sick week.

happy monday! and hooray for a new week! we spent most of last week sick. kendall with croup, brooklyn with a cold (that came with a fever), and me with exhaustion and sore throat. not the best week we've had. 

and it's sad because last week started out really well. we went to dinner at brooklyn's favorite join, pizza pie cafe, and all was well.

then as soon as we got home, the croup cough came out of kendall's mouth and i wanted to crawl in a hole. croup terrifies me! so, we prepared for a long night. my MIL is still here, and thank goodness, she took the first shift and let james and i go to bed. that was definitely the worst night, though the next two weren't much better. tuesday brought a trip to the instacare so that we could at least get some steroid medication in her system. poor sweet baby. and really, we didn't really leave the house much after that.

kendall wanted to be held all day long, except for right after her first nap. she was pretty happy and willing to sit in the high chair for a little bit while i got a few things done. not many though. brooklyn also needed me every second of the day. there was whining and crying, wiping noses, refilling humidifiers, giving medicine, taking temperatures, and snuggling these sick girls of mine.

there were lots of little walks outside the house as well. kendall all bundled up, to breathe in the cool air, and i was grateful to breathe some fresh air too.

the morning i woke up feeling the worst, i was determined not to get any worse than i already felt. so i made a big pancake breakfast and seriously felt better. pancakes can fix a lot of things. so can a shower. every day after breakfast, the girls and i would hop in the shower to get nice and clean and also to let kendall breathe in the steamy air. even if we all just crawled back into jammies afterward. brooklyn loved it. showers with all three of us at the same time takes some planning, coordination, and might i add, skill. but we did it. we won't be doing it again soon, but good to know i can do it if it came to that again.

i was so happy thursday night when the girls really seemed to be at the tail end of their sick days because friday morning was my cousin kileigh's wedding. i didn't want to miss it. my MIL and SIL watched the girls while i went to the ceremony (so nice to be 15 from downtown slc!) and then i went back home to get them ready for the luncheon. james joined us and we had a great afternoon visiting with family. so much so that we decided to drive down to springville for the reception later that evening.

finally, the 6 of us all together!!!

it was beautiful! but i wouldn't expect anything less with my aunt kayelani being in charge. the newlyweds were happy and of course exhausted, and we loved celebrating with them!

the highlight of brooklyn's night! she is obsessed with weddings right now. getting to hold the bride's bouquet put her right in her happy place!

the food was delish: we're talking paninis & soup, fancy desserts, and steamers. not to mention this super fun photo booth. safe to say, the girls weren't quite sure what to do. i don't think their expression changes once. ha!

i loved spending time with cousins, aunts & uncles, my siblings, grandparents, and of course my little family. i also love when my girls get to play with my cousin's kids. i love love love it!

kileigh was a beautiful bride and i am so happy for her!

we're excited for this week to unfold, more organizing and unpacking to do here at the new house, but mostly excited that we're all healthy. i'm going to be pulling out the rest of our valentine's decor and hopefully getting all our laundry done tomorrow. there's a lot of it! i can't say enough how grateful i am that i was able to be home this week with my sick girls. that i didn't have to go into work or have other obligations. that my focus could be on them. i don't thank james enough, and even though he said all week that he was glad he was at work and not dealing with a hectic sick house full of girls, he would have been home too if the grown up world allowed. so thanks hun! thanks for taking care of us so that i can take care of our girls! it's my dream come true.

h a p p y  m o n d a y 

alive + well

between still feeling a tad sick, a doctor's appointment, another cousin's wedding, young women's activities and everything else, this poor blog has been neglected this week. it always makes me sad when i have these weeks, but i definitely feel more motivated to post the next week. so hopefully that happens.

brooklyn got to have a sleepover at auntie googs and uncle judd's house. she was beyond thrilled to be heading out the door with auntie googs, sleeping bag and all.

she wasn't one bit sad to say goodbye to mommy and daddy. after she was buckled in her car seat and we'd given her kisses, she said, "peace out!" she was so excited! auntie googs spoiled her with an ihop breakfast date the next morning where she got to eat all the pancakes and sticky syrup she wanted. 

wednesday we got to see baby girl. having an ultrasound every time makes me more and more anxious to meet her! she's definitely looking like her big sister. what do you think? i can't wait to kiss those cheeks.

we had a great time at the wedding. mostly because we love spending time with extended family. brooklyn loves playing with my younger cousins (who take such great care of her), and my cousin's kids. it makes my heart so happy. it definitely makes me so excited for our spring haven family reunion next week!

tuesday and thursday nights, while james is at class, brooklyn and i have to get pretty creative with our time. we spend all day alone together, and then extend that into the evening two nights a week. thank goodness for warm weather. brooklyn loves to just be outside, me nearby (reading or something), and occasionally, she wants me to join in on her pretend games. she cracks me up. oh that girl. tonight, she and her cute neighbor friend pretended to be kitties curled up in a blanket. so cute.

so, know that we're alive and well. the sickness hasn't quite left our house, brooklyn seems to have caught a little cold, but other than that, we are happy and well. looking forward to some more family time celebration haley's graduation today. mind blowing i tell ya! and more time with a possible bbq on memorial day. life is good and we truly are blessed.

h a p p y  w e e k e n d i n g 

disney on ice + a wedding + a birthday

friday afternoon couldn't have come fast enough for brooklyn. that poor girl had to suffer through lunch and a nap before we could get ready to head to salt lake for disney on ice. she was so so excited! as she soon as she woke up, we got her dressed up like a princess and out the door we went. bags packed for the weekend in coalville.

we walked in as soon as the show started and brooklyn didn't know what to think. she'd seen the commercials advertising the show, but i honestly think she thought we were going to watch a movie, not watch it all in person. we were pretty close to the ice and she didn't take her eyes off of it for one second.

not a great picture, but i loved the beauty & the beast part. 

we stopped on our way up the stairs for a picture because it was crazy getting out of there. lots and lots of little princesses and their parents.

we quickly grabbed dinner and were on our way to colby's reception. 

we spent the night in coalville and james and i were up early for different commitments we had, and then we were all off to the jordan river temple for colby and zaina's sealing. the weather was beautiful for the happy couple. so excited for them.

their luncheon was delicious to boot.

also, we couldn't leave west jordan without making a little stop at dunford bakers. holy donuts. delicious. go there.

it was a race to beat my parents home so we could set up for my mom's little surprise birthday celebration. with a little bit of decor and a twinkie cake with grape soda (inside family story), we were ready for the birthday girl.

kayla got party hats.

blowing bubbles while we waited to do presents and cake.

during the present opening, a little mishap with a weight down the stairs had us all gasping and then laughing. oops.

singing to the birthday girl.

we were all in sugar comas after the cake (pop, donuts, desserts at the luncheon) and ended up lounging and visiting. my favorite. then we all hit the hay too late with the time change, and struggled to get up for church. but we made it.

we enjoyed sunday dinner together, then naps, and then we hit the road again.

because today is her actual birthday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! you are beautiful inside and out and so selfless. i love you more than i can say and i'm so grateful to have you in my life (and living relatively close to me). i love you tons!

and

h a p p y  m o n d a y

to the rest of you!