florida part 1!

I meant to get this post up much sooner, but it's taken all week just to get back into the swing of things post-vacation. Mostly me trying to figure out what to do with the girls without my Mom and Dad around swooning over them and retraining my kids what a bedtime is- because that was definitely nonexistent the whole time we were there.

We got to spend two weeks in Florida this time, which was perfect! We were able to see a lot of friends and family and get in a lot of pool and beach time. I think we'll have to start going in two week stints from now on.

 ^There are 6 grandkids in our family and 5 of them are girls. So naturally Uncle James got a fancy makeover!

 Pool time with cousins! We went swimming almost every day we where there. (I think I only bathed my kids with soap like 4 times in 2 weeks...swimming counts as a bath sometimes, right? ;-) Don't judge me.)

 Olivia is so fearless in the water- it's a little alarming!

 ^Olivia inspecting Baby Benji's tiny toes with Papa while eating at Mellow Mushroom! Afterward we saw Finding Dory- we all loved it!

One morning we went to a neighbor's corn field to get some corn to enjoy at our family reunion! Fortunately it didn't take very long because it was hotter than all get out (and only 10am!). You forget what the middle of a Florida summer is like when you haven't been in one in a while! Utah gets just as hot temperature wise, but the humidity is a total game changer.

 ^The best part about fresh corn is eating it right after picking it! So sweet and delicious. 

 

^My cousin Jenn now lives in Utah so we get to see her often (lucky us!), but since she was in Florida at the same time as us for our reunion, we got together with one of our childhood friends and our collective EIGHT kids! Each of our oldest starts kindergarten this fall. *sob.

 One day we drove over to Fernandina Beach where a good family friend is living for the summer. They're some of my favorite people on the planet, so spending a day with them at my favorite place on the planet was magic. 

^Confession. I don't like my sunglasses- they're annoyingly large. I sat on mine the day before we left and had to pick up a random pair on the way to the beach that day from CVS. But I paid $20 for them so I guess I'm keepin' 'em until I sit on them again, or Olivia gets a hold of them- whichever comes first. :-D

Olivia's last beach trip was to California last summer, where she tried to just eat the sand as quickly as she could. Fortunately this year that wasn't her thing. (Now she just sticks random objects up her nose...but that's another story).

^See...now you're checking out my giant sunglasses wondering if you like them or not either. It's fine. ;-)

 ^We brought home so many great shells!

 ^Nana and Papa with all the grandkids! 

Since my parents are selling their house it's a little bittersweet that this was our last big hoo-rah at the home we all grew up in. But we made so many great memories and I know there will be more to come in their new house too!

More pictures to come!

birthday month!

June has just flown right by! I'm not okay with it. Not at all. Summer is like.. my time. I think I thrive in summer- endless snow cones and popsicles, the smell of sunscreen and the occasional sunburn paired with aloe vera, more relaxed schedules, and fresh strawberries sold the size of your head. Pool days, splash pads, and backyard sprinklers. It's the 4 months of the year that reminds me of being back home (where summer lasts...like 10 months a year ;-) 

This June however things seemed to have been too busy! I can't put my finger on what exactly, but we haven't had enough of those lazy days. (I'm coming for ya July...we have big anti-plans). 

Mine and James' birthday are only six days apart! Sandwiched in between Mother's and Father's day- it's a big long month of US. Hah! James turned 31 this year and I turned 28. I have to admit...I actually thought I already was 28. So my birthday was just a formal confirmation of what I already knew to be true. When I was a late teenager and in my early 20s I used to think 28 was so OLD. So established and mature. Like, 28 year-olds had their junk together. 

I feel none of the above, however. I don't FEEL old. I feel like the best is yet to come and I'm just getting to my prime. I suppose that's a good thing. Now I look at people in their 30s the same way--so established...they definitely have their minivan-carpooling-soccer momming-junk together. 

Enough on my philosophies of life! For James' birthday we went with the girls to Tucanos, a Brazilian steakhouse, and then had cheesecake with his cousin and family a few days later. For my birthday we went to dinner and a movie while the girls had a sleepover at Grandma's so we could sleep in Saturday morning! It was glorious. 

The next week I went with some friends to The Cheesecake Factory! A night full of calories and good conversation for sure. 

Cheers to another year! We're off to Florida in just a few days and I CAN'T WAIT!!!!

living room update #2!

Another living room update! I left it kind of half-done and it sat that way for a long time. In my first post about it, I talked about why it wasn't working:

Then I updated it to this: 

And now it looks like this!

I finally got my act together enough to paint our small entertainment center white and thought I'd try out chalk paint! How I haven't experimented yet with that yet is beyond me. It was time.

Enter huge DIY fail.

The first name you typically associate with chalk paint is Annie Sloan- the original chalk paint. Harder to find, and a bit pricier. I thought I'd try out a newer brand that was much, much cheaper- basically a chalk paint powder you add to any color latex paint (BB Frosch). FAIL FAIL FAIL. The paint didn't stick at all, and I ended up selling the whole thing for $25. Lesson learned- you get what you pay for. The beauty of chalk paint is it takes very little prep work- no sanding- and will stick to virtually any surface. But this one sure didn't. 

So not only did I waste money on crappy paint products, now I needed a whole new entertainment center! *eyeroll 

Magically, my neighbor was selling this at a yard sale and the little portion of my brain that looks at things and automatically assesses how I can DIY them started to DING DING DING! Winna' winna' chicken dinna'! 

I bought. For $35. :-D

And I bought the only kind of chalk paint you should ever buy- Annie Sloan. After talking with the sweet lady at the store who had dried paint in her hair and on her hands (I want to be like her when I'm that old), she told me the difference between the cheaper mix-in brands and Annie Sloan is how it's made. It's not simply a chalky additive mixed in with latex paint, it's formulated differently- which is why it works so much better than other brands. 

Trust me. It's worth the money. 

I wiped it all down with a damp rag and got to painting- three coats of old white, and 2 coats of french linen on the back. And look how GORGEOUS!

After the first few strokes I was amazed at the difference between this stuff and the "other" stuff. When it was dry I even took my fingernail to it to see how it would hold up and NOTHING came off. 

Right?

RIGHT?! 

I was a bit intimidated by the waxing process, but it really wasn't as scary as I thought it might be. THIS video and THIS video were really helpful to see someone doing it, and THIS blog post has lots of good info generally if you're new to it like I was. 

Don't be scared- take the plunge. I promise you'll never go back. 

I love how this piece just came back to life! 

I'm so in love with how it turned out. 

When this project was underway I was also eyeing new area rugs. I hated the darker rug we had before- it was really chosen out of practically purposes (aka it hides stains well). But I was over that. With my couches being so dark and heavy I needed a lighter rug to balance it out. Which means it's time to implement some stricter eating in the living room rules for my kids. In the name of style. 

I spent HOURS looking at rugs online. I'm not even exaggerating. I wanted a natural fiber rug in a pattern I liked, that was a neutral color and would tie in my couches and floor. No small order.

I finally found THIS one from West Elm and loooove it! It's a jute chenille blend and has the durability of jute but is very soft to walk on. 

I bought a cheap vinyl tablecloth to put down on it when my girls do occasionally watch movies with snacks, because I'm a reasonable person. ;-) And I really can't have a movie night without treats.

All in all I love how these two small changes have really completed the look I want in  my living room! 

As always- on to the next project!

that time i was really, really wrong

Part of being a Mom is constantly realizing you're doing things wrong. There are a lot of "do-overs". Fortunately, kids are really forgiving. They're good at giving second chances- and I need a lot of those. 

I had one of those experiences last week with Jillian, my shy, quiet, I-don't-ever-want-to-be-the-center-of-attention child. Her end of year preschool program was coming up and I was already prepping her (knowing she'd likely back out). We talked about what they would do, and who would be there. I told her we could get Sodalicious cookies afterward (her favorite treat). She was excited about it, but still quite hesitant. The night before she even prayed all on her own that she wouldn't be scared. 

Well of course the time came, and sure enough, she didn't want to sit with the rest of her class on the small stage in front of the small audience of parents. She didn't want me to go up with her, she didn't want her teacher to walk with her. She didn't want to sit by her best friend. She didn't care about my bribes I was offering if she went up and performed. She just didn't want to. So we watched the rest of the class sing the songs and recite the poems, all of which Jillian was mouthing silently as she cowered into my arm from the front row of chairs facing the rest of the class.

I have to admit, I was feeling disappointed. Or frustrated- some mixture of both that no other kid had any reservations about getting up there. This wasn't the first time it's happened, where she clings to my side and begs to let her stay in her seat, so I can't say I was surprised, but my feelings remained the same. 

I know she could sense my frustration with her, because as we were getting back into the car, she hung her head low and quietly said, "Sorry Mom." I instantly felt tears come to my eyes. 

You know, the "Crap. I messed up and it wasn't anything YOU did wrong- it was me and I feel like a terrible mother" kind of tears. 

We started driving and she asked if we could still get a cookie on the way home. At first I said no, since she didn't get up. But I begrudgingly gave in and we got a treat anyway.

Later that night before she went to bed she put on a tutu and her ballet shoes, and asked that I turn on some ballet music and she danced around the living room while I watched her from the couch. She said, "I want to show you a dance show since I didn't do my preschool performance today."

Same tears came up in my eyes.

Dangit- it's not her messing this up, it's YOU.

 

Later that night and after a conversation I had about it with my Mom (because this is obviously something you call your Mom about--expert help needed), I realized it doesn't matter if she doesn't like performances, singing in church, reading her well-practiced speaking parts- some kids just don't like performing, no matter the size of the audience. And maybe she never will. She can do SO many other things SO incredibly well, who cares if this one little thing just isn't where she shines (or even wants to shine). I shouldn't push that. I shouldn't compare her to the kids with the bold personalities, or the attention seekers, because their personalities aren't better than Jillian's, just different. 

The next day I woke up eager for my second chance. I told her how proud I was of her for working so hard in preschool and being such a good friend to the other kids in her class, and that I was sorry if I was sad that she didn't get up on stage. Fortunately, she was quick to forgive and probably had already forgotten about it. But it was important for me to tell her- important for me to reestablish the kind of mother I want to be. 

And I'm proud of her, SO incredibly proud.

 

a quick trip to DC

Last weekend James and I flew to DC! He finished his MBA at GW in December, but we had to go out for all of the graduation hoop-lah. It was such a whirlwind of a trip since we were there for less than 72 hours, but it was still a fun little getaway! I haven't been to DC since my 4th grade safety patrol trip, so it was basically all new again.

 We landed at 9am on Friday, and had just enough time to run to our hotel, shower off the travel smell, and get to the capital building for a tour given by a staff member of Mia Love, one of Utah's representatives. 

The paintings covering the walls and ceilings were so intricate! I especially loved this quote:

DC is really an interesting mix of old and new- some blocks reminded me of "The Capital" from the Hunger Games (surely that's where they got their inspiration), and other blocks had some really cool architecture!

James got to do lots of sight-seeing when he was in DC a few months prior for one of his classes, so he asked me to make a list of the places that I wanted to see! Naturally I came up with a list of places I wanted to eat at instead...

Because of our crazy our schedule ended up being, we only got to hit up one of the places on my list, Astro Donuts, but they were delicious! They're famous for their creme brulee donut- and for good reason! Fun fact: they also serve fried chicken.

 

We also toured the White House. I love that it's still period decorated- at least the wing that we were able to tour. ;-) I saw a woman's dreams get crushed when she asked a security guard if Obama ever just popped over to this area "just to say hi" to the visitors and he politely said, "never". Hah! She was notably disheartened. 

We also got to visit some of James' family that lives in Maryland, about an hour away from DC. My favorite thing about visiting family no matter how much you do or don't see them is that it instantly feels cozy and everyone just picks right up where they left off. 

And bonus, James' uncle made some killer fried empanadas. I'm certain I gained a few pounds during that meal alone!

The commencement for the whole school was on the lawn in front of the Washington memorial. It ended up being an incredibly windy and cold morning, but I loved the remarks given by Senator Cory Booker from New Jersey. He brought up how everyone is eager to want to change the world, but so many ignore the needs of those in their own neighborhoods and communities. It definitely made me think of so many things I can do better in my own little realm of influence.

I'm so proud of my husband and for his hard word and dedication over the last few years- working 50 hours a week (which turns into 60 with commute time), and still having the discipline to maintain an A-B average, and not slack off even a little bit in being an amazing father and husband. Congrats James! You deserve a really long nap. ;-)

 

this song is dedicated to my mama

Have you guys heard that song yet? My brother showed it to me a couple years ago...it's pretty catchy.

 This soooong is dedicated to my mama, who taught me how to put on my pajamas..

Once you become a mother yourself, Mother's Day becomes this weird mirror-like holiday where suddenly everything my mom ever did or said makes perfect sense to me, because now I know from experience exactly where she's coming from. 

I.e., I get why you don't like to share your drinks with us, but begrudgingly do anyway. P.S. I'm not as nice as you on this matter.



My Mom is and was one of the best and continually shows me the kind of mother that I want to be for my girls. 

Happy Mother's Day!