Change of Pace

Spent the week in SLC and had a great time. We caught a nasty bug early in the week from a couple of cute cousins and were goopy and not feeling too hot most of the week. My parents were staying in Park City so we spent a few nights up there and went back and forth a little bit. Loved being in the mountains. The girls loved being out and about and especially swimming in the pool and hot tub. We saw some good friends, visited my old kids and teacher friends at Mt. View, went to Discovery Gateway with Grandma and Grandpa, and mostly just laid low. We didn't see everyone I wanted to but it was really nice to have a change of pace and get out of my normal routine. I love that aspect of living away. So nice to just do every day stuff with my family.

We had a long drive home yesterday. They shut down I-80 about half way through our drive and we had to back track to take an alternate route. Ugh. Our usual 8 hour drive took us about 13 and we were all exhausted and cranky...well mostly Ben and I-- the girls really were as good as gold. To add insult to injury Ben got a $135 speeding ticket for going ten over in a town we passed through. But we finally made it home to a couple of giant teddy bears and Valentine surprises Ben had waiting for us. I came in this morning and both girls were hugging their bears. Cuties. Happy to be back all together again and looking forward to another visit.


Thinking of this sweet girl today as it was three years ago that she got her wings. Baby Lily had her Angel Day a little earlier this month and these two girls have been on my mind. Ben and I were reading in Alma last night and just happened to be in chapter 40 and these verses really touched me. I needed these verses more than I realized and am so grateful for these beautiful truths and a Heavenly Father who is in the details.

12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.
23 The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame.

Happy, at peace, and perfect. Couldn't ask for more.

Snow Bunnies

10-20 inches falling in the Denver metro area between today and tomorrow. Ben decided to go in to work a little late to let the roads clear a bit. Took turns shoveling the drive way while Eve and Rose ate cinnamon toast. Then bundled up these bunnies and went out in the deep for a short and sweet snow adventure. xo

where a kid can be a kid

That awful flu bug spread far and wide. It seems everyone we know has gotten it which has kept social outing to a minimum lately. Poor Cindy took it home with her from our house and we got the pleasure of watching Sadie for an afternoon so her mom could get some rest. These girls are obsessed with their cousin. Rosie especially. They love giving her hugs and kisses and helping put her binky in her mouth and putting her blanket on her. Pretty cute.The sister missionaries came over later that day for dinner and Sister Maldonado offered to give my shaggy little girls a haircut. It's pretty short but darling. I like them looking clean and tidy but I'm wondering how I'm ever going to grow their hair out to a nice length...I suppose eventually we'll just have to grit our teeth through a few sloppy months. The girls hated having it done but we put on some Baby Signing Time for them to watch and all was well. The girls have been obsessed with it lately and I have been amazed by how much they are picking up from it. They rock their arms back and forth and say "baby, baby" during the opening song or do that and point to the TV if they want to watch it. They sign baby, more, milk, horse, eat, and cracker. And my little Rose who always seems to pick up on words a couple weeks after her sister just suddenly started saying "cracker", "grandma/grandpa" and "Clover" pronounced "Go-Gur". Loving it.
We are always trying to find fun things to do with the girls that are age appropriate enough to make it worth the money- especially in the colder weather. We found a win at Chuck E Cheese last weekend. I have the best memories of that place growing up. It was super crowded with some wacky characters but the girls had a great time. They have a whole section of toddler games, rides, and a little play place. Rosie was pretty terrified of the rides but Evie loved them. Rose was as always a huge fan of the slide. You can't go to Chuck E Cheese without ski ball and the girls loved climbing all over it and watching Ben play. The environment was a little overstimulating and the girls couldn't face forward long enough to eat their dinner but $20 for a pizza, drinks, and enough tokens to play for as long as we could stand was well worth it.




Yesterday morning we had some drama. Since the girls have dropped their morning nap I've had to start getting ready for the day while they watch Baby Signing Time or run wild in my bedroom. I was just finishing up yesterday while Rosie sat nearby pulling cotton balls out of a bag all over the floor when Evie started crying in the bedroom. I stepped out to go get Evie and reentered the bathroom just in time to see Rosie holding my hot flat iron and bringing it up to her head. It was terrible. She ended up giving her self a pretty bad burn on her ear which resulted in mass hysteria. Evie was still crying and then of course Rosie started screaming. I immediately got a cold washcloth on her ear and rushed downstairs to give her Tylenol and get on the phone with the doctor. Luckily I was able to put Evie in her crib and she fussed for a few minutes and then fell right to sleep so I could just hold Rosie. We both laid in my bed crying for awhile (mostly me) and then she fell asleep in my arms. Nothing like the guilt of bad mothering. The burn isn't even bad and by last night it had almost completely disappeared and is now just a bit pink. But that blister on her little ear haunted me all day long and as I tried to fall asleep last night. It could have been SOOOOOO much worse and I'm so grateful it wasn't.We spent the rest of the afternoon playing, doing puzzles, and going on a long walk and to the park. In honor or the Superbowl this weekend I let them run around on the football field at Broomfield Commons which they loved. Trying to enjoy the sunshine because apparently a foot of snow is heading our way tonight. Boo to the groundhog.