Are We Human, Or Are We Dancers?

While I have always been confused by the lyrics to the song "Human" by The Killers, I now know that Layla is both human ... and dancer.

She had her first experience with dance this month and she rocked it.  There was a 12 year old girl in our neighborhood who decided to teach a free dance class for her Young Women's service project. I didn't know about it, but the morning of the first practice my neighbor told me about it and I took Layla right over. Nothing beats free, right?

I took a couple of videos of the recital. Please notice how Layla is pointing her finger at the audience and saying, "You can't take pictures yet!" I'm not sure why that made her so upset, but it was hilarious. Also, when her teacher was upfront with the microphone making a little speech, Layla ran up to her and tried to get her attention by talking to her and pulling on her shirt, totally interrupting her speech. I felt so bad and later apologized to the teacher, who told me it was okay because Layla's "cuteness makes up for it." She seemed to really like Layla.

The three years old class practiced for three days, and then they performed in a little recital with all the other classes (up to age 8) the following week. I stayed with Layla during the first practice and found that she LOVED it. She was giggling and smiling nearly the whole time. She did very well at following the teacher's instructions and remembering the moves. I was honestly impressed. I figured she'd do well, but she did even better than I thought (especially for a three year old).

In this video she's trying to do the dance moves with the older classes, and they keep trying to push her to the back (where she's supposed to be). So sad, but so funny at the same time.

Mitch and I went to the recital. It was very well done; I was impressed! Layla's class danced first. It was pretty much hilarious. I saw these girls do really well during practice, but then the recital came and they all just did their own thing. It was a hoot. Although, Layla did still do most of the dance moves, maybe just a little slower than she was supposed to. :)

She sat like such a big a girl with her class on their row of chairs during the recital. Then at the end I had to call poison control because they turned out the lights and gave all of the dancers glow sticks to dance around with— Layla thought it was candy and ate some. For future reference, they are not poisonous.

I'm glad we got this opportunity to try Layla in dance. I think there will definitely be dance classes in her future!

Laundry

Mitch finished the laundry room and I love it! He built the stands, added molding to the Ikea cupboard so it would match the stands, added crown molding to the top of the cupboard, and made the drying rack above the dryer. I love the way it all functions and looks.

Thanks, Hubby! You're the best.

Funny

A few things Layla has said lately that were super funny:

• I did something for her, I can't remember what, but she told Mitch about it. Mitch responded with, "Oh, isn't Mama so nice?" Layla said, "Yeah, but sometimes Mama isn't nice." We both laughed and then asked her why I'm not nice sometimes and she said, "When I get mad, sometimes that makes Mama mad and that's not nice." 
• I had to put Layla in time out recently. She was crying in her room and when I went in to check on her she said, "I just want you to be a nice girl!" (So I guess that's why she made the previous comment. Because I'm mean when I punish her. Hey, mean moms are the best moms, right?)
• Quite often when Layla gets into trouble we take away something, either the object she's playing with or the privilege to do something fun like play on the computer or watch a movie. She can earn it back if she listens and does what we ask. The other day I was nursing Marcus and was honestly tired of hearing Layla say, "Mom, look at this! Mom, watch me!" And I know so many people say that some day I'll miss that, and I get what they're trying to say, but at this stage in my life there are so many days when I just need a break from hearing my name 1,000 times a day. Anyways, I told her that I wasn't going to talk for a few minutes and that I just wanted to be quiet and rest. (If I call this "The Quiet Game" she gets mad and says she's not going to play) Well, that ticked her off and she told met hat I HAD to talk to her. I didn't respond and so she brought me the little tray of fake desserts she has from the kitchen set. She said, with a completely straight face, "Now I have to take your desserts away because you won't listen to me. You lost your privilege." Of course I burst out laughing upon hearing my daughter act like myself and then I said to her, "See, doesn't it make you upset when people don't listen and do as you ask?" She immediately lit up and said, "Oh! You're talking to me now. You earned them back! Good job, Mama!" Oh.my.goodness. Who's the parent in this relationship? Also, her facial expression was SO hilarious while she was scolding me. I really need to look in a mirror next time I'm scolding her because I must look the same way. Ha, ha!
• On the other end of the scale, Layla  confessed her love for me this week in an unusual way. Mitch was out of town for work all week. This was his first time going out of town since before Marcus was born, so she was taking it really hard. She missed him ... a lot! One day while he was gone my grandma came to babysit. Before she got here I told Layla I would be gone for a little bit and she started sobbing hysterically. The only words she could get out between her sobs were, "But I just   ... really, really love you .... a lot of times!" (She was trying to say that she loves me a lot.) I asked her if she was sad because Daddy was gone and now I was leaving too and when I said that she yelled, "Yeeeesss!" and melted onto the floor at my feet while sobbing uncontrollably. It was seriously one of the saddest moments in my parenting life. Long story short, she cried when my grandma got here, clung to my leg, and had to be distracted with fruit snacks that grandma had brought her as a surprise. Poor girl. But at least I know she loves her mommy and daddy. And she did have a lot of fun with GG and Robbie.
• Sometimes I think it's weird that Marcus can't talk to me. I know he's just a baby, but I guess Layla talks nonstop so I just expect him to jabber too. He does give the sweetest smiles any time you even look in his direction. It's like he already knows he has to share the attention with his sister, so if you do look his way he is ready to smile and coo at you. I know I'm biased, but he is seriously so handsome. Mitch and I decided that Marcus is made of circles: his perfectly round head, his round chubby cheeks, his round chin, his big round eyes, and his little round belly. When he is hungry he will track me down with his eyes from across the room, like a shark hunting a seal. If I don't respond soon enough his bottom lip will form into the perfect frown and then curl under. He seriously has the best sad face and sometimes I let him get upset just to see it. It's that cute. (I still need to get a picture of it!) If I haven't started feeding him by that point, which is only a matter of a few seconds, then he starts screaming. There's no real warm up or little whimpers. He just usually goes from quiet to a full-on wail. When I do start nursing him he usually lets out three or four more cries just to get his point across. It's pretty funny.

I sure do love my kids!

Blessing Day

(I forgot and then was too lazy to upload these photos to Photobucket first and if I don't do that then Blogger makes my pics grainy....)

Marcus was blessed on August 4th by his daddy. It was such a nice day! We had most of our family and friends with us and we were so thankful for their love and support. The blessing circle included Mitch, Kevin, Dave, Sam, Kelly Packard (a good friend from our ward), and our bishop. The blessing was beautiful and full of hope and peace. And best of all was that Marcus didn't cry during the blessing. In fact, Sam said he was smiling the whole time. So sweet.

After the meeting we all came back to our house for a nice lunch and ice cream sundaes. I was so grateful that everyone brought something; I hardly had to do a thing!

Marcus looked so very handsome in his little white outfit. I bought it online from some Catholic store and I was very impressed with it.

Layla LOVED having her grandparents, aunts, uncles, Oakley, and Rhonda all with her at the same time. But we quickly learned that Oakley trumps all. Ha, ha. Sorry guys!

We were so happy to have so many loved ones spend the day with us; my grandpa came from St. George and Judi and Sam and their girls came from California. We really have great families.

A few days before the blessing we took Marcus to my parents' so he could meet his Aunt Judi and Uncle Sam for the first time. Judi said she thought he looked like me, but after holding him for a few minutes she changed her mind and said, "Actually, I think he looks like Mitch." Yep! (Although I have had several people tell me that "he looks like Mitch but with your coloring." He's definitely more olive than Layla was as a baby. I guess time will tell.)

A few other things I wanted to remember lately: Layla's nickname for Marcus is Yucky Baby. She calls him this because she thinks it's "yucky" that he sucks on his fingers.

Marcus started laughing over the weekend. It's the cutest thing in the whole world. The first time he laughed was when Mitch was doing patty cake with him. He also laughs when you move his arms or legs really fast. Sometimes I'll be talking to him while I change his diaper and he starts laughing out of nowhere and I finally realized it's because my bangs are moving. Guess I won't be changing my hairstyle any time soon! :) I've tried to get his laugh on camera, but no luck yet.  I'll post it here as soon as I do.

His acid reflux is SO much better now. We're going to start trying to wean him off the medication soon and see how he does. I've learned not to eat anything the least bit spicy and to avoid eating any citrus fruits or too much chocolate. Also, I can have a Cafe Rio burrito with mild sauce, but not a Cafe Rio salad. Weird, right? I'm guessing it's cilantro? I do miss spicy food ... a lot! When I'm done nursing I will hit up the Indian, Thai, and Cafe Rio restaurants near our house until I get my fill!

Layla had her first experience in a dance class this week. There is a girl named Ashley in our neighborhood who decided to teach a free dance class for her Young Women's service project. I didn't know about it, but our neighbor told me and I decided the morning of to take Layla. I'm so glad I did because she loved it!  And she's actually pretty good for a three year old. We'll have to put her in dance class at some point.

Mitch's summer break from school is quickly coming to an end. I'm not looking forward to having him be busy with school every night. I can't wait until he's done and I'm sure he can't either! He wants to buy himself a Camaro when he graduates. He'll sure have earned it by then, that's for sure! I'm proud of him for his dedication to school though.

I've started getting back into photography again. I have a couple of family sessions lined up and I'm trying to figure out how to advertise more. Once our kids are all in school I would love to go back to school and earn a photography degree. Someday.

Mitch says Marcus must have got his long eyelashes from my brother, Brock.
Mine are pretty long too, but Brock's are super duper long. And thick.

Life is good. Marcus is finally sleeping through the night (7 to 9 hour stretches!) and I'm starting to feel comfortable handling two kids. The house definitely isn't as clean as it used to be, I don't make as many homemade dinners, and I don't exercise nearly as much as I used to (which I miss!), but we're all alive and happy and staying busy.

I love the little moments where my little family is hanging out, laughing and smiling together. I love seeing Layla and Marcus interact with each other. Layla has this cute giggle that she only ever uses with Harvey or Marcus. I need to get it on camera sometime. She is so proud of her little brother and shows him off to all her friends, who usually aren't very interested. Ha, ha. But I'm so glad she loves him so much.

The other day she was playing princesses in her little castle tent and she asked if Marcus could go in and play with her. So I sat outside the tent and held Marcus with my arms inside the tent so he could be her "Handsome Prince" and she could be the "Royal Ball Princess Layla." And I had to make up a little voice for Marcus so he could "talk" to Layla. It was hilarious and so sweet. I can't wait until he's old enough to really play with her. Though he might hate it. Ha, ha.

I love my family! And I'm so thankful for our faith and that Mitch was able to bless our son. It means so much to me.

Family Reunion

We went to the biannual family reunion in Park City this year. I remember LOVING this place as a kid and was so excited for Layla to be old enough to really enjoy it. The reunion is for the families of my grandpa and his six younger siblings and all of their families. Needless to say, it's a lot of people. When I was  younger and we would go it seemed like the cabin was full to the brim and there were kids everywhere to play with. Now that my grandpa and most of his siblings have passed on, not as many people go anymore. But it was still fun and there were still plenty of kids for Layla to have fun with. The cabin also has a couple of playgrounds and lots and lots of room to run around and explore.

Marcus and Great Grandma

The reunion is very organized. Everyone takes turns cooking meals that are prepared as much beforehand as possible.  In the evening they have an auction with items that family members make and a few that are store bought. The money from the auction is used to fund the reunion for the next year. There are usually beautiful crafts, quilts, etc. that go for a good chunk of money. They also have a kid auction where the kids can bid on candy, stuffed animals, etc. Layla won a box of Sour Patch Kids for a whopping $3. Good thing she doesn't go to auctions very often. Ha, ha. 

Every year there are also several candy jars and you can write down your guess as to how many pieces of candy are in each jar. I have yet to win one, but someday I swear I will.

They also had activities planned for the kids. They split them up into teams and then rotated between four activities: an obstacle course, shooting bows and arrows, catching and launching water balloons, and team races with the hula hoop thing. At the end they had a scavenger hunt and the prize was popsicles and suckers. There was a 19 year old kid on Layla's team (obviously related to me somehow, but I can't remember how) who was so nice to help Layla with the activities. She held his hand most of the time and during the scavenger hunt he carried her over the rocky terrain so they could finish faster. When they came back the poor guy was sweating from carrying around our 35 pound daughter in the heat. Ha, ha. They sure had fun though.

The rest of the time is spent playing board games and cards, and eating WAY too much candy. When my grandpa was alive we would always spend one evening with him and his siblings (all boys and one girl) sitting in a row and they would pass a microphone around and tell stories from their childhood. They lived in Roosevelt (Ioka), Utah, in the early 1900s and had no electricity or running water. Just a poor farming family. I loved hearing their stories and can still picture my grandpa's face as he laughed and smiled with his siblings.