Mornings with Daddy

Not to brag, but Jared and I have a GREAT marriage. I'm convinced that part of it is because we realize the importance of helping each other out.

For example, I load the dishes and he unloads.

We alternate nights bathing the kids.

We take turns going out with the girls or the guys. Have you ever known someone who's ALWAYS going out with the guys, having guy's trips? Or a woman who's ALWAYS going out with the girls? And the spouse never does? I have. Shame. So we take turns!

We also take turns sleeping in on the weekends. I sleep in on Saturdays, and he sleeps in on Sundays. Brilliant, if you ask me.

Here's some pictures Jared took of his morning with the kids. Love him. Love them.

Gorgeous Day!

The sun was out!

The girls were happy!

It was a beautiful day to be outside.

I love the friendship these two girls are forming. They are little buddies, and love each other so much. I hope that friendship and sisterhood lasts their entire lives.

Before getting dressed. Sariah's cooking breakfast, and Emerson is getting the badguys!


Sariah made us some breakfast. Carrots, eggplant, peas, tomato, and cauliflower. My favorite!


When Sariah hears a loud noise, she climbs up to the top of her tower, and looks over the wall. Today she was watching the landscaping guys use their leaf-blower. She looks like a little prairie dog.


Love these girls! Sariah running, Emerson exploring. Typical.


Love that face!

Reflections

Today, my heart is full. I love being a wife. I love being a mother. There is no special reason why my heart is so full today other than the fact that I realize how lucky I am.

Jared and I wanted children for a long time before Sariah came along. We had difficulty getting and staying pregnant. Once we had her, we were content. We thought she might be our only biological child. But then, a miracle happened - James. So now we have 2 children! Will we have any more? We will have to wait and see.

As I battle every day with the same tasks - breakfast, lunch, naps, pick up, dinner, dishes, laundry, sweeping the floor, piano lessons, tutoring, my online teaching positions, teaching manners, handing kleenex to a nose-picking child, temper tantrums - I take a step back. I get to be here to see it all.

We all make choices in our lives that lead us to where we are. I chose to marry a man, in the temple, who loves me every day. He went to school, earned a degree, so that he can provide for our family. He supports me, he buoys me up, and he makes me laugh. I love him, and love that I made that choice.

I chose to get my degree, and my master's degree, so that I may be prepared should I need to go back to work. That need arose and I set it up so that I am able to work from home. How lucky I am, and how glad I am that I made that choice to prepare myself.

My heart is full.

Baby Brother = Entertainment

Baby Brother 2009!

Get yours today!

Keeps your toddler entertained for MINUTES!

Satisfaction GUARANTEED!

(If you can see it in the blurs, he's totally laughing and having a blast.)

Play play play!

Don't you wish you could be 2 again? Well, not literally, but look at how much fun a 2 1/2 year old and a 1 1/2 year old can have! Let's diagnose the following picture:


#1: 2 pacifiers on the living room table. This means that Emerson (my niece) has thrown a temper tantrum so fierce that I have given in and allowed her to have it where she can see it. She doesn't get to have it in her mouth, but she wants it where she can see it.

#2: Baby wipes on the floor. This means that Emerson has pooped twice, James has pooped once, and Sariah has snuck back in to her bedroom, changed out her big girl underwear for night-time underwear (pull-ups) and is awaiting a diaper change as well. (Still not pooping in the potty, but otherwise potty trained.)

#3: Foam letters ALL OVER THE FLOOR. These are a little secret that I keep under my bed for rainy days such as this when we are confined to the insides of the house. Sariah promptly pulled them out and had a BLAST throwing them all over the floor! It was a lot of fun to watch! Little does she know that she has to pick them all up when she wakes up from her nap. Hey! If she's big enough to make the mess, she's big enough to pick it up! Parents crack me up when they pick up their kids' messes and I'm not about to teach my child that lesson.

#4: 2 lunch plates that are supposed to be on the kitchen table. Lunch meat, string cheese, apples, and pears. YUM! The girls devoured their lunch, just not at the table where it was supposed to be scarfed. Again - sacrifice during a rainy day.

#5: Jacket over the rocking chair. Sariah was playing "Captain Hook" as she swayed the chair back and forth - almost to the point of tipping it over. Emerson was "Peter Pan" and this jacket/flag had them squealing with delight as they chased each other around the house.

#6: Kitchen towel on the floor. This means something spilled in the kitchen, like a sippy cup of water that the lid magically came off of. Sariah, mommy's helper, attempted to clean it up. Instead of putting the towel back, she tossed it on the floor - a clear sign of her surrender to having "mommy do it." But oh no - if she makes the mess, she cleans it up. Again, teaching her that mommy will not clean up her messes.

We've had a lot of fun this morning! Now for a little R&R.

And yes - the living room floor still looks like this. =)

Incoming Storm

Watching this storm roll in is an awesome sight.

Our desert is so parched, and this moisture is so desperately needed.

Those of you in snow-covered areas are wishing for the sunshine, I know.

Those of you with ailments that make your joints ache with the coming storm wish for the sunshine, I know.

But for now, I am enjoying this weather. It makes us stay inside, stay in our pj's, and make forts on the floor. It's been a fun day!

Ho Hum

Life has been pretty boring lately (thank goodness), so there hasn't been too much to blog about.

I could have blogged about Sariah throwing up pink juice all over me...

I could have blogged about Jared and my new callings...
he = Asst. Ward Clerk
me = 1st Counselor in the Primary Presidency

I could have blogged about all of this wonderful rain we have had...

I could have blogged about the most amazing banana bread recipe I found, tweaked, and devoured...

I guess could have blogged about a lot of things.

But I didn't.

To be honest, the most exciting thing around here has been moving James in with Sariah. They are both adjusting well!

A couple times, I have found Sariah in James' crib with him, reading a book. It was actually a pretty cute sight, but would have been cuter if it wasn't 9pm and they had been in bed for 1 1/2 hours. Alas, they are smart children and have gotten used to one another.


We officially have our office back. Time to do some de-cluttering, organizing, and serious cleaning.

Speaking of cleaning - I didn't get that done this week like I should have. So, Jared and I have been cleaning together all morning. It's fantastic! Especially since you can find Jared cleaning the bathroom in yellow rubber gloves - right now - very sexy!