Family Mini-Vaca Day 1

We're on a mini vacation and I couldn't be happier! Doug got sent to class again for four days and the girls and I tagged along. 

We drove here today after my TEN MILE run and Bella's soccer game. I finally decided to run with my friend Mel. I slowed her down I'm sure but it was such a fun run and I was starting to get a little burnt out so it was the perfect run for me! 

Mel and I. Clearly post run and post shower. 

I tried to stretch as much as I could before Bella's soccer game but I'm not gonna lie my legs are feeling a little achey after running and being in the car for 5 hours. 

The girls were both pretty good during the drive. We stopped after 3 hours to let Charlie stretch her legs. 

We got to our hotel and bella was so excited to swim! We grabbed some dinner first and by the time we were done it was around 8:30 and instead of being lame parents and putting them to bed we took the girls swimming! It was so fun! Bella was wild and happier than ever and Charlie was so happy in the water. We ended the night with a bath and don't judge me but I got in the bath with the girls. They loved it! I kept my swim suit in and they thought it was so fun taking a bath with mom. We don't get to get away very often so I want to make the most of it! 

We are ending our night with an episode of Jessie and all of us in our bed snuggling. Hopefully Charlie sleeps in the pack in play like she's suppose to. Wish us luck! 

Favorite moments of today: 

•Running a strong10 miles with Mel

•Swimming with my family

•Taking A Bath with the girls

•Watching Charlie give her sister lots of kisses

•Snuggling Bella while watching Jessie

Our Crazy Easter Weekend.

My goodness we had a super busy weekend. I honestly felt like I was going nonstop until Sunday evening. It was so worth it though. 

Saturday I woke up bright and early so I could run my SEVEN miles and I sure did!  It's starting to feel so good and peaceful and it might sound crazy but fun to run. It still hurts sometimes, I still run super slow , and it's still hard but I'm loving how I'm able to push myself. Even 2 weeks ago I wouldn't have believed you if you told me that I would run 7 miles. 

After my run I showered and got dressed and we headed to an Easter egg hunt. It was short and sweet just how I like it. Especially since Godzilla (charlie) was screaming at me until it was finally time to let her get eggs. It's so cute how she puts eggs in her basket. She's so smart! 

Bella picked Doug to take her to hunt eggs so I didn't get to watch her but she came back with a few eggs and was happy so I'm sure she did great! 

We came back home just in time for conference and I'm so glad we did. We sat together and listened to our prophets and church leaders. Bella is starting to enjoy it too which I love. She kept asking when President Monson was going to talk. 

I loved how much they spoke on families this session. I think my favorite part that spoke to me was when one of the speakers (sorry don't remember which one) said "we have to be willing to offend." 

It sounds weird and maybe rude but what I took from it was that we shouldn't be afraid to stand firm in our faith. We shouldn't try to be rude or offensive but if our faith is questioned we shouldn't be afraid to speak up. 

Unfortunately we missed the second saturday session because Bella had her first soccer game. (Don't worry we are going to catch up tomorrow!) she was so stinkin cute! Her team did so much better than I anticipated. They made so many goals that at the end of the game the other team had 5 players to our 3. All the girls did really well! 

And Bella even made 3 goals. She was so generous that one of those goals was for the other team! 

Charlie clapping and cheering for her sister. 

Bella turning the ball around. Her coach has really done a great job with the girls. She has made each practice fun for the girls and had been able to teach them a lot too. It really showed in the game. I loved how after each goal the girls would look at their parents with the biggest smiles! 

After bellas game we went to the inlaws for dinner and an egg hunt. Dinner was fun and delicious and the kids loved the egg hunt! Especially with the bunny ears grandma got them:) 

After the hunt we had a new dessert that I made 

A Lemon Berry Trifle. My first Trifle actually. It took a lot of time and love to make it and it was very rich and delicious. 

We ended the night with a game of monopoly which I have never played before. Doug thought it was super weird but hello I'm mexican. We played loteria, accitron, dominoes, and uno growing up. It was too much fun since we played until 10:30 then I quit and snuggled charlie 

Which she never lets me so I truly felt like the real winner. I think christmas was the last time this sweet girl let me rock her to sleep and I just soaked her in until midnight when she woke up and started crying for her crib. I told doug it was time to call it quits in monopoly and go home. 

It was such a fun night though! We came home and I filled a bucket just full of goodies and candy and I thought maybe I should tell my family to not spoil our kids with so much but honestly who am I to tell their grandparents not to spoil their grandchildren? I'm sure I'll be the same way :) 

Sunday we woke up exhausted! I really didn't want to get out of bed but I had rolls to make for my family. So I made rolls and a fruit salad and then we watched conference.

 I almost cried a few times. But the talk by Elder Brent Nielsen had me in tears. He taught me to never loose faith in my loved ones. We love, we watch, we pray and we wait. I just listened with tears in my eyes. It was such a comfort to me. I thought of my mom. She has always had faith in our family. She said she knew if she was faithful our family would be together forever. She is such an amazing example to me. I now have to be like her and not loose faith. And like Elder Nielsen I will love, watch, pray and wait. 

Right after conference we took off to my sisters house for a late Easter lunch. I just love getting together with my family. The kids just love each other! We had a delicious lunch and another Easter egg hunt for the kids. 

Even got a good picture with all of them! They are so cute! We all played farkle together after and before we knew it was 6pm! The day flew by. It was crazy. 

By the time we got home it was almost bedtime and we were all exhausted. Even though our weekend was jam packed I'm so grateful for it. We had such a fun weekend with our families. We loved being able to just talk and play games together. I LOVE that my girls get to grow up with cousins. I'm glad I get to spend time with my beautiful nieces and nephews too!

Soccer, 8 miles, Grandparents and Robie Creek!

Our weeks have been flying by lately and our weekends are too! 

This is how my weekend started 

I was trying to make dinner for the missionaries and Doug walked in and said "umm did you see Charlie?" 

I said "yes but I just don't care. She's happy, she's not in my way or crying so I'm happy!" We call her Godzilla for a reason. Honestly in this situation I could get mad or just let her make a mess and keep cooking with a smile on my face:)

This week I had a decent 4 mile run Tuesday but Thursday I did another 4 miles and it was a hard 4 miles. I was suppose to do 8 on Saturday and I was feeling very nervous and discourages. I had done 7 before and felt great but the last two weeks I hit a mental wall.i decided Friday night I wasn't going to psych myself out and I was going to do finish. Maybe not fast but I could enjoy the scenery at least.  I mapped out a different route for my run than my usual and that helped so much! 

At about a mile I stopped real fast at Dougs grandparents graves to visit and pray with them. 

It may seem weird but Doug and I have been talking a lot about going more often since we only live a mile away. We live in the house they build together and Doug LOVES them. His grandpa Chet passed away when he was 5 but Doug recently told me the sweetest story of his grandpa. When he was 12 him and his dad were visiting his grandma here in the house we live in. The garage isn't connected but his grandma left all his tools and workbench out there just like his grandpa had it. Doug was out there standing by his workbench and he felt his grandpa next to him. He started crying (happy tears) and went inside and hugged his grandma and told her what happened and she said "you've never felt that before? I feel him all the time." 

How amazing is that!? Especially since I honestly thought he was here when Charlie was a brand new baby. I'm not sure why I thought it was him (before Doug told me this story.) 

One night in particular Charlie woke up in the middle of the night and did not want to go back to sleep. Doug and I tried everything and she just did not want to sleep but then suddenly she looked passed us in the dark, there was nothing there and she just started giggling so hard! She was really small so we had barely herd her laugh at that point but she was laughing like crazy. It was so crazy. She's pause her giggle but still stare at the same spot and smile and then start laughing again. I told Doug "I think your grandpa is playing with her!" And he agreed. It's so funny how we both felt the same thing. 

When I went by myself I'll be honest I felt like it should be weird because they aren't my grandparents. I never even met grandpa Chet but I feel so much love for them. I feel a true connection to then and I feel so blessed by them. It felt more natural to go then to run past them. I'm very happy I was able to go. 

Anywho I ran better than I ever had. Not super fast but I didn't even stop to rest or stretch again until mile 4. I always want to leap for joy when I'm halfway and I usually stop and stretch and I started to but not long at all because I felt fine really so I kept running until I hit a mental wall after I reached 6th mile. At first I thought "only two left you got this!" But then I thought ...

"Ugh I'm over this." I kept going but I swear that wasn't the longest mile of my life. Finally I hit the 7th and I cruised thru my last mile! I got a burst of energy and I was able to finish strong! I did a total of 8.25 miles and it was a beautiful run! I was very grateful to live in Middleton. I live in downtown Middleton but I ran in the country for most of my run. It was a beautiful and calm scenery! 

I was so proud of myself! Running is such a mental game but I'm glad I didn't give in. Next week I'm doing 9!

After my run we went to Bella's soccer game. Her team did great! I love watching her play. I think I already get way to into it and they don't even keep score...

Here are some of her team mates. Sophie and Dawn. They are so cute! Lucky Bella after her game we picked up her doll that she earned by picking up dog poop for a month! 

She earned this new frozen fever Anna doll! I'm glad we made her work for it:)

We ended our weekend with a wonderful church day and family night! My family came over for dinner to celebrate my sister finishing Robie creek, you know the toughest race in the northwest. No big deal...not! She has been training for this crazy 1/2 marathon that is over 8 miles going uphill and 5 going downhill. Killer! She's a champ! 

We are all super proud of her for not just finishing the race but for accomplishing one of her goals! She seriously works so hard at everything she does. I'm super proud to be her sister! Go Blanca! 

 

I did it!

I am so proud of myself! I have been running and training for my half marathon in May and my long run last week was 6 miles. I seriously thought I wouldn't be able to finish. Or at least stop and walk a lot and that I would end up crawling home. 

I started my run and the first two miles were brutal. I thought there's no way I'll be able to finish I'm already dying. But I kept going. I'm not sure what happens but between 2 and 3 miles I flipped a switch. My legs finally stopped hurting, my breathing was even and I had a good rhythm going. I got to three miles and I wanted to jump in the air and dance because I made it halfway and I thought "oh yeah I can do this!" My first three miles I ran in 40 min and my last three I did in 30! I cruised right thru them! Not only did I cruise but I LOVED it. I went on some back roads and the sun was coming out and was beautiful. Finally I got to the point where running is still hard but it's enjoyable now and I could definitely feel like I improved! I had a moment of "I can do this!" Instead of 

"why the heck did I sign up for a 1/2 marathon!?"

Today I am super sore but I know tomorrow's run will help loosen my muscles a little and I'll feel better after. I can't wait!

. 

Grandpa's girls!

Yesterday when Doug and I took the girls over to his parents yesterday his dad was mowing the lawn and of course charlie loved wanted to ride with him. I was a little nervous about her ears with a loud mower but a few minutes couldn't hurt. She loved riding with her grandpa and as soon as she got off Bella said "my turn!" 

My girls are so loved by this man!

Mom and Dad Date with Bella!

A few months ago Bella and I planned to go see Annie together for a mommy daughter date and unfortunately I let too much time go by so I decided to make it up to her by taking her to see Cinderella! Then doug said he wanted to come too. Tag along. Bella and I let him in on our girls night and dropped off charlie with my mom.

We had such a good time with our Bellsie! She loved having one on one time with her parents. I can't believe how big she's getting. She's so cute and fun! 

A quick update!

I've been a terrible blogger lately which I hate because my memory isn't very reliable and I don't want to forget any of these moments.

Anyway a little update on my favorites. I'll start with charlie since she is probably my ghe one who's changed the most. She is now ONE! I can't believe it! I knew time would go by fast but it's going by even faster than before. We had a fun little party to celebrate nothing too spectacular but it was fun! All her favorite people came and helped celebrate her very first birthday. She is so loved by our family. It makes me so happy. 

She is also such a little sour patch kid. She is the sweetest little thing. 

She snuggles so sweetly and then ask for a million kisses which I just love. But before you know it she's pulling her sisters hair and laughing when she screams. And don't you dare tell her no because she will immediately start sobbing. 

She also started walking at ten months! I couldn't believe it. I wasn't expecting her to walk until after she turned one. It's so cute watching someone so little walk around. Her favorite part of the day (besides eating) is walking to the bus stop to pick up her sister. 

Speaking of her sister....she recently got a hair cut and loves "showing off" her new bangs and short hair (that isn't even short.) 

We also signed her up for mini vikes again this year and I'm happy to report that she is doing WAY this year than she did last year. She is actually running towards the ball and trying to kick the ball into the goal. It's super cute! 

She did so well we decided to sign her up for spring soccer! She doesn't need cleats or shin guards for mini vikes but she does for spring soccer and you can bet your bottom dollar that I loved getting her new gear. It's so cute! I'm a little embarrassed of how into the game I get into her silly little game (that they don't even keep score at.) but I really cheer and yell....I'm that mom. My poor kids. 

But at least they are cute. I took this on Sunday. It's impossible to get a picture of both of them smiling and I tried go on sudnay since they were "matchymatchy." Im a sucker for Costco and matching outfits. But I got this and I loved it because charlie is begging for a snack (that we were trying to bribe her with) and  Bella is looking at her so lovingly. She is the greatest big sister! She loves her even when charlie is being mean to her. I tell Bella that being the big sister really is tough sometimes. 

Now a doug update!! I'm excited because I don't update on him very often but but I feel like he's been awesome lately. Always really but I'm just super grateful for this guy. He's so hardworking and such a softy with our girls. He is finally, FINALLY on day shifts! Something we took for granted for so long but it has been wonderful having dinner with him every night. It makes the days go by even faster. He also got his second raise and got us our dream car! It's not new. In fact much older than our current car but we both love it. We are now going to sell my jeep and in 12 months we will be 100% debt free!!! All thanks to this guy. He has taught me so much. And he really works so hard for our family. I'd say I owe him for life but I had two of his kids so I think we're almost even.

Now onto myself. I had been feeling like such a mediocre mom for a while and I decided enough is enough. I cut myself some slack, took the pressure off and thought I'd just try my best every day. I'm happy to report it worked. I'm not so worried about having a clean house but making sure I'm enjoying my babies while they are still babies. 

I snuggle charlie when she wants to and forget about the laundry and dishes. Bella and I have read 5 junie b jones books together the last month and played a million games together. Our new favorite I got for a steal of a

Deal ($1.99) is guess who!

Let's face it. I'm sick of shoots and latters and candy land. This game was more for me than her. I've also been waking up before these girls so I can run and shower. It makes the day a lot smoother. And I have to run because I did a half crazy thing and signed up for a half marathon. 

I thought it was the only way to keep myself motivated and accountable because every day matters. I'm super out of shape and it's getting out of hand. When you don't feel good about yourself you have to take control and do something about it and I did. My sister signed up with me! Now don't worry my goal isn't to finish in an hour in half but to know I prepared enough and finish it. 

Last week I complete freaked myself out and I over trained. I ran hard and Pushed myself for 5 days thinking I needed to get in shape now and that 3 days a week wasn't enough. My sister took me if the ledge and reminded me that we had time to train and to not strain my out if shape body too much so I don't get burnt out. 

I'm excited for my big goal! It's pretty overwhelming sometimes but I know I can do it!