Wowzers...it's been quite a while since I've blogged! So, I am about to go crazy nutty with picture overload so that I can remember what our family did these past few months. Nothing too exciting, but filled with a lot of love and smiles that I just don't want to forget.
Although I have no pictures, I did want to mention that we all flew to California for a few weeks and spent mothers day in Huntington Beach. We each got to see our sweet mama's and LOVED being around family. Russ and I even had an uber romantic overnight trip to San Diego (thanks mom and dad for babysitting) which was great. However, we're lame and didn't take our camera to So Cal...so we've got nothing to show from our great trip. Which is super sad because Jayda got to go to Knotts Berry Farm and her Uncles (Dallas and Austin) took her to Disneyland....those would have been some great pics!
So...without further ado, I bring you March, April, May, and June:
MARCH
The sweet missionaries from our church came over and gave us some long hours of service. These two guys spent an entire day raking and clearing out leaves (and the occasional snake) so that we could make our backyard clean, safe, and extra cool for my kiddos. It's soooo nice to have a great big, gated back yard where Jayda can go and run and play...especially when I'm on conference calls and I need it quiet! Elder Rothman and Elder Perkins are THE BEST and are super duper appreciated for all they do. Can you believe good looking, sweet, funny, and awesome 19 year olds give up two years of their lives to serve others? The world is a much better place because of them!
My mom and I got in on the action too. We rented a Uhal truck and took a few tons of leaves and backyard crap to the dump. It felt sooo good to get our yard all nice and summer ready! Russ worked for days before, the big clean day, and days after making sure the yard was perfect for Jayda. What a good hubby/daddy. 
The big clean helped prepare the yard for this new addition! As you can see below - Jayda couldn't even wait for Russ to put the thing together before she climbed on! I found this playset on craigslist for $150! it was beyond a nightmare bringing it home (rental trucks, a bunch of neighbors risking life and limb to get it over our gate), but it was better than buying one for $1000 new and it has been FANTASTIC to have! 
and here's the sweet garden that Grammy made for Jayda. This picture does NOT do it justice. It's a super cute little place for Jayda to call her own. She eats her lunch out there on her little table and likes to get dressed up for tea parties she has with her stuffed animal friends. Sooo cute!
March ended with sweet Bella having Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. It was gross and painful for the sweet baby. She had it for about a week. Was healthy for about a week...and then got croup. This little girl seems to be sick quite a lot. The doctors say its because she was two months early and that preemies get sick more. Poor pumpkin! 
APRIL
We had a great Easter filled with picnics and Easter egg hunts with friends.
Bella learned to give kisses.
Grammy got to join us and had this little one stealing her food all day...or being attached to her hip like a 5th appendage. 
I love this picture! All her friends are so cute and special. I LOVE LOVE LOVE how Jayda is getting ready to run and go find her eggs. She really enjoyed herself. Thanks to Grandma Axtell for her cool, personalized Easter Basket. She's used it for two years now and will use it for every Easter to come. She adores it!
Here is Jayda playing with her new Lakers bunny that Papa sent. It's kinda an Easter tradition. Nothing says "Christ is the reason for the season" like a stuffed bunny wearing a Lakers shirt.
Bella got some new rainboots from my dear friend Suzanne and felt so special wearing them on Easter morning. Because again, nothing really says "Christ was resurrected for us to live again" quite like Paul Frank rain boots.
All joking aside, we had a great Easter Sunday. We went and had a picnic in downtown DC and saw the Cherry Blossoms (of course I forgot my camera) and had a really nice weekend sharing stores of Christ death, resurrection, and love for us. We are all so grateful that we can live together forever as a family thanks to Christ's atonement and sacrifices.
We call Bella "Destructo" It's a good nick name. She likes to destroy things. She's super cute when she does it, but its still a pain in my butt!
Silly me...I went pee. I was gone for about 30 seconds (prior to becoming a mommy I had no idea a human could pee as fast as I can now accomplish that task) and this is what I came back to.
As you can see in the other picture...Jayda was also shocked at the damage done in such a short period of time.
Jayda learned how to dance like a country star (according to her).
Bella's a climber. She scales everything. She's also climbed pretty high on the "moms annoyed that you won't sit still scale." She can now reach the knobs on the over and stove. I LOVE trying to cook dinner and realizing that Bella either burnt the beans or turned the water off so we can't eat our rice! She swings from the door handle on the oven and the dishwasher. She stands at the gates we use to contain her and yells. She's a handful.
Jayda had a "Special Person Tea" at her preschool. Her daddy took the day off work so he could go and be her special guest. It just melted my heart to see him walk out the door with a little bouquet of flowers for his little Gracie. As you can see by her smile and her bright eyes...it melted her heart too.
This is Christopher. He is Jayda's first crush. She talks about him all the time and when she picks what she's going to wear in the morning she says "oh, Christopher will like this shirt" (like Christopher gives a crud about Princess Tiana). Funny story - Jayda was talking about Christopher at dinner one night. Russ started asking questions like "does he have a job?" "What are his intentions?" He was being funny. She was being serious. About a month after that dinner conversation Jayda went to have a playdate at Christopher's house. When I go to pick her up, Christopher's mom says to me "Jayda says that her daddy doesn't like Christopher and that her daddy thinks my son is a punk." AWKWARD! I really wish Russ could have picked her up and tried to get himself out of that one...instead I was left standing in the lady's entry way trying to explain my hubby's sense of humor. Good times.
Here Jayda is selecting the fine delicates served at the tea
(jello jigglers and cookies) to serve to her daddy.
Grammy went home a few days before this picture was taken.
Jayda, since she can't talk to her for hours and hours in person,
does the second best thing and talks Grammy's ear off on the phone. One conversation they had clocked in at 41 minutes. What can you talk about with a 4 year old for 41 minutes straight? Those two are pretty close.
Now my second offspring is starting to take to Grammy too. In fact, there were many, many times here and in California where she would be in Grammy's arms and when I would try to take her away she would slam her head down on Grammys shoulder and just lay there holding onto Grams shirt to make sure I didn't take her. It's a bit hurtful, but my mom was LOVING it! My mother would give me looks with wicked little smiles that clearly said "nah nah."
MAY
Have I mentioned she's a climber?
I wake up to giggles and squeals of delight. I go into Bella's room and find these two munchkins playing and loving on each other. Jayda climbed right in with her sissy as soon as she heard her at 6:30am. It was early...but too cute. They just melt my heart.
Some good sprinkler fun with friends on our front lawn.
JUNE
Russ and I started P90X on June 1st. It is a 90 day fitness program. It's gonna get Russ muscle ripped and hopefully my butt won't touch the back of my knees, my back rolls won't make people crave muffins, and my arms won't wave hello or goodbye longer than my hand does. We took our pictures to document our weight loss...but there's no way I am sharing those. Ever.
I'm pretty sure Russ gets more emotional seeing her in this Lakers dress
than he will on her babtisim day or in her wedding gown.
We think Bella may be a Celtics fan!
(Which could easily get her kicked out of the house if Russ had his way)
Favorite Jayda Saying for the past few month:
Cori: "Jayda put your breakfast dishes away in the sink."
Jayda: "why mom?"
Cori: "because that is one of your chores you're responsible for."
Jayda: "Mom, chores are so passe. I don't want to do them."
Cori: said nothing but gave her a shocked look.
Jayda: "oh, passe is French for "over."
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Yes, I know what passe means. That's not why I was giving her that loook. Thanks Pinkalicious book. I appreciate it.
This concludes our 5 hour update. Thanks for reading!
