Family Bonds

This isn't a very good title, but I couldn't put my finger on the phrase I was thinking of. Anyway! So a few things... a few months ago, I got the itch to put my basin to good use by putting a garden in it- how cute would that be, right?? And then Jared got this brilliant idea to turn the pile of rocks in the corner of our backyard into a garden too! Genius! So he and my brother set to work hauling out all the rock, hard dirt and making a planting area so I could put some flowers in there. LOVE IT!!

So, now several months later, I've got myself a nice looking "flower garden" (not a whole lot of flowers yet) that I love to go out and admire and be proud of. I also planted some lettuce in my basin (which didn't last long once it got nice and toasty outside) that we got to eat a couple of times (before it died). And lately when I go out to look at my green garden, I get to thinking about all the family of farmers  that have probably done the same thing I do.

 Both my mom and dad come from farming families of some sort. My Dad's from Idaho and it was always fun visiting our grandparents and admiring their garden (and riding in wagons down the hill......which destroyed their garden). My mom's parents both lived in Utah and were farmers of sorts with underground cellars and livestock and of course grew their own vegetables. We always had a garden in our yards growing up, and it was fun to eat fresh veggies on a regular basis. The best thing too is that Addie gets just as excited as I do when plants and flowers start popping up- maybe the farming gene will be carried through the family!

My sunflowers below are starting to bud!!

I am finding that it is the neatest feeling to grow something from literally a seed  which is eatable and that provides for you. I know I don't have much that does that right now (a piddly basil plant to sprinkle it's leaves on my pizzas) but even that gives me great satisfaction! Once the heat moves on and the weather cools, I'm excited to grow some carrots and whatever else I feel like trying out! 

See the awesome drip system Jared and my Dad installed?? Am I lucky or what???

Also on the note of family....I was super excited that for Mother's day, Addie was finally big enough to wear this dress:

Although it doesn't look like anything special (neither were any of Addie's facial expressions......I tried), this dress is pretty neat because I wore it....my sister wore it......my two cousins wore it....and then another two cousins after that! My mom bought this dress at a thrift store when I was a girl and it just sort of got passed down to her two sister's girls too! So this dress is probably 22+ years old and still in great shape! Pretty neat!

Here's me wearing it at around age 3:

Famiy Pictures 2012

A  few weeks ago I finally got around to scheduling that our family pictures got taken. I've been wanting some nice ones for a long time now, and I especially wanted a friend in our ward to take them since I'd seen some of the photos she'd taken in the past. 


I was a little discouraged because everything seemed to be going wrong right before and during we got them done. Last minute clothing changes, location change, being late, kids not cooperating, Dallin eating leaves and dirt, Addie's borrowed skirt falling down, etc. Which was really difficult for me because I'd had this picture in my brain about how everything should be and look. I'm not too much of a perfectionist, but my sister is, and she actually told me when I was telling her about everything that went wrong that she could completely sympathize because that's how she felt for almost everything! haha I guess I should be grateful this was the first time I got so irritated like that. Needless to say, I was a little dissapointed and nervous to see how the pictures of our stubborn children looked when they were not smiling and looking off into nothingness.


So..... i just got them yesterday, and just like Anne reassured me, they actually turned out! No, the kids are not always looking at the camera or smiling, but I really really LOVE how they turned out!! They were exactly how I envisioned them to be and I actually kind of love how everyone is more candid because years from now, we'll remember how our family dynamic was at this point in our lives! Thank you, thank you Anne for capturing that!

Yum!

I don't consider myself that great of a cook. I do pretty good at following directions, and I do like trying new recipes, when they come my way, but being somewhat picky discourages me from branching out. Actually, I'm a lot less picky than I've ever been (probably thanks to Jared- he's always encouraging me to try new stuff) so I will try recipes if I've heard they taste good, the picture is enticing, I know the ingredients, and it doesn't call for too many pricey ingredients. Which leads me to this wonderful dinner goodness!! Super easy, super yummy and definitely my new favorite which we will be eating every Sunday from now on!


Pepsi Pot Roast
1 pork pot roast (looks like a beef pot roast.....i had to ask)
1 packet of Lipton onion soup mix
1 can of cream of mushroom
1 small bottle of pepsi (the size that's refrigerated towards the checkout lines)
carrots
onion
potatoes


Grease crock pot and put pork and veggies inside. Sprinkle with onion soup mix and add cream of mushroom (spread around). Pour bottle of pepsi inside. I know....I thought the pepsi was weird too, but you won't regret it!! Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4 hours. 


*I cooked it for 10+ hours and it was amazing! My personal opinion is the longer the meat cooks in a crock pot, the yummier*


**Also, I found this recipe but can't remember where, it was one of the recipe sites I have listed on the right of my blog- sorry!* *


Try it and let me know what you think!

Delightful Dallin!

I feel somewhat of a slacker in terms of blogging about Dallin. I'm pretty sure I blogged way more about Addie at this age. Well, here's an overdue update on Dallin!


Munchkin man is 9 months now and we just went in to his doctor appointment. He is:
                       ~27 1/2 inches tall (13%)
                       ~16.15 lbs. (7%)
                       ~17 3/4 in the head (50%)


which is super funny because Addie was:
                        ~27 1/4 inches tall (50%)
                        ~15.10 lbs. (5%)
The percentile stuff doesn't really make any sense to me, but they are about the same considering  only being 4 oz apart on birth weight. Also like Addie, we got a nice lecture on how he is underweight and needs to be fattened up etc. etc.. Although that is always somewhat depressing to hear, the only good that has come from this is that I have can see how close Addie was and know that this just may be how our kids grow. Also, from talking to other moms, I am feeding him about the same as other mom's whose babies are the same age. So, whatever!


Dallin is super active and it's so fun to see how different he and his sister have been. Although Addie was walking by this point, Dallin is getting closer but has more interest in climbing! It has been catching me off guard every time he figures out how to climb something new! He can climb up our kid rocking chair, steep stairs, kid plastic chairs all by himself and the couch and adult rocking chair whenever there is something against it to step up first. 

Dallin is also the best baby anyone could ever ask for! He still goes peacefully to sleep when I rock him, smiles constantly, and thinks everything is hilarious! I pet the cat- he laughs, Addie dances- he laughs, I make a silly noise- he laughs. Dallin is such a fun person to be around because of his cheerful attitude, I can see him being one of those "likable" personalities others are drawn to and enjoy being around.

Mister Man is into clapping a lot lately. He will bust out clapping randomly throughout the day and always gets this big grin on his face! He also loves this 1970's baby "walker" I found at a garage sale! He is so funny because he walks like he's got somewhere important to be (with a little lizard walk flare!) and when it crashes against a wall, he'll go to the front of it and push it backwards! He can do this forever!! 

 Some extra things about Dallin, he just broke in his second tooth and the doctor said his top gums were swollen, so we are expecting to see the debut of two more teeth soon! Dallin is pretty loud too! He constantly jabbers and loves to make random outbursts! Also, as wonderful as Dallin is, he does become a little tricky after 7pm with anyone besides ME. For whatever reason, he will scream and cry (which he never does) if I'm not around. As much of a compliment that is, it does make it difficult when I want to go to book club, relief society activities, ice cream trips, go on a date, you get the idea. Hopefully he grows out of that, because Jared pretty much refuses to watch him anymore because he instantly cries and there is nothing Jared can do that will comfort him. Hmmm....mama's boy???

 

We just love our little guy! His cheeks are just begging for kisses, and he's more than happy to allow me to ambush him with loves most times! We are so happy to have him in our house and apart of this family, he brings so much cheer and laughter and is a good brother and balance with Addie! How we love our Dallin!

Disneylamb 2012

"Come on! Come on! You want to go to Disneylamb????" Is how our adventure started! Addie was pounding her head against the front door and saying that phrase over and over and over again. The anticipation was just too much for our Disney die-hard fan!

The kids did so very good the first two days at Disney and at the beach. Addie has a really hard time with change, so we were pretty nervous about all the lack of naps, irregular bedtimes, different beds, new things, and over stimulation. But we were shocked at how well she did- didn't have a single bathroom accident and Dallin did equally well considering babycenter.com warned me that at "9 months old, traveling may be very overwhelming".

Addie really liked eating at "The Blue Bayou" since we told her it was princess Tiana's restaurant- which is her favorite princess.

Addie had SO much fun at Dana Point beach- we were surprised that she just bounded into the water- never mind the cold temperature- and didn't even have an issue with getting wet or dirty (or cold). In previous times of taking her to the beach, she got scared half to death! So this was a big milestone for our little princess! (It might have also helped that there were no crashing waves...this was a "kid beach"). 

Dallin did great sleeping in the car! :) He and Dakota fell asleep on the way there(the beach) and we didn't have the heart to wake them. When Dallin finally woke up and Jared promptly introduced him to the water, he wasn't as thrilled as his sister though. :)

We got to stay with our good friends the Lee's and it was so much fun spending time with them! Our kids really got along well, and enjoyed playing together!

Despite all of the kids good behavior throughout the week, our last day at Disneyland (Saturday) was not our best. It was a bummer since my sister, Kara and her fiancee, Garrett, drove out to go with us- and I doubt they'll be in a hurry to do that again. Adelyn had 4 accidents and Dallin pooped about the same amount of times (which isn't a big deal unless you have a very wiggly 9 month old who doesn't want to get his diaper changed because he'd rather crawl all over the nasty bathroom floor!). They both delayed their naps, and around dinner they both finally passed out with exhaustion, only to wake up crabbier than before! In an effort to calm my screaming 2 year old down, i took her to a somewhat secluded spot which wasn't smart since she started peeing on me! Well I sure as heck didn't have any extra shirts and there was no way we would make it to the bathroom, so I did what any normal parent would do.....I ripped off her pants and let her pee on the sidewalk. Yeah, not my favorite moment as a parent- nor was it for the parent's around me, I'm sure. But what was I supposed to do??? Yeah....it was just one of those days. 

Not long after our get-to-know-you with the sidewalk, Dallin blew out of his pants again, wasn't laying still at all and when a lady came over and offered to help, I literally thrust him in her arms and told her this was the worst day ever and I just wanted it to be done! Poor lady probably thought I was crazy, she was very sympathetic though, and I really appreciated it! Actually, after Dallin went to bed, the night turned out not so bad! Addie stayed up until 11 and was requesting to go on her favorite rides until the very bitter end! Jared and I were able to go on some of the adult rides we'd not been able to ride thanks to Karett's generosity! So the day didn't end up being so bad. 

All in all, it was a really nice "vacation" (I'm pretty decided that until our kids are older, vacation isn't really the proper term) and we loved seeing family, friends, the beach, Disneyland, and all of our favorite princesses!

Remember

I am reading a book that I'm not terribly crazy about, that's about motherhood. What I've read so far, she is taking the reader through her memories of being pregnant, in labor, and breast feeding and what her thoughts were during those times. It got me thinking about when my babies were born and all the memories I have too. But then I started to realize- I really don't have that many.


It really kinda bothers me how giving birth is probably the times I've been the proudest of myself, felt like I could conquer anything and yet I can't properly recall those feelings. I can't quite remember. It's like seeing a picture of yourself as a child somewhere and although you sort of recall that moment, you can't exactly remember what you did before or after that photo was taken- in which case, perhaps you only remember looking at that picture.


In some ways it's the greatest gift God gave women- that they forget the pain of childbirth (although I think I can remember some of that). But for me, it's a shame that I have to forget all the good that came after it. Sure, I have memories, I'm not saying I was unconscious or something during the entire ordeal, I'm just saying that there are a lot of details that are not with me anymore. Although, I suppose it's the same way with a lot of things too. I look at pictures of Addie when she was a baby and for the life of me can't picture me holding newborn her anymore. I've got some memories and feelings there, but if I had to describe to you the way she behaved at say, 3 months, I couldn't do it.


"That's the beauty of taking video vs. pictures", Jared keeps reminding me- and he's very right. But I hope that after we die and live in Heaven, there is a way for our bodies to recall all the wonderful experiences that our earthly bodies have forgotten. I know there are so many I've lost! 

The one thing I look forward to the most when I'm pregnant is the moment when I can finally hold my baby for the first time. So, at least I can remember that instant after all the hard work of labor is rewarded with that adorable chunky baby I get to cradle in my arms. At least I have that.

Adelyn above, Dallin below

Easter...which was awhile ago

Yeah, this is a pretty belated post, but better late than never, right? Since this is so late, I am just going to put up pictures....and maybe captions if you're lucky!

Playgroup's Easter egg hunt:

coloring Easter eggs:

Easter Morning:

The kids were happy with what the Easter Bunny brought: Princess coloring book for Addie and a textured ball with Binkies for Dallin. And of course, lots of candy and treats!!