Honey in charge

While I was at camp, my mother in law watched the kids Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, while my honey was at work. Friday, Christopher took the day off and watched them himself. And then of course on Saturday too since I didn't get home til 1. Here are my thoughts on this in the day and a half that I've been home.

I am so thankful for the combined efforts of Klaudette and Christopher that made it possible for me to go to camp without ever having to worry about my kids.  I knew they were well taken care of and having fun. 

Brady hasn't been feeling well since Tuesday and his appetite has been struggling severely. I'm thankful that Christopher has been an awesome and concerned caretaker for this little guy while I was away. Since I've been home, I can tell that christoper feels a special sense of stewardship over Brady and has felt more comfortable when he can take care of Brady himself instead of me doing it. Like last night when he specifically asked me if he could just put the kids to bed himself (both kids had a hard time going to bed when I put them down Saturday night) while I cleaned up the kitchen (and he actually nudged me on this several times commenting on how cluttered it was when he'd had it spotless for me Saturday night when I came home) and it just made me all happy inside for some reason at this little role reversal since I was so tired I couldn't care less about cleaning the kitchen and could barely get myself off the sofa to say goodnight to the kids. 

Also concerning my honey, since he's been doing everything with the kids by himself while I was gone, he's more comfortable doing it now without any assistance or prompting from me. Saturday after nap and Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon (basically every single time since I've gotten home), I've been so tired and sleeping late and running late getting ready, and my honey has just gone upstairs and gotten both kids ready and dressed and in the car. Even at the little birthday party gathering we went to, I was still chatting and saying goodbye when I looked around and realized that Christopher had already taken the kids to the car and gotten them all buckled. Not like he never did this stuff before but the way he's doing it now is just a little different. And even though this sort of stuff always wears off and whatever, I just want to make sure I remember it, because my honey gets dad of the year award for going above and beyond in a bunch of ways I can't even really write down. 

Oh, and before I forget, pictures my honey took while I was away so I could get some cute texts of our kids. Friday, honey took them to Home Depot, the pool, on a walk after nap, and gave them baths before bed. And somehow in there, he managed to work on the electrical stuff and fix the light in the laundry room!  I'm so excited about this!  Now I can do laundry at night again without being ghetto and using my phone's flashlight app! And I'm so proud of my honey for figuring it all out when that's really out of his element and not his specialty at all. So basically, my honey knocked it out of the park. 

And as a side note, when I came back, Brady reacted as he has before... He was wary of me and didn't want me to touch him or hold him and wouldn't come to me, only extended his hand to carefully push mine away. Luckily we all thought this was hilarious as he just burrowed in closer to his daddy.  I mean, seriously kid... I was gone for less than five days!  I always come back!

The rest of camp

What is my problem?!  I am so terrible at blogging and taking pictures these days. Here's a quick attempt to post something before I fall asleep.

In short, girls camp was AMAZING... Like 100% absolutely insanely incredible.  Words can not express how much fun I had. I soooo hope I get asked again next year. Seriously, it was perfection. The days were long and busy. I was typically up by 5:30 and working in the kitchen by 6. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, we got at least an hour or two of a break. Friday there was zero time for any breaks and I worked in the kitchen for over 14 hours straight. Some nights we didn't finish up until after 10:30 (after dinner we had to clean up and then get started on the following morning's breakfast like French toast casserole or breakfast burritos) and then didn't get to bed until around 1. The craziest thing to me was that our days were so long that we all (I was relieved that it wasn't just me) would think that that morning was yesterday morning because each day seemed the length of two. The other craziest thing was that I had so much energy and nothing really felt like work because it was so fun and I was constantly hanging out and joking around with people. All day long I was running around (I was the official trash person and one of the main dish washers) and up and down stairs (our pantry space and freezers and the huge walk in fridge were all downstairs in the basement) and doing a lot of heavy lifting moving tables and emptying huge trash cans etc and it just didn't even phase me. I could tell that some of the other women were getting tired or burned out more quickly than I was and I was specifically grateful for my heathy and able and youthful body that was able to keep working when others weren't awake yet or had already gone to bed. 

The whole week was so much fun and I made some great friends. Tina and I had tons and tons of fun and were constantly laughing and joking. We went to Colorado city on Thursday to shower at the rec center and it was hilarious. The building was covered in a weird mural that looked like graffiti and since I hadn't brought a towel to camp Tina and I had to get creative sharing what she had. Tina also brought an iPod of music including the Wonder Woman theme song (the girls camp theme was super heroes) and "I need a hero" which we danced to in the kitchen and out of the kitchen and ummm, several other places too. I sincerely hope no one got any of that on video. It was a blast though to let loose and be a little crazy like my friends and I always were at our girls camp. The YCLs even borrowed our aprons and did a skit about Tina and I dancing to Wonder Woman while the girls went through the sandwich line to pack their sack lunches. And I got a "hero holla" for it too which I wasn't expecting since those are anonymously written and submitted by the girls. 

The food was awesome and the French toast casserole recipe I submitted was perfect. Super quick to make, easy to dish, and we made the perfect amount and only had less than a pan left over (which is pretty exact considering we made 20 or 21 pans of it) and everyone was asking for the recipe. And when I was hanging out with the girls friday night while we were all brushing teeth, they were raving about the food and voted the French toast casserole to be their favorite thing of the week tied with the cafe rio pork salads we had that night. 

Fun and memorable things to remember:

the nasty gluten free cream of mushroom soup for the Hawaiian haystacks that all of our gluten free people opted out of except for one and Angie (head cook) herself said looked like a mix of diarrhea and vomit. 

The terribly ineffective triple sink that was made for someone in the four foot range. Our backs all killed from leaning over to wash so many dishes. 

I grilled hamburgers and bacon... And I actually did a good job! It was the only real cooking (where food is altered by heat) I did the entire week. I stayed away from the oven and stove although I did use the microwave to melt some butter. 

I now know the best way to cut romaine and feel confident that when it comes to bell peppers, strawberries, and tomatoes, I am the least wasteful person and get the most from my produce. 

At the end of the week, we realized that no one had space to truck the recycling 45 minutes away to pueblo and had to just throw it all away. Melanie put her arm around me and said "I just want you to know that if they didn't need my truck for anything, I was going to load up all of your beloved recycling and take it to pueblo for you. Because I would really do that." I told her she didn't even need to tell me that because I already knew that she wouldn't hesitate to do that for me if she could. Sadly though, she couldn't. But at least we had managed to recylce our first 48 hours of stuff earlier in the week. 

Sara kept reminding me of Emmy. They're both six feet and have dark, curly hair, and even similar personalities. I really loved that and was super sad that Sara had I leave Thursday afternoon instead of being able to stay until Saturday morning. 

Saturday mornings are always the worst. It's true of stuff like snowbird and the beach, and camp was no exception. It's sad because everyone knows it's done and you're taking down decorations and clearing out the fridge and cleaning everything for the lat time so it looks just as untouched and impersonal as when you arrived. I was thinking about it though and I'm grateful for that... I think it makes it easier to leave. Because all week I was on a high and there was no place I'd rather be, but Saturday morning got me trunky enough to want to get home to my normal life. 

Speaking of normal life, I got home and Abigail cuddled with me and we told each other how much we love each other and within five or so minutes, she was crying because I couldn't understand how she wanted me to tie her fairy princess slippers and I could feel my temper rising. People didn't believe me when I told them girls camp felt fun and easy like a vacation but the thing is, everyone (including myself) forgets how emotionally taxing it is to mother young children. It was a great "break" and I'm obviously rusty and out of practice. Thankfully, my honey was honing his skills while I was away and he's showing me up and steering the boat. I don't know how I'd ever survive without that guy. 

I'm at girls camp!

The camp cooks really do have the most fun.

I went to bed after 1 and woke up at 5. Heather and Tina came at 6:15 and we were on the road by 6:30. We made it to the rye meeting spot a full thirty minutes early. Way before everyone else. We won!  We had so much fun visiting together on the way down. 

Getting to camp was good. I was (and, lets me honest, still am) nervous about being on the cook committee considering my lack of skills or love of cooking. But I've been able to contribute in other ways without a problem. My master organizing skills were awesome when unloading all of the food into the fridges and freezers and pantry space. I'm the official dishes girl. I'm taking care of the system we're using to minimize the amount of space the trash takes up and I even organized recycling and have educated the other cooks on how to recycle. And tonight, I manned the grill flipping and seasoning burgers and I was really good at precisely laying the graham crackers for tomorrow nights chocolate eclair dessert. It's been busy but never hectic. There's always a job if you look for one and take initiative but we're not shouting orders at each other or barking assignments. Our leader is so calm and soft spoken, peaceful and in control. It's been so relaxed and fun. And the food is outstanding. I'm going to gain so much weight this week. 

I really miss my honey. And baby girl and Brady. But I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be here. It's just really amazing already and I can't wait for the rest of the week. 

brady at 18 months

last tuesday, brady had his 18 month well check.  have no fear, all is well!  but since i haven't written an update for the kid basically since he was born, here's a special post... just for my little guy.  i'll try to keep the randomness to a minimum as much as possible... but i make no promises.

just within the last week or two, brady has started getting more adventurous.  and by adventurous, i mean that if we're in a not too crowded public place (like the waiting room at the doctor's office), then he will leave my side.  comfortably going even ten feet away from me.  and maybe if no one is around, he could even go twenty feet away.  i won't lie... it's a really big deal.  abigail is also helping with this because i feel like he's watching her more than ever in terms of social cues and using her as the example for what kids are supposed to do.  also, he loves her to death and trusts her completely so if she's nearby, he's more courageous than if she's not around.

brady has a lot of hobbies, some his own and some that he's mooched off of abigail.  one of his favorite mooched hobbies is jumping.  he likes to try to jump off things (like this little step) and sometimes needs me to hold his hand but sometimes just runs off of it and laughs and congratulates himself as if he'd truly jumped.  also, jumping in place is hilarious.  he squats down real low and then pops himself up on his toes.  he has yet to catch any air but there's not a single person that's been able to watch it without laughing out loud.  it's the greatest.

quite possibly brady's most absolute favorite part of his day is when abigail is getting in bed at night.  brady climbs and signs please and gets so insanely anxious until we plop him in abigail's bed.  then he goes freaking crazy laughing and rolling around and snuggling into abigail and throwing himself into the pillows and basically hyperventilating because he's just so overwhelmed with excitement.

it's hard to get any decent pictures of this because it's nighttime (no natural light coming in) and they move and wiggle so fast!  but this is the gist of it.  they both looooove it.  but brady is truly obsessed.

brady really really really loves bath time.  like runs into the bathroom and tries to throw his leg over and climb in before his clothes are off or the tub is filled.  and he loves just splashing and hanging out playing with bath toys.  so i thought the pool would be a huge hit.  it is not.  the first time we took him, it was to the rec center indoor pool and he was initially terrified, but by the end was totally fine and loving it.  with our neighborhood pool, i'm still trying to figure things out.  he's afraid of people (especially kids because they're so unpredictable) so i know that's part of it but the crowds have died down a lot and he still prefers not to get in the water at all.  he'll get his feet wet, but he won't walk any deeper than his knees.  we still go to the pool several times a week though and he's always excited to get his swimsuit and sunscreen on so i know he enjoys the experience, despite having no interest in the actual pool part of things.  when we're there, he walks around, rarely straying more than five or six feet from me.  he frequently climbs on my lap to snuggle or have me hold him.  he likes to sit in the low to the ground pool chairs by himself.  we eat and snack a lot.  he finds balls and throws them all in the baby pool and then grunts and cries "moooooom" for me to get them out for him.  since we got back from our utah trip, he's also been finding rocks and throwing those into the pool as well.  we have a good time.

it's weird for me that since abigail does her own thing with her floaties in the big pool, and brady doesn't run away from me or try to go in the water, i spend almost all of my time sitting in a chair by the pool.  when abigail was this age, i was constantly up and about, following her everywhere.  not with this guy.  we lounge and munch.

like abigail and myself, brady cleans.  he's not OCD but he does enjoy it.  if his sippy cup has leaked on the floor, i can hand him a little wash cloth rag and he'll wipe it up for me.

brady used to always have a huge bowl of oatmeal for breakfast until a month or so ago when he started showing preference for eggs.  now he loooooooves scrambled eggs.  it's probably his favorite food (aside from sweets... the kid had a major sweet tooth) and he downs a ton every morning for breakfast.  this morning i made six eggs and brady and abigail and i ate every last bite.  brady isn't a picky eater but he has preferences on the food he wants to eat... if that makes any sense.  it's always a gamble if he'll he what i give him because who knows if he's in the mood for that, but it's normally a pretty for sure bet that he'll want watermelon, banana, or oatmeal.  and of course eggs and fiber one oats and chocolate granola bars.  he's obsessed with those.  he doesn't like plain pasta too much and will give it back to you if he knows you're just hiding the sauce.  for the longest time, he wouldn't eat plain tomatoes... he probably still won't... but he'll eat them in fresh salsa or on a sandwich or something.  he's really an awesome eater.  and he eats a ton.

brady's clothes are almost entirely hand me downs so i don't really pay attention too much to what sizes things are, but i think most of what he's wearing right now is 12-18 months and 18-24 months.  even some 2T.  but they're all big on him.  not so big that he looks really weird (it's easier for little boys to get away wearing clothes that are too large) but bigger than what i would have him wearing had i personally selected the size and purchased his clothes for him.  also, i really love little boy clothes.  it's simple and normal but i love just the basic cargo shorts and button down shirts or polos.  or just t shirts that go with everything.  and little plaid shorts and basketball shorts too!  right now, i definitely enjoy dressing brady far more than dressing abigail.  and i'm obsessed with his little blue slip on shoes that he wears literally every day.  i cant get enough of them.  brady also likes his shoes because he's determined that shoes = "go."  so he frequently tries to put shoes on me while i'm cooking or laying in bed as a way to get me to go outside and always gets so excited when i tell him we need to put his shoes on.

speaking of going... brady loves it.  he's always wanting to go somewhere... especially go outside... and his vocabulary reflects that.  it took him a while to start speaking.  everyone told me that boys aren't as verbally advanced as girls and brady has lived up to that stereotype... as well as every single other gender stereotype i've ever heard but that's a different paragraph.  brady's first "word" was something like "unga" which meant pretty much everything.  "i want that" and "okay" and a bunch of other things that it sounded like in context.  his first recognizable word i think was "cheese" which was a total accident when i was taking pictures of him and he really would say "cheeeeeese" clear as day when i got out my camera.  then his most common (like for a while it was literally non stop sometimes) word was "mom" in his special "mooooooom" sort of voice that he does.  he calls chris mom too.  and maybe other family adults like grandparents, but i'm not positive because i haven't paid attention well enough.  when we went on our utah trip, he was 17.5 months and was saying at least two new words a day.  so now his vocabulary also includes, fish, cow, horse, chief (that was the dog), dog, cat, and most importantly... "GO."  so "unga" (pronounced like oon-ga) is now more commonly "ungo" which just means "i wanna GO!"  the latest variation from this is "ungoooouuuuuut" which subtleties i can't even begin to attempt to capture in writing.  but it means "i wanna get out."  the get out part is said very strangely (it makes me think of someone speaking cambodian or something) and the "t" sound is barely audible.  anyways, it's fun hearing brady learn and say new words and phrases.  the funniest part of everything is that aside from "mom" he doesn't say any basic words.  he can sign please, thank you, all done, milk, and bye bye, but he doesn't actually say any of those words.  also, he doesn't say yes or no (abigail's two first words) but has his own version.  when the answer is yes, he does a sort of laugh and when the answer is no, he scrunches his face and does a whine.  it's really obvious when he's doing it so despite his limited vocabulary, i almost never feel like our communication is limited because of it.

so far, brady has lived up to all of the gender stereotypes people have told me ever since i announced i was pregnant with a boy.  "boys really love their mommas.  the term 'momma's boy' is REAL."  abigail has always preferred me even though she loved everyone.  brady?  no.  it has to be me.  if he falls down and cries, he will pass multiple grandparents, aunts and uncles, abigail, and chris, to stand by me until i pick him up and comfort him.  if we are in an unfamiliar place, like when we were at the cabin, he only wants me.  he needs to be held and it needs to be his mom.  also, the kid loves to cuddle.  he comes to me frequently during the day just to give me cuddle hugs.  not like he needs to cuddle with me for a few minutes, he just needs to cuddle into my arms for 10 or 15 seconds before he goes off to play more.  "boys aren't as verbal as girls but they're definitely more physical."  yes and yes.  brady's speech has been less skilled and slower to come... although i feel like the same could be said for his physical coordination.  but the thing is, he's physical, especially in the ways that are sterotypically boy things... like throwing.  the kid throws everything.  seriously everything.  also, he's fallen down the stairs and bumped into things and holy cow, he's always getting hurt and getting major facial injuries it doesn't do a thing to deter him from doing that thing again.  "boys like playing with balls."  yes.  this is brady's biggest obsession right now.  add "ball" to the incomplete list of things that he says.  he loooves balls and loves throwing balls (especially in the street so they can roll far, far away) and kicking balls and just holding balls.  yesterday we were reading the stanford 101 board book we have and we got to the sports page.  brady got so excited and just kept pointing to the balls so i could say "tennis ball" or "basketball" or "golf ball" or whatever.  nature vs. nurture... i surround the kid with a good variety of toys... especially girl toys... and while he appreciates bracelets and purses and fairy princess slippers and grocery shopping as much as the rest of us, he's found his niche.  "boys aren't as social as girls."  as i said somewhere above, in general, brady is afraid of people and i have to tell people this all the time because they're always confused about what made brady cry.  brady was wearing a striped shirt the other day and when my friend cristy saw it, she gently touched brady's shoulder and said "oh, we have this shirt too."  brady started fussing and crying and clutched my pants while he hid behind my legs.  she was all "oh my goodness, what did i do?! i'm so sorry!" but i just explained the situation "well, he's afraid of people... and you semi touched him."  his doctor's appointment last week was all estimates on his measurements because we were in a small room with a nurse he didn't know and he FREAKED OUT when i laid him down to get his height measurement.  and then he was in such a HUGE HUGE PANIC when i tried to put him on the scale that we couldn't get a reading on his weight.  we actually repositioned the scale and then i had to explain to the nurse that he's afriad of people and could she please stand in the opposite corner of the room while i place him on the scale.  it only helped moderately though because he was already so suspicious and freaking out.  the head circumference was also a crap shoot.  ha, whatever.  when the doctor came in, i had him sitting on my lap and it seemed like he remembered her because he didn't freak out as much.  she's awesome though and she conducted the whole appointment with brady laying cuddled in my arms.  sometimes he panicked, but never too bad because i always kept a firm and secure grip on him and i think he knew i wasn't going to hand him off to anyone.  today, i took him back to get his vaccinations since he was sick last week and the doctor didn't want to shoot him up when his body was already fighting off infection.  i'd prepped abigail in the car "brady is going to be getting two shots because he's 18 months old and these shots will poke him and hurt him a little bit but it's okay that he cries about it because the shots will help him to stay healthy."  well, the kid started screaming bloody murder when i laid him down on the table... like if i wasn't watching, i wouldn't have even known when each of the shots happened.  he stopped crying though as soon as we left the tiny room with the nurse. he got a sticker and was happy about that.  anyways, not a fan of people but even less of a fan of kids, especially babies his own age.  frequently at church and the library, baby girls his age are trying to give him hugs and kisses or check out his binky or something else that puts them in brady's physical space.  he cries.  every time.  sometimes he scrambles to get away and ends up falling in the process.  so i guess it's the fall that made him cry, but really it was the kid.  he does better with kids abigail's age and with people he's familiar with.  although, i won't lie, he just cries easily in general.  whether he's bumped his head or tripped or gotten startled or not gotten his way... he just cries.  it's just his nature... he's a sensitive guy.

surprisingly, he actually did really well at nursery on sunday!  i was worried because it's a small room with two adults he doesn't know and a bunch of kids he doesn't like.  but the nursery leaders said he only cried five or so times and that by the end they figured out the trick to keeping him happy was balls and treats.  yes.  chris dropped him off and picked him up so that's pretty much all i know, but i consider it a huge success that they never brought him to me and that he didn't cry the whole time.  also, chris said he didn't even cry when he dropped him off (he waited by the door and looked through the window after he left and brady was still happy) and that he waved goodbye to all the other kids (i think there were only five there... which probably helped the day) when chris came to pick him up.  i'm more worried for next week that he'll remember and panic since he knows the drill now.  and i know from my experience working at a daycare that the second day is normally the day things unravel.  so hopefully next week (and all the others!) goes well.

every time i sit down to write one of these kid updates i'm all "what on earth am i going to write?!" and then it gets out of hand long like this.  i swear i'll never learn.  

anyways, brady is in size three diapers during the day and size 4 at night.  he's got 12 teeth... four top, four bottom, four molars.  he's the most ticklish kid i've ever met in my entire life and will bust out laughing even if i just make a funny face or show him my hand (like i'm about to tickle him).  he eats as much as an adult, and out eats me most days.  he sleeps 12-14 hours at night (although since it's summer and light outside it's been closer to 12 or 13) and naps every afternoon for around 3 hours but could be as little as 2 or more than 4.  also, he's got a huge belly and loves to lift up his shirt and rub his belly.  and no matter how tired he is, he'll always tell you no when you ask him if he wants to go to bed even though he never actually fights bedtime.  

brady's typical day: 

9:30-10:30 wake up and get dressed

the hour following- eat breakfast

11ish- if we're going out to story time or errands or the pool or something we're normally leaving by 11.

playtime until 1:15 or 1:30.  i normally feed him a quick lunch or snack (like a banana or granola bar at the end of errands or right after we get home and then give him a binky and put him in bed.

1 30 or 2 naptime  (this time totally varies on wake up time, how late errands keep us, and brady's mood.

a good nap is 3 hours.  sometimes it's less than two, sometimes it's over four.

until 5 - wake up.  we play and maybe attempt to make dinner.  since honey's work schedule varies so much, this is always just some unstructured time at home, normally in the front yard.

5 30 - 6 30ish - dinner and hanging out as a family

until 8:30* - playtime... normally outside.  either hockey on the driveway or a walk around the neighborhood.

9 - head upstairs and get ready for bed... teeth, diaper, pj's, fan, binky bed. if we're doing the nighttime routine with both kids at the same time then we do books, snuggles, a scripture (abigail says one to brady each night... he gets giddy with excitement) and prayer in abigail's room. this can last as long or short as we want it... but it's normally 20 minutes when we do the kids together and maybe 4 minutes when i do brady by myself.  

*nighttime varies a lot since it's summer and we've got a lot going on.  if the weather is rainy or brady took an early nap or if honey got home early from work and we already had a lot of time to play then we'll take the kids up to bed at 7:15 or 7:30.  but right now it's more common that we'll have something going on like getting together with family or friends or taking a long walk or just sitting outside with the neighborhood kids or whatever and we don't even go inside until after 9.  i know 9:30 is late for a 1 year old to go to bed, but he sleeps in to compensate and right now, it just really works for us.  

every time i take a picture of brady, i can't help but think how he looks so big.  like a real kid!  it makes me giddy with excitement.  he really is such a fun kid.  i love that he wants to cuddle and that he laughs as a way of saying yes.  he started walking around 14 months and when he runs, i think it's the most adorable thing ever, right up with saying "moooom" all the time.  i'm really loving him right now but i also can't wait for him to be two.  he's got a good sense of humor and i have a feeling he's going to be a hilarious two year old.  

i can't wait to see what the future holds for this guy.

Wet kids

6.19.14

Last day at 29

Today I took not a single picture. Literally not even one. 

But we did have a really fun and busy day. We woke up early for a byu scholarship fundraiser 5k. Chris pushed the stroller the whole way so it was easier for me to run. I still didn't enjoy it. Running is not my thing. 

On our way home, we drove past a million and one garage sales. We rolled down our window like a drive through. We got a child size outdoor bench from the first house we stopped at. Unlike all the others, theirs was a moving sale. That's where it's at. We didn't see anything we needed but Chris asked if they had a bench. They're all ummm, we've got this one on our front porch. Then they all had a quick conversation like "no, I wasn't planning on selling it, but I don't need it. We're you wanting to keep it? Okay then."  And then the lady said "how much?" Chris made her name a price and then countered with half. We got a cute bench for $5. Really the experience was the best part. 

After we got home, Abigail played in the sprinklers with the neighbor girls while Chris and I washed my car and Brady watched from the stroller. 

Honey put Brady down for nap while I mowed the lawn. Then Abigail and honey and I watched World Cup and impractical jokers. I'm in love with that show. It literally makes me laugh out loud. 

At four, we had the elders quorum BBQ at our neighborhood park. Brady and I went late since he was napping but we still hung out for over two hours. The food was delicious and there was even a bounce house for the kids. 

We went straight from the BBQ to the hackings for some AMAZING German chocolate cake and ice cream for a little b-day celebration for Johnny. We love the hackings and had a lot of fun meeting and hanging out with their other friends there. Also, Brady loooooved coco the dog. I won't lie, I actually did too. Best dog ever. 

And since Saturday is the day we get ready for Sunday, we filled the car with gas and returned some library books on our way home. Now I've just got to prepare my sunbeam lesson for tomorrow since I'm subbing again for a teacher training they've got going on. At least it's Abigail's class. 

And tomorrow is supposed to be Brady's first Sunday in nursery. I don't have high hopes for him but the optimist in me is crossing my fingers for a happy kid. Wish us luck. 

Also, I'm super excited for honey's birthday tomorrow!!!

My ideal husband

Tonight, as usual, my honey texted me to let me know he's be home in 20 minutes. I've been sitting on my butt all day (well, since sunday morning actually) and our house is a disgusting mess. Of course I had no intention of making dinner because I feel so miserable and sick. But I still asked my honey if he was hungry and wanted me to make something for him. 

This is the man I married. 

We may have our differences, but it turns out we're still 100% compatible in the areas that matter most. 

Already back

Vacations feels like some weird time travel to me. One minute I'm consumed with travel anxiety and the next minute I'm all, wait, we're back already? Did that really just even happen?!  Books do that too. So a week of travel and two books... I'm feeling all sorts of out of sorts. 

Maybe since tomorrow is Sunday I can blog about the trip. Hopefully. Although maybe since it's Father's Day that might have to wait. We'll see. 

Anyways, the trip was amazing. Driving to Idaho on Friday and spending the weekend at the Stewart's ranch, living the rustic life at the cabin from Monday to Thursday, and hanging out with honeys family at snowbird from Thursday night to Saturday morning. And the drive back today wasn't even that bad. I don't mind driving but Brady sure does. Luckily though, Abigail was perfectly behaved today. Like seriously amazing and so cute. And Brady was just sleepy and grumpy but it could have been far worse. 

We got back around seven maybe?  I have no clue, it's been sort of a technology cleanse too and I haven't been at all concerned with the time or date even. Anyways, I spent the next literally four hours unpacking and burning through four loads of laundry. Sometimes I can believe it used to take me months to unpack from a trip. Except that sometimes I still procrastinate a week or two. Anyways, it was a great trip.  Seriously so wonderful. Mark my words, I will blog about it! Now I have a week at home before girls camp and then another week before heading to Atlanta/the beach. 

Ps- I read the Rosie project the first few days of the trip. And read the rent collector Thursday night to Saturday night. Now it is fresh in my mind why I don't read more often. Books completely consume me. How am I supposed to make that for that?!  Impossible. 

Wednesday

The kids were so excited when I told them we were going to the pool. I got them lathered up and then decided to let that soak in while I went to my room to get myself lotioned and dressed. Well, Brady freaked out trying to get his diaper off while I was gone. When I came back, he frantically led me to the door, lest I had forgotten our initial pool plan. What a funny little coppertone baby.

The Mormon mom crew was there as usual which was tons of fun. And when that died down after noon, Jodi came and we sat and hung out while the kids played. I keep feeling like I should be watching more kids. But then I remind myself that I only have two. So tht makes things easy. And Abigail has arm floaties so she's happy to play in the baby pool or float in the big pool... Just doing her own thing. And Brady? He never leaves my side. Literally, I sit on the side of the baby pool with my feet in the water and he does the same (although his feet don't quite touch). Occasionally he'll sit in my lap, sometimes snuggling, and sometimes he just walks around me, just never strays more than a foot or two. When I get up to get snacks or a drink or check my phone, he just follows right along. I call him my little duckling. Anyways, it makes the pool really easy. And it's great. When Abigail was 12 and 24 months, I was constantly following her around the pool and on constant guard that she wouldn't crawl face first underwater in the baby pool. With Brady, he just stays right close to me. It's a nice perk.

But this girl?  So cute. She keeps telling me that she likes going to the pool so she can practice swimming in the big pool with no floaties. But then when I ask for clarification it's basically that she likes to swim with floaties so that eventually when she's as big as I am, she'll be able to swim by herself.

I think that's the gist of it.

We got home at 2 and the two neighborhood girls came running straight over. "Abigail!!! We've been waiting for you forever!  We kept ringing your doorbell like every five minutes!"  They played for almost two hours until Elle came to pick baby girl up to play at her house. Then she came home around six. And then the tantrums started. At first I was all "what?!  But we've been getting along so well today!"  And then the thought popped into my head, "I get along with Abigail so well when she's not around."  Ugh, this kid is totally me. Happy and agreeable with friends, rude and defiant at home. Sweet. 

I tried a new recipe tonight and I very highly recommend it. It's from allrecipes. I literally typed something wonderfully vague like "tortellini recipe" and clicked the first allrecipes link. It had almost five stars and almost 1000 reviews so I just made it. Didn't even read the reviews or scope alternative recipes. I almost never do that but I was in such a hurry since I'd already gotten Chris's 20 minute text. Anyways, it's some creamy tomato spinach recipe and it was insanely quick and easy. Seriously. I didn't have cream so instead of the 3/4 cup it called for, I used the 4-5 ounces of cream cheese I already had open in the fridge. Everything else was following the recipe. Except that I actually forgot to add the Parmesan cheese. Whoops. I had some fresh spinach that I'd thrown in the freezer several weeks ago. I'd spread it thin before freezing it, so I actually just crumbled it in the bag and didn't even have to chop it or anything. I'm super lazy so I appreciate shortcuts like that more than I should. Also, I kept my sauce separate. Because I prefer that when dishing up dinner. 

Honey had a presidency meeting and basketball at the church. I was lazy and played on my computer forever while the kids wandered and played in the great room with me. We had a crazy lightening and hail storm around 8:30 that actually had me worried for a bit. And I sang to Brady tonight before bed which resulted in him crying when I finally put him in his crib. That boy sure loves to be sung to. 

Honey and I watched an episode of impractical jokers on the sofa when he got home. Lately I've been loving that show and loving watching tv in the great room (as opposed to in our bedroom before we go to sleep). Anyways, it was a marvelous day and I even got laundry and dishes and stuff like that done and haven't been feeling my travel anxiety too deeply. 

Now I'm just trying to get myself pumped for packing and a road trip and a whole lot of fun in Utah with my parents!!!  It's gonna be amazing. 

Tuesday

Chase came over at 8:45. Super early for me but I set my alarm and showered and got dressed first so it actually made me feel like I had a head start on the dy instead of the day having a head start on me. After he left, we went to the library to return some things. Mainly because I had a book that was overdue because I never got around to reading it. 

On my way to and from the library, I picked up a hocking backpack (the kind you put a baby in) and an ergo. So now we're all set for hiking at the cabin. I tried Abigail in the ergo since that'll be her ride. She thought it was great. 

Meanwhile, Brady found chase's sippy that I'd searched high and low for when kylee had come earlier to get chase. Now we'll never know where it had been. But glad to have it located since it was full of milk! 

Surprise surprise, Brady wasn't a fan of the ergo. I didn't try him in the backpack but I'm guessing it will be similar. Lets say some prayers that he'll cooperate for some hiking next week! 

Brady likes shoes. He likes when everyone is wearing shoes (likely because it normally means we are about to go outside) but also enjoys playing with shoes. I remember Abigail had a shoe fetish around this age too. Anyways, while Abigail was at Lucy's house (for multiple hours... I told her dad I was going to have to start paying him for childcare) I continually assisted Brady with these purple fairy slippers. 

And read this book. The one that was overdue that I meant to return. Because I came home and found is left it on my nightstand. So I'll be paying some late fees. But the positive side is that I'm a pretty quick reader and was able to speed read the whole thing (well, the parts applicable to me. Because apparently Abigail is a type 1... So the rest wasn't necessary. 

Brady is the cutest ever. He loves praying. Even if I just say the word... Like "yeah Abigail, I said a prayer this morning for breakfast" then he'll automatically fold his arms. He's so quick and now it's like a game to me if I say prayer in a different context, then I immediately glance to him to see if he heard and is already folding his arms. Like this:

Like I said in a previous post, he grabs the middle of one forearm. Most often the middle but frequently just above the wrist. In these pictures it's actually strange that he's so close to his elbow. Regardless, it's always so cute. 

Also, I love his legs. 

I'm so obsessed with this kid these days. 18 months is the best age ever. And it's great to know that I'll likely love him for at least another year because I like 2's too. 

Christopher and I had so much fun hanging out tonight. Eating tacos and just talking about kids and whatever and then hanging out in the yard while he weeded and I texted and just being together. It's amazing to me how sweet and easy our home life is when work for him isn't as horribly hectic and stressful as it usually is. This is the least busy time of year for him and it totally shows. 

I love it.