June and July 2015

Might as well cram two posts into one!

The first half of June was busy with SWIM LESSONS! 

I enrolled both kids this year and did the parent/child class with Marcus. To say that he HATED it would be an understatement. Ha! I thought he'd love it since he loves the bath and will even put his face in and blow bubbles, but boy was I wrong! He despised every second of it from the first day there and by the last day, two weeks later, he was screaming, "Adi (Marucs), wah-wah (water), no!!! Uh-uh!!!! Nooo!" while we were still at home putting our swimming suits on! Poor guy, I felt like I scarred him for life! 

Layla, on the other hand, is my little fish! As much as Marcus hated the water, she loved it! I have never seen her work so hard at something or have a bigger smile plastered on her face (the whole time)! I would watch her and the other two girls in her class, and I noticed that Layla was the only one of the three students who could actually tread water for 15 seconds, and do some of the other skills required to pass the class. I told Mitch I thought she might actually be a gifted swimmer and that it might be "her thing" seeing how much she loves it. 

Well, on the last day of class, the teacher told me that Layla is a "natural and gifted swimmer" and he is having her skip the next class level! My suspicions were confirmed and we have ourselves a little swimmer. Needless to say, we will be signing her up for another round of swim lessons this summer (we're just too busy this month, so it will have to wait until August). I will not, however, sign Marcus up again this year. He needs some positive experiences with water and then I'll sign him up for the preschool class next summer. :)

They crack me up! ;)

And, I was so proud of Layla for jumping off the diving board for her first time ever! I honestly didn't think she'd do it (she's scared of most new things like this such as riding her bike, etc.), and I really didn't think she'd do it after the first girl in line chickened out, but she surprised me and jumped off without even hesitating! I was so happy and proud of my girl!

 Layla also graduated from her online preschool the end of June. While it was a pain the butt a lot of days to have her log on and do it, I am so grateful for the program because it taught her so much!
This picture is of the last time Layla logged in to online preschool. The smile wasn't normally present, this is just special because it was the last day.:)

I told Mitch that when we went to the graduation, I hoped I would get a diploma too since I was the one constantly reminding and nagging her to do it. Ha! Well, I wasn't disappointed ... they gave the parents a certificate too!

Poor Marcus had a pretty crappy May and June. He had nasty mosquito bites on his face in May. Those went away and he came down with croup! One Sunday we went to visit Mitch's grandma and while we were there Marcus had a fever. We came home and it was 104! I told Mitch I had a feeling I would be taking Marcus to the pediatrician in the middle of the night. And that's exactly what happened. I'm glad I listened to what I believe was the Holy Ghost, because he would have been much more sick had I not taken him in that soon.

From Layla

After the croup, he got two nasty bug bites on his face. It must have been some sort of gnat or spider this time. We ended up back at the doctor and on an antibiotic. The doctor was pretty concerned, and told me he was worried the swelling and infection (cellulitis) would go behind the septum and into his brain! Ahhh! That freaked me out and made me sick with worry for a day or two. Thankfully the antibiotic kicked in and the swelling and infection were dramatically better within a day or two!

Layla has been so tired and grumpy lately. I think she could benefit from a 45 minute nap every day, but of course she refuses. The other day she did tell me she was tired and then I found her like this. Pretty awesome. I have a feeling this will happen more often once she starts kindergarten.

She loves to peel the garlic and I love to let her.

 
He is such a messy eater and loves to show me his food while it's in his mouth. So gross.

The are cuddle bugs!

She loves to do little homework worksheets. Always reading and learning, this girl. 

So is he. Still has a ways to go on his Ph.D. and is constantly reading more material. Can't wait until he's done!!!

Sometimes he just reads his car magazines and dreams about the car he's going to buy when he graduates. Marcus likes to join him at breakfast.

 We had a swim party with our friends the other day and I decided it's time to buy a bigger swimming pool. ;)

We bought a lemon tree and have since purchased a lime tree as well!  

 This year's garden. I think Mitch planted the rows too close together and too dense. But we have enjoyed eating the peas! Still waiting on everything else to be ready. We also planted raspberry bushes and I am most excited for those! We're trying cantaloupe for the first time this year. Every time I look at the garden I think of the primary song, "The Prophet Said to Plant a Garden."

Mitch and I ran Ragnar this year with our neighbors. I was a slacker and took one picture.

 

It was fun, I guess. To be honest, it was really hot, we all suffered from slight heat stroke, I was exhausted, and the Ragnar people kept costs the same but cut back on things and we all felt ripped off. We decided it's our last Ragnar. But I did honestly enjoy the experience and our neighbors. My parents watched the kids while we were gone and they had lots of fun of course. My mom sent me this pic of Marcus literally napping on Layla. They slept like this for over an hour! If he doesn't have his momma, he wants his sissy. :) 

 We had a get together with Mitch's dad's side of the family (the Botts). Haven't had the whole group together in a couple of years. It was great to see them all again.

 Also wanted to say we had a great time celebrating Mitch for Father's Day! We bought him a punching bag and it's been a hit (no pun intended) with him and the kids! We made him breakfast and sent him on a treasure hunt to his gift. It was fun to help Layla make up the clues! She cracks me up. She also filled out a questionnaire about Mitch. Most of her answers were typical (his eyes are blue, hair is brown), but her logical answers are what killed me. For example, for the question, "If my dad were to go on vacation he would take: (fill in the blank)," she answered, "A suitcase." Of course! Ha, ha! My logical little girl.

I went hiking with the young women recently. We hiked over 6 miles roundtrip to Elephant Rock. The view was amazing!

 We had a lot of fun celebrating the 4th of July! On Friday Mitch and I went and saw Jurassic World and loved it. The kids loved having a babysitter (Katie Oliphant, our neighbor). Friday night we ordered pizza and set off fireworks. Marcus did not like the fireworks and would cover his eyes and say, "Bright!" Layla loved them though. On Saturday we went boating and the weather was perfect! Layla, my parents, and I all swam in the lake and it felt wonderful and Layla had the biggest smile on her face the whole time. Marcus loved the boat and didn't mind his life jacket at all! That night we went to dinner with Kevin and Kathy. And Sunday was another great day at church. It was a great 4th!

May 2015, Second Edition

This month Mitch and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary! Yay us! Mitch had to go to  Massachusetts for work, so we decided to make an anniversary trip out of it. We flew into Boston on a Friday and spent Saturday exploring that historical city. We walked almost 12 miles on Saturday and saw many sites. We did the Freedom Trail, walked up and down most of Newbury Street, tried to go to the art museum (it closed 15 minutes after we got there), ate a Georgetown cupcake (worth every penny!), ate Sushi for lunch, and had a super fancy dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. The weather was great and we really enjoyed ourselves. I liked Boston. I said I wish we had gone there before London or Paris because it paled in comparison to those cities, maybe partly because we're not huge history buffs, but I am glad we were able to see it. Most of all, it was just nice to spend time together, with no obligations or time schedules.

Selfie in Boston.

The cemeteries fascinated me.

On Sunday we drove west and saw Walden Pond where Henry David Thoreau spent a couple years of his life (he is one of my heroes). It was quaint and the water was so clear! I enjoyed talking to a couple of fishermen there and hearing their strong Boston accents. We also saw the home of Louisa May Alcott and Nathaniel Hawthorne, as well as the home that Little Women was based on. I was in literary-nerd heaven and Mitch willingly obliged.

Thoreau showing me a funny video on his smart phone. ;)

After that we headed even farther west for my favorite part of the trip ... visiting our friends, the Burts! They live in Pittsfield, Mass. which is about 3 hours west of Boston in the Berkshire mountains (or big hills as they seemed to us). I loved just chatting with Sue in person! We talk on the phone a few times a month, but it was nice to see her in her element and just hang out. The Burt's home is beautiful and they have a gorgeous back yard.  Ryleigh and Eli are adorable, smart, fun children and they helped me not miss my kids as much. I just wish we could have brought our kids; they would have had so much fun with Ryleigh and Eli!!! We really need to get our families together some time.


On Monday I hung out with Sue and saw more of her city. We met up with Mitch for lunch, then Mitch and I went souvenir shopping (Marcus a Red Sox hat, my parents some chocolates, Layla a book about Paul Revere). We met up with the Burts at a great restaurant called Da' koto (I think) and had a great time visiting with their family over yummy food. Tuesday morning I drove to Sue's house and said goodbye before heading out to the airport (Mitch had to stay for the rest of the week).

Marcus in his Red Sox hat that he loves and will only wear backwards.

I am glad we were able to go on the trip! My one regret is not taking a pic with the Burt's while we were there! What was I thinking?!? I guess we just have to get together again. That way we can meet sweet baby Reese, who will be joining them in August. :)

Art museum. 

This year our anniversary actually fell on Mother's Day. I called it, "The Year of the Two-fer" since it was two for one. ;) Mother's Day was great. Mitch and the kids made me breakfast in bed! I told Mitch that's what I wanted, and he said he didn't know how since we didn't have a serving tray. So to be honest, I was surprised when they walked in our room with breakfast ... on a cookie sheet. Not with a plate ... the food was actually on the cookie sheet, ha, ha! I should have taken a picture, it was awesome. I was totally happy with that and having a great day when Mitch surprised me with a gift. I didn't expect anything since we had just gone to Boston, but he gave me a Blendtech Blender! What?!? I was so surprised! And I LOVE that blender! It makes the best green smoothies ever and I use it every day. It is kind of loud, and Marcus hates it and has to plug his ears and hug someone (usually Layla) while it's running. I love my husband and am so glad I married him! I love being a mom and it was nice celebrating both of the things that make up a large part of who I am in the same day.

Marcus plugging his ears and hugging Layla while I run the blender.

Mitch's grandpa also passed away this month. Jim Jory is Mitch's maternal grandfather. He was battling bone cancer and was in a lot of pain. He was able to go home and pass away, which was his wish. The funeral was on a Tuesday. Mitch said a the family prayer and his words were beautiful and full of the spirit. My grandma watched the kids while Mitch and I went to the service. The service was beautiful also and everyone had nice things to say. Kathy's words were especially well-said and I enjoyed hearing the stories about Grandpa JJ. That was the most I've ever seen Mitch cry, so of course I cried too. It was an emotional day, but we are glad that he is no longer in pain. Like my grandma told me, "We don't cry for those who are gone, we cry for those who are left."

Mitch found this pic at his Grandparent's house after Grandpa JJ passed.
This is Mitch at age 5, or a boy version of Layla.
I can't get over how much Layla looks like Mitch in this picture!!!

Most of all, I think it was just a realization for me that we are reaching the point in our lives where we will lose our grandparents and watch our parents lose their parents. It's a hard thing to do. It makes me extremely grateful for my faith and belief system. I know we will see those who have passed on again. This life is not the end and Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us. There are so many people I look forward to seeing again when I die and I know we will embrace each other and it will be such a happy occasion. We are so blessed!

May 2015

I've resigned myself to the fact that I can only make the time to write on my blog once a month. So here is my post for the month of May. :)

Of course the most important thing in May is ... Marcus's birthday! He turned two this month!  Oh my gosh, I love his guts! He is such a ray of sunshine and brings an incredible amount of happiness and laughter into our home. He's such a happy little guy!
 
We celebrated his birthday the day before with our families. We had a nice dinner and opened presents. He loved all his gifts and he really loves his family!

On his actual birthday he woke up early with a nasty cough, poor guy! We had put a dozen blue balloons in his room while he was sleeping, but since he woke up early, he didn't even notice them. Sad. I brought him in bed with me and we snuggled for an hour while he slept a little longer. That was my favorite part of the whole day. :) We got a phone call that morning that Mitch's Grandpa Jory had passed away. While it is always sad to lose a loved one, he was in a lot of pain and it was comforting to know that he was no longer suffering here on earth.

We turned his car seat around now that he's two.

Our day was spent at the park, opening more birthday presents, and taking the kids out to dinner at one of Marcus's favorite places, Chick-fil-a. He had a great birthday! He said, "Thank you" which he says as, "Ummm!" every time we told him Happy Birthday. We sang happy birthday songs to him several times throughout the day (the regular version and the version from the Primary book/CD). I don't think he completely understood what was going on, but he seemed to enjoy it!

He seems to be talking more and more. It seems like he surprises us with a new word or two every day. He is still telling knock knock jokes. This may or may not be driving us crazy. ;) He likes to sing and especially loves to listen to Taylor Swift in the car. Ha, ha! He is still a mamma's boy and in the morning will tell Mitch to go out of the room while he snuggles with Mamma. Poor daddy, sometimes I think he feels bad that Marcus doesn't like him in the morning. But he does love his daddy!

This is his genuine smile. I love his huge grin!

Layla had her 5 year old check up recently. She weighs 42 lbs and is 43.5 inches tall. She is 75th percentile for height and about 60th percentile for weight. Healthy and happy!

Before preschool ended, I went on a field trip with Layla and her class to Great Harvest Bread Company. It was fun, delicious, and educational. I am so thankful that I can have those experiences with her. Of course, her boyfriend, Logan, was there too. They were "field trip buddies" which means they had to stay by each other during our outing. They were the only buddies holding hands, and when another little girl said, "Hi, Logan!" Layla immediately replied with, "He's here with me!" Oh.my.goodness are we in trouble!?!

The day she invited two friends over after preschool (without asking me first).
My social butterfly!

Preschool graduation was last week. Mitch was able to come home from work and go with us. I love her teacher, Tiffany McMinn, and I really love that she literally lives around the corner from us. It was so convenient! I hope she is still teaching when Marcus goes to preschool!


Tiffany gave each student a DVD of pictures from their field trips and parties set to music. The last song on the DVD is "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." As we were watching it at home, I teared up because I was noticing how much Layla had grown up over the course of the school year. She lost her round face and grew taller and slimmer. As the video ended, Layla walked over to me with tears in her eyes and said, "I don't want preschool to end!" then she just lost it and started sobbing. It was so sad! And it made me cry harder. I explained to her that change can be hard, but it can be exciting too, and she will see all of her friends in Kindergarten, even if they're not in the same class, etc. She just kept saying, "I don't want to go to Kindergarten. I want to stay with Momma forever! I don't want to grow up. I love preschool! We have so much fun together in preschool! I don't want it to end! etc," all while sobbing uncontrollably. I felt bad for her and also caught a glimpse of her future, dramatic, teenage years. ;) She is such a sweet, social, tender-hearted girl and I love her!

First day of preschool.

Last day of preschool.

A neat experience I had with her recently was when I asked her to help me put away some laundry and as she ran back into the room, she told me that she felt the Holy Ghost tell her that she "should always help her mom." It made me happy to know that she is learning to feel the promptings of the Spirit, as that will be such a guide and director for good in her life if she will listen. I know it has been for me.

She wrote this all by herself. I helped her spell green and queen. 

Layla is still rockin' the piano! I am impressed with her talent and my dedication to making her practice. ;) She had her first group recital recently. I dropped her off at her piano teacher's house and she played "Mary Had a Little Lamb" (right hand only) in front of a dozen other students. I was proud of her for going all by herself (she was the youngest and newest student, by far) and I was thankful that she was impressed and motivated by the older students.

Helping Marcus play basketball.

Mitch had kind of a bummer delay with his school recently. He wrote a proposal for his dissertation about a year ago, and is just now learning that he has to re-write it (more or less). The professor who was originally supposed to review it didn't get around to reading it for, oh, about a year. No big deal. In the mean time, Mitch was constantly asking and reminding him to read it. When he finally did, he realized that he wasn't the right professor and Mitch had to switch mentors! The new professor understands the subject better, and told Mitch he needs to "make a few changes" which in the end is basically starting over. Geez, would have been nice to know this a year ago instead of wasting all this time, huh?!? Anyways, I feel bad that happened and am trying to make sure we set aside time for him to work on it each day = single mom life for me. And might I say, props to all the real single mom out there! I really can't complain, it's not that bad at all, but I am definitely excited for him to finish!

At Chuck E. Cheese's for Marissa's birthday party.
Layla has ALWAYS wanted to go there!
I went on a ride just like this as a kid and for years had reoccurring dreams about it.
Weird, huh?
I was excited when Layla rode it and liked it.

I love my little family and I am grateful every day that I get to be home with them!