HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHANCELLOR!!

Tuesday was Chancellor's 1st birthday. My little girl is one year old! And now that she is so big and grown up, here are some of the things she can do...

walk around in REAL shoes
feed herself small pieces of yummy food
say "dog" and "ba ba ba" when she hears one barking
say "ma ma ma ma ma" when she wants me
fake cough
blow her nose
blow bubbles into water
pick up the cat (or "ta") to give her hugs
give big, wet kisses
drink from a straw without spilling on her shirt
take small things out of a big thing, then put them back
turn the pages of her favorite books
pull her socks off of her feet
put both arms into her jacket when we're getting dressed
try to put the little bottle or sippy cup up to the mouth of her doll
point to my nose, eyes, tongue, hair, and ears on request
get down safely from the sofa or bed, all by herself
nod yes to most questions
wave hello and goodbye, and blow kisses
rock in the rocking chair by herself while singing "raah rah" (rock rock)
say "pah" as she's pooping


We had a little birthday party for my darling girl. Here are a few pictures, all involving cake.


I made her a birthday cake! Funfetti, to be cute. I decided a while ago that Chancellor's colors are pink and green. I never write anything on cakes, so it was a pretty big deal.


Chancellor and Papa blowing out the candle!


This was her first taste of anything this sweet. Her first real dessert, something with absolutely no nutritional value. She LOVED it!

Baby's First Christmas!

Weird to say, but oh so true. My almost 12-month-old baby just had her first Christmas!

I started out the holiday season feeling not very excited. I'm tired. I'm pregnant. And I just hoped people didn't get her presents that would annoy me.
So I went to bed on Christmas eve, just like it was any other day. But I found that whenever I woke up during the night (which is often with a baby in the bed) it was hard to fall back asleep. I had that weird feeling of excited anticipation that you get when you're a kid. Just waiting for Christmas morning to finally arrive. At any of those moments when I awoke, I could have been up for the day. I was awake and excited, and had to force myself to go back to sleep.
I woke up before Aaron and Chancellor, went to the bathroom, and when I walked back into the bedroom I see my beautiful little girl wake up and smile at me. I think she knew it was a special day. We were such a happy, excited family!


After breakfast, we went and opened some gifts. (MY favorite gift this year was a rocking chair from my husband. Nothing has ever been more needed or appreciated). Chancellor got some pretty nice stuff. grandma and grandad got her some really cool toys, and Aaron and I got her some all right things. She had a lot of fun figuring out that after the fun of ripping paper is gone, there's a toy to play with under it. This girl loves paper, and was sooo excited to see the colorful toys it was hiding.


That's Chancellor opening up her very first Christmas present! She had just ripped off a piece of wrapping paper and was handing it Grandma. She's very good about sharing.





That afternoon we went to Aunt Rosie's house. Chancellor got a couple more presents, and we got to eat yummy food and play games and just visit with family that we hadn't seen in a while.
53 years ago, my grandma made Raggedy Anne and Andy dolls for her sister, Rosie. This year, Rosie gave them to Chancellor for Christmas. I never got to meet my grandma, and don't really have any of the wonderful things she made, so it's really awesome that Chancellor has something to treasure. She is not allowed to play with them.






We took a few family pictures at Rosie's house, but it turns out I had the camera set on "flower" instead of "mountain" so they came out kinda blurry. That was the best we could get.



The next day we went to the Umberson house to exchange gifts on that side of the family. We got some really nice things. Chancellor got books and toys, and cute little shoes! Grandpa Trick got her this cool little car. She really likes to play with the "gear shift" part of it.







So it turned out to be a really nice first Christmas for my little girl. It's good to see how happy it makes everybody to have a baby around. Makes Christmas just a little more special again.

boy takes the win

5 votes for boy, 4 votes for girl. It will definitely be exciting to find out who it is in there!

I think something is gonna happen...something that requires people, or children. Something is definitely going on. I know five other people who are pregnant right now. And I think only 2 of them were "planned." What's going to happen that the world needs all these babies? I know I was definitely MEANT to have this baby right now, or else that birth control would have worked. Maybe we all just need someone to keep us even busier.

It's crazy I haven't gone to the doctor yet. I must be pretty far along. Oh boy do I hate medi-cal! I sure hope I can find a doctor who will take me! My last doctor is definitely a last resort...but I know she'd be my doctor if I wanted her to be. Which I don't. No. I do not. Anyway...everybody pray that things with medi-cal get straightened out asap so I can find a doctor and see how my baby is doing!

boy or girl?!

There's me and my babies! Adorable Chancellor, and a belly full of somebody else.

We won't know who it is until I get to go to the doctor. (soon, please!)
I had a boy feeling for a while, but now I'm not so sure. So, i'm going to try to start a poll. If you're reading this, participate in the poll! it's just right there, just a little to the right, above all my pictures. It'll be fun to see what people think!

happy birthday to ME!

My birthday was last Monday. It was such a nice day! I got to wake up to my baby girl giving me lots of hugs and smiles, and then Aaron and I went on a spontaneous movie date! So many people wished me a hapy day, it was reeeeally nice. Thank you to everyone!


So, here was my day...

I woke up to my happy baby. We played and had breakfast, and said goodbye to everybody as they went to do their thing. Then Natalie came over to visit teach me, and she brought me this pretty cupcake!


Then Aaron gets home from school, gives me a gift card for the movie theatre, and says we get to go on a date!
So we drop Chancellor off at Granny Jodi's house, and head over to Taco Bell. I'm pregnant, and have been DYING for Taco Bell for about a month...so I made Aaron take a picture of my happy birthday super awesome lunch.

I got fiesta potatoes, a cheese quesadilla, and a cheesy bean and rice burrito. Mmmmmm.
Then we were off to the movie. We saw "The Informant" and I thought it was reeeeally good.

We got home jst in time for dinner. My mom made my Aunt Rosie's famous easter tacos, and they were yummmmy. Then I got to open some gifts. I got pajamas, and mascara, and cheetos, and a scarf, and gloves, and it was great! Then we ate cake and ice cream and that too was soo yummmyy!

Throughout the day I got some birthday wishes, both in person and in text. Here they are, so I can say thank you to them.
Aaron
my dad
my mom
brother Aaron
Kim
Rachele
Sally
Jodi
Katie
Tyson
Brad
Rochelle
Allison
Natalie
Asia
...thank you so much for making my 21st birthday a great one!! :o)

My Happy Family

There is absolutely nothing that I love more than my little family.
I love my husband. I love my daughter. I love whatever else is inside of me.
I can't imagine my life without them, and love that I get to stay home and play all day! It certainly does get exhausting at times, but I think that's the real reason kids take so many naps. So here's a few pictures and stuff about my family. Oh how I love them!This was a few months ago. She fit perfectly in the bathroom sink, and LOVED to play in it. We stopped playing there once she figured out how to turn the water on...


Aaron wanted to try on some red pants. I told him that they were the pants of a gay, but I think that just made him want to try them on even more. No pants have ever been so tight! I'm thinking I might go back and try them on...


This girl is in love with dogs. All day long, everything is "da! da! da!"


Me and Aaron, just being in love. Isn't he handsome? I think he's soooooo handsome!!!


And here's the girl again. This was taken yesterday, I thought her outfit was cute. She looks so old here! She's already ten months!! She spends her days smiling and laughing and making funny little sounds. I love my baby girl!

Army Strong

Yes, Aaron is joining the army. Something I never thought would happen. I believe in the past I had said that I would divorce him if he ever joined the military. I am not a fan. But, it's what he feels he needs to do in order to support his family. He wants his wife to have medical insurance, and new clothes. He wants to buy his daughter diapers and food, instead of having to depend on our parents.
I think we have been very fortunate to have such loving parents. it could be so easy for them to just say no...not give us a place to live, and food to eat. A car to drive. Diapers for Chancellor. We are very blessed to have such nice people as our parents.
But it's been too long. I find Aaron to be very noble for going out and doing something that neither of us want him to do. That's what makes him a good husband and father.
But it will be hard to be away from him. He will be gone for months, training. Out of state. Leaving his family behind. We will miss him, but we will only love him more.

Here's a picture, just to make things happy.

Blessing Day!

Chancellor's baby blessing was last Sunday. It was the second thing Aaron has ever done with his new priesthood, and it was absolutely wonderful. He and I cried. Kim made a joke. I love my little family, and having a husband who can perform such wonderful ordinances.

I had wanted to take a family picture that day. But, no pictures. Not one. There were, however, lots of family there! Micah, Sally, Zadok, and Odin came down from Utah. Jodi, Patrick, Katie, and Steven came. Rick came. It was so nice having so many people there to see this miracle of mine. I really regret not taking any pictures that day. But I will always have the memories. She looked so cute in her little brown, polka-dotted dress. So that's just a picture I think is cute. Because it just seems like there needs to be a picture. Oh, and there is this one from the day before. Chancellor staring at her cousin Zadok.

My Hubby Bubby

We met about... two and half years ago. He thought i was pretty, so he asked for my phone number. And I actually gave it to him. We were up all night talking. Seven hours. In two and a half years we've never once stopped talking. It's like one long, continuous conversation that lasts a lifetime.

We were on the phone about five hours that night before he actually asked me out. He kept saying that he hadn't asked anyone out in a while, and was unsure when it came to "matters of the heart." I kept hinting that if he asked me, I'd say yes. But he didn't quite get it. Then, just as I was about to blurt out "Just do it already!" ...he did it!

For our first date, we met at the mall. In the same spot where we first met. We put our cash together, and had enough money to either get dinner or see a movie. We chose movie. I don't know why, but, we saw "The Hills Have Eyes 2." Now, I'm not one to talk in a movie theater. I'm also not one to get comfortable with people very quickly. But that night, it was just us. It was so warm and comfortable. I actually laid my head down on his lap. I just stared up at him, we complimented each other's smiles. To this day, I have no idea what the movie was about.

Aaron is the most wonderful man.
He is kind. And handsome.
He is generous.
He is selfish.
He will ALWAYS think I am attractive, even at 3am after giving birth.
He would starve without me.
He has gorgeous blue eyes.
He made my daughter beautiful.
He was the first and only person to make Chancellor laugh consistsntly.
He proposed to me without a ring, because he knew I don't care about that.
He later on bought me an engagement ring, because he knows I care about that.
He taunts our daughter with food I won't let her have.
He's friggin tall.
He loves anything satin.
He talks, loudly, in movie theaters. Every time.
He's great at haggling, and is very proud of that fact.
He lets our baby sleep in bed with us, even though it means not as much cuddle time for us.
He puts WAY too much milk in macaroni and cheese.
He often claims to not know how to use the microwave.
He sleeps with a fan blowing on him, even when it's freezing.
He rubs my feet and back every day.
He likes to wear colorful things to church, not just black and white.
He's like the only person who reads my blog.
He can sing pretty dang well.
Even though he's a vegetarian, he loves tuna more than anything else.
He tries his hardest to support any decision I feel strongly about.
He washes bottles for me every night, because he knows I'll fall asleep.
He never made me feel bad about having to pump my milk instead of natural breastfeeding.
He has lots of shoes, but not very many laces.
His opinions are strong, and he'll never shut up about them.
He likes his Levis.
He talks kinda loudly on a regular basis, but never realizes it.
He loves Mountain Dew, and Kool Aid.
He can't pass Hot Doh on a Stick without getting a sample of frozen lemonade.
He hid his video game addiction from me until after we were married.
He is the best friend I've ever had, and the only man I could ever want to spend eternity with.
I love you, Aaron. Forever.

Summer Lovin'

I always hated summer. There was no reason to enjoy it. It's hot. It's bright. It's hot. I hate being hot. It's much easier to cuddle up with a blanket than it is to conjur up some clouds and a cool breeze. And I am perfectly fine staying indoors. I don't need to go outside every day. But I've come to find out that, as a mother, going outside is VERY important.

Chancellor Is too young to stay inside all the time. Sure, she isn't allowed to crawl outside because of all the dirt and rocks. But she loves it. We look at the dogs, we go on walks, we watch birds fly by. And so far, this week has been all indoors. She's too young for crafts or movies...She's getting bored. Summer, come back so we can play!

The Good Life

I could eat macaroni and cheese, take a bath, and read a book all day long. That would be wonderful to me. I could do all three at the same time, and it would just make it better. I don't get to do that enough. I really do enjoy it. Relaxing bath. Yummy food. Good story. I'd love it if I could take a bath every day. But it doesn't always get to happen. I am often forced to shower instead. Or, more frequently, just go without. This little girl sure does like her mama. Although...I think I might be able to get TWO baths out of today. I had one this morning. And I bet my mom will babysit tonight so I can take another. What a wonderful thing that would be. Two baths in one day...wow.

Friday Night

The baby is asleep.
My husband is out with his friends.
And I am here...browsing through married women on myspace trying to find someone with a baby, hoping that one of them might make a good friend for me.
So far no luck.
I don't know how people do it.

BATH TIME!!

Bath time has become one of my favorites parts of the day. And not just the couple times a week I get to take a bath, I mean every day when I get to give Chancellor a bath. I don't know why, but I always look at it as a chore. I avoid giving her a bath for as long as I can,coming up with various excuses to wait. I can't do it yet, her clothes are in the dryer. No, not now, it's lunchtime. But last night I realized that it has always been one of the happiest times of the day.

Chancellor loves water. LOVES water. Bath. Sink. Pool. Bowl of dog water. She just adores it.
But when it's bath time...

She gets so excited as oon as we enter the bathroom. I turn the water on and she starts smiling and "jumping" around in my arms. She pulls herself up on the side of the tub to watch it fill up.

Then when she gets in, it's just time to play!

Even when I pour a big cup of water on her head to rinse the shampoo out, she gasps and smiles afterward like it was the best waterfall there could ever be.

If I fill a cup up with water, and let it slowly pour out, she will watch in amazement and try to grab the water. She never seems to mind that it can't be done, she just stares and smiles and grabs.

Then she'll pick up the cup, dunk it in the water, and attempt to drink a little bit. This usually makes her cough, but she doesn't care about that. She just likes her water.

She lifts up the wash cloth and plays peek-a-boo with it, or just slams it down into the water to make giant splashes.

She squeezes her rubber duck until it makes the squeak, then laughs as I "Quack! Quack!" along with it.

But the newest game is my favorite. As she sits in the water, she suddenly decides to throw her entire face down into the water, then she blows bubbles with all her might. She comes up with a huge gasp of air, and a big, toothless smile. She'll do it over and over again. It's the cutest thing I have ever seen.

If I Didn't Have My Baby...

I could eat, sleep, shower, and go to the bathroom whenever I want!
I could go on dates with my husbands, and stay out all night.
I wouldn't get peed on...every day.
I would sleep in peace (and darkness) during the night, then wake up whenever I was ready to.
I wouldn't have such a flabby, stretch-mark filled stomach.
I could cuddle-hug my husband more often!!
I could sit in the front seat of the car.

I would be bored and lonely all day long.
I'd still be feeling the void of not having children, and wondering if I am even physically able to do so.
I wouldn't know the intense amount of love that comes along with this beautiful girl.
I wouldn't know the joy and excitement that comes from watching her learn new things.
I wouldn't miss the TINY baby I used to have, as she gets bigger every day.
There wouldn't be anyone to cling to me all day long (she wants me to hold and hug her ALL day long!)



...I definitely think it was worth it.

I also think next time I might like to try giving birth at a birthing center or at home. One thing that's for sure, is that I definitely will NOT have the same doctor.
Thinking about all the bad things associated with Chancellor's birth...they were all because of the hospital.
They ruptured membranes and things without asking me. Of course I would have said no had I known before they did it!
I wasn't allowed to fall asleep while holding her.
My doctor was terrible, and let the baby just fall onto the bed as I pushed her out.
I tore a lot, she didn't sew me up correctly, and I am forever disfigured.


But now my baby is awakw, and I get to go play :o)

My Elder

Just over a week ago my hubbywas ordained an elder and received the melchezedek priesthood. It's such a crazy wonderful feeling. If I'm sick, or sad, or anything bad...he can make it all better with a blessing. He can protect and watch over our little family.
I know he felt bad that my dad gave me a blessing while I was in labor with Chancellor instead of him. But now he can do it! And it just makes me smile and cry and be super happy inside. It's just such a comfort to have the priesthood in my life. And that's one step closer to being able to go to the temple and be sealed to my family! I am so looking forward to that day.

This is one of my favorite primary songs. It's what I always wanted and hoped for my family to be. I sing it to Chancellor every day...
I see my mother kneeling with our family each day.
I hear the words she whispers as she bows her head to pray.
Her plea to the father quiets all my fears.
And I am thankful love is spoken here.
Mine is a home where every hour
is blessed by the strength of priesthood power.
With father and mother leading the way,
teaching me how to trust and obey.
And the things they teach are crystal clear,
for love is spoken here.

Kisses!!!

Chancellor has learned how to blow kisses. She puts her little hand up to her mouth, makes as much of a "muah" sound as she knows how, and throws the kiss to the person she is looking at. Sometime she'll even give me a big kiss on the lips, her mouth wider than ever. She is so excited to know how to kiss! And whenever Aaron and I kiss, she gets the biggest grin on her face. It's so wonderful to have a family filled with so much love and so many kisses!

so this is it

First blog in a very long time. Myspace just doesn't do it anymore I guess. My girl is 9 months old as of yesterday. That was the one and only day that her cousin Odin was exactly twice her age. It's so amazing how many things she can do. I just love being here to watch her grow up. She crawls and laughs and is learning to talk. She loves dogs and playing in water. She absolutely HATES having anything on her head. The only thing I don't like is that I didn't really breastfeed her. It certainly doesn't seem like she missed out. I pumped all the good stuff so she could have it. She and I still bonded, thankfully...she is the clingy-est thing I've ever thing! It's so wonderful being a mother...I couldn't ask for anything better.