Highlights of 2012

With the end of 2012 drawing near, I began to think about all of the different things that have happened in the last 365(ish) days. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was celebrating the beginning of the year with my husband, our good friends Marie and Greg, and watching the boys set off fireworks. And now that 2013 is right around the corner it will be time to do it all over again. So let's take a look back, shall we?

2012 in review...

-We watched two of our good friends Kristen and Steven say "I do" in February at their gorgeous wedding.

- We took a spur of the moment trip to San Diego to see my sister in law for a few days, and got to go to the San Diego Zoo and Seaworld.

- I crossed off a few goals on my bucket list including visiting the Museum of Death in Hollywood, and flying in my first ever helicopter ride.

- We took a week long trip to Chicago which was a first for all three of us. We did lots of different things there, including some more of my bucket list items like seeing a game at Wrigley and also visiting the Sears Tower.

- I graduated with my AA degree in Paralegal Studies, which I really couldn't have done without the support of my family and my amazing husband.

- My beautiful and adorable nephew was born in June, and I'm so happy that I was able to be there to see him shortly after he arrived. I'm a pretty lucky auntie =)

- Ran in the Color Run in San Francisco, which also included the munchkin looking quite colorful in her stroller. 

- Spent my birthday in Monterey with the husband, which was also our first ever overnight away from Amelia. Luckily she did extremely well!

- Amelia had her Mickey Mouse themed 2nd birthday party with lots of goodies, family, and friends.

- Had my husband receive an awesome birthday surprise of finding out that we are pregnant with #2!

- Celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary by having a nice night out at a fancy restaurant.

- Took another spur of the moment trip to Disneyland.

- Found out that baby number two is definitely a boy!

I'm sure there is more that I missed but these were definitely some of the highlights of our year. Even though there were a few bad points, I would say for the most part that we had a pretty awesome year and that I am very lucky with the life that I have. I'm working on figuring out all the things that I want to accomplish in 2013, for myself and as well as for my little family. I've got some big ideas and some big dreams that we are working on, and I can't wait to see what the new year has in store for us. 

Music that triggers memories...

"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything." ~ unknown.



One television show that I never miss is The Voice, and this season has been no exception. They are currently down to the final four and I have to say that they have some of my favorite contestants competing. While watching last nights episode a girl named Cassadee Pope did her own rendition of "Stupid Boy" by Keith Urban, that literally had me in tears. I have no clue how it happened but I completely lost it....not to mention pregnancy hormones making me THAT much more emotional these days. Hearing her sing it brought me back to when I was a carefree 18 year old with quite a few less responsibilities and much more free time to explore the world. It reminded me of how I felt during so many of those sleepless nights filled with some of the deepest conversations I've ever had, with people that I don't get to talk to as much anymore. It made me think about how fun it is to be spontaneous (which is much easier to do when you do not have children) and how you can just pick up and go whenever you please. It made me think about what my hopes and dreams are for my own children, and how I want to help push and support them to follow all of their goals and dreams as they get older and grow into adults. Life is filled with so many crazy emotions and I want my children to experience all of them. Even the ones that aren't necessarily fun to feel. They need to feel happiness and excitement as well as sadness and hurt, because those emotions are what remind you that you are alive....just like this song reminded me last night. 



And in case you don't watch the show or missed last night's episode, I have included the clip below so you can see what I'm talking about.  =)

Friday's Letters

Dear 2012,

How is it that you are already almost over? I feel like you came and went so fast.

Dear debt,

Watching you slowly go away and seeing the progress we have made makes me really happy. Hopefully once you are gone, we won't have to meet again.

Dear laundry,

Would it be too much to ask for you to take one for the team and do yourself? Some of us really hate lugging you around.

Dear Christmas presents,

I'm actually really looking forward to wrapping you. Our tree just doesn't seem complete without you underneath it.

Dear dishes,

See: "Dear laundry..."

Dear health insurance,

I sure am grateful to have you after finding out how much my ear infection medication would have cost if you didn't exist. Thank you for saving me over $150.00

Show and Tell Monday....a day late

Coming up with things that I want proved to be a bit more difficult than I actually thought. I really have more things than I truly need and I feel a bit selfish when I think that I might possibly need more stuff. But I suppose there is always something that we want that we think could help to improve our lives. So here we go!

1. A house. Now, to be realistic, the house shown is definitely not what our first place is going to look like. Because we are going to be buying a duplex, I highly doubt it will look like this place. But one day I have high hopes of owning a beautiful house! All in due time =)

2. Pots and pans set. Ours have been getting worn down over the years so I definitely think it's time to replace them. Because we are still in a rental property that doesn't have the nicest stove (aka stuff burns easily) I am going to wait until we buy a place to actually invest our money into a good set. So for now I am on the lookout for a decent set that isn't terribly expensive.

3. Kitchenaid mixer. Because what woman really doesn't want one of these things? I'm not an expert chef by any means, but I think I could whip up some pretty fun stuff with one of these bad boys.

4. Plane tickets. Taking a vacation before baby #2 joins us sounds like a swell idea, but we will have to wait and see. We have gone a few different places already this year (San Diego, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc...) so even if a vacation doesn't happen in the near future I won't be too heartbroken. But a "babymoon" before Ben joins our family would be a nice little surprise.

5. Uggs. A pregnant woman's best friend. It is so much nicer to just have to slip on a pair of comfy boots than have to bend over and actually tie shoes. I already have a pair of black uggs that have lasted for quite some time. But because the insides are pretty worn, I want to get another pair to replace them.

What is on your wishlist this year? =)

Fill in the blanks Friday

1.  "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is... by singing loud for all to hear =) And by trying to do good things for other people, especially those who least expect it. 

2.  The holiday season is... always super busy yet exciting at the same time. I feel like it will get even more fun as the kids get older and can enjoy it more and more.

3.  When it comes to holiday decorating... I love to do it, but I think I will love it more when we own our own place. Decorating a rental doesn't seem the same as decorating a "home" so hopefully that will happen by the holidays next year ;)

4. The thing I look forward to most about the holidays is... the delicious food, spending time with my wonderful little family, and getting to see our baby boy at our next ultrasound on Christmas Eve.

5. My favorite holiday tradition is... waking up in the morning and the excitement of seeing what Santa brought. I used to love running out of my bedroom to see what goodies I got, and now I get the chance to watch my daughter (and son next year) do the same thing.

6. This year my Christmas plans include... the yearly tradition of going to my moms house for brunch, and also doing something with the husband's side of the family.

7.  My favorite holiday food is... a bagel and lox. In case you don't know what lox are, its basically thinly sliced salmon that you can put on a bagel with other things like cream cheese.  As a child, Christmas brunch was the one time a year when that would be included in the meal. It's definitely not for everyone but I have always loved it.

16 week baby bump update

It has been an exciting and busy couple of weeks around here lately. 

With an unexpected last minute trip to Disneyland, to Thanksgiving and all the festivities that surround the holiday, and most importantly finding out we are having...

 a bouncing baby BOY! 

I'm so excited that we will be adding a little man to our family, and that my husband won't be outnumbered anymore. And getting the chance to see our little guy and watching him squirm around during the 3d ultrasound was totally worth it. 

This past week has been not so fun because both Amelia and I came down with some sort of cold. She is doing a lot better but I am still working on getting rid of mine. I'm worried that mine may have turned in to a sinus infection with an ear infection so I have a doctor appointment tomorrow to get everything looked at. Pregnancy wise I have been feeling a lot better. No more frequent trips to the bathroom to throw up which is quite nice. But the dizziness is still a bit of an issue. Oh well...it will all be worth it!

How far along? 16.5 weeks

Total weight gain: None. I am still at the same weight as before.
Maternity clothes? None at all
Stretch marks? None!
Sleep: We have our good and bad days. Having a cold this past week has made it much more difficult to enjoy sleeping since I could hardly breathe.
Best moment this week: Seeing our little man =)
Miss Anything? The lack of energy and being able to breathe normal.
Movement: Not anything at all. Every once in a while I feel a slight flutter, but it's nothing too noticeable yet.
Food cravings: Anything sweet! Lucky for me my awesome husband got us some frozen yogurt last night with candy on top, so I think that might have fixed my craving for a while.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Thankfully no.
Gender: Boy! Boy! Boy!
Labor Signs: Definitely not. 
Symptoms: Being tired still and the dizziness.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Still a bit moody but becoming more manageable.
Looking forward to: Getting rid of this cold and going to our next ultrasound on Christmas Eve =)

16 week belly bump

Wordless Wednesday - Our random trip to Disneyland two weeks ago.

Fill in the blank Friday

1. I like: my little family, the feeling of Thanksgiving and Christmas coming, getting some Christmas shopping done early, reading, and making lists.

2. A life goal of mine is: to find a career that I love and that will help me to financial support my family.  Definitely a work in progress...

3. The last thing you would ever expect me to like (even though I secretly do) is: rap music. Specifically rap music that comes from the Bay Area where I live. Not that I bump this 24/7 but I can definitely hold my own when it comes to remembering songs and lyrics. 

4. Some wise words that I love are: "use things, not people. love people, not things."

5. Most mornings you will find me: snuggled in bed with my munchkin watching cartoons before we start our day. It has been so cold lately, that it's nice to stay in bed.

6. Right now I am super into: saving money and paying off debt. Sounds pretty lame but when you actually see that you are making progress, it gets pretty exciting!

7. Right now I am super over: morning sickness. It would be one thing if it was just in the morning. But all day sickness? Yeah, that really blows.

Thankful Thursdays

I am thankful that the repairs on the husband's truck are not going to be ridiculously expensive like I originally thought. Car repairs can be so darn expensive that I was pretty worried, but it looks like it won't be so bad.

I am thankful that I have a roof over my head, food to eat, clothes and shoes to wear, and the ability to work together with my husband to provide these things for our kids. People can truly take the little things for granted like a home cooked meal, and I have been trying to make sure I watch my complaining about ridiculous things.

On that same note...I am thankful that I live in the state of California where our weather conditions are pretty predictable. I could not possibly imagine living on the east coast and having to deal with things like hurricane sandy and the disastrous aftermath of it all. I wish that I was able to be over there to help more because I feel like donating money just isn't enough. The worst case scenario for us on the west coast is earthquakes, and we don't get major ones that cause tons of damage that often. 

I am thankful for my husband and how hard he works to be the best father, husband, and provider for our family. He works his butt off, doesn't get enough credit for it, and it is physically draining on him. Yet, he still never complains about it because he is grateful to have work in this economy. He takes such good care of all of us and I can't thank him enough for that.

I am thankful that Thanksgiving is in two weeks and both of our families are going to be celebrating together. My sister in law will be here from San Diego and almost all of my family will be together, and it will be nice to all sit down and enjoy a meal together. Which also means...

I am thankful that everyone will be here for the holiday because more people will be able to attend our 3d ultrasound so we can find out if we are having a boy or a girl =) My sister and my sister in law were unable to attend the last one because they were both down south, so this time they will both be able to go. I'm honestly hoping there is enough room for everyone because quite a few people have said they wanted to go, and I don't want to have to tell people that they can't =(

I am thankful for this pregnancy, even if it hasn't been the easiest one. The sickness has been dreadful and the headaches are never fun, but knowing that this is all temporary is completely worth it. So many women aren't able to get pregnant and that makes me very grateful that I have the ability to. 

Show and Tell "Monday" - Being a SAHM

1. Tell us what you studied in college. Is your job now related to what you studied?
After graduating high school I chose not to go to college right away...one of the things I truly regret. If I had gone and actually stuck with it, I would be a lot further than I am right now. But I guess better late than never, right? So after getting married and helping my husband run his business, I decided that I needed to find something to do for me so I started going to school to get my Paralegal Degree. I finished with my AA in Paralegal Studies, and I'm hoping that at some point I can go further with that. As of right now, my degree is essentially useless. I am not working in the field because unfortunately the cons outweigh the pros of it. A starting paralegal does not make much money and they typically do not get health benefits, so at this point it is just cheaper for me to stay at home with my munchkin. This has resulted in my job being a stay at home mom =)

2. Tell us what your everyday job looks like.
As any mom knows, every single day is something different. Toddlers moods change fast and they learn something new all the time. So I spend most of the time trying to keep up with my daughter, while also trying to make sure that we have food to eat and that our home isn't a complete pigsty. I have heard people say that being a SAHM is easy and that it isn't considered a job...I beg to differ. You are dedicating yourself 24/7 to another human being, and trying to make sure that they will grow up happy and safe into a smart and well rounded adult. You don't get sick days, there are quite a few nasty moments, and you usually do not get the credit you deserve. But even with all of those things, I am truly blessed to be able to stay home and raise my daughter myself, and the good moments far outweigh the bad. 

3. Do you have a picture of you at work? Show us.
One of the benefits of being with my daughter 24/7 is that it gives us lots of quality camera time. 90% of the time she loves the camera so I try to take advantage of that as much as I possibly can.

4. In 10 years, what do you see yourself doing? Same thing? More? Tell us.

My life as a mom is something that will never change. By the time 10 years rolls around, the kids will be in school so I will hopefully have a career at that point. If it's in the paralegal field that would be great, so I would actually be able to use what I learned in school. But if it's for something different then that works too. All in all the main thing that matters is that my kids are taken care of, and I will do whatever it takes to make that happen.

5. Tell us what you have learned, and what {if any} recommendations you may have for those looking to go into the field you are in. 

What haven't I learned? I have learned what it truly means to love another human being absolutely unconditionally (besides my husband of course.) You don't realize how much you can possibly care about another human being until you have a child, because they are such a big part of you forever. It is probably the most rewarding thing I have ever done, and probably ever will do. It has made me how realize how grateful I am for the life that I live, and how lucky I really am for everything that I have. It has made me want to be the best person that I possibly can be, knowing that my little mini me is always watching and looking up to me to follow my example. 

Time for baby #2!

Seeing as how I have not updated in quite some time, I thought one of the perfect ways to start writing again would be talking about our next little addition! So I guess it's time to backtrack and start at the beginning...

In the past 6 months, Victor kept making jokes about how it was time for our daughter to have a playmate and that we should have another baby. Most of the time it was him making jokes, but at the same time you could tell he was also being serious. I really hadn't given it much thought because I still thought Amelia might be too young and that we should wait a little bit longer. Clearly God had other plans in mind....

I like to call this next bundle of joy my "birthday baby" because of the time when the baby was conceived (sorry TMI.) My birthday was August 4th and by the time Victors birthday (September 9) rolled around, I was already getting positive pregnancy tests. One of the downsides of the positive tests? I found out when I was about 4 weeks pregnant. While I was excited I was also very nervous. As someone who has had a miscarriage before, pregnancy truly does terrify me because there are so many "what ifs." All I wanted was for the next few weeks to go by so I could finally get an ultrasound to see a heartbeat. We finally had the ultrasound when I was 7 weeks along and low and behold there was the beautiful heartbeat that we were looking for! It helped to put my mind at ease a bit so now all I was hoping for was to make it safely out of the first trimester.

Weeks went by and we finally hit 12 weeks. In the few weeks before the trimester ended, we had another ultrasound at my new doctors office and they confirmed that the baby was growing healthy and exactly as it should be. So far, everything has been going good and we are at 13 weeks now! I feel like time is going much slower with this pregnancy, but I also think it has something to do with the excitement of finding out what we are having. We have a 3d ultrasound scheduled for the 24th of this month to find out whether we will be having a little boy (lets hope!) or another little girl. Either one will be a happy addition to our family. I just think Victor would like a boy so that he isn't surrounded by only girls. 

Amelia truly has no clue what is coming. We talk to her daily about a new baby coming but I'm pretty sure she has no idea what we are talking about. She loves babies and I know she is going to be a great big sister. She is always so helpful with her baby cousin Kayden and anytime she sees a baby she wants to smother them with love. We are all so excited and can't wait for the next months to go by so we can meet our new bundle of joy this coming May.

Amelia also had the very important job of announcing to our friends and family that we were pregnant. I wanted to try to have her do it in a cute way so this is what we came up with.

How far along? 13 Weeks

Total weight gain: up None. I actually lost weight initially
Maternity clothes? None at all
Stretch marks? None!
Sleep: Ehh, mostly not so good. I toss and turn a lot and find it hard to get comfortable. Clearly that is only going to get worse ;)
Best moment this week: Getting closer to finding out the sex, and having the "morning" sickness ease up a bit.
Miss Anything? Having more energy and getting things done. I find that I'm just so tired yet have such a hard time actually sleeping. I'm hoping that the energy will pick up soon, seeing as how caffeine isn't much of an option.
Movement: While I probably sound crazy, I swear that if I am laying on my back I can feel a slight movement every once in a while. With Amelia I didn't feel anything til around 16 weeks or so. Maybe this is a big baby?
Food cravings: Burritos! And Jack in the Box tacos yesterday for some reason. Funny seeing as how I hardly ever get those.
Anything making you queasy or sick: The smell of certain things like peanut butter.
Gender: Hoping for a boy, but will be happy either way =)
Labor Signs: Definitely not. 
Symptoms: Just the constant tired feeling and the nausea. Let's pray those go away soon
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Moody for sure. There have been good days and bad days. 
Looking forward to: Ultrasound day so we can finally put a name to this little munchkin =)


And even though I am not really showing at all yet, I do have the pregnancy stickers to document the process. So here is a photo from last week =)

Friday's Letters

Dear Bills, I wish you would just disappear so then I don't have to worry about paying you anymore. 

Dear Husband, I appreciate that you work so hard to support our little family and I don't think that I tell you that enough. And even though you will probably never read this, I hope you know how much I really truly love you =)

Dear Amelia, You are a pretty stinking cute kid but just because you are totally adorable, does not mean that you can have a lollipop anytime you want. 

Dear Dishes, I am honestly contemplating throwing all of you away and purchasing  a ton of disposable ones. Cleaning you sucks.

Dear Pinterest, Thank you for being so entertaining yet such a problem because you keep me from being productive. I like to think that by pinning all these fabulous ideas that I am being productive, but the husband keeps telling me otherwise.

It's Ok Thursday...

So I came across this amazing blog and thought that this would be a fun link up to do today =)

It's OK..

 ... to hate how much textbooks for class cost.

... to let those dirty dishes sit in the sink for a little while longer while you watch a few cartoons with your darling toddler.

... to spend hours browsing on Pinterest when you should be cleaning those dishes you just mentioned.

... to be angry at yourself for not taking as many pictures as you should have when you were younger.

... to take as many pictures as possible now so you won't regret it later on in life.

... to dream about your future all the time and figure out how to accomplish everything that you want to do.

... that I love reading so many other wonderful blogs, and feeling that connection with those bloggers that I have never met.

Goal #223...Completed!

I turned 25 on August 4th and the husband decided to plan an overnight trip to Monterey. He booked us a room at The Portola Hotel which was absolutely amazing! The room was gorgeous and I wish I had remembered to actually take pictures of it when we first got there. It was located right next to Fisherman's Wharf so we were easily able to walk and look at all the wonderful shops and restaurants. We ate dinner at Old Fisherman's Grotto which hands down had the BEST clam chowder I have ever had. (Even compared to San Francisco which is really saying something.) 

This was our first actual night away from the munchkin and I was a little bit nervous about how she would do with us gone. My mother in law came and spent the night at our house so that Amelia would be more comfortable in her own environment. Clearly we need to go away more often because she did absolutely amazing! There was hardly any crying and she spent the time with her Grandma playing with finger paints, taking long walks, and banging on pots and pans. She hardly noticed that we were even gone. This is very reassuring for me because in the next few months we might be taking a two night trip to Las Vegas and I want her to be as comfortable as possible with us gone.

Now for the real part of the post....goal #223 which was to do the 17 mile drive! If you are ever in Monterey this is definitely a must for you to visit. The 17 mile drive is a gorgeous scenic drive, that gives you stunning views of the ocean with multiple interesting stops along the way. One of the most famous ones is the lone cypress tree that has been there for over 250 years. It really is a sight to see and a beautiful picture stop. As you drive along you see some of the most beautiful million dollar homes that make me wish I was rich so I could buy one and stare at the ocean all day. You also happen to drive by Pebble Beach which is a world famous golf course, that also happens to hold a celebrity golf tournament. The husband would absolutely love to golf here one day but with tee times that go up to $500 a person, he might have to wait a bit. I would highly recommend stopping by here if you ever get the chance.

Now on to some photos!

Cute husband at our awesome dinner =)

The birthday girl... me! 

Some amazing cypress trees that we weren't supposed to touch...

Whoops! So much for not touching them. Oh well...you only live once right? ;)

The famous lone cypress. Such a beautiful and amazing sight.

Just little old me hanging out with the cypress

My wonderful husband and I on my birthday