There's something about a house full of girls...

And we're back. The blog has been on hiatus, while I have been running around like a madwoman just trying to keep up with my Amazing husband. Alex has been doing full time work, 15 credit hours of school, and a 15 hour a week internship. Yep, he's Amazing. He is also perpetually sleep deprived, poor dude. There is something about having a house full of girls who adore him that he says makes it worth it. A house full of girls also means that he gets A LOT of snuggles and cuddles, as he pretty much gets mauled by all 3 of us as soon as he gets home from school. I have been trying to keep up with these cuddly little girls, and wishing I could make time stand still as they are both getting too big too fast. Lily won't stop talking and Sophi has just started walking. I have also been busily preparing to start my own graduate program in the fall, and Alex recently found out he was accepted into the double Master's program he applied for in February. We are the Forever Students, but we love it. Blah blippity blah blah blah...I can't say there has been anything too earth-shattering in our world in the last couple months, but at the same time there have been too many things to try and catch up on. Such is life, I suppose. Work, School, Church, Babies...this pretty much sums up our life. I found out I will have to get surgery to have my tonsils removed, Boo, but it will hopefully help me be a little less sick, a lot less often. We did recently take a much needed respite in Hawaii. For this, I will merely post a smattering of pictures. There's not much more that you can say about paradise, then "It's Paradise". 

cheesy girls = LOVE

NOBU Anniversary Dinner = Heaven

         Torry's Terrace + Dinner = Epic Every night

& the worst picture of the best fireworks show I've ever seen...

It's the most wonderful time of the year....
I love Christmas. It makes me so happy.
Lily is over the moon about Christmas, this year. Holidays have become so wondrous again, now that she is old enough to grasp what is going on around her. She is obsessed with Christmas, and asks everyday, "Mama, read the Grinch book, puh-leez?" Another fun thing about Lily is how much she has turned from a baby into: a little girl. Due to the fact that she is my oldest, the other day it occurred to me all of the things I could never imagine her doing, that she now does. She eats food completely by herself. She can peel a nectarine for herself. She goes to bed in her own big bed and puts herself to sleep. She says complete sentences and uses pronoun like "I" and "You" correctly. She potty-trained completely in 5 days, and hasn't had an accident or a diaper since. She can recite her favorite books back to me, word for word. You spend so many hour as a mother taking care of a little helpless infant, and before you know it they turn into their own little independent people.

Speaking of adorable helpless infants, Sophia is getting so big! She still has a killer set of adorable, huge baby blue eyes. She has her two bottom teeth and her to top teeth are looking like they should cut anytime this week. She said her first word (to Daddy, of course) which was, "Hi!". She has been crawling for the past 2 months, but has recently gotten ridiculously fast...so I have to watch her really closely with the Christmas Tree.
The two of them are the best of friends. They love to play peek-a-boo together. They love to have dance parties. Most adorably they love to lay on the couch together and cuddle. I know they may not feel like it at various points throughout their life, but I kind of think that the greatest gift I gave either of them as a parent is: each other.
Alex is, excitingly, done with finals this week! I am so very very anticipatory of this because I've been flying solo as a parent the last few weeks while he has been insanely busy. I cannot wait! I am having fun teaching Relief Society, coordinating our ward play group, and being happily engaged in a wonderful book group and couples' discussion group. Anyway, hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas season and remembering to stop and be grateful for the little things. At the end of the day it's not called Present-mas.