Merry Belated Christmas!

Saturday was such an exciting day for us. We met the kids and their grandparents in Kingman, AZ to pick them up and bring them home. I was so excited to see them, but had more than stressed myself out trying to get everything done at the last minute (New Years Resolution- stop procrastinating! lol) so it was nice to have a few hour drive to relax myself. When we got to Kingman and got out of the car the kids ran so fast to us. They were so happy to see us. Huge hugs and kisses and so many "I missed you" were exactly what I needed! :)
We had planned to have Christmas at our house with our families on Saturday at 6, we got home at like 5:15 and Bryant and the kids went to get pizza (a true Christmas dinner, right? lol) but seriously, I didn't think the kids were going to be able to make it. They were so freaking excited! Bryant's mom and sisters were running a little late and I thought the kids were going to go CRAZY! Thankfully, everyone arrived, we HURRIED through pizza (record timing on dinner, got to love that!), and went into the living room to open MOUNDS of presents! It's so fun to see the look on your kids face when they get what they wanted, it makes it all worth it! I tried to make Christmas a little more organized, so the kids opened our gifts, then my parents, then Bryant's mom's gifts.... they were present overloaded about half way through our gifts, don't worry, it didn't stop them! It took about 2 hours to open all of the gifts, it was ridiculous!
At the end of the night I asked the kids what their favorite gifts were... Andy liked his laser balloon shooting game my parents gave him (shocking, isn't it?), Giovanni couldn't stop talking about the excavator my parents got him, and Natali? Oh, ya, she liked her tooth tunes toothbrush the best! She cracks me up... her $6 toothbrush was her favorite gift, how funny is that? Besides having my kids home, my favorite gift were pictures Bryant's mom gave us... they were individual pictures of our kids with their Grandpa, they bring tears to my eyes every time I look at them. They are beautiful.
As the year comes to a quick end, I find myself reflecting on the past 12 months. So much in my life has changed... Bryant's Dad passed away, we got married, became a mom, got my endowment, became room mom in Natali's class, and so much more. We moved 3 times, Bryant changed jobs, we traveled to San Diego (a lot!),Palm Springs (don't ask Bryant about that trip!) San Francisco (Bryant more than the rest of us!), Utah, and Las Vegas (more times than I can count). It was a busy year, but a really fun year. I have high hopes for the new year. Bryant and I have made some life changing resolutions, and I know with the support of our friends and family we can make them happen.

Have a safe and happy New Year!

A Change in Name

First things first, hope that you all had a very Merry Christmas! Ours was quiet due to the kids being gone, but we pick them up in the morning and are having Christmas tomorrow night. I can't wait to see them, I've missed them more than I think is normal. lol.
I'm not sure how many people realize this, but I have been married for 9 months. And never changed my name. It's not because I don't want to... my excuse has always been that I'm busy (I am, honestly, just because I have time to blog doesn't mean anything... lol) and we live REALLY far from any government offices. I've often been caught saying that I totally understand why movie stars don't change their names, it's a lot of work. lol. Well, after months of procrastination, today I officially became Autumn Amber Garvin! I told Bryant that it was part of his Christmas present, to which he replied, "Gee, it's only been 9 months, how did I get so lucky?" in a very sarcastic tone.
So, now we officially are The Garvins! How fun!!

Have a safe and happy New Year!

I'm SOOOO excited!!!

As many of you know, I went to culinary school from 2001-2002 here in Arizona, at Scottsdale Culinary Institute. I loved going to school, it was a lot of work (everyone sounds surprised by this, but it's true) and it was a lot of fun. It was a really fast paced environment and the stress level was sometimes more than I could handle. Overall, I learned a lot and am happy that I went to school. After school I did my extern ship at The Four Season's Troon North in Scottsdale as a Pastry Chef. I worked 14 hour days with no lunches and no brakes (it was super busy) but once again, I learned a lot and was happy to do it. I got burnt out really quick though. I loved baking and cooking, but I couldn't do it under all the pressure. I can remember going into work at 4am and not getting off until 6 pm more days than not. It became harder and harder to try and get Sunday's off and I felt like my life was The Four Seasons. Needless to say, I'm not a Pastry Chef any longer, but I miss it. I miss being creative. I miss putting my touch on someones dessert. Sure, there's always a recipe to follow, but there are a million ways to make it your own. I loved consulting with brides and making their dream cake. More than once I had brides cry when they were brought into the room to see the cake before the reception (tears of joy, of course! lol). It was an awesome feeling.
Fast forward 5 years and here I am, a stay at home mom who doesn't bake nearly enough. So, I get a phone call this morning from one of my friend's in my ward who her and her mom have a catering business... they want me to start making pastries for them! I'd talked to Pennie (the mom) in RS one day (I know, I should have been listening) and she told me she needed a pastry chef but that's all that went. So Shawn Marie (daughter and one of my friends) calls today and is spouting off parties they need things for. The best thing is, I can do this when my kids are at school, or Giovanni is napping. It totally won't take away from my family at all. My first two assignments are cakes. A Hollywood star birthday cake for Friday and a cake for a baptism on Saturday. I feel no stress, just pure excitement!! So, I just wanted to share my joy!! :)

Christmas Concerts

Last week was super busy, but so fun! Natali and Andy had their Christmas concerts at school, they were so cute! The school was smart and had kindergarten go on Monday, 2nd and 3rd go on Wednesday, and 4th and 5th on Friday so that you didn't have to sit through a 4 hour long production. Personally, I loved it. Both performances were about 30 min and small enough that you could see every kid and their little personality. My kids LOVE to dress up so Natali told me she would need to wear a new Christmas dress and Andy told me he needed to wear a suit. I was a little surprised at this, but whatever, right? So I got the kids what they needed and then found out they could wear anything BUT jeans. LoL. Close to fancy clothes, right? It was funny. They looked super cute and felt so good about themselves. Everyone was saying how cute they looked, and they just ate up the complements!
It was a fun week and we are counting down the days until the kids come back to have Christmas with us. They are leaving for their mother's house next Saturday and will return the following Saturday. I'm sad. I'll miss my little lover buggers, but I know that it's important they go and see their grandparents and other family in Utah. I guess, lol.

Where did I go? LoL

I know it's been a while... I've been super busy and am rushing around this week too...but wanted to catch everyone up!
First, my birthday was awesome. Very relaxed, but it was nice to spend time with my family. The kids were super cute and bought me things that I would need (hot pads, a back scrubber (apparently my back is dirty lol), candles, candy...the goods) but put a lot of thought into it. I was touched by the cards they each wrote for me and the love and selflessness they showed that day. Bryant bought me a beautiful double strand multi colored pearl necklace, bracelet, and earring set. It was really a great day! You can kind of see the necklace in the first pic of Bry and I.
This past week Bryant and I went to San Francisco for Bryant's company party. I got to relax a bit and shop a ton! :)This was our first flight together, and we had soo much fun! Our flight was delayed in Vegas due to fog so the flight attendants became our friends and took me to the cockpit where the pilot let me sit in his seat! lol. I felt like a little kid! lol. It was lots of fun! We enjoyed mingling with his co-workers at the party. At one point the CEO of the company came to sit with us and ranted and raved about how Bryant was such an asset to the company and because of him big changes were being made. He expressed his excitement to have Bryant (Bry's only been at the company since April) and thanked me for my support toward Bryant. I didn't know what to say... I know Bryant works hard and his company LOVES him but to have the CEO say that was so good to hear. Especially because Bryant is the only employee who works remotely from home and travels to SF monthly. It was good to hear that wasn't a problem like I was worried it would become. Friday night we went to the Four Seasons with Bryant's boss and co-worker and talked about work, live, and everything in between. I've never met people who cared so much about us. It was such a reality check to me. We've known these people about 8 months and they have done things for us that are just unbelievable. I feel so blessed that Bryant has this job. Bryant is changing positions in the company and will have to be traveling more to SF but his boss wanted to make sure that if it stressed me too much just to let her know. She joked that she wanted to make Bryant make enough money to get me a nanny and maid... have I told you I love this lady? lol.
Anyway, I hope you all had a great few weeks. I find myself missing my friends that I don't get to see often enough. Especially around the holidays. I love you all and hope that you have a great holiday season.

Better Than My Birthday

I know I haven't blogged about my birthday, and I will... but I don't like thinking about being another year older! ;) So... instead of dwelling on that I thought you would like to see what Bryant and the kids were up to when I was out the other day... lol... take a look at them!!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9632175106


I'll blog about my birthday later tonight so you can all hear about how super it was and what my awesome hubby got me!

Gobble, Gobble!!!

Thanksgiving was a lot of fun at my house... well, at first it was a lot of stress then it became fun! We hosted Thanksgiving for 16 of our closest relatives! I cooked the entire meal (see, my culinary school wasn't a waste! lol) with the exception of desserts. I must admit, it was dang tasty!
The best part of the day was going around the table and hearing what everyone was thankful for. It's so good to hear that my kids were thankful for things like our home, our family, church, their teachers, each other and Bry and I (with the exception of Giovanni who was only thankful for Spiderman, Superman, and Blue Spiderman lol... nice). It made me realize how much my children do appreciate what we have.
After everyone left we watched Elf and decorated our Christmas tree. We bought at 9 1/2 ft tree... I'm so not smart and didn't realize how HUGE it is! Good thing we have 20 ft ceilings! At first I was really picky and wouldn't let the kids help then I realized how much they wanted to and set them free. My only regret was when Vanni got a hook stuck in his tooth...lol. Let's just say that there are probably 5 ornaments on every branch. Not to mention, my creative kids crawled UNDER the tree and decorated down there. lol. It's super cute though!
I am so thankful for my family. I'm thankful for my loving husband who shows me everyday what unconditional love is. I'm thankful for his job that provides for us and allows us the ability to have Bryant at home with us and allows me to be able to stay home with the kids. I'm so thankful for the atonement and for the opportunity I have to renew my covenants each and every week. I'm thankful for my children who teach me how simple life really is, and how wonderful they make it. I'm thankful that I am blessed with this family and with my extended family. I'm so thankful for all of my friends who have stood by me through the years and who are practically family. I'm thankful for the new friendships that I have made. I love you all and hope that your thanksgiving was as wonderful as ours.

Weekend Report!!!

I had such a fun weekend! A few weeks back Jess asked me if I wanted to do a Breast Cancer 5k with her and her work because my Grandma is a breast cancer survivor I didn't hesitate to say yes. The 5k was in Tempe at Tempe Town Lakes and started at 8am Saturday. Tempe is about 45 min from my house and I wasn't sure how traffic would be so I woke up at 6:30 to meet Jess by 7:30 and while I was getting ready I was super excited... I don't know if it was because Bryant was home so a lot of stress was off me but I know I was also really excited to hang out with Jess. Anyway, the walk was awesome. Jess works with some really nice people and it was fun to walk and chit chat with her. And just have some "grown up time" lol. We were done with the walk in a little over an hour and I headed home to hang out with my family.
Saturday night Bryant and I enjoyed a nice evening alone. We are so blessed to have some girls in our ward that are great sitters and our kids love them! Bryant and I went to Game Works (it's like Dave and Busters or Jillian's) and had dinner and played games for a few hours. Over the past few weeks I've been feeling closer and closer to Bryant. I feel our marriage is so strong right now. I see how much the Lord's hand is in our marriage and I'm so grateful for that.
I love Sunday's because our church doesn't start until 12 (well, starting this week until the end of the year it's at 11- long story) so Bryant and I usually sleep in (we've trained the kids not to get out of bed until we get them lol)and then we wake up and cook breakfast together. As part of my calling I organized a Thanksgiving dinner for a family in our ward that is struggling so Sunday I was finalizing some of that in RS. While I was talking to the sisters in our ward I was overcome with gratitude. At a moments notice I have sisters offering to do anything that is needed from them. Not only that. I felt so grateful for my calling, for being able to serve the families in our ward. I felt grateful for Bryant's job that allows us the luxury's we enjoy and having him home. I really do feel blessed. I have amazing children who are so funny, I have a great family, wonderful, supportive friends, a beautiful house... I'm blessed, though sometimes I forget that everything is a blessing. lol.
Sunday night I went to see So You Think You Can Dance (I know, it was a Sunday- I didn't realize the date when I bought the tickets and Bryant already scolded me lol) with Jess and had more fun there! It's our second year going I am so glad that I have a girl friend here that I can hang out with. Jess is amazing and I never thought that we would become as close as we have.
So, ya... that's my weekend!! :)

Welcome Carson Jared Pratt!!!

I am proud to announce the arrival of my newest nephew,Carson Jared Pratt! Summer's water broke at 1 am this morning and baby was here at 11:23am! He is weighing in at 8lbs 4oz and is 20 inches long! Mommy and baby both are doing great!

Long Week Ahead!

I'm totally not into this week at all. It's going to be really stressful and I'm already feelin it. Bryant has a trip to San Fran this week, he leaves at 5am tomorrow and won't be back until like 9pm on Friday... I'm so sad. I didn't really get to spend much time with him today because he worked and the kids and I decided to finally use those passes we got to the Zoo (ya, we've had an annual pass for 7 months and used it for the 2nd time today... lol) and went with my sis and her kids. So basically I'm not going to see Bryant at all this week. What makes Bryant being gone even harder is my parents are in Utah because Summer is having her baby next week so I'm literally all by myself. It's not as bad when my parents are right behind me to help out, you know?
What else about this week besides having all 3 kids, our dog and my parents dog by myself? Oh, ya... Thanksgiving dinner is at my house this year and I don't have anything except cranberry sauce. lol. Not to mention Saturday I am doing a 5k breast cancer walk with Jess... though by that time it'll probably be the most relaxing moment of my week! :)
Most stressful moment of the week happened at like 7:58 tonight when I found out that Prison Break won't be on again until January 14th! You can't leave me hanging like that, it's just not fair!!!
But....to leave on a happy moment, a week from tomorrow (November 20th) I will have a new nephew! And look how cute his Mommy and big sister look!

Mommy's Little Helper!

The mornings are always really crazy around here trying to get all the kids ready, fed, and out the door on time. This morning after all the craziness of getting Andy and Nati to school I was trying to get the kitchen cleaned when Vanni came in and said, "I help you Mama". Sure enough he went over to the dishwasher and started handing me all of the clean plates then as he was pulling out the silverware he would tell me "fork, spoon, knife" so that I could make sure to get it right! lol. The cutest thing was when he went and got a folding chair pulled it up to the sink and started WASHING the dishes! He totally got into it, got out the scrubby, the soap, the works! He even put a little elbow into a dirty pot! It was sooo cute! When the dishes were all done (don't worry, he saved the knives for me!) he got the sponge and wiped the table. What a little man! It was for sure the highlight of my day!

Happy Halloween!

My kids had so much fun trick or treating with their cousin Makenzy! Before they were dressed we enjoyed some yummy potato soup (it was yummy cause I made it!) and the kids could hardly contain their excitement! After dinner we got ready quick and went around the neighborhood getting lots of good candy! It was a long night, and the kids went to bed right as soon as we got home!
They looked so cute in their costumes! I think the funniest part of the night was when Vanni went to a door and when no one answered he yelled "open up!" It was super funny! They loved running up and down the streets and having everyone tell them how cute they looked! The highlight of their night was going to Papa and Grammy's and getting a special Halloween treat and some popcorn!
It was so fun watching my kids enjoy themselves and just be kids!

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale

For the past 7 months Bryant and I have been saying we need to find a babysitter and go out on a date. We've had family watch the kids, but that's always hard because we feel our families are busy enough and don't need added stress. So, I was at the grocery store last week and ran into a girl from our ward and asked if she babysat and if she was available on Saturday... I was more than delighted to hear a yes!
I must tell you Saturday was the best date of my life. Bryant put so much time and energy into making sure that we had a nice romantic night, it was amazing. First things first, to make it so we weren't being "parents" Bryant rented us a mustang convertable (left the minivan at home! lol), which was awesome in itself! It was a beautiful night and although on the way to dinner I made him have the top on, I enjoyed driving with it off the rest of the night! Anyways, we went to the beautiful Hyatt Regency in Scottsdale to eat at Alto where we enjoyed delicious Italian food and the beautiful view from our outside table. It was so romantic, candelight, by the pool, waterfalls all around. Wow. After dinner we took a Gondola ride around the lake that surrounds the Hyatt while being sung Italian Opera and snuggling under the stars. When we were done with the gondola ride we went to the lounge and listened to some live flamenco music and sipped on virgin pina coladas while cuddeling on the couch. To finish the evening we went to my favorite dessert spot, The Gelato Spot, and enjoyed delicious gelato. Oh, and to make the night even better we stopped to get a diet coke on the way home (the restraunt only had Pepsi products...ew) I have never felt so relaxed or in love in my life (well, I felt very in love on my wedding day) but knowing that Bryant planned all of this on his own just spoke mounds to me. It was so nice not to be interrupted by kids, or cell phones, or life. I realize how much Bryant trys and how too often I don't tell him that I appreciate him and how glad I am that he is my husband and best friend.

So Over It

I totally think I'm having a mother moment... I honestly think I might have a heart attack right here and now. While the kids were gone to their Mother's house Bryant went on a business trip and I went on a cleaning/organizing binge. Now, this was no small task, I was doing major deep cleaning from the floors, to the fridge, to the toilets, to the blinds...I was spring cleaning in the Fall. Anyways, my house looked amazing. You could not find a speck of dust or dirt for a mile. I was so proud of my house, and thankful to my parents who nearly killed themselves helping. So then the kids and Bryant come home and I talk to them about chores and how I just can't do everything by myself. We made chore charts and promised allowance if they would simply do their chores. That lasted about 2 days.
I'm so frustrated that I think I just don't care. Why is it that I am the only one who cares if the beds are made? Am I the only one who gets frustrated when they trip over a toy or a shoe? Or a backpack? Does anyone else find it just maddening that when clothes are taken off they aren't put in the hamper? I really don't think I'm being unreasonable. I will admit that I get tired, too and don't want to put away my crap. And lately we've bought a lot of new things, so it's gotten a little out of hand with all of the boxes. But, really folks, the garbage can is out the garage! I understand that Bryant works hard and that I'm a stay at home mom...does that make ALL of this MY job? Am I wrong in my frustrations? I don't expect the kids to get down on the floor and scrub...but pick up your toys for cryn out loud!!! And, gee, I don't know... when you are done eating, put your freaking dish in the sink!
Thank you, that is all. lol

:)

So the meeting yesterday went great. I was very pleased with the results. Basically what happened was we went into meet with the OT, PT, and Speech Therapist who were evaluating Vanni. The normal range of scoring was between 85-115 with 85 being normal and 115 being super brilliant. Vanni scored 95's in most areas! While they were talking they kept saying what a smart boy he was and that he was brilliant, the only problem was his speech (my main concern also). Even his speech wasn't that bad though, but a concern enough to qualify him for speech preschool!! There were two different classes, one at 8 and one at 9:45. The one at 8 were for the more delayed children and the 9:45 were the more advanced...they recommended Vanni go to the 9:45 class!! WooHoo! So I'm not the only one who thinks my son is a smarty pants! lol.
So he will be going to school from 9:45 to 11:15 Mon-Thur starting on Monday! The class he goes in main focus is speech, while they still do it in a preschool setting. They will be doing calendar, songs, etc but the teacher is a speech therapist and the class is capped at 10 kids. Awesome.
I am so grateful for the opportunity Vanni has to be in this program and learn to communicate better. I know that Heavenly Father is a huge part in this and I realize just how blessed we are. When we were having the meeting they kept saying that they anticipate Vanni will meet all his goals on his IEP (individual education plan) by the end of the school year and recommend we start looking for preschools for next year that are more advanced! I know every mom thinks their kid is the smartest, cutest thing ever but I had real concerns that because of Vanni's past it would affect him academically, clearly I'm doing something right to hear that all is well!

And the results are...

I don't know yet. lol. Today we go in and talk to all of the therapists that evaluated Giovanni and his speech and motor skills over the past few weeks. I'm nervous... when he went for the evaluation last week it was the same people who did the initial one and they all remembered him and said that they could see a HUGE improvement! (Yaay for Vanni and Mommy! lol) They told me that he knew 7/10 colors, between 300-400 words (apparently 200 is average for his age) and that he was using good sentences. So...what does that mean? Will he get in? Idk... I think he is doing a great deal better then he was but I also know that there are some areas he still needs help with. It's no longer in my hands, though... so... I will let you all know.
Also, any of my lovely Cali girls who read this... I hope you know you are in my prayers right now with the fires. If you are asked to evacuate I would love some company! :) Please keep me posted on everything!!
One last (happier) note! Last night my love bought me my own computer!! I'm so freaking excited! It's been hard because the only computer we have is Bryant's work computer so... yipee for me!! What a nice feeling to be contemplating a desk top or a lap top. lol. In the end I chose the desk top... I have a really old lap top and two things I noticed... 1) I hate not having a keyboard with a number pad. 2) Batteries on lap tops generally aren't that great. Oh, and 3) The desk top had more ram and memory...whatever that may be! lol. Anyways, so soon I will be having messenger again and my name won't be Gene or Bryant. lol. So, a very special thank you to my hubby for my new computer! (and vacuum but I don't want to be all "Monica") You are the best Bry, I'm so glad we found each other and have made it 7 months!! :) Love you, Eebs!


Love you all!

Testing, one...two...three...

Tomorrow is Vanni's final day of preschool testing... yes, they are STILL testing him. It's annoying, I know. I'm so nervous for him. I'm sure he'll be fine, but I just want to make sure they see any needs he has and that he will be able to have what he needs to learn and catch up. He's been talking so much more lately, but I know that the school would still benefit him greatly. So... cross your fingers and say your prayers!
Other news... I touched on it before, but Andy (Z's son from before she married Bryant) has been living with us for a couple weeks now and I can see a huge improvement on his behavior. It's amazing the changes kids can make when they are shown love and stability. I'm grateful we have him. I won't lie, it's a huge challenge but I'm glad that he's somewhere that I know he is getting what he needs and his school is sooo awesome.
Natali is Natali. She got in trouble for talking too much in class the other day and when I asked her what happened she said she was sad because her teacher wouldn't let her talk to her friends during work time. Duh! lol. She is way too cute, that's for sure. She is starting to read it's so exciting!
Bryant is going to be traveling more for work. Starting in November he will be going to San Fran for a week of each month. I'm glad that he has the opportunity, and I know that it is opening doors for him at work, but I will miss him lots and lots.
I'm just pushing along. I find myself getting less stressed each day and realizing more and more which battles to pick. I've been trying to do more things for me so that I don't get too overwhelmed. I joined WW (yes, again) and started going to the gym. I feel so good and love that because of my change of lifestyle my kids are learning the importance of eating healthy and exercising. I know that I have tried a million times to lose weight and haven't had much success at keeping it off, but I feel so different this time. I feel like I have motivation that I've never had before. So...hopefully that will stick!! ;)

6 Months!

So, I realized that I didn't post a blog that Bryant and I celebrated our 6 month anniversary on Sunday! I know to the rest of you that have been married for years 6 months isn't long...but we're excited! ;)
I can't believe how fast time has passed. And how much has changed in our lives since then. Bryant started a new job right after our honeymoon, we moved in with my parents for a short time, we moved into our new house, Natali started kindergarten, and we got full custody of Natali and Vanni's older brother, Andy (long story I will blog another time). Not to mention I received my endowments and we started going to our new ward that we love sooo much and keeps us on our feet with activities.
I am so grateful to have such a loving husband. We've been through so much together, and at times I was concerned if we would make it but my love grows stronger and stronger for him each day. I can't wait for more anniversary's and more celebrations.
I love you, Eebs! :)

Forgiveness

Our RS lesson on Sunday was about forgiveness and it was such a good lesson, it got me thinking a lot more about forgiveness and the Atonement. I have a lot (well more than I used to) of free time now that Natali is in school and soon Vanni will be in school too, so it will be even better. Anyways, I've been finding myself pondering how selfless Heavenly Father is and what a great example He is to me. I've been in fights with people and held grudges so long that I forget what the fight was about in the first place (don't you hate that? lol). However, I too find myself mad at someone and then dieing to talk to them to tell them something so simple in my life. I was thinking that's how it must have felt to Heavenly Father when I wasn't active and living my life the way that I thought was fun... I am so greatful for the atonement for the opportunity that I have to be forgiven for my sins, big or small as they may be. Isn't it amazing that we have to think about forgiving someone or even deny their apology but yet our Savior accepts it everytime. It really put things into perspective for me. It would be so easy for me to tell the kids Mother to flake off and never answer her phone calls or send pictures but honestly, who would that hurt? The kids more than anyone. This morning an opportunity approached for me to forgive the past and move on with my life. Z had court in Mesa and when she went to check into her hotel she was told that the rate was double what she was quoted. After helping her look for hotels for a few minutes I talked to Bryant and asked if he would care if she would stay with us for the night. I know, you are thinking I'm crazy. I just couldn't imagine being in her shoes and not being able to see my children everyday. Not being able to tuck them in at night or hear them pray or help them get ready for school. Who am I to judge? I know in my past relationships I wasn't perfect (I know,it's amazing to hear that, huh?) and neither were they. Divorce is an ugly thing when children are involved and I hope that I can help to bring more peace to my children's spirits and let them know that they are loved more than anything.

My Love Style

Your Love Life is Like Annie Hall

"A relationship, I think, is like a shark. You know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies." You believe that love (if you even believe in love!) is a very complicated thing.Maybe love is pain. Or maybe it's all a big therapy session. You're still figuring it out. Your love style: Brainy and a bit neurotic Your Hollywood Ending Will Be: Realistic and reflective

http://www.blogthings.com/whatmovieisyourlovelifelikequiz/">WhatMovie Is Your Love Life Like?

Sophie

K, I have to make this short because it's late.... but... we got a puppy tonight!! I'm so excited! She is only 6 weeks old, and come to find out we aren't really sure what kind of puppy she really is but it doesn't matter... we are in LOVE! :) In the second picture you can see, but she loves to stick her tongue out, it's way cute!

My parents were at the grocery store and someone was giving away puppies so my mom called and asked if we wanted one... so... now we have a puppy! We named her Sophie, the kids are so excited and could hardly sleep tonight, it's so cute. And, even though he won't admit it, Bryant loves her too. He held her all night long. It's cute! I'm sure she'll make the next 6 months go quicker! ;)

We Plan, The Lord Schedules

Bryant is famous for saying we plan but the Lord schedules...
For everyone who doesn't know Bryant and I are trying to have a baby. We haven't been preventing anything from happening since we got married (6 months ago) and nothing has happened. I have totally irregular periods and so I was 100% certain I wasn't ovulating so in July I went to the OBGYN to start to try and figure out what was happening and what we could do to fix the problem. When I scheduled my first appointment I was told that I could see a NP and get in like months sooner, so I did... Susan is my NP and she was awesome... totally supportive of me wanting to have a baby and wanted to get the ball rolling. They took a ton of tests and found that I have PCOS, they gave me Provera to start me on a regular cycle and then told me to come get more blood work done the 27th day of my cycle. Like a good little girl, I did. About 10 days or so later Susan called me and told me that I would have to see the Dr to go further in my quest to have a baby... she didn't tell me why and I didn't really ask I just made an appointment and tried to think positively.
Yesterday I went to see Dr. Howard for the first time. When the Dr came in he got straight to the point. My testosterone levels were elevated and because of that ovulation is inhibited. He was speaking a foreign language... what did this mean? What can I do to fix this? The answers came too loud and clear for my taste. I would be put on birth control for 6 months to try and lower my testosterone level (it was 83 and the lower the testosterone (below 30) the more likely you are to ovulate and get pregnant). Tears streamed down my face, I couldn't help it. I thought I was going in to get instructions on taking Clomid and now I'm being told that for another 6 months I won't be doing anything but preventing pregnancy. I was totally devastated. To top it off Dr. Howard felt inclined to let me know that I could do my part in trying to lose 50 pounds over the next 6 months also. I want to lose weight, I know that for the health of myself and my baby it is the best thing. I just wish it were as simple as saying it. I left Dr.Howard's feeling defeated.
I know the Lord has a bigger plan than I do. I know the Lord will guide and direct my life and that one day I will have children that have my DNA. As much as I would love for this blog to be about me finding out I was pregnant, it's not, but I can say I feel great peace and know that the Lord is watching over me, that He loves me, and knows my desires. I will do my part and take Dr.Howard's advice and the rest is in the Lord's hands.

A snip, snap...

Vanni is the worst kid ever to get a hair cut, he hates it. Sadly, his hair still grows. lol Anyways, I cut his hair like 6 weeks ago, just a little trim and it looked fine but I realized the other day that his hair was growing so fast and it was looking really nasty but every time I asked him if I could cut it he would say "no, I like my hair"... super, right? So, we're at Wal*Mart on Saturday and Vanni decides he wants a haircut!! Well, we didn't want to wait so I thought that I would cut it at home myself again... bad idea. He wouldn't stop moving... anyways, the haircut turned out pretty bad... the only thing we could do was shave it... lol. Good thing he LOVES it!! I think it looks really cute, it shows off his big green eyes, so that's fun! lol

So here are the pics, and also a pic of Natali being ghetto fab!!!

Got the Cam Fixed!!!

So... when we moved to our new house somehow my cords to my camera got lost, a very sad experience might I say. Anyways, my awesome husband bought something that made my pictures appear on the computer!! YIPEE!! :)

I was very excited and wanted to share some pretty cute pics!! Enjoy!!

Say Cheese!!!!

It's Bryant's Mom's (Bamba) tradition to take the kids every August and get pictures taken. So... a few weeks ago we went and got pics. It was my first experience with kids and pictures (besides school pics) and boy was I in for it!! lol. It was my kids and Rhiannan's daughter Makenzy (Ma) and I am happy to say Natali and Vanni were the BEST! Ma would only smile if I was in the room and giving her my cell phone. lol. Kids! My personal favorite of Vanni is the one with his mouth open (top right of his) and I love the one where Nati is sitting and kind of playing with her toes (middle right of hers).

Any-who, I think the pics turned out really cute... here are just a few of them!

Rain, Rain!!!

This morning we woke up to a beautiful thunder storm! I love Arizona storms, they are beautiful! So it was something pleasant to wake up to a 7am! ;) My sister-in-law's baby shower is today so the kids were getting ready and asked if they could put on their new rain gear I bought them for their birthdays. I couldn't resist the pictures!

Also, I added in a pic of the frame I made my SIL. It's the first thing I've made on my own like this and I think it turned out cute... simple, but cute!