babies are a girls best friend

whoever coined the phrase "diamonds are a girl's best friend" must never have had kids.  i would trade all the diamonds in the world to have my kidlets.  let's be honest, two kids is exhausting and i seriously get like 5 minutes total to myself a week, but i wouldn't trade it for the world.  i love these little monkeys.  lydia is the best big sister.  she loves her baby and loves to make her laugh.  she gets so excited to take a bath with her, to hold her, to share with her, to get her a toy... anything.  and layla just smiles and laughs the minute she sees her!  well...layla smiles and laughs at just about everything.  she is seriously a dream baby. since having two, i have been so scared to take them both anywhere by myself.  i can't really watch lydia too closely whenever layla needs to eat.  we've been sick with a cold so last week after all week being home, i thought i'd brave the wild animal park by myself.  WHAT A FUN DAY!  layla was so easy and lydia was such a good listener!  i'm just counting my blessings on that one.  she's such a good kid!  i keep waiting for the day when i wake up and she's "terrible!" 

so i know there's lots to share, but i'll just share a few highlights. 

lydia turned 2 in september!  we took her to disneyland (thanks to some awesome friends and family) and she loved it!  we actually got to go a few times over a 2 week span and it was so fun.  i've never been a HUGE disneyland fan...but it is SO cute to re-see it through her eyes. 

we had a yo gabba gabba party for her birthday.  she loved it.  and my friend made an AWESOME cake.  when we lit the candle and a piece of Plex melted, lydi said "uh-oh!  plex!" 

lydia is talking like crazy.  true, half of it only mom and dad can understand...but she is soooo good at communicating what she wants.

layla was 14 pounds at her 10 week appointment...and she sleeps like 10 hours straight every night!  (if only mom could not be a freak and just sleep to!  i'm up a million times just checking on them both.  the joys of being a mom...)  she's now 3 1/2 months and i should probably weigh her...she's ginormous.  and seriously the happiest thing i've ever seen.  she's so fun.

okay... i think that's all i have time for.  i hear one of them.  enjoy the pics. :)

i know...i know...

i know... we are SO slow to post.  wow.  2 kids is a whole new ball game!!! so here is an update for those that need it...
we have had a whirlwind summer with keeping a toddler busy, and lots of family coming and going while still getting ready for another kid!  we had baby number two late july.  she was, just like her big sister, FASHIONABLY late!  a full 2 weeks.  but she came just in time on her own and she paid mom back with a great labor and delivery.  once again, super hard and intense, but moderately short.  definitely a different experience when you are busy chasing a toddler in the daytime instead of leisurely napping and reading every day like i did before lydia was born!  but she was delivered in exactly the same room in the birthing center where we had our lydia and she came out so healthy and happy and has been SUCH  joy to have in our family.  it's funny how up until the minute they come, you can't imagine life with another kid... and moments after they are out, it's like you don't know how you survived without them. :)  we named this little monkey Layla Jackie. she came out GINORMOUS at 8 lbs 12 oz and 21 inches.  and she has been growing ever since.   in fact, she will be 6 weeks tomorrow (are you kidding me!?!?!?!) and we had a dr appt today... ya, she's over 12 pounds.  as you can guess, she's a great eater and an awesome sleeper!  so many great things have happened and i have been horrible at keeping track this time, but i'll sum it up with she has been such an angel baby and her big sister LOVES her!  when she cries (like...never...) lydia says "baby...sad..." and brings her a blankie or a paci or comes and gets me.  it's so cute to see your kids fall in love with each other!  when her big sister walks in the room, layla looks around and finds her and watches her and smiles at her.  i am so in love with both of them!  and i am LOVING having two.  not gonna lie, i'm way exhausted and definitely know that life as i know it has changed forever, but i don't want to miss a moment because i know how fast it goes.  i am soaking up the fun and just getting through the hard.  think that's the only way we can do it. :)  here are a few pictures since i'm sure i have MOMENTS before one or both of them wake up...enjoy!!!  i promise, i'll try to be better at posting, but let's be honest...quiet moments to myself are pretty rare. :)

 1 month

1 week

2 weeks

1 week

1 day

i'll get some more recents when i upload from my camera.  :)

some pictures

just a few pics from the past month...we have been trying to enjoy the
last little bit of 'one kid' that we have. things will definitely get
a little more complicated soon...

empty beach

we LOVE when daddy takes a day off to play! we went to the beach this
morning and this monkey was in heaven! and yet, we both sat there
thinking how glad we are she is going to have a live in friend in just
a few short weeks...

lately

we've been keeping busy loving life and our family...

 and getting outside as much as we can!

basketball with jojo and uncle jay

fun beach day for auntie christy's birthday!

 

easter with lots of cousins!

is anyone else loving that you can now upload a bizillion pictures at once instead of 4 at a time!

SO BIG

today, my monkey was supposed to take her picture for nursery at church. of course she screamed hysterically when someone else tried to take it... so i brought her home and took her picture to send over. doesn't she look like such a big girl!? when did that happen??

what we do...

can you tell what daddy does with her when she is in the chair? I came
in to find this...

AuNtie jojo

We sure love when auntie jojo gets to spend ALL DAY with us. we had a blast. and this tired mama can barely see straight...but also can't sleep... the joys of being pregnant. thank heavens for aunties today.

A quick updAte

we've been a bit slow on updates lately... let's be honest, mama doesn't leave the couch much so we spend a lot of time sitting and reading books and watching movies. but here are a few things we have had the energy to get up to. :)

glorious february beach days with dad... lazy saturday mornings...
playing with cousins at jojo's swim meet

ya... mom is lazy...

and a first popsicle. they were mom's craving for a while so we had to share...

in other updates. pregnancy sure has had a big affect on this house. we eat lots of take out and ignore lots of messes cuz mom doesn't feel good about 90% of the time. fortunately, dad forgives us and comes home ready to help in any and every way he can. we sure are lucky to have him around. but we are seeing an end in sight. every week we get closer and more excited to have a new baby in our house. lydi carries her baby around everywhere! wraps her in her blankies and shares her paci and milk with them. she is going to LOVE having a real one!

it's official!