So much

Life has been crazy the last few weeks. My baby sister got married last Wednesday, so everyone was in town for the occasion. We threw a shower for her on Saturday the 18th, immediately followed by a birthday party for Ada and Kate. On Sunday we ate dinner at my parents' house and had a special FHE for Abby. On Monday we threw a surprise 60th birthday party for my dad in a suite at the Bee's game. Tuesday night the girls all went out to eat, and Wednesday was the wedding. On Thursday, we went to Raging Waters with Angie and Hyrum. Friday night we attended a barbecue at my grandparents' house, followed by an outdoor movie at the Squires'. But all of that will be for later posts. I just want to give a few updates on my girls.

Ada:

-Turned three on the day of the wedding
-Learned how to write her name a month or so ago
-Has mellowed out a little bit. I realized that she doesn't respond well to anger and impatience. I had to change myself before she started behaving better. I was having a hard time for a while there, but things are much better.
-Loves to color. She is getting better at staying in the lines.
-Loves Nursery. She loves using the potty in there because it's just her size, and she loves playing with all the kids. I think she knows all of their names.
-Loves playing with toys (especially ones that Kate is playing with) of all kinds. She can keep herself entertained with anything. Once we were on a long car ride and used her fingers as little people since she didn't have anything else to play with.
-Is signed up for preschool and will start in September. She's very excited to go!
-Went to her first movie. Tyler took her on the 4th to see Up and she had lots of fun.
Kate:

-Took her first steps almost two weeks ago. For the next several days she took up to four at a time, but has since decided that she's rather just stand instead of walk. I'm sure she'll pick it up again soon, but I'm in no hurry for that to happen!
-Learned how to say 'pretty' all on her own. She just started pointing to things and saying it. It's the cutest thing ever.
-Today she crawled into Ada's room and said, "HI ADA!" Her vocabulary is slowly increasing.
-Loves books, dolls, balls, and anything Ada is playing with.
-Sleeps through the night, but wakes up WAY too early (like before 6:00 some days). Not sure what to do about it.

Besides all of the wedding/birthday stuff, we've been busy boating, swimming, and going to Lagoon. This summer we still have lots to look forward to, like our anniversary, camping with my family (in a cabin), more Lagoon, and I'm sure more boating and swimming. Can't wait!

Birthday Girl

Dear Kate:

On Friday you turned one year old. Oh, how I wish I could have that year back! You have been such a joy to me and everyone around you. I've tried cherish every minute of your babyhood, but it still flew by way too fast. Since the moment you were born I've felt like you were a very special person. While I was in labor and dilated to a seven, your oxygen levels started dropping. The doctor went down to put a probe on your head to get a better measurement, but she had to wait for a contraction to finish first. During that contraction I dilated the final three centimeters and was ready to start pushing! She said she'd never seen anything like it. I pushed a few times and out you came. You didn't cry or make a peep. The nurses and doctor were concerned because the umbilical cord had been wrapped around your neck and they thought you weren't crying because you couldn't breathe. Oh no, you were perfectly fine and as content as could be. I've always felt like there was divine intervention during your birth. You were so tiny and perfect and we were so happy to meet you. You have been the sweetest, most content baby I've ever met. To this day you are still tiny, sweet, content, and perfect. I can't go anywhere without someone making a comment on what a cute and happy baby you are. You have brought me so much joy. Your smile melts my heart. I love how you still love it when I hold you and cuddle you. Everyone absolutely adores you.

It was fun to see you on your birthday, although your real party won't be until Saturday. I made macaroni and cheese (your favorite) from scratch for dinner. It was fun watching you "open" your presents (Ada did all the opening) and seeing your reaction. You were more interested in the babies on the toy boxes than anything else. But you love your Busy Ball Popper, your Lullaby Gloworm, and your block set. It is the cutest thing to watch you play with them. After presents you got to eat a lemon cream cupcake. You enjoyed the frosting, took a few bits of the cake, and scooted the rest on the floor. I can't wait to see you at your party.

Your latest trick is to stand up without holding on to anything. You do it on command and it's the cutest thing we've ever seen. You are so proud of yourself. You can't walk yet, but this is still a big thing because most babies can't stand up without an obliging wall or couch until after they've started walking. Another thing you love to do is to get into the pantry, pull out the bag of Magic Stars (fake Lucky Charms), and pick out the marshmallows while leaving the remaining pieces all over the floor.

Kate, I love you more than words can describe. I love everything about you, including the fact that you now sleep longer than 6:00 a.m. every day. Thanks for being so sweet and easy and for always making me happy.

Love, Mama

Happy Birthday, Princess

Day of birth


One month


Two months


Three months


Four months


Five months


Six months


Seven months


Eight months


Nine months


Ten months


Eleven months


Happy Birthday!

Kitty Kate

Kate has started her separation anxiety phase. She ALWAYS wants mommy. I love it and hate it. She is so snugly and always wants to be held. She still loves to crawl around and explore, but if Tyler or I are in the room, she'll crawl up to us and rub against our ankles like a cat. She tries to climb up my leg just so I will pick her up. I love holding her and snuggling with her, but we've gotten into some bad habits when it's time for bed. She wants to be rocked to sleep. When we put her in the crib, she throws everything out of it and stands up crying until we come back in. She also wakes up once a night between 3:30 and 6:00 and wants to nurse. I'm working on weaning her, so that's not gonna work. I miss my sleep.

There may (or may not) be a method to her nighttime madness: after 11 1/2 months, she's finally getting her first tooth! I felt it for the first time today. I think she'll get another bottom one soon. It's about time, because we've been using the teething excuse for months.

She is learning and understanding a lot. When I ask where her binkie is, she gets it. When I ask where her nose is, she points to it. Her favorite song is 'The Eensy Weensy Spider' and she tries to do the actions. She folds her arms when we pray, and we didn't even have to teach her how. She is loads of fun.

At least she makes me laugh

Ada and I have been through some rough times lately. I don't know how to control that girl. She now throws multiple tantrums a day. Once she gets started, it's a long road back to sanity. She screams, moves around furniture, opens all the cupboards and drawers in the kitchen, turns on the lights in the bedrooms and then shuts the doors, attacks Kate, etc. Yesterday she hit a new low by smacking me with a toy after I told her to apologize to Kate. We can't confine her to her room anymore (she pulls off the thing we put on her doorknob to keep her in) so the only thing we can think of is to put her in her carseat until she calms down. When she get like this, she is completely disobedient. It has been very difficult for me. My patience is at a new low and my anxiety is at a new high. I got a few library books to give me some ideas on what to do. I'm at a loss here. I haven't read much yet, but one thing that sometimes helps is to tell her stories about people being naughty. She usually calms down enough to listen. Anyone out there have any advice?

She has said a few hilarious things lately. She really absorbs everything she hears. Some gems:

*We were driving in the car and she said, "Mommy, did you know that penguins are birds? But they can't fly."
*We were at the playground and whenever she came up to me I'd ask her if she wanted to go home or stay. She kept saying, "I want to stay...and be myself."
*My personal favorite: Last night as she was eating dinner, she turned to me and nonchalantly said, "Mommy, did you know that Santa Claus is called pere Noel in France?" She then added, "And papai Noel in Brazil, and Saint Nicolas in Belgium." So random! Yes, she still sometimes wants to listen to Christmas CDs and watch Christmas movies. In June.

Kate the Great

I'm such a slacker these days. Kate is 11 months now. She will have her first birthday in less than a month. I don't want to talk about it.

A few updates on my sweet Kate:

*She is starting to understand a lot more. She can identify things by pointing to them or by saying her own version of words. For example: 'da' is ball, 'na-na' is num-num, and 'DA-da' (the 'DA' is very high pitched) is baby. She can also say 'da-da', 'mama', 'Ada', 'hi', and 'uh-oh'. She LOVES to drop things on the ground and say, "Uh-oh!"
*She might become our little athlete. She loves balls and loves to play "catch". She and I sit on the floor and bounce a ball to each other. She's pretty good at it, and is SO happy when we play.
*She seems to prefer eating things she can pick up with her hands to things fed to her with a spoon. She spits a lot when we spoon feed her.
*She had a high fever for a few days last week. I took her to Kids Care and they said it was probably a virus. The gave her a catheter to make sure she didn't have a UTI. Poor kid. Then on the day her fever finally broke, she fell down the stairs. Hard. It was the saddest thing I've ever seen.
*She loves to crawl and around and explore everything, but she will still sit on my lap for a while and still lets me hold her. I just love her!

This warrants a post of its own

My SIL Morgan likes to come over about once a week so we can hang out, go shopping, etc. We also occasionally like to get adventurous in the kitchen, usually with cake. We once made a Boston cream pie completely from scratch (which ended up looking more like a giant Moon Pie) for Jordan's birthday. Tyler and I hosted a party to watch the final results show for American Idol, so Morgan and I decided to try out these s'mores cupcakes to serve our guests. They didn't turn out nearly as pretty as the picture, but they were sure fun to make.

Morgan toasting the marshmallow frosting


Don't mess with a girl with a torch!


Ada helping add the finishing touches


The finished product


We had to test them out before we served them


Mmm!!


Two happy (and messy) cooks!

I was told I needed to update my blog

I don't have anything specific I want to write about, so what better to do than give an update on the two things that rule my life?

1. Kate: She is sleeping much better at night, but she has been waking up really early lately * She gets into EVERYTHING now. We're going to have to bolt the cabinets * She loves to stand up * She has a runny nose that she has given to me and which she got from Ada * Her favorite thing to say, besides 'da-da', is 'hi'. She now likes to put phones (or objects that look like phones) to her ear and say, "Hi!". So cute! * Her new favorite food is Velveeta Shells & Cheese. She ate tons at Morgan's house tonight * She still doesn't have any teeth.

Cute hair

"I love this phone!"

I swear if she wasn't going to be tall she would be a gymnast

2. Ada: Getting her to go to bed before 9:00 is impossible * Her temper is as bad as ever. You have to walk on eggshells around her these days because the littlest things will set her off and then she throws ridiculous tantrums * Her memory is incredible. Today she said, "Remember when Daddy painted his toenails red?" That was back at freakin' Halloween! * As far as I can tell, her definition of marriage is when two people stand facing each other with their arms above their heads and they hold hands while dancing around. Anyone can get married to anyone else * Something funny she said a while back that I don't want to forget: She was in a bad mood while I was trying to comb her hair. She said, "Don't touch my hair! It's too hot! A candle burned it." She comes up with some crazy things when she's mad * Her favorite food, hands down, is cereal. If she had a choice, she'd eat like twelve bowls a day. She's a girl after my own heart.

She put this outfit on by herself and said she was dressed up as Goofy


The day I straightened her hair (and subsequently decided that it needed a trim)


Blowing bubbles on the porch

While we're updating, Tyler is in Milwaukee (again) for a work-related trip. He left yesterday morning and gets home late tomorrow night. It's always kind of depressing to be home alone with the girls. I'm getting used to it though.

It looks like the Lakers are going to win another title. Boo.

Sitting on my own, chewing on a bone...

I'm sitting here feeling a little lonely, as the girls are in bed and Tyler is gone. What better thing to do than update the blog?

*It's been a week and already I miss watching AI. I still feel bummed that Adam lost. I shouldn't because he's in a better position with no contracts, but I just feel like he deserved it more. As much as everyone said that Kris was the underdog, he was obviously the more popular choice. Everyone I know of likes Kris (except for one person--you know who you are!), but I know a TON of people who can't stand Adam. "He's creepy." "He's just too over-the-top." "I hate his tongue." I've heard it all. But in spite of all of that (or maybe because of it?), I love the kid. I miss having his awesome performances to look forward to. He's amazing.

*Kate is progressing so quickly. She pulls herself up on everything now. She goes through cupboards and drawers. She's curious about everything. She likes to repeat things we say and do. She's growing up too fast. I want to cry.

*Ada has had a fever the last two days. Not sure what's wrong. She hasn't been acting too differently though. She has never been one to slow down much when she's sick. She's been as playful and tantrum-prone as ever.

*We had fun going to Park City on Memorial Day. Tyler's parents have a condo all week so we went up to go shopping, swimming, and play games. It was a fun little getaway for a few hours. I got some good things at the outlets too. I love shopping.

I can actually think of something better to do than sit at the computer. I'm going to start a new book! I've been in a reading funk for quite a while, but I'll got put an end to that now. Peace out.

The land of Disney

We took a road trip to Disneyland with some of our best friends, the McIntyres, and we had a blast! We already want to go back. Ada had a blast "living" next door to her bff/boyfriend Ashton for a week and playing at Disneyland all day with him. The babies were so good sitting in their strollers and napping when we couldn't take them on rides. It was nice to go with friends because we could all go on the big rides w/o the kids. Steele's mom was there too, so she was nice to sit with the kids a lot while we ran off to play.

Dumbo was one of Ada's favorite rides, along with It's A Small World and Alice in Wonderland


The McIntyres (minus Jackson)


Best friends


Ada was in heaven in Toontown. Not only did she get to meet all of her favorite characters, she got to go to their houses! Minnie, of course, was her favorite.


She didn't want to leave Minnie's House


Minnie's wishing well


Loving Mickey


Every kid's dream


Kate was terrified of Pluto


Waiting for the parade


Dancin' in the parade


Cars


Peek-a-boo! Or is it, "I can't take this anymore!"?


A for Ada


Waiting for the Nemo ride


Kate's new socks and Ada's Minnie ears


So cute


All the excitement wore the kid out



We also went to an Angels game...



...and Venice Beach


Back to Disneyland


Ada was happy to see Belle because she wore her Belle dress that day


Ariel


Jasmine. Too bad for Tyler she was wearing some kind of muumuu


Kate was finally happy after being mad all day on Mother's Day


Back to Toontown


Goofy is her second favorite


More Pluto


Gotta have the castle


On out way out. We already miss it!

The highlights:

*It's A Small World. We went on this ride the most. It was probably Ada's favorite.
*Practically walking on to Indiana Jones
*Playhouse Disney Live on Stage. What could be better than Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (and three other shows), bubbles falling from the ceiling, and Minnie's birthday? For Ada, nothing.
*Taking Ada on the Matterhorn (twice). She was scared, but handled it well. I couldn't help but laugh the entire time, thinking about scaring my little sister on this ride many years ago.
*Two days of relatively short lines. We worked the Fast Passes and hardly had to wait for anything.

The lowlights:

*The shuttle system from the hotel to the park. It was crappy. It made for some pretty ticked-off husbands.
*Steele being targeted by the workers at the Roger Rabbit ride. They almost stopped the ride in the middle to tell him to take his baby off his lap and sit him on the seat.
*Being kicked off the Finding Nemo ride because Kate wasn't wearing socks
*Waiting in a long line for Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, only to have it break down when we finally got on
*The weather. It was super hot on the days when the park wasn't crowded, and nice and cool on the weekend when we avoided the park and went to the beach. Doh!

Overall, an AWESOME trip. It was so worth taking Ada, even though she probably won't remember it when she's older. We want to go back before she starts school. Loved it.