1 year old

Like I mentioned, Lydia just turned one, and we have lots to say about her.

-is a momma's girl
-is attached to her blanket, binky and/or bottle (sometimes Tim calls her Linus)
-takes 1 nap a day
-wears size 4 diapers
-wears 18-24 month clothes
-walks everywhere
-likes the idea of animals (dogs, cats, horses, etc) but freaks out when they get to close
-loves playing in the dirt and mud
-is not afraid to voice her opinion with grunts
-is very stubborn and opinionated
-will push the limits
-likes to climb on things
-likes chasing Brooklyn
-likes doing anything Brooklyn is doing
-will sit and watch tv or movies for a little while
-loves looking at books
-will point to the cupboard with baby food when she doesn't like what we're having for dinner
-likes to "weed"/pull up plants
-loves watching the birds outside
-likes jumping on trampolines
-is a great dancer
-has 8 teeth
-loves raw peas and carrots from the garden. will have nothing to do with them cooked
-will eat a whole orange, rind and all if allowed
-likes to climb on momma's bed and turn on the radio

Lydia has an adorable giggle, mostly present when Brooklyn gets her going. She is a lot of fun, but still a little high maintenance. I am so glad we were listening when it was time for her to join our family. I couldn't imagine it without her.

Lydia turned 1!

What are the odds that out of the four birthdays at our house, three of them are in the month of June? You better believe I will make sure that doesn't happen next time.

So here we are, with June birthday #3. LYDIA TURNING 1!

Everyone kept asking if we were going to do a big party and invite lots of people, but to be honest, I was partied out by the time Lydia's birthday came around (this does not bode well for Lydia's future birthdays). And really, she's only 1. We can wait on inviting people until she cares. Don't get me wrong, if we had family around, they all would have been here, but since we don't, eh, we managed fine with the four of us.

Lydia could do nothing but grin every time we sang happy birthday to her, and despite the two previous birthdays the week before, I'm pretty sure she didn't have a clue what was going on. Good thing Brooklyn was here to help her unwrap her present. After heavy heavy hangover and a pile of presents, we finished off the party with a ladybug cake. Delish.

We love Lydia and are so glad she's part of our family. She always has a mischievous look about her and she knows how to push the limits. She makes us laugh and cry (maybe just me) to the point of exhaustion, but we love her.

I must be getting younger

So I recently had a birthday, the big 25 in fact. Don't worry, you didn't overlook the facebook announcement. It's not on there. What with identity fraud and such, it's just not.

So anyways, my birthday was great. Tim and the girls made me a delicious cookie cake (my absolute fav), which I managed to finish off pretty much by myself in 2 days (hey, that's the reality of being a stay at home mom). I got some AWESOME cake decor supplies, which I am super excited about, as well as the electronic scrabble tile game, and other great gifts.

Cute huh.

Lest you think I am posting this to showcase an awesome birthday picture of myself like I do for the girls, the one picture of me on here will assure you that this is not the reason for the post. I am actually posting to inform you all that I am de-aging.

No, I have not discovered the fountain of youth, but apparently, I am looking younger and younger.

(And I thought I had escaped those horrid teenage years)

A few months ago we had some stake visitors at our ward. After church they were commenting about how cute the girls were. When I made some comment that apparently claimed the girls as my own, the oldest of the ladies looked shocked and said, "You look like you're 14!"

Though that may sound "compliment-ish" to some of you, I have absolutely NO DESIRE to look like my 14 year old self again. Really, it wasn't a pretty stage in my life. Braces, acne, crazy huge glasses, big hair. Ugh, I'm shuddering just thinking about it. (shout out to you Emily. YOU KNOW.)

Story #2. About two days after this last "compliment," I was at a friend's house visiting. The doorbell rang while she was on the phone so I went to answer it for her. The man standing there didn't say anything, and I pegged him as an out-of-towner, so I just said, "Hi. I don't live here." He just stood there (obviously not concerned that I might be robbing the place since I already confessed to not living there), and then what seemed like a lifetime later said, "Um, is your mom home?"

Sorry buddy. My mom lives thousands of miles away. But yes, she probably is at home. There. Not here. And P.S.- I'm married and have two kids.

Story #3. A few weeks later I was out walking with the girls in the double stroller. Two middle-aged men yelled to me asking if I was a babysitter (It seems that they were in the market for one). I replied no, that I wasn't, and didn't want to be, that I was busy enough with my own. "Those are YOUR kids?!"

Yes, they are. Sorry if my sweaty and shapeless bod (thank you sports bra, super helpful), pulled back hair, rampant acne, and lack of makeup make me look like I am, again, just 14 years old. Ah, what can you do?

What's my secret? Beats me. But if someone could let me know what I'm doing wrong so I can pass for AT LEAST 20, that would be great. I'm tired of getting carded for trying to drive a car.

Just kidding, about the carding.

So this is where all of you comment about how I should relish these "compliments" about looking so young, and that one day, I'll wish I were still getting them. Yes. I will. One day. When I'm 50 and people think I'm 30. That's how it works right?

Mental note: remember to shower and do hair BEFORE birthday picture next year-- when I turn 13.

Drinking water out of a hose is a rite of passage

I'm pretty sure drinking water out of a hose is a rite of passage as an American citizen. And so, Lydia is crossing that bridge. Now she's addicted and tries to suck water out of the hose even when it's not turned on.

Sisters... we do everything together

These two are best friends. Of course this doesn't mean they don't fight. It just means they can still be best friends even when they fight. Lydia adores Brooklyn and tries to do everything just like her. Here's to hoping they're best friends forever!

3 Years Old

We have a three-year old at our house, *sniff. It's hard to believe. I'll try to list some things about Brooklyn here; just know that this list doesn't do justice to her sparkling personality.

-loves cheese
-sings songs all the time
-knows most of the songs from Tangled, word for word
-loves treats
-favorite movie is Tangled
-can be a bully to Lydia, but flips her switch to awesome big sister very quickly
-completely potty trained, just needs help getting up on the toilet. After that, she's good
-reminds you that she's not "cute" ("Lydia is cute"), but "beautiful"
-loves pretending with her stuffed animals
-can talk her way out of almost anything (example:"I don't need a nap, I'll just go to bed early")
-loves "picnicking" on the family room floor for dinner
-can count indefinitely
-knows all of the ABCs and is learning their sounds
-loves to read
-relishes praise and attention from her parents
-is painfully shy around almost everyone else
-would rather skip a dinner she doesn't like than eat a few bites to get dessert
-loves helping wash dishes
-tries to teach Lydia everything
-loves watching Dora
-is very aware of emotions in people around her and on tv
-can memorize anything
-is more scared of the swimming pool than last year
-sometimes gets out of bed to sleep behind the door or beside Lydia's crib
-knows exactly what she wants and is very stubborn

We love Brooklyn. She keeps us smiling and on our toes. She learns so quickly it's both scary and amazing. We don't know what we'd do without her in our family!

BEACH TRIP!

I have to warn you, there are a lot of pictures on this post. But that's because WE WENT TO THE BEACH! This Heaton Family Reunion has been in the works for a while, and we finally figured out how to make it work so we could go as well. Beach trip in Florida= amazing.

We spent lots of time at the beach; well, at least as much as we could handle every day, played games, ate awesome food (enough that my scale says I gained 5+ lbs... yikes!), rode bikes, and just plain hung out. We also managed to sunburn nearly every adult, but keep the kiddos fair and delightsome (success!).

So here are lots of beachy pictures for your entertainment.

Brooklyn and Lydia definitely liked playing in the sand the best.

This was our glow-stick dance party for Family Home Evening.

Brooklyn's 3rd birthday came while we were at the beach house, so we decided to party, beach style and all. Traditional "heavy-heavy hangover wishing" left people with babies, 1st place finishes, chairs, and toys. Brooklyn's two favorite gifts were her new Dr. Seuss books and her magnetic "paper" dolls. Both have been used plenty! I can't believe she's 3! Hopefully I'll be blogging about her 3 year old self very soon...

We also took the opportunity to take some more family pictures. My vote: the Benjamin Heaton family DEFINITELY looked the best. My little family wasn't in the picture-taking mood unfortunately, and we didn't match great. But those Heatons... very nice.

My crazy younger siblings:

The 3 born Heaton grand-kids in all stages of "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"

And now I guess I'm supposed to re-adjust to life in the desert? Eh. I'm not so sure. Being a beach bum sounds pretty nice. Except for the constant sand up your pants bit. But I guess we have that problem here too...