Making Time

Having two kids and keeping up a blog of their doings is nearly impossible...or at least I'm struggling. I used to have two golden hours in the afternoon to myself while Colby napped. Now Alice seems to wake just as Colby drifts off to sleep and I have a difficult time ignoring her smiles long enough to write anything.

So catch-up...

:: St. Patrick's Day Robb was the only one to get pinched...although in his defense he'd only been awake for five minutes. We munched on the traditional corned beef and cabbage that night and Robb wished there were more excuses to celebrate the Irish.   

:: Colby's learned to open the deadbolt, the fridge, and, with the aid of his stool/kitchen chairs (he switched to chairs when I hid the stool due to his love of toothpaste), can reach almost all of my old safe places. We're in trouble.

:: And speaking of trouble, this little girl is getting pretty close to rolling over already and based on how strong she is, I'd bet she'll be an early crawler.

:: We attempted to paint Alice's room, but it's too yellow, like being shoved in the middle of a yellow meringue pie...so we'll be painting again next weekend (Valspar's love your color guarantee was made for people like me). Robb gets depressed every time I mention it.

:: Colby's love of the week: our pineapple-mango scented candle. He carries it everywhere and rubs small amounts into his hair and face when I'm not watching. 

:: Alice's love of the week: her toes. After 3.5 months of life, they suddenly appeared in her world and she can't get enough of them

I can't blame her. I'm kind of obsessed with them myself

:: Colby decided Squishy needed a lift

:: Either food costs have recently gone way up or my tastes are suddenly more expensive because I've blown our grocery budget within the first couple of weeks for every month in 2014.  The result: lots of variations on beans and rice and a few newlywed favorite recipes I'd forgotten about. Next month I vow to plan better.

:: Best.Easter.Present.Ever. Thank you, Mom.

:: Colby's buddy from across the street, Dawson, came over to play (we're making it a weekly thing now). I love watching these two together. Here they're wearing matching apple stickers. Colby put one on and Dawson thought it looked cool.  

:: This almost always happens when she's wearing a headband. She doesn't even cry, she makes a distinctive sputtering noise and I know that once again fashion has blindfolded my baby. 

:: Colby and I took turns being sick. He threw up six times in two days and we mastered the art of deep cleaning carpet (the secret is laundry detergent, lots of water, and something to suck it all up).

 I came down with a fever that left me feeling mentally fuzzy and physically cold. So I bundled up in flannel jammies, a hoodie, and our biggest blanket while Colby cuddled on my lap (I tried to keep him away at first, but how can you deny a two year old who wants to snuggle). Robb took great care of me and all the spoiling almost completely made up for being ill.

:: Alice joined me for the first historic General Women's meeting for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was amazing and left me wanting to be a more compassionate woman and a more loving Primary teacher (because I just got a calling to teach the 4 year olds!).

:: And because they're cute: 

Tender Mercies

:: Robb is the choir conductor in our ward and they sang an arrangement of "The Spirit of God" he did himself. He also gave a wonderful talk on Temples. Large chunks of our weekend were devoted to preparing for both and by the time I got both of the kids in the car I was exhausted and a little grumpy, definitely not the kind of mood that invites the Spirit. Anyway, we were driving and Colby asked for music ("mu-SAK")

So I cautiously turned on our Sunday playlist (the caution was due to Colby's obsession with Frozen...most days anything outside of that soundtrack is unacceptable) and the atmosphere in the car completely changed. I had time to calm down, breathe, and remember how blessed I am to be a mother. Later, he screamed all the way from the car to the church building, but Heavenly Father knew I really needed those five minutes, the peace in the midst of the storm, and He gave them to me.

Alice Danae: 2 and 3 Months

Little Things

:: Monday night the kitchen was a mess, two loads of laundry were scattered over the floor, and a thick wad of bread dough sat rising in the trash can. I'd scheduled too many things and after running around all morning, I overfloured (and omitted the eggs in) my rolls while half watching a Downton Abbey episode with a friend. So I started over while Colby asked to be picked up and Alice looked at me with her big brown eyes. It was a day where I said "just a minute" too many times to my children, the house was a mess, and then to top it off I had to throw out 45 minutes worth of effort. I was beat. Then Robb came home, friends joined us for dinner, and we went to another house for FHE. I felt discouraged about my day and even more reluctant to tackle the kitchen. It doesn't sound like much to get worked up over, but all those little things got to me and Robb recognized it. So he gave me a hug, told me to get ready for bed, and then removed all traces of my flour-y fiasco from the kitchen. It was exactly what I needed and I'm so grateful to have such a wonderful guy in my life.  

:: A stunted tree in our backyard surprised us by blossoming (we're hoping for lemons) while our grapevines still look like dead twigs.

:: Colby's new word for the week is "stuck." It's used when you're holding him and he wants to be free, when he can't open a door, and when he's tangled himself up in the big blanket and can't get out.

:: Friday, Robb and I went on a lunch date to Cafe Poca Cosa.  The waitress explained the menu in detail (it changes from day to day), but by the end I couldn't remember which dish was which, so we both opted for their famous Plato Poca Cosa (basically you get three random things off the menu, or between the two of us six different items). Everything was amazing and it was glorious to have those hours of us time.

:: Saturday we decked ourselves out in preparation for the BYU basketball game

Self-timers and a two-year-old make for fun pictures 

:: Colby got into my makeup (it was only a matter of time) and I guess we're a pretty good skin tone match.

:: Alice started giggling this week and shows signs of being ticklish. She's also chunked out enough that I can finally break out her 0-3 month clothes. I can't get over how adorable she is.

:: And these boys make my heart melt.