That time when I forgot about my blog.

Well, I’ve done it. My blog has slipped away into oblivion. I partially blame a lack of sleep. And then there’s Instagram. Oh, Instagram. When I can easily track milestones and our day to day from my cellular device, why would I bother turning on my computer? So there you have it. I’m tired and I’m lazy. And that’s that. Anyway, here’s a quick update on what’s up with us:

-          We got a new niece in February, sweet baby Charlotte.

-          Micah turned 1 on May 2^nd, and decided to start walking the next day.

-          My baby sister, Staci Jo, got hitched.

-          We built (and by we, I mean a builder) and moved into our first home here in Orange County.

-          Piper started a summer preschool program.

Life is good. Our kids are growing and learning and wrestling and keeping us up all night. And we wouldn’t have it any other way. Lately, Piper is totally into doing puzzles and going to baseball games with her dad (she especially loves the hot dogs and popcorn). She is still a total Disneyland fanatic. Her current favorite ride is Small World. Micah is really into building block towers and following Piper around. He loves bike rides on the iBert and exploring. He’s very social and talkative. I can’t believe all of the words he can say and how well he can communicate with us. We love having him around. Even though he meddles in her things, Piper really loves her brother. She is incredibly protective of him and wants to be the first one in his room when he wakes up from his naps.

Yes indeed, life is good!

Piper turns three.

Little Pip Squeak had her third birthday a few weeks ago. I am still in denial about the whole thing. It's so bittersweet to watch your little ones grow up. One part of me wants her to stay tiny forever, while the other part rejoices in watching her learn, grow, and become independent.

We had a very low-key third birthday for Piper. She was a sick puppy on the actual big day, so we didn't tell her that it was her birthday. It was devastating (for me and Jared), but Piper didn't know the difference. We ended up celebrating about a week later. Piper's wildest dreams came true when we had her birthday breakfast with Chip and Dale at Downtown Disney. Piper LOVES Chip and Dale. The smile on her face when Dale came to visit her pretty much melted us. After breakfast, we hit up Disneyland for a few hours, then Jared had to go off to work (he works hard for his money!).  When Jared got home, we made Piper a pink birthday cake (per her request) and let her open up some gifts and blow out her candles. She was thrilled with everything! All in all, her birthday was a great success.

Now, without further adieu, here are some fun facts about Piper at three years old:

Her favorite food is french fries (mom fail). She requests them all of the time. Fortunately, she also loves broccoli and spinach. 

She has to choose a toy to take to bed with her every night. Usually it's something hard and plastic, like a little pony house.

She won't drink anything but water - no juice, no milk, nothing.

Her BMI is so low, it's way off the charts. She's tall and thin and just five pounds heavier than Micah (who is just 10 months old).

Her favorite movie is Wreck it Ralph.

Her favorite song is "you're my zing" from Hotel Transylvania.

She hates wearing clothes and shoes and is almost always just in her underwear when we're at home. 

She loves toys, especially little figurines. 

She likes to climb and run and jump on her bed.

We love our Piper Bear and have totally enjoyed watching her grow! Happy birthday baby girl!

Micah at 9 months.

Mr. Micah turned nine months old last week. How in the freak did that happen?

This is such a fun and challenging age. Micah has been crawling for a little more than two months now, but it seems like he's been extra antsy and always wants to be down on the ground and exploring these days. He is terribly hard to feed because he won't sit still for more than a few minutes. We just shovel that food in as fast as we can and set the boy free.

Micah loves and adores his big sis. Nobody can make him smile and laugh like she can. They love to wrestle around, and I'm sure he can't wait for the day that he can put little Miss. Piper in a head lock. Piper is potty training right now, and Micah wants a piece of that action too. Whenever she's on the pot, he wants to be standing there right up close, which is beyond frustrating for both me and Piper. I mean, who wants to do their business with an up-close audience?

Our little buddy isn't sleeping through the night by any stretch of the imagination. The other night he was up three times before 2:00 am. My eye has been twitching for three days straight, I think because I am not getting ANY sleep.  Thankfully, his naps have gotten on track. He usually takes a two hour nap in the morning and a one hour nap in the afternoon.

Micah's latest tricks include wagging his finger and saying "no, no, no" and once in a while we can get him to wave hi and bye. He has also learned how to climb the stairs, escape from his high chair, turn the water on in the bath and climb onto Piper's bed. He is a handful, that boy!

He is such a joy in our home. We love our Micah so very much!

Why we live here.

I'm sorry, I have to say it - January in Southern California is pure bliss. There are always a few gorgeous 80 degree days to be enjoyed, and at worst, it gets cold enough to need a light jacket. 

We are so very thankful to live a stone's throw away from the beach. It is just so easy to take advantage of the beautiful, warm January days. The only way it could get any better is if we could rescue our families from the bitter cold Salt Lake City inversion and bring them to the sunshine with us. 

Hey Utah peeps,

Come see us already, why don't you?