Oh its a jolly holiday with Daniel

What was the holiday we celebrated in our home......Daniels Birthday!

I sure do love this day because I'm so glad Daniel was born so that down the road he could meet me.  I definitely owe his parents for making such a wonderful guy that I'm lucky to call my husband.  Now let me say that Daniel can talk me in to anything, when I say anything I mostly mean any gift that enters our home.  I can't resist his charm I guess, or maybe I'm just as excited for him to open his gifts.  So one of his gifts was opened a week early and then a couple more a few days later, and then the last gift was a book that I placed on the book shelf to see if he would find it before his birthday.  It was fun to see him wonder where the gift was and eventually after looking at the place a few times noticed that something was different.

Opening the first gift which was a mini air hockey table

Air hockey table

some soccer cones 

We went to Tocanos for dinner for a Brazilian feast

(which leads to one happy birthday boy)

Look at that cute face stuffed with food 

My plate usually looks like this when we go there, lots of carbs haha 

Love is in the air

I sure do love Valentines Day!  
Growing up it was always one of my favorite holidays, even when I didn't really know what it was like to love someone like I do now.  My parents always made it special whether it be a heart shaped rice crispy treat the size of our heads, or candy or one memory is getting Mulan for all of us kids to share.  I also remember my mom had these heart earrings that I loved so much that I was so excited to finally get to wear them on Valentines day.  This year wasn't any different when it came to wanting to make it special.  I waited for Daniel to get home and then we enjoyed a fun V-day dinner then watched a movie later on.  I sure do enjoy just staying at home on this night mostly because you don't deal with the packed and crowded restaurants, but its also just nice to have a quiet evening alone.  

I set up a picnic blanket in the living room where we ate lasagna, garlic bread and carrots

Heart shaped garlic bread

                                 

Heart shaped carrots

Because I was doing a special dinner for Daniel I did a little special gift for him
I called it my top secret project so I didn't spill the beans as to what I was doing one day while he was at work.

I got a key board from DI, came home and disinfected it because I'm a germ freak, then popped the keys out of the base.  

End result a cute keyboard themed frame.  I got the idea from Pinterest.

My gift was two Maxi skirts that he had gotten me a few days previous and of course a bag of kit kats (he knows me to well)

What's in the Primary bag

I was asked to leave nursery and become a primary teacher a few weeks ago and will be teaching this Sunday for the first time.  I'm more excited then I thought I would be a few weeks ago, but also a little nervous too.  While I was at the store early this week it became real and I realized I didn't really have a bag ready yet for primary.  So I stopped at a few isles to pick up some sunbeam class necessities.  I thought because these children are still very new to primary I'd bring some familiarity to them by bringing bubbles and a few stuffed fish that I had brought to nursery.

So here is whats in my bag

 The bag (aka my biggest cute bag)

The primary manual

 my scriptures

Colored chalk

I know that I can borrow some from the library, but color is just fun 

Stickers

What little kid doesn't love stickers

bubbles 

What little kid doesn't love bubbles

the stuffed fish

And just to keep this documented

I've been growing my hair out and have committed to not cutting it until my sister in-law gets home from her mission.  Who knows I may keep it long even when she gets home,  I do love being adble to put my hair up.

Straight hair 

curly 

The beauty of life

      This morning I had seen a video that was posted on Facebook about abortion.  This video was a undercover investigation within the walls of an abortion clinic.  I will say that the idea of abortion makes me sick, it terrifies me that people would behave so cruel with life.  In this video it was a reporter who went undercover with a camera, posing as an expecting mother at 23 weeks.  The doctor (who was a women)  talked her through the steps that take place for the procedure of an abortion.  The undercover women asking very real and very serious questions towards this doctor.
The Dr. gives the answers to help her fears but doesn't give her honest answers.  They use tools and medication to stop the heart of this growing life.  Then I hear the word that crushed me deep within my heart, the word Demise.  Demise meaning the diminish of any proof of existence or in this case any proof of life.  The word Demise has become a bad word in my dictionary the truest D word there is.   I was told this word in a Dr.s office by a lady (maybe a nurse, who knows) when she informed me that the child I was planning for was a Demise.  Why didn't she just say I had lost it or that there was no heartbeat, I will never know.  To hear this word today made me just as heartbroken as the day it was used towards my child.  Heartbroken for  expecting mothers who think that there is no way out of the circumstance they are in but to end the live of a very real living human being.  Heartbroken for a Dr. and staff who choose the killing or Demise (hate the word) of life.  I was reminded in this time of desperation for happiness to watch another clip I had found on Facebook a few months back.  It is a video a father had posted of his baby who spent 107 days in the Nicu after being born 15 weeks early.  This child lived being born at 25 weeks, two weeks longer then the 23 weeks of the first would be baby.  If you would like to watch I highly recommend it, you may need a tissue.  The part I love the most is in the beginning when the mother is holding her baby for the first time.  Her smile is priceless, not only on her face but her eyes are smiling too.  Theirs something so amazing about this clip, it truly shows the beauty of life.  I'm always being reminded of my Heavenly Fathers love.  He is very aware of my needs and when I'm struggling he puts little pieces of joy back into my view.

This is the link to the second clip I watched
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrMypND2leY

Cards Cards and more Cards

Next week my ward is having an enrichment activity making cards for a local hospital.  The lady in charge called me and asked if I would make a few examples that people could look at to get ideas.  Now know that I'm not a fan of making cards, probably because I don't have a lot of cool card stuff, but also that I can't come up with good ideas for them.  I told her that I would though because I figured if all else fails I'd get help from my sisters who are really good at making cards.   I looked up a lot of ideas online and just changed the look a little bit or played with the colors I had.  It actually became quite addictive and I had a lot of fun.  Here's a few that I came up with 

Aunt Juliann

I was asked to watch my nephew a few days ago, oh boy I do not feel like a great babysitter.  He was good though and played with his toys while watching a movie allowing his aunt (me) to finish a project for enrichment (post to follow).  The movie got over and the little boy got restless so I asked him if he wanted to make cookies, he did (he isn't stupid).  I got him in an apron and he wanted to help with everything, he says "I do".  I mostly just had him pour stuff and stir.  He was interested by my kitchen aid and by measuring out flour, oh and grabbing the lid to the garbage can and sticking it on his head.   He is quite the little helper and stole my spoon covered with cookie dough and knew what to do with it, little stinker.  I had to be the meanie and take it away after a couple bites because there was a lot of cookie dough on the spoon.  All in all he was really good and I hope he had fun.  

 He likes to use my plastic bag holder as a punching bag

Staying Busy

Or at least trying too....

Daniel started school again and with that comes a new routine to get used to and more time spent apart (worst part for sure).  He is doing good in school though and this will be his last semester at SLCC (so proud of him).  I think he's enjoying his classes this time and is finding the subjects interesting.  I'm trying to keep busy, but I'll be honest I'm so going crazy (I'm bored).  I feel like a little child on summer break, I ask Daniel what I can do haha.  I'm one of those people that I get all my to do list done like immediately in the morning so I'm left with a very long day filled with "what should I do next".  

Here's a craft I did a week ago that will be a Valentine decoration, I also think it would be super cute in a little girls room too so we'll see when we get to that point in life.

I'm really in love with the color gray right now so this just sings to my heart

I also have been working on some decorations and putting pictures into frames to go in our bedroom for a while now.  Daniel told me to come up with an arrangement and he would hang them last weekend.  I'm really happy with the turnout, and grateful to have a sweet handy husband who goes along with my need for decorations.

Our bedding is Tan with stripes in gray, tan, white and brown so i went with a variety of different nuetral frame colors.  (There's that gray again, I just love it)

Just one more picture to put on here so I can keep record of it,  I made some cupcakes for our nephew A for his birthday celebration at Sunday dinner.  He loves Captain America and chocolate (anything sweet) so we went with that theme. 

They probably could pass as July 4th cupcakes too, but he loved it.  I had to keep myself from sneaking one before we left.  I love me some chocolate cake and don't have it very often so I was just as excited as the birthday boy.