It's A Wonderful Life

A lot of sweet friends have asked me over and over to keep up with my blog so they can see pictures of Lizzie and stay posted on what we're up to in life. So, I'm recommitting myself to at least a couple of posts a month. I'll guess I better back up a bit and start where I left off.

February and March:

A few weeks after taking the mommy daughter pictures, Lizzie and I moved away from our beloved Charlottesville and came to Salem, Virginia to live with my parents. I was dreading leaving my friends, but the hardest part was leaving our apartment. It was like saying goodbye to John all over again. As we locked up the apartment I imagined all the times Lizzie and I had watched out our kitchen window for John to get home from class on his squeaky bike. Lizzie's arms and legs would flail when she heard the familiar sound of her daddy coming home, and she would squirm in anticipation until John came in and whisked her away. I will always miss those days. As we pulled out of the parking lot for the last time I felt my heart sink as I noticed that John's bike wasn't propped up on the poll outside our front door. Whenever Lizzie and I came home from running errands I would tell her to look for the bike so we would know if Daddy was home. I couldn't help but cry as I thought of the missing bike, a reminder that we would never come home to him in that place again.

But the move wasn't all tears. I was so touched by the many many people who came to help. More than 20 guys from the Elders Quorum showed up, and they had everything out of the apartment in less than half an hour. As if that wasn't enough the Sanchezes brought cupcakes and the Glasses brought homemade cinnamon rolls. I didn't even have to rent a moving truck! Scott Wakefield arranged for a truck and even drove it all the way down to Salem to unload it. Being LDS is pretty amazing. It's like being in a huge family filled with talented, giving people. You never have to face life alone.

Moving in with my parents has proven better than expected as well. I thought it would be hard to move back in after being on my own, but Lizzie and I love having Grandma and Grandpa around all the time. For Lizzie it means lots of extra attention, and for me it means showers as hot as I want them without a baby crawling around at my feet. We've been working hard to get the house ready for the new baby...cleaning out, organizing, remodeling, etc. We've also been playing hard. Lizzie loves the trampoline, sandbox, baby pool, etc. in the backyard.

With my mom's help, I've also had a little more time to research careers. I booted the Clinical Psych PhD idea after talking to some students in VT's PhD program. They said they spend 60+ hours a week on school (not including the 2 hours a day I would have to commute), and as much as I like school, I would hardly ever get to see Lizzie until she's 10 years old! Not worth it! So, my life plan is still in flux, but my most recent idea is a masters in social work. I think I'd like to work for LDS Family Services doing adoptions, teach at the college level, and do private practice therapy on the side.

Highlights from April:

A wonderful trip to Utah to visit John's family. It was all thanks to Mike (John's brother) and Sheri. They paid for my plane ticket and were even willing to host a baby shower for me while we were there. Lizzie LOVED hanging out with her cousins, especially little Lincoln...what a stud! I couldn't ask for better in-laws.

A weekend visiting Aaron and Gena's amazing family in Richmond, including a fun trip to the National Zoo in Washington D.C. Lizzie couldn't get enough of Grandpa Jones or the monkeys at the zoo...maybe there's a connection there. =)

A day trip with the Hughes family to Virginia's safari park. It was SWEET! Zebras, ostriches, camels, llamas, deer, etc stick their heads inside your car so you can feed them. We even got to feed a giraffe. My favorite part was feeding the giant camels, but Lizzie was more interested in digging in the gravel and stopping at every hand sanitizer station in the park. Oh well. At least she still gets free entry.

Spring! We can't get enough of playing outside, and now that it's warm, I've even pulled out my camera (to Lizzie's dismay) for a few good pictures while the wisteria is still in bloom.

Mommy Daughter Pictures

My sweet amazing friend Lara Douglas came to visit me last weekend. She's an amazing photographer, so while she was here I asked her to take a few pictures of me and Lizzie and little baby John who is really starting to poke out these days. I said I would post a few today but I'll post a bunch more later.
P.S. Thank you all for your sweet comments on my last post.

In Memory of My Best Friend

I wish I had time to write everything I'm feeling, but that will have to wait until I get home. For now, I just want to thank everyone for their love and support. I feel so very blessed to have a wonderful family and a strong faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I miss my sweet John more than words can express, but I know that he is happily doing the work that he loves best (sharing the gospel) on the other side. I also know that our family is eternal. We have been sealed in the temple, and I find so much peace in knowing that it won't be long until we can be with him again.

I know that most of you are far away, but anyone is able to attend John's funeral is welcome to join us this Saturday at 11am. The service will be held at the Stansbury Park, UT stake center. The address is 417 Benson Rd. Stansbury Park, UT 84074. It's short notice, so please help us spread the word.

Thank you again for your love. We could use your prayers.

trick-or-treat

This has been Lizzie's first real Halloween. We didn't do anything last year since she was only a few weeks old, but this year we've been partying all week long. There was the ward trunk-or-treat, trick-or-treating on the lawn, and a couple of big parties. These pictures are from trick-or-treating on the lawn. The Lawn is the central part of UVA grounds right in front of the rotunda. It's lined by apartments reserved for honors students, apartments made famous by the former resident Edgar Allan Poe. The students pass out tons of candy, and just about every kid in Charlottesville goes to the lawn for the big event. We rode the bus from our apartment to the lawn, which Lizzie loved, and made our way through the crouds to get the loot. Lizzie was content with her first two pieces of candy but John and I quickly recognized the potential... a cute baby who could accept generous amounts of candy and not care a bit if her parents ate it all. So we made her press on, cutting in line and sweetly inserting comments like, "Ooo Lizzie, get the swedish fish. You're going to love those!" We had a really good time, and hopefully our little chicken didn't think it was too bad either.

Give Me Sweet Virginia for the Fireworks of Fall

First Birthday

Lizzie is ONE! I can't believe a year has gone by already. She’s not my little baby anymore. Part of me was dreading her birthday because being one sounded so grown up, but I was also excited. We invited a bunch of friends over for a BBQ including my dad (my mom was at David and Lauren’s house because Frieda was just born), Rachel Bailey, Heather and George Glass, The Garcias, The Vedomskys, Chad LuAnne and Emma Miller, Naomi and Polly Sloan and the Browns (Stephanie, Chip, and Cash). I made Lizzie a special cake that looked like a cow. It was just for her. Everyone else had a separate cake. I was so excited for Lizzie to dig in and make a mess of the cake, but she wasn’t interested. When we tried to stick her hands in it she just looked at us like we were crazy. And she wasn’t interested in eating it either. The one thing I actually want her to destroy is the only thing she’s not interested in. Figures. =) She loved opening presents though. All the other kids gathered around and helped her tear off the wrapping. She got a little toy piano, a play doctor’s set, a quiet book, hair clips, and a beautiful custom made tutu from her friends. But her favorite toy was a large box that her new car seat came in. As for the present from us, we wanted to give her a little baby doll because she was starting to show interest in babies and we wanted to help her get ready for her future siblings. I just wanted a simple doll. I searched every store, but most of them were hard plastic and made annoying noises. Some of them were even advertised as being able to cry like a real baby. Why anyone would pay to listen to more crying baby is beyond me. I finally found the perfect doll at Walmart. It was a soft bean bag, just the right size, and it only cost $5. The only thing was that the white babies were out of stock. Lizzie didn’t mind. She gave the little black baby a big hug and walked off with it, so I decided to get it. After spending lots of time with Mary, Kenya, and Jackie (three incredible black Young Women at church who are particularly good with Lizzie) Lizzie lights up every time she sees a black person. So, I guess it’s perfect that her fist baby doll is black. I also got her a toy stroller to go with it, but I think she spends more time in the stroller than the baby.

Pancake Breakfast

Lizzie isn't a super picky eater, but she does have a few favorite foods and buttermilk pancakes are pretty far up on the list. She's also a big fan of frozen peas, pizza, ice cream, mac and cheese, any kind of candy, lasagna, broccoli with cheese, plain cheese (especially cheddar). Of course, eating in the high chair puts a damper on things. Far better to make a mess on the rug!