Is It Naptime Yet

The Smith Center is a new performing Arts building built near Downtown Las Vegas. When we heard about it, we were excited for it to be built since it supported the arts. I was excited because it would be bringing Broadway plays at a more affordable price. I forget when they announced that Wicked would be coming in August 2012, but I was super excited when I found out.

I kept in the back of my mind the knowledge that Wicked would be showing there the Fall of 2012. So last year when I heard a news story that you could buy season tickets for the Broadway series for Spring 2012, and being a season ticket holder would give you precedence in buying tickets for the Fall and Spring 2012-2013 season, when Wicked would be showing, I convinced Jon to buy 2012 season tickets for the Broadway series. (We did not know for sure if we’d be able to get Wicked tickets, it was more a hope.) It was a half season, so it was a nice chunk of change, but doable. Jon being the wonderful husband he is, and a supporter of the arts, agreed. We saw our first play, The Color Purple, on April 7th.

It was a wonderful production, with superb acting and singing. Our seats are the second cheapest in the house, and we were second from the last row on the ground floor, but there is not a bad seat on that floor. It would nice to be closer so I could see more of the facial expressions and details of the costumes, but I’m very pleased with where we’re at and thankful for a husband willing to support the arts and my hobby of musical theater. (It helps that he enjoys it also.)

I am looking forward to seeing all the wonderful shows for the two seasons. We renewed our season tickets after we saw the show and I am so excited that Wicked is a part of the next season! I actually will be seeing it twice, because I’m going a second time with my sisters, minus Carolyn who will be seeing “The Boss” in Chicago. (We’re still seeing if we can change the night to include her.)

Me with the Smith Center Tower behind me. The architecture is really cool. It has a retro 1930’s feeel to it, and is beautiful inside.

Jon and I after seeing The Color Purple. (We did not purposely wear purple. It just happened.)

The next play is Mary Poppins. It’s showing on my 29th birthday and I’ll be taking Lilah with me to see it. 🙂

There is an ice skating rink in town that does a Homeschool Friday for the first Friday of each month. It costs $5 per child to skate, they get a free hot chocolate, and parents get to skate free. I honestly avoided going for the first few times I had heard about it. I had only skated once in my life, on a a date, when I was in high school, over ten years ago.

It’s a funny story.

I had just gotten home from work and there was a knock on my door. Blake, a young man from my new ward, was at the door. My family had just moved in January and I think this was in May or late April 2001, my final year in high school. (I had flirted with him a little on a General Conference trip with our ward that April.) I open the door and he asks, “You wanna get in that there van with me?” (The way he asked was just hilarious.) Apparently, a few of the guys in my ward had decided to plan a group date that Friday while at school, and he had been calling me that afternoon, but I was not home, so they took a chance and appeared on my doorstep. I was still in a skirt from work, so I asked if I could change first, left a note for my parents that I would be out on a date and with whom, and got in the van. We ate Sonic for dinner and went ice skating. I ended up holding his hand the entire time to keep my balance, and the other two couples speculated about it. It was the only date we went on because summer quickly approached, I went to the singles ward, and when he called me that Fall to go out again, I was already engaged to be Mrs. Jonathan Blake.
Moral of the story: Ice skating is an awesome date to go on if the other person has never been. You might get to hold their hand the entire time.

So back to avoiding ice skating. Since I had only been once in my life, I wasn’t really wanting to take the girls. I’m not an athletic person and I have terrible balance. For the March skating day I decided to take the girls since our park group would be there, and I really did not want to skate. Once there I found out the other parents were going skating, and I was really nervous. Tears welled up in my eyes and my friend Laura noticed. She gave me comfort that I could take it easy and use a trainer, which I did. Eden was kinda my cover, since I tagged along with her at first. Eventually I decided it would be not fun skating hunched over, so I made Eden go out on her own a little. It was hard for her at first, but once Eden got the hang of it, she was very pleased with herself. Lilah used the trainer for part of the time, but started using the wall and going out on her own pretty early. At one point her friend Shelby took her hand and they skated together.
Laura also helped me, and held my hand for a few times around the rink to give me confidence.

So ice skating was a big hit in March, but I forgot to take my camera.

So for the skate day in April, we went once more and I brought my camera along. We all did much better, though none of our friends were there this time. Eden even tried skating by herself while holding onto the wall and with my help. Towards the end I took a terrible fall, straight to my knees, and took Eden down with me. I had a huge bruise on my left knee, and even though it’s mostly yellow now and not noticeable, my knee hurts if I put too much weight on it when kneeling or sit Indian style.

I remembered the camera the second time around and took some pictures of my cute ice skaters.

So this year for Easter I was finally able to make the girl’s Easter dresses. No play is happening, which gives me much more free time to sew, and I just didn’t look too hard at the store’s. I wanted to make something different for the girl’s, but when we went to pick out fabric, they ended up choosing the material they wanted. They each had a different pink for the main dress, but I accidentally cut Eden’s dress out of Lilah’s fabric, and Lilah really wanted her fabric, so they had nearly matching dresses. I think they turned out really cute.

Easter Morning

We dyed eggs at my parents house Saturday night. It was actually their fortieth anniversary! I totally forgot till my mom mentioned my dad would be taking her out, and since he doesn’t do that often, I asked why. I have it on my wall calendar, but was a total airhead when it came to remembering.

Green hands. Grandpa washed Eden’s hands with Shout, and it removed most of the dye.

This year for Easter I also had a goal of buying no candy.
What usually happens in our house at Easter: The girls go to two or three Easter egg hunts, and get tons of candy. I buy three or more different candies to put in the baskets, and end up eating most of it because Jon has more self control than me, and the girls have tons of candy already. I gain a few pounds and indulge my candy addiction, while the children ask for candy every.single.day. for like 2 months.
I decided recently that I would not be purchasing candy or cookies once the goodies in our house were gone. So if we wanted something sweet we’d have to make it. (Ice cream is the exception and they do get candy at other places.)
So I let the girls know that the Easter Bunny would not be bringing candy to our house, and they seemed OK with it. I have my reasons, and we discussed why he would not be bringing it, and why I would no longer be buying it.
So the Easter Bunny put cute socks, a note pad with pencil, glow bracelets, a craft, play dough, and a few cookies in their basket. Eden was also given a game, and Lilah was given some sheets with horses on them.
The cookies were something I had in my freezer and needed to use, so that’s why we enjoyed them in our baskets.

For the Easter Bunny the girls left out some carrots and a bag of candy from candy they had collected at the one egg hunt they went to. This year really was a low candy year for us, but it’s better for us this way.

Easter morning the girls put on their new dresses and we headed to church. After church we had an Easter egg hunt. The Easter Bunny filled the eggs with quarters and small ink stamps. Lilah found 5 of the 6 stamps, so Eden traded one quarter for a stamp. ( I think filling the eggs with small change is actually a really good idea and honestly costs as much as candy, if not less, if you decided to put nickels or dimes in the eggs instead.)

Can you spot the two eggs the girls were not seeing?

The loot!

Lilah’s bangs were trimmed on Monday.

We then enjoyed a nice afternoon with Jon’s parents and an evening meal at my parents.
The cousins enjoyed a fun egg hunt together and ate nearly all their candy while at their grandparent’s house.

The cousin’s waiting to find some eggs. (Adrienne, Eden, Lilah, Howie, and Kaitlyn.)

Lilah was very excited to get some candy.

Enjoying their candy and counting eggs.

Lilah
Catching five ladybugs at the park and making a habitat for them at home. Wanting to catch lots more, but me letting you know that some need to live in the wild and eat the aphids.

Loving ice skating so much. Being happy you persuaded me to skate.

Catching onto skating pretty quickly. You stayed near the wall, but were able to skate on your own, with the help of the wall. Wanting you birthday party to be at the ice skating rink.

Saying how wonderful March began.

Eating a cricket in your lego class. Ick.

Guac-la-mole instead guacamole.

One word: ATTITUDE. This has been a trying month for both you and us. We’re sure it’s you trying to become more independent, but for us it’s you giving us attitude.

Telling me how cleaning out the toy shelf and folding clothes are your two least favorite things to do. Not sure if you just happen to say this, or if you somehow saw my Facebook status stating how the two things I dislike to do as a mother is have you fold cloths and clean your toy shelves.

Obsessing over bugs and bug habitats all month long. Wanting to catch and keep everything you catch.

Playing your April Fools joke on March 31st. (You rearranged food in our refrigerator.)

Eden:
Not wanting me to leave you while you were learning to skate. (You had the skater helper, which basically acts like a walker, for ice skating.) Then I slowly had you try on your own and you started out pretty slow, but quickly got much better. By the end you were going pretty fast with the walker/ skater helper and did not want any help.

Not wanting to cuddle in the morning for longer than 2 minutes. You love to cuddle during the day, but I think I programmed you to not like morning cuddles in my bed because it’s how I would get you to go back to sleep when you younger.

Commenting that all your favorite toys were going missing and soon you would have nothing to play with. (Your toys shelf was still overflowing with toys.)

During your spelling test. Me:”Grind. I need to grind flour when we are done with school. Grind.” You: “Can we have pancakes for dinner!?”

Your fortune cookie: Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you.

I asked if you’d like to see Shrek the Musical, or Disney’s Beauty and the Beast for your first Broadway play, since I’m taking Lilah to see Mary Poppins, and you said, “Why not Wicked?” I’m thinking my Wicked obsession might have affected you and Lilah, because she joined in that she’d like to see Wicked also. 🙂

Jon:
Eating two crickets in the girl’s lego class. Double ick.

The conversation went something like this.
Me: Eden tickle your daddy.
Jon: Don’t tickle me I’m reading a book. Tickle Mommy.
Me: It’s not nice to tickle people.
Jon: Then why are you so mean to our children?

Grabbing my butt and then I asked you if you had greasy fingers. (We had just eaten grilled cheese for lunch.) You looked at your hand and said, “Well, not anymore.”

Since I’m finally at my computer and editing pictures, I thought I’d edit some from Christmastime.

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In February Lilah was able to finally cut off her hair for Locks of Love.
I was wanting her to wait till her horse back riding lessons were over with, but she kept insisting and insisting for her hair to be cut off because it was such a pain to comb out and always knotty.so I finally made an appointment and had her hair cut.
Lilah loves having her hair short, and I admit, it’s much easier to just comb and go in the morning. This is the first time she’s had bangs and they’re already needing a trim. (I don’t like bangs because of the constant need to trim. Not sure why I have them either.)

She was able to cut off just under 12 inches, or just about. I braided the hair to help keep it together better.

Jon and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary last month. Of course I posted something on Facebook, but neglected my blog.

So far we’ve had a little celebration each month. In January we went to The Brad Paisley concert and went out to eat with my sister Carolyn and her husband Derek. Derek got Carolyn Brad Paisley tickets for Christmas, and I decided that’s what I really wanted for Christmas. (Jon had planned on me getting a massage and having a spa day or morning.) Since we were buying tickets just a month before the concert, they were a little more pricey, so we decided that they would be a part Christmas and a part Anniversary present. So now I plan on doing something each month this year to celebrate our ten years together.

The Brad Paisley concert was wonderful. My favorite part was hearing “Whiskey Lullaby” with the lead singer from The Band Perry singing the female part. Whiskey Lullaby is one of my favorite songs, it’s sad, but I love the music. Brad put on an awesome show and it was worth every penny.

Carolyn and Derek.

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I received compliments on my hair by our waitress and by two women behind me as we were leaving the concert. The first started touching my hair and was amazed at how it wasn’t moving. (I admit I have to use a lot of hair spray to get it to stay this way.)

For our actual anniversary, Jon took the day off. This is the first time he’s taken our anniversary day off. He also had two dozen purple and lavender roses delivered. I wanted him to go to the park with the girls and I, but he said he had to stay home, and that’s when my gourmet caramels from Fran’s came. I think it was good that he was home, because I only expect roses on our anniversary, and wouldn’t have known to stay home. We enjoyed a fun meal at home and just had extra time together.

My roses and chocolate.

Saturday night was when we went out to celebrate our anniversary with time away from the girls. We decided to keep it costs moderate and ate dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. We then had my rings inspected, it was that time of the year again, and figured out our current ring sizes. I told Jon I wanted to have him pick out a wedding ring, and he was very hesitant. Once at the store he liked looking at the rings there, but wasn’t sure. Once home, and armed with his size he went on-line and picked out a ring and ordered it. He was pretty happy with himself. The ring came on the 29th and I placed it on his ring finger as I jokingly asked him to marry me again. He really loves it, and it was nice to see him get so excited over it, especially since I first had to coerce him into getting one.

Us once more, but isn’t Jon so cute?

I’m so grateful for Jonathan and the happiness we’ve found. I’ve been in an especially lovey and silly mood lately, and he puts up with it with a smile. I feel like I really have so much joy in my life because of my wonderful husband and two wonderful daughters.

Thank you for ten wonderful years together Jon. I truly love you more today than the day we were married.

Both:
Being so excited for Valentine’s Day.

Building a gigantic boat/fort in your bedroom out of sheets.

Lilah:
Waking up early and preparing Valentine’s. It was five days before that made it even better.

Letting another girl scout take a cookie order because she had more cookies to sell.

Picking out clams in garlic butter sauce for Valentine’s Day

Making a model clam habitat from the clam shells.

Cutting off over eleven, close to twelve, inches of hair! Combing your hair constantly for the first three or so days and commenting on how knot free it now was.

Reading the Reader’s Digest.

Asking if Daddy will get me three dozen roses for an anniversary in the future.

Eden:
Not letting me convince you to stay little forever.

Sitting in a chair the entire brownie cookie booth.

Playing your recorder for Poppy. It would calm her down for a little bit and help her stop fussing.

Practicing your recorder randomly during the day.

Not wanting to deliver the last box of girl scout cookies we had left. You pouted for half an hour at park day, until I had you hand a pen for her to write a check.

Jon:
Doing dishes the week I was busy delivering Girl Scout Cookies with the girls during the day, and being gone at dance lessons or girl scouts at night.

Kissing me and telling me I had a “Kiss me look.” I tried to recreate it very unsuccessfully.

Me: “We have two silly girls.”
Jon: ” No, you have two silly girls. I have three silly girls.”

Having two dozen lavender and purple roses delivered for our anniversary, and delicious hand-dipped caramels with sea salt. I loved having you home from work also.

Being very on the fence about buying you a new wedding ring. Then choosing your own ring once we knew your size and being so excited when it came in the mail.

Having me place the new wedding ring on your finger.

It’s Valentine’s Day! Have you reminded the person you love, that you love them?
I admittedly give slack and do not expect anything on Valentine’s Day from Jon. Our anniversary is not that far away, so I’d rather that be our special day, but the girls love Valentine’s Day and so we do things that include them and help it be a happy family day.

I will say Jon does an amazing job letting me know he loves me each and everyday. There are times that he is the more affectionate one, then there are times I am, but each day we embrace and tell one another we love each other, and each day we try to thank the other person for doing things, even if it’s their “job” to do them, like me making dinner or him doing dishes.

Lately I’ve been the overly affectionate spouse. I’m so thankful to have such a wonderful husband. We have lots of fun together and I enjoy our jokes and quiet times with one another. I love seeing what a wonderful father he is to our two daughters and I love seeing the love they have for him.

I’m also thankful for my two little Valentine’s, without them this day might have just been any other day, but the excitement they have in giving gifts and notes of love is infectious. We’re having a delicious meal tonight and I they have been wonderful in helping to clean up our crazy house. I said cleaning it was a gift to Daddy on Valentine’s Day, but I’m appreciating it too. (We’ve not been home for the past week due to cookie deliveries and activities, so the house was getting pretty chaotic.)

Make sure to tell the people you love, you love them, and do something nice for them.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Lilah:

Drawing abstract art.

Daddy finding you in Eden’s bed one morning. Then you two deciding to sleep together in Eden’s bed for another night. You say you want your own room when we buy a bigger house, but you’re not even using your own bed right now.

Arguing with me that you were not sick, even though you had a stuffy nose and terrible cough.

I told you we wanted a four bedroom house so we could have a study and a library, and a sewing and a guest room. You asked if we were all going to sleep in the same room? I was like no, you and Eden will have a room to share. You though we’d have a study/library, a sewing room, and a guest room, rather than a sewing/guest room. All these rooms, but we’d be sharing the master bedroom. 🙂

Eating your Chinese food with chopsticks, or I should say attempting to eat with chopsticks. Dad was kind enough to make them into trainer chopsticks and you had much better luck that way.

Waking up and playing ponies with Eden. Then waiting for as long as possible, till I gave the final warning, to come eat or wait till lunch. You told me you were waiting for as long as possible. (I don’t care when you skip lunch, but you need to eat breakfast at a decent time.)

Wanting to go to the jewelry store to play while my rings got checked. Me saying how it goes faster without you because I don’t have to wait for two playing girls. You telling me you only get to be a kid once so you might as well enjoy it and play for as long as possible.

Eden:

Being extra brave and not moving when the dentist pulled two teeth, which also happened to be your first tooth/teeth that you’ve lost.

Having mountains of pillows and blankets at the head of your bed and putting you lost teeth under a small pillow from when you were little. It has your hand-prints at 23 months. Also telling me that the Tooth Fairy knows where to find the teeth, even if they were hidden under you mountain of pillows.

Daddy: We should have family game night more often.
Eden: Yeah, like Friday and Saturday.
Mommy and Daddy: I think once a week is good enough.
Eden: So maybe Wednesday and Friday?

Our internet going down and you saying, “Dun, dun, dun.”

While cuddling one morning I asked when you thought you’d be too big to cuddle or sit on my lap. “Probably when I’m nine,” was your reply.

Your eyes lighting up when I showed you I was buying you a new math workbook. Telling me you were going to do four pages the moment we got home.

Deciding out of the blue that you wanted to pet the lizard during critter time at the Natural History Museum. You asked if I had the camera to take a picture, I did not, but fortunately Monica took your picture for me. You have never wanted to pet the lizards or any other creature for the past year, or more.

“If anyone wants to use the honey, just know it is so sticky.”

Jon:

Bringing home tons of videos, magazines and books from your parents because we have a, “Take whatever they offer policy,” in effort to help de-clutter their home. It kinda makes me think that we need a bigger home to put their library of things, that you want, but it also seems like we shouldn’t buy a bigger home just because they are giving us stuff. Sigh, it’s a vicious cycle. (The big problem is I want to keep the items we took, but don’t know where to put them.)

Suggesting family game night.

Being open and supportive to me wanting to buy a house, even with one of the reasons being that I feel inspired that we should buy a certain house. (It also had a lot of our major qualifications.)

Us having such different decorating tastes. What I think is not nice, you’re alright with.

I mentioned how having stairs in the house might help us loose weight and you remarked that you already go up and down five flight of stairs a couple times a day, sometimes even three times, because you don’t use the elevator to get to your office. So the stairs might help me loose weight.

Wanting to breed and eat your own rabbits. I really don’t want to do this but you seem to have our girls going. Eden wants a pet rabbit, so you might have a hard sell with actually eating the rabbits still. I’m very, very, very against this.

Losing weight and building muscle again. You’re so. dang. cute. (You were before too. I love you for more than just your body.)

Trying to convince me that getting big is not inevitable. My butt won’t balloon just because I turn 30.

Me: Thanks for dancing with me. Really, thanks for dancing with other women.
Jon: You mean older women. I’m not dancing with lots of young, available women.
Dance lessons have been mostly enjoyable for the both of us. It seems like if I’m getting a dance, you’re having a harder time, and if you’re getting the dance, I’m having a hard time. It’s still lots of fun.

Going to Brad Paisley when you were still trying to get better. Enjoying the Brad Paisley concert with me.

Wondering how long it was taking for me to do my curly hair. Telling me it was really cute. Nudging my shoulder during the beginning of “Waiting on a Woman,” when they sang about the woman getting ready. I think that’s why you nudged my shoulder anyways.

Carolyn highlight:
Carolyn called me to let me know a time to see a house.
Carolyn: Are you sick, or feeling not well?
Me: No I was just trying to take a nap when you called.
Carolyn: Man, I want to be a stay-at-home-mom and take naps.
Me: Yeah, I’m wanting to rest for our Salsa dance lessons tonight.
Carolyn: Well, isn’t your life so hard.
I told Jon the conversation and he said that my life seemed pretty good from that conversation. What can I say, being a SAHM has it’s perks and life is pretty good.