Young Love

Posted on July 8, 2008 by Amanda

The talk that us moms love to have with our sons begins a little something like this……..

“You’re going to meet the girl of your dreams one day, and you’re gonna treat her like a princess right?”

This was my son’s reply……….

“Yeah, mom, and I can have babies.”

“Um, Yeah Jayden, but after you get married.”

“Mom, how about with Alexis? She’s my girl.”

“Of course, Jayden.”

and then I look back and he’s staring into the air and says, “ahhh, she’s so dreamy.”

Do you think it’s too early to have ‘the talk’? I’m getting a little worried here with how in love he is with this girl.

Posted on July 6, 2008 by Amanda

I opened up a book one day not expecting what was going to happen to me. Something about this book wrapped my emotions all up in a ball and threw them all over the place. I fell in love with characters and more than usual. I love books, and I always fall in love with the characters, but I’ve never been obsessed. I’ve found an obsession and it almost scares me.

The love that is between Bella Swan and Edward Cullen is unthinkable. There’s something about the way that Stephenie Meyer builds these characters up to captivate your soul that is utterly breathtaking. I can’t even begin to explain the way I have fallen in love with the Twilight series. I haven’t even finished book 3, Eclipse, yet and am almost afraid to. The fourth book Breaking Dawn doesn’t come out until August 2nd and I shutter to even imagine what I’m supposed to do after that. At least I know that I’ll have something to look forward. Stephenie Meyer is rewriting Twilight through the eyes of Edward….. simply genius.

If you are looking for a story that will literally leave you yearning for more and more then I HIGHLY suggest you start reading the Twilight series. I don’t think you’ll be let down and if you are ~ I’m shocked.

Faith

Posted on July 5, 2008 by Amanda

I wake up in the mornings and I roll over to see Ella standing in her crib grinning at me with the most amazing smile. It’s a smile that holds my heart in its hands and melts it into a pile of love. Jayden stretches and wakes up and tells me “Good morning, Mommy. How was your sleep? Did you have good dreams?”

The above is why I have faith. Why I believe that there is a wonderful God that loves his children very much. I cannot understand or even begin to comprehend how everything in this world could exist without such a wonderful God. How can you explain love? How can you explain pain? How can you explain life?

Everyone in this world is definitely entitled to their own opinions, and I’m not in any way saying that what they believe is wrong, but I what I believe is what I believe is the truth. It’s the only thing that makes sense to me. It’s the only explanation for what this life is really about. It’s the only thing that gives me hope that there is a purpose to life. That my love for my children isn’t the product of some random theory, yet that it’s a product of faith in a plan that never ends. A plan of eternity with the ones I love so much.

How can anything else make sense? How can you explain our souls with a theory on science? How can you explain the love you hold inside? How can you not believe in a Father in Heaven that loves you so much and has designed a beautiful plan for you?

My testimony grows stronger and stronger everyday. There’s so much in this life that strengthens it, and amazingly even the lack of other’s faith strengthens it to levels I never knew existed.

Sinerely Fro Me To You – May I Please

Posted on July 3, 2008 by Amanda

When Ella was a newborn we always knew when she was going to wake up. She’d raise her hand to announce it to everyone, or was it that she was asking permission? In the above picture she was only 1 month old. I always loved this little quirky thing she did, but sadly once she went into the hospital with her heart problem it stopped. The memories of all the cute things they do are priceless.

Kristen over at We are THAT Family has many more Sincerely Fro Me to You stories to read.

I miss her

Posted on July 3, 2008 by Amanda

The past couple of days I’ve been thinking a lot about Mya. Jayden got 2 balloons yesterday at dinner and he sent them both up to heaven. One for Mya and the other for Mr. & Mrs. Fishy. His fish died from being sucked up the filter. It was ironic that he did that, because I was thinking earlier that day about the day I found out her heart was no longer beating. I remember the awful drive home, alone, from the doctor’s office. Having to be stuck in the horrible traffic crying. I remember my mom pulling up to my house as I did. Walking over to her and her hugging me and me just sobbing. I remember walking into the house and Gino making tacos, one of the things I craved the most. I remember the shirt I was wearing. I remember the pain in my heart. I swear I felt her presence recently. I don’t know if it was her or the Holy Ghost comforting me, but something was with me and it made me actually stop and close my eyes and grasp on to that feeling.

I miss her. I have accepted that she’s gone, why she’s gone, but I miss her.

Are you having anymore?

Posted on July 3, 2008 by Amanda

I get this question a lot. Probably at least once a week from some random person. They ask, are you having anymore kids? Or are you done since you have a girl and a boy. I truly do feel blessed that I have a girl and a boy and can be done if that’s what we wish for. I’ve even been told that I should get my tubes tied, which honestly I don’t believe is anyone’s business. However, here’s my issue….

I love my sister. I love that I have a sister. I couldn’t imagine not having my sister in my life and I’ve really thought a lot about this after she came up to visit this weekend. I can’t guarantee that if I ever did decide to have another kid it would be a girl, but I don’t like the idea of Ella not having a sister. So, I have no intentions of having anymore kids anytime soon (Ella needs 6 years of quality time like Jayden got), but I don’t like the idea of never having anymore kids ever again. Yet, I feel like my family is complete. I guess what’s meant to be in life will be. I just think it would be sad if Ella never got the chance to have a sister.

Ironic

Posted on July 3, 2008 by Amanda

We moved to Oregon a year and 3 months ago. When we had first moved here there was one time that we went to Lithia Park and was letting Jayden play. I was still pregnant with Ella. There was this girl there that we were talking with and she seemed like a really cool girl! Her husband was out of town in Las Vegas and she was there with her 3 kids. She talked about how she lived above this dentist office in a loft. That caught my attention, because I always thought living in a loft would be really cool!

We ended up going our separate ways and I was kindof sad that I never got her phone number. She seemed like the type of girl I would really get along with. Especially since I had just moved here and really had no friends.

Tonight we went to the YMCA to our Aqua Aerobics and when we walked in a friend from church was in the pool. Her name is Sandy. She was playing with her kids and we told her about how we were getting ready to do the class. She waited until her husband came down to watch the kids then she joined us. I asked her if she lived close by and she told us that she lived in a loft above a dentist’s office. I told her about how this one girl one time told us about living in a loft and it sounded really cool.

Well, the class ended and I get out of the pool and Gino tells me, “Sandy is that girl! The girl from Lithia park.” I looked at him like he was crazy. There was no way that the girl I really wanted to be friends with was a friend of mine. NO WAY! I finally walked over to Sandy and asked if she used to have her hair this way and did her husband go to Vegas last year, and sure enough… Sandy is her.

How cool is that?

Smell goods in my house

Posted on July 2, 2008 by Amanda

My sister walked into my house this past weekend and one of the first comments she made was how she wished that her house smelt as good as mine. I love to have a home that smells good. I’ve tried so many different smell goods and most of the time nobody notices, or they smell horrible. Neither thing is a good thing. Then I tried a new product called Renuzit Tri Scents and it transformed my home. It’s hard sometimes when you have a baby and diapers and all the lovely smells that babies can make in your home. Sure, they’re cute and can smell pretty, but that only goes so far to be honest. Renuzit Tri Scents helps out with covering the smells that you just don’t want others smelling. I know, I know, I should just not be lazy and take the diapers out to the dumpster, but come on…. if you know me, you know that ain’t happening. They’ll go right in the garbage and they’ll stay there until my husband decides to take out the garbage.

I first started out by putting it right next to my garbage can and it did amazing things, people. Things I didn’t know things could do! Thank you TriScents! Thank you! Next was in my living room and after all the many compliments I put one upstairs and one in my bathroom as well. It makes things smell so delicious! If you head over to http://www.triscents.com, you can print out a coupon and get your home smelling as good as mine does.

4 Sisters First Time Together

Posted on July 2, 2008 by Amanda

In addition to my sister Jessica coming up this weekend, we went to a BBQ at my dad’s house (not her dad). History was made in this family and we actually got all the sisters together for the first time. This doesn’t include Jessica. Jessica is my sister from my mom. Jessica is my sister that I grew up with.

These sisters are from my dad. These sisters I didn’t grow up with. These sisters I’m just getting to know. My dad has 4 daughters with 4 different women. We have never all been together before. This was the first and my dad actually cried. Here’s a couple of pictures of all of us together for the first time.

Starting on the top left it goes: Me (25 well, 26 in like 22 days) Alyssa (15 1/2) Brittney (18) on the bottom is Tiona (9 1/2) and there you have it.

My Sister Weekend

Posted on July 2, 2008 by Amanda

This past weekend was wonderful. My sister came up to visit me for the first time since I left Sacramento. We had so much fun! We took the kids to get their pictures taken and I can’t wait to get them back! They turned out soooooo good! It makes me so sad that the cousins, including Mitch’s baby girl Alana can’t grow up together. Vani was so cute this weekend. He has such an independent personality and it’s amazing how each and every child is so different!!! I love that little boy so much and am sad that I’m not in his life the way Jess & Mitch were in Jayden’s life. I feel so bad that they don’t get a chance to be in Ella’s life the way that they were in Jayden’s. However, we have to be happy and we weren’t happy in Sac.

Vani did so many cute things! The first night he got here, Jayden had wrapped himself in a blanket and ended up falling asleep. When Jess went out to get their stuff they had their pillows. Vani ripped the pillow away from Jessica and threw it on the floor. Then he went over to Jayden and lifted up the blanket from over his head and yelled “Hey!” and then pointed to the pillow. It was so sweet. He just wanted his big cousin to sleep on a pillow. Jess and I almost cried over the situation.

Another cute thing that Vani did was we went out to breakfast and Ella was in her car seat sleeping. She was on the floor next to him. After he ate his breakfast he wanted her to eat so he kept trying to give her eggs. It was sweet! It also resulted in him throwing eggs on her.

Hopefully we can all get together more often. It’s so important for our kids to know each other. And for us all to know our nieces and nephews.

Here’s a couple pictures of our fun weekend together.

Jess & Me