Life Within the Cuckoo's Nest: May 2018

It has been a while since I've done one of these posts, and I figured right now is as good as ever! I just finished my Buti yoga workout, made fruit smoothies with the kids (they've been begging all morning), and they are now watching Power Rangers. Oh, and Evie just went potty so I don't have to worry about that for a while ;). Yep, a week after her 3rd birthday we began the official descent into potty training. We have been "trying" off and on over the past year but she has proven to be just as stubborn as her brother! So I backed off (like I did with Austin) and decided to wait until she was ready. She went potty whenever she wanted to but there was no pressure and we kept her in diapers. But now we are officially done with diaper land and she is doing great! There is something about that magical number 3.... it seems like once they turn three, potty training just clicks! She still has accidents once in a while out of sheer laziness but she is staying dry throughout the night! YAY FOR NO MORE DIAPERS!!!

Speaking of yoga, I did something incredible..... incredible or insane. It depends on the day (haha).... I have wanted to be a yoga instructor FOREVER. I love nursing with all my heart, but yoga provides a whole different level of healing. It's healing from the inside out and I have developed a passion for it! However, becoming a certified instructor takes a lot of time, studying, practice, and money..... all things I don't have a lot of. So I've put that dream on the back burner for years. And then I had a week where I felt like I was being pushed towards it by destiny, or something. Little things were happening that felt like the universe was trying to tell me something! And then I found myself standing in the new yoga studio that just opened up the street talking with the owner, and before I knew it, I was signing up for a Children's Yoga Instructor class in Santa Monica! Insane right? Well it gets better. I was flying on such a high with that big leap, that I decided to not stop at just children, but to become certified to work with adults as well!! Yep, I signed up for an online Certified Yoga Instructor course! The trip to Santa Monica isn't until June and I have exactly 1 year to complete my adult certification. So I've been reading, studying, and practicing.

It has been so enlightening and I can literally feel the awakening happening in my soul. But there are also those days when I can barely handle my motherhood/career/wife mantles and I ask myself why in the world I thought it was such a good idea to add two more things to my crazy life?! But then I come back to my center and I remembered that this is for me. It's my dream. And I deserve it :). Plus, it has been a great thing for the kids to learn along the way with me! Because there's no such thing as quiet yoga time around here ;). I even tried doing it at night after everyone had fallen asleep, but then I found Evie tip toeing downstairs with The Tale of Peter Rabbit in her hands to "read to me" while I did yoga :).

See her there on the other yoga mat reading her book? It was so sweet I had to snap a picture :).

So long story short, I am learning how to learn while in the midst of chaos; which is exactly what yoga is all about, right?! :)

Learning to unleash my inner Shakti.

Evie working on her downward dog leg raises :).

Then Austin worked on his hip openers while Evie assumed Savasana :). I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty proud of them :).

Buti Yoga has added an element to my practice that I never thought was possible. It's intense and it's awakening (in every aspect of the word!). And I always have my essential oils nearby to help with meditation afterwards :).

I can only hope that I am being the example that she needs. The example of a strong goddess; complete and unbroken. Awakened to my inner needs and enlightened enough to see those needs in others.

Life is good :)

Muah :).

As you can tell, Evie is always nearby when I flow :)

So proud!!!!

She stole my socks but they look cuter on her anyway ;).

Cheers to the journey!

Among our busy days, Austin graduated from preschool!!! His graduation was adorable and we were all so happy Josh was able to take a couple hours off work so he could be there :). The kids sang songs to us and danced while wearing their adorable sunglasses :). Then they were each called up to hug their teacher and receive their certificate, along with a special candy necklace which they were all ecstatic to receive :). We are so proud of our sweet boy and how far he has come over the past couple years in preschool. He started out so shy and timid. His teacher would have talks with me about him being the loner of the class :(. He would sit by the door for hours with his blankie waiting for us to come back and pick him up, with no desire to interact with the other children. It was rough for us but we knew he needed to power through and learn from this experience or he would never make it in life (since life requires you to face your fears) so we pushed through it. And before long, he did it! He started making friends and getting invited to birthday parties and play dates! Suddenly he was upset at us when it came time to pick him up because he didn't want to leave! I'm not going to lie, I never thought that day would come and I was soooooo grateful it did! We love you Bubbas :).

So proud of himself :)

We are so grateful for Ms. Melissa (among all the other teachers) for having patience with him as he was trying to figure everything out in his little head.

So proud of our little graduate! :)

Now he is constantly writing us notes and letters! They started with scribbles and now he is writing out actual letters along with his name!

He loves science and I love seeing his handwriting getting better! It has been such a fun adventure watching him grow!

From here on out, I will let the pictures do the talking. Like I said, it has been a while since I've gotten caught up on all of our little daily adventures and the kids are now asking to go outside and play. So I'm going to have to hurry this up a bit before we have anarchy on our hands ;). Oh and they aren't in chronological order because that takes time which is something I never have ;). Enjoy!

This picture comes with a very sad memory that I was so grateful we were able to rectify. We went through some really rough months at the beginning of the year with both of our jobs and in our craziness we forgot to help Austin build a box car for preschool! He was the only kid in the class who didn't have one! As I picked him up from school and learned about the incident (along with the story that he got super upset when he didn't have a car so he tried to run away and then hit his teacher when she tried to retrieve him....ugh) I was mortified. But before I could even lay into him for his bad behavior, he began sobbing. My heart broke and I grabbed him out of his car seat, pulled him into my lap in the drivers seat, and cradled him while he sobbed. I promised him we would make a car together and that I would never let him down like that again. Soon a smile came to his sweet face and he was okay again. He still got in trouble for hitting his teacher, along with running away.... but I knew deep down that this was in part all of our faults and I couldn't blame it all on him.

His box car "silver mustang" :). Our boy was back to smiling and all was right in the world again :).

May always brings with it the excitement of summer and the splash pads are officially turned on for the season! This was our first splash pad day of the year and the kids played for four straight hours!

Their excitement was contagious!

Hopping into a happy summer season :)

Every week we have play dates with friends in the ward, and now that the heat is here, we incorporate the splash pads into our days!

Little buddies having the time of their lives :).

Off to the park to play a little baseball :). Austin has been obsessed with batting lately and his excitement for the sport has been so fun to be a part of! It brings me back to the days of playing baseball in the back yard with my own Dad :).

Making jewelry and giving it to teachers and family members has been a fun activity for the kids when we need some down time from all that sunshine!

My little super heroes :).

We have also baking a lot; but that's nothing new :).

Making cookies and sampling the dough :)

My super hero doing the dishes for me :). Could life get any better??

MMmmmm!!

More cookies, because cookies are our favorite!

Our little man loves to climb into bed with us and listen to conference talks as he slowly drifts off to sleep :). I cry every time..... The spirit is strong with this one.

Each morning the kids go outside to talk to the flowers. Also one of my very favorite traditions!

Church is always rough with kids and callings, but I am grateful for the Sunday afternoon cuddles :).

When you're the best of friends :).

"Making Daddy pwetty" -Evie

Daddy needed a new hair style and the kids were happy to oblige :).

This is what he gets for trying to watch the game :).

He's such a fun Dad :). The house is always louder when he is home, but I don't mind :).

Run away!!!

We were having such a lovely afternoon on one beautiful spring day..... The birds were singing, the flowers were blooming, and the kids were playing....

And then before we knew it, I was in the hospital with Evie getting her head stapled shut :(.

Austin threw a rock and it landed on top of her head. Poor girl was in so much pain she was shaking (especially as they tried cleaning out the wound) but she was so brave. I love that about her.... nothing gets her down.

So now that we have instated the "no throwing rocks" policy, they have resorted to throwing their stuffed animals haha! Which of course get stuck up in the tree.....

Austin finished his last swim lesson and we couldn't be more proud of him! I am so excited to see how he does this summer without floaties!

Mom's morning workouts are always a party whether I want them to be or not..... But in this particular photo, Evie smiled and said, "You change my life Mom, I love you so much." and my heart melted.

We enjoyed many beautiful spring days at the park! Here the kids made a fairy ring and told me to make a wish :). Childhood is so beautiful and I love getting a front row seat into their little world.

On this day I officially registered Austin for Kindergarten! This begins a new chapter of our lives that I am not sure if I'm ready for! But ready or not, our baby is growing up!

Evie was an emotional mess for a while and we finally figured out she has been getting her 2 year old molars! It's about time!

No caption needed :).

Grandma Diana passed away in April and we were so sad to say goodbye, but we knew she was happy to be reunited with Grandpa Cooley :). Rest in Peace Grandma!

I love hearing Evie in the back seat singing along to the radio as we drive, except when the lyrics are not G rated..... oops.

Library days are always fun! The kids love to search for books and we always try to incorporate some fun learning time into the day!

Evie had this book memorized by the end of our visit :). She's so stinking smart!

We took a break from life and headed to Starbucks because Evie wasn't going to survive much longer with the large amount of sass she was throwing my way! What happened to my sweet baby girl?!! She's officially a threenager! Just look at her defiantly refusing to eat the cake pop I had bought for her as a peace offering!

I love lazy days like this.... lounging in the sun and spraying each other with the water bottle :).

Taking our lunch to the park for a fun day in the sun!

Both kids loved learning how to kick the soccer ball! Yes, it's a volleyball but they don't know that ;).

We also worked on our golf skills ;)

I live for these moments and am so grateful that although I am a working Mom, I am able to have the kind of schedule that allows me to be fully present in their lives :)

Lunch time :)

I remember when that tree was so big compared to his little body.... He's getting too big!

These are the days :). Cuddles, sunshine, and the smell of rosemary from her picking flowers in the yard. Perfection!

It's our favorite time of year! Spring planting!!!

The kids and I both long for this day, when we can get our hands dirty and make our yard beautiful :)

Plus there's always a certain level of silliness that goes along with it.... :)

teamwork

I wish I could bottle up moments like this and save them forever :)

Dancing around the bedroom with Daddy and his crazy dance moves :).

Going on a date with friends to the soda shop for some sweet treats and fun conversation!

Best. Cookies. EVER!!!

I'm so in love with that little profile :)

This is a common sighting in our house (hehe)! Aren't they the cutest?!!

Every time I try to meditate in corpse pose, she finds her spot on top of me :).

Going for a walk with Mom to keep our sanity! Evie pushed the stroller the whole way but didn't let her strong desire to show me up stop her from picking the pretty purple flowers along the way :). I had so many feelings in that moment and came home a much happier Mama!

I was exposed to a patients blood from a dirty needle stick and had been doing blood tests every month for 6 straight months! Luckily, after months of stress, I was officially cleared as clean and released from care!! Phew!