Life File: 03.05.2012

We've had a good few weeks since I last posted anything.....here are a few highlights.

Highs:

- Hearing Evalynn say "I love you"

- Chatting with Eva about little things like how Pooh gets stuck in a tree and eats bees. I love reliving her memories with her. I cherish these moments.
- Monterey has been experiencing picture perfect weather the past few days. Upper 60s to lower 70s....Beautiful!
- Eva has finished day one of Potty Training. We are going cold turkey.....big girl underwear all the way, morning, nap and night. Though we've been building up to this moment, this was the first day sans diaper completely. I'm trying to follow a training program that says you can have your child trained in three days....hhhmmmmmm....we shall see. She's had her ups and downs....getting rid of one's diaper is scary stuff! But overall, I can say we ended on a high note. I may take that last statement back when I wake up in the morning, but for now, I'm just very proud of my BIG, little girl:)
-having a healthy house again! Eva and I were fighting a few bugs a few weeks ago, but we are all better....yay!
-Getting to design the MOPS newsletter. It's proving to be a great creative outlet already and I'm not even done with the first one. I'm sure that when the ladies see it next week, they will think I went overboard, but hey, do what you love and I LOVE photoshop:)

Lows:
-Hearing of my old roommates dog passing away. Dear Roxy, you will be missed greatly. You were a sweet, lovable girl and I'm so glad I had you as a housemate for almost four years.
-Potty Training....though overall, it's been good....there have been a couple very sad moments. One being where Eva pleaded with us to let her stop having to go potty. Poor girl. That was a rough spot.
-Figuring out how to deal with Evalynn throwing things in anger. We are trying so hard to deal with it wisely, but nothing seems to be making a lasting impact. I can only hope and pray that something is sinking in and will present itself soon in the form of more patience and grace on all our parts.

Life File: 02.18.2012

Highs:
- I went to my first spin class in YEARS! Felt good.....humbling, but good.
- Evalynn is officially off her pacifier!!!!
- We got the treat of having Nefertari over for Valentines Day dinner. We had a lovely dinner of crepes and then she spoiled us with French pastries for dessert.
- Last night, Cole, one of Jon's oldest friends from Chama, brought us dinner......homemade Green Chili Enchiladas...yum.....I am now starting to realize why my jeans feel tighter this week.
-I got to see my little girl in the sweetest skirt that once belonged to her Grandmother. Note the picture below
-We signed up for a small group at a local church here.....feels good.
-Seeing Eva get excited for storytime and act out all the songs like a pro.
-Watching my little lady perform mini dance routines in a coffee shop. Gosh, I love the carefree nature of children!
-Having a long weekend with my wonderful little family all to myself.
-Enjoying farmers markets, playdates, and MOPS meetings

Lows:
-My jeans feel tighter......though I will say, it was worth it:)
-Eva woke up with a low-grade fever today. Yuck.
-Our house has stupid wiring for electronics.

Aaaaaahhhhhh life. How was yours? Overall, it's been a great week. Our calender is definitely starting to fill up with weekly activities. It gives me a sense of normalcy I have definitely craved over the past year......though it's scary to see how quickly life can get if you allow it as well. Let the balancing act begin!

Trick or Treating Bahrain style

Who would have thought.....Halloween in Bahrain! The community Jon lives in put on a trick or treat event last night, so we dressed Eva up and hit a few homes up for treats :) Eva was not quite sure a the beginning, looking around at all the kids in a mixture of fear and awe. Once she figured out that we were going to houses to get treats, though she quickly warmed to the idea. She started saying, "treat, treat" at every pumpkin and lit house we passed. We didn't stay out long, but it had fun seeing her figure it all out.

She Sings!

Evalynn and I have been visiting Jon in Bahrain this past month. It's been amazing and healing and rejuvenating and relaxing. we've really been low key for the most part, trying to establish what life as a family is like again. One of the things we've really been focusing on lately is music. Now.....Evalynn has always been a singer, but lately, she's taken it to new heights. She's starting to put words into the tunes and twirls around and asks to dance and uses lots of hand motions. It melts my heart EVERY time! She sings in the car, while walking, around the house.....anywhere and everywhere has become her stage. It's a beautiful thing to see and hear!

On the road again

Well.....sort of. Today, Evalynn and I said good-bye to the western slope of Colorado and headed to Denver. We will be here for a few days before heading down to Texas......after which...we hop on a plane. To go to Bahrain for a month on October 6th. Needless to say, we will be pretty busy for the next 13 days. We had such an amazing time in Colorado. I loved having my family so close to me again, and it was so great to see Evalynn warm up to my parents and siblings......it's I time I will always cherish. I owe the blog some pictures, so when I get onto my normal computer, I'll post a few from the summer. I will also post a few pictures from my time in Greece a few weeks back.....yes, I said greece:) Ha...Greece feels about a million miles away right now and my tan has already faded so posting pictures will be a good excuse for me to re-live the wonderfulness in my head once again and re-assure me that it wasn't just a beautiful dream.

Alright. Off to bed I go. Good night!

My Love for the Glenwood Canyon

Growing up, I thought that the Glenwood Springs Canyon was the most beautiful place on earth. Granted, I had not traveled too far, but still, it captivated my attention every time I drove through it. Years later, with a lot more miles under my belt, I still consider it a thing of beauty and one of my favorite spots. I got to experience the river up close and personal this past Wednesday with a rafting trip, made extra special because my step-sister got to guide us down. It was a day full of laughter, cold river water, hot natural spring water, shivering and shrieks....followed by more laughter. It was a good day.

what I'm doing right now: Photobooks!!

One of my many, many goals this year was to get caught up on photo albums. What a feat it has turned out to be! The most i had done previous to this point and time was a half-hearted attempt at a wedding scrapbook. So, to actually sit and put together 4 plus years of memories with Jon is quite intimidating.

I am happy to say that the wedding album is just about done....yay for me! I think that is my first and LAST scrapbook! As much as I love and appreciate other people's scrapbooking efforts, I have come to realize that I don't have the patience or time to keep up with it. Plus....it's expensive! Thankfully, though, I have found something much more in line with my clean, simple style.......photobooks! I'm in love with them and am so excited to catalog our family memories through them in the months and years to come. After researching which company suited my needs the best, I've decided to go with Blurb to print my first one. I can create all the pages in photoshop and then upload them onto their site. They are a LOT less expensive then Picaboo and I get to have total creative freedom because I'm creating each page from scratch. I'm working on one book right now with hopes of getting Evalynn's baby book started soon. I will let you know what I think of Blurb once I get one back.

So that is what's going on with me today. Here's some pictures of the wedding album, sans the wording. plus a picture of my little lady just because she is cute!