Little update...

I am officially an absent blogger.

I know.

My life and a stay at home mom is great! And very, very busy!

I still don't have a perfectly clean house. (Will I ever?) But, I love that I'm able to do so many thing that for years have been put on the back burner.

Take yesterday for example... My top priority? Tea party with little miss Cecelia. She is such the perfect hostess. Grandma Sandy would be so proud!

That's not to say that's all I did. I eventually finished the mountain of laundry and attempted to straighten up. But, then I had about six neighborhood children in and out of my house. So you can imagine the disaster Dan came home to.

Really, I do try...

I promise.

On the baby front...

I finally went to the doctor.

As I had guessed, I've got PCOS. Now I know, and now I don't have to stress. It's going to take a little bit to get pregnant. But, it's not impossible.

So, I think I'm going back to school! I have just about a year left to get my bachelors and now is the perfect time. Celia is starting Kindergarten this fall. So hopefully I can get some grants and work my schedule around Little Missy's.

What do you think?

Am I nuts?

Just saying...

For my not so tactful Grandfather, all the sideways glaces at church and the nearly daily asking by my sweet daughter and just about everyone else on the planet...

No, I am not pregnant.
Yes, I am aware that I'm getting a little chunky.

As it turns out, I'm having some not great luck in the baby making department. Pretty sure it's a hormone thing since I've struggled with it for years.

Thanks to a really great friend, I've finally mustered up the nerve for a doctor's appointment. Not fertility stuff. Just to fix what's broken for now and see what happens.

And aside from the annoying weight gain, I'm ok with all this. Not that I wouldn't love a new little one. It's just my life is pretty full right now. I love my time with Celia. I missed so much of her life while I was a working mom. Now that I'm home, I'm a little selfish. I just love being with her.

Besides, I'm so used to being a mom to a preschooler. A very independent preschooler. She starts Kindergarten this fall. We're way past diapers and midnight feeding. We're on to reading and learning to ride a two wheeler. A baby would be very, very different.


Today, I'm ok not having one.

What I'd really like??
To stop being asked if I'm pregnant.
If and when it happens, I'll let everyone know. And I really don't need to be told how fat I am one more time.

Trust me, I've noticed...

A Tiny Little Lie...

We're heading to Disneyland in just a few short days!

The whole family.

Five little guys and the ten adults responsible for them.

Celia is beyond excited.

She's wanted to pack for a least a month now. She's planning on wearing her favorite Snow White dress and meeting each and every princess.

I did tell her a little lie though.

We've been battling a bit of a bad attitude in the munchkin for the last week or so. So I told her Disneyland was the happiest place on earth.

You can't disobey, whine, or be naughty there, or they'll kick you out.

You know.

It's actually worked. I just remind her when she's starting to get naughty that she needs to practice for Disneyland and it works.

So I lied.

I think I'll be forgiven.

Vampy??

"Mom, I have bangs now. Does that make me a vampire??"
I'm pretty sure she meant fangs.

Her bangs are darling.

And new.

The only problem?

She looks easily three years older.

My baby is not a baby anymore.

Sigh.

(Celia as Master Shifu)

(Master Shifu. See the resemblance??)

Report Card

Staying home being a full time mom- Love it! Love it! Love it!

Our house full of sickness- we're getting there. Cel's up and going. Me and Dan are a little behind. Stuffy and coughy. Breathing is so overrated.

The mess that I affectionately call my house- also, getting there. I tackled laundry yesterday. Today, the living room will livable.

My grandparents- Things are good. Thank you for all the prayers and concern. Grandpa is home and on the mend. Albeit a little slower than I'm sure he'd prefer. Grandma is in a wonderful nursing home in a Alzheimer's unit. Mom says it's perfect. We'd love to have her home, but that can't happen. So, now she's in a safe, secure and happy place. As soon as I can stop coughing, Cel and I definitely going out and about for some much needed visits.


And finally. My New Years Resolutions...

1) Read the Book of Mormon again. And this time, really study it.
2) Go to the temple at least twice a month with my hubby.
3) Learn to do my family history.
4) Do the temple work for Dan's grandparents.
5) Expand our food storage.
6) Teach Celia to read before she starts Kindergarten.
7) Get off my lazy rump and exercise more.

Happy Wednesday all!

Making Money

This is what Celia instructed Dan to do after morning prayer today...

Dan- "I love you Celia."

Celia- "I love you too. Go make real money. Not fake money. Ok?"

Last night she successfully faked sleep for a good ten minutes. Just enough time for me to carry her in from the car, help her potty and declare that since she was so sound asleep she didn't have to brush her teeth.

It surprised both Dan and I when she burst from her room triumphantly a few minutes latter and announced,

"Got ya!"

That's when I laughed and said, "Now you do get to brush your teeth!"

Later we asked her if she really had been faking the whole time.

"Yep! Fakin not stirred!"

I think she meant "Shaken not stirred" as in James Bond, or her favorite way to make chocolate milk.

Still, it was very funny.

Where does she get her ideas??

Dan and I are very happy to have our sweet Celia home again.

Without her little spark our house just isn't our home.

Do You Believe in Santa Claus?

I think I believed in Santa until I was 12.

I just knew he was real.

I mean it just didn't make any sense that he wouldn't be real.

My letters were never returned from the North Pole and the handwriting on the thank you notes left with the empty plate of goodies didn't match either of my parents.

And one year I actually heard the bells of his sleigh.

So logically Santa just had to be real.

I knew it, testified to it and endured the teasing of my friends that had stopped believing years before me.

I believed in Santa until one Christmas morning we were opening our gifts and my sister Tawny got my Donnie, New Kids on the Block doll.

I was devastated.

There is no way Santa would have made such an egregious mistake.

Tearfully I demanded to know the truth from my mom.

She tried to explain that sometimes Santa couldn't get us everything we wanted and parents had to help and sometimes parents makes mistakes. But I could see the truth in her eyes.

That was the worst Christmas ever.

Fast forward a few years.

I'm a mom raising a true believer in Santa.

Celia firmly states when asked,

"I believe in the real Santa, the real Jesus and the real Heavenly Father."

In her eyes they all go together.

The magic that is Santa is the same adoration she has for our Savior and Father.

They are goodness, they are love and believing in them gives her joy.

So this year, I believe in Santa too.

Check out the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional here.

Introducing...

Putty Tooty Two Shoes

(She's stuffed...no worries for the allergic members of our family.)

One month, One day

And counting...

I just handed over another task at work today.

This whole stay-at-home-mom thing is starting to feel real.

Well, almost.

I have a confession to make... I'm a little scared.

What if I can't cut it?

I mean, what if I'm not good at being a stay at home mom.

I've been a working mom for almost five years.

Celia's whole life.

The most time Celia and I have ever had together is an extended weekend or holiday. We've got our routine down. I know how to be a working mom.

I don't know how to be a stay at home mom.

What if Celia is bored with me?

What if I get lonely?

And Heaven forbid, what if I miss work??

It seems like a silly thing. But, I'm honestly a little scared of this whole process. I want so badly to make this work. As much as I've gotten the whole working mom routine down, I hate it.

The ladies here at work always told me that I'd get used to leaving Celia at daycare.

I've never gotten used to it.

I can honestly say that in the last five years I have never had a day when I dropped her off and thought, "Whew. I'm so glad I get to go to work today."

Never.

I have had nearly twelve hundred days when I've dropped her off and thought,

"I wish I could stay home with her today."

And I've had about twelve hundred days where I sit at work and my thoughts are on all the things I'm missing with her instead of the tasks on my computer screen.

I've never been able to go on a field trip with Celia.

I've only dropped her off and picked her up from preschool a handful of times.

My sister potty trained her.

Her first words were spoken at daycare.

Her first steps were taken there too.

I've missed a lot.

A lot, a lot.

Celia starts Kindergarten the next fall.

I'll have nine months to make up for the five years I've lost.

I pray I can do it.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

This morning I accidentally left the bathroom faucet on a tiny bit while Celia was brushing her teeth.

She exclaimed, "Mom! You left the sink on. The earth in broken. We need to give the world a hug! You're wasting water!"

Liar, liar. Pants on fire!

New discovery for Miss Celia. Fibbing.

Her little tales are quite convincing. Even if the physical evidence doesn't quite support her claim. It's only at about the second or third time I ask, "Is that the truth or a lie", does she actually crack and confess.

It started a few months back with just harebrained stories. It was cute and funny. Now, it's turned into ways to get around not minding or to get out of trouble.

Yesterday, she lied that the cookie I had said needed to wait until after dinner just happened to fall off the countertop and into her hands. She rationalized that she was just doing me a favor since she caught it before it messed up the floor. And since she had helped me out, she might as well just eat it.

Nice try. Points for creativity. But a lie is still a lie.

I'm afraid these little amusing white lies will turn into a big fibbing problem. Maybe we need to have a little mommy and Celia time tonight and reread Edward Fudwupper Fibbed Big.

Any helpful advice from my expert mom friends??

Halloween Weekend Fun!

Little Miss Sparkle Kitty at our ward's truck or treat.

I think she had more fun passing out treats than getting them though.

She's a Sparkle Kitty. Her idea.
Mom approved costume for under $20!




Luke Skywalker and Sparkle Kitty trick or treating at R&O.
They hauled!

Celia woke up Halloween morning with a fever. Flu. Fun stuff.

So we had a 'slow day'.

While I continued to wade through the mountain of boxes, she amused herself with the empty ones.

I thought she'd be bummed that we couldn't trick or treat.

But, no.

She was super excited for trick or treaters. In fact, she sat at the window for about an hour waiting and watching for them. Then when they stopped coming she was super sad.

Monday, Mommy and Celia day since she still wasn't feeling well.

First bloody nose. Poor baby!

I think it scared her more than anything.

Punkin Guts! Oh My!

Celia is now an expert 'Punkin Gutter'.

I'm so proud!

She was covered in pumpkin innards up to her armpits and loving every gooey, slimy minute of it. I really just shouldn't be surprised by her anymore!

Our annual Pumpkin Carving Night is just about my favorite time of year.

Bummer though... My camera decided to abruptly quit on me. So I just have the one fuzzy picture from my phone.

Oh well! Great memories anyway!!

Weaver family- It was so much fun to see you all again! Celia's talked about Wyatt non stop since Sunday. Too funny!

Would Somebody Please Get That Girl A Spotlight Already??

Celia loves attention. Who knew??

Dan and I took the little starlet to her Dad's church for their Primary program. We had missed our ward's because of our Honeymoon, so we were pretty excited to see her.

We've been practicing her little part for weeks. It was supposed to be "I can be a good example". However, Celia had decided to put her own little spin on it. While practicing, it usually turned into something like this, "I can be a good example with my friends, Mikayla, Cambry, Josh, Connor. I'm a good friend. And I go to school. It's called Little Sprouts......"

Oh she would just keep going. Her whole life story. I kept having to reign her in by saying that other kids really did need their chance to give their talks. Reluctantly she would agree. Given her reluctance, I was a little nervous yesterday.

She was last in her little class to speak and while they were lined up she was pretty much dancing with anticipation. The look on her face clearly said, "Sheesh. Can these other little kids hurry up and say their thing?!"

Sure enough, little princess diva grabs that microphone as clear as a bell, without any help from the teacher, commands"Be a good example!"

Pause. Charming smile. Swirl dress. Turn and exit stage left.

Apparently, this little star performance had been predicated by her breakout role in our ward's primary program a few weeks ago. She was the only one of her class not to be out sick, so she had a whole row to herself.

Front and center for the whole congregation to see.

As I've been told, she didn't disappoint.

And to top that, the talk didn't show up for Sharing Time latter that day. So, Celia was asked to talk about her time at the temple with us the day before.

Apparently, she had the whole Primary waiting on her every word.

Oh, that kid makes me laugh!

And cry.

But, just a little.

I had prayed for a girl with confidence.

Well, Cel's got it and then some. Maybe we'll just call it moxy.

What's in a Name?

Driving in the car the other day, Celia and I got on the subject of nicknames.

"Mommy, what's a nickname?"

"It's something people call you that's not really your name. Like when we call you CelCel or Celia Bedelia. What do you think people call you?"

After a few moments pause,

"Beautiful".

Best Buddies

I'm happy to report that Celia is quite the little Dodger fan!

This is their buddy time and she just loves watching the games snuggled in Dan's arms.

(Good thing it's her, or I would be a little bit jealous!)

He's got his Dodger shirt on and she's wearing her 'Pink Dodger'.

(That's the hat he bought for her at the game.)

They swung their towels, cheered at the top of their lungs and chanted for their favorite players. She was delighted that after chanting, "Manny, Manny, Manny!", he scored a home run just for her. How nice of Manny Ramirez to remember his biggest fan all the way in Utah!

I just warms my heart that he spends so much time with her. It's not just during baseball games either. He takes her every Thursday night while I'm at my meeting and that's their special time. They usually end up getting ice cream or some other fun treat.

But, even more than that, he'll tuck her in, play Pollies, and build forts. All the great dad stuff. He is a great dad! And believe you me, it's not always easy.

He's been thrown into this pretty quickly. But, he's so patient with her. With us. Even when I loose my temper and am frustrated. Dan is calm and always willing to do whatever it takes to make both his ladies happy.

We are so blessed to have our Daniel!

(I have to share him for real now.)

We are so blessed that Celia has him as such a strong example.

He honors his priesthood and brings a very special spirit in to our home.

We are two very lucky girls that's for sure!

Celia-isms

In defense of not taking a nap the other day,

"I already took one before breakfast!"

While playing with her rocking horse that's been too small for two years now,

"Mommy, I just wish I had a magic wand that would make my horse all the way real!"

(Can you tell we've been reading a little too much Velveteen Rabbit?)

"Mommy? What are you watching?"

I told her Lost, and she wanted to watch it. I gave her five minutes and then told her we were shutting it off.

"Not yet! Which one is the guy that's lost?"

"Mom? You're married now right?"

When I responded in the affirmative,

"Ok. So where's my dog?"

I had promised her we'd get a dog after Dan and I got married. She took that absolutely literal. I guess I need to be a little more specific on my timeframes.

When it comes to eating dinner she always wants to make deals about how many bites to finish. I usually say something like, "You choose. 4 or 5 more bites." I'm ok with both choices, but it makes her feel in charge. Her response has been,

"No. I'll do 2+2."

Fine answer too and it make me giggle. The other day we went through the routine again and she was obstinate. I even finally offered 2+2. She responds with,

"That's 4. I'll do 1+1. That's 2 bites."

She totally outsmarted me on that one. No more math for that little one!

Could I Get About 10 More Hours In the Day Please??

Welcome Friday.

I could have sworn it was still Wednesday. Busy week!

Our new little townhouse is still a maze of boxes. I'm pretty much living out of my suitcase since I can't quite find any of my cold weather clothes. Oh well.

I have my kitchen and bathroom unpacked and useable. Yay me! This weekend's task... find the other three rooms. That, and finish decorating for Halloween. It's all about priorities. I mean, we only have our door and windows decorated. It's October 9th people and I haven't put up my Halloween trees! I know what you're thinking. Cut me some slack alright? I've had a few things on my plate lately.

Here are a few fun highlights from the week...

Baby Chace is finally here!

She is gorgeous! I can't wait to snuggle her. I just need to get over this sicky thing and loose the cough.

Court again yesterday.

The Juvenile case is closed. Which means beastly Laina, the guardian ad litem, and annoying Chris, the caseworker, are out of our lives. Joy!! Celia's dad has actually been pretty decent about things lately. I chalk it up to nothing short of a miracle. He's still pressing for more time with Celia and wants it formalized when we enter our agreement into district court. As it is, he's not taking her the full amount as it is. I'm not worried. Things actually are settling quite nicely. Now, I may be jinxing things by writing that. But, I can still hope, right?

I supervised my first Enrichment Night last night.

Randee was obviously a little indisposed, so I filled in. It went well. But, Randee was missed. She is so much better at these things than me! I called my brother in a panic about 20 minutes before it started because I realized I couldn't set up all the tables and chairs alone. Thank you Chace! You are a lifesaver.

Celia is sleeping quite contentedly in her own bed!

It's been a little bit of a struggle. I've spoiled her the past few years and out of pure laziness let her sleep with me. Heck, it's been just her and I for so long it was always much easier just to plop her in with me and snooze. Things are a bit different now. She's given us a little resistance, but not much. And aside from sneaking in with us in the wee hours of the morning after a bad dream, she's pretty much sleeping in her own bed all night.

And last but not least... married life in WONDERFUL!!!

Dan takes care of Celia and I in the most tender of ways. Take Wednesday night. We had my little nephew over while the baby was being born and he and Celia were running a muck. Then my neighbors came over for a visit with their three kids and I'm running around trying to coordinate last minute enrichment details. Plus the phone is ringing off the hook. Dan's worked a long day, but comes home and instantly pitches in without me having to ask. Thursday night too. While I was at the church he finished my grocery shopping and cleaned up my mess in the kitchen. Then he joined me at the church latter to help me clean up, even though the playoffs were on. I could go on. And on. And on. My husband is a saint!! He is always thinking of our needs first. I love that man!

Mrs Soliz

p.s. I'm posting pictures and our little travel log soon. Promise!

Blessed Day

Last night Dan and I took out our Endowments.

I will never forget that night. I feel so at peace and so blessed. It's been a long journey to bring me to this opportunity. Many, many years of mistakes and sadness.

Now, I am so fortunate that Dan could be there to share this new and exciting experience with me. I was so nervous as I entered the temple, but that feeling soon left me. I was surrounded by loving attendants and so many family and friends.

I now have a better testimony of temple work and look forward to my next visit. Dan and I have committed to regular visits to the temple. We're even looking forward to doing the work for his grandparents. I can't wait for that day to share the blessings for those that could never do the work for themselves.

Last night I also received the permission letter from Celia's father to allow her to be sealed to Dan and I. Until the letter was physically in my hands I was still nervous that it wouldn't happen.

While we were at the temple, her father took the time to explain to Celia his decision and what to expect when she goes to the temple. He even wrote her a very touching letter for her to keep and read. She calls it her 'ticket'. In a way it is. He urged her to marry in the temple and confirmed his believe that families are forever.

I pray that this is a new start for not only Dan and I, but for our relationship with Celia's father. For Celia's sake, she deserves peace with the people she loves the most. I can do that.

For her, I will do anything.

My Miracle

Celia's dad has given his consent

for her to be sealed to Dan and I!

Despite all the past, I am so grateful that he carefully thought this decision through and has selflessly agreed. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for this miracle!

I'm so full of emotions that it's hard for me to write this.

My prayers are answered!