Christmas Gratitude

I just sat down with my cozy faux fur throw, after enjoying a busy morning and fun lunch with Scott and Pixie.
I made a quick vegetarian chili and some cornbread, I have regular bread in the oven right now and Pixie is 'reading' books in quiet time in her room.

I love the quiet in the house today. It's been raining out the last few days, which is so much better than ice or snow, and so we've left the Christmas tree lights on because it's so dark. The dogs are downstairs being quiet, even though cooped up due to the muddy backyard the last few days.

I decided to sit down to look up some craft projects I want to get done for Christmas, and look at some goodie recipes to make. I had this overwhelming feeling of happiness in my life.

I love my home. We've been here for almost a year now. A year ago at this time we saw it for the first time.
It's so wonderful to be in a house that you love, even if it still has many home improvement projects to be done on it. It's warm, efficient, cozy and roomy.

I love our growing little family. I love this little boy growing inside of me already, even though it has been more difficult to carry him. I had wondered if the second time around would be less exciting, but it's not. I think it's even more exciting. Maybe that's because Pixie will be getting a sibling or it is because we are more familiar with what having a baby around 24/7 entails. Hopefully it entails much more sleep and less stress than with Pixie. I think I've relaxed enough this time around that I 'might' be able to fall asleep reclining in our comfy new furniture, while holding an infant that won't let you lie down. Ever. :)

The prospect of getting the birth I'm comfortable with and want, is so awesome. The beginning of this month I found out that the birth center I wanted to go to had some fee changes that enabled us to go there. I was so ecstatic. We visited the next night and set up our first appointment. My first visit with them is on the 28th.

I just need everything to go normally and this boy to stay in for as long as he's supposed to, to have what I want!

I'm so happy for this Christmas holiday. I'm happy that we will be able to meet Scott (in between shifts on the weekend) at my parent's house on Christmas Eve. I'm happy that he'll come home Christmas morning to be with us for church and the entire day. I'm happy that he has work off the next day. I'm happy that even though we'll be spending New Year's Eve apart again for a few years in a row, he'll be home the next day and the next day after that. We are seeing more of him than ever and we love it, even if it isn't for full days. I'm happy that the new year brings the prospect of him being able to be home weekends, towards the latter part of the year. I can't imagine what that would be like.
Our whole family being home=happiness for all of us.

We've had many blessings come our way in 2011. Not that it's been easy, but it has let us gain experiences that are very valuable, and allow us to grow even closer together as a family unit.

Scott's 27th Birthday

 Scott's birthday was Sunday. I had planned to take him out Saturday evening, after he spent some time with his family, but all my plans got foiled by him having to be to work at 9pm. So, we just brought Pixie with us to do some window shopping. We went to 54th Street and got some stuffed mushrooms to go. He loves those things. They are filled with some kind of cream cheesy mixture. It was really too late to do anything else, so we didn't. 

I invited Rebecca's family over for a birthday lunch after church. I prepared as much as I could the night before, because what else? Scott had to work again at 3pm and church isn't over until noon. 

Becca helped me get everything prepared. And she brought a cheesecake as well. 

We made curried coconut veggies, jasmine rice, cream cheese wontons with a dab of curry in them, veggie lo mein, fried rice, and I made a white chocolate strawberry cheesecake with a dark chocolate crust. Yum! It was amazing.

Pixie is Two!

My baby is two! Pixie's birthday was Saturday. I can't believe how much has changed in the last two years. Pixie is so much easier to take care of now. She handles strangers and crowds better and sleeps through the night usually. She is speaking so much that sometimes it's difficult for Scott and I to carry on a conversation, she loves to sing, and recently has found a burst of energy which comes in the form of running around screaming and jumping. Pixie loves Tinker Bell (fitting, eh?). She loves to pretend play with her dolls and felt food. She still is an amazingly healthy eater, in spite of the fact that she's starting to develop her independence like a toddler does.

We had a party at the park Saturday morning and ate lunch there too. I decided at the last minute to make Pixie's cake into a teapot. I didn't have powdered sugar, so I tried to create my own. It didn't work too well and it was grainy, but I don't like icing anyway! I made a bunch of cupcakes and a dark chocolate ganache to go on them. They were amazing. I had cupcakes from a "gourmet" bakery later on that day that weren't nearly as good as mine!

I won this birthday shirt last year and it fit her perfectly!

Scott's Grandma Janet and Grandpa Jay

Our wonderful neighbors, Mark and Kim.

Our friend, Kara, from church and her little girl. They are moving and we are sad!

Becca and her family

Proof that Pixie finally let her uncle hold her!

Scott and Stephen. Doesn't Scott look so young without his goatee? I miss it, but I'm kinda getting used to it.

Scott's cousins and aunt was there...

Here everyone is playing ring around the rosey.

Cake and presents time! She got so many presents. So many! I found some things at thrift stores and such, so I got her a lot too. I found a $45 dollar brand new Gotz doll for $3!

My mom came and was taking pictures at this point. I didn't get one with her in it. :(

Can you guess that this gift was from Daddy?

Pixie had so much fun. It was unusual for me to go somewhere and not have her wanting me to hold her every second. She ran off and played with the other kids for almost the whole time! She was so tired by the end of it. Scott took her home and got her down for a nap while I rushed over to my sister-in-law's baby shower. It was a good day!

Easter and Pixie's New Room Pictures

I haven't gotten around to post pictures from Easter weekend. It was a busy one! We worked madly on Pixie's room downstairs and got it finished the night before Easter. We also made a mad dash up to the lake house to haul our bed back so I could have a bed a few nights early. We made it back just in time to throw it in and for Scott to leave for work. This is the almost finished product. We still need to cut a hole for the heater vent and put molding around the door. The hallway and stairs still need to be finished as well, but Scott's been working on the lake house again lately.

Pixie's new room.

You  have to see how the basement was before to appreciate this. The beams were all uneven, there was a lot of work that went into the walls and ceiling! It stays so cool down there. Last night I put her to bed and it was 67 degrees down there, while it was 84 upstairs!

I have to decorate it still. Those projects are coming soon...

She loves  her room!

Easter basket!

 We went down to wake her up (she sleeps awesomely well in her room!) to give her the basket

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 For our Easter breakfast I made poached eggs, hollandaise sauce, asparagus, and biscuits. Pixie ate about a dozen asparagus spears. She wouldn't touch the hollandaise.

We then went to church for the first session of General Conference. Just to feel like we've been to church and to wear our Easter outfits! I actually won this dress from Kuki Kids last year.

We had a nice Easter morning, then daddy went to work at 3pm. We went to Becca's house for dinner and had a nice time with them. The end.