Gratitude Journal

I am packing and just came across the gratitude journal I started last March 30 (2010). Unfortunately...I haven't been good about keeping it up:( Funny I found it exactly one year after I made my first entry:

I am grateful for:

1. My husband, Stace. Stace I have been together almost 8 years (in May)! He is my best friend. He loves me very much. I am so grateful to be married to someone as kind and loving and patient as he is. He is not someone who seeks the spotlight, and he really is the most humble person I have ever known. He is such a good daddy. He makes me laugh like no one else! He's just the right amount of cuh-razy and we compliment each other well with our levels of nutso-ness:) He is SO very smart! Wow! He'll blow anyone away with his knowledge of finance and math if they talk to him about it. He is my favorite.

2. My baby, Julian, and that he is healthy, whole and happy. I'm grateful he is SO cute! I'm grateful that he has already changed my relationships with my family for the better. I know Heavenly Father gave him to me as a special blessing, and I'm so grateful.

3. The Priesthood is on the earth.

4. That I'm married to someone who holds it.

5. The Gospel of Jesus Christ

6. That it's been restored.

7. That I'm a member of it.

8. That I know with certainty that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's true church on the earth.

9. That Julian is such a good, calm, sweet, and funny baby!

10. That I've been given the spiritual gift of faith.

11. That I know my Savior lives; He is real! His Atonement is real, and the miracles it produces are real. That we can truly be forgiven of all of our sins, and can be clean and pure each day through repentance, baptism, and renewal of covenants.

12. Hope!

13. Eternal families. Temples that house God's most sacred work, including the sealings of families.

14. The Gift of the Holy Ghost

15. Prophets and apostles on the earth today.

16. The perfect structure and organization of the Church .

17. My sisters. What would I do without my sisters?!

18. My amazing friends. I have so many who are such good examples: Candace (and that we are not only sisters-in-laws but also great friends), Berk, Mary Ann, Katie, Mindi, Hannah, Amelia Beck, Amelia Savage, Tom, Rachael, so many others...

19. family vacations!

20. sunshine days!

21. The magic of childhood

22. President Monson

22. President Hinckley

23. Joseph Smith

24. The Book of Mormon and the Bible

25. The knowledge that I have that this life is the tiniest snippet of eternity.

26. pictures

27. creativity

28. good food

29. exercising

30. fresh water

31. sleep

32. my country

33. How much Julian is loved by his entire family. It warms my heart to see so many people in our family love him so much.

Well, that's it for now:) Back to packing. But I thought I'd take a quick break to think about the things I felt especially grateful for one year ago. Speaking of the Church and it's organization, this weekend is the semi-annual General Conference of the Church where the Prophet and Apostles and leaders of the church address the entire world at once. If you are interested in watching one or all four of the 2 hour sessions, go here at 12:00 & 4:00 PM EST on Saturday, and 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM EST on Sunday.

Major Milestones

• Julian has understood the concept of "again" for a few weeks now. When he wants me to read a book again, he'll take the book from my hands and hand it back to me and say "again!"
• The other day I was rocking him before his nap and singing a song to him. When I finished, he popped his head up and said "song!" and I said "you want mommy to sing another song?" and he nodded his head yes. So I started singing another song and he laid his head back down. When that song finished, he popped his head up again and said "song!" and this little back and forth went on for about five songs and then I put him down. It was so cute. I remember my mom always singing me to sleep. And when I was little, I liked to snuggle close to my mom in church so I could hear her voice when we sang the hymns-- I thought she had the most beautiful voice ever. This must be what all children think about their mothers. It all started in the womb, I suppose!
• The nodding "yes" and "no" has been going on for a couple weeks now. It's so amazing how he understands a question and then responds with the way he feels...either "yes" or "no." It's amazing to watch these steps in development take place!
• He likes to pretend to count on his fingers. He sometimes will just say "wonnn!" (one) over and over again, but other times he really will say "two" and "three"
• We were in Goodwill with Daddy and he was trying a pair of pants on in the dressing room. We were standing right outside his door, which had a sign on it that said "Only 3 items of clothing please." Mommy was looking at a nearby rack and she all of a sudden hears Julian say, quite enthusiastically, "THREE!!!" while he's pointing to the sign.
  (I tried to get a picture of him pointing, but when I got closer to the sign, he just wanted to say and do "knock! knock!") I was taken aback by that! He had this big smile on his face and he said it again and again. Amazing that he recognized it! Thank goodness for Dinosaur counting books!
  
• I got some foam alphabet letters at Publix for the bathtub and we were going over the first 8 letters of the alphabet in the tub the other day, and for the first time, he really got into the song! His little eyes lit up as I labeled the letters. I was going through each one "A is for apple!" and he'd say "apple!" "B is for Boo Boo!" and then he'd say "Boo Boo!" and so on. Later he picked up the B and was playing with it. I asked him what it was and he said "Boo Boo!" :)
• Anytime any semblance of what could be a song starts playing (phone ring tones, tv commercials, etc) he stops everything and dances. It's so cute!
  
• Oh! This was so cool! So he has been wanting to go outside a lot lately with the beautiful weather and his newfound ability to run and walk. (side note: hooray we're moving to a safe neighborhood where I'll feel comfortable going outside!) I was trying to explain to him one afternoon when he was saying "outside" and "wwwalkkk!" (again, he really likes to pronunciate the endings of words, and the "w" sound of "one" and "walk") that we need to have shoes on before we go outside. I didn't know if he caught on, but I didn't put much thought into it after that. We put his shoes on and went outside and that was that. Well, the next day, he brought me his shoes-- which he's never done-- and sat down for me to put them on him. So I did, and then he said "outside! wwwalkkk!" He made that connection that he needed to put his shoes on before he could go outside and walk! wow! Little Boo Boo is smarter than me.
• He likes to say "amen!" really enthusiastically and rather loudly. This is funny at church. People turn around and smile and laugh at this little goofball.
• He is folding his arms for prayer! And he also clasps his hands together sometimes when we say "we're gonna say a prayer" which is really neat/ interesting because we have never taught him to do that; we've always just taught him to fold his arms like us. I wonder where he got that from? Maybe that's the way he prayed before he got here??? :)
• He knows the difference between running and walking, and whenever he runs he laughs hysterically and just says "run!" over and over again. It's hilarious!
  
• He has done this for...forever...months and months now; it was one of the first verbal things he did that cracked me up. So, anytime he sees anything on the ground that shouldn't be there (litter, lint in front of the washer/ dryer, anything), he points to it and says "uh oh!" It amazed me at first and it still amazes me now that he knows it's an "uh-oh" that something is misplaced on the ground. I didn't teach him that? So last week we picked up the litter (I picked it up and then let him put it in the trash) at the park. He got a kick out of it:)

Disclaimer: please don't think my purpose with this post and others like it is to brag-- I am simply documenting milestones and this is my journal. :)

Observations So Far on Pregnancy #2

• Still very tired
• As far as getting sick, it's the same as last time. No sickness, but a teensy bit more queasiness at the beginning. Haven't felt it for a while now though.
• CANNOT hold my dang tongue! If someone says or does something mean, rude, hurtful or offensive to someone around me or to me, normally I can let it slide. Not while I'm pregnant! Oops...muh bad!
• Not super emotional (weepy-wise) like I was last time. Though I tear up quite a bit at the new Fancy Feast cat food commercial. (My sister-in-law cried at beer commercials, so I'm good!;)
• Cravings for the most part are for sweets. Though I would love a bag of Baked Ruffles if you have one handy;)
• Belly is much bigger much earlier this time around (see photo below)!
• It seems like I can just look at something fattening and I gain weight. That is the same as last time. Everyday I get on the scale and I weigh more than I did the day before. Just like last time. I'm not even eating a lot and I'm working out! what can ya do?
• I'm lovin every minute again!
• Really think I've already felt the baby move!
• So grateful to be preggars!

Speaking of March Madness...

Remember how Julian was forever changed by beach balls the first time he laid eyes on them? Well, he still could be entertained by one for quite some time. It's so cute how he still loves his beach ball and his eyes still light up whenever we get home and he sees it. But...I gotta say, I think his love for beach balls is being replaced by a new OB.SESS.ION. with "ba-da-da's!" What's a "ba-da-da" you ask?

He absolutely LOVES BASKETBALLS! He goes crazy googly-eyes when he sees one! In fact, anytime he sees any sports ball, he calls it a basketball. Soccer ball, baseball, football: they're all basketballs to him. When he goes to his grandparents' house, all he wants to do lately is go outside and "bounce" the ball (ok, watch somebody else do it) and shoot some baskets.

He will spot a ba-da-da from a mile away. A couple weeks ago we were in Gap Kids in Nashville, and all of a sudden I hear Julian's "ba-da-da" siren going off and I look all around and I can't find what he's talking about. Then I look up, way up into a dark corner (the lights weren't working in the store that day), and sure enough, there were basketballs that they'd used as part of their display. He's spotted them right when we walked in. A few days later we were in Goodwill and Julian's ba-da-da siren again, started going off. We were walking by the clothes and so I knew there were no basketballs. But he kept insisting and pointing. After a minute or so I finally put him down and asked him to show me where it was. He walked right back to where he had been pointing and started tugging on a little boy's t-shirt that had a basketball on it. And one more story for good measure: we were eating in a restaurant and Julian's ba-da-da siren starts going off. We were all looking around and could not find what he was talking about. Then finally, duh! He was looking at the game on TV! Now he LOVES to watch basketball. It was on the TV at a kiosk in the mall in Atlanta and he walked right up to it and started pointing and the siren was going off. Now, a lot of times he'll simply see a TV and start asking for "ba-da-da" because he knows he can watch it on there. When he spent some time with his grandparents and Uncle Berkeley and Aunt Candace last week, I heard he liked to sit and watch with his Uncle Berk, a huge basketball fan. And when they weren't doing that, he wanted to go outside and shoot baskets with him. I kept saying "it's a perfect month for him!" because basketballs are everywhere we turn!

Well, last night I went to watch one of my YW perform in a play at her school, so daddy and Julian stayed home and played together. Stace sent me a text with these pictures and said "This is hilarious! He is so interested in the game and nothing else." Stace said if he'd turn the channel, Julian would just go back to playing, but if he'd turn it back to the game, Julian would stop everything and watch. So funny!

Basketball is one game I never really got into. I LOVE soccer, LOVE baseball, I can get into football, but basketball has always been just kinda "meh" to me. Looks like I need to start changing my tune if this obsession keeps up! :D

PS: please disregard the state of our living room in these pictures! And no, he's not wearing a dress, Stace must have not snapped him back up after changing his diaper!

March MADNESS

It all started out with the very end of February, when we went down to ORLANDO on vacation with my big sister Marissa & ger husband Tom, oldest brother Aaron & his wife Elizabeth, and their two boys. They were going to go to Orlando for funsies on the same exact weekend we were going to see Wicked, so we decided to make a mini family trip out of it! It was super fun!

L to R: Levi, Julian and Benjamin hanging out together, eatin some grub. Aunt Sasa playing with one of her nephews (one of the things she does best!), Stace and I about to go see Wicked (you can see from this picture that my baby bump this time around has not at all been shy!), and my brother Aaron and I with our firstborns at Seaworld!

PS: WICKED WAS AMAZING. "Defying Gravity." Tears. Enough said.

Then the next weekend we announced to the world that Julian is going to be a BIG BROTHER! It was so fun! We announced it right before hitting the road to NASHVILLE:

We went to visit my BFF Kathleen. She has been my BFF since high school and it's always so fun to get together. We never stop laughing and making fun of each other, and then also being very sweet to each other at the same time. Oh, how I love her! She is the BEST Aunt Kathleen EVER! We went to the Nashville Zoo, walked around the Opryland Hotel-- which was very cool because that is where Nationals took place for my pageant back in high school, and ate WAY too much at the famous Loveless Cafe, amongst other places!

We went to a yuppy (yet YUMMY!) burger place called Burger Up, and sat next to none other than Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers! Of course, Julian tried to charm him as he does everyone by waving and smiling at him. Then Nick looked at me and smiled. I wanted to tell him either A.) I didn't tell my baby to do that, or B.) not to feel too special because he does that to everyone;) Also, while there and before Nick sat down, we were sitting next to people who looked (and sounded...eavesdropping? us? never!) very impohtant in the music industry. A guy came up and started talking with them and it looked like they were friends and they were just talking about their crazy schedules between LA and Nashville and MGM or something. The guy looks at Julian and just starts gushing (and mama starts blushing...;) and Stace & Kathleen said he went to hand us his business card, but then realized he didn't have one. So Stace figured he was some sort of talent agent. I don't know where I was for that, but I did not hear that--I guess I was distracted by Julian trying to make sure he didn't throw anymore crayons at the yuppies! But maybe if mama had acted interested-- which I really don't think I would have been-- he would have written his info down for us on a napkin or something. But I didn't respond at all to his gesture (because I didn't hear it!), so he musta just thought "nevermind!" fun story, nonetheless!

The next weekend we stayed home in Gainesville, but the following one (last weekend), Julian and I went up to ATLANTA with my sister-in-law Beth and my three nieces to see my little sister Jessica and pay a visit to Beth's good friend Annette. We had THE BEST TIME. Beth and I musta known each other in a past life. She is one of my closest friends, as well as my sister-in-law. I am very lucky! It was fun to get to spend so much time with her and my baby girls and my sister. I love them all so much! The highlights of the trip were definitely Jessica's cooking, the Children's Museum, the Aquarium, watching my nieces play pretend and dote on Julian, and laughing and talking with Beth & Annette into the wee hours of the morning!

Can I just say that we loved being in Atlanta (and Nashville), two places where smocking is truly appreciated?! It is appreciated in Tallahassee too, but I don't think people get it here in Gainesville because most people I know here are actually from out west and smocking is such a Southern thing. :) Julian loved having a ball with him AT. ALL. TIMES., wearing the "hatttt" at the museum, and passing out in Aunt Jessica's arms. All in all, this month has been cuh, cuh, cuh, cuh-razy...or, madness! But sooo, so fun!

Whew!

Officially Lost 30 POUNDS!

I am so proud of my hubbsters! He set his mind (and body) to a goal, and as of yesterday, he has officially accomplished it! He lost 30 pounds! Don't get me wrong, I've always thought he looks great, but I am so very proud of him! So, here is a before picture...

And here are some afters:

He's my fit and trim prepster financier! :)

We joined a gym in October and that's when he started getting serious about being healthy. He just eats healthy and runs on the treadmill and lifts weights about five to six days a week. He was one who before was not able to run more than 30 seconds without having to stop, but he ran his first 5k a couple weeks ago and ran the whole way!

As far as my goals go (went), I got down to the (high!) 120's, but then I got pregnant...now that number is a far and distant memory...hahaha!

I still have so much to catch up on the blog...ahhh! More posts to come soon!

Life Will Never Be the Same...

Today I was walking around Ross, browsing the kids' book selection-- always my favorite spot in any store that has one. I found a real treasure. I had never heard of this book; have you? It's called "On the Night You Were Born."

As I read through each page, tears welled in my eyes as each word reminded me of how special and uniquely created my little one is. Oh, how I love him. I highly recommend this book to all of my mommy friends. I guarantee you will tear up too as you read it and think of how beautiful and special your beloved little ones are, and as sweet memories fill your mind of the day your babies were born.

Here are the words:
"On the night you were born, the moon smiled with such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you and the night wind whispered, "Life will never be the same."

Because there had never been anyone like you...ever in the world.

So enchanted with you were the wind and the rain that they whispered the sound of your wonderful name. The sound of your name is a wonderful one. Let's say it out loud before we go on.

It sailed through the farmland high on the breeze...over the ocean...And through the trees...Until everyone heard it and everyone knew of the one and only ever you.

Not once had there been such eyes, such a nose,

such silly, wiggly, wonderful toes.

In fact, I think I'll count to three so you can wiggle your toes for me.


When the polar bears heard, they danced until dawn.
From faraway places, the geese flew home.
The moon stayed up until morning next day.
And none of the ladybugs flew away.

So whenever you doubt just how special you are and you wonder who loves you, how much and how far, listen for the geese honking high in the sky. (They're singing a song to remember you by.) Or notice the bears asleep at the zoo. (It's because they've been dancing all night for you!)
Or drift off to sleep to the sound of the wind. (Listen closely...it's whispering your name again!)

If the moon stays up until morning one day, or a ladybug lands and decides to stay, or a little bird sits at your window awhile, it's because they're all hoping to see you smile...

For never before in story or rhyme (not even once upon a time) has the world ever known a you, my friend, and it never will, not ever again...

Heaven blew every trumpet and played every horn on the wonderful, marvelous night you were born."


I first saw his precious little feet on an ultrasound the day I found out I was pregnant. I was 13.2 weeks along when my brother asked me as he held the ultrasound machine on my belly "do you see the little feet?" My eyes locked to the screen, with tears uncontrollable and my hand covering my gaping mouth. My brother said "Aw, Kimmie" and hugged me as I cried. That was one of the most special moments of all my life.

Today I am 13.2 weeks pregnant.

So much to Say, So much to say, So much to say-yay...

WOW! It seems I haven't blogged in forever in Kim-blog-years. I have soooooooo much to catch up on...on this here blog/ personal journal/ record for my descendants, family and friends. For now I just wanted to holla and say the updates will be coming soon! But I will go ahead and give a preview of the most exciting one!

I have always worried that Julian would be my only child...after all of this. And I felt guilty for desperately wanting more children, as I do, because I feel so blessed I even got ONE. So many women struggle with infertility for so many years and many are faced with the excruciating trial of never getting to bring a child into the world while on the earth. I am so, so grateful to say we have another little one on the way, and I'm trying hard not to take this blessing for granted.

I'm 13 weeks and due September 18, 2011! More on this later, but for now....just....YAY!

Family Pics and a fun little story:)

On Valentine's Day we had a verrrrrry rushed photo session with a photographer friend of our's. "Why was it rushed?" you ask? Because this little guy decided to sleep for-ev-er!

So we got to Kanapaha Gardens at about 4:00 and the park closed at 5:00. It took time to walk to the various locations. With the ginormous wad of mane that I have, if you're taking pictures, you need a brush HANDY. But we were in such a hurry, I didn't brush it once and I didn't once get to reapply lip shtuff. But she did a great job with what we gave her to work with! Thanks Brittany!

Julian says "amen" when we finish any book...Spot, Five Little Ducks, or upon reading a verse in the scriptures. Silly Boo Boo! :)

Fun story: Yesterday he had a mock well-baby checkup with the UF medical students (we get paid $40 and it's fun and easy)! Well, yesterday there was a medical school professor and about ten students in the room. Julian proceeded to grab the hand of the closest student next to him. That student said "how do you do?!" Julian loved it. So then he went around the rest of the entire semi-circle and shook every student's hand one by one, ending with the professor. Everyone was laughing-- it was so funny/ adorable! The doctor was reading about what a baby is doing/ like at 15 months. He read "shy at this stage..." then he looked up and everyone laughed and he said "no, not this one!" Although sometimes he can be shy, yesterday he was ready to play with everyone!

To All the People Who Say He Looks Nothing Like Me:

BAM!

That just happened. :D

Don't get me wrong, I know he looks like Stace and that is A-OK with me! :) Having two handsome boys around will always be fine in my book! :) But it would admittedly bug me a little bit when people would say "nope, he looks JUST like Stace"...sometimes it almost sounded as though people were saying that there's no possible way he was even mine!

I think as he's grown he's evolved more and more into developing my features. Yet there are definitely still moments throughout each day where I look at him and say "oh my goodness you look just like my dad right now!" or "oh my goodness you look just like your daddy right now!" I have noticed, and other people in my family have too, that he is the most changing-est baby ever! For a while, it was like he looked like a different baby from hour to hour. I used to feel guilty when he was a newborn because I couldn't even picture my own baby if I wasn't looking right at him, because he just changed that much all the time. But lately, more and more, people have been saying he looks a lot like me, and that they see a lot of me in him...which makes me happy:) Maybe this is Heavenly Father's way of assuring me that he did, indeed, come out of my womb...which is always comforting to remember:)