The Friday after Tax Day, Daniel had the entire day off. He had asked one of the girls at his office to babysit for us that morning, and we went on a hike date together. We went to Towsley Canyon, a local place, to hike. We did the whole 5 mile loop in about an hour and a half. It was hard climbing up, and we ended up running a lot of the way down (Daniel's coworker had places she needed to be). It was really nice to have a fun, active date like that! And it's been so long since I've done a hike like that.
That night, Daniel and I left the girls with another babysitter and went to see "Newsies: the Musical" at the Pantages Theater in LA. We had a great time! It was so fun to see it on stage. Daniel's always loved Newsies, and he mentioned a few months ago that he'd like to see it. I bought him tickets for it secretly as an after-busy-season celebration. We had dinner with the girls and then drove down. It's interesting that they changed a lot of the storyline from how it was in the movie. I actually liked the changes they made. It was much more like a stage musical than a movie, for some reason.
The next day, Saturday, Daniel and I had one of our international dates: Mexico! I made some not-very-authentic Mexican food: burritos. Not authentic, but certainly delicious. And another not-very-authentic dessert: Mexican chocolate snickerdoodles. They were spicy and delicious. :) I put together a slideshow of all the pictures we had taken in Mexico, from Daniel's mission and from our honeymoon. I had the computer hooked up to the tv, playing a playlist from youtube of traditional Mexican music, while also playing the slideshow of pictures. It was the perfect setting! Daniel talked a lot about his mission, which is what I was hoping he would do for our Mexico date. It was nice to hear all of this stories.
Last Tuesday, April 21st, was my half birthday. Normally, I wouldn't just bring up my half birthday, because, let's be honest, it's not that big a deal. But. This one actually was! Daniel was already out of bed when I got up around 7:30 to feed Camille. I took Camille back to our bed to feed her, and Daniel came in a little while later with a plate of chocolate chip waffles with peanut butter to celebrate my half birthday! It was such a surprise! He posted on Facebook, wishing me a happy half birthday. And then after dinner that night and putting the girls to bed, he got a babysitter and took me on a birthday date. We went to Barnes and Noble, just to hang out and explore and talk about books and read each other love poems. The perfect evening! He bought me a couple of books as a birthday present. On the way home, we stopped at the store to pick up something for our birthday treat: pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. We went home and made them. He put a candle in them and sang to me. He told me that we were celebrating my half birthday this year because I was in the hospital for my last birthday and didn't really get a chance to celebrate. He's the best husband in the world! I totally brag about him all the time.
Last Saturday, April 25th, we took the girls to the zoo after Camille's morning nap. We packed a little lunch, grabbed our baby gear and went. It was a cool day, and I suggested that the zoo would be a perfect cool-day activity. It was super busy at the zoo that day. I guess everyone had the same thought that I did! But about a half hour after we got there, it started raining. It was really wonderful. It was a light drizzle at first; but then it really got going for a while. I forgot a jacket, so I got really soaked. I still had a good time; I think we all did. It was fun to see all the animals, and I think some of the animals were excited about the rain, so they were really performing for us. We saw a Mamma chimpanzee holding and cuddling a little baby chimpanzee and protecting her from the rain. It was so sweet! And there were a bunch of babies: a kangaroo joey, a giraffe baby, and a baby hippo (who was my personal favorite. She was trying so hard to play with her mamma, nipping at her and charging at her. It's always funny to me to see baby animals trying to play with their moms, just like little human babies; and the moms are usually less than willing to play. :) ). It was fun going to the zoo on a cool, rainy day. And on the way home, we stopped at Chop Stop for dinner!
Sunday evening, after church and naps (for me and Camille), we made more pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and went to dinner at the La Rues. They ordered in some pizza and we had a good time eating and catching up.
Then on Monday, the Lungrens came up to bring us Cafe Rio for dinner and have family home evening. It was nice catching up with them as well. We don't see them enough.
It's been a good month, especially since tax season ended. We love having Dadda around.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
About April
Well, it's the last day of the month, so I thought I had better write in my journal. April has been a month of ups and downs for me. I had one really tough emotional week, and of course, some off days here and there. I was having a rough time finding the joy in motherhood all the time. And, of course, I don't think it's possible to love motherhood ALL the time. But for me, I think it's possible to love it most of the time. And that wasn't really happening. I just needed a major attitude adjustment, which I guess I'll go into more detail about in another post.
Daniel finished busy season. HOORAY! This has been a hard season for me. Daniel was surprised that this has been the most difficult season yet; he figured I'd be more busy, and therefore, I would have less time to notice that he wasn't around. But ... I did notice. I missed him, like always. And also it was hard having care of the girls almost 100%. I've also realized more this time around that since we aren't seeing each other much or spending time together, little things that bugged me became big things. It's like, because I didn't see my husband much and because I wasn't feeling connected with him, everything was a lot bigger of a deal to me. Things that normally wouldn't bother me, bothered me a lot. It was also kind of sad that the girls never saw him. Especially with how close he and Brooke are, and how much Brooke loves him. Basically, the whole thing was awful.
I had the girls to distract me, though. We've had some fun this month. There were many days, when the weather was good, that we would go play outside for a while. Brooke especially liked that. During Camille's morning nap, we would go outside and walk around, kick balls, draw on the sidewalk with chalk, and exercise (or rather, I would workout while Brooke ran and skipped around, trying to do what I was doing).
We also have fun playing in the loft with all the toys. Brooke has always loved books, but I've noticed that lately, that seems to be all she wants to do. She wants me to read to her; she likes to read to herself; and she will read books to Camille. She also likes it when I put Camille in the loft with her, so they can play next to each other.
For the past few weeks, I've been having little family home evenings with Brooke. Daniel and I have always been in the habit of having Family Home Evenings together, ever since we were first married. And I felt like it was probably about time to start doing them with Brooke as well. She's old enough to sit through and listen to and understand short, simple lessons. I ordered the Nursery Manual from the LDS Store so that we could have simple lessons with her. They are really easy to prepare, and the principles and truths in them are so straightforward and easy to understand. She's been really good about them. She listens really well and responds and participates as much as possible. I really and truly have THE BEST little girl in the world! She is such a special little girl.
Once a week, for most of tax season, Brooke, Camille and I would get together for dinner with the other tax families: the Faucettes and the Garrisons. Brooke loved when we did that. She liked playing with all the kids, and she still sometimes asks if we are going to Blake's house or Tad's house. It's so cute. We would normally keep things easy and order pizza and soda for everyone. It was a good way to break up the weeks and days, when none of us had our husbands and fathers.
For the past couple of weeks since tax season ended, we've been trying to live it up! Hooray! Daddy's back! Brooke's been saying a lot more, "Daddy, I missed you!" I think she is so happy that he comes home at night to see her.
Tax Day (#bestdayoftheyear), the girls and I had the car because Daniel was traveling down to the Valley with Evan for work. It's a good thing we had the car. Camille took a lousy morning nap, and I thought that since I was trying to get her on a nap schedule (so it would be a few hours before she would go back down) we could go somewhere, to break up the day and give us all a distraction from how tired we all were. Well. I thought the library would be a perfect outing. I got myself and the girls all fed and ready, and we walked out the door. On our way to the library, I got a phone call (which I ignored, because, hello ... I was driving) from Camille's doctor's office saying we had an appointment that morning and were we going to make it. What a good thing that I had the car AND that I was headed to the library... Camille's doctor is RIGHT NEXT TO the library! So, we went in for her 6 month appointment before the library. :) Here are her stats:
We went to the library after the appointment. Brooke deserved a little treat. She was so good and patient at Camille's appointment. We had a good time reading new books and picking some out to take home. Brooke even got to participate in a group reading time with one of the librarians.
That night, we celebrated! I picked up Cafe Rio for dinner and some bubbly drink. We ate well, hung out and had fun. Until Brooke had to go to bed. And then Mom and Dad stayed up for some more fun!
Daniel finished busy season. HOORAY! This has been a hard season for me. Daniel was surprised that this has been the most difficult season yet; he figured I'd be more busy, and therefore, I would have less time to notice that he wasn't around. But ... I did notice. I missed him, like always. And also it was hard having care of the girls almost 100%. I've also realized more this time around that since we aren't seeing each other much or spending time together, little things that bugged me became big things. It's like, because I didn't see my husband much and because I wasn't feeling connected with him, everything was a lot bigger of a deal to me. Things that normally wouldn't bother me, bothered me a lot. It was also kind of sad that the girls never saw him. Especially with how close he and Brooke are, and how much Brooke loves him. Basically, the whole thing was awful.
I had the girls to distract me, though. We've had some fun this month. There were many days, when the weather was good, that we would go play outside for a while. Brooke especially liked that. During Camille's morning nap, we would go outside and walk around, kick balls, draw on the sidewalk with chalk, and exercise (or rather, I would workout while Brooke ran and skipped around, trying to do what I was doing).
We also have fun playing in the loft with all the toys. Brooke has always loved books, but I've noticed that lately, that seems to be all she wants to do. She wants me to read to her; she likes to read to herself; and she will read books to Camille. She also likes it when I put Camille in the loft with her, so they can play next to each other.
For the past few weeks, I've been having little family home evenings with Brooke. Daniel and I have always been in the habit of having Family Home Evenings together, ever since we were first married. And I felt like it was probably about time to start doing them with Brooke as well. She's old enough to sit through and listen to and understand short, simple lessons. I ordered the Nursery Manual from the LDS Store so that we could have simple lessons with her. They are really easy to prepare, and the principles and truths in them are so straightforward and easy to understand. She's been really good about them. She listens really well and responds and participates as much as possible. I really and truly have THE BEST little girl in the world! She is such a special little girl.
Once a week, for most of tax season, Brooke, Camille and I would get together for dinner with the other tax families: the Faucettes and the Garrisons. Brooke loved when we did that. She liked playing with all the kids, and she still sometimes asks if we are going to Blake's house or Tad's house. It's so cute. We would normally keep things easy and order pizza and soda for everyone. It was a good way to break up the weeks and days, when none of us had our husbands and fathers.
For the past couple of weeks since tax season ended, we've been trying to live it up! Hooray! Daddy's back! Brooke's been saying a lot more, "Daddy, I missed you!" I think she is so happy that he comes home at night to see her.
Tax Day (#bestdayoftheyear), the girls and I had the car because Daniel was traveling down to the Valley with Evan for work. It's a good thing we had the car. Camille took a lousy morning nap, and I thought that since I was trying to get her on a nap schedule (so it would be a few hours before she would go back down) we could go somewhere, to break up the day and give us all a distraction from how tired we all were. Well. I thought the library would be a perfect outing. I got myself and the girls all fed and ready, and we walked out the door. On our way to the library, I got a phone call (which I ignored, because, hello ... I was driving) from Camille's doctor's office saying we had an appointment that morning and were we going to make it. What a good thing that I had the car AND that I was headed to the library... Camille's doctor is RIGHT NEXT TO the library! So, we went in for her 6 month appointment before the library. :) Here are her stats:
- Weight: 12 lbs. 3.5 oz. -- 1%!
- Length: 23 inches -- 3%
We went to the library after the appointment. Brooke deserved a little treat. She was so good and patient at Camille's appointment. We had a good time reading new books and picking some out to take home. Brooke even got to participate in a group reading time with one of the librarians.
That night, we celebrated! I picked up Cafe Rio for dinner and some bubbly drink. We ate well, hung out and had fun. Until Brooke had to go to bed. And then Mom and Dad stayed up for some more fun!
Saturday, April 11, 2015
My Girls
- I love how about a month or so ago Camille's tongue was always out just a little bit. Her new thing is that she puts everything into her mouth -- her fingers, her toes, her entire fist ...
- When we were in Medford, Julie had Camille laying on the table in front of her, and Camille just full on kicked Aunt Julie in the face. Julie was in mid-sentence, when POW! Camille's foot, right in the mouth. It was pretty funny!
- Brooke: "You all have boogers in your noses."
- My new nickname for Owen is "Mister O". I called him that a lot while on our visit. And one day we heard little Brooke saying, "Hey, Mister O!"
- The song "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" comes onto Pandora Radio, and Brooke yells out, "Yea, let's do this!" and starts dancing. :)
- I love how when I'm nursing Camille, she reaches her little arm up and touches my face. I think it is the cutest, sweetest thing.
- While we still had Callie, we had Camille up late, laying down on the couch, propped up on the boppy. And Callie came around, begging for attention (as always), and she kept swishing her tail across Camille's face. It was cracking me up!
- March 5th -- Camille starts blowing raspberries! And now it's her favorite.
- Brooke goes downstairs while I'm doing something with Camille. I yell down the stairs and ask her what she's doing. She yells back up, "I dunno!" She was eating all the cookies.
- Brooke is so cute. She likes to eat with me, sometimes sitting on me... One day, she pulled her food and her chair over to sit right next to me ... oh, so close.
- One day, I asked Brooke what color Camille's eyes are. She started naming off random colors: "Blue! Pink! Purple!"
- Camille started making so much noise while she eats. She's been so distracted nursing. And she started gnawing on me! AARGH! I kept getting after her when she bit me, so I think we are past that phase, thank goodness. I mean, she doesn't have teeth yet, but DANG! those little gums hurt!
- Brooke's eating has been ... weird. A little bit ago, she was doing so well! Eating all kinds of veggies and good, healthy things. She especially loved roasted cauliflower and broccoli. Well, cauliflower in almost any form. But the past couple of weeks, she rejects ANYTHING HEALTHY. I try to offer her good foods, or something new, and she won't try anything. It is really infuriating. Also, she takes FOREVER to eat. Seriously. I have to set a timer, and we have to be done when the timer goes off. One day this week, she took over an hour! Now, obviously, she's not sitting in her chair and eating that whole time. No. She eats a bite (a tiny bite), gets up, walks around, comes to talk to me and Camille, bounces on the couch, whatever. And then I have to get after her to keep eating.
- One day during lunch, Brooke put her sandwich up on top of her water bottle and then yells, "Sandwich! Get down! Get down, sandwich!"
- Another day, Brooke surprised me by saying, "No harm done!" Where did she even pick that up and learn how to use it?
Some More About March
Coming home from Medford was quite a chore. We took a late afternoon plane (that was delayed an hour), Brooke was really tired (since she hadn't taken a nap), and after we landed, we took the Flyaway to Van Nuys so that Daniel didn't have to drive in traffic to come get us. Brooke was really fussy and tired on the plane ride, but Camille was a gem. I mostly nursed her and rocked her to sleep for both rides.
It was nice to get home. We missed Daniel.
March was an eventful month. There was St. Patrick's Day, of course. And that evening I had a Relief Society dinner to go to, which was nice. Then, the weekend after, Daniel and I had our date to Ireland. I made a stew, some potatoes and bread for dinner (plus, I introduced Daniel to dirty cokes ... Mom and Diane got me addicted while I was in Medford -- a can of coke, with coconut drink syrup and lime juice ... the MOST delicious beverage, seriously, EVER!). I did a little leprechaun scavenger hunt for Daniel with gold (Rolos) at the end of the hunt ... and some fun. :) We watched "Leap Year" and ate a raw vegan "cheesecake" for dessert. It was a fun date!
The girls and I spent a lot of times out of doors. ... Well, not a lot, but more than usual. While Camille takes her morning nap, Brooke and I watch a little tv and then go outside to play. We have to take advantage of the nice weather ... while it's still nice. I like to bring Camille out when we can. I put out a blanket on the lawn for her to lay down on while Brooke and I do whatever -- sidewalk chalk, tossing balls, running around.
Brooke was having a rough time with naps for a few weeks, but then I tried changing her nap time an hour later, which worked like a charm. She's napping again! That sets her whole schedule later, but that's probably better. Plus, when Daniel stops working so much, he'll get to hang out with her more when he gets home.
We tried letting Camille cry to sleep at the beginning of March. But she seemed to be having a really hard time, so we stopped and went back to swaddling her, giving her a pacifier and nursing her to sleep. We just started the whole process again a few days ago, and she seems to be handling it a lot better than before.
March basically just flew on by. I'm a little sad that it's taken me so long to write, because I am sure I have forgotten some good stuff.
It was nice to get home. We missed Daniel.
March was an eventful month. There was St. Patrick's Day, of course. And that evening I had a Relief Society dinner to go to, which was nice. Then, the weekend after, Daniel and I had our date to Ireland. I made a stew, some potatoes and bread for dinner (plus, I introduced Daniel to dirty cokes ... Mom and Diane got me addicted while I was in Medford -- a can of coke, with coconut drink syrup and lime juice ... the MOST delicious beverage, seriously, EVER!). I did a little leprechaun scavenger hunt for Daniel with gold (Rolos) at the end of the hunt ... and some fun. :) We watched "Leap Year" and ate a raw vegan "cheesecake" for dessert. It was a fun date!
The girls and I spent a lot of times out of doors. ... Well, not a lot, but more than usual. While Camille takes her morning nap, Brooke and I watch a little tv and then go outside to play. We have to take advantage of the nice weather ... while it's still nice. I like to bring Camille out when we can. I put out a blanket on the lawn for her to lay down on while Brooke and I do whatever -- sidewalk chalk, tossing balls, running around.
Brooke was having a rough time with naps for a few weeks, but then I tried changing her nap time an hour later, which worked like a charm. She's napping again! That sets her whole schedule later, but that's probably better. Plus, when Daniel stops working so much, he'll get to hang out with her more when he gets home.
We tried letting Camille cry to sleep at the beginning of March. But she seemed to be having a really hard time, so we stopped and went back to swaddling her, giving her a pacifier and nursing her to sleep. We just started the whole process again a few days ago, and she seems to be handling it a lot better than before.
March basically just flew on by. I'm a little sad that it's taken me so long to write, because I am sure I have forgotten some good stuff.
Pictures: to Present
* Dyeing Easter Eggs together in between General Conference Sessions. Brooke had a good time! After the afternoon session, when she woke up from her nap, we hid the eggs in the back yard for her to find. It was hilarious! Some of them were easy for her to find; but others, she walked right past, or was standing right by it, and still couldn't see them. It was so cute! *
* Fun little girls. Brooke loves to read and talk to Camille. She loves her little sister, and Camille loves her, too. She likes to watch Brooke while she plays and runs around. *
Pictures: March
*Camille is the best cuddle bug ever! I LOVE cuddle time with my baby! Lately we've taken to nursing in my bed when Brooke is napping, and more often than not, we fall sleep like that. It's just the best. *
* One day, I made up some bath paints for Brooke to play with in the tub. I found the idea on pinterest and really had to try it. It was not a disappointment! She played in the tub with those paints for an hour before I had to force her to clean up and get out. It was good fun! *
* We finally got Brooke's room done. One Saturday, Daniel, Brooke and I put up those wall decals. It really makes the room look more complete. And SO CUTE! *
* Brooke really loves to get into Mamma's makeup. We have many pictures of her with makeup all over her face. It's funny, and really cute. *
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* Somebody found her toes. And she loves to chew on them. *
* Happy St. Patrick's Day! I made some pretty festive, yet disgusting, green food: green, lucky charms pancakes (with the marshmallows in it); and then, a quesadilla with a green tortilla and green salsa; and for dinner, vegan sausage and potatoes dish. We did sidewalk chalk using green chalk, and went on a fun walk. *
* We've had really wonderful weather the last few months. These pictures were taken at the park. It's so great to be outside with the girls. They love it! And so do I! *
* Cuddle time with my wonderful little girls! My favorite time of the day! *
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* ... more makeup ... *
* Date night! I took Daniel to an Indian restaurant and then to see "Cinderella" in the theaters. It was a really fun date, and a nice break for both of us from busy season. Daniel really loved the Indian food and I really loved the movie (I mean, I really liked the food, too, and Daniel enjoyed the movie). We don't have enough dates, I think. *
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* 5 months old!?! Already??? *
Pictures: After Medford
Pictures: From Our Trip
...and I clearly won't be able to catch up here. I suppose I will let pictures do most of the talking.
*Getting ready to have fun at the Air Park! These 2 are best friends! They loved playing with each other.*
*Aunt Schpuckie loves Camille! And Camille loves Aunt Schpuckie!*
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*Little princess! Grandma gave her a little dress-up set.*
*Camille helping Uncle Hou win. :) *
* Brooke just couldn't handle it. She fell asleep on the plane ride home, minutes before we landed. Poor thing! *
* Camille, all cozied up to Mamma on the ride home. She's the cutest baby ever! *
*Getting ready to have fun at the Air Park! These 2 are best friends! They loved playing with each other.*
*Aunt Schpuckie loves Camille! And Camille loves Aunt Schpuckie!*
*Little princess! Grandma gave her a little dress-up set.*
*Camille helping Uncle Hou win. :) *
* Brooke just couldn't handle it. She fell asleep on the plane ride home, minutes before we landed. Poor thing! *
* Camille, all cozied up to Mamma on the ride home. She's the cutest baby ever! *
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