Aspen's 2nd Birthday

She is two. We can't believe it. We are loving this age so much and never want it to end. Here is our 2 year old at a glimpse:

-She is found often singing, "Once Upon a Dream" from sleeping beauty or "A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes" from Cinderella
-She loves to talk about the villains in various stories or movies (for example: the big bad wolf, an evil witch, or mean stepmother)
-She says her own prayers
-She loves to use her imagination and play pretend
-Learning to share is a struggle! She does not like her sister to play with her toys. Any ideas???
-She loves swimming lessons and her teacher
-She tries to climb on top of every table
-She uses Hola and Adios interchangeably with Hi and Goodbye, thanks to Dora the Explorer
-Her favorite time is when Dad gets home and she dances with him all over the house
-Our favorite phrases she says lately, "My dad is such a handsome daddy, Mom." "I am so glad you are here Mom, I missed you so much" "Thank you for helping me" "It's okay McKinley, don't you cry"

We love her and can't wait to experience what this year will bring!!!

McKinley is crawling everywhere and is sooooo LOUD!! She loves to belt out various noises and does it with such force her whole body shakes! She loves to hear herself. She will wave at you when you say Hi and clap her hands when she is proud of herself. She will eat anything you put in her mouth and we can't believe she is already 8 months old.

McKinley 6 months

I got to pick up McKinley's 6 month photos today and I was so excited!!! My very dear friend and photographer Ashley Madsen took these pictures two weeks ago! She is so incredible and never ceases to impress me! Every shoot she does exceeds my expectations and I love her photos so much!! Thanks again Ashley, you are amazing!!!! Check her out at ashleymadsenphotography.com

McKinley's Sweetheart

This Valentine's was definitely one to remember!! Jacob and I had thought about what it would be like when our little girls had Valentine sweethearts of their own.......little did we know it would occur for McKinley at 5 months old!!! Before this little girl was born we had already secretly wished her heart to a handsome, ravishing, little stud named Jacob Millett. His parents secretly had wished his heart for McKinley too. Much to both parent's surprise, it turns out these two had a little love connection of their own! McKinley received this on Valentine's day......


She was soooo excited that she made Jacob cookies to express her love for him (notice the J+M)

The two little Valentine's themselves!! We will keep everyone posted on their wedding in 2032!



Aspen had a great Valentine's day too filled with lots of goodies from her Grandma and Grandpa!

Anniversary #5

Jacob and I celebrated our anniversary this past week! He surprised me with a little weekend getaway up near Lake Pleasant at Cibola Vista Resort! We had such a blast and we both really needed the vacation. It was a condo-style room with a full kitchen and everything so we baked a pizza one night and used the micro for popcorn, etc. Good food. Good movies. Good fun. My mom was so kind to take Aspen for a few days and we took little McKinley with us. Jacob has been putting in a lot of hours at work and I just started back two days a week this past month. Sometimes we feel like a tag team, I'm out and he's in and he's out and I'm in. Things are going great so far, if I could just get Jacob to get a little more sleep. When he's not at work, he's up doing projects around the house or working on the yard. Here are some pics from the zoo this past month and McKinley's 4 month adventures.

Aspen: Her favorite book is the Hungry Caterpillar and she loves reciting all the food he eats like "matermelon" and "siss cheese." Her new favorite phrases are: "Oh my gosh!" "What's up honey?" and "Crazy, Dad!!" She calls me by my first name frequently instead of Mom. She loves to repeat what we say. She sings her ABC"s and counts to 15.

McKinley: Constantly smiling. She may cry occasionally if she's hungry or tired, and that's about it. She thinks her sister is hilarious. She loves books, pictures, and music. She is rolling all over and loves to jump in her jumper.

McKinley's 3 month stats

She is giggling all the time now and we love it! We think she may have kind of a raspy or horse little voice. It will be so fun to see as she grows! She constantly wants to stand up and rolls over from her tummy to her back. She of course wants to touch everything and loves her dad's beard! She is a wonderful little joy.

Weight: 15.5 lbs
Height: 25 1/4in
95th percentile

Christmas Festivities

Christmas was our favorite this year by far! It is so much fun to share it with a little one! Aspen loved all of her presents from Santa. The first thing she said when she woke up and saw her presents was, "Oh my gosh" and "Merry Christmas Santa." It was such a blast getting to experience Christmas with her. McKinley was happy as can be and enjoyed watching everyone. It was truly a wonderful holiday!