Gorgeous day. Gorgeous memories.

Oh, oh, oh!

Let's go fly a kite

Up to the highest height!

Let's go fly a kite and send it soaring

Up through the atmosphere

Up where the air is clear

Let's go fly a kite!

Ellenie Pollack

You know how you look at a certain work of art, a masterpiece,

and think "I could do that."

Think again.

To layer this many colors and this many flavors...

in the perfect combination to coordinate with your pajamas...

It really is much harder than it looks.

Modern Dance Troupe

This too shall pass

Do not trust your memory, it is a net full of holes; the most beautiful prizes slip through it.

- George Duhamel

My girls are growing up too fast.

I can remember countless times, growing up, my Mom telling me how she wished my sisters and I could be little again.  She thought the ages two and four were some of our best years.  Now, here I am with a four and two year old and I think the same thing.  This has got to be the best.

Of course, I know every age continues to get better (in some ways) but right now there are certain things about this time, these ages, that just won't be the same...ever again.

I've been reflecting on how much they've changed, how much they continue to change...so quickly.

How long, how very, very long, some of those hours of Lillianna's first year were.  Especially between 4-7pm when she wouldn't stop crying.  And then suddenly, before I knew it, that season was gone.  It had passed and we were in a whole new one.  How just when I knew Ellenie's routine, thought I knew what to expect, what to prepare for she'd decide she wanted something different.

So lately, I notice many little seasons that my girls are just flying threw.

So fast that I know I won't remember them one day.  These little phases that are such a major part of our life today...might be gone tomorrow.  Before I forget, I want to remember:

 

 The Make-up Phase

This one has been mostly Miss E.  We went through a couple of months where she requested it the moment she woke up, begged for it if we put it on a counter, cried until she got it, and then layered it on her tiny lips until you could scrap her name into it.  Ellenie LOVES make-up.

Lillianna never even cared about make-up and still doesn't.

  But because her little sister does, she does...a little.

This too shall pass.

The Baby Jesus Phase

Since Christmas, Lillianna and Ellenie have played their made-up game "Baby Jesus" just about EVERY day.

This is the game:  Ellenie is Baby Jesus and Lillianna is Baby Jesus Mommy.  Ellenie lays in bed and Lillianna wraps her up in LOTS of blankets.  Then, Ellenie requests certain things and Lillianna gets them.  Lillianna talks in this exaggerated Mommy voice (I'm in denial that it could be mine) and says she'll be right back.  She walks out and as soon as she does, Ellenie fake cries and Lillianna comes right back to see what she needs.

Then the cycle repeats.

These two think playing Baby Jesus is great fun.

Ellenie gets to snuggle and cuddle in blankets (one of her very favorite things to do) and Lillianna gets to play Mommy (her favorite thing).

I think it is hysterical.  Especially when I'm in another room and I hear,

 "Baby Jesus, wait a second."

"BABY JESUS MOMMY!  BABY JESUS MOMMY!"

"Be patient Baby Jesus!  I'm bringing you your blankie."

This too shall pass.

The Hoarding Phase

Both my girls may grow up to be on that new reality show about hoarding.  Truly, they both LOVE to gather, collect, and pile. They hoard toys, acorns, dolls, marbles, acorns, books, feathers, blankies.

They see it, they might hoard it.

Lillianna is more organized. Her piles are catergorized = Rows of stuffed animals, rows of baby dolls, rows of princesses, rows of tiny plastic dolls, etc. She also prefers to hoard in her bed. She has gone through phases of sleeping with stuffed animals, jewelry, wands, hats, books.  We often find her sleeping with rows of dolls surrounding her, the result of her nightly ritual of "organzing her bed".

Ellenie's hoarding habit has just gone into full swing.  When the mood hits her, she collects items from all rooms of the house and adds them to her pile.  Her pile (I wish I had a picture) now takes up an entire corner of her room.  She calls it "My Babies" but no baby could survive in here.  They would be smothered by books, plastic food, dish towels, hair bows, pillows, toy trains, and so much more.
 If we attempt to look at, let alone touch, her pile, in hopes of finding say some car keys,

she screams and cries like it physically pains her.
Isn't that the first sign of a true hoarder?

This too shall pass.

The Princess Phase

One day last Summer, Lillianna informed us, "I would like my room to be more clean.  I'm ready to give away some of stuffed animals."  She never really looked back.  She loved stuffed animals more than any toy - named them, held them, talked to them, slept with them, laughed with them.  So this was a big change.

The stuffed animals (not all, but most) were slowly edged out with the new kids in town...dolls, mainly princesses.  We are now all things princesses.  The girls like to read about them, talk like them, and really love to dress like them.  For a solid month, they put princess dresses on at some point everyday.  Tiaras, wand, shoes and all and asked for Princess music to be played.  (What's that?  Well, according to them, it's Manheim Steamrollers rendition of Away in a Manger.)  I love, though, that it's not just the Disney princesses they admire.  They believe we are all royalty - that all little girls are princesess, all Mommies are Queens, and Daddies are Kings.

  Of course, some sparkly nail polish, a pair of dressy shoes, or a twirly dress makes you super special.

One night before Brad and I went out for a special dinner, Ellenie saw me with more make-up than usual, dressed in a fancier top, and said in awe, "Mommy, you are Tinkerbell."  She just repeated it over and over.

This too shall pass.

I know all of these will pass...too quickly I'm afraid.

I won't remember these fleating seasons.  I won't remember that right now Lillianna calls mashed potatoes "smashed potatoes" and bathing suits "BabeinSuits".  Or that recently Ellenie says, "Oh my goodness" when she is surprised and says, "I love you so uch" everytime we say we love her.

It's just too good to forget...I really wish I could remember it all.

The weather has been so dreamy.

Taken during a deep nap

I always sleep better with my pink, satin gloves on...don't you?

Just a few more favorites...

Our pitiful (smelling) dog

In January of this year, our 7 year old lab, Boone, almost died. 

For several days, our usually hyper dog just laid around, didn't eat,

and occasionally moaned and cried in pain.

We were very worried and after several tests, we found out her bowels were kinked

and she had to have major surgery to have them repaired.

Even after the expensive necessary surgery, our vet wasn't sure Boone would make it or that the problem wouldn't come back.  If the problem did re-occur, another surgery wouldn't be an easy answer.

So....when I walked into the garage (where Boone sleeps) Monday morning and smelled the worst,

I mean the WORST smell...I was afraid her troubles were back.

I became even more worried when she wouldn't eat her dog food, and called Brad to let him know we would have to make a difficult decision about her future.

I was starting to imagine life with out Boone and becoming very sad

when Boone suddenly produced proof of what was really causing her problem...

Boone had welcomed herself to a very large snack.

She had eaten EVERY LAST ONE of the Easter eggs we had dyed on Easter.  Shells and all.

No kinked bowels, just (rotten) egg gas.  Lovely.

Easter morning

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

 In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through

 the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead... 1 Peter 1:3

Day Three of Easter Eggstravaganza 2010

We forgot our camera (gasp!) at our church Easter egg hunt.

But we had Easter baskets full of eggs full of candy to prove we had been there.

Oh! and the girls had something else too...

They were so proud of their new tatoos.

Day Two of Easter Eggstravaganza 2010

Day 2 of CandyPalooza 2010, I mean Easter weekend.

It was Friday and the girls and I were so excited to have Brad home for the day!

We wanted to take advantage of the gorgeous weather and being together...

but first thing first.

We had to get in our daily egg hunt..

and we had to get in our daily stuffing of candy..

but we didn't know we'd have the exciting pleasure to meet...

(so it might have been a little too sunny and windy for the perfect picture.)

Then we headed off to enjoy the rest of our day.

Rest?  Did someone say rest?

There's no resting when there are eggs to hunt and friends to play with!

Off to a friends house we go!

E:  Why are you so grumpy LaLa?

L:  I have rocks in my shoes.

E:  Yea, that puts me in a bad mood too.  Let's shake those little boogers out and have some fun!

I loved this moment.  One of those I wish I could go back to again and again.

Lillianna stood and pushed her for the longest time.

When did they get so big?

An EGGStra special Easter!

So fun.  So full.

Four very fun, very full days of being together, hunting eggs,

eating candy, enjoying friends, & being very thankful for our Risen Lord!

We are so blessed!

The first hunt of the Easter season came Thursday at Lillianna's school.

Cupcakes, hidden eggs, friends...oh and little sis!

So excited to find the metallic pink egg...that she brought.

Love these two pictures...so my girls right now.

Ellenie with her mouth full of candy running to hand me another egg...full of candy.

Lillianna, done with hunting eggs, would rather pick flowers.

What a gorgeous week!

BEE U TI FUL day!

SUUUUUPER friends!

FUN FUN FUN in the swing!

PURE JOY!

Ellenie:  I just love your nails! Which salon did you go to? 

Bes:  Why thank you! Don't tell anyone but I did them myself!

Ellenie:  Really?!  Will you do mine?

Bes:  Sure!  I'll bring over my bottle of Bubble Gum Beauty after nap!

Whew!  What a work-out.  Time for a drink.