Wedding Shower

Emily and Madeline went with Jill and I to Sarah's wedding shower on Saturday. The girls were so excited to go to this party! They helped Sarah open her present from us. . . The best part is that the girls will be Sarah's flower girls in her June wedding! We already have their dresses. It will be so fun! Can't wait to post pictures of THAT!

A new Buddy

We had a HUGE buddy purge. We'll call it "Buddy Purge 2009." It may be brought up in my girls' therapy sessions in the future. Stuffed animals were taking over our lives. Brian let each girl pick 15 animals to keep. Then he and I went through the cast offs and picked 31 more that we couldn't get rid of. Also, webkinz and dolls did not count in the 15. . . As a reward for being so generous (by force) Aunt Jill offered to buy each girl a new webkin. Madeline picked a guinea pig. Emily picked a kitty cat (and a hedgehog for a future gift.)

Picnic at the Park

We have had some really nice days. I called a couple friends. We picked up McDonald's and headed to Washington Park for a picnic. It was very fun. I was very excited to get Kate in a swing - she hadn't ever been in a swing before. She LOVED it. The cutest part was that Emily and Madeline loved pushing her. When they pushed her from the front she would get so excited! Madeline used to be afraid of swinging, but now she LOVES it - higher, push me higher!!!

Close up on Angels

My precious girls. . . Kate - you are such a doll. Everyone comments on how adorable you are. The nursery workers at church love you. I love that whenever I go get you out of your crib you immediately stop crying when I enter the room. Whatever sadness you had is gone the minute you have your mama. I can't wait to see your personality develop. Your sisters LOVE you so much. I know you will have good friends in Emily and Madeline.

Emily, I love how you do life all.the.way. You are so passionate about learning and life. Your prayers to God at dinner time melt my heart. You have such a sweet heart. I hope you will go to Kindergarten and make a difference in your world, that you will be a good friend. I know there will be tough times with girlfriends - but God is just clearing the way for new, wonderful relationships in your life. I love you, dear first born.

Madeline Jill, you are such a sweet sweet girl. You are always ready to cuddle with your mom and say "I love you." You are so giving and kind to your sisters. (You were named after the most generous person I know - your Aunt Jill, so it's no wonder!) The way you love baby Kate amazes me. You will be such a true sister and friend. We are so blessed to have you in our family. You bring us joy, sweet Madeline.

Egg Hunt

The girls loved having an egg hunt - and finding where the Easter Bunny hid their baskets.

Easter 2009

New Bathroom!!!

It is ALMOST finished. . . here are some pictures! We decided to save up money and do it the way we REALLY WANTED it. . . I'll post some more pictures after I have all the accessories in!

Milwaukee Weekend

Okay - this is the last picture I wanted to start out this post - but oh well. I've had some technical difficulties tonight! One night in Milwaukee we swam in the hotel pool. The girls LOVED it. It was little Kate's first time swimming. She loved it, too. I think she'll fit into this family just fine!

Emily with her puzzle from the greats.

Brian's grandparents' hands. . .

Grandma Lory and Aunt Karleen had some gifts for the girls - Here Madeline worked her new puzzle.

Madeline is an amazing big sister. Here she is feeding Katie "puffs."

Reading books with Great Grandma and cousin Kayla.

Kate and "Auntie Kee Kee"

All the girls being silly!

Kayla and Kate

We went to a pizza place - Mama Mia's - which is legendary in the Bugler family. They RAVE about the pizza and garlic bread. We met up with Warren and Gretchen - old friends of Ken and Bonnie. They have 3 daughters (the youngest is in college) so they understand our life! :)

Here is a family picture from the trip. (I love Emily in the family pic!) On the way home we spent about 24 hours with my dear friend, Cyndi. I met her in Israel in 1997. Her house is like a retreat for our family. We love visiting them! They live in Wheaton, Il.

Here are the girls hanging out in our hotel. Staying in a hotel is such fun to them. I love seeing their excitement. The trip up and the first night were a bit rough with Kate. The next day we went to a really hip marketplace. We picked up some bread and chocolates. We also bought some tulips on the way to his grandparents to give his Grandma.

Brian and Kate at the market.

Kate meeting Great Grandma Lory for the first time. (This is Grandma Loraine - where Emily Loraine came from)

We also went to church with the Great Grandparents. Later that day we went to "Monkey Joe's" together. This was a place with lots of inflatables. It was fun for the greats to see the girls in their element jumping and sliding and having fun.

The whole purpose of this trip was for Brian's grandparents to get to know our kids. We felt like it went really well - mission accomplished!

Trying out the new sink

Brian was checking out our new sink set up - and I decided that Kate would fit just perfectly. . . Here she is sitting pretty!

by the way - I had just gotten her up from a nap - often she has popped her legs out of her jammies and hiked up to her thighs when I go get her out of bed.