Day 1 - Water Day!!!!

Today we started our "family vacation!" Since we don't really have an income we're attempting to do this as cheaply as possible. Most days will be free (besides gas) but every now and then we'll spend very little. Each day has a theme and hopefully something we can teach Lily... so in a way this is more of a week long field trip than a vacation. Today was water day. We went to the lake and washed the car (keep in mind our activities aren't thrilling but they're fun for an almost 2 year-old....)

I like this picture... it somehow looks religious to me... although it is a seagull and not a dove... :(

How I love these ugly ducks... if they're ducks. I always thought they looked like turkey ducks.

Can I tell you how much I love my double stroller. Bless the person who invented these. We passed about 2.5 billion dogs during the 2 mile walk and Lily had so much fun saying "bark bark" back to the dogs. And of course she also quacked back at the ducks.

So today I was almost killed by a goose. You can tell these birds are all a little too used to people giving them bread that when it saw mine it literally flew out of the water and in between me and Ben (we were only about two feet apart) and tried to get my bread before it landed back in the water on the other side of the bridge. And in this split second of the "attack" I was thinking, "I can't believe this is how I'm going to die!!!! I have children to raise!!!" Now I look back at that and sigh at how incredibly stupid I am. So much for my dream of being a superhero.... you never realize just how scared you can get until a goose comes flyin' at ya.

I love how Lily runs with her whole body.

Always loving her daddy!

Skyler didn't enjoy just sitting around watching us wash the car so he hung out with me. This week is going to have some amazing weather- all 60's!!!! As we were washing the car it was evaporating off immediately. Warm weather, I love you. Never leave me again.

After all this Lily helped Papa and me rake leaves, pine cones, and these spiky little balls in the backyard to get ready for tomorrow!

Peas, Please!!!

Me and my sous chef, Lily, made chocolate-chocolate chip cookies. She's an amazing helper! She pulls up her chair every time I cook or do dishes so she can help. Not only is she covered in flour but as I always say she is just covered in cuteness!!!

What would childhood be like without licking beaters???

Don't I look like a supermodel when it's first thing in the morning???

He only wishes he had a 'fro. Dream on, Hubby.

One of the my favorite moments so far! It was so cute when she wanted to feed him his peas. Sure half of the time she'd turn the spoon wrong and the food would drop in my lap but it was 100% worth it! *A side story about peas: I was feeding Sky when I was home alone one night and so I had Lily sit next to me with milk and one of the cookies we made. Even with that cookie in hand she kept getting jealous that I was feeding Skyler. "Do you want some peas instead of your cookie?" She nodded. "Say please." "Pweese!!!" And we continued like that for the rest of the night until the peas were gone. It was pretty awesome that not only did she eat the peas instead of her cookie but she was begging for them. MWAHAHA. VICTORY!!!!

Well this upcoming week our little family is going on a family vacation. We're staying in Raleigh but we're going to do fun and free things everyday!!! It's just so frustrating waiting for a job that we decided that "life is not just to be endured but also enjoyed." So next week is going to be a blast! Or so I hope....

Here's reason number 32948342304 why I'm a bad mom. I secretly can't wait to find that baby food that just makes babies gag. Well today I found Skyler's -- corn. Every time I stuck it in his mouth he'd either gag or blow it all out of his mouth. The awesome part was that I had just finished showering when I fed him and I had it ALL OVER myself. I guess that's payback for my evilness.

Now that Lily's in the vocab growth spurt we're trying to get her to say all sorts of words. Lately she's been fascinated with her colors. But the other day my dad asked her if she could say "supercalifragilisticexplialidocious" and she just looked at him and thought for a second, and then said, "yeah." Priceless.

I've continued to have some weird medical issues, one of which is extremely low blood pressure. I have constantly been told that I shouldn't even be able to walk with how low it is. When I was in labor with Skyler I hit my all-time low of 60/17. Anyway, that's beside the point. Let's just say I haven't been able to function normally and so Ben's been taking on some of my responsibilities with the babes. And here's how I know I have one of those winner hubbies:

Ben: Heather, just go upstairs and lie down. I'll take care of the kids. Don't worry about it.

Me: No, that's not fair to you.

Ben: When was the last time I did something for you?

Me: Ummm... all the time.

Ben: Well clearly I'm not doing enough.

Yeah I think I overmarried. Poor kid is stuck with me forever.

Stop Growing Up, Babies!

Watch out ladies because in 15 1/2 years Skyler will be datable. And I promise he won't bring his little farm friends along. I just couldn't resist buying him some aviators this week. They were $2.50. That little man is such a heartthrob.

This week we had a fun FHE. My dad decided to teach Lily about David and Goliath. So he's telling her the story and when it got to the fighting scene he had Ben play Goliath by wearing a helmet and holding a trash can lid in front of him as a shield. So my dad's trying to get Lily to throw a pair of her socks at Ben. She didn't quite understand so my dad very gently threw the socks at Ben which, of course, made him "die." Lily instantly started screaming her little head off freaking out and was full out bawling. And being the horrible mom that I was I could not even stop laughing to console her. Ben had to wake up from the dead to do it.

Another interesting fact about Lily is that she stopped calling Ben "Dada" about 5ish months ago. She'll point at him and call him whatever she feels like. Here's what she said this week:

Lily: (pointing at Ben) Mama!

Me: That's not, Mama! I'm Mama! That's Daddy!

Lily: Ooooooh. (pointing at Ben again) PaaaaaPaaaa!!!!!

Let me say that when I had Skyler people told me to wait a few months and it would be the most amazing experience to watch them bond since he and Lily are so close in age. Ben and I just watch how much they love each other and I'm so grateful I've been able to experience this. They can make each other laugh their little heads off even after I, the mother/entertainer, try my best but still fail. I've got to be honest -- there are definitely times when I wish they would grow up quickly and get out of some of the weird phases (teething, not sleeping through the night, screaming in church, being freaked out by evil bible characters dying... you know.... the norm...) but I know they're just growing so daggone fast!!!! My parents told me when I was 4 years-old to stop growing but that obviously didn't work. I guess I shouldn't try it on my kids either.

Family Fun

The weather finally started warming up so we went to the park! They built a new library and park right next to my old schools so we take Lily there whenever it's warm enough. This is awesome for Lily since we don't know if it's humanly possible for her to be still (or quiet, for that matter). Then we came home, put the babies in bed, and I just enjoyed a night of fun. I sat on the couch and turned on the Olympics and read one of Paula Deen's books during the boring sports while I ate my ice cream, and then rooted for Apolo when he got to skate. Can I tell you how grateful I am that only my direct family has witnessed me watching the Olympics? I'm pretty embarrassing. I'm jumping all over the place, tugging the shirt of whoever's next to me, and screaming (while Ben reminds me not to wake up the babies). So I guess to sum it up I'm just doing a potty dance -- but if it makes me proud of my country then so be it.

I thought that for anyone who's interested in what's up with Lily and Skyler I'd do a quick update on them as well.

Skyler

• sits up by himself (not 100% yet but he's not doing the leaning forward thing anymore)
• always wants to cuddle with his "Lovie" (thanks Aunt Cheryl for that)
• is sleeping amazingly (figures, he waits until now to sleep at night AND during the day.... better late than never, right?)
• he has had two teeth for a couple of months (which really makes me want to do some research on weaning....)
• is the sweetest child in the whole world! Don't get me wrong, Lily is a sweetie, too. Skyler just has the sweetest little spirit and is always so full of love. I just love that little Handsome. Gah! I could go kiss his cheeks right now.

Lily

• is probably the funniest toddler in the history of the world. That child will never lack for personality. When she can tell she's about to get in trouble she'll quickly fold her arms and offer a sweet little prayer (followed by a very loud Amen) or she'll run and get Sky a toy and give him a little hug. That child is smart. I think one of the hardest parts about being a parent is not laughing your head off when your child is doing something naughty.
• Like I said above, she is always saying prayers. We probably say about 5 prayers during dinner alone. Sometimes they consist of one word, but they're sincere. It's ADORABLE.
• goes on walks with my dad and she'll walk the whole time. I mean we're talking over a mile. Not too bad for a one-year-old.
• Her vocab is expanding so quickly. It's so nice to be able to understand your child! Some words sound very similar... for example "buh boh" is belly button but "boh boh" is ball. "Gaka" is guacala (a Venezuelan term for "very gross") and her aunt Becca. Sorry, Becca. It's kind of unfortunate that she says your name as she pulls chewed up peas out of her mouth. I promise we're working on it. :)

Happy Valentines Day to Me

This week wasn't such a hot week for our family. My dad's been having some problems with a tooth which made half of his face swell up, and then Lily woke up on Monday night with a stomach bug which meant that I got to have a "sleepover" in her room, and the rest of the week I've been fighting something really weird that involves continuous migraines. I've noticed that I've been having quite a few physical problems since I arrived in NC and we're really beginning to feel that one of the reasons we were supposed to come here was to help me get through all this. I don't know if I could have taken care of two babies by myself through all of the pain, dizziness, fatigue, etc. And here I have been blaming myself for having such a crummy Valentines Day week (I'm a big fan of holidays) because I had all of these plans that fell through because of my stupid body (P.S. I hate you meds). Let's just say this week has been a trial for me because I've had to confine myself quite a bit to my own room which has given me quite a bit of time to think. I realized how much gratitude I have for my husband. Despite our trials he is an amazing guy. I don't think there are many guys out there who could handle such a dramatic wife but he does that as well as handling a dramatic daughter. Haha. And last night my mom put out some chocolates and a card for us for Valentines day and it said, "Happy Valentines day to a wonderful daughter and her husband.... the only guy good enough for her!" I know it's a cheesy card but it made me think -- that's really all life should be about! So while I'm in the middle of all of these trials I should say that I'm so grateful that I have the most amazing husband and family. In the end that's really what matters. And since this is such a bummer of a post I'll add something that I find to be quite amusing: Ben and I are staying in my old room. A bunch of my old things are still in there and my bedside table seems to have been untouched. I was looking for something the other day when I ran across a letter I wrote to myself many years ago. It said not to open until 2013 but I figured it was close enough.... haha. At one point it says something like, "if you're married, CONGRATULATIONS!!! You're such a lucky girl to have the best husband in the world!!!" And I would have to say, "you know what, Teenage Heather, you're right."

As a side note I thought I should post something in honor of the Olympics. I'm a huge fan of the Olympics (especially the winter ones). Skyler really enjoys pretending to be an olympian with me. Here he is in a couple of sports. I left out a few of his favorites like the halfpipe and biathalon, but you get the picture.....

This Week

Not too many exciting things have happened this week, but I felt like posting pictures of Lily and Skyler (because I'm so proud of how adorable they are!!!) But here are a few things that have happened this week:

• Ben and I went to the temple - I'm so embarrassed to admit that we haven't been to the temple since before Sky was born. It was sooooo amazing to be back. I'm so grateful for my parents who let Ben and me go on a date night every week. I don't think we've ever been so spoiled! The problem is coming up with free/cheap dates! It doesn't get much better than the temple!
• I had sinus infection. And I used a neti pot for the first time. That is quite the experience.... I don't think I'm very eager to use one again. Haha.
• Ben was called as our ward's 11 year-old scout leader. Meaning the boys are 11, not Ben. Mwahahaha.
• Skyler's officially eating solids so much better now that we've added veggies to his diet. Let me say how grateful I am for solids that make his poop more solid (because I know you ALL want to hear this) because he literally had explosive diapers everyday. I would have to change him multiple times a day because of his explosions.... which usually happened when he was in his bumbo chair. So now I kind of have mixed feelings about them since they're formed to their bodies and cause the explosions.... does this happen to any of y'all's babies????
• Ben's quote of the week (we were hugging): "Heather, you smell really really good. Hold on... is that you? Oh never mind. I'm smelling myself." Well Ben I'm glad you smell so wonderful. :) You know what.... the more I talk to married people the more I realize how awesome marriage is because it's not all romance. I'm pretty sure Prince Charming doesn't make awesome Venezuelan food, get up with the babies every morning, get them to nap on him every Sunday during church, and can morph into an amusement park for the babies on call. I'm a pretty big fan of having Ben as my husband even if I don't smell as awesome as him. :)