Halloween 2010

The year of Tinkerbell. My little green fairies were by far the cutest I have ever seen, and I am most surely NOT biased! This was our first year really getting candy. Last year we didn't think Rae was old enough so we only went to a few trunks. This year we went to two trunk-or-treats and came home with the motherload of candy. Unfortunately for the girls, most of it was taken to give out to our cub scouts and most of the rest of it will be used to bribe Rae to sit on the potty (and maybe someday she will actually WANT to). All in all, a fantastic Halloween full of good food, great company, and really cute kids!

Children's Museum of Phoenix

Turned out to be So.Much.Fun! I am so glad I decided we would give it a try even though our Culture Pass couldn't get us all in free!

Out of the mouth of Rae

The other night, Jeff and I were laying in bed talking to Rae before we put her to sleep. We were talking about hair. I was asking Rae what color everyone's hair is, naming people one by one. That turned into "Does baby CJ have hair?" and "Does Laynee have hair?". Jeff then asked her, "Does Daddy have hair?". Without hesitation, she replied, "yeah, but just a little bit." She meant that Jeff has short hair, but we were both incapable of stifling our laughter!

Rae turned 3!!!

Yeah, I am a total blog slacker. So much for keeping a family record. Rae turned three a month ago today. This really was her best birthday yet! She finally understood that it was HER special day. She LOVED getting presents, and especially loved getting her first bike and Little Mermaid sheets for her bed. All day she ran around telling people that it was "Rae's birthday." We had a little play date with her friends to kick off the birthday celebrations. She had so much fun eating hot dogs, decorating cupcakes, and just playing. That night we went with just our little family to Chuck-E-Cheese, Rae's favorite place on Earth (only because we haven't ever taken her to Disneyland). She had so much fun running around and sharing her "coins" with Laynee. On her actual birthday we had some family over to celebrate a little more. She had her first "princess cake" and couldn't have been happier about it.

A few of Rae's favorites at Three:
Play Story (aka Toy Story)
Laynee (aka "baby sister")
Ice cream
Pizza
going to the park
friends
Nursery
Cub scouts
Bikes
Reading stories (even from the scriptures!)
Saying prayers

Rae, you are such a sweet girl. I am so blessed to have you as a daughter. I love you silly girl!

Laynee is one!

Laynee enjoying her birthday fork after she spit the cake out.

Laynee turned one while we were on our super-duper fantabulous vacation to San Diego last week. We went and got a sheet cake from Costco and celebrated with all the family that was there. I tried to feed her cake with a fork (because we were all filthy enough from camping for four days already), but she wasn't interested. Someday, if I ever get my act together we will let her dig into cake all by herself and maybe even open a present (she got a wagon that was great for hauling everything down to the beach in one trip, but it was too big to wrap...)

Anyways, her stats from her one year well-check:
Height: 30 in. 90%
Weight: 19lbs 9oz 25%
Head: 18in 75%

We have always joked that she was made from the supermodel mold, long and lean. Even though she has got quite the cute chunk to her thighs these days, I guess she is still my little supermodel...

San Diego 2010

We have been home for five weeks now, so I guess it is time to journal our trip. Before we left, I was terrified to go. The thought of my wild card Laynee in a tent in a crowded camp ground for a week literally made my stomach turn. She really surprised me by being a great sleeper and only having issues one night.

We had a VERY BUSY, not so much relaxing stay. First, the weather on the beach was BEAUTIFUL! The days we were on the beach, Rae had so much fun playing with cousins and building sand castles. She even talked her dad into burying her and making mermaid fins with the sand. We tried several times to get a picture of our little mermaid, but as soon as Jeff would finish she would jump up. Laynee had a blast with almost freedom. She was allowed to crawl all over the sand, but for some reason she only wanted to go explore the showers and bathrooms (gross!). I am still not sure how she could crawl through the dry sand, because it burned my sensitive feet every time I had to go stop her from escaping the beach.

We also spent one day at the Wild Animal Park, one at the San Diego Zoo, and one at Knott's Berry Farm. Those days were all HOT! Apparently, July is not the best weather to go theme parking in California. Both of the girls did good at all of the parks. They were pretty much stuck in strollers for the zoos, and didn't complain too much about it. At Knott's, Laynee was able to ride a few of the kiddie rides, but only really enjoyed the Mac truck ride. Rae on the other hand, was able to ride everything in Camp Snoopy (the kids area of Knott's). Her fearlessness really surprised me. She insisted on going on a few rides that I was sure would make her cry, and she LOVED them. Hopefully, in a few more years she can be Jeff's roller coaster friend. I like to ride them, but the kids ones are just as much fun for me!

Rae says...

A few nights ago Rae and I were laying in bed watching Princess and the Frog right before bed. Our conversation went a little like this:

R: Sad mom. A bug. (when Raymond gets stepped on)
Me: Yeah. Did Ray die?
R: NO! NO RAE! A BUG!
Me: The bug's name is Ray, just like you.
R: Oh. A momma too.
Me: (Looking at frogs on the screen) Is that Prince Naveen and Tiana?
R: Yeah. T-momma.

She was telling me if there was a character with her name that there had better be one with mine. She still denies sharing a name with Ray...

Where is the balance?

I spend several hours everyday either planning for scouts, prepping for scouts, or attending trainings...for scouts. My kids are both screaming for attention, and I have been getting ready for scouts tonight since 6:30 this morning. I know the church has asked me to serve. I know that I am going to learn something from my service, but are my kids learning something too? Are they learning that their mom cares more about scouts than them? Do I just let my whole house go to heck in a hand basket for scouts? Is it wrong to ask to be released? Why would they call someone without any sons, with two children two and under to such a time consuming calling?!? I don't know how much longer I can do this...

Please, if you read this before I take it down leave me advice. I really need it.

Easter 2010 Part II

We had some friends over today for a little lunch/Easter egg hunt. It was so much fun to see how different kids the same age are. Some of the kids were worried about the quantity of eggs, some about the quality (or if they are full of candy), and some were a little worried about making sure that the babies didn't get any. We had so much fun! Thanks to Katelyn, Mack, Ian, and Max for coming to help us party!!

Easter 2010 Part I

Since Easter Sunday is conference Sunday, we decided to dress the girls in their Easter dresses the Sunday before. I am sure I am a little biased, but when my girls aren't busy crying, the are just the most beautiful girls anywhere!

Seize the day...hug your kids! Part II - Pictures

How sad are these?!?