Gramma and Grampa's Egg Hunt

The girls really enjoyed the egg hunt at Gramma and Grampa Porter's.

Grampa helped Halle find lots of eggs.

Annie was content with one egg as long as she got to chew on it.Jeremy chows down on some candy.

Alisa and Wes

Our Handsome Photographer

Note: For some reason, I'm not able to upload any more pictures to this post right now. There were a lot more people there like Gramma, Gramcracker, Spencer, Lyndee, Tyler, Melissa, and Halle and Annie's cousins who they absolutely adore: Landon, Brecklyn, Jaxon, and Khilyn. I'll post more pics when I can.

Family Phases

Part of the fun of family life is seeing the different phases we all go through. Halle is going through an "Imaginary Friend" phase. Right now, she has a friend named Roxanne. We have to include Roxanne in everything we do. One time I set a box down and Halle informed me that Roxanne was sitting there and I would have to move the box. It must be hard to be invisible.

Halle and Roxanne having a conversation.

Halle and Roxanne running from a monster.

Justin is going through a "Flashlight Phase". Actually, there are three things he feels he can never have too many of: flashlights, fishing poles, and pocket knives. This is his latest find.
Annie is going through a "Put-Anything-I-Can-Get-My-Hands-On-In-My-Mouth-Including-Daddy's-New-Flashlight Phase". Enough said :)

And I guess you could say I'm going through a "Write-Really-Random-Stuff-On-Our-Blog Phase." So bear with me, if you will. It's just a phase :)

Easter Cookies

Halle had a great time decorating Easter cookies.

Annie enjoyed herself by rolling around on the floor. Check out that tongue. She's always sticking it out with a big grin on her face.

Jellies

Halle helped me reach a pretty big milestone yesterday...

Remember Jellies?

Yeah, I was not a fan growing up. My friends all wore them, but for some reason I had a big aversion to those sparkly plastic shoes. Well, there we were at Old Navy yesterday with a gift card burning a hole in my pocket, when Halle made a dash for the shoe section. She immediately fell in love with a green pair of...you guessed it...JELLIES! They've actually redesigned them so they're pretty cute nowadays and they're a lot more durable than Halle's "pretty shoes" that have been scuffed beyond repair. So why not? Halle got to pick out not one, but two pairs of shoes, green and purple. She carried them proudly to the check out until about half way there she decided she didn't like the green anymore and opted for hot pink instead. And here we are now. I'm finally in the Jelly shoe club.

On the Move

Watch out, World...Annie's learning how to crawl!

Girls Will Be Girls

One of Justin's friends put it well when he told him, "Dude, you've got too many girls at your house." He's a good sport and we love him for it :) He has to put up with lots of pink and lots of attitude. Growing up with boys, I wasn't really in to frills and princess stuff (sorry Mom!), but my girls are girlie girls through and through. And I'm loving every minute of it! One of the cutest things to see is how Halle plays with other girls. She has a couple of little boy friends that she adores, but it's different when she's with her BFF's. It's like watching miniature teenagers. They clap their hands, squeal, and hug whenever they see each other.

Shelby (aka Belle) and Halle (aka Cinderella)

Halle also has quite a fashion sense. She loves to pick out her own clothes. She's been dressing herself for just about a year now, but I thought this outfit was worth posting.
It consists of two purple leotards, rainbow tights, a rockstar skirt, and underneath it all is her favorite swimsuit. Oh yeah. This outfit rocks. And then there's our sweet little Annie.
She still continues to brighten the world with her smile. She's even started cheesin' it whenever she sees a camera. I wonder if she knows how adorable she is?

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Wishing Everyone the Luck O' The Irish from our little Leprechauns!

In Like A Lion

I know the lion and lamb thing is usually meant to describe the weather, but this cold and flu season has been a BEAST! Annie still managed to find something to smile about despite having a pretty high fever. She must know that sunshine is on its way. Halle is excited for that, too. She's been wearing her "rain soup" (translation: swim suit) every day, just hoping for it to get warm enough to pump up the pool and do some swimming.

Making Time Stand Still

Wow! What a fun and exciting whirlwind the past few years have been, more specifically the past seven months! Having two little girls is such a dream come true. Amidst princess dresses, hair bows, and lots and lots of pink, life is wonderful. I just wish it would slow down for a minute! Annie is already seven months old and Halle is quickly approaching three years. I wish I could make time stand still, but since I haven't figured out how to do that yet, I'll just have to make sure I keep a better record of what's happening.
Justin is working and going to school full time right now. Busy, busy, busy! School is tough, but he's discovered some hidden talents along the way. He's an amazing artist and a very entertaining writer (maybe he should take over the blog!). We are very proud of him and grateful that he works so hard for us. He'll definitely need a fishing break come summer time. Heather is still playing the piano in Relief Society (and sometimes Sacrament, yikes!), doing Cub Scout stuff, and keeping busy with the girls. Halle is a hoot! She has developed quite an imagination. She spends her days playing with her friends, singing "Qwinkle Qwinkle Little Star", defeating monsters and Swiper the Fox, and changing clothes three dozen times (at least). Annie is the very definition of sweetheart. One smile from her will melt your heart and she gives them freely. She loves to laugh, eat books, growl, and roll all over the house. She is sitting by herself now and is trying to figure out how to crawl. Halle and Annie love each other very much. Annie loves to watch Halle dance and sing, and Halle showers Annie with hugs and kisses. These two are well on their way to being best buds forever.