Katelyn's Invitations

I am doing a Curious George theme for Katelyn's 3rd Birthday (I decided this because about 2 months ago there were a ton of cute Curious George things in the dollar section at Target...plus Katelyn loves him! She also loves Dora, and there was NO WAY I was throwing a Dora party! I was going to order her invites on Ebay, but they were a dollar each. My dad then said, "I can do that!" So here you have it! Aren't they cute!?

Yummy new recipe

Thanks to my friend Diana, I was able to add another delicious, and EASY recipe to my book (the two requirements are to be yummy and easy!) I am giving to you to enjoy:)

Mexican Lasagna

Cook 1 lb ground beef (I use ground turkey) and set aside

Combine:
1 40z can sliced olives
1 can black beans (rinsed)
1 can corn (drained)
1 bunch of green onion (sliced)

You also need a large can of red mild enchilada sauce and 2 c. cheddar cheese, 2 c. monterey jack cheese and 20-24 corn tortillas

First dip 4-5 tortillas in the sauce and layer on bottom of 9X13 pan, then add a layer of meat, then the veggies, then the cheese.
Repeat 3 times
Then you do a layer of tortillas and cheese on top
*Make sure you dip every tortilla in the sauce before layering, you shouldn't have any sauce left over at the end
Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 min

**Also if you get the tortillas wet, put the them in a open ziploc bag and microwave for about 2 minutes, the tortillas become very moist and soft and then absorb more sauce
ENJOY!! Let me know what you think!

Strawberry fields forever!

Today I took the girls to a farm in Moorpark and it was awesome! It was the perfect day...the weather was perfect and this place was perfect! Katelyn got to go out into the strawberry fields and pick her own strawberries, which she loved! I sat Taylor down in the middle of the field and gave her a giant strawberry and she devoured the thing! She was a mess, but it was wonderful to just watch her enjoy it! The farm had tons of animals, a petting zoo, a train ride, pony rides, and several other rides and activities. I am so glad we went! If you haven't been, you have to go! On our way out we bought a bunch of fruit and veggies at the farmers market they have there. Days like today are what makes having children so much fun...life just wouldn't be the same if I didn't have my girls to share and make these memories with.

Ah, the joys of having a toddler!

The last three days have been very challenging ones with Katelyn. I don't know what has come over her! She refuses to do anything I ask her by saying "No!" or"I don't want to!", she peed her pants twice, she whines at EVERYTHING, and has been mean to her cousin and Taylor. Basically she has just been a brat. I go to bed in tears, and out of patience...I feel that I don't have anything left...
And then she smiles or tells me that she loves me and I get a little more patience and energy to deal with her. This girl is just one big ball of independent energy! I sure do love her though!

On Saturday morning Jordan came over to play, while his parents were having breakfast. I took a couple of cute pics of the kids.

Miss Taylor is just so happy these days! She still doesn't sleep through the night, but is getting better and has slept from 8-3am! Wahoo! She wants to be on the move so badly! The other day I looked over and she was standing! She pulled herself up and was just beaming! She loves to stand! Maybe we will skip crawling and go straight to walking!

Julio's Graduation

On Friday Julio graduated from the LAPD Academy. It was an honor to be able to attend his graduation and see so many people ready to protect and serve our city. I felt very patriotic. I am so proud of Julio and the risky decision he made to be a cop. I know that he loves it and will love being on LAPD, and I am grateful that so many people willingly put themselves in harms way in order to take care of us. Julio is perfect for the job! Julio I love you and am so proud of you! You have been the best uncle to my girls and will be such an influence on their lives forever! Thank you for your example!

Sleep!

Taylor is 9 months old, and has NOT slept through ONE night, not one! The longest stretch she has gone is 5 hours...so needless to say I am very sleep deprived. You know you need sleep when co-workers tell you you look really tired! (translation:you look awful!) Last night my WONDERFUL mother volunteered to deal with Taylor, so I could have my first full night of sleep! It was magical!

Taylor is so close to crawling! She is just so frustrated because she wants to be a big girl like her sister and just can't. She hates baby food and wants the real stuff...too bad she doesn't realize that she can't chew!

While Taylor is progressing, Katelyn is regressing! The past couple of weeks Katelyn has been wanting to play with all the baby toys, sit in all the baby toys and have her Binky! The girl is so attached! For the past year she has only had it for nighttime and has been fine with that. But lately she sneaks in her room, or steals Taylor's and hides it in her pants! She is already hiding things from me and she is only 3! I have tried EVERYTHING to get her to give up that thing at nighttime, but nothing is working! She can't and won't go to sleep without it! What am I to do!?

Disneyland

We went to Disneyland with Marci, Julio and Jordan and met up with Luis and Katie and their kids. Although it was HOT, we still had fun! Katelyn absolutely loved spending time with Rylee...Katelyn kept pulling her shorts up and then Rylee started copying her. I had to take a pic of them standing next to eachother...Rylee is a year older than Katelyn. Katelyn is big for her age and Rylee is tiny for hers...Seeing their legs and bellies next to eachother is pretty funny!

I convinced Katelyn to go on Matterhorn for the first time. She covered her eyes the entire time but after it was over she said she loved it! So, Marci and Julio talked her into going again, and that was just too much! She cried the entire time and was scared to death! But now she brags to everyone saying, "I rode on the mountain and saw the scary white bear!"

Girls' Night/Birthday Celebration

To celebrate my birthday, I went to Citywalk with my sister and some friends. Thanks to my mom, I was able to have a much needed girls night out! We ate at Buca di Beppo, and then hung out at Citywalk. Thanks to everyone who called or remembered my birthday! It meant so much to feel loved from you all! Here's to 29!

Sisterly Love

This morning I actually got Taylor back to sleep after she woke up at 5:30 (usually we are up at 5:30!), then Katelyn came in my room at 6. She climbed into bed with me and waited for Taylor to wake up. As soon as Taylor made a peep at 6:30...Katelyn perked up and looked at me. She said, "Can I get in!?" I nodded my head and Katelyn hurried and got out of bed and went to Taylor's crib. She said, "Good Morning Taylor Bean! I am coming in with you!" Then Katelyn climbed into her crib and laid down next to her. It was the sweetest thing! It reminded me of me and my sister and how we would sneak into eachother's bedroom to sleep because we hated sleeping by ourselves. How grateful I am that these two have eachother! Nothing beats a sister!

Katelyn's Corner

So, I decided to make Katelyn a "corner", or an area of wall space that was hers...devoted to displaying her artwork, sticker chart, etc. She was so excited to see her name on the wall! And to see another sticker chart...it has been a while since I have done one of these, and it is time to have another one! I am so tired of hearing the word "no" come out of her mouth! It's her response to everything I say, even the things she wants! So, when she responds with a "YES" she gets a sticker! Then I made a treasure chest with cute prizes, and after 6 stickers she get to pick a prize. It's so nice now, because I can explain the concept to her and she completely understands it. After only 2 yes' she started saying yes to everything...it was music to my ears! We'll see if this habit sticks after I take away the chart in a week!

Birthday/Mothers Day Celebration!

Today our family got together to celebrate Mothers Day. It was a wonderful day...church was great and uplifting for me. Katelyn stayed home with Grandpa since she was sick, so I just had Taylor and that was nice.

Here are some pics of me and the girls in the front yard

We met at a park and it was so nice! I just love my family! Being with them makes me happy and gives me so much strength. I don't know how I would have survived the past year if it wasn't for my family.

Marci, my sister, my best friend

All of the Mothers in our family, and our kids

Katelyn trying to do a head stand!

I love my mom

I really wanted to take the opportunity to write down my feelings about my mother...so I have them and so my girls can read them. I love my mom! You don't realize how much your mother sacrificed, how much time she gave, how much love she gave...until you become a mother. I now understand how much my mother loves me and how much she sacrificed for me. I will forever be grateful for her and all of the selfless acts she has done in my behalf since I was born. The past 8 months of my life have been the hardest, and I would not be in the place that I am now if it wasn't for my mother. I owe her everything. She truly is my angel, and I believe Heavenly Father made her my mother because He knew that I would need such a pillar of strength in my life. She is the most Christlike person that I know and I know she would do anything for her children and grandchildren...she already has! She takes care of my girls while I work, and when I need a break! She is there EVERYDAY, helping me, encouraging me, listening to me and just giving me strength. I know she is exhausted from helping me and the girls so much, and I hope she knows how grateful I am for her. I could never repay my mother for all that she has done for me.

Thank you mom for being the best example, the best mother, the best grandmother and my best friend!Grandma reading to Katelyn with a flashlight during a blackout (the flash on the camera made it bright)

Proud Pet Owner

This will give you a good laugh and a big smile! Taylor gets delirious sometimes when she is super tired and just belly laughs...it's adorable!

And today I took Katelyn to the pet store before I had to run into another place next store. I thought while we were there that maybe I should get her a frog or a fish. The guy at the place said that the Beta fish is very low maintenance and a perfect pet for her size...so we got the whole kit! Katelyn picked out her fish and was very excited to show her to everyone! On the way home I asked her what her fish's name was and this is what she said:
K: "Her name is Mickey Mouse!"
After a 30 second pause..."No, it's not Mickey Mouse!"
Me: "Then what is it?"
K: "Jamie!"
Me: "You want to name your fish Jamie? OK, Jamie it is!"
After another pause...
K: "No, it's not Jamie, YOU'RE Jamie! You're not a fish!" (very observant!)
So later Marci convinced her to name the fish Ariel and it has stuck!

Oh the things they say!

When I woke Katelyn up this morning and told her she had to get ready for church she said, "No Mama, I don't want to go to church, I want to go to the temple!" Don't ask me where that came from but it was cute and she kept saying it the entire drive to church. And then in Sacrament Katelyn started doing the potty dance so I said, "Let's go potty" and started taking her out when she SCREAMED 3 times..."I don't want to go Pee Pee! No Mom!" It gave everyone a big laugh but it was humiliating for me!
That girl just never stops! When my brother Byron was in town I told him that Katelyn sang all day long...after spending one day with us he turned to me and said, "Holy cow you weren't kidding! She literally sings ALL day long!" Yup, that's Katelyn...and when she doesn't take a nap it's turned up several notches and she runs and dances around the house like a crazy lady singing at the top of her lungs!
I think Taylor is just as passionate and intense as Katelyn...fun times ahead for me!