Little Bunnies

Brooke kept begging to put up easter decorations (which I really don't have), so i finally got out the box, it had a bunch of plastic eggs , a few baskets and these two headbands. Brooke has worn the ears all day the last two days. She even sleeps with them. She wore them to dance class today, and during ballet when she was supposed to skip around the circle, she skipped and put her hands up like little paws for a bunny. Her smile showed how proud and excited she was about it. Even though t
he box only contained plastic eggs and these headbands, it has already kept the two girls busy for hours playing with the ears-and you can't believe the make believe and imagination that has come out with just the plastic eggs. They have used them to play house, act out plays, egg hunts (of course), and just opening them up and putting them back together, even with no candy inside them. It has been Great!

Funnies from Brooke

Brooke got a "tatoo" as her treat for being good at dinner in monterey. when i was taking it off for pre-school, i rubbed alcohol on it, she said, "owe, that feels like a shot." She ABSOLUTELY hates shots. But it might just be teh tingling of the alcohol they rub on before....



I was brushing her hair for pre-school and she says, "Mom, my tummy hurts. It must be all the sugar I at at the baptism still in there." Hey at least she realizes it does give her a tummy ache

Skins

Today on the way to dropping Brooke off at Pre-school, Livy started telling me something...and after asking three times, I gave up trying to figure it out. So I asked Brooke, and Brooke responded, "MOM, SHE Said she didn't like the Skins." very matter-a-factly. Livy was telling me she didn't like the "skins" of her english muffin, meaning the crust (I didn't know there were crusts on english muffins...)
Then later today while eating an apple Brooke informed me that she liked the skin on the apples I bought, and then a few minutes later, she said she didn't. About five minutes later, Livy pipes up, " I yike ya sins, Mommy." And then a few seconds later, she says "asuawawy, mom. I yoyn't yike ya sins." translated: actually mom, i don't like the skins.

So apparently, the girls don't like the outer layer of anything on foods.....and brooke is the Best 2 yr. old translater I know. I thought I was good, but apparently not!

The Kids

Jackson is sitting up for about 10 seconds now. He is a bit top heavy, so he wobbles. (Angie said it reminds her of the little weeble-wobbles they used to have.) He has this little chuckle he does now, where he almost starts to laugh. It is so cute. His skin is so soft. His cheeks are so big and cute. I love how he strokes my hand when he nurses. His hands are so soft and it brings back memories of the girls. Brooke always grabbed my side under my arm when she nursed, and Livy always wrapped her tiny hand around one of my fingers and held tight til she was done eating. I love those precious memories, and I love when they just come flooding back when you feel a similar touch. J is really into grabbing his feet and looking at his feet. About two weeks ago it was all about his hands. He stared at them as if they were magic. And now he grabs his toes and rocks from side to side. He loves to hold things in his hands and chew on things. He continues to be a drooler. His biggest fans are still Brooke and Livy. Brooke asks to hold him every ten minutes or so. And especially loves to hug him and kiss him before bed. Livy is following suit.

Livy is sooo cute. She loves to sing. And picks up full songs just from brooke singing them a few times when she gets home from pre-school. She also asks ten times a day to go on an airplane to see Cami. "Please Mom." is what I hear a lot from her. And the last few days she has added that she wants to go to disneyland with Grandma and Boppy. "Not you, mom." She LOVEs to wear shoes. And they have to be mismatched. One white, one black. And they are both dress shoes. Thankfully for church she would wore both white ones without much of a fight. When I got them out of the box, they looked brand new, as Brooke hadn't worn them out, but they are so worn after only three weeks that I am going to have to buy her different dress shoes. Two weeks ago it was her yellow rain boots. I am sure next week she will find something new. She also loves to wear her monkey shirts that grandma bout her and her doggy shirt. She doesn't go anywhere without her "packpack" stuffed with her baby doll and cell phone and doggy blanket. It is really cute! She is talking so well now. And this past week she started saying Yes very clearly so it makes her sound even more grown up. Before she would say yeoh, and it was kind of hard to differentiate yes and no. She still loves her sippy cup of rice milk, cuddling with mommy at nap time and loves, loves, loves riding her bike with "Boodtie" (Brookie). She still loves to color and is into writing (or thinking she is writing) letters. She copies Brooke and will get out a paper and pen and start saying "ut next, mom" meaning what letter is next mom, because that is what she hears brooke say to me when she is practicing her letters. It is really cute.

Brooke is getting sooo tall! She has found a new love for My littlest Pet shop. It is a great prize for the end of the week chart! It is fun to listen to her and Livy play with them. She loves preschool (except for Bruce who is constantly hitting her). She is trying to learn how to read and is picking up words amazingly well. (I say trying because she tells me she wants to read and then it is like going into battle when I try to teach her). She loves to be read to. She is still a very sensitive and kind little girl. She is starting to be very helpful around the house. I love that she loves to help her dad clean. (sometimes i wish she loved to help me clean, but I will take what I can get.) She is obsessed with riding her bike. Every time we go outside to get in the car, she has to ride her bike up and down the driveway a few times first. I love that she is so confident in it, she is constantly showing me new "tricks". She is a great big sister. She loves to help Livy and Jackson. Livy doesn't like the helping so much, but Jackson just goos and gahs when she is around. She runs into his room to tickle him whenever she hears me changing his diaper. She is really into wearing thick headbands with her hair straight down. And she always wants to be colorful. (Sometimes I will ask her to change her shirt or headband because it doesn't exactly go, and her response to me is, "But Mom, I want to be colorful today.") She still loves to color, draw and write letters.

30

I feel like it is still the beginning of February. For some reason, when someone talks about this summer, I keep thinking it is 6months away-and really it is around the corner. Wow- we are almost to April and Easter! It has been a fun and busy month with lots of birthdays, including mine!
I am officially into a new decade! But as my friend Melanie put it, 30 is the new 20! Also, my friend Laura told me once that she was so excited to turn 30-and now I am too! I had grand plans to run a 12k around angel island on my actual birthday, but life got crazy, as usual, and I didn't start training early enough, and when my dad broke his leg and wouldn't have been able to take us on the boat to the race, and we were going to have to pay for us an dthe kids on the Ferry, I decided to change plans. Friday night we went to Maggiano's!! Awesome food! And it was so much fun to go with Brandon and Annie. She turned 30 today. Then saturday, ben said he was taking me to dinner and it was going to be a surprise where we were going. Well it turned out to be a surprise party! It was so much fun! A huge surprise, my face was so red. We had dinner and played catch phrase and hung out. Loads of fun. Ben and I have such incredible, fun, awesome friends! It was a great way to bring in the new decade of my life. And I am so excited for the rest of my life. Every year you learn so much. This past year, I feel like I have learned so much and changed so much for the better. I haven't had any huge life changing experiences or any extremely rough times that has changed my outlook. But, i feel like life has chiseled away some of the layers little by little and I can see more of what I want to be-and I am closer to it. I can see a lot more glimpses of that person that is within. I know it sounds weird, and I can't fully explain it. But it feels good. I guess it is because this birthday I have reflected and thought so much about all the changes that have occured over the last 10 years and seeing what and who i was then as compared to what and who I am now. And life was SOOO fun then, but even better now!

Twenties in a nutshell: Seeing parts of the world:backpacking Europe, road trip across the United states, Bahamas, guatemala, Hawaii, china, the caribbean, mexico, costa rica, and more-seeing different parts of the world opens your eyes and makes you different, Finishing my volleyball career in Florida, learning to be a division I volleyball coach and trying to swallow the sad truth that my life will never revolve around playing volleyball all the time anymore, Marrying the most awesome guy ever, moving to Utah and finally getting the "BYU experience", coaching and starting my Masters Degree, teaching PE,living in China, having three kids, moving back to California, coaching high school volleyball, making a difference in kids lives, raising my own kids and trying to make a difference in their lives, buying our first home, remodeling our first home, Finishing my Master's Degree, starting traditions with my own little family, learning to accept that it is the time in your life that you always thought about and making it what you dreamt it would be!

The 20's were fun, but I think my 30's will be even better!

Mexico!

So our Mexico trip wasn't nearly as good of a post as Noah's. SO if you want some pictures of the trip....here you go! click here!

National Frozen Food Month

WHo the heck comes up with National Frozen Food Month, anyway? When I think of frozen foods, I think of tv dinners, frozen lasagnas, nasty frozen cheese burritios, etc... Doesn't our country already have a problem with obesity...so why are we promoting a national frozen food month to promote buying fatty, unhealthy frozen foods.....why not a "National Fresh Fruits and Vegetable Month"...but maybe they already have that.

Joy in the Moments

I have been thinking a lot about how precious certain period of times are. Like high school, or "the College Years", or your first year of marriage, or the first year with a baby, things of that sort. And lately, about the last five months, I have been thinking about how precious this time of my life is. Not just this time with having little kids and trying to remember all the little joys of kids amidst the chaos of loudness and messes (yes, those are precious), but more so I have been thinking about how precious this period of time is when we live in such a great neighborhood with lots of kids and lots of LDS families. How fun it is to meet at the church parking lot and ride bikes, play tag, rollerblade, etc. When I was a kid it was the park in our neighborhood, but for my kids it is the parking lot and we LOVE IT. How precious this time is that we have a ton of fun young families in our ward, because lets face it, at least half of them will move away-and it makes me really sad to think about that. How precious this time is that I am surrounded with so many awesome "young" mom friends that are in the same boat as I am, trying to see the joy amidst the tiredness, and raise their kids with good values. I mean i just keep thinking about how much I want to soak in this time when I live in a "neighborhood/ward" like the one I grew up in, lots of kids, lots of fun, lots of moms doing fun things. And hopefully the Centerville Ward and this neighborhood will always be like this, but I want to really live it up in these moments.

March 21-
I wrote the top part of this post a few weeks ago, and then within a few days of writing it and not finishing it, my friend emailed me to tell me they were moving. It just hit me again how important it is that I want to enjoy these moments so much by doing things with people and building relationships and enjoying life. Great relationships are made by making memories. Little ones and big ones. Like last friday night, we had dinner here at the house with John and Carrie and Ryan and Melissa. It was great. Kristin was a saint and watched all the kids at Ryan and Melissa's. And us 6 adults (and the 2 babies) talked, bbq'd, cooked and ate and just enjoyed each others company. Then we went back to becks and had dessert and played games with the kids. I just keep thinking it is so important to plan things like that and make time to do them. Life gets crazy and then when you have a free moment you don't want to "plan" something, or go out of your way to do things when you are tired, but it makes for the best memories and builds such great bonds. Thank you Melissa for planning a very fun evening. And thank you Kristin for watching the kids.

Jackson at 5 months

Last Monday, February 22nd, Jackson had his first bit of rice cereal. (Wow, I actually recorded something. Man, I am bad at keeping a baby book of their "firsts" for my kids.) He absolutely LOVED it! I had been thinking I would wait until about 5 1/2-6 months, just because it is so messy. And it is so much easier to just nurse. But I was having to put a lot of effort and brain thought into making sure I was drinking enough, pumping after I nursed, and drinking mother's milk tea, because lets face it, this kid eats a TON. And I am not a natural milk machine like some people. And since Jackson was grabbing at everything at the table and staring dreamily at every one's food when it went from their plate to their mouth, we thought it was time. He was a totally "neat eater". When Ben fed him there was no mess! Hallelujah! And he ate every single drop! So now he is on his first step toward solid food. Good, because I don't have to nurse as much. Bad, because it is a bit harder and takes more time to prepare, feed, and clean...but he loves it!
On Saturday, February 27th, his exact five month birthday, he rolled all the way over! (Again mixed emotions.) Hurray, he did it! Watch out, he is mobile soon! He is starting to sit up also and he loves to reach for toys.
He is still the most drooly kid ever. And the HAPPIEST, most smiley, laid back baby!
Today when I was watching Nate and Mckay for a little bit, McKay kept making faces at Jackson while he was in his excersaucer and he kept standing up and jumping and laughing his belly laugh. It was so cute- and Jack, Brooke adn the kids loved watching it and kept egging it on because it was so cute!
He loves, loves, loves the exersaucer. He likes to sit on the counter in the Bumbo and watch me work in the kitchen. He smiles everytime the girls go near him and even smiles when they get in his face...i don't know how long that will last, because pretty soon he is going to start punching them in the face because they get so dang close and make such loud noises...but for now, we will take the giggles and smiles from it.
The girls still fight over who gets to hold Jackson when they wake up and if Livy is crying, almost always in the middle of mid tear and scream she says, "I hold datin!!" (I hold Jackson) And 99% of the time if I let her hold him, she stops crying.
Thanks Jackson for being the best little baby boy anyone could ask for!!

February in a Flash

Today was a bit of a drag getting back to real life and reality.I can't believe it is March already. February went by in a Flash. We started off the month (or the end of January if you want to be technical, January 31st) with Krystal's homecoming. And drove down to disneyland with the entire family. Played at teh Happiest place on earth for three days. Drove back Thursday. Had vb lessons, dr. appointments and primary activity and unpacked on friday. Did laundry, finish up all the babysitting coordination, re-pack, clean the house and try to give the kids some quality time before leaving for Mexico for 8 days. Left for Mexico sunday and got back the next Monday. Had four days at home and then went to a volleyball tournament on saturday. Finished all the laundry just in time to pack again to go to the snow the next weekend. And here we are at March!
It was a great month...full of lots of memories. Hopefully now I can be diligent enough to get the pictures organized so I will remember all the fun we had.

Snow Weekend!

It is always so fun to do fun things as a family, but it is even more fun when your kids like it! Right?! I mean when you put a ton of effort into packing up for two days (which by the way, is the same amount you would pack up for a week, so next time, why not go longer?) and your kids have a horrible time, it makes you not want to do it again. I mean sure there are always tantrums, meltdowns, pee accidents, messes, etc. But overall, when you see joy on your kids faces, it is all worth it. That is how this snow trip was!! Pure fun! Pure fun for the adults and for the kids! Even though it rained and snowed most of the whole trip it was so fun. Brooke absolutely LOVES the snow. Livy had fun too, and I think she will enjoy it even more next year. I think I want to take a day trip back up to the snow again before it is gone this winter, just to let Brooke enjoy it again. (And Arnold is only 2 and a half hours away and there is PLENTY of snow).
As I was packing up friday morning, I had flashbacks of snow trips as a kid. Staying at the cabin with Littles or our cousins and skiing all day long for a few days! As I thought about those great memories, it made me think about how grateful i was that my mom was so diligent in taking us places to make memories. Because even though it is so fun, sometimes it is hard to go on vacation or do fun things as the mom. Lots of times it would be easier to stay home and take a few day trips here and there (and those are great memories, too) but, long weekends and camping trips and vacations of sorts are so much fun as kids and fun memories for the adults, but a lot more work than day trips. But they are so worth it!

The snow was so great! We stayed at my uncle's cabin again (Thanks Uncle Benny) and drove up to cottage springs. It was snowing the entire time up there. It was just us and about three other people on the hill with freshly fallen snow powder and no trails when we started. So Mike, Spencer and Ben and the kids forged an awesome sled run! It was so fun. And by the time we were leaving, three hours later, the hill was packed and there was a line of about 8-10 people waiting to sled down our track. The kids LOVED it. And I was surprised again this year, how no one complained of being cold and wet.
It was so great to put the kids down and hang out with the adults, too! We learned a great new game, Ticket to Ride, and I love it! Thanks Mike and Melanie for teaching us. But I am ready to play again, and I will beat all you guys now that I know the stategy! One of the downfalls of the weekend was that Cheri got me addicted to cadbury eggs. I guess I never really ate them a lot. But man-oh-man, they are good. I bought a bag at the store today, and it is gone. I am a nerd and didn't take my camera, but I know Melanie and Cheri got some great pictures. So when they post them on their blog, I will steal them and post them here.