Sorry for the delay...

It has been crazy around our house for the past couple of months. David left for a month starting June 19th to do his yearly training on the USNS Comfort. For you Ensign readers, yes this is the ship that was featured in the back of the magazine a few months ago. So I was a single mom for a month. Needless to say, I got a little taste of how it was for my mom as she was a single mom for years. I wasn't a baby during any of that time, but I am sure I was demanding at times. This has given me a new appreciation not only for my mother but also for my husband. His help is tremendous compared to some other husbands and fathers. The month was hard and David and I missed each other like crazy. Ana and I are so glad to have Daddy back safe and sound. Right before David left for the Comfort, he decided that he wanted to go back to school this fall. We rushed around the week before he left and got the necessary paperwork done. While he was gone I did some more paperwork for him. Even through all of our diligent efforts, there are delays in his financial aid. Not really a surprise for me, it just makes both of us a little stressed! We know the Lord will provide as we prayed about this path before we took it. Another thing that David and I had talked about and prayed about was me becoming a stay-at-home-mom. When he got back in July, we prayed about it some more and found out that it was Heavenly Father's will for me to be home with Ana. It has been a little over 2 weeks now and I love it!!! It it exhausting at times, but I LOVE being a mom. I keep thinking about the quote "No success can compensate for failure in the home." I think President McKay said that. So we are going to be moving soon, but we don't know where yet. We have 2 and a half weeks before we have to be out of here or sign a new lease. We don't want to sign a new lease. Believe you me, we have been looking and calling and searching and praying. We haven't had time to pray about the place we looked at today, but everything else we have looked at has been a No from Heavenly Father. This is a humbling time for both David and I. Me quitting me job was a leap of faith. Heavenly Father has always provided for us in the past and I know he will in the future.

Ana, David, and I recently took a trip to the zoo (Ana's first) and she loved it! We didn't think to get any pictures but it was a joy to see her so happy. I am going to post some new pictures so don't get fussy! Ana has been doing so well with her solid foods. She didn't stay on Stage 1 for long and was on to Stage 2. She is now eating Stage 3, Gerber Graduates, and a little real people food. Some of the expressions have been priceless. Nothing that she has hated yet. On some things she hasn't quite gotten the concept of chewing it up good. This has made for a few interesting moments! She is crawling all over the place and babbling up a storm. She is definitely on the brink of teething, as we do have a few fussy days. She hates her car seat, but like to go for rides in the car (as long as we are moving, she is happy). We are taking our first camping trip as a family this weekend...we will see what happens! So without further ado, here are the pictures!



7 Months!


Excuse Me?

There is that toy I wanted to chew on...

I'm handcuffed

Sticking out my tongue

Just woke up...notice anything wrong with the binkie?

I love how she crosses her legs like that.

Waking up...

We're going where?

Happy 6 months Ana!

Proud Daddy!

I could be chewing on something right now...

I'm just that adorable!

Deer in the headlights look.

"The hills are alive..." I am so surprised she can sing at this age...

Me and Ana

Again...

I like to kick Mom to get her attention.

Again...

Yes?

I am this big!

I move a lot!

Ana and I not too long before she turned 4 months at Nana and Papa's House!

Me holding Ana on her blessing day...one of my personal favs.

Can I chew on your fancy camera Papa?

My fingers always have to be in my mouth or grabbing something to put in my mouth.

Drat this bib...

Happy Ana!

Ana in the tub (aka sink)...who is that taking my picture Mom?

My washcloth!

Surprise!...another favorite.

I am tolerating this.

Happy Ana!

Another surprised look

I can fly! (Thanks to Nana!)

Me and Nani (a family nickname for her)

She was diving for the food at this point...she was just about to start on solids. Thank goodness too because she needed the extra sustenance!

Same as the one above

That food sure looks tasty!

Here is a video of Ana crawling in our kitchen...sorry it is long and a little shaky. At the end, I am all over the place because Ana couldn't decide where she wanted to go.

So much to say and update on...

I have been thinking about this post for about the past week. This post will not include photos, but I will post some soon. Some questions that have gone through my mind lately- have you ever known someone that by all other appearances seems to be a good person, but you just feel like there is something wrong? You can't put your finger on it. Have you felt like you have had so much bad news that you just wanted to go to some secluded place and turn off any connections to the outside world? As you can tell, I have had a lot going on in my world. I don't want this to be a totally depressing post, but I think sometimes there is a need just to get your feelings out in the open. For some reason publishing them on the blog is much more vindicating than just writing it in my journal. I was feeling so weighed down and stressed a few weeks ago. My spirits got a little more dampened when I found out that David would not be able to make the trip to my mom's with me. No way was I going to my mom's without his help. I went to my dad and step mom's in mid-May and Ana cried halfway there and halfway back. I was driving by myself. So I told myself I wasn't going to do that again. The main reason I was sad was because David and I had planned a trip to the temple while we were down there. We had planned several other times to go, but something had always come up. Well, David pulled a few strings and surprised me. He did his work on Saturday morning, his mom came and picked up Ana, and soon after we were on our way. It was so nice to relax and not have to worry about anything! The other sweet thing that we witnessed was a couple that was soon to be married. By the end of our session, he was crying. I thought "how sweet is that?" David went and asked them when they were getting married...on Tuesday. So great! So on that note I will tell you about the good news that I eluded to in my last post. I think everyone who should know has been told by now. If it comes to a surprise to you, don't feel offended that you were not told. My sister Alicia and her fiance Tad are expecting a little girl in late September or early October. They keep changing her due date. My sister Debbie is engaged to Nick. My sister-in-law Mary and husband Richard are expecting a baby in November. So a lot of good things happening... Ana has found her feet and as our pediatrician says, she is in the theorized Freudian oral stage. Everything goes into her mouth. She has started solid food. Rice cereal, oatmeal, squash, and sweet potatoes have been her menu so far. She can now roll over from her stomach to back and has almost got back to stomach. She smiles, coos, laughs, and even screams a lot! Short screams thank goodness. At her last Dr. visit at the end of last month she was a little over 12 pounds and 24 and 3/4 inches long. Long and lean baby. That is all wonderful and great, but back to the rest of what I wanted to write about. I need some opinions on this. I need to talk to someone about something that they are doing-that bothers me a lot. I don't want to go into details, but it is not something that is just bothersome to me. It rubs other people the wrong way too and has to do with something important. How have you dealt with situations like this? I haven't said anything because I don't want hurt feelings, but I am afraid that may happen in the long run anyway. Any thoughts? Also I would appreciate your prayers as I have been having some health problems.

More pictures and a video!

Some more pictures of the little one. The ones in her car seat are her with her Easter dress on. The pictures on the multi-colored crocheted blanket are her 2 month old pictures. The picture with the Little Hippo onesie was from just yesterday. We just love how expressive she is getting. It is great. With the economic downturn, the hospital has been asking people if they would like to go from full time to part time permanently. I wish I could but I can't right now. My job isn't in jeopardy right now thank goodness. That is a blessing. So many exciting and happy things are going on right now in both of our families. I wish I could share some, but I don't want to step on any toes and share news that isn't mine to share. There are good things going on-that is my point. Despite all of what is happening in the world today, there are still good things going on. There is still hope and one thing that I have seen going on is service to others. The service has been performed or money given during these economic difficulties. It is like Christmas time. I can't remember who said it-maybe it is in a song- but "I wish it could be Christmas all year." Or something to that affect. The spirit of giving is alive. That is so nice to see. I wish I could do more right now. Though, I am trying to focus on giving service in other ways. Will share more later. Have a wonderful rest of the week!