Something a little lighter...

With my last depressing post I figured I needed to post something somewhat lighter. So here's a newer picture of Gabe. I love how the little guy looks in green - it's really a great color on him...now if we could convince his dad that he should wear something other than red we'd be in business.

(Red is one of the main "Blind Guy" colors - so almost everything Cory owns now is red)

On a funny note in regards to that - when we were in Oregon a few weeks ago we went shopping at an outlet mall. We were in the Gap Outlet and I saw a couple of polo shirts that seemed perfect for Cory. There was one that had red, grey and a small gold stripe - that one screamed Cory's name, so I knew I was getting it for him. Then there was another one - that was navy, apple green, with a small gold stripe - this was my favorite. I debated on getting it and my mom even said - "It's not red, will Cory wear it?" But I liked it a lot, so I hoped he'd wear it for me.

Anyway, we were in line to pay and Gabe started fussing a bit. To distract him, I showed the 2 shirts to him and said, "Look what we're getting daddy." I had the red one in one hand, and the blue/green one in the other hand. Gabe pointed to the red shirt and said, "Daddy!" Then he pointed to the blue/green one in my other hand and shouted in his proudest voice, "Mom-ma!"

I got such a laugh out of it - and actually ended up putting the blue/green shirt I had fallen in love with back on the shelf. Even a 19 month old knows what Daddy will and won't wear!

In a spring "funk"

Does this ever happen to you? You get stuck in a "funk" - where you just don't feel like yourself. You feel exhausted, moody, grumpy, frustrated, irritated with things beyond your control (and even ones in your control), and totally unmotivated to get anything done - even the things you really love (and most especially the things you dread doing)? I guess in general a "funk" would be described as being kind of depressed.

Anyway, I seem to get into a "funk" every spring. I was telling Cory last night that I remember having a HORRIBLE spring when I was in 2nd grade - when I was 7. I got in a HUGE fight with all my friends for like the whole spring. It was horrible...and so began my dread of spring and my dreadful annual spring "funk".

Now I LOVE spring weather, spring flowers, spring clothes - getting out the capri's and flip-flops. I love that we can start playing outside, blowing bubbles, SUN....but for some reason when this time of year comes around, I end up just wanting to stay in my pj's and go to sleep.

It's not as bad when the weather is fabulous - but when the weather gets crummy again after being fabulous...that really gets me down. For instance our weather this week - windy, cold, gloomy, rainy, SNOWY! We even ran down to St. George last night to get some stuff for our new bathroom, and it was cold down there! That's not supposed to happen.

Anyway - pregnancy hormones (which I blame everything on) make this even worse. Add to it pregnancy exhaustion - and I'm just kind of a wreck.

So my question for you all is what do you do when you're in a "funk" - how do you get out? Do you eat? Sleep? Count your blessings? Grin and bear it? I'd love to hear your advice - I'm all out :)

Fun family weekend

This weekend Cory's family all came down to celebrate his 30th birthday. They got here Friday night, and stayed until Sunday morning - so it was a quick trip. But we had fun! We borrowed a slew of 4-wheelers and Rangers for everyone to ride and we took a trip down to Silver Reef - which is just outside of St. George. Lots of fun for everyone!


Gabe loved spending time with his cousins, and they had an equally great time I think.

This is Gabe with his little cousin Linzy. Now don't let the picture fool you - they might look the exact same size (and they almost are....) but Gabe is actually a full year older than Linzy. Those Mullen kids really have got some size on their side. Poor Gabe will probably be more of a shrimp like his mom and dad....

Some of the beautiful scenery we drove around in. The weather was GORGEOUS, and the landscapes we enjoyed were unbelievable! Lots of variety, and lots of beauty!

Cory tried to take it easy, and stay on trails...but he couldn't resist a time or two to take us "off road" and over some pretty bumpy terrain. There were 2 times on the ride when Cory said, "Uh, I think you might want to get out...." But interestingly enough - it was ok for Gabe to stay in....I guess it's just me being pregnant. (Sorry little baby #2 - I tried to tell him you didn't enjoy all the bumps...but he just doesn't listen!)

Gabe chilling while we stopped for lunch.

Look at these lovely Ellis ladies! (Ashley, Kori, Joanna & Mom "Tammy")

The BIG 3-0!

Just wanted to give a shout-out to my soon-to-be 30 year old hubby. Cory's birthday is tomorrow (March 22nd) and he will be stepping out of his 20's and into the good-OLD-30's! I tease him because he will always be older than me (by more than 2 years!) - but it doesn't seem to bother him at all.....

Anyway, I wanted to just say how lucky I am to be married to such a motivated go-getter. Cory gets himself involved in so many projects, and so many work things - he has more energy than most people I know! He never complains about working hard, or all that he has to do - and he's great at taking care of Gabe and I. He actually had to go out of town at the beginning of this week, and more than ever I realized how helpful he is around the house and with Gabe - he's such a wonderful dad and husband.

Gabe loves him so much too - and that makes me fall in love with him over and over again. He loves taking Gabe out on Ranger rides, riding on the lawn-mower in the yard, or just taking Gabe to Home Depot to run errands with him so I can have a break. I love watching them together and appreciate Gabe having someone like Cory to look up to!

So happy birthday sweetheart. I hope (like the song says) that your 'next 30 years' will be awesome and I am pretty stoked that we get to spend them together. Love ya!

(P.S.) I'm sure that Cory would love to hear birthday wishes from all of you. He doesn't check the blog much, so email me and I'll pass them along to him.

Pregnant

(beware - pregnancy complaints ahead)

So here is a picture (one of the very few I've taken of myself in these past few months) of me and my ever expanding belly...This is a picture taken at the 1/2 way point - right before we went to our ultrasound. I hate pictures of myself pregant. My face gets so puffy, and even an hour after I put make up on, you can't tell (somehow that pregnant "glow" everyone talks about - is oil or something - makes my makeup fall off!) Anyway, enjoy this one - it might be one of the few you get to see :)

In a lot of ways this preganacy has been a lot easier than with Gabe...at least as far as being sick and throwing up constantly. I feel much better in that regard! But I'm also much more tired this time around. I guess chasing after Gabe will do that. There are also a lot of other symptoms that I have noticed sooner with this pregnancy.

Eating - when I was pregnant with Gabe I remember crying to Cory and saying, "I just want to enjoy eating again. I want to be excited about a meal, have it taste great, and enjoy it! I miss wanting to eat!" Well, my wish has come true with this pregnancy. I have quite the hearty appetite. And unfortunately I have let myself indulge a bit too much...but it is nice to enjoy food - and it's been funny the things I've enjoyed (one day I got Gabe a hot dog for lunch when we stopped at a fast food place. I took a bite, and Cory had to wrestle it out of my hands to give to Gabe - it was SO good! And normally I hate hot dogs).

My sciatic nerve has acted up really badly, and there are times I have a hard time just getting up from sitting or lying down. Of course, the dr says that's "normal" for pregnancy.

Carpal tunnel. When I was pregnant with Gabe I had ocasional bouts of this - my right hand fallign asleep and waking me up in the night because of the tingling. But it was maybe the last month. I'm already having problems. And it's much worse. For instance, if I try to read a book for longer than 3-4 minutes in one position, my hands fall asleep. And all through typing this entry I have to keep taking a break and shaking my hands to wake them up. Not fun. It also wakes me up several times a night. The dr suggested some splints to wear at night, or when it's bugging me, and I just need to go get them.

Mood swings. Oh goodness - poor Cory, that's all I have to say. A few weeks ago I said to him, "My mood swings haven't been nearly as bad as before - in fact I'd say my mood has been pretty even keel the last couple months!" Shouldn't have said that! The last weeek or so I've been a wreck. Daily meltdowns - and even sometimes several times a day. The smallest things set me off and become catrastophies. Cory said, "I just don't think get why you make such a big deal out of little things". But at the time they're not small things - there are no small things to a hormonal pregnant woman. Finishing this basement has not been a good addition to the pregnancy induced hysteria.

Anyway, that's my pregnancy in a nutshell. More than you wanted to hear - but there you have it!

Cute Gabe-isms

So do you ever have so much to do that you don't do anything? (I think I've started a blog post with this same phrase before...) That's how I'm feeling right now. I'm super stressed about getting my house back in order, and life back to 'normal' after our trip that I spend all my time stressing over my every expanding "to-do list" and not much time getting any of it done. It's crazy to me how taking a week off of life can really wipe you out. Both because it takes a lot to get out the door with a 19 month old, and because since you were gone for a week it takes twice that to catch up on the things you miss.

Throw in the idea of being pregnant and exhausted from chasing after Gabe who has more energy than about a million adults - and I'm pooped! Oh, and add to that the idea that we're in the midst of finishing our basement (2 bedrooms, 2 storage rooms, and a bathroom).

Anyway, while I was stressing out about how we're ever going to get our basement finished and the house cleaned back up (this whole sheetrock deal is taking longer than they said it would and is making a way bigger mess than I remember it making last time we worked on the basement!!!) - I had a few sweet moments with Gabe.

He has been talking up a storm lately! Granted, anyone else probably has no idea in the world what he's saying - but I am really starting to get the words he shouts out. And the amazing thing is how he'll spit out new words so quickly! This morning alone he added his own versions of sticky, sticker, sucker, turtle, Elmo, door, money, and penny to his vocabulary.

Some other words he spits out now are Daisy, Sadie, stinky, Ranger, walk, down, go, candy, balloon, Ganga (Grandma), George (for Curious George), baby, Mom, Mom-ma, Daddy, bath, cheese, snack, go, movie, teeth, eyes, more, please, thank you, bed, hat, Ginky (for his binkie), owie, ouch, pancakes, apple, oranges, cracker, cookie, rock, and tonz more.

He's also loving to sing, or listen to me sing. I'll finish a song and before the last note is out he'll say, "more!" and do the sign for more (one of his favorite sign language signs) - and promptly start crying if I don't keep singing. So if I'm going to start singing to him I better be ready to do it for at least 5 songs! He's catching on more and more with the songs too and loves to watch me do the actions (and frequently chimes in).

Just the last couple of days he's started making this hilarious face. I'll say, "Show me how cute you are" and he'll give me the biggest, goofiest grin. It also works sometimes when I say, "Are you cute?" It's a lot like the "CHEESE" face he makes too. Sometimes he'll even put his hands on his cheeks like - look how cute I am! I'll try to catch a picture of it one of these days.

He also likes to pat my cheeks (from the song "I'm so glad when Daddy comes home". It's so sweet. Especially if he folows it up with a great big kiss!

It's such an exciting time to be his mom and to enjoy watching him learn! So while I'm stressed about dusting the house (for the 100th time since I came home on Monday), or how I'll ever really get all the way unpacked from the trip - I need to sit back and remember that what really matters is spending time with Gabe and cherishing these awesome learning moments.

It's (going to be) a BOY!

Well, since Paul kind of gave it away.... :)

Yup - it's a boy! We are all super excited. Gabe doesn't quite grasp the difference between boy and girl yet, but he is super excited about the baby. He went with us to the ultrasound yesterday and climbed up next to me and kept patting my belly saying, "Baby". Then when she put the projector on so I could watch it on the screen he got pretty excited (at least after the disappointment wore off that he wasn't watching a movie. He thought we were watching "George" - for Curious George, or Mermaid). He'd pat my tummy and say baby, and then point to the screen.

It was amazing to me how totally clear the pictures were! I could see details we didn't see with Gabe. We could count the fingers and toes, see a great profile, point out specific bones - it was awesome!

And the good news is - I'm right on with my due date. The bad news is...I'm right on with my due date and not earlier :) Looks like another August baby boy. The actual date is August 2nd.

And he was moving around like crazy - but here are a few of the still shots we got.

He was all bent in a funny shape for a lot of the ultrasound - his head was so curled up under himself - something I doubt we'll be seeing once he's born (I don't think it's humanly possible!)

A profile shot.

A cute shot of his little foot. He was moving his toes all around - it was cute!

Pink or Blue????

So - what do ya think, pink or blue?

We had our ultrasound this afternoon and now we know the sex of our baby - are you curious????

OSHA

Gabe - I'm pretty sure that OSHA has some kind of regulation for the construction industry that you have to be wearing pants to work at a construction site. We'll definetly have to look into that before making any career decisions.

Sledding

Our ward had a sledding activity up in the mountains yesterday. We were disappointed that not many families went, but we were glad we made the trip up. The weather was chilly, but beautiful and the new snow we got this week was fun to play in. We took the Ranger up and pulled people behind it on sleds, as well as hiking up the hill to sled down. I even did a little sledding (VERY LITTLE) - to be considered an active participant. Gabe loves the snow - or "no" as he calls it.

(**we had one of those little 'sock' things on Gabe's head to keep him warm - unfortunately it kept slipping over part of his face so it's kind of covered up funny. Oh well, I guess it was for warmth, and not for pictures huh?)

CHEESE!

This morning I got out my camera to take a picture of my pregnant belly (which didn't work out....long story) and when I got the camera out and turned it on it made a little beep that the camera makes when it powers on. Gabe was in the other room getting his shoes on with Cory and I heard him say, "Cheese!"

He had heard the camera and knew it was time to start smiling for the camera. He came running out of the bedroom grinning and posing for the camera. He plopped himself down in front of me and was ready for his photo shoot. I was so glad my camera worked for this one picture (that's why we didn't get a maternity shot - my camera lens is broken).

So yup, I do take too many pictures, but when they turn out like this one - how can I resist?

National Pancake Day

Earlier this week it was National Pancake Day (on Tuesday). Pancakes (or "cakes") are Gabe's favorite foods right now, so we thought it would be fun to take IHOP up on their FREE pancakes. It was fun to celebrate a silly holiday like that. Gabe loved that they had balloons around the restaurant, and was a little in awe of the BIG pancakes (he eats the mini frozen ones at home).

Gangsta

The other night while we were getting dinner read we had our ipod on with a great "I love the 90's" mix of music. A rap/gangster song came on and Cory, Gabe and I started dancing around the kitchen. Gabe did a scary impression of a "Gangsta" with his tipped hat, snazzy glasses, and slouchy pants. Hopefully this is just a stage :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

So here's our little Valentine. Isn't he a cutie?!?! I had actually tried to take some pictures of him this morning - so they'd be authentic Valentine's Day photos, but he wouldn't cooperate. But these pictures are from Sunday, his first official day at nursery at church. (he just turned 18 months old!)

He really had a good time with the other kids. I stayed in for a while, but mostly because after he got comfortable there was another little girl who clung to me and wanted me to stay. I really didn't mind - it was fun to have a change of pace. But I had many comments after the fact of people saying that not only was he super good in nursery, but he was SOOOO cute! Of course, I agreed whole heartedly.

It didn't hurt things that they had goldfish, gummi bears, gummi worms and valentine sugar cookies for a snack, or that they made valentine pictures with heart stickers (and he loves stickers!) So we're looking forward to this new chapter in our lives. It should be lots of fun for everyone!

Gabe's new toy

We have a really fun next door neighbor - Jerry. Jerry had told us all about these awesome rocking "horses" that he made, and got us excited for then when I was expecting Gabe. Well this morning we got a rocking "dog" of our very own! Jerry has been working on this for months and months and we were so excited to go over to pick it up from him! He put so much attention to detail into this creation, and it literally looks exactly like our dog Sadie - down to her colors and markings - which are EXACT replicas.

Gabe was a little wary at first, but he's in love with it now. He has a hard time staying on the dog by himself (working on balance), but loves to rock on it with mommy and daddy. In fact, we even read our afternoon stories on it this afternoon before Gabe's nap.

Thanks Jerry for sharing your talent with us, and for giving us this beautiful addition to our family!

Life is too short

Over 8 years ago, when I made the decision to marry Cory there were several factors that affected my decision. One was that he was pretty awesome and treated me so good. But another factor - probably an even more influential factor - was his family; and most specifically his extended family on the Ellis side. They were one of the most amazing families I had ever met, and as soon as I was introduced to them I wanted to be a part of that awesome family!

Cory and I hadn't been dating very long when I met his family. It was their yearly Ellis Family Reunion, and it was being held in Heber City - about an hour from my family's home in Orem. So Cory came to spend the 4th of July weekend with me and my family, and we headed up to the reunion with his family for part of that weekend. Now Cory and I had only known each other for a little over a month, and most of that time had been spent with him in Idaho, and me in Orem. So the idea of a huge extended family totally intimidated me. To add to my nervousness, Cory had only been home from his mission for a little over a month and this would be the first time he'd see his extended family in over 2 years! So I remember literally shaking with fear when we walked into Aunt Lynette's back yard to meet everyone.

We walked into the backyard that afternoon and Cory introduced me to a couple of people and walked away. He left me! Fear came rushing to me and I thought I might actually die right there with all of his family watching me! But know what? Within moments I was a part of the family. I wasn't just the girl Cory brought, but I was welcomed with loving hearts and welcome hearts. I knew by the end of that afternoon that if I didn't marry Cory, I would have to marry a brother or cousin because I had to be a part of the Ellis family! Every aunt, uncle, his grandparents - everyone hugged me, asked me all about myself, were genuine and interested in me. And they made me feel a part of the family, something I'd never felt outside of my own family.

The reason I bring this all up is that yesterday morning we received a call from Cory's mom to tell us that his Aunt Margo had passed away in the night. This was totally unexpected and devestating. When Cory told me what his mom has reported to him I kept saying, "Margo, as in Aunt Margo? Aunt Margo Sears?" It just didn't seem possible that someone so young could be taken from us with literally no warning. Thinking of her family, children, husband - everyone whose life she touched, and all that we would miss out by not having her in our lives broke my heart.

But then I was reminded of something. The reason that I was drawn to Cory's family in the first place - the plan of salvation, the gospel, and the idea of families being sealed together forever in the temple. The Ellis family lives these principles, and through his Grandparent's example they really are creating families that will be together even after this life. Grandma and Grandpa's example of temple service and devotion to the gospel has created an extended family whose love will last even beyond life on this earth.

So while this time is sad for those who love Aunt Margo, it is reassuring that we have our beliefs and can be assured that we will see her again, and that really we never have to say goodbye to our loved ones forever. This is something I am so grateful for! So thank you Ellis family for welcoming me with loving arms, and thank you for sharing Aunt Margo with me for the short time we had. Her vibrance and excitement for life will always be with me!

(The Merthen and Vonnie Ellis Family - 7 children and their spouses. Photo taken July 2006)

(Aunt Margo with her typical smile - she really has always had a fabulous smile on her face, and really a wonderful attitude in her heart!)

a few thoughts

I had some time to myself this weekend as we were in Bozeman for Blind Guy meetings. Something that is rare – time all by myself. The idea itself sounded fabulous at first. Nothing I had to do, no one that needed me, and time to recoup on sleep and wasting time without feeling guilty.

But as I was trying to do that, and trying to relax I got to thinking about Gabe, and about being a mom, and how different my life has become in the last 2 years, and about how very different it will be when I’m not only a mom – but a mom to 2….Lots of thinking and reflecting going on. It was good – really, really good.

So what I’ve uncovered is that I am a mom. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking – you already knew that, and I should have caught on about 18 months ago when Gabe was born. But no really, deep down I am a mom. Although I’m a few other things (woman, sister, daughter, wife, scrapbooker, YW 2nd counselor) this mom gig is what I want to be, it’s what I long for when I’m by myself, and what I miss when it’s not around.

I was sitting on a bench in the mall in Bozeman after going to a movie by myself, wandering around Barnes and Nobel for about an hour, and treating myself to a bowl of cotton candy ice cream when I realized that more than anything I wished Gabe was there to share the ice cream with me and enjoy the new books I had just picked out for him at Barnes and Nobel. I missed him fiercely. In fact, I had to leave Barnes and Noble earlier because I had been looking at all of these sweet stories about love and Valentine’s, and loving your kids and found myself crying….totally embarrassing (but it worked – it made me buy the darn children’s book that started the tears flowing!)

I know that I need time to myself at times, but since I’ve been pregnant this go-around my time to relax and unwind has been spent being sick, and when I have had a chance to myself I almost felt guilty because I’ve already spent that time away from my mom/wife duties while I’ve been sick.

So I might complain about coming up with ideas for dinner, or feeling worn out from Gabe’s demands – but when it comes right down to it, there isn’t anywhere in the world that I’d rather be than spending time with Gabe and Cory. I know that when this new little baby arrives I’ll be equally as smitten and in love with them. I can’t wait to get to know their spirit, their excitement and their personality.

I know that not all mothers feel this way – and you know what, that’s their choice. I do know however that no rewards or accolades that the “world” can throw at me can be as rewarding as the look in my child’s eyes when he gets something I’ve taught him, or when he just wants to snuggle with me. I am so grateful that I feel fulfilled being a mom and that for me I’m not torn between other good things in life. I think there are a lot of good things that can take us away from home and can even make us very happy. But for me I couldn’t split myself between my family and other things that the world might throw my way, and it was a great realization for me that I didn’t even want to be split between different things – I am happy where I am! I hope I can keep that focus, because I know for me this is where true joy has come from.

Most beautiful baby?

So I'm entering Gabe in Regis and Kelly's Beautiful Baby contest....since I DO have the worlds most beautiful baby! What do you think? Does he have your vote?

Another layout

Yup - I did another one. While I was getting ready to go upstairs after working on the last one I thought - ok - I'll try just one more. And it came together pretty quickly. The journaling on this one reads:

This afternoon you had so much fun running around outside on the grass, playing with rocks on the ground and just being a big boy. I was sad that the weather is getting colder because I know you love being outside. Hopefully this Spring you’ll get to play outside a lot!

2006 Year in Review - layout

YIKES! I don't know how long it's been since I've put together a digital (or paper) scrapbook layout....way too long! So I put together a quick layout of pictures of Gabe. They are mostly pictures from the 7th of each month - so it chronicles the changes each month. And though he's grown up a lot in the last year, he's still a pretty darn cute little kid, and I can't believe it's been a year! The journaling reads:

What a year 2006 was for you! You learned how to sit up, roll over, eat solid foods, scoot, crawl, pull yourself up on things, climb the stairs, walk, play with toys, laugh, give wonderful kisses, take good naps - but most of all, you’ve mastered the art of melting my heart!