SIBLING LOVE & HOSPITAL FUN

one of my favorite parts of having a new baby is seeing them with their sibling(s). sibling love is just so so special, and one of my very favorite parts of parenthood. 

this time, luc was absolutely in love, and on cloud nine to visit us in the hospital. he wanted to hold the twins right away, and never wanted to leave. he was very tender and sweet. at one moment, oliver was crying, and he stood up to the bassinet, pressed his face up to the basket, and said  soothingly 'why you crying baby twin? i'm here, i'm here, don't cry.' and another time, he spontaneously started singing 'i am a child of god' to them both, and the pediatrician and both nurses in the room stopped what they were doing, and we all just sat and listened to him sing to them. they said over and over afterwards that they were blown away by how sweet he was and i got all choked up. he is our best big brother and i know he was sent to be the example, leader, and protector of his siblings. how we love him!

lia was very anxious at the hospital, she is terrified of doctors, and she didn't want anything to do with me once she saw me in the hospital bed, all hooked up to the machines. but she adored the babies, and gave them lots of slobbery kisses. she wanted to hold their bottles and put on their hats and help with everything. it was darling. she has such a natural maternal instinct, it warms my heart. 

having my whole family of six there together for the first time was amazing. a little overwhelming- i looked around and i couldn't believe how many kids we have! but each one brings something so special to our home and i couldn't imagine my life without them. what treasures they are! we consider ourselves incredibly blessed to call each of them ours.

MY FAVORITE WEEKEND

mother's day has always been one of my very favorite holidays. growing up, i loved making my mom a card and picking out her favorite lotion at bath and body works, or getting her a new pair of gardening gloves and an assortment of flowers to plant in her flower pots. my dad always took my brothers and i shopping for her, and i remember getting so excited about it. we had so much fun, planning what we were all going to get her, and then on that special sunday, helping make dinner or set the table, we fought over who got to do what! i remember one year, my little brother trevor offered to give her a foot rub while we got dinner ready, and then we all wanted to rub her feet or shoulders, and i'm sure she loved having us climb all over her, trying to make her 'comfortable' haha. these are all some of my favorite childhood memories. i loved celebrating my mom, i always knew she was so special. she is AMAZING and i still love celebrating her. i don't know what i would do without her encouragement, advice, and constant cheerleading. i'm so eternally grateful for her.

of course, i was really excited for my own first mother's day, and it did not disappoint. three years later, and it's still one of my favorite weekends of the year. i love spending time with my family, i love the sweet love letter my hubby writes me every year, and i love the extra hugs and kisses from luc. i love the reminder that what i do every day matters to the people i do it for. 

this year was so much fun! orlando took me out for my favorite salad dressing in the universe {cafe rio!} on saturday, and the kids gave me the best gift of the whole weekend- both of them napped all the way through our dinner, so we got to talk and laugh and eat completely uninterrupted. it was HEAVEN! then we painted pottery for a few hours- something i've always wanted to do- and the kids slept through most of that too! we had a blast, and i love that i get to keep what we made. the kiddos woke up for the last hour or so, and luc painted me the cutest ice cream dish ever. {i have to say, these little kid crafts are THE BEST. when he came running out of nursery with his popsicle stick flower, i about died, i was so happy. i'm keeping it forever.}

sunday included french toast breakfast, homemade love letters, and a walk to the park. it was a wonderful weekend and i felt so special and loved! i'm so blessed to call these three beautiful people mine, and i am really grateful they love me so much. they're all i ever wanted!

TWO KIDS

i've been waiting to let it sink in a bit before i write down what it's like to have two kids, and now, 11 weeks post-baby, i want to journal a few things i've observed so far.

two kids is just so much more. that's the best way i can describe it. there are more diapers to change and more meltdowns and more laundry and more dishes. there's more joy and more fun and more pride and more love. there's more hard things and a whole lot more of the really great stuff. i can't get anything done, but i don't stop moving, all day. emotions are running higher- when luc makes lia smile, i have to hold back the tears. when luc refuses to walk up the stairs to our apartment and my arms are full of a baby carrier, diaper bag, and groceries, i have to hold back the tears. when the three of us are sitting together, playing trains or reading stories, i feel like i'm living a slice of heaven. and when both kids are crying and dinner is burning and i haven't showered in three days, it feels more like the other place for a minute. 

but only for a minute, because the blessing of two kids is that one of them is always there to pick me up when i need it most. sometimes both of them come to my rescue! but i can always count on at least one of them to give me a smile, say 'i wuv you' or hold onto me tight like i'm all they need in the world. 

i've become really aware lately of all they're teaching me. they are making me into so much more than i have ever been. they trust me so completely, it makes me try to be more trustworthy.

they love so wholeheartedly, i can't help but love more.

they forgive so quickly, i want to be forgiving, just like them.

they laugh so easily, it reminds me to laugh too.

these two are my greatest blessings and though sometimes i just want to sit down and cry, i wouldn't trade this magic time of childhood for anything. being a mama to these two is so much more than i ever dreamed.

HAPPY EASTER, QUACK!

happy easter!

this year, the kiddos and i surprised orlando and both sets of grandparents with these adorable pictures. luc LOVED holding the baby ducks, he kept saying 'QUACK!' right back at them and then laughing uproariously at his own little joke. haha it was awesome! 

this easter, i'm so grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and my eternal family, especially these two beautiful children we've been blessed with. i marvel at their perfection and innocence, and am overwhelmed with gratitude everyday that they are ours forever. none of it would be possible without Him, and for that reason and countless more, i love my Savior with all my heart.

BLESSING LIA ISABEL LEÓN

on sunday march 29, orlando gave lia isabel a beautiful blessing. our sweet girl looked angelic in the blessing dress that my mom made and i wore as a baby, and was peaceful as could be during the blessing. orlando blessed her to be strong, wise, and kind, and it was an incredible moment in my life, to hold my son and listen to my husband bless our daughter. i was so overwhelmed with the spirit, with the sheer honor and responsibility of this calling of motherhood, and with the purity and divine potential of our daughter. she is truly heaven-sent, and i never want her to forget that. being her mother is a privilege of the most sacred nature, and i am loving every moment with her. i am happier than i've ever been in my life, raising my two babies with my best friend by my side. i love my eternal family so so so very much!

and we felt so blessed to have so many friends and family there to support us. we hosted a little pool party/dinner to celebrate on saturday night for all our friends and family who could make it, and not only was it a blast, it also felt really good to look around and know how loved and lucky we are. all in all, it was a wonderful weekend celebrating our lia, we couldn't be happier or more grateful to have her in our family!

HAPPY WEDNESDAY

my handsome boy, post dentist visit this morning. i'm so happy everything went well!

ten things making me happy right now:

10. chocolate donuts for breakfast
9. i slept five straight hours last night, hallelujah!
8. this gorgeous weather. i will never ever ever get tired of these perfect 70 degree days in january
7. everything is ready for baby sister's arrival! i love the little piles of soft, clean onesies and the packed hospital bag. i can't wait to put it all to good use!
6. morning prayer and the peace it has brought to my days this week
5. these sporadic contractions. they haven't turned into anything real yet, but my hopes are high!
4. curious george, thomas, and buzz lightyear- they're all keeping my tired, recooperating little guy happy today
3. our arizona friends are really taking care of us this week, bringing dinner and taking luc to playdates- i'm feeling so blessed!
2. luc's dentist appointment went fabulously this morning. i was nervous because he's never been sedated before, but it went great and best of all- it's over!
1. orlando makes me happy everyday, but today he has been especially wonderful. he is an incredible papa and husband and i would be lost without him. luc and baby sister and i are lucky to have him!

happy wednesday! i hope you're having a great week!

2015

painting by caitlin connolly

2014 was like two very different sides of the same coin for me. one side wonderful, happy and full of accomplishments, and the other side frustrating and exhausting and really challenging. it was a year of big mountains, and while i am proud of us for making it through, let's be honest- i hate hiking.

i must say- the wonderful parts greatly outnumbered the frustrating parts, and the feeling that comes the strongest now as i look back over the year is sheer gratitude. gratitude for all the help and love we received from our families and friends. gratitude for countless heaven-sent blessings. gratitude that orlando and i had each other and luc and baby sister to keep us smiling. so much gratitude that we made it through. and even more gratitude that we are where we are now.

but looking back, i feel like i epically failed at being grateful during the challenges. i was petty and small-minded and i allowed myself to care more about what i lacked than what i had. but even that doesn't encompass what i struggled with. i'm not sure how to adequately describe what i've been feeling, except to say that i found in myself a 'littleness of person' this year. not sure if that makes any sense to anyone but me, but it's been on my mind constantly the past month.

as i've thought about how i can change for the better, the one thought that has come back to me over and over has been that if i work, really diligently work, on my spiritual health and cultivate an attitude of gratitude in all things, everything else i want to accomplish/be will fall into place. so although the list of things i want to accomplish is long, my goals this year are simple and centered around gratitude and my spiritual growth.

this year i want to:

-live more simply. stop comparing myself and what i have/don't have to others. stop coveting and wanting what they have instead. be content with what i have- or even better, be content with less! it's just stuff and somehow it became way too important to me recently. a big part of this one is our goal to get out of debt this year {minus the student loans} and i want to contribute by spending less and not being grumpy/whiny about it. i want to enjoy it even!

-be a more patient, enduring mother. correct what is important and let the rest go. teach and nurture with the spirit. toddlerhood is fun and crazy irrational, and soon there will be two little niños over here- and my threshold of patience needs to increase accordingly. and i want to enjoy the everyday moments more. i want to be more grateful for this time of my life, to embrace it and enjoy it more fully.

-find a better balance between my roles of self, wife, and mother. i want to thrive in all three! discover or develop what talents and gifts i have, and then use them to find personal fulfillment and bless my family. i want to appreciate who i am and what i have to offer, instead of always wishing i was different, or like someone else.

so i'm going to:

1. start each day with an attitude and prayer of gratitude.

2. keep a gratitude journal. write something new everyday.

3. attend the temple monthly. 

4. personal prayer, 365 days in a row. 

5. continue to make time for personal scripture study.

these are my goals, and i feel promised that if i do these things, i will be blessed to accomplish everything else above. either way, i will come out of this year a more grateful person, and that is someone i really want to be.

MERRY CHRISTMAS DAY

CHRISTMAS MORNING! i had been looking forward to this for months. we got luc a train table {his favorite thing in all of creation} and i was dying to see his face when he opened it. knowing that as soon as he opened that, he wouldn't want to open another present, we hid it in the kitchen until the very end. 

luc woke up around 8:30am and we told him santa had come- he usually takes awhile to wake up and acclimate {he is not a morning person} but as soon as he heard that, he was up and happy and ready for  'NEW TOYS!' as he put it. nana and grampa were awake and the living room was all ready, and he was so excited that he spent the first five minutes bouncing from papa to his stocking to nana to the tree to grampa and back around again haha. we had to sit him down and hand him a present to get him started- and then he was on a roll!

baby sister makes her {big!} appearance- she was SO WIGGLY all morning, the excitement must have worn off on her too haha! i was super excited to give orlando his big surprise {a dallas cowboys jersey!} and he completely spoiled me this year, it was perfect all around.

nana and grampa brought more trains than this kid could ever imagine!

 luc and papa are ready for spring training in their matching padres hats

after all the presents were open, luc was playing happily with his trains, and we told him that we had one more present for him. while i videoed everything, orlando and grampa carried the wrapped train table out of the kitchen and set it down in front of him. at first he thought it was a 'TUNNEL!' and he crawled under it, back and forth, a few times. we were laughing so hard! we finally got him out from under it and showed him that the paper came off- after which he had it unwrapped in seconds and with his perfect dimpled grin filling his whole face, he yelled 'TRAIN TABLE!!!' it was the reaction i'd been dreaming about for months. he hurried to grab all his new trains and lost no time in getting them all set up on the tracks and chuffing around. 'play papa! play grampa! pome on nana! sit mom!' he immediately requested, and we all spent most of the morning choo-chooing to his heart's content. 

we spent the rest of the day eating donuts and popcorn {plus a roast, potatoes, and gravy feast} and playing with our presents, board games, and watching movies. it was a perfect day.

it's only been a week, but the magic hasn't worn off, and luc is still on cloud nine. he calls it 'my train table' and runs to it first thing every morning. he LOVES it and it makes me so happy to see him so happy. i can safely say that this christmas was a huge success! 

looking around the room in the late afternoon on christmas day, i got a little choked up because it was all so wonderful. not the gifts, but my family, our small and happy home, luc laughing and baby sister kicking away. i felt the spirit so strongly and i thought about how all this happiness is mine forever because of the birth and life of Jesus Christ. how grateful i am to Him for all He's done for me and for all He's given me! i love christmas most for the much needed reminder, the increased gratitude, and the renewed spirit of Christ it brings into my life.