My 2 year old daughter has officially turned our nice, quiet home into Tantrum Central.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHH!!
Anything and everything warrants a severe meltdown nowadays.
For example:
Ava drops her spoon at breakfast. Meltdown.
I pick up her spoon, put it in the sink, and get her a new spoon. Meltdown continues.
We turn off Sesame Street to get dressed for the day. Meltdown.
We go for a walk. A car passes by. Meltdown (Ava has apparently developed a serious fear of ALL motorized vehicles)
We have lunch. I refuse to let Ava have any fruit snacks until she finishes her sandwich. Meltdown.
We take Ava to get her first haircut. MAJOR meltdown.
Please help me!!!! Or just at least tell me I'm not the only one. I'm dyin' here!!!!!!! I swear I am losing my mind. And my patience. Aaaaargh.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Channel 12 at EVO!
Here's the truck at EVO this morning...getting ready for the live interview!
Lance and Erik did a phenomenal job this morning as they showed off their swimming
skills on Channel 12. Both of them proclaimed that it was indeed, "the best day of their lives."
And David is a natural! He was so calm and easy-going in front of the camera...his live interview(s) went off without a hitch.
AVA, on the other hand...was more, shall we say, "high maintenance"? Yes. That's the nicest way to say it. High maintenance. Let's just say that:
9:30 p.m. bedtime (crazy day...long story) + 4:50 a.m. wake-up + no breakfast (big hurry to get there in time...another long story) + bright lights + chlorine in the eyes + being a two year old girl = CRYING.
Yes. Ava cried for her entire TV debut. After making her mommy put on a swimsuit and get in the water with her, and after 15 minutes of happily playing in the water and doing a great job, just as we were about to go live, Ava had a meltdown. Isn't that just sooooo befitting of a two-year-old? Luckily, she did not have a mic on. Luckily, the cameraman panned away from her when it got pretty bad. Unfortunately, some of it was caught on tape. I'm sure I'll look back on this and laugh someday, right? I hope so. (big sigh) This was how Ava looked on the way home (notice the contrast between Lance and Erik above)...
Conked OUT!
So, the next time your kid has a meltdown, just be thankful that you are not on live TV. Seriously. Be very grateful. Sheesh.
Oh well, hopefully the swim school got some good exposure from it all. Next time we'll know better, and no two year olds will be allowed on camera! lol
Oh yeah, and here are some pics from our camping trip over Memorial Day weekend with the Jones's and the Britts (and a few extras from when we got home). Fun times!
Ben, Luke, Jeff, Hendrix, and Ava
Me and the girls...roughing it!
Hiking at the Tonto Natural Bridge
Ella...all bundled up for the cold weather up north
Ava in her heels as soon as we got home
Happy Ella...always smiling!
Lance, Ava, David, and Ella (okay, this one was from a long time ago, but it was too cute not to add on the blog...don't Lance and Ava look like brother and sister? )
Sleeping beauty
Lance and Erik did a phenomenal job this morning as they showed off their swimmingskills on Channel 12. Both of them proclaimed that it was indeed, "the best day of their lives."
And David is a natural! He was so calm and easy-going in front of the camera...his live interview(s) went off without a hitch.
AVA, on the other hand...was more, shall we say, "high maintenance"? Yes. That's the nicest way to say it. High maintenance. Let's just say that:
9:30 p.m. bedtime (crazy day...long story) + 4:50 a.m. wake-up + no breakfast (big hurry to get there in time...another long story) + bright lights + chlorine in the eyes + being a two year old girl = CRYING.
Yes. Ava cried for her entire TV debut. After making her mommy put on a swimsuit and get in the water with her, and after 15 minutes of happily playing in the water and doing a great job, just as we were about to go live, Ava had a meltdown. Isn't that just sooooo befitting of a two-year-old? Luckily, she did not have a mic on. Luckily, the cameraman panned away from her when it got pretty bad. Unfortunately, some of it was caught on tape. I'm sure I'll look back on this and laugh someday, right? I hope so. (big sigh) This was how Ava looked on the way home (notice the contrast between Lance and Erik above)...
Conked OUT!So, the next time your kid has a meltdown, just be thankful that you are not on live TV. Seriously. Be very grateful. Sheesh.
Oh well, hopefully the swim school got some good exposure from it all. Next time we'll know better, and no two year olds will be allowed on camera! lol
Oh yeah, and here are some pics from our camping trip over Memorial Day weekend with the Jones's and the Britts (and a few extras from when we got home). Fun times!
Ben, Luke, Jeff, Hendrix, and Ava
Me and the girls...roughing it!
Hiking at the Tonto Natural Bridge
Ella...all bundled up for the cold weather up north
Ava in her heels as soon as we got home
Happy Ella...always smiling!
Lance, Ava, David, and Ella (okay, this one was from a long time ago, but it was too cute not to add on the blog...don't Lance and Ava look like brother and sister? )
Sleeping beauty
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Set Your TiVo!
Tomorrow morning (Thursday, May 29) 12 News is going to do a piece at EVO Swim School for their morning news show!! YAY!
It will be very early in the morning (probably between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m.), so set your TiVo or DVR and check it out later in the day!
Ava will be making her big TV debut... doing some water safety demonstrations in the water with her daddy and some of her cousins.
Be sure to check it out if you can!
-Kim
It will be very early in the morning (probably between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m.), so set your TiVo or DVR and check it out later in the day!
Ava will be making her big TV debut... doing some water safety demonstrations in the water with her daddy and some of her cousins.
Be sure to check it out if you can!
-Kim
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Cue the Hallelujah Chorus
Okay, okay.....the cries for renovation pics have been heard (Jennifer). :)
We're not completely done yet, but here's a quick look at what has been done so far.
First and foremost...let's talk about the carpet. I have to say, I had second thoughts about posting some of these "before" pictures, because it was just SO bad that it was embarassing. This carpet was gross when we moved in five years ago, and it just went downhill from there. THIS is what I was living with before (below). Can you believe it? GROSS!
WHO puts white carpet in a house? Who does that?!?!?!?!
But, THIS is what we are enjoying now (below)....HALLELUJAH!!
Not a single stain....yet.
Yummy.
And check out the wall color, too. We had the whole interior painted (Thanks for your help Alison! You like it?).
Now, let's talk countertops. To say that we were living with substandard countertops is an understatement. Bye-bye laminate being held together by scotch tape!!
Hello, granite. :) Ava loves it! LOL
(I think it's safe to say we won't be needing any more tape.)
Now, on to the fixtures...
Here are the brassy exterior lights before.
...and the exterior lights after!
Ugly and dated dining room chandelier before...
...and the new dining room chandelier!
This is just wrong. Check out the hard water stains...yuck. I can not tell you how much I hated this faucet. BYE-BYE ugly faucet!!!
Hello, my love.
Bye-bye shallow, ceramic sink.
Hello, you beautiful single bowl 10-inch deep 18-gauge stainless steel Lovello sink. I love you.
We're not quite finished yet. The painters are coming back tomorrow to do some touch-ups, and we still have window treatments to hang. But we are getting there. And no, we're not moving. Yet. :)
Just kidding! We're really not moving, I swear.
We're not completely done yet, but here's a quick look at what has been done so far.
First and foremost...let's talk about the carpet. I have to say, I had second thoughts about posting some of these "before" pictures, because it was just SO bad that it was embarassing. This carpet was gross when we moved in five years ago, and it just went downhill from there. THIS is what I was living with before (below). Can you believe it? GROSS!
WHO puts white carpet in a house? Who does that?!?!?!?!
But, THIS is what we are enjoying now (below)....HALLELUJAH!!
Not a single stain....yet.
Yummy.
And check out the wall color, too. We had the whole interior painted (Thanks for your help Alison! You like it?).
Now, let's talk countertops. To say that we were living with substandard countertops is an understatement. Bye-bye laminate being held together by scotch tape!!
Hello, granite. :) Ava loves it! LOL(I think it's safe to say we won't be needing any more tape.)
Now, on to the fixtures...
Here are the brassy exterior lights before.
...and the exterior lights after!
Ugly and dated dining room chandelier before...
...and the new dining room chandelier!
This is just wrong. Check out the hard water stains...yuck. I can not tell you how much I hated this faucet. BYE-BYE ugly faucet!!!
Hello, my love.
Bye-bye shallow, ceramic sink.
Hello, you beautiful single bowl 10-inch deep 18-gauge stainless steel Lovello sink. I love you.
We're not quite finished yet. The painters are coming back tomorrow to do some touch-ups, and we still have window treatments to hang. But we are getting there. And no, we're not moving. Yet. :)
Just kidding! We're really not moving, I swear.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Gratitude
Ava's prayer this morning went something like this:
"Father....grateful...cereal...grateful...bowl....
grateful...spoon....grateful...yogurt...grateful...
Ella...grateful...day...grateful....Jesus....grateful...
strawberries (mind you, strawberries are nowhere to be seen)...grateful...Elmo...AMEN!!
"Father....grateful...cereal...grateful...bowl....
grateful...spoon....grateful...yogurt...grateful...
Ella...grateful...day...grateful....Jesus....grateful...
strawberries (mind you, strawberries are nowhere to be seen)...grateful...Elmo...AMEN!!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
A Shout Out to My Mama
Mother's Day is now officially one of my favorite holidays. I love celebrating women and motherhood. In honor of this special day, I wanted to highlight a few of the attributes of my own mother that I hope to emulate. I probably don't take enough time to honor the female role models in my life, so....here goes nothing.
First and foremost, my mother instilled in me a love of reading and a genuine reverence for books. I carry this with me all the time, and to this day, I can not enter a library without thinking of my mom.
My mom is endlessly optimistic.
One of the best descriptors of my mother's personality that I've ever heard is this: she lives her life in Technicolor.
My mom has experienced every kind of trial in her life, and she has never ever become bitter about it. From a really tough childhood to a rocky first marriage...from breast cancer to heart attacks to a liver transplant...from losing both of her parents to losing her firstborn son to a tragic accident...my mom has pretty much seen it all.
The older I get, the more I realize how important it is to prepare for the future by learning from the past. I've learned a lot from my mom, my sister, my mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, women in my ward, and especially from my friends about what it means to be a mother. I think I've learned a lot about what is important (and more specifically...what is NOT important), and to let go of unrealistic expectations and enjoy living in the moment. I am so grateful for my daughters and the joy they bring to my life. I can only hope that someday they too will enjoy the wonderful blessing of motherhood. It is one wild ride.
So, Happy Mother's Day, to all of you mothers out there...especially you, Mom. You deserve it!
First and foremost, my mother instilled in me a love of reading and a genuine reverence for books. I carry this with me all the time, and to this day, I can not enter a library without thinking of my mom.
My mom is endlessly optimistic.
One of the best descriptors of my mother's personality that I've ever heard is this: she lives her life in Technicolor.
My mom has experienced every kind of trial in her life, and she has never ever become bitter about it. From a really tough childhood to a rocky first marriage...from breast cancer to heart attacks to a liver transplant...from losing both of her parents to losing her firstborn son to a tragic accident...my mom has pretty much seen it all.
The older I get, the more I realize how important it is to prepare for the future by learning from the past. I've learned a lot from my mom, my sister, my mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, women in my ward, and especially from my friends about what it means to be a mother. I think I've learned a lot about what is important (and more specifically...what is NOT important), and to let go of unrealistic expectations and enjoy living in the moment. I am so grateful for my daughters and the joy they bring to my life. I can only hope that someday they too will enjoy the wonderful blessing of motherhood. It is one wild ride.
So, Happy Mother's Day, to all of you mothers out there...especially you, Mom. You deserve it!
Monday, May 5, 2008
This Old House
Well... our little home improvements are coming right along. The granite countertops were installed on Thursday, and the painters finished the exterior of the house on Friday afternoon. The plumber installed our new sink and faucet (which are my very favorite improvements so far!!), and the electrician put in the new light fixtures on Friday as well. This week, the interior of the house is being painted, and the new carpet goes in at the end of the week. Phew. Let's just say, it's been a crazy, stressful, chaotic couple of days.
Soooooooo...right now, everything we own is piled into the garage and David and I are staying at his parent's house until all the work is finished. For some people, this might be considered a trial...but my mother and father-in-law are so easy to live with. It's actually felt kind of like a little mini vacation. Is that weird? Yeah, that's probably weird.
I'll post some pictures soon...Stay tuned!
Soooooooo...right now, everything we own is piled into the garage and David and I are staying at his parent's house until all the work is finished. For some people, this might be considered a trial...but my mother and father-in-law are so easy to live with. It's actually felt kind of like a little mini vacation. Is that weird? Yeah, that's probably weird.
I'll post some pictures soon...Stay tuned!
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