How we do fall.

give me all the fall candles- Doesn't anyone else have a collection of bath and body works candles in their pantry? those have been burning in our house all day everyday. Can you ever get sick of them? i definitely don't think so. so obsessed with all those yummy pumpkin spice smells. My favorites this season are pumpkin spice, marshmallow fireside, leaves, pumpkin marshmallow annnnd so many others.

piles and piles of cozy blankets- pulling out all the fluffy cozy blankets out of the closets. The other night the kids and I made a blanket fort. I love getting a pile of blankets out and having movie nights as a family or netflix dates with the husband after the babes go to bed. 

starbucks steamers- I wish their caramel brûlée steamer with vanilla wasn't so good. 

barns and noble- we go to barns and noble a lot during the year but we seem to go even more often in the fall time. my kids love going to the book store and stocking up on all the fun holiday books or just sitting and reading for an hour or two.

canyon drives- fall canyon drives in utah are out of this world. something about a sunday drive through the alpine loop while the leaves are changing colors brings back so many memories of dating my husband and falling in love with him for the first time. We took that drive today as a family and our kids love it. not to mention all those crunchy leaves on the ground for them to play in for hours.

family movie nights- family movie nights are on repeat at our house. It gets dark so early here which means we've bumped up bedtime by an hour! (happy dance) . movie nights help us all wind down a little and also allows us to get in a lot of snuggles before we send noah and penny off to bed. Lately we've been watching halloween classics.

pumpkins- pumpkins pumpkins everywhere. I love stopping by the grocery store and seeing bins and bins of pumpkins. Our house has slowly collected pumpkin after pumpkin this fall season and it makes me happy.

comfort foods- tis the season for crock pot meals which not only make your home smell amazing throughout the day but its so nice to throw it all in and let it cook all day not having to worry about it around dinner time. I will have to post my favorite chili recipe that i could eat everyday. oh and we can't get enough of those pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!

sweaters- i have a sweater obsession this fall. I have ordered so many and i can't get enough. FYI if you're looking for the perfect sweaters and for a good price look online at forever 21. They have so many good ones this year! 

dressing warm and wearing boots and slippers and ankle socks is also one of my favorite parts about fall.

Penelope's Birthday Party.

It only took me two months to post, but here are the pictures from our tiny girl's 1st birthday party!

We celebrated our little Penny's first year of life with some of our closest friends and family.

I had so much fun making this balloon arch with my dad! We had sweet tooth fairy cake and cupcakes, ice cream cones and too many sweets. 

When it was time for her cake smashing she wanted nothing to do with it unless we let her stand up and dig in with a spoon and then she wiggled and jiggled the whole time she ate it. I literally had to peel her away before she got too much of a sugar rush. 

When I was pregnant with Penelope I was so sick. I was sick with both pregnancies but hers was a different sick and it was HARD! The second I had her I felt an immediate connection with her. Her first day of life was a little scary for us after being told she might have a heart disorder. I felt like I needed to protect her with everything I had. My heart grew 100 times bigger that day and having her in my arms made me immediately feel like I would do that pregnancy over and over again just to have her with me. The first year of having my girl in my life flew by so fast. She has been a complete opposite of her brother so everything has been different. She's always been a big time nurser which makes her such a big mama's girl but at the same time she won't just lay there and snuggle with me like her brother did. She is so busy and always has to be moving or doing something. She has been so independent (probably to keep up with brother) so she rolled, crawled, walked all very early. There have been a couple of times where i've just though, wait a minute! You can't do that yet!
 She has such a fire in her personality and she's very confident. She waves hi and bye to everyone and she loves people. A big time people person! Animals make her so happy, she adores her grandparents, nana, papa, her aunts and uncles, her brother is her best friend. She adores her dad and loves when he sings. She is sweeter than cake and I am so lucky to call her my girl.

Penelope's first Easter basket goodness!

I've been putting together my little baby girls Easter Basket for the first time and it's just too much fun!

 ballerina doll // unicorn // bows // eyelet flutter dress // lamb easter basket // personalized gold bracelet // Happy Easter, Mouse! book 

My Valentine.

It's the week of Valentines Day, one of my favorite Holidays, so I thought I'd share 14 things about my Valentine and I. Here is a link to one i've done in the past.


1. Where did you meet your other half?

Chan and I met at a mutual friends house who was having a going away party. It was shortly after Chan returned home from his 2 year mission in Switzerland and we were sitting at a table playing games. I remember looking over at him confused at why he knew all of my friends before and after his mission but I had never met him before!

2. How long have you two been together?

We have been together for 6 1/2 years and married for 5 1/2!

3. How did he propose and when did you say "I do"?

He proposed to me on this cute little bridge over a river after we had a picnic on April 17th, the day before my birthday.

4. Where was your first date?

We took a drive on the Alpine Loop since I had never been and then we went out to dinner and a movie. I loved it so much! We talked about so much and I felt so comfortable around him. After that we were pretty much inseparable!

5. Do you have any children?

We have our little man, Noah, and baby girl, Penelope. We couldn't imagine our lives without them either! And we can't wait to have more littles further down the road.

6. What do you love about your other half?

Oh my!
I love how much he loves me. Seriously, there hasn't been a day that has gone by where he hasn't let me know how much he loves me. He always reminds me how beautiful he thinks I am and he always makes sure I'm happy. He's the sweetest person i've ever met and and cares so much about his little family. He's an extremely hard worker who gives his all to provide for his family and make us feel comfortable. I love that I still can't wait to see him after he's been gone at work and I love how happy our babies are to see him too. I love how smart he is, he is the fastest learner and could accomplish anything he ever wanted and be dang good at it too! But I mostly love that I have him by my side forever and never have to feel alone. He's got my back always and I have his.

7. How long were you dating before you said "I love you"?

14 days!

8. How long were you dating before you got engaged?

 6 months!

9. Where is your favorite place you have traveled with your other half?

Hmmmm probably Kauai! We went canoeing up this river and hiked up to a waterfall and that is one of my favorite days with him. I want to go back!

10. How do you and your other half usually spend Valentines?

We usually go out to dinner

11. What does your favorite date night consist of?

Honestly, when we order take out and snuggle up watching Netflix :)
But I also love being able to go out to dinner with him and being able to talk and enjoy each other without our babies crawling all over us! Those dates usually end with us stopping by the store to grab some groceries or a surprise for Noah. When we were first married our favorite thing to do was grocery shopping together! haha

12. Where would your dream vacation be?

I would love to go to Europe with Chan. It's always been one of my dreams!

13. What is your favorite memory of your other half?

Oh I have so many! But my top would have to be after I married him and I turned the corner after putting on my wedding dress and he was waiting there for me. For me that would have to be my favorite because from then on I knew I would never have to say kiss him goodbye at night or have to live one day without him.

14. What is the best gift you have received from your other half?

My favorite gift from Chan is actually one he gave me a couple years ago on Valentines day. He dropped off an envelope to my work that I was working at and when I opened it up there was the sweetest 3 page letter that I keep safe and read every year.

Noah is ready for school.

Lately, Noah has been asking to go to school and as I have been looking into preschools for him I find myself torn, asking my husband over and over if we should sign him up or not. I didn't know why I was having this heaviness way on me, it seems like such a simple decision! And then it hit me this morning that this moment in our life completely blindsided me.
My babies are ever growing and that is so hard for me to grasp!

Change is HARD! or at least it can be for me.

life with two little ones.

(This was a draft saved in my inbox. I don't know why I never posted it but

I should have! And these photos were taken by my talented friend, Megan Mulvey.

Thank you so much for these, Megs!)

Early on in my pregnancy when we found out we were expecting another one, I felt this anxiety of Noah not being my little baby anymore. He has always been such a mama's boy and attached to my hip! I didn't want him to feel replaced and I didn't want our close relationship, this strong bond we had together fade. 

I was nervous, even though we were wanting another baby and had planned this pregnancy, in the back of my head I had this bitter feeling of letting go of just Noah and I.

I had scheduled an early ultrasound to see if I was expecting twins since they run in my family

and after feeling like I wasn't having twins my husband thought we should just wait a little longer for the first ultrasound but I for some reason felt like I needed to go.. I didn't know why I had this feeling which made me so nervous! Once we got there and were ready to go I remember Chan standing next to the bed holding my hand with Noah in his arms and as soon as that little baby popped up on the scream Noah said so sweetly, "Look! Thats my baby! Thats my baby sister!". And I felt a tear roll down my cheek. He then got down and stood on a stool and held my hand with his dad. For me that was a perfect moment, a moment that I needed and I felt that fear of two babies, of guilt sharing my mama heart with another one, and saying goodbye to having just Noah leave my body. 

And he was so sure his baby was a girl and he was right from the very beginning.

When we brought Penelope home, Chan left to go pick Noah up from his Nana and Papa's house.

I sat in my bedroom waiting for him to get here, trying to prepare myself for this moment. Will he like her? Will he be jealous? Will he cry? 

I heard the door open and Noah walked in my room and as soon as he saw me with this tiny baby he got the biggest smile on his face and was breathing with so much excitement. He climbed up onto the bed and kissed her on the head and kept saying "Hi Penelope!". 

He then bent down and whispered, "it's okay Penny, I'm going to protect you." and then my mommy heart just melted all over the place.

I feel like life with two littles hasn't been what I had expected. I expected the worst but we got pretty lucky. Noah loves her so much! It's like he understood and had a bond with her before she was born. I love watching their little relationship grow. Noah insists on taking naps by her and they actually nap better that way. He loves to kiss the top of her head and asks all the time to hold her. If she's upset he runs to me and tells me she's crying and he helps bring me her diapers and wipes. Sometimes she will take a bath with me and I love when he comes in and asks me, "Mommy! How's she doing in there?".

I try to be careful with my time though. Making sure I give Noah the attention he needs and balancing out the two during the day. If Noah asks to be held I try to hand Penny to someone else or lay her down and let him be held. If she's crying I try to make him feel okay before rushing off. 

It's been 9 weeks with having two littles and I can promise you it's a beautiful experience. Don't get me wrong, there are moments where I feel like I'm about to collapse with exhaustion and most nights I don't get that much sleep. Getting out the door on time is quit a challenge and having enough time to shave my legs is a joke. Oh and having perfectly painted nails? Yeah… no. And by the end of the day I might be covered from head to toe in spit up and baby poop but its worth it. All of it is worth it.

The other day I had an overwhelming feeling that this is where I am suppose to be

and that is so comforting because I know 100% that this really is where I am suppose to be.

And my heart is full of so much love.

^^^ Do you see those precious curls?? in love! ^^^