The Beginning of Summer

Before Becca and Preston left we had the chance to go to Falls Lake for swimming/kayaking/picnicking.

Skyler ate the corn that we had cut off the cob and then he just picked up the cob and started eating it THAT way. Cute kid.... even though his faux hawk is doing some pretty crazy stuff.

Preston's dad and my dad in our kayaks.

It is almost a daily occurrence to be covered in Disney Princess stickers.

We were at the Farmers' Market. What was I supposesd to do, let him starve? He's eaten way worse things this week (Disney princess stickers, dog kibble, plastic wrap....)

Sometimes Lily sneaks into the dining room and climbs up on a chair and reads books. Usually "Goodnight Moon."

Here's what's happened this week:

• Lily started calling milk "moo" simply because she can't pronounce "milk." I'm just loving the irony of that one.
• Skyler's pulling himself up now. His crawling has actually been a HUGE blessing and he's been a lot happier the last month or so, but now that he knows how to stand up I'll have to keep my eye on him. I remember that that's when Lily started destroying EVERYTHING.

We also found out that my sister, Lizzie, is pregnant with her fourth baby! Her youngest, Kate, is only 6 months old right now and they will be 14 months apart. This one hits close to home for me since Lily and Skyler are only 13 months apart. I remember when we first had Skyler I thought we were CRAZY and life would be hard forever. I found out that TONS of people have had kids this close and that 99.9% of the time those siblings grow up to be best friends. I've already been able to see that with Lily and Skyler even though he's only 9 months old. So when I say congratulations, I mean it. It's a hard price to pay in the beginning but the reward is so much greater in the end. I'm so happy that I've been able to experience it this way.

The Reception

Becca and Preston's visit was awesome. We loved having them here although they were only able to stay a few days. The Taggarts were so sweet and let us use their home for the reception. We had so much help in getting ready for this reception. Thank you Falls Lake Ward!

So right before the reception started we took some pictures in the Taggarts' backyard (P.S. I so want to replace my grass with daisies someday.... but maybe I should wait until I own my own grass..... haha). Here are some pictures I took that night. Aren't they a cute couple?!

"Keep kissing, y'all, I'm not done taking pictures!!!"

Auntie Becca with Lillers right after she stole some grapes.

Lily playing innocent..... she's got that "I didn't steal those grapes, Mommy" face.

For those of you unfamiliar with the South, this is a Magnolia (as mentioned in Steel Magnolias). They're flowers that grow on trees here and this one is a little over a foot wide. Ben and Preston chopped a few down from a nearby tree.

And this was right before Lily broke their fireplace..... kind of....

At the end of the night some boys said that they had a "present" for Becca which turned out to be a frog that they caught in the backyard.

A couple of days later Becca and Preston flew home to Provo where they'll be for the next couple of years. Yay for being married! Everyday I count my blessings that I'm married because it really is the best.

Lillers

We love our little Lily. There's only so much you can know about Lily until you meet her (which is true for anyone) but she really is a riot. She keeps us entertained and laughing all day. We're so thankful she came to our family.

Dixie Belle's aka the best place ever for NC BBQ

Kisses

This is what happens when you leave your kid alone with spaghettios for 2 seconds...

Lily has been singing into her "microphone" which is actually a flashlight that she found.

Looks like Lily's gonna be a singer!

I've Got it Good

Ben tried to convince me that all four of us could fit in this pool. I hope you can still see after looking at my blindingly white legs.

My second ever Mother's Day was absolutely fabulous. It would have been perfect except I made a couple of tables collapse on my leg and bruised it all up! But I woke up to limeade, homemade sticky buns, and calla lilies! Then we went off to church where I had the third hour off so the men could take over everything so all the women could go to Relief Society. Then I came home and had a fabulous nap. Ben and my dad grilled filet mignon for dinner and then made chocolate molten cakes for dessert. It was a SPECTACULAR day. My mommy and I were spppooiiillllleeddd rotten. I can't really speak for myself but my mom really deserved it. She's an amazing mom.

So yesterday as I was thinking about being a mom I realized it really isn't what I thought it would be. Here are a few examples:

• While I was still in my pj's yesterday morning Lily and I were having our "girl time" (aka get primped time) and Lily walked up to me with a colored pencil and started coloring on my back. It surprisingly felt good. I was wearing a dark shirt so it wouldn't show up. So thank you Lily for giving me a couple of minutes of spa treatment. Wouldn't have expected THAT from a toddler!
• Skyler has been waving now (which is basically the cutest thing of all time because he looks all shy when he does it) but that is only minimal to the gift he has given me this past week -- he is almost weaned!!!! We went from formula once or twice a day to only having to nurse him every 12 hours!!! Wooooohoooo!!! Thanks, Bud!
• Those kids make me laugh all the time. This week Lily pointed at the cow in "Goodnight Moon" and said, "mother!" Now all I could do was laugh because I have NEVER taught her the word "mother" before. So that was just a coincidence...... right?

I'm sure all you moms have had similar experiences where you find them hiding food in their diapers, imitating you while putting on makeup, and holding onto you for dear life when they think they're going to die from the garage door opening up. I love it. I know I've only experienced the baby years so far but it really has been a blast. Thank you Lily and Skyler for making me a mommy! And thank you Ben for being there to hold my hand when those mothering moments aren't quite as awesome..... I'm really grateful that Heavenly Father has let me soak up all of these blessings. I often dream about what my life might be like someday but then I just have to sit back and realize that someday I'm going to be dreaming of all the times we DID have. So bring on the colored pencils, Lily.

Becca and Preston's Wedding Day!

Here are the newlyweds, Preston and Rebecca Stewart! (And can I have a quick "HOORAY!" for the fact that none of us girls are named "Whale" anymore?!?!) The sealing ceremony was soooo beautiful and it made me realize that temple weddings really are the most beautiful thing in the world. I'm so grateful that my whole family got to be a part of this experience. It's definitely something I will never forget.

Becca and Preston at the luncheon at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Basically the best food ever!!!! I seriously wanted to cry when I had to leave early for my childrens' sake and wasn't able to finish that divine chocolate cake. Boo. But on the positive side, aren't Becca's shoes the hottest?!?! I might just have to go find some identical ones.....

Lily eating her salad. I have to brag a little bit about what an amazing eater Lily is. She always eats her fruits and veggies (except peas). Green beans are probably her all time favorite food. We'll see how long this lasts....

Lovin' the yummy rolls.

Picture taken by my five-year-old nephew Benjamin. Thanks!

Skyler had eaten 2 1/2 rolls and he was DYING for a drink...

Becca and Preston with all the nieces and nephews from the Whale side. Also Sami who got to be the flower girl!!! We're so glad she was able to come and be a part of the wedding!

Two good lookin' guys.

The reception was a ball because shortly after taking family pictures we set up two pack'n'plays in the bridesmaids' room and let Lily and Skyler pass out while Ben and I got to chow down and talk to a bunch of friends and family. It was a blast. I should say that the best part of the evening had something to do with Becca and Preston.... but personally the best part of MY evening was when some lady I didn't know asked me if I was single because her son who looked my age wanted to ask me out. I laughed and told her that not only was I married but I had two kids sleeping away in another room. She got all embarrassed but told me to just take it as a compliment (which I did). I haven't had that happen in a LLLOOONNNGGG time. So all in all the day was fabulous (you can't really count the part about unhappy children because that's just to be expected). So then Becca and Preston left to go on their cruise to Mexico (for Cinco de Mayo, I should add) and soon they'll be flying to NC for their reception out here. And after that's done there will be no more wedding business for decades and my mom would agree that that in itself is something to celebrate!

Trip to Utah

Skyler and Uncle Preston. I've always known that Skyler and Ben's dad were twins but apparently he shares some genes with Preston as well. I know what his and Becca's kids will look like....

Cousins.

Our little family went to the Tulip Festival with Gramps, my Aunt LaRae, and my cousin Kristin's family. It was GORGEOUS.

I think I saw a few koi in the pond.... I know where I'm going if we have to live off of our year supply... did I just say that????

The ball that has kept my kids' attention longer than any invention known to mankind.

At the Whale's house. One of Lily's favorite pastimes was feeding Daisy her kibble by hand. There are definitely worse things she could have done, for example when Skyler got away from my mom and decided to go for a swim in Daisy's water bowl....

Kumbaya y'all.

These cute kids put on a puppet show for Lily and she kept hitting the puppets and laughed her head off. I love how simple it is to bring a kid joy.

Off to save the day. Nothing unusual for me as Supermom.

Lily went down that slide so many times she probably could provide power for Long Island with her hair alone.

The most expensive meal of my life. Thanks Matt and Amanda for a breakfast I never would have been able to pay for myself! I don't think I'll ever have the chance to have crab legs on my breakfast plate again.....

Many children were hit in the face because they didn't put their ball into the vacuum tube right. I had to do my best as a responsible adult not to laugh out loud. But I was in my head. It was hilarious.

Noah is definitely bigger than Skyler now. CRAZINESS!

Water time with the boys! Lily it must kill you to be adored by so many guys! (Although I joke that she has a crush on my cousin Cory... haha).

They had these cute little animal costumes. Ah, Skyler the lamb. What a cute little thing!

Jockey training.

As you can see we had a pretty eventful and fun trip to Utah. All these pictures are happy and show the wonderful side of vacation but let me tell you it was the most stressful week and a half of my life. I even have physical proof-- shingles. Apparently not just old people get them. Or maybe they do and I'm getting old quickly thanks to my terrorizing children. Apparently you get them with a combination of exhaustion, stress, and having a weak immune system. SWEET. Anyway I'm on meds and hopefully they'll be gone soon without giving my children chicken pox (THAT WOULD NOT BE A FUNNY JOKE, MOTHER NATURE). I guess I'm just one of those people who keeps pushing until mother nature says, "cool it, Sister." I always had the philosophy that having kids wouldn't stop me from any experiences that I wanted to have. I'm the first to raise my hand and admit that that was stupid. So I'm just going to calm down for a while and just enjoy being home. I can feel myself drooling as I dream of just curling up with a blanket and staring into space. OK I need to stop writing before I really expose what condition I'm in.....