San Diego Trip - Days 1 and 2

The last time I traveled to my parent's house in California was when Eleanor was 8 months old. Since Scarlett recently turned 8 months, and Kevin was going on a trip with his brothers and dad, I figured it was time to visit again. We used some of Kevin's skymiles and I flew out with the girls on Monday, June 16. 

I was a little nervous about flying with both girls by myself. Kevin did walk with us to the gate, which made a big difference going through security. 

Ellie had a minor freak out when it was time to walk onto the plane and kept saying, "No plane. Go back home!" A flight attendant had to carry her to our seats for me since my hands were full. The girls were pretty good on the flight. I had plenty of snacks and a few new toys for Ellie that kept her occupied. Scarlett managed to pour an entire cup of water all over me, soaking the front of my pants, but other than that the flight was pretty uneventful.

My mom picked us up from the airport and we headed straight to Coronado Island to sit on the beach. Going to the beach was all Ellie talked about the weeks leading up to our trip and she was not disappointed. She was hesitant at first, but quickly embraced the hot sand and salty waves.

Day Two of our trip we made the short 5 min drive to the San Diego Safari Park. The balloon ride was finally working, so we ventured up. 

Next we took the Safari Tram, my favorite attraction at the park. 

Feeding the ducks.

Eleanor loved all the animals (which I apparently didn't take pictures of) and had a great time at the Safari Park.

Scarlett - 7 Months

Scarlett turned seven months on Sunday (Mother's Day!) and she is still just as cute as can be. I sure hope she is growing since it seems like she is eating all the time. Here are a few things I want to remember about this stage:

- Sleeps in her crib 10-12 hours a night. Still cries a bit before falling asleep, but it seems to be getting better.

- Naps very inconsistently and almost never in her crib. (Two naps today in her crib which has never happened before!!!)

- Eats solids three times a day and eats just about everything. Loves bananas, applesauce, pears, green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes and squash. We started her on meats to try to fatten her up but she hates them.

- Nurses 5-6 times a day

- Cries whenever I put her down or give her to someone else.

- Sits up by herself for just a few seconds. I'm sure it would be better if she would ever let me put her down.

- Loves playing with the beanie baby flamingo Grandma Anderson gave her along with her baby doll and any toys Eleanor leaves lying around.

- Laughs and smiles whenever she is around Eleanor.

Tulip Festival

Kevin and I went to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point several years ago for one of our first dates. it was probably one of my favorite dates. We haven't been back since and I have been dying to go, so since we purchased a Thanksgiving Point family membership this year we ended up going twice. The first time it was right before closing so we were rushed. The second time was pretty sunny so neither trip was great for pictures, but we managed to get a few cute ones.

Four Years

Like I said, April is a busy month for us. In addition to both our birthdays, our anniversary also falls in my beloved namesake month.

This year was extremely chill. We had a gift card for the Olive Garden so we brought the girls along for a soup, salad and breadsticks lunch. I had a coupon for a free mini bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes (sign up for their birthday club!) and so we picked that up on the way home. It was incredible. 

We were too full from lunch to actually eat dinner, so we simply had homemade funnel cakes later in the evening. They were surprisingly easy and delicious. 

I loved what my friend Jenny did to recap her anniversary so I decided to use her idea as well and break down some highlights from our four years of marriage.

- Moved to Spanish Fork when we got married, then bought our first home in Eagle Mountain last summer.

- Went through a year of trying to conceive, finally figured out the issue (thyroid) and now have two beautiful little girls. 

- Vacationed together to Washington State, California, Philadelphia, Miami Beach, Idaho, Las Vegas, Cancun and went on a cruise. 

- Worked together for over a year at the same company and loved being able to spend so much time together.

- Lived in two fabulous LDS wards and Kevin has served as Elder's Quorum President, Executive Secretary, Varsity Coach, and currently the Young Men's First Counselor. I have served as Young Women's Second Counselor, Activity Days leader (twice), Relief Society Activity Chairman and currently Primary Secretary.

I sure love my husband and it seriously feels like we have been married for so much longer than four years (in a good way!). He is my rock and continues to inspire me to be better and do better each day.

Kevin Turns 34

The month of April is a busy one for us. Kevin turned 34 on the 22nd and we had fun celebrating him. We were able to have breakfast together: Funfetti pancakes and eggs. Then Kevin actually got a chance to do some work up in SLC, so he was gone the rest of the day. He came home to his birthday tradition of tacos for dinner, then headed off to the Young Men's activity. Eleanor inpatiently awaited his arrival home for cake and ice cream.

I tried a new recipe this year from Pintrest and it was amazing! An orange bundt cake with orange glaze. The glaze was a total failure texture wise, but it still tasted great! 

I sure love my incredible husband. I know being out of work has been really hard on him emotionally, but he still remains optimistic and hopeful that something will come up soon. In the meantime we will continue to enjoy this time we have with him and "be grateful in our circumstances."

Easter 2014

I love Easter. I get to focus on and strengthen my testimony of Jesus Christ and share it with my loved ones. It is also a chance to celebrate spring and renewal. What's not to love about that?

Easter morning the girls came downstairs to their Easter baskets. Ellie was excited about the princess lollipops and all of the fun outdoor toys. I think Scarlett liked hers too. :-)

Eleanor trying her first Peep. It took her a while to warm up to it.

A quick photo after church. Love them!

After church we headed up to Syracuse to my aunt and uncle's for dinner. The food was so good! And of course Ellie got to do an Easter egg hunt.

The girls love spending time with Aunt Judy!

The Friday before Easter we dyed eggs. Eleanor really got into this year. Love making these memories.

Scarlett 6 Months

I don't have her stats yet, but she seems like she is growing fast. I think her biggest milestone is that she is finally sleeping in her crib in her room. She still cries for a while when we put her down, but the last few nights she has not woken up to eat during the night. It has made a world of a difference! She was was going to bed at 11 pm and waking up 2 to 3 times a night to eat, then waking up at 7:30 am for the day. I was exhausted. We finally started sleep training and I am happy things are going better.

At Six Months Scarlett:

- Rolls everywhere! She finally started rolling front to back at 5.5 months and a week later started rolling back to front.

- Eats solid food once a day, starting to do twice a day. Enjoys just about everything.

- Loves her big sister! She smiles when she sees Eleanor and loves to interact with her.

- Wears 6 month clothes and some 3-6 months.

- Finally started nursing every 3-4 hours this week instead of every 2 hours. Has maybe one bottle a day.

- Went on her first road trip. Two days up to Washington and two days back. She was actually a great little traveler. 

- Met lots of cousins! 

- Is still a very happy baby.

I sure do love her! Here are some pics from the last few weeks.

Hanging out with cousin Zac Dunn. They are 4 months apart.

Meeting cousin Naomi in Idaho.

Hugs from cousin Nathan.

 

Pictures taken by Aunt Tania.

Playing in the walker at Grandma and Grandpa Anderson's house.

Loving cousin Jake!

Sleeping Beauty

Looking cute with cousin Sophie.

Loved cousin Kate!

Enjoying time with her sister.

First time sitting in a cart, with some help since she can't sit up by herself yet.