babies/blurry iphone pictures

meet carmen. the youngest of the four triana kids that i nanny.

i've known them since the third alex, who's six, was a baby.

carmen will be three in may and she can fold her clothes better than some of her older siblings can. i even taught them how to fold... but she learned on her own.

she is a little obsessed with clothes you should know.

her reward for pooping in the potty is getting to wear her favorite pipple (purple) outfit. not candy, a sticker, or a treat, but clothes. haha i love her!

where has the time gone??!

i remember when she used to fit in this little baby towel of hers.

her new favorite thing is a 'pink bath'.

(just a little red food coloring makes for a happy day!)

we love to bake cookies while the big kiddos are at school.

i pull out the chocolate chips for the batter 'oooh i like those'

so i let her eat some batter with chips

'pina (carina) that make me happy! i do it again?'

haha cutest thing ever!

cousins avery and krew matching in their paul frank jammies.

baby hawk at big brother reef's birthday party. i could let him sleep on me all day!

and our newest addition in the schimpf family!!! baby brock, so fresh and new!

neglected.

my poor, sad, little blog is definitely in need of some attention! it's just i'd sooo rather be blog stalking everyone else's fabulous lives than trying to find an interesting way to write about my own. you see, i do think of great things to blog about but then i procrastinate blogging about them and then i forget them.

the most exciting thing around here is that we moved!!! about two and half weeks ago we upgraded from our little one bedroom (which was actually a great size for being one bedroom) to an upstairs/downstairs two bedroom, one and a half bath. we looove it! there is a patio too! (i know. i get excited about the little things okay.) i love being able to eat breakfast in the morning sun! and best of all the manager, our next door neighbors, are my cousin and one of brian's best friends from growing up. plus they have the cutest little one year old that i get to play with all the time :) so i guess packing, cleaning, moving and then unpacking can be my excuse for the lack of blogging. but we are finally settled in with maybe only one or two boxes of the random stuff i don't know what to do with left. now i'm just dying to be able to have an excuse to decorate the second bedroom, like say for a baby or something. on that note...lets just say i'm crossing my fingers every month and forcing myself to tell myself that i need to stop thinking about it if i want it to happen. on the other hand, i'm afraid i'm going to have to go through it a third time and i don't feel like being more of an emotional mess.

i can't believe it is already half way through april! some things i'm looking forward to:

-my mom and sisters coming over tomorrow to see our new place, bbq some delicious burgers, and maybe some hiking after.

-a baby shower on saturday for my newly adopted little baby cousin.

-lake havasu with the schimpfs next week!!!

-my sewing class which i. can. not. wait. for.

and just one thing i could definitely live without...brian working sundays starting in two weeks

(my favorite part of the week is sitting next to him during church)

four months. i can do four months. i can.

weekend forts

first off let me please share with you the high light of my day...

when i saw this i think i gasped a little too loud.

and then i couldn't stop laughing just

thinking of all the thing you do with your hands on a daily basis,

but having to do it all with freakishly, freaky long nails!!!

does this make me a horrible person judging and all?

....but seriously?! really??

(this was at brian's post op appt. this morning in the waiting room

sitting maybe five feet from the check-in desk...that's what i mean about gasping a little loud. AND to top it off when i took the picture with my iphone it made the picture taking sound!)

on another none making fun of people note,

our nephew Kamden stayed over friday night.

i went out to dinner with all three of my favorite sisters-in-law

and brian took him to boomers.

how cute! they made a boys only fort!

kam made a sign and

(don't tell but i had to help brian out on his fort making skills)

(husband and his creepy stash...

he can't have facial hair at work so he thought he would be lazy

and not shave during his time off from surgery.)

probably should have taken out the real camera so husband wouldn't look so scary!!

it think its safe to say that brian might have been

more excited than the six year old.

once kam feel asleep i tried to see if brian wanted to come to bed with me

cause i just wanted a little cuddle.

no way did that happen! he wanted to sleep in the fort!

the next day i was gone most of the day at the gym and a baptism.

he said he was going to clean up the fort and do a few other things....

i came home to this. haha he looked so cute and cozy i just had to join him!

so we left it up all weekend and had a date night of dinner and movie in our awesome fort.

read me.

need an inspirational story?

read this!!!

how touching and real.

sicky hubby.

monday at home after surgery:

tonight, three days later:

i just love this man so much!

brian got his gallbladder removed on monday.

i feel so bad for him and how much pain he is in.

one of his incisions is looking really nasty.

normally i am totally all about that stuff...grosser the better!

but for some reason when i look at it on him it makes me sick...i literally almost threw up today when he showed me how it got worse!

i guess i just love him too much that i can't stand to see it on him.

i love everything medicine, blood, and guts.

i've seen three babies be born but

when i was helping brian change to go home after surgery

i had to sit down and put my head down to prevent myself from passing out

after seeing the tinniest bit of dried blood on him.

what is my deal!?!?!? i guess i'm emotionally attached or something!

can't wait to actually give a real hug to my best friend!

now brian would never admit to doing something lovey for this silly holiday but...

he surprised me and did anyways!

i knew he was going to at least cook dinner because i worked all day.

but i also came home to flowers, my favorite dark chocolate, and a new iphone!!

i got him a matching one as well.

okay maybe the phones were on their way already and happen to come today.

he woke up to a lovey letter and a cute little homemade coupon book.

somebody was too hungry to let me take any real pictures.

i love my valentine!

he is the BEST best friend.

and i couldn't imagine my life without him.

lover's day.

need a place setting to help celebrate your lover's day?

look what i found!

well i think it is SUPER adorable.

late night crafting.

besides the cute wreath on my door i don't really decorate for valentine's day. but these looked fun to make! they are made to put in windows but since i don't do anything with the very top shelf on these built ins we have, i thought i'd add a little something just for fun...

here's how

so when brian and i went to register for our wedding we got in our first real argument. i really really wanted a certain shower curtain but he hated it. i scanned it anyways. bad idea. very bad idea. he didn't even want to come with me to register in the first place. i said come on you have to! so we can agree on stuff. haha i wish i had just gone and picked out what i liked and let him not come with. but he came and was upset that i wanted him to be there to 'agree on stuff' when i just went ahead and scanned the shower curtain anyways right after he said he hated it. i felt really bad after but all the ones he was pointing out that he did like were definitely not my style and no way going in our bathroom. i unscanned it but that didn't change the fact that i did it in the first place. i ended up finding a not so bad one online. it was kind of plain and not what i really wanted but i was settling so the argument wouldn't continue. when it came in the mail he said it was wasn't his favorite but it was much better than the one i originally wanted. it wasn't my favorite either so i guess we left it at that.

here's the before that i had settled on. it's not that i hated it, it just wasn't quit me.

with not being able to paint in apartments i've still really wanted a more bright and fun shower curtain... i feel like it's the one thing in a bathroom that sets the mood in the little room. i've found lots of fun/floral/vintagy/paisley prints that i'm in love with that i know brian would hate...he calls me a hippie for liking that kind of stuff. but this one i still love and it's not floral or paisley or too plain. i actually haven't shown it to him yet so hopefully he doesn't hate me! maybe i'll show him a picture of one that i know he would hate and say 'hey aren't you glad i didn't get this other one i really like'.

and now.

when i walk in the bathroom it feels like a totally different room now, so much better! much more bright and less dull.

the photos don't really do it justice...you would have to be in there with them to see the difference. cause it really is much brighter!

catching up with sad.

you think that with having gone through it once before i would know how to handle it a little better. i mean handle the, i guess you could say, 'grieving process'.

going into our first ultrasound at the end of december i was really really trying hard to prepare myself for the same sort of out come as the first time around just a short five months before. i was so nervous but had been praying for comfort. my prayers were answered because i was a lot more calm than an appointment we had earlier in the month.

but i think i might have been praying for the wrong thing because when the ultrasound screen was exposing my insides with , again, a clearly empty sac i couldn't believe it. but at the same time i was prepared. i definitely cried a lot when the doctor left the room but after that day i didn't let myself really cry when i needed it.

before the appointment i had prayed so much to just be okay with whatever the outcome of the ultrasound was and that is what i was. okay. i forgot to let myself be sad. i feel like i tried too hard to look on the bright side and to see that it happens for a reason. i had prayed to let myself be okay with whatever the Lord had in store for me. i wanted to be strong for whatever His plans were for me. i was grateful. my prayers were answered. i really felt that it was easier this second time than it was the first. maybe i was just in denial of what was really happening. again!

for some reason though i think i might have been ignoring my emotions. i tried not to be sad. but that would lead to just being in a bad mood and being grumpy towards brian. i would catch myself though. i would realize that 'oh maybe i'm just sad, sorry for being in a bad mood. i think i'm just sad.' but i wouldn't really be it. i would just continue to not really feel like my real self.

this all comes up now because i feel it's all catching up with me. just recently i've been able to actually cry hard about it. this whole process has been so weird to me. it's like i don't know how to feel sometimes...i just know i'm not feeling normal. when i go through my day i feel like i'm missing a part of something really important. when i drive home from work sometimes i wish i was going to pick up my little baby... that sounds a little strange i do realize but it's really what i think about going down the freeway at the end of the day.

i'm 22.

it's crazy to think where i am in my 22nd year of life. it really isn't where i planned to be but it is so much better. oh so much better than i ever thought!

i didn't do anything too crazy but had lots of evenings spent with all my favorite people. thursday night before my birthday i enjoyed a yummy dinner out to chinese with my grandma and uncle. the big day i worked and brian was at work until midnight (we waited for our days off on monday and tuesday to celebrate) and so i joined my family at my little sister's show choir concert. she is getting too too big! all i could think about while watching her was how i used to change her diapers and give her baths and then put her jammies (i may or may not have gotten teary eyed) on her cute, all clean, little baby body. anyways.. enough about getting too big.

on saturday, after a my favorite yoga class, some homework, and cleaning the house so clean :), a group of my favorite girls enjoyed some delicious dinner at BJ's and a few rounds of catch phrase at my place after. (i know i've said i don't like games, but i really do like catch phrase) on sunday brian and i went to my families for dinner and my mom made my favorite apple crisp...so yummy! and we played my other favorite game apples to apples.

and finally! brian and i were able to play together all day monday and tuesday! those are his set days off and i happen to have the week off work. we never get full days together anymore so i was so excited to play with my best friend for a whole two days!! we never got a chance to go to julian during fall like a wanted so monday we headed up there for an afternoon. we had a surprisingly delicious lunch. we, of course, hit up the candy store. we even held hands.

with not much sleep the night before, a long run at the lake that morning with haley, and getting a cold.. i was happy to cuddle brian and nap a bit while he enjoyed his other lover (don't worry it's just his kindle. although i do get jealous of her sometimes.) before we headed over to the schimpf's that night for some mexican!

my sickness ruined our tuesday adventure of beach cruising around coronado but ended up being replaced with costco and a movie. buuut, any day with costco involved is a great day for me!

yay to birthdays that are a great excuse to

bring friends together, go on adventures, and eat sweets!

nine.

Day 9-Something you're proud of in the past few days

running four miles this past thursday and again on monday! i've always really liked running but it always really hurts my body. and if i'm not doing it with someone i get really bored. so i've never run more than three miles ever! and that was on a treadmill...cause it keeps me going. and i have injuries, like plantar fasciitis, from dance that start to hurt bad after about two miles. but my wonderful friend haley is in the beginning of her training for a half marathon. so i joined her for a couple runs at the lake. i'm looking forward to more too! although, besides the normal pains, i get this horrible one in the tendon behind my knee on the outer side...so bad that i have to stop and walk. after the run on monday i was practically limping the rest of the day from it. i think it might be overcompensation for my sprained ankle that never healed properly. hopefully it won't keep me from more running because i'm so proud of myself for pushing though the pain and doing, what i consider, long runs. i realize this sounds wimpy cause four miles is really nothing but when you haven't done it before it just feels so good to know you finally have and you actually can do it!

eight.

Day 8-Short term goals for this month and when you'll accomplish them.

oh good one day eight! see i wanted to try and do this whole no sugar thing for the month of February. twenty-eight days no sugar. yeah well that idea didn't last long. it's not that i eat a lot of it by any means, it's just sometimes i really crave something sweet...even just a little piece of something sweet, mmm like fruit snacks! i'm good at saying no to desserts and things if i know i shouldn't, but when the times come when my tongue is dying for a little sweetness i can't resist. so that is one goal that was in my head but i'm pretty sure i will never accomplish it. wish is really okay with me :)

but now for a real short term goal... i will finish the book i am reading. wish is a good goal for me because i usually get bored of reading even if it's good. i know weird. but i'm determined to be a better reader and actually finish what i started!

also, i will start piano lessons with my grandma again. it's been since i think middle school since i've had one! i need lots of practice, practice, practice!

and just one more... find somewhere to take sewing lessons!!! any input would be much appreciated on this :)

seven.

Day 7-A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you

i think anyone that is a religious person would agree that their beliefs are what has the biggest impact on them, their lives, and the decisions they make in life. i couldn't think of a better or bigger thing that truly makes an impact on my everyday life. i love being a Mormon and having the true gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. life isn't easy or understandable at times but when you have the knowledge of the gospel it honestly makes for a happier and more fulfilling life. i know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. i know that our Heavenly Father has made it possible for us to have eternal families. i know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and made it possible for us to come to this earth. i know that we lived with our Father in Heaven before this earth and that we are able to return to him again. i know that the Holy Ghost is given to us to comfort, guide, and direct us. i know that marriage is an eternal, sacred, and wonderful thing. i know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only true church on this earth today and that it is what has made the biggest impact on my life. and i couldn't be happier to be apart of it.

six.

Day 6-Favorite super hero and why

wow i really suck at this thing. guess i better do some catching up! i think i've been procrastinating this post on purpose because i couldn't really think of a favorite super hero. so i'm going with a hero, not a super hero.

i guess i don't even really have one hero either. but heros to me lately are those moms with a million things going on and a butt load of patience and love for their children, husband, and homes. sometimes i see myself in certain situations and realize that i just need to have more patience. that scares me knowing that some day i'm going to have an even more hectic life than i do now and that i really will need even more patience. i love to just watch moms with handfuls of kids and see how they do it...how they do it ALL! it inspires me. it reminds me that it is all doable. moms are definitely my heros.

five.

Day 5-A picture of somewhere you've been

...like i said before i don't have all my photos on this computer yet. so i took some from google. and decided to do more than one place!

utah

sequoia national park

vegas

rexburg

mazatlan

puerta vallarta

london

hawaii

paris

cabo

four.

Day 4-A habit that you wish you didn't have.

i'm bosy at times, especially with my siblings. i really really hate it, and always have.

I love, I love, I LOVE!

Thought of You from Ryan J Woodward on Vimeo.

just gives me the chills and makes me want to dance like this all day long :)

and the making of ....

Thought of You - Behind the Scenes Preview - ROUGH CUT from Cambell Christensen on Vimeo.

love it when he says:

"it's not something that's work"

three.

Day 3-A picture of you and your friends

(we recently got a new computer and i haven't put all of the photos from my laptop onto it) ...this is the most recent photo i have of a christmas sock exchange party i had. we're missing some great friends that couldn't make it and it's not the best picture but we had fun! (just in case you noticed my weird face... it's because i was talking and didn't realize the timer was going off)

two.

Day 2-The meaning behind your Blog name

i'm guessing this means the part that says lucky... and not our names.

well just before i met brian i heard the song 'lucky' by jason mraz and feel in love with it (it had been out for a while but for some reason had never heard it until then)! i mean i could listen to it all day in live with it! ...sounds dumb because i'm sure everyone else loved it too when it first came out. but anyways i thought it was bestest song ever and one day during the first couple weeks while brian i were dating i was going through his ipod and found it. and of course played it. from then on i would always want to play it while in his truck and we would sing it together...him MUCH better than me of course. but it ended up being our little song and i thought it was perfect for us since i went away to school just less than three weeks of us dating (so most of our getting to know each other was over the phone, long distance). but magically after i left it didn't take very long at all before we fell in love :) when i missed him i would play it. which was ALL. THE. TIME. it's a little fast to use for a slow dance song so we used it for our photo slide show at our wedding reception. i think it fit so well for us too because when we met, at that point in both our lives we were not looking for anything serious at all and were definitely not expecting to find love so fast and be married when we were! we are definitely lucky to be in love in every way... so i thought it was a good blog title :) love really does come along when you least expect it. we LOVE love and love being married! it's like a super fun party! you have your best friend around all the time and it's a sleep over every night!!! (well, when he isn't working nights)

one.

Day 1-Recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself

not sure if they will be interesting but they will be facts...

1. i cannot go to sleep at night in my bed without washing my face and brushing my teeth. i've tried and it is really hard!

2. i have a freckle on my eye lid that i know a lot of people think is mascara.

3. i am really self conscious about my feet and i've never liked them.

4. i took ballet for 15 straight years. but truthfully it doesn't feel good on my body and i'm now in love with modern.

5. i love to clean my home.

6. being late stresses me out.

7. i sucked my thumb until i was nine.

8. i am probably the least competitive person you will meet. but sometimes i really try to be if we are playing a game so i don't bore myself.

9. i take what people say about me to heart. maybe that is why fact 3 exists.

10. i have had two miscarriages in five months and even though it's been the most challenging experience in my life so far it has been one of the most spiritual. and in a certain way i am happy to have been given those experiences for many reasons.

11. i'm obsessed with babies.

12. i have plantar fasciitis.

13. i've always really liked being in hospitals.

14. i saw my youngest three siblings be born and cut the last ones umbilical cords.

15. i can never stay mad at brian for for very long at all...even when i try to be!

stollen.

30 Day Challenge
Getting to know me.

Each day of the month, write a blog post according to these guidelines below:

Day 1-Recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
Day 2-The meaning behind your Blog name
Day 3-A picture of you and your friends
Day 4-A habit that you wish you didn't have
Day 5-A picture of somewhere you've been
Day 6-Favorite super hero and why
Day 7-A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
Day 8-Short term goals for this month and when you'll accomplish them
Day 9-Something you're proud of in the past few days
Day 10-Songs you listen to when you're bored, happy, sad, mad, hyped
Day 11-Another picture of you and your friends
Day 12-How you found out about blogger and why you have one
Day 13-A letter to someone who has hurt you recently
Day 14-'A picture of you and your family
Day 15-Put your ipod or shuffle on-first 10 songs that play
Day 16-Another picture of yourself
Day 17-Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
Day 18-Plans/dreams/goals you have
Day 19-Nicknames you have and why you have them
Day 20-Someone you see yourself marrying or being with in the future
Day 21-A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 22-What makes you different from everyone else
Day 23-Something you crave for a lot
Day 24-A letter to your parents
Day 25-What I would find in your bag
Day 26-What do you think about your friends
Day 27-Why you are doing this 30 day challenge
Day 28-A picture of you from last year and now-how have you changed?
Day 29-In this past month, what have you learned?
Day 30-Your favorite song

Christmas

our Christmas holiday was a crazy busy one, but a very wonderful one! we are lucky enough to have both of our families right here in town but that means that we have lots of Christmas celebrations to attend! it's so fun to be all together but it does get exhausting going from one event to the next. but i'm so glad we do not have to pick and choose which side of the family we will be with.... it works out great! the day before Christmas Eve we have a dinner and gift exchange with the Hutchings....lots of little cousins! my family has always done Christmas Eve/my mom's birthday. it varies from year to year what exactly we do but there is always yummy food, lots of family, white elephant, and gift exchanges! Christmas morning is spent just the two of us which i LOVE! and this year since brian worked until 7am Christmas day he stayed home and slept while i went to the schimpf's for a delicious breakfast! Later we all go to grandma and grandpa's and have a big dinner and gift exchange with all the schimpf family. it all makes for a busy few days full of baking, eating, and family but i wouldn't have it any other way! i couldn't imagine Christmas without all the festivities and family... it just wouldn't be the same! i'm so looking forward to when we have little kiddos of our own to bring alive the magic of Christmas in our own home and to teach them about the birth of the Savior!

i can do this!

ahh what a week it has been! all i can think about lately is how incredibly grateful i am for the knowledge i have of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the relationship i have with my Heavenly Father. i know for a fact that no matter how many failed pregnancies i have that there is always a purpose for them in my life at that certain time. sometimes the reasons for your trails are right there in front of you if you take the time to open your mind and except that it had to happen. other times you may have no idea why you were given a specific trail but whether you know the reason or not it's important to accept it and learn from it, even if it is not easy.

this time around has been really weird for me emotionally. i cried a lot the day we found out. all i wanted to do was cry. but after that first day of mostly sadness i just felt anger. i couldn't cry very much even when i felt like i really really needed to! how frustrating! i was just angry at all of it. i wanted to know why. i wanted to know what i did wrong. what went wrong. is this really happening again all in less than six months?

even if i can't figure out why or how it happened again.. or what i'm supposed to learn from it or change in my life at this time, i do know that i have a Heavenly Father who has answered my prayers. it may not always be the way i want them to be answered but they are always answered. what a blessing it is that we can simply kneel on our knees no matter what our emotional state is and feel His love for us, feel the spirit in our homes, and know that He knows what is best for us. it's hard to except a different plan for ourselves than the one we've made but i know that when we let go of our plans that a much better and joyful one can take place.

2010 Highlights

now i'm sure i will forget something but i'll try my best to remember this past year! what a year it has been...lots of growing and firsts for me especially!

January

- my 21st birthday which was celebrated by a great night out with brian eating BJ's and then enjoying seaport village and ice cream

- started my first few classes at a community college in order to transfer them to byui....how different! made me love byui so much more! and i was sooo glad when they came to an end.

- started my medical assisting externship at Center for Family Health only one mile down the street from our apartment. what a learning experience that was! not the nicest people to say the least and i hated almost every minute...i was so proud of myself when the 200 hours were finally completed!

- not sure which month but i know it was in the beginning of the year....i was called to the activity days leader.

February

- don't remember anything eventful this month just trying to survive working, my externship at the doctors office, and school.

- we (mostly brian) are not to big about valentines day around here but brian surprised me with balloons, flowers, and chocolate!! never expected it so i was so happy!

March

- our disneyland passes expired so we enjoyed one last time at the park.

- saw cirque de sole!!

- completed my externship and all the paperwork and homework that went along with it....so i then officially complete the medical assisting program at byui!

April

- spring break! normally i would be only two weeks away from ending the semester at byui so i was happy for a break before the last stretch of grossmont's semester.

- easter! we spent it with most of my extended family at my parents.

May

- my classes ended!

- we bought and started p90x...not so successful.

June

- celebrated brian's 26th birthday in vegas for a long weekend! so much fun! saw jersey boys, did lots of walking around, rode the big roller coaster, enjoyed our giant jacuzzi tub in the condo, slept lots, hit up a buffet, and more.

- found out we were pregnant! and couldn't keep it to ourselves!

- ended the month with a week of lake camping with all of brian's family at don pedro! sooo fun but i did lots of sleeping so i'm looking forward to next year even more!

July

- had our first ultrasound that showed i had a blighted ovum (look it up) not at all what we were expecting that day. instead of a d&c i opted for a drug they insert...was sent home to basically wait for my body to go into labor and make everything pass in less than 24 hours. worst experience of my life!

- quickly learned that things REALLY do happen for a reason and that right in the middle of my miscarriage happening was offered a job at dr. pulsiphers orthodontists office as an assistant. what a true blessing that was and i couldn't have been happier at such a sad time.

August

- started my first day of training!! i was so nervous but so excited! everyone was so nice to me and really helped me learn a lot! i was grateful for this opportunity and learned that i love it more than working at a doctors office full of old sick people who don't take are of themselves!

- most of all this new job gave me a great distraction from the loss we just had and gave me something to focus on instead of what i was really going though. it really helped me to see my Heavenly Father's plan for me and to know that i need to be willing to let my plans go in order for his plan, that is so much greater, to take place.

- celebrated our first year anniversary! that weekend i was in a wedding and so we weren't really able to do much until the next friday. but we spent the day together getting massages, going to the cheesecake factory and going to the temple.

- i bought a 24 hour fitness pass! i'd been wanting to for soooo long but felt guilty paying for it when i could just run outside or do my workout dvd's at home. but it's best thing i've bought! i need the motivation of going somewhere and i LOVE the classes!

- was a bridesmaid for rhawnie!

September

- continued using my gym pass at least four times a week and loving every minute of it! this may not be a big deal to you but i was very proud of myself for sticking with it and finding something i didn't get bored of! ....and not wasting my money!

- this was in august but....i was no longer in charge of activity day girls but brian and i were called to teach the four year olds primary class!

- my friend brittany got married!

October

- had some great girlfriends over for dinner and it has turned into a monthly thing. so glad we do this! it's great to talk with young girls who are married too!

- brian worked halloween once again so we hung out the collins house the night before and that was about the extent of our halloween celebrations.

November

- first thanksgiving spent with the schimpfs. so yummy! and then had my sister stay the night to watch elf of course!

December

- saw the nutcracker performed by my old studio and both my sisters and one brother were in it! definitely helps start off the christmas season!

- found out we were pregnant again!! excited but nervous and waited to tell everyone until we could get a little picture, which wouldn't happen until after christmas. it killed me keeping it a secret while seeing everyone!

- had a very busy christmas going from one family event to the next. i mostly couldn't wait until christmas was over so we could just relax and then get to hopefully see our maybe baby!!

- had a girls christmas sock exchange party

- found out we are having TWO miscarriages in five months. blighted ovum again. just because it happened once doesn't mean you're chances of having it happen again are any greater... so definitely just a random thing. this time i've choose to have a D&C so that is how i will be starting out the new year on monday, with surgery.

- still trying to figure out the real reasoning behind it happening again.

dancing in the kitchen to christmas music is the best when it's with brian!

i just HAVE to say again what a wonderful husband brian is! tonight i had my grandma, my aunt, and my mom all over for dinner for my grandma's birthday this past week. brian did most of the cooking of which he wasn't even able to eat due to having gallstones AND when he came back home after going to visit his family he put away all left overs and helped clean up the kitchen while us girls finished our game. i think i'm just really happy about this right now because it usually doesn't happen...he does cook (which i love and think is super sexy) but always leaves me to clean up...which is how we like it around here. but i was so surprised of how big of a help he was without even asking! what a GREAT husband! it was a fun night and his yummy dinner was a huge hit!

some recent favorites:

-dancing in the kitchen to christmas music with brian! sooo romantic and lovey :)

-getting over being sick! not a fun past weekend and beginning of the week

-skyping with my brother who is in napal, for the first time tonight!

-lots of holiday baking

-shopping for/wrapping christmas gifts!

-the christmas decorations/tree in my home!

-having a clean home! it's a real good thing i like cleaning it too!.. for the most part.

oh christmas tree, oh christmas tree!

last year for our first married christmas together we had a big tree and i loved it! but i thought it would be fun to have a little tree...it fits a little more nicely in our little apartment and i wanted it to be right in front of our window and since we have a built in table thing over the air conditioning it had to be a little one. and i must say it was MUCH easier to string the lights on!

the stubby little thing before

and after!

i love waking up to it and spending the evenings with it all pretty and lit.

the nutcracker

well i guess it wasn't exactly the nutcracker this year. it had a new twist and was called guess who stole the nutcracker? my sisters alex and jordan, and my brother forrest were all in it this year! it's so weird to not be performing in a big holiday performance...it definitely helps set the mood for christmas. besides i miss the theater and all my dancing friends! there is nothing else like it! ....i think that is why i drool over the performances in glee because it just looks like so fun and what a life that would be to do that allll the time with all those fun people!

oh to dream.

thanks mom for always driving us to classes and long rehearsals!

sisters

jordan & alex

liana and i have known each other since our underwear was showing through our tights

and leotard when we were five dancing together at sdcyb!

now she has lots of little students of her own!

best little doll in party scene ever! well besides when i did it :)

what's a show with out going out to eat after??

mom & dad

thankful for thanksgiving

i can now really be allowed to listen to Christmas music and i am thankful for that!

Brian and i have decided for the thanksgiving holiday we will switch off every other year being with either my family or his.

it's just too much all in one day for us to do both

and it's usually right at the same time anyways :(

so this year was with the schimpf's and it was delicious and fun!

i contributed the mashed potatoes, a strawberry jello salad, and a chocolate cheesecake...yum!

we ate and decorated a feather of what we are thankful for to pin on the turkey.

thanksgiving night my sisters and brian's sister came over for a sleep over!

we played rock band, watched elf, and stayed up late...

well except for stacie who fell asleep ten minutes into elf :)

the next day we slept in, made banana pancakes, and then bravely hit up a few stores.

but they actually weren't too busy at all!

and best of all it is still only friday! so i still have a whole weekend to enjoy!

looking forward to spending a saturday morning

with good friends in zumba class and catching up over a yummy breakfast!

dear santa,

i could never bring myself to pay for these :(

and the knock off ones i've found at kohls look almost exactly the same but are not in my size!

so lame.

stress? what stress?

ahhh! i can't sleep once again! and knowing that i have to be up for work in less than six hours isn't helping one bit! i seem to always do this right around the holidays though. my brain just goes on and on thinking about all that's coming up and my to-do lists that aren't even full enough to be stressing about at all! i hate that i become so awake once it's time for bed because in the afternoon i'm forcing myself to stay awake thinking 'oh yeah i'll go to sleep so easily tonight because i can barely keep my eyes open right now!'.

i'm so excited for thanksgiving this year! more than i think i ever have been. not sure why but i am thankful to have a great holiday to look forward to and an excuse to spend time with loved ones!

a few things i should be thankful for this year...

-a strong, fun, happy marriage.

-the gospel.

-a family that continues to teach me.

-challenges that make us see the good in life.

-a loving, comfortable home that i love to be in.

-my new job!

-a healthy, working body that allows me to run and play.

-my gym membership.

-yoga class.

-supportive parents.

-a husband that works hard and enjoys his job.

-a husband that truly supports me in what ever i need.

-personal prayer.

-modern medicine.

-my brothers and sisters.

-the fact that i can enjoy cleaning/organizing my home.

-the temple.

-new friends.