The Jungle

For Christmas, Santa brought Marin a Jungle.  She has loved playing with this little Jungle!  I had noticed this jungle before Christmas, and considered telling Santa about it, but I wasn't sure if it was too 'young' for Marin, but then I thought about her age and what she really enjoyed (as opposed to what *I* thought she should be enjoying), and decided it was a good choice. 

She likes to use these other little barnyard animals to play Jungle, and usually Owen isn't allowed, but we decided to play together nicely one morning.

 Owen just wants to do what his big sis is doing, so he was happy to sit like a big boy in the chair and play with Marin.

 Putting the chick in the tree.

 Marin's playing is a little more structured (slightly), it's so cute.

 It makes me chuckle to watch her play, only because I remember being the same way and completely entranced when I played.

 Big boy sitting is a chair, he thought it was so fun.

So happy the kids are getting to the point where they can actually play together!

Body For Life

It's blog-a-palooza, can you tell!  Phew, all these posts!

So, I figured I would give a quick update on Body For Life.  Kristoffer and I are on week 3 day 4, and it's been a ...meh...moderately difficult ride so far.  Results?  I am down ZERO pounds.  Can you tell how ecstatic about that I am?  I'm not giving up hope yet...Kristoffer talked to a friend at work who did BFL and he said he and his wife didn't have results for 6 weeks and then the weight started to really come off.  So, I'm crossing my fingers that's the case for us.  I know I've toned up and lost inches, but since I didn't measure myself before, I'm only comparing to my 'before' picture in the bathroom.  My clothes are a bit looser also, so that's good news.  

I'm trying not to just throw in the towel and compare my 8 pound weight loss prior to starting BFL to a non-weight loss now that we're actually doing it.  I'm stronger and lifting more weight at the gym, so for all I know, I've been building muscle and burning fat, but the scale has been staying the same until I have enough muscle to just blast away the rest of the fat.  Right?  Right?  

Haha, it's ok, though.  I tend to quit on things like this, but I'm determined to see it through!!  Hopefully my next BFL update will be actual poundage lost!

Marble Track in the Morning

The other morning, Marin wanted to play, and I was still kind of dragging, so I pulled out the marble track.  Owen hasn't had the chance to actually play WITH the marbles before, for obvious reasons, so he was thrilled when I sat him in my lap and handed him a marble.  Marin, being the great big sis that she is, showed Owen how it's done and he was mesmerized watching the marbles cascade down the track, it was pretty cute.  Once he snapped out of his marble-trance, he was ready to participate, and he did so great!

 It's ok, dad, I was watching him the whole time!

 Such concentration.

 They are so good together, the Lord really knew how to pick siblings.  They just love each other.  Marin really looks out for her little bro.

Daddy came home later that afternoon and Owen had a second chance with the marble track, he was a happy boy (as usual!).

A Playdate

On Tuesday, we had Marin's friend Abby and her little sister Brooklyn over to play, and would you believe, I was only able to snap just a few pictures?  Lame!  I've got to be better at that!  Marin had a little princess activity pack from Christmas that we stowed away for another day, and we pulled it out while Abby was here.  I highly recommend stowing away Christmas gifts for a later day, Marin has LOVED it these last few days!

They chose to do some painting first.  (Do you like my gallon of milk, thawing on the table, haha!)

 They each had a piece of paper from the BIG princess paper book, so there was lots of room!

 They played together so nicely all day!  They (with help) made a fort downstairs, they played with their dress-ups, they shared toys and ate lunch.  I didn't have to interfere once!

 Marin didn't have a nap that day, so she was wiped...OUT and ready for bed that night.

We're so happy they could come to play, and summer is coming, so hopefully we can steal another few playdates with them...if gas isn't $7 a gallon by then...

Springtime Saturday at the Library

This past Saturday we went to the Library, and they had their roof open to roam about on, so fun!  They have a super long outdoor ramp with stairs that leads to the very top of the 6ish story library, we all needed the exercise, s we trekked to the top.

They have little walkways and flower beds up there, along with a view of the amazing mountains, so pretty!

 Daffodils, you are so lovely and happy and innocent!  You make me smile, and you look so pretty with the mountains in the background.

 Not the best picture of us, we were facing the sun, SQUINT!

 Ahhh, I do love the flowers.

 Hey dad, how do you get this thing to go faster?!

 Oh, my cute girl.  I tried to get a picture of her smelling a flower, but her hair and the wind were not in our favor, and she had had enough, but she sure is cute!

 And then we found the water, Owen's favorite.

 There was a woman in the children's section of the library who was making balloon shapes for the kids, so Marin chose a flower.

 LOVE this shot, both of my sweet babies and an actual GREAT candid shot of my husband.

 Sweet girl.

 I do love her, she has such a good heart and tries her best everyday, she is such a good example to ME!

Can I say that I'm super grateful for FREE Saturday activities?!

Froggy Blanket

Owen has fuzzy froggy blanket.  He's had it since he was a tiny baby.  He loves it with all his heart.  

This, is froggy blanket.  I don't remember who gave him to us, but it was a gift for Owen and I thought it was just so sweet.  Marin had a similar blanket-item that was a little stuffed fairy on top, and soft fuzzy blanket on the bottom.  I used it to cover up her baby monitor, and I did the same with this froggy blanket.  We had already found a different cute stuffed frog for Owen, and we gave it to him at bedtime, but every morning, I found that he had crawled to the bottom of the crib and pulled this froggy blanket off of the baby monitor.  I resisted for a few weeks and kept putting it back where I thought it "belonged".  Finally, I realized that my little Owen just loved his froggy blanket, and gave it to him for naps and bedtime.  He doesn't nap or sleep without his fuzzy froggy friend.

He hugs it and chews it and sucks it.  He rubs it all over his face and shakes it.  He snuggles it and loves it and it makes my mama-heart smile.

 Biting the froggy blanket.

 Poor guy and his bruised little forehead!

 I just love my froggyy blanket, mama!

I hope it stays in good-enough condition so I can give it to him when he's old and grown-up and remind him of how much he loved it!  Heck, I still have my teddy bear, Fred!

Seedy Business

I may or may not have mentioned that I'm planting a little garden this year, and I am SOOOO excited about it!  I'm not really sure why I'm so excited; perhaps it's because it gives me reason to be outside and doing something different?  I've already sown some flower seeds outside in the landscaping, AND I planted some pea and bean seeds a few days ago.  Today, Marin and I planted some seeds to start inside and later transplant outdoors.  I thought it would be good for her as a hands-on activity and to learn a little about plants and .... patience!

Here we are with our egg-cartons!

 Filling them with dirt...

 Poking the holes for the seeds....

 Putting in the seeds....

 Still seeding.....

 And watering the seeds, I found that a sippy cup without the valve was like a tiny watering can, with handles; perfect for 3 year old hands.

 I had Marin plant her own pea seed in a tiny cup, this way she can check up on it every day.

 With a little Owen in the background!

 Cute girl, she did a great job!

Toddle Town

Our little Owen has been toddling all over the house, and it is the cutest thing to watch.  He's been very able to take steps 4-5 at a time for a while now, but it seems as though he's found the gumption to take it to the next level!  The only hard part is watching the falls, oh, those nasty falls!  Poor little guy has bruises all over his sweet face.  There's no going back now!

 Hi, mama!  Look at me!!!!

 Hey, can I get some lunch?  What's a guy gotta do to get some food around here?!

 Here comes Owen!

So proud of our sweet boy, he's growing up, whether mama is ready or not!

Cool Foodie Mama: Sweet Potato Pizza Crust

 Cool Foodie Mama: Sweet Potato Pizza Crust: Ok, ok, I know you're thinking; "Riiiight, sweet potato pizza crust?  Not on your LIFE, lady!".  And truthfully, before I tasted this, I was...

Spring is Coming!

March is the wonderfully tempestuous, transitional month that I look forward to every year in the coming of Spring.  Spring is such a glorious time of year, a few perfectly refreshing weeks of wind, warmer temperatures, new life, energetic fervor and SUN!  All of these things play some dirty tricks on my spring-time allergies, but I'll suffer through it happily, Spring is here!

This past weekend was just lovely, and we took the kids to Sugarhouse Park for a walk and a few turns on the playground.

Owen checking out the slide.

 Nope, going UP, isn't working, hmmmmm.....

 Ahhh yes, going DOWN is much easier!  (poor Owen's eyes were watering and he was sneezing the whole time at the park....guess who has mama's spring-time allergies?)

 Marin, mid-flight.

 I'm doin' it, mama!

 Coming down the BIG swirly slide.

 Mama, look at ME, look at ME!!!

 If Marin has a favorite playground activity, it's the swings.  I'm usually glad when I take her to a playground that doesn't have swings, because she would beg to be on them the WHOLE time.  I do love swings as well, but there is never an empty swing for a silly 27 year old young mother who want to take a few minutes....I might get nasty looks from the other parents.  Which is why I want to petition for adult sized playgrounds.

 Ok, I don't get these swings.  The HALF swing.  By the time your kid is old enough to start learning how to balance on a regular swing, move them to a regular swing.  They'll get it.  But when you have regular swings, and HALF swings, where do the babies swing?!  They can't play on the playground, so the swing is about all they have.  We attempted putting Owen in this silly contraption and he just about fell out!  Ugh, American society is so obsessed with IN-ability.  Two swings:  baby swings, and regular swings. 

 My sweet little family.

I can't wait for this weekend!  I'll be buying some seeds and doing some planting, wohooo!  I've not really had a chance to do much planting since we left NY, so I'm a little excited.