march for the bodtchers

we got new phones at the beginning of the month. amelia and i took these awesome pictures and i am still laughing at them// big girl pigtails// amelia and scarlett at scarlett's two month appointment. baby girl weighs a little over 10 and half pounds// lunch date with my cute sisters and our kids

feeding both babies a once, learning that multitasking can be so tricky// dad took us on a date to olive garden, i just love since him hold both girls// oh amelia and her sleeping in the hallway// amelia isn't allowed to flush the toilet when we're in public (because it's gross duh), which is unfortunate because it's her favorite thing about going potty. we were at the library, and before i could stop her, she pops her foot up there. hahaha this stage is the absolute best (watching her copy me)// dinosaur craft for alphabetters// millie and how she opens the fridge// tgif// we're loving this spring weather!!

amelia loves to match mommy and scarlett... faces are no exception!// my hunky man putting together a sign for scarlett's blessing luncheon// we finally went to cash in my jamba juice giftcard from a patient, amelia loved her mini smoothie// who is this huge girl????????// a name and a blessing for scarlett anne// superbaby!!!!!!!!!// loving the park, loving my solly baby wrap// me and my sleeping hardworking man.

amelia started spelling her name// i pulled out 3 month clothing and have been  l o v i n g  dressing scarlett up in amelia's old clothes... love her cute squishy face!// hanging out with these cuties for a day. my sister in law has suffered from ulcerive colitis and recently made a decision to remove her colon, you can read about her journey: here// scarlett sleeping just like her sister// amelia crawled allllll the way up there by herself// we went to see my niece, ava's play and amelia was so excited to give her flowers (not pictured, obviously)// getting amelia a treat because she was such a good girl. in the car she negotiated with dad on how many sixlets she wanted-- Jeremy: okay, you can have 2 when we get home. Amelia: i want 10! J: ha ha! okay, you can have five. A: i want 8! J: 6. A: 8! J: you're suppose to come down to 7... A: 8!!!! (we have a smart girl!)// amelia loves her scarlett. she puts the paci in her mouth every time she starts whining, even though she spits it out and it drives her crazy! "scarlett, you makin' me nuts!"

scarlett sitting up for a few seconds by herself// falling asleep rocking, it's a daily occurrence// amelia rides her balance bike all the time! my father-in-law doesn't get why it doesn't have pedals? ha!// amelia breastfeeding her buffalo. hey buffaloes need food too!// scarlett. just love her and her hand-me-downs// amelia getting a lesson on peeling hard-boiled eggs from ah-ma and ah-gong// found jer and scarlett napping like this. amelia must have found them first// millie and kohen jumping after (or before) sunday dinner.

how i entertain my toddler (yes, i am nursing in this picture)// love how dreamy they look// cranky little kids needed their naps!//amelia comes and wakes us up every morning by saying, "WAKE UP! THE SUN IS AWAKE!!!!" i feel inspired and dreadful at the same time// spring weather means our afternoons are spent outdoors. also, my friend michelle gave me a jar of her canned peaches and i never took a photo of it, but i will forever be grateful for that simple kind act of love// we went to a baptism for our friend issac bachman. i love when millie gets to witness sacred events such as these. it was so sweet (minus the fact that amelia screamed through the confirmations, yikes!)// whenever we take selfies, amelia insists on including her babies. and yells at me if i cut out one of their faces...// i challenge amelia to do many things. in this particular picture, it was to extend/radiate her toes as wide as mine. she sure tried her absolute hardest, with her mouth gaping open... finally, used her hands and gave me a giant smile of satisfaction, "i did it!!" ha!


i'm grateful for each month, each day, regardless of the struggle it brings. i'm grateful for my growth and i love this blog in which i can journal and remember our family's simple moments.

sun's out, guns out!

the weather was beautiful and we got our kiddie pool and swimsuits (matching, of course) for some fun. the pictures say it all, we love "summertime"! amelia loved splashing us (even though she poured 95% of the water out before she actually got any on us). scarlett didn't love the cold water, and i kept worrying about her fair skin. we played until it was too cold, and amelia said through her shivers, "i guuunn-nnnnaaa sp-pplash youuuu!" cafe rio for dinner to top off a perfect evening, loved hearing my girls squeal and giggle.

3/29//

seek, ponder, pray. find Him and He will help.

also, we had the anti-pornography conference today and it  a b s o l u t e l y  broke my heart. children on average are exposed between 7-12 years of age, 80% of the time for the first time in their own homes. this multi-billion dollar addiction targets our babes and destroys families. my heart ached to create a safe home and i hugged my girls tight after church.

and we closed with this favorite video of mine. i saw it last year around eastertime, but it always makes me teary.

scarlett: 3 months

I am trying so hard to document and remember Scarlett's baby stages. I seriously cannot believe she is a quarter of a year old! Time sure flies with babes. You've seen those first-time-mom-second-time-mom comparison commercials, right? Those are totally true. I feel a little bad for Scarlett, but at the same time think she's going to get away with a lot more than Amelia ever did.

We are definitely on a baby-led routine. I thought maybe we could get an every-three-hour routine down by now (because let's be honest, she's 13 weeks old!), but here's the truth: Scarlett eats when she tells me she's hungry, sleeps when she's tired, plays when she's not doing the other two. Scarlett usually sleeps from 9 pm to 5 in the morning, has a quick (or long, who knows because I'm asleep) feeding and goes back to sleep. This last week she has been waking up to feed at 2, 4, and 6; each time flirting her way to more time in my arms (I know I shouldn't, but her smiles and coos just melt me!) Scarlett loves her mornings watching Amelia and I get ready and eat breakfast. She tires quickly and usually needs a nap shortly afterwards-- probably from 10 - noon. If I'm lucky, we can all play until 2 pm, and both girls will go down for a nap. Sometimes, the girls will stagger their naps, and Scarlett and I will play and do tummy time on our own. We've been trying to not let her nap past 5... ha! (again, she's the second babe, so I do what I can)

I have grown to love this sweet giant personality in my little babe. For the most part, she's a calm soul (gentle giant like dad), but lately she's presented her healthy set of lungs and definitely makes sure she is not forgotten. We love her giggles and squeals and her squishy cheeks and girly lips and long toes. There's only been a handful of times where she is extra fussy and I feel overwhelmed-- I wonder if she'll teeth early like her sister? (She's been extra drooly these days too) Now's the time!

She does not love laying down, especially if we aren't nearby completely focused on her. For the most part, she is sitting up in a lap or standing up or propped up in some way. She has sat up for a few seconds by herself here and there, but I'm not stressing her milestones. The bumbo comes in so handy during mealtimes; she loves being a part of the family (I think the isolation was making her nuts)! She loves the Solly Baby Wrap, and usually falls asleep on our afternoon walk. Takes a binky, but sucks on her fists as it's more readily available. Calm during her bath, but so upset afterwards. She loves peek-a-book + "the wise/foolish man". Hates tummy time, and rolls over as soon as I put her in place.

Babygurl has outgrown newborn clothes (I tried putting a newborn dress on her, and it wouldn't button in the back!) 0-3 month clearly fit her better, and they don't even drown her! I'm excited that Amelia's 3 month fall clothes fit perfectly for Scarlett's first spring. I sure love dressing my real-life doll! (She is wearing a 0-9 month onesie in these photos) Still in size 1 diapers, but I have a little feeling she's going to outgrow them soon. She's always been such an efficient nurser... probably 10 minute tops per feeding, and I use to be so worried about it. Jeremy tells me she eats around 3 ounces per feeding, and I can pump at least 14 ounces per night (at work, not in addition to feeding her... ha!), so I think that's where her sweet cheeks come from. I just adore my squishy babe.

Scarlett still sleeps in a bassinet in our room, and probably will until she's sleeping through the night (our hallway is just too long). Motherhood is exhausting and hardly easy and the most incredible thing I've ever done. I love this sweet little spirit so much.

3/22//

from the pulpit today: "if you are judging someone, you are too busy to love them." and don't we all need a little more love? motherhood has taught me all too much about judging... truly, we're all imperfect, but just trying to do our best. trying each and every day to be more like my savior and love others with all my heart.

closing song was my fav today: he lives to silence all my fears, he lives to wipe away my tears, he lives to calm my troubled heart, he lives all blessings to impart.

also, jer hung out with scarlett in the hall because she's been extra fussy. while she was howling outside, amelia leans in to me and whispers, "that's my sister. she's cryin' " ha! little things she says that melt my mama heart.

ps. we (amelia) locked ourselves out today and had jeremy's uncle come save us! (thank you!) while we were waiting, amelia did her pee dance and scarlett told me she was starving. yikes! in the trenches of motherhood, i say!

3/15//

my friend, sarah, takes a photo of her family every sunday. i love this idea-- to document and journal a growing family. i have decided to do the same with my own family and expand to it by documenting our sunday experiences. 

march 15th:: our first sunday, all four of us for all three hours. in the trenches of motherhood, i sometimes wonder if church attendance is worth the experience. i'm trying to take home one message every week for inspiration. today in sacrament, our high councilman told a story of his wife many years ago. she had made an observation, stating, "remember when we were dating, it was so romantic when we sat so close on our drives. now there's all this space in between us!" he replied, "well, i haven't moved!" he then expressed the need to let our Heavenly Father take control of the steering wheel and make a continual effort to grow closer to Him.

i got to say the closing prayer for sacrament today. and i blessed that we would all make an effort to do just that.

a name and a blessing for scarlett anne

wow, a ton of pictures for my girl's blessing day. big days like this have a way of working my nerves... but everything turned out perfect. no blowouts, no screaming through the blessing, the luncheon was great! geez, there's a lot of worry on the mom department for these events. and truly, the most important part, the only part that really mattered, was the circle of worthy priesthood holders and the words that came out of my husbands mouth. (i love that our bishop meets with us beforehand and advises jeremy to seek my counsel.) jeremy choked up a bit and i started tearing up (the man hardly ever cries). and then amelia hopped off my lap and it was difficult for me to focus... luckily my friend sharlie took notes for me (without me asking, she is the most thoughtful person!).

it was a beautiful day, but we had the luncheon at daybreak community center since you never know what the weather will be like in march. we ate cafe rio style, and i got 4 pints of their tomatillo dressing because i stressed we would run out. guess not everyone is as obsessed with their dressing as i am and now we have 2+ pints left over for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the next week (or 2 days). luckily i can drink that stuff. i am so grateful for my mother in law, who stepped in (like she always does) and helped me plan the entire thing. she also took over so many of the food assignments so i didn't have to worry about anything. i am also so grateful for such a supportive family who loves us and spoils us.

jeremy was a little nervous to get in front of our entire congregation and teased me that he would ask the bishop to call me up for a few words. he ended up forgetting to ask, but i had prepared to share my testimony just in case:

having two children has strengthened my relationship with Heavenly Father. we most likely constantly think the same thoughts: obey the rules, i promise it's what's best for you. we watch our children fail to listen and stray with their own ideas and endure through undesired consequences. it's heartbreaking and such a struggle to be a parent at times. it's during those times i get on my knees on pray to be better. i'm so grateful for this gift of motherhood, for this gospel, for my forever family for the love of my Heavenly Father, for the priesthood power in my life. i testify that Christ loves me and love you too. i testify that if we obey the commandments, we will live with other father in Heaven again!

to end on a less serious note, i love this man^^ at the end of the day, after putting the girls in bed, i told him: if i was a gorilla, i'd beat on my chest for you. he quickly snapped back: only males do that. if i was a gorilla, i'd give you a banana. haaaaaaaaahaha! still dying over here.

xoxo