Our Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is just a fun excuse for us to eat fancy food and buy the kids presents and this year was no exception. Matt and I aren't big into Valentine's Day and haven't been out in years due to the crowds. We usually enjoy a nice of fancy home cooked food or order Chinese Take Out and watch movies while we cuddle. This year our weekend was kinda shot when I got scheduled to work Friday and on call on Sunday but we did our best to still have a good time. Friday when I got home form work there was a package for all of us from my mom for Valentine's. She has been doing this as long as I can remember and the kids are always super excited about it. The anticipation was killing them by the time I got home they could hardly stand it. 

 We each receive a little gift and a bunch of treats

 The girls each got a Frozen coloring package and stickers they were thrilled and played with them while I got dinner going. Later that night Hallie was not feeling well. She was complaining that her ear hurt and in the middle of the night spiked a temp of 103. Luckily ibprofen made her comfortable for the most part and got us through the night. The next morning I called our ped to get an appt. we only had to wait an hour and they were able to get us in and the girls actual dr was the one on for the weekend so that worked really well. We were in and out in about 15 minutes. He said her ears were red but her throat was really red. He said she probably had an ear infection coming on as well as possible strep but either way they would treat it with the same antibiotic and off we went to the pharmacy to pick up our Rx. While in Smiths getting it Hallie actually fell asleep in the cart she felt so yucky it made me sad. When we got home Matt carried her into her bed and she went back to sleep. After about an hour she woke up complaining she didn't feel well again so we gave her some more ib profen and she went right back to sleep. We definitely knew she wasn't feeling good. It was so cute to see how concerned Gracie was about Hallie she would bring her all the "comfort" things that Hallie usually likes. While in Smiths Gracie took her coat off so Hallie could use it as a pillow...all by herself. The love these two have for one another is so perfect. 

 After Hallie woke up she said she felt a little better and read some stories with Gracie before we let them open their Valentine's gifts from us. I hadn't wrapped them so we made them close their eyes...worked just as well.

 As you can see Gracie was beyond thrilled with her chocolate heart but Hallie had her eye on the bigger presents

 Hallie got the Mulan barbie she has so badly wanted for quite a while now

 And Gracie got a cookie making game that the girls play often with their babysitter and absolutely love.

 Then it was time to put them all into action while Matt and I got dinner going.

 While playing Gracie had an absolute melt down so I sat down on the couch with her for a few minutes to talk things out and before we knew it she was asleep. Because of how our day had run she had missed nap time and it was pretty obvious but I didn't mind the extra cuddles. I can't tell you the last time she slept somewhere other than her bed for an extended amount of time so Matt was kind enough to finish dinner while I cuddled the girls.

We decided to do bacon wrapped fillets, potatoes, rolls, and cheese cake. It was a big hit. We spent the rest of our evening cuddling with the girls and each other watching movies. It was not exactly the day we had planned but Hallie is doing much better and is on the mend and we all got to spend time together...which is what I always want anyways. Im grateful for the ones I love and the time I get to spend with them.

26 Weeks and Counting

 I have to remember the days I actually get ready to take my weekly picture..lol. You wouldn't think it would be that difficult but getting ready most days just isn't a priority. This is my 26 week picture getting a little bigger each week. I feel good for the most part but this baby s putting quite the strain on my lower back and abd some days I find it difficult to walk for long periods of time which makes me nervous as to what the next couple months will bring. I have started counting down we have about 3 months til this little girl is here if she comes when she is supposed to. The support belt, although highly unattractive, has helped a ton and I wear it on a daily basis. I go to my 27 week appt on Tues and we will see how this little girl is growing. I have had a few days of ulcerlative colitis symptoms that makes me feel yucky and nervous but I just keep trying to be careful and eat what my body likes. I have also had more days where I feel nauseous but my acid reflux has become pretty much none existent which is nice. Usually the nausea comes and goes no matter what I do so I just take it a little at a time.

Swim Lessons

We typically do swim lessons in the summer but planning ahead to having this baby Im not sure how I will be feeling or what we our schedule will be like with building the house so we decided to do swim lessons now. The girls we so excited and ask everyday if they get to go to swim lessons today. They go 2 times a week for 6 weeks which makes it nice since its not everyday. This is the first time Gracie has done a class by herself the last classes she has done we have done a mommy and me class while Hallie had class. So Gracie is a level 1 and Hallie is a level 2. These pictures are the first day. At the beginning of the lesson the kids gather round and have what they call "whales tales" which is essentially talking about water safety and how we can be safer around the water.

 Then they broke into their classes. Gracie's class only lasts 30 minutes and Hallie's 45 minutes. It works out well since I can take Gracie and get her changed and then come back for Hallie.

 Working on back floats

 Our 1st week of swim lessons were a complete success and quite enjoyable for all of us.

Its crazy to me to think about swim lessons in Feb but the weather makes it hard not to think about it. Im grateful that we are able to let the girls do activities like this that they really enjoy. We spend so much time around the water I want them to know what they need to do if they get into a situation and know how to be the safest.

We Were Not Cut Out To Be Renters...Projects

So I think Matt and I both already knew we were not cut out to be renters but now that we are renters we are just being reminded of that. When we saw the listing for this condo it was listed as a 4 bedroom 2.5 bath which we thought would be perfect with adding a baby to our family come this spring. But when we came to look at it the "4th bedroom" was a large room in the basement with linoleum and paneling. It was less than inviting and slightly creepy since it smelled like old basement as well. We asked when we initially moved in if we could paint and put in carpet to which the landlord replied, "No!" I was bugged but didn't have much of a choice since Matt wouldn't let me paint without approval but this last week the owner decided to sell the property and the property management company gave us permission to update as we would like we just had to get each project approved. I knew the basement would be the first project the only down fall is that we would have to pay for it out of our pocket. They wouldn't pay for it or take it from our rent so we wont be getting to crazy with projects much to Matt's dismay. So I set to work getting paint and lining up carpet. Saturday morning we got right to work. We chose the same neutral grey as the upstairs to paint. Here are the before pictures. Hallie has wanted to move downstairs when we have the baby and now that we are finishing the basement Im at least considering it. She is so funny she tells me all the time how she misses the basement and doesn't want to share with Gracie since she will keep her awake since she will talk to her which probably really is true!

And the after

It was a lot like putting paint on a pig but it makes it more comfortable for us now so it was worth it. It turned out so good and really didn't cost very much. A carpet friend of ours gave us several matching remnants for free to help complete the space. We have decided we will put Hallie downstairs with her video monitor just like we did in the Maple house. We are going to find some sort of a divider for the room so it can remain half play room. Im so glad we chose a larger space to move into with all the lots falling through I would be so frustrated living in a 2 bedroom with 3 kids I think that was a really smart move on our part even if it is costing us a little more. Sanity iss priceless.

Gracie's 3 Yr Check Up

37 in tall and 31 lbs which are both 50%

This past week I took Gracie in for her 3 year check. When I took Hallie the first week of Oct their pediatrician actually suggested I wait to bring Gracie in for her yearly unless I had concerns since its right in the middle of "sick" season. But now with the weather being so beautiful it really feels like spring so we made the appt and went. She has such a big personality and is such a joy to have in our home. When we were getting ready to go to the dr she wanted to take her purse and sunglasses she is really a ham. 

 When we got to the dr everything went great. The dr said she is at least a year developmentally and is extremely bright...which I completely agree. She can count to 20, knows all her letter and numbers, and is getting really good at letter sounds. Her vocabulary is pretty extensive and she speaks very clearly. They had forgotten to give her her last Hep A in the series at her last well child check so she had to have one shot. When the dr told me I explained to Grace she needed one shot. Her face was so sad and she said, "Its going to hurt, huh?" Yup sweet girl it is but only for a second and I will hold you. And she was good to go. She cried for a minute or two but then was fine. It broke my heart when she said,"Mommy that really hurt, I need some loves." She also got a sucker she was quite pleased with. She thinks she is so grown up. I was cuddling her the other morning and told her how much I loved her and that she would always be my baby. To which she replied Im not the baby their is a baby in your tummy...remember mom? I had to laugh but it made me sad to think she is growing so fast and really seems to grasp that we will be adding a baby to our family soon. We sure love our Gracie Goo and the sunshine and joy she brings into our home.

Matt's Birthday...Happy 31

 When I asked Matt what he wanted to do for his birthday he said he just wanted to do something with our little family and have it be low key so that is just what we did. He spent his morning in meetings and visiting clients and came home about 4pm and the fun began. He wanted to do some shopping and pick out a few items he has been wanting. After we were done we drove passed McDonalds and The saying on the display completely reminded me of something Matt would say. We had a good laugh about it and now every time I pass it it makes me smile.

 After we did some shopping we headed to Goodwood BBQ(Matt's choice for dinner) and enjoyed a nice quiet dinner. 

 The kids were so good. They were so quiet, ate most of their dinner, and colored. It was a very enjoyable dinner to say the least. It is so fun to take them out to do things and have the not only act really well but also are really appreciative of what they get to do

 After dinner we headed to the theater. Matt loves movies always has and probably always will so we decided to take the kids to see Annie. It was great and we all really enjoyed it. It was also quite comical since the lady in front of us gasped and said, "Oh my gosh!" To pretty much everything and the girl behind us sang every song...off key of coarse. By the time we headed for home we were all still full so we got everyone settled for bed and called it a night. There is always tomorrow for cake and ice cream right,,,cheesecake actually. I'm so grateful for my wonderful hubby and the girls amazing dad. I truly couldn't have asked for a better match for me. Matt just gets me and loves me anyways. He is always there for us when we need him and makes time for us even when I have no idea how he does it. I'm really excited for this upcoming year and all the changes coming our way. I couldn't ask for a better eternal companion to share all of our adventures with. Happy birthday babes...you're the best!!

Gotten Get Out

The weather has been beautiful here lately unusually warm I have really enjoyed opening the windows especially on Mondays when I do all my cleaning. Gracie is getting so grown up and has insisted on helping lately. She is a great helper and really does a great job with the chores I give her. She need chores that she can do by herself because she typically wants to do it by herself with no help. When we moved in to the condo we decided to keep the microfiber sectional as out main couch space. It has been fine but in some ways I really miss my leather couches. Anyways I wiped down a few spots on the couch that were dirty and then put Gracie to work vacuuming the couch for crumbs.

 After we picked Hallie up from school we headed home for lunch and rests. After rests we decided we wanted to get out of the house so we went for a walk and then headed to the mall. The kids have been doing so well on their reward sticker charts and they have been wanting to ride the ride on animals at the mall but when we got there we found they are only open on the weekends so we did the next best thing and rode the coin rides and played in the play place

 On our way back to the car the girls wanted to have a picture with the chef. Gracie is getting to the point she asks to have her picture taken and is very cooperative(not that she has ever been terrible) and I have been happy to take them its a good reminder to capture the day to day stuff

It was fun to get out and just do something silly. The girls had a ball can't wait to go again and let the girls ride the animals

So Glad When Daddy Comes Home

There are few things in life that make my heart smile more than watching Matt with the girls. I remember one day shortly after we got married sitting on the couch holding Matt's hand looking at them realizing they would be the hands to love and hold our future kids. The hands that would support me through the rough days and hold mine when I felt alone. I have found a deeper love for Matt as I have watched him with the girls over the years and it just continues to make me smile. Saturday night while in the shower I could hear them all laughing. I came out to find them sitting reading stories before bed. Matt has quite a few voices he uses to tell stories that makes them even that much more fun the girls love it. What a sweet and special guy I picked to share my life with!!

Weekends are one of the times that we spend a lot of time all together even if it is with Matt doing hours of homework at least he is home! I love these 3 sillies and the smile they bring to my face.

I'm grateful for anytime we all get to be together. Although this is a hard time  as far as schedules and time goes in our live I hope I never forget home grateful I am to spend time with my eternal family.

Helping Chris & Katie

Our friends Chris and Katie are redoing their basement bathroom in anticipation of moving their master to the basement once it is all complete. Chris has been waiting for Matt to find some time to get over there and help him and Saturday was the day. Katie invited all of us to come so the girls and I went to hang out while Matt and Chris worked on the bathroom. Zoee got a giant horse and stable Gracie thought was fun to ride. After we played for awhile we had brunch and then the boys were back to work while we cleaned up and then the girls and I headed home for naps. Poor Gracie has had a yucky nose and a croupy cough so she was in need of a nap.

Hallie and I read stories while Gracie slept and Matt was still working. About 5 Matt came home to shower and get ready so we could go meet Nick and Britt to see the model home they are planning to build in Pleasant View. I love going to look at houses it always gives us ideas about what we want or don't want in our house so it was fun. The kids had a good time playing together and after we grabbed some dinner at Arbys. The girls were thrilled since this is their favorite place to eat. Then we called it a night and headed for home. We didn't get a lot accomplished for ourselves but it was a fun day spent supporting and helping those we care about.

You are "Souper" Primary Appreciation Night

We were excited to have another teacher appreciation night. It was a lot more simple than our previous one but our budget is really tight and we wanted to still be able to do them so we made the best of it. This is our 1st of four during this coming year and I really think they are helping with our teacher retention and their happiness and commitment to the primary. I really feel like this is a great way to indirectly help the kids. We did soup and rolls as well as played human foosball it was a lot of fun. We had a great turn out and it seems like we are having more people attend each activity we have which makes it all worth it.

Happy 7th Birthday Kaylee

January is full of birthdays in the Brower family and Kaylee brings up the rear celebrating her birthday on the 30th. Britt decided to do a friends party at Layton's Classic Fun Center this year and I was really excited to get to take the girls. It was a busy day getting ready for our Primary Appreciation night but with some good planning we found time to make it all work. The girls couldn't wait to skate once we got there. Neither of them have really had any experience skating so we opted to take Gracie's scooter instead and let Hallie work on roller skating. They had some nice stands to help with their balance. Initally Hallie looked like a new born colt that hadn't yet founds its legs but she didn't let that slow her down. The fell several times but was determined to figure it out and by the time we left was skating without the stand. We will definitely have to go some more so she can practice some more.

Gracie loved having open space to ride her scooter

Then the girls played on the bounce houses for few minutes.

After some skating we took a break for for cupcakes and ice cream. The cupcakes were awesome I have never met something with to much frosting but this was pretty close to to much for me. The cupcakes were shaped together to make a large cupcake and they had filled all the spots with extra frosting it was awesome.

After Kaylee opened her gifts we got back to playing. Each of the kids got 10 tokens to spend on games or rides to earn tickets. Hallie spent hers pretty quickly and was sad when she was out it was a great opportunity to teach her about making the most of what you have and slowing down next time. She was a little sad but got over it pretty quickly and made the best of it. Gracie took her time spending her tokens she played a few games but spent most of her time riding the mechanical horse.

After we finished spending our tokens we turned in our tickets for some small prizes each of the girls chose a ring and a tootsie roll. Then it was time to head for home so I could pick up the babysitter and get to church to set up for our Primary activity. We were glad that we made the time to go and spend some time with Kaylee on her birthday...thanks to Britt for the invite