Okay, before anything else I have to share the craziest thing that happened. Joel and I are renting a house and they had to do a background and credit check on us. Today, I got a phone call from the property manager saying that we weren't eligible because of my criminal misdemeanor endangerment charge from August 2011.
What?!
So apparently on my background check it came up that I had pleaded guilty to a criminal misdemeanor endangerment charge at Globe Regional Justice Court, which is Globe Arizona. I wanted to cry. THIS IS NOT ME! After some pleading and further digging we discovered that there is an April Anne Ashby (my maiden name is Ashby, so I am April Yong Ashby)who is 33 (older than me) that pleaded guilty to child endangerment. But I was freaking out!! I was already imagining getting thrown in jail and not being able to prove my innocence like one of those horrible Life Time movies. Anyways, crisis averted.
Now, the actual update.
Joel and I were buying a house. Then we ran into all sorts of problems. So instead of buying the house we're renting a house for a year and then looking for a house when our year lease is coming to a close. This will give us more time to look, and save up a bigger down payment. I'm a little sad to walk away from this house (we were at the inspection stage so I was already decorating everything in my mind) but this is what we feel that the Lord wants for us. Things just weren't working out and it felt like we had to force everything to happen, so we started getting the hint. Then there were a million and one delays to paying earnest money and signing so we finally heard the loud shouting in our ears that this was not the right decision for us right now.
Anyways, we're pretty happy with our little house we'll be renting. I'm pretty excited to not have to share a room with Brian's toys! And we'll hopefully be in there for the new year, once my criminal record is cleared up :)
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Love
I know I promised more blog posts...but it's been so nice not having to be on my computer 24/7 either due to work or homework that I have been enjoying my computer free break (except for pinterest, but that's necessary for everyday life right? Otherwise I wouldn't know what to wear, or make for dinner, or say during emotionally hard times *love the quotes*)
It seems strange that Christmas is just a few short days. Where did the year go? I mean, it's been a great year, it just went by way too fast.
I went through some hard times so I stopped writing in my blog because I didn't want people to know that my obviously perfect life was not so perfect. Which is silly because everyone has imperfect moments in their life and mine are nothing to be embarassed about.
I love Joel and his patience for me. I love that his love for me is not contingent upon my love for him. He's helping me become the me that I am supposed to be. A better person than I could hope for and a far kinder person than I currently am.
I'm learning who to turn to for counsel and strength. My perfect example. Christ's healing is truly all encompassing and I am so grateful that His love is more than enough, especially when my own is not.
I love my family and although we go through trials, just like all other families, these trials are making us a refined, celestial family. I've learned that there can be no charity, love or even mutual respect, without sacrifice.
It seems strange that Christmas is just a few short days. Where did the year go? I mean, it's been a great year, it just went by way too fast.
I went through some hard times so I stopped writing in my blog because I didn't want people to know that my obviously perfect life was not so perfect. Which is silly because everyone has imperfect moments in their life and mine are nothing to be embarassed about.
I love Joel and his patience for me. I love that his love for me is not contingent upon my love for him. He's helping me become the me that I am supposed to be. A better person than I could hope for and a far kinder person than I currently am.
I'm learning who to turn to for counsel and strength. My perfect example. Christ's healing is truly all encompassing and I am so grateful that His love is more than enough, especially when my own is not.
I love my family and although we go through trials, just like all other families, these trials are making us a refined, celestial family. I've learned that there can be no charity, love or even mutual respect, without sacrifice.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Finals
Yesterday I took my last final of the semester. On January 5th I start my LAST SEMESTER OF MY UNDERGRADUATE CAREER!!!! So, for a full month I will be gracing the world with all of my interesting blog updates :) Starting tomorrow...
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Update
This is how much I love Adele. I changed my blog layout just so the music video wouldn't look crappy.
September
First. How cool is Adele? I know I pretend to not care about pop culture and mainstream media. What I mean is that I don't make a point to watch it...but I read the news afterwards and I always end up in the entertainment section. Whew! It feels to get that off my chest. I'm a closet pop culture fan. I love Adele. And Kesha. Anyways, I was reading about the VMA's and ran across this gem of a video.
Beautiful. Everything about this is beautiful! I've become obsessed with learning this song on the piano. I seem to only have the capacity to know one song at a time on the piano besides hymns, so this will be replacing the current song, which is an EFY medley. I'm sure my family will welcome the reprieve.
And how cute is Adele when she's dancing to Beyonce's song, something about love. All I remember is Adele dancing and Beyonce rubbing her cute baby belly.
In other words, I thought the world was ending last night. I woke up and thought we were having an earthquake. It turns out I just imagine the bed shaking even though its not...anyways to calm my fears I kicked my husband until he woke up. I of course then pretended to be asleep but kindly woke up to see if he was okay. Then we watched a movie. Hey, if he's awake we might as well keep each other company, right? Plus, I was freaked out and couldn't sleep. We watched Rio for like the 10th time. It's a redbox rental so I guess we have to get our money's worth. It's a cute movie. I think I have a crush on the little bird...is that weird? Don't judge me.
Beautiful. Everything about this is beautiful! I've become obsessed with learning this song on the piano. I seem to only have the capacity to know one song at a time on the piano besides hymns, so this will be replacing the current song, which is an EFY medley. I'm sure my family will welcome the reprieve.
And how cute is Adele when she's dancing to Beyonce's song, something about love. All I remember is Adele dancing and Beyonce rubbing her cute baby belly.
In other words, I thought the world was ending last night. I woke up and thought we were having an earthquake. It turns out I just imagine the bed shaking even though its not...anyways to calm my fears I kicked my husband until he woke up. I of course then pretended to be asleep but kindly woke up to see if he was okay. Then we watched a movie. Hey, if he's awake we might as well keep each other company, right? Plus, I was freaked out and couldn't sleep. We watched Rio for like the 10th time. It's a redbox rental so I guess we have to get our money's worth. It's a cute movie. I think I have a crush on the little bird...is that weird? Don't judge me.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Thoughts
Sometimes time cannot move quickly enough...So these are some things i've thought about today :) (Some are secret arguments I had in my head about a dumb comment someone made...You know you do it too)
1. I hate your stupid comments about people not speaking English. You are neither hilarious or witty. P.S. Your German ancestors most likely didn't speak English when they first moved here so...there.
2. I really need a computer desk. I feel like I would suddenly be more productive and organized if I had a desk where I could put all of my school books. Plus...it's so easy to get distracted when i'm laying on my belly "writing a paper" (flipping between Microsoft word and any other website I can think of that doesn't involve school). Waste of time! I think a computer desk would fix that.
3. Same mentality applies to wanting a garmin watch. I would definitely improve in my running if I had a really cool expensive watch to help me track my time, heart rate and what I ate for breakfast :)
4. I just had the RUDEST client on the phone. FYI always budget in car insurance when looking at financing a car. And don't be mean to your insurance agents :)
This blog would probably be a lot more interesting if I wrote in it on purpose instead of when I have nothing else to do (which is when i'm at work...)
1. I hate your stupid comments about people not speaking English. You are neither hilarious or witty. P.S. Your German ancestors most likely didn't speak English when they first moved here so...there.
2. I really need a computer desk. I feel like I would suddenly be more productive and organized if I had a desk where I could put all of my school books. Plus...it's so easy to get distracted when i'm laying on my belly "writing a paper" (flipping between Microsoft word and any other website I can think of that doesn't involve school). Waste of time! I think a computer desk would fix that.
3. Same mentality applies to wanting a garmin watch. I would definitely improve in my running if I had a really cool expensive watch to help me track my time, heart rate and what I ate for breakfast :)
4. I just had the RUDEST client on the phone. FYI always budget in car insurance when looking at financing a car. And don't be mean to your insurance agents :)
This blog would probably be a lot more interesting if I wrote in it on purpose instead of when I have nothing else to do (which is when i'm at work...)
Friday, July 29, 2011
Things you need to know
Just kidding, this isn't really important at all but...I'm starting to feel a little left out/behind the times when it comes to current pop culture. I have never seen The voice, or survivor, or anything involving housewives or the east coast italians. And it's starting to affect my ability to hold a conversation with people, meaning half the time I can't join the conversation because that's all they are talking about. I've tried just nodding and laughing but that's starting to be awkward. And as silly as it sounds, I think people are starting to doubt my intelligence because of my lack of knowledge of recent show happenings.
WHY?!
I don't have cable. Even if I did have cable I don't have time. My lack of my time isn't due to friends because I don't have any. Because I can't tell the difference between New York housewives and California housewives.
*sigh*
I'm getting over it.
In other news, this week has been a great week at work. It's my early week which means I come in 30 minutes to open early and I get to leave AN HOUR AND A HALF EARLY!!! Definitely worth not eating breakfast so I can get here on time. Anyways, I came into the office to a really strong odor. It had been a constant problem all week until yesterday when the pest control people came and found a dead maggot filled oppossum in our basement. That didn't really bother me I was just glad the smell was gone.
JUST KIDDING. It was disgusting. The smell was horrible but just the thought that there was a rotting maggot filled dead animal just feet below us made me imaginary vomit into my mouth. It was awful.
In all seriousness today was a lot better. No weird smells. Some weird clients, but it's my short day! That makes everything better.
WHY?!
I don't have cable. Even if I did have cable I don't have time. My lack of my time isn't due to friends because I don't have any. Because I can't tell the difference between New York housewives and California housewives.
*sigh*
I'm getting over it.
In other news, this week has been a great week at work. It's my early week which means I come in 30 minutes to open early and I get to leave AN HOUR AND A HALF EARLY!!! Definitely worth not eating breakfast so I can get here on time. Anyways, I came into the office to a really strong odor. It had been a constant problem all week until yesterday when the pest control people came and found a dead maggot filled oppossum in our basement. That didn't really bother me I was just glad the smell was gone.
JUST KIDDING. It was disgusting. The smell was horrible but just the thought that there was a rotting maggot filled dead animal just feet below us made me imaginary vomit into my mouth. It was awful.
In all seriousness today was a lot better. No weird smells. Some weird clients, but it's my short day! That makes everything better.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Running and date night
So, something finally changed in my mind and I have been able to get back into a good eating and exercise routine! It's hard to get outside and run since I have little Brian. I like to go running in the morning but he's asleep so I don't want to leave him by himself. So we bought a treadmill! It is the best decision I have ever made! Now I have been able to run every morning before work. I've started out lightly so i'm just doing 2 miles in the morning. Friday I have been taking a break and doing some core training so I can use Saturday for my long run. Tomorrow we're heading over to Capitol Lake so I can run. I'm pretty excited! I've really grown to love running and how I feel afterwards. I'm looking for some races to register for so I have a goal to work towards. I've been really interested in doing a triathlon...but i'm not sure if i'm up for it. I would have to get a bike and find somewhere to swim...maybe once I have a little more time to dedicate...but I could be easily persuaded if I had a training partner ;)
Today Joel called me at work and invited me on a date! We got a baby sitter for Brian which I was a little nervous about. He's 19 months but we've never left him with a babysitter besides my mom. So I was a little iffy about it but then Joel reminded we had some movie tickets! We've only been to movies 3 times since we've known each other. We're just not big movie goers. Anyways, i've had like 6 free tickets for over a year that I won in a contest at work so I figured we could finally use some. We ended up running a little late getting to the babysitter so we just went out to dinner instead. Joel picked the restaurant and he brought me to eat Indian food!!! So that everyone can appreciate this gesture I should explain something. Indian food is one of my favorites. Joel lovingly describes Indian food with words like "laundry soap" and "downy". So the fact that he chose that shows that he loves me! What a champ. Then we walked around downtown. I love the little stores there and walking around is one of my favorite things to do. We went to a nice little old book store and Joel bought me some encyclopedias! He really does know me. I love encyclopedias. I don't know, it's just interesting to read through them and learn about different things. It was a nice relaxing date night. Then we picked up Brian and headed home so we could settle down and cuddle up to some veggie tales. What a perfect life :)
Today Joel called me at work and invited me on a date! We got a baby sitter for Brian which I was a little nervous about. He's 19 months but we've never left him with a babysitter besides my mom. So I was a little iffy about it but then Joel reminded we had some movie tickets! We've only been to movies 3 times since we've known each other. We're just not big movie goers. Anyways, i've had like 6 free tickets for over a year that I won in a contest at work so I figured we could finally use some. We ended up running a little late getting to the babysitter so we just went out to dinner instead. Joel picked the restaurant and he brought me to eat Indian food!!! So that everyone can appreciate this gesture I should explain something. Indian food is one of my favorites. Joel lovingly describes Indian food with words like "laundry soap" and "downy". So the fact that he chose that shows that he loves me! What a champ. Then we walked around downtown. I love the little stores there and walking around is one of my favorite things to do. We went to a nice little old book store and Joel bought me some encyclopedias! He really does know me. I love encyclopedias. I don't know, it's just interesting to read through them and learn about different things. It was a nice relaxing date night. Then we picked up Brian and headed home so we could settle down and cuddle up to some veggie tales. What a perfect life :)
Father's day, 4th of July and Upcoming Events
The past few weeks have flown by! Father's day was very special. This time of year always brings me to reflect on past events and how they have influenced me. My father passed away in 2007 and everything surrounding that tragedy was a blessing and tender mercy from my Heavenly Father. Though I miss him everyday I am grateful for the experiences that I had and the things that I learned. My father taught me so much. Lessons that I thought were "aha!" moments on the mission, as I looked back, I realized that they were things my father had taught me or shown me all along. Though we had different beliefs he supported me in my decision to serve a mission and I know he was proud of me. We went to Covington to visit him and it was very touching to remember the miracles and loving moments I experienced with him. I'm grateful that my son Brian (named after my father, Brian.) has an amazing dad also! Joel loves little Brian so much. I could not have chosen a better man to be my best friend, eternal companion, and father to my little blessing, Brian. Though Joel and my father never met I know that my dad would have loved Joel just as much. It might have taken a little convincing and some bribery, maybe mowing the lawn a few times, but he definitely would have :)
We didn't do much else to celebrate Father's Day because I planned a big surprise for October. We're going to Arizona and Mexico for vacation!! I'm so excited. I never realized I would miss Arizona but I do!! I miss our family there, I miss the good mexican food, and I miss our old ward. I'm pretty excited to go back to Mexico also! It's been a little over a year since we last went. Again, I miss the food hahaha. We've already started compiling a list of restaurants we're going to hit up while we're in Hermosillo. We're also going to take a little trip down to Guaymas to visit the beach. And October is perfect weather! Let's just say I have a countdown already on my calendar at work.
Brian has peed twice in his little potty! He is so adorable. I get so excited and he just stares at me like, what in the world? I always pee! what's the big deal? haha. I love him.
4th of July was the perfect weekend! BBQ's twice a day, the zoo, seeing my friends and just laughing and having a good time! It was Brian's first time at the zoo and he just loved it! Probably because he got to relax and drink his nice cold water as mommy trucked him up all those hills to each animal exhibit. Then he would excitedly jump out of his stroller, run up to the glass and just stare and point at all the animals. I can't say enough how much I love him! Everything he does makes me happy :)
I'll upload some pictures soon of some of our adventures! (seriously.)
In other news, I have been rehearing for the past couple of months for a musical review that 5 of the local stakes put on every year. It has been so much fun and everyone has worked really hard on the numbers. I'll be singing a duet from Thoroughly Modern Millie. It is an adorable song! So everyone should come out at the end of July to see the free show and enjoy the music!
School starts in a month. I'm pretty anxious for classes to start. I'm excited about this semester, especially since it's my second to last!!!! I'm studying for the LSAT in October and then I'll be graduating in Spring! I never thought this would happen. The Lord has definitely blessed me and helped me achieve everything that I had hoped for.
We didn't do much else to celebrate Father's Day because I planned a big surprise for October. We're going to Arizona and Mexico for vacation!! I'm so excited. I never realized I would miss Arizona but I do!! I miss our family there, I miss the good mexican food, and I miss our old ward. I'm pretty excited to go back to Mexico also! It's been a little over a year since we last went. Again, I miss the food hahaha. We've already started compiling a list of restaurants we're going to hit up while we're in Hermosillo. We're also going to take a little trip down to Guaymas to visit the beach. And October is perfect weather! Let's just say I have a countdown already on my calendar at work.
Brian has peed twice in his little potty! He is so adorable. I get so excited and he just stares at me like, what in the world? I always pee! what's the big deal? haha. I love him.
4th of July was the perfect weekend! BBQ's twice a day, the zoo, seeing my friends and just laughing and having a good time! It was Brian's first time at the zoo and he just loved it! Probably because he got to relax and drink his nice cold water as mommy trucked him up all those hills to each animal exhibit. Then he would excitedly jump out of his stroller, run up to the glass and just stare and point at all the animals. I can't say enough how much I love him! Everything he does makes me happy :)
I'll upload some pictures soon of some of our adventures! (seriously.)
In other news, I have been rehearing for the past couple of months for a musical review that 5 of the local stakes put on every year. It has been so much fun and everyone has worked really hard on the numbers. I'll be singing a duet from Thoroughly Modern Millie. It is an adorable song! So everyone should come out at the end of July to see the free show and enjoy the music!
School starts in a month. I'm pretty anxious for classes to start. I'm excited about this semester, especially since it's my second to last!!!! I'm studying for the LSAT in October and then I'll be graduating in Spring! I never thought this would happen. The Lord has definitely blessed me and helped me achieve everything that I had hoped for.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Pictures!
I'm posting pictures!! On a side note, I am on a serious diet! I need to start exercising again...my little man is not a baby anymore and my arms are about twice the size they were from when I got married. Ridiculous. Anyways, here are some cute pictures!!
We went to the Tenino City Park!
They have all these huge sandstone blocks!
Brian is turning into such a handsome little man!
This is his korean picture pose. No smiles, all business :)
He loves mommy! He was getting a little shy.
Being silly and playing! He loves the park.
At first he didn't want to look at the camera so he preoccupied himself with the flowers.
I love my little guy so much!
I love his smily face! He is such a happy toddler!
Okay, I think that is a sufficient picture update :) I'll try harder to put more pictures up, it was kind of fun and a lot easier than I thought!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Family Home Evening
Yesterday for FHE our lesson was based on this talk, More diligent and concerned at home, by Elder Bednar. Joel and I have been making goals lately so that we can have a more Christ centered home. Both of us have fond memories of serving in the mission field and entering the homes of some of the members and being overwhelmed by the spirit that was felt. We both want that kind of home! After reading this talk we discussed why it was important to be more diligent and concerned at home, what the blessings would be, and what we could both do to achieve this goal.
What does your family do to have a Christ centered home?
Here are some ideas we came up with!
Plan! We want to live the gospel deliberately. So instead of reading the scriptures whenever we have spare time during the day we want to have a schedule again. This has been hard since Brian has been born but if we don't start now it will just become harder. Since mornings are easiest we have been reading in the morning, then just sharing one thing that we learned. We love it! It's definitely created more unity in our marriage and our family. When I read the scriptures I can feel my Heavenly Father's love for me. Then when I look at my husband i'm so filled with love and gratitude that all I can see are his good and amazing qualities. I'm just so thankful for the things that he does for our family and for the example he is to our son. And to me! I don't think I have ever met a more patient man. Especially to put up with me. I am my mothers daughter (my korean mother). see blog "things korean mom's like". Just kidding, I love my korean mom!
We also want to plan our family time. I don't mean militantly schedule each minute of the day. We are trying to plan fun activities that we can do as a family that doesn't involve grocery shopping or lounging around the house. So if anyone has any free/cheap activity ideas we would love some input!!
We had several more but I'm running out of time. I'll put them up later when I upload some photos (never).
What does your family do to have a Christ centered home?
Here are some ideas we came up with!
Plan! We want to live the gospel deliberately. So instead of reading the scriptures whenever we have spare time during the day we want to have a schedule again. This has been hard since Brian has been born but if we don't start now it will just become harder. Since mornings are easiest we have been reading in the morning, then just sharing one thing that we learned. We love it! It's definitely created more unity in our marriage and our family. When I read the scriptures I can feel my Heavenly Father's love for me. Then when I look at my husband i'm so filled with love and gratitude that all I can see are his good and amazing qualities. I'm just so thankful for the things that he does for our family and for the example he is to our son. And to me! I don't think I have ever met a more patient man. Especially to put up with me. I am my mothers daughter (my korean mother). see blog "things korean mom's like". Just kidding, I love my korean mom!
We also want to plan our family time. I don't mean militantly schedule each minute of the day. We are trying to plan fun activities that we can do as a family that doesn't involve grocery shopping or lounging around the house. So if anyone has any free/cheap activity ideas we would love some input!!
We had several more but I'm running out of time. I'll put them up later when I upload some photos (never).
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Birthday party
On Friday we went to a birthday party! My friend Nicole's daughter Katie turned 2. She's Brian's little girlfriend :) Nicole and I have known each other since 5th grade. It's hard to believe that we're both mommies! Nicole has two adorable little ones. We moved here to Washington last year around this same time and made it to Katie's 1st birthday party. She is the cutest little girl and has grown up so much over the last year. I'll have to get some pictures from Nicole so I can post them here. Brian and Katie were so cute together and kept giving each other little kisses. Happy Birthday Katie!!
End of the week
Sundays are always bitter sweet. I love having the whole day with my family. I always try to make a nice breakfast and I'll make bread so it can be ready for dinner. Then we go to church which is always wonderful. But then towards the end of the day you remember the next day is monday and that you have to go back to work for another week. It should be illegal to have to work when you're a mom...leaving my little guy is the hardest thing. It just doesn't seem to get any easier as he gets older. He's just so fun and playful in the morning. And then it breaks my heart to hear him cry as I leave to go to work. Okay, i'm done with my pity party.
Today our family went to an english ward! It's been a while since i've been to church in english. We've been considering it for a while but we really hate to leave our spanish ward. We've been talking about it though and we think it'll be good for our family to immerse ourselves in as much english as possible. Mostly for Joel. I obviously speak english pretty well :) We live in Lacey 3rd ward boundaries but we got our times a little mixed up and ended up attending Lacey 6th ward today. It was a nice ward :) Next week we'll get it right.
Joel and I really want to buy a house! He also really wants to join the army. Though joining the army wouldn't be my first choice it has been something that he has consistently expressed interest in. He's very excited about it and will be taking the entrance exam in about a month. I'm being supportive :) So we're going to wait to buy a house. If he takes the test and doesn't receive a score that allows him to have a satisfactory job (i.e. not infantry) then we'll go forward with the military and I will become an army wife. My family has always been in the army so i'm used to the lifestyle. Otherwise we'll stay here in Washington and buy a house!
I've been halfheartedly studying for the LSAT. Since it's a practice test I kind of want to go in "blind" just to see where my strengths are and what areas I need to focus on. I'm pretty excited about it. I feel like i'm finally reaching some of my goals!
Brian is finally saying a few words clearly and associating them. Like "mama". He used to just mumble that to everyone. Now he is saying "mama" very clearly and understanding that I'm mama! I love it! He's a late talker so it's exciting to finally hear him call me mama. My mom watches him while I work and speaks to him in Korean all day, then Joel speaks to him in Spanish and I speak to him in English. He's been a little confused.
For the past month or so i've been rehearsing for a multi-stake musical review. It has been a lot more time consuming than I thought! We've been rehearsing on Saturday's and now we're rehearsing even longer so we can get everything together before the show opens. It's been a lot of fun though. I haven't performed in a show since high school. The performances are going to be the the last week of July and the first week of August. If you're in the area make sure you plan on coming, it's going to be a great show!
Today our family went to an english ward! It's been a while since i've been to church in english. We've been considering it for a while but we really hate to leave our spanish ward. We've been talking about it though and we think it'll be good for our family to immerse ourselves in as much english as possible. Mostly for Joel. I obviously speak english pretty well :) We live in Lacey 3rd ward boundaries but we got our times a little mixed up and ended up attending Lacey 6th ward today. It was a nice ward :) Next week we'll get it right.
Joel and I really want to buy a house! He also really wants to join the army. Though joining the army wouldn't be my first choice it has been something that he has consistently expressed interest in. He's very excited about it and will be taking the entrance exam in about a month. I'm being supportive :) So we're going to wait to buy a house. If he takes the test and doesn't receive a score that allows him to have a satisfactory job (i.e. not infantry) then we'll go forward with the military and I will become an army wife. My family has always been in the army so i'm used to the lifestyle. Otherwise we'll stay here in Washington and buy a house!
I've been halfheartedly studying for the LSAT. Since it's a practice test I kind of want to go in "blind" just to see where my strengths are and what areas I need to focus on. I'm pretty excited about it. I feel like i'm finally reaching some of my goals!
Brian is finally saying a few words clearly and associating them. Like "mama". He used to just mumble that to everyone. Now he is saying "mama" very clearly and understanding that I'm mama! I love it! He's a late talker so it's exciting to finally hear him call me mama. My mom watches him while I work and speaks to him in Korean all day, then Joel speaks to him in Spanish and I speak to him in English. He's been a little confused.
For the past month or so i've been rehearsing for a multi-stake musical review. It has been a lot more time consuming than I thought! We've been rehearsing on Saturday's and now we're rehearsing even longer so we can get everything together before the show opens. It's been a lot of fun though. I haven't performed in a show since high school. The performances are going to be the the last week of July and the first week of August. If you're in the area make sure you plan on coming, it's going to be a great show!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Fathers Day
I'm so excited for Fathers Day!! Joel and I always do gifts but I haven't felt like they have ever been well thought out gifts. This year i'm planning ahead!! It's a surprise though. Just in case that by some odd reason Joel decides to read our family blog i'll keep it a secret until little Brian gives him his gift. It's going to be pretty cute though.
So far so good
So far I have been much more successful with this blog than my last one. 4 posts in 3 days? Last blog, 5 posts in one year. I guess I'm at the stage of my life that I need to blog. I've also been thinking about buying a sewing machine...This must mean i'm a grown up now.
We found the culprit for our little oven fire. I have a multi color pack of spatulas. Brian likes to play with them. The green one had been missing until last night when we found it burned and melted in the bottom of the oven.
My sister and her new boyfriend are coming over for dinner tonight. We're going to make some shrimp tacos!! Joel is pretty excited. We usually only make them when guests come over because it's kind of a lot of work so we make a ton to make it worth a while. Since breaded shrimp is not one of those foods that taste very good the next day (soggy!) even if we bake it again...Anyways, this is a treat for Joel. We're going to make some battered fish also to make fish tacos. If anyone ever goes to Hermosillo Sonora in Mexico you have to go to El Pescadito. THE BEST FISH TACOS EVER!! We try to mimic them whenever we make fish tacos, not quite the same, but still good. We're hoping to go visit in October so i'll post some pictures! (notice all the empty promises of posting pictures? probably never gonna happen. It just seems like the proper blog thing to say.)
By the way, my husband's family is from Sonora Mexico, which is why we go there to visit. Not because we're rich and go on vacations to Mexico every year.
We found the culprit for our little oven fire. I have a multi color pack of spatulas. Brian likes to play with them. The green one had been missing until last night when we found it burned and melted in the bottom of the oven.
My sister and her new boyfriend are coming over for dinner tonight. We're going to make some shrimp tacos!! Joel is pretty excited. We usually only make them when guests come over because it's kind of a lot of work so we make a ton to make it worth a while. Since breaded shrimp is not one of those foods that taste very good the next day (soggy!) even if we bake it again...Anyways, this is a treat for Joel. We're going to make some battered fish also to make fish tacos. If anyone ever goes to Hermosillo Sonora in Mexico you have to go to El Pescadito. THE BEST FISH TACOS EVER!! We try to mimic them whenever we make fish tacos, not quite the same, but still good. We're hoping to go visit in October so i'll post some pictures! (notice all the empty promises of posting pictures? probably never gonna happen. It just seems like the proper blog thing to say.)
By the way, my husband's family is from Sonora Mexico, which is why we go there to visit. Not because we're rich and go on vacations to Mexico every year.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
A learning experience
This will be a quick post. My oven caught on fire!! For the last 4 or 5 months Brian has been really curious and opening the oven door. We've been using the oven lock but he can easily slide it over to unlock it. I finally bought a clasp from Toys R Us but have yet to install it. The other week I noticed he was putting things in the oven but when I checked I didn't see anything so I figured he had already taken it back out. Well today I thought I would bake something. While it was preheating I thought I smelled something funny. When I opened the door flames were shooting out! I was in shock! haha and then I took a moment to consider whether or not I wanted to use our fire extinguisher. It seemed like it would make a bigger mess than the actual fire. There were flames but it was pretty much contained within the oven and I figured thats what ovens are for, right? High heat! So I just filled up a cup of water and threw it in there and called it good. Now the kitchen smells a little funny. Oh well...now the little latch is installed and i've purchased an oven cleaner to clean the oven. So far this week is not making it on the top ten of the year.
Sick Day
Our whole family has been sick this week! It's been an adventure. Poor little Brian has had upper respiratory problems since he was a newborn so he gets pneumonia and ear infections pretty easily. He's been a good sport about it though. The doctors usually think he is less sick than he actually is because of his good attitude so I have become pretty pushy when it comes to hospital visits so that they don't write it off as a little cold. That's what mom's are for, right? Protecting your child to the point of being unreasonable at times? Right? My husband is embarrassed to go to Brian's appointments with me. (By the way, I just learned that embarrassed is with two "r's" and not one. Thank you little red squiggly line!)
Anyways, i'm staying home from work today to get some rest and get over this cold.
Yesterday my husband bought me a treadmill from Costco! I think he's telling me it's time to lose the baby weight, especially since Brian isn't a baby anymore...We were pretty excited when we brought it home, until we looked at the instructions. Let me just say, I am impressed that someone was able to draw that complicated picture on such a small piece of paper. I'm not even sure if they are instructions. Mostly arrows and numbers. The jury is still out on whether or not we will try to assemble it ourselves or if we will use the only legible instruction on there, which is "call a certified technician to assemble this product."
Joel is such a good sport about it though. He got home super late from work last night and still went and bought it for me, then used all his man strength to get it out of our truck! His friend is going to come over tonight and hopefully help him put it together.
We moved Family Home Evening to tonight (don't know what family home evening is? Read about it here! family home evening.) It's my turn to give the lesson. We've had a great time with FHE, Family Home Evening, from now on will be referred to as FHE :). So we've had a great with FHE, especially since Brian has been old enough to sit for a few minutes with us. We've been singing primary songs with him and he is starting to catch on that we're singing and sings along! So adorable. I'll have to take a video sometime. I'm pretty bad at those things. I get so caught up in watching that I don't think to grab our camera. I bring up FHE because we started doing a weekly overview during FHE so we know what's going on the week, who has appointments, meetings, activities, etc...and it has been sooo helpful!!! No more "Oh by the way I have an elders quorum meeting..." which is usually followed by, "well I have a primary meeting..." and then "who's going to take Brian?" We usually solve this with rock paper scissors...Anyways, now we can plan ahead for the week. We are slowly becoming more organized! I love it.
For those who don't know, we attend a small spanish branch (which is similar to a ward but smaller) here in Lacey (What is a branch/ward?) Our branch, the Rainier Vista Branch recently created it's own Primary! (see previous link and scroll down) It has been such a blessing to have our own primary. We are able to focus on our children and their individual needs. We have a small group of kids. Sometimes it's just my son and another little guy but I love it! We get to sing songs with them, and teach them little lessons about how Heavenly Father loves them. Especially since my own son is in my class. I'm so grateful that these are things that I can share with him. Something that i've realized is that it is hard to prepare a 5 minute lesson for toddlers! You would think that you wouldn't have to study to teach an 18 month old but I've realized that I have to study a lot more! It's takes a greater knowledge and understanding of the gospel to be able to teach it so simply that a child can understand it. It has been very humbling. I thought I had a pretty solid knowledge of at least the basics, but as I sit down to read the lesson and think, how would I explain this to child? I find myself learning a lot more!
Back to the point of my post. I'm home sick today and need to prepare for FHE. We're going to make FHE and sabbath day activity jars! I'll post some pictures once we're done.
P.S. I realize I use a lot of vocabulary that may seem foreign to some people, like FHE, wards, elders quorum. Feel free to check out this website, lds.org, or send me a message if you have any questions!
Anyways, i'm staying home from work today to get some rest and get over this cold.
Yesterday my husband bought me a treadmill from Costco! I think he's telling me it's time to lose the baby weight, especially since Brian isn't a baby anymore...We were pretty excited when we brought it home, until we looked at the instructions. Let me just say, I am impressed that someone was able to draw that complicated picture on such a small piece of paper. I'm not even sure if they are instructions. Mostly arrows and numbers. The jury is still out on whether or not we will try to assemble it ourselves or if we will use the only legible instruction on there, which is "call a certified technician to assemble this product."
Joel is such a good sport about it though. He got home super late from work last night and still went and bought it for me, then used all his man strength to get it out of our truck! His friend is going to come over tonight and hopefully help him put it together.
We moved Family Home Evening to tonight (don't know what family home evening is? Read about it here! family home evening.) It's my turn to give the lesson. We've had a great time with FHE, Family Home Evening, from now on will be referred to as FHE :). So we've had a great with FHE, especially since Brian has been old enough to sit for a few minutes with us. We've been singing primary songs with him and he is starting to catch on that we're singing and sings along! So adorable. I'll have to take a video sometime. I'm pretty bad at those things. I get so caught up in watching that I don't think to grab our camera. I bring up FHE because we started doing a weekly overview during FHE so we know what's going on the week, who has appointments, meetings, activities, etc...and it has been sooo helpful!!! No more "Oh by the way I have an elders quorum meeting..." which is usually followed by, "well I have a primary meeting..." and then "who's going to take Brian?" We usually solve this with rock paper scissors...Anyways, now we can plan ahead for the week. We are slowly becoming more organized! I love it.
For those who don't know, we attend a small spanish branch (which is similar to a ward but smaller) here in Lacey (What is a branch/ward?) Our branch, the Rainier Vista Branch recently created it's own Primary! (see previous link and scroll down) It has been such a blessing to have our own primary. We are able to focus on our children and their individual needs. We have a small group of kids. Sometimes it's just my son and another little guy but I love it! We get to sing songs with them, and teach them little lessons about how Heavenly Father loves them. Especially since my own son is in my class. I'm so grateful that these are things that I can share with him. Something that i've realized is that it is hard to prepare a 5 minute lesson for toddlers! You would think that you wouldn't have to study to teach an 18 month old but I've realized that I have to study a lot more! It's takes a greater knowledge and understanding of the gospel to be able to teach it so simply that a child can understand it. It has been very humbling. I thought I had a pretty solid knowledge of at least the basics, but as I sit down to read the lesson and think, how would I explain this to child? I find myself learning a lot more!
Back to the point of my post. I'm home sick today and need to prepare for FHE. We're going to make FHE and sabbath day activity jars! I'll post some pictures once we're done.
P.S. I realize I use a lot of vocabulary that may seem foreign to some people, like FHE, wards, elders quorum. Feel free to check out this website, lds.org, or send me a message if you have any questions!
Monday, June 6, 2011
New Start
We are starting a new blog! Again!
It's finally summer vacation! Finals were rough. This was definitely my hardest semester. But I made it and got a 4.0!! It made it a lot easier that Joel was already done with school during finals so he was able to watch Brian while I studied/did homework. I'm taking a practice LSAT on the 25th of this month then the actual test in October. Two more semesters for my B.S. then hopefully on to either grad school or law school. We're so excited for these new steps for our family!
Brian is 18 months! He is still the cutest little guy ever. I'll post some pictures and videos as soon as I have a chance. I need to get a multi card reader since my mac doesn't have one built in.
The little man is sick right now. He has ear infections. The big stud is sick also. I think Brian's taking it a little better than Joel is haha.
Some better news is that Joel bought me a kitchen aid mixer!! This is probably my favorite gift ever! We've been enjoying some delicious homemade bread every sunday after church. I think I want to make it a tradition.
Tonight we're going to costco to buy a new treadmill. This is necessary due to all the bread we've been eating. (see above statement). It'll be nice to be able to exercise at home since Brian doesn't always like going to the daycare at the gym. And now I can go running in the morning without worrying that Brian will wake up while i'm gone!
I'm still working for State Farm. (P.S. I'm a licensed insurance agent in Property, Casualty, Life, and Disability, and I speak spanish and english!) Send me some referrals! haha, had to throw that in there. Joel is still working for Peace Transportation. He is desperate for a new job. He does not have a very good schedule, it's pretty random. Each night we wait for an email which gives him his schedule for the next day. It's pretty hard to plan around that. And no benefits. Lame. So he's been going to school and working hard to get a better job. We're thankful that he has a job though. That is a great blessing.
We'll hopefully have some exciting news to report in the next month or so...stay tuned!
It's finally summer vacation! Finals were rough. This was definitely my hardest semester. But I made it and got a 4.0!! It made it a lot easier that Joel was already done with school during finals so he was able to watch Brian while I studied/did homework. I'm taking a practice LSAT on the 25th of this month then the actual test in October. Two more semesters for my B.S. then hopefully on to either grad school or law school. We're so excited for these new steps for our family!
Brian is 18 months! He is still the cutest little guy ever. I'll post some pictures and videos as soon as I have a chance. I need to get a multi card reader since my mac doesn't have one built in.
The little man is sick right now. He has ear infections. The big stud is sick also. I think Brian's taking it a little better than Joel is haha.
Some better news is that Joel bought me a kitchen aid mixer!! This is probably my favorite gift ever! We've been enjoying some delicious homemade bread every sunday after church. I think I want to make it a tradition.
Tonight we're going to costco to buy a new treadmill. This is necessary due to all the bread we've been eating. (see above statement). It'll be nice to be able to exercise at home since Brian doesn't always like going to the daycare at the gym. And now I can go running in the morning without worrying that Brian will wake up while i'm gone!
I'm still working for State Farm. (P.S. I'm a licensed insurance agent in Property, Casualty, Life, and Disability, and I speak spanish and english!) Send me some referrals! haha, had to throw that in there. Joel is still working for Peace Transportation. He is desperate for a new job. He does not have a very good schedule, it's pretty random. Each night we wait for an email which gives him his schedule for the next day. It's pretty hard to plan around that. And no benefits. Lame. So he's been going to school and working hard to get a better job. We're thankful that he has a job though. That is a great blessing.
We'll hopefully have some exciting news to report in the next month or so...stay tuned!
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