A California Christmas

We just got back the other night from 9 days in California! I'm a little tired, and I've been slowly unpacking everything from our trip (I did all our laundry the night before we left. It's so nice to just be able to hang it all up without trying to wash everything here first!)

But I figured I could take a break and do an update!

 (I LOVED cuddling up to the fire!)

This was my very first Christmas ever away from my family. I was a little sad, but I was also really excited to see Bryant's family, and spend some time at one of my favorite places, Mt. Shasta! The town, the trees, the mountain, everything is so beautiful! If you like the outdoors, small towns and friendly people, this is the place to go!

 (The Mountain)

(The cutest little bookstore!)

The first few days we were there, it snowed like crazy! There was probably close to 4ft by the time it stopped snowing. I woke up one morning, and looked out the window, only to realize that the snow was up to the window, and the window was at my chest! Bryant, his brother Tyler, his mom Robyn and dad Ed had to snow blow and shovel the driveway several times a day. (I just cozied up to the fire with Savannah. What a load of help I am!) Ed and Robyn both work at schools and their schools were canceled last Friday, and church was canceled on Sunday due to snow!

 (I took this after the first night it snowed. The poor guy was completely covered by that night!)

(The view from the back porch, also taken the first day it snowed.)

(This was taken on Christmas Eve, after all the snow had been plowed off the streets. This is in front of a supermarket. To give you a sense of scale, I'm standing right next to this, and had to angle my camera up... It was probably 10 feet high!)

I had to chuckle when I checked my facebook, and all my friends here in Utah were talking about all the snow they got here and how crazy it was, and then I would see the pictures with 6 inches, then look out the window in California and see 4 feet! I've never had a winter like that, so it was actually kind of fun to be snowed in!

Over the weekend, we drove down with everyone to Sacramento for the night, to visit Bryan't Brother Jacob, his wife Sally, and their 2 kids. I was really happy to see them, because they are my only niece and nephew, and Savannah's only cousins at the moment. I hadn't even met their 2nd child yet and he's almost a year old! They all had fun playing together, (except Savannah really needs to learn how to share!) and it was also my first time in Sacramento, so that's one last place to check off my list!

 (Cousins!)

(All ready for bed!)

 (I was sitting on the air mattress reading the news on my phone, waiting for the shower to be available, and my niece and nephew both walked in a sat on my lap. It was nice to get to spend a few moments with just me and them! I miss them already!)

(Sorry this photo is blurry, but I thought it was so sweet that they gave each other hugs goodbye!)

The drive down was really crazy. It had been snowing, and even through the roads weren't too bad, it was slow-going. People were only going about 25-30 mph, and we were stopped to make sure that we either had chains or 4-wheel drive. The road going back towards Mt. Shasta ended up being closed completely, until they could get in and clear the roads. We were worried we would have to spend an extra couple of days in Sacramento (I had packed extra clothes for all of us, just in case...) but by the next afternoon, we got word that the roads were completely clear, so we were able to make it back!

Christmas Eve, Bryant took me out to the main street and we did a bit of shopping and walking around while Ed and Robyn babysat for us. We then grabbed some lunch, then headed home to pick Savannah up, and then we went out to go visit some people from the ward. I'm not exaggerating when I say the people in Mt. Shasta are the nicest people ever! It was really fun getting to visit with everyone! 

That night, we had ribs and pasta for dinner, then played a few games. Afterwords, we went down the street to where one of their neighbors had put up a ton of lights, and several wood cut-outs of different people, like Disney characters, a nativity, Santa, etc. I was impressed that they had taken the time to go out and dig all of them out! It must have taken them hours! Afterwords, we came home and watched "It's a Wonderful Life", and of course, I was crying by the end of the movie!

 (Mr.  and Mrs. Clause were still up to their waists in snow!)

Christmas morning was so much fun! We actually had to wake Savannah up, because everyone else was up and ready to go! When we woke her up, we said "Savannah, Santa came to visit!" and she bolted straight up yelling "Yay! Yay! Santa! Yay!" and she ran straight into the living room!

 (This rocking horse is the first thing she saw. She loved petting and kissing him, but was terrified to ride him! I'm happy to report, that now she requests several times a day to ride!)

(As soon as Robyn set this princess tent up, Savannah ran into our room and brought a pillow to put in there. She spent most of the rest of the trip in there!)

(I HAD to get her legos, because they are her favorite toy in nursery!)

She was pretty excited to open her presents, but after opening a few, she just wanted to stop and play with all of them. I had to open her last 3 for her, because she was done. Christmas is so much fun when you have your own kids! I can't wait until next Christmas when she will be almost 3, and this next baby will be 6 months old! 

We had breakfast casserole for Breakfast after we opened presents, and then Ed and Robyn babysat again while Bryant, Tyler and I went to go see Les Miserables. Which of course, I cried about 5 times during it.

 (Baking cookies with grandma! With her cheesy grin she gets from her daddy!)

Afterwords, we came home, played some more games, and decided to just do leftovers instead of making another big dinner.

Our drive back didn't go quite as smoothly as the drive out there. Even though we didn't hit any bad weather, Savannah was not happy to be back in the car and was pretty mad for most of the trip. We had to make A LOT of extra stops to keep her happy. But we made it safe and sound, and that's all that matters!

We had so much fun in Mt. Shasta. It was exactly what I needed after a crazy last couple of weeks at school. I got to just sit and relax, and Savannah got to spend a lot of time with her Grandparents and Uncle, and got to see her cousins!

We really missed Chantel, who is in Florida, and I hope that someday, we will get to spend a Christmas with all the Stokes, and all the grandkids!

I hope everyone had a Christmas as amazing as we did! 

Greetings From Mt. Shasta,

Hello friends and family! We are currently enjoying our Christmas vacation in beautiful Mt. Shasta California! We have been wanting to come out here for Christmas since we were dating, but my job never let me take the time off (I worked 4 Christmas Eve closing shifts in a row. You think they could have let me have one year off... But that's retail for you!) But I am no longer working, and Bryant's boss was kind enough to allow him time off, so we packed our bags and headed west!

The drive went surprisingly smooth. I was worried about the weather, traveling while pregnant, and driving with a toddler. But the roads were clear and dry, I didn't get car sick once, and Savannah did amazingly well, only crying once or twice for a few minutes. AND she took 3 naps!!!

We have been really incredibly lazy, but I'm enjoying it way too much to be productive. Bryant, his dad and brother have been playing a lot of video games, and watching a lot of football, Savannah has been playing hard and is loving all the attention from her grandma and grandpa, and I've just been chilling on the couch, next to the fireplace mostly, reading, napping, eating, and cuddling Savannah.

Today, we didn't even go outside. We got quite a bit of snowfall, so we just hung out inside and played games and ate a lot of junk food. This morning it was pretty stormy, the wind was blowing like crazy, but it settled down and then we just had a very gentle snowfall the rest of the day. It has been so beautiful to watch! I think we are going to have a really beautiful white Christmas!

Have a great weekend everyone!

(I wrote this on my iPad, so I have no idea how it will look, or if it will even work...)

20 and 1/2 months!

It's been a really long time since I have done an update on Savannah, she's growing so fast!

We finally made it to the doctors. We had missed a few check-ups and 7 immunizations, so we had to play catch-up. I had them only do 4 shots. I didn't want to be mean and have her poor legs poked 7 times. We will go in for the rest probably next month.

 (can you spot the bruise on her forehead? She got it from jumping into another kid during nursery)

My little munchkin is, as always, very healthy. I'm so grateful for this! We have never had to deal with anything worse than a cold (and that awful stomach flu we all got a couple of months ago!).

She weighs 24lbs, 6 oz (35th percentile)

She is 32 Inches tall (32nd percentile)

and her head is 47.7cm (70th percentile)

I wasn't surprised about her weight, since she's always been a skinny kid, but I was surprised about her height. She almost always was in the 50-75th percentile for height and I thought she was still fairly tall for her age. Even just today, I was at the store and the cashier asked how old she was. When I told her 20 months, she said "oh wow, she is really tall isn't she?". I just chuckled and agreed. 

 

I wasn't surprised about how big her head was though. She's always measured in the 70's for head circumference. And if you want to know how big her head really is, just ask my dad about her "head getting stuck in the plastic loom" incident that took place the other day. I'm still laughing about it!

 (Her favorite spot is on top of the couch where she can people-watch. Bryant gets mad when I let her do this because he thinks she will do it with a couch that's not against the wall and fall, so I only let her do it when he's not home. Shhhh, don't tell him! And don't worry, I'm ALWAYS on the couch with her the whole time. Just to be safe.)

She did really well during the appointment. When the doctor walked in, she was laying on his stool and spinning on it. When I asked her to get off so he could sit there, he told me to keep letting her do it, and that he thought it was a good thing that she was having so much fun. When it came time for the exam, she was sitting on my lap. When he put on the blue latex gloves, she got a little nervous, not knowing what they were, so he let her touch them and told her they were like balloons. We had brought her Mickey Mouse with us, and he did an exam on Mickey first. Showing her exactly what he was going to do and what all the instruments were for. She thought that was really funny and totally relaxed afterwards. But poor Mickey, the doctor said his nose was a little stuffy...

(Wearing uncle Sawyer's boots!)

She is learning more and more words every day. I think a lot of people don't realize it, but it's probably because I can understand the words she's saying better than someone who doesn't know her, or rarely sees her can. But trust me, she's probably got upwards of 100 words in her vocabulary. She is also able to put words together like:

"Please mommy" (peas mommy)

"I love you" (I yuh-you)

"I love you more" (I yuh-you more)

"I sorry" (I sawee)

"It's ok" (it kay)

"Are you Ok?" (you kay?)

"it's a baby!" (issa beebee!)

"Little baby" (leetle beebee)

"Where did he go?" (where go?)

"Come in!" (comemim!)

"Who is it? ("Who sit?)

"It's a mess!" (issa mess!)

(She suddenly decided that she likes hats, and requests them whenever we leave the house)

The other night we were watching Superman, and at the beginning when baby superman is in the space ship star thing, coming towards earth, Savannah got really upset and kept saying "Mommy, uh oh, babay falling! Baby falling! Uh oh!" Even though it made her really upset and she began to cry, I couldn't help but be very impressed with her sentence!

That's another thing I really like about Savannah is her compassion. She worries about the well-being of others. This morning, we went to Kneaders for breakfast, and a kid in line behind us was sitting on the floor. Savannah kept asking him if he was ok. Then, we were eating breakfast, and my friend's little boy had food on his face, Savannah tried to hand him a napkin telling him he was messy.

(Cowboy hat and snowmen jammies!)

She's very clean for a toddler. Even though she likes to make messes, she doesn't like to get too dirty or messy. She likes to have a napkin while she eats, she will ask to wash her hands if they get messy, and if she walks into a messy room, she disapprovingly tells us it's messy and that "I keen" (I clean). She knows where the dish rags are and will randomly get them out and wipe the floors or the walls. It's great because I never have to dust, I can just let her do it!

I have been debating on whether or not to start potty training her. I was planning on waiting until she was at least 2, but we have had some diaper incidents in the last couple of weeks that make me think she's ready to at least start trying.

If she wakes up in the morning and I don't get in there to take her out of her crib as soon as possible, she takes her jammies off, and then takes her diaper off. I can't tell you how many times a week I have to wash her sheets. If I DO manage to get in there while she is still clothed, she promptly asks me for a "piper" (diaper), and pats her bum.

(She LOVES to read books! Also, her hair is finally long enough to do pigtails!)

A few times, she's even walked into her room, grabbed a diaper, handed it to me, and laid down to be changed. Once, she asked for a diaper and when I checked her, she was clean and dry. 5 minutes later, she handed me a diaper and when I checked her again, she had a messy diaper.

Ug, I'm not looking foreword to potty training. Although it will be nice not to have to worry about running out of them if we are out and about. Plus, it would save me some money before I have to start buying them for the next baby! Bryant and I talked about it and decided that we will start introducing her to the potty after Christmas.

(She likes to sleep with her stuffed animals. Most nights, she kicks off her blanket, and just piles her animals on top of her.)

She is still a huge Sesame Street fan, but she has also discovered Blues Clues. For a while, anytime she went in her room she would yell "It's a clue! It's a clue!". It took me a while to realize that she meant the picture frame with her hand print in it! She also really likes Despicable Me. She would watch that movie 10 times a day if I let her. I can't wait until the 2nd one comes out and I can take her to the theater to see it!

She has been loving nursery. And she's learning a lot too. Every morning, we sit on my bed, and she forces me to fold my arms, and then we say our prayers together. Sometimes, she makes me say our prayers over and over and over. You can never pray too much right? I have to laugh every time we read books now, because when it's over, she yells "Amen!"

She loves to sing songs, or rather, she likes to make YOU sing songs. Her favorite is Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree.

I can't believe she will be 2 in just a few months! I have been trying to soak up every bit of one-on-one time with her, because in just 6 months, we won't get that as often as I would like.

But she is going to be such a good big sister. She will love having someone to play with all the time. I can't wait!

Some inspiration and encouragement

It's been a crazy two weeks with finals. I'm still waiting for 3 people in my group to finish their work and send it to me. It's due tomorrow and I'm trying so hard not to get panicky and stressed that it won't be done in time. I've been feeling kind of sick. Not like a cold or anything, just generally worn down and well, just that icky sick feeling you sometimes get. I get like this when I worry. It's true that stress does affect you physically. 

But there is a light at the end of this week. I was asked to go to breakfast with my visiting teacher on Friday. She's so wonderful and nice, I can't wait! Then Saturday, we are having a "Sage Designs company Christmas party" AKA dinner with my family :-) Sunday we will spend the evening with my family and then Monday will be spent packing and cleaning for our trip to California bright and early Tuesday morning! I've just go to get past 2:00pm tomorrow and all this stress will be gone!

But I have a few things I want to share that have brightened my days these last few weeks, and I hope they can make you smile if you are experiencing similar stress in your life!

This is a video my mom shared on Facebook a while ago. I know probably a lot of you have already seen it, but I've watched it several times and I smile (and possibly get a little teary-eyed) every time I watch it. 

Guys, there are a lot of good people out there. What a great reminder of that during this holiday season!

Then, my dad posted this video a few days later. It's part of a speech given by the philosopher Alan Watts. I think this speaks to us young adults who are in college right now, trying to decide where we want to go after graduation. But remember, it's NEVER to late to do what will truly make you happy. 

Recently, I over-heard two women talking about their kids who were just finishing their first semester at college. One woman asked the other what their son was majoring in, she said "I think he wants to go into computer programming. Something that there is a large job market for." When that women asked the other the same question about her daughter, she replied "Ugh, well right now she's going into art. Hopefully when she comes to her senses and realize that you can't really do anything with art, she will switch her major..."

I felt kind of sad when I heard this. All I could think about was what my parents would have said if I came home from college my first year, and proclaimed that I wanted to be an artist. Both of them would have been happy for me, and helped me in any way they could to help me reach my goal.

What I really liked about this video is the part where he says that if you work hard at what you love and you truly enjoy it, you will become a master at it. That girl could be the next big thing to hit the art world, she just needs the support behind her, especially if it's tough those first few years. 

I also liked where he talks about it being a cycle. That we raise our children to believe that money will make them happy. I hope to raise my kids to believe that doing what they are passionate about will make them happy. Whether that's art, or computer programming. I want to give them those opportunities to explore many different things in life, and make it the very best for them that I can. That's what I want to do with my life, and I plan on becoming a master at it.

The last couple of weeks

I just finished my biggest paper of the semester. Well, it needs a little polishing and I need to incorporate it into 3 other people's papers to create 1 collaborative paper tomorrow, but I'm going to call it done for now! Just 2 small opinion papers left. One on which type of government is my favorite, and one on why I am either a conservative or a democrat. Easy-peesy! I should be able to whip both those up in under a half hour.

So here are just some bits and pieces from the last little while to keep people updated. 

Thanksgiving at my grandparents house was great! Even though I had horrible morning sickness that day, I managed to enjoy dinner and keep it all down!

 

Christmas decorations are up! We were going to get a live tree this year, but I decided not too. First of all, we won't be here for Christmas, we are spending it this year in Mt. Shasta! So we would have only been able to enjoy it for a couple of weeks. Second, I didn't really want to spend money on one. I'm cheap like that. And Third, I wouldn't have enough ornaments to decorate one. You see that little tiny tree on my coffee table in the picture? Yeah, only one small strip of it actually has decorations on it, the rest is bare...

We spent an evening at the Festival of Trees! Savy liked the Sesame Street tree, the Owl tree is my cousin Alyssa and her family's and of course, a coke tree for you grandma!

Raspberries on mommy's cheek. She just learned to say "I love you!" (it sounds like "I yuh-you!")

And of course I had to add a picture of a silly face by my favorite silly girl!

In other news, I had another doctors appointment. We finally got to hear the heatbeat and everything sounds good! Also, I have not gained a single pound this entire 15 weeks! But my stomach has been growing ridiculously fast. My only explanation is that my flabby stomach is stretching, but already had the weight on there, so It's not like I'm gaining more, since it was already there. Make sense? Also, I've lost a bit of weight in my arms and face (I wish it would in my thighs, holy cow!)

The nurse said that they expect women to gain 5 lbs in the first trimester, but that as long as I didn't lose any, we are good. Also, no more antibiotics, yay!

My morning sickness is nearly gone. I still get sick if I don't eat, but I haven't taken my medication for it in 2 days, and I'm feeling good so far!

I also saw a physical therapist for my sciatic nerve pain. She said my SI joint in my hip had dislocated, so she popped it back into place. Then I had no pain in my back or legs until last night, when I cleaned my bathrooms and mopped my floors. I overdid it I think. I go back this week again, so I'll see if I dislocated it again. She also said my muscles were extremely tight in my lower back, and that was what was pinching that nerve. Looks like I need to take a trip to the massage therapists!

I also have been able to feel a few tiny kicks here and there! About 2 weeks earlier than I felt them with Savannah. I LOVE it!

We also had our first pregnancy scare 2 nights ago. I began bleeding lightly. I knew it was probably nothing, but we went to check it out anyway. My OB's office was closed, and they have no one on-call to talk to. Their voice-mail said if you had a problem, to go to the ER or to Labor and Delivery. Which I wasn't about to do and pay tons of money for. So I just went to the urgent care. The doctor did an exam and listened for the heartbeat. It was nice and strong and he said there was nothing to worry about, that occasional light bleeding was really normal, and to go to labor and delivery if it continued and got worse. It stopped within a half hour of starting, and I had no cramping or anything, and today I felt a couple little kicks, so I think we are OK.

Well, that's all for now. I think we are going to do a bit of Christmas shopping tonight, then possibly take Savannah to see the Rise of the Guardians. Then I'll come home and write up those last 2 papers, and I'll call it a day!

Slowly Going Crazy

I'm sorry for being so absent on this blog, but it's finals week, yet again, which means hours and hours of reading, writing papers, and trying to collaborate a 10 page paper and a 15 minute presentation with a group of guys who don't know what the difference between a theory and a hypothesis is, or how to create a bibliography. (uuuuuuuuhhhhhhhgggggggg......)

In fact, right now I should still be going over study guides on American Government and writing papers on instrumentalism, but honestly, I'm going to punch a hole in my computer if I do any more of that tonight. 

Looking back, If I would have known how much work these classes would require, how hard it is to do homework with a toddler who just wants some time and attention from her mommy, how sick I was going to be from this pregnancy and how that would affect my ability to handle all the work and being to class on time. Not to mention how crazy the last month has been with moving and doctors appointments, and just keeping up on housework (who wants to come mop my floors? Anyone? Anyone?) I would have decided to take this semester off. 

It's been really ridiculously tough.

But it's almost over! I just have 1 more test, and 2 short papers (I wrote one tonight in under 10 minutes!) that I hope to finish tomorrow, then I'm planning on spending all day Sunday on research and all day Monday writing my portion of the 10 page group paper (who EVER in their right mind thought it would be a good idea to make 4 people write a paper together in a week is crazy *ahem* my professor, *ahem*) Then Tuesday, I'm meeting with my group for an hour to edit it all together, and go over our presentation, depending on if any of them show up, and then I have Wednesday to relax, then present on Thursday and I'm home free for a month!

I can't wait! So many great things are happening in the 5 days after my last day of class. We will be celebrating my sister, and I think my Dad's birthday (we had better celebrate his birthday while I'm here because I will be gone on his actual birthday) and then we are leaving for Mt. Shasta for Christmas! Bryant hasn't been home for Christmas in something like 5 or 6 years. He stayed here with me the year we were dating, so at least 5. I'm really excited about going out there. Especially since Ed and Robyn don't get to see Savannah too often, and they will get a week and a half with her! (I wish it was more.)

I'm not looking forward to being in the car with a toddler for 12 hours. Any good suggestions on fun activities and things she can do in her car seat? But we can handle it. It will be fun to get to spend time with Bryant.

Ahhh, it's going to be a crazy week, wish me luck!!!

Day 13 of 30 Things

Day 13, Describe 5 weaknesses you have.

1.) I am a procrastinator. I wait until the very last second to do anything. Whether its the last pair of clean skivvies before I do the laundry, the last clean bowl before I do the dishes, sleeping in until the very last possible second, or starting a paper 3 hours before it's due. 

2.) I overreact to things and blow them WAY out of proportion. If something comes up that's even remotely stressful, I panic and think it's the worst thing ever. What? Payday isn't for another 3 days? But how will we ever survive?!?

3.) I can be highly critical of people. This is probably my worst weakness. I HATE how critical I can be sometimes. I think it's mostly jealousy. If I see someone who seems happier, prettier, more successful than I am, I instantly start imagining all these faults about them that they don't really have. I REALLY need to work at not being so awful. Mostly, I just need to be more appreciative of my own talents and life. (I promise, I am usually a very nice person. This is just something that happens on the rare occasion!!!)

4.) I have too much self-doubt. This one kind of goes along with #3. My opinion of myself was so much worse a few years ago. Being with Bryant has helped me begin to overcome this. He is just the right person to give you a pep-talk when you need it. I've learned so much about myself and my strengths and talents because of him.

5.) I'm quick to anger. If something irritates or bothers me, I escalate things internally until I have convinced myself that it's worth being angry about. This goes along with #2.

Life around here, and a baby update!

Life has been moving pretty fast lately. I just realized that the month of November is almost over! When did that happen? Anyways, here are just a few photos from the last few weeks. 

 

We finally moved upstairs, and Cowgirl Savy loves our new kitchen!

 

We went and played at her grandma and grandpas new house before it snowed.

 

All 3 of us grabbed some pizza before going to see Wreck-It Ralph

 

Out to lunch with my favorite girl!

 

It snowed a lot. Savannah thinks snow is pretty awesome. 

The snow has since melted.

 

We went to the lighting of the Riverwoods, where we got rained on, but still had a lot of fun!

 

And we went to our first doctor's appointment a couple of weeks ago! The baby is doing great, they were really impressed with how well my last pregnancy was, and were even more impressed that the labor and delivery went so easily with the first baby, and they said that I will most likely have just as easy a delivery this time (knock on wood!). The baby measured a week smaller (like Savannah did out our first appointment) so they pushed our due date to June 1st. (however, even though we pushed Savannah's due date back a week too, she still arrived on her original due date. A week is not that big a deal haha!)

After the ultrasound, I went and had my blood work done. A few days later, they called to say my blood work all came back great with no problems. Even my iron levels were normal! Which is great seeing as I've had issues with anemia in the past.

They did, however, say that I tested positive for group B strep again. Last time I tested positive, they said that even if I never tested positive again, they would still always give me antibiotics during labor for all of my kids. This time, I tested a little higher than normal, so they started me on an antibiotic regiment to get the levels back down. We will test again at my next appointment and regulate it throughout the pregnancy. It's not really a big deal, so I'm not too worried. I only had to have antibiotics with Savannah 4 hours before she was born, which is what they will probably do again this time too. I think they are just playing it ultra-safe seeing as my water broke before I had the antibiotics last time. 

I was also given a prescription to help with this morning sickness! HALLELUJAH! At first, it didn't completely get rid of it, it only helped lessen it. But over the last week or so, I've been feeling back to normal. Every now and then, I will feel a little sick, mostly if I haven't eaten or if I'm driving, but it's really made a whole world of difference! Hopefully in the next week or 2 I'll be able to be completely off the medication and back to normal. I'm also looking foreword to getting my energy back, at least some of it. I can tell I'm already feeling better. I can get through the day without a nap, but I'm still in bed by 9:30 or 10:30, when I used to go to bed around midnight. Oh well, If I get the chance to go to bed early, I'll take it!

So there it is! Our next appointment is in about 2 weeks. This pregnancy is going by so much faster than the first! I can't wait to have 2 little kiddos to love and cuddle all day! I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be a mother!

Happy Thanksgiving weekend everyone!