The Reason...

Wow- It has been forever since I've blogged. You probably assume from my title that I'll be explaining the reason why I haven't blogged in ages (or so it seems). It's quite a simple explanation- 2 little girlies under 2, a full-time-working and MBA-student husband, and lots of sickness (croup, stomach virus, 2-year molars...). So those are my explanations for not blogging.

BUT the real reason I titled this posted "The Reason" is because I wanted to share an incredible video I just watched. After wiping my tears, I'm still very humbled and have been checked back to reality as I had a little reminder to remember the REASON for this season... this Christmas season.

I've spent so much of my time the last couple days gathering fun Christmas ideas- crafts, activities, etc. I keep telling Joseph, "I just can't get anything done... the girls are always crying, I'm always changing diapers, the house is always a mess... etc." Amidst my rush to accomplish some of these fun and fabulous Christmas crafts, I was typing a quote by Elder Neal A. Maxwell to hang somewhere in our home. It says, "Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus." I loved it when I found it and knew I wanted it in my home. It wasn't until I watched this video, however, that everything else fizzled away and the quote really hit me. I have to DECIDE to make room for Jesus.

So, here I am, determining to set aside the less important hustle and bustle of Christmas cheer, and focus on the reason we celebrate it- the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He does not care that I have cute decorations up, or fun activities planned for my girls, or nice presents purchased for others, but he does care that I take good care of my family, show them love and appreciation and well-deserved attention, that I am kind to others, and that I teach my sweet girls about the birth of Jesus Christ and the mission he fulfilled here on the earth.

This is not to say that we will not be participating in any fun Christmas traditions by any means! :) It is just a gentle reminder to MYSELF to slow down, and remember what's really important. I find myself needing that reminder a lot lately. Anyway... enough said. Here's the video. Enjoy. :)

Me.

A new chapter of my life has begun. I am no longer Newborn Chelsie, or Toddler Chelsie, or Oldest Sister Chelsie, or New to Texas Chelsie, or High School Chelsie, or Freshman at BYU Chelsie, or Liberty Square Chelsie, or Dating Joseph Chelsie, or Engaged Chelsie, or Newly Married Chelsie, or Intern Chelsie, or Teacher Chelsie, or Pregnant Chelsie, or Mom of Alyssa Chelsie... but I am now Arizona-Dwelling, Wife to Worker and MBA student, and Mother of TWO Chelsie. And it's a whole new ball game, my friends! And I LOVE it. I really do. I have my moments- moments of frustration and discouragement... but also moments of joy, excitement, happiness, and love.

It's hard to sometimes get lost in the monotonous day-to-day life events- the chores, the diaper-changing, the "time-outs", the dishes, the garbage, the cleaning, etc. It's so easy to think "If I could just do this..." or "If I could just have that"... "then I'd have it made!" BUT I quickly have a reality check and realize what I DO have and WHO I AM! Today I was just viewing different blogs during naptime and came upon a tutorial of how to create a signature at the end of your blog posts! (Super easy and a fun little touch of personality in a post!)

So just a little background before I explain my thoughts I had while I was creating my signature: Having a new baby means LOTS of things to think about- remembering when they last ate, remembering to change their diaper, trying to keep them happy, thinking about who they are, what they'll look like when they get older, what their little personality will be, etc. One of the things I think about a LOT though is names! Joseph and I both agreed on Alyssa's name- we liked Alyssa and planned on calling her "Aly" sometime in her life- hasn't yet happened- and then a few days before we found out she was a girl, I woke up one morning and told Joseph, "ALYSSA RENEE! That's it! That's what I want the baby's name to be if it's a girl!" Joseph agreed that it was a beautiful name. Renee was his mom's middle name and we definitely wanted to use it. With Kinzley, we both agreed on the name, once again, and decided to use Marie for her middle name (also my middle name). So I used to always think about Alyssa's name and wonder if it was the right name for her and if it would match her little personality, etc. Well, I think it's safe to say Alyssa is Alyssa and I love her to pieces. She just fits her name and it fits her and I'm so glad. (PS- I love when her little cousin, Caleb, calls her "Sa!" It's so cute!)

So now that Kinzley is the new babe, I think about her name a lot. Again, wondering if she'll "fit" her name and what her little personality will be. I told someone when we were deciding to spell it with an s or a z that I felt like the z was kind of like giving her a personality! haha Z is just so... definite. Anyway, it wasn't until today when I was making my little signature and I typed in my name and saw my name in 120 different fonts that I had a little reality check! WOW... Chelsie, Chelsie, Chelsie, Chelsie... over and over and over... "That's me!" I thought. "Hmmm... Yep, that's me!" I almost got a little teary-eyed as I sat in silence and just thought about who I am. I'm not anyone but Chelsie. I won't ever be anyone but Chelsie. So I might as well LOVE it and LIVE it and not wish it away in any way, shape, or form.

I'm grateful to have once been Chelsie Huntsman, and to now be Chelsie Campbell. My maiden name will always be a part of me. It's just who I am. So is Campbell. Those last names shape the first- but the first is ME.

I recently spent 5 weeks with my mom. What a huge blessing. As a wife and mother myself, to then spend 5 weeks with my own mom was such a good experience. It reminded me of my growing-up years and how much her and my dad did to raise me "right". They helped me become who I am today. I told my little brother that I so appreciate him sharing mom with me for such a long time, because even though I have babies of my own, I felt like the baby again- like a child. It reminded me of one of the Mormon Message videos... a perfect recap of who EACH of us is- a Child of God.

So now that I've had a little peace and quiet and time to reflect on who I am, I feel like I can brave life again. This being a mother of two thing is tough, but like my mom told me yesterday, "You're doin' it girl!!" I am. I'm doing it. And oh, how I love it.

Go make yourself a blog signature. Think about who you are. Then watch this...

You won't regret it. I promise.

First Month with Kinzley

This picture pretty much sums up our first month with Miss Kinzley as a part of our family...

Pure Joy and Happiness.

It feels like she's been with us forever, and then I remember she's only a few weeks old!! She is such a sweet little girl. Alyssa loves her little sister SO much (and that's an understatement!) She gives her kisses multiple times a day and loves to be wherever Kinzley is!

One of the main reasons we're all still alive and well is because of my wonderful Mom... (as well as my dad and brother, Brad). Although my dad and Brad didn't come stay with us in AZ for 3 weeks, they were willing to brave life without a wife and mother for 3 weeks, and for that, I am FOREVER grateful to them!! My mom cooked and cleaned and did laundry and entertained Alyssa and held Kinzley and did everything we could have possibly needed her to do. If she would have left at the end of those 3 weeks, I would have been SO so so grateful for all of the help she gave us, but I would probably still have a major melt-down when she left.

Good news is, I didn't have a major melt-down yet! :) She and my dad were so kind and flew the girls and I back to TX with my mom so that I could have help for a little while longer before braving the whole "being a mother of 2" thing completely on my own (yes, I have a husband, but with him at work and school, I sometimes feel like I'm on my own.) :) We miss Joseph a LOOOOTTTT and I'm pretty sure he misses his 3 girls too... ;)... but the girls and I are so grateful to have a little vacation in TX before getting back to reality, and Joseph is grateful to be getting some sleep at night as he is so busy with work and school!

So hopefully I'll get more pictures posted soon, but until then, I'll be playing with my sweet girls, thinking of my hubby, going to the BYU Football fireside, watching BYU play TX, calling my hubby, visiting with family, taking naps, catching up with one of my very favorite people and her cute boys (SO excited!), and soaking up every second of my parents taking care of us (and thinking of my man- We miss you, Joseph!)

Life with Two

This little woman is sure fun to have around!

It'd be the biggest understatement to say that Alyssa LOVES her new little sister! You know what they say- A picture's worth a thousand words...

It's so crazy to me to have a newborn in the summer- she can just lounge around in a onesie and be completely content! :) It's not the case at night when the AC is lower, but during the day when it's nice and warm inside, she loves to just sprawl out!

Pretty in PINK!

I know I'm the mom, but I think she has such a cute little profile!

My mom has been here since the 15th of August and is staying until the 7th of Sept. It has been SUCH a huge blessing to have her here with us! She cooks and cleans and entertains Alyssa all day. She makes Joseph's lunch, irons his shirts, does our laundry, and anything else she can to help us. We are SO grateful for all the help she's given us, especially in this time of MAJOR transition! (Speaking of transition- Joseph has started classes and is enjoying what he's learning. The days/nights sure are long when he's gone, but we sure have fun when he's home with us!)

These particular pictures speak for themselves about how Alyssa felt about getting a blue Icee during the grocery shopping trip (Mom and I took different turns going into stores. Kinzley slept like a log and Alyssa was SO good- so Gramz suggested an Icee for her.) ;)

Life is good with this little one around!

Beginning of August

I know this picture is completely blurry, but if you look closely, you can see what Alyssa has in her mouth- 2 BINKIES! This isn't the first time she's done this, but it's the first time I've tried to get a picture of it. Usually she takes them out as soon as I try to take a picture, but this is at least some proof of her obsession with her binkies. I thought I could get rid of them before Kinzley arrived, but that didn't happen and since Kinzley has been here, she's become even MORE attached. Oh well... I know many happy people who had binkies well past 20 months of age, so we'll hope for the best. :)
This particular picture was taken on a "good shopping day". The experience before this one was a "bad shopping day". Alyssa no longer likes/wants to sit in the cart. She would much rather be walking around the store, waving to people, and touching whatever she wants. But I had to get a picture of her cute face on this particular day so I could always remember the rude lady from Sam's. :)
So I'm pushing the cart in Sam's, and Alyssa is walking behind me. She waves to a lady who appears to be quite grumpy and gives a slight smerk back at Alyssa. She then asks me how old she is. "20 months!" I proudly and happily replied (assuming she would either tell me how cute she was, or just keep walking). Oh no- she then proceeds with, "Oh wow... and you're having another one?" Again, proudly and happily I replied, "Yep!" (while thinking in my head- what's you're problem??) She gives me a "look" and says, "Wow, you'll sure be busy," and almost rolls her eyes and keeps walking. I could not BELIEVE it?!?! I had heard my mom tell stories like this from the time I was little about people that just couldn't believe she had 4 KIDS?! I thought it was COMPLETELY unnecessary for this woman to be so incredibly rude. But my mom reminded me that maybe she was just having a bad day or didn't have a family or many other reasons that would cause her to be rude to me right then.

Anyway, just had to document the experience and count my many many blessings that I have 2 wonderful little girls who I love very much!

End of July

Just a quick recap of the end of July with some phone pics...

This cutie-pie kept me on my toes! That little smile and those sparkling eyes have saved her more than once. :) We endured the heat together and made it through our first July in Arizona!

I also made it through my first July in AZ being PREGNANT. It wasn't too bad until July and then it really was just way too hot. But here I was-36 weeks pregnant.

Alyssa and I made a trip to Target one day to get a few things to help pass the time on those hot afternoons when we couldn't run the AC (that's another story for another day. :)) This was the best $10 I've spent in a long time! We also tried "banana ice cream" for the first time. Here's the recipe:

-bananas

-chocolate chips :)

That's it! You just freeze a couple bananas, peel em, cut em up, stick em in the blender, and they get creamy and you just stir in a few chocolate chips and enjoy! Alyssa downed it and loved it! And she will not eat a banana any other time, so it was a great day. :)

Usually after Joseph gets home from work and I'm getting dinner ready, Alyssa's pretty fussy. she's hungry, tired, and wants both mom and dad's attention. So Joseph is always good about entertaining her while I cook dinner. This particular night, he got pretty creative with how to entertain Alyssa.

She felt like such a big girl. :)

Another night of entertainment was spent playing dress-up. Matching cowboy hats were just the thing Alyssa needed to be happy. :)

Other exciting news from the end of August: we have family living here now! :) David and Aleasha and their two kiddos made the move to AZ and we are so glad they're so close. We're even in the same ward and Alyssa and Caleb think that it's pretty amazing. This is the face Alyssa makes every time we ask her if she wants to go play with Caleb and Livvy...

And what would the end of July be without a little "pioneer day" celebration!? Some friends in the ward had us over for breakfast that morning. I tried to get a pic of her cute decorations but wasn't too successful- but the tin cans, tin plates, handkerchief napkins, and mason jars were just way too cute and we had a delicious breakfast!

I sure love this little chick! Like I said, she keeps me on my toes, but she sure is a lot of fun.

So long, July! It's been great.

Our New Little Lady

Blogger is not allowing me to see the pictures I'm posting- it's just a bunch of text- but when I view this post I can actually see the pictures. SO enjoy these few pictures. If anyone has tips about how I can view my pictures, please let me know!

We are sure enjoying little miss Kinzley! She is SUCH a good baby. She just sleeps all the time and fusses a little bit when she's hungry. Alyssa is LOVING her new little sister! More pics to come soon!

Kinzley Marie Campbell

Well Blogger isn't allowing me to upload pictures right now for some reason. SO I'll have to add pictures later- but just wanted to announce the safe arrival of our little Kinzley Marie!

She decided to come on Friday, August 12th! It was funny because I had texted Joseph Thursday afternoon after I finished cleaning our bathroom and told him that I "finally felt ready for this baby to come." (I had cleaned- better than usual- each part of the apartment that week and our bathroom was the last thing.) So Friday morning I woke up at 2 am and was bleeding a little bit- thought it was just part of the "losing your mucus plug" thing, but when I kept going to the bathroom every 30 minutes and had more and more bleeding, I thought something was a little abnormal. So I spent the rest of the night calling my doctor and labor and delivery every hour asking more questions. No one seemed TOO concerned, but they kept telling me I could go in if I wanted. I didn't want to go to the hospital though just to be sent home.

SO a little background- I was supposed to be induced on Tuesday the 16th, but I had an appointment on Tuesday the 9th where my doctor stripped my membranes. He had told me he'd do it at that appointment to try and speed things up and hopefully send me into labor on my own rather than having to be induced. I mentioned that my doctor had done that when I was pregnant with Alyssa and that it didn't do anything- he assured me that they "didn't know how to do it there" and that he knew how. I informed him that it didn't hurt when they did it last time, so maybe I didn't want him to. haha- but no pain no gain right? So he did it and I thought I was going to give birth right there in his office. It was WAY more painful- but I think it definitely worked!

So by 7:30 am Friday morning, we decided we should go in. I was losing a lot of blood and my contractions were ten minutes apart and had been for a couple hours. So I called Aleasha, we dropped Alyssa off with her at 8:45ish, and then headed to the hospital. My contractions weren't TOO close together- about 7 minutes apart at that point- and they were definitely more painful than usual. We got to the hospital about 9am and checked in. I had to wait for a while- which was weird to me- but they finally called me back. I had the SWEETEST nurse!! Oh my goodness she was SO kind and so sweet and just made us feel right at home. When she checked me I was dilated to a 3 or 4 (which I was surprised by because on Tuesday I was at a 2) but I still wouldn't let myself believe that I was having a baby that day. So then the mystery to be solved was, "What was causing the bleeding?" I had "placenta previa" (where the placenta is blocking the cervix and you have to have a c-section) earlier in the pregnancy, but at 32 weeks, they had determined that it had resolved. Well this nurse thought that there could possibly still be a little piece hanging down that was the cause of the bleeding. So for the next 3 hours, we waited (and prayed- a LOT). Two different people came in to do ultrasounds and neither could determine what it was. (I did ask the nurse something about having to be sent home and she said, "Oh no, we wouldn't send you home when you're bleeding like this." I thought HURRAY- I REALLY AM HAVING A BABY TODAY!!! :) I was still worried about her though and hoped everything would go smoothly. If something tore my placenta it could've been extremely dangerous to both her and I. So we continued praying and hoping things would work out.

Finally my doctor came in. He said the best thing to do would be to break my water so that some of the pressure on my placenta would ease up and hopefully speed up the contractions. Joseph had left to get something to eat because we thought the doc. wouldn't be there for a while so in the time he was gone (just down the hall), the doc had come in, talked to me, and broken my water. So Joseph came back and we packed up our stuff to move to a delivery room! So at this point it was probably a little after 1:00 pm. And after about 15 minutes of him breaking my water, my contractions were really becoming painful. So as soon as I got in the room and onto the bed, the nurse checked me and I was at a 5!!! I could feel the tears coming and told her, "I HAVE to have an epidural!!!" She kept assuring me that he was on his way- but it felt like an eternity before I got it. Good news is I did get it though and things got much better after that!

I told her I was feeling a lot of pressure (right after the epidural) and she checked me again and I was at a 7. She called my doc and he was in SURGERY, so another doctor delivered our little one. She was really nice and I didn't mind at all. (My doctor was very apologetic and later told us that was the first delivery he'd missed in 8 years! haha)

So by the time the doctor was all ready, I was dilated to a 9+, but she said since I was bleeding a little more than usual we were just going to start pushing! So the next contraction, I pushed 3 times and her head was out- we waited for the next contraction, pushed again 3 times, and she was born!!! 2:54 pm! They handed her to me right away and Joseph got to cut the cord (that didn't happen with Alyssa). They were concerned that she would've swallowed too much blood, but she knew it was yucky and spit it all up!

It amazed me how even after giving birth once before, it was still as much of a miracle this time as it was with Alyssa. The neat thing about this time was that I knew a little more of what to expect so I felt like I could focus more on Kinzley rather than what was happening. Joseph and I both agreed that she has a very sweet and special little spirit about her and I think we all felt it the second we saw her.

So she weighed 6 lbs. 15 oz. and was 19 and 1/4 in. long. She looked VERY similar to Alyssa when she first came out, but we're seeing more of "Kinzley" as she's growing. She DEFINITELY got Joseph's head and it is MUCH smaller than Alyssa's was! :)

So I apologize there aren't pictures, but I'll get them up as soon as Blogger will allow it! :)

We Love Layovers!

Most people dread layovers. We usually do. We always try to avoid them. BUT today was an exception. We've learned a great trick for seeing family more often than not. When you live far away from family, you learn these tricks and they're just great.

So my mom was flying from Austin to Salt Lake City today to go visit her mom for a week. When selecting her flight, she had the option of choosing a few different flights, so naturally she chose the one that flew through Phoenix- with a 3-HOUR LAYOVER!!! What could be better?! Had we not lived here, she obviously wouldn't have chosen that flight, but it worked out too perfectly. It's been a few months since we last saw her so it was just the thing we needed to last us until she comes in August for the baby!

Alyssa and I got to the airport about 7:30 am and made our way to where my mom would come out. After about 30 minutes of waiting (and Alyssa walking around, entertaining everyone who walked by) my mom was here! When we could see her coming, I kept pointing to her and telling Alyssa, "There's Gramz!!" She was confused why I was pointing to a very tall black man (he was walking in front of my mom- haha. Finally when she was just yards away, Alyssa saw who it was and ran up to her to give her a hug. We enjoyed breakfast together and walking around the airport.

We can't wait for the next layover when my mom flies to SLC in October! :)

Here's Alyssa talking to my dad and telling him how much fun she was having with Gramz!
Spending the last few minutes together... enjoying every second! Alyssa got a very serious (and kind of mad/sad) look when my mom told her she had to go. Alyssa held her arms around her neck and gave her a few more pats, hugs, and kisses, before she finally let go and waved goodbye. It was so fun to see you, Mom!! Thanks for stopping!!

Alyssa was asleep within minutes of driving home. It was a GREAT morning!!!

PS- Those cute jammies on her baby are from Baby's R Us- they're premie size! haha My mom found 'em with the clearance stuff for 50 cents and thought they'd be perfect for Alyssa's baby. She was right!

Life at 19 months

Alyssa's 19-month old life is pretty great. I took out fingernail polish today and started painting my own nails when I soon had a little head peak over the table and ask for her own to be painted.
The rough part of her life came soon after when she wanted me to paint her baby's fingernails. I finally convinced her that they were just too small. She quickly pointed to her baby's toes and nodded to tell me that she wanted them to be painted... but they were just too small too. :)

Another one of the more difficult parts of her little life is entertaining herself during piano lessons. Usually the graham crackers and water help...

But today she just needed a pen to help pass the time. And the paper was too full of other drawings.

So naturally her legs were the next best place to draw! At least it wasn't on the wall and it washed right off in the bath tonight. :)

Quite the life, right? Ah to be young again. :)

On the countdown!

I sent this pic. to my little (well not really little- but younger) brother the other day and said, "Feel bad for my belly. " It's SO LOW! So I am 35 weeks along now! I feel like I should be 40 weeks along though. This little miss moves a TON- I even know when she's going to "wake up" and start moving around- it's so crazy- and she is sitting SOOOOOO LOW. I told a friend today that I felt like she was just going to slip out any time now. I couldn't even cross my legs earlier because my belly feels like it's almost sitting in my lap. I do not remember it being this way with Alyssa! haha

ANYWAY... the good news is my doc. appointment last week was FABULOUS. I went in with the intention of finding out what my doctor would do if I went past my due date and his feelings on being induced, etc. (Probably should've found that out at the first appointment, but oh well.) So we listened to the heartbeat, then he asked when Alyssa came- early? late? Nope- right smack on her due date! I then added, "But I hope this one comes early because my husband starts an evening MBA program on the 17th." (Due date is the 23rd.) The doctor's reply was, "Well I can induce you a week early- that's not a problem." WHAT?? SERIOUSLY? I didn't even have to ask or beg or persuade you? You just OFFERED that?! I was SO excited!!!

SO I know it all depends on what kind of progress I make over the next couple weeks... but my next appointment is Tuesday and we'll see how far dilated I am and HOPEFULLY set a date to have this baby! (The tentative date the doc. told me was the 16th- exactly one week early!) The peace I could feel just knowing my husband will be driving me to the hospital and be by my side is something I'd really like. :) At first, I was wondering, but is it ok to be induced? What are the risks? etc. BUT then I remembered that I was pretty much induced with Alyssa. I had contractions two minutes apart for a couple hours, but since I wasn't dilating past a 1, they gave me the epidural, doc. broke my water, gave me pitocin, and about 6 hours later she was born! So I know my body responds to the pitocin and I'm not too worried about it.

So there you have it! And here's one of my new favorite pics of my little woman. Her smile is just too sweet. She's going to be such a great Big Sister!!!

First Fort

Another reason dad is more fun than mom- he helped Alyssa build her first fort!!! It was the perfect Saturday morning activity for the two of them. I'm not sure who had more fun. :)
Showing dad the inside of the fort... (she wouldn't hold still for a picture)

Venturing to the back of the fort...

And more proof that she wants to be just like dad...

She put his hat on by herself- exactly the way he'd been wearing it that morning while we were out and about washing the car and grocery shopping. She also loves carrying around his old cell phone and pretending to talk on it- that's what she's trying to open in the picture above.

I <3 Saturdays!!!

Just Like Dad

This is a super blurry picture, but I just had to document.
If Alyssa could be JUST like her dad, she would be a happy woman. She tries to be like him every single day. She copies everything he does. She can't wait for him to get home so they can play, because I am apparently not nearly as entertaining as he is! She loves to play hide-and-seek with dad, she loves to chase him, she loves when he chases her, she loves to sneak up on him and tickle him, she loves when he reads to her (she seriously smiles through the whole book- apparently he's a way better reader than I am), and she just loves any and all attention he gives to her. She likes to be with him whenever he's home, so even if he goes in the bathroom, she just stands outside the door, knocks, and says, "Daaaa" (in the sweetest little voice) until he comes out. I know Joseph thinks she prefers me over him, but I'm beginning to think differently... and I wouldn't have it any other way. ;)

Nursery Queen!

THIS little woman... is the newest member of our ward's nursery and she LOVES IT!!! Who would've thought???!!! For anyone who's ever babysat Alyssa, or seen her when I leave, you know it's bad news. She cries and cries and cries some more and I was certain that's how nursery would be. I hated nursery (from what my mom tells me) and didn't go by myself for a long time.

So I've been worrying for a few months now about how Alyssa would react to it and how on earth I would be able to actually go to primary and do singing time, when Joseph was in Elders' Quorum and Alyssa was screaming in nursery and we had a brand new baby?! I just could not see how it was going to work. Joseph kept telling me, "It'll be fine! She'll go to nursery and it'll work out." I didn't believe him and wondered if he'd forgotten who he was talking about. BUT, some inspired primary leaders asked me to start going into nursery in May to do some singing time with the kids. Alyssa came with me, so we were there for the whole first hour of nursery for several weeks. It was the PERFECT intro to nursery for her.

After many weeks of "practicing" nursery, and me being there with her, the first "official" week of nursery came! I stayed the whole first hour of nursery and then had to head to primary. Joseph heard Alyssa start to cry and went to get her. He was teaching the lesson so I wondered how that was supposed to work, but Alyssa fell asleep right away and slept through the whole lesson! It was a little tender mercy! (Sundays are SO hard for naps since church is 1-4, but we're learning to adjust.)

Week 2 was much more successfull! I stayed with her the first 10 minutes, then stood over by the side and did some things for primary. She kept checking to see if I was there, but she was enjoying playing and pushing a little doll around in a stroller. :) I snuck out for the last hour and thanks to a wonderful guy in our ward (who's been in nursery for a few weeks just to help out- but I'm convinced it's for Alyssa- haha) who Alyssa just loves, she was perfectly content to stay the entire time! I went back in for the last 10 minutes to do some singing time and I don't think she really even missed me! I thought it was just too good to be true!

So today was week 3- the plan was to go in, drop her off, sneak out, and see if she could last the whole two hours. She totally did! Joseph and I actually got to sit in Gospel Doctrine together- just the 2 of us- for the first time in a LONG time! It was so nice to be able to pay attention and not have to entertain a little one. Just a few more weeks of that though. :) But at least we won't be trying to entertain 2!!

I do love going in at the end of nursery to do some singing time because I get to see Alyssa "in action" in nursery. I love watching her sit on a little carpet square or on the blanket and do the actions to different songs as we sing. She's my favorite one to watch. (They say teachers aren't supposed to have favorites- but that's hard when you're the mom.) :) I can't believe how grown up she's getting! I just love her more every day! She's my best little buddy and I'm SO grateful I get to spend every day with her. :)

Hurray for nursery!