Pumpkin Carving!

So Tuesday night we had a great time carving our pumpkin. Jonathan had never done this before, so it was new to him. I think he enjoyed it though.. as long as I had pumpkin-gutting duty haha. We did Jack the Pumpkin King from The Nightmare Before Christmas. I had never carved a pumpkin like that before (I usually stick to the easy patterns - triangle eyes, nose, and a mouth.) But this was fun! And Lydia happens to love it.

Here are TONS of pictures! 

Well, we started out with a little power saw thing for carving..but it was taking too long..

So I told him to upgrade to one of these babies!

My turrrn...

the guttsss

Oh, hi cat.

This is after I picked her up, moved and placed her down for a better background haha.. she didn't like that.

she rolled the pump away, and I rolled it back to her and the stem hit her in the mouth..oops..

yeessss, pet the kitty

EWWW... nice Lydia.. :-X  bleh.. we deff washed our hands after this...

She loves this cat though. She always cries when I bring her in..

See ya mom..

ohhhh.. a tail...tempting..

*giggling*

made this one extra big, so you could see her smile :)

Cat likes Jack the Pumpkin King as well.. 

 

 

 I happen to LOVE fall here! Every time we drive around I just admire the yellow, orange, and green trees..and the fact that the leaves are still there! Living in Alaska you don't really have a fall. It's summer.. then the trees go from green to naked within a week, then it's cold and snows. But I have to say, I'm kinda jealous of Alaskans and their snow right now.. Each morning I wake up and peek out the window to see if we even have frost on the ground.. 

so that I CAN WHIP OUT THAT CHRISTMAS MUSIC!!!!... sigh.. :) One thing at a time I guess!

Summer Days...Drifted Away..

Well, now that it is officially fall.. I have to say we had a pretty packed summer! I remember always thinking in Alaska during high school how boring summer was because I never had anything planned. I always longed for school just so I could be doing something. This summer we had so much to do, it was (almost) overwhelming..but fun..haha.. So, here is what happened our summer!!


May: My first legit Mother's Day. 
Many trips to the park.
My friend Chelsea had her baby!

June: Father's Day..week. 
Jonathan's Star Wars Birthday Party.
My dad's birthday.
Jonathan's sister gave birth to her little girl, Samantha :)

July: Lydia's First Birthday.
 Fun 4th of July with neighbors!
 In-laws came to Rexburg/we partied! 
Got to attend Patriots and Pioneers concert with Alex Boye.
Our 2nd year Anniversary! (plus family pictures!) 
Stake Summer party. 
Got to see midnight showing of the Dark Knight Rises.

August: Went to a drive in movie! 
Chelsea and Bryan came to visit us from California.
My other friend Jesa got married (we couldn't attend, but the pics are beautiful!)
Went camping with Jared and Whitney in Colorado.

September (okay half of it was still warm, so I consider part of September summer ;) )
Went back to Colorado to visit the in-laws and Grandma.
My other sister-in-law gave birth to their first baby, a boy, named Kaden!
Lydia got to attend her first birthday party for a friend (I have pics, just no post)
Got to watch the Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform (and cross that off my bucket list!)
Got to watch the Relief Society General Conference, which was awesome.

Unfortunately I don't have blog posts of the last 4 (I should though!)...goes to show how busy we've been!  

Hope you've had just as good a summer as we did!!

What am I thinking?

Source

What have I done? What have I done?

There's no going back now. The fee is paid, the transcript is sent, the application finished.

I'M APPLYING FOR SCHOOL! Well, technically I already applied..

What am I thinking? I have a baby and possibly more kids in the future to worry about. Do I even have time for 4 years of dedication to school? Homework? Teachers? Who knows? But we will find out.

All I have left to do is get my ecclesiastical endorsement by the bishop and stake president and then everything will be sent in. Of course, I only have 2 days to do that. Darn procrastination. And then after that I have to be accepted.

You're probably wondering what I've decided to do. Well, I really love the medical field. Ever since I was little a doctor was on my list of things I wanted to be "when I grew up" - I didn't actually know there were other careers in that field to choose from haha. And I loved being a Medical Assistant. It felt like such a good role/career at the time. I still look back and miss it and think that that was a great time in my life. I learned so much and got to help people. I felt like a grown up! Haha. But now I love being a mother. And being a mother has opened my eyes to how passionately I love children. Soo... browsing all the degrees on the school's website, I came to the conclusion that I will go for a Sociology BS degree so I can get a job (if I want to - I still prefer being a mom!) as a Social Worker/Social Services person and/or a Foster care/ adoption person. Not sure what they're called ha - I should probably look into that.

I would have never thought in a million years I'd pick something like that..but when I was thinking about it.. I get so defensive when bad things happen to innocent babies/children/teens. I believe every child deserves a mother and a father who LOVE them!! They don't only deserve it, it is their RIGHT! I just felt the Spirit testify so strongly to me that I needed to do this and that it felt right.

I will probably be a hot mess after every class.. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to handle it. I mean, I get emotional when I watch news clips that say things like people throwing their babies into traffic, or locking a small child in a box which eventually lead to death (those are both real things that happened!). It makes me so mad. People like that don't deserve children. So, we'll see how it goes. I feel like I've been out of the loop for schooling for a while that I kind of yearn to exercise my noggin a bit. It's probably going to be really challenging, but I think I can do it! (Plus, hubby is really excited I get to take all his teachers haha) 

Ah, who am I kidding? I'm probably crazy for doing this. But wish me luck! And fingers crossed I get accepted!

A Precious Moment

I just experienced the most precious moment of Lydia's toddler life. We both had late Sunday afternoon naps, so while Daddy was in bed, we were up late in the living room watching Sesame Street and when that was over played, "I'm gonna eat-chya!" which she loves.... as well as dumping a bowl full of salsa all over the kitchen floor and cleaning it up, but that's besides the point.

Well, I just finally nursed her and put her down. I know it's time to put her to bed when she is just laying there on me, mouth not moving.. so I take her off and get up out of the chair and as I'm walking to her door, cradling her, I whispered, "I love you" and in her half-awake sleepiness...she whispered back, "luh you"..So I said it one more time, and she whispered it right back, and we did that a few times until I laid her down in her crib. I tell you, it just about melted my heart and brought tiny tears to my eyes. I know she probably doesn't know what it means exactly, and enjoys parroting, but the fact that she still said it back to me makes this moment so, so sweet.

Reason # 52034 why I love being a Mom!

A Mother's Greatest Jewels

If I sound a little harsh, I apologize in advance.. kinda..

We all pretty much know that when it comes to me and babies, they always hold a special place in my heart, always, no matter how old - newborn, toddler, even a little-older kids - no matter what they look like or where they're from. I love babies. They are like precious jewels the Lord has entrusted us to take care of and cherish and value. They will one day be the rising generation and will have a lot more affect over our lives than we probably realize at the moment. The decisions we make now, they will probably have to make..so it's a good idea to love and nurture our children the best we can. It's our duty to love them.

So, when I see someone say, "Today sucks, I could punch a baby" you can imagine my heart shattering into a million and one pieces. How ignorant, they are, of all good and wonderful things in life, when they say something like that. Like "punching a baby" would solve any of your problems. Even if it is said figuratively or jokingly, the fact that people, such as these, have no respect for human life, especially one so innocent, flusters my feathers. Hello people, life isn't always a big joke.

"You're kind of over-reacting, Anna".. well, would you say "I'm so mad I could punch a grown man" or "I'm so mad I could punch a wrestler."  Probably not. It doesn't have the same effect, because babies are helpless and wouldn't be able to fight back against your stupidity and lack of respect. I'm not sure why babies, innocent creatures, are always the target of so much hatred.. when it comes to their life or the butt of a joke. Whoever came up with that idea has seriously never thought about the miracle of life, or the fact that someone once loved them enough to keep them and raise them.

In my experience with children, life has only become sweeter, especially when I gaze at my child's angelic face and ponder about the many other children that will enter our family, one day. I can't think of one mean, hateful, cruel, or bad time or thought that I've ever had with my baby, or any baby, even when they're acting up. She is as perfect as she was on day one of her life. And I will never, ever, take back or regret the decision we made to bring her into this world. She has only blessed my life and I have only grown more into the person I know I am meant to be, because of her. I am so thankful to be a Mother. And those who don't want or plan to be or don't appreciate that calling in life when they do have it, will never experience the joy that I have.

The one thing that does bring sweet relief to my soul when I hear these things, is knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ loves and adores children, no matter who doesn't. And knowing that we are all children of God, means that He loves us, as well, no matter our age. He carried the pain of the world, and that includes the young and old. Here are lyrics to a verse of the song, Consider the Lillies, which always brings tears to my eyes.

Consider the sweet, tender children
Who must suffer on this earth.
The pains of all of them He carried
From the day of His birth..

 I am honored to be a Mother and I am thankful  for my baby.

She turns every day into a wonderful one

My Little Parrot

Braaaaa ... Polly wanna cracker?!

I love my little parrot. I love that she is constantly exploring her vocabulary and trying new words. It amazes me. Every. Single. Time. I thought kids didn't pick up words so soon. I know around 18mo-2 years they start putting sentences together (I think? I could be way wrong), but I didn't ever think Lydia would copy so many words at only a year and two months. 

A

Lydia's Vocab List and

 its respective translation

 Mama

Dada

Bam-buh (grandpa)

Papa

ella (cinderella)

ni-neh (ni-night)

bay-bee (baby)

pup-pee (puppy)

buh-pee (buggy..boy does she love bugs! haha)

ar-nol (Arnold)

Bahm (bump)

ga-gaaa (gotcha)

ow (for kitty and for real "ows")

mboo ( for a cow)

ruh-ruh-ruh (puppy)

An-na (for her cousin Anna, not me haha)

koo-koo (thank you)

num-num (for num num.. which means food haha)

mam (ma'am..which we call her a lot)

ape! (for grapes, which I can quite confidently say she's addicted to)

pee (please)

hi-eee (hi)

bye-ee (bye) 

peepee (for yes..peepee!)

and ONE time I caught her saying, "loo ouu" after I said I loove youu :) 

Words she can sign

Mama

Dada

please

thank you

all done

more

and recently she signs.. again

Are you ever amazed at what your kid does? What is one thing your baby/kid has done that has surprised you, that you weren't expecting at their age?

Colorado Road Trip Part 2

This mortal life can constitute a difficult journey, 

 but the destination is truly glorious. 
 -Elder Quentin L. Cook

So, less than a week being back from our first trip (we got home thurs the 30th), my sister in law, Laura, called us and informed us that we (me, Jon, Alex, and Anthony) needed to return to Colorado to see Grandma Rodela (Jonathan's grandma on his mother's side) because with her cancer that has progressed so far and fast, she wouldn't have much time left. So that Wednesday when they called us we planned to leave that night. I enjoy being in Colorado and I love my in-laws..but I was somewhat dreading the car ride..especially since Lydia was being Oscar the Grouch during our last one. Luckily for us, we came prepared with books, toys, grapes (which she loves), and all kinds of snacks and little light up toys for her to enjoy, and it was a good trip.

We left around 6 or 7 and ended up getting to Farmington, Utah at around 10:30/11 and stayed with a family friend. They had 2 little chihuahuas and a kitten, which Lydia absolutely adored while we were there. Funny story...While we were laying on the bed waiting for Jonathan to get out of the bathroom so we could go to sleep, I was trying to keep Lydia occupied, so I said, "Lydia, where are the puppies? Where'd they go?" *she raises her arms up with large concerned eyes* "Ohh.. I think they went ni-night.. I think they went to go take their naps." At the sound of naps, she BURSTS into tears! And starts screaming!! And it was like 11 at night, and everyone else was trying to sleep. I tried so hard to calm her down while trying to stiffle my laughter. After that (even in the morning) I didn't mention the words puppies or naps..because each time I did brought on the waterworks! Silly girl... she is so sensitive it makes me laugh.

Anyway... we got up at 4:15am to head back out on the road. We went up through Wyoming and then down into Colorado. We finally got to the house around 2 or 3 (I can't remember actually). And it was so nice to be finally off the road and with family. We had to wait a little bit for them to bring Grandma home from the hospital since it was about an hour away. For dinner we had pizza and when everyone was getting tired me and Jonathan left to stay at Laura's house. We ended up having a "sleep-over" with little Anna.. Her made up bed started out in the hallway, then inched closer to where we were sleeping..and then ended up downstairs with her parents..funny girl. Lydia always has a blast when she's playing with Anna. And she plays so hard every day while we were at the parents' house, that she doesn't even make it to Laura's house without falling asleep in the car each night.

The next day (friday, I believe), I went with Alex, Olga, Laura and little Anna recliner shopping so Abuelita could come out of her room and be with us in the living room in a comfortable chair. I just so happened to sit in and pick out the chair we ended up taking home (hehe, I take a little pride in that! jk), and then we had lunch at Chic-fil-a and then went shopping at walmart. All the while, Jonathan and Anthony were supposed to watch the babies. Well, Lydia was taking a nap on a bed..and ended up falling off in her sleep (or maybe she was awake?) screaming her head off and Samantha wasn't having a good day either...sooo Jonathan got a little taste of what us mothers go through!!! Heheheh
Later, we went to go pick up the chair and get Grandma's meds and when we came back Laura's mother and father in law brought dinner for ALL of us..yummy homemade lasagna, garlic bread, salad, and dessert. It was delicious. And so very thoughtful.


The next day (Saturday), we got ready and headed over to Jon's parents house. Later that evening we went back to Laura's house for a BBQ that was to honor the Grandparent's real wedding ceremony they had while they were in Mexico (at least that's what I was told today.. at the time I thought it was just a regular BBQ).

They were married civilly in a court, so here is their wedding by their Catholic church
(I think.. I hope I got all of that right)

That was fun..and there tons of neighbors and their kids and Laura's dogs and Lydia had a blast watching them and playing with the "older" kids. We then told Zach and Laura and little Anna (and the neighborhood girls haha) our goodbyes.

my father in law Alex, Lydia, Grandma, Samantha, and Zach

After that we went home back to my in-law's house to stay the night so we could all leave early Sunday morning. We ended up spending time with Abuelita and telling her we loved her and gave her hugs and kisses. We then took family pictures. That next morning at 7 we left for Rexburg and got home at 630.

With Lydia, being all emo haha

with baby Sam!

Everyone but Olga (and Laura and Zach), who is taking the picture

It's weird to think that just on Sunday we saw Grandma.. and now she has passed on. The doctors told us she only had weeks to months left and probably wouldn't make it through the holidays, which is why we hurried to Colorado to see her. I didn't think she would go so soon, but from what I heard, she was in a lot of pain. She had cancer all throughout her body. Now she is all free from her pain and her cancer and she is watching us from above. I am so thankful I know about the Plan of Salvation and that Christ paid the price and suffered for all of us, for the chance for us to be resurrected, body and soul, once more, and that we can obtain Eternal Life and have the chance to live with our Father, Jesus, and our loved ones again. Many prayers to the Hernandez family for their loss and comfort to their souls. Rest in Peace, Tita. We love you.

these last pictures were taken during Christmas time 2011

That knowledge of this plan of happiness makes death and parting 
bittersweet.