California Girl Trip

Hello Reese
The girls at the aquarium!

Lily didn't want to take the picture... but here she is with her cousins
I took the girls out to Salinas with Todd's mom and sisters back in April. It was a lot of fun, but I don't think I would do it again. Luckily, Todd's sisters were very willing to help me so that was good! We had fun see different parts of the area. Reese and I flew out there while the rest drove. We took the shuttle home, and I don't think I'll ever do that again with an infant! Waaaayyyyy too stressful! Plus I lost my spare key to get into my car at one in the morning talk about a long night! lol

This last week

What's up?!
These are Lily's goggles. They are a potty reward! She is almost completely potty trained. She just needs to be reminded every once and a while and we still have a couple of accidents a day, but much better than it used to be! She still sleeps in a diaper but I think it will stay that way for a little while longer.
It was Todd's 28th birthday on Saturday. This was the loot that he got! He just received an ipad for work so basically he got cool stuff to go with his ipad! Lucky! ;)
We took a trip to the park the other day, and well this is how it started off!
Lily wouldn't let me take a picture of her so this is me tricking her... hahah!
She is growing up so fast! She is so fun and is just a crazy personality! We love her so much and she is learning so much and tries to teach us a few things every once and a while... hehe
This was Reese once we got to the park, hence the crying before we left! :)

We haven't been doing anything too exciting lately. Just living life. The most excitement for me has been the whole potty training thing and well, I'm sure no one wants to hear about that! :) This next week the girls and I are traveling to CA to go visit Todd's sister with his mom and other sister. We'll have a lot more to share after that trip. Plus Easter, so look forward to some fun stuff after all that!

PJ Party!

Gotcha!
OOOHHHH
So often in the morning I try to take some pictures of the girls when they are in good moods... well Lily has started hating the whole picture thing so it's gotten increasingly harder to get a cute picture of her.. hehe. Reese on the other hand has become so much more talkative and interactive. She is always so happy and cute. I love it! She has become VERY clingy though and sometimes, it is REALLY difficult to get anything done, so I have a feeling there is going to be a lot of crying at our house in the next little while. hehe.

We haven't really done a whole lot of things that are picture-worthy. So life goes on, if you ever want to come visit us, PLEASE do! :)

The Message

Wow! I just finished reading this book called "The Message" by: Lance Richardson! I recommend this book to everyone! It is so good and I felt the spirit the whole time while reading it! I think you should read it especially if you've had someone pass away recently. It will definitely give you a peace of mind! I know you can find it at seagull book and tape if any of you are interested.

i love these smiles!

6 weeks later....

So six weeks have come and gone since Reese was born. It was the slowest and fastest 6 weeks of my life. I have been so excited to get back into the gym to finish what I had started before I became pregnant with her. I have been on a weight loss journey since Lily was 4 months old, yes that would be nearly 2 years now. You can't tell too much just by looking at me. I realized the past few weeks that I have a LOT of emotional baggage I need to work through to get me where I need to be mentally. It hasn't been easy going back to that pain, but it's necessary if I want to be successful at becoming truly healthy. I have been talking to Todd a little bit about what I have been feeling and sensing for pretty much my whole life, in regards to how I see myself. It's not a pretty picture. Plus there are experiences that just magnify the whole problem as well. But for some reason I feel like I need to write them down so I can go back and check them off my list.

Since this is pretty much the place where I know it will be there when I need it, I'm using my blog as a starting point. One big set back happened for me my freshman year in college. I had been working on the moving crew on campus. This job consisted of sitting in a stinky truck with a chain-smoking redneck listening to country music and moving around chairs, tables, platforms, and gymnastic equipment. Super fun job, I know! Well we usually worked mornings but because of scheduling we were required to work a night right after a gymnastics meet and clear the floor for something else the next morning. I had given up plans and a date to work that evening. Our boss's truck had a lift on the back that had broken. He drove it into the stadium and put it down to load something. I commented on how he had gotten it fixed and asked what they thought had broken it. He said it was my fault... I promptly asked why it was my fault seeing as if I did something I wanted to remedy it. He said that they needed to stop lifting "fat girls" on the lift. My heart broke in two. I just said oh and walked away. I held back the tears just long enough to get home. Once there, there was no stopping them. That next week, I quit my job and tried to get as far away from that man as possible. I had never had someone treat me so awful. Ever since that day, I have really struggled with my self image. Even now as I'm typing, I'm getting emotional.

Growing up, I never had any really close friends that I could lean on. Sure, I had friends I would play with and talk to, but either I was too guarded or they weren't interested in becoming super good friends. I guess part of that is because I thought I was cooler than everyone else, which in turn made me the loner... Now looking back, I was bitter, ornery, and just dumb! It didn't help that I had a member of my family always reminding me how big I was getting. Even though this person was quite overweight themselves. I don't think I have ever forgiven them and I think that is where all of our relationship issues stem from. Since becoming a mother, and being introduced to different parenting and family styles, I have been rudely reminded that the home I grew up in was not normal. The things that my father and brothers would say to me, are appalling! But yet, that's how I see myself everyday when I look in the mirror. It's hard for me to believe that an amazing man such as Todd would love me and find me attractive in any sense of the word. I have been telling myself such negative things for so long! It is a battle within myself every day! Am I really worth fighting for? Or should I just give in to the temptations of that stupid chocolate?

Well, I have been working on it! I have been trying to look at myself and see someone who is truly beautiful rather than looking at all my faults! I have two beautiful girls that deserve a mother who sees her own beauty and can show them that they are really beautiful as well! I get cold chills just thinking about how gorgeous they are to me! And yet, I can't look at myself as see how attractive I am! So it starts NOW! It is time for me to look at myself and see the good things! Who cares about what other people think?! All that matters is myself and if Todd is still attracted to me! Now is the day that I don't drowned myself in sugar or fats! I AM BEAUTIFUL! I am NOT fat! I am just how I should be! I am going to treat myself like I would a brand new expensive car! No junk in me! Just the best ingredients!!!!!!!

If you have made it this far, wow.... thanks for listening!

Reese's blessing

This was pretty much the day for me... lol
Her in her pretty dress, Lily was asleep or we would have gotten one together...
Our family picture from Sunday. Reese had JUST fallen asleep after a fight all sacrament so I just left her the way she is. Todd gave her a beautiful blessing! We had a lot of friends and family who came and it was so great to see everyone. We had over 35 people in our house for the luncheon... it's a good thing we have three rooms they could filter back and forth in... hehe. She was beautiful in her dress, which happened to be Lily's too so that's kind of fun!

Mommy's Food

So every time I start getting ready to feed Reese, Lily get's upset and says that she wants to eat "Mommy's Food". I always just smile and say, "No, it's just for Reese." Well the other night, Todd was holding Reese while I got all good and comfortable to feed her. As I was getting ready, Lily watched me get ready and then hurry and climbed up on my lap, and said, "I want mommy's food!" I quickly pushed her off my lap and said, "NO!" She still talks about it but I couldn't help but laugh at the swiftness of her climbing up on my lap... I think if I really did offer it to her, she wouldn't like it and leave it alone... Just a funny story I didn't want to forget!

What we've been up to....

Lily helping take down christmas lights
Todd putting Reese to sleep... makes mommy very happy!!!
What my life has looked like the past week or so... Lily has been pretty clingy, but good thing I have two arms...
Lily has some sweet glasses! hehe

What do you think?!

Reese

Lily

So, we think that they look a little bit alike... ok so maybe a LOT alike. What do you think?

Reese Marie

Right after she was born
Welcoming her to the world
The first family picture, Lily LOVES her little sister.
Our beautiful girl
On Dec. 30th, 2010, starting around 10:15 AM or so, I started having mild contractions about every 5 minutes. I started to get excited, considering I was over a week overdue. I called the midwife letting her know what was happening and she told me to drink some tea that would relax my body and let my uterus do what it needed. I drank the tea and soon after my contractions slowed WAY down. I got really bummed. I was sure that today was the day. Well soon after they stopped, they started right back up again and not only were they at 5 min again, but they were starting to get stronger. Around 3 PM we called the midwife again because the contractions were getting much much stronger, and fast. We quickly finished blowing up the birthing tub and Grandma took Lily out to do their own thing during the delivery. The midwife soon arrived and she started rubbing my feet with some essential oils to keep the process up. By this point, I was definitely in transition and the contractions were HARD. As soon as she finished with my feet, I got my suit on and got ready to get into the tub. By this point I was feeling some strong urges to push but the midwife wanted to check my cervix first to make sure I was where I needed to be. Well, she couldn't even feel my cervix because the water was bulging so badly. She asked me if I wanted her to break the water or just let it happen the way it was. She said it would take some pressure off so I told her to break the water. As soon as she broke the water, HOLY MOLY! Talk about pain to push that baby out. So my midwife showed me how to push effectively, and I started the strenuous process of pushing. Poor Todd, I think I scratched his back pretty bad because I WOULD NOT let go of him. Within about 4 or 5 good pushes, her head was out. At this point I had been on my knees and once her head was out she had me sit back so the rest of the baby could come easily. I sat back and felt down and felt her head before the rest of her came out. It was SO cool! One more contraction and she was completely out and in the water. I picked her up myself and got to hold her instantly. Her cord was super short so I couldn't pull her up very far. At this point we still didn't know if it was a boy or girl but I was the one to check and was happy when I saw the girl. I would have been happy either way really. It was such a special, spiritual, painful yet fulfilling experience. It was perfect, she is perfect and we are so happy to welcome our beautiful daughter to our family.
She weighed in at 8 lbs 14 oz and 19.5 in long. She was one inch longer than Lily and almost 3 lbs bigger... just so you know!

39.5 Weeks

39.5 weeks and counting!
This is how I really feel... hehe jk

We have made it to almost 40 weeks now... CRAZY! I never thought I would make it this far, but that's fine! We're getting really antsy and super excited to deliver this baby. This morning I set up the tub and everything and can hardly wait til we get to hold our precious little one. It's funny because we're excited for Christmas and all, but MUCH more excited for the baby to get here. My midwife seems to think that we'll probably have a new years baby which totally bums me out, but we'll have to see how it goes! I have been having a LOT of contractions, just not any regular ones yet. I'm fine with that though because I know something is happening at least! :) We feel so blessed to have made it this far and not have anything wrong happen. It's been weird for me to experience such a problem free pregnancy, but SO wonderful! It doesn't mean that I don't worry all the time though. I am such a worry wart! Lily is starting to get excited and talks about feeding the baby and changing the baby all the time. It's been fun to have her along the ride this time. She even helps the midwife find the heart beat when she comes, She's pretty good at it too. :)

Thanksgiving

This past week was so much fun! Todd's entire family was here to celebrate the holiday. It was busy and full of lots of laughs and eating. We were able to get some family pictures with everyone here, even though in a couple of weeks it will be outdated... that's fine. Lily wasn't a huge fan of the cold snow but she had a blast with her cousins and aunts and uncles. We are hardly going anywhere in the next few weeks because obviously I'm pretty much ready to pop... and not just because of all the food I ate :)

almost to 36 weeks!

I have definitely grown in the past few weeks! I have been feeling it but it's making me super excited! We only have about 4 weeks left until the due date! The rest of my appointments are going to be at MY house and after next week we're down to one appointment a week! Any bets of when we're gonna have this baby?! hehe I'm hoping mid-december... but we'll see! I'm trying not to get my heart set on a certain date.

St. George Temple

This past weekend, Todd was gone to a wedding in CA while Lily and I stayed home and tried to make it through without a daddy around! For a day or so we were in St. George at my brothers house and taking care of his two youngest, which by the way was a lot of fun. Friday Lily and I had a few hours to kill and decided to go walk around the temple for a little bit. We have a picture in Todd and my bedroom of us in front of the temple, as soon as we got there Lily points up and says "Mommy, Daddy kiss!" She totally knew where we were! It was really cool! She loved being there. It was fun to take her there and think about what that temple means for us and our family!

Our Super Fun Halloween

Lily with her pumpkin! Our good friend Robert actually carved it but she was very proud of it!
Todd and his Nacho Libre Luchador Mask! He is also very proud
ohhhh scary!
Lily as a princess!
Todd and I as A Bun in the oven and the Baker! :)

We had a fun week this week getting ready for Halloween! We got really into this year because Lily was SO excited! She definitely got the idea of Trick-or-Treating. She got some really good loot too! Todd took her while I passed out candy! It was super cold so they didn't go very far but I think they had fun. Lily was really excited about the whole candy thing!

Pumpkin Patch!

"It's HEABY!"
Let mommy help!

Last night we went to a pumpkin patch down here to pick out our pumpkins to carve for this year! Lily was SO excited to go! She couldn't stop talking about it all day yesterday! She got a pretty good pumpkin for herself there! It was a LITTLE heavy for her but it's just her size. It was fun picking out a pumpkin with her and watching her eyes light up when we said we were taking that one home!

32 weeks!

Oh man! I definitely feel like I'm 32 weeks along! The awful sleeping has begun... well it's been happening for a while now! The baby doesn't do too many huge movements any more. They are more just little jabs and what not. I am SO ready to have this baby! I have forgotten what it is like to be completely comfortable, but I'm willing to go through it to get a healthy baby. hehe. Lily is getting more and more excited about having a baby sibling. She loves to give my stomach kisses and talk to the baby. She always says, "Hewwo Boots!" It's adorable!

The Monday after we had our last ultrasound, Todd was talking to Dr. Sanders. The doctor had looked at our ultrasound and said, "Ya know, it wasn't exactly clear that you're having a girl, so you guys should probably come back in so we can see for sure what you're having!" I just busted up laughing when he told me that. So right now we're having a surprise! We'll have to see if we ever get back in for an ultrasound or not. At this point I'm just fine having a surprise.

I went to our midwife yesterday, I love our appointments! They are so much fun! So far I have only gained 10 lbs from my original weight! That is the best news I have had in months! :) But I had lost 11 lbs in my first trimester, so all in all I have gained 20lbs. I'm still not complaining AT ALL!

Week of Family and Funerals

Jeremy, Lily and Robbie
Todd finally jamming out with someone else
Todd teaching Lily how to bowl... do you see that foot action?!
Visiting family bowling


This past week was the funeral of Todd's grandpa, so there were a LOT of family in town. The funeral was a very nice dedication to a great man! It was long, but what to expect for a man who lived 94 years?! After the funeral on Thursday there were still family here to enjoy the time. We got to spend a lot of time with them and really enjoyed what we got! All of Todd's siblings were here which is always a lot of fun! Plus many many many cousins! One of Todd's aunts has 14 kids and this was the first time in 8 years that all of them were together. Lily played her first game of bowling and did pretty well for a 2 year old! It was definitely a busy week full of laughter and tears!

To a Great Man

This Sunday a wonderful man, that I am so thankful that I got to know, passed away. Todd's Grandpa Fisher left this world to be joined again with his beautiful bride and two sons. I feel very privileged to have been able to know this amazing man, even if it was for just a few years. As soon as I met Grandpa I knew he was special. He was soft spoken but always had a wit about him. He always reminded me of President Hinckley. Even though I didn't know him very long, he gave me great words of wisdom. When Todd and I got married, he sent us a sweet card that stated, "Remember in marriage you are equal, unless she is giving birth, then she is more important!" :) I will never forget that!
The many times we visited him as he sat in his chair, he always gave a great nugget of knowledge. Some of my favorites were when he told Todd to always hold my hand in public and show affection because his wife never let him. When he told us his version of when grandma had their first baby, while we were preparing to have Lily. The warm July evening as he spoke Chinese to us and gave his version of why he doesn't eat Chinese food. Anytime we would walk into the room his eyes would light up and he would say, "WELL HELLO!" The little hand squeezes he would give to assure that everything would be just fine, and they always were. Calling Todd, Toad in the most loving way! :) Listening to his stories of his life, because he always made them so interesting! Always being willing to listen to even the smallest of children and giving them a hug at the end. Singing to him during Christmas time. There are so many wonderful memories involving him and Todd's family.
I have always had a hard time calling Todd's family Mom or Aunt or any kind of title like that. I don't know why, but I know that it has never been difficult to call Grandpa by just that, Grandpa. Because I definitely considered him to be MY Grandpa. He will be deeply missed, but after 94 years of life and 14 long years away from his wife, he is finally reunited with her, along with his two sons that passed before him. I can just imagine the reunion they are all having! Grandpa we love you and are so happy that you are now where you have longed to be!
In the words of Kaitlin, See ya later!