Christmas Pictures

Our Christmas was so nice this year. We have got 2 cute girls. 

(I'll blog more details later)

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Leah's sleep troubles

Ok, friends, here it is: all of my problems layed out for you. Ok, just my biggest onek Leah can't put herself to sleep. And it's driving me crazy. 

When she was about 7 months old we started sleep training. A full week of screaming for an hour or so each night, and I quit (Addie seriously took 3 nights; it was beautiful). We did get her sleep trained soon after, but soon came a trip, and it was all thrown off. We got home and tried again. Same pattern (inserting teething, colds, or other trips) happened 6 times. 

Which brings us to present day. 

Leah can put herself to sleep for her nap. We have some milk, cuddle and sing, I lay her down and she might fuss for 5 minutes, max. It's great. 

Then comes bedtime...ugggg. I hate bedtime with Leah. We do baths, milk and a short movie, cuddle and sing, then I lay her down. And she screams. And Screams. And SCREAMS. It is awful. She will do it for an hour, non-stop. We've tried everything. She hasn't used a pacifier since she was 5 months old, and I gave her one tonight out of desperation. It hasn't helped. Mike is rocking her to sleep right  now. We started her bedtime at 9, just including the crib part, and it's just after 10. Maybe we are missing her sleepy window, but I'm not sold on that yet.

Ok, seasoned mommies, give it to me. Tell me your best tricks. I am almost to the point of giving up until she is old enough to do a sticker chart or something like that. But as much as I love cuddling with her, I also want my evenings with Mike back. 

Thanks in advance! 

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What is a clean kitchen?

"Addie, what are you doing?"

"Just making hop stickers for dad. Just two hop stickers."

Pot stickers are sounding really good right now..... 

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Watercoloring

Today Addie painted this beauty with her watercolors. She spent about 20 minutes on it, too. 

"Addie, what's this a picture of?

"The temple. That's baby Jesus and there is Moroni." 

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Sunday

Sunday has me missing Saturday. 

Date with Mike to see the King Tut exhibit. 

Breakfast with Santa and Frosty

But Sunday has some perks. 

Primary.

Naps. 

Cooking together.

Cuddly goodness (see top picture).

One downside to today: bedtime. Why is it a surprise every night that we go to bed after baths?

Also, my almost 18 month old still can't put herself to sleep very well. Tips? Tricks? 

Looking forward to this week, though. Some fun things coming up! 

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Good morning

I love Leah in the morning. We cuddle and I admire her crazy hair. 

Off to the doctor. Addie's ear is leaking. Yup, leaking. 

Also, Roxie ate off of Leah's high chair. I hate how it smells when Roxie eats people food. 

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Reality Check

So, it's amazing how small your problems can seem when some of your closest friends are going through some major challenges. Today, I' fine with the sick girls I have. 

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December So Far

December so far has been snotty, cough-y and fever-y. 

The girls have been happy, despite being sick. Addie got a fever two weeks ago and it lasted until I gave her some Tylenol and it kicked in. Then the following Thursday, Leah got a fever after lunch. Honestly, she didn't seem to bad, so we did some things, like the Museum of Flight with my dad, the Festival of the Nativitys, and the zoo. By last Sunday, I thought we were doing ok, until 30 minutes into church when Leah needed a nap. She ended up taking 2 two hour naps that day. 

This week was going to be nicely busy, until yesterday at 4. Addie woke up with a fever. She was up in the night. She came in crying and super  sick. She took some ibuprofen and watched Doc Mcstuffins, then fell back asleep. She woke up at 8, and fell asleep at 9 and just woke up at 10:30.

But we have done a few fun things! We saw Santa at our ward Christmas party, we've been doing lots of baking and lots of dress up. 

I am anxious to get out of the house this weekend and I am hoping that the girls feel well enough to be left over night. 

In other news, Addie came to Primary for the first time on Sunday. We had the soon-to-be sunbeams come in for singing time. I am so excited to have Addie in Primary with me. 

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Leah Update

Leah just turned 16 months. Where did the time go? She will go into nursery in January. Yay! At the doctor's appointment, we learned she weighs 20 pounds, 13 ounces (about a pound less than Addie) and is 29 1/2 inches tall. She's right around the 40th percentile for everything. 

Leah has been saying some words and here's what she can say:

Mama

Dada

Addie

Cheese

Please (beezz)

Thank you (kk-ooo)

Jump (juh!)

No

Although, she doesn't say a ton, she is very communicating. I always know what she wants. 

Leah is my "I can do it myself" kid. She doesn't want me to read to her, she needs to hold the book. She always has to walk up and down the stairs. If I carry her a few steps, she will get down and climb back up to scoot or walk back down. She also likes to do everything that Addie does. Leah has to sit on the little toilet before her bath. If Addie is playing dress up, count Leah in. Leah loves to hold her baby dolls, but they must be wrapped in a blanket. 

While she is very independent, she loves to cuddle when she has her milk. She always gives hugs and kisses. She is very tender hearted. 

My favorite part about Leah is that every day about 5, she gets tired of her clothes and pulls on them until I take them off. She then trucks around the house until bath time, usually with just her diaper and some shoes on. 

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Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving this year was spent with my family in Vancouver. It was perfect timing to be together. My mom had some health issues come up on the Sunday before the holiday that scared us a bit, so it was nice to go be with her. 

My sister, Makenna came home from Rexburg and she rode with me the last leg of her journey. It was fun to be with my family. I did feel bad for Marit, she had a fever. And my mom was pretty under the weather, too. 

The morning of Thanksgiving, most of my family went on a walk at a park right on the Columbia River. It was cold and beautiful. Addie enjoyed throwing sticks and rocks into the water while Leah wanted to swim in the water. 

For dinner, we headed to my aunt's home and had a great dinner. It was so beautiful. I loved seeing my grandparents and cousins too. 

The next night I got to go out (Thanks Mike) with my cousin, Katie. Can I take a second to say how much I love that my cousin is one of my closest friends? She is so fun, and she laughs at my jokes! So, we went to see a movie with her mom, aunt and a family friend. Ok, we saw Breaking Dawn, Part 2. We laughed the whole time. Then when we got back to her house, we stayed up much to late laughing about kids, talking about the temple, eating ice cream and reminiscing of college dating... 

We had such a fun time in Vancouver. 

I have to tell you my thankful list:

Mike

Addie

Leah

My parents and siblings

My in-laws

Being in Primary

The gospel

My home

My country

Frosty mornings

Baby Tylenol

Baby cuddles

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Addie Prays

We love listening to Addie pray. She prays every time we need to pray. She always says thanks for our day and she asks that her dolls and princesses will be safe. 

I love having a little window into what her mind is concerned with. 

She is so sweet and growing up so fast. I am so excited for January and having her join me in Primary! 

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My Fight

I rarely get political on Facebook or my blog. While I love politics and following them (both sides, although I lean very heavily to one side), I don't like to talk about it on the internet much. It's because I'm a people pleaser and I don't want to offend anyone. But this morning my heart is heavy and I have many thoughts running through my head. 

I firmly believe that our country has been preserved graciously by the hand of God. Many great things have come to pass in this land, but I think we have taken a turn, and not for the better. I love our country and the freedoms we enjoy; I don't want to move to Canada.

 

Last night, I was following the election very carefully, hitting refresh on my phone every couple of minutes. I was about to put my girls to bed when I saw the news. I rushed to the tv and it was confirmed. To be honest, I cried. I was devastated. My heart went out to the Romney's, and then I turned to look at my girls. They were wrestling and  playing obliviously. I cried a bit more for their future. Our world is going downhill fast. Morals are at an all-time low, the debt is at an all-time high, and I don't like where things are going. I  don't want my girls to grow up and feel entitled, I want them to know that there are consequences to your actions, I want them to work hard for what they earn, even if it isn't as much as the person sitting next to them, and I want to be proud of what they make of their lives. 

I have an even more of an uphill battle to fight at home. I have the privilege to rear my children in righteousness. It's even more important now to have family prayer and scripture study and to have real conversations as to our core beliefs and values. I want to teach them respect for everyone, even if they believe differently than we do. I want them to know that it's only by clinging to that iron rod and holding fast to our standards that we can get true happiness in this life and the next. 

The past few hours, I have had the song "God Bless America" running through my head. The words are my prayer this morning. It has given me some faith to know that we will not be left alone during harder times and God truly will sustain us if we give our all. 

God bless America

Land that I love.

Stand be side her

And guide her

Through the night with a light

From above. 

From the mountains

To the prairie

To the ocean, white with foam.

God bless America

My home sweet home!

God bless America

My home sweet home! 

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Disney on Ice

When I was in Vancouver, my dad mentioned that Disney on Ice was coming, so I checked it out and they were coming up here, too. I decided to buy Addie and I tickets. 

She made sure to wear her crown. Looking back, I should have let her wear a princess dress, but lots of girls were jealous of her crown. We sat at the very top row (which ended up being pretty nice). She was so excited and talking and talking about Rapunzel. Then the show started. Mickey Mouse and Minnie came out and she loved it. 

The first princess story was Tiana, and she has not seen that, so she didn't enjoy it as much. Cinderella was so cute! And when Rapunzel came out, I had to stop her from going down there. She was so excited. It was pretty cool. They flew around on her hair and all the kids loved it. 

At the end, all the princesses came out and Addie loved appearances by Mulan and Ariel. We didn't stop smiling the entire time. 

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Halloween party

Ok, so this cute couple in our ward loves our girls. They are about my parents age and don't have grandkids of their own yet and are practicing on my kids. Addie loves going to their house and Leah doesn't mind (which is good for how clingy she is). This couple asks to watch our kids. I love it and I am super grateful for them.

Well, last night, they had us over for a Halloween party for family night. She had decorated the house so cute. There were cupcakes to decorate, pumpkins to give faces to, and lots of candy and trinkets. I felt so spoiled, and the party was for my girls! Leah was covered in chocolate. Addie worked very hard on the cupcakes. We chatted about everything and the girls played. 

I figure this is a pay-it-forward kind of thing. Someday, before we have grandkids, we can spoil someone's else's kids. 

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Don't worry...

IAlthough the past few posts have seemed like things are really bad with me, I promise they aren't. We've had some rough days (who hasn't?), but generally we are all happy. I love Mike, he loves me (although I'm sure he thinks I'm crazy:) ). I love almost every minute with my girls. Addie is so sweet and fun, we are just transitioning to a new schedule, which is always hard. Leah just trucks around but is teething (yay for finally having 8 teeth!). I am glad that the colds in our house from last week are gone. Add up some of those harder things with fun PMS (tmi?) and you have some rough moments in the day.Although the past few posts have seemed like things are really bad with me, I promise they aren't. We've had some rough days (who hasn't?), but generally we are all happy. I love Mike, he loves me (although I'm sure he thinks I'm crazy:) ). I love almost every minute with my girls. Addie is so sweet and fun, we are just transitioning to a new schedule, which is always hard. Leah just trucks around but is teething (yay for finally having 8 teeth!). I am glad that the colds in our house from last week are gone. Add up some of those harder things with fun PMS (tmi?) and you have some rough moments in the day. 

But we are good. I really love staying home with my girls. And I love my husband. He is always there for me. 

Lovely Leah

What you can't see in this picture is what is in the pot. She was mixing up her leftover meatloaf and the last of the mashed potatoes, having a great time. Yes, there was a mess everywhere, but she was having the best time. 

Mike and I got to go to the temple tonight. It was beautiful. We did proxy sealings and it was a great reminder of when we were sealed to each other. I love going to the temple because you are able to leave your cares at the door and just focus on the things that are truly important. 

Like my marriage and my daughters. 

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Grateful

At church yesterday, I was sitting there and I realized how grateful I am for certain things in life. 

First, is my family. Last week was admittedly not my best week. Long story short, sick babies, trip recovery and less sleep then I should get added up to lots of grumpy people in our house. But Mike is so patient and loving and he really helped more than he knows. He is always there for me and really does understand what I need, even if in a moment of weakness I tell him he doesn't. 

Also, I am extremely grateful for the little things. Small kisses and bear hugs, cuddling, two girls that like to play together, and girls that are easily and cheaply entertained. I love baby chub and chocolate chip mouths; I have a sweet girl who asks how my day was. 

This week, we are taking it easy. Just enjoying the day and not rushing. And trying to stave off that dreaded 5 pm meltdown.... 

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Pumpkin Patch

We have been trying to get outside as much as we can. I love getting out to enjoy the fall colors and let's be honest, everyone likes to crunch leaves.
I think I might go nuts as the weather starts to get really wet and we can't go outside.
Today we went to our favorite pumpkin patch, Bob's Corn in Snohomish (if you are local, I highly recommend this place!). We went early and beat all the crowds. I didn't take any pictures with my phone because it is cracked.... But I got some cute ones with my real camera. The girls had fun tromping through the mud and touching every pumpkin. This year we took them through the kids corn maze and they thought that was fun. Well, Addie did, Leah crashed out on Mike's shoulder a few minutes in. She missed out on fresh donuts, cider and roasted corn. But the little girl was beat.
When we got home we seriously crashed out and everyone slept from 3 to 6.
Today was such a good, unproductive day that we all needed.


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Long Day

Some days are good, and some aren't as good and that's okay. The past 2 weeks have been great. Really. Everyone was happy and well behaved. Now we are recovering from our trip and me and my girls are just not getting along. I know we'll get back into our routine soon, but today was rough. Sick and tired girls makes for a worn out mom. 

As our day was ending, things were still rocky. After my babies went to bed, I told Mike all about my long day woes. He listened to me and reassured me I'm a good mom. I had the thought, and it's a quote from a general authority and in my tired state, I can't remember who, but it says, "sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day saying 'I'll try again tomorrow.'" And that's what I'm reminding myself tonight. Just because today was bad, doesn't mean I have to repeat it tomorrow. 

Tomorrow, we are going to be best buds, and I'm keeping the baby Tyleno on tap. 

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Spud Harvest

This year was our first spud harvest. For those that don't know, Mike grew up on a potato farm. He has missed farming since graduating and moving to the big city. This year we were lucky enough to head to Rexburg and dig those taters. 

Mike seriously loved all of it. He has been so relaxed and really enjoys farming. The girls loved riding in the tractor with dad. Leah was even comfortable enough to fall asleep while digging potatoes. This was just so new to me, and I had a lot of questions and I really enjoyed taking it all in. 

It will be a bummer to head home on Saturday and go back to real life. This has been such a good two weeks for everyone. 

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Yellowstone National Park Pictures

Mike and i took a day trip to Yellowstone National Park the other day. Just us. No kids. It was long overdue. 

We had a great time animal (and people) watching. I loved all the geysers. It was so nice to reconnect. We have been so busy on this trip that we have barely seen each other. 

Also, a huge shout out to my sister and mother-in-law for watching the girls. 

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Ballet

So, we all know Addie looks adorable in her leotard and tutu. She loves wearing it, too. 

BUT.. .

She hates ballet. She came out crying yesterday about halfway through just sobbing and asking to go home. It broke my heart. After a futile attempt to get her to go back, we just went home. I figure if she doesn't like it, I'm not going to force her to go. I just can't figure out why she doesn't like it. I peek through the window and she seems to be enjoying herself. Her last class is in two weeks and the parents can go in and watch and I'm hoping that helps. 

The only thing I can think of is that the class is to long for her. It's 50 minutes and I think she just has a hard time with that. And she has been asking to go to gymnastics. So, I know what we will be doing next time. 

But in the mean time we'll still be doing lots of dancing and singing. 

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Fall

This fall so far has been great! 

Mike is currently in Rexburg digging potatoes and loving it. I have barely been able to talk to him because he works from 7 a.m. until 11pm. The girls miss him a lot, but they are excited to see him and ride on the tractor. 

My MIL has been here and we've been having fun catching up. Already we've been out to eat 3 times and we are going again today and lots of other days following. 

Addie was taking a bath the other night and I was grabbing her PJs. I here her yell, "Mom, get Leah out!" Miss Leah had crawled in the bath, clothes and all. So I did what any good mother should do, I took a picture and let her play some more. 

We leave tomorrow for Rexburg and I'm getting very excited. Especially to see Mike. Plus a change of pace is just what I need. No dog, not much cooking or cleaning. Whew!! I'm excited! 

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I'm not grouchy today.

Despite my last post, we did have a decent week. This week is going to be exciting. 

On Friday, Mike is flying to Rexburg and his mom is coming here! Mike is excited to go back and help his dad with potato harvest. He is going to drive a tractor and be very dirty for two weeks. Jenny is coming to help me out and we are driving back to Idaho later in the week. 

I am excited about a change of pace. I get to see my sister, cousins, friends, and in-laws. I might take a quick trip to Salt Lake and take my girls to temple square. Its going to be pretty fun! 

I know I seemed so grouchy last week... I was. Sorry. But we aren't as grouchy this week. Some weeks are hard and it's even harder to have patience sometimes. But I do love staying at home and hanging out, cooking, singing, dancing, reading, eating, vegging, and being together with my sweet girls. It's so fun to see them play together. And Mike is sweet and he really works so hard to keep us happy. 

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Jump on the complain train....

This picture is old, but describes what will happen today. 

Tuesdays seem to be my hardest day. So, I'm gonna tell you all about it. 

Leah has had an upset stomach since Friday, which has led to an awful diaper rash. She was up until 11 last night just miserable with gas pains and bum pains. Poor baby. 

The garbage man came at 6 am. That is not ok since we have called twice and complained. They changed it for a month, but now it's back to its old ways. And my kids even slept in until 7:30, but I couldn't enjoy it. 

I want to go into Sprint and tell them I am only going to pay half my bill because I only have service half the time. It really bugs me. I'll be on the phone or even just looking around online and it'll quit on me. (Cue steam coming out of my ears.)

I also feel like my house is constantly messy. I have two tornadoes that make a mess everywhere they go. And how can two small people make so much laundry? I won't even start talking about the laundry..... 

My face has decided to go back to high school. It's bad.... thank goodness for concealer. 

And to top it off, I've had a headache for 3 days and I feel like I am getting a cold. 

Ahhh.... at least my house isn't dirty (there's a distinct difference between messy and dirty), my girls are happy and cute, the weather is still nice so I can kick the girls outside to play, Mike is awesome and helps a ton when he's home, and I am going to nap today. And eat a peanut butter cup. 

Count your many blessings, right?

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Date night

Last night, Mike and I went to the world premier of the Matchstick Productions ski movie, "Superheros of the Stoke." 

It was so good! And as excited as I am for skiing this winter, Mike is like a little kid before Christmas. He's so giddy. He loved the movie. I think he might have been more excited that I had a ski dream last night... 

I think the best part was hanging out, just us. We really enjoy just being together. No kids. Not too many worries. 

Yesterday was a pretty fun day. In the afternoon we went to Country Village and participated in their Pirate Day. There was a scavenger hunt and you had to find clues. You were also able to get some booty (mostly candy). Addie made an eye patch and a picture of a parrot. At the end the girls got some shirts. Addie thought the pirates were pretty cool. Leah was less than impressed, but she survived. She has an upset stomach and is so grumpy. But I probably would be too if my upset stomach made my bum look like a tomato. Poor girl. 

P.S. We have ballet again tomorrow. Ready for a picture overload again? Addie is just so cute in her leotard. 

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Ballet and other happenings

Today was Addie's first day of ballet. And she loved it!! She loved dancing and meeting new friends. She has talked about it all day. We are very excited to go back next Monday. 

Leah is just stinkin' cute. She has been saying a few words like mama, dada, Addie, eeeee-ya (Leah), and today she said banana. She is also transitioning to one nap a day. I am not sure how excited about that I am. But we'll deal with it. 

Mike and I get to go out Saturday to see one of the ski movies for this year. I am pretty excited for a date with him. Sunday was a rough day and pretty emotional. The events that we learned about as our day unfolded really made me take a step back and realize how lucky I am. I think I married a pretty sweet guy and Sunday was a great reminder of that. 

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This morning

One thing I really like is making a big breakfast on Saturday mornings. We are all home and I love eating a meal together that isn't dinner. 

This morning I wanted to go out to breakfast. We wanted to go to the place that is right next to our house that we have never been to before. So, we loaded up the girls in the stroller and walked to the restaurant. 

IT WAS CLOSED. 

So, we walked home and put the girls in the car to go to a breakfast place that we really like. I was getting excited for their cinnamon French toast. As we pulled up, we realized it too was closed! The sign said, "closed because of fire." Fire?!? That sucks for them, but even more for me and missing out on my French toast, right?? :)

As we pulled through the parking lot, we were trying to think of where to go. Mike suggested Denny's, since the two places share a parking lot. So, to Denny's we went. In our PJ's, hair not done and teeth not cleaned. We fit right in. It was actually kind of fun. 

As we drove home, the first place was open. Turns out they open at 8. We had been 30 minutes early. Oh well, maybe next weekend, right? 

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Mother of the Year

I think I deserve this award.

On the 16th of August, we took our first ambulance ride. On Wednesday, I had to make my first call to poison control. Leah licked a dishwasher detergent packet, the shell dissolved and she swallowed some powdered soap and was mad. It really irritated her mouth for a bit. 

Today, she stood up in the tub and slipped and hit her head pretty hard. She did the same kind of thing tonight that she did when she fell at my parents house. She lets out a cry and keeps letting one out without inhaling. Turns out that will cause her to pass out, which she luckily didn't tonight. But I think that is why she passed out at my parents and not from hitting her head. But back to tonight. So she almost passed out again. I had all the worst thoughts going through my head. I was home alone with the girls and I got very nervous. Luckily, she is fine. 

I also feel like I can't quite catch my breath before the next day, coupled with my girls waking up super early lately, and sprinkled with Leah's special spice for life, we have had some long days. I haven't done a lot of fun things with my kids (I have utilized the mall play spot and yes I know it smells like feet), dinners have been pretty lame (we ate on paper plates tonight), and I have forced my 3 year old to nap so I could also.  Needless to say, I am very excited for Mike to have a 3 day weekend. Hopefully, we can relax and get a few things done around here. 

And breath. 

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Addie is 3

Look at my teeny Addie and my big Addie. She loved princesses when she was 2 months old! 

Addie loves:

Disney princesses

Sweets

Fries

Apples

Smoothies

Blackberries

Singing

Dancing

Cuddling

Skiing

Funny (sassy) things she says:

I don't understand

Mom has boogies (boobies)

Shut up (which we are trying to curb....)

I need to wave bye-bye with my booty

Jesus prays

I want to get baptized and married in the temple. 

Oh, I'm sorry.

Good morning mom! I sleeped good! (Always at 6:15)

Addie is so sweet. Leah loves playing and following her around. I really think 3 is going to be a lot of fun. I am excited for ballet, skiing and her starting Sunbeams in January. 

The day she was born was amazing and sometimes I still can't believe she's mine. She is so smart and beautiful. We love her so much!

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