Lunch with Friends

We had such a fun filled weekend. Friday, we didn't do much but Saturday we headed north to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch with some of my favorite mission friends. Becca (Hermana Plumb as I knew her before) and Elizabeth (Formally Hermana Florence) happened to be visiting Northern Utah the exact same weekend for two very different purposes. They both called and wanted to get together, and I decided we should all get together. When we were missionaries in Tucson, Becca and I were companions and Elizabeth always had a companion that we seemed to leave out of every picture we took on P-days. So we like to leave our eternal companions out of a few pictures everytime we get together, just for tradition sake. Mike (Formally Elder Guymon) joined us as well. We would have welcomed Brady (Elizabeth's husband formally Elder Ashdown) and Kubo (Formally and always Kubo), but other than spouses and kids that's the gain and others are not invited. We had a good time. We are all moving a little farther apart in the next little while so it was so good to get together one last time. I know lots of people don't keep up with mission friends, but something about this group, I just don't know how to let go of.
Sunday we headed up to Traci's for a BBQ. I don't have pictures but if I did it would all be about the food. The company was great, but the food was EXCELLENT! Russ's grill makes everything taste so good and we plan to wear out our welcome in the next month because the food is so great. Thanks Russ and Traci, Mieka and Scott and family for a lovely Sunday afternoon.

I have lots of different thoughts running through my head right now, that I am anxious to get down on some sort of medium. I choose this blog today, only because it has been so long since I have even had the time to write or keep in touch with family members and friends. I do appreciate James doing his part to update you all on the exciting and upcoming addition to our family. I am very excited, but often forget (now that I am not sick all the time to remind me) that I am pregnant. We will find out the gender next month on our anniversary (May 15th). In the beginning I was adimant that it must be a girl, but I am convinced now that either would be splendid, and so fun for Lucy to have a sibling to mess with and torment relentlessly. So far the pregnancy has been a little tougher than the last one, but the last one was so easy and smooth I wondered daily why pregnant women complained so much. I get it now. Don't worry. Although I try not to complain too much. Usually just at night when I get home from work. (Bless you James!)
I have one month left of work before I am done forever and can stay home and play with my babies. I am looking forward to those days. This semester has been especially difficult with James doing his student teaching. He was gone every morning by 7:30 am. THat left myself and Lucy to get ready and out the door by 8:30 am every morning. She went to child care for a few hours, while I worked then it was back home to clean and cook dinner (some days) while we waited for James to get home in the late afternoon. It was sometimes very exhausting, and I often crashed the second he walked through the door. Now he is DONE! Even graduated! I couldn't be more pleased to have a semester over. James graduated Cum laude from BYU. I am so proud of all his hard work. There were several classes that he would tell me it didn't matter if he got an A, but he does not know how to do a half job on anything. Most semesters he would finish with a 4.0. Okay, I'm done bragging. WAY TO GO JAMES!
Work is a lot less stressful now that James is home with Lucy everyday. I wonder how they fill their days sometimes, but so far he seems to have been very productive. I can go to work with out worring about anything else. It feels nice. I do not want to do this forever but if I had to, I don't think I could with out that support at home.
Lucy is getting so big and doing so many fun things. It is amazing how much she soaks in as well. We have started watching signing time. She will never practice the signs along with the movie but randomly you will say a word or sing a song and she will do the sign that goes along with it. I love it. She has added "duck" to her vocabulary recently. And she says it just as clear as you or I. "DUCK!" so cute. She loves the IPad (that we will have to say goodbye to in a month as it belongs to my work) but does not last very long playing with it anymore, because she likes to push the button at the bottom of the screen that takes you out of whatever game,  or movie you are playing. Its darn close to annoying, because we have purchased some really fun apps that she enjoyed in the past, and now we don't last a minute playing them with out her exiting out. There is a plus to this situation. She spends a lot more time playing with her toys and reading books now that IPad time is so limited. She still loves books and we love reading them to her. Her favorites right now are "The way I feel" and "Where's my teddy." The are others that she brings to us frequently but those two she will always listen through to the end, for me at least. James may have a whole different list.

There you have it. We spend lots of our free time, walking to and playing at parks, and watching Lucy grow. Life is swell, and we look forward to the upcoming move and change. On with May, babysitting, baby gender, family reunion, moving, training someone new at work, and my mom's wedding. It will fly by with all we got going. Enjoy the pictures.

Easter Sunday

Lucy has gotten so big since we last blogged. She can walk and stand up on her own when she wants to, which happens to be more often lately. She's become about half walker and half crawler. She's also learned to say and appropriately use the words "uh-oh," "mama," and "dada." We're really proud of her and all that she can do. What we're most excited about is that James is done with classes! Whooohooo! Because he's been student teaching, he's all done because they have spring break this week. Graduation is the 19th and 20th of April. Even more importantly, it means that he gets to stay home with Lucy. Lucy had her last day of child care last Thursday. No more child care! James will stay home and get to be Mr. Mom for the next few months before graduate school starts. We're hoping to move sometime around

the beginning of June.

For those who don't know, we have other exciting news. LAURI IS PREGNANT AGAIN!!! We're really excited about all the changes that are happening in our lives over the next few months and this one is definitely the most exciting one of them all. Lauri is due about the first week in October.

We took these pictures today when we did our Easter Egg baskets. We put fruit snacks in the plastic eggs and then put them in a line going

toward her Easter Egg basket. She did really well. She went after the eggs and then would pick them up. James had to help her let go of the eggs so that she would put them in the basket. She did open one of them and ate all the fruit snacks inside before moving on to the next eggs. Other than that she wasn't too sidetracked. For her Easter Egg basket we got her some new pajamas since she has tons of dresses but no pajamas. She also got

a coloring book and crayons. We tried coloring today and she did scribble a little bit, but ended up putting the crayons in her mouth. That's when we stopped.Lastly, I just wanted to

share my testimony this Easter Sunday on the glorious truth of the Resurrection. I know that my Savior died for us and then rose again on the third day. As He rose from the dead, He conquered those awful monsters death and hell. He made the way possible that all might be saved if we will but believe on His name and live His gospel. I love my Savior and ever thank Him for His glorious Atonement.

Happy Birthday Lucy!!

Lucy turned one on Saturday, and I can't believe how fast time has gone. It really does seem like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital, and I was scared to death, wondering, "what in the heck am I supposed to do if she starts crying!" It was a lot of responsibility and I didn't know if I was capable to be her mother. I was pleasantly surprised how natural it was to comfort and please her as she needed. What a special innate blessing that is that comes along with each expecting or recieving mother.
We had a fun time celebrating with family and I wanted to get some pictures posted as fast as possible. But I can not tell you how much I love and enjoy this girl. But let me tell you about some of my favorite things that she is doing right now.
1. She loves her books. She chooses to play with them before her pile of toys. But now she will go through them and pick her favorite and crawl over and put it on your lap and demand you read it to her. We know very well her favorites, because she brings them to us regularly. It is adorable, and I am so glad that she loves reading.
2. She has been walking for a few weeks now but she doesn't always choose to walk. She is still very wobly but it is so fun to watch her get braver and braver and take more and more steps.

3. Lucy refuses to eat from a spoon anymore. I blame childcare for this, because they have been giving her finger foods for a couple of months now. It's not a bad thing, just that meal time is ALWAYS messy. I do love watching her eat. It is so funny how she picks and chooses what she will eat and pick through on her tray.
4. Lucy loves climbing on the couches. We put one of the couch cushins down on the ground so she can climb up and down easily. She will play there for hours. Going up and down, and back up again.
5. We got Lucy a cheep baby doll for her birthday. She loves to squeese the doll as hard as she can. She will pretend to brush the baby's bald head with her brush and poke at her eyes. Hopefully she will grow out of this when she is a big sister.
6. And now Lucy is awake.... so I will have to complete this list later. But I do love her and I love watching her grow. Thank you Lucy for all the fun and joy you've brought to our family. We love you! Happy Birthday!!

January 2012

I apologize for not posting more often, but we don't have Internet at home and by the time I am done at work, I'm done and ready to be home. Like now. I am at work it is the end of a long busy day and I would rather be home but I have some super cute pictures I wanted to post and lots of fun and exciting news to post about, so I am obligated to stay at my computer just a little longer and get this post out into the blogging hemisphere.
First of all, what a crazy month. James started student teaching, and I don't like the new schedule. It would not be so bad if I was not a working mother, but because I am, I have to plan for extra time for everything. I wake up anywhere from 5:30 to 6:30 am, to make sure I have enough time to go to the gym and get ready before Lucy wakes up, because she is not very tolerant of leaving her alone while trying to shower or dry my hair. So getting out the door and to work is the hardest part of my day. In addition, we can only afford 20 hours of childcare per week, so I have to plan my schedule very carefully and it is always Lucy-centered and focused. We are very thankful for Anna who is so kind to watch her one day a week as well. Thanks Anna, we owe you.
Work has been crazy busy since coming back from Christmas break. Not only did I spend a significant amount of time catching up from the holidays, but Playgroups and Sibshops started back again, and I planned and held my bi-annual Transition workshop for parents getting ready to enter the scary school district world. Needless to say I was glad to see January come to end. And it was capped off quite nicely with the CHICKEN POX! Yes, you heard me. Lucy brought home the chicken pox from childcare. Actually she handled it like a champ. And it really wasn't that bad. I tried to take pictures but the pox were so light they would not even show up on camera. She was contagious, however, and unable to go to childcare. So that left me either at home or searching for someone to take care of her. (Thanks mom, for driving up and watching my spotted child for a couple of days). She is fine now and stronger than ever before, because of it.
And now for the most exciting news..... JAMES GOT ACCEPTED TO GRADUATE SCHOOL!!! We will be headed to Henderson, NV sometime in the middle of June to start our new journey at Touro University. James interviewed there just a week ago, and was very impressed with the program and faculty. He had made up his mind that is where he wanted to go. So off we go to sunnier weather, and hotter climates! Woohoo! James will study Occupational Therapy for two years, graduate, and then who knows where we will go from there. I am just excited to have this step figured out.
Lucy's big news is that she took her first steps! It was Sunday. We were celebrating Anna's birthday and she was standing up to the couch and just decided to let go and move. She took about 4 steps and repeated that again a few times that night. I think she quickly grew tired of us prodding her to keep walking and so she has been more reluctant to try again since then. She can do it, but like everything else, it's on her time, not ours. (We have to keep learning that). Lucy is proficient on going up and down the stairs now, which I couldn't be more grateful. We have a lot of stairs in our home and it always made for a very watchful and panicky mother. We are over that completely. Thank you Lucy.
That's life for now. Its been an extra mild winter here in Provo, and again, I could not be more grateful. I am sure there are many disappointed snowboarders and skiers but you guys get the snow every other year, this one is for us, the snow-haters. It is a good note to end on my time in Provo, UT.

Our Fun Christmas Break (Prepare yourself for a major Lucy fix)

We traveled down to Silver City NM for the first part of our break. We got there early so Lucy could have Grandma and Grandpa all to herself. She loved it.
We ate some fantastic Mexican food. (I ate so much and it burned so bad, but I couldn't get enough)

Lucy enjoyed all of our outings.

She loved reading books with Grandpa and especially love being around all her cousins.

We visited Deming on Tuesday. We went to the park where James and I had our first date. ...OH.. Special! I know.

So Cute!!

We went swimming with the cousins.

Natalie and Lucy

Christmas morning was a lot of fun. I made James a book with all his mission pictures.

Lucy got these "cool keys" for Christmas. She loves them.

Lucy was happy for this hour of the morning and then had a spiked fever for three days straight... Oh well. We still had a good time.

I don't have many more pictures, but we had a really good time hanging out with family and friends the entire Christmas break. I will post more on our time in St. George soon.

Merry Christmas

I love this picture. And had it been taken before the Christmas cards were sent out, it would have been our card this year. So Merry Christmas! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. We sure did!