Daisypath Anniversary tickers

Daisypath Anniversary tickers

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Turning that frown upside down

Today is a little bit of a bummer day. I've been thinking about my family a lot and wish I could be with them. There are quite a few family reunions that are going on and I'm sad I don't get to see some of my cousins. There were 6 new babies born on the McMillan side in the past year, it would have been fun to have us all get our babes together. However, we have been here in Everett for about six weeks and while a couple things have been hard it has also been super fun! I've loved just moving away from my "normal" life and diving into this little adventure away from most things familiar. Life truly is different outside of Utah. There is such a "Utah Culture" that you don't really get anywhere else. Not always a bad thing, but definitely noticeable! I have come to realize just how blessed we were to live in a student ward in Cedar City. The ward here is super friendly and quite big, but there is NOBODY our age. There are some young families but by "young families" I mean already have kids in Jr. High. So my best friend in that ward is Thelma, the 80 year lady that sits by me every week and tells me how cute my baby is (which is clearly why we are best friends :) Therefore, not really connecting with anyone in our ward leads for some pretty lonely days. What I wouldn't give for a girls night out. I will never take having "girl-friends" for granted again! It also doesn't help that it's been raining ever since we got here. There has literally been 4 days of sun. So it just makes it all that much more depressing when I look on facebook and see my friends hanging out with their little ones at the pool while getting a tan. The last thing that has made it a little hard has been the dreaded baby weight. I started to get super motivated to lose all this baby weight especially since Winston LOVED riding in his stroller. I started to jog everyday with him and then I'd finish off with some yoga. Then when Miles got home from work we would all go on a walk or I would go to the gym. I was feeling SO great! I was so sick during the whole pregnancy that I didn't do any exercising. So I was feeling awesome! But I started to notice my milk decreasing. UGH! So I slowed down on the cardio and upped the water, but it was still decreasing. I upped my water in take even more and still...nothing. So for a couple of days I took it super easy and drank tons of water and I was able to get my milk back. It was kind of a scare. The thought of not having enough milk for Winn freaked me out. But now I'm feeling kind of discouraged that I can't work out as much as I wanted to. And I'm not losing any weight :( So, now that I've got that all off my chest and having put all the negative energy out in the air here are a few of my favorite things to be grateful for...

A very happy and healthy baby

That Miles is loving his internship and doing SO well at it

Miles gets home at 3:00 everyday, so I still feel like we can do fun things every day together

My ubber cute apartment

The gospel is the same no matter where I go in the world

The reason Seattle is so beautiful is because it rains so much, so I guess I'm grateful for the rain

I love living so close to downtown Seattle!

The racquetball court, swimming pool, and gym at our apt complex

The lake across the street

My new bedspread that I got for my anniversary (still working on getting more pillows)

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

2 years BABY!

June 20, 2009 was a windy day in Denver Colorado. I remember it being a little overcast and a bit chilly. However the only thing on my mind was my handsome new husband! I loved everything about my wedding (with the exception of my hair, it didn't work right in the wind and I never really got a good picture). It was small but special. We had our immediate family all come out to Denver and a couple uncles, aunts, and cousins were generous enough to come as well. We didn't have a reception because my parents were still serving as mission presidents and couldn't leave Colorado, but we did have a nice little open house in Utah a few weeks later. My colors were "lemon yellow" and "lime green" which are still my favorite colors, but I thought it made for a fun summer feel. My cake was made by my brother-in-law and I LOVED it! It was completely his design and creation...totally awesome. My mom and the senior missionary couples in the mission did all the food. DELICIOUS! The night before the wedding we all sat down in a big circle and my family "warned" Miles and about me and his family "warned" me about him. We talked and laughed into the late hours. It was sooo enjoyable and a wonderful celebration. After the talking we gathered in close and Miles and I each got a father's blessing. It was such a special time for me to be able to transition from my father as the priesthood holder in my life to my new husband as my priesthood holder. It was a wonderful way to start out eternity with him. The Temple ceremony was absolutely beautiful. I LOVE the temple. Afterward was a yummy lunch where we talked and opened presents. Then my new Husband whisked me away to Telluride, CO for an awesome honeymoon!

Now two years and a baby later I couldn't imagine my life being any better. Miles is literally my best friend. We have been through the best of times and the worst of times (which, even then haven't been all that bad). For our two year celebration we went out to eat at The Melting Pot! SOOOO yuumy! Fondue is very romantic! I was very grateful to my in-laws for watching Winn. At dinner we were talking about some of our highest of highs and lowest of lows. All of which I have been so grateful for. We have grown 10 million times closer because of everything we've gone through. I'm so happy with how my life has turned out. If you were to ask me 5 years ago what my ideal life would be 5 years from then, I don't think I could have conjured up a dream like this. Miles has provided a life for Winston and I that is perfect. He is a real man and marrying him was the absolute best thing I could have EVER done. I admire so many things about him. Like his dedication to his school work. He has been presented with two really amazing awards this past year as the top business student which has also lead him to receive a full-ride scholarship for next year. Miles is also the biggest support when it comes to helping me accomplish my goals. He is always saying how proud and impressed he is by me and asking how he can help me accomplish where I want to go, helping me know that he will do what needs to happen to make my dreams reality. I couldn't ask for a better partner. I am also so impressed by his work ethic. Whatever he does, he does the best of his ability. By him working so hard, he has made it possible for me to stay at home with our little baby. He let's me have my dream job of a stay at home mom. Also, nobody can make me laugh like Miles does. That was one of the first things that made me fall in love with him...his sense of humor. He is so witty and clever and sometimes my face aches when I'm around him because I'm laughing so much. Last but not least he is a man of God. I see his true desire to learn more about and become like the Savior. He honors his priesthood and by so doing he becomes the husband and father that the Lord sees in him. What an incredible two years this has been. Life is meant to be lived with this man, to eternity and beyond :)

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Thank Goodness for My Crying Baby!

Yesterday I was SOOO tired! I was tired of no sleep, tired of my breasts being sore, tired of feeling fat, tired of staying home all day, tired of the rain, tired of my baby crying, tired of the book I was reading, tired of trying to eat healthy, tired of Miles being at work....just plain tired, to say the least. So because I was in no mood to cook dinner we went out to eat at a Mexican Restaurant around the corner. I was expecting it to be a nice get away and relaxation but with a very fussy baby it turned out to be the opposite. We were just trying to hurry and finish our meal so we could get Winston home when I saw this lady walking very fast toward our table. I thought, "Oh no, she's going to tell us that she is trying to enjoy her meal and that our crying baby was disturbing her." When she approached she was crying. She said, "I'm so sorry to bother you but I just want to let you know that I miss this sound so much! I was just sitting over there and was enjoying your baby so much. Don't you worry one bit that he is crying, just enjoy it while you can." This wonderful women was obviously going through some sort of treatment for her cancer. She stood there for a minute looking at Winn and crying when her two little boys came over. She had them look at Winn and they tried to help calm him down. Although he didn't calm down, Miles and I did. She continued to tell us that her baby was turning five and that she missed this little baby cry. She was in a hurry to leave because she didn't want to "bother" us, but the truth is that she changed my whole outlook. I try very hard to be grateful for every stage in not only my life, but especially Winn's. But today I needed that reminder. He will grow out of even his little baby cry and I will miss it. This beautiful women was heaven sent, and from today on "I will be grateful for even the fleas." (As would Cori Ten Boom say in "The Hiding Place").

For a brief moment (for that was all I could handle) I put myself in her shoes. Now, I don't really know what she is going through, but what if I had cancer and I knew I was going to die. My heart absolutley breaks at the thought of not being able to raise my baby. I want to be here for him, with him. I'm not going to lie, my absolute biggest fear is losing my husband or baby to death. Life is meant to be lived in love with them. But the thought of me passing on is an almost unbearable thought. I'm so grateful for my family and for the new light they have brought into my life and from today on I'm going to treasure and secure that just a little more. Thank goodness for my crying baby!