Pictures...

Charlene & Gabriella

aka: Charley, age 3 1/2, she is a beautiful little girl

Gabby, Age 1 (Traditional, Hoop)

aka: Gabbers, Gab, Yo GabaGaba

Michele Reyes is A-MAZ-ING!!!!

She took the girls pictures a few weeks ago, and we got them back today. I've already looked at them multiple times, and I still can't get enough!

I think Michele is one of the best! She is located in Cedar Hills, so if you are in need of pictures taken, she's great! I linked her site, so go check her out!

Anniversary Weekend Get-a-way

Saturday, August 7, 2010 was our 6 year Anniversary! A few weeks ago Ben told me that he scheduled a night for us to stay at Little Bell. Little Bell is a townhouse in Park City that one of Ben's clients, PCG, owns. PCG (Private Capital Group) is a hard money lender. They lent some guy some money, he used his house as collateral and didn't pay, and now PCG owns it. They now just rent the house out for vacationers, but they were kind enough to let us use it as it wasn't booked this weekend.

Then last week, Ben's firm sponsored a hole in a Golf Tournament....which meant that Ben got to play in the tournament....what a fun work day for him! At the tournament they had a silent auction. Ben put in a bid for a one night stay at the Anniversary Inn, dinner for 2 at Tuconos, 2 tickets to a play. He was the highest bidder, but paid less than half of what a room would have cost one night at the Inn....Great Deal! So we decided to use both nights in one weekend!

So Friday Ben came home from work early and we packed and left for our exciting weekend with out the girls!!! THANK YOU to Jordan who watched the girls for us! The girls sure are going to miss her when she moves.

We went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner (they were supposed to send our gift certificates for Tuconos, but hadn't yet, otherwise we would have used them)

Then we went to see a movie! ....we saw Eclipse....Ben let me pick!

Afterward we stayed at the Anniversary Inn. If you have never experienced the Anniversary Inn, you should. Each room is decorated with a different theme. You get to pick what theme you want to stay in, depending on what rooms are open. We called ahead, and decided in the Mysteries of Egypt Suite.

This guy was in our bathroom!

In the morning we got breakfast delivered to the room (it was part of what you pay for) then we packed up and drove to Park City.

We went to the outlets and walked around for a little bit, then headed over to Olympic Park walked around the museum and watched the Flying Aces show! (click the link to see a video...and you can click on the picture to make it larger....we got a picture right as the guy was in the air!) It was AWESOME!!!

Then we drove to Deer Vally Resort and ate at the Royal Street Cafe'. While we were eating this lady came up to us and asked if we wanted her lift passes. They already bought them and decided not to use them, and didn't want them to go to waste. We didn't have anything planned, so we took them and went up the lifts. We walked around the mountain top....and it was freezing! We didn't think we would need coats!

When we were done, we went to check out the Little Bell. It was pretty much the coolest house ever!!! I don't know why we've never took advantage of staying there before?

This was the hot tub/waterfall that was located right off the master bath!!!

We came home an hour before Church started.

It was a perfect weekend!

Love you Ben!!! Happy Anniversary!!!

Princess Soccer Player

If you've ever asked Charley what she wants to be when she grows up, she'll always answer "A Princess Soccer Player" ....not just a soccer player, but a Princess soccer player! So of course we had to put her in soccer this summer. We put her in Itty Bitty Soccer with Lehi Parks and Rec. It isn't a team where they play other teams, but they go the same time every time, with the same kids and coaches. They warm up, go to little stations where they learn different soccer skills, then play a game at the end (not necessarily a actual soccer game) and then have a treat and go home. It is for 3 and 4 year olds, and I think it is perfect for this age. It is 3 weeks long twice a week.

Today was our first day! And yes, I was the crazy mom that followed my child around taking pictures and video!!! This is my babies first "team" experience and I think I may have been just as excited as she was! She woke me up this morning telling me that she got to go to soccer today! It was indoors, which was nice it wasn't in the heat, but it was too dark to take pictures, so I didn't get a lot of good ones.

Night and Day

Our two girls may have looked like each other when they were first born, but after that....they are pretty much as different as night and day. They each have their own individual look and personality. For example, Charley has curly hair, and Gabby's is straight. Charley is very outgoing, and Gabby is more shy. Charley sleeps on her back with her feet up in the air, and Gabby on her tummy with her bum in the air!!! Granted, there are some things they share in common, but for the most part they are their own girl!

We went to the doctors today for Gabby's 1 year check up. Poor thing is already getting 4 new teeth (I swear they are all coming at once! She had 2 teeth for the longest time, now she has like 10!) and now today we added 4 shots!

Gabby's stats:
Height: 28.5 inches 30th %tile
Weight: 18.5 lbs. 12.5 %tile

*Just for some fun I looked up Charley's old stats from when she was 12 months...
Height: 33.5 inch 99+ %tile
Weight: 20.7lbs 30th %tile

We have a Giant and a Runt on our hands!! :)

Gabby:
Gabby is walking along all the furniture and can walk on her own, but only a few steps. She was going really good for a week or so, but decided crawling was a lot faster. She loves patty cake, and peek a boo! I'm not sure if she knows she is actually saying it, or just happens to say mama, dada, baba, and hi. She is very much a momma's girl, but she is the cutest thing when dad comes home, she gets all excited and crawls to him and meets him at the door! Even though she is a momma's girls, she is still very friendly and plays with everyone. As of yesterday, she is completely off the bottle. She isn't too picky with how she gets her milk, so we took advantage of that and just stopped giving them to her....and we arn't going back! She loves to "read" and look at books. I think her sister is a good influence on her. She loves doing whatever Charley does. It may not always be fun for Charley, but Gabby sure does love it.

Charley:
Charley can talk your ear off, and has an amazing vocabulary for a 3 year old! She knows all of the sounds to the letters, and can put some together and read a few words and even knows how to spell some. We've been kinda crazy this summer, and haven't had our "school" since May, but we'll probably start that up again when all the neighbor kids go back to school as well. She is very polite and sweet. She is into anything Princess, Tinkerbell or Dora. And loves her primary class and teacher. The other day we drove by the temple and she told me that the temple was Jesus' and Heavenly Fathers house. Then she asked if we could go there and visit them. It was very hard to explain to her that they don't physically live there. But we can go there and be reverent and feel their spirit and we can pray and talk to them. I still don't think she understood, because by the end she was still insisting that they LIVE there.

Birthday Cake...Yum!

When it comes to her birthday cake....this girl means business!

A Birthday Event

Today was Gabby Birthday, July 20, 2010. I can not tell you how much I love this girl! I think Ben and I got super lucky to have two adorable, loving, smart, so stinkin' cute little girls!

Gabby started the day sleeping in. (do you love her random clothes I put her to bed in?!!) And she woke up just as happy as ever! Crazy hair and all! Love it!
We got her a few big things for her birthday this year, and decided to just give them to her rather than try and wrap them. One of which was her very own big girl car seat!!! She also got a baby high chair, stroller, and cradle for her new baby doll she got (we just wrapped the baby doll, and she opened it later at her party.) those items were too big to wrap, so they were out waiting for her to play with in the morning!

I didn't have time to install the new car seat, but just threw it in the back of the car to put in later. In the morning we went over to our friend Michele Reyes house. A few months ago she approached me about service swapping! I am teaching her boys how to hoop dance, and in return, she was going to take the girls pictures. She was the one who took Charley's one year pictures, and I wanted to have her do Gabby's anyway....so it all worked out perfect!! I love her work, and think she is Amazing! So while I was teaching her boys hoop, she took Charley's pictures, and Gabby napped in her car seat (her old one, she could lay down better). And then when we were done, both girls got their pictures done, then Gabby got her's done.

After pictures we were off to pick up dad at work to take the girls to lunch. We let Charley pick, and she picked Wendy's. She says Wendy's is her favorite food store!...hahaa...
Once we took dad back to the office, he helped us get Gabby into her new car seat. (notice their matching dresses?...I am obsessed with all things matching with girls! That's one of the many fun things about having 2 girls....coordinating outfits! priceless!!!)
She LOVES it! I wish I wasn't driving and was able to film her squealing and kicking her little feet with joy!
What a pretty girl!
We had to run to the store for a few things, then it was back home to put the birthday girl down for a much needed nap. And Charley and I decorated the cake and set up for the party. We had grilled cheese for dinner, and cake for dessert!....

A Birthday Event...cont.

Gabby's birthday party was a princes themed party, complete with princess dresses and tiaras!
Can you tell how excited and happy she was!?! What princes wouldn't love all the attention she got today!

My masterpieces....the princess castle cake, some extra yummy cupcakes, and Gabby's own personal cake.My two princesses before the party!
Opening Presents!! She caught on really quick, and tore right into everything!
Gabby started digging into her cake before we finished her happy birthday song!!! And she literally ate almost the whole thing!!! And besides her hands and face, she didn't get the cake any where else.
Poor Brooklyn. She got excited that we were going to have cake, and then we all waited until Gabby finished her's to start serving (we were all taking pics and video-taping it). But after a while, Brooklyn decided she wasn't going to wait for us anymore! It was really cute!

both my sisters that live here asked what they could get Gabby for her birthday. I told them books. It is really quite fun how much both girls love reading. I admit, they both have their moments (in-fact, Charley had one tonight. It was a really long day, and the party went past her bed time, and she started getting cranky!) but for the most part, putting them to bed is pretty easy.....why you ask?....Books. I put them in bed, and give them each a few books, and they read themselves to sleep. I think Gabby likes doing it because she sees Charley do it. But either way, they both love to read. And I love it!!!....so after I put them to bed tonight, I went back in with a camera, and this is what I found!..

Happy Birthday Gabby!!!! We love you so much!

Gabby Walking

Gabby started Walking last week before we took off to AZ to see our new little nephew. (pics to follow later...I'll let my sister post some first) Gabby is still in the beginning stages of walking, but she is gradually getting better and better! She'll turn 1-years old in just 6 days!!!

summer picts

Gabby is one of those babies, that can not stand to have things inside drawers or cupboards! this mess is pretty tame compared to what she can do!
July 3rd, at the pool! We've spent a lot of time there these days! It is getting pretty hot over on our side of the world! Ben got to come with us on this swimming trip, so it was extra fun!
Dora and Princess floats....she can't decide which one she likes best! She's not in swim lessons this year. We did the mommy and me lessons last summer, but it was a lot easier since I didn't have gabby yet. And even with me in the pool she was so clingy. So I thought this year, we would just go swimming a lot, and let her get used to swimming and having some good experiences with water. And then maybe next year, she'll be okay with lessons with out me in the pool with her.
Isn't her bathing suite cute!? We had some old suits from when Charley was a baby, but the smallest size we had was 18 mo. I normally would have just stuck her in it, and maybe pinned the straps, but I found this suit, and couldn't pass up the deal!!!....it was $1 !!!!! It was my impressive dollar store find! (yes, you heard me right...the dollar store. Actually the Dollar Tree to be more exact!)
This next week the girls, aunt Jordan, and I are driving down to AZ to see my sister and her new baby. Then when we come back Charley starts up Soccer! Since she has told me that when she grows up she wants to be a "Princess Soccer Player" I thought she needed some lessons first! So she is on a Itty Bitty team with the Parks and Rec. She is doing it with one of her friends, so I'm hoping it will be fun for her, and she'll have a good time!

more wdding

The Schramm Boys!
Charley helping Gabby walk...
the Ben Schramm Family!....so cute!
Charley loves Grandpa Schramm....
The new Mr. & Mrs. Calvin Schramm!!!

The last Schramm.....

....got married this weekend! Ben's younger brother, Calvin, got married to Courtney this weekend in the Boise, Idaho temple. It was beautiful!!!....and I must say the girls looked darling!

~the pictures will be out of order because I didn't want to spend time organizing them!....so enjoy!

At the reception with Schrammpa!
They are so cute!
Charley with Schramma at the reception...I love how she is like a little lady!...trying to be all grown up!
Gabby....I'd like to point out that I made the girls little jackets!! I'm pretty proud of them. And since I had to trim Gabby's dress...the excess material I used to make hair bows!
3 of the 4 girl cousins!...
My little model!
At the hotel....
Charley got her own bed at the hotel....as we were driving back home she was crying and wanting to go back to the hotel....I guess I can't blame her....that huge bed all to herself! She was in heaven!
The girls with their new aunt!