The BEST of Friends

If you would have asked me last year at this time how much I loved having 2 girls- 2 years apart, I don't know how quickly I could have responded. But now I constantly think about how much I love having 2 girls close in age. The girls are at such fun ages and really are the best of friends. Madi tries to be bossy, but Elle doesn't let her. Elle gets a good idea for something and Madi quickly joins in. Madi hates going to bed without Elle (they've been sharing a bedroom for 2 months now). I love how they wake up laughing and talking in the mornings. When Madi starts an art project, Elle's right there in the next chair wanting to be just like her sister. They share all their toys (except of course for those few special ones that the other is not allowed to touch without asking). Madi's super protective of Elle. Like when they were jumping on the trampoline with a bunch of friends. Elle fell down and started crying. Madi was immediately at her side yelling for everyone to stop jumping cause it was scaring her sister. Sometimes I worry because Madi doesn't care very much about making new friends. As long as she can bring Elle along she's happy. They definitely have their disagreements- their fights can get pretty nasty, but it's totally worth all the good moments.

Breakfast on the rug in jammies!

Always an art project a day.

Thanksgiving in Brentwood- the girls getting slap happy over trying to eat the candy from Elle's cornucopia.

This is the oldest picture of the bunch- taken back in Sept. before we moved. The girls were playing "wedding". It was time for scriptures but they refused to take off their dresses. I told them as long as they were reverent they could leave them on.

Games have reached a whole new level of fun now that Elle's old enough to really play. Zingo and "Let's go Fishin" are two favorites.

Not a day goes by that the girls aren't Princesses!

One morning the girls played for an hour in their bedroom closet. It's amazing what simple things bring so much fun!

Taken after a birthday party that Madi went to a week ago. Elle got to join in on all the fun at the very end, but when we got there Madi seemed super overwhelmed with all the dozens of new friends. She was so much happier once we got home and she got to play with her sister!

Sure love these little girls!!

Another busy week

I'm feeling so behind in my blogging. I've got 4 posts going, but have had no time to finish. The last couple of days have been go, go, go around here. Actually, ever since we moved in (almost 2 months ago) I feel like we've been going non-stop. Mostly fun stuff- but sometimes overwhelming. This week was no exception. Spencer got a new calling last Sunday (Stake YM's secretary- again. Exact same calling he had in MD) and had meetings Tuesday and Thursday nights. Wednesday we went down to the temple (hour and a half commute one way, so it was an all night affair). Friday night we took Spencer's parents out to dinner for his dad's birthday (found a good new Mexican place- yay!). Then Saturday was our ward dinner and talent show. Madi was the opening act! She sang the National Anthem and I couldn't have been more proud. It's amazing to Spencer and I how she doesn't get nervous at all about performing in front of people. She really is a natural and I hope that never changes!

I brought peanut butter balls for one of the desserts and won a little award. Ya, I know- I'm pretty awesome! :)

Then today Spencer was gone by 5:50am for a morning meeting with a bishopric in Oxnard. I couldn't get back to sleep, so naturally I was up early too. We both spoke in sacrament meeting this morning- me on the blessings of temple attendance and Spencer on true happiness. After spending almost every night this week preparing for my talk, I'm glad to have that out of the way.

Tonight we got together with friends from our ward for dinner but then had to leave early cause of a Stake fireside that Spencer had to be at. Seems to be what life is going to be like from now on. Madi was an emotional basket case before bed. All these late nights don't do well for her. She was beyond overly tired and I was happy to have both girls in bed by 6:45pm. Boy does it feel good to have a whole night all to myself to regroup and get some much needed blogging done! More posts coming soon!

CTR Pretzels

This month in The Friend magazine, the "kitchen craft" was CTR pretzels. I'm a total sucker for yummy bread type treats, so I thought it would be a perfect family home evening activity this week. Madi mixed up the 5 ingredients an hour or so before Spencer got home from work. Then I made dinner while the dough rose. As soon as Spencer got home, we got to work rolling out our dough.

I loved what an easy activity it was for both the girls. With a little help from Spencer, they shaped out the letters CTR. Then we made some other shapes with the leftover dough. We sprinkled one pan with salt, and the other with cinnamon and sugar. And they were DElicious!! I'm definitely adding this recipe to my cookbook.

30 weeks

Where in the world has the time gone?! Spencer commented the other day how I haven't taken any belly pictures this pregnancy. Made me feel a little guilty and I figured I should do a quick update on how pregnancy #3 is going. I'm already in my 3rd trimester, 30 weeks along, and in complete shock that this baby is gonna be here in just 10 weeks- only 2 1/2 months away!!! CRAZY! But there's still so much to do that I'm definitely not wishing my due date here any sooner! I do have ultrasound pictures posted on the side of our fridge though, which does make me want to see him and hold him that much more.

Love his bony little arm flexing in the first pic and his adorable squishy profile in the second:

As for how things are going:

-My legs are hideous and bulging, completely covered in veins (all the way down to my feet), but I try not to dwell on it. They're not as painful as I remember them being last pregnancy (but then again I still have 10 weeks to go). It's nice not having stairs in our house anymore. I think that's helped.

- I sleep great at night- lots of pillows and on my side (totally miss stomach sleeping), but great!

- I've already gained 25 pounds and feel HUGE!

- I feel like I eat all day long. My goal is to stop the after 7pm snacking.

- I try to eat healthy: spinach, banana, and frozen fruit smoothie every morning, but I can't for the life of me stay away from the candy!

- I'm up every morning by 6:30am and on the elliptical for at least 30 mintues, but I try to get in 50 minutes at least 3 days a week. I'm still doing lunges and lots of squats.

- I get a 10 minute nap almost every single day (2:35- 2:45pm- before leaving to get Madi from preschool). Ten minutes for me seriously does wonders!

- Pajama/lounge pants are my staple.

- My belly button has popped, which never happened with the girls.

I really do feel great - I shouldn't complain. I've just got to get going on all the projects I want to have finished before his arrival. Ten weeks isn't much time!

As for a belly shot- here's me tonight at 30 weeks. I hate these pics, but know that I'll wish I'd taken more later. Please excuse the messy hair- it's been a long day.

Mom and Dad's visit

It was so great to have my parents here this past weekend. My mom flew in Wednesday afternoon and dad drove down the next day. Then mom flew out to NC Sunday morning and dad drove home Sunday evening. While it was just a short visit, we got a ton done and had a LOT of fun!

Mom brought all sorts of fun projects for the girls, like Valentines, stickers, and beads for making bracelets. She also brought along her hair cutting stuff, for which Spencer's always grateful. This trip mom also gave Madi a haircut. It was the most extreme she's ever gotten - almost 4 inches off!

Then Thursday night dad came with all the "real" projects. He brought his laser level for hanging pictures (and our mirror), their TV mount, and most importantly- my dresser that Grandpa Rudd made for me when I was a kid. The girls have been super excited about getting this dresser - it was the first thing Elle asked about when we picked mom up from the airport: "Hi Gram! Did you bring me a dresser?!" So Friday morning, after a walk and trip to the park, mom immediately got started on finishing painting the dresser (she'd sanded it and painted the base at home but hadn't been able to finish the drawers). We decided on going all white instead of the purple that it was, or the rainbow colors that I grew up with it being. I'm very happy with how it looks in their room!

Thanks mom and dad for fixing it up for us and bringing it down here, and BIG thanks to Grandpa Rudd for making it for me all those many years ago! We were actually able to skype Grandpa and Grandma on Sunday to thank them in person! What a treat!

Spencer only worked a half day on Friday so he was able to come hang out and join in on all the fun. And I was just loving all the stuff getting done- things I've been wanting to do for the past month! Our old 27 inch TV is now mounted in the upper corner of our master bedroom, most of our pictures are hung, our big mirror is up, and our house is finally feeling like home! I love it! After a full day of projects we planned Saturday as our day of play. We finished up some last minute projects in the morning and then headed off for the beach at noon. It wasn't as warm as I would have liked. I was actually super bummed because the day mom and dad were originally supposed to come with Karlee and Jeremy (Dec 28th) it was sunny and 72 degrees and I actually had taken the girls to the beach in swimsuits. But this Saturday was overcast and probably 62 degrees. We still had a good time though. The waves were incredible and it was relaxing just watching the ocean and hearing the waves crash onto the shore.

The girls had a blast searching for shells, building sand castles with Papa, running from the waves, and watching Papa get soaked. Good times!

After playing on the beach we headed over to the Channel Islands museum which was awesome- definitely a highlight for the girls. Then we went to Andria's and met up with Spencer's parents for dinner. What a treat for the girls to have both sets of grandparents at one time!

We were sad to have Gram leave, but it fun having Papa stay and play on Sunday. Papa joined the girls for a Book of Mormon movie before leaving for church at 8:45am. Then after church they were able to fit in lots of game playing.

Thanks Papa and Gram for the fun visit!!

Come Sail Away!

Photo taken by Debi Lassen. Thanks Debi for the awesome pic of the Jenkins boat!

The day after New Years day, with all the Jenkins family still in town (everyone was here except for Jeremy, Tanna, and their boys - Sydney showed up with Corinne and Morgan), Dad rented a sailboat for the day. Our good friends the Lassens also rented a sailboat for his family. What a perfect way to end a fun Christmas break! I was most excited because this time my girls were both old enough to come along. Our last sailing adventure (can't believe that was 3 1/2 years ago!) was when Madi was just 13 months old, so she stayed home with Boppi (who gets terrible motion sickness). I was super excited for both girls to have their first sailing experience! And this trip definitely didn't disappoint!

Even though we had a 35 foot boat, we couldn't fit everyone on at the same time, so we broke the day up into two groups: a morning group went out at 9am, and an afternoon group went out at 1pm. As co-captain, Spencer was out for the whole day, but the girls and I joined him at 12:45pm. I was worried that he was going to be so busy helping dad with the sailing that he wouldn't be able to help me with the girls, but I was very wrong. Spencer got his share of sailing time, but he also had lots of time to just hang out and spend time with his girls. Madi and Elle loved hanging out with their dad.

As for me, I'm not sure if it was being 7 months pregnant or just having a touch of motion sickness that handicapped me a bit. I didn't have the greatest balance and felt a touch queasy, so I mostly just stayed put- snuggled up next to Madi or Elle.

My motion sickness might have also been because on this trip, we actually did some serious sailing (unlike past trips when the wind was so light we could barely sail). At one point, I sat next to Lindsay, clutching her arm, threatening Spencer to stop sailing the boat at a 45 degree angle. I truthfully thought we might just tip over. Spencer and his dad just laughed, talking excitedly about how fast we were going! Madi seemed to get a little queasy at times too, but I'd just remind her to look off into the horizon. Elle wasn't fazed at all.

L-R: Madi, Jocelyn, Lindsay, Eric, Sydney, Captain Al, me

Elle just loved hanging out with her cousins...and the amazing dolphin show. For most of the day, we sailed in and out of a huge pod of dolphins - hundreds of them. It was awesome. Someone even said they saw a whale spout in the distance.

Big thanks to Captain Al for this fun adventure!

We stayed out and sailed with the dolphins as long as we could, enjoying the most gorgeous sunset on our way back!

Below: the Lassen's boat - sailing back into the harbor.

We got in a little before 6pm. Mom met us back at the docks with the rest of the gang who either didn't sail (Shaun, Tyler, Ashley, and Bailey) or who were in the morning group (Corinne and Morgan). We capped the day off with a delicious dinner on the boat - thanks Mom! Not a bad start to the New Year!!

Happy New Year!!

After a crummy Christmas with lots of sickness, it was good to start our New Years weekend off right! New Years Eve we decided to hike the Sycamore Canyon overlook. It's supposedly an easy hike, totally kid friendly, with a gorgeous ocean view at the top. I'd never done the hike myself, so when I was told it was easy, had been done in flip flops, and we'd be ending at the beach, I just loaded up our regular beach equipment and dressed beach appropriate. We'd had a week full of beautiful beach days so I was a little surprised when I saw fog as we rounded the corner by Point Mugu. It was only noon though, so it was bound to burn off. I was right - as we unloaded from the van, it was warm and beautiful. Spencer loaded Elle up in the backpack carrier and we headed across the road to met up with the rest of the fam.

As soon as I saw everyone else, I realized I had not dressed myself, or the girls appropriately. We were all in flip flops and I didn't think to grab the girls jackets from the van. As soon as we started up the hill I was convinced it was going to be a nightmare. Madi wimps out on our short walks home from the park - there was no way she was gonna last 2 miles in flip flops and skorts. My first thought was just to turn around, take Madi back to the beach, and wait for everyone there. But for everyone else that wasn't an option. Boppi immediately took Madi under her wing (probably sensing that I wasn't wanting to deal with the whining), found her a walking stick, and slowly started up the hill.

Madi did well for awhile, but the higher we climbed, the thicker the fog got and the colder it became. I had on capris with a light jacket and was super cold, so I know her little bare arms and legs must have been freezing. We kept going though. We sang songs, told stories, and did everything possible to motivate Madi to keep going. She had one little stumble and scratched up her knees, but otherwise did awesome! She made it to the top, as did the rest of the gang, but the dang fog blocked our gorgeous ocean view.

Elle made sure to let me know that she was cold too, but she was able to tuck her arms into the backpack carrier and lean up against Spencer, so no sympathy here.

Near the very end of the hike (when it wasn't so steep and risky to have a kid on your shoulders), Grandpa Al asked Madi if she'd like a little ride. I think she was just too extremely tired and cold to show her excitement about the offer. Thanks Grandpa Al! And thanks to Boppi as well for encouraging Madi that she could do it.

Madi talked about "climbing the mountain" all weekend and how it was one of her favorite things. I could tell she was so proud of herself. I'm so glad I didn't just let her wimp out and give up. For me this was a good start to the New Year to remind me that we can do anything we set our mind to. I know - totally cheesy, but true. I have a goal this year to stop babying my children. I need to motivate them and then let them do it, not get tired of the whining and give up on them. It's so much easier for me to clean up the mess, make the bed, fold the clothes, force feed them food, let them ride in the stroller, etc. etc. But no more! This mama's crackin down! I don't want wimpy little girls, so my goal for 2012 is to make them tough, hard working, outdoorsy girls.

Side note: I've also started rereading "The Parenting Breakthrough" on my elliptical in the mornings (thanks mom for book- I've been wanting it for awhile) which has been a huge motivation to get my girls whipped into shape. Here's to a New Year, a wiser mom, tougher girls, and a beautiful baby boy!! SO excited for all the adventures in store for our family this year!!