Trip to MI part 1

As you can imagine, I have LOTS of pictures to catch up on! Veda and I got home from Michigan yesterday. I am exhausted and jet-lagged and have mountains of laundry to catch up on! But it was all worth it. Here are some pictures from my trip. I have tons, so I'll probably get through these over the course of a week.

My mom's cast! She even let us sign it (but I think only because she was getting it off this week) :)

 The girls-- all ready for church on Mother's day. It was kinda sad to be away from Dave, Quinn, and Hendrix-- but it was awesome to be with my mom and sister.

 Veda trying on a hat at the GAP when we went shopping. She is so silly.

 And oh- a slipper too :)

 This was too cute. We went for a walk one evening and my mom was very concerned about Veda having sun in her face. She would walk in front of the stroller so she could block the sun.

 Or have my dad walk with the stroller backwards.

 So spoiled... she doesn't get that kind of treatment at home :)

This was at my grandpa's place. We walked over to get some things and Veda saw this ceramic dog on the floor. I have many memories of that little dog, so it's sweet that I got a picture of Veda with it.

Julie playing piano with Veda. Maybe someday Veda will be a great piano player and I can show her this picture  :)

 Veda was AWESOME on our trip. I could not ask for a better baby. She flew well-- not perfect, but pretty good. She is so stinking smiley and happy and content. I think everyone who was around her this week loved her to pieces. I don't blame them. She was a fun travel companion and I'm glad I had her with me.

Why We Love Our Mommy

- She buys us pizza sometimes
- She is beautiful (even first thing in the morning)!
- Her teeth are real straight

- She can eat a whole pan of brownies/cake/ice cream (yes, a PAN of ice cream)
- She makes us cool shirts with horses and robots on them
- She makes us... whatever we want... with horses and robots on it

- She decorates our rooms so cute
- She takes us to parks EVERY day
- She has no idea how to get anywhere, but always seems to make it, even when we are being crazy in the car

- She wrestles us
- She's a good waterskier*
- She always gives us some healfy fruits and/or veggies for almost every meal

*ok, that one is not so true, but I bet she could if she really wanted to

- She's fun to go on dates with, the few times we've gone. GREAT dates though. Remember that chocolate brownie thing at Asiagos? I'll give you the credit for that. Deliciousness.
- She pays the bills on time
- She reads super fast
- She is a great best friend
- And good smoocher

Mommy, we're sad you were gone for Mothers Day or we would have squeezed you so hard. We're lucky to have FaceTime so we could see how pretty you looked today.

You're the best mommy and wife ever. We're lucky to have you. We love you all the way to the moon.

And back.

Michigan

Me and Veda are in Michigan. My grandpa passed away yesterday so we took a spur of the moment flight this morning. I am happy to be with my parents and siblings. (and Veda) :)

parks and friends and storms

I have some catching up to do! Here are some pictures from the week.

We went to a park with some friends. Look at all those cute girls!! These are my girls, and the two girls of my new friend who also just moved to Texas. Hopefully they'll be good little play mates. And hopefully I'll get a better picture of the 4 of them :)

 If you aren't friends with me on Facebook, then you missed this cute picture of Veda sleeping the other night. I brought quinn in to bed and we saw Veda hanging out of her crib. We got a good little (quiet) giggle out of it.

 We had some other friends over (also NEW people in our ward. They live just down the street and have a couple of kids that are my kids' age). We had them over to play- and once again the sand table proves to be the best toy on the planet.

 Here are all the kiddos having a snack.

 And yikes-- when did she get so big? Sitting there like one of the big kids :)

 And trying to swipe Jack's snack... hah... :)

It sure looks like I'm making some new friends, but quite honestly I feel kinda discouraged. It was enrichment at church last night and I texted THREE people that I would come pick them up. Which is a step out of my comfort zone as it is. None of them came. Plus I drove home in the WORST WEATHER EVER! It was a severe thunderstorm, but it sure felt like a hurricane. I cried and prayed the whole way home. I didn't drive over 20 mph the whole way- and I still couldn't see through the rain and lightning. I even passed my own house because I couldn't see it. Scary. It was definitely the worst weather I have driven in 10 years. I walked in the door soaking wet and cried. I think Dave thought I was crazy (or crashed the car). So maybe it's good that no one wanted to come with me... but still :)

my new haircut

So I got my first "Texas haircut." You're welcome for sharing these not-so-great pictures of me :) At least Veda looks cute. That's what really matters after all.

And the haircut is okay. It's shorter than I asked her to cut it, so it's quite a bit shorter in front than I had in mind (and cutting it shorter than I asked her to is a big red flag since it was the first time she cut my hair. Plus she showed up 25 minutes late to my appointment-- another red flag). But she had awesome tattoos and great hair and I felt like she knew what she was doing. (and offered me a job 5 times... ha ha.) I am trying to remind myself that change is good, and maybe I'll love it in a few days :)

a day in the life

Someday, I'm going to miss these crazy days of having teeny tiny kids. I thought it would be good to periodically record how our days go so someday I can look back and smile :)


A day in the life of us:

5:30- wake up. 4 out of 7 nights Quinn has already woken up and is laying in bed with us. If she is, I whisper for her to stay in bed while I shower.

6 - both younger kids wake up (Quinn has already gotten up and is talking my ear off while I get dressed). I nurse the baby while the other kids watch a show.

6:30 - I call my mom while getting the kids breakfast. Yogurt, Cheerios, granola, or a banana. There was a time that we had oatmeal every day. Now I'm super sick of it and only make it when Hendrix begs.

7 - change usually two poopy kids. And get everyone else dressed since they are half undressed anyway.
Do my hair/make up/kids' hair in the next two hours while finishing up with my mom on the phone and cleaning up breakfast.

Dave wakes up around 8. So right when he rolls out of bed we bug him by showing him 100 things and asking him 100 questions. It's fun :)
He juices for breakfast, so the kids talk him into sharing a 'big' carrot or an apple with them.

We play in the playroom until Veda goes down for her morning nap- around 8 or 8:30.

While she sleeps I get all of us ready to go (if we are leaving the house that day). Diaper bag packed, etc. plus try and get the dishwasher unloaded and the house cleaned up from the first couple hours of destruction :)

After v wakes up, she nurses. Then we head out! Costco, target, or another errand. Or the park! Parks have been a frequent thing lately as there are so many new ones to explore. Usually when I say that we are going to a park, Hendrix will ask me if there are benches at the park we're going to. I think it's because he wants to bring along toy cars and race them along the bench. Yet even though there are always benches, he never ends up using them. But he still asks me the next time we go :)

My kids are pretty good while we're out and about. They like to go shopping or run errands. Which is awesome, since I don't have the luxury of not taking them with me. I still put Veda in the moby wrap, and hendrix sits in the cart and Quinn walks or sits with hendrix. I get lots of looks and lots of "OOhhh... You've got your hands full." Even though my kids are being good :)

11- Lunch!

Hendrix naps from 12-3. Awesome, I know. If have been out running errands, he'll go down later, but it's perfect if I can get him down by 12. That's how he sleeps the longest. Veda goes down at 1 or 1:30 and sleeps for one or two hours. Quinn and I have "quiet time" while the babies sleep. She paints, colors, watches a movie, or plays with toys while I try and clean up lunch and the rest of the house or fold laundry.

After the babies wake up (Veda nurses again), then we play outside (those days are almost over!! it'll be too hot in the afternoon to do anything other than the sprinkler or stay inside!)

We eat dinner at 5. My kids are good eaters. They love fruits and veggies and we have them every night for dinner. Along with something easy for a main dish. I hardly ever cook anything that hard. :)

5:45 BATH! My kids aren't always happy about bath time. Well, Veda is- but she's happy about everything. Especially since we've moved, Quinn will have a major tantrum over getting in the bath. It also has something to do with the fact that both younger kids have pooped in the bath in the last few months. So sometimes bath is a struggle, but we still do it every night. I love clean kids!!

I start nursing Veda and putting her down for bed around 6:40. The other kids play with Dave and read books until I'm done. Then we all read a few more books together, brush teeth, then go to bed! The last TWO nights Quinn has gone to sleep in her own bed!!! woo hoo!! I knew she'd do it eventually.

After the kid are down, DAve and I take turns going for a run and cleaning up the house. Then we relax and watch Netflix until I can no longer keeps my eyes open (about 9:15). I'm such a party animal :)

So that's our normal day around here. Lots of fun and laughs and craziness with these darling kids. I wouldn't trade these days for the world. I know they'll be over before I know it.

More pics of the house and Quinn update

I had a couple of you ask me how Quinn was doing. So here's a little update:

She is doing well. She went to Primary yesterday!!! (without me). She has to re-do her kinder-evaluation because she refused to talk to the teacher last time. It's next wednesday, so keep your fingers crossed. It kind of breaks my heart to see her so worked up and anxious about stuff. I hope that she can continue to get used to things. The other night before bed she told me that I could just put her to sleep in HER bed. (She's been falling asleep in my room, then we transfer her to her bed when I come to bed). It was completely her idea to go to bed in her room, and I was thrilled! 60 seconds after putting her to bed she got up and wanted to sleep in my bed. But that's okay! Baby steps :) 

 Today we had a play date with a new little friend from her primary class. So she's doing well and wanting some social interaction. We are BOTH missing preschool though. :)

 So we're still plugging away at the house trying to get it all put together. Here's a shelf we just hung up in the hallway (yep-- still empty frames all over this place) :)

 The girl's room is coming along. I was waiting to take pictures until I finished Veda's bedding. I had to make her new bedding since the grey/pink didn't match Quinn's stuff.

Here it is- crib rail protectors and a crib skirt. I would have loved to get her a white crib, but I'm not made of money. So we'll make due with black until Hendrix is ready for a big boy bed- then I'll swipe his white one for Veda to use.

 And a super blurry picture of Quinn's side.

More of Quinn's side.

 Quinn- my budding photographer. She had us all do 'thumb's up.'

And a picture of a little boy. 

We still have lots to do-- but isn't that always the case? I need some ideas of what to do on the wall over Veda's crib. Any one have any ideas?

the park

I ran by this little park the other day that looked fun, so I brought the kids to try it out. We were the only ones there :)

 Check out her poor little forehead. She skinned it. On the patio while falling off the picnic table :(

 I have no idea what she got on her hands. I don't think she knew either.

I just love this little boy's enthusiasm. :)

Random Faves

It's been a while since I've done a 'favorites' post. So here are some things that I'm loving right now.

Chocolate covered almonds

My friend Christy told me about these chocolate covered almonds from Costco. I knew they would be good... but geez. Stick these in the fridge and eat like 5 every time you walk by. (that's why they are almost gone even though I just bought them. oops)

Nutrogena Healthy Skin Moisturizer
I just got this new moisturizer because I was needing something with sunscreen (my freckles are popping). I thought I would try something with retinol. Now's the time to make sure my skin stays good, right? It says that after a week you should see results. I swear I can see a difference in my skin after only 3 days. It was maybe $12 dollars? So a little more than I would normally spend on moisturizer. But not bad for something with retinol I think.

Sugar Scrub
My sweet friends gave me this sugar scrub as a going away present. I LOVE it. It makes me want to do a scrub every single day. I think I might try and make THIS one after it's gone. Doesn't that sound fun? Who's coming over to make some with me?

Petunias
I love them. My mom always planted them so maybe it just reminds me growing up. But I love them. They are just cute and happy.

Jamberry Nails

I can't believe I'm putting a picture of my crazy ugly feet on my blog. But here they are. I have never gotten so many compliments on my toes in my life than when I'm wearing these. It takes like 20 minutes to get them on (you blow dry on these little stickers). But totally worth it because they stay on forever and everyone you meet says "Wow-- cute toenails!"

And maybe this is old news... but if THIS isn't the coolest thing you've ever seen.... 

14 month old Veda

Veda is 14 months old!!!

- She eats what we eat. Still no nuts or honey or chips- but everything else! She loves pickles, ice-cream, strawberries, noodles, tacos, or anything she sees the big kids eating.

- has 7 teeth. I see more coming... molars. She also has a pretty noticeable underbite. Maybe that will change once she gets more teeth. Her bottom teeth have also come in super crooked. But cute, cute, cute.

- Still nursing like a champ. I haven't cut down any feedings, so she's still nursing about 4 times a day. She has had things with cows milk in them, but she hasn't had any cows milk to drink yet.

- Her favorite place to sit is this little stool my mom painted.

- Loves to dress up. She loves shoes and will hand me a shoe, sit down, and stick her foot up ready for me to stick it on her. She also loves hats, headbands, necklaces, bracelets, or any clothes she finds that she can get over her head.

- Doesn't say much. She's capable of saying mama and dada. But doesn't really very much. She'll give a yes or no answer- but they are kind of grunty with getting her point across.

- Can dance. She just sticks her arms straight out BEHIND her and spins.

- Hates to have her hair done. I re-do it all day. She just rips it out over and over.

- Is a blankie lover. Quinn never had an attachment to a blankie or stuffed animal. Hendrix really has-- and I think Veda is going to be a lot like Hendrix. She has a certain blankie that she loves. If you grab it and hold her she will snuggle you. I never take advantage of such a thing. ;)

- She loves to roll around on the rug. She'll fling herself down and roll back and forth. Quinn usually joins her :)

- Is really happy and smiley. Many people who meet her ask me if she's always so smiley. And yes-- she is.

 - Growing up WAY to fast.

Green mustache

Is it awesome that my three year old likes his dad's green juice? You'd think that such a healthy eater wouldn't get sick all the time! Yet we were at the doctor yesterday yet again. For the same old breathing/wheezing issues. But he's worlds better today. So I should have just waited it out. It's just hard to ignore your kid that is struggling to breathe.

Swimsuit?

Quinn already wants a swimsuit on every day. Veda thinks... "who needs a swimsuit when you have tiger ears on?" or maybe it's just that her mom is too lazy and she doesn't seem to mind running through the sprinkler fully clothed... Ears and all :)