Team Tuttle

the state of the union- 6

2013-05-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

These are the very first cell pics of me trying on my wedding dress!! (I just found them all the way back in my 2007 archives!) I carefully hid them from Topher so he wouldn't' know what my dress looked like.

First pic as The Tuttles!!! (Kinda. I didn't change my name for like a year ...)

Last year we went back and took a few pics in our wedding fancies for our anniversary.
(Ev was there!!! 8 weeks along at that point.)

So six years.

I really like making lists so I asked Toph what the best thing from each year of our marriage has been (after he was all, "Like I can remember what happened when!") and he said:
1- You graduated
2- I graduated
3- Bronson was really fun
4- I had a great summer job
5- I graduated law school
6- Passing the bar, having Everly, getting a job (more than one! cheater)

And I said:
1- Working on the duplex
2- Finding out we were pregnantus!
3- Having Bronson!
4- Living in Davis/Law School
5- Watching Bronson grow and become more hilarious by the day
6- Everly!!

Marriage has peaks and valleys, but it feels like, as time goes on, the peaks come around more often and the valleys don't seem like such a big deal. We're still so far from perfect (and I'm not even gonna say that we're always perfect for each other. Sometimes I'm a total freak and perfect for NO ONE to be around) but things are good. We get better and better as the years go by. Just like denim trends. (That's the saying, right?)

Happy 6 years, Tizzoph! Thanks for all the inside jokes, TV show marathons, tech support, clean laundry (!!), and more than anything else; for Bronson and Everly! I like our family. A lot. :)

the park

2013-05-04T11:53:00.000-07:00

Proof that we braved the (non existent, this is CA) elements and went outside.

Proof that Bronson loves his sister (at least for a photo op).

Proof that I still lug my big camera around because it's so fun to use.

The park by us is pretty great. We hang out there a lot and it's a special treat when Topher comes along. Mostly because then he gets requested as swing pusher and my arms take a break.

End of list.

Day Trip: Monterey/Pacific Grove/Carmel

2013-05-02T10:56:00.002-07:00

We took a day trip! To Monterey, CA! And Pacific Grove and Carmel. They're all real close to each other.

We ate: at First Awakenings. Pancakes as big as a dinner plate, breakfast burritos as big as Everly! My pancake was rocking raspberries, granola, and coconut. I ate it up. I loved it so.

We played: at Dennis the Menace Park and the beach. At the park, Bronson (and Topher) had a grood (no typo) time going down the slides, running through the maze, across the bridge, and to the mini rock wall. I had fun feeding Everly and she had fun staring at her hand. The weather was perfect and it wasn't too crowded.
The beach was gorgeous but freaked me out because I'm scared of all the things. (Ex: Bronson getting too close to the busy road right by the beach, Bronson getting too close to the waves and being sucked away; writing out my fears is not therapeutic. Stopping now.) But the water was bluer than blue and the sand was ready to be castled.

We visited: The harbor seals!!! I lost my voice yelling things like, "Loose seal!" and "Bronson! Look at the seals!!! They're so cute! BUT DON'T GET TOO CLOSE!!!"

Yep, just a nice relaxing day with the fam.

a weekend

2013-04-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

We visited a retirement home to sing songs to the men and women retiring there. Bronson was on board!! Not. Never.

She wouldn't sing either (underachiever) but she sure did cute the place up.

Lego hoarding, sister cuddling, and the flying baby!

Oooh, a picture of shoes! New concept!! But really I'm just glad I've been sticking to my goal to jog a little bit more often. I'm even kinda liking it? Kinda.

I've been on the hunt for my fave choc chip cookie recipe this year (to balance out the jogging) and so far these are my fave!!! They're a hybrid recipe. More on it later.

I'm now one of those people who lives for the weekend. Having Toph around so I can take off for some alone thrift + grocery shopping is looked forward to. The extras like family library trips, picnics, and cookie baking are needed.
To balance out a week full of work, parenting, and not spending as much time together as we'd like, we soak up the weekends and put the kids to bed a little bit earlier than normal.

What's better than a quiet apartment and re-watching Arrested Development episodes in preparation for the next season (that hopefully lives up to its predecessors!!)?

I don’t understand the question, and I won’t respond to it.

bloom and grow

2013-04-13T00:47:00.000-07:00

We've hit that zone. At first it's always, "Oh my goodness, what a tiny baby!" whenever you take your newborn out. But now here we are at 3ish months and we always get, "She's getting so big!" or, "I think she's grown from the last time I saw her even!" usually said with a touch of sadness or incredulity.
It's more than ok to say these things (I know I say them all the time about my kids or to other baby mamas) but I try to respond without the sadness. Without the wistfulness of, "They grow too fast!" They do grow fast. But, I pray every single prayer that my kids will be on track. That they'll continue to be strong and smart and safe. That they'll grow. I can't be mad when it happens.
While packing up, or giving away, the newborn clothes can be gut-wrenching, I'm also so excited to pull out the next sizes. The jeans that were around when clapping became a thing. The onesies that got in the way of crawling for the first time. The high tops that helped the unsteady feet during the I throw my hands up in the air sometimes! early days of walking.
Sometimes I miss Bronson's two year old idiosyncrasies and little body a lot. But the Bronson that's with me right now is irreplaceable. He's smart and LOUD and vibrant. He's growing.
Newborn Everly was sweet and tiny and so cuddly. Current Everly is still sweet and now she recognizes us and responds to our voices. She's such a treat with so much goodness to come!
They do grow so dang fast. I don't know, time's weird. I guess as long as I keep praying for them to be healthy and to grow, I have to be ok when that prayer is answered.

She reads//The Fault in Our Stars

2013-04-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

This is just a picture I want to preserve.

I'm not an avid YA book reader. I'm also really annoying and tend to wallow in the mindset that if something is uber popular, it must suck. (Like how some people saw Titanic 14 times in theater and I still refuse to watch it all the way through.) (Also, how I read Harry Potter only 6 years ago and most people have been soaking in that goodness for almost 2 decades. My loss on that one.) (I have lots more examples of this mindset manifested but I'll stop.) But then I needed a book to read and I happened upon a copy of The Fault in Our Stars so I borrowed it and read it straight away.

Now, when someone asks me what a book is about, I brush that question aside and just tell them my reaction to the book. (Or food, or movie. Really, no one should ever talk to me.) So here it is, my reaction to The Fault in Our Stars:

I loved it! And I didn't.

Didn't:
So one of the reasons I don't dig YA books in general is that the ohmygosh we are destined to be together forever love story (and there always is one) usually happens within the span of a page (which can be how falling for someone goes but I'm "old" and critical now).
Sometimes there's a mystical reason the lovebirds can't stay away from each other (dat blood smell too yummy!!) but other times it's just boom: LOVE.
And so it is with Augustus. One look and he's pursuing Hazel like it's his job. That said, I do like how their story developed overall. It started out fast but I think the tempo eventually evened out.
Also, right away I loved Hazel and felt like she was kinda me from HS (a Converse clad snarkfest). But then Augustus was introduced and, surprise! He also had Hazel's tone. As did Isaac. As did Van Houten. I feel like maybe John Green's voice overshadowed his characters a little too much? While I enjoyed the sarcastic tone of everyone, it was kind of a lot.

Loved:
Overall, I wanted to know what happened to everyone, I wrote down a few quotes (Obviously this one: "And then there are books… which you can’t tell people about, books so special and rare and yours that advertising your affection feels like a betrayal." I bet everyone feels like that about something.), I laughed, and I cried.
And I'm sad it's over.

I'd say read it.

Some thoughts

2013-04-09T17:37:00.001-07:00

4 generations of women in the church

General Conference was last weekend.
Seeing that little #LDSconf pop up on the corner of my screen was exciting! I jumped into the instant worldwide discussion of various talks, stats, and principles wholeheartedly. Being encouraged to use my phone?? I was so on board.

As I read through tweets, re-tweets, and links I began to feel uneasy though.

There has been an ongoing movement in the church (that's been building lately) surrounding feminism. I consider myself a feminist. I'm obviously a Mormon. Logically that makes me a Mormon feminist. But wait, no.

For a few reasons, I don't feel comfortable aligning myself with the current Mormon feminist movement:

1- Upon hearing the mission age change (last conference) I immediately thought, "More missionaries! More spreading of the gospel!" It wasn't until I read what others were saying that I realized a lot of people saw this as the church "finally taking a step towards gender equality." Had I missed something? Staggered mission ages hadn't made me feel unequal before, should they now?

2- Then a few women decided it was time to wear pants to church. Again, I felt like I'd missed some memo. Many women in the wards I've been in over the years have sported dress pants to church. It was their Sunday best and it was a non issue. Pants to church because you're honestly trying to dress your best for Sunday worship? Awesome. Pants to church because you're trying to make a point and draw attention to yourself and away from the meetings? I don't get it.
I'm aware that I haven't lived very long and am pretty dang naive. Maybe all those women I saw wearing pants on Sunday throughout the years were also being rebuked by priesthood leaders because of it. Maybe they were all made to feel unwelcome. I don't know, I just know it never seemed like a big deal before.

3- A lot of the conference tweets also seemed to focus on tearing down the speakers. Collective cyber eye rolling whenever a speaker said something like: "Motherhood is the noblest and greatest of all callings." Women were outraged, "I'm SO much more than a mother!!!" "How dare they say that again!!"
I've heard lots of people say that the greatest downfall of the church is that *all it encourages and prepares a women to be is a mother. This one stumps me. More than all the rest.

Some background (on me, yawn): By the time I had Bronson, I'd earned two degrees (an AS in Family Therapy Studies and a BA in American Studies). I'd worked at several different jobs, some were awesome and fulfilling. The greatest perk of others was simply a comfy dress code. I had Bronson at *21.5 after being married 2 whole years (barely a drop in the marriage bucket!). We'd been trying to get pregnant for over 10 months. Living in Provo, surrounded by newlyweds and their babies, it felt like an eternity. When those 2 pink lines "finally" appeared, I was thrilled! I'd been to college, worked full time, juggled finals and marriage; I was totally ready to be a mom. Guess what I learned (and still learn daily) 41 weeks later? Nothing prepares you for motherhood. Nothing compares to it.
When people say, "Oh, don't pull the mom card!" I'm just like, "I am the mom card." I don't need the church to tell me that motherhood is the greatest calling of my life. I feel it every minute of every day. Whether I'm ready to scream my head off in frustration or burst into tears of gratitude, I am a mom. Forever. My soul is drowning in maternal love, guilt, anger, anxiety, gratitude, fear, exhaustion and every other emotion out there.
Yes, there's more to me than motherhood (I like to sew, cook, talk, read, write, watch crap TV, make Topher laugh, EAT, etc.) but above all else, I've pushed (so far) two people into this world and that has forever changed me. There's no way around it.
We're so quick to proclaim that relationships are the most important thing in life, while simultaneously shouting that women shouldn't emphasize motherhood so much. The relationships that literally wouldn't exist except through motherhood are some of the most important to me. Don't belittle them.
The mom card? How much more do we love President Obama when he "plays" the dad card? When he relates to tragedies on the human interest level of a father and not just as a military or political leader? When he shed tears over the little ones lost in December because, as a parent, he couldn't imagine anything worse, I for one loved him even more.

*For more info on what the women in the church are up to, here's an interesting interview.
*I graduated HS two years early

So how in the heck do you consider yourself a feminist in the church then, Meredith??

In a few ways:

1- I believe that women in the church should strive to fulfill their callings as well as the men in the church. No matter the calling, take it seriously. If men in your ward belittle it or talk down to you, a pox upon them. You can rise above and turn the other cheek or whatever. I have a testimony that the church and its members aren't perfect, but I have an even bigger testimony that the gospel is and always will be.

2- In the same vein, I believe that women should give sacrament meeting talks as doctrinally sound and as long in length as the men in the church. No more of this, "I'll just let my husband/the other speakers fill in the rest of the time." I've had my fair share of nausea inducing public speaking fright. I struggle every time I'm asked to speak, but I really strive to prepare something meaningful. Delivering it with feeling and honesty usually requires me to be up there for more than a few minutes. Public speaking is a legitimate hurdle, but I feel like it's our duty as women in the church to show that we can speak on gospel principles and be taken seriously.

3- I believe wearing our garments the way we've been advised to in the temple is huge. I'm obviously not the underwear police and I know for a fact that I'm way too judgmental. On that note, all I want to say here is: If you've been to the temple you know that women play a MAJOR role in the gospel work there. It's amazing and a blessing.

4- I believe that women should never back down from answering questions in Sunday school just because they may feel that the men could know more than them. Maybe you didn't serve a mission, so what! Add your two cents. Better yet, teach Sunday school (or volunteer to sub if it's not your calling)! I've done it and it's an awesome way to further your knowledge of the gospel. (Again, some of us are shy, that's fine!)

5- I believe that we shouldn't roll our eyes over "Molly Mormon" comments in Relief Society. I'll admit it, I struggle here. Some women seem so backwards to me! I always tend to lean towards sarcastic and angry so all those cheerful ladies can make me want to gag. I'm trying to stop. I'm trying to hold fast to the instant sisterhood the church can afford us.

6- Most importantly, I believe every woman in the church should have her own testimony. If you honestly feel like Heavenly Father and the Prophet don't see your value as compared to men, figure out why. I've been there. I've been angry, bitter, offended and depressed. I've cried, prayed and questioned everything. I've cursed the church and the way it made me feel. I've been in a dark place and have come out on the other side. I like it better on this side.

_________________________

If you made it through this whole post (with its typos, and over use of commas + question marks, etc.) you win!

I won't be turning comments back on for this one but I bet a lot of people (if anyone still reads here) have something to say. I'm not looking for a fight. I generally reserve thoughts like this for my journal, but I just feel a great divide within the women of the church right now and I don't want anyone to question where I stand.

I know the gospel is true. I'm incredibly grateful for it in my life. I know I matter and I never want to question that again.

A few add-ons (will it ever end!! ha): So far the response to this has been overwhelmingly thoughtful and led to some great discussions. Thank you for that!
I just wanted to add that comments have been turned off on my entire blog for months (not just on this one post) but I'm around on twitter/gmail/instagram a lot (I'm meredithtutt on all of them, keepin' things simple)
so feel free to talk to me via those mediums whenever you'd like!
Thanks again!!

We Eastered

2013-04-01T16:55:00.000-07:00

I made Bronson a bow tie and Everly a headband.
My mom gave the kids a few gifts.
Topher was decked out in thrifted finery.
I wore a new (thrifted) top that made me feel slightly less postpartum.
Toph and I split a basket from my mom (chocolate! books!).
We sang hymns of praise and He is risen! excitement.
We laughed and joked with family.
Easter 2013 was a good one.

Day Trip: Pleasanton

2013-03-23T11:40:00.000-07:00

We took a day trip! To Pleasanton, CA! I'll tell my joke one more time: It's really pleasant there.
Boom shaka laka.

We ate: at Eddie Papa's. Yummy salads, cute little baskets full of fries, s'mores made at the table! Highly recommend. The best (& unexpected) part: They give you cotton candy with your check!
More fun than an after dinner mint by leaps and sugary bounds.

We played: at Mission Hills Park and the library. The park had this giant metal death slide that Bronson was too scared to face alone. Toph and I took turns going on it with him. I wanted to slide a million times by myself but had to stop to nurse Ev, play photog, and be a grown up.
I love to see different libraries and they're always a great stop to get free wifi, hit the potty, and let B play with new toys and discover new books. Also, free air conditioning! It's already hot here.
I'm thrilled. (I'm a liar.)

We visited: old friends from law school days. (Oh law school, so long ago ... ) Again, new-to-him toys that Bronson loved (trampoline in the garage!!), good food, grown ups to talk to, cute kids; all in all, we had a great time.

Next month we're hoping to hit Monterey. COOLER WEATHER!!!

squeaky clean

2013-03-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

And here we have some pictures of the Tuttle heirs in miniature bath robes.

Bronson: 3.5 years, Everly: 2 months

Spring thrifting

2013-03-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

Match the items to the Tuttle.

(Baby things are always the cheapest so Ev got the most.)

(Also, it's maybedefinitely still really fun for me to buy tiny girl stuffs.)

the "bunkbed Captain America stroller"

2013-03-16T23:50:00.000-07:00

Seeing these pics forced me to finally take in this shirt. I've only been meaning to for weeksmonths.

Still no minivan (WANT), but we now officially have a double stroller. Grown ups be happening. Bronson is in love with it and I am too. It was a great deal (thank you Target red card + clearance section!) and as much as I love babywearing, Everly and I are already sweating to death on our walks and it's only March. With the bassinet feature in the back and "the big boy" seat in front, she sleeps, he sits/chats, and I push. And sweat.
Shoulda got a triple.

Related much.

2013-03-11T00:37:00.000-07:00

"Woah! You can tell who her brother is."

"Why do you have a pic of Bronson in a headband?"

"So you guys make one look, huh?"

"Is that a Bronson or Everly baby picture?"

"Your kids are basically twins."

"Why take any pictures of Everly? She looks just like Bronson."

I don't see it.

(Jk. I duh see it. Fyi, from left to right starting in the top left corner it's: (row one) B, E, E (second row) E,B,B (bottom row) B,E,B

model idiot

2013-03-10T14:08:00.000-07:00

I don't have very many pics with my real camera of just me and Everly.
So I took some crappy, indoor, pajama, faces optional, dirty hair, cords in the background, self timer ones to make me long for some decent shots even more.
We'll get there.

my dang heart

2013-03-01T13:06:00.000-08:00

long live the Mickey bowl

"How do you make room in your heart to love another baby as much as your first?" "Do you ever get to hold Everly or does having two kids make life too hectic?" "Are you dying of exhaustion?" "Does Bronson get it?" "Are you getting ANY sleep?"

So many questions.
The most frequently asked has definitely been the "loving the second as much as the first" thing and I almost cringed when people would throw it at me initially. I felt like something went wrong for me there.

See, for three and a half years it was just me and Bronson, (I thought) we were solid. We had inside jokes, secret handshakes, just us rituals. As Everly's birth got closer and closer I tried to picture life with another kid and not just Bronze. I never really could, but then she was crowning (ouch), and then she was in my arms, and then duh, I couldn't imagine life without her as well.
We brought her home and something shifted. I found myself resenting Bronson for taking time away from the new baby. I just wanted to cuddle her all day long!!! He never stopped talking. Never. I couldn't help comparing them. She became the easy child and he seemed like a burden. Oh the guilt. I never expected to feel that way. Someone had flipped the formula! I was supposed to feel my heart open up and pull Everly into her allotted space so I could exclaim, "Wow, you really can love them the same! EVERYONE WAS RIGHT!!" but instead my heart pushed him aside and clung to her (QUIET) newness.

There was lots of crying, Netflix cartoon watching, praying, and: Toph, it's your turn! I don't want to hear him for the next hour at least-ing during those first initial weeks. My finest hour.

Over the past few weeks, things have settled down a little bit (will we ever have a baby and NOT move a week after?) and we've gotten more and more used to our new everyday. Bronson's been a great older brother (he's seriously so sweet to Ev!) and, when you get down to it, has adapted extremely well. The incessant talking hasn't really eased up, but I strive to savor it by remembering someday his little baby voice will be deep and directed away from me. Nooooooo! (Contradiction, thy name is motherhood.)

I blame hormones for a lot of the craziness but I also think, there's no one perfect way to mother. Obviously I love both of these kids a lot, but who even knows if it's 100% equal all the time.
Honestly, whoever's sleeping is usually the favorite of the moment.

on siblings: i have some. i made some.

2013-02-06T22:15:00.000-08:00

Sweet pink little sister. Sports obsessed superhero big brother.

I think part of who you are is shaped by your siblings.
Nurture nature. Brothers sisters.

Whenever I ask my mom HOW she did it? (Seven kids?? Each just 2.5 years apart?!?) she just says, "I don't know. I just did." (I get my eloquence from her, obvi.)
Well whatever she "just did" (homeschooling at random intervals based on individual need, a strong dedication to the gospel of Jesus Christ, showing us that books will never die and that reading is important, an amazing knowledge of homeopathy, showing us that laughing is in the top three, that Scrabble is THE game to master, and that occasionally hiding from your kids under a blanket in a closet so you can eat pb cups in peace is fine. Normal. Necessary.) (She really did that.) worked.

I have some pretty awesome brothers and sisters. In no particular order, except oldest to youngest, we have:
>Helen (Hel) is funny, considerate, good crazy, and one of my first calls. I love going through motherhood with her. She gets it when I'm all, "CAN YOU EVEN BELIEVE BRONSON WOULD [fill in the blank with some insane activity]!!!" She doesn't judge and can usually one up me with something her boys have done. Perspective.
>Stanley (Stanny) is the cool kid I looked up to in HS. He introduced me to all my fave bands. When he took the time to ask my opinion about music or clothes, I was pretty stoked. Lately I get to see him be an uncle to my kids and he's reeeally good at it. Patient and adventurous. They love him.
>Gordy (Gooda) is my jam. Things have shifted a bit in our relationship since I got married/had kids/he's been home from his mish, but I still just love the crap out of him. I really value our inside jokes. Basically if I can get him to laugh I feel all, "High-fiving a million angels!"
>Carol (Carlos) and I were touch and go there for a while. She took my clothes. She drove me nuts. But then, you know what? She grew up. And got hilarious. And truly became one of my friends. I'm so impressed with her. (She's getting married in June!!! Crazy.)
>William (forever just the grown up name of William) is .... a teenaged boy. And he can for reals get on my last nerve. But he can also be funny and SO good with Bronson. He's responsible, genius level smart, caring and dare I say it .... handsome?? (He's legit like Justin Bieber's better looking twin.)
>Victoria (Toto) is the caboose to our crazy train. And what a good note to end on. She's beyond sweet, funny without trying to be (never grow out of that!!), naive in the best possible way, and so good to her friends. I can't wait to see her grow up even more.

In 20 years, what will Bronson and Everly say about each other (and any other siblings we may add to our own Team-crazytrain-Tuttle)???
Like anyone can even know that.

Ev's name and a blessing day

2013-01-19T11:04:00.000-08:00

Our family of four. I like.

Toph took Everly up to the front of the chapel and, in a circle of worthy priesthood holders, gave her a name and a blessing today.
He said some of the same things to her that he said to Bronson almost 4 years ago.
It was an amazing day filled (to the brim) with family and friends and baby cuteness overload.
I'm thankful for two healthy, ridiculously good looking kids. I'm thankful for a husband who poses for family pictures with minimal whining. I'm thankful to be back in this awesome ward.
Today was a good day. One of the best.

Lest I forget

2013-01-14T19:56:00.000-08:00

gangs all here

In all the "I'm not pregnant anymore!!/This baby is adorable!!!" excitement, a bunch of Bronson's milestones have been pushed aside. Shame shame.

The biggest deal is that he moved from nursery to Sunbeams at the new year. He's a SUNBEAM. As in, Jesus wants me for a. He wasn't too thrilled about it the first week but he's getting more into it as we talk it up at home. His teachers are awesome and he comes home with the cutest drawings. I might even save one one of these days (anti hoarder, right here).

Also, he's officially three and a half today. Three has gone real fast because: pregnancy. It's galloped by and the idea that it's literally half over is not a welcome one. I just got used to him being three and he has the audacity to turn 4 this year? The audacity.

He's currently into Legos (Target trips are essentially How can I get out of here without going down the Lego aisle? trips now) and The Avengers in a big way. I can't keep up. Hawkeye, "Matasha", Dr. Bruce Banner, Thor, Steve Rogers; he never stops asking/telling me about all of them. Just like the sports thing, I have no idea how he knows so much about it all. I get commanded to yell, "Avengers Assemble!" more often than any human should.
He's a character and we love him.

And then we had two.

2013-01-10T11:33:00.000-08:00

the first look ...

One of the things I kept thinking about throughout Everly's pregnancy was how Bronson would react the first time he met her. I was pretty sure he'd be beyond thrilled. Beyond beyond thrilled. What three and a half year old boy wouldn't be ecstatic to visit the hospital and be introduced to a slimy little newborn girl? Right?
Honestly, it was pretty anticlimactic. He came in the room about an hour after she was born and was much more excited to see the ginorm birthing ball, "swimming pool tub" (not quite) and other medical paraphernalia than he was to see the baby. Or me.
I guess the good thing about being a family forever is that you have for-freaking-ever to love each other. I'm pretty happy that's the case. Bronson and Everly are going to be best friends!!
It's my mission in life to force them to be. #mommydearest

Neverly no more. SHE'S HERE!

2013-01-03T10:43:00.000-08:00

And so she arrived and renounced her nickname of Neverly! (Girlfriend was born 10 days after her due date. Life's a party.)
I ended up with a water birth, something I'd thought about but never really expected to do until Ruth Anne (THE BEST NURSE IN THE WORLD) was all, "You're the only only only person in the maternity ward, would you like to try the tub?" Best decision. This little girl came after 5 pushes and Toph and I caught her together (he WASN'T in the tub .... fyi) and we were able to just float her in the warm water for a few endorphin filled minutes.
Everly's birth was fast (when it finally got down to it) and exactly what I wanted. I felt amazing as soon as she was out and can't help but smile whenever I think about those crazy 4 hours. I did it! All by myself! It was, overall, such a great experience and we are so so so in love with our Ev!

PS: Ev was the first baby born in Tehama county in 2013!!! THE New Years baby!! We got tons of fun gifts and prizes to celebrate her and we were in the newspaper. Most coherent interview ever, I'm sure.

best of 2012!

2012-12-31T12:59:00.000-08:00

2012 is almost over!! And I'm still pregnant!!! (8 days over due ..... but who's counting?!? Everyone is because if you didn't already know I was overdue, I WILL inform you when you dare ask me how I'm doing, when I'm due, what my name is, etc.)
Annnyway, we've had quite the year. Highlights include:

-Finding out we were pregnant again!!!
-Going to Disneyland!
-Toph graduating from law school!
-Finding out the fetus baby is a GIRL!!
-Bronson turning 3!!
-Toph passing the Bar!
-The summer Olympics (this was definitely one of our greatest achievements of 2012)
-Toph being sworn in as a real lawyer+getting offered a job the same day he was sworn in!!!
- Not having the baby that was due in 2012 come in 2012 ..... maybe, there's still a few hours left!!

2012 turned out to be a long, fast, hard, easy, boring, exciting year. We've been blessed and tried, there have been lots of happy and frustrated tears. Can't wait to see what 2013 will bring us! (Better start with a BABY though!)

Christmas 2012!!!!

2012-12-25T12:46:00.000-08:00

Woo hoo stocking stuffers!

My dad IS Santa + Bronson sporting (hehahehe) the Utah Jazz warm up suit he got from Mama Carlos.

Best gift? I think definitely.

Enough with that dang water bottle, Carlos. Expect yeah, I LOVE mine too!!!

Hulk Smash Bronson was born today. Worst gift? Thanks Toph!

My mom's way more intriguing than Ms. Rodham Clinton. SHE deserves a book deal.

Oh these two.

Christmas came! And, despite what you see in the amazingly glam and happy pics above, it was ... kinda crappy crazy actually. This year was Bronson's fourth Christmas (I don't even know how that happened) and all he wanted was a green dinosaur and maybe some Legos. Done. As in, he was pretty much done after we opened stockings but we forced him to open all of his gifts (worst parents) resulting in a meltdown that made much more sense when we realized he had an ear infection and pink eye. Best day!! :/ Plus: I'm still very much pregnant with nary a useful contraction in sight. So whatevs. Better luck next year?

Christmas Eve. Guess who's still pregnant?!

2012-12-24T12:15:00.000-08:00

Mary, Joseph and fake baby Jesus. Obviously.

The one wise man we could commission. He insisted he was a king from "RUSSIAN."

Not exactly sure what Bronson was supposed to be, to be honest.

Well Christmas Eve came and went and I'm still very much knocked up. Since I went over with Bronson I'm not too freaked out. Was I hoping to have a newborn and a weird deflating tummy by now? Sure. But I'll settle for Chinese food (our Christmas Eve dinner tradish) and a ginorm basketball belly instead. At least for a few (FEW) more days.

happy due date!!

2012-12-23T16:22:00.000-08:00

Today is officially my due date. So I didn't really think she'd come early (or even on time) but I hoped. Real hard. So far we're two for two on late babies in this fam, tardiness is our tradition. I'm still feeling pretty great, thank. goodness. Hopefully the next update includes pics of our newest little nugget!

he slept through the Christmas lights. what?

2012-12-22T16:15:00.000-08:00

Bronson was absolutely enthralled by the Christmas lights this year ... We drove for an hour to see some amazing neighborhoods decked out in their holiday finest and the kid slept the whole time! Ungrateful. Good thing I took lots of pics. Merry Christmas!!!