Black Beard the Pirate

Meet Black Beard the Pirate!  Arrghhhhhhhh!

As you can see, Black Beard likes blackberries!

27 Weeks

I can't believe I start the 3rd trimester on Friday!  Time is flying!

Here are pictures from earlier last week (at about 26.5 weeks):

And here are pictures from yesterday (at almost 27.5 weeks):

Blakeley Learns to Fold Her Arms

Blakeley learned how to fold her hands together when it was prayer time like a month and a half ago and it was so cute.  When it was prayer time, she would fold them together. 

At church today, Daddy showed her how to fold her arms since that's what we normally do for prayers.  Then at lunch when we got home, we said, "Fold your arms, it's time for prayer..." and she did!  Kids are super smart.  Daddy only had to show her once.

Our lesson in Relief Society today was on parenting and comments were made about teaching your children at a young age.  This is a great example of that.  I probably would have thought she was too young to learn how to fold her arms for prayer so I'm glad that Tyson showed her how!  Now I know she's not too young for anything. 

Happy 30th Birthday Chelsea Malia Suafoa!

Dear Chelsea,

You are one of my best friends...

You are one of the sweetest, most generous people I know.  You are also one of the most genuine people I know.  I love how sensitive and tender hearted you are.  We have known each other for a really long time!  Remember when we bumped "Ghetto Superstar" on my boombox in the back seat of the Roller Skate as we rolled through town?  Even in that crappy, sorry excuse for a car, we still got hit on by guys.  Remember when we ditched a class at school to go pay my speeding ticket?  Good times.  I remember eating teriyaki rice bowls and Schwanns ice cream at your house all the time.  I probably owe your parents lots of money for all the food I ate. 

On this ever so special 30th birthday, I wish you all the happiness in the world.  I feel like we're 17...not (ahem) 30...reaching this adult milestone.  I know you are someone I will still talk to and see when we are 60 years old.  I can't wait to see what the future holds for you.  We really do need to plan girl trips at least every couple years.

Please know how much I love you.  If I was closer I know we would hang out!  And forgive me for not calling as often as I should.  That doesn't mean I don't think about you all the time!  Trust me when I say that I miss you! 

Sistas 4 Life.

I love you Chelsea Malia Suafoa!

xoxo

18 Months on the 18th!

Today Blakeley is 18 months old.  I can't believe it's gone so fast.  The milestone here is that she can start going to nursery at church which is amazing because I am so ready for that break!  I am out in the halls with her a lot and I would love to get something out of church again.  But it's bittersweet too.  I feel like I blink and 6 months go by.

We actually started transitioning Blakeley in nursery a couple weeks ago.  I stayed in there with her and she did great!  She didn't even care that I was there so that tells me that she will be just fine.  She loves the toys, games, and activities that they do.  Last week she came home with a picture she colored that someone had written her name, "Blackeley" on.  Really...?  Blackeley?  So we were joking about that and calling her Black-ley a few times later that day.  I'll have to nicely ask the nursery leaders to spell her name right.  ha ha.

Happy 18 months Miss Blakeley Jewel!  You truly are a jewel.

Diaper Cake & Happy MLK Day!

I'm having a baby shower at my house this Thursday for my friend from church and this is the diaper cake I made her.  I'm proud of it...it's only the second one I've ever done and I like that I had a theme this time which was birds.  It took a long time to make...probably like 6 hours total.  It would not have taken so long except the rubberband that was holding the bottom tier together broke twice while I was rolling all the diapers since that tier was so big.  So, third time is a charm, I guess!  Special thanks to Tyson for helping me come up with a creative way to hold the bottom tier together since we didn't have a rubberband big enough!

It was fun to make!  I love being creative.

P.S. Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!  He is my favorite person in history. 

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."    ~Martin Luther King Jr.

Great man.

Look what google posted on their homepage in honor of his day.  So cute...

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

One of the talks today at church included this poem.  Of course I've heard this poem before but I've never compared it to our religion or thought about it in that way.  It is a great analogy, though...we do take the road less traveled by.  And it does make all the difference.

Where is a Magical Jar When I Need One?

Today Blakeley and I were playing with her toys in the living room and I was laying on the ground with my head on her blanket, partly because she gets a kick out of me laying on the ground for some reason and partly because I was tired.  Out of the blue, she walks over, leans down, puckers her lips and gives me a kiss!  I was in shock and was like, "Awwww...that was sooo sweet!!!"  If your heart could melt, mine would have at that moment.

This is the girl who pinches, scratches, and/or bites me regularly.  She is not very cuddly at all (which I'm hoping will change in the future since I would love to cuddle with her!)  She's probably only come up to me and given me a kiss without me asking like maybe 4 times.

Today was precious though.  I wish I could freeze moments like that and capture them in a jar or a magical picture frame where I could look at them later and not only see the experience again but to FEEL how I felt at that exact moment.  These moments are so fleeting and all I can do is write it down so that I will remember it later.  What a special moment and a special spirit in my little girl.

This is what parenthood is all about!

Amid the chaos and the sometimes frustrating times when your kid doesn't listen or purposely does something to test your limits, these types of moments are what make it all worth it.  Can I have more moments like this please?

It made me feel loved.

I was looking at pictures today and here is one when we first brought Blakeley home from the hospital...awwww.  Look at my tiny baby!

There's an Earthquake in my Belly!

At least that's the way it's been feeling lately since Skylar is getting a lot stronger and moving a lot!

Tonight I felt Skylar's feet and I'm assuming her elbows pushing at the same time on opposite sides of my belly.  And I could totally feel them with my hands when I softly touched the outside of my belly on those spots.  I pushed them a little and she pushed back.  I love that!  So it's getting to the fun stage where she's stronger and when she kicks and moves, it looks crazy from the outside!  Like a little alien. 

When I sit and think about how amazing pregnancy and this life is, it really blows my mind...that I'm carrying this little human in my belly!  I saw a picture of a 8 week old fetus yesterday and it truly is amazing that babies start out like that.

I can't believe I start the 3rd trimester in 2 weeks already.  Time is flying.  This pregnancy is going fast.

I'm 26 weeks today!

Seeing Skylar's Face for the First Time

We had a 3D/4D ultrasound today to see little Skylar and it was awesome!  Gotta love technology!  Tyson and the technician thought she looked like Blakeley.  What do you think?

Look at those little lips!  I can't wait to kiss them.

Check out the umbilical cord on this one!  (Going from near her arm across her neck/chest.)  Crazy!

Tired girl yawning...

Look at her bony little arm & elbow!

Cute little profile shot

She does look a lot like Blakeley did in her 3D ultrasound pictures.  Looks like the same facial features.  I can't wait to see her!

I'm 26 weeks today...

Blakeley Likes to Play Copy Cat

I need to start writing down all the funny & smart things that Blakeley does so that I remember them later on.  Recently she did the following:

-She saw Tyson doing his hair so she started rubbing her head in the same manner as if putting product in her hair.
-She saw me putting lotion on my legs so later that day, she came up to me and started rubbing my leg.
-She saw me biting my nails so she put her finger in her mouth and just kind of moved it around the same way. 

HILARIOUS!

-She knows what a baby doll is now and she likes to give her kisses.  Sometimes her kisses consist of just licking the doll's head.
-She knows what a ball is and can say "ball"
-She points at the moon in all of her books
-She points outside when she hears an airplane
-She loves when I pick her up to stare at food in the microwave
-She's scared of the vacuum and cries when I use it (so I normally either pick her up while I vacuum or do it while she's asleep)
-She loves to dance around at the sound of any kind of music which is always so cute
-Yesterday she had just her elbows on the couch and her feet on the coffee table so she was holding herself up by basically her elbows and feet. 
-Tonight I said, "let's go brush your teeth" and she opened her mouth all wide and then walked to the bathroom so she knows what brushing her teeth means.
-When it's nap time or bedtime, I'll say, "Let's go night night" and if Tyson is home, she will wave at him and then take my hand and we start walking down the hall to start our bedtime routine.  It's pretty funny and cute. (Don't worry- we don't forget to give Daddy "night night kisses."
-Tyson will say, "Give me eskimo kisses" and Blakeley and him will rub noses.  She knows what eskimo kisses are.
-She continues to wave and say "hi" to tons of people when we're at the store and she's sitting in the cart.  That girl makes lots of people smile!

She's definitely entering the terrible two stage though!  Here are some of the "naughty" things she does:

-Climbs on the coffee table when she knows she's not supposed to (Trust me, she knows...she looks right at me as if to say, "What are you going to do about it?!")
-She's been torturing poor Phoebe.  Phoebe will just be sitting around minding her own business and Blakeley will pet her at first and it's so sweet and nice & I tell her, "Good job" and "Good girl" and then she turns around and pulls Phoebe's hair.  It makes me feel so bad for Phoebe!  And I don't know what causes Blakeley to do it! 
-Likes to sometimes pinch, bite, and hit me.  What the...?!

Not sure exactly how to discipline a 1 1/2 year old but I try to be as patient as I can while teaching her that doing those things are wrong.  I think it's just a phase anyway.  She used to bite and pinch me all the time and that has pretty much ended.  Ay, ay, ay...

But the good things far outweigh the misbehavin'!!!

I Couldn't Resist...

I got these the other day.  They're newborn size so they're tiny! 

Super cute.  I can't believe we're going to have another little munchkin who will fit into these tiny clothes!

P.S. We have church at 11am now.  I'm so happy!  Woo hoo!

I'm the Big Sister

Isn't this ornament soooo cute?  Tyson brought it home tonight.  I about cried.  OK, so I did cry...a little.  Dang pregnancy hormones!