~Life is good~

We are enjoying the little things, enjoying the girls at each of their stages, and enjoying our new life in Maricopa. Sounds so cliche, but there is a lot to be thankful for! Aside from the obvious (a job in this economy, a roof over our heads, our health, etc), it's easy to see the good in the small stuff too.

A baby who likes her crib!
During nap times and is *starting* to sleep there at night too! :)
I woke up at 7am and Camille was still in her crib! A first for her! Yea!

A daughter who LOVES school and does well.
She made the Principal's list and also got Student of the Month. I also love that her new school has quarterly assemblies to recognize all the students' achievements.
As student of the month, she got to add her hand print to the wall.
We are SO proud of you Julia!

A simple but beautiful backyard.
When we moved, we left behind a pool, a garden and a neat courtyard for the girls to play in. As much as we loved all that it was a LOT of work! It is nice to simplify and have a small, mostly self sufficient backyard. But, a warning to our family members with pools: you will be seeing even more of us in the summer! :)

Last but not least, a wonderful mother who stays for a week, helps out tremendously and loves to play with the kids. Aside from the obvious benefits of a grandmother's love, it also gives me precious time for cleaning the house and a little blogging (combined with above mentioned sleeping baby).
*I tried to stay in the room and join in the fun but Bella politely asked me to leave. :)

The Lamis Sisters

These two might be taking their act on the road soon. :)

Despite a room full of new toys, they LOVE singing into their "mics" which are just speaker stands that they decided to improvise with. They turn up the music and are such little performers. Behind them is their next favorite toy- the full length mirror (ie: the large TV screen while turned off).

They are so fun to watch!

Ringing in 2010

To ring in the New Year, we decided to go to Flagstaff to see the snow and try sledding with the girls.

Julia had a blast and was very daring! I was quite surprised since she is normally very cautious and afraid of things like this (like me). Chet sent her down one of the bigger hills (equipped with a few bumps) and she was hooked!

Bella however got wet as soon as we arrived. She had fun tromping through the deep drifts and playing with the snow with bare hands. She sledded a few times before crying "I can't feel my feet!". We tried to warn her but its hard containing a 5 yr old when playing in the snow.

This is where Bella stayed the rest of the afternoon.
And this is Camille during the entire afternoon as well- asleep in her sling. This little trooper stayed up most of New Year's Eve and was wiped out!