Easter

      This year we started out our Easter celebrations with a Family night all about the true meaning of Easter. I had Brynlee watch a movie about when Jesus was crucified and then resurrected. I didn't think Brynlee would sit through all of the movie but she really liked it. At the end when Jesus was resurrected, there was a bright light and some really inspirational music. Brynlee jumped up and yelled "They're married. Jesus is married." We tried to explain that he was just resurrected but she was still convinced that it was a marriage taking place. I think she has watched too many princess shows lately. When the show was over she asked to watch it again. She wanted to see Jesus get an owie. I am glad that she watched the movie and seemed to understand a little of what Easter is really all about.

(I got out all of my Easter stuff earlier that day and Brynlee and Annalyn had fun playing with all of the  Easter grass. They made a huge mess but they had so much fun.)

       After we talked about the true meaning of Easter we decorated some Easter eggs. We used some of our brown chicken eggs and they colored just fine. I was a little worried they wouldn't look as nice. We had several different egg decorating kits that we bought last year so we dyed them and we put glitter and stickers on some. Joel's looked the coolest. He spent a long time decorating his. Brynlee kept sticking her hand in the dye so by the end of the night, her hand was green. Annalyn really wanted to help but I didn't let her get close enough to touch anything.

      I really wanted to take Brynlee to an Easter egg hunt this year but I couldn't find a good one to take her to. My sister Heather was doing one with her in-laws and then invited us to come to the park and do it with them. They only had boys there so Brynlee got spoiled with lots of jewelry and a pink bucket. Neither of my girls found a lot of eggs but they sure had fun. They especially loved the candy. Then we played on the playground equipment and had a great time.

      Brynlee and I set up an Easter egg hunt for Joel to do when he got home from work on Friday. We hid an Easter egg in the bag of chicken food with a note and a little rhyme I made up telling him that there were 22 eggs hidden all around our house. Joel somehow fed the chickens and missed the note but he found an egg as soon as he walked in the house. Eventually he found the note and he had to stop so he could find all of the eggs before dinner. Him and Brynlee were so funny running around the house looking for eggs. Brynlee found almost all of the ones she hid. It was a lot of fun.

      On Easter morning we woke up and the girls got to get their Easter baskets. Joel didn't even want to do Easter baskets at all. I am not sure why. I tried to keep it simple. We just got a little bit of candy and the girls got one small toy. Annalyn got a stuffed animal that she fell in love with at the store and Brynlee got some bubbles. We don't have church until 1 so we had some time to walk outside and take some pictures before church started. My mom bought Annalyn a cute Easter dress for her birthday and then she found a matching one for Brynlee and just had to buy it. The looked pretty adorable in their matching little dresses. Brynlee tried to wear her fairy wings and she even put on some of my lipstick but I made her take it off. We had fun playing with the beautiful flowers, the pine cones, and looking at all of the blossoms on the apricot tree. Brynlee is still convinced there is popcorn on that tree.

      When we came in the house Brynlee started to get a rash on her face and it was there for the rest of the day. Something she touched outside must have irritated her skin. We went to church and they had a wonderful service and some beautiful Easter songs. In the middle of sacrament meeting Brynlee found the extra pair of pink panties that I had in the bag and she took her white ones off so she could put the pink ones on. I almost didn't even realize what she was doing except when she tried to put on the new pair, she put them on the wrong way and was having some problems. Both of her legs were in the same hole. I had to carry Brynlee and her panties out to the bathroom so she could put them back on the proper way. Good thing she was wearing a nice long puffy dress.

     After church we went to my grandma's house for some dinner and for another little Easter egg hunt. Brynlee really got into finding the eggs this time. It was a fun day. I am so thankful that our Savior was resurrected. He made it possible for me to live with my family forever and for that I am so grateful. I loved spending the day with my family. I am glad we had this day to stop and think about all that our Savior has done for us. I had a fun day and I am so glad I got to spend it with my family.

Annalyn's Birthday Party

I decided that I wanted to keep things simple for Annalyn's first birthday this year. I had lots of ideas for a huge extravagant party but I quickly realized that there was no way that would happen. Plus, I couldn't see going to all that work when all Annalyn would really care about was the cake. I decided this would be a great time for me to involve Brynlee in the festivities and the preparations and to have a small simple party for Annalyn.

We started out with a trip to the store to buy Annalyn some birthday presents and some wrapping paper. Before we got to the store I talked a lot with Brynlee about how this was Annalyn's party and how we needed to get things that Annalyn would like. Those little talks obviously didn't click. It didn't help that I ended up at the store by myself with both kids. I had planned on going earlier but I ended up getting sick. Annalyn did not want to stay in the cart. She kept trying to stand up so I ended up carrying her. Brynlee wanted to get everything and she didn't want Annalyn to have anything that she wanted. She didn't want Annalyn to get anything pink or with princesses on it. Eventually we picked out the gifts and I went to pick out some paper plates and things when Brynlee had to use the bathroom. I had planned on getting more things but at that point I was holding Annalyn in one hand and trying to push the cart with the other and keep Brynlee out of trouble. As we were walking out of the store Annalyn spit up all over the floor. She almost never spits up so I was totally surprised and not expecting it. It probably happened because she got ahold of Brynlee's chocolate milk and drank almost the whole thing right before we left for the store. I tried to find someone who worked there so it could get cleaned up but there was no one around. At that point there were several people who had pushed their carts right through the spit up so I just left. What else do you do? I was just glad to be done with that trip.

Brynlee helped me wrap the presents and she even helped make the frosting for the cake. She was so excited for the birthday festivities. She really wanted Annalyn to open up her presents so she kept dragging the gifts around and leaving them right in front of Annalyn. Luckily Annalyn just stared at them and crawled away. We bought a ball for Annalyn that I was just going to put in a birthday sack but when I wasn't looking Brynlee started to wrap it all by herself. She was cutting the paper when I came in and found her so I helped her to finish wrapping everything. Joel baked the cakes while I went to a relief society thing and he even cleaned up the kitchen.

On Annalyn's birthday we blew up some balloons, sang to her, and then Brynlee and I made the frosting for the cake.  We made the frosting pink. Joel had a job interview that day so he came home so get ready for it. I left to go talk to him and while I was gone Brynlee started to decorate the cakes. She frosted them without me and put in some candles. She also must have thought it wasn't pink enough because she added a whole bunch more pink food coloring. I had wanted to stack the cakes together to make a two layer cake but Brynlee made that really hard to do. We went ahead and just frosted the cakes in the pans. I had just enough frosting left to write happy birthday and add a few decorations. At least, I had enough until Joel ate the rest of it. We went ahead and let Annalyn have a preview lick of it and then I had to make more frosting.

I made baked potatoes for dinner and we had a potato bar. My family came but Joel's family couldn't make it. Annalyn wasn't all that excited about her potato. She usually eats a lot for dinner but she didn't eat that much. She must have been saving lots of room for cake. We lit the candle and Annalyn just stared at it. We helped her blow them out and then we brought out the presents for her to open. She wasn't really into unwrapping them. Brynlee and her cousins Jakobee and Ryder were all trying to help her so she got everything opened. She got lots of clothes. I got her a doll stroller, a light up Panda bear that is similiar to Brynlee's favorite seahorse, and a bouncy ball. She also got a book. I think she did pretty good for only being a year old.

Here she is sporting one of her new outfits and playing with her panda bear and stroller. 

When it came time to eat the cake and ice cream, Annalyn was really into that. She ate everything that was in her bowl. I wish I took some better pictures. I had the video camera out but I didn't think to get out the camera until Anna was almost done with her cake. She was surprisingly a very neat little eater. She didn't really make a mess at all. She even showed off and used the spoon I gave her. That is not how she usually eats so I was surprised. This was really the highlight of the party and the only thing she could have cared about. I am glad we got to come together and celebrate her first year. I know I have said it before but I am just really glad that this little girl is in our family. I am so glad I got to spend this last year with her and I am looking forward to lots more. 

One Year Old!

Annalyn officially celebrated her first birthday on Wednesday. She doesn't seem big enough to be a year old. I still see her as my little baby but she is most definitely growing up and learning new things every day. I sure have enjoyed this last year with her. It fascinates me how much babies change and grow in just a year. Look how much Annalyn has changed. Here she is at 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months.

Here are some fun facts about Annalyn at 12 months. 

Height: 28 1/2 in (21%) She started out tall but now it looks like she is going to be short. 

Weight: 19lb5oz (40%)

Teeth: 3. Two on the bottom, one on the top

Favorite Foods: She will eat almost anything. She loves anything sweet especially fruits and candy. She especially loves Brynlee's sippy cups and that makes Brynlee really mad.

Favorite Word: Mama

Other Things she says: Dada, mom, mo (more), bah (the sound a chicken makes; bawk), look, and what. If I want her to say something she will not say it but she gabbers a lot. She still likes to growl and blow raspberries.
Things she can do: Wave, clap, give high fives, and blow kisses. 

Walking: She can stand without any help and she can take four or five steps, she would just rather crawl. She is in such a huge hurry to get where she wants to go that she tries to go super fast and falls. I can't get her to practice walking very often either. If she isn't in the right mood, she isn't going to walk.
Sleeping: She would take three naps if I would let her but I have been making her only take two longer ones and putting her to bed around 7:30 when Brynlee goes to sleep. Her morning nap is about an hour long and the afternoon naps last for almost two hours.
Favorite Things to Do: Annalyn loves to look out the window. She can climb on the couch herself and then she can look out there. It scares me when she is up there like that. Her favorite thing to watch is the chickens. Annalyn also loves to go outside. I can't wait unti the days are warmer so we can play out there more. She loves to play with Brynlee and play with her baby dolls.

Annalyn loves to get into things like the dishwasher and the kitchen cupboards. When she does something she knows she shouldn't do she looks at us and gives us a huge grin before she does it. Most of the time she listens to us when we tell her to stop but it does make her mad. When we take things away from her she has started to cry and throw herself to the ground super dramatically. She is easily distracted out of a temper tantrum so they don't last long. 

Annalyn loves to play with things that are in some kind of a container. She loves to climb in the container and take things out and put them back in. If I want her to play with her toys, I just have to put them in a box and then she is all over it. She also loves her pacifier. When she wants something she reaches, points, and grunts until we give it to her. I have been trying to get her to say please but she just looks at me, smiles, and grunts.

Annanly has a calm and sweet personality. I think she is going to be shy. She likes to stay close to me no matter where we are and if someone looks at her she smiles and then hides her head. Oh how I love her little smile. I love that she smiles all the time. It is so easy to get her to laugh or give me a big grin. She is really ticklish and has the best laugh. She is such a fun baby. I love her so much.

Another Brynlee Update

Here is Brynlee's 2 year and 9 month update. I kept debating whether or not I would do another update for her now or if I should just wait until she turns three. I have done a lot more updates for Annalyn than I ever did for Brynlee so I figured it couldn't hurt.

Age - 33 Months
Weight - 31 lbs
Height - 3ft 1 and 1/2 in.   
Shoe Size - 9 
Clothes size - 4T 
Favorite Color - Pink
Favorite Outfits - dresses or pink or purple pants
Favorite Food - Macaroni and cheese 
Favorite Movies - Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Charlotte's Web (the old version)
Favorite Shows- Sophia the First (She called her Tortilla), Curious George, and Doc McStuffins. She watches all of these on my Ipad. 
Favorite Books - Fancy Nancy (she calls it Fency Wency), and Pinkalicious.

Brynlee is constantly amazing me with the things she can do and what she knows. She has a good memory. She is good with names and remembering where things are. She can count to thirteen and I once heard her count as high as 16 without any errors. She can recognize the letter B and knows that it stands for Brynlee. We were playing a game with numbers the other day and she handed me the cards and correctly identified all of the numbers 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6. I had no idea she could do that. I don't know if she could do it again but I was impressed. She can also draw a person pretty well. She always draws a head with two eyes, a mouth, a nose, and some crazy hair.  


Brynlee loves to play with her dolls and her barbies. Lately she has been having sleepovers with them in the living room. She loves to get out all of the blankets and make a bed for them. She isn't the mom of any of these babies though. I told Brynlee she was a good little mommy to her baby doll and she was quick to tell me that she wasn't a mom, she was just Brynlee and I was mommy. The baby doll's mom was at a metting. Apparently Brynlee just babysits all of these dolls. Brynlee also loves to play with her kitchen stuff. Especially when real water is involved. She could spend hours lining up all of the cups and filling them with water. 


Brynlee is really starting to be a little girly girl. She loves jewelry, sparkles, dresses, and fancy shoes. She doesn't like to get dirty either. Joel tried to hug her after work the other day and Brynlee was really concerned that he would get her dirty so she would only hug his back where he looked clean. She isn't my fearless little bug collector anymore. She loves holding the chickens still but those bugs scare her. 


One day Brynlee walked up to Joel and said "Dad do you want to see me look gorgeous?"
"You do look gorgeous," He told her. 
"Not yet" Brynlee said, "first I have to get my shoes on. As soon as Brynlee had her red sparkly shoes on she walked up to her dad and said. "All right dad, now you can see me look gorgeous." I think she is pretty gorgeous myself and I hope she never loses that self confidence.  

Brynlee is very independent. She does things all on her own without asking. If she is hungry and wants a bowl of cereal she will pull up a chair to get a bowl, push the chair over so she can get down the cereal, pour her some cereal, and then pour some milk. 

 

Brynlee only takes a nap on the occasional day when she steals Annalyn's soother and hides with it in her bed. I wish she would take one everyday. She thinks she needs to drink out of a sippy cup for every meal since Annalyn gets to. For several weeks she had a really bad cough and she kept waking up at night wanting a drink. We started giving her a sippy cup full of water before bed to prevent her from waking us up. Now she doesn't think she can go to bed without one. She loves to spray my windows with her water bottle and pretend to clean them. She also loves playing with Annalyn but she can't stand it when Anna messes up her stuff. She also loves playing with her parents and sitting on our laps. Brynlee is so much fun. She makes life crazy but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you Brynlee. 

Holy Cow!

The other day I was busy getting ready to leave the house so we could go to Zumba. We were all dressed and almost ready to leave out the door. I quickly brushed my teeth and when I came back into the living room I found Annalyn sitting on the floor with one of the gel pack things that go in the dishwasher. Apparently she bit into it because it was all over her face and her clothes. "Oh my goodness" I said as I took the dishwasher tablet away from Annalyn and ran to get a cloth so I could wash her off.

As I was leaving Brynlee walked into the room, took one look at Annalyn and exclaimed, "Holy Cow!" (I have never heard her say that before. Now she says it a lot.) Brynlee was carrying the rest of my dishwasher tablets in an applesauce container. I keep them locked up under the sink but she figured out how to open it. She looked at Annalyn and told her "Girly girl, you aren't supposed to bite them with your teeth."

I washed Annalyn off and then asked Brynlee, "Did you give that to Annalyn?"
"I was just sharing one with her," she told me.

Brynlee is just such a good big sister. I changed Annalyn and cleaned up the carpet. Luckily I don't think Annalyn actually ate any of the soap. She just bit into it and got it all over. We were late for zumba at that point but we eventually made it out the door. It was just another busy morning at our house.

Our February Adventures

February was a good month. The weather warmed up and all the snow finally melted. We were able to play outside a few times. Annalyn loves it outside. She is totally fascinated with the chickens and wants to chase them so badly. There are usually at least three chickens that jump over the fence everyday and they have left chicken poop all over our yard (not to mention all the dog poop from the neighbor dogs) so I really didn't want her crawling around out there. We still found plenty of things to do outside.

Brynlee has been begging to go swimming outside all month. Even though it is warm it is not that warm. I filled up the tub for them one day and let them go swimming in the bathtub. They loved that. At least Brynlee did. Annalyn cried most of the time. Sometimes she loves the bath but on other days she cries during the whole bath.

I love having my sister Heather live close by. We spent several days hanging out with her and her little boy Jakobee, plus the little boy she babysits. She started coming to the library with us on Thursdays which has been lots of fun. We also took the kids to Jumpin Jungle one day. It's a fun place with all of these bouncy houses, and the kids loved it. Annalyn was in heaven while we were there. She could not stop laughing. We also took the kids to Jabbers where they could play. This was the first time that Annalyn was big enough to play with the toys and she had so much fun. Brynlee had fun too. At one point while we were there I looked and Brynlee had found some mom and she was holding her hand and dragging all over the place trying to get her to find a green cup. Several of the other kids there got a drink and Brynlee really wanted one but I told her they were too much money. Brynlee found someone who had a drink and asked them if they would give her some money. I finally gave in and told her she could have one if she gave me some of the money from her piggy bank when we got home. She was so excited about the drink but she was not happy when I took her money.

My mom and dad and my sister Heather all have a birthday this month. My sister Heather and I took my dad out to lunch for his birthday. We went to Sizzler. Everyone got the salad bar except for my dad. At one point Heather and I both got up to get something and my dad was left with all four kids. We teased him that the real reason we took him out was so he could be our babysitter. For my mom's birthday we made her some cupcakes and surprised her by cleaning and decorating the house. We all hid and surprised her when she got home from work. We made a cookie cake for Heather's birthday.

For Valentine's Day Joel and I decided to surprise Brynlee with a treasure hunt. We bought a balloon for both of the girls and we got them some candy and Brynlee got some necklaces. Joel also surprised me with some new jewelry. I made Joel some cupcakes and tried to surprise him with them. I hid them in the oven the day before Valentine's Day thinking he wouldn't look in there. As soon as he got home from work he opened the oven door and found them. Brynlee also told her dad about the cupcakes so he would have found out anyways. It is hard to keep a surprise around here.

When Brynlee woke up on Valentine's Day we had to show her where the first clue was. It was a picture that I drew of the TV. Brynlee couldn't really tell what it was. I am not really an artist. Eventually Brynlee found the next clue, a picture of the fridge, which led her under her bed. From there Brynlee had to look in mom and dad's closet where she found her surprises. She loved her Valentine's gifts and she still talks about the balloons she found in our closet. They are still blown up big.

Later that day Joel came home for lunch and took us all out to a pizza buffet place; after we went to the library. We had heart shaped pancakes for dinner and we put the kids to bed at 7 so we could have an at home date. It was a fun day. I am glad we got to incorporate the kids into the celebrations and make it an exciting day for them too.

Later this month Annanly got sick with a fever. She was sick for three days. We had to miss the library so I sent my dad there with Brynlee. I took Annalyn to the doctor but she thought it was just a fever without a cause. Brynlee has also had a cold and a really bad cough. One day she was coughing and I was feeding the baby when she walked up to me and told me she was coughing too much. She then proceeded to throw up all over my pants. I mean, it was bad. My pants were covered in throw-up. It was all I could do just to move the baby out of the line of fire. As soon as Brynlee had stopped puking she started bawling because she had gotten a tiny bit of throw-up on her shirt. I told her it was all right. She got some on me too. As soon as she looked at my pants she really lost it and started crying even more while exclaiming that my pants were all yucky. I got us both new clothes and then made dinner. I threw my pants in the bathtub so when Joel came home and wanted to take a bath he volunteered to wash them off for me. He really regretted it when he saw how bad they were. I love him for cleaning them anyways.

In other news, I think Joel is getting a raise at work. He finished Heather's salon and had the final inspection on Grandma's shed. We are excited and hopeful that he will now have time to work on all of the projects that are piling up around our house. We got to go to the temple last weekend for the first time in over a year. We had a great time and now have a goal to try and go once a month. Now that Annalyn is bigger we can leave her more easily. We just have to find people to watch her and Brynlee.

Annalyn took her first steps the day after she turned 11 months but she would still rather crawl. She is capable of walking, she is just not that interested right now. Brynlee has been as busy as always and I have fun trying to keep up with her. Life is good and I am very grateful for my little family.