oh wise one

Life lessons Mya has taught me this week:

1. If you are bored, clean.

2. Put your things by the door that you don't want to forget when you leave the house.

3. Put a few extra diapers in the bathroom for after the next baby's bath so you don't have to go downstairs and get one every time.

4. Practice makes perfect!

5. Wear whatever you want. If you are comfortable in it, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks :)

play hard, sleep hard

Doesn't this nice, soft magna doodle look so cozy? She NEVER falls asleep on her pillow like a normal person.

She is actually sleeping like this.

One of these days I'm going to put a video cam in the girls' room so I can see how Winter falls asleep. Sometimes, it looks like she just plays until she gets so tired that she just face plants wherever she's at...

just like her doggie.

"selfless acts"

When I am having a really bad day, I have sort of trained myself to try to think of someone else instead of myself. I heard it in a sermon once and it's actually a very good idea. It gets the focus off of my feelings and totally changes my perspective. 

There are so many people that are going through tough times and could use a little extra kindness. In my church family alone, there are families going through messy divorces, families losing their homes, families dealing with cancer and other serious health problems. 

When I think about them, I feel guilty for feeling so sorry for myself when all I'm dealing with is a messy house and a 3 year old headache. Not to say my life doesn't get hard sometimes but there is always someone who has it worse. And if I can bless them in some way, it really changes my attitude. Making a meal for a family who is going through a hard time is SO appreciated. I can say that it has truly warmed my heart to receive a meal from a friend, even if it's just spaghetti or a pizza, it really means a lot. Watching someone's kids for them when they could use a breather is a tremendous help too. 

My friend Mari dropped these off yesterday just cuz.

So sweet. They totally made my day. And now when I look at them, I am reminded that I have a friend who thinks of me.

I've also found that I am blessed when I go that extra step with a stranger to try to make their day a little brighter, like letting someone go before me in line at Target or giving a homeless person some food or cash. Compliments go a long way too, like telling a very pregnant lady that she looks great. Or giving a random compliment like, "cute skirt!" 

So, what I am saying is my "selfless acts" are not actually selfless ;) They make me feel good!

firsts

Saturday was a day of firsts. Mya rode her bike without training wheels for the first time. Go Mya! She taught herself of course. We gave her Winter's bike so she could put her feet down when she needed to. Then she just peddled a little bit then a little more then all the way down the street. That girl can do anything she wants. I'm hoping that means that she's going to do really well in school and life in general. I may be getting ahead of myself.

And Addie crawled! Oh goodness, it's a whole new world of parenting. It is amazing how many little tiny things are on the floor AFTER I vacuum. She's opening dresser drawers and getting stuck under couches. It's on! 

It's okay because Rylie said she would come over and chase her around every day and make sure she doesn't get into trouble. Love her!

8 months

We are eating real food! I forgot how messy this phase is. I should have taken the picture after she ate all (some) of the sweet potatoes and they were in her hair, diaper, eyebrows, toes and smushed into the highchair. She got a bath afterward. You can't wipe sweet potatoes off after like 5 minutes. They harden. Bananas aren't much better. They are super mushy and get into every little tiny crevice. Avocados too... Maybe I'll just hand feed her for a while.

8

Ever since before I had kids, I have always thought that the perfect age for kids is 8. They are old enough to have a conversation with and they don't have too much attitude yet. You can play Monopoly with them and take them to Disneyland without worrying about them getting lost. They feed themselves, clothe themselves, go potty without needing to be wiped and they buckle themselves up when they get in the car. Rylie Anderson has been over at our house a lot lately. She's super helpful. She carries the baby, feeds the baby, and protects her from the littler, more dangerous children (Winter). She also tells me she likes to clean if I need anything done.

She's 8.

baby shots

Otter cleaning Addie's face after breakfast :) gross

BFF's. If only they could figure out how to get through that wall that separates them :)

mohawkin' it

girlfriends, haaaay!