100 Pieces of Advice for My Darling Daughter

Throwback Thursday to Sadie's first birthday gift from me! I made her a book of the following life lessons and put lots of pictures of us from her first year of life. 

To my Sweet Sadie,

Happy First Birthday! Over the past year I have learned so much as your mom. You have taught me about myself, about your daddy and about life. Life is all about learning and this book is only a small part of what we want to teach you. I know there will be times that you maybe won't want to take all of my advice, but hopefully you will be able to use this book every once in awhile. A few side notes I would like to mention: 1. Your daddy and I do not claim to follow all of these pieces of advice, but we promise to always try our best to set a good example for you. 2. Most of this advice is not my original thought. It is a compilation of some of my favorite bible verses, songs and advice that I have heard over the years. 3. We seriously love you to pieces.

I love you,
Your Mommy

1. Always lick the bowl.  

2. Start each and every single day with Jesus.  And if you forget, remember it is never too late to give Him control over your day.

3.  Pets are some of God's sweetest gifts.  Love them like family.

4. Fall in love with reading.

5. The library is one of the best free adventures out there.  Explore it often.  And always return your books on time :)

6. Remember the cure for almost anything is salt.  Whether it comes from tears, sweat or the ocean depends on the circumstances. Choose accordingly.

7. You don't get to pick your family, but they are the only family you will ever have so love them unconditionally.

8. Never trust anyone who doesn't like country music or dogs.  Just kidding.  Sort of.

9.  It is true that laughter is the very best medicine.

10. Never, ever skip breakfast.

11. Run through the sprinklers.

12. If a day ever goes by that you didn't dance or laugh, get out of bed and dance until you laugh.

13. The car is for listening to music really loud.  Sing along even when other cars are watching.

14.  Make a budget every single month and try your best to stick with it.

15.  Always have a savings account and put something in it every month.

16.  Every single thing in your life is a loan from God.  Act accordingly.

17.  You will never know what someone else is going through.  Give people lots of grace.

18. Change is hard, but necessary.

19. Go to concerts whenever you can.  And sing really loud.

20. Cherish traditions passed down to you.  Have fun coming up with some of your own too!

21. Whenever you are overwhelmed by your messy room, or one day your own house, always start by making your bed.

22.  Learn to drive a stick shift.  It's an important life skill and lots of fun.  Just avoid hills :)

23. Good manners go a really long way.

24.  When in doubt, say 'please' and 'thank you'.

25.  Learn how to apologize. Practice often.

26.  Be a good sport whether you win or you lose.

27. Drink water.

28. Give at least one compliment every single day.

29.  Time well wasted is actually no waste at all.

30.  If you get the chance to travel, take it.

31.  If you get the chance to dance, take it. 

32.  Take lots of pictures.

33.  Life is full of peaks and valleys.  Each valley will help you appreciate the peaks.

34.  Keep a gratitude journal.

35.  Volunteer.

36. Your daddy once told me if you want the rainbow, you have to put up with some rain.  It's true :)

37. Exercise to be healthy and to have fun.

38.  Love and respect this country that we live in.

39. Make every holiday special.

40.  Celebrate little things.

41.  Being a grown up is really hard.  Some people may make it look easy, but it is hard for everyone.  I promise.

42.  You will have your heart broken, but I promise life will go on.

43.  You will break a heart or two.  Be gentle.

44.  To have good friends, you must first be a good friend.

45.  Life isn't fair.  The sooner you come to terms with that, the easier life will be. 

46.  If you don't have anything nice to say you should probably keep your mouth closed.

47.  Celebrate people's differences.  If we were all the same, the world would be really boring.  

48.  Always send Thank-You Cards.

49.  Never change yourself for someone else.

50.  When you need help, ask.

51.  Everyone has a story to tell.  Take the time to listen.

52.  Being a good listener is a great life skill.  Practice often. 

53.  Wash your hands.

54.  Sometimes the answer will be no and you will never know the reason why.  Move on anyways.
55.  It's never too early to put on your pajamas.
56. Life's a dance, you really do just learn as you go.
57.  It is always better to give, than receive.
58. You will never know if you never try.
59. Remember that the popular choice is not always the right choice.  
60. Be a leader.
61. Worry and anger are two of the biggest time wasters.  
62.  Target is a blackhole.  Try your best to get in and get out.
63.  It's always ok to cry.
64.  You can never be overdressed. 
65.  Never text and drive.
66.  Learn something new every day.
67.  Don't use credit cards.
68.  Make sleep a priority.  You really can't function without it.
69.  College is non-negotiable.  You will thank us later, I promise.
70.  Life is more fun as a sports fan. 
71.  You are never allowed to move out of California. Kidding....Kind of.
72.  Be a tourist as often as time and money will allow.
73.  Spend time with your elders and listen to what they have to say.
74.  You aren't expected to be perfect, but you are expected to try your best.
75.  A genuine smile is the best accessory.
76.  It's ok to be wrong.
77.  The only purpose of dating is to find your future husband.  Don't waste your time with unworthy candidates.
78.  Always trust your instincts.
79.  To find a good catch, you must first be a good catch.
80.  If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
81.  Big decisions should only be made with dirty knees.
82.  Your teacher will always be right.
83.  Spend time outside every day.
84.  Remember that tomorrow is always a new day.
85.  Find out what you love to do and do it really well.
86.  Marriage is hard and it takes work.  Don't let anyone tell you different.
87.  Take good care of your teeth.  They are really expensive and painful to fix.
88.  No one on this Earth knows everything.  Including you.
89.  Take personal days every once in awhile.
90. You need to have a legitimate reason to be a fan of a sports team. For the record, a team being really good is not considered a legitimate reason.
91. The greatest gifts come in the smallest packages.
92. Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.

93.  Life is short.  

94.  Remember that life should be fun.  Have dessert before dinner and stay up late.

95.  You WILL make mistakes.  Learn from them, apologize if necessary and then move on.

96.  The world doesn't revolve around you.  Act accordingly.

97.  Follow the Golden Rule.

98.  Be nice.  Always.  No exceptions.  Period.

99.  The world can be yours, if you let your heart believe in ever after.

100. Never forget that you are a miracle, a precious gift from God and the sweetest part of our life.

Throwback Thursday- Father's Day 2014

I am trying so hard to stay on top of blogging so many years from now, I can show our kids just how awesome we are....you know in case their teenage hormones cloud their judgment :)  I have found quite a few posts that I started, but forgot to finish or just forgot to post.  So every Thursday I am going to try and post one of them so I can get caught up! 

So a year and a half ago we celebrated the hubster's very first Father's Day! He had to work a soccer tournament (of course he did!), but we went and cheered him on.  They ended up winning it all (of course he did again!).  It was a great day!

champions!

And a throwback for my own daddy! Circa 1991?

Eight Months

Weight: She was exactly 16lbs when I weighed her on our home scale, but she was clothed and had a wet diaper.  No doctor weigh-in until one year!

Height: We tried to measure her this morning, but doing anything that requires her to stay still is impossible.  It said 28 inches, but that could be way off.  She is very long though, especially her skinny little legs!

Nicknames: stinker, stink butt, E-yah (Sadie's name for her), Ella Bella, Sister, Baby, Ellie, sweet girl, pumpkin, peanut, monkey

Eating: Ellasyn still nurses every 2 hours usually.  She has developed a little bit of a schedule that I try to stick to if possible, but it is always subject to change.  She usually eats at around 7am when I am desperate to get her back to sleep :) Then again at around 9am before her morning nap.  Again about 11am and then around 1 or 1:30pm before she goes down for her afternoon nap.  This is her longest stretch IF she takes a solid nap.  I usually feed her when she wakes up between 3-4pm or later *fingers crossed*.  Then at 6pm before her cat nap and again at 8 or 9pm before bed time! Ellasyn is still not really into solids, mostly hates all purees. She LOVES to eat slices of apple, but she has learned to gnaw off pieces with her gums and it freaks me out.  She also really likes frozen blueberries when I put them in her feeder.  And she loved her mini Thanksgiving of some turkey and mashed potatoes.  Overall, she is happy if she can do it herself, but she is still not coordinated enough to self-feed successfully. 

Sleeping: Still sleeping horrible :( I thought maybe she was getting a tooth this past week, but now I am not so sure.  I think she was obsessing over standing up, so hopefully now that she has somewhat mastered it, we can get some sleep again.  She is napping overall pretty well.  She usually takes a 30min-1:30 min nap in the morning around 9-10am.  Then she takes her longest nap in her swing at around 1 or 2pm.  This ranges from an hour and a half to three hours.  Definitely dreading when she grows out of the swing! Then she usually takes a cat nap in the ergo around 6pm so she can make it to her sister's bed time :) 

Diapers: Size 2! Clothing is a range of 3 months, 3-6 months and whatever I can find at the moment :) She wore my size 2 shoes the other night.  I can't believe they are 30 years old and still so cute!

Social: It has been so fun experiencing the holidays with Ellasyn.  She loved Halloween and loved Santa!  She is such a little stinker and always getting into trouble.  She also loves smiling and is so happy and silly.  Ellasyn is always determined to master the next thing and she keeps amazing us with her new abilities.  We definitely weren't ready for such a trouble maker! Ellasyn has also started with the stranger danger.  I have had to go get her twice from the nursery at my mom's group.  Of course right when her sister starts to like it there!

Likes: being held, smiling, crawling, being silly, eating paper, her sister (this really hasn't changed at all over the last couple months). She also loves standing up all the time and has been obsessing over it for the past week or so until she could do it all on her own.  

Dislikes: being changed is the worst form of torture for Ellasyn, she still isn't a huge fan of the car, but overall much better!  She has such a temper too! If she wants someone or something she clenches her fist and shakes! 

Mommy: Trying to get creative entertaining two kiddos while half our stuff is in storage....so excited for Christmas!

Daddy: Busy, busy, busy! But oh my do I have two daddy's girls on my hands.  Ellasyn loves taking naps on her daddy. same still! So excited to have him around for two straight weeks!

Furbabies: Over the last couple of months Ellasyn has really taken an interest in the animals....I can't say the feelings are mutual.  Although Chesney does love giving her kisses! same

What we are looking forward to:  Christmas!!! And hopefully ringing in 2016 in our new home!!!!

first timer at Sea World

Thanksgiving!

loves Grandma!

loved her feast!

hanging with Uncle Kyle

first Thanksgiving!

waiting to meet Santa

Christmas party third wheel

hanging with Santa

mommy and Ellasyn wearing the same shoes

decorating the tree

working on her next trick

Sadie is TWO! (24-27 Months)

Bold for recent updates (27 months)

Weight: Sadie was pushing 23lbs at her appointment. On our home scale the other day she was 24 lbs.

Height: She was just (I mean JUST) under 32 inches.  And thanks to the stickler rule follower at Disneyland we know just how close she is to 32 inches! 33 inches now! According to me of course :)

Nicknames: Thanks to the "terrific" twos mostly Sadie Joye when she needs to listen :) Also lots of "big girl" to encourage her to do things independently :) She calls her self "sad" (not pronounced like the actual word, but with a long 'a')

Eating: Sadie is still a really good eater, but like any toddler, she definitely has developed her preferences.  The only thing she really refuses to eat is lettuce (although she will eat spinach) and corn tortillas.  Everything else is pretty much fair game, especially with bribery.  Her favorite foods are probably bread, cookies, fruit and she usually really likes meat as long as she is able to chew it ok.  She is really good about finishing things before she can get her favorites. She also loves to help me cook now that she has her tower.  It is really fun to have her "help" and really messy! 

Sleeping: After an almost two year battle (although we have been on a pretty long break from the battle, a truce if you will), Sadie is officially sleeping in her own room and in her own bed.  I am pretty sure we miss her more than she misses us!  Thankfully we have her sister to keep us company ;)  She loves her room and her turtle that projects stars and the moon on the ceiling.  We still lay down with her to fall asleep for her nap and at bedtime.  (lots of naps and bedtimes recently we haven't had to lay with her, she actually seems to like it, but of course that could change at any time).  It doesn't usually bother us except for occasional days/nights when we have other things to do or Ellasyn is over it.  I know that I would have a hard time falling asleep all alone too and I know one day we will miss getting to lay with her every night!  We do have to bring our phones with us, otherwise we fall asleep too (sometimes before she does....daddy).  She currently takes one nap and she has skipped it a handful of times, so I am thinking nap time could be over in the near future :( She goes to bed between 8:30-9pm most nights, but she is definitely our night owl and can easily stay up much later.  She wakes up between 7-8am (usually closer to 8).  Her nap is around 1 and can last 45-3 hours, with the most common being an hour and a half. 

Diapers: Sadie is kind of in between sizes.  4 would probably work just fine, but they are more expensive! So we have been sticking with size 3 for the majority of time.  Since she has been waking up dry, size 3 is just fine.  She wears a huge variety of clothes sizes.  Anything from 9-18 months really, just depends on the brand. She is mostly in size 12-18 months with some other sizes bigger/smaller mixed in.  She loves to try on her sister's clothes (3-6 months) and sometimes they fit too :)  Her shoe size is between 4-5 right now.

Social: Sadie is seriously so much fun! She is such a little person, and sometimes a mini teenager or full blown adult.  She is super independent, but also loves to play with older kids.  We just love her little personality and she cracks us up every day....see list below....

Likes: eating, anything girly, anything Frozen or disney, grandma, music and dancing....see list below....

Dislikes: having help, being told "no" (although she loves to say it!), when her sister or friends takes one of her toys, sharing in general, going to her class at church (recent development.....she actually likes her class now and doesn't cry at all anymore!)

Mommy: Sadie is such a little mini-me.  Sometimes we all agree that it's like watching a little Brittany run around.  Of course this also means she gives me a run for my money! She is so fun most of the time, but I am a little fearful of those teenage years since I know what I put my own mom through! 

Daddy: Sadie loves her daddy! They have SO much fun together! She always asks him to dance or to throw her in the air. I'm pretty sure any time she asks daddy to dance we all melt a little inside.

Furbabies: Sadie loves animals and our pets are no exception.  She likes to throw the ball for "ches ches" and "pipuur".  She loves to talk to them and call them (in fact she still calls everyone like a dog) "come, come" as she pats her tummy.  She also loves to boss the animals around and gets really mad when the cat doesn't do what she wants him to.  We have really had to watch how we discipline the animals because Sadie is a copy cat!

What we are looking forward to:  It has been so much fun to watch her talking evolve.  We are excited to hear more words and sentences come out clearly because she is so funny!  We are also really excited for Christmas, every holiday is so much fun with her! 

I feel like Sadie changes and learns new things every day, so these lists were so hard to make!!!

Sadie can.....

-identify most colors on a pretty consistent basis (purple, orange and black she almost never gets wrong) Once she learned pink, purple is now always pink to Sadie....so confusing when you are trying to pick out her dinner plate!

-say her "ABCs" meaning she can say "A,b,c" ;)

-walk on the balance beam, do a somersault (with a little nudge, no more nudge needed!) and swing from things

-remember EVERYTHING! Seriously though be careful what you do and say around her because she won't forget it and you just may find yourself riding bikes at 8pm.  Also if you tell her something you are going to do the next day at bedtime/nap time it will be the first thing she says when she wakes up!

-eat with chopsticks!! She loves her "suseeee"

-get herself dressed, including most pairs of her shoes.  Sometimes things are on backwards and her shoes are on the wrong feet, but with a little guidance she can fix it.

-climb in her car seat and buckle her chest clip....she gets very mad that she can't completely buckle herself in.

-remember lots of lines and pages from her favorite books. 

-name most of the food she eats, especially breakfast because that is usually the same type of things

-knows circle, star, heart and triangle. Square and rectangle she is still learning....

-draw circles and lines 

Sadie LOVES.....

-to talk ALL the time....she can literally talk to a wall, I mean she talks to the back of the seat in the car.  We still can't understand a huge chunk of what she is saying, but you better believe she knows exactly what she is saying! She will repeat words until you show her that you understand #exhausting

-gymnastics class! It took her a few weeks to figure out how to do a lot of things, but I am amazed at how far she has come already.  And she is so strong!

-music still and took her first music class and thought it was the best thing ever (especially since daddy got to come!)  In fact we still sing the songs all the time!

-to read still.  She amazes us with how much she will remember from stories. Some of her favorites she "reads" every page (like Mr. Brown Can Moo...).  She also likes to point out covers of books that we have at home if we see them somewhere else or on a different book.

-Wheels on the Bus....it started with her little Leap Frog puppy, and then turned into a library book that she has practically memorized.  So cute! Her favorite pages are "up and down", "sit us" (sit with us), "move back"(move on back).

-to negotiate...if you ask her to sit on her bottom she will ask if she can sit on her knees (her favorite!)

-Madeline.....I am pretty sure I know every line in that movie....even Sadie knows a lot of the lines now! She makes the chicken sounds with the girls and knows when some of her favorite parts are coming up

-to "write" lists....she will scribble on my lists and always wants me to tell her things to write and spell them for her

-to do art. Painting is her favorite. She also likes to color and use do-a-dots.

-to sing to herself when she wakes up.

-to eat snacks out of ziplock bags

-to take care of babies....nurses them, rocks them, puts them to sleep in her sister's swing

-to copy what her sister does....like when she started crawling, standing up, walking with her walker etc.

-her friends "Eee"(Evie) "Mar"(Margo) "Byce" (Bryce) and "Book" (Brooke)....she sings goodnight to them every night

Current favorite words/sayings:

-she sings "Jingle Bells" and it is the cutest!

-she is currently obsessed with watching "The Grinch" and she says "cindy loo" whenever she comes on....she also likes to say "whyyyy" when she does. And thanks to grandma she also asks for "popcorn"

-every time we have to leave or stop doing something she loves to say "two minutes" for two more minutes....she also puts up her hands like she is holding up "two", but really it is more like "four" or "five"

-she has started saying things are "pretty", she asks for "pretty light" in the bathroom and when we were decorating the Christmas tree, she saw a picture of our wedding and said "pretty momma"

-started saying "jesus" at night when we pray and tries to repeat the lines I say

-she says "la-looo" for love you and says "na-night", "see later" and "bye" whenever it is time to go to sleep

-she also started saying "thank you momma" when I help her ( that is when I am allowed to help :))

-she can't say anything with "f" so she asks for her "spoon and sork" 

-copying sports fan daddy and screaming at the tv....she said "sick shot" the other night after daddy

-says "cheese" when she wants me to take her picture or she wants to take a picture of something

-says "me" and "me turn" whenever she wants to do something

-calls everything that is small "baby", the other day she asked for her "baby" toast that dropped off her plate

-talks in a really high voice to her sister and says "its ok Eyah" when her sister is upset

-she likes to be naked and she says "lick" when she wants to be naked ??

-she always has to "work" :)

Six/Seven Months

six months!

seven months!

Happy half birthday sweet Ellasyn Grace! And happy seven months in bold!

Weight: She was 14lbs and 4 oz. at her appointment.  So she gained exactly 2 pounds since her 4 month check-up and moved up from the 10th percentile to the 15th. Almost 15 lbs! No appointment until 1 year :(

Height: They measured her at 25 inches (it was a different nurse then we are used to, so it could be a little off). I think that puts her in the 11th percentile if I remember correctly, and her head was in the 25th, not quite as big as her sisters! I have no idea...

Nicknames: E-yah (Sadie's name for her), Ella Bella, Sister, Baby, Ellie, sweet girl, pumpkin, peanut, monkey

Eating: Ellasyn gets pretty distracted during the day so her best nursing sessions are in the middle of the night! Woo hoo :( She eats about every two hours still for a few minutes on each side.  If anyone makes a peep, she's off and looking around.  It's quite challenging explaining "silence", "latch" and "distractions" to a 2 year old....Also she has pretty much grown out of spitting up.  She still does every once in awhile, but not like before.  Just wanted to note that since Sadie spit up well into her first birthday! Ellasyn is not a huge fan of solids so far. We tried avocado first and she was not a fan.  We also tried some sweet potatoes which was also a fail.  She also has had applesauce which she liked and banana which was a fail. 

Sleeping: Ellasyn has officially said goodbye to nighttime sleep just like her sister did at this age.  I don't even keep track of how many or what time she feeds each night.  If I hear her, I just roll over and give her what she wants.  Occasionally I will bring daddy into the picture if the milk is not enough.  Every couple of nights she will need more help than that to get back to sleep, so luckily daddy taps in on those.  She also has such an opposite sleep preference than Sadie.  She gets so sleepy (grouchy) at night and would probably go to sleep at 7 if we let her! We have tried our best to keep her up and have Sadie meet her in the middle. Ellasyn is still up all night it seems, but I am not really keeping track.  She takes three naps a day pretty consistently.  The middle of the day nap is usually the longest (which is at the same time as her sister's so hallelujah!!!).  I decided to start keeping her up for longer in the mornings/early afternoon so I could enjoy some double nap time.  Overall it has been a huge success and a major game changer for life with two!

Diapers: Size 2!  Same

Social: September was a super busy month and then it was time to get ready for Halloween!!! We checked so many things off of our fall bucket list and despite the car torture, Ella loved it all.  She also loved going to all of daddy's football games.  She passed out in daddy's arms most games :)  Ellasyn was a pumpkin for Halloween and made a lot of friends out trick or treating.  She also sat in a pumpkin and "helped" with some pumpkin carving.  

Likes: being held, smiling, crawling, being silly, her sister same

Dislikes: the car! same, she really is always happy unless you set her down, like you have to do when you go on car rides....

Mommy: Fall is one of my favorite times of year and it is so fun having TWO kids to make memories with. 

Daddy: Busy, busy, busy! But oh my do I have two daddy's girls on my hands.  Ellasyn loves taking naps on her daddy. same

Furbabies: Over the last couple of months Ellasyn has really taken an interest in the animals....I can't say the feelings are mutual.  Although Chesney does love giving her kisses! same

What we are looking forward to:  The holidays!!!!!! Oh and we are moving! Ahh!!!

mariners game

must get kitty

hanging out at daddy's soccer game

loves the corn!

bring on the food!

pool day, disney edition

she's off!

disneyland

stroller nap

standing up on pumpkins

Seattle!!

this what I have been waiting for?!!!

loves eating her paper

story time

goodbye

Riley's farm

football game fun

silly with sister

loves to chase this cup around

pink football game

soccer game!

first Halloween!

birthday party fun

loves being in the play room while sister sleeps

trying out sister's gymnastics