Project Central

This is my time to brag about the multi-talented husband of mine!  He just finished this upholstering project that turned out awesome!  This was his first time doing a project like this alone, so it is a big accomplishment.  Doesn't it look just amazing!  Wow!  And so cool in our living room. 

I'm still gearing up to try to sew a sling for Maya, sew a new apron for me (from a pattern I bought, by the way, which is totally new to me), make the baby announcements, make new calendars for the fridge, and... what else, I know there's one more thing--oh yeah, finish reading Pride & Prejudice.  All before the baby gets here.  Then things will calm down, right?!  Yeah. Right. 

A Fun Fun Christmas

Hey Everyone,

We had a wonderful Christmas and have stayed busy during the break doing projects and playing.  The weather has been great and we ever went to the beach the other day!  Analia had a great time on Christmas--starting with Christmas Eve.  We had a great salmon & shrimp dinner with Christmas placemats and fancy drinks, then we opened our pjs and read some Christmas books.  Analia's favorite was Jolly Old Santa Claus.  Christmas morning arrived--I swear I was more excited than Analia was--and she was happy to see toys lined up on the chair for her from Santa.  She played with each one for a minute then moved onto the next--not really bored with the first, just distracted with the others.  Then we began opening gifts from family and she enjoyed tearing the wrapping off the presents and looking into the boxes.  I think she loved every gift she got this year!  And she has been such a sweetie this past week--giving lots of kisses and soft touches on our faces--I know having Mike home everyday this week really makes her feel good.  And me too.  

Here is our little family on Christmas Eve--in our cozy new pjs.

Mike is reading Jolly Old Santa Claus to Analia and she loves it!  Look how excited she is!
Christmas Morning in Linda's gift to Analia!  What a cool baby!

And lastly here is Analia hugging her care bear she got from her cousin Aubrey.

We love you and miss you all!  Thanks to all of you who sent out cards this year! It was fun seeing everyone and hearing all about your lives!  I hope everyone has had a great holiday and a happy new year.  

Christmas Time is Here!!

Christmas is here!  Here are some pictures of our house as decked out as it's gonna get this year!  We liked the retro lights for the outside.  Cool huh!
Here's our tree in the living room.  We bought an artificial one this year and we're so happy with it.  
Here's Norma's gift to us: A German Christmas Pyramid.  We love it and just got the red candles to fit.   
And here is our baby girl Analia in her darling Christmas dress.  Isn't the hat just perfect?!
I'm glad finally that the weather down here is getting cooler--the high was only 54 degrees today and we got all bundled up.  It's starting to feel more like wintertime.  We've been introducing Analia to Santa Claus and she can tell you that he says "hohoho".  It's really cute whenever she sees a santa, she tells you what he says.  She's talking a lot now and starting to voice her opinions on things.  It's so fun to be with her and watch her grow.  

We miss you all, this time of year especially, and hope you all have a fun holiday season.

8 weeks and counting down...

So far I only have 8 weeks to go until my due date, and it hits me everyday lately that I'm going to have 2 little girls! I forget in the daily routine that I'm prego! I'm so excited and yet so mind-boggled that I'm going to be a mom of two. And to think about the whole labor thing again--whoa. I'm getting a little bit nervous about the whole situation and about having Analia adjust to a new little one in the house. I think we'll be fine, but I just get anxious sometimes and I really don't know how it's all going to work.

How can I be that worried though with a kid like Analia! Just so cute! It gets pretty cold some days, but not cold enough to stay away from the beach!

Here is the latest picture--I've not gotten lots bigger in the last week though, sorry!This was one of the first times that Analia actually played in the sand--with out toys, just playing with the sand. It was so nice to know that we don't have to have tons of beach toys to have a blast on the beach!
My two favorite people!

Halloween Fun

Trick-or-treating became a question answer session:

Us: "What does a sheep say?"

Analia: "Babababa."

At each door we would ask her and she would respond with an enthusiastic "bababa." She made us all smile!

Us on Halloween night going around our neighborhood. We walked probably a mile and wore ourselves out!
Walking along our street--isn't she just so cute?!
Here we are at our ward trunk-or-treat party. Mike's the UPS delivery guy and I'm, you guessed it, a special delivery, due to arrive in January!

I had fun getting ready for the night--I even made carmel popcorn balls to give out to our friends in the neighborhood, but it turned out that all thier homes were dark. So I had several popcorn balls left over that I ate/gave away to other friends. I was dissappointed to say the least. But we had fun anyway. Hope everyone else's Halloween was fun too!

Not ready for Nursery

Yesterday, Analia followed her friend Matthew into the nursery room and the teacher said that she could stay in if she played. Well, she did play and didn't even blink an eye at me not being there. She was so involved with the kids and the toys and the teacher playing with them all that she wasn't even phased. At first I was pumped because I could really enjoy the lesson in Sunday School without chasing her around, but then after church, I noticed that she was acting, somehow, a little bit older--I'm not sure how to describe it, but it just seemed to me that she was bigger.

Going to bed last night I realized that I'm not ready for her to be in nursery! She's ready, but I'm not! That probably doesn't happen too often! Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that she is adjusted to being with older kids and playing and singing songs and all that, but I'm just a little bit, I don't know, sad maybe? I'll probably get over it sooner than later because she is so happy about playing and is acting much more playful than the last couple of days. I swear, growth in kids happens in a day--it's like they just click and then all of a sudden their older--it doesn't seem so gradual anymore. So I'm hoping to keep living each day in the moment with her and then these jumps won't seem so out of the blue! Any advice?

Inspirations...

The heart is happiest when it beats for others.

Albert Einstein said, "Strange is out situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a diving purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of others...for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day, I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labors of people, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received."

When we truly take stock of our lives, we must admit we have done nothing on our own. Our thinking has been fashioned by our many teacher and mentors, including family members. Our ability to function physically is the result, in part, of our genetic code and the productivity of others in providing food, water, and shelter. Our spiritual lives are a gift of God Himself.

We are what we have received. These facts should drive us to share our lives with others.

John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Look what I made!

So, I've ventured out of my comfort zone and am trying lots of new crafts--one of which is sewing! Mike and I decided that we could make some curtains for the office because nothing in the store looked good in the room--so here they are! Aren't you proud of me?! Who woulda thought! See the bead work--that was a ribbon that we bought, but see how it lines up perfectly! Wow huh!
And look at the stitching around the button-hole style wraps! Awesome huh! I only had to practice a few times on some scrap fabric and it looks pretty dang good to me!
And this here is a liitle fall decor that I made because I have nothing else in the house remotely fall or halloween-ish, (besides my yummy pumpkin-spice candle!) but here it is. I think I may make some smaller ones as well. Not too bad for a novice, eh? We decided to do curtains and a bedspread for the guest room as well because you can do what you want, have a totally unique room and pay less (usually) for it. Hopefully we'll get that done before the new baby comes!

I've been having so much fun with these crafts--it really does make me stretch and try to develop new talents that may be useful someday. Hence the craft room cleaning-- a big motivator to keep going and enjoy it. Like it's really hard! And my friends are really good at it and like doing crafts, so it's fun to share.

I'm still quilting a baby blanket for the new little one and should have some pictures of it when more of it is finished. So far it's a fun project. Can't wait to show you! And I'll also be sewing an apron! We'll see how that goes--yikes. Wish me luck!

My Shoes---

I take it as a compliment that Analia wants to wear my shoes around--she wants to be like me! And I hope that never changes--I hope I'll always be someone who she wants to be like. I guess those are big shoes for me to fill!

P.S. We were cleaning out the extra room/craft room that's why everything is looking so messy! Although, Analia didn't mind!

Inspirations

Each loving act says loud and clear, "I love you. God loves you. I care. God Cares."
-Anonymous

A warm-from-the-oven casserole taken to the home of a sick friend.
A bouquet of flowers from your garden given to a new neighbor.
A thank you note sent to the performers who did such an excellent job during a concert or play you attended.
A loaf of freshly baked cinnamon bread brought to the office for coffee break.
A box of cookies taken to the police station on Christmas day to encourage those who are on duty during the holiday.
An invitation to a bachelor to join your family for a home-cooked meal.
A note of appreciation sent to your child's coach or teacher.
A smile for a discouraged person in the grocery story check out line.
A call to ask with genuine care and concern, "How are you doing?"
A candy bar left in a co-worker's mail slot.

We may not think of these as acts of Christian witnessing, yet they are. Every act of loving-kindness reflects God's loving-kindness for His people. We give because Jesus Christ has so freely given His love to us., He is the example we follow.

Never dismiss an act of loving-kindness as being too small or inconsequential. God will magnify even our smallest deeds to reveal His love to others

1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God....for God is love.

For YW tonight, we are making recipe cards and then making some caramel popcorn. I was stressing about how to connect this to the gospel and help the girls feel the spirit. When I came across this thought--and I apply it to sharing good food and loving conversation with each other. If the girls can come to love making good food and sharing it--sharing it is the most important part here--then they can feel the spirit of Christ more frequently and feel His love surrounding them in their daily lives.

Words and more words

The other day we went to the butterfly house to find that it is closed for the season, but we had a blast walking around the pond, feeding the ducks, and smelling the flowers. Analia says 'wow' for flower, so that's all she said for the entire hour at the pond. And every morning she wakes up and sees the big flower picture in her room and says 'wow wow'. She's also saying 'duc' for duck and 'ba' for sheep. And she's learned the sign for 'please', so when she asks for something, she'll do the sign too. She's so smart! Yay! got down the sign for 'please', so when she asks for something, she'll do the sign too. She's so smart!


Just a great picture of her playing in our back yard later that day.
Her first carosel ride! She loved being on the horse, but more than that she loved being by her dad. She loves Mike so much and lately will prefer him over me--which is fine because he can play with her in the evenings and so I don't get boring to her. It's cute to see her say 'dad' and point to him, run with her arms up toward him, and give him kisses. She is such an angel.

Eating with a spoon and other pictures...

Hi all, Just wanted to update you on this new feat in our home: Analia is eating with a spoon! She loves it and really eats more when she can do it herself. After a while though, she gets tired and just digs in with her hands. And then grins!
She's getting so big so fast and understanding everything. I'll ask her to go get her shoes and she'll come out with both shoes that match and want me to put them on. Wow. She just amazes me every day.

Here's one for ya--

1. What is your occupation? Wife, Mom, and a high school English teacher, and doer of other random things that come up
2. Do you like banana sandwiches? No, never heard of that--but I do like eating bananas every morning with my cereal
3. What are you listening to right now? The quiet of the morning, before Analia wakes up and the rain and thunder that has stopped me from my morning run.
5. Do you wish on stars? Yeah, kinda silly, but when I see the first star of the evening, I make a wish, or if I see a shooting star, then I make a big wish.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Um, yellow? Who knows.
7. How is the weather right now? It's raining like crazy and the thunder kinda rocks the house.
8. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My friend Joanna when she was on the way to Pensacola.
10. Favorite T.V. commercial? Anything with those guys teasing bigfoot.
11. Favorite drink? Orange Fanta
12. Favorite sport to watch? Running events: 5K, Marathon, Track meets. Soccer and lately college football (with Mike of course--he just loves games so much that it makes it more fun to watch.)
13. Have you ever dyed your hair? Tons of times--not in the past 4 years though. Kinda like the natural brown!
14. Do you wear contacts or glasses? Neither
15. Pets? none.
16.Favorite food? Sushi (a rare treat!), spaghetti, a bagel sandwich with this homemade pepper pesto, and of course any Lenny's sandwich.
18. What was the last movie you watched? The painted veil
19. Favorite day of the year? Christmas Eve
20. What do you do to vent anger? Usually talk it out with MIke or any of my close frineds.
21. What was your favorite toy as a child? My playhouse--it was full of anything you could want in a kitchen--maybe that's why I love cooking now! No, it's probably due to the fact that I love eating!
22. Fall or Spring? Usually Spring, but lately I've been loving fall, especially because it doesn't really happen down here in FL.
23. Hugs or kisses? Lots of both!
24. Cherry or Blueberry? Blueberry
25. What is on the floor of your closet? SHOES, my running container, a box with random stuff like shin guards, extra soccer socks, purses, an ankle brace, and some bags that I don't know what to do with.
26. Who is the friend you have had the longest? Kristen
27. What did you do last night? We made dinner--grilled pork chops with apple sauce, angle hair pasta, and peas. Gave Analia a bath and put her to bed then watched the office.
28. What are you afraid of? Snakes, bears, and big spiders in my house.
29. What bugs you? Insincerity in myself and others.
30.How many states have you visited? A lot, probably, like 25.
31. Favorite car? A landrover.
32.Number of keys on your key ring? 4 House key, car key, Mike's car key, church key.
33. How many years at your current job? 2.5 years being a wife, 13 months being a mom, 1 year teaching, and about 1.5 years of trying to learn how to be a chef, a seamstress, a card maker, a scrapbooker, a photographer, a cleaner, a plant waterer, a budget expert, and a bargain shopper.
34. Favorite day of the week? Yeah, Thursdays are awesome for some reason! And then Saturday and Sunday too.
35. How many states have you lived in? 2

I'm tagging Casey Lee and Teryn! Have fun!

News in Pink

So our newest bit of lovely info comes in the form of an ultrasound--telling us that we're having a baby girl! We are stoked and think this is the best thing for our family. Analia will just love her and will always remember her life with her. I'm feeling great and am just loving being prego. 5 more months to go and we'll have two kids. Wow. Get ready.

Analia's First Birthday!

Hey everyone! Here are a few pictures of Analia's first birthday (Aug. 7th) and of her first birthday party this summer at Mike's cabin. At first, Analia didn't want to touch the cake with her hands, but couldn't resist it--so she went in with her mouth only! Then finally she dug her hands in and ate the entire piece of cake. She was on a sugar high for a few minutes, which proved well because she gave us a great show opening her presents. It was really a fun party.
Thanks to everyone who helped make her first birthday a memorable one!

Our House

One more...

So here are a few pictures of my house that we just got finished up. Analia's room was the last one to get painted and we are just loving it. The colors are bold but we think it suits us well. What do you think?

Family Trip

Our hike to Avalance Lake was fabulous. Especially because Mike carried her the whole way and all I had to do was hike 2 miles straight up with the water bottles. Easy as pie! Yeah right! I was sweating more than Mike was for sure. When we got to the lake, we had lunch and let Analia play on the rocks. She had a blast climbing up and down on the boulders and splashing in the ice cold lake. I love this picture because it shows how much Analia and I love to hang out and play together. She is such a doll and I love being with her. After the hike we drove up to the top of the pass on "A Road to the Sun". You can see it in the picture, where the mountian dips down. It climbed up to about 7000 feet and was spectacular. I am so glad to have taken a trip into Glacier while we were in Montana. Especially exposing Analia to all the beauties of nature. I loved it!