happy birthday to Madeline!!!!!

today is Maddie's birthday, but we celebrated over the weekend with Conner White, our neighbor. the party was a blast, with friends, family and fun! the kids probably didn't really get it, but they sure looked cute, right?

why do naps never work out right on those days when you really want them to? she wasn't too cranky, just wanted me to hold her all day. and i wanted her to toddle around in her birthday tutu! i knew i wanted to make a tutu for the girls, and Maddie's birthday proved the perfect motivation. then Michele got the cute little "fun to be 1" shirt and i wanted one too. i just didn't think it would tuck in well with the tutu. so, the night before, this onesie came to me. i've done initials before, so why not numbers. thanks to my Amy stash, it turned out cute!

Michele made these adorable "1" cakes for the kids. at first they both just stared at them, but eventually they dug in and got messy. as usual, i think Maddie won the eating contest. my parents brought Henry with them and it was pure heaven! Anna told me that Henry is her best friend. i'm not surprised, these two literally hold hands everywhere they go. now that they're a little older, they sit and talk which is always fun to listen in on. friday night we went out for ice cream and the place was packed. Henry and Anna made there way over to this little table with one chair, Henry sat down, then looked at Anna, and jumped up to give her his chair! so cute. they really have so much fun together, and Anna has been begging to go to "Canifornia" ever since he left. i think i'll comply. all the kids had a blast in the bounce house. this turned out to be a great investment. a few weeks ago Jason got it out for the neighbor kids and they bounced in there all day chanting, "this is the best Saturday ever!!!" i think they felt the same way this day! i know Anna and Maddie did!

at the end of the party, Maddie made her big announcement to the grandparents! when Anna turned one she opened this shirt as a present from mom and dad. this time around i slipped it on Maddie when the grandparents were left milling about. it was pretty funny, they all wondered why she was wearing Anna's shirt. i said, "because it's appropriate!" if you can read in the picture it says, "big sister," we are expecting our third child in October! it's really exciting and we feel so happy to add another member to our family.

happy birthday to Maddie! our fun adventurous, spirited girl, who loves to give hugs and play with sissy! you are a true Joy!

splish, splash...finally

as you may, or may not know, Anna has been afraid of bubble baths for a while now. it all started when we moved her from the baby bath to the big tub. she wouldn't sit down, and i was paranoid of losing my grip and having her crack her head open. i decided Mr. Bubbles would be the key to making her sit in the tub. unfortunately, it had the opposite effect. she was terrified of the bubbles and never sat in the tub again.....that is until i tried bubbles with Madeline. once she saw Maddie splashing around happily, she jumped right in. after her first experience with bubbles she would remind me every night, "no bubbles, right mom." now, after dinner she asks, "is it time for my bubble bath with sister?" too cute! this whole experience just serves as a reminder that my children have 2 very different personalities.
Maddie isn't really afraid of anything. (except my face in a pair of nylons, a story for another time.)
and Anna is just a little more timid and slow to accept change. but now that she has someone to try new things first, she is really coming out of her shell. i'm glad to know it wasn't me. i didn't break some cardinal rule of parenting and use bubbles too soon. it's great to have a second child to make you feel like maybe your okay at this parenting stuff!

okay Autumn

How long have you been together? Married 5 1/2 years
How long did you date? 3 years
How old is he? 30
Who said "I love you" first? i know it was him, but he thinks it's debateable. you be the judge, what does, "is it too soon for me to tell you i love you?" mean? i rest my case.
Who is taller? he is
Who sings better? i guess that would be me, but i'm still learning.
Who is smarter? again, cause for debate in our marriage. in my opinion, we are equally smart in different ways.
Who does the laundry? mostly me. jason has trouble reading the lables on my clothes. he wrote himself a helpful note and put it on the dryer, and yet i still get a shrunken sweater from time to time.
Who does the dishes? again, it's usually me, but only because i'm home. it's not a hard and fast rule.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? he does, always. this is a hard and fast rule.
Who pays the bills? he does. it all sort of shifted to him after i quit working.
Who mows the lawn? Jason, though i long for the day we can afford to hire it out. it's like a 3 hour job.
Who cooks dinner? me, if i want to like what we eat. we have very different likes.
Who is more stubborn? depends on the issue. probably me.
Who asked who out? this is tricky, i think i technically did but i wasn't thinking "date" just like a friendly hangout.
Who proposed? i don't like to get into it because he really likes to say me, but ultimately it was him on bended knee with a ring, so i say him.
Who is more sensitive? neither of us is very sensitive, so i guess i am because i'm a girl.
Who has more friends? we probably have the same amount, even the same friends at this point. but i think he makes friends more easily.
Who has more siblings? me, yay i win!

i don't tag, so all y'all are off the hook.

i'm the winner

so, i am in love with this digi scrapbooking site i found, Tangie Baxter Designs. and on a whim, i entered their HapEscrappers contest and won! it was a little funny how happy this made me, but seriously i don't get to win that much. and i was the only one with the right answers! i guess that law degree is paying off after all!

virtual valentine

wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day!!!! love, the Earls

she just drifted away from me....

so, i have nursed both of my children. not because i think everyone should or care how anyone else feeds their child, but because i could and it seemed logical. both of them took formula too, at first to sustain their enormity, and then when it was convenient, (i.e. long car rides to CA). Anna nursed until just over a year. when she stopped it was a natural thing. she just lost interest, enjoyed feeding herself instead, etc. anyway, a couple of months ago i noticed that Madeline was sleeping better at night the times she had a bottle versus nursing. i tried bumping up the time i spent feeding her, but she seemed more content with a bottle. so, i switched her night time feeding to a bottle and she returned to sleeping through the night. this is awesome of course! i am thrilled, really. however, she slowly rejected nursing altogether, steeling her sisters sippy cup at every turn. i gave her more and more bottles, not anticipating this outcome: i'm a little sad! don't get me wrong, i don't feel more bonded to my baby when she's nursing, we still cuddle while she takes a bottle. i just feel sad that yet another milestone for my second child has seemingly blown by unnoticed. she hasn't nursed for 4 days, so we're done. that's the end. she will never nurse again. i feel like soon i'll be packing her up for college. okay, that's extreme, but i look at her and can't believe she is almost 1. she's walking, she has words, teeth, opinions, it feels like she's growing so much faster than Anna. i know this is common for second children, i just wasn't prepared for my feelings. my little baby is more like a (gulp).......toddler! yikes.

we thank Thee O God for a Prophet

today our church announced its 16th President, Thomas S. Monson. many of my friends wanted to know how a new President is chosen. i cannot say it better than this. i feel happy to know that the church is in good hands. i have always appreciated President Monson's style of speaking. it is so obvious what a loving and caring man he is. i pray he will have peace and joy in his new calling. i thank God for a Prophet!