Baseball, Birthdays, and Baby Pouty Face / Week 12

Daddy let mommy buy an Ergo 360 this week! She is very happy :D. Audrey is too, despite the squished look on her face :P.

Baby girl is learning to sleep a little better in her Merlin suit!

Look at that chubby face!

Clara went to her first movie in the theaters as a conscious child! (She went a few times as a sleeping infant). We watched Trolls with Miss Julie and Eli and Jude! She was enthralled and kept talking about Princess Poppy when we got home!

This weekend was also Daddy and Grampy's baseball game!

Mommy used her Ergo. Audrey slept.

 And Clara ate red vines :P.

Unkie let all three kids ride in the wagon!

Great fun! Mommy was grateful because for the first time since Audrey was born, Clara insisted on being carried while Audrey was in the carrier. So mommy had to carry Clara on her hip with Audrey tucked in the Ergo up the giant hill to the baseball game! Phew!

Then Saturday was Gemma's birthday party!

Clara says Cheese!

Daddy says softball may not be in Clara's future... :P.

Baby pouty face!!!

So sad but so cute!

Daddy resting at home with his girls <3.

Yeh Yeh and Audrey!

More plumerias!

My big girl!

And my little girl!

And behold, the many faces of Audrey...

And my favorite this week!

Mommy loves her time with Clara!

And vegetable #3! Celery!

We went back to the water park for more fun! This time, mommy was meeting friends and spotted one last lounge chair in the shade. Once inside the gates, I let go of Clara's hand, assuming she would wade around and wait for me to take her dress of before going in. Thirty seconds later, with chair claimed and stuff down, I turn around to see Clara climbing the steps up the water slide and going down full speed... in her dress! Thankfully her bathing suit was on underneath and her dress dried quickly in the sun. But then, when gathering things to leave at the end of the playdate, mommy dropped the dress back in the water!! Clara wore a damp dress back home :).

If only you could see this video! Clara's dancing with arms flailing and it is magnificent!

This week, Clara ran to daddy and said, "I love you Daddy!" and then ran to mommy and said, "Mommy, I love you so much!" Our first spontaneous I love you's from her!!! <3

I had to pull a just before 12 week photo of Clara to comprae! I think they look so different and Shane thinks they look about the same! Either way, they are both so beautiful and I am so in love with both of them!!

My smiley girl!! Happy 12 weeks!

Water Park Fun / Week 11

What a fun week! The highlight of the week was definitely the mini water park that Grammy found for her grandbabies! 

But before we get to that, Clara's new phrases include:

"Here you go!" followed by my saying "Thank you!" and her saying "You're welcome."

When in the car, she says, "Do you need help momma?"

When she comes to see me in Audrey's room, she comes in and says, "I'll be right back mom" runs out to the living room to get her toy, then comes back!

Here's a sweet picture of smiling baby Audrey!

And Daddy with Audrey at Bible Study!

And Cami and Clara! Besties! They are really moving from parallel play into interactive play, and it's really fun to see!

On our way to the zoo! Mommy braved a double stroller zoo trip again! At the zoo, Clara and Cami got so excited and jumped up and down together and ran around like only 2 year olds do!

Sweet Clara!

Wonderful nap time for Audrey!

And Clara showing me her jumping moves!

Gymboree play!

And mommy was so proud of her french braid!

We celebrated an early Father's day and Uncle Wilson's family meeting Audrey for the first time on Saturday. While Clara was reading a book, Nathan wanted to read too. Then Nathan got a book, and Clara ran and got a different book and said, "I can read a book too!"

Cheese!

How sweet are they!

Sparkle, Shine, and Twirl!

On Sunday, we celebrated Father's Day and Lindsey's Birthday!

Happy belated birthday Auntie Lindsey!

Here Audrey is smiling for momma!!

And the highlight of Clara's life so far... the Tierrasanta Kiddie Pool!

Audrey took a 2 hour nap.

While Grammy took care of her grandbabies!

Look at that sweet smile!!!!! Ahhh I love it!

The stairs up to the water slide she loved so much!

Playing in the wading pool!

Clara's also learning how to match pictures and words, how to spell, and how to sound out letters! 

Hi mommy! I drool so much you put a panda bib on me!

Beautiful plumeria flower! The first flower that has ever bloomed from this plant that I bought when we first moved to our new house. It's been a slow almost 2 years of patiently watering, waiting, and repotting, but it's finally bloomed! So beautiful!

Look at that cute side smile!

Can't believe it's already been eleven weeks!! Love you sweet girl!

Embracing the Chaos

The transition from being a mother of one to being a mother of two has been all about embracing the chaos. As someone who has a pretty strong streak of perfectionism running through her veins, let's just say that hasn't been easy. But I believe I've become a better mother by embracing the chaos instead of trying so hard to control everything... because in the end, I can't really control anything in motherhood except myself and my expectations. 

While I love posting cute pictures of Clara and Audrey, the majority of my days look most accurately like this:

With two, my attention is almost always divided. Just like the picture, I'm usually wearing Audrey (or trying to get her to sleep, be happy, fed, or some other thing), and simultaneously trying to care of Clara's toddler needs (in the picture, wiping her face off because she had used her new toy bubble gun to shoot herself in the face with a bajillion bubbles). 

At first, having to divide my attention felt like I was always failing - I never had enough for the needs of my two girls. But over time, and with some sweet prayers from my mom friends, I am learning to live in and love each moment... the hard ones, yes, but especially the sweet ones. 

Today, I got some rare and wonderful one on one time with Clara. She looked at me and said, "Momma, whatcha doing?" I said, "I'm giving you my full attention! I haven't been able to do this for a while!" Even though she didn't understand what I was saying, she knew she had all of me, so she smiled at me, and put her face in mine, a symbol of her joy in the moment - our moment. 

Last night, Audrey had a hard time falling asleep. She's been such a good night-time sleeper that it was frustrating to me. But then, I decided to remember to live in and love the moment. So I cuddled her, sang to her, nursed her, and stared at her sweet little face. I told myself, I'll never have this moment again with Audrey. So I loved that moment, and the frustration faded away.

Little by little, I'm learning to love my two girls and the chaos that is our lives at this time. Over and over again, I tell myself, I'll never have this moment again with this child. So I choose to love it, even the wide mouthed tantrum-cries, and the oh-I-wish-you-would-fall-asleep-already moments, and the car rides where both girls are crying. I choose to love it all.