"I toot, ta da"

While driving in the car today, Veronica out of nowhere said, "S'cuse me (excuse me)".

To which I said, "Yes honey?"...I thought she had something she needed to tell me.

Veronica said, "No Mom, I burp".

A short time later Veronica said, "I toot, ta da"....or so I thought. She kept saying it over and over.

Isabella finally broke in saying, "No Veronica, it's 'Hakuna Matada'"!

I about died! The girls watched 'The Lion King' with Gma today and that was how Veronica pronounced 'Hakuna Matada'...it was SO FUNNY!

Also a funny note on this picture...Veronica always sleeps with something at nap and bedtime...it varies...she went through about two weeks where she had to sleep with her Bambi purse...a gift from her Great Aunt Sharie and Great Uncle John when she was one! Veronica LOVES purses, bags, etc... She now sleeps with a pillow in her crib, and will place her chosen security item on her pillow next to her!

Anatomy of a Snow Day:)

In early March we were hit with a major snowstorm! It came just 3 days before I left for Honduras and provided the girls and I with a non-stop day of fun before my big trip!!! Check out some highlights from our storm day!

Tea party time...notice Veronica stacking the little plates...she is all about lining things up or stacking them!:) Tea anyone...look at those faces...hilarious!We ran down the street to the gas station for some storm day treats just before the major part of the storm set in!!! Yummy...the girls love 'gas station treats':)Fulfilling one of Isabella's long time wishes...eating with chop sticks...complete in her Mulan costume:)Game time...a little Elephun:)Bath time complete with swimsuits...Veronica pooped in the tub and has refused to bathe without a swimming diaper and swimsuit (or as she pronounces it Super-do) ever since!

Than it was time set up a spa day in Veronica's room...they each had their spa 'mat' and we did manicures/pedicures, make-up, and tatoos! Isabella's 'collage' of Mr. Incredible tatoos on her belly...even inside her belly button!
Veronica showing off her nails...oh Veronica...this little girl can make me laugh so hard!Showing off her lips:) This child is hilarious...I think I could make a million bucks off of her if I went to Hollywood...thankfully I don't have the heart to do that to her:)Isabella shows off her nails that she painted all by herselfPerfect end to a perfect storm day...too bad they don't come along more often:)

Welcome to Veronica and Isabella's dance class!

This is a clip of Veronica playing dance class...she set up our broken blinds for them to grande jete (leap) over...towards the end you can hear her singing "Grande jete"

You'll Always Be My Little Girl

Bryan and Isabella went to their first Daddy Daughter dance in April! This is an event put on each year by the Grand Forks Park Board. While we've toyed with Isabella going before, we decided to wait until she was a bit older, so this was the year!

I told Isabella about the event a few days in advance and to say the excitement level was through the roof would be an understatement:) She would tell everyone she encountered that she was going to the Daddy Daughter dance...she was SO EXCITED (imagine that:). She started going through her various princess dresses and ended up choosing her flower girl dress from Matt and Mandi's wedding last summer for the event! She even helped Daddy pick out the tie he would wear for the dance! And she prayed the night before, "And let Daddy's hair look just beautiful for the Daddy Daughter dance":)

I helped Isabella get ready and sent her and Bryan off for their date. What I find really neat about this whole experience is that we had so many different friends who were at this event as well. I surround myself with some really great Mom friends, but behind every one of those moms is a fantastic highly involved father...what an important thing for our daughters to see as they grow up and to model when they finally get to the age where they will choose their own prince charmings. It makes me feel good inside knowing the girls are surrounded by such wonderful men who take an active role in the lives of their daughters.

So...did Bryan and Isabella dance the night away? No:) Isabella and a million other screaming, excited little girls danced the night away while the Dads hung out on the sidelines:) Bryan managed to convince Isabella to dance with him once:) But as our good friend, Lance Knudson put it, "If my daughter needs me, I'm right there"...and isn't that the truth? Let the girls laugh and jump and spin around together, but all they had to do was look to the side and there were their fathers.

Enjoy the photos, I think they're pretty precious:)

Getting pretty:)

Isabella and her Prince Charming:)Making sure Daddy is styling for the dance:)Shaking her groove thing with her buddy, Bella KnudsonThe girls dance, the dads take pictures:)

L'il Sunshine!

Some Veronica Smiles...

*At church two weeks ago, Veronica asked me to read her a book, so I plopped her on my lap and started reading the book in a quiet whisper directly in her ear. Than Veronica as only she can turned to me and said, "No Mommy, read it LOUD, I want you to read it LOUD, read it LOUD":)

*Every time Veronica does her bedtime or naptime routine, as soon as I finish putting her diaper on, she'll scurry up and say, "I wanna say Our Father art in Heaven"...it's pretty precious:) We've said our Lord's Prayer every night together since she was a baby...it's special to hear her request prayer.

*Veronica has really taken to singing in the past couple weeks and as in everything, she sings LOUDLY:) Veronica sings a variety of songs...

-one night at Lenten services when her friend, Gracia was sitting behind us, during a worship song Veronica sang along, "I know a little girl, her name is Gracia, Gracia is my friend"

-when Papa Strom was in his final days at the hospital, Bry took her up to visit one time and it was a good visit, and on the way home, Bryan recorded Veronica singing on his phone, "My Papa is sick, my Papa not feel good, he in ha-patable, my tummy hurt, I not feel good"

-a regular song Veronica sings and I have no idea what it is or means is "Uncross my heart, uncross my heart" or something like that...her annunciation isn't always totally clear.

*Veronica has gotten pretty used to being my little helper at dance class, we get things set up together before her class starts. She's become a mini teacher of sorts. A week ago we were downstairs in the studio office getting class folders and she heard the door upstairs open and exclaims excitedly, "Oh, my dancers are here, let's go let's go"!

Time for a vist to the beauty shop!

After 2 1/2 years of 'Mom Haircuts' at home, it was finally time to take Veronica in for a real haircut. Her big sister went first to show her how it was done and than it was V's turn! Going into the chair was met with protest, but thankfully we quickly figured out that it was the cape she was afraid of and opted to not put one on. Veronica did really good and thouht it was pretty cool! "I get my hair cut" she kept saying:) And everyone at gymnastics noticed something different about her right away:)


Looking a little nervous:)

This is FUN:)

Isabella's fresh new do:)

Future Gold Medalist!!!????

Our lives have been a bit unpredicatable since January with Gpa Rowe's cancer and passing and my Dad's failing health and passing...thus we have pretty much been at gymnastics only every other week the past 3 months (which for any of you know how I am about attendance at activities, has driven me slightly nuts:). So almost 2 weeks ago, I was back at gymnastics with the girls for the first time in almost a month. I do class with Veronica and at the same time Isabella is in her class with Coach Greg. She is all about the 'boy' coach...she's really upped her game since he came around.

Anway, to the point...Veronica's class is playing in the pit and Isabella's class is on the tramps when Coach Jenna says, "Did you see what Isabella just did?"...No...I'd missed it...what was it???
Coach Greg told her to do it again and I watched as my long legged baby did a front flip on the tramp and landed on her feet...HOLY SMOKES!!! I know this whole entry does nothing but make me look like an annoying Mom, but I gotta be honest folks, I was proud and excited for her!!! It was neat, great, cool! And a really nice moment after the past week we had experienced! I'll take it and I will embrace it:) Coach Greg said he had just told her to try a forward roll on the tramp and she flipped:)
It also made me groan, because I realized I need to put her back into the Little Acro program even if it means we have to attend class at night instead of in the peace and quiet of the mornings:)

So last week, I got a video clip...she wasn't able to land on her feet this time, but still AWESOME!!! ENJOY:)