Glee

I have recently started to watch Glee because I love the music. I watched this last weeks episode that they did about God. Part of me loved some of the music but the other part of me just felt sad. Growing up a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I have always known that there is a God. I have always had the big picture questions answered. I have always known that I am a daughter of my Heavenly Father. I have known that there is a life after death, and I have always understood what this life is all about.

I know that there are so many out there who struggle with these questions every day. I am so grateful that I was taught at a young age these important principles. More than anything though, I'm grateful to know with a surety that the things that I learned are true.

On Glee they kept bringing up how you can't really know if there is a God and how you can't believe in something as mystical as God. To that I say God is not mystical he is our Father in Heaven who is willing to let us know who he is, if we are willing to ask and pray for that experience. To anyone who is struggling with these questions I invite you to read the scriptures. To read the Bible and The Book of Mormon which is another Testament of Jesus Christ, and do as it says in Moroni 10:4 "And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

I have done this for myself and have had the Holy Ghost manifest that very thing to me. Once it has happened it is undeniable. You will know for sure where you came from, who you are, where you are going, and that there is a God who created you and loves you and knows you by name here on this earth.

If anyone has any questions about the things that I have written please fell free to call me, or you can go onto mormon.org and you can start learning for yourself these few basic truths.

We're settled.

Because of the move and a lot of craziness, I have become a terrible blogger. However now that we are settled I can get back to blogging. This past month was just filled with a lot of home projects and packing and a lot of Disneyland. After I packed Brooke's toys she had to get creative and so pushing Preston in her baby stroller became the activity of choice. Lucky for her Preston is pretty chill with everything and didn't mind so much.

Brooke loves Buzz lightyear and so we got her Buzz Jammie's which she wants to wear every night. She wanted to be Buzz for Halloween but Jason didn't want her to be a boy thing so she is going to be Minnie Mouse instead. Brooke went through quite a hard adjustment period after Preston was born but has just come out of it, and is such a sweet and caring sister. She is 2 and 7 months old tomorrow and she has such a fun and energetic personality. She is very sweet when she wants to be but also very sassy too, and she tells me that she is the Boss. I am in big trouble!! Her favorite things are playing outside, going to Disneyland, and playing with all those tiny plastic figurines from the Disney Store. She also loves to draw and has started to put eyes, nose, mouth, hands, legs, arms and feet on her drawings. They are so cute to look at. She loves nursery and had no problem adjusting to her new ward nursery this past Sunday. She is so much fun but also very demanding at this point in her life. We love her so very very much!

Preston is so super sweet and calm, and couldn't get any more opposite of Brooke. He is quite and doesn't really coo or talk to much. When he does it sounds like dinosaur sounds because they are so high pitched. He smiles all the time and is super happy. He loves to just look around and be held. He doesn't really enjoy tummy time but if Brooke and I get down and play with him he doesn't mind it too much. He can roll from his tummy to his back super easy but has only ever rolled the other way once. (off the bed:( ) He is starting to be able to sit up on his own for a few seconds before falling over. He doesn't like to stand and lock out his legs at all and never wants to do it. He eats all the time but is still skinny. Auntie Lana finally got him to take a bottle again, so I am looking forward to some much needed kidless dates with my hubby soon. I just started him on rice cereal and he loves to eat it. He is super fun and sweet and I could just kiss and hold him all day long. Oh yes and he is now 5 months old. I haven't taken my kids to the Dr. in a really long time so I have no idea how much either of them weigh. That's the update for now.

Packing

Packing is a lot more fun then we ever anticipated!...So is this little girl!

My first homemade bread

My friend Maria taught everyone in relief Society how to make light and fluffy bread. Unfortunately while we were making it at relief society nobodies bread ever worked out because the yeast had gone bad. It was still such a fun night and it gave me the confidence to try the bread myself at home. So here are the results from the first loaf of homemade bread I have ever made. It was pretty darn delicious. I normally hate homemade bread because I don't like how dense and dry most recipes are. This recipe is perfect though because it comes out light and fluffy. I still think with a little more practice I could get it even fluffier. After making it I decided to make some grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner. It was delicious and I am now no longer scared of making bread. Thanks Maria!!!

Life moves on

Well I have been super bad about blogging lately. I missed all of our summer fun that we had in San Diego and at Disneyland.I didn't post Jason's Birthday. I didn't post any of the kids monthly updates this month. I missed Brooke turning 29 months and Preston turning 4 months.

I actually enjoyed the break from getting everything into a post. I know I will look back at my (journal) blog and wonder why I missed those certain events but the truth is I have just been enjoying my kids and everything we have been doing. (And enjoying to much reality tv during the short nap that Brooke takes everyday. MasterChef is a new favorite because I am in love with Gordon Ramsy and everything he is in.)

I have been busy packing for our move at the end of this month and busy with some projects that I have been working on for the house. (More to come on that later.) So I'll let this be my short little Month of August Post.

5 Years

Today is our 5th year Anniversary. It seems that every year just gets better and better! I know that when I married Jason I had found my best friend, the man of my dreams, and the future father of our kids. However I didn't know that every year we would grow closer and closer and fall more in love with each other. We have been through 5 years of fun, growing, learning, and lots of tribulations but we have always come out on top and have learned and grown together through everything. I love marriage, it is such an awesome opportunity to better yourself!

Jason I am so grateful to be your wife. Every day is sweeter because you are mine! Thanks for these first 5 wonderful years. I can't wait to see what is to come and how much we will have grown together in the next 5 years. You are my sweetheart! Happy Anniversary!

Blessings

Life is not meant to be easy. It is a test for us to learn and grow and it enables us to become better people. I have had a lot of trials and tribulations in my life. Some were brought on because of choices that I made and others just happen because life is life. However through every hard thing I have ever had to go through I have known and felt the love and support of My Heavenly Father. I know He is present in my life. I know that He is mindful of me and knows me better than anyone else. I have always been able to come out of a bad experience or trial with more love and gratitude in my heart because Heavenly Father constantly blesses me. How grateful I am to understand the plan of happiness that our Father in heaven has set up for us. I am overwhelmed by all the blessings He continuously gives and grateful that he is my advocate no matter what I am going through. It sure makes life so much easier to live even when it does get hard!

3 months old

Preston turned 3 months old on July 30th. He has such a sweet, quite, dignified old spirit about him. He is such a good baby and loves to just look around and observe. He rarely ever cries and just does "warning barks" as I call them when he needs or wants something. He is such a happy baby and loves to sing songs and thinks it is so funny when mommy claps his hands. He does the cutest cooing sounds and is so fun to talk to. He is such a blessing in our lives and we love every minute of every day with him.

Changes...

Well after 5 years of living in our home, we will be leaving it and moving somewhere else. Right now the uncertainty of life is both exciting and confusing. I am looking forward to a new chapter of our life, and a new area to start over. However I am sad to leave my home that has been such a comforting place and has so many amazing memories. Not to mention leaving a ward that I love. We have no idea where we will be heading. We have been looking like crazy near Jason's work but every area near his work is a scary place to live. Once we find a nice area we like, we realize that it is still about a 45 to 1 hour min drive each way. We want to rent a nice house that is bigger but not too much money ( I am so excited to leave my 1100 sq ft home) with a yard but we want it to be in a nice area close to Jason's work...this is proving impossible to do. Hopefully we will be able to find what is right for our family and still be able to stay close to our friends.

Idaho day 6

Day 6 we just played and hung around the house making a ton of hair flowers for our girls. It was so much fun! I had such a great time and really loved the time I got to spend with my sister Amy. I think from the crazy background that our family has, it was so nice to really connect and completely enjoy my sister. She definitely became a role model to me during the trip and I am so amazed at the great mother and person she is.

Brooke was still not feeling that great and needed a lot of Auntie loving. I think I made around 30 hair flowers in 2 days.

Day 5 Idaho

On day 5 all 4 of us sisters got together. I am so terrible because I didn't get 1 picture of any of us!! So sad. We hung out and made bows and crafts during the day. Brooke had been up all the previous night with a super high fever. She does have 4 teeth coming in, so I don't know if it is teething or if she was sick, but she wanted a lot of love and was super whiny all day long. That night I put on a Minute To Win It family night and we all had a great time. The pictures are super dark because I wasn't using a flash for some reason.

Idaho Days 3 & 4

Days 3 and 4 of our trip were pretty laid back. We went to church and hung out on Sunday and then on Monday we all hung out and went to the park. It was filled with races, rolling down hills, cartwheels, and lots of swinging. It was so nice. On Monday night my sister and brother in law went on a date with friends so I hung out with the kids and we put on a talent show. It was so fun to see some of there talents! Some were silly and some were amazing and we all just had a great time being with each other. How I wish I lived closer to them!

Idaho Day 2

Day 2 of our trip consisted of playing with cousins a lot! Brooke loving the freedom of a backyard. (oh how I want a backyard now!) Lots of cooking (my sister Amy has 4 boys and 1 girl = tons of cooking and lots of yummy food!) And me getting to spend a ton of time with my family. I love love love them!

Later in the afternoon we headed to a man made lake and played for a few hours. It was fun and Brooke loved the rocks everywhere. I thought it was beautiful but was terrified of the broken glass that was everywhere. Brooke really wanted to go to the diving platform and jump off. Nice Aunt Amy was happy to oblige her. Brock is my oldest nephew at 16 years old, however he looks like a man! I teased him that when he was holding the baby everyone probably thought he was my husband. He was so good with Brooke and loved walking with her through the water.

Idaho Trip Day 1

I decided last minute to take the kiddies up to Idaho because Jason had a lot of work to get done last week. I called my sister Amy and she was so excited to have us come up and stay with her. I woke up on Friday at 5 am and drove straigt through the 14 hour drive to Idaho. Crazy...Yes! Worth it...even more so! Brooke didn't sleep at all even though she woke up at 5! She is such a crazy and strong willed child. We stopped once in Saint George to eat at Nielson's (one of my favorites.) We got a grinder and a super yummy custard ice cream. Brooke ate more than I did. We did make a total of about 15 stops up there but they we very quick potty and nursing trips. My secret to traveling with a toddler and a baby? A port a potty in your car. Yep we stopped in the middle of nowhere everytime, and just pulled off the freeway ramp did a quick nurse and a potty break and we were off again. Brooke did pretty good on the drive but kept asking "did we find Aunt Amy yet?" It was so cute but also very annoying to hear every few minutes. Brooke loved to look out the window and ask me what things were. When we passed Las Vegas she said "Oh my what a beautiful castle!" She is so funny! Once we got to my sister's house at 8:30 PM we sat on the lawn and let everyone get aquainted. Brooke was so happy to get out of the car and be with her cousins. She was moving so much I couldn't even snap a photo of her. Preston was a super champ and slept the whole way, aside from a few diaper changes and nursing breaks. He did cry the last 20 mins of the trip...he was just sick of the car.

The Drive

Once we arrived in Idaho.

Happy baby Bumbo

Seriously?? Is that not the cutest baby boy ever?? We sat him in his Bumbo seat for the first time last night and as you can tell he LOVES it. I love his sweet smile and just want to eat him!! I love all the different smiles he does.

The Panty Hats

A regular game we play in our house is to put Brooke's nighttime panties on our head a run around and play. Brooke calls us the "panty hats" and nothing could make her happier. Yesterday was the first day Preston has ever worn a panty hat. So funny and cute. I love my crazy little family!

Preston's Blessing

Preston was blessed this past Sunday by Jason. It was such a beautiful blessing and I am so thankful that we had the opportunity to do it. It makes me so grateful for the Priesthood and all the amazing blessings and benefits it affords to us. Here are a few pics from the day.

Preston before church in his blessing outfit.

After his blessing with all the family who came and all the men who were in the circle.

Everyone loving up Preston at the luncheon we had afterwards. He is a very loved baby!

Hanging out with the family. Brooke was our entertainment. Can you tell she was loving the spotlight?? I love the pics with Jason and his nieces and nephews. Priceless moments!

2 Month and 2 Year Check Ups

I took Preston to his 2 month check up and decided I needed to finally take Brooke to her 2 year appt (only 4 months late) so I booked them for the same time. Auntie Lana was nice enough to come with me and entertain Brooke while we were waiting (the greatest help in the whole world). I couldn't have done it with out her. They both had to get a shot so that wasn't fun but they both did really well. They are both on delayed vaccination schedules, so at least it was only one each. Brook got her first Prevnar shot and Preston got his first DTaP shot.

Brooke waiting in the room. Got to love the super ugly gowns they have. Brooke thought hers was cute.

Preston's before and during his shot pics. Poor little guy! Yes I take pics of my kids first shot....I know I'm mean.

The stats -

Brooke at 28 Months -

Height - 36.5 inches Weight 25 lbs. Head 19.5 inches

Preston at 2 months -

Height - 22 1/4 inch, Weight 10 lbs 4 oz (which means he has gained 5 pounds since he was discharged from the hospital!) Head 15.5 inches (the same size Brooke's was when she came out.)

Crazy 4th of July

We had a great 4th of July morning. We went to church and had a really nice time and there was such a nice spirit there. When we got home from church I had everything packed so we could go meet Jason's sister at Balboa so we could hang out and watch the fireworks on the beach. We were planning on going to a BBQ that was a 1 hour walk from where we were staying, watching the fireworks, and then spending the night and hanging out in Newport/Balboa the next day. We packed the car and headed out. Once we got there we got stuck in a little bit of traffic trying to get to the hotel and then we got lost trying to get to the hotel. All of this put us way behind schedule because we were going to meet everyone at the BBQ at 4 and it was already past that time. Not to mention we still had to park the car and there was literally no parking anywhere. (We ended up paying $25 to park in a lot.) It was so late that we knew by the time we walked over to the BBQ we would just have to head back to the hotel to put the kids to bed. So we stayed where we were and decided to just get food by the hotel. The problem with the whole plan is that I had no idea it was like Spring Break in that area on the 4th. There were half naked, drunk, cussing people everywhere and I was not very happy with it. I thought going to a restaurant would help get away from all that and then we could just go back to the hotel and get the kids asleep. However once we got seated at BJ's Pizza place there were cussing people all around ( nothing bothers me more than people cussing when there are kids around.) We ended up having a semi nice dinner after most of the people cleared out, plus Jason got us a pazookie (a cookie pizza with ice cream on top) which I had never had and that put me in a much better mood. We went back to the hotel and it was already 8 PM. We got the kids in there Jammies and tried to get Brooke settled down for bed. Brooke won't go to sleep with people around and the room was so small that we decided to put her to bed in the room that Jason's sister was staying in just until they came back from the BBQ, however Brooke climbed out of the crib when we thought she was asleep and then fell really hard to the ground. I knew the only way to get her to sleep that night would be to let her crash because of being so tired. We let her stay up and watch TV with us, and then when I thought I heard fireworks, we headed outside to go watch them from the balcony of the hotel that was right on the beach. We couldn't see anything so I asked someone when the fireworks would be starting. They said that there was only one place in the area that we could see fireworks, and we were not close to it. What?? That's why we went to the beach so we could see the fireworks. I am now pretty mad at the whole situation and we go back into the hotel room. After another hour of trying fruitlessly to get Brooke to sleep, I told Jason we would get a lot more sleep that night if we went home. It was so loud in the hotel room, and both the kids are light sleepers so I knew Brooke would be waking up anytime there was noise. So we packed everything up, and left at 10:30 PM. The traffic heading back was so bad that instead of getting home in 45 minutes it took us 2.5 hours. That concludes that worst but probably the most memorable 4th of July . I felt like the whole trip was just a lot of moving around with no actual activity manifested.

On a happy note. Right before church I was able to snap a few shots of Brooke and Preston in their 4th of July garb. So cute!! The one of Preston with that funny smirk cracks me up!!

June

This month went by very quick to me. We did a lot of fun things and enjoyed every minute of it. Here are a few highlights....

Brooke has been loving being fancy lately. Here she is in all of her Fancy Nancy garb. Such a little cutie. She is also destined to become an actress and has really been getting into expressing all of her emotions to the fullest.

We have been eating a lot of the yummy fresh summer fruit that is ripe right now.

Father's Day was a lot of fun. We sent Jason on a scavenger hunt to find his gifts.We got him a mini season for The Dodgers, Oreo Cakesters (not as good as the cookies), collar stays, the Star Wars Trilogy DVD's (he had never seen them), and a book that made him be a super hero. We had a great day and we are so lucky to have such an amazing Husband and Dad in our lives.

We have been going on a lot of fun dates as a family lately. One of them was ice cream and a pool day. Some of the others have included a trip to the new Sonic Burger, Watching the new Toy Story movie, and lots of dinner dates. I love spending time with my family!!

Brooke has started trying to get herself dressed. Most of the time she gets frustrated and starts screaming angrily for help. Not so fun for her but very funny and entertaining to watch.

We went up a did a quick overnight vacation to Ventura when Jason had to go work up there one day. While Jason worked I took Brooke to the Children"s Museum there (super lame) and to the park on the beach. It was a nice little mini vacation.

The park was amazing! Can't get better views then that!

Jason and I got to go on a date by ourselves. Quite an accomplishment (I think) for just having a baby. Lana and Eric came over and watched the kids (thanks!) We went to a concert with Colin Raye and Mormon Choirs from Orange County. It was a tribute to America and I loved the patriotism that it brought out in me. Jason and I thought it had a nice spirit to it and both loved the time we got to spend together.

Jason, Preston and I all got to go to the Yankee vs. Dodger game on Saturday and it was so much fun. In the first inning the Yankee's got 3 runs so we thought that we were going to get creamed but we came back and won the game. It was fun and always nice to get to spend time with my boys. Brooke got to play at home with Grandma and Grandpa and had a great time.

Preston turned 2 months old. I still have yet to take him to the Dr. but will be going tomorrow so we can finally get him weighed and see how much he had grown in the last 2 months. He is such a sweet boy and I am totally and completely in love with him. He has started to coo a little and he smiles all the time now. He has the best spirit about him, and Jason and I can both tell he is going to be a sweet and good little boy.