October Fall Fun

Did anyone else feel like October flew by? I sure did, and maybe it was because we were very busy! Fall is seriously the best time of year, and I just love all the fun activities that come with it. Here are some of the fun things we did as a family last month. 

We went to our favorite admission-free pumpkin patch... Petersen Family Farm in Riverton. They have a huge selection of pumpkins, and fun things like a petting zoo, corn pit, slide, and tractors to climb on. 

Playing in leaves is always a fall favorite! We have a huge tree in our yard that drops a ton of leaves every year, and its perfect for making leaf piles. Kenzie wasn't too sure about it, but her sister dove right in. Classic. 

Our next stop was Jakers in Springville with cousins. This pumpkin patch charges $2 to get in, but the activities they have are totally worth it. We did a corn maze, slides, and spent a lot of time in the HUGE corn pit. 

It has become a family tradition to come here with cousins, and the kids always have SO much fun. We spent 2 hours there, and could have probably stayed longer if it wasn't so hot!

We always love going to the ward trunk or treat! This year the girls dressed as a butterfly and flower. Turns out, Kenzie REALLY hates having stuff on her head. She cried when I got her in the costume, so she spent most of the night looking like a weird green blob. 

On Halloween we drove down to Orem so that Auntie Nellie could give us some better costumes, and she conveniently works down the street from Krispy Kream. They were giving out free donuts to any kids dressed in a Halloween costume, so we scored some yummy treats!

Then we drove to Grandma's house and trick or treated in their neighborhood. It was a cold night, so I was glad we switched to the warm, fleece costumes. Marley had so much fun, and said Thank You at every house without me having to remind her.

We didn't stay out too late, because Marley had school the next day. It was such a fun night, and both girls fell asleep before we even reached the freeway!

October was such a fun month, and now we're excitedly getting ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas! Celebrating the holidays with kids makes everything way more fun. 

Stay tuned for more adventures! 

Mackenzie: 18 Month Update

Kenzie turned 18 months old on September 19th! With my laptop out of commission, its a bit harder for me to write blog posts now. I finally had some time to sit down in the basement on the desktop and write about our sweet girl.  

Since turning one, Kenzie has changed so much! She doesn't drink bottles, eats (almost) anything you put in front of her, and is VERY sure on her feet. She is FAST!

By this age I can really see her personality, and she is truly the sweetest kid. She hardly ever cries, mostly when her sister messes with her. 

Here's a story to give you an idea of how different Kenzie is from her sister...

Last week while Marley was at school, Kenzie and I were out running errands. It was pretty early in the morning and the sun wasn't very high in the sky. As a result, it was in Kenzies eyes the whole time we drove around. 

This sweet girl of ours just quietly turned her head and looked the other way, without making a peep. If that had been Marley she would have just stared straight into the sun and screamed the entire time. (She still does that!)

Kenzie is a very happy kid, and it takes a lot to make her mad. She is very tender hearted, and when I get stern with her she almost always starts bawling. (This usually happens when she steals the remote, or gets into the tv stand.) Or maybe I have a drama queen on my hands...we'll see!

By this age, Marley started showing major attitude and I think that's when we had to start doing time outs. Kenzie is just content to snuggle and hold hands at the moment. She has been doing things a little slower than her sister (Walking, talking, eating solid foods, etc) so I'm sure its coming!

Here's how other things are going....

Mackenzie Likes

Getting to sit on the couch

Watching Little Einstein's and Curious George

Playing with her sister

Shopping with mama

When the baby gate gets left open 

Getting to play outside

Snuggling on the couch and holding hands

Getting her back scratched

Pulling out all our shoes 

Bathtime

Sneaking up on people (She's so quiet, I am constantly bumping into her because she comes out of nowhere!)

Pumping her fists when she's excited

Eating! Favorites are: Pretzels, shredded cheese, goldfish, ALL meat, and nutri-grain bars.

Talking: Mama, Dada, ball, nigh-night, and hi.

Mackenzie Doesn't Like

Being gated in the living room

When mom opens the door to check the mail, but doesn't let her play outside
Being scolded (A stern "NO! NO!" will bring her to tears)

Getting toys taken away by her sister

Staying awake in the car after shopping

Getting out of the tub

Noodles or beans

Letting Mommy sleep in

Lots of big changes are coming in the next few months. Kenzie gets to go to nursery and will soon be talking our ears off like her sister does. 

The Whole Story....

There once was a Marley who swallowed a screw...so we had to go through her poo. 

Last Saturday evening I was getting a bath ready for the girls, and went into Marley's room to get her. I had noticed she was hiding in her closet being suspiciously quiet, but I figured she was just playing. I told her it was time for a bath and she ran over to me crying and holding her throat. 

She kept saying, "It hurts! It hurts!" and I immediately asked her if she swallowed something. She said yes, and I started asking her what she ate. I couldn't get a straight answer out of her, so I asked her what it looked like. 

She said, "It had a circle with a line on it, and it was sparkly." By this time, Jason was in the room too and we were looking around trying to find something that fit the description. 

**Side note... The closet doors in Marley's room are accordion-type, with hinges that are screwed onto the back. They are pretty old, and the screws are always falling out. When I spot one on the floor, I pick it up and put in on Marley's dresser so that I can have Jason fix it when he comes home.**

There was a screw I had found a few days earlier sitting on Marley's dresser, and I grabbed it and asked her if that is what she swallowed. She said yes, and I looked at Jason and said, "Looks like we're headed to the emergency room."

He stayed home with Kenzie while I drove Marley to the ER in Murray. (Looking back, I realize I could have totally just gone to Instacare, but I was freaking out.)

I got her all checked in, and she loved every minute of the attention from the bubbly nurses. The doctor came in and asked me a bunch of questions. I started to get a little annoyed because I could tell they thought I was crazy. They kept saying, "So you didn't SEE her swallow the screw?" Or "She seems so fine and happy, breathing normally."

After I saw that x-ray pop on the screen I said, "Yeah, NOT crazy!!" Marley is very well-spoken, and I knew once she described the screw to me exactly what had happened. 

So we met back up with the doctor and he said that since the screw had already made it to the stomach, that we just needed to wait and hope it passes. He recommended a follow up x-ray two days later just to make sure that the screw was moving through her system.

Marley got such a kick out of getting to see her bones on the x-ray, and seeing the screw in her tummy. She kept telling the nurses (with a sigh) "Yeah, I swallowed a screw."

We headed home, with a haul of 6+ stickers, a box of crayons, and a coloring book that Marley conned from the nurses for being "so cute" (I wasn't buying it...) and brave. 

By Monday we still hadn't seen the screw so I took Marley back to instacare for a follow up x-ray. They never showed that one to me, but the doctor told me that things were moving along and that the screw should pass in the next few days. 

Finally, after 4 days of searching poop for a screw...having to tell Marley's teacher that if she happened to poop in her pull up that they needed to call me so I could check it (that was fun, I love getting looked at like I'm crazy)... Jason found the screw in her pull-up on Wednesday, the ONE morning I slept in. 

I have to say, I was a little jealous that I wasn't the one to find it but I'm just glad this craziness is over. Marley loves telling people she "pooped out the screw," and has promised that she will never eat anything that isn't food again.

A lot of people ask me why she did it, and I have absolutely NO idea. My theory is that she had it in her mouth, and when I came in and told her it was bathtime, I surprised her and she swallowed it by accident. But honestly, who knows?! 

Toddlers are the worst... 

  

My Baby is Growing up!

Lots of big changes around here for miss Marley! She started preschool and dance class last month, and is loving all of it.  

This kid is SO high energy, I decided it was time to find her some kind of organized activity to take part in. The class she is doing is very fun and carefree. Its only for 2-3 year olds, so there isn't much stress over proper technique and all that. The kids are just having fun figuring out what their bodies can do! There is lots of scarf waving, twirling, and posing. Marley is having so much fun so far, and doesn't even realize her teacher is sneaking in some dance technique.  

A week after dance class started, Marley had her first day of preschool. She was so excited to wear a backpack (Pack Pack, as she calls it.) and get to go to school. 

Her first day was a little rocky, and I got an interesting report from her teacher. Marley struggles a little bit with the structure of school, is very impulsive, and doesn't like being told what to do. I'm grateful she gets the opportunity to learn from someone other than mommy. 

Since that first day, Marley has improved so much. By day 3 her teacher told me that she has greatly improved and is listening better. Right now I'm just waiting for her teacher to tell me Marley didn't yell at all during the day, and then Marley gets a slurpee. (Her choice of reward) We're still waiting...

Our weeks are now kept pretty busy, but I like having places to be and getting Marley out of the house. Marley will have a dance recital in December, and I can't wait! It will be so cute. 

Mommy For a Day

If Kenzie were Mommy for a day...

-We would watch Little Einstein's all day long.

-No one would slam the baby gate in her face.

-Someone would hold her hand at all times. (She has a hand fetish)

-Mommy would lay next to her and snuggle for her whole nap/all through the night.

-Marley would share her crayons, and no one would care if she ate a few.

-All the paper-back storybooks would be torn to shreds.

-The TV remote would be all hers, and she would push EVERY button.

-Daddy wouldn't leave to go to work. 

-We would play outside all day long.

-No one would freak out if she put rocks in her mouth.

-All the applesauce pouches in all the land would be hers. 

-No one would get mad when she opens the doors to the tv stand and pulls out the dvd player. 

-She wouldn't get in trouble for destroying EVERYTHING her sister builds out of legos. 

-All food, especially things that come in crinkly wrappers, would be surrendered to her immediately. 

**I wrote a similar post when Marley was this age. Read that one HERE

Summer Fun

We've been having lots of fun this summer. With Jason busy working his internship, the way I keep myself sane is by getting out of the house. Marley is SO high energy, she gets stir crazy too if we've been inside too long. Fortunately, we have been able to find fun things to do in our area. 

We love going to the library for story time! 

The library also put on a super fun ballet workshop, and Marley LOVED it. She talked about hardly anything else for a week straight. 

We also love playing at the park in the morning before it gets too hot. I've been able to go walking with a friend sometimes in the mornings, and its a bonus for the girls because we end it right at the playground. 

Mostly fun for Mom, but we all love going shopping! The girls are great little shoppers and they love going to Target with me because that means free cookies. 

We visited Thanksgiving Point last week and the girls LOVED the Museum of Natural Curiosity. Since Kenzie has just learned to walk, she was in heaven getting to play. 

Playing outside in the water counts as getting out of the house too! We've got lots of water toys, and the girls would do this all day if I let them.

We've still got a month of summer left to have many more adventures! Marley will start preschool next month and I'm also planning on signing her up for a dance class. We love keeping busy! 

Week of Fun with Family

Last week we had a fun, busy time with family! My parents and brother Nathan came out from California, and we were able to visit with them and do something fun every day of the week. 

After a crazy busy Monday celebrating Independence Day, we had a calm low key Tuesday. The day was spent at my sisters house in Spanish Fork, and we relaxed while the kids played and had lots of fun.

Wednesday was spent hunting for treasures at DI's along I-15. We went to three separate stores, and everyone had success finding awesome stuff. I found a train table, radio flyer scooters and Big Wheel bike, lots of board books, and a cute Christmas decoration/candy dish. 

Thursday we spent the day in Provo walking around BYU, and then relaxed at my sisters house again in the evening. 

Friday we spent the day at Liberty Park visiting with family for a Larkin Reunion. Both the girls played so hard, and got SO dirty. Kenzie practiced her walking, and everyone was very impressed.

Saturday was a very special day. My niece Evelyn was baptized and I was able to give the baptism talk. Everything went great, and we are so proud of her! We had a yummy lunch afterwards at Pizza Pie Cafe, and Kenzie crashed. 

Sunday was another special day, because my other niece Maddie was blessed. She is such a sweet baby, and we are so happy Maddie is here. It was so awesome to have these milestones back to back, and I am so grateful for my wonderful family. 

The week was crazy busy and exhausting, but honestly I loved having so much to do and being able to spend time with my family. Marley is sure missing everyone now that she is stuck at home with boring old me. 

4th of July Weekend

We had a very busy and very fun 4th of July weekend! It was so much fun spending time with our little family, and also getting to see our extended family as well. 

On Saturday the 2nd, we spent the day cleaning house and fixed up our yard since we were hosting a BBQ on the 4th. Once the girls woke up from their naps, we headed down to Provo to tailgate with family and watch the fireworks outside Stadium of Fire. 

We ate lots of yummy food, and enjoyed the time visiting and playing with cousins. Marley was VERY unsure about the loud fireworks at first, but got used to them after a bit and LOVED seeing all the pretty colors. Kenzie wasn't phased at all, she actually fell asleep halfway through and didn't flinch once. 

The next day, my parents and brother drove out here from California and they were able to join us for the 4th of July festivities. 

We woke up very early on the 4th so that we could drive back down to Provo to watch their parade. Jason's little sister Heidi marched in the Parade with American Fork High School, and it was awesome getting to see that!

Marley loved every bit of the parade, and Kenzie decided to take a nap. After that was over, we headed back home and relaxed for a couple hours.

We hosted a BBQ at our house later that evening, and both our families were able to come. We also had some neighborhood friends join us, and it was quite a group! 

After eating tons of food, and playing in the pool and slip n slide, we shot off our fireworks. Jason loves this part so very much, and he always gets to buy a bunch as an early birthday present. 

Unfortunately, we had some fireworks towards the end that decided to not work properly and gave us quite a scare. That put a stop to the fun real quick, but we enjoyed most of them and everyone was safe. 

We are truly blessed to live in this great country! I am thankful for the sacrifices made by so many, so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we do. God bless America!

Trip To California

Earlier this month we were able to take a trip to California to visit my family and attend my little brother's high school graduation. We had such a fun time, and the girls did great. 

We decided to rent a mini van for the trip so that we could have more space, and it was the best. The girls loved the DVD player, and we loved that they were so easily entertained. 

We drove all day Thursday, and attended Nathan's graduation the next day. We started the day with a family breakfast at Denny's and then braced ourselves to sit in 99 degree weather for a few hours. The graduation was great, even though we were all VERY sweaty. It was fun cheering for Nathan and acknowledging all his hard work. 

Later on we attended a party for one of Nathan's good friends, and Marley got to "swim" in a big pool for the first time. The older girls were so great with her, and I felt so bad when it was time to leave. 

The next day we had a graduation party for my brother and it was so fun to catch up with family and friends. The girls loved getting to meet everyone, and it was a very fun day. 

Sunday was a fun day, because we got to attend Stake Conference. Jason and I grew up in the same stake, but when we come home for visits we always attend my family ward. It was nice for him to catch up with people from his old ward too, and we were able to visit with so many friends. 

Monday was a busy day, as we headed into the city to enjoy some tourist stops and take the kids to the beach. We stopped by AT&T park to shop at the dugout store, and Marley was very excited to get her own Giants hat. Then we headed to Pier 39 and had a yummy lunch at Boudins. We shopped around and picked up some treats, 
then made our last stop at the beach. 

I wish we could have spent the whole day at the beach, because Marley LOVED it. The weather wasn't all that great, but we still had fun. Jason's brother met us there because he lives nearby. I wish we could have spent more time with him, 
Marley loves her Uncle Mason. 

The day was topped off with dessert at BJ's where we treated Nathan to a graduation Pazookie. We took two VERY tired girls back to the hotel and got ready to drive home in the morning.  

We got a slow start in the morning, sleeping in was nice after such a very busy week. We got on the road at about 9:30, and didn't make it home till about 10:30. With the time change, it took us exactly 12 hours to get back home to Utah. 

Our trip was so much fun, and it seemed to fly by! We were very busy, and I wish we could have spent more time there but we had to get back to real life here in Utah. 

Jason's Graduation

I honestly never thought this day would come, but Jason is finally ready to graduate from the University of Utah! 

Last week we attended commencement and convocation to celebrate all of his hard work. Thursday was the big commencement ceremony for all the graduates, and that was sure an eventful night. 

I sat with Jason's parents as he sat with his fellow engineering students, and they were a great help keeping Marley entertained. The ceremony lasted a LONG time, and I managed to keep Kenzie happy until the end too. Little did I know, that as I was bouncing Kenzie around during the fight song at the very end...it would be a huge mistake. 

She proceeded to vomit...all over herself, me, grandma's purse, the people in front of us, and the floor. I'm not talking spit up, this was the entire contents of her stomach. It was SO bad. Bless Jason's mom for helping me clean Kenzie up, and salvage her poor dress. And bless Jason's dad for cleaning up the floor and apologizing profusely to the strangers who had puke down their backs.  

We made it home ok afterwards, and it was just a onetime thing. Kenzie didn't appear to be seriously sick, which was a good thing, because we had to hit the ground running the next day for Convocation. 

Convocation was the ceremony just for Engineering students, where they would read off Jason's name. We camped out up in the top of the arena where Marley walked around with Jason's dad and I sat with Kenzie while she napped. That ceremony took FOREVER but it was great to cheer for Jason and celebrate everything he has worked for.

The day was topped off with a nice dinner at Olive Garden, and then we finally went home to rest! 

A lot of people have been asking about what our plans are now, so here's what the near future looks like for us...

Jason has an internship lined up for the whole summer, he will be very busy but we are excited for him to get some experience and have a good job reference in his field of study. 

Even though Jason walked at graduation this month, he actually won't be officially done until December. The U only does one graduation ceremony a year, so we wanted to make sure we could fit it in now just in case Jason receives a job offer out of state. It would have been very sad to miss out on graduation, and all the awesome pictures. (I wouldn't have minded missing out on the vomit though...) 

Our goal is to remain in Utah, because Jason's parents live here as well as my 2 sisters. Somewhere in Utah county would be ideal, but we will go where there is a job! 

I can't believe our chapter as college students is almost over, and we are very excited to see what the future holds for us! I am so thankful to my husband for working VERY hard to take care of us and making the future look very bright. 

Stay tuned to see where we end up!