Clove Meaks

Clover turned 3 while we were in Disney World and the poor little pooch spent her birthday at a babysitters. Not that anything too exciting would have happened if we were here...I just feel bad that she doesn't get the attention she used to. Before Rose and Eve arrived we were obsessed with her. We had big birthday parties for her with her pooch friends with cake and doggie treats and lots of special treatment. Obviously she has had to take more of a backseat but I don't think she minds too much. I did go get her a new toy and some treats to celebrate.

I'm glad we had a few years to really dote on her and her alone. She knows she is loved and is still a very important part of our family. She is so gentle and good with the girls and they love her so much. She is such a sweet pooch. I treasure the memories of driving to Cedar City to pick her up when she was only 7 weeks old. I love that she really made us a family and gave us an excuse to get outside everyday and take long walks and try different dog parks. I love that she would jump in between us in bed every morning and cuddle up. I love all my memories with Ben and Clove walking or picnic-ing in Memory Grove, Liberty, Murray, or Sugar House park or in the open space by our new house. I love all the good talks and the time spent holding hands and being together. Clover kind of gave us that. I'm sure we would walk and picnic anyway...but not nearly as often as we have and continue to do.

I also realized while we were in Disney World how obnoxious it is to have to sweep up after every baby meal-- I took for granted the little beagle silently slipping in and taking care of all the cheerios and cracker pieces. Thank you Clover and happy birthday.

Clover at 9 weeks old.


These videos are a little long but show how much our girls love her. Cute, cute.

(stinkin videos wouldn't upload....grrrr)

DISNEY WORLD

Wow. What a wonderful week we had. The girls did awesome. They slept for a chunk of both flights and were pretty sweet when they were awake. They handled the heat and the long days in the park like champs, sleeping in their stroller and eating on the go. Evie really enjoyed all the rides. She has always been the more watchful child and loved taking in all the colors and lights. Rosie on the other hand, is less patient and more active. She would happily pay attention for a few minutes and then start attempting to do somersaults in your lap, trying desperately to break free. I also think she gets a little uneasy in the dark because she did far better on the well-lit rides. But all in all, they were both as perfect as we possibly could have hoped for.

We hit up Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom and also had two days just to relax by the pool. I can't decide which was my favorite. There is something so special about the Magic Kingdom but I really loved different aspects of the other parks too. I love all the different country pavilions at Epcot. We stayed for fireworks that night and it was so fun walking around in all the different areas all lit up. I also really loved Animal Kingdom and seeing all the animals and feeling like we were in a rain forest all day.

We had perfect weather the first couple days in the mid 80s with some cloud cover and a nice breeze. The heat slowly turned up throughout the week but we really lucked out. It wasn't very crowded at all and with fast passes I think the longest line we waited in was 25 minutes for the Jungle Cruise. Not bad at all. With two pregnant sisters-in-law and one very accommodating father-in-law, we were totally spoiled as far as being able to go on whatever we wanted and always having someone to watch the girls. That was so nice. Awesome to be able to do all the bigger rides but also just to stand in line with Ben and just be us. It reminded me of the trip to Disneyland we took before we had babies where we could just go from ride to ride completely carefree and not worry about naps or feedings or diaper changes. This time was far more complicated and more exhausting but still so much fun. Disney is always, always worth it. I can't wait to go back when our girls are older and will more fully enjoy all the rides, meeting the characters, and just being in such a wonderful place.

It was so fun to spend time with Ben's family. He has three funny brothers (one on a mission) and two sweet sisters. His older sister Teresa has four kids and one on the way and it was fun to have all the Meakin cousins together. We played cards and swam in the pool and ate a lot of food from multiple Costco runs.

On the last day, we bought the girls twin Minnie Mouse stuffed animals. I was planning on getting little tiny ones that they could more easily handle, but Ben insisted on the great big ones. I thought it was funny because if it had been me getting something for myself, he would have definitely been in favor of the smallest and cheapest option. Go figure...seems to be a different story with these mini beauties. Although a little difficult to drag around while crawling, they sure do love them and their papa for getting them.

After seven days in the heat and humidity and nine hour days walking the parks, Ben was ready to get our girls back in their routine---but I really could be on vacation forever. I felt a little lonely when I woke up yesterday back in my quiet house with my girls and no big plans besides a trip to the market and a mountain of laundry to get to. No hurried breakfast and coating the girls in head to toe sunscreen, packing up snacks, meals, milk, diapers, sunhats and toys, no frazzled tram rides, busy, fun filled days full of people and sights and smells of ice cream, cinnamon roasted nuts, and sweaty bodies. Oh I miss it already... but I do love the simple comings and goings of everyday life. How blessed we are to have the opportunity to get away and appreciate them once again.

(It was so busy I took maybe five photos all week but luckily Ben's dad was snapping pictures like crazy. Here are a bunch-- I'm not feeling choosy. :))

Play time

We head off to Disney World tomorrow for a Meakin Family Reunion. I am SOOO excited to go to the parks and spend time in sunny Orlando with family... but actually pretty terrified for the 4 hour flights and the long, hot days without scheduled naps.

I am a big schedule mom...much more than I ever thought I would be. My family sometimes gives me a hard time about it. I always admired how flexible my sister is with her kids and how they seem to do alright anywhere with bed time anytime and can literally just fall asleep on the carpet mid-crawl when they are ready to nap. My girls have never done that. They sleep in their cribs at nine and two EVERY day. I know part of it is because I have twins and survival is quite dependent on keeping the girls doing the same things at the same time but it's mostly because I'm a little anal.

So here's to being more flexible and we'll see how we do. I'm sure we will have a grand time no matter what. Off we go!

Mom's Day

A couple nights ago Ben and I were out for a walk and I picked a stem off a lilac bush and carried it with me the entire time. I LOVE the smell of Lilac and I think it's mostly because it reminds me of my mom. We always had lilacs growing in our backyard and she would cut big bushels of them to keep in the kitchen. Lilacs will always make me think of my mom...as will chocolate chip coffee cake, chocolate eclair fantasy, and chocolate chip cookies. The Primary song I Often Go Walking, big stacks of books, shopping and finding deals, and black and white cows. Red lipstick and Lancome makeup. Going on walks with pooches, Sunday dinners, and bowling. Rainy days and the song she used to sing to my sister and I, and hot chocolate and cinnamon toast. Gardner's Village and the state fair. The Church History Museum and the Daughters of Utah Pioneer Museum to see the two headed lamb. Decorations everywhere for every holiday, packages and cards for special occasions and for no reason at all. Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross. A clean house and taking pride in your appearance. Almond roca at Christmas time and old movies like Holiday Inn and White Christmas. Doris Day, Rock Hudson, Tony Randall. Forcing family pictures and being fiercely protective of her family and the time we spend together.

I love my mom. She does all the little things that make everything special and everyone feel loved. So much of her identity to me revolves around her being a mom to me and my brother and sisters. But I know there is much more than that too and what a huge sacrifice it is to give your whole life and self into the raising of your children. My appreciation for what it means and the effort it takes to be that kind of mom has grown a lot ever since having my own kids...and it still scares me a little. It is certainly a sacrifice and also an enormous blessing. I sit on the floor playing with my two girls and feel so lucky to be their mother and to be able to pour my entire self into the job. I know there is nothing more precious or important for me to do. Hooray for all the good moms out there that spend their lives teaching and taming and loving their kids.

We went up to Estes Park yesterday for a little adventure. It was gorgeous. There were elk everywhere!! They just roam the town and do whatever they please. We did a lot of walking, enjoyed sometime laying in the sun, had an unfortunately pukey dinner, strolled the town, drove around Rocky Mountain National Park, and got ice cream. Lovely, lovely day.




(this one is kinda dumb but check out the elk!)

HRH

I for one loved watching the Royal Wedding. Yes, it may have had way too much hype surrounding it. No, it certainly is not the most important thing going on in the world. But it was certainly part of history and fun to watch from afar.

Woke up at 2am and was a little disgruntled when I realized the ceremony didn't actually start for TWO more hours. Tried to go back to sleep...no luck. Watched the whole thing. It was a little slow and a little long and I wish we had gotten to see some dancing or hear some speeches but it was lovely. I'm really glad I got up to see it live because the next morning was crazy making scones and taking care of my own two mini princesses. Had a group of gals and babies over to watch the recording and eat celebratory food. Although I think some of them were just humoring me-- we had a great time.

When I was making the cake the day before, both my mom and husband made disparaging comments about my baking skills. There is a famous story about me making a "cornbread cake" for one of my college roommates birthday parties years ago. I volunteered to make the cake and it was my first time to try one from scratch. I decorated it really cute and we had a bunch of people over. We sang happy birthday, I passed out plates, and then watched in horror as everyone took their first bite and got a funny look on their faces. It was so bland and SOOOO dry that it just crumbled apart on the plate. I don't know what went wrong but it was EXACTLY like cornbread with frosting on it. I took the huge amount of left overs home to SLC to show my family and have been getting flack for it ever since. I finally lived down that demon. My sister taught me how to do the roses and this cake was perfect and delicious.

When I was in middle school I remember getting up in the middle of the night to watch Princess Diana's funeral with my mom. Shortly after, I had a poster of Prince William on the inside of my closet door-- which is a little creepy because he was probably no older than 12 in the picture. Poor kid.

There was something neat about being up again in the night to see William get married. It was fun to have an excuse to be excited and celebrate something silly. Nothing like a good wedding.