We went to Arizona and it was a very very very busy week after we got back from AZ. I took pics with the phone, so I will try to catch up......and see if I can remember day to day events haha! I'll try catching up sometime tomorrow if we have time. Or tonight...

Day 24: June 8, 2014

Today was a good Sabbath day. 

We woke up around 7-8, and today was Stake Conference. But we never checked the time and we still had to get the kids ready and get ready for church. But since we have been going to church at 1, we are not used to it. :/ We have a lot to work on on Sundays. 

I  made some blueberry muffins and then we had a late brunch. Then naptime. Then I woke up and started to pack for our trip to Arizona. Then made some yummy Chicken and Gnocchi soup. I have started to collect great recipes of soup. :) We have been having some rain on and off all day, so it was a good day to have some soup. There was a moment of severe Tornado warning, but it didn't last long. The whole people of Colorado is worried about the storm, but to me this is so normal. I would take a good rain over snow any day!

After dinner, we went for a walk/bike riding. Eric rode his bike with Hyrum in the back and I walked with Anna in the jogging stroller. When we started, it was cool and nice. But towards the end, it got REALLY windy. Anna was trying to breathe and smile at the same time. She didn't cry and was such a trooper. So we ended up trying to get home.

After, we had some ice cream. Every Sunday we have some dessert. Today we had some chocolate ice cream with Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and nuts. Yum!!!!

After dinner, we try to do family prayer and scripture study. I also give Hyrum some milk, in hope that he would drink his milk and stay calm....tonight he was pretty calm. But when he has his milk, and when we're about to pray, oftentimes he folds his arms over the milk, like in the picture below haha. :) Enjoy the pictures!!!!

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Day 23: June 7th

Today was a busy, busy, busy day!!! This morning we cleaned the chapel, then went to McDonald's. Growing up, I hated cleaning the church, but it was always a good feeling knowing you helped clean the church, and at the same time eating McDonald's for breakfast. I really do not like McDonald's, but I LOVE their breakfast foods. So I was excited to pass the tradition to my kids. It was also a tradition to stop at McDonald's for breakfast on the first day of vacation.  And to stop at Denny's for dinner.

Today, Eric told me when he took Anna in her carseat (he is a gentleman and decided to carry the carseat around so I can just focus on cleaning without lugging her around) and went into the other room, Hyrum decided he wanted to be with Eric. Eric said that a cute little girl who will be 2 in July and who loves babies noticed Anna and came to see her. Hyrum saw her and I guess he got protective so he went to her and pushed her aside. I have never seen Hyrum so protective so this surprised me. I guess, as I quote my mom, "Anna really belongs to Hyrum now!" I hope that means he will take care of her and protect her. And that they will have a special bond. 

Then we went to get Hyrum a haircut. I have been debating whether to take him to get a haircut or not.  I LOVE his wild, crazy long hair. Not really long, but just not like military cut. 😜

Hyrum hated it. We went to a special place designed to cut hair for little kids called Kiddie Kutter. We tried lollipop, movie in a Netflix, having him try the driving the car, toys, etc. But he still hated it and moved around. Eventually we managed to cut his hair without killing anyone. The hairstylist DID cut her hand while trying to trim Hyrum's hair. Oops!

Then it was naptime and pedicure for me! Then we went to Sam's Club and decided to try their tire replacement. Eric (unknown to me ) asked Midas last year for the most expensive tires. We used the tires to go to Maryland and back.  Eric checked the tires often and they were still in excellent shape. I don't know if it matters what tires you get, but we were impressed the tires lasted a long time.  So we're trying an experiment to see if my Dad's theory is true ;) 

We had a good dinner at Sam's club. Today about 5 people have complimented me about Anna and Hyrum, about how beautiful/cute they are. 

Oh and another thing happened. After a few months of thinking, and researching as well as talking to friends, I have decided to pierce Anna's ears.  The most compelling reason was, surprisingly,  I have found a lot of people had problems when they were older. More infections. Either they were lazy, messed with the earrings a lot- usually a kid or someone older like in HS. If it's not messing, they dealt with ear lobe infection a lot. 

Along with that, my thinking was why is it okay to wear bracelet, necklace, etc but not earrings? If it has something to do with holes, I don't think it's a very compelling argument. I find it ironic while vaccination is medically necessary,  it still causes pain. While circumcision happens,  it's still not as major as circumcision. And on and on. 

And I know in Eric's family it's a tradition to do it on babies. But on my side, we wait until 16. We have told both side we'd wait, and both have not pressured us one way or the other. But I have decided to honor both traditions by allowing Anna to get her ears pierced, but she will only wear simple earrings until 16. She will not wear dangles or loop- only a very simple earring. And she won't wear makeup until 16. I feel it's a good compromise for both sides.  

So that's what is going to happen. Anyways, enjoy a few "phone photos." 

Anna's 3 month photoshoot from Twig and Fig photography

The theme was Vintage style. I think I will stick to vintage style outfit and photoshoot for the rest of her 1st year photoshoots. 

Day 22: June 6

Eric grew up with movies and video games. He loves to come home and watch a movie. As for me, I grew up watching limited TV. I am not saying watching TV/Movies are bad, but I do want Hyrum to focus on using his imagination. I want Hyrum to grow up with less movies and to play outside. Hyrum is the type of kid where when you put a movie on, two things happen:

1) He would sit the entire movie and watch it, eyes glazed, mouth open, not aware of anything. Few movies produce this result. Wreck It Ralph definitely got his attention. So does Star Wars. He he :)

2) He gets bored fast. Hyrum figured out how to swipe our phones, click Netflix in our phone and press a movie he wants to watch. Then he would watch a movie for 5 minutes, then switch to a different movie. He jumps from movies to movies fast. He gets bored easily. With our TV, he often messes with the input or channel. So I just tell him if he does that, he doesn't get to watch a movie.

Now....I am trying hard to let him watch ONE or two movies a week. Yes a WEEK. I don't want him to watch movies all week or all day. I don't want to hear him say, "Movie....movie....movie..." all day. If I put our tiny TV in the closet, he throws temper tantrum. It's so ridiculous! So I am trying to keep him from watching movies all the time. I am not saying you are a bad parent or you shouldn't let your kids watch movies all the time. Each family has to decide what's best for them. It's something I'm used to since I grew up that way. So I'm passing along to my children. Eric has a harder time sticking to that rule, but we are trying haha.

As a result, Friday is movie night for  us. WE have pizza and a movie every Friday. Today I let Hyrum watch a Christian cartoons about the scriptures. But of course, he did try to change the channel so I told him no more movies for him. 

The cons of having this type of TV- you can never see the movies because Hyrum swings back and forth, blocking your view! And he likes to be close to the TV. Sigh. We're working on it. 

Little Lady A love to look at people. She's so content!

Too close, Buddy. Too close....