The Yazwinski Clan

Queen (and Kings) of the Kitchen

2012-01-22T21:29:00.000-06:00

I don't know about your family, but ours LOVES to eat around the holidays. So that meant a lot of prep time in the kitchen. Of course, Emerson wanted in on the fun so we found a safe place for her to help out so we could be all hands on deck.

These cheese balls were excited to work some magic in the kitchen...

with Uncle Beau. I know this is a rare sight. Beau normally just eats the food...this time he was cooking with the kids (I forgot what) but they were excited. I love Hunter's napkin dew-rag.

Of course we decorated Christmas cookies. We didn't get to decorate as many as we expected (one of the dogs ate an entire batch of cookies off the counter) but we had MORE than enough. We should probably thank our K9 friend for saving us the calories.

I think Sawyer enjoyed his cookies.

Very serious.

Lip smacking good!

O Christmas Tree

2012-01-16T21:34:00.000-06:00

It's always fun to search for a REAL tree. Back home, in Oregon, there are tree farms everywhere. The kids did a great job and it looked beautiful!

Ho Ho Ho

2012-01-16T20:44:00.001-06:00

I love the excitement on my nephews faces here! This was really Santa's helper...not the real guy. This is really my dad (aka Papa). He got sucked into playing the man in red for the local firefighters kids/grand kids. So we tagged along what ended up being interesting to say the least, but Santa still showed and the kids LOVED it!

Emerson didn't seem to mind. She was clueless that it was Papa...or maybe she had an inkling. Stella was under the weather so she missed out.

No worries...a couple days later it was off to see the REAL Santa. You know the guy downtown with elves and a REAL beard. Well, Emerson wasn't sure of this guy. He definitely wasn't Papa. And Stella wouldn't even stand near the guy.

The Hart boys had no problems with Ole Saint Nick. They must know who is charge of the presents. But Santa wanted to hear from everyone so he gave up his "special" chair and viola we have a picture with Santa.

Then all of a sudden it clicked...this is the guy in charge of presents and EVERYONE was loving on Santa and making sure he knew what they wanted and that they were "good" this year.

10 Months

2011-12-24T21:40:00.000-06:00

Where has the time gone!?! Happy 10 months sweet girl.

Not much has changed in the last month, BUT you are NOW SLEEPING through the NIGHT!
Best update yet! Of course, our trip has thrown her off a bit, but I'm thrilled.

We love you Emerson Kate. Thanks for keeping us on our toes!

$1,200 Haircut

2011-12-16T17:15:00.000-06:00

Ok, we didn't really pay $1,200 for a haircut. That's crazy, BUT Tom did make a deal with his viewers that if they helped him raise $1000 for the Salvation Army he would shave his head live on the morning show. He raised quite a bit for his online kettle, but here he is raising the bell at a local store to top off his kettle.

Stella emptied the change holder in the car and went to town. I wasn't a fan of Tom shaving his head, but hey, it's all for a good cause.

Stella enjoyed ringing the bell. I do think she got a few nice folks to empty their pockets.

And here you go...proof that Tom's co-anchors shaved his head just before his vacation to Oregon.

I think this shot is Tom questioning his deal.
NO turning back at this point.

Here's the done deal! I had a better close up, but it wouldn't load. It's slowly coming back in...he's back on the anchor desk Monday so we'll see :)

Thanks to all that supported him. He had fun raising the money. He ended up with a little over $1,200...that's an expensive haircut.

Merry Thanksgiving

2011-12-01T07:32:00.000-06:00

Our Thanksgiving was CRAZY. It's all our fault because we celebrated Christmas too! Since we'll be in Oregon we decided to knock out both holidays with Tom's side of the family last weekend. It was super fun! Stella and Emerson love their Grammie and Papa.

The amount of gifts for the girls was crazy. Here's Emerson with her HUGE present! She was all smiles during the opening of presents.

Laughing with Papa...notice the mess we've made in the background.

Stella was very serious about her presents and opened them all by herself :)

Too busy to smile.

Emerson just figuring out her new toy.

Checking out her PRINCESS Castle! It's the real Cinderella castle with all the princesses and their princes...big hit :)

The fam!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you're enjoying the gear-up for Christmas. Let's not forget the reason for the season!

Girls Night

2011-11-23T19:09:00.002-06:00

The other night Stella and I ditched daddy and Emerson for a night on the town, just the two of us. It was such a sweet time. We started the night with a yummy treat from Bliss Cupcakes and then off to THE show.

A local theater group, Arts Live Theatre, was performing Cinderella. Oh my word...this princess was excited. She just HAD to dress the part.

Stella's sweet friend Ashlen also came. Arts Live Theatre was so fun. It's made up of local actors...kids in the community and they are sooo good. After the show...the girls got to meet the actors during "Cinderella's Ball!" (ok, it was very similar to a junior high dance, but they LOVED it)

Meeting Cinderella

Ashlen dancing with the evil step-sisters. It was cute...they kept saying they aren't really mean, they're nice girls.

Stella dancing with one of the mice. Please note that this girl is in first grade and Stella is not much shorter than her. HA

Stella looks so serious here, but she LOVED Gus and by the looks of it this little actor was fond of my princess too :)
We had a great time and I'm sure we'll be checking out Arts Live Theatre again. I love the fun things I'm finding in Fayetteville for our kids.

Our Little Indian

2011-11-23T07:08:00.000-06:00

This year I have so many things I'm thankful for, but one is definitely this little Indian and your GREAT school. This is Stella's second year at the Sonshine School and we L.O.V.E it!!!!

Last week they had a precious Thanksgiving program for the parents to attend. It was complete with little Indians and Pilgrims. Stella was THE child that spotted her mommy in the crowd and yelled, "There's my mommy! I see my mommy." So sweet.

Emerson also loves visiting Stella's school. She is always ALL smiles. It wont be long before she is enjoying the school herself.

After the program we returned to their classroom for a little turkey meal and some entertainment. This is Stella with one of her friends, Evie.

And today was bittersweet because it was Miss Jamie's last day. To say Stella loves her Miss Jamie is a MAJOR understatement, but good news is we see her at church every Sunday. We love you Miss Jamie!

But Miss Merrily is still around and Stella LOVES her too. How fun is her little food idea for the kids. Instead of the parents bringing all the sides that go along with Thanksgiving dinner...Merrily made turkey kabobs. Complete with sweet potatoes, green beans, carrots, potatoes. It was the cutest idea and Stella ate it up!

And of course, what Thanksgiving celebration is complete without a dress up dance party! Almost everyday I pick Stella up from school she and her friends are wearing tutus and crowns.

Also, I want to remember this...during lunch each of the kiddos went around and said what they were thankful for. There were a lot of mommy and daddy, one boy said his cars, but sweet Stella said, "my baby Emerson."

So thankful she loves her sister so much!

Our Blue Eyed Beauty is 9 Months!

2011-11-16T20:12:00.000-06:00

Happy 9 months Emerson. How in the world has it already been 9 Months.

Your personality is so fun right now. You really are a social butterfly with the craziest hair.

You LOVE it when we pull the camera out. You are a little ham...just like your daddy.

If you look closely you can see those two bottom teeth poking through.

I love this look because it's almost like you're saying have we taken enough? :)

Emerson you brighten up our lives. It's hard to believe you've only been here 9 months. What did we do before you?

What you're up to..
1. You're CRAWLING!!!! You've been on the go for about a couple weeks now.
2. You eat "food" 3 times a day now and like just about anything. We tried some more "textured" foods and you're still not sure.
3. You are a fan of puffs and mums.
4. You adore your sister.
5. You have 2 teeth.
6. You love to say Dada and other baby jibberish.
7. You go crazy excited when you see other kids your age and love to watch and play with them.
8. You are very tight with your mommy right now
9. You light up when daddy gets home from work.
10. You are still NOT sleeping through the night, but our goal for NEXT months post is to say you're a sleeping queens.
11. You are very much a fan of the bottle these days...we might be done with nursing soon. :(
12. You got a glowing report at your 9 month check out...you are right on track

STATS..
27.6 inches =50th percentile
16 lbs 12.5 ounces = 25th percentile

You my long and lean little one.

We love you Emerson and look forward to many more memories!

Sneak Peak

2011-11-14T01:35:00.001-06:00

A couple weekends ago we loaded up the girls and Tom took over 200 pictures of them on Old Main lawn. I really just picked these super fast so some are random and not all are my favorites, but I needed to share some before I order them for family.

Love them and Emerson's hair!

Ok, it's having issues loading more pictures of Emerson...I guess I'll wait til her 9 month post THIS week!

Woo Pig Weekend

2011-11-13T21:35:00.001-06:00

I could kick myself for not taking more pictures, but if you look closely at these sweet kiddos faces...we had our hands full. One of my best friends from college visited this weekend and I caught up with her at Rebekah's house. The kids had a great time playing. Above is Rhett, Reese, Stella and Cilla.

Heather's sweet Reese. She was such a little helper in the kitchen. It's been too long since I've seen this sweet girl. Rhett never stood still long enough for me to snap a picture and baby brother, Tripp was sleeping.

Sweet Emerson was content playing by herself while the older kids ran around.

Then my day ended with this STUD!
Yep, game night with NO kids. It was a fun night and we saw some incredible plays. It was super windy...go figure the one day this year I've blown my hair dry and was wearing it down, ha!
I had a great weekend. Catching up with old friends even for a little bit is always good for the soul!

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T21:51:00.000-05:00

This sweet princess started her Halloween off with as Cinderella. The first of 3 costumes :)

Princess Stella had a super fun day at school. How fun is it that her teacher, Miss Merrily, dressed up too!

After nap time (I even had to wake Stella up) it was time to suit up in to the costume she's been requesting for a few weeks. Old McDonald and his farm animals! Stella the chicken and Emerson the Chick/Duck

Trick or treating around our city square.

Stella LOVED pointing out all the fun costumes. I was actually surprised that she was the only chicken there...we do live in Tyson country.

This HAS to be the CUTEST chick you've ever seen. I really think she loved her costume. She was such a trooper. Maybe she knew she looked extra cute.

It's hard to get kids to look at the camera when there are fun little ghosts and goblins running around.But I love this little farm family.

After the square we headed directly to our friends house for a little trick or treating. Before we got there Stella said she wanted to be Belle, but then she saw the Rapunzel dress Cilla borrowed the other day and wanted to be Rapunzel.

Really?:...3 costumes! Oh well, she had fun.

This was Stella's first time doing the door to door thing and she loved it. The kiddos would run to the door. So sweet.

And of course, she checked out her loot at the end of the night.

Thanks Harris' for a fun night!

Hope you all had a great Halloween.

Punkin Patch

2011-10-29T22:07:00.000-05:00

We had the BEST time at a local punkin patch, as Stella calls it, today. Emerson wasn't so sure what to think of a corn maze.

But then she realized if it was with her big sis...it would be fun.

Taking it all in with this sweet pea.

Stella LOVED the corn maze and was the ledder (leader) the whole way.

Making sure we're still coming.

But after she found the corn maze she found her new favorite spot...the corn pit.I really think she would've played there ALL day if we let her.

Emme and I watched Stella play for a bit, but she had to jump in

Emerson LOVED the corn box. We had to watch her like a hawk because she was tempted to put some in her mouth, but she had a blast.

There were all sorts of animals including a baby goat and baby pigs (they were adorable).

And of course there were PUMPKINS.

Watching Stella run around looking for a pumpkin.

I just love those sweet cheeks.

Look at those baby blues!

At this point they were DONE taking pictures and just wanted to play. We also road on a hayride and went BACK to the corn box.

It was a great morning as a family! I LOVE this time of year. I wish fall would stay around through winter.

Happy Fall Y'all!

Chicken + Princess = Perfect Friday

2011-10-29T20:19:00.001-05:00

Stella's favorite restaurant..Chick-fil-a and her favorite thing to do..dress up = a HAPPY GIRL

The local chick-fil-a had princess/super hero night and Miss Stella had a blast. She even got her nails done before chowing down on some chicken.

Princess Emerson even joined in the fun.

Sweet Princess snuggling with her favorite prince.

And of course every princess needs to enjoy a royal night with friends!

Playing Together

2011-10-28T20:47:00.000-05:00

Stella is really into "doing hair" lately...I think it's because of Rapunzel. Anyway, here she is doing Emerson's hair...and they loved it. They've really been playing well together lately.

Stella LOVES to love on Emme...this sometimes turns into tackling.

Lots of love. I'm pretty sure Stella was squeezing really tight here, but Emme just loved the attention.

Warms my heart!

And yes, I know they have totally different coloring. It's crazy to me that these two girls are so different. I love it. Stella will definitely be dark while Emerson will be our "fair" complected sweet heart.

I love these two so much it hurts!

8 Months

2011-10-17T20:16:00.000-05:00

This serious pumpkin is 8 months! I can't get enough of her!

Licking her lips is a favorite pass time since her teeth seem to be killing her.

My happy girl.

I had to add this picture because she LOVES her pig that attached to her paci. I know she's 8 months old, but I'm still getting used to the whole paci thing. Stella never liked one.

What Emerson is up to..

*eat "real" food twice a day
*still nurse like a champ (including in the middle of the night!)
*wearing size 3 diaper
*wearing 9 months clothing, but your feet are still small
*your hair is growing but straight up :)
*you have your FIRST tooth...and are working on some more
*you take two good naps and if we're running around town you usually pass out
* you LOVE to watch your sister and listen to her sing
*you are a sweet pea...here's to hoping you sleep through the night soon :)

We love you Emerson Kate!

Weekend Fun..Toddler Style

2011-10-16T21:25:00.000-05:00

So these pictures are backwards, but I don't have time to figure out why :)
Anyway, we had a busy weekend. I should really say Stella had a busy weekend. Two birthdays and a LOT of sugar.
How sweet are these 4 girls...singing happy birthday to the Busy Bee Hannah. Hannah was even singing to herself :)

Sweet birthday girl. The Bee theme was adorable. Her mama, Stacy, did a great job!

The Bee party was at a local jump place and of course Stella had a blast.

We started our day at the Jones Center for a swimming party. Stella was even brave enough to go down the slide with daddy!

She loved it, but once was enough :)

The pool is awesome and there was a great current and I think her and Tom lapped it at least 200 times.

I'm bummed because this is the ONLY picture I got of the birthday boy Benjamin (he's the one with Tom in the water). Once we moved to the party room, Emerson needed a break so I didn't get any pictures of the bday boy. Anyway, the lifeguards wouldn't let the bday boy go down the slide by himself (even though he wanted to and had a life vest on), SO Tom was the lucky winner to "escort" Benjamin down the slide. They had a great time. I'm not sure how many times they went, but I know Tom loved it. Benjamin even told him they weren't going fast enough so they had to push the limits more.

It was a great Saturday. We are so thankful for the great friends we have in the area and their sweet little ones that we get to celebrate!

Tomorrow I'll try to blog about our big 8 month old! Happy 8 Months Emerson!

Woo Pig

2011-10-08T20:53:00.000-05:00

Let's call those hogs! It's game day here in Fayetteville and the girls were showing their spirit. Since Daddy had plans to cheer on the hogs with Papa...we (the girls) decided we were going to have some fun too.

When the Daddy's are away.. the princesses will play. We invited Cilla and her mommy, Rebekah, over for some fun. We had high hope of watching the game, but Stella was a big whiny (ok, a lot) and Emerson was all out of sorts. But don't worry once we got the princess attire out...we had a good ole time.

What? There's a game on...

Well like any good princess, LET'S CALL THOSE HOGS!

Their daddy's would be so proud.

It was a typical night with kiddos. Crazy and loud, but us mommy's got a little chit chat time. And let's face it...who doesn't like watching the Hogs with Disney Royalty :)

Beyond Blessed

2011-10-06T09:33:00.000-05:00

To say I'm blessed is a MAJOR understatement! This past week my mom AND 82 year old Grandma came to Arkansas for a special birthday party. It was such a good time and it went by WAY to fast. I could kick myself for not taking more pictures, but we were having too much fun. I have the memories. I know my mom and grandma have to be wiped out, but they didn't show it while they were here. It was go, go, go as usual!

Emerson talking to her great grandma, I'm so thankful for this very moment!

Emme obviously thought Grandma Reen was funny.

What else do you do when Grandmas visit? You have a taco bell picnic of course.

So sweet.

These two are usually inseparable. I don't know where it stems from but my mom (or as Stella calls her, Gaga) and Stella have a very special bond. When together, you will normally see them side by side. Stella doesn't always do well when saying goodbye to Gaga, but this time was a little easier because we dropped her off at school before going to the airport. But she has asked several times when she gets to see Gaga again.

Playing!

One last picture before next time.

It's always hard to say goodbye when my mom comes, but this time tugged on the heart strings a little more. I am so thankful my Grandma made this trip. It's been a tough few months (we lost my grandpa in June) so it was a sweet time. My grandma and i laughed because she never thought she'd be in Arkansas again, but here she was. If I'm honest, I didn't think I'd STILL be in Arkansas, but God has continued our journey here.It's not easy being away...not easy at all. BUT I know there's a reason I'm here and while it's hard sometimes I'm eager to see what God has in store. We love our little life here, but we do miss family too.
However, I'll continue to count my blessings! I think I enjoy being a mom so much because of my incredible examples. Being a mom is fun. Being a mom is an adventure. Being a mom is a blessing. And while I don't want to sugar coat it and make it seem easy-peesy, it's challenging, I do know that because of my mom and grandma I LOVE IT.
Thanks for being incredible role models and loving me for me. We can't wait to see you in December!

Royal Celebration

2011-10-02T19:31:00.000-05:00

Guess who left her Castle in Disneyland visited Arkansas for a special girls birthday party. "Belle" wasn't sure what to think of her special guest. She was a bit overwhelmed! Who wouldn't be...it's CINDERELLA after all :)

I love this picture because if you look closely...this is when the "little" princesses noticed Cinderella arriving ( a total surprise).

Who knew Cinderella's carriage made pit stops in Fayetteville?

Cinderella brought a gift for the birthday girl. Stella just stared at her.

Most of the princesses with the special guest. It was so hard to get a picture because the girls just kept looking at Cinderella.

Amelia and Cinderella

Cinderella and Ashlen

Hannah with her twin Cinderella

Lilly showing Cinderella her fresh manicure from the Bibbibi Bobbiti Boutique :)

Singing happy birthday to the birthday girl. Stella was conducting everyone with her wand.

Digging in. I love how Stella is holding this cupcake with her new her rings on.

Having a picnic with Belle and Ashlen.

Little Sister was a Rock Princess.

Miss Kate getting her nails done by the fairy Godmother.

And of course EVERY Royal Celebration has a Prince Charming...and Josiah was oh so charming. Other boys were there but somehow I managed to NOT get any pcitures of them.

Kate and Hannah playing at "Belle's Ball" (see this post for explanation)

Princess Amelia decorating her "Cinderella Carriage"

More Boutique fun.

It was so fun to see these little sweethearts dress up. Loved it. Sleeping Beauty (Ashlen), Cinderella (Kate), and Belle (Stella)

All princesses MUST wear their heals when playing on the slide.

I have to admit this was such a fun party to plan, but it was even more "magical" to watch it unfold. Stella had such a great time with all her friends. She is still talking about and has asked me if Cinderella made her way back to the Prince:)

I'm glad my Little Belle had a good time because really that's all that matters. Plus lets face it, I love Disneyland and Disney World so it was fun to have a little taste of it right here in our backyard.

Happy Birthday Sweet Princess Stella.

Party Prep

2011-10-02T18:24:00.000-05:00

You might wonder what it takes to be a princess! Well, Princess Stella is willing to share a few tips and give you the details from her Royal ball. Of course, you have to do your hair the night BEFORE the celebration.

My mom (GaGa) bought these for her and we decided to try them out to get "Belle" hair for the party :)

When your the princess you have to get ready early and make sure everything is in place. (the hair was a very curly ponytail...it was super cute)

All the princesses were there. This was the dessert table...I didn't get the food table. When trying to keep up with a princess time can slip away :)

Here are the party favors...the ~~girls~~ princesses got Disney cups with bracelets, a ring and of course a wand. The knights/princes took home swords with candy :)

Every princess has a castle. This is Rapunzel's castle. It was a big hit with the boys.

All princesses need to be glitzed up so we opened the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique nail salon. It was a HUGE hit.

Jasmine was nice enough to loan us Aladdins' magic carpet.

We decorated Cinderella's carriage.

Belle's ball was a treasure box filled with treats under all the "balls". (this was daddy's idea and so fun)

And of course every princess party needs a fairy Godmother (aka Aunt Lori) who made the party extra magical with all the sparkly signs and special stickers for all the manicures.

It was so fun and I"m very thankful for Grandma Reen (my grandma), Gaga (my mom) and Grammie (Tom's mom) for cleaning, rearranging, suggesting, cooking, shopping to make this Royal Celebration a little Princesses Dream.

Party Pics coming soon!

Happy Birthday Sweet Stella

2011-09-25T20:03:00.000-05:00

Happy 3rd Birthday Sweet Stella!

It seems like just yesterday you came into our world.

How has it already been 3 years since I first held you in my arms. Time is flying by and I need it to SLOW down.

I can still remember the toothy grin from your first birthday.

And your "me-do" attitude at your second birthday.

And here we are..THREE YEARS OLD! For some reason you going from 2 to 3 is hard on me. My little girl is growing up and I just want to press pause. You are so fun right now and I want to bottle you up.

Stella,

I love you more than I will ever be able to tell you. I remember your "birth"day like it was yesterday. You were my little sumo wrestler with a head of dark hair. Now you're my tall, dark, and sweet little girl. You've really started to give a real glimpse of what your little personality is going to be like. You fun and ALL girl. You love to dance, laugh and dress up. You are eager to be a "big" girl, but are still a bit timid at times. I'm pretty sure you're going to be a leader. And I KNOW that whatever you do you're going to do it a 100% and make sure everyone else is doing it right too. :)
You love to tell stories. You love your doggie and Daisy. You love to shop and pick out shoes and clothes (Lord, help us). You tend to favor mommy, but daddy hangs the moon. You are an INCREDIBLE big sister and Emerson watches your every move.

I'm so proud to be your mommy. And no matter what I'll be your biggest cheerleader in life!

happy 3 years Stella!

Mommy

Beach Bums

2011-09-14T10:51:00.000-05:00

I know I'm WAY behind on my Oregon posts, but better late than never. One day while I was home we drove to the beach. Before we go on I must fill you in. If you've ever been to the Oregon coast then skip ahead,but if not you need to know why we are bundled up in sweatshirts. You see even if it's an amazing day at the beach (70's plus) you still need to be ready for the cool wind. So we were but for the first time in FOREVER...it wasn't windy at the beach. It was actually HOT. I know my pictures don't show it, but these were taken in the first minutes we were there...not soon after we were all shedding layers and applying sunscreen. It was a great day!

Emerson enjoyed it. She was just chill watching everything around her

Someone was very serious about her sand castle!

It didn't take long before the crew had to hit the water in search for seashells. Hunter was all over the place I didn't even get him in action.

Sawyer LOVED the water. I think he would've swam with the sharks if we let him :)

Stella wasn't sure about the tide going in and out at times.

By the end of our time on the beach...Hunter and Sawyer were soaked. Stella was wet but not as much (she is prissy afterall)

And after a change of clothes, a yummy lunch, and the ride home...everyone had to check out their loot.

Now, you see why I barely got a picture of Hunter. He was very busy collecting sea "treasures."

Big Week for Our Big Girl

2011-09-07T19:39:00.000-05:00

Today was this little photographers 1st day of school. And she insisted that she take my picture instead of me getting her this morning. Stella is little Miss Bossy :)

Ready to head out the door with her new backpack and lunch box.

A forced "cheese" She did great her first day and we SOOO excited Miss Jamie was her teacher again. And she has talked about her new teacher Miss Merrily all day too, so I have a feeling she is going to love this year!

Another BIG deal in our household this week...Stella is in her big girl BED!!! This was nap time today.

She LOVES her bed. I think she likes her princess pillows from Gaga and this princess bed rail daddy found the BEST, She calls it her Cinderella bed...I guess whatever works, right? Stella has done great. I was worried about the transition, but it's been EASY!

Here's the bed before all the stuff animals and lovies over took it. It's just perfect for Stella. Thanks to Gaga for finding this cute bedding and for such a deal!

But can someone tell me when did my baby get so big? Really?!?! A big girl bed...time please slow down!

82 Party Themes

2011-08-23T09:51:00.000-05:00

Please look at my sweet Grandma! I'm so excited we were here to celebrate her 82nd birthday this week. And did we celebrate! The kids (a 4 year old, almost 3 year old, almost 2 year old and 6 month old) were in charge! ha! You name a kids theme...and it was included in this wild get together!

Grandma didn't even make it into the entry way before they were giving her her present and ripping into. I think she liked her new purse and wallet, but we didn't get to ask her because it was onto more of the fun.

The kids picked the cake. Yes, there was a princess theme, but if you look behind the crown there is also a dinosaur (theme #2). You should have seen the bakeries face when they said they wanted a princess/dinosaur cake.

Notice the party hats and you can see a peak of the balloons. There was a Disney balloon, spiderman, Tinkerbell, star, etc...the themes were endless :)

Thrilled about their party hats.

ARRRGGHH! An 82nd party is NEVER complete without a pirate game :)

Singing and ready to dig in!

Sugar High!

Princess! (yes, that is the crown from the cake...party favor for Miss Stella)

Sweet Hunter sharing (ok, he was eating Grandmas after his) cake with Grandma Reen.

We LOVE YOU GRANDMA!!! Thank you for allowing this wild bunch to throw you the BEST party yet!

Half a Year...What?!?

2011-08-16T09:11:00.001-05:00

HAPPY 6 MONTHS EMERSON!

YOU ARE OUR JOY!

WE CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S ALREADY BEEN HALF A YEAR!

WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR YOU AND THOSE SWEET BABY BLUES!

I really can't believe it's already been 6 months!
I'll admit there were days I thought we'd never reach this point, but now that we have I have to say it's flying by.
Little Miss Thing had a growth spurt these last couple months.

Stats...
27.4 inches long = 90th percentile (she was 50th percentile at 3 months)
15.4 ounces = 50th percentile

Emerson is wearing 6-9 months clothes, size 2 diapers.
She is eating some solids and loves it. So far, avocados are her favorite! She doesn't have much of a menu but we're adding to it! Poor thing has been teething for forever but has nothing to show for it yet :(
And it seems like her reflux is letting up, so things for this sweet pea are looking up.

Time flies when you're having fun and boy oh boy we're having a blast!

Potty Training Boot Camp

2011-08-12T09:08:00.000-05:00

I'm proud to say my almost 3 year old is potty trained!

Some of you have asked me (ok, maybe 2 people asked, but I want to document it either way) how we conquered the potty.

Well, first of all we waited until she seemed ready...she was MORE than ready.

Then...

Stella and I had a potty date to walmart to gear up for the week at home in panties. She was very thorough while trying to pick the perfect potty seat. (we don't even use it anymore, but it made her more excited at first, so it was worth it)

Then Stella picked out a treat she was rewarded with for peeing on the potty. Star Marshmellows did the trick.

Loaded up. Notice she picked the princess seat. And yes, lots of juice. Stella normally just drinks water and milk but in an effort to get her "extra" hydrated so we could jump start the trips to the bathroom we loaded up on Cars Juice:)

Of course we picked out the perfect panties...hehe.

We had reading material just in case a little extra time on the potty was needed. Nothing like reading a little Bible to motivate you :)

And of course we had a BIG treat (ie: ice cream with gummy worms) when she had no accidents and FINALLY went #2.

Ok, so now you've seen all our supplies. This is what we did. I cleared off my calendar for an entire week and we decided to hunker down at home and play, pee, drink, pee, eat, pee,...you get the idea. I started the week by setting a timer EVERY 15 minutes and taking Stella to the potty. She HATED that! HATED it. She was excited to be in her panties, but she didn't like go to the bathroom so often so I stretched it to 30 minutes...she didn't like that much better. So, pumping her full of juice and water she just started telling me she had to go and that was it. We were DONE with the timers and my constant nagging. Stella hasn't had one accident in the last month since we started this. Going #2 was a BIG struggle at first, but she's finally coming around. She wouldn't have accidents she just wouldn't go.

I realize potty training is different for every child and we waited LONG enough to toss the diapers. I'm glad we waited until she was ready because my strong will child could havemade this a wild ride.

So, there you go..that's how we did it. If you're entering this fun phase of "toddler-hood" GOOD LUCK!

Stella's Interview and Pics of Emme

2011-08-11T15:23:00.001-05:00

A few days ago my friend, Jennifer, interviewed her son for a little afternoon fun. I thought it was a cute idea so I did the same with Stella. I hope to do it again and compare answers as she gets older.

Please look at this pose. When she tried this swimsuit on she said "Mommy take my picture. This suit is cute." OH MY!

What is your name? Stella

How old are you? 2. After my birthday I'll be 3.

What is your favorite color? ummm, ummm, milk.

Who is your best friend? I don't know. My princess.

What is your favorite animal? Horse.

What are you going to be when you grow up? I'm going to be a bad girl. (oh Lord help us!)

What is your favorite book? Cat in Hat

What makes you happy? Sallie and Cilla

What makes you sad? A boy from school. (she said his name but I'm protecting him, ha)

What is your favorite food? peas, carrots, turkey, grapes, broccoli, and meal (oatmeal)

What is your favorite song? Mickey Guitar song

What is your favorite game? Hide and Seek & Coloring.

I'm so behind on posting so I decided to take some of my phone pictures of sweet Emerson and include them in this random post. Here she is in her Sunday best.

Watching daddy one EARLY morning.

Helping me in the kitchen.

Sitting up like a big girl and VERY proud of herself.

I think she's trying to decide if she wants to suck her thumb. Only time will tell, but I sucked mine til I was seven. ha!

Pretty Princesses

2011-08-10T14:41:00.000-05:00

OH my word! When did these two grow up? I swear it was just yesterday Sallie's mom, Renee, and I would bump (literally and figuratively) at church and wonder what are sweet girls would be like. Well, almost 3 years later it's obvious....

they're princesses! Stella and i don't get to see Sallie and Renee often, but it's always a fun time when we do. We finally had them over today and the girls played together great (for the most part). And soon before they left the girls decided to be princesses. I love that Sallie is also holding the Rapunzel doll.

When we were helping into their "gowns" Stella was frantically looking for her crown and she informed me, "You can't be a princess without a crown." Now I know :)
By the way Sallie is a month older than Stella..last year they were both into Mickey and had Mickey b-day parties...this year they're both having princess parties.

The two princesses watched a little Alice in Wonderland and then it was nap time. As I'm writing this Stella is napping, but you should know she's now wearing the Rapunzel dress. Yes, she's even a princess when she sleeps. (sidenote: I would letter her wear her Belle dress to bed because there's too much glitter, so we compromised:))
As always it was fun to catch up with Renee. She really has the sweetest spirit and is super encouraging. It was also fun to sit back and hear the two little princesses carry on little conversations...such a fun age!

Happy Birthday Mollie Beth

2011-08-07T19:15:00.000-05:00

We had a busy Saturday. We kicked it off with a party for Stella's sweet friend Miss Mollie Beth.This is the best picture I could of both of them. They were too busy getting ready to splash around.

The cute birthday girl wasted NO time getting wet!

Stella wasn't sure about the sprinkler ball, ha!

But this thrill seeker was in love once she found the slide/pool around the corner.

I'm pretty sure she was saying again here.

The birthday girl with her GOLDEN cake for her GOLDEN birthday...3 years old on the 3rd! Happy birthday Mollie Beth.

After the birthday party, Stella and I ran home. She went down for a nap and this cutie and I headed out to a baby shower for Mindi and sweet Emma Grace (on the way).

I went to a couples wedding shower later that evening. It was a busy day, but it was so fun to celebrate so many different stages in life with sweet friends! LOVE YOU ALL!

Make It a Better Day

2011-08-01T08:24:00.002-05:00

My daddy gets up at WHAT time?

It's ok because my daddy makes it a better day :) Emerson is a big fan of our local NBC stations, KNWA Today. She usually catches the last few minutes of the show. She is a big fan of watching her daddy on the news. I'm not kidding when I tell you that she turns her head in all sorts of directions trying to find him when she hears his voice come on. Sometimes she's so distracted I can't feed her, so off goes the TV. :)

Anyway, Tom's co-anchor gave this to Emme when she was born and it finally fits. She was pretty proud to support her daddy the other day.

I just love those cheeks!

PS "Make it a better day" is the shows theme/motto

Sizzlin Summer Fun

2011-07-17T20:55:00.001-05:00

If you live in Arkansas than you know it's hot, if you don't well, IT'S HOT! Tonight I decided Stella and I needed a little fun after Emerson went down. Tom was at a game, so we headed outside for a little fun in the pool. You see recently it's been soo hot outside you have to wait until after 7 to enjoy it. Even as I'm writing this (8:50) it's 88...92 heat index. What!?! Where's the Oregon summer's that I love. And it's supposed to be in the 100's this week..yikes. So we're having fun now.

I was surprised Stella got so into it. Last time we tried this she wasn't interested.

Getting water out of her bucket.

Showing off her little pool.

This girl is VERY SASSY. She posed like this and said take my picture. Oh Lord, please help us.

Concentrating

Please look at that face...here she is telling me we need more water. She's giving me the look like it's not an option and I need to hop on it. Well, we didn't need more water, ha!

Sweet girl having fun.

I kid you not...
Me: "Stella what are you doing."
Stella:"Shhh mommy, I need to relax."

Oh how I dread the teen years :)

5 Months and Counting

2011-07-16T20:08:00.000-05:00

I can't believe this blue-eyed beauty is already 5 months old! She's been super busy this month.

Emerson is still a BIG fan of her paci and now she LOVES to play with her little rattle toys. She goes wild once she realizes she's the one makeing the noise.

She is getting closer to sitting up on her own...right now she needs a little support.

Eating her toy...she's been "teething" for awhile now, but we've yet to see one pop through.

Look at the drool. This girl can DROOL!

Just because I love baby legs.

Miss Emme loves to sleep on her side. She moves all over her crib. I never know in what direction I'll find her when I go get her.

Emerson has rolled over a couple times but doesn't seem overly interested in doing it all the time...she'd rather hang out on her side.

Unlike her big sister at this age, Emerson is NOT sleeping through the night...help me Jesus. I'm hoping we turn that corner soon, but until then I'll continue to cherish my late night feeding with my girl.

We've started a couple tastes of "real" food, but I'll write more on that later.

Happy 5 months sweet girl! We love you.

The Yazwinski Herd

2011-07-08T14:02:00.000-05:00

One of our favorite restaurants, Chick fil A, had their Cow Appreciation day. If you dressed up like a cow you got a free MEAL...the whole thing,drink, side and entree for FREE! So this "herd" put on our best cow apparel and "mooooved" on out for some good "feed."

Getting ready to order.

I had to include this picture...please notice Stella's doll...dressed like a cow too :)

Enjoying her chicken.

Poor Emerson was asleep in her carseat when we got there and was very confused when she woke up...there were people dressed like cows EVERYWHERE. (For all of you that love girls in bows, YES, I know that bow is too small for the headband, but we seem to lose our big white one all the time and I didn't want people thinking she was a boy, so this was my next option :))

Tom showing off his udder. We made a special trip to Tom's dad's office to get this udder :)

Our herd. It was a fun little family outing! We might look silly, but it was a good time and we ran into a lot of friends too.

These are all phone pictures...just not enough hands to take in the good camera :)

Baaaaahhhhhhhh

2011-07-05T14:04:00.000-05:00

I've said time and time again that this girl is ALL pricness, but she DOES have a little country in her too.
Tom's dad, aka Papa, is studying some sheep right now, so Stella had to check them out!

She LOVED chasing them.

But when Papa caught one for her to pet...she turned into a prissy princess again!

Tom caught some cute candid pictures of her when we were leaving and I just love them. I know her hair is a mess...but that's always the case. I just love this munchkin!!

That sweet smile makes the harder days worth it! Overall, she may have a little country in her, but she's all princess :)

Sisters

2011-07-05T13:45:00.000-05:00

I just had to share these sweet faces! I love them more than ever imagined!

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-04T08:28:00.000-05:00

i took the good camera on the 4th in hopes of getting a cute family shot after Tom was done working the game, but keeping a baby cool and fed and chasing a toddler left me with these pictures...maybe next year.

Staying hydrated...and YES, the girls had coordinating outfits, but NO I did not get a picture..ugh!

Aunt Lori and Uncle Julian doing their part to break the world record for most people playing air guitar, ha!

Stella has ALWAYS loved fireworks...this year, not so much. She warmed up to it after awhile,but was TERRIFIED at first. Emerson, on the other hand, wasn't phased by them one bit.

4 Month Stats

2011-06-29T20:57:00.000-05:00

Ok, I've had major issues getting these pictures to load, but I got them. These are just some recent pictures I've snapped on my phone. Sweet Emerson is getting big TOO fast!

Emerson passed out on our bed in Boston right before we had to leave for a wedding...go figure.

Ready to party!

Our happy girl! Emerson is a very happy girl...until she's not, HA! That might not make much sense, but here's the deal. If this little sweet pea is upset...she is MAD. There is no luke warm..its one extreme or the other. She keeps us on our toes!

Anyway, she had her 4 month check up Monday and she's perfect!

Stats

weight = 13 pounds 11.5 ounces...50 percentile

length = 24.80 inches...70 percentile

head = 50 percentile

She is pretty much right where Stella was at 4 months...crazy!

Emerson is 4 Months!

2011-06-16T09:07:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love this sweet girl's smile! Her little crinkled up nose is TOO cute!

I can't believe it's been 4 months! I could just eat her up.

Watching her sister play...a favorite pass time for SURE

Ha, don't they look happy. Emerson was fussy just before this picture and then Stella went over to comfort her and she was done. I love that she loves her big sister so much and vise versa.

Emerson is still in 3 month and 3-6 month clothes.

She wears a size 2 diaper now.

Still a good nurser but she watches us VERY closely when we're eating so foods might be in her future soon.

She loves her paci still. Her naps are getting a little better and night time is pretty good. She still gets up once.

She loves her carseat.

She flew for the first time this month. she did pretty good. And we fly again soon...she's a little traveler!

She is pretty attached to me, but daddy can get some pretty awesome smiles out of her.

She loves her playmat and is constantly talking.

Her reflux seems to have let up some, but I don't want to jinx us :)

Overall, she is pretty happy baby UNLESS she gets tired. Watch out. There is little to NO warning before she melts down.

Happy 4 Months sweet girl!

Cousins!

2011-06-15T08:48:00.000-05:00

We weren't expecting to see Hunter and Sawyer on our trip to Oregon, but due to Grandpa's health they decided to make the trip! SO MUCH COUSIN FUN! Hunter was so sweet with Emerson.

Stella and Sawyer hugging/tackling. Depending on their moods this was fun or torture :)

My pictures for the baths didn't turn out that great...but it was WILD!!!

My dad was in charge and a bit stressed taming the older 3 :)

My dad did this with Stella when we first got there and then decided the boys would like it too when they arrived...I think after 10 laps around the yard he regretted that decision :)

This is Stella with her second cousins. We had a cookout at my parents house and they came to play. Stella (2 1/2) was bossing around her MUCH older cousins...it was pretty funny. They were so sweet with her.

Then they headed to the pool (it ended up being closed) but I just love this picture of Stella keeping up with them. She was so excited to go to the pool with the "big" kids. It reminded me of my cousin, Sonia, trying to keep up with our older cousins. They weren't as sweet to us though :)

Gaga and (big) Papa

2011-06-15T07:46:00.000-05:00

I decided to make a last minute trip to Oregon to visit my Grandpa (more on that later) and as you can see the girls had a great time with their Papa and Gaga. I wish we could see my parents...a lot more...but the time they have together is so sweet. Stella is very much attached to my mom so it's always fun to see what they're going to come up with.

It was a great visit, but a sad one. My grandpa has been fighting cancer for quite sometime. Originally, I was going to fly out to see him at the end of June...but then I just felt the need to go NOW. Well, obviously God KNEW I needed to go. While I was there he was rushed to the hospital and it wasn't good. But in true grandpa fashion...he bounced back a little. Don't get me wrong he was extremely weak but he could still boss us around and give us a piece of his mind :) Due to the trip to the hospital, my brother and his family decided to come at the last minute to visit grandpa too. It was a crazy (4 kids under 4) time, but very sweet. Both Beau and I got to spend some quality time with grandpa. We didn't know it then...it was the beginning of the end for our grandpa. He went to be with Jesus Tuesday.

I WILL NEVER forget my time with him. I have a whole post on just Grandpa coming soon.

So while my trip to Oregon was bittersweet....I'm thankful my girls made memories with Papa and Gaga!

End of the Year School Program

2011-05-18T16:54:00.001-05:00

This is one of Stella's best buds at school, Camilla! They were discussing the right motions to the songs :)

It was so cute how focused Stella was! I loved seeing her in action because I hear about these moves/songs all the time and now I can do them with her. Sometimes she lets me...other times, not so much :)

This little light is going to SHINE!

This isn't the actual performance but Stella was going to miss the last week of school because we were going to Oregon so they let me come watch a "rehearsal"

It was so fun and chaotic. Of course, once Stella saw me she wanted to sit by me...well, that defeats the purpose of me getting a sneak peek. Don't get me wrong I love watching all the kids sing, but I wanted to see my kid, ha!

I thought it was a lost cause, BUT once the music started and it was a song with motions...she ran up to the front and did GREAT!

We've loved Stella's school this year and are so blessed for all she's done and learned. The teachers are really little gifts from God.

We can't wait until next fall!

Happy 3 Months Emerson!

2011-05-16T20:26:00.000-05:00

This little chipmunk is 3 months old!

Emerson is slowly but surely showing signs of the reflux easing some. We have our moments.

She really is happy baby. Of course, once one things starts to get better little bit is already working on her teeth and she DOESN'T like it. Nothing has popped through yet, but she is drooling like a champ and you can see/feel one at the surface.

Emerson is in 3 month and 3-6 month clothes. She LOVES her paci (unlike her older sister). She is still a great nurser and was on a good schedule until recently so we're working on that again. She sleeps great at night but isn't the best napper. We have a busy beginning of the summer but once we're back home we're going to work hard on her routine.

She stills wear size 1 diaper. Emerson LOVES to watch her big sister. If she's not playing on her playmat (that she can't get enough of) you can normally find her propped up watching Stella or enjoying the Bumbo. She doesn't like to be in one place for long, so we're always on the go.

We love you Emme!

April Showers Bring May Flowers...& Fun Outside

2011-05-13T20:52:00.004-05:00

Stella was watching a plane here :)

This is PRINCESS Stella's CASTLE!

The Bases

2011-05-13T13:26:00.004-05:00

My Mother's day afternoon was spent at the ballpark with my little family after nap time. Stella LOVES to go cheer on the Naturals and run the bases. So we loaded up and set out to meet daddy for a little afternoon fun.

She was on a mission and ready to play on the playground.

Cheetos for dinner...Stella didn't argue :)

Look at those eyes! This was Emerson's first Naturals game and she did great. It was pretty humid and sticky but for the most part she snoozed in her car seat!

Love those sweet lips!

Waiting in line to run the bases

If you look closely Tom is holding Stella. She LOVED running the bases, but I couldn't get closer because Emerson was in our jumbo stroller so I took a couple from up top, but that was a lost cause.

It was a great Mother's Day. I'm excited we were finally able to make it to a game this year!

Before I was a Mom...

2011-05-07T20:29:00.003-05:00

An amazing women in our church sent me this the other day to wish me Happy Mother's Day and to encourage me on the rough days...I hope you like it as much as me. (I added some pictures in honor of my little ones this Mother's day)
Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys,
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on,
Pooped on,
Chewed on,
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom,
I never held a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never
knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.
Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment,
or satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Easter Best

2011-04-27T14:31:00.003-05:00

Happy Easter! He is Risen...He is Risen, indeed!

Take Our Picture

2011-04-26T03:52:00.000-05:00

I guess Stella is used to me clicking the camera all the time because recently she's been saying "take our picture" whenver she is loving on Emerson. Lots of times I dn't have my camera and we use a pretend camera or her toy princess camera, but sometimes she wants me to get the "real" one.

Of course, when they are dressed cute and ready to go somewhere and I want to take a cute sister picture...she wants nothing to do with it.

I'll take what I can get I guess :)

Pretty Eggs

2011-04-24T20:56:00.001-05:00

Saturday I set up a little project for Stella...we dyed Easter Eggs. We invited Uncle Julian and Aunt Lori over since they're artsy. It's amazing how fast you can get through a project with a toddler. But I think Stella enjoyed it.

She kept eyeing every ones work.

Why use the "wire thing" when you can...

use your hands?

The finished product.

Egg Hunt #3

2011-04-22T21:30:00.004-05:00

Friday was a great morning for fun with friends. Stella was so excited to go to playgroup. She was having a blast with Cilla and Trenton swinging.

Lisa was the hostess with the mostess and had lunch for everyone. Pizza for the kiddos and YUMMY salad for the mommys (SO GOOD)!

I'm pretty sure she was telling everyone she's got the whole Easter egg hunting thing down.

Yep, you guessed it. After lunch the kids hunted eggs. Stella has got this down!
Lisa has a great yard so there was lots of room for the kids to run and search for eggs.

I love this picture. Brody didn't care about gathering the most eggs...he wanted the treats inside pronto!

I think Stella and Trenton were trying to decide who was going to get the egg. In the end Stella got it, but no worries...there were plenty left for Trenton.

Emerson was pretty cranky during most of playgroup (less adult time for me, oh well) but during the egg hunt she was content hanging in Trevor's swing.

And when all was said and done, Stella and Cilla had to take inventory. I think they both left very satisfied hunters :)

I'm so thankful for these little kiddos and their moms. It's fun to see Stella grow up with these cuties!

C.R.A.Z.Y Weather

2011-04-22T21:16:00.002-05:00

For all of the family back home...no, this is NOT snow. It's HAIL. What?!? I know it's still super crazy to me too.

All of this came down fast and furious the other day. Who knows how much damage it did to our roof...hopefully none!

These had melted quite a bit by the time we took a picture. We definitely had ping pong and golf ball sized hail the other day.

On a brighter note, the other day it was just me and Emme up so I decided to put a bow/flower on her. HA! It's huge I know! I think at this point Stella had worn a lot more bows but I'm just not as into it with Miss E. It probably has something to do with time and just trying to get us all dressed let alone adding accessories. :)

This is what her hair looked like without the bow. Ha, we all have bad hair days.

Happy 2 Months (and 1 week) Emme

2011-04-20T20:40:00.003-05:00

Poor girl didn't know what was coming. This is Emerson right before her 2 month shots. She did GREAT! The doctor is very pleased with her growth. She is 22.5 inches long (50 percentile) and 11 pounds 4 ounces (50th percentile). It was so good to talk with the doctor about the reflux issues Emme's been dealing with. I felt better when we left and thrilled our little girl is growing like she's supposed to.

Zonked out in her bouncy after getting her shots.

Then another nap in her swing. Anything to make her comfortable.
Emerson is cooing up a storm these days. She always has things to tell us. And she loves to crinkle her nose when she smiles...I love it!

She's still not sure what to think of tummy time, but tolerates it most of the time.

She still eats about every 2 hours during the day (I know, I know) but I think she is getting ready to stretch that out some. At night she goes down and sleeps about 4-6 hours before waking for a feeding then goes another 3-4 hours before she's hungry again. She goes right back down after eating, so it's not too bad. She naps 3-4 times during the day...not too long because she likes to eat every two hours.

Emerson has really started to notice more around her. Of course, she is always looking for her big sister. She is starting to swat at her toys on her playmat as well as talking to them. She is great in the car (most of the time).

We really can't believe it's already been 2 months!

We love you sweet girl!

Egg Hunt #2

2011-04-20T16:57:00.004-05:00

Bundled up and ready to head out for some Easter egg fun.

Listening to the rules.

I am SOOO thankful for Stella's sweet class. Her teachers Miss Jamie and Miss Tasha are incredible and love on Stella two days a week. Stella talks about them often. I'm very thankful for their willingness to teach Stella about Jesus and help her adjust to time away from mommy and daddy.

On a mission to fill up her "bunny purse."

Stella and her friend, Ruthie, making sure everyone gets an egg.

Pure JOY...she found a Diego egg! What more could a girl ask for?

I love this picture because this is Stella's little friend Camellia and they are best buds. Miss Jamie says they play together all the time and they thought it was so funny to look in each others baskets today.

Of course, she is checking out the other kids loot to make sure she didn't miss anything good.

I'm so thankful for her school!!! Stella goes two times a week and they really do work on growing these little ones minds, hearts and faith.

I was glad I got to be there for the Easter Egg Hunt!

Egg Hunt #1

2011-04-19T10:45:00.004-05:00

Stella loves bunny including the Easter Bunny and that's why I couldn't get her to look at the camera...she was checking him out.

Every Spring our neighborhood had this get together for the kiddos. There were bounce houses, the bunny, an egg hunt and of course juice and chips

Emerson slept through the excitement!

It was a madhouse with all the kids so as you can see Stella is staring down her competition.

Ha, next year she's with the big kids so she might not be so threatening :)

On the hunt for more eggs.

Showing daddy her loot.

Who wants to smile when you have a cookie with sprinkles on it?

Organizing her "treasures."

Stella was thrilled she got some suckers!

And of course she had to eat some candy and put on her candy bracelet before we headed home.

I think we have at least 2 more Easter egg hunts this week so we should be on a sugar high all week!

Look Who's 8 Weeks

2011-04-13T12:58:00.000-05:00

Look who is grabbing toys...she's got a death grip on this rattle.

Emerson was very proud that she had this toy.

I had to add this picture to show you her mini-mohawk. Just like her sister.

She HATES tummy time, but I had to show her cute pants. Believe it or n0t this outfit is 3 months...not 0-3, but 3 months. WHAT!?!

Happy 8 weeks baby girl!

Happy Birthday Daddy

2011-04-11T20:49:00.003-05:00

Today my cute hubby turned 32. We are celebrating with the whole fam later this week, but tonight at the last minute we decided to go out just hte 4 of us and it was fun. As you can see HE chose mexican (after almost 6 years of marriage I'm finally rubbing off on him). He ordered teh biggest beer ever while Stella ordered cheese dip as soon as we sat down. I just love these two.

And since it was his birthday, Stella wouldn't let him pay so she picked up the bill. How cute is that!?!

Adding the tip.

Happy birthday to the best man I could ask for! Tom, you truly are a blessing to me and I'm so lucky to be your wife and watch you love our girls. I love sharing life with you. Both Stella and Emerson love you bunches!

We love you,

Your Girls!

Friday Fun

2011-04-09T13:32:00.003-05:00

Spring is here, so Friday Stella invited Amelia over for a little play date. We thought about going to the park, but lately Emerson has been a bit cranky so we played it safe and it worked out great. Stella LOVED showing off her play set with her friend. Yes, Miss Amelia is wearing one of Stella's dress up crowns (such a girlie girl).

Trying to get the swinging thing down.

Of course, we had to bust out the jumpy. They played hard and were dirty when all was said and done. It was a good time...thanks for coming to play Amelia.

Ok, speaking of dirty look at this sweet girls face. Stella is in total toddler mode...play play play and get DIRTY. I had to share these pictures because they crack me up. She HATES for her hands to be dirty so if only she knew what her face looked like after playing outside.

Pineapple juice running out of her mouth and tomatoes smeared on her shirt. I love that she plays hard. Who needs pretty dresses, time to bust out the play clothes!

Donuts with Dad

2011-04-07T21:13:00.000-05:00

Stella is lucky enough to go to a great "pre-school" and today they hosted Donuts with Dad. Tom came home to take his princess to school and enjoy a nice morning sugar rush! She was excited he was going, but she didn't want to take a picture for me.

Sugar High!

Not only did she get supped up on donuts...she also got juice. The poor teachers. The dads come in..eat the treats and then dump them off all hyped on sugar for the rest of the day at school.

I know the both had a blast. I i just love that Stella gets to do fun stuff with her daddy because I know I LOVED that (still do) growing up as my dad's princess!

Miss Emerson is 7 Weeks

2011-04-06T20:41:00.005-05:00

I'll admit this past week was pretty trying as a mommy to this little one, but like everything it's all just a phase. I'm hoping whatever is bothering her tummy and causing her to scream is gone. Yes, I've changed my diet. BUT I'm still LOVING my days with my girls. Here are some pics of my sweet pea. Emerson loves to lay on her changing table...why is the playmat not as soothing :)

We figured out that naps are longer if she has her arms out of her swaddle, but we still do the full swaddle at night and it doesn't bother her...funny how the little things work.

Chillin in her crib while I picked up her room.

Hanging with daddy while mommy got some things done.

We are getting more and more smiles.

In her Sunday best...this past Sunday was her first time to church and she did great.

I just love this little outfit. How can you not love baby legs!

Happy 7 weeks Emerson...we are so blessed to have you in our lives!

Oh yeah, for the last few nights she has slept a 5 to 5.5 hour stretch, gets up to eat and goes right back down. Time is flying by!

Yes, the last few pictures are off my phone...I can't carry the nice camera 24/7

Lunch with a Princess

2011-04-02T08:06:00.004-05:00

It's official, we have a pretty princess on our hands. Our friends from Orlando visited the other day and brought Stella an awesome Belle dress. She LOVES it. She was so excited about it she wanted to put it on and then of course didn't want to take it off. So, Friday we all had lunch with a princess. I always love seeing kids out in costumes. It's not worth the fight to make them take it off and I love to see their little imaginations at work. I have to tell you lunch with this princess was a pure joy.

Of course every princess has her Prince!

PS..there is a lot of glitter on this dress so Little Miss Princess and her Prince were covered in sparkles.

Happy 6 Weeks Emerson

2011-03-30T15:45:00.003-05:00

Emerson is slowly but surely startying to show us her smile. She smiles all the time in her sleep, but we're getting a few glimpses during the day now too. I love it when they start to showing more personality.

This little sister could watch her big sister all day. Stella was playing and Emme just wanted to watch.

Unlike her big sister, Emerson does take a paci.

Stella wanted me to take a picture so I did.

I know Emme is super mad here, but it was really sweet because Stella just kept telling her it was ok. So SWEET.

Emerson you are growing like a weed. You still eat every 2-3.5 hours during both the day and night. We love you!

Rain Rain Go Away

2011-03-29T16:45:00.004-05:00

Since today was a yucky day...Stella's friend Cilla thought it'd be a good idea to go to Boingo Bounce. It was a HUGE hit. The girls did all the jumpies by themselves and had a blast on the slides.

Stella had a blast! These pictures say it all.

Stella was so excited when Cilla got there. Too bad Cilla was so on the go I didn't get many pictures of her.

Pure joy after going down the BIG slide.

In the past Tom has gone down this with Stella, but today she did it all by herself...climbing to the top...everything. Cilla too!

And Miss Emerson slept through the entire trip. I think the flash bugged her here, but the noise of the jumpies lulled her to sleep.

Pucker Up Buttercup

2011-03-27T15:20:00.002-05:00

Right now Stella is really into her "lipstick" from her princess kit. Actually, she's just into lipstick period. When my mom was here she requested it regularly and if I'm putting some on or Tom is putting on chapstick she wants some. This morning she wanted EVERYONE to have some of her lipstick. Here she is helping daddy.

Of course, Emerson needed some.

A girl can never have enough lipstick.

I got some too, but we didn't get a picture. I wanted to include this picture to show off her dress. My mom (Gaga) made this and I thought it turned out super cute. I can't believe it's so cold Stella has to wear tights and a turtleneck with it, but it's still cute! Thanks MOM!

Oh and yes, Stella got this whistle as a party favor at a birthday she went to recently. Let me tell you how awesome this toy is with a newborn. ha. I might have to return to favor one day, ha!

Rub a Dub Dub..Emerson's 1st Tub

2011-03-25T20:04:00.004-05:00

Yes, I know Emerson is over 5 weeks old and it seems crazy she is just now getting her FIRST "real" bath BUT her umbilical cord held on FOREVER.

But she LOVES her bath. I think this might be our solution to getting rid of some cranky time in the evening. Literally, I put her in her tub and she just relaxed and loved being pampered.

Keeping an eye on me to make sure I'm getting her completely clean :) look at those chins.

Emerson even tried to do it herself...so big

All dry and ready for some lotion and jammies. Don't you just love those BIG eyes.

Now, if only mommy could find time for a shower, ha!

5 Weeks

2011-03-23T10:29:00.000-05:00

Sweet girl is 5 weeks and I think she is looking so big these days!

Tummy time is NOT a favorite time. As you can tell her face is read and she is about to blow up!

Stella doesn't like it when Emerson is upset so here she is trying to make her happy during tummy time. She is such a sweet big sister!

And of course this little sassy thing likes her picture taken every once in awhile!

Emerson...

You are still eating and sleeping like a champ. I have a feeling your about to drop an evening feeding but we'll see.

You eat every2-3 hours during the day and every 3-3.5 hours at night. Most nights you go right back down, but sometimes you like to keep mommy up for a couple hours.

You have decided you like to be swaddled, but you love to bust out of the swaddle too.

Tummy time is not a activity of choice. You do love to just lay on the floor while Stella reads to you.

You are pure joy and we love you.!

Happy 1 Month Emerson

2011-03-16T09:16:00.000-05:00

I love this big eyes! I'm not sure they're has big as her sisters, but Emerson definitely has some pretty eyes too.

Hanging out with Mommy before Stella wakes up.

Watching Daddy on the news...very serious!

I forgot how much little ones sleep. We did a great sleep training method with Stella when she was this age, so I started it with Emerson and I was worried she was sleeping too much. But my sweet friends reminded me there is very little awake time at this age. And NO ONE wakes a sleeping baby. At least not me :)

Emerson lets me swaddle her but then I think it's her goal to bust out. She loves to have her arms free, so during the day they tend to be free, but at night they stay nice and bundled.

Stella has really been into holding Emerson more, but it's nearly impossible to get a cute picture because Stella doesn't want to look at the camera...she'd rather look at her little sister.

I love this picture. Stella has been an incredible big sister.

Emerson, you are a true joy. I really can't believe a month has already passed. For the most part you're an easy baby. You have your fussy time in the evening like your sister did (so I was able to mentally prepare myself this time), ha! You like to follow our voices, but your especially drawn to your sister's voice and you always perk up when you hear daddy. I guess you get sick of hearing from me :)

You are just begging to coo and make sweet sounds and everyone now and then I'll catch a smile. BUT you too are serious like your sister.

We love you sweet girl!

Happy 3 Weeks Emerson

2011-03-09T11:44:00.003-06:00

Emerson you are pure joy! We've loved getting to know you and your sweet personality. I don't think anyone loves your more than your big sister.

Over the last 3 weeks she has waited patiently to play with you and now that you spend some "Emerson" time on your playmat Stella is eager to share her toys with you.

You love to hear Stella's stories.

You are very patient with your VERY loving sister.

Of course Miss Sassy has made this transition easier than I expected. I know a lot of it has to do with Stella's awesome attitude!

It's hard to believe 3 weeks have already flown by. So far, it's been pretty easy (we had a rough night last night, so it's not all easy) but we're loving this new adventure.

We LOVE you Emerson Kate!

Just Because I Love These Girls!

2011-03-04T11:09:00.004-06:00

I thought I'd post these pictures...just because!

Whenever Emerson is on this playmat Stella gets down there and talks to her and shares her toys..it melts my heart.

Love this sweet face.

This is how Stella used to nap too...she would free one and and be good to go. I can't believe I have two little precious ones.

And of course, this one still melts my heart! I'm so thankful for her playset and outdoor toys because it allows us to have a little time together outside of the house while Emerson naps.

Our dog was chasing her and she loved it.

Well, we made it the first week on our own and i think it was a success overall.

Hope you're all having a great week and have a happy weekend!

In the meantime this one is trying to make a break for it.

2 Weeks

2011-03-02T10:00:00.003-06:00

What?!? Emerson Kate is two weeks today. I can honestly say the time has flown by!

She is still a little peanut and has the skinniest little legs.

Yesterday was warm enough to go on a family stroll and it was super fun. Just like her sister on her first walk, Emerson did great but got a little warm a few blocks in so instead of risking it and getting on the trail in our neighborhood we turned around and headed home.

It was just what this mommy needed. A little "exercise" and sunshine. We don't have a double stroller yet, so I pushed Emerson and Tom had Stella in the jogging stroller.

Stella was super excited to take a her little sister on a walk.

Stella is still super excited about her little sister.

And Emerson usually goes along for the ride.

I don't know why but Stella loves Emerson's cheeks.

Cheesy smile!

I thought this picture gives you a better idea of how little our sweet Emme is. Look at those long skinny legs...definitely a Yazwinski trait.

Like I said the past two weeks have gone by pretty fast. This week has been an adjustment because my mom went home so I've been juggling nursing, cleaning, etc and playing with Stella. Stella has definitely wanted us in her playroom with her more, so thats been interesting at times, but it's fun too. I know I didn't do a 1 week post for Miss E and I'm not going to act like I have it all together. Sometimes just sitting on the couch is more appealing during a down time then cracking open the laptop. I will do my best to stay on top of it.

I'm hoping to do a comparison post soon so you can tell me if Emerson and Stella look alike. I'm still not convinced...there are moments, but not all the time.

Anyway, we are super in LOVE. Emerson eats, sleeps, poops (oh my goodness I forgot how much a newborn poops) and then does it all over again. This week we've enjoyed some more awake time and I know before long we'll be working on a schedule, so for now I'm just trying to enjoy the moment!

Grandparents

2011-02-27T08:33:00.004-06:00

The other day we decided to a do a little photo shoot with the grandparents. We took a picture of Stella when she was born with her four grandparents so we wanted to do the same with Emerson, but we forgot in the hospital so we made up for it at home. Stella looks serious here, but she just was more into her book than a picture with Papa, Grammie, Big Papa and Gaga.

Only a couple days old and Emerson is super LOVED!

Papa and Grammie with Emerson.

Big Papa and Gaga with Emme.

My dad had to leave before my mom so I caught a picture of him saying goodbye. Let's face it...it's NEVER easy saying goodbye to grandparents. My mom just left yesterday and it was hard for Stella to say goodbye. Honestly, it was heartbreaking. But of course it was hard, for over two weeks Stella has had her Gaga all to herself to cook with, have tea parties, play dress up, dance, read books, boss around, take tubbies, etc. Thanks for everything from all the grandparents. We are super blessed with all the help during these first several days.

Sisterly Love

2011-02-22T14:50:00.003-06:00

Ok, ok I thought I'd be a little better about blogging, but ha, no! So I'm sorry for the lack of posts, but we've been busy. A Good busy though. Stella has been an outstanding big sister! She really goes out of her way to make sure Emerson is ok.

Of course, all little sisters need to know about the princesses and Stella took that job seriously.

She loves to check her out.

Emerson is so much smaller than her big sis was so I've had to get used to that.

I'll try to post more soon,,,someone is up so I'm off.

Home Sweet Home

2011-02-18T10:42:00.004-06:00

It's always fun to load up and head home, but it can be a bit scary too. After a day of check ups and visits from family and friends we were ready to head home and start our new/crazy life.

I think Emerson resembles Stella here.

When Tom and I got home with Emerson Stella was SOOO excited to welcome home her little sister. I mean super excited, bouncing off the walls!

Look at how proud she is. I was relieved because this was the first time she showed much interest in Emerson. It was super cute. She gave her grand tour of the house...including Emerson's new room.

Here's Emerson's room...my mom finished it up for me and I'm happy with the final product.

Lots of nature...birds, owls, butterflies.

I had to add this picture because Emerson was napping in the cradle about 20 minutes after we got home and already our dog, Diesel was super protective of her. He was like this with Stella but I didn't think he'd do the same for Emerson. After all, Stella has pretty much rocked his world the last two years.

SHE'S HERE: Meet Emerson Kate

2011-02-17T08:27:00.004-06:00

We are in love with this 8 pound 5 ounces of pure JOY!

She entered the world at 6:22 pm February 16th. She is 20.5 inches long.

It was a great day. By the time I needed to push Miss Emerson basically walked out. She was ready to be here.

Stella wasn't sure what to think and we still have yet to take a picture of all of us since she would rather play with her toys she got once Emerson arrived :)

This lasted about two seconds...then she was done with her baby sister.

This is one of my favorite pictures because Tom used to stick his tongue out all the time and this is how she came out of the womb. The doctor was laughing because she was sticking hr tongue out. I think we might have a class clown on our hands.

Stella did not want to be part of this picture.

Proud Grammie and Papa.

My dad or has Stella calls him sometimes BIG Papa :)

Me and my mom/Gaga!

I'm sorry this post is kind of vague, but the internet is SLOW here.

But I promise we'll be posting more about our little brunette!

Thanks for all prayers!

Love is in the Air

2011-02-14T20:38:00.000-06:00

I've never made a big deal of Valentines day but since Hart is my maiden name my parents always made it fun so we're keeping the tradition alive with Stella. Here she is checking out what cupid brought.

Playing with her slinky! Stella had a Valentines party at school and her teacher told me she scarfed down the cupcake and icecream...girl, after my own heart.

Then that night...daddy cooked us chicken pesto pasta and it was a huge hit!

Hope you enjoyed the day!

sorry for the quality of the pictures,,,they were from my phone.

Snow Princess

2011-02-13T08:51:00.000-06:00

Last week Miss Stella made it to one day of school before the snow storm of the century hit. It was princess day and Stella was super excited.

She didn't want to take the dress off for nap. That was Monday and by Wednesday....

We were stuck inside watching daddy report in the snow.

LOTS of SNOW.

It just kept coming and coming.

By the end...we had 20 inches of snow at our house.

I was just thankful I didn't go into labor during the snow.

Look at those icicles. It's all gone now and we're in the 60's..gotta love Arkansas.

I hope that our snow/ice is over!

Mr. Snowman and Sledding

2011-02-05T18:46:00.004-06:00

Let's face it my cute hubby is just a big kid at heart. This is what I found him doing while Stella napped. He thought if he built the snowman then they could "decorate" him when she woke up. Really, I think he just couldn't wait any longer :) Poor guys been out reporting in it all week..and now it was finally his turn to play in it.

To say Stella was thrilled when she saw what her daddy had made is an understatement. They got to work right away!

Using a pepper for the nose!

The nose was a little stubborn so daddy helped.

We used Hershey Kisses for the mouth.

Watching daddy making sure everything stays in Mr. Snowman.

The finished product. They decided against the hat and scarf because they were headed to the sled hill next.

We headed over to the middle school by our house for some fun. I honestly didn't think she would like it, but boy was I wrong. Sorry I didn't get many pictures. my camera died so these are from my phone.

Hiking up the hill with daddy. Once I knew she wasn't scared and LOVED it, I was a nervous wreck. Normally, Tom is the cautious one, but I guess not when it comes to the snow.

She loved walking up the hill too. Here's to hoping she sleeps tonight. It was so fun! I'm also just thankful no one (especially Stella) was hurt during our family outing.

I have video of our little daredevil that I might post later or you can check it out on my facebook page.

Snow Playdate

2011-02-03T15:36:00.003-06:00

After a couple days of entertaining Stella inside and nowhere else ourselves...Tom and I were excited to have Cilla join us for a little bit last night. Yesterday was Cilla's daddy's birthday so we offered to watch Cilla while her parents enjoyed a child-free dinner. Stella and Cilla play really well together and last night was no exception.

It was super funny to build a block tower then knock it over.

They even baked a few things in the kitchen.

They did pretty good at sharing...

but of course there were a couple standoffs. The hot toy...a cow and a horse. We were glad to have Cilla and hope to do it again soon.

Baby update...

I finally got into the doctor today. My normal doctor wasn't working but I did get to see another one. Emerson is still high up there and hasn't dropped, but I am dilated to a 1. It's not much but there's some progress.

Emerson is also measuring a little ahead of schedule (ha, maybe another 10 pound baby is possible). We'll see what next week's appointment tells us. Of course, snow is in the forecast again, so we'll see if I even have an appointment.

What?!?!?!?!?

2011-02-02T09:27:00.002-06:00

Ok, I'm fine with a couple snow days and I'm even getting used to my weekly doctors appointments being canceled because of this winter weather, but REALLY!? Please look at the forecast as of this morning. Flurries, that's fine because we can bundle up and still get around town (if they clear the roads) but SNOW...come on people. I'm having a baby in a couple weeks and I've got things to do :)

In the mean time we busted out Stella's new nap mat from Aunt Becky today and we're enjoying another day stuck inside with movies and yummy food.

PS I think Stella is growing because she is an eating machine...I just hope we have enough food to tie her over until we can bust out of here again :)

Oh and I'm hoping to get into my doctor by Friday...I'd like to know if there's any progress. Afterall, it is February and I'm due THIS month!

Sunshine on My Shoulders Makes Me Happy

2011-01-31T11:03:00.003-06:00

I figured I better post these pictures now since the snow storm of the year is expected TONIGHT. This past Friday and Saturday were beautiful...especially Saturday so we had some fun. Stella was super excited to play on her swing set again!

She loves her slide.

Of course, she had to drive around the backyard to make sure everything was still in order.

We were out there for a good chunk of time and let me tell you...this girl just loved to run, run run. I think she looks so big here.

Loving her swing.

Saturday was even warmer (70s), so we loaded up after nap and headed to a local park. Stella was stoked daddy could come along.

Little Miss Thang refuses to put clips in her hair, so she was fighting the wind with all her wispies...remember this was after nap :)

Told you it was windy. But it felt so awesome.

Taking her turn on the slide.
The park was beyond packed...I think everyone was ready to see a taste of spring.

So after a little tease of warmer weather we are now expecting ice tonight and several inches of snow tomorrow. There is the slightest chance it could miss us..and lets face it I wouldn't mind it skipping NWA. I have a doctors appointment and don't want to reschedule :) but I doubt I'll get my wish.

Fun with Friends

2011-01-27T12:05:00.004-06:00

This a combination post because I've been bad at taking pictures. Look at how lucky this girl is. A fine mexican meal with two studs. We decided to go to Little Rock for New Years and play with our friends so that meant Stella got to hang out with Deacon and Reed.

When you're the only girl...paparazzi always follows :)

Deacon is super impressive with the phone so he was showing Stella how to use her daddy's iphone.

If you don't know the Hogs went to the Sugar Bowl this year (we wont talk about the outcome) and since a lot of the daddy's were out of town for the fun a couple of us mommys got together for dinner and as you can see cupcakes. I love that the dogs are fully attentive should a crumb be dropped.

Recently, Stella's friend Brayden turned two and we all had a blast at the Yo Gabba Gabba theme party at The Little Gym. This was our attempt at the group photo. The birthday boy is the cutie on the top step.

Stella had a blast and was running around like a crazy girl the whole time.

We are so thankful for all the little friends in Stella's life. She is one blessed girl and I'm thankful to have so many mommy friends!

Showering Emerson

2011-01-24T16:10:00.005-06:00

Can I just say I have some of the best friends a girl could ask for! This weekend they spoiled me in honor of Emerson. I LOVED this table. People were able to write me messages/advice. I loved it.

Here are the hostesses that went ABOVE and BEYOND! Thank you Rebekah, Sarah, Sara and Lisa. You really outdid yourself and I'm so humbled. PS...THANK YOU Jenna for getting all these pictures. I had my camera, but i was busy stuffing my face and chatting with friends.

These cookies were amazing. Can't go wrong with Chucks Cookies.

The awesome spread. They had fruit kabobs, muffins, cookies, and sausage wraps...not to mention to yummy drinks, orange juice spritzers and cappuccino punch...oh my!

I loved the little details.

these jammies are so small! i don't remember Stella being so small. Also, please notice the cute sign behind me. It said her name, Emerson. I just love seeing it more and more.

Again, I love seeing that sweet name. I can't wait to meet Miss Emerson.

And can you say spoiled!?! I am really overwhelmed with every one's generosity. Thank you so much!

On a side note, I had planned on working on Emerson's nursery this weekend and posting the pictures, but instead I ended up in the hospital. All is ok now, but I guess I got dehydrated and needed a couple IVs to help calm down Emerson who wasn't a fan of my condition. All in all everything is ok now, but it's put everything into perspective. Now, I'm slowing down some and taking it easy before Emerson's birthday! We are thankful God has kept his hand on our little one this whole time and can't wait to meet our little blessing.

Snow Day 2011

2011-01-20T13:44:00.005-06:00

We got a few inches of SNOW today and Stella was super excited to see it when she woke up. I wasn't sure if it was even worth bundling her up and heading out considering she didn't know what to think when we were in Montana.

But she LOVED it. I'm assuming because it was warmer than 0 outside.

Stella and I played for awhile, but since I have a cold and cant get up and down as easily...we didn't stay out forever...BUT then...

Daddy came home with this and someone was super excited. So we pushed nap back and they played outside FOREVER!

Directing daddy where to go.

She had a permanent smile.

Tom would've kept going but someone wanted a break.

Posing with daddy when she spotted the neighbors snowman!

Headed to see Frosty. I headed back inside thinking they would be behind me soon, but they never came, never came...and this is what I found when curiosity struck...

Stella and daddy eating the snow.

I love that she's sticking her tongue out too here.

Then she basically just plopped down and enjoyed a little snack and burying herself.

It's been a fun day. The sun is out now, so I'm hoping it clears the road for tomorrow.

I was supposed to have my check up on Emerson today but the clinic closed, so I'm praying they're open tomorrow. It's already time to start "checking" me, so I'm anxious to know if I've progressed at all. PLUS I know of a very eager Gaga and Papa in Oregon that would like to book their plane tickets :)

Hope you've enjoyed your snow day!

Caught up

2011-01-13T21:18:00.001-06:00

I finally posted all of my Thanksgiving pictures. For the family waiting to see...there are several posts under November now and one in December.
I promise I'll get back on the blog bandwagon!

Sweet as Sugar

2010-12-30T13:44:00.004-06:00

It's FINALLY cookie decorating time. I know most people do this BEFORE Christmas, but Stella wasn't feeling too hot, so we postponed it. And it was super fun. The girls got into it and it held their attention for quite awhile.

Trying to figure out the frosting thing. She got the hang of it.

Amelia putting on the final touches to her first cookie.

The sprinkles were a hit. I think more ended up on the floor then the cookies, but that's why it's fun!

Of course, there was a lot of tasting during the decorating. Cilla wasn't sure about this marshmallow. But if you look at her cookies, she was the queen of sprinkles!

And at the end of the morning...each girl had a plate of cookies to brag about.

If you're looking for a good sugar cookie recipe I posted my friend's recipe here.

A 2 Year Olds Christmas

2010-12-28T11:59:00.004-06:00

It was a ROYAL Christmas at our house this year. Since the grandparents seemed to get everything else for her...we & Santa went with the Princess theme. This is what she woke up to at our house. (remember we already took down the tree per allergies)

Of course she LOVED the ball the most and kept telling us who was on her princess ball.

Checking out Ariel..she also got Sleeping Beauty...she's getting quite the collection now.

At first she was confused that there was stuff IN the princess bag. I think she would've been just fine with the bag,ha. Checking out her Belle crown.

Her new camera that she rarely puts down. Notice her Rapunzel dress. She also got a Cinderella necklace and earrings, princess tshirt...you get the point.

Stopping to read about Sleeping Beauty.

We joked that if everything had been wrapped we'd been there all day....one piece of paper at a time.

After a morning at home we ventured over to Grammie and Papas where the BIG present was. Here she is checking out all her food items...but where should she put those?

How about her new KITCHEN! She was a little slow to approach at first but I think it's because we were all excited for her to check it out.

And let the organizing begin.
I have to admit this Christmas was so stinken fun because Stella is at such a fun age. But I was a bit overwhelmed with all my presents, her presents, and Emerson's presents that I didn't get any pictures. We didn't even get a family picture...so sad! But it was a blast.

I've included a little video of Stella playing with her kitchen once we got it home. She was cleaning and singing at the same time!

Christmas Eve Fun

2010-12-24T21:12:00.004-06:00

It's Yazwinski family tradition to to Christmas eve candlelight service at Tom's parents church then eat ourselves silly at Shogun. Here Stella is with her chopsticks.

Uncle Julian and Aunt Lori talking with Papa before we ordered.

I actually caught a picture with my sweet girl.

Then it was daddy's turn. I noticed both Tom and I look pretty tired in these pictures.

Looking at mommy to make sure it's ok there's a fire! She wasn't scared at all and kept watching the other tables for fire.

There were a couple birthday celebrations while we were there, so Stella enjoyed dancing and clapping to the techno music to help them celebrate.

When we got home she was ready to pose for the camera. Of course this was after we lost the cute bow holding back her hair and opted for the high pony tail to keep the hair out of her eyes.

Cheese!

I can't write about tonight without mentioning the funniest event at church. Tom's parents church does a very nice candlelight service with lots of singing, etc, BUT during the only "really" quiet time during the service...PRAYER...Stella lets out the loudest and longest FART. No, it wasn't a toot like I wrote on twitter it was a full on LOUD (adult sounding) FART. The row in front of us even turned to look in disgust until the realized it was a cute toddler. I could NOT stop laughing...my entire body was shaking and I had tear rolling down my face. Tom hid his face in the pew to keep from losing it. THEN to make matters even worse Stella announces, " I pooping."

That's when others started losing it too. Oh it was such a great moment that I had to document it here.

I also need to give Tom props because after the said prayer he and Stella went to change her diaper, only I remembered the diapers BUT forgot the wipes, so he had to make the trek to the car...you get the point.

It was a lovely night and overall Stella did great in the service. I'm sorry if we offended anyone around us, but she couldn't help it.

PS...I know I still have Thanksgiving to post, but i had these pictures loaded so I jumped ahead.

Someone's Been Super Busy this Week

2010-12-15T21:08:00.003-06:00

This week has been a busy one for Miss Stella. She started by performing in "big" church Sunday. For some reason the camera I took pictures on wont load, so this is her before the big show.

Then Monday was PJ day at school and look at what fun they had!

Tuesday was my Bible study brunch, but the kids sang three songs for their mommies and it was super cute. Stella INSISTED on wearing her snowman dress/shirt that day.

So far she just looks at the presents under our tree...but she is very tempted by this little present.

Just posing before Bible Study.

YUMMO! Then today was the Christmas party at her school and just look at the joy in that cupcake!

Tom and I were able to make it in time for the party and it was so cute to see her eating lunch with her classmates. We're so blessed that she has such a great "school."

After the "party" the ALL the kids met to do a sing-a-long and then see SANTA! I love that Stella and Taylor are checking out what's up front as they make their way to their seats.

Attempting to get a class picture with a bunch of 2 year olds...maybe next year.

Anyway, Stella has been super busy. I know I've posted that she loves to sing Twinkle Twinkle, but she's also learned Away In a Manger...and it's super cute with hand motions. Maybe I'll luck out and get it on video, but I'm not holding my breath.