March bring on the Madness

 When I went to pick up Rory from preschool one day, this is how she greeted me and it made me laugh out loud. I love this little weirdo. 

I would say we are all adapting to Coco very nicely. I still don't scoop her poop, but I have been getting up with her in the mornings since Stephen is in busy season and working around the clock. In the evenings she and I watch TV together and it's starting to bond us. I usually stop her from chewing on the girls toys, but attacking this little rocking horse brought her so much joy, plus we never got much play out of it and it is a hand me down anyways. I laughed out loud again when I saw the hole in its neck and stuffing strewn across the floor- quite the battle scene. Coco was immensely pleased with herself. 

In preparation for the baby coming next month, I am not doing my dance classes this month and it has given me time and energy to spend on my current babies. I'm tired and grouchy most of the time and everyone has been feeling it, so I really tried to make an effort to create happy memories and relationship-strengthening moments. While Rory was playing at a friends house, Ada and I ran an errand and then treated ourselves to Cold Stone. Ada was in HEAVEN having me and plenty of the ice cream all to herself. In true Ada fashion she screamed at me until I gave her the spoon, scooped herself a large bite, and then immediately spit it out all over us. She then immediately began screaming at me again because she didn't like the mess or the chill of the ice cream. This girl. 

Several of our good friends missed the last February dance class, so we did a little make up performance play date. I loved seeing these kids all dressed up- mermaids and superheroes were big crowd pleasers in this group. 

Proof that I am a good dog owner- I take pictures of her willingly. How cute is she for real though?!

I made two cakes in March. I did a mini cherry chip cake for a friend in the ward and then I made McKenna's third birthday cake! McKenna had the cutest ballerina party and I love that these little nuggets have literally been friends (Ok, not always "friends" but they are getting a lot better) for their entire lives. It was also crazy to document because McKenna's birthday party in 2020 was our last social engagement before the world shut down because of Coronavirus. So crazy. 

Spring Break is a weird time for our family because all of Rory's regular activities are cancelled, but we don't plan vacations because that's when all the school age kids are traveling. My friend Alison, whom I met through our daughters taking the same Park and Rec gymnastics class, ended up putting her older boys in a spring break tennis camp at the park right by our house. Every day that week I would walk over with my girls and spend the morning chatting with her while our kids played mostly happily. It was such a fun little routine and made our week off feel so productive. At the end of the week we treated the kids to a ride on the train. We have lived next to this park for Rory's entire life and this was her first time riding it. She loved it, and yes we can be a bit withholding as parents sometimes!

Rory and I found a water table while we were shopping at Costco and while I usually have to sit and stew before buying big things like that, I immediately decided to buy it and we brought it home for Ada. My hope is that it will keep the girls busy when the baby comes and give them an activity to do outside in the summer. So far it has been a big success, though it is difficult to convince both girls not to drink the water. 

I'm not sure who gets more use out of this dog bed, Ada or Coco? When Ada is tantruming this is her soft surface of choice to dramatically throw her body down on top of. 

Nate and Linne's crew stopped by for a quick visit on their way back from their spring break travels. It was just enough time for a family barbecue, some home made dole whip, and a massive cousin sleepover. 

When you say things like, "I wish my real mom would come back. The one without a baby in her tummy." you get to pick your own clothes for errands and then mom buys you guilt cookies as well. What a life this one leads!

In an effort to encourage Rory to stop picking at little scabs on her face, Stephen promised her a date night as soon her face was clear. She was so excited about it and it was the conversation at our house for weeks. They finally went out on a Saturday, and Rory couldn't have been happier. They bought dinner at Taco Bell and ate it in the car together, drove through Swig for some sodas and cookies, and capped off the night at the Dollar Tree where Stephen let her buy some silly putty, or as Rory calls it, silly billy. When she got home we watched a baking show as she told me all about it and this little girl was completely on cloud nine. 

The next day, Stephen's Sunday nap got interrupted by an impromptu makeover. Could you ask for a better Girl Dad? 

Speaking of makeovers, big things have been happening at our house. First of all, Ada's hair is finally mullet-y enough to put in a tiny ponytail! It makes me remember Rory at the same stage. While Stephen and I went out to celebrate Marisa's birthday at a surprise party one night, Rory stashed some scissors in her bed and while the babysitter was there she cut her bangs. For the third time. She also attempted to open an Amazon box I had hidden from her. Someone send help. 

She got in so much trouble from us that she spent all of Sacrament meeting the next Sunday drawing pictures of her crying and writing "notes" that said things like, "Guess I'll find a new family." On Monday morning she came in to my room asking for a bandaid because she was bleeding from a little cut on her finger. As I was getting her one from the kitchen Stephen called me into her bedroom. At some point girlfriend had gotten a stake knife from the kitchen, grabbed the Amazon box she had attempted to open before, and sliced her way into it. The Pretty, Pretty Princess game that I was going to save for her birthday was sitting in her bed with the stake knife sticking out of it. We immediately felt less bad about the emotional stress we had caused her the day before. Obviously we didn't scar her quite enough the first time. 

Rory is in a parks and rec Storybook Arts and Crafts class and their craft for St Patrick's Day was another one that had me laughing out loud when I walked into the room. 

St Patricks Day is not my holiday. I usually have a hard time finding something green to wear, I don't enjoy eating things that are artificially colored green, and I'm not about to mess up my house to pretend a naughty leprechaun has been there- much less leave presents from said leprechaun. It's weird, since I am a person who loves holidays, but I seriously debated not even telling Rory about it. Unfortunately I have a St Patricks Day door hanging I didn't want to miss putting out, and when I did she asked for an explanation so I said, "It's a day where you wear green. And there are rainbows and leprechauns..." and then she asked me what leprechauns were and I couldn't come up with anything normal to say so I changed the topic. 

So imagine my surprise when I went to get her dressed Wednesday morning and she lost her mind because she needed a green shirt AND green pants or she was going to get pinched. The terror in her eyes was so real and there was no convincing her that green shorts and a shirt with green leaves on it was enough green to not get pinched. She had learned all about this fun little tradition from her preschool teacher and I honestly thought I was not going to get her to leave the house that day. I can't remember how I finally got her out of the house, but we made it happen. Sarah ended up inviting her over for a last minute St Patrick's Day party where they painted rainbows and had a blast. She told me later that Naomi had pinched her for not wearing green, and her eyes told me, "So see if I ever trust you again, Mom!" I immediately went out and bought a St Patricks Day shirt for next year. 

Ada's hair is getting super mullet-y and when she runs around it parts itself down the middle and Stephen pointed out that she looks like Dwight. I feel like this is something worth remembering for forever. 

I was jealous of Rory's date with Stephen and so I planned one for the two of us as well. When I picked her up from preschool we went and got happy meals and chatted while we ate them in the van. Then we walked to Petco to check out the animals and then to Dollar tree to pick out some nail polish for later. We ended the date with a cone at Handel's. She also picked out a lollipop at Dollar Tree to take home for Ada, in hopes that Ada would choose to share. I love this little first-born of mine. In some ways, I think I love her a little differently because she is my first. I have so much gratitude for the fact that she puts up with my inexperience as a mother and loves me through it. She has become the best big sister for Ada and I can't wait to see the love she will have for new baby sister! 

February 2021

Before we knew it February rolled in fast and strong and our house was in a Valentine's craze from the very beginning. Our theme for dance class (the last before baby sister gets here) was Love Bugs, and I think that helped keep Valentine's on the forefront of Rory's mind. She kept coming up with ideas for fun things to do like decorate cards, paint hearts, frost Valentine's cookies, etc and so I told her that she could have a special Valentine's playdate with Rebecca and Naomi. Rebecca and Naomi shared her enthusiasm, and each had many great party ideas of their own and before I knew it I was throwing the play date of the century. 

First the girls decorated heart butterfly placemats (as found in a Fancy Nancy book). While I set up lunch, they exchanged valentines that they had brought for each other and squealed with delight at each one. 

For lunch we had Nutella sandwiches, chocolate covered strawberries, cucumbers, french fries, wontons, cake and italian sodas. As you can see, it was very fancy and official. 

After lunch they played for a bit while we set up the next activity- cookie decorating! I had a bunch of leftover frosting from a cake I had made for book group, so I made a couple of sugar cookies for each girl and let them have at it. I love seeing their serious focused expressions as each cookie turns into the same gloopy, sprinkle covered mess. Ada finally woke up from her nap and was pretty stoked about the chocolate covered strawberries that were waiting for her. 

Once the cookies were decorated we moved on to Barbie movie time while the girls dug into their boxes of chocolate. They didn't last the whole movie, but we had more things on our party agenda, so it was actually a good thing they lost focus. Before moms came for pick up the girls did a treasure hunt outside looking for a sparkly heart ring for each of them. They had a little free play time and then went home. I will not be able to host another play date for a long time now because I have set the bar too high. 

Shortly after our play date, Rory came down with a bit of a cold, and in Covid days kid colds mean you can't really go anywhere or do anything. In an effort to pass the time I let Rory do a makeover and photoshoot on herself and it did not disappoint. She's gotten really in to putting glitter gel on her eyebrows and it cracks me up. There were about 50 pictures just like this on my camera roll when she was done. 

The primary did a heart attacking activity and they had the kids come out after church and decorate some hearts to leave on peoples' doors. Rory asked me to write things like "I love you as big as the world" on her hearts and they were the cutest. They also asked each kid to write their name on this poster and I was one proud mama seeing her looking so grown up and writing her name. 

Our dance classes this month have been going really well, and it I weren't getting so large I would be much more sad to see them go. This month I had three little boys in the second class and it was hard to keep up with them, but they loved it! I had to snap this little picture because of every time they put these animal masks on it cracks me up. 

Rory was very excited to make her own valentines for her preschool class this year, so I sucked it up and handed over control. I had bought these little bracelets at Walmart and then Rory brought me white paper and asked me to draw hearts all over it. I was very impressed with how well she cut them, she loves scissors so much that we often have to restrict her scissors use and so I was genuinely surprised by her dexterity. She drew a picture on each one and decorated them with hearts and stickers leftover from her play date. They turned out so cute and she was so so proud of them. 

Right before Valentine's day, John and Lucina were able to come up for a quick three day visit and it was the best. First they watched the girls while I went and got my eyelash extensions done, which was a weight off of my shoulders. Then Lucina took Ada out for both dance classes on Wednesday and it was amazing how smoothly they ran when I wasn't also battling her the whole time. They took them to the aquarium and out for ice cream. While John was out golfing we took the girls to Joann's to pick out fabric for the fleece tie blankets Rory wanted to make and the girls loved it. Ada even got to pick her own fabric. We had yummy food and got to hang out. Before they left we took them to our beloved Legoland where Lucina helped Rory build a dinosaur which she proudly displayed on the makers table. Rory was most excited to show them the princess ride and she rode it with Pop pop and Grandma. They left from Legoland in order to try to miss traffic on their drive home, and I cried and cried and cried seeing them go. It was so nice to have the help and company during busy season, plus I am super pregnant. I actually couldn't get my emotions in check, and so I told the girls it was time to go home. The overeager Legoland worker that Rory is obsessed with noticed me crying and gave Rory and I both a special button to take home. It was equal parts kind and humiliating. 

I don't think they did it every year, but I remember growing up there were a few Valentine's days where my siblings and I woke up with some Valentine chocolates on the end of our beds and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I have done that the last two years, and my girls think it is just as cool as I did. I could hear them over the monitor wake up and get so excited. I was slow to get to their room and Rory had opened treats for both Ada and herself, which totally cracked me up to walk in to Ada helping herself to chunk of chocolate in bed. 

With dance class getting ready to end for a little while I have been a little more lenient with Rory playing with our class props and she is taking full advantage of it. This ensemble cracked me up and you could tell she was feeling herself. 

When John and Lucina were in town I made some extra Valentine's chocolate bombs to send with them for our cousins. Kenzie liked them so much that she requested more for her birthday, and I was more than happy to oblige. I did some flavor experimenting with this batch and it was so much fun. I'm not sure whether they made it in one piece but here's hoping!

Rory has had a lot of chances for playdates this month, which has been super helpful for me. When we had Paige over in return, the girls spent a good majority of the day putting on dance shows and then begging to watch the videos. Paige is terrified of Coco, but also can't leave her alone so she spent the whole time asking, "Where's your dog?" 

We've been trying to get everything we can ready for baby sister as her due date gets closer and we just received the best package in the mail. Mama Rodney sent us another gorgeous crocheted blanket for the new baby and Rory and Ada are already fighting over who gets it. 

I wasn't there to celebrate with her, but my grandma turned 95 this month! After her fall on her birthday last year I am genuinely surprised, but super grateful that she is around to see 95. We love this lady so much. 

For our dance treat this month I made these love bug treats with my mini cocoa bomb molds I accidentally bought on Amazon and they were so stinking cute. Instead of making them cocoa bombs like I originally planned I filled them with Mini M&M's and they were a major hit. 

Ada was either losing her mind screaming during class, or insisting on being a part of the class with the big girls. She loved stretching time and the Hello song. Her most favorite part was when we worked on tumbling, particularly forward rolls. Most of the time I had to stick her in the high chair and just keep the Mini M&M's and Dum Dums coming, but I had to snap these pictures of her getting her own "magic rug". I think she is going to really love being in dance class someday. 

We made another trip to Legoland and on the way Rory said she hoped she could build something for Noah. Noah is the overeager worker who gave me the button when I cried and Rory loves him. He always gives her special mini-figures to go with her builds. She decided to make a racecar this time and her special mini-figure was a wolf. After she built it and raced it with me, she spent a solid 5-10 minutes waiting for Noah to finish helping another family so that she could show him her car. He was very nice and was so impressed with what she had done. She said the best part of her day was when Noah told her she did a good job. 

This girl has gotten really good at playing on her own these last few months and it is pretty wonderful. She loves playing outside and now she and Coco even share the backyard pretty cordially. She likes to make "potions" and now "cakes" which I love. Well, I don't love the mess. And sometimes Coco eats all the grass and plants Rory has pulled up and then it makes her throw up. But the process is still pretty darling. 

This doggy is growing on me by the day and she has been so so good. My favorite time of day is in the evening when she is nice and calm and we watch shows together. She cuddles and sleeps in the funniest positions. I usually try to keep her off the furniture, but she's claimed this chair as her own and it's hard to be mad about it when she looks this happy.