The Story of Our Lives...

"I too believe that God will always make a way where there is no way. I believe that if we will walk in obedience to the commandments of God, if we will follow the counsel of the priesthood, he will open a way even where there appears to be no way."

--Gordon B. Hinckley, "If Ye Be Willing and Obedient", Ensign, Jul 1995, 2

Love this quote!  Loved this man!  I have witnessed this so many times in our lives.  Sometimes I have my "why my" days, weeks, or even months when I feel as if nothing I want or feel I need is working out right.  And it can be so frustrating especially when things seem to come so easy for others around you.  Or those times when you KNOW you're on the correct path and going in the direction Heavenly Father wants you to go but it still seems like you're hitting one road block after another, after another and just when you're ready to give up because you have tried every possible way around or over that road block to no avail...the pathway just opens up and you are able to continue on your journey.

Heavenly Father loves all of his children and He will always provide a way for us, even when we don't think it's possible.  It may not be when we feel we need it or in our time frame but "He's always on time."

WooHoo!!

We did it!  We took the plunge and are now homeowners...now just to get all our crap moved!

We're Almost There

Today is the day!!!  Today at 1:30pm we're going to do the final walk-through and at 2pm we are scheduled to sign all the papers.  I'm feeling quite a few emotions right now.  I'm nervous and excited and even a little sad but all-in-all we are so very ready to take this next step.

I am nervous because I fully realize that until those papers are signed, this isn't a done deal.  I'm excited because this is a huge step for us and is something we've been praying about for a very long time.  Heavenly Father has blessed us in so many ways and opened doors for us when there didn't even seem to be a door.  We know that this is what is right for us at this moment and we are so very grateful.  In all the excitement there is also a little big of sadness, a small amount because of the amount of money we're about to spend but more because I am extremely nostalgic.  Our current apartment isn't my first place (that was actually in college at VT), nor is it my first apartment as a married person, but it is the place that we brought our beautiful baby girl home to after she was born.  She crawled here, walked here, said her first words here, etc.  And honestly we have loved every minute of it but it is time to move on.  Life is about progression and constantly evolving who you are and that's just what we're doing.  We're taking steps we believe are necessary for us and our family, not to mention the strong desire to expand our family once again.  So we'll move on and yes, I can guarantee you there will be a bit of sadness in my heart for the next few months as I think of our times here or as I drive past the complex but I know that we will be having many more firsts in the hours, days, months and years to come...and I can't wait!!!

My SUPER Talented Mommy!!!

Back in the spring I purchased an adorable top for Y at TCP and also found a pair of darling Capri's there to match it.  You can see the set in this picture: 

As cute as it is here, the pictures really don't do it justice! 

I still wasn't completely satisfied because I desperately wanted to find a solid black skirt to go along with it.  I never knew how impossible that could be!  All the skirts were brightly colored and not at all what I was looking for, I searched in stores, I searched online in stores, eBay, you name it, i tried it but to no avail.  So I talked to my mom and started looking at patterns to see if she could sew a skirt for me.  I should add that I was looking for something very specific:  I wanted it to be solid black, tiered and just below the knee.  Searching on sites like McCalls. Simplicity, Vogue, etc. and I found NOTHING!!!!  I was getting extremely disappointed and frustrated and just went to google and typed in something-or-other, probably tier skirt, toddler, pattern and after clicking on several links I hit the JACKPOT!  It was love at first sight and since I have absolutely NO prowess when it comes to using a sewing machine, my AMAZING mother agreed that she would sew it for me!!!

I quickly headed for Joann's to look for the needed materials and then decided to have a white one made as well!!!  It turned out to be a real labor of love but she finished them and they look FANTASTIC!!!  I can't wait to put them on Y and see her wearing them! 

Here are the pictures of the finished product:

Thanks Mom!!! 

I am super excited and I am sure Y will love them and look completely adorable in them!  Love You!!!

Q's Birthday Gift

I mentioned a while back that I was going to knit two boleros for my mother-in-law; one for Mother's Day and another for her birthday (which is Thursday).  Well about a week ago I finished the second of the two but have been slow about posting pictures just because I've been a little lazy about posting and slightly preoccupied with packing boxes.  This one was definitely much more challenging than the first and I faced a few minor setbacks with it but I think all of the mistakes I made are well hidden and barely (if at all) noticeable.  Here's the finished product!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Q (AKA NANA B)!

July 4th Weekend

I can't really recall the last time I spent Independence Day in the US.  Even before we were married I spent the holiday in Canada in 2004 and 2005.  I know we've spent it here once since we've been married because B had to work but I cannot recall which year it was.  I can tell you that I have been to the Toronto area 3 times, and it has always been over the July 4th holiday.  The first time I went we did the sightseeing bit and now, we just go to relax and enjoy being with family that we only really see on major holidays or other family events.

We left for Canada on Saturday, July 3rd and since B had to work earlier in the day we only drove the hour to his parent's place and stayed overnight there.  We got up and dressed and left for Ajax (in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) as Canadians call it) around 11am and arrived around 2pm.  Y did well on the car trip there, only really asking to get out in the last half hour of the drive.  We stayed there until Tuesday at noon and had an awesome trip.  We took Y to a park which had a splash pad (an added bonus) and swimming and got to have lots of laughs with family.  I only wish it could have been longer!  Y had a blast and even slept really well for us at night (it can be a toss up when she is in an unfamiliar place).  She proved to us that she has a very sharp memory for a 22½ month old, she remembered her cousin's girlfriend whom she had only met once a few weeks earlier and even remembered the game that they had played together!  She would repeat every one's name that was there because we have a picture of each family member on a photo board in her room and when asked to point to a specific person, she can do it with no problem.  I'm so glad she had the opportunity to spend time with them and get to know them better!

Thanks to Aunt J and Uncle R for letting us stay with you guys and feeding us yummy food (still raving over those chicken fajitas).  Thanks to S & J for letting us have the bigger room while we were there and for B & S for coming to see us and go swimming with us!  It was definitely worth the trip.  Love you all!

Goodbye Crazy Hair...

At times Y has the most beautiful hair in the world, it's curly and unbelievably soft!  And then there are the times when she looks like Kramer from Seinfeld.  Ever since Y's bone straight hair she had at birth started to form little curls I began putting small amounts of baby lotion in her hair, mostly to keep it shiny and keep the frizz away.  For a long time it worked perfectly but over the past 6 months or so I became very frustrated with her hair.  I began to use more and more lotion which still worked for a few hours but by the middle-to-end of the day it was frizzy and flying in every direction possible.  I tried putting it in pigtails but the elastics would literally come out in an hours time.  Another thing I began to hate about the lotion was the fact that it attracted lots and lots of lint which would become clumped together and was a pain to comb out.  On top of all that the lotion really weighed her hair down and I was getting ever more frustrated with using it.

So one night after putting her to bed I hopped on the internet and started doing some research and found that I was doing several things wrong.  I should add that Y's hair is a blend of many different ethnicities.  She is black, white, and hispanic and her hair has some characteristics of all three of those.  During my research I found that there are MANY people out there raising multiracial babies that were having the exact same issues as I was having with Y's hair.  Long-story-short, there were a ton of products mentioned which ranged in price from $8 to $25.  I wanted the cheapest and most easily accessible option that worked the best and needless to say most of the recommendations weren't sold in your typical store and/or had to be purchased via various websites.  I continued my research and found that the key to maintaining curly hair is LOTS and LOTS of moisture (which is also the key to maintaining my own hair).  In finding that out I also found out that she would need a shampoo and conditioner that were moisturizing.  Turns out that the body wash which doubles as shampoo is very gentle but provides no moisture, so it was in fact just stripping her hair of moisture, so the first step was to stop using it immediately!

After more research I found what I was looking for and after purchasing and using them, I was absolutely amazed!  I immediately wanted to write about post because I was so happy with the results but I decided to test it out for a full 2 weeks before doing so...and 2 weeks later I am still just as satisfied.  So if you have curly hair or your child does you should give it a try.  Based on some of the reviews I read even adults use this stuff on their hair and are totally satisfied with it and at a fraction of the cost as some of the more expensive brands.  All three products are made by Johnson & Johnson and can be found at Walmart or Target.

The shampoo is Johnson's Extra Conditioning Shampoo for curly hair, they have it for straight hair too but that doesn't really apply for us.  It leaves her hair amazingly soft and easy to comb through.

After her bath and each morning I apply the Johnson's Leave-in Conditioner to lock in and add moisture throughout the day.

On the days when she doesn't get her hair washed or she gets a bath at night I use the Johnson's Detangling Spray along with the Leave-in Conditioner.








And honestly the best part is that Y no longer struggles with me when it's time to get her hair done...it's GREAT!!!

Great News...

Today we received some great news!  I told you a few weeks ago that we made an offer on a condo and were all set to close except we wanted to get the complex FHA approved which would allow us to put only 3.5% down.  The documents were sent in to HUD about a week and a half ago and today we got the news that the complex has been approved.  We were amazed at how quickly it all happened, we were told to expect at least 30 days.  To say that we're extremely happy is an understatement, we are so very grateful that things have gone so smoothly and so quickly.  Now we're just waiting on the appraisal, and seeing as we're buying it for so cheap we don't see that being an issue.  As of right now we're still scheduled to close on July 20th and honestly I don't think I've ever been so excited to pack boxes!

Funny Sign

I am VERY much against people texting while driving!!!  Most people who do it make various justifications for doing it but in my opinion there is no text in the entire world that would justify a response while driving...if it's really THAT important then pull over!  Here in Michigan, as of July 1, texting while driving is illegal.  Not that this will stop people from doing it but maybe it will deter a few and thus save some unsuspecting person's life.  If only there were a texting lane on the road that was surrounded by cement barricades...then all those people who feel the need to text while driving can have at it and just injure/kill themselves without affecting all the other drivers around them, maybe we can swap that for the HOV lanes. 

Anyway, I was on Facebook and saw this picture on a friend's profile.  I found it quite funny and couldn't resist emailing it to some family and friends as well as posting it here on the blog.

A Conversation With a 21 Month Old...

This afternoon I was laying around in our bedroom doing a sudoku puzzle while I waited for Y to wake from her nap. She had already slept 2 hours and the painters outside were making a lot of noise (they're painting all the trim around the building) so I knew she would wake fairly soon. Literally, as soon as she woke up her first 2 words were "outside" and "swimming." I had been debating all morning (without mentioning it to her of course) whether I should take her to the pool after her nap or not. During the morning the sun was really bright and strong so I wasn't really sure if I should or not but when she woke from her nap it was pretty much overcast so I just decided to go for it. Now when I walked into her room I never actually told her that I was going to take her to the pool but the following two videos will show you that I apparently didn't need to say anything because she already had her mind made up on the issue. These videos were taken RIGHT after I took her out of her crib (well after I ran to get the camera) but this is the first thing that she did and the conversation that followed. It shows where her priorities are and makes me wonder what are we going to do once fall and winter come...

The Attempt:

The Conversation: