Crazy Navidad

Super late post about this past Christmas but oh what a Christmas! Lately I have been seeing over and over how sometimes you just got to go with the flow and expect the unexpected. Our Christmas plans were turned upside down this year when my little sister decided to get married with a one week notice (she was getting married in April so insane but not so insane). Everyone freaked out for 24 hours but then shifted to supportive family mode and started planning a memorable wedding for them. The first thing my awesome family did was buy plane tickets for my little family to fly back to Utah. Sadly, Stephen could not come. He barely started his job two weeks ago and is working pretty intensely at training. After crying all night and almost canceling my flight because I couldn't bare leaving him alone, he convinced me to go and dropped us off at St Louis and back to Utah we went. And what a trip it was. I feel like we packed a months worth of activities into one week. We would wake up early in the morning and go nonstop until late at night. We all had our doubts about the sudden wedding, but they were all erased by just looking at Raquel on her wedding day. She had that bride to be glow that made her look even more beautiful and precious than she already is. My little sister is one of the most humble sincere people I know and I am privileged to call her my sister. 

After playing the -I'm a mom by herself with a toddler who hates plane rides please give me the best seat possible- card, I got to sit on the front row with the A list members. I had this huge space in front of me were Isabella could play which gave me some free time so naturally I eavesdropped on the conversation of the two guys next to me. One of them was obviously very wealthy. He was so charming and intelligent he could have been running for congress for all I knew, lets name him rich guy. The other one was an older version of Stephen. Basketball shorts, Nikes and baseball cap, lets name him buff guy. I never imagined this two being able to talk so much but somehow they managed to talk about nuclear physics, molecular biology, why gas prices are so low right now, what type of car to use for a certain type of gas, and video games. At one point they started talking about money and rich guy went of about investing in the stock market and how to make tons of money and all the stuff you can buy and buff guy went really quiet. By now I liked buff guy better but here's were he takes the cake. He looks up and tells rich guy, "I don't know much but I've learned in life that no matter how much money you have, if you don't have friends and family you don't have crap" I almost high fived him but I wasn't supposed to be listening so.....well the sad thing is rich guy went all quiet and I felt bad for him. I don't know for sure but I imagine there are family relationships he wished he had or could fix.  The reason I told this story is because it explains exactly why I made this trip. I hated hated leaving Stephen behind but we will have many Christmas seasons together but Raquel will only have one wedding and I wanted to be there for her and the rest of my family. For this next year I want to discard all the worthless things in my life and focus on what matters most and to me that is family.  ALL my family. 

I cannot believed how much my little tyke has grown! She went from being a cute little baldy baby to a gorgeous blonde kid in just one year! 

Wedding day reminded me of Seattle. Rainy and cloudy which to me is kind of romantic. 

This picture describes Isabella's relationship with Raquel's new dog perfectly. By the end of

 the trip she new how to say Dexter and skypes with him atleast once a week. 

We threw Raquel a pretty cool bridal shower. This pic is from the after party when everone had left and we just wanted to keep dancing and use the stuff again but I just love it because it shows how much fun my mom and sisters are (Paola is technically my cousin but she is like my sister).

When we got home we celebrated Christmas again with Stephen and had a blast but took no pics. One of my favorite memories was laying on the living room floor surrounded by pillows and blankets with Stephen under one of my arms and Isabella under the other one while we watched a movie. At that moment I remember thinking " I have everything I want right here."

Beautiful Bella

Look at that hair! Isabella has been waking up looking like Doc from Back to the Future. A bird could live on the back of her head. I think it is quite adorable especially the way the side curls up. We have decided we are in denial that we have moved. I know one day we will have to grieve but we are planning on it being after Christmas. I have been so busy unpacking, decorating, and exploring it hasn't had a chance to sink in. 

Isabella has been extra happy, cuddly and fun lately and I love it! She is becoming such a kid. She has such spunk and personality. She reminds me so much of the little girl from Remember the Titans. No one will back this baby in a corner! When I am trying to teach her something I point my finger at her like such a mom. The other day I said no isabella don't do that! and she just pointed right pack at me put a hand on her hip and said No! my little fireball ayayayayay.

Here are some of her latest quirks:

-the obsessions with dogs is only increasing. Someone up in heaven is having a good laugh. Darn you netflix dog movies that promise kids little cute puppies and happily ever afters with them!!!

-loves to cuddle with mom and watch any movie that has a dog, music, or any animal that resembles a dog. Brother Bear is our current favorite. That movie is hilarious!  

-has learned to make the most adorable little face and say "mama" as she holds her hands up. She knows this will get me to do anything so I will get this about 20 times a day

-kisses kisses and kisses. We are getting tons and you won't hear any complaining about that;)

-loves nursery at church and story time at the library. we don't even get a goodbye when we drop her off. Not complaining about that either.

-Loves cheddar cheese

-Dance parties are a must everyday especially with her dad or a stuffed animal as her partner. Her dance moves are getting weird and I blame Stephen since he has been her partner lately

-LOVES to put shoes on. sometimes she will be walking around the house with only her fancy church shoes and diapers. This one is such a weird little quirk but it really helps when I'm getting her ready for the day...

-fruit snacks will get her to do anything. Fruit snacks=bribes (can I do your hair? fruit snacks, sacrament is almost over I promise! fruit snack)

-has like a million adorable faces she does. Seriously. My current favorite is the pout. She has learned that we love them so she does them to get our attention and then claps for herself when we laugh. Definitely my child.

-calls everyone she loves Mama. 

-understands English and Spanish great but speaks pure babble except for bye, hola, agua and Mama

-folds her little arms and bows her head when we pray. 

-her current favorite songs are Shake it Off by Taylor Swift and Vivir mi Vida by Marc Anthony. 

I have an amazing kid and everyday I grow to love her more. Life can be so tough sometimes and trials can seem to never go away but Isabella makes it all seem lighter and makes me forget. Isabella's middle name is Luz and lately I have been thinking how happy I am we named her that because that is exactly what she is: a little light not only in my life but in everyone's life she touches. 

West Plains

Did I ever mention we moved here on a facebook message Stephen got from an old buddy from college? When you think about it that way it seems pretty insane. So as we are leaving Kansas after dropping off Stephen's dad from the airport, it finally sinks in that this isn't just a long road trip or vacation. We actually have moved away from Utah to this random small town in the middle of Missouri, where we know no one and have no clue what awaits us there. I kind of start losing my cool. Did I also mention we didn't really have an official home yet? We had talked to a ton of landlords, found one that seemed to work but didn't want to pay for anything without seeing it so we were driving straight to the place and hoping it would be home. Well it all sounded well planned in Utah, but as we are driving into West Plains, it's pitch dark, we are exhausted from 5 hours of driving and have a stomach bug, oh yeah and a i'vereachedmylimit toddler, it seemed pretty stupid. So we start freaking out. What if we hate this place? Our GPS can't find it how in the world are we gonna get there? Isabella just pooped her pants, Crap! Literally. We say a prayer and regroup. Stephen calls the landlord, I change Bella and we come up with a code phrase. We love code phrases. We agree that if we don't like the place we will say "hey we need to run to Walmart and buy peanut butter" give us a break we were exhausted and our bowls were about to explode so it seemed sensible at the time. 

By a miracle of life we find this place. And the nicest man I have ever met greets us. As soon as the door opens and I see the place I look at Stephen and say "I never want to buy peanut butter again in my life." What a place! It was built only 2 years ago and looks like no one has ever lived in it. It is by far the best place we have ever lived at, heck I've never lived in such a nice place my whole life! 

West Plains is pretty cool in some ways and not so cool in other ways. Walmart is pretty much our shopping place for everything. I mean EVERYTHING. I'm still not sure how everyone makes a living out here since there are like 3 stores including Walmart. Drug dealers? let's hope not. Well you know at least we will save ALOT of money cause there is nowhere to spend it? half laugh half cry

On the other hand it is refreshing how chill and slow paced life is here. No one is worried about fashion or having the latest technology or upgrades. One of the reason's I hadn't blogged yet is I wanted to take a break and just relax for a bit. It remind me a ton of Tatumbla (where I grew up). Everyone is extremely nice and friendly. The cashier at Walmart almost hugged us after we paid. As you are driving it looks like people are flipping you off but they are actually waving. 

During the weekend Stephen's friend, A. Jones was here for the holidays and we had a chance to hang out with him. We ended up going to a ranch his dad and a friend own and had a blast. Isabella got to ride a horse with me and loved it. Being the not animal lover that I am you would be surprised to know that I've ridden horses quit a few times before. Not a ton but sometimes my mom would rent horses from local farmers and we would spend a few hours riding. The ranch was amazing and got me really excited to live here. 

I'm not gonna lie it's gonna take some getting used to after living in Salt Lake and having so many options of stuff to do and everything was conveniently close, especially the temple (the closest one here is 3 hours away) but it just feels right, like we are supposed to be here for a reason. 

our backyard view (i can't believe i have a backyard!) 

this is our house, we live in a duplex so we have neighbors but I have never seen them so it feels like it's just us here. It's a pretty chil neighborhood with four houses about 2 miles of town. 

From the Ranch we went to with A. Jones, such a cool place. 

And finally my little Bells. She is growing so fast and I kind of love it. 

Kansas

The drive to Missouri was a long long roller coaster. Let's just say I am sooooo happy we have arrived and plan on flying anytime we go back to Utah. Stephen's dad came to help us drive and before making the drive I thought we didn't really need him but afterwards I was so grateful he came. Isabella behaved pretty well for her age but we had a huge melt down once and many stops to let her run around. Thank goodness we planned to go visit grandma Wells in Kansas and not only got a good break from driving but had a blast with Stephen's dad's family.

Grandma Wells is NOT what I imagined. All I had heard before of her was that she had 10 kids, is 84 years old and lives in Kansas. I imagined a tall, stocky lady who was very strict and serious. Instead I met this wonderful tiny lady who loves to crack jokes and is insanely patient with crazy active and mischievous 1 year old. She loves to sow and knit and is insanely talented. We visited the farm she grew up in and heard stories of her childhood and family. During Thanksgiving I gathered all the gran kids to play UNO and she showed up to play with us. At one point she put red on green and being ridiculously competitive I called her on it. She looked at me and said, "Im the grandma forget about it!" and winked. What an awesome lady. Did I mention she loves watching Dancing with the Stars? We all have guilty pleasures I guess. 

haha Isabella and I definitely didn't pose for this pic but isn't Grandma Wells cute?!

I forgot to mention Isabella is pretty dog crazy. I mean she is going through a serious dog phase. She calls them wowows (spanish nickname for them) and anytime she sees one she freaks out. Butch is Grandma wells companion of the last 7 years and Isabella's whole obsession during our stay in Kansas. Where Butch went she went, she would mostly hang out in his house with him and just play and talk with him. Oh man I can't believe I am saying this but I think we are going to have to buy her a dog someday. Maybe. 

Seriously how cute is this?

This is the farm grandma Wells grew up in. It has such a peaceful, slow paced kind of feeling to it. I felt like I was in a scene of Gone with the Wind.

VIDEO

This is a video Raquel and I put together of Isabella's first year as a Christmas present for everyone in the family. Creating this was so meaningful and fun.  I will admit the toilet paper climbing part is too long just fast forward. In my defense at the time it seemed so cool! Just press on the link and it will take you to the video. 

Isabella's First Year

UTAH

As our move approaches, I have been looking back at my life in Utah and how much it has changed since I got here. I met the hubs here. I gave birth to my sweet Isabella here. I ate s'mores, salmon, and sinful nutella for the first time here.  When I think of home, I think of Utah. I want to dedicate a post to the places that made this place awesome for me and will always hold a special place in my heart.

BYU

 I was never a fan of all the homework tests, or stress school put on my life but at the same time I miss the feeling of sitting down in a classroom for the first time eager and at the same time dreading the start of a new semester. I miss lectures that made me think and question my ideas and opinions. Oh I miss miss miss the rush of all the students walking in between the buildings and the feeling of belonging to a huge group of people.

KING HENRY

I remember being 17 and walking in for the first time into my apartment at king henry. I was terrified and had no clue what lay ahead of me. Little did I know I would meet the love of my life there and some of the best friends I will ever have. It was the only place I lived at before being married and I created some amazing memories there. Just looking at this picture brings back some memories  and all sort of feelings I haven't thought about in a long time.

THE PROVO LIBRARY

When I look back to our last year in Provo, I think of the Provo Library as my oasis/home. When we had Isabella, to save money we decided to live in this tiny, old one bedroom apartment. As a student I had never cared where we lived since I usually only slept and ate there. But never had it crossed my mind that as a stay at home mom I would be home A LOT more. So the tiny old apartment started feeling very very tiny soon after my transition to a mom. I just could not feel comfortable there. So I strapped Isabella in one of those wrap things and went outside in search of a refuge. And that is when I stumbled upon the library. It was across the street, about a 2 min walk. The children's section became our to  go place. Everyday, in the mornings we would attend story time and would usually go back in the afternoons. Isabella learned to walk there holding on to the edge of bookshelves. Her love for reading was found there and also her love for tossing books. I remember walking around the place telling her stories and describing the stuffed animals and other decorations they had and her little eyes soaking everything in. Whenever I drive by that place now, my eyes get misty, my heart swells up a little, and I give a silent thankful prayer for all those rich people who donated money to create the children's section and saved my sanity for a year.

 LITTLE AND BIG COTTONWOOD CANYON

this place made living in salt lake worth it.  I will forever remember all our hikes, picnics and animal encounters we had here.  I saw a moose for the first time here! With all the technology we are bombarded with daily, it is so nice to disconnect and just enjoy nature and see the wonderful world God has created for us.

WHEELER FARM

This farm taught Isabella to love animals. She can moo like a cow and knows how to call rabbits now. She learned how to kick a ball and run around here. We saw sheeps get haircuts and learned how to feed goats. We will miss it dearly.

Utah you were good to us, we hope Missouri has as much to offer.

DANCE PARTIES

I should be in bed right now but like always I am enjoying the time by myself too much. so here I am and will be regretting this tomorrow right around 6am when my energetic toddler is ready to start the day bright and early like always. Funny how consistent she can be about some things but not others...

  Isabella and I have been enjoying the beauties of cold season and I swear Isabella has had a cough/runny nose for a month. Being the party animals that we are this has not stopped us from going out. It can get awkward at times with healthy kid parents but oh well the kid will turn green if I keep her inside (that's what my mom always said to me). The other day at church Stephen was watching Isabella play with other kids and she coughed. Stephen swears a mom gave him THE LOOK (whatever that means) so he pretended Isabella was choking on something and reassured everyone she was ok as he patted her on the back. Aside from the lying, I give him credit for coming up with that on the spot....All kidding aside being sick sucks and having a sick kid sucks too. 

 Last night after a pretty crappy weekend of sick sick sick, we threw down the towel and just danced it off. It was pretty awesome. I forgot how many awesome dance moves I know and how ridiculously entertaining it is to watch Stephen attempt to shake it. But like always the star of the party was my Bella. Man I swear, Isabella is going to be the next Shakira or at least the next Shakira backup dancer or whatever they are called. Everyday she has new dance moves and will start dancing to anything that sounds like music. Which reminds me of something I read the other day. it's not just my day, it's her day too and dance parties are something she looooves to do. Well I think that we need to have more dance parties around here and less crabby moods. Take life less seriously and go with the flow.