Canine miracles

Sofi ran away tonight. About an hour later I heard scratching on our garage door. Which means she came back home. On her own. Of the 50+ times this dog has run away, she has never come back on her own.

Feel like the miracles just keep raining down on us.

When you are busy making other plans . . .

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.
                                                                - John Lennon

As you remember, on January 20th I was planning to be running in this:

Instead, on January 20th I am due to have this:

Definitely an absolute unplanned, unassisted, unexpected but thoroughly welcomed miracle.

Here's a little background. . .
 Back in January I felt a distinct impression it was time for us to have another baby.  Why?  Not sure.  I mean I can barely manage the two cute yet crazy ones I have.  I remember eating the best pulled BBQ pork sandwich in the world at a swap meet in Oahu with Lance, telling him I was going to call our infertility doctor that day and set up an appt. for when we got back from our little love vacay.  He agreed it was time.

But it never worked out.  I drug my feet to get the blood work done needed to start the process. We soon found the house we just purchased.  Just like the last six years we had to make a choice - Do we do infertility treatments?  Or do we buy a house?  A house won out.  Surprisingly, I was at peace about it.  Another baby would have to wait until 2013 or even 2014.  I had a house to decorate, a budget to keep, two little ones to raise, a little more weight to lose and a half marathon for which to train.   

When we were packing to move, I came across a pregnancy test.  It was about to expire and I did not want to pack it.  I didn't even suspect I was pregnant but I figured I wasn't going to throw away $15.   I took it on a whim.  Imagine my surprise when I saw two lines.  After texting a picture of it to my friend Amber in disbelief, she insisted I go buy another.  The three digital ones I purchased and took that same day all spelled out in bold letters the unbelievable answer:  PREGNANT.

Shock is an understatement.


Ten years of trying with losses and no success on our own.  And here we are - stressed from buying a house and not even planning or trying and I am expecting baby #3.
 
I know this is early in the game to be announcing anything.  Isn't there an unsaid rule you should wait until you are in your 2nd trimester to share with the world?   But I just can't keep it a secret.  I am so excited and feel so incredibly blessed to be carrying this miracle.  I am so tired of having to be cautious about everything when it comes to having babies - chosing carefully who I tell when I am doing fertility treatments and when I am newly pregnant because I am so worried I am going to lose my baby.  I want to be excited about this baby and believe that everything is going to be okay.  Because as far as I know, everything will be.

Besides, any prayers from those we love can't but help. 

Puppy love . . .

Well, not so much these days. I was cleaning out my cupboards last night in preparation for our move and threw away two bags of baking chocolate that were over a year old.

This dog woke me up four times last night, asking for more water and to be let out. FOUR times. Like a newborn.

This morning I found garbage all over my kitchen and dog vomit in four different rooms.

The only reason I haven't listed her on Craigslist today is because my babies love this lil' puker. And I love my babies more than anything.

I might miss her a bit. MIGHT. Oh, how blessed is a beagle with a loyal, guilt driven, and sensitive owner.

Now if she does this on our wooden floors at our house. . . Well, not looking forward to that moment.

He's met his match

This little boy is still my all-time favorite baby. Just last week he toddled upstairs three times during FHE to grab scriptures for each one of us and wouldn't sit down until we all had a set in our hands. I might add we did not ask him to do this. We started singing the opening song and bam, he was gone on his mission. How can that not melt your heart?

The one thing I don't adore about him is his aggressiveness when he is upset. The hair pulling and hitting are quite embarrassing and exasperating to say the least. Thus why "gentle" is one if the clear words he speaks.

He's met his match, though. Tonight his little girl friend gave him a bloody nose by whacking him with a book. Though I felt so sad for him as I tried to clean up his gushing nose and wipe his tears away, I couldn't help but laugh. This was payback for all the chunks of hair he has pulled from that poor girl's head.

I wonder if they will marry someday. .

You can fly, you can fly, you can fly

Well, I am not sure about flying but I do plan on running my first half marathon in January 2013 with tmy wonderful SIL.

There is something inside of me that thrives on setting goals and reaching them.  And something more exciting when those goals improve my overall health.  

Let the training begin!

A very big week

Carsten turned 18 months.  Which means he is officially old enough for nursery.  Our little hair pulling, snuggling, giggling, train & dirt loving, book reading haas is no longer our baby.  Nursery kids, watch out!

Elisabeth gave her first scripture and prayer in Primary.  She chose 1 Nephi 3:7 - Because Nephi is her favorite prophet.  I have never seen a child more excited to hop up on that podium to speak in front of 40 kids/teachers.  Love our little spunky, fearless, princess who wants to do what is right. . . most of the time.

And last but not least. . . We bought a house!!!!  As of April 12th we can say we are officially homeowners and have settled down to roost.  We will be moving in mid-May and I literally can't wait!!!!

I know that homeownership is not all roses.  I know that my children aren't perfect and I am far from a perfect mother.  Experience and reason also tell me that there will be rocky times in the years ahead.  But as I laid down to go to sleep the day escrow closed and I thought of my two sweet children sleeping soundly in their beds within the walls of my new home and dear Lance sleeping next to me and my stinky beagle snoring by my feet, my heart couldn't help but almost burst with happiness.  I want to hold on to moments like these forever.  God is incredibly good.

Interior decorating

This past year has been one of discovery for me. I discovered I love to run. I discovered I love fashion. I discovered how to find a happy balance between being a mother, wife, freelance instructional designer, a member of the LDS church, and an individual.

Most recently, I have discovered how much I love interior design. It is a little like scrapbooking only instead of using paper, I get to use textiles and paint.

Our soon-to-be new home is absolutely beautiful. The sellers have kept it immaculate and have decorated it tastefully. The only room I want to change is our bedroom. We are officially retiring our IKEA queen sized bed frame held together with wood glue and clamps (yeah . . . high class here at our house) to our new guest room and purchasing a bedroom set and new bedding along with painting our walls.

After some browsing online, here is the look I am going for:

Love the splash of reddish / coral color with the contrasting blue. Love the white duvet which makes the room feel so fresh and clean. Love the rug and the stools at the end of the bed. Love the use of both blue and gray in the paint.

Here are a few things I have bought so far:

Hadley Ruched Sham - Pottery Barn

Beige/Red Flowing Branch Square Pillow - Target

This is the duvet cover I want for our bed (only with silver sage stitching instead of gray) but I do not want to pay what Restoration Hardware charges. Wondering if I can find a knock-off somewhere for cheap? Or maybe even just buy a white duvet cover and add my own edging?

Can't wait to hit the discount stores, like Home Goods, now to find nightstands, lamps and other throw pillows. And to find a bed frame and dresser. . .

What do you think? Any suggestions? Comments are most welcome.