Autumn 2014

Only in Utah is it 90 degrees on Thursday, and 60 degrees just three days later! We were so hot and then in a matter of days it became autumn and we have frost on the rooftops in the mornings. I was sick of the hot weather, but I wasn't ready for such a sudden change. Anywho, 'tis the season for pumpkin flavored treats and making Halloween costumes (both of which I have been eating/making)! 

Last week Layla went on a field trip to the fire station. I drove her and one other little girl while my kind grandma stayed with Marcus. It was fun to join them and see Layla with all of her classmates (she is definitely the talker/know-it-all of the group! Ha, ha!). Then a few days later, Mitch and I took the kids to the fire station for their annual shin dig where they had balloons, goody bags, displays, etc. and we even took a ride on a fire truck! It was pretty neat. Marcus and Layla both had fun imitating the sound of the siren. We saw Smokey the Bear and learned about fire safety.

 Last month I kept meaning to take my kids to this field near our home where there were lots of sunflowers to take some pics of their sweet faces. I waited too long and the sunflowers were mostly dead, but we still got some cute pictures. Next time I will go sooner in the month, and not so late at night (some of the pics were too dark so we went back the next morning and took a few more (this was also when I made Layla pee in the bushes because she didn't go before we left the house and we weren't near a bathroom. It was pretty funny, and gross.)).

Picture overload:

Layla took this picture! Pretty good, huh?

 And now for an unflattering picture of myself, but one that I love because it shows what part of my mornings consists of: snuggles with my kids! Layla will always snuggle first and then Marcus gets jealous and pushes her off my lap so he can sit there himself.

This boy LOVES to play outside and screams every time we head in.

He especially loves to "ride" Layla's bike. Never mind that it's pink and covered in princesses. Oh, he also insists on wearing her helmet. It's pretty funny.

 This is the smile I get when I tell him to "say cheese." Oh.my. He melts my heart!

 Just chillaxin' at church, drinking his milk from his sippy cup. NBD.

 He walked in my room with Layla's princess crown on his head like this. He was so proud of himself.

 She wanted to do these poses for her "first day of preschool" pictures.

 I had to bribe her to do a normal pose. Silly girl.

I wanted a free box of Krispy Kreme donuts on International Pirate Day, but I didn't want to dress up like a pirate. Then it hit me: Layla can dress up like a pirate! Yummy!

 Lately she insists on rolling her pants up like Steve Urkel and tucking her shirts in. It's a daily battle. She is such a sweet girl though! Last Sunday in Primary she drew a picture of herself with Jesus. At the top she wrote, "I love you Jessis." There is a gray scribble above her head in the picture. When I asked her what it was she said it was Jesus "fixing" her hand because it was "messed up" and pointed to the hand she had drawn that was slightly scribbled on. It made me so happy that she is learning about our Savior and the many miracles He performed while He lived on earth. We talked about it for a minute and she smiled. It was a sweet moment as a mother where I know she felt the Spirit and I was grateful for the role my faith plays in my life and my childrens' lives.

Marcus got a new hairdo! I can't remember if I already posted about this or not, but it's super cute! The faux hawk definitely fits his personality.A few things about Marcus lately: he only says Layla's name when he's yelling at her. He yells and grunts it at the same time, if that makes any sense. He pronounces it "Ah-ya!" They have been playing together really well lately. They play The Chase Game, which consists of Marcus chasing Layla around the house while they both yell and giggle. Marcus lets out this high-pitched squeal that I can only assume is his imitation of Layla's girly scream. It's pretty funny.

Most mornings I put Marcus in the shower with me. Then I don't have to wonder what trouble he's getting into while I'm showering. He usually stays in there while I get out, get dressed, and do my hair and make up. He really enjoys using the squeegee on the glass and has gotten quite good at it. Teaching him young.

I may have already wrote this on here, but after the park one day, Layla was sweating and told me, "Mom, my face has tears on it, but I'm not crying." She was so confused. My kids make me laugh every day! 

In other news, I was recently called to serve as a Young Womens' advisor at church. I am a Beehive Advisor, so I work with the 12 and 13 year old girls. I LOVE it! They are such good, good girls and their energy and zest for life is contagious. I hope I can raise Layla to be as kind and loving at that age like these girls! They are good examples to me and it's supposed to be the other way around!

Mitch and I have bought a few Christmas presents for the kids already! We got them some books; Layla's are all coloring or drawing books. She's really into that lately. We also got them a Fisher Price Up and Down Roller Coaster, which is basically a 10 foot long rolling track with a little cart they can ride on. It's for ages 2 to 5, so they can have fun playing with it together. I can't wait for them to see it Christmas morning!!! I can only imagine the fun they'll have on it! 

A couple of months ago, Mitch and I went and floated the Provo River with my parents. I was really excited and it started out great. Then about 20 minutes into our 1.5 hour long float, it started raining. Pouring, actually. And we were SO cold! It was a total bummer. It cleared up for about the last 10 minutes. We did laugh it off, and it was something I'll never forget, that's for sure. Next time we'll check the weather before we go!

I have been enjoying taking more pictures for people. I have a few more booked now that fall is here. I am taking Katie and Brandon's wedding pictures in a few weeks for their wedding in Moab. I am nervous because last night I had a dream that as Katie was walking down the aisle and I was snapping away, my camera broke! I started crying and had to tell Katie as she was saying her vows that my camera was broken and I didn't know what to do. I woke up nervous and now I think I need buy a spare camera. :)

Speaking of Katie, I went to her bachelorette party last month. It was fun to meet her friends; she has some really good friends. I am so excited for her and Brandon to get married! And for their new house to be done so they will live within walking distance to us (0.25 miles away, according to our GPS watch). They might get sick of us ... 

Brock and Natalie are preggo! YAY! I am beyond happy for them and can't wait to hear what sex their baby is so I can start buying new/ giving our old stuff! I am also excited to finally meet baby Tennesey when they come for Thanksgiving!

Welp, gotta go fold laundry and start dinner. I seriously love my job as a stay at home mom and feel so blessed to be able to do this!

The Rest of Summer

First, let me say that after talking about it and dreading it for over two years, I finally had my tonsils taken out. I had the surgery yesterday morning and I must say, I am feeling drastically better than I thought I would. Of course, they say days 4 through 6 are the worst (adult tonsillectomies are supposed to be harder to recover from than a child's tonsillectomy), but for now I'm doing better than I thought. After the surgery, the doctor told Mitch that "my tonsils were nasty and 5 or 6 tonsil stones fell out of my right tonsil and I shouldn't ever wonder if it was the right thing to do to get them out, because it definitely was!" Unfortunately I got sick the weekend before surgery, so I went in not knowing for sure whether they'd operate. I had a cough, but it was unproductive and no fever, so they went ahead. I think the hardest part so far has been lack of good sleep. I wake up every 20 to 40 minutes either gagging or coughing, but mostly coughing. It doesn't hurt to cough, but it sounds awful. But you know what? I am SO excited to be fully recovered an no longer have to live with the chronic sore throat and illnesses!The doctor said since my tonsils were so enlarged, I might even find I sleep better. I sure hope so!

Marcus is learning to feed himself with a spoon, which is usually followed with a bath.



Thank heavens Mitch was able to take plenty of time off work for my recovery so he can watch the kids. Our families, neighbors, and friends have all been so kind to help with the kids and bring meals. We have the best support system. Layla has been so sweet to me. She insisted that I wear her princess crown and necklace, colored me pictures, read me books, etc. I can only talk a little, and only very softly, so if I have a lot to say I write it on the "magnet noodle" (what Layla calls the magna doodle). Yesterday Layla and I wrote notes to each other on it and I am so amazed at her reading and writing skills. I am so glad I still  feel well enough to snuggle my baby boy! He's the yummiest. I learned real quick to take my pain meds exactly on schedule (Loratab every 4 hours), because one minute I feel fine and instantly my throat feels like it is ON FIRE and it brings me to tears while I gag down the medicine. I only made that mistake once! Anyways, in two weeks from now I should be feeling like myself again. Here's to a speedy recovery!



So, guess who learned to walk?!? My little stud! He cracks me up because for several weeks we would try to bribe him or encourage him to walk on his own, but it would only make him angry. And he yells at us when he's angry (it's actually hilarious)! Then, on Sunday, August 17th, the four of us were hanging out on the living room floor when Marcus stood up in the middle of the room and took 3 steps all by himself! I have never seen him so proud of himself! He was gloating. I quickly grabbed the video camera and caught a gem of a video of my gloating boy and his adoring fan club. He has been walking around ever since. He still prefers to crawl if he needs to get somewhere fast, but he is getting better every day at walking longer distances. I love his guts.



Layla had two weeks of swim lessons this summer and she totally rocked it! We were worried because she kept telling us she didn't want to go because she didn't want to put her face under the water. Somehow I talked her into going the first day and of course once she met her teacher, Hannah, she instantly turned into teacher's pet and had so much fun! She learned to love putting her face under, and by the end would even glide under the water while kicking her legs! Most improved swimmer on the team! She truly enjoyed it and wants to go again. We decided that once we're in a good routine with preschool that starts in two weeks, she can pick between soccer and swim. I'm really interested to see which she picks; I think it will be a really tough choice for her. I also want to find a piano teacher for her that follows the Suzuki method (where they learn to play by ear before learning to read music; it has lots of benefits), but so far no luck. Maybe we'll wait another year on that.



I can't believe summer is coming to an end! At the beginning of the summer I made a little jar with slips of paper that say fun things we can do this summer. We haven't even done half of them! At least the rest we can do this fall or winter since we left most of the indoor ones for last. I guess we were too busy just having fun at home this summer, which is probably best anyways. :) We did make it to the new Living Planet Aquarium though. It was awesome! They have the neatest penguin exhibit I've ever seen and so many different animals I've never seen before. Even Marcus loved watching the fish swim in the tank and he just laughed and squealed when they swam right in front of him! My only complaint is that even though we waited 5 months after it opened to go see it, it was still ridiculously crowded. Of course you have to exit through the gift shop (I'm sure I'm not the only parent who is angered by this strategy), and as we were leaving we thought we lost Layla. It was so scary! One minute she was there, the next she was gone. We searched and called her name for what felt like 5 whole minutes, but in reality I'm sure it was only a couple of minutes. Eventually she came walking back, crying, with an employee. At least she had the sense to find someone who worked there! I'm sure her tears gave her away. Poor girl, she was scared. But even after all that, Mitch still had to carry her out, literally kicking and screaming, because we wouldn't buy her a toy. Stupid gift shop exit! At least the rest of it was amazing!

Mitch started a new semester of school; after this class he will only have ONE class left and then he just has to write his dissertation. I use the phrase "just has to" very lightly, of course. Good news though, he was rewarded a $10K scholarship! It was one that his professor encouraged him to apply for, but Mitch didn't think he would have a chance at winning, and of course he did! I am very proud of him. I am also really looking forward to him finally being done with school. We took the following pic of him in his new suit to send the scholarship committee. We got the new suit for Katie's upcoming wedding. I think Mitch looks so sexy in it.

We attended the Ogden Temple open house. The Church decided to renovate the old Ogden temple a couple of years ago and the difference is astounding. They basically stripped the old temple down to the metal beams and left just the bare foundation before building the new temple around the old foundation. It looks nothing like the old one. They moved the entrance from the west side to the east side, and redid the parking structure. Like everything the Church does, it is gorgeous and magnificent.  I am thankful for the peace that I feel each time I enter a temple. It helps me center my life. Mitch, Marcus, and I went with Kevin and Kathy one weekend when Layla was sleeping over at my parents' house.

Unfortunately, the only song Mitch knows how to play on the piano is "Chopsticks" (hello, annoying!). He taught Layla how to play it and I fear Marcus may be next ....

Marcus is frightened of stuffed animals (and all real animals that can come within touching distance of him (except Harvey)). He seriously freaks out if you put a stuffed animal in his face. So, we decided to make a tower of stuffed animals in front of the entertainment center, hoping we could deter him from turning the TV on and off repeatedly throughout the day. It worked! He didn't push the button once! Ha, ha!  A little mean, but effective!

Ragnar and Other Fun Stuff

This poor blog. I keep telling myself that I should blog every Sunday, but that obviously doesn't happen. The good news is that means that we're keeping busy with lots of fun things! (And also that I usually prefer a Sunday nap over blogging, ha!)

I'm going to write this blog post in whatever order the pictures download, so it might be a little out of order, but everything on here happened in May, June, or July of this year. :)

Mitch and I ran Ragnar! We were on a team with our neighbors and we had a blast. This was Mitch's first time running it and my second. We were in the second van with Kurt and Liz Whitesides and James and Kristy Brannon. We had an awesome van because we all got along great and shared a lot of laughs. Mitch was the runner who ran the first half of the uphill known as "Ragnar" and he rocked it. Seriously, it is pretty much straight up the mountain and he ran it so fast with only small amounts of walking. I had really easy legs and I felt really good with my times. I was worried for a while that I wouldn't be able to participate because I hardly trained due to lack of sleep (Marcus!), but it all worked out and I'm so glad Mitch and I were able to participate in it together. It was so hard to leave the kids, especially since it was my first time leaving Marcus overnight. I may have shed some tears. :) He was fine though and when we got back he wanted nothing to do with me! He would not leave my mom's arms. It was so funny. He was his normal, mamma's boy self once we got home though.



We have spent a lot of time outside this summer, either at a park, or on bike rides/stroller walks, or with the kids in the bike trailer or the double stroller. We've also set up the kiddie pool and water table a few times.

 Layla had her last day of preschool! She loved it and is looking forward to going to her new preschool this fall. I am just glad that I won't have to teach this time around. ;)

Marcus has such a goofy personality! He's kind of lazy, actually. Ha, ha! For example, instead of picking up his cup or bottle, he'll lean his head over it and bite it to lift it up, then tip his head back to drink without ever having to use his hands. Goofball.

My love for running is slowly coming back thanks to this double jogging stroller I picked up at a yard sale for $50. We got out in it at least twice a week, and then on bikes once a week, and I try to run by myself on the weekends. The kids didn't like it at first because they kept bugging each other, but now they both look forward to it. I like to think of it as "the get along stroller."

 One day Layla, Marcus, and I met Nicole, Oakley, and Dexter at City Creek. We had fun shopping, seeing Temple Square, and playing in the fountains. Layla got soaked. I literally had to ring her shirt out! She had a great time.

 We have never cut Layla's hair. But Marcus was starting to get some crazy wings and hair sticking up all over, so we decided to give him a little haircut. My mom went to barber school and I don't want to pay to get his haircut every 4 weeks (or however often it needs), so she will be his hair stylist. Pretty convenient! Thanks, Mom! He didn't particularly enjoy getting his hair cut because he had to wear a cape and hold still, but he did good and he looks so handsome with his new 'do!

 
 Before and after pics below. We really didn't change much, just trimmed around the sides and a little off the back. We left the curls on the bottom. They're my favorite.

Another funny thing Marcus does is "relax" on the couch with the remote. He'll lean back and get really comfortable and point the remote at the tv. He looks like a little man. It's hilarious! Also, when he climbs to the top of the stairs, he'll "rest" by leaning against the wall like he's taking a break.  

 These pics are ones my mom sent me while we were at Ragnar. (I missed the kids just a little and needed some pics to get me through. I know, I should spend a little time away from them so it's not so hard.)

 Marcus's first time in a swing. The picture tells all: he loved it!

 Layla loves to push him in the swing.

It was so relaxing that he fell asleep.

 Roasted mallows.

 
 They took the kids to Jungle Jim's. This was Marcus's first time on the rides, and just like the swing, he loved it! His face says it all. I love that he is brave enough to these things at his age!

 
Sometimes he makes a duck face. He's so handsome even when he's being silly.
 
Mitch's work had a small open house so we stopped by for a few minutes. It was fun to see where he works and meet some of the people he works with. They all seem so nice (and intelligent). In the ten minutes we were in his office, Marcus managed to wreak havoc of Mitch's paper, keyboard, magazines, etc. Good thing he's cute. And Mitch too!

Jordan and Tenley had their baby! Tennesey Belle Miles. She is our first niece and made Mitch and I an aunt and uncle for the first time, which means she is also the kids' first cousin. We are so happy for them and love her already. Hopefully we will be able to meet her soon.

These are the favors I made for Tenley's baby shower. They are succulents in baby food jars. I was really proud of myself since I am not a crafty person.

 The kids play together pretty well these days. Layla has her moments where she's impatient, but honestly, I don't blame her at times since Marcus is "always messing up" her stuff. They love each other so much and are always giving each other hugs. It's super cute.

 Layla cries every single day when Mitch leaves to work. One morning he left before she woke up and he knew she'd be upset, so he wrote her a little note and left it at her spot at the kitchen table.

 I got my hair did! I added some blonde and I really like it.

And if you made it to the end, then you will now know that Marcus is FINALLY sleeping through the night! It has seriously changed our lives. We are all well-rested for the first time in a long time! We took Marcus to a pediatric sleep specialist, Dr. Pfeffer. It was an interesting visit because after telling her the whole story, she started crying! She said her daughter was the exact same way, acid reflux and all, and didn't start sleeping through the night until she was four years old. She said it put a huge strain on their relationship and that most days she wanted to get on a plane and fly away. And she was a practicing sleep specialist at the time! So of course I was worried and sad that I would probably be dealing with this for another three years, but then she composed herself and told me about the method she had learned about with her daughter that finally got her sleeping. She gave me an article on it and told me that I "have a lot of work to do and it's going to be extremely difficult" and that she feels for me.

So we set a date for when we wanted to start the new method of sleep training. We decided to wait until Sunday, July 6th, so we wouldn't have to ruin our 4th of July plans. (The 4th was fun, btw! Layla had such a good time at her sleepover the night before with Kevin and Kathy. They did all sorts of things: swimming, snow cones, the little fair, etc. Then we picked her up and went to the Bells' new house for a BBQ and fireworks with their family and the Kitchens. It was fun!)

Anywho, we started Sunday. The plan was for me to completely stop nursing him, put him in his crib, and leave the room. He was crying, of course, and then I went back in after longer increments of time. When I went in I was not to touch him at all, don't pick him up, don't rub his back, etc. I just repeated the same thing to him each time and stayed in his room for less than one minute. I would say, "Time for night-night, Marcus. Mamma loves you. I'll see you in the morning," in a calm, mono-tone voice. It was SO hard the first time I went in to see tears just rolling down his cheeks while he stood in his crib, reaching out for me to pick him up. I came out of his room and Mitch hugged me while I cried. It was sad. It took just over one hour that first night before he fell asleep all on his own. And then he slept for five straight hours! His long stretch only got longer on the second and third night until he now sleeps for nine to ten hours straight! We are so proud of him! Now it's been a full week and he usually sleeps at least nine hours and then gets up around 5:30 am and I can get him back to sleep for another hour or so. Naps are still difficult, but we're making progress and that's what matters, right?

What else? Marcus likes to walk while holding our hands, and he is getting pretty good at standing all by himself. He loves to climb stairs and is okay at going down them. He says, "Hi, Mum Mum (that's what he calls me), Dada, and Yaya for Layla. Those are pretty much his only words still. He is really good at playing catch! He has quite the aim when he throws the ball. Playing catch is his favorite activity right now.

And of course I have to record the funny things Layla has said lately!

The other day at lunch, she said the prayer for the blessing on the food. She always says random things in her prayer, and this time she added, "Thank you that I can love mamma." It was so sweet! That same night at dinner she said the prayer, only this time she said, "Please help me that I can love mamma." Of course Mitch and I were laughing about it and I explained to him that she must have really meant "thank you that I can love mamma" since that's what she had said earlier. Well, since we all laughed about it, she has said "Please help me that I can love mamma" in every prayer since. That's what I get for laughing, I guess. The other night we asked her, "Why do you say 'Please help me to love mamma?' " She said, "Because I'm starting to not." Awww, that's sad, but for some reason we laughed. I guess it's because we know she's only four and doesn't exactly know what she's saying, and we know she loves me from the dozens of hugs and "I love you's" she randomly gives me throughout the day. Anyways, it has now become a pretty funny joke around here. :)

Layla told me the other day that she is going to name her daughter "Sparkle" and her son "Handsome." But then she looked at Marcus in his high chair and said, "No, I'm going to name him Messy." Ha, ha!

Last weekend Mitch and I were going on a date. As we were leaving, Layla asked, "Is it going to be a hot date?" We just laughed and then realized she asked because she really wanted us to eat some Otter Pops and she thought that if we were "hot" we would take some on our "hot date." What a thinker!

She went swimming with Brandon and Katie yesterday. When Brandon came to pick her up, she told him, "Girl swimming suits have a top and a bottom, but boy swimming suite only have a bottom, so that means I'm going to see your nipples today." Ha, ha, ha! She thinks it's so weird and funny when boys don't wear shirts!

Guess who can read? My Layla Bug! We worked on sight words every day for several weeks. We started with two letter words and worked our way up to four letter words. Then we started having her read her new Biscuit books. And she caught right on! She has a strong desire to learn and loves to read, plus I helped her every day, and now she is doing awesome! She really has a photographic memory because I show her a word once or twice and she's got it memorized. It's incredible. Of course there are plenty of big words that she doesn't know, but she tries her best to sound them out, and can easily memorize them once she knows what they are. At first I was hesitant to say that she could actually read, but the other week at the Botts' she read a card perfectly that Katie had written, which Layla had obviously never seen before. That's when I knew that she can actually read. I hope she keeps her love of reading!

I've had a lot of photography sessions lately. It's been great. I truly love taking the pictures and editing them. Most of all, I love hearing back from my clients telling me how much they love their pictures! It makes my heart happy. I have saved enough to buy a telephoto lens and I am so excited to buy it this month!

Mitch is still slaving away at work and school. Actually, school has been less busy this summer, which is great! He only has two more classes left and then he can dive into his dissertation. Hooray! I'm so proud of him and how hard he works every day.

Well, gotta end this novel and get the kids ready to go play outside before it gets too hot. It's been in the upper 90s or over 100 for a few weeks now. It's going to be a long, hot summer! We are having fun though, despite the heat. We just go out in the mornings and stay in most of the day. It should hopefully cool off a little in a month or so. Even just 10 degrees would be great!