Springtime Mayhem

Hannah found some of Emmy's "yip" (lipstick) and helped herself...

James has cut TWO TEETH!!

Emmy and Hannah's Mom's Day Out program offers "school pictures" twice a year...One of the moms has her own photography business and offered, ever so kindly, to take a picture of all the kiddos together on picture day.  I was cautiously excited about the prospect of having a quality photo of all the kiddos together.  We arrived at picture day a mere 15 minutes late, after a frantic clothes-finding, hair-doing, diaper changing, breakfast-eating, dressing and re-dressing frenzy...I realized when I arrived the picture day had been postponed due to a chance of rain.  So, I decided to consider it a dress rehearsal!  The make-up picture day was the next school day, so we did it again, but this time with fewer hiccups since their outfits were laying out already and I didn't have to hunt any accessories down.  Turns out James and Julia left their usual happy-go-lucky personalities at home because neither of them were pleased and screamed the whole time. So, because I refuse to be thwarted, I forced them all to take pictures when we arrived home from school that day....  

For some reason Hannah always ends up with James who covers up 3/4 of her little body. :-P

Preparing the fire with Daddy!

Sis' first time making a s'more.

She's a pro at getting comfy...Except for when it came time to go to sleep in the tent.  Hannah was voted out by Emmy and Daddy around 1030.

630 the next morning!

Happy campers!

We went to Nick's Battalion Easter party...They even had a petting zoo!

Sis would have nothing to do with the Easter Bunny....Emmy loves anything holiday-related!

Eight Years, Seven Months & 22 days later...

After hours of driving through the stormy effects of Hurricane Katrina on August 29th, 2005, Nick found the perfect spot to pop the question at the steeplechase at Percy Warner Park in Nashville.  That cobblestone staircase cut into the side of one of the rolling hills holds a very special place in our hearts.

We found ourselves back there last weekend as we were driving around the area waiting for a parking spot to open up at the Cheekwood Botanical Garden Easter Egg-stravaganza (to avoid the need to transport our crew and all their equipment on a shuttle van from a remote parking lot.)  We all stretched our legs and climbed to the top of the steeplechase to snap an updated family portrait....

Our Week In Pictures

I took the kiddos out in our behemoth stroller because we needed a change of scenery.  Emmy fell in love with the dandelions lining the road and begged me to get out and make a bouquet for she and Hannah.  She was so grateful for the abundance of them, that I decided to wait and tell her that they are weeds another day.

Hannah loved her gift from Emmy.

Nick got up with the kids one morning while I finished pumping. :)

Happy Happy JuJu!

These two are SEVEN MONTHS!!!

Home at last!

Daddy made his return home in a big way!  He texted me at 4:00 on Sunday afternoon to tell me to bring the girls onto the front porch at 4:15.  I had a hunch he might be flying over so I grabbed the sidewalk chalk, too!

Here he comes!!

Sis was pretty freaked out by the noise...They were flying LOW!!

Right over the house!

"Too loud, Daddy! No go outside!"

And just like that, she was all better!

Messing around with my camera...this girl has the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes.

The temperature breaks 70 and the sprinkler comes out!

A couple of caged animals!

Daddy comes bearing gifts!

Emmy was instructed to close her eyes before Daddy revealed....

...her new "Anna" dress-up dress from Frozen! Lucky girl!

The sprinkler came our again today. :-P

Hannah pushes the babies, she insisted on doing it all by herself.

Making up for lost cuddle time.

Jamesy was hypnotized by the swing. :)

Little Lady Long Lashes.

Picnic lunch (and dinner!) anything to enjoy this gorgeous spring weather!