I Wanna Be A Beach Bum

Macie constantly talks about going to the beach, and Josh finally has a day off this week so we can head out there. I am not a big California beach fan, I prefer Cancun thank you very much, so I don't really know where the best place would be to go for a day. What beach would you pick? Please leave a comment and let me know because we want to leave Thursday night. And as for my California friends, I expect some input!

My Rock-A-Hula Girl

Macie had her first dance recital last weekend. She looked gorgeous and did a wonderful job. But really, do you think a 3 year-old in a hula costume could not be the cutest thing you've ever seen? I tried to contain my excitement the whole day because I didn't want to make her nervous, but when we were in the audience before the recital started I couldn't hold back any longer. Josh's brother, Brent, was the lucky one sitting next to me while I bounced around my seat and couldn't stop talking. The whole show was very entertaining (Bunker Dance does a fantastic job), and we finally got to see our little hula girl come out for one of the final numbers. Videotaping was not permitted, so I only have still shots until the video is sent out.  

On stage right before the music started. Macie is the second from the right. 

Curtain call, right after they took their bow.

One of her many poses. I love the did-you-take-the-picture-yet expression.

This is half of her class. Macie is second from the left.

We failed to bring a change of clothes, so she wore her outfit to dinner.

 
And to the ice cream shop.

Some of Macie's biggest fans: Kip, Jarrett, Mel, Sadie, Mom, Dad, Brent (Sondie took the picture, and Lisa and Paris had to hurry home.) Thanks for coming and supporting Macie.

Honestly, this was one of my proudest moments as a Mom. I got to see my little girl work hard at something without our help, and show off her accomplishment. I can't describe how great it was to see her smiling face on stage and know she was having a great time. I'm not ready for her to be this grown up yet...it's too fast.  

In Your Face

Have you ever seen someone happier to eat blueberries, apples, prunes and squash? 

You Said It Bill

I decided to take a 4-day trip to visit my parents last weekend. Josh couldn't go so I was on my own with the kids. At the airport. On the plane. Outnumbered 2 to 1. What was I thinking? The flight home was more hectic than the first since Ty didn't fall asleep in my arms and Macie didn't quietly watch the video ipod like they did on the way there. Luckily the flight was only an hour and a half. 

After I got home and called my parents my mom told me about this Bill Cosby clip, Jeffrey. I looked it up and had to laugh because I could identify with it. It is hilarious. My favorite part is the last few seconds when the mom gets off the plane and sees the dad waiting there. I couldn't stop chuckling to myself about it all night. 

My children weren't running around the plane like Jeffery was, but they were LOUD. Lucky for everyone else on the flight, we were in the last row, projecting all the way up to the front. Ty yelled "da-da-da-da" a good 75% of the flight while throwing things and trying to put them in his mouth all at the same time. 10% was crying, another 10% laughing, and maybe 5% silence. Macie couldn't help singing out loud along with her videos. During our approach the other people were treated with her made-up songs about castles, glitter and princesses. After spilled drinks, food everywhere, and my large headache we finally arrived. I reached my breaking point when Josh was late to pick us up. I was waiting around with 2 carseats, 2 suitcases, a stroller, and another wandering child all by myself. I almost punched him in the face. Thank you Jeffery, I no longer feel so bad.

Video Time

Life seems so busy these days that I hardly seem to take pictures anymore. At least I pull out the camera every once and a while for videos. Here are two cute clips that are pretty recent. My little buddy likes to clap for us. I can't get enough if it. Pardon our lack of clothing, we just got out of the pool. The second video is Macie with her cousin Sadie. The first 15 seconds are hilarious, especially if you know Macie and Sadie's personalities. My little Macie is a bossy one. I believe she was putting Sadie in her place.





By the way, Macie rarely uses physical force. The little "tap" on the face was quite a surprise.

One Year Older and Wiser Too

Yesterday was my birthday. I enjoyed receiving all the phone calls and messages wishing me a happy day. I don't really feel any older, but then again I still think I'm 22 and wonder where the time has gone. Honestly, I always forget how old I am and have to stop and think about it before I answer. I think that happened to me once I had my first child. I started aging really quickly, but my mind still thinks time has hardly gone by. Now I'm 28. 

I think my kids were extra excited to see me on my birthday because they both woke up close to an hour earlier than normal. Yay. (insert sarcasm here) Despite that, we had a nice day hanging around the house and taking it easy. Macie loves birthdays and was very excited all day long. Josh found a delicious pie place and picked up chocolate cream and banana cream pies for dessert (no sugar added, of course!). We had a small group of friends and family come over in the evening to celebrate. It was great. Thanks Josh for taking care of my special day! 

Where Have You Been All My Life?

I recently purchased a Vita-Mix. Happy early birthday to me! I can't even begin to describe how much I love my new appliance. Let's start with this tidbit:

The results of a 2008 study at the University of Toronto clearly indicate that the Vita-Mix has the ability to disrupt plant cell wall structure and significantly reduce food particle size which may enhance the bioavailability of essential nutrients in fruits and vegetables. 

Basically, it's a great way to eat healthy and I'm all about that. My siblings will testify that I am obsessed with my Vita-Mix. I easily use it at least twice daily, sometimes up to five or six times. You may now be thinking, what in the world is she blending so often? Well, basically everything. Fruit smoothies, shakes, soups, baby food...you name it and I've tried it. I LOVE this thing. It blends almost anything into a  perfectly smooth consistency in less than a minute. I could go on and on about the features and versatility of my Vita-Mix, but I've been told that they are only exciting to me. Ha ha!

I am especially excited about the fact that I make Ty fresh baby food with a lot higher nutritional value than the jarred stuff. One look at bright green, fresh green beans next to a jar of dark greenish-looking green beans is enough for me to turn away and never go back. The taste difference is remarkable too, obviously. If you've ever sampled baby food (especially the veggies!) you know what I'm talking about. Why would I put it in my baby's mouth if it is repulsive to me? Fresh foods taste so much better. I've had people tell me that making baby food is a good idea but too time consuming. Well, my response to that is of course! Anything would be considered time consuming compared to unscrewing a lid off of a jar. 

My new-found love for blending has intensified my desire for fresh produce. I can't get my hands on enough produce! I'm having a great time experimenting and sampling foods that we didn't normally eat before, mainly larger quantities of different kinds of vegetables. Regardless, we still have a fruit smoothie daily (we started doing this months and months ago, I can't remember when) to give us a tasty dose of vitamins and antioxidants. It's no secret that diets high in fruits and vegetables are proven to reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Yes, I realize I may be a little over the top about it all, but that is just me. I love feeling healthy and my Vita-Mix is one more thing that makes my life a little easier. Just check it out and you'll know what I'm talking about.  

A young Vita-Mix fan.

My super cute smoothie helper.

Thought You Should Know

So yeah, I'm updating my blog on our new iMac and I totally love it! Sadly, our good ol' Dell bit the dust. Time for the bigger and the better!

My Guy At Six Months

It's so easy to make Ty laugh. Not only that, but he gets in giggly moods and anything you do or say makes him laugh hard. So hard that it sounds like it hurts. Here are two cute videos from a couple weeks ago that I've wanted to post. WARNING: Watching these videos will make you laugh too.





Here's a little more info on Ty:

- He enjoys sitting up and playing with toys. I love it too because he stays in one spot and can see all around.

- He still wakes up once a night to eat.

- He weighed 18 lbs. and measured 27 in. at his well check a few weeks ago. We are raising an athlete.

- He loves to tackle and be tackled. I can't believe it myself, but he laughs and screams with delight. Definitely a boy thing.

- He loves to watch and be entertained by Macie.

- His first tooth broke through on the bottom a couple days ago and the one right next to it is coming soon. Unfortunately he isn't a pleasant teether like his sister was.

- He strongly believes that everything in sight belongs in his mouth. He makes every effort to make sure it happens.

- He already seems so rough and tumble as such a young age that I fear for the time he will be mobile.

- He is the cutest little guy I have ever seen and I can't stop kissing his cheeks!

And Just Like That She's Already 3

I'm sad because my kids are big. Last week Macie turned 3 and Ty 6 months. I keep telling Macie to stop growing up so fast, but she tells me that she has to be big. Sometimes it seems like time has flown by, and others it seems like it's practically stopped. For example, it feels like forever ago that Ty was born. I had a really rough time adjusting to 2 kids and days felt endless for a while. However, I can look back at pictures as proof of how fast he is growing and it does make me sad. I love this time in my life where I get to stay home with my kids, they are completely dependent on me, and they want to be with me every second. On the other hand, we all have those days where all of those things make you insane and you find yourself wishing the clock would tick by a little faster. I try to remind myself to cherish the moments and make them memorable. When I'm laughing and hugging my little kids I never want them to get any older. In fact, when Macie hits the blessed teenage years I'm going to remind her how she used to tell me we were best friends all the time, and constantly begged me to go to the ball and dance with her.

Speaking of memorable, let's move on to Macie's birthday:

Every morning Macie comes into our room and climbs into bed to watch tv and drink her juice. Josh snapped this just after I told her it finally was her birthday.

She immediately asked about presents, just like we thought she would. We were ready.

She was so excited opening her card and legos. Then she said, "What else did you det me?"

Well, my mom happened to be in town for the weekend so Macie went to her room to find more presents. Let's just say she is one lucky girl. She now owns the Princess Aurora costume dress, crown, wand and shoes, exactly as requested.

Macie is very particular and loves birthday celebrations. I knew she had a vision in her head, so we collaborated for the party planning effort. I basically took her to a party store and followed her around while she picked out about 10 different themes that she loved and had to have. We ended up combining her favorite things: princesses, horsies, strawberry shortcake, and pink and purple. We invited our families over and Macie had a great time.

I was loving the party hats.

Bella was Macie's little shadow, helping her open all the presents.

I don't like cake very much, but my homemade strawberry shortcake is rather delicious I must say.

No party is complete without a pinata...

...and crying. Cousins Sadie and Vance (in the background) only lasted so long.