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Sunday, March 18, 2012

Ice skating lessons


There is so much to love about Bridget. She is funny, has a kind heart, is creative, and loving. But an athlete she isn't. We first found this out last year when she attempted soccer and my suspicions were confirmed after the first day of skating lessons.

That being said, she is loving her skating lessons. I was a little concerned after the first class (her pants were wet, her gloves were too big and she was cold). My girl is a fair weather participant in most things (like her mother) so when the conditions weren't perfect, we are unhappy.



The second skating lesson was much more successful. She had on jeans, good gloves and a coat - life was warm and much better. She's doing lessons at the Ice Sheet in Murray with Paige and both girls are having a lot of fun. She's a little unsure on the ice but each week she makes amazing progress. I love that she hasn't given up and that she keeps trying (with a little pushing from me).

Chillin' on the ice, waiting for the lesson to start.
Paige is doing so good! She zips around the ice with her buddy and loves it. These walkers are hilarious! The girls (especially Bridget) look like senior citizens pushing around the ice.
 

Helping hands are always great on the ice. I love the cute relationship these two stinkers have.
We're three lessons in and Bridget likes it more and more. Maybe she's found a sport she will like and be good at. Time will tell!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Playing at the park


Our winter has been so mild here in Utah so its no big surprise that spring has come a little early. The spring bulbs are starting to peek out of the dirt, the days are getting longer and its starting to be warmer. Last night we slept with our window cracked in the bedroom. It was nice to feel the cool, fresh air last night before I fell asleep. Sigh.

Last Saturday I took some photos of my friend Jason and Bree's little guy Bo at Murray Park. Bridget was such a great helper and on our way home, she begged me to take her to the park. The conversation went something like this:

Bridget: Mom, please can we go to the park?
Me: Today? Don't you want to go home and get lunch?
Bridget: (Whining) Nooooo mom! I want to go to the park! Pretty please and carrots?
Me: Fine, but dad is bringing us lunch and we're not staying long.

Seriously, how can I say no to this cute face? I can't.
The weather was so nice that we were there for over an hour. We ran into Aimee Ballard and her kids which was fun for Bridget and me. It was the perfect day with hardly any wind (not like the last few days around here). The only downside was that I got my first sunburn of the year. Boo. It was mild and gone a few days later but I was still bugged.

I had my camera so I decided to capture some of Bridget's finest moments at Southwood Park. She's getting pretty adventurous and I love her a lot.

Sloooooowly sliding down the slide. Bridget moves in one speed - glacial.

I had to bribe Bridget to go down on her butt. We taught her to slide on her belly when she was a kid and now that's all she does. Silly girl.



Such a fun day at the park with my family. James was there, I promise. But he got there after pictures were over. I don't have deadline for a few weeks (hurray!) so expect some fun crafty blog posts this week!

Friday, March 9, 2012

Girls and dolls - a love story


Is there anything more sweet than a little girl playing with dolls? Sigh. I will confess that when James and I found out that we were getting a little girl, my heart swelled with the thought of all the fun dress up clothes, dolls and other fun girly things we would be buying. Bridget has quite a collection of dolls of every kind and she loves them.

Santa Claus brought her a ton of Lala Loopsy dolls this past year. She loves playing with them. And what's not to love? Cute button eyes, dangly arms and legs and cute accessories. Sigh.

This week has been busy for me and I've been working a lot. Yesterday morning Bridget looked at me with her big brown eyes and asked if I would play Loopsy dolls with her. Even with a long list of things to do, I couldn't resist taking time to spend with my baby girl. And of course, I wanted to take some pictures so that when she's older, she will remember how much these little dolls meant to her.

I love those little pieces and her dainty little hands

Even dollies need a noozer sometimes


Santa couldn't resist this cute school bus! Bridget's dolls love taking it for a spin.

I could die! Look at those pretty hands. I love listening to Bridget when she plays with them too. She has the most amazing conversations with her dolls. She is my little chatter box!


Peter Pan is the lone boy Loopsy doll. I doubt he's complaining being surrounded by all the chicks.

This picture is a little blurry but I just couldn't resist! These are a few of Bridget's favorites.

My beautiful girl

Look at that mischievous face! She asked if I would take a picture of them jumping. How can I resist a cute request like that? Obviously I can't.


Loving the cute pets that come with the dollies. Bridget loves carrying these little cuties around in her pockets, purse, hands and anything else she can find.

Love those little toes


Oh, hi mom. What's up?



I am grateful for my sweet baby girl. I love her creative mind and listening to her funny conversations. She is such a unique and bright child and I can't believe I am lucky enough to be her mom!

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Tulips

Tulips for me have always meant spring. Although the three tulips left in my yard after James's rampage last year haven't started poking through yet, it doesn't mean I'm not looking forward to them. Tonya bought some beautiful tulips at Costco to photograph last week. I couldn't help trying my hand at a few shots.

I'm trying to get back into taking more pictures. I've gotten lazy since I got my iPhone. But my class last week at RMSP reminded me what I love about taking photos. Since James is at school, today's the day to practice.


This is my all time favorite shot of the day! Its so pretty! And I'm proud to say that I applied some of the techniques Tony taught me during my class. Yay!


I love this picture of my Bridget. Her pretty eyes are so sparkly and expressive. I love her eyes the most!







Now if spring would just get here, I could see these every day in my yard!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Random thoughts on sick babies and new babies

 There is nothing worse than a sick child (unless its your husband). Bridget came down with a cold this weekend and its been a lousy couple of days. She was a little whiny but OK until Sunday night when she crashed out. I know she is sick when she naps during the day and still manages to get in 12 hours of sleep.

I took a fantastic photo course this weekend from the Rocky Mountain School of Photography and decided to snap a few pictures of her while she was sleeping. I am not a professional and still have a lot to learn, but it was nice to be able to apply what the instructors talked about and capture this moment.


This moment is happy and sad for me. Definitely sad because Bridget is not feeling well. But as she gets older, I will have less sweet moments like this. When she does nap during the day, its a full process. I have to lay down with her, basically restrain her from fidgeting and wait for the sleep to over take her. This process today went much faster, but still required all the a fore mentioned steps.


Bridget starts kindergarten in the fall, can you believe it? My baby is growing up and I can't do a darn thing to stop it. I love watching her grow and experience new things. She's tenacious and so excited to grow up, like all children are. She already has her birthday parties planned for the next three years. She's a planner and definitely my girl.

If you know me at all (and I assume since you read my blog you do), you know how I've struggled with infertility. My hysterectomy slammed shut the miniscule chance I had to have a biological child. I will admit its been a struggle for me, almost like a mourning period. I won't necessarily miss my lady parts and certainly not miss the month long periods and the uterine cancer. But even more so now, the growth of our family relies on someone else.

The last few months have been hard. So many people I dearly love are having babies this year. I'm tickled pink with joy! Its a hard time as well though since I don't know if I will be that lucky this year. My beautiful Bridget is the most special gift I have ever received. I thank God for Celina for the choice she made. She is an amazing mom and person.

James and I are waiting patiently (most days) to see if our family will expand through foster care. We have toyed with the idea of another private adoption but it doesn't feel right. Maybe our perfect child is the only one for us. Or maybe our special addition is just not ready. Hard to say, right?

One particularly hard day, I called my mom to cry on her shoulder for a bit. I had just found out that someone else I know was having a baby this year and the crushing feeling of self pity buried me in grief and anger. This is not a new conversation with my mom. She's always been such a great listener and I love her for that.

As I poured out my soul and told her for the millionth time how unfair it is, I could tell she was starting to get angry. Instead of patting me on the back and agreeing with me, she told me to stop being selfish.

Pardon? Can you speak into my good ear, I didn't catch that.

I'm not being selfish! I'm feelings sad, there's a difference. She told me that maybe what I needed to do instead of moping around feeling sad was to serve those beautiful ladies around me who are having babies. Be a support to them while they are dealing with morning sickness and all the other stuff that goes along with pregnancy.

At first I got mad. She doesn't understand what I'm going through. She had three kids and doesn't know how hard infertility is. Why is she being so rude? This wasn't why I called her.

It took me a few weeks to understand. That feeling of broken and loss will always be with me I think. Not in the fore front, haunting me daily, but I don't know that it will ever leave. The Lord asked us to serve others in his place. Its something I've learned over the last few months.

I don't know what the future will bring for our family. Hopefully it means the most wanted addition of another child. But if it doesn't, James and I are going to make sure Bridget has the life we promised Celina we would give her. Not one of spoiled privilege, but one of opportunities to be the best person she can be.

This year is about changes for me. I'm trying to be the person I want my daughter to be. It's been a challenging few months already, but I can see that its working slowly. I am so thankful for my sweet sister and my sweet cousins who are pregnant this year. My joy is over flowing at their wonderful chance to grow their families. I can't wait to snuggle those babies and spoil them rotten as the best aunt ever! There will be a bit of sadness there of course in the back ground, but I suppose if that's the worst thing I have to deal with in my life, I'm very lucky.

For now I'll focus on the important things - becoming healthier, becoming more spiritual and being the best mom and wife I can be. I'm looking forward to our trip to California in April with James and Jill and to traveling this year with our family. We're also hosting an exchange student next school year and we're looking forward to that.

Life is good around here. Thanks for listening to the ramblings!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Instagram photo a day for January

I love my iPhone. I can admit it. One of the reasons I love it is because of all the awesome app's you can put on it. One of those is Instagram.

It's kind of like Facebook for photos. I find myself snapping pictures all day and sharing them for friends and family to see. One of my Instagram friends Shelley Smith of the House of Smiths fame, shared a picture for a photo a day idea. We all know how the merry month of blogging went (not so great) so I was a little skeptical at first. I don't have time to do that. Its too much work. Blah, blah, blah...

Boy, was I wrong. It was so much fun! I missed a few days and had to catch up but for the most part I posted a picture every day. It was so fun! I had to be a little creative some days too. I also liked to see how people interpreted the daily task.

Here is the daily photo tasks for January courtesy of Chantelle (a.k.a. fatmumslim):



So here is a peak into my January through Instagram:






Whew! What a month! Its been a lot of fun and February is already off to a great start! Here is a link to Chantelle's February photo a day challenge from her blog. She encourages people to share using Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, your blog, what ever! It's a great way to capture those special moments! And if you are on Instagram, please feel free to follow me (search for brendafisher).

Happy picture taking my friends!