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.

The Author

I mentioned before that Steven is writing a book. We received our first advance royalty check yesterday, and a contract is signed, so things are official.

Back when we were at BYU, Steven started working at the BYU law library. The first summer after we were married, we needed Steven to work full-time, because we made a goal to get through school completely debt-free. His regular job at the law library did not have full-time hours, but his boss loved him, so she got him transferred to a job working with the BYU law library systems department.

I think that there are moments in life that are turning points for your future. We didn't know it then, but him taking that job in the systems department changed our course. That was where Steven learned to program.

Steven fell in love with programming, but found it difficult and frustrating to learn independently. He found that most books already assume you know all the basics, and the ones that didn't were dreadfully technical and boring.

Steven has spent the past six years (the past two working at LinkedIn) learning more and more about programming, and now he is writing a book about it :) As he puts it, he is writing the book that he wished he had when he started learning on his own.

His book will be titled, "Learn to Code: Absolute Beginners Guide." He has signed a contract with Pearson Publishing, and the book should be available around August. Pearson publishing is a big name, so his book will be on Amazon and available in Barnes and Nobles across the country.

He has to have a rough draft submitted in April, so things are a little hectic! He is working full-time, busy family, busy church responsibilities, etc. We are both learning to love getting up well before 6 am.

I am his guinea pig, and I'm very proud of him. So far I have worked through Chapter 1, and I don't hate programming yet. I took some programming classes through the accounting program at BYU, and they were probably my least favorite classes. If Steven can convince me, then he can convince anybody.

We are grateful and blessed. Even though he got his Masters degree in Accounting, not Computer Science, he has been able to start a career that he loves, pays great, and is in high demand. He hopes to help others do the same.

January

During my years working as a tax accountant, I would never have thought about saying this, but this year January has just really flown by. I think it is because the weather has been amazingly nice. 70s almost every day, and we have spent a good part of our January days outside. The beach, the park, the backyard, this month has been good.

These two crazy girls are starting to play together and I'm starting to see why people might have more than two children. The first year was absolute craziness, but things are settling down. I just pray that I never have to potty train a toddler, nurse a baby, and have a husband with a broken leg again.

I asked Aubrey what she wanted to be when she grew up and she told me "a mommy. Just like you." That melted my heart, and she does a great job of being a mommy. She loves to strap one baby in her ergo, another in her stroller, feed them snacks, and then talk on her phone while she goes on a walk. I wonder where she gets that from?

 Aubrey is also crazy on her little balance bike. She is getting pretty close to being able to skip training wheels and go straight to a bike. There is a park across the street that has basketball and tennis courts. We like to ride over and let her roam free, which is easier than chasing her down the street.

Cora is now officially a full-time walker. She started walking right after her birthday, but she was quite tentative for a while. She has taken off now, but I love her little wide toddler gait. Aubrey went straight to running, so it has been fun to watch Cora think about and figure out the whole walking thing.

Cora is also very observant and surprises Steven and I on a daily basis. She is already saying quite a few words, my favorite being, "aubey." She has the cutest little wave and just seems to "get" what is going on. A few days ago we were playing "duck, duck, goose" as a family. After playing for a few minutes, Cora got a big smile on her face, walked right over to Steven, tapped him on the head and shouted, "duck!" then tried to run away. 

Oh yeah... and Steven and I have been doing quite a bit in January. I'm back down to pre-baby weight and enjoying some time working out at the gym. I finally got a gym membership after three years and I am LOVING feeling a little bit like pre-baby Paige.

Steven has much bigger news, but his mornings are spent getting up at 5 am to write a book. Yup, life with Steven is never dull. He is writing a book with a real publisher and all. I'll write a post about that in a few days, but for now, even though all the pictures are of the girls, I want to remember that Steven and I exist too :)

Christmas Day and More

Christmas Day is so much more fun with kids. I realized on Christmas morning, that I didn't ask for, think about, or care about anything I was getting for Christmas. I was just excited to see the magic in my girls eyes. And, they were spoiled....

Here is the look on Aubrey's face when she ran up the stairs and saw the tree and all the presents. I could barely keep up. Both my girls were up by 6 am (I wish this was just Christmas excitement, but that is normal), but we had to keep them downstairs and entertained for about an hour until Zach woke up. Aubrey had time for her excitement to build.

 Between two birthdays and Christmas, these girls do not need any more toys! I have been secretly donating their old toys, and seem to have managed to keep things under control. January is cleaning out the house month. I'm on a roll (or rampage if you ask Steven.)

The rest of Christmas day was perfect. Playing with toys, sledding (so fun), naps, going out for Chinese Food, and then visiting my grandparents house with my extended family. 

We then spent the few days after Christmas continuing to have one of the best trips to Canada ever. Very successful Boxing Day shopping trip, hot tubbing, swimming at the Leisure Center, visits with old friends. It was all great.

Until the last two days when ALL ten(yes every single person) got really sick. That was miserable. The kids were coughing and gross. I spent all day in bed with a high fever and chills. Super yucky. 

The last day was the worst. Steven and I were both so sick, and just barely managed to throw our stuff into our bags for the plane ride home. We flew home on New Year's Eve and were supposed to have a quick, direct flight and be home by 4 pm. Ha!

Our plane was delayed 5 hours. We spent plenty of time entertaining the girls in the airport, all the food I packed ran out, Cora SCREAMED bloody murder for the first half hour of the flight, etc. I do not have a good history flying with kids :)

We finally arrived home at 9 pm on New Years Eve. We had a classy New Year's dinner of McDonalds (only place open), and sickly managed to get the girls to bed. Happy New Year! At least Steven thought ahead and ordered sparkling cider with Google Shopping Express. 

We are now feeling better and back in the swing of things, but those few days were rough. It was almost a fitting end to 2013 because 2013 was such a hard year for our family health-wise. Here's to a healthier new year! I love getting organized, setting goals, and cleaning up life after the craziness of the holidays.

Christmas Eve

We had a great Christmas Eve with my family. Steven took this picture showing the view out my parents window on Christmas Eve. I love my home, and I really love the snow at Christmastime.

The long-standing Peterson family tradition has always been to go ice skating around the lake on Christmas Eve. I have been excited to take my girls, and we were lucky that it wasn't too cold for Christmas. Trent and my dad made Aubrey's day by "going fast." She thought it was so much fun. 

Trent is such a good uncle to my girls. He played with Aubrey, took her skating and sledding, and would get Cora up from her afternoon nap every day. Cora doesn't like everybody, but she loved Trent. It was really sweet.

Steven and Cora were troopers during skating, since they weren't able to do much. Steven walked around pushing Cora in the stroller on the ice. She didn't cry and he didn't fall, so we will call it a success. 

And, this is actually the only picture we took with my whole family.  

The rest of Christmas Eve was spent going to the Nativity pageant, opening Christmas pajamas, family dinner, games, and a big video chat with Steven's family. 

That video chat was quite the feat. Steven's family is all over the world right now. We did the video chat at 8:30 pm Calgary time, which was 7:30 pm in Las Vegas(Tyler's family) and Portland(Jeremy's family). That was 4:30 am on Christmas day in Germany (Jason, Lisa, and Steven's parents), and 10:30 am in the Philppines (Kimmy). We are grateful for technology that allows family to be together, even when far apart.