Thursday softball and book club

Memorial Day at boondocks

Double stroller 

Kid go cart

Chick fil a

Why do kids sit like this?!

Sibling snuggles 

Ankle admission band 

Bowling

Cutest bowler ever

Brady skipping nap 

Winning

I suck but at least I got a strike 

Puzzle prize for 400 tickets

Asleep

Asleep

Yard work 

The end. 

Mormon mom pool party

Happy Sunday

Today was great. Church was awesome. All three hours. Especially relief society though. We split into groups and talked about our strategies for things like prayer, scripture study, fhe, etc. and I met two new people. One was an old lady from Atlanta that knows dad (surprise surprise) and the other was the sister of one of Chris's friends.

After church we ate and declared it naptime. Not sure why, but Brady woke up crying an hour later, which was super confusing to me in my groggy, sleeping state of mind. But eventually I rolled myself out of bed and got him up. I set him in the great room where Abigail was playing and then I went back to bed. The plan was just to lay for a few minutes while my mind woke up. But I was so exhausted that I fell back asleep for another hour or something. When I woke up, Chris was already awake and gone to his home teaching appointment, Abigail was playing on the floor, Brady was roaming around, and I had a pair of flip flops on my bed strategically placed about ten inches from my head. 

Brady kept grunting/whining (it's his signature sound) and gesturing to me so I eventually got out of bed and followed him to the kitchen where he picked up the shoes I'd worn to church, and he proceeded to put them on my feet.

And then tried to open the door for us to go outside. It's pretty much his only goal in life right now. Well, and balls.

Eventually we all got dressed and honey got home from home teaching. And we played on the driveway a bit and then went walking. The cottles were outside so we hung out with them for pretty much forever until after seven when it was time to get back home to feed the kids and put them in bed.

And then honey and I hung out and cleaned the kitchen together which is pretty much my epitome of perfection. For some reason, when I was single and trying to imagine life with my future husband, I would imagine us hanging out and doing dishes together after dinner. Weird but true. 

So basically, today was amazing. And I'm so excited to spend Memorial Day tomorrow with Chris's family. And then to take the kids to the pool this week. And get some new books from the library. And dessert with our friends. And hosting book club on Thursday. And honey's softball game. And other fun stuff. Sometimes I'm not super pumped about summer because, well, spiders. And I've developed an intense love for fall and winter and spring. But thankfully, right now I'm pretty excited about summertime too. 

Cool treats at the pool

Memorial weekend BBQ

Thursday I had to wake Brady up twice because he always sleeps so late. My favorite part is taking a picture of him while he's sleeping. So much so that Abigail likes to ask and reference how I "take pictures of Brady to wake him up with the flash."  Anyways, he's been looking so big lately.

I've been trying to implement a new morning routine with Abigail called "don't come downstairs until you've gone potty and gotten dressed."  If you take things at face value, you might think I was disappointed with the results (only somewhat) because Abigail has yet to pull this off successfully. The unexpected but bonus side effect is that, since she is the queen of procrastination and daydreaming, she will stay in her room for about two hours after she wakes up. Y'know... Just doing anything that doesn't involve getting dressed. Also, she has probably around 150 books in her room and they constantly litter the floor. Like tonight, I cleaned them up again, but I know tomorrow they'll be so scattered, I won't even be able I see her carpet.

Friday morning we went to story time. We got there as it should have been ending. But the lady must have started late or had a full agenda because it lasted for another 15 minutes!  I appreciate those little blessings. It was wonderful. Even if Brady only participates from a distance. He's terrified of strangers... Especially unpredictable kids that will get in his space or try to give him hugs. So he won't go near them any cries and screams when one comes near him. I can not get over how opposite he and Abigail are.

Also, when did he get so big?!  He's acting so much bigger lately, especially since I felt like he stayed a baby for longer than what I considered Abigail a baby. But I notice his appearance more in pictures. He looks normal until I review my picture and I'm all "who's kid is that?!?!"  He looks so so big to me.

Also, this little girl is still rude and defiant but has moments of sweetness. When I try to take a picture, she'll be a grump or act like she can't hear me. Until I tell her I'm going to text a picture to daddy. Then she's all "cheeeeeese" with her cheesiest face ever. It's forced but we'll take it.

I got Brady up from at 5:30 and the three of us headed to the Hilliers for a BBQ. Honey met us there since he went straight from work. On the way, Abigail commented on all those beautiful colors in that [landscaping] truck. Well alrighty.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, y'all.

I thought it was so precious that I turned around to take her picture (it was a loooong light) but she turned into an instant grump. I don't lie... She's a difficult one.

And of course I left my phone in my purse our whole time at the Hilliers so I didn't get any pictures. The kids played outside forever with Chris and John and Nate. I hung out with Klaudette and Brent. We all ate amazing food. Sometimes I tire of BBQs, but not at the Hilliers. My father in law grills a mean steak and cooked mine to my medium [rare] perfection. And of course we had plenty of chips, potato salad, corn on the cob, baked beans, watermelon, and pineapple.  The best part is always just hanging out. My mil showed me some quilts she's working on and we loved watching the kids play. Especially Brady with all of Nate's tennis balls. Brady is obsessed with balls and couldn't get enough of throwing and fetching them himself. And when he found a mini hockey stuck and was chasing after the tennis balls with it... Oh my goodness, it was as if it was realizing a lifelong dream of mine that I never even knew I had. 

Anyways, it was great. Really, really great. 

Elle, Lucy, and Brady

Basically, Brady wants to be a big kid and is obsessed with hanging out with Abigail and her friends. 

The girls had toys out in the great room, and completely trashed both Abigail's room and the playroom. Surprisingly though, both girls were actually really efficient cleaning up!

This was halfway through the cleaning process. I went to take a few things downstairs.

And when I came back they were all "look! We're making a tower!"  Ha. And we got almost the entire playroom cleaned up too.

I actually made dinner tonight... Which never happens. It was my first time making this recipe. It's our best bites... I thought it was delish. I followed the recipe (except that I always guess measurements) but left out the green onions because I never have them and never miss them. Oh, and I added more cheese... By genuine accident.

I also served steamed broccoli. Because we never eat broccoli but we should because it's so good for you. One serving has around 5g protein and 5g fiber and 220% of your calcium for the day. Abigail asked if she could take the leftovers outside to snack on. Well, she and Lucy went to town on their snack. Steamed broccoli... 100% naked, not even salt added.

Funny kids. Also, does anyone have any recipes with broccoli?  My preferences are that the recipe is easy and uses fairly basic ingredients. Bonus points if it is some sort of casserole or something that bakes.

Those tiny little speckles are cows, which Abigail always likes to tell me look like horses. They're at the fence which marks the property lines designating where the town homes will be built. Words can't express my love for these cows grazing behind our home.

I took three pictures of this guy. The first was a weird smile from the way he says "cheese" every time I point my phone at him. The third was him doing the face he makes all day long when he's doing his whine that means "no."  This was the middle picture. It's just him in all of his sweetness.

Sidewalk chalk. Abigail got so excited when I got it out and kept telling me about how that's what she did with aunt Emmy. Also, Abigail kept throwing them and breaking them so I told her she could only use the eggs shaped ones that don't break. Now she's going to tell that to every stranger she meets.

Brady was only interested in the egg shaped ones because they look like balls. He would color a stroke or two but mostly just kept throwing them. Are boys really hard wired to love balls and sports?  I didn't believe it until now but after seeing Brady I'm at a loss for any other explanation to explain this obsession.

Brady can't get enough of Abigail. He wants to play with her (and her friends) all day long and whines and cries when I take him away.

Tonight I told him to say goodnight and he five into Abigail's arms for a hug. Then they couldn't stop snuggling and giggling and cuddling. And of course he arched his back and grabbed the door frame and threw a fit when I picked him up to leave.

Abigail really lives Brady, but Brady's love for Abigail is just unparalleled.

I'm worn out. 

Ps- I hate making dinner. Seriously biggest waste of time ever. If I lived alone, I would only eat things that could be prepared and cleaned up in less than 7 minutes. I keep praying and hoping that someday I might enjoy the process. Until then!