A grand time

Had a great time in Salt Lake. Best visit yet because I wasn't stressed about what I did or who I saw or worried about when I had to leave. Just enjoyed it for what it was. Had a great time with my sisters. Went to the park and to the Church History Museum with Erin where my mom volunteers . Went on walks and to see Harry Potter with Alex with butter beer, licorice wands, and golden snitches. We all went and got our nails done.

King Jakey's wedding was very tiring but so beautiful and perfect. It was so nice to spend some time with him and his new darling little wife. They had about a bazillion showers and were around a lot late at night for some good talks. I can't believe he is married and we'll have no more family weddings for many, many years. Unless one of us splits up says my mom...nice. We spent a lot of time watching old family videos and talking about memories of putting on plays together, going on trips, fighting, etc. We had a pretty marvelous childhood and it seems so weird that everyone is seemingly all grown up...but not really.

Saw lots of wonderful friends. Got to spend an entire day just hanging out with a couple of my college roommates and a million crazy kids. Met friends in the park and for dinner and for BBQs. Went to the zoo with my relatives and cute cousins. Met up with my sisters fam at the drive-in with Ben's little brother. Just had a grand time.

I plan to spend my July's in Salt Lake every year.

Beach Babies

Last week we met my family at Newport Beach. We go every year and stay right by the pier in a grubby, too small, kinda stinky beach condo. It's kinda like beach camping but we have been going my entire life and it's pretty great. I figured it would be a little crazy with the girls and there were certainly some screaming, sandy, rough moments-- but all in all it was one of the best years yet. Rosie and Evie loved the beach! They loved eating, crawling, and playing in the sand and were in love with the ocean. Watching the waves, crawling on the shore, splashing in the water, and swimming with mom and dad. True... it was a giant production to get them ready and drag them down there every day and an even bigger production to get them home about an hour later and de-sanded and down for nap while they were imploding---but worth it.

Ben didn't stay the entire week (blasted work) and things got a lot harder when I didn't have his hands to help. Three 1 year olds and one 2 1/2 year old (and a stomach bug) in close quarters meant someone was crying at almost any given moment. All the screaming cousins put a little damper on the trip for those expecting the same relatively quiet, relaxing trip of previous years--and I certainly don't blame them for getting annoyed. For better or for worse, that's the new normal for family time. Kids make things hard. Kids make things complicated. Kids make things noisy. But I reaqlly loved having them there. I did miss all the long hours of laying on the beach soaking up sun...but I wouldn't trade that for hearing Evie making whooping and delighted screeching sounds everytime a wave crashed at her feet. Kids make things fun.

Now I'm in SLC for a couple weeks because my little bro gets married next Thursday. I haven't been here since April and I think a longer stretch did me good. I'm feeling better. I FINALLY feel like I've figured out how to be gone and how to visit. I love being with my family and Salt Lake is so gorgeous it takes my breath away-- but I feel like I'm in a healthier place. Thus far I have had zero anxiety about the trip and squeezing in enough "fun" thing with as many people as possible. I'm thrilled to be here but I'm just taking it as it comes and not worrying about it. I miss Ben. I even miss Colorado a little...and that feels good.

ONE YEAR

Got to go visit Dr. B today for Evelyn and Rosemary's one year appointment. We are getting ready for a trip to Newport Beach on Saturday and I'm feeling swamped. I've done several other "birthday posts" so I was planning on quickly posting their stats and being done. But after reading the post I wrote when they turned 9 months old I decided I needed to find the time to write down a lot more than that. I can't believe how different they are now and how many of the little things I've already begun to forget. They are heavier, taller, have tons more hair, and are doing SO much more.

Rosie and Evie are now speed crawlers, cruise on the furniture, practice balancing, and are into everything. Anything that can be emptied must be emptied. They love opening all the doors and cupboards in the bathrooms and kitchen, pulling out the muffin tins, unrolling the toilet paper, and sorting through the contents of the diaper bag. When they wake up in the morning, they stand up and talk to each other and throw everything in their cribs onto the floor. They still love trips to the park and the zoo. They love playing outside and in their sandbox and baby pool. They love being read to and love looking at books on their own. They love rolling in and burrowing in blankets and pillows on the floor. They love Mickey Mouse Club and are mesmerized by the opening song but quickly lose interest after that.

Rose and Eve become more engaged and interested in each other every day. They are always turning to see what their sister is up to and taking off in hot pursuit if one escapes around the corner. Rosie and Evie love playing patty cake and can both clap and wave. They both say mama and dada and understand so much. Both love their softies and holding them as they fall asleep. They go to bed between 7-8 and wake up between 5-6:30, have a morning bottle and then go back to sleep/talk to eachother/play until 7:30am. Two naps around 9:30am and 2:30 pm. They are eating three meals a day and having between 16-20oz of whole milk (so long formula! Hooray!).

Here are the stats and a few individual details. My Eve and Rose get bigger, smarter, and sweeter every day.

Rosemary Nell
Weight: 21lbs 4oz; 50th percentile
Height: 30 1/4 inches; 80th percentile
Head: 18 1/2 inches; 95th percentile

When Rosie is ready for bed, she will crawl after you and kneel at your feet and bounce up and down whining. She knows the sound of her bottle being prepared and it's just about enough to drive her crazy.
Rosie is a sweaty betty. When she wakes up from sleep her hair is always in sweaty little curls. Major bed head. We started calling her Georgie because of the curls that stick out behind her ears that make her look a little like George Washington. :)
Rosie now has 8 teeth! 4 on top and 4 on bottom and she loves to bite on to the edge of the couch, on shoes, toys, and anything she can get her little paws on.
She loves to help fold laundry. She always finds clothes left on the floor or in a laundry basket and takes them out and talks to herself as she holds and shakes each piece.
Rosie also loves shoes. When I get ready in the morning she loves playing in my closet and taking all my shoes off the shoe rack.
Rosie doesn't seem as interested in walking. When we try to set her up to walk behind a push toy, she always gets down on her knees and walks in a kneeling position.
Rosie has started playing a new game where she tries to shove stuff into her daddy's mouth. Her softie, her hand, his tie. He pretends to be gobbling it up and she loves it.
Rosie has become more picky with her eating and will lately refuse certain foods. She also loves dropping food over the side or leaning over and hand feeding Clover.
When Rosie was almost 11 months old, she learned how to pucker her lips and make kiss sounds. Cutest thing ever. We need to work on that trick again.

Evelyn Irene
Weight: 21 lbs 13 oz; 60th percentile
Height: 29 1/4 inches; 50th percentile
Head: 19 1/4 inches; OFF THE CHARTS :)

Evie finally got some teeth! We waited and waited and wondered if they would ever come and finally at 11 1/2 months old, she got her first tooth and the second one about a week later. She is having fun trying them out and taking big bites of crackers rather than gumming everything.
It is so fun to carry Evie because she holds tightly on to your shoulder or shirt like a little bear cub on a tree.
Evie loves to drink water out her sippy cup. She tips her head way back, guzzles a few swallows and then slams the cup back down on the tray.
Evie has become quite the screecher. She loves to hear the sound of her own voice and see how loud she can be.
Evie is always so thrilled to see us in the morning. She is always standing up holding onto the railing in her crib bouncing up and down, screeching and smiling.
The only food Evie won't eat is banana. She hates it. I've even tried to trick her by putting pieces of banana on her tray with pieces of mozzarella cheese bread that look identical. She'll take her little fingers and pick up each piece to check, eating the bread and leaving the slimy banana behind.
Poor Evie and her giant head. Because she is so top heavy, she falls and tips and bonks her head constantly. She keeps getting little bruises on her forehead and it's so sad!
Evie loves to torment her sister. She is constantly crawling directly behind Rosie, reaching for the back of her shirt, and trying to climb on her back. She finds these stunts hilarious. She sure does love her sister but we are trying to teach her to be a little more gentle.
We both think Evie will walk first. She has the perfect little thunder thighs to keep her steady. :)

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE YOU GIRLS.

Birthday Extravaganza

We had a lovely birthday weekend. Saturday ended up being a little more stressful than I had hoped. I thought I had everything pretty much taken care of for our birthday bbq...a million green and pink poms poms made to hang, all the food bought, birthday outfits picked out. I thought all we would really need to do Saturday is straighten up, frost the cake, and buy some balloons. Well, said cake ended up being a total mess and taking me like three hours to frost. A bunch of very late rsvp-ers caused slight panic and a run to buy folding chairs. My husbands sudden interest in a perfectly groomed lawn called for clippers and an edger. So instead of loving on our birthday girls all day-- I ended up crossing my fingers for extra long naps so everything could get done. They did have a candle in their morning oatmeal and happy birthday sung to them about dozen times.

When it was all said and done, the party ended up being wonderful. We had about 50 people because when I did my invites I wasn't counting everyone's kids and thought most people would probably be out of town. I was afraid it was going to be an absolute zoo but it really wasn't. People sat inside and out. Kids ran wild, played in the sandbox, and obsessed over Clover. I was much more relaxed than I had been the entire day and had a wonderful evening with my babies. The girls wowed the crowd by both snarfing down an entire cupcake and loved crawling on the grass with their friends. They got some lovely presents from people that didn't heed the request not to bring any. The cake wasn't very pretty but tasted delicious. Ben was a master at the grill and we had plenty of food. I was a little sad not to have any family around but we see them in a few short days.

It was lovely to sit outside and chat with neighbors and friends and just soak up some summer. Happy Birthday Rosie and Evie!! A perfect party for two perfect girls.

Picnic for Two

One of my favorite things in the world is a good picnic. Whether a backyard BBQ, roasting marshmallows up the canyon, or laying on a blanket in the park eating subs...there is something about eating outdoors that I absolutely love.

So when a girl in my ward offered to help people build mini picnic tables for their kids, I jumped right on it. I know my girls will be avid picnicers too. I'm not sure the gal really knew what she was getting into because I literally have zero wood working skills (and neither did the other moms who came)-- but we all helped each other and it worked out in the end. Everyone else was building a larger sized table for school aged kids but we found a separate plan for a toddler size table which I decided to do instead.

The building was a little tedious but not very hard and I really enjoyed painting it later. I did most the priming and painting late in the evenings after the girls were in bed. Ben was out of town on business all week and it was really nice to sit on the porch and listen to a little Brandi Carlile and Missy Higgins and do some painting. Therapeutic even.

Put the final coat on last night just in time for their birthday.

Baby Love

There are just a couple more days until my baby girls turn 1 years old. I'm trying to soak in every last "baby" moment this week. I know nothing big is going to suddenly change on Saturday...but my heart has been aching knowing that this first year is over. It was hard for me when my girls started growing out of their newborn clothes. I continued to squeeze them into those precious tiny outfits for too long because I just couldn't accept that 0- 3 month size. That was a rough transition but since then it hasn't bothered me so much. Now that same anxious, weepy feeling has crept back in is as they approach this big milestone.

Rosie and Evie were home napping with daddy last Sunday during Relief Society so I was able to sit with a friend who has twin girls that just turned 6 months. I couldn't believe how tiny her girls felt in my arms. How relatively soft and floppy they still were...still a little wobbly sitting up. It just blows my mind how much my girls have changed and grown up in the last six months and how much faster the second half of this year was than the first. They spent the first six months not doing much at all and all of a sudden they are around the corner and up the stairs before you finish wiping off the counter. They are standing at the cupboard or at their toy box throwing everything out behind them. They are making all kinds of sounds that mimic words and shaking their heads in protest to foods they don't like. They are becoming possessive of toys and having to learn to share. All of a sudden they are mini little people. Not babies so much--but becoming toddlers.

I just want to hold them as tiny little infants for one more day... when they just lay still and stare up at you for as long as you want and never try to break free. Teeny tiny faces and fingers. As much as I wish I could have that, I am SOOO loving this stage. I would settle to just freeze the clock right now for a few months and not let anything else change--to push back that big 1 for a little while longer.

With babies, you are constantly aware of the passing of time. They are ticking time pieces right in front of you. Changing and growing and doing new things every single day (or at least at this age anyway). It is incredible to be a parent and watch all those firsts and know that is exactly what they are. You see babies all the time doing baby things but it is so different to watch and know when something is brand new. Knowing when they are touching grass for the first time, picking up a rattle by themselves for the first time, making a new funny face or sound they have never made before. It is amazing. There is a joy in parenting that passes between moms and dads at the dinner table every day with clapping and cheers or sometimes silently with excited smiles when you look at each other and both know what you're witnessing...and the whole world around you may see the exact same thing but have no idea how special it is.

Last night I laid in bed and thought of every detail I could remember from the day Rosie and Evie were born and I realized I never wrote it all down. I started to here but it got so ridiculously long that I think I may save it for another post...or I may just print it out and put it in their baby book (the baby book that unfortunately doesn't exist yet). argh. Things to do, things to do.

The short version is Rosemary Nell and Evelyn Irene came on June 25, 2011 at 6:43 and 6:44 am. They were big and healthy and beautiful and made me the happiest mama in the world. :)

My Rosie:



My Evie: