Word of the Day

I was walking with the girls to the park a few days ago and Makenna, out of nowhere, sighs,

"Hmmm, metamorphosis."
 I stop, open-mouthed, and stare in bewilderment (with a healthy dose of amazement).
"Makenna! Do you know what that word means?"
"Uh, yeah Mom. It's when a caterpillar changes into a butterfly." (duh)

She kept walking while I sat there, dumb-founded, while I had a small epiphany that the thousands of dollars we've put into preschool the last two years really have paid off.


In other news, our computer crashed a week ago. We backed everything up until May of last year. Meaning: my life from the last year is completely and utterly gone. I could throw up. Or just cry.

***UPDATE (5-1-12)
Our computer is still dead as a doornail. However, our hard drive has been recovered and is not, in fact, corrupted (as was told to us before). Initially we got a quote from a company that plays hard ball with crashed hard drives (intimidating, right?) of $1000+/-, which we were seriously considering. Then I was told about a BYU Freshman in our ward who was home for the summer before his  mission whose specialty is recovering crashed hard drives. Godsend! An hour later and an un-asked-for $100 in return, our data was delivered, unscathed.  Miracles do happen.

Sidenote: This morning the girls and I were saying our breakfast prayer when I peeked and saw Makenna wide-eyed and looking around.
"Makenna, you really need to close your eyes during the prayer."
"But Mom, I was looking at how beautiful you are."

Where did I pick this kid up? With lines like that, I'm scared of what she's capable of.

Spring around here

We've been ultra-busy here the last month. From Grandma visiting during the Cherry Blossoms, to Uncle Daniel and (soon-to-be) Aunt Chalyse coming to take her bridals, to Conference Weekend, to Easter, to play dates to...to...to...we've had a lot going on.

Daniel and Chalyse flew all the way out here before their wedding (which in a month from today) so that I could take her bridal shots among the monuments and Cherry Blossoms in D.C. And although they only stayed for 2 days, we had such a blast being with them. Sadly, I'm not allowed to post pictures because Daniel is Mr. Tradition himself and refuses to see her in her wedding dress before their big day. So those pictures to come...after May 17th.

We had fun with Easter festivities. We went with friends to Leesburg for a fun Easter Egg Hunt here. They had face painting, bag decorating, scavenger hunts, a delicious bakery just across the street, and of course, the egg hunt. We tried our darndest to pump up the girls before the hunt began, giving them pointers and teaching them strategy (no, of course we're not those parents that so many towns across the country cancelled their annual egg hunts over; not obsessive at all). However, despite our efforts, when the fog horn blew, both girls went into flight mode, with Addison screaming and Makenna running for cover behind my legs. All the while the other little chickies ran and took all the eggs. Finally Drew hopped the fence and dragged the girls behind. Makenna collected 4 eggs. Addison: 3. But it's not about quantity, it's about the memories, and we made some good ones.

Easter morning run-down:
7 am: WAKE GIRLS UP so we we have time to enjoy their wonderful Easter baskets
7:30 am: Get ready for church
8:30 Church begins
11:30 Come home and make and Easter dinner for the sister missionaries that reminded me the night before that I had signed up to have them over.

Makenna discovered Fancy Nancy at her preschool library right after Christmas and is in love with her. Now she doesn't need to check out the same book every week at library. She was in heaven and made us read them to her at least 8 times Easter day.

This last weekend we went to the circus with some friends. I remember going when I was a little older than Makenna and being a tad bit scared. I was hesitant to take the girls, not knowing what they would think of the crazy loud chaos that is a circus. But not 5 minutes into it, this clown comes up to the nose-bleeds and stands by us and Makenna LOVES her, saying all that day she liked the cute girl clown the best. Huh? The circus was right in the middle of Addison's nap, so she appeared somewhat dazed and confused throughout its entirety, but we still had a good time and managed to edge our way past the barrage of PETA protestors.


And these are from yesterday when it was a sweltering 90 degrees outside in the middle of April. I caved and turned on the AC (cue head hung low with shame).

And I couldn't resist posting this last one. This is what comes of having 2 girls under 5 who adore bows...and their daddy.