An Announcement...

About the same time these pictures were taken for a book about adoption, Josh & I made the prayerful decision to try to add one more to our little family. We have been so blessed by adoption & are so grateful for the sweetness & joy our two daughters have brought to our lives & look forward to starting the journey again. Don't these two girls look like the best darn sisters a kid could have??

GIRLS TRIP!!!

Josh had lots of work to do & basketball to watch, so the girls & I decided to brave a trip to Disneyland without our fearless leader. To my suprise & delight, it was one of my favorite trips & we had a ball! The girls made "forts" in the closet & drank "tea" at Mary Poppins favorite spot. We waited in line for ages to meet the Fairies & Mara really mauled them. I mean, literally. We dragged Ella from the playground at Goofy's house (her new favorite spot). We had snacks & naps. We wore matchy-matchy outfits (per their request). And the best? Watching their little eyes light up during the parade. They were squealing with such excitement that everyone around us started watching them instead of the floats. Oh, my sweet girls-- if you ever had hoped to miss that Disney-freak thing your parents have, you don't stand a chance.

"Tiny" Turns 2!!

My "teeny tiny" (as we often call her) turned two this week!! She is absolutely in LOVE with Minnie Mouse, so we had a little Minnie party with all her favorites... hot dogs, Grammy & Poo-Pooh, & chocolate cake. She didn't quite love the whole candle-blowing thing, but loved her new scooter (which she hopped right on & sped away). My sweet little Ella, the time is going by wayyyy too fast, but Happy Happy Birthday!!!

A REAL Ballerina

After much waiting, Miss Mara has finally started ballet (& tap) lessons. Picking out her dance gear, pulling her hair into a little bun for the first time, and watching her twirl through class with a huge smile on her face was one of those moments for me... one of those that made me (again) so grateful for her birthmom, whose sacrifice made me a mother & gave me the joy of all these sweet moments. And isn't Ella just the cutest thing in the universe pressing her little nose up to the glass to watch her big sis?

UNDER CONSTRUCTION...

So, contrary to popular belief, we have not dropped off the face of the earth. Though pictures from the last few months DO indeed exist, I can't bear to relive the moments. Instead, I will post this single photograph to sum up what our lives have consisted of lately. We moved into a wonderful home that will be beautiful when Mike is finished with it. A lesson has been learned about living with construction. A level of patience has been developed that was previously thought reserved for only saints and nuns. And we are still alive. Dust filled, gray haired, baggy-eyed & with shopping & to-do lists a mile long, but alive. If you feel the need to ask how the move is going, don't. When we have healed & time has erased some of the memory, we will post glorious pictures. Until then, let this serve as a warning to you all... do not live with constuction AND toddlers... especially over the holidays. It's simply too much.

Kansas City Sis

My sister is due with her first daughter in a few weeks, so Josh & I decided to pay a visit to the Smiths in Kansas City. I had fun helping her shop & decorate the baby room. Josh had fun filling his belly with some of the best BBQ in the world.

Halloween Disney-Style

Oh, YEAHHH.... we LOVE us some Disney Halloween. In Iggy tradition, we did a group costume as characters from Toy Story-- Grammy & Poo-Pooh were Jesse & Woody, Josh & I were Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head, and Mara & Ella were the aliens (you remember, the ones that the Potato Heads adopt??). Is that the cutest or what? We had so much fun & tried our best to pretend we were suprised when Poo-Pooh held up the cast memebers with his plastic gun for more candy. Ahhh... Disneyland. The Spookiest Place on Earth.

Princess Party!!!

What better way to kick off Halloween than with a Princess Party? The girls had all kinds of fun & in typical Mara fashion, she decided mid-party that her dress was not fancy enough, so we borrowed one from a friend & changed in the parking lot. We are in TROUBLE when these girls are teens!

Jack-o-lanterns

The girls loved coloring the faces on their Jack-o-lanterns. Ella's favorite part was making the mess (& of course, the snack). Mara's favorite part was carrying them around with her EVERYWHERE in the weeks that followed.

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not...

HE DEFINITELY LOVES YOU!! Daddy brought home daisies for all his girls. Just his luck, Mara had just learned this darling little trick. A million petals (and one busy naptime) later, she discovered that Daddy loves her tons and tons. And he discovered that maybe flowers will stay in the kitchen from now on...

Cute. No, annoying. Nah... cute.

The jury was out for a while on this one. Was the fact that Ella hopped in the tub RIGHT AFTER I got her out, dried, lotioned, conditioned, & jammied cute? or annoying? A little of both, but the fact that she just couldn't miss out on any fun that Big Sis was having was ultimately more cute. Those girls!!

'Lil Mamma

Oh, Mara. You've out-adorable-ed yourself again. This time, you tucked all your dolls and stuffed animals in for Saturday morning cartoons with you. So stinkin' cute.

Heaven Help Her...

Oh Boy, she is as stubborn as they get & will not allow us to help her learn how to eat, etc. All I can say is... Heaven help this adorable little mess!

HOGLE ZOO

Since here in Vegas, there are no great zoos to speak of, we take every chance we get to visit the animals at Hogle Zoo. The girls love the little train, the animals, and love love love when their cousins are there with them. A fun time was had by all!

Bear Lake Rocks!

As Josh often says, Bear Lake is good for you soul... you can't look anywhere without seeing blue water, stars in the sky, and green for miles. We LOVE it... especially when we have special visitors!

Our Crafting Souls...

It is craft time at the Iggy house. As you can tell, Ella doesn't have quite the love for it that Mara does, but she sure didn't mind all those bubbles!

Ella's Special Temple Day

A few months ago, we were able totake our darling Ella to the temple to be sealed to our little growing family. We are so happy to be sealed to such a sweet soul & cannot imagine life without "Tiny".

A Girls Trip

Mara & I flew to Kansas City to visit Sarah, Jared, & cousin Dylan. Mara had sooo much fun at the farm, at the park, jumping on our bed, and with her very first doll. We had a blast!