The Graduate

February 12th my hubby crossed the stage to receive his degree in Informational Technology Software from Western Governors University. Yeah, we're pretty proud. :) Though I can never hold it over his head again, that "I am the one with the degree here!" hehe.. not that I did that... a lot. ;)

I think it's fitting my smarty pants of a husband finally has the piece of paper proclaiming to the world that yeah, he knows his stuff. :) We LOVE you honey! Good Job! Congrats!!!

His proud mama. When she crossed the stage to receive her college degree, he was in her tummy. :) So we were glad she could be there.

Ainsley did NOT want her picture taken.
This is the best one we could get.

Tom's brother Andrew.. can you tell they are related, or what?

My Silly Man

Ainsley wanted to be silly too.

the filming of this is poor.. I was holding a baby and trying to show a 3 yr old where her daddy was.. but I think listening to her cheer for Tom is cute. :) You can see him at the beginning and at the end.

Daddy Daughter Dance

The Friday before Valentines day Tom and Ainsley went to what she kept calling 'The Ball' :)
She was SO excited to go. We spent an hour getting her dressed in her pretty party dress, finding a necklace with hearts on it for her to wear. I even let her put her some make up. She's always asking to play with my make up. I think her favorite part of the night was putting some blush on her cheeks. :) I know I'm totally biased, but I thought she looked like the prettiest girl ever! Tom looked like a proud papa, getting ready to go out with his girl. :)

The cute couple

my pretty princess

The dance sounded like it was going to be so much fun. There was going to be dinner, dancing and a visit from a princess. She was even going to get a corsage!
I kept wishing I was a fly on the wall. :)

Then I got a text from Tom. Ainsley was upset. All they were playing was fast songs. Things like the bunny hop and hokey pokey. She kept asking him when they were gonna play "Pretty Songs". That was the first thing she told me when she got back, that 'there were so much silly songs and NO pretty songs'. :) She cracks me up.


This is Ainsley during 'YMCA' :)

Not that she didn't have fun!
Her friend Meira was there with her dad so Ainsley laughed a ton and when Belle showed up she in heaven.

My Loves

Ainsley the Artist

Ainsley got an easel for Christmas and has been drawing and painting up a storm. I know I'm totally biased, but I think the kid's got talent!

Her first painted flower. I'm thinking about getting it framed.
The colors totally match Nora's nursery!

Telling tom what colors to mix up for her.
Ain and Brooklyn painting in their underwear so they didn't get any on their clothes :)

Isn't that the cutest butterfly??
I was totally impressed when she told me to come look at her butterfly.

I was also impressed at her coloring skills.

She drew this in her first Sunbeam class
(CAN'T believe she's a sunbeam)
Tom picked her up and the teacher gushed about how she was so amazed by Ainsley's picture.
It is a picture of her and her friend Chloe holding hands.

She's been drawing pictures of everyone lately.
This is Grandma Cinda. Ainsley told me "She's smiling cuz she's at my house" :)

Mickey Mouse's Family
Her Daddy :)

She's also been working on her letters, and is getting better at drawing her name. :)

After Christmas

After Christmas Tom went home, but the girls and I headed to Monticello to visit Grandma Cinda. We knew all she wanted for Christmas was time with the kids. :) The great bonus to this was getting to meet sweet new baby Gaige.
Nora was very interested in her cousin.

getting a closer look at this guy

My girls like to make my brother's boys cry..
here's Eleanor and Gaige a month ago

And here's their older siblings in 2007 :)
haha, my girls crack me up.

Proud Older Siblings!

Ainsley loves playing with Gavin
they are SO cute together

My Santa Baby

I look at this picture and can't believe how grown up Ainsley looks.

Just after Christmas Nora started being a real sitter.
She's getting so big too, dang kids need to slow down.

Bathing Beauties

a couple of days after we got there it snowed like CRAZY.
We ended up having to stay an extra day because of the weather.
My mom wasn't sad about that at all. :)

Grandma was happy to keep her girls as long as she could.

Christmas Eve & Morning

We had the cutest nativity Christmas eve.
Ainsley was the angel.
Nora was supposed to be a sheep like Luke, but it happened during her nap.

She loved her angel costume, she didn't want to take it off all evening.

Christmas Jammies!

The Grandkids (minus the babies) all slept together in the grandparents room, and Grandma read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas'

Digging in the Candy Bowl

Santa came!

We were awoken at 5am by the excited kids who had been begging grandma to let them get up since just after 4! Ainsley just couldn't wait to get out there.

checking out her stocking

Nora wasn't quite as excited. 5am is early when you're you're only 6 months old. However, she had woken up when they had come to get us, so I figured she might as well enjoy her presents. :)

The kids and the Loot!

Twenty people's presents make a lot of trash
(that's Tom's youngest brother Alexander in there)

And here's his 2nd youngest, Scott, in his footie jammies.
Ains adores her 'little' uncles :)

Tommy's christmas train, he's so cute. :)