and then you were two

happy, happy birthday my sweet sutton blue. i can't believe you are two years old! you are the cutest, funniest, sweetest and most impish two year old i know. your grandma, grandpa and uncles, ethan and mark drove from nevada so they could celebrate your birthday with you. they never used to come visit  when it was just me and your daddy so that should let you know how much they love you! i had to have a minor surgery early this morning and i was sad i wasn't there when you woke up. but grandma, grandpa, mark and ethan gave you lots of birthday morning loves for me and your daddy. i think grandma brought you 87 presents. i stopped counting...we bought you lots of balloons and put them in your room so you would be surprised when you woke up. you loved them! i had to stay home and rest for a few hours after my surgery so everyone decided to take you to the zoo so i could have some quiet time. i was sad i couldn't go. you had a great time and daddy said you loved the giraffes the most. after the zoo you came home and had a nice long nap. when you woke up we went and got some yummy mexican food (the pizza place we were going to take you to was closed. i was sad because i know pizza is your favorite!) and then came home and you opened a few presents and ate your chocolate birthday cake. you're just like your mama, chocolate is your favorite! you kept wanting to blow out the candle. over and over again. uncle markie was nice enough to keep lighting it for you. your uncles love you so much! we had the perfect day celebrating your second birthday. we are crazy about you and you bring an immeasurable amount of joy to all our lives!

you.love.guacamole.

you were mad at your mean mama for taking the phone away

happy birthday to my best girl! 

you sat by grandpa and looked at your new books while he put your new scooter together

a big thanks to aunt chan for your awesome new scooter! 

chunky puke and a leopard snuggie

hey sutton, remember that time when for no apparent reason you violently puked all over our new car (and yourself) as i was pulling into the mall? i was on a mission. i had a very important hot date with the genius bar at apple. you were acting totally fine the whole morning. la de da. we chatted on the way to the mall and you seemed just dandy. my phone hadn't been working in a few days and i really needed to get it fixed! i even made sure to leave the house early (which is a miracle in itself) so i wouldn't run the risk of being late and losing out on our appointment time. as i was pulling into the mall out of nowhere you started retching your little guts out. i felt helpless because i was driving and i couldn't immediately comfort you. first my heart broke, and then my nose. man, you stunk. rancid is the word that comes to mind. i parked the car and got out, bracing as i assessed the damage. it was definitely a 9/10. chunky sour milk puke covered your hair, clothes, car seat, and back seat of the car. congratulations, you officially christened our new car. it was wretched. we don't have a home phone and i knew this was the only chance i had to get mine fixed so i hurried and stripped you down and magically found a leopard print snuggie that was in the car. i know, random. i wrapped you up in it and strapped you in your car seat. you seemed cozy and content for the moment so we headed in. i was praying that you wouldn't do that again in the store. can you imagine? at this point we were obviously late so my praying took a different focus. hoping they would take mercy on me and still let me have a spot. the guy took one look at you and said, "we'll get you right in."score. we were permeating puke fumes so i imagine he wanted to get us in and out as fast as possible.  things were looking up...the girl helping us took a look at my phone and said it probably wasn't working because i had dropped it several months ago and the crack was in a vulnerable spot that might be causing the issue. she said normal procedure would be to replace the screen, which i would have to pay for and that would take about 45 minutes. but...since i had a naked hillbilly baby and was in a super big rush she overrode the policy and gave me a new phone for zero dollas. holla! so, thanks baby blue for helping mama get a new crack free phone. i'm just sorry you had to puke your guts out. tear.

disclaimer:

i did stop by h&m on the way out-i didn't want her to have to drive home naked :) and she was totally fine the rest of the day. i'm thinking she was just a little bit carsick and her morning milk didn't sit quite right. and cleaning puke out of a car seat sucks. big time. 

it snowed. and she hated it.

it snowed. a lot. might not sound like a big deal but trust me, it was for portland. it started coming down on thursday and basically didn't stop until sunday. then some icy rain came which made the roads real fun to drive on. most roads here don't get plowed which makes for interesting driving conditions.  and...we live in a pretty hilly neighborhood so that makes it more of a challenge to get out. there were so many abandoned cars. everywhere. i had a few die-hard clients on friday and saturday and i am sure glad my ohio boy drove me to and from work. he hasn't lived in ohio for a long time but he still has mad skills. john was so excited that it snowed and he kept trying get someone to go outside and play in it with him. i like to look at it. from inside. little blue takes after me. at one point he got desperate and even tried to get the dogs to have a snowball fight with him. (that lasted about five minutes) on sunday, once the blizzard-like conditions had subsided we got bundled up and went for a "walk." which really meant try to get some fresh air while taking very graceful, dainty steps so you don't fall on the solid sheet of ice that had formed over the snow. we found a safe spot to set blue down so we could take some pictures and she was instantly terrified. she didn't want her feet to touch it, she didn't want her hands to touch it...she was having none of it. she's lucky we live in the pacific nw and she won't have to worry about snow like this for probably another 5 years!

sutton finally has her kitchen up and running. i'm slightly embarrassed to admit it was a christmas present..someone procrastinated building it (ahem, john) it was worth the wait-she loves it!  

grammie sent sutton the best valentines day package. here is some of her loot. 

crap. she's not a baby anymore.

i feel like life has been so busy since we got home from our christmas vacation. i hear that january is over and it is now february. stop it. what?!  i decided that is mighty fine with me because january has never been at the top of my list of  favorite months. i'm probably going to get punched for saying this, but....it has been so sunny and nice out and i'm desperately craving some gloomy/semi-rainy days. and by semi-rainy i mean i want it to rain after i'm home from getting in a dry run. doesn't it work like that? ha. i had surgery about two weeks ago and was stuck inside for the first week after. that was hard for me. i'm not good at just sitting and doing nothing. i actually really suck at it and i blame it on genetics. if you knew my mom, you would understand. actually, my mom and my dad are that way so i was screwed from the get-go. however, i must say that having friends bring dinner and treats over does not suck. it's hard not having family close but i can honestly say i have such good friends that have become my family. anyway, i'm glad that is over with and that i can get back to being active,  running and getting ready for some exciting stuff that we're going to be doing this year.

and for sutton blue, the little girl that is growing too fast.  everyday i tell her to slow down and stop growing up so fast but she doesn't listen to me. speaking of not listening, she is usually very good at listening to me and doing what i ask her. (unless it's iphone related) yesterday she took my phone off of the charger because it's one of her favorite things to do and well, because she can. i can't turn my back on her for a second without her trying to steal my phone (or the remotes). then she went and stood in her "corner" (the spot between my nightstand and the wall) because she thinks i can't  see her there.  she just kicked back and fired up pandora because she needed something to listen  to while she did some serious scrolling through my pictures, mainly to watch videos of herself over and over again. can you say narcissist? when i swiped it away from her you would have thought the world was coming to an end. i don't want her to have my phone all the time. iPhone privileges are reserved for emergencies only. (like grocery shopping or a doctor appointment) lately when i really need her attention and want her to look at me when i have something to tell her, all i have to do is get down to her eye level and ask her to look at me. and she does. except for yesterday...she looked at me for a split second and then stared over my shoulder without blinking or moving...an inch. she was being so defiant and was not about to give in. oh the stubbornness!!! i even called john in because he HAD to witness what was going down. he lasted 29 seconds before he went into the closet and probably peed his pants from laughing so hard. i wanted to laugh, too! but i had to be the stern one and not show signs of weakness. i had to make her earn my respect. ha. i'm only being semi-serious, this is not gang initiation. i wish i would have taken a picture of her face. she was killing me! it took every ounce of self control to not lose it and start laughing hysterically. 

one of her newest obsessions is picking up the "poo" when take the dogs for a walk. i love that she loves to "pick up" the poop. (and no, i don't let her really pick it up. not yet, anyways...)and she always has to put the bag on her hand all by herself. see.

she loves "checking" the mail. over and over again. once about fifteen minutes of this obsessive/compulsive behavior has passed, i have to (gently) drag her cute butt home.

 and then this happens... 

we take a pit stop outside the front door to watch for planes/people/dogs. in that order. 

and then she tries to trick me into letting her stay outside even longer.... 

someday, blue will look back and wonder what she did all day long when she was a toddler 

(good thing she has an awesome mom who blogs about once every 6 months) so it's my goal to take about 654 pictures of her per week. i'm not joking. here are some of her favorite things to do as a 21 month old lady.

she watches RHOA (don't judge) and no, she isn't usually allowed to watch tv 4" away from the screen. it was just an intense scene so i made an exception.

she makes blankets/stuffed animals into a body pillow while she sleeps. every day, every night.

she rummages through the fridge, steals random items and hides them in her shopping cart. don't let those pigtails fool you. she is a villain.

she goes to the park with her cool parents. her daddy is just a little kid trapped the body of a balding man which makes him extra fun to hang with. i'm just the unpaid photographer.

 she loves looking out the window. at anything. anytime. 

she loves to cut the fruit aunt connie sent her for christmas 

she loves to try and leave sacrament meeting early so she can get to the nursery first

she loves to give random things "showers"

and....unwrap all of mama's tampons 

she loves to not listen when i tell her it's time to go inside

she loved going to watch frozen in the theatre. she got to sit in a big girl chair with big girl popcorn and big girl soda. she was mesmerized and sat still the entire time. 

sutton blue is becoming more independent every day.  she can now walk up the stairs like a real human. it scares the crap out of me but i know i have to let her learn for herself. plus, i don't want her to be an adult who climbs up the stairs like a monkey because her mama held her back when she was little. that would be weird. when she was an itty bitty she would give affection to her dogs and inanimate objects freely. to us, her loving parents who feed, shelter and nurture her...nothing. nada. zip. zero. i'm very happy to share that things have changed. she is a little lover face who gives the best kisses and hugs. we always do a "family hug" before bed and she smooches us and tells us "secrets" before we lay her down. it's the cutest thing. eva. 

immensely enjoying every second we spend together as a family and cherish my alone time with blue. don't worry, i share.... john still takes fridays off so he can watch her while i work at the salon. i'm so thankful that he can do that because they have such a sweet bond that melts my heart. i love my family. 

i've been waiting...

i've been waiting for this time of year...since last january. i love the christmas season. we took sutton to see santa at the downtown macy's a few weeks ago and she loved the winter wonderland with all the decorations but didn't love the idea of sitting on santa's lap. she straight up stared santa down and shook her head no when we asked if she wanted to sit on his lap. but seriously, i would not have wanted to sit on his lap either. but, of course we made her. we're jerks like that and i really had to get a picture of her on his lap. she'll thank me for this memory when she is older. right???

we drove to nevada last saturday to spend the holidays with my family. we have been having the best time laying around and eating.  (i must add that john and i have gone running almost every day so i don't feel like a complete sloth) i've gotten dressed in real clothes once and am currently wearing the same sweats and sweatshirt i wore yesterday (don't worry, i do shower when i am here) so as always, when we come to nevada i wonder why i even bother packing real clothes. sutton blue loves being at grammie and grandpa's house just as much as i do.  she loves running around with all her cousins, playing hide-n-seek (grammie has lots of space and good hiding spots), riding her bike around outside and getting showered with attention. she knows where the special treat cupboard is and likes to help herself on a frequent basis. at least she still needs an adult to open packages so we have some control over what she puts in her lil' belly. she is getting some molars and is really into eating ice. all. day. long. the ice must feel good on her sore gums. she is so loved by all the family and it's amazing to see how everyone is just drawn to her. she's like the popular kid in school when we are at grammie's :) it's so fun to see how sutton and emmery interact with each other, especially now since they are older and more aware of other littles. emmery   is definitely more snuggly, sensitive and calm than sutton. sutton is busier and more independent. but with her teething lately and being constantly tired from all of the partying she has been more cuddly which makes for a happy mama. grammie bought her a dreamlight pillow pet for christmas and we just snuggled on my bed watching the colors light up the ceiling before i tucked her in. i taught her how to give eskimo and butterfly kisses and she loves giving them to me before bed. we also tell "secrets"-this is by far my favorite thing that she does. she just whispers little jibberish into my ear and then asks me to whisper into hers. melt my heart.
this was also the first christmas that uncle mark has been home from his mission. woo hoo! he was definitely missed the past two years during christmas. he loves his nieces and even bought them matching camo outfits for christmas. very thoughtful and sweet. i'm sure there will be a picture posted at some point. we plan on taking the ranger out for some more rides while we are here so the camo outfits will come in handy.

here are some of the picutres i've taken this past month.

this was it. the santa stare down.

sutton loved the winter wonderland

fail

oh the tippy toes...

sutton pushed the button over and over because she did not want that train to stop!

sutton with cousin kloe at church in lovelock

grammie bought them matching shopping carts. i don't think she likes having two granddaughters the same age or anything. wink wink.

mateo wrapped this gift for me all himself. he was so excited to watch me open it. the look on his face was priceless. i may have cried a little. such a sweet boy. 

john bought us matching jammies for Christmas! he picked them out all on his own and i had no clue. awesome surprise. we're probably going to expect this from him every year from now on.

markie and sutton blue playing lego's 

only a little spoiled :)

sibling love

happy girl on christmas

out of 300 pictures taken, this was the best. my deepest apologies. 

and....more presents

aunt chan came over and we went for a ranger ride to see some cows. this was sutton's face the entire time. pretty sure she didn't know what in the heck to think. 

girl chat

stealing daddy's glasses

 had to take a picture of how pretty the pogo nip on the trees was this morning. or the "coco nip" as john likes to call it.

18 month check up

blue!

today (i started this post on 11/13 but we've been having so much fun that i haven't had time to finish it until today-oops) we went to see dr moshofsky for your 18 month old check up. you decided to celebrate by waking up at 5:00 am! you NEVER do this and i hope you realized that it wasn't as fun as you thought it was going to be and then NEVER do it again. ever.  needless to say, you weren't very happy to see dr moshofsky's nurse. you screamed like the dickens when i had to take your clothes off to get you on the scale (i don't blame you-i do the same thing when i have to be weighed but just wait, when you're bigger you have to get weighed with ALL your clothes on. torture!) and then you screamed even more when i laid you down on the table so she could get your height and head circumference. you had big crocodile tears just streaming down your face. i felt so sad for you but then you stopped crying as soon as she left the room so i knew you were just being dramatic. you sure didn't cry when dr moshofsky came into the room. you are quite fond of him and i can't say i blame you-he's kind of a silver fox. you like the funny duck noises he makes and he even offered to let you hold the stethoscope but you declined. he says you are exceeding all your developmental marks and he also said that we should stop giving you a bottle because it can be bad for your teeth. that makes me sad because it means you are growing up and although i'm so excited for the age you are, i still want you to stay part baby. like a baddler. baby/toddler combo. could you do that for me, please? the good news is that he said the binky won't hurt your teeth until you are two so i'm hoping you enjoy the next 5 months. although, we are down to about 3 binky's and i'm pretty sure at one point we had over 400 so maybe this is a sign that you need to stop having one sooner? i'd just like to know where in the heck they all went.

today you weighed 24.14 lbs
you are 32"tall
your height is in the 47% and your weight is in the 74%

looks like you are going to keep growing.

you are such a FUN baby and i love love love that we get to spend so much time together. you are the best sidekick i could could ever ask for. you are starting to talk more and more everyday. some words that you say often are doggie, mama, daddy, plane, more, please, wow, yeah, soda, gum, water and ball. you don't really eat very much and you have become somewhat of a picky eater. but, some of the things you really, really like are cheese, pickles, olives, pizza, cucumbers, avocado, apples, mac n cheese, graham crackers and fruit snacks. we brush your teeth every night even though you don't like it. well, except the eating toothpaste part. gross. you're still a very good sleeper and you love to read books before bed. you would make us read 49 books to you every night if we would. you still wake up happy and chatty in the mornings and now that your hair is getting a little longer, your bed head is becoming more amazing. you love to spend time with other little people. going to the kids club at the gym and the nursery at church are some of your favorite times. a lot of times you mimic me when you play. driving your car (you always have to grab the keys and put some sort of a bag on your shoulder before you hop in), loving on your baby dolls, and taking your wipes and cleaning anything you can (you even got a wipe out of my purse when we were in the airport last week and proceeded to clean the table and chairs in the kids area). you loooove music and shake your booty and bob your hand like a rap star when you hear music that you like. your favorite songs are roar by katy perry, hold on, we're going home by drake and won't stop by sevyn streeter and chris brown. whenever a song comes on the radio that you don't like you make sure to tell us by shaking your head no until we change it to a song you like. seriously? so opinionated. playing hide-n-seek is your new favorite game to play. you love to come find me and giggle hysterically when you're startled. you always go and "hide" in the same spot that i was in when it's your turn. seeing you "hiding", trying not to giggle and happier than a clam might just be the cutest thing i've seen in the history of cutest things. we went to target for family date night and bought you a potty because you have been showing signs that you're ready to potty train. yay! you like to sit for a while (nothing exciting has come out yet), grab toilet paper and "wipe" your bum and then hop off and flush. and then you flush again. and if i didn't herd you out of the bathroom you would probably stay in there and flush the day away. flushing thrills you to no end. after peeing on your bedroom floor (daddy's rookie error) and pooping hard nuggets (thanks for not having diarrhea)in your bubble bath (thanks for clogging the drain, btw), i'm really stoked to get this potty training party started. not to mention, think of all the money we will save when diapers are no longer on our shopping list?! we'll spend it on ice cream, unicorns and gap. deal?

i've never felt my heart melt before becoming your mama and somehow, you've managed to melt it everyday since. bluebird, i love you!