When did they grow up?

Who knew hands could be so small?

I love tiny babies!

With little faces so perfect!

I bet you wouldn't guess this little face is on a 5 pound body! Just so much hair and so awake!

And coming from such humble beginnings!

I think the thought of leaving Rexburg in a month is making me a little sentimental. The girls were both just tiny little babies here and now they are all grown up. It is crazy how fast time has flown when I look how much the girls have grown. But when I think of school it seems that we have been here FOREVER. So I am glad we are seeing the end and that April 9th will mark the end of this excited phase of our lives. Rexburg has been a great place to begin our family and we are excited to move on the the next step in our life!

Update on the quarantine zone

Today little miss Layla come into our room happy as can be until she began to cough. She said it really hurt and then handed me a pile of mucus. I kindly took it from her washed our hands and set her up to watch The Book of Mormon stories on the bed. For the next 2 hours she would cough up flem into Kleenex and hand it over to me. It was really gross. After a couple hours I thought we should call the doctor and see if this is normal. She is through with her meds tomorrow so I thought it should be better right? 

Thank goodness the girls like the doctors and don't mind going because off we went for a recheck with the doctor. We saw Dr Catrell who Layla has seen since her early NICU days. He knows her history and works so well with her. They played a "can you blow the paper" game to check out her lungs and found she has come down with pneumonia. So we are hooking her up to the nebulizer soon for her treatments.

It is always a sad sight to see her with that mask but man it helps better than anything we have tried. So we are on the road to getting better. It is going to be me and Layla hanging out tomorrow I think so we will catch up on our chick flicks and kids movies! 

Hope all of you are avoiding this years sicknesses and enjoying winter... spring is just around the corner I can feel it!

My kids hate me when they are sick!

Once upon a time I had this crazy idea that taking care of sick kids would mean a lot of soup, popsicles, and cuddling. Instead when my kids get sick they yell, fight, and hate everything I say and do. I can get them exactly what they want and they throw it and yell "NO!!!" I hate to see my kids sick but I think the worst part is being treated like trash the whole time they are. My dream is that one day I can actually comfort a child and let them know how much I care. But for now I am the bad guy and have to try to finds ways to stay sane!!!

Croup and tender souls!

Well so far it seems that Layla is the only one in the house with a bad case of croup. I really hope it stays that way because it can get bad. Poor thing is wheezing from her bed down the hall. Sad little story.... For family home evening we thought a movie might be needed for the sickly girl. Brian bought The Testaments the other day so we put it on. It was neat to listen to Brian explain to Layla what was going on in the movie.

 

When Jesus was healing the sick she got very upset and near tears. She  said, "I am sick can Jesus come and heal me?" Later on I thought she might feel better with a blessing so we had our home teacher come over to help. She is feeling better in spirit knowing that she has been blessed too. Darn kids really have the most tender spirits.

Poor Little Layla

The sound of sick... wheezing! I hate when the first thing I hear in the morning come from my girls room is that sad, hardly audible, deep low wheezing that only means a trip to the doctor. Layla is in quarantine in my bedroom while Isa sits watching movies in the living room. Thank goodness that Nana decided to send a package that arrives this afternoon, it is sure to brighten our sad boring sick day! 

Isa seems fine which means that as soon as Layla gets better it will be her turn in the quarantine zone. I kind of got used to having well children after Layla's first two years and 20 trips to the doctor and 6 ER visits. I think that the Lord definitely knew what was in store when we had the girls and thankfully helped us with medicaid. if not I can't think of having to choose whether or not to take the girls to the doctor. thankfully we have gotten them help in time so we haven't had to have more then a couple IVs for extra fluids. 

So if I seem on the computer a lot more than I probably have time for it is to brighten my day and catch up while typing to the sound of wheezing! 

Games

I wish sometimes that life as an adult was as simple as it is for preschoolers. The girls go to McDonald's and walk up to a kid, "Wanna be my friend, okay lets play!" And that is it. I spend months trying to get up the guts to have people over only be become friends months before they or I move. The games that these two little girls of mine come up with truly come from a great imagination. 

Doggy Birthday parties!

The girls have their very own "SOPHIE PUPPIES" aka little pink and black poodles. Once a week they through one of them a birthday party. They take out the princess dresses and put one on very door knob in the bedroom, bedposts, book case, and bed. On the rocking chair they set out a dress flat with a hat on the top. Two shoes lay at the end of the dress where feet would be and then they put the puppy in the middle. Of course the they need a cake so they pull out about 30 books and stack them as High as they can. They put this cake on a tray and wheel it to the puppy and then sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY in their loudest voice. If Brian wants to come to the party they usually invite him but never me. I think I am a poor birthday attendee because i have never been able to come to a party yet. But I stare from the door and enjoy!

The Mystery Game

This is kind of like Hide and go seek except the rules change every time we play. At first it was merely hide and seek in mom and dad's room with the lights off. Then they added tickling when you found them. Next they decided that every time you hid you had to be in the same place. Now I am not sure the rules but it is their favorite game. Usually they play on Thursdays when I am at school. I think once again they would rather play with dad then mom!

Hot Tea Party

I am not sure why but when we have tea parties it is always HOT tea. When i can't figure out where they come up with something I usually attribute it to TV. They can watch a show once and then have it memorized. Anyways the girls like to cook for me and make me all sorts of dishes. Usually I just have wanatanka.  I am not sure what it is but it's good. You know I think it is the best air dish I have had so far. Last week I asked Layla what she put in it. I had to keep from laughing when she said..."first I put in some wana and then I add a little tanka, you stir it all but and cook it for 2 minutes and 4 minutes." LOVE IT!!!! These kids really make me laugh!

Layla posing next to her tea table!

They invited Robby to play for valentines and he LOVED it! I think he is going to become a chef!

More in the eyes of my girls!

This is our good friend Steven... I think this is one of Layla's best photos!

Papa was the girls favorite to photograph, and I think they are the only ones to get a photo of the hand post surgery!
More Papa
I think he enjoys the spotlight what do you think?!?
They love their papa almost as much as I love him!
Taking a picture of Aunt Mia taking their picture!
Last but never least Layla in all her glory!

I think their pictures came out pretty good for a kids camera what do you think?

I world according to the Bergy girls!

For Christmas Santa brought Layla her very own camera. She spent most of the vacation taking pictures when she was alone wondering. Since of course Layla HAS to be the spotlight she was nice enough to let Isa use the camera only if she took pictures of Layla posing. So here is Christmas according to my budding photographers. 

Layla showing off her new dress ups!

Nana's kitchen... the same one I used when I was there age!

Isa a little sick of the pictures can you tell?

Isn't she pretty when she firsts rolls out of bed!?!

Layla experimenting with her camera!

Kids Kids Kids... they say the darn-dist things!

Isa is getting older and learning about life. It is fun to watch her grown but more fun to listen to the crazy things she learns. She also is the most stubborn person in the world so you CANNOT correct her once she has set her mind on something. Here are some examples:

"Mom can I wear dis?" said as she pulls up her top and puts my bra to her chest. She looks at me will all seriousness and pleads her case...."you have really big boozoos mom and when I get big I will have big boozoos too but now I can wear your jasmine and I will look like I have big boozoos too!" At this point all you can do is laugh. She hates that and I try very hard to keep it together and explain that it is too big and she can't wear it until she shaves her legs. I am not sure why I made that connection but that is all I could come up with.

(BY THE WAY- Boozoos are what ISA came up with I call them boobs like any normal adult!)

About two days later I was in the tub shaving my legs for Valentines day. (It has to be church or a special occasion for me to shave... poor Brian!) Anyways Isa comes in and looks at me with excitement. "Mom I am going to shave my legs with you so I can put a Jasmine on my boozoos." Now I can't just say no because she is stubborn and will protest until she gets an answer she can't refuse so I come up with something quick. "Isa you can't shave your legs until you have a boyfriend. Do you have a boyfriend?" She thinks very hard and says, "Dad is a boy is that it?" 

"Nope Isa daddy is my boyfriend you have to get your own. Do you like boys and think one is cute?" She gets a very disgusted face and yells "NO!" and runs off. I think that solved the problem because she hasn't mentioned shaving or boozoos in a week! 

Need your Help!!!

I am doing a research project on LDS marriage for a class this semester. I have designed a questionnaire that is short, sweet, and to the point. Plus I think it is kinds fun too!!!! If you have two minutes and could come fill it out that would be GREAT!!! Also you can email or post the link to EVERYONE you know to come fill it out. I will be posting the results and a ton of interesting research facts about a week after the poll ends. I hope that you can come and enjoy.

The questionnaire is on it's own blog just click the link following.

WHAT HOLDS US TOGETHER

THANKS A TON!!!

Oh how they grow...

Once upon a time I had a little baby girl who could fit into the palm of my hand and was nothing more than a little paper weight. 

Then one day as if over night she was all grown up and bossing me around like she was the mama!

But somehow in the middle of our crazy life she still has time to make me smile and thank the Lord for the blessing of being her mother!

Following are a few stories that make being a mom worth all the stress, effort, and worry!

The hurt toe...

About a week ago we were cleaning up the kitchen and rounding up kids to bed so that Brian and I could have some time alone. Like usual Layla was coming up with all sorts of ailments that could keep her from going to bed. First her tummy was empty and needed to be full up to her eyebrows. Then she was sick and needed to rest on the floor. Last she somehow hurt her foot and couldn't walk. She turns to me and with all seriousness says "Mom I need little kid stretches!" Not really paying attention i said well lean over like this and you will feel good. (I reached my arm over my head and leaned to the left) I went about getting Isa upstairs as Layla continued to ask for little kid stretches. i finally realized i had no idea what in the world she was talking about and gave her my full attention. She kindly explains...

"You know when Aunt Mia got her  leg hurt she got stretches and now my foot hurts and I need little kid stretches too." I finally got it she didn't mean stretches but...

 Crutches! I seriously laughed for like 10 minutes! 

I thought this was their church...

Two weeks ago we went to church and were sitting quietly as everyone sang our opening song. Layla looks around and asks "where are they mom I don't see them?" I lean over and ask her "who?" She ignores me like most four years olds do when their mother talks and continues to look for some mystery people.  She finally gets very serious and says "mom you didn't tell the truth, they aren't here!" I try not listen to the snotty tone in her voice and ask... "WHO?"

With extreme disappointment in her eyes she looks at me and says..." Heavenly father and Jesus. You said this was their church so where are they!"  I just smiled and explained that we can't see them but if you are happy at church you know they are there. That made no sense to her so she just signed and moved on. 

I lived in the hospital...

As parents we are given the great challenge of teaching our children anything and everything they need to know to be happy with life and succeed. As parents we have tried our best to remember everything that the girls might need to know and start teaching them while they are young. But in all of our teaching we missed a big lesson. 

Layla and Isa spent the night with their grandma last week and she talked to them about everything she could think of. She told them about her mother and how she lives in heaven. She taught them so many important parts of the gospel and the girls listened with joy. That is until Grandma explained that the girls probably knew her mom is heaven before they came to earth. Layla instantly got very upset and began set grandma straight. Now Layla loves her grandma and thinks she is the best thing ever... but this really upset her and for the first time she yelled at grandma. "Grandma, I DID NOT LIVE IN HEAVEN I LIVED IN THE HOSPITAL!!!" 

Somehow in explaining how blessed we are to have her in our life because of her hard beginning we left out that before she lived in the hospital she was in heaven. Needless to say we had a pre-existence lesson for FHE this week and explained the whole thing. I think she gets it now so hopefully she won't be yelling at grandma again!

More stories to come but for now I hope you enjoyed a few highlights from my life as a mother!

Much needed update!

I have been busy so very busy that blogging has been the last thing on my to do list. I thought that the end would come but no no I think the list has only grown. The girls are content, laundry is going, reading caught up, and house almost clean so I am taking a break to post some pictures.

We had a good break and were really ready to come back and finish up school this semester. Brian and I are both taking classes and will be graduating this APRIL!!!! It has been a long but great five years in Rexburg but we are ready to move on to the next step in life. 

We are planning on moving the week after school gets out to Kansas City. We will be looking at moving to Overland Park by June at the latest. Until then my parents have agreed to let us stay with them until we are settled in with jobs. Brian is starting to get applications together and hopefully we will move with a job lined up. 

This semester is crazy busy for both of us. Brian is taking 18 credits of 400 level science classes and will be ready to be done when the semester is over. I am taking easy classes I just have to write 10,000 words and 15 papers. Not much right! It is keeping me more busy then I ever thought possible but I can see the end of the tunnel and that makes it worth it. 

The girls are doing great and think that they are just the most adorable kids in the world. Normally I wouldn't disagree but they are starting to get big heads and are telling me what to do more and more.  Especially little Isa who is constantly looking at me with disdain when i correct her behavior. But all in all we are happy and enjoying the snow when if is over 10 degrees outside.Here are some of the highlights from our trip to Kansas!

Morales Family Tradition:

Christmas eve talent show

Christmas morning was complete when Layla got her singing puppy!

Reading with Papa is their favorite!

Isa refuses so sleep with anything other than her "grandma blanket" which is only a crib quilt. So Nana made her a special "Nana blanket" that is almost a twin. Now she has to sleep with both but at least she is warm.

We went out to dinner as a family and here are some of cute pictures!

Not looking too bad after Five years!!!

Layla loves her jewels

Playing with Papa!

Sunday before Church the girls all put their hair in curlers. They were excited that their hair would look just like Nana's hair. They loved getting dressed up and looking BEAUTIFUL for church. 

New haircut!!!

So I am really picky when it comes to my hair. Nothing but the best is used on it from hairstyling products, cleansing care, or my beautiful babybliss dryer and chi flatiron. Whenever I go to get a new style there is only one person I really trust, Amy. We went to beauty school together YEARS ago and then had our first job together. She now works in a great little spa and is as good as ever. I love that when I bring a picture in she totally duplicates it just how I like.

 What do you think of the new do... like it? 

 I totally LOVE IT!!!

 I can't wait to move back to the Midwest so my hair is ALWAYS this happy!

P.S. This is the first time my bangs have been cut where they know what to do and not just hang there saying... "You cut me wrong stupid so now I am going to drive you nuts for a good 6 months as payback!"

Gingerbread Lane

Tonight we went over to our friends home for a little Christmas time fun. We made gingerbread houses and somehow or another it because a competition. I, of course, was off to a wonderful start with my house nearly assembled before anyone even got their frosting out. This prideful attitude became the downfall to my gingerbread house making. I don't think my partner, Isa, even noticed or cared what was going on around her. She had handfuls of candy along with tubs of frosting to keep her busy.

Anyways after getting a little boastful my house fell to pieces. Not just once but 12 times, until I decided to take my house in a new direction. For probably an hour I was no where close to being able to compete with the professionals at my side. So here are a few photos of our homes. I have labeled them for voting purposes. On the side of our blog is the poll where you can vote on which home is your favorite. I am not sure if there will be a prize other than gloating rights for the next year but we will see. Anyways the poll is to the right and we are taking votes until new years.

HOME #1





HOME #2





HOME #3