Ode to the house in WA

Well, here are the farewell pictures for our WA house. I hope that who ever purchases it will be able to have as many good memories as we did. We spent our first year of marriage here, I spent my first pregnancy here. I spent 5 weeks of bedrest on the couch in the living room. I brought my daughters home from the hospital to this their first home. So many great life changing moments happened in this house. We will always remember these.

Den

Living Room

Living Room

Living Room

Family Room

Covered Porch

Back Yard

Our little garden mostly harvested

Compost pile

Our beautiful tomatoes that we had to leave

our herb garden

The final days...

Here are a few pictures of our final days in WA. The girls and the dog could feel the tension in the house and all were acting up because of said tension! It was a rough week.  They were kind of naughty and cried quite a bit over seemingly little things.  It was rough on me too!!!

Reader

We have a reader in our midst.  Emily loves books and reads them to herself quite often.  It is darling.  I got a couple of pictures on a few different days.  Here are just a couple of those.

Can you smell whats cookin?

So I don't remember the exact phrase, but Ana has gotten so she makes a "mad" face and it reminds me of the wrestler "the Rock" when he does his slogan.  So I had to get a video. It cracks me up every time and I start to giggle and she cant hold it. 
http://youtu.be/1c4V-BJBNZE

So Close to Walking

The girls are both getting so very close to walking on their own.  Emily actually took her very first unassisted step today, and Ana has figured out how to use the "toy walker" they are growing up so very fast...

Here is a short video of Ana walking with the walker.

http://youtu.be/i3aN31g4ctc

The PARTY

We wanted to have a party for the girls first birthday since I think that the first birthday is a huge milestone and I wanted to have people that have been involved in these little girls lives to be able to celebrate with us, so we decided on this past Sunday we would invite all the people that have had a part in helping our girls hit one year old!
We put up some decorations that I had to modify and work with a little bit since we did not want to spend money that we do not have we went to the dollar store and found things that I could work with to put together a cute party. 
Ben used some of the hamburger that we have in the freezer to make hamburgers and grilled up some of those and some hotdogs for the kids.
I wanted to make a cake and cupcakes and decorate them cute.  I decided half way into baking the cupcakes that I was going to forgo the cake and just make all cupcakes.  I baked them before we went to church and was going to decorate them after we got home from church and we got the girls down for a nap. 
I ran out of frosting, and had to have Ben pick some up since I did not have ingredients to make any and I was running out of time. 
So I was still decorating cupcakes when the first party guest showed up.  And was kind of in the middle of a mess.  The bag I was using to decorate the green cupcakes had just burst at the seems and sprayed frosting everywhere.  All over the last 4 cupcakes and the counter and the floor and...well you get the idea.  The one good thing is that it had not gotten on me since I had not been able to change my clothes from church. 
The first guest to arrive was Monica (from work) she brought the girls Happy Meals for their birthday with Hi-C...

Happy Meals

Ana with a mouthful of chicken nuggets and a sippy full of Hi-C

So the girls got to eat their happy meals while sipping on Hi-C while the rest of the guests arrived.  The next to arrive were the Hulveys.  We were so glad they could come.  They have been a  huge part of these girls lives and ours.  We met them at our church and they have taken us under their wings and have been so good to us.  They actually came to the hospital and were with us when we found out that the girls were going to need to be born that night.
They came as much as they could the next few days to give encouragement and kindness to both Ben and I.  And they have loved the girls since they were born and we feel like they are part of the family.
Then the Skinners arrived with their two boys.  Michelle was our birthing class instructor and has helped so many times baby sit the girls when we needed to go somewhere together without the girls she was always so willing to help.  And her family have been good friends.  We have enjoyed spending time with them over the past year. 
Then Mary Goldgrabe arrived.  She has also spent quite a lot of time helping us with the girls and coming to visit us.  She has been so kind bringing Ben all sorts of goodies when he was taking care of the girls by himself all day.  She would come visit him and the girls and always bring a little something with her.  Some fresh veggies and dinner, or some homemade goodies. 
Then my cousin Tracy called and said that she was coming with her husband Claire and her two boys.  I was so glad that they could make it.  I had meant to invite them and did not have their email, so was going to call them.  Then I got busy with life and forgot to call.  Ben remembered the morning of the party and I called and left a message so I was so glad they could come at last notice.
So we had so many people come that have been such a wonderful part of our lives over the past years. 
Then the festivities began.  They were normal festivities.  We had the girls open their presents and eat their cake and then just play with everyone.
Here are some pictures of the good times we had.

Just waiting for us to give them something to do.

Mom and Dad gifts

Ana LOVED eating the paper

Playing with ribbons and ribbons

More presents!

Books from the Hulveys

Emily Reading her book.

                                                

Singing Happy Birthday

Blowing out the candles.

Emily in the beginning

Ana did not like the actual cake...just the frosting! lol

Hey...where did all your cake go?

Ahhh. there it is!



Playing patty cake with frosting is fun!

Here is a short video of them playing around while the Birthday song is going on.

Birthday Song

1st Birthday pics and video

We had a private party for the girls on their birthday, and they had a good time( kind of!) They are not too into it yet! 

The link to them eating their birthday cupcake.

http://youtu.be/GGp6lKLOeag

Emily enjoying her blueberry pancake breakfast

Ana ate it all, but was not in a smiling mood!

Ana opening a gift from Andrea

I love this picture.  She has that whoa look.  So cute.  Emily opening her gift from Andrea

Loot

My very first attempt at two things...making cupcakes and decorating a cake with no cake decorating tools.  Just a plastic baggie and frosting...oh and sprinkles. And yes it is a little rough, but I don't care!  Emily and Ana liked it all the same!

Happy 4th of July!

I hope you all have a safe fun 4th of July.  My kiddos are a little small still for the whole fire works and such.  Plus that they go to bed when it is still light outside, so hopefully tonight they will be able to sleep through the fireworks!
We tried to have a mini 4th of July photo shoot and once again...these girls are like herding cats...

Emily playing in the obstacle course called the table and chairs

Trying to get a good "together picture"

4th of July hair

Brought Mom in to see if we could corral the cats! Didn't work very good!

                                                                                          

Brought out the Little Einstein for a few minutes so that Ben and I could continue to pack since naps were short today.

Almost got a good one!  They are still cute!