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Footie PJ cuteness

Hello?

Don't watch if you object to half naked men in biking spandex (right up my alley but I understand people have their own personal preferences)

Belize's portfolio

Belize has really been into my camera lately. She tries to sneak off with it whenever she can even though we have a strict "ask Mom" policy. She likes to get really close to her subjects and looks through the finder and then points the camera down (away from her subject) when she actually takes the picture. These are the best ones out of around 50.

Last days of summer

The last days of summer in California are apparently at the end of September. The weather here has been gorgeous, and we've been loving being able to get outside and not get poured on. Belize permanently disabled our computer and after days of trying to fix it, my angel of a sister-in-law sent us her laptop (apparently she got tired of waiting for the next blog post :) ) So we're back online! Yeah! Picture above: This is how Brannon does push ups when he gets home from work. Below: This is Eli, Belize and Sydney at their tea a.k.a. raspberry lemonade party.
Bro has been working pretty much non-stop lately and I HAD to get out of the house, so our neighbor, Sylvia and I went to a movie. When I left at 7:30 Brannon was putting Belize to bed, this is what I got home to:
It FINALLY got cool enough at night to bring out the footie pajamas!! Footie PJs + 2 potbellies = I'm seriously obsessed with this adorableness.

Belize with her little friend Emma, they are park buddies. Peace, Emma, peace.
Usually the kids can only be in a room alone for 2 minutes or so until Rio starts crying and I have to go check on them. I was on the computer, faithfully checking blogs and suddenly I realized I hadn't heard the kids in 20 minutes - worried they'd knocked heads and lay unconscious, I hurried into my bedroom and found THIS. Belize had found our game box and emptied the ENTIRE contents, Rio happily playing with choking hazards- lovely.
One of his new favorite haunts.
We love the earth - treekisser!
As you've probably noticed Belize now insists on dressing herself- this was one of her most fashion forward outfits yet!

Go Huskies!

Belize 7 months
Rio 10 months

Happiness

Rio started walking this week! He can't be enticed to walk but randomly he will stand up and take a few steps. He looks like a little toddler now, part of me is so proud of him but it also makes me so sad that he's not my precious little baby.

In the picture he had just figured out how to ring the doorbell of Belize's "makery" house. He was so tickled with himself! He has been standing for a month and saying dog, ball and bird. Still no mama, Belize was the same way- can't I get a kid who loves me before a dog, their dad, and other small animals? There's still hope I guess - not anytime soon for those of you who just wondered.

Belize's artistical take on the essence of her mom in a photograph. (See the engagement picture, dirty cereal bowl that didn't make it to the sink, my wallet (empty), the laptop, and yes yes, I didn't forget the just emptied bag of chocolate chips).
Yeah, they hang out now.

Belize's black eye courtesy of her dresser knob.
The little butterfly dress that Nana and Grandpa brought back from Thailand that up until now Belize has been refusing to wear (she refuses to wear anything with buttons, even if its a fake button hole).
Look at that thigh! I could just eat that drumstick up, it's so dang adorable!
Belize kept saying, "I'm a worker guy." Huh? . . . Oh, the hairbrushes in her pull-ups were "tools". haha
Our ward had a stake fry and bake-off. Guess who won first place for cakes? Moi. Check out the coolest apron EVER!!!! It was totally worth ignoring my kids for the good part of a day. And here are Belize and Brannon attempting to scarf down my Ultimate Reese's chocolate layer cake before judging time.

I am more happy right now than I have ever been in my whole life. Not that I've NEVER been unhappy and not like I don't have things to be unhappy about- some of you may know that our condo has yet to sell and we are barely living within our means and thats including the help we are receiving from our wonderful parents. I mean, I had one nice T-shirt all summer (the 8576309 shirt in all of the blog pics) so usually I just wore long sleeves until my mom got into town last month, took one look at my closet and said, "Let's go shopping- you live in California, not Seattle." I have never been this poor in my life (I realize I am spoiled).

Let me tell you why I am so so happy: I married a good man who never ceases to surprise and amaze me with his spiritual insight, "we can do this" attitude and constant willingness to do the dishes or any job for that matter that I've been dragging my feet at. I have great kids who try my patience so that I can grow as a person, do the funniest things, and give me slobbery kisses and jump in my lap to cuddle. I have a deep and personal testimony of my Savior Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father who I feel are encouraging me to read my scriptures more diligently, letting me recognize teaching moments with my daughter and holding my hand so that I can indeed "endure to the end."

In short, I am happy with who am I, not perfect but evolving.

6th Wedding Anniversary

My Dad insisted that Brannon and I go to Disneyland and so we did! You know, honor thy father and mother! It was a fantastic way to celebrate our 6th year of wonderful marriage! You might notice that the subject matter in each picture is PRETTY MUCH the same but I will describe the background.
First stop was the jungle cruise. The longest wait that day was 20 minutes for Peter pan of all things and so we got to do space mountain and Indiana Jones twice.
I'm so scared. This was in the Submarine for the Nemo ride, it was one of the longest lines and I hear it's packed everyday so for your future reference- totally not worth it, it was really boring.
I think this is on Matterhorn.
B: Fancy running into you this fine hot day at Disneyland.

S: It is a small world

The complete nerd in me is laughing in my head.
Mad Tea can make you do crazy things!

Mr. Toad's wild ride was Brannon's favorite ride - no I'm not kidding, he never remembers riding as a kid.
Breaking out of the clincker in toontown.
Indiana Jones the second time was better than the first.

We capped the night off with the Fantasmick show and fireworks- a very happy day. Thanks mom and dad!

Cuyamaca, my lush pace

ONE of the perks of having grandparents visit is that we have very willing babysitters. Being with the kids literally 24 hours a day can take its toll and I can't lie, I was REALLY looking forward to Brannon and I's camping trip. We took our time driving down the coast, stopping in Laguna beach and eating lunch on the beach. Then we headed east into the desert- did I mention that it was the HOTTEST weekend at 102? We decided that it might not be the best idea to arrive at the campsite in the heat of the day so we stopped at Esconditos (the hidden place) and watched Harry Potter and the Half-blood prince in 3D (please do not waste your money on 3D, its only the first scene, what a rip-off), which we really enjoyed.Julian, California was another pit stop along the way for dinner. It's an old mining town and themed old western, i was in heaven, it was so stinkin cute. We had hmmmmm good BBQ chicken and the most amazing apple pie (Julian boasts the best in the US, and I can't say they are wrong!)
We stayed at Cuyamaca State park. It was the perfect temperature by the time we set up camp and we took a hike early in the morning and avoided the heat.
Cuyamaca means lush place (I think) and so it WAS a little pocket of green until 2003 when it was destroyed by a fire, the second largest in California. Still, it was beautiful and amazing how all the charcoled wreckage coexists with the green new life.

I look a little peeved in the picture but I assure you, I was having the most splendid time!
So pensive.
I can't tell you how much it lifts my soul to spend time with my sweetheart! Uninterrupted time when I can feel like I am my whole self, my best self with the other part of me.

Catching up

Wow, I can't believe we are already well into September! So after Brannon's parents left, my parents came a day later (thank goodness the house was already clean). I can't even remember what we did with them (mainly because Brannon and I pretty much disappeared- posts on that later) but it felt so good to have them here! I hear there was swimming, parking, ice cream eating and lots of Caps for Sale. I love my parents!

Bedtime

Belize was super tired tonight. She took an early nap in the car, followed by swimming in the pool and then a playdate at Zara's house. And when Belize is tired just expect to jump through several hundred hoops unless you want a mondo meltdown. Brannon and I like to call it, "Don't rock the boat." Problem was since Brannon is working a late shift and I have a hard time going to bed before midnight, PLUS the kids were up AN HOUR before their usual wake up time, well, by the end of the day Shauna was one cranky momma and not in a mood to put up with one cranky toddler. Bad combo.

It started out okay- picture me jumping through hoops.

Then it started to wear- picture me jumping slower.

And then it got bad- my feet have tangled up in the hoop and i'm falling to the hard pavement in a powerless heap like a train-wreck in real time, not slow motion.

Picture:

I finally just pick Belize up and carry her to bed crying. She's on her bed yelling, "I want a drink of WATER!!!" It HAS been quite hot today and i haven't seen her drink anything in a while. I give in. We go to the bathroom and after an argument about drinking "too cold" water I lose it. I tell her, "No water, you need to go to bed." Then, I pick her up still crying and put her in bed. Then the thing that crawls under my skin and bangs on my brain with a metal hammer. She repeats over and over again, "I want some water, I want some water, I want some water!!!!" I try everything to calm her down, to get her back to reason. Problem is that she is too busy yelling, "I want some water!" to hear anything I'm saying. So finally in vain I say, "Belize if you say the word water one more time I'm leaving."

She pauses.

And then, "I want some water." I promptly walk out of the room and close the door. I'm thinking to myself, Good for you Shauna! You put your foot down and you didn't yell or smother her head in a 2 lbs of jello."

Suddenly I hear an explosion (figuratively), Belize is screaming at the top of her lungs, "I want my mommy!!!!" You would think that this would melt my heart and I would turn right around-maybe I am weird but listening to a child scream your name when not in pain is just infuriating to me. Who feeds you? Who takes care of you? Who puts on 6 new pairs of underwear a day when you decide to take them off in random places? Don't abuse the word MOM! It should be said lovingly, sacredly, certainly not for your sick twisted torture.

Then, I remember that she's only two and she's really tired and I turn around and go back into her room, completely defeated by my toddler but telling myself, I'm doing the right thing.

And for this I was pricelessly rewarded:

B (screaming): I don't want Dad! I don't want Rio! I want my mommy!

I pick her up and she hugs my neck. Her breathing slows.

B: I only want you to sleep with me.

I lay in bed with her.

B (like she had never cried in the first place): I like your breath Mom, I really like it. (See this post)

B: Put your arms around me. Thanks, it doesn't hurt.

The end.

This all happened in the matter of 5 or so minutes, but it took 1/2 an hour to write. It was a cooler story in my head then it came out and I'm not sure if it was post worthy for all of my worldly aquaintance but there it is and its my blog anyhow. ;)

Tonight

Belize bonks my head as I lay down with her for bed.

B: "Sorry, mama."

Me: "It's okay."

B: "I promise I won't hit you.:

Me: "Thanks Belize."

Belize kisses my eyelids.

B: "I'm not hitting you Mama."

Me: "Nope"

She's a little fixated on hitting right now. Funny thing is she doesn't really hit, she just likes talking about it. As portrayed in this interview I gave her the other night - hitting answers near the bottom. (Bro is on ER shifts right now from 4pm to midnight, so I've been pulling my hair out

thinking of nighttime inside things to do) Anyhoo, here is the interview:

Q: How old are you?

A: Uh, 2 and a half!

Q: What is your favorite thing to eat?

A: Quesadilla (we just had that for lunch, for the record her favorite food is fish)

Speaking of fish . . . Belize has been a little OCD about flushing the toilet before she goes to the bathroom, and since California is in a drought right now and we need to save $$, Brannon explained to her that if (stop right here if you don't want the details) we pee on other people's pee we save Salmon so that she can eat them later (don't know if that exactly counts as SAVING them just to eat them but whatever). So now everytime she sits down to pee she says, "I'm

saving the salmon for later!"

Also- up until this point Belize has said her L's and R's as W's. Some say speech impediment, I say SO ADORABLE, I love it! Well, recently she started saying her L's properly except she really ennunciates them (kind of rolling them), so when she said, "I'm saving the salmon for Later" . . . so adorable, maybe its something only her mother would appreciate/blog about.

Q: Who loves you?

A: Aunt Sarah

Q: What happens when you don't listen?

A: I go home.

Q: What's your favorite song?

A: Twinkle Little Star

Q: What's your favorite book?

A: A purple kiss (does such a book exist?)

Q: What's Mama's name?

A: M

Q: Whose church do you go to?

A: Nursery

Q: Who is your friend?

A: Elinor

Q: What is something mom always says to you?

A: Not hit Rio.

Q: What makes mom happy?

A: hitting makes mommy happy.

Q: What makes mommy sad?

A: pushing.

Q: How does mom make you laugh?

A: purpy (Belize likes to make up words when she doesn't have an answer, this makes for good-what's that dolls name?")

Q: How old is mom?

A: 3 years old

Q: How tall is mom?

A: big

Q: What's mom's favorite thing to do?

A: hit

But seriously who could hit a child that looks like this? She just KILLS me, I love her (yes, she likes to go places in her dancing dresses)!!!

Reinforcements have arrived . . .

and we're excited- can you tell?
Keith and Carmen, also known as Buelo and Beula, came on an airplane from Seattle to Los Angeles to see their golden boy for a son, Brannon (shhhhhhh, don't tell him they just came to see their grandbabies)!
Brannon and I got to attend the Los Angeles Temple for a session, it was so beautiful and I realized I have been missing the temple so much!
"It's a match" game. Belize just started getting the hang of playing games, she's still a little inconsistant on the rules though, cause she kind of always wins even if she loses she says, "I won too!" Well, at least she's SHARING the win.
Happy as clams that are about to go to the beach on a hot day! Note that Belize is wearing not only her body "Gwub" but a swimsuit to top it off, there was no convincing her otherwise.
Brannon's parents got him a cool body board and this guy was in heaven!

Buela had Rio duty which is actually very hard work considering you have to play with him in your lap the whole time, otherwise he scarfs down the sand like it was well . . . chocolate (I guess, that's what I would scarf if I had my druthers).
Sand angels and showing off her stylish swimming attire.
Does this look like a little surfer girl or what?
Contemplating the meaning of politics.
How do you keep a 10 month old entertained? Throw Cheerios to the seagulls of course!
Belize and I had a mommy/daughter outing. We went to the local synchronized swimming show and it was well- AWESOME! It started at 8:15 and she was already cranky so I thought, well, we can always duck out early. But she was memorized for the entire thing.
One of the swimmers came up to talk to her dad, who happened to be sitting right next to us. Belize got really excited and got up the guts to wave and say hi. Then she got even braver and asked (after prompting) to take a picture with her. I think the girl was tickled too because she told her Dad, "See Dad, I'm already famous!"
I am convinced that only grandmas have a special gift for rocking Rio to sleep. I swear, I try but he just won't do it with me. And believe me, Rio LOVES the attention!
Someone is having fun!

Before the Ortons left we had a mini-Rodriguez reunion (minus 9 brothers and one sister and tons of cousins), but hey, our apartment isn't THAT big. Tio Benito is Carmen's younger brother (the closest to her in age).
These are Belize 2nd? cousins, Alexander and Madi, let's just say, Belize's feet probably didn't stop the whole evening.
Okay, let me try this: Top left- Alexander, Beau, Antionette, Madi, Benito, Carmen, Elisha. Bottom left- Brannon, Rio, Shauna, Belize and Laura. (Keith is taking the picture)