Late Summer/Fall

We have been thoroughly enjoying our never-ending summer. Every once in a while I think about how much I miss the leaves changing or wearing boots or scarves, but then I realize that those things would require a temperature drop and I'm right back to enjoying the pool and sunshine. Seriously, Corpus Christi has the best weather. I'm pretty much in love.

Scott has been working a lot, which is good because he is learning a lot, but it means I get to be a single mom basically all the time.


Don't let this picture fool you, mostly the girls watch Netflix and eat Kings Hawaiian Rolls. Oh, and throw fits. But they are still best friends and I eat it up. Penny tries to climb into Jane's bed to snuggle EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. Jane is really rude about it and kicks her out, which, of course, causes Penny to burst into hysterics because her  best friend won't let her snuggle all night long. This is typically the compromise they come up with:



I hope someday Jane will just let Penny start coming in her bed. They are such sweet kids and they make me laugh every single day. Jane growls at everyone, doesn't want to be hugged or touched unless it's her idea, and is the mastermind of trouble. If there is something she wants, she schemes a way to do it. Penny smiles at everyone, is constantly wanting to be held and cuddled, and won't ever pursue something she wants, she would much rather have someone else do the dirty work. Jane is very tidy, Penny likes a mess. Jane likes trucks, monsters, and trains and Penny likes princess dresses, dolls, and jewelry. They are such opposites so it's fun to watch them play together, but they really get along so well! Penny has such a temper and when she doesn't get her way she makes sure we know she isn't happy. Jane has never been a fit-thrower and usually just gives Penny a pathetic look and says, "Mom? Penny is making bad choices. Maybe she needs a time out until she can be happy." Both girls are my little helpers and love going outside and to stores. Jane especially loves Target and Penny loves anywhere I will take her in the Ergo. 


We were blessed to see family for a little over a week in San Antonio last month. It was awesome. Both my sisters were there with their families and my mom and step-dad also came. My mom was sealed to Gerry in the temple and we took great pictures, which I'm working on getting.







My cute nephews.

Of course we documented this.





I totally fell in love with this dog. The feeling was mutual, it literally jumped in my car in an effort to go home with us.

This picture is my favorite. My mom wanted a quick picture with of Katie's family. Hahahaha. Toddlers are so fun.







I am trying to do silouettes for the girls room. Jane thinks she should be making this face and does it every time I attempt to take a picture, it cracks me up (and frustrates me, but mostly I laugh).

The button nose lives on!

Quick Update

I had a minute so I thought I would do a quick update on our family:

We still love Corpus Christi. It's been an amazing summer. We spend most of our time at the pool and the aquarium. Although Jane still talks about "home" every once in a while, and we definitely miss our friends, we are adjusting nicely to South Texas.

Everything is cheap! It's pretty awesome. Well, everything except housing since oil is doing so well down here. But we are loving the low food and household costs.
It's sunny and warm every day. But it's rarely too hot since it's always windy and we are cooled by the ocean.
Jane is obsessed with the Texas State Aquarium and we go all the time. She can tell you all about aquatic animals and is completely in love.
Penny is still a die-hard mama's girl. She spends a lot of time in the baby-carrier and I love it just as much as she does.
Scott still likes work, his hours haven't been too bad and he works with wonderful people.
I've been making friends and adventuring with the girls.

Penny and Jane are BEST FRIENDS. They are always watching out for each other (splitting snacks, checking on each other, concerned when the other is upset). They are fantastic at sharing and having them in the same room has been an amazing blessing. We were terrified to move into a 2-bedroom apartment, but I was reassured many times by Heavenly Father that this was the apartment for us. Neither girl was sleeping when we moved in and I was in tears at the thought of having them share a room and wake each other up during the little sleep they got. Luckily God knows better than me. Penny isn't a great sleeper, but Jane has blown us away. She hasn't had insomnia problems since Penny started sleeping in her room. It's incredible and I thank Heavenly Father every day for knowing better than me. I know he put Penny in our family when he did for a purpose and we are understanding her role more and more every day. She and Jane are inseparable and it melts my heart.

Jane talks like crazy. She has always been able to talk well, but now she doesn't hide it from other people. She will chat the ear off anyone who will listen. It's hilarious the things she comes up with and we are constantly impressed with her vocabulary and memory.

Penny can stand well and is just starting to take little steps. She says mama, dada, chocolate, poop, yeah (yes), night night, hello, uh-oh, owie, woof woof, and turtle. She says "yaya" to everything and we get a kick out of the things she will say yes to. She has absolutely no fear and throws impressive temper tantrums. When she gets upset Jane is quick to reassure her "It's okay, sister!", give hugs, say sorry, share, and watch out for her sister. If Penny is upset Jane is the first to figure out what the issue is and the first to try to resolve it. She understands Penny better than we do and often will translate for us (which makes us wonder if Penny knows more words than we realize, or if Jane just reads her body language better). Jane has figured out how to cause mischief with Penny and it is a favorite activity of theirs. Jane is the instigator (casually opening cupboards they aren't supposed to be in and encouraging penny to pull things out) or leaving doors open so penny wanders outside (Jane then pretends she was trying to help penny and now escape herself). She is quite creative and we are impressed (and scared) of how naturally manipulation comes to her.

Jane is growing like crazy and is really tall now. Her shirts are 3T and 4T and she is often mistaken for being older than she is. The long hair contributes to this, I'm sure.

Things are going great for us :) Here are a handful of pictures from the last week... Sorry I don't have more pictures of Penny's birthday, I totally slacked off in pictures. But she had a nice cake, a banner, and a present (cars Jane picked out).

Since our arrival...

So far we have LOVED Corpus Christi. It's been hot, but not terribly. It's always windy and there is always water accessible, so it's been pretty much perfect. Our apartment is fantastic, the girls are happy, and Scott loves his job. We have made several fantastic friends and we spend our days playing in the pool. It's seriously terrific. If only we could visit our friends up North easier...

Here is a little of what we've been up to, courtesy of Instagram, because I've been terrible at taking actual pictures. Sorry, guys.

First of all, it's important to note that our pool looks like this:

Now you have some explanation for why we basically live in it.