Reading

Shannon has loved to read since she was born. Since both Matt and I love to read, we read to our children frequently, hoping that they will find it as enjoyable as we do. The other day (as I was reading, ironically) I looked up to see what the girls were doing. Shannon had put a blanket on Leah, snuggled up next to her, and was reading to her. She has all of her books memorized, so she actually does "read" them, and Leah was fascinated. It was pretty dang cute.

Green Wilma

Green Wilma has been one of my favorite kid books since before I had kids. It's just a funny story! I checked it out from the library and within days Shannon had it memorized. She does love books! I have actually been trying for a long time to get this video, but every time I take the camera out Shannon thinks it's time to say, "cheese!" and she won't read with me. My persistance paid off, however, and I finally got it! Sorry she is only wearing panties. She doesn't like to wear pants, and I don't make her wear them unless we leave the house.

"The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler"

I don't think I have ever gotten political on my blog before, but this post was inevitable, as I am a person with some very strong opinions.

I don't know how many of you were able to watch the Hallmark movie last night about Irena Sendler, who saved 2,500 children from the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. What a remarkable human being! I don't know if the movie really did her story justice, but it was pretty good. It reminded me of an e-mail that I recieved a while ago about the same woman. The e-mail told of the heroic things that Irena did in order to rescue these children, then at the end it said she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. Then came the part that absolutely bowled me over: she lost--to AL GORE! I can't even fathom what the committee who chose him was thinking when they made that decision. I know that in the grand scheme of things it really doesn't matter because it's just an award, but it makes me very sad that sensationalism overshadowed complete selflessness.

Anyway, you can find out more about Irena Sendler here.

"Mommy, I wanna fix it."

Why is it that kids hate the paper on their crayons so much? Shannon starts taking off the paper as soon as she gets new crayons, and when she can't finish it she asks me to "fix" it. Is it similar to my taking the dust jacket off of the book I'm reading? Because I have to tell you, I can't stand that. I don't know what it is, but I can't read a book with a dust jacket on it.On an entirely different note, Shannon woke up again with swollen eyes. You can't see them very well in this picture, but they are red and very puffy. She has had this once before and I blamed it on a dog, but this time she wasn't around a dog. Hmmm. She definately has her mother's allergies. I used to wake up in the moring with my eyes literally sealed shut from "gunk."

And on yet another note, here is a picture of my matching girls. Matt's mom got these outfits for them and I just love them. Aren't they cute?

This has been a random post brought to you by me. I would write about this last weekend and our Spring Break and Easter, but it would just bum you out, so I'll stick with the positive!

Cutest Pictures EVER!

My Mom recently told me that I needed to take more pictures of Leah because I took tons of Shannon, so Leah is going to wonder where all of hers are. I think it might be the other way around. You see, when Shannon was born, my niece didn't have a studio yet, so her pictures aren't quite as good as these. I am SOOOOOOOOO lucky to be able to live by Nickell (not only because she is a great photographer--she's also a blast to hang-out with!). I love them all so much I can't decide which is my favorite!

Happy Spring?

I've had nothing in particular to blog about lately, so I thought I would just post a few pictures. This one was taken yesterday (it's actually much worse today). As you can see, Spring is a beautiful time in Utah. Just last week we were playing in the park and getting sunburned, and now we are stuck in the snow again. A few weeks ago we had Leah's blessing. Her grandma made this dress and it turned out just beautifully. She looked very pretty! My niece took some professional pictures that I will post when I get them (that's not a hint, Nickell, I know how busy you are).

The other night I went to check on Shannon to make sure she was asleep, and this is how I found her. She is wearing a hat that was actually for Leah when she was born, because it's a Christmas hat. Unfortunately, it was a little big for Leah, but it fits Shannon! She cracks me up!

I know there couldn't be a worse picture of me, but for some reason I still love this. We were all snuggling on the couch together and Matt thought it was too cute, so he took a picture with his cell phone. These girls really do love each other, and I sure love them!

A Soprano in the Family?

Okay, I know I have been posting a lot of videos lately, but I really love being able to take videos of my kids with sound! It's so much fun! Anyway, this one is a sample of the funny noises that Leah makes. She is just as chatty, if not more so, than Shannon. I wrote before that when she got her shots she surprised us by not only screaming, but by making the highest pitch screams I think I've ever heard. Now she reaches some of those notes when she is talking.