Today I am so grateful for my testimony of the Gospel. I'm grateful for God's love for me and His hand in my life. I kick myself for sometimes standing in His way when He's trying so hard to help me out with something. But, when I pray for patience He is my perfect example because I've never met someone more patient with me than Him. I'm grateful that I can teach Andy about his Heavenly Father and that we can be an eternal family. If I had to pick just one favorite thing about the Gospel, it would be eternal families. They rock! And I am so grateful for mine!

Per Gran's Request

Good morning!!!

Yeah, I walk now. It's pretty rad.

Have a fabulous day!!! XXXXXXXOOOOOOO,

The two-thless cowboy ;)

Andy took his first step today out of the blue! And then he took 3!!! No poking, proding, or bribing involved. He just decided, 'Hey, this time I think I'll stay vertical instead of falling to my knees.' Or at least that's what it look like he thought. Oh man, this growing up business isn't for sissies! And I'm talking about me. With every big new milestone I'm torn, asking myself, "Am I okay with this? Am I okay with him doing all this toddler stuff?" And then I assure myself that it's quite alright. Andy is shaping into quite the toddler and we are very proud of him! Perhaps we will take him to get a kids cone at McDonald's this weekend :).

(p.s. meant for Lisa...I keep forgetting to ask, could you pretty please send me my camera? blogging is a little lamo without it :/)

"It is not good for {wo}man to be alone."

Dear Kevin,

It's cold back here and we're a little jealous that you are still in Hawaii. Will you please come home and cuddle with us? It's been 18 days since we've all been together, but...who's counting? Oh, right, I am. If you come home I'll make you dinner and Andy will let you read him a book and change his diaper. It's been a long time since you've changed his diaper~18 days~but who's counting? We like you, we miss you, and we love you even more! Can't wait to have you home again!

Love,

Kristen and Andy

Love this. Cold weather can scare me a little but today, Andy and I bundled up and took a walk in the drizzle accompanied by frigid temperatures. We appreciated the warmth of our cozy home that much more when we got back and also got the benefit of some fresh air. Maybe a hike will be fun on Friday? Let's pencil it in! Andy is my little scout!

Today I sported Andy on my hip at church and everyone asked something to the sort of "Who is that little boy?!" It's true, he's growing up, and I love every new thing. I think it's awesome to watch Andy grow. People talk about how sad it is for them to grow up, and I can definitely see where they are coming from. I'm sure I will feel more this way by our last child, but it is so exciting to see Andy learn new things. Tonight after dinner I asked if he wanted out of his chair and looked at him expectantly, he paused and then responded, "oouu-t". I just turned our coat closet into an extra toy/playroom for him and so I was going through all of his toys, purging and organizing, and so I had all the baby-baby stuff out which included the bumbo. I stuck him in it and with his completely enviable thighs he was truly stuck. I asked him again, "You want out?"..."Oouu-t". So there you have it! Animal sounds: uhuh (dog) uuUUU (cow), "nana" (feed me) and "oouu-t". This kid is a learning machine. I feel so lucky to his mom and enjoy it all!

~again, picture to come (I totally forgot my camera at my sister's house-Hawaii pictures and all!)

10 days in 1

I know we've been MIA on here for 10 days now, not because I abandoned ship but because while I was in Hawaii with Kevin I decided not to blog.

Hawaii. There's something magical about that place. Different than Disney magic, nothing can replace that, but equally awesome. Relaxation is contagious on that island. If life ever allows, I'd love vacationing every other year trading between Disneyland and Hawaii. Two places I don't think I could ever get sick of. Aunt Lisa and Uncle Matt played Andy's mom and dad for the week and Andy loved being there. He learned his first understandable word, "nana". Which he said when I pulled out a banana for him the lunch after I came back, and then subsequently every time I went to feed him. So, "nana" is his blanket term for 'food' or 'feed me'. Oh man, I missed him. Hawaii though, Hawaii was awesome!

1/5: Dropped off Andy, deep breaths. Boarded the plane and arrived in HI at 10:00pm. Stepped off the plane and fell in love. The Hawaiin air was warm and smelt like teriyaki BBQ (it didn't always smell like this, there must have been a restaraunt nearby :)) and Kevin met me with a Leigh of plumeria flowers that smelt like heaven. We arrived at our beach house and find the ocean right in our backyard.

1/6: I toured around the north shore and soaked in the sites. Went on a date with Kevin to the Polynesian Cultural Center Evening Show. The fire throwers were our favorite.

1/7: For Kevin's day off we headed to the south shore for snorkeling at Hanauma Bay and a shore break beating at Sandy Beach, for which we got chided by the lifeguard on duty. We thought we were just having fun! Apparently our bones are lucky they didn't break. On our way home we stopped at the Dole Plantation for THE BEST pineapple icecream! I got it with pineapple chunks and Kevin got the float with pineapple juice. I was faced with a lot of food tempations in HI, I don't know how so many people wear bikinis there :/

1/8: After attending sacrament meeting with the Waialua Ward-whose members were incredibly awesome and totally welcoming, we loved them-we took the long route around the top of the island headed east to hike Manoa Falls. If was an awesome drive. After seeing most of the island, we decided where we were staying, in Waialua, was our favorite area. Everyone there called it 'the country'. And HI country is beautiful! While attempting to whale watch we saw some green sea turtles and then we finished the day by dining at Zippy's. It's a chain only in HI, it was like unto Denny's over here :).

1/9: (Can I move my plane tickets up to today? I need my baby back! No? Ok, keep enjoying your vacation Kristen.) And I did. I went to Pearl Harbor while Kevin was at work and toured the exhibits and visited the USS AZ Memorial. It was a really touching experience. Once in a video on the events, 12/7/1941 was described as the day the future of many men was taken away. There was a very reverent and respectful feeling on the memorial built above the sunken battle ship. It was a day very well spent, I was grateful I got to go.

1/10: As I did many of the days waiting for Kevin to get off work, I relaxed on the beach and whale watched. There were a lot of blue whales headed to Alaska and it was so fun to see them lollygag on their journey. Awesome animals. Once Kevin was off work we headed to the temple in Laie. That temple has got to be in the prettiest location ever. The grounds are amazing! The parking lot was unusually empty and we were informed the temple was closed for two weeks for cleaning. We were totally bummed but we still got to walk through the Visitor's Center. My favorite exhibit was a reminder that successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. I am so grateful for a good man to have for a husband who upholds these principles. Again, another beautiful night in paradise.

1/11: This day was the day I decided to walk home after dropping off our rental car. Well, when the bus didn't show up when I thought it would I thought I would enjoy a walk my last day in the fresh Hawaiian air. The clouds decided to rain though, a lot, and I walked an hour in the rain. It was still beautiful, however, because when you're in beach wear and flip flops and it's 80 degrees, the rain is a lot of fun actually. Perfect way to spend my last day. After Kevin and I had one last dinner date he dropped my off and I was on my way to Andy!

1/12: The girls and Andy were looking out the window when I pulled up. I ran in and knelt on the ground and Andy crawled right up to me, smiled, and then slapped me in the face (that is how he says hello if he likes you :)...I need to work on that). And that all made the vacation absolutely perfect in every way!

1/13: Recouped and played with Lisa, Matt and the girls and caught up with Andy.

1/14: After Zumba with Lisa-which is so fun!-Andy and I headed for home. Tonight I am counting my blessings. A mother isn't complete without her baby. Now we just need Kevin to make it home to us. And there you have it! All of the missed days accounted for!

~I intend on adding pictures, just not tonight :)

I love Lucky Charms, although I buy Marshallow Mateys to be frugal, I love them all the same. I may just eat them every night for dinner while Kevin's gone. And last night while I was all alone downstairs eating my Marshallow Mateys I thought to myself, if I had to come back to this life as something other than a human, I would definitely be a cozy throw blanket. But I don't believe in reincarnation, so for now...I will just enjoy snuggling up with my throw.

I have seen only a couple things bring Kevin to tears, you know, the kind that just kind of well up in your eyes?

Inspirational movies (including Toy Story 3) and his baby.

(Andy-8 months on our Victoria, BC Canada vacation)

He left this morning at 3 am to catch his flight to Hawaii where he will be working for 3 weeks. Last night he put Andy to bed and after hearing Kevin sing him a song, he laid Andy in his crib, gave him a kiss and came into our room. I turned around to see his eyes all watery and sorts. He's going to miss that little tike and we're going to miss him! Bon Voyage Kevin! We hope you have fun in the fields of Oahu!!! We love you!

While we were in AZ for Christmas Brooklyn and I went to my mom's office to print something off for necklaces we were making. She works at a juvenile probation office and sees kids come in daily who have fallen through the cracks for one reason or another. While sitting at her desk I noticed a poem she had displayed on her pinboard.

If I Had My Child to Raise Over Again

by Diane Loomans

If I had my child to raise all over again,

I'd build self esteem first, and the house later.

I'd fingerpaint more, and point the finger less.

I would do less correcting and more connecting.

I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.

I would care to know less and know to care more.

I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.

I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.

I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.

I'd do more hugging and less tugging.

I'd see the oak tree in the acron more often.

I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.

I'd model less about the love of power,

And more about the power of love.

Here's Andy's first finger painting:

(good thing they were homemade-nontoxic paints since he wanted to lick them off his fingers more than paint with them :))

2012!!!

This year I decided to ditch the long list of resolutions that I usually scribble down with the best of intentions, hoping to at least really tackle 1/2 of them. And, instead, have just one. One, because who can come up with excuses to not take care of just one resolution? And that one resolution is to better document the little details of our family's life. I'd like to make it a daily thing of both the good and bad, the pretty and the ugly, but we'll see if I can really commit to the daily thing. I've never been much for journaling, but this is blogging right?! Family, it's the best thing around! Here is to the best year our family has had yet because we have each other, and that makes everyday wonderful! I love you Kevin, and holy Helena, we've got a beautiful 1 year old! I love you Andy!

Happy New Year!!!