but I can say I don't exactly love it when the high for the day is in the teens or the low 20's. Just thought I would share a few pictures from the fun fall festivities our family enjoyed this year... since I am so far behind on posting.

The girls absolutely loved the fort I built inside, perfect for a tea party!.

Picking out pumpkins at the pumpkin patch Having fun painting one of those pumpkins. Weekly playdates with our best buddies.

Some outside...

Some inside...

Bike Rides

Fun at the park

Oh how we loved all the great things to do outside. More pics will follow soon of the snow from this past week. Just thought we would look back on all the fun we had this past fall.

It's true...Logan is now 2!!!

2010-11-08T22:06:00.009-05:00

I really can't believe it....our little girl is 2!!! This is so crazy to me because the first two years of Logan's life really have flown by. It amazes me how on one hand she has been here such a short time, but on the other it has been the most fulfilling two years of our lives. Logan is this wonderful, charismatic, sweet, polite, energetic bundle of joy.

She has really blossomed into quite a spectacular little girl and Brian and I couldn't be any more proud of her. Here are just a few things about our big 2 year old daughter. Her vocabulary has become quite extensive over the last several months. She can easily repeat just about any word she hears, so yes...one must watch what you say in her presence. Her hair is getting so long, which unfortunately means I have a massive rats nest to detangle every morning. She has unbelievable manners, which makes us so proud. She almost always says please and thank you, or excuse me and bless you. She can be upstairs in her bed (talking herself to sleep) and hear me sneeze downstairs and you can hear her little voice say, "bless you mommy" - it is so cute!

She can count to 5 and we are working on getting to ten. She knows the majority of her colors. She knows the noises that most animals make (even some random ones like owls, donkeys, dolphins, etc.) She can do her entire alphabet puzzle all be herself. She recognizes several names now when I write them out for her - Mommy, Daddy, Sissy, Logan (or Yogie as she calls herself). Her favorite song to sing is If Your Happy And You Know It (and man does she shout her AMEN!).

Most importantly she really is so sweet, especially to Leighton. She loves on her sister all the time and really looks out for her. She does have a hard time sharing sometimes, but we are working on this as well. She blows the sweetest kisses and makes sure that the recipient rubs them in. Anyway, I can go on and on (yes more than I already have), but I will get to what you all really want...the pictures.

Logan's party was wonderful. Most of our friends were able to make it (our Lexington family that is), which made her special evening so much fun. She really had a good time, so thanks to all who were here for her big day!

Since it was her special day I let her do whatever she wanted that morning...her pick was to lay on the couch and watch a movie. (This was after we had our special donuts for breakfast)

Now for all the party pics...Nemo was the theme for the party

YUM - CUPCAKES!

She wasn't so sure what to think of all the people.
Sissy, taking it all in.

She really started to get bashful when we starting singing Happy Birthday!

Okay, she knows she gets the cupcake - just can't get over the singing.

Didn't quite understand the concept of blowing out the candle (guess we should have practiced that). Oh well, the icing tastes good!

Starting to get a little of her spark back...sugar definitely does the trick!

Yes, big girls use silverware.

Kissing fishes...

Making sure noone tries to snag her cupcake (notice she is looking in her daddy's direction)

Like father - like daughter...big bites!

Loved the Nemo balloons!

Onto the opening of presents. I really was surprised at how well Logan did. She loved opening all her gifts and definitely racked up!

Yep, this is proof - she does love her sister.

After all her guests left, Logan really had a great time playing with all her new stuff! Leighton loved just watching Logan play.

Once her sugar high really set in she was a dancing maniac, even got her baby doll in on it.

Her sweet "cheese" face.

Showing how old she is...2!

Just had to include this one...the morning after her party in her pajamas and wearing her new boots!

Thanks again to all our family and friends who helped us celebrate Logan's big day. And to you Logan, we love you very much and look forward to watching you continue to grow up!

Yabba Dabba Doo

2010-11-02T22:20:00.012-04:00

Halloween is so much fun! Just what my girls need, an excuse to get all dressed up. For starters, Mimi picked out and sent us adorable Halloween outfits to wear to Mothers Day Out. I do have to say, my girls were the most festive and cute kids there that day...and no I am not biased at all! Too bad the girls wouldn't let me get a great picture of the two of them together. So, this is what I got... This is what the picture looks like nowadays when I try to take it with them together (this is what we call a "real life" photo).
We decided to take the girls to the Fall Festival this year at the church. It was Sunday afternoon and was absolutely amazing. They had trunk or treat, a petting zoo, pony rides, games, and lots of yummy food. It was the perfect day outside too, so we got the girls dressed up in their costumes and spent a couple hours there. Pebbles and Dino were so cute and they both really liked their costumes. Fred and Wilma decided not to make an appearance this year. ;)

Logan's favorite part...the pony rides of course!

She enjoyed the goats and chickens too.

More cute pics of the girls...

The whole family, yes even Murphy dressed up.

What Halloween would be complete without cute new pj's?? Thanks Noni & Dandan!

Jam packed mini-vacation

2010-10-22T22:16:00.011-04:00

Who says that a short trip can't be completely full of fun activities?! Not us, that is for sure! Brian was headed to San Antonio for the National GI Convention in San Antonio, so we decided to make a family mini-vacation out of it. We flew out of Lexington Sunday morning and would leave to come home on Wednesday afternoon. One must do for us was Sea World. However in the fall, it is only open on weekends. So, we decided that we would just spend that first afternoon there with the girls. We got to San Antonio around noon, picked up our rental car, stopped for a quick bite to eat and headed to Sea World. It was worth the trip, Logan loved it and Leighton had a good time as well.

Our double stroller has definitely been worn in (thanks Mimi & Grandad!) The first stop was the dolphin feeding tank, which ended up being one of Logan's favorites because she was so close to them. Onto the sharks (Logan thinks they are all Bruce from Finding Nemo)
The Dolphin/Beluga Whale show

The Sea Lion show
One happy girl!

One silly girl!

The sea lion exhibit

Logan also loved just running around the park.

It was hard to get her away from the playground, she has figured out how to slide down on her belly.

The Shamu Show!!

Leighton was pooped and needed some cuddle time with her daddy.

Back to the dolphin feeding tank one more time before we left the park.

It made for an interesting trip - two portable cribs in one hotel room. They of course wanted to play together in one as well.

On Monday we really enjoyed downtown San Antonio. We walked along the RiverWalk, drove along the Mission Trail and even visited the Alamo. I somehow managed to forget my camera (which Brian thought was nice). That night, we went over to our friends the Hardin's for dinner. Brian graduated from medical school with Mark and we hadn't seen them in 3 1/2 years. So we loved our visit with them and enjoyed watching Logan play with their 2 year old daughter Haley.

On Tuesday, while Brian was presenting his case at the meeting, the girls and I did some walking downtown which included a trip to the mall/indoor playground.

On Tuesday night, my Uncle Matt and Aunt Brenda took us out to eat at this great mexican restaurant. They finally got to meet the girls and we had a great time with them even though the visit was too short! I wish I would have taken more pictures though...

Logan and her Great Uncle Matt

On our last day, we packed up/checked out of the hotel and headed for the zoo. Whitney Hardin and her daughter Haley decided to join us and we are so glad they did. We had a great time and the weather was perfect for the girls to thoroughly enjoy the animals.

Still Daddy's girl.

Yes, Nemo lives at the zoo....and we found him!

Two really sweet girls.

This was a great little bird exhibit where they would fly all around us!

One chubby girl!

A few of the animals.

Finally got a family photo!!!
Just like her daddy, she loves the fish!

The girls finally starting to slow down at the play area.

All in all it was a fabulous trip. I do think we made the best of our time there and had a great time!

Time to relax!

2010-10-10T22:16:00.005-04:00

Ahhhh, the beach! Brian and I finally got to get away to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. We took a fabulous trip to the Riviera Maya in Mexico. My two best friends were able to make the trip along with their husbands as well. We had such a nice time and enjoyed the break from all our responsibilities. We definitely missed our girls, but I do have to say it was nice to eat warm meals three times a day! Plus, my mom and Andrew were sweet enough to send me daily pictures of the girls so we didn't miss a beat. We went to the Secrets Silversands, which is an all-inclusive adult only resort and we highly recommend it!

It was windy some days, but we managed to miss the hurricanes!

The majority of our time was spent relaxing poolside.

The girls - it was actually nice to get dressed up each night and out of the typical "mom drab"!

The boys...such good sports!Poor Brian had to suffer through pictures all week long...We finally managed to get a group shot the very last day right before we left.

Woooooooooo Pig Sooie!!!

2010-09-16T22:29:00.004-04:00

Yes, despite the fact that we live in Kentucky...we are still Hog fans! Fortunately, we are not alone. Our friends the Weathers and the Halls are also from AR and big razorback fans as well. So, we all got together to watch the game this weekend and had a great time. I of course had to get a few photos of the girls in their hog outfits. Logan calls the hog Sooie, which is really cute. She also tries to call the hogs but I have not yet been able to get her to do it for the video camera. So, the pictures will have to do for now.

The End of Summer

2010-09-10T22:46:00.006-04:00

As summer comes to an end, the girls and I try to spend as much time as possible outside enjoying the fabulous weather here in Lexington. We still love our pool of course, but Logan has also really taken a liking to the hose and her new little fort with a slide.

My Sweet Girls!!!

Logan had to use the floaty after Leighton was done...of course.

Helping me water the yard.

It was hard work, so she needed a drink.

All sunscreened up and ready for more pool time.

Leighton found her tongue this week, it is so funny. Just chilling under the umbrella watching Logan play.

Logan loves this slide/fort. I bought it at a kids resale shop and it was worth every penny!

READY!

GET SET!

GO!!!!! And we have to spend some quality time chasing Murphy around...

I love this picture, with the cheek hanging out and all.

We are definitely going to miss all the fun we have outside when Winter gets here!!!

The Greatest Show on Earth

2010-09-07T21:52:00.005-04:00

Logan finally got both of her parents all to herself...we got a babysitter for Leighton and took her to the circus. Not just any circus, but the Ringling Brothers Zing Zang Zoom Show. We went with our good friends the Weathers and had a really nice time. Logan was fascinated with all the parts of the show that involved the animals. She loved the elephants, tigers, horses, zebras, and especially the dog show portion. She really was mesmerized by the animal shows, but didn't really pay much attention to the rest of it. I think her favorite thing was the fact that she shared the experience with her two boys Nicholas and Alexander (or Nic Nic & Axie as she calls them).

We had great seats, right behind the front rail, so it was perfect for the kids. It was pretty dark in the arena, so it was hard to get many great shots of the show.

Getting big...but still daddy's girl!
Just chilling with Axie (neither thrilled about getting their picture taken)
Really zoned in for some parts.

The Weathers' Clan

Logan really wanted this picture of the three of us to remember the great night!

Pictures, pictures, and yes more pictures...

2010-08-22T21:18:00.011-04:00

Fewer words and more pictures. The photos start out from last month, when the girls and I made a trip back to Arkansas to visit family and friends. We had a great trip and loved seeing all our loved ones.

Getting to hold my new nephew Reece, the sweetest little guy! Leighton just loved Grandad and Mimi's pool!
Logan still enjoys playing the piano with her Mimi. Aunt Danna and Leighton

Logan and Ryan (or Ryree as she calls him) Logan and Jordyn (Courtney brought the kids for a quick visit)
Leighton and Hudson Leighton and Heidi enjoying the pool.

Logan actually started using the floaties.

We drove out to OK so Leighton could meet her Great Grandpa and Grandma Turner for the first time.

Logan enjoyed reading with Grandma (she hadn't seen her great grandparents since she was 4 weeks old, so it was so nice to see them again finally).
Leighton had some big smiles for Great Grandma Waack!

All the grandkids together again.

All my siblings with the kiddos.

Leighton and Uncle Matt

She is sweet on her Grandad!

Logan has decided that if it is cool for Leighton it is cool for her.

Not only does Logan breastfeed her baby, now she pumps as well (turned it on by herself and everything). Leighton rolls all over the place - her she rolled under her swing somehow.

Onto the vegetables...such a good eater! Yes she manages to swallow some of it.

Just so cute!

Peas anyone?

Leighton fell asleep in her new jumperoo - this is the best toy ever!

My cute girls!

Sitting up by herself now...such a big girl!

Leighton's first day of school (Mother's Day Out anyways).

All dressed up and matching of course!

This is what Logan does these days, she loves to get on top of Leighton for some reason.

Leighton can handle her own there...all she has to do is pull Logan's hair and Logan gets off. :)

So, those are the latest photos. Never a dull moment in the Cross house...

Six months old today

2010-08-02T15:26:00.005-04:00

It is so hard for me to believe....Leighton is actually 6 months old today. I thought time was flying by with one kid, but two seems to make it go even faster. Leighton is still this amazing little baby and she seems to be so easy and laid back (maybe that is just because she is being compared to her older sister).

Some big firsts have happened for Leighton over the last couple of weeks. She got her first tooth a little over a week ago. Then, yesterday another one popped out. So, she now has two teeth coming in on the bottom. She has also started eating cereal and seems to really like it. She has become quite the little eater, so we will be starting the fruits and vegetables here soon. You can tell she really likes food in the pictures below, she is really pudging up. She has the rolling over down now so she doesn't lay still anymore. Also, we just thought she was going to be the quiet one. Not so...she has become quite the talker. Enough so that I can't take her into the church service anymore. So, last Sunday was also her first time in the church nursery. She took it like a champ. Her favorite thing to do still is watch Logan. She can't get enough of her older sister and we are so fortunate that Logan seem to love her as well.

Quick trip to Kansas City

2010-07-21T12:00:00.009-04:00

The girls and I were in need of a visit with all of our family, so my mom flew into Lexington to help us make the drive back. We decided to take the long road back to Arkansas and stopped in for a visit with Jessica, Chris, and Braden in Kansas City. To try and wear the kids down we elected to take them to a petting zoo. Despite the scorching hot weather, we had a really nice time. Here are some pictures from our quick stop in Kansas.

Thanks for a great time Palmer clan!!!!!!

Summer is flying by...

2010-07-11T22:28:00.013-04:00

Times are flying by...guess that is what happens when you have two little ones. I can't believe we are almost half way through the month of July! We are managing to stay pretty busy and have really enjoyed the summer so far. Logan absolutely loves to do anything that involves us being outside, so that is really nice too. Just an update on each of the girls...

Logan - at her most recent check-up she measured in at 32 1/2 inches tall and weighed 23 lbs. She is quite the little diva I tell you. Her personality has just grown exponentially, which means she can be oh so adorable and outgoing as well as throw one gigantic temper tantrum. She continues to learn something new every day and her vocabulary has really blossomed. My favorite word at the moment is walrus...it is one of her bath toys and I just love the way she says it. She continues to love on Leighton (sissy is what she calls her). She gives her many kisses and hugs during the day and really does seem to love her. I just hope that continues. Logan is still so happy and fun to be around.

Leighton - at her most recent check-up she measured in at 24 1/2 inches tall and 13 lbs 9 oz. This was about a month ago and we can tell she has been packing on some weight the past couple of weeks. She still is so unbelievably laid back and mellow. She is rolling over much more now and has really found her voice over the last week. She loves to watch Logan play and has this smile that just melts our hearts. She still seems to be so content nearly all of the time. She is sleeping well at night, which makes my life so much easier.

Anyway, as usual pictures speak louder than words so here our some of my favorites from the last month.

Yes, Logan got her toenails painted pink (like her mom) for the first time.

Has become a fan of the Oreo cookie, but now just eats out the center and leaves the cookie. Just such a cutie!

Yes, this is my child breastfeeding her babydoll.

So big eating our corn on the cob (actually won't eat corn unless it is on the cob).

Shooting hoops and making her daddy proud.

Playing in her new sprinkler.

FOURTH OF JULY PICTURES

Watching fireworks from the deck even though it is past our bedtime.

Just one happy sweet girl!

A couple pictures my friend Natalie took at her July 4th party. Loving our bath time.

Hanging out in our pool with her favorite boys.

Just my cute girls!

One of Logan's favorite things to do...walk Murphy.

Brian and his girls on Father's Day.

Had to include this shot...Leighton dressed up in one of her Aunt Jessica's actually baby outfits (yes, that make it around 26 years old).

Just a family photo while we were out celebrating Brian's Fellowship match at UK.

Backyard Fun

2010-06-17T23:02:00.011-04:00

Yes...it is back. We pulled out the white-trash pool again this summer and it is already a huge hit. Logan absolutely loved it, so I am sure it will get lots of use this summer. Leighton preferred sitting in the shade with her daddy, and I don't blame her as it was pretty hot today. Just a few cute photos from this afternoon.

It's official...

2010-06-16T14:20:00.003-04:00

It is official...we will be living in Lexington for the next 4 years!!! Brian found out today that he matched for the Gastroenterology fellowship program here at UK. We are so thrilled and excited for him, this is such a huge honor. GI is a very competitive specialty and the University only takes 3 candidates a year. Brian has worked very hard over the last 14 years to make this happen. He has known for a long time that he wanted to pursue a career in GI, so I am so glad all his dedication has finally paid off. This is the last step of training for him as well. Congrats Brian!! We love you and are so very proud of you!!!

Lake Fun

2010-06-13T13:43:00.017-04:00

Brian and I had the pleasure of taking the girls to the lake last weekend. A big group of us went to celebrate the fact that they are completing their internal medicine residency. It is so hard to believe that Brian is finished this month. Dale Hollow Lake was the perfect place to celebrate their graduation and we had so much fun. Brian took his fishing boat, the Croleys took their ski boat, and we rented a pontoon boat as well. We rented two cabins as well. The girls really did so well and we had so much fun. I can't wait to do it again soon. Here are a few pictures from the latest adventure.

Logan's first time in the lake...not really loving it.

Logan loved roaming around on the pontoon boat.
Leighton as her usual happy self.

Hanging on Brian's boat.

Happy to be on the boat.

Leighton trying out her lifejacket.

Logan learns that the lake isn't so bad afterall.

Such a cheeseball!

Happy Mothers Day!

2010-05-09T23:12:00.007-04:00

To all the moms out there...happy Mothers Day!!! I now know from experience how much you all deserve more than a pat on the back. ;) Motherhood is the greatest blessing there is. I feel so very fortunate to have two amazing little girls who mean the world to me. No matter how bad my day is going it just takes one smile from either of them to turn it all around. I love my girls so much and know that I am so lucky to have them both.

Of course I want to send a special shout out to two of the most important moms out there - my mom and Terry.

Mom, you truly are the best! I cannot thank you enough for all that you have done for me over the last 31 years. You have always been there for me and I really do appreciate that. You have been more than just a mom, you are my confidant, my example, and my friend. I love you more than you know and I thank the Lord for you everyday. Thank you for showing me the right way to be a mom. I just hope my girls love and adore me as much as I do you!

Terry - not only are you the best mother-in-law a girl could ask for, but you too are an amazing mother. So many of the wonderful qualities I love in Brian came from you. You are so sweet and supportive and we love you so very much!

Fun times in Arkansas...

2010-04-26T17:46:00.033-04:00

The girls and I went back to Arkansas last month to visit family and friends. We had to leave Brian behind for the first couple of weeks, but fortunately he was able to come in for the end of the trip. This was Leighton's first trip to Fort Smith, so she got to meet lots of new family members and friends. I don't know why, but I find it so much harder to remember to take pictures now that I am managing two little ones. My goal is to do better and capturing more moments. Here are several photos from the trip.

Grandad & Mimi with all their grandkids Just the kiddos

Cousin Emilee with Leighton
Logan with Aunt Danna and Aunt Michelle

Mamaw getting smiles from Leighton
Lacy and Leighton

Grandanny and Leighton

Nominee and Leighton

Logan loving on her cousin Ryan

Uncle Dodo and Leighton

Great Grandma Waack and Leighton

Logan and Ryan looking cute at one of our picnics at Nominee & Grandanny's house

Logan in one of Nominee's dog cages

Logan and Hannah

Leighton finally got to meet Courtney

Logan and Jordyn just happened to have matching pjs

So much for the kids letting us get a group shot..guess it is better than nothing.