Misc.

Just a little hodge podge of what's been going on around here lately.
Ayva's Reflection contest entry won. She wasn't as excited about it as she could have been.

We ripped out the bench seat that use to be under this dining room window and all the flooring in the kitchen as well. Then we had some guys come in and lay down new flooring. I hope to someday have the wall repaired and the floor boards replaced. (Hey, a girl can dream.)

Another shot of the new flooring. (Excuse the mess, I am convinced I have mono.)

Or maybe this is the reason I am so tired. This little angel likes to wake up crying in the middle of the night to let me know he has rolled over on his tummy and doesn't like it one bit. He needs me to come to his rescue and roll him back over. Oh yeah, and could I change his diaper while I am up. He hates it when he's wet. (Gotta love him though. Just look at that smile. Couldn't you just eat him up?)

Speaking of eating...I have been eating these lately. They are delicious!!! Dangerously delicious. I should stock up.

And some other little tidbits that don't have pictures are:

-Peter got a new job. I am over the moon about this new development. He will be leaving the stress and long hours of oncology and moving to the ease and (hopefully) 4 day work week of orthopedics. Yeah!

-Just as soon as I can go to the fabric store without my kids I am going to buy everything I need to make a quilt. You'll want to stay tuned for this. If it works out you might be getting one for Christmas.

Halloween 2011

King Pig

Angry Bird Ayva

Angry Bird Lilly

Angry Bird Bella

3 mos.

My little love.

My Dad

My dad passed away last week. When my mom called to tell me I didn't cry, nor did I cry as I helped her plan his funeral or at the funeral itself. I know this might sound odd to some but I honestly felt happy for him. I knew he was finally free from the pain and suffering he was experiencing being here with us. I will miss him. He was a very kind, and generous man. He would always strike up conversations with strangers, especially strangers who seemed like they needed someone to notice them. He had a unique sense of humor and used it during the difficult times in life to help get through them. He always treated my mother and my siblings and I with respect, never yelling at us or making us feel unloved. He enjoyed learning and was very creative. He loved the gospel of Jesus Christ and lived its teachings. I know I will see him again one day and I will be sure to tell him "job well done Dad".

Don't let her fool you.

Underneath her sweet and innocent exterior lies a little girl that can bring grown women to tears and have them begging for mercy.

I really do love this beautiful girl, but it will be a miracle if I survive her.

Updates

Enzo was blessed on August 21, 2011 by his father. It was a beautiful blessing. I can't remember everything that was said but I do remember Peter blessing Enzo with a sense of duty. Duty to God, duty to his family and duty to his country. He also blessed him to be a good leader and a righteous example to those around him.

Isn't he adorable?

We were so grateful to have some of our family around for the special day. My brother, Forrest, and his wife, Angie, and their children, Ethan, Elise, Jonas and Wyatt were there. (What a good lookin' bunch!)

Peters mom, Mary Lou, his sister, Emily, and her son Emmett, were also able to come. (More good looks!)

We are so happy to have this little guy in our family. He gets more attention than I think he would like but he'll have to get use to it.

This past weekend we celebrated Peter's 36th birthday. I thought I would include a picture of him that was taken at his recent triathlon. Isn't he a hunk? I think so!

He unfortunately had to work on his birthday but came home to a delicious spaghetti and meatball dinner. And for dessert? Vanilla bean panna cotta with balsamic strawberries. Delicious!

For his gift this year the girls and I picked out a new remote control plane. He was so surprised and happy to get this new toy. Now if he can just find some time to learn how to use it and take it out for some test flights.

Other little tidbits:

Ayva received her Climbing Higher award in school for "doing excellent work in reading, spelling and math". She is loving 1st grade. She really likes her teacher and her class. She also enjoys recess and playing on the monkey bars.

Isabella also got her Climbing Higher award in school already. Hers was for "academic excellence". She is also happy to be back in school. She is participating in a running club and has signed up for the choir. And of course, she also loves recess and the monkey bars.

And last but definitely not least, Lilly has started preschool (sorry, I don't have a picture of that) and is taking swim lessons. She is enjoying preschool and all the new friends she is making. She wasn't as excited for swim lessons but is starting to change her mind.

As for me? I am just trying to keep it together. No pictures necessary.

Mister Charming

It's true, he is very charming. He definitely has me wrapped around his tiny baby finger. The proof? Well, we are two weeks into it and I am still nursing. (I hate nursing!) I allow him to interrupt my sleep multiple times a night to get up and feed him and then all throughout the day as well. I let him scream at me whenever he feels the need to unload on someone. (He has a lot of stress in his life you know?!) And the diapers...oh, the diapers...I am quick to change them upon his request because he does not like to sit in mess for even a second. He is very courteous though and has yet to spray his dear 'ol mom. (More charm!) I sure am loving having this little guy around.

Ayva turns 6

Our little Junie Fish (one of her many nicknames) turned 6 last weekend and even though she had to share the spotlight with her new little brother she still managed to have a great day. I have always made my kids birthday cakes but since I got home from the hospital only a few hours before the party and I was freakin' exhausted we decided to let Ayva pick out her own cake at the store. She chose an Oreo cake and quickly declared that nobody was to have any of the Oreos on top, they were all hers.

Her Uncle Luke and Aunt Laura were in town for the special occasion and her Grandma and Grandpa Hallstrom and Aunt Chelle came over to help celebrate as well. (Sorry no pictures of them. I am regretting that now. Luke and Laura, you need to come back so I can get some pictures)

Just pics of Ayva opening her gifts. Proof for the future that we did do nice things for her.

I will end with a picture of the special guest. Ayva did told me that I didn't need to get her a gift because I gave her a new baby brother for her birthday. So nice of her.

He's here!

Enzo Thomas Colasurdo was born on July 16th, 2011. He was 19 inches long and weighed 6 lbs. 14 oz. So far he is proving to be the mellow, laid back boy that I dreamed of having. There is no lack of kind sisters who are eager to hold him and kiss him and love him to pieces. We are thrilled to welcome him to our family.

Distinguished Cub Awards for everyone!

Today was a big day for Ayva and Bella. They both received their Distinguished Cub Awards from school. The Distinguished Cub Award is given to the students that meet a list of academic requirements that the school issues at the beginning of the school year. There are usually about 15 requirements and they are different for each grade. Lilly and I attended the assembly and snapped a few, not so good, pictures of our proud recipients.

Ayva is on the top row in the pink dress with the big grin. Love her!

Bella is top row, second in from the left. Love her too!

And not to be left out, here is an adorable picture of the bean.

I am so proud of both of them for working hard this year and meeting all the requirements for the awards. Now they get to enjoy three weeks of summer at home with their very pregnant and cranky mother before returning to school and starting work on a new list of requirements. Have fun girls!

What a difference a year makes.

So last year my little peony plant produced 1 beautiful bloom. This year we got 6 beautiful blooms. This makes me very happy!

Love is in the air.

This month Peter and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary on the 20th. Well, technically we haven't really celebrated it yet because Peter had to work all day on our anniversary and everyday since but I have a surprise planned for this Saturday so we will officially celebrate then. But my amazing husband did manage to pull together a few surprises of his own for me the morning of our anniversary.

I got these...

and this...

and my favorite breakfast delivered to me in bed. It definitely got the day off to a great start. Sometimes I wonder how I managed to find and convince Peter that I was worth all of the fuss, but I sure am grateful I did. He is the perfect guy for me and always will be.

In other news....
We have been enjoying some Northwest like weather here is Utah. Yes, I said enjoying. I love it and so does my garden. It has made it difficult to get out and plant our vegetable garden but our berry plants are doing amazing.

The raspberry monster.

Blackberries and strawberries.

I am also hopeful that I will be getting more than one bloom on my peony this year. I can see at least 4 buds on this bush alone. To me this is the most exciting part of my garden.

And here is my little hydrangea. I am so hopeful that this little guy will keep up the good work.

Closing thoughts:
Have you ever been around someone who was in better shape than you and it made you think to yourself that today is the day you were going to finally kick your sweets habit and start doing push-ups and sit-ups every night before bed no matter what. Well I had an experience like that today and then I came home and made a batch of the most delicious chocolate chip cookies.

Ah well, I still have a chance at those push-ups and sit-ups right? Right!

Happy Spring!

Bella got baptized

Today Bella got baptized. We were sad to not have much family here with us to celebrate but we are very grateful for the family and friends that did come out to support Bella. I am very proud of her. I really feel like she made this decision for herself and not because Peter or I asked her to do it. We have been working hard at home to teach her the gospel and to share with her how we feel about it. She has also had the most amazing Sunday school teachers the past couple of years who have taught her well and been great influences on her. At one point during her baptism my mom asked her how she was feeling and she simply said "happy". I know it is because she felt good about her decision.
After the baptism we took her out to Marie Calenders for a little treat and then over to the hospital to visit my dad. He had a tumor removed from his left lung last Wednesday and was really disappointed that he wasn't going to be able to attend Bella's baptism. She was happy to bring him a piece of pie and fill him in on the details of the day. (Mostly about the nice gifts she received.)
We love you Bella!

Birthdays and fancy water

Lilly turned 3 last month and celebrated with a hand full of balloons, some great new toys, a trip to the movie theatre to see Rio and to top it all off, a delicious lemon blueberry cake (her request).
Lilly is an absolute joy to have in our family. She is energetic and silly and still loves to snuggle up with me. She is very complimentary and is great to be around if you are having a bad day, unless she has been the cause of the bad day. (It happens sometimes, she's not perfect.)




Then yesterday Ms. Bella turned 8. I can't believe she is already 8. I can remember the day she was born and in my mind I am still that young, new, incompetent mother. After doing this for 8 years shouldn't I feel more confident and wise? hmm....Pete has done a great job raising her.

She is getting baptized next weekend. I am very proud of her for making this decision and I love to see how happy she is about it.

She requested a cheesecake. I have never made one before but am always up for a baking challenge. It turned out pretty good. The top did brown and crack a little so I covered it with a raspberry puree and decorated with blueberries. Bella is really into the peace sign right now and that is easier than spelling out happy birthday with fruit.

Bella also had a culture fair last week at school. All of the classes in the second grade learned dances from other cultures and performed them for their parents at an assembly. Bella's class learned a Japanese drum dance and she did an amazing job. They were also asked to put together a display about their own families culture or ancestry. We wish we were more Italian than we actually are but we (when I say we I mean everyone but me) took claim to it and that was Bella's focus.

And finally just a word on Mothers Day. Pete had to work today but being the amazing husband that he is he still woke up early to make me a wonderful breakfast. A veggie omelet, hash browns, strawberries and mango, all the things I love. While he cooked the girls made me some cards and then they all brought it up to me in bed. They do this for me every year and it is my favorite thing. They also got me some wonderful gifts. My favorite is this glass beverage dispenser. When we went to Disneyland a few months ago, we stayed in a hotel that had several water dispensers in the lobby that were filled with water and sliced citrus. I loved having ice cold citrus water everyday as we were coming and going from the hotel. So now I can have this fancy water from a fancy dispenser in my own home. Love it!

Happy Mother's Day to all!

Excuse me for being emotional, but I am pregnant.

So I am home sick today from church with a terrible, week long (so far), self-diagnosed cold/sinus infection. I have had one with each of my pregnancies, it is just part of the process for me. But as a lay on my bed, house totally quiet, I have been thinking about not only my weakened body but my weakened emotional state as well.

For some reason pregnancy makes women overly emotional and at times irrational. The other day as I was telling Peter how a Pottery Barn customer service rep. made me cry for 20 minutes over the exchange of some crib bedding, Peter asked "can't you control it? You know that you are just feeling this way because you are pregnant, can't you just tell yourself not to get worked up about it?" "No", I said. I knew it was completely stupid to be crying over bedding but I still could not make the tears stop. Why is that? Why does pregnancy have to make women even more emotional than we already are? Peter suggested that it was to help us develop an early bond with the baby so that when they arrive we will love them despite the sleepless nights, diaper mishaps and their possible inconsolable crying. I think he is right. If being pregnant didn't present such difficulties than I might not have as strong of a desire to ensure this possible nuisances continued existence. I may take it all for granted and be left feeling disenchanted. No way! I put in 9 months of work, and I mean work! Physical aches and pains, nausea, sinus infections, humiliating crying episodes and worry over whether or not we could raise a law abiding, hard working, self-respecting, kind to his family and neighbors, not to mention a healthy and good looking human being. (Yes, I fear having an ugly child. Judge me if you need to.) So bring it on! Bring on the crazies and the varicose veins! I will endure it all because I know from my past three experiences that it will all be worth it. Or is that just the hormones talking?

And one more thing....this made me happy last night. The girls had set up a beauty shop in Ayva's room and invited me to come and get my hair done. I sat while they combed my hair and put in a few clips. While they did this Peter watched from the back of the room. I encouraged the girls to ask Dad to have a seat and work on his hair. This was the result.

I love the blond, clip-on hair pieces, they really bring the look together. To me, he looks like the best dad ever.