Copy Cat

On a regular basis (once or twice a week) I'm asked if Madi and Elle are twins. Weird right!? The first time someone asked me I was thinking- "You've got to be kidding me! One's 2 years older!" But once it started to become a regular question, I began to notice how maybe they could pass as twins. Ok, I still don't see it, but I started to think the people asking were a little less crazy! The best was this past weekend, when a dad with his own set of twins in his Costco shopping cart looked over, points at my girls and says, "Look, they're twins too!"

One thing I have noticed this past month is how much Elle loves to copy her sister Madi. We're now constantly telling Madi to be very careful with how she acts and to be a super good example cause Elle's always learning from her. Everything Madi does, Elle does. Madi lays on her stomach to read a book, Elle will lay on her stomach to read a book. Madi tells me she doesn't want to do something, Elle will tell me she doesn't want to do it. Madi says she has to go the bathroom, Elle tells me she has to go potty. Madi will ask for me something, and within seconds Elle's asking for the same thing. And just this morning Elle was crying about something and I thought it was Madi. The crying thing bugs us a bit since Madi's cry has always been super obnoxious and overly dramatic. We were hoping Elle would be our more even-keeled, rational child, but now we're realizing she's picking up on everything- including all the drama!

Father's Day Weekend

My goal this past weekend was to get as much crossed off my "to do" list as possible. The next 2 1/2 weeks are gonna be super busy- we don't have another open Saturday until July 16th- so this Saturday was jammed packed! As we were doing some meal planning, I asked Spencer what he was thinking we should do for Father's Day dinner (I rarely, if ever, cook on the weekend so it's a totally normal question to ask). Spencer jokingly tells me he's looking forward to me cooking. So of course I teased him about his impeccable timing in planning a fishing trip over Mother's Day weekend- reminding him that I happily ate leftovers for my Mother's Day dinner. But then later that evening, after Spencer had left for the store and I was folding laundry, I thought about last year at this time and how I was getting ready to leave on a trip the day after Father's Day. Spencer happily made dinner, did all the dishes, and then got up super early the next morning to make us all lunches and see us off. What a good husband I have! But truthfully, Spencer enjoys planning our weekend dinners and would actually prefer to be the one to cook- which I will forever be grateful for. He grilled us up some delicious carne asada that he marinated overnight, made some fresh guacamole, salsa, and warmed up some corn tortillas on the grill. Can I say YUM tacos!?!?! Add in some delicious corn on the cob and the sweetest watermelon and it was a fabulous dinner!

Some other things we did this Father's Day weekend:

* Got a lot of hang out with Dad time! I honestly think Madi and Elle look forward to the weekend more than I do. Here's a typical Saturday afternoon scene- a movie and nap with dad.

* On Saturday we went to our neighborhood ice cream social at the pool (almost 4 years of living here and it's the first one we've been to)! The girls were super excited about getting to eat ice cream (with toppings) at the pool. What a great treat!

On Sunday. . .

* I led the primary kids in singing a Father's Day medley (copied my mom's idea of singing "The Dearest Names" and then going right into "Fathers") to all the dads during sacrament meeting.

* I planned a fun Father's Day game for primary music time- called Boppin' Pop. Spencer came to help out as one of the dads in the junior primary. I'm not sure who had more fun- the dads, the kids, or me!!

* Then I ended the night by going to my last youth choir practice (we leave Friday morning for Kirtland). The Matthews surprised us with a cake for all the choir's hard work- we've been at it for over 3 months now!

As for other fun Father's Day traditions- I'm totally lacking in that department. I wanted to get a picture of the girls together to put in the card they made for Spencer with their handprints. It's pretty much impossible to get a good picture with these two. Here's a few of my attempts:

Madi's always up for getting her picture taken- it's always Elle who needs a little bit of bribbing.

Madi worked really hard at convincing Elle to smile.

A hug wasn't the best idea.

Elle taking matters into her own hands.

Madi got her feelings (and cheeks) hurt.

The stare down- I'm pretty sure they were supposed to be apologizing here.

And a make up hug!

Love these cute girls, but I wasn't wild about any of the pictures- so sorry Spence about not having a picture to put into your card. But I'm sure you already know how much your girls love and adore you. After dropping you off at the Metro Monday morning, Madi complained about the weekend being over and how she wished you didn't have to go to work. She just wanted more time to hang out with her dad. But what I loved the most was how insistent both girls were about getting a hug and a kiss from you as we pulled up to the Metro. Mondays are always the hardest day to say goodbye because of how much fun it is having you with us on the weekends. Thanks for being such an involved dad. Happy Father's Day to you!

Goose Egg

A morning out running errands resulted with a couple girls with lots of energy. While Spencer and I were checking out the sheets and bedding at Bed, Bath & Beyond, Madi and Elle were chasing each other up and down the aisles. Our clumsy little Madi tripped (go figure- she was running in flip flops), and face planted into the hard floor. Spencer and I heard a loud "thud" and we immediately knew it was Madi. Check out the goose egg on her forehead. Poor girl! Ouch!! And being the dramatically stubborn little girl that she is, Madi screamed all the way home and then refused any ice to help the swelling go down or tylenol. We always know its not too serious when she lays the dramatics on extra thick!! Hope she learned her lesson!

23 months

Elle's 23 months old today- just one more month with a one year old! Crazy! What a big little girl Elle is! Yesterday was her first day of sleeping in the toddler bed and she absolutely loves it! My little tummy sleeper just wanted something more comfy and squishy to snuggle into. I was amazed when I walked into her room this morning- fully expecting her to be out of bed reading stories, but instead she was just laying there waiting for me to come get her.

Other things I loved about my little 23 month old today. . .

* I loved watching her play at the pool with her baby. She spent a good half hour taking care of her baby, laying her on the lounge chairs, telling everyone that her baby was "seeping" and then getting the baby up and feeding her a bottle. Then Elle would all of a sudden act like she had something very important to do. She'd do her "fast paced walk" over to the water noodles and then come back.

* She sat for 3o minutes straight letting me give her a hair cut.

* When I told her "I love you Elle" she responded with, "I love you too Mom."

At 23 months Elle sits on the potty an average of 4 times a day. She's actually gone twice. 2 1/2 is when I'm planning to start the potty training (Madi was completely trained in one day, so I'm hoping for the same kind of results), but I'm not going to discourage her desire to sit on the pot. I've also introduced pull-ups (only in the day and when she isn't wanting to wear her diaper) just because they're easier to take on and off with all her "gotta go potty" requests.

Elle's big into telling us what she wants (or doesn't want) to do.

"I wanna read this story mom."

"I wanna give Daddy a kiss."

"I wanna go park."

"I wanna watch Dora."

"I wanna wear this dress" (she's still wearing dresses almost every single day)

No, she's not asleep- just pretending. Babies are "sleeping" all over our house all the time.

She's seriously a riot and makes me laugh every single day. I love watching her run around. I love listening to her read stories. I love watching her play pretend with her babies (for hours every day). I love her big tight hugs. And I love her commentary on everything from the minute I get her out of bed: "Shhh... everybody's seeping" (Elle's always the first one up every single morning) to the minute she goes to bed. I love you so much my baby girl!

Bunk Bed!

Since the fall we've been talking about getting bunk beds for Madi's room. We actively started looking around December, but since there was no rush, we kept putting it off. Our deal with Madi was that once she stopped crying out at night she'd get her bunk bed. She's been doing great for quite awhile now, so we decided we had better follow through with our promise. With Madi's birthday coming up, we figured it'd be the perfect birthday gift. We were going to wait to have it delivered on her actual birthday, but since my mom gets here on Wednesday, we decided it would be best to get it before she got here (that was one of the reasons for choosing the twin over full- it's perfect for company, and we made sure to get super comfy mattresses!).

We're saving the bedding for Madi to open on her birthday.

Needless to say, it was a pretty eventful day at our house. Last night I told Madi how she'd be having 2 surprises delivered the next day. She was ecstatic- trying to guess what the surprises could be (a bunny and a camera were her first 2 guesses). But then this morning after telling the girls to get upstairs and get Madi's room all cleaned out for the surprises that were coming, I mentioned how we needed to "take down her bed" (I quickly learned that better wording could have been used). Madi instantly became super sentimental, telling he how she wanted to keep her bed and just wanted another bed to go on top of it. Then Spencer-Mr. "tell it how it is" starts talking to Madi about being a "big girl" and "giving up good things for better things" and "moving on". Totally a guy thing to try to reason with a girl who is struggling with her emotions! Good luck!! Madi was not wanting to hear it and went and got into her bed- determined to spend as much time as she could in there.

Later in the morning, after the mattresses arrived, I snuck upstairs while Madi was drawing downstairs and moved her toddler bed into my room (which later Elle begged to be put in her room). Madi didn't go upstairs for an hour or so after, but once she did, I ran and grabbed my flip to get her reaction on tape. It was priceless. She stood there, for the longest time, just looking at the corner where her bed used to be. I was worried that she might start crying, but I was pleasantly surprised with the reaction I got:

The best part (which unfortunately I didn't get on video) was when Spencer got home. Both girls were bursting with excitement to show their dad their new beds. They both grabbed a hand and dragged him up the stairs with Madi shouting orders to, "close your eyes" and Elle exclaiming, "got bunk bed" (while simultaneously trying to follow Madi's order and covering her eyes). It was adorable! What a fun day of great surprises! Madi chose to sleep on the top bunk. Elle will eventually sleep on the bottom, but for now she is loving her new toddler bed!!

Seven Years!

This past Sunday (June 5th) Spencer and I celebrated 7 years of marital bliss. Since our anniversary fell on a Sunday this year we didn't do anything huge- we went to Stake Conference (where I led the youth choir in "Be Still My Soul" and totally impressed Spencer- which made my day), then we came home and Spencer made the most incredibly delicious Greek dinner. We shared it with some new friends that just moved into the ward- the Sundbergs. We loved their company and their adorable boys (the same ages as Madi and Elle).

It was a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon/evening, especially since our ward normally doesn't get out until 4pm and then I usually have to leave for choir practice by 6pm. It was a nice change from our regular Sunday routine.

I was feeling a little guilty this year about not planning something special for us. We were talking a week or so earlier about planning dates and Spencer (while joking) mentioned that I've never planned a date for us. Even though he meant nothing by it, I've been feeling super guilty. In my defense, Spencer loves planning trips and such. He loves finding new restaurants to try out, and he's much better at surprises than I am (I always spoil anything I've planned and then he ends up having a hand in it). Plus, Spencer's much pickier than I am- he has an opinion about everything, while I know that I'll love whatever he plans!

But anyway- for some reason, even though seven years might not seem like a huge anniversary, this anniversary was very significant for me. Up until now, life has really been pretty easy. It's seemed like a constant adventure- never really feeling settled and always wondering where life is going to take us next. But now at 7 years of marriage I feel like we're in the thick of it all- parenting, housework, church callings, a "real" job, etc. This past year has been the first time in our marriage that I've felt like I need a lot more help from Spencer. Life's gotten busy and it's harder keeping up with everything around the house, with the girls (all their drama), and with our callings. It's exhausting. We badly need a vacation- a real one (not just a trip to CA to see family- no offense to all those we dearly love in CA).

Amid it all- I just love that no matter how crazy, busy, and stressful our lives get, Spencer is always the one person I can be completely honest with. I love how excited he gets to hear about the little things in my day (who I talked to, how Elle went pee in the potty, the jerk lady at the pool, etc). I love how he's always willing to help solve my frustrations (even if it means him waking up earlier in the morning so that I can get a good run in). It's comforting knowing that I married my BEST friend, and knowing that we can get through anything. If nothing else, this anniversary I'm grateful for a husband who listens, works so hard, and who always tries to make me happy.

We're going out on Saturday- I'll try to remember to take a picture then to document us at 7 years!

My life

Lately life has felt so mundane. We do the exact same things every. single. day. I feel like such a brat complaining though cause really I've got it pretty good- it's warm, the sun's out, our pool's open, I've got a nice tan, we're totally healthy, my husband has a good job, and we have AC (several of our neighbors units went out last week- our huge fan is on loan for the time being). Instead of complaining, I thought it'd be better to write down my daily schedule cause I know I'm going to love looking back and reading about how I spent my days when my girls were little.

Note: this is only a typical schedule. I'm obviously not including all the screaming, tantrums, fights, and time-outs that happen on a regular basis around here (I've noted it down below though). Also- I've been without the car for 3 days now and am going a little stir crazy! This is my schedule when I don't have the car.

6:15am Awake

6:20am Go for a run (this happens on a good day- on a tired day I go back to

sleep and typically get 20 more minutes before Elle starts calling,

"Mommmmmmmmmy!!!")

7-8am Breakfast for the girls. If I didn't run, this is when I do my elliptical,

weights, and/or my "Gilad" workout on Fit TV (I know, I'm a dork!)

8:00am Shower, dress, get Elle dressed and hair done (Madi races us)

8:30am Samantha gets dropped off

Play on the floor with the girls, eat breakfast and make Spencer's

PB&J sandwich (yes, my husband "the food snob" eats pb&j's almost every single day!)

9:30am Feed Samantha cereal and fruit

9:45am Read stories

10am Samantha goes down for a nap. Elle, Madi and I do some sort of drawing,

coloring, and/or craft.

11am Samantha wakes up. I like to get out for a short walk- even it's just

around the neighborhood, but lately with it getting too hot we just play inside.

11:45am Madi and Elle eat lunch, Samantha has a snack in the highchair.

12noon Story time

12:20pm Stacie picks up Samantha

12:30pm Lay Elle down for nap

Madi's quiet time. On a great day she'll actually play in her room for a good 45 minutes and then read books for another 45 minutes. On an annoying day, I'm giving her new activities to do every 10 minutes. One thing I always do during this time is take a 15 minute nap- makes me

feel like a whole new woman!

3:00pm Elle up from nap

3:30pm Pack up and walk to the pool

3:45-

4:45pm Play at the pool

5pm Rinse off in the tub, jammies on, dinner ready

5:30pm Dinner and scriptures (I've found they listen better while they're eating)

6pm I clean up the kitchen/dining room while the girls play and read books in the family room.

6:30pm Brush teeth, stories, songs, prayers

7pm Bedtime (again, this is just typical. Many nights the girls are playing so well that I hate to interrupt, so I give them more playtime and later bedtime).

This schedule is also calculated with not having to pick up Spencer from the Metro. That always pushes bedtime back a bit- but I usually don't mind in the summertime.

The things I struggle with most about my day:

1) It's hard taking all three girls somewhere, so aside from short trips to the park, we mostly just stay home every morning. Plus, I like to make sure Samantha gets her nap. I do miss my morning outings though (it's always busier in the afternoon) and I'm looking forward to the fall when Madi heads off to preschool and I can take Elle and Samantha on little outings (i.e. library, walks, parks, etc)!

2) Planning a fun craft to do with the girls in the morning. I feel like all Madi and Elle do is read books and play babies, so I really want to have some sort of fun project for them to do every morning. It's a hard thing to plan when you don't have to.

3) Madi's quiet time. At this point of the day I'm exhausted and just want time to myself (which I always take), but them I'm constantly feeling guilty that I'm not stimulating Madi's mind like I should. It's so much easier to give into Madi's pleading to watch a Princess movie (45 minutes long) instead of fighting her to do something else. I don't mind letting my girls watch cartoons or part of a movie in the morning, and I'm even ok with 20 or 30 minutes while I'm trying to get dinner finished, but for some reason I hate Madi zoning out to a show in the middle of the day. I need to structure this 2 1/2 hour block of time better.

4) The fighting and arguing that happens all day long. One of the best sounds is listening to Madi and Elle playing happily together. Everything will be going great so I'll sneak off to grab something upstairs, and the next thing I know they're both screaming bloody murder downstairs! It's seriously the story of my life right now. And most of the time I can't blame one girl- they're both culprits and love teasing and picking on each other. I wish I were better at ignoring it and letting them solve their quarrels. The screaming and crying is just usually more than I can handle.

Proof that my girls love each other!

Madi-Daddy Campout

Madi had her very first camping trip last night! Our ward organized a daddy-daughter campout and of course Spencer was set on going as soon as he heard about it! We've been talking about taking the girls camping for awhile now and this was the perfect opportunity to introduce Madi to camping. We thought about Spencer taking both the girls, but decided against it this time mostly because our tent is too small (Elle never would have fallen asleep if not in a pack-n-play). And it was actually really nice for me to have some alone time with Elle.

Madi took a great nap in the afternoon making her the sweetest little girl the entire night. She and Spencer took off at 6:30pm and returned home this morning around 9am. Probably the shortest camping trip in history! I was super surprised to see the car pull up when it did- I wasn't expecting them until at least 10am. But it was the perfect length for Madi- I guess after breakfast she said she was ready to go. She had such a fun time though- setting up the tent, barbecuing hot dogs, roasting marshmallows, making smores, watching the dads perform skits, having daddy tell stories with flashlights in the tent before bed, and then sleeping next to (or rather sprawled across) her dad all night. They didn't get much sleep but sure had a great time!

Sticky hands after eating smores!!

So happy- even after just 6 hours of sleep! I guess they stayed up till 11pm and then Madi was up at the crack of dawn!