some Christmas pictures

Dec. 9 - Olive and her buddy Bohdan at Chris' company Christmas party.

Dec. 19 - Olive enjoying every minute of sitting on Santa's lap.

Dec. 20 - Olive in her Christmas dress.

Dec. 24 - Santa (Chris) trying to wake up Anna on Christmas Eve. She wanted nothing to do with him.

Dec. 25 - Olive's first Christmas morning.

Dec. 25 - Happy 33rd Birthday to Chris!

slammed

packing, cleaning, putting the furnished house back the way it was when we found it, moving boxes, being a relief society singer, furniture shopping, christmas not-shopping but needing to, baking, laundry, planning trips, chasing olive, and feeling more pregnant and pooped than usual

Our Thanksgiving trip

started on Monday because Chris had to work in Henderson for 2 days. That meant 2 days of fun with Amber which I loved and needed. We drove to Jimmy's on Tuesday night, me driving the whole way while Chris read The Lightning Thief aloud (which by the way, we can only give 3 stars to...a few too many Harry Potter rip-offs to not get irritated during the otherwise compelling story).

On Wednesday morning, we got to be the lucky ones to pick my mom up from the airport. I love picking people up from the airport, it's always such a delightful thing, especially when it's my mom. She doted on Olive while we drove over to the Gateway to see Ashley try on bridal gowns. I won't post the picture of the one Ash chose, just in case Paul is peeking, and I also won't post the one of her in her underclothes. What do you take me for? That was a sweet sweet thing; she looked lovely and all of us sisters cried. Naturally, lunch was in order after that and so many of us met at some burger place by Thanksgiving Point. The rest of that day was spent relaxing at Jimmy's and making last-minute Thanksgiving dinner preparations. And then Jimmy said we should go to the Mayan for dinner. So his family, us, and my mom met there and ate, hoping to be dazzled by the supposed facelift the place had undergone. Yeah, I should've gone with my instincts on that one. I've always hated the Mayan, and that night wasn't very different. Our server sucked. Seriously sucked. Chris' order was wrong too. Oh, and when the guy brought the bill over, he literally threw it into my mom's lap. That last part pushed me over the edge, and I took the whole thing up with management. I will say that they took pretty good care of the bill, which made me feel somewhat better, but I think I would've needed to see our server fall off one of the highest rocks into the shallow pool in order to feel totally recompensed. Anyway, I've learned my lesson and I won't be giving it another chance.

Thanksgiving Day for me started out with the hard work of making 5 batches of homemade rolls. I also made some homemade stuffing, my aunt Dawn's recipe, which turned out to be a hit. Jenny had all 45 of us over at her house (yes, 45...and that was without Scot's and Lisa's families!) She's always such a great hostess - so laid back about all the kids running a muck and wanting everyone to be together no matter what. We managed enough sane time to go around and have everyone name what they were thankful for. I love hearing what my nieces and nephews have to say, and everyone else for that matter. These are the people that matter most to me, and having them bear a bit of their souls is precious to me. It was a really nice time and dinner was good too.

Friday morning many of us met at the Draper temple and did baptisms and confirmations for some family names my dad had compiled. It was a sweet experience, being Maddie and Gessie and Ethan's first time, and doing the work for family members who we know and love. I especially loved being baptized by Chris, that was neat for us. (By the way, you should've seen his whites...I didn't know they made capri versions of those). Shane watched Olive for us. She's his special friend, and we love Shane to death. We had him with us for the rest of the day, so we were happy. We did a little Black Friday shopping, emphasis on little, and ate chicken sandwiches at Chick-Fil-A. That evening a bunch of the boys were in a football tournament down in Provo, so we went to watch and cheer. They played hard, and Chris made the winning point in the second game they played! I was so excited. Jenny and I both were running up and down the field with the action, it was fun and probably pretty funny to see 2 pregnant girls doing that. The boys ended up coming in 3rd place out of 8 teams. Not bad! Everyone got pizza and hung out at Jimmy's after that. Ash and I had a conversation about the temple, and that was a favorite moment. I'm so happy and excited for her.

Saturday Chris and Olive and I ran errands with my mom, and then we ditched Chris and Olive and headed to Ashley's bridal shower. That was a good time. We laughed (cackled, really) and cried and Ashley scored with gifts. The rest of the night was spent grilling and watching BYU beat Utah (yay!) on tv. We called it a relatively early night that night so we could get some rest and head home early the next day.

I came away with a ferocious cold, but I will say it was worth it. Chris read aloud again on the way home on Sunday, which made the 8 hours go by fast. We're glad to be home, but had such a lovely time with my family. Miss them and love them. And so thankful for them. And for you.

What do we live for

if not to make life less difficult for each other?

Here's a picture of George Eliot, the lady who penned this line. That wasn't her real name, by the way; she used a male name figuring people would take her more seriously that way. Interesting, huh?

I digress.

This month is a pick-your-own visiting teaching message, and I'm curious what you chose. I picked President Monson's talk What Have I Done for Someone Today. When Chris and I first got married we had this vision of doing or being "something for someone somewhere" each day. I'll admit I've been less than perfect at remembering that vision, but reading this quote and this talk gave me a strengthened resolve about it. I can honestly say I'm way less wound up and stressed about stuff when I stop worrying about my own life and start thinking about making someone else's life easier. Today when I visited two of my girls, I asked why this is an important principle. One of them said, "Because it's not about us." I ponder that seemingly simple response, and I'm very affected by it.

So anyway, what did you choose?

I know, I can't tell them apart either.

Birfday with an F

We get to see Craig and the Pionkes almost any time we want to these days. So when Craig's birfday came around, and Karly planned a little surprise, we got to go. Amber and Karly put up decorations, and then we all watched for Craig out the window and argued over how we would jump out to surprise him. The picture of his feet is the one I took when we yelled "surprise" - guess I wasn't looking. He didn't know Karly was going to be there, so that was a sweet little reunion to witness. It was a fun night. I'm happy to have such good friends kinda nearby.

That Intelligender's Full of S, Man!

You may remember that I took the gender prediction test and it said I was having a boy. But we had our ultrasound this morning, and it's definitely a girl! The anatomical evidence of her femininity is in this first picture. The second one is just so you can see her lovely face.

Chris and I both got all teary when Dr. Urso told us the news. We had been feeling pretty sure it was a boy, mostly because of the gender test. We had even settled on a name. But every time I said out loud, "I think it's a boy," there was a little tugging in the back of my mind. I even said to Chris on the way to the appointment this morning, "You know, there's still a good chance it's a girl." And the other day I came across a girl name I really like. I guess somewhere I still had a feeling it was going to be a girl. And it is. I'm delighted that Olive will have a sister so close in age. It's still weird to think there's more to life than Olive, but I'm sure we'll like our next girl a little bit. Anyway, that's our big news. Chris is sorely outnumbered!

Yankees Win!

Chris seriously laid out the attire he wanted me to wear today (top right picture), and Olive had her pink Yankees hat (courtesy of Uncle Dave) on all day. Our house is happy tonight - Yankees Win!!!

Proof of her Personality

Olive's personality is coming out more and more these days. So far it seems like she's funny and stubborn. See what I mean?

She's been doing this a lot lately. I marvel at how she got the idea to do it in the first place, and at how she remembers to do it over again each day.

When she doesn't like something, she makes these stiff little karate hands and she grunts. I'm scared of this possibly being an indication of how she'll react to being told no throughout her life. Yikes!

An Olive for Halloween

Yet Another Trip to Utah

...read Catching Fire on the drive, stayed with the Ellermeiers, celebrated Garrett's birthday, went to the Smarty Pants Book Club meeting, got free food at Chick Fil A, did the Larry Miller corn maze, went on a bumpy hayride, checked out guns at Cabela's, made pumpkin cookies, attended David and Heather's Halloween party, hung out with the Nobises, saw Ethan rock his football game, had dinner and laughter with the Wards...

caught kissing in the mirror

Golden Shovel

We went to the Golden Shovel game last night. It's a big football game between Lake Havasu and Mohave High Schools, which are pretty fierce rivals (we saw several confrontations and one nasty girl fight - Chris loved every minute of it). So, the deal is whichever school wins the game each year gets the honor of having in their possession the Golden Shovel: a shovel, if you will, that is gold in color and apparently very coveted. Havasu's had it for a few years now, and this year proved to be no different. We won the game 28-21. I forgot how much I love high school football. Chris and I donned some purple and gold so as to show our Havasu spirit, and we even put a little purple bow on Olive's head. She was popular. It was a fun night.

Our Blessed Olive

We finally got to bless Olive on Sunday. Chris gave a sweet blessing, and then Olive grabbed the microphone and said a few words herself. I guess that's the risk you run blessing a 7 month-old. After it was over, Chris lifted her for the congregation to see and she let out this laugh-yell thing that she loves to do. The bishopric member who was conducting made a comment about how vocal she is. Funny girl. It was sweet and special, and it meant so much to us having so many family and friends there for it. We love you people.

As usual, Craig came through with some great pictures. We are lucky ducks to have him around.

Cow Tipping

Have you guys ever done the Johnny Lingo Enrichment activity? We're doing it tonight, and I'm in charge of Cow Tipping. Thanks to those of you who suggested great cheap/free date ideas. Here's the flier I'm putting out.

Our Vacation

Back In The Game

So much good is happening for us these days. Chris and I went to the temple together for the first time on Saturday. We didn't actually get to go in together - we took turns with Olive while the other one went in and did initiatories - but still it was great. And we each had a lovely experience. Yesterday we spoke in sacrament meeting together for the first time too. Our topic was the temple, which we were really happy about because it's something that we've worked hard on lately. I really loved hearing Chris talk. He was so charismatic and articulate, and his content was great. Listening to him made me feel dazzled and have a crush on him all over again. Then yesterday was the first time I was supposed to start teaching my Gospel Doctrine class. Olive was having a meltdown though, so Chris warmed up the class while I fed her real quick. I was a little frazzled when I got in there, but I managed to get my legs under me after a few minutes. I am so thrilled about this calling. Our stake president called yesterday after church and asked if I would speak in Stake Conference. We'll be at Mikey's wedding that weekend, so I can't do it. I'm super disappointed but he said there will be other chances, so we'll see. He also called Chris later on and told him he wanted to meet with him this week. He told him to bring me along, so we're thinking that means some kind of calling for Chris. And we're really looking forward to it. In other news, I'm still having a hard time trying to figure out a way to help with the income from home. I'm making small efforts, but nothing significant yet. Chris' job situation is slightly volatile in this economy, but we aren't freaking out. Sometimes the only way to explain how we make it through the month is that we paid our tithing and things somehow fell into place. The heat is starting to slowly crawl back down to more reasonable numbers. Still in the triple digits, but much more bearable. I'm looking forward to the fall and winter months. I guess our last item of business to report about, if you hadn't already heard, is that I'm pregnant! We're really happy about it. Both Chris and I are a year apart from most/all of our siblings so we wanted our kids to be close together too. Olive and the new baby will be about 14 months apart. So, yes we'll have our hands full for a while. But we can't wait! We're really thrilled about it. I think that about catches us all up. I can't be sure, but I think I might be becoming recommitted to blogging more regularly again. We'll see.

I'm Pregnant!

I found out last night. I'm excited and overjoyed. Being pregnant is fun and I can't believe we're gonna have another baby. But I also feel guilty and sad because it won't just be us and Olive anymore.

A Little Behind

OK, I know, I'm a little behind. But in my defense, I'm SUPER conflicted about what to post on here and what to post on Facebook and how much you'll all hate or love the overlap. It's something I can't figure out. So my first question to you is,

How do you decide what to put on your blog and what to put on your Facebook?

I really want your answers.

Here's a quick little update on each of us:

Chris has spent the last few days enjoying the Homerun Derby and the Allstar game. I really love how big a baseball fan he is. He started a strict diet the other day; I was supposed to start it with him but I have about a third the amount of willpower he does. So. He's doing great, and I'm sitting here with some of my homemade chocolate chip cookies.

Olive is kinda starting to sit up. She stays put for several seconds before toppling over. She likes to play on the floor but she inevitably rolls over on to her belly and then starts whining. My first inclination is to pick her up or roll her back over, but I feel like she'll never crawl or solve the problem on her own if I do that. Which leads me to my second question for you people...

How long do I let her fuss on her tummy before I help her out?

Seriously, I want your answers.

She's also really good these days at holding things, picking things up, and putting them into her mouth. She's eating rice cereal, and we'll probably start her on vegetables before too long. She's way more vocal and even seems a little sassy sometimes. She giggles a ton, and I think I'm starting to see dimples in her lovely cheeks. Bottom line is we can't get enough of her.

As for me, I got to go out to Sunset last week (as you can tell from my Facebook photos). It was great to see everyone. The bain of my existence right now is trying to get Olive to sleep through the night, or at least for more than 3 hours at a time. It's tough. I've been having a lot of fun with Mary Kay. I'm constantly brainstorming about ways to earn and/or save a little more money for us. I have about a million projects and goals going on, none of which get my steady attention because of Olive and because it seems like I'm always cleaning this house! I've decided not to go to Henderson with Chris as much, just so I can get more done around here, get into more of a routine, and possibly even make some friends. And lastly, I'm wishing all the time that people would come visit us.

That's about it for now, Olive and I gotta run to the store.

7. He's as irreverent as I am at church. (We seriously gotta grab the reins on this one actually). We were sitting in the pew right behind where the deacons line up for the sacrament. One of the deacons farted right in front of Chris' face. We had a split second to look at each other before we erupted with laughter and had to leave the chapel. It was ridiculous. But I love laughing that hard with him.

5. He brought me sunflowers today.

6. And a smoothie.

3. He forgives and forgets really fast.

4. He goes with me to the doctor when I'm feeling scared of her, even if that means setting his particularly busy work day back an hour.

Why My Husband Sits on a Pedestal, a New Series by Brooke Barragan

1. Olive's been wide awake and ready to play at around 5 am lately. This morning Chris took her into the living room and kept her occupied. I got to sleep until 9:00!

2. I like a clean house. I don't like to do my house cleaning on Saturdays though, I'd rather do it while Chris is working during the week so we can all hang out together on Saturdays. But it got away from me this week. So this morning when I woke up I got right to work so as to hurry and finish before our Saturday fun. Chris gladly pitched in - he vaccumed the whole house, Windexed all the windows, and hung the laundry. Everyone has different things that just really ring their bell and make them feel loved (says Dr. Chapman), one of my huge ones is getting help with the house.

Stay tuned for more reasons why Chris is on a pedestal.

Barragans in Havasu

Oatsie and Papa and John and Anna came to see us for the weekend.

(We LOVE visitors!)

We ate like kings, we watched the Yankees lose to the Mets and then the Mets lose to the Yankees, we swam, we slept, we watched movies, and we played Scrabble thrice.

(I FINALLY beat those

brutal Barragan boys!)

They really are brutal. Well, I guess I shouldn't throw John in the mix. Nestor and Chris gloat like obnoxious little boys when they win, and when they lose they pout and make up a million excuses. Rosemary kept herself busy fussing over everyone, and Anna kept everyone on their toes. We had a really great time.

(Here's some proof):

The Deal Is Sealed

Chris and Olive are napping, and the house and my heart are warm and quiet. We just got home from our weekend in St. George with so many of the people we want to know forever. Even moving here in February in the wake of giving birth and having everything be different, this is the first time my heart has felt so heavy since Havasu became home. I hope the heaviness subsides soon, and I hope for more and richer exchanges with the family and friends in my life.

David's a popular guy, and fortunately for me our family and a lot of our friends are overlaps, so I got to see lots of people I like this weekend. Chris and I drove to Henderson on Thursday morning so he could get some work done while I spent the day with Amber and Tisha. I was glad for a little undivided time with them even though it was small. We had good talks and I gleaned some good mom advice from each of them.

That evening we picked up my mom from the airport in Vegas and spent the evening talking and doting on Olive together. My mom amazes me. She has 29 grandchildren and I still felt like Olive was the biggest deal in the world to her this weekend.

Friday we drove to St. George and met up with about 60% of my address book. We lunched at In-N-Out with some family. That's where Timmy got his first gander of Olive, and I loved him loving her. The Bryners showed up there too which I was thrilled about. They are some of my favorites. We got some good alone time with them.

Later at the temple, a few of us were commissioned to corral the children while everyone else was inside watching the wonder. I didn't have time to feel rotten about not being inside because of the chaos and comedy outside. Chris and Craig did a great job keeping the kids laughing and playing. The three 5 year-old boys came awfully close to having a throwdown, and we had a few wanderers, but all in all the chaos was fun. When everyone came out of the temple and all the children were safely returned to their parents, the sweetness of seeing David's family settled in on me. I'm so happy for them.

Dinner that night was at the Pasta Factory and I was wishing I had more one-on-one time with everyone there. We all went to the hotel after that and swam and talked until the hotel staff had had enough of us.

Saturday morning most of the family met at Brigham Young's winter home and took a tour. Then we headed to Zion National Park and went for a short hike. I got to talk with Ty and Leslie, and had a little alone time with Torrance. That was lovely. After a sleepy drive back to the hotel and a quick nap we grabbed dinner and then met up at Jimmy's timeshare place. We sat and talked there until we tired ourselves out.

A lot of goodbyes were exchanged there, and some were exchanged the next morning outside our hotel. I am so blessed with such rich family and friend relationships. And during our drive home yesterday I thought a lot about how much I loved the time I had with some of them this weekend and how much I hated not having more time with each of them. I can't say exactly why it was harder for me this time to say goodbye, but believe me when I say I'm planning lots of trips right now.

2 Big Things in 1 Little Night

1. Chris took me to see Phantom of the Opera in Vegas. He got the tickets for my birthday, and we went last night. I had only ever seen the movie, per Jenny's urging. I'm usually too much of a cynic to enjoy anything this dramatic or fantastic or romantic. Which I think is why I can't get into the Twilight books, and why I annoy myself and others with comments like "oh please" during TV shows and movies. I actually decided the other day that I want to be less cynical and more romantic...who'll teach me? I digress. Phantom of the Opera has been the only exception to my cynicism. I've watched the movie about a thousand times, each time feeling totally romanced by the Phantom or Raoul or even Christine (that actress is ridiculously beautiful). So seeing the show last night, I was like a kid on the edge of my seat the whole time and either smiling huge or crying at any given point. It was awesome.

2. We left Olive with a babysitter for the first time. The Pionkes generously agreed to hang out with her while we went on our hot date. I held back the tears long enough to hang on to some dignity in front of Amber, but as soon as we got in the car they spilled over. Chris stopped the car and said a little prayer and we were on our way. I think the prayer helped a bunch because I was able to relax and have a good time. I did miss her, and I wasn't disappointed that the show was over in under 2 hours.

So there you have it, our 2 big things in 1 little night.

Memorial Day Weekend in Utah and a Surprise Party For Me