Easter Egg Hunts

Easter weekend found us in beautiful Orange County, California.  While there, we did lots of great things, but best documented was the Easter Egg Hunts.  Mckay is old enough now to grasp what is going on, and this year, he had a fabulous time getting the eggs.  But even more fun than hunting is eating whats inside!

Stroller Conundrum

We have two kids under two, so it follows that we need a double stroller, right?  Well, it has turned out to be a bit more complicated than that.  My mom and dad have offered to let us use the one that is being stored at their house.  Since we are cheap, this is a great thing for us. The only problem is that Logan, up until now, has been a bit too small for this stroller, and has lacked the head control, etc.
In the meantime, here are some of our temporary solutions.

 Solution: #1:  Mckay walking while Logan uses the stroller.  You'd think this would go over fairly well, but Mckay gets stroller envy every time Logan uses the stroller.  He tolerates it for about half an hour, and then has a melt down, which leads to Solution #2 . . .

 . . . Mckay riding in Logan's stroller.  He is way too big for this carseat, but he loves sitting in the stroller, and likes to pull the shade part up over his head and hide himself from sight while Mom pushes him with Logan in tow.  But sometimes, when Logan is fussy, I am less willing to let Mckay take the stroller over, which leads to Solution #3:

We like to call this one the "Cowboy" solution.  It's a tough balancing act (in more than one way!), but it has saved us from some pretty embarrassing meltdowns, so that is something.
The good news is that this weekend we are going to spend General Conference with my parents down in Payson, where at long last, we will take the double stroller home with us!

March

This year was a first for Chase and I in that we got a Spring Break!  Finally, after years and years at BYU, we got a whole week off to play and relax.   It was so nice to have that week to ourselves as a family.  We were lucky to be able to go down to St. George with Chase's brother Connor and some of my college siblings as well, Rachel, Marissa, Seth, and Julie.  Together we made some really fun memories.

This was Logan and Walter's first vacation together.  They were the best of friends.  Their favorite thing to do was sleep next to one another in their car seats.

 My family is often known for the emphasis we place on little, quirky traditions.  One of those is taking a picture at this old tree in Zion's National Park.  Over the years, my parents documented our growth as a family by taking a picture here at this tree every time we came to Zion.  I wish I had a picture of my here when I was Mckay's age.  I think it would show how much our family has grown and changed.

 Apart from our fabulous trip to St. George, we have also taken advantage of the beautiful weather to revisit the Zoo.  Here Mckay and his Dad are enjoying the Carousel.  Mckay's favorite animals to visit are the elephants (which he calls "Jumbo"), the monkeys, and the tigers.

 We bought a kite one windy day this March, and though the wind was sporadic, we did manage to get the kite airborne for quite awhile.  I wish the camera could have captured the many shouts of "Yea kite!" from Mckay everytime the kite was up in the air.

 One of Mckay and Logan's favorite things to do is to take the stickers from our Thomas and Friends sticker book and put them all over the table, walls, chairs, etc.  The favorite place to decorate, however, is Logan himself.  Ah, the brothers' bonding has begun!

Logan continues to grow so fast.  I can hardly believe he is 3 months old now!  He loves his brother Mckay, and will smile at anyone who gives him attention.  We are working on a sleep schedule, and some days are awesome, others are not, but the overall trend is getting better.  He has slept through the night twice now, so I know the end is in sight, though I think it will be a few more months before he really decides to do that regularly.  His favorite activities include playing in his crib, swinging in his swing, and sitting up on the couch with the help of his bumbo.

We love our little boys and have had totally enjoyed this early spring time.

Logan's Baby Blessing

Today was a "Payoff Day."  What I mean by that is just this:  everyone's lives are filled mostly with the routine, mundane, etc.  But every now and then, we get a chance to witness or experience something that puts what we do each and every day into perspective, and remind us just how important our routines are.  Such experiences are what I call a payoff for all the hard work of living.
Today was such a day for me.  I was blessed to be able to see my little son Logan given a very special father's blessing by Chase.  I am so grateful that Chase is a righteous priesthood holder and a loving father. Without him, today would never have happened.  I am grateful for my family who made such an effort to get to Logan's blessing.  Our Sacrament Meeting starts at 9:00 a.m., and today was the first day of daylight savings, so it was an especially hard commitment to make today.  But not only did they come and support us, they brought food for a brunch we had afterwards, helped set it up at the West Community Center here in the University Village, and helped us clean up.  I really didn't have to do anything at all but enjoy the moments we had together.
I am grateful for my little son Logan.  He is such a sweet and special little guy.  He is such a happy, content little baby who will give me beautiful smiles whenever I so much as look his way.  He helps fill our home with the Spirit, and he gives his older brother Mckay someone to play with and be a good example to.  We love you Logan!

Mom Body

It is a fact of life that once you have kids, your body is never the same.  A price that, in my mind, is totally worth it.  However, this change has come with an unexpected hitch today.
This morning, I woke up with one of my ears needing to pop.  So I tilted my head and swallowed, trying to release the pressure in my ear. Instead, the weirdest thing happened.  I felt my vertebrae right between my neck and shoulder blades seize up, and it was all I could do to collapse onto the couch and not the hard floor.
Two hours later and I was still on the couch and unable to lift or hold anything (including my kids), and wasn't even able to get up off the couch myself.  So we decided to take a drive to the first chiropractor's office that would take us.  We ended up half an hour later with me on the chiropractor's table.  For those of you who have never visited the chiropractor, it was both a very painful and therapeutic experience.  The chiropractor said that because of all the changes in my weight distribution that comes from being pregnant and delivering, and the strain of holding and nursing an infant, my muscles in my back were basically a huge mess, and that was what caused my semi-paralysis today.
So he popped my back, and though I feel better, I am still basically couch-ridden with a cold compress on my back for the next day or so.  Poor Chase has been so helpful, as have our neighbors, which we are so grateful for.  The hardest part of all of this is explaining to an almost two-year-old that he can't expect his Mommy to behave normally for the next 24 hours.  The best part?  I am "forced" to sit on the couch and read blogs, watch TV, and take it easy.  Hm . . . that's not so bad!

How we spend our winters

I have to confess that all last year I semi-dreaded this winter.  How, I thought, could I possibly entertain an energetic toddler while at the same time trying to protect and care for a newborn?  Our little apartment can hardly contain Mckay's boundless energy, and I worried that we would struggle to keep him - and let's be honest - me entertained these cold months.
However, like most things I worry about, it has turned out to be quite fun and adventurous.  Here are some things we have been up to.
We have been . . .

. . . Eating our PB & J's daintily with a fork.  Mckay is almost too big for his high chair now, but we still like the option of strapping the little guy down;) . . .

 . . . Helping Mom in the kitchen by handling all tupperware issues. . .

 . . .Chillin' in the swing set. . .

. . . Smiling . . .

. . . Building many towers out of grandma's legos . . .

 . . . Celebrating Chase's 26th birthday . . .

 . . . watching the Jazz games . . .

 . . . getting into Mom's makeup . . .

 . . . refining our mini-golf game. . .

. . . and enjoying the many wonderful, mild days of winter.

Look Alikes

When Mckay was born, everyone told me that he looked just like Chase, or his Grandpa England.  I still have, to this day, only had one person tell me that Mckay looks like me (that's you Rachel!)  This doesn't bother me because I agree with this statement.  I think Mckay definitely looks like Chase.  And then when Logan was born, in spite of his dark hair, the main comment is that he looks just like Mckay!   Judge for yourself by these pictures:

This is Mckay when he was about 3 weeks old . . .

And this is Logan.  I think they really do look a lot alike!  And while I'm on the subject of look-alikes, here is a picture of me when I was about three and here is a more recent photo of Mckay.  Take away the dark hair and the awesome '80's clothes, and don't you think that maybe Mckay got some of my genes after all?