Carter's Blessing

Carter was blessed by his father on March 6, 2011. Carter was had a lot of family come into town to support him and his parents in this special event. Grandpa Polk (FL) and Uncle David (UT), Papa and Nana came with Aunt Jayni and Aunt Amanda (FL), Uncle Andrew and Katherine (who will soon become Aunt Katherine) came from Utah, Aunt Julie and Aunt Marce came from Arizona and brought our young cousin Trenton, and Quinn and Cymri, Dameon and Ryssa (who live in town) were with us too. It was a very nice weekend. We set up for Current Family pictures one morning and then spent some time shopping in the afternoon. We ate pizza and wings that night and were able to enjoy a relaxing Sunday afternoon with sandwiches, chips and my favorite Layered Strawberry Cheesecake dessert. It was really fun, at one point just about all of the ladies in the family were in my room laying on the bed or in the rocking chair just visiting and telling special stories. It was really nice bonding time for us. I know my mom loved having her sisters their to visit with. With my mom living in Florida she really doesn't get to see them as much as she would like. I know the feeling. But the love of sisters I will save for another post. Everyone but my parents and sisters left sometime on Sunday. Stephen's Dad had a hard time getting out here and ended up only being here in Vegas for about 24 hours. His visit was definitely too short. We are planning a trip for later in the year to go and see his family. Carter was just as sweet as always. My mom did a little photo shoot for Carter before she left so that we could get some pictures of him in his blessing clothes. I spent weeks looking for what I wanted him to wear. I am so much more picky about how to dress a boy then I am with Georgia. I finally found a little overall's outfit that I thought looked just darling.

Things they are a changin!

Last year as the end of soccer season approached I seriously analyzed my life and what I wanted to get out of it. I knew that Georgia was the most important thing to me and I knew I hated leaving her everyday and I knew that I needed to make some serious changes. I started praying. I attended church meetings and looked for answers. All of the different meetings I attended and conversations I had with the Lord led me to one conclusion. I needed to be at home with my baby girl. I told Stephen, and though he loves us and wants what's best for us, sometimes we don't necessarily agree on what is best. At this time he was a month off the unemployment line and wasn't quite on the same page with me about leaving my career to stay home and raise our baby. Understandably so. I have a fairly secure job with benefits in a very insecure benefit-less time. But I knew that this was the right path for us. So first I decided to give up my coaching position. I really enjoyed coaching soccer but my priorities had changed and I know I was not what was best for those girls anymore. Next, I started looking into ways I could stay home and keep our family secure. That led me to the option of working for an online school. I know a girl at church who does it. She had suggested looking into her school after G was born, but at that time Stephen was out of work. I was not about to rock any boats at that time. But now... I contacted the girl and got contact information for the people at the school. Turns out that the principal was my mentor teacher when I was student teaching. Luckily, he and I had a great learning experience and when I contacted him he was interested in using me in the future. All summer I waited for a call that might lead in this direction. However I also found out that I was pregnant and again not sure it was time to leave my great teacher benefits (including my access to Family Medical Leave, you have to work a certain amount of time to qualify for it). When the call didn't come I returned to my job at LVHS. I love teaching at Vegas so if I have to work this is the place I want to be. I also decided that without coaching I would only have to work until 2pm and then I could spend the rest of the day with G. It was working just fine, but I still hated leaving my girl. I also still felt very strong that I needed to make the move home. So I again contacted the online school and offered myself for part-time work. I hoped that if I got my foot in the door I would be able to find myself a permanent place in the future. Sure enough. They did need part-time work and so by the end of October I began a second job. It is a great school. I love the technology and the different approach to teaching. I miss the contact and the performance that teaching in a classroom is but it is definitely something I can do from home. I hated working two jobs though. The point was to get more time for my kid and now I wasn't picking her up until almost 5pm. But all the hard work paid off because last week I was offered a full-time position. Yeah!!! I resigned from LVHS in March and have been hoping and praying that everything will work out. Now I know that working from home and having TWO babies will not be easy. I don't intend for it to be. But I know that being home with them will be better than where we have been. I have two of the best babies around. They are amazing. I need them and they need me and so the change begins. I now am a stay at home mom and a work from home teacher. But most importantly I am a mom. I love my kids and I am so thankful for the Lord's hand in my life and for the blessings I am provided. Stephen and I talk about it often, how lucky we are. We are truly blessed.

One of my many goals of summer will be to catch up on this blog. So stay tuned, pictures and stories to come...

Gigi Turns 2!!!!

(sorry so dark, phone camera has it's moments)

Time has flown by. I am ecstatic at the wonderful little person that she is becoming. I know that she has changed me dramatically. My priorities in life are so different now. It is wonderful. After coaching for five years I decided that I wasn't spending my time the way I wanted or needed it to be. So I resigned. I have missed coaching from time to time but I have loved having this last year to spend with Georgia. Now that she is two and her baby brother is here I am even more glad with my choice. Gigi and I spent a day together to practice potty training and to spend time together. It was a really good day. Carter went to the baby sitter and Gigi and I got pancakes and a movie, went to story time and just enjoyed being together. When I asked her later if we had a good day, she said "Yeah Momma good day!" She is talking so much these days. I almost understand everything she says. Accept daba daba daba, her occasional gibberish. If you ask her she will tell you she is three. We were practicing responses on the way to the doctors the other day and she told me me her nose was sick and that she is three. She is too funny.
We planned a birthday party for Gigi. I think all that was important to her was that she had an Elmo cake. Who knows why she decided that. She doesn't even like to watch it at home. But maybe she does at her babysitters. So that was the main theme for this year. As I began discussing all of my plans for this party, it was very interesting to hear Stephen's take on planning parties in general but more importantly parties for a two-year old. We talked about times for the party and I suggested doing it a little earlier so I wouldn't have to do a lunch but could just have snacks. Bubba said let's do 10-12. I said that is lunch time. He said no 12 is lunch time. I said not for a 2 year-old who get up at 6 am. Then he said we could just have hot dogs. True most kids love hot dogs. So then I said I would need to get a small table for the kids to sit at. Stephen then (and this was my favorite part) suggested that I just put the food out for them and let them eat when they are hungry. Have you ever seen two-year olds go through a buffet line and then go sit themselves down and eat? Me neither! I told him I would have to have a table for them, fix their plates, sit them down and make sure they ate their food and then help them throw out their plates. Even though Bubba didn't quite buy into it he said he was glad I was in charge and he would cook the food. He also decided that he would help me out by making me a table for the kids to sit at. I thought we could just barrow from the church but admittedly, his table was way more fun. We also decided to rent a bounce house. That was too much fun. I had no idea that they were so affordable. Gigi loved it. Of course, what kid doesn't like to bounce. We had Elmo coloring pages, playdoh, fruit snacks. We tried to play a game but the kids mostly wanted to color and bounce. So I let them. I can't remember the order for everything but I know we opened presents ate lunch, had cake and played some more. It was pretty casual but I think everyone had a nice time. I know I didn't feel too stressed out so that was good. Gigi played to her hearts content. All the kids got a balloon, bubbles and a Thank you Rice Crispy treat on their way out the door. My first real little kids birthday party down, only who knows how many to go.
The issue of parties was raised while planning this. Stephen and I agreed that we wouldn't have one every year. And when they did have a big party like this one then we didn't need to buy them presents. It makes sense. So we are still undecided on how often but what we do for one we will do for the other, so I don't want to set the bar too high. The first and second to me are a must. Then maybe not again until 5. By then they could be in school and then we will have to figure things out. I know I really have fun throwing the parties. But for now I think Gigi is happy as long as there is cake. Me too!

Welcome Carter Stephen Polk

Gigi couldn't go into the NICU to visit so she met Carter for the first time through the glass.
Our first picture as a new family.
Our blue baby getting his tan on!
Look no tubes. Making progress.
Waiting for his ride home!
Our little family ready to go home!
In Daddy's Hand, so tiny.
Favorite thing she says when she holds him is "Coco getting me." Like he is doing it on purpose.
My mom was able to come out for a week. It was so nice to have her here to help.

Ok now that he is a month old I will announce him. Getting the blog up to date will be even more difficult for me now that I have two. But we are so excited to have our little Coco baby! We started calling him Coco months ago because of my Dad. When he was growing up he thought that he when he became a professional baseball player he would change his name to Coco Curriente. So somewhere along the pregnancy we gave the name Coco to Carter. Of course the whole pregnancy we referred to him as Carter. But since he was born we seem to call him Coco a lot more. Probably his sisters fault. She is really good at saying Coco.

Carter was born on January 11, 2011 at 7:59 am. He weighed 5lbs. 15 oz and was 19 1/4 inches long. Coco had a rocky start. Right after he was born his breathing seemed shallow so he was taken to the NICU. He was put on oxygen for the next day or so. Then there seemed to be one excuse after another of him getting strong enough to leave with us. After almost 6 days in the NICU we finally were able to bring our handsome little man home. Leaving the hospital without your baby has to be one of the worst feeling in the world. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn knew things with this new member of our family. He is a sweet baby and has been really good for us. We couldn't be happier to have him home with us.

Gigi has had an adjustment to make with him. But she loves him! She is always talking about him and trying to help us take care of him. It is really darling. She'll say things like "Coco in my bed" when she wants him to sleep in her bed. It is too cute. I love her even more everyday. I have had to change the way I interact with her though and become more attentive and affective with my discipline.

Bubba and I both win!

When I was pregnant with Gigi, Stephen and I made a bet over her gender. She was sure she was a girl and I was sure she was a boy. In the bet we agreed that if I was right I would get a Coach diaper bag and if Stephen was right he would get a new big screen t.v.. Well this Christmas season I got the bag for Christmas and Stephen and I agreed there may be no better time for our family than now to buy a new t.v.. So it took us two years longer than we thought it would and we now have one of each children but we finally both won!

Christmas in Las Vegas

Daddy and Gigi on a camp out in the downstairs living room. They needed camp out food so we went and got Wendy's. They played and watched movies for awhile and I wrapped presents upstairs. Then Gigi missed her momma and came home early from the camp out and we all ended up having a sleepover in mommy's bed.
I could not have been more thrilled to stay home this Christmas. I was worn out and the thought of celebrating the holidays at my own home sounded lovely. Of course it is never Christmas without our families to share it with and 75-80 degree weather. It looks like Christmas on t.v. when I watch movies in snowy places but if I want that really Christmas feeling it needs to be warms and sunny with palm trees wrapped in lights. So we put up our tree and decorated the house and played Christmas with out little family. Gigi's favorite things this year include the choo choo on our tree. She loves trains and so she watches Polar Express daily, we took her to the Magical Forest so that she could ride a train, she wants to watch her train on the tree (luckily we found one that mounts into the tree so I got to determine how often it is turned on, it is a little loud.). She also learned how to say Santa and recognizes him and his hat. She kept saying "tanta hurry!" It was too cute. She also will put on Santa hats and then say "ho ho ho!" I figured out that came from the Polar Express. These babies are so impressionable. Well Santa did hurry and brought her a great kitchen and a stocking full of candy that she loved emptying out and putting in her kitchen. She also received very nice gifts from her relatives and by the time we were almost finishing opening gifts she had met her limit. So it was good that Stephen and I decided not to over do the whole gift thing. She acts like such a big girl that I have to remind myself that she is still a baby. Stephen and I did pretty good this year too. :) It was a great Christmas and we were very blessed this year. What a different year 2010 was compared to 2009. We have truly seen miracles in our life.

Thanksgiving in Florida.

In November we decided to fly back to Florida to join with the rest of Stephen's family as they welcomed home David. David had been serving faithfully in the Monterrey Mexico Mission. We knew that with my pregnancy it would be pushing it to fly during Christmas so this seemed like a great opportunity to visit family and be a part of David's homecoming. We flew in on Tuesday before Thanksgiving and then spent the night with my parents. The next day we drove the big van that had been rented up to Stephen's parents and helped them get ready for the drive to Orlando. The only real problem we faced at this point in the trip was my swelling feet and ankles. Gigi did great on the flight out and the drive up. We had a seat for her on the plane and we brought her carseat with us. That was the best decision EVER! After Gigi and I took a trip to New Jersey in the summer I vowed I would never fly with her again unless...she had her own seat and another adult was with me. We met David at the airport and then we went to a Vietnamese restaurant in Orlando. It is kinda a family tradition to go to eat Vietnamese whenever we are in Orlando. It is delicious so I don't mind. We spent all day on Thursday at the Polk's helping put together our Thanksgiving feast. Stephen's mom is a great cook and she teaches me knew things about cooking every time we visit. This trip I learned about cloves and ham and how to catch carrots from the pot so they don't get too mushy. Beside all the great food and company my biggest highlight from this day was having good blood sugar and getting to go to the movies with my sweet husband. Stephen's mom got a babysitter for Quy and Gigi. I was very Thankful for that. Then on Friday we drove back down to my parents for the day. We had a big dinner with them and just kinda hung out. Stephen and I took advantage of babysitters again and went and saw Harry Potter that night. It was the 10:30 showing so granted I was exhausted but I took a nap during the first 15 minutes of the movie and apparently didn't miss too much. We stayed with my parents until Saturday afternoon and then drove back up to Vero Beach. David's homecoming was the next day and as it turned out we all played a part. David did very well with his talk as did Stephen, Myhoa and Big Stephen. It was really a blessing to be able to share in this special family time. It was also neat to hear David talk of his mission and watch as he struggled to speak English. After church we headed back down to my parents where we spent the next couple hours before we had to head to the airport. The flight home was not as good as the ones out but Gigi was such a trooper. She had a great time and though her schedule was off she stayed relatively pleasant the whole trip. Once we were back in Vegas it only took a couple days for my feet to go back to near the right size.