Newport

Our week at Newport Beach this year was better than ever. The girls were angels on the car ride to Utah and the plane ride to California. The girls LOVED the ocean, playing in the sand, and the option of going to the pool too. My favorite part of the trip was going down to the beach after dinner when the sand was nice and cool and the hassle of sunscreen wasn't as necessary. It was lovely.
My grandpa came up for the day and it was fun to see him. We rented bikes with seats on the back and road to the wedge with my parents. We went on a lot of walks and ate a lot of soft serve and donuts beachside. I also got in a few runs that were glorious and gorgeous.

We took the girls to Disneyland and had a great day. It was overcast and the girls did pretty well. Evie was terrified of Mr. Toads Wild Ride and Pirates of the Carribean and Rosie had a rough time after not taking a long enough stroller nap. But the girls were crazy about meeting Minnie and were all over her. We went on a ton of rides and hardly waited in line at all. They also loved watching a band perform and the goats at the little petting zoo there that I had never noticed before.

Great day. Great trip.

Stars and Stripes

Oh how I love the 4th of July. Good fun with family and friends. Delicious food. Fireworks. Even better with these two patriotic peaches.

We were excited to be in town this year and check out what Colorado had to offer for the holiday and it didn't disappoint. Within 10 steps of our front door, a neighborhood church puts on a very cute, fun, and FREE carnival on the greenbelt across the street from us. Bouncy houses, petting zoo, slip n slides, blow up water toys, face painting, rides on a fire truck. Awesome.

Cindy and Chris came down from Greeley to join us and it was so fun to spend time with them. Evie was a stinker-to-the-max during this portion of the day when we took most our pictures but oh well.  We still had a good time.

Then we went off to a delicous BBQ with some of our favorite friends and loved that Rosie and Evie were able to just run and play with all the other kids. Nothing like a little freedom and independence on today of all days.

We came home and let the girls take a cat nap and then slid their sleepy bodies into the stroller and went on a short, lovely walk to the open space behind our gym for an excellent firework show. Even though Colorado has been ablaze with so many fires, Broomfield was able to still have their show because they till up the ground so much. Lots and lots of dirt.

 The girls were crazy for it. Rosie sat snuggled in my lap, with her head against my chest and kept whispering "whoa...." and "wow...". Evie on the other hand would not be held and jumped up and down on the blanket screeching and clapping. They practiced their colors by shouting them as the fireworks exploded and are still talking about it today. Evie woke up this morning and pointed to the ceiling and said "Ooooo lights??  yay!!!!!".

 Happy Fourth of July! (now frantically packing and cleaning for our trip to Newport/SLC tomorrow.  Can't wait!).

Ta-mee

 One of my very best friends came into town last week for a few fabulous days. Tami and I met at Bennion Elementary, both went to West High for middle and high school, and then on to good ole BYU. We spent some glorious time on Venice Beach. We talked about moving to California together and then both got married instead.  We spent pretty much every other weekend the next year hanging out as couples. She is one of my very favorite people and I have so many wonderful memories with her.
The girls love her and Evie has been waking up from nap asking for her again and again ever since. Ta-mee? Ta-mee?
Nothing like old friends.

Party for Two

 

As soon as I got home from my dad's birthday celebration, I kicked into high gear to get ready for Rosie and Evie's birthday bash on Saturday. We just had people over for dessert but I had a TON of baking to do and I was determined not to leave too much for Saturday so that we could actually go out and enjoy the day. Friday was a long, frosting nightmare but it all ended up well. We took the girls to a local fair to kick off their birthday celebration that night.

Saturday morning I got up early to get my run in and ran into my  super marathon-running neighbor right as she was leaving for her run...ugh. She was so excited to have someone to run with but I wasn't too thrilled. I have never ran with anyone else because I like going my own pace and not worrying about slowing someone down. But we pumped out 11 miles together and it was nice to feel like I could keep pace with her. I got home and we sang happy birthday a few times and let the girls open presents. Then Ben took the girls to the gym so he could workout and I could have the chance to clean the house. Then we went to Mimi's for a birthday lunch and then to the market to pick up balloons and Neapolitan ice cream to match Rosie and Evie's birthday cake.

We had a lovely, unstressed day and a perfect party that evening. It has been unbelievably hot here and Saturday broke the record of being the hottest June 23rd since 1954 reaching 104 degrees. We were hoping to have the party out in the backyard but were forced to mostly stay inside. It was a little crowded but didn't seem to matter much and the house actually stayed pretty clean. The girls ran around like crazy, ate way too much cake and treats, and had a blast.

 

Happy Happy Birthday to my beautiful, perfect girls! Today is their actual birthday and even though most the celebrating is over, Rosie and Evie are still enjoying left over treats and I'm definitely feeling more sentimental today about how fast the time has gone and how big they are getting.

These two honestly have been little angels lately. They certainly have their moments but Ben and I have definitely noticed they are much better behaved than they were a month ago. They are getting better at playing together and love each other so. When one of them gets hurt you will almost always find the other one standing at her side patting her back, trying to give her her favorite toy, and saying "ok, ok?" or "shhhhh".

They have started talking in short phrases like "hi mommy",  "I sorry", "here ya go" and "no nana". We were recording the words they use but stopped keeping track around 50. We are making slow but steady progress. When you ask Evie her name she says "E-V!" and Rosie says "Sissy" from hearing Evie call her that for so long. They both can tell you they are two years old. Lately we have been working on colors and counting. Rosie loves to jump off stairs, ledges, and into the pool and rather than counting "1,2,3" she says "doe, bi, doe". Cutie.

 Rosie and Evie love being outside whether at the park or in the sandbox in the backyard which has been hard with this relentless heat. When we say its time to go night-night Evie will repeat "outside? outside? show? show?" Anything but going to bed. Despite that, Evie seems to sleep better than Rosie now a days. They both take a 2-3 hour afternoon nap and sleep from 7:30pm - 7am. Lately Rosie randomly wakes up in the night or sometimes gives a 6 am wake up call.

They love playing at the gym daycare several times a week and they love going to nursery at church.

Rose and Eve loved their 2nd round of gymnastics class that recently finished and are now going to swimming lessons Tuesday and Thursdays after Ben gets off work. Rosie is a little water baby and Evie is slowly warming up to the idea. They love going down the big water slides on our laps.

Rosie and Evie both love talking on the phone to their daddy and Grandma. They love playing pretend. They put their dolls in the highchairs, put bibs on them, and pretend to feed them. They lay them down and put dish cloths over them and kiss them goodnight. They love having their bears and babies swaddled in blankets. Rosie is very particular about sleeping with a particular blanket and Evie always has to have her baby. They love pulling all the cushions off the couches for jumping. They love reading stories, going to library story time, and have recently detroyed two checked out books I had to pay for. grrrrr

They love to dance, go on walks (if they actually get to walk), and take baths and flood the bathroom floor. They love to wrestle with their daddy and ride on his back through the house. They love to turn on all the floor fans upstairs to full blast.

Rosemary loves fruit and frequently will devour an entire banana for breakfast. She is the taunter. She takes things from Evie just to be a stinker with a very devious look on her face. She loves finding things to dress up in and collecting things in bags and purses to drag around the house. She loves to go through my bathroom drawers and makeup bag and throw my brushes and jewelery off the balcony into the living room. She loves having her nails painted. Rosie loves bringing Ben his socks in the morning and is a daddy's girl through and through.

Evelyn will hardly eat any fruit at all but eats all her vegetables every night. She has the bigger temper of the two and does not appreciate her toys being taken. She loves watching movies and requests "show? show?" constantly. She gets to watch one show a day and her favorites are still Mickey Mouse Club, Baby Einstein, and lately Elmo's World. Evie loves dogs and is always delighted to see Clover in the morning and wants to go pat her and give her hugs and kisses. She also loves Howie the dog we watch a couple days a week. Evie is a big cuddler and loves being held during story time and shows. She will lie next to you still as can be to have her back rubbed and get a baby massage.

These two beauties are the best little girls in the world and I love them with all my heart. I love being their mother and I'm so grateful their mine. Here's to another fun filled year.

Surprise

 My dear old dad turned the big 6-0 last Wednesday and I got to fly in for a very special surprise dinner for him. It was so much fun. We ate at Ruth's Chris Steak House up in Park City and they put us in a back room behind a curtain. We all hid behind the table and jumped out and yelled "Happy Birthday!!" when he came in with my mom. We had a delicious meal and then went home for cake and ice cream and presents. I love being with my family. I love being so close with my siblings and always having so much to laugh about.  I flew in at 4:15pm and out at 6:50 the next morning but it was so worth it. Happy Birthday Poodle :)

Easy

Ben asked Rosie this morning who she loved more, mommy or daddy? She yelled "daddy!" without a moments hesitation. Easy choice. We weren't sure she understood the question so we asked her again. She yelled daddy again and ran and wrapped her arms around him. Hmmm... No big surprise to me I guess. When Evie was asked she looked from me to Ben and kept quiet. Smart girl. She knows a loaded question when she hears one.

This brought on a conversation about how much easier it is for dads to be the favorite. It isn't just because they get to come home at the end of the day and wrestle on the floor and be fun and playful while moms stand at the sink cleaning up dinner. There is just something simpler and special about dads and daughters. Or maybe that is just my experience. I love my mom with all my heart and she is one of my best friends. But the love I have for her is much more layered and complicated. Is it because we are both women? Or the fact that she had much more to do with the daily back and forth of growing up? All the fights and turmoil of teenage girls and their mothers? Or that we talk all the time and she is very much involved with the little details of my life? I don't know.

All I do know is that with my dad it just feels more straight forward and simple. I just love him. He really can't do anything wrong. He gets off the hook with a shrug of the shoulders and an indulgent chuckle for any error. Oh dad...that little cutie.
But even the smallest, well-meaning comment my mom made to me during my formative years will be etched onto my soul forever and undoubtedly will be brought up at the dinner table for the rest of time. Moms just can't catch a break.

I don't feel like I'm expressing this very well probably because I  don't know exactly what I'm saying.

I'm just grateful I have such an amazing dad and that his love and my love for him has been an easy, unconditional, constant in my life. I think that is crucial for daughters.
I know my girls have it with Ben.

Ben is a superstar dad. He is cares and is involved to almost a fault. He is so protective and good with our girls and there is no question in my mind why Rosie and Evie think the world of him.

If you know my Ben, you know he says what he thinks and doesn't give much thought to social graces. Although I do think he is improving. I just finished the book "These Is My Words" (loved it!) and in some ways Ben reminds me a lot of the glorious Captain Jack from the story. His wife writes of him: "In so many things he is rough and ornery, but in ways of our family, he is always so gentle and tender. It is like I am married to two different men. I love them both and need them equally."

I read that aloud to Ben and he commented that I certainly don't love both sides of him because it seems to be what we argue about most. But I do. I'm not sure I always "need" the rougher parts of him but I will take them as part of the complete package. The good in him outweighs the bad a million times over.  My goal is to stop pestering him about that in particular and just let him be himself. He may not put a lot of weight in what other people think (where perhaps I put too much weight), but when it comes to his family-  he knows how to love through and through.

He cares about the details of making people happy-- the little things that I skim over or don't think make a difference. He spends what seems like an eternity to me each night re-tucking in the girls before we go to bed whereas I can be in and out of there in under a minute. He stands in there making sure everything is just so, patting their heads, whispering to them, and making sure they are as cozy and comfortable as can be. He's a wonderful dad and my girls are so lucky to have him. xo


Just for the record, I ran 10 miles this morning. 10 miles in 103 minutes. I figured it better be written just in case I never make it to the half and this is the farthest I ever go. The best part is, I loved it. I got up at six and it was beautiful and kind of stormy and I truly enjoyed it. I had been dreading it all week because the 8 miles I ran last Saturday was hot and horrible and I ached and moaned the rest of the day. Why are some runs SOOOO much easier than others?

I also have learned to love all the open space here. It has always seemed like so much unoccupied dirt to me but I've found a lot more beauty in it since I started running. I couldn't help stopping to take a pic today. I see about hundred prairie dogs and bunnies, tons of birds, a few coyotes, and sometimes even a snake when I'm out there in the morning. Love me some wide open spaces.

Great Gals

Had an AMAZING weekend with some of my favorite ladies. Kim, Shauna, Elizabeth, and Suzanna came to visit from Utah and we had such a nice time. We all met in the Avenues ward right after we got married (about five years ago) and have continued to stay in touch and get closer despite time and distance. We are all so different which only makes the time more interesting and fun. Love these gals.

We shopped, ate out, went to Boulder and Denver, got pedicures, and chair massages at a crazy place in the ghetto. We watched Downton Abby and ate A LOT of ice cream.

The perfect recipe for a perfect girls weekend.