Treasures!

I am the absolute worst at downloading pictures from my iPhone. That's why all of my digital memory is used up, holding some of the most precious moments of the last few years! Luckily my husband keeps us "current" by updating his phone. And today I found these little treasures!

 

 Sleeping beauty was watching Cinderella in grandma's bed.

 Ali's first solo ride on the carousel horse!

 Hippie chick at the train park.

 Unleashing these two upon Scottsdale Fashion Square ("the big mall")

 My littlest unicorn. <3 p="">

 Mini-Hippie Chick.

 Daddy was left in charge one weekend, came home with a Slip-n-Slide.

 My girls love their trains!

 Not her first haircut, but the first time she would sit alone. Sniff.

 Peyla's restaurant choice...Chuck-E-Cheese.

 Picking out her first piñata for our little 4th of July party. The look on her face!! lol

 Hood River, Oregon

 Sister snuggle time.

 Mermaids under the sea! -Sea Life Aquarium, AZ

 

 We took daddy for his first visit to the Children's Museum!

 Mommy and Ali

 OK, where's the beach??

 Art time in an incredible studio!

 I'm in a pickle!

 Me too!

 Oh dear. She loves trains AND motorcycles. Be still my panicked heart!

 Daddy's caption:  "Teacher's Pet"

 Ali's first tiny ponytail.

 The beloved Miss Julie's storytime at the library.

 dos dedos (two fingers)

 

 Cheerio break on our fall day-trip to Flagstaff.

 Where there's a Pooh, you will find my Aliyah.

Friends forever!

Summer recap

We spent a lot of time in the pool this summer in hopes of furthering Peyla's swimming skills. She took a class at our local YMCA and definitely made some progress. Although she still can't swim unassisted, she knows to kick/paddle, "monkey crawl" around the edge, pull herself out and.....JUMP! That was a big accomplishment this year as she's been too scared to try in the past. But by the time summer ended, all she wanted to do was jump in and have daddy catch her!

 Ali is canvassing the pool, making sure everyone is safe!

 You want ME to jump?! No way!

 She rocks those goggles! lol

 "Ready mommy?"

 Jump!

 I don't know who's happier, Peyla or daddy?

Proud Papa!

The big transition

It finally happened! After three years, we transitioned Peyla out of a crib and in to a toddler bed. Honestly, I would have been content with sending her to college in a crib! It made my life easier during nap time and saved my sanity by giving me a few extra minutes if she woke early/didn't nap/etc. But it was time...probably way beyond! She loves her "open bed" and actually handles the freedom quite well. 

 They found some winter boots while daddy set up the new bed.

 "Cheeeeeese" says Ali.

 We love hugs.

It's their new hiding place/meeting space/play area too!

We love to be home.

Our little family loves big adventures, but our favorite time is just being home together.

 randomly playing with an oven mitt

 cozying up to watch pre-season football with daddy

 mommy's phone is like Ali's little jukebox. she plays the music everywhere she goes.

 cutie one

cutie two

Start saving!

 

These girls love their piggy (birdie) banks. Anytime they get a few dollars for their birthday/holidays, it goes in their banks. The best is when daddy shares his leftover coins from the day with them. They squeal and run to their rooms to save their loot. Hope this becomes a lifelong value!

My Sister's Keeper

Funny moment today- I took Peyla and Ali to their beloved storytime at the public library. They call it "Miss Julie's class", and look forward to the singing/dancing/stories every week. Well this particular day, a very friendly 4 year old girl was also in the class. We've seen her and her mother around the area (Cave Creek moms tend to frequent the same places!) and for some reason today, she took a liking to Ali. As in, she followed her around the play mat, picking her up and trying to hug her throughout the class. I thought it was sweet, but then Ali's big sissy caught sight of such displays. The look on Peyla's little face when she saw another girl holding her sister was priceless! It was a mix of confusion, protection and jealousy. I could almost see the wheels turning in her head...."that's MY sissy". Ever the politician (as the ladies at the grocery store call her), Peyla quietly and nonchalantly scooted herself in between Ali and this other child. She loves her baby!