Be Happy for This Moment : This Moment is Your Life

These days....

2012-02-01T11:46:00.001-08:00

I spend my days sleeping on mommy's shoulder.
I am grateful for my mommy & daddy, my birdies on my swing, my fingers and my play mat I get to kick on

Love,
Lydia

February 1

2012-02-01T06:11:00.001-08:00

So I was told I have been a blog slacker and technically I have, not many posts for January. I am clearly not off to a good start. So with a new month, here's a fresh start. This year, our ward is working on provident living goals. The goal for last month is to keep a journal and write 5 things you are grateful for each day....well I am obviously behind on that one so I will start it this month.

Today I am grateful for...

1. The mild winter we have been having

2. My daughter, who makes me smile

3. My husband being off for the last 3 weeks, I have been spoiled and may have gotten used to having him around all the time, lol

4.Being a stay at home mom and able to earn an income while being with my princess

5. The Gospel

As for my little princess, Miss Lydia, she is doing wonderful! She spent most of yesterday asleep! She slept from 10:30pm-8am (her norm), I fed her and put her in her swing to "talk" to her birdies like she does every morning and she conked out about 10 minutes later.... she slept from 9:30am-1pm! She woke up and played with mommy for a bit and fell back asleep in my arms around 3, slept for about an hour and then last night she took another 1.5 hour cat nap! I'm thinking maybe she is hitting a growth spurt!

Dennis has been off for the last 3 weeks because he hurt his knee at work. I have gotten really used to having him around, I am really going to miss him when he goes back to work.

Me, well the only new thing for me is that I have to have gallbladder surgery at the end of the month. It will be outpatient and they think they should only have to do one incision through my belly button. I have been having problems since Thanksgiving and during an ultrasound to find the source of my pain, they discovered some gallstones.

That about sums up our January. We have just been enjoying the very mild winter weather we have been having. It was almost 60 degrees yesterday! CRAZY!

Highchair

2012-01-04T21:15:00.001-08:00

We brought your highchair out so you could sit and have dinner with us and I think the pictures show that you like it!

2 Months

2012-01-04T15:29:00.000-08:00

Dear Lydia,

I can't believe you are already 2 months old! It seems like just yesterday we brought you home from the hospital. You have changed so much since you were born. You are still a great stretcher and I see lots of yoga in your future. You are a master at holding your head up, you have actually been good at that for a while now. When you are asleep in your swing you put both of your arms out when I walk by like you are trying to give me a hug. It really is the cutest thing ever. You make the cutest sound after you sneeze. I like when you fall asleep on my shoulder and how you pat my back when I burp you. You aren't a fan of afternoon naps but you sleep through the night and take a nice morning nap but you do fight sleep in the afternoons and that makes you cranky. You get excited when daddy comes home. You mastered the art of nursing this last month which has cut down the amount of formula we give you to almost nothing. I am guessing thats because you wanted to prove the lactation consultant wrong when she told momma that at 5 weeks you probably wouldn't catch on the latching on and wouldn't nurse. Did you prove her wrong! You do this cute little thing when you nurse. You stop and this big grin just shoots across you face. The other day while you were nursing you actually put your fingers in the position of the sign for I love you. I took a picture with my phone because I thought it was so cool. I will show it to you one day.

You discovered the kickin coaster these last few weeks and you love it. We brought out your highchair and you sit in the while momma makes dinner and while daddy and I eat. You are cooing more and you have your own conversations with us, you really do the cutest things. I put you on the couch sitting up yesterday and you stayed up right all by yourself the entire time. You laughed and thought it was the coolest thing. You have learned that when momma points the camera at you that means you need to smile and that smile melts my heart.

Daddy and I thank Heavenly Father for you every night. We are so blessed with you being a part of our family and I love you pieces. I can't wait to see what you accomplish over the next month.

Love,

Momma

Happy New Year

2011-12-30T20:27:00.000-08:00

Lydia wanted to tell everyone to have a safe and Happy New Year. She will be kicking it with the family tonight at Uncle Joe's house. She said mommy will try to do better at taking more pictures of her and updating the blog next year.

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-30T09:46:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to you!

This last year was by far the best year for our family. Our greatest event was the birth of our daughter, Lydia Kate on November 9th. She was highly anticipated by many and welcome with love by all. She has truly changed our lives and I couldn't image life without her. As for the rest of our year, not many exciting things happened. I graduated with my Masters in Education Reading Specialist degree, a goal that I hoped to accomplish before our first child. Matter of fact, I had my last class just days before I found out I was expecting our little miracle baby. Talk about impeccable timing!

We spent most of the year preparing for Lydia's arrival. We decided to skip a vacation this year and save up some cash. I was a nanny again this summer, this time for a family of three girls. We spent our days hanging poolside at the water park in town, a great place for a pregnant woman on those hot summer days we had.

Dennis was kept busy this past year running his business full time while working a full time job. He has gotten the Barbeque sauce into many more stores and restaurants and is working on a lot of other projects. One of which he completed just days before our little girl arrived. Talk about time crunch!

I continued with my daycare business this year so I could stay home with Lydia. I am so glad I made that decision because I don't think I could leave her every day to go to work. The kids have adjusted well to her, actually I think they sometimes forget she is here! I am thankful everyday that I get to have this opportunity to stay at home.

As I look back at this year, I count my blessing and am very grateful that we were blessed with such an adorable sweet spirit to be a part of our family. We enjoy watching Lydia grow each day and are looking forward to the many days of joy we have ahead with her.

We wish you a Merry Christmas & a fabulous & blessed New Year!

Love,

Dennis, Tara & Lydia Larson

One Month

2011-12-09T18:28:00.000-08:00

Dear Lydia,

You are a month old today and have brought so much joy to our home. You are such a good baby, letting us sleep through the night more than your average newborn. Some of your favorite things are your swing, pooping on mommy when she changes your diaper, sitting facing out holding that strong head of yours up, sticking your tongue out, sucking on your thumb and all your little fingers, being rocked to sleep while mommy sings to you, you seem to favor "You are my Sunshine" and "I am a Child of God" a song mommy played over and over again for you when you were in her belly, you like laying on your changing table and staring at your ceiling fan, staring at mommy while smiling and letting out these cute little noises, cuddling with daddy at night and staring out the window talking while you rock in your swing. Daddy thinks you are talking with angels or Heavenly Father when you do that, it really is the cutest thing. You were sitting there the other day waving your arms back and forth and just going on and on. You really have brought Heaven down to our home, a true blessing.

In your first month of life you managed to have your good share of diaper blow outs. Last weekend we had to change you in the rug department at IKEA, don't worry we used your changing pad. Too bad we didn't buy that rug as a souvenir! You got mommy good the other day when she was changing your diaper. I went to wipe your bum and you just let it all rip, getting poop all over the place. You even pooped out the back of your diaper all over Uncle Jerry as Aunt Tonya was getting your bath ready.

You can already roll to your side. You even try to sit up when we put you in your swing. You love to stretch, be naked and love bath time. You aren't afraid of noise, you actually sleep through the 8 boys mommy watches screaming and playing around you. You must get that comatose sleep from your daddy.

You are a joy to have as a Daughter and one of the greatest blessings we have been given. We look forward to watching you grow even more.

Love,

Mommy

A Name & A Blessing

2011-11-29T14:27:00.000-08:00

On Sunday November 27th 2011

I witnessed my husband give our daughter

a name & a blessing,

A moment I have waited a very long time for!

Labor & Delivery

2011-11-29T13:58:00.000-08:00

Tuesday November 8th, I went out the dinner with some family to Sweet Tomatoes, one of my favorite places to go. I had been up since 4am that morning not able to sleep so I just got up and got ready for the day so I was ready to go home and crash after dinner. When I left home, I was having contractions but they were sporadic and not very consistent. During dinner, my back started hurting and I was noticing they were about 30 minutes apart. So I sat through my dinner while my sister rubbed my lower back for me.... we got home from dinner around 9ish and I changed into my pajamas and planned to just take it easy on the couch and watch the news before bed. As I sat down on the couch I had a contraction and as soon as I laid my head down I was out only to be woken up 15 minutes later by a killer contraction that sent me leaping off the couch and feeling like I was about to pee my pants. So I headed to the bathroom and noticed some bleeding that caused some concern. So I called my doctor and told her about this and that my contractions were about 15 minutes apart. She advised me to come in and told me that she was going to keep me since I was overdue 5 days already and was set to be induced just days later.....

Fast Forward to about 10:15pm, we arrived at Copley through the ER and enjoyed a fast paced wheel chair ride to labor & delivery thanks to the nurse who was walking rather quickly, Dennis and my sister had a hard time keeping up. I got registered, put in a room and was ready to go.

I was already dilated to a 3 and was pretty well effaced with contractions about 3 minutes apart at this point. At 11pm the Dr was called and I was told that if I had not made any progress by 4am they would start me on pitocin. The Dr came in to break my water when I was dilated to a 4, I think somewhere around 2am or so..... 4am came and went and we didn't need the pitocin at this point as my body was doing what it was supposed to do. Guess I will throw in here that it took 3 nurses and the anesthesiologist to get my IV going as I had my veins blown 5 times before the called in the professional who had to put the IV in, in the middle of my arm.

5:30 am....pain from the contractions was starting to get unmanageable so I asked for an epidural. As soon as that was in we turned off the lights for a nap...well everyone else napped but me. I was relaxed but unable to sleep, who would at this point with all the excitement. I was super comfy and warm though!

The rest of the labor and delivery is kind of a blur from here....I remember the Dr coming in around 7am before her shift was over to check me and I was an 8 at this point....I remember sort of dozing off and walking up to feeling the baby move down lower than she had been. I didn't feel pressure like everyone says you will I just remember it feeling weird. So they called the Dr in to check and I was already at a 10. So my nurse did some practice pushes with me and 30 minutes later at 11:03am on November 9th Lydia Kate was born weighing 8lbs 7oz, a complete shock that I had just given birth to such a big baby! I didn't get to hold her right away because the cord was around her neck and I needed to get stitched up which then led to about an hour of shaking from me so profusely that my sister said my lips turned blue and I had 5 heated blankets on me and 3 people rubbing my legs and my grandmother draped over me trying to get me warm and to get the shaking to stop. Turns out I had a fever and my white blood cell count was high, later to find out I had corioamnititis, an infection in my placenta which was caused from labor.

As a result of this, I was put on antibiotics and kept for three days. Lydia was monitored and was found to be ok, just jaundiced.

That's my labor and delivery story and I would totally do it all over again! Even though I was up for 36 hours straight and don't really remember the few visitors we had the evening being there, I spent most of that night holding Lydia and just staring at her like I was dreaming.

Lydia Kate Larson

2011-11-17T09:28:00.000-08:00

She's here and I am IN LOVE! I am loving everything about my precious baby girl. Here is a picture for now until I get a little more time to sit down and tell her birth story (which I can't really complain about!). For now I am busy staring into those gorgeous light eyes which I think will be blue. Who do you think she looks like?

Stats:

12 hours of labor, 30 min pushing and our princess of 8 pounds 7 oz. 21 in. long was born at 11:03am on Wednesday November 9th, 2011.

40 weeks and 1 day

2011-11-05T20:22:00.000-07:00

Well, made it to my due date and then some.....my last appointment was on my actual due date. Only dilated to a 2, Dr wanted to strip my membranes and I said no thanks! So she did an ultra sound to check the fluid and hooked me up to the monitor for a half hour to listen to the baby's heart beat to make sure everything was good, and of course everything was great! She won't let me go more than a week overdue so our little girl is set to be evicted next Friday, 11/11/11 if she doesn't decide to appear before then. I am hoping she doesn't because that would be one sweet birthday!

I continue to have sporadic contractions that don't last long and haven't amounted to anything yet. We went out to dinner for my birthday last night and I was having a few but they were more like quick sharp pains, nothing I was able to count. I am getting lots of back and hip pains now which leads to a nice warm bath at the end of the day to help me relax.

So for now we are just waiting for her to arrive....hard to believe she will be sitting in my arms for sure this time next week!

The Larsons......60 years from now

2011-11-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

Here is our Halloween costume this year. We decided to go as an old couple. I managed to hide the bump with a black sweater and Dens grandmas blazer and hunched over a cane (not a good idea when 9 months pregnant, I felt it the next day). I did such a great job no one knew it was us. This masks are awesome! The mouth moves and everything, making it freakishly real.

39 Weeks

2011-10-31T12:38:00.001-07:00

As I write this post, I am 39 weeks and 4 days and currently still pregnant. 2 friends due after me have already had their babies, one is currently in labor as we speak and I am glad its not me! I really didn't want her birthday to be on Halloween.

I am starting to get more uncomfortable and have been having a lot of contractions while walking. Grocery shopping is now impossible by myself and housework is obsolete. She is getting lower and lower and I am reminded of that when I stand up. At my last appointment on Thursday I was still at a 1 and was told they would most likely see me at my next appt, my due date. I am being patient though, knowing she will come when she is ready but its kinda crazy wondering when she will finally come, my birthday is Friday and 11-11-11 would also be a cool day to be born. I often wonder if I will need to be induced because my body won't go into labor on its own and she will just be too late. Its crazy to think if she is 2 weeks late, she will be born the week before Thanksgiving!

It's hard to imagine that I could be holding a newborn in my arms any day now!

Sneak Peak @ nursery

2011-10-10T18:43:00.001-07:00

Here is a quick peak at Lydias room. There are still a few minor things that need to be done like

install her ceiling fan, make her bookshelves, put the giant box of diapers away, get the picture frames that will be hanging in the tree and hang some other shelving but its to the point where it is ready for her is she decides to come early.

I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!

Final Stretch- Week 35

2011-10-10T18:27:00.000-07:00

I am almost 2 weeks behind on posting this as Thursday marks week 37. I had a Dr appointment last Monday, was told I was dilated to 1 and my Dr. sent me for an ultrasound because I was measuring small.....saw little Lydia on Wednesday and she weighed in around 6lbs and looked great! She was moving all over the place and had her little hands by her chin the whole time.

Had Braxton Hicks contractions last night, not painful, just a rock hard tummy. Oh and little Lydia entertained my friends this weekend at my Scentsy party and again at our fondue night with her kicking moves. She was making my tummy move side to side like giant waves. My sister thinks she will make one heck of a soccer player with the way she has been kicking me lately. Her new thing is to stretch her butt out on my right side and then her feet on the left, quiet painful if you ask mommy but I think its cute.

We are nearing the end here, she really could come at any time. Her room just has a few minor things to finish and I need to finish getting my hospital bag together. I am getting anxious about labor and delivery. Not knowing what to expect, I just want to get it done and over with and get her settled in at home. I really am going to miss being pregnant and I hope that I get the opportunity to be again someday, it really has been a great experience and I can't complain, I am just now starting to actually feel pregnant. No swollen body parts, can still tie my shoes, have been wearing some non maternity tops and I am still sleeping through the night with 1 bathroom break about halfway through. Don't know if she is just being nice and letting me enjoy the sleep now because she is planning on being up for most of the night or if she is going to be a stellar sleeper like her daddy and I are.

6 Years

2011-09-19T15:43:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary by going to Kuipers Apple Orchard for apple cider doughnuts and honey crisp apples. The funny thing is that we originally intended to spend the gorgeous day picking apples there but when we got out of the car and saw the gigantic line of people waiting to go out, we both agreed that it wouldn't be the end of the world if we didn't pick apples. So we wondered through the shop, munched on some doughnuts, sampled some apples and made a purchase of 2 dozen apple cider doughnuts and a 1/2 peck of my fav apples and headed off to Menards to get some things we needed to finish the baby's room.

We enjoyed spending the day together

and finished it off

with a 3 hour long dinner

The Melting Pot.

We left with our bellies full from our last course,

Chocolate fondue with a swirl of peanut butter and probably way to many strawberries & bananas.

And then went home

to enjoy

our food coma!

I am blessed to have spent the last 6 years with such an amazing person

and I look forward

to an eternity more

anniversaries!

* The only picture of the day, taken with my crappy phones camera. Our waitress was sweet enough to make us a cute plate of chocolate drizzled strawberries and wrote Happy 6th Anniversary on it.

33 Weeks!!

2011-09-19T15:19:00.000-07:00

I just had to post a comparison here to show how much I've grown. The picture on the left is at about 8 weeks and the picture on the right is 33 weeks! I was getting ready for church yesterday and Dennis happened to be standing next to me and made the comment..."WOW, your belly sticks out far!" Yea dude, where have you been?

But

as Lydia continues to grow, I continue to love being pregnant! I am really going to miss it but I hope I will get to experience it again! It has been such an awesome experience and I have cherished every little kick and movement, even if it is at 3am!

Her room is coming along....still not ready to post any pictures, although I should post one of the giant pile of stuff in her room waiting to find a home! I am hoping we make major progress with it this week!

Baby Shower

2011-09-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

I had my friends and family baby shower on September 11th hosted by my good friend Nicole with the help of her mom. It was nice to have so many people come to support us and show their love. I am astounded by the amount of clothes and diapers our little one already has! We played games, ate, chatted and spent way too long opening gifts! I did manage to sprain my tow pretty bad on a chair and spent the whole next week limping around as it was swollen and bruised but it seems to be on the mend now. Unfortunately, I didn't take many pictures but here is what I managed to get.

*The cupcakes were AMAZING! They were made with cream cheese frosting with chunks of real strawberries in them! I may have had more than one....or two...

30 weeks....

2011-08-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

Still no real complaints. No swelling on this body or water retention just a little back pain here and there. Just getting real excited to meet our little girl!

Her room is slowly coming along.....my first shower is next week so hubby and I are hoping to get a good start on her room this weekend since we are actually home and not busy! The tree got painted on today so we will tackle the last of the painting and shelving and I need to figure out closet organization. I might post a picture of how her room is coming along after we have made a dent!

Crunchy and Chocolatey

2011-08-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

@ 29 weeks pregnant, I can't get enough of these delicious crunchy chocolatey pebbles! I had 3 bowls yesterday and the box I bought 2 days ago, is about gone!

27 weeks

2011-08-03T19:00:00.001-07:00

Wow look at that belly! Here I am at almost 28 weeks. It is starting to get harder to walk, sit up for long periods of time and Lydia doesn't like it when I sleep on my right side. Last night, I got jolted out of bed at 2am from a series of strong kicks from our little girl. I even think I may have had my first experience with Braxton Hicks contractions last night.

Cravings include: peanut butter and fluff sandwiches, pizza ( could eat it for every meal every day), broccoli and cheese and I can't seem to get enough Multigrain Cheerios. I eat at least 2 bowls a day, one which is a pre-bedtime snack now that I am constantly hungry and I seem to get very hungry right before bed.

The bathroom has become the most frequented place for me, there isn't a place we go to that I don't "check out" the bathroom, it gets annoying sometimes! The recliner is my bed friend and I can't seem to make it through the day without some sort of power nap as my tiredness has come back.

Lydias room has been painted but isn't close to be finished yet. I have a friend making her bedding for me which I picked out the fabric for last weekend and I am very excited to see what it is going to look like! We have gotten a car seat, pack n play and jogging stroller for her so far. Both of my showers are next month and I am very excited to start to get things into place for her arrival. I am starting to get a bit nervous about delivery but we have 13 more weeks for that still.

As far as the job front goes, we have decided that it would be best for me to stay home and do the daycare thing again. I have 2 three year olds signed up and am waiting to hear from a family with another 3 yr old and a 10 month old and then we will be complete. For now I am trying to enjoy my last 2 weeks of "summer break" soaking up the rays and relaxing before the hussle and bussle of early mornings and preschool routines start up on the 15th.

23 weeks......

2011-07-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

....AND feeling GREAT!!!!

Sisters

2011-06-16T18:45:00.001-07:00

After 13 years of not seeing my two younger sisters, Angel and Brianna, I finally got to see them! And of course, all 5 of my sisters are taller than their older sister! Man I am short! (I am standing in a step here).

20 weeks!

2011-06-16T18:35:00.000-07:00

Can't believe we are half way there! Our last ultrasound confirmed we are indeed having a girl and I even got Daddy to agree on a name with me! Lydia Kate Larson is winning over our hearts! She is a constant mover and I feel her kicking all the time. I love it! Although, see doesn't like to cooperate very much, my 18 week appointment she wouldn't sit still for the dopplar to pick up her heartbeat so I got to have an ultrasound. I think she just knew mommy wanted to see her. Then at my 20 week appointment, the tech busted out the 3d so we could see her face and she wouldn't move her hands out from in front of her face (last picture)! The whole time they were doing the anatomy survey she kept moving around a lot too. She is very active just like her momma.

This pregnancy has gotten more real for me now that I can feel her kicking. I no longer feel like I am dreaming I am pregnant and I am getting so excited to meet her. All in all, I am feeling pretty great, no complaints here, I actually love being pregnant!

18 Weeks

2011-06-03T05:29:00.000-07:00

I feel like this pregnancy is going by fast yet it feels like its dragging on but I am sitting here stunned that I have entered my 19th week already! I have a new love for maternity pants, no zipper makes for easier trips the 900 times I visit the restroom a day. I feel like I am always going to the bathroom......or eating! No major cravings right now just wanting to eat the same kinds of food for now which include golden delicious apples, grape tomatoes with dip, anything peanut butter, grilled cheese sandwiches on oat bread and I have been on a major popcicle kick lately.

So far I have gained 8 pounds, my waist has gone from a 32" to 37"....I am all baby, having actually lost from other areas of my body but there are no complaints here! I feel like she has taken the fat from those parts, leaving muscle to shine through or at least thats what it seems like to me! Is it weird to say I feel "toner" since becoming pregnant?

My 18 week checkup is on Monday and then the following Monday we have our gender determination ultrasound with my ob office, we will see if the place we did our early ultrasound was right and if little girl is still a little girl!

And in the name department, I think we may have settled on a name but I am not going to mention it just yet, maybe that will be the element of surprise for everyone if we wait until she is born!

It's a girl

2011-05-19T19:44:00.001-07:00

The first picture is the tell tale pic. The tech said its a girl but daddy thinks that its really a boy, we just didn't get a good view.....so the next ultrasound is in 4 weeks @ my ob office so we will see if its still a girl or if our little boy was hiding the goods on us.

I've Mastered the Art of Going to School

2011-05-09T12:01:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, I graduated with my Master of Arts in Education from Olivet Nazarene University. Seems being a teacher gives you a life long adventure of going to school......I have a few things in mind for my next adventure. I want to take my last 3 classes to get middle school endorsed in science and social studies and I think I will get my ELL certificate. I have to defer those student loans some how! lol

Revamped Dresser

2011-05-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

14 Weeks

2011-05-06T05:36:00.000-07:00

So here we our, the 2nd trimester and I must say I like it alot better than the first. My morning sickness is gone and I am able to eat food again and be in a vertical position. However, I have just gotten over my second cold during this pregnancy, my friend referred to it as placenta nose! This time it was yucky, three boxes of kleenex in 3 days, OUCH! I am glad that its almost gone and I am on the mend now.

As far as baby goes, I didn't post about our 13 week visit. We saw Baby and we even got a simultaneous hand and foot wave from the little one, he or she was very active. It was really cool as this was the first ultrasound where you could tell it was a baby and not just a blob. We find out in 2 weeks if we will be picking blue or pink! So excited to find out!

Everything is going very smoothly. I am now completely in maternity pants and have gotten comments on the bump. As the weather is trying to get warmer I am struggling to find clothes I can wear and feel comfortable in.

We have gotten the crib set up and Dennis has stained the the dresser he had when he was a kid. I need to post pictures of it, it turned out very nicely. Now we are just waiting to find out the sex so we can start our registry and start buying baby some stuff. I am so excited and so thankful towards my Heavenly Father for allowing me the opportunity to be a mom and take care of a sweet little spirit!

12.5 Weeks

2011-04-25T06:49:00.001-07:00

Here's the bump I am sporting these days. I officially can't wear my regular jeans anymore, although maternity pants are a little big in the butt and thigh area, good I guess considering the only thing growing on me is my tummy. My morning sickness is gone but I still have the occasional nauseous moment every now and then. I have started to get an appetite back but still prefer to stick with carbs. Baby really isn't a fan of fruits and veggies but I have been trying to get some in when I can. I actually got to enjoy Easter dinner last night, I was stuffed!

We have our 13 week checkup today and I am hoping we get to see Baby L. Only 4 more weeks until we find out the sex. Dennis thinks we are having a boy but I think its a girl so it will be interesting to see who is right. He is usually pretty good at guessing.

For now, I am just getting through the last 4 weeks of watching the kids at home and then in June I start to nanny for a family with 3 girls. I am excited because I will get to be out of the house, go fun places and enjoy the water park again this summer! Lucky me!

I am still up in arms as to what I want to do next year as watching the kids at home is taking a toll on me and the house but maybe I just need a break! I have been applying for teaching jobs but part of me wants to stay home with Baby. I have put it in the Lords hands now so we will see what the end of the summer will bring.

Week 8 vs Week 11

2011-04-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

7.5 Weeks

2011-03-21T08:48:00.001-07:00

It's amazing how much a baby grows in a week! I now have full blown morning sickness complete with throwing up, oh joy! I spent the entire day in bed yesterday and couldn't manage to keep anything down. I was given a script for Zofran at my doctors appointment this morning. I have also scheduled my first appointment with my ob for next week. I can't believe I am already into my 8th week already. Here is to hoping this whole morning sickness thing can subside and I can start to function like a normal person again!

6.5 weeks

2011-03-15T07:19:00.000-07:00

My baby is the size of a blueberry, having grown 10,000 times bigger than it was at conception! AMAZING! The other amazing thing is that we saw and heard the heartbeat yesterday at our appointment. The heartbeat is already at 120, which we were told was pretty strong for 6.5 weeks, which puts this momma at ease. I am so excited every Monday because I get to see our baby!

Morning sickness has set in this past week. Although I was dealing with nausea @ night which was easy to just go to bed to feel better, I have started to not feel so hot in the morning! So I have saltines and preggie pops on hand (which the preggie pops helped the other night thank goodness!) I have tried to stop drinking anything past a certain time which has helped because I haven't gotten up to go to the bathroom the last few nights.

All in all, I am doing pretty well.

Love at First Sight!

2011-03-07T08:33:00.000-08:00

See my little bean sprout on the left!

Somebody Pinch Me!

2011-03-02T11:07:00.000-08:00

It's been 6 days since we found out we are expecting a little one and I still feel like I am living in a dream! I still can't believe after 5 years of trying, I am pregnant! Maybe it will be more real to me when I go in for my first ultrasound on Monday. I am in my fifth week and I am feeling good so far. The nausea really hasn't been present this week like last week, I have just been very very tired! The only restriction the doctor has me on is that I can't lift over 10 pounds which has been hard with the kids I watch but my sister has been very helpful with picking up the kids for me.

So excited to see my little peanut on Monday!

I'm Lucky #3

2011-02-24T15:20:00.000-08:00

Some may say this is a little early to announce, however there are not that many people who keep up with my blog and I am too excited to keep it in and I know some of you are waiting to hear so.......here is my announcement, I am indeed pregnant!

Coincidence?

2011-02-21T20:29:00.000-08:00

Totally Random but.....

So yesterday I found out that two friends are expecting their second child are due a day apart from each other....all while I am enduring my 2 week wait! aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh. Well, I find out in groups of three so here is to hoping I am lucky #3!

Just an update, I went in for blood work this morning and my numbers are looking good. Estrogen is about 1860 and progesterone was like 360 or something like that. The Dr. doesn't want me to do anymore HCG injections which is good because my hormones are doing their thing. I totally had this whole waiting thing under control and out of my head...until I got a call with my results and was told my Beta (pg test) would be Thursday....I thought I had until next Tuesday...so now of course I am thinking about it...I thought my girls weekend would be a good distraction to get me through the last few days but I guess I will have to occupy my mind some other way for 3 days. I am so not looking forward to the long wait on Thursday afternoon, last time it felt like an eternity!

I have been unusually tired the last few days, had a dizzy spell on Saturday, go from full to hungry in no time at all- I actually finished ALL of my dinner when we went out the other night which is totally unheard of! I even wanted Tacos & had them for breakfast this morning. But I am trying to not read into it all and get too excited, don't want to get my hopes up again.

So here is to lots of praying over the next 72 hours!

Blizzaster 2011

2011-02-18T13:19:00.000-08:00

February brought us a whopping 20 inches of snow, the third worst blizzard in recorded history. I was left with 2 extra days in the house and I took full advantage of the extra time, I began a

project and tried to be productive but we all know how that goes.

Just a few side notes about the blizzaster 2011.

1. We had a piece of siding torn off of our house

2. I swear our patio door almost busted from how strong the wind was, it was flexing bad

3. I decided to venture out 3 hours before the projected start time, who knew that the weather men would be right and the storm even hit a few hours early, leaving me to drive home in a bit of it, FUN!

4. There were a ton of cars left stranded on LakeShore drive due to a bus that jackknifed. I would not have wanted to be one of the people stuck out there, scary! I heard a story of a husband who drove as far as he could to get to his wife on LSD, walked on foot when he couldn't get any farther and looked in every car window until he found his wife who was stranded because she was out of gas!

5. Our HOA shovelers informed us the next morning that we had a pile of snow on our front porch that reached well over the top of the door, taking him over an hour just to shovel it out!

6. An ambulance got stuck in the snow drift in our neighborhood, 2 plows almost got stuck trying to get them out

7. Closed area schools for 2 days, I can't remember the last time we had 2 snow days in a row!

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T06:19:00.000-08:00

Wednesday Words of Wisdom

2011-02-09T13:09:00.001-08:00

"People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."

D Day

2011-02-08T19:04:00.000-08:00

Friday is the day! I am so excited but trying not to let myself get to excited and I am grateful for the strength the Lord has given me.

Round Two

2011-02-03T18:40:00.000-08:00

I didn't blog about my first round of I.V.F and I wish I would have so I could look back on it. So now that I am starting round two, I wanted to document my thoughts. I am three days in on my shots and set for retrieval on Valentines Day. I am excited to try again but am a little nervous about being let down. Last round after learning we miscarried, it was very emotionally straining on me and I am a little nervous about going through it all again. I am trying to remain positive that this will be our lucky month and we will get our little bundle of joy!

$ome dolla$ $aved

2011-01-30T19:34:00.000-08:00

Jewel has been having these deals lately where an item is $1.75 when you purchase 4. I have done 3 trips so far with coupons for the cereal. This weekend, I got 4 coupons for 2/$2 skippy, making it $1 a jar....not bad for food storage stock up considering a jar is normally around $3. So grand total spent this trip was $20.....total saved was $29...can you believe these 16 items would have cost me $50! I just love saving more than I spent!

Winter Blues

2011-01-26T18:54:00.001-08:00

Today I have a very strong desire to put my house on the market and move somewhere warm! This cold weather gets to me every year and it seems to get worse each time. I think its time for a change!

Happy Tuesday!

2011-01-25T12:10:00.000-08:00

This Year I Will Resolute to....

2011-01-04T20:39:00.000-08:00

I heard on the radio that people are 85% more likely to follow through on a resolution if they write it down so here goes. Here are a few goals for 2011

1. Build a closer relationship to the Lord

2. Read my scriptures every day

3. Pray more

4. Become financially fit

5. Scrapbook more (digital)

6. Take more time for myself

7. Create more

I think that is a good place to start for now.

Struggles slow the Stride

2011-01-03T11:16:00.000-08:00

Its a brand new year and with that comes a new church time. This year we meet from 1-4pm and I absolutely despise it! My Sunday afternoon bread making or nap or simply lounging around is completely cut out. 2 years ago when we had this time Dennis and I found ourselves sleeping until 11, getting ready for church and then heading out for the day. It makes Sundays feel so rushed and they go by so quickly. So to no avail, yesterday came and I really really didn't want to go to church. Like really really didn't want to go. I asked Dennis is we could just go for first hour and then come home. He said we will see.

So off to church we went and I was in a crabby mood. All I kept thinking was why do we have to go to church so late in the day and was really just there to be there so I could finish sacrament and go home.

After listening to the testimonies my attitude changed and I was reminded of why we go to church and why it is so important to go every week, spiritual strength to get us through the week.

I can say that I have been blessed to have a better perspective on things while going through the struggles that I have had over the last few years. Yes what I am going through really stinks but I have had the opportunity to learn so much and to grow so much spiritually. Through my struggles I have slowed things down and seen things that I would have otherwise passed by, the realization of things through talks with friends and the gratitude for others who take time out to make sure I am doing ok has forever touched my heart. While I know there is a reason for everything I am getting a little anxious as to the reason we haven't been blessed with children yet. Notice how I say, yet. I know we will have children one day as both of our patriarchal blessings say so. This has just been a test of Faith and my ability to trust that the Lord will provide.

I am reminded of a quote from a friend.....true strength is being able to hold it together when everyone expects you to fall apart. While I haven't completely fallen apart, I have continued to remain "pieced" together through the strength that the Lord has provided to me and wonderful friends he has placed in my life.

So as I start 2011 off on a good note, I am optimistic that this year will bring so many blessings to my life. I will try to remain positive in light of the negative and I will try to do better in staying closer to the Lord this year.

I am thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who carries my burdens when they are to hard to bare. I am thankful for the Gospel on Jesus Christ in my life and the opportunity that I have to live with it in my life. I am thankful for great friends and a loving and uplifting husband. I am thankful for opportunities to learn and grow. I am thankful that the struggles that I have endured has slowed by strides through life so that I could stop and see the true beauty around me. I have a testimony of the Gospel that God lives and loves us and is present in our daily lives and if we do all that we can do he will pour His blessings upon us. I know that if I continue to life worthily and faithfully, the Lord will provide all the desires of my heart in His time.

I say these things humbly in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-30T06:57:00.000-08:00

I am very happy to write this letter and get 2010 out of here! This last year was a bit of a challenge and wasn't really all to exciting. I guess I am just happy to get a fresh start in 2011 and make it the best year yet! So sit back and enjoy the ride as you read about the challenging year that we have had, I promise I will try to remain positive in light of all of the negative. I was able to get a way for a girls weekend in Galena Illinois in January. I had a wonderful time with my girlfriends shopping, getting pedis and having late night talks. The end of my trip however led to 5 months of pneumonia that 5 different meds couldn't seem to kick. I felt like I was sick for an eternity!

In April, I was informed that my position as Intervention Specialist was to be eliminated due to extreme budget cuts in our district. I had the opportunity to have various interviews but the Lord had better plans and brought me back to a thought I had had in the back of my mind for almost a year. The job market for teachers didn't look very promising so I decided to start my own business and open Little Orckids Preschool. Within a few weeks of this decision, I had a number of families signed up to start in the fall and I knew this was the path I was to take. I was excited to work from home and I must say I am still happy with this decision. In May, Dennis and I had the chance to go to our first ever Cubs game. Sad I know, we have lived in Chicago all our lives and we just now got around to seeing the Cubs play.

June brought much excitement and hopes that 2010 was going to become a better year. We started fertility treatments after 5 years of trying to start our family, Dennis was offered a job doing commercial pest control with Orkin and I started a summer job as a nanny. One of my all time favorite jobs for summertime. I had fun going to Chicago, getting into an accident in a cab, hanging out at the water park with friends, visiting Legoland, bowling, playing mini golf and relaxing. In July, I attended Girls Camp in Indiana for my third year. Our Stake picked a new camp site this year and it was great. I volunteered to take our Pathfinder and haul the trailer, a first experience of trailer driving for me.....it was a little scary at first but we made it there and home safely. My sister, her fiancée & my nephew moved in with us during this time. They relocated to Northern Illinois in hopes of finding a better life up here. It has been nice watching my nephew grow and sharing his firsts, like walking this past week!

August was a busy blur. The day after I returned from camp, Dennis & I went to a Bon Jovi concert at Solider Field This was the first time in our married life we have gone to a concert together and it was our first & only date night since June as Dennis has been extremely busy with work. Our seats were so high up, we had a great few of Navy Pier. Fast forward 2 days later to Sunday.....we attended the wedding of my cousin Anthony and his gorgeous bride, Elise. The ceremony was very nice and the reception was alot of fun.

The next morning I left to go spend a week with my cousins at my grandparents house. It was nice to just lay around and visit but I was happy to come home and sleep in my own bed, plus two weeks away from the hubby was starting to make me miss him. That next week, Little Orkids Preschool opened its doors to 7 anxious children. In barbeque business news, That's Barbeque was introduced to a slew of restaurants this summer and picked up by a few stores. Dennis has taken a lot of time to get the business to a great point this year an we look forward to its growth in 2011.

We celebrated 5 years together in September with sushi and a stroll around downtown Wheaton, started our first round on IVF in November that led to a miscarriage. We have plans in January to jump back on the IVF bandwagon and try again. We stayed local and spent Thanksgiving & Christmas with family. Although this year has brought many challenges to our family we have keep our faith in the Lord that he has a plan for us. It has been hard to come to the realization that its all in the His time. He has done a wonderful job in tuning my patience this year and I know even Miracles take a little time.

We look forward to a better & brighter 2011 and hope that is the year that our dreams come true.

Wishing you & yours a Merry Christmas & a Happy healthy New Year!

Happy Birthday Dennis

2010-12-07T06:47:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday we celebrated Dens birthday. We went to Maggianos for dinner with the family for dinner that night. Dennis wanted to make sure this years birthday wasn't forgotten as I had to call 911 the day before his birthday to have him rushed to the ER. He was woken up early in the morning to a noise. I went out to check on him because I heard a groan. I found him hunched over the kitchen sink. He was breathing but not responding to me. I laid him on the floor and tried to get his attention. His eyes were bulging and he was staring off into space. I kept saying Dennis are you ok? Finally I got a "I can't hear you" from him. I ran to grab my sister to help me. This was the scariest point in my life thus far and I don't want another one.....as I called 911 I was holding back to tears but my adrenaline was going so fast I found it hard to dial the numbers and even find the words to answer the dispatchers questions. The paramedics arrived within seconds of the call and we rode off to the hospital in the ambulance. Before I had gotten in the ambulance I called Dennis' mom to meet me at the hospital because I didn't want to face this alone.

It is about 4:45 am and we are getting settled in the room and in walks Dens entire family all worried about him. Needless to say the Dr said he just had a fainting spell also know as Syncope. They did an EKG & ran some blood work just to make sure all was well.

We walked out to the hospital at 6:15 with that diagnosis not a clue to why he passed out in the first place. Of course this left me freaking out for the next couple of days following this incident that something was wrong with him and this was going to happen again.

So for his birthday, I was just thankful that he is here with us still and it was nothing major.

Gingerbread Houses

2010-12-07T06:42:00.000-08:00

Tonight we built gingerbread houses with Tonya & Gary. This was a first ever for me, I have never made a gingerbread house before and now I know why......the icing is horrible to maneuver. The nice little white blob in the front on the house would be from my bag of icing exploding so I decided to add candy and call it a patio.....over all it was a fun activity.

Super Couponer Strikes Again!

2010-10-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have done a super coupon deal but I couldn't resist this one....I got 14 boxes of cereal for $1.64! No that is not a typo....$1.64. I love getting deals like these.

5 Years Together....

2010-09-17T23:20:00.000-07:00

And still in love!

We celebrated our 5th anniversary by going to Sushi Mono in Wheaton (which was amazing!), took a stroll through Adams Park and did some goal setting next to a dimly lit fountain, and finished the night at the movies seeing Salt (which was very good). It was nice to have some time together to talk and catch up on things.

Here's to an eternity more!

We got the Spicy Salmon, Ecstacy & Crunchy Melt rolls, all were very yummy! Our appetizer was asparagus beef rolls (AMAZING) and Edamame. We will be going back!

It only took 5 years but........

2010-08-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

I have finally gotten my KitchenAid that I have been asking Dennis for, for the last 5 years! My grandparents sold us their barely used one for a great price. Dennis asked me to make him some homemade bread, receipe compliments of my friend Jen. I decided to make my homemade mac n cheese to go with that yummy french bread. I can't wait to make cookies, cupcakes and of course more bread!!!!!

2010-08-21T19:00:00.001-07:00

I am having a very difficult week...so what does one do when they are having a difficult week? Well, go to the temple of course. I have never had such a burning desire to go to the temple before until this week. It was our ward temple night on Friday night and it has been on my calendar and has been on my mind all week. Whenever I found myself down this week I said to myself, I need to go to the temple, I need to go to the temple. So lastnight I went to the temple with a full heart and I poured it all out to my Father In Heaven and I asked him to make my burden light.

The coolest thing happened last night and it was a very awesome spiritual experience. I have not been feeling very close to the Lord lately and I haven't been feeling the spirit very much. This has been very hard on me because I have felt alone and unguided at a time where I need our Heavenly Father more than ever. Before I got to the temple I said a prayer that I would be able to feel the spirit and know that I am not alone. For the purpose of keeping things sacred I am not going to go into detail but there was a point that I was reminded of my great grandmother, tears came to my eyes as I felt the spirit overwhelm me and then I was we were walking to one of the rooms, I saw an elderly woman come out of a room that looked exactly like my great grandmother, I had to do a double take, then again I felt the spirit again.

I left the temple feeling at peace. My Heavenly Father is aware of me and he is right there going through this with me. There must be some big lesson I am supposed to learn from all of this and slowly I am learning but I can't wait for my miracle to be in my arms. For now I will think about my baby being up there with our Father in Heaven waiting to come meet his parents.

I Just Want to be a Mommy!

2010-08-17T17:07:00.000-07:00

Infertility SUCKS! It is even more difficult when friend after friend has baby after baby and you are left with empty arms. Next month marks our 4 year mark of trying to become parents....I really didn't think it would take this long. We have been working with our fertility specialist Dr. Binor out of Copley for almost a year and I absolutely adore the man! We started doing treatments in June of this year after years of just trying and waiting and talking about adoption. I just had an appointment with him a few weeks ago and he would like to move on to IVF. It scares me just because of all the meds you have to be on and having to go under to remove my eggs. I used to be afraid of doctors, needles and the thought of going under. When we first started this "infertility journey" I told myself I would not undergo IVF. Now 4 years later I am ready to go but a little nervous. It is funny how wanting something so bad makes you change the way you feel about it! The crappy thing about this whole situation is that I lost my job back in June, the job with killer almost to good to be true insurance that covered everything. Well Dennis new job offers insurance. However, said job's insurance does not cover infertility treatments, meaning I have to take Cobra from my previous employer totalling a whopping $500 a month just for me! Really! Why is this fair? Did we ask to not be able to have children the conventional way? Why do we have to pay oddles and oddles of money just to have a child of our own? There should be some relief given here, its not our fault.
So for the past 4 years, I have been a big emotional grump who is jealous of any pregnant woman that comes into my radius. I am hit with struggle after struggle to become a parent and sometimes I ask myself if I am ever going to get that chance? I just want to be a mommy!

Bon Jovi, My Cousins wedding & A Week with Cousins

2010-08-09T18:09:00.000-07:00

Bride & Groom

My Aunts & I

Cousins

Grandma & I

Me, Grandma & Aunt Trish

Bon Jovi

Representing the Hawks!

The cousins

...This blog apparently needs and update on what I have been up to lately. I feel as if summer has just started but somehow it is coming to end. I seriously don't know where in the world the time has gone! So it may appear that I have done nothing eventful this summer but alas, I have done it in true Tara fashion, cramming it all in at once! On July 30th, just a day after returning from girls camp, Dennis and I went to the Bon Jovi concert @ Soldier Field. This was the first time in our married life we have gone to a concert together and it was our first & only date night in July as Dennis has been extremely busy with work. Matter of fact, I think it was the only time in July that we got to a have a conversation that didn't involve falling asleep mid sentence! Our seats were so high up, we had a great few of Navy Pier. I LOVE the city at night. Bon Jovi put on a great show and it was nice to spend time with my hubby for a change.

Fast forward 2 days later to Sunday.....we attended the wedding of my cousin Anthony and his gorgeous bride, Elise. The ceremony was very nice and the reception was alot of fun.

Girls Camp 2010

2010-07-31T14:15:00.000-07:00

This last week I completed my third year at Girls Camp. This year we went to Lafayette Indiana. The camp was very nice and we had a very busy three days! Lots of spiritual experiences and lots of fun was had by our ward. Of course, it rained the last night, as it always does when we go to camp. We actually had to take all of our stuff down the night before and sleep in the dining hall since we had to be up and gone from camp before 7:30 so the rain was no big deal, it just haulted our camp fire, yellow feather ceremony and smores but being in the dining hall together was cozy and fun. My highlight of camp was running from shower to shower (in swimsuit) with Morgan trying to get a hot water because we showered on night after everyone else did! We also met Sister Taylor from Joilet 1 ward sho is down right hilarious. She should be a comedian. During dinner she had me almost choke from how hard I was laughing as she was telling stories. It was a great time! Can't wait till next year.....rumor has it we are going to the same camp.

Preschool Table

2010-07-15T19:47:00.000-07:00

I bought this adorable table today for my preschool. I am thinking about buying a second one. I scored this beauty for $50 on Amazon. They have an easel that matches for just $35 that will be my next purchase.

Time Hog

2010-07-12T21:14:00.000-07:00

My time has been stolen and the culprit is this cutie.......
He takes up all of my time cuddling, laughing and playing with me!

My sister her fiance & my nephew Luca moved in with us about 3 weeks ago and I am more than thrilled to get to play with my nephew all the time!

A rumble in the night

2010-06-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

Last night I was woken up and kept awake by pounding rain, loud obnoxious thunder and eye blinding lightning. I hate being woken up this way. Needless to say, I am really tired today now

Opposites attract

2010-06-15T08:09:00.000-07:00

St. Croix

Dominican Republic

Verona Italy

We have a dilema...I really really really want to take a vacation everytime I turn around but Dennis wants to save all of our money and do nothing with it, just let it sit and pile up and take vacations later in life. What if i die before I get to spend it? I on the other hand want to spend it and travel the world. Is there anything wrong with wanting to see the world before you die? At this rate, I will die a rich woman who never saw anything past Illinois!

P.S. I don't mind saving money, but really? To the point of never taking a vacation until I'm 40??

I'm a business owner and I like what the future holds!

2010-06-08T08:52:00.000-07:00

Ladies & gents, Little Orckids Preschool is open for business! Website has been created @ littleorckidspreschool.weebly.com. Classes start in September. Now on to finishing the room (pictures to soon follow) and marketing.

Wish me luck...... :)

Cubs game

2010-05-28T11:43:00.000-07:00

I am way late in posting this one but better late than never. Dennis and I attended our very first Cubs game (sad I know since we have lived here our whole lives). We were able to support our friend, Laura, who has battled and beat Breast Cancer. It was a fundraiser event for her walk for breast cancer. We went with the Giacominos & Sedlaceks. It was great to jump on the train that morning and spend the whole day in the city without a care in the world, or a check of the watch.

It's baaaacccckkkk

2010-05-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

The coughing and weezing and oh I feel like crap and all I want to do is sleep....is back again. I mean its not like I really enjoyed having it for 4 months and missed it so much I wanted it to come back! Why did it have to come back so soon? Really? I think this weather has something to do with it. I really don't want pneumonia again, it was not fun!

2010-05-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

Found on a friends blog and I really liked, so I borrowed...thanks Kiera

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with perfectly manicured fingernails.

I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.

I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing my neighbor's lawn.

I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children.

I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden.

I want to be there with the children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.

I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Well this has never happened before.....

2010-05-10T15:54:00.001-07:00

I have never gotten the opportunity to have more than one interview in a hiring season before, I am actually lucky if I even get one. Well today I recieved a call from Amy Drayper at Echlerberger Elementary in Plainfield. She was calling to schedule me for an interview for the kindergarten position that I applied for. My jaw dropped when I heard her message and said shut the front door! So I called her back and I have an interview on Thursday afternoon. How crazy is it that I have 2 interviews within a week of each other, both for kindergarten! I still haven't heard back from my prinicpal yet to see if I made it to round 2 of interview at LC where I am now....the interview went exceptionally well and I should be hearing from him in a day or so.

Excitement!

2010-05-02T17:10:00.000-07:00

Fingers and toes crossed, I have an interview Thursday for a kindergarten job at my current school! I am sooooooooo excited!!!!!!!!

Something is missing

2010-04-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else ever get tired of feeling like something is missing?

2010-04-13T15:55:00.000-07:00

3 weeks ago Monster got neutered and this picture reminded me of it. Although Monster isn't a cat, its still funny!
And from the whole experience I will NEVER make an animal go through that again!

Just when you feel like giving up.....

2010-04-05T20:36:00.000-07:00

My favorite talk from conference this year was by James B. Martino. His talk was about Trials. There could not have been a better time for me to hear this talk. Here are the highlights.

* How we react to difficulties determines our success.
* Not when we face them BUT how we face them
* Trials help us develop traits & attributes like out Father
* We grow from experiences but challenge is seeing the eternal perspective as we go through them.
* 5 things can be learned from the Savior
1. Will of Father- he was commited even through his trials
2. Don't complain or murmur- Ask What am I to do? Change? Learn? not ask Why Me?
3. Seek help from God- this helps strengthen us and ease the burden
Don't become bitter, become faithful
4. Serve others- it helps us forget out problems and helps strengthen ourselves
5. Forgive others/Don't pass the blame onto them.

We also got to sing I Know My Reedemer Lives during Sundays afternoon session. I was very thankful that Conference fell on Easter this year, it made it all the more special. I was thankful that I got to hear such wonderful messages from a prophet of God and the General Authority of the church. My faith has been strengthen because I listened.

2010-04-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

Everywhere in nature we learn the lesson of patience and waiting.
We want things a long time before we get them and the fact that we
wanted them a long time makes them all the more precious when they come.
-Joseph F. Smith

Meet the newest member of the Larson family

2010-04-03T18:37:00.000-07:00

After much contemplation and a year of looking, we have decided to add another car to our family, a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder and we are in love with it!

Ok, so pie day was a little late

2010-04-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

I made my first blueberry pie Monday night.....by Tuesday night it was all gone!

Happy April

2010-04-01T20:08:00.001-07:00

...Oh believe it!

Happily Ever After

2010-03-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

I attended the YW dinner and broadcast lastnight at our stake center. Can I just say that the Lord knows when we need to hear something. I have experienced this the last few weeks as I have not wanted to go to church just because I didn't feel like going BUT I went anyway because I knew I had to do. I get such spiritual fufillment from going to church. So far, every week I have felt like not going, I have heard a lesson or a talk that the Lord meant for my ears to hear. So back to the broadcast, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf was the closing speaker and I say they saved the best for last. His talk compared our lives to a fairytale, we have to go through some trial to get to our happily ever after. This is so true, we have to go through the trials in our life and learn and grow before we can have eternal life. We may not like our trials, who really does, but its how we deal with them and what we learn that helps us grow and move forward with our lives. I can say I have not enjoyed my trials at all, I dispise them but I am greatful to have gone through them because they have helped me grow and learn and I have drawn closer to our Heavenly Father.

Although....it would be nice to have a break for a bit!

8 weeks.......and counting

2010-03-12T14:39:00.001-08:00

Wow have I neglected this blog or what? Nothing new really to report in the last month. I am STILL sick! We are going on 8 weeks now! The doc put me on my third antibiotic, Prednisone and gave me an inhaler. The list of side affect are super long, I was kind of scared to take it! Today I experienced hyperness, jitteriness, crabby-ness and then after lunch I crashed!!! I am so exhausted and I have a killer headache.
On a lighter side, the weather and perked up and it was a gorgeous 65 yesturday. I even went a purchased a new spring coat. I am hoping that his nice weather will help me feel better and finally kick the walking pneumonia to the curb.
SPRING IS COMING!!!!

My first experience with an earthquake

2010-02-12T10:14:00.000-08:00

Wednesday morning we were awoken at 4am by a loud noise, barking dog and a shaking bed. I knew right away that it was an earthquake, Dennis on the other hand tried tp pass it off as Monster shaking. You see when he gets woken up in the middle of the night, he will bark really loud and start to shake because his adrenaline is going. This I am very greatful for because I know that no one stands a chance at getting into my house at with my guard dog. While the boys were up checking out what was going on, I could still feel the bed shaking, no way it was Monster, he wasn't even in the bed. So we brushed it off not really knowing what it was and fell back asleep. 6am my alarm goes off and they are talking about a 4.3 earthquake just 2 towns over from ours. Dennis starts hitting my arm, babe we have an earthquake last night he says to where I respond, see I told you, hit snooze, and roll back over. Ours was small, I can't even image what the people in Haiti went through.

Oh Joy!!

2010-02-12T09:52:00.001-08:00

This picture pretty much sums up what I have been doing for three straight weeks, NON STOP!

So I have been sick for 3 weeks now. It started with a cough that just got worse and worse and worse. After anihilating an entire bottle of Robitussin DM, Niquil & Dayquil and having zero change in symptoms I decided to go to urgent care last week to see what was going on. I was told that I have an upper resp. infection. I always get them this time of year and they most likely turn into bronchitis or step. I was given cough meds adn sent home. A week after taking the meds, nothing changed again, still have my annoying cough and I even managed to hurt my rib in the process. Yesturday I decided to go see my PCP in Geneva because I just didn't feel right. I really haven't had much energy these last three weeks and haven't wanted to do anything. I have completely abanded my training schedule for my 1/2 marathon. I attempted hitting the treadmill earlier this week with no luck. I started coughing and just not feeling right. So the doc tells me that I have had walking pneumonia and sends me home with an antibiotic and nasty tasting cough meds with codene and instructions to stay home and rest. Mind you I took the nasty disguting made me wanna gag cough meds before bed lastnight. Well they wore off around 3:30 lastnight when I started coughing in my sleep so bad that it woke me up! I get up this morning to take the dog out, go to cough and hear a pop, fall to the ground because I can't breathe and start to cry. Now this really can't be good. I decided to go visit the chiropractor asap to get some treatments done and see if he can figure out whats up with my rib. Sure enough I had popped one out of place and I may have possibly cracked one. So now, it hurts to cough, laugh, breathe deep or pretty much move. There is nothing I can do except give it time to heal itself. So now when I cough I clench my fists hard and try to get through the pain. I am just glad I went to my PCP and found out what was really going on and finally got some goods meds that should knock this right out. I just hate this time of year because I always come down with something and it's never any fun!

Galena Girls Getaway 2010

2010-01-24T19:05:00.001-08:00

Alyse & I LOVE Santa/ Our Mexican Pyramid/Amanda & her beef

Hola/Bonnie, Lisa & I/ The moment Lisa tossed Alyse

hanging by the monk/Bonnie ate stale popcorn on display/chick flick

This year, a bunch of us got together and headed 3 hours northwest to Galena for a girls weekend. We had a pj party, gift exchange, chick-flick night and a day on the town. It was a great getaway. Can't wait till the next girls trip.....!!! (Hopefully Bonnie won't eat stale display popcorn again!)

Progress

2010-01-09T14:38:00.000-08:00

I have been keeping up with my running, as much as I can, since returning to work this week. I hit a milestone this week. I ran a mile in 9 minutes! Now, while this is great, I want to work more on endurance right now than speed. I went to the massage therapist on Thursday because my left shin was killing me. Found out I tore my muscle on my shin. Nothing that couldn't be fixed I was told. So I stretched and didn't run for 2 days until the pain went away. I went to Lifetime Fitness with a friend today and I ran almost 2 and 1/2 miles before I could feel the pain come back. After we completed our run, we sat in the hot tub for a bit and I can tell you it really helped! I wish I could sit in the hot tub after every run. I am working through this minor injury, I am not going to give up on my running goal. It's just a bump in the road.

Winter in Chicago

2010-01-02T08:49:00.000-08:00

This was about noonish

By the end of the day, we had 12 inches

I was very upset that I didn't get a white Christmas when I woke up Christmas morning and the little amount of snow we had was melting. When we woke up the day after Christmas, there was no snow on the ground and then it started to snow some giant flakes. You can witness these photos of the event of that day that led to our snowmobiling adventure later that evening.

New Years 2009

2009-12-31T10:55:00.001-08:00

Shaun rockin Roxanne / The girls

Shaun & Lisa

Midnight Dance Party / Rockin it (I got way into the guitar)

Lisa bustin a move / Funny faces for the camera

Dennis & Lisa

We decided to throw a mini New Years Party at our house this year with a few friends. We played games, pigged out and busted out the good "ole Rockband". We had an absolute blast and it was a great way to ring in the New Year.

Best date night ever!!!

2009-12-27T17:29:00.000-08:00

Lastnight, Dennis and I decided to take advantage of our 12+ inches of snow and head to his brothers and spend the evening snowmobiling. It was alot of fun to race down the trails and open throttle down the bike path behind his house. Dennis and I rode the trail once together and he almost landed us in the river because the sled wouldn't turn. We raced down the bike path and found this awesome straight road we could just fly down. It was by far the best date night we have had in a very long time. YAH! For all the snow. As a side note, my back is killing me from all the bouncing and turning not to mention I went sledding with my nephew and tried standing up and I fell forward and rolled. It hurt but the whole evening was well worth it!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-22T22:09:00.000-08:00

Cuddling Cousins

Opening the gift from Vienna

Christmas Eve Eve (Cilley Christmas)-

The Cilley clan got togethera few days before

Christmas. We got to talk to Brian & Betka

on skype and hang out the the family. The elves

were there to hand out presents.

Christmas Eve (above)- Was spent eating

chocolate covered strawberries in a box at Pat

and Tony's.

Christmas Morning - Dennis built a lean to at 4am

so he could smoke our turkey because we had 40 mph

winds that morning. He also learned that it only takes

4 hours to smoke it as opposed to the 10 the internet

told him. One of Dennis's favorite gift was his red &

green only sour patch kids and I got a remote start!!!

The BEST Christmas present EVER

2009-12-22T22:04:00.000-08:00

Dennis bought me a Dyson for Christmas. I have already used it twice. As you can see from the picture, it sucks up the smallest speck of dirt. I used it on the stairs and there is a big difference in the color of the carpet now, it looks cleaner. I have a feeling I will be using this thing alot more than my last vaccum.

Family visit

2009-12-22T21:49:00.000-08:00

He likes to talk / Den & I / Check that face

Quilt I made for Tonya / The grandparents / Tiff & I

Sisters

3 days after we got home from Cancun, we went down to visit my family and attend my sister Tonya's baby shower. It was the first time my family was together without any drama. However, I ended up getting sick which made my whole family sick by the following week.

more pics from Cancun

2009-12-22T21:09:00.000-08:00

First class / great view / waving good-bye

final minutes on the beach :(

Sunrise/ Den & Joe / DJ Jill getting down

Joe & Heather

Joe, Meg & Laura/ Den & Jill getting down/ The girls/ We loved that tree

Mike &Dennis/ Den & I at the wedding /notice the black spedo spectator at the wedding!

Dominic & Laura/ picture I took of the ceremony spot

The bride & groom, The 3 Amigos, GORGEOUS WATER

Shop downtown, one of the birds at breakfast

I'm a runner...now

2009-12-22T19:43:00.000-08:00

So some friends of mine, 17 to be exact, talked me into running the 500festival half marathon in Indianapolis on May 8th. So I have started an ease into running program. After my first few runs I came to the conclusion that I needed new running shoes so I went and bought these Nike AirMax Motos.

Well right next to my shoes, was the Nike+. I decided to buy it after hearing alot about it. I figured it was a good idea because after winter when I start running outside, I am going to need something to help monitor my progress as well as pace, miles ran, etc. It is actually a really cool device. Since I had bought the Nike shoes that go with it, I'm able to just stick the sensor down in pocket in the sole of the show and it pings to my ipod where I can see my progress. It is a cool invention. So far I am up to running 2 miles when I go, not bad for just starting out. I am hoping that I keep going with this and make the 1/2 marathon in May a huge accomplishment for myself!

Cancun Mexico 11/27-11/30

2009-12-16T19:29:00.000-08:00

Chocolate souffle, grilled chicken, getting hit by a wave & smooches on the beach

View from our room! Dennis taking in the breeze, The Giacominos & Larsons

The Carribean Sea @ it's finest!

Apparently, our blog is long over due for an update. So what better place to start than our venture out of the country to paradise. On Friday November 27th, we flew down to Mexico for our friends Mike & Megan Giacamino's wedding. This is the first vacation we have taken together where we have gone by ourselves, not with family. As you can see from the above pictures, the water was gorgeous! I have never seen the Carribean Sea before. The water was atleast 3 different colors of blue. When arrived in Cancun in the evening. We had a shuttle take us to our hotel, The Grande Oasis Cancun. We checked in, did some star gazing over the ocean (breath-taking) and called it a night. Dennis decided to get sick at the start of our vacation. He went to bed that night with a runny nose & cough, H1N1 in Mexico?

We woke up the next morning to find blue skys and sunshine. We met everyone for breakfast and then headed to the pool for the day. Dennis continued to have his fever and semi runny nose but he didn't let that get him down. After hours at the pool, we decided to go down to the beach and get some good pics by the waves. There were vendors that came walking by and Den bought me a gorgeous silver bracelet. We attempted to get a cool picture out on the rocks with the waves coming close, thinking it would be a great xmas card pic. Right as Dominic went to take the picture, the waves came up higher than they were and got us! It didn't make for a good picture but it didn't make it on this years card. After our beach adventures, we got all fancied up and went to a nice resturant on the resort for dinner. I had this yummy grilled chicken with real sweet potatoes and to die for chocolate souffle for dessert. Dennis had seafood festival and white chocolate soup & coconut ice cream. We slept with our patio door open that night. It was peaceful sleeping to the sound of waves and feeling that warm ocean breeze.

Sunday-Wedding day!! We went to Dos Lunas for breakfast. It was fun watching the birds dive down to the tables when people were done trying to get food. They would dive down and take a ton of sugar packets and then drop them as they were flying away. Dennis and I decided to head downtown and do some shopping after breakfast. I got to use my spanish and ask a lady Tienes un bano? (Do you have a bathroom?) Man, her eyes lit up when I asked her that, I guess she was surprised this white girl spoke spanish. I made Dennis go in the bathroom with me because I didn't know what to expect. There were no toilet seat on the round toilet. Ever tried to hoover over a very round seat? We stopped by a Farmacia to get Den some meds to kick his cold. We got him penicilin, they sell it over the counter there. We then headed back to the resort to soak up some rays. This was the best day, as the sun was out the entire time, no clouds. Then it was time to get ready for the wedding!! We took some pics by the beach and then headed up for the ceremony. It was gorgeous, a little windy but it was a beautiful day. We then went to the reception at a restaurant and had some interesting food.

Monday- I happened to wake up at 5am to go to the bathroom and caught the sunrise, it was breath taking. By the time we got up for breakfast, a storm was rolling in. We walked in the rain to breakfast. I was happy that it stopped raining by the time we were done and we able to get some rays before we had to pack up and catch out flight home. We got some lunch @Dos Lunas before checking out. The garlic bread didn't agree with Dennis, as he lost it in the plants in the middle of the restaurant! We got to the airport to check in and got upgraded to a direct flight that was leaving 2 hours earlier, at no charge! We got our seats, bored the plane and found out we had first class seats in the flight attendants cabin. Our seat laid back all the way and we got pillows and blankets! Guess you can guess what we did for th 3 hours flight home,...yep we slept the whole flight. It was a great vacation and we will definately go back. It was sad to get off the plane and see the temp was only 28 degrees, yikes! Needless to say, I was the next one to get sick the following week we returned from our trip, and I had Dennis to blame!

I'm Thankful for.....

2009-11-26T19:36:00.000-08:00

my husband, my friends, my family, good health, being able to own my own home, my loveable dog, my faith in Jesus Christ and my ability to turn anything into something to laugh about, even when it's bad. Oh yea, I am also thankful that Dennis and I are finally taking our honeymoon and that we leave in less than 10 hours for Mexico!!!! Happy Thanksgiving.

Words of Wisdom

2009-11-24T21:00:00.000-08:00

Taken from a friends blog....some very true points so I had to share

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone...
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree..
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it..
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful ..
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger...
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now.. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words. 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere..
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

5 días más

2009-11-21T21:02:00.000-08:00

Estaremos en Cancun , esta vez la proxima semana. VIVA CANCUN MEXICO
Casi no puedo esperar a que las playas de arena de Pentecostes y 85 grados de tiempo

....until white sandy beaches and 85 degree weather!!!

Friends

2009-11-08T20:56:00.000-08:00

These 4 girls are the reason I love my job!!

Turning 25

2009-11-03T19:15:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow marks my 1/4 century old birthday. In honor of these glorious 25 years I thought I would make a list of 25 goals for the next 25 year.

1. Go to Europe
2. Start getting together our retirement fund, been slackin!
3. Start a family
4. Learn how to play the piano
5. Join the choir @ church
6. Get into the scriptures more
7. Read more books
8. Laugh more
9. Take time to enjoy the simple things of life
10. Reconnect with my sisters
11. Stop complaining so much
12. Finish my quilt I started almost 2 years ago! (it's almost done, I swear!)
13. Write a book
14. Take dancing lessons
15. Learn Martial Arts
16. Change someones life
17. Smile more
18. Forgive my parents
19. write in my journal more
20. get my Ph.D
21. Start my own business
22. spend more time with friends
23.See the Pacific Ocean
24. Go to Greece & Ireland
25. Be more Christ like.

Happy Halloween...peanut butter jelly style!

2009-11-01T19:35:00.000-08:00

Group Pyramid ----->

Costume Winners

That's right! We attended our first ever Halloween Party this year at the Neals. There were 52 couple there, it was a theme party, things that go together and yes we went as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We won third place for best costume. We were beat out by a fly and fly swater and a princess and her frog. We went on a scavanger hunt around Oswego and had an absolute blast! Here is a preview of some of the pictures from the night, still waiting on some more froma friends camera.

Mother Nature...I have a complaint!!

2009-10-19T17:41:00.000-07:00

I didn't jump up and down and scream when we didn't get spring.....I might have made a few remarks about the summer we never had but gosh darn it, I am yelling from the roof tops this autumn because we aren't getting a fall!!!!!!! This is my favorite time of year and I have been jipped....I haven't gotten to go to the pumpkin patch, pick apples, play in the leaves or enjoy being outside in jeans and a sweatshirt because the last few weeks have been rainy with a high of 35......What's up with the 'ole Mother Nature dear? How can we go from 80 to 40 overnight? I want my 70's & 60's with the blue skys back.....it's just not fair!!!!!

I am now an ONU Tiger

2009-09-30T19:44:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day of Grad School @ Olivet Nazarene University. It will take me 42 weeks to complete the program, I go once a week for 4 hours. I am really hoping this will help me get a reading teacher job next year! I am excited yet nervous to get back in the swing of going to class and doing homework!

Pumpkin Cheesecake and Girlfriends

2009-09-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a girls night with Alyse, Lyndsey & Lisa. We went to the Olive Garden for dinner. We pigged out on lasagna frittas, pasta, salad and split pumpkin cheesecake & zippolis for dessert. After dinner, we rolled ourselves out and over to the theater to see Love Happens. Very cute movie, however, a little drug out at some points. It was a great night of lots of laughs, especially when Lisa danced out of the theater and all of our inside jokes. I am blessed with such humorous and loving friends!

Time for a Change

2009-09-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

BEFORE

AFTER

4 Years

2009-09-17T18:39:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary! I can't believe it's been that long but it's been GREAT! I came home to 2 dozen roses and a BIG HUG!! We celebrated by going to Domo 77 for dinner and then relaxed at home. Now that the first 4 years of eternity are behind us, here's to eternity more!!

Be Happy for This Moment : This Moment is Your Life

These days....

February 1

Highchair

2 Months

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas 2011

One Month

A Name & A Blessing

Labor & Delivery

Lydia Kate Larson

40 weeks and 1 day

The Larsons......60 years from now

39 Weeks

Sneak Peak @ nursery

Final Stretch- Week 35

** 6 ** Years

33 Weeks!!

Baby Shower

30 weeks....

Crunchy and Chocolatey

27 weeks

23 weeks......

Sisters

20 weeks!

18 Weeks

It's a girl

I've Mastered the Art of Going to School

Revamped Dresser

14 Weeks

12.5 Weeks

Week 8 vs Week 11

7.5 Weeks

6.5 weeks

Love at First Sight!

Somebody Pinch Me!

I'm Lucky #3

Coincidence?

Blizzaster 2011

Happy Valentines Day!

Wednesday Words of Wisdom

D Day

Round Two

$ome dolla$ $aved

Winter Blues

Happy Tuesday!

This Year I Will Resolute to....

Struggles slow the Stride

Merry Christmas 2010

Happy Birthday Dennis

Gingerbread Houses

Super Couponer Strikes Again!

5 Years Together....

It only took 5 years but........

I Just Want to be a Mommy!

Bon Jovi, My Cousins wedding & A Week with Cousins

Girls Camp 2010

Preschool Table

Time Hog

A rumble in the night

Opposites attract

I'm a business owner and I like what the future holds!

Cubs game

It's baaaacccckkkk

Well this has never happened before.....

Excitement!

Something is missing

Just when you feel like giving up.....

Meet the newest member of the Larson family

Ok, so pie day was a little late

Happy April

Happily Ever After

8 weeks.......and counting

My first experience with an earthquake

Oh Joy!!

Galena Girls Getaway 2010

Progress

Winter in Chicago

New Years 2009

Best date night ever!!!

6 Years