precious moments

I read this post by Natalie this morning.

It's about her son, and how sometimes she wishes she could go back to just over a month ago and tell her former self to make the most of the little time that she'd have left with him.

Sometimes I find that I freak myself out with all of the horrible possibilities in the world. All of the things that could go wrong.

And knowing that you can't go back and shake some sense into your former self makes me want to be more resolute to make the most of every moment.

I'm going to try to enjoy more the things that might not be so enjoyable. I'm going to try to play more and worry less. Find the joy in the tedious tasks. Laugh with my family. Teach my daughter all that I can. Love my husband all that I can. Be a better daughter & sister. Try to pay more attention to the things that REALLY matter in life.

New Maria Post

I did a Maria update post over on her blog. She is growing up so rediculously fast.

I'd like to check out some toddler gymnastic classes or something similar in the Bellingham area... If anyone knows of some please let me know!! thanks.

Beating the Winter Blues

Thursday night our Relief Society had an enrichment focused on "Beating the Winter Blues".
I wanted to remember some things, so here are some of my notes.

Ezra Taft Benson gave us 12 steps to be more optimistic:

• repentance - because really, wickedness never was happieness.
• prayer - if you pray always, you can conquer satan.
• service - if you look around, it's not nice, but there is always somebody worse off than you... if you help them to feel better, you will feel better in return.
• work - being busy is always better than being bored...
  
• health - the physical body affects the spirit... the healthier the body, the healthier the spirit.
• reading - good books, you'll learn and grow so much.
  
• blessings - count them... you'll see the miraculous things that have happened in your life.
• fasting - it clears the mind & strengthens the body & spirit.
• friends - it's always wonderful to have those people that you can turn to in good & bad times... family, Heavenly Father, & Jesus Christ should be among those. If you want to get friends remember to be a friendly person!
• music - affects our souls tremendously... change the song and it can change our mood/outlook/attitude.
• goals - having something to work towards can keep us focused always striving to be better.
• endurance - make it to the end (and try to do it happily) it will lead to exhaltation.

other things we can do to feel good about ourselves:

• look good: get ready in the morning, you'll feel so much better if you're clean
• have a hobby
• have something to look forward to doing
• get out of the house
• make your prayers more specific
• do something you don't normally do
• get enough sleep
• keep your mind busy
• exercise
• learn to radiate love and good cheer: it will affect everyone we come into contact with... including yourself.

Music & the Mind

music can affect our souls, moods, energy levels.
if we memorize a good (uplifting) song we can use it to push out bad thoughts or feelings.

nostalgic music relaxes us, slows us down.
up-beat music raises your pulse and gets you going.
singing can be mood conditioning.

Music can:

• match your mood
• calm your soul
• uplift your spirits
• empower you
• make you feel better about everything

Laughter is the Best Medicine

laughing even fake laughing can uplift our spirits.
laughter releases a drug (forgot to write down the name of the drug) that makes you feel good. it also gives you a full body massage. laughter can help you keep a positive outlook on life. there are laughter yoga classes, corporate laughter meetings, and laughter clubs. it's been proven that laughter can help your health. it can diffuse stressful situations.

My Mom gave the little lesson on laughter being the best medicine. I think that she is truly an amazing woman. She has gone through quite a bit and still keeps on laughing. (I really hope that she writes her memoirs... I'd really enjoy reading that book.) When she was getting her head literally screwed into a metal cage for radiation when her tumor came back it hurt like the dickens, but she laughed. It wasn't funny at all (in fact they made my dad leave the entire wing of the hospital while they were doing it) but there she was laughing. The nurses cam in later and told her that her laughter had calmed the nerves of the lady in the next room waiting to get her head screwed. My mom feels pretty bad about that... because it wasn't funny, but it's one of those things in life that you have to laugh or you'll cry...

Life can be tough... but it can also be really funny.

Christmas Video: Trampoline

For Christmas Maria's cousins, Hayden & Kayla, got a trampoline.

Here is a little video of them jumping together:

Baking Bread

One of my goals for this year is to bake a really excellent loaf of "artisan" bread.

I think that I am on my way to achieving that goal.

I got the book "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" by Peter Reinhart a few years ago... I lent it out to my brother because he's into baking bread. I got it back from him over the holidays and started reading. It's pretty cool. It breaks down the science of making bread. It talks about flour, yeast, gluten, salt, and all the processes involved in making great bread.

So far I've only tried one recipe from the book "Ciabatta" and it's pretty darn good. It's one of those loaves that's got a nice chewy crust with a soft middle. My little air holes aren't as large as I'd like them to be, but hopefully that will come with practice.

Baby X

That's what I call him... He doesn't have a name yet.

We went to the doctors today and had a growth ultrasound to see how the little guy is doing.

Things are going great. He's measuring right on track on most things and a week or so large on others which is great! His approximate weight is 2 lbs 12 oz.



I'm getting so excited for this little stinker to get here!! Now we just have to pick out names!

So far this year....

I've been sick. Sore throat, throwing up, total lack of appetite, feeling weak & tired all the time. And it's taken me a while to recover... I still don't think I'm 100%, but I'm doing much better.

Maria has been teething too which makes life a little more difficult. She's got 4 teeth coming in. Plus I decided that with the new year we'd start working on getting rid of the bottle. Great timing with being sick and her teething... so instead of going cold turkey we've switched to only water in the bottle. She's not happy about that, but she's dealing.

Marco is doing good in North Carolina. He's keeping busy with work. I'm so grateful for his friend Jason who has numerous contacts. It's been colder there more than it has been here, although it has definitely rained more here.

I had a dream about our baby boy last night. He was so beautiful and so special... I'm SO excited to meet him!!

copy cat

today at the grocery store Maria was running thru the aisles like a toddler hopped up on lifesavers. down one particular aisle i was ahead of her so i turned around and started walking backwards so she'd have a goal to run towards instead of some canned good. after she was about halfway to me she stopped, turned around, and started walking backwards herself.... funny little girl. I can just imagine her expression of "hey look at me... I'm so cool... I can walk backwards like mommy!!"

Goals for 2010

These aren't my resolutions for the new year.... just a small list of things that I want to do.

• get Maria off the bottle
• make great french bread
• have a baby
• take Maria to the zoo/ petting zoo
• stay sane
• try to keep the laundry semi-done
  
• visit Marco's family in Honduras
• finish my king quilt
• take more pictures
• learn 4 songs on the piano
• read books...in categories other than fiction
• keep my bathroom clean
• draw some "fun" house plans

Natalie and her family lost their little boy, Gavin, this morning.
Please remember them in your prayers.

Happy New Year

the holiday's are over. we had new years and our 3rd christmas.

we're home and all the visitors have returned to their homes.

i thought that this would mean a little bit of a rest, but it doesn't seem in the forecast.... at least for this week.

it's busy with dentists and doctors, translating, funerals, more doctors, and wrapping up unfinished business from 2009.

and i've got a nasty sore throat on top of it all, i never knew salivary glands could hurt... thus the extra dr. apt.

i'm excited for things to get back to normal.

maria in her own bed... working on sleeping thru the whole night.
nap times on schedule.
blogging a little more regularly.
skyping with marco.
trying to pick out a baby boy name.


i'm 26 weeks pregnant now. things are still going smoothly... no gall bladder attacks this time around (thank heaven that's gone). hopefully this sore throat is nothing and I'll wake up cured tomorrow. baby x (that's what i call him right now) is moving around a LOT. after one of our traveling days, i don't think that he was too happy with me for sitting in a car for so long and started doing karate in my stomach.... not very pleasant.

Maria is growing like a little weed.... she's almost as tall as her cousin Lily, and wears 18-24 month clothes. She's so smart too... loves the insy weensy spider and knows the hand motions. She also loves i wanna be a dog (by charlotte diamond) and knows to pant, and growl, and howl.... it's so cute!!

Marco is doing good. trying to keep busy with work so he doesn't notice that he misses us so bad.

I'm putting the finishing touches on my new years resolutions. My S-I-L was talking about how they should be S.M.A.R.T. ... and so I'm tweaking just a little bit.

Here's to a New Year...



PS... if you could send your prayer's to Natalie and her family right now, they sure could use them... their little 8 week old boy is pretty sick and in the hospital now.. her blog is

http://www.natalienortonphoto.com

2009 Recap

Year in Review:

January:
Gall Bladder Surgery
Big Flood in Ferndale
Birth Class Reunion

February:
Green M&M Valentine's gift!
Grandma Visits
Walk trails in Bellingham
Happy Birthday Meredith!

March:
Time Out For Women
Start Translating for Parent/Teacher conferences
First Photoshoot!
get taxes done

April:
Maria rolls over both ways
1st bike ride of the year
Pulte buys Centex

May:
Visit Chad in Oregon (fun bike rides all over town!)
Celebrate 2 Year Anniversary!
teach the YW how to conduct music

June:
Deming Log Show
Camping at Lake Roosevelt

July:
Happy 4th!
Visit family in Georgia
2 Weddings
Week in Downy
Day trip to Yellowstone

August:
Trips to Arizona, Vegas, Utah
Maria starts to walk
mini family reunion

September:
Maria turns ONE!!
See Wicked in Seattle
Find out we're Pregnant

October:
Apple Pressing
Halloween Party
Super Saturday

November:
Make Chocolates
Thanksgiving
Visit Oregon -Eden Baby Blessing
Find out we're having a BOY!!

December:
Quick trip to NC
Ward Christmas Party (Decorations)
Sacrament Program Christmas Sunday
Christmas in Idaho



Books Read:

Fiction: 20
Non-Fiction/Based on a True Story: 4
Classics: 2

"The Secret Garden" - Frances Hodgson Burnett
"The Whipping Boy" - Sid Fleischman
"Match Me if You Can" - Susan Elizabeth Philips
"Kiss an Angel" - Susan Elizabeth Philips
"Breathing Room" - Susan Elizabeth Philips
"Ain't She Sweet" - Susan Elizabeth Philips
"This Heart of Mine" - Susan Elizabeth Philips
"Shackles of Honor" Marcia Lynn McClure
"Visions of Randsom Lake" - Marcia Lynn McClure
"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society" - Mary Ann Shaffer
"The Devil in the White City" - Erik Larson
"You: On a Diet!" - Dr. Oz & Dr. Roizen
"Same Kind of Different as Me" - Ron Hall, Denver Moore, & Lynn Vincent
"The Cider House Rules" - John Irving
"The Proving Trail" - Louis L'Amour
"Girls in Trucks" - Katie Crouch
"Julie & Julia" - Julie Powell
"The Book Theif" - Markus Zusak
"New Moon" - Stepenie Meyer
"Twilight" - Stephenie Meyer
"The Reader" - Bernhard Schlink
"The Pilots Wife" - Anita Shreve
"The Historian" - Elisabeth Kostova
"Water For Elephants" - Sara Gruen

Trips Taken:
Georgia (1 Week)
North Carolina (1 Day)
Lake Roosevelt, Washington (4 Days)
Downy, Idaho (1 Week)
Rexburg, Idaho ( 2ish Weeks)
Gilbert, Arizona (2 Weeks)
Las Vegas, NV (2 Days)
Moab, Utah (1 Day)
Yellowstone National Park (1 Day)
Salem, Oregon (1-2 Weeks)