Wednesday, May 30, 2012

16 Months








Moving

From LA to LEHI.

It's official! This Friday is Andy's LAST day at L.E.K. Consulting in Los Angeles.  We have been thankful for L.E.K on so many levels.  Andy works with some incredible people and friends.  We love them A LOT!  L.E.K. has provided our family with a lot of great experiences, and the best insurance EVER at a time when we really needed it.  We feel it has been the stepping stone needed to lead us to our next adventure in life.

Los Angeles has been a dream.  We love it here, as in, we would move back if the right opportunity came along.  The weather is perfect, our friends have been the best, and we feel right at home.  I could go off about the super high rent, no space, bad traffic, but the truth is...we really REALLY LOVE it.

When one door closes, another door opens, and that door happens to be Andy's dream job.  It's called Private Equity and Andy will be working for a company called Sorenson Capital right there in Lehi. He is humbled and grateful for the opportunity. Time to trade in our slacks and heels for wranglers and belt buckles...I kid I kid, but what a completely different place!!! We lived there for 3 years when Andy got back from Iraq and was still in school while I worked, and we thought that it would be cool to move back.  We never thought it would actually happen.  Now that it is, we are searching for a place to live.  It's tempting to buy in this down market, but we will probably be there for two years before an MBA or another opportunity comes along.

We will be in LA for the whole month of June and Andy will have the month off.  We will go on a vaycay in their sometime and Andy promised me I could hit some acting classes and see if I could get on set a few times before we go (something I've been missing a lot, but unable to do with this sweet boy of mine).  We will also be trying to find renters because our lease is until August, so IF you know someone who would LOVE a place right off Santa Monica with a view of the LA temple, give us a ring.  It's been an amazing home, AND the kitchen cabinets are white :-).  We've loved it!

This next adventure will be a lot of fun, but I have to admit...I'm not sure what I am going to do without Trader Joes, the beach, the weather, and our friends.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Welcome Mat

If you come to our home, you may be greeted with our wonderful welcome mat and Jake's bear, shoe, and sock, and possibly many other random objects.  He throws them over the gate every day.  He is such a goober.  He has a thing for throwing things over tall objects likes gates, trash cans, toilets, bathtubs, etc.  The other day we couldn't find Jake's shoe and eventually we found it in the trashcan.  I guess this is his way of welcoming us to toddler-hood!

Mother's Day Love

Mother's Day was awesome.

Andy made breakfast.
Andy watched Jake during church.
Andy made a cute card with Jake holding a sign saying Happy Mommy's Day.
We walked around the temple and Jake played in the dirt and flowers.
It was a bright sunshiny day!
Jake took a long nap, and we all chilled.
Andy made me THE most amazing Carne Asada on the grill 
It was such a wonderful day!

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Mother's Day 2012



 Mother's Day 2012


Mother's Day 2011


Wishing all you dear moms, grandmothers, dear women who are mothers to children even though you don't have children or have lost children, or who hope to have children one day...HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!  I was talking to a friend at church today who had lost her mom 3 years ago.  She said that Mother's Day used to be really sad until she started calling all the mom-like figures in her life to wish them Happy Mother's Day.  I thought that was awesome.

Being a mom is the best.  I am thankful for it, and do not take it for granted.  Sometimes I complain, but today I was thinking of how much I love Jake more today than I have ever and how that love just grows brighter everyday.  Just when I don't know how I will love him more, I feel like I do.  I can't wait for the next day to spend with him.  Then, I thought, Oh NO! What happens on the day that he turns into a teenager and starts rebelling!!! Will I love him more and more during that time in his life?!  The answer is yes.  I will always love him more because even if there are rough days ahead or joyful ones for that matter, I will love him in all things.  I have experienced a small taste of life, just enough, to know that even through rough times, good prevails and so does love.  True love lasts, and as a mother, I will always and forever, love my Jake.  I'm am also thankful for my mom for helping us this year.  She came to LA on angel's wings many times to be here with us for Jake's doctors appointments, to start a food trial and make sure he is eating, to wake up with him bright and early so we could get some extra winks in.  She never, NOT ONCE complained.  EVER.  She smiled, and gracefully spent her time caring for our little man.  Her whole world was him and making him happy.  She teaches me what true love is and that everything we do should be for our children.  My heart can't even fill a page with enough gratitude for her.  It swells with thanksgiving for her.  I've needed her more this year than ever.  What a precious gift motherhood is.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Prayer

We have been saying a blessing on Jake's food at every meal since he started eating his meager millet baby cereal in December.

Before when we started feeding him and he would react to the rice cereal, the peaches, the apples, the Neocate formula, I never thought about praying over his food. I actually started hating food and had serious food envy when other moms would feed their babies.  I wanted so badly for Jake to eat.  Now, I feel silly for feeling that way because we are seeing miracles and there's so much I am trying to learn from his food allergies which are disappearing faster than we could have imagined.

It occurred to me that I needed to have more faith.  So, we turned to prayer.  At some point, I would hold Jake's arms in a praying position, whisper to him that we were going to pray, and I would say a short prayer to bless his food to nourish him and bless him, and I'd say Amen, and then repeat Amen so he would say it after the prayer was given.  Anything longer than that and he would loose it and want to eat or get out of his chair.

It was simple, but I my faith started growing as he began tolerating more foods.  We are taught in our church to bless our food at every meal to be good for our bodies, and I have to be honest, I do it out of habit sometimes and it can be very routine. It wasn't until Jake really started having trouble eating that I stared having faith in blessing food. So I applied faith that if I actually blessed his food, and prayed it would help him and nourish him, if it be God's will, he would be able to tolerate it.

If anything, at least he might learn to hush for a moment in church.  This little prayer upon his food has happened every day since he started eating solids because somewhere in my heart, I knew he needed to eat.  It was doing me no good to live in fear of what he could and couldn't eat.  Today as I was rushing about getting his meal ready, I sat down grabbed his food and spoon and turned to shovel his dinner into his mouth, only to find our sweet Jake with his arms folded. Quiet and ready to pray.  I stopped my scurrying and teared up a bit and said our blessing on his food.  His chicken, his sweet potatoes, his peas, and his yogurt.  There was a time when I never thought he would eat any of this until he was at least 2 if not 5.   Thank you Jake for stopping your busy 15 month old body and helping me remember that our little prayer has created a miracle in our family. Thank you dear dad and mom and dear friends and dear everyone, who randomly calls and tells us that they pray(ed) for him.  Prayers are answered.