Big Girl Bed

Well, the dreaded time came to put Layla in a "Big Girl Bed," or "Girl Bed" as she calls it, and thankfully it wasn't nearly as bad I was expecting! We also put a doorknob cover on her door handle, which helps, and I am proud to report that she has not once (knock on wood) climbed out of her toddler bed to play with her toys. Just sleeps the whole time! (I just make sure she's asleep before I leave the room in order to avoid the getting out of bed and playing scenario.) She likes her bed and we're glad the transition went smoothly.

I wanted to note here that I taught Layla the song, "Jesus Wants me for a Sunbeam" with the actions too. She'll randomly bust it out and it makes me smile, especially when she sings, "Jesus want me a sunbeam!" and she says "beam" in a really high-pitched voice. Too cute. And she really sings too, she's not just saying it. She can kind of carry a tune, better than her mamma, that's for sure!

Here's my attempt at trying to get the song on video. Of course while she can sing the entire chorus, she'll never do it for the camera. Oh well, it's still cute.

What else is new? Mitch started his summer semester of school. The class he originally signed up for was cancelled after only 2 people signed up; he was bummed as he was really looking forward to that particular class. Mr. Smartypants did get straight A's last semester and I'm sure he'll do it again. He now has one full year under his belt ... only 3 to 4 more to go!

Our builder let us know that they are digging our foundation this week! Yay! We'll be in that area this weekend and we'll have to take some pics, especially since the pics we originally took of what we thought was our lot we found out was one lot off — we're actually one lot north of where we took our pics. Oops! We have had anxiety over the color of the exterior of the house lately. Still deciding. Seriously, this decision is harder for me than it was to decide to marry Mitch! And I have to like him for eternity but I only have to like this home for 20 years or so. Ha, ha. Hopefully we can figure it out on Saturday when we meet with the builder again.

The other day, when it was about 80 degrees outside, Layla insisted on wearing her "big boots," as she calls them. On any given day she doesn't care one bit about what she wears, which I love because that means I get to dress her however I want. But lately she does whine when I get her dressed, only because she wants to stay in her jammies. Can't say that I blame her, they are comfy, but we are not lazy bums around here. Besides wanting to stay comfortable, she is pretty picky about which shoes she wants to wear, hence the big boots. Sometimes her shoes won't match, but if we're just going out in the yard I let her wear whatever. Who cares, right? On this day she took the big boots off pretty quickly once her feet got too hot. But not before she struck these awesome poses for the camera!

Layla has taken a little break from potty training. Until today when she actually went pee pee on the potty after being bribed with a blueberry sucker, she has refused to even sit on the potty. I think that between moving, us being gone in Hawaii, getting new molars, and switching to the toddler bed, she's had a lot going on in her little life. Hopefully now we can be back on track and start working at it again. I FINALLY rented two books and a DVD from the library about using the potty that I hope will get her excited to try again.

Speaking of the library, I had the most ridiculous time trying to rent books from the SL County library system because I don't have TWO forms of ID showing a SL County address (okay, I don't even have one form). If I wanted to buy a one-year membership without the address, it would cost me 80 bucks! Isn't that ridiculous? I tried using my mom's card, but it was no longer registered because she hasn't used it in a while. Finally, on my 4th trip to the library, I was able to rent them with Natalie's card. Thanks again, Natalie! At least it was worth it because Layla used the potty after reading one of her potty books from the library.

Layla is cracking us up lately with the things she is saying! Last weekend our fridge went out, so we took the fridge from upstairs and put it in the basement apartment for us to use, and my parents got a new fridge. (Kind of worked out nice that it happened over Memorial Day weekend for all the sales. This is also why we were late to church; we discovered it had gone out right as we were leaving and had to scramble to shove all our food into a fridge that was working...) Anyways, I was carrying a box of food and Layla said, "Be careful Mamma! Box toooooo heeeavvvyyy!!!" It was hilarious, how did she even think of that? (Also wanted to say Thanks, again, to mi padres for letting us crash here and buying a new fridge so we can use your old one. If we weren't living here you wouldn't have had to do that, so I feel bad, but hopefully my mom really wanted a new fridge, right?)

Last week at church Layla conned Mitch into taking her out into the hall to run around. As they were leaving, Layla turned around and yelled, "Bye bye, Mamma! See you later!" It was awesome and made several people laugh out loud.

We ate at Ruth's up Emigration Canyon last weekend with my family. Mitch came walking into the crowded lobby holding Layla and she said, "Hello, people!" Made us laugh.

Here's a video of Layla playing with Harvey. She is so mean to him sometimes! In the video she keeps saying that Harvey "Jump the kangaroo!" Like a kangaroo is my guess. Also, don't mind the mess, we're painting down here.

Layla also is hilarious because she puts emphasis on funny parts of words and has a way of using a certain pitch for certain words that make it sound funny, but cute. For example, she'll say, "OHHH! Harvey sooo CUUUUTE!!!" It's hard to type how she talks; I really just have to get it on video. Yesterday I discovered that she says "grocery list" as "gwocwee whip." She also puts her hands on her mouth and says, "All ta-board!" Pretty sure she's trying to cup her hands around her mouth and say, "All aboard!" Ha, ha. So funny. In general, she does say most things correctly.

She told me she was "upside down!" in this picture.

She is obsessed with "driving the Mammy car." Every day when my mom gets home from work, Layla insists on sitting in my mom's car to "dive" (drive). She makes me sit in the back, my mom in the passenger seat, and Layla in the driver's seat. Layla will move the steering wheel, push all the buttons including the garage door opener, turn the key, and turn the music up and down. Whenever the music is "too loud" according to Layla, she'll turn it off and then run her hand through her hair and say, "Whew!" It's absolutely hilarious. I really don't know where she comes up with this stuff. Too much TV probably.

We're still doing the Insanity workout and diet. This is our second week and while it's still hard, it's definitely gotten easier. I want to start running again too because I miss that runner's high and because I don't want to have to start over with running. I ran two miles today while pushing Layla in the stroller and it was harder than I thought. Maybe I need to start running a few miles at night, especially since Mitch will be busy with school anyways. We'll see. 

Here's a video from April, just before we moved. I love how Layla always says, "I got it! The ball!" when she catches the ball.

Insanity

Here are some pics of Layla from last week when we used the sidewalk chalk and paint she got for her birthday:

Mitch and I started the Insanity exercise and nutrition program today. I guess we were bored of our regular fitness routine and wanted to switch it up. The nutrition plan will be the hardest part; we probably should eat more healthy like that, but man is it expensive and inconvenient! We'll see how we feel (and look!) 9 weeks from now when we're done ...

Speaking of insane — I was going crazy and about ready to pull my hair out when we FINALLY closed on the sale of our old home. Long story short, the next time we sell a home we will have a condition that we will not accept offers from VA loans. The VA office is ridiculous! We ended up closing almost one full month after our original close date, by no fault of our own, or the buyer's. The blame is entirely on the VA office. But, it's done and that's all that matters.

We picked out all of the colors, faucets, flooring, exterior materials, appliances etc. for our new house yesterday! We are so excited and think it's going to be beautiful. We go back in two weeks to finalize everything and I will take a picture of the samples then. The exterior is brick and hardie (cement board). The city is requiring that the homes in our neighborhood have at least 4 feet of brick or rock on the front and sides of the home, which is more than we were planning, but it will look nice. I cannot wait until it's done! We're still thinking October/Novemberish.

Layla has had a sinus infection for almost a week now. I got it yesterday and felt awful. Today is a little better, but now I think Layla is also getting her two-year old molars. Hopefully we'll be better soon.

For the life of me I cannot get this picture to turn!
We both crashed on the couch yesterday when we were sick.

Mitch still has one more week off of school and we're excited for his long weekend off work for Memorial Day. He and I are in the process of painting my parents' basement. We want to earn our keep around here. We already have most of it done and I can't believe how the lighter paint color makes the space looks so much bigger! Mitch is such a perfectionist that the paint job looks really nice, but I'm sure it'd look even better if I hadn't helped because I am not that great at it. Ha, ha.

Welp, I'm off to eat the second of my "five small meals" today. I hope I'm not starving by the end of the day!

5 Years

Happy 5th Anniversary to us! To celebrate this milestone, we decided to spend one week on the island of Oahu. (I may or may not have begged for WEEKS to spend our anniversary there. My hubby either loves me a lot or wanted to shut me up. Probably both. Ha, ha.) I must admit, as much as I wanted to go, it was extremely hard to leave Layla. I knew she was in good hands, but I knew I would miss my little buddy. I cried when I dropped her off. Ha, ha.

We chose Oahu because I had already been there and knew there are lots of fun activities to do on the island and (mostly) because my brothers' fiance got us a discount at a hotel there (her dad grew up on Oahu so she knows people and family members there). We had also saved enough skymiles to fly both of us there and back for a grand total of ... drumroll please ... TEN DOLLARS!!!

We woke up to this view from our hotel window our first morning there.

Anyways, knowing that Mitch doesn't enjoy laying around at the beach as much as I do, I figured Oahu would be perfect because there's so much to do there AND there are plenty of amazing beaches. Here are some of the things we did:

Pearl Harbor.

Mitch explaining to me how this missile works.
I love my nerdy, rocket scientist husband.
Even if he does read boring signs while we're on vacation.

We toured the battleship Missouri. So neat and humbling.

I'm only 5'5" and I barely fit in this bed on the battleship.

The view was amazing!
 

Free samples at the Macadamia Nut Farm!

Brought a bottle of this home.
Ate way too much of it with french toast at the Wailana Coffee House.
Probably gained 5 pounds as a result. Totally worth it.

Visited the temple grounds. Stunning.

Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. Lots of pretty fish.

Hiked down to the beach where "From Here to Eternity" was filmed. (Halona Cove.)

Halona Cove. It looks like my version of heaven!

Watched several sunsets over the ocean. I wish I was out there surfing.

Polynesian Cultural Center. My favorite activity on Oahu!

I learned to hula dance and Mitch learned to play the ukulele.

We went hiking and got muddy.

You should have seen our shoes!

Pineapple ice cream at the Dole Plantation. 

Had dinner with Sophaneth, a friend Mitch baptized while on his mission in Cambodia.
She is going to school in Hawaii right now; graduates with her Master's this month.
I met her mom when we went to Cambodia in 2008, so it was so nice to finally meet her.
What a sweetheart! (She gave us discounted tickets to the Polynesian Cultural Center.)
We're hoping she'll be in Utah for one year for an internship before she goes back to Cambodia.
I would love to spend more time with her.

And I didn't take any pics, but we did get shaved ice with ice cream twice. We heard Matsumoto's was the best, but we couldn't figure out how it could be any better when they probably all use the same products. We thought they were all delicious and now we can never eat shaved ice again without ice cream in the bottom. It's so good!

Finally, on our very last day there, while laying on the white sand at Three Tables Beach (North Shore), Mitch said something that was music to my ears, "I finally get the appeal of the beach ... it's so relaxing!"

Lanakai Beach. 

Yay!!! I finally converted my hubby to be a beach bum with me! Sounds like our next vacation should be Maui or the big island, Hawaii (Mitch REALLY wants to see the volcano there). Maybe for our 10th anniversary? Either way, I'm just happy that he finally understands what I love about the beach, boating at the lake, Lake Powell, etc. A little R&R baby, while soaking up the sun.

I love the colors in this pic. They make me think of the ocean.

Speaking of the sun, I got fried our first day there. Yes, I know, I say I love it so much and then I get sunburned. It's weird, I don't usually burn like that. My Panamanian blood totally failed me this time. I was even wearing sunscreen and a hat! I know tanning beds are awful for you, but I should have gone just twice before Oahu, to build up my tan a little. I wouldn't have fried if I had done that. Anyways, because of my sunburn, I got a HUGE coldsore, which wouldn't have been so bad by itself, but I can never just get a cold sore. My lip also swells up GINORMOUS. Seriously, I looked so ridiculous and it hurt so bad. So if I look funny in these pics, you know why.

My hubby gave me a beautiful tennis bracelet for our anniversary. Of course, it's not real, or it would have cost thousands of dollars, but it is still pretty and I love it. It was really thoughtful of him because I've mentioned before that I've always wanted one. He's so sweet. For our anniversary, we ate at Duke's, a nice restaurant right on the beach in Waikiki. We spoiled ourselves - steak and fish!

Duke's.

Our families took turns watching Layla while we were gone.I missed her so, so, so much! I kept telling Mitch that I was having "Layla withdrawals." I called her pretty much every day and while I was sad to leave Hawaii, I was so excited to go home and see Bug. She and my mom were waiting for us at the airport, which made me happy. The first thing she said to us was, "Whoa Daddy, nice hair! Nice hair, Mamma!" Too funny. She had a case of separation anxiety for the next 24 hours or so, but she's pretty much over it now.

Layla learned a new trick while we were gone. She learned how to climb out of her crib. Of course the toddler bed is packed away in the storage unit. Annoying. She didn't nap yesterday because after I put her down she tried to climb out and fell. I was really worried she would break her arm or something, so we lowered her mattress to the floor. I know it's supposed to sit on the bottom metal part of the crib, but we just went without that part, put the mattress on the floor, and set the crib around it. It's working so far, and hopefully it will for a while. I'm definitely not ready to deal with her walking around when she's supposed to be sleeping!

We were only gone for 1 week, but I swear Layla seemed so much older and added multiple words to her vocabulary while we were away. She is speaking in pretty good sentences now. She is also noticing concepts like "yours" and "mine," but she often confuses them and usually just ends up saying, "Baby's" and "Mamma's". She'll get it eventually. She uses the word, "too" correctly, which makes me proud. She also says, "I sorry" when she does something wrong or on accident, and she says it in the sweetest little voice. She learned so much while we were away!

A big thanks to our families for watching Layla so we could go! Our parents shuttled her around, my grandma watched her some, and my grandpa even drove all the way from St. George to babysit "The Little Angel," as he calls her, while my mom was at work. We really appreciate all of their help - I know she is fun, but totally exhausting too!

Thanks to Tenley, Jordan's fiance, for telling us where the best beaches, stores, places to eat, etc. are! And for hooking us up with the hotel!

I love Mitch with all of my heart. The last 5 years have been the best of my life and I can't wait for the rest of eternity with him! Thank you for taking me to Hawaii, Mitch. You always make all of my dreams come true. I love you!

Mother's Day 2012

We kept it low-key. Told the Hubby and Little Girl that since we were spending a week in Hawaii this month, I did not want a gift. They listened, which is good, because I really meant it.

We went to church and all the women were given beautiful flowers. I love going to church with my little family. It makes my heart happy.

We had a brunch with mi familia. Brock and Natalie hosted and are great cooks.

Took Layla to the park. She cheered for Mitch every time he went down the slide. He's the best dad.

Meeting up with Mitch's fam next week when Katie gets back in town.

I love being a mom. Sometimes I look at people, the ones who go on to fulfill these amazing life-long dreams, and I think, "Why didn't I do something like that?" or "What is my life-long dream?" and then I realize that I am living mine every day. Even when I was young, I knew I wanted to be a mom someday. It was always hard for me to think of anything else I wanted to do instead. It always seemed that no career would make me as happy as being a full-time mom. So, I've come to the conclusion that I am living my dream. And I love it.

Layla is so sweet, hilarious, bossy, and such a toddler. We have our bad days, but I am always thankful that I can stay home with her. She gives the best kisses and hugs. She makes me laugh constantly, especially when she calls us "Lacey" and "Mitch." It always catches me off guard.

She sure knows how to boss people around! The other day she was commanding us both around at the park and Mitch said, "She's going to be a CEO someday," to which I replied, "Maybe, but I just hope she has friends when she's older," to which Mitch replied, "She will. All the shy kids who don't have an opinion about anything." Oh wow, it was funny, but in all seriousness, I really hope I can teach her to interact kindly and patiently with others, without always telling everyone what to do.

Being a mom is a challenge. It requires more patience of me than anything else I've ever done ... combined. I don't really know what I'm doing and I feel like I'm making it up as I go. I am always so grateful to know that I can pray to Heavenly Father and ask for His guidance while I raise this little girl to help her be the best version of herself. I love her guts. I am so thankful for the opportunity I have to be a mom and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Mitch and I have great moms, and they have both helped us out so much lately. I would also like to thank my mom (and dad) for letting us crash in the basement while our house is being built. My mom helps me so much with Layla all the time and it's nice to have all the extra breaks while we're living here! We love our moms and I hope I can be as good to Layla as they are to us.