The Eclipse

So update for this last week. I have been working on some house projects, yea! Painting some rooms, hanging wall art and such...so happy about this.

Weather has been awesome so much that our pool is a whopping 85 degrees thanks to our solar. Capri and I have been having fun on the shamu shelf where she crawls around and bravely chases her rubber duckies around. She loves the water.

Capri's latest new trick is clapping and dancing. Paul and I love to play a little beyonce to see her dance like crazy. She moves her legs up and down and her facial expressions are priceless...we will get a video of this soon enough.

As for me...proud to say I have been going to the gym for 3 consecutive weeks, which is a breakthrough for me. I am going with Paul's mom so it is nice to have someone to go with to stay motivated.

On Sunday, we went over to Paul's parents house to see the solar eclipse. It was seriously so cool, Paul's mom has some really neato solar sunglasses so you could see it. It is so interesting how the moon is SO much bigger than the sun yet closer to us so it appears that the sun and the moon are roughly the same size.

Paul's mom made some amazing vegetarian loaf. It was good, hearty...and potato salad. Capri had fun crawling around with her aunt's and uncles and getting in some last minute time with her uncle Morgan before he heads back to Virginia.

Mother's Day

To be a mom, there is nothing else that even compares to it, I feel so incredibly fortunate that I have the opportunity to be a mother to an amazing daughter. My life has never known such joy, I have never smiled so much or laughed as hard as I do with her. Even though at times there might be sleepless nights or changing those poopy diapers. Just one hint of a smile from her makes all of those difficult times worth it. My favorite things thus far as being a mommy. Cuddling sessions...Smiles....Giggles....Capri's eyebrow lifts.....Taking Strolls....Family Crawling Sessions.....Peek-a-boo's....Capri saying Mama.....just to name a few!

 I woke up in the morning and my dear, sweet husband made me such an amazing breakfast and then gave me some beautiful flowers with the loveliest note, it was heartfelt and something I will cherish and look back to forever. There is something about a card and the power of words, I think one of my love languages must be loving to be complimented.

Church service was special, I loved hearing the primary children sing sweet songs honoring mothers. That evening we went over to Paul's parents house and had a lovely time there, it's so nice to be close to family. I was so sad because we left in a rush and I spaced bringing the camera!

Not only did the hubs get me some flowers but he got a group gift for Capri and I, for Mother's day and an early birthday present to Capri. I have been searching high and low for a particular rocking horse. I saw one while antiquing a little while ago and looked at the price tag and much to my dismay it was $950, way too much for my taste. So I have been hunting for the exact match on Craigslist. I found one just in time but the price tag was only $200, much better! They run on ebay for around $1,200...yikes. 

Capri absolutely loves it and can't ride on it along just quite yet but will soon enough!

beach swinging

Beach swinging at Emerald bay with cousins...we were only able to see Sandy. Tim, and the kiddos for a
a very short period of time. But had so much fun nonetheless. The kiddos loved swinging on the
beach! Yea for fun times with the cousins!

This last Friday Sandy & Tim came to California for a wedding client of Sandy's. They arrived in Laguna at 1:00
We met them there and took some a nice walk on the beach, caught up on life and soaked in the sun.

Capri was super interested in the Sand this last time around at the beach, she loved playing in it and much to
my dismay eating it :) We had the beach to ourselves, we are fortunate enough to have some Very close
cousins who live in Emerald Bay with this beautiful beach.

That evening Capri and I went to go see Ford's Volleyball game at Laguna Beach High School, he rocked
it, last time I saw him play was probably like 7 years ago....a great improved change. He is seriously so tall and
can really spike the ball with vengeance. It was so fun to see Aunty Maddy, Gracie and Aunt April, Uncle Derick
We cheered on Ford then stayed to watch the alumni game which was fun to watch close the entire time.

Other happenings this week, my dad came to town for business and he took us out to Pei Wei for dinner. Yum . It
was fun seeing him play our new piano. My dad is awesome over the last 4 years he has been taking piano
lessons from my sister Sandy. It's never too late to start.

Capri is making some major changes she confidently is saying "mama" and "dada" so cute to watch her.
She loves to be involved in whatever I am doing ha ha good and bad
She is also pulling herself into standing position. My baby is growing up so hard to watch her grow
so quickly. I am loving every minute of being a mommy!

Capri Goes to Italy!

Capri and I had a blast in Italy to say the least! It was an absolute thrill ride.

It started out with a very long travel day. Left about 4:00 in the morning to make it to my flight that left at 6:00 in the morning had a couple of long layovers but I do have to say I have the best traveling baby she slept for more than half of the plane ride and that is without even being drugged :) Other than that she just played with some animals and just chilled.

Our longest layover was in Paris we had a 7 hour layover which is sadly not enough time to really go visit the city, but we chilled. I, however, was exhausted by the end.

The flight into Italy was just neat as we flew over the Swiss Alps so incredibly beautiful.

When we arrived to the city we were so excited to so HEather! She made a sign with a wooden spoon that said Seniorita Capri, ha this was hilarious, we both were excited. Capri was all giggles and smiles when she was hanging out with her aunt Heather!

We headed home to Heather's amazing apartment seriously it is incredible it is about 400 years old and you can see the city center right when you walk out of their apartment. Quite a view and quite a city...marble sidewalks, cobblestone streets, roman ruins...amazing.

That evening we just rested and I met Laura Lui, such a charming Italian girl she fit the perfect stereotype of an italian, beautiful, amazing cook, passionate, and loving. It was so neat to experience travel in a local view.

Capri and I stayed in Heather and Tyson's guest room it was so incredibly cute, with amazing antiques everywhere but spruced up with heather's bohemian...modern flair. She is one truly talented girl! Her style is amazing she really knows how to place things well and is especially great with color. Check out her blog it is something else :) www.italian-confetti.com.

The first day was super fun, our cousin Lindsey was also in town so we really had a great chance to explore some things. The first thing we did was head over to Laura's house for some Italian cooking. It was definitely one of my favorite things we did there. Laura taught us how to make homemade pumpkin gnocchi. Best pasta I have ever had and quite the experience. Now I just need to practice what I learned. She also made a very simple salad with arugula, roasted sesame seeds, simple yet tasteful.

After that we headed out to go see Juliet's Balcony. It was packed big tourist spot but it was neat to see the place where "letters to juliet", was filmed. We then headed to the colisseum which is in the center of the city and it was awesome. I just couldn't believe how old it was...still standing. It's just interesting to be in a place where there were chariot races and gladiators. So crazy. Lindsey and I took pictures inside as Heather watched capri outside.

We headed home and Heather made some yummy dinner, she is such an amazing cook! The next morning we went out to a vintage fair in an amazing venue it had domed ceilings. I think it was in some kind of castle ruin. It was so fun to see local artists with their creations. We saw everything from jewelry, lighting, wood working, wall art and much more. Heather and I purchased some jewelry of course :) Everyone was absolutely loving capri everywhere we went people stopped and said "que bella", which I believe means I love her. By everyone I seriously mean everyone they are oh so friendly there.

We walked over a beautiful and took the opportunity to take some really fun photos. I just loved being with the twinner, I now cherish every moment I get to spend with her because she lives thousands of miles away. The next day was Sunday. So, we went to church it was so weird not being able to understand anything but yet the spirit was so incredibly strong.

On Monday, we went to Lake Garda which is about 20 minute train ride from Heather's home, it was so beautiful and big. We saw some swan's in the lake that was a first for me. Capri, Heather and I just had some gelato and sat by the lake and took turns taking naps. It was so peaceful and pleasant.

Tuesday, we went to Venice my favorite city to date. What is amazing is throughout the centuries how the city is still standing despite weather, water conditions amidst other things. I guess this just makes it mystical in a sense. It was crazy we probably walked over 30-40 bridges carrying capri's stroller over each one, pretty funny. Capri was a trooper as usual. We had some amazing chocolate's, the best one was a passion fruit chocolate custard, best chocolate to date. It was so fun seeing all the masks for Carnivale as vendors lined the streets, very colorful. As we were walking to St. Mark's Basilica we stopped in a very cute print shop and found some lovely little prints to bring home for Capri's nursery.
We went to St. Marks Basilica and wow, it was beautiful. I went in on my own as Heather watched Capri since she had already seen it. It was so detailed from the intricate detailing of the artwork, domed ceilings, moulding, to the marble walls that looked had an ikat pattern running through it to the diamond shaped floors, the outside of the building had a lot of character as well. We took a water taxi back which was so much fun. I loved seeing people take gondola rides, and watching a group of rowers workout, since that is one of their only forms of exercise, it is nearly impossible to go running as the city is packed with tourists.

I loved the striped wood pools everywhere, stripes everywhere so fresh and fun. So Italy!

We ended up getting basks for Capri, Paul and me.

Wednesday we had a full day of traveling we had to get to the airport early and then arrived in London in the early evening. We went to tesco got some yummy salads and picnicked it in Hyde Park, definitely one of my highlights of the trip! Capri was eating it up.

We then went to our hotel, it was absolutely beautiful and so clean, we got a great deal on it.

The next morning we had meetings for True Birds with TJMAXX London, and with Anthropologie. They went well :) It was fun going to Anthropologies headquarters and seeing their amazingness.

After the meetings we picked up Capri, we had a really cute girl watching her, but when we got back you could tell that she was mad at Heather and me she totally held a grudge the rest of the day. She felt so left out.

We packed it all in, we headed to Portabello Market to go vintage shopping on our way there we hit a high end boutique street full of great designers and fun, fresh looks for spring and summer, just a little out of our price range :) In Portabello market there were so many vintage stores and of course Heather was drawn to the moroccan colorful store, she is so cute! I picked up a "C" for Capri's nursery. We then went to Big Ben and continued getting pics of Capri "Soloing it" funniest album ever. The Thames was right there so we walked along it, it was magical.

On our way back to the hotel we went to a Lebanese restaurant and it was so yummy. I love all the diverse types of food you have there along with people.

We went back to the hotel and headed back to Verona the next day.  Saturday we had yet another cooking lesson from Sarah from Heather's ward. She only spoke Italian but Laura was there to translate for us. We made roasted sesame seeds and then she made us some cheese/herb sandwiches that were to die for, Italians know how to cook. We also had some very delicious strawberry herbed tea. After we took a walk in her small town and stopped by a duck pond, Laura found an abandoned egg and decided she wanted to nurse it back to health. She took the egg and decided to call it "Egg" when it hatched, so funny.

That evening we went to the store and I purchased my very first pasta maker. I also went vintage shopping, they have the best items for cheap! I brought home a chandelier, and basically a whole wall of art!

Sunday was general conference which was great! Later on that evening Laura taught us how to make fettucine with our pasta makers, it was so yummy along with some great red sauce.

Monday we took off early in the morning and went to Milan! It was fantastic, the mall was amazing. Food was great. I wish I could have gone in the Duomo but you literally have to get tickets months in advance  before you go. The painting of the last supper was there wish I could have seen it.

Heather and I of course were dressed like californians, short sleeved shirts and shorts. It happened to be freezing that day. We were silly to think that the weather was going to be perfect. Everyone was in winter coats and looked at us like we were crazy!

We bid farewell to Heather and Tyson and then headed home, long plane ride but Capri did well, best baby ever!

whew glad I got everything written down :)

Capri Laughing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRaFx4sfmdw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Ranch-Giving and Thanksgiving

Well it has been awhile since I have written on this blog! Seriously, I am bad but hey you get around to it when you can right?

Live has been crazy, busy as usual....running a business, new baby, school, new house/new projects. But hey that is what makes life exciting right? It is an exciting time to live.

Some things that I have been grateful for not in any particular order:

Capri

Paul

Clean Water

Food

New Home

Technology and skyping with Heather in Italy!

Family

Friends

The Gospel

These are just a few things.

We were extremely lucky this year we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving twice this year! One at the Ranch near the end of October, immediate family members and extended family members were there. We thought, why not make it an early Thanksgiving, also known as Ranch Giving. Sadly, Mr. Paul couldn't make it out, work work work :(

Some of the highlights of the trip were: picking the perfect Christmas trees for my mom, and sister Sandy. I wish we could have brought one home but I don't think the airline would be ok with that :) It was gorgeous. I absolutely loved the white birch trees with the vibrant yellow leaves, simply breathtaking. Another plus was that it wasn't too cold! This is a family tradition we have had over the years and I absolutely love it, it is so refreshing to hike around and pick your own tree from a mountain side so old fashioned but I love it!

Another highlight was eating the yummy dinner of course, seriously such good food, we had what any other person would have except for the fact that my grandma is a secret chef, she would of course never admit to it but everyone and their dog would agree anything my grandma touches is edibly delish! Moist turkey, mashed red potatoes, pear and gorgonzola cheese salad, stuffing, and grandmas famous rolls.

I was so glad that Capri was able to experience the ranch, it is a place of peace and solitude, we had a great time walking around outside and visiting with family of course. I feel so blessed to have my own special buddy to hang out with all of the time, she is such a charming little lady, I love her to pieces!

Also, my super fun sister in-law Danielle, threw an amazing Halloween party in the barn full of cob-webs, halloween treats and flying bats (ok they were fake but were still rad). It was fun to see everyone geared up for Halloween, and wow did Eric and Danielle/Chanel win in the costume department. They were a family of garden gnomes or as we called them "the gnomies", so funny! Here is the pic of their fam. Chanel was already tuckered out and was in bed by this time in the evening

I will be posting about the Halloween party another time but it was pretty amazing, Brittany and her magical hands...she can make anything look good :)

The homey gnomies!
The decked out barn
Papa holding onto miss Capri, so presh!
The palm tress sisters, ha so funny!
Loading on hand-picked trees atop the car
Oh how I love nature
Sista time-Danielle we missed you!
Just mama and Capri, wearing matching sweaters, funny story she Capri actually had a brown/creme blanket. But, since it was deer hunting season, we decided she needed a color that stood out so she didn't get mistaken for a little deer :)

Just lounging around
Ranch view from the window
Feasting!

We also had an amazing time with the Andrew's family, 9 out of the 12 kids were there, it was fun loud and exciting as usual.

I wish we had brought our camera, unfortunately we didn't bring it, so if any family member who is reading this has any pictures send them on over! The food was fantastic, there was like 12 different dishes! Along with 12 different pies, quite an amazingly delicious feast. My favorite dishes was the fresh green bean casserole, the crispy onions on top SO good. The stuffing was next, so incredibly yummy, Marlyce (Paul's mom) used her homemade bread with it and it was absolutely incredible!

It was fun having Miriam home from BYU, she is always so fun to catch up with, we also had some cousins come in from Lancaster, Kathy and Ricardo, it was fun chatting with Kathy she has a new baby that is a couple of months younger than Capri, her name was Anna. It was fun exchanging birth stories and such. We did truly miss Hyrum and Tiffany, Celeste, and Morgan.

Hopefully we can all get together soon!

Well that's a wrap...now onto Christmas season, I can't wait. I am most definitely listening to Christmas music, and have been since Thanksgiving dinner ended!

Sweet Baby Capri

Pregnancy is over, now I can officially blog, just kidding. Well I guess I have more of an incentive to blog now that we have this precious little addition to our family. My oh my does she bring such a sweet, tender spirit into our home!

So I am going to write a little bit about my pregnancy and my labor. Pregnancy first 3 months seemed to drag on forever as I had the lovely morning sickness! I felt so sick I did not want to eat at all. The rest of my pregnancy literally went by in a flash. I know those that say they didn't like being pregnant, for me I absolutely LOVED it. I loved feeling my baby kick and grow even if it did cause MAJOR heartburn. Heartburn to the point where I would eat just a piece of bread and sure enough the burn was there! The funniest thing was whenever I would eat sugar she would kick...kick...kick, just like her momma she loves Sweet things! I loved feeling so connected to something and having an instant love for this new babe to join our family.

I really was hoping Capri would come on July 4th, so she could always have fireworks on her birthday and be around family, but alas she had other plans. The evening of July 8th, I was feeling some painful contractions that were pretty close together for about 4 hours. So Paul and I called in Labor and Delivery and they told us to come in. We walked in and I was so sure I was in labor, however, they monitored my contractions and informed me I was in false labor. Boy was I bummed I was in SO much pain only to find out the labor wasn't real. However, they checked my blood pressure and for some reason or another it had completely spiked. The doctor was concerned that I might have pre-eclampsia so they told me they were going to induce me since I was already one day over my delivery date.

I was so relieved to finally get my baby here! So, they induced me around 10:00 in the morning on July 9th. The Pitocin was super effective, that I was in some pretty bad pain that morning so they gave me some morphine. It was crazy how fast I dilated, I was at a 1 when I came in and by 11:30 I was already at a 3, I was still in some pretty bad pain so I opted for the epidural which couldn't bring relief quick enough. When they put the Pitocin in the IV it really kicked me into gear by 12:00 I was dilated to a 4. It was so crazy because the morphine was still entirely in my system and I was sleeping in-between my contractions every five minutes I would have a 30 second contraction. The rest of the time I was snoozing! The craziest thing is I went from being dilated from a 5 to a 10 in a matter of 20 minutes! By 1:30 it was definitely time to push, and boy oh boy was I ready. Paul was there helping me so much, telling me everything was going to be ok. Holding my hand even though I probably squeezed his hand so hard his circulation stopped pumping through.They had to break my water as it was unable to break on my own and 30 minutes later, Miss Capri Noelle Andrews came. She was as beautiful as ever, when she came out she was Completely clean which I believe was due to drinking raspberry herbal tea for about a week. She was beautiful, the doctor put her right against my chest right when she came out, she sat there with her eyes completely wide open, I was completely overwhelmed with joy and love that I have never experience before in my life, I would jump in front of a bus for her, take a bullet for her, whatever it would take to protect this sweet new life. I looked at Paul and felt so complete as a mother and wife. I feel so incredibly blessed and love being a mom.

I loved having family come and visit. Heather and my mom were there and were such a big help! My mom flew in on the morning of September 9th, the absolute perfect timing! They came in and threw their arms around me and expressed such great enthusiasm for their new niece/granddaughter. They were so funny they reminded me of tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum as they were both wearing identical striped shirts and sporting the same ear to ear grin. So funny! I absolutely loved seeing them interact with Capri!

Paul's family also came to visit, which was so wonderful! Such a fun, and exciting time, Hyrum and Tiffany were there along with Paul's parents, Rachel, Esther, and Miriam. I loved seeing them interact with our sweet baby doll and see Paul, the proud father show her off to them with such excitement. It was so nice to be surrounded by such love from our family.

The first night we had Capri I was a little nervous I would not get any sleep at all, or that breast feeding wouldn't come naturally but to my pleasant surprise I did get a great amount of sleep as Capri would wake up to feed then go right back to sleep or look around without making a peep :) nursing was easy and I felt a major relief as the first night was spectacular.

The following day we were hanging out and all of a sudden my sister Sandy from Utah busted through the door! I was completely unaware they made the trip out to see us. It was probably one of the best surprises of my life! I can't believe my mom and Heather kept it as such a secret. My little nieces Cameron and Kennedy immediately gravitated towards Capri and Mick (1 year old) their youngest was completely enamoured by her and would run over to her and say "MAMA" so funny and cute to see them all interact. It was so great to see Sandy as she has helped me so much along the way answering all of my pregnancy question, such a wealth of knowledge. I loved seeing her with Capri as she was gleaming just looking at her.

We also had some great friends Todd and Brittany drop in and see us, Brit brought us some of the best beef soup I have ever tasted and visited with us, such a treat to have such amazing support from friends and family.

So just be prepared my blog may just have more than one post a year, yea for babies!

Below are some pics of the little Mrs. I will be posting more soon enough!