Dillan vs. Broccoli

It has become one of my many recent endeavors to get my son to eat-and like-green vegetables. I'm sure as a kid I wasn't the biggest fan, but my parents always set a good example, and I eventually followed suit. I know, I know "introduce the food to them 20 times and they'll eventually take it." Hmmm, not that I'm keeping track, but this is roughly try #359. Every once in a while he will eat something new and of the legume variety, but never when I ask. Grandma? yes. Grandpa? yes. Daddy? yes. I've tried bribery and threatening. This is what I get.
You can't see it, but just to the right of this shot on Chris' rocker is my new parenting book I picked up at the library. Maybe I can finally start doing something right if I learn from it. You can see, however, the piece of broccoli (in mid-air) just before he catches it. The dramatic effects are Dillan after he saw me break out the camera.
Below: Since tomorrow is our ward's annual Easter Egg Hunt, I told him we wouldn't be going unless he ate ONE piece. He took off one "branch" from the miniscule broccoli "tree" and swallowed it! This was his triumph. That's good for what? Half a jelly bean...

Hooray for Cousins!

Chris' brother Stephen called us up Sunday night to let us know they would be in Oceanside this week. Well, Chris' schedule was perfect so we could go stay the night and have 2 days of playing. They have 3 boys, so Dillan was in heaven. We had so much fun with them at the beach, it was the perfect kick-off to spring! Of course, I wasn't exactly beach-ready, so it was also a wake up call to get ready for the season. Dillan has never had issues with his skin and the sun, but oops! I forgot I had a baby with red hair and fair skin! Note, no List to self: you have a baby who needs stronger sunscreen, new swimsuits, baby hat, Chris prefers Bullfrog, Chris doesn't remind himself to grease-up, etc, etc. But we really did have a blast! Thanks guys, we miss you already!

Sea World!

We decided to spend the day at Sea World since Chris had the day off. Pretty good deal, too. The kids are free, and we were able to buy discounted year passes for the price of a day, including parking. The crowds were light and the weather in San Diego was perfect. All day Dillan talked about the sharks. Leah did great, so overall it was a pretty swell day!

Plum-Tuckered

The sad thing is that it's barely 10:00 am and I am already ready for bed. The hard part is trying to talk my kids into it. They don't seem to comply. Even Dillan, who this morning aroung 1, decided to go turn on the TV. Chris, bless his heart, got up to ask him what was wrong. He simply said, "I'm watching TV because I threw up." Then Chris marched right back to our room to tell me the good news. He seems to have gotten whatever it was out of his system. So, 3 loads of laundry later, he's at least happy and feeling better. Not mommy, though. Good thing Leah is a good sleeper. She gets up once during the night to eat, and takes regular naps during the day. I've tried napping. You know, "sleep when your baby sleeps," has never worked out for me. Seems like a good day to go visit Grandma.

Sugar and Spice and everything...Daddy!

It's true, Chris can finally show off his special little girl and all their similar qualities. The reality is that Dillan and he have a lot of similarities with personality, but looks are mostly Mommy. Leah has red hair and blue eyes and Daddy couldn't be prouder. He calls her "Smiley." I thought Dillan was a pretty good baby, and he was, but Leah has been a huge surprise of a good baby. She puts herself to sleep (Dillan never did) and in her own bed (Dillan was always in our bed). She pretty much never lets out a sad noise unless she's hungry or uncomfortable in her diaper. She's pretty mellow most of the time. She loves to watch Dillan and Daddy and laugh at all they do. Of course, we have our special moments, but she's definantly Daddy's Little Girl.