Almost halfway there...

It's weird to think we are just about halfway to meeting our new baby. Although we are going to wait to find out the gender, my dad will be happy that I'm about 95% sure it's a boy. Just a feeling though. (I pulled the 95% from no scientific data...just sounded good.) Either way, I am getting really excited to have a little baby around again. Until then, however, I am enjoying every. single. minute. of sleep that I currently get.

My first preggo picture at 19 weeks:

7 Quick Takes Vol. 18

I realized I haven't done these in a while, and since I've been spending all day cleaning and finishing my Christmas shopping (wohooo) all I have time for are quick takes of our week.

1. Avila is starting to say those funny toddler phrases you often hear. I've posted some on facebook, but my favorites are: "Mama, cute!" - "MAMA! MAMA! MAMA! MAMA! ... I love you." - "Anaya, Audy (Audrey), Marta, Brian..." (naming everyone in someone's family) - "Naked baby!" (while looking down her shirt. This is also a fun one when in the locker room after swimming...not)

~~

2. I finally ordered our wedding album! After 3 1/2 years of marriage I now have physical pictures to document our day. It's quite large with a beautiful leather cover and I can't wait to show it off at Thanksgiving next week :) I ordered it through the program "My Publisher" and one of the reasons I waited so long was for the online coupons sometimes sent out. I scored with a 40% off coupon plus no charge for extra pages (it's quite long). It ended up being cheaper than printing the pictures at someplace like Fred Meyer or Costco. Michael said I would never look at it, but so far I've peeked through it everyday. I am now addicted to making photobooks.



~~

3. Speaking of coupons, Michael and I are poking through our lives to see where we can cut back even more. And it's kind of become a fun little game for me. The saying is definitely true that when you have more, you want more & when you have less, you want less. Not only are we preparing for baby #2 but, most of all, we want to set ourselves up for a good future down the road. Living on a budget teaches us to spend wisely and to evaluate what our needs truly are. I am often convicted by Luke 16:10 that says, "The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters will be dishonest in great ones." I want the Lord to know that he can trust us with every little blessing he gives us, so that we can enjoy whatever prosperity (if any) He has planned for us down the road.

~~

4. I have accepted the fact that nausea will be my indefinite companion. During my first trimester I counted down the days until 12 weeks, then 16 weeks (all times when morning sickness usually fades) however I am currently 19 weeks pregnant and although it's not as bad, I still have days where all I want to do is lay on the couch. But I have decided that no matter how I'm feeling, I just have to push through. I've started working out again (which has helped), eating more protein, and keeping distracted - knowing that being nauseous is a good sign and I really have nothing to complain about. It is simply another way I can die to myself and prepare for the changes that having another child will bring.



~~

5. If you haven't yet, you have to check out my sister's blog. I cannot believe the circumstances she is faced with everyday and her joy through it all is incredible. She is truly becoming a saint through how much she gives everyday, and she is an example to me in what it means to be a mother.

~~

6. By following Simple Mom's advice on email inboxes, I have successfully cut my inbox down from 130 emails to an average of 20 and spend less time on emailing each day. You can read her advice here. I, too, use Gmail (love it) and instead of having my email open all day I make a point to sit down and really give my attention to the emails staring at me.

~~

7. I am still in LOVE with P90X. Ever since I started working out a few weeks ago, I have incorporated most of these DVD's back in. I obviously don't push as hard, and I make adaptations like no laying on my back and using bands instead of doing pull-ups, but it is such a great way to be at home (working out on my own time) and get an awesome workout in. I never used to think Yoga was super hard, but after 3 months off, um...I can still feel that one. I try to get in 4-5 days a week (P90X, kickboxing at the gym - where Avila can run around with her little friends, and maybe a walk on the weekends) and I know that it all will pay off in the long run. (Run, get it?)

Our Advent and Christmas "Traditions"

I put "traditions" in quotes as some of these things will just be started this year, but by the time our kids have kids of their own, hopefully they can look back on their Advent and Christmas traditions with good memories - because I know I do!

I made a point to sit down earlier this week to write out and calendar what we hope to do this year. That way when Advent rolls around in one week I will be ready. I would love to hear what your family does each year, as I'm always looking for good ideas. In no particular order here's what we plan to do:

Advent:

~We will offer something up, like in Lent, to prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus

~Every Saturday night in Advent, we will have a special dinner (something traditional like ham and potatoes) and light our Advent wreath

~Every evening at dinner (or every morning with Avila - I haven't decided yet) we will put an ornament on our Jesse Tree and say the verse that goes with it. I found mine here. We'll use a little (fake) tree and eventually I would like to purchase all the ornaments. For now, I'll probably make them out of felt.

~Our Advent calendar is a little house with doors that open. Before Advent, we'll write down small service opportunities that can be done each day, for example, make cards for the firemen down the street, pray for certain people in need, write letters to the homebound, etc. - something simple that will orient our hearts towards service. I will put the strips of paper in each door and we'll pull one out everyday until Christmas

~We will have a small manger with the baby Jesus under our tree. Everyday we will add straw to the manger in preparation for Jesus to come. (When our kids get older I might turn this into something where, if I see them do something "good," they can place straw in the manger for their good deed.)

Christmas

~I know a few other moms that do this, and I love the tradition we started with Christmas gifts to our children. Because baby Jesus only received 3 gifts, that's good enough for our kids, too! I have to consciously think of 3 special things and I find it means so much more than getting a whole bunch of little trinkets.

~Aside from the 3 gifts, I want to give each child an ornament with their name and year on the back so when they have families of their own, they can have a batch of ornaments to start out with - ones that carry special meaning and memories

~I would love to know what other families are doing about Santa. I don't want to cut out the magic (and have my kid be the one who spoils it for everyone else!) but I know we don't want to lose sight of the meaning of Christmas. We're thinking of simply calling Santa "St. Nicholas" instead, and leaving all the other magical stuff the same, but I'm not sure yet. Any ideas?

~The days after Christmas will be celebrated with Mass, crafts, and good family time

Family

On vacation Avila had a lot of good family time. Every morning she would run into Michael's parents' room and yell "grandma, grandpa!" All the pictures we took will provide great memories for her as she looks back on this trip - especially the times spent with her mama and daddy and grandparents. Because nothing is more important than family.



after Mass

Merry Christmas, Hawaiian style...

I love shopping, grandpa, don't you?

Hula Girls

Not only was Avila daddy's girl while on the islands, she was a little buddy of mine, too. We palled around and had some great girl time - a lot of which included singing and dancing (what we do best). Some of my favorite memories with her last week were napping together on the plane (thank you, Lord, that she slept and got her own seat - it sure made for a good 6 hour flight), swimming and singing in the pool, sharing shaved ice, reading funny books, playing in the ocean, and hula dancing. I loved it when she called every kid she saw "buddy," learned to swim underwater on her own, and remained joyful even when exhausted from the day. I got to see, once again, how blessed I am with such a peaceful and happy girl. I most enjoyed the simple things and this is what I take from our trip - that life's greatest joys are not in the extravagant things, but rather in the little things that fill our day.

Here are some pictures of mama and her hula girl...





gotta love the diaper hanging out

like my bedroom? it sure echoed when I talked in the morning!

"hula, hawaii"

at a free hula show - avila went on stage at got to do the hula. it was probably the funniest thing I've seen her do. Video to come soon!

yes, I am an official (palm) tree hugger...

...and I've converted Avila into one, too

Daddy's Girl

One thing I was most looking forward to on our vacation was seeing Avila and Michael together. And just like I thought, they were glued at the hip. Avila woke up this morning asking for "pool" and "daddy," which pretty much sums up their time together. I have more pictures from their swimming adventures, but I'll have to scan them in when I get them developed from our disposable camera.

playing a million rounds of humpty dumpty...

...which mean rock diving was involved

"i love you, daddy"

Loungin'

Instead of trying to post all our pictures at once, I thought I'd split them up into installments for your viewing pleasure. This post captures what Avila did very well this past week - relax.

a little preview

We landed last night and arrived to temperatures 40 degrees lower than what we left, but we are glad to be home. I'll post pics and video later today, but here's a preview of our little Whahine...

Aloha!

We arrived in Maui just a few short hours ago. We are blessed to be here with Michael's parents for a week and we are excited to swim, relax, and enjoy the sun. Avila is definitely an Aloha girl at heart and I'm grateful she can experience the magic of the islands.

Pumpkin Patch

nothing like a little dancing in the rain...well, maybe a bit more than rain.
after this she thought "swimming" in the puddle would be fun. needless to say I'm glad I brought extra clothes.