Life as we know it...crazy!

I am still in awe that 2018 is just weeks away from being over. So friends are you ready for a year-end wrap up? (PS I am sorry to have two blogs so close together) Usually around this time of year I like to sit down and ponder the year, what's happened, how it's changed me, and what I plan on doing in the upcoming year. At the beginning of each year I set goals like most people and I look forward to how I can try to reach them. 2018. What a year and really where do I start? Everyone cycles through life with mostly happy years and memories, however I know I am not the only one to say that there are hard moments shuffled between those good times. This past year has had so many wonderful moments, but an equal amount of hard times. This year has pushed me to my limits in ways I didn't know I couldn't handle by myself. I cried a lot this year. I was hurt, I was broken, I was stretched in many different ways, I was torn apart. It seemed that "all bad things come in th

Hi friends and family! I hope you are all doing well and gearing up for the holidays. I just can't believe that Christmas is only what, 20 days away! Usually around this time of year I see so many people start to make new goals they want to obtain in the upcoming new year. I love setting goals and pushing myself to keep them. Most people set a fitness goal, which I am a firm believer of becoming stronger and being healthy (which is different for everyone) can help prolong life. So I thought I would share my fitness journey after having E. When I got pregnant, I had been working out consistently, so working out during my pregnancy was actually quite simple and helped me bounce back faster. I made modifications throughout and ended up eliminating most ab workouts. While pregnant (except maybe the last two weeks) I worked out 3-4 days a week. I felt so good. Little did I know I would be swarmed with a self-conscious bug of how I looked after E arrived. I was never concerned about ho

Hi Friends! I hope all is going well and you are enjoying the crisp fall weather. I can't believe that we are approaching the end of the year and that November is in two days. So sit back and enjoy by rant/stories. I am actually really grateful that October is pretty much over. October was a really, really hard month for me. If not on the daily, definitely on the weekly, I had challenges that really pushed me to my limits. Just when you think your life is going smooth, buckle up, because that is when it is likely that trials will come. It's just a matter of how you handle them, which if you rely on Heavenly Father, you will get through them. Obviously I'm not going to go day by day of what October brought, but I wanted to touch on a few things. The beginning of the month I fell really ill and before I went in to the doctors, I thought I was having a miscarriage. No people I am not pregnant, but I was experiencing those same symptoms when I had my first one, except no bloo

We were able to celebrate our little Evie's 1st Birthday with our family and some close friends. It was a tropical theme. It started off as just a pineapple theme, for a few reasons. E loves pineapple, she is so sweet, and has made our little family stand taller with happiness. Also... Spencer and I love Hawaii and all of the fresh pineapple there. As I started trying to get decorations, I sort of went a little crazy and that's when I decided to change it to a tropical theme. Most of you probably don't even care about this, but one day I am going to look back and want my free time and excitement planning parties (at least that's what I am telling myself). I did keep the decorations pretty simple, but the simplicity of them made the whole party pull together. I decided to give balloon arches a try, as they seem to be simple but so cute to look at. I did two different ones, a "pineapple" one and "pink tropical". I got all of the balloons at Zurchers.

Now I know throughout life we all endure "life changing" events. First love, first kiss, graduating high school, break-ups, starting and graduating college, getting engaged, and getting married, etc. Yes all are life changing, in many different ways. All bring their rewards and all bring different challenges. For me the biggest life changing event thus far in my life is by far giving birth to my sweet Evelyn Rue. It is a day I hope to never forget, as it truly did change my life and shaped me into someone I had no idea I needed to become. It has been one year since my rough labor that brought her to us. It has been one year of growth (for me and Evelyn), one year of laughter, tears, and more. I thought I could make time freeze, but time laughed at my request and said "No way," So this blog is going to be different compared to my other blog posts. This blog is for my Evelyn, Evie girl, Evie Sweetie, Evie Rue, E, baby girl, sweetie, honey, sweet girl, sis, little miss

So after my almost year of being a mom, I thought I would write down some things that really worked for use. Now, by no means am I a professional and I know every baby is different. I come from a big family so I thought I was prepared. All of my life I grew up watching my cousins children, my neighbors, and my nieces and nephews. I was convinced I was 100% prepared to become a mom. Boy was I mistaken. Being a mom is not something you get paid to do. It's not something you leave after a few hours of playing in the sand. It's not watching movies all day while eating candy. It is hard work and a full time job. I know this will be long, but I also know that there might be one person who this will benefit. So buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy ride. Pregnancy: Now, not everyone who reads this will have to be as strict as I had to be or be considered a high risk pregnancy, but here is what worked for me (do I sound like a broken record yet?). -Spencer and I talked about havi

Hello friends and family! It has been so long since I have posted. Let me tell ya, mama hood takes a lot of time, which I am so grateful for. However, I had a spare minute (literally, Evie is napping right now) where I wasn't doing anything. Which quite honestly is very rare . I don't even know where to start on updates. So bare with me as this literally might be word vomit with no sense of order. First and foremost, we are HOME OWNERS! It was quite the whirlwind getting moved and settled in, but after about a month of rearranging, organizing, getting new things, our house is now a home. Going from a small two bedroom duplex to a 4 bedroom+living room+big kitchen+office+basement+3 bathrooms, we had to do some splurging. We will probably have empty rooms for a while, but sometimes it's nice to go sit in those empty rooms and escape the piles of things that are starting to appear. I still have lots to do, but I going to be ambitious and build (with my Dad and probably  Gran

As I am nearing 4 months post-partum I wanted to take a moment and reflect on some things. As I have thought about what I wanted to say, I got nervous because this post is making me very vulnerable. I hate being in the spotlight, but I feel that many moms can maybe relate to this in some way. I’ve said this before, but being a mom is the most difficult, most rewarding thing I have and probably ever will experience. There are things about motherhood, I never knew about until I had Evelyn, even though I knew many moms and talked with them about almost everything. Toward the end of my pregnancy I got real big. Spencer and I laugh at pictures showing how big my belly got those last few weeks. My skin was stretched out to the max and I remember on the daily I would lotion my belly several times a day. I was convinced my skin was going to rip that last week. I am amazed by what the human body is capable of doing. I loved being pregnant, and I am loving being a mom. Somehow my body knew ho