The Calderwood Chronicle

15 down, 30 to go!

2012-01-29T07:40:00.000-08:00

January never really inspires me to wax profound and write prolific posts of great importance, mostly because I'm simply trying to endure January. But alas, it will shorty come to an end. Not too much to report these days. We haven't had much in the way of snow, we haven't had much in the way of new news as far as jobs go. So since the weather and the people processing clearances aren't really working in my favor, I've focused my efforts on elements I can control. I started meeting with a nutritionist and am bound and determined to make 2012 the year I get back in control of my body. I was feeling a bit hopeless last year. I'd try to count calories, do weight watchers, all with little to no success. So I have found new hope in trying to adopt a lifestyle and way of eating I can maintain my entire life. For the first several weeks they've had me cut out carbs, and now we're slowly adding fruit and whole grains, but I'm proud to report I've lost 15 pounds. I'm a third of the way there! 30 still to go, but like I said, I have renewed hope that I will get there, hopefully by Spring/Summer time, I'll be excited to go swim suit shopping (or more excited than I've been in years at least). I know I'll never be model thin, but I will be where I feel healthy, and that is so important to me.

That's pretty much it. Going to the gym on a routine basis and focusing on healthy eating is my strategy for combatting the winter blues and blahs. But when I'm not focused on that, I'm just trying to enjoy my beautiful girls and not feel so discouraged about the fact that we've been waiting for Shaun's job to start now for 18 MONTHS! I mean, seriously! Nothing makes you feel like you're of no importance than to feel forgotten. But if you don't know someone that can pull some strings, you get put on the bottom of a very long paper pile (or that's what we assume). Shaun's such a good guy, and he really wants to get started. We pursue other options only to meet dead ends or never hear back. It's all pretty discouraging, but at least we're in good health, and we live relatively comfortably. I still long for a home of my own, but with our current income we can't afford much of anything. I know the Lord loves us, for some reason He has chosen this trial for us, but I remind myself of all I have to be grateful for, and most days it's not so bad. I so wish for Shaun that things can get started. Please continue to pray for us. Maybe it will come around in time for his 30th birthday. That would be the best gift we could ever receive!

The Choice to be Grateful

2011-12-27T17:57:00.001-08:00

Every Christmas Eve, I try to think about something I'd like to work on in the coming year to better myself. I try to get Shaun to do it too, and we write these goals down and put them in a simple box under the tree. They are the gifts we hope to bring to the Savior, whether it be more faith, patience, charity, less pride, the list can be endless. This past year I've tried to focus on gratitude. I've found it very easy to slip into the "whoa is me" mentality, that it takes real effort to remember gratitude. As I've mentioned in posts throughout the year, a change in perspective can make all the difference. This year, while it has been extremely challenging in many ways, it has also been one of great growth. I'm so grateful that I've been able to focus on gratitude. I knew I was on to something when this month'sFirst Presidency message in the Ensign was title, "The Choice to be Grateful." I have my moments when I admit I fall short and begin to complain and worry. I often have to remind myself that I may not be where I thought I'd be, but I'm doing just fine nonetheless. We have our health, our girls are healthy, our home is comfortable, my job is good, and we have the hope the future brings. We really are quite fortunate.

Looking to the future, I'd like to continue and renew this focus to choose to be grateful. Along with that, I'd like to be more diligent in many ways. So I'm adding diligence to the list of things to bring to my Savior. I know if I can humbly lay my heart upon his alter, He can make weak things strong. He can make me the person that I can only hope to be. I'm grateful for His love, for his mercy, for His saving grace. I'm grateful that he knows me personally, and that I can talk to him as a friend. I'm grateful He is my advocate with the Father. I'm grateful for his humble birth, His Atonement, His perfect example! I know it is only through Him I may be made strong.

Santa Baby~ Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T19:46:00.001-08:00

Calderwood Family photo, Christmas morning

2011

Church was at 9 on Christmas morning, making the whole gift opening thing a bit tricky, but we just had the girls see their big Santa gift (unwrapped and waiting by the tree), and then we held off on the rest until after church and a short nap for Amelia.

Amelia enjoyed Christmas but she didn't quite get what was going on. She was happy all the same. She got big jumbo legos as she loves putting things together and especially loves pulling the blocks in and out of the bag.

Shaun got a motorcycle, a sweater, and a beautiful scrapbook of his mission memories that his sister put together. Must have taken her a ton of time, and it was absolutely beautiful! I swear the Calderwood family has more talent in their little pinkies than I do in my whole body.

Amelia got a kitty that purrs from Grandma and Grandpa. She loved it and giggled every time it moved or made noise.

Steph gave me a beautiful scarf!

Ella got more fun Repunzel pieces from Grandma and Grandpa C.

Ella and Amelia both got beautiful hair bows, but Amelia was more interested in the m&m's in her stocking.

Ella and Amelia both got poodle purses from their great grandma and grandpa Calderwood.

See, I told you Shaun got a motorcycle:-) And that is the ONLY motorcycle I will get for him.

Ella got the big tower from Santa, and the singing and glowing Repunzel doll to go with it. She said Santa did a pretty good job this year. Her favorite presents ever!

So it was a fun and whimsical Christmas day!

We enjoyed talking with family and having nana and papa there to open gifts. And I especially enjoyed getting to go to Church Christmas morning and focus on the true meaning of Christmas, surrounded by family and friends. The gift of our Savior's birth, life, infinite atonement, and resurrection mean more to me than anything. I'm so grateful that because of his humble birth and life to follow, I can be with my family eternally. I'm grateful I can repent, I'm grateful I can start again and have a re-birth so to speak every time I partake of the sacrament. I'm grateful for new beginnings, excited for the New Year ahead of us and all it will bring.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-25T19:25:00.000-08:00

We had one of the best Christmas Eves to date in my book. My sister is here with her wonderful family so our families spent the day together and then had a white elephant chocolate exchange, followed by a delicious ham dinner, and then a visit to the temple to see the lights.

Amelia and Shaun enjoying the last rays of sunlight on Christmas Eve

My little pumpkin. Oooh I love those squishy cheeks. So kissable!

The Millers as dusk comes upon the temple grounds.

Our little family enjoying the lights and festivities

Shaun and I have been able to visit the Temple every Christmas Eve since we've been married unless we were traveling. I think this year made six out of eight. It's such a wonderful way to spend the evening, focused on the true meaning of Christmas and visiting our Savior's Holy House.

Inside the visitor's center Nana enjoys her grandchildren

In keeping with Williams tradition, my parents gave their presents to the girls Christmas Eve. Nana and Papa bought Ella a beautiful doll. Ella was in love. She named her Aurora and has been joined at the hip with her ever since.

They got Amelia a horse. She is also quite smitten.

The ladies taking a break from ham dinner prep for a photo op

Sarah and Katie played carols on the piano while we prepared

Shaun gave Nathan a hard time

And the cousins enjoyed many good times cuddling, kissing, and teasing.

Lacy and Amelia sharing a moment

The best part of the day was really just being together as family. Seeing my girls enjoy their cousins and laugh with them was the best gift for me. I only wish we could have the rest of our family with us as well. We miss Shaun's family so much with them being so far away, and my other sister and brother and their families were missed too. Hopefully 2012 will allow for visiting with them at some point. But we are truly grateful for a most wonderful

Christmas Eve!

Church Christmas Party

2011-12-12T17:26:00.000-08:00

My girls had a BLAST at our church Christmas Party last weekend!

It was casual dinner/entertainment with some of the church families performing various Christmas songs, some fun and some spiritual. Whenever a fun song came up, Ella was right up there dancing. She got up and river danced with a family during their performance of, "It's Christmas in Killarney." I don't even know where she picked up these moves, but below is a shot of her in action. She loves performing! My little ham.

She also enjoyed all of the chocolate and treats she get could get her hands on. I really tried to monitor her sweet intake, but she is quick I tell you.

Amelia also enjoyed the performances. She was very excited to sit up front with the older girls. I love this photo of her... so precious!

Amelia and daddy having a grand ole time, even if it looks like Amelia's a bit spacey.

I love having a ward family to look forward to spending holiday celebrations with. The friendships I have through the gospel (current and past) make my life feel richly blessed.

Deck the Halls!

2011-12-12T17:11:00.000-08:00

We've been busy getting ready for Christmas at the Calderwood home.

Shaun won the light battle again so colored lights it is!

And yes, that is our nativity in the fireplace. Seemed like a good focal point.

I love the ambiance of Christmas!

Our foyer. Shaun's says it looks like the trees are on fire. Don't be worried. They are just "glowing" as all things should at Christmas time.

Happy Birthday Nana and visits with Santa

2011-12-11T16:37:00.000-08:00

Tonight we celebrated Nana's "29th" birthday with dinner and cake... Nana's favorite, German Chocolate. Ella was very excited to give Nana her birthday present and waited patiently all weekend to give it to her today. Christmas is going to be fun.

And speaking of Christmas, Ella got to visit the big man this weekend. We took the girls to Gum Drop Square in Old Town where Ella got to sit with Santa and choose two little gifts for us (though she said they were actually for her). Amelia didn't go for the big man in red. She took one look at him and started crying. Ella was very excited but when she actually got on his lap she froze. She was a bit intimidated I think after all our talk of him knowing if she's been naughty or nice. She told him she wants the Repunzel that sings and glows. Very exciting! It's a good thing Santa went shopping at Amazon.com and took care of all these orders right away:) We are enjoying the Christmas Season and it's especially fun to feel the magic of Christmas through the eyes of a child. The littlest things hold such joy and excitement... from nana's nutcrackers and ornaments, to the lights on the tree that Amelia keeps trying to pull off. The girls are enjoying the Season which means I am enjoying the Season! So Happy Holiday Season to all of you! I hope you are enjoying the wonder and excitement this time of year brings!

The girls are having fun together these days when Ella's not getting mad at her sister for trying to take her toys.

Ella was a little less intimidated with Nana's fake Santa. She warmed right up to him and gave him hugs and kisses. Amelia has been loving on him all week too.

Amelia helped Nana celebrate with lots of loves and drooly kisses.

Giving Thanks

2011-11-26T08:09:00.000-08:00

This has been a wonderful Thanksgiving. We missed traditions of years past, but we embraced new traditions as well. With my parents out of town visiting my brother, we decided to have a couple of families over from church. We split the work in thirds, we split the cleaning in thirds, and we enjoyed it three times as much as I think we would have otherwise. No photos though. Sorry to disappoint.

This is a wonderful holiday! I love the idea of getting together with friends and family and sharing in good food and gratitude for what we have. Here are some of the things I'm grateful for this Thanksgiving:

* Amelia started walking! She's absolutely adorable in what looks like her drunken stupor. She's wobbly but she's getting it. I think she's had it for a while, but she's finally gaining confidence to do walking more than crawling.

* Ella and Amelia let me sleep this morning while they played. Sure the house was a wreck when I woke up, but with a few baby gates and safety locks they were good to go. They're growing up and they're so adorable!

* Shaun is so helpful. He really tries to make me happy. He even did all the mashed potatoes this year.

* We have wonderful friends and family. We are so greatly blessed!

* I'm grateful to have the Christmas Season to look forward to. Now if only I can manage to teach my children the true meaning of Christmas as commercialism competes for my three year old's attention (my attention too for that matter). It will be a fun Christmas though. Ella's at a great age for Christmas morning!

A most glorious weekend

2011-11-06T16:58:00.000-08:00

The first weekend in November has been a good one for the Calderwoods. We enjoyed having the sister missionaries over for dinner Friday night, and Saturday Shaun let me go on a four mile jog in the wonderful sunshine (after being at the gym four days in a row I loved being outside). Yesterday evening we got a sitter and went out to dinner with friends from church, and then for the first time since we've been married, Shaun and I attended the adult session of Stake Conference (a meeting for the adults of our church in the local area). It was really nice actually... a meeting free from distraction, unless it was self created. And to top off our weekend, we spent the day today driving to the mountains and enjoying the scenic overlooks of skyline drive. All in all a most glorious weekend! Here are some photos from today.

I've continued to focus on how much of what we make of this life is choice based. "Choosing to Become" healthier, happier, and holier has helped me also think about choosing to love. At stake conference last night many of the talks were on marriage. One speaker said, "Love is a choice." You don't fall in and out love, you may fall in and out of lust or infatuation, but not love. Love is a choice. I love that! Love really is a choice. Today I choose to love my family with all my heart. I choose to love my husband even when he's grumpy and tired. I choose love over all the other options out there. I'm grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who lets us experiences the freedom of choice!

Skunk or Treat

2011-11-03T12:29:00.001-07:00

Our little Family, Halloween, 2012

Little Miss Elle was the Belle of the ball. Her sitter got her this beautiful Belle costume and she was so excited to wear it to pre-school and trick or treating.

Amelia, well Amelia got her first of many costume hand me downs I'm sure. She was a Stinker, our little PU Skunk. She was so dang cute. I don't think the pictures do either one justice of just how cute they were. But we had a nice time. We visited a few neighbors before heading to our church "Trunk or Treat". I'm enjoying Halloween more now with little ones. It really is a great holiday. Now if only I can get rid of all that candy, and by "rid" I don't mean in my belly. I took most of it to work today, left a few things Ella will enjoy but wont tempt me. Anyway, Happy Halloween! Now on to my favorite season... Thanksgiving and Christmas!!!

Goin' crazy, or half crazy maybe

2011-10-28T09:23:00.000-07:00

So in my renewed efforts to become more healthy, I'm proud to report that I've been to the gym every day this week. I've taken an assortment of different classes and today, I can barely walk! My plan is to get to the gym most days after work. It gives the girls a chance to play more with others, and it keeps me from coming home ravenous at 4. If I go to the gym at that time instead, not only will I be avoiding consuming calories, I'll be burning them off! Doing step class and looking in the mirror the whole time at myself is motivation enough!

But why stop there? I'm also excited to report that I've decided I want to do a 1/2 marathon by next summer. I love running, so why not prepare to do that? I think I might do a 5k this Thanksgiving, and maybe a 10k in the Spring... work my way up to it. So does that make me crazy? Well, maybe 1/2 crazy. After all, it's a 1/2 marathon! So there you go! If anyone wants to join me or at least help keep me motivated I welcome the help!

The 3 H's

2011-10-26T11:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, so on a lighter note than my last post, I thought I'd share some other thoughts I had while away at my conference last weekend. The whole focus was on us "Choosing to Become" and I came away with three things I choose to be for right now:

I choose to be Healthier

I choose to be Holier

I choose to be Happier

Kristin and I at Time Out for Women- taken during the boy band part that had us up dancing and laughing

So 1st, I choose to be Healthier-

I really want to challenge myself to be healthier. I've let a full time job and two little ones be an excuse for one whole year now and while it may be somewhat valid, I say it's not valid enough! I am going to push myself to get to the gym more often, to eat better, to endure longer. Heck, I may even sign up for a 10k. That's kind of what I'm thinking I'd like to do. Get myself ready to run 6.whatever miles. Anyone care to join? I am taking this challenge on a more fun and light hearted note than I have in the past. I'm not going to beat myself up, but I'm going to focus on being positive. I've already taken two classes at the gym this week. Beyond being a little sore I feel really good.

2nd- I choose to be Holier

I know I can't change how busy I am and make more time for things in an already busy and hectic schedule, but what I can do is find some of the ordinary things in my day, and choose to make them holy. I've already decided every time my seat belt alarm goes off (for shame I know- it always does because I always forget until I'm up the hill and Ella says, "mommy put on your seat belt"), I'm going to say a prayer of gratitude for something. One morning, it was the beautiful row of trees in front of me in their blazing reds and oranges, another time, it was the sun filtering through some silver grey clouds. Those are ordinary moments that I might not have otherwise noticed the beauty around me, but I'm choosing to make those moments holy. It helps me keep a prayer in my heart. I'm choosing to make the every day things more glorious! It's fun and it makes me happy. It makes me appreciate the beauties of this earth, and the little things I so often take for granted.

3rd, I choose to be Happier

A lot of this relates to my post earlier this week. A new perspective is helping me focus on happiness instead of what we yet lack. Understanding God's love means not needing to understand his time lines, and I'm happy to be on HIS PLAN A. I figure it's going to be better than any plan I can present to Him to begin with. I'm happy to be where I am in life. I'm happy to have what I have. And I'm content to not have what I want. I'm choosing to be happier. I don't need to worry because I am in the Lord's hands, and truly, there's no better place to be!

And here are some photos from our month so far

Ella ready for her pre-school Halloween party. She was Belle from Beauty and the Beast and she was so excited to wear her dress to school.

She really is a beauty

Amelia enjoying time in the front yard with her nana and Autie Katie

(one of my dearest friends). Katie bought Amelia and Ella fun fru fru headbands.

And Amelia with her Great Aunt Doris (really related) who also came to visit last weekend

His Plan A, not mine

2011-10-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

This has been quite a month for our family! We've enjoyed many of the activities fall brings, and really in many ways we are doing quite well. But I've found myself having an inner struggle, one that only God and I have known about (until now). I have found myself starting to wonder, for the first time in my life, if God really cares about me personally? Maybe I know the answer to this in my mind, but my heart has... well, my heart has started to doubt. With so many people on this vast earth, and numberless creations on other earths, does He really know me and care about me?

Now before you go lecturing me, let me give you a little background if you couldn't already guess where this is coming from. We CONTINUE to wait for Shaun's job to start, and after fifteen months of praying, fasting, attending the temple, and praying some more, we are still no closer to this end goal, a goal we have very little, if any, control over. And as of late I've amped up my efforts. I've really truly tried to do the things I know are right. I've been focusing on gratitude, scripture study, couples and individual prayer, for what feels like no results. So last week, for the first time in my life, I said no more. I'm not going to ask for something when it doesn't come. If I just don't ask then I wont be disappointed when I don't get heard. I know this is horrible, I feel horrible admitting it. But I need to share what I've learned.

This past weekend I was able to attend "Time Out for Women." This is a women's retreat that our church puts on all over the country at various locations. It's a time to literally take time out to remember who we are and grow stronger in our faith. Perfect timing for me, the one of little faith these days. I was truly humbled as I felt an overwhelming answer to my prayers, not my prayers for a job, but my prayers to know that the Lord does indeed care about me, tiny little me with my tiny little problems. One speaker in particular shared an experience he had on his mission when for different reasons than my own he began to have the same doubts I was having. He said for the first time he found himself asking, "Lord, do you exist? Do you love me? Do you hear my prayers?" Tears rolled down my face as he shared his story which so closely paralleled my own. He did not get an immediate answer, but after a great deal of hard work and sacrifice he was able to gain confirmation of these simple truths. YES, the Lord loves YOU. YES, the Lord hears your prayers. YES, he knows you personally and cares for you. His answers did not come immediately, but he learned that if they had come easy he would not have learned to work so hard. He learned to appreciate the value of seeking earnestly, and his faith grew as a result.

I have felt an overwhelming confidence that the Lord is answering my prayers, just not in the way I have expected. He wants us to be exactly where we are, and that's okay for the time being. We don't have all the things we long for- a home of our own, an opportunity for me to work less and be home more- but what we have is good. We have a beautiful home, beautiful and healthy children. We're both employed even if Shaun is underemployed for the time being. The Lord doesn't care what our bank account looks like, He cares that we are trying to be more like Him. I keep feeling like the Lord doesn't answer my prayers because He's not approving the plan I present to Him. I've presented plans A- Z to Him, only to be disappointed when they don't work out. What I realized for the first time in my life this weekend is that I am on plan A, it's just HIS plan A, not mine. If I know I'm living His plan, then I can rest assured that things will happen in HIS time, and when they happen on His time, then they are right. So for whatever reason, He wants us to wait. Perhaps He doesn't even want us to pursue the job we've been waiting for, but wants us to take another path entirely. I now pray that I will know His will, whatever that may be, and that I will then have the strength to follow it. Whether that means waiting patiently for job A to start, or starting a new path with something else, if it is the Lord's will it will be right. I will put my faith in Jesus Christ, not some outcome.

One speaker said the following which I found profound:

"We can hope for those good things in our life, but having faith, LIVING with faith, means wanting what Christ wants for you."

I don't know what His will is, but I will seek it through prayer, through hard work, through living my life in such a way that grants me access to his Holy Spirit. I've been humbled greatly. When I complained to my sister earlier in the week, she told me I needed to have more humility, that before I started complaining about my own problems I should think of the starving people in Africa. I thought to myself, "Really? You're going to play that card? The Africa card?" Well turns out she was right. One of the presenters at the conference was from war torn Africa, and she shared her experiences of losing her entire family, losing her sister, and almost losing her own life, but never losing her faith. She chose to let her experiences make her better, not bitter. And by golly, if she can do it over that dramatic of a life event, then I can do it too.

I'm grateful for this new perspective. I'm grateful that the Lord loves me enough to comfort me instead of ridicule me when I begin to faulter. I'm grateful for my Savior. Like him, I will try to say, "Thy will, not mine, be done."

Lucky #7 (we HOPE)

2011-10-13T18:34:00.001-07:00

Shaun and I celebrated our 7th anniversary this past Saturday. We're hoping 7 means luck and not the 7 year itch. We're in a good place in many ways. We've been through a lot, and after all the ups and downs, I still want to stay by his side. I'm excited to see what the next seven years bring to our marriage. It definitely hasn't been all rosy all the time, but I'm so glad we are there to support one another as the hard times come, and to enjoy the wonderful moments together! I love our little family. I love us!

In celebration of "lucky #7" as I'm calling it, we went to The Kennedy Center in DC to see Les Miserables. It was a wonderful evening. Wonderful dinner, wonderful theatre, wonderful company! It's one of our favorite plays and I'm so glad we got to see it together!

Shaun and I at the Kennedy Center... I know it's blurry but it's what we've got!

The pumpkin patch

2011-10-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we took the girls to the pumpkin patch just down the road from our house. Ella and her mermaid, who goes everywhere with us, were very excited with their pick.

Not only did we enjoy the pumpkins, but we enjoyed a hayride, a bounce house, and seeing the donkeys, baby chicks, and baby bunnies. Ella took a ride on the tractor pull, and they both took a turn on the slide.

Amelia was more interested in crawling through the patch than picking out a pumpkin.

Ella enjoyed the animals.

Amelia enjoyed the baby chicks.

Jack Jack o' Lantern

2011-10-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

In preparation for all those trick or treaters, Shaun and Ella had fun picking out a pumpkin at the pumpkin patch, and then decorating it together.

Ella helped Shaun color in the face and then Shaun took care of the "carving".

They were very excited with their Jack o' Lantern!

Ella starts Pre-school and other adventures!

2011-09-20T17:43:00.001-07:00

Ella started pre-school this month! Here she is her first day of school, ready to go! She was disappointed when she realized she wasn't going to be riding the bus to school, but she was still excited to wear her new backpack. She's going to a pre-school at one of the local high school's. The high school students take a child learning elective and along with a professional teacher, they help team teach the pre-school class. Ella loves having more than one teacher, though we haven't been able to get much more out of her about how she likes it. I think she's loving it though. If ever a child was ready for pre-school, it was Ella. She knows most of her letters and recognizes her name. Today she came home and she had made a wooly warm with cotton balls. The fun googly eyes didn't last long I'm sorry to report.

We also had our friends visit for the weekend last weekend. Ella and her best pal, Peter, had fun exploring Middleburg on our Saturday adventure. We took in the sights of the quaint little town only 3o minutes from our house, and then we went to the farmer's market!

Ella and Peter enjoyed this huge rocking horse in the expensive children's store in Middleburg.

The farmer's market was a lot of fun! The kids enjoyed the chickens and bunnies that were there. We bought some great yummy produce and came home to make a nice dinner.

And Amelia is growing by leaps and bounds. Her new favorite past time: climbing the stairs!

And so it begins!

The never ending chasing. She's cute and is so proud of herself. Walking is just around the corner.

We are enjoying September and have especially enjoyed the fall like weather that's come our way this past week. We look forward to more fall festivities to come!

Did Someone Say, SWING!

2011-09-11T17:23:00.001-07:00

I know, fun times, right?

More Mermaid Trivia

2011-09-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

So on our way home from the lake yesterday we put in The Little Mermaid for Ella in the van. In the scene where Ariel runs away because her dad is upset, Ella cries out, "King Tritan is mean!" Shaun and I said, "King Tritan was just worried about his little girl. Ariel was acting selfish." Ella then replied, "No mommy and daddy, Ariel is not a Cell-Fish, she's a mermaid!" Shaun and I laughed so hard. Only from the mind of a three year-old.

Ella starts Dance Class

2011-08-24T14:23:00.001-07:00

Ella started her first dance class today.

She was thrilled to wear her ballet shoes, tights, and leotard with skirt.

I was a little nervous about how she'd do but I was certain she'd love it.

The first thing she told me when it was over was, "mommy, can I go back there again?"

Definitely a great first experience for my little munch.

Oh my Ella, how she's growing up, yet next to some of the other girls in there she seemed so little still. Sometimes I forget that with only having Amelia as a reference point. Anyway, she was adorable. We are looking forward to more dance!

Happy 1st Birthday baby Amelia

2011-08-21T17:42:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe our little Miss is now one year. She is such a joy and delight and the perfect balance for her three year-old strong spirited sister. Amelia is mild and mellow, but she's beginning to exert some of her opinions too. She's not afraid to go after what she wants, whether it's nana's diet coke or whatever toy Ella has. She has her own spunk, but she goes about getting what she wants with a smile and a dimple. I love that kid. I love both of them. They are the joys of my life!

Nana and papa went to Texas the day before Amelia turned one so we celebrated before the left. Then we did a small cupcake for Amelia on her actual birthday. The first set of pictures was our celebration with nana and papa. Amelia blew out her candle with a little help from big sister and me.

And nana's probably whispering she'll slip her some diet coke to wash down all that chocolate... don't worry, I didn't let her.

Mmmm mmm good. There's nothing like shoveling chocolate cake into your mouth:)

The "after" shot. A little rinse off in the kitchen sink. I love the face, but I really love the hair.

And here she is with her cupcake (Ella helped me make them and chose the pink frosting) on her actual birthday. Too much celebrating for one? Never. We make birthdays an event around here. Why not start at one?

She enjoyed the cupcake just as much I think. We just took her shirt off before to be safe.

So happy birthday beautiful girl! We love you oodles and oodles and we are so glad you came to join our family.

PS: Amelia's one year check up stats- 50th percentile weight @21 lbs, 25th percentile height. Two top teeth and two bottom teeth. Healthy and crawling all over the place, pulling herself up, babbling, drooley, and happy

Mermaid Anatomy 101

2011-08-21T13:56:00.001-07:00

Today Ella was having a little conversation with her friend, Maggie. Ella had her new mermaid with her. It went something like this as reported by Maggie's mom:

E: "This is the mermaid's bum, and these are her boobies," pointing to the correct anatomy

M: "And this is her tummy and her"pagina"."

E: "No, that's her tail."

And this conversation took place in sacrament meeting of all places. Glad these girls are learning their mermaid anatomy in time for pre-school.

Girls Just Wanna Have FUN!

2011-08-15T18:03:00.000-07:00

Sing it like your Cindy Lauper loud and clear... "Girls just wanna have Fa-un"

And that's exactly what we did. Ten girlfriends from church, all of us with young children, decided it was time for a girls weekend- no kids, no babies, no husbands. We headed to the beach for a two day, one night relax fest. That's right, no stopping to change diapers, head up to the hotel for naptime, or leave the beach when your three-year old screams all of the sudden, "Mommy, I have to go potty."

I literally think I sat on the beach more in the two days we were there verses the entire week we were in South Carolina. Now don't get me wrong, I enjoyed our family trip, but this was fun in a different way, and yes, dare I say, a more relaxing way!

We giggled, laughed, and got the scoop on all of our husband's funny quirks (some more than we wanted to know).

We enjoyed the ocean, only to come back and share twizzlers, m&m's and other goodies.

We headed out for Mexican our first night and followed it up with a dance party in our hotel room (or lack there of). Thirty-something mothers are all talk. Most of us were too tired to actually dance but we laughed and talked some more.

Yes, it was girl bonding the way girl bonding should be done. I felt like I was single again and it was a beautiful moment. But a moment was all I needed. I was ready to come home and kiss my babies good night Saturday.

I was glad to have some time with some wonderful women and the beauty of those kind of weekends is that they make you appreciate your family, and they make you appreciate friendship, especially the friendship between women!

Thanks ladies for a lovely time! I'm already looking forward to the ladies beach trip 2012!

Balance

2011-08-07T15:49:00.000-07:00

They say at the end of the summer most people feel they're best. We naturally eat more fresh foods because they're more readily available, we get more sun, we get more exercise. I have to admit feeling this most every year around this time. My skin isn't as pasty white as it gets in the winter, even my feet feel a little better, and I have gotten more rest. But I think for me it's not only the gifts of mother nature during this time of year, it's the fact that most often I have most of July off. This summer I only worked two days in July, making this my most stress free summer to date. I feel... balanced. I've been able to spend time with my girls, spend time taking care of myself, spend time working on my calling at church, I've gotten more rest, and I've been able to take care of my home. I have been more than content and haven't had one moment of boredom. I've barely even thought of work outside the home. I've stayed plenty busy right here, and it's given me a lot of fulfillment to take my girls places, to make healthy meals for my family, to take care of my body better. I don't feel run down, and I know I owe that in part to just getting outside more, but I think owe it just as much to getting to be at home.

So where am I going with this? I feel very strongly that before we have our next baby we need to prepare ourselves financially and otherwise for me to be able to stay at home. Up until now I've been our primary bread winner and carried the benefits but I pray and hope that within the next few months, Shaun's oh so important job we've been waiting to come through will do just that... it will come through. With that there will be distinct opportunities for him to move up and within a few years I think it's entirely possible for me to be able to stay home. I've prayed about this and feel it is the right thing. Of course I've learned every timeline I give to the Lord has ended up just being a little laugh for him. I know it's hard to put timelines on your life, and you'd think by now I'd have learned to stop doing it. But this is a righteous desire, and I sincerely hope and pray we can be ready to make that sacrifice within a few years time. I really enjoy my family and even though my job has been very good to us, I know my heart isn't in it as much as it used to be prior to kids. I still am very consciences but I just know ... I just know where I'd rather be. In three years I will be done repaying my student loans so to me, that's a very good sign I've put my master's to work (literally), and I made a good investment in my education. So I know time will tell. Obviously I wont do anything reckless like quitting without my family having the support they need, but as we look towards buying a home within the next year or so, and as we make financial decisions, I want this to be the number one priority! So there you have it. Maybe some of you moms can weigh in on the subject, both those of you that work and stay home. I know many moms in the church talk about the sacrifice of staying home with their children, but for me, the ultimate sacrifice has been NOT staying home even though I have so badly wanted to. I just hope it's something that can change in a few years. I pray for that. I pray for the strength to make choices to support that (it's awfully hard not to on-line shop or want the best home or new car, but I think it will be worth it). So tell me what you think. And keep us in your prayers!

All in all I'm very content right now. I'm slightly sad as I know I will be working full time in just one short week. I love the people I work with and I love that I get to work with children but the children I want to work with most are right here in my own home. So anyway, this is where I'm at. I feel content. I feel balanced. I feel certain that as soon as I go back to work it will all come back... the feeling pulled and tired and like I can never keep up. But for now I will revel in the beauties of summer!!

Peek a Who?

2011-08-02T18:33:00.000-07:00

Little Amelia is coming into her own these days. She is very interested in what everyone else is doing and does not like being left behind, alone, left out. We will put her in her crib for bed time but she's keenly interested in peeking out from between the bars. Ella enjoys joining her sometimes.

These two girls of mine... they are the light of my life, and the reason why I am exhausted every day by 2pm, and if I get energy back, I'm exhausted again by 9pm. Today I don't think I got that energy back. Too much bending over to pick food up off the floor. Does that count as doing my situps?

Amelia is babbling constantly and often says "mama" "dada" and "baba". She has become more determined when she wants something. She's quite the tenacious little bug. She crawls like a catepillar sticking her butt up in the air, and most recently she bruised my ankle in her cruiser- OUCH! You've got to watch out for her in that thing. She's determined.

Ella is hilarious. I told her brushing her doll's hair was a "pain in the butt" and she then pulled out her barbie and told me it was okay, she had "paint on her butt" too. Ella changes outfits about twenty times a day and refuses to wear shorts. When I put shorts on her once for the sitter, Miss Jen told me she took them off after an hour and said, "I not wear these. They are yucky!" So my diva prefers dresses, skirts, and all things fruify, especially if they are purple or have Ariel on them.

You say Goodbye, I say Hello

2011-07-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

Thank you Beatles for inspiring me with this post!

July has also been a month of saying goodbye to some friends and welcoming others back. Shaun and I are sad to see two families we are very close to moving west. The Fords just adopted not one, but TWO baby boys within the last few months, and they are now starting a new job and new life in Utah. Our friends, The Wests, have moved away to begin law school in Arizona. We will miss both of these families and look forward to reunions in the future, hopefully not the too distant future.

Ella and Ellie have been good buddies ever since they spent their first Thanksgiving together. They've spent many a holiday together since.

See, here they are saying, "Don't ever let go." Okay, just kidding. They didn't go all Titanic on us. That would be weird.

I'm excited that other friends have moved back closer. My childhood best friend, Grace, has just come back "home" so to speak. We lived together in L.A. after graduating from college, and while I only stayed one short year and then returned home to VA to pursue my master's, Grace stayed on and lived the L.A. life. I visited her once and she would come back east to see family, but we were really only able to see each other once every couple of years. Now I'm thrilled she and her husband have decided to move here for work.

Another dear dear friend and her family just moved back from Jersey. I am so glad that they are close enough for us to meet in Charlottesville and do dinner, or like we did for the fourth, meet up and go to events together. Below is a picture of Ella and her son, Peter, at a cute little "living museum" outside of Staunton, VA. It was set up to resemble early America, a very fun and patriotic way to spend the fourth, especially with good company.

Still yet, I have another best friend whose husband is graduating from law school and they are relocating to Vegas. It's funny how life is sometimes. I feel like I have all of these friends coming and going, but they are moving forward one way or the other. I feel like our life is on pause. I know that's horrible. We should be living each day to its fullest regardless of our circumstances, but truly and honestly until Shaun's job comes through we are in a holding pattern. We can't really even think about moving, we can't make any plans. Some days I want to throw reason to the wind, quit my job, pack up the family, and move to Santa Fe, or anywhere for that matter. I want to be adventurous! I want to go somewhere I've never been. I've lived in this little town a long time, and while it's quaint, charming, and I love it (not to mention we have family, friends, a job, connections, etc.), sometimes I just want to know what life would be like for us if we picked up and moved to a place where we knew no one. Part of me feels like I'm missing out on something. Is that crazy?

So part of me is sad saying goodbye to so many friends, another part of me is joyous at the return of others, but all of me wants so badly for it to be OUR turn to move. I mean this both literally and figuratively I suppose. I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I know, there I go quoting Disney movies. I definitely need to get out more. But it's true. Whether that adventure is moving and getting into our own house, going on a cruise, or packing up and going to Santa Fe, I feel it in my bones! I guess wherever the road takes us I know I should follow the old cliche and bloom where I'm planted, enjoy the journey, yada, yada. But I'd be lying if I said I just don't want to have my own goodbyes and hellos to say.

Life's a beach!

2011-07-27T18:02:00.000-07:00

Some of these were just too cute to be missed in a collage. They needed their own personal highlight. So here they are, my top favorite pics from the beach.

First, the casual shots:

1. Ella finds her stride walking along the shore, sporting fashionable sunglasses and Ariel swimwear

2. Amelia looking a bit like Sir Elton John

3. I already told you this photo of Shaun captures why I married the guy. One word- ADORABLE

4. Have to have one of Nana with her grand baby. And Amelia's squinchy face as we like to say.

5. Gotta have one of Papa too

6. Jackie was a great sport all week

And now for the "I'm trying to pretend I'm a photographer" photos. What else do you do when your kids wake up at 7am and no one else wakes up until 9:30? You take them to the beach for photo shoots of course.

I don't think I'll ever actually get a shot of Ella looking at the camera, but regardless some of these look nice and contemplative, even if they are in actuality her avoiding looking at the camera at all costs... STINKER!

See what I mean, call it contemplative? Call it ignoring me? Whatever you do, call it beautiful!

And one morning I really did TRY to take photos with Shaun's help. I think we got a few nice ones.

So there you have it, my beautiful family!

Myrtle Beach 2011

2011-07-27T05:31:00.000-07:00

July has been a wonderful and busy month, filled with all the things one thinks of when they think of summer... trips to the pool, beach trips, celebrations with friends on the 4th of July! Our most recent adventure took us to South Carolina, a Williams family beach tradition since before my coming to grace the family back in the early 70's. This year we went with Nana and Papa and cousin Jackie to North Myrtle Beach. The only downside was missing all of our other family who couldn't be with us. But it was Ella and Lil' A's first official beach trip, and they had a great time. I think they also ended up being everyone's entertainment!

I made photo collages simply because I had so many photos I wanted to post. We stayed in a beach front condo with a pool. Our beach neighbors enjoyed creating a new sand sculpture every day. They ranged from sunglasses to turtles to flip flops. Ella enjoyed watching the family build their creations, and the girls enjoyed the pool, the ocean, and sometimes the sand.

Early morning photos of my girls in white.

Below, Ella and Papa have a "moment" out by the water after dinner.

We went out to dinner, took Jackie to see the last Harry Potter (they had to fill me in on the way to the theatre since I hadn't seen the last four movies). We took Jackie parasailing and out for mini golf, but mostly we just enjoyed the beach.

Below, check out the stud of a husband of mine looking so cute in his sunglasses.

Ella in the evening enjoying the waves and sand.

I hope the beach is a tradition my own little family can continue, though I wouldn't mind going to a less well known beach, a little more secluded. But I'm grateful for family traditions, and spending time with the people that mean the most to me! Myrtle Beach 2011 will always hold special memories.

What happens in Texas...

2011-07-01T03:04:00.001-07:00

Whether you'd like to call it brave or brainless, I decided to book a trip to Texas (pronounced Tay-has) to see my sister and her family... just me and my girls. Pictured right, Ella was excited to catch the plain at Reagan and eagerly carried her Dora backpack off to security. Luckily my dad was able to get a special pass and stay with us until we boarded. The plain ride was as expected, very difficult. What I didn't expect was to get air sick on top of dealing with my less than angelic little ones. The poor flight attendants looked a little nervous when they saw me as white as a ghost with two children. They kept handing me barf bags. But after a less than fun three hours we arrived in Dallas!

I was excited to see Michelle and the rest of the Miller clan. They usually come to see us every summer in Virginia but last year they put a pool in their backyard so we decided to come see them. I now appreciate a little more all the many summers of effort they've put in bringing their five kids across most of the country.

It was a simple visit which is what I was hoping for. We sat by the pool, let Ella play with her cousins. Our last night there we ate at Cristina's, a yummy mexican treat that even Harrison Ford has eaten at.

The kids LOVED Ella and Amelia. I will say Amelia was not a fan of Texas. She was a bit of a fuss pants, but Ella had a great time. Now that we're home Amelia is pleased as punch and Ella is the difficult one. I just need lots of big kids to keep her entertained.

By our last night there Amelia would let some of her cousins hold her, as long as I was close by. Here she is with Nathan and Katie and she's not even crying.

Ella told me her favorite was Lacy, because she was little like her. Lacy is six. She loved Amelia but Ella loved her. Oh bittersweet love triangles.

One night they took me to their cute little town's live music. A Beatles impressionist band played and we enjoyed it despite the temperature being over 100 degrees even at 7pm.

We also visited Sarah while she worked at the community pool. Jackie and Amelia enjoyed the shade before jumping in.

And then we enjoyed the backyard pool. Other than taking the kids to swim team, going on walks, and looking at model homes, we spent most of our time right by that pool... just what we were hoping for!

Ella became a big fan of going under the water. She learned to hold her breath and now we just have to teach her to move forward so she doesn't sink like lead.

Ella and her cousin, Sarah.

So what happens in Texas, well I guess it doesn't have to stay there. We'd love to have brought all those Miller Texans home with us... maybe next time!

Gracias Millers por un gran tiempo in Tay-has:) Don't ask why talking about Texas (pronounced Tay-has) makes me want to break out into my Spanglish but it does.

To all our DAD's

2011-06-19T15:51:00.001-07:00

Whether chillin' in the pool...

or hanging out around the house with papa,

We love our dads and grandpas and all the love and attention they give our girls!

Happy Father's Day to all our dad's!

Hair Cut!

2011-06-13T18:01:00.001-07:00

I was ready to go shorter and darker. I'm excited to have a new look... It's a little shorter in the back. I can't even pull it back in a pony tail. Wow!

Okay, this has nothing to do with hair, but you can be married seven years and still have goofy fun!

What we've been up to

2011-06-13T17:37:00.000-07:00

We visited Smith Mountain Lake for the first time this season. We enjoyed a nice ride on the boat at sunset.

Amelia enjoyed her first boat ride.

Ella loved the wind in her hair.

Nana was a great help.

We got to spend time with Aunt Doris and Uncle Bob

Shaun and Doris after dinner

The girls took a dip in the lake
Ella looked chic with her sunhat

We enjoyed time in the pool

Papa joined us

And Amelia was adorable as ever

The girls have enjoyed hugs and giggles together more now as Amelia is getting older. It is the cutest thing to watch and about my favorite sound on earth.

I know it looks like Amelia is choking her but I promise it was all in good fun.

The girls have enjoyed the water, whether in the tub, the shower, or the sprinkler outside.

Amelia has started eating finger foods. She actually refuses now to let us feed her... Miss Independent! Not to mention messy.

But she's still cute

So it's been a good month! The girls are cute, they are fun, but they are absolutely exhausting! I guess that's life with little ones.

May in Review

2011-05-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

I'm a little behind on the ole blog-a-thon photos for May. So here's a month in review... so far.

Mother's Day was wonderful! Shaun and the girls got me flowers, I got myself a pedicure the day prior, and we enjoyed an afternoon visiting with friends after church (my own mother was out of town or I would have spent it with her). The girls and I on Mother's Day after church.

Ella has also enjoyed many "rides" -just down the driveway- in "HER" baby car (AKA my dad's BMW Z4). I think I need to be worried when she thinks the baby car is her's at the mere age of three. She's even prepped wearing her sun hat.

For my birthday Shaun really spoiled me. He got me BEAUTIFUL flowers that I loved, a chocolate cake, and a date night out to dinner and the movies. The girls got me balloons which they have enjoyed playing with all week. The only photos we have are from our phone so not the best but still captured a memory.

In other events, I met my friend, Kristin, for dinner in Charlottesville. I brought Ella and she was a real treat. She invited herself to a birthday party at the restaurant we ate at (and got a piece of cake even), rode the carousel TWICE (once when another person had payed for their daughter... Ella the moocher), and almost stole a teddy from the department store. And I don't mean the soft and stuffed kind, I mean the kind a three year old shouldn't be wearing. In her defense, it looked a lot like one of her favorite dresses... same size, same satiny material. She was determined to pull it off the hanger and wear it home but eventually we talked her out of it (after a rather embarrassing moment of chasing her through the lingerie section of the store). She really was fun although exhausting. What's new, right? Kristin was a good sport about all of the running around, especially being nine months pregnant. I really enjoyed my visit with her.

Ella enjoying her non mooched ride on the carousel.

Today we got to visit our dear friends who just adopted their son, little Drew. We love him already:) Congratulations to the most wonderful couple ever!

A beaming momma

Some of the best friends a girl could ask for. Spending time with Becca, Katie, and Kristin makes my heart happy.

handsome bugaboo Drew:)

And my lil A being the most gorgeous thing ever. I find myself looking at her every day and falling more and more in love... really with both of my girls. Amelia just isn't mobile yet so she's easier to take a photo of. And those baby blues are AMAZING!

The Littlest Birds Sing the Prettiest Songs

2011-05-18T18:26:00.000-07:00

So today I was in the car listening to a sweet lil' ditty and the title struck me for the first time even though it's on my I-Tunes Favorite list and I hear it regularly. "The Littlest Birds Sing the Prettiest Songs." Hmmm... I think that is my new mantra. This week I celebrated my birthday and I have to admit I went into the week feeling... well, a bit disappointed. Disappointed in myself for not being where I thought I'd be, not feeling like I've moved forward, that our family hasn't progressed... yada yada. I cried myself a river so deep I swam in it until my fingers got all pruned. I met a friend for lunch and I know I must have been a bit of a downer. But she had some really great insight as a mother of five herself. She said that when it was just her she was generally very happy and really only became discontent if something happened occasionally. After getting married she found herself not only concerned about her day, but her spouse's, noting that if his day went badly or they had a fight her chances of discontentment grew slightly. She said that now with five children, at least one person is bound to have something happen to them, making her day difficult. She has to make a conscious effort to remember the little things. Maybe now is not the time of life where she will have a whole day go smoothly, resting her head on her pillow at night feeling completely at peace with the goings on of the day. Now she has to stop and enjoy the moment when all of her children are playing well together, even if ten minutes later it could be chaos. Again, there is a time and season, and this motherhood thing means finding joy in the little things. If you try to look at success as having one whole day of no fighting, no fatigue, no stress, then you will always be disappointed. Instead, if success is enjoying a sweet moment with your family during a rainstorm as you sit and hear the thunder and Ella sings the "rain, rain, go away song" in complete confidence that the storm will obey her sweet song's command. If you enjoy the sweet hug she gives you on your birthday and hugs you until she says, "okay mommy, that's enough hugging." So it's the little birds that sing the sweetest songs. It's not the grand ones and their arching flight though they are magnificent. You just don't see them as often, just as I don't have those "perfect days" anymore. But I do have those sweet moments, those sweet songs, and they can be beautiful.

So I ramble I know. But this is the valuable lesson it only took me thirty two years to learn:

The Little Birds sing the prettiest songs. Enjoy them. They are common and every day but they are precious. And for this time and season they are what I need to focus on.

Shaun and I have no control over this job of his that we have now been waiting on for TEN months. He signed a contract, we know it's only a matter of time. But this week I have given this worry to the Lord. He can have it. There's nothing more I can do with it. Having no control is so difficult, so I have two options. I can fret and worry and fret and worry some more, or I can give this trial to the only one who really can and will be able to control it. I tried the first option and it's gotten me no where except as I said earlier, swimming in a river of my own self-pity (not to mention turning to on-line shopping therapy... not recommended). This week, I'm going with door number two. Here's my heart Lord, take and seal it. Please take this trial and help us endure. Help us remember to rely on you and to trust in you and your timing. Our little family is in your hands. And we will enjoy the sweet songs along the way.

North Carolina- 3rd Stop Adam and Tawnie's

2011-05-13T17:13:00.001-07:00

Okay, I'm not sure why it's taking me so long to blog our Spring Break trip. I guess I'm letting the memories linger. Or more likely, I work full time and have two ankle biters that keep me extremely busy (and a husband that is very helpful but takes a little time too). But I digress, not surprising. Anyway, we really enjoyed our time at Adam and Tawnie's. As always, they were very gracious hosts and we enjoyed late night visits if we could get our kids to bed at a decent hour. Tawnie spent hours upon hours hand making Easter dresses for the girls that all matched. She puts me to shame between her baking, sewing, and Mary Poppins magic, but I'm grateful for her kindness and thinking of my girls too. We tried to get a photo of all the girls together but it just wasn't happening after an hour of church and impending nap time. It's hard to even get a photo of Ella smiling by herself. Here she's sort of smirking but we'll count it.

Luckily Ella is really good at letting me take photos of her backside. And the back of the dress was super cute.

Of course Elianna is much better at smiling for the camera. Cute girl!

A mother daughter duo

The closest thing we got to a shot of all of them... lovely I know

After church, naps, and yummy food prepared by our hostess we had an Easter egg hunt for the girls.

Adam helps Lilly find eggs

The girls with their baskets.

After a long day a nice scrub a dub in the tub was necessary for all four:)

So thanks again to all of our North Carolina friends who made our trip so special. We hope to see all of you again soon!

Bows, Bows, and more Bows

2011-05-09T17:10:00.001-07:00

This is what happens when we leave Ella alone with her closet... She's half diva princess, half tomboy. She's her own unique person and you've gotta love her style:)

2nd stop- Charlotte, NC

2011-05-09T16:52:00.000-07:00

We LOVE our friends, The Fords. They will be adopting not one, but TWO, little boys over the next couple of months. They took time out of their busy schedule to show us around Charlotte and let us stay at their cute place. Their little apartment is literally two blocks from down town so we went into the city and toured. We took Ella to a children's library that she thoroughly enjoyed and we also enjoyed staying up late and visiting with these two. Becca made us yummy food and Troy and Shaun played video games. Thanks for a lovely visit Mr. and Mrs. Ford:)

The photos above were taken on Shaun's phone so sorry the quality isn't great but they were some of the only ones we got with Becca or in front of Charlotte (even though you can't really tell Ella and I are standing in front of the city outside of Becca's apartment).

North Carolina- 1st stop, The Biltmore

2011-05-05T18:08:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful Spring Break over Easter and enjoyed visiting friends in North Carolina. We started off the trip by taking a pit-stop and visiting our friend, Kristin, and her son Peter. Ella got to stretch her legs and play a bit before getting back on the road and heading to our first destination, Charlotte, to see Becca and Troy. We really enjoyed seeing these wonderful friends and Tuesday Becca went with us to The Biltmore Estate in Ashville, a two hour drive west of Charlotte. The Biltmore is famous for being the largest home in America... more like a castle. Built by the railroad mega millionaire George Vanderbilt in 1898. It has a mere 250 rooms and a pool in the basement. They've turned the stables and courtyards into a food court and restaurants. The grounds are absolutely amazing! And we came in time for the tulips to bloom in their splendor! Ella enjoyed seeing the draft horses (see photo below), and the girls enjoyed eating in what was once the horse stable (see below). I highly recommend checking out The Biltmore if you're ever in the area. We absolutely loved our visit there. Ashville is absolutely gorgeous in the mountains of North Carolina. I can see why Mr. Vanderbilt felt inspired to build his "summer retreat" there. Well worth the four hours in the car to and from Charlotte. Of course it helps when you have a wonderful friend like Becca to keep you company.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-28T18:02:00.000-07:00

These really need no introduction. It may just be I have the cutest girls on the planet- at least in my humble opinion. Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. More photos to come on our Spring Break!

More Ella-isms

2011-04-15T16:30:00.001-07:00

This week Ella has said so many funny things but I need to start writing them down because usually I forget the details much like my own dreams at night. But here are a few I remember:

Ella found a white table cloth at nana's house and proceeded to put it on her head and tell me "mommy, I'm getting married." Of course I replied, "well who's the lucky guy?" After a series of guesses including Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid and Flynn Rider from Repunzel, she told me it was in fact daddy who she was going to be marrying. So there you go, Freud indeed was correct when he said children go through an Oedipus complex. Case in point my own Ella.

Earlier today Ella asked me if Amelia was asleep or awake. Amelia was awake and in my arms when she asked so the answer was obvious and I said, "what do you think she looks like?" Ella responded, "She looks like daddy." This kid is too funny. Then I asked her who she looked like and she said, "I look like Ella." When I asked her who I looked like she told me PU (as in P U stinky). Lovely!

Other than that the two of them are constantly entertaining me. Amelia is picking up cheerios and working on her grasp. She enjoys eating with us and thinks every meal should be hers. Ella dresses up every day and goes through three or four outfits a day of her choosing. She also goes through about five pairs of underwear. Every time she goes potty she claims she has to have new underwear even when hers are perfectly clean. So usually I just put them back in her drawer when she's not looking so she doesn't run out in one day. She is doing really well with potty training and has had less than five accidents since Thanksgiving. She's a pro!

Here are some photos below. Just random ones of the girls hanging out. We have Spring Break next week so we'll actually have some fun things to blog about coming up:)

These were actually taken when Ella helped her papa build her sandbox in the backyard.

Amelia ready to eat

And after eating

Ella in one of her many outfits of the day... complete with multiple accessories and a look of triumph!

Chatting with a three year old

2011-03-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

Putting Ella to bed the other night, we had the following conversation:

Ella: Mommy, we need to have a birthday party. (she is big on birthday parties right now and likes to find random things around the house to "decorate" for birthday parties with).

Me: Oh, can it be my birthday party? My birthday is next.

Ella: Of course mommy.

Me: Well what do you think I want for my birthday?

Ella: An Ariel doll

Me: Really? You think mommy wants an Ariel doll?

Ella: Of course you do mommy, of course you do.

Ella loves to say "of course" instead of yes, and she says it so sincerely and seriously. It was the cutest thing. I told Shaun and he is relieved it will be so easy to shop for my birthday this year:)

Hammer time!

2011-03-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

Before you go envisioning parachute pants and start singing the 1990 music hit in your head, today's blog title has a different connotation. It's time for me to go "hammer time" on myself. I've lost 15 pounds since Amelia was born but I've been at a standstill the last... um... five weeks. I need to get re-motivated. With summer just around the corner and my nine month up, nine month down philosophy, I gotta get on it! I'd like to lose 30 more pounds before our beach trip this July but even 20 would put me back where I was when I got pregnant. So again, in an effort to keep myself honest, I'm going to enforce "hammer time".

In other news, things are pretty hum drum these days. The girls are wonderful. They are gorgeous and fun and exhausting! I apologize for the lack of pics with this post. We haven't done much worth breaking the camera out for. I'll work on that for next time. We're looking forward to April and my Spring Break when we hope to visit family and friends in south west Virginia and across North Carolina. Shaun and I are trying to enjoy one date night each week but he started back at the golf course on the weekends on top of the restaurant during the week so our time together is precious. We continue to hope and pray his other job begins shortly, but know that with that will come it's own set of logistical issues so we will at least be grateful for the time being we don't have to worry about day care. That's one perk to NOT having his job start yet. But about the only one. Anyway, we are hopeful. I think I heard a reporter use the term "cautiamistic" referring to the economic recovery for the nation, but I'd say it applies to our little family too.

Swing Time

2011-03-14T18:17:00.000-07:00

Before I get started, you'll be relieved to know this is not going to be a rant. I know, I know, you're thinking, "Shwooh, 'cause that girl just never stops." No, today's post is of the more light hearted variety. As I indicated in my last entry, March is a month of waiting. So while we wait we might as well have a good time. The girls got a new swing in the backyard. Their papa is very loving and was so excited to put up a swing so that they both could have a good time this summer. The swing was put up last week and we haven't wasted any time breaking it in. Below are some photos of the girls "in action". Also some photos of what we do most days... play in our pj's (except me of course. I have to get ready for work. On days I don't I definitely join them).

(I promise I really do her hair sometimes)

(okay, maybe I didn't do her hair this day either... oh well, she's having fun)

And look at these baby blues. Amelia is our little gerber girl. She is just too precious for words.

Also, one other bit of exciting news- no, we haven't gotten word about Shaun's job, and no, we're NOT preggo. My co-workers guessed both of the above. The first would be worthy of it's own post and the second wouldn't be exciting at the moment, it'd be overwhelming. We found out today Ella made the list for the high school pre-school program next fall! She will LOVE this opportunity and I've heard wonderful things about what they do there. The high school students help run it which makes it 1) super affordable and 2) almost a 1:1 ratio of child to adult/semi-adult. I'm really happy to know Ella will be able to go to such a great pre-school. I'd send her today if I could. She loves to learn and is like a little sponge. But it's something to look forward to.

Did somebody say Threes were Terrible?

2011-03-10T16:37:00.000-08:00

Did that same somebody also say what terrible meant specifically? For us it's been an emotional roller coaster now that Ella is three. She told me just yesterday to "go away forever", every night bedtime is an epic battle, and then I've got input from nana and papa upstairs for whom she can do no wrong... further exacerbating the T in Terrible.

I'm just plain ol' grumpy. I'm not a huge fan of March. It's a month of waiting. Waiting for Spring, waiting for jobs to start, waiting to feel like a real mom and not just the fake mom when nana's not around. Waiting for a real house of my own, waiting to not feel like an utter failure.

Don't worry, I'm not always this grumpy, but maybe the rain has me singing the blues. Maybe four nights in a row of doing bedtime solo with only input from upstairs to tell me if I spank my daughter she'll never know I love her. Sheesh! Ella pushes buttons. She told me last week nana was her real mom. I love that she can be so close to her grandparents, but not at the cost of my own relationship with her suffering. And the irony is, I so desperately need their help. With Shaun working almost every night I come home from one full time job to another with the kids and some nights I just don't have the energy to watch them both. I need their help and greatly appreciate it, but the more they help the more Ella hates me.

So I guess my question is (yes, there is a question amidst of all this ranting) is this what three is or do I have a particularly angry child on my hands? I'm a little concerned but it's not like until Shaun's job starts I can even do anything about it, at least not anything as drastic as move. Here are some things I'm trying but haven't determined if they're successful yet:

A consistent schedule

Special time with just me

play dates with other children

outings with our family alone

I wish I could say I'm always patient. I pray for patience, truly I do, in EVERY aspect of my life. I feel like my three year old hates me. I have no idea what more to do with her and I feel stuck. Stuck in this basement, stuck in my job, stuck stuck stuck! Oh terrible threes how I hate you! At least I'm hoping it's just the terrible threes. Verdict is still out.

More fun with Grandpa C

2011-02-27T11:44:00.000-08:00

A friend told me today I don't blog enough. This surprised me because I really didn't think anyone ever actually read my blog. But he's right, I have some catching up to do. Here are a few more photos of our visit with Grandpa Calderwood and the adventures we enjoyed while he was here.

Left, Ella decided to play with my mom's dried hydrangeas. Anyone looking to get married soon and want a little flower girl? Ella is ready and practicing.

More photos of the girls with their sweet sweet grandpa. They love him and miss him so much. It's only been a week since he left and it feels like it's gone so slowly. Maybe it's because we're just ready for Spring, maybe it's because we miss him. Probably a little of both.

Shaun and his dad went hunting. Shaun is proudly sporting his catch of the day. Men, guns, small things being maimed. I just don't get it. But hey, they had fun so who am I to judge?

For Shaun's birthday we went to a Japanese steak house. Ella wasn't feeling all too well (you may not have noticed her less than happy expression in the picture above but in her defense she did have a fever and had just come from the doctor). We still had a really nice time though. It was a first for the girls and maybe next time Ella will catch a shrimp in her mouth.

So think Spring everyone! I'm just sure it's right around the corner. Spring and a call from the government letting us know Shaun's security clearance is completed and he can start his new job! Think positive! That's what I keep telling myself. As grateful as I've tried to be I have to admit we are feeling a little down while we wait. But any day now.... Keep us in your prayers!

Happy Birthday Grandpa C

2011-02-15T18:23:00.000-08:00

My oh my how my little girls love their grandpas- both of them. But this week we are enjoying a special visit from Grandpa Calderwood. He flew in Saturday and we celebrated his birthday. Tomorrow we celebrate Shaun's Birthday, and in between we got to spend Valentine's together. Too bad everyone is sick (except for Grandpa and I). But even sickness can't keep the girls from admiring their grandpa. The only thing that would make his trip nicer would be grandma coming too.

I just love these little girls. In my unbiased opinion they are about the most beautiful babies ever (even if Ella wont smile in photos). So thanks to grandpa for coming and spending a special birthday week with us! We love you!

What Glee She's Three!

2011-02-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

Well, technically she's three tomorrow. But today we decided to celebrate in style by having an "under the sea" themed birthday party at our favorite kids restaurant, Chick Filet. Ella LOVED her Little Mermaid cake that I actually made for her. I will admit, I was skeptical about how this would turn out, but I decided to take on the challenge after exhausting other resources such as local bakeries that were either too expensive or couldn't do exactly what I was envisioning as well as friends that were busy (even if they do have more talent in their pinky than I do in my whole body). Anyway, you can see the result below. Thanks to Kristin for helping make this cake a success! Her moral support and candy molding skills were just what I needed. Ella loved it and the look on her face made the late night of baking and icing worth it:) I may not have mad skills or anything but still I thought it was cute.

Below are some family shots as well as some cute photos of what Amelia was up to during all this playful celebration. She and another infant slept soundly through most of the hub boob.

More shots of Ella and others enjoying the festivities

The elusive three and four year old guest list below, not to mention a big picture of the guest of honor (and her super cute new hair cut).

So a very happy birthday to our little Elle. She had a great day and was exhausted tonight... no wait, that was me. Anyway, she really did have a wonderful birthday. Thanks to all who came to help celebrate, bring gifts, and make Ella's day special. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I started this blog shortly after Ella was born and it amazes me all that has happened in her little life. Nothing huge but just the little things that make life memorable. I was reading an article that said that two secrets to having a happy family include having gratitude and living in the moment as well as appreciating all the other "moments" that have occurred or are yet to occur. Today was one of those moments. I'm so grateful for my little family. We love you Ella! Here's to being THREE!

So many firsts

2011-01-24T05:42:00.000-08:00

1/1/11 has brought many firsts to our family. Here are few fun firsts we've experienced this last month:

Amelia had her FIRST feast. See photos below. She's so dang cute I just cant get over it.

I have lost my FIRST eight pounds. Only 32 to go!

Ella has scheduled her FIRST dentist appointment in March. We'll get those pearly whites looked at and knowing Ella it will be an adventure. It always is with her. I love that kid.

Shaun's still waiting to hear about his FIRST contracting job any day now... In the mean time, he's enjoying his time with the girls at home. Yes, that's him showing them a game on his I-phone. Ella can already navigate the phone's features better than I.

On Character

2011-01-24T04:51:00.000-08:00

The following is a quote from Elder Scott, speaking at this last General Conference regarding character and faith:

"We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day."

Basically, our consistent actions on a daily basis define and mold our character. He goes on to say, " You cannot be passive in life, or in time the natural man will undermine your efforts to live worthily."

So I pose this question to myself but I'll go ahead and throw it out there to any who might happen to read this too: what are my actions saying about me, about my character? Elder Scott says character is grown from humility with integrity as it's bedrock. Do I live a humble life of integrity? What will my life say about me besides I enjoy on-line shopping, Target, and cleaning? Will it reveal that I'm patient, that I am hard-working, fun-loving, giving, service-oriented, and obedient? Will my character be one of faith in my Savior as evidenced by my attitude and perspective every day? I have to admit I've had much more peace over the course of the last month as I've counted my blessings. As I start to really think about all I've been blessed with I find the list goes on and on and on. Last night I fell asleep thanking Heavenly Father for the seemingly small but nice little things and this morning I've woken up happy and refreshed. I don't think it's a coincidence. I'm grateful for the opportunity this earth experience affords me to build my character. I only hope I can become what He would have me be. Elder Scott ends with this which brought me comfort.

"You are making better progress than you realize. Your struggles are defining character, discipline, and confidence in the promises of your Father in Heaven and the Savior as you consistently obey their commandments."

Winter Update

2011-01-16T16:11:00.000-08:00

January, as always, has proven to be rather uneventful. That's never a bad thing. After a whirlwind of holiday festivities it's nice to get back into the ol' routine. Now by late February/early March I'm way over the winter routine but for now it's not too bad. Here's a little bit of the goings on in our home this past month.

* Shaun continues to wait for his clearance to come through. In the mean time, he has been enjoying working at a fabulous little Italian grill just down the road. He's well liked by the owners and getting worked most nights which has been good (mostly... I'm just getting ready for the evenings alone a little early I guess as his other job will most likely also be nights).

* I've lost five pounds so far this month. We'll hope to continue the downward trend on my 1500 calories/day plan.

* Ella is maturing and I'm able to reason with her more and more which is very helpful. Today during Sacrament we were telling her about Jesus and showing her pictures of Him with the children. She looked at Shaun and in a very concerned tone asked, "Where did Jesus go?" She then proceeded to call for him more loudly than we would have liked in the middle of the bread being passed. I thought how simple the perspective a child has, yet shouldn't we all be calling out for him like that. It was a very tender though slightly embarrassing moment.

* Amelia's little personality continues to develop. She is mellow and fun loving but not afraid to let you know what she needs. Her smile is infectious and her giggles and coos are about the cutest thing I've ever seen. I've been calling her my "Gerber Girl" as I think she rivals the baby on all the Gerber products. She had her four month check up and is hearty, happy and healthy!

* Shaun and I feel at peace about being here in the basement for one more year after Shaun starts his new job (any day now we hope). Taking on a perspective of gratitude has helped me appreciate what we have and realize we don't need to rush, not now that the girls are comfortably in their own little room and everything has a place. I was worried we'd feel cramped and crowded but really it's quite nice. Sure I look forward to a home of our own, but I think it's wise to wait and save as much as we can prior to buying. I don't think the market will be going up too soon (sorry for all of you homeowners, I know that doesn't work in your favor). And if Shaun will continue to work evenings it's nice to have the help of my parents occasionally so I'm not doing bedtime duty alone. I think Ella brings a lot of joy to my dad too. He has been struggling with some health problems and I think she takes his mind off of all things serious. Those two are two peas in a pod.

* An added bonus of staying put for one more year is that we can afford to take a couple of family vacations such as a trip to the beach or a trip out west to see family. Details are up in the air but it's exciting to think about and plan. You know me, give me something to plan and I'm a happy girl!

So that about sums it up. We hope everyone else is enjoying their 2011 and look forward to catching up with many of you in the near future.

A new year, a new perspective

2011-01-01T20:34:00.000-08:00

In addition to the New Year's resolutions I feel like I make every year, I want to make a special effort in 2011 to focus on gratitude. I feel like for the past couple of years I've been very caught up in what I don't have yet... when am I going to get that home, that job, those material things? And the funny thing about all of that is even when you do get whatever it is you've longed for, it doesn't leave you satiated. Instead I find myself just longing for more. So this year I'd like to focus on my blessings and what I already have. Sure I still hope 2011 does bring a home and job to our family, but even if it doesn't we are already abundantly blessed and it's time I start focusing on that instead. Here's just a few things that make me smile and bring joy to me every day (in no particular order):

1. Amelia's smile and dimple in her left cheek

2. Ella's laugh and vivid imagination

3. Shaun's funny voices and sense of humor

4. our new rug

5. friendships

6. two wonderful sisters and four wonderful sister-in-laws

7. Virginia

8. a job with benefits

9. Health

10. music

11. my swagger wagon

12. Spring time

13. Fall

14. Christmas

15. Memories

16. My bed and wonderful pillowtop mattress

17. My parents- they're so giving and generous

18. Talents and interests

19. Birthdays

20. Food

21. Feeling loved

22. Giving Love

23. A knowledge of Christ as my personal Savior and Redeemer

24. A comfortable home that's nicely decorated

25. Windex

26. Target

27. Laundry machines

28. Loving and generous in-laws

29. my gym membership

30. Dancing

Christmas Morning Fun

2010-12-31T16:44:00.000-08:00

It was a wonderful Christmas at the Calderwood home. Ella was spoiled by Santa as well as both sets of grandparents and her aunt Heidi and Stephanie. I think it must have taken two hours to open all of her gifts, but she enjoyed every second of it. Some hits this season included Ariel of course (both a swimming and princess Ariel), a beautiful barbie from nana and papa, and a funky van from Grandma C that plays hip music. We call it her very own swagger wagon. Ella takes all of her barbies and Ariels cruising in it daily as they listen to their swagger music. I'd say she had a pretty great Christmas. Amelia slept through most of the commotion but was happy Christmas morning to wake up to her new (semi new at least) bouncy seat! She has enjoyed spending time in it this week but will enjoy it more when her feet can touch the floor. She was spoiled with clothes too and her favorite was a onesie from Aunt Steph that says "I love my auntie". Who wouldn't love that? Here are some photos of the morning below. More to come later on the fabulous week we've had since then. I could get used to not working is all I have to say about that.

Christmas magic!

2010-12-24T09:48:00.000-08:00

I've always loved Christmas Eve. You see, in my family growing up, that was when all the magic happened. We always would go out on a drive to see the beautiful lights on people's houses, the stars would be twinkling as I'd look out the backseat window. Occasionally we'd spot a flying object in the air and my parents would swear it was Santa and his reindeer, just leaving our home. We would arrive home with much anticipation for what may have transpired while we were out on our journey. And as luck would always have it, Santa had always come while we were gone (except for one time when we got home and caught him in the act (thanks to a good friend who was willing to play the role I later learned).

As I've gotten older Christmas has remained magical but for different reasons. I still could and do fall asleep in front of the Christmas tree some nights just to watch the lights twinkle and look at the ornaments, each holding a different memory. I still love being with old friends and family and enjoying the relationships that have been the most precious gifts I could receive. But I also have grown to have an appreciation for the humble birth of our Savior who makes it possible for those beautiful relationships to last beyond this lifetime. I try to imagine myself at his birth, heralding in the special occasion with the angels, the shepherds, or perhaps the wise men. I often ask myself what I might bring to the king of Kings, the Lord of Lords? What can I bring him now that would honor him? I feel it only fitting now as an adult that Christmas Eve be a time to honor Him, for our family to focus on HIS gift to us, the gift of His life, His Atonement, His resurrection, His love. And in return, I ask that our family reflect on what we can give back to Him. Maybe it's more of our time? Maybe it's a better effort at family prayer, more patience, less pride? Whatever small effort we can make to remember Him more and honorably stand as His witnesses. I love my Savior. I'm touched by many aspects of Christmas, but nothing more than the story of the Christ child. How grateful I am to ponder now on what gift I might give to Him this year. How grateful I am to ponder on what He means to me and what precious gift He continues to give me. What could be more magical? Christmas morning will still hold much excitement watching our two little girls open their gifts (well, Amelia is still a little too young I suppose but still), but Christmas Eve is His night. That's at least the tradition I hope to instill in our young family.

So to all who read this (and NEVER comment... sniffle, sniffle), Merry Christmas! May the peace that can only come through our Savior fill your hearts this Season and always.

With love,

The Calderwoods

Fa la la Family

2010-12-19T19:48:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post a few more photos from this wonderful Christmas Season. We've enjoyed a lot of wonderful activities and visits with many friends. We look forward to seeing a good friend and old college roommate tomorrow night and will hopefully have a post later on that. Tonight we made home made sugar cookies. Ella helped Shaun cut out shapes with her playdough cut outs while we listened to carols.

Amelia sat with Santa Saturday at the restaurant where Shaun works. She is too cute for words these days and she's talking and babbling a lot. Ella cracks us up with her funny little thoughts and creative imagination.

We also enjoyed taking a few photos after church today (although sadly I have to admit all they did for me was re-commit my decision to do weight watchers again starting next week... sheesh!). The girls and their daddy sure are cute though.

The Johnstons

2010-12-14T19:43:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder to friends and family that I enjoy doing photography as a hobby. It's a little last minute but if anyone wants a photo to send out for the new year I don't charge much... sometimes I even barter for a good meal or some babysitting. These are our friends Wendie and Chris and their adorable kids. I had fun taking their photos and enjoyed getting to spend a Saturday afternoon with friends.

A weekend with the Bonacci's

2010-12-12T19:49:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed a fun and festive weekend with our dear friends, Kristin and Matt. Matt just accepted a job in Stanton, VA, so they came down to house hunt from New Jersey. We're so glad they'll be joining us in VA again. Stanton's not too far so Kristin and I hope to have monthly get togethers with our kids.

Ella and I at Gum Drop Square. Taken on my phone so not great quality.

Kristin and Matt before the hay ride

This weekend we enjoyed Gum Drop Square in Old Town Warrenton... cutest thing ever. Old Town is so quaint. There was a dance company performing the Nutcracker in front of the court house (Ella joined in briefly before I realized she had slipped away from me), there was a live Nativity, and a horse drawn hay ride around the town that we enjoyed (all activities were free of charge). Santa was there too but the line to see him was out the door and Ella's already told him her wish list (they're engaged, remember?) so we didn't stay for that. All the shops stayed open and their window displays were lit with beautiful trees and decorations. It was a very picturesque small town Christmas scene. Even though I grew up in this lovely little town, this was my first time visiting gum drop square. It definitely wont be the last. I love taking advantage of local entertainment and supporting my community.

Our home is also feeling a lot like Christmas. This year Shaun won and we went with colored lights. Turned out pretty cute though. We also have a new rug since Ella's little "egg" incident.

The girls and I this morning before church in pink.

Third Annual Thanksgiving with the Wests

2010-12-05T15:33:00.000-08:00

We celebrated a lovely Thanksgiving with our friends, the Wests. This was our third annual Thanksgiving with their wonderful family. They are Shaun's friends from high school with two girls close in ages to our own, and they've lived in North Carolina now for the last three to four years. We were in hopes this would continue for years to come as a fantastic Thanksgiving tradition (we rotate going to their place and them coming to us so every other year you get to be the "guest" at Thanksgiving= less stress = nice). But alas, they will most likely be headed back west next year as will some of our other wonderful North Carolina friends. So it was sad knowing our third annual Thanksgiving with them would be our last... at least for a while, but we still had a great time.

Wednesday we visited Montpieler, Mr. James Madison's home, and had a lovely time.

James and Dolly's view from their front door... Virginia at its finest!

We visited with the horses on site there. Ella was a little scared a first.

And a tour through The Madison's gardens. Ella's leading the way!

A kiss in the garden

Then Thursday we had a wonderful feast. Thank goodness Tawnie was here to help with the turkey... and when I say "help" I mean she mostly did it single handedly as I am a royal mess in the kitchen. We had some wonderful pies, some store bought, some home made. And we enjoyed left overs for the week to come.

Friday the Wests braved the stores on black friday and Shaun and I met up with them that afternoon to enjoy Ella's first movie in the theaters, "Tangled." She was excellent during the movie much to our delight and we enjoyed a whole movie with very little interruption. Amelia was even good and slept through most of it. On our way home from the movie we picked up our Christmas tree and put it up that evening (pics soon to come).

Saturday we went to the Christmas tree lighting in Gainesville and Ella got to waive to Santa. Here are Tawnie and Ellie in front of the tree.

And of course the boys with their little girls.

Mostly we just enjoyed visiting with them and staying up playing games after we put the girls to bed (although I pooped out on them a couple of times because I was just too tired). Saturday night was nice though because we also got to visit with our friends, The Fords, while they were in town. I'm so richly blessed with wonderful friends.

Ella and Ellie play very well together and Ella's been talking about her non-stop since she left.

We hope our friends and family enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving as well wherever you were and whoever you got to spend it with. Thanks to Adam, Tawnie, and their girls for making our Turkey day one for the books! I took some photos of them and hopefully they liked them. I thought the one above turned out really nicely.

We are now excited that the Holiday Season has settled in upon us and look forward to a wonderful December, a time to celebrate family, love, and the precious gift of our Savior's birth, life, and atoning sacrifice. I'm so grateful for his redeeming love. I'm so grateful for his humble birth. I'm so grateful that this is a season that encourages me to reflect more on that sacrifice and remember gratitude for all of the blessings that come to me through his love.

Santa Baby

2010-12-04T18:44:00.000-08:00

Ella got to sit on Santa this year and her mom and dad decided not to be cheep and actually bought the cheesy little mall photo. I couldn't resist when I saw Ella's face in the photo... priceless. And today she told us she wanted to marry Santa because he was going to bring her Ariel dolls and a pink flower dress. Who says money can't buy love? She says the funniest things.

My Little Chef

2010-11-28T15:08:00.001-08:00

A picture really is worth a thousand words. Imagine my delight when

I came around the corner and found this. Gotta love two year old chefs!

Do you notice the tiny handprint in the photo above in the upper left hand corner? She left her mark.

Thank goodness for microfiber is all I have to say about that!

Up Close and Personal

2010-11-13T14:18:00.000-08:00

The girls and I had a very informal photo shoot the other night. Informal meaning I decided to break out the camera while they were being decidedly very adorable. I just made sure to add my flash to get rid of some of the harsh glare. They really go without explanation. In my completely unbiased opinion they might just be two of the most gorgeous girls ever:)

Little A is so alert these days.

And my brown eyed Ella. She's a handful but boy is she cute.

I love having a blue eyed girl too:)

Her hair is a mess but she actually smiled for this photo. I love it!

Don't you just want to kiss those cheeks? I do all the time!

And these were taken after church but Ella's just so darn cute I had to include them... plus her hair is actually done in these.

The girls, the nursery, the love

2010-11-12T19:38:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post a few more photos of the girls nursery. Given the limited amount of space we have these days, I'm pretty proud of our new little set up. This little decorating challenge (fitting all their toys, their beds, their clothes, etc. into a small space while still trying to achieve a pleasing aesthetic) gave me something to look forward to. Shaun's mom helped me pull it all together.

I sometimes wonder why I didn't pursue interior design. Not that I'm necessarily good at it but I love doing it so much. Of course if it were my day job I might not enjoy it like I do currently with only having it as a hobby. Anyway, cute nursery, even cuter girls. Now if only we can get both of them to sleep in their room? Ella's having a horrible time sleeping right now. Amelia's actually sleeping quite well, but between the two of them we aren't getting all that much sleep. Ella's been ending up in our bed some mornings after waking up every hour on the hour and let me say it's very difficult with your two year-old's foot sticking in your ear. Some mornings all four of us are in bed with Shaun and I on the very edges afraid to make a move or both of them will wake up and disrupt the few moments of peace before another day starts. Aaah parenthood. I write this down now because I'm told I may forget one day.

Hope

2010-10-29T19:38:00.000-07:00

Our precious little Amelia was blessed at church on Sunday by her dad. It was one of the most tender and sweet blessings in my unbiased opinion. Truly Shaun must have been in tune with the Spirit for I too had been feeling many of the things that were said about her and blessings pronounced upon her. I was able to jot down some notes before Ella took my pen and began using it to draw all over the Sacrament meeting program. I think the most touching thing to me was that she would continue to have the sweet disposition in life she has had thus far and her disposition will be a blessing of peace and hope to her family members. I think this was particularly moving for me because she has already in her short little life brought feelings of peace and hope to me as her mother. Having two has been a pretty rough road so far. Some days I'm not sure how I will get through the day, let alone the week. I have been feeling pretty low and there's a pretty strong chance I may be having some Post Pardom blues if not full blown depression, but the one thing that has continued to bring a smile to my face is Amelia's sweet little disposition. One smile from her and I melt. She is so completely lovable and it seems some days she just knows how hard things are for me and she will be particularly sweet those days. She will coo and gaa and then drift off to sleep without a peep. I'm so grateful Heavenly Father sent me this little girl as I know she will continue to be a source of peace and hope in my life.

My parents, Shaun's mom, and his aunt Pixie and cousin Tyler came to the blessing. We were also really happy to have our good friends, The Bonacci's, come into town. They came down for a job interview Monday and we're keeping our fingers crossed they join us in VA soon:) Their little boy, Peter, plays so well with Ella. Unlike her though he loves to pose for the camera.

My parents cruise the Mediterranean

2010-10-27T15:43:00.000-07:00

My parents spent the first half of October cruising the Mediterranean, a dream of my mother's for years. Really though, who doesn't dream of spending time in Venice, Rome, and Greece whilst aboard a luxury cruise liner with a plethora of yummy food and entertainment options? I certainly hope to have that opportunity one day, but for now I'll just enjoy their photos. I'm glad they got that opportunity. They certainly deserve a little time to enjoy themselves now that my dad is retired. I thought for the family that checks my blog they may want to see some of the highlights so I posted some photos below for them. Like me, you can gawk in envy at their glorious vacation. Hey, maybe when I'm 65 Shaun will take me too. Here's hopin'

St. Marks Square in Venice. Aren't they cute?

Aaah, Venice

Naples, Italy... it's on my list to visit

Sunset on the ship

Mom enjoying some gelato

My parents with my mom's sister, Liz, and her husband, Dick, who went with them on this adventure. They tell me this was in Rome after touring the ruins.

Rome

Grandma C comes to visit

2010-10-26T10:12:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun visiting with Grandma C for the past ten days and we were all very sad to say our goodbyes yesterday. Here's a little recap of our fun adventures together. We went to the pumpkin patch (pictures left), the apple harvest festival at Graves Mountain Lodge (below), shopping, and on many walks in the beautiful fall weather. We re-did the girls nursery (also below) to make room for Ella's bed and keep all those toys organized. This was also a good way to help me feel sanity in my small space that has to serve so many functions. I think it turned out great and am so appreciative we had a little decorating project to get me excited and motivated.

Grandma also played dolls and dress up with Ella and was sure to tell her bed time stories about Peter and Patty. She bought her a new Ariel doll that all of us got to hear more than we ever wanted from (she sings when you press her necklace and Ella LOOOOVES her). Grandma C helped with Amelia cuddling her, feeding her, and giving her baths, and she made us lots of good food (I put three pounds back on unfortunately), and this past Sunday Shaun blessed little Amelia, more to come on that in a different post.

It was a nice visit and I tried to enjoy every moment as I know next week I return to work full time, as if motherhood wasn't enough of a full time job now I will have

two full time jobs. I can't even tell you

how much that bums me out. I'm trying to think positively though and look forward to exciting events like Shaun starting his new job (we're hoping for the first of January as last week the investigator for his security clearance met with him and he did his polygraph). Once he's started his job we will most likely buy our first home and that will bring a whole new set of challenges but also so many thinks to look forward to. For now, my going back to work means getting into a new routine. Shaun will only work at the golf course on weekends and will be at home with the girls until his contract job begins. I'm glad I wont have to cart them off to daycare although I love Miss Jen who watches Ella. She'll hopefully be watching the girls when Shaun starts his job but only for a couple of hours a day.

To all of you who commented, texted, or emailed after my last post, thank you for your support, your love, and your suggestions. I didn't even know that many people actually read this silly little blog. I appreciate all of your support and knowing I'm not alone in feeling like motherhood is the hardest job on the planet. It is still hard even with the help of mothers and mother-in-laws, but I'm trying not to feel so hopeless these days. Some days are better than others. The visit with Shaun's mom helped a lot. Thanks Pat for being such a wonderful mother and grandmother. We love you and miss you!

Ella loved playing dolls with Grandma C. She brought her lots of new accessories for her little dollhouse that she had gotten for her birthday.

Below Amelia gets a bath and Ella plays with sidewalk chalk and rides her bike. Photos of Amelia with her grandma.

This gig we call parenthood

2010-10-14T20:41:00.000-07:00

Hi friends and family,

Today I write more out of desperation than anything. Does life with a two and a half year-old and two month old get any easier? There were about twenty times today I felt like going into the fetal position and simply rocking back and forth the rest of the day. But alas, I had to rock the two month old. She is a really good little baby but today she just didn't want to be put down. And Ella, well she's a ... how do I say this while still conveying I love her dearly? She's exhausting. She fights me at every turn, even if it's something easy. Shaun and I feel that maybe we have reprimanded her too often lately and so this week unless it's been a dangerous situation I have tried to let things go. Like when she got into my makeup bag and thought mascara made a good paint brush. Or when she thought the chocolate pudding I made for her would look better ON her stomach than in it (among other places). It seems every time I turn around something has been broken by her hand, or at the very least smudged up and messed up. I haven't raised my voice and I've tried to use language like "that was a bad choice" instead of "that was bad". She does really worry us because she has no sense of danger and she loves to run the first chance she gets when we're out in public. It's really to the point I don't trust myself to go out alone with just her and Amelia. I can't carry the car seat and make sure Ella doesn't get away from me. Even with Shaun with me she has run in parking lots and it's taken both of us to catch her (hence the harness I mentioned in an earlier post... seriously, I don't know what else to do). She doesn't take naps anymore and only has one volume... LOUD! I know some of this is par for the course of a two year old but when I see my friends kids she seems a little more extreme. She's not really into pleasing so when a group of us went to sing at the nursing home last week all the other little girls sat with their moms and sang while Ella ran from me and found a ball that she chased up and down the hall. She probably brightened the day of many of the elderly anyway, but it worries me that she just doesn't seem to care what is asked of her. She even loved the songs they were singing as they are ones she sings every Sunday and goes around the house yelling them at the top of her lungs (some days that's really cute).

Please don't take this in any way to mean I don't love and adore my two year old and see all of her strengths. But I have to ask, is the behavior "typical twos" or am I dealing with something bigger? Perhaps a little bit of both? She's so independent and so willful. I want to channel all of that into something positive. I really do see her as a strong leader and positive citizen to society when she grows up... I just don't want to scar her along the way. I know I have my master's in social work with an emphasis on children and families but sheesh! When it's your own child I guess you always second guess yourself... or do you? I just feel completely zapped of all energy by the days end. Shaun is working a lot which has been wonderful but he's sometimes gone for over twelve hours. Am I wussy? I feel wussy. But nonetheless, I throw these concerns out to the void. I know these are Heavenly Father's children and I don't want to damage them. I get so frustrated and then even resentful. I think what my life would be like... what I would do with all that time if... I cant even finish the thought because it sounds too bad. This gig called parenthood is harder than any 9-5 job I've ever had and I would venture to guess ever will or could have. A big thank you to my mom for never giving up with us. I'm sure there were days she wanted to. I just don't know how to find hope when it seems like my life will be one big monotony of Dora the Explorer and being challenged at every turn. Does it get easier?

My mother-in-law is in route on her way here tonight and her coming couldn't come at a better time. Maybe she can give me advice as I so desperately need it. My own parents are very helpful but they've been out of town for the last ten days and wont be coming back into town until next Tuesday. I don't know how people do this alone? I pray for help and ask for patience. If any of you have two cents to throw in I'll take that too.

And to end on a positive note, I have some updated photos of me and the girls. Nothing too special but it's nice to have some photos of me with my girls, even if I'm not in love with my photo right now. I lost 12 pounds on my program and will most likely do it again beginning November first. I would ideally like to lose at least another 25 pounds so we'll see. In the mean time, I'm trying to be patient. I've started jogging again on days when Shaun gets home before dark and there is something so absolutely liberating about that time outdoors. We'll keep on keepin' on, and I'll try to remember gratitude for all I have instead of dwelling on what I yet lack.

(Ella in her new big girl toddler bed... she LOVES it though its made nap time non-existent)

Amelia and Ella are the cutest little girls if I do say so myself.

I melt every time Amelia smiles and you can see why here

So I may have a long way to go but I do love our little family, imperfect as we are!

LOVE is made for me and you... 6 years and counting

2010-10-11T00:48:00.000-07:00

"L" is for the way you LOOK at me

We celebrated our sixth anniversary this Friday. I thought it would be fun to reflect on the last six years in photos. The picture above was taken in 2004 just prior to our getting married at my family reunion inFloyd, VA. Aaah, so in love!

"O" is for the Only One I see

2005, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

"V" is Very Very, extraordinary

November, 2006, New York City Weekend Trip

"E" is Even more than anyone that you adore

November, 2009, Family Photos

And this year we celebrated by going to Poplar Springs for a "Spa Day"... fantastic! We enjoyed a massage followed by time in the jacuzzi (see photos of the spa and grounds below). Poplar Springs is just fifteen minutes from our home so it was the perfect little getaway without really getting away. We were home in time to put the girls to bed. Maybe next year we'll actually stay at their bed and breakfast and make it a tradition. A girl can hope!

Happy Anniversary Shaun! I love you and I love our life together... even though some days with children life has never been harder, I wouldn't have it any other way. Love is made for me and you.

PS: I also bought us this really great date night idea book. I thought it would be a great anniversary gift and as it has some great ideas for dates beyond the "dinner and a movie" norm. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to mix it up a little. Shaun and I are hoping to try a few of the things over the next year like host a murder mystery game night, tour model homes, test drive our dream car, go karaoke singing, and so much more.

Loving our Little A

2010-10-01T13:17:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Amelia's 6 week birthday this week and every day she seems to grow more and more beautiful. She continues to be the sweetest little baby with a content disposition. She's started smiling back at us and her smile just makes me melt with her little dimple in her cheek. She would love to be held all day long if possible and were she my first she probably would be spoiled by my constant holding her and oogling over her. As it is, my oogling is kept at a minimum as her two year old sister keeps me on my toes. Seriously, I'm buying a harness for that girl so she wont run away. I used to think those things were taboo but now I'm 100% behind them. And so I digress. As I was saying, it's hard not to spoil Miss Amelia and Shaun still thinks that I do, but I definitely don't hold her as much as I would were she my first. I don't remember Ella liking to be held like this. So every day I fall more and more in love with this little cuddle bug here to bless our family. We're so glad she's come to join us and extremely grateful Heavenly Father has entrusted us with her care. It's an awesome responsibility and definitely the hardest job I've ever had. I'd be lying if I said every day were perfect and I never lose my patience. There are days that I'm a complete wreck but quiet moments like right now when I actually get a moment to collect my thoughts, I am very grateful for the life I have even though it's also the hardest my life has ever been. Thank goodness for naps!

Trimming those lovely locks

2010-09-22T18:51:00.000-07:00

Our little Ella got her first hair cut yesterday! She did a great job as soon as I told her she could wear a "princess cape" before she got those lovely locks trimmed. I was nervous... I have to admit. She has the cutest curls. But now after a little trim her hair has even more bounce to it and a little more shape around her face. So a major milestone for my little Elle. Unfortunately I only had my cell phone to take the first two pics so the image size is small and the quality grainy. But still... at least I documented the occasion.

Health Update

2010-09-14T05:05:00.000-07:00

Well since I started my program last Monday I've lost eight pounds... only 32 to go! I can't look at it that way though because it becomes very daunting, especially because this week has been soooo hard! My will power has been challenged at every turn. I forgot how hard it was to stick to this but I keep reminding myself how worth it it will be. Even if I can just lose 20 more on this (then I'll be very close to what I was last fall) and then go back to something slower but more maintainable like Weight Watchers then I think that will be good for me. Right now I'm super motivated because all I fit into is my second trimester maternity clothes. My "normal" clothes are still a bit tight. Anyway, that's the update. My goal for this week is to lose four to five more! Most of you probably aren't that interested in this so I'll be done with this for now but I'll continue to keep myself accountable with regular postings.

Troy and Becca

2010-09-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may check my blog (even if you never comment... sniffle, sniffle), check out my friend, Becca's, adoption blog. She and her husband are a wonderful couple and have not been able to have children of their own. They are hoping to adopt through LDS Family Services and if you'd like to pass the word along to all of your friends and family that would be a great help to them. Check out their button on my blog (located below the photos of Ella and Amelia). If you click on it this will take you directly to their cute little website with all their info. Becca and Troy are a wonderful couple who I'm positive will make excellent parents (better than me I'm sure). I know in the Lord's due time they will be blessed with a beautiful family.

A little about Ella

2010-09-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

My two and a half year old is lovely, completely endearing, and extremely challenging. She is bright and curious about everything which is a trait I try to foster... not always easy to do as this usually involves pulling things apart... she's a lot like Curious George come to think of it. Well meaning, bright, funny, but her middle name should be disastrous, not Celeste. If only I handled things as well as the man in the yellow hat. Yesterday, after approximately three melt downs in the space of two hours (my melt downs, not hers), I decided it was time to go get safety features for our door knobs and drawers as I was tired of them always being "explored". Here are some fun examples of Ella's explorations and experimentations:

1. Yesterday she decided strawberry yogurt would make good finger paint and proceeded to make art work out of the kitchen table, her clothing, and the floor. We also bought color wonder finger paints at the store yesterday after this little escapade.

2. She calls Polka dots "toke-a-pots" and she loves anything with "tokeapots, butterflies, ruffles, flowers, or glitter." She says, "oh mommy, it's BEAUTIFUL!"

3. She "helped" me clean out her drawers Friday by pulling out all of her and Little A's diapers and spreading them all over the house... that along with other misc. items she found while exploring her room... random toys and dress up clothes. It was a joy to clean up her "cleaning."

4. She thinks "listen to me" is another way of saying "completely ignore me and do the opposite of what I say," or at least it would appear so by her actions.

5. She says "no thank you" after you tell her to do something like shut the refrigerator door or put her toys away. It's funny that she thinks these are things she can elect out of doing. Hey, at least she uses her magic words when she says it, even if sometimes she's yelling it in her not so magic voice.

6. She knows all of her A,B,C's, can count to ten, and knows her primary colors too. She likes to "read" to herself in bed. She remembers what we've read and I hear her talking to herself at night about her ABC book or her new "sisters" book I got her. I know this is a pre-cursor to reading and I'm very excited that she's so developmentally appropriate, if not a little advanced... I have to boast.

7. She's become very choosy lately about what she wears and often wants to wear her princess clothes all day which is completely fine by me. After all, she is a princess to me and always will be. I love this little munchkin, as much as she may try my patience and my housecleaning skills, I cant wait to see what her tenacity will do for her as an adult. I think she'll be a strong leader who will go far in life, especially if she learns the fine skill of actually listening in between now and then.

A new me!

2010-09-04T16:02:00.000-07:00

Today I'm going back on the diet I did last fall. It felt wonderful to lose 20 pounds and get closer to my goal weight, but nine months of pregnancy has made me a changed woman, and not for the positive. I would like to lose about 40 pounds all said and done now. My goal is to be a leaner, healthier me by next summer and then bring on the beach trips that I've missed so much these past couple of years. I only write this in an effort to hold myself accountable. If I publicly post it then I have to hold up to my end of things. What I love about this program is that I know it works. I just have to be 100 perfect with it. So here we go! Yea for a newer, smaller, leaner me!!!

My Two Little Misses

2010-08-31T15:37:00.000-07:00

My friend came today and took these precious photos of my two girls. They are such a joy! I absolutely love being a mother of two special and beautiful baby girls.

It's the little things

2010-08-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

Amelia is ten days old today and things are starting to look up. Today it's all about the little things that are making the difference. Here's just a few in no particular order:

* I can see my ankle bones. This is the most thrilling thing that's happened over the last ten days (other than the whole baby business of course). It's taken this long but slowly and surely my legs are starting to literally deflate from all that water retention (hopefully my face too because it sure has looked puffy). This could also account for a five pound weight loss overnight last night! Shwooh! I've only lost 20 and I gained 45 so I better get to draining a little more. I look forward to exercising in just a few weeks because I'm positive not all of that is water weight but hopefully a little more of it is.

* I got to take a hot shower today after a few days of having a broken water heater.

* Because we rent I didn't have to pay for the repair to fix the water heater:)

* My parents have been amazing and helpful and have taken time every day to take Ella out and make her feel special so I can rest at home with the baby. They are wonderful.

* Shaun let me sleep in this morning and took little A from 6:30am on. He didn't go into work this morning and I've never been more grateful for him NOT to work a day in my life. I truly needed the rest.

* Ella is beautiful, smart, and only slightly regressing with the new sister around. She's so funny and creative. The other day she got out all of the old videos and made one her "purse" after taking all the film out of it and wrapping around her arm like a purse. It's a good thing VHS tapes aren't worth much these days since I think she made three different purses. I found her at the bottom of our stairs wearing her dad's shoes, her new "purse" and sunglasses, ready to go out for the day. What a nut!

* Little A is precious. She is so mellow and sweet and cuddly. I can't get over how different her little temperament is from Ella's. Though I wouldn't change Ella for the world, I'm grateful to have one a little more on the laid back side. I've felt from the beginning she was going to be more mellow in nature but I knew that it was more of just a hope than a gut instinct. So far though so good. Our pediatrician reminded me that at three to four weeks they can start to get fussy so I wont expect too much, but for now I'm grateful she's so good. She sleeps so well that it's hard to keep her awake even when feeding her. She's already let me have some four hour stints of sleep in the middle of the night and I'm very appreciative. Thanks little A.

Welcoming Amelia Ruth Calderwood!

2010-08-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

Little Amelia

Here she is for her first blogging debut... Miss Amelia Ruth Calderwood!

She is beautiful, mellow, and super soft and cuddly. I'm enjoying every moment with her here at the hospital where attentive nurses and staff have made my stay very restful and comfortable. When I leave to go home tomorrow I only wish I could bring the nurses, techs, and cafeteria staff home with me (and that magic button that I press that makes people appear to help). But Amelia has been very easy so far. I may regret saying that later, but she appears to have a very sweet disposition. She looks an awful lot like her big sister (we're still keeping our fingers crossed for green eyes though:), but I'm guessing they will have very different personalities. I'm so grateful for a healthy family. Ella is doing very well and seeming to enjoy her role as big sister. I have to extend a huge thank you to my parents for watching her so Shaun and I can have some time here with little A. I also want to extend my gratitude towards friends and co-workers who have come to visit. One friend rubbed my feet, another brought a card from my office, another took these photos posted today. I'm so fortunate to be blessed with these people in my life and hope to one day return the kindness or at the very least pay it forward.

I could go on but I'll allow these photos to speak for themselves. Carol, you did a great job friend! We are looking forward to getting to know little "A "better and learning more about her little spirit. Thank you most of all to a loving Father in Heaven who has entrusted her to our care!

Reminiscing

2010-08-15T20:01:00.001-07:00

In my last minute nesting attempts, I've been re-organizing what limited space we have to try to make room for baby girl. This has led me to making my way through boxes and old albums, inevitably delaying my nesting for some time to reminisce. I stumbled across these old photos from high school the other day. My what memories! I'm so fortunate to have always had wonderful friends. High school was no exception, and the funny thing is that I have kept in touch with I think everyone in these photos, some more than others but still.

Maybe having a baby this Wednesday has my hormones going like crazy and for this reason I can burst into tears over the slightest little thing, but these photos almost brought a tear to my eye. I'm such a nerd.

As an aside, these are also really good motivation to get back to my pre-preggo weight (plus another 15 pounds or so to get back to high school weight). I'm very excited about getting my body back and being able to exercise. I'm hoping to get right on that as soon as the doctor gives me the go ahead. We'll take it one step at a time I suppose. I remember with Ella it was nine months up, nine months down. I'm so impatient. We'll see...

Regardless I'm very excited to meet our newest addition. Tomorrow is my last day of work and then Wednesday we check in to the hospital at 9 and the C-Section is scheduled for noon. She'll be here before we know it. We'll definitely be keeping everyone posted so stay tuned...

Sneak Peak

2010-08-07T18:09:00.000-07:00

Today I took photos for my friends, Kim and Percy. Since they haven't been able to look at these yet I really need to wait to post more but I'll go ahead and just give a sneak peak. They made such a beautiful couple and the day and setting were perfect. I have to say, I think they turned out lovely despite the fact that I'm nine months pregnant (maybe because I'm not in them:). Congrats to a beautiful couple on their beautiful day:)

To see other photo shoots I've done please visit my photo blog designed just for that (albeit other than this wedding it's been a while since I've posted on it but still) http://beccas-photography.blogspot.com/

Cousins

2010-08-05T09:19:00.000-07:00

I'm experimenting with my rather rudimentary Picasa photo skills and trying to update the blog with some fun family photos from this summer. Needless to say, Ella has had a wonderful time with all of her cousins this summer, starting with our visit out west to see Shaun's family, then time with my oldest sister Janet, and lastly Michelle's visit. We've only missed seeing Sarah and my brother's boys who are absolutely adorable but live in Missouri. Michelle leaves today and so it's a sad day with all of our visits over. Now we're in final count down for baby girl to come join us. Thirteen days from today she'll be here. Then Ella wont need cousins to keep her entertained. She'll have her own baby sister.

Falling for you: Taking Pride in my Ride it's our Swagger Wagon

2010-08-03T20:47:00.000-07:00

Well it appears I have seriously neglected my blogging over the summer. So much has happened with more visits from family and prep for the baby. But one thing I have failed to mention is the other new addition to our family this summer, our little Odyssey. That's right, this summer we officially became minivan owners. I've never been more proud. It was love at first test drive. I think the words "mommy heaven" might have slipped out of my lips... with so many compartments to put things in and cup holders, leather seats, and a dvd for the kids, my heart was all a flutter. I seriously don't think I've been this in love since my heart did flip flops for Shaun. I've found myself coming up with errands to run just so we can get in the van. Ella calls it her "new van car" and always looks forward to hopping in (and then trying to get in the back and swing from the handles but that's besides the point). Anyway, here's a photo of our newest addition. Obviously not a photo of our actual van nor the city in which we live, but it's the same color (sliverish with a hint of blue), year (2007), and model so you get a visual at least. We love you little Odyssey, and with a five year payment plan we hope you stay in the family a good ten years so we can make you worth your while.

For those of you who want a really good laugh, check out the link on you tube to Toyota's Swagger Wagon promo. I can't say it's what inspired us to go the minivan route but it certainly made us laugh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql-N3F1FhW4

A technical question

2010-07-24T08:18:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and family,

I would love to spruce up the ol' blog a little and I know some of you have amazing blogs with creative layouts? Can you pass some suggestions my way? I'm especially interested in being able to post photos as more of a slideshow or perhaps just in groupings. I've been researching on the internet without much success. I would appreciate any feedback on how I can do this? Is it something I can do through blogger or do I have to do it through a photoshop software. And remember, I am not the most tech literate so use easy to understand lingo.

Thanks in advance for any help! The Calderwood Chronicle

A Summer of Reunions

2010-07-12T06:56:00.000-07:00

So far the summer has proved to be a busy time: preparing for our little girl to arrive next month, working on Ella's potty training, and visits with many friends and family. Since returning from our trip out west, we've enjoyed visits from my oldest sister, Janet, and her family, Adam and Tawnie, and my cousin Amy and her family. Between these visits and the visits with old friends and Shaun's family in Utah, I would call this the summer of reunions. Of course I reunite with everyone I haven't seen in eons when I'm eight months pregnant and in "waddle mode" but oh well, what can you do? Better to visit now than to try to do all this visiting after she arrives and I'm completely sleep deprived. I just remember the first six months of Ella's life being like a blur to me so that's what I anticipate this time around too. Who knows? Could number two prove to be easier or more challenging? I think it's best just not to ask these questions. What will be will be. I've really enjoyed the summer so far despite my huge size and the hot weather. Seeing all of these people that mean so much to me has made it very memorable. And in just a couple of weeks my sister, Michelle, will be coming with her family. So the reunions aren't over quite yet. Here's a recap in pictures thus far:

We'll start with the 4th of July and go from there. This year we returned to Great Meadows like last year but we went with the Wests, Gozarts, and Kim and Percy. We had great seats and Ella LOVED them this year.

The Wests with their two girls and Tawnie's sister, Lauren. We really enjoyed their visit as always:)

Kim and Percy

Jen and Jake's kids. I tried to get a photo of them but Jake blinked in every one of them. Maybe next time.

The men and the girls

Little Lily is a cutie pie

Sweet photo of Tawnie with her little girl (with dresses she hand made for both girls... sheesh!) Ella's dress was 10$ at Old Navy

The girls playing dress up together. They really do play well together. It's cute to see them grow up together.

Night time book reading

After Adam and Tawnie's visit, I got to spend some time with my cousin, Amy, and her family. She is such a wonderful person and seeing her was so nice. Her little boy is just a couple of months younger than Ella so they enjoyed playing together. He's a cutie but definitely all boy. I don't know if Ella knew quite what to think of him, but later she told Nana he was her friend.

Amy is gorgeous. Here she is with her husband and little boy.

Ella and Gavin both enjoyed playing on this little horse

Bubbles for the kids

Amy and Gavin

Ella playing dress up with the Snow White costume Grandma C sent. She loves it and wore it all day the first day she got it.

Now for pictures of my sister's visit.

My beautiful niece, Lauren, with nana and Ella

Janet, Mike, Thomas, Lauren, and Ella at Effie's, our local ice cream hot spot.

Ella "helping" Lauren bake a cake

I didn't include this earlier in my Utah post but this is my very close friend, Tamy (left) and her sister and mom. Tamy and I have been life long friends and it was so wonderful seeing her and her mom and sister while I was there. She just had a little boy earlier this week. Congrats!

Hampton 16 Memories

2010-06-27T16:19:00.000-07:00

After our little family reunion at Lake Powell last week, I took the following Monday to go down memory lane, meeting with old roommates and friends from my BYU days. I was a little more emotional than I had expected. I don't know, maybe it's the pregnancy thing, or maybe it's simply that while only at BYU four short years, they were a huge part of making me what I am today. The friends I made and the experiences I had both in and out of the classroom will forever be with me. I took pictures of the old apartment, the Clyde building, The BYU bookstore where I worked for three years, and even the little family statue where Veeda and I found the cow tongue our freshmen year (long story). I found myself wanting Ella to know how much this place meant to me. She was oblivious of course, but as she was my companion for the day I was excited to share memories with her. So here's to a trip down memory lane and to Hampton 16, my home at The BYU for three of my four years there. This is where we used to live (lyrics below by Bare Naked Ladies). Whenever I hear this song I think of BYU and my roommates Veeda, Marilyn, Aleea, Emily, and Dacia. Here's to you girls!

Now and then...

Above: Christmas 2000 (Senior Year)

Above: Junior Year Fall 1999

Above: Sophomore Year Fall 1998

This is where we used to live

How is the neighbor downstairs

How is his temper this year

I turned up your TV and stomped on the floor just for fun (we actually did do this)

I know we don't live here anymore...

But this is where we used to live

Broke into the old apartment

Tore the phone out of the wall

Only memories, fading memories

Blending into dull tableaux

I want them back