Vacation 2011

Yes I know, summer vacation? It's almost winter. It's better late than never. In August we took a family vacation down where the sun is hot...St. George. Us girls went down early to have a day without the men. It was nice to stay up late, eat whatever you want whenever you want and no one to tell you what to do. With that little entry here is the Top Ten Highlights of Vacation 2011.
10. Christy's "my little blanky;" a blanket she uses to rub her fingers together to create a certain sound and feel. (This blanket is very, very old and very, very sad looking).
9. Mom's "jerky" driving in St. George (mainly the parking lot areas).
8. Hearing this gagging noise only to find out it's Christy contstantly looking at her tonsils. She's obsessed.
7. Vacationing to St. George to swim (partly the main reason), but then realizing after checking into the hotel that the swimsuit was forgotten then hunting the stores for a new one!!
6. Jose and Dad capturing a creature of the forest....a horny toad, not just a little one, but a BIG one. Side note, if you ever catch one they hiss!
5. Mom being banned from sleeping in the bus due to excessive loud snoring!
4. "Earn a Dollar" with Marsha. (Created by Marsha)
3. Dad telling Jose to stay close by so he doesn't get lost only to have us turn around twice! Who's the lost one?
2. The double stroller being set aside and being abandoned at the outlet store. It almost got chucked, literally! That's what you get when you leave your Dad to buy a stroller at a yard sale. Side note #2: I'm not against yard sales, it's just this stroller was a piece of junk; a mind of its own, can't be put up or down without at least 5 people. How many people does it take to work a double stroller?!
And the #1 highlight of vacation 2011: Going to Tuachan to see "The Little Mermaid" and taking pictures with the cast. Not waiting in line to take the pictures. In the words of Jose "I have a baby with me...can't wait!"

All about Ava!

Ava had her 6 month check-up on Monday, wow! It's really amazing how fast they grow. She weighs a whopping 14.6 lbs dropping her to the 20%, her height is 24.8 in. long and I don't remember what her head circumference is. My mom calls her a "baby by the book" because she does everything by the book and when it's supposed to happen. At her 4 month check-up the Dr. asked if she was grabbing things and she wasn't really. Until that day after the appt. she started grabbing things. This check-up the Dr. asked if she was sitting up by herself and she wasn't...until a few days after. She's a "baby by the book!" She started rolling mid-July and exploring her feet and toes around the same time. You can count on her holding one foot in her hand while she nurses, guarantee. I never saw her roll from her stomach back onto her back until today when I put her down for her afternoon nap; sometimes it's an instant thing for her to roll when she lays down. Another thing you can count on is that no matter what time it is, if it's 7 at night or 3 o'clock in the morning she wakes up with a smile on her face. Her Aunts Leanne and Alisa call her smiley. Alexander has a talent for making her laugh. One time we were eating dinner and Alexander just looked at her, said something silly and she started laughing. Alexander LOVES her ears. He just can't seem to get enough!! I can't get enough of my two babies! They both make me laugh and smile. Everyday at work there's something in my kids that reminds me of my own and it makes me laugh and love them more and more. I love you Alexander and Ava.

SIMPLE JOYS OF LIFE....WHILE WORKING

Sorry no pictures for this entry. It dawned on me yesterday while telling my mom a story or two I realized I should write these down to put on my blog. Then I realized I should carry a notebook with me at all times to write not only funny/cute things Alexander and Ava do, but to just write about anything. I started work a week ago and I realized there are some simple joys in my life while I work. It may not be much, but who knows there could be more.
#1. There's just something about coming home from work being on your feet all day and putting on a pair of flip-flops! It's pure bliss.
#2. Coming home to see one baby's face light up with a smile when they see you and the other one saying "mommy" while he runs to jump in your arms. It reminds me that being a mom is very worthwhile. Thank you Alexander and Ava, Mommy loves you.
#3. Being at work and feeling you have a connection with a lot of students you've taught before to where they love to come up to you and give you hugs, a high five or just a simple wave.
#4. Coming home from work after being dressed "professionally" and being able to dress down in the most comfortable clothes imaginable. For me it's scroungy! For some reason being a mom is nice because you can stay in your pj's or dress scroungy all day and it won't matter. Where else do you have to go? What else are you going to do? So working gives me an excuse to dress nice and not just to look presentable!! Is this a problem?!!
I know 4 simple joys doesn't say much, but like I said who knows. I mean I'm only in the 2nd week of school!

Construction Zone

I know in Utah we seem to always complain about there only being 2 seasons: Winter and Construction. This summer there has been construction everywhere, and not just on the streets, but in my house as well....literally! After 4 years and 10 months of living in our beautiful house in Woodcove we had to say goodbye; and in 2 weeks!



While Jose was off working I stayed home to take care of the kids, pack and find a place to live. Yes, it was stressful and overwhelming. However, we did it and managed okay.


We are living with my parents for a while until we can save money and have more time to find somewhere else to live. Although it's sad that we left our home the Lord has blessed us and me I feel in particular. We were able to stay in the house as long as we did without the home turning into a foreclosure. Through that time I was able to find and feel peace about leaving my home, which was a very big thing for me. We were able to have Ava Grace and get her settled for a bit before we moved and deal with the adjustment period for Alexander. Now we deal with the adjustment of a new "home." It's been an adjustment for everyone. Not true, Ava is the only one that seems to be adjusting very well!! The pictures you see are some of the construction zone and the aftermath!

The last 5 months

I know it has been a really long time since I wrote anything. I'm told I need to update more and with pictures!! Sometimes at night when trying to fall asleep I think of posts and what I'm going to write and what pictures I'm going to put up, but nothing happens!! The first one I have is entitled: Natural Disasters.
Living in the United States I'm sure none of us expect to see a natural disaster, well I have and I'm not just talking metaphorically. Literally I have seen a natural disaster, but it's more of the after math. My grandparents have a cabin, which we refer to as "the bus" down at Duck Creek. Early June my mom received a phone call from the neighbor who lives next to the bus; he said there were a lot of trees that had fallen down and the property needed to be cleaned up. We decided to go down with my parents and sister Christy to get away and see how bad this actually was. I thought "oh it won't be bad, it's just a bunch of talk." I was wrong and here are the pictures to prove it. After seeing what a disaster we had encountered it was time to cut down trees, burn the dead needles and make it clean again.

The "terribles" hit when?

I had envisioned that I wouldn't experience the case of the "terrible twos" until Alexander hit the age of 3. I envisioned this due to seeing/watching my niece Kianna go through the "terribles" at the age of 3. 2 was a piece of cake, 3 on the other hand not so much. Hoping this would happen with Alexander I was wrong. Alexander's "terrible" stage hit after his baby sister Ava was born. Us parents put up with so much! Please tell me they grow out of this "terrible" stage! Between all the pinching, biting, scratching, hitting, pulling hair and shouting what's next?! We're trying to teach him not to do those things, but how much of it actually goes in? I know there are those of you who just can't see Alexander being this way, but trust me he has his violent side and some of you have witnessed this side. So my vision of the "terribles" remains to be true as "the terrible twos!"

2 months!

Ava had her long awaited 2 month check-up. Happy to report she is 11.8 lbs which puts her in the 55%tile, bigger than Alexander at his 2 month. Her height is 22 in. long and I don't remember her head size just that it's small....and flat! The Dr. turned her head the opposite way and said she doesn't like her head to be turned that way, but it indeed turns. She definitely knows when she wants to go to bed. It has been at 7:30 and sleeps for 6,7,8, 10 and sometimes 12 hrs. DEFINITELY different than Alexander. She loves to be held and just like Alexander likes it more and relaxes more when Daddy holds her. She has started "talking" and her morning routine starts with talking at 7:30 in the morning. She has discovered her fingers which are often put into fists and she has the cutest smile that is contagious like most babies smiles are. Also happy to report that Alexander is getting so...much better with his little sister. One cute thing he did was when Ava got her shots she was in a lot of pain when we got home. I laid her down and she of course was crying so Alexander goes up to her and says "sweetie, sweetie" then goes to her eyes and says "no tears" as he wipes her tears away. Those are my babies and I love them.

Movies

Have you ever rented a movie to see what it was like and realized it was the dumbest movie? Well I just experienced that a few weekends ago. When I first saw Napolean Dynamite I thought it was the dumbest movie ever, but turns out it was pretty funny and not so much dumb. Jose decided to rent a movie he never heard about and just went by what red box tells about the movie. We started to watch it and it wasn't very funny from the start. We kept watching to see if it would get any better, it didn't. We continued to say "This movie is stupid, lets watch..." but neither one of us would move, we just kept watching the movie. Have any of you done that? Rent a movie to find out that it's stupid but continue to keep watching the movie hoping it will get better? We did and unfortunately it didn't get better. The movie is called Scouts Honor. It is definitely on the top 10 list of the dumbest movies ever made list. Why people filmed this movie is beyond me. So next time you rent a movie, check out the reviews first and don't pull a Jose!!

Introducing the newest member of the Leon family: Ava Grace Leon. A quick story. She was originally due on the 21st, but we decided to be induced on the 15th. I knew and my mom knew that I wouldn't make it that far. So on the 9th I went in for a regular check up and the Dr. said I still looked good and the real test would be to see what would happen over the weekend seeing how he was going to be out of town. I woke up Thursday morning with contractions, I went to work and by lunch time I left for the hospital. I knew she was going to come early. I just had this feeling when everyone I knew who was having their babies were having them over a week early. Needless to say she was born on March 10, 2011 at 6:17 p.m. weighing in at 7 lbs. 4 oz and 19 in. long. She came smoothly and perfectly. Cindy was right, the second time around is better!! So I didn't think Alexander would be very jealous of Ava because of how he was when she was inside...that's just it, inside!! Well....I was wrong. It's been quite the adjustment. Those of you who thought having one was an adjustment, just you wait until another one comes along! Although Alexander always wants to kiss Ava, hold her, rock her and basically be in her face 24/7 he almost seems to want to hurt her sometimes. Has anyone who has been through this witnessed this behavior?
So here are some little things about Ava. She has such a sweet smile, she LOVES to be held and doesn't really enjoy car rides when fussy. We believe she has acid reflux, which has its up and downs. One up is that she can eat on one side and be content for 3 hrs. She likes to go to bed early unlike her brother Alexander. A down to the reflux is she spits up, I never knew a baby's spit up could shoot that far! She does tend to get a lot of gas bubbles because either she can't let loose or she can't/won't burp. Despite all this she is such a joy.

4 Weeks!

So much for my goal of writing every month! I was hoping to at least have pictures, but....no. I know everyone just wants to see pictures and guess what? So do I!! For an update on things I have 4 weeks to go...unless she comes before then which is likely to happen. At my last checkup she had turned and 1 1/2 dilated. I've had some really good contractions so who knows. We might even decide to be induced, but my mom thinks I won't last that long because of all the pain I've been in. Alexander I think is getting excited because he gets a huge smile on his face every time he sees a baby at church. He still puts lotion on the belly every night, he gives her kisses and puts his ear on the belly and tells her night night. However, I think he's angry because he's been very abusive to me lately. Jose wonders if he's acting out on me because of the baby. I hope not, but it's interesting how Alexander won't be abusive with Jose; it's only me. Hm.. I have another check up this Wed. so we'll see if baby girl has moved down more. Things are going well aside from the baby. You would think with the 2nd child you would be more prepared, but no. I definitely feel less prepared for her to come into this world than I did with Alexander. Suggestions?!