Spring Break...

I'm really behind on my blogging. We survived finals and Christopher is now in his third quarter. During Spring Break, we went to Ponca to visit family and see Christopher's brother, Caleb, who had just returned from a two-year mission in Spain. The visit started out with a bang...Kira either ate too much of the wrong thing or was so excited to be out of the car and playing with family that she got very sick. Luckily, it was only an overnight thing and was fine the rest of the week. I'm so upset that I forgot my camera during the trip. Kira had tons of fun with both sets of grandparents and aunts and uncles. She befriended her Nanny's tiny dog, Powder, who would follow her up and down the halls whenever she would call "Come here, come here, Powder!" and would happily cooperate when Kira took it upon herself to feed him each individual piece of dog food. Kira also had fun going swimming with her Grandma at Grandpa and Papa's "work" (the company gym). Christopher especially enjoyed hanging out with Caleb...it was almost as if the two years had never passed. We're so lucky to have such wonderful families...we miss and think of them daily. It was also nice to get an afternoon to ourselves to do a little early birthday celebration (so nice to have such willing babysitters around when you go home!).

The week we got back was extremely hectic for our little family. I know that Christopher had to dive right into his new schedule and get used to not having a break again. I had volunteered weeks/months in advance for several activities and organizations during this particular week. They all seemed to have been scheduled at the same time, probably because I knew that with school just starting, Christopher's schedule was a bit more flexible. The Monday we came back home I had a doctor's appointment, which was uneventful (except for the ever-present counsel to gain more weight, and to take a nap or stay off my feet for two hours a day while Kira is down) and actually was able to have a special evening with Christopher and Kira for my birthday. He came home as soon as class was out, made shrimp scampi for dinner, tended to Kira's bath/bedtime ritual and then sent me into a bath of my own...more like my personal spa with candles and bath beads. It was nice to have him around one more day. Tuesday, Kira had an appointment with a teacher that comes to visit and kind of monitors her development. Then off to another appointment for Kira followed by preparations for that evening's Enrichment Night (I'm ward enrichment leader) which went pretty smoothly. Wednesday was an open day for us though I'm sure something occurred that required running around. Thursday I babysat for an exercise group in the morning and played hostess to a cooking club that I belong to later that evening. Friday, I woke up, dropped Kira off at a friend's house and went to the medical school to volunteer as an ambassador. Basically, I gave the family/spouse point of view for potential students' families who were there to interview for next year's admission. Whew! I know that doesn't sound like too much for those who lead much more productive lives than I, but that was quite a week for me!

Almost over...

Everyone at our house is anxiously anticipating the end of this week! Some obvious reasons- finals will be over and some sleep can finally be had. But we're excited to be heading out to Oklahoma on Friday and see Christopher's brother who just came back from his mission to Spain. We're can't wait to see parents and siblings that we haven't seen since Christmas, too. Though the driving isn't the most relaxing way to spend vacation, it'll be nice to just hang out with family and not worry about being here or there.
Being that it's Wednesday, finals are half way over. Christopher has done very well considering the crazy expectations he and his fellow classmates have been held up to this month and we're so proud of him. He's still stayed relatively healthy and we can't be more grateful for that.
Kira's doing better with sleep. In fact, she needs every last minute. I made the mistake yesterday of waking her up from her nap (she typically would have been up by that time anyway) to go to a friend's house, and was greeted not by a sleepy-eyed, mini-Sleeping Beauty but a grouchy badger that let you know her displeasure at being disturbed. And she wasn't the most cheerful playmate, either. Oh well. At least she went to sleep and stayed asleep all last night without problems. I thought I'd list a few funny things that Kira's been entertaining us with. Most of this she got off of the TV (not a great reflection on my part) and after finally figuring out what she was saying/doing and what movie it was from, it makes us laugh every time.

• The other day, I can't remember what I asked but after putting the question out there, I hear this bored, matter-of-fact "Yes, mother." (more like, "Yes, mudher.") At first it caught me off guard because I don't think she really knows what "mothers" and "fathers" are. She knows "mommies" and "daddies", so this kinda sounded foreign to my ears. And I thought it was pretty cute because she'd use it right whenever I asked her a question. I had no idea where it came from, though. Then, one time, she said it like she was kind of annoyed. And that's when I figured it out. It's from the Winnie the Pooh show when Tigger and Roo are getting ready to go out bouncing in the snow and Kanga keeps pestering Roo about how warm he is and replies with a very impatient, "Yes, mother." So, there you go.
• Today after watching Disney's Alice in Wonderland (one of her favorites), I caught her staring at her reflection in the oven (a normal occurrence) while trying to bend over and practically yelling what sounded like, "YES, yur mad-esy!" She kept doing it over and over again and I couldn't figure out what she was saying. Finally it dawned on me that she was being Alice, trying to curtsy to and address the Queen of Hearts "properly". Such a crack-up.
• She's starting to actually play with her baby dolls. It's so fun to just watch from the sidelines as she feeds the baby, cleans it up after it "made a mess", tucking it into her own bed, complete with kiss, "nigh-night", and another kiss blown at the door. She's starting to play with her stuffed animals and dolls, treating them and talking to them (most of the time reprimanding/reminding them to share or not yell in the house) like people. It's fun to see her imagination develop.

These are just a few off the top of my head. I need to write these down when they happen! Anyway, I'm doing pretty well. I'm trying to pick up a workout routine again now that I'm gaining weight without much effort and feeling better. Alexis is a mover and a shaker. For a while, I'd worry sometimes because she wouldn't do much during the day when she had before and at night I'd feel her a few times before I went to bed, but that was it. Lately, though, she seems to be tap-dancing all day long! It's comforting and exciting to know she's growing and active. My projects have fallen by the wayside and I'm anxious to find time to do them. I never seem to be on top of the house and I feel like I should be before I add to the mess. The two big ones are to finish the girls' curtains and to start a better home-organization system (closets, kitchen, office...everywhere!). Hopefully, I'll get these done before I have two young ones to juggle. Besides that, we're doing well and are looking forward to a break and some warmer weather (hopefully!).