March 2015

Sorry it's been so long since I have gotten on a real computer and posted anything!  Here is March.  We have been really busy.

 This was a crazy day.  I think I was expecting it to just be raining that day.  Then I go to the grocery store and it suddenly became really loud.  I check out and there are a ton of people blocking the exite because they don't want to go out in the hail.  I put on Malcolm's hood, hugged him as a pushed through the crowd and ran to our car.  Lots of ice.  It reminded me of driving through very light snow with the tire tracks on the street.  Kind of cool.

 I like to occationally play you tube videos of my favorite songs (that are appropriate that is)  I was playing "All about that bass" and after seeing that the girls on the video were wearing pink bows and flowers on their heads she ran and put this on.

 I believe this was after a hair cut.  He is terrible at hair cuts.  I think its the hair touching his skin that bothers him.  Not sure how I am going to get around that.  But I am not cutting it for awhile.  I got to mental prepare next time.

 My parent's cat George is getting older and getting a little lazy.  So this day instead of running away he let Malcolm pet him for quite awhile.  I have a video.  I want to post a bunch of videos soon.  It was so sweet.

 My wonderful friend Ree took our family pictures this year and here is some behind the scenes shots I took.

 Malcolm was obsessed with all the sticks he could find!

 The kids favorite part of the shoot.  :-)

 We enjoyed a few treats ourselves.

 Kaylee loved her hair and asked me to take a picture.  Of course she doesn't smile.

 We had the opportunity to actually get a picture with the penguins and the egg.  It is usually packed so we don't bother.  Lines are too stressful with little guys.  But this time it was open!  They make cute penguins!

I think the trip was a success.  They were worn out!!

This picture was from a day where I let her run in the sprinkler.  She had fun.

She looked so cute this day so we took a picture!  She is growing up fast!

We celebrated Pi day with my parents.  I made chicken pot pie and my mom got the dessert pies.  She got pumpkin and Apple.

Sometimes I dress them up as twins and it makes me happy!

Carmen is warming up to the kids finally.  She is coming to Kaylee when she calls and we have even been able to take Carmen on a walk.

Malcolm looked so cute listening to music while sitting with Daddy.

Then he says, "Mama hold my hand"  I think I will.  Forever.

This is really cool.  This is a screen shot of a website that sells sunglasses.  See that beautiful model?  It's my beautiful sister Claudia!!  She will do another shoot later this year!  :-)

Haha I think I spiked his hair this day and it is so cute!!  Malcolm calls it "yucky hair"

They did this all by themselves.  That is play food.

Kaylee and I went to check out her TK school she will be going to next year.  Kaylee got into the Transitional Kindergarten program in Lakeside in a Spanish Immersion class.  We are all so excited.  She loved the classrooms.

Malcolm says "SAY CHEESE" with his "camera"

I did Kaylee's make up for fun.  

Funny story.  I thought the Shamu show started at 11am so I go to the bathroom and head on over.  I get there and there is a very small group of people waiting for them to let us in.  We got there early so 10:45 ish.  As it gets close to being 11 I start getting concerned that they haven't let us in yet.  Finally they let us in and I see that the show starts at 11:30.  No big deal I get us a spot front and center of the stadium.  I think certainly the splash won't be too bad.  Look at that distance we have between us and the water?  So the show starts and I give the kids their sandwiches.  We are enjoying the show eating out lunch and then the splashing begins.  They start with the people on the left and then the people on the right.  Then a Sea World worker looks to us in the center and says "Now it's your turn" I cowardly hide behind the little Malcolm thinking we would get one good splash.  *SPLASH* I then look at Kaylee who was smiling really big when suddenly *SPLASH* I have a look of surprise and then look up and find that I am on the big screen *SPLASH* I'm still on the big screen and they are zooming in on ME!!  HAHAHA ok so that was funny...then I look at Malcolm and he is crying and devastated.  I thought, oh yea he doesn't like getting splashed and I give him hugs and kisses.  Later as I am walking away I see sandwich on the ground.  It all then clicks.....

Malcolm hadn't finished his sandwich when the whale splashed and his sandwich was then splashed to the ground!!!  HAHA  I then was laughing harder (while thinking of ways to make it up to him) and proceeded to call Kevin and tell him all about the experience.  I was crying laughing.  

We did love our seats and how close we were to these killer whales!

Another successful day.

I love the pictures Mal and I take.

Kaylee got a big girl bed!!  

Kaylee also got the throw ups and slept like a newborn.  It was such a tiring night.  I got a total of 45 min of sleep.  Not continuous either.  Poor Kaylee threw up 21 times that night.

Since most of the day was filled with sickness with Kaylee, Malcolm and I escaped to hang out with Grandma where we didn't feel violated by germs.  Well that we March.  It melted fast into April like it was one month.  

Happy Easter!!

I sent our Easter cards instead of Christmas cards this year.  I love them.  I get mine done from my lifelong friend Anne Marie Mercurio who is more like a sister to me.  She lived across the street when we were growing up and all it took was one of us to open our door and sit on our porch for the other one to see and come out too and talk and play silly games for hours.  So I love having her do our pictures.  Great excuse for extra Ree time.  So I thought I would write a little about 2014 as a summery and post a few pictures of us at out Easter shoot.

2014 was our first full year in our own place here in San Diego.  I am not going to lie, we weren't sure if it would work out but it has been.  Kevin has been working really hard at the public accounting firm he works at and I think he is feeling more and more comfortable everyday.  Sometimes it is hard having him away during his two busy seasons but compared to some other people he has had it easy as he hasn't had to spend many nights away just longer hours.

Kaylee has had her challenges being a toddler but has done so much better since she started Preschool in September.  She goes to El Cajon Rec Program and she loves her teacher and her class mates.  I think one of the best parts is staying after school to play at the park with her friends.  Kaylee enjoyed her first year in Primary being a sunbeam.  She even had her first line in the Primary program!!

Kaylee: Prophets in the scriptures are examples for us to follow.

I almost cried.  The beginning of 2014 Kaylee did Dance lessons and had her first recital which I did cry at.  She is growing up so fast and we love Kaylee's energetic spirit and heart full of love.

 Malcolm is our sweety pie.  In 2014 Malcolm turned 2.  He kind of has terrible 2s but since he is my second I know that the 2 aren't very terrible.  It's the 3s I have to worry about.  Luckily he still isn't that bad.  He is mostly sweet.  He gives hugs and kisses and still loves to cuddle his stuffed animal Pluto.  He started being more interested in the potty late 2014.  He has finally busted out the words and is talking like a mad man.  Not literally.  But I know exactly what he wants as long as he tells me.  He used to be shy but now loves to say hi to people and introduce them, "Hi I Mal Mal.  This is my mama.  This is my Kay Kay.  This is my Daddy.  I have a hat.  I have a Pluto."  That is what talking to Malcolm is like when you first see him.  Eventually he talks about other things.  But it cracks me up that he has to makes sure people know who everyone is and whats important to him.  He is a very stubborn kid.  He will only do things if HE wants to do it.  He will only dance when he wants to dance (Sometimes he says "Mama can you dance with me?" ), he only does his Malcolm Karate when he wants to, and goes potty on his own terms.  Not when we ask him to.  Occationally it happens but usually it has to come from within his own mind.  Usually fine, but I really wish that he would go potty before we leave the house instead of on Kaylee's preschool classroom floor. He is a good kid though.  When I am sad he cheers me up.  When anyone is sad he asks why and then gives them a hug and says, "It's ok."

2014 was weird for me.  I started off the year working as a piano teacher at Staump Produtions.  Then on top of that I made the (bad) decision to start a business with NeriumAD selling anti aging cream.  The cream was great but I made little to no money.  Withing a matter of months I quit the piano teaching job due to the fact I didn't want to get my paychecks from my cousins ex husband (LONG story) and then I quit selling Nerium.  It was a huge relief but also made for a very unsure future.  Lets be honest neither one was a huge contribution to our household income.  But I especially missed my students and teaching music.  I also was diagnosed with carpel tunnel and fatty liver in the same appointment.  Hearing the news of the fatty liver made me made because I had lost so much weight and it just didn't seem fair.  Now the only thing I can do it loose more weight.  It is mild so it's not like I'm dying.  It is reversible and that is my goal everyday.  It just seems harder now for some reason.  I was loosing weight for me before and now I have to loose it for the disease too.  I just don't want it to get worse.

 It seems like 2014 was super negative for me but it wasn't all bad.  For me, I see a year where no one was fired, we always knew we were getting a paycheck, we are all alive, we had a house, we had food, and we had friends and family.  That is more than I can say about some past years of our life.  I am SO grateful for all of my many blessing and turn to those blessings when I'm feeling blue.  Thank you for being a light in my life always!

Now for some more family pics.

 Hehehehehehehehehe

Happy Easter and may the rest of 2015 be amazing!!  Love, The Sprouls