Life With Our Little Ladies

Juliet is enjoying her activity play mat. I love the look on her face when she catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror.


When I looked down at her, I couldn't help but flashback to an almost identical picture of Abby.



Ella needed a hair cut. Her favorite things about going to the salon:

1.  looking through hairstyle books and picking her favorites 
2.  asking the hairdresser everything she can about life 
3.  the prize lollipop

Oliver's favorite day of the week is Laundry Day!


Abby got to dress as a farmer for "Literacy Night" day at school. She was very serious about getting all the details just right. :)


I think she might just be one of the cutest farmers I've ever seen.


Juliet is transitioning well to naps in her crib!


These little farmer girls were so excited to show us their artwork and to see all of their teachers and friends at Literacy Night. This year, the theme was Barnyard Hulabaloo.










It's amazing and surreal when one of your favorite four year olds grows up before your eyes and is suddenly old enough to become your "mommy's helper". This is sweet for us on so many levels! We love Anna Kate!






I'm thankful for afternoons made for board game playing with my girls.


This sweet girls loves her little sister so much.



Abby went to a friend's birthday party at the trampoline park. Abby and Raina drove to the party together and when they were leaving decided they were having too much fun, so the girls asked if Raina could come over for the afternoon. Joe and I thought it was really sweet because it was the first time that we didn't organize the play date for the girls. It's hard to explain, but in this moment when Abby, Raina and Ella ran through the front door to play, our little girl grew up a little bit more before our eyes! :)





Mommy's chest must be the comfiest place to nap.


Abby was in serious need of some quality mommy time. I desperately needed to run some errands. So, we headed out on a Target/Starbucks date together. Abby needed some time to get herself and her baby ready to go. She got into the car looking like a little mommy in her boots and scarf. Halfway into our ride, Abby panicked when she realized she had forgotten a bag. She got so upset because she said a mommy would never leave the house with her baby and not have a bag. It was as if she thought not having her bag with her made her a fraud. I tried to explain to her that we could share a bag, but that only mildly satisfied her. I had to think fast. When we got into Target I promised to get her a hot chocolate in a red cup, so she could pretend she was a mommy drinking her coffee while we shopped. That was the ticket! Abby walked around like the real deal. You could see it all over her face and with each little sip she took on her cup! I even let her order and gave her money to pay.





As we were finishing up with the things on our list, I just happened to spot a little purse in the girls' clearance bin. It was pretty cool, unlike anything Abby had and only $3, so I asked Abby if she liked it. Her eyes lit up as she told me how she told me what a beautiful grown up bag it was. I'm pretty sure it made her month when I put it in the cart and got it for her.  She just kept saying, "Really Mommy? Really?" She has worn it proudly nearly every day since. She insisted on bringing it to school the next day to show her teacher and friends. My sweet girl...sometimes it the little things like indulging her desires to be a mommy with pretend coffee and a grown up purse.



Left: Abby 2010  Right: Juliet 2015




Good morning, dollface!


It was the 50th day of school and Abby's class celebrated by dressing in fifties clothes and enjoying root beer floats. When my baby comes home begging to wear a poodle skirt for fifties day, I'm thankful for a friend who can help me make it happen! I've got the glue gun down, but Ms. Heather can work a sewing machine with serious skill. Phew! I'd say we nailed it. Abby would have rocked the fifties. I love it! She came home telling me all about jukeboxes. "Did you know people used to listen to music on something that looked like this?!" When doing her homework that night, Abby had to draw a picture of herself today and then a picture of herself at 50. "Mommy, I put lots of lines on my face in this one, because when you get old you get lots of lines on your face!"


While the girls and Joe were out one night, they met a group of ladies who were encouraging others to send Christmas cards to the troops overseas. Our girls loved the idea so much that not only did they color a bunch of cards at the table, but took a bunch home to finish and mail. Abby took the responsibility so seriously, that she came home from school and went right downstairs shouting, "Sorry guys, I'll be busy this afternoon. I have lots of work to do!" When I went down later to check, I found the completed cards laid out on the floor. They were beautiful and made from her heart. Without any help, Abby took out her United States puzzle to figure out how to spell "The United States of America". I pray it makes someone overseas smile as much as I did.



Ella also worked really hard on her cards.


Some afternoons just call for a giant, cozy nest.


Please never let me forget how little she was!

There are days when I look at our girls and it takes my breath away to realize how fast they are growing. Like "don't blink or you'll miss it" fast. I joke with the girls often. It's kind of our thing. I get down on their level, look them in the eyes and I ask them to please stop growing. Their responses are pretty consistent with their personalities. Abby seems to take it as a challenge. She stands up straighter and puts on her best "grown" face determined to skip years and prove to me how adult she already is. Ella will hold my face and look into my eyes while laughing and say, "Mommy, you know I can't do that!"

I know they won't stop growing, so my prayer is that God would continue to teach me how to be present and truly live the fullness of these moments as they happen. Oh how I love them!


It just so happens that this Carrie Underwood song is one of Abby's favorite at the moment. I love watching her sing it at the top of her lungs in the rear view mirror.

 And for those moments when I'm feeling overwhelmed in the chaos and challenges of three little girls under six OR when I just need a good cry...this one brings me right back to reality, fighting to live in this moment and enjoy every minute of it.

It was family day for the new NYPD recruits and we were really looking forward to spending the day with our family while celebrating this big moment in my brother's life. Though the idea of traveling to Queens for a day of festivities with a two month old (and her big sisters) seemed slightly overwhelming, everyone rallied together to make it possible.

My dad cooked us breakfast and drove. He and Joe gathered around the car with the girls while I nursed the baby on a side street of Queens. Grandma committed to being on little person duty, including bathroom runs. :) Uncle Tommy and Aunt Tori took little girl hands and walked them through the crowds of families. Everyone helped us make the trip possible and it was really special.

Even the moments on the highway when Papa was driving and it felt like a Nascar race. "It's the road," he said. "Drive like a grandpa," I said.


Walking into the NYPD police academy to the sound of bag pipes playing gave me goosebumps. It was really special to be introduced to all that Cory is now a part of and to know that one of his greatest dreams is coming true. We followed Cory through the halls of the academy as he showed us where he learns and how they train.



Hanging out with Aunt Tori!








The girls loved McGruff the crime dog!




We met and pet an NYPD police horse.


Joe even got a taste of what it would be like as a member of the bomb squad. I think they said the suit weighed 85 pounds.






Ella took it all in and loved learning from her favorite recruit.


Father and son.


Ella was hanging out with Casey and dancing her way through the halls.



Grandma and Abby chatted all day.





We got in the car after a great day and Bells was out like a light in minutes.


Abby chatted in the backseat with her daddy (who was happy, he just didn't know I was taking the picture)!