so here is the story.....

2011-01-15T15:33:00.000-08:00

Finally....
posting about Christmas.
I realize that some months have passed but I really do have some seriously good excuses!
None of which I am going to give now because it's late and I'm tired and it would turn into a longer epistle than it already is so anyways....Christmas.

I think that 2010 Christmas morning was one of my favorites!
Owen was very excited for Christmas...it was the first Christmas that he FULLY "got it!"
He understood the whole Santa thing and the "getting presents" thing.
We tried to explain that it was a little bit more than that but well....we'll get there eventually.

So you know how you collect presents over a few months period and then maybe a couple weeks before you start to panic a little?!?!
Thinking maybe there is not enough under the tree?!?
Yah....we forgot about all of the presents, previously collected, so come Christmas Eve night it was wrapping hell!!!
Why?! Oh why did I not wrap days beforehand?!?!
Live and learn.....LET'S NOT DO IT AGAIN!
Needless to say, (and horror to my mother-in-law) it was fun to watch them rip through it!
My mother-in-law is a meticulous saver of wrapping paper.
While I love just about everything Silsby and I really do.
I feel so blessed with my in-laws, they are amazing
HOWEVER...Christmas morning at a Silsby house (minus mine) takes about 4 hours
in order to carefully open presents to SAVE the wrapping paper.
For someone who can hardly stand just about any waiting, that is COMPLETE torture!
They are better reducers, reusers and recyclers, needless to say!
She about died with all of the wasted paper!

Anyways, it was a Ben 10 success for Owen who is as of age 3.5 is OBSESSED with Ben 10.
He loved it all but the omnitrix was the MOST PRIZED!
If you are not familiar with Ben 10 verbage (as I am almost expert now!) well....it's a watch-thingy to turn yourself into an alien.
According to O, it is "TOTALLY awesome."

He was STOKED to see all of the presents....he said, "Mom is this all for me?!?"

Ben 10 straw, "Heatblast" (Ben 10 alien.....yes total expert now.), a coloring book & markers (church quiet toy, more for me than him ;)

Miss Ru fell in love with this baby that she played with at the museum.
FELL. IN. LOVE.
This mama found a shipper of said doll that would send me a baby to England.
Doll arrived....doll arrived BLUE.
Mom wanted pink doll....mom wrote shipper.
Shipper felt awful.
Shipper sent pink baby and said to keep blue baby too.
RADICAL.

All I can say is that I love these shots.
I love them because I remember having baby dolls and I LOVE that she loves them.
Watching her open up the dolls is one of my new favorite moments in life.
The sweetest.

Of course then the food was cracked out and well.....like her mama she LURVES the food!

Ben 10 book, chocolate coins (traditional English stocking stuffer), and our tradition, Matchbox cars in the stocking.

Helping Nana enjoy her present the Ladybug Picnic book, I am glad to know that Miss Ru is a fan!

The infamous OMNITRIX!
The intensity is real on that face I tell you!!

Happy as lark!

Of course Ben spoiled me silly.
We had such a fabulous day!

Hope yours was wonderful!

2010-11-03T22:46:00.000-07:00

Okay I am not going to lie....it is a repost from the Pied Piper blog but I do have document this since I put this all in book at the end of the year. Miss L Ru....the big one. She really is such a delight in our family, we are so glad that she was born a year ago.

Where does it go?
How is it that you have a baby and then all of the sudden they are ONE?!
Where does that time go?!

Her new "baby!"
I really wanted to buy her a FABULOUS doll but England is SERIOUSLY lacking in the good doll department.
So we opted for a very cheap baby doll and guess what my friends, it doesn't matter!
She is IN LOVE with that baby!!

Cake bunting...I know SO CUTE right?!
Made by my fabulous sister-in-law.

There are things that I have always known but for some reason I tend to forget like.....
putting frosting on a hot cake with the result being dripping frosting....nice.
The cake.....well.....let's just say that I am a photographer and NOT NOT NOT a cake maker!!
I had this idea of the perfect GIANT cupcake but it SOOO did not pan out.
Thankfully that cute babe looked aside her mothers bad cake and ate it anyways!

Brother getting in on the cake action!

Sadly it does BUT with it also brings GREAT joy!
Our little delight is happily ONE!

She LOVES:

Her blankey
Her brother
Cottage Cheese
Toddling everywhere as fast as her chubby legs will take her
Wearing bows & ripping them out
Laughing (for reals but the fake laughing is fun too)
Singing
Saying AMEN as loud as possible at the end of a prayer
Eating...anything really
Snuggling whenever she feels like it!

We are so glad you were born ONE year ago scrummy ru.

2010-10-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

Well....another chunk of time has passed by! I used to think that people who lived in their house for YEARS and YEARS were boring and not adventurous....NOW....I get it!

Moving is the biggest PIT of my life! We still have several boxes in the house and I am working on a half made desk. We are STILL a work in progress but we will get there eventually. The problem is it all takes TIME and money BOTH of which we are quite lacking!

Ben is CRAZY busy with Groundwork. He is running the show for the entire county and with all the teams he has under him it has been NUTS! He has been called as the YM's president. He is excited about it, it was his favorite calling in Plymouth....it was also very time consuming.....I'm not complaining ;) I get quite jealous of his time. Sometimes he gets home late only to run off for meetings or mutual. The young men here REALLY need him though so it is a good thing.

Owen started pre-school. He loves it most days and they all love him there. The only remark I ever get is that he doesn't want to stop to eat lunch because he is having too much fun! We were really lucky to get him into this pre-school and we've put him forward to three really great schools for "BIG BOY" school next year. We're praying hard that he gets into the right one for him. I think it is CRAZY that four year olds go to full time school here, I'm still having a hard time with that! He is so much fun though. He says MANY things that make me laugh all day, he eats ALL THE TIME and still looks like a stick figure and talks about lasers, swords and Umizoomi A LOT. He is more than good times!

Libby....almost one. She is a complete delight! She is toddling along now and really starting to get the hang of walking. She refuses to let me feed her and despite the fact that she only has two teeth she does a pretty good job with everything that we eat! Pizza and cottage cheese being her favorite! She is quite the sass! She hates to get dressed (it is my MOST dreaded part of the day!) If it wasn't so cold, I really wouldn't bother dressing her. When we do finally get her dressed she is wearing 3T clothing because she is tall and a little bit fluffy ;) She giggles all the time, folds arms for prayers (although can't quit make it around aforementioned fluffy belly.), says "amen" and sings A LOT. We love her...she is a great addition to our family!

ME....well I am trying to keep my wits together despite the fact that every time I think about my house not being in order I want to rip my eyebrows out! I have always known that I liked to be organized but now I know that it is KEY to my sanity and spirit! I know it will happen but I have not acquired enough patience yet to handle it!!! I am busy with work, writing a book and pining for the day to fly to AZ for the month of the TURKEY! I have longed to enjoy a bit of Arizona winter and sit down with my family for Thanksgiving. I always prepare here but it is NOT the same. I love waking up to Arizona crisp air, running the Turkey Trot and coming home to the wafting delicious turkey. *sigh* things like that keep me sane! It will have been FIVE years since I had a PROPER Thanksgiving. HOLLA. Can't wait to see you all!

I wouldn't leave you without some updated photos....here are our babes.....

2010-08-13T03:44:00.000-07:00

GOOD GRIEF! May since I posted?!?! That is pretty pathetic but we have good excuses!

Since April Ben got a promotion and we moved from Plymouth (about two hours closer to London). This is something that we have wanted for a long time. Plymouth has been so good to us and when we drove away I could not help but sob leaving my little flat where I was first married and had my two babies. Many many good memories. We loved our ward and loved so many things about living there but also felt a tug to move on. Two of Ben's brothers live in Poole and it is SO much closer to London. Which means more temple trips and more visits to Ben's family in Hastings (which is now 2 hours closer). It used to take us 5 hours to get to his parents house! We've loved the ward here too even before we had an inkling of coming. It has been great so far and were happy to be here.

Ben literally packed up our entire flat and moved us to Poole while the kids and I were visiting in Arizona during March and April! So we flew back to a new city! We stayed with Ben's brother, his wife and their two girls while we searched for a home.....can I tell you how much NOT FUN that is?! Ugh, I wish I could just pay someone to find everything that I want and then move and unpack the entire house. We looked for weeks! Finally the house next door (literally next door!) came up in the right price so we took it. They had quite a bit of remodeling to do which took a few weeks longer than we hoped for so long that in fact we left for Arizona again at the end of July....we put the boxes in our new house and flew out the next day! SOOoooooo we got back here about a week and a half ago and have been sorting out the house ever since!!! We've been without a home since April! It is completely weird to be in our own place again but soooo nice!

Can I be honest and say that it is not exactly what I wanted?! We looked long and hard for the right place and this came up with a great price that we felt it would be a blessing to us financially. SO it is not my ideal home....I guess I am not there yet but the carpet is new and the kitchen is brand new. I have a new refridgerator and a new washing machine which, sad to say, are things that I am so excited about! AND we live next door to Ben's brother and his family which is great because our kids are the same age and we get on like Donkey Kong!

So that is how it has been over the past few months (gosh it feels so much longer than that!). Owen turned three. We had a big Buzz Lightyear party which he loved and had so much fun! He still talks about it all the time! Then we went to a great family reunion in Utah, it was my favorite of them all. We left from Utah straight to California for some beach time. I felt like it was a quick visit, even though it was two weeks! I am used to my big long stays when I come! Now were here, trying to sort this house out. My brain and emotions feel fried and I am sandbagging big time because this all more than the biggest of chores! Once it is done I will feel like a whole woman again!! Anyways, we did just have our photos done in April but I've been working out like a crazy woman, dieting like mad and I've lost over 30 pounds so I felt that some more updated photos needed to be done! We had our very good photographer friend in California take some family shots for us. Here are a couple.....we'll update soon with more photos....I PROMISE!!!

Just 35 more pounds to go and I may fit back into that wedding dress again!!!!

2010-05-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

We had our family photos taken while we were in AZ.
Bonus of having photogs for friends!
I debated on doing it because I am NOT back to the body size I would like to be.
BUT moments must be marked before they pass too quickly so....
Here they are, we loved them!

2010-05-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

I know I posted this on the Pied Piper blog but it is dedicated to the mommas I know through this blog so it is a repeat but with full heart intent!!

my sweet mom and sister...

my dear mother-in-law....

Women.
Quite remarkable creatures really.
Amazing at so many different things and some at the same time!
Now before this starts to sound feminist,
I assure you it is not.
Men and women are made to compliment one another without question.
Like peanut butter and jelly, fabulous on their own but perfection when together!
Oh dear let me not digress....heaven knows I love me a PB&J....
In all seriousness, I think about this a lot.
A LOT.
Women and the certain kinds there are.
The potential that they have, use and become great or...not.
There ARE certain kinds, you know.
Categories if you will.
Too numerous to really be named but truthfully it boils down to two.
A dividing line between two kinds.

The kind that create beauty and love wherever they go, they are wrought with kindness and thinking of others far more then themselves.
They KNOW who they are, what life is about and where they are going
and they ACT accordingly.
They know that ONE good woman can do great things.

Or the other kind.....who think nothing of others or any damage they do in their wake, they breed gossip and judgement, take no responsibility for their actions and do not understand their divinity which in turn leaves them without respect from others and quite sadly without respect for themselves.
It's quite tragic really.
Some just don't get it and some never will.

Now if you're like me you may find yourself in the gray area in between.
I wish I could say that I have never partaken in a juicy piece of gossip
or that I haven't had a selfish time or two (or MORE *ahem*) in my life.
I'm no bit of perfection but I would like to keep my body on the better half of the line.

Women can be amazing when they combine to do something good but also just as amazingly VICIOUS when they gossip or tear down an individual.

Okay this is a large rant and I am by NO MEANS any expert on this subject but...
I guess it has had me thinking on this mother's day as I have spent hours working on photos of stunning wonderful women and many young little women who I wonder what kind of woman they will be.
I think about my own mother and the many other mothers who surround me.

What kind of mothers are we?
What kind of woman am I?

I hope that I have patience like my mother.
That I play with my children the way she did with me.
That I am steadfast in holding to precious morals.
That they will know who they are, where they come from and where they are going.

Give a girl a good mother and she can do anything.
Thank you mom for all that you are....

Happy Mother's day to all the amazing women out there!

2010-03-28T01:18:00.000-07:00

Well, after an 11 hour flight BY MYSELF with two kids we are here.
In fact we've been here a couple of weeks!
I know.
Shame on me for not blogging all about it.
I have my reasons...
Ben got a great promotion so we are leaving our lovely Plymouth.
Were moving two hours closer to live in a city with family
and live closer to the rest.
So I've been packing the house..
then I packed for the trip then
I took a very long trip..
had lots of fam time
taken lots of shoots
and so here we are.

Owen and Libby have been having so much fun!
Wearing t-shirts and shorts already has been quite the highlight!
Owen can't get enough of his nan and neither can Libby.
Poor Ben had to stay and work but he gets to come to us soon
but we are missing him SO MUCH!

Anyways, happy funny shoot today.
Owen DID not like sister touching him at all,
especially with slobbery hands and mouth.
Can you tell?!?!?

Libby had a great time! She couldn't get enough of him!

Our little (being the optimal word!) lady is 5 months old.
She is loving rice cereal and can certainly not get enough of it.
Poor thing, she'll waste away!
She is rolling over and drooling ridiculous amounts of slobber everywhere.
Yes, say it all you like but I have to tell you WE KNOW.
She is the CUTEST thing around and we are not going to deny it!

Owen is a great big brother and is starting to really have a little more interest in her.
He is really missing daddy though.
I don't think I will ever make the cut with that guy!
At least he kisses me often (and like daddy or so he says)
They entail holding my face TIGHTLY and saying MWA as loud as possible!
He is super fun!

More to come soon, were just soaking up all we can while were here!

2010-02-28T17:03:00.000-08:00

A lovely weekend with my lovelies....
Family is true bliss.
We went to this amazing little hippie town this weekend.
I LOVED IT!
Fabulous little eclectic shops, I wanted to buy everything!
Ben was such a trooper, he definitely did it for me because he does not like to shop!
I took the camera but never got it out until we were back in the parking lot...
GO FIGURE!!
Oh well, at least I got a few!

I know, he is so stunning.
Even better is his English accent.
TOTALLY irresistible.

Mr. D is very into TechDech skateboards.
A must have toy wherever we go!
I know I have said this before but....
he is SO. MUCH. FUN!

Yummy. Edible. Happy. Sweet. Perfect.
I love her blue eyes like my mom's.
Her crater of a dimple like Daddy and
her punk rock hair that is all her own.

Yes, my loves.

Happy day.

2010-02-15T14:21:00.000-08:00

Isn't she just delicious?! She is such a good baby. Smiling and giggling all of the time! We kind of had a crappy night last night but I woke up to this sweet face and didn't think that it was that bad after all.

This guy, what a crack-up. Our fingerpaint day was so much fun! He wasn't totally sure at first, he is a bit of a non-icky boy! Too funny! This last set is the conversation when it was time to pack up....

First shot...umm no mom lets get more paint...
Top shot....sorry babe mom needs to do dinner...
Bottom shot....why and no mixed into ONE face
Last shot....a pensive look after I say we'll do it another day

Such an expressive boy!

I want to know what everyone else does with their toddlers. How does your week pan and what do you do with your kids?!

2010-01-24T17:07:00.000-08:00

Been some time since our last post! Adjusting to life with two is well....twice as busy! Much is going on with Ben's work including a possible promotion and a move to the city we've been hoping for! Were still waiting on it all but our fingers are crossed and prayers are being said. Owen is adjusting to life with a sibling. He is not all that interested in Libby but there is the occasional unprompted kiss and he is always calling my attention to her when she starts to cry. Libby is growing like crazy! I cannot believe that she is 3 months old already. It really does go by so fast. Like Owen, she is growing faster than her age! She is already wearing some of her 6-9month clothes and eating as much as she can! She would probably eat all day if I would let her! She is total sunshine though! She smiles A LOT and is quite the chatterbox. It is not uncommon to hear her coos and full blow giggles throughout the house! We love it and love her! Were looking forward to Arizona in March to see all of our family and friends and lets not forget my beloved Mexican food! YAY!

Here is our Libby at three months.....do you love the rolls or what?!?!

2009-12-25T04:56:00.000-08:00

In case our Christmas card didn't make it to you (or on time for that matter!) here it is!
I've always been a Norman Rockwell fan and thought it appropriate as I am working on a series of his recreations this year.
Thus the theme we took!
We hope your Christmas morning was as fun as ours was!
We'll give all the lowdown soon!
A Merry Christmas to you all!

I wanted to use this more "Santa" version of Ben by the way! I thought it was a bit more Norman Rockwell looking than the other version! But I was convinced that no one would think it looked like Ben and that I was kissing some strange man! I don't think so! I had to put it up because the beard took me awhile to do!

2009-12-18T05:11:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday we blessed our little lady Liberty Ruth. Her name is really special to me. We had a number of names that we loved but when it got down to the wire both Ben and I couldn't agree on one. We decided that the two finalists were either Eliza or Liberty. I think Eliza is so pretty and it is also a name in our family tree. I have always loved the name Liberty! I don't know any Eliza and I only know of one other Libby, a cousin who is a very wonderful person! As many of you know, coming up with names leads you to associating names with others which sometimes can put you off to a name or love it!

Thus is took us awhile to even make a list of names we could somewhat like! We both agreed that we would wait until we saw her to decide. Honestly, I had felt that she was a Libby for quite some time. I suppose that has a great deal to do with carrying that baby for 9 months and the feelings you have while you are pregnant. As with Owen when I thought of the name, something about it resonated with me. I had prayed that we would find a name that she would love and when I remembered it off of a name list, from years back, it stuck with me almost the entire pregnancy.

Ben was not convinced.

He feels that I chose Owen's name and that he wasn't totally sure of it (at the time of course, Owen is SO OWEN now!). So as he sensed my preference for Libby he took to liking Eliza more, go figure! I wanted to be open about it so I prayed that we would know what would suit her character when we saw her. So within two minutes after she was born and I was holding her on my chest, a tender Ben said,

"She is no Eliza, she is our Libby."

It was sweet and felt right. We love what Liberty Ruth means. Liberty of course meaning freedom which I think for all of us is a deep rooted truth and desire to be at will to choose for ourselves. I've also always loved Moroni's Title of Liberty. I'm glad that her name is associated with it. Ruth, means compassion, mercy and sympathy which we hope she will always have. It is also a middle name that she shares with Ben's mother.

(her Nana Margaret Ruth and Libby....aren't they sweet?)

We love the two together and think that they have an amazing significance. She was blessed to be able to live up to this name, to be a peacemaker and an a great example to those around her. Ben did a great job and her blessing was sweet and perfect.

Her Nan bought her blessing dress, it was so beautiful on her. An forever heirloom piece. I was totally worried it wasn't going to fit!! Owen's blessing outfit couldn't be buttoned up, his neck was so chubby! She has been growing at the same rate he did so I kind of expected the same thing! The bonnet had a little bit of a hard time but it was so cute with her curls coming out of it! Thankfully, the dress fit her perfectly. Of course she had a blowout just before she went up for her blessing and there wasn't time to change her! Thank heavens for the onesie underneath that saved the dress from mustard yellow destruction!

Her Aunt Kimmy made her bracelet and a matching one for me....so very sweet and touching.

It was a great day for our family. We had Ben's parents there and Ben's younger brother. It was a bummer that not all could be there but it was special nonetheless!

Other news, Libby had her 8 week check up, she is 24 inches long and weighs 14 pounds! She is in the 98th percentile for everything but off the charts for the size of her head! HELLO!?!? The dr isn't worried since it is proportionate to her body but GEESH no wonder she had issues fitting the bonnet! She doesn't fit a lot of her clothes anymore and even some of her 3-6 month stuff doesn't fit! It looks like she is going to have blue eyes which I just CANNOT GET OVER! Both Ben and I have brown eyes! The only thing that keeps me from not being sad about that is that she had to have got them from my mom. She is the closest relative with blue eyes and they look a lot like hers so I can't be too sad about that. A piece of my mom near me always! I can't believe how fast she is already growing.

2009-12-08T14:31:00.000-08:00

Do you remember the first time you made cookies with your mom?
I do.
I remember that they were chocolate chip and I think I ate more of the chocolate chips than those that actually went into the batter!
I used to LOVE making cookies with my mom. I have best memories of it.
Although I learned from her, she is still the most amazing cookie maker I know!
Her cookies always taste the best, no one can beat them.
Betty Crocker, got NOTHIN' on my mama!

This was Owen's first time making cookies with mom.
He totally loved it.
He helped crack the egg, stir the batter and drop it by spoonfuls on the cookie sheet.
My boy sticks his finger in everything to taste it before he actually puts it in his mouth...
he had a taste of the batter and that was it!
He was chowing it down!
We had so much fun, he really loved it and it has been marked in my memory forever.
The only downer of the evening was that he did NOT want to put the cookies in the oven....heaven forbid that we actually COOK them!

Our little lady is growing in leaps and bounds. The only negative in having big babies is that they are quite hearty eaters and don't stay little for very long!

I just cant get over her curls! I always wanted a curly headed child! Libby's curls are the best when she finishes her tub, after awhile it just poofs out (although adorable nonetheless)
We are totally enamored...

2009-11-25T00:37:00.000-08:00

WOW, what a few weeks it has been! I can't believe that our Libs is almost 5 weeks old! A long five weeks it has been! Despite the sleepless nights and all that entails with having a newborn, I have been really enjoying it.

My experience with Owen was so different to this time with Libby. I remember feeling like, "WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO?!!" after I had Owen. I think it took the first few months of his life for me to fall in love with the idea of life as a mother. Poor Owen! It was total shell shock for me not to mention the fact that I had HORRIBLE baby blues with him! It was a nightmare. Thankfully with Libby, it has been the complete opposite. There were no surprises and I knew what I was getting into so I really have relished these few weeks and the timeless moments you forget about. She really looks quite a bit like him but she is starting already to get her own look. She is already quite the cuddler which is completely opposite to Owen and she prefers mom to snuggle with her tight which I can't say HOW MUCH I love. After Owen being such a fan of Ben, it is nice to have one of my own. She is delicious. She has a dimple on her right cheek which is absolutely massive on her chubby face when she smiles and OH I love to watch her stretch!! She does it often especially after she eats....it is totally intoxicating. I completely love to watch her. Moments are easily relished even at 4:00am because I remember how fleeting they are. Before I know it, she will be eating solids, crawling and saying words. I wish wish wish that I would have had this experience with Owen. It was just so hard for me that I remember feeling that I just wanted him to get bigger so that he wasn't so reliant on me. Now I look at him and try to remember what my newborn nights were like with him. I must say it is kind of a blur. I am not one to live in regret but have learned a valuable lesson....to savor every moment. My friend took Owen for a few hours one day and they made a paper with prints of Owen's hands in paint with this poem:

"Sometimes you get discouraged because I am only small,
and leave my fingerprints on the cookie jar and walls,
but everyday I grow up and soon I will be so tall,
that all those little handprints will be so hard to recall.
So here is a special handprint just so you can say....
this is how my fingers looked when I placed them here today"

I can't hardly read that without crying! So true.

I haven't even cracked out my camera since the last photo shoot. With juggling these two, plus dinners, plus laundry, plus running errands, plus cleaning a house.....etc....I just haven't had time nor made it a priority but soon enough I will!

2009-11-22T03:20:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

2009-11-01T14:40:00.001-08:00

More of Miss Libs on the Pied Piper blog!

2009-10-25T13:59:00.000-07:00

She has arrived, all 9lbs and 12 ozs of her.
We only had iPhone's on us so this will have to do until she has her proper photo shoot.
She came in perfect timing! My parents flew in, took a train to us and within two hours I was at the hospital! I labored for several hours before the contractions really started to kick in! They ended up speeding up the process a little as she was face up.
They worried that they might have to c-section me but I pushed her out THANKFULLY!
She had a massive lump and bruise on the top of her head because of her positioning so she is quite swollen and has some bruising but is gorgeous nonetheless.
We have been soaking her in and can't get over how pretty she is.
She looks like a pretty feminine version of Owen which we love!
He was all about "my baby" when he came and saw her at the hospital and has been all about her since we got home.
Helping her with her binky and sharing his blankey with her.
We hope this love continues!!
This mama is very very tired but feeling good
The daddy is superb at everything and even better that he GOT A JOB!
It has been a great week for us!
We are currently drinking her up and plan on doing so for a long time....
We'll post again when we can!

2009-10-22T03:12:00.000-07:00

I wish that I was posting about the birth of this baby BUT I'M NOT!
I am still very large with this baby and trying every single solitary thing to WILL her out!
NOTHING seems to work!
I realize that she may have her own little time frame but this momma is not waiting around for too long!
I have absolutely NO desire to push out a child bigger than 10 pounds
(and preferably not to have that size anyways!)
The DR here that I saw will NOT induce me until I am 12 days overdue, a common practice here in England that as you can imagine just thrills me!
I saw him yesterday and our little conversation was THE STRAW!
He would barely refer me to someone else so I could get a second opinion and it was the total absolute last thing I could handle!
You know when all of the sudden something hits you and the floodgates open CANNOT STOP!
Ben was, of course, my knight in shining armor. He went back into the dr and gave him a piece of his mind and while it didn't accomplish anything, it made my heart flutter knowing my babies daddy watches out for me.
See, this lady is TIRED! I have this giant belly and what I am certain, is a fairly large baby inside....it keeps me from sleeping.
Most who know me, KNOW that when I start to get sleep deprived my ability to cope, be happy and patient takes a soaring leap off the nearest cliff.
SOOOOO I am really grumpy....I am trying to keep from letting it affect me and others but I am very much done!
To top things off, we discovered that Owen had lice a couple of days ago.
OH JOY.
So not only did that bring my anger to boil because we know that he got it at nursery by a family that brought their child in DESPITE her head crawling with them BUT I JUST cleaned the house.
A feat, those of you preggy moms know, is not easy while you are 40 weeks PLUS!
So my washer and dryer have been non-stop for days and we have the ever so fun task of lice-combing, lice shampooing and dousing of vinegar on a two year old for at least two weeks!
OH JOY.
Thankfully my mother dear is boarding a jet today and is on her way.
A thought that brings me true joy because (next to Ben) she is my most favorite person.
You know mom's know just what to say.
I can hear her now saying,
"Oh Linz, it does really stink but she'll come when she's ready so you just need to suck it up and get busy!"
She'll find me something to do to keep my mind off of it and she'll make me all the things I love to eat and she smells like "mom" and for some reason that seems to comfort!

So EVERYONE keep your fingers crossed and wish me all the contractions your little heart can!

2009-10-09T07:44:00.001-07:00

Oh yes were still waiting....hoping that she will come a little early because the largeness can go NO MORE!
I was much more ROUND with Owen and with this gal it is all out front and
good heavens I honestly don't think I can or should stretch anymore!
My belly button is completely NUMB!

So were just hanging and waiting!
Making some bows here and there,
finishing up Pied Piper work,
applying to jobs for daddy,
washing baby clothes,
making space where we can,
making bets on her size,
anxiously awaiting the arrival of Nan and Papa
and resting as much as possible!
Hopefully she'll arrive soon

2009-09-26T06:47:00.000-07:00

Ben had graduation this week.
I had kind of forgotten about it because he officially graduated MONTHS ago!
They do graduation so late here but I have to say....
what a seriously amazing day.

They have started a new tradition at the University of Plymouth.
Graduation was held in marquees (tents) on the Hoe.
(lovely grassy promenade just small cliffs up from the beach)
Even though it was a cloudy day, it was beautiful!
Lucky us, we had reserved seats on the FRONT row.
It was so great, we got to see absolutely everything!

The procession of the chancellor and professors was quite impressive.

The chancellor gave a really amazing motivating speech.
She asked the graduates to stand and applaud family members and friends who supported them in their various aspects of studies.
A gesture that me, Owen and Ben's parents really appreciated!

Ben wasn't really sure that he wanted to do graduation.
It was just one more thing that he felt he didn't have time for and obviously you still get your diploma.
I told him that he needed to do it!
I remember getting mine and what a great day and feeling it was to have that "rite of passage" so to speak in wearing your robes and cap and being handed the small piece of paper that you worked so hard for!

They read all of the bachelors degree students first and then finally got to the masters graduates.
They were set apart not only in their robes but each degree was read out for each individual graduating masters student.

As Ben stood up there while the professor read out,
"Masters of Science in Sustainable Environmental Management,
Benjamin Nathan Silsby."
I had such an overwhelming intense feeling of pride, joy and fulfillment.
It was actually quite spiritual.
With all that has happened over the last several months,
it has been difficult for us that Ben still has not acquired a job.
We've prayed, fasted, prayed more, fasted more,
all while friends and family doing the same and nothing has happened.
It's hard to keep feelings of hope alive when patience starts to run thin.

Then there he was, up there, getting his degree.
A hard worked, much sacrificed for MASTERS of science degree.
Then there was that very familiar warm comforting feeling,
knowing that sacrifice always comes full circle and that YES...everything would work out.
It was a GREAT day for our little family!
Ben taking that walk brought him and us the rejuvenation of hope and positivity
that the Lord knew we needed.

At the conclusion of the ceremonies, the chancellor and professors made their way to the center aisle where they parted to make an aisle for the graduates.
The graduates then walked between them while they applauded, clapped backs
and shook hands.

We watched Ben on the monitor since we couldn't see him at this point but,
for a lack of better words, it was really neat!

The graduates headed outside to have photos while family members were escorted
to another tent with champagne (or orange juice for us non-alcoholic people!) and canapes.
It was quite the treat!

Were so grateful that Ben's parents were able to come!
They made quite the sacrifice to get to us but were so glad they did!
Ben is the first in his family to graduate with not only a bachelors but a masters!
You can only imagine how his parents feel about his great accomplishment!

It was, as I have stated, a great amazing day!

So proud of our Benjamin Nathan Silsby, MSC, BSC hons.....

2009-09-17T17:47:00.000-07:00

I had a blankey when I was little and kept it forever, foolishly gave it away....long story but sad that I don't have it for my little lady coming. Anyways, I kind of hoped that Owen would love to have one and he truly has loved this blankey from day one! My mom gave it to him and he has two others that are almost identical but THIS blankey is the all time fave. He has put holes in each corner of the blanket and fiddles with them when he is going to sleep. When my mom Skypes she always asks him to bring her the blankey so she can give it kisses and he thinks it's so funny! I asked him to give kisses to his blankey in these shots and he started to do it but then could not contain himself!! It was a riot, I could hardly take the shots, it was so funny!

A good friend of mine did this shot and executed it so much better....I seriously could not get it focused enough and just trying to get my feet in it was a total joke but there you have it.....the LARGE belly with still 5 weeks to go. I remember getting to this point with Owen and thinking...where else is this kid going to go?!?! I don't think she will be as big as Owen. It really feels, looks and carries so differently to Owen. I would really like a smaller one than 10lbs...that is about as large as I think I really want to go!

The belly button is slowly disappearing......

Owen has always LOVED the "gatego" (skateboard). He makes Ben take him on his all of the time and has just a board (no wheels) at home that he pretends to jump off of all of the time! Well, I made the mistake of walking into TK Maxx's toy area (that is no typo...that is what it is called here...same co.). He found this little skateboard, claimed it was his and literally walked up to the register the whole way saying, "Come on mom, come on!" He said it was his prize which had been promised earlier for his good behavior the whole day, usually that is a lollipop after dinner BUT it was dirt cheap and I totally caved. He is IN LOVE with it, talks about it all day! A good 5 quid well spent.

Ben had forbidden me from buying babylegs for Owen. He told me that "tights are for girls!" So I restrained for a VERY long time BUT...then I found these ones that have the flags of his countries! Ben doesn't love them but he loves the flags and said he could handle it if he wore them at home! HA HA! I think it is so cool that Owen has two great countries to call his own. I hope that he will appreciate them both to the same extent that we do.

We are still job searching....we know that something will come and we are learning A LOT of patience. I have a lot of unfinished work with Pied Piper and then I am making myself take a mandatory maternity leave! October 1st I will be closing Pied Piper for just a little bit! I need some boys time before another lady enters the house!

2009-09-08T12:40:00.000-07:00

A little bit of fun for this photographer......check it out HERE!

Battered, bruised but happy and fulfilled!

2009-08-18T04:34:00.001-07:00

We just got back from the first family reunion of Ben's side of the family. It has been planned out the better part of the year and turned out so great that it will be a tradition from now on! We rented out a big holiday home in Dorset along the coast and the weather was PERFECT! Hot enough to play at the beach all day and cool enough at night to sit outside and eat dinner! We had some injuries...Ben's brother broke his wrist, skateboarding of all things and Owen got a huge gash on his forehead that we had to visit the hospital for and of course a beach vacation never goes without some sunburnt bodies. BUT it was so much fun and we are really missing everyone this week!

We had a few kayaks to use at the beach and surprisingly I really enjoyed them! Ben and Owen of course could not get enough!

He just LOVED it!

We visited some of the local ruins at Corfe Castle

I enjoyed the views..... ;)

Owen loves his cousins! It really goes to show that he could use some playmates because he gets around them and is OFF THE WALL! He played with Ava and Isobel all day long and then could not get enough of the older boys who are all older than 12. Matt being his particular favorite. He has talked about Matt everyday since we've been home.
Here is O with the girls in the tub!

It was so great, we're looking forward to the next one.
Here is the whole clan.....

The siblings with spouses..

The 19.5 grandkids and one great grandbaby!

I did not want to be in this photo but everyone made me get my belly in! BARF!

The main crew that started it all.....
the bottom row is Jo, the Ben's dad and mum, Jayne
the top row is Darren, Dave, Ben and Steve
I always refer to Jayne, Steve, Dave and Jo as the older four. Ben was born 10 years after Jo and Darren just after Ben. You wouldn't notice the big age gap though, they are all good friends and siblings!

I've always felt so lucky to be married into such a great family and with people who I feel I can call brothers and sisters and great friends. I think that is why we had a such a good time! We ate a lot and played games till the wee hours of the morning and LAUGHED till our sides ached! I can't wait to do it again!

In other news, we await our little lady in just a short 9 weeks! I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has FLOWN by! Both Ben and I can't believe how NOT ready we are! By this time with Owen we had his room completely done, stocked with plenty of nappies, burpers, clothes washed....everything was ready to go! None of that has been done with this babe! I think we are really hoping that we will be moved before she gets here....I'M REALLY HOPING THAT! I am huge and ready to pop I tell you. I think we are in for another big one!

2009-07-29T07:51:00.000-07:00

The July contest is up.....tell your friends!

It started with birthday plans.....

2009-07-10T10:02:00.000-07:00

......went on to horrible neck pains, dad off to surfing, SIL Pepa doing my job as mom and more so, the surprise 30th bday party, goodbyes to the Blandfords, off to Oxford, a 2 year old bday, a 3 year anniversary, off to Portsmouth and finally back home to the mess we left behind! Well....that is kind of the story in a nutshell!

I had been planning Ben's 30th surprise party for some time! I planned for his mates to come down the Thursday before his birthday (July 4th) and take him away for a surf weekend. I also planned a surprise party on his bday in the evening for them to come back to. WELL....then my neck literally stopped working. The Tuesday before this all was supposed to happen I started having the worst neck pain in the world. I couldn't even move without tears....it was horrible! A blessing and a sister-in-law later, Ben thankfully got to leave on time for his surf weekend. Pepa helped me do everything since I could barely get to the bathroom without bawling my eyes out! My good friend Erana came over the next day to cook cupcakes with Pepa for the party....don't I have good people around me?!? I couldn't have done it without them! Saturday we took Owen and Noah and Pepa's two girls to Build-A-Bear for Owen and Noah's birthday. It was soooo expensive but really fun! Then we worked on party stuff all day for Ben on Saturday, decorated, waited for the bouncy boxing ring (as requested by Ben!) and the guys showed up along with heaps of our friends for the party...it was a blast!

(the boxing ring was taken over by little people but the gents still used the gloves regardless!)

the ice cream at McDonalds after Build-A-Bear was highly enjoyed!

Sunday we said goodbyes to our very dear friends the Blandfords. They moved back to Australia and left us in the dust!! So much had been going on before they left and truthfully their departure was quite quick. We had breakfast with them on Sunday morning and it just felt so normal, it didn't seem like they were really leaving! Although hugging them goodbye was hard! I ended up losing it when we drove to church. Good friends are hard to find...PERIOD but it is even harder to find couples that you both get along with so well. Ben is Ben's good friend and Erana is my good friend and our boys love each other! It was a good mix, one that has left a gaping hole in our ever growing hole in Plymouth. Have I said that we are READY READY READY to move on?!? Sometimes it seems that Ben will never get a job but we know that is not true but our patience has been HEAVILY tested!

Ben had some temporary work this week in Oxford. We decided we didn't want to miss Owen's birthday with our daddy nor our anniversary either so we travelled along!

I'm not one for living out of a suitcase..I just don't love it! BUT I really enjoy going with Ben on his auditing work trips. We get to see something new and Owen and I bond more, it's fun. Owen loves the TV all the more....it's funny!

Oxford is now one of my new favorite places in England. I will tell all that if you come here you must go see it. It is so beautiful and oozes intelligence.
I could live there for sure!

We celebrated Owen's second birthday (although he keeps telling people that he is three!). I can't believe that he is only two and that two years ago I had a newborn and that I'm doing it again! HA HA! He is such a joy to us, I really can hardly remember what it was like without him. Our O...fabulous at all he does!

Banoffee pie...ha ha...what a cake huh?!?
He didn't even care, he was much more interested in blowing out the candles!

He had LOTS of treats on his bday and lots of treats the whole week...
...ice cream was enjoyed MUCH!
Note to self: too much sugar brings on terrible twos!

This guy....what can I say....
he loves all things cars, balls and trains
he loves "Wow, wow Wubbzy" ALOT
he hates cucumbers and even upon seeing them says, "Ewww, ewww"
loves to kiss our baby sister on mom's belly and says "Hi baby!"
he can count to ten in English and count to four in Spanish

he is our consummate cookie monster and asks for them EVERYDAY
he is the biggest fan of daddy and definitely knows where to go when mom says NO
on Sunday's he always tells mom, "Cute shoes"
he snuggles when he wants but when he does it is DIVINE
he is such a good boy and listens well
if mom and dad are heavy discussing he will yell "NO! STOP!" at the top of his lungs
(we love that about him!)

the list for this guy is ever endless...we love you baby O

Ben and I celebrated our third anniversary! We both said in our cards that it seems like it has always been this way and that we have always been together. It has been a wonderful three years and we can't wait for more to come.

As for the rest of it....still applying to jobs....I'm getting bigger and starting to get uncomfortable but I am almost to the third trimester....woo-hoo home sailing from there right?!? HA HA! We are getting more excited but wish we knew where we were going to be! Only time will tell!