HALLOWEEN

Last year for Halloween I had to work so we didn't really do anything, so this year I decided to go all out. I had been thinking about our costumes for months. We didn't want to spend too much money so I decided to make them (except Bella's that one I found at a thrift store.) When I was making Stephen's there was hot glue everywhere and I thought it was going to be one of those Pinterest fiasco's but I actually love how it turned out. I planned the party for the kids at our church so I was insanely busy most of the party but we all had a blast and it was worth it. At first Isabella was terrified of all the kids in their costumes but towards the end was fluttering around laughing. She even managed to steal some chocolate bars when we weren't looking and we found her eating away. Oh well she was meant to love sweets she is my child right? 

FALL

    Alot of this has been happening around here lately:

We are transitioning from baby to toddler and I have struggled to find things at home that we both enjoy to do. So I try and be out and about most of the time. We love going out and finding cool parks, and places to play but that only covers half of our day or it's sometimes too cold now so when we get home Barney has become our go to. I've noticed though that she is becoming more and more addicted to it. So I'm trying to shift to tv being more of a special treat or for extra hard days. It's been tough cause tv is so easy but we are trying. I'm finding activities online and plan on hitting some thrift stores this week. Yesterday I was out of indoor ideas so we just grabbed a bucket and went outside for a walk. Once outside we decided to find treasures and put them in our bucket. Then I noticed all the fall leaves and thought we could gather those. She loved it! She would grab leaves and try and throw them at me and crack up. We ran around, laid on the grass and looked at the sky and just chatted about nonsense. I sometimes forget that Isabella doesn't need big elaborate plans but enjoys the small and simple things.

LIFE AIN'T NO PICNIC

It's hard to keep it real when sharing stuff on social media. At least it is for me. I'd much rather share that I ran 5 miles the other day than confess I was so hungry after I ate 8 chocolate chip cookies and felt bloated and fat the rest of the day. 

"When using social media, we tend to broadcast the smiling details of our lives but not the hard times at school or work.We portray an incomplete life—sometimes in a self-aggrandizing or fake way. We share this life, and then we consume the “almost exclusively … fake lives of [our] social media ‘friends.’ “How could it not make you feel worse to spend part of your time pretending to be happier than you are, and the other part of your time seeing how much happier others seem to be than you?” (LDS General Conference, 9/14 Elder Cook)
   When I read this it made me think of this blog. The last thing I want is that when Isabella is a new young mom and is struggling and wishing kids had a return policy (and feeling horribly guilty of course) and goes to her mom's blog posts for reassurance, she comes out feeling worse and even more incompetent because her perfect mom only had perfect happy moments, and was always in control (hahahahahha). That would definitely earn me a nice bunk bed next to the Kardashians in you know where. So basically my point is I want to work on keeping it real. Sharing my WHOLE life not just those picture perfect moments. 

    A young mother got on a bus with seven children. The bus driver asked, “Are these all yours, lady? Or is it a picnic?” “They’re all mine,” she replied. “And it’s no picnic!”
This is what I hope Isabella, any of my kids, or any interested party reads here:

“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to just be people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old time rail journey…delays…sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling burst of speed. The trick is to thank God for letting you have the ride.” Gordon B Hinckley

*I need pictures like the one on the left to remind the version of me on the right to put some kind of make up on and do my hair once in a while. I could have done much better on getting an ugly picture but weirdly I had very few of those on my phone...but believe me my hair and face have had worse moments. I like doing my hair and dressing up, but most of the time my hair is in a braid or bun and I am wearing some kind of loose comfy shirt. Funny story of the picture on the right, I tend to be thinking of 5 things at a time and the other day when I was plucking my eyebrows I accidentally plucked half of my left one. 

I love both of these pictures. Dresses and bows are fun and cute and just plain adorable but definitely not practical or part of most of our daily life. Most of the time a headband will last enough for a picture and a bow will fly off as Isabella tries to do a somersault or just janks it off along with some hair. Isabella would rather be down to her undies surrounded by messy food and running wild. 

I love a clean house and the smell of cleaning supplies. My favorites are Lime Lysol and Orange Pynesol. But my life is full of smells of poopie diapers (sooooo gross), old dirty dishes, and well Stephen knows what else if you know what I mean... I try really hard to keep the house clean but I've learned that sometimes I need to let it be and just be happy. Did I mention I HATE doing dishes? 

*rest assured I have better taste than to use skull bowls for cooking, I am planning a Halloween party at church. The rest of the mess is mine I have no excuse for that....

*yes that is maple syrup among Isabella's toys. She loves to go to my kitchen cabinets and grab food she finds there. I have found her covered in flour from head to toe smearing it all over the floor, eating brown sugar straight from the bag or rolling cans of beans around the house. yes i should baby proof the cabinets i know. 

NEW STOMPING GROUNDS

Life is a funny thing. There are curve balls and hidden ditches all along the way. Stephen and I planned our life pretty well (or so we thought). College, internship, baby, PA school, picket fence, more kids, you get the picture. Perfectly planned. Well life is not meant to be perfectly planned.
We have struggled finding the experience and curriculum necessary to get into his physician assistant masters program.  Because I'm the kind of person who plans everything ten years in advanced, I have had a hard time with the uncertainty of our future. I know things will work out because Stephen is the most hardworking person I know but I'm still a girl so I can't help but worry and plan.
          But like anything in life, without trials and struggles, there is no growth. No pain no gain right? And let me tell you there has been a TON of growth this past year.
         Long story short the day before Stephen went into an office to find out more about joining the Air Force to get more in depth medical experience (not my favorite option to say the least), he got an interesting phone call from a college buddy who is currently in med school. How would he like to work for his father, an eye surgeon who owns a surgical center, and work for him as a MA/PA? yes please.
   This is an experience most medical students dream of. It suffices to say he is by far under qualified for the job they have offered him. His friend's dad is an amazing man who lets grad students work for him to help them get into their medical programs. We have prayed and talked and dreamed and well basically everything you can do and have decided this is basically mana from heaven.
         Some minor details I forgot to mention: It's in Missouri and we have to be there Dec 1st. WHAT?! It's in a small town called West Plains. Just to paint you a picture of how small, the high school band will play as the mayor holds a banner as our car enters the town. Maybe a bit much, but really when we called around for housing, all the landlords knew the doctor Stephen will be working with, some even guessed we were LDS (Mormon) and one had no housing available but sent me a calender of all the events happening in the town for the next 2 months along with some tips of where to have fun with a 15 month old (a little weird but helpful).
       To say the least, we are extremely excited and scared for this huge change in our lives. Living in Utah has been amazing and I will miss it here but can't wait to see what awaits for us in West Plains. Did I mention winters only last 3-4 months there?

TIME FLIES BY

 The other day Isabella and I were just hanging out and she went to her room and grabbed her old breastfeeding pillow, sat down on it and grabbed one of her miniature books grandma gave her that she loves to read. I found myself staring at her and feeling very very nostalgic. I remembered breastfeeding her in that pillow.  How her tiny body could easily lay in my arms, nestled in that huge pillow. Staring at her now, it seemed as if the pillow had shrunk in half! As I watched her read I realized time was flying by. Almost a year and half has passed since my little fireball entered our lives. I can't really remember my life before Isabella. It seems so long ago. Motherhood has taken over and its here to stay. My hope is that a year and a half from now I have many more recorded memories than I have now. Which is an easy goal because I have about two pages...Well lets hope I'm more consistent at this than my half-a-day long no sweets diet....