It's Gonna Be Another Flip Flop Summer

June is here and almost gone which means I am done with work for a whole 77 days! The kids and I are determined to live it up during our flip flop summer. We started out with a list of things we want to accomplish this summer and here's some of our progress so far:

1. Go to the Herriman Splash pad:

Check!!!

P.S. I think we'll be spending a lot of time here this summer.

2. Swim in the Whale Pool

 Check!!!

Daddy has to take naps where ever he can get them. 

All of this playing in the sun caused a cute little girl to get her very first sunburn. Oops!

3. Have a cousin sleepover

Check!!!

4. Go to a Bee's Game

 This game was with the Jones family, and Karly, Rico and Ryan.

Pretty much we had a blast!

Check!!!

That's only a small portion of the goals we have this summer, and I hope we can get them all done before our flip flop summer ends. 

 Here's some other random pictures this month: 

Kayla's new favorite book is Green Eggs and Ham so Tyler made her green eggs for breakfast one day. 

 "Say, I like green eggs and ham. I do so like them Sam I am!"

 These two can either be best friends or worst enemies. I think spending all day together is a little hard for both of them, but I did catch some moments of them being nice:
Example one: Sharing a box of raisins.

Example two: Hanging out in Kayla's bed

 Example three: Oh wait, that's all I got. Most of the time they were fighting and I didn't have time to take pictures of that. :)

But when they're not fighting, they are adorable! Caden is learning how to eat with a spoon. He's very messy, but he is getting the hang of it. 

 He also likes to drink his bottle by himself on the couch. 

 Caden loves his vacuum we gave him for his birthday. He pushes it around all day. I hope he will still like to vacuum when he gets older.

He still loves his binkie and has to have his two blankies when he sleeps.

As far as this cutie goes, she makes us laugh everyday with all her funny sayings.

 But most exciting of all is that Kayla has had quite a few nights where she has stayed dry all night, so we decided it was time to set up her big girl bed!!!

She looks so small in it, and honestly it was a really sad day for me because it was just one more reminder that she is growing up faster than I want her to, but she loves it. 

 The first night she did fall out of the bed and get a nasty bruise on her forehead, but she is loving being a big girl in her big girl bed!!

Oh, and as for the two of us, we went out for a nice dinner to celebrate our 4 year anniversary.

Yep, I love this guy!!! 

Oh, and my flip flop summer too! :)

Happy Summer!!!

Four Years

Four years ago today Tyler and I tied the knot. It feels like it has gone by so fast. Four years ago I was  25 years old and waking up to get married! I had no idea what life was going to bring, I was just SO excited. It's the same today. I can't wait to see what life will hold for us in the future. Our wedding day was unforgettable and I didn't think things could get any better than that day, but every year just seems to get better and better. I married such an amazing person who loves me no matter what. I can be difficult sometimes, but Tyler knows just how to make everything better. I love you Babe! Thanks for an amazing four years and many more to come! 

I Love Daddy!

Happy Father's day to the best Dad!

Tyler is seriously the best. He works so hard during the day and then comes home to play with the kids. He loves bed time when he gets to read the kids stories at night. He is my best friend and the best husband a girl could ask for. He makes me laugh everyday and see the humor in every situation. One day is just not enough to appreciate everything he does for our family. Love you Tyler!!

It wouldn't be right if I didn't tell my dad how much I love him and wish him a Happy Father's Day too. Thanks, Dad, for being the best example, friend, and dad. 

And to my father-in-law Craig, thank you for all you do for our family. You are an amazing grandpa to our kids. Thanks for everything you do for our family!

This I Believe

For the past two years, my students have done a unit based on NPR's "This I Believe". They have to write personal belief essays and then we had them record and share with the class. If you want more infomation on  it check out ThisIBelieve.org.  Here is the essay I wrote this year:

I believe in sleep deprivation.

 It’s an all too familiar scene in my household with two babies under two years old. Just as I am finally falling asleep after a long day, I hear my little girl whining in her adjacent bedroom. She’s lost her “blankie” and cries out for me to come help her. I give her a few minutes to find it herself all the while secretly hoping my husband will wake up and go in before me. After realizing that is a hopeless case (he’s like a hibernating bear and only an earthquake could rouse him), I saunter into her room and find her blanket that has fallen on the floor. Once her blankie is securely in her arms, she is quiet and quickly drifts back to sleep. I kiss her warm cheek, tell her I love her one more time, and then stroll back into bed.

A few hours later my little boy starts crying hysterically; he is not feeling well and is up frequently through the night. Again I wait for a few minutes, hoping our months of effort in sleep training have paid off, but tonight we have no avail. I sleepily make my way into the kitchen to make a bottle, and then find my way through our dark hallway to his bedroom. Once I turn on his light, the sound of hysterical crying is replaced by a relieved sigh. He’s standing in his crib holding his favorite blanket with tears streaming down his face. I pick him up, take him to the rocking chair, and immediately he nestles into my arms and drinks away.

Many mothers complain about having to wake up in the middle of the night, but I secretly love this time. I love that the world is quiet.  I love that after a long day of juggling the many demands of my life, it’s just the two of us. I love that he looks up at me with his big, brown eyes, and we have a whole conversation without saying a word. I love that after a few ounces into his bottle of warm milk his eyes start to become too heavy to keep open. And after a while his breathing is slow, rhythmical, and he is content. His eyelids flutter and I know he is officially asleep.

It’s not so much that I enjoy losing sleep; it’s the time I get to spend with my children alone. My children trust me; they know that I will be there to take away whatever fear, sickness, or frustration they have. The next morning when I’m tired and struggling to get through another day, I remind myself that the sleep deprivation won’t last. My babies will learn to sleep through the night. In a few years they will be too embarrassed to say that they sleep with a “blankie.” They won’t remember the countless hours we spent rocking in their chair, but I will. I will look back someday and wish I could be sleep deprived again.

This I believe. 

May Wrap-Up

Ya, I know it's June, but this is my May wrap-up

We bought more trees for our yard and Daddy had some great helpers to help him plant them. If you ask Kayla about the trees she tells us, "Daddy made da trees!"

 The weather has been so unpredictable this month. One day it can be absolutely beautiful outside and we can go for walks around our neighborhood.

Caden loves his tricycle we got him for his birthday

Kayla was so cute and wanted to take her baby and purse on our walk. 

We had to stop every couple minutes and pick all the "yellow flowers"

But then a couple of days later the weather can turn and we have crazy rain storms. Daddy and the kids watched this storm. Kayla and Caden learned that thunder and lightening happen "in da sky". 

We had Tyler's family over for dinner and after the kids were playing. Cute little Caden was pushing all the big kids around in his Tonka Truck. You could tell he was having so much fun and was so proud of himself. 

As far as our individual spotlights go, this little cutie is almost 2 1/2 years old. She is talking all the time and insists on doing everything herself. 

This was as we were leaving for Brooke's house and Kayla insisted on taking her baby in the carrier and her purse with her. Don't you love her cute Minnie outfit?

Just chillin' in Brother's carseat. Remember when we had her in this car seat when she was just a baby and she looked so tiny in it? 

Kayla is totally potty trained and only occasionally has an accident. Just like Daddy, she likes to read while on the toilet. 

 Just relaxing on the patio "reading" her picture.

 If you haven't noticed, Makayla loves her Baby. Baby goes with us EVERYWHERE!!! I feel like I have a third child sometimes. If you ask Makayla if Baby has a name she replies, "Baby doesn't have a name, it's just Baby". She takes such good care of her by feeding her.

 Some other cute things about our Kay-Bugs:
-Everyday she tells me, "I need to go to da Sto-a (store) and get a treat"
-If I ever have a Coke she tells me, "I need little taste" so I give her one (Because let's face it, that is just plain cute). Then she tells me, "Just one more little taste". So she basically gets my entire coke. I think she thinks Coke is actually called "little taste" because we were at El Rancho the other week and she spilled my Coke and yelled "I spilled little taste!"
-She always yells, "Skool bus" and "Garbage Truck" and "Giant" on the way to day care.
-Her new word is "Boo-ful" (Beautiful). She tells me that I'm "boo-ful" her hair and clothes are "boo-ful" and that her princesses are "boo-ful"
-Her imagination is really picking up. She loves to pretend to be a kitty. She also likes to make things talk to each other (animal cookies, strawberries, toys)
-She calls her pasta pick-ups, "pasta hiccups"
-Makayla has her Brown Bear book memorized.
-She knows what sound the letter A makes and can tell us that Apple, Audrey, and Addy all start with the letter A.
-Tyler and I were laughing at something and Kayla told us, "You're funny, guys"

Oh, I just love me some Kay-bugs!!!

As far as our spotlight on Caden goes, he is almost 14 months. It is so crazy for me to think that Kayla was 14 months when we had Caden.

Anyway, do you know why is is really rough to have an older sister? She makes you play with all her toys. Like the stroller...

 And the kitchen set

 And baby. I just think it is the sweetest thing that Caden is giving Baby kisses.

But do you know what, Caden? Someday you will be the best daddy and cook because you had to play with all the girl toys. 

This little guy knows he is not supposed to climb the stairs, but he does it anyway and laughs when he gets to the top. Kayla is a great tattle tale and comes to find me every time to tell me "Brother on the stayas"

 I absolutely LOVE this picture. 

 Caden has been such a good helper when we're working outside. He loves to eat the mulch or throw it down the window well. But who cares when you're that cute. 

But all that hard work can make a 14 month old tired. I checked on him one day and he was asleep with his cute little bum in the air. 

 Some other highlights about Caden at 14 months:
-Caden can point to his eye when you ask him, "Where's your eye?" He also points to his eye when you ask him where his nose is.
-He can walk all over the house now, but sometimes he looks like Frankenstein when he walks.
-He loves bananas, grapes, strawberries, and of course, his bottle. In fact he throws an absolute fit when his bottle goes in the microwave because he wants it right then.
-Caden has 4 teeth total and I think a few more are coming within the next month.
-Poor little guy had the flu twice this month. And he had Fifth's disease. He had a really high fever for three days and was so ornery. I finally took him to the doctor but there was no obvious sign of infection so the doctor said to wait a few more days. By Friday he had a rash on his face that spread to his body. We called the doctor and they diagnosed it over the phone. Most kids get Fifth's disease when they are little and it really isn't a problem. We're just glad that he has it and now he is immune.
-Caden has been pretty whiny this month and he has learned to throw a fit when he doesn't get what he wants. He gets so mad sometimes and throws his head and body back.
-The cutest thing about Caden this month is that he is starting to talk. Remember how Kayla always wants a little taste of my Coke? Well Caden started to mimic her.  When he's eating he shakes his little pointer finger and says something that sounds like "one more" (He's trying to say "one more little taste"). It is seriously the cutest thing ever!!!