Christmas 2011

With the recent birth of a little one,

this month has been spent mostly at home. 

I have experienced this season with few distractions. 

It has been quiet, peaceful, and warm. 

Christmas Eve 2011

Family, good food, hymn singing, Christmas story retelling, and presents.

It was simple and perfect.

1 Month

This is our little Mike at 1 month.  More than any of my other babies, this one demands likes to be held. all. the. time.  I've done more cradling than ever before.  Which as frustrating as this might seem at 2 o'clock in the morning, it's made me fully embrace and dote on this little one, and for that I am thankful.

Dressed in White

We had a wonderful white weekend.  Our oldest was baptized and our youngest was blessed.

It was almost too much for my hormonal, emotional, 2-week-post-partum self to take in.

The spirit was powerful and I was overwhelmed with gratitude and love.

Gratitude and love for being blessed with these amazing children;

for Raquel's compassion, intelligence, obedience, courage, joyfulness, pleasantness and friendship;

for a healthy baby boy, who is mild-tempered and sweet;

for a loving husband who is an amazing father;

for in-laws whom I get along with and who love and teach my children;

And for goodly parents who at 33+ years of age still take care of me

and made it possible for both of these events to happen so soon after I had given birth.

Newborn Rawness

An encounter with diaper changing (pictures taken in sequence).

Since the arrival of baby, this little girl has become more witty, sassy, and overflowing with personality.  It's been a real treat.  She's handled being booted from the baby-spot rather well.  And besides diaper-changing, she seems to be all about him.

Son of Michael

9 years ago today...

November 23rd 2002,

we were getting married.

 

Today we celebrated

by snuggling,

                  holding,

                                      and kissing

our new baby boy!

 Michael Cohen Miller

born November 21, 2011 at 3:45 pm

7 lbs. 8 oz. 20 1/4 in.







We have waited a long time for this little man and feel so blessed everything went well.

So much to be thankful for...Happy Thanksgiving!



39 weeks

In the past, once I deliver and hold our baby, I am always struck with

wonder and amazement about how they ever fit in my tummy.

I've taken pictures towards the end of every pregnancy,

and without fail, when I go back and look at them months later I can't help but exclaim,

"Holy Cow! Look at the size of that!"

Staying true with tradition,

here I am today at 39 weeks.

So if you're thinking to yourself that I look huge, that's ok,

I'll be sharing your sentiments in a few months when I look back at these pictures.

I've had a few sporadic contractions and I'm definitely waddling but over all I'm feeling pretty good.

****************

It's been a while since my last post, so I wanted to include just a few pictures from some

of the things we've done the last couple of weeks.

Grandma made the girls pioneer/caroling outfits (for the Christmas program) but with

Halloween approaching I decided to have these be their costumes as well.

They looked super cute, and it was so nice to not have to stress about it.

Mike was in charge of decorating our car for the trunk-or-treat,

he whipped something together the afternoon before the activity, and it was a big hit. 

There's something about blood that kids think is so cool.

Having easy access to medical equipment can come in handy!

We had Mike's brother Vance and his family visit for a few days.

They have two little girls the ages of Raquel and Elena.  Needless to say

my girls LOVE it when they come.  Besides playing here non-stop,

we were able to sneak an afternoon at Laguna Beach.

Sunset over Catalina Island as seen from Laguna Beach.

Stay put for my next post as we anxiously await our new arrival.

Fall Break

We took a 10 day hiatus to Utah.

We stayed at my parents and ate amazing food.

We went to the circus.
We celebrated Raquel's birthday.

I was given a shower for this baby boy.
We enjoyed General Conference.

We got together with siblings for games and wonderful meals.

And the girls played and played with cousins they had so missed.

Circus Highlights



The Party 

I gave Mike the assignment of being in charge of games.

He had these girls running, jumping, and laughing.
Raquel told us that it was the best party EVER.

And that's what we were looking for.

The entire Ruiz clan

You can always count on Raquel for a good reaction.

The Shower

The wonderful women who planned, came, played, and gave me awesome baby-boy gifts.
Thank you!!!


We had a fabulous time and 10 days went by way too fast!!

She's got it!

We tried a few months after she turned 5, but she wasn't ready.

With apartment living, homes with no space, and busy schedules, 

not much thought or effort was put into it, until now.

Within days of turning 8, another attempt was well overdue.

There is a long alley close to our house. 

Perfect for achieving the right speed to maintain balance.

With the other two girls, Mike's running shoes, and my camera in hand,

we headed out to document the monumental event.

He steadied her but for a few seconds as he ran next to her,

and within moments of reaching enough speed

she had it!

"That was way too easy!" I yelled while clicking from behind.

There are few moments from my childhood that are vividly fixed in my repertoire of memories,

and learning to ride a bike is one of them.

I don't recall exactly how old I was, but everything else about it is still so clear.

We were at a parking lot of a large supermarket. My dad steadying while running by my side. 

The exhilaration that rushed through me as I looked back towards his hand

only to realize he was no longer there and I had been riding solo for who knows how long.



 I saw those same emotions on Raquel's face as she rode back towards me, "I'm doing it, Mom!"

The next 3 pictures were taken in sequence:

Skills, I tell you.  He's got them.

And so it begins.

Way to go my little Raquel!

Labor Day

There is a wonder and excitement that we lose somewhere

on the road of childhood to adulthood.



It's too bad, really.  

One of my favorite things about having kids is being able to get a glimpse

of that energy and relive those moments through their eyes.

There was a little fair down the street from our house this past weekend.

We told the girls on Labor Day that we would go once it got dark.

We learned that Raquel is afraid of heights.



And did you notice Mike's super short cut?

He's come to terms with the fact that his lush, thick, mass of follicular glory, of days past,
is not coming back, and is slowly stepping into the sexy bald-man category.  I like it.

The whole night was particularly magical for Gracie.

Here she is waiting in anticipation for her first ride to start.

I wasn't allowed to get on any of the rides. 
I guess there is no hiding my current state of pregnancy.
And this fair was unusually restrictive.

Not even the Carousel could I ride.

Regardless, the girls had a wonderful time.  And I got a brief peek into the joyfulness of childhood.

Studying Hard

At some point it was decided that going through a rigorous training program and obtaining a degree is not sufficient proof to show you are qualified to engage within certain fields. So these professions, such as lawyers, nurses, and doctors, decided that in order for individuals to obtain their license they needed to pass comprehensive exams.  Unfortunately the PA profession joined in on this idea.

This month Mike has been studying for the PANCE (Physician Assistant National Certification Exam). 

It's a 5 hour test where pretty much ANY medical related subject is fair game.  If that just sounded overwhelming, that's because, it is. If Mike doesn't pass, he doesn't get his license, he can't start the residency program, and us moving was for not.  No pressure.

He was having some anxiety with regards to the whole thing but

 that has gotten better since he's honed in on the books.

We currently spend our evenings going over practice questions.

It's very romantic.

He's making good progress despite the obvious interruptions
and the "freezing cold" temperatures induced by my pregnant state.
(Apparently we don't see eye to eye over the two numbers that appear on the thermostat.)



Yes. That would be the girls' princess blanket covering Mike's legs.