in love

This little boy has me wrapped around his finger.

Tonight while I was laying next to him in bed, he reached out and held my hand. Then we laid facing each other. Every time I'd smile at him his eyes would light up and he'd get this big ol' grin on his face like he was the happiest boy in the world. And in the moment I was the happiest mommy in the world.



(his cousin Paisley loves him too.)


And today I realized that I really do love my husband more than the day we got married. I've wondered about sometimes when I was annoyed at some little thing or we were disagreeing about some big thing. But today I realized that our love is strong enough to withstand annoyances and disagreements. I still love being with him. I miss him when he's gone. I am so excited to start a new adventure in our lives together.


Today I also realized that Ana is a good friend. She is kind. She is willing to share. She is willing to give up what she wants (like a pink popsicle) so someone else can be happy. That is awesome!

I'm totally in love with my family.

me = happy

*Spent yesterday with my sisters.

*I want to write a book.

*Came home to freshly picked roses from a loving husband.

*I'm going camping tonight.

baby time

I'll have to post some pictures later, but I know its time to update my blog when I'm almost off of Dave's blogroll...

I'm really loving our little baby. Now, Ana was a fussy baby and mostly I couldn't wait until she was older, so I didn't really enjoy her baby stage. But this baby, I love it! He is mostly content, though he has had fussy times. I love holding him and cuddling him. Last night, at 4:30, he woke up to eat and didn't want to go back to sleep. He wasn't fussy, but he was wide awake. I sat there holding him and rocking him for about 45 minutes loving every minute of it. It was so quiet and still. How cool it is to be a mom!

Ana is doing pretty good. The last few days she's started whining about little things. Once in a while when she's frustrated she'll hit Jack. (Not really hard, but I can tell its not a love pat.) I'm not quite sure what to do. I don't feel like she responds to me like she does to Dave.

I don't understand parents who only have 1 or 2 kids on the basis that they only have enough love for 1 or 2. When Jack was born, not only did I feel so much love for him, but my love for Ana increased. I felt concern and excitement for her. I worried how she'd react and how she would feel toward her new little brother. I love her more than I ever since bringing him home. I love being a mother. Even the hard parts. It makes the good parts that much better.

I love...

This cereal: Quaker 100% Natural Granola. It is so yummy! If you have never tried it, you should. Its a little expensive, so I only get it when we go to WinCo (which we did yesterday).

Warm, sunny days. A couple weeks ago when Spring was first tempting me, it felt so warm. The sun was shining, I didn't wear a coat, etc. Then I saw that the temperature was only 34 degrees. You know you live in Rexburg when that feels warm!!! Yesterday was also a nice day, and today looks promising. Perhaps the pile of snow in our front yard with continue to melt. I can't wait until summer!!!

French dip sandwiches. Teri told me how she makes them the "cheater" way. Hoagie buns, Roast beef deli meat (I use Hillshire Farms brand), and the Au Jus gravy packets. I also added Swiss cheese and that was yummy as well. So yummy and fast!

Working in the Primary. I've been in the Primary Presidency for almost 2 years now, and I still love every minute of it. The kids say such funny things. Even though they can be a handful, I just love it! The last 2 weeks I've been teaching the 5 year olds because the teacher moved and I've really enjoyed that too. One little girl asked me, "Are you gonna be our teacher every week now?" She looked disappointed when I told her no. I love it when I see the kids outside of Primary and they smile and say hi and tell me about their day. I'm really gonna miss it. And now I'll have to go back to Relief Society.

*i love*

*Ana's smile. She's been really happy the last few days. Its cute. She seems so big to be walking and talking. Her little voice is really cute.

*that Dave's last day at Melaleuca will be Friday. It'll be good for him to be able to have a little more time to devout to school work and other goals he has for the year.

*having friends over for dinner. Dave's nephew is coming tonight. Not only does it give me motivation to clean, but I love being with friends.

*how we rearranged our living room. It doesn't look nearly so crowded as it did before.

*Dancing with the Stars. We watch it online which means I can't vote, but its fun to watch. Even though some of the girls dont' wear very much.

*getting up before Ana to read my scriptures. It makes the day go so much better, and I don't have to think about it the rest of the day.

*i love*

My Crock Pot. I've used it 3 times in the last week and I love it!!! We have 1:30 church, so it is especially nice on Sunday. I just throw whatever in and we have dinner ready when we get home. Yesterday I did this rice and chicken bake - really yummy and easy! I wasn't sure how rice would do in the Crock Pot - especially because I used Brown Rice, which is by far my favorite kind. But it turned out really well. I just added some extra water and some butter so it didn't stick to the sides, and it was quite tasty! Here's the recipe

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (I cut them into strips)

1-1/2 cups brown rice

4 cups water

3-4 tbl butter

1 package Onion Soup Mix

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup

Combine ingredients. Cook in Crockpot on high for 3 hours or low for 5-6 hours.

I am always looking for easy Crock pot recipes. Please share your recipes or websites that have good ones.

*i love*

the fall this year. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm really enjoying fall this year. I used to not like it because it meant winter was coming. But Ana still likes to play outside so instead of staying in lamenting the cold-ing weather, I've been outside and its actually quite nice. I'm looking forward to the falling leaves, getting one of Amy's pumpkins, and Christmas. And I realized that I like to wear my sweaters, sweatshirts and my coat that I got for Christmas last year.

I also love: my bracelet that I made with my sister's beading stuff. I wear it with pretty much everything. Pride and Prejudice (the book). Just finished it for the 2nd time. Love it!

*i love*

good friends. Today I was sort of depressed since its been rainy and cool for 3 days. (I'm just not ready for summer to be over.) But I really needed some fresh air, so I put on a sweatshirt, pulled out the stroller and took Ana for a walk to see a friend that I hadn't seen in a few weeks. She was the Primary President before they split the ward and it was so good to talk to her again. It made me grateful for friends that you can just drop in on and they welcome you 100%.

also: good long conversations, especially with my husband. mexican food. eating out. sunshine. ice cream. (now I'm hungry)...

*i love*

i love my chacos (and my tan line), graham crackers and milk, riding my bike, summer, going swimming, eating out, minor league baseball games (we went to one last night), and little pink shoes.

i love waking up before Ana, how I feel when I've been productive, laughing with friends, cuddling, a clean house.

i love my family most of all!