Making Faces

I needed something to do with my babies. I didn't want to get out a million toys, because then I have to fight them later to clean them up. I didn't want to watch a show/movie because I'm sure they've exceeded what is recommended in one's entire lifetime, while I've been on bed rest.

So, what can we do? Let's make some faces.

Materials:
Old Ragu cardboard box ready to be recycled
Markers
Scissors
****Yarn, glue, & glitter would have been fun too, but I didn't want to get up to just have an even bigger mess to also pick up later (I'm a lazy mom, I know.)

For something so simple & silly, they had a lot of fun. I really liked when they sat in their chairs and had a conversation in crazy voices while talking behind their giant head masks. I missed getting a picture of it because I was laughing so hard.

"Is baby Eva here yet?"

All day Friday, this question was ALL I heard from both of my babies. Every car that drove by, they screamed, "Is it them?" Needless to say, they were excited to see their cute cousin baby Eva. Oh, and the parents too, I guess. :)

Although it was a short trip, we enjoyed every minute we had with them. Afton and Jack both came home from church today and said, "Where's baby Eva, and Shawn, and Angela?" Pretty ironic that they ask for them in that order. Especially since, Angela was the least excited to make the trip down.

This weekend my babies made some fun memories. Pretty Frozen hair done by Angela for Disney on ice. Yummy food sharing at dinner with uncle John, aunt Allison, and cousin Tanner in attendance as well. (Can you believe it - on a Saturday night, we got to play with Tanner Barnes!) Watching Frozen in their jammies. Fun cousin bath time. And one last beautiful braid, by Angela for my girl at church today. Well, actually, it was two beautiful braids.

We are so glad they came down to play with us. We love ALL of the cute Blymiller family.

Daddy's Christmas Present

I remember when I used to put lots of effort into thinking of a great gift for my sugar. I would go to all kinds of shops, websites, and even think of themes for the perfect gift. I would picture his face when he opened the present and even think about what my facial expression would be like in response. (I am dork, I know!)

Then we had kids. Somehow this has affected both of our brains, along with shopping skills, and I am kind of hoping that we are not alone in this. (I really hope that we are not totally out of the norm. If we are then, whatever, you other couples win an award for being the "Cutest Couple Ever." So suck it! HA!) It was even harder when I was a full-time working mom. I was like, "Oh, it's Valentine's Day. I should have known that since I have been planning a classroom party and bought treats for my own 2 babies, but ah crap, nothing AGAIN for my sugar!" I had really no excuse during July for my sugar's birthday because, I was on summer break. But I think I was too busy trying to soak up all of the time I had with my babies and even beginning to stress/freak out because it was almost August which meant I needed to get back in my classroom. For Christmas, I only had the first week during my winter break from school, and that was not enough time, especially if I had to order something special (NOT LIKE THE ELF, "SOMETHING SPECIAL!") from a website.

But this year was different, especially with being on my couch all FREAKING day. I was able to think of a theme, and a fun gift that I  knew my sugar would love. I had time to order stuff online and with the beauty of the GROUPON app on my phone,  I could embellish his main gift to follow the theme.

Theme: GRAY, BLUE, & GREEN

Inspiration: My poor sugar has struggled in years past with his sports teams. Being born and raised in Seattle, he has not had the joy of many championships, or even wins, while in his lifetime. Basketball: His poor Super Sonics left him, leaving him quite melancholy. Baseball: His Mariners, well, you know. They always leave him melancholy, especially when Ichiro, the only good thing left to the dreaded Yankees. Football: The last glimmer of hope he has had for that city's sports teams is the Seattle Seahawks. In 2005, they were good, NFC Champions, but you know the story. They lost thanks to the refs coming to the aid of the SUPER LAME Pittsburgh Steelers. (Man I hate the Steelers!) This year, he has enjoyed watching his team. He has participated in quite a lot of trash talk on Facebook between friends, and not to mention the trash talk that has occurred at UNLV Dental school in between classes, just like little boys in junior high talking trash by their lockers about the touch football game they just had in 3rd period PE.

Gift: His very first team jersey. A Seahawks jersey. The dilemma I was running into was, whose jersey should I buy? He loves Russell Wilson and can't seem to get enough of how "smart he is a s a quarterback. He is small but that doesn't matter. He is a good guy, too." Blah, Blah, Blah. Then there is Richard Sherman. He also is one of my sugar's favorites. They have so much in common. They both happen to have a kind heart, highly educated, and a tremendous skill in the art of trash talking. I could not go wrong in buying the 12th fan jersey, either. I won't ever have to worry about that number being traded, since the fans will always be a huge party of the Seahawk tradition. But the clinching factor of whose jersey I would buy came from a conversation we had one night, amidst his endless studying,  about a possibility of baby girl's name. Keep in mind, this conversation was in all seriousness on my husband's part.

My sugar: "I have the best name for our baby girl."
me: "Oh really, what is it? It really needs to be a family name since Afton and Jack both are. I am racking my brain and can't come up with anything, so go ahead, tell me. What is it? (Excited to think that he has been able to think about baby names when he has been so busy at school with HURLBUTT~ a professor. I was pretty EAGER to hear his name!)
My sugar: "Marshawna Carroll Westra."
me: (blank stare)
My sugar: "You know, BEAST MODE? and Pete Carroll."

Basically the conversation was over.

When he opened his presents this year, I watched to see if his face would be just as I had pictured in my mind, while planning the theme, searching online, and personally smiling as each piece came in the mail. (I know, I'm a dork. I already admitted to that.)

First was the GRAY church socks. Woo hoo! Super thrilling.
Next was the skinny checkered BLUE tie from Groupon. Nice smile, but expected.
There was some other small thing, but I honestly can't remember. I know it was GREEN to go with the theme. (The baby is affecting my brain!!!!)
Finally, the Marshawn Lynch authentic 2013 NFL jersey, all GRAY, BLUE, & GREEN. "Ahhh yeah. Beast mode! I love it baby," as he quickly puts it on over his pajama top.

I could not have been more happy because I knew my sugar LOVED his present! :)

The Seahawks have a big game this week. They are playing the San Francisco 49ers, who I have grown up hating, as a Raiders fan. I will have no issues cheering on the Seahawks with my sugar. To be honest, I have not had any issues supporting my sugar and his love for his Seattle teams. (Especially since they have never been a threat for my teams while growing up so I have NOT built up a hatred for them, like so many other teams in the NBA, MLB, or NFL.) It should be a fun game, and I will enjoy watching my sugar as he supports his Seattle Seahawks wearing his Marshawn Lynch jersey eating skittles on the couch!

Go Seahawks! Beast Mode!

Lee Canyon

My girl was pretty adamant about going to the mountain while daddy was on Christmas break. She really wanted to go sledding again, which is pretty shocking since last year she ran straight into a tree. (Thanks a lot daddy!)

I demanded that I go just to ensure that daddy didn't kill either of my children this year. He packed up a soccer chair for me to sit on, while they all played on the sleds, and all was well. (A different swing on bed rest.) It was fun to hear the girl scream as she flew down the mountain, "This is the best day EVER!" Totally quoting TANGLED. Jack was yelling, "Let's do this again."

I'm glad they had their daddy home to make sure they had a fun time, especially since I've been able to do nothing fun, except sit on our couch and snuggle (which is fun for me!). He is a good daddy and we are so thankful for him.

Try and CONTAIN Yourself

In the middle of downtown Las Vegas, there is a fun new park. It's very different from your typical park, considering it's made entirely from storage containers. It was an architectural masterpiece - Equipped with cute shops, yummy food (except for ALL the pork joints), and a 33 foot tree house slide. My babies were a little freaked out by that slide, but they enjoyed the two other smaller ones greatly. They ran. They climbed. They smiled with their daddy.

When they weren't playing in the treehouse, they were engaging their creative side on building castles, towers, and a giant giraffe with giant tinker toys and legos. They had a sword fight, rocked on pretend horsies, and rolled on giant bouncy balls. 

There was even a stage where the babies plugged their ears as the band played. (I'm sure that made the band feel great.)

As you enter and exit, there is a giant grasshopper that has fire on the tips of it's antennae. As we were leaving, the nice pyrotechnic man let my babies push the button to make the flames go. They loved it. HOWEVER, they freaked out some babies in the front as they were just hanging out underneath it. Lesson learned parents: Don't stand under the giant flaming grasshopper with your baby.

A friend from our ward, Todd McBrayer, helped in the design and construction of this place and I think we were ALL thoroughly impressed. It was another fun day with daddy!

Oh, did I mention... it was FREE? I know. Try and CONTAIN yourself.

(My pictures aren't the best quality, but they will have to do.)

Jesus wants me for a sunbeam!

I was called to be the primary president for our ward back in July of 2013. I have spent the last 3 months still being the president, from my couch/bed.  It has been hard because I've missed a bunch of fun things, had to stress out my counselors with tons of work, and haven't been the extra body that we ALL know primary needs in there every Sunday. (Needless to say my counselors & secretary are ridiculously awesome. I love them. Shout out to Spencer, Toko, & Hardcastle.)

Yesterday was a particularly fun day that I missed. It was my boy's first day in primary as a sunbeam. (Can't believe he's already that big.) We had been talking about it for awhile, and he seemed indifferent.

Junior sharing time meets first and Jack went in unsure, but daddy told me that he was having a tough time, because they had to go find him to help Jack calm down. Once daddy was sitting by his side in the primary room, Jack did much better. He was singing along and he even came home singing, "How did the Father show the world...", which is our new song for the month. He even was able to tell me what the lesson was about during sharing time. "It was about baby Jesus and us." Daddy said he answered the question, "What will you be like and look like when you grow up?" Jack responded, "A baby pig. No... just like a big boy like my daddy. I want to be just like my daddy." Afton explained the lesson to me a little different with baby and mommy pigs, giraffes, and stegasaurus. Then "Jesus was in there too." Daddy later explained what the lesson was really about (We are created in His image), but overall, both my babies got the point, in their own way.

When it was time for Jack to go to his sunbeam class, he did very well. His teacher for the day, Sister Lance, messaged me that night, and brought me to tears along with giant smiles at the same time.

Although I missed the fun day, I heard from so many people about it, that it actually seemed like I was there. I can't wait to go back and be a functioning, standing, active primary president. Not just for my own babies, but for ALL the sweet babies from ages 3-11 that I miss terribly. (Only 9 weeks left until I'm 36 weeks)

Ooooh, I forgot to mention that Jack was selected to give the closing prayer next week during sharing time! :) He was pretty excited about that. 

Home Depot with Daddy

Today the babies had a great time enjoying their last Saturday before daddy returns back to the grind of dental school. (None of us are looking forward to it. Absolutely NONE of us.)

It was the first Saturday of the month and the kids wanted to get their hands a little dirty. Home Depot, here they come.

Today's project was building a fun calendar. The girl did a great job with her hammer today and Jack enjoyed playing with the wood glue. We even got "to play with Lilly." (Jack has a little crush I think.) They also really enjoyed painting their final projects.

I was impressed with their hard work. But most of all, I just love that they got to play with their daddy.

(Interesting facial expressions in some of these pictures, babies. ???)