Bigger Big Girl Bed

We have been keeping our eyes out for deals for either bunk beds or twin beds since we will be needing a new bed for Marisa once the baby comes and takes over her crib. I know I have mentioned before that our city has its own website with a classifieds section on it (I bought Marisa a great, soft rocking horse from it for $15) where you can find some amazing stuff for cheap. So I have been regularly checking the website and last Saturday we struck gold. From one person we bought a white twin bed for $40. And they gave us their bedskirt for free. And from another person we got a twin mattress and boxspring for FREE in practically brand new condition. I was seriously estatic all day because of such a great find. Don't you just love finding bargains?

Marisa kept bouncing her body off the mattress saying, "Big girl bed!" over and over again!

Marisa's soon-to-be new bed this July right before the baby is born!

Farewell Old Friend

It has been one week exactly since I have seen my food at the bottom of the toilet. Good-bye morning sickness and hello 30 pounds! haha

The Joys of Motherhood

Now vaccuming or doing other chores around the house is obviously not as glamarous as Jessica Simpson makes it out to be. But it is highly rewarding when your little toddler runs toward you with open arms and a big smile saying, "Yay Mommy! You did it!!" every time you are done vaccuming. A hug everytime I vaccum? Thanks Marisa!

Happy Valentine's Day!

For Valentine's Day Tim took me out to breakfast to a place called "The Beachcomber Cafe" at Crystal Cove. It is the cutest little restaurant literally right on the beach. Our table was at the very front edge of the deck so while we were eating a delicious breakfast we were facing the ocean, enjoying the beautiful view, and listening to the waves crash on the beach. Super cute and romantic! But it gets better than that. Since you are basically dining outside each chair in the restaurant has a blanket which you can use to keep yourself warm and throughout the restaurant there are also heat lamps which I think adds to the atmosphere perfectly. PLUS, the restaurant serves organic, fresh, healthy food which is my kind of place. Fresh fruit smoothies, hot chocolate, yummy dishes, etc.! Mmmmm... I love you Tim and thanks for a wonderful breakfast!

On our way walking down to the beach!

I'm standing right on the sand in front of the restaurant! And our table was right behind the guy under the umbrella. Front row seats!

Our views while we waited to be seated!



Still in love!

Timeout

Whenever I put Marisa in a timeout, I sit right across from her while she sits in the corner because she tries to run away, and after a minute of sitting there I then explain to her why she had to go to timeout and what she should be doing instead. But last night during my "lecture" she turned around and planted her face right up against the corner of her room.

Apparently, she was done listening to my "lecture"...

I'm a "Big Girl" now

With a new baby coming I've been trying to look ahead so I can slowly start planning a few things. (I'm a HUGE planner.) For example, one of the first things on my list was to make a smooth transition for Marisa, as much as possible, from being the only child to a big sister.
So, first thing first, Tim and I decided about a week and a half ago to change her crib into her toddler bed. (Can you imagine one day sleeping in your crib and the next day some strange new baby that cries a lot and takes your parent's attention away from you is suddenly sleeping in your bed?) So the whole day we kept saying she was a "big girl" and that she was going to get a "big girl" bed. Later on that night, Tim, with help from Marisa, took apart her crib. Marisa didn't care at all. She thought it was so cool when Tim was done that she could get in and out of her bed whenever she wanted. She even asked us for a pillow.

Jumping on her bed with wild crazy hair!

Marisa normally sleeps the other direction and on her pillow but for some reason she put herself to bed like this!

The transition to our surprise has been easy. The first night was the only time she got up and ran out of her room about 4 times happily screaming before actually falling asleep. It really wasn't even a big deal. We thought it was actually kinda cute and funny that she was so excited about her bed.

Funny story: A few nights ago we put Marisa to bed and of course a couple minutes later she opens the door. Tim and I were sitting on the couch and before she could even walk out I said out loud, "Marisa...go to bed." And then she quickly shut the door. A couple more minutes pass and we can hear her quietly but barely open the door (she was trying to be sneaky this time) but once again before she could walk out of her room Tim then said out loud, "Marisa...go to bed." She tried to be sneaky one last time after that but with both of us saying, "Marisa...go to bed," she actually went to bed!

So yeah, pretty easy if you ask me. And naps are even easier than bedtime. She will actually ask for her binky and Georgie and put herself to bed. I don't have to do anything!

So everything in our home now is all about "BIG GIRL". She has really taken a liking to that.

Eating like a big girl with Mom and Dad! No high chair, bowl of cereal, and big girl cup!

We are still working on her binky. It has been a lot harder than I thought. I want her off of it by her 2nd birthday but we will see. In the meantime, Marisa has really grown up. The other day she even told me she wanted to go to the bathroom. She said, "Mommy, bathroom", and then walks in and stands by the toilet. Potty training already???

Happy Birthday Tanya!

As today is Tanya’s 25th birthday, I’ve written 25 facts about her that you probably wouldn’t know without living with her. Happy birthday, Tanya!! We love you.

1. If it were up to Tanya, she would still be in high school.
2. If it were up to Tanya, she would still be in high school dating Troy Bolton. She even had a dream about this. She woke me up in the middle of the night to tell me all about it.
3. She recently had another dream where she was on the current edition of the Bachelor, and was handed a rose after a group date with the Bachelor.
4. She loves to sleep and needs a minimum of 15 minutes before getting out of bed.
5. She loves pajamas. She swears that she could never have enough. Sometimes I have to remind her to change out of them when we leave the house.
6. Every night, Tanya goes to bed with socks on. Once her feet are warm, she kicks them off. By the end of the week there are always multiple pairs of socks at the foot of the bed.
7. She had $17 in her bank account when we got married.
8. One of my favorite ways to drive Tanya crazy is to move items around in the kitchen. Sometimes I like to move things like the toaster and spice rack by an inch just to watch the aftermath. Without fail, as soon as Tanya walks into the kitchen, she knows that something is up. She then moves everything back to its proper place and checks all the cabinets and drawers just to make sure I didn’t touch anything inside.
9. She doesn’t remember the first time we met. My roommate and I visited her in her apartment at BYU. She does, however, remember meeting my cute roommate during that visit.
10. She loves to play UNO on XBOX.
11. Her favorite food is juice.
12. Her favorite candy is Almond Joy.
13. She doesn’t like onions, applesauce, and raisins.
14. One of Tanya’s New Year’s resolutions from 2008 was to go on a one month fast from juice. I’m not sure what prompted this resolution, but it never happened. Impressively, she did stick with all her other resolutions.
15. She is a perfectionist.
16. Tanya doesn’t need or use deodorant. Apparently Tanya doesn’t sweat.
17. Tanya is a very intelligent person, but she does enjoy the occasional airhead moment every now and then. One of my favorites was when Tanya asked me to blow up some balloons for Marisa’s first birthday party. When Tanya realized that the first balloon wasn’t floating, she asked me, “What’s wrong with this balloon? Why isn’t it floating?” I didn’t know how to respond to what she had just said. I was shocked.
18. Tanya is so tiny that she’s outweighed by her 10 year old nephew. Tanya is also 3 months pregnant.
19. She loves reality TV. She watches the Bachelor, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, Real Housewives of Orange County and Atlanta, John and Kate Plus 8, the show with the Duggar family, Small People Big World, and many others that I’m forgetting.
20. She is the oldest of 3 children in her family and loves to be bossy.
21. Tanya vows to only run on a treadmill.
22. Tanya kind of had a meltdown when she turned 22 because of how old she thought she was.
23. She has a couple of gray hairs.
24. She is an excellent mother.
25. She is an excellent wife.

To the #1 Man in My Life

Now that I am feeling better and feeling more normal I just want to publicly thank my husband for being the best husband and father in the world. Being pregnant is not really fun for me or even easy for me. I get really sick, really tired, really emotional, really moody, and really stressed out. But despite my unpleasantness Tim steps up to the plate and goes over and beyond his call of duty.
Thank you Tim for bringing breakfast to me every morning, doing ALL the dishes every morning before going to work, never letting me change a poopy diaper when you are around, letting me take long naps when you are home, dealing with Marisa 100% of the time when you are home, never letting me do anything strenuous, being by my side and rubbing my back everytime I'm over the toilet throwing up, (that seriously cannot be pleasant for you), getting me whatever I want from the kitchen so I can eat on the couch, and listening to me cry and complain on how awful I feel everyday. haha
Now that I feel better I hope in some small way I can return the love you have especially shown me the past two months. I'm so grateful that you have helped me immensely despite the terribly long hours you work. I'm sorry that the 15 minutes a day where I do get to see you haven't been the easiest or necessarily the happiest. I hope now that I do feel better we can actually enjoy each others company. I love you so much and thank you for absolutely everything.