Keira wants to share her BiG secret!

ep, this lil' cutie pie is going to be a big sister this August!!!!! I know Keira is going to be such a good big sister. The last few months I've watched her be intrigued with babies and I think she's going to be a great little helper. We're so very grateful for our second angel on the way.

I'm due sometime in the first week of August, so it could possibly end up on my birthday! Aug. 3rd! Regardless of what day baby comes, it'll be such a blessing and the sweetest gift indeed. It's going to be a long hot summer... (but hopefully it will be like last Spring and the nice weather will stay well through June.) And knowing how badly I swelled up last time, I'm expecting my feet to look like humongous sausages and have my 'cankles' again.

So far in this first trimester, I didn't get a lot of fatigue in the first half, but now it's catching up. I've had on and off nausea (not throwing up thankfully!) just feeling queasy and I had little tummy aches for awhile. Unlike my last pregnancy, I don't detest beef completely, but I do have to be in the mood and still don't like to look at raw meat, but I've been able to bear cooking it most of the time.

It was no wonder that I was pregnant, because just the week before I was downing jars of pickles like crazy, haha! But didn't think anything of it, because I like pickles, and hadn't eaten them in awhile, so I thought I was just enjoying them. So anyhow, whenever I got really nauseated I'd drink Ginger herbal tea (I like the Yogi brand, in the health food section.) And when ginger wasn't enough, lemon juice and yogurt helped, and ~strangely~ I found that sucking on a couple Sour Patch Kids helped lessen my nausea! ha ha!

I'm glad I haven't been as picky with foods like my last pregnancy, but I still have to decide what appeals to me. I crave spicy foods a lot. And again like last time, I looove buffalo wing sauce, I asked for an extra side of it at Chili's so I could dip my veggies in it at home! (I enjoy doing that even when not pregnant!). Lately I must have navel oranges and buttermilk stocked in my fridge at all times. Thankfully I'm at the end of my first trimester so, my nausea is going away. I've been driving my husband crazy with my random worries. But I'm more relaxed now that I just had my recent check up.

So my favorite websites to read info and track my progress the most are: www.TheBump.com, www.Fitpregnancy.com, www.Pregnology.com, www.pregnancy-information-guide.com and www.babycenter.com.

Anyhow~ I'll bore ya with more baby buddha belly mumbo jumbo again soon. ~Yawn~

My lil' Chef

e had a splendid Christmas. Taylor's parent stayed with us for a week. And it was fun to see Keira really enjoy spending time with them. Grandma (Janna) took her on couple walks with her, while I did some errands. And we went to the Children's Museum and Keira loved it. She loved the pretend grocery and cooking areas. But Janna and I were thoroughly pooped after two hours of chasing her around from area to area for two hours. And Keira was finally tired once we left.

She loved the kitchen at the museum.

Keira loved this cute circular reading nook. I'd love to have one in the house for her.

We gave Keira a play kitchen for Christmas and lots of fun play food etc. to go with it. And Grandma even got her a cute mixer that really works! I recorded Keira coming out of her room to capture her reaction. And...~sigh~ I'm such a mom... I started to choke up and tried not to whimper out loud, I don't know why I got emotional and teary-eyed from just watching her play with the kitchen. Having a child truly makes Christmas so much fun again. I don't even care what I get. I just wanna see that cute lil' face light up. Anyhow our lil' chef is loving her kitchen and always wants me to cook with her.

I got my first new sewing machine that I wanted! (well, nicer than the one I wanted! xo ) I am sooo excited to learn and make all the things I've always wanted to make! (hopefully!) I posted on FB: "I'm sooo excited to use my new sewing machine!!! I'll always kick myself for not wanting to learn when I was younger. And now I don't have my amazing seamstress mother living close anymore to help me get the hang of it easier. :P oh, well, let's see how far my guts and faith will get me! ;)"

On a side note, Keira is CRAZY about chocolate. She had a fair amount for the holidays. But I saved the rest for future rewards and for when we start potty training. Almost everyday on her own she'll ask randomly, "Some chocolate?" and start looking for some. And a few times I've asked her what she wants for breakfast or lunch and she replies of course, "Chocolate?!" ~ha ha! I have to make sure she can't see anything that looks like chocolate or else she freaks out. Eeks!

We had simple night on New Years and stayed home. And on January 7th, Taylor and I had our 6th wedding anniversary. We still need to actually celebrate it. But we'll probably just do something fun for Valentine's Day and celebrate it then. Even though my hubby isn't on Facebook (and never will be) I still posted something for him and told him what I put. But made sure is wasn't cheesy just for him.

"Today marks 6 years being married to my sweet husband Taylor! ~Thanks for your patience, putting up with me and toughing me up all these years. ♥ Happy Anniversary! ♥"

Taylor is an amazing husband and father. I admire him so much for how hard he works to support our family and I am grateful for all that I've learned from him. I'm profoundly & madly in love with him. And that love has grown deeper from all that we went through in those first tough years when he had to be away often working for long periods of time. Though it was hard, I know that he was doing all that he could so that he could take care us and make me happy. And all I want is to make him happy when he comes home everyday and always make him feel appreciated.

Toddler Tales

Last night as I took my two and half year old daughter to bed, she immediately said, "Say prayer?" twice! and it made me smile and feel so grateful that she is learning and wanting to pray. I strive to make sure she is learning to see when we need to pray and that we can pray for everything. She's heard me pray to find my keys when they're missing. We pray for daddy and his safety. I even make sure she hears me pray that I will be more patient and be the best mom I can be for her. I think once you become a parent you really start to put yourself in check mode. Because anything I'm not doing that I should be doing, she won't be learning. So I'm grateful that I have to push myself even more to make sure she see's and learns what is important to our family. Which in turn she strengthens and teaches her father and I. The most important thing to me is teaching her to know her Heavenly Father and to gain a strong testimony. To always trust and stay close to the Lord.

Yesterday, I was tired and moody. And I overreacted and yelled at Keira for tipping a cup purposely upside down and getting water everywhere. I immediately hugged her and looked at her and said I was sorry for yelling at her and then I asked her if she forgives me. She responded, "That's okay mommy," twice. I was astounded when she had that response. It's just so evident that children really do learn fast and do soak up everything! I am grateful for that experience.

One of her lines she says all the time is, "Oops, that's okay, it happens!" :) it's so cute and makes me laugh everytime. She also says often, "I love ____" and she says the item or thing that she's doing or looking at. It's just darling. And boy does she love chocolate. If you even just say the word, she starts looking everywhere for it saying, "Chocolate?" hee, hee, hee. She's so good at washing her hands and saying, "thanks" and "you're welcome!" She's also been singing, "Twinkle, twinkle, whittle star," and "Row, Row, Row da boat!"

Keira has been getting more interested in sitting on the toilet a lot the last couple weeks. I got the Prince Lionheart Weepod toilet insert seat months ago, and she did not want to sit on it. But finally she wants to very often. So this past Sunday we tried to see if she would really try to use it. We got her go in her small potty once (but she had her undies still on, haha!) and then she did use real toilet one once. I gave her couple mini M&M's as her potty prize. It seemed to work well, but... the rest of this week, she hasn't wanted to try or even sit on either potty. Soo.....ugh. I'm trying to decide what to do, because I don't want to force her, since I've heard from many that it'll just make them not want to do it and make them hate it. Which will make it take longer for them to finally do it.

Well, yesterday morning I was on my way to get an eye exam. And as we almost got there, she barfed in the car. So I had to cancel it and go home to clean her up. She had eaten some yogurt and raspberries for breakfast. It's been a long time since she has barfed in the car. Since the two times in the summer (which were both from the string cheese she'd eaten.) So, again it was after she ate something that was dairy. It's just odd. Dairy and driving, just don't mix for her. She gets car sick or something. Sigh...poor thing. And seriously, why must they make the car seat so dang hard to take apart just to get off the dang cushion so you can wash it?!!!

Anyhow, it's tough keeping up to clean up all her little messes and random things tossed all around the place. But thanks to nursery, she's does help me clean up way more, while singing the 'clean-up' song. And on top of that, I'm begging my husband to clean his side of the room too. I told him for Christmas I want my room entirely clean and pretty. Haha!

I have been loving this cold weather! We're hoping to go up to Flagstaff soon to see Keira play in the snow for the first time. We reeeally need a little family outing. Keira and I are in desperate need of getting out the house and doing something fun as a fam.

Tube-ular ;)

The last show I was hooked to was the "Glenn Beck Program" (well actually...pretty much Fox News in general). I had it on everyday. Practically all day. Which you can imagine what it did to me. I became a tea party lover, anti-Soros supporter, eager to learn history, concerned about my country, the world and the future for my family. But don't worry, I've calmed the Fox News and Beck obsession dramatically. I just watch here and there now! :)

Anyhow before that, I don't think I've been really hooked to any television series since I was a teen. I was obsessed with 'Felicity'. I could not miss an episode. I had to make sure to set it up to record on the VHS, hehe! I was smitten for Scott Foley. I loved the show mostly because, I was a hopeless romantic.

The last few years, besides watching stuff on HGTV and other random shows of interests and whatever my hubby was watching. I didn't care that I didn't have a show to be hooked on. I tried to watch a couple popular shows I heard were good, but found most of them distasteful or not my cup of tea. So, I was fine with watching, "Are you being served?" and "Seinfeld" reruns. I love those.

But this past fall, I decided to DVR some new shows that looked fun and just give'm a go. So my hubby and I have been watching, "New Girl", "Up All Night" and "Whitney". We really like them so far. There's a couple thangs here n' there, that are not favorable. But all-in-all, they're not too distasteful that I feel evil for watching (haha!). It's been kinda fun to have something that my husband and I get to look forward to enjoy and laugh at together. {While cuddled up on the couch holding hands..}

The other show I'm truly hooked to is, "Parenthood". It's not "trying too hard," if ya know what I mean. There's interesting plots throughout it. And the way they film and direct it, I find tasteful. It makes me laugh outloud. It makes me bawl. I even posted about it on Facebook confessing that "now it's my mom's turn to spy and laugh at me if I'm crying at any given moment about anything. It's the automatic default once becoming a mom. And deeply embracing life's moments." I'm fine with turning into my mom, in other areas that I swore I wouldn't. Because those things she did that I laughed at, are normal, when your a woman and a mom. :)

I also like, "Ringer" with good ol' Sarah Michelle Gellar. It's just a fun soap-opera like plot, but it's just fun and can't help but be hooked it.

Now that I have shows that I enjoy. I can't let them prioritize over things I should be doing. Believe me there's always times when I'm reeeally sick of the tube being on and just want it off for a long while and enjoy music or silence. And indeed when sports takes over...haha! (my man deserves to watch his sports of course, I just hate when it takes up so much time and then I get needy and want quality time together. I'm a typical needy wifey, I know.) But I know I'm married to a man...and to his love for sports. They go hand-in-hand. And I accepted that, haha!

Back to my point, I never want to get too sucked into the tube and let it consume too much of my time. Especially the time I should be reading my scriptures. But I don't feel guilty finally having some shows that help me unwind, give me some good laughter in at the end of the day. Hopefully the shows will remain good. Otherwise, I will turn off the tube. And wait another decade and try again. Haha.

Forget the turkey mom, I want pumpkin pie!

She was dancing like a cute lil' 'Peanuts' character, it was so cute!

e had a nice quiet Thanksgiving as a family at home. Taylor helped me do a small turkey breast and I found a yummy marinade recipe for it, and it turned out so moist and delish! I admit I cheated and used instant organic mashed potatoes and stuffing, which they both tasted amazing! But I made my own sweet yams, deviled eggs and Paula Deen's Pumpkin Pie recipe and used Martha Stewart's Pate Brisee pie dough (Taylor loved the pie!) We ate in the early afternoon and Keira only ate a roll and some pumpkin pie, then she went out for a nap. So it was just Taylor and I enjoying our feast. I thought for sure she'd go crazy over the yams. Oh well, she's in a picky faze though. Taylor had his football game on...of course! And after Keira's nap we played some of our own toss football outside and I gave her a piggy back ride. She looooves piggy back rides! It was a perfect cool and cloudy day! :) Then I made Keira a turkey feather hat. She made the cutest lil' turkey eVer!

I decided the last week before Thanksgiving I'd post some things I'm grateful for on Facebook. Here's what I posted:

"I'm grateful for the amazing things I learned at church today. I love feeling the spirit."

"I'm grateful for my daughter. Her smile, laughter, silly personality and when she gives me running hugs. It's the greatest gift and bliss ever."

"I'm so grateful for my amazing husband. He's one of the hardest workers I've ever known. Always proving me that you can do anything you put your heart & mind into. And his crazy innate ability to truly have me figured out and knows how to always make me laugh, especially when I need to. There's not one day I don't feel lucky to be his wife. ♥ "

"I'm grateful for the many appliances that make life easier. I forever praise the women that did e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g before they existed. I'm reminded especially when one breaks...I'll never take them for granted! :D "

"So thankful for the Lord and all He's given me. Happy thanksgiving!"

We got our Christmas tree and house lights done over the weekend. And I pretty much got all my gift shopping done, even before black friday! Hah! :D