Life lately... Has been pretty uneventful, just the everyday little things. But it's still been fun. 

Yesterday I told Cody that we were going out to eat. We got dressed up and had a date night with dad and loved 

We spend a good amount of our days snuggling and being absolutely silly. One of Ellie's new favorite things to do is watch videos of herself. She laughs and thinks she is hilarious, I'd have to agree! Her current toy of choice is the kitchen spatulas and measuring cups. 

I've been trying to get started on seriously getting the baby weight off. I started off just walking about three to four weeks after I had katelyn and am finally gettin back into running. I love that I am starting to slowly see muscle definition in my legs again. But it's not always easy to find time to workout with two adorable kiddos. If Ellie is awake workout time means climb all over mom time like she's an animal to ride. 

I did have a small victory the other day. I've struggled with my weight for a long time and my thighs have never been small at all. They would run together and if I tried to wear even basketball shorts without compression shorts underneath they would chafe and give me rashes. I bought some running shorts with a goal in mind to be able to run in them (and they were on clearance) and I did it! It's still not perfect but being able to run in shorts felt amazing! Especially on the treadmill inside a warm house. Some days you just have to celebrate the small victories and enjoy them and let the other things go. Balance. It's all about balance.

 

Labor Day we headed down to Utah for a weeken full of fun. Ellie got spoiled from Thursday night until Monday with a lot of cousins to play with. 

My best friend Allie was married in the Brigham City temple and she was absolutely stunning! She looked like a goddess in the dress that she designed, it's almost not fair how gorgeous my best friends are! I had a great time catching up with these amazing girls and loved spending time. Our relationships pick up without ever seeming to miss a beat even if its been a while since we've last talked or seen each other. 

 

Saturday we headed to PF Changs for a hot date! My parents watched the girls and my sisters kids so we could use our gift cards we got for Christmas and we invited Jeremy to tag along. The best thing about being an adult is being friends with your siblings. You aren't forced (as much) to spend time together and we seem to get along a lot better and enjoy each others company. We laughed so hard my cheeks and stomach were aching. But I'm mostly impressed that we didn't get kicked out. 

Sunday we had more family come for dinner and Monday we headed out on a family hike. We put Ellie in a pack on Cody's back and she hated it. The parking lot and trail were packed and she screamed for at least the first twenty minutes. She didn't just scream but she threw herself from side to side and kicked pretty good to. She finally fell asleep but woke up once we got to the falls so she could play in the creek. On the way back she was completely opposit of how she was acting, she was singing and pointing out different things. 

Ellie slept on the air mattress with Cody and it was very entertaining to watch and  see how they would be arranged come the morning. 

It was great being able to spend one last full weekend with my parents before they leave on their mission. Definitely a bittersweet weekend but we enjoyed it. A lot. 

Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by a certain emotion that I cry. Can I still blame it on hormones?! Today's emotion was love and gratitude. 

Being a mom is hard work. Anyone that tells you otherwise is lying. It's not easy but it is so worth it. I absolutely love being a mother and being able to raise these two sweet girls. 

I feel like there is so much pressure to always have a perfect house, no messes or things out of place and because I'm a stay at home mom dinner should be a gourmet meal every night. But I'm slowly learning that that isn't my reality. We do pretty good at keeping it straightened up but if you come over just don't expect me to whip out the vacuum right then to sweep up the Cheerios that just got smashed into the carpet. I'm learning that everything has its time and place. The time for cleaning is in the morning for me and then I have to let it go and move on. 

I'm learning that the more time I spend actively involved with these girls the more relaxed I am through out the whole day. Ellenor's giggle is infectious and it brightens up the whole house even if it turns into a high pitched screech. I'm learning to slow down and just enjoy each day. Enjoy each of the little things they do, the new discoveries they make, the excitement of recognition. Ellie is starting to play on her own and it's been fun to watch but also fun when she drags me into her make believe world. 

Yesterday was a good day. We played alot. We had a tickle fight, made up dances to songs, did a puppet show, played with her baby dolls. These are the things that matter, not how long the dishes sit on the counter undone or unfolded laundry on the couch. These girls are what matter. 

I ran for the first time since Katelyn was born. I'm not going to lie, it was a lot tougher than I thought it was going to be. And it was slow. I felt like I was just crawling along. But I did it. 

Getting back to running is going to be a lot tougher than I think I ever imagined. The first mile I was feeling great and then I started cramping in my side. I walked for a few minutes until I could comfortably run again. Also when I started walking I when I switched from the asphalt road to the canal bank. Oh how I miss that route! There is no one around and it's quiet except for the noise of water and the birds. Almost everytime I run there is always a bird in the brush that flies out of the brush and scares the living daylight out of me but not today. Overall it was a good run and I'm not feeling too tired yet so that's a good sign. 

We headed to the fair on Tuesday and I would say it was a success. Ellenor did not want to leave the cows, she was slightly obsessed. She would squeal and point to everyone. We grabbed some food and walked around some more. I'm excited to go back tonight (I love that there is no entrance fee!) and get different fair food, it's the best. 

Wednesday was the parade that they always do on fair week. Before the parade had even started Ellie was waving at all the cars and people walking by. Taking a kid to a parade is a lot more entertaining. Anytime there was music she was dancing and spinning. She loved getting candy and scored big, she also got a stuffed animal lion, a frisbee, and a stress ball. It helps having such a cute kid when you want free things. Whenever they would toss candy she would squeal. A few times those squeals were so cute they threw an extra handful. 

Yesterday Cody's family picked corn from the field to freeze. They got up at 6:30 to pick it before it got too warm while I slept and eventually got the girls ready. It's a pretty long process. You have to husk it, clean it, boil it, cut it off the cob all before you can put it in the freezer. I wasn't much help, I just watched kids inside and ate cookies. It usually takes all day but they finished before lunch because they had so many people helping. We may be eating quite a bit of corn in the near future because this sweet corn is amazing. If it was acceptable to only eat corn on the cob for a meal I would totally do it! 

Katelyn is already a month old and growing like a weed! I saw weed because we have one outside our window that im has grown so fast it's already taller than me! At her appointment yesterday she weighed 10 lbs 23 oz! She is going to catch up to miss Ellenor real fast! 

The last week has been a lot more difficult. Having two kids has been manageable. I keep to my cleaning schedule and the house has stayed clean. And then the fatigue set in. I'm assuming its a mixture of the adrenaline finally wearing off and Ellie waking up at night multiple times. I have felt like a walking zombie, so exhausted and on edge the whole time. Last night we got a little bit more sleep than we have been getting but I can already tell we are all going to be taking naps this afternoon. 

It's fair week here in Burley! It's a big deal and I won't lie, it's fun. Most of the kids in the area are involved in 4H and have an animal to show or sugar beats so its something they look forward to. I on the other hand could care less about the ten year old showing a cow that is 8 times his size (unless it wants to run away and drag them behind I'm not interested). I just go for the food! Name that movie! Elephant ears, smoothies, just the smell of it all puts me over the moon! Cody always gets a fajita but my favorite is the gyros. Last year Ellie like watching the horses but didn't understand. This year in excited to take her to see the different rodeo events and let her watch the pretty cowgirl princesses. But I'm mostly excited because I plan on taking Ellie on her first carousel ride! Cody doesn't know but we will make him go along with it. Hopefully! 

The next few weeks are going to be interesting. My parents are heading to Kazakhstan for a mission where they will be speaking Russian. Their stuff is already moved out of Alaska and they are flying down next week. It's going to be tough not having my mom a call or text away. Thank heavens my sisters aren't going anywhere, I don't think I could survive without them. 

This week has been low key. I was craving chocolate the other day and decided to make some no bake cookies. I refuse to turn on the oven when it is so hot out. While I was washing dishes, my back was turned, someone found the cooling cookies! Ellie had climbed up on the table quietly and was shoving her finger into them and enjoying every bit of it. 

Katelyn will be one month old at the end of this week! She is such a good baby and is so content. She's had an upset stomach today and I'm pretty sure it's because I ate so many of those cookies, poor girl! She is chunking up nicely and it makes her cheeks even more kissable!

This past weekend I decided that we needed to so something spontaneous and fun, something we rarely ever do. Cody said that once you have kids you can't be spontaneous but I proved him wrong. It's possible but a lot more difficult. Packing bags and loading up the car takes time but it was so worth it! 

We headed out early on Friday to start out adventures in Utah. The plan was to do things that we could all enjoy, more Ellie and I and less about Cody but he was a great sport about it. Our first stop was to look at a four wheeler on Craigslist. Cody has been looking at four wheelers ever since we sold his bike. He needs something fun for him to do and to get him out of the house on weekends. It's a stress reliever that he can look forward to, a way to blow off steam and it's a lot more practical than a bullet bike. We drove through the canyon between park city and salt lake and it was gorgeous! There is something so majestic about driving through the mountains, it makes me miss Alaska. 

The next stop was the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake. Ellie loves animals, a lot! Watching how excited she gets over dogs and birds I knew she would love the zoo and she did! Cody was giving me a hard time about being more excite than anyone else, then we walked in and her face immediately lit up! The best feeling you can get as a parent is watching your child smile from ear to ear and squeal with excitement. I got some money for my birthday and told Cody before hand that I planned on getting Ellie a stuffed animal with my birthday money. We head to the gift shop to let her choose a toy and learned that she is very particular and picky about her stuffed animals. She picked a polar bear wrapped in a blanket and wouldn't even consider any others. She didn't mind holding on to the giraffe that we picked out for Katelyn. 

After the zoo we headed to Ikea. I have been looking for specific toys for Ellie and knew that ikea had a couple of them for a great price. One was a play tent. Normally they are around $30-$50 and I was not willing to pay that. Then I found a circus one they had online for $20 and knew it was the one I wanted! And ikea is just fun to walk around and day dream about plans for a future home. 

As we were walking through the bathroom section we saw bath mats for the right price and decided to replace the straggly looking one we've had for years. We grabbed a grey one and then Cody asks Ellie which one she wanted. Of course she chose bright pink!!!! Cody's excuse for buying it was that he lived in a house full of girls and if a pink bath may would make her happy then he would do it. (We only have one bathroom)

We spent the rest of the evening hanging out with my grandma and even grabbed sandwiches at Zuppas. I won't lie, part of the reason we went to Utah was to see my grandparents. We love going to see them and they are just a blast to be around. I take any chance to see them thAt I can. 

Saturday we headed to the outlet malls and ran a few errands before heading home. Walking through the Nike and Under armor stores made me so excited to really start workin out again. This whole waiting business is driving me crazy, I'm ready to start working towards having a body that isn't so flabby anymore. 

Cody was such a good sport the entire time. He knew that shopping was the kind of break that I needed even though we walked out of there with more clothes for Ellie than we did for me. (We found $3 shorts at Oshkosh for next summer for her! Score!!!) It was just the break we all needed. Cody got his four wheeler, I got to try on real clothes and not maternity clothes, and Ellie got mom and dads full attention at the zoo while Katelyn slept the whole time. 

It's hard to be spontaneous with kids. But it was so worth the little sleep trying to get everything together. It's amazing what a little bit of time together away from home can do.