ellas first birthday

Her Birthday party was so fun and so many people came to share in this special time with her! We had so much fun! We did the "you are my sunshine" theme and i think it turned out pretty well :)
the decor....


























and lets pause to take at look at this pretty birthday girl...


ok unpause...


cousin Tessa


yes we are wearing matching shirts... love it!



ella enjoying her lunch



two wonderful ladies and friends


baby jack..ellas future prom date



and now presents! she loved all of them!







and then it was cake eatin time...and she was into that!












Thank you everyone who participated in making it the best first birthday party ever!!

fess up friday...second edition

I would just like to say that this is probably my most embarrassing moment to date. SO much so that i have only told two people about it in my life (Nina and Michael) well I need to get over this, so I decided I am going to share it, and please understand that I am still just as horrified now as I was about 12 years ago.


It's sixth grade and time for science camp. My one friend (teachers pet remember?) could not go so I was all by my lonesome that year. I was put into a cabin with a bunch of girls who were in my class but way cooler and cuter than me so we rarely spoke. I was pretty nervous about this set up but so far it was going pretty smooth, and then we had to take showers. In order to do this we had to go with our pile of clothes and toiletries to the shower house and do it there. Well we all went as a group and as I was waiting for the other girls to finish up I set my dirty clothes on the counter and waited for them to finish. The first half of our group left the showers and were in our cabin having a gay old time when the second half of the group came in busting up laughing at something. We were pretty excited to join in on the fun so we asked what was going on. "LOOK SOMEONE LEFT THEIR UNDERWEAR IN THE SHOWERS AND ITS STAINED. EWWWWWWWW" that is gross, and so we giggled and then they produced a zip lock bag with the underwear inside.

It was my underwear.

now let me take a second to defend myself, my mother is a serious thrifter through and through, if you stain your underwear for whatever reason, you soak it and wash it and its "good as new." even if you can still see the stain and the slight color of it. but that is apparently irrelevant to my family. so unfortunately i owned a pair of stained underwear. and unfortunately that just happened to be the pair I left on the bathroom counter when I picked up my clothes to go back to my cabin.

I, however, thought I was smarter than everybody and decided to play dumb... I mean they cant KNOW it was mine. So i played along as they passed around the dirty evidence, everyone equally ewwing at it, and then I decided that I should end this moment and chastised the girls for doing this (teachers pet remember) "why are you guys even looking at this! this is so gross!" hoping that they would feel guilty and gross for doing this and would stop immediately...that didnt happen

at this time we are all in our bunk beds, I am at the top and underneath me sleeps ashley. well they are still looking at the underwear and STILL talking about who would own such a pair and how gross it is and really i am just horrified, but i still feel safe because they CANT know its mine RIGHT?! and then ashley (who is underneath me and I cant see) announces: "I think I know who the underwear belongs to"
and simultaneously all the girls answer "WHO?!!!"

and then i see their eyeballs slowly start to look up at me from ashley.


OH THE SHAME
OH THE EMBARRASMENT
OH THE HORROR

but what could I do?! What I could I say?
nothing.

so i didnt say anything, and i pulled out my harry potter journal and pretended like i didnt see.

we never mentioned the underwear in our cabin again. but it will haunt me forever.

and just so you know i am now paranoid about my underwear being stainless at all times.

the end.

ella is 11 months

Holy Moly I cant believe we are less than one month away from her first birthday.

at 11 months ella:
-does not eat baby food anymore, she likes whatever we are eating, even though she still has ZERO teeth, not even a bud.
-doesnt mind getting dressed as much anymore...Thank Goodness.. I swear people thought I was abusive when they would hear me getting her dressed
-has taken her first steps! but there is something that I have noticed about ella: once she has accomplished something, she is no longer interested in doing it. examples include: walking by herself, saying doggie, when she first rolled over she stopped for a while, when she first learned to crawl she also stopped for a while, etc
- she REFUSES to wear anything on her head. The other day I literally fought with her for over an HOUR trying to get her to wear a cute beanie. I pleaded, I tricked, I even tried to guilt trip her by making a sad face when she ripped it off (I know I have problems) but it was all in vain. We left the house with no hats and me afraid that this was a preview to what was to come as she gets older
- she loves books and stuffed animals
- she still LOVES water
- loves showers
- we watched white christmas the other day and every time there was a musical number she stopped what she was doing and watched
- is STILL into everything
- is a CLIMBER, we had to lower her crib because michael caught her climbing over it
-she also hates to wear socks/shoes - she rips them off constantly - this baby has determination for sure
- has added the words "hat" and "pretty" to her list

she is the greatest thing in the world and i love her more everyday

spill all saturday

I missed fess up friday, so i decided on spill all saturday. anyways here is my embarrassing story for this week:

the one where I ruin any chance of dating Travis Rodowick:
So last post I talked about how in elementary school i was a bit of a teachers pet, well now I am in junior high. Arguably the most awkward stage of youth, in my case that is nothing but the TRUTH. I made the decision to no longer be a teachers pet anymore (mainly because I now had like 7 teachers and I just cant handle that) and I instead went into a whole new direction. Let's just say I was a free spirit. Yes I might have worn mis-matched toe socks and capes to school (only on special occasions) and yes maybe my dad was terribly embarrassed of me when we went out in public. But I had a blast in Junior High. Me and Lisa Stever (now Williams) were pretty much lovers of life. we were just crazy. all. the. time. But she at least dressed normal. Sometimes we would get bored and decide to do random things like call the radio stations and see how long we could keep them on the phone until they hung up, or we would have people "adopt a pet" (the pet being pictures of animals we found on clip art in word and printed out onto paper..and to adopt you just had to sing your name underneath the picture...) anyways that should paint you a pretty colorful picture of what I was like. Also along with the toe socks and capes I had braces..and no make up...and I would put my hair in ponytail and pull it so tight on my head that I looked bald, I also had no boobs which I guess was important to boys in jr. high (found that out the hard way) So to say the least I was not a looker. but i was completely enamored by Travis and had been since 7th grade. It was now 8th grade and we had a class together! (which i was super stoked about.) Now I understood that I wasnt one of the pretty girls, but I was thoroughly convinced I could win him over with my personality. (I mean who WOULDNT have a good time with someone who wore colorful socks with shorts) So i made it my personal goal in life to be his friend, and then after a little bit of that he would realize that even though some might say i was unattractive he would still like me and decided to be my boyfriend. It was going pretty well, at least on my side. We would partner up in drama and have inside jokes with each other and then one day we watched a movie in class.

side note - at my junior high we had to wear our ID tags on our persons at all times. It was a safety precaution (ghetto)

anyways I was busy during the movie trying to charm Travis into falling in love with me by stealing his ID card (obviously theft is how you get people to like you) and he was trying to get it back and then we got in trouble. so he turned around (he was sitting in front of me), I slouched down and we watched the movie. This is also the moment that I learned that i have the tendency to chew on things when I am not paying attention. The movie ended, the lights came on and Travis turned around. A look of disgust overtook his face and I was so confused and then I realized that I had his ID card shoved halfway in my mouth and I was gnawing on it like a dog with a bone. I slowly removed it from my mouth and a long string of saliva followed as it came out. I offered it back to him..he said no thank you (and you get a detention if you dont have your ID card, so I must have REALLY grossed him out) and I knew right then that I just ruined my chance of ever dating him. Instead he dated Julianna Higgins ...and I stayed single until junior year.
but at least by then I ditched the toe socks.

the end :)

family

i love my family. a lot :)

fess up friday

one of my favorite things to listen to are peoples embarrassing stories. I think they are hilarious. so I thought it would be fun to share some of my own

1. the one where I pee my pants:
Some of you went to junior high/elementary school with me, most of you did not, so let me describe myself to you in two words: "teacher's pet" or "brown nose." My goal in life was to be the perfect pupil and have the teacher on my side (this might explain how i could count all my friends on one hand growing up) Anyways I was in fourth grade (yep fourth grade) and I went to Grafton Elementary in Knights Landing. My teacher passed out bathroom passes weekly, and whenever we didnt use ours he would give us a mini candy bar. Well you might not know this about me, but I am slightly obsessed with sweets, so obviously i held out for that candy bar EVERY week and for some reason I also felt like it made my teacher like me more. I prided myself in the ability to hold it for hours. I thought it was a gift, i thought i had a bladder of steel. Well one day we were just getting back from recess and I though "dang i really have to pee" (obviously I would never spend precious recess time using the bathroom.) But i couldnt let myself or Mr. Carter down, I was determined to hold it. So I held it...and held it...and i was sitting on my foot, and bouncing up and down, and finally I decided that I am going to have to sacrifice my sweet candy bar and just use my bathroom pass. At this point I was dancing around my little seat and then it hit me! I needed to go RIGHT THEN. So I rip my binder open and claw through it but i see SO many bathroom passes (i guess i got some kind of satisfaction from keeping all the ones i never used?) and I couldnt find the right week! So at this point the teacher is asking all of us to take our seats and everybody is staring at me (including my teacher ) because i was the only one not sitting in my seat; instead i am sitting on my legs on the floor flipping through my binder like a maniac.... and then it just goes...and i slowly look up...and every pair of eyes are on me.

and i had no idea what to do

so i gestured to my friend Yessenia to come over. So while everybody is still staring at me and my teacher is asking if i am ok I whisper to my friend "i just peed my pants"
Let me pause and just say how great my friend was for not laughing at me right at that moment
She grabbed my sweater and covered my bottom half as we shuffled sideways to the bathroom.

Well to give you a little more background information my mother was a teacher at that elementary school and it was about 45 min away from my house, so unfortunately I did not have the option of having my parents pick me and take me to ice cream as i wallow in my self pity and they comfort my bruised ego. Instead I had to dig through the lost and found and try to find some strangers pants/socks I could wear since mine were covered in pee. I spent the rest of the day in baggy boy shorts and mismatched socks with soaked shoes (because my mother made me wash them in the bathroom sink) So from then on i was pretty much the girl who peed herself when she was 10. Even though I tried to play it off like I just ripped my pants ("then why was it wet when you stood up?" Dang, they saw right through me!)

Thankfully I moved schools the next year (unrelated) and I never saw any of them again!

the end

10 months old

My little Ella bean is 10 months old!

at 10 months ella:

- loooves to babble, she will yell and whisper and talk and point all day! her newest vocabulary word is "whats that" (whasstha) she likes to point at new things and ask what they are, what a cutie
- DESPISES getting dressed. She fights it EVERY TIME. she literally screams like she is in pain, like we are torturing her. I am not kidding, its a battle
- was sleeping through the night but this last week i think she started teething because she literally wakes up 4-5 times a night, just crying out in pain.. poor thing, i hope its over soon! its so heartbreaking to hear her cry all night
- is obsessed with magnets
- her favorite thing to drink in the world is water
- is not a fan of strawberries
- she just starting to venture out to standing on her own, usually she stands a second or two before she decides to sit down
- she is also obsessed with keys
- loves to dance and we like to have dance parties at our house every now and then, i need to capture it on video!
- has a ticklish spot - her tummy! she does these big belly laughs whenever you tickle around her belly button
- eats everything we eat, even meats. but her favorites are either dessert (mainly ice cream) or Pickles. for real is this my daughter or what
- she likes to say "ooooooh" a lot. its pretty cute :)





she is such a joy in my life and i am so grateful i have her!

get over it

sometimes I will look at pictures of others and I feel bad about myself. like "dang her hair is perfect, why isnt mine perfect? I suck at being a girl" and then I pause and I realize that that person probably spent a good 1 hour - 1 1/2 hours just on their hair alone and then I picture myself sleeping in my warm, big, comfy bed for that extra hour...and I get over it.

yesssssss

sometimes I look at a girls face and think "dang her makeup is amazing, why cant my makeup look that amazing" and then i realize that her makeup is probably hundreds of dollars, maybe not at once, but accumulated, and then i picture all that scrapbooking paper i could buy... and i get over it.


sometimes i see posts of flowers that the boyfriend sent and i think "dang i wish michael sent me flowers" and then i realize he does and even when he doesn't he does some other sweet things like clean out ellas diaper genie or warm the car up for me...and i get over it

sometimes i look at skinny girls, and i think "dang i want to be that skinny" and then i realize that those girls (for the most part) rarely eat dessert, or chocolate, or bread and then i try to picture my life without dessert, or chocolate, or bread..and i literally cant...so i get over it

take that!


sometimes i see the houses people own and i think "dang i would like a house" and then i realize that i will have one someday and then i picture myself graduating from college... and i get over it.

sometimes i see really really cute clothes and i think "dang i wish i had money so i could show people how cute my style is" and then i realize that the world is simply unfair...and i trrry to get over it...but it is hard because i like cute clothes

one day!


sometimes i look at the success of some of my acquaintances and i think "dang why cant i be that successful" or "why didnt i do that" and then i realize that most of those people had the time and probably didnt have a job and then i picture me working, and going to school, and doing homework, and taking care of ella, and teaching sunday school, and leading study groups, and trying to clean the house, and being a wife...and then i realize that i am successful...and i get over it

the moral of the story is that sometimes i am really envious of some other peoples lives and then i realize that i might not have money or a house or great hair or perfect makeup. but for the most part i feel pretty good about myself and i need to realize that i am sacrificing now so that i can have a better future. and even though i would love to be a mom that can stay at home with her babies and worry about decorations or do hobbies i just cant do that right now. and then i realize that getting an education will give me options, will be a good example for ella, and will give me a better life...and i get over it :)

i love you like a circle

this last week I found out that my cousin, Ryan, was killed in Afghanistan. I flew out to North Carolina with my family for the funeral and viewing. It was an absolutely beautiful service. I loved that his wife (kayla) did a tribute to him during the funeral and pretty much just told a ton of hilarious stories. It was so great that even though it is a heart-breaking experience there was so much laughter and joy. It was so special that at his funeral we were all reminded of his light hearted attitude and sense of humor. What a wonderful way to be remembered. It was truly a celebration of his life.

Kayla would sometimes blog about their life and I loved reading them because they were always funny and happy. Here is a little example of her blog (i hope she doesnt mind) and her tribute was just filled with stories like this. I loved it and I am sure he did also.


Another R talking in his sleep story:
R is asleep in bed. I climb in next to him and toss an extra pillow to the other side of him. He stirs slightly and then mumbles "I like your handbag". I giggled and said "what?!" just to clarify what I heard. He repeats himself. I say, "Boo, that was a pillow". He barely opens his eyes, enough to realize he was talking in his sleep and then says, "Oh no, I was just dreaming about bags". Hahahahaha!!! I guess it's true! Soul mates do exist and looks like I found mine!
And last but not least, R just described a pair of HIS shoes to me as a "wedge"! Idk if I'm more embarrassed that he even knows what wedges are or that he owns a pair of shoes that can be called wedges! Either way, let's never let him live this down, please!
Oh em geeeee, I love that man to pieces! He makes me laugh so much, even if it is at his own expense! :)


I remember one time a few years ago our whole family was playing cards and Kayla (ryans wife) said something silly like "can hot water burn you" and the whole table laughed, and then she thought about it for a second and said "oh that was stupid" and Ryan laughed and said "not stupid, just not well thought out." Wow. How great is it that Ryan respected Kayla so much that he wouldnt call her or what she did stupid. I was so taken aback by that. It has always made an impression on me and that is just one example of the type of man Ryan was. He was truly an amazing human being and will be severely missed. But I know that we will see him again, and that Kayla and Ryan will be together again.
While I was at their house there were love notes all over the walls and fridge. Little post-its everywhere filled with love and encouragement to each other. It was beautiful and heart warming. I have only seem them together as a married couple a few times, but when i walked into their home i felt and saw their love. how beautiful that they take the time to make the other feel important. how wonderful that they leave them up wherever they are put, not embarrassed by their display of love and affection. They are such a great example to me of how I should treat my spouse and loved ones. I hope that from now on my home is like their home. The title of this post is probably the most common one I saw "i love you like a circle that never ends."

I know that sometimes we lose sight of whats important for multiple reasons and we forget to show appreciation for the loved ones in our lives. Ryan will always be remember and loved and will live on in our hearts as well as an inspiration for how I should live my life.

Last but not least i just want to show my appreciation for those serving in the military. Thank you for your selflessness and service. You are all loved and in my prayers.



"My dear sweet R. He made me laugh every single day. He is a hero. He is a warrior. His life was short but he lived such a purposeful, meaningful life. I am so grateful to have spent 8 1/2 years of my life loving him. He taught me so much. He is the most kind, generous, compassionate, SELFLESS person I have ever known. He lives in my heart. He will ALWAYS live in my heart. I love you like a circle boo bear.
Love, Your Wifffffffffff"

Ella is 9 months old

well, she was on the 22 of sept, but I am running a little bit behind schedule. oh well :)

at 9 months ella:

- weighs 17.3 lbs (25%)
- is 27.5" long (24%)
- LOVES to crawl, especially when she narrows in on something she isnt supposed to have (dog food, lamp, wires) she loves them all
- said her first real word. NOT KIDDING. its Doggie. That is her first word, I am feeling a little gypped her because i was going for Mama, but thats ok :) I have a video of it and i will post it soon!
- Grandma Mary and Michael swears up and down that she says "sweet" and "nice" but I havent heard it yet :( I was in class when it happened
- sleeps through the night (YESSSSSS)
- is SO smart (i might be a little biased) but when we play pattycake she "pats" and "rolls" and "marks it with a B" It is so cute to see her little pointer finger drawing on her other hand!
- is becoming more and more independent. it is a rare thing when she will just sit on my lap and play, she just wants to get down and play!
- loves being read to, but gets bored if its a wordy book, so we keep it simple. she also loves to turn the pages in the book
- dances! when music is playing she starts bouncing up and down on her bum!
-loves to sleep in her crib, when we dont have the crib we have to use the exercise ball to get her to sleep and she always has to have a stuffed animal with her
-loves bathtime
- is so fun, i love to play with her and she gets such a kick when we crawl around with her on the floor :)

I love her more and more every second!

Apple Hill

So last Saturday my parents wanted to take us to Apple Hill and considering we live about 20 minutes away, it was perfect! We stopped at High Hill and the weather was just beautiful!





she is OBSESSED with her Aunt Hannah!


It was a battle to keep those boots on, BUT I LOVE THEM




We stopped at this yummy mexican food place on the way home, she loved it! and her cheerios





she had a long day :)