Memorial Day Weekend

Sun, swim, good food, and a little naughty. That sums up the weekend. My sister Caity snuck down to Las Vegas from Rexburg. It was a surprise and I loved it. I was the only one in town (Emily with in-laws and the rest in Utah), so I got her all to my self. We went swimming on Saturday and had Firehouse Subs for dinner followed by a lovely, romantic movie, The Lucky One. We spent all weekend listening to the music and being in love with being in love. On Sunday we had a great BBQ with just us and watched The Notebook. Oh, how wonderful. On Monday morning we went swimming again and then to In-n-Out. Her ride picked her up there and off she went. It was so, so fun to have her. I miss her and wish she could surprise me every weekend with her presence. Then it was off the Strobelts for some good food and swimming. Nick and I crashed last night, in a good way. Too much fun is always good.

 On Saturday we went to a party for some of Scarlett's little friends. She loves them. This is Clohe Clemons, Amanda's daughter. Scar kept on saying " i wuv her, i wuv her"

The fantastic hostess who put on a great art pARTy. Creative!

 SUNDAY

" forbidden road trip, over protective mother... it had to be done" - Flynn Riders great advise 

 Phone got nabbed by the Scar

MONDAY at Strobelts

These sweet grandparents are moving away from us in just a couple weeks. We will miss them dearly. Here is Doris holding her newest great-grandchild... Sammy Strobelt (Tim's little boy)

Today...

-Alice giggled for the first time while I sang "You are my Sunshine" and it melted me heart

- Scarlett watched "Curious George" while I nursed Ali. My brother, Nate, cleaned out his room and found this old Curious George stuffed animal. He gave it to Scarlett and she is in heaven, it goes everywhere.

- I tried to take a picture of me and Ali by myself ( it was difficult)

- I bathed my babies

- Scarlett played with cars all by herself this morning while I got ready... so good

-Scarlett snuck 3 huge cookies while at the park for my nephews preschool graduation... so naughty

And that is my life

Alice's Blessing Day

This past Sunday we blessed our sweet baby Alice. It was also my brother's homecoming from his mission and my newest nephews blessing as well. Last week and weekend were a party! I will do a post on all of that later, today lets just focus on Alice:)

Nick gave her such wonderful blessing. There were three parts I especially loved: 1. the ability to listen and obey the soft whisperings of the spirit  2. that her body would be healthy and strong so that she can be an instrument in the Lord's hands  3. that she would make wise choices in who she dates and ultimately who she marries.  There were an amazing 15 men in her circle. Watching all those worthy men surround my tiny girl brought tears to my eyes. Alice is very lucky to have so much family that adore her. The men in her cirlce were : Nick Strobelt, Ron Strobelt, Tim Strobelt, C-Jay Milne, Will Headlee, Wilford Strobelt, Jon Camp, Brady Camp, Nate Camp, Jordan Flake, Adam Flake, Troy Flake, Abe Ashton, Scott Woodbury, Douglas Woodbury. All immediate family members (brothers, fathers, grandfathers) were in the circle, it made the blessing even more special.

                           

She wore the same dress Scarlett did, I just love it too much. I did get her new little shoes so she can have something all her own one day. 

Free from all that fabric!

Alice 3 months

                          

Alice is just 3 months old and is the dream baby! She will contently lay in my arms for hours, napping and smiling happily. It is just what a need, a cuddly baby. She takes 2 three hours naps a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, with a couple cat naps in between. At night she has been sleeping from 8- 5ish with a feeding when I go to bed around 10:30 ( she even goes back to bed to whenever I get her up, usually 7:30!). It has been so nice to get more sleep. Awesome, right?! To top it all off she is super talkative and loves to grab your attention and "coo". With her beautiful blue eyes and bright smile she is just gorgeous!

"I have how many chins"

 
There has been a development in Alice's health. She is allergic to the protein in milk and soy. It has caused her to get colitis (swelling and aggravation of the colon). Her symptoms were really runny bowel movements and difficulty eating. She would cry every time she ate and would only eat for 2-4 minutes. I was nursing all the time inorder for her to stay hydrated and gain weight. We had to do all sorts of blood and stool tests to figure it out. When we did find out the problem the doctor wanted her to go on this special (aka expensive) formula for a week to help heal the colon but Alice would have none of it. She will not take a bottle period. So I have had to go completely off diary, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts in order to keep nursing her. It has been a battle that is for sure especially with all the doctor appts, which are such a hassle. But she is eating so much better. I am shocked she was never that fussy, as having a milk allergy usually causes severe colic. See, she is just a trooper.

I can still sum her up with one word... content.

I am lovin' me some baby Alice these days, that is for sure!

Mother's Day

I love my children. They make me a better version of myself. They strengthen my weaknesses and give me a higher purpose. My sweet girls and husband are my greatest gifts. It was a wonderful mothers day with a delicious breakfast (all dairy free and not made by me!) and dinner with family. It was simple and sweet and perfect. I feel so lucky to be a mother, their mother, and can not image life without them.

I read these words a couple of weeks ago and feel in love with them. To read the whole story click here

"Motherhood is purpose. No one can fill my shoes as a mother the same way I can. Motherhood is practice. Some days my patience grows short. Sometimes I don’t have the most gracious answers. Sometimes I forget to brush her teeth, but each new day I get to try again.

Motherhood is a sacrifice. Some days I am not sure I can bear. Some days it’s more energy and time than I have. Other days it’s filled with such joy and magic, time stands still and I have the energy to see the world from a toddler’s perspective.

Motherhood is selflessness. It is kindness in its gentlest form. Motherhood is the most important teaching job I will ever have and the most important CEO position I can hold in the most important company I know…my family. Being a mother is happiness and priceless. It is my reason to continue to fight a good fight."

The Garden

One day  in March I woke up wanting to plant a garden. So I did a little research and talked with some gardening friends and decided I really wanted one. We packed the kids up, went to Lowes, spent about 70 bucks and got ourself a garden. I water it 2x a day and have slowly seen it come to life. We just picked our first tomato. I bet it was good because Scarlett ate it like an apple, she would not let it out of her hands. After she ran up to me and said "mmmm yummy" as juice dripped down her chin. It is amazing that anything can grow in this sun and heat but alas we have 2 plants full of tomatoes.

After planting

Just yesterday. We have: tomatoes, sqaush, strawberries, cucumbers, and possibly carrots ( they were seeds and they are just coming up). I lost my basil, it just died, and one squash plant. Next time I will spread everything out more. Live and learn.

The Funnies

Being a mom can be tough and tiring but it can also be pretty funny. This is what made me laugh these last couple of weeks

Scarlett is loving baby Alice. She always wants to hold her and make her smile. Last week Alice was sitting in her boppy while I did some work. Scarlett comes running down stairs holding my face lotion (which looks like a bottle). She proceeds to put in Alice's mouth and say " baby wants lunch". So funny, especially since Alice does not take a bottle. Who teaches her this stuff? Oh, Scarlett also loves to "nurse" her bunny. She pulls up her shirt and everything. Then she puts the bunny to sleep and even pats/ rubs it's back and snuggles it in a blanket, just like I do.

Last week I was watching Emily's boys and Wesley needed to go pee. He just got potty trained so I hurry and rush him to the toilet. He goes. Scarlett is watching and then takes off her diaper and wants to go. She sits on the potty while Emily's boys yell "go pee Scarlett, go pee Scarlett". It was hilarious. What is not hilarious is that Scarlett now refuses to sit on the potty. Oh well.

 "go pee Scarlett"

Yesterday Scarlett was sitting in time out. She had a bunch of stickers on her shirt that she got from the grocery store check out lady. When I went to get her out of time out just a couple minutes later all the stickers were gone. I looked and looked for them, thinking she stuck them somewhere close by. I asked Scarlett where they were and she pointed in her mouth and said " all gone". She ate them.