Time Going Slow...

Ever since Brandon and I have been together we have always lived with someone else. When we were first dating we both lived in apartments with roommates. When we found out I was pregnant I moved into his apartment with him and his roommate. Right before I had Brooklyn we moved into a house with my dad. When we decided it would be best for me to quit my job and focus on school we moved in Brandon's parent's house.
After all that moving and living with other people I have to say, I cannot wait to have our own place. I don't care what it is: an apartment or a house, whether we buy or rent, I just want to have a place that is just ours, our family's. I want to raise our daughter the exact way that we want to. I want to have our own furniture and appliances. I want to have a place where no one is watching or judging what I do.
I know that it so close, but it still seems so far away. After the holidays are over we will begin looking seriously for something and I can't wait for the day we can move all of our stuff from storage, buy the rest of the stuff we need, and establish our family in our first place.

Future Plans and Disneyland!

It has been forever and I have been a horrible blogger! I plan to get to writing again and hopefully sticking with it this time. I'd like to make some time for myself to start writing about our family, our upcoming home search, home decorating/DIY type things, and hopefully (if I have some free time) some crafting and/or cooking.

For now I will update on what we have been doing lately. I have been busy with my crazy school schedule, Brandon has been working hard and busy with fantasy football, and Brooklyn has been growing like crazy! Last weekend we packed up the car and took a trip with Brandon's parents to California to take Brooklyn on her first trip to Disneyland! We only stayed for the weekend and went to Disney for 1 day but we had a blast! She was so good and had such a good time! She had the biggest smile on her face the entire time, loved seeing all of her favorite characters, and loved riding all of the rides.
Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Day 30 - One Last Moment

Yesterday I was sitting on the bed right in front of Brooklyn. She lays her head on the back of my shoulder out of nowhere and says "I love you Mommy". I've been waiting for the day I would hear those words ever since I found out I was pregnant. Being a mommy is definitely the best thing I will ever do :)

Day 29 - Your Aspirations

My aspirations in life are to be successful in the things that are important to me.
I want to raise happy, healthy, smart children.
I want to become a teacher who will help to change children's lives.
I want to maintain a balance in life between my family, my job, and my friends.
I want to be someone my children and my students look up to and respect.

Day 28 - Something That You Miss

I miss having some sort of free time!

Since I started school 8 weeks ago I feel like I have been running on empty and have been busy every minute of the day. I know I just need to remember that this will pay off in the end but its tiring being so busy! I'm so glad I have spring break this week so I can spend some time sleeping and being with my family and friends.

Day 27 - Your Favorite Place

My favorite place to be is anywhere with these 2 people :)

Day 26 - Your Fears

I don't believe that people should dwell on their fears. If you think about what you are afraid of, you cannot be optimistic. I choose to focus more on my hopes and the things I look forward to rather than the opposite.

Day 25 - A First

I can't think of a first that I've encountered lately. I'll go along with my last couple posts and use a picture.

My first child :)

Day 24 - Something That Makes You Cry

How about something that doesn't make me cry?

Before I was pregnant I wasn't that emotional of a person. Sure I would cry in the situations that a normal person would cry in, but not much more. But when I was pregnant, and now ever since then, I cry at everything. Every sad song. Every sad movie. A sad commercial (I know, pathetic). Literally almost everything. Hopefully my hormones go back to normal sometime soon (maybe next time I'm pregnant haha).

Day 23 - Something That Makes You Feel Better

I can sum up this one with just one picture :)

Day 22 - Something That Upsets You

Something that upsets me...

For this one I am going to talk about a movie. I watched Life As We Know It last night with Brandon. Although it was really a good movie, I bawled through half of it! Before I was a parent a movie like this wouldn't have upset me quite so much. But now that I am a parent, watching a movie like that, I think of myself in that situation right away. I feel so bad for that little girl, losing both of her parents in one night before she even really knew them. I cannot even imagine leaving my daughter in this world without Brandon and I. It's such a depressing thing to even think about. That is something that makes me upset.

Day 21 - Another Moment

For this moment I am going to pick a day last week. I don't remember exactly what day it was but it is definitely a moment I will remember.

So Brooklyn has been talking up a storm lately! I can't even count how many words her vocabulary has expanded to. I have been trying to get her to say "I love you" since she first started talking. She said it one time right after her 1st birthday but has not said it since then! In 8 months! So one day last week she's going to bed and I give her a kiss and say "I love you night night" just like I do every night when I put her to bed and she looks right up at me and says clear as day "I love you too Mommy". I about cried. I cannot believe how much she is growing up. My baby is not a baby anymore :(

Day 20 - This Month

I am so looking forward to this month!

March means:

I am one step closer to summer.
It is the perfect weather outside.
It is our first anniversary on the 21st!
I have spring break for a week.

Day 19 - Something You Regret

I believe everything happens for a reason. I know that sounds cliche, but I truly believe it to be true. There is not a think in my life I regret because I wouldn't be where I am today.

Day 18 - Your Favorite Birthday

My favorite birthday would have to be last years. This birthday was the first year I spent with my family. My husband and my daughter. The year older I turn does not matter to me. The time I spend with the people I love is what matters.

Day 17 - Your Favorite Memory

My favorite memory is the day that we met our baby girl. We did not know what to expect. Who would she look like? Would she be cute? How big would she be? What if she turned out to be a boy?! (Yes our ultrasound lady told us she was 75% sure it was a girl)

July 2nd was the day we got the answers to all of those questions. She looked JUST like Brandon. She was SO cute! (I mean she had to be, she was our child.) She was the perfect size, not to big, not to small. She was definitely a she :)

That day was by far the best and most memorable of my life (so far) :)

Day 16 - Your First Kiss

My first kiss was nothing to even be remembered, so instead I will tell you about Brandon and I's first kiss.

We had gone to a movie at Desert Ridge and were sitting in the car talking afterward. After a short silence he looks at me and asks (yes ASKS) if he can kiss me. How romantic right? That should have been my first indicator of how romantic (not!) he still is to this day.

Day 15 - Your Dreams

My dreams...

I dream about what our life will be like in 10 years. Where will we be living? How many kids will we have? What will Brooklyn be like as a kid, or a teenager, or even after that? Will I still love my job as much as I think I will? I cannot wait to find out the answers to these questions eventually. But in the mean time, I will be loving my family and our every day life together.

Day 14 - What You Wore Today

Today I had school all day so I wore my new bright blue dress (which is now my favorite dress I've ever owned :) ). With it I wore black tights and my black cardigan with my black flats.

Day 13 - This Week

This week has been pretty up and down.
Monday was President's Day so I had the day off of school. But I didn't know what to do with myself! I'm so used to starting my crazy week on Mondays and this week all I did was sit around the house with Brooklyn. Yesterday I had my long day at school. 7:30am-6pm. I hate these days. Everyone in class just shuts down after about 3 and we're all just in a bad mood because we want to go home and go to bed. Today was one of those days where just everybody was a little bit annoying. I felt like any little thing could set me off. Plus, I had to stay after to plan a lesson with a group for a presentation tomorrow, one that we only had 1 days worth of planning to do!

I can't wait until Spring break.

Day 12 - What's in Your Bag

For the most part I like to believe I'm a simple-purse type person. In my bag I usually only carry my wallet, my phone, chapstick, a pen, and hand sanitizer. When I'm going somewhere with Brooklyn that also includes a couple diapers, wipes, and a snack.

Day 11 - Your Siblings

I have 2 older brothers and 1 younger sister.
All the way on the left is my 2nd oldest brother, Amory. He is shy but is the sweetest person and anyone who gets to know him is so lucky. He will be an amazing father one day.
The second from the left is my oldest brother, Jett. We have always butted heads growing up but now get along pretty good. He was always the "watchful" older brother, threatening my boyfriends and watching out for me.
To my left is my sister, Aliya. We fight nonstop and she always thinks I'm picking on her. If she would only realize that I am just worried about whats best for her and am trying to help.
I love my brothers and sister and I'm so thankful that I got to grow up with them.

Day 10 - What You Wore Today

Today I had the a glorious pleasure of sitting around in sweats all day long! This is something that I took for granted before I started going to school. Now that I have to dress up for school 4 days a week I am so glad to be able to stay in my pajamas or just wear sweats on the weekends.

Day 9 - Your Beliefs

I believe that life is what you make of it.
I believe that positivity really is the key.
I believe true love will continue to grow.
I believe love really will get you through anything.

Day 8 - A Moment

I'm guessing this means that I need to pick a moment, any moment in time, and explain it. So I will pick the moment (or moments) that I became a mother.

The first moment I knew I would become a mother, when I read the positive pregnancy test, was probably one of the scariest moments of my life. Don't get me wrong, I was extremely happy to be becoming a mother. But I was scared that maybe I couldn't do it, maybe I wouldn't be good enough for this amazing little baby that was growing in my belly.

Then 9 months later comes the day that I became a mother.


At this moment I was the opposite of scared. I was without a doubt the happiest I had been in my entire life. I knew that I would be an amazing mother. I knew I was more than good enough for my baby girl. I couldn't wait to watch her grow up and learn new things every day. And I still feel this way today :)

Day 7 - Your Best Friend(s)

My best friends are the best that anyone could ask for! We have been friends for 6 years now and they have been there for me through thick and thin. I couldn't have made it where I am today without these girls by my side and I couldn't love them more for it!

Day 6 - Your Day

Yesterday I woke up in the morning, got ready for school, got Brooklyn up and dressed and dropped her off with my mom. I then made my way to school where I was interning in a classroom with my mentor teacher. I taught my first small-group lesson, which turned out as good as I expected. I could have done better but I was pretty nervous as I was being observed and evaluated by my professor. But it turned out alright. After school I picked up Brooklyn, came home, ate dinner, and then laid in bed with Brooklyn watching cartoons until it was time to go to bed. I know I'm boring.

Day 5 - Your Definition of Love

My definition of love is being accepted by someone exactly as you are. Knowing someones faults and annoying habits, but loving them just the same anyway. Supporting someone in everything they do. Being there through the good and the bad, for better or for worse. To feel for someone unconditionally.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

Day 4 - What You Ate Today

This post is kind of silly but I guess I'll play along.
We went to the Phoenix Coyotes game Monday night and I had the best pizza! I wasn't expecting to have good pizza at a sporting event but it was a pleasant surprise. The pizza was from a place named Oggi's. I definitely want to go to the restaurant and have it again sometime soon!

Day 3 - Your Parents

My parents.

I am very close to both of my parents and I can't imagine what I'd do without them! They both have always been completely supportive of every decision I've made in life. My mom is the single most reason Brooklyn has never had to step foot into a daycare and I couldn't thank her more for that! I am so fortunate to have grown up with two loving parents in my life and am so glad that my daughter also gets two loving grandparents :)

Day 2 - Your First Love

My first real love would be my husband :)

(I'm taking it a little old school with the picture haha)

I couldn't have asked for a better man in my life. He is great husband and an even greater daddy to our daughter. I'm sure he thinks that I don't appreciate him enough, but I really do. I promise :)

Day 1 - Introduce Yourself

Well most of you probably know this already, but I'm Elyse.


I have an amazing husband and beautiful little girl, both of whom I adore :)



I currently am in school full time to be an elementary school teacher. I will be graduating in just about 15 months and could not be more excited to finally start my career.
I'm a very easy-going girl. I love to lay on the couch and watch a movie just as much as I love to get out of the house and do something fun. This can also be a bad thing, as some people say I can never make a decision about what I want to do (because I'd be happy with either!). I love to go to the movies, go to the gym, read my chick lits, and bake all things yummyness. I love kids and cannot wait to have a couple more (although I will have to convince my husband of more than 2 :p). I can't wait to finish school, buy a house, and start to live the next phase of our lives!

30 Day Challenge

I realize it is now February and I haven't made more than 1 post in my new blog.
To fix this I am going to do a 3o day challenge :)

I'll start with Day 1 tomorrow

To the start of the new year!

I'm so exciting to be starting this new blog! I have a feeling it will be a little less about the entire family and maybe a little more of my own thoughts, but hey I'm writing it so I guess that's ok.

2010 was a great year for us and I'm sure 2011 will be even better!
Here is a look back at the last year and a few of our big moments!

We got married on March 21st!


We took our honeymoon to beautiful Puerto Vallarta, Mexico!





We celebrated our baby's 1st birthday on July 2nd!



We took a family trip to San Diego





We had our 2nd Christmas as a family and Brooklyn loved opening her "pwesents"! :)