What we have been up to lately

    It has been a while since I posted about our life, so here it is in pictures. January flew by and now it's already February! Time is such a precious/weird/crazy fast thing. I feel like we are in such a good rhythm with nap schedules and going outside everyday that the week goes by really fast. Then when the whole month is over I am so sad that my babies are growing up and getting bigger. I was talking with my good friend the other day (over pedicures!! we treated ourselves) and we were both saying how we are just trying to cherish and LOVE this stage in our lives. I LOVE the baby stage so much and really just want to take it all in. I told Spencer last night that I am going to stress less about the little things that really don't matter and you forget anyway in a few months (like Bergen waking early from her naps or her not nursing as long as she used to. Or Charley wanting to wear the same thing over and over again or when some days she just doesn't want to nap).

     Life has been really good lately. I made a goal to go outside with the girls everyday and we have done that so far! Even when it's been really cold we will go out and either play in the snow or just go on a quick walk around the block. It makes me feel much better and more sane and I am sure it helps the girls feel better. Spencer was just called as the Stake Clerk so he will be able to be at church with me now (yay!) but will most likely have meetings the rest of the day. On Sunday they asked me to play the piano for Sacrament meeting so Spencer was with both the girls and he got a taste of what it is like when he isn't there with me! :) He sat on Bergen's squeeze pouch and got it all over his suit, all while running out of baby wipes and using Bergen's back-up onesie to clean it up. Charley was crying because she wanted me to come sit with them and Bergen desperately needed a nap and was very loudly making it known. It was pretty funny to watch him from the stand since I couldn't do anything to help. whoops!:) 

   I am also super proud of Spencer and how hard he works! He had some company meetings in Vegas at the beginning of the month and he came home with a few awards for being the top salesman for the quarter and for hitting 1 million in sales. He really does work so hard and I am so proud of him. At the beginning of each year he sets some pretty high goals for himself and always seems to reach them. He just had to move out of his office space a few buildings down which is a bummer but is still close and has to take the train just a few stops away to a new workspace.

We had a few weeks where we would have lunch parties in my room while Charley slept. It is really hard to have 2 kids in 500 sq. foot apt and so we ate on the floor in our room so we wouldn't wake up Charley. Luckily now, they both take their naps at the same time! 

This winter has been so warm! Charley and I went for a bike ride and it was so fun! She loved being back on the bike. We went to a friends' birthday party! 

I had to take this picture to remind myself to write something about it. Kids WATCH your every move! I made some popcorn for Charley and asked her if she wanted it on a plate or a bowl. She said a plate.. so I put it on a plate and then she said she wanted a spoon to eat it. So I gave her a spoon and she started eating her popcorn with her spoon. I then put some popcorn in a bowl for me and started eating my popcorn with my hands. Charley started watching what I was doing and decided she wanted to do it like me. So she silently took out the jello that was in her bowl and put it on the table and then put her popcorn in her bowl and started eating it with her hands just like me. I thought it was cute but also interesting that (since she didn't know how to eat popcorn) took some notes, watched me and then tried to do it exactly like that! 

A few weekends ago we went to see The Book of Mormon on Broadway. It was funny and had some really great singing. I don't think I would recommend it to anyone since it was pretty crass and had some bad words, but it wasn't at all anti-mormon like people think. The songs are quite catchy and it's pretty funny... but again I'm not recommending it :) 

 We had a HUGE snowstorm and got about 2.5 feet of snow! Cars were literally buried under snow and we couldn't move our car for a few days! Charley loved all the snow and we went out a few times and played in it before it got dirty and gross. Spencer's brother, Derek, came into town that weekend and we kind of had to lay low which was a bummer. We even got tickets to see Wicked on Broadway but it was cancelled because of the snow. We did manage to make it to the Brooklyn Bridge on Sunday since church was cancelled.

 I finally finished Charley's quilt! It took a lot longer than I expected but I quilted and bound it just on my sewing machine. It as fun to make and I am so happy it is done. The night I finished it, I wrapped it for her so she could open it the next morning. She was really excited to open her quilt and loves to have it on her bed! 

 Last weekend, Spencer and I planned a temple date night. When we showed up to the Temple it was closed for maintenance! Such a bummer, but since we already had a sitter, we walked around Hell's Kitchen for a bit and found Toto Ramon. It had 3,500 reviews on yelp and was dang good! It turned out to be a really good night eating Ramon (our second dinner) and talking. 

 And last news in the Ellingson house is that we are potty training! Charley and I went to Target yesterday and bought some big-girl-undies with all the Princesses on them! She is really excited about it and today has gone really well. The first few times she totally just wet herself expecting her diaper to catch the pee, but throughout the day she has started telling me when she needs to go. Hopefully it will go smoothly!