Easter

Our family had a wonderful Easter weekend. We feel blessed to celebrate our Savior and I love teaching my children about the real meaning of holidays and why we celebrate.

Aubrey is just grasping the concepts, but she can tell you all about Easter and I think it is adorable. On the way home from church she said, "When Jesus grow up, he got nails in his hands. Then they took a really big rock and they put it in front of the door. Mom... I saw it in a picture at Sunbeams. When they opened it, he wasn't in there! Mom, he was all gone! And now Jesus lives again." I love the sweetness and innocence of children.

Thursday night we decorated eggs, and other than Cora drinking (yes, drinking) the pink egg dye when we were not looking, things went smoothly. Then, yesterday we celebrated all the Easter bunny/candy part of Easter. We also milked the Easter bunny all week for good behavior. Steven even threatened to text the Easter bunny and tell him not to come when Aubrey wouldn't go to bed :)

The girls loved finding eggs and their baskets. The Easter bunny got them both new Saltwater sandals and bike helmets.

The only bad part about this weekend has been my jaw. When I was a senior in high school, my jaw locked shut. After a year of trying to open it, I had surgery, therapy, etc. Well... I woke up Saturday morning with it locked again. It has unlocked since then but it is still really tight. So, I am slightly freaking out about the possibility of going through all that again. I have spent the weekend eating smoothies and oatmeal.

Anyways... the rest of Saturday was spent at the ward egg hunt, playing in the backyard, swimming, and going out for dinner. Aubrey declared yesterday "The most awesomest day ever."

Today, we gave the girls their matching Easter dresses, took some quick pictures before 9 am church, went to church, and now it is lovely nap time. I love having little girls that I can doll up in matching dresses.

The rest of our day will be spent at a bbq with a bunch of friends. I always miss my family on big holidays, but we are so grateful to have good friends.

Happy Easter!

Phone

 Steven and I recently got new phones. I am admittedly a late adopter of technology. We all have our "things" that we like to spend money on (clothes.... kids.... travel... entertainment are a few of mine) but I really don't care about having the latest fancy gadget.

So, my poor tech-loving husband spent a long time trying to convince me it was time to upgrade. And, while most of it doesn't matter to me, I love the new phone camera. Now, when I take pictures with my phone you can actually tell who is in the picture. So, here are some recent highlights from my new camera phone:

I mentioned before about how Cora is constantly putting things in her mouth. Last week, I decided to battle the rainy day with finger-paint, and discovered that yes, she really will try to eat anything.

The long-awaited day of Great America's grand opening finally came. The first 2500 people through the gates got a souvenir cup good for free refills all season. We don't even really drink soda, but I wanted one of those cups! Steven thought I was crazy. Well... we were there a half-hour before the park even opened on a rainy Saturday and we still didn't get one. Some people are even crazier. We did have a great time anyways. Aubrey even convinced Steven to ride the log ride twice in the rain. That is love.

Cora and Aubrey are becoming great little friends. And typical siblings. Cora loves to tease Aubrey, and at times Aubrey just tolerates Cora, but you can tell they really love each other. Cora pretty much thinks Aubrey is the greatest thing in the world, and I love the look on her face in this picture that proves it.

We spent the morning today at the Palo Alto Children's Museum and Zoo with my friend Stephanie. She is moving in three weeks. Boo. Seriously, every time I make a good friend, they move away!

 This little museum is a great way to spend a morning. Cora spent a good ten minutes staring at the bunnies, and surprisingly Aubrey's favorite part was learning about all the bugs and insects.

This last picture makes me laugh. They love anything that is dress-up.

Interview

Three-year-olds can be quite funny, and I love watching the way Aubrey's little mind works to figure out the world around her. Here is a little "interview" I gave to Aubrey yesterday. She makes me laugh everyday.

Paige: What is your name?
Aubrey: The McDonald's girl.
Paige: Ok? What is your real name?
Aubrey: Cinderella
Paige: How about your real name?
Aubrey: *sigh* I guess Aubrey.

Paige: How old are you?
Aubrey: I'm free (aka three)

Paige: What is you favorite activity?
Aubrey: Family Home Evening (I suspect the "treat" part is why.)

Paige: What is your favorite book?
Aubrey: The princess book from Costco ( I concur. That book comes with a button and If I have to hear that song one more time...)

Paige: What is your favorite song?
Aubrey: "Let it Go" (I along with every other parent can sing 'Let It Go' in my sleep.)

Paige: What does Daddy do at work?
Aubrey: Um... He writes his book. And eats treats.

Paige: What do you want for your birthday?
Aubrey: Oh! I want a tiny little box for underwear and I want a big box with toys. (Okay?)

Paige: What is your favorite place to go?
Aubrey: Great America! (It opens this weekend and she has been asking to go daily for months.)

Paige: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Aubrey: A mommy like you because I love you. (I like this answer.)

Paige: Who is your favorite person?
Aubrey: A ghost.... or Cora.

Paige: What is your favorite toy?
Aubrey: My tiny pink cake that I lost at Faith's house.

Paige: What makes you happy?
Aubrey: Mom gives me lots of hugs and dad gives me hugs before he goes to work.

Paige: What scares you?
Aubrey: The real monsters that you showed me and... (launches into some very long story about monsters.)

Paige: When you get sick what makes you feel better?
Aubrey: I throw up in the bowl and in the hallway two weeks ago.
Paige: And what makes you feel better?
Aubrey: I get lots and lots of shows.

Paige: Do you like sharing a room with Cora?
Aubrey: Yes, I love her. I jump on her and she laughs. (ugh... this part is true. She keeps climbing into Cora's crib at bedtime.)

And that... is a look into the mind of my spunky, funny, sweet three-year-old. I'm lucky to be her mom.

Grandma

After my dad left last week, we have had this whole week to hang out with my mom, and it was great. The past four times she has visited (morning sickness, NICU, moving, broken leg), she has been helping us deal with some major event. It was so nice to just have fun without something going on.

We went shopping, got my yard/garden all ready for spring, went to swimming and gymnastics, lots of bike rides, Steven and I went to the temple, cleaned the cars/house, ate lots of yummy food, went to the beach, and just hung out.

We didn't see much of Steven, but that was the plan. He worked hard and now only has 4/15 chapters left to write on his book.

We had so much fun, but we were not great at taking pictures. The only pictures we took were of when we went to the beach. Ahh... I love the beach. I'm glad that my girls love it too. Cora, especially, is an outdoor beach baby. That girl would spend all day outside if we let her. She is like a little puppy and hangs out by the back door waiting for me to let her go play.

 We have tried many beaches, but right now we are loving Capitola beach. You can park right on the beach, the town is full of the cutest beach houses, and it isn't very crowded.

 Thanks for coming Grandma! We will all miss you a ton....

Papa

My dad was here to visit this weekend, and I can't believe he is already going home in the morning. We only had two days, but we fit in as much as we possibly could. The girls were so excited to spend time with their "papa."

Yesterday, the day started with workouts for all. Working out is something my dad never misses.  He honestly works out every single day, unless he is really sick. Seriously impressive. I'm not as dedicated, but I'm glad that he taught me the importance of exercise. I got to go on my first bike ride with Steven since his accident- it is great to see him back to normal.

After workouts, we went to the Children's discovery museum. The girls loved it, and ran from one activity to the next with a frenzy.

 But, there was definitely no frenzied running away from the water activity. We spent a long time there, and I think the entire museum heard when we dragged a soaking wet, shivering, screaming Cora away from there. I think she would have stayed all day if we let her.

After the museum, we did lunch, then let Aubrey watch "Up" while Cora napped. After naps, we went to show my parents around the new LinkedIn building and eat dinner. It is so nice! Steven will still be working at the headquarters, but the new building sure is fancy. We got some fun family pictures in the lobby.

Then we went swimming. I thought that I only had one crazy kid when it came to water, but Cora is just as crazy. I don't know what I did to have kids that seem to have absolutely no fear of the water. I'm just glad we don't live near water, or I would be nervous all the time! We all loved swimming, and plan to go again tomorrow.

Today was spent on church, walks, dinner, and just hanging out. Grandma and Grandpa got to give the bedtime stories :)

I wish those bedtime stories meant that they actually went to bed, but as I type this I still hear them both laughing and playing an hour later. I guess they definitely had a fun weekend with their grandparents!

Tidbits

I know that when you blog, other people read what you write. But, I pretty much blog so that I can keep a record of what goes on in life. It makes me take a second to slow down.

That being said.. I have been really bad at recording "life" lately, and it makes me sad. So, here are a few random photos and tidbits that I want to remember:

I came into the living room yesterday morning, and found these two reading on the couch like this. Both these girls love their books.

Cora is also at such a fun stage. She surprises me daily with all the words she can say. She is also getting pretty good at her animal sounds and will tell you very enthusiastically what noises a cow, dog, sheep, and horse make. If only I could curb her enthusiasm of eating random things. Today I turned around and she was chewing on a mouthful of sidewalk chalk. And then five minutes later a rock. And then a crayon. All in the space of an hour. I have to watch her like a hawk.

Aubrey is growing up far too fast. She is very sweet, fun, and athletic. Along with swimming, she is taking gymnastics, and she is impressive for a three-year-old. She already likes to tell me she is going to the Olympics. I definitely don't think I have that kind of commitment in me, but I'm enjoying having her do things that tire her out enough to take a nap.

I posted this picture on Facebook, but since a photo of me is rare on the blog, I thought I would add it here. My hair is curly now. So weird. I'm actually loving how easy it is to air dry and have it look half-decent. I'll admit that I throw my hair up into a ponytail way too often, and so the curly hair is making me wear it down more often.

The weather is getting warmer! I threw away the mini splashpad from last summer because I couldn't get it folded up into the darn box (a little lazy?), but maybe it is time to purchase a kiddie pool?

I don't know if I want to displace my off-season shoes and the bread on a daily basis. 

And... the big news of the week is that my parents are coming to visit on Friday! Whahoo. My dad is coming for a weekend, and then my mom is staying for whole week after that. The plan is for Steven to eat three catered meals a day at work (he has it rough) and write his book like crazy. He is up to 170 out of the promised 300 pages, so lots of five am progress is being made. 

A Day in the Life

I have always been a busy person. I know that before I became a mom I often wondered, what do stay-at-home moms do all day? Would I like staying home with my kids? Would I just become "lazy?" Would I feel like I never do anything for myself/my brain? The last question is something that takes a lot of work, but I really do love spending my days with my girls.

Also, I don't know how things will change as my kids get older, but I can definitely say that being a mom is plenty busy! And, I get up earlier and am more efficient than I ever was before kids.

I love to capture each stage of life that my family goes through, so for right now, here is my typical "day in the life" with a 3 year old and 1 year old, complete with blurry phone pictures.

5:36 am: The alarm rings and I drag myself out of bed. I leave myself just enough time to get to the gym for my 6 am spin class. I have fallen in love with spin class! I have a few friends that come with me to make it extra fun. I always feel pretty proud of myself to make it there so early, but then I see people LEAVING the gym and I wonder how they do it.

7:15-8:45ish: Steven gets the girls up and feeds them while I am at the gym/showering. So this is the time of day that we play with toys, do crafts, and get messy before getting ready for the day. Cora is just learning to color and Aubrey has been really interested in writing her name lately.

9:00-10:00 am: Cora has her morning nap and Aubrey and I pack lunches/swim bag/library books. I also get ready during Cora's nap and Aubrey follows me around the house demanding her turn at lipgloss and blush.

10:00-11:30 pm: Driving and Aubrey's swim lesson. She LOVES to swim, and is getting pretty good. Aubrey at swim lessons is like a horse before a race. We have a hard time keeping her back and staying on the steps when it is not her turn :) Swim lessons are a must because she actually thinks that she can swim, and it is a little scary. I spend the lesson trying to keep Cora from jumping into the pool. Being the younger sibling can be hard.

11:30-1:00 pm: I procrastinated and the library books were due today. So, we go to the library to pick out some new books and read. We also eat lunch outside. I pack a lunch while we go out every day because it is one less time a day that I have to clean up the kitchen.

1:00-3:00 pm: Naptime! Whahoo! I put Cora down and throw Aubrey some books. Thanks to all the swimming, Aubrey actually takes a nap today. While the girls nap, I sit down for the first time all day and eat some lunch. Then I update Mint/read my favorite personal finance blogs. Then, I clean. Being a clean freak and a stay-at-home mom to small children is hard for me. I also spend a good half-hour wasting time on Pinterest/Facebook. Can't always be productive...

3:00-5:00 pm: Snack time, play with toys, and then I take the girls to the park. It is a good thing we live in California because we all go crazy without some outside time everyday.

5:00-6:00 pm: I put a movie on for Aubrey and just survive until Steven gets home. I remember when Aubrey was little that I was adamant that she never watch TV. Now, I wish I could get Cora to sit still long enough to watch a show. While Aubrey watches TV, Cora and I play games, and she makes a mess with the toys/tupperware/toilet paper. I put a lasagna in the oven from when I made a double batch last week (love freezer meals) and grill some asparagus.

6:30: Steven is home! The best time of the day. We eat dinner, give the girls baths, read books, clean up the house (again) and put them to bed. Normally they go to bed around 8 pm, but they were kind of driving me crazy tonight, so we put them down at 7:30. It's a good thing they can't tell time yet.

8:00-10:30ish: Finishing this blog post, and then I have big plans to watch Olympic figure skating. The Olympics are a big deal here. Steven and I don't watch much TV, so we refuse to pay for cable. But, I had to watch the Olympics, so we got cable, which we will promptly cancel next week. We even spent a Friday night (almost two hours... seriously) at Comcast to pick up the cable box. Now that is dedication. I'm hoping I can keep my hockey bragging rights after Friday's Canada vs. the US semi-final game. We shall see....

And that... is a fairly typical day right now. Busy, crazy, fun, exhausting, but worth it to see my girls grow and develop and become just fun little people and friends.