A Day at the Park

Today Aubrey had a playdate at the park with her two buddies from school...Maddy and Allison. Before we got to the park we drove through MacDonald's and got her a Happy Meal...special treat! Maddy and Allison had MacDonald's too, so they all sat and ate their food together. It was super windy so we had a few bags flying around, but the food survived. The girls played on the "pirate ship" that they have there, played in the sand box, and went on the swings. This lasted for almost 2 hours!! Us moms did as much visiting as we could. Amber was trying to keep track of her 3 kids and Jodi was keeping tabs on the girls while I had Taylor sleeping in my arms. Somehow we actually got to visit with each other...a little. One of these days I think we might have to get together without the kids to truly catch up! Anyways, here are some pictures...

It Won't Be Like This For Long

Right now Mitchell and I really like this song by Darius Rucker called "It Won't Be Like This For Long." It makes us tear up EVERY time we hear it. We completely relate to it. It's so sweet and makes me sad at the same time because our two little girls are actually going to grow up and all the things we've gone through and are going through with them right now will be memories. Taylor is not going to be a tiny helpless baby for long and Aubrey is not going to draw me endless amounts of pictures that she wants to tape to our walls forever. It makes me take a second thought at what might seem difficult or overbearing at the moment. We love our girls so much that our hearts ache at the thought of them growing up. Mitchell always says that he wouldn't mind if Aubrey stayed 4 for the rest of her life...he'd take care of her FOREVER and love it. She's so honest, impressionable, and loves with all her heart. Seeing her interact with Taylor is sweet (and trying at times) and I can't believe I'm going to see them grow up together. They're sisters...that's so amazing! I hope they know how much we love them!

Oh, and another song that gets us is by Alan Jackson called "Remember When." Geez, that one makes me cry too! Here they are for your listening enjoyment. Grab a tissue if you're anything like me!

Taylor ~ 2 Months Old

Our little baby Taylor is 2 months old. She is such a sweetheart and we all love her so much! She now smiles and coos if you talk to her...it melts our hearts! Her little voice is precious! She is very mellow and really only cries if she's hungry or tired...or mad about being in her car seat! She likes to be held, but is also very willing to sit in her bouncy chair or swing so mommy can get some things done. Aubrey is a big help to keep her sister entertained. She sings and dances for Taylor, which amazingly gets Taylor's attention...it's pretty funny. Aubrey is also skilled at popping the pacifier in Taylor's mouth. Taylor definitely likes her pacifiers. And although I thought I was against using pacifiers (rarely used them with Aubrey), I've come to realize that those little things buy me alot of time! Maybe I should have let Aubrey use them more when she was a baby! Anyway, Taylor is doing so great. At her 2 month doctor's appointment she weighed 10lb 5oz (30%) and was 23 inches long (70%). She's on the long side, exactly like Aubrey was, but a little bit lighter. She has mild eczema on her face and a little on her arms. Supposedly it's itchy, but you wouldn't be able to tell anything was bothering her. We are on a moisturizing routine that will hopefully soothe her skin until the condition disappears...which could be awhile. But that's the worst of it. She's still a beautiful little girl and we love our little Taylor!

Hiking Adventure

So we've been having hot summer-like weather in January...how I love Southern California!! We decided to plan an afternoon hike and take advantage of the warm sunshine and fresh air. Aubrey has never been hiking before so we thought we'd pack some snacks and hit the trails! At the last minute we decided that it was actually TOO HOT to take Taylor. So me and the munchkin had to stay behind. :( I was really looking forward to going, but not at the expense of overheating my baby. So Mitchell and Aubrey headed for Peters Canyon. They had so much fun! They walked all over the trails for 2 hours. They tried to catch a lizard (but it got away), tried to dig out bugs, and pretended they were lost...Mitchell is the master at making up fun things to do! I hope to be able to go next time.

My Little Soccer Girl

Yesterday Aubrey started her first soccer class! Although this was definitely not her first time kicking a soccer ball or even doing soccer drills (thanks to Mitchell), it was the first time taking instruction from a coach. It's no AYSO and they probably won't be playing an actual game, but she's learning the fundamentals of handling the ball and I thought she did a super job! I was the geeky mom with the picture camera, video camera, and baby Taylor in my arms analyzing my daughter's every move in hopes she'd be the star student...which she was in my opinion!

So yay for Aubrey! She seemed to really like the class and she loves any opportunity to make new friends! We'll see if this is something she wants to pursue. She looked so darn cute with those soccer cleats on!

My Traffic School Experience

I had to spend 4 hours of my life tonight in Traffic School. Albeit I was in the wrong when I crossed that solid white line and the police officer pulled me over, but I seriously don't think a $210 ticket and 8 hours of traffic school was really called for. I had not received at ticket in over 10 years til now...so CLEARLY this was a slight mishap on my rush to work. I wasn't speeding, didn't run a red light, didn't almost hit anyone...ugh, so lame. So I'm sitting in the courtroom with about 150 other "violators" wishing it was mandatory to leave one seat space between each person. The seats are like movie theater seats (probably tighter). The guy to my right is spilling over his seat into my seat area because quite frankly the seat is too small for him or was he too big for the seat...I don't know. He was too close to me! Then I have another guy to my left who at least fits in his seat, but his cell phone is vibrating pretty much the ENTIRE class. Then, to make this event even more uncomfortable and annoying, the girl behind me is sick and keeps coughing. Eww gross, I felt like I was trapped on an airplane. Meanwhile, as I sat in my seat trying to keep from touching the man to my right, I'm getting text messages from Mitchell because Taylor does not want to take her bottle and she's crying and hungry. Taylor is breastfed almost exclusively except during these rare occasions so she's not completely familiar with the bottle. Poor Mitchell was having the hardest time and I know he must have been freaking out because Taylor was so mad. She cried so hard she fell asleep. :( But when she woke up I guess she decided to take the bottle...little rascal. So I felt much less stressed knowing my child wasn't stressed out. Anywho, so that was my fun night. I survived traffic school , Taylor survived her first evening without mommy, and I am not looking forward to going back next week for part 2.

Honest Scrap

I am fairly new to the blog world and had never heard of the Honest Scrap Award until just today. At first I wasn't sure if I was being honored or if I had been given homework! Thanks to Amber, my friend and fellow blogger (she's MUCH more committed than I), I sat down and gave it a little thought. Turns out it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be!

The Rules:

1. Post 10 honest things about yourself along with the award picture.
2. Pass this award onto 7 bloggers that you feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap.
3. Have fun!

Okay, so here is my "Honest Scrap"...

1. I don't like to cook. Never have and probably never will. My mom didn't teach me and I've never had the desire. My husband is always giving me crap for this. I feel bad, I honestly do, but he cooks WAY better than me and he's so picky I feel like my creations will be frowned upon! Okay, they are frowned upon.

2. I am a procrastinator. Not with everything, but I definitely procrastinate. I wait til the last minute to do stuff. Go to the bank, pay rent, make dinner (for reasons listed above), and go grocery shopping. No good reason why, but I do this all the time.

3. I love being a mommy! I always knew I wanted to be a mommy from when I was a very little girl. I was always playing house with my baby dolls. And now I am the mother of 2 beautiful little girls. My Aubrey (4.5 years old) and Taylor (7 weeks old) are so amazing. They bring me so much joy and I love watching them grow. Children are truly gifts from God and I feel more than blessed to have the privilege to have them.

4. I love my husband. We have been through so much and have had so much fun together in the 10 years we've been together...and finally married this last June! He is my best friend and he's taught me so much about myself. I thank God for him coming into my life and I look forward to the rest of our lives together.

5. I like to self diagnose before going to the doctor. I Google the symptoms and try figure out what it is. Sometimes this avoids a trip to the doctor.

6. I believe childhood vaccinations need to be slowed down. It's too much too soon. I'm not anti-vaccinations, I'm anti-scheduling of them. I've read alot and researched alot and I'm not comfortable with vaccinating my children the way the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends. I don't force my opinions on others, but I always encourage parents to research anything concerning their kids...especially vaccinations. Okay, enough said about that.

7. I love photographing my kids, but I'm not that great at it. I would love to take a photography class and get one of those awesome cameras...an SLR or SRL, I forget. I think I will make that a goal of mine for 2009...improve my photography skills!

8. I love my parents with all my heart. They are always there for me no matter what. They embrace the good, the bad, and the ugly! My mom is one of my best friends. My dad is one of the kindest men I've ever known. He would give me the world if I needed it...no joke. I can't imagine my life without them and I can break out in tears at the thought of them not being here.

9. I try to be environmentally friendly, but I only own 1 reusable grocery bag and forget it almost every time I go shopping. I should recycle, but I don't want another garbage can in the house. This is something I need to work on.

10. I am not a big fan of talking on the phone unless it's my mom, my sister, or my husband. I prefer texting or sending an email so I can put my thoughts together...and lately I just plain don't have time to pick up the phone because Taylor or Aubrey has me caught up in something. :)