where's my girl?

Today Ellery had one of her firsts. Her first tantrum.

After an accidental collision with McKay in the hallway, a crying Ellery wanted her souci (binky). Just within the last couple days I decided it was time to just let her have souci's in her bed- she was rapidly getting too attached. So I didn't give it to her. She kept crying and running into her bed to show me what she wanted, but I told her no.

Then the screaming began. . .

. . . and the flailing around on the floor. . .

. . .and more screaming and thrashing around.

This went on for about thirty minutes. Brian and I did not know what to make of her. We knew after about ten minutes that she was having a tantrum and we just let her cry it out in the hallway. Tantrums are funny- after about ten minutes of crying they don't even remember what they were crying about.

I was feeling bad for her. . but it was also a bit entertaining. Entertaining enough that I started snapping a few pictures. Brian and I have never really experienced a tantrum of this magnitude before, with McKay or Ellery.




Being the softy that he is, especially regarding Elle, Brian picked her up after her thirty-minutes and plopped her in bed. . .with her precious souci.


This girl is proving to be very different than her brother. The attitude is out in full force and she definitely has a mind of her own. Like, for example, how she's trying to stop taking her nap. . .at the age of sixteen months. I go between mourning and being really angry about this, but mostly I refuse to accept it. Even though she has only napped twice in the last week, I will not give up.

So, we can't help but wonder if this sudden feisty streak is a girl thing, a second child thing, or just an Ellery thing?

i'm addicted

To chapstick. Lip balm. Whatever you call it, I'm addicted to it. I can't go very long without putting it on, and I definitely can't sleep without it. I apply it right before I fall asleep, so that it will last longer through the night. If by any chance my kids wake up during the night, I must then reapply.

In the wintertime I found the most wonderful chapstick. And it actually is Chapstick! The peppermint flavor became my chapstick of choice and I never planned to change. Well, now it's February and I cannot find it anywhere! I am scraping the bottom of my purse tube, and my kitchen counter tube is getting too low for comfort. My night time tube is the one that has been replaced by various alternatives. Cherry Natural Ice is the best alternate, but I'm really missing my peppermint. (It has to be minty/menthol chapstick too, if not, it makes my lips crave it even more) Jana recommended Burt's Bees, so today I bought one when I was at Walmart. I liked it, but it's no peppermint.

Catchin' Up

There are about a dozen things that I've been meaning to blog about. I'm just trying to make it day to day at this point, but I decided that tonight is the night that I do a post! So that's what I'm doing. To condense the last several weeks events into one post I decided to pick just one picture of whatever we've done. And just a few random ones thrown in.

Like this one. How could I take away her purple crayon? Mean mother.





Nash and Elle. We love having play dates with Nash and Gray (and Halle too). I really like their expressions in this picture. They are so annoyed/bored with me taking their picture.





Swimming at the Lehi Legacy center with cousins and Poppy. They all piled on his back and he swam them around.Such a fun kids pool, if you haven't ever been.



Eto forgot his swimsuit. By the way, his name is Ethan. Eto is just the most wonderful nickname that I will use until I die. Do you know any Ethan's? Try it out.

Taking a turn being Lisa. Lisa is my sister. She has seven kids (including Eto). Her and Trevor went on a cruise and so my mom, Jana and Mark, and I took shifts while they were gone. I had a short shift, but I learned that being Lisa is hard, McKay ignores me when he's around his cousins, they get an enormous amount of sales calls and Ellery plus two flights of stairs equals total exhaustion.

But it was fun being around my cute neices and nephews for a couple days. I got to help Alyssa make that beautiful poster. And I got to help Bryson with his Valentine's box, and calm Brandon down after a piano practice melt down. And snuggle with Ashie- she's a snuggler and Ellery is not, so I enjoyed all the snuggles I could get.

Ellery found this in the garbage. The reaction when I took it away was similar to the purple crayon.

I just thought she looked especially beautiful here, chubby cheeks and all. I like this girl a lot.

Jump On It! McKay was a blur running and jumping around, Ellery was trying to keep up right behind him. Independent, that one.

I think McKay liked Valentines day almost as much as Christmas. That's what's great about this holiday. Kids think it's so special, but it takes hardly any preparation. He was thrilled with making Valentines for daddy, donuts for breakfast, which are "very unhealthy"- he always reminds us, balloons, a pink bath, picking out a red shirt to wear, calling several relatives to wish them a happy valentine's day, and seeing both sets of grandparents. It was a good day for this boy.

It was a a good day for this girl, too. She ate this whole donut for breakfast. I was amazed.

McKay also went to the circus with Grandma, and the aunts, but every time I tried to upload the picture, a picture of my cat came up. Is she sending me a message from the other side?

Tibbers, are you there?

but I'm twelve

Today I recited the Young Women's theme with a group of young women for the first time in ten years. It was weird to hear myself saying it again, but aside from the new additions, I still knew it. As I stood up to introduce myself to those young women that I don't know at all yet, I felt like I was still one of them. Am I really old enough to be leading them? It was strange. But also exciting.

It seems like for the past two weeks young women's is all I've been thinking about. All I've been praying about. All I've been worrying about. Poor Brian is tired of hearing me talk about it. He's also been getting a kick out of saying, "You're not the president of me." when I ask him to do something. I'm a little bit terrified of this new calling. . .but grateful for the already amazing experiences that have helped me to know that it's where I'm supposed to be. And grateful for the things that fall into place right when you need them to. And definitely grateful for both the wonderful blessings that Brian and the bishop gave me, specifically reminding me that the Lord will make up for my weaknesses. . .which are many. "The Lord doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called." Counting on that.

As if all that hadn't already complicated my previously very uncomplicated life, I now have been summoned to report to jury duty selection. Really hoping that they don't want me, although dad says, "it's a privilege." Cross your fingers.

this may be vague . . .

. . .but I'm pretty proud of this guy right now.
I know he wouldn't want to be the subject of this post. . .but I had to say a little something.

He's had a crazy, exhausting week and I can't wait to see him coming back through the door in a few hours!

In other news, because I was 100% sure Ellery had an ear infection, today I took her to the doctor. You know what she has? Two molars coming in. Do you think I felt stupid that I paid the doctor $20 to tell me my girl was teething? Yes. Yes I did.

here's what i'm thinking

I am so glad to say goodbye to January! I've really been feeling the seasonal blues, and I'm hoping that having January over will be the end of them. January also found me in a blogging rut. I usually have enough things to blog about that I never actually get to all of them, but this month has been pretty sparse. I actually don't have anything interesting to say today, but in honor of it being February first, I'll share just a few random tidbits from our day:

• My sunbeam gave a talk today on Adam and Eve. He was SO excited to talk in the microphone but when we actually got up there he was as stiff as a board and at the same time shrinking into this little heap of a three year old with as many fingers in his mouth as he could manage. The first half of the talk was inaudible, but by the end you could hear actual sound- not words, but sound. I guess practicing into the wire whisk wasn't at all like the real thing. But you know what? He is as proud as punch of himself. And I am too
• Last week, while pretending to be an alligator, my sunbeam bit his teacher in the behind. McKay didn't tell us this- his teacher did. McKay's reply, "I was a big, big alligator and he was a scary snake." Oh, so that's why.
• Today was my first time in relief society in our new ward because I've been substituting in primary. I generally get about twenty percent of what is being said during church on account of my girl. Between opening snacks, reading Brown Bear over and over, corralling her in my general area, making sure she doesn't rummage through other people's bags, picking the smashed snacks up off the floor and preventing her from lovingly mauling any nearby babies, I am pretty busy. Today in relief society I managed to hear something that I always need to hear. An older lady commented on how she was always waiting for the next thing in her life to happen. "I can't wait until my kids aren't in diapers. I can't wait until they're all in school, etc. . ." I can sometimes fall victim of waiting for certain things in life to change before I start living it. The lady shared how those things in life are but for a small moment, and you can never get them back. A very good reminder for parents of young children. I guess I can wait until Ellery goes to nursery in April, or until McKay stops picking his nose, or whatever. Because someday I'll miss not having a baby to entertain during three hours of church, and someday I might miss telling a three year old to get a tissue.
• I wore my zebra print cardigan today. Brian HATES it and almost can't be around me if I'm wearing it. I just tell him that he wears weird things too and that I don't take fashion advice from him. I actually thought about showing a picture on here and taking votes, but I don't have a picture and what if you all hate it too? I'd rather not know because I like it.
• This afternoon McKay picked up my pen and did a big scribble on the couch. As he was clicking the pen shut he said, "Uh oh mom! I just accidentally colored on the couch! I'm so sorry." A big time out followed, after which McKay cried, "Mom. I'm just so sad because you are angry at me." Even though I wasn't very angry at him, telling him he was getting a long time out for what he did was angry enough for him. It's funny how that boy can make me want to apologize for putting him in time out and making him cry. He's just so sweet, even when he colors on the couch or bites his teacher on the bum.