My Mouth is Open...and I'm Talking

Quote of the month from Georgia after she had been talking our ears off for twenty minutes..."My mouth is open...and I'm talking."  We got a good laugh after that one.  We have had a good month of May.  

Nick-- got officially sworn in to practice law in Utah!  I am so proud of him.  All of that hard work really did pay off.  It is just so weird to be a student for so long and then know you won't be again (well--let's hope not!)  There are definitely perks to being a student though.  I was thinking about that the other day.  Sometimes Nick wouldn't have class until noon so we would get to have the morning with him.  He would get school breaks off like Christmas for three weeks!  We won't get that type of time off for a long time. :) He works a side job every two weeks or so doing some projects for a legal litigation group.  He does 20 hours in addition to his 40 hours at the Prosecutors office.  So---he is gone some late nights a couple nights a week.  But it really isn't too bad---it seems just like law school when he was studying late.  But--I guess I just look at it that now he is getting paid.

Erica: I have just been training for the Bear Lake half marathon.  It has been good for me to train and push myself.  I love finishing the runs and how I feel but it is always so hard to get started.  I have been doing some side dietitian work that has been kind of perfect.  I am loving going up to Idaho (Bear Lake) and hanging out with the girls and my sister in laws and friends.  We have been doing some backyard pool parties and it has been really fun.  It is so nice to not be pregnant this summer.  I just wish I could get out with Lucy--she is always crawling around and eating dirt and rocks and who knows what--so it isn't really relaxing even hanging out in the yard.  Such a fun but hard stage. 

Lucy: She is 9 months old in these pictures---growing up so fast.  She weighed 17.5 pounds at her 9 month appointment but is short just like her momma and dada!  She says "Georgia" sounds like, "Jasha"--it is so cute!  Lucy is very demanding too in a really funny way.  Sometimes she yells at us from the back seat or in her high chair during meal time.  We always joke that she is screaming profanities at us by her demanding tone.  But she is so sweet and becoming a little jokester.  She will try to hand you a toy and then when you grab it she will pull it away and laugh.  She loves playing, "where's Lucy?" and hides behind the curtains.  

 Georgia: She is really excited to have friends in our neighborhood.  We get lots of kids knocking on our door every day or just walking into our house to play.  It is funny to see her interacting with them and the things she thinks of to talk about with them.  I think sometimes she thinks I feel left out or something because she will come in the kitchen and say, "mom..do you want to come play with us?" haha.  And the other day I caught Georgia reading nursery rhymes to Lucy--my life is finally starting to become a little easier.  Her imagination is really coming out and she likes to play with her "friends" and play with her dollhouse people.  (they all have different voices to and talk to each other).  The mom and dad dollhouse people like to make out a lot too.  :)

My favorite flowers in our garden

Georgia's cute friend Emma teaching her how to ride a bike

Nick's two babies--1938 truck and Lucy

Cutest mother's day gift---I love how Nick decorated it with coins. He said when he did Lucy's hand print that she put her hand down and then just grabbed the cement in a fist.  I can totally picture that and it makes me laugh.

April Showers bring a potty training toddler....

 Yes....it's true!!  Today--on Cinco De Mayo--Georgia has seemed to have it figured out (potty training that is).  I seriously had my doubts that she would ever figure it out!  We had a week of H-E double hockey sticks back at the end of February where Georgia was just having more and more accidents the more time went by.  I wanted to pull my hair out.  So I put her back into pull-ups and I was finally relaxed again.  I didn't realize how stressed out I was with her running around in her undies until I noticed how relaxed I was when she was back in pull-ups.  We were having like 10 accidents a day it was out of control!  In hindsight I would have just waited until she was ready, not when I was ready.  I don't think she understood how to hold it if she felt the urge to go potty but now that she can understand the feeling she is a pro now.   It was so much more relaxing when she was ready. We just ran out of pull-ups on Friday so just put on big girl undies and she has it down now!  YAY!  So...the reason I am documenting this is to remember that with Lucy Lou I need to not rush it until she is ready and it will be so much easier!  

 Our neighbors have baby chicks they bring over to our house.  Georgia and Lucy love laughing and petting the baby chicks.  I am starting to feel more adjusted to Utah and liking it more (probably has something to do with the weather too).  But we are meeting some really fun people in our neighborhood that we have been hanging out with.  I was really thinking how awesome it is especially to find a babysitter.  We have over 10 babysitters walking distance from our house.  Makes date night a lot easier! :)

Although I do get really sentimental thinking about where I was and what I was doing last year at this time.  I miss seeing North Carolina friends on Cinco do Mayo, going to pick strawberries at Hall Family Farm, walking on the greenway, the YMCA, etc.  There are so many good things about Utah too but I just wish I could have the best of both worlds--mostly all of my friends and family in one place.  How can I make that happen? 

 After the Easter Egg Hunt, Georgia got into the jeep with her cousins and was having the time of her life.  She couldn't believe we let her do this!  They were cruising! 

We went to Baby Animal Days in Logan and it was so fun and cute!  Georgia really appreciated it and literally ran around the entire time yelling every animal name she could think of that she wanted to see.  She loved the candy cannon.  They shot all this candy out of a cannon and all the kids ran in the field and got all the candy they wanted. 

 This picture of Georgia holding Lucy just makes me laugh--Lucy looks huge!

 Lucy is still into having anything plastic in her mouth--so Georgia thinks she should mouth things too.  She likes to comfort Lucy and read and sing to her.  But...I still can't leave them alone together.  21 months age gap is really close (at least for me!) This isn't because I am overprotective.  Georgia picks Lucy up by the head and drags her around and hugs her so hard with running speed and knocks her over.  She likes to get out "Lucy's yucky boogers" too.  The other day I caught Georgia taking Lucy's entire hand and putting it in her mouth and biting down really hard.  She doesn't do it to be mean, I think just testing her limits.  I'm telling you--my life right now consists of keeping Lucy protected from Georgia.  I see other siblings interacting with each other and not doing this.  So I don't know when things will get easier but I don't see that happening anytime in the near future. 

 Georgia has started getting particular with the stores we go to.  I guess she is her momma's daughter.  We were headed to Target and she freaked out and wanted to go to Smiths.  Whatever.  I like Smiths too so we went there.  Maybe she likes the sample cookies better at Smiths.  I let Lucy ride in the front for a little bit.   I can't tell if she is scared or having fun. :)

Another funny moment I want to remember is when we were at a drive through I ordered a sandwich and a water cup.  Georgia put her head to the window of the car and yelled, "and a milk cup".  The lady heard and so we ended up getting a milk cup.  It might not sound hilarious but at the time it was. 

 I took this picture during a windstorm (hence the chairs knocked over) but wanted to capture our yard starting to get some flowers.  I missed having our yard and gardening.  Although I didn't miss all the weeding!

I might eat Lucy---seriously--she is so sweet and cute!  I can't handle it. Lucy is standing up to everything and the other day I caught her balancing on her feet without holding onto anything!  Crazy girl!  She wants to walk as soon as possible so she can learn to run....away from that crazy blonde girl!

 Pretty sure these girls have the best daddy there is!  He slithered on his back like a snake for like 15 minutes back and forth so they could enjoy a ride.  They were so giggly and it made me smile!  The things he comes up to be silly with them.  Plus---he has to be the best dollhouse player---he comes up with the funniest things when they are playing dollhouse.  The other day, he was playing dollhouse with the girls and I came in the room and he had all the dollhouse people in different places posing for family pictures. 

Pass the Bar--law school is done FOREVER!

So---we are officially done with law school!!  Words can't describe the feeling when we found out he passed the bar!  I think Nick did a backflip.  We weren't expecting the results until next month and so when we got the letter in the mail it was kind of intense!  I walked into the house holding the letter and Nick was shaking as he opened it and the first thing that came out was the "Licensing Ceremony Information" paper.  Right then we realized he probably passed because they wouldn't put that in the letter if he didn't pass.  Well--he passed and he deserved it!  He worked so hard and really was so intense with his studying.  I am so proud of him and so glad he doesn't need to spend the next four months or EVER studying again!!!  WE are happy to have our Nick back! 

Now we are adjusting to life getting used to having him around at night.  I have to watch TV shows he wants to watch too now. :)

In March, we got to go to the Smoot's family vacation house in St. George.  It was so much fun and so crazy with all of the kiddos.  Georgia had fun with her friends though.  And Lucy liked getting lots of attention.

 

We got to have Rickie and Kallen stay with us for my cousin Heidi's wedding festivities. 

Cute Henry and Georgia entertaining themselves on these yoga blocks.

At Lucy's 6 month appointment.  She is a cutie and crawling around and babbling words.  She said her first word..."Dada" but I do have to say that "momma" was said the very next day.  She does this cute little nose wrinkle and laughs whenever you take her binky out.

Oh Potty Training--this has been the hardest parenting milestone of all---which is why we are in pull ups still.  She wasn't ready and all this potty training in a day---it didn't work for her.  We did it all too.  She would go half of the time in the potty and half on our new carpet.  So we moved the training outside to save the carpet.  I'm sure our neighbors think we are super ghetto. 

We got to see Marci and her cute family when we were down in St. George.  It made me wish we lived closer again! 

At the cabin I looked downstairs and all the kids were surrounding Nick as he read a book.  Kids are drawn to him it makes me laugh.

Georgia was the star of the play at the treehouse musuem.  In her squeeky shoes too.

Even though it has been a challenge having them be so close in age, I am so glad they are so close in age because they are such good friends.  Honestly, now when they are both awake--life is so much easier because they feed off of each other and entertain each other.  Lucy thinks Georgia is hilarious and visa versa.  Georgia likes to tell Lucy stories and she asks Lucy questions.  She answers for Lucy in a really high pitched voice that makes me laugh and then we all laugh. :)