Twins turn 4

I am so far behind, it's not even funny! Eden and Lydia turned 4 in September, (you know, 5 months ago!) but I feel like I still need to document it. I love having this record to go back and look at.

It's amazing to me that we've been parents for over 4 years. Time is flying! I feel like this was really the first year that the girls understood and were excited for their upcoming birthday. They have a couple friends whose birthdays are right before theirs, so it definitely helped going to the other kids' birthday parties to figure out what a birthday is. However, once they had gone to those parties, they assumed they would be having a party as well. I had planned to just do something with our family, but a couple of days before their birthday, they asked if their friends were coming over for their party. Uhhhhhhhhh.......sure! So, with no time to spare, I managed to throw a little party together for them.

The girls requested a tea party, so a tea party they did have! I went to Good Will and found some teacups, saucers, tea pot, cream and sugar containers, vases, and paper heart doilies. Oh, and let's not forget the cream-colored shower curtain that we used as a table cloth. Score for Good Will! I got a couple other simple decorations from Wal-Mart and we were set. We had some little finger foods, juice, and cupcakes and invited their cousins and a couple of friends to dress up and join us for tea! They thought they were so fancy and had so much fun. I saved everything and plan to convince them they want to have a tea party for the next couple of years to keep it simple for me!

I enjoy making clothes for my kids. For their birthday dresses, I let the girls pick their fabric and buttons. They took it very seriously, and I think they did a great job. I love these sweet dresses on these sweet girls!

As far as updates go, Eden is quite the spitfire. She is a very independent, headstrong, fearless little girl. All qualities that make parenting a challenge at times, but also qualities that are going to help her go far in life. I have a feeling, nothing is going to stand in front of her accomplishing whatever she wants in life! She enjoys dressing up in costume (or in nothing at all!) most days and pretending to be Elsa, Elena, or Ursula. She is a social butterfly and is always excited for our preschool co-op days with her friends. She has a knack for puzzles and recently completed her first 100 piece puzzle!

Lydia is so sweet and tender-hearted. She loves babies, both her dolls and real babies, and seems to have a mother instinct about her. She is more hesitant to try new things but after observing a bit she'll build up her confidence and jump in. She loves learning and "reading" her books. She has a great memory and enjoys reciting the poems, nursery rhymes, and songs we learn. She's learned how to pump her legs on the swing and can often be found in the backyard swinging away!

We love these girls so much! Happy Birthday (in September) Eden and Lydia!

Eden requested a rainbow, circle cake with pink and purple sprinkles while Lydia requested a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. 

Summer 2017

It was another great summer for the books! We had a good mix of adventures and lazy days at the pool. Speaking of lazy, I am feeling overwhelmed at the thought of blogging about the entire summer so I'm going with the bullet list.

• Swimming nearly everyday at friends' pools, backyard plastic pool, water hole, or the aquatics center. The girls also had their first swimming lessons and even jumped off the diving board. Well, Eden jumped and Lydia was gently dropped :) 

Eden taking the plunge

Lydia being nudged

• Fireworks, face painting, and mini golfing with Ryan and Courtney for the 4th of July

Happy Birthday America!

• Blueberry picking, popsicle eating, water balloon fighting, hiking, and other traditional summer fun

• Some fun date nights for Nathan and I. We celebrated our 7th anniversary, went to a Rascal Flats concert, and biked the Greenway. 

• cross country trip to Utah for nearly 4 weeks. We were able to hit 3 different family reunions and spend so much time with family. First was the Anderson Reunion at our traditional location of the KOA in Lyman, Wyoming. The kids were in heaven with the playground, swimming pool, sand volleyball, a whole slew of cousins to play with. They also loved sleeping in the bunk beds in our cabin. Next, we were able to stay at my parent's place. We went fishing with Papa, saw all the animals at the fair, rode the donkeys, jumped at the Bounce House, attended the temple, and swam in the pool. The Feuz Reunion (my siblings) was also during that time. Brianne planned so many fun things for us including a trip to Cherry Hill Water Park, a race for the kids, soccer match for the adults, escape room, dinosaur dig, egg drop, Home Depot craft, and tie dyeing. 

• Then, we went to Spanish Fork and stayed with Nathan's Grandma Smith. His parents and siblings were there as well and we were able to enjoy a week with them. We went to Seven Peaks Water Park, took a private tour of the new MTC, went to a BYU practice football game, met the BYU athletes and coaches at an event, rode ponies, went hiking, ate at some delicious restaurants, and played at the Lehi Fun Center. Finally, we went to the Smith Family Reunion at a huge lodge up Spanish Fork Canyon. We enjoyed waterballon volleyball, skits, card games, cupcake decorating, and visiting with family members we haven't seen in years! We were sad to say goodbye to everyone, but we were also ready to be home after being away for a month. The kids did amazingly well for such a long trip and we're already looking forward to going again next year. 

All asleep under their blankets and pillows!

• We wrapped up the summer with a trip to Silver Dollar City with our good friends, the Young Family, for Labor Day weekend. Their twin boys are a couple of months younger than our girls and they are the best of friends! They had a blast riding all the rides together and we're so happy the Youngs invited us!

Our summer flew by and we're sad to see it go. But we're on to the adventures of the fall with camping, the twins' birthday, preschool, and many more things that will be for another blog post!