Sorrow and Peace

I have struggled with whether to write this post or not, but I feel like this is the best way to express everything I'm feeling. A good friend of mine lost her husband in a tragic accident a few days ago. I cannot imagine what she is going through because I have never lost anyone that close to me (I've lost grandparents and a brother, but I think a husband is a much closer relationship). She is like a sister to me, and we did many things together when we were younger. I did not have the privilege of knowing her husband, but I could tell from pictures and the things she said about him that they had a beautiful relationship. Both of their families are mourning the loss of this wonderful young man. However, peace can also be found in this time of tragedy.

My friend is a wonderful example of this. Even though I know it's terribly hard for her to cope with the loss of her husband, her faith in the Plan of Salvation (go to mormon.org for more information) has provided her with the strength she needs. She has said that he is now on a new adventure and that she knows she will be with him again someday. Not that she believes or hopes it but that she KNOWS it.

My heart breaks for her, but I also have faith in our Heavenly Father's plan. I know there's nothing I could do if I were there to ease her pain, but I all I want to do is hug her. I talked to her father, and he told me to always cherish my family and to hug my husband a little tighter...we never know how long we have together because our time is not promised to us. He also told me not to sweat the little things. I agree with him completely. As people, we tend to take these relationships for granted and not realize what we have until it's gone (not all the time, but it does happen). I made a promise to him and myself that I would not let that happen anymore. Of course I know that my life is not going to be perfect and that I'll still have disagreements with my husband and one day with my daughters, but I do not want to make those moments define our relationship.

I am grateful for the knowledge that families can live together forever. I love my friend, and I ache for her every time I think about her loss, but I know she is surrounded by loved ones who offer her comfort. I don't even know if she reads this blog, but I want her to know that I love her very much and that I am with her in spirit even though I cannot be there for her physically. She and her family are in my thoughts and prayers every day.

Memorial Day 2013

The weather in Utah was perfect for spending time outside! Margie came over to hang out with us, so that made it great too. After Lily's morning nap, we packed up a lunch and headed into the canyon to eat and spend some time outside. Lily loved it, and it was great to have the day with Daddy :)

We saw a friend who let Lily hold her
fishing pole

Gonzalez family with Margie

Margie took this one...I love it!

Happy Memorial Day!!

A baby shower

We had a baby shower this past weekend! We didn't realize it was Memorial Day weekend when we planned it, but we were still surrounded by friends and family, and it was a beautiful shower. The biggest thanks goes to our wonderful family friend who threw the shower and even thought to buy Lily a gift so she wouldn't feel left out (she got a Minnie Mouse and a book...she loves that Minnie Mouse and carries it with her everywhere!). There was lots of food, but this one is probably my favorite:

Cute cake!

Can't wait to meet our little girl!

Sympathy Emotions?

When I was pregnant with Lily, it seemed Faiver gained sympathy weight right along with me. He had an appetite like mine and wanted to eat every time I did. Of course, by the end, I couldn't hold much in my stomach because the baby was taking up most of the space, so he may have gained more than I did toward the end. :) And of course it was much easier for him to lose the weight after she was born...I don't think he even had to try! Well, with this second pregnancy, it is much the same. My handsome hubby is putting on some sympathy weight and has an even heartier appetite than before. However, last Sunday I realized that weight gain is not the only thing he gets from me when I'm pregnant...

He also gets more sensitive and emotional!! I'm extra sensitive (emotionally) to every little thing when I'm pregnant, but that's also because I have a bunch of hormones doing crazy things in my body. I said something to Faiver on Sunday before church (I don't even remember what it was), and he took it completely the wrong way, got upset, and wouldn't talk to me the whole car ride (which isn't very long 'cause we live in Provo, but still!). When we were getting out, I had that "ah-ha" moment, and I realized what was going on...he takes on my emotional state too!! When I told him about it, at least is loosened him up, and he got over whatever it was that happened. It would be adorable that he feeds so much off of me during my pregnancies if it wasn't so darn annoying :) One of us is supposed to be the rational, non-hormonal one!! At least now maybe he knows a little what I feel like most days...

I love him!!

4th Anniversary

Tuesday, April 30th was our 4 year anniversary. It is amazing to think we've been married for four years already, have a beautiful daughter and one on the way. Life has changed a lot in four years, and we've had many wonderful experiences together. Like with any marriage, some days are better than others, but the devotion we feel for each other helps us get through anything that may come our way. I am grateful for the blessing of an eternal family and the joy that my wonderful husband brings into our lives. The traditional gift for a 4th anniversary is fruit or flowers...Faiver gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers, and I gave him a bouquet of fruit from Edible Arrangements. The modern gift is appliances. We each received an appliance we had really been wanting for a while. We didn't even plan to follow the traditional/modern gift exchange ideas :) Faiver took the day off from work, so we had the whole day together. We spent time playing with Lily, buying our appliances, and just spending time together. For dinner, he took me out to Chef's Table for dinner (and I got to have creme brulee for dessert!!). It was a wonderful day...the perfect way to spend our anniversary. Happy 4 Years, Honey!!

Love this guy so much!!!

My Sweet Daughter

I love my daughter so much, not just because she's mine, but because she is wonderful, sweet, and smart, constantly amazing and surprising me. We are raising her to bilingual; her father speaks to her only in Spanish, and I speak to her only in English. Most of the words she says right now are English because she's at home with me all day, but having Margie around has been great because she gets more Spanish during the day now too. She understands both Faiver and me equally, though. Sometimes, it's incredible to see what she really understands. She surprises us a lot. For example, just a couple day ago we were sitting on the couch playing and talking. Margie got her to say "Costco" (super cute), and I was asking her if she loved all the people in her life, to which she answered "yes". So, I asked her if she knew who Emily was (that's what we're naming baby number 2), and she said "yes." Then I asked, "Lily, where is Emily?" She immediately patted my tummy!! I mean, we've been trying to spark understanding by telling her there's a baby/her little sister in there, but I don't think we've every specifically told her, "this is Emily." We talk about it around her, but it's never been directly specified to her. I couldn't believe it!! I think she'll be a great big sister.

Lily loves having Margie in the house. This morning, she's been hanging out just with her (which is why I can get all this blogging done at once), playing "baby"with her, listening to music and "singing" together as well as dancing - she loves to dance. She makes sounds like "whoa," "ouch," and "uh-oh." Here are the words she says so far (most of which don't sound too much like real words, but she's getting there): agua, ojo, butt paste, hola, hello, hi, kiss, Margie, Papa Noyes, no, yes, si, please, paci, hat, ball, bubbles, bus, out, Mommy, Papa, Daddy, juice, oh!, amen (with a Spanish "a"), eyes, baby. She loves to be outside, though this week has been hard because it's either been raining or too cold to play outside. She loves phones - lucky for her Margie's phone is from Colombia, so she gets to play with it a lot since she can't really call/text anyone accidentally. Her food likes continue to impress me. One day, I named different things in the fridge to see what she wanted for breakfast. The only thing she said "yes" to was cucumber. Seriously? Yep, that's what she had for breakfast that day. She loves bologna. Yesterday we had crescent rolls stuffed with bologna and cheese. She way there was bologna inside, made an excited noise, picked out JUST the meat, and left everything else on her plate. She prefers fruits and veggies to meats and carbs. She still eats pretty much anything we put in front of her, which makes mealtimes super wonderful for me. She loves to help around the house. Sometimes she's more hindering than helping, but it's still cute. Her laugh makes my day 100 times better no matter what else is going on. She loves animals, but only if they're in pictures or videos - up close, she's scared. She does the motion and sound of riding a horse every time she sees a picture of one. If it's cold outside, or she wants her blanket on her, or anyone else is putting a blanket on, she'll say "brrrr."

Watching the rain

I just love this little girl so much!! It will be interesting to see what the future years bring us :)

Easter 2013

I know this is coming late, but this is how we spent our Easter. It was pretty fun this year because Lily was old enough for us to do Easter-y things with her. I filled her eggs with Cheerios, Goldfish, Vanilla Wafers, and fruit snacks. She loved it!! (and I didn't have to worry about rationing out candy, which we don't want her to have a lot of anyway)

When she woke up, she got her Easter basket

Cute Easter outfit!

She loved her Easter egg "hunt" (We just put them on the
lawn and she picked them up)

Success!!

Getting ready to dye Easter eggs

After she ate one, Daddy helped her
decorate an egg

Lookin' good (except the one that was supposed to be
purple...the color didn't work out)

Of course the talks in church were wonderful, and we also focused on the real reason for celebrating Easter. We are every thankful for Jesus Christ and His example and teachings. Because He was resurrected, we can be too. Our Savior showed us the way to return to Him, and we strive everyday to follow Him in all we do. Happy Easter!!