I should have listened...

to my mother. When we first moved to California, my mom told me that I should now keep all my pantry food in air-tight containers because California has a lot of bugs. I brushed that off as a little crazy (sorry mom) and pretty much ignored her. And... we have had no problems. Zero. Way less bugs even than when we lived in Utah. Until now...

I mistakenly thought that since I am definitely on the clean-freak side (I seriously clean all the time) that I didn't need to worry about bugs. I was so wrong!!

Here is what a pantry moth looks like:

If you want to scream, then you can join me. Because I did. 

Tuesday was a crazy day. I spent over two hours entertaining both girls at the doctor while Steven got two sets of x-rays and a new cast. I'm still feeling very overwhelmed, and this was the last thing I needed. 

We were getting ready for bed when I noticed a moth fly out of the cupboard. I decided to investigate, and then started screaming when I found tons of moths and little worms in all our food! And, it seriously came out of nowhere. My mom was here last week, and was shocked that it happened, since she had just helped me clean the kitchen and there was no evidence of anything before.

Steven and I stayed up way late going through the cupboards, reading everything we could about how to get rid of them, and throwing out our food. We chucked everything. Every spice. Every cereal, crackers, rice. Everything. We discovered a bag of pecans as the little "home" to the moths. I guess often there are eggs in food packages when you buy something and you don't know until you have a full-blown infestation. 

Even though this is just another thing to add on the list of things that have happened in our lives lately, I was pretty proud of myself. Moths seriously freak me out. So much so, that I woke up from a nightmare in the middle of the night last night screaming, "they are everywhere!" Normally, I would have locked myself in the back room and made Steven deal with everything. But... since he has a broken leg, I had to do it. And I did.... even though I definitely freaked out a few times.

However, I think the battle of Paige vs. the Moths has been won by me. I only found one today. Yesterday, I scrubbed and cleaned and vacuumed so much that my hands are raw. And today, I started replacing our food and making sure everything is air-tight and sealed.

Oh... and replacing a whole pantry of food is so expensive. Spices are crazy. We have a long way to go before we actually have enough food to cook with, but things are coming along. 

The plus side is I now have the most organized, air-tight pantry around:

You can either laugh or cry, right? We have been doing a lot of laughing lately. 

The Girls

Life is still definitely crazy and exhausting and frustrating. I don't recommend this situation to anybody. But, while we are muddling through the days, I also don't want to forget the little things that my little girls are up to right now. Because, like every mom, I think they are incredible.

Aubrey:

• Has grown up a lot lately. She still can't sit still to eat a meal if her life depended on it, but she is becoming sweeter and more mature every day.
• Has a big heart. A couple of days ago, I was singing her songs before bed and Steven was crutching his way down the hall. I have to help him get onto the couch/bed. Aubrey stopped me in the middle of her song and said, "you go help daddy with his leg. Then come back and sing me a song." 
• Knows almost all her ABC's, and loves to point out the letters wherever we go. Especially her "A" for Aubrey.
• Is starting a ballet class in a couple of weeks. Loves playgroup, nursery and all her friends.

• Is still kind of crazy and wild. This girl likes to have fun and be entertained. It can be exhausting. She is almost always a really sweet girl, but when she is bored or wants attention, she deliberately acts out.
• Definitely something to celebrate: Aubrey is over her fear of public bathrooms! She still hates the loud, automatic flushers and hand dryers, but going out is easier now.
• Has mostly given up her nap. She will maybe nap once a week. I still put her in her room everyday for quiet time, but sadly, I no longer have a napping toddler.

Cora:

• 8 months old and on the move! We call her our little inchworm. She is pretty fast, but doesn't do normal hands and knees crawling. She gets up on all fours and then lunges forward all across the room and has been doing that for about a month. Maybe real crawling is coming? 
• She gets herself in and out of a sitting position and is starting to pull up on things.

• Sleeps through the night, every night, from about 7:30 to 6:30. Still a terrible napper. She is still known as Cora the Catnapper. But, I guess I can't really complain.
• LOVES to eat. So different than Aubrey! I have not put anything in her mouth that she won't eat. She also loves to feed herself, and drink from a straw cup, which was a huge struggle with Aubrey.

• Major separation/stranger anxiety. This part is also weird for me after Aubrey who wanted everybody to be her friend. Above is the face she makes when she realizes that somebody other than mom might be holding her. And then she cries. Ha... about the only thing Steven could do right now is hold her, and she cries and won't even let him!
• Still my sweet, fun little girl. She is determined and goes after something she wants with intensity.

We love both these little girls so much. And they love each other. They are already becoming such good friends, and already keep each other up at bedtime giggling and laughing. There are few things better in life than a good sister. I have a great sister and I'm so glad my girls can have the same bond.

The Accident

The past few days have been very long and very exhausting. I'm sure that Steven's side of the story is more interesting, but this is my blog.

Tuesday was a rough day and I was counting down the minutes for him to come home, when I got the phone call that every wife is terrified to receive. Steven had been hit by a car while riding home and was being transported by ambulance to the hospital.

I was pretty shaken up and called my friend who was driving home from work. She came over immediately to watch the girls and I drove to the hospital. I spent a long time just waiting in the emergency room and I was definitely freaking out. 

When I was finally able to see Steven, things were better. I could see that he was ok. He had quite a few scrapes, bruises, and was obviously in a lot of pain, but he was still my Steven. And since he miraculously didn't hit his head, I just felt so relived and blessed because I know that his injuries could have been much worse. His leg was in a lot of pain and after a lot of x-rays it was confirmed that he had fractured his tibia and would have to be admitted to the hospital.

The hospital stay was pretty horrible, but long story summed up in a few words: manually set the bone in place (Steven said this was the worst pain he has ever been in), made Steven fast and prep for surgery, then no surgery, dirty, nurses ignoring him, sharing a room with a screaming mental patient who was admitted for attempted suicide, etc. Needless to say, we will NEVER be returning to that hospital again.

But.... he is home now! The hospital sent him home with a full-leg splint and on Tuesday our doctors will make the decision of whether or not the bone can heal with just a cast or if surgery will be required. So, we are waiting. 

During all of this, the girls and I have just been surviving. Normally, I am very spoiled. Steven has a job with great hours and he is a very hands-on dad. Now.... I'm going nuts. Taking care of a 2 year-old, 8 month-old, and husband who is unable to do anything is completely exhausting. I'm taking things day by day because if I look ahead any more than that it seems too overwhelming. 

Despite the complete exhaustion, I am so blessed. I have so many friends (and family... Steven's brother is visiting for a few days) who are bringing us dinner, helping watch my girls, and just letting us know that they are thinking of us. And, I have my husband. Who will full recover from his injuries. He is still in quite a bit of pain, and that is hard for me to see, but things will get better.

There have been a few times in my life when I feel like my circumstances are more than I can handle. I have been thinking about the following quote a lot lately from Elder Jeffery R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve:

  When suffering, we may in fact be nearer to God than we have ever been in our entire lives. That knowledge can turn every such situation into a would-be temple. Regarding our earthly journey, the Lord has promised: I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up. [D&C 84:88]

That is an everlasting declaration of God’s love and care for us, including—and perhaps especially—in times of trouble. (Jeffrey R. Holland, Sept 7, 2008, CES Fireside).

I know that our family is growing and learning patience through this experience. We must have a lot to learn :)

Money Hip Mamas

My sweet and smart friends Lauren and Lisa started a personal finance blog called "Money Hip Mamas." The three of us were really good friends all through the BYU accounting program, and I have learned a lot from both of them.

The blog is fun and informative in a very easy to understand way. Personal finance, taxes, insurance, DIY projects, home organization, etc. Go check it out and follow on Facebook or Bloglovin.

Despite my crazy children and often less than one hour of spare time a day, I plan on being a frequent guest poster. So if you have any burning financial questions, please let me know. My first guest post is up today, so check it out here:

http://www.moneyhipmamas.com

Finance, accounting, investments, taxes, and anything of the sort are all definitely something that I have a passion for. I love having an outlet to use my degree other than just making our personal finances really organized and pretty :)

Kids on Campus

Today, LinkedIn had their annual, "Kids on Campus" or Bring your Kid to work day. We had been telling Aubrey for a while that she would get to go to work with Daddy, and she was so excited. Disneyland and LinkedIn (mostly due to the fact that she always gets lots of treats) are about equal in Aubrey's world, so this was a big deal.

LinkedIn sure knows how to throw great events. Aubrey did crafts, coloring, slides, bounce houses, snacks, games, karaoke, visited the office, got her own badge, and had a great daddy/daughter date.

 While those two were busy at work, this little cutie and I went shopping at the mall:

It was bliss. Shopping is something that is impossible with Aubrey around and something that I miss. Cora fell asleep for most of it and I almost didn't know what to do with myself.

After shopping, Cora and I met up with Steven and Aubrey for lunch at LinkedIn. It was a little insane, but fun.

Days like today really make me think back to our life two years ago and make me so grateful for where we are now. I am so glad that Steven found such a high-demand career he loves and escaped the horror of public accounting at Ernst & Young.

We both graduated from the BYU accounting program and loved that, but we are in a much better place now outside of the business world. Tech is the place to be.... great benefits, great hours, great pay..... Steven is already planning how to teach our girls to program :)

The Good Stuff

Sometimes living in the Bay Area drives me crazy. Lots of people, lots of traffic, and lots of $$. Anytime that I feel a little stir-crazy, all I have to do is go to the beach with my family and I remember some of the reasons why I love it here so much.

We had a great Saturday at the beach. We were there for three hours (which is quite the feat with a baby and toddler) and we were all still having fun when we left (meaning... we didn't drag anybody screaming back to the car. Yeah!)

Cora ate a lot of sand. She actually seemed to enjoy it.

We buried Aubrey in the sand....

And once she was out of commission, Cora moved in and got some revenge for all the toys Aubrey has stolen from her:

Daddy/Daughter matching hats:

And for a few brief moments, the girls were playing happily, and Steven and I tried to pretend we were on vacation:

 I think if we were millionaires we would live here forever :)

Canada Part 2

We are now back in California and have been since Saturday. I was super nervous to fly home alone with both girls but things went fairly smooth. We were only delayed like half hour... so it could have been much worse.

I should have taken a picture, but just imagine me with Cora in the Ergo, huge diaper bag over my shoulder, pushing a luggage cart with two big bags and a carseat, and pulling Aubrey in the stroller backwards. We were quite the sight.

The worst part of the flight was that I woke up that morning super sick. Ugh. I get sick every time we travel. So, flying alone with two kids and a nasty summer cold.... sitting in the middle seat next to a 40-year-old man while trying to entertain a toddler and nurse a baby. I'm just trying to forget it because I know that I will have to do it again :)

Anyways.... the last two weeks we were there, Steven was not :( He had to go back to work. In order to make the distance seem a little better, I tried to send a "picture a day" from my phone to his. They were the only pictures I took, and the quality isn't great, but here are some of the highlights:

Lots of time at the lake. We need to work on Aubrey's "say cheese" smile. We get that one every time. 

 When not at the lake, we were at my grandparent's pool. I got the girls matching swimsuits from Gap. Love having little girls.

 Meeting grandpa for lunch. Cora was happy to see him. My dad also took Aubrey on quite a few "granddaughter" dates. These always ended with her coming home eating ice cream and going to bed late. 

 My brother came to visit! We took a few spins in my moms MGB.

 I got to see the new Calgary temple for the first time. So beautiful.

Cake batter in your underwear. Can a toddler have more fun?

This little girl got two teeth, now sits like a champ, is rolling everywhere, and starting to scoot. Ahh... it is happening so quickly this time around.

Sister love.

Rides, rides, and more rides. 

We are now on official grandma and grandpa withdrawal. Aubrey has never been great at playing independently, but we were making progress. 3 whole weeks of undivided attention? We have some work to do.

Love going home to visit. I already miss so many things and can't wait to be back at Christmas. I loved the sweet reunion with Steven, and I am looking forward to getting back in the swing of things once our family is healthy again.