kaya says (she’s moving to grandma’s house)

Posted on September 2, 2015 by tara

Kaya: Come here Mommy.
(Whispers in ear) I love mommy.
Me: You love mommy? Awwww!
Kaya: And Daddy, and Baba, and Jax. And potty.
Me: You love the potty?
Kaya (enthusiastically): YEAH!!!

“Mommy keep real real freeze.” (translation: hold still, Mommy!)

We’re in the car, waiting a stoplight.
Kaya: GO Daddy!
Michael: I can’t, we’re at a red light right now.
Kaya: UH-gain?!? (as if she couldn’t believe that this could happen more than once in a day)

We took the infant car seat out of the car, since Kaelyn outgrew it. I was explaining to Kaya why we had to put it away.
Me: We’re putting this car seat away, and we’ll use it again whenever we have another little baby.
Kaya (understandingly): Ah, okay. In two weeks? (hahaha… no…)

“Eye tricky.” (translation: my eye is bothering me. Anytime any body part feels weird or is bothering her, she tells me it’s “tricky”!)

Kaya: Peeky move away.
Me: where are you moving away to?
Kaya: uh…. gwamma’s house.

And there you have it. This girl makes us crack up every day lately! 🙂

auto-awesome done right

Posted on July 8, 2015 by tara

I only just recently turned on Google’s automatic photo backup on my phone. I know I’m super late to that party.

Since it backed up a bunch of things all at once, I keep getting notifications of all the things it deemed worthy to “auto-awesome”. Usually it’s just a collage or a weird animation.

But then I got this video.

And I couldn’t stop laughing.

I’m not sure if it’s the whistling, or the way it pans in on Kaelyn’s smile, or just the fact that it made a normal visit to the park into a super-cheesy home movie.

Either way, this cracks me up, so I figured I’d share the laugh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMBsw32T8MA

sister snuggles

Posted on June 3, 2015 by tara

I’ve said it before, but I’ll repeat it a million times over.

Seeing my babies love each other, play, and laugh together is one of my very favorite things.Of course, they have moments when they make each other cry, the baby gets pushed over, or they aren’t willing to share.

But there is no sound more joyous than their simultaneous giggles. One day I just know they are going to be best friends. (this is how Kaelyn gives kisses, by the way!) 🙂

My heart beats for these two little girls.

bubbles

Posted on May 20, 2015 by tara

This little girl knows all the ways to melt my heart. Seeing how much joy she gets just from the simplest of things, like playing outside in the sunshine and blowing bubbles, warms my heart and refreshes my perspective.

She is all about blowing bubbles lately… anywhere and everywhere she can (even while she rides in the stroller)!
I told her to say “Mickey Mouse!” instead of “cheese!” for this one. She’s never watched him on television, but his picture is on her toothbrush. She always so excitedly points him out to us every night! I love this little grin.I’m so thankful for this happy little girl who brightens up my days.

time and change

Posted on May 13, 2015 by tara

Working on getting all my photos backed up sure has a way of making me all sentimental. I was going through pictures of Kaya’s room from last year… back before Kaelyn was born and it became “the girls’ room”. Seeing that tiny space, the simple nursery that I spent so much time dreaming up and preparing for our sweet baby girl, gives me a pang of longing in my heart.

It’s not a longing for things to be as they once were, because we all know that I am so in love with my little family just as it is now.

It’s more of a yearning for all that time that’s gone by. All those special moments that have already passed, which we can only relive through our memories.

Six years ago, we were engaged and counting down the days until I’d come home from Europe! We were planning to go to the temple and make those sacred marriage covenants with each other. We were anxious and intimidated, but we knew we were meant to be together. We thought we loved each other then, but that was nothing compared to how we feel now.

We filled our tiny, one-bedroom apartment with old furniture, wedding photos, and our furry babies, Maggie and Juni.

Three years ago, we were getting ready to be first-time parents. We had no idea what a wild ride we were in for. We were excited and terrified and wondered every day if we’d be ready for this. Little did we know how much our hearts were about to explode with the greatest love we’ve ever felt.

We had moved to a bigger apartment, and there was room for a nursery. I planned and pinned ideas on Pinterest, shopped, sewed, and hot-glued. Michael put together a crib and a dresser and we hung things on the walls.

One year ago, we knew our family was going to change forever, because we three were about to become four. We were counting down the days, making the most of our one-on-one time with Kaya, and daydreaming about meeting our second precious baby girl. Our hearts would grow yet again.

That same tiny room changed once more- we gave Kaya a “big-girl” bed, and the crib moved to the other wall. The rocking chair moved to our room, and it felt like we had more furniture than we had space at first.

But oh, that sweet, tiny, newborn baby.

Watching that little room evolve over time is just a physical reminder of how much our family has grown over these past few years… and how much we’ve grown, too. It truly is something amazing.

I don’t know where we’ll be or what we’ll be doing one year from now. Or three years. Or six.

But I do know I’m going to hold on and cherish these moments, because soon they’ll just be a part of the time that’s already gone by, like all the memories we already have.

i’m on her friend list

Posted on April 29, 2015 by tara

This little girl and the way she melts my heart… she just.won’t.quit. And really, I hope she never does because I love every bit of her huge heart and tenderness. Now that she’s talking a whole lot more (4-word sentences, people!), she’s more fun than ever! I thought I’d jot down a few of the sweet things she’s done lately.

(I like to quiz her while we’re driving in the car. This was last week…)
Me: Hey Peeky, who are your friends?
Kaya: Liyah (Aaliyah), Monny (Mia), Mommy…
Me: (thinking she said “Mia” twice, because the way she pronounces it sounds like “mommy” but with “n” instead of “m”): Who? Mia?
Kaya: No, Mommy!!!
Me (heart melting into a big puddle under the driver’s seat): Mommy? I’m your friend?
Kaya: YEAH!!!

(Kaelyn is playing with whatever it is Kaya wants. This happens pretty much all the time…)
Kaya: Heeey Baba Grace, tray (trade)? (Kaya then gives the baby a less-desirable item and takes the coveted toy… which often results in Kaelyn crying…)

(I was doing a different ab workout yesterday, which included lateral hip raises… my hips get sore really easily ever since I had Kaelyn, so I was hurting a little bit)
Kaya: (stops what she’s playing and comes over to me) OK, Mommy? (she puts her hand on my back and gently strokes my shoulder)

“Here ya go. More?” – She loooves to play in her kitchen and pretend to pour us drinks. I always ask for a milkshake or ice cream, and she always remembers to include an invisible pretend spoon with my cup. Haha.

(Kaelyn is putting something in her mouth that she shouldn’t… like my phone or Kaya’s toy cookies)
Kaya: Noooo Baba Grace! (takes phone from her). Eat phone again, room! (translation: If you eat the phone again, you’ll go to your room).
Kaelyn obviously puts the phone back in her mouth, since she doesn’t understand. And no, my baby doesn’t actually get timeouts in her room…
Kaya: Okay Baba Grace, ROOM! (and she tries to pick her up. this makes me laugh so hard every time…)

easter baskets and brunch

Posted on April 8, 2015 by tara

Our Easter Sunday was filled with family, good food, and General Conference! We went to bed with our tummies and hearts so full… and isn’t that when you just know you’ve had one of the best days?

I was up earlier than everyone else to get started on some donuts for brunch later, so I was pretty excited while waiting for my girls to wake up and see their baskets. I was straightening up in the living room when Kaya leaned over the gate to her room and said “Hellooo. Clean up?” I probably rushed her out of her room too quickly because I was so happy to see her awake!

It was this little sweetie’s last “first” holiday! She loved the eggs and wrapping on the baskets.
Kaya wanted to make some ice cream cones right away! … and then this happened. Haha. Kaelyn mostly just loved playing with her basket and wouldn’t have cared if we never even opened it! “Ooo… Owaf!” Kaelyn only wanted her sippy cup… … and Kaya was ready to take all her toys (which is nothing out of the ordinary, anway)! We also surprised Michael with a basket! I gave it to Kaya, and she ran out of the den yelling “PRISE!!!” She was so happy to show Daddy what she had for him. 🙂 These might not be the prettiest donuts, but they were delicious for sure. You don’t need a donut pan, and they’re baked, not fried! If you love cinnamon-sugar, give these a try (recipe here). Jeff and Lelia brought waffles; Mom and Dad brought bacon and strawberries, and we had a feast! Everything was so delicious. Kaya probably ate a pound of strawberries!

Grandma had some good cuddle time with the girls! We tried to get a good picture of them in the matching skirts I made, but Kaya just wasn’t in the mood for it. We tried to bribe her with M&Ms, and Kaelyn was so anxious to try and get hold of some!Oh well. We all had such a great holiday together!
Hope you had a fantastic Easter!

holding on tight

Posted on March 25, 2015 by tara

Tomorrow, my baby turns 9 months old. NINE months. She’s been living in the outside world just as long as she lived inside my belly, which is so crazy to think about.

Before long, I know she’ll be crawling, then walking, then going off to college. I might be exaggerating a little, but time is certainly flying by.

So I’m holding on to these days with my baby.

And more often than not, her little arm is wrapped around me, and she’s holding on, too.
I cherish the moments we have together, just the two of us. Sometimes, we have our quiet time together in the dark of night. I have to admit, I really don’t mind waking up with this girl at 3 am, because that’s when we seem to have the best snuggles and the happiest sleepy-faced grins.

Sometimes, I’ll fall asleep while feeding her, and I wake up when I feel her tiny fingers stroking (or sometimes grabbing!) my face. As soon as we lock eyes, we always share a smile.
When she’s upset, all I have to do it hold her close to me, and her whole body relaxes and rests on mine. I am still her safe place.

Love you to the moon and back, Kaelyn Grace.

kaelyn’s first food

Posted on March 18, 2015 by tara

Kaelyn finally had her first taste of solid food! I waited until 8.5 months to even make an attempt- partly because that was the age when Kaya’s gag reflex stopped being so strong, and partly just because I love exclusively nursing (and it’s so easy)!

Someone was pretty excited to be sitting in the big-girl chair!
I gave her a little strawberry yogurt. She figured out the process of opening her mouth for me to put the spoon in pretty quickly… but I think she still ended up spitting almost all of it out. She also made some adorably hilarious faces (and a big mess, despite the bib)! _MG_6731 I gave her some Cheerios afterward, but as soon as one was barely in her mouth, her gag reflex kicked in. I guess it just takes my babies a while to get past it!

“more walk?”

Posted on March 11, 2015 by tara

We can feel spring in the air here. We’re right on the brink of warm weather, sunshine, and long evening light, and after a seemingly eternal winter of being cooped up indoors, I could not be more excited!

Playing outside is one of my very favorite ways to spend the day, and it’s quickly becoming true for my little ladies, too. I love watching Kaelyn discover the entire outdoor world. She smiles and coos while we walk in the stroller, and squeals when she gets to ride in the swing.

Never would I have imagined having two babies of my own swinging next to each other. We’ve taken four walks in two days, and Kaya just keeps asking for “more walk”? almost as soon as we return home each time. While I was pushing Kaya on the swing, I’d look over and see my littlest peanut just beaming at me.For now, she’s so content to just watch everything going on around her. I love this little grin.

You know you’ve had a fun day when everyone (including mom) takes an extra-long, much-needed nap. I’ll wear myself out any day to have fun with my babies.

Michael and Tara

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Category Archives: the little things