November

Hiding out in the bath tub with Sia...a wild day obviously^

Harley was texting me and when I told him he said I was a monster and he thought it was awesome.:) 

#darkcircles 

A few things about this Noelle lately: 
whenever she colors with markers there ends up being signs of it on the left corner of her mouth? 
she loves confetti & sprinkles
she has an imagination...those pillows are actually mermaid tails ;)
she would watch TV all day long if I let her 
she entertains Sia and can make her laugh when she has been crying 

my birthday.  I am 30?!!? A few of my awesome handmade gifts from my sister (Lilia) pictured above.  I also got my very own scavenger hunt. She made me feel loved that day. Also my brother in law (Bobo) picked out some amazing decor to surprise me with in the morning! My sister got me some awesome new lounge wear.  my favorite!!!

And my lovely husband bought me a "Bruce cake" aka the all american chocolate cake from Costco.  

only picture I got of the worst day ever ^^ the day after I turned 30...

anthro & breastfeeding-good life!

I always pick out all of my favorites and then never buy anything;)

 CUTE Christmas patterns ^^

my happy place...organizing/purging/donating/throwing away

FUN llama hunt me and Lil discovered going on at World Market! 

Chaos with all of the kids but too fun!

Oh this Gwinna.  She is a selfie-taking (& apparently people-eating!!😂) character.  

one day this month we were able to go out with the dad^^^ 

business is getting good & we are grateful for it...days like this are sooooo needed and nice though😄

I love these baby girls! I cannot wait for gingerbread-house-making insanity soon!!!

grateful

November 7, 2017 
I often feel like my journal is a place to vent and complain and I always try to resist the temptation. 
 I will do a gratitude list instead: enchiladas, bruce cake, sunshine ... Sia is stealing my pen ...

November 25, 2017 
Why am I always tempted to list my complaints? Ugh.  My life is so good when I list all that I am blessed with.  This month has been one of exhaustion...things both happy and hard!  
-30th birthday! so fun.  
-Sia had some major work done on her teeth the day after my birthday. Probably one of the worst and most tearful days of my life...honestly.  
-I am TRYING to quit breastfeeding as I think problems with her teeth are happening in part because of that.  HATE this...and totally NOT succeeding at it. This is probably the most emotionally and physically exhausting thing for me.
- Gwinna is going back to school on Monday:(  As wild as all 3 together can be I so do prefer everyone home! 
- golden llama hunt! SOOO much fun but also exhausting...pretty sure I messed up my back doing it. Hauling Sia and trying to search.
-I got a new calling as primary chorister in my ward which is SO exciting and I love it! It takes planning and I was stressed about leaving Sia in nursery but she is good without me so that is one less stress!
- My mother in law and sister in law both had birthdays this month so I wanted to plan awesome desserts for them.  I love doing this so....both stressful (because sia will empty every drawer, stack all of the cans and slam all of the cupboards as I am doing it) and fun for me.  I did a lemon sugar cookie cheesecake bar thing for mama and pumpkin pie for Tia Stephanie.  Total desserts for the month: 6 
(3 apple pies, 2 pumpkin, 1 lemon thing) haha.
-My sweet Grammy Florence hosted Thanksgiving and 5 out of 7 of us Dahlin kids were there...that was a good day:)
Realizing right now that I also have taken a major break from my workouts this month....this may have something to do with feeling stressed at the moment.  Need to get back to that.

Today I was able to take a bath, paint my toenails, plan my primary singing time and read a lot with my girls.  Life is good and I AM grateful for all of it even when I complain:) 

October

pumpkin patch day

💓

???

a month of ear infections for that Gwinna ... ugh

crazy hat day

October 14

I must say it is VERY HArD to savor the moment and live in the moment and just enjoy all of the wonderful little things about when my babies are little. It is HARD because I love reading with my Gwinna but Sia often interrupts. I really love bath time with my girls but then they start splashing and chaos ensues & angry elf mama and ok we are done!:) I love playing games with them but if Sia is there she is a destroyer of all things “set up”. Craft time is just insanity but I really try to mentally prepare for that and then feel guilty for not doing MOrE of that untamed insanity for their little hands and minds. Outside. Not even possible right now. Fires. Smoky air. They are all sick. 

We do love our baking shows & Halloween movies and all others kinds of TV at the moment though! (Mostly in bed!) Haha that’s what works and I DO love those snuggly warm moments when I can just enjoy breathing with them, feeling their warmth, feeding Sia, watching Noelle drink her bottle, sometimes getting to scratch Gwinnas back. Nice, still, precious moments. 

Just read mormon chapter one

Work is a common theme. I am grateful for the work of Mormon in recording & delivering & simply doing the will of God as all of his people are destroyed around him. Can’t imagine. Also hard work is that of being in tune and doing the wise will of God and really listening to whisperings. God will not “work” in our lives if we do not do the hard work of allowing Him to. We are required to labor with the might of our WHOLE body and faculty of our soul. (V 18)

Am I doing this...remotely even? I feel I do when I’m working out but as far as really working hard at my spiritual nourishment I am lacking...

I need to be kinder, more affectionate more patient, with my babies. 

 trunk or treat night 

pretty babies ^^^

Family Home Evening

the big night

September

homecoming

matching family business shirts #Gwinnaphotography

the beginning of Sia's wild side emerges
 (she has bruises on the tops of her feet from these cans)
bad mom award

end of the month...because....TARGET!

August

August began with baking a cake for Tio BoBo's birthday;) (any excuse to bake a cake...or make dessert of any kind really...)

Then came the hard stuff.  I have a lot of thoughts about this girl going to school, that I'll save for another day.
 (insert crying emoji here)

getting some time in at Grandma's before school started...a hot day. Aunt Lil is awesome, fanning away...

so the house is kept pretty cold here...forts & hot chocolate on a hot Friday

making "Pascal's Pancakes" from the new cook book from Grandma

daddy-daughter nap time

sprinklers, shopkins & a movie day!

Michael came home with 2 of my favorite things one day ^^ 💕

a poem from Ms. Rocha. I tried to read it aloud to my mother-in-law one day...I could not finish 😢

family date

8-7-17

So today was wild and long. Gwinna threw a little tantrum in Wal Mart when she didn't get what she wanted (gum and a cupcake doll), Noelle threw a large rock at my foot, fruity pebbles everywhere this morning thanks to Sia:) the list goes on...

 

The girls also had so much fun and it was probably the best day for them because I let them get as dirty as they wanted to and then turned the hose on! Sia quickly grabbed it and took over squirting her sisters all over. They LOVED it. Squealing like crazies. I honestly loved it too (in between loads of laundry) and tried to soak in the whole naked scene. They find so much joy in water, sunshine, dirt and just being together - add in some movies and lots of desserts & we are all happy. I love my girlfriends. I truly love getting to be with their little souls all day. It can be insanity a lot of the time but then there are such great moments like Gwinna hugging Noelle tight telling her how much she loves her or Sia closing her eyes as she eats, humming, throwing back her head and making us all crack up...these are the best.