A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words...

I haven't posted any pictures of our little turkey sub in a while so.... 

Nothing causes elation in my child quite like being swooped up onto her daddy's shoulders. I'm only explaining cause you can't really tell by the look on her face how much she loves it...

These pics demonstrate her progress in moving past the "picture face." Not quite... baby steps. Her feet crossing habit is still fully intact. 

Big girl is standing up all by herself these days. Makes mama sad.  Cept' she so freaking cute doing it.

I included this picture with the sole purpose of showing you all what I face whenever she gets hungry. 

Squishable...

Such a beauty, if I do say so myself! I always have such a crush on her on Sunday mornings, before the raggamuffin transformation begins. I still have a crush afterwards, just not quite as much. 

Another stunning self portrait. Literally the only pic of us in the last, like, two months. I'm gonna have to give Sam a talking to today. Time for him to play photographer. 

Hail The Conquering Hero....ME!!

Today was an exciting day! This morning I went on a run and happened upon THIS: 

I, of course, was a smitten kitten, oohing and ahhing and giggling, drawing everyone's attention who came by to the mama duck and her 11 darlings. The 5 year old in me nearly prevailed in convincing myself it would be a good idea to make off with one of the ducklings, but I resisted. 

Normally I would have just chalked this up to a lucky sighting to brighten my day, but there was more behind my run in with the little duck family... my ducky senses were being honed.  I'll tell you why.

A little later we were driving home from the grocery when I saw a duck, much like the mama I had seen this morning, on the side of the road quacking and circling around, agitated and distraught. I knew something wasn't right. I told Sam, "Look at that duck, that's not normal. I think she's looking for something." Sam drove past her without a thought. We were almost home when I made him turn around. 

When we got back to the duck she was still irritated, circling and quacking. "I think she's lost her ducklings." I said, and I hopped out of the car (much to my husband's dismay). There was a storm drain near and I went directly to it. On my hand and knees in the street, sure enough, I could see two little chirping ducklings at the bottom of the drain!!! My eyes brimmed with tears and my heart immediately broke for that little mama duck. So helpless, being able to hear her ducklings' cries but not being able to find them! They were chirping wildly, terrified. The mama bear in me took over. 

"We need a net!!" I shouted at Sam. He had gotten Leah out of the car and was standing in the street at this point. He looked at me, "Uh, well, we don't have one." Then I remembered I had left our tool kit in the trunk of the car. "Get the tools so we can take off this grate!"

Sam got our tool kit and, as luck would have it, our bathroom garbage pail that was still in the trunk from our move. After a struggle, he was finally able to get the grate off and I could see the drain was about 5 or 6 feet down. There were large tunnels running off of the hole in several directions and the ducklings, in fear, kept running off down the tunnels. Each time it happened, their cries would get softer and mama duck would come closer, calling loudly to them to bring them back in view. 

I laid on my stomach with the garbage pail in hand and hung from the waist into the drain. I could reach the garbage almost to the bottom and I hung there unsuccessfully for about five minutes, trying to coax the ducklings into the pail. We won't mention what a foolio I was, hanging upside down, trying to imitate the mama duck. 

After the ducklings scurried off down one of the tunnels again I pulled myself out of the hole and kneeled on the side of the street. I folded my arms and prayed that Heavenly Father would please help me save these little ducks. 

I shimmied on my stomach down into the drain again and, I'm not kidding, immediately BOTH ducklings came scurrying back and jumped up INTO my garbage pail!!!! I shouted out in laughter!! I couldn't BELIEVE it!!! I felt overwhelmingly thankful for my answered prayer. 

I hoisted the two little dears out of the hole and, after snapping a few pics, walked to mama who was still quacking up a storm a few feet away. 

I set the pail down in the grass and the ducklings hustled out to their mom. She quacked at them SO LOUDLY and I have never seen anything cuter as they JUMPED onto her back over and over! It was such a celebration!! After the reunion they fell right back into their little formation and started making their way off into an oblivion. Needless to say, our hearts were bursting...

The little fluff balls still captive in our garbage pail. So so cute. 

Sam took this little video after the glorious reunion

The Little Things...

Leah follows me around like a puppy dog every where I go. I know most of you probably have little tots who do the same to you. She gets especially excited when she discovers me in the bathroom. I know as soon as she realizes I am no longer in the kitchen or living room, she will come fee fi foing her way back to find me. SO, this time I went prepared and captured this little vid on my phone. Turn up the volume for the full effect. Don't worry... it was staged...

Oh little Leah, you make my heart burst. No one else gets excited the way you do when they stumble upon me in the bathroom...

Oh, Woest Me!

I'm sorry I have to complain a little bit. Apart from suffering any major tragedies, I can safely say this was the worst weekend imaginable! To start, we moved apartments, which in and of itself is very hateful and agonizing. It has to be mentioned that my husband is absolutely superhuman. I have never seen such a moving machine. We've moved together before, but the last time I was pregnant and too involved in my own pitiful state to notice his ridiculously brutish strength! 

What made the weekend especially miserable was the fact that we've all come down with our own little slew of ailments. Leah has been sick with a cold since pretty much the holidays. Nasty nose, cough, fever and sore throat. She topped it off this week with a lovely outbreak of PINK EYE. Don't even get me started on pink eye. Ok, you got me started. I'm particularly bitter about this nasty little malady because of course, she passed it along to me in record time. Seriously, how mangy is pink eye? Normally I would have just gone into quarantine but I had to be out and about because of the move. Leah and I were a sight to behold walking around revolting everyone who got close enough to make eye contact. Pink eye is often paired with an awful cold so of course we couldn't be spared that either. Last night in preparation for bed I started by putting drops in my beautiful bright pink eyes, took 4 advil, inhaled some nasal decongestant and popped in a throat lozenge...  

Sam has been able to miraculously dodge the pink eye but has been plagued with the worst hay fever imaginable. After a frenzied, full-fisted eye, nose and face scratching he looked at me through red rimmed, teary eyes and said, "Baby, where's the cheese grater?" Me: "It's packed up, why?" Sam: "If I had a cheese grater I would grate my face off." 

The one highlight of the weekend was the discovery of a delicious little shop called Yogurt Station. Holy shiz. Frozen yogurt in all sorts of delightful self-serve flavors and a wall full of every topping imaginable. The best part is that it's all "do it yourself" so you can go wild with whatever you want... no more scrimping on the cheese cake bits or brownie bites... it's all you. They just weigh your concoction at the end and charge you accordingly. The fatty in me made a proclamation to Sam that we would be "eating there EVERY DAY UNTIL APRIL FOOLS DAY!!" Which of course is only a couple days away, but you get the idea. 

Anyway, now we're all moved in snug as a bug in a rug. I'm sure we'll all look back on this someday and laugh... someday. Today is not that day. 

It's Chi-Town, Baby!

So after the long and arduous process of applying for business schools, interviewing, exploring and twiddling our thumbs we are finally certain where we will be moving... CHICAGO!!! Sam will be attending the University of Chicago for his MBA starting in September and Leah and I will be dutifully tagging along for the ride. I'm dreading a few things... Chicago winters, OBAMA FEVER, leaving the west and close proximity to most of my family, and let's be honest, living on a student budget. But I'm also super excited for the new adventure. 

I'm thrilled about the prospect of being able to head up to campus to meet daddy for lunch and to escape the daily grind of "professional life." What can I say? Sam and I met at college and while I know it won't be nearly the same, I'm feeling especially smitten and romantic about the idea of living the student lifestyle again. No doubt I'll go loiter around the library once a week and make Sam pretend we're meeting for the first time... 

I've never been to Chicago before so I need all of you well-traveled folks to tell me the must-sees for my exploring pleasure. 

1..2..3..4..

Sam and I decided to get serious about exercise this year. We took some video of our first class together -- turns out we have a bit further to go than we anticipated.

No, but seriously, have you ever seen such uncords in your entire life? Sam gets especially joyous every time we watch it.

My Quirky Little Gee

Leah has developed some charming little idiosyncrasies in her short time here on earth. I decided they had to be documented lest they be forgotten forever. Most of the photos were taken with my phone because I had to be quick on the draw in capturing the moment... so don't be judgy.

First is her absolute inability to sit anywhere, in any position, without crossing her little pillowy feet. Even when she's seated on the floor, toys strewn all about, her feet are crossed directly in front of her. I think she's in the beginning stages of a condition inherited from her Papa (my dad) known affectionately as "the cricket syndrome" in which he is completely unable to keep himself from feverishly rubbing his feet together whenever shoes are not present. Thanks, Papa!

Second, my little munchkin is a masochist. What started as a sweet little habit during nursing, has blossomed into full fledged self destruction... in the form of pinching. She used to softly pinch my hand or arm while she nursed. Then she started to get aggressive about it and I had to set some pinching boundaries. Little did I know, my refusal to satisfy her pinching fix would send her tailspinning into the dark and lonely world of self-pinching. Many a time she has interrupted moments of peaceful rocking or humming with a shrill shout... only for me to discover her little hand up her shirt--pincers in action, wrecking havoc on her belly. I've learned not to leave my little lass pantless for any amount of time. Her voluptuous thighs are too tempting and the ant-biting begins... in the following picture you can see this disturbing behavior along with her face while doing it... stop doing this to yourself, Leah!!

Third, she's discovered one particular position to be especially satisfying for snoozing. The first time I came upon her in her crib, my heart leapt out of my chest and I immediately soiled my drawers. I was sure she'd suffocated. Much to my delight, she was snoring away dutifully and after many foiled attempts to move her into another position I gave up, and this has been her position of choice ever since... I think she's aiming to highlight her finest feature...

Finally, the following face is quite disturbing, but alas, my strong-willed little fatty has settled on it as her official "picture face." As soon as she sees the camera, she contorts her face into this expression and holds it until the flash is over, then reaches for the camera to have a look at the splendor I have captured. I remember being little and making faces for pictures that I was certain were super sexy... only to discover I looked like a complete tard. Poor little lamb, thinking she's so sexy....

A Month to Remember

February was one fiesta after another. To start, Sam flew my mom out to babysit and surprised me with tickets to WICKED for our 3 year anniversary!! It was GLORIOUS! I've been obsessed with the soundtrack since it first came out so it took everything in me, and a few steely glances from Sam, (literally shouting in a whisper, "You'll ruin it for everyone!") to keep from belting out every song along with the production. It's been a few weeks now and I've finally settled back into the reality that I am, in fact, NOT destined to be on Broadway... something similar to the identity crisis I suffered back when Phantom of the Opera came out and I was certain there was an opera singer dormant inside of me just waiting for the chance to make her debut to the world. Anyway, the night was magical.

Of course, it wouldn't have been nearly as wonderful had I not been sure Leah was in good hands.  I knew my mama could handle our little turkey sub no matter what kind of punch she decided to pack. We came home and Leah and Grammy were rocking and snoozing together in the recliner. What good girls. 

The rest of the time my mom spent out here was much needed and appreciated. Sam and I went to the temple one night and on a RED HOT early Valentines Day dinner date on another. Oh, and I spent a significant amount of time whipping my mom's A in Quiddler--Don't try to deny it, mom.

On the 19th Samnation turned 29 years old. We kept the festivities mellow following our crazy week of painting the town but I still managed to cook up a humble dinner of filet mignon, potatoes and glazed carrots... just a little something I threw together.... 

 

All in all the birthday meal was a major success

I had to include this next pic for your viewing pleasure. This is the scene I open the bedroom door to every single time she wakes up from a nap... pure and utter devastation.  I laugh every time... poor peetree...

 

And a couple more pics for the road...

Think I might be PMS?

The following conversation took place last night when I walked into our bedroom and found Sam wrapped up in my blanket on my side of the bed:

Me: What the crap are you doing on my side of the bed?
Sam: I like to wrap up in your blanket cause it smells like you.
Me (literally feeling rage swell up inside): No, you just wanted to steal the cool crisp of my side of the bed so you could get in your side of the bed and have the refreshing cool twice!
Sam: I wanted to make your side warm and toasty for you!
Me: You know I don't like my bed TOASTY!!!

I brutishly bulldozed my way into bed and after a few seconds of silence we both busted up laughing. Poor Sam. Not my finest moment.

P.S. No, this pic is not me. I'm leaving this disclaimer because my husband advised me to... oh, and my mom thought it was me. Nice. 

Much Needed Rendezvous...

This post is pretty much going to be dedicated to pictures. Mera and Jason came out here for a couple of days and I was snapping so many shots of our little cherubs that for the last 2 hours I've just been staring at my computer, clicking from one picture to the next, trying to pick the best ones! Needless to say, the task has been near impossible so I just decided to add lots and lots.


I've seen nothing more delicious than Leah and Lucia packed nice and snug in our double stroller. I was a smitten kitten! Leah was hamming it up the entire time while little Lucy spent the majority of her time on our stroll in deep thought... contemplating the meaning of life.



We stopped for lunch and allowed the munchkins to scuffle over toys for a bit. They played a rousing game of tug-o-war over and over again. Luckily they both remained cool headed and no injuries were inflicted.


Nothing can really be said about this next group of shots...

Leah is especially happy just out of bed in the morning. Not something she inherited from her dad.

Sadly, this was pretty much the only shot of me and little Doofy... rise and shine.

You can imagine our joy and wonderment upon witnessing Lucy wrangle and saddle little Leah. Child prodigy, I'd say.