My end of winter thoughts

Once when I was a little kid I was walking to school with an edgy cool kid.  I thought I was pretty cool and so I said some comment making fun of another kid, I was trying to be cool.  This kid then said my head was shaped like a peanut and thus followed years of me being insecure about my peanut shaped head.  In college I learned that women's cheeks thin out as they age (the things you learn in college).  I was excited for this yet skeptical.  I had by that time gotten over my peanut shaped head complex.  The other day I looked in the mirror and realized what happened to my cheeks?  They are gone.  So if you are under the age of 25 and have a peanut shaped head, there is hope for you!  Hope I made someone's day out there.

My other thoughts as of late.  What do you wear this time of year?  Especially pregnant.  I'm dying to move into spring but it's still pretty cold even if 35* feels like 50* these days.  I waffle between plaids. vest, and sweaters and bright colors.  I know some people will think I'm crazy but due to wearing my brothers hand-me-downs till I was 16 I have kind of a complex that forces me to always be dressed perfect unless I'm adventuring then I feel like I'm in disguise and no one can see me so I wear whatever I want.  So buy your daughters cute clothes in moderation and they won't be overly concerned with what they are wearing right?

You know what totally might ruin my year?  Due to the cherry shortage last summer there are no dried cherries at Costco!  Saying I LOVE cherries would be an understatement and since I can't even get the little danties most of the year how am I supposed to survive without dried ones:-0?

Lastly and mainly so you don't think I think about shallow things all the time, I was thinking about my personal guardian angels in this life.  You know the people who are always sent to you at the right time and right place and it means just what you needed.  Some of them are very far away but just seeing their faces on instagram gives me a sense of peace and love.  Thank heavens for those guardian angels I mights still be meandering without mine!

What our Vday looked like

I started the day with one of my favorites Fruit Stew

Running late to dance class shirt is on backwards, spike-lee bun oh and there is the baby hello there!

TJ snuck this in the night before ahhh

then this guy woke up with a high fever :-(

after a nap during the The Tigger Movie we drugged Huds with ibuprofen and went to Qdoba where he ate ran and danced

this is a mid week shopping run, I promise we eat healthier than it looks, Huds threw a ball in when we weren't looking

So this was my Valentine's Day.  After a whirlwind to get dad to work on time Huds and I had both slept in and were a little out of it.  Thinking he was just tired we went to the gym for our normal routine.  When I picked him up from the kid center he ran to me with open arms, normally he just keeps playing, occasionally I get a hug or a smile, thinking he was tired from the late night and no nap the day before I put him down for a nap.  He zonked.  I had errands to run etc so after 3 1/2 hours I woke him up.  He really didn't seem ready to wake up so I put him back to bed noticing he had a fever.  A couple hours later he woke up when I checked on him.  He refused to do anything but snuggle so after some books we watched The Tigger Movie where we both zonked out till dad took a picture of us.  Then we woke up and I clocked Huds at 102* so I gave him some ibuprofen.  30 mins later regular Huds was back and since it was past dinner time we decided to take advantage of Qdoba's buy one get one free for a kiss deal.  Yep that pretty much sums it oh and we bought some ice cream at the grocery store.  

It got me thinking about love.  How you love someone so much more when you've gone through the hard times together.  I think of little Huds, those exhausting first few months, the nights I couldn't sleep worrying if he was breathing or going deaf or whatever my mind conjures in the middle of the night when my son has a fever and I'm afraid to leave him sleeping by himself.  Same with TJ and I, during times of sacrificing for each other and putting each other first, we grow together the most.  How realizing you would do absolutely anything for someone else at your own expense and not think twice makes you love them even more.  Funny thing isn't it?

Denver

After this trip to Denver I really missed civilization.  I wish I could have the city 15 mins away and still live in a classy little mountain town.  Today I told TJ I think I am a California girl, but I don't think that's true either.  I don't know where the perfect place is for me, I feel like haven't found it, not sure I ever will but I just want the perfect place to live and this is pretty darn close, all I can do is buy some good winter boots and coats and be grateful I'm not getting my food out of a dumpster or something right.  It was my first trip to a mall in over a year, besides City Creek and I must say I need to build up my shopping tolerance before I do that again whooh!

Artichoke Alfredo Pizza from Triggers in Idaho Springs, CO
Triggers is a Spaghetti Western eatery

Idaho Springs waterfall and water wheel see my Idaho Springs post, so many good memories

I hear this is a red neck fire alarm, car was running windows down and the other dog almost ate us!

Huds at the temple water fountain

my cute boys

the fam

Steamboat Springs

Last weekend we headed to Steamboat Springs to see some dear friends of ours The Taylor's, how I neglected to get a picture of the adult Taylor's I'm not sure, they are beautiful people and totally deserve to be in a blog picture.  We ate too much, talked to much, and stayed up too late watching Bones every night.

nice Sunday drive

sunset lighting the mountains on fire

pirate Hudson

Hudson wants a dog

The Ice Castles (it was pounding snow, Huds did not like that)

the coolest kids section of a library I've ever seen

first popsicle, sorry about the red eye

2nd time around

6 weeks

8 weeks see the horror in my eyes at my belly

6 weeks Huds

Here we go again!  Wee Connolly #2 due August 2013.  This pregnancy has been way harder than my last, I wonder if it's a way to prepare you for the child you are going to get.  Huds was super easy and he is the best kid in the world.  We shall see.  I haven't been blogging much because most of my posts would probably be about food aversions and the like.  Also the second time around you belly pops out way faster.  I was pretty open about it to people who live here, because it was kind of hard not to notice my belly getting big so quick.
One of the youth I work with at church said, "I was wondering why you were thicker in the middle?" I was convinced it was twins, but there is just one in there.

12 weeks Huds

Celebrate Good Times!

There he is, isn't he the cutest?  My Thomas James!  I love this man and this picture of him, I see the man I love, the boy he was and a little bit of our son.  Today is his birthday!  So I thought it only fitting you should know a little more about this handsome man.  I got this cute idea from www.todaysletters.com, thanks for the idea.

\\\\\\\
That's what Hudson wanted to say about him.  Hudson has mostly given up napping, I keep hoping that ends.  

What are you normally doing Monday at 6am?  Sleeping, unless I get called in for work early or occasionally Hudson wakes up early and manages to wake me up instead of Liz.

What's your favorite drink?  Virgin Strawberry Daiquiris (news to me)

What skill do you hope to someday master?  The guitar

If you had a free round trip ticket to somewhere in the United States, where would you go and what would you do?  I would go to Hawaii with Liz and Hudson and sit on the beach.

What are three things that give you life?  Jesus, Liz, and Hudson

What are three things that make you cry?  Jesus, Liz, and Hudson

What's one adventure you'd like us to experience before you die?  Uh oh I forgot the answer to this one, I will edit soon ;-/

If you could be friends with anyone famous, who would it be?  Warren Buffet, I want to learn all his secrets and he's a nice guy, there aren't too many famous nice people.

What's the best book you've read this year?  The Book of Mormon

What's your least favorite chore?  The dishes

BONUS QUESTION:  What's your favorite pair of kicks?  My Chacos and my future pair of Keen sandals, when my Chacos finally die.  (looks like I know what to get him next year for his birthday)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOVE!!

Here's to an eternity and beyond more years with and for you!

Love,

Liz

My 30th Trip Around the Sun

4th Orbit around the Sun with this guy!

getting ready

flank steak salad with blue cheese and french fries, pretty dang good

dinner pics

my perfect rose from TJ

Huds knealing on cue, 

11 ¶And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and ^afrankincense, and myrrh.

Christmas morning breakfast

Christmas run

Huds loving on baby Jesus,  I told him it was baby Jesus, he said "Jesus" and hugged him

Huds new train and hoodie

Ok so the folks were right, kind of.  When TJ and I planned a December wedding we were so in love and excited to be married as soon as possible.  Most everyone with a December wedding said, don't do it, you have to share it with Christmas and Christmas parties etc.  Well we also have to share it with my birthday and now it's my husbands busiest season at work.  They were right.  In one lonely week I had my birthday and our anniversary and then after a quick celebration over the weekend it was Christmas.  I don't regret getting married when we did, but bam I have nothing to look forward to the rest of the year.  We decided to plan a spring vacation every year instead of trying to do anything during this time of year.

Also I'm 30, when did this happen?  I don't feel 30,  sometimes when I look in the mirror,  I see a haggard tired woman and think, why do I look so eh haggard and tired, oh that's right I'm 30, not 21 like I feel inside.  This is the best it's going to be so I've got to enjoy it, but really my skin was so much more supple and fresh at 25, motherhood might have something to do with that one.  Ah well I think I have it pretty good and am not complaining just commenting on my oldness.  It's been a great 30 years and now it's time to settle down into family life and personal goals, that's what the 30's are about for me.  20's were great full of adventure and lots of crazy schoolwork, homework, finding a soulmate, etc. but I hear 30's are even better!

What I've learned the past 30 years:
1. Do what makes you happy
2. God wants you to be happy
3. Don't worry about what others think of you, it never matters
4. Relationships are all we've truly got, cherish them
5.  Taking care of your body is equally important to taking care of your brain and spirit
6.  Don't waste time on those who don't take time for you
7. Balance is key to harmony in everything
8. Eat as close to nature as possible
9. Early to bed, Early to rise
10. You can do amazing things if you want to
11.  Enjoy life now!
12.  Wear sunscreen
13.  talk to God every day
14. don't worry about yourself, you'll find much greater joy in thinking of and fulfilling others needs not your own
15. Always do what's right, no matter who is or isn't watching
16.  Happiness has nothing to do with what you own
17.  There is no time like the present to achieve what we desire
18.  TV is fun to watch but it's still a HUGE waist of time
19.  you can be whoever you want to be
20.  eat lots of yummy food you enjoy
21.  get rid of ANYTHING weighing you down, junk, sins, bad feelings etc
22.  sometimes when you are sad you just need to go to sleep and everything is better in the morning
23. less is usually more
24. get educated in something you love
25.  spend time in nature
26. appreciate and respect this beautiful Earth we live on
27. my parents are far from perfect and so am I, it's OK
28. learn from your mistakes and try not to repeat them
29. those we judge harshest are what we become, don't judge, just love
30. Love is all we need and it's always the answer

There that took me 15 minutes not bad, especially given that there was a howling dog that I was praying wouldn't wake up Hudson, now I'm going to go watch TV,  or read a book but probably watch TV, don't judge.