Spring has Sprung

Makenna reciting the 2nd Article of Faith during Family Home Evening tonight:

"We believe that a man will punish for his own sins, not for Adam's treasure hunts."

Close. At least she's carrying the spirit of Easter with her even after the holiday's past.



This is a little Spring garland I made because I'm quite lacking in decorations after Valentine's and before Halloween. I got the cute idea here.






Outside today- such a gorgeous (albeit humid) day in Virginia. Perfect shorts weather. Great park weather. Wonderful washing car weather. Loved today.




Easter Sunday. The girls were pretty adorable in their Easter dresses from Grandma. Easter Bunny came this year and brought Makenna's new obsession, Tangled. How many times have we watched it since yesterday morning? You don't want to know. I couldn't help but think of last year's Easter morning and be entirely grateful that no ER visits befell our family. It was just a nice, quiet Easter morning with our two more-than-excited girls.


Happy Spring!

"His Hands"

Love this song. Love it even more when put to such beautiful scenes of the Savior's life. Hoping everyone has a blessed Easter Sunday.

A Month of Birthdays

Some expected, some unexpected.

On March 5th, our sweet Addison turned 1! Holy smokes, did this year fly by for us. We waited a week to celebrate it so that Grandma and Gigi could be here for the party. And we did partay! I did cupcakes instead of a traditional cake, but I didn't hear any complaining from the littlest princess. She devoured it (hesitantly at first, "Is anyone here gonna stop me?") in about 3 minutes flat. Of all the clothes, toys and books, I think she loved the pink balloons best of all. Go figure.








And now for some one-year stats and very important information:

At one year, Addison, you weigh 22 lbs. 12 oz (78%).
You are 31.5" tall (99%).
You can say "Mama," "Dada," "Ball," and "Hi".
You started walking at 12 mo. 2 weeks and you are a busy-body!
You are the lightest sleeper I've ever met in my life, although you go down for naps/bedtime like a breeze.
Flower bows/headbands/clips don't faze you in the least (which is one of the reasons I love you so much).
Although you've lost a considerable amount of your baby fat, you can still pound a meal like it's nobody's business.
You L-O-V-E birdies, doggies, squirrels and anything else in the Animal Kingdom; you basically go ballistic.
You've got rhythm that rivals any thug from the hood. At any given time, I can look back in the car w/ the music going and you're noddin' your head like "yeah", movin' your hips like "yeah". Got your hands up, they're playin' your song. Seriously, it cracks us up.

My sweet girl, you are an absolute joy. You smile all the time. You laugh hysterically at your silly sister. You cuddle and want to give loves all the time- it warms my heart. Happy birthday daughter.



And now for Drew's birthday on Saturday. We started out going on a YW certification hike for Girl's Camp- 5 miles at Great Falls in Potomac, MD. It was gorgeous- the perfect day! We dropped our girls off at our friends' house so it was just the two of us (plus 10 YW and 5 other chaperones:)



For the birthday man's dinner we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Guapo's. Not only do we love this place for it's authentic cuisine, but also because on your birthday, an entire Mariachi band comes out, places a sombrero on your head, sings Happy Birthday (Mexican-style), then takes your picture and gives it to you as you leave. Totally cheesy- but SO fun. Toward the end of our dinner, Makenna and I leave to "go to the ladies' room" (read: tip the waiter off that it's Drew birthday). Obviously there was some miscommunication because not 10 minutes later, the entire Mariachi band was making their way over to us, crowning Makenna with the huge sombrero, dancing around her, and earnestly trying (unsuccessfully) to get her to smile for the camera. At this point, she goes into traumatic survival mode, sticking all her fingers in her mouth (she does this, I don't know why, but she does), bowing her head, and scowling. What's worse, the band is so insanely loud, their singing can be heard from the far corners of the building, with all eyes on us. At this point, Drew and I are in stitches, thinking "What sane parents take their 3-year-old to a nice Mexican restaurant for their special day when there's a Red Robin next door and a Chuck-E-Cheese down the street?" After Makenna's personal nightmare had ended, she turns to us, doe-eyed and asks, "Am I turning 4 today?"



Back home for some presents. Notice Drew's face in the present-opening pics. After almost 9 years of marriage and diligent training, I can confirm he has learned the correct manner in which to react to gifts. If you've grown up in my family, it's second nature. If not, it can be learned with some practice.





Lastly, we finished up his big day with a homemade Great Wall of Chocolate cake (PF Chang's)- delish.


Happy Birthday Drew! Another year older and wiser too.

Tardy, but Tutu-licious

Does anyone else feel like March went by in a flash? It's probably because we were blessed with 2 sets of visitors this month, but I'm not writing about them just yet. I'll save that for later. Right now I have to show off one of my proudest mommy-moments to date. Makenna's first ballet class. It's actually ballet and tap, but they're saving tap until the end (you know, when our three year-olds suddenly become more coordinated). Grandma Karen and Aunt Donnalin were here with us for her first class, so they tagged along for the momentous occasion. Just as soon as we arrived, put on her nametag and pulled out my camera, though, we parents were defensively blocked at the door, not to come in until the last class, the recital. Oh, the anguish! Don't they know us mommies live and breath to take snapshots of our little dancing princesses' every move? No fear, though, there was a full glass wall that sufficed their wishes and mine. So a few pictures of her very first dance class. I've gotta say- I think she nailed 1st Position (sadly, another mother with a camera was blocking my view during that time). Also, she's taking the class with her friend, Neve, from church. (They're the oldest in the class, thus the tallest, thus the only ones not pounding on the glass wall, mouthing "HELP" to their mothers.)






Ahhhh...I love proud-mommy-moments.

A week of firsts

So life is feeling busy, really busy. Within one week we...

1. said "Happy 1st Birthday" to Addison! Didn't celebrate it though, other than go out for pizza. More to follow.

2. bought a MINIVAN!! Or as Makenna calls it, a "vinivan". Long story as to why we got it at this moment in time, though, other than it was inevitable that we'd get one sooner or later. However, I feel like we've finally "arrived"; (two kids, minivan, a mortgage...does this heavy realization ever randomly occur to anyone else, subsequently followed by feelings of contentment and relief, because you can think of a thousand alternatives that are totally worse?)

3. finally decorated a bathroom that was put on the back-burner since we moved in. However, I had good reason to hustle my bustle because in a few days...
4. we'll have Grandma and Gigi coming to visit for one whole week! Gigi (Great-Grandma to my girls) has never been to visit us since we've moved to NoVa and we are thrilled she's finally coming out and spending lots of QT with us:)We waited on Addison's bday celebration so we could do it together with these favorite ladies.


But enough blogging. The Bachelor is recording and I can't stand it another minute not to turn it on and hear the Women Tell All. Ooh, how I love all that drama.

7th Heaven for a 3-yr-old

Last week Drew and I witnessed first-hand what "little girl bliss" looks like in the form of Disney on Ice: Princess Wishes. We took Makenna on a special Daddy/Mommy/Daughter date to see it at the Verizon Center downtown. After spilling the good news at dinner a few nights before, she informed us, "Well, I'm going to wear my Snow White dress because Snow White is my favorite princess and I like her the best. Okay?" Well what kind of princess-doting parents would we be if we didn't acquiesce right then and there?

So it's the night of. I drop Addison off at a friend's house and Makenna and I are off to meet Daddy at work downtown. The entire way there she keeps telling me in what order the princesses will perform. "First Minnie and Mickey, then Ariel, then Snow White, then Sleeping Beauty, then Jasmine." At this point, she doesn't quite know what's in store, other than princesses will be involved and something called ice skating. She's stoked, though, because we are.

We find a parking garage, get out and take the elevator up to ground level. On the elevator, a nice-looking business woman takes one look at Makenna and states, "It must be Disney on Ice tonight." "Right you are," I say. "Well you make a lovely princess," she says fondly to Makenna.

We make our way out onto the street. We're a few blocks away, but our little girl is clearly the only one in princess garb on the bustling streets of D.C. A quick shadow of a doubt crosses my mind, "Uh-oh. What if she's the only kid dressed up?" I shoo the thought away as quick as it came. We're getting really close now, entering Chinatown. We can see the Verizon Center in front of us. Still no little girls dressed up to the nines in princess attire. I look at Drew. He's oblivious. Only a mother would worry about something so silly as having their child the only one dressed-up at such a function. Reminded me of when I was in 5th grade and I dressed up as the "Ultimate Nerd" (sign on my back and everything) on Halloween for school. After getting to the bus stop and seeing I was the ONLY one dressed up, then realizing I wouldn't have enough time to run home and change, I suffer through the whole humiliating day in silence. I didn't even need to dress up like a nerd, it was written all over my face.

Anyway, it's not until we're directly in front of the Verizon Center and we're approaching the line to get in, that we see a whole slew of little princesses: Cinderella, Tiana, Aurora, Tinkerbell, Belle, the works. RELIEF!!! From there, it was a blur of getting to our seats, bypassing the $15 snowcones in character cups, holding my little girl's hand in pure excitement as the lights went down and her beloved Minnie glided out onto the ice. She would not take her little eyes off the ice the ENTIRE time. She wouldn't go to the bathroom, she wouldn't get up and stretch during intermission, she was totally and utterly drawn in to the enchanting world of princesses for the full two hours!

Too bad the pictures are a little fuzzy. I was using my telephoto lens, but we were pretty far up (date night on a budget).


All the princesses out on the ice at once? I'll be the first to admit, even I was in heaven.






And the act that stole the show? At least for my girl...


And the act that stole the show for me? Check out those abs. Oh man.


7th heaven, I tell you. 7th heaven.

Lost and Not Found

So Addison and I were at the international supermarket, El Grande, this week while Makenna was at preschool. After shopping for an hour, perusing through the papaya, pickled chicken feet, frozen naan bread, Thai cucumbers, and slaughtered fish laying out on a wooden slab atop a thin layer of ice, we make our way to the check-out counter. A very friendly Asian woman checks me out, totaling my bill to about $20. An even nicer bagger emphatically pushes me to the customer service counter to pick out a balloon for "that little boy" (my baby is sporting a darling purple outfit with an oversized purple flower). Receipts in hand (I was buying for a Mutual activity as well), we go grab a pink balloon, then walk out to the sidewalk to park my cart. (Footnote: grocery stores out here don't like you to walk your cart to your car and then unload. They have big obtrusive blockades so you have to park your cart on the sidewalk, go get your car, and then drive over and load your bags there.)

Once Addison's buckled in her carseat, I check the time and see I have just enough time to hurry on over to pick up Makenna at preschool, with no minutes to spare. I drive to the sidewalk and an elderly man looks at me, looks at the only cart parked on the sidewalk and proceeds to load them into my car. I thank him, drive off and no sooner have I exited the premises, a bag falls off the front seat and some apples fall to the floor. You should know that I BOUGHT NO APPLES. After frantically looking in the rest of the bags, I realize they are clearly not mine. I further realize that the seemingly nice elderly gentleman must have loaded my groceries into another car. ANOTHER CAR, PEOPLE. I turn around, pull up to the man, and tell him in English what had happened. Well, clearly that was my first problem. I should have used my fluent Japanese to inform him of his mistake. I also should have learned some sign language while I was at it, because he indicates he's hard of hearing as well as lacking the fundamental skills to communicate in my mother tongue.
I start to get worked up. I'm late. I have no groceries. I'm out $20. I look around and more than a handful of "International" Market shoppers are staring in confusion. So we all have one thing in common at this point- WE'RE ALL CONFUSED. He tells me that maybe I grabbed the wrong cart at the counter and took someone else's groceries. I tell him I had a baby attached to my cart which helped me NOT GET THE WRONG ONE.

In a quick second, I decide to leave my baby with her pink balloon on a string in my car, doors locked, and run in to find a manager.

In an attempt to make this long story not go on any longer, here's what I got out of the whole fiasco:
1. A refund on all my groceries.
2. FREE groceries the next time I came in

So some lessons learned...
1)Do everything in your power to carry your groceries to your car, even if you have a 25 pound baby on one hip.
2)Don't assume anyone speaks English at an International Market in Virginia.
3)A helium balloon on a string goes a LONG way with an 11-month old.
4)Remember: "There's a pony in here somewhere."