Hooray for Our Little Liv!

She took a wobbly set of three steps tonight and then leaped/ fell into my arms.  We were both so excited and both so proud.  She jumped up and down in my arms with excitement.  It was SO cute!

She is growing up so fast and while a lot of people complain about their kids walking and getting into everything- I LOVE it!  They are so much happier and excited about the world once they start walking and as long as we're baby proofed and teaching her certain boundaries, I think it's awesome having your little one take off on two feet.

I hope I have my camera ready the next time she does it- she totally made my day :)

Somedays...

The things I do seem so in vain.  I had a rough couple of mornings this weekend.  Liv is teething.  I KNOW for a fact it's teething.  She is gumming everything, has red cheeks (both sets) and wakes up in the night because she is just so uncomfortable.

Anyways, yesterday morning started just GREAT with a wake up call from Liv @ 5:45am.  I let her cry fr a bit.  She keeps crying. I go get her and bring her in bed with me but she is fussy beyond belief and keeps tossing and turning.  I'm SO tired and Jason is now irritated with me for bringing her in our bed.... Brooklynn has been woken by Liv's crying (it's now about 7:30am)

We head downstairs (me and the girls) to get a bottle for Liv and Brooklynn wants to watch "little girl" shows.  I am almost convinced she knows that she can win with me on mornings that start too early and I'm clearly looking a little "off beat"- she gets whatever she wants because I don't have any energy.  This being the 3rd day of early wake-up calls... I'm a zombie.

I turn on shows and let her snack on some goldfish crackers that were left out...  I attempt to feed Liv breakfast.  I HATE the burden of trying to get her to eat when she is teething.  Sometimes she screams at me the whole time and if I don't get her to eat she just gets more irritable and it affects her ability to get a good sleep later on.  I somehow accomplish this task by letting her gnaw on a pretzel and I shove spoon fulls of rice cereal and applesauce in her mouth when it is slightly opened (she loves to fight with me and keep her lips pursed).  By the end she is an absolute MESS and reeeeally needs a bath.  Brooklynn was in dire need of a bath too.

So I go upstairs and run a bath.  It seems like the best idea because Liv will sleep real good after a bath and a full tummy and they love to play in there forever! (we all win right?)

Liv drops a dookie after 5 minutes.

I saw her face go beat red and knew exactly what she was doing so I hauled Brooklynn out immediately and wrapped her in a towel and then grabbed Liv.  I grabbed her before she was "done" so a mess got on the floor and all over the towel.  Brooklynn's hair was full of shampoo still...great.

That little nugget she dropped in the tub was the straw that broke the camels back.

I quickly dressed Liv and put her down for a nap- thanks goodness she napped!  I put on more "little girl" shows for Brooklynn and crawled back into bed.

I am SO glad Jason was home that morning to take over.  I don't know what I would have done!

My Girlies

I keep looking at our girl's lately and my mind is boggled at times with how much they have grown!  Maybe I'm more aware or actually able to observe them better too- life has slowed down a little now that we are getting more and more settled (why does it take FOREVER to get unpacked?)

Both my girls have had doctors appointment's recently.  So I was able to see where they are at physically.  They are quite average stats wise and pretty much have been from day one.  Liv's head was a little larger for her weight, and Brooklynn was a little heavier for her height but they've both leveled off nicely.  I'm so thankful for healthy growing girls.

A few more tid-bits on Brooklynn:

• Loves "little girls shows", Team Umizoomi, Dora, Cat in the Hat, Mickey Mouse Club, and Disney movies.
• knows almost every theme song to the shows she likes off by heart
•   Is so quick and has the sharpest memory (she sure didn't get that from me)
• Loves bed time stories
• sleeps with all her "little guys" every nap and bedtime
• fav primary songs are,  I love to see the temple, I am Child of God, Away in a Manger, and I am trying to be like Jesus
• loves to yell at Mr. Sun lately for being to bright in the car, "go away Mr. sun- get lost, you are a butt muncher!", she screams, over and over!
• Obsessed with princess things (crowns, dresses, makeup, movies, stories etc)
• has been asking me lately if I bought her... to which I reply, "No.  I prayed to Heavenly Father for you and he sent you to us."  She asks me this all the time though!
• Loves to play on my Iphone, and is really good at puzzle and number games.
• wants to be a "big helper girl" and put soap in the dishwasher, load it and unload it but other than that she doesn't want to do anything else in the kitchen
• is manipulative
• loves nursery
• loves Kodaly and I'm positive she is and fully KNOWS she's a teacher's pet. 
• Has mastered brown nosing
• loves Justin Bieber songs, and Maroon 5's "moves like jagger"
• can finally rock two pig tails nicely
• is always hunting around for change to put in her piggy bank
• eats lip chap
• loves to color and stick stickers everywhere
• is destructive
• loves her little sister to pieces and has been asking for another little sister, not brother or both... and then sometime says, " I don't want another sister, I just like Liv"
• will come up with any excuse to get us to stay in her room longer and longer when we put her down for bed (again, she's manipulative)
• loves hide and go seek
• is ALWAYS hiding
• can sing the entire A Whole New World song.
• loves to shake her booty (literally) when a good dance song comes on
• mooned me this morning on purpose and laughed about it
• wants a smoovie (smoothie) every morning for breakfast
• obsessed with dips- she will eat anything is she can dip it in something or pour dressing on it (works for me because I can get her to eat lots of raw veggies :))
• ate half a tub of hummus the other day when I wasn't looking
• loves to throw things in the shopping cart when I'm not looking or even when I am looking...

Oh I could go on and on about this girl.  She cracks us up and keeps things soo entertaining.  She is as sweet and gentle and she is hilarious and crazy!

A little about Alivia lately:

• Has almost tripled her birth weight (she's 20.5 lbs) and will be 1 year old next month
• is a firecracker
• she is feisty
• likes to cuddle in the morning or at night- during the day she likes to grab my face or pull my hair
• grunts and growls at us all the time (but in a humorous way...)
• likes to say, "whoa whoa whoa"
• loves the jolly jumper and saucer
• loves to bounce on anything and everyone
• loves to throw things and say, "Uh Oh!"
• Say's "dank u"
• her hair has grown approximately 2mm since birth...
• is beautiful
• has 6 teeth
• loves to dance
• loves to jab her fingers in your mouth, ears and nose
• loves to pinch your arms or cheeks, or scratch your face
• loves broccoli
• loves cheese
• loves noodles
• loves cucumber
• sleeps really well
• loves her blanky
• is flexible beyond belief- we find her in really awkward sitting poses and doing the splits often
• loves her big sister
• gets really excited when her dad gets home
• likes to cuddle dad 
• loves to ride in carts
• loves wind, rain or snow on her face
• loves to play the xylophone
• is growing like a weed
• was the cutest Tinkerbell for Halloween
• tries to follow me everywhere
• loves having picture books read to her
• loves to be walked around
• loves to play "patty cake"
• claps all the time
• loves to pull her socks off
• has the cutest dimple on her right cheek
• is pulling herself up on everything
• has found her balance on two feet a few times
• loves to laugh 
• makes a weird alien noise in between laughing
• can climb up stairs now (not down yet)
• is always pointing at things
• has lots of nicknames, Yiv, Yiva, The Yiv, Yivsta, Yivvey, Livvey, & Liv (when Brooklynn
• is crawling around everywhere
• says, "da da" all the time and has said, "ma ma" (a few times)

I can't believe this girl is having her first birthday so soon.  She is such a joy to have, and her little personality keeps things very entertaining.   She has brought so much love in to our home and has been through a lot at a very young age (lived in three different homes) and lots of travels. 

A Simple Day but One Worth Blogg'n About

We've been at home and inside a bit lately but I don't have other options right now because it is crunch time to get this house done already.  I finished sanding the kitchen cabinets today- finally! HOORAY :D !!! (yes we have been living in a kitchen with no cabinet doors for a month and I feel like Jerry Seinfeld sometimes)
I have loathed working on them for so long now and just as the end was in sight I had this new burst of energy all of a sudden and now they are done and they can be painted.   I think they will look really good.  I must admit though, I HATE honey oak.  I hate oak trim, cabinets, and anything that resembles that yellow, grainy, shiny oak wood colour.  Its the hardest thing to strip and update you home's look with.

So back to the "being inside lately" part.  Well today was just that and not only have we been home all day, we've eaten breakfast foods for all three meals! I had planned on making stir fry for dinner but Brooklynn wanted banana pancakes instead.  She won!

This morning started off on a really sweet note- literally.  Brooklynn went into Liv's room when she woke up because she heard her crying.  Jason and I were still lying in bed when all of a sudden Brooklynn bursts out singing "I love to see the temple"!  My heart melted (and Jason's) as we heard our oldest girl sing her little sister a primary song to make her feel happy and got her to stop crying by doing so.  I could hear them laughing and giggling together and then Brooklynn said, "bye bye Liv!" and then she started screaming again so Brooklynn runs back in there and starts singing "I am a Child of God" and then tells Alivia to put on her happy face- that made us laugh!  I just can't get enough of seeing these two interact together. I LOVE having two girls.  Having sisters myself made me so exited to find out we were having another girl.  Seeing them develop a relationship so young really makes me excited for the type of friends they will be as time goes on.

Where we're at!

I'm alive.  A LOT has changed.  We have been in the house just over a month now and life is taking structure slowly but surly.  My parents, Matt, Jenn and Justin came and left too (soo great having them here) and it was nice to be able to host everyone under one roof, even if we were still in construction and had like NO furniture!

Jason is now 27.  We went Edmonton and saw the The Immortal Cirque du Soleil show- incredible!  It was a great date :)


Brooklynn has been sick and on antibiotics which hasn't been fun.  Poor girl.  I HATE giving them antibiotics so she is on a probiotic at the same time and eating lots and lots of yogurt.

Alivia has been on the move like crazy, the other day she had waundered into the bathroom and was in the middle of pulling herself up to the toilet bowl- yuck!!  We have to be sure to close all doors becase she is into everything.  She still looks like a vampire but the other top teeth are finally coming down more.  A lady at the grocery store saw her on Halloween and asked if I did that on purpose... really?!  Lol

I'm off to the Urology Centre at Rockyview soon to get some tests done.  They are tryingto figure out what to do with this silly cyst.   SO annoying but I hope we can find some resolve.

Pics to come soon! 

Sumthin has Worked for ME- Finally!

So lets just say I fluctuate in my weight like crazy.  It's not a good range either.   I got bigger in my last pregnancy with Liv and I lost a lot when I started nursing because I had to eat so strictly - this girl had colic at a whole new level compared to Brooklynn!  However, once my baby isn't So sensitive I start to sneak back foods that I have missed and between being so hungry and having to nap a lot because I'm so tired I put on a few again.
Even when I got pregnant with Liv I wasn't liking my weight at the time and I had actually JUST started eating really well and exercising regularly at the gym and was slowly but surly seeing results BUT than I found out I was pregnant! I can't work out when I'm pregnant, I just DON'T have the energy, nor the desire.   I still do a little, like low impact cardio and love walks but my gym membership was a complete waste.
This summer was a write off for me to be able to eat well.  I have a hard time controlling how I eat when I am not organized and in my element.  I was ALL over the place and every summer we spend time out at the cabin I gain like 10 pounds, I HATE it!  So much fat and carbs, candy and sugar everywhere and nothing to do some days when the weather is crappy except EAT.  If I'm bored- I LOVE to snack.  SO I get a little bitter out there thus putting my in a down whirled spiral even more because I am eating for my frustrations.
I haven't been in my own space for 5 months and finally I'm about to move into a home for my family where I can get settled and back on track.  I'm looking forward to it :)
So what did I do to prepare myself for this new chapter of life?  I got ready and I went on a strict diet.  At first it SUCKED I was so hungry but the pounds where shedding instantly and the motivation grew and grew and my body adapted to eating well and it all became pretty simple.   I would get cravings but the thought of weighing less in the morning when I jumped on the scale over ruled.   I kept telling myself things like, "That cookie ISN'T worth it!"  or "Nothing tastes better then gett'n skinnier!"  haha ( I sound SO vain)  But it's what worked for me and I stuck to it.

In a matter of 3 weeks- YES, 3 WEEKS! I have shed over 16 lbs and lost inches everywhere!  I have SO much more energy, I sleep better I'm happier and have a lot of old clothes that I having been longing to get into again back in my wardrobe.

Oh and I CAN'T WAIT to go shopping!!!

New Tooth

Little Alivia cut another today.  Odd enough it is on top and to the side of her middle teeth...  Lets hope the others follow soon so we can even things up a bit or our little sweetheart will have a goofy looking pumpkin face-you know those ones with a big smile and two random teeth!?  She is handling it all pretty well and I can tell there are two more right at the surface so it won't be long.  One is opposite to the other tooth on top and the other is her bottom middle!  Basically if she doesn't cut the top two middle soon enough she will look even more like someone who had there top two teeth knocked out- so funny!

New Teeth and Havin Fun

 First and foremost,  little Liv cut her first tooth today.  I was kinda expecting it- even hoping for it to explain the constant snot dripping from her nose and fussiness.  The middle part of her lower gums felt quite hard yesterday, as if there were teeth right under the surface.  Today there is a little sharp tooth that has finally cut through!  Brooklynn cut her first tooth at 10 1/2 months so Liv is a whole month and a half earlier than that.

 This morning Brooklynn asked me to put on glasses with her.  She thought we looked pretty cool!

I love her "kissy face".  Even if it makes her look like the biggest pouter ever...

Brooklynn at her best again.  Jammies and rain boots and locking her self in Nana's cabinet.  She asked for Alivia to sit right be side her- actually she pretty much demanded that Liv join her.  Alivia thought it was a lot of fun and was giggling the whole time I left them in there.  I think I left them in there for an hour or so... .. .  

Family Comes Together...

We spend a LOT of time with family.  More so Jason's side but that's because they all live in Calgary or somewhere in Alberta for the most part.  It's great being close to love ones.  It's great enjoying activities with cousins and sisters and brother's in law.  I love how much we can do with one another and have a good time.  It's great to have them around for more than the good times...  It's even more great to have family around for the hard times.  So amidst the laughs and fun there are struggles and those are when we REALLY see family come together- stronger and more loving than the good times would have us be even.
On Tuesesday we said farewell to Uncle Brant.  I have never felt so much love for and between family members - especially extended family members.  I don't want to go into home much sorrow and sadness I felt because everyone knows how hard it is to see someone close pass away.  It was sudden, shocking and heartbreaking the way he left but with all the hearts clinging to together for strength at such a hard time I felt a lot of peace.  I hope poor Aunt Marilyn, their children and other immediate family members find that peace too.  He will be missed dearly and I can honestly say I didn't know him all that well but did see him often enough at family gatherings and knew his family well enough to feel the affect/ emptiness of Brant leaving (not to the same extent of others) and with that I can try to sympathize with Marilyn because losing my husband would be one of if not the HARDEST thing for me, or losing my child (in Grandma and Grandpa's case), losing my father- I would be devastated... and a sibling?!?  ALL of the above are just/ seem to be too much to bare.  So we continue to pray and pray for those who have a gaping hole in their hearts right now because such a kind and wonderful person has left them for some time.
A lot of perspective hits you in times like this and that perspective is that families CAN be together forever. This is not the end.  And that possibility makes me want to work my butt off to be with mine forever and ever and to make the most of the time we have together in mortality.

Chizzling Away at Summer Photos

 We've been out to Wasa three different times this Summer.  Before and in between trips we were up to some things that were definitely worth photos.  It was Grandma Bennion birthday on one occasion... I don't remember how old she turned but she's looking as young and great as ever so let's jsut focus on that ;)

 We headed off to Calaway park one day with Auntie Maggie and her kids.  It was my first time there and it was SO much fun.  I can't wait to go again sometime.  Brooklynn was in heaven.  She was driving planes, trains and automobiles "alllll by herself!" (as she would put it)

Little Liv look'n so summery.

Happy Bday Grandma!

I remember having to almost scream her name
so she would look at me.  She was extremely
focused on driving that boat (in circles!)

I was sitting down near the beach on a blanket with the
girls and this photo was the view I had- gorgeous isn't it.

This was what I looked at behind me.
The property is breath taking.

My baby enjoying the shade.

My bigger baby enjoying the sand

Nap time.  I'd walk in too check on her every now and
then and would find her in some interesting poses!

She's flexible.

Dad was hard at work renovating the basement.
You would NOT believe how good it looks compared to
what it was.  It smells a lot better too as it was
quite musty down there.

My little Brooklynn taking a nap in one of her many
make shift beds.  She was moved ALL over
the place.  It was tricky trying to figure out where they
would nap and sleep each night but somehow I made it work.

As you can see I am absent in EVERY one of these pictures.  I am sad to say they were all taken with my iphone too :S  I don't know whether it's that I'm lazy with a better camera or that my iphone pictures seem to satisfy me enough and it's conveniently with me a lot more...  I'm asking Santa this year for a GOOD camera and I want one of those flexible tripods so I can snap nice family photos everywhere we go.

Happy Faces

I taught Brooklynn or tried to teach her how to draw happy faces a while back.  This is what they've evolved too. They end up kind of sideways sometimes... Actually they've evolved even more lately so I might add another pic later (the newer ones have hair)...  They sure are cute and she draws them EVERYWHERE and with everything.  This morning she drew them in her milk that had spilled on the table during breakfast.  I think I could count on two hands how many times I hear, "Look Mom, a happy face!" each day.  She knows how to put a happy face on her mom each day (could count on two hands for that too) :)

Milestone for Little Liv

I have been trying to teach Alivia to clap recently.  She sort of got it a little while back but it wasn't the way she demonstrated it yesterday morning.  I always say, YAAAAAY!"  while I clap my hands.  Yesterday she was eating her food and I said it after she took a big mouth full and she started clapping.  She was even saying her own baby version of "yay" too.  She did this the morning after having a BRUTAL nights sleep.  I think she knew I needed something like to cheer me up.  It totally made my day!  Love you Liv.

Lately

For the past month or so my life has been all over the place.  I feel like I continue to rant about this but it's true and I'm still trying to deal with it all.  I'm out in Wasa right now at the new cabin.  I've been here for almost a week again and it's going alright.  It's very pretty but at times and all too often I feel like a single mom juggling way to much of an unorganized mess!  That being said, I feel like momzilla pretty often too.  My patience took off a while ago and I have been struggling to reclaim it.  Praying to get it back.  My energy feels zapped all the time and I just SO badly want to establish my life/ our lives as a family in a space and routine again.  Is that so much to ask?  It probably is... at least for a little longer.
We have been so blessed and I can't forget to share that.  The fact that we can live in Grandma's house while Jason is in school, for free is SUCH a blessing.  I can't think of another option that would have worked the way this will for us.  To have a yard for the girls, more space for our family (we were in less then 900 sq. feet before)  not having to lug my little girls up three flights of stairs anymore will be wonderful (my poor back!).  I would sometimes get a migraine if I strained myself.  I really have a lot to be excited about and maybe that's why I'm writing this  post.  I'm just all to anxious to have a "home" again.
Back to the "momzilla" stuff.  Last night Alivia just stayed awake and cried and cried off an on until almost 4 am.  It was brutal.  I was crying and was actually feeling mad/ angry and upset.  I just NEEDED her to stop crying.  I even told Jason I don't want anymore kids.  And I was serious.
Poor girl though.  Since she was a newborn our lives have been a flip floppin, unorganized and busy mess.  I never feel like she can be content with much because she's been dragged in every which way all over the place.  And with that being said she does do pretty well with it all.  The other night she cried for almost 2 hours before bed.  Other than that she goes down very well and sleeps pretty well too.  She is just sensitive and I only wish I could see her happier.
Jason thinks I'm crazy but I read The Sullenger's blog and another blog that belong to mother's who have lost their children.  I don't know why but I read them all the time and they make me very emotional.  I cry my eyes out sometimes just thinking about how much pain they feel and have felt.  I can't and DON'T EVER want to know what a battle that would be to have had your child die in your arms after fighting for their lives.
They constantly write posts about trying to remember all the moments they've had with their little girls.  How they wish they could relive every second they had with them. How they would never have taken any moment for granted if they had their time back.
It dawned on me tonight that maybe I read these blogs to help remind me/ keep me in check as a mother. All I want to do after reading their blogs is grab my girls and hug them, hold them, kiss them and tell them how much they mean to me without letting go.  I love my girls and love that I'm a mother to them, and that they are healthy and happy.  I can't ask for more in that respect.  I do like to know and read about these mother's and their lives and how they are coping but they really do allow me to feel and be reminded of how incredibly lucky and blessed I am.  I could go on and on with how blessed I am and how much they have enriched my life and changed me for the better.  So has Jason :)
SO yes life is crazy but I don't want to look back and think I took these moments for granted. 

Because I have been told to write this down...

Miss Brooklynn is quite the little observant, inquisitive, bright eyed girl in our lives.  The stuff she comes up with sometimes really impresses me or really kills me (meaning she is hilarious).

We've been living with Jason's parent's and she has developed a morning routine of going up to her grandparents room to see if they are awake.  Every morning she says, "Hi Grandpa (or Nana) I had a good sleep, I dreamt of more puppies(brown puppies, named "puppy"), can you make me a smoothie?"

So when I get up in the morning she is usually at the island with Grandpa, reading the newspaper and drinking a smoothie.

Recently when I came up one morning Grandpa informed me that she walked in their room, and then to the bathroom and found Grandpa fresh outta the shower... She said, "Hi Grandpa, I like your BUM!"  (He then called for Nana's help)

This evening she was helping me take clothes out of the dryer and she grabbed my bra.  She said, "Oh it's your boobie thing!"

I forgot!

I was on Heidi'a website today and found this picture of my baby as I was scrolling through her newborn section.  She has grown soo quickly.  Our life I feel has been so busy and I think I've been a little more than stressed lately with the changes and transitions taking place that I've barely noticed that she's pushing 8 months old already!  It's making me miss her floppy, sleepy newborn body.  She was soo tiny!  I think I got a little emotional seeing this- seriously.  I love that she is getting so big and so full of personality but it's happening too fast.  Slow down Alivia!