Christmas Present

My hubby always goes above and beyond what a traditional Christmas present should be. From trips to jewelry he's my Mr. Romantic. This year was no different...

 

This is the after pictures. I love how it's calling me to organize our clothes!

 

We have managed to use all the space had in our 8' closet, which now doesn't seem small. Our closet now fits double what it used to. I am always a fan of utilizing your space.

The only pretty thing about the old closet is this little girl in the middle.

Welcome Greyson:

Greyson has been a wonderful blessing to our family. One of the greatest joys is for my husband and I to watch Cosette and Everett interact with their baby brother. Since they are so close in age we haven't really experienced "the baby of our family yet" but it's been wonderful.

COSETTE:  is the second Mommy. She is naturally in tune with Motherhood and is so willing to help in any way capable. She tells me every day how cute her little brother is.

EVERETT:  is so excited to play with his little brother. He thinks Greyson's face expressions are so funny, He is always trying to make him laugh.

It is always time consuming and tiring to Mother and Father of a new born baby but watching him grow and develop into himself is worth all the sleepless nights. Especially for that smile...

Greyson is an active wiggle baby. He is very alert and  loves to sleep on his tummy. We love our little Everett look alike and look forward to our future with him.

Pop Quiz: which picture is Greyson?

Picture 1                                         Picture 2

Vacation

Everybody Needs a Vacation

Mexico, Puerto Vallarta

Life is busy...family, work, and every day obligations can push special life experiences aside. There is something renewing about yourself and life when you get away. For us this get-a-way was rejuvenating because everything we did, saw, and even the people we encountered were completely different from our life back in Utah. Not to mention the ocean, sun, and humidity that warmed and softened us inside and out from a long dry winter.

Puerto Vallarta was a relaxing vacation but it also let us experience how different people live around the world. The local people in Puerto Vallarta are very friendly and love to make small talk with you even if there is a language barrier. They live life at a slower pace with lower expectations on material things and cleanliness. We saw this as we toured the city and experienced their way of life. Our eyes were opened to poverty that was the normal way of life. This got me contemplating how focused we are at home on having nice things and how lucky we are to be in such comfort and safety.

Those of you who have been to third world countries understand their retail industry. Mexican's will develop a talent and sell it to tourists. (Like clothes and different kinds of art.) They are very pushy sales people but there is always room to negotiate on price. We cut more then half the price off our henna tattoos while suntanning on the beach.

The fun thing about staying in a tourist town is the excursions (different activities). The locals take pride in entertaining you through a variety of different activities and entertainment. Yes, they are good at it!

Four Wheeling! This was our favorite. Through the city, up the mountain and at the top was a restaurant with great Mexican food.

I regret not taking more pictures of how Puerto Vallarta looked. You can see by the pictures above that they construct their roads by placing stones into the cement. It made for a very bumpy ride on the four wheelers and in a vehicle/bus. If you look closely you may get a glimpse of what some of the buildings look like. Right before this excursion we stopped on the side of the street and bought a pineapple for a snack. They cut it up right there for us. Oh how juicy and satisfying it was, nothing like back home. Sean-Paul was walking down memory lane as he mentioned to me how much that felt like the Philippines because of how often they would eat fruit, that way, for a snack. One day we will venture to the Philippines together that way he can really reminisce his mission.

Ahh...the love birds. To keep your marriage strong it's important to rekindle your love. We did this a lot in Mexico but on one occasion we decided to cruise on a boat while the sun set. Then on the out skirts of Puerto Vallarta we enjoyed a cultural show, and a romantic dinner on the beach. What a perfect date, eh!

The funny thing is we were going to miss out on this romantic evening because our last experience on a boat was awful. Well, it was no good for me.

Right side: before we set sail. Left side: made it to the island

A couple days earlier when we cruised over to an island and spent the majority of the day at sea. Oh, was I sea sick not to mention pregnant to. I will never forget that sea sick feeling. By the end of the day I was dehydrated, starving, tired, and couldn't wait for my stomach and body to come back to land. I love land!

These are the Dolphins we swam with...up close and personal.

 Of course, we had to do the little kid version of the activity due to our little Greyson living inside me. Dolphins are such smooth, obedient, and friendly animals. What a neat experience to be so close to them.

I have to admit that missing my kids was not an issue on this trip. I did wish for them to experience this with us. Some things are just more fun with your kids...

and some this are more fun with out your kids, like eating. ;)

The best part of Mexico!

The Mexican food and Pina Coladas were so good. I think we had chips with salsa and guacamole everyday and never got tired of it.

There were many different experiences and adventures we did in our week at Mexico. It was hard to only share a few. Our resort was Mexican style with an ocean view that was amazing. We engaged in lots of conversations with locals who didn't speak English, from waiting at the bus stop to taxi drivers and people on the streets. We learned the bus system and took it faithfully even though it made me sick. ;)

Botanical Gardens

I fell in-love with all the wild flowers that grew so rapidly there and the sound of the ocean that filled our room every day. How I miss that. We also can't forget the beautiful sunsets that came faithfully every night.

This was taken from our resort.

I loved experiencing their way of life and relaxing with my most favorite person in the world while my kids were safe at home with my parents. It was truly a vacation in every way.

Thanks for the Christmas present babe!!!

Work-out on the beach!

First Accident

Stitches

Our little Cozy fell on the playground at preschool. She has always been really good a monkey bars but this time slipped at the end before getting back on the platform.

I am so proud of how brave she was at the doctor. No crying! She sat perfectly still for the doctor while he stitched her chin up. You can see from the photo above that there was a smile all the way through.

And...

Who doesn't need an ice cream treat after a rough day like that. :) Lucky Everett got ice cream to!

Announcement

Better Late then Never!

Sean-Paul and I would like to announce the coming of our new baby, Greyson William O'Neal, on July 14th, 2014.  

My Garden

One of my favorite things about spring and summer are flowers. Something about their beauty can bring light to any day.

My Backyard

Front Yard Under Tree

Front Yard by Door

**Feel free to make suggestions on what I can improve on.

Good and Bad Days

Do you ever have moments as a Mom that make you so angry or frustrated? After it passes you look back at the situation and find it comical enough that a camera was needed to capture the moment that you'll never get back. This is what happened to me...

A couple weeks ago we were at Memory Groove (a Utah park downtown) riding bikes and visiting with a friend. All the kids had to go potty, of course. The bathrooms were still locked for the season. (Never could understand why they don't open them at the beginning of March. Isn't that when people usually come out of inside hibernation?) I took them up in the trees and had them pee in nature. When you gotta go you gotta go.;) The next week while at home Cozy and Everett were playing in the backyard. Everett came inside and proceeded to tell me he had poo on his shoe. I almost brushed him off thinking it was mud or something. Then I had a second thought and decided to check his pants in which it was smeared on his underwear from no wiping. I soon realized it was all over the picnic table and grass. I hope I'm not the only Mom who would freak out. We had a good talk and cleaned everything up. That was the end of that... we moved on... almost.

The very next day Cozy and Everett were playing next door with their friend. My neighbors across the street came over to give me some plants. I followed him and his son to the backyard where I wanted him to put the plants. As we turned the corner (this is where a camera was needed) there they were. All three kids lined up by the fence with their pants down. Aah! Freaking out again and embarrassed that my neighbor and his eight year old son witnessed this. Obviously, my lesson the other day did not stick. They were continuing to use the backyard as a toilet. The challenge for me is teaching my kids when it's okay to go potty outside and that only includes pee-pee.

Bad new first....now for the good.

There is a handful of Mother's in my neighborhood and together we rotate houses in attempt to accomplish a preschool where they can learn the basics; their names, letter, colors, and numbers. When I picked Cozy up from preschool this week her teacher was excited to show me the above picture. She had written her name all by herself with no help! What a proud Mommy I am. They have been tracing their names all year and can see that it has taught her something.

Hmm the good moments. Soak them in.