May

Okay, okay...enough with the monthly updates. Not only do these big updates get completely overwhelming for me (which is why it takes me so long to get them up)...but I've decided I want the purpose of this blog to change. Of course, the number one priority will remain the same. My goal has always been to keep everyone up to date on our lives.

What I want is a place where the girls can come back years from now and see not just the big trips we took, or important events like birthdays, but the smaller moments too. How we live our day-to-day lives, the girls' smaller, everyday victories that lead to big cheers from Ryan and me. (Full disclosure? This will also be a great resource for when memory seems to escape me!)

So that's it. Two more big, bulky, 'one-month-scrunched-into-17-photos' posts for May and June...and then expect to be overwhelmed annoyed overjoyed with more frequent updates!

We've spent quite a bit of time

getting to know this little guy...

We now know he must be part-puppy. Captain Hook loves to sprawl out in front of the fireplace in the evenings before bed. When we let him out of his cage in the morning, he runs to the back door and scratches at it until someone comes to let him out. If he's in the mood for a cuddle, he'll follow so close to your feet that he often gets kicked and nearly stepped on (poor guy is almost the exact same color as our carpet.)

Being chased around the backyard.

Great exercise for both parties.

The word 'bunny' no longer exists in Reese's vocabulary. Every rabbit she sees at the pet store and bunny picture she sees in her books is now called 'Hook'!

Who could resist the bright green grass on a sunny day?

Ryan and I get grief from time to time about the suburb we live in. Milson is a mostly residential area, but also has train tracks running directly through it and is home to the Palmerston North Airport. Sounds loud and busy, but we got used to it rather quickly.

Our house also backs up to a large plot of land with about 30 grazing cattle. What could be better for two kids under 4 years old? We get to see planes and helicopters fly by, watch the huge crates being loaded and unloaded from the trains, and marvel at the 'moos' eating and sleeping every single day.

It also takes a whopping 7 minutes (!) to get to town by car...which apparently is a huge turn-off for many Palmy residents. I guess it's all about your perspective. (Remind me sometime to tell you about 'all the traffic' in the city...makes us laugh everytime.)

This is our evening view from the backyard...

...we're pretty happy 'way out' in Milson.

One beautifully sunny day the girls pulled out their Tinker Bell skates. Up to this point, the only experience they'd had was skating walking in their skates on the carpet. So the concrete in front of the house was a whole new world.

We started with smiles (and upright).

Which quickly turned into this...

...and this...

...and this.

The girls gave it their best shot.

Finally, Daly gave up in favor of

playing in the flower bed.

And Reese just crawled.

We moved on to a helmet and bike seat.

A smoother ride with fewer bruises...

...and loads more smiles.

My two little dolls.

Daly and I were out in the toy room playing this morning. I heard Reese yell from her room, 'duuuck....duuuuuck'. (In my mommy-translation mode, I knew this word was not the animal...which she says just like the real word, but really enunciates the 'ck'). This 'duck' meant 'Come and help, I'm stuck!'

This is what I found.

I immediately started cracking up (then grabbed my camera, then helped her get out)...thinking of another little girl I once found in the very same baby doll crib...

'I'll remember April and smile'

Before the Jets' season started, the organization got out in The Square for some fun with the kids and families of Palmerston North. Sausage sizzle, face painting, bounce houses, relay races and carnival games in the sun. We had a great time. More than anything, it was really wonderful to see the players and coaches having a blast with the local kids...such a huge part of being role models in a small community.

Darryl painting Reesie's face. She was clearly very excited.

Finished product. To be fair, she was his first face of the day!

Daly learning how to run the cones with Stacey.

Making everyone laugh, as usual.

Finally talked Daly into getting her face painted.

Our gorgeous girl, showing her Jets PRIDE!

Writing about Daly's pride for her daddy's team reminded me of a funny story. We decided to follow the team up to Auckland for their away game against the Pirates. It was a great win for us!! After the game, we were sitting at the table in our hotel room, eating pizza. I said to Daly, 'GO.....' (to which she usually responds, 'JETS!!') Instead, she yelled, 'JESUS!!' So now we yell cheers for Jesus and the Jets! :D

I love this picture of little Daly

standing next to our 6'10" center, Nick.

Ring around the rosie...a favourite.

(See Kiwis? I can spell it 'right'!)

Taking a ride to the bounce house.

It's been really cool watching the girls take more of an interest in sports. The coach/athlete in Ryan and me loves seeing them get excited about learning how to throw, catch, dribble, kick, and shoot.

Finished a fantastic morning with a mini potato sack race!

We had such a lovely Easter!! The weather was perfect (even though the forecast called for rain).

I love Reese's face in this one!

Never a day off...we walked the girls over to the gym so a couple of the Jets players could get a workout in.

Daly and Reese got in on the fun!

The girls' imaginations are getting more and more creative everyday. This walk home was turned into a search for Skull Rock (pirate themed, of course!)

Following the leader.

(Reese will do almost anything as long as Daly is doing it too!)

We had Easter brunch here at the house for our friends, some of the players, coaches and their families. Almost everyone showed up in tshirts and jeans or shorts, very casual. So when we answered the door semi-dressed up (as you do for Easter Sunday) we got a couple sideways glances. The girls being in matching dresses...well, this was just too crazy and American for our Kiwi friends! "Why the matching dresses?" I had a couple friends ask. My response, "Why wouldn't they be matching? It's Easter!"

Just another cultural difference...one of the many we're learning little by little. Some we happily accept and are willing to change: coriander instead of cilantro, the boot instead of the trunk, jandals instead of flip flops. But the matching Easter dresses?

I think we'll keep those around...

Daly is 3!!

It is extremely strange to already be saying, "My three year old." This was the first year Daly was insistent on the theme for her birthday....she wanted a Pirate Party! While on our last trip to the states, she fell in love with a new Disney show...

...And after riding...

...at Disneyland, she was officially Captain Hooked.

So we went on the search for Pink Pirate Birthday themes. Here's what we found (and ordered everything in the US....where fun party things are in greater abundance and variety...and much much cheaper!!)

We spent the morning of her birthday hunting down some of our favorite pictures of her first three years. (Click on the picture for more detail.)

Daly's corner.

Perfect wrapping paper!

A friend of mine had just planned an awesome Trash Truck Party for her three year old, Brennan. He wore the cutest shirt the day of his party...with little trash trucks and a big '3' on it, which she had ordered from Etsy. So off I went on a treasure hunt...

Daly's shirt was handmade by Darcy Allen from ChewChewsCloset. Although she asked many times, Daly wasn't allowed to wear her pirate shirt until her party started. She ended up falling asleep an hour before guests arrived...so I went into her room to gently wake her up and the first thing she asked as she opened her eyes, "Where's my pirate shirt? I get to wear my pirate shirt!"

We all had such a blast getting into the pirate theme!

Cupcakes for the guests...BIG cupcake for the birthday girl!

Complete with Happy Birthday pirate candles.

Everyone sang a big "Happy Birthday to you!!!"

Reese just sang "HAPPY!!!"

Pirate wishes, I presume...

We all know about Reese's relationship with food. This was probably cupcake number two or three...but I'm sure she would have been just as happy with a spoonful of frosting.

Opening gifts.

Ryan and I are so proud of our Daly girl. She is growing up so much and getting smarter and smarter every day. (But I love that she is still so little and that things are so new for her!)

Happy 3rd Birthday, Beautiful!!