Happy Halloween...

Happy Halloween from our cute little lady bugs...or bee bugs as Dailey calls them!

Big eyes...

Here are some pictures that I took of Skylee today. She is starting to look more & more like Dailey & Justin each day with her big blue eyes.

Kisses for Skylee...

Here is a funny sequence of pictures from our lunch on Monday...

I'll give Skylee a kiss...

Uh oh - that mad her mad!
I'll give her another one...
Nevermind, on to something new...

Dailey's Birthday Party...

On Sunday we celebrated Dailey's 2nd Birthday by having a pumpkin carving party with friends & family at our house. We had a great time & Dailey received lots of new toys & games!

Birthday Lunch...

Yesterday when Auntie stopped by our house on the way to work to wish Dailey a happy birthday, Dailey asked "Aunkey, I go wish you please?". My sister said yes (shocking!) & out the door they went. I was already planning on going to Cle Elum to have lunch with her, so I knew Dailey would only be there for a little under 2 hours. I know it doesn't seem like much, but 2 hours at an office with a very busy 2 year old can seem like 2 months :)

We had an enjoyable birthday lunch at Suncadia & the food was great. We have been working very hard on using good manners & being polite & it's definately paying off. When we were being seated Dailey smiled at the hostesses & said "I want milk please." It was pretty cute! When we were done eating our waitress brought Dailey a scoop of ice cream with a candle on the top! :) Dailey was so excited & waited until we were done singing until she blew out her candle. She blew it out, clapped & said "Happy birthday party!" It was so cute!!

Since it was Dailey's birthday I made all of her favorites for dinner. Homemade mac & cheese, Rise Krispie Chicken, green beans & mandarin oranges. I was going to make an ice cream sundae for her, but I decided that ice cream at lunch was enough for the day.

Smile Auntie!

Peek-a-boo!


Make a wish...

Nummy!

Kisses for Skylee

Camping with Daddy...

On Friday night Justin took Dailey camping. Every year his dad & uncles hunt for elk in the same place, so this year Dailey & Justin joined them. Justin wanted to make sure that she fit in, so he ordered her some camo gear from Cabelas last week! :) She got to play outside & roast hot dogs on Friday night, then she wanted to play in the camper. I wasn't expecting that she would want to be inside, so I didn't send much to play with besides color books & reading books...oops! Justin said they colored & read books...and colored & read more books. On Saturday morning she slept in until 8:30 (better than the 5:30 at home lately!) then they went for a ride with Grandpa Jack in the Suburban with Grandpa Jack. When they got back they rode the 4 wheeler & played before they came home. When they got home on Saturday evening I was so excited to see them...I'm not usually away from either of them for 24 hours at a time! Here are some pictures that Justin took of their big adventure. I forgot to send a comb & rubberbands, so excuse her crazy hair!

All about Dailey...

I was tagged by Gemma on this one...

Name/Meaning: Dailey J Seth. Her first name has no meaning, we just liked it & her middle name is the letter J. No period, not spelled out, only the letter, just like my dad's. No one has ever really figured out why his parents just gave him the letter, but my grandpa always joked that by the 6th child they ran out of names! :)

Age: She will be 2 on Monday

Nicknames: Dilly, Dailey Doodle, Big Sis.

Favorite Activity (ies): Anything that has to do with Dora or Sponge Bob. Neither of which I can stand, but I tolerate because I know how much she loves them! :) She loves to ride on the 4 wheeler & lawn mower with Justin, play in her Dora tent, read books, play with her cousins & uncles, play with puzzles & anything that Auntie is doing.

Favorite Foods: Popsicles, corn on the cob, raw carrots, green beans, lima beans, pasta & anything she can dip in ketchup.

Least favorite foods: Corn off the cob, cooked carrots & lettuce.

Favorite Music: Shake It...I don't remember who sings it, but when it comes on she starts singing "Shake Shake, Shake Shake, Shake it!"

Favorite toys: Anything Dora, her bike, her Little People farm animals & anything that someone else wants to be playing with.

Favorite books: Any Dora book (most of which I can barely read because 1/2 the words are in Spanish!), I Love You So & Hush Little Baby. Actually she loves to be read to & she will sit still so I can read pretty much anything to her.

What makes her happy: Dora, Justin, Auntie, Lan (that is what she calls both Logan & Landon), Grant, Kaitlyn, her grandparents...pretty much anyone that she sees!! :)

What makes her sad: When people come to visit & then leave & when she can't have her way.

Tag: McKinley, Grant, Trace, Jared, Konner & Kaitlyn

Recipe of the week...

Spaghetti & Meatballs...

Chunky Tomato Sauce

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1/2 onion minced

- salt

- 6 garlic cloves, minced

- 1 (28oz) can crushed tomoatos

- 1 (28oz) can diced tomatos

- 1/4 tsp. dried oregano

- pepper

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion & 1 tsp salt, cook until softened. Add garlic & cook until fragrant. Stir in all other ingredients & simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.

Meatballs
- 1 egg

- 3/4 cup bread crumbs

- 1/4 finely chopped onion

- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 1/2 pound ground beef

- 1/2 pound Italian sausage

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well. Shape into 24 meatballs & arrange on a baking pan & bake at 350* for 15-20 minutes or until done.

Dora...

Dailey is totally into Dora & she wants anything that she sees that has Dora on it. We were shopping on Saturday & I was picking out some cute Uggs for her & she spotted Dora shoes. Over & over she was saying "Dora shoes please, Dora shoes please..." it went on & on & on. I finally convinced her that they didn't fit her & the cute little boots that I picked out did. We were in the clear until she saw the Diego ones then it all started again "Diego shoes please, Diego shoes please..." We ended up with her cute little Uggs & a pair of snow boots for her, nothing of which has Dora or Diego on them. :)

The next store was just as bad because there was Dora stuff everywhere!! We ended up leaving there with a Dora sheet set & a Dora tent. She was SO excited for the tent & I honestly think it's the most entertaining toy that I've bought so far. She played in it for hours. She had all kinds of other toys, dolls & puzzles inside with her, she even convinced Justin to join her inside. When I walked into the living room I couldn't see them, I could just hear their voices coming from inside the tent. When I opened up the side to talk to them she quickly closed it back up & carried on playing with Justin, apparently I wasn't invited to their playtime! She is pretty lucky to have a Daddy like him!!!

Pumpkins Patch - Round 2...

Since our first pumpkin patch experience this year wasn't so great, I decided to try again on Friday. Dailey was in a much better mood & was excited to get herself a 'biiiig punkin'. This time we were with my sister (surprise, surprise, we are always with her) and Mel & McKinley. Dailey wanted to sit or stand on all the pumpkins & be carried around. I will admit though, the ground was a little tricky to walk on so I don't blame her for wanting to be carried. We walked around acres of pumpkins & ended up with 4 to bring home. We already have about 30 pumpkins that I grew, but they are small & are still pretty green. Here are some pictures from our day...

1 month old...

On Wednesday Skylee was 1 month old. I can't believe how big she is getting & how much I love my cute little girl! :) She is definately more of a challenge than Dailey was, but she is still a great baby! Here are some pictures that I took of her...

Pumpkin Patch...

Yesterday we took the girls to the pumpkin patch. Skylee did great...Dailey didn't do so hot. She was overly tired & REALLY grouchy. She wanted nothing to do with the pumpkins or having her picture taken. Each time I told her to look at me & smile she would start bawling. Surprisingly, she really like the corn maze, so I actually got a picture of her looking at me & smiling. The pictures of her crying are hilarous to me because that isn't her normal, happy personality at all! She is showing more & more signs everyday of almost being 2 :)

Candles for Connie...

This is copied from Heather and Sam's blog:

Our dear, dear friend Connie, who was an angel on earth, has left this life and is now flying freely. Her cancer riddled body could no longer hold her spirit. I light these cyber candles in remembrance. They will remain that way for her on my page and in my heart forever. I invite my friends and family to copy them and do the same.

May her endless numbers of friends and family find comfort in these difficult times.

Recipe of the week...

I've seen this on a few other blogs & I enjoy trying their recipes, so I thought I would share some of mine! Each week I will try to share a recipe that I am making...hopefully I will keep up with it. Enjoy! :)

Macaroni & Cheese

8 ounces dried pasta (I like to use a different kind of fun noodles each time)

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded American cheese

1) Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain & set aside.

2) Meanwhile, for cheese sauce, in a medium saucepan cook onion in hot butter until tender but not brown. Stir in flour and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly. Add cheeses, stirring until melted. Stir in cooked pasta. Transfer mixture into a 2 quart casserole.

3) Bake, uncovered, in a 350* oven for 25 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

4 weeks ago...

Exactly 4 weeks ago I was laying in a hospital bed waiting for our second little miracle to join us. At that point she still didn't have a name. Skylee was the name that I wanted & I had a feeling that is what Justin wanted also, but he told me that he wanted to see her before he decided on a name. 10 days before she was born we lost my grandfather, Raymond Myrle Rhodes (everyone called him Myrle) & when he passed we agreed that no matter what her first name ended up being, her middle name would be Ray.

I was so excited to meet her, but SO nervous about how Dailey would handling having a little sister. She had been the center of our world, our everything, for the last 22 months. The night before I had Skylee I had to stay in the hospital, so she stayed at Auntie's house & then my sister took her to our wonderful friend & childcare provider, Gemma, in the morning. Going to Gemma's on Monday's was her normal routine, so she didn't realize that her world was about to change so much. We had spent the last few months talking about her being a big sister, reading books about babies & trying to make her understand that the baby that was in my tummy was going to come out & be with us forever. She was still so young that I never really thought that she understood what I was talking about.

I was joined in the hospital room by many family members & friends who all, just like me, couldn't wait to meet our little girl. We spent the morning talking about what we thought she would look like, how big she would be & what Dailey would think about her. The doctor came in 10:30, broke my water & told the nurses to call him when I was ready. At about 11:40 I started to feel my contraction, even though I had an epidural about an hour prior. I didn't say anything to anyone, but I knew I was getting really close to starting to push. At 11:55, when the nurse came in, I told her that I thought I was ready. She said that the doctor had just called & was eating lunch so he would be there in a few minutes...I told her that she should probably call him back & tell him to come right now! He got there at noon, checked me & told me to start pushing with my next contraction. My next contraction hurt so bad that I didn't really push (I was working against my body & that is probably why it hurt so bad!). When that contraction was done, it seemed like forever before my next one came, but when it did, I was ready! I pushed with all my might until everyone could see the top of her head & they told me that she had lots of dark hair...then her head came out. They were all telling me how little & cute she was. I waited for my next contraction & here she came, at 12:10pm she joined us. She was screaming her little head off, Justin cut her cord & I got to hold her. She was so small & absolutely amazing. Justin bent down & asked if her name could be Skylee, exactly what I was hoping for! I looked at her & I knew my life had just changed so much, I was now the mother of 2 little girls. What more could I ask for? The nurses took her from me to clean her up & do all they do. Justin was standing by her the whole time, trying to calm her & patiently waiting for the nurse to be done so that he could hold her. When he finally got to hold her I saw the same look on his face that I saw the day that Dailey was born & I could see how much he loved her already.

A few hours later my sister went to get Dailey so that she could meet Skylee. She took her to the store to get her a doll & whatever else she wanted (this is a problem...) before she brought her to the hospital. When she got there our friend Brandon grabbed the video camera to record her reaction (I'll upload that when I figure out how). She did so much better than I thought she was going to. She looked at her with a huge smile on her face & wanted to touch her. She gave her 2 little puppies that she had picked out at the store for her & wanted to sit with whoever was holding Skylee. After Travis brought us all dinner that night, she went back to Auntie's house to stay the night. Justin & I had a pretty quiet night in the hospital & neither of us got much sleep. I stayed up most of the night holding & looking at Skylee. I couldn't wait to take her home & begin the journey of a family of 4.

Today, 4 weeks later, we are home & life is as normal as it is going to get. My days are spent getting 1/2 as much done as I used to, getting 1/2 as much sleep, but loving 2 little girls more than I ever could have imagined. I have a wonderful husband, who is an amazing father & life is great.