Motherhood

The truth about motherhood:

The truth is yesterday I was not the best at entertaining and paying attention to my sweet baby girl. She basically watched TV all day while I soaked in the bath, plucked my eyebrows, painted my nails, and lounged around.

I spent a lot of time focusing on finishing modules for my new job, and looking up sights to see and cost of lodging in Denver Colorado.

I went to bed last night feeling terrible about how I'd neglected my role as Violet's mommy. I never want to do that again, because I'm happiest when I'm putting all my time and effort into being present for my daughter.

Today was better. We only watched 20 min of TV, and that was while I showered and got ready for the day. We spent time reading books, singing songs, playing with old egg noodles and Tupperware containers. We snuggled up in bed when it started to get cold in our house and I made her giggle by making the silliest noises and actions. After dinner she started to get tired and grumpy so we laid down in her dark room, listened one more time to "Let It Go" from Frozen, said prayers and then tucked her into bed.

Tomorrow I will have to come up with some more fun things for us to do. Thank goodness for Pinterest right?

Saying Please

Well I have a job now. It's only on Friday's for about 8 hours but it pays pretty well and I can take my sweet little one with me. Last Friday I was out at the house and had cut up a few pieces of cheese for Violet. Lounging on the couch watching her munch I asked "Could I have a piece of your cheese Violet?" She looked at me and said "Se peas" with a HUMUNGOUS grin her on her dimple cheeked face. I said please and she very graciously handed me a slice. Does that mean I'm doing this mom thing right?

We celebrated Australia Day last week and our trip  down under is slowly but surely approaching. I still haven't started my quiet book for Violet, though I do have  all the ideas for what I'd like in it, inside my head. I need to start finding the materials for it however. Maybe I'll put that on my list today. I can get squares of felt 4 for $1 at Hobby Lobby, and I have a few other things at home I can use...except a sewing machine to put it all together.

Yesterday was Violet's first day in Nursery all by herself. I had the sharing time lesson which was about returning to our Heavenly Father by following Jesus Christ. Ashlynn was the only one to show up along with FOUR of us teachers. That poor poor child. We watched a small clip of when Christ says "Follow Me" to the fishermen and they drop what they do to do as he says. I made "nets" out of embroidery hoops (cause I still have a few from when I was making dream catchers) and plastic grocery bags, and Violet helped me color  and cut out (I cut) fish shapes to put in the  "nets". We acted out the story with her and colored some pictures. She was so shy. I hope we can get more kids to come because it would be very uncomfortable for me to be in a room with FOUR teachers staring at me and asking me questions, making me act out stories and such.

Violet did well in Nursery. In fact she only became upset when I went to check on her close to the end of Primary. Then she dissolved into tears, ran to me arms wide open and wrapped her arms tightly around my leg. We made it all the way through sacrament meeting but by the time we got home I was done.  So tired. Mentally exhausted from worrying about if she's being to loud, or annoying the people we're sitting next to, is she going to have a messy diaper that may cause disgusted looks from across the pews, and what if somehow she escapes our row and I have to chase her up to the front of the chapel again. It's hard work going to church with an almost 2 year old, but I feel so good each and every time we go. And I know I'm doing the right thing for Violet.

This week I do the official paperwork for my job, we finalize our taxes, I buy my EPA for our trip to Australia, start Violet's quiet book, lose another 5 lbs, take more photos of Violet, figure out why my camera won't allow me to upload videos onto my laptop, and finally, go to the Treehouse Museum with Violet!!


Busy week, I better get started.

Paper Crafts

Violet and I just snuggled up on the couch and had about a 30 minute conversation about Pa, Ma, Lee Lee (Talisa), To (Victoria), Nick, Tahoe, Jack, Joshua, Daddy, Miles, and Mom. After awhile she started playing with my hair and then slowly her long floppy lashes came to rest on her baby chub cheeks. She's now snuggled up toasty and warm in her crib.

We made this today:

 

When I pulled out my box with crafts in it she was excited. But when I let her get into it and take everything out she was in absolute heaven, but that could have been because she loves not wearing any clothes :D

 

2 Year Anniversary

 

Happy 2 years to this gorgeous man. This anniversary was one for trying new things, and finding new places. We've both grown so much in the last 2 years and both agree we are the happiest we've ever been

 

We tried out "Ye Old Cupcakes". We've both never had a Smore's cupcake, and this one was delicious. One day we'll go back and try one of their other fun flavors, This cupcake did not last long.



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This place was so much fun! You could taste test all the flavors, and they had A TON. Cheesecake, classic vanilla, cilantro lime, lime habanero, smoke cheesy chipotle, ranch, mountain dew, root beer, coffee, churro, orange, appletini, dill pickle, toffee, jalepeno, blue raspberry, lemon, pepperoni pizza, chocolate, nacho cheese, chili, etc. It went on and on and on. I guess they are planning on brining one of their stores to our home town.

We got ourselves some street tacos from this place, and yes..they were absolutely amazing. And reasonable priced.

 

:D

 



 

We got ourselves an ostrich burger, and it wasn't too bad either. I only had a bite just to say I tried it but Cristian gobbled it up.

 

One day we'll come down and go to a show at the Sundance Film Festival Opera House



 

2 years down, forever to go :D



Eating

I could sit and watch Violet eat all day long. The way she daintily and precisely picks up her food and navigates it to her mouth. Slowly chewing and savoring every bite of her crispy delicious Gala apples. She uses her index finger and her thumb and her cute little pinky naturally lifts up. It truly is mesmerizing.

This and That

 

 

 

Sometimes I can hardly stand how much I love and adore this little girl.

Sometimes I feel like my heart will burst just looking at her.

Every day I thank my Heavenly Father I get to be her mommy.

 

 

Potty training has been unsuccessful. She did so well the first couple of days but now shows absolutely no interest so I think it's time to pack up her big girl potty and try again in another couple of months. I was hoping she would be a pro by the time we left to Australia, but we'll just have to see how things go.

 

Violet likes to PRETEND she's asleep, she's been doing this for about a week, but is constantly improving her show. She now knows not to look me in the eye when she's acting, and even makes believable snoring noises.  The only thing left to perfect is closing her eyes all the way while she's doing it, and not cracking a smile when I tickle her collarbone It is HILARIOUS. She does it when I go to unbuckle her from her car seat, and now has moved on to randomly laying all over the floor at different times throughout the day. I am trying VERY hard to get a video of her doing this, but she is sneaky.

 

She's becoming more and more adventurous, and I'm finding my house is becoming more and more dangerous. Today she climbed up on the chair in the dining room (which she knows she shouldn't do) and leaned over the back of it to try and grab the laptop off the kitchen counter so she could listen to a "saw" (song). The chair toppled over and she bumped her head on the counter on the way down. Thankfully, thankfully she wasn't hurt to badly ( she does have a bruise on her forehead) and only cried for about 30 seconds because it frightened her. I caught her this morning trying to swing her leg over the side of her crib. I'm wondering if we need to break down her crib into a bed because THAT is a long fall. She also likes to run.....while in the slippery bathtub, and has dunked herself several times, which she doesn't mind....but that's not the point now is it. She also likes to try and straddle the arm rest of our couch, also dangerous as we have wood floors, and again it's a long way down for a little girl. Sighs. I'm worried about her safety constantly but I suppose she will one day learn that she should not try and stick her fingers in the oven when I'm trying to pull dinner out-hopefully with minimal damage.

 

She knows how to say head, toes, ears, mouth, eyes, and hello in Spanish. And she understands just about everything else we say even if she doesn't quite know how to respond yet.

Her "Ma" McMahon bought her a wooden car carrier truck the other day, and she has, for the last 2 nights, gone to bed with the whole kip and caboodle. And I've gone into wake her up the last 2 mornings to find her quietly and contentedly playing away with her newest gift. She sure loves her trucks.

 

I'm so glad she loves the snow, it's made this winter so much more enjoyable then any winter I've ever been through. It's just more fun with someone who loves it so much. She literally drags me across the parking lot of Hobby Lobby (currently our favorite store) to step in the "no" (snow) piled up on the edges of the lot. She really likes to eat it to (don't worry, I don't allow eating parking lot snow on my watch). She's REALLY getting into songs. Her favorites right now are "Row Row Row Your Boat", "Walking In The Jungle", "Let It Go" (from Frozen), "Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam" and "Open and Shut". And her little sing song voice is the most magical sound in the whole world. Again, I've been trying desperately to get a video...she just seems to know and is making it incredibly difficult.

 

Cristian and I are obsessed with her. I don't know what he's going to do being away from her for a whole month. And I don't know what we'll do without him. Thank goodness for skype, and phones, and postman, and email. Oh dear, I will miss my man dearly.

 

We will be celebrating our 2 year anniversary on the 21st. I feel like the first year of our marriage we faced many trials, many new experiences, and had many opportunities for growth and strengthening our relationship. It was hard, all the new things, trying to figure out our roles as each others spouse, and each of our roles as Violet's parents. I know that learning and improving those things will be a constant forever, and is with everyone, but I am so proud of how far we both have come. I really didn't know who I was, or who I could be as a wife or mom. And of course I do not know all the tricks of the trade and I will be challenged over and over again, molded and shaped by experiences to become the best at both those things for my family. I'm grateful for the opportunity.

 

I love Cristian.

 More today then I did the day I married him, and I will love him more tomorrow then I do today. He's an incredible man. He's proved to be such a hard worker. His patience with me and Violet AND his job sometimes astounds me. He listens, he really does. He helps. He cares about what makes me uncomfortable. He supports and encourages me with my goals and ambitions. He's the best provider. He's protective. He grows a fabulous beard and is the absolute BEST kisser. He makes me laugh. He can be serious. He gives me breaks. He's honest with me, even if it may be something I don't necessarily want to hear. He loves Violet. He tucks her in and kisses her every night when she goes to bed. He does her hair on his days off and it melts my heart. He makes her giggle and reads her books. He's the best, at basically everything (except bowling and go karting-I reign supreme in those areas)We don't agree on everything, and sure, we butt heads from time to time but I wouldn't want to butt heads with anyone else. He's my everything and I'm looking forward to many more years of learning and growing and bettering myself for him and Violet. 

 

Things are wonderful, all three of us are healthy and happy, and that's really what I care most about.

 

 

Song? Song?

Violet's newest thing is pretending to be asleep when I go to get her out of the car. But once I get the buckles all undone on her carseat she "wakes up" and smiles and wiggles around. It's hilarious and also brings back some tender moments with my own daddy. I think I pretended to be asleep in the car until I was about 10. My kind daddy would carry me up the stairs and tuck me into bed. I'm sure he KNEW we were faking but he would do it anyways. Good times. Good memories.

Last night my parents invited me to dinner with them at one of my dad's students houses. They were having authentic Chinese food and it was fun to share some different kinds of food with Violet. She loved all of it which was a surprise to his student. Not really to me. The girl basically eats everything. She's so good at sitting still and eating until she's full. And she was FULL by the time we left to go pick up Cristian. And then when we got home, she STILL ate some of the food I'd brought home for him.

 

I don't now how she stuffs it all in, but she manages.
She's getting really into songs, and her little singing voice is one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard. A video is coming soon.

Violet and I are definitely heading to Australia in a little over a month. I'm excited to make the trip, travel is fun and important to me, and it's important to me I take Violet and get some pictures of her with her Australian family. This may be the last time I make it back there, and it's worked out perfectly because my parents are going also. I'm worried about the plane rides. I'm hoping I find a sedative which works and some fun activities she and I can both do. I'm excited for the summer, the beach, the family, the photos, the vacation, the sights, the sounds, the foods. I'm excited. I am. I am also very anxious. Three weeks is a long time to be away from Cristian. I think the longest we've been away from each other since we met is about a day or two. I'm going to miss him a lot.


And that's an understatement.
I have done a poor job of committing to getting Violet potty trained. My goal however is to have her a professional by the time we leave for Australia. Having to not worry about purchasing diapers would be great. So for the week, that's my goal, along with losing 5 lbs.
Cheers

Pitter Patter

One of my most favorite sounds in the world is Violet running through our bedroom door to my side of the bed when her dad gets her up on Tuesday mornings. She's always so excited to be picked up and put into bed with her sleepy mommy first thing. She snuggles into the warm spots underneath my arm and we spend a few minutes discussing whatever it is she wants to discuss; the fan, her piggies, momma's cheeks, or daddy's ears.

I'll always want those moments with her.
I don't want them to go away.

Pillow Talk

Last night  especially fun. Cristian and I sat up in bed talking about how funny Violet is and how her personality is finally really starting to show. She's hilarious.
Yesterday morning I was sleeping as usual and I hear from her bedroom "mom! MOM! moooooooooom! MOOOOOOOOOOOM!". I just started laughing, it was really funny. I went in and opened the door, her eyes got big and her smile wide, she points to me and says "mom" with a sigh.

On Thursday we went to look at cars and test drove a couple. Both the cars we test drove were turbo and the car salesman told us we could full throttle it if we wanted. Of course we did, but soon after we hear Violet in the backseat going "no no no no no no no nooooo!'.

She also does this thing every morning where she runs to the fridge, points at it, and says "cheese! cheese! cheese!". She loves her cheese. And she loves her cheese in the morning. In my mind it's a strange breakfast food but we give her a small slice in the a.m. to appease her. She then goes on to say "woo word? woo word?" it means "Word World" which is a TV show I let her watch 2 15 min. episodes of throughout the day. One in the morning while I shower and put my makeup on, and one at night while Cristian and I catch up on what happened during the day for both of us. The TV watching will stop once it's warm enough to go on morning scavenger hunts/walks. I really don't like her watching TV.

She also does this thing now where she says "mom, mom, mom, mom" over and over again. I say "Yes Violet?" and she just smiles and runs off thinking she's OH SO hilarious.

She's quite the character, and we just laughed and laughed and laughed last night about all the funny little things she's been doing lately.


Good times.
Great memories.

Real Talk





 

Seriously though?

 

There is no one

I would rather

travel through life with

or share my heart with

than this guy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

::It's simple. I love him::

 

He calms down.

He cracks me up.

 

What I love most is he loves me back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

::Family::

This made my morning. Kinect. Connect.

Smiles and Dimple

Tonight Violet and I went over to my parents house to have dinner with the family. Cristian stayed home because he was feeling lazy and wanted to watch a scary movie. Not something I go for, and I don't want to deal with night terrors from baby cakes so we let him have some alone time. While out at the house her and Miles were being so silly. She's still not sure about him so whenever he comes into a room she runs to the nearest person and whines to be picked up and held. Then when Miles leaves the room she acts normal again. It's quite a dramatic act.

So tonight: There were 4 small red balls the kids were playing with. Miles would pick them all up (while Violet was being held by Victoria) and throw them all over the living room. Then he would leave into the kitchen, at which point Violet would leave the "safety zone" and go gather up all the balls. She would walk over near the kitchen and when Miles would come back in she would go sprinting back to Victoria, throw the balls down and quickly plop herself down in Victoria's lap like nothing had happened. Then would yell from her spot in Victoria's lap at Miles for picking them up and throwing them all over the living room again.

It was hilarious. I tried really hard to get a video of it, but by the time I thought to do it the gig was up. I need to be more wary of moments like that. At the same time I like to just be in the moment and not worrying about what video I could be taking to capture a moment. I guess that's why I plan on blogging more. To log those things I don't happen to catch on camera. And there SO MANY of those for sure!

Earlier in the day Cristian and I were lounging in bed and we heard DISTINCTLY "Mom! Dad!" from the kitchen. I walked out and found Violet perched on top of our dining table unable to figure out how to get off of it. She's such an adventurous little girl. A few hours later she was in the kitchen pointing and yelling "blub!blub!". I had NO IDEA what she was trying to say. Then it clicked. I taught her fish make a "glub blub glub" sound and she was pointing at the box of Goldfish crackers on top of the fridge. It's been a really fun day, complete with Violet's first experience sledding down Old Main Hill (We took lots of photos).

All three of us have been slowly, SLOWLY, getting better and I can't wait until all the congested sinuses, coughs, and body aches have had their way with us and left town. This coming Saturday Cristian and I plan on taking my nephew Jerel, and niece Stephanie to go rock climbing. I sure love those kids and with the holidays being so crazy, it's been tough to get in some quality time with them. Saturday night will be pretty fun I hope.

Snuggled up in bed, strawberries dipped in yogurt on my bedside drawer, and with the people I love most is the perfect way to end the most perfect day of 2014. Oh and I guess I should mention that Smiles and Dimple are Violet and Miles nicknames

1.1.14

::Personal Resolutions::

:: continue to work on becoming a more hands free mama::
::paint Violet's bedroom::
::get my concealed weapons permit::
::drop the last of my baby weight::
::cook 5 paleo dinners a week for my family::
::acquire a sewing machine::
::swim lessons for Violet::
::take a note from Violet and read more books::


That's a start.