The Humdrum of Life

I would by no means say we go around doing really exciting things, but I am enjoying what we are doing.

First off, I didn't get the blog updated last week because I was being crafty. I made myself a skirt. It has pockets and a zipper. It wouldn't win any awards at a fair, but it fits, looks cute, and makes me feel very accomplished so I would say a success. I was so afraid that is was going to be too small because  I bought the wrong size pattern, but luckily it turned out and I loved wearing it to church. Here is a picture of me styling my skirt.

Here I am with weird face.

As for the humdrum of life we are loving the warmer weather. It makes me super antsy for summer, but I still love it. The girls and I have been going to the park, riding bikes, taking walks, and opening up the windows to let the warm golden sunlight fill our home. Kylee is getting really pretty good at riding her bike. It takes her a lot of effort to pedal still, but she loves. She makes many, many a loop between "Brian's house" and ours. Tia also likes her bike though not quite as much as Kylee. However, Tia is officially a walker as of today. Today she crawled like maybe 2 times. All of her other movement was walking, and she LOVES it. I think it makes her really tired, but man that girl keeps chugging along until you leave her alone to fall asleep.

Like I mentioned above both the girls and I love going to the park. I love letting them swing, climb, slide, play in the dirt, and just be free to run around. These two girls of mine love to follow each other, laugh, scream, and copy one another. It is so funny.

Green waffles to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

We got our new back door yesterday. It is so nice. I love that my curtains can stay tied back all the time and yet no one can see me if I don't want them to. I also love that there are no strings attached to the blinds, both the door and the screen lock, the girls can open the screen if it is unlocked, and it looks so clean and pretty. I love it.

On Saturday we got our yard spruced up a bit. We still have some weeds we need to take care of, but the bushes are trimmed and the dirt turned and few weeds pulled. While I was pulling weeds Tia decided to take her first trip into the road. Good/bad thing my neighbor saw it. It was good he told me, and bad that it made me look like a bad parent, and I am NOT. It was just a moment. Anyway, I was of course paranoid thereafter that she would head to the road, so it made it that much harder to get work done.

Kylee started swimming lessons on Monday. I just about cried when I had to send her down to the pool all by herself, and then I counted my blessings that Kindergarten isn't for another 2 years. I am just not at all ready for that. Anyway, she walked bravely leading her class down the stairs and by the pool, and then slowly got passed by each of her classmates and they marched further into the pool and she stopped walking and then turned around to head out. They couldn't get her in the pool until like the last 10 minutes when an assistant carried her into the water. However, she did let them pour some water on her head which is good, because she hates when I do that to her. Also, she does talk about swimming lessons with excitement and she wants to go back. Hopefully she will improve and get in there and learn so we can really learn some good swim techniques. Other than swimming Kylee is her normal self. She still loves her books, attention, chocolate and playing.

Kylee pretending she is getting married. I let her borrow my bouquet for just a couple of minutes. She thought it was so great.

Tia has finally started making some noises that sound like words like "Mama" and "Dada." She is also getting very good at signing water, more, please, and all done.

That is kind of how we are rolling around here.

3rd Annual Merrill B-Day Bash

Honestly, I really don't know what to blog about, so this is what you get--another Birthday celebration post with no pictures. Anyway, when we moved out here to Colorado we got to meet our wonderful bishop's family and wouldn't you know it there last name is Merrill and so is ours. We thought that was super cool and became friends. Well fast forward almost a year and we had a baby. That sweet little Kylee girl happened to be born on Heather Merrill's birthday (that's the bishops wife). So, when Kylee's first birthday came around of course they wanted to help us celebrate and we have been having a birthday celebration in March ever since.

This year we did it on the 7th which happens to be the Merrill's twins birthday. It was the perfect day. We decided to do pizza for dinner. I made bread sticks and a salad to accompany the pizza they provided. I really want to one day find out how to make R&R bread sticks but I haven't figured it out yet, so I have to keep experimenting. This round of bread sticks I used my mom's crescent roll dough recipe, and then cut into strips twisted them. Then I brushed them with olive oil and baked them. Then when they came out I brushed them with butter and topped with garlic salt and Parmesan cheese. They were really good. The only things I would really change is maybe more butter, and possible garlic powder instead of salt. However, they were still pretty good. Anyway, dinner was scrumptious and the company marvelous. After dinner we talked for a bit, and then their kids wanted to play Apples to Apples. I think as mom's we could have just talked and called it a wonderful night, but the kids I think wanted to be included. Anyway, we played for until 7:00. It was so fun and very interesting to play with a people who are ALL very literal. Almost no one went for the opposite, or funniest, but just the one that best matched. That was a little different for me. After games we had quick brownies and ice cream and then came home. It was simple party, but really fun. Also the girls got a new "bike" out of it and have loved playing with that for the last three days. It is kind of fun because now they both have something to ride around the loop.

In other random news, Tia is walking a lot more now. She still mainly crawls, but she walks quite often too. I am hoping to get a video of her doing it before she goes pro, but we will see. Kylee got her scholarship from the rec center, so I am going to enroll her in swimming lessons for the next session. Both Kylee and Tia are still loving the pool and are getting braver all the time. We are starting to get rid of Tia's morning nap and soon her pacifier. My girls are growing up and life is wonderful.

3 Years Old

Well my sweet Kylee girl turned three. I can't believe I have a three year-old. It really blows my mind and makes me feel really old. However, I wouldn't trade her for anything and I am so glad that three years ago she entered my life and completely changed it for the better. I love being a Mom and I am lucky to have my Kylee for a daughter.

So, to celebrate this momentous event we celebrated in style. We started off the morning, presents. I had set it all up the night before so that when she came down there was her birthday sign, balloons, and presents. Anyway, she took her time opening the presents she wanted to play with everything, so we let her. She opened two presents before Gaupo had to get ready to go to the dentist to have a cavity filled and then we squeaked in one more present before he left. While he was gone we played with the toys she got, talked to Grandma and Grandpa, and video chatted with Oma. Kylee was loving all the attention and Tia was so confused about where all the attention that she normally get had gone. Oh it was pretty funny.

Kylee first thing with her balloon, birthday sign, and up of milk.

Kylee opening Oma's present. Tia wondering what it is.

Kylee with her bat. She has been playing 'bat' with sticks and balls so now she has 'real' bat.

Princess stuff.

All dressed up in her princess stuff.

Wooden block set made mostly by me.

When Gaupo got home from the dentist we had breakfast. The only thing that Kylee wanted was hot chocolate, but being the awesome mom that I am I also had eggs and muffins to help her try and balance out the amount of chocolate she wanted. She ate her eggs, tolerated the muffin, ignored her smoothie, and LOVED her hot chocolate. When she makes up her mind she really does know what she wants and likes. After breakfast we put Tia down and then Kylee opened up her last two gifts. It was fun to watch her because one of the presents was clothes and she wanted to try everything on, so we let her. Then she finally picked the outfit she wanted and wore it for a bit and then changed again and kept that on the whole day. The rest of the morning was spent playing.

Her box of clothes.

Butterfly tunnel. She played and still plays a ton with this.

She probably spent about 30 min or more going through it just like this.

Lunch was nothing special, except I did get Kylee some cottage cheese which she loved so for her it was a big deal. Then it was naps. Kylee really wasn't interested in one, but I knew she was tired, so I told her the plans for the day and told her if she wanted to stay up and do all of them than she needed to go to sleep. Guess what? She did she just laid down and fell asleep no problem. Oh what a silly girl.

So after naps and when Jason got home for his "lunch" we had hamburgers. That is what Kylee said she wanted, but I was sure that she would turn up her nose and tell me "ewe gross." But as always I was wrong and she loved it. Then we had her "cake." It was pudding that I made kind of layery and then topped with M&Ms, Hersey's bars, and gummy worms. She ate like a bit and then ate the gummy worms. I don't know about that kid. I just cant seem to get the cake right, but she seems to love all the pieces just not all together. Oh well, maybe next year we will get it right.

This girl is kind of like me, not real big on fire.

My wonderful little Kylee.

Daddy and his little girls.

Me and my girls.

Following dinner and sending Daddy back to work we went swimming. It was probably one of the best days we have had at the pool in a long time. They both had a blast. They splashed, went down the slides, walked around, and laughed. Tia got really brave and did the slides all by herself and managed to stay sitting up. She also tried to walk by herself in the water which was okay for a bit and then she would face plant. I was kind of worried she would have a tummy ache for too much water, but she slept great so I guess it was all good. Kylee was also very brave and walked under the features to get to the slides.  That is a first for her because she hates water of ANY kind over her head, and by that I also mean the shower or water that is not falling on her. It was a big move for her.

After swimming we came home and had baths and put Tia to bed. Then Papa called to wish Kylee a happy birthday and then we watch Frozen. Kylee has been wanting to watch that movie for awhile so she got to stay up and watch it with mommy. It was super fun to cuddle on the couch together. After the movie she went to bed. It made it a late night for her, but I think she had a great time because she will still sing Happy Birthday to herself, and ask me if its still her birthday.

I love this amazing girl. She is great at living life to its fullest. She loves to sing, dance, dress-up, talk, eat chocolate, talk on the Ipad, go to the park, go to babysitting, and play with Tia. She is a good big sister and she is really good at getting Tia to laugh. Kylee can do all kinds of cool things like somersault, tell you colors in Spanish (its mostly memorization, but it has to start somewhere right?), she can count to 10 in both Spanish and English. Kylee can sing a ton of songs. She can get dressed almost all on her own. Her favorite things to wear are shorts, jingle socks, and her sparkly shoes. She loves all things sparkly and princessey. She also loves dinosaurs, trains, stickers, and books. She is a wonderful girl. I am so excited we get to spend all day everyday together.

The Denver Zoo

The really big highlight of this last week was our visit to the Denver Zoo. The zoo has has free days every once and awhile and this past Thursday was one of them. My friend Siri invited us to go with them. So, I decided I would brave the traffic and driving by myself to have this grand adventure. It was totally worth it. The girls loved it. It was so wonderful to be outside. Also, it was fun to spend time with friends even though between looking at animals and keeping track of two, two-year olds there wasn't a whole lot of talking.

The drive down I followed Siri and her sister, so it wasn't too bad. Also, it was around 10:00AM so my brain is still functioning at good strong power. However, once we got to the zoo, I was super glad I wasn't alone because that parking garage was something else. I don't know why it confused me so bad, but it did so I was so glad I had someone to follow. Also, because it was a free day there were no parking spots available. However, we did finally find some and were able to get out of the car and enter the zoo.

The Denver Zoo was really good for little kids, because the animals were really pretty close and weren't hiding, except for the lions. They were the one animal Kylee kept wanting to see. I can also tell I have been living in Colorado too long, because as I am looking at these wonderful animals I think to myself "these cages are so small, and these animals are suppose to we wild. Is this good?" I mean seriously I have never thought that in the many, many other times I have gone to zoo, but this time I did. However, I decided that you know what I will never be able to go see these animals in the wild so thank goodness for zoos so that I can see them for real.

Kylee and her friend Tori loved hanging on the bars, holding our hands, running, and climbing. They were also interested in the animals, but not quite as much. Although, there were a few animals that grabbed there attention. Kylee's favorites were the Gorillas, monkeys, giraffes, and elephant. It was really fun to watch Kylee look for the animals and explore this new world.

Tori and Kylee with the seals.

Tori and Kylee watching the elephant.

Kylee with the elephant having a bit of lunch.

Kylee trying to climb the hippo statue.

Kylee and the Giraffe.

Tia was so funny. I was really worried that see wouldn't enjoy the zoo because she had to sit in the stroller a lot, but I was wrong. She loved it. She almost did a better job at finding the animals than the other girls did. She was so cute when I would ask her if she could see it and then she would point to the animal. She always wanted out of the stroller to look at animals even if she could see them from where she was. She also really did enjoy lunch and climbing all over the steps where we were eating. Overall she did really good and I think she really enjoyed the zoo.

Tia and the Giraffe.

Tia eating lunch. 

Kylee, random kid, and Tia with the Gorilla. Tia loved standing right there by the glass.

I enjoyed the zoo as well; although, I think I loved showing everything to my kids more. I loved watching my kids be amazed at what they saw. I loved watching them play and enjoy being outside. I loved watching them laugh and goof around. I really did love watching the animals. It really does seem kind of unreal to see animals like that, but they are amazing creations. The only complaint I have is the traffic in Denver on the way back, but you know I was lucky and that wasn't even that bad and I was able to stay awake pretty easily. Although, I did eat three cookies and quite a few goldfish.

Me and my zoo buddies getting a picture on the hippo statue.

Overall it was a totally great day. We got to spend time together, sing songs, laugh, and play. I couldn't have picked a better way to spend the day before a snow storm. I am so grateful to Gaupo for letting us go and being supportive of it even if he couldn't. My we are so lucky to have such a great guy.

4 Day Weekend...Almost

We didn't really have a 4 day weekend and technically speaking it wasn't even three. However, it was great and it felt like four days. Our Valentine's Day weekend started on Friday because it was Gaupo's Friday/Saturday swaperoo.

We started off Friday really lazy. We did all basically get up and moving about the same time, but instead of going right into breakfast we just hung around, read books, played and enjoyed not having any rush whatsoever. Gaupo did make us a fabulous breakfast. We had peach banana smoothies, bagels, and eggs. It was so good. Smoothies are kind of the new thing around here. We love them and Gaupo makes the best, so whenever he is home for breakfast they get to be part of it. We even experimented with adding spinach and it was still good and the kids didn't even know. Tia thinks smoothies are the best and is a champion at sucking them up super fast. After breakfast, I played with Kylee and we played anything she wanted. So, we played with the kitchen, we built tracks with the blocks and drove cars on them, we read books, and some other stuff. Man when her imagination gets going it goes and goes. It is totally amazing and I think it is helping mine grow. After playing and Tia's nap we went to the park. Kylee was really tired so we didn't stay too long. When we came home we had snack/lunch. We had such a big breakfast and late so no one was really hungry. After we were done eating Gaupo gave us girls part of our V-Day gift. It was the bears and chocolate roses from the scout fundraiser. Then we did naps. During nap time we prepped dinner. The weather here has been gorgeous, so we did dutch oven chicken and potatoes. Everything was good, but man the chicken was AMAZING! Here is the link if you want to try it. Chicken Recipe After dinner was cleaned up we opened up our V-Day package from Oma and Papa. The girls loved the light up wands and Gaupo and I loved the hot chocolate. Once the kids were in bed Gaupo and I watched The Game Plan.

Guapo, cooking the chicken.

Tia crawling.

Standing by her favorite part of the house--the door.

Kylee looking at her "dollars of cash." That she was putting in the bank.

Kylee being a cute goof.

Saturday Gaupo had to go to work. So, the morning was pretty standard except that when we were prepping lunch, so we could go eat with Gaupo at his office he texted me. He wanted to know if I wanted to bring the girls to a Fancy Nancy tea party. I said yes. So, we got dressed up. I put a crown on Tia and I. Then I added to my outfit with sparkly shoes and some purplish-pink beads. Kylee went styling a dress with longer skirt underneath, a necklace, a tiara, sparkly shoes, and she really wanted to take a bag, but luckily I convinced her we didn't need that. The tea party was fun. We learned about manners, read a couple of books; ate cheese, crackers, pink cake, and raspberries; and drank lemonade. They also had a guy come play the accordion. It was a pretty fun little party. I really enjoyed the crafts we did of a post-it note crown and love bugs. After the party, we went and had lunch with Gaupo and then went home for naps. I don't remember much of the afternoon, but I did make Guapo Navajo Taco's for dinner which is always a treat.

Kylee with her napkin in her lap, but her tongue out.

Princess Tia.

Princess Kylee sipping lemonade.

Tia eating tea party delicacies.

Our lunch date. Kylee is styling the crown she made.

The love bugs we made. They remind me of  Gaupo and I.

Sunday was pretty typical but good. Nursery was interesting because I had a kid bite another kid really bad, and I had a little girl hit me. Hitting me as most people know does not bode well. Luckily I was intact with what had happened that all I did was take her off my lap and put her away from me. Nursery is teaching me how to deal with a lot of things, and really the kids are sweet. Its just sometimes a little crazy.

Monday Gaupo didn't have to work. WAHOOOO!! So, we had a breakfast together and then went to Wal-Mart where we got V-Day gifts. Gaupo got some Reese's cups and heats, and Smurf's 2. Then we didn't like the flowers there, so we went to Safeway were Gaupo got me some beautiful red Gerber Daisies. I love Daisies. When we got home we put Tia down and let Kylee start watching Shrek. Then when Tia woke up we turned it off and went sledding. It wasn't the best sledding snow, but we did have fun and built a snowman. When we came in we had lunch, and took naps. After naps, we decided to go to the pool. It was fun for everyone, but Kylee. I don't think she likes when it is busy, so she wasn't as into it as usual, but Tia, Gaupo, and I had some fun before we came home. That night Gaupo taught the FHE lesson and once the kids were in bed we finished off the night with The Farming Game. It is sort of becoming a tradition around here to play that on Monday night.

Tia and Kylee trying out some little chairs.

The girls V-Day gift was a ride on the train at Wal-Mart.

My flowers and bear.

See we had a great weekend and truly it did feel like four days. It could be because Gaupo doesn't go in until noon on Tuesdays, but it was still nice and long. 

When Sickness Desends

Last week we were hit by the cold plague. There are so many things that really stink about being sick. One, we can't go anywhere which means going to the gym is out and so is the library. Also, even thought the weather was beautiful my kids were too tuckered out to even go to the park. It was so sad. Second, the whining. Oh my, it gets pretty bad around here. Finally, the picky eating and change in appetites. It is just almost more than a mother can handle. I don't like this, or after to bites being full, or only eating if Gatorade follows, or having to explain why they can't have any treats like they usually do. OH THE WOES.

However, now that we are all better and I look back there were many blessings and wonderful things about being sick. One thing I loved was when I was sick, I slept quite well, and I could even take a nap in the afternoon. I mean true enough it annoyed me that I was too tired to be productive, but I at least could take a rejuvenating nap. A;so, this time when I had to work out at home because I didn't want the kids to go to babysitting I actually enjoyed working different muscles and having a little bit of a change up. I enjoyed the Gatorade probably just as much as my kids. Although it was really hard not to have treats, smoothies never tasted so good and when we finally could have treats they were so cherished.

My favorite thing about when my kids are sick though is all the cuddles and time we get to spend just being together. It was nice to slow down, cuddle up on the couch and watch an extra show. It was nice to have dance parties, play in our own backyard, and not have to worry about trying to get things done. I loved cuddling with my kids. Even Tia tried her best to be cuddly. She still had a hard time sitting still, but man she got a lot closer and even laid her head on my shoulder. Kylee of course wanted book after book, but she was also more than willing to snuggle in a blanket close while we read. It was so special. OH THE JOYS.

These two didn't stay too long, but it was sure cute while they did.

Tia loved laying on this pillow, but hated that she couldn't see the world around her so kept sitting up.

Kylee loved this. She loved being able to lay down right where everything was happening.

Update on Us

I don't think anything of note has really happened around here lately except for kids getting sick (bugh). Yes, Kylee and Tia have both had really bad colds for last about 4 days. Its a runny nose cough thing and its just annoying and I hope it goes away soon. Because nothing exciting has happened I thought I would give an update on all of us.

Gaupo is doing really good. He still loves his job at the library. He enjoys working with the patrons as well as the members of the staff. He comes home with all kinds of stories to tell. He is enjoying his calling in the elders quorum and when he isn't teaching in there he watches Tia, thank goodness. He really likes working with the men he does and I think he like knowing what is going on in the ward. Most recently he had his laptop white screen and after much work its a graphics card we can't replace, so lesson learned about getting something with time is that probably by the time you own it, it will break. Okay maybe not every time, but it sure bites when it happens and its a good reminder to me. He has become the smoothie master at our house and so almost every Tuesday and Saturday morning he makes us some scrumdidleeuptious smoothies. Other than his computer failing, I think everything is going good. He is definitely the man in everyone of his girls lives. We all think he is incredible and he does such a good job at providing for and leading our family. I am so lucky to have him.

I am doing GREAT! Okay, so I did get a touch of this sickness thing, but after sleeping and resting a good majority of Monday I feel pretty good. This weekend I redid my kitchen wall. It now has two white board calenders and a blank white board for writing notes and lists. I really like and I am so grateful for how supportive Gaupo has been of it. Personally I think he really likes it. I am still the nursery leader, so they haven't fired me yet. I really do enjoy it although I am very done and ready to have my own space and quiet when it is over and done. I am also the YW basketball coach. It is a very interesting opportunity.  I enjoy coaching, but it is so weird to do it some place that isn't really competitive, where people have no idea how to play, it has special rules, and the commitment is kind of lacking. However, it is really good for me to simplify basketball beyond the basics, to be with the girls, and to think like a coach. I think it would be really fun to coach one day, I mean like a real middle school or high school team, but we will see. I finally finished the Inheritance series. I still enjoy working out at the rec center and swimming with my girls. I love being a mom and wouldn't trade being a stay at home mom anything. Although, not being coughed on or having someones slobbery fingers or runny nose on me would be nice. (wink) Really it is so good to be surrounded by people who think I am so cool that they want to do their hair like me, for me to dress like them, and that they always want me around. I mean not everyone gets that everyday.

Kylee is definitely two almost three. She loves being independent unless she wants to be dependent. She is being very stubborn about trying new foods or anything that looks or sounds like something she might not like. She loves wearing skirts, dresses, shorts, and dinosaur shirts. I can talk her into long pants if she doesn't have any of the above left or if Tia is wearing something where they can match. Kylee loves running around, going down slides both at the pool and park. She likes to get things from Tia and also make Tia laugh. Those two crack each other up it is so funny. Kylee loves nursery. She was super bummed when she couldn't go this week because she had a runny nose and cough. She has been loving this nice weather that has allowed her to go outside. She has recently learned how to play Memory and is good at it if she doesn't get silly. Some of my favorite things she say are

• "Silly Billy" pronounced Silly billa
• "Come on in Missionary," that is said anytime we come in through a door.
• In her prayers she always says "Please bless Uncle Seth and Aunt Kara to get into PT school so, they can have fun with us." and "Bless Uncle Jack and Lindsay to sell their house." (sometimes it is Betty Jane's house.)

Kylee is a wonderful little girl. She still LOVES her books, talking, chocolate, her dad, video games (merida aka Disney Infinity and jet pack), and playing. She is excellent at doing the silverware and is so pleased to show me when she is all done. I love this girls smile, wit, and laugh. She is just so wonderful.

Tia is a mover. She can't walk yet, but man oh man she moves. She goes and goes. She loves to climb on things. She has most recently been trying to get on the couches. She loves playing with the kitchen. She will sit still for her books only and only about 2 at the longest. She has really taken to drinking milk and babysitting at the rec center which is great because she use to hate both. She doesn't talk at all. Although, one night we asked her what she wanted and she pointed to the freezer so we knew she wanted chocolate chips. So, we asked her to say chocolate. She actually tried and it was the cutest thing ever. However, in reality she doesn't say anything although some how her and I communicate pretty well. Tia loves playing at the pool and the park. She loves the slides and has recently started to want to go down the big one at the park. It is a little nerve racking to help her climb up there, not because she can't go down, but because I am afraid of her falling while climbing. Tia likes music and dancing. She is one smart cookie and has picked up on a lot of things from her big sister some good and some bad. One that is both is the fact that when I tell her if she will eat something like her dinner than she can have something like her apple or chocolate. Its good because she will do it, but bad because she knows she can be picky. Our Tia girl keeps us on our toes and makes us laugh all the time. We love her silliness and smile. She fills our home with so much happiness.

Every update should have a pictures these are kind of interesting ones, but they are all from January so that makes them recent and they showcase our two girls in all their awesomeness.

Tia and Kylee at the top of the spiral slide.

With the weather so good we can't pass up days at the park.

Kylee and Tia on the bike when it was in the house.

The reverse order.

Our stylin' ballinera or princess. It will depend on the day which it is.

Tia loving her burrito. I don't know why I took this but I am sure I thought it was funny, and if nothing else you get to see her great hair.