Coby, Ash, Mae, Lu & Emme Coonradt

NEW BLOG!

2012-01-24T20:08:00.001-08:00

With all the "new's" our family is going through right now, I thought now would be the perfect time for a new blog! So as of this moment, you can find us at coonradtcasa.blogspot.com! See you on the flipside!

Bittersweet goodbye...

2012-01-24T19:49:00.001-08:00

At the end of this wonderful year, we also said goodbye to our cute little house on 500 South. As I drove away for the last time, I couldn't help feeling a little emotional about moving on from this house that has been our home for the past five years. I remember me and Coby moving in, just the two of us, and working our BUTTS off fixing it up. I don't know how many nights we sat on the floor, covered in paint and whatever else eating some form of fast food while taking a short break from our work. I keep picturing the day we brought Mae, our very first baby, home from the hospital to this house and Coby taking her on a tour of the house and showing her the bedroom we had worked so hard on for her. And then subsequently, bringing Lu and Emme home here as well. This home is where ALL my babies were newborns in and I can't help feeling a little teary-eyed even now thinking how we have moved on from that stage of our lives. While I am SOOOOOOOOOOO excited for our new home, I haved LOVED all the memories we have had here and will forever be grateful for this wonderful home and time we had with our girls.

SICK DAY :(

2012-01-24T19:42:00.000-08:00

Before the year was over, don't you know it, the whole family got sick! Taking advantage of Nana and Papa's big jetted tub (they'll probably die when they see this) I loaded the tub up with bubbles and me, Lu and Mae tried to soak away our colds...and I think it helped! The girls were fascinated with all the bubbles and we had a BLAST!

Sick or not, who can pass up a Santa impersonation with these bubbles!

Thanks to the big tub, our colds passed fairly quickly and we were on the MEND!

4 MONTHS!

2012-01-24T19:20:00.000-08:00

Our sweet little Emme turned four months old this month! I cannot believe it has been that long since she joined our family and yet it feels like she has always been a part of us. I swear with each child the time just goes faster and faster! I want to yell for it to SLOW DOWN and and let me keep my girls just like this for a little longer. I found a quote on my newest addiction, Pinterest, and when I read it I almost cried with the thought. There are days when I feel completely overwhelmed with three little ones, 3 years old and under, the house work and my transcription, but I dread the day when I wake up and they are all grown and gone.

There are days when I feel completely overwhelmed wtih three little ones, 3 years old and under (four kids if I count the BIG one I share a bed with) all the house work, the no sleep AND to top it all off, my transcription, BUT I dread the day when I will wake up and they are all grown and gone.

When we took Em to her 4 month appointment, they weighed her and *BIG SUPRISE* she is getting in line right behind her sisters and measures in at the whopping 4th %! When I look at those adorably chubby cheeks, her little rolls in her thighs and her little Buddha belly, I find that so hard to believe, but alas, it is so! She is a healthy and happy baby though and what more could I ask for? She has truly been such a blessing in our home. She has the sweetest spirit and I think she was sent to be the peacemaker in our family. Now that she is here, I cannot imagine what we'd do without her presence in our home. We are so lucky to have you Miss Em! (You gotta love the pigtails!)

CHRISTMAS MORNING!

2012-01-24T14:49:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning came early this year --as it does every year with Nana! Me and Coby had ended up taking Emme and Lu back to Nana's and Papa's (our home for right now) as Lu was having a rough night and wasn't able to sleep very well. Mae stayed all snuggled in her sleeping bag next her cousins for the night. Around 6:45am we got THE call that it was time! We rushed back over to the hotel for the opening of the presents to begin! Even Emme was a little dumbfounded as to why we were up sooooo early! While we were still at the hotel everyone got to open the stockings from Nana's and Papa's before we headed our different ways to open the REST of the presents!

Lu showing off her new sunglasses...Don't you love her morning-after-a-bad-night look? I'm pretty sure Mom looked about the same--thank goodnes we don't have any pictures of that!

Mae and her sunglasses...

Em joined right in-- with a little help...pretty sure that stocking is bigger than she is!

NEW SHOWS!!! Mae got "Snow White" and Lu got "the Lion King" (Holy hair Lu!)

Lu and her new warm, fuzzy and PINK gloves!

All the grandkids, including Emme and Nana way in the back!

After that, our family headed back to Nana's and Papa's and what do you know--SANTA FOUND US!!! What a RELIEF!!!

Mae rushed right in, with Lu close on her heels to dive right in!

Mae inspecting her new Innotab Santa brought her...she kept calling it her pink i-pad! She was so thrilled that Santa had brought her just was she had asked for!

Miss Emme, with Lu's help, opening her presents!

Our ever-attentive Lu taking good care of her baby sis

I seriously don't think she could any sweeter! Just look at that sweet smile! It makes my heart melt!

What a WILD WOMAN!

After we had opened all the presents, the girls saw that Santa had eaten the treats they had left for him and wrote them a little note! They were THRILLED!

After Santa's and mom and dad's presents Nana and Papa joined us back here and the girls got to open the REST of the presents from them! Wow--are these girls spoined or what?

As previously mentioned (ie her birthday party) Lu LOVES E.T. and Nana and Papa found her an old vintage E.T. figurine doll. We probably should have left it in the plastic, but what fun is that when Lu loves him so? Awww, kisses for E.T...I hope that little alien knows how lucky he is! It is unbelievable that she is my child--E.T. totally grosses me out!

If that isn't the cutest hat, I'll never know what is! She'll need that with out sub-zero temperatures!

Mae even got her own princess guitar so daddy can teach her how to play!

Nana and Papa also found these great pink bin/ottoman things for the girls to store their toys in, and Luey's case-- climb on!

I have felt so blessed this Christmas season for all my many blessings. We are so excited for the exciting changes we are going through and are grateful for such giving parents to let us stay in their house while we transition into our new home. I definitely don't deserve all that I have been given: three such WONDERFUL daughters, such a GREAT husband to be my girls' dad-- and my best friend--and such an AMAZING family! We are truly so blessed!

Christmas Eve

2012-01-24T13:41:00.000-08:00

When we got to the hotel for Christmas Eve we all decided to take advantage of an indoor pool and do some swimming in the middle of winter! They girls were BEYOND excited! I got out Emme's little swimsuit that had been passed down from Mae to Lu and then Lu to Em and was so excited to get one last use out of it. She looked so cute with those little chubby legs and tummy that I had to get a few pix of her.

This is her "What the heck are you doing to me?"

And here's my happy girl ready to go swimming!

I didn't take my camera down to the pool, but we all had so much fun! Mae and Lu went WILD with their daddy (big surprise)! Mae is a little timid, but Lu had ZERO fear of the water--we are gonna have to get that chick in swimming lessons STAT! Me and Em hung out in the hot tub and she is her momma's girl! She LOVED it! She was so relaxed up against me that I kept thinking she had fallen asleep.

When we got back to the room, IT WAS TIME FOR PRESENTS!!! Nana and Papa had brought a few presents for the kids to open on Christmas Eve and they were READY!

The five big kids--all naked and anxiously awaiting their presents!

All the grandkids naked no more and dressed in their new jammies! (You have NO idea how long it took to get a semi-decent picture of all these wild kids!)

Emme in her new pj's just chillin' with Dad

And now onto more presents...

Mae and Lu opening up their new PRINCESS sleeping bags!

Once Mae figured out what it was, she planted herself in it and didn't move!

Lu, and her funny face, trying her's out for the first time.

Once everyone was all situated, Papa the Elf read the "Night Before Christmas" to all the kids.

I LOVE IT!

After the we got the kids all tucked in and settled down with a new movie, the adults went in the adjoining room and played a little Christmas BINGO for some serious prizes! Coby was the *GRAND* winner and I'm so glad he has to share all his prizes with ME!!!

We had SUCH a WONDERFUL Christmas Eve night at the hotel with our WONDERFUL, FUN-FILLED FAMILY! Thanks Nana and Papa for such a GREAT night!

Dear Santa:

2012-01-01T23:16:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve, we had a BIG party at a hotel with Nana, Papa, Ash and Homie and all the kids-- SOOOOOO before we left for the hotel, we had to get the house ready for Santa's big visit that night...

Milk and cookies (well chocolate pretzels) for Santa and a big glass of water for the reindeer-- not to mention a picture the girls colored for Mr. Claus.

And here are the rugrats looking soooooooo CHILL!

And who could forget this cutie??? Little Em all deck out in her "my first Christmas" onesie. I got a little emotional thinking this will be the last time any of my babies will wear that...

Here's hoping Santa finds us...

My BEAUTIFUL Ballerinas!

2012-01-01T22:24:00.000-08:00

It was time for the girls's Christmas dance recital and Lu's very first dance recital! They were soooooo THRILLED and even more thrilled to get to put a little makeup on and get all fancied up! Nana and Papa were in town too so that made it EVEN better to get to show off for them! Miss Lu all decked out!

Seriously, I LOVE these girls!....and could they get any more BEAUTIFUL??? IMPOSSIBLE!!!

And then it was time for the dances....Mae was up first--which of course, she totally LOVED! She did a dance to Tinkerbell and Miss Marissa made them ribbon wings for it...

And here she is, Miss DIVA herself! I cannot get over how much I love this picture! The whole time she was up there dancing, she kept looking at us with the look of "Are you getting this???"...Don't worry, you'll see...

See....

and see....

and again, SEE...

and one more time, SEE!

To Mae dance is all about being PERFECT and BEAUTIFUL. For being timid sometimes, she loves EVERY second of being in the spotlight when it comes to her dancing!

And then Lu was up...

When we put her up on the stage, she seemed fine at first. And then I moved to try and get in a better spot for pictures, and when she couldn't find me she had second thoughts. Not wanting to have her miss her dance, I threw Mae up on the stage to help her (Miss Marissa had told Mae that she could come up and help Lu if she needed her to beforehand)...and once Mae was up there, Lu was in good shape! She danced the whole dance and had a GREAT time! She did an itsy bitsy spider/caterpillar song--perfect for Lu as she is OBSESSED with bugs lately!

And FINALE--her frog jump! LOVE THIS GIRL!

Lu has a GREAT time in dance class and for her, it is just that--a wonderfully FUN time! She may not do every step PERFECT (like someone else I know) but she has a better time up there than ANYONE!!!

The girls were SPOILED and each got not one, but TWO sets of flowers, from Mom and Dad AND Nana and Papa--how lucky are they???

Nana and Papa and the most BEAUTIFUL ballerinas EVER! (No one looks happy in this picture at all, do they?)

I was so UNBELIEVABLY proud of my girls up there on the stage!!! They are both sooooo different, but so AMAZING in their own ways and even through just a simple thing like dance class it becomes so apparent that even though they Mae do the same thing, they are their own person--and I love them even more (if that's possible) for that! I know I say this all the time, but I am soooooooo lucky to be their mom!

An Early GREAT Christmas!

2012-01-01T21:46:00.000-08:00

How lucky are we that Grandpa Gary and Grandma Barbara came out again in December for a visit?!! Really, they came out to help us move, but unfortunately we had been told to place that thought on *HOLD* with a kink we were working out with our buyers. We took that opportunity to just enjoy the visit with them and did a little EARLY Christmas celebrating since we weren't going to making it to Ogden this year for Christmas with everything we had going on with the move and all... Grandma and Grandpa were so cute to bring out all our family's gifts and let me tell you, the girls were just a LITTLE excited! (Never mind the bare walls--packing and such)
During our early Black Friday adventure, my grandparents found these little beanbag chairs for all the girls (yes even Emme got one) and they LOVED them!

Even Em was excited about her chair--or scared, I can't really tell!

My grandparents also had another suprise for the girls....

SQUINKIE's!!!!!!! The best/worst toy in the whole WORLD!

Mae had a few of them before and we never really let Lu play with them so she was ABSOLUTELY THRILLED (and still is) to have her own set!

Mae and her GREAT Grandma Gary! I think they are kinda fond of each other!

We are soooooooo grateful for our WONDERFUL great grandparents and all the support and love they give us! Although, we didn't end up moving when they were here, they were soooooooo willing to drive down and help in whatever way they can! WE LOVE YOU BOTH!!!

Dance Class Christmas

2011-12-31T22:35:00.001-08:00

The girls dance class, as always, had their Christmas party and of course they had a ball! Miss Marissa always paints their faces and they feel so fancy! Here are the cutest dancers I know sporting their Christmas tree faces...

Two of my favorite people...

2011-12-31T22:30:00.001-08:00

How grateful I am for both of them! Luv u soooooo much!

Ho, Ho, Ho!

2011-12-31T20:46:00.001-08:00

We went to our last Christmas party at our ward where we had a yummy dinner and visited with our friends there. And what do you know, just before we were about to leave a special guest showed up...

Both girls had been talking nonstop about Santa & when he was finally there I was surprised at how well they did! Mae had no second thoughts as she climbed on Santa's lap. Lu had a little hesitation, but Coby just threw her up there with her sis & she did just fine... She even whispered "pink" when Santa asked her what she wanted- pretty easy to please! Mae made sure Santa knew what she wantes too- an Innotab! I'm so excited for Christmas with my cute family!

Jumpin & Jivin

2011-12-31T20:27:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago the girls and I went with our friends Joslin and Kamren to the new bounce house place here in town & absolutelyhad a BLAST! I used to be in primary with Joslin and the girls have always loved playing with her son, Kamren. The kids ran around like crazy, ate pizza & ice cream & gave me and Joslin a chance to visit- whih was so nice for me! We are soooooo excited to have a place like this to help battle the cabin fever that sets in about this time of year--especially for our wild child, Lu...

Moving on UP!

2011-12-31T19:57:00.001-08:00

With our little house under contact, we have been looking for the right new house for our family and we are thrilled to announce--WE HAVE FOUND IT!!! I'm so ecstatic about it! We are building a BRAND NEW house that will completed sometime in January. It is 2800 square feet-1400 finished over an unfinished basement, 3 bed 2&1/2 bath for right now! We will finish the basement a little bit at a time, but even just the finished space is bigger than our house now & we plan on using the basement as a giant playroom for the girls until we get it done... I feel so blessed to be able to move our family into this new home and so grateful for a husband who works so hard so that we can... Sooooooo excited!!!

Happy girl!

2011-12-31T19:41:00.001-08:00

How could life be anything but blissful with this little one around?!! We are so lucky to have you Em!

HALLOWEEN 2011

2011-12-31T14:43:00.000-08:00

On Halloween us lucky ones, Mae, Lu, Grandma and Grandpa, and myself included got to hang out and enjoy each other's company, while poor Coby had to go to work...DARN IT! But when he got home we got all decked out and geared up to go TRICK-OR-TREATING! Our Ward does it down a road where most of the houses there are ward members and they sit out by the garage or their front door and pass out candy to the kids, which I totally LOVE because I think it gives them a feel of OLDSCHOOL trick-or-treating like what I remember as a kid.

Here's the whole Coonradt Clan: Mae as Sleeping Beauty, Lu as a witch, Emme as a skeleton, Coby as her skeleton daddy, and me as a pirate!
Mae had to get in one princess pose before we left the house and it was all BUSINESS!

Before we hit the ward party, we stopped at Travis and Shauna's to show off all our cuteness and get to their candy BEFORE anyone else...that's how we roll!

Sleeping Beauty and Shauna

Shauna and Trav are cruel and dress up their dog, poor Jax, each year for Halloween--Don't worry, I'm thinking about calling PETA on them. This year he was a lion, and no, he did not enjoy it...The girls, however, LOVED it! After that they would have been content to stay there all night and forget about the candy!...Maybe I should have taken them up on that offer ;)

After that, we headed off the the ward party:

Two of the cutest Bag of Bones EVER!

Emme is in there somewhere I swear! Mae wore this costume her first Christmas and it was just soooooo cute I couldn't pass up the chance to use in ONE more time! Notice the GIANT green flower, that's so everyone will know she, is a SHE-skeleton, as opposed to a HE...people aren't smart sometimes!

What a DOLL!

Miss Mae takws being beautiful very seriously and that was no exception when she was all dressed up AND wearing makeup. This is the face she makes whenever she has lipstick or chapstick one...Silly girl!

When Grandma Barbara is around, she is all Lu's and don't try to stop that! Lu wanted NOTHING, and I mean N-O-T-H-I-N-G do to with me the whole time grandma was here--and she gets VERY upset if you try to mess with that!

LOVE this picture! That looks like one HAPPY girl to me with both of her GREAT grandparents!

Another one of my favorites from the night...

We had SUCH a WONDERFULLY SPOOKY Halloween, but by the end of it, Lu especially just wanted to get home and EAT SOME CANDY--she had gotten SOOOOOO upset when we kept rushing her from house to house and she couldn't stop and eat what she had just got! And we were POOPED!

We were sooooooo glad to have Grandpa Gary and Grandma Barbara be a part of it with us!

Visit from GREAT Grandparents!

2011-12-30T17:48:00.000-08:00

We were lucky enough to convince Grandpa Gary and Grandma Barbara to make the trip to see us for Halloween. The girls were SOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited to have them go Trick-Or-Treating with them at our Ward's party and especially to come have a sleepover at our house.

While they were visiting, what started out as an innocent trip to play outside, turned into BIG trouble with the help of the instigator, Grandma Barbara.

She started a leaf fight with the girls --and BOY was that the wrong idea with these two!

I LOVE this picture of Lu--she looks so confused as to what is happening...

They were quick to jump right into it, though and had a BLAST attacking Grandma with all the leaves...I don't think Grandma Barbara is enjoying this ONE BIT!

And then moved on to bigger fish--and went after MOM!!!

After all that fun, there were leaves everywhere--and I mean EVERYWHERE!

What a WONDERFUL memory for my girls to look back onto with their GREAT Grandma! We are sooooooooo lucky to have her! Love you Grandma Barbara!

Halloween FHE

2011-12-30T17:38:00.000-08:00

For the "Family Night" before Halloween we broke out the big guns and decided to carve pumpkins. We let each of them pick out their own, except for Emme, who's big sisters did the honor for her, and then when Daddy came home from work we spread out a tablecloth and got to the carving. I wish I had taken pictures of that part because these girls who had been so excited to dig right in all day got a little grossed out when they say the actual gooey-ness of the pumpkins...yes even Lu!!! Good thing for me, mom and dad were brave and helped out. We decided for Emme's little pumpkin to color a ghost on it instead of actually carving it.

The finished masterpieces...

All the (naked) gouls...

What a SPOOKY family night this was!!!

DANCE Halloween Party!

2011-12-29T14:23:00.001-08:00

For the holidays, the girls dance groups does a fun little party and Halloween was no exception-and *BONUS* the girls got to wear their costumes to it--so we were all WAY excited about that! Lu decided she wanted to be a WITCH and Mae went in the polar opposite direction, SLEEPING BEAUTY.

Miss Marissa painting Lu's face...

She did so good and held so still while her face was getting painted, and then...

She was ON THE MOVE!!! (Hence the blurry picture)

The they broke out the pom-poms and Lu had a GREAT time with those.

Then they got to each make a cupcake to eat...Here's Lu DONE with the hate and ENJOYING her treat!

What a cute little witch!

And then it was SLEEPING BEAUTY's turn...

More face painting...

Mae takes all this partying VERY seriously!

The most BEAUTIFUL Sleeping Beauty EVER!!!

And then even Mae got a cupcake!

Happy girl!

Man I LOVE these two! I had such a fun time at your party with you guys! I feel so lucky to be their mom!

END OF SUMMER FHE

2011-12-29T14:08:00.001-08:00

While searching through my camera I found some long lost pix from an end of summer FHE that we had...I know it is end of summer because 1) Emme is present and 2) the girls are naked so it must not be cold outside...We barbe-CUTE (as Mae says) and ate dinner outside and then roasted marshmellows for some smores.

Daddy lighting the fire with two THRILLED girls watching the process.

Daddy and Miss Lu...yes she looks positively homeless!

And there is the other orphan child...

And here's Emme, the newest member to join FHE...

That's just about the prettiest, grubbiest girl in the world!

LOVE THIS FAMILY OF MINE!!!

Enjoy the moment

2011-10-31T14:05:00.000-07:00

Knowing Emme is my last baby, I am trying to just enjoy every moment of her being little and just relish all these special moments with this sweetie. She is a snuggler and sometimes it is very frustrating because she just wants to be held and I have a hard time taking care of the other girls, getting my work in and my chores done, but I just try to remember I will never have another baby of my own to snuggle with and these young moments are just so fleeting. All too soon, she will be chasing her sisters around and be too busy to love on her momma for more than a passing hug or a kiss at bed time. Moments like these will be long gone.

Your momma loves you Emme, more than you will ever know.

Family pix 2011

2011-10-31T13:36:00.000-07:00

Much to Coby's dismay, it was once again time for family pictures! I really wanted to get some new ones with our new little addition in them and I thought the fall leaves would be a fun idea. So, we grabbed the Wilson clan and did a combo family picture session. I was pretty crazy with all 6 kids running around and 2 not so pleasantly pleased husbands, but we got it done! If/when we get into a new house I want to do a collage wall of all these new pix since I think the colors turned out so good.

Productive tummy time...

2011-10-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

I think not!

"The Goon"

2011-10-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

For me and Coby's 7 year anniversary we decided to go to Lagoon since we haven't been there for SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO long! And then Coby got a *bright* idea to take Mae as she had never been and it would be a fun big girl day for her...and boy were we right! She loved everything about it! The pumpkins and Halloween decorations as we came in, the food and prizes and especially the rides! I was nervous she wouldn't like them or would be too scared to try and it would have been a wasted trip, but she was sooooooo brave and had such a good time! We'd just get off one ride and she would immediately want to go on another one! Waiting in line was torture for her, and luckily it was a raining chilly day so there were not many people there or else it would have really been rough on her waiting in those LONG lines they get on busy days!

Me and Coby kept having to take turns going on this dragon ride that spins SOOOOOOO fast because we were getting so dizzy, but Mae was LOVING it!
We had such a fun day with our biggest girl and were sooooooooooo proud of her! We love you Mae-Mae!

Lu's 2 year portraits

2011-10-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

I dragged this little spitfire out with her favorite piece of furniture (antique highchair from my great grandpa, most likely covered in lead-based paint, a chip from which she decided looked tasty--hello poison control!) to get some terrible 2 pix!

I think this really capture the essence that is Lu! Love all that is her.

Mae- 3 year portraits

2011-10-30T21:37:00.000-07:00

I'm just a few months behind, but I finally took Mae out and got some 3 year pix of Mis Mae...

She is such a girly-girl and could NOT be any cuter!!! She is all about being perfectly beautiful and I'm pretty sure she's got that down to an art!

View from my window:

2011-10-30T21:30:00.000-07:00

While getting ready sometimes, I send Mae and Lu out so I can have a moment of peace to pretty myself up--ha! The other day, I looked out the window, saw this and just had to grab my camera. The girls had set up their chairs next to each other, in front of the firepit and were having SUCH the conversation: Mae with her LONG, elaborate sentences and Lu with her short, sweet, to the point, one-word responses.

I don't think anything could make my heart happier than this...well, just maybe when there's 3 chairs!

Holy hair, Batman!

2011-10-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

This chick has got some hair. I love it.

Lu, the dancer...

2011-10-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

Lu has loved watching Mae at her dance class and finally Lu is old enough for her own--and boy was she excited! She looked soooooooo cute in her little tutu and felt like such a big girl! She is a little timid (can you imagine that???) but has sooooooo much FUN!

Stickers!!!

Doing something and going FAST!!!

Somersaults!

Her finished paper with her stickers on it. And the best part.........................

A SUCKER!!!

I had such a fun time watching this little tomboy in her tutu! I sure love this girl.

Emme Joy Coonradt

2011-10-30T20:59:00.000-07:00

Since all of our family was going to be here, we combined Lu's bday part with Emme's blessing in our home. It was such a special day and we feel sooooooooooooooo blessed to have this little one here in our family! Her dad gave her such a sweet blessing and we felt so grateful so have so many wonderful people come share this day with us! Emme looked sooooooooo beautiful in her blessing dress.

A few days later I was able to take a few portraits of Emme in her blessing dress and I love the way they turned out.

She is such a sweet baby and has brought such a wonderful feeling into our home. Our family is complete with her sweet spirit and I cannot imagine it without her. We love you Emme Joy!

PARTY HARDY!

2011-10-30T20:35:00.000-07:00

For Lu's bday party, we went with an E.T. theme--as Miss Luey LOVES (and I mean L-O-V-E-S) E.T. Those of you who know me well, know how I feel about that little extra terrestrial, so I think this shows how much I love this little girl!

I used my mad cake skilz (that's right) and made Lu an E.T. with Reeses Pieces

and I think she liked it!

Look at those cute lips blowing her candles out--a little early I might add...

Lu's little baby from the crocheted baby bag/bed Grandma Barbara put so much effort into making for her and Lu was thrilled!

What's Lu so excited about??? Oh, yeah--big girl PANTSIES! Who'd have thunk you could get so thrilled about underwear?!!

Present from Miya, Josh and Capri--Play-doh...Thanks guys! Pay backs a WHAT???

And a "special" present from Adam and Shanelle--not to be opened til April...shhhhhh!

From me and Coby we got on good old Ebay and found Lu a vintage E.T. doll that talks and lights up....

I found him a little creepy, but Lu thinks its the Best.Present.Ever.

LOVE

At the end of the day, Lu was soooooooo hopped up on sugar from all the cake and ice cream, Root Beer and Reeses Pieces--her mouth is FULL of Reeses in this picture and she has remnants of everything else still on her face....

This was such a FUN day for our FUN little girl! We love you soooooooooooooooooooooo much Lulu! You make our lives soooooooooooooooooooooooooo FUN!!!

Look Who's TWO!!!

2011-10-17T20:10:00.000-07:00

On August 31st our WILD CHILD turned 2!!! I can't believe how fast the time has gone by since this little whirlwind came into our lives! She is such a funny girl and ALWAYS keeps us entertained with her CRAZY antics!

On her actual birthday we had gotten her a bunch of little things so she'd have a few things to open that day, which she found right away!

Mae was more than willing to "help" her sister open (and play) with her "prizes."

Mae had picked out a movie for Lu, "Marley: the puppy years" because Lu LOVES (and I mean LOVES) dogs! This first pic is her "cute" face and...

this is her "yay" face!

Mae was just as, if not more, excited than Lu and she jumped for joy at all the new things to play with!

Lu showing off her new Dora watch

Giant dinosaur coloring book--I think she likes it!

Modeling her new dress up shoes--you wouldn't believe how good she can actually walk in these...

Lu has been obsessed with "bucs" lately, so we got her these toy bugs that both she and Mae are a little unsure of!

And little Em enjoying the party in her bouncer chair, yes on top of the table, away from little birthday girl's hands...

Funny girl with her birthday candle sausage!

And here is the birthday girl all decked out for the day in her new digs!

I cannot tell you how much we love this little girl! She has brought so much silliness, laughter and happiness into our home! Luey--we love you SOOOOOOOOO much and you make us SOOOOOOOOO happy! Happy birthday babe!

Emme's first photo shoot

2011-09-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

I gave Emme her first photo shoot a few days after she was home from the hospital and she was a CHAMP! She was sooooooooo good I couldn't get her to wake up no matter what I did. Here are the pix I got and the announcement I made to send out....

About a week later, Ashley (Coby's sis) came over and we tried again to get some more pix, but this time she wasn't as cooperative. We still managed to get some cute ones though! Here are my finished ones of little Emme...

I love that yawn...

Me and my sweet little girl!

Oh how I LOVE this little babe!

Emme Joy Coonradt

2011-08-25T13:11:00.000-07:00

She's HEEEEREEEE!!! Finally on Monday Aug. 15th, Emme Joy Coonradt was born at 7:09am, weighing 7lbs 8oz and was 19 inches long! We had been all over the place on her name, but the Saturday before we had officially settled on Emme Joy for a few reasons. I really wanted to name her after my great-grandma, Elma, but could not quite get on board with the name Elma and I think Emme does a good job honoring her in a more modern/updated way. Also, Coby's great grandpa's middle name was Joy and it flowed so well with Emme that we were able to finally able to commit to a name--yay! She is a very sweet baby and we were so lucky to have so many family members and loved ones there when she was born--she truly is LOVED! Although I was a little disappointed that I didn't get the VBAC I wanted, the c-section was definitely worth it to get this little sweetie here and we decided to have my tubes tied while my doc was in there already--so she will definitely be our last little bundle--or better be! True to form I was sick most of Monday and pretty doped up on a bunch medications, so a lot of that day is a big BLUR, but both little Emme and I were well taken care of.

Look at all that HAIR!!!

Mae was completely in L-O-V-E with Emme the second she saw her...

while Lu was a little overwhelmed with everything and needed a few minutes!

I just LOVE that hair!

We are so grateful to have Emme here--our family is now complete! We feel so blessed to have 3 healthy, beautiful girls and such WONDERFUL supportive family and friends! Life is GOOD!

WE LOVE YOU EMME JOY!!!

False Alarm...

2011-08-25T13:07:00.000-07:00

I got a call from my doctor asking if I wanted to move up my c-section from Monday, Aug. 15th to Wednesday, Aug. 10th and since nothing was happening--I JUMPED at the chance. So, Coby's parents were here and great enough to take the girls and we went out Tuesday night to celebrate out little #3 being there in the morning. Well we got up BRIGHT and EARLY and got to the hospital at 6:00am to get ready for the c-section at 8:00. When we got to the OB department, I saw the nursery all full with babies and started getting sooooooo excited to have my own there soon in just a few hours. Well, they started getting me all set up, when the nurse came in and told me they were booked FULL and would not be able to do my c-section that day. I was soooooooo disappointed and frustrated, but I also realized there was nothing they could do about it--babies come when they come-- and if they don't have the space for any more elective ones, they simply don't have the space. So me and Coby ended up leaving without a baby :( and hit up the 7-11 (not the convenience store) for a little early breakfast on our way...

On our way out the door to "have our baby"--ha!

Guess Monday it is then!

New ultrasound!

2011-07-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

Thanks again to my wonderful friend Shauna (I may not have a lot of friends here, but the ones I do are GREAT!) I was able to have another ultrasound of #3! Call me a paranoid mom (yeah right, me???) but I just wanted to double check and make sure the thing in her bowel had not come back and that my placenta was still behaving itself...and both were still perfect--what a relief! I have never had an ultrasound this far along and it was just so crazy to see how she has grown on the screen. We saw her "practice breathing" and Shauna was able to get some way cute shots--even with #3 sucking on her arm and covering up her face. I can't wait to see what she looks like when she "pops" out (if only it were that easy) because to me in these she has Lu's nose, but Mae's chubby cheeks she had when she was born... guess we'll just have to be patient--easier said than done, right??? Well take a good look cuz these are the last ones before she is actually HERE!!!

I love these profile ones

Shauna informed me that she thinks she has quite a bit of hair...the little white arrow is pointing to it--just in case you're not as talented as Shauna and can't see that for yourselves...

Little feetsies
This is the best one we got where she actually moved her arm for a second

She looks so much like Lu in this one to me...

It is getting SOOOOOOO CLOSE--can't wait!!!

24th of July Parade!

2011-07-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

Also while my friends were here, our little town of Vernal had our 24th of July parade--and with a festivity like this--who could miss out??? So we packed all of us up and headed out... Can someone tell me where #3 is supposed to go???

The girls were fascinated with the parade--Lu especially got excited every time they threw out candy. She would run up to the candy, inspect each piece and find just the right one to bring back...

Ho and Linz were also especially excited to see the parade!

Mae and "her" friend Lindsay...
I had to throw this one in because (although you can't really see it) this is my old work, Ashley Regional Medical Center's float, and where all my children will be born!

SOOOOOOOO cute! Love all three of these girls!

The sitting in the chairs lasted for a whole 30 seconds before they resorted to other means...

Cute Ho and little Mae...Mae doesn't look too happy about having Ho there, don't you think?

My three FAVORITE people in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD! How lucky are my girls to have such an AMAZING dad?!!!

Mae pretty much wouldn't leave Lindsay's side the whole weekend...

and talked her ear off I'm sure!

Me and the Ho!

We had a GREAT time at the parade with everyone and I'm sooooooooo glad my friends were able to be there with us!

ROAD TRIP to VERNAL...and ME!!!

2011-07-25T19:28:00.001-07:00

So my AMAZING friends, Lindsay and Hollie took a road trip this past weekend to come visit me...and needless to say, I was pretty excited!!! They were ready for all things Vernal--and we hit the town hard! First thing first, FOOD!!! We decided to try Country Grub, a little hamburger joint just screaming Vernal that has the BEST burgers and home made french fries.

While we were out, we decided to hit the photo HOT SPOTs because knowing my friends, I know they would want to document every moment of this memorable trip!

Our friendly little dinosaur dressed as a cowboy for the 24th...
See, I told you my friends were excited to come see ME!!!
We hit the pink dinosaur next--Mae's favorite dinosaur in town!

The next day we took the whole bunch of us out to lunch to none other than CAFE RIO! We are pretty proud of our Cafe Rio and what get together with my friends would be complete without our favorite little Mexican restaurant?

After lunch, Coby took the kiddies home and us girls took a little jaunt down Main Street for more Vernal site-seeing!

Ho took charge and led us ever so gracefully across busy Main...

My cute little friends!

We then went to the Ashley Trading Post--a place I have actually never even been myself and it was probably "The Running Ho's" favorite part of Vernal...

Although, both me and Linz did love posing as the Chief's squaw as well...
"HOW"

Us Vernalites are also pretty proud of our new Sonic in town--and probably every one reading this blog knows how I feel about ice cream, so...
Cute, Linz...

Ever since my friends got here, Mae has been insisting that they are HER friends and I'm pretty sure Lindsay and Hollie have found themselves a new best friend...not to mention her sidekick/little sis--who were more than happy to SHOW OFF for their new-found friends...
I love the cowgirl/Rapunzel outfit Mae is sporting, El's ever too small hat, and Lu's pretty tu-tu outfit!...Apparently Mae has been hanging out with me and my friends a little too much because she was LOVING telling everyone to pull funny faces for every pic.

I told you she LOVED these guys!!!

One other time when Ho was here for a blood drive for work, we went to the BBQ place that makes the BEST potatoes-- and since we didn't want El to feel bad, we had to introduce her to them as well.

My friends are not accustomed to such high-quality movie theatres like we have here so I told them to be prepared to be impressed that night and we went to the show in town!

We got a little bored waiting for them to let us into the theatre...

Good thing we can entertain ourselves...

Is that supposed to be a FAT joke??? I think my friends think they are funny...Especially as I am standing next to the concession stand--oops!

A little love for the J-Man!

After all our site-seeing, I think I did my job and wore them out...poor little Ho!

I'm soooooooooo lucky to have such WONDERFUL friends and had the BEST time with them this weekend--it was just what this GINORMOUS pregnant lady needed! Thanks so much guys! LOVE YOU!!!

#3!

2011-07-16T16:16:00.001-07:00

Just thought I would post a picture of the 3D ultrasound my good friend/professional sonographer, Shauna, did of #3! I think this turned out sooooooo good and love how you can already see what a looker she will be! I especially LOVE the crossed little feet up by her face!

Not only was it exciting to see her starting to look like a real baby (and not so much like an alien life-form), but we were also soooooooooo relieved to have this ultrasound go better than the last one...When we went in for the *big* ultrasound, we were devastated to find out that the placenta previa I had with Lu was back again. It wasn't as complete as it was last time, but I was really worried about the complications it might cause as I felt we were really blessed last time with Lu where everything turned out okay and really without any big problems--minus the 2 months of bedrest... And as if that wasn't enought, another we discovered another bombshell that visit--there was something in the baby's bowels that didn't look good. They weren't really sure what it was, but it could have been a marker for Down's Syndrome or cystic fibrosis among other things. At the very least, unless it went away, they were pretty sure she would have some sort of bowel blockage and would possibly need surgery. Needless to say, we were pretty depressed when we left the doctor's office. My doctor wanted me to come back in a month for another followup ultrasound in hopes that something would have changed by then. In the meantime, my wonderful friend Shauna and my doctor did a lot of checking up on me and talking with other neonatalogists on what we would be in for if things were still the same on the next ultrasound. We kept this on the "down-low" as there was a chance that things would change and I didn't want everyone (especially Great Grandma Barbara) to worry for a month if it would turn out things were fine. FINALLY the month went by (longest of my life)and I was able to go in for my ultrasound. I was telling Coby the night before that even if just one thing was gone, I think I'd be able to handle it much better and when I went in the next day, it was such a miracle because BOTH things had resolved! My placenta had moved clear up and the spot on the baby's bowel was completely gone! I feel like we have been soooooo blessed again! I love my family and love this little girl so much already! I am so relieved that things are looking so much better!

THE BELLY

2011-07-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

With this being my last baby, I decided I better document THE BELLY just so looking back I wouldn't regret not having done it, especially if the girls ever wanted to see me pregnant. I happen to know a great photographer so I was able to get these done pretty quickly as I was afraid at any moment my belly button would *POP*! I think they turned out pretty good considering I'm not quite in my fitness prime.

I really love these last ones with me and the girls. Mae was all about getting her picture taken and while Lu wasn't quite so thrilled, she was definitely a good sport! I love ALL these girls soooooooo much and cannot wait for #3 to get here!

What a GREAT great grandpa!

2011-07-15T21:36:00.000-07:00

I have this old picture of me and my grandpa when I was about Mae's age where I was sick and laying on my grandpa's back. Well, I guess going through some old stuff, my grandma ended up finding the very same shirt he wore all those years ago in that picture. He brought it when he came down to visit and we thought we'd try and re-create that picture with my girls.

Too CUTE!!! I have been soooooooo blessed to have my grandpa in my life and I'm so grateful that my girls get the chance also! We love you Grandpa Gary!

Mae's Spring Review

2011-07-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

In May, Mae had her spring dance recital and WOW was she excited! Great Grandpa Gary and Grandma Barbara made the trip to come see and she was soooooooo happy to have them there for her big day! We got her all dolled up (which she ALWAYS loves) and put on her ballerina tu-tu! While the other dance classes were going on, Mae started acting kinda nervous and we started worrying that she was not going to want to go up there, but then we realized she was just SOOOOOOOO excited! She was dancing along with every song from the other groups and kept asking if it was her turn next. And finally it was...

I don't think she is very excited to start, do you?

Mae's dad made sure she had some beautiful flowers waiting for her when she done...

and I think she liked them!

Although Mae is the youngest (and smallest) girl in her class--she was DEFINITELY the BEST dancer there--and no, I am not biased! She did SUCH a GREAT job and we were soooooooo proud of our little ballerina! Although the dance season is over now, Mae is already talking about dance next year and I can't wait for more of this!

Lu's BIG GIRL BED!

2011-07-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

With Mae moving on to bigger and better beds--that left a vacancy in her Dora the Explorer toddler bed--so guess who moved in! Lu has always LOVED that bed and was thrilled when we moved it to her side of the room and told her it was her's! We worried about her staying in the bed (she is kind of a wanderer) but she has done really well! It's a good thing we've got another baby coming soon--BOTH my girls are getting TOO BIG!!!

"Look! It's...

2011-07-15T12:48:00.000-07:00

ANGEL MORONI!"

We were watching "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" the other day and there was a shot of the Statue of Liberty--and that is what Mae turned to me and said enthusiastically. I guess all those walks to the Temple and pointing out the steeple and Angel Moroni have paid off! How sweet is my Mae?!!! I seriously couldn't stop hugging her!

My WILD child!

2011-07-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

We call Lu our "WILD CHILD"--and she DEFINITELY lives up to that name! Thought I'd capture just a few of her latest antics... Cowgirl Lu, who wears this around the house saying "HAW!"(as in "Yee-haw!")
Looking quite posh in her newest love--sunglassess--and blowing me kissy faces...

Like I said--Lu LOVES her sunglassess...I'm lucky if I can get her take them off at night!

After complete insistance on her part, she is totally content with Mae's "pantsies" on her head... (this one is for you Erin!) and a plastic lei--she has quite the fashion sense!

Hanging over grandma and grandpa's stream with a little help from her WILD DAD...and loving every moment of it!

Could this girl get any cuter??? She is a HOOT and you NEVER know what to expect out of her! LOVE YOU LU!!!

L-O-V-E

2011-07-13T21:35:00.000-07:00

Need I say more???

BIG GIRL PRINCESS BED!

2011-07-13T21:25:00.001-07:00

After we got home from all the festivities in Ogden, we set up Mae's new BIG GIRL BED and nightstand!!! (This was BEFORE I painted the mismatched red wall in the back...)

We cannot keep these two OFF of it!...they look quite guilty I'd say!

My big girl posing on her big girl PRINCESS bed!

Mae's "Tangled" Party!

2011-07-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

For Mae's party, she decided she wanted a "Tangled" party--big surprise! We decided to do it at Grandma and Grandpa Clayton's since Ben and Luke would be in town then and Mae just LOVES Ben! We even rented a jumper for the kids to play in--and it was a BIG HIT!!!

I saw this cute idea online and decided to make a donut tower--in addition to the CUPCAKES Mae wanted to have...

I printed out pictures of "Tangled" and made cake toppers, and then added rings and frogs to the cupcakes as little favors. Mae and Ben waiting for the party to start!

Blowing out her candles...
...and very proud of herself!
Lu LOVED the cupcake--we mostly just the frosting--she kept dipping her ring into the frosting and then eating it off...

I made Mae this princess comforter to go with her birthday present of--a BIG GIRL BED!!! (which we left at home)

And now, for the MAIN EVENT--THE BOUNCER...

Again, Mae and Ben loving on each other...

Even Baby Miya got in on the action...(check out those THIGHS!!!)

And there was NO stopping Lu!

LOVE this pic!

And at the end of the day...

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!! I think it is fair to say we WORE THIS GIRL OUT!!!

Hope you had a WONDERFUL party Mae and a special day! We LOVE you WAY too much!

My THREE year-old!!!

2011-07-13T20:33:00.000-07:00

Well, its official, as of 3:02am on May 13th , my Mae-Mae, my firstborn, turned THREE, yes that is 1-2-3, years old! I cannot believe how fast the time as gone! She is SUCH a blessing in our lives and I am soooooo grateful she is mine! Mae LOVES sausage for breakfast and was THRILLED to see 3 candles in her patty this morning--if you can't tell from her face...
She took the blowing out of the candles very seriously--and did an awesome job!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAE-MAE!!! WE LOVE YOU SOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!

Pam's Luau!

2011-07-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

For Pam's 50th birthday, we threw her a LUAU--true to form, we came dressed for the occasion! We had a GREAT time celebrating Pam and how AMAZING of a person she is--and of course, eating good food! (Notice the picture behind us to the left, that is Pam when she was young--I'd say Mae just might look a tad like her Nana...) We love you Nana Pam! Thanks for being born!

BIG GIRL with "SPARKLY" ears!

2011-07-13T20:12:00.000-07:00

Mae, ever the girl, has always LOVED shiny sparkly earrings and I have told her that when she was ready we would go and get her ears pierced. I wanted to be honest with her so she knew what she would be getting herself into so I told her it felt like a shot in her ears and up until a few days before her 3rd birthday, and that would put a stop to it right there...BUT with Mae turning 3, she decided that she was ready and when she decides something--who am I to stand in her way??? So I took her to a jewelry store by our house, still not 100% sure that we would come home with her ears pierced. Well, they took their merry time getting all step up, and Mae picked out her sparkly star earrings and waited sooooooo patiently. When they actually did it, she cried for about 30 seconds, that was until she saw her "sparkly ears" and with that and her lollipop she was right as rain! She was sooooooo excited to get home and show her dad and Lu her ears!

I CANNOT BELIEVE HOW BIG MY GIRL IS GETTING!!! WHERE DID THE TIME GO?!! I'm so glad I got to be a part of this special day!

Easter 2011

2011-05-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

Easter morning came bright and early this year thanks to our little alarm clock, Lu. Mae wasn't quite ready to get up yet, even with the hint of presents from the Easter bunny, so Lu was on her own for the first little bit. Me and my Lu...yes, my hair does always look that good in the morning!
Don't let this face fool you--she was the one who woke us up!

She was quick to find her basket the Easter bunny hid in her favorite spot--right behind the TV

Showing off her Easter dress

"Scooby!" The Easter bunny brought each of the girls their own beach towel and Lu was pretty excited about hers...She LOVES Scooby Doo!

FINALLY Mae decided to join the party and she too was quick to find her basket in her favorite spot, under the table...

Lu was pretty concerned about not being able to have any Peeps this early yet!

Mae got a princess beach towl and big surprise--she LOVED that!

...and apparently so was Lu!

Lu was fascinated by the eggs!

and Mae was fascinated by the CANDY inside!

Later that day we got the girls all decked out in their new dresses and they both looked sooooooo cute in them and were feeing soooooooo fancy!

CHEESE!

Pretty Lu!

I love these girls so much and LOVED having Easter with them!

Walkin' on streets of DC!

2011-05-08T20:58:00.001-07:00

Well, for an early Christmas presents, my WONDERFUL in-laws told us to plan a trip we wanted to do that me, Coby and them would go on together. We had just found out I was pregnant again and since I wouldn't be able to go on a cruise we haven't been on before I was past the cut-off point, and since we went to DC the first time we had always wanted to go back--we decided to go back to Washington, D.C! My parents were great enough to watch the children for us and WOW- did we have a GREAT time! This definitely was NOT a relaxing trip, but soooooooo fun! The Washington Monument

World War II Memorial--shout out to our Homeland!

Us and Abe

Ford's Theatre

Worn OUT!!!

We went during the Cherry Blossom Festival, which was BEAUTIFUL, but UNSEASONABLY cold! After our first night sightseeing--the next stop was to outfit ourselves in some warmer attire as we had NOT planned on that!

The Jefferson Monument

Us at Mount Vernon--George's House--LOVE THIS PLACE!!!

Our fancy dinner at Ruth's Chris Steak House

The Capitol

The Rotunda

The Coonradt's with Brigham inside the Capitol

The Library of Congress--probably my FAVORITE BUILDING---sooooooooo BEAUTIFUL!

After the trip we were more worn out than when we left (is that even possible???) but I missed my girls like CRAZY!!! Thanks again Dave and Pam--we had an AMAZING trip!

My Girls

2011-03-01T14:53:00.001-08:00

I know every parent thinks their kids are special, but my girls really are! They both have so many wonderful different things about them that you just can't help but ADORE these girls!

Mae is a very intense, but yet playful little girl! She can sit for HOURS concentrating VERY hard on the picture she is coloring and yet she is such a silly little girl too! She's the first one to bust-a-move when the music is on and LOVES to giggle and TALK, TALK, TALK--she ALWAYS has something to say! She is also VERY (and I mean VERY) stubborn (just like her Dadda!)...this can be one of her best attributes and one of her challenges at the same time. Once she makes her mind up about something, that is it! There is NO changing it! Growing up, I think it will be very important that she sets her mind on the good things because once she does she will be SET and never waver! (Which I guess will take a lot of the right effort on my part!) She also is VERY curious. Our days are filled with LOTS of questions right now: "What's that smell like?" (that is probably me and Coby's favorite Mae question--she smells everything!), "What's she saying?", "Who's that", "Why's she doing that?", etc... It can be exhausting some days, but it is so cute to see her little mind turn and try to figure everything out! One of my favorite things about Mae is how affectionate she is. She has always been a cuddler and she loves to snuggle! The other day she was sick and told me "Know what would make me feeling better?" When I asked her ('cuz you have to ask her when she says that) she said, "a snuggle!" She is constantly giving hugs and kisses and tells me all the time I'm beautiful and that she "just loves" me! Who wouldn't love to spend time with someone like that??? She is also such a great big sis! She loves her little sis so much and is so protective of her. When training Lu to sleep without her bottle at night, there has been MANY nights where Mae comes out pleading (& crying) that "Lulu needs her bobba!" One time during on Lu's tantrums where I was feeling especially frustrated with our little cutie, and was trying the "ignore it and it will go away" tactic, I looked over to see Mae with her arm around Lu asking, "What's the matter, sweetheart?" Wow--talk about teaching me something--I about started crying!

Lucy is also sooooo special, and yet so different from her big sis! You (well at least I did) kinda think all kids are gonna be mostly the same, but Lu is definitely her own person and she intends to make sure EVERYONE knows that! We have said from day 1, she is either an angel or the devil--and that is still true today! She truly is either THE SWEETEST thing ever OR pitching the world's BEST tantrum (oxy moron???)--although no one believes this about her! She reminds me of that poem talking about the little girl that says: "and when she was good, she was very, very good, but when she was bad, she was horrid!" That is my Lu to a T! She is a VERY determined child. She knows what she wants and one way or the other, she is gonna get it! Being told "No" or having something taken away from her just about sends her over the edge! She is very independent, maybe from being the little sis, but wants to be big and do things HERSELF! Lu is also or should I say, especially, an incredibly crazy silly girl and loves to play, play, play! She makes us laugh constantly! She has THE CUTEST smile in the world where she crinkles up her nose and just grins at you! She is very expressive and although she doesn't say as much as Mae did when she was this age, she is always able to get her point across. Lucy also loves to push the limits, which is one thing I'm afraid to see how will play out in the grown up world! She knows what are "no-no's" and just HAS to test the waters and push her parent's buttons sometimes (she has us dialed in--that is for sure!). And she's also not afraid of ANYTHING! She climbs up on EVERYTHING, toyroom play table, kitchen cabinets, dining room table---the combination of those two traits, have the potential to make me really nervous! She learns lessons on her own--yes, touching the fireplace will burn you, yes jumping off the couch does hurt--all because she has to see for herself and won't take anyone else's word for it! Lucy also has such a love for people in her life and she just cannot help but HUG, HUG, HUG them! My favorite time with Lu is in the morning just after you get her up because she gives the best loves where she just cannot stop hugging you! But mostly, she loves her sister--and I love this sooooo much! I know when they get older and even sometimes now--there will be fights and arguments, but I love seeing the bond they have! Lu would literally hug her sister ALL DAY if Mae would go for it! When Mae is in trouble and in time-out, it is almost like Lu is being punished because she just wanders the house calling "Mae-Mae, Mae-Mae, Mae-Mae?" over and over (and over) again and when Mae does come out, she'll go attack her with a big hug--which right now is the cutest thing ever because Lu's head just fits right in Mae's neck and they stand their hugging each other soooooo tight!

Another thing that goes for both my girls and really needs no recognition is just how beautiful they are! I cannot go anywhere without people stopping me telling me how beautiful my girls are! Most of the clerks at Wal-Mart (because we go there A LOT) recognize us when we come through saying "Here come those beautiful girls again?" I love that they are sooooo beautiful and soooooo different, but I love their big blue eyes and the same dimple they both have underneath the right corner of their lips! We are in serious TROUBLE when these girls old enough to date! SCARY!!! I just look at them some days and think "Oh, my gosh!"

With the new baby coming, I cannot help to think what new personalities and differences it will bring to our family! I still cannot help but think it will be just like its sisters, although I should know differently!

I guess basically what I have been thinking today is how lucky I am to be their mom! Probably one, if not my very favorite quote says: "When God wants a great work done in the world or a great wrong righted, he goes about it in an unusual way. He doesn't stir up his earthquakes or send forth his thunderbolts. Instead, he has a helpless baby born, perhaps in a simple home of some obscure mother. And then God puts the idea into the mother's heart, and she puts it in the baby's mind. And then God waits. The greatest forces in the world are not earthquakes and the thunderbolts. The greatest forces in the world are babies." I think my girls will be such a great force in the world and am grateful and humbled to be a part of that!

Battling Cabin Fever!

2011-03-01T14:10:00.000-08:00

Winter is always hard with little ones...this year it has been even harder. Not only has it been extremely cold, but we have been constantly sick! So on Saturday when I thought no one could take being cooped up any longer, we decided to venture out to the Dinosaur Museum here in town! We've been there a few times, the last of which when I was pregnant with Lu, so I thought it was time to introduce Lu to our dinosaurs--and we had such a good time getting OUT OF THE HOUSE!!! (Don't know if the museum was really that fun or if it had just really been too long since we had gone out!) At the museum they have a movie, all the dinosaur bones and teeth and such that you would expect, but they also have this fun kids area where they can dig and look for bones, read dinosaur books and do a bunch of other stuff--the girls LOVED it!

Lu checking out some bones...
Mae and Papa digging for dino bones...

Lu was sooooo happy to be able to go on her own and run around! I don't know why I think she is so cute running around like that, but I do! She made me smile every time I looked at her!

I don't know what Mae was so excited about, but apprently something really thrilled her!

Lu peeking at something--LOVE the tippy-toes!

Just reading all about it...

Mae looking at the dino

Lu looking all serious--and SOOOOO CUTE!!!

Lu thought these were real at first and got really excited--after that I think they were a bit of a disappointment.

Checking out the wooly Mammoth! Lu was also very interested, whereas her sis was not so much...

Lu and Nana checking out the 'gators...

Dadda and his big girl (I don't think they like each other very much)!
The whole family! I wanted to get a picture by all the big dinosaurs made out of the bones, but by that point the girls were DONE letting me take pictures--oh well, next time! (I think I have this same picture the last time we were there with just Mae)

Thanks to Nana and Papa for coming with us to the Dinosaur Museum! It was a GREAT chance to get out of the house and enjoy the outside world for awhile...Little did we know, we would be rudely re-planted inside when me and Lu got sick AGAIN just that night! Oh well, it was great while it lasted!

NEW ULTRASOUND!!!

2011-02-20T19:34:00.000-08:00

Well, thanks to my AWESOME friend, Shauna, we were able to get a little sneak peek ultrasound at our little addition! We took the girls with us (yeah, that was a good idea) and all THREE of our children were being terrors--weird right? The littlest one wouldn't cooperate and give us the perfect shot and the other ones were getting a little impatient (or A LOT impatient in Lu's case--Mae was really into it for the first few minutes) BUT in the end it was totally worth it!Cutie already! I LOVE these profile shots!

Little feetsies!

AND THE EARLY VERDICT IS.....

GIRL #3!!!

It is still a little early (we will have the big ultrasound in about a month) but I think its safe to say we are now accepting donations for the THREE, yes, count 'em, 1-2-3, weddings we will be paying for! (Checks can be made out to me!) Don't worry--if anything was to change, refunds will be given, but either way, we are THRILLED to welcome this little one into our family!

While we were getting the ultrasound done, unbeknownst to me, the baby got the hiccups and Shauna, being as talented as she is, was able to catch it on video for us...I think this is about the cutest thing ever!

We LOVE this little one so much already and although I'm a little nervous for THREE, cannot wait for August! On a side note--we were relieved to see that my placenta is not giving us any issues right now! My doc has told me that since I had it before, my chances of placenta previa had now gone up to 25% (from the normal 1-2%) so we were a little nervous for that, BUT as long as nothing drastic changes from now---we are good! Fingers crossed!

SPECIAL Valentine's Day Family Night

2011-02-15T20:47:00.000-08:00

For Family Night on Valentine's Day, I wanted to do something a little special so I found this website that sends out unstuffed plush animals that you stuff yourselves--a Build-A-Bear thing at home and since we don't have a Build-A-Bear here, it worked out perfect! Mae decided she wanted a lamb with purple satin pajamas and she picked Lu out a dog (since she LOVES dogs) with pink satin pajamas. The kit came with a wishing star for each that the girls got to stick in there with the stuffing and I was just so thrilled with them. They were so soft and snuggly and when I opened up the box the girls were so excited they kept hugging their unstuffed animals.
We broke out the stuffing and dug right in...
Mae took this very seriously.

Even Lu got in on the fun...

...Mostly Lu loved running off with the stuffing...

The girls and their finished animals--Lu kept wrapping her doggy in a blanket...Mae was mad because she didn't want Lu to sit any closer to her...okay...

Mae and her lamb "Morgan." She named her all by herself--after one of the names they use in Beethoven's 2nd--one of her FAVORITE shows!

Lu attacking her dog--who is yet to be named...

Kisses for sis...

Lu LOVES her big sis--she'd snuggle (or attack) with her all the time if Mae would let her...

The FINISHED masterpieces!

Oh and who could forgot the last part of our SPECIAL family night?..

The Valentine's cupcakes!!!

Oh, how we LOVE cupcakes!

FAMILY NIGHT is ALWAYS a BIG HIT--but this one was especially fun!

My Little Valentines!

2011-02-15T20:21:00.000-08:00

On Valentine's I decided to bust out my camera and get some pix of my girls in their cute Valentine's outfits from Great Grandma Barbara and Grandpa Gary--they weren't being very cooperative (should I be surprised?) so I just got a few, but at least I got a few, right?

Mae insisted I take some a picture of her Valentine's toes we painted...she wanted them red with pink "sparkly" hearts--I know, I know, I am pretty talented...

Lu (unlike her sis) liked the boa I thought we'd try out, that is until she tried to eat a feather and found out that feathers don't taste very good! (Are you seeing a pattern here? This girl has to try and eat EVERYTHING! I have nightmares of her eating things like hair dye and chemicals and wake up in a PANIC!) Oh, and *NOTE* to all those out there--don't try this at your home--the boa left red and purple feathers and lint ALL over my freshly vacuumed carpet--awesome...

This picture doesn't look very good, but I had to post it because this is so my girls...they are CONSTANTLY wrestling, rolling and just plain attacking each other. In a few weeks Lu will be joining Mae in nursery and I'm afraid that our girls will become the "problem children" when they won't leave each other alone...but it is really cute til they crash heads together...

I LOVE THESE LITTLE VALENTINES!!!

Sing-along with Dadda!

2011-02-15T19:53:00.000-08:00

Coby broke out his guitar the other night and Lu had the best time, singing, dancing and helping Dadda play...Our girls LOVE it when Coby plays or just even when we listen to his CD's! It is one of my favorite things to be driving around town and hear both of them singing along with his songs in the backseat--too cute!

Our funny little Lu!

2011-02-15T19:32:00.000-08:00

Lu is one crazy funny little girl...it doesn't matter what she's doing--it is FUNNY! The other day we were cleaning the toy room (story of my life) when I noticed Lu had something on her chin. Normally, it's food or juice, but this time it was a heart sticker and she was just walking around not noticing. I don't know this was so funny to me, but I was cracking up! No doubt she had been trying to eat it when it ended up on her chin (she's pooped out a sticker before--gross, but true)...We grabbed the camera quick and then made sure to get it away from her mouth--I don't normally let her eat stickers, but apparently it does happen...
Oh, and she LOVES to make funny faces...even funnier with the sticker...
Pretty girl--even with the sticker!

Another thing Lu LOVES to do is find any piece of clothing or towel and put it on her head and walk around--she thinks this is WAY too funny--that is until she runs into something!

Peek-a-boo!

What would we do without this little girl??? She definitely keeps us entertained that's for sure!

Baby Miya!

2011-02-11T22:49:00.000-08:00

This picture is a little old, but I just had to post it cuz it's so dang cute! Mae has been so excited for Baby Miya to "pop out" (easier said than done, right Capri?) and FINALLY she is here!!! This was the first time Mae was able to see Miya in person and she is already sooooo in love with her--and who could blame her? What cute cousins!!!

BABY COONRADT #3!!!

2011-02-11T22:36:00.000-08:00

Yes, that's right--baby #3 is on its WAY!!! We are thrilled to welcome our third (and final) baby to our lives due August 17th 2011! The girls just as thrilled (if not more) to have this new baby in our family! Mae talks about the baby all the time--and now has decided that she too has a baby in her tummy! Whenever we ask Lu about the baby she kisses my stomach and says "bebe!" If this baby is half as cute as its sisters we are IN TROUBLE!!! So far everything is going good and we are hoping for a smoother pregnancy this go around, but as long as this little one is healthy--I am one happy momma! August couldn't come soon enough!!!

2011-02-11T22:29:00.000-08:00

NEW YEAR'S EVE!

2011-02-11T22:26:00.001-08:00

While Dadda was off being a rock star with Grandpa George at the senior citizen's center I got to spend New Year's with two of my favorite people! We had a girl's night--and what girl's night would be complete without popcorn for Mae to stuff her face with and Lu to spread all over the floor--and a movie! Couldn't have asked for a better night! Luv u 2!

Christmas in O-Town!

2011-02-11T21:58:00.000-08:00

What Christmas would be complete without a trip to Ogden??? We made our way down and of course, had a GREAT time with MORE PRESENTS!!! Mae was READY TO GO AGAIN!!!
Even Dadda got a present!

Lu and Aunt Jan

I think Mae is pretty excited about the $$CASH$$--don't you???

Lu, doing one of the things she does best, climbing on EVERYTHING!

We made our way to Grandpa Dave and Grandma Michelle's--and NO SUPRISE--got spoiled there, too!

Lu and her new dollhouse--just checking it all out...

Big sis had to check it out too!

Quite the pose--Mae opening her present...

A princess baby set--complete with a baby Cinderella--Mae could NOT have been more thrilled! It was all we could do to keep it in the box!

...and Lu just wanted to play with the box!!!

Here come her faces again...

What a CUTIE!!!

We are soooooo blessed to have such WONDERFUL family and be able to spend ssuch special times with them!

SANTA FOUND US!!!

2011-01-25T21:30:00.001-08:00

Well, it came as no surprise that our girls were good enough this year (well mostly) that Santa made sure to stop in at our house! Christmas Eve the girls opened up a present from Mom and Dad--PJ's and then settled in on getting ready for Santa!

Mae LOVED her jammies!
So did Lu...

We "recycled" some cookies from a friend for Santa, as well as some milk and carrots and water for the reindeer...Mae even had to color a picture so Santa new it was from her!

Pretty huh?

"The stockings were hung..." (Oh and I just have to point out--I made these stockings!)

***CHRISTMAS MORNING***

The girls were just a little confused when we woke them up in the morning!

Lu wasn't quite so sure what she was supposed to be doing...

Mae dove right in!

Lu's favorite part of the whole morning was the candy cane!

After the candy cane--Lu was trying to eat everything!

Silly Lu and her funny faces!

...and yet again--Miss Personality herself!

And for the GRAND FANALE--Mae had told Santa that she wanted a "purple" baby doll and Lu wanted a "pink" baby doll (thank goodness for big sisters!) and SANTA DELIVERED!!!

For sis too!

What a WONDERFUL Christmas we had with our girls! Best Christmas EVER!!! I love my family soooooo much and could ask for nothing more than them for Christmas!

Coonradt Christmas

2011-01-25T21:03:00.000-08:00

Well, I am finally getting around to posting Christmas...First Take: Coonradt Christmas! We did Christmas a few days early this year at Nana and Papa's and as always--IT WAS A HIT!!! We had gone on an early Christmas cruise and that was supposed to be our Christmas--but low and behold-- there was a HUGE pile of presents waiting for us! Mae got REALLY excited to see all the presents...
Can you tell???

All the grandkids patiently waiting to open presents...

Mae and her new "princess" nightgown

And her "Mr. Grinch!"--She was obsessed with that show this Christmas!

Lu reading her new book!

She is feelin' it...

Lu wanted to climb right in the blox with her new toy! We had to pry her away to get her to open some more presents!

This is Mae's-- I don't really want to look at you, but does this count? look...

And FINALLY I get her attention to LOOK at me...There, you happy mom???

Kisses for her new dolly!

Lu in her new CUTE, CUTE, CUTE hat--showing off her caterpillar!

Mae thought she was such a big girl in her new scarf!

What a great Christmas we had with our Nana and Papa--those stinkers! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Mae's 1st Dance Recital!!!

2011-01-09T18:34:00.000-08:00

On Monday the 20th Mae had her first dance recital! We didn't know how she'd do because sometimes she gets really scared in front of people and crowds--but she did SOOOOOO good! They danced to "How much is that doggy in the window" and she took her little puppy up with her, smiled and danced the whole song! It was THE CUTEST thing I've ever seen!

I'm love my little ballerina and am sooooooooo proud of her! GOOD JOB MAE-MAE!!!

Dance class Christmas Party

2011-01-09T18:23:00.000-08:00

Mae's awesome dance class had a Christmas party the week before and Mae had SUCH a good time--as evident from the picture below... They did face painting and Mae got a Christmas tree and she was THRILLED!

Kenna's in the earlier class and she got one too!

Then each class got to decorate their own gingerbread house and the girls were sooooooo excited about it! Most of them did pretty good actually decorating, but Mae couldn't stop eating all the candy--keep in mind this same child puked earlier that morning I think because of all the JUNK she ate at our ward Christmas party the night before...

and yet, she couldn't stop!

Mae had such a good time at her dance class party!

Photo op--SANTA!

2011-01-06T21:25:00.000-08:00

Our ward had a Christmas Party and since I'm in the Primary Presidency and had to do a lot of planning for it, and who could pass up an opportunity to see Santa--the Coonradt family was there will bells on! Mae was sooooooooo excited to go to the party and was making friends with all the Primary kids. She even got up on stage with the Primary kids to sing a few of the Christmas songs she knows--"Jingle Bells" and "Santa Claus is coming to Town!" BUT when the BIG moment came--I think with all the rushing and commotion to find Santa, she kinda freaked out...So I was lucky enough to sit with my girls on Santa's lap! Lu couldn't tear her eyes away from him--but was totally okay with the bearded man! Mae calmed down towards the end of our visit enough to tell him what she AND Lucy wanted because after all, that's what big sisters are for! I couldn't ask Santa for anything better than these TWO!

Date with DADDA!!!

2011-01-06T21:18:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, Mae and her Dadda went on their first offical date! He took her out to McDonalds' (pretty much her FAVORITE place in the whole wide world!) and then to "Yogi Bear!" Although she didn't make it very far through the movie (she told me she "didn't like it") she had a GREAT time with her Dadda and kept saying how "lucky" she is--which I TOTALLY agree with! I love these two!
She was dying to leave and these pictures mom was taking were killing her!

It's the most WONDERFUL time of the year!

2011-01-06T20:58:00.000-08:00

In all festive-ness, we decided to document the Coonradt home decorating for the main event...Mae, of course, was SUPER excited and REALLY into it! Lu was more of a hinderance (a couple broken bulbs and then a full out tantrum when we wouldn't let her break any more), but we'll take her any way we can!

Mae took the decorating of the tree VERY seriously!

At least Lu liked to eat the decorations!

The finished product--adorned with the angel Great-Great Grandma made--Mae made sure we used that at the top rather than a star!

...........oh, and we are all REALLY into the Grinch right now...Ok, maybe not so much me and Coby, but the girls are making sure it is in full force!

I'm sooooooo excited for Christmas this year with the girls! I can't wait to see what Santa brings them...Mae has decided she wants a "purple baby" and that Lucy needs a "pink baby"--take careful note Santa!

I LOVE ME SOME LU!

2011-01-06T20:35:00.000-08:00

Here's just a few of my favorite Lu pictures recently... She was pretty determined to get that toe!
SUCCESS--what a monkey!

This next set of pictures is an UNPRECIDENTED event! Lu is not a great sleeper--she has NEVER been a great sleeper. A little bit ago, Coby was playing with Lu and the next thing he knew, she was ZONKED out in the middle of floor...Coby was quick enough to grab a blanket for her and snap a few pictures because this has never happended before and I'm sure, will never happen again!

I LOVE THIS GIRL!!!

"Tangled"

2010-12-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

So I've been dying to take Mae to "Tangled" and finally it came out in theatres, so Me and Ash decided to take the oldest girls to see it--and it was a SUCCESS! Mae was sooooooo excited to see it that it was killing her to have to wait in line to get in and then in line to get a snack! I got her a little kid's pack of popcorn and her own pop and she looked like such a big girl sitting there snacking! I wanted to take a pic of her sitting in her seat, but by the time we got our snacks, it had already started so oh well! It was such a cute show and Mae LOVED every minute! She sat through the entire thing, mesmerized, and laughed and giggled at all the silly things. At one point, she yelled out "I'm going to marry my Dadda!" Too cute!

Mae and cousin Kenna...just look at the excitement on that face!

They were too excited to hold still for pictures!

Ash and Kenna

Me and my big girl!

We had a GREAT time at the movie! I can't believe how big Mae has gotten! She is such a cutie!

Dancing to "Glee!"

2010-12-10T11:58:00.000-08:00

So I watch Glee...call me a "gleek" or whatever, but I love the music in it and now so do the girls-especially Mae! I was watching it one day and it was an episode about a wedding and they sang a wedding song. Mae is totally obsessed with weddings and getting married right now so needless to say, this was right up her alley, and then they proceeded to sing and dance--so she was caught! We had to watch it about 1000 times and before I knew it, we had danced the whole afternoon away! I hadn't gotten as much done as I wanted to, but it was TOTALLY worth it! Dancing with sis!

It took all of Lu's concentration and balance, but she pulled it off...just look at that face! (I think she's a Peterson)

Mae was really feeling it!

Here's Lu, dancing and playing...quite the multi-tasker!

Giddy up!

I love these girls more than words can say! They are sunshine in my day and make me soooooo happy! We have so much fun together! LOVE YOU GIRLIES!!!

Vacation at Grandma and Grandpa's

2010-12-10T10:21:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, the girls were able to spend A WHOLE WEEK without , mom and dad at Grandma and Grandpa's. We don't get down to Ogden a lot during the winter because of bad roads and weather, so when my mom said she wanted to take the girls for a week, we were happy to do it...not too mention, we were in the middle of remodeling our kitchen, so it was a welcome time to send the girls. I had Grandma make sure to take lots of pix so we could document their vacation! They had a great time--went to the Aquarium, the mall for a train ride, carousel ride and playground and had LOTS of fun riding the four-wheeler and playing in the hot tub at Grandma and Grandpa's and of course spending time with not only Grandma and Grandpa, but also Great Grandpa and Grandma and Uncle Josh and Aunt Capri!

This is our new thing...pose!

(love her little foot dangling out the stroller)

Whoops! Wet foot!

LOVE this one!

How lucky are our girls to have sooooooooo many people who LOVE them??? Thanks to everyone for letting these cuties come play in Ogden for the week! We LOVE you!

1st Annual Girl's Weekend

2010-12-10T09:48:00.000-08:00

In October we had our 1st annual girl's weekend in Midway! Me, my mom, Shanelle, Capri and Grandma all went down and had such a fun time! (Mae and Lu missed out because they are not big enough yet) We did a lot of shopping, ate good food, watched a lot of Glee and even got pedicures! This was our one and only pic we took to document the good time we had! Thanks for such a fun time girls! I can't wait til next year!

All Hallows Eve

2010-12-07T19:59:00.000-08:00

This year for Halloween we were lucky enough to have Grandpa Gary and Grandma Barbara come visit us and go Trick-Or-Treating with us! I'm in the Primary Presidency in my ward-so we made our way to the Trunk-or-Treat we do each year...It is actually really fun because they do it down a street where pretty much all of the houses are members in our ward, so you kind of get the door-to-door feel, which has kind of gone out lately. Also, this year since we had a MAJOR budget to burn for the Primary, we decided to have the kids come a little early and we would help them make chocolate-carmeled apples--which was a BIG hit!

Mae with help from Grandma Barbara making her apple...believe me, it was really good! Thanks Mae for making Mom such a good apple!

Papa and Lu...I'm not sure who is more excited about the candy???

Grandma Barbara, Mae, Kenna and Nana on the hunt!

Dadda and his punk rocker!

This is Mae and her friend from nursery, Kamren...she LOVED his tiger costume!

We also took pix of all the kids by this coffin and then printed them out for them to have...this is Mae posing by the backdrop...and big surprise--she got a little silly-what's new???

Lu was really excited about the sucker and wanted everyone to have a taste...mmmmm!

Happy Halloween from the Coonradt's....Hope it was a spooky one!

Mae's Dance Halloween Party

2010-12-02T22:39:00.000-08:00

Mae's dance class threw all the girls a Halloween party during their dance classes where they got to dress up in their costume and pass out candy to all the girls and Mae was only too excited to wear her Tinkerbell costume! Mae and cousin Kenna after her own dance classe party--I love how midget Mae looks!
They always start each class with "Ring Around the Rosies"

...and then stretch. Mae is soooooo flexible! She can literally do the splits and then touch her nose to the floor--all the parents and teachers are AMAZED at this chick's flexibility!

Thei girls dance is to "How Much is that Doggy in the Window" and they dance with a doggy or a stuffed animal--Mae LOVES it!

Then Mae's teacher, Marissa, got out the face paints and painted each girl's face--

I LOVE Mae's face--she is sooooo into what is going on!

And then it was her turn!

She LOVED it, but took it VERY seriously!

And then she got silly!

Um, I think she LOVED her ghost!

Checking herself out...

And even with all her get-up, she could still do her somersaults!

WOW, do we LOVE Halloween!

Witches Night-IN!

2010-12-02T22:27:00.000-08:00

Mae has been totally obsessed with Halloween (of course) and keeps wanting to "go to Halloween." We have had a few melt-downs because she doesn't quite undersand that we can't just go Trick-or-Treating whenever we want--and patience is DEFINITELY something no 2 yr-old can grasp...so we decided to have a "Witches Night-In", invited Nana over, popped popcorn and watched what else, "Hocus Pocus!" We even broke out Mae's witch hat from last year--which was a BIG hit!

Our cute littlest witch!

We had such a great time! You should've seen the floor when we were done--thank goodness we put the blanket down--we had popcorn from one end of the living room to the other! BUT it was totally worth it! Oh, how I LOVE my little witches!

Halloween decorating!

2010-12-02T22:06:00.000-08:00

We broke out the Halloween decorations and Mae was soooooo excited--she LOVES Halloween! I'm not sure if it has something to do with "Hocus Pocus" or witches in general, but I think she probably loves it even more than Christmas...Well when we got out the decorations, Lu decided to make a game out of the trick-or-treating bucket...
Peek-a-BOO!!!

And of course, Mae decided to join in on the fun!

The girls had fun trying on costumes from the box,

and you know Lu, always has to try and eat everything...sand, dirt, woodchips...

feather boas....

A lot of boa, not so much Lu... but if the hat fits...okay, just sometimes!

Mae, the She-Devil Mae and her spooky hat...

Wow, now THAT is spooky!

What a great FAMILY NIGHT!!! No matter how hard they try--they will ALWAYS be BEAUTIFUL!!!

6, S-I-X, years!

2010-12-02T21:46:00.000-08:00

October 16th marked Coby and I's 6 year anniversary! Since we have two wonderful little girls, it makes it hard to go too far, so we took a trip up to Grand Junction just the two of us! The drive was soooooo beautiful with all the fall leaves and it was so nice to have a nice relaxing time and to EAT, EAT, EAT--probably just ONE of my FAVORITE things! We took a few pix to document our WONDERFUL time! This pic doesn't do the fall colors justice...
Coby entering our hotel room (he thought this was a stupid picture)

Snuggling with my honey!

Getting ready to head home

Bye-Bye Grand Junction!

Thanks Babe! Cannot wait for another 6 years with you! I love the life we have made together and I LOVE YOU!

Punk Rock Princess!

2010-11-30T20:50:00.000-08:00

In contrast to Mae's Tinkerbell costume, we decided Lu would be a punk rocker! I was dying to put some hot pink in that BLONDE hair--and she looked soooooo cute all punked out! I didn't get as many pix of her as I did Mae because she would not cooperate--so I'll take what I can get from our little cutie!!!

Even all punked out--she is still GORGEOUS!!!

Tinkerbell

2010-11-22T20:20:00.001-08:00

For Halloween this year, Mae was set on being Tinkerbell! I looked online and all the ones I could find that weren't like $50+ were cheesy and not very cute, so I decided to make it myself! Yay for me! It turned out pretty good (if I say so myself!) and of course, we had to take some Halloween pix of my little pixie! She is getting to that fun stage where she LOVES to have her picture taken and "pose" -- so we had a great time!

Prettiest little Tinkerbell EVER!

A few pix that make me smile...

2010-11-22T20:09:00.000-08:00

Walked into our *UNDER CONSTRUCTION* kitchen to find Lu in the crockpot, with her baby, rock-a-byeing! Luckily she stayed in there long enough for me to grab my camera.

Mae just chatting with Grandma on the phone---note her crossed little feet, LOVE it! I can just picture this in 10 years!

My little nerd! She thought she was pretty cute in mom's old glasses--and guess what--SHE IS!!!

OH HOW I LOVE THESE GIRLS!!! WHAT WOULD I DO WITHOUT THEM?!!

Coby, Ash, Mae, Lu & Emme Coonradt

NEW BLOG!

Bittersweet goodbye...

SICK DAY :(

4 MONTHS!

CHRISTMAS MORNING!

Christmas Eve

Dear Santa:

My BEAUTIFUL Ballerinas!

An Early GREAT Christmas!

Dance Class Christmas

Two of my favorite people...

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Jumpin & Jivin

Moving on UP!

Happy girl!

HALLOWEEN 2011

Visit from GREAT Grandparents!

Halloween FHE

DANCE Halloween Party!

END OF SUMMER FHE

Enjoy the moment

Family pix 2011

Productive tummy time...

"The Goon"

Lu's 2 year portraits

Mae- 3 year portraits

View from my window:

Holy hair, Batman!

Lu, the dancer...

Emme Joy Coonradt

PARTY HARDY!

Look Who's TWO!!!

Emme's first photo shoot

Emme Joy Coonradt

False Alarm...

New ultrasound!

24th of July Parade!

ROAD TRIP to VERNAL...and ME!!!

#3!

THE BELLY

What a GREAT great grandpa!

Mae's Spring Review

Lu's BIG GIRL BED!

"Look! It's...

My WILD child!

L-O-V-E

BIG GIRL PRINCESS BED!

Mae's "Tangled" Party!

My THREE year-old!!!

Pam's Luau!

BIG GIRL with "SPARKLY" ears!

Easter 2011

Walkin' on streets of DC!

My Girls

Battling Cabin Fever!

NEW ULTRASOUND!!!

*SPECIAL* Valentine's Day Family Night

My Little Valentines!

Sing-along with Dadda!

Our funny little Lu!

Baby Miya!

BABY COONRADT #3!!!

NEW YEAR'S EVE!

Christmas in O-Town!

SANTA FOUND US!!!

Coonradt Christmas

Mae's 1st Dance Recital!!!

Dance class Christmas Party

Photo op--SANTA!

Date with DADDA!!!

It's the most WONDERFUL time of the year!

I LOVE ME SOME LU!

"Tangled"

Dancing to "Glee!"

Vacation at Grandma and Grandpa's

1st Annual Girl's Weekend

All Hallows Eve

Mae's Dance Halloween Party

Witches Night-IN!

SPECIAL Valentine's Day Family Night