My two kids!

So every day seems to get better for me, as a mother, until once in a while, a day like today! When you are grocery shopping and BOTH your kids are crying and everyone is staring at you. Yes, it was stressful. They are usually very reliable shopping buddies. Then earlier, at aerobics this morning, Maddox was SUPER fussy, and Bryanna misbehaving horribly. I almost put them up for sale after that.

When we decided to have another baby, I was really hoping for a different personality than Bryanna's. Don't get me wrong, I totally love her, she is wonderful, spunky, too smart (for her own good) and witty, I needed a change of pace. I just would have never guessed in a million years what kind of little spirits I would have been blessed with. Maddox can't stand to have me out of sight when on the other hand, Bryanna could care less!! How did I end up with two extreme personalities? I keep thinking it will get better and easier as Bryanna is turning 3 in two months, being more obedient, listening and following directions, training her to be a wonderful helper. But then my life would be way too easy, Heavenly Father is trying to teach me something with all the challenges of motherhood(and I just haven't caught on yet, I would think, but NO!) And so, I'm grateful for the lessons, (but wouldn't mind doing without the drama while trying to shop, which is probably asking too much!)

Below I finally got our pictures from our cruise off our camera, so they are included in a slide show! We had so much fun, the food was great, the sunny and sandy white beaches, all the shows were so entertaining, and the highlight was the comedian, he was the best comedian I've ever seen. His name was Carlos Oscar if any of you are interested. At the end of his stand up he mentioned that his mentor is Bill Crosby and they are trying to keep comedy clean and funny.

The parts that were not so fun on the cruise was getting "sea legs" after getting off the ship, missing my babies (even if they do scream at the same time while shopping at the store:-) and of course receiving the news that Mark's brother had passed away. It was unexpected and tragic. We are doing better, but a death in the family hits really hard. Time will definitely help heal our hearts, but more than anything, the Savior's atoning blood can do the most comforting. Mark is very strong and he has handled it very well. He is my hero.

Hope you like the pictures, it was nice for Mark and I to focus on each other, we thoroughly enjoyed the vacation and are trying to space out the next one so my mom will watch the kids again!