Sweet Dreams & Silly Ones To

We have a tradition. It was started by Nate. Every morning when the girls wake up we ask them if they had any dreams.  After they answer yes, we ask them what they were about.

With Addy, her response is always the same: "Elephants & Giraffes & Zebras"

Hailey, on the other hand, has had some pretty lively dreams. I wanted to write some of them down before I forget them.

*****


Hailey: "I dreamed that our whole family was in Tom and Jerry, the show on tv. Only Scratch was friends with Tom and they were chasing Jerry.  You were in it, and Dad was in it and Addy was in it. Me and Addy were watching Scratch and Tom chase Jerry, then Jerry did silly things and me and Addy were laughing really hard."

*****

Hailey : "Me and Addy were running through a castle and we were trying to save the princess."

Me: "Who was the princess?"

Hailey: "Princess Aroura..  or maybe it was you"

Me: "Awe, well who were you trying to save the princess from?"

Hailey: "Daddy"

*****

Hailey: "I was at Daddy's softball game and I had bug spray on me, then a mosquito landed on my arm and said 'I suck!'"

Me: laughing hysterically since we never say that word around the girls and it was just funny.

*****

Hailey: "I had a dream last night that I went with Maya's family to the store!"

(Maya is Hailey's BFF that lives next to us)

*****


Hailey: "Mom! I had a dream that a T-Rex was chasing me!"


Me: Oh no! That's kind of scary!


Hailey: "Naw, he was my friend"


*****

I love hearing about their adventures they had while sleeping safe and sound in their bed. There is just something magical about a childs dreams. I've made a commitment to write down their dreams in the mornings, that way I can make them a 'DREAM BOOK' some day.  (Or maybe it's just for me to cherish, but I think they'll appreciate it too.)

Little Challenges

Over the course of Addy's life, we have come to realize some things about her personality.  She has always been a little more 'attached' than we were use to with Hailey.  Now, for most people this is normal. We though it was too, until we began to realize that deep inside this precious little girl was a heightened sence of attachment that was accompanied by fear.

Aside from being a mommy's girl, she doesn't like to be alone. She freaks out if she is the only one in a room. She won't go upstairs to find a toy or her blankie because she's afraid we'll leave her while she's gone. She gets extremely upset if I start to walk out the front door while she is still putting on her shoes. "Don't Leave Me!!!" she'll yell and then burst into tears.  Every time she goes down for a nap, she'll ask me if i'll be downstairs when she wakes up for fear that I might leave while she's asleep.  Same thing for bedtime at night. She trusts me enough to know that when she asks and I tell her where i'll be, I will stay true to my word.  She wants me to stay on the main floor at her gymnastics gym. She does NOT want me going upstairs to watch through the glass wall because there is a barrier that disconnects her from me. Even though she can see me through the glass, she can't handle it. Every Thursday morning, she asks on the way to gymnastics, "you're gonna stay downstairs at the gym, right mom?"   I can leave her with friends as long as Hailey stays with her.  She won't stay in nursery by herself. She has a fear of men as well and doesn't handle things well unless Nate or myself stay with her.

These are just a few of the many things we've noticed with her.  There is something in the look on her face or the cries that is much deeper than just being at that age, you know?


So, at her 3 year well check, I talked with her doctor about it.  He smiled and said, "I was waiting for this".  After asking what he meant by it, he said he has several notes in her file from previous visits that he was waiting for this ages well check to discuss with us.  He said he was hoping it would be the alternative issue of 'just that age' but instead he diagnosed her with some intense anxiety.  After discussing this with him for quite a long time, we came to the conclusion that it's definitely something we can't ignore.  He informed me that at this age, we need to work hard to help her learn to cope with it so it doesn't become a problem in her life.  If she doesn't get help now, it will continue to grow and get worse to the point where she will have such anxiety that she will stop eating and stop being able to go to school and things like that because she's too nervous and too scared.


I can attest to this.  I had this very problem growing up, only back then, nobody noticed those things as being something to pay attention to. I still remember the day I got to call my doctor at HOME to inform him that I ate dinner for the first time in months.  I would only have a sleepover at my cousins house because every time I tried anywhere else, I would end up calling my mom to pick me up late at night because I would freak out. I couldn't use the bathroom without leaving the door open a crack so I could hear my family and make sure they were still there and didn't leave me.  I would get sick when my friends would come over for a birthday party just because I was so anxious. I became one of those 'salad' girls on dates because I was too anxious and eating too much would make me sick. I had a re-occurring dream when I was little that lasted over the course of two years that I got kidnapped. I still remember it well.  To this day, I cannot let Nate go to bed before me, because of my deep down anxiety of being left alone. I hope with all my heart that we can do something about this because there have been times in my life where this problem with anxiety has been pure hell. I don't want that for her.

So, back to Addy. I feel for her.  I know how miserable this is and I only hope that we can do whatever we can to help her learn to cope with this so it doesn't control her life.  We've been given some ideas and some things to try and I just hope they work. This is something that she can learn to cope with but something that will never go away. 

The good news that came out of her appointment is that she's super healthy, besides the fact that she had a fever of 103 degrees that day.  She's in the 85th percentile for her height and the 50th percentile for her weight. She's in the 18th percentile for her BMI.  So, basically, she's tall, skinny and lean. I wish I could say the same for me. Fortunately, I think they got their daddy's genes. :-)


Luckily, she has a great example for an older sister.  Hopefully we can help ease her worries and get control of this before it gets control of her.

10 Years

I still remember where I was and how I felt the minute I heard of the news that Tuesday morning. I was getting ready for work in Las Vegas when my dad called me and told me to turn the tv on.  I did. I watched. Anxiously. The first tower had been hit.  He asked me to keep trying to get a hold of my mom since she was in Washington visiting my brother and his wife. She was suppose to travel home that morning.  I finally reached her and she said she had been stuck at the airport and flights had been cancelled. After I got off the short phone call with her is when it happened. The second tower got hit. I watched in disbelief.  I knew i'd be late for work but at that moment, I didn't care.


I remember driving to work that morning with the radio up as loud as I could to hear EVERYTHING that was going on.  When I got to work, at the Title Company I worked for, the radio was on and everyone was paying close attention.


I knew that Nate was meeting with his uncle and his dad that morning to check out some stock stuff and I wasn't sure he was done, but I called him anyways. He answered and admitted that he was glued to the tv as well. We stayed on the phone for what seemed like an eternity, hardly saying anything, but just wanting to be connected. Next thing I remember was my boss walking through the door and sending everyone home. There was hightened security that day in Vegas due to the government believing that Vegas was a target. The local news was advising everyone to go home and stay there. So, we did.  My dad came home early that day as well and we continued watching the news and talking to everyone in the family to make sure everyone was ok.


I talked to Nate several times that day. I wished so bad that we were together, but he was in Provo and I was 400 miles away...  I'll never forget how I felt that day. I'll never forget the footage I saw, the footage that I still have a hard time watching to this day.  I pray that the families that lost loved ones can feel comfort on this memorable anniversary.

Where's Addy Been?

I have noticed lately that I blog a bit more about Hailey than I do Addy. There's a reason for this. Hailey's personality is much more outgoing and 'willing' than Addy's which means, there are more events to take pictures of in Hailey's life than in Addy's. However, that doesn't mean I don't have things I want to remember about Addy at this point in her life.


First off, her poor foot has taken a serious beating lately. She fell off her bike, then cut the top of it at the park, then somehow tore half her nail off on the other foot. All in the same week.

Recently, Addy has started a gymnastics class at the All American Gymnastics Academy.  I was really leary at first since Addy is a 'hold on to mom with all your might' kind of girl, but she jumped right in to this like a Pro.  The first day was especially fun since big sis got to join her.

After that, she was all about gymnastics. She absolutely loves it.  She asks me almost every morning if it's gymnastics day.  She loves her coach, Coach Nola and always has a big smile on her face most of the time she's there. Her favorite thing at gymnastics are the trampolines. She has actually gotten quite good at keeping a pretty good balance on them.  They do this thing called a tornado where they have to have their hands straight above their heads like a pencil and spin while in the air. She loves that one. Another thing they have to do is seat drops. She also has figured this out very well. If you don't know what that is, you can Google it. :-)

For warm ups, the coach turns on Disney Music and rolls hula hoops out on the spring matt and they have to run and catch them before they fall flat on the ground. It doesn't sound that funny, but it's pretty hilarious actually. They do a lot of stretching and back bends, yadda yadda.  Then they rotate stations. The stations include: Bars, Balance Beam, Trampolines, Floor work (back bends, back walkovers, donkey kicks, forward rolls, rope climbing, etc.), spring board flips, and handstands.  She's been really working on the ending stance in gymnastics and it's so dang cute.

Her first day, she wore one of Hailey's old leotards from dance.  But I quickly remembered from back in the day that dance leo's and gymnastics leo's are very different. So, we got her a gymnastics leo that she picked out and it's so very cute on her.


Okay, aside from gymnastics, this girl is my little buddy these days. She just emulates happy. Her little munchkin voice melts my heart and the things she comes up with are just plain funny. She really thinks she is a comedian and I have to agree. When i'm spending time with her one on one, she is seriously just so funny. She makes the silliest faces.  She loves to sing, but is often over-shadowed by big sis in that area so when it's just me and her, she'll sing in the prettiest little voice and it also melts my heart a bit.  Addy gives the best hugs. No joke.  They are the 'wrap your arms around the neck and squeeze' type of hugs and I can't get enough of them. She usually is the first one up out of the two and she ALWAYS comes in and wants lots of morning snuggles.  She is the snuggliest little bear in the mornings. She LOVES her big sis with all her heart. She sometimes gets left out of play time when Hailey has a friend over and it makes her sad a little. She can't stand to not be in the same bed as Hailey. They LOVE to sleep together. Sometimes in the morning, I can hear them talking before they even come out of their room and i'll find them in reading books together.  Addy looks for Hailey first thing after her naps and can't wait to pick Hailey up from school.  Addy is also a pretty big fan of her dad. She always asks to go see him at work. She misses him a lot throughout the day. She loves to cheer him on at softball games and she's Hailey's biggest fan at her soccer games.  One day at Hailey's practice Addy kept yelling 'Go Hailey! Kick that ball!' and Hailey finally turned around and said 'Addy, be quiet, i'm trying to listen to my coach!' She loves to color... anything.. coloring books, the walls, you name it.  She's a mamma's girl. She loves spending time alone with mom or baking things in the kitchen. She loves to help unload the dishwasher and she loves to dance to music on the radio. She's very curious about what words mean that she hears on movies and cartoons and she doesn't ever stop talking.  She has a lot to say. Addy HATES nursery. She doesn't like to be away from her family. She gets that from me. She has a fear of being left alone and I was very much like that when I was little.  She always wants to either see or be in hearing distance of the family or she pretty much freaks out.  If I take two steps toward the front door while she's still putting on her shoes she yells "Wait! Don't leave me!"  It's a bit of a problem. I hope she grows out of it though because I STILL suffer from a bit of the 'alone' syndrome. I've been trying to work with her on it. Anytime she gets a treat or toy while away from Hailey she always asks to get her sis one too. She's very thoughtful. She loves getting dressed in the morning. She has a very strong opinion about what she wears and always asks if there is pretty stuff on her shirt as i'm putting it on her. If it doesn't, off it comes. She has a love affair with her blankie and at times when she has ANY intense emotion brewing, she yells "BLANKIE" and runs through the house looking for it.  She loves her little white puppy that barks and growls when you pet it. She doesn't like when Hailey sits in the back of the van where she can't see her.  She loves her grandparents and talks about them very often.  She gets picked on a lot by Hailey's friends for being the '3rd wheel' if you will but takes it pretty well. She considers Hailey's friends her friends and doesn't really feel the need to make her own friends. She's pretty content with Hailey by her side.


This is Addy in a nutshell and it has been a pleasure being her mother.  I love our little dates we get to have and I love her sweet personality. I couldn't be more grateful for such a great little munchkin to hang out with on a regular basis.


Love you Baby Girl!

Mean Mom, Sad Addy

The other day, I had one of those 'not so proud' mommy moments. I got really upset with Addy. The 'mean look' upset. You know, the kind where you don't yell or cry, you don't really know what to do, so you just give them a mean look. Don't lie, I Know you've all done it. Anyways, a few minutes later, I hear a few little whimpers of sadness coming from the corner of the dining room and this is what I found..

That's right, instead of consoling sad little Addy, I chose to take pictures instead.

There are just some days when I question why I was entrusted with these little Angels with all my imperfections. Then in the same moment, i'm filled with the most intense gratitude for having the opportunity to raise such amazing children.

Don't worry, Addy and I made up and we're friends again. :-)

New Job

A couple of months ago, Nate got word about a company opening a new office and hiring a good amount of people. So, for grins and giggles, we put together a superb resume (if I may say so) and sent it in.  He got a call back asking him to attend a job fair they were going to be having a few weeks later. Knowing that it's a shot in the dark because job fairs are ridiculous with TONS of people applying, he went anyways.  We had talked about the possibility the night before of him getting an offer 'just in case' and I pretty much just left it up to him. Whatever he wanted to do, I was fine with. So, the next day, he went to this job fair and without hesitation, they asked him to go directly to HR. A little confused, since he hadn't even been interviewed, he walked over to HR where they handed him a Hire Packet with a great offer.  Since they had so many people apply, they needed verbal confirmation that day if he wanted the position or not.


While he was there, I was at my in laws letting the girls go for a swim. It was BLAZING that day. I had no idea what to expect since he's never been to one of these AND he hasn't changed jobs since I've known him 11 years!!  That's dedication, I tell ya. All I knew was that he would call me when he was done. Well, I didn't get a call but rather a text. It said "I think I just accepted a new job".   Um, WHAT?  I asked him to explain, but I got no answer. As you can imagine, I was on the edge WAITING to hear what happened.


The next night, we went out to dinner to celebrate. Of course, we went to a favorite, Tepanyaki in Lehi. We were excited that some family joined us. We even got our FAVORITE chef who we thought no longer worked there.

Once reading through all the benefits (which was a new thing for us) and researching the company, which he had done plenty of, previously, we were very excited.  His start date was set for the 29th of August, and as long as his background check and drug test came through he would be in the clear for that date.  All cleared and he was ready. Sort of. A little nervous. K, a lot nervous. This was a HUGE change for him. And for us, but mostly for him.

The day came, after a fun week of hanging out with dad while in between jobs and he was ready. I'm use to seeing Nate leave for work in flip flops and a random t-shirt. Not anymore. He was all dressed up in business casual and ready to go. The first couple months are training, which he is paid for, then on to the real stuff. Part of this training is a trip to the main office in Massachusetts.  This on-site training will be about 18 days sometime in November. CRAZY!! He's hoping it doesn't actually happen because it means he will miss Hailey's birthday, but I guess we'll see.


His first day, they had breakfast and drinks and snacks waiting for them. SPOILED!  A couple days ago, I tried to call him on his lunch break, and he responded with a text that read "sorry, I'm in a conference meeting".  So, when I asked him what he did for lunch, he said they catered lunch from Rumbi Island Grill for them. SPOILED!!


The only drawback, is that once the office is built, he will be working in Draper. He'll have a bit of a commute, but we don't have to worry about that till December. For now, Pleasant Grove isn't too bad.


I'm very excited for Nate. He deserves this. He's provided such a great life for his family and I am so grateful to him for that. He is extremely loyal and it shows in everything he does, including his work.  I'm very impressed with him and his ability to transition so well.


Here's to a new adventure!!!

Potty Breaks and Going Insane

I don't know what was up with my girls tonight, but it was just exacerbating.

Have you ever had days where you just feel overrun?  Today was one of those days.

Let me explain.

Tonight, at 5pm, Hailey had a soccer game, to which she made 1 goal. Yippee!! Go Hailey!! Before her game, she had to go potty. Addy as well. Nate took them since I was busy setting up our umbrella and chairs.

After the game, we were heading up the dreadful Geneva Rd. a midst awful construction when Addy says "mommy I gotta go potty really bad".  After being stuck in traffic and having nowhere to go, I finally pull off the road and find a plastic baggy. Yes, you heard me. It was a sandwich bag. You gotta do what you gotta do right?

On we went.

We pull up to Home Depot less than 10 minutes later when Hailey announces that she needs to go potty. So, we go running to find the restroom at the back of the store.

My GOODNESS..

We go on with our shopping when Addy turns to me and says "I need to go potty".   SERIOUSLY??
To the back of the store we go, AGAIN.

This time, the potty-ness HAS to be over.  So, back to shopping we go, which by the way, wasn't really shopping. It was picking out color for the paint on our deck. That's another story.

I'm standing back in my spot with Nate for no more than 1 minute when Hailey tugs on me and says "I need to go again."

I'm about to swear at this point, but instead, I bite my tongue and head to the back of the store a third time.
After making our decision, we leave and head to Nate's softball game. We arrive after about 15 minutes and Addy announces she has to go again, so guess what? Luckily I had another sandwich baggy in the car. I'm such a prepared mom, I know.

A few minutes later, while sitting in the van eating Del Taco for dinner, Hailey says she needs to go again.   Heavens to Betsy! So, we rush off to the bathrooms at the park.

She drank a ton of water at her softball game and it spiraled into a series of potty breaks that were oh-so-frustrating.  I feel bad getting frustrated because it's not like it's their fault or anything, but my goodness. After all that, i'm just glad we had no accidents because I was NOT prepared for that. :-)