A quick photo shoot

I made this tutu the other day for Brooklyn and since she loved wearing it and I love things that are so so girly, I threw a flower in her hair, and pearls around her neck and we took some pictures. I thought they turned out pretty cute. She was mad by the end because she wanted to swing, but tutus don't fit into baby swings!

Staying busy=Staying sane

Or maybe not... Anyways, we have been busy lately and it makes the time pass by faster because it is much more fun and pleasant to have the kids out and about! So Friday Micah started swim lessons at the house. My mom won the lessons at a church auction from a girl in our ward. Micah is already doing better and has several more lessons to go. In the meantime, Brooklyn kept herself busy in all the pool toys!


Later that day, we met up with some friends from our play group at the Marine Wildlife Sanctuary in Laguna Canyon. We got to see the sea lions and seals (which I finally figured out how to tell the difference). They swam and played, were fed and trained. The best part is that it is absolutely free. We just brought some change to donate!


Saturday was CRAZY busy and I was spent, but I couldn't pass up taking the kids to Pioneer Day! Micah loved playing the games and winning candy. I loved the snow cones. I had three! It was way too hot though and had to sit down because I was feeling dizzy. I'm just glad I didn't pass out!
Fun weekend, but exhausting for sure. I was looking forward to Sunday. As a kid I would dread having to keep the sabbath day holy because that meant no shopping, no sports, and not play time. Now I love that I have an excuse to have a quiet day without spending a dime or having to run around town to different activities. It helps me recoup from the last week and gear up for the week ahead. I love Sundays now!

Lessons learned

As a mom, I am always learning. My poor kids have to deal with my trial and error tactics most of the time. I think that is the way most of motherhood is though. Really, how many of us got an instruction manual with our kids? Even the best of advice from the most experienced mother just may not work for you and your baby. So again, I think most of us learn that way, or at least I would like to think so. Anyways, in the last few days I have learned a couple of lessons I would like share, so you won't have to learn the hard way. Basically, I am telling you the stove is hot because I just burnt my hand!

Lesson 1: Do NOT let your three year old drink Activia. It doesn't matter how much you think it might be like Dannimal yogurt drinks, it's not. The drink is designed to help regulate constipated people. If your kid is already regular, the results are unpleasant.

Lesson 2: Do NOT feed your one year old a Fiber One bar. It's not a granola bar. It's just not. It doesn't matter how much they seem to enjoy them. That label that says it has 35% of your daily fiber is calculated for adults, which means it like 2000% for a one year old. Of course this will happen on a day when your diapers and wipes are taken out of the diaper bag.

Lesson 3: A Target bag makes a great liner on a drive home to prevent an leakage from a "regular" one year old.

I think I will leave it at that.

Summer is spelled BONFIRE

Last night we went and joined many friends that we don't get to see as often as we would like to for a bonfire down at Capo Beach. We had a lot of fun roasting hot dogs and making smores.
Micah ate TWO hot dogs and then tried a smore, but didn't like the smores. What? Who doesn't like smores? Must be the same kid that doesn't like PB&Js, pizza, mac and cheese, tacos and pretty much every kid food.
He also got into camping mode quickly and decided to pee outside, of the bathrooms that is.
Brooklyn pretty much got down and dirty right away. This girl was sandy and wet, oh and a bit cranky. She still loves the camera though, so she can be in the middle of a fit and stop to smile! By the end of the night, she was naked, which is always a sign of a good party! Thanks friends!

A getaway

Well, before we left, we had to make sure the kids were left in good hands and have transportation to get them to and from, so this is what we did:



Just joking, we left them with my parents for the night and she got to ride in a car seat rather than a metal basket. Poor thing!


Well, we decided to head off to Huntington Beach for the night. Chad had never been there. He had driven through, but hadn't stopped and spent time in the area. We got a room at the Hyatt Regency, so we headed up and realized that we had brought a party with us.


We had arrived just in time for the Hurley US Open, so the place was packed! I have to say though, that this wasn't the first time this has happened to us though. on our second anniversary we headed to San Diego and it was just in time for Comic Con. That made for a really strange crowd of people! Anyways, this was a much better mix of people. Very laid back. Well, we checked in to the hotel and headed out for a nice sushi dinner (Chad's was cooked chicken of course) and ended the night with a short walk down the beach. The next morning we checked out, but before I did, I had to pick up a little momento from the gift shop. As you walk in the hotel, you get the most delicious tropical smell that draws you in. For those of you that are local, it is just like walking into Tammy Bahama's.

I bought the candle they were burning. It is called Lanai by Archipelago Botanicals. Now my room smells delicious! Anyways, we walked around Main Street for a while and then we headed home, but not without grabbing a child free lunch at TK Burger!

We had a nice time, but I felt a little nervous about being out and about. I think that it must be because I am so used to my routine and being in familiar surroundings, that I was feeling out of my element. This means I am going to have to get out and about more often and learning how to be more flexible with my day to day routine. So it looks like I am going to be expanding my horizons. If I let that uneasiness take over, I will be making my world smaller for me and my kids. Time to toughen up and get out!

5

5 moves
2 kids
and 5 years later...

We're still going strong... Love you Chad, for time and all eternity!

Life's a beach

This weekend was busy busy busy. Ghee and Papa popped into town, so we got to spend time with them. Then on Sunday, we celebrated Shelby, Brett and dad's birthdays since they are all in the same week. So, today we decided to play and enjoy the beach. We headed down to Aliso Creek with Shelby and Cody and the kids loved it!

They are such great cousins. They help me wrangle this wild one!

My self portrait, sort of.
These two play great together!
So do these two.
My beach babe.
He was trying to dry his nose off in the sand!
Look at those thighs...keep doing those squats ladies...
The end of a fun sandy day.