'11 - A Year of Firsts

January 

The Lime celebrated his 1st birthday and had his 1st piece of carrot cake.

February

The first member of our immediate family was deployed.

March

The first time we didn't have Grandma Liz around.

 

April

The Lime's first surgery.

May

LaVor's first time to Saudi Arabia

June

The first set of twins were born into our family.

July

LaVor's first Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.

August

The Lime and I went to Yosemite for the first time.

September

Our first visit to the train museum as a family.

October

The Lime's first time trick-or-treating.

November

The first time I saw Steve Martin in person.

December

My first time finishing The Book of Mormon.

2011 was filled with blessings and memories.  Both sets of parents moved; 1 locally, another out of state.  It was the first year since I was in high school, that I've felt my testimony grow tremendously.  We had many visible instances where our prayers were answered and I'm sure many hidden moments, too.  Our families were blessed with good health and many additions.  We were also reunited in different ways.  We utilized Priesthood blessings as often as we could.  We faced obstacles, were able to overcome them and grow stronger because of them.   

Our hearts are filled with gratitude as we end this chapter and begin another in our book called, "Life".

Seeing Double

On the last night of Advent, Omi walked in the door and we stopped in our steps...

Twins!  Minus the 60 year difference and color of hair (my white ones are just dyed), you could hardly tell us apart!

It's actually happened on more than one occasion.  Many people have commented on how similar we look in our wedding photos.

And I will take that as a compliment!

A "B" Christmas

After reading a friend's blog last year (thanks, Leah!), we decided to follow in her footsteps..."something to wear something to read something you want and something you need."

The Lime is infatuated with boots; Daddy's boots, Momo's boots, Mailman's boots, any boots he sees, he points out.

So for wear, we got him boots.

 

For read, I got a Curious George book that we've only read once.  Whomp, whomp, whomp. 

Since our trip to Europe 3 years ago and his recent one this Spring, LaVor has been wanting to get a balance bike for one of our kids.  The Lime lucked out, as he's our first.  It also works out that The Lime loves bikes and would ask for one every time we asked what he wanted for Christmas.

Want = bike

Last Christmas, my parents gave each grandchild a piggy bank and The Lime fell in love with his.  I don't know if it was the noise the change made as you shook it or the fun of putting money into the slot, but it was a fun toy.  Unfortunately, we tragically lost our blue pig a few months ago as he fell to his death.  The natural thing to do was provide a new piggy for Christmas this year.

Need = Piggy Bank

I loved our new method for buying gifts this year and will definitely use it in the future.  Since I had been planning to use it since last year, it made it easy to pick things (since I had 12 months to keep my eyes open) and kept us from buying extras.

And although the material gifts are fun and we loved seeing The Lime's excitement, I'm much more grateful for the blessings we've received as gifts throughout the year.

More on those later.

The Eve of Christmas

Growing up, we always had a spaghetti dinner and then immediately headed out to Fremont to look at Christmas lights.

In the last couple years, we've continued the pasta tradition but decided to switch things up for 2011.

We planned a visit to Speisekammer and were pleasantly greeted by a 3 piece brass band, welcoming us with Christmas carols.  The Lime proceeded to imitate them throughout dinner.

As soon as we sat down at our table, the old woman next to us said, "I never remember bringing you kids to dinner when Father and I went out."  Great!  And The Lime just happened to be in a crappy mood.  Thankfully the woman was at the tail end of her visit and left shortly after we got there.

The restaurant was extremely busy so the service was a bit slow but with the help of electronic devices and frequent trips outside, The Lime managed to control his moods.  The amazing french fries seemed to help, too.  And the vanilla ice cream.

Once dinner was complete, we drove around to see Christmas lights and were on the hunt for "nomen" (snowmen).

Found one!

And paper bags, glowing with lights.  Something I'm drawn to, ever since our wedding reception.

Surprisingly, The Lime was wide awake for the 30+ minute drive home.  Once we got home, we had to quickly open our 1 gift so Santa could come!

I took advantage of it being my last year where I could take him shopping for gifts and he wouldn't know.  He helped me pick these out.

LaVor grew up with Papa always reading the Christmas story from Luke.  Since we were on our own this year, he took on the role.

Everything was checked off our "To Do" list...time for bed.

Advent - Year 4 - Week 4

It's that time of year, again! Advent is over and Christmas is just around the corner! I'm not ready but yet, I feel more prepared than previous years. I'm just trying to avoid stores during peak hours, as I found I get anxious with the crazy amounts of people. And lines. I hate lines. Unless I'm at Disneyland.

It just so happens that our last evening of Advent fell on my sister's birthday. So we combined both events and had 1 big celebration.

We also found out that The Lime loves broccoli/cheddar soup. It doesn't surprise me because he loves broccoli but it's always nice to know you can add one more dinner item to the list.

My 1 failure for this week: no picture of the candles, since we only had 3 but it was week 4.

I'll have to try harder next year, to not fail each week.

Consider that my New Year's resolution.

Tally Mark 23

-Still hates Nursery...with a passion.
-Loves to sing, "Once There Was a Snowman".
-Loves looking at Christmas lights.
-Likes to have my American Girl doll sleep on the floor, next to his crib.  It's his "baby".
-Just started saying his word for "truck" rather than referring to them as "Dada".
-Knows which exit we get off at for his Doctor.
-Weighed 29 lbs last Monday.
-Still has major separation anxiety.  We're waiting for him to grow out of this.
-Now says, "yeah" rather then making a grunting noise. 
-Stayed in Sacrament Meeting for the entire time today.  First time in who knows how long!
-Wants to be a football player when he grows up.
-Shows no signs of getting his 2 year molars.
-Has to wear one of Daddy's ties to church each week.
-Sticks his tongue out while doing different tasks.
-Knows that there's 2 Papas and 2 Omis.  But then again, every number is 2.
-Often escapes if we don't lock the very top lock on our front door.
-Is our sweet boy, forever.

Family Resemblance

It's amazing how strong some genes are...

Clearly we were bored and ended up having too much fun with Photobooth.

Deacon Dave's

I received a Chili's gift card at my work Christmas party last week and since we didn't feel like cooking tonight, we put it to good use.

The night was young when we finished so we decided to drive around and look at Christmas lights.

The Lime is really into lights this year, which makes it especially fun for us. We thought he'd get a kick out of Deacon Dave's and we were right.

Who knew Cholos had a soft spot in their heart for Christmas decorations?

Advent - Year 4 - Week 3

Another week where 1/2 of the group was gone due to illness. The Lime is in 1st place for being sick 2 out of the 3 weeks. We're hoping for a full recovery by next week, since it's our last.

I also failed to bring the candles, music, wreath and jingle bells. So we had to pick songs that we knew the words to. We found out my mom is the only one that knows the words to Frosty.

We did finish the night off with Ghiradelli square s'mores, roasted on the stove. Thankfully there's leftovers...they were delicious.

Last failure, I took 0 pictures. I'm a real winner.

Advent - Year 4 - Week 2

My parents hosted Advent this week and although we were in their new place, my mom had all of our familiar Christmas decorations up.  It was nice to feel a little bit of our old place there with us.

We also added the Utah Sathre Family into the mix this week, via Skype, and there were no baby announcements from anymore; here or there.  The Idaho Sathre Family will also be able to join us soon, via Skype.

We've now started shouting and clapping when we finish a song.  I don't think we're being as reverent as we should be or as my Mom initially planned us to be.  But we're having fun and making memories.

I can't wait to host this next week.  I have a cake recipe I've been dying to try!

He's Home!

Back in February, I was an emotional basket case for this reason...

SAN MATEO: Grieving Woman Joins National Guard, Prepares For...

Not that the woman's dad passed away but because my brother-in-law was deploying, too. We were expecting him to be gone a year. It stunk for many reasons but one of them being my niece was 10 months when he left and he'd miss a ton of changes.

When my sister surprised us with the news that he'd be home before his February date, we were all thrilled. When I got an e-mail the other day with the breakdown of events for his homecoming yesterday, I was even more excited. On my way to the Armory yesterday, the news had a brief clip about the soldiers coming home.  That's when the tears started flowing.  They were happy/grateful/relieved/proud tears and they've continued on into today.

As I turned onto the street of the Armory, I saw several neighbors standing in their front yards, trying to figure out what the commotion was all about.  It was the cheering and excitement of family members, welcoming the soldiers home.  I made it JUST.IN.TIME!

My sister was standing patiently, holding her sign she had made, when all of a sudden, her husband appeared behind her.  Everyone else could see him, except her.  The second she turned around and saw him, the tears started flowing again...for everyone.

We all ended up inside the Armory where the soldiers were welcomed home again.  I don't know who he was, but a gentleman, speaking to the families and friends, said, "We can do it for you, but we can't do it without you."  It brings tears to my eyes as I type it.

I was reading in Helaman 12 yesterday and it spoke about how people tend to believe and rely on God only when bad things happen.  I couldn't help but believe, rely, and thank Heavenly Father for the sweet homecoming.  My heart has been extremely full!

My sister deserves a medal.  When LaVor was gone for 2 weeks to Saudi Arabia, I had 10x more respect for her, being a single mom and having your husband halfway across the world, at war.  She's done an amazing job being all she can be (Army connection...ah ah ah) as a wife and mother.  I'm grateful he's home for her and for their daughter.

Christmas miracles do exist.

Smack In The Face

Last week, The Lime transformed into a devil child.  He's always wild but this time, he was completely out of control.  Yelling, hitting, whining, clinging, throwing, biting, refusing, kicking.  You name it, he was doing it.

LaVor and I tried to accept the fact that we were starting the terrible two's 2 months early and that we may only have 1 child.

After being home alone with him last Monday, I couldn't take it anymore and called LaVor at 4:45 and said, "Where are you?!"  Thankfully, he was only 10 minutes away and I wouldn't have to deal with the wrath on my own.

Magically, in the last couple days, the horns disappeared and our sweet little boy has returned.

I read something tonight that smacked me in the face.  It's what I needed.

Even when The Lime makes me want to crawl in the fetal position and beg him to stop, I need to remember that I love him, that he's healthy and gives me a run for my money.  I wouldn't trade him, or our craziness, for the world.

Advent - Year 4 - Week 1

Let the games begin!

We unfortunately had 4 members of the gang missing this week, due to illness, but we're excited to have Omi in the mix!

It's a treat to have a piano to sing with, when we go to the McMurray home!

We enjoyed an apple dumpling (?) type dessert and each got a chance to smell MooMoo's pearls.  Everyone else recognized the scent, except me.  I remember some things about her (our Great Grandma) but her powder isn't one of them.  Ritz crackers in the tin in her room, oh yeah!

Grateful for...Z

Z = Zillions

I'm grateful for zillions of things. 

No possible way to list them all.

Grateful for...Y

Y = Yesterday

When we found out there would be a football game going on, Thanksgiving morning, and that Joe would be there, The Lime couldn't stop talking about it.

The game started at 8 and we all woke up at 7:40, rolled out of bed, brushed our teeth, got dressed and out we went.  I foresee that same situation in about 6 years with Saturday mornings.


The grass was soaking wet and it only took The Lime a few minutes to also become saturated.  Thank goodness for fleece lined jeans!

The Lime loved watching the guys play and even tried to join in on the fun. 

Grateful for...X

X = Xerox Paper Boxes

For reals, I am.

We go through paper quite a bit at work so we always have boxes lying around.

These boxes are perfect!  They have lids, since they're for paper, they can store files, they stack nicely, they're durable.

Really, Xerox knew what they were doing when they designed them. 

Grateful for...W

W = Whispering

The Lime has toned down the "screaming bloody murder" but still erupts every now and then.  Telling him to be quiet or getting mad just made him scream louder.  If I say, "We whisper", he stops.  Thank goodness.

LaVor has started a little game that we play several times a week.  He'll tell The Lime he has a secret to tell him, whispers in his ear, then The Lime runs over to me, gives me a big hug and waits for my secret.  I whisper in his ear, he runs over to LaVor, gives him a big hug and waits for his secret.  That goes on for a while until The Lime gets distracted and moves on to something else.

The Lime found my American Doll on Monday and noticed her eyes.  When she lays down, her eyes close.  He instantly put his finger to his mouth and said, "Shhhh!  Baby night night."

It appears the whispering lesson is sinking in.

Grateful for...V

V = Vacuuming

I actually have a picture of me vacuuming.

Growing up, our Saturday mornings were spent doing chores.  We had to pick 1 chore from 4 rooms and we couldn't do the same chore in every room.  Because if that were the case, I would have picked vacuuming 4 times.

I love vacuuming.  I love the sound it makes when it picks things up and I love the way a room looks after it's been vacuumed.  Sort of like how a lawn looks after being mowed.

Our vacuum needs a belt replaced (I think) so I can only vacuum for about a minute and a half before it starts to stink.  Needless to say, it takes a long time to vacuum the house when you're doing it in 90 second shifts.

A dream gift that I don't think I'll ever get, would be a steam vacuum.

There's something about being able to see all the dirt and grime that you've sucked out of your carpet, that gives you a satisfying feeling.

Feel free to leave a comment so I don't feel like I'm the only cuckoo in the world that feels this way.

Grateful for...U

U = Undershirt

I've always put a onesie on The Lime, whether it's 45° outside or 105°.  The temperature doesn't always play a factor but the extra layer to prevent him from digging in his diaper does.

I decided to not only put a onesie on him on Saturday, but also an undershirt.  That way, he wouldn't have to wear a jacket and cover up his Curious George shirt.  That was plus #1.

Plus #2 came when we were at Costco, later in the afternoon, and we were trying samples.  We passed a man giving away orange juice, which The Lime rarely gets.  But when he does get it, he chugs the stuff.  No matter how many times we said, "Gentle!", he wanted the juice in his mouth as soon as possible.  Except...most of it ended up on his Curious George shirt.

I didn't bring his "big" diaper bag which would have provided me with a burp cloth to dry him off.  I only had wipes to clean his sticky hands.  Thankfully, I had LaVor with me because he quickly said, "Just go like this!" and took off the Curious George shirt. 

And what was underneath?

The trusty undershirt.

Grateful for...T

T = Tommy

Tommy on the left, Kenny on the right.

I always looked up to my brother, Tommy.  I remember in the 2nd grade, when I was the "student of the week", I could pick a special guest to come visit our class.  I wanted Tommy to be my special guest and I envisioned the kids to literally "look up to him" because as a 2nd grader, he was the tallest person alive.

I also remember him coming to my middle school during our name changing ceremony.  He was taking a video class at the high school, and was "on assignment".  I felt so cool that I could say hi to a high school student and have him be my brother.

When I was in the 6th grade, my mom let Tommy take Kenny, Amy and me to San Lorenzo because 98.5 KOME was doing a special event.  I got a t-shirt that was 10 sizes too big but I wore it all the time.

Tommy also took me to my first and last Blink 182 concert.  In fact, that was the first time LaVor and I met (which I think I've mentioned before).  It shocked Tommy, 2 years later, when he called home on Christmas Day from his mission, and found out we were dating.

It's been 3.5 years since I've seen him (and since that picture was taken).  He has 2 kids that I've never met and I have 1 he's never met.  I hate the distance, to say the least.

But today, on his special day, I'm eternally grateful for him. 

Even though he cried and threw a fit on my special day, because I was a girl.

Grateful for...S

S = Sunsets

In the Wal*Mart parking lot

I'm not a nature girl...at all, but I can appreciate a good sunset.

On our way to Switzerland - over Spokane, I believe

They're a sweet reminder that amidst all this craziness we're surrounded by, our Heavenly Father loves us.

Driving to my parents' on Sunday night.

Plus, if I happen to have the camera in the car, it's a great distraction so I don't hassle LaVor about his driving.

Tally Mark 22

-Loves stickers and I'm totally fine with that.  Stickers are easier to clean up than a Sharpie.

-Calls Uncle Alex, "Dada" because that's what the other kids call him and because he can't say Uncle Alex.

-Says, "Mama go bye bye" as we're driving to my sister's house.  It breaks my heart.

-Seems to be clingy to me now more than ever before.

-Asks for Papa when we pass the golf course and pumpkin patch.

-Loves backpacks and thinks the Momo wears one, but it's really his leaf blower.

-Likes to "write".

-Thinks he's counting but it just sounds like "two" over and over again.

-Says, "Hewwo?" when he puts a phone to his ear.

-Had a meltdown psychotic episode in nursery last week because we weren't in there with him.  We'll see how this week goes.

-Thinks any business park is the one LaVor works in.

-Likes to say, "All done!"

-We may be "All done!" with these in 2 months.  I still haven't decided.  But we'll love him forever.