Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!

   Today for Kira's reading comprehension the book was Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Her reading focuses on thinking more deeply and understanding why you know what you know about books (ie, Alexander is never mentioned by name but we know the book is about him.)  Of course this book and conversation had to fall on a horrible week.  I haven't been sleeping since Ella has been sick (first a cold and then shots), Rora is in full 'cry' mode every 10 seconds and baby blues have hit hard. 
   One of the questions posed to Kira was why would Alexander want to move to Australia.  She said, "He just needed a break from life.  Just like you (me) needed a break the other night so you went for a walk, he needed to step away."
   As we read the book we can see why his day is bad, but we can also see what he does and doesn't do that worsens the day.   I love that the last 2 sentences of the story say, "Mom says some days are like that. Even in Australia."   How I love that I have a Father in Heaven that I can turn to to unload my problems at the end of the day and that this 'stage' is only a short blip on my journey through this world and eternity. 
Thanks for giving me a glimpse into my path through a simple story.  It really is humbling how such a simple thing can make all the difference.  I can't go past this stage with Rora any faster, or get more sleep at night, but I can focus more on the big picture and remember that yes, some days (or weeks, or even months) are like that.  Even in Australia.

Proverbs 3: 5-6

 5 Trust‍ in the Lord‍ with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

 6 In all thy ways acknowledge‍ him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Arches

A couple weeks ago we went to Arches National Park.  It was so much fun!  Most of my family joined us as well as my SIL's parents.  We are already to go on next years trip! 
A few things I want to remember, in no particular order:

Ashleigh and Kylee getting yelled at while trying to sponge shower themselves in the restroom.

Shontel getting stuck while rock climbing and Ty having to save her. (You're never going to live this down :)

Brownie hike!  They live EVERYWHERE and my girls are so excited to look for them on our next camping trip!

Rora NOT having an accident!!

Showering my girls in the dishwashing tub.

Neal's pancakes.  They were epic!

Uninterrupted talk time with Josh on the drive.

Amorim's perfect marshmallows.

Kira running to jump over the bush and running through it L(


A few things I really wish I could forget:

Strawberry marshmallows - they are so NASTY!

The smells!  It's amazing how we all smelled about the same...NASTY!!

Our air mattress deflating the first night.  :(

Fire ant bites all over my girls legs.  OUCH!

It was a great trip.  My fam is awesome and I can't wait to do it again!!

*I only put one pic on here, if you care to see all the rest they're on facebook.  Download is much easier to facebook...

Watermelon + Shapes = FUN!

   I am always looking for creative fun ways to teach.  Today I had a great idea that I thought I'd share.  Rora is at the age and desire (key) to start more school centered activities.  We have been working on shapes the last couple of weeks (not very hard mind you since she is only 2 1/2.)

So I had the girls cut up watermelon into the different shapes.  We cut out squares, rectangles, triangles and circles.  Both girls had a lot of fun and since my counter was already messy with watermelon juice there wasn't much extra mess. 

  Showing me her square.

 So beautiful

 Triangle!

 Getting a lesson in knife safety from Kira.

 Ella chose to do her learning through osmosis.

 She gripped the toy bar her entire nap.  I love sweet baby hands!

 Rora's favorite part of this lesson was eating the watermelon!

Circles are hard to cut out of watermelon.  Way to go Kira!

Snoosie Time!

   I get a lot of questions about what I put in my smoothies so I figured I'd break it down.

I start with 1 cup of plain yogurt. Plain is best, free of artificial flavorings, dyes and sugar.  Plus it has the added benefit of extra yogurt cultures since it hasn't been mixed so the cultures are more active.  To that I add in my spinach.  For the smoothie pictured I used about 1/2 the spinach I usually use, I was in need of a costco run!  Costco has spinach the least expensive that I have found.  It's $4 for 2.5lbs here in AZ.  Compare that to $2 for 9oz at any of the local grocery stores.  Anyways, I had 3 of my measuring cups stuffed with spinach for this smoothie. (And again, that's about 1/2 what I normally use.)

Blend that on high for a couple minutes  before you add in anything else to break down that spinach.  Then I add in a heaping spoonful of orange juice concentrate (this is for the sweetness.) About a cup and a half of mixed fruit (whatever suits your fancy.  I like the costco prefrozen festival blend with mango, papaya, strawberries and pineapple for its convenience but if I have fresh fruit on hand that we wont eat I'll throw pretty much anything in it.)  And one banana.

Blend on high until all the fruit is pureed and enjoy!  This smoothie made 3 of the pictured cups. 

I have developed a taste for less sweet smoothies so you might want to start with more fruit or sweeter fruits until your taste buds change.  Enjoy!

*and yes, we call them snoosies and even sing a snoosie time song when we are about to partake :)

The Unsung Hero

   I meant to do this post a couple months ago, but life got in the way.  It started on Father's day.  We had just gotten to Arizona and found a house and were going to our new ward for the first time.  We pulled up at the building and there was no one at the church.  After driving around to other buildings, we realized that they were having stake conference on Father's day. 
   Everyone makes a huge deal about Mother's day.  The media is flooded with commercials for things to make Mom feel special.  The church goes all out with special talks to show just how special Mom's are.  And there we were, on Father's day and there was no fuss made over it.
   Yes, being a Mom can be hard.  You don't get breaks, you can't take a sick day or quit if your work isn't satisfying.  But what about Dad?  All the financial pressure falls on him.  He misses so many of the little joy's of being a parent.  Snuggling in bed reading stories, watching Kira comfort her sister when she gets hurt, feeling cooped up and just leaving to go swimming  to get away from it all, etc, etc.  The list could go on and on.  And yet we forget how hard that must be, being the rock of the family. 
    So thank you Josh.  Thank you for going to work everyday so I can stay home and play with our fantastic kids.  Thanks for coming home and stepping right into helping me, whether it be holding a crying baby while I finish dinner, running to the store because I didn't make it,  or just playing with your kids.  Thank you for understanding.  Whether it be when my Mom was sick and I wanted to spend a month away in UT, or making the finances work so I can go to a funeral.  Thank you for all the sacrifices of time, money and sometimes even joy to build me up, make me better and help me out. 

    You are the hero in my life.  I countdown the minutes until you come home because without you the day is incomplete.  I love you.  Thanks for being the man that you are and allowing me to be me.  You're my hero through and through!

Breastfeeding...

   
    This post contains an image that may cause you to wish you were me and that you had a baby as adorable as mine.  Of course, you may be crazy and be offended by the graphic nature shown...
   There are a lot of things about our society that make me shake my head, or get under my skin.  But hands down the biggest bother I have is with breastfeeding and I know you're dying to know why. 
    I love breastfeeding.  Being able to provide my baby with perfect nutrition at the perfect temperature at any given time is amazing.  I also love pictures.  (I'm sure you didn't know that.)  I love sharing how perfect my baby is with everyone. (And yes, she is the cutest baby ever!)  So now that I've rambled a bit, back to my issue.  I take a million photos.  I love breastfeeding.  Naturally some of the best pictures I take are while my baby is cuddled up nursing or post nursing.  The milk dribble smiles, the hand placed protectively over the breast, the never breaking eye contact, etc, etc, etc!  I treasure every moment.  And yet, because society has such a stigma about breastfeeding I don't share the pictures. 
    THERE IS NOTHING SEXUAL IN BREASTFEEDING!  And yet, even some of my siblings, who were breastfed and around breastfeeding their entire lives, get uncomfortable if you choose to feed your child near them.  Why is it OK for women to prance around in a bikini, but show a breast in a natural way and people flip? 
    Alright, I'm done with my rant and just because I LOVE this photo I'm going to share it.  Avert your eyes if you're offended.

Akira

    I harbor a lot of guilt from my pregnancy with Ella.  I was so sick and Kira had to take on a lot more responsibilities than any 5 year old should.  Am I a good parent?  Am I forcing her to grow up to quickly?  Am I allowing her to be a normal 5 year old girl?  I don't know the answers to these questions, but I do know how proud I am of her.  This summer she has matured like crazy! 
    Saturday while I was working out Ella started to fuss.  Without being asked Kira came in and got her.  She took her into her room so she could watch Kira and Rora play. (She asked first.) During one of the rest periods I went to check on the girls. Ella was laying on Kira's bed with a huge grin on her face watching the girls dance around and entertain her.  Talk about a Mommy moment!  She is such an amazing big sister!
    Kira's current favorite thing to do is put on fashion shows.  Where both she and Rora place different hair bows in their hair, turn on music and dance around.  It's so fun to watch Rora mimic the moves that Kira does.  She is an amazing role model!
    Today Kira finished her first chapter book.  Reading is part of my core and I am more proud of this accomplishment than of anything else she has done.  A little over a year ago she had just finished preschool and told me that she couldn't read.  She wouldn't even try.  Now she is able to read with confidence and enjoyment.  To see her confidence grow and she sees what she can do is worth every negative moment ten times over. 
    I sure love her!  Now to just get her enrolled in ballet classes for this year so I'm not the Mom who forgot!