hello beauty

remember this post ?

and this and this ?

ok, probably not.

but tim & I do.

we've been researching minivans for a year.

we've been saving money for a year.

sounds super exciting, I know.

but if you know anything about tim & I - we don't rush into anything.

especially tim. he researches things to death.

(love you, tim!) ;)

but we knew we would need 2 vehicles eventually.

emerie's growing schedule demands it.

and we knew we wanted a van for my vehicle so that it could grow with us if we had another child.

so...

meet stella.

she's red.

she's surprisingly fun to drive.

and she's mine!

we've never had a car newer than a 1997.

I haven't had a vehicle of my own since my jeep cherokee - that was 3 years ago.

so this is brand new territory for both of us and I'm so excited!

yaaaayyyyy!

(there's a little celebration at our house this weekend!)

thanks timmy!

loves to you all,

megan

posted via blogpress for the iPhone

be mine

3 posts in February? apparently not having a computer is fairly damaging. oh well. things are getting back to normal around here - Tim got a FREE computer from work. just another reason to love his job. it'll be setup soon and then there might be some normalcy around here.

but it's finally time (meaning I found some time to actually do this...when did life get too crazy to blog?!?) to write a little something about valentine's day.

we've never been the type to celebrate big & wonderful on this holiday. I would like to do more cute things for the girls, but I knew it wasn't going to happen this year. my gram & aunt pulled through, though and gave us the cutest little vday goodie bag. the girls were thrilled.




I'm also the type of girl that if Tim ever came home with chocolates and flowers, I'd have him return them. I like flowers for non-holidays and chocolates every day. instead, I asked for a book and he came through ;)




as for Tim, he asked for a gadget and I came through ;)

for the girls, we took them to build a bear workshop and let them pick whatever they wanted. it was so fun. emerie is at an age that she totally gets it and loved every second. Ava didn't quite understand yet, but she loves her new bear just the same. we also waited a couple weeks and got Ava's ears pierced. she cried for about a second and then stopped. she doesn't play with them and she looks so grown up! *sniffle.
















emerie also had her first valentine's experience at school challenger is great and requests no candy. but lots of kids did pencils or buttons or stickers. we cheated a little and got some cards from Krispy Kreme that granted the recipient a free donut. emerie carried around her bag of cards for at least a week.







so that's my very rushed recap of love day 2012. hope you enjoyed it ;)

loves,
megan
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

emmmm!

*that's how ava says "em". it's the cutest.


I finally found the time to do a special post about emerie. I need to do these more often because these are the posts I look back on the most. and the girls grow up so fast that I worry I'll forget a certain phase and that would be heartbreaking. so let's begin...

1. emerie the imagineer:
emerie is at such a fun age with her imagination. we love watching what games she will make up, stories she will tell, and what toys will magically become.




2. emerie the rememberer:
she has a stellar memory. this is both a blessing and a curse. but she still talks about disneyland every single day. she remembers details about everything. it's really remarkable, but it can also be a curse when she remembers things you'd rather she forget. :)

3. emerie the reader:
she has a deep desire to learn how to read and books are by far her favorite thing. my voice frequently gets worn out thanks to our girls' love of books. emerie has several of her favorites memorized and it's fun to watch her read to herself or read to ava.

4. emerie the emotional girl:
one thing everyone told me about girls when we were pregnant with emerie was that they were very emotional. and it's true. we haven't seen it as much in ava, but emerie certainly gets worked up easily as she is incredibly sensitive.

5. emerie the dare devil:
this girl has no fear. she and Ava are exact opposites in this respect. but emerie's favorite ride at disneyland was a roller coaster that we had to ride 3 times in a row before we could convince her that we needed to see and do other things. she constantly wants things wild so there is never a dull moment.




6. emerie the talker:
from sun up to sun down. 'nuff said.

7. emerie the dancer:
she's always been our little twinkle toes and I hope that never changes. it's always been something largely unique to her. she loves music and beat and loves to dance. lately she's been very apprehensive about dancing on command for others - guess its has to do with that over sensitive stuff - but she loves her dance class and it's so fun to watch her.

8. emerie the singer:
know every disney song known to man?! so does emerie. when she's not talking, she's singing. and it's darling.




9. emerie the friend:
everyone is emerie's friend. quite literally. every classmate, every person she meets, and anyone she will ever meet. she has so much love, it's incredible.









10. emerie the poor-eater:
I'm hoping this will someday change, but at this point the hope is dwindling and reality is setting in. we have the few go-to items that always work and are surprisingly good for her, but otherwise it's rough. we did add a "try new foods" list to her chore chart and that's been helpful but still not super productive.

11. emerie the clean-freak:
I get blamed a lot for the fact that my girls like things clean - they're eating tray, their hands. their clothes, etc... and I'll gladly accept the blame. but I know ava isn't a super clean freak. but emerie really is. she is my OCD child and it can be pretty funny.




12. emerie the loving little girl:
I guess this goes along with her being a friend to all, but she loves to love and she loves everyone. what a great quality to have!






13. emerie the princess:
dress up is a constant thing around our house. it's definitely one of her favorite things and it feeds her imagination. and it's really fun for all of us. :)




14. emerie the comedian:
when she hears a joke, she can't help but repeat it, which I love. she has a great sense of humor. our children must get that from their father :)






15. emerie the bossy pants:
emerie is the oldest child, which as a born youngest child, I take it to mean she is the bossy one. and emerie really is. she loves telling Ava what to do. even her stuffed animals get sent to time out or get scolded. she very much enjoys being in charge. it's something that we're trying to curb a little. :) but she's also the best older sister we could ask for.









emerie is such a joy in our lives and we love her so much! she keeps our lives entertaining!

I know I'm super behind on posts, but hopefully this week I'll get the valentines day post done!

loves to you all,
megan
-written on my iPhone via blogpress

and you shall be my squishy

new old news:
the computer is still broken. and you know, it's not the end of the world like I expected it to be. we still have Tim's MacBook from work and that works for both of us in the evenings - when we have a few minutes to get on. honestly, it's been niiiiceeee being a little disconnected.

but let's discuss the downside: not commenting on other's blogs, which then correlates directly to a lack of comments on our blog. while I've often said (and I still stand by this) I don't blog for comments, it certainly doesn't hurt.

and so I apologize for my disappearance off the inter-web-verse for the last while. it won't be ending anytime soon, either. I'll gain motivation someday soon to buy the very expensive parts necessary to fix our computer, but for now I'm content doing everything from my beloved iPhone.

more new old news:
we've been pretty busy and I'm exhausted. for the last 2 weeks I've been in my pajamas or sweatpants every chance I get.

Super Bowl weekend was spent in st.george attending the wedding of one of Tim's childhood best friends. it was nice to go someplace warm, visit Tim's awesome grandparents, and see Todd & his family again. the girls were rockstars in the car. Tim and I always marvel how blessed we've been with good little car travelers. no nook or phone was needed. they just quietly played with a few toys and required only a few potty breaks :)

we've also been super busy with school, dance, and friends. you know, the usual. I like keeping busy, but I'd like a break every now & again, too. :)

more to the point:

I wanted to write posts about the girls, and here is the first.

ava has been rightly nicknamed "squish" for a long time now. everything about her makes me want to squish her cheeks. it's nearly impossible not to do it all.day.long.

the other day I was talking to a friend and we realized that ava would be joining nursery in just 2 months from now. say it with me, "whhhhaaaat?!?"

so I needed to do a post all about my squishy little miss.



ava is...
funny.

oh.my.word. we are in trouble with this little gal. she makes us laugh all the time. she has terrific comedic timing and we are constantly kept laughing. if any of us are having a bad day or moment, she will make funny faces at us until we crack. and it usually doesn't take very long.



ava is...
the best little eater.

i suppose there has to be a reason for those squishable little cheeks. we always said we deserved a good eater after emerie, and we were indeed blessed. the girl likes everything. and eats it in bulk. I'm still surprised by her small size.

ava is...
talkative.

lately it's been a constant stream of words and sentences. she was so quiet for a long time - as if she took a hiatus from speaking. we were even thinking it was because of emerie - because emerie talks non-stop. but while emerie is at school, ava would suddenly get so talkative. and heck, maybe that's still a reason - I really don't know. but she took a hiatus from speaking, except for the basics. well, that has officially ended and our little squish is talking non-stop. I guess emerie has some competition now ;) she says the cutest little things, but some of our current favorites include:
"lo' you" (love you)
"mama, dada" (tim & I)
"emmmmm" (emerie)
"ma-ya" (maya)
"tanks" (thanks)
"cheeeeese" (whenever a camera is around)
"pease" (please)
"yeah, yesh" (yes)
"m-innie" (her minnie mouse)
"ta da" (whenever she's done something good)

{her favorite thing to do is stick her minnie in the trunk of her car and then hop on & take her for a drive, all while saying "vroom!!!"}

ava is...
small.

yep, she's a small one. we get comments every single time we go to the grocery store or on a family outing. people will ask us when she'll be one and when we reply she's actually 15 months, they gasp. yes, she is small. she was born small and she's always eaten well, so she's never dropped off track...her track just started small to begin with. we're not worried, because let's face it, tim and I were never meant to have giant children. we're both short & small, so we can't expect anything else with our children. I do love the comments about how watching ava walk is like watching the tiniest midget walk. it's absolutely true and it makes me giggle.

ava is...
a dancer.

I guess with my ghetto-loving genes, it's inevitable our girls will be born dancers. ava's very favorite thing is twirling and it's pretty darn adorable. she will twirl until she's dizzy and then she will fall down giggling. so dance parties are still a constant occurrence around our house. always and forever. ;)

ava is...
a lover of music.

if she's not trying to sing along to everything, or dance to everything, she is desperately trying to play any instrument she comes in contact with. the girl has got the beat and she loves music in any form.



ava is...
happy.

sure, she has her moments. and she's pretty terrible at teething. but overall, I've never met a happier baby. she is constantly letting us know that she is happier to be here, on this mortal journey. and we are blessed to be apart of it with her.







ava is...
cuddly.

emerie is super sweet & cuddly. but ava totally outdoes herself when it comes to cuddling. several times a day she will beg to be held and then just cuddle with us on the couch. it's like playing with toys or dancing - she considers it a fun activity to do with us and we can't argue. it's simply the best.

ava is...
emerie's shadow.

she wants to be her own person, but ava wants to do everything that emerie does - all the time. she's always letting us know who she is as an individual, but she really wants to do the same things. we started a chore chart system with emerie a few months ago. one night, we were telling emerie it was time to clean up her toys for a cleaning sticker. emerie was busy doing...who knows what...and ava cleaned up all the toys by herself. and then ava walked into the kitchen, where the fridge is, and demanded a sticker. so, we started her own chore chart and she gladly particpates right alongside emerie. their chores are different, obviously, but they both complete them for stickers. she did want to be left out of this sticker business.

we simply love our little squish!

loves to you all,
megan
(written on my iPhone)

that darn amygdala

fact: the amygdala is the part of the brain, located in what is known as the limbic system. the amygdala produces adrenaline and also creates the commonly referred to "fight or flight" reaction to various situations and stimuli. it typically takes 20 minutes for the adrenaline to wear down and logic & reason to begin.

fact: the amygdala will kick in whenever there are threatening occurrences - whether they are of a physical nature or even an emotional nature.

fact: two very well-known and well-researched ways to override the amygdala's "fight or flight" reaction are: love & the power of appreciation. focusing on one's loved ones will overcome the adrenaline and create a calming effect. writing a simple list of things we are most grateful for will also create a calming effect.

fact: as a psychology junkie, I find this extremely fascinating. and extremely useful.

fact: I am going to make a list of things I am grateful for today, and then post some pictures that make me happy and/or giggle.

1. my husband - he is so good to me and loves me so much. he lives by the principle of loving your spouse more than yourself and he exemplifies it every day. I am truly blessed to have him.
2. emerie - our spunky, talkative, sweetheart. she is so smart and so good. she is the best older sister and loves out family so much. she always has kind things to say and everyone is her best friend. I am so blessed to be her mother.
3. avalynn - our little angel. there has never been a sweeter baby. she can bring a smile to my face faster than anyone else. she's funny and truly delightful. I call her my little squish because I could literally squish her cheeks all day long. I am so blessed to have this baby (gulp...toddler) in my life.
4. the gospel of Jesus Christ - what would I be without this in my life?! I love the continuing message of peace, love, and self-improvement the gospel brings into our lives. how truly grateful I am for the atonement.
5. our house - sure, it needs a lot of tlc on the outside and even some areas of the inside. but man, I'm grateful for the monthly payment and hearing emerie squeal every night she goes to bed in her "cool room"!
6. tim's employment - what a giant blessing tim's job has been. we have been blessed, and are grateful for, the fact that we listened to the answer to our prayers many years ago and followed the path we needed to take. it certainly led us to where we are today and we couldn't be happier with his job.
7. health insurances - this could be lumped in with tim's employment, but I felt it deserved it's own. after years and years with the worst insurance imaginable, I still marvel at our insurance now. and it's not just health! there's dental...and vision...and pet.. and the list goes on! very grateful.
8. my new panini maker - oh, such love I have for this little appliance. and the deliciousness it provides for our tummies :)
9. maya - I didnt mean for her to be so far down on my list. truth be told, most days I'm not very grateful for her. but then there are those shining moments where she plays so well with the girls...when she snuggles on my lap, and only my lap, when I'm sick...when strangers tell us we have the cutest dog ever, etc...
10. my hair - call me vain, but it needs to be included on my list. I can usually complain for days about how difficult my hair is. curly/wavy and takes 3-8 hours to dry naturally & an hour by blow dryer. and let's not even go into flat ironing. but...at the end of the day, I love my hair. and I love that it will literally do whatever I want it to. like my recent return to the pixie. watching "once upon a time" made me so envious of snow white's hair and Tim & I both discussed how much we missed my pixie. so back it came and while I know I'll need a cut every 3 weeks, it'll be worth it :)

fact: I am also very grateful for the lovely comments and support I received from so many of you regarding the copyrighted print incident. while I would love to do a post all about the injustice of it all, complaining about people who steal other's creative works, I won't. besides, while my computer is broken, I can't access my print file anyways. but thank you all again for reading and listening to my rants last week. sometimes it helps just to complain, even if I hate doing it. I have amazing friends.

loves to you all,
megan
(written in my iPhone)