Anya and I were looking in the mirror talking about colors. I was wearing a pink shirt and Anya was wearing pink pants. I said, "Anya, are we the same? We are! We're both pink!"
Daniel, in the bedroom at the time I said this, walks through the hall in his white Sunday shirt and sings, "I'm Whiiiiiiite!"
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Tracy Aviary
Yesterday afternoon, we went on a family outing with just the three of us! I was SO excited to do so since we haven't been able to go out together for a month.
We decided to go out for lunch and then to the Tracy Aviary at Liberty Park. After a mediocre lunch at Beto's Mexican Food (Rancheritos is SO much better!) we went to see the birds.
After we paid and went into the aviary, we say the pelicans and ducks first. Anya, in the stroller, LOVED this part! I've never seen her big blue eyes get that big! We got there right as the birds were being fed, so we had some entertainment in seeing the ducks beat each other up in order to get to the food. Then some geese came. Then the geese and pelicans decided to beat the ducks up together.
Anyway, our stroller converts into a backpack, so you can carry the baby and have free hands. We thought she might be able to see better if we put her on Daniel's back, and that made such a big difference for my baby girl! Once she could see over the fence, she was so focused on the birds!
There were lots of South American birds. The one's we liked the best were these green and yellow things which all came as close as they could to us and started squawking at us! Anya made her, "how does THAT work?" face, which means she'll be trying to figure it out with her own noises for a while.
She also really liked the "South American Adventure." (By Anya, I'm pretty sure I mean us. It was SO cool!) This was an indoor exhibit which is kept to about 70 degrees to keep the birds comfortable.
We also watched Turkey Vultures eat their dinners, which besides totally gross, was very educational. These birds would rip the heds off of whatever animal they'd been given, and just suck out the innards.
Anya was SUCH a good girl during our outing! She didn't fuss at all! I'm so thankful for my little family and the adventures we get to share together!
We decided to go out for lunch and then to the Tracy Aviary at Liberty Park. After a mediocre lunch at Beto's Mexican Food (Rancheritos is SO much better!) we went to see the birds.
After we paid and went into the aviary, we say the pelicans and ducks first. Anya, in the stroller, LOVED this part! I've never seen her big blue eyes get that big! We got there right as the birds were being fed, so we had some entertainment in seeing the ducks beat each other up in order to get to the food. Then some geese came. Then the geese and pelicans decided to beat the ducks up together.
Anyway, our stroller converts into a backpack, so you can carry the baby and have free hands. We thought she might be able to see better if we put her on Daniel's back, and that made such a big difference for my baby girl! Once she could see over the fence, she was so focused on the birds!
There were lots of South American birds. The one's we liked the best were these green and yellow things which all came as close as they could to us and started squawking at us! Anya made her, "how does THAT work?" face, which means she'll be trying to figure it out with her own noises for a while.
She also really liked the "South American Adventure." (By Anya, I'm pretty sure I mean us. It was SO cool!) This was an indoor exhibit which is kept to about 70 degrees to keep the birds comfortable.
We also watched Turkey Vultures eat their dinners, which besides totally gross, was very educational. These birds would rip the heds off of whatever animal they'd been given, and just suck out the innards.
Anya was SUCH a good girl during our outing! She didn't fuss at all! I'm so thankful for my little family and the adventures we get to share together!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Stephanie:4 Universe:20,001
I have decided to start my own property management business. I want to become licenced to do property management for other people's rental properties, however, legally I can only do one property that I do not own until I am licenced.
Here's the kicker for me: to get the licence I need, I'd be required to have 3 years of real estate experience. I've made it very clear to Daniel that I DO NOT want to be a real estate agent. Looks like the universe heard me...
Here's the kicker for me: to get the licence I need, I'd be required to have 3 years of real estate experience. I've made it very clear to Daniel that I DO NOT want to be a real estate agent. Looks like the universe heard me...
Storytime
Yesterday, I went to the downtown library to get myself some books on property management. I put Anya in the stroller and we walked all over! She LOVED the glass elevators! (At the Salt Lake City main library, there are four levels of books. There is a glass wall seperating the library portion of the building from the cafe/bookstore area, and glass elevators to take you up and down the floors.) She was fascinated with the elevators going up and down, and we spent a couple of minutes on the main level watching them.
After we got my books, we went down to the children's library and got Anya some books. One about some bunnies, another about silly ducks, and you know we're LDS since I was stoked to find a "My First Church History Stories" book.
After we got home and had dinner, I put the baby in my lap and read the books to her. As a family, we read the first story in the Church History book. I'm not sure what she liked more; having both of us read and pay attention to her at the same time, or the pretty pictures in the book. With just Mommy and Anya, we read "10 Little Bunnies," and "Gossie and Gertie." After reading "Gossie and Gertie" SEVERAL times, Anya looked up at me, smiled, then surprised me! She started having me turn the pages and told ME the story in her loud, "AHH AHH AHH UMM MAH" language. It was SO cute! I love quiet time with Anya, even if it usually turns into noisy time very quickly.
:)
After we got my books, we went down to the children's library and got Anya some books. One about some bunnies, another about silly ducks, and you know we're LDS since I was stoked to find a "My First Church History Stories" book.
After we got home and had dinner, I put the baby in my lap and read the books to her. As a family, we read the first story in the Church History book. I'm not sure what she liked more; having both of us read and pay attention to her at the same time, or the pretty pictures in the book. With just Mommy and Anya, we read "10 Little Bunnies," and "Gossie and Gertie." After reading "Gossie and Gertie" SEVERAL times, Anya looked up at me, smiled, then surprised me! She started having me turn the pages and told ME the story in her loud, "AHH AHH AHH UMM MAH" language. It was SO cute! I love quiet time with Anya, even if it usually turns into noisy time very quickly.
:)
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
The Healing Power of Forgiveness
One of my goals for this week that I added to the "master list" is to find some down time to study up on the gospel. If I'm choosing to be a part of it and choosing to instill the gospel as one of my values into my daughter, I'd better be consistently trying to learn and grow in it.
Anya's down for a nap right now, so I decided to go to the lds.org website, search for a topic I want to study about, and see what comes up. Since the topic of forgiveness is on my mind, I decided to look up that. I found President James E. Faust's article called, "The Healing Power of Forgiveness." I'd really like to share some things that stand out to me.
In it, he begins by talking about the horrible Amish shooting a few years ago. Something that really impressed me was how these Amish people who had lost their daughters in such a violent way completely forgave the family of the man who had killed the girls. They attended the mans funeral services, and in turn, invited his family to the funeral services of their daughters. When money was donated to them by others who had heard about this act of violence, they shared the money with the man's family. This impressed me so much that I wish to be like them.
Let's be realistic here. I'm no where near that good. So for now, I'm going to work on forgiving and letting things go over time instead of holding on to past resentments. Forgiveness doesn't have to come right away, but it's an amazing thing when it does come over time.
He also quoted another individual who brilliantly defined what forgiveness is, “Forgiveness is freeing up and putting to better use the energy once consumed by holding grudges, harboring resentments, and nursing unhealed wounds. It is rediscovering the strengths we always had and relocating our limitless capacity to understand and accept other people and ourselves.”
Anya's down for a nap right now, so I decided to go to the lds.org website, search for a topic I want to study about, and see what comes up. Since the topic of forgiveness is on my mind, I decided to look up that. I found President James E. Faust's article called, "The Healing Power of Forgiveness." I'd really like to share some things that stand out to me.
In it, he begins by talking about the horrible Amish shooting a few years ago. Something that really impressed me was how these Amish people who had lost their daughters in such a violent way completely forgave the family of the man who had killed the girls. They attended the mans funeral services, and in turn, invited his family to the funeral services of their daughters. When money was donated to them by others who had heard about this act of violence, they shared the money with the man's family. This impressed me so much that I wish to be like them.
Let's be realistic here. I'm no where near that good. So for now, I'm going to work on forgiving and letting things go over time instead of holding on to past resentments. Forgiveness doesn't have to come right away, but it's an amazing thing when it does come over time.
He also quoted another individual who brilliantly defined what forgiveness is, “Forgiveness is freeing up and putting to better use the energy once consumed by holding grudges, harboring resentments, and nursing unhealed wounds. It is rediscovering the strengths we always had and relocating our limitless capacity to understand and accept other people and ourselves.”
I fully live by the saying that "holding a grudge is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die." Forgiveness, in my opinion, is not excusing another person's actions. Everyone needs to stand accountable for their actions. Forgiveness is purely for oneself. If I forgive someone for doing something horrible, that doesn't mean I think what they did is okay. As I forgive, I essentially disallow a person to have power over me and how I live my life.
Now, I'm going to be bold in saying that it's stupid, unhealthy, and very un-Christian to to knowingly and willingly hold a grudge. With that in mind, know that sometimes I'm stupid, unhealthy, and act very un-Christian sometimes too. I'm not placing myself on any kind of pedestal.
I do hope we can all learn how to forgive others fully, willingly, and easily. I strongly believe that if we all work harder at forgiving others, we will all be much happier as individuals, families, and as a society as a whole.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Goals for the week of 1/24/11
In combating my depression, it is VERY important for me to stick to a routine and avoid being idle at all costs. When my dad died, my routine got incredibly thrown off, my house became completely neglected, and I got so overwhelmed I didn't even want to work out anymore. (Working out, I've discovered, has become a great passion of mine. I LOVE the feeling of my body being able to do things it couldn't before, pushing myself to the next level, and the need and desire to eat right as my body realizes how starved it gets for nutrients.)
So, in order to make things easier for me, and therefore for Daniel and Anya, I'm re-establishing a daily routine. Tackling the whole house at once, by myself, with Anya wanting to play whenever she's awake, is impossible. Therefore, I'm going to start small. If I get a task list for myself every day and get the items on my list done, then even if my house still looks horrible, it's okay because I met my goals.
Here's what my master list for each day looks like:
The master list is things that ABSOLUTELY have to be done on a daily basis. (Granted, P90X and cooking are there for my own sanity. Working out is amazing, and I LOVE cooking nice meals for my family. They keep me from eating out and keep Daniel from making a quick meal...) Each day three other activities will be added to the master list, which will change on a daily basis. For instance, usually Mondays involve grocery shopping and cleaning the clutter out of the living room. Since the laundry and dishes build up over the weekend, that takes a HUGE chunk of time as well as taking Daniel to and from work on days where I need the car.
Today, my list includes:
So, in order to make things easier for me, and therefore for Daniel and Anya, I'm re-establishing a daily routine. Tackling the whole house at once, by myself, with Anya wanting to play whenever she's awake, is impossible. Therefore, I'm going to start small. If I get a task list for myself every day and get the items on my list done, then even if my house still looks horrible, it's okay because I met my goals.
Here's what my master list for each day looks like:
1. Laundry (seriously, never ending...)
2. dishes (stupid dishes!)
3. P90X
4. Cook Dinner
The master list is things that ABSOLUTELY have to be done on a daily basis. (Granted, P90X and cooking are there for my own sanity. Working out is amazing, and I LOVE cooking nice meals for my family. They keep me from eating out and keep Daniel from making a quick meal...) Each day three other activities will be added to the master list, which will change on a daily basis. For instance, usually Mondays involve grocery shopping and cleaning the clutter out of the living room. Since the laundry and dishes build up over the weekend, that takes a HUGE chunk of time as well as taking Daniel to and from work on days where I need the car.
Today, my list includes:
1. Laundry (seriously, never ending)
2. Dishes
(Which Daniel did for me over the weekend, so I only have the dishes from this mornings breakfast!)
3. P90X
4. Cook Dinner
5. Fold and put away laundry
(if I don't write this one down for today, it won't get done)
6. Scrub bathroom
7. empty trashes
8. Clean and vacuum living room
I know it doesn't look like a lot, but in getting back into my routine, this is where I'm going to start. Plus, I have a teething baby who is pretty clingy right now, so that doesn't allow me to do as much as I would like.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
My Dad
Okay, I'm ready to talk just a little bit about my dad. Not too much, though, since I'm currently not on antidepressants or seeing any kind of therapist and I don't want to break apart so much that I can't be there for my family.
I'm not really sure what I should be saying or feeling right now. I'm not so sure of what I expected from myself in this situation. I mean, I'm married and I have a baby. It's not like I needed my dad like I did when I was younger. There's just so much that was left unsaid. There's so much that could have been but isn't.
In the last few days of his life, he was very drugged up to keep him comfortable. When we, Daniel, Anya, and I, would visit him in the hospice facility, Anya would look at him and get excited. She would make her "play with me!" noises and didn't understand why her grandpa wasn't holding her. They had a connection with each other. Granted, from Anya's end, the connection probably related to all of the fun "toys" Grandpa was hooked up to that she could grab. In the hospital, when he would hold her, he would bring her close to his face to give her a kiss, but Anya, seeing a grabbable face, would reach out to pull his lips. Since he couldn't speak by this point, he would gently, but firmly yank her away from his face. She loved that game! She would crack up and giggle every time this happened, which made my dad smile a bit too.
My dad was always afraid of us as babies, and I don't think he held either of his own babies until we were around 6 months old. That's not to say he didn't cuddle us. He would have us on a pillow and wrap an arm around the baby. When Anya was closer to three months old, I was talking to my mom, holding a squirmy Anya, and all of a sudden, my baby was gone! I looked up to find that he had picked her up out of my arms and was cuddling her.
Okay, I think that's all I'm going to talk about right now.
I'm not really sure what I should be saying or feeling right now. I'm not so sure of what I expected from myself in this situation. I mean, I'm married and I have a baby. It's not like I needed my dad like I did when I was younger. There's just so much that was left unsaid. There's so much that could have been but isn't.
In the last few days of his life, he was very drugged up to keep him comfortable. When we, Daniel, Anya, and I, would visit him in the hospice facility, Anya would look at him and get excited. She would make her "play with me!" noises and didn't understand why her grandpa wasn't holding her. They had a connection with each other. Granted, from Anya's end, the connection probably related to all of the fun "toys" Grandpa was hooked up to that she could grab. In the hospital, when he would hold her, he would bring her close to his face to give her a kiss, but Anya, seeing a grabbable face, would reach out to pull his lips. Since he couldn't speak by this point, he would gently, but firmly yank her away from his face. She loved that game! She would crack up and giggle every time this happened, which made my dad smile a bit too.
My dad was always afraid of us as babies, and I don't think he held either of his own babies until we were around 6 months old. That's not to say he didn't cuddle us. He would have us on a pillow and wrap an arm around the baby. When Anya was closer to three months old, I was talking to my mom, holding a squirmy Anya, and all of a sudden, my baby was gone! I looked up to find that he had picked her up out of my arms and was cuddling her.
Okay, I think that's all I'm going to talk about right now.
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