the greggs

TWO!!!

2011-07-31T21:24:00.000-07:00

Yay! Hannah turned two this past Saturday. We had an awesome weekend.

After reading this post, by a girlfriend from church, I was inspired to create this banner for Hannah. I used paint samples from Lowes. I asked Hannah a few days ago what colors she would like for her birthday and she responded boo and yewoh...so blue and yellow is what she got! She really is such sunshine in our life...so happy and so summery (if that's a word!)...she loves anything in the sun.
This picture is out of order, but for her birthday dinner my parents came down and we went to El Adobe, which is amazing! Hannah loved being with her grandparents and being sang to!

A few years back I read this post, by my friend Jana, and knew that surprising Hannah with a bunch of balloons in her room on her birthday would become a tradition for us. She was so excited!

She didn't want to let them go all morning.

Hannah LOVED blowing out candles so we found as many things to put them into on her birthday as possible, including her orange danish.

I gave her a special birthday hairstyle, but it only lasted about two minutes. She loved showing it off to Dada, but it quickly fell out.

Next, we took her to downtown Disney. She loves Mickey Mouse, who she affectionately named "nummi." No real explanation for the nickname. We went to the rainforest cafe for lunch. She had so much fun.

We had them sit us right next to a gorilla. She was startled when it first started growling, but then started trying to have a conversation with it and was growling back...so funny!

After lunch we let her make a stuffed animal at Build a Bear. She was pretty tired by this point, but still had lots of fun.

She knew right away that she wanted the bunny and didn't want to let it go, even to stuff it.

Its been hard to get a normal smile lately!

She was one tired little girl!

On Sunday we had a little family party for her with some of her grandparents.

I can't believe the little lady she has become. Hannah is so much fun and so special to us. We still see her as a miracle...one amazing way God has poured out His grace in our lives. She is such a blessing to her family.

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T18:28:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!

We spent the weekend by the pool.
With my sister.

We ate lots of yummy food that I will have to share the recipes for.

On Sunday Jer and I celebrated our 7th anniversary!

Hope you had a great weekend too!

Stripped and Stained Dresser

2011-06-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

After months of work I am finally able to write a post on my latest "art project." This dresser has always been my guinea pig project. It started when my in-laws were moving and were going to get rid of it. It was white then and I definitely saw that it had so much potential. At the time I had no idea how to paint furniture, but knew that it would look great black. I went to the hardware store, bought some black paint, was too impatient to fill in the previous knob holes/do any prep work, including sanding, and slapped two coats of black paint on it.

I have to say that it didn't look too bad considering what I know now about how to paint furniture etc.

Fast forward about five years...

Jeremy got me an orbital sander this past Christmas. That's pretty much where this project started. I spent about two months researching painting/restoring furniture and finally decided that I needed to strip the paint off and we'd go from there.

This post and This post were especially helpful in teaching and inspiring me from a girl's perspective. After reading those posts I went on an internet rabbit trail.

This is the before. There are three layers of paint; black, white and cream.

These were the main products I used. I chose an oil based stain because I couldn't find a deep enough color in the water based choices. Its also super hard to keep up with California laws about what you can buy and not buy. I literally went to the counter three separate times with products that were now illegal, but hadn't been taken off the shelf yet.

I decided that this would be my only project I worked on until I was completely finished. This was really hard, but it kept me focused on finishing.

This is the top of the dresser in the midst of stripping. The paint had been so soaked into the wood that I had to use a brass brush to scrub it out of the grains of the wood. I also placed wax paper over the stripper to keep it moist and penetrate the wood better.

This is the dresser completely stripped. This is when I decided that I would at least try staining it. If it didn't work out I could always paint it. The wood, although super dry and not too pretty, was really hard and had a lot of potential.

For sanding, I started with 60 and 80 grit to help remove any residue and then moved on to 120 and 220 to get ready for conditioning and staining.

Here's my after pics!

I have to say that it wasn't until I sealed the dresser in polyurethane (satin finish) that I really was proud of how it turned out. I did three coats of the finish. It was really easy to apply and made all the difference.

I chose to use two types of drawer pulls in an oil rubbed bronze finish. Although I used a stainable wood filler to fill in the previous knob holes, you could still see where they had been, which is why I chose to use pulls in the center. Ideally, for this piece of furniture, I would have chosen to put two knobs on either side of each drawer like this.

I think the top of the dresser is my favorite. Its where I spent the most work and turned out the best.

The flag was something I made for Jer for Christmas when we were first dating.

So there you have it. If you have any questions about the process I'd be happy to answer them!

Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

2011-06-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

Hannah and I had our first summer beach day!

Its probably the first time she's been there since she was a baby. She had a blast! We went to the baby beach in Dana Point so that she could really play in the water.
After reading this post I realized there were a few things I could do to be a little more present and intentional this summer. One of those was to keep our favorite beach/pool snacks packed and ready to go...you know, those snacks your mom packed when you were a kid that make you think of summer. For me, its barbeque potato chips and Stewarts Orange Cream and Key Lime sodas. Hannah had her first one today!

My mom found her swimsuit on sale at gymboree online. They don't have it anymore, but there are still a lot of cute ones left.

Here's to many more beach days, orange cream sodas and baby bikinis!

Ok, ok...

2011-06-13T22:31:00.000-07:00

I suppose that a four month hiatus is long enough...

I don't really have any explanation for not blogging, other than that I plain didn't feel like it! Here's what we've been up to...

Our Gracie girl. She is the best ever! Her spunk and personality more than make up for all the craziness we went through to get her. She is an animal fanatic. Ibbies (frogs), Goggies (dogs) and horses are a few of her favorites.
While there are obviously difficulties with a toddler, I'm much more in my element with her now than when she was a baby. She has become so easy going and is definitely my little buddy.

Jeremy and I have gotten away a few times over the last couple of months, but one of my favs was a trip to his family's cabin. No running water, no electricity...LOTS of FUN!

This is a project that took up a lot of my creative time over the last couple of months...trust me, I'm relieved to say it's over. This is the before picture. Before stripping three layers of paint, conditioning the wood then staining and sealing it. Why you ask? It all started with this blog.
I need to take some after pics, but I just haven't gotten around to it. I promise I will soon, because I'm soooo proud to show it off.

The other distraction, and probably the biggest one, is that I'm officially down 27 lbs! Its been a long road...I have so many things that I've learned along the way. I still have about six to go before I hit my goal weight, BUT my body fat percentage is lower than its ever been! I finally feel like myself physically and it feels great.

There are lots of stories to tell, but if there is anything you are curious about let me know!

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T17:02:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day from real Valentines...Hannah Grace Valentine and Ashley Valentine!

13 Miles, 13 Pounds

2011-02-10T09:29:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I ran my first half-marathon (13.1 miles)! My brother has been trying to convince me to run a marathon with him for a loooonnng time. I finally agreed, but realized that a half-marathon was much more realistic. We ran the Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach.

My mom and sister came to cheer us on.
Something else I haven't mentioned on the blog is my journey to lose my post-ivf/baby weight. I have lost 13 pounds so far! I've still got a ways to go, but this weekend was significant for me in that I was running 13 miles and had lost 13 pounds. I'll write more later about how I'm doing it and why it took me until now to figure out how I was going to do it.

It felt amazing to finish the race (which was my only goal), but to be totally honest I thought I was going to die when I was done! Glad its over, but sooo very excited to know that I did it!

The best kind of Southern California

2011-01-10T20:35:00.001-08:00

You should never ever ever complain about rain when you live in Southern California. Rainy years are the best because they create days like this...

In January. The colors have been sooo vibrant. Hannah, the dog and I have been spending a lot of our time exploring the canyon behind our house.
Her rabbit, otherwise known as Bunbun, has been coming with us.

She especially loves to walk the dog.

She likes hunting for rocks...or as she calls them lalala locks (rrrr rocks).

Sometimes I wish we lived where it snowed, but in years like this, we love it here.

Christmas Activities

2010-12-20T07:22:00.000-08:00

This Christmas we made a commitment to be slow and relaxed. It has been so much fun! We've missed out on a lot of parties and hustle and bustle, but its been worth it to savor simple Christmas memories at home.

From the time I was a little kid until I was an adult my grandma made a Christmas village with my siblings and me every year. The house we made with Hannah is simple compared to the work she would put into it, but we had lots of fun making it!
Hannah ate most of the candy, but she got the hang of it after a while.

We did have to go to at least one Christmas party...who can miss out on an ugly sweater Christmas party? Jer's brother and our sister-in-law through the party and it was great!

That's a little of what we've been up to, but mostly we've been enjoying rainy weather and watching lots of movies. A Christmas tree and a fire in your family room makes being at home so much more exciting!

Putting up the Tree

2010-12-06T13:23:00.001-08:00

This year we was the first year that we bought a real tree. We have an artificial one and decided that Hannah needed to have a real tree that she could decorate. It was so much fun to take her and let her pick one out.

We made popcorn and paper garland and used the black and white pictures I made last year.

This is the foil star that Jeremy made when he was a kid.

These pictures are out of order...the first thing that Hannah did is eat my popcorn garland. Now there are sections of it missing, but it makes for a cute memory.

So far, this has been such a special Christmas season. It is so fun to see Hannah get excited about simple Christmas traditions.

Thanksgiving in Montana

2010-12-02T10:20:00.000-08:00

This year we spent Thanksgiving with Jeremy's uncle in Montana. We had a blast!

The travel was long and exhausting, but the trip was refreshing and fun.

Jer got his buck the first day of the trip!

Hannah loved the snow. She kept walking around saying, "hot, hot, hot." It was sooo cute!

We are home now and sooo thankful that we were able to go on the trip!

Little Monkey

2010-11-01T13:49:00.001-07:00

To know Hannah is to know a human monkey. This costume is perfect for her personality and the best part is she loves wearing it!

Little Artist

2010-10-22T09:57:00.000-07:00

Great and Great Greats

2010-10-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

Last week Jeremy's grandma came for a visit. She stayed with us for a few days and we had a blast!

Hannah LOVES her great-grandma! The cloudy weather made for some great pictures.
While Grandma Myrtie was visiting we had a visit from Hannah's great-great aunt and uncle.

Hannah and Myrtie spent a lot of time reading and learning to make animal sounds.

Myrtie made Hannah and me matching aprons. Hannah loved wearing her's around and still does. She brings it too me and wants to wear all day long.

Lots of cuddling and special moments with one very special lady. We love you Grandma Myrtie!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we took a trip to the pumpkin patch...it was more like a pumpkin festival.

Hannah loooooves animals so the petting zoo was her favorite.

It is so fun to get to experience things like this through her eyes!

Benjamin Micah Update

2010-10-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

I am so happy to let you know that Benjamin Micah is home with his mama and dada. After lots of neurological testing it seems as though everything is normal. His lung infection is also gone. Praise God! I can't wait to meet this miracle! Sarah and Caleb are so thankful for everyone's prayers!

Carving Pumpkins and Chasing Shadows

2010-10-09T14:36:00.000-07:00

We're trying not to be too sad that the rainy weather is gone and that it is once again summery outside.

Hannah and I carved her first pumpkin this week.
She thought it's guts were gross and didn't want to touch it.

Today we took a walk and realized that Hannah has never seen her shadow. It was so cute to watch her chase it.

Now, we're playing outside waiting for her grandma to show up so Jer and I can have a night out!

Week Away

2010-10-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

Last week, Hannah and I traveled up north to stay with my family. It was soooooooooo unbelievably hot. We were dying because people near the beach don't believe in air conditioning...I don't understand it! Despite the heat we had a GREAT time.

We celebrated my dad's birthday.

My sister, the cupcake artist, at work making koi cupcakes for my dad.

The cutest koi cupcakes I've ever seen. Sidenote: my dad built a koi pond over the summer...hence the cupcakes.

Hannie had a blast with her grandparents and aunts and uncles.

On Friday, my sister and I went kayaking off my brother's new boat/house in the harbor. It was awesome. His boat is the new official home of my two beloved kayaks, "Trip and Dozer". Yes, I named them. I name everything. I'll now be able to go more often and easily, which is very exciting considering the fact that pre-Hannah I would go several times a week and post-Hannah I've gone about twice.

Glad to be home now enjoying the complete switch to rainy, cozy, lighting the fireplace weather!

Benjamin Micah

2010-10-05T15:32:00.000-07:00

Remember Sarah? She's one special gal...and she and her husband Caleb just had their first baby Benjamin Micah on September 27th.

This baby has been a living miracle from the moment he existed. His dad, Caleb, said it best when he wrote, "He healed his hands. He healed his heart. He's healing his lungs. Now he will heal his brain (again). God is doing miraculous things in our Benjamin's life! Thank you Jesus! All for your glory!"
Time and time again doctors have been left without explanation as to why the problems that they saw with Benjamin no longer exist. But we know why they don't exist anymore! Our God has a special plan for this little guy's life.

There's one more little "problem" that we need to pray for. The doctors just took Benjamin back to do an MRI because they suspect something is wrong with his brain. We will probably find out the news shortly, but in the meantime please join with me in prayer for this little baby. My prayer is that God would continue to be sovereign over Benjamin's life. That He would give Caleb and Sarah wisdom, peace and rest.
I'll be sure to keep you updated.

Hannah's Dedication

2010-10-04T19:13:00.000-07:00

On August 22nd, in the midst of house craziness, we dedicated Hannah to the Lord at our church. We were so blessed to have both our families join us in dedicating her.

Jeremy spoke a blessing over her. He prayed that just as her names, Hannah and Grace, mean God's grace, that God would pour out a double portion of his grace on her life. He certainly has done that for us when she came into our lives.

I read the life verse we chose for her. We chose 2 Corinthians 9:8, "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."

Jeremy's dad prayed over her as she was annointed with oil.

I know that its hard to see, but my mom did actually attend this dedication and even stood on stage. Its just like that shy mama to somehow hide herself in every picture that was taken.

After the service we celebrated with lunch at our house. We were missing floors and countertops, but somehow we made it work!

God has been so good to us. We are so grateful for our little girl. Even before she was conceived, we committed her to Christ.

First Day of Fall...Summer in a nutshell

2010-09-21T12:04:00.000-07:00

Yay for the first day of fall! This family is definitely ready for a new season.

Here is how our spring and summer went and definitely a good reason for why I've been horrible at blogging.

April: Move into new house

May: Have a plumber tell us there is a mysterious leak somewhere in the home

June: Find leak when kitchen floods. Realize that the leak has existed for literally years and the first floor is infested with unseen mold.

July: Move into hotel and begin demolition and mold remediation.

August: Move back into second story of home and fight daily with contractors until finally...

September: A brand new first floor and a very happy Gregg Family.

What I learned:

- Impromtu and forced hotel stays are not as exciting as I'd always thought they'd be, especially with my dog and my baby.

- Hotels stink, literally, after a while.

- Eating out every meal, every day for a month causes serious sodium overload

- Sending your baby away for trips to grandma's = AWESOME

I will definitely be keeping up with this more often, even if its only for my poor dad who always asks why I don't update!

Pray for Daisy

2010-08-03T17:12:00.000-07:00

Way back in the old days of Ash and Jer, Jer lived in Santa Barbara. While he lived there we would attend a young adults church on Friday nights called "Reality." We absolutely loved it. It was such a sweet time in our relationship because we would go, worship and grow in our faith together. The pastor of that church is Britt Merrick. A few years ago it became an actual church and moreover somewhat of a movement. Even though we only went there for a short time our faith grew tons.

Pastor Britt's daughter desperately needs our prayers. She has cancer. again. She is only six years old. Visit her site prayfordaisy.com. Pray for her.

One Year Old

2010-08-02T15:37:00.001-07:00

Just Born
One Month

Two Months

Three Months

Four Months

Five Months

Six Months

Seven Months

Eight Months

Nine Months

Ten Months

Eleven Months

Twelve Months!

First Birthday!

2010-08-02T15:09:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Hannah's first birthday with our families this past weekend. On Friday we went had a family party with Jer's side and Saturday with mine.

This wasn't the first time Hannah had eaten cake, but she was still very excited!
This is her new "cheese" smile. She loved her new rocking horse.

Obviously she had no idea she was supposed to blow that candle out.

My sister spent the ENTIRE day baking animal cupcakes. She's amazing!

She also made this sign for Hannah (thanks for the help Jana!)

She made an entire train of different animal cupcakes.

Hannah especially loved the poodles!

She loved eating her poodle!

Off to hose that poodle off!

The poor girl was soooo exhausted from the festivities, but she had a great time!

We have a walker!

2010-07-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

As of tonight, our Hannah girl is a walker! I didn't expect it to be so exciting, but she was so excited that it made it so much fun. Once she realized what was happening she would put her hands in the air and scream as she'd do it then clap her hands when she'd get to us. It was soooo cute!

Getting Away

2010-07-06T21:55:00.001-07:00

These two girls are the best gals a girl could ask for. On the left is Sarah (preggers with Benjamin) and on the right is Nicollette (Alexis' mama). These were the first friends I had when we moved down to the OC and started going to our church. Nicollette and I decided that we wanted our first night away from our little girls to be a surprise get away to celebrate Sarah's preggerness with little Benjie. We lined up babysitters and went off to Newport Beach to play all day and night. We basically did nothing, but play in the pool and eat yummy food. We had absolutely no agenda, which was the best part!

Before we moved and before I was pregnant with Hannah, one of my prayers was that I when I did get pregnant that I would have good friends to go through that season in my life with me. God definitely answered my prayers! I couldn't ask for better friends...So so so very thankful for these treasures!

Caps and Gowns

2010-07-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

I guess if I loved my I can sleep anywhere, as cozy as a bug, "magic stroller" as much as Hannah does and then I awoke to a swarm of people in black caps and gowns everywhere, I'd be pretty terrified too.
Hence the reason she isn't in this nice family photo.

Because in 99% of the photos taken at my sisters graduation Hannah looked like this.

...and like this...even with her very own grandpa (he's a professor at the King's University, which is why he's got the garb on too)...

...and like this. She definitely knows how to make things memorable!

Happy Fourth!

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

We spent the fourth in Long Beach at Jeremy's grandma's house. We had a bunch of fun hanging out, eating yummy food (of course) and Hannah seeing her first fireworks show, which she loved! By the way, of late, she prefers hanging upside down to right side up. That's my monkey!

Happy Anniversary...to us!

2010-07-03T20:35:00.000-07:00

I'm so thankful to celebrate our sixth anniversary today! These are two of the latest pics we've taken...I have no explanation for Jer's expression :) We dropped Hannie off at a friend's house and went to eat at a place called Habanas in Costa Mesa. Then we went to see the Grown-ups, which was pretty funny. All in all, a pretty great anniversary!

Needed a break...

2010-06-30T12:28:00.000-07:00

I'm sure most can relate...I just didn't feel like blogging for a while. I've got lots of catching up to do. I can't make any promises that it will be soon or consistent because, to be honest, I'm kinda enjoying a slow summer.

The last month or so has included Hannah turning 11 months...what?! How can that be...I never even got to her 10 month update. My sister graduated from the King's University, which is AWESOME! Jeremy had sinus surgery last week and is home recovering this week. Lot's going on...I'll update soon!

Beach Day

2010-06-03T08:21:00.000-07:00

We had a great Memorial Day at the beach...especially Hannah, as you can see in the last pic. I got that wagon for $5 at a garage sale...its the best $5 I've ever spent. She loves it!

Happy Birthday Jer!

2010-06-01T08:09:00.000-07:00

We spent Jeremy's birthday hanging out in the backyard with Hannie's new swing, eating guacamole until we were sick and watching movies...a perfect day. Happy Birthday JerBug!

Say Cheese

2010-05-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

Hannah is learning to "say cheese"

The Abolition Project

2010-05-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

For the last year I have been part of something called The Abolition Project. It is a CD project of original songs written, recorded and produced by the worship team at my church, Mission Hills Community Church. "The Abolition Project was birthed from a passion to bring FREEDOM and restore HOPE to victims of human trafficking." All the profits will be donated to the International Justice Mission.

Human trafficking is a devastating reality that we face today. If I'm completely honest, when I think of modern day slavery, the emotions that rise up within me are so strong that sometimes it is easier to pretend it doesn't exist. To go on with my simple life. I imagine that many of you can relate. Lately, I have been challenged to step out of my comfortable life and face some of the things that aren't exactly comfortable. I challenge you to join with me and bring awareness to this cause.

Here is a link to The Abolition Project's Facebook Page. There you will find song samples, facts about human trafficking and ways that you can make a difference. You have to be sure and check out Jeremy's song "Love Revolution," of course its my favorite!

Love you forever...

2010-05-13T21:09:00.001-07:00

This is one of the best children's books ever written. It happens to be my mom's personal favorite. She would always read it to us and remind us of the phrase in the book that says, "I'll love you forever, like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be." Even now, she sometimes sends us text messages that tells us this.

It is about a mother and her son throughout the stages of his life. No matter what he did she would love him forever.

Study the picture from the book and the one below very closely...

Hannah...I'll love you forever, like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be.

9 Months

2010-05-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

Only three months away from a year!? It seems like in the last month Hannah has lost so much of her babyness. This little girl is definitely a first born...her grandpa's nickname for her is "Big Shot." She loves to get your attention and make you laugh by making funny faces or wiggling in a crazy way.

A few weeks ago Hannah decided she was too cool for nursing. This posed somewhat of a problem because I'd never given her formula and she also hadn't really had a bottle too often. It wasn't a slow process...one day she loved to nurse and the next she was completely done. She would cry and bite if I even tried to nurse her. At first, I was pretty stressed out, but I went and bought her formula and slowly weaned myself by pumping and we've been much happier ever since. Now I have so much flexibility...I feel so free!

She also decided that she didn't like baby food anymore. She wants to be able to feed herself. This has required some creativity in planning her meals, but we are figuring it out.

This month Hannah is saying "mama," "dada" and I swear she says "dog dog." She loves to laugh...she is developing such a funny personality. It is so cute to see her have a sense of humor. She is standing while holding on to something and will occasionally let go, but if so, she sits right down. She also loves animals of any kind. She's having to learn to be gentle around certain kinds because she wants to smother them like the little girl in "Finding Nemo." :)

This has been a really fun month with Hannah. Every month gets easier and easier. I love watching her develop.

Birthday Bash

2010-05-10T14:24:00.001-07:00

This past Friday we celebrated my nephew, Nash's, 2nd and my grandpa's 80th birthday. We had lots of family come from all over. It ended up being such a beautiful day!

This little guy is the best!

Nash loves his cousin "Baby Han."

Hannah has always especially loved her uncle.

His grandpa helped him figure out all of his new toys!

Hannah even found one she liked.

All in all, my grandpa had lots of fun. He had all 3 of his daughters there and lots and lots of grandkids and great grandkids.

Hannie had her first cupcake, one of her dada's favorite foods.

Nash wanted to be sure his dada tried some too!

We got a little carried away with the sunscreen.

My mom did a great job planning the event, but definitely needed a break...hence the giraffe pool on mother's day.

My idea of a mother's day...

2010-05-10T14:06:00.000-07:00

I had a great first mother's day yesterday. After church, we hung out in the sun by the baby pool. It was such a beautiful day!

Spring Days

2010-05-03T10:10:00.000-07:00

We spent this past weekend up north with our family. It was such a beautiful weekend and so we spent a lot of time outside.

My parents have been working on their backyard now that its spring and it looks so pretty! My dad is so good at that kind of thing. We spent most yesterday outside getting ready for a big birthday party for my nephew this Friday.

Hannah hasn't met an animal she doesn't like, including Henry the turtle.

I came back down to my house for a few days to teach some voice lessons, but Hannah and I going back on Wednesday to spend time with my nephew, kayak and hang out with my family.

Goodbye Old Friend

2010-04-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weeks I have been MIA because we're moving! We are both excited and a little sad at the same time.

We're excited because we're getting more space and a few other things we've needed, but sad because this house has represented such a special time in our lives. When we moved here we prayed over the four corners of our home. We prayed that while we lived in this home that God would bless our family (He gave us Hannah), our friends (He has blessed us with great friends), our faith (He gave us a great church) and our finances (He has taken care of our every need). This home will always be a symbol of God's goodness to us.
Instead of packing...this is how we spent our last days :)

As we drove up to get the last few things this morning...crying because I was sad to leave...this is what we found over our old house.

BUT!!! This is the view from our new backyard. We have so much room to play! Lot's of trails and fun right out our backyard.

I spoke too soon...

2010-04-06T22:05:00.000-07:00

This poor little one...ear infections are back. Hopefully she'll be feeling better soon.

8 Months

2010-04-06T11:48:00.000-07:00

Where did the 7th month go? This past month has been the best yet, but also really challenging. The best because Hannah has learned sooo much! It is so fun to see her doing so many new things. She is crawling all over. Granted its not the most technically correct crawling, but definitely crawling! Learning to crawl has forced her to learn the command "NO." After much persistence she no longer enjoys eating electrical cords and the fireplace! :) I know that a lot of people don't like when their babies become mobile because it means a lot of chasing, but I think its the best stage so far.

This month has been challenging because for most of it Hannah has been sick, which means no sleep for anyone. She's had two ear infections, her first tooth and a cold that seem to keep cycling around each other. This is where the living far from family (aka easy babysitters) part has been really hard on us. Hopefully she will feel better soon!

We have been pretty busy lately because we found out that we need to move. The owners of the home we live in now are selling it. After a lot of searching God really blessed us and we found a place to move to that we are really excited about! Just in time for my favorite time of year...Swimming time! I'll post more about this later. Off to pack!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T22:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! This is by far my favorite holiday of the year. This year was even more special because of Hannah. I love the colors, the music, church, the season...but most of all I love celebrating that my Savior lives. I hope that you have had an especially blessed Easter!

The Trap

2010-03-22T20:31:00.000-07:00

This past Friday Jeremy's grandma and I went on a little excursion with Hannah. She still has a dress that Jeremy's mom wore in a picture 50 years ago. When his sister was a baby they recreated the picture with the same dress. His grandma really wanted to do the same thing with Hannah. We just needed one simple picture. We thought, "Where else would you go when you just need ONE simple and CHEAP professional photo." Sears. Right? Wrong...

No one bothered to tell me that their $7 coupon is for suckers exactly like me.

I'd always heard of parents not being able to pick which picture because they were all so cute, but seriously!?...I did not expect them to be THIS CUTE...

Pardon the poor quality...I had to save the pictures from their website because a $200 disc with all the photos was my limit.

Cousins and Grandparents

2010-03-18T08:41:00.001-07:00

Last week Hannah and I went up to my parents house to meet her one and only cousin, Nash, for the first time. We had a lot of fun getting to know him and watch them play. It's so funny how Hannah loves little kids.

She got lots of love and cuddling from her grandma.
This is her favorite activity!
She was especially fond of her Papa this week.

Nash loved holding her.

He kept pretending like she was biting him. It was hilarious!

Can't wait to hang out with him again next month!

Seven Months

2010-03-05T16:22:00.000-08:00

Gracie is 7 months old! She's quite the firecracker. She isn't quite crawling yet, but scoots all around...which means that its time to baby proof...yikes! She really doesn't like to sit still for long, but loves to roll, scoot and wiggle all over the place. This month has been the most fun yet...minus last week's cold and teething episodes. She has a little tooth nub now, which makes me excited and sad all at the same time. Its so exciting that she is getting bigger and learning new things, but sad because this time goes too fast.

Daddy did the dressing...

2010-02-28T19:51:00.000-08:00

This is what happens to a cute innocent little girl when her Daddy picks out her outfit for church.

Lovin' the Sun: Like Mother, Like Daughter

2010-02-12T15:07:00.000-08:00

My mom and me soakin up the sun...
Hannah and I enjoying the February Heat!
It has been amazing weather here! It is the start of my favorite season...Spring! We went swimming today and Hannah LOVED it! She was squealing with excitement. Swimming and being in the sun has ALWAYS been my absolute favorite activity and I think Hannah may follow in my footsteps! She loved when I would throw her up in the air and then catch her as she fell into the water.
This warm weekend will be filled with lots of sand, sun and swimming!

Recipe: Come to California Chicken Tacos

2010-02-12T08:47:00.000-08:00

For all of my out-of-state family and friends....this is my food bribe to try and get you to come stay with me! This is the meal that I always make, which is, in my opinion, is totally California. It might seem simple, but the combo of ingredients is soooo yummy!

Ingredients:

4 Chicken Breasts (Boneless and Skinless) marinated for a couple hours in Lawry's Herb and Garlic Marinade (There's no substituting this marinade...you have to get this exact one)

Guacamole from THIS RECIPE

Corn Tortillas brushed in olive oil

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Shredded Lettuce (optional)

1 Can Pinto Beans

Chopped Cilantro

Lemon Juice

Chopped Onion

First, make your guacamole...be sure to make extra because its always fun to snack while your cooking! Don't forget homeade baked tortilla chips to go with it.

Throw your chicken on the grill.

Start prepping the other ingredients:

Drain a little bit of juice from the can of beans and put them in a pan on low (see pic below).

Add some chopped onions and cilantro to the beans.

Mix the remaining onion with come cilantro and lemon juice in a separate bowl.

Brush oil on the corn tortillas. As the chicken is just finishing throw the tortillas on the GRILL over high heat. Wait until the tops start to bubble and then flip and rotate until the edges are nice and crispy...like so...

Chop up your chicken into strips...be sure to taste test so that you get excited for what's about to come!

Start making tacos! Tortilla, cheese, onion and cilantro mixture, chicken, beans, guacamole and a little lettuce to pretend like your being healthy (Jeremy would say, "That's ridiculous...no need to fill up on empty vitamins!")

Enjoy!

6 Months

2010-02-04T20:59:00.000-08:00

Ok, first off, who ever started this update by the month thing? Now I've started so I guess I have to finish. I'll probably appreciate this later when I look back.

As of this week Hannah is doing so many new things! She's sitting up and rolling all over the place. She mostly sleeps on her tummy now, which in turn has somehow taught her to be more cuddly when you're holding her. She definitely knows now when her mama is leaving the room and she lets the whole neighborhood know that she's not happy about it. Despite the fact that we've had a lot of crying it out at bed time, this past week has been super easy in comparison to others.

Hannah has gotten to be so easy to haul around. I have to say that the best purchase we made was our stroller. She will sleep anywhere as long as she's in her stroller! The best part about the stroller is its color...can you guess what that might be?...yup, aqua. Just in case you're wondering its a Bumbleride Indie.

Grocery Store = No money left

2010-02-03T15:17:00.000-08:00

Is anyone else (ok, probably the whole world) sick of going to the grocery store intending to get what used to cost $40 and ending up spending way way way more...like at least double. We have been boycotting the grocery store for a long time now, but I finally had to break and get a few things that you can only find there. I ended up spending $100, which was way more than my groceries should have cost. Going today reminded me of how important it is for me to NOT go.

What are some of the things you guys have been doing to save on groceries?

Craft: Photo Coasters

2010-02-02T11:22:00.001-08:00

I got the idea from this post. I've been meaning to make these for awhile now and had a lot of fun doing them. Sometimes its nice to do projects like this because you tend to use pictures that you wouldn't necessarily frame or have around. I made a committment at the beginning of this year that I would GIVE MORE. This was the perfect way to start giving.

What you need:

4 4" tiles (I found mine at Lowes for 38 cents)

4 photos that can be cut to fit the tiles (I printed mine black and white on regular printer paper)

Modge Podge

Foam Brush

Acrylic Sealer (I used Krylon Acrylic Sealer...which by the way is not sold at Lowes...you have to go to a craft store)

Print your photos. I used regular old scissors to cut the photos to size. A sticky note came in handy because it cut the photos to the exact size I needed.

Put lots of modge podge all over the tile. Stick the picture on. Put a lot more over the top of the photo. Make sure you get all of the air bubbles out.

(I'm too lazy to go back and turn my pics the opposite direction...so you'll have to turn your head sideways)

Next, wait for the modge podge to dry. Then spray the sealer on.

The directions that I used suggest putting felt on the backs, which is a grand idea if you can find all of your materials without having to go to three different stores during nap time with a baby. Funny thing is, the first thing my sister said when she saw my feltless coasters was, "You know what would be a really great idea...?" I'm sure you can guess the rest :)

Hope this inspires you to make something fun for your loved ones!

Water for Africa

2010-01-29T10:00:00.000-08:00

I'm sooo proud of my church! Jeremy and I have been marveling lately at how God works. We moved down to Orange County for Jeremy's job about a year and a half ago. We totally thought that we would be here for about a year, have fun getting to experience a new place, and then move on. We expected to find a church to go to while we were here, but never expected it to have such an impact on our lives. We attended Mission Hills Community Church one time and knew we were home. We have made the most incredible relationships and our lives have been impacted more than we could have ever imagined.

For the last two months we have been raising funds to build wells in Africa. It all started with a vision from Julie, the youth pastors wife at our church and author of the blog JoysHope. From that inspiration our church raised enough money to build 13 wells!

This is Kailyn Paris. You can read more about her here. I've been giving this modest, quiet girl voice lessons for about a year, but had no idea how great she really was.

A couple of weekends ago we had a walk for water. You can read about that here.

God is truly amazing! He turns a small vision into something that can change lives forever. Pray that it doesn't stop here. There is more that can be done. This has moved beyond our church, throughout the country into a movement through which lives can be saved. Go here and here if you want to be part of this.

Recipe: Grilled Corn

2010-01-28T11:10:00.001-08:00

This is probably my most favorite recipe that I have come up with and my most requested. First things first...when cooking for others, if you really want to them enjoy themselves, make things easy for them. Who really wants to eat the corn directly off the cob? Not me!

Ingredients

4 cobs of corn or is it corns on the cob? with ends cut off...I like the sweetest kind you can get (I think white is the sweetest?)

1 stick of butter (this is an ingredient that you really can't have enough of)

1-2 Tbsp Crushed Garlic (I like the jarred kind, and the brand Christoper Ranch)

1-2 tsp Garlic powder (can't get enough garlic either)

1 tsp Black Pepper

3/4 tsp Paprika

A sprinkle of Oregano

Sugar to taste

Salt to taste

Melt your butter, crushed garlic, garlic powder, pepper, paprika and oregano in a pan. Cook on medium heat until it gets nice and frothy.
Brush some onto your corn, but not too much and grill. Gril the corn until it becomes somewhat translucent. If some gets a little burnt its totally ok and maybe even better :)

Stick something in the end of the cob and cut off the corn.

Dump the rest of the butter mixture onto the corn niblets. Add sugar and salt to taste. Once you start taste testing you won't be able to stop...I promise!

There you have it. It seriously tastes like candy!

Rather Unispired

2010-01-26T20:32:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but this month I have felt somewhat blah. Maybe its a let down from Christmas or something. I can't seem to get inspired. I have a few projects that are in the closet waiting for me to work on them...but the days kinda get away from me.

We've been somewhat busy around here. I've picked up a few more voice students and am getting ready to lead worship for a women's retreat in February. Jer's been really busy at work too. Maybe that's why? Who knows. :)

Here's Hannah's latest photo shoot. She is so much fun right now! Just this week she has started sitting and rolling a bunch. I was getting worried...all that laying around isn't gonna work off those thunder thighs! (Trust me, I know from experience)

If you look closely, you'll notice that I didn't clean the peas off her face very well. Oh well, it adds to the cuteness.
This is her latest achievement.

She loves to look at you and breath really hard through her nose.

Thanks for checking in. I promise I'll post more!

Prayer Needed

2010-01-16T20:54:00.000-08:00

This is Kristin Howerton. She is the friend of my friend Julie from JoysHope. Kristin and her family desperately need our help and prayers. She is here in this picture with her soon to be adopted son, Keanan. She was in Haiti with her son when the earthquake hit. Please begin to pray for them and visit their blog thehowertons.blogspot.com to see how you can help.

Five Months

2010-01-12T17:09:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the creepy extreme close-up, but this is the only picture I've taken in the past week or so. Our Hannah girl is already five months old! This is the best age ever. I don't want her to grow anymore, but as I'm writing this I realize that I'm late in posting and she's now almost six months. Time goes by too fast.

We spent her fourth going on fifth month trying to trouble shoot the fact that she wasn't sleeping. EVER. We thought maybe it was her teeth. Maybe she just needed to cry it out, which she did a lot of. She was waking at 1am, 3am, 4am, 5am, 6am and 7am. This seemed pretty crazy because prior to this we had trained her to sleep through the night. When she turned 5 months I finally decided that we would try cereal...even though my pediatrician said to wait until 6. I was desperate. Well, she loved it! The first night we gave it to her was the first night she slept through the entire night in one month! Yay!

Other than that, she is pretty much doing all the normal baby stuff. We love this little girl!

What I've been up to...

2010-01-08T16:05:00.000-08:00

I've been learning how to FLY. This site is amazing and something that I have been on the hunt for for years. Not really a new year's resolution...just someone to do some of the organization and structure for me :)

This and holiday clean-up has kept me pretty busy. I haven't had time for posting this week...but at least my house is clean and sparkly!

Recipe: Guacamole

2009-12-31T10:51:00.001-08:00

I thought that I might begin to post some of our family's favorite recipes. If you knew me before I got married, especially if you were my mom, you would laugh at the idea that I now love to cook. I have always considered myself an artist and since being married and having my own family, food has definitely become my art.

I would say that my cooking is farely well rounded. I almost always use fresh, whole foods...BUT I'm not afraid of Velveeta, Marshmallow Cream and other gooey things called food!

If you try any recipes, please comment and let me know what you think.

Guacamole. Pretty simple. If you grew up as one of my siblings, you would remember that there were two foods that we seriously fought over...avocados and artichokes. Keep in mind that we are from So Cal. The point is this...NEVER EVER EVER EVER buy store made guacamole again! You must use fresh avocados and they must be GOOD avocados! A good avocado could be mistaken for butter. Do not make my guacamole if you aren't going to use good avocados...even if you have to order them online...it is worth it. Now that we've established that we can move on....

Ingredients

Cute Stone Pig Bowl. Important, but not completely necessary.

Two Avocados

One Tomato Fire Roasted, Peeled and de-seeded

Freshly Ground Peppercorns to taste

Freshly Ground Sea Salt to taste

Garlic Powder

Fresh Cilantro

Juice from One Lemon

This is how I grind my salt and peppercorns. If you don't have a cute stone pig, you could also stick them in a ziploc and mash 'em up with something hard...a rock? hammer? etc. You don't want to be afraid of lots of flavor, but the amount of salt and pepper might need to be experimented with.

My mother-in-law taught me that this is the best way to peel a tomato (I think her MIL taught her?). Stick it on a fork. Stick it directly in the fire. Wait for it to pop and bubble and char in some places. Run it under cold water. Cut it in half and rinse the seeds out. Dice it up and stick it in the bowl.

Get about a bunch of cilantro about the size of your palm. I like to wad it up and then cut it into smaller pieces. Its ok if they are still kind of big pieces. You can always rip them up.

Put all of the ingredients in the bowl including the garlic powder and lemon juice and start mixing. Do not be afraid of the garlic. Use tons of it. The more the better. I usually taste as I go along.

We like to make our own tortilla chips to go with the guacamole. I cut up corn tortillas, drizzle them in olive oil and stick them under the broiler, then add salt. Hope you like this!

Christmas Memories

2009-12-28T19:05:00.000-08:00

This was the BEST Christmas ever! We spent Christmas Eve just the three of us at home in our PJs. I attempted making eggs benedict, which was incredibly challenging, but actually came out tasting somewhat like the real thing! Then we went to our Christmas Eve service at church. It was so special to spend Christmas with our little girl.

We went to my family's house on Christmas Day. It was so much fun to hang out with my family. We had so much fun giving each other gifts and spending time together. It reminded me of when I was a little kid.
Hannah slept most of the day and tried to eat wrapping paper when she wasn't sleeping. She has been teething lately...by the end of the weekend she had two teeth!

Hannie loves her Papa.

After hanging out at my mom and dad's, they kept Hannah while we went down to Universal City Walk with Jeremy's family. It was so much fun to dress up and go out to dinner together.

This was such a fun Christmas and even ended with an easy drive home last night...sometimes those long drives aren't so easy. We're looking forward to New Years with my sister this weekend!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T22:08:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Love you all!

Santa and her Reindeer and her Daddy

2009-12-22T10:09:00.000-08:00

Christmas Tree Farm

2009-12-20T17:01:00.000-08:00

...and yes, my daughter wears overalls nearly every day.

Sew Along...Finally Finished!

2009-12-19T08:28:00.000-08:00

Yay! I did it! I finally learned to sew. Now I have eight really cool scarves to give as gifts...but unfortunately I don't have any other presents :( Gotta get to work this weekend!

Thanks Granny for my sewing machine!
Now I just need something else to make!

Just a bunch of sickies

2009-12-17T14:39:00.000-08:00

We thought we were tough and weren't gonna get sick like everyone else in the whole wide world...but it overcame us. Having a baby and being sick isn't quite the same as when you're a baby and you're sick!

So far, Hannah hasn't gotten sick...hopefully it will stay that way. She does seem really tired, but hopefully she'll get all the rest she needs and not get sick.
We blew up the air mattress in the living room and have just been hanging out and cuddling all day. Please pray that Hannah wouldn't get sick!

New Song Recorded!

2009-12-15T15:59:00.000-08:00

This is my great friend Nicollette. She is an awesome song writer! She recently wrote a song called "No Greater Love" and had me sing for the recording. The song was recorded for an album that our church is putting together to raise awareness for human trafficking.

Click here to hear the song.

Click here to read about the project we are working on.

and... in case you live in the area click here to read about some of the latest things going on at our church.

Christmas Memories

2009-12-15T15:06:00.000-08:00

I was looking through our Christmas pics from years past and thought I would post some of my favorites.

Ok...so this is a new memory, but definitely my favorite of all!
Our first Christmas

Putting up the tree for our first Christmas

The best Christmas present EVER!

Easy Christmas Tree Craft

2009-12-10T08:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I got a bunch of really cute Christmas cards in the mail. I love getting photo Christmas cards from all of our friends and family. I have always wanted to send out family Christmas cards or letters...BUT...I'm absolutely terrible about doing anything that has to go in the mail. Especially if it has to do with photos! Ever since digital cameras came along I've probably printed a total of 5 photos, none of which are framed in my home...their in a drawer waiting for frames! I was feeling down yesterday because I realized how bad I am at that kind of stuff. I was determined to do something with some photos quickly! I modified this idea from my friend Julie.

First I printed out what seemed to be a million 3x5 pics. I did this on regular photo paper with regular ink.
Then I hunted my home for something to glue the pics to and found my Christmas storage boxes. I then ripped them apart and cut 3x5 squares.

Next, I laid all the squares out and spray painted them black on all sides. I quickly took a shovel to the dirt to try and hide the fact that I did this...couldn't hide black plants though :(

Then I mod podged (my husband would be mad at the fact that in the English language we can turn nouns into vowels if he saw what I just wrote) the heck out of the squares and laid the pics on top.

Slap some more on top and there you have it....

A really fun Christmas tree that everyone loves to look at.

I can't believe how naked my tree was without them.

My baby looks like Joe Pesci

2009-12-09T18:40:00.000-08:00

Tis' the season to bundle your baby up with cute hats...for most at least. I just can't bring myself to let my baby out the door when she wear beanies. She reminds me of Joe Pesci/Harry from home alone! I just imagine her saying in a New York accent, "Merry Christmas little fella. We know your in there, and that your all alone." :)

Crazy Little Sleeper

2009-12-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

I laid Hannah down on this pile of sheets for just a few seconds and this is what I came back to. She has gotten to where she has to have a blanket over her head to fall asleep. As long as she can cover her face she can sleep anywhere!

4 Months!

2009-12-07T14:12:00.000-08:00

Our Hannah girl recently turned 4 months. Time is flying by! We haven't had her four month appointment yet so I don't have any stats, but she is doing really well. I'm not sure how much she weighs, but she wears nine month clothing...she seems equally long as she is wide. :) Hannah loves to laugh...she's really ticklish. For the most part, Hannah is fairly content. I take her all over the place so she is pretty used to being on the go. I usually cozy her up in the front of the shopping cart or her stroller and she'll fall right to sleep. In fact, she's so used to things being super noisy that sometimes she has a hard time falling asleep when its quiet. Hannah was sleeping through the night like a champ, but has started teething, so she has been having a hard time sleeping soundly. I don't know how I survived when she was first home and didn't sleep through the night! Overall everything has been so fun. We are loving having her with us this Christmas. Everything has become so special with her!

Putting up the tree

2009-12-01T08:38:00.000-08:00

We put up our Christmas tree a couple of nights ago.

Even though Hannah had no idea what was going on, it was fun to pretend like she did!

Let this be a lesson to you...never ever leave a baby on the couch when she is interested in the Christmas tree so that you can take a picture. Just seconds after this picture was taken Hannah decided that sitting near the tree wasn't as good as falling through it. Thankfully she was fine and the tree stopped her fall, but you can bet we won't try that again!

Thanksgiving weekend

2009-11-30T14:31:00.001-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving. We spent Thanksgiving day with Jeremy's family and the next day with mine.

Poor little Hannah had a tough day on Thanksgiving because she is teething. She's been chomping on everything like crazy...too bad we couldn't give her a turkey leg to chew on.
Hanging with her Auntie Kristin.

I love being with my sister! We always have so much fun together.

My sister and Jer hangin out the day after Thanksgiving.

My dad carving the turkey.

My dad and Hannah hanging out.

Jer and his dad Barbecuing the turkey.

Cuddling with my sisters.

Glad to have had a safe trip home!

I'm thankful for thunder thighs!

2009-11-24T15:54:00.001-08:00

Mom2Mom

2009-11-18T20:54:00.000-08:00

I know I've mentioned it before, but we are soooo thankful for our church family. We were so fortunate to have found such a loving and welcoming group of people when we moved here a year and a half ago. Now that I'm a mom I'm able to attend the small group called Mom2Mom. I've met new friends and its been a great way to get out of the house.

Aren't these the cutest centerpieces? I can't believe how many babies there are! At our table there are four baby girls born within a few months of each other.

Such a simple and cute craft that we made for Christmas presents today. These gals are so creative!

What would I do without them?!

I'm sooo thankful that she likes to hang out in her stroller!

I can't imagine what it would be like to have gone through the last few months without these girls!

So in love with her auntie!

2009-11-17T18:38:00.000-08:00

We spent time this past week with my sister Cameryn. Hannah sure loves her auntie! These are some pics she got while we were there.

Sew Along: Steps Four thru Six

2009-11-16T15:28:00.000-08:00

Step Four: Get sister to come down to babysit!

Step Five: Take sewing machine to repair shop because some kind of thing-a-ma-jig fell out of the bottom...and obviously I wouldn't know if its broken or if that's what its supposed to do!

Step Six: Gather supplies.

Here we go...Week Two of the Sew Along!

One Year ago Today...

2009-11-13T21:25:00.000-08:00

This little girl was planted in my tummy. She was the only one of our three "ice babies" to make it. We can't imagine our lives forever. Read here about our experience last year. We are so thankful for our little girl...she is God's greatest expression of grace in our lives, hence, her name Hannah Grace.

Step One: Avoid all housework

2009-11-10T09:25:00.000-08:00

Step One: Avoid all housework to get sewing machine out of the garage and stare at it (notice the hot glued curtain thingy above my sink?)

Step Two: Stare really hard.
Step Three: Read the instructions.

Meet my beloved sewing machine...

2009-11-09T20:04:00.000-08:00

You'll have to look very closely...

You don't see it, you say? See that white square thing on the bottom shelf in my garage? The one that is beneath all of those lovely chemicals? The one that I had hoped and prayed for for years?...literally, years. The one that would change how amazing I was forever? I knew that if I had a sewing machine I would seriously be the bestest gal ever! I would make pillows and duvets and curtains and maybe even clothes. And then one day my dreams came true. My grandma gave me her trusty sewing machine. Both of my grandmas gave me a lesson in how to start using it. I knew I was destined for sewing greatness. So...I know you're dying to hear about all the cool things I've made since getting my beloved sewing machine....

Not one thing. In fact, I've done the opposite of sewing...I made my cute little curtains with hot glue and upholstry tacks! Well friends, things are about to change. My friend Julie, who is rather amazing with her craftiness, is a self-taught sewer (is that what you are if you sew...a sewer?). She is calling all gals who have always wanted to sew to get that stinking sewing machine out of the closet and sew! And that is what I'm going to do. If you want to join along I'd love to hear about it! Wish me good luck...I've never even opened the box! I've got a lot of work ahead of me, but I'm inspired!

Thank You's

2009-11-02T15:02:00.000-08:00

I'm ashamed to admit that this is the pile of thank you notes meant for those who attended my shower in MAY! Can you believe it?! I bet you can. Anyways, for those who have not yet received a thank you note (which would be everyone), I apologize...they are on their way. Well, they've actually been on their way for months...but now their really on their way! Our friends and family were so generous and thoughtful. We are sooo THANKFUL for all of the gifts we received. Please forgive me for not sending them out sooner!

Three Months!

2009-11-01T18:07:00.000-08:00

My littles is 3 months old! She has been so much fun this past month. She's quite the porker weighing in at 16lbs! She is growing too fast. Recently she started laughing. At first, we thought she was coughing, but her coughs have started turning in to laughs...its sooo cute!

Jeremy and I are so thankful for this little girl. Just the other day Jeremy and I were sharing with our worship team how thankful we are. Sometimes things are so stressful, but even through those times, the joy of the Lord is our strength. Nearly one year ago, we were getting ready for our embryo transfer...we were so scared. Now, right beside me, there is a little girl, sleeping so softly, who is the love of our lives. We are so thankful to have had her with us these last three months!

Survival Part One

2009-10-28T10:03:00.000-07:00

I thought I would write a post on some of the things I have used to survive...mainly because I know someday I might need to refer to them again to survive another baby! These are the basic things I have figured out that I couldn't have survived without.

1. A pumped bottle of milk in the evening. I waited until Hannah was a month old to give her a bottle. The evenings were the most difficult for her and me because she would literaly want to nurse nonstop from 3pm to 10pm. If she wasn't nursing she was crying. That all ended when I was able to give her a bottle. I was able to start moving towards a schedule after giving her a bottle because I knew she had a full tummy.

2. Babywisemom.blogspot.com. I have scoured this website more than anyother website or book. I have tried my best to follow the baby wise method, but would not have been able to do it without this website. It is a little overwhelming at first, but if you use it like an encyclopedia, by using the right side table of contents, it can be really helpful. If I had a question about anything...literally anything...I found it on that website. I can't imagine surviving without this website. The mom who put it together should really be making a living from it because it is absolutely amazing! She knows the authors of babywise and is able interpret their book in a way that is practical and more in depth.

3. Zantac. It took two months and three separate doctors before we finally realized how serious Hannah's reflux was. She would fuss any time she ate, slept, was awake, laying down, rode in the car, went on walks...basically she was always unhappy. Finally the doctor prescribed Zantac. Within a day she was a completely different baby.

4. Naps! Baby wise talks about the why versus the how. Here is an explanation. This really helped me to understand that it is more important that Hannah take a nap each "eat/wake/sleep" cycle than to cry for long periods of time, even if that means I had to rock her to sleep. If she was well rested then sleep training went much better the next cycle. If she became overly tired then she wouldn't sleep no matter what! Sleep begets sleep!

5. Friends. I have one particular friend who's baby is 7 weeks older than Hannah. I can't imagine having Hannah without having her and a community of close friends and family around. There have honestly been times that I have thought, "The hospital gave me a broken baby...why didn't I get a working one?" Having friends to tell me that I'm not crazy has helped tremendously!

These are some of the things that have helped me. I've found a lot of posts like these on friends blogs to be helpful so I thought I would do the same. Something has to be working right because Hannah has been sleeping completely through the night for two weeks now! The true test came when I went up north to visit family. I knew she was a true sleeper-through-the-nighter when she slept through the night in a different place than her own home. I hope this is helpful!

Is it bad...

2009-10-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

to want to steal your little girl's presents?! If you know me at all, you know that I adore the color aqua...hence the color of Hannah's room. I especially love the color aqua when it is accented with hot pink. We received this quilt this week from Jeremy's grandma Myrtie. Isn't it beautiful? I'm seriously considering not telling Hannah that it came for her and confiscating it!

Myrtie came to stay with us this past week and we had a great time. Hannah is so fortunate to not only have special grandparents, but to also have 3 of her great grandma's around.

Everything has been going really well. Since Hannah turned about 2 months things have been sooooo much easier. I am having so much fun with this little girl! I am feeling somewhat "normal" again, which is great. A new baby, after being married 5 years, is quite the adjustment! Last week was my first time back on the worship team at church, which was so much fun. It is great to have an outlet. I've also started teaching voice lessons again. I'm so thankful to have a job that is not only a great way to earn some extra money, but that really refreshes me. I feel so good after I'm done teaching.

Now that I am feeling a lot better I'll try to post a lot more. Thanks for checking in!

A New "Best Friend"

2009-10-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

I've been working really hard to help Hannah and my dog Savannah Bear become the best of friends. Savannah is definitely patient and sweet to Hannah, but most of the time, uninterested. With lots of practice things are slowly changing. Here's their latest photo shoot together...

They both weren't to sure about this....
...but eventually they warmed up to the idea...

...I got one complete pose...

...then things started to get kinda crazy...as you can see we aren't too concerned about germs around here! A little baby spit mixed with a dog kiss never hurt anyone?!...

But dog hair in the mouth...that's where the photo shoot ended!

Two Months!

2009-10-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby is two months old! I finally feel like I'm getting the hang of this baby stuff. I'll admit the last two months have been the hardest two months ever, but things are starting to become a little more sane around here.

Hannah finally seems to be somewhat "normal" after we ended up getting her a prescription for her reflux. Its nice to know that she isn't in pain anymore when she eats. She also has been sleeping a lot better since the meds. In fact, she has made it all the way through the night a couple times...which feels amazing! She's quite the little porker weighing in at 13lbs 6oz.

We are so thankful for this little girl and can't get enough of her squishy face and thunder thighs!

Hannah's many Faces

2009-09-19T15:06:00.001-07:00

Catching Up

2009-09-19T14:57:00.001-07:00

We've had all kinds of stuff happening around here...here's some of the latest...

We spent labor day at Jeremy's grandparents. It is so fun getting to see Hannah being loved on by her family.
She's smiling all the time!

We've been taking advantage of the warm weather and going to the pool lots!

Hannah and her friend Lexie usually have a weekly pool trip. We were teaching them how to lay out "baby style."

Jeremy's parents got back from their month long trip to Wyoming and met Hannah for the second time. Thinking about how special my grandparents are to me makes it even more special to see Hannah with her's.

Ready for the Big Game!

2009-09-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

Playing with Lexie!

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Today I took Hannah on her first playdate with Alexis. She was asleep for most of it, but at least her mama had fun! She wasn't to excited about the cold water, but if she's my daughter...she'll learn.

Nicollette (Lexie's mom) and I are so thankful for one another. It is so much fun to have our little girls together!

Bath Time!

2009-08-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

I was looking at Hannah's teal whale tub other day and literally began daydreaming about what it would be like to take a bath in it and how much I would be willing to pay to have one my size! I'll just have to live through her until they make them for adults!

One Month Old!

2009-08-29T19:08:00.000-07:00

Our Hannah girl is already one month old! The time is flying by. This past month has had its challenges to say the least. Hannah has reflux which has made her sleeping really difficult. It seems that we have finally figured out a good routine that keeps her comfortable. For the first couple of weeks she only slept a total of three or four hours in a twenty-four hour period...and that was only for a half hour or so at a time! With all that lack of sleep both her and I got sick with colds. It seems we are finally out of the woods and she is sleeping much better.

Despite the challenges, we have had an awesome time getting to know our little girl. Our favorite time with her is bath time. I love her slippery little body...and she is so peaceful! She has already grown so much. She doesn't fit in most of her newborn clothes anymore! She definitely has her mama's thunder thighs (yes, I've learned to accept them and even be somewhat proud of them).

We love seeing her with her family. It is so sweet to see her grandparents and aunts and uncles loving on her. We all waited so long for her and can't get enough kisses and snuggles. Each day is more fun than the last (especially, when she occasionally snoozes for about 5 hours the night before!).

Hanging out with Family

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Taking a nap with her Papa.

Cuddling with her Uncle Taylor

Hanging with her Uncle Josh.

Snuggling with her Aunt Kate.

We had so much fun this week hanging out with family! Hannah is one loved little girl!

Headed up North!

2009-08-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

Hannah and I are headed up to Ventura to hang with my family for the week. Today we stopped in at the IVF doctor's office to visit Dr. Surrey. They were so excited to see her. The last time I was in that office I was going in for blood work while waiting to transfer our "ice babies." I couldn't believe I was walking in with my little girl (neither could the staff...they kept saying how they couldn't believe she was here after all Jer and I had been through). My heart went out to the couples in the waiting room. I hope that seeing Hannah and hearing my story brought them some hope. I'm so thankful for this little girl and for a week of relaxing (my mom is sooo good at spoiling me!).

First Day at Church

2009-08-09T18:19:00.000-07:00

Today was our first trip to church with Hannah! It was great to get out of the house...I've been getting pretty stir crazy. We've been looking forward to this day for a long time.

Hannah's arrival completes a series of baby girls that have been born in the last few months. It was so exciting to introduce her to her friends!

Gotta Start Her Early!

2009-08-08T07:04:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like hanging out by the pool. I had to be sure and introduce Hannah early!

Birth Story

2009-08-06T19:28:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, July 28th at Midnight (technically July 29th) I was scheduled to be induced. Because of some complications with an IVF pregnancy it was really important to my doctor that I deliver before my due date of August 1st. I hadn't made any progress the Friday before my scheduled induction. Hannah appeared to be really big and she hadn't dropped yet. He wasn't sure that the induction would work, but he definitely thought it was worth a try.

We spent the day Tuesday hanging out and finishing up some things around the house. This is the last picture of us together before Hannah was born.

We took some last belly pictures and headed off! I was really nervous. It seemed so momentous because we had a specific date that we knew she would be born. We got to the hospital and they found that I was dilated to 1cm. This meant that they could start the pitossin right away as opposed to using a cervical softener. I, wanting to feel no pain, opted to get the epidural at the same time because it wasn't going to affect my progress since everything was totally medicated. As I laid there happily numb to any pain we were soooo hoping that my body was doing what it was supposed to.

By morning I hadn't progressed yet, which is what my doctor expected, so he let me have some coffee! This was very exciting! We pretty much hung out the rest of the day. By about 5pm my doctor checked me again and I still had not made any progress. As mentioned, he kind of expected that this might take two tries. He explained that the first day was spent getting my cervix ready for round two. They turned the pitossin and epidural off and I was able to eat and walk around. At midnight they started everything back up again.

This time when I woke up I was in active labor. I had progressed to 4cm and my doctor broke my water. In two more hours I went to 7cm. By about noon I was complete and ready to push.

They expected me to push for a couple of hours because Hannah was so big. I pushed hard for about an hour and a half, but made very little progress. The doctor decided that we would push for another half hour and then reassess. By the end of that half hour I still had not made any progress. I was exhausted and feeling most everything because we had turned the epidural down. The doctor was afraid that if I eventually pushed her out, both her and I would suffer too much physical damage.

At that point the only choice we were left with was a c-section. I didn't mind because I just wanted a healthy baby. I still had to wait through the contractions until I could get into the operating room, which was definitely the most difficult part. We finally headed off to the operating room and in just a few minutes Hannah was born.

Hearing her cry was the best moment in my life. Immediately the song "Father, I adore You" came to my mind.

Hannah Grace Valentine

2009-08-04T23:35:00.001-07:00

Our little girl is here! She arrived on Thursday July 30th at 4:26pm. She weighed 8lbs4oz and was 19 inches long. She is absolutely adorable and we are loving getting to kiss her sweet face over and over! Thanks so much for all of your prayers.

Tonight's the Night!

2009-07-28T20:06:00.001-07:00

We only have a few more hours before we head to the hospital to be induced! I'll keep you posted!

Just Floatin and Waitin

2009-07-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to occupy myself these last couple of days before Hannah comes...I know, I know...the pool will never be the same again!