Florida!!!

I've been so excited to write about our trip to Florida!

We've had planned for quite some time now, a little get away to visit our best friends in Florida. This little get away came complete with a baby sitter for Stella, she stayed half the time at my mom's house and the other half at David's dad's house. (Thank You, Thank You!) Yes, this has been a vacation long awaited! The next best part about this vacation was seeing our awesome, very missed friends from BYU-I, Chris and Erin, we had not seen them in 3 years! They moved to Panama City Beach after David and Chris graduated, I was 5 months pregnant then too when we had to say good-bye and I was a blubbery mess. I have to brag about our friends for just a minute (I hope I don't make them blush just so you all understand, These guys are the friends that you stay up late with to talk about everything and have to discipline yourselves to go to bed... or you'd talk through till morning. These friends are the type of friends you pick up right where you left off at from the last time you saw them. They remember important details about your life you don't remember telling them, and respect those details. They had David in a constant giggle from the time we got off the plane until... well, he's still giggling because we still talk about the trip a lot. They are that compatible couple we can be silent with or be crazy with and it just doesn't matter... cuz they are just cool like that. SOOOO... you can imagine our excitement to see them. When we got there, they had a huge list of things to do typed up on the computer, we played and played and played while we were there, I had to sleep for a few days when we got back!

We just love them!

We brought back these tiny turtles for Stella, she looked at them and said, "Where's my present?" :) We carried them on our laps on the plane, TSA didn't quite know what to do... so they just let us carry them on.

It was great for David and I to escape and spend time together, every couple needs to do this for their relationship.

Awe, aren't they cute?

We went parasailing, it was amazing! They let you up about 1200 feet and then lower you down a couple times so your feet drag in the water. We saw something in the water, shark? Manitee? Who knows!

This is us I promise.

Me and my 25 week preggy belly. Next time we go I won't be pregnant. My feet were swollen for a lot of the trip and there were just too many cute Boutique shops with cute clothes that I wanted to try on but couldn't:)

We saw alligators too! In fact you can see how close we got in this next picture from where Erin and the boys are standing and where two little beety eyes were looking up through the water.

I think I was more afraid of these guys than the sharks.

A four headed palm tree

David, Zander and Jonah in the hurricane simulator!

My hansome man took me to Florida, what a good guy!

Zander and Jonah! It was awesome spending time with them and getting to know their personalities. We have decided one of them will marry one of our girls :)

We did a lot of things that I didn't have the camera for. We went kayaking, snorkeling, boogy boarding, David and Chris surfed while Erin and I shopped, we saw amazing houses and ate at amazing restaurants, we chased and caught white crabs at night, roasted hotdogs and marshmallows on the beach, swam and basked on the white sandy beaches... we had an amazing time. Sometimes though, it's not the activities you do, it's the friends you do them with :)

Thanks for the memories guys.

Start Them Young

On another recent trip to Idaho, David really wanted to go rock climbing with Stella. Since full body harnesses for toddlers are so expensive and quickly out grown, David put together a homemade harness with webbing. I was nervous until I learned this is how he and all his siblings climbed when they we young. And since I know he loves Stella as much as I do... I figured he wouldn't put her in anything he didn't trust:)

Okay Dad, lets do this!

She was so cute up there, she mostly walked up with her legs while David pulled her up, but for being her first time I thought she did great!

She made it a bit above my head before she got a little scared, so we lowered her down.

We know she had fun though, cuz now that's all she asks to do!

Don't eat my face

David, Stella and I were at one of my pregnancy check up appointments and Stella was playing in this awesome play-land they have in a seperate waiting room. We had already finished my appointment and Stella went back in to play while I made my next appointment. I went in to get her and David when we heard her screaming. We figured she was just tired and wasn't playing nice, so David went over and picked her up. She was holding her cheek and sobbing. Finally we got her hand down from her face and she had a huge purple circle from where a little boy bit her right on the cheek! The parents of the little boy felt so bad, and really it was okay, they are just little people learning their boundaries and biting is bound to happen in a setting with lots of toddlers playing on the same equipment! Anyway... the reason I write this is not for sympathy or to even vent, really I just loved what Stella said on the car ride home.

"Boy tried to eat my cheeks. We don't eat faces"

It was quite the bite, it stayed a round purple bruise for a week at least, these pics are rough, It's hard to get her to hold still.
I don't think we need to worry about Stella biting, since being on the receiving end of it, she has learned it hurts to be eaten.
But can you really blame the boy? I mean look at those cheeks!!! :)

Spring Time!

I know this post is a bit late, but I had to post these cute pics of my girl. We had a great Easter, In the morning we had a little egg hunt... or egg trail that led to a bike for Stella. We should have taken it out of the box and assembled it first because she was less than thrilled that the eggs were gone and all that was left was a box. When we did put it together she was thrilled. Her little legs don't quite reach the petals all the way yet, but she still has fun steering while we push her from behind with a stick... yeah, I know, a little funny to look at, but we have a blast!

We had Easter dinner at David's mom's house and she had another egg hunt. She was pro by then and didn't waste any time gathering as many as she could. I don't think this child has ever consumed as much chocolate and candy in one day as she did this Easter. Next year: eggs filled with granola and tofu, Ha! I hope this video works too, as always, she (or David) had more fun playing in and with the box than what actually came inside!

Stella and Addie at gran-apple's house

New Bike...with chocolate face!

One of our recent trips to Idaho, Grandma Lugo made cupcakes and frosting for the girls to decorate. It was a wonderfully messy idea and Stella loved it!

This sure is a surgary post! I couldn't get Stella to stop eating her frosting long enough to take a normal picture, but I thought this was too cute. Stella and Grandma Lugo.

Her masterpiece.

"I Bonk A Head"

And that's exactly what happened!

We had our first nice day in a really long time and I could not wait to tell Stella we were going to the park. She LOVES the outdoors and I'm sure she'd live outside if we allowed it. While we were at the park some of our other friends from our ward showed up with there kids which made it even better. One of Stella's favorite friends, Stevie came to play too. Stella adores Stevie, we drive by her house on our way home and every time she see's it "there's Stevie's house!" then for the next hour it's "I need a play with Stevie!". It's adorable actually.

Well they were running around the picnic table area and I heard one of my friends say "oh Stella", I looked up just in time to see her running fast with her head turned behind her watching her friend and giggling. She turned her head just in time to catch the sharp corner or this medal outdoor grill with her head. I ran over there as she was obviously upset, she pulled her hand down off her forhead and blood imediately ran everywhere. I panicked! I've worked in so many hospitals, nursing homes and dr's offices... I've been around this a lot but since it was my little girl my mind just blanked. Lucky for both of us I was surrounded by my friends. Cadi had wet wipes, we were holding pressure until Kathy came up with a first aide kit and Brooke had a sucker for Stella and they were all just there and so knowing what to do because... I blanked! For a moment I couldn't even remember where we were or where I would take Stella to get checked out. I just remember seeing a lot of blood coming from my baby. Pathetic? Probably. Brooke jogged my memory, we have an InstaCare less than a mile from our house so I rushed her over there after Kathy bandaged her head and got the bleeding to slow down. She was being pritty brave until she saw me break down to David on the phone, then she got scared and started crying again.

We got to the InstaCare and had to wait almost 2 hours to be seen. In that time a nurse came out with a cotton ball saturated in numbing solution and replaced the bandage for the cotton. I got scared a few times because she would start shivering, then acted like she needed to throw up, then kept saying how tired she was. She stayed curled up on my lap, watched the movie they had on in the waiting area and practiced her letters on the magna-doodle until the nurse finally came and got us.

I tried so hard to stay strong, I tried so hard not to cry, but I'm also very pregnant and emotional anyway... I don't know what anyone else could expect. They wrapped her up in a cacoon and shot more numbing stuff in her head and gave her 3 stitches. The Dr. and nurse were great and I eventually calmed down enough that I could try and calm Stella down too. I think for being 2 1/2, she did great.

As soon as we got back in the car her whole aura changed. I looked at her from the rear view mirror where she was looking back at me and said, "it doesn't hurt anymore momma, I'm all better. Can I talk a daddy?" So on the ride home she talked to David on the phone and this was the story from her perspective. "I go to a park daddy, bonk a head, momma cry, stella cry. Go to a dr. I'm all better, have a be careful."

We got home and she crashed. I was feeling pritty sick by then not having anything to eat or drink since that morning. So I settled in with some food, and so did a migraine that lasted 2 days. Maybe I didn't pass my first go round with a head injury too well, but I sure was blessed to have awesome friends who were so willing to help and keep us both calm. Each of them kept texting for updates all through the InstaCare visit until we made it home. Thanks Kathy, Brooke, and Cadi (and your friend, I can't remember her name, sorry) You girls are wonderful!

The picture I have posted above was taken from David's cell phone, I haven't been able to take a better one. You can kind of see where she hit, just above the hairline. The way her hair falls though, you can't even see the stitches. I still cringe thinking about the blood, about combing her hair and what if I rip a stitch, and pulling shirts on and off her head. It just makes my stomach turn and my toes curl. She's great about talking about it though, which I'm glad so she can process through it.
(Shana, I don't know how you have been able to do this... twice!)

3 + 1 = 4

Our little Stella is growing up so quickly. Her favorite shows are Word World and Super Why. It's so fun to view the world from her eyes as she points out letters and numbers. Her new favorite game is counting the members in our family. Mommy is 1, add daddy, he makes 2, add Stella and she makes 3, finally, rub mommy's belly and we have 4. =) We are thrilled to announce we are expecting another miracle in September. I'm 13 weeks along and I feel great!

Stella and I took a short trip to visit my mom for a few days in January. She works at a diabetic office running clinical trials and part of her studies she has to screen her patients for pregnancy. Well, she had a few of these pregnancy tests that were expiring so she gave them to me. The last morning we were there I decided to try one out. Not because I thought I was pregnant, more so because these weren't your normal, store bought, an idiot could figure them out type of tests. They were a little more complicated and I needed mom's help reading one. Well, two minutes later... even my mom couldn't remember if one line meant this, or this color meant that, so, like any good mother, she pee'd on one too. (Do you all remember when I found out I was pregnant with Stella? I wouldn't believe my tests so I made David pee on one too? Ya, this kind of reminded me of that) Well, she came out of the bathroom relieved with her result... which meant we were extatic about my result!! I had spoken to David many times that day on the phone but couldn't tell him because I wanted to see his reaction in person. Instead of driving home and waiting for him there, I decided to drive straight to his work. On the way there Stella was practicing on saying "I'm a big sister" but it usually came out as, "I'm a big sticker". When we got to David's work we waited almost 20 minutes for him, no one knew where he was and I thought I might explode. Finally he came to his desk and a very practiced Stella in a very small quiet voice said, "mummble mummble mummble ...little sister". David being the smart man he is figured out what that meant right away. The look on his face was priceless.

This pregnancy has been completely different than my first.
0-7 weeks: I didn't even know, couldn't even tell I was pregnant.
7-11 weeks: nauseous, but never bad enough to throw up.
11-13 weeks: I feel great! Am I sure I'm pregnant? Hopefully, cuz I'm getting a little pudgy.

During these last couple weeks of feeling great, there are a few reminders that peek in on me just so I don't forget I'm pregnant. Gagging. I HATE to gag. The number one thing that makes me gag is opening the fridge. Also lettuce, brushing my teeth, guacamole, public bathrooms and smelly lotions. My mom taught me to sniff laundry detergent when smells are at their worst, and I've used that trick many times.

It's fun to compare the two pregnancies and wonder why they are so different. It's also fun looking forward to each appointment. The midwife we go to does an ultrasound each check up and burns it onto a dvd. We are so blessed, we feel so grateful to have this opportunity to bring another spirit into the world and into our home. It's the greatest test of patience between now and September... waiting, wondering & praying. Thank you for sharing in our excitement too.

November Randomness

My brother Nick, and his wife Jessica, just had a new baby boy. So we decided to go stay with them for a weekend and meet the new addition, he is so sweet and such a chill baby, we all fell in love with him right away.

While we were there, Stella was able to ride a horse for her very first time. She was hesitant at first until she saw Colton riding him, then she had no problem sitting "so tall" as she calls it.

What's that big white package wrapped around my brother's foot for???

He broke his foot the same week the new baby was born, and well, in rugged Idaho that's just how you take care of a brake. With plastic bags and bailing twine he'll be good to go in no time!

(Sorry Nick, I had to)

We had a great weekend with the Treasure family in Twin Falls. Stella keeps praciticing for the next time we visit by riding the arms of the couch as though they were horses.

We have the most beautiful big tree right in our front yard. I've loved it all summer long because as I relax on the couch and look out, I can't see any of the neighbors, just a big beautiful green tree with lots of leaves. I loved watching all those leaves change colors and slowly fall. Soon we had TONS of leaves on the ground, so one night before David came home we decided to "help" with the yard work and rake those leaves up and jump in them. Stella had a blast burrying herself in them, running through them, crunching them between her fingers, pulling them out of clothes and hair... I think it was the most fun she had all fall. We were still out there when David came home and he joined the fun and took some pictures of his girls.

The sunset was amazing!

It's a rare moment when Stella will stop and smile for the camera, I LOVE this picture!

We lasted until it was too dark to see anything and just a little bit longer. It was one of those perfect nights that as I paused for a moment to watch Stella running and laughing as David would throw a huge pile of leaves in the air and watch them fall over my giggly girl, with the sunset and crisp air... I couln'd help a few tears of gratitude for the deep love and connection we have as a family. I feel strongly within my heart how blessed I am to be a part of our own little unity. And even stronger feelings of gratitude knowing we'll be together forever.


Lastly, I just had to post these... we painted our family room and let Stella help.
She almost looks as though she's been caught in the act!

Such a good little artist.