Dear Baby E

Originally written 6/26/12
Dear Baby E,
I can't tell you how incredibly happy and excited I was when I saw those 2 little pink lines. It has only been 2 days since I knew you were coming, yet I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. Your big sister is so excited you're coming. I can't wait for you to meet her. Daddy is also excited for you to come, I can tell by how much he is already worried about you and planning for our life after you come as a family of 4 :)
I can't wait to enjoy you in our lives, while you're an inside baby and out. Just know that you are extremely loved already by everyone who will be a part of your life.

The Love in My Life

I figured Valentine's Day would be a good day to talk about the love in my life.
Meet the most wonderful husband I could ask for, B.


B and I met a little more than 4 years ago. The funny thing is when we first met and worked together there was absolutely no chemistry. At the time, we were both dating other people. Fast forward down the road a few months, we were both single and I was transferring to another store. At this time, I had come back into the store he was at to pick something up that corporate sent to the wrong store. If it wasn't for that mistake, I'm not sure we would be where we are today. That day we talked for awhile and he ended up asking me if I wanted to go to a movie with him that weekend. We saw a movie and talked in the car in the middle of the desert ridge parking lot until 2am. After that, the rest was history. Now we are a happy family with a beautiful baby girl.


B works so hard to support our family while I am finishing school and raising our daughter. He has always been so supportive of me and everything that I do. I know that he is behind me 100% in every decision I make. I couldn't ask for a better partner in life. I can't wait to see what life brings us along the way :)




"Well maybe I'm just lucky
But maybe that's OK
Some people search the whole world over
Just to find a love, that's even half as true
As the love I've found in you"
Lovin' me some Lady Antebellum lately :)

Blessed. And a wish.

So a few weeks ago I started my last semester of school, which is student teaching. I am in a 3rd grade classroom with 27 students, Monday through Friday, all day, everyday. It has been an adjustment, but one that I've gotten used to quite quickly. There has been a lot of new feelings for me in the last few weeks with this starting, anxiety, nervousness, excitement. But another feeling that I wasn't quite prepared for to feel so strongly is the feeling of being so incredibly blessed. I am going to school and working in a district in a very high-needs area. More than half the schools in the district are Title I schools (for those that don't know those are schools where more than half of the student population qualifies for free or reduced breakfast and lunch). I can not even count how many stories I've heard in the last few weeks of elementary school students who have gone through harder things in their life already than most adults go through. These are students who have lost a parent(or even both), have been abused by a family member, have been taken away from their parents by CPS for neglect, who have been exposed to drugs and crime. I could go on and on. I see these same students who against the odds try their very best at everything they do in the classroom, trust other caring adults, and thrive in situations that are less than ideal. These kids are inspirations.

Even while seeing the best in these children, I can't help but think of my own daughter and family. I can't help but feel so incredibly BLESSED for everything that I have in life. I have a roof over my head, food on the table, and love and support surrounding me in any direction I look. I am so lucky to have all that I do.

I just wish that every child can feel the way that I did as a kid. I wish that every child had 2 parents that love and care and support them in everything they go through. I wish that no child ever had to know what it feels like to starve, be homeless, be abused, or be neglected. I wish that every child had a person that made them feel safe, that they could talk to and trust with their secrets.
I want to be that person for my students. I want to be their wish.

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.