I'm back...

So I haven't blogged in forever...but I saw a lot of my friends putting blog posts up and it inspired me to start blogging again. I should have read my last posts to see what the last thing I wrote was but I'm pretty sure it was a long time ago haha. Andrew and I have been trying to save for a house the past couple months and our goal is to buy next spring/summer or possibly fall if we don't see anything we love. Our current place is perfect for us and really cheap but it would be nice to be putting our money into an asset! Andrew also switched jobs again....except it was a GREAT change. I have secretly been wanting this for a while but I've been trying to be a supportive wife with Andrew's dreams as well. Andrew went to work for my Dad! Which even though my Dad isn't the easiest person to work for....it means that Andrew will be a small vehicle mechanic instead of a motorbike mechanic. Anyone who knows Andrew, knows that he LOVES dirt bikes/snow mobiles/ motorbikes etc. but there isn't enough money to raise the size of family that we want and so this switch was welcomed with open arms. We have been so blessed since going to work for my Dad, we have been able to start saving for a house, the work environment is better and Andrew gets to come home for lunch everyday! I also started a job and then consequently quit two months later but that needs a post all to itself. I have been back at home for about 7 weeks now and I am so grateful I am able to be a stay at home mom. Even though we have to budget a bit better and may progress a little bit slower with our financial goals it is so worth it to stay home with my babe. I have been trying really hard to finish up my last couple photo sessions so I can focus on some other goals that I have had in the back of my mind (one of them is learning how to sew). I have been also cooking up a storm! One day I just got totally sick of the same old 10 meals we were rotating through and figured that I'm never going to get better at cooking till I try new things. This week I made a really yummy baked chicken dish, cinnamon apple pork roast and coconut chicken curry. Andrew really enjoyed the curry.....though I never grew up eating curry I thought I would make one of his favourites. I still do not enjoy curry but there was some yummy pork roast leftovers that I was happy to eat. I was planning on putting links up to the recipes and what changes I would make to each one, more for my own sake then for yours...I have a really bad memory with recipes.

Well my babe is back from her little outing with her Dad and she HATES when I'm on my computer. She is kind of a princess...

More updates to come! I have missed recording so many of her milestones!

Blessings

OK so I just HAD to post two days in a row lol. Today we got our tax return back and it was actually shocking. Here is some back story. In September, Andrew decided to go back to school but the bank wouldn't let us have a student line of credit and the government wouldn't let us have any student loans because Andrew wad upgrading. Anyways, we had to go into debt so Andrew could go back to school, we were thinking about it as an investment haha. Everyone now knows that Andrew quit school and is now working, so obviously we have been slowly working our way out of debt since then.   When I went to file our taxes at my old work (MVO) they told me we would probably owe around $500 between the two of us because when you sell Vivint you don't have tax taken off. Andrew and I were a little upset because we didn't make a lot of money last year and it seems to be taking us forever to get out of debt. SO, back to today, I opened up our tax return expecting to see that we owed $500 when in reality I saw a yellow government cheque...I was more then a little surprised. So I immediately looked down at the cheques value and lets just say it was MORE then enough to get us out of debt! The first thing I did was thank Heavenly Father for this incredible blessing, I know it is because of tithing that we are blessed and we really needed this. So I ran down to MR.R's to tell Andrew and he was shocked too! As of today, we are completely out of debt, we have NO student loans, we owe no money anywhere and we even have money in the bank! Time to start saving for a house!!!

PS. I think a HOT date tomorrow night is in order to CELEBRATE!

Busy Bees

I have been awfully bad at updating this blog in the past couple months but I promise it isn't because I don't love you all! We have been SO busy. Most people that know me can probably describe me as a busy body. I love to have a million things on my plate but watch out because if I get a little too overwhelmed I turn into a crazy girl! (sorry Andrew..haha) Anyways, this is our schedule for the week!

Mondays we usually have family home evening with my Dad and siblings but that past couple weeks we have been enjoying FHE with some young married couples. I think FHE is really important, even if it is just you and your spouse. I didn't grow up doing FHE so I definitely don't judge people who can't find the time to do it or have a hard time getting in the habit of it but ever since Andrew and I have made it a priority we have really enjoyed it!

Tuesday Andrew has meetings to attend because he was recently called as first councillor in our Elders Quorum presidency. He really enjoys his new calling and I feel it is such a perfect place for him....Andrew was a door to door salesman so he LOVES talking to people haha.

Wednesday is usually a night where we take turns visiting teach/ home teaching and on the random Wednesday where we have nothing going on we usually go over to my moms or Andrews parents and visit.

Thursdays we clean my Uncle Ron's pharmacy and get treats after while my mom watches Scarlette for us.

Fridays usually date night.....who are we kidding??? We usually fold laundry or watch movies at our house. We WISH we were cool enough to go out on dates.

Saturdays I usually have shoots and Andrew usually goes dirtbiking or quadding so Scarlette finds a relative to spend time with haha usually Grandma H!

Sundays are church and family visits day but we are thinking we may choose one Sunday out of the month to do family visits. Sometimes it feels that we go from one place to the next that we end up exhausted by the end of the day and it takes away from actually 'resting'.

Anyways, Scarlette is SO close to crawling...she just need to figure out her legs and she will be all over the place. She can move her arms and pivot around but she just can't seem to get those legs moving. She is absolutely loving being an 8 month old and is finally on a pretty strict schedule. It took me 8 months to finally pick up on her rhythm. We wake up at 8am and she breastfeeds then we come upstairs and play till about 9:30am when she wants to eat some whole grain cereal or fruit. At 10am we go downstairs and have a shower together and then get dressed. At 10:45am I usually put her down for a nap and she wake ups anywhere from 11:30 to 12 if she is really tired. At noon she comes upstairs and plays for an hour and then wants some lunch so we eat butternut squash or sweet potatoes (some type of vegetable) and she usually has a bit of my yogurt if I'm eating that. Then we read books and play together till around 2:30 when she breastfeeds again and takes her 'heavenly' nap (at least that is what I call it). She usually sleeps till 4:30 or 5pm but I don't let her sleep past that. Then she comes up and plays in her highchair while I make dinner and we all eat together around 6pm. She then plays with her daddy or reads or jumps in her jolly jumper. We breastfeed again around 8:30 and she goes to bed at 9. We just love that girl!!

I'm fairly busy with my photography and Andrew is busy with Mr.R's so we hope to start saving for a house soon! YAY!

This post was super boring by the way. Oh Well!!!

Ranting...

So...I'm thinking about making my blog private haha. I'm sure only a couple of you read this but I want to rant so bad but I feel like if I do and it gets back to the person I am ranting about....that I will be in trouble. Anyways, most of you who read my blog probably already know what I am thinking about ranting about and for others this will be a very vague blog post haha. I HATE when people expect you to go above and beyond but only for the bare minimum in return. I HATE that I have a degree and I can't go out and make the money I want to yet. I LOVE being a mom though and wouldn't trade it for the world but it will be nice to start working evenings again come fall time. I HATE when you think something is SO fun and others ruin it for you. I HATE that I am such a pessimist. I really need to start seeing the good in things but it is so hard for me...it is like my brain is wired to go straight to the negatives. Anyways, this is going to be a short post till I decide what I want to do on my privacy settings.

Andrew and I are doing great. We are so excited for the warm weather and have already planned our first family camping trip, yay! Scarlette is on the verge of crawling, last week she started to rock out to some Thomas the train music haha, on tuesday she actually cried when I gave her to Andrew so I could take a shower so I went back towards her and she reached out her arms towards me, HEART MELTING MOMENT! I JUST LOVE HER. Seriously, sometimes I go crazy and think of what I would do if I ever lost her and I almost burst out crying just thinking about it. Also, it was Andrew's birthday on Sunday and I am now officially married to a 27 year old..and I am 22....hehehe. I actually shouldn't be complaining at all. How can I complain when I have a babe of a husband who is a sweetheart as well, a beautiful little girl, a wonderful place to live, food on the table and a great family.

wow...can anyone tell I'm a roller coaster of emotions haha?? BIPOLAR...started out the post being extremely negative and now I am nearly crying of happiness.

We are still alive, I promise!

I haven't posted in a while but I promise you we're still alive and well. The past couple weeks we have been pretty busy so I will update a little bit. Last Wednesday night I was desperate for Andrew to go to bed so I could surprise him with this valentine's day candy gram I had made but he just would NOT go to bed. It was finally midnight, baby still awake, husband still awake and I was already tired from a busy week. I "nicely encouraged" Andrew to go to bed...haha ok ok...I sent him to bed telling him that he would be grumpy tomorrow if he didn't go to bed. Then I fed Scarlette stuck her in her swing and got to work. Long story short it took me about 2 hours to make the candygram, write on it/stick chocolate bars on it and hang it up on the wall...all whilst trying to put the baby to bed. I finally got into bed around 2:30am and was just about to doze to sleep when I heard something drop upstairs. I figured one of the chocolate bars had fallen off but I was way to tired to put it back on...Andrew would be able to figure out what it said in the morning. Then about 15 minutes later I heard a KABOOM!!! I ran upstairs and a bunch of the big packages of candy had all fallen off (the sweetarts, nerds, mints etc). So I started reenforcing the tape and that took me another 30 minutes...so 3:20am I finally lay my head down to sleep. Scarlette woke up at 5ish and then again at 7:45ish with gas because I had eaten so much chocolate the day before so I figured I might as well wake up with Andrew and see his face when he saw the candygram. He probably already knew but he made me feel special anyways for doing something thoughtful for him. Andrew bought me a box of chocolate and got me a card which was super funny. I will have to take a picture of the card when I get a chance.

Then on Friday night Andrew and I went out to celebrate out anniversary....we tried to catch "Safe Haven" but Andrew had lost track of time at work and we missed the 6:40 showing. Since I hadn't pumped a bottle we decided just to go out for dinner and then see what to do from there. We got to Moxie's and had a delicious meal where we both got to eat at the SAME time and we chatted about life....Andrew even asked "how is Scarlette doing?"....so I think he is starting the parents discussing children on dates tradition. We then went to this little frozen yogurt place for the first time and got some dessert. Andrew put the toppings in before the frozen yogurt and didn't realize that it was priced based on the weight so he had a bunch of random candy in his bowl and then put the frozen yogurt on (yuck). I tried the different kinds and went with the chocolate with some strawberries, rasberries and coconut sprinkled on top (yum). Anyways, we drove around for a bit because it was nice just being the two of us but then we headed home because we missed Scarlette.

Saturday-- We went a did a little photoshoot with my sister, she was DYING to get photos done and I asked her if she wanted to do a stylized grad shoot and she was totally into that. It was fairly windy that day so I asked if she wanted to reschedule but she was down with the wind and we went out anyways. The fields were pretty windy so we went out to beaver mines to get some cute pics...plus Andrew wanted to see if he could go dirtbiking out there already but it was too snowy.

Sunday--- Was my Grandma's 65th birthday. I really didn't know what to get her and thought about framing a really nice picture of her and Gramps that I took a couple days before Gramps died (at Uncle Dave's funeral). Anyways, I decided that I will do that for another time because it is still really hard for all of us to believe that he is gone. Instead, I got her two cards. One is from Andrew and I, which I put a gift card from cinaplex in because since Grandpa passed away, mom, grandma and I have been going out to the movies every couple weeks. I also got her a card that said "great-grandma" on it and we painted Scarlette's hands and put handprints in the card for her. Sunday was also Andrew's parents Anniversary. We went over there and visited with them for a while and they loved on Scarlette haha.

Monday- Family day we headed out to Waterton and did some sledding. I got some really great shots of the mountains which I will stick up here in a couple days. I took a few that I would like to frame, Andrew wants to display my photographs in our home haha...he is so proud of me and I'm not even good!! We had some lunch then headed back home.

Tuesday-Our actual anniversary--We both were so pooped from the weekend that we didn't really do anything for one another. Andrew didn't want to go out and I kinda wanted a night away so believe it or not, I went to see "Safe Haven" with my mom, grandma and sister. It was actually the BEST anniversary gift Andrew could have given me. I had a couple hours to myself, got to see the movie I had been dying to see and Andrew didn't have to sit in a theater full of girls admiring him! When I got home Andrew admitted that Scarlette had slept the whole time I was gone so he got to chill and watch Netflix while I was gone. Scarlette didn't wake up once the whole night so we both got a great night sleep as well. Thanks Scarlette!!!

Anyways, the rest of this week has been pretty normal. Laundry, dishes, bathroom cleaning etc. I am going out to take some pictures of Joseph and Jordan tomorrow as requested by their mothers for their missions. Also, Pie/Movie night with Bre and Kevin tonight...and boy does Bre make good pie!!

Now you are all craving pie aren't you.....Also, I am way to lazy to read through this and look for grammatical errors so have fun making sense of this long post!

6 Months Old

So my baby is 6 months old on the 13th and I cannot believe how fast the time has gone. Scarlette just went to her 6 month check-up yesterday and had her 4 month shots today (whoops I'm a bad mom haha). Scarlette is currently an ounce shy of 17 lbs....yeah she is a solid girl...but apparently that is the 56 percentile so pretty average. Her head circumference is in the 82 percentile and her length is in the 46 percentile. So overall she is pretty average for weight and height but has a pretty big noggin! I think in my last post about Scarlette I referred to her as a "devil child"....well I scheduled her 6 month check up a week early because I really wanted to know why she was fussy all of the time...and all of a sudden, last week, she was fine. Of course I go into the doctor and have nothing to complain about because she is finally on a schedule and semi sleeping through the night (it is hit or miss with her). Anyways, this is my little peanut at 6 months old---

Scarlette can now sit up but I still hover around because I don't want her falling on her head too many times. She rolls over whenever you put her on her back but she cannot figure out how to flip from her belly to her back. She is starting to expand her vocabulary with sounds like "bah" and "mah" and "nndah" but she doesn't really know what she is saying. She always has a finger or toy in her mouth and I am quite surprised she hasn't cut a tooth yet with the way she was gnawing on my chin the past couple weeks ( I even had a chin hickey to show for it!). Scarlette loves books and can turn the pages, she loves listening to me sing but apparently the Chinook Jazz Choir is not her style of music (she cried after she heard them sing haha). Scarlette is pretty strong with her legs and prefers to stand over sitting (typical--always wanting what she she can't have). I just love her to death though and sometimes when I think back to before we had her I forget what it's like. 

As for me, I am a T.V. addict and finished 2 seasons of Pretty Little Liars and got caught up in the 3rd season in one week. I am also caught up in Vampire Diaries and Grey's (though I have to admit I am quite bored with the last two). Any suggestions for another good TV show? preferably on netflix?

Hopefully I will post again soon so I don't have to write a novel of a post! 

2 Years.

So it is coming on Andrew and I's 2 year anniversary on the 19th of February. I am not sure what to expect but I can tell that it is going to be a good one! I know this may sound crazy but in my personal opinion the first 6 months-1 year of marriage was the hardest...mostly the first 6 months. You have just entered into a totally different kind of relationship after you get married. Things that your significant other didn't see before you got married are all of a sudden out in the open. Most people feel that they know their spouse pretty good but even after dating for almost and year and a half, I can tell you that there was and is a lot to learn about Andrew. During the first 6 months I really felt myself focusing on the negatives but now as we are coming on the 2 year mark I can't believe how much I focus on the positives. I admit, as Andrew will probably point out, that I have my days when I am super hard on him but for the most part I feel that marriage is starting to hit that wonderful stage everyone talks about! Andrew is one of the most giving people I have ever met, he is constantly asking me if he can get me anything and he ALWAYS makes sure I treat myself. Never once has Andrew made me feel bad if I purchase a little extra in the grocery department (Treats etc.) or buy a movie that we definitely don't need. He is always supportive of my dreams and aspirations and always tries to give me encouragement when I am feeling less then confident. Andrew also makes sure that I get my "mommy-time" and never a day goes by that he doesn't take the baby off my hands while I take a shower or read a book. Andrew works so hard for our family and making sure that we are provided for, he would work 24/7 if he could  make sure Scarlette gets whatever she needs/wants! Andrew is kind and loving, always trying to squeeze a hug out of me or get me to calm down and snuggle with him (I'm kind of a busy body). He is 100% willing to do anything I need him to if I tell him it is important to me. Andrew will be the first to admit that he slacks in the cleaning up after himself/cleaning up in general department but just tonight he got up and did the dishes and there has been times where he cleans up the living room without being asked.....now if I could find a way to get him to do a bathroom lol!! Lastly, and most importantly, Andrew is an AMAZING father!!! I couldn't have been on this journey without him. I don't know how some women do it alone. Andrew is always talking away to Scarlette and trying to get her to smile at him. He constantly tries to teach her how to do more things and is patient with her when she is grumpy. You will often here me say that I got a "devil child" but Andrew always says "oh she isn't, she is such a good girl!!" So here's to my handsome husband!!! Thanks for putting up with me for the past 2 years and I'm glad you get to put up with me for eternity!! He definitely got the short end of the stick!!! I love you hunny!!!

Scarlette is 5 months old!!!

Well....not technically. Scarlette will be 5 months old on the 13th and I can't believe this much time has already flown by! At 5 months old Scarlette is really adventurous... she can:

• grab things...some of her favourites include my hair, my shirt and her links 
• scratch...this just happened in the past month but she scratches all types of material to see what kind of sound it makes....she also likes to scratch my wrists and occasionally she will get my face if I don't move fast enough! 
• sit in her bumbo! She has been really good at holding her head up (she's a Maclean baby...not a weakling Hendry baby) since she was little but her bumbo has made her so strong! She will even sit for short periods on her own but her balance isn't very good yet. 
• Chatter...she will chatter on and on to herself. She gets especially loud before bed
• She got a bouncer toy for Christmas but her legs just aren't quite long enough to bounce in that yet haha but she will stand up and bounce on our laps.
• She recognizes her name.
• She whimpers when I leave the room and depending on the circumstance it is either super hard to get anything done or super cute
• She chews/sucks on everything!!! My shirt is constantly wet from her drool and I worry about all the germs from people's hands.
• She is 16 lbs and not slowing down in the eating department.
• She loves mummy's iPod touch haha! She is always grabbing it when I play bejeweled blitz. 
• She is SO high maintenance..she likes being held a certain way and hates being in one room for too long. She sure gives me a good exercise carrying her around the house all day!

I love Scarlette dearly but I sure need a lesson in parenting because she is the grumpiest baby ever! I change her diaper frequently, feed her more then enough, walk around the house with her, take her out grocery shopping, read books with her, put her down for naps when she is tired, give her gripe water for her upset belly and it just never seems to be enough! She is ALWAYS whining...just ask Andrew. The only times she isn't whining is first thing in the morning. Her only saving grace is the fact she is such a good sleeper at night but just this past week she has been up every 2 hours during the night with diarrhea. She then feels the need to nurse and I let her because I don't want to wake Andrew up. We already had the flu and I doubt it is teething already....but it could be I guess. Any moms have any ideas what to do with this little girl???? What helped your kids when they were fussy?

Anyways, as for Andrew and I, we are doing pretty good. Andrew just LOVES his new job working at Mr. R's (he is apprenticing to be a mechanic). I am taking up photography as a hobby and it has proven to be harder then expected but you know me, always up for a challenge! I love school and since I finished last semester I have been needing something to keep me learning. Also, my Grandpa's funeral was last week and it was so beautiful! Can I just say that he would have loved it! Everyone did so well and I know he is doing the Lord's work on the other side. Well, I better get back to my couple hours of freedom while the babe sleeps!! 

My Letter to Gramps

Dear Gramps,

           

Wow, what a crazy week I have had. It almost doesn’t seem real to me that you are gone. It feels like just yesterday you were rushing home to see Scarlette and already her time with you is over on this earth, at this time. How I treasure every moment you got to spend with her. The Lord works in mysterious ways and I sometimes wonder “Why my Grandpa?” “Why Now?”. I know that Scarlette will grow up and ask about you and I know what I will tell her. Simply, “He was the best Grandpa a girl could ask for”. I was your first granddaughter and you always made me feel so special. You came to all of my soccer games, choir concerts, award ceremonies and life events. I looked forward to you picking me up from school to take me to orthodontic appointments and when we would go on trips together. 22 ½ years is a long time to know somebody and I pray that our memories will stay with me in time. What an amazing blessing it was for you to be with me in the temple while my parents waited outside. This gift is something none of the other grandchildren will experience with you in your earthly body. I hope I may feel of your spirit as I attend the temple in the future. Gramps, I just love you so much. As I am writing this I think to myself how many words I left unspoken yet how they didn’t need to be spoken for you to know.

            The memories that I will treasure most include:

1.     Our trip to Wyoming and how we never let you fall asleep.

2.     Our trip to Salt Lake to go to Maggie’s wedding and you taking us to see every temple without complaint. Your sleeping pill incident and how we laughed and laughed as you snored on.

3.     The few times you stopped by unannounced to our new place on the west side. How grateful I am that we were home for you to spend time with us. I wish I had brought Scarlette over more.

4.     When I came over to make the beanbag and I was able to help you make those labels. You were so proud over something so small.

5.     When you rushed home to see Scarlette and how you were able to be in her blessing circle.

6.     I knew if I sat next to Grandpa my toes would get popped!

7.     You calling my “Nikki-Cole”.

There are so many more memories that we share but the most important ones to me are the instances where you simply dropped everything to help me out. Your love was spoken through deeds and I will never forget them.

Tonight as I ponder how tomorrow will go I am touched by the Holy Spirit. How grateful I am for temples here on the earth. How grateful I am for the power of the priesthood. How grateful I am for our Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation.

Grandpa, I know you are with your parents and siblings. I take comfort in the fact that you are at peace and in a state of rest. I look forward to the day I will see you again and promise you with all my heart that I will try to live my life in a way that is conducive with how my Heavenly Father would want me to live my life. Your charity is amazing and I hope to be one tenth of the person you are one day. You exemplified the Savior with your missionary work and generosity. I hope and pray the Lord will give me more opportunities to serve others and choose to be more like you. Gramps, I promise to treasure everyday I am given with my family. I promise to always keep you in my heart but to keep on living as you would want me to do. I promise to take care of Grandma and love her like you loved her. I promise to take care of Mom and love her SO much for you. Everyday I will choose to be a missionary and spread the gospel. Tomorrow I dedicate my song to you and every other song I sing I will be thinking about you.

This letter could go on and on if I let it but I know you probably have more important things to do in the spirit world. I will leave my letter with my humble testimony that I know Jesus is the Christ. I know the gospel has been restored here on the earth. I know Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God. I know that Thomas S. Monson is the living prophet today. I know that prayer is how we communicate with our Heavenly Father.

I know that families are forever.

I bear testimony of these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

I love you Gramps.