Saturday, May 31, 2008

Bare Bums and One BIG Hickey



I was trying to finish something online yesterday morning and Kylie was fussing a lot so I picked her up in an effort to quiet her. Well, she got quiet and I finished my computer task to realize that she had been sucking on my shoulder. I guess I didn't realize how long and hard she had been doing it. Oops.

I realize I look terrifyingly horrible in this picture. This is partially due to the fact that this was taken near midnight last night. That might be a normal bed time for most people but Justin and I used to be in bed by 10:30 every night. Remember when you were little and summer would come around and it was hard to go to bed at 8 o'clock bed time? This is our struggle now. It was still twilight when we went to bed last night and Justin and I have been getting progressively less sleep every night. Maybe it will be good for us to go down south next week where is gets dark before 10:00 so we can get to bed earlier.

And here are some of the cutest bums I have ever seen. :)

What I Like About Anchorage...


On Tuesday we took the girls and decided to go on a nice long walk on one of the many trails that Anchorage has to offer. We went over to Kincaid park and then ended up on the coastal trail. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time. We brought Subway with us so we could have a little picnic but Macy was too busy picking "flowers" (dandelions) to eat much.
I just think that it is really neat that there is this very nice area and trail system right in the city. This part was along the coast and we could see the ocean for most of our walk. We had a really great time outside! We just need to get some really good mosquito repellent because they are everywhere. As soon as we finished eating we had to start walking again because they figured out where we were and came after us in full force.

Cute Kiddos



Last Sunday I pulled out the pop up cubes that I bought the girls at a garage sale. They especially liked it when I put a sheet on to make it an actual tent. Macy kept going inside and saying, "Where Macy go?" or she would leave Kylie in and yell "Kylie! Where are you?" Kylie thought it was all great fun.

And here are the girls playing with Justin. Dads definitely are more creative when it comes to playing with children. :)



Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Big Girl Bed!

Macy has been going to sleep really well lately so we decided to start putting her in her "Big Girl Bed." Friday, before her nap, Justin went in and stole her crib mattress and told her that the crib broke. He then put her in her bed and told her that this is where she is going to sleep now. She kept repeating "crib, broke" and went to sleep perfectly. It has been a pretty smooth transition. We haven't taken her crib down because we are going to put Kylie in it soon so they are sharing a room. Anyway, here are some pictures of her waking up after sleeping in her big bed.

And here is one after Kylie pulled herself up to Macy's rocking chair. She is too cute (notice the super goopey eye. The doctor was scheduled out 6 weeks for the consultation so who knows when she will be getting it fixed.)
And here is one more of Kylie being adorable in her High Chair. She loves to eat and is usually pretty happy in that chair. I was also excited to get this chair because it is one of the few Brand new Items that we bought for the kids- most are craigslist or garage sale finds. I was pretty proud of myself. $57 brand new and free shipping on amazon. It's all about the bargains people.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

My Children are Swimsuit Models or Why I am a Horrible Mother




I ran off to Fred Meyer's today to do a little grocery shopping before Justin left for his flight. While I was there I discovered they were having their Baby Sale and Almost all the baby stuff was half off. On top of that, I had a %15 off coupon so I decided it was time to get the girls their swimsuits for the year. I couldn't decide which ones I wanted so I bought a bunch to let them try on. Which do you think we should keep?

Macy really got into the whole "posing" thing. Justin told me I had created a monster and I think he is right. I didn't try to get Kylie to pose, she did it all on her own...

We will probably go with the pink polka dot for Macy, it definitely fit her skinny body best.

For Kylie, I am a little bummed because Macy's old one fit her. I had wanted an excuse to buy her a new one but I don't think my husband will see the value of my baby having two swimming suits. I liked the last one best. The solid Pink gave her baby cleavage and the second one is Macy's from last year. It is still cute so it will work.


In other news, we bought a car yesterday. We had sold our Honda with the plan of buying another car
once we got here. That idea was temporarily pushed aside but thanks to Uncle Sam, we were finally able to get that second vehicle. It gives me an oddly familiar feeling to drive because it is just like the car we sold, only a different color. It's not pretty and it's not special but it will get us from A to B with little gas and I will no longer be stranded or have to make 2 a.m. airport trips with the kids to pick up Justin.

He is gone again for a night or two to go play in Southern California with some friends. I didn't mind because we have a play date lined up for tomorrow and the weather is really nice so we shouldn't get too bored. He is going to try and bring back California fruit for us, which should be very exciting.

Let me know what you think about the swim suits... And does it make me terrible that my daughters are posing for the camera in swimsuits? All in good fun, right? :)

Monday, May 19, 2008

Well aren't we fancy...


I decided to get fancy last night and make something special for dinner. Part of my inspiration came from the depressing fact that I have not eaten at Olive Garden in well over 8 months. Why those OG CEO's refuse to put one up here in Alaska, I do not understand.
So last night I set out to make Olive Garden's Chicken Scampi, which is my favorite thing they serve. I subsituted chicken broth for White Wine because I didn't think it a good idea to run out on- Sunday to buy wine and I used too much garlic- our house and bodies still wreak- but overall, it was very tasty. I also felt special having made something so delicious for us to eat.

In other news, for those of you don't know, we are planning to come down south for a visit, sometime in June. We don't know exact dates because we will be flying standby but I will be sure to announce it once we know (it may be a day or two before). So keep all of June open just so you can see us ;) Anyway, I look forward to seeing who we can once we arrive, I will let you know!

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Shop Victoriously!

One of my favorite advertising campaigns is Ebay's which states that is is "so much better when you win it" and to "shop victoriously." Today, I did just that, and it felt good. I arose at 6 this morning so I could go with my friend, Kara, to a ginormous neighborhood garage sale. Although the sale was not advertised to begin until 9, we arrived by seven, along with a few other insane bargain hunters. We were able to snag one of the few available parking spots and then able to grab a hold of the very best deals. Yes indeed, Kara and I did shop victoriously and some of my spoils of the battle are as follows:
A tricycle, a helmet, a wooden puzzle, a pop up tent, a cookie gun (to make shaped cookies), a wooden toddler rocking chair, several interactive toddler toys, a bucket of Duplos, plus more than 10 board books and a collection of "Madeline" books. Yes, all of this for under $17. I know, right? I even astound myself. When I got home, Macy thought that it was Christmas and kept yelling "Bicycle!" and "Rock, Chair!" along with "Hat!" for the helmet. She didn't know what to play with first. We had intended to give her a tricycle for her birthday but decided that we didn't want to take it away from her now. Her feet don't quite reach the peddles but she loves to sit on it and be pushed and to push it around from behind. I kept a few toys and books for her birthday and to give her as rewards when she goes poopy in the potty (once we start training). I am quite proud of my conquest!
Sorry the picture didn't turn out great, but this gives you an idea...

And here is the spoiled princess in a rocking action shot. It was very fun for me to get to see her be so excited.
And a special thanks to Justin for keeping both kids so I could battle the crowds uninhibited by the girls in a stroller. I failed to mention that by 9:30 (half hour after it was supposed to start) the best treasures were gone and there was very little that we had interest in. When we left the packed neighborhood we passed people with wagons, childless strollers, wheel barrows, rolling suitcases and giant carts that they had brought to deposit their purchases in to. There were also cars parked through the entire neighborhood and nearly a half mile up the main road that lead into it. Insanity, but thanks to Kara's suggestion to go early, we avoided most of the madness.

Justin is off camping with Randy tonight somewhere in the freezing cold (it still gets into the 30's at night). His idea of fun is often my idea of torture so I willingly urged him to go without me. :) Plus he hasn't worked since Monday night (due to scheduling and training conflicts) and next week is his week off so I figured we could spare him for one evening. He climbed inside of his sleeping bag during his packing and Macy thought that was about the funniest thing she had ever seen. Of course, she had to join him...

Monday, May 12, 2008

Mother's Day and then some...

I had intended to do a "Mother's Day" Post but the day got away from me so here it is- even if its a day late.

Yesterday was nice. Justin had meetings in the morning for church so he had to hurry to get ready and rush out the door (we had slept in to 9:15, a great unintentional present from my girls). I was pleasantly surprised to hear him come back in 15 minutes later because he called a friend who let him know that the meetings had been canceled for Mother's Day.
Church was good and Macy was well behaved through Sacrament meeting and she stayed in nursery the entire time. We had some friends over for a gourmet dinner of pancakes, prepared and cooked by my magically talented husband. The kids were soon off to bed and it was just a fun good day.

I was told that my Mother's Day gift had not yet arrived but just before bed Justin told me what it was. So people don't think I have a chauvinistic husband I should preface this by saying he got me something that I had been really wanting and that he thought it would be nice for me to have too. It is Carmen Electra's Aerobic Striptease Collection on DVD. Awesome, right? I guess you would have to really know me to know that this is something I would totally love. I wish I had had it when my sister Ashley got married so we could have had a fun girls party and danced that night away. Would could be better? Exercise that is fun and can help me feel more confident. I am sure Justin is hoping to benefit from my workouts as well :) He was embarrassed when I said I would tell people what he got me so now he keeps insisting that it is from Macy and Kylie. I had previously borrowed my neighbor's DVD and had fun working out to it while the girls napped. I have the best husband ever.

I enjoyed church more than usual yesterday. I like Mother's Day because I get to spend time reflecting on what a good mom I have and how much I want to be like her. She worked so hard to give us everything she could and to give all of herself to us. She always did and still does so much for her five kids. I have always appreciated her but it took me having two chicas of my own before I reached a whole new level of awe and amazement at her greatness. I often wonder how she managed five kids when I often feel like I am drowning with two.
Anyway, yesterday I also discovered that on the day where I am supposed to feel appreciated (which I did) I really just swelled up with gratitude for my little girls. I couldn't stop thinking about how blessed I am to be their mom and to have them in my life everyday. I look at Macy's spicy personality and I can't believe that I gave birth to her little 3 pound body almost two years ago. And Kylie was such a shocking yet wonderful blessing who brings us so much joy, I can't imagine my life without them!

Here are my lovelies on Saturday playing together with a toy I got for them off of Craigslist for FREE.

Yes, my craigslist addiction paid off and I am pretty proud of myself for it. I am hoping to get most of Macy's birthday presents off of it so we can get more bang for our buck.


And here is a picture of me striking a pose for Justin. We stayed up Saturday night watching 27 Dresses (good but not as funny as it had been built up to be) and when it ended at 11:00 we realized it was still pretty light out and that we should take a picture to show everyone. It didn't get totally dark until about midnight. This is the time of year when I love Alaska. He told me to pose and we proceeded to have a photo shoot of me in various spastic positions but this is the only one that didn't turn out completely blurry. I am fabulous, I know...

And one final picture that Justin snapped of Macy yesterday as she read books to her bear and Elmo. He snuck up on her with the camera and snapped this just as she looked up. Another precious moment of my girl!




Thursday, May 8, 2008

Break me in slowly...

I love the outdoors and going to walks and hikes but the kind of hikes I enjoy are usually more of the leisurely stroll type. My outdoors man husband loves to backpack and go on 15 miles hikes. We decided to break me in slowly so I can work up to something more than a walk around our neighborhood. Last night we went on a "hike" (one mile, each way) with Randy and Debi. I did pretty well although in the very beginning there was a fairly steep hill we went up thAT ABOUT KILLED ME. (Sorry, Kylie just pushed Caps Lock for me and I think it adds a dramatic flare to that statement so I will leave it.) Anyway, the rest of the hike wasn't bad at all and we enjoyed being outside and going to see a big gorge with a water fall at the end. The plan was to let Macy walk and then to carry here when she got tired but once she saw Kylie on Justin's back in the carrier, she got jealous so she rode on his shoulders most of the way. Kylie was content as could be and while Macy "sang" most of the time, Kylie barely made a sound. She enjoyed the view although she didn't see much more than Macy's behind most of the time. She also fell asleep with her head on Macy's bum on the way back. Too precious:
Macy enjoyed playing with Debi and Randy on the trail:
And hiding inside a hollowed out tree:

And here is some Alaska education for all you Southerners down there. This is a Native Cemetery and they build little two foot tall huts on top of the graves for the souls of the dead to live in:

And one final update:
Kylie Only woke up once, at 5:00 a.m. Then she slept until 9:30. I am now a believer of the cry it out method.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

I jinxed it

I jinxed myslef by several minutes ago thinking that Kylie might actually not wake up within an hour of going to sleep. No such luck. So, here I sit, writing as she screams in her crib. I got a burp out when she first woke up so maybe that was the devilish little culprit...
I realized today that I haven't posted any cute pictures for a while so here is a fun collection:
Macy and Dad checking out the old planes at Saturday's aviation trade show.


Here's the family in front of one of "Daddy's planes." Kylie was out cold and we couldn't justify waking her up for the picture. Notice how high off the ground the cockpit is. Justin has said it is such a weird feeling being that high up and taxiing the plane.
We wore Macy and Justin out with our day with the airplanes. Kylie was ready to climb all over everyone and play. In the car on the way home Macy kept repeating "Cool Airplane! Cool
Airplane!" I thought it was pretty funny.


And Kylie had fun hanging out with Justin while I cleaned the house. She loved helping him put new shocks and tires on the truck. Whenever anyone would look at her she would grin from ear to ear and start bouncing. Pretty cute girl!

Update

So after last nights post I have to update everyone on this sleeping thing. She went to sleep, eventually, and then only woke up 1 more time all night. This is still twice but significantly down from the 6 + times a night she had been doing. Plus, when I laid her down for her nap this morning she cried for less that a minute then was out. I am very happy with this now and so motivated that my cousin's wife has inspired me to potty train Macy as soon as she is healthy again. (You may think I am crazy but it worked for her daughter Macy's age, and I do think Macy is ready). I am going to get the online book, 3 Day Potty Training and give it a shot. We will see if it works for us!

And Justin's good news, they let him fly the plane last night! He was pretty excited and worked up with excitement when he got home. It is a very different kind of plane than he has ever flown so he said it was definitely rough to begin with but he was getting the hang of it. I think he is going to go again tonight which is fine by me. The more training he can get in here, the shorter time he will have to spend out of town training.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Day Four

Kylie is still crying and I wish Justin was here to reassure me that she is okay. It isn't the initial going to bed time that is the problem. It is the two wake ups before midnight that are. She always wants to nurse at these times and these wakings aren't getting easier to deal with. When she awakens in the middle of the night she will go back to sleep, it's these early ones that are so rough and that she always cries and cries through. Any suggestions on what to do?
We had to take Macy to the doctor this morning because she has had a fever all week. They had to do a catheter and draw blood to do some tests to see what is wrong. Poor girl screamed through the catheter and when the lady walked in to take her blood she clung to Justin and screamed again. We kept promising chocolate to her when we got home but to add insult to injury they called us a minute into our drive because the lab tech had forgotten to draw blood for a culture so Justin had to take her back in. As devastated and upset as she would get, her dad was able to get her laughing pretty quickly after it was all over. I was so glad that he was there because every time she would start screaming I was fighting back the tears. She was extremely well behaved and held very still. Apparently she has some infection and we started her on antibiotics but we will know specifically what it is in a few days. I am just glad she can start getting over this fever.

Justin didn't have to work today so he jumpseated on a C-46 flight to see the procedures and to get to know the plane better. I wish he was here because I think Kylie would do better if he went in to check instead of me because she knows he can't nurse her. Ugh, I am too distracted to write more. See ya.

Friday, May 2, 2008

Praying for a distraction

I have been letting Kylie cry herself to sleep lately and I hate it. Yet I love it at the same time too. I feel horrible the entire time she is screaming but so relieved when she actually falls asleep and its amazing how much more time I gain by not having to rock or nurse her to sleep and how much easier it is for me to get Macy to bed when Kylie can be working on going to sleep at the same time. Fortunately Macy is also getting more used to Kylie crying which is preparing us for tomorrow night when we will start letting Kylie cry during the night when she wakes up. She has gotten in this terrible habit (my fault- I know) where she won't go to sleep unless I nurse her at night. I got into this habit because I so desperately wanted to keep her quiet so she wouldn't wake up Macy. Well, after several weeks of little sleep Justin and I are going to join forces tomorrow night and start working on the cry it out method. I am praying it works, otherwise it will be torture for nothing (I think she just fell asleep- by the way). I have been researching online the last several days and I have decided that we must do it. I also want to do it better than we did with Macy because Macy struggled with sleeping well up to 18 months.
Here are some cute pics of Kylie from this evening:Kylie enjoys standing behind Macy's princess car but she hasn't figured out how to walk with it yet. That wouldn't matter except Macy likes to jump on and "drive" it, resulting in Kylie being drug behind. Such fun little children!

The door stopper

So Kylie made her way over to the door stopper today and discovered the "trick" with them. Apparently that noise is pretty hilarious. Both kids were giggling away.
She is becoming pretty good at rolling, turning and scooting where ever she wants to go.
Now if only I can get her to sleep at night...
That is next on the agenda as earlier this week I have started letting her cry to sleep at naps. I hate it but it has been working. Next week we let her cry in the middle of the night instead of nursing. Justin and I are dreading this. Wish us luck.