Thanksgiving 2012 in pictures

As if I didn't mention it enough, but my in-laws are BEAUTIFUL people!

Capturing December: my view

I've decided to accept the challenge to capture December with a photo a day. Like usual, I missed my cue and am already a day behind. Here is the invitation and the daily categories. 

"My view yesterday"

Happy Birthday to EVERYONE!

You don't get more lame than this. I know I have missed so many birthdays the last 2 months. Please forgive me and know that I still love you. I just had a baby who has had the two most difficult months of life. More on that later. So, here are my late birthday wishes. :)

Happy birthday Dad O! Dad, I love you because you gave life to the most amazing husband on the earth (my husband) but I also appreciate you aside from him. Thank you for being quirky, self-accepting, and unique. It gives me permission to me quirky, self-accepting and unique when we are together. I know you love and accept people wherever they may be on their life-long journey. And in your somber moments you have amazing capacity to teach truth and exemplify powerful Priesthood leadership. Thank you. I love you.

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Happy birthday Adrienne! I want to grow up and be just like you. You are one of the best moms I have had the privilege to personally watch and witness. I admire your fire for life, learning, and loving. You live like today is your last and you better fill it to the brim. You learn like everything is going to be your expertise and it often turns out to be true. You love like our Savior would. Kindly, tenderly, fully, and without excuses. You are amazing! Happy late birthday. I love you!

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Happy birthday Camila! What a wretched friend I have been to this loyal and forgiving woman in my life. We have known each other since middle school and she has always been there in the milestone moments of my life. Camila, you flew out to see me in UT after I moved. Not once, but TWICE! Thank you. You wrote to me faithfully. When we were in middle school you came over after school to hang out, and I fell asleep! Blame it on those teen years of growth and idiocy, but I actually slept while you sat in my room waiting for my coma to come to an end! What a patient and forgiving gal. I was the only person outside your family at your small and personal wedding. You showed up at my wedding even though it was a very difficult time in your life. Your family welcomed me to their Thanksgiving feast one year when I was homeless. You have given my son so many outstanding gifts because you know what kids like. Thank you for being a loyal, loving friend despite my sporadic returns of friendship. Happy late birthday. I love you!

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Happy birthday Benny! Benny is such a beautiful person. I wish more people in my life knew him. He's a revolutionary thinker, a doer, a seeker of Truth, a hard worker, a lover of all peoples, and a wonderful brother-in-law. Benny, thank you for loving the Lord, my sister, your son, and our whole family. I love you and happy late birthday!

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Happy late birthday, Sara! Please don't feel ripped off. I still love you very much. Sara is quite the character. She loves helping people and has dedicated her career to serving as an oncology nurse. She is a champion for her patients, and even shaves her head each year as part of St. Baldwick's Foundation (I think...) fundraising. A.MAZ.ING. She loves puzzles, games, traveling adventures, history, learning, quilting, pumpkin crunch and goofing off. Laughing comes easily to Sara, and I admire that. Sara, thank you for being brave about the many ups and downs in life. We all have them and I see that you try to learn and make the best of them. Even if it takes time. Thank you for the recent journey you have been through to become better and happier. It takes courage, determination and faith to do what you have chosen to do and I admire your unwavering strength. When Sara makes a decision to do something, she will do it. You go, girl! Sara, that trait could take you on the most transforming adventure of all time, depending on what you set your sights on. "See that ye look to God and live." You are strong, courageous, and very silly at times, and I am so grateful you are my sister-in-law. I love you and happy late birthday.

My sisters-in law are Gorgeous!

12 "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."
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Happy birthday, Nate! Last but not least for this GIANT birthday post: Nathan. Nate, thanks for being in our lives and for taking the time to visit our family as often and you Megan have. Thank you for popping in on your way to the airport, to the various conferences and temple trips, and for forgiving us for never coming to you. Thanks for marrying Megan. I adore her. Thanks for giving us another Ondricek grand baby so our kids will have cousins. Cousins rock. Thanks for being so proactively service-oriented. You served my family so much when you were here. Thanks for seeing a need and filling it. Thanks for listening, for talking, and for laughing. Happy birthday, brother-o-mine! I love you!

I know Nate is not the only one in this picture, but I just had to share it. Isn't it such a beautiful family!!?

October at our house

     

Happy Birthday, Krista!

This is late, as usual, but I could not pass up celebrating my own little sister's birthday. What a treasure this woman is in my life and I cannot forget to thank her publicly.

"She's about this high.

She's smaller than I.

Sometimes I help her tie her shoes.

She's my sister.

And she plays with me

And I hope that she

Is glad that I'm her sister too."

Krista and I used to sing this song to one another, with her singing "she's taller than I, sometimes she helps me tie my shoes." We even performed it for a large group at the DC Temple Visitor's Center when she was about 8. So precious. I am SO SO glad that she is my sister, even though I don't help her tie her shoes anymore.

 Thank you so much, Krista, for being born. Without you our family would not be as good as it is today. You have added such JOY to my life (how appropriate) through your companionship during our adventures. Not to mention the wisdom I've gained through you and from you.

 You let me drag you around the house during our photo shoot as kids. I am not a natural photographer, but thanks for letting me try. And remember when we made up a dance for Dan's Christmas present? You let me rope you in to doing truly humiliating (but super fun) things. 

what the heck!?! BWAHAHAHA!

And then you got too cool for me, but I still wrote to you when I was in AZ. I sent you poems and pictures and letters and missed you so much. Kind of how I miss you now that you live so far. You tolerated my obsessive need to teach you everything I've ever learned in life and forgave my faults. I've never stopped loving or missing you. You have taught me to have more faith, to let go of my need to control everything and everyone, to judge less and listen more, to relax and have fun, to be positive, and to try to make the world better and not accept that "all is well in Zion."

Thank you. I love you. And happy belated birthday!

sleep deprivation

You know you're sleep deprived when:

• you got more sleep during finals week than you do now
• you look in the mirror at the end of the day and see blood shot eyes (that was a first for me!)
• you go to bed at 9 pm when you usually go to bed at midnight (that's Jared)
• all day long you are unable to finish sentences you started
• you fall asleep if you simply stop moving
• 4 hours in a row is a good night
• your eye lids weigh 100 pounds each by 7 pm
• your dreams at night are about how much you wish you were in bed and asleep, even though you already are
• you weep just because you are waking up in the morning

the lady, modeling my cousin's adorable homemade bows

I have thought of so many other reasons during my last few weeks that evidence I am completely sleep deprived, but as soon as I thought them they were gone. Another example of my sleep deprivation: memory loss. I can hardly concentrate some days. But I am happy to report that this week it is getting better. A bit at a time. Poco a poquito. Here a little, there a little. Line upon line. One day at a time, we are getting more sleep and I feel a little more normal. Like an adult, a person, alive again. This newborn phase will end. It will. And I WILL sleep once again.

L's 4 week summary

What a month. Not an easy one. This poor girl has had a difficult introduction to life here on earth. In her four weeks she has suffered through:

• nasal congestion
• latching complications
• a fever
• a butt rash 
• a yeast infection
• severe (and I mean severe!) gas pains
• diarrhea
• lots of sweaty crying fits, the kind that saturate her hair and clothes
• mild spit ups
• sleeplessness due to the gas
• and a crazy, sleepless mom

She has been through a lot and I hope she forgets it all very quickly in the weeks to come, as we work to get rid of the gas pain, correct what is causing it, and teach her how to sleep on her own. But it is no small feat for me or her to do all this. I am exhausted and going kind of crazy. I just keep telling myself that this will not last forever, that life will be normal again some day, and that I can do all things in Christ, who strengthens me.   And so can L. But it is extremely difficult to remember that scripture when your daughter is screaming from 8 pm to 2 am, you don't know why, and you don't know how to relieve it. Luckily we have made some progress since that day, and I am holding on to hope. 

For those wondering what has helped, following a daily routine helps (we follow On Becoming Babywise), and her gas has only been relieved by using the Towle Method of colic management. I am also experimenting with my diet. 

Last week she weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces. Her face is getting fatter and changing. She is so cute. I love those rare moments when she is awake, relaxed and staring at my face. Oh, I love to kiss those growing cheeks in those moments. 

Doesn't she look like she has such an old, troubled soul in a tiny body? 

I know I am meant to learn something profound from this challenging time, and I'm trying to learn it quickly so we can move on. So far I have learned so much. 

Don't judge other parents when their baby is going crazy. We're all doing our best.

Let go of some control. I cannot control my children like I can control other aspects of my world. 

Trial and error. Through my errors, poor L has suffered a few trials. 

Patience, patience, patience.

Long-suffering.

Love and compassion.

Trust not in the arm of flesh. Trust in the Lord.

Relax.

Take time away and trust others to take my place sometimes.

Let go of being a control freak. That's worth mentioning twice.

I love to learn. I just need to remember that when the method of learning is not my chosen method. But in the end, I love to learn and grow. The Lord will have a humble people, right? Whether I chose to be humble or am humbled by outside circumstances, I must be humble. Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble. 

Together, our family is learning and I am so grateful for L for teaching me. I am sure this is just the beginning of  life-long learning that she has to offer. I look forward to learning more from her in the years to come. 

Happy Birthday, Rachel!

This has got to be one of the latest birthday wishes I have ever given. Two whole months late. Don't hate. Appreciate. I'm sorry for all the birthdays I have missed these 2 months. I am catching up. Wow, I lost track of time and was super focused on the nucleus of my world - the kids and husband. Everything else basically fell to the wayside. But I still love all you birthday lovers.

Here's to my sister-in-law, Rachel. This amazing young woman has recently dumbfounded me AGAIN. She never ceases to surprise and amaze me.

First of all, she is a genius, far more disciplined at teaching herself than I was at 14. At age 12, she was having full conversations with me (a college student) about the intricacies of raising bees and I was basically left in the dust of her intense real-world knowledge. (That's what homeschooling can do for a kid!) She is so smart and gifted.

Second, Rachel knows how to have fun, and with any age group to boot! She can giggle it up with the toddlers and find a game for the guy, or sit and enjoy a religious chat with the adults. She is so flexible, adjustable, and teachable.

Next, she is a tender heart that is close to the Spirit of the Lord. Although she does not wear her heart on her sleeve like some teenage females, she knows when to be tender and emotionally real. In those moments when God is close and emotions are real, so is Rachel. One such moment reminded me of her depth when she was visiting and helping us after L was born. Rachel played a song that she wrote on her guitar, and sang the words for us. In that brief moment, the chaos left the house, peace descended, and her song made us cry. Truth be told, I wept. Thank you for that gift, Rachel. It was so tender for me.

Finally, Rachel loves animals; a gift we do not have in common. I think that's why I admire it. Anyone who is close to these special creatures and can care for, listen to, and bond with God's animals has my admiration!

Happy LATE birthday Rach! I love you so much and thank God we are sisters.

observe

These two weeks since L was born, I have been reminded of the importance to observe carefully. Not only did I enjoy the reminder during our world-wide church General Conference to "first observe, then serve" but as a parent I know I need to observe my wee ones more. 

My little lady is new to this world and family, and we are just getting to know each other. I did not observe her closely enough in the beginning. There were many distractions. But this morning I have tuned in to her and our lives are better because of that choice. Peace has returned and I appreciate her uniqueness more. 

Observations about the guy right now:

• Since L's birth, he has adopted a little stuffed bear that never interested him before. He has invited this bear to dine with us, pray with us, nap with him, ride in his bike basket, and give kisses. I like that he has found a positive way to cope with mom's distractions on the baby. He adopted a baby of his own! He will be  a tender daddy one day. 
• He loves music, especially the harmony that Grandma's voice has added to singing time in our home. He notices the pleasant difference from my dimensionless melody. 
• When picking out his shoes, he always picks his Doc Martin's. He must like the way they feel. I only choose them for church, so he started it. And he wore them today with his sweat pants. :) 
• He has gotten louder and more rambunctious lately. Nothing out of the norm, just acting more like a 2 year old boy. Lots of energy and loud voices.
• Trains are the coolest things in the world to this little man.
• He is talking so much that I have lost track of all the new words he learns every day. He is a talking machine, repeats everything we say, and is getting better with pronunciation. 
• He was obsessed with jumping last week. Everywhere he went he wanted to jump there. Although he is not strong enough to jump yet, he follows our lead when we encourage him to strengthen his quads, with the express purpose that he will be able to jump by himself. 

Observations about the lady right now:

• She is a sensitive diva. Her surroundings have to be just right for her to fall asleep on her own.
• She is sensitive to noise, light, and heat and sweats quite a bit.
• She doesn't like lots of people in her face at once. 
• She has a small sleep window before she is very overstimulated and unable to calm down on her own.
• She likes being snuggled, but what newborn doesn't?!?
• She likes hanging out naked, probably because of the cool air on her skin.
• She loves skin on skin time, but dislikes tummy time.
• She loves her pacifier, but mostly when she is already tired and it is a challenge to focus on it. But she does love to suck on it; more than I expected. 
• At her appointment yesterday she weighed 7 lbs, 13 oz - almost a full pound past her birth weight! Her head circumference increased an inch and she is a quarter inch taller. You go girl!

sneak peak

Here's a sneak peak of our family photo shoot. Praise and glory to our photographer, Rachel! What a woman. She was so good with our kids (and their grumpy mom), came to our home, accommodated our crazy lives, and gave us a steal for such treasured moments captured on film. Now that the stress is over, I am so glad we did this. I can't wait to see more of the shoot. 

I just want to weep with joy looking at these pictures. I love my little family so much, especially this daddy-daughter moment. Heavenly Father has been so good to us. Man, I love my family!