"Love You Too"

Q has a habit of repeating (or at least trying to repeat) absolutely everything that her big sister says.  I really have to credit Y with much of Q's vast vocabulary.

Ever since she was born and definitely ever since she uttered her first word I have been anxiously awaiting the day when she would say, "I love you."  It is hands down my absolute favorite phrase especially when it's coming from my husband or kids.  It is also a phrase I use extremely often, there is not a single time that I leave my home without them that I don't say it.  If I'm talking to B on the phone, regardless of how brief the conversation, it is always the last thing to leave my lips before I hang up.  So it's needless to say that my girls hear if often throughout the day.

Well tonight as I was leaving for the gym I gave Y a hug and a kiss and we did our usual "I love you", "I love you too" exchange.  After Y walked away Q strolled over and gave my legs a squeeze.  When I bent down to give her the kiss and tell her I loved her she replied, "love you too" just as she had her Y say.

I was beyond happy as it was her first time saying even a variation of I love you.  She kept walking around the room aimlessly saying it over and over again until she became distracted by something else.

Up until that point I had already had a decent day but that one little phrase turned it into an awesome day!  And I hope my girls never forget just how much their mommy loves them.

Happy Birthday

Today is B's 31st birthday.  Being as it's a Monday which also happens to be our designated grocery shopping day, we didn't really do much to celebrate.  After grocery shopping we had pizza (his favorite food), he and Y had birthday donuts (it's his birthday but he allowed her to pick his birthday treat) and then he went off to the gym for a workout.  Later in the week we will go out and all have dinner together at the restaurant of his choice.  It's been a much more low key birthday for him this year as compared to last year.

There are certain times each year when I really realized just how blessed we are to have him be the head of our household.  He's kind, he's gentle, and he's loving.  I know all this about him and I always appreciate those things about him but there's nothing like a special occasion to help remind you even more.  We (me and the girls) are among the luckiest females to ever walk this earth all because he is a part of our lives.  We can rest assured that he will always put our needs (and even our wants) above his own.  He will do all that is in his power for us to be happy.  When we are feeling our worst and thinking little of ourselves, he will be the first one to point out all the good things that may be overshadowed at the moment.  When we are unsure, he will be our biggest cheerleader encouraging us to continue on.  When we fail, he will not criticize and he will never say "I told you so."  And when we get angry and yell at him, he will not yell back.  He's not perfect but he sure is a wonderful example of what we should all strive to be.  I (we) love him for all that he is and for all that he is not!

Since he's now 31, here's 31 things that I love about him:

1. I love how he can think of a quote from a movie in the most random situation or setting.
2. I love his laugh, not his fake laugh but the laugh that he does when he finds something hilarious.
3. I love those 2 moles on either side of his nose.
4. I love to watch him play with our girls.
5. I love that he's a worthy Priesthood holder.
6. I love that I will never have to pay to have our computer repaired.
7. I love that when someone calls him asking about a computer problem or even just to help them create something using the computer he will do whatever he can to help them.
8. I love his little grumbles when I ask him to do something he doesn't really wanna do.
9. I love his fake little whimpers after I've cooked a big meal and I remind him that he has to do the dishes.
10. I love that even though he loves chocolate ice cream he knows that I hate it and thus he will only buy non-chocolate based ice creams.
11. I love that even though he hates getting up early, he wakes up each weekday morning at 4:20am to prepare for work and then does the same most Sunday mornings so that he can be at church for his meetings.
12. I love how he smiles even when I know someone (not me) is annoying him.  They will never know...but I can tell!
13. I love how honest he is, always.
14. I love that he doesn't just tell me what I want to hear.
15. I love that he realizes that even though I'm home with the girls all day that it can still be really hard for me to get things done.  He realizes that the two of them take up most of my time and never asks me what I did all day if the house isn't spotless.
16. I love that he doesn't see cleaning the house as just my responsibility.
17. I love his patience.
18. I love that even during the times that I don't feel attractive, he makes sure to remind me that he thinks I'm hot!
19. I love that he supports what I want to do, even if he has absolutely no interest in it whatsoever.
20. I love his ability to remain calm at moments when I would completely lose my temper.
21. I love it when we're walking or riding in the car or sitting in church and he grabs my hand - granted it doesn't happen nearly as often with 2 very young kids.
22. I love waking up next to him on the few mornings that we're actually able to get up at the same time.
23. I love how he allows my wants to supersede his own.
24. I love how he's taught me to be more financially cautious without counting ever penny I spend or making me feel guilty about spending.
25. I love that I can make fun of him when he's being grouchy and he not get offended.  (YES, he gets grouchy)!
26. I love his dependability.
27. I love that he loves my crazy family.
28. I love it when he sees that I'm a little preoccupied and so he will cook dinner AND do the dishes even though the person who cooks isn't supposed to do the dishes.
29. I love that he kills all the spiders that I find even though he hates them too.
30. I love his perseverance, if there's something he wants he never gives up.
31. I love that I have the ability so spend Time and all Eternity with him!!!!!

I have one amazing husband!!!

It's Happening...

Before we started trying to get pregnant, during my entire pregnancy and even after Q was born I spent a lot of time worrying about how Y would react to and treat Q.  When we first brought Q home Y tottered between being overly affectionate towards Q and being pretty mean to her - pulling her hair, hitting her, pretty much anything that she knew would make Q cry.  But more recently she's really started to show much more affection towards her baby sister, and this is more of a gentle affection!

Each morning while I prepare breakfast for Y and myself I put Q in her swing.  Well while I am making breakfast Y has started pulling up her rocking chair in front of the swing and "reading" to Q based on the pictures in the book.  Here she is reading her Thumbelina and I'm not sure how obvious it is in this photo but they are both smiling.

These are the moments when I love my job the most!



Sisterly Love

I'm not sure what Y is doing in these photos, but Q is happy!



Happy 3rd Birthday!

On Sunday, Y turned 3 years old!!  She has been talking about her birthday for weeks now and in the days leading up to her birthday she kept asking, "is today my birthday?"  She was able to choose what she wanted to do, so on Saturday she and B went to the bounce house for several hours (I didn't wanna take Q because of the deafening music).  And when they came home, we all went out to dinner at Red Robin.  On Sunday, we went to church and I had bought cupcakes for her and her friends in nursery and that night we had cake and watched the videos that family members had made for her on her birthday. (Side note:  for much of the year Y has been making birthday videos for her grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents and so we thought it'd be cool if they made videos for her on her birthday.)  As gifts we gave her a Mrs. Potato Head (which she has been asking for for months) with over 40 interchangeable pieces as well as a Dora the Explorer bag which she can use to take her coloring books, crayons, and toys to church.  She also received a Dora paper doll book and the book Alligator Baby from Aunt J and Uncle R in Toronto.  A counting book with a CD of counting songs from Grandma G in Sarnia. And a Tinkerbell umbrella and matching backpack and a little cash from Grandma and PopPop in North Carolina.

At three Y is a smart, vibrant, curious, funny and fairly well-adjusted preschooler (she's no longer a toddler).  She loves to run, sing, dance, use her imagination, play in the pool and at the playground, she still loves to snuggle and she loves to talk and ask questions.  She is very observant of everything that goes on around her and she has one amazing memory.  Don't ever think you can tell her something and she not remember it.  She loves to be around other kids and will mimic whatever it is that they happen to be doing, regardless of their age.  She has found a love for all things Disney, especially princess and Tinkerbell movies, in fact she can frequently be heard singing or even re-enacting various scenes from Cinderella. When asked what she wants to be for Halloween she alternates between Tinkerbell and an astronaut.  She loves to touch and try to play with Baby Q and is very curious about her jerky movements.  She also can't wait for Q to get bigger so that she can really play with her.  Sometimes she tries to play with Q and gets a little too rough but she loves to hold her and take pictures with her.  One thing is for sure Q is going to have to be one tough cookie and will probably quickly learn to hold her own against her sister.  Y has had a bit of difficulty adjusting to Q being around but when we take her out one-on-one you can tell that she really appreciates having the alone time with either B or myself.  She always returns home excited to tell the other parent all about what she did while out. 



 I cannot even begin to put into words the unconditional love that I feel for my beautiful first-born child.  She brings so much joy to our lives whether it be in warm kisses and hugs, funny statements she makes, or bringing us something like a leaf from a tree while out on a walk.  I love to see how bright and wide her eyes get when she learns something new and the questions that she often asks amaze me at times.  I am often saddened at the idea of her growing up, in just 2 short years she will be starting kindergarten and it just makes me want to hold on to her tighter in hopes to slow time down.  But it also gives me the motivation to enjoy each moment with her, to take advantage of the time we have together.  She brightens our lives in so many ways and while there are many moments of frustration they seem pale in comparison to all the joy we have.  I love my little monkey!



Disney Fairies Cake, each  fairy has a ring and the box can store them all.

With it just being us and my mom this year, we opted for the 1/8 sheetcake and so there wasn't much room for writing and her name had to be written below.

The Dora bag we bought before we knew she was getting the bag seen below.



Blowing caution (and superstition) to the wind and playing with her umbrella indoors.  She's also wearing her backpack.  She had been begging us for months for a Mr./Mrs. Potato Head and wouldn't you know it was trumped by the umbrella.  That was apparently her favorite gift of all...who woulda thought?!?

Y holding Q on Y's big day!

5 Awesome Years

Five years ago today at noon (okay it was supposed to be noon, but I was late as usual so I'm not sure what time it was really but since it was scheduled for noon...we'll go with noon!)  I married my best friend, my confidante, my love, my life's greatest blessing, my eternal companion, and if I believed in such a thing I'd even call him my soulmate.  We've had good times and bad times, prosperous times and times that were not so prosperous.  We've gone from having very little to having more than we thought possible and to a lot of people that still not be much but to us it is everything!  We've had very few "real" arguments but that's mostly because B just refuses to argue with me and I really hate fighting all by myself.  We've created a beautiful child who lights up our world every second of every day and we have plans of doing it all over again!  We both have little quirks that sometimes wear on the nerves of the other but we truly believe that "love conquers all" and so we redirect our focus.

The past five years have flown by and they have really been the greatest of my life thus far.  I know that as we continue on our journey together things will only get better and the love will only get stronger.

Each year on our anniversary we take a picture of our family and place that photo in our wedding album so that we can look back over our years together and see how our family has changed.  Here is our picture from this year:

The Best 2 Years

I have just completed the best 2 years of my life thus far.  I say thus far because I am sure that I will say this many more times in my lifetime.

Y is now a 2 year old, it is so very hard to imagine that my precious baby is now a toddler.  She has added so much to my life and has given us the greatest joy.  I can never think of her birth day without getting teary eyed and it's not because of all the grueling hours of labor, or the frustration of having a C-Section, or any of those things.  It makes me so emotional because I can look back and see how much our lives have changed since her birth, how much our lives have improved just because she makes our day brighter.  I never knew that a heart could hold so much love and adoration for one person and each day it expands and grows as we watch her grow and realize that she is being raised by two parents who not only adore her but also adore each other.  I truly believe that the greatest gift we give our children is a happy, healthy family environment where they know without a shadow of a doubt that they are loved beyond compare.

We've had our trials throughout the last 2 years.  Being a new mom, or just a mom in general, has been the hardest experience of my life but it is also my most rewarding experience.  Motherhood gave me a whole new perspective on life and a new set of priorities.  Not a single decision is made without first considering how it would affect her, I have learned a whole new definition for selflessness.  It is amazing how one little person can motivate you to do things that you should have been doing all along.  Things that will only benefit you in the long run but that you never really felt you had the time to do before, nor did you want to make the effort to make the time to do them.  And why do you do them now?  because you know that by making the sacrifice to do those things you are being a better example to her and guiding her down a better path in life.

In short, I love being Y's mommy and all the joy it brings me.  My heart and life are so full and so enriched.

As for Y she still loves to go to the pool and play in any amount of water no matter how big or small, she loves all things Elmo.  Recently she has discovered Nemo and Dora the Explorer but Elmo is still numero uno!  She loves to give hugs and kisses, mostly to mommy and daddy but with a little coercion she'll give them to others as well.  Her favorite animal right now is a monkey, she would wear her monkey pajamas all day, every day if I allowed her to.  She loves the color green; anytime she sees it she will grab my hand and want to go see it.  Her vocabulary is amazing and for the most part she speaks extremely clear (for a 2 year old).  Her memory, well it's nothing short of amazing as well.  She remembers the smallest details with ease and I am often left wondering, "how on earth did she remember that?"  She is very polite and can always be heard saying, "excuse me" when she needs to get by or "you're welcome" after you thank her for doing something.  She calls everyone Sweetie and I still find it hilarious how she says, "hi, sweetie" whenever someone enters a room.  She loves to sing and walks around the house all day asking for either songs or susic (music).  She is a HUGE daddy's girl and I absolutely LOVE to watch her face light up as she realizes he is walking through the door.  She thinks that any man with full facial hair is Jesus (we're working on that one).  And she loves to sit at the computer all day and look at pictures and videos of herself, many of the videos she can quote word for word.  She would rather sit and watch herself than watch cartoons or anything else that may be on TV.  She is TONS of FUN!!!

Reminiscing

Last night, Y woke up because she went poop (it always wakes her up if she's asleep, but luckily it doesn't happen too often). And while I was putting her back to bed it reminded me of a some thoughts that I wanted to use in a post last week.

I have been reading the book My Sister's Keeper and I find that the only real time I have to read is in bed at night when Y and B have already fallen asleep. Well, I also find that I get so entrenched in books that I have a hard time pulling myself away. On this particular night I stopped reading around 1:15am and no sooner did I close the book, Y woke up.

I waited a few minutes to see if she would settle herself back in and after she didn't I went in to check on her. Well, the smell immediately hit me and the diaper change was second only to prunes for being the WORST diaper I've ever changed (she had just started eating broccoli). So I changed her and I had been worried that during the changing process she would end up fully waking up and then I'd never get to sleep. So I pleasantly surprised when I rocked her a little and she started drifting off to sleep, so I move to lay her back in her crib. However, before I had the opportunity to do that, I get a second whiff of that very unpleasant aroma and we were right back at the changing table. Only this time she woke up and noticed our shadows on the ceiling from the nightlight. She had just recently become very intrigued by her shadows and so she woke up and started giggling and playing - this of course was not what I wanted to see at 1:45am.

I get her all cleaned up and place her in her crib to go to sleep but she sits up and starts to play. So then I try the trick of putting her in bed with us, waiting for her to drift off to sleep and then putting her back in her crib. So I take her to our bedroom and lay her between the two of us and she almost immediately sits up and starts playing. She starts jumping all over B and having a little private party while he is asleep and I am trying my best to ignore it and giving myself pep talks at the same time; saying that she'll soon tire herself out and go to sleep.

After 20 minutes of her bouncing and jumping around I give up on that idea and take her back to her crib. She sits up, grabs her stuffed Giraffe (named Raffie) and starts to play with him. By this time it's 2:15am and I take this as my opportunity to exit the room, I figure she'll eventually play herself to sleep. I go back to bed with the intention of snuggling in and having an amazing sleep but I cannot find in me the ability to fall into a deep sleep until I know she is asleep, so I toss and turn at every noise I hear her make. Finally at 3am I hear a noise that I am very familiar with - it's the noise that says, "mommy I'm ready for bed, where are you?"

I walk in, she looks up at me and I can't help but reach in and pick her up. She snuggles into my arms and I stand there frozen watching as she drifts back off to sleep. The time is no longer important, I couldn't care less that I have had no sleep thus far, in my mind I was revisiting that first night home from the hospital. When I sat in her room in the rocking chair and I rocked her to sleep while stroking her hair, in complete awe of the wonderful blessing I had in my arms. I thought to myself that I should cherish moments like that, when she allows me to hold her and snuggle her close because the time will come when I will no longer be able to do it.

She is worth every second of lost sleep that I endure, even though I'm never really excited about it. But one day those long sleepless nights will be but a memory and instead of wanting me to come to her room and assist her in falling asleep she'll have a huge sign on her door telling me not to enter. So for now, I'll try to appreciate those nights of interrupted sleep simply because it gives me the ability to reminisce to a time when she was new to this world and she didn't know anything or anyone - except the feel and the smell of her Mommy.

Happy 28th Birthday, B!!!

So today is B's birthday and I have decided to make a list of 28 Reasons why I love him, so here goes (in no specific order):

1. He's a great dad.
2. He's patient with me.
3. He's the Ying to my Yang.
4. He supports me in my decisions.
5. He loves his family unconditionally.
6. He's funny.
7. He can quote every line of Billy Madison & Happy Gilmore.
8. He's dependable.
9. He loves the Lord.
10. He respects me and my opinions, even if he doesn't agree with them.
11. He's pretty dang sexy! :)
12. He loves my family and they love him.
13. Most of the time he lets me have my way.
14. He doesn't mind helping people.
15. He doesn't require a lot.
16. He sacrifices his wants/needs for mine.
17. He loves me as much as I love him.
18. He listens while I babble (or at least her pretends to).
19. He gives me encouragement when I need it.
20. He never criticizes me.
21. He always there to give me a hug and kiss whenever I need it.
22. He would get up and get me whatever I wanted while I was pregnant simply because I didn't want to get up and get it myself. (He actually still does it now that I'm not pregnant).
23. He's gentle and kind.
24. He's dedicated.
25. He cooks and cleans.
26. He doesn't snore! Although I'd still love him if he did, I'm grateful that he doesn't.
27. He's very easy to buy presents for, either electronics or Piston's stuff.
28. He really is my knight in shining armor.

Time Flies

They say time flies when you're having fun! Well it's true because I've had the best 3 years of my life married to B! Yep, today is our 3 year anniversary! That's short compared to most of you but a milestone for us nonetheless. Especially for me! I mean 6 or 7 years ago, had you asked me, I would have told you I wasn't getting married and I definitely wasn't having kids! So if you've learned anything about me it should be that what I say is worth a grain of salt! Because this awesome guy came along and convinced me to marry him. And to top it all off he convinced me to have a baby too! The power of persuasion!!!

All jokes aside, I can honestly say that I have had the best three years of my life married to B and this year it takes on a whole new meaning as I sit here holding our daughter. If I can be blunt and honest then I must admit that growing up I had a pretty crappy impression of marriage. Though I love my parents and I know they love each other, it was not exactly a great depiction of what a marriage should be. Honestly, none of the relationships that I witnessed as a child were really "healthy" relationships. It wasn't until I joined the church that I really started to see what marriage could be. But I didn't think that was possible for me so instead of risking it I just said I'd spend my life single. And then along came B, convincing me that not only were there loving, gentle and kind guys out there but also that I was worthy of one of those guys. I don't think we have a perfect marriage, I don't even think the perfect marriage exists. But I do know that I will do everything in my power to assure Y (and her unborn siblings) that marriage is a wonderful blessing when it's with the right person. And I want to teach her (them) this by action and not words. I dunno what I did to deserve him, but Heavenly Father sent me the greatest gift I could have asked for and every day that I awake and see him laying next to me I am even more grateful. I love you, BPF and I'm welcoming eternity with open arms thanks to you!!!

My Catch 22

I love my husband more than anything. I also love my family very much. My husband is in Michigan, my family in North Carolina, my heart is in both places. As I prepare to leave North Carolina to return to Michigan tomorrow I find myself extremely sad and also very happy, but then again I have the same dilemma when I leave Michigan for North Carolina. On one hand, tomorrow I will be leaving my family yet again for several months, which naturally makes me sad. On the other hand, tomorrow I will be reunited with the love of my life, and that makes me happy. I always manage to adjust after a few days but the initial goodbyes really really suck!!! I remember when I first got married I thought it would get easier each time, at least that's what everyone told me. Well I lied to myself and everyone who said that lied to me, it doesn't ever get easier, we just grow to realize that it sucks and try to move on from there. Anyway, enough babbling from me, I'll post some pictures sometimes next week...I think.