My Little One

Each morning as I am waken up by the sweet ramblings of Lilly talking to herself, I lay in bed and cherish the pure sound.  As I walk into her room I am greeted with a smile and a high pitch squeal as she recognizes who I am.  I lean over her crib and softly say, "Good morning my pretty girl." never failing she shrugs her shoulders and gives me her daddy's smile... my heart then melts.  I pick her up, kiss her cheek, and pull her in tightly for a hug, hoping she knows how much I love her precious little self.

I have waited for this moment all my life.  To hold a little angel and call her mine.  To watch her as she peacefully sleeps and admire how perfect she is.  Knowing how fresh she is from the Heavens above and that my Lord and Savior have trusted me enough to keep her safe, help her grow, and to become a devine daughter of God.

Each day brings new smiles as I get to watch her discover herself; her voice, her giggles, her hands, her toes, her tongue, all the small little features she has.  I love watching as she learns to pick toys up, to snuggle her doll, to chew on her keys, to grab mine and Wallie's hair and giggle uncontrollably,  to splash in the tub, to sit up, to stand, to clap her hands, to smile, to roll over, to kick her feet, anything as she explores this new world she is in.

Preparing for this moment has been nothing like I thought it would be.  Maybe the Lord new he had to make it an easy experience since he gave me quite the surprise birthday gift last year!  The thirty-eight weeks leading up to her arrival were pretty easy.  Sure there were a few rough days of a sore tailbone, falling down stairs, constant morning sickness, but that all went away the closer it got to her arrival.

The labor itself was as great as the cool slushy I had waiting patiently the next few hours until she was here.  Before I knew it I had a little one in my arms that instantly grabbed hold of my finger as I admired her chubby little cheeks and dark brown hair.  Shortly after we were taking her home and tucking her in at night.

Those early mornings were effortless as I'd wake to see her little face looking up at me.  Knowing I'd be there for her and help provide in ways she can't yet.  Trusting that I will show up with loving hands, a clean diaper, a warm bottle, and a smile to let her know how much I love her.

Oh how I love her.  I can't get enough of her!  I love that I get to call her mine.  I love that she looks just like her dad. I love how sweet and patient she is.  I love her chubby cheeks.  I love that she is full of smiles and giggles.  I love that she knows the sound of my voice.  I love how happy she gets when her daddy comes home.  She loves him.  She has him wrapped around her little finger.  I love how happy she gets when she sees and hears grandpas voice.  I love how she giggles as grandma has her clap her hands.  I love that she loves to tug on Wallie's hair.  I love the spirit, the joy, the peace that she brings into our home.  I simply love and adore her.

My mornings...

One Step Closer

Tuesday JC got a call asking if we were available to meet with the Stake President Wednesday @ 6:30.      I think we both got a little excited knowing it was most likely about the cancellation letter. I broke it down to three reasons:

1. Let us know the cancellation has been granted.

2.  JC is getting a Young Mens Stake Calling... or some calling.

3.  Meeting with me about submitting the cancellation packet.

    *When working with the Bishop he said the Stake Pres {may} want to meet with me before he wrote his letter and submitted the papers.

I turned the paper work in October.  Seeing that a few months had gone by I figured the Stake Pres had gone ahead and submitted what he needed for the final process before going to the First Presidency.  When we got to the Stake President last night we both went in his office for a minute o visit.  He excused JC so we could discuss the cancellation.  When he said, 'I just need to ask you a few questions before I can write my letter....' my heart sank.  I didn't want to get my hopes up in the beginning, but knowing it was still on hold was hard to hear.  JC and I were both a little sad as we left the church... it wasn't the news we were hoping to hear.

Good news:  He said I would receive a letter from the church in two and half weeks at the latest.  So lets hope it really does go on schedule!  He said he would write and mail his letter last night or this morning. 

So.... one step closer!

New Year

Last year we were truly blessed with all that came our way.  I’m hoping that this year brings as much joy and excitement as well.  I think the highlight of this year will be getting sealed to one another!  The cancellation letter was a doozy getting done and turned in.  It seemed like one thing happened after another of meeting with the Bishop to hand it over.  It was almost comical with how each week something would come up and we would have to reschedule.  The last attempt to meet with him happened to be the Sunday before Lilly was born.  Sure enough, that little girl wanted to come and she wasn’t going to let my meeting with the Bishop get in the way.  So again, another two weeks went by.

I’m glad to say that the letter was finally submitted and all the paper work was turned in.  I’m grateful that when I handed in my letter, the Bishop already had the other parties as well.  It was a slight relief knowing they were waiting on mine, not his.  Now it’s just a waiting game.  I am so grateful that we went ahead and got married without waiting for the cancellation to go through.  It’s a long and hard process that I’m sure people don’t realize or expect it to be. 

The hardest part is knowing that we are not sealed right now; not because of our actions or our choices.  (Well, it was our choice not to wait on the cancellation.)  More than anything we want to be married for eternity and have those blessing in our marriage.  It’s been a hard process waiting.  Waiting is hard when you have to rely on so many others to get the work done.  It’s hard not knowing where things are at and how long it will take.  I guess this is where our faith comes in.

I know in my heart that we did the right thing.  We prayed about waiting and spoke with our Bishop but it didn’t feel right for whatever reason.  Maybe Lilly was that reason.  She sure is a patient baby now… but not when it came to her coming to our family!  She came a lot sooner then we planned!  If we could go back, I wouldn’t change a thing.  It’s been the best year of my life! Knowing now, that not only will JC and I kneel across the alter, but we will have our beautiful daughter with us as well, is an incredible feeling. 

One of my moms (I have a few) explained to me the day that they had their son sealed to their family.  The spirit I felt when she spoke of that moment was unreal.  It was the strength and love I needed to feel at that moment for our similar situation.  It's one thing knowing your future children will be sealed to you the moment they make it to earth, but what an experience it will be to actually have Lilly there with us.  We are all so anxious for that day to come!

Well, it’s that time again for school to start!  I shouldn’t complain since we had an awesome 3 weeks together without school.  The holiday break was fantastic!  I loved spending endless hours with JC and going to do fun filled activities together.

 Some highlights include: 

               Late nights watching movies.

               Enjoying breakfast, lunch and dinner together.

               Family Parties.

               Going sledding followed by the Melting Pot! LOVE date days!

               And simply being with one another!

To kick off the upcoming semester we went to Zupas and the Hobbit on Saturday.  JC is still at Westminster and working at eBay.  He just received a promotion at work which changed his work hours so a couple nights a week he only works until about 6:00 or 4:30.  He is such a hard worker and I’m so proud of all the accomplishment he is continually getting!

So we meet again, Stan...

Alright blog friends - I don't know how many of you follow along anymore since I've been a slacker, but I'm turning to you for motivation! It's one of those things, if I know I have an audience, I will be more determined!

Last summer I told JC that one of my goals is I want to ride up a mountain on our bikes.  You know those crazy cyclist you see slowly creeping up the hill as you zoom by in the car?  As you think to yourself, "They are crazy!!"  Or I always point out how ridiculously muscular their calfs and quads look.  Yeah, I want to do that.  I'm determined to make it by the end of the summer!

JC got me a stationary bike while I was pregnant.  We were still doing outside rides together all the way up until I was about 6/7 months pregnant.  Slowly and surely I started losing motivation.  I couldn't wake up early to beat the high temps and my little pregnant body didn't want to peddel anymore.  Lila my outdoor bike (Recently named her since I discovered JC refuses to name our next daughter that... I adore the name...) started collecting dust in the garage.  Stan, my stationary bike, enjoyed a few good rides before I found comfort in my bed more then anything.

        

       Lila  &  Stan

Stan and I have reacquainted this week.  Each day I love him a little more.  Each day 10 miles gets a little easier as I build up my endurance.

So it begins.  If I start now, hopefully by the time I can ride outside again I will be back to do 20+ miles a day.  So far, it's hard.  More mentally, then physically.  Outdoor riding is way more exciting and challenging.  I know if I ride 15 miles one way, I have another 15 to get home.  With Stan, I go maybe 3 miles and check to see if I'm done yet.  There is no thrill at watching the wall- although the paint design is beautiful, it just doesn't motivate me as much!  Knowing I can simply jump off my bike and quit doesn't help either.  Having clip-in shoes now, thats a slight bonus.  I at least feel like I'm stuck to the bike... so that keeps me on there.

Needless to say, I'm excited for warm weather.  I definitely feel more determined to ride hard when I'm outdoors. There is no way I'm that determined to go when the morning temps are around 8 degrees though!  Not even 20 degrees makes me want to bundle up for a ride!! And Rach... you can guarantee I'll be riding to your house again.  Maybe I wont be as gross and sweaty this time! 

Another reason to start riding is to get back in shape.  Go figure - like the rest of America, New Years goal is to lose weight/get in shape.  Before I got pregnant I was loving the physical appearance of my body - a lot of hard work was definitely paying off!  When I came home from Alaska I was about 180lbs.  After a few months of eating right, cycling, and hanging out with Jillian Michaels every day I made it down to 134lbs. I felt good, I looked good, I was confident. I hadn't felt that way in a long time.  It was exactly what I needed to begin a new life!

Staying fit with JC by my side, keeping me motivated each day has been amazing.  I love that we started riding together.  Not only is it great exercise  but it was fun to spend endless hours together and motivating each other every step of the way.  Last year we did a 60 mile ride to Farmington - it was beautiful and such a fun day!

When I had knee surgery, I swear I gained 10lbs being down for a few weeks.  Following knee surgery I had these strange cravings for burgers, tacos, steak, anything with meat!  Turns out, I was pregnant.  Needless to say - I gained weight and gained it fast!  I was almost back to 180 by the end of the pregnancy.

I'm not too worried about what the scale says.  More importantly I miss the way I felt before the surgery.  I found a new confidence, I loved getting dressed each day, and I loved who I was.  Maybe it was more because it was all so new after where I had come from.  Either way, I'm ready to get back to that point!  

I love cycling.  It's a hobby (can I call it that?) I picked up a couple years ago and each day I ride I love it that much more!

I'm not sure how I want to record my progress yet... I just know I need to keep a daily log to keep me moving.  I love watching the results.  Just this week alone I've already started to feel better and noticed a big difference as I worked out.  You probably don't care what Stan and I do - but again, if my results are public I know I'll try to impress the internet world!

This isn't a full week since I started in January. I started off with a goal of 10 miles each day.

1/1: Who actually starts Jan 1 working out?  I enjoyed this day with my Honey Hub & Little One!

1/2: 10 miles - 39 long, sweaty, horrible minutes -  15.4 AVS (average speed)

1/3: I was really motivated today!

      AM: 10 miles - 36:59 minutes - 16.5 AVS 

      PM: 10 miles - 34:43 minutes - 17.4 AVS 

1/4: 10 miles - 39:33 minutes - 15.5 AVS.... I was texting Rach this ride.  Telling her how my thunder thighs kept hitting part of the bike!  I ended this ride with a nice cut on my inner thigh and feeling pathetic.  That right there is proof I need to get toned again!  Or that I shouldn't wear my shorts just yet...

1/5: 10 miles - 31:50 minutes - 18.7 AVS