utah part dos.

YOU GUYS.  this girl is awesome.  and she turned one today.

cora mae...

is starting to get a mind of her own.
has three teeth.
gets mad at me and screams at the top of her lungs.
likes reading books by herself, but not being read to.
loves pulling clothes up over her head.
loves doing anything and everything she sees her sister do.
loves chewing on q-tips.
gets into every cupboard within reach.
climbs all the way up the slide.
still doesn't talk much, but babbles some.
typically sleeps for two solid hours each nap.
grabs my hand and puts it somewhere to tell me what she wants (often she wants "this little piggie"... sometimes "patty-cake")

we love our cora mae.  i can't believe that this sweet girl has been a part of our family for a year now! she came into the world so easygoing but she has been beat on by her sister enough now that she is starting to get more assertive and fight back ;) 

happy birthday cora mae.  you are the coolest baby ever.

utah!

the most amazing thing just happened.  john sent the girls and i to utah for a full two weeks to be with my sister, who just returned from her mission.  timing worked out perfectly for us to see lots of family and meet cousins we hadn't even met yet! {sadly i am lame and forgot to take pictures of that!!}

of course this first picture pretty much tells you how my girls felt about our 6am flight.  hazel = ecstatic.  cora = not so much.

 my girls are so so happy at honey and pop pops house.  you can see the joy in every picture.

 cora's favorite spots during the trip: the stairs and looking out the back window at maisy.

the other day, cora was getting SO MAD when she got stuck with her walker.  too funny. 

the epic throwdown from Paige Brmunt on Vimeo.

T H R E E !

i love this girl more than i ever thought i could love.  she makes me pull my hair out and cry sometimes, but she makes me laugh just as much.  she's a picky eater, and a stubborn little twerp, but she loves everyone and everything.  she's fun-loving, happy, and goofy.  she's brave and loves all things princesses and star wars.  john and i are so blessed she's ours.  it's been an awesome three years hazel therese, thanks for making me a mother.

winter wonderland

a few days before we came out to utah, we got one of those magical snow dumps. it was the perfect kind- one that lasts a few hours and then melts by morning. it was amazing because there was just enough light when john got home to go outside and play in it. i never want to forget how wonderful and perfect  that moment felt to our family. 

i'm trying to be brave

i'm trying to be brave, but each day {with all of it's challenges and frustrations and moments when i secretly am crying inside trying to hold it together,} i send the girls to bed and then wonder where the time is going.  

we are as we speak flying to utah for some much-needed family time and to see my sister who is flying in from ecuador in a few days and still hasn't met cora.  flying with these two is no joke.  and i may put on a brave face, but the thought of my girls growing up is much scarier than any flight will probably ever be.  my new goal is to live each day in the moment.  it's easier said than done, but i'm confident the reward will be worth it.