dinglehopper {flame}

{grandma gibson's early birthday celebration,

as her birthday falls on valentine's.

valentine valerie.

born on valentine's day.

in st. valentine's hospital.

no joke.}

HAPPY HAPPY VAL!

...

who knew hibachi was so frightening?!
max burst into tears when the flame part came.
i think it was the heat that scared her the most.
it does get hot.
brennan hid in my lap.
and kept asking if there was any more fire part,
and could we please NOT come back to this place?
poor babies!
at one point i had them both in my lap.
kisses, hugs, warm little bodies.
i managed to feed myself with one one free arm.
surprisingly enjoyable.
they loved the steak and rice.
i was glad they didn't want to try the shrimp.
b/c dipped in the white sauce...mmmm
HEAVEN.
all mine:)
and the highlight of my night was when i was OH so lucky to have brennan comb my hair with his fork.
thankfully, a clean fork.
"dingle-hopper," he said.
yep, we have officially been watching too much little mermaid.

wait for it...

wait for it...

BAM!

so funny,

until it wasn't.

am i a bad mom b/c i laughed before i frowned?

my heart ached for her fears.

it really did.

and loved for her hugs and kisses.

to make it all better.

and soothe her worries.

with brennan hiding in my lap.

making little whimpering sounds.

max curved alongside me for dear life.

and a baby kicking in my belly.

oh i love these little babies.

and their innocent little hearts.

there is nothing better.

if it were halloween {32 weeks}

FROM THIS POINT ON:

slip on shoes only.

no exceptions.

flip turns are officially out at the pool.

it took my back two days to recover from last week's swim.

not pretty.

no more cleaning tubs.

or mopping floors.

this could be a good thing.

i haven't decided yet.

i cannot give up vacuuming.

my mother in law may be the only person to truly understand my vacuuming line yearnings.

anyone else?

heaven forbid anything fall on the floor that needs to be picked up.
devastating.
haha!

thank you to my two short people.
when they are cooperative.

very convenient.

except when it's not.

my lower back has reached an all new level of discomfort.

mainly at night.

have mercy,

i wish i didn't have to turn over during the night.

there are muscles i never knew i used to turn over.

ouch.

varicose veins...

they just keep getting worse.

trust me, if it were halloween, i could wear them as a costume.

there will be no photographic documentation.

you're welcome in advance:)

it was not this way with the other two.

who knew the third baby could change all of the rules??!!

now i know.

it can.
the charlie horses wake me up sometimes.
did you know you could get them on the front of your leg?
me neither.
but you can.
i'm experienced in the matter now.

i'm not ready to be up with a newborn all night for weeks on end,

but i'm sure ready to not be pregnant anymore.

except i know i'll miss this life of just two.

when it's a thing of the past.
remember HERE?

is it wisdom to recognize it now,

or foolishness to wish it away?
i couldn't help but remember THIS tonight.
...
"It is like climbing a mountain,
and as soon as you reach the top
you get knocked back down to the bottom
to climb it again,
but I guess the fun is in climbing
and not arriving."

-Marjorie Pay Hinckley

no need {trees}

no need to water my trees after all.

good thing i didn't screw my hoses back on.

phew.

pass the hot chocolate!
pass the red fuzzy blanket!
and help me to convince brennan to give me the tv all to myself.
i love utah.
most exciting weather patterns on the planet!
happy snowy Sunday:)

no weeds {tko}

FYI:

cake batter, red velvet, pistacio

cookie dough and peanut butter cups "atop"

54 degrees.

in february.
i feel like i should be weeding my flower beds.
glory be, there are no weeds to weed!
just my foldable chair to sit in.
and warm sun to soak.
AND 21.1 oz of frozen yogurt.
no, i did not eat the entire thing.
i ate half.
today.
and the other half tomorrow;)
saves an unnecessary trip out.
a method i have mastered over the years.
layer the toppings,
layer the flavors.
same on same so you get round 2 just as good as round 1.
TKO.
i know, genius.

the weatherman told us to water our trees this week.

not enough snow to keep them hydrated.

doesn't he know that our hoses are unscrewed already b/c he told us to do that for the winter???

how could i possibly water my trees if my hoses are unscrewed for the winter.

the minute i screw them back on and water my trees the snow will come.

and my hoses will be ruined from the frost.

weathermen.

so fickle.

make a wish {upon a candle}

she wanted brennan to blow out her candle.

twice.

it made his day.

and mine.

i love their little friendship.

{it had been a rough day for brennan b/c she was the birthday girl and he was not.}

she couldn't get enough of opening presents.

and said "woah" to all of her most favorite items.

she laughed when funny things happened.

like when GiGi put ribbons on her head.

it was really cute.

she neatly unwrapped the paper and would place the little pieces in tidy piles.

she wore two bow clips in her hair that she picked out from her new stock.

they didn't match.

she didn't notice.

i think she would have put them all on if we had given her the time.

she opened her girly lotion, spread it all over her hands and arms, smelled it, and asked for more.

anything princess, pink, and/or baby doll is so in at our house right now.

i'm exhausted.

it was a great day.



tutu 2 {every girl should get to}

"you say it's your birthday!

{dun nun nun nun nun nun}

it's my birthday too yeah!"

{dun nun nun nun nun nun}

"they say it's your birthday!

we're gonna have a good time!

i'm glad it's your birthday!

happy birthday to yeah!"

you get Belgium waffles with a whipped cream smiley face

and a strawberry nose on your birthday at our house.

sometimes you get blueberries instead of strawberries.

it depends on how prepared mama is that day.

strawberries were on sale this week.

winning!

then you get some whipped cream straight from the can.

siblings included.

until i get annoyed with pouring it into the little birdie mouths.

oh happy day:)

...
then it was bubble baths,
burgers, fries, rootbeer, & sundaes,
and dress up.
i wish i were 2.

 today we learned:
she doesn't like cherries.
crazy,
i know.
worked out in my favor though:)
yum.
...

...

i can't believe how much she's grown.

same outfit as last year.

plus tights.

her request.
b/c every girl should get to wear a tutu on her birthday.

...



...

no frills party tonight.

NOTE TO SELF:
1 year olds are easier to take pictures of.
2 year olds are harder.
also,
don't forget to make the cake.

my super hero skills {31 weeks}

the kids have found a new use for my belly.

a prop of sorts.

the tummy table revised.

hands free, fun enjoyment.

i was secretly hoping the baby would kick it down.

i can't wait to see the look on their faces if that ever happens.

i'd tell them it was magic.

my super hero skills magic that can move objects without needing to touch them.

bahahaha!

...

when madonna came on during the halftime show brennan turned to me and asked,

"mom, is she weird?"

we all laughed.

i have a super smart kid.

and madonna still looks super fly.

even though she didn't move around very much.

in my opinion.

i still can't help singing along.

i "vogued" in my childhood driveway.

box hands.

BOX HANDS!

it must be relived every time it is sung.

MUST!!!

we stuffed ourselves to discomfort.

thank you sean's mom for the most amazing super bowl spread i have ever encountered.

i want a pug dog {isn't that what it was??} with sneakers that does the moonwalk across the finish line of a greyhound race,

and

i want a baby sling shot bouncy thing to get me things from the kitchen when i'm laying on the couch.

genius.

make a note of it.

the end.

skivvies {the stars have aligned}

this is what your church shoes look like when it feels like april in the beginning of february
and you have a big brother.

two happy,

muddy kids.

and an hour of them

playing

outside

by

themselves

=

one very happy mama and papa.

muddy shoe and clothes clean up totally worth it.

TOTALLY worth it:)

spoken like a women with a washing machine.

i stripped brennan's clothes off before he came in.

and he ran right back out in his skivvies.

crazy man!

no coat feels fine to me.

but

only underwear is taking it too far.

TOO FAR!

i closed the door and waved at him through the window.

he told me it was sunny so he was fine.

utah kids.

bred for cold weather living:)

i am cherishing this mild winter,

being outside,

no snow on the lawn,

wishing we would have left the tramp up,

but it's weird to have winter without snow.

weird in a good way after last year.

it ran my winter loving bones ragged.

{never thought i would say those words},

i have this sense of feeling like we've cheated.

skipped straight to spring.

and are looking over our shoulders to make sure no one has caught us.

but really,

where is all of the snow???!!!

i can't go back to winter now.

spring has tantalized me too much already.

who am i?

where has emily gone?!

and what have you done with her??!!

OH!!!

that's right,

you gave her a fenced yard and two
{almost 3}
kids 4 and under.

funny how things change.

in a good way:)

is it april 2nd yet???
i'm not sure i really mean that...
yet.