Lately . . .

With the chaos of raising children and starting a new business I haven't found much time to blog, so I'm sorry there haven't been any updates for a while.  I actually haven't taken many pictures of the girls, which makes me feel even worse!  Here are some of the few I've managed to take the last few days:

Lily with my cousin Vanessa at her reception.  Lily was so excited to see the "princess"!

I am so in love with this chunky little baby!  She is going to be 5 months old this week and I can't believe it; time flies.

Lily is such a loving little girl

Going down the slip n' slide at our ward party; I had to just let go and let her get her clothes wet

Getting excited about facepaint

Lily and Zoey have entered into a new chapter in life; they are now sharing a bedroom.  Zoey is loving all the room she has in her new crib compared to her tiny bassinet.  We promised Lily that if she potty-trained that she would get a big girl bed, so she is now in a beautiful new toddler bed.  Lily has been so good about sharing her space with Zoey!  When they are taking naps and the baby cries, Lily will either try to comfort her or she'll just ignore her and keep sleeping.  They are definitely bonding more and I love to witness that.

Tobby is reffing soccer like crazy!  He has had a soccer tournament every week for the past couple months.  He takes such good care of our family and makes sure that he spends as much time with us as possible.  He started school again this past week and it's going to be a tough semester with all the homework that he's going to have to do, but he is very determined and I know he'll get through it with flying colors!

Like I said above, I started a new business last month as an independent consultant for Scentsy.  It's a company that makes beautiful and safe warmers that melt candle wax so you don't have to have a lit flame to have your space smell great.  If you want to check out the product you can go to my website at http://www.amyharward.scentsy.us/.  I've used them for the past couple years and love them, so I decided to try my hand at selling them.  So far, it's been really fun!  The best part is that I get to work, but still stay at home!

It's been a little crazy busy around here, but it's also been a ton of fun to experience all these new and unknown adventures as a family.  And I wouldn't trade that for anything! 

Patriotism

I don't have much time to blog, but I need to share some cute 4th of July pictures. We always enjoy dressing up patriotically and going to the parade. This year was especially nice as the space was already saved for us, (thanks Scott and Sherry), so we just showed up, sat down, and watched. God bless America!

This is the face Lily makes when we ask her to pose for a picture

Ahh . . . that's better!

The Parade:

This is the only family picture we could manage to get . . . at least the parents are still smiling!

What a Blessing

Today we blessed our dear, little Zoey. It's days like today that make me remember how thankful I am to be a mother to two beautiful and lively girls. My absolute favorite part of the day was after Zoey was blessed. She came back to hang out with me and Lily proceded to make Zoey's arm move in a "horray" motion and said, "Good job, Zoey. You did it! You get blessed!" Then as she held up her sister's arm with one hand she gave her a little high five with the other hand. It was hilarious! Lily is such a good big sister and still wants to smother her sister with kisses every time she sees her. She seems to be adjusting back to normal behavior after the shock of the baby's arrival. Zoey is now sleeping through the night, which makes me want to cry with joy. She is so happy and really only cries when she's hungry or tired. Even though by the end of the day I am exhausted and usually have spit up on me in one place or another, I am so thankful that I am able to stay home and help my girls learn and grow.

Recent pictures of the girls:

Blessing day picutres:

Newly-Trained Thumb Sucker

Not only is Lily obsessed with sucking her thumb, but she's trying to get Zoey hooked too. Silly girl!

It was so funny to see how excited Lily was to share something she loves so much with her younger sister.

Hair Tales

Lily's hair has been looking a little shaby as of late, but we've been waiting to cut it until she grew more hair on the sides of her head and not just the back. Last week her hair transformed from . . .

mullet, to . . .

marvelous!

She looks so grown up now!

Finger Fun

My mom has been a huge help with Lily since Zoey has been born. I couldn't resist sharing these photos of Lily's first experience with finger paint. Mom, you are a brave woman!

Lily's so proud of herself.

Lazy Days

Easter was pretty relaxing this year. We just hung out at home in the morning, did an Easter egg hunt and went to the Harward's for dinner. Lily got a pretty dress and hat from Grandma and Grandpa and has been asking to wear it every day since.

It's been amazing to us how gentle and loving Lily has been with Zoey. She is always wanting to give her kisses and hold her "cute baby". Zoey loves when Lily is around! She watches her big sister very intently and calms down when she is near, even if Lily is being a little noisy.

Since I don't have a sister, I am so excited for my girls to grow up together. I have visions of them being best friends throughout their lives. They are definetly off to a great start!