Julie and Julia...my inspiration for New Year's Resolutions!

Have any of you seen this show? This has to be one of my most favorite movies. I always know when I love a movie when I see it more than once. I've heard from quite a few people how great this show was and so I finally gave it and rented it on Netflix and all I can say is that I was really missing out. I loved it! I loved the story line but most of all I loved the message that it portrayed. You are never too old to start doing what you love and with hard work and dedication you can do what you dream of doing. This movie was incredibly inspirational to me (is that weird?) and has pumped me up for my big list of New Year's resolutions.

New Year resolutions...so many goals made and so many goals broken. Actually, I am pretty good at reaching my goals but I always set too many of them for myself and then get super frustrated when I don't achieve everything. I have finally realized that I keep setting super unrealistic expectations for myself and don't really set goals for myself that I either A) enjoy doing or B) want to do. I think that is why this movie rang true to my heart because both women in the movie achieved huge life goals that they had a passion for and they wanted to accomplish them versus doing something because they "had" to do it. In the movie, a New York government worker, Julie Powell is bored with her mediocre life and decides to challenge herself by cooking each of Julia Child's 524 recipes in her world renown cookbook , "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in one year and at the same time, she blogs about her experiences. While the movie shares her story, you also get a look into the life of Julia Child and it's interesting because some of the same things Julie Powell goes through in her life, Julia Child also had encountered in hers. Super, super cute and super, super inspirational...at least for me! :)

Aside from the typical New Year's Resoultions like losing another 10 pounds and becoming more organized, I am making a vow to myself to try a few new things each year for the rest of my life. My "wish list" of things I want to do someday include some of the following: learn French, learn how to surf, travel around Europe, run a marathon, buy a Disney timeshare for fun family vacations and learn how to ballroom dance. I have so many things I want to do and I am not going to get to do them if I just sit around wishing I had more time or money.

I had this idea when I first entered college that at the age of 18, I had to know right then and there what I was going to do for the rest of my life and then I ended up getting a degree in something I didn't like and didn't want to do. For now on, I am going to learn things I want to learn about and then do them. Many of you know I have developed a keen interest in photography so this year I plan on becoming well versed and not just a amatuer but hopefully a serious hobbyist. Someday I would love to open my own studio but until then, I have a lot of practicing to do and a lot of techinique to learn.

I also love to cook! I don't want to rip off Miss Julie Powell (who is a real person btw) and cook all 524 recipes from Julia Child's book but I want to learn how to become a "good" cook. I think I have some things down when it comes to cooking but I want to learn how to do things properly so the recipes turn out the way they are supposed to. Along the subject of food, this year I am going to get a full year's worth of food storage AND I am going to learn how to cook with it. Lately thanks to http://www.dealstomeals.com/ I have been super obsessed with food storage and I am pumped and motivated to collect enough food to last me and my family for a year.

Lastly, I plan on training for a half marathon. I have started training and it's pretty tough. You have to run so many miles per week and it's kicking my butt! No wonder runners are so fit!

Stay tuned...I am very motivated on achieving this goals but hopefully I'll stay this way!

One of my favorite things to see!

Each time I go to get Gabbie out of her crib after a nap, this is what I see. I love seeing this! Being a mom is the best decision I have ever made!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

For me, Christmas holds a lot of great, happy memories that are near and dear to my heart. I want more than anything for my children to have great memories of love and family in our home so this year has been especially fun creating new memories and carrying on family traditions with Gabbie. I bought a book at the beginning of November called, "Twelve Days of Christmas: Ideas for a more meaningful holiday season" by Betty Van Orden. This author and her husband wanted to create valuable memories for their children and grandchildren and came up with many ideas to instill in their family memories of love and togetherness. I loved it and I hope as Gabbie gets older and we have one or two more kids, we can also create fun, loving memories for them. These are some of the traditions new and old we have participated in this year...so far! More to come!


There are a few Christmas goodies I love to eat every year and this is a new one we've added to our list: peppermint bark popcorn. It is literally one of the best things I have ever tasted and I've made it for a few friends and family and it's received great reviews. I didn't come up with it on my own, I saw it on one of my favorite websites, www.ourbestbites.com and I can't get enough of it!

This year we decided to try out Thanksgiving Points Holiday Lights. It costs $8 per car to drive through and see the lights and it is so worth it! Gabbie kept turning her head left and right looking at all the lights. I would highly recommend going with your family!

Yes, my daughter is only 8 months and will have no recollection of going to see Santa for the first time but I HAD to take her. She did great! She loves meeting new people anyways so for her, Santa was no exception. The Santa was darling and gave Gabbie a little memory book that he signed for her to always remember her first visit to see him.

A fun memory my side of the family has is that we eat Chinese food around my parents Christmas tree with Christmas music and eat dinner eliminated only by the lights of the tree. I love it!

Something new we also tried this year was Hogle Zoo's, Zoo Lights. DARLING! And sooo worth it! We were very cold but it was fun and we had a great time. The above picture is of my dear friend Jessica and her adorable family. I love you Jess!

Gabbie and Daddy enjoying the lights at Zoo Lights. Being a first time, paranoid mom, Gabbie had about 10 layers of clothes on and it paid off! She didn't cry once and did really well considering how cold it was.

I'm always looking for more Christmas ideas. Do any of you have fun things to share with me that we could use for our family?

Christmas songs that need to go...

Okay...I admit it! I am one of those weirdos who as soon as Halloween is over, I pull out my Christmas music and start listening to it. I love Christmas music! It is some of the most beautiful music around and we only get to listen to it once a year so why is it a crime to listen to it early? After listening to it for almost two months, I hate to say it but I get so sick of some of the songs out there. I mean seriously, what were some of those artists thinking? These are some of the songs, in my opinion, that MUST go in no particular order:
1) Simply having a wonderful Christmas time by Paul McCartney...GAG
2) Last Christmas I gave you my heart by Wham...lame, lame, lame!
3) Christmas Shoe song by New Song...am I the only one who thinks this is the STUPIDEST song ever written? I get it's supposed to tug at your heartstrings but everytime I hear it, I want to throw something at the radio.
4) Do They Know it's Christmas? By Band Aid...I'd like to know what person gets in the holiday spirit by listening to this dumb song
5) War is over by John Lennon...okay, I know it's a classic AND John Lennon sings it but I get so sick of hearing it over and over again.
6) Any Christmas song by Bob Seger...this guy shouldn't be allowed to write Christmas songs
7) Little Drummer Boy by David Bowie and Bing Cosby... I normally love Bing Cosby but this song is a fail!
8) All I want for Christmas is you by Mariah Carey...Can you say, OVERPLAYED?

There you have it. My list of songs that should go. Honestly, why can't the radio stations just play the good, old Christmas classics all the time instead of this new age crap? Anyone else think the same?

Making Christmas cookies this season? Check this out...

For anyone who knows me knows that I love to bake. I especially love cookie sweets for family and friends and I don't even necessarily like eating them but making them. I saw a really cool cookie accessory on TV and I am so excited to try it out. In numerous cooking magazines I always see darling cookies but I don't want to spend a ton of time making them look cute only to have them gobbled up in a matter of seconds. These accessories are wafer paper that you put on top of frosting minus on the work it takes to get magazine worthy cookies. LOVE IT!

http://www.fancyflours.com/holiday-victorian-tree-and-santa.html

Keys, cellphones, measuring cups=Toys for Gabbie

Why is everything that is NOT a toy is the thing that kids love the most? Gabbie has tons and tons of toys yet without fail whenever we have our cellphones out, she sees my car keys, or she sees some paper somewhere that is the thing she decides she wants to make into a toy. I don't get it! Ahhh the innocence of being a kid! :)

Deals to Meals SHOUT OUT!

I have a new obsession that I am so excited about. A buddy of mine from college helps her sister out with a service called Deals to Meals. I love it! They look at what's on sale at all the major grocery stores in Utah, tell you what to stock up on based what is on sale, provide a meal plan for the week and include food storage tips. The idea behind this is that as you stock up on foods you use that are on sale, you build your food storage and then eventually don't have to spend as much on groceries each week because you use what you have. I think this is ingenius! I used to spend over $100 each week but now using this method, I only spend about $50-$80 for a weeks worth of meals. Better yet, the meal plans they provide are absolutely delicious. Todd and I got into this rut of eating the same things over and over again but now we have some new favorites by utilizing Deals to Meals. I'm obsessed and I want to tell everyone about it! They offer two weeks free and if you like their service, it costs $4.95/month and I tell you, it is sooo worth it! They also look at the deals in grocery stores for other states and they are continuing to expand so please, please check it out! Go to www.dealstomeals.com for more info. They also have a meal blog and a food storage blog with great tips and excellent recipes.

Taking a new path...

I've said many times before that I have NO idea why I picked the degree I received in college. I don't even like science and I didn't love what I did for a living. With the exception of working with my awesome students and Rachel and Elizabeth, being a Health Educator was not my dream job. I have always wanted to do something artsy-fartsy and I am determined that the next job I get will be doing something I love whether it be design, photography, or who knows what! Being a sweet hubby, Todd has always encouraged me to do what I love and I've been telling him for years that I would love to try my hand at photography. For Christmas, he bought me an early (and only) present- a digital SLR camera. I love the thing! I now have a greater respect for photographers because to take good pictures, it takes more than just clicking and shooting. You have to understand certain settings, lighting, and a bunch of other stuff to make a photo look good. I'm having a fun time learning how to use it and I finally, finally took my first "good" picture the other day. I would love for this to develop into something bigger as I get better and more advanced with my camera.

Cousin Love

Gabbie and her cousin Tristan had a play day with Grandma and Grandpa Crane today while my sis-in-law Holly and I had a girl's day out. Grandpa Bob loves taking pictures and this one totally makes me laugh. I hope Tristan and Gabbie become very, very close! Thank you Mike and Holly for having one more baby so Gabbie has at least one first cousin her age!

Happy Halloween!

We had a great time celebrating Gabbie's first Halloween this year. We love this holiday and we had a blast starting some fun family traditions. My sister in law Holly and niece Tristan came in from London and we were able to get together and take pictures of our girls in their costumes and eat Halloween Chili and cornbread. We then went up to my parents house to trick or treat and visit and then we spent the remainder of the night at the Laytons.

Tessa, Gabbie and Callie after trick or treating. I guess the babies couldn't wait to eat their candy.

Cousin Tristy-Lu and Gabbie. Evidently Gabbie can't sit still in this picture.

I hope, hope, hope this is not evidence of things to come or she will be a fat chick.

Nana, Papa, and a new grandpuppy.

I guess eating candy bar wrappers wasn't good enough so Gabbie tried eating some leaves too.

New Puppy

Not REALLY a new puppy. Just Gabbie dressed up as one for Halloween. In all of the pictures we took of her, she looks so unhappy because she hated the head piece. Oh well! Sometimes looking good comes with a price Gabbie girl!

Kicking for Cancer

Todd and I had the awesome opportunity to help out in a fundraiser for our friend/cousin, Clint Layton. I'm sure you've all heard a story about someone with cancer and the medical costs that one can incur because of the illness and the pricey procedures. Clint is no exception and it's been frustrating for him and his family because they have had to jump through so many hoops to receive insurance coverage and care. Clint recently had to have a bone marrow transplant that was around $400,000-and that's WITH insurance. Crazy huh? As friends and family we planned a huge fundraising event in Clint's honor. We invited residents of Davis County to participate in a 3 on 3 soccer tournament and Viewmont High School alumni game. We had many sponsors and companies donate money and prizes and at the end of the day, we were able to raise close to $30,000 for Clint and his family. Clint unfortunately was unable to attend the event because he was in the hospital and he is doing well and he was released today and is now at home with his beautiful wife and two daughters. We love you Clint! Keep fighting buddy!

Pumpkin picking time!

I absolutely LOVE this time of year. I have so many great memories of fall and Halloween as a kid and I am determined to give Gabbie fun things to remember. By our house there are a couple of "real" pumpkin patches. For the past 3 years, Todd and I have been going to one close by our home and we used to talk about how someday we would be bringing our baby with us to pick out pumpkins for Halloween.

Kanye West...What a jerk!

This entry is a little out of character for my blog so I apologize if any of you are bored. I am sure that all of you have either seen or heard on the news about the kerfuffle with Kanye West and Taylor Swift on the MTV Video Music Award Show (VMA'S) that aired Sunday night. Quite frankly, his behavior really, really pissed me off. Who in the world does that guy think he is? He has been on the news many, many times for behaving like an arrogant jerk and this previous little act of his makes me so disgusted with Hollywood and the celebrity vermin that live there. Many of my friends on FaceBook are colleagues and students I was aquainted with at the University of Utah and over the past couple of days, there has been a lot of discussion on this issue. For the most part, people are disgusted with his behavior but then there are some radical individuals who are excusing his behavior as an act of social justice. WHAT?

Not sure what social justice is? Let me explain. Social justice is a term that is used to describe both a philosphical debate and an important issue in politics, religion and civil society. Most individuals wish to live in a just society, but each political set of aims and ideas has its own concept of what constitutes a "just society". Social justice is also a concept that some use to describe the movement towards a socially just world. In this context, social justice is based on the concepts of human rights and equality. Let's be honest. The United States of America and our political system is NOT just. Not every racial and ethnic group is treated equally in terms of opportunity and status. Most people of color do not have the same opportunities as a white person does. It's true! When you look at the demographics at any college in the U.S., caucasians are the highest percentage of students followed by Asians, Pacific Islanders, Latinos and then African Americans and Native Americans are the lowest. Also, African Americans tend to suffer more from debilitating illnesses than any other group combined. WHY? It's not because they are lazy or unhealthy, they don't have the same access to healthcare and education as other groups do. This country was made to serve caucasians (which is total bull crap) and our brothers and sisters of color have reaped the unfortunate consequences of facing stereotyping, racism, and prejudices against them every single day.

Since the civil rights act, many groups have started to really "stick it to the man" by speaking up against racism and stereotyping. When I worked at the U, I attended many trainings on social justice and I am glad that I was taught to recognize the priviledges I enjoy as a white person. Quite honestly, from a historical perspective, the whites have always pillaged and plundered racial and ethnic groups AND continue to do so. I will never know what it means to feel oppressed. My entire life I have never had to defend my race. I have received excellent healthcare and I got to go to college. Because because people of color have to constantly face issues of racism, stereotyping, and prejudice, I am usually one to applaud a person when they make a stand against my own people (the whites) when someone says or does something out of line. I think all white people should be called on their priviledges and learn to recognize it. I believe by doing so, we can help to reduce inequality.

Now back to Mr. Kanye West. I do not believe what he did was right. I thought it was very, very rude and arrogant. Some people I have seen on FaceBook applaud him for sticking it to a white country girl but why was that necessary? I don't think his aim was to call someone on their priviledge, I think he was being a total jerk! For whatever reason, he thinks he is important enough to take the microphone away from Taylor Swift on national television and tell the world that someone else should have received the award. WHAT? I think people can and do cross the line of calling someone on their bullcrap to just being disrespectful and down right mean. What in the world was unjust about the VMA's for people to take the Kanye West/Taylor Swift issue so far as a social justice issue? Give me a break! Kanye West behaved like an immature, arrogant, spoiled star and his action, in my opinion, was despicable.

Rice cereal, trip to the aquarium, and carpal tunnel

That's a random title isn't it? A lot has been going on at the Crane household. We went to Gabbie's four month appointment and her doc gave us the okay to try rice cereal if she was interested. Was she ever! I was a little surprised at how well she was able to get the whole eating with her tongue thing down and she gobbled her rice cereal right up. Now whenever we sit down to eat as a family, she watches us eat our "grown up" food intently and sometimes opens her mouth as if we are supposed to share with her. Sorry baby! Not quite time for that milestone yet! She is even making yummy sounds when we feed her her cereal. I love my little girl!

Recently some darling girls in my ward/neighborhood invited us along to go to the aquarium in Sandy. I didn't think Gabbie would enjoy what was going on but she was alert and looked at all the fish and colors. I ended up buying a yearly pass because it is $8 to go once and $16 for a season pass. I figured you go twice and the pass is paid for plus it will give us something to do during the doldrums of winter. The aquarium is pretty cute and actually pretty good considering the fact we live in Utah. I look forward to doing more things like this with Gabbie and teaching her about the big world she lives in. She loves to get out and socialize and look at everything around her.

Lastly, Todd had to have surgery on his right hand for Carpal Tunnel. YUCK! It is acutally a very simple procedure but it's left him sore and unable to adequately use his hand for a while. For a few days he couldn't hold Gabbie and he had to wear a splint that he was supposed to keep elevated for a couple of days. His hand has been hurting him for quite a while and I am glad we got the surgery done for him so he is able to work without pain. The medication he has to take to prevent it from throbbing makes him really loopy and sometimes he'll say some pretty funny things to me and I have to ask him if he has any idea what he just said. Poor guy!

8 years and loving it!

Today Todd and I celebrate 8 years of marriage together. I can't believe how time has flown by! Every year we usually have a tradition of going to a local bed and breakfast but Gabbie has made us change our plans for the first time we've been together. Yesterday we went to Tiburon for dinner and then we saw The Proposal. Such a cute movie! It was great to be out together alone without our baby even though she was the topic of most of our conversations.

I am so thankful I have Todd as my husband. I received a lot of negative feedback from a lot of people when I married him because I was only 19. Looking back on it now, even though I was very young, Todd is exactly what I needed at that point in my life. I was not at a postive place at the time and I needed Todd to help me get through some tough issues and be on my own and learn to accept myself and my life. He has been an incredible companion and I am thankful to have lived with him through some very hard times. The hardest times in our marriage have been associated with the greatest blessings we have experienced and it has been well worth it to have gone through some painful things to become the couple we are today.

I feel safe in my relationship with Todd and I've never had that in any relationship I've had in my life. Todd is unjudgmental, patient, and loving. He is faithful to me and to our beliefs and he is my hero. At one point Todd had to choose between friends and the world vs. family and the gospel and he bravely chose his family and our religious beliefs. Doing so he has become such an incredible person and I admire him for turning his back on poisonous influences and he has tried dilligently to do what is right and constantly looks for ways to improve his life and those around him.

I am thankful he and I now have the greatest little gift in our lives we could ever ask for. Gabbie is now the finishing piece to our family and she is the glue that holds our family unit together. I am glad I get to share this with Todd and I look forward to many, many more years of great adventures with him.

I love you Todd! Here's to a great 8 years of marriage!

Once upon a time...

Todd and I have been working on a nightly bedtime routine with Gabbie and one of the things we do each night is read her a story. When I tell family and friends this, they laugh at us because usually babies won't pay attention. Not Gabbie! When we read to her she looks at all the pictures and she tries to read along with her loud cooing and ahhing. Todd was putting Gabbie to sleep the other night and I thought this was a very sweet sight to see.

What we've been up to!

July always seems to be the busiest month for us next to December. We are always doing something and are always visiting family. Things have been going well and our little girl is growing and developing more and more each day. I think it's safe to say that she is well out of the colic phase and now is she pleasant to be around ALL DAY. She is so fun and so sweet and cute and I am loving every moment of being her mother. She is starting to roll over but can't quite roll over completely and gets really, really mad. Maybe I should feel bad for her but Todd and I just laugh at her when she gets frustrated. She is also getting better at grasping toys and then of course, putting them in her mouth. Recently she has fallen in love with this totally ugly parrot rattle from a tummy time mat we have for her and she is constantly wanting to hold it and chew on it. There are very few times that she is without that stupid parrot but it just melts my heart when she falls asleep grasping it.

We also recently introduced her to my parent's swimming pool. I thought for sure this summer she would be way too little to go to the pool but since she enjoys taking baths so much, we thought we'd stick her little feet in. She was a little unsure of what to do but pretty soon her little legs were kicking but she held on to her daddy for dear life.

We've also been teaching Gabbie how to go to sleep on her own and it's finally been nice for her to do it by herself and not rely on mommy and daddy to make her do it every night. Our pediatrician and many, many friends have recommended a book called, "Solving your child's sleep problems" by Richard Ferber. His method is similar to what is commonly referred to as "crying it out" but it is not as scary or cruel to the baby and parents. We have been working on it for about a week and a half and Gabbie only cried one night for a while and now she is going to sleep on her own. HALLELUJAH! Let's face it, I love rocking my baby to sleep but when I would put her down every night, she'd wake up screaming and so the problem was that she preferred sleeping in my arms as compared to her crib-that doesn't exactly fly in the long run! Learning to go to sleep on her own is teaching her healthy habits and teaching her to be independent and I am glad that we've done it!

Todd, Gabbie and I joined our friends/cousins Clint and Kelly at our cabin for the 24th. As mentioned in a previous post, my cousin married Todd's best friend and we've been inseparable ever since. Recently Clint was diagnosed with a form of cancer called Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and has been fighting very hard to beat this illness. All things considering, he looks great but is still very weak and can't do much. He and his wife requested that we join them on the 24th and we had a great time. We spent the night laughing, playing games, and watching our favorite movies. It was great to see them cut loose and enjoy themselves.

We had a number of invitations to go to several 24th of July parades and we ended up not going to a single one. Darn! I hate parades! I really, really fail to see what makes them so entertaining. Honestly, fun for me is not sitting in hot weather, inhaling second hand smoke from someone's cigarette, and the stench of horse poop. I don't think it's fun to watch the board of trustees from Zion's Bank wave from a convertible car or to see 50,000 marching bands from all the high schools in Utah. People argue that parades are fun for kids because they get candy. WHAT? If that's the reason for making your kid sit in 100+ degree weather, I'll just buy 5 bags of candy and hide it around the house for them to find. I remember this one time (one of the only times I went to a parade when I was little) that candy was being thrown and yes, I was excited. A big piece of candy was thrown my way and as I scrambled to get it, some fat guy sitting in a lawn chair, grabbed it as I was crawling towards it. He totally saw me coming and not like he needed it! I was six and I remember thinking, "You big jerk!". Let's just be honest, who really cares about all the pageant royalties from each city in Utah, who the SLC chief of police is, and clowns. What is it about these people that makes us ewww and ahhh? Can they fly or blast razor beams out of their eyes? I don't think so! Count me out as far as parades go.

Todd has been super busy with work and with scouts. I admire him for his constant willingness to help everyone out and his genuine concern for others. He would do anything for anyone. He is a great father and he loves his daughter tremendously.

I have been busy being a mom and trying to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I have been working out like mad and have been on Weight Watchers and it's paying off! Weight watchers works! I've done it before and I like it because it doesn't require you to do anything drastic. You learn how to make good eating choices and don't have to eat anything weird.

I try to get out a lot and mingle and visit with friends in my neighborhood and friends close by. I am so thankful I have so many great people to call upon to keep me busy. I think if I were to sit at home every day and watch soap operas, I would get very, very depressed. On the days I'm not with friends, Gabbie and I have been taking advantage of our Netflix subscription and have been on a musical kick. Yes, I'm a geek but they are sooo good! I just watched Hello Dolly for the first time and I loved it! I am also addicted to "So you think you can dance" on TV. That show is so awesome! I still kick myself every time for quitting dance. I should have followed my heart and pursued what I love the most instead of getting a college degree in something I felt I had to go into and I didn't like. The choreography on that show is amazing and Todd laughs at me because sometimes it touches me so much that I cry. I'm weird and I'm okay with it!

Lately we've been getting a lot of door to door sales people and I am sooo sick of it. Every time the person is selling something I don't want or need and I'm tired of people trying to talk me into a magazine subscription or raffle tickets or something stupid so Todd and I got a no soliciting sign for our front door. My original idea was going to say something like this:
"No soliciting. We've found God, we gave at the office, and we won't buy what you're selling so don't waste your time. " But, that's kind of tacky and rude so we just bought a nice, simple sign to hang up. Now the real test will be if those super agressive sales people will abide by the sign and leave us alone!

4th of July

Todd and I watching fireworks

Me and my two sisters I never had: Brooklyn and Michelle
(they're actually my cousins and I adore them!)

Rio the family dog enjoying fireworks with the family

I just thought this was funny. My brother was trying to be sexy while putting on sunblock.

Yep! I'm one of THOSE moms. I had to put Gabbie in a 4th of July outfit.

The fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. I love Utah summers, BBQ's, swimming and enjoying family and friends. This year, we had a very busy 4th of July weekend. For the first time in 4 years, all of Todd's brothers and their families were in town and we spent a lot of time with them. We had family pictures taken and it was great to visit with my brothers, sisters, and their kids. We spent Sunday afternoon with them at a Crane Family BBQ with two families they grew up with and it was fun to sit and visit with all our loved ones.

On the fourth we went up to spend time with my family in Layton. My favorite uncle and his family flew up from St. George and we spent the day swimming in my parent's pool, barbecuing, and then watching fireworks. My little brother even spent the entire day with us and I was so excited because that is a rare occurence!

With so much excitement this past weekend, it was a little overwhelming for Gabbie. Gabbie is a very social baby and loves people. Because this past weekend was so busy meeting new cousins and family members it really threw her little schedule off and she was pretty irritable and fussy and wouldn't take her daily naps. She was cranky and as a result-I was too! She's been able to get back in the swing of things and now she is back to her regular schedule.

Even though we had a very long and very exhausting weekend, we loved being around our great families. We spent the entire weekend laughing and talking and I am sad it is over. I tend to be a very reflective individual and as I was sitting with my family on the 4th watching fireworks, I am very thankful for the family I was born into and the family I married into. I am very blessed to have such incredible people in my life, faults and all, and in the end family is truly what matters the most.

Growing like a weed

Coming home for the 1st time

9 weeks old-what happened?

Gabbie had her two month check up today and she is definitely a very different baby from when we brought her home for the first time. When she was born she weighed 6 lbs 14 oz and now she is almost 10 lbs. She recently outgrew some of her pajamas and it made me a little sad to have had to put them away in a box. We are trying to enjoy every moment with her that we can before she is 18 and out of the house.

We initially thought she had acid reflux but lo and behold! She is colicky. YAY! The good news is is that she does sleep at night and we are more than half way through this stage. It's hard to get frustrated because when she smiles, she melts both of our hearts. We love her so much it almost hurts!

Lessons from life I want to teach Gabbie

This post is more serious and emotional in nature and contains a lot of self disclosure. I've had this on my mind for a long time and I thought it might be good for me to write about it. I in no way mean this blog to feel bad for myself or for any of you to pity me, I just think it is healthy to deal with tough situations in a good way and I have learned some great things from having had lived through some painful times.

Ever since Gabbie was born when I sit up with her in the wee hours of the morning, I look into her beautiful face and I think about things I want to teach her and also worry about the things she will have to go through in this life. No doubt she will receive her fair share of struggles and trials and the best thing I can do as a mother is to teach her how to deal with them in a healthy way. I believe one of my greatest strengths is resiliency and the ability to adapt to change: good or bad. In recent years I have learned how to look at a bad situation and wonder what positive lesson I can learn from it. Doing so has helped me count my blessings and also see what great strengthening qualities I have obtained from going through something hard. There is one part of my life I have never understood why I have had to go through until now.

Growing up, I was bullied. Not just once or twice but many, many times. I look back now and wonder, was I really that weak or that big of a loser for so many people to pick on? Even some of my so called "friends" turned their backs on me from time to time. These experiences have had some long term effects on me and I am beginning to realize now that I am who I am in many characteristics because I endured bullying. Growing up I was severely depressed and had very low self-esteem. I took what the bullies said to heart and it was painful. How in the world could junior high and high school kids be so mean? I have always tried to a kind person and it just baffles me that anyone could treat someone with such disrespect and abuse. Even when I was a cheerleader, the bullying continued and probably was even more relentless at that time. People usually wouldn't think that would happen to a cheerleader due to the stereotype but it's true! Those girls were very mean and petty and knowing what I do now, I would have not participated in that activity. When I entered high school I did establish some great, close friendships with people whom I still love and adore (AKA Annalise and Jessica). They helped me tremendously and I am thankful I had them when I was at my lowest. When I left high school I went to a college no one else was going to and when Todd came into my life, I was over joyed! Now it was my time to move ahead and even today I am convinced Todd is the perfect one for me.

For years I have looked back on the experiences I went through with certain people and my heart would be full of hurt and anger. I would constantly wonder why it was necessary for me to go through years of bullying. Finally for the first time the other night, I realized why. During those times when I did not have a ton of people I could call friends or trust, I developed early on a great relationship with my parents and also in the being I believe is God. None of them ever left me and were a great support system. I developed a lot of faith and maturity for someone my age and as a result, have had great opportunities for growth. I have also learned to deal with tough times in healthy ways that are not self-destructive nor abusive of the rights of others. I have learned compassion and love for the under dog and most of all, I have learned that I am a good person who is capable of being loved and deserving of friendship. I hope to teach Gabbie, as my parents did, that she is beautiful inside and out, that her dad and I will always, always accept her for who she is and our home is a safe haven from the world. I also hope to teach her resiliency. In the eyes of hard times, you can choose to be a victim or you can choose to learn something positive from it. If you choose the latter, you will grow more and gain more self esteem instead of wallowing in self pity. I also hope to teach her to be a nice person. I want her to accept people regardless of what they look like or if they are total dorks at school. I want her to know that she has a Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ who love her and care about her. I want to teach her to be assertive and stick up for herself. I've always been thin skinned but I have learned to hold my own ground and stand up for myself so I don't get walked all over and it's felt amazing! I can't control what people will do or say to Gabbie but I can teach her to feel good about herself, trust Todd and I and her Heavenly Father and do unto others as she would have them do to her. Life is tough but when we look at painful situations as opportunities for self-improvement, I speak from experience that they are fully worth it!

Random Gabbie Pics

Since my day to day routine isn't anything to brag about (i.e. holding Gabbie, feeding Gabbie, finally getting ready for the day at 2 pm, etc) I thought I'd post a few pictures of her from the last few weeks.