Life is good!

This week has been filled with happy, exciting days with my little kiddos. I don't really know what changed, but suddenly I feel a little more in control and I have found myself laughing and enjoying most of each day instead of feeling on the edge a lot of the time. It could be because we've been working on potty training (only 2.5 accidents so far- hurray!) so I've put other projects, to do lists, etc on hold during the day so I could focus just on my Lyla girl.

Anyway, Lyla has seemed to be happier and slightly easier to work with because of the extra attention I've given her and our days have been relatively smooth. Trevor, Lyla and I have spent hours on the couch, laughing and tickling and then snuggling when we're all worn out. We've jumped on the bed over and over (don't worry- I don't jump. I just bounce trevor up and sing songs while Lyla does the major jumping) and then gotten under the covers where we pretend to snore, all according to Lyla's instruction of course. We've twirled and waltzed to every princess song ever made. We've cooked and made messes and worked on pieces of art. We've read books and played the piano and cleaned the house. There have still been plenty of hard, stressful moments and i still have a difficult time keeping my patience have hours of whining, but the overall memory from the week is joy, not exhaustion like in the past. I'm feeling such gratitude for my life and for how lucky I am to spend every day with the two sweetest kids in the world!

Back to potty training, Lyla has been showing signs of being ready so I had Paul pick up some princess panties a week ago. She was so excited to bring them home and show them to me which I took as another sign that she was ready. When we opened them she quickly put them on her head and i realized she had no idea what they were for. We've had a lot to learn this week but she's done really well. We'll see how it continues. Lyla loves to play in the sink and of course always gets drenched. One time I took off her clothes and told her to go find some dry ones, and she came back wrapped in a hand towel. Silly girl!

Lyla can be so sweet to Trevor. Here she was reading to him from her favorite princess book and showing him all of her favorites! She could be entertained by this book for hours.

My handsome little guy. He loves to suck on his hand and Lyla always laughs and says "Trevor eating fingers!" I'm pretty sure he has my talent of being able to stick his whole fist in his mouth.

Trevor's huge smile brightens my day! Whenever he sees us he lights up with this big grin and starts to giggle. I love knowing that I mean so much to my little guy, that he completely depends on me for all of his needs. I love just holding him and looking into his eyes. He helps me relax and his calmness is contageous.

So happy and sweet!

My favorite part of the outfit is the shoes!! My darling friend Michelle has loaned me all of her baby boy clothes which has been a lifesaver, and all of hers are much cuter than I would have gotten! I seriously am in love with these shoes even though they never stay on for more than 2 seconds.
Paul got some similar shoes for Christmas.

Trevor loves lying in his little activity center, but I think Lyla loves it even more! Her favorite is to lie in there with him which can be scary...

Jared & Allison's Wedding

Jared got married to darling Allison Sanford right after Christmas!! It was fun to go down to Arizona for the wedding and reception and to see the two lovebirds. They are so happy together and we are excited to have another sister! She is so sweet and already fits right in! :)

It was so nice and warm in Arizona which was a nice break. The sealing was in the Mesa temple.

There was a reception in Tucson the night after the wedding. They served a full dinner and then had a dance. The girls, Lyla & Kaitlyn had a blast dancing and twirling in their pretty red dresses. Since we've been home, Lyla begs to wear her dress everyday and says she wants to go to Jared's wedding again.

My mom put on an amazing open house at my parent's home in Orem. They served Kneaders cinnamon french toast which was a hit! They also had a photo booth to take everyone's picture as they came in. Then one copy of the pictures would go in the sign-in book so Jared & Allison will be able to see a picture of everyone who came. I thought it was such a great idea! We had a little too much fun with it...

Christmas fun!

We had a great Christmas and enjoyed spending a whole week with Paul after so many busy months at work!

My sweet little angel was the angel for our nativity reenactment. She took her role very seriously!

Somehow she knew just what to do.

We went ice skating with my family for Christmas Eve- Lyla was excited but wasn't such a fan once she got out there.

I had fun watching from the side with Trevor because there was no way my broken toe was going to fit inside an ice skate.

Santa came and brought books for the kids- and this is as close as Lyla would get to him! She loves talking about him but is too scared to ever sit on his lap.

The kids loved making a gingerbread house and somehow we even kept them from eating too much candy.

Cassidy helped the cousins put on a muscial for us- so cute.

Lyla and Kaitlyn both love berries.

Nana, Papa and Cassidy took Lyla, Jackson, and Kaitlyn to the mall one night to play. Then they bought ice cream and Lyla was in heaven. I'm pretty sure she took advantage of being with Nana & Papa by eating tons since I rarely ever give her any.

Grandma & Grandpa Rumsey gave Lyla a pink Mariners shirt which she is so proud of!

Grandma also made a darling Mariners hat for Trevor. It's been perfect since it's so cold!

This was Lyla's super excited face after she opened a present with all of the Tangled presents.

We were very sad not to be able to go to Washington with the Rumseys this year, but we had a nice Christmas. It was nice to go to church on Christmas day and to feel the spirit of the season so strongly.