Easter Fun 2011

This year our HOA held an Easter egg hunt this year and we took Mars to go hunting for eggs. She is too little to do it by herself, so Chuck took her.

When the Easter Bunny said go, only the little ones were supposed to start, but all the kids ran for it. It was a single stampede of kids and Chuck had to grab Amara and run with her to the far end of the field to even find any eggs.

We found two and Mars liked them, but we ended up giving them to a little girl who didn't have any. Hopefully they'll plan it better next year.

We took pictures with the Easter Bunny and Mars was intrigued by his white fur. I think she is trying to eat it. :-)

Sunday morning we had our own Easter egg hunt and opened Easter baskets. Mars got a Barbie and a baby lawnmower. She is considering the best way to break the package open.

She did a good job finding a few eggs on her own, then Chuck got to find the rest of the eggs.

Easter Dresses - Mars and Mommy just happen to match. Even our shoes matched!

Can you tell she is Daddy's Girl? She loves to spend the whole day saying, "Da-da-da-da-da..."

Happy Easter!

Bathing Beauty

Grandma says Mars looks like a bathing beauty when she crawls and turns halfway around.

Conference weekend looked promising for a little dip in the kiddie pool, so we took Mars out for her first swim. She always has loved baths and is a little fish lately, but the water was much cooler than her bath. It also happened to get a little windy that day as well. She wasn't a huge fan of the idea at first, but after we added some warmer water she really started enjoying herself.

She does look adorable in her suit though!

And Her First Word Is...

At 7 1/2 months Mars surprised us and said her first word:

Da-Da

I was sad it wasn't Ma-ma, but it is cute to hear her each morning "da-da-da-da-da".

I guess we all know she is definately daddy's girl and has Chuck wrapped around her finger.

BIG Sister!

I guess life has a way of being unpredictable and not always as we plan it. About two months ago, Chuck and I found out there was a little bun in the oven. Amara will be a big sister! The most surprising part occured at the first ultrasound. This little one is due on August 20th and Mars will be one year on July 17th. Well, that was not planned...at least having them that close. This past week we had another ultrasounds and discovered something was growing between his legs - a BOY! I have thought all along it was a boy, everything with this child is totally different. We are very excited for this little one to join our family and raise two little munchkins together. Life is unpredictable, but holds great and wonderful surprises.

Teething Again...Ahhhh!

At eight months Mars got her two front teeth. One popped in on a Tuesday and the other on a Thursday two days later.

She looks so cute with her new toothy smile - two bottom teeth showing and the two top barely braking through the surface.

Just right now, I noticed that she had two more teeth coming in. One to the right of her two front teeth broke through and the one to the left of her two front teeth is about to come! That explains a lot, she has been cuddly, moody and not sleeping through the night well. Mars is a loving kid, but now that she can crawl and push herself up on furniture she doesn't hold still to be held and loved on for very long. Well, this is how it will go until all her baby teeth come in. Then we get to do this again when her permanent teeth come in. At least by then she will be able to communicate verbally how she is feeling.

Movin' More

At seven and a half months Amara started crawling. Now she can pull herself up on chairs, the sofa, and anything she dares to try.

It is hard to keep her out of things that are not "baby-safe". I supposed that is why people often "baby-proof" thier house. Although I don't think that is every totally possible. Anything can be something new and curious.

Mars like paper. She like to try to eat the Sunday paper when I clip coupons. She likes to play on cardboard boxes and get on top of anything she can.

Right now as I am typing she is diligently trying to grab at the keys and type her own message for you.

Bottle & Baby

At seven and a half months old, Amara is now well capable of holding her own bottle. This is a great advantage while driving because now we can simply hand her the bottle and she can drink and be happy. No more twising our arms akwardly to get the food into her mouth.

Sit! Stay! Roll over!

2.24.11 Mars sat up for the first time on her own! Now if she can only stay sitting up and not fall over.
She is getting better at moving around. Although she can't crawl yet, she does know how to scoot backwards and use her feet to push her forward to reach a toy.
Her new favorite toy is a toothbrush. The dentist will love her!

Family Update for 2011

Well, you can see most of my life revolves around a certain little girl whose nickname is one of our planets.
Mars.

Aside from her daily adventures Chuck and I are off to a new year with great plans for the next 12 months.

Here are our plans for 2011:

• Be in a better place financially than we previously have been.
• Paint the kitchen - not the mustard color sample that covers a few feet of the wall.
• Finish the Bug
• Expand our family
• Re-potty train Ginger
• Be better gardeners
• Figure out how the sprinkler system works
• Spend more time together
• Be good parents
• Make wise choices
• Get some furniture for our house - once the Christmas tree goes down the front room will be barren
• Build our food storage
• Eat less and move more
• Be better people

That's it for now. Time for some shut-eye and beauty sleep!

Growing Pains

Chuck and I are learning a lot being parents. We have had some growing pains along the way.

1. It is no fun having to take multiple turns putting a teething child to bed.
2. Bedtime at 11:30 pm is not advisable for a 6 month old
3. Christmas lights can be your salvation
4. Who knew food could be so entertaining?
5. Two front teeth are much cuter on a baby!
6. Being bald never looked so good!
7. Bath time is always the best time of day
8. Ten seconds to make a bottle can be too long for a little tummy
9. Being a parent is learning something new about yourself and your child every day
10. Who knew baby food was a dogs favorite treat (to lick off a little face)?
11. "Daddy" time is more for Mommy than Daddy
12. A baby fills a place in your heart you never knew was empty - Author Unknown

Playtime!

Mars loves her toys! She got a lot for Christmas and she is having a "pail full of fun"!

Solids!

Now that Mars is 6 months old we have introduced her to solid foods.
She loves rice and oatmeal cereals. Most vegetables she loves.

This was her first taste of carrots. Although it may not be obvious, she really did like the carrots.

The past few weeks we added pureed meats to her menu.

Carrots all over her face or not, she is still our sweet pea and my daily happiness.

Mars First Christmas

I know Christmas came and went by so fast and now it is February, but I must share some of the greatest moments we had.
This was the first year Mars saw the Christmas lights at the Mesa Temple.

Mommy had to help Mars open her presents of course, but she loved sitting under the tree staring at the lights.

Mars had a lot more presents to open than Chuck or I. Santa brought her a high chair with a toy tray that snaps on. Mommy and Daddy got her some clothes, books, softies, dishes and other little things I can't remember right now. Doesn't she look cute in her blue candy land Christmas PJ's?

Merry Christmas little reader!

Teeth!

Christmas came and went and now we are in a new year. It seemed to fly by without the usual wonder and excitement this year. It is so much more fun opening presents Christmas morning with a child - even though she wasn't big enough to open them by herself.

Nowthat Amara has leaned how to be semi-mobile she is enjoying herself and discovering new things each day.
Last Sunday she got her first tooth - we are not officially dental! Then later this week on Thursday she got her second tooth. Both are bottom front incisors.

She is even trying to sit up by herself in the tub. I keep telling her to stop growing, she already is growing too fast.

This month she will be 6 months old and it makes me remember last year when I was just pregnant with her. I was uncertain about my future of motherhood, how pregnancy would fair, what labor and birth would be like, what she would look like and who she would be.

I was happily surprised by all of it. Labor was not as bad as I though and since it only took 30 minutes to push her out delivery was a snap. She did have a little bump on the way out and those first few nights were the most difficult I have been through. Now it all seems like a distant dream. She is so big and learning more about life and the world she lives in every day.

Yesterday she discovered the texture of a guitar case (Uncle Brandon's) and it made me think of what small things in life I take for granted. There should be something every day that amazes me too, something new to discover.

I guess for now I can just enjoy every minute of every day we spend together as a family. Thank the Lord for blessing us to go through life in families. Although at times they may be your worst friends, somehow they still make life a little better experiencing it together.

Movin' Already

Thanksgiving has come and gone and now Christmas is coming sooner than ever. Uncle Bubba surprised us this year and came home for the holiday.

On 11.27 the Saturday after Thanksgiving Amara rolled over for the first time from Belly-to-Back!

She thought it was great and was very happy about the fact that she could move so much.

Then, a few days ago on 12.9.10 she rolled over for the first time from Back-to-Belly!

She is such a happy little girl and is usually laughing and gigling at everything I say.

She started teething a while ago, so bedtime can be a challenge, but she brings so much joy to our family!

Three Months Old & Ready for Halloween

Well, Mars was two months and now she is three. At two months she got her first set of shots and didn't like them very well.

Three months old now and it is weird to think that a year ago she was barely in our lives.

We had our Halloween Party with Chuck's family last weekend.

Mars is a kitten and sometimes gets stuck up in a tree...

The rest of the time, she slept in the pumpkin patch.

She loves to read books...

But most of all she loves spending time with Mommy!... (and Daddy too!)

She is the most precious thing in my life and is ready for Halloween!

Work to Live - not Live to Work

Some people have not yet understood this concept. The world is so engulfed with gaining - money, assests, possessions, time, etc. The list never ends.

But how often to we become subject to lose sight of the reason we start working, doing the daily grind just for a paycheck. Do we start to live for work and lose sight of what is really important? I hope not.

I hope we still work to live and not live to work.

As I have started back to work I have realized a lot about myself.
I am human.
I am not as stong as I thought I was.
Being a working mom sucks.
I hate the thought of not being there for Mars every moment of every day. I hate the thought of missing anything in her life. My heart breaks every time I leave her.
I realize many people have it worse than I do. Many people don't even have a job to work at.
I know there is a little girl in the hospital that has had several procedures and surgeries done and is fighting every day just to breathe and live.

Lilly - I love you and Kim you are the bravest person I think I will ever know.

I know I can be a better person than I am, yet I fall short every day.
I think the world is a messed-up place most of the time, and other times it happily surprises me.
I know that even the simplest of things like looking at the moon make me happy.
I know I want to be more than I am and fear I will never get there.

These are just some things I have been thinking about lately.
Somehow writing them down just makes me feel a little better.

~Alicia

Labor Day 2010

9.5.10 LABOR DAY

As tradition, Labor Day began with morning sports at the green by our house. Grandma Garcia held me while everyone played kickball outside. We played two-hand-touch football after that to really get a good workout before breakfast.

We had great breakfast burritos, then headed into town and spent the rest of the day with the other side of the family and a great cookout!

Blessing

9.4.10

Today was Amara's blessing. It was a great time and a new step for her in her life. What a great blessing to have the priesthood in our lives and be worthy to have Chuck bless her. Family and friends shared in this moment with us. I could not believe that many people could fit into our house!

First Real Bath

Okay, so I have been giving Mars sponge baths since she came home. Finally a few weeks ago her umbilical cord came off and I wanted to give her a real bath. Well, we finally bought a baby tub (which makes it much easier since she is too long to fit in the kitchen sink) and I gave her her first real bath.

I think she really enjoys warm water because she seems to calm down whenever it is bath time.