Scarlett's 2.5!

She is now 2 1/2 and in the heart of terrible twos. She can be so sweet, well behaved, loving one minute and then boom she is gosh awful. But we love her all the same. I asked Nick what he would write about her and he said without delay "she is a free spirit with a mullet." And that sums of Scarlett. She does what she wants and won't be told no. She has a mullet and I do not even think a hair cut would make it better.

(pictures are from our recent San Diego trip)

Her favorite things these days are: cereal (night and days begs for it), her toy cars, her blanket, destroying/chewing on her books and reading them too, playing outside and in the dirt, saying "go away" when she wants to do something naughty, holding her little sister, and Curious George

Alice 4 Months

She is the most beautiful and content baby... ever. Wow, I feel so lucky to have her. I was telling Nick the other day that she blends in so well with our family. Her personality is mild and calm, a perfect match for Scarlett's intensity and stubbornness. How did we ever live without her?

Things I love

- She eats her fingers/hands all day

- She will lay her head on my shoulder and snuggle with me

- grabs her toes and then laughs

- Smiles/ laughs even when she is tired and hungry

- Has turned into a great eater and is starting to take a bottle

- After I nurse her she always gives me a big, gummy smile, even her middle of the night feeding

- And by middle of the night I mean 5:30- 6:30 feeding (then she goes back to sleep till I wake her up)

- I love most ... Nursing her in the rocking chair in her room with the lights dimmed and the fan going. It is peaceful and perfect. I snuggle her up in a blanket and she rubs her baby hands on my arm or grabs  the collar of my shirt. She will occasionally look up at me and just smile. I know she loves me and I love her. On busy/crazy days it is this moment that gets me through.

Stats-

12.8 pounds (25th percentile)

25 1/2 inches (90th percentile)

She keeps that body type up and she will be on lucky girl:)

Nick's Birthday

He turned 29 yesterday! He is the man of our house and all three of his girls love him a ton. Scarlett loves to look out the window and squeal with delight when his car drives up. Ali loves to suck on his arm and drool all over him. I love that he is a fantastic listener and is a great hands on dad.

His favorite things these days are salads with blue cheese and greek dressing, yogurt with granola, drinking my almond milk, and you tubing clips from Impractical Jokers.

Scarlett helped me decorate

About to dive into some delicious El Pollo Loco on the special "birthday plate"

OMG

Additional....

Fathers day we celebrated Nick's and Ron's birthday with the Strobelts. I made that cake, oh ya! I heard it tasted great.

Lake Powell.

It is freedom, it is beauty, it is joy, it is family, it is perfection... it is Lake Powell. We just got back from an amazing couple days at Powell. The weather was perfect and the company was better (well except for the naked college girls on the boat over, no really they got naked...yikes) We went with the Ashton clan, mom, dad, Nate, and Clarah. Scarlett got to stay and have fun with the Milne family. I am so glad she was not there, 2 year old surrounded by water is worrisome. 

I asked Nick his favorite part and he said the same as mine... a lovely ski ride on Tuesday evening. We wake boarded and listened to music while watching the sun set behind the red mountains. He loved "Wavin' Flag" by K'naan and I loved "Someone Else's Star" by Bryan White.  There is literally no other place on the planet like Powell. The water is warm, the air blow dryer hot, and the scenery a canvas of red rock. 

Jetski ride

"the plung".  10 minutes later he jumped off one so high he almost made me a widow. He did say "Jill, I want to do something death defying this trip"

Charly fell asleep while telling Kim about fish "They nibble, nibble, ... nibble" ... asleep

Nick getting some air, he landed his first 180 and it looked good!

These kiddos played ALL day in the sand and begged everyone in sight to take them on jetski rides 

Charly, the designated flag girl. She loved Powell more than anyone I have ever seen

Perfect morning water

Nate, 2 years after not skiing, makes me sick

Thanks to Alice making me quite ill last summer, I did not go skiing once. So happy the toilet is not my bestie this summer!

Clarah contemplating her upcoming ski

Clarah getting up

Luke watching his grandma go skiing

 Only person I know that smiles the whole time, she loves it

My favorite picture of the trip. He was saying " I looove this" as he was getting ready to ski

This was his last "cut"... he went for 10 minutes, that is a killer!

Check out the puffed checked face, that is the sign of tiredness

Post ski- dead tired

the grandsons LOVE uncle Nate

Stud! 

Abe: "Charly come here, right now"

Charly: "sheesh I'm coming daddio"

Of course they were just asking to get splashed!

#14 meets #15

I just love you so much, I must attack you! Paisley squealed with joy every time she saw Ali

CJane puts it best "It was at Lake Powell where I could feel spiritualism as it translated into the intricately carved canyons, the reds, yellows, the green of the morning water, the stars like glittering confetti in the dark, the blue--so brilliant--of the wild desert sky.

It was at Lake Powell, after days of letting my body dance with the sun and shadows, my skin touched with freckles like those stars we'd count at night, my lips red and puffed from the dry air, my hair a wild frock of wind-whipped curls, my nerves aware of sensations, my soul at ease, I'd look at myself in the faux-cracked mirror in the cabin of the boat and felt full of beauty."