Three is two

Felicity turned two on Easter Monday! We've commented about what a happy little girl she is, even going so far as to say she's already the most glass-half-full person in the house. If she gets a bump on the head it just takes a little kiss to make her feel all better. She is the sweetest, most cuddly girl every morning when she wakes up at 6:45, especially if she can get both of her parents to lay beside her for a few minutes while she drinks a sippy cup of milk. She calls Miriam "Mim" and Vivian is "Vivvy". Please, Puppy, Please is her favorite book. Storytime at the local library is her happy place. She LOOOOOVES babies and trains, will eat just about anything, despite that early picky-eater-scare, has finally decided babysitters are okay but when Mommy/Daddy come home we get the world's best greeting with a hug, looks so much like Vivian we're sure they'll be able to trick future boyfriends, and is ticklish just about anywhere on her body. Felicity is a good talker and singer and likes to "FIX IT!" which can mean anything from picking up toys to putting a pen cap in the sliding door track and declaring, "HURRAY! I FIX IT!" We still can't follow that train of thought but when she found out Mommy had removed the pen cap later, she put on her best grumpy face and said, "NO! I FIX IT!" and ran the cap back to the sliding door track.

Her's is the last birthday we'll celebrate at the old house, a bittersweet thought.

When Mommy asked her what she wants for her birthday, she got a sly grin, raised her eyebrows, and said, "Cake!"

Dearest Felicity, we can certainly make you some cake!

He Is Risen! (Plus, the New House Stuff)

We can't have a conversation without talking about our new house (moving in less than two weeks!!). Case in point, no Easter post for you unless we get to talk about it. Tim has been a busy, happy little beaver installing blinds and clothes drying racks. He truly does enjoy these projects getting the house ready. Sarah likes that he likes them and just wants to move in. All that lovely space just waiting to be filled with our furniture and toys and noise. It's going to be glorious.

PLUS the driveway is poured!!

Ok, you made it. On to Easter: Besides the obvious celebrating that Jesus is Alive we also get to celebrate that Uncle Michael and Stella are HOME. As in Michael is out of the Navy. After two days of travel, they were both beat. Stella was sore from the flights and seems to be a little injured, but it slowly recovering.

On Holy Saturday, our girls got to color eggs at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Their aunts and uncles joined in - they may be adults, but they cannot resist coloring eggs. All young at heart.

That afternoon we drove down to Carmel to be with Tim's sister and her family overnight. Our girls continue to be the luckiest girls in the world and were asked to color Easter eggs again!

The next morning, we were the first ones awake and slipped down stairs to see what the Easter Bunny had left us!

 Mommy got a BIG Chocolate bunny. Yummy.

Then off to Mass, an Easter egg hunt, and attempts at a family picture. We did get a picture of Vivian levitating. So that's like a nice family picture.

Close as we're gonna get. How many more years will they let Mommy get away with dressing them in matching outfits?

Speer Cousins + Helmkamp Cousins = Love

Happy Easter and prayers that your family pictures were cuter than ours.

Let's Go Visiting

This week we've already hung out with a couple of our favorite friends.

First was Great-grandma Wellman with Aunt Nichole and Aunt Maria. Grandma didn't know who we were. At all. Which was sad, but despite her confusion she was still nice as could be to us (complete strangers, as far as she was concerned) and seemed to enjoy our company. She was happy to let the girls play and play, to talk with them, and to listen to them sing. The girls were enamored with her bird house sweatshirt...

...Aunt Maria was entrusted with caring for the babies during our visit and did a stellar job...

...Grandma got to hear the entire plot of Frozen...

...it was very good.

AND tonight we had a speical treat when Aunt B, Uncle E, and baby Leo stopped over for a quick visit. Our girls wanted to eat Leo up. Literally.

Yum.

Lucky boy handled all the attention very well. So typical for him - he's just a chill, happy little man. Each little girl had to take turns holding him. And Mommy had to have her turn holding her squishy baby!

The week isn't over yet; we've got Holy Week and Easter festivities on the horizon. The three social butterflies will be flying high.

Tim's Line of Sight

Sometimes it seems like we're doing nothing or we're just too busy to remember what we're doing. Looking back at what we've been up to through Tim's eyes...

We did our first day at the park in 2015! It was decent weather and we're are sick of the snow and cold, so we bundled up and went!

Group water sports at Costco. Or something. Felicity is just hoping nobody shifts and sends her crashing to the ground.

Uncle John's birthday complete with homemade ice cream cake and a lot of help blowing out the candles.

We had dinner at our favorite Italian place last week - Carusos in Angola. One of the owners came up and asked if the girls wanted to come back to the kitchen to make pizza! YES!

So each little girl washed her hands, played with some dough and toppings, and continued to be the three most spoiled children in the history of the Milky Way.

It was so much fun for them...and the perfect lunch the next day. And Tim captured this little gem on our way home...He sent it to Fr. Ben immediately.

And a house update because we can't resist...

Prepping for the driveway - the last step we're waiting for before we move in!!!!