Stockton's Birth Story

I can't believe our baby boy is finally here. Those last few months of pregnancy seem never ending. Then, just like that you forget how miserable you were.

Besides all the annoying post partum recovery, we are all doing well. I wanted to write down Stockton's birth story so I could remember and share. 

Stockton's due date was January,19,2016 but he decided to join us on January 8. 

The 38th week of my pregnancy, Broc was out of town in Las Vegas for work. I had been dilated to a 4 at my last appointment check. With my previous labors being short and dilating fast in the hospital I was nervous of Broc being gone. 

He wanted nothing to do with jump starting labor until he was home.

Wednesday January 6, I went to dinner with friends and started getting this horrible back pain on my right side. After a few hours at dinner I went to pick up the girls and headed home. I went straight to bed and was in horrible pain all night long. I woke up feeling so sick and didn't know if I could take it. I think it hurt so bad I eventually just passed out. I woke up feeling much better. On Thursday I went out with the girls and a friend and was feeling pretty good. By mid day the back pain was back. The girls laid down for a nap and I just relaxed. The back pain was back and just got worse. I had no engery  and had no desire to move...but I still had two kids to take care of. I had put off going to the grocery for over a week now and desperately needed to go! I didn't want to. Not one bit! But, I had a feeling that I needed too. I had been having contractions and was just in pain. I suffered through grocery shopping, bath time, and bed routine. Then crawled my big belly into bed! 

Suddenly that back pain was back. I was getting so sick of this pain. Finally around mid night I took a HOT shower. After that I felt so much better and woke up so refreshed. I even woke up before my kids and didn't go back to sleep. I texted Broc once I got up saying how well I slept and joked that a good night sleep was a sign of labor. 

I was going into the doctor that morning (Friday the 8th) so I started to get ready. I started having a few contractions but that was pretty normal. When I got to the doctor I was dilated to 5cm. My doctor stripped my membranes and tried to send me to the hospital but because they were kind of busy he told me to go in a few hours if I had any contractions. After calling Broc and telling him to come home because the doc said we would be having a baby today, I went to lunch with Broc's family and then back to his parents house. His mom and sister tried to get contractions going.  After a while of trying... Nothing. I finally just sat down and let the girls finish playing. I was so discouraged because I knew Broc had left his work event and would be a bit upset if he came home and we didn't have a baby that night... Well good thing the kids made a mess with crackers. I got up to get the vacuum and bam, a contraction hit. Painful enough to make me stop. 3-4 min later another one came, and another, and another. By 4:00pm Broc's mom talked me into going to the hospital. Just as we were pulling out of their drive way, Broc pulled up. So I went with him while his mom stayed with our girls.  We get to the hospital and they monitor me for about 20 min and after checking me I was dilated to 7cm! Woo! We were having this baby. My biggest concern was my epidural. How fast was I going to progress? I needed that epidural. When se showed up at the hospital, the contractions were okay, but suddenly they got super intense! I had no plans on going natural, my nurse told me I had to get through a bag of fluids before I could get my epidural. When it was taking a while I had my Mother in law go ask her again because I was feeling some pressure and more intense contractions. Thank goodness it was shift change because my new nurse got me the epidural right away. I hated every second of it. It was painful. 

Child birth with out it would of been worse though. Anyways, after that my water was broken and within 2 hours now from then, our baby was here!  He took about 5 pushes and he entered the world at 7:48pm weighing in at 7lbs 11 ounces and 20 inches. He didn't cry and that worried me. Finally, he cried for three seconds and didn't cry again until we were home the next day.  

I am so happy he is here.  He is perfect and is already three weeks old! Those pains I was having must of been some sort of back labor. 3 days of that! I guess scrubbing kitchen cabinets and deep cleaning will do that! 

After Stockton was born he was really red. The nurse finally seemed concerned when he had not eaten for over 9 hours, didn't fuss during any labs or bath, and noticed his circulation was slow when she would touch his skin. After some labs   It came back that his hematocrit was very high. His blood was really thick which was making him sluggish and that's what was causing him not to be able to eat  and slow blood flow. The only way to thin it outbid by fluids. If he didn't have two good feedings, then he would of had to gone to the NICU for an IV. Thankfully, after a few hours we were able to get him to eat.

I'm kind of sad that I delivered my last baby and all the experiences that come with it, but our family feels so complete.  We are so blessed. Thanks for suffering through my long post. Here are some photos of our perfect little boy! 

 Snapping a selfie

 Broc getting initiated by his little boy.

 After his bath, I took this to show how red he was.

 Proud big sister

 Great Grandpa Roland meeting Stockton Roland

 Heading home about 10pm.

 Joclynn took this photo after lunch. My last pregnant photo. 38 weeks 3 days pregnant.

I'm so in love with my little man. He is the sweetest baby ever. He is so loved by his sisters and parents.

Lexi Mae 3 Years Old

My little Lexi Lou is THREE!

In the last year, this girl has gotten so big! I love everything about her.

Today we had a rough day, so this post is making me feel guilty about that. I just want my kids to be happy...but mama needs to be happy too! That means just eat your breakfast, take a nap, stop crying about everything, and just listen.

Oh yeah, you're three! Those days happen.

They don't happen too much with Lexi, she is a pretty good listener. The last few days have just been lazy...especially at bed time and we have been letting her stay up way too late. Which means she sleep in our bed and wakes up way too early! Thankfully, she is sound asleep in her bed and has been for the last 3 hours.

Anyways!

This girl has the most creative imagination ever. I love watching her play. I love watching her dress up and go into a whole new world.

 She has an obsession with Lalaloopsys. Santa will be bringing her some new ones of course. If Lexi loves them, then that means Maya does. So...Santa will be bringing a TON of Lalaloopsys. Most of them have names.. Joclynn, Lexi, Brittany, Ashley, Chloe...and then all the others I have no idea what she is trying to say when she is playing with them. They seem to have great adventures though.

 Speaking of adventures, Lexi loves them. She is always up for anything! She loves going places- and we loves taking her places. We recently went to Brianhead and she had alot of fun. We also we to the Farm and I think she was in pure heaven. Lexi loves animals so it was fun to see her react to them all. Of course, she was with two of her favorite people (Madden and Chloe) so anything is fun with them.

 See these necklaces? Nope...they are snakes, seat belts, roads, bridges...basically anything but a necklace. She is so protective of them and is always playing with them.  When the Lalas get involved, the fun is unpredictable!

 Lex loves snuggling in our bed. I wont lie, we love it too! It almost feels empty when she isn't there. As my belly is growing bigger though, it's getting harder and harder to get more comfortable. I have kicked her out a few times.

 Lex is my little best friend. I'm never too bored with her. It's fun to watch her play. She usually has me painting her nails, putting on a new princess dress for her, dress and undressing her barbies, doing their hair, or something girly like that.

 I love this photo so much because the more I look at it, the more I realize that IT IS TOTALLY LEXI.
Lexi always seems to be happy. I think that's why when days like today are rough...they are ROUGH!
Every time Lexi had a melt down, at the end of it I kept asking her if we were going to make tomorrow better...she said yes. I hope we both can. I bribed her with going to the Children's Museum after my doctors appointment tomorrow. That helped.

When we get into the car she begs and begs us to turn on her CD. It gets annoying, but it is so cute when she sings at the top of her lungs to the songs.

I love that she LOVES getting new books from the library.

I love that she finds joy in things that doesn't involve technology! I get annoyed when kids can only be entertained by that. Don't get me wrong, Lexi loves TV and we let her watch it...but books are amazing!

She loves reading them and learning from them. Its one of my favorite times of the day with her.

We spend almost 40 minutes a day reading. I love it.

We probably spend more time watching tv, but the snuggles form that are priceless too :)

My girl is such a good helper! She has all of her little phrases that she says all day long that I can't get enough of.

"3 minutes mom"

"ok honey"

"MAYA NOOOO"

"MAYA GO AWAY"

"I wuv my sister"

"Mom theres your Temple"

"SHOWAPPLEJUICESNACK MOM" (just like that, it sounds like one word!) 

She is so obsessed with the Temple and any photo of Jesus.

I love life with her. I love that she is a big sister to Maya. I love that she is my little girl and hopefully tomorrow is a better day! When I look that that photo of her covered in Ravioi I can't help but want to make tomorrow better...just to see that smile all day long!

Maya Papaya 15 months!

I haven't been on my blog in so long, I'm not sure it even exist anymore. Not that it had many readers anyway :)

My kids are growing up so fast. I can't believe Miss Maya is almost 15 months old. She thinks she is much older than she is! She likes to be like one of the big kids and try anything and everything.

Finally, about a month ago we broke her of the bottle! It wasn't as hard as I thought but still took some work! She FINALLY started sleeping all night! I was worried that when the bottle was gone she would wake up super early, but she is still sleeping in a bit which is nice since she is taking later naps. That way I can time them with Lexi's nap. (When she isn't refusing them.)

Maya isn't a big talker-maybe because she is so attached to her binky! That is our next step to tackle. After the girls are settled into sharing a room. That will probably happen in the next month or so. It is pretty cute when she goes "num num num num num" when she is hungry. Or when she is looking for me "mamamamama." 

Once the bottle was gone, we had to start a real bed time routine. We just started doing the same thing we do with Lexi. Books! Maya loves books. She will sit on your lap and just want to read them. It's actually pretty cute. I have always tried to include her in nap/bed time routine with Lexi so she is used to us reading them. Her favorites are touch and feel books and any books with flap.

 Maya is such a daddy's girl. I love it. 

 Maya is still at the age where I can throw whatever on her plate and she will eat it. Love it!
She isn't very picky. When she was first trying foods and I was trying to get her to eat more meals she was very picky. She would only eat fruit for breakfast! I would think that would get old. I think she is realizing that she eats what we give her or she is hungry! She is kind of picky on snacks though. Neither of my girls are big on crackers-unless they are cheese crackers. She will eat any fruit or veggie which is awesome, fruit snacks, apple sauce, yogurt, string cheese (which I'm not buying for a few weeks because she will eat at least 3 a day!) veggie chips, cereal, lunch meat, eggs...anything. Don't even get me started on dipping. She HAS to have something to dip everything in-which always makes a mess.This girl also loves black beans and rice! She's a keeper! I think it is so funny when she is hungry because she will go hang on her highchair or stand at the fridge trying to open it. That is how she tells me. If we are down stairs or in another room she will run back and forth into the kitchen or point to it saying "numnum" or just cry.

 Sometimes I'm too hard on Maya. I need to remember that she is still a baby and still learning.

She is just such a punk!  I'm not even kidding. She can be so sweet. She can also be a little bully.  Sometimes she thinks it's funny-but when she is chasing Decker trying to pinch his nipples...that's just tourcher. Or when she runs up to Lexi, pulls her hair and takes a toy and runs away! 

Hopefully she grows out of it. If not, we have a big problem.

Even if Miss Maya is a little punk, she is my little girl! I love her cuddles, I love her running around all day looking for trouble. I love/hate that she follows me into the bathroom all the time. Mostly she will just climb in the cabinet under the sink and just watch me...which can get weird.

I love that she is so independent and wants to try things on her own.

On Sunday during the Sacrament we asked her to close her eyes and she did it! It was the cutest thing ever. I notice she is started to take note when we say prayer and wonder what we are doing. Soon, I'm sure she will follow along. 

I love that she loves music. She has the cutest little shake!

She has her little hand motions for the songs she wants you to sing. 

I love that I know all these things about her and I get to raise her! 

I'm so glad that Lexi is her sister even if they fight most of the time!

Maya, you are growing up too fast! You are still my baby!

She will only be 19 months when Stockton arrives, so it will be an adjustment for her to not get all the baby attention. I don't want her to have to grow up to fast, but if she could learn to go on the toilet, fold laundry, do the dishes, and make lunch...that would help a ton. :)

Just kidding!

Beach/Disney/Traveling Tips and Tricks!

Last week, Broc was leaving for work on a Friday. It was the Friday of Memorial Day weekend so he also had Monday off. He threw out the idea of getting away for the weekend with the girls. I just said that it would be fun and didn't think much about it the rest of the day.

4:00pm rolled around and I called Broc and said, "Okay, lets just go to Vegas for the weekend there is a ton to do and the girls would have fun."

Broc walks in the door and says, " Instead of Vegas, lets just go to the beach." Within 30 minutes we had booked a hotel and started packing!

What a fun trip it was. Very spontaneous and out of no where. Those are the ones we will remember forever! We packed up, grabbed dinner, made a stop at Walmart and then 6 hours later we were at our hotel getting ready for bed!

I learned a lot this weekend. When you don't have kids, traveling is much easier! You don't have to take 30 bags. I just wanted to compile a post of things I learned on this trip-traveling with kiddos. 

I want to remember it for next time and also help out others who may want some of my tips and tricks for Traveling with kids, The Beach with kids, and Disneyland with kids!

Enjoy! If you have any, please let me know! I'm sure we will be making more trips to the beach in the next few years. I totally recommend doing A TON of research before going on any vacation. You want to make the most of your time, so look up everything you can. 

Ps. I am all about having my life/trips organized. So it was a little stressful throwing it all together. I like to be very prepared in everything. 

Oh yea, this is long! So, be prepared!

The Beach!

Sand. It is everywhere! I am still finding it all over my kitchen/laundry room floor from time to time. It NEVER GOES AWAY! 

Some of the things on this list I packed and some I wish I did pack.

1.Sun Screen-my tip for this is APPLY IT BEFORE YOU STEP ONTO THE SAND! The spray is amazing, but sometimes the rub in works best for babies who can close their eyes and mouth. My one year old basically had sand all over her within 3 seconds of the beach...so applying sunscreen with sand all over both of us was horrible! I would apply it before you get to the beach and then every 60-80 minutes. So remember, apply it BEFORE THE BEACH! 

2.Blanket/Sheet for the sand. Towels are great for the sand, but honestly I took a blanket and it was great! I saved the towels for drying off. A sheet/blanket works great for laying it out for all your bags and to sit on. It's going to get sand on, but its much bigger and saves towel. Also bring a lot of towel. We have a family of four. I think I brought four towel. We mostly dried off while playing, but after we showered our girls at the beach to get sand off. I saved one towel for the end so it wasn't covered in sand and that was a GREAT idea. 

3. Toys-Plain and simple. Bring buckets, shovel, measuring cups, plastic cups... anything. Kids will have fun. I also brought bubbles and my girls loved that. I would recommend bringing a bag to put them in when leaving so all the sand doesn't get in your car.

4.Snacks- Snacks are a must for any kid. They can snack all day! Since the trip wasn't super planned I threw whatever was in my pantry into a bag to take to the beach. I usually don't buy the snacks that are already pre packaged into baggies because I think it is a waste of money, but I think I would do this next time. Fruit snacks ended up getting really mushy and the Apply Sauce pouches just had sand all over them! Pringles were good, crackers, or chips. If I was more prepared I would of brought some yummy fruit, but we had just driven 6 hours and wasn't prepared!

5.Drinks- Don't forget to bring food and drinks for your self too! I recommend Capri Suns and Water. Well, I prefer Capri Suns but because of summer they have gone up almost $1.00 in price. No to much, but the Kool Aid Jammers are still like $1.99-so much cheaper.  So depending on how long you are staying, take a pack with you in your backpack along with some water bottles. If you can, try to freeze them for a bit or pack a cooler so you have nice cold drinks. If you take a water bottle, fill it up with half ice and half water.

6.Bags- Take a few extra Walmart or store bags for garbage, clothes, and wet towels. 

7.Shade- If you have kids and plan on being at the beach all day or for a few days, I would invest in some type of shade! It was pretty over cast when we went, which was very nice. Too much sun can make anyone cranky. So, invest in some type of shade. Even if it looks silly. 

8.BABY POWDER- I will be taking this to the beach every time. This gets sand off so easy! I used so much of it! Your feet may look a little white if you don't rub it in, but my girls were sand free! Rub this on their little bums before placing a dry diapers on, on their faces, hands, toes, and legs! 

9. This is just something I found handy. My almost one year old was in a swim suit and I rolling all over the sand. I wanted to avoid a major rash so I threw her PJ bottoms in the bag before we left to place over her swim suit while she played in the sand. IT WAS A BRILLIANT IDEA! I will do this every time. If it is hot, I would do some longer shorts or something. Boys in trunks will probably be okay, but this saved her from a rash. I didn't have to worry about cleaning sand out of her bum for a week. 

10. You can take your stroller onto the sand, but most will just be way to hard to push. I loaded my 11 month old in to a baby carrier and our two year old walked while we carried everything. It was great. No stroller-one less thing to be covered in sand. 

11. When you get off the beach I would shake everything out before putting it in a bag. I made the mistake of not doing this...which is why my laundry room is covered in sand! 

12. If you are going for multiple days I would bring more than one swim suit unless you can rinse them out or have a place to was them. Also, bring a ton of towels if you are going for a few days. 

This wraps up the beach portion. I hope it was helpful. Some of these might be obvious, but we all learn something going out with kids!

Disneyland!

Disneyland was so much fun. Just don't go when they are celebrating their 60 Year Anniversary on Memorial day weekend! Big mistake. Then again, we were not even planning on going. Daddy gave in so his princess could meet a real princess! Okay, lets just get to it!

1. Stroller- Duh. Just take one! You don't want to end up carrying around your kid all day.

2. Food- I wasn't sure what I could take into the park but they didn't seem to strict once we got there.  Once again, IF I WAS PREPARED...I would of made 2-3 sandwiches for my girls. Mom and Dad can go along time with out eating...but sometimes the kids get sick on crackers and need lunch NOW! Pack a few PB&J sandwiches (or whatever you prefer) I prefer those because they don't spoil as easy. Bring whatever snacks you think your kids will like. Bring more than you think you would need-better to have too much than too little.

3.Drinks- No one wants to pay $4 for a bottle of water. I know I didn't- So I ended up not staying super hydrated. Take some water. Freeze or or take it warm. Just make sure you take some! I would also take some juice pouches or something that has a lid for the kids. Before getting in to California pick up a 24 case of water. Keep it on your hotel. 

4.Extra Clothes- Sometimes they have accidents, spill food, or get wet. Bring an extra change for clothes for those kids!

5.Baby Carrier- Even if you have the stroller and your kid can still fit in a baby carrier I would bring it. It was a life saver while waiting in line for rides. Maya would catch a snooze or wasn't able to run away!

6.Sun Screen- I left mine in the car and ended up paying $15 for it at the park! 

7.Cash- Impulse buying and tipping people

8. Know the parks- I downloaded a Disneyland App that listed all the wait times for the rides in both parks. It was really nice to have!  If you can, try to go to once area of the park at a time so you don't have to walk a thousand miles that day. There is also an app you can download for $15 called RIDEMAX. I guess it maps out the best and quickest way to get on the rides that you want to with out wasting time. 

9. Don't try to cram a both parks into one day. Unless you are only going for one day, go until your kids can't go anymore!  Take time and let them enjoy things. Don't force them to ride anything or meet anyone they don't want too. You want them to enjoy it!

10. Kid Leash- I really wish I brought one of these. Broc (my husband) thought it would look stupid. It probably one, but we ended up chasing our one year old around everywhere! Next time I got to the zoo or a place like this, I am GETTING ONE! My two year old stayed close by, so I wouldn't get one for her. 

11. Waiting in line- If the line is going to be long, some kids (most) get impatient. Bring something to entertain them while in line. Suckers, play I spy, candy, or maybe even a game on your phone.  Strollers are not allowed in lines so that is where the baby carrier was very nice to have!

12. FASTPASSES!- Get them while you can! I know the Cars was gone first thing in the morning! That wait was almost 2 hours. Our little girl wasn't tall enough anyway. 

13. MEETING CHARACTERS/PRINCESSES- I don't think they are set any specific place or time. I  think they just show up. Although, the only reason we ended up going to California Adventure is because that is where Anna & Elsa are. You do have to get a fast pass to meet them. So when you go into the park as a worker where you can get them. Then run as fast as you can.

On my way to Cali, I tried to do as much research as I could in order to get the most out of our time there. I follow this awesome blogger who has a ton of tips and tricks on Disney! She did a three part series and if I was actually planning a trip then it would help out so much! Check out her blog at 

Funfreeorcheap.com

I am no pro and obviously do not know everything, but once again these are just some things that I learned!

Last section! Road trips with kids are not easy. Prepare for stops, tantrums, screaming babies, and no sleep for mom or dad. Dad is usually driving and mom is entertain the kids or as soon as she falls a sleep a kid will need something!

Here are my tips/ticks and lessons learned for road trips. My kids are 2.5 years old and 11 months. 

1. Pack Activities- Pack some new things for your kids. Some things that work great are WaterWows. They are really fun and cheap. Especially if they are new to your kid. They are like $5 on Amazon, Kid to Kid, or even The Learning Express store. Anything like that, kids love. Crayons just get lost in the car. I promise, look these up and they are awesome and mess free! Ever kid is different so it is hard to think of what would entertain each kid. My 11 month old could care less about toys and just wants what ever her sister is playing with. She did enjoy a toy phone every once in a while. There are also some little magnet activities that would be easy. If you search for travel toys on Amazon, a ton of ideas will pop up!

2. Tablet- Is my 2.5 year old the only one who has no idea how to work one? Not that it's a bad thing because...SHE IS TWO YEARS OLD.. but it was really annoying. Plus I had no kid games on my tablet before this trip. So my tip is...download everything before you leave. Trying to download them in the car was horrible. Buy/rent a few movies. I TOTALLY RECOMMEND buying the apps that you download. There is nothing worse than having to turn around every 5 seconds because your tiny toddlers fingers keep pressing the adds. Download games that they will like and know how to work. 

3. Pillows- If you kid has a car seat that doesn't have a million headrest, then I would get a travel pillow or a small one for the car ride. Lexi had a hard time sleeping because she couldn't rest her head. I will bring one next time! Also bring their blanket and favorite stuffed animal for the car. 

4. Hotels- Try to find a good deal. If you are going to the beach for the first few days then find a hotel close to the beach. You don't have to be in walking distance,but it is nice to be close.  I do recommend finding a hotel by Disney that is walking distance. We paid $17 FOR PARKING! There are a ton of hotels around Disney that you can walk from. Just don't stay at the Super 8 close to Disney. It had NO HOT WATER!  Don't be afraid of a Motel. They are not a scary/ghetto as you think. Plus it is easier to unload/load up into because your car can be parked right outside. Also, I would pay for a hotel that has some type of free breakfast. The one we stayed at (Super 8) was horrible. Yeah, it was free but it was all sugar pastries and yogurt. 

5. Before booking- Before booking your hotel- look at what is around it. Pull up the map and see what fast food places, grocery stores, or gas stations are near you! I didn't even think of this! We we stayed in Newport, there was NOTHING around us. We had Mcdonalds and nasty breakfast burritos!  Everything was a sit down joint or just way to pricey. You don't want to end up driving around for a hour with a hungry family and end up miles away from your hotel.

6. Bring your own food- Depending on how long you are staying, either make a trip to the closest Walmart or bring food with you. Some of the things I brought were the individual cups of fruit-like Mandarin oranges. My girls love green beans, so I brought some of those individual cups of those too. They were a good little snack. Bring some popcorn for a movie night, individual packed mini muffins. They are not super healthy, but a good breakfast/snack on the go. Easy Mac or Ramen if your hotel has a microwave. That could be a dinner and save you $20 for dinner or lunch! Take some PB&J for a sand which. Lexi really wanted pizza one night so we went to Target (which is really close to Disney) and bought a frozen one for $1.19 and that was her dinner! Brilliant! Most of the fridges are not cold enough to freeze anything or equipped for dairy products, but you could buy one to two frozen meals for your kids and cook them right away. Next time, I will be doing that. Our 11 month old will be old enough to eat those kids of foods for a meal, and it would save so much money. I love saving money.

7.Traveling with food- I think it would be a good idea to put all your food in a plastic bin of some sorts rather than a plastic bag. This way it is easy to move and not getting smashed or falling out all the time.

8. Dish soap- Why didn't I think of this? Sippy cups and bottles need to be washed! So...bring a bottle brush and some dish soap.

9.Paper Products- Grab some paper plates, napkins, utensils, and bowels!  

I can't think of too much more that I want to add. Some of these things I never would of thought of. Next time we go, I really want to be more prepared. 

Hopefully this checklist will help me and you! Please share your ideas.

Murphy's Law: Mom Edition

Seriously?

That's what I ask my self when I become a victim of Murphy's Law: Mom Edition

Murphy's Law. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

The  correct, original Murphy's Law reads: "If there are two or more ways to do something, and one of those ways can result in a catastrophe, then someone will do it."

Tonight, as I'm getting my infant daughter some medicine for her stomach ache and trying to be really quiet as she is still swaddled in my arms asleep but screaming...( don't get how, but she was) I reach up and grab the medicine box... All is well. 

Then it slips. And I mumble... "Seriously!"

Or like the time my other daughter fell asleep in the car and I get her out and as soon as I do a car drives by honking their horn. 

"Seriously!!"

Or when you finally get the baby to sleep and you snuggle in bed and roll over to close your eyes and then... "Wah wah wah!"

Or when you give them a good bath and they decide to poop right after. 

Or when they decide to take an extra long nap when you need to leave the house early.

Or when I want to take a nap my baby will only sleep 30 minutes, but if I decide I want to stay up she will sleep two hours.

Or when my husband is out of town and both kids wake up at the same time screaming and they both need me.

Or when my toddler is almost asleep and my 7 month old wakes up screaming.

Or when I'm trying to focus or do something important they NEED my attention. 

This one is an all time "favorite.."
My baby can be dead asleep after I lay her town and as soon as I think about leaving she stirs and begins to wake up. My baby will be dead asleep and as long as I'm standing over her crib she is fine but as soon as I get to the door, she wakes up. How do they know?!

This is when I scream, "SERIOUSLY!!"

I think you get the point. Motherhood wouldn't be motherhood with out these moments I guess. There are a million ways that something will go wrong.
And 99% of the time, it will go horribly wrong. 

What Matters Most

This isn't a post about about "New year, New me" crap. Every year everyone has the same goal. You can read more about that on my sister in laws blog, because I don't feel like going into that.Click here for the wise words of Brittany. I want to get to the point of what I wanted to write about.

I hate setting New Years goals. Maybe I'm afraid of failure our maybe I just know I won't complete my goal. For the last five years at least I haven't made any goals. I won't make "goals" this year either. I just want to improve on things. Yes, that does sound like a goal... but I really hate the cliche New Years Goals... or even that phrase.

A New year is a clean slate. Just like how every Monday I tell my self I'm going to eat better this week, cook more, work out... blah blah blah. You get my point. Then by Wednesday I haven't done anything so I tell my self that I will start again Monday. You're laughing because we have all been there.

Anyways, back to the point of this post. Lexi is getting older, obviously. She's noticing more things and getting into a routine of things. Every since Maya has been born we have been slacking on parenting. We are just tired. We plop Lex in front of the tv too much for bed time. We are horrible at eating at the table. Lexi almost expects to eat with a show on! When I started realizing this, I wanted to smack myself.
Putting Lexi to bed is one of my favorite parts of my day. I can finally devote my full attention to her. I love spending 45 minutes on puzzles, books, singing, prayers, and building stairs out of blocks. So why was I giving that up? Honestly it was because Broc and I were being lazy. We wanted our time together to watch tv. What is going to benefit my girls more... watching Toy Story for the fifth time that day while they fall asleep or having their mother and father spend time with them, talk about their day, and just use that time for them.
I choose them.
I am not saying I'm a perfect parent, but I try really hard to be a good one. I want to do things that will benefit my family in the long run and not whats easy.

So number one thing I want to improve on this year is my parenting. After all that is why God sent me these two beautiful children. To teach them.

Second, I really want improve on my cooking. (About time, right Broc?)
I want to cook more. There is always excuses not to cook. Ive used them all!
But as my girls are getting older, I want them to know food. Im sick of making frozen nuggets while Broc and I eat real food. Kids are only picky eaters because of their parents. Trust me, I'm super picky. I don't even like pizza!

Third. Make my home and life more Christ centered. My family really needs to improve on daily scripture reading, family prayers, temple attendance, and making family home evening more than excuse for ice cream. My mom always planned something to teach us, even though we didn't listen. I still remember the lessons and her trying. After all, isn't this life about preparing us for the next one?

Of course I want to improve on the generic goals. I want to lose weight, budget better, and what ever else there is...but right now I really want to focus on what Christ sent me to this earth to do. Be a better mother/wife and come closer to him.

Relying on The Lord

As I reflect back on this year I can't help but feel grateful and happy. This year Broc and I relied on the Lord  a lot. It was a really great year. That will be another post though.
At the first of the year Broc and I talked about selling our town house and finding a bigger one with a yard. We were expecting our second child in June, so we both wanted to do it and do it fast. We listed our town home in March I believe and it sold in less than a month. We were out by April 10th. Did we have a home of our own to move into? Nope. Broc's parents were nice enough to shelter us for a month. We were in the works of signing paper work, but we couldn't move in until May.

Broc and I both agreed on what we wanted for a new home. We couldn't find it. We looked every day online and looked at a ton of houses with our realtor, but none of them felt right. Broc showed up a home online and I didn't think it was the cutest. It obviously needed some work, but I agreed to go look at it.
We pulled up and it still wasn't at the top of my list. As soon as we walked in, it felt like home. Besides the hideous purple wall, five different types of flooring in a 3 ft radius, the original carpets in the basement from the late 80's, and every other room needing new paint- it felt like home. As soon as we walked in I could imagine Lexi running around with her sister, having family over, and never keeping the house clean because it was so big.
All that is my life now. I love it.
Well, Broc told me not to get my hopes up about it because it was out of or price range. I still spent every waking minute on Pinterest looking at DIY projects because I felt that this house was for us.
Over the next week we looked at about 5 more houses. I disliked almost every single one. We agreed to go look back at the house I loved. We took Broc's mom so she would look around and help us decided. (Thanks Kiera)

We prayed about it over the next few days and both felt that it was a good move. We went back and forth with the owner trying to get a good deal. We ended up paying a bit more than we wanted, but we knew it was where we needed to be. As I personally prayed about it I couldn't help but feel that we needed this house to strengthen our relationship with the Lord. Now, you may be thinking " How on earth can a house strengthen a relationship?"
Well, you and me both pal.
That is just what I was feeling. I am so glad we made the move. I have seen so many blessings. We have definitely strengthened our relationship with the Lord.
Shortly after we moved in we had nothing but problems. I was so worried that we made a horrible choice, but I kept reminding my self that this is where we needed to be.
 Even if the A/C went out in June while I was 9 months pregnant and the home warranty wouldn't cover it.  We couldn't afford a new one. We would have to pay out of pocket. It was something we truly needed though, especially with a newborn. As soon as our home warranty company said that they would not cover a new A/C, I was a mess. I always had a prayer in my heart that we would find a way to afford a new one. After calling around no one would help us. No one did payment plans. I called one specific company the receptionist said that they couldn't help us with a payment plan. Lucky for us, the lord was looking out for our family. The boss happened to be standing by the desk and he called us back right away saying that he could probably help us out.
The money that we are now spending monthly on our AC payments would be what we would use to fix up our house. Let me tell you, that is a huge frustration. We planned on fixing it up right away; but our money was taken else where. In time, we will get it done.

Next, our A/C in the basement wasn't working. Guess who wouldn't cover that either.
Then we had a leak in our ceiling.
Now, our kitchen sink has a leak and we need a new disposal.
It seems to never end and I am worried about what will happen next.
I joked with the A/C guys that if its going to go wrong, it will happen to us. I told them that it would be my luck that while they are installing the A/C it would probably fall through the ceiling and the home warranty company wouldn't fix that either. At least that didn't happen...yet.

Moving into this house we knew money would be tighter than what we were used to. We knew it would be a good thing because we really needed to learn how to budget better. We are still working on it, but I have seen an improvement.
Broc was called to be in the Elder Quorum Presidency shortly after we moved here and I feel that our home needed that leadership and everything that he has gained from that calling.
Our Ward has been nothing but welcoming and we really enjoy going to church.

Writing all this, I can't help but think about the blessings of tithing. Broc and I are usually pretty good at paying tithing. I credit that to my mom. She is amazing in that and growing up I saw the blessings for her. Anyway...
When we closed on our town home we got back A LOT less than we expected. We were pretty much broke! The next week, we got a check in the mail for $500! I was about to throw the envelope