Dentist/Adventureland

Yesterday, Delaney went to the dentist for the first time. When I first told her she was going a couple of weeks ago, she was a little scared. I totally hyped it up and made it sound so fun. Who doesn't love going to the dentist? :) So when it was time to go she was really excited :) On the way there in the car, she said confidently, "mommy, you don't have to go with me." I said, "ok." Well when the time came for her to go back there, she really wanted me to come. I stood in the doorway, while she sat in the chair. Her eyes were huge, and her bottom lip with sticking out and she was fighting the tears but trying so hard to be brave. Then, she gave me a thumbs up sign and I gave one back to her. She just looked too cute! For about the first 5 minutes, I thought she would start crying. I just kept saying, "you are doing such a good job, isn't this fun!" The hygenist was really good and Delaney warmed up quickly. They were able to do everything. When the dentist came in and asked her to open her mouth, she opened it up as big as she could and said, "AAAHHHH." She was so funny. They said her teeth looked great!

Last Monday, my parents, the girls, and I went to Adventureland. We had a really good time. They were so excited and had such a blast. Delaney and I went on the log ride together. We went on a couple of spinning rides, but my mom and I always feel terrible after them and my dad can't do them, but Delaney kept wanting to go on them...I told her next time her dad would go on them with her (come to find out he gets sick on spinning rides too). It was a pretty cool day (in the 70s most of the day), but the water park is included, so we went for a little bit in the evening b/c my girls love to swim. We went on the lazy river a couple times and they went down a few slides.

A couple of funny stories (these might be the kind of stories where you had to be there - but I want to remember them): My mom took Averey to the car ride. There are police cars, firetrucks, motorcycles, etc that just go around. Well, my mom thought Averey might try to climb out, so she thought she would ride with her. As my mom was trying to climb into a little firetruck, haha, the lady came and told her she was too big to ride on this ride - it's just for kids. My mom was so funny when she was telling me. The firetruck was really little, and she said she was having trouble getting in. The lady said she would stop the ride, if Averey was trying to stand up or do something she shouldn't. Ahhh, such a funny mental picture.

A few of the rides say if the child is under 36 inches, then they need an adult to ride with them. Well, I don't think they enforce this if the child is close to this height, but I didn't know. Averey is around 34-35 inches. So there was a ride where all these semi trucks or something like that were attached and went around a track in circles. This was one of those rides, where they said a parent needs to ride on the sign. So I told my mom, I will ride with her and my mom said well I will go too (I guess my mom was bound and determine to get on those kiddie rides :))Well, Delaney gets in the front and Averey climbs in next to her and then you shut the door (they are completely enclosed). So my mom and I climb up behind them (not even next to them, and they can't see us and we can't see them - it was very unnecessary for us to go on this ride), and we sit side by side in two seats meant for 3 year old. The older guy regulating the ride, kept making jokes like you two behave and was kind of making fun of us. All of these parents are standing behind the rope as the ride keeps going around the track. My mom and I kept laughing because I am sure we looked absolutely ridiculous, and the ride seemed to never end, haha!

Stories about the girls:

Delaney is always saying, "yesterday, I went to the zoo...mom, remember when we went to the museum, yesterday" Anything she has ever done was done "yesterday" :)

Delaney is also really into making up extremely long songs about many different topics combined into one song. It's funny.

Tonight at dinner, Delaney wanted to pray (normally when she prays she just names off every person or animal she knows and it gets really long). This is how she started tonight, "Lord Jesus, Thank you for blessings and Juju's cats - squirt and jasmine....etc. (then she went into naming people)" It was so precious how she said it, but it was so funny. Those 2 cats get lots of prayer :)

Averey is really into wearing dresses (several in one day). After she has one on for a while, she rips it off and says I don't like it, I want that one. She always is wearing necklaces, bracelets, and wants bows in her hair. She also has been carrying around her purse, and she packed it herself with 2 pairs of sunglasses, 2 cell phones, a magnifying glass, and jewelry.

Averey also randomly says, "Mommy, I like your eyebrows", "I like your shirt", "I like your hair". She is always complimenting me or others. She is transitioning from a baby to a little girl more each day.

If you mention, nap, sleep, bedtime, pajamas, or anything in that category - Averey goes hysterical - completely freaks out. So I have been trying to use code words such as rest or we got to get all ready so I can tell you a story in your room. It doesn't work all that well, so hopefully it's just a phase.

Have a good night!

Life Update

I have been terrible at updating my blog - Life has been so busy! I am just going to do a quick run through of some of changes in our life the last few months. It feels like life is finally slowing down a little, and we are definitely enjoying summer!

Since I last blogged, my Grandma (my dad’s mom) passed away on April 20^th. She was truly an amazing lady, and I am so thankful for her life. She made each of us feel so special, even though she had 14 children and 43 grandchildren and many great grandchildren. She was coherent to the end and passed away peacefully with 9 of her 14 children by her side. She was quite a lady and is missed

Easter was wonderful, and Mother’s Day was special. I am so thankful to be a mommy to 2 amazing little girls. I am blessed beyond what I deserve. They truly are gifts from God.

My last day of work for UNMC Physicians was the last Friday in May. I worked there for 5 years. For the past 3 ½ years (since Delaney was born) I have only worked 1 day a week. I am grateful for my time year but excited to move on.

I now work at a Crisis Pregnancy Center and LOVE it! I feel so incredibly blessed to have this job. I will only be working 2 days per week. It’s like a dream job to me. The people have been great, and I love what I do!

Anyone who knows me knows that dance is extra busy from about April through recital. We had recital on May 22^nd. It seems that every extra moment of the day is spent doing one thing or another related to dance, during this time. It is so busy, and I felt like I was constantly shuffling the girls around. Delaney definitely improved from rehearsal (she picked her nose in one of her dances for quite a while – in a video on my facebook). All the dancers did great, and it’s always a lot of fun!

Grant also transferred work to another store and it opened at the end of May. I don’t think I saw my husband for almost a week straight, with me being tied up with recital weekend and then the new store opening this week – it was crazy. Another change...Grant is going to be starting a new job at the end of July. We are really excited about this b/c he will be working fewer hours than he is now and will be working Mon.-Fri. days. His schedule this past year has been so erratic and he has worked so much, but he has loved his job.

My sister came in town for recital and was here throughout the week. It was so good to see her. I miss her so much, and it was so fun to see her growing belly and to feel baby Josiah kick. I really miss having her in town. It’s always so hard to say good-bye.

Speaking of good-byes… my wonderful brother and sister-in-law, Emily moved to CA. I am so happy that they get this opportunity to go to a ministry school there, but we miss them so much! Also, they recently found out that they are expecting a baby in February! We are very excited to have another sweet baby in the family!

Fourth of July was a great day! I am so thankful to live in America! The girls had so much fun, and they love fireworks! They also love to catch lightning bugs. Delaney caught a few and said, “I am SO excited! I didn’t squish them!” Delaney is a really good bug catcher (or killer)..and loves to smash flies with her hands, haha! They had lots of fun times with their cousins!

 Life is good. We are blessed.

Random Things About Me :)

I have always had cold feet (literally), since I was little. Basically every night, my feet are freezing, when I get in bed (I don’t really like to wear socks to bed – it feels weird). I almost always stick my cold feet between Grant’s legs and ask him to warm them up, he usually freaks out – it never gets old, I always get a kick out of his reaction, haha.

I use to love watching any kind of cop shows, solving murders, investigation stuff, Kansas City Swat, you get the idea, but I had to quit b/c I was getting freaked out. I would be scared to go to sleep. However, I really 

enjoy watching Dog the Bounty Hunter.

Starbucks makes me happy. Maybe it releases endorphins or something. I love caramel macchiatos, however, I have been getting americanos lately – trying to cut down on the sugar. In the fall, I love anything pumpkin – makes me happy just thinking about it :)

I love to sleep in, especially when it is raining. And I love the smell of rain on cement.

I really like chocolate, especially dove chocolate with almonds, and seasonal reeses :)

My favorite restaurant is Lo Sole Mio. I could eat at least a whole bowl (or 2 :)) of the garlic. I know that sounds disgusting, so I have quit that habit, since I am usually shunned for a couple of days.

I love to sing really loud in the car, when I am by myself. I jam out. I love to dance in the car too, especially with a few select people, mainly my sis and Lydia :).

I really like country music – not the hard core honky tonk stuff, but like Rascall Flatts, Kenny Chesny, Keith Urban, etc. I love how a song can bring you back to a memory or a time in your life, and a lot of country music does this for me.

I love flip flops and comfy dresses/skirts in the summer.

One of my favorite smells in the spring is lilacs.

I love pregnancy, natural child birth, breastfeeding, and all things babies.

I love being a mommy and am so thankful for 2 healthy, little girls close in age. As you probably know, I like to dress them a like when I can. I love everything about them. I love their self initiated kisses and “I love yous” – melts me.

I have the best family and friends in the world…so blessed. I am very close to my parents, siblings (and their spouses), and my husbands family.

When Averey was a newborn, I picked her up in the middle of the night to go nurse her. As I was walking, I hit my little toe on our bed and my entire toe nail came off – don’t worry I didn’t drop her. I set her on the bed, and I don’t even think Grant woke up through all the commotion. He said he vaguely remembers it.

I love having a reason to celebrate just about anything.

I love Jesus and reading the Bible.

For those of you that know me, you know I love to wear sweats. I still wear a pair of sweatpants that I had in high school, and they are awesome :) haha! 

I love the ocean, the mountains, beautiful flowers, waterfalls, all kinds of outdoor beauty….

I love riding in the car and traveling.

I love to journal.

Love bubble baths.

I love candles.

I don’t really like pop…I’ll have a sprite every now and then. I’m a water girl.

I definitely look better with blonder hair, than I do with my natural brown hair. Most people I know, agree 

with this statement.

During nursing school, I passed out watching a surgery – very embarrassing.

I really don’t enjoy excercising, but I still try to do it – I go in spurts. I do however, love the feeling afterwards.

When Averey was first born, Delaney was teething and I changed 20 poopie diapers between them in one day.

I could go on and on….but I’ll stop for now :)

Funny Story: Potty training has it’s good and bad days. Today wasn’t one of the good ones. Tonight, Averey stood on a chair without underwear on and peed (it seemed never ending) and it was splashing up and going everywhere. I told her to go in the bathroom, and when I went in there she had both hands in the toilet water. I caught her in the toilet so many times today, and she can open doors now. She put crackers in the toilet today too. She tries to flush it like 10 times, when she is sitting on the potty. Then Averey is like “smell my butt” and sticks out her bottom towards me – where does she get this stuff?

Sweet Moment

Today was a great day! The weather was amazing, and we had such a fun family day! We went to the zoo for 2 hours and walked around the entire place and saw some of "Born to be Wild" at the IMAX (Once the popcorn ran out, both girls had to go potty. At that point we left). Bonus: If you have a zoo membership, you get into the IMAX free! I was so excited about this b/c I had never been to the IMAX before, and I have lived here all my life. Afterwards, Grant cooked out hot dogs, and we ate lunch outside.

While at the zoo, I took both girls potty. Delaney was on the potty, and Averey was standing next to her. Averey looks at Delaney and says, "Laney, I love you." And Delaney says, "I love you too." And they gave each other a kiss and hug, while Delaney was sitting on the potty. It melted my heart. Such a sweet moment in life!

A Little Bummed

It’s okay to feel sad sometimes. I am usually happy and don’t get bummed out easily, but tonight I am a little bummed.

My dad’s mom, Virginia is 93 years old. We call her Grandma Gin Gin. She is an amazing lady and has lived life well. She raised 14 children (my dad is #10). She always has such a positive attitude and is not a complainer. She is also really funny and completely with it. Almost every time she sees me, she tells me I’m pretty. I think so highly of her. This past weekend, she had a massive heart attack and her heart is functioning at less than 20% output. She is still completely all there and alert. I went and visited her on Sunday. She kind of laughed and said, “I think every one thought I was dying yesterday b/c I had 12 visitors.” She still had her sense of humor, even though she was not feeling well. At 93 years old and with her health conditions, I know her time is limited. As I stood by her bed, I was fighting the tears, but I know she is at peace with God.

I am really missing my sister, Amy. Sometimes I get sad that she does not live by. I miss coffee dates and just doing things with her. I wish I could see her grow and share in her pregnancy. We were always so close, and I just miss her. I, of course, miss Andrew too :)

My brother aka Uncle Pauly and sister-in-law, Emily are going to be moving to California this summer for a year to attend a ministry school. Both my girls and I are very close to them. I don’t know of an Uncle loving his nieces more than my brother. He adores them, and they adore him. It makes me bummed out to think of not seeing them at least weekly. Emily is one of my best friends too. I love getting coffee with her. I know they only plan on being gone for a year but still, I am going to miss them.

So I took a warm shower and shaved my legs. Shaved legs before bed are always nice. Doesn’t shaving lift your spirits slightly?

I haven’t updated in a little while, but some stories of the past week include:

We were at the park last Tuesday and Averey pooped in her pants – too much fun I guess. Well after I had cleaned her up, before I put on her clean underwear, I asked if she wanted to try and go pee pee. There was no one else at the park at the time and no bathrooms. I guess there was a lady heading towards the park with her daughter, but I didn’t see her. So I bent over, held her under her legs and she is completely off the ground. Well she starts to poop – a lot. Grant comes over and is like, “why are you letting her do that?” Like I have any control…I thought she had already gotten it out in her pants. Apparently I was wrong. Then, I guess Delaney thought it must be cool to go potty in the grass b/c then she suddenly had to go pee. So Grant helped her pee in the grass. I picked up the poo and threw it in the trash like it was doggie poo. Delaney said, “I peed in the grass, and Averey pooped in the grass.” A few days later, Delaney tried to pull down her pants and go pee outside , but I caught her and explained to her that that is an exception.

On Saturday, while I was in the room, Delaney cut a chunk of her pretty hair. That same day, Averey jumped off a box and hurt her foot. She couldn’t walk on it for about 2 hours, and I was worried. Then she was limping and got a little better. There is still a bruise on it, and she is slightly protecting it, when she walks.

Still feel blessed and thankful for so much.

 

Blessed

I know I say how blessed I feel and how thankful I am a lot, but I always want to feel that way no matter what. I am so grateful for the Lord, my awesome family and friends, our health, our jobs, and so many other things. Sometimes I just get into a hot shower and thank the Lord for hot, running water. I know in so many parts of the world that is not even a possibility. I lay in bed at night and think "thank you Lord for this bed." I am grateful that I don't have to sleep on cement or only a blanket. I am so thankful for heat and for air conditioning, where it is so easy to take for granted but maybe considered by some as a luxury. I am thankful for a roof over our head, for a running car, for clothing, and food. I could go on and on, but I will leave it at that :) I just don't want to take what I have for granted, as it is so easy to do.

Today was a great day. The girls played so good together. They were both so sweet and loving to each other and made each other laugh a lot. Some days this is not the case. It always makes me happy, when they are so kind and loving to each other. One game they were playing together was "dog". They had an old piece of cloth that they were using as a leash. It was cute. Delaney was talking about her dog aka Averey. Both of them are always trying to lick me though or others. I feel like I am always saying, "You can't lick me. Please, don't lick mommy's face." (something along those lines). They love pretending they are animals.

I teach dance a couple of times a week and have for a LONG time. I love it. Tonight was a good night. We are in recital gear, getting ready for the recital in May. Love all our dance girls :)

On the way home from picking up the girls tonight, Delaney said, "I don't like rats (she really doesn't like them and talks about that frequently - I think she got scared of the rat on Lady and the Tramp), or beetle bugs, or hyenas." Averey then started to whine, "I scared of hyenas." Then Delaney said back to hear, "Jesus will protect you." Awww :)

Yesterday, Delaney said, "Mom, Do you know bees live in behinds?"

Delaney got to go with Grant yesterday to get "Tangled", and she was telling Averey that you can't go because you're little and Averey said in her cute, angry tone, "I'm not little, I'm a BABY!" Hahaha! Aves still likes to be a baby :)

Home Videos/Stories of Girls

A few times this last week, I took a little time and looked at home videos and photos of the last 3 years. It was so fun seeing the girls as babies and toddlers. They were/are so cute! I know I am biased but pure cuteness! I just love them! I am going to try and post some videos on facebook. Special, wonderful times…I am so happy to have. Well anyways, after looking at the pictures and seeing myself pregnant...I didn't quite have that same feeling of cuteness, haha! Oh my goodness, I don’t remember feeling THAT big. Whoever told me I was cute pregnant, I am pretty sure was lying to me :) I won’t call you out :) After seeing myself, I definitely want to lose weight before getting pregnant again. I haven’t yet decided my plan of how b/c I am lacking some motivation, but I want to at least try to avoid being that gigantic, haha! It was all worth it though! I cared very little about my weight gain, when I was pregnant. I just wanted healthy babies and am so thankful for that every day. And I ended up losing all the weight I gained after Averey without really having to try (Breastfeeding really helped and I was on the MSPI diet b/c she had tummy problems, so that helped even more). My husband said he will help me lose weight (he doesn’t care if I do, but I said I want to lose weight before we have another baby and he really wants another baby), so he made me weigh myself in front of him (I was resisting that at first).  I am not sure how he plans on helping me, but I appreciate the offer.

Funny stories: So if you read my last blog about Averey hurting her cheek at Wal-Mart, these kind of go with them. Delaney said out of the blue, “Mommy, I am sorry I attacked Averey.” For some reason, this cracked me up with the use of the word “attack”. Delaney was also confusing the word tackled with giggled. She was saying, “I giggled Averey”, when telling Grant about it she said it is very bad to giggle her sister. It was so funny b/c she was so serious.

In one of our books there is a male giraffe, and Delaney pointed to the boy part and said, “Mommy, what is this?” I was like, “Uh…”(trying to think how I wanted to word it), then Delaney said, “Tell me mommy.” I said, “it is a boy pee pee.” And she said, “No mom, it’s poop.” Then Averey was like looking really close at it and said, “Eww, that’s poop.”

I had a pimple on my face, and the girls were very concerned about my “owie”, well I used a little concealer on it, and Delaney said, “Did you take some medicine to make your owie go away?” Something like that.

Basically every toy commercial, the girls are like, “mommy! I want that for my birthday!” Delaney was doing this the day after her birthday, and her aunt Emily was like who wants to break the news that it is a year away. :) Averey is doing it too, and she just had hers.

Averey is SO dramatic. She says in a really sweet, whiney voice, “I sick” or “I have an owie” or “I have a fever” or “I need medicine”. The list goes on and on. She is also a huge fit thrower and/or pouter. For example if Delaney presses the elevator button first, she throws a fit or if Delaney does anything first before Averey does, she gets really upset.

Averey sings a lot now. She was singing, “How does she KNOWWW…you love her” (from the movie enchanted) over and over, very loudly. Her grandma said, she was singing it very loud in the store :)

Delaney made up a very interesting song about her friend, Jesus tonight. It was hysterical.

The girls get so excited to see me after I get off work. Love it every time. Tonight, Averey runs to me and says, “Mommy (in the cutest, most endearing tone), I love you (while giving me hugs).”  Aww, melts me every time. She also loves to plays with my face (a lot). Delaney also gets really happy to see me and gives me lots of love too. I love their sweet hugs and kisses and I love yous! I will never get tired of those sweet moments! I feel my girls are blessings straight from the Lord’s heart. How blessed and truly thankful I am!