Christmas Card!

Some have been sent, some are still in the mail and more should have been sent, but maybe we will send more next year. Either way, here is the internet version! I have been MIA from my blog because of traveling to Utah for Thanksgiving, Ty's finals, and Vegas for my brothers wedding. Still no baby, but hopefully one coming very soon... we will keep you posted.

PRESCRIPTION FOR HOLIDAY HAPPINESS
The Most Important Time of Year
Name: To all our friends and Family Date: Christmas 2010
This is what we did to feel good this year:
This year was one of working together and adjusting to new things. We moved to Sacramento, California. Tyler started Medical School at UC Davis and rediscovered what it meant to study hard. Emree started talking, running, laughing, singing, and nursery. Danielle went from teaching five winning dance teams to eight months pregnant. We are all counting down the days until January 5th when our baby boy should come (Because we want a baby and Danielle is seriously done being pregnant). But, mostly we are grateful for all our family and friends who offered us support and love this last year and beyond. You are the people who make our Holidays Happy and our New Year Bright! Teaching Emree about Jesus Christ has reminded us of the true spirit of Christmas; May your Christmas be about Service, Love, and Family and leave you surrounded by all three. Always, The Andres
To be administered by: family physician Refills: tyanddani.blogspot.com

Clueless!

Here is a mommy moment to make you giggle! Emree took a shower with Daddy the other night and was simply over joyed to play in the water. As I coaxed her into getting out and wrapped in her bright yellow towel, I remembered that I needed to grab her PJs. So, I threw Emree on my bed and grabbed her jamas and then proceeded to put a few clean clothes away that were on the dresser. All the sudden a whole lot of whining was coming from in between the sheets. Emree quickly stood up and started yelling at me, "Mommy, Mommy!" Her voice was squeaking, as if life was on the verge of ending. I asked her to sit down and told her mommy would be right there when she finished putting the clothes away. Again the screaming continued. I was pretty fed up with her because it had been a long day of whining, but patiently relayed the same message, " Emree just one second okay." Before I could even turn around she yelled, "Mommy! Poopie!" This time she had little tears streaming down her face and pee streaming all over my bed. I felt so bad. She was trying to warn me and ask for some help. Next time I will try to listen, but for now Ty cleaned up the mess and both of us couldn't help, but giggle! Sorry Em! Sometimes Moms are clueless...

And Sometimes We Fall...

Anyone who has been around a toddler knows that falls, trips, bonks, bruises, cuts, and tears are a daily occurrence. I have been pretty lucky because Emree is just plain scared. She won't go climbing up things or out of things or into things, but we have still had our fair share of bruises. Today (don't judge me) she fell off the table. It was a big fall and one that left her traumatized for the rest of the morning. She told me about it over and over again and seemed to be easily provoked at play group. However, the best part about kids is their short term memory. Tomorrow I bet she will climb up on that table again and not give it a second thought.

Anyone who is anyone, knows that as adults we often fall into our own silly mistakes. I have recently found myself with a bruise on my ego as I read a talk from general conference. I was crying to Tyler the other night ( I cry a lot normally, but it is definitely increased when I am pregnant) about how pointless my "to do" lists were. I told him that if nothing got done in one day no one would care. He reassured me, as best he could, that he would care. He did what any man tries to do, patiently listen regardless of how silly the topic seemed and then gave me a reassuring hug. Today, I remembered this from President Uchtdorf's talk in October...

Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia—even during times of stress and fatigue. Because they unnecessarily complicate their lives, they often feel increased frustration, diminished joy, and too little sense of meaning in their lives.

It is said that any virtue when taken to an extreme can become a vice. Overscheduling our days would certainly qualify for this. There comes a point where milestones can become millstones and ambitions, albatrosses around our necks.

Lastly he concluded...

Brothers and sisters, let us be wise. Let us turn to the pure doctrinal waters of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us joyfully partake of them in their simplicity and plainness. The heavens are open again. The gospel of Jesus Christ is on earth once more, and its simple truths are a plentiful source of joy!

Brothers and sisters, indeed we have great reason to rejoice. If life and its rushed pace and many stresses have made it difficult for you to feel like rejoicing, then perhaps now is a good time to refocus on what matters most.

Strength comes not from frantic activity but from being settled on a firm foundation of truth and light. It comes from placing our attention and efforts on the basics of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It comes from paying attention to the divine things that matter most.

Let us simplify our lives a little. Let us make the changes necessary to refocus our lives on the sublime beauty of the simple, humble path of Christian discipleship—the path that leads always toward a life of meaning, gladness, and peace. For this I pray, as I leave you my blessing, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Sometimes we just need a little bruise here and there to put us back on track!

If you want to read the whole talk... here is the link:
LDS.org - Ensign Article - Of Things That Matter Most

Running Out of Space

I have always been someone who needed their space. I guess I get it from my Mom. Growing up I really enjoyed the time I had to myself in my room or car listening to my own music, writing in my journal or reading. When I went to college I was overjoyed when my room mate ended up renting the apartment, but never living there. It was perfect. I paid for a shared room, but I got my own. I had all the space I thought I needed. My own room, my own car, my own rules, my own everything.

Then, I became a mom. There is no such thing as your own space when you are a mom. Now, I am a pregnant mom. A 7 month pregnant mom, who is wondering what it was like to have my own room, my own car, my own body. It is funny how things change.

Tyler and I had a talk today about how it is important to enjoy every stage of life for what it is. We talked about how he should enjoy school, studying, sports, church and the joys of being a dad. We talked about how I should enjoy this time with Emree, being pregnant, having a lot of free time, church and just the joys of being a mom. Life will change before we know it and we don't want to miss out on what we are currently experiencing.

That being said, I am enjoying it. In fact, I love it. I am just realizing that it will be a very long time before I get my space back, but I promise, I am okay with that.

Hoween! Hoween!

Some how we managed to get Emree really pumped up for Halloween. Ever since we got home from Washington she has been standing at our door every day waving her arms up and down and yelling "Hoween! Hoween!" It was as if something so exciting was going to come any second. I did insist we teach her to trick or treat early. I figured it would be a total bust if she didn't get the whole concept down until it was over. We bought her a pumpkin purse and then had her go back and forth between Tyler and I saying "Trick or Treat" or should I say "Tick a Tweet." We would then put a fun size snicker in her little bucket. You should have seen the smile on her face (especially since I let her eat about five of them before I put on end to it). We also put her costume on days before to make sure there was nothing itchy and read lots of Halloween books. Needless to say, the preparation was successful.

This is Emree practicing...



We celebrated Halloween on the 30th with:
- A trip to the Library for a few pumpkin books

- Trick or Treating in Old Town Sacramento with our hobbit friend Jonah!


- Riding the Spooky Train (for free :))

- And our ward Halloween Trunk or Treat



Tyler and I dressed up as a "Shot Gun Wedding Couple" it was pretty fun. I haven't really dressed up for Halloween in a long time. My favorite was how much Emree laughed at the fact that her Daddy had hair. These are some of our friends from the ward in their costumes as well. The Ribeiras were the cast of Lord of the Rings and the Reeds were very convincing Pirates. Shout out to Jonah who won the ward Halloween costume contest for he Frodo!

Pumpkins everywhere!

We have been eating a lot of pumpkin at our house. We had candy pumpkins, my favorite! Pumpkin cookies, Ty's favorite. Pumpkin pancakes and Pumpkin sweet rolls, Emree's Favorite. Then last night we decided to carve a pumpkin. Emree really didn't enjoy the process, but she loved the result. Isn't that so much of life? I told her I was sorry she had to learn the lesson so young.








Growing up we always carved pumpkins, but I was telling Tyler that I am pretty sure I never used the knife. In fact, I think my Dad always did it for me and since I have been married Tyler has always done it for me. I am not sure that I am missing out, but I kind of thought it was funny. In fact, I am almost positive I would cute myself and that it's better this way!

What are your favorite pumpkin recipes? We NEED some more.

Becoming Better With Every Step...

"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; not that the nature of the thing is changed, but our power to do is increased" (Heber J. Grant).

While are growing up we are constantly improving. We each make continuous goals and accomplish them. Sometimes the goals consist of finishing a school project, getting the splits, completing a scripture mastery and even cleaning your room, but no matter what the task; things are checked off a never ending list to make you a better person. Sometimes I think we need an "Old Women in Excellence" program. I need something to mark off and some sort of clear cut to do list to make me a better mother, wife, friend, daughter and etc.

Lately, I have tried to work at being a better friend. I am not always a great listener because I like to talk. I am not always great at making friends because I like people to reach out to me. I am not always great at thinking about other because I get overwhelmed with my own tasks. But- I am married to a great listener, who easily reaches outside his comfort zone and almost always thinks of others (sometimes before his family, but we love him anyways).

Don't you find that when you become a better friend you have better friends. I have so many wonderful friends scattered far and wide. I have always been blessed by so many amazing people. Thank you for being my friend and in turn I am trying to learn from all of you. So, this is what i am working on: my goal for this week, month, year and so on.

What would you like to be better at?

Blah blah blah!

I could really talk your ear off. I spend almost all day with a one year old and we talk, almost constantly, but about nothing really. We talk about the alphabet, colors, numbers, animals, animals some more, and tickling. We even talk about how much we love each other and we spend some time every day talking about Jesus. Love and Jesus are important and the rest are sort of important. However, my mind keeps running and most of it just sits there. You should hear me when Ty comes in the door for two seconds. I talk his ear off. I talk about nothing still. I talk about people I saw, bills I paid, things I cleaned and although I promise it is not riveting conversation, he listens. Or at least he is really good at pretending to listen. And to all of you who I call and bug, mostly my mom and Tyler's mom, I am sorry. I just have all of these words trapped inside and no where for them to go. So, I am working on that. I am writing longer in my journal and even typing up this blog post (which most people won't want to read and a few people will relate to). If I only had interesting things to talk about maybe it would be better. If I were only doing interesting things maybe it would be better. And then I tell myself- three more months and there will be another person to talk to. I can talk to him about nothing because I am sure he won't care. Hmmm like I said, I can really talk your ear off.

A True Binkie Baby

A true binkie baby loves her binkie more than candy, more than a bottle, more than a blanket.

A true binkie baby knows two binkies are better than one.

A true binkie baby only takes her binkie out in between bites and to tell mommy "no"!

But even more than all of that, a true binkie baby did something last night that really made me giggle. I put our little binkie lover down for her night night and closed the door, but this time there was a lot of fusing. A true binkie baby has no time to fuss because they are too busy enjoying their binkie. Then I heard little cries, "Mommy, Binkie Please." I ignored them for five to ten minutes, but knew that she wouldn't calm down until I checked. Before I finish the story I must explain that my binkie baby is also obsessed with sticking things down her shirt and saying, "Where is it?" I always act as if I don't know and she magically pulls it out with a look of pride! Well, I opened the door to her room last night, walked over to her bed and discovered a very upset one and half year old in onesie pajamas. She had attempted to stick her binkie down her shirt and play "Where is it." However, the binkie had slid to far down her onesie too reach. A true binkie baby was very happy when I returned a trapped binkie. What a funny girl!

Talents!

I like to think I am a pretty talented person. I love doing choreography and editing music. When it comes to placing dancers on a stage I can picture in my head how I want the number to go and most often (okay more often then not) it works out. However, this week I discovered something that I am not talented in...Cake decorating.

It was Ty's birthday and our car was in the shop. There was no running to the grocery store to pick up a cake mix and frosting. There was no walking because people, I live in a scary neighborhood. So, I attempted it all from scratch. I should have just made carmel corn.

It looked descent (Brittany I am here for your wedding cake? lol not really)



Emree still enjoyed walking by and sticking her fingers in it.


We tried some...It was gross.


Sorry Ty! Next time we will go with Betty Crocker.

Happy Birthday Tyler!

I love birthdays because they give us the opportunity to celebrate amazing people in our lives. Today is the day to celebrate Tyler!
Tyler is talented, motivated, hard working and fun! Finding a spouse can kind of be like flipping a coin. You think a person is great, but will they be great forever?! So far, so good. There are so many great things about Tyler that I didn't even realize when I married him. I didn't realize how wonderful of a dad he would be. I didn't realize how much he cared about others and how considerate he is of Emree and my needs. I love him and I hope he has an amazing day and year!

I'd rather be watching t.v. !

This weekend Ty gets a break from school. He has no new material to cover and won't have a test for two weeks. We haven't been in Sacramento for long, so we decided we would do what a tourist would do (a cheap tourist)! So, Saturday morning we woke up and headed off to "Gold Rush Days"! Ty and I were both optimistic that it would be fairly fun and it was FREE! Who can beat that? We even started the day off right by finding ourselves a FREE parking spot. (My mom always says close parking is worth paying and usually I would agree. However, FREE parking meant 5 bucks to spend on something else. Yipee!)

Q: So what exactly is "Gold Rush Days"?

A: They cover the streets of Old Town Sacramento with dirt, fill it with re-enactment actors, horses, gun shows, canons, the mormon battalion, bands, activities, and bam you are in the 1850s. Pretty sweet.

We panned for gold.

Found some.

Wished it was real.

Threw it back.

Enjoyed some pretty sweet gambling. Won some money. Wished it was real. Gave it back.


Watched a gun show.

Glad it was fake.


Emree loved watching the horses go up and down the streets. She could be found with her finger pointed outward, screaming, "Horsee, Horsee!" Multiple times through out the day. She was also pleased as punch when Daddy helped her pet a Donkey - who in her words says "HA HA". Lastly, she seemed to enjoy the music and we caught her dancing quite a few times.


BUT- from the look on her face in most (if not all) of the pictures, I am pretty sure she would rather be at home. Parked in front of the t.v. watching Tarzan and eating yogurt.

That was the happiest she got all day!

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Emree has a fascination with fish. Of all the animals at the zoo she loves the fish tank the most. Lions, boring. Monkeys, been there, done that. Giraffes, who cares. But a tank full of Koi, WOW! She will sit by the fish tank for 40 minutes or so before she gets bored. I think that might be better than Elmo.

Last night, Tyler got home from school and decided Emree needed her very own fish. We already owned a bowl, don't ask me why, and so we figure it would be a pretty inexpensive pet. Each fish only cost 25-cents so we thought "What the heck! Let's get two." 50-cents later and a handful of rocks, Emree was ecstatic. Who knew we were such great parents.




My high light of the night, however, was when Tyler thanked the man at the store for helping us and calmly proclaimed, " We'll be back to buy some more when these ones die." I am not sure the store owner appreciated that.


Tyler wants to know if this gets us out of ever having to own a puppy? I said no.
Do you have a favorite childhood pet?