Our Little Chefs!

These girls CRACK me up!! Watching them play together is hysterical! I love it! :)

Busy at work in the kitchen!

They were really turning it on! :)

Liv is cooking up a little pork! hahahahaha! I am sure her father had some influence in this one!

He's Here!....:)

After 49 hrs of labor, our newest nephew is HERE! YAY!! Welcome to the World, William John...or Baby Will as he is known around here! haha! He is gorgeous and perfect and we can't wait to see him again and cuddle him!

8lbs and 6oz of pure perfection!!

One proud Daddy!! (I LOVE this picture!)

Check out those sweet cheeks!! (My uterus is aching!-hahaha!...what's one or 2 more at this point, huh? hahaha!)

Precious OVERLOAD!

Adorable!

Congrats, Sara and Jeff! We are so excited to see Baby Will grow! He has two cousins that can't wait to show him the ropes! haha!

Welcome to the World of AllStar Cheerleading!

As most of you know, I coach cheerleading and gymnastics. I'm sure most of you think that is such a ridiculous, non job, job...but, trust me....it is NOT for the weak! As I have learned over the last year, aside from being a Mom, it might just be the hardest job I will ever have. It takes a huge heart, a thick skin, a fierce determination, and a delicate balance of friend, coach, drill sargeant, therapist, EMT, hair dresser, make-up artist, seamstress, travel coordinator...and, of course, the ability to actually choreograph, cheer, tumble and dance...all of which is not easy on the body of a 29 yr old!! ha! And, on top of that over see a Booster Club of parents, recruiting for the program, and all office and clerical work that comes along with competitive cheerleading. As I told everyone at the Awards Banquet this weekend...when the gym called and asked me to take over this program last year, Scott and I could NOT have been more naive! haha! But....as with anything you love...it's all worth it. :) And, I have gone from 2 daughters, to 26 daughters...and a son! :) I think the world of these kids and I could not be more proud of how hard they work, and what they have accomplished this season! So, just to brag about them for a second, we finished the season with FOUR first place finishes, two second place finishes, one third place and trophies for Overall Best Showmanship and Overall Best Jumps. I am happy to say that we have one of the most successful allstar programs in Southern Illinois. Not bad for our first year, eh!?

Some of my sweet girls! (You really haven't lived until you have experienced getting a child ready for a cheer competition...beware of the glitter!...I think I had a few parents that were actually in shock at our first competition! haha!)
Level 2 Juniors!

These ladies and gentleman were the St. Louis Six Flags Cheerfest Champions!

Awe....my sweet little Minis! These are my girls that are ages 5-8!! They had some very tough competition, and finished 2nd at CheerFest, but finished with 2 first place titles this season!

My Juniors getting their big Championship trophy!! :)

*I know cheerleading can get a bad wrap and it comes with a negative stereotype, but these kids are ATHLETES! They practice, workout, train and condition HOURS each week...all year long! How many other athletes do you know that can flip through the air backwards and land with a smile, lift their own body weight, have a higher vertical jump than most high school basketball players and can blow a kiss as their teammates toss them to the ceiling! :) ha! But, most importantly, they are out doing something active, having fun and learning vaulable lessons about sportsmanship, team work and responsibility! One season over...tryouts for the next start next weekend! Whew....I think it's safe to say Scott is hoping the girls both play basketball! haha!

Playing, playing, ear infection, playing!

That about sums up the last week or two. Aside from about 5 days with a fever and ear infection for poor Abby, we have just been soaking up this gorgeous weather and having a good time. The girls are so much fun. I just love this stage of their lives. Liv is my most favorite age. She is just so fun and silly and it's so exciting to see her learn new things every day. She says everything now, and we just laugh at her all day long. And, Abby is just a darling age. She's the perfect combo of little still, but growing up. She has such a BIG personality, it's easy to forget that she is only 4. She is my very best buddy ever! I say it all the time, but they can stay this age and that's just fine with me! ;)

Who needs a double stroller when the girls can easily fit in the single one! haha! We went on a very long walk like this the other day, and they loved it...even more so than the double stroller or the bike trailer. Crazy girls!

Silly faces! :)

Abby and her Abby doll twin! She will have me dress her and the doll up for photo shoots! ha!

GORGEOUS!!! :)

And, this made me tear up...Liv was sitting there and I told Abby to go over and sit with them, and they both look like such big girls. They got real close and cheesed, just like I do with my friends! I can't believe how fast it goes...wasn't Liv just my little wild headed new born!?

Just too cute to not include!

Oh, and Scott got a turkey!

Our doll baby and her guitar! I think I have mentioned it before, but she has an unbelievable sense of rhythm. Abby does also, but I think Olivia even more so than Abby. She can find a beat to any song, any noise, etc. And, you know how kids will dance and it's darling but not always on beat and sometimes a little goofy looking, just jumping/flailing around, etc....well, none of that with Liv. This child can dance like an adult! We have to get it on video. It is SO adorable! I can be teaching/showing Abby an 8 count to a dance I am working on for a cheer routine, etc. and Olivia can do it, too, usually after just seeing it once. It's really bizarre. It will be interesting to see what she does with this musical talent of hers.


Or maybe she will nothing with it but be cute and entertain us! :)


Every night the girls pick out books and we pile on Abby's bed and read before bed! One of my favorite parts of the day! :)
We are so blessed! :)

Easter Weekend!

We had the MOST incredible Easter Weekend. We celebrated with our family and friends, and there is no better way to celebrate Easter than with the ones you love. We left for my parents on Thursday, so we colored eggs and celebrated here earlier in the week!


Thursday we just enjoyed being at home with Mom and Dad. Some family stopped by to see the girls, dinner at Tumbleweed, lots of playing outside. The girls both had their first popcicles...Bomb Pops!

I love this picture of Abby. 1. She is so beautiful and grown up looking, and I just can't believe how fast she is growing up! 2. She is in my old dance costumes! :)

Friday we all went to get coffee and then took coffee to Grandma Lee. After that, we headed to the park to feed the ducks. Abby just tossed the bread and dared a duck to get close to her...Olivia spent the whole time chasing them, trying to catch them! hahaha! Oh, how very different these 2 girls are! :) Scott got to play golf, I got to shop and lay in the sun, and Friday night we had a delicious dinner with family!

Saturday we went to an auction and easter egg hunt with my Mom's entire side of the family!

Gotta have at least one screaming picture for each child, right!? haha!

Awwww, so sweet! :)

The hunt is on....I think Dad was more into it than the kids were! haha!

Jen, Janie, Bobby and Jen's kiddos came to meet us for the egg hunt! It was so good to see them! I miss everyone soooooo much!! We missed you, Lissa! :(

My cousin, Bobbie, has 4 girls and I just love and cherish when we can get all the kids together. They had a great time!

We are so spoiled when we go home. Those of you with family close by to help out, you have no idea how lucky you are. We had such a great time, and we got to go spend time with Scott's family, too....double blessed/fun weekend! :)

*Sunday morning we packed up early and headed to Scott's Mom and Dad's for Easter with the Utley's. We had so much fun, good food, great company (even though we missed Sara and Jeff :), the kiddos had a big egg hunt.

The girls with Goggy and Gi-gi! :)

One of my all-time favorite pictures of Abby! :)

And, Liv and Scott...LOVE IT!

I had at least 100+ pictures from the weekend and it was so hard to pick just a few for the blog. Can't wait for our next trips to Southern IN and Western KY! :)

Cool, cool, cool tricks...yeah!

Abby thinks Yo Gabba Gabba is so funny, especially the Cool Tricks part. We are always 'working on our cool tricks' and this is one of our best! Usually, Liv will stand on my stomach...then it's a SUPER cool trick! She is always saying, 'tape this cool trick and send it to Yo Gabba Gabb!' haha!

Awww, Liv just wanted to hug instead. :)

And, she has plenty of cool tricks, too. The baby version of a toss to hands! haha! We didn't get a picture snapped in time, but she will stand up while we are holding her. These girls aren't big, but they are strong, that's for sure!

The Human Swing. Maybe Scott and I should just quit our jobs and the entire family can join Cirque! hahaha!

And, this cracks me up....Abby has a 'journal' and she writes all of the words she knows and draws pictures in it, etc. Well, I always grab it and look through it (in preparation for when I snoop in her diary one day-ha!) Anyways, I looked at this and LOST it....yes, that would be B-R-A-T! No more spelling for us. I will tell Scott, 'oh my goodness, 'so and so' is being such a B-R-A-T!' I asked her if she knew what the word was, and she looked at me like I was an idiot and said, 'yes...it's brat...I wrote it in my journal because Olivia was being a brat!' hahaha! She has managed to out smart us at age 4....we are in HUGE trouble! :)