Thursday, July 12, 2012

Our Little Girl

This post has caused so much guilt for me but I've written it a thousand times in my head so if it gets a little lengthy you know why.  Ready or not lets go, go, go (as Porter would say)!


Our little girl who holds our hearts!

All About Our Priya Lynn


  • On the day Priya turned one there was a little baby left in her, well it's all gone now.  She started walking full time a few days after her birthday and with that came great independence.  
  • She no longer cries for no reason at all but if she's got a reason she gives it 110% effort. 
"I'm innocent"
  • She's got the evil younger sibling role down.  She does everything she can to get Porter in trouble and has even been known to try to convince me that his entrance into a room is grounds for punishment. 
  • She is OH SO charming and delightfully the darling of our hearts.  
  • She talks non-stop.  She tries to say anything you ask her to.  She picks a favorite word of the week and uses it constantly.  She's currently going through a phase where she loves words that start with 'B'. 
  • Priya knows she's my Baby and announces it with loud authority daily.  The first time we heard the sentence, "I'm the baby!"  we were just sitting down at Maddox to dinner with my brother Couper and his wife Kaleena.  We happened to be talking about another baby when Priya instantly got all of our attention with this sentence and very commanding body language.  We all burst into laughter.  I find Priya's communication skills are impressive.  I would estimate 50-75 words, but I don't keep track like I did with P.  When a new word escapes it just makes me smile and I leave it at that. 
  • I thought for sure that Porter's poor sleep habits were all my fault and that I had done everything wrong with him.  I read several baby sleep books while expecting Priya but when it came down to it I just couldn't stick to the strict schedules.  I went back to what felt right for me.  I let her eat on demand, cuddled her before bed, etc., and she is the greatest sleeper ever!  I make no exaggeration when I say she sleeps for 12-14 hours a night.  While I'm glad she sleeps I miss her being a part of our family during that time.  She is, however, super mean and physically exhausting when she's ready to go to sleep.  If we're home she prefers 2 naps a day, but does really well cutting one out if we're away which is the more common scenario during summer. 
  • She has zillions of facial expressions and loves to sit face to face with you taking turns making silly faces. 
  • She is a social little lady who loves to play and talk with most anyone. 
  • She is finally showing interest in books and it was like an overnight change.  She now will run across the room for a book pointing and yelling, "BOO, BOO, BOOK!"
  • She gives the.best.hugs.EVER!  She wraps her arms around you, holds on tight and cuddles close.  Her Grandma Judy once commented to me about what good loves Priya gives. 
  • She loves her clothes and when we shop she's very opinionated about what she wants.  She always seems to pick what I wasn't leaning towards but she has very specific and stylish taste.
right at home in this trendy little shop
  • Purple is her favorite color.  


  • She's a playful little goof ball.  Any type of play she jumps right into, she will not be left out of anything and adds such joy to experiences. 
  • Her hair has finally started to grow and we can finally confirm a hair color.  She is blond, blond, blond, but not a "toe head".  She has soft curls that get tighter in the back.  I LOVE IT!  Although having to brush those beautiful locks... not a favorite chore of either of ours. 
she's a continual wiggle so it's hard to get a pic, but it's all curly
  • Priya is fairly demanding and if she and Porter are together, they both are.  They have a strong sibling rivalry.  When he's napping she is the most independent and content kid, it's such a relief to know this is part of her personality.  We're getting better every day at helping them work through their needs and it's becoming more common for our kids to play nicely togehter. 
  • She's a messy toddler.  She's into everything and curious about anything she can reach (which means I'm exhausted).  That little brain of hers is constantly working.
  • She loves to EAT (anything and everything) and enjoys using utensils.  She's currently obsessed with blowing on her food and dipping things into sauces.
  •  She uses the potty and it seems like she's going to be that kid who potty trains herself.  I'll keep you posted on that one.  
  • She really loves to dance.  It's the cutest thing you've ever seen and it will make you laugh out loud.  I keep trying to get it on video, but can't take my eyes off her long enough to get the camera.  She bends her knees until her bum is almost touching the ground and bounces back up.  She does this to the beat and her strength is impressive! 
  • She's afraid of very little and warms up with a little exposure to the things she is frightened of.
  • When she doesn't get her way she scrunches up her face and 3 little folds show up on the right side of her nose bridge. 
  • She doesn't seem to have a parental favorite anymore.  She loves us both a lot. 
 
  • She is a (capital M) Mooch.  I say capital because I consider her a professional in this department. 
  • She has perfected the whiny demand, pointing and yelling included when necessary.
  • She's my daughter and as such she has me figured out.  She knows how to push my buttons and I hers.  We feed off of each other's negative energy, especially when we're both tired.  Can't wait for her to be a teenager *sarcasm*. 
  • My little sister Baylee is one of Priya's favorite people and she says her name, "bay-eee".
We bought her this "Princess Cupcake" which is fitting.  Princess Priya truly has added royalty to our lives and we're so grateful for Her Highness's presence in our lives.

 
Lynnie Lou we can not imagine life without you and we love you more than you'll ever know our sassy little sweetheart! ~Mommy & Daddy

Monday, July 2, 2012

InstaUpdate

Because I'm so behind the task of catching up (along with many other tasks in my life right now) seems overwhelming. So you get a watered down version of an update until I can rise to the task of catching up.  Instagram is a smartphone app where users can share photos with each other.  The fun part is adding filters easily to your phone photos to make them look pretty awesome.  I grabbed a bunch of my instagrams to share with you.  This is just skimming the surface of some of the events in our lives since... APRIL?  Yeah I know, I know!  Major guilt, but I'm letting it go because there are more important things right now.
My favorite photos of Priya's birthday spread.
The photo on the left is post surgery the photo on the right is pre-surgery.
this is also post-- my sweet brave boy

I took this at the zoo one afternoon.  She's growing up extremely fast on me.  Since she has turned 1 her development has been exponential.  I feel like I have toddler twins most days, they keep me busy and exhausted, but so happy. 


"Snow White"  She loves all things edible.  

Hiking is always good.
This is a favorite.  My little guy in this grand location. 

Strawberries and creme.  We have to take advantage whenever we can. 

You know I'm overly ambitious with my reading list.  I still get scriptures in no matter what, but when I can sneak in a read I'm currently working on the playful parenting book and to say it has changed my life and my children's lives is an understatement.  It's the first parenting book where I don't feel like it's purely opinion or condescending.  I really love it. 

Sometimes you just have to let them win the battle.  He had a great time with the wrapping paper. 

Sinus infection+severe knee pain+no preggers or nursing=the medicine that actually works!  We're beginning to suspect that my Dad's allergies actually did get passed on to me and my kids.  One of our doctors said this year is really bad and people who normally don't have problems are.  I've had a perma sinus infection this summer... lame. 

The next few need no explanation aside from: my children are cute! 
 




Father's Day-  We checked into a local hotel, swam a ton, ate fantastic BBQ and slept for 10 hours with no waking from the kids.  It was so refreshing!   Not to mention someone else made us hot breakfast before we checked out.  Spending time with the #1 man in all of our lives made everyone happy. 

He decided to nap in the middle of our Costco trip.  You want to kiss him don't you?

Physical Therapy has taken over 8 hours of our week.  I am irritated by this.  My physical therapist finally discovered the real reason for my injury today, a rotated pelvis and I guess it goes the wrong way in several places.  It's not going to be fun to fix but I finally know why I haven't been reaching 100%.  It is nice to have an explanation for all my aches and pains besides getting old.  Aaron's injury is just going to take a lot of time to heal.  He plans to run both of his marathons this summer but he'll have to take it extremely easy on his pace.

Smoothies for Breakfast.
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls for the YW bake sale

Yes, the potty training continues.  We have to stick to sessions and he does really well.  When the sessions go too long he gets stressed out by it.  So to prevent trauma to everyone involved we do training sessions for now. 

art with the finger paints from Aunt Karli

trying out new hair styles is the only thing that keeps me from chopping it off.  I love this one.
The biggest and best news is this little lady's arrival.  Whitley Jane Gapinski.  Aaron's sister's first baby!  She is so beautiful and helps my heart remember the feeling of Heaven. 
Her mommy calls her "Whitter Bug" - isn't that sweet? 
snaps from one of our dance parties... is a home complete without music and dacing?  I think not.

Fire by our house again.  It was out in only a few hours. 
Bonus Goal: CHECK!!!  Yes, sir!  Newly installed this weekend.  I haven't used them yet I'm a little intimidated, honestly.
We are so blessed with and surplus of good people in our lives.  People that build us up, love us despite our shortcomings, people who believe in us, cheer us on through our trials and love us as Christ loves us. (tears fill my eyes)  Family and friends that strengthen my family, I can never thank you enough for being a part of my life.  Your friendship means to world to us, Thank You!

Grandma Lynda Saved Porter's Life

Hi Grandma,
I'm still trying to potty train Porter and its going to be a long road.  It's become a focus of my prayers and I felt like I should ask for your advice.   So I'm asking any words of wisdom?  This is the worst parent responsiblity I've come up against yet. :)  love you very much! Meggy


Her Reply:





Hey!!!   IT WILL HAPPEN.....3 sweet  words....It may take longer than you want but do it with LOVE and lots and lots of PATIENCE....Boys are tougher than girls.....I think maybe they don't mind being messy so much....Pray for help and guidance and HUG him alot......Luvya much G-ma


I read that moments before finding this mess pictured below.  After opening the door and seeing my toddler excitedly acknowledge me and run towards me,  I slammed the door shut, paced around the house screaming (no words just letting the overwhelming feeling out), called Aaron and demanded he come home right away and calmly reopened that door and rushed Porter to the tub while restraining my other toddler who really wanted in that room.  (Aaron later confessed laughing as soon as he got off the phone with me.)  Once Porter was clean, we put on our game faces.  We had a serious talk with Porter about how poop isn't clean and unsafe to play in.  He then helped with every minute of the clean up process. 


We had been weighing the pros and cons of carpet cleaning vs. new carpet prior to this event.  We're now on the fast track new carpet plan.

And because you will never remove the country from this girl I just can't help but share what my prefered title for this post would be:
"Shit Happens"