Have You Met Our New Horse Ladybug?

Well, then let me introduce you.....this is Ladybug, our new horse.

And in case you can't see it so great in that photo, Jessa still ALWAYS wears her hat sideways!

My first week...

One Day Old

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!
My attempt at a photo session:4 days old!

I will contine to take pictures of Emmy with this same flower so we can watch her grow!

Buckled in and ready to hit the road! First trip to town after coming home from the hospital:

time to see Dr. Ally!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Introducing....

Emeline Grace Hipwell

8 lbs. 4 oz.

March 17, 2009

5:58am

22 1/2 inches VERY long

Five Alive!

First photo as a family of five! The girls are now giving kisses to their new sister!

Four No More

The very last picture as a family of four.


And the girls giving a farewell kiss to the big baby belly. I would have happily done the same had I been physically capable of such.

My Wish...

February 22nd-Kate turned 4!

Kate loved getting some "lip", or what the rest of us refer to as "chapstick". And, Chad, left to his own evil gift-selecting devices, of course picked something designed to bring Kate joy while at the same time bringing perpetual grief into the life of her now-a-professional-at-peeling-stickers-off-things mother. Oh, and did I mention there were also about a zillion little puzzle pieces and other things to constantly pick up off the floor? She loved it.

My wish for you

Is that this life becomes all that you want it to.

Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small

You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where your gettin' to

I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same thing too

Yah, this is my wish. (Rascal Flats Lyrics)

Kate, my princess. Was it really 4 years ago I became a mother? It was with you my life morphed, when I started becoming someone I never imagined I could be. It has been you, little missy, that has lead the way as I grow into motherhood. Thank goodness you are here to encourage my femininity, my little girly-girl! You are fearless, you are friendly, and boy-oh-boy are you FUNNY! You have a wonderful sense of humor and your great giggle gets everyone around you laughing along. You are a performer--you dance, you sing, you use the coffee table as your stage, and the whole world is your audience. You are so social and love culture, always wanting to go somewhere and see somebody. You steal everyone's spot and get jealous enough to cut-in to have daddy twirl you around the dining room. My little leftie, you love to write (exactly what we are not sure what quite yet) and always have a pen and pad of paper nearby--in your purse, on the table, or stashed nearby in a secret spot. You are a skirt-twirling, worm-digging, good "idea'a" generating, kitten-hanging-over-one-arm-toting, always flower-picking, snuggly-spot making, tootsie-roll-begging, little purse-stuffing, constantly giggling, hours in the bath-paddling, Kate-er-ate! You know what you want, and how to get it. You are loving and persuasive; it is with ease and finesse others give you what you want, and you flash that way-too-cute and completely irresistible smile to seal the deal. You are shockingly observant. You are daddy's little princess, and mommy's little shadow. When I look at you, I see me. Happy Birthday my Katerrater-mashed-patater.

Tip-Tap-N-Tumble

In February, for her birthday, Kate tried out some classes. I was sure her favorite would be the tap and ballet class, but boy was I WRONG! By FAR her favorite was the tumbling/gymnastics at Western Elite Academy, a wonderful facility in Nampa run by a fellow volleyballer--the phenomenal and talented Jackie! It was my favorite too because it is an affordable and really fun place where Kate and Jessa can have class together.. not to mention they have some really cool contraptions that I am just trying to muster up the guts to ask if I can try--like the spring-loaded floor thing that they use in the Olympics, and that back-handspring machine thingy- ma-rounder, and okay, okay, I even want to test out that funky rectangular trampoline just to see if maybe I could land a flip....I don't even mind signing a wavier.

Kate in action--she loved this little contraption...

and I got a real kick out of watching Jessa. This is the first time I realized how good Jessa is at following directions. She had barely turned two (the minimum age for this class) and was following the directions better than most of the other kids. Even the instructior said, "She really follows directions well!"

Now if only we could apply that to picking up the toys, holding the bottle of bubbles so they don't spill all over the floor, or sitting still while I brush that hair.....

I hope we go back soon!