Swimming update

We had our swim lesson right after I wrote the last post. Willa cried the entire time and begged the teacher not to let go of her. So there was none of the great swimming that she HAPPILY has done for me when we are alone and not in lessons. There was almost no swimming at all. Total regression. We're done for now. I was so irritated at her that I was also worried that if we continued with lessons I would end up being mean to her and causing emotional damage :). It's hard not to want to shame her into acting better. That sounds terrible, but I just want to be honest here. She's not trying to be a difficult child, but she has built this whole thing up into something terrifying. It's time to step back. It's hard because physically she is so there, but emotionally not at all. I've got an uncomfortable feeling that this is just a taste of things to come as she grows up. For example, what if she wants to stop piano lessons at age 16? What kind of fight am I going to put up? Are there times when you just force it? Music lessons will be pretty much unconditional but it's going to hurt so bad when I see her potential for something and she doesn't want to pursue it.

Singing and swimming

Willa loves to have a harp lesson after I finish with one of my students. And by "harp lesson" she means that she plays, not necessarily that I am teaching. The other day she started singing all her favorite songs while she played. She was in a rare mood where she loves the attention and is having fun, so I was able to get this video. You can hear June chiming in. It's a primary song and she knows all the words. At the beginning of the year the primary gave out CDs that had all the upcoming songs for the year so that the children could listen and have them reinforced outside of church. Definitely one of our favorites to listen to.

We've been doing swim lessons at a private swim place for a few months. She used to love them, but has recently started hating them and crying the whole morning before we go. They do a safety talk every lesson and pull the kids into the water to teach them how to quickly turn around and grab the wall if they fall in. I think it's the most important part of why we're doing swimming, but one time her teacher pulled her harder than normal or deeper or something. Now it TERRIFIES her. Her new teachers have been more careful because she is so scared. They pull her in but don't make her go under the water. I told them last week that September would be our last month because she mentally was just not there. Well, then she did amazing (she likes the lessons except for the safety part). It was clear that she had passed all the other little kids in her group. The teacher said she would actually move her up a level if she did as well next week (today, in about an hour). The very next day we met Dan and Melinda at their hotel pool and something clicked for Willa. She just started swimming! We had a make-up lesson the next day and here is how she did. She is definitely ready to move up, but she was crying the whole time and it was a substitute teacher. If they bump her up a level today, we will stay in one more month to see how it goes. I hate to pull her out right when she has actually gotten the hang of it because she'll probably forget before the pools open up next summer.

Spending monies but having fun

Willa has a few magic wands that she plays with and plays with and plays with... In fact, the wands are so loved that they have all bitten the dust. Pieces kept breaking off the last one until finally it was basically just a silver stick. One morning after deciding that I would go bananas if we stayed in the house until naptime, I hurriedly piled the girls in the car and drove off to Dollar Tree.

For those of you familiar with dollar stores, Dollar Tree is the bomb. Everything is really just a dollar. I hate dollar stores where things are any price. What's the point of it being a "dollar store"?!!! Dollar Tree is so awesome. Three years ago I bought an inflatable water ring for Willa to use in the pool for one dollar. It was still in mint condition this summer and lasted us almost the entire season. It has just recently stopped holding air and I think that's due to the rowdy boys we met at a pool playdate who were diving into it. The boys were cracking me up, but also must have "cracked" the ring, har har. I also need to plug the gummy Valentine's hearts at Dollar Tree. They are superior to every other gummy heart.

We also get all of Willa's little puzzles at Dollar Tree and I knew that they would have wands. So, we packed up to go. I hate buying stuff for Willa because her birthday is coming up and also because I don't want her to feel like we can just buy all this fun stuff all the time. But, compared to all the other little girls she plays with - she really doesn't have too much. I'm also realizing that some things are fun to have and she really appreciates them - like sticker books right now! Back to Dollar Tree. In Houston, we lives minutes from one. Here, we are positioned right between two of them and it's a big pain. It just feels ridiculous to drive ten miles or so to go to a dollar store!

Okay, back to the story. We went to Dollar Tree and came home with not one, not two, not three, but FOUR wands. And, fairy wings, a fairy skirt, a puzzles, stickers, and some coloring books. I think the total came out to $13. That's not a big cashload, but thirteen toy items is a little much. Still, she was so excited and she even fell asleep with her wings on during quiet time. I also had a brilliant idea. Willa has been talking about being a fairy for Halloween ever since we saw the $20 fairy costumes at Costco. She was SO thrilled to have her skirt, wings, and wand that I think that will be her costume. I might throw in a few beads and bangles, but why pay $20 for a costume when she will be satisfied with her $3 one? We'll see. She just informed me today that she wants to be Elsa for Halloween. I have it on good authority that she might be getting an Elsa dress for her birthday, though, so I'm not going to sweat that costume either.

Okay, the other part of spending money is that Kim and I went to a big consignment sale this past weekend. It just has baby and kid items and is similar to one in Houston called Baby Daze. It was pretty cool and differed a lot from the Houston one. I went bright and early in Houston trying to snag a Snap n Go while I was pregnant with June, but there were none there and hardly any strollers or carseats. Instead, there were tons and tons of toys at very good prices. At this sale, there were rows and rows of Snap n Gos, strollers, and carseats. It was amazing. The toy options were pretty slim and expensive for being secondhand, though. Still, Kim and I managed to snag a lot more than we were planning to and I took a big gulp at the cash register. Is it my fault that there was a brand new Disney Store Snow White dress with the tags still on?!!! June is going to be Snow White for Halloween and this dress for Willa was so gorgeous that I'm really going to try to talk her into it. As you can see, Halloween plans are changing daily. Kim got a Snap n Go. I overpaid for this little toy for June, but she was so excited to get it. I figured that when your backyard is just concrete and rocks, it's okay to splurge a little on a toy or two. She kept squealing and saying "woof woof" since it's a puppy.

Fjeldsteds and Le Reve

Our great friends the Fjeldsteds finally came to town. As a refresher, we were in the USC ward together. Paul and Ryan were counselors in the Bishopric and Courtney was my counselor in Relief Society. Sometime after becoming friends, we realized that Paul and Ryan not only had the same birthday, but had lived in the exact same apartment (not just building, but actual apartment) at BYU. There were some other similarities, and it all sealed the deal. There was something cosmic about our friendship :).

They were nice enough to come visit while I was in Utah a year ago, but this was the first time Ryan had seen them since we left Los Angeles. Paul is now an actual practicing dentist and came to town for some CE courses.

First of all, we went to a show. It was Courtney's idea and I'm soooo glad we did it. Ryan and I haven't been to one since we moved here. They are $$$$ and not quite in everyday budget. But, with friends coming to town, we thought a nice night out was just the ticket. I also called the box offices of several shows and most of them had discounts for Las Vegas locals. It made the cost go from $$$$ to just $$$. I had to take my photo ID in when I picked up the tickets, to prove our residency, but that was not a big deal.

We decided to see Le Reve because we'd heard it was AWESOME. It did not disappoint. It was amazing and I totally think it's worth the $$$ or even $$$$! Really, it was an experience and totally riveting the entire time. Vegas didn't get its title "Entertainment Capital of the World" for nothing. Ryan and I are still thinking about it. It was at The Wynn and was just breathtaking. If you have a chance, you should go see it.

On Saturday, Paul was finishing up his courses so Courtney checked out of the hotel and came to our house to spend a few hours. Unfortunately, June had come down with a terrible cold and fever on Thursday and was not too happy on Friday or Saturday. She is usually such a party girl, but for this visit I console myself that Courtney got to see June's passionate side at its peak :).

While the babies were both napping we took Willa and Parker to a splash pad. They had so much fun together and played straight for probably 90 minutes while we sat in the shade and chatted. It was awesome. Willa doesn't always warm up so easily and it was nice to see them play so well together. In the beginning, Willa was very nervous that Parker would take her princess things, then she asked me if he was actually a prince. In the end, they found out that they both loved Daniel Tiger and Willa let him play with Trolley. Willa also REALLY wanted Parker to ride in our car with us and showed me how we could put Parker's carseat right next to hers. It was sad to explain to her that he lived far away and wouldn't be able to play again anytime soon. It's so nice when children are young and play with girls or boys without really caring or noticing. They were good little buddies for the few hours that they got to play together. In fact, they played so well and hard that Willa was worn out and Courtney also got to witness a royal meltdown from the princess over dinner menu choices.

We were so happy to see great friends. It's strange to think that we didn't have any children at all when we knew each other at USC. That life seems so long ago (not having children to think about), but we just started right up where we left had left off and the four children between us seemed natural. I should note that baby Kate was such a pretty baby and also well-behaved. I've never seen a baby eat solids so willingly and happily! I'm very envious. June was a grump, but if you had heard her cough or her cracked voice saying, "mama, mama" then you would forgive her.

Preschool

Willa started preschool last week. I'm doing a co-op again, there are six little girls total in the group. Originally, I got invited to join a co-op of all boys. I was totally in and thought it would be fun for Willa to have some little boy friends. I also liked the fact that all the boys had Fall birthdays like Willa, so they would enter Kindergarten the same year and they were the older side of three years old starting out. Then, one of the moms dropped out of that group to run her own private preschool and a bunch of other moms dropped out to enroll their boys in the preschool - including my friend who originally invited me to join. I was starting to get a little nervous that this whole thing would fall apart. I was worried that when that happened all the regular preschool slots would be filled and we would be high and dry when school started.

Then, another mom called and invited me to join the princess preschool (my name for it - six girls after all). It just felt good right away. The Holy Spirit? My one concern is that this group of girls were all the younger side of three - most of them with summer birthdays - but they are still set to enter kindergarten the same year. At the same time, the moms were a lot more organized and my friend who invited me is a former teacher and has a Masters in blah blah Childhood Education Curriculum something. I also realized that if I were to enroll Willa in a regular preschool (not a co-op) she would be placed with kids all entering Kindergarten in two years - no matter when they turned three. So, I joined and we started! I should add, that after I decided to join the new group, I found out from my first friend that the old group was thinking of kicking me out when my friend dropped out (I didn't know any of the other moms besides my one friend). Rude :)! As soon as I heard that, I was even more glad and grateful that I went with that feeling to join the second group. They didn't actually kick me out, but they sent me a late text after they had all met together asking if I was still interested. So, they aren't that bad, but I'm sooo happy to be where I am.

Okay, so Willa was kind of scared about preschool this summer and would whine and cry when I mentioned it. So, I stopped mentioning it until the night before. Then, I calmly told her and walked her through all the steps. She didn't get upset, so I wonder if the other stuff was all dramatics. In the morning, she was excited to get ready and she was sitting at the table with her backpack on ready to go thirty minutes early. Seeing her like that, I realized that she really needs this. She was looking forward to it and she just needs to get out and have something like this for her. We meet Tuesday/Thursday for two hours and we each take a week. So every six weeks, I will host at my house. We have a set circle time schedule and a pretty set schedule to divide up the two hours. We also made assignments for each week and day: letter, number, color, shape, etc. Hopefully the kids will have enough consistency and changing homes won't throw them too much. I was super impressed by the first week. My friend the ex-teacher is teaching this week, so I'm going to record one of the days just to help me in planning. I feel a little out of it since Willa is my oldest and I haven't really had the preschool experience before (the month in Texas before we moved doesn't count). I'm really glad this co-op is working out. Part of me really would love the freedom to just drop her off and not have to worry about teaching, but the other part of me would really love to save that money or to use it for an extra activity (right now, swim lessons). Next year, we'll do something more official, but for now this is good.

In the morning, they took a photo of each girl holding this sign "First Day of Preschool 2014", but Willa wouldn't pose! She finally did at the end when I was there.

What's for dinner?

Can anyone guess what this is a photo of? How about a perfectly cleaned up kitchen in the evening and an untouched plate of toddler food.

Unfortunately, this is not a rare occurrence! It happened last night as well, if you can believe that. Willa has even been known to yell, "I don't like dinner!" before she even knows what we are having. I used to give her the option of a scrambled egg if we were having something really kid unfriendly. Now, she is old enough that we decided to set the plate and that is it. She doesn't have to eat it but she doesn't get anything else. We leave the plate out because sometimes after her bath when she gets hungrier she will come down and eat. The last two nights she's gone to bed without, though. She eats a big breakfast the next morning but otherwise she hasn't made a big fuss.

June is actually worse. I don't know the last time I was able to get a green vegetable inside her. She strategically avoids them, except to throw them off her plate. She will love one food one day and totally refuse it the next. Most of dinner time is spent listening to her cry because she is hungry but is refusing to eat what the rest of us are eating. Last night after several tantrums she cuddled and whimpered in my lap while licking and the spitting out her dinner. Almost every night after it all, I fill her up on yogurt and Cheerios. I don't know what else to do. She can't exactly be reasoned with yet and I am definitely not ready to send her to bed hungry because that will just mean an early or midnight wake-up for me to feed her.

Dinners have not been that pleasant lately between the two of them. Two nights ago was magical, somehow Willa forgot to complain and actually ate everything and asked for more. It was amazing. I just have to hold onto that beautiful memory now as Ryan and I try to eat amid the screaming.

On another note, June is expanding her vocabulary by leaps and bounds and sounds so adorable as she tries new words. The other day Willa was at preschool so I took June grocery shopping. She started toddling around saying "'nack 'nack" for snack. It was just so cute and I knew she was hungry so I got her a chocolate donut from the bakery to eat as she rode in the cart. I probably could have picked something healthier, but she probably would have refused it. This way I got to hear her cute voice say "num num num" with each bite. Soooo cute.

Cabin 2014

I couldn't miss the cabin this year. We were planning to go after Institute in July, but we had a strict deadline to get back for Willa's eye appointment, and I was worried about so much driving over a short time period, so I put it off until the end of August. It was just my parents, the girls, and me. Definitely the smallest group I've been with in a long time, but more relaxing because of it. It reminded me of going when I was younger and it was just my immediate family there. We would stay in our swimsuits all day and play at the dock and take numerous naps. Somehow, it's never been that relaxing again since I've had children!

The girls loved it and June especially couldn't get enough of anything. It must have been a sensory overload being in the woods and on the lake since all she has known in a Las Vegas backyard (similar to a giant litter box since it is just a patio and rocks surrounded by cinder block walls). She wanted her shoes on from the early morning and was very demanding about going outside.

Our first night, the mama moose and her twin babies came to rest on the grass. It was amazing! It was actually much later than the photo suggests, so the girls were already in bed. My mom kept a jar of peanuts handy for the girls to lay out on the veranda to attract squirrels, so they still got to see plenty of wildlife and the loved replacing the missing peanuts. June squealed like a banshee with excitement every time she saw an animal. 

Picking wildflowers and swinging.

June wanted to ride this little carved bear and she liked to pet it and roar. I couldn't get the red eye out, but I wanted you to appreciate her long and luscious locks.

We went to Big Springs to feed the fish and then walked through Johnny Sacks cabin. It's an old cabin that was built by hand and is now owned by the Forest Service and open for tours.

June liked the four wheeler and the wave runner. Willa liked neither. She tried the four wheeler once, but didn't want to go again. I was afraid of machines when I was young too. I didn't like not being in control of the speed if someone else was driving. Willa wouldn't do the wave runner at all and when I would go or take June, she would stand on the dock and yell, "Be safe Mommy! Don't fall in the water! Don't let June fall in the water! Be safe!" She's a bit of a worrier, but I love her.

A lot of this went on. Overall, it was much cooler than we were expecting , though and usual summer activities were too chilly. I went wakeboarding twice and the second time the water was so glassy that I could see the reflection on the clouds and trees in the water. It was extremely pleasant. 

Willa , my dad, and I took the kayaks down the river. Last year I took Willa in a rubber raft. The kayak was definitely a rougher ride for her. She mainly stayed calm when I kept reassuring her that I wouldn't let her fall in. She was happy to tell Ryan how brave she was.

All in all, a successful trip!

Oh my, where has the time gone? My nieces came to visit me. After my first trip to Utah in July, Ashley drove back to Vegas with me to spend a few days and then fly back alone.

We went to the strip, did some shopping, WetnWild'ed ourselves, and more. Actually, it's probably not that fun to visit an aunt who has little kids with naptime and who don't like doing exciting things, but both my nieces were troopers.

Lexi flew out a few weeks later and them helped me drive up to Utah for a second trip at the end of August. I wasn't really planning to do two trips this summer, but we had to fit a cabin visit in for me sometime!

Lexi and Ash were both good houseguests. I am impressed with the amount of time they managed to spend on their phones :). Teenagers.

We took Ashley to see a live mermaid show. It was very ridiculous and makes me love Las Vegas for thinking this stuff up and then executing it.

Lexi and I took in the Liberace exhibit at the Cosmopolitan. It was awesome. Lexi's favorite costume.