And I thought we were boring...

Sometimes I think we are boring. We do stuff, its just lots of little things. For instance, we cut our own hair:

We spend family time at the park.

We go to school carnivals.

We have story time before bed.
We have play dates with friends.


We celebrate Memorial Day.
With family.
With funny faces.
With cupcakes.
With Bocci Ball.
With friends.
With crack showing.
We ride the carousel at the Spectrum.
With a smile.
We sleep hard to get up and do it all over again!
Yes, she is sleeping on the floor.

Random Thoughts Again

I've been busy, but nothing seems to be major and therefore I dub it unblog worthy. Isn't that lame? Maybe I should make everyday life blog material by making everyday special. Don't hold your breath though, there are still errands to be run and laundry to be done. If I add sparkles into my laundry maybe that will make it special! ha ha, no. I think B would be the only one that would appreciate that!

Did you guys see the last Oprah show? LOVED it and although I feel a little silly saying it, I'll admit I cried. The whole show was really a talk on her philosophy on life, spirituality and inspiring others to see their self worth. It resonated with me. I feel like I need to work on that.

Speaking of, you know what bugs me? When people dismiss me or say things to devalue my work as a mother. I've had jobs. I've had easy jobs and hard jobs. This is by far my hardest job...bar none. I am the most influential person in the lives of two humans and just because the endless hours I put into this job doesn't come with monetary compensation, it doesn't mean I can't converse with you or that I am less worth while. Can you tell it bugs me? Yeah, just a little.

Micah did a Fun Run for school. We always called them Jog-a-thons. Anyways, during practice he thought it was a race and wanted to win. He decided that eliminating the competition (pushing them down) was the best way to do it. He got sent to the principal for that. Just for the record, that would be the third time I have heard from the principal this year. The first was when I sent him to school in sandals, the second was when he didn't come in right away because he was trying to help the "special" child off the playground and the last was pushing. The latter two are on his permanent record. Is it just me or that almost comical? Really, is that school that peaceful that we need to write up a kid for pushing?

I am tired of school. I never thought I would be as excited to have summer roll around as my kids. I am tired of the schedule, the homework and all the extra things. The thing I am most excited about is to have him away from influences that are unsavory. There is a kid in Micah's class that is all over Micah. Always wants to be around him, but he is kind of violent and uses bad language and then blames it all on the other kids. I know because I am there at least one day a week with B in tow and I see it all first hand. It is because of him that I have had to come down hard on Micah for using potty language and for saying things like kill, murder, guns, bullets, etc. I can't wait to have Micah away from him. Actually the only way I know I can keep him away is to switch his school, so that is what we are doing. We were lucky enough to get Micah into a charter school, so we are looking forward to him starting a new year with a new group of kids.

Sugar is my friend again. I tried doing a week sugar free again. This time I was much more successful, but I also was allowed to have fake sugar. I even got a little crazy and tried making a spinach shake with agave and chocolate. Um, gross. It tastes like dirty chocolate. Pas on that one. Well, by Friday I was done and I don't think I will have another fast any time soon because come Friday, I ate enough sugar to put a person into a diabetic coma! I think I am better at monitoring my sugar daily rather than cutting it out and allowing it on the weekends. I think I did more damage in one day that I would in a week. What can I say, I have a sweet tooth!

I was having a discussion with my mom and she was talking about food issues. I told her that I didn't think I had big food issues. Later that day I was telling her how I felt bad about eating M&M's, so I ate the rest of them while I held plank position. Wait a second, I think I was wrong. I might have food issues!

Phew!

Last week I had a bit of a scare. I was late...I don't want to spell it out for you, you know what I mean. Anyways, I was a lot late. Like 3 weeks. I was sure there was no way that I was prego and two tests told me I wasn't, but still nothing. Anyways, I decided to go into my OB/GYN just to make sure things are OK. Well, it takes a week to get any results. A week is a long time to wait! So I get a call on Wednesday that I am definitely not pregnant and that although all the tests came back in normal, my blood test showed that I had a drop in my platelet level. Over a year it had dropped about 30 points. He told me to make an appointment with my primary physician to look it over.

If you know me, you know I am not a medical person. I don't like hospitals, I avoid the doctor (for myself) and I try not to take medicines. I am not totally against it, but I think the body can take care of a lot of things on its own and I hate being poked and prodded. Hearing the doctor say he wanted me to talk to another doctor freaked me out. My friend Carrie was over and we turned to trusty doctor Google first to see what a low platelet level meant. The Mayo Clinic said it was a symptom of leukemia. Totally freaked out now. I got on the phone with my doctor and made an appointment for that afternoon. I had too many hours between to think and I scared myself half to death.

Finally the appointment rolls around and the doctor says that although it doesn't look or sound good to be below the "normal" range, there are many normals and this might be my normal. He said his wife is actually lower than me on a normal basis. Nonetheless, he is going to have me come in for labs in another 6 weeks to make sure it isn't continuing to go down. He seemed very sure of himself and it relaxed me. What a scare!

Glad that we got to get out that night. I needed it. My sister and her family were camping at Doheny, so we met them for dinner and this is how I got to end my day:

Guess Who's Three!

Saturday Brooklyn turned 3! She has been talking about a Hello Kitty birthday party for months! I couldn't disappoint, especially when I know how very little I have to do to make her happy. She was excited to wear the little birthday hat I made her.
We had lots of yummy food...(picture a pizza and salad on the table too). I found that material at the fabric store and sewed it with my new sewing machine!
We had a candy bar for the kids to fill up their buckets with at the end.
Cupcakes. Simple and a crowd pleaser. I got the cute toppers made on etsy. I love that they were just for her.
Of course no party is complete without a meltdown at one point or another. This was right before everyone arrived.
She got over it and greeted her guests.
Some of my favorite people in the world!
Gavin chowing.
Nothing beats good food and good friends.
B and all her gifts.
She loves the new Barbie Micah got her.
The laughing monkey from Ghee was a hit.
I was there too. I know I rarely get in front of the camera.
Feeding her new baby doll.
Singing to the birthday girl.
Our friends and family.
B getting cozy with Aunt Tawnya.
This girl will be 3 soon too!
Although putting a party on can be stressful, it went well and B had a great time. She was spoiled by her friends and family. Ghee and Papa even drove all the way from Utah to be with her on her special day. You think they love her? We love you B, even with your feisty attitude and all. We love those quiet sweet moment when you touch our cheeks gently and say I love you. I love you too!

Moments of Motherhood

OK, so Mother's Day wasn't what I thought it would be this year. I got an awesome new sewing machine from my hubby (and kids), so that was a total bonus. The day itself was a little difficult. The kids didn't get the memo that they were supposed to be extra good today. Oh well, I still feel blessed to be a mom. For me, it isn't every moment of everyday. If you are that mom, I envy you. Most of my day consists of chores and "teaching moments" as I like to call them. There are a few gems here and there that I love. On days like today I like to remind myself of them. Here are some of the funny things they have been up to:

Brooklyn's newest saying is when I ask for something and she takes her time. I will finally get what I asked and say a curt "Thank you." This is when I get back, "For heaven's sake! That's how I feel!"

Micah is always full of it. On one of their busy days I told Chad in exasperation, "I need a girl's night out!" Micah popped in with, "Can I go too? I am kind of a girl. I have long hair in the back. Do they have bathrooms there?" Cracked me up!

We got Micah a car catalog that he was looking through at church. At one point I said, "Micah, I think you should put that down for now. We need to think about Jesus." He put it down for a little bit and then picked it back up again. "Micah." "I'm thinking about Jesus mom. What kind of car do you think Jesus would drive?"

I am glad they have these cute moments because both are in stages that are challenging our patience. Micah likes to do what he was told not to do, so he is getting a lot of things taken away and time outs. Brooklyn likes to cry about everything and I mean EVERYTHING. We are worn out by the end of the day. I am hoping that with patience and love and consistency, these stages will end soon and we will be in a stage where I can enjoy much more than a moment here and there. I love them! I do, they stretch me as a person to become much more and better than I ever could have been without them!

Lately...

...Brooklyn has been throwing a lot of tantrums. I think in our family, terrible twos are delayed and we get them at three. So to keep my sanity we are getting out a lot. This is the meltdown she had when she accidentally let go of her balloon and it floated away. You would have thought she was being stabbed by her screaming! She has also thrown such tantrums for things like and toy not being shared, a sandal being left and so on. I am learning a lot of patience from her, but not without a tantrum or two throw on my part as well!
Well, it's May and we are ready for summer. The weather is warming up and we are hitting the pool!
I have water babies.
At the beach or in the pool, these kids love to play in the water.
Micah is a fish, so I only have to watch Brooklyn.
Hello!
Bathing beauty.
My fish with shaggy hair. I want to cut it SO bad, but he likes it.
Cannon Baaaaaaaaall! (Sandlot anyone?)
Did you catch in the first picture that B was wearing undies? She is potty trained now. I think I forgot to mention it. It happened so gradually and I really didn't dedicate myself to it, so I didn't feel like it was really "done." It feels more like it happened. She is great about going and we have had only one accident and that was two weeks ago! I am so glad I don't have to buy diapers anymore. OK she still wears them at night, but you know what I mean.
THE END!