Making Memories

Usually, I am the one behind the camera, but this year I'm making an effort to have my picture taken more often. Savannah and Hadley don't care that I don't look like a celebrity or that some days I don't feel pretty enough or skinny enough to have my picture taken. They just know that I'm their mommy. My girls need to see pictures of me...and pictures of me with them. When I'm in heaven someday, I want Savannah and Hadley to have pictures of me. They need to see that I loved them, I was proud of them, and that I loved being their mom. They need to see that I enjoyed spending time with them and making memories with them. So here's to having more pictures taken with me and my girls!

Sunny Saturday

Today was sunny, beautiful, and 81 degrees! Hadley and I enjoyed playing in our backyard for a couple hours while Tal was building the retaining wall and Savannah was playing at a neighbor's house:

Backyard Retaining Wall: Part 1

Today Tal started building a retaining wall in our backyard to address some drainage issues. To get started, he used some stakes and string to create a straight line for the retaining wall:

Before

Tal bought 48 of these concrete wall blocks from Home Depot for $1.88 each. He chose the buff color because it complements the cream siding on our house:

Then, Tal loaded the blocks into his truck:

He leveled the ground and placed the heavy blocks in a straight line: 

After three hours of hard work, this is how much Tal accomplished today. Next weekend, he plans to get another load of blocks from Home Depot and continue building the retaining wall!

 P.S. I thought it was adorable how Hadley sat in a chair and ate her snack while Tal built the retaining wall. Her feet are precious!

Everyday Moments

Life...unedited. 

These random iPhone photos are dark, blurry, and untouched,

but they capture everyday moments from the last couple weeks.

Savannah got a 100% on her spelling test! 

A beautiful sunrise on the way to Hadley's babysitter's house this week:  

Last night Savannah took this beautiful sunset photo:

For the last two weeks, Savannah has been fighting a cold. After school, she was exhausted and slept during our 30-minute drive home:

On Thursday and Friday this week, the girls stayed home with me because they had fevers, ear infections, and flu-like symptoms. (Thankfully, they tested negative for the flu.) On Thursday morning, the girls got up early and went to school with me while I wrote sub plans. As soon as we got home from school, Savannah fell asleep on the couch for three hours...

...while Hadley slept in my arms in the recliner:

Later in the day, both girls crawled into my lap and napped in the recliner with me:

The girls and I stayed home from school today. To get out of the house, we took Tal's truck to the car dealership to get the oil changed. In hindsight, that probably wasn't such a good idea. Shortly after we arrived, Savannah said she was tired and didn't feel well. While we waited 1 hr 45 min for Tal's truck, Savannah took a nap on the floor in the kids area: 

Can you see Tal's black truck in the picture below? While we waited for the oil change, Hadley stood by the door for 15-20 min and kept saying, "Dada truck, truck Dada." 

 After dinner tonight, Savannah and Hadley tried on cowboy hats at the Dollar Tree:

Then, the girls played in the mall play area:

Savannah lost a tooth!

Last night Savannah lost tooth #5! It's been nearly a year since she lost a tooth, so Savannah was super excited when the Tooth Fairy left a dollar under her pillow. Savannah is growing up. Her smile is changing. But she will always be my baby girl!

  

Australia and New Zealand Trip: Part 1

It's official! We have our passports. We finally booked our trip. This spring Tal and I will be traveling to Australia and New Zealand for 10 days to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary! We are looking forward to going to Hillsong Church in Sydney, swimming in the Great Barrier Reef, and visiting the Outback. Thanks to my mom and Tal's mom for taking care of Savannah and Hadley while we are gone and for making it possible for us to take this once-in-a-lifetime trip Down Under!

Everyday Moments

Life...unedited. 

These random iPhone photos are dark, blurry, and untouched,

but they capture everyday moments from the last couple weeks.

Hadley fell asleep on the ride home from her babysitter's house (which is unusual):

Savannah, who was fighting a cold last week, fell asleep on the way home from school:

This was my Valentine's Day homework assignment from Savannah's teacher:

On Valentine's Day, Savannah loved reading the reasons we love her:

Last Thursday, Savannah had an afterschool playdate with her friend Caleb. The kids enjoyed playing with kinetic sand at our kitchen table:

This weekend it was Savannah's turn to take home Charlie, a stuffed dog and her class mascot. As part of a class assignment, I took pictures of Savannah and Charlie on their adventures:

Charlie rode with Savannah on our way to get groceries at Walmart: 

Charlie went with Savannah to the Sweetheart Dance:

In a class notebook, Savannah wrote about her adventures with Charlie:

Savannah wrote about how Charlie went with her to the Sweetheart Dance with Daddy and to the mall with Mommy and Hadley:

Last Friday night, our family went to Home Depot to price out blocks for the retaining wall that Tal will be building in our backyard:

While Tal was looking at blocks, Savannah and Hadley entertained themselves by riding in a wagon:

Hadley pulled this wagon by herself:

On Saturday morning, Savannah fell asleep on the way to the mall:

At the mall, the girls played in the play area:

For about 15 min, we were the only ones in the play area:

Savannah enjoyed walking around the outside of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse:

While we were at the mall, we texted Tal to see which tie he wanted to wear to the Sweetheart Dance. He chose the top one:

We spotted Hadley's name on some mall merchandise:

After playing and shopping at the mall, the girls and I ate lunch at Chipotle:

At the mall, Savannah used her birthday money from Grandma Barbara to buy a reading, spelling, and math workbook...

...and some new earrings. 

Over the last two days, Savannah has worn the emoji earrings and heart dangly earrings:

As I've mentioned before, Tal and I do our cooking on the weekends and eat the leftovers during the week. While the girls and I were at the mall on Saturday, Tal baked salmon and talapia, as well as cooked hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill. He also made rice and potatoes for side items (in the Tupperware containers):

Tilapia with vegetables

Baked Salmon

Happy Hadley

As a toddler, Hadley is always moving, so it's hard to get a clear picture of her:

The girls and I baked and decorated sugar cookies (Savannah's request). Savannah picked out the blue frosting and sprinkles:

Hadley enjoyed eating a few spoonfuls of frosting:

After eating some frosting, Hadley had blue teeth and a blue tongue:

Savannah's decorated cookies: