Oh the things they say....

Micah and Brooklyn are just full of personality. It keeps me totally entertained. In the last week if you were around, you would have seen or heard the following:

Micah leaving the bathroom door opened as he showered and sings Figaro at the top of his lungs.

Brooklyn throwing a little fit as we left the toy section at Walmart without the giant ball she wanted. This was completed with an "Oh crap."

Micah asking me after prayers, "Can you ask Jesus to come by our place?" Uh, I think he is busy.

Brooklyn finally saying I love you. It came out a little like this: Ah luh loo or Luh voo.

Brooklyn has also gotten in the habit of saying "Mark, sec, gooooooo!" the entire time I drive. She must think I am a pretty fast driver.

Micah has been a little sassier than normal and thinks he can parent me. The other day when I asked him to clean up for the second or thirtieth time, he said, "Hey, don't you give me that attitude!" Well, you know he had to get it from us!

Brooklyn is also helping out in the parenting department. If I start to count as a warning, she will finish it for me since I can't seem to remember passed two. Last time it went, "one.....two......" Then Brooklyn chimed in with, "free.......fife!"

Love them and the funny things they say!

Pooling

Today we spent part of the day just hanging out in our backyard. I inflated the kiddy pool Brooklyn got from her Ghee and they just played until Brooklyn's little teeth were chattering (it's not really that warm here yet). Micah had to jump out for his drum solo. He took the play golf clubs and took the club off and now they are his drumsticks! Rock little man!
This is how we roll!

I have to add to this a quick little side note. I have to say I have the best friends in the whole world. I don't know if they have been sent my way or I gravitate towards them. Possibly both! Seriously though, I am surrounded with best people and if you are reading this, you can count yourself among them. I have a few friends of mine that are really close. We have been friends since high school and we get together as often as we can. We have been through everything with each other and we will always be close. One of my friends called me today and we had the best talk. We laughed, we cried (OK I did) and most importantly we understood each other. It was so nice to talk to her in general, but it was even better that we have built a relationship where we can be so candid with each other. When I hung up the phone, I felt refreshed and renewed. Thank you my dear friend!

Father's Day

For Father's Day I let Chad do what he wanted most: sleep in until 10 without interruptions! He woke up to a small token of our affection on the bed and then we headed out the door. Since it was his day, he wanted to go out to the Newport pier and walk for a while with the kids. It was a beautiful day!
It was a little busy, but still very nice!
Micah needed a little help with this.
Brooklyn loved being out of her stroller to see the waves.
The best form of transportation!
Great choice Chad! We got to see lots of fish caught, a "freaking" sea lion swimming under the pier, walk the shops, see the ferry and enjoy each others' company. Thanks for being a great daddy to our crazy kids and being my biggest supporter in this parenting thing!

Mommy Guilt

There are so many things I love about my kids. I love to take them out to experience new things, see them smile and watch them splash in the pool. I love taking them to get treats, buying them clothes and of course dressing them up. I love taking pictures of their cute faces, cuddling with them and hearing the funny things they say.

Here is my little confession though: I don't like to play with them. I am talking about getting down on the floor, picking up their toys and playing along with whatever the "game" is that they are playing. I made this one of my New Year's Resolutions this year to spend more time playing with them and I have truly made a concerted effort to do it. Don't get me wrong, I will do it, but I have about a five minute max before I have to get up and do something else. Micah always asks me to play cars with him and it is so hard for me. He makes up all these weird rules and I try to go along with them, but honestly it is just so hard for me. Brooklyn is a little easier to play with since she can't make up rules, but I still can't get myself to stay too long. I think part of it is because when I am at home I think of all the millions of things I need to do and the other part is that it truly is just so boring.

I feel so guilty about it. I should just be able to suck it up and think, "They are having a great time so that is all that matters." I really shouldn't be thinking of all the other things I need to be doing when I am with them, but that is hard not to do. I think that is just a mommy thing. Always something to be done and it swirls in our heads until we can finally do it! Anyways, I find that I take the kids out a lot because I have more fun with them that way. When I am home they do a lot of independent play (aka watch TV...so bad!) or play with each other. I always feel like I should be there with them to be the "good" mom, but I have so many things keeping me from it, even myself. So there it is, my mommy guilt. Does anyone else feel this way? I wonder if I should just keep trying to play until it becomes fun. Where do I strike a balance in all this? I thought by now I would have this whole mom thing down, but it is a constantly changing and I am constantly readjusting to try to fulfill the needs of my family to the best of my ability. I think I am doing pretty good, but I am always looking to improve!

Because I can!

I thought they looked extra cute today, it was time to take a few pictures!

Out with the Old...In with the New!

I keep saying how busy we have been. Honestly, my days have been so jam packed, I haven't really had a moment to breathe or blog. I keep thinking things will slow down, but I am starting to think that this is just my new pace of life. I think this is just typical of parents as their kids get a little older. We have so much to do and so many errands to run and play dates to make and of course the normal day to day chores and meals. I don't feel like I have the right to complain because I am blessed, but I have to tell you I am so tired. I could really use a vacation right about now!

Anyways, back to the title of the blog. I decided it was time to get rid of our old duvet. I've had it for about seven years and although it did the job, but it was looking worn out and needed to be retired. I think it will be turned into baby blankets soon. I fell in love with a duvet cover from Z Gallerie and rationalized the purchase by saying "I spend a third of my life in bed!" My mom said that Chad probably spend more than that, so it was worth it. I also got a box pleat bed skirt from Pottery Barn. Once again, I spend a third of my life in bed! I love it...

Instead of Complaining

I have been in a foul mood lately. Really, like going to celebrations and praying on the way that I will be kind to others. I could go on and on a write a post of all my complaints right now. Mostly, it is because I am running on fumes and need a break. Anyways, rather than bogging you all down with my petty complaints, I thought I would put up a few pictures of Chad and the kids from this afternoon. Tonight I will try to get a good nights sleep and start over again tomorrow!

Craft ADD

I LOVE to get crafty. It is so fun to see what you can come up with and create. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and I feel like I actually have a talent when I do those things. I don't play an instrument or run marathons, but crafting I can do! Anyways, I follow a ton of really cute craft blogs and I start getting Crafting ADD. Anyone else have this disorder? Here is a description of this disease. Upon visiting a crafty website one's project list grows, then a trip to the craft store yields about 90% of the supplies for each project, but there is always one or two items missing. Then when thinking about all the projects, one doesn't know where to start and procrastinates leaving many a craft supply gathering dust and one too many holiday projects waiting until next year to be thought of. I get Crafting ADD bad. I think I get it from my mom. Right mom? Anyways, I decided that what I need to do is pick one project each week to do. I need to just bite the bullet and get the supplies and just get it done. I think I might even put my project schedule on a calendar or on a sidebar here on the blog. In the next few weeks I have quite a few ideas in my head. Lucky for me, most of those projects only need one or two more items to get them done. That must be the upside to Craft ADD! Anyways, I was thinking about making these cute projects in the next few weeks:Let me know if you want to join me!