my 2 little boys turned 2 years young.

Last Sunday, the 20th, was Cash and London's 2nd birthday. This year, Te and I decided we wanted to spend an entire day doing things that the boys wanted, instead of throwing a birthday party. The day before our 'fun' day, Cash started showing signs of an oncoming cold. It didn't get bad until the day of his actual birthday. So the Saturday before, did the following:

Early am - Te made them a killer breakfast.

Mid am - Opened presents. (We didn't do a lot of presents. The boys have too many toys as it is, so we told family and friends if they wanted to give a gift, to make it a book. The boys love books.)

Noon - Played outside in the snow.

Nap

**Dropped Lucy off at Auntie Rhiannon's house.**

Early afternoon - Took the boys out to SLC for their first train (trax) ride. They LOVE trains.

Late afternoon - They got to run wild at The Discovery Gateway.

Early evening - Went to Build-a-Bear. (longest line ever. I thought Te was going to kill me because I kept insisting we stay)

Dinner - They ate corn dogs. Their absolute favorite food.

That was their birthday. Not bad, huh? Later that night, Te and I went to a birthday dinner for his Aunt Stacey. Great food and great company. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.

Some pictures...

Opening presents. They got to pick out their outfits for the day. As you can see, London chose a pajama top with Toy Story 'guys' on it and Cash chose his 'choochoo' tee.

________

London on Trax, doing his classic tongue action. We didn't get too many great shots due to wiggly toddlers and a stop/go train. They had a ball, nonetheless.

________

Discovery Gateway.

_______

On the way home, they were cuddling their bears. Notice London's bear? It's a girl bear. I must have showed him every bear they had, hoping he'd change his mind. Nope, dead set on the Friendship - Peace bear. When he sets his mind on something, there's no stopping him.

_______

Cake time!

______

Poor Cash got his face shoved into the cake by mean ol' daddy. And to top that off, after eating tons of frosting, he had coughing fit and threw it all up...in front of everyone. I won't show those pictures :-) Very colorful clean-up. That didn't stop Londy pants though. He didn't think twice before going right back to eating his cake.

______

G-ma Cindy got the boys cowboy hats and made them really cute blankets. They ran around wearing them for hours.

To wrap things up, that cold that Cash had....got our entire family sick the following week. It wasn't just a normal cold either. I'm talking swollen throats, constant runny noses, deep chest coughs, fevers of 100+ and congestion so bad, it caused horrible headaches when not medicated. It's been one whole week and we are still coughing and blowing noses around here. Pretty sure I haven't gotten dressed this entire week. Ouch.

My poor little babies.

These pictures show exactly how they were feeling.

Every once in awhile...

It's been 2 weeks since I last saw my beloved chap stick. Yes, 2 weeks later I am still upset about this. Here's my dilemma:

I love lipstick but I always forget to put it on. I can remember applying chap stick because my lips tend to get chappy whenever the weather suddenly changes, which is a lot these days. I read a blog post about a tinted chap stick from MAC and everyone was raving about it. I ended up ordering it online. (MAC stuff ain't cheap either, ya feel me?) It arrives about a week later and I'm super excited about it. I use it for 2 days, loving every bit of it. Then it happened....

Cash is obsessed with chap stick. Has been for months. He loves walking around and applying to everyone in sight. So one day, I noticed he had reached up and snagged my MAC stick off the bathroom counter. Usually, I would have immediately taken it from him. Usually. I remember I was in the middle of something when I saw him with it and thought to myself, "It has a twist lid, so he can't open it and do any damage. I'll just get it later when he has lost interest." That was upstairs in my bedroom. The next time I saw him, he was downstairs and had also added my brand new, unopened, "on the go" jewelry cleaner to his growing treasure stash. Te had got it for me as a v-day gift to match the jewelry he gave me. Again I thought, "unopened, can't do damage, I'll get it when he's done with it." If I can avoid a toddler tantrum, I will.

And I never saw them again.

Here's the real kicker, I have NEVER lost anything of value before because I always find everything when I clean up later in the day or at night. I make sure to clean up their playrooms every night because I've noticed they play longer when a room is clean compared to messy. It's the "I wanna mess up a clean room" syndrome that kids have.

Anywho, I'm pretty bugged about this. I specifically asked Cash, "Don't lose mommy's lip stick, okay?" And he waddled off murmuring something in his cute little voice. So did he do this on purpose? Did I not give him enough credit to knowingly hide it, thinking it'd be funny? I have looked high and low. In every usual hiding spot of theirs. Even in spots they don't know exist. I've looked in new spots every day for two weeks. I would say he might have thrown it away, but our trash can is located in the pantry, a door that is always closed. I know I could just order another one, but there's a part of me that knows as soon as I do, I will find it.

I need to let it go and just buy a new one already because asking Cash, every day, "Where did you hide mommy's chap stick?" is not going well. He's run off and brought me back everything from a dinosaur that I haven't seen in months to an invisible "item" that he pretended to hand me today. (I admit, it was more cute than annoying)

My parting words....don't underestimate the intelligence of a toddler.

Mommy = 0

Cash = 1

R.I.P

She will be blessed.

I snapped a couple photos of Lucy in her Blessing dress.

I was in love with her dress. It fit her personality perfectly.

Thanks to everyone who came and showed their love and support.

And here's Cashus, giving me his best puppy dog eyes.

He's not happy about me taking his picture instead

of giving him the Valentines Day candy on the table.

For sale.

Hi peeps. I'm selling some stuff that no longer fits our growing family. I loved both products and hate to sale them, but my hubby won't let me get new ones (bigger) until I sale these ones first.I really want a triple stroller so I take all three kid on a walk and not have to wait for someone to help me. It sucks depending on others for such simple things. And if you've ever seen the price tag on triples...it's absolutely ridiculous! You'd think they'd make them a little cheaper knowing that people with multiples already have to buy multiple of everything. But nope...

Both items are LIKE NEW. We've had both of them for under a year and there's no sign of any serious wear or tear.

First up.

Graco Twin IPO Double Stroller - Navarro

Specs:

-Compact navy and light blue side-by-side stroller

-Convertible 3- and 5-point harness grows with your child

-Stroller weight: 32.5 lbs; each seat holds children up to 50 lbs.

-Compact navy and light blue side-by-side stroller

-Convertible 3- and 5-point harness grows with your child

-Stroller weight: 32.5 lbs; each seat holds children up to 50 lbs.

-Aluminum welded frame for lightweight durability

-Multi-position reclining seat and adjustable leg rest

-One-hand compact fold with carry handle

-Padded handle grips

-Large, easy access storage baskets under each seat

-Canopy with peek-a-boo window and sun visor

-Lockable front swivel wheels with suspension for a smoother ride

-Open dimensions: 30.8W x 26.5D x 41.5H inches

-1-year limited warranty

Retails for: ~$175.00

Selling it for: $100 (OBO)

Next up...

Juicy Couture Diaper Bag

(I copy and pasted the below sales pitch with the bag details)

Check out this quilted juicy couture diaper bag, are wonderful bags for mothers. To ensure that your entire baby needs you, this bag is a better option.

embroidered with gold, selling comes with flies flying off the top of a Diamond quilted diaper bag comes with a bib, burp cloth and changing pad and interior / exterior pockets to store your baby to all items. This bag has two colors, black, and Nardelli, you can decide who you want.

This stylish bag for babies Terry offers the best comfort and style. Leather with rhinestones and silver detailing for shine decorated. Elastic and zip pockets.

Retails for: $298 (Te got this for me as a birthday

present, it was love at first site.)

Selling it for: $175 (obo)

If you are interested in either one of these items, please email me for more pictures or any other questions! Thanks guys!!

My email is nicolel@me.com

easy as pie.

Mini venting session.

I often ask myself, and my husband, "Why in the world, do toddlers have any reason to throw tantrums?" A diaper change, from poopy to clean? No. A plate of food prepared and served right in front of them? No. How about having a warm bath to sit in and afterwards, get all lathered up with lotion and dressed for an early bedtime? Heck no. Yet they do....all the time. I can feel myself losing my sanity each and every tantrum. I hear myself yell phrases that make no sense, no wonder they look at me confused! I confuse myself sometimes.

After putting the kids down, I find myself laying on my bed, staring at the ceiling and asking myself, "What in the heck happened to the old me?" That easy-going, jokester of a person? Oh, that's right....kids happened. I just wish I would have known that was the last time I was going to see her for awhile, I would have given her a proper goodbye. Seems all I do now is worry. Are they eating enough and sleeping enough? Am I disciplining them correctly? Can I let them play with that or is there a possibility of it harming them? I can feel the gray hairs sneaking up on me.

Anyways, that's the end of my rant. Random rants, yes ma'am. I am beginning to understand the old cat ladies. Cats are easy compared to kids. Easy as pie.

___________________________

Body paint.

I am working on a little craft project that includes paint and little wooden benches (given to me by my mom) for each of the kids. Once I am done, I'll post pictures. As of now, all that's been painted are little bodies instead.

Love Sac.

I hate this LoveSac. I've been trying to get rid of it for so long now but Te keeps holding onto it for some odd reason. But finally, I've found a good use for it! It doesn't change the fact that I think it's ugly and needs to be given to the dog as a new bed.....but in the meantime, this will do. "That'll do, Donkey. That'll do."

Not my Lucy.

The past couple of weeks, Lucy has been fussy, sleep resistant, and constantly refusing food and bottles (you'd think I would know why this was, having two kids already). I was secretly praying that this wasn't her new, unimproved demeanor. Thankfully, it wasn't. Her two bottom teeth poked through yesterday. My Lucy is slowly coming back to me....phew!

6 Months.

Here are the boys at 6 months.

Here is Lucy. See a resemblance?

6 Month Stats:

Weight. 19 lbs. 5 oz. -- 90%

Height. 27 1/2" -- 90%

Head Circum. 44.2 cm or 17.4 in. -- 85%

Lucy had to receive 4 shots today. She only started crying on the 3rd and stopped immediately after I picked her up. She's so different from the boys. My little tough cookie. She's gonna need to be tough with who she's growing up next to.

Goodbye 2010.

We had some good times in 2010. Here are a few of my favorites...

-Making gingerbread houses-

They liked eating it way more than building it.

-Spare room to Playroom-

We made the kids a playroom out of our spare bedroom. This was their ultimate Christmas present because we even filled it with all new toys and furniture. We went downstairs in the morning and had them open their presents under the tree. Once they were done and the hype was starting to die down, we took them upstairs to see their other present.

Needless to say, they spent the entire day in that room. I think Santa did good. :-)

-Becoming best friends-

Over the past year, we've slowly watched the boys get closer and closer. They do fight but not very often. Every time they do, it's to timeout they go, followed by giving each other a hug and saying sorry. They don't like being apart but love 1-on-1 time with mom or dad. We've even caught them holding hands a couple times. They have fun with each other and we have fun watching them with each other. Its a win-win!

-Our ultimate favorite things about 2010-

Cashus.

1. His ability to make me smile instantly, even when I am completely mad at him.

2. His big brother attitude. He has to have control of every situation when it comes to his brother. "Now you have this sippy cup and I'll have this one."

3. When he says "momma" over and over and over again until I answer him or give him what he wants.

4. How he loves to cuddle at random times throughout the day.

5. He makes the "smack" noise after kisses.

6. He LOVES being tickled by long nails. He completely freezes, drops his jaw and can barely breathe.

7. How he loves talking. He jibber jabbers all day long and talks to us like we know exactly what he's saying. Plus, he will try saying any word we throw at him. He's a total chatterbox.

8. When he doesn't quite know what he wants and you ask him a simple yes/no question, his response will be "no....yes!" And even when you ask him again and again, his response will be the same. Slightly frustrating but incredibly cute.

9. When singing him his nightly lullaby, he will hum along.

10. How he says "What's that?" to almost everything new he sees.

11. How no matter how many times we sing a night night song, he will always ask us to sing it once more.

London.

1. London is his own man. He does what he wants, when he wants, and will not take 'no' for an answer.

2. How he calls his brother "dundon".

3. How after 22 months of sleeping in the same crib, one night he decided he wanted to switch Cash cribs and has went to that crib every night since.

4. He's a leader. He will be the first to come up with any scheme, game, or idea...and his brother will follow along. Sadly, this goes hand in hand with getting in trouble more, too!

5. He has this weird ability to see whenever a pop can, piece of food, or really anything he's not suppose to have, is put within his reach. It's a superpower, really. I am amazed at how fast he can get there.

6. How he can say tons of words but when it comes to 'please', he will always sign it, not say it.

7. All his corky traits. Out of nowhere, I will see him doing the weirdest things. We will make eye contact and he will give me that corky smile of his.

8. He has the funniest crusty face when he gets mad. He squints his eyes and will hold that glare until he's decided that enough time has passed and he's over it.

9. How he sincerely misses his brother whenever he's gone or can't be found.

10. Anytime Lucy starts crying or fussing, he yells at the top of his lungs, "BABY!" We thought at first that he did this because he was annoyed with her, but over time, we've figured out that he actually cares about her wellbeing.

11. He loves babies. Especially little Lucy. Hugs, kisses and plays with her all the time.

Lucy.

1. Her smile.

2. She is incredibly curious. She will snag anything that comes within her reach.

3. Her laugh. She really makes you work for it, but when you get her to laugh, its unlike anything else.

4. How she thinks its funny to annoy her brothers by pulling their hair or grabbing one of the toys they are playing with.

5. She has an amazing death grip. If you attempt to take something away from her that she's not ready to give up, you will have to peel her fingers away from it, one by one.

6. How she loves cuddling with me and her dad. She would prefer to sleep in between us every night if she could.

7. No matter how hungry she is or how little sleep she's got, she will always give you a smile if you smile at her.

8. Ever since she was born, she has had the WORST farts imaginable. 90% of the time, Te and I would change her, assuming she was poopy...oh no, she just has bad gas.

9. She has always been a really calm baby. She will watch me tend to her brothers and wait patiently until its her turn. This attribute is one of the reasons I have kept my sanity.

10. She gets excited about any toy that is given to her. She acts like its the best toy ever, every time.

11. She is my personal sanity. All I have to do is hold and snuggle her and all the craziness of life disappears for those tiny, but perfect, seconds.

My kids are my life and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I am excited to watch them grow in 2011.