Irvine Regional Park

 

The time has come for Annie to start sleeping in her own bed. Homegirl still wakes up twice at night for the boob and this mama is tired. Her bed is still in our room but at least she has her own place now. 

I'm not sure what kid she is going to share a room with. Lilah wakes up for school at 0600 and we turn the lights on bright in her room so that she will wake up. 

David can sleep through the night, but I don't want Annie waking him up at midnight and then again at 6 in the morning when she usually wakes up. So, who knows when she will leave our room. 

The other day, Annie was at the sitter's and she didn't take a nap. She rarely falls asleep on me so I enjoyed the cuddles. 

I can't remember what David was showing me in my room for this picture. 

A picture of Annie's 6 teeth. The cutest little teeth. She is about to cut two more on the bottom. 

David walking in to Ms. Stacy's preschool. 

It was crazy hair day at school. 

Lilah loving on Annie as always. 

She loves her baby sister too much sometimes, hehe! 

David wanted in on the picture too. 

Lilah and I have been going to the deaf branch in Riverside. I don't know how to sign very well so I don't usually take Annie with me as I need both hands. Anywho, so Lilah got bored and stole my phone. She is too funny with her selfies. 

Someone was interpreting the speaker's talk. She is also the Primary President. She has been teaching me alot about how to advocate for Lilah and telling me that I need to have her switched to a Deaf school. Something I think about every single day. 

Sometimes when I am watching people sign, I get overwhelmed and find myself looking down. I have been taking classes every month but I still need to work on my receptive skills. 

I have been trying to be better about using more sign at home. I need to start teaching David and Annie. 

The kids love going on adventure days. This week we went to Irvine Regional Park. Last year, I won tickets for free bike rentals, train rides, water bikes, and other fun stuff at the park. We have been slowly using all of our tickets. We love this place so much. 

Can you tell little Annie was a big fan of the bike? She thought it was so fun riding in the front. 

The kids and I got on the bike together but I was too much of a tight wad so Lilah asked to go on with dad. 

As always we had a great time. We took lunch and ate it there and let the kids run around until they were too tired and cold. We can't wait to come back! 

Matt & Taylor's wedding

I think my favorite thing in the world is watching my kids play nicely with each other. I would easily turn down a million dollars if someone told me I would have to give this up. Nothing brings me more joy. 

These two kiddos are just about the same height and people sometimes ask me if they are twins, but they couldn't be more different. David loves going to the dentist and getting his teeth cleaned, Lilah errr... not so much. 

This month we got to visit Oregon for Matt and Taylor's wedding. We had never been before and it was so beautiful. It was like a mix of Chicago, Vancouver, and LA (Lots of homeless people in some parts of town)

The kids were so excited they were going to go on an airplane again. 

Annie was excited too, hehe. 

When I went to check my stroller in, the lady at the counter told me the flight was not full so Annie could have her own seat. It was so nice to be able to spread out during the flight. 

Flights with the kids are so stressful but they love it and will talk about it for weeks once we are back home. 

David loves to travel. If anyone can sit by themselves, it's David. 

Give the boy a movie, headphones, and snacks and he is good to go! I love three-year-old David. 

When we got there, we still had a little time until everyone met up to help decorate at the church, so we went and checked out the famous bridge at Multnomah. 

It was a little chilly and drizzly but we had come prepared and brought thick jackets to keep us warm. 

Lilah wanted a picture with daddy. 

Oregon had beautiful waterfalls that could all be seen just by driving down the highway. Everything was lush and green and filled with moss. It was so beautiful. 

The kids were so excited when we got there. They love their cousins.  Both Taylor and Matt's families were there busy working on putting everything together. There were a lot of kids so we went and hung out in the nursery pretty much the entire time. I was so worried they'd break something. Plus the kids were in heaven playing with new toys and cousins. Matt and Taylor were nice enough to buy pizza for everyone too. It was a fun day with family.  

Another thing my kids love. Hotels. Lilah let me know she had found the book of Mormon in a dresser. 

My kids love the hotel life. 

The day of the wedding, my kids woke up early and went to have breakfast with the rest of the family while I stayed back with Annie who graciously slept in while I got dressed. 

They had a nice temple ceremony. They were surrounded by people who loved them. It was such a great day. Oh, and the rain stopped! Just in time for pictures. It was such a tender mercy. 

Our new sister-in-law. 

Sam and Laura plus Richard, Laurie, and their families were all able to make it too. I'm always in awe of how people will travel to come to be with you on such important days. Family is so important and it was a good reminder that showing up is always worth it. 

Annie, who refuses to go with anyone, was happy as a clam being carried by Laura Stewart. It was so cute. As long as she didn't see me, she was a happy girl! 

And then the newlyweds were off to start their life together. Newlywed life is so fun! 

The next day we raced to leave for the airport only to find that our plane did not leave at 9am but at 9pm. So, after having had checked out of our hotel room, we met up with Karin, Katie, and Bryan for lunch. We had a delicious lunch and then headed back to the hotel were Grandma and Papa were. They were still at church though so we hung out for a bit and then went and met up with them. 

Lilah drew this cute picture of her in the middle of Grandma and Papa. Can you tell she loves her grandparents? 

We hung out with them all afternoon and they even shared some dinner with us which was super kind of them. The kids loved the extra time they got to be with them before they got on the plane back to the Netherlands. 

Another picture Lilah drew of Grandma's hotel room and the Oregon rain. I love her little drawings so much right now. 

The next day was thankfully a Holiday and no one needed to be anywhere. Which was great because we were all so tired. Our plane that was supposed to have left at 9 got delayed to 10, then 11, then midnight. The kids did SO well staying up late. They even made a little friend to play with. We had hotel pizza, played on the escalator, and with their new little friend. 

Even though the plane finally took off at 0030, Lilah still stayed awake a little while longer and played with her new friend who happened to be sitting behind her. The little girl ended up sitting next to Lilah on the plane since we all had an aisle to ourselves. Finally, the girls fell asleep, and everyone slept peacefully the entire flight. 

I am always grateful for the time spent with my family. It is always worth the hassle of taking the kids and the whining to be with them even for only a couple of days. 

Random pics:

Grandma bought the kids books for Christmas and David loves this one which lights up when you use a flashlight behind the book. 

We got a new pumping room at work. I am so excited to be done pumping. Hopefully in the next month or two. 

David making his own hopscotch in our backyard.