A Ballgame and a Fair

So I have to apologize for this being yet another week after I intended to write all this but I have a really good excuse this time. Just an hour before I was going to sit down and write, Vash decided to get into phone and delete over 100 pictures. That's right. COMPLETELY OBLITERATED them. And as wonderful as the iPhone 5 is, it has one glaring flaw; unless you've backed up your photos to iTunes, there is absolutely no way to retrieve deleted pictures. So after hours of crying, screaming, scolding, and generally tryinng every supposed trick in the book to get the pictures back, I resolved to never let the kids touch my phone again and just go to sleep. I thought about writing the blog the next day but I was still so upset about losing the pictures that I couldn't bring myself to do it. And so that continued until today; when I finally feel over it enough to just tell you all about our fun trips and try not to break into tears when I think about the cute pictures I had to go along with it.

First off, a group of fifty or so ward members met up and went to a Pirates vs. Diamondbacks baseball game. Craig couldn't come but the kids were super excited. And I was stoked because, being from Arizona, it didn't matter who won! Of course, you all probably heard that the D-Backs lost 2-6 though. We went on free shirt Friday so I got a large shirt for Craig and the kids each got a "Small" shirt. After Vash squirted Rhyla with a juice box, she had to wear her shirt home and it looked more like a dress on her. I had a picture of that :( It was so cute. As we walked back to the car, people kept stopping and looking at her to say how darling she looked and someone said she was the cutest Pirate fan they'd ever seen. And after the victory fireworks went off Vash declared that, "Spaceball games are fun, Mommy." Fun fact? I packed so many treats for the game that the guy sitting next to me starting laughing every time I pulled something new out, before saying, "Hey, you got the kitchen sink in there too?"

The other fun thing we did that weekend was attend a fair in Greensburg. It had similar rides as the firemen's carnival but there was many more rides and a lot more to see. We got to look at pigs, horses (which were so big Rhyla thought they were elephants), bunnies, chickens, and cows, along with tons of crafts and art pieces. Vash got a kick out of the row of Lego creations and not only was he trying to play with them through the protective gate, but wanted to know if we could buy them. We got to eat yummy food and I also had really cute pictures of the kids enjoying these enormous ice cream cones, but... alas.... Vash ended up putting his into a bowl and eating it with a spoon, but Rhyla refused and ended up a sticky mess as she licked up every last bit of her melting cone. We even got a funnel cake and tried some fried Oreos. Can I just say how amazing those actually are? Oreos are great by themselves, but imagine them coated in funnel cake batter and fried. So good. I am both drooling and longing for them at this very moment. The kid's favorite ride was the super tall silly slide but it was really tough for 26 week pregnant Mama to climb all those steps and help them to the top. So they only got to ride it maybe ten times each before we made them move on to something else.

Now... I just realized that the kids not only deleted the pictures I took but also the notepad in my phone where I write down all the cute/funny things they say. So... Instead of ripping my hair out, I'm just going to try and remember the best I can and absolutely NEVER let the kids near my phone again.

Funny things Vash said; "Pooter banks are real. It's where they play basketball and have dances."

"Can I never lick people ever again?"

(Spoken to my baby bump) "You wanna play? Huh, you wanna play? He loves me."

Funny things Rhyla said; "Children, don't pet the hamburger." 

"Well zippy zippers!" (She said it like an interjection is what made it so funny.)

"I'm not a monster! I'm just Rhyla!"

So... sorry about no pictures and I'm more than angry about not having all my notes, but... here you have it. Better luck this week hopefully.

Fix Its and Fun

It's been another couple of fun weeks. Craig got to come home for a few days while they moved the rig and so the kids got to have a Daddy fix and they got to help with some projects going on around the house. 

One project the kids napped through was baking cupcakes for the picnic tonight. They really DID NOT want to nap but once they were down, I couldn't get them up until it was time to go. They played really well with some older kids, and I actually got to visit with some women my age. Despite being baked all alone, the cupcakes must have turned out pretty good because of the 18 I brought, zero came home!

Vash got to help my dad refinish Rhyla's bed. It went from brown to pink and the headboard went from blue/green stripes to a pale blue Tinkerbell Fairies print. I forgot to get a picture of the final product but I will soon! Vash did a great job filling in holes and making sure everything was ready to be painted. 

Speaking of works in progress, this is my 24 week belly picture. Vash and Rhyla love kissing the baby and pretending to be my doctor with Vash's doctor set. Rhyla will put the stethoscope to my belly and tell me the baby sounds good. Vash insists he can hear the heartbeat. He also like to point to part of my tummy and say, "Dr. Rhyla, the baby is down here."

Vash has a project of his own. He asked me one Sunday why Grandpa doesn't go to church with us. I told him it's because Grandpa doesn't really like to go to church. So Vash says," It's ok Mommy. I will pray that Grandpa will want to go to church."

I have to say, I was super impressed that he didn't say he'd pray for Grandpa to simply come to church with us, but rather he wanted to pray for Grandpa to have the desire to come to church. My four year old understands agency! 

I caught Rhyla wearing Vash's slippers the other night. (He's very upset about it as he's looking at this picture. LOL.) But even more strangely, I caught her pant less and eating an apple at the table WAY after her bedtime the other night. Asked her where her pants were. She just bursts into tears and starts apologizing. 

Vash's threats are still hilarious and becoming more varied. Rhyla runs up to me the other day and says, "Mommy, Vash says he's going to eat me like a hotdog."

And while Rhyla is usually so good about hearing and memorizing songs, I'm afraid she got a bit mixed up with one of the primary songs. Instead of "follow the Prophet," she sings, "follow the chocolate." I guess that's right up there with "Jesus wants me for a zombie" and "by this shall minnow." (For those of you who don't know; correct lyrics are, "Jesus wants me for a sunbeam" and "by this shall men know.")

While Craig cleaned the truck, Vash tried to fix his tricycle. I love that he got it all jacked up to work on it too. 

This is a clever boy. I'll tell you, he wanted the Kindle one night and was convinced he had to sneak it away from Craig. So he announces, rather loudly and in front of Craig, that I'm going to tickle him and Vash will run away with the Kindle. Best part: despite being told the plan, it worked. I tickled Craig and he had NO IDEA that Vash had made off with the Kindle. True Story.

Rhyla still talks to the t.v. When Mickey asked what her favorite activity was, she yelled, "Fishing!" And even though she tans the more easily than the rest of us, she doesn't understand tan lines yet. I've worn the same sandals every day this summer and I have what looks like a mirrored "F" on each foot. After seeing that, Rhyla leans over to Vash and, in a tone like I'm really in trouble says, "Mommy colored on her foot." 

Vash sure enjoyed having Craig home for a bit. They looked at trailers and tents online. Vash got to tell him a bunch of stories about how we'll go camping, and they had a ton of tickle fights. Every now and then they get too intense though and Vash ends up wetting his pants. After such an incident, Vash yells out, "Mommy! Do you hear that? Daddy's peeing my pants!"

And Rhyla loves sleeping in her Daddy's arms. Especially because she knows he won't put her in her own bed if she cuddles closely enough. Craig accidentally scared the pants off of her one day. He closed the garage while she was standing in the kitchen, (which is directly above the garage door), and she comes in shaking and saying, "Daddy's closing the garage. It's shaking my whole bodies!"

Lastly, we've been trying to make good use of the weather so we've spent a good deal of time at the parks in the area. Vash liked the tether ball but kept getting cracked in the face, even when playing by himself. He didn't really want to play on the slides or anything though because he said, "This playground is too serious."

Rhyla was all about the big, scary slides though, and swinging as high as Daddy could push her. I'll admit it; this one is my mini-me. She's not only a dare devil but she likes drumming, dancing, and cupcakes. I'm hoping she'll outgrow the dare devil thing though. When I was young and reckless, roller coasters and other teenage "prankery" was ok by me. But now, as a parent, I was want my babies to be safe. So.... Disney coasters only please... and only once your eighteen and I can't stop you.