The Schlofman Corner

Pollyanna with an invitation

2011-12-21T13:38:00.000-05:00

While I was on bed rest, some wonderful friends had me watch Pollyanna.

I had never read the book and knew nothing about the plot. I LOVED IT! What a wonderful principle...always finding something to be glad about. While in college I had decided that, for a month, I was going to make every statement a positive one. It was a great month! I found I was more positive about life and its outcomes up to that point. I was happier! So I have an invitation for myself and those of you who may be reading this post...let's make it a New Years Resolution to be positive; to find "something to be glad about" in every situation we are in and make our statements positive. Life is hard, there is no doubt about that. We all face challenges, some harder than others. But there is one thing that is certain...we will be happier as we find things to be glad about.

Matthew Scott

2011-12-05T16:30:00.000-05:00

Our little Matthew was born Sunday morning at 8:33 am.

He is 8 lbs and 20 1/2 inches long. We think he looks a lot like Lizzy when she was born but who knows. :) Will and Lizzy both love him and have been so excited to hold him and kiss him which I was surprised at but also very glad. I was worried that they would scream at him and want nothing to do with him, which might still happen when we get home, but for now they have been great! I love my little family and I am excited to finally have this little bundle of joy here!

37 weeks

2011-11-27T17:41:00.000-05:00

I could not be more grateful for today. We have reached 37 weeks with the pregnancy, therefore being considered full term. With that, we are now off bed rest though I do not plan on resuming full activity just yet since I would like to see if we can make it just a little longer. This has been such a crazy, humbling, full of miracles ride! We went on bed rest at 18 weeks, at first modified and then full from 27 weeks on. We have had to adjust to not being able to do a lot outside the house as a family and have found great joy in things done together at home. We have had to have faith and trust that things would be OK and have been proving the doctors wrong for a long time. When we first started the bed rest, Scott gave me a blessing and in that blessing we were promised that our baby would be born full term, healthy and strong. Along the way, as we went to doctors appointments, the news was not always positive. 4 weeks ago, the doctor told us we would not make it through the week. Last week we were told we would not make it through the day. Yet we have seen and continue to see that the power of the Lord is above that of medicine. My faith has increased a hundred fold as I have witnessed a miracle very personal to our family. I know that the Lord is mindful of us and now, more than ever, I have experienced one of the greatest tender mercies. I am excited to meet our little one when the time comes but for now, I am enjoying being able to spend time with my little family, preparing to celebrate the birth of our Savior.

Scott's doings

2011-11-13T21:38:00.000-05:00

I said I would post some of the things my wonderful husband has been making for around the house and so here I am. I absolutely love how all these different things turned out.

First is was the piano. We had wanted a piano for quite some time but could not find one we liked. One day, Scott decided he was just going to buy a piano and paint it. So he did! I wish I would have taken a picture of the before but I wasn't really thinking about it. It was a brown, generic piano that now looks like this:

We have stainless steel appliance which I love but you can't pin anything to them. And now that the kids are drawing more and are so excited for their creations, I would love to be able to display them somewhere but had no place. So Scott built me a magnet board that looks like this:

I hated the transitions from the tile to the laminate in our kitchen as they were constantly coming out and the kids had even managed to break a few of them. It looked horrible and we all hated it. So Scott, with his creativity, came up with the idea of creating a tile border around. He researched it and did it! It looks like this:

I love having a creative husband who is also really handy! There are a few more projects on the list to be made and I can't wait to have those finished. All in due time!

Family

2011-11-05T22:37:00.001-04:00

For Halloween we had Spider Man and a cute little Bumble Bee at our house. Both kids LOVED their costumes and had an absolute blast going out Trick or Treating. As a matter of fact, today Will asked if he could go Trick or Treat tonight. It's a little hard to explain to a 2 1/2 year old that that is a once a year deal but somehow he got it and was satisfied with just having some of the left over candy. :)

Then this evening, after a day of hard work on our floor, my sweet husband, whom I will have a post about in the next couple of days with all the cool things he's been building around the house, took the kids outside to roast hot dogs and marshmallows on the fire pit. The kids had a blast and Will could not get over how cool the fire was. Boys will be boys I guess. :) It was so fun being all together to enjoy the evening!

As for the bed rest, we are 34 weeks tomorrow and hope to make it another 3. The doctors have said that medically there is no explanation for why it is that we have not had this baby yet and I love to be able to tell them that there is someone who has more power than medicine. We keep praying and having faith that we will make it to full term.

4 years

2011-10-30T10:30:00.000-04:00

Four years ago, on the 27th, I married the handsomest, most amazing man in the Salt Lake Temple. We were married for Time and For all Eternity and I am so grateful for the amazing promises we make to each other that day! And though that day was definitely a wonderful and memorable one, the time since then has been that much more incredible! I have fallen more and more in love with this handsome man and we have grown together so much! We have two wonderful children and another on the way (3 in 4 years, really?) and have been so blessed to be where we are in our lives!

Some of the things I love about Scott:

He is always ready and willing to serve. He doesn't ever hesitate when it comes to providing service.
You will never hear a negative about someone else from Scott. I admire that so much about him!
He is always positive, always looking for the best in every situation.

He is the most patient man I know! We have gone through two high risk pregnancy with full bed rest, one still going and one that was spent in the hospital and he has been a trouper! I could not have done it without him!

He is such an awesome dad! I love watching him play with our children. The minute he gets home Will and Lizzy no longer want anything to do with me; they just want their dad. It's sooooo cute!

The list could go on and on but it would get very mushy and I think I will keep the mushiness to myself. :) The most important thing is that I love this amazing man so much and am so grateful to be married to him! Happy Anniversary My Love!

Don't mind the sleep deprived look and the enormous belly...32 weeks pregnant. :)

Cute things

2011-10-28T09:01:00.000-04:00

I just have to document some of the really cute things that have been said by our kids lately. These may not be as cute coming from adults but when they come out of a 2 1/2 years old mouth, they are pretty darn funny.

After playing with their dad, Lizzy stopped and with a serious face said: "Woh, I'm tired!"
Another time Scott asked her to lay down to have her diaper changed and she looked him straight in the eye and said :"It's impossible!" We just busted out laughing cause we have never said that and so it took us a while to realize that she got it from Kung Fu Panda. :)
Then today she walked in to where I was with Will and said: "What's going on in here?"

Will is very cute and complimentary. He sure knows how to get what he wants. I was getting dressed today and he walked up to me and said: "Mommy, you look pretty!" Now if that means a lot coming from an adult, coming from your 2 1/2 year old boy it's worth millions. I loved it!
Also today, I was trying to put them down for naps when Will turned to me and said: " I can't go to bed!" It was so cute! He's a little confused between can't and don't want to so it makes for some funny things coming out of his mouth. :)

I love these little monkeys! They have very strong personalities and it makes for some interesting times but it also makes for some really funny moments around here!

Kids

2011-10-23T21:13:00.001-04:00

I wanted to hurry and write this post before it all becomes a blur and I don't remember all that I wanted to say. So here it goes: As I was putting the kids down for naps today after church, I layed in each of their beds and tickled their backs and snuggled them. I don't do that often because I want them to just go to sleep on their own, without needing me there, but Scott loves to do that with them. And since he had meetings after church I thought I would try it. I was so overwhelmed with love for these two kids as I layed there with them! Will just held perfectly still for his back to be tickeled. Now if you know Will, you know that is incredible. The kid is always on the go, always finding something interesting to look at and play with.

Lizzy had to organize all of her babies and bear and Clifford dog before she could finnaly relax and enjoy the back tickles. As I finished, she started taking each of the toys and hugged them for a moment, kissed them and then gently put them down by her and tucked them in. For a second I had a vision of the mom that I am hoping she will be...loving and kind. I just had to lay there for a few minutes taking these two, otherwise very active children in, as they lay there still, falling asleep.

Now, things are not always happy at our house nor am I the kind of mother I had hoped to be. I raise my voice more than I should and I get so caught up in what needs to be done around the house that I don't take the time to play with them as much as I would like. But I am trying to be better as time goes on. These precious little ones were sent to me for a reason and I am so grateful for all that they teach me and for what I am becoming along with them.

Books

2011-10-21T17:13:00.000-04:00

Since I have a lot of time on my hands these days and thankfully am not on any medication like last time, I have enjoyed reading. One book that I read is The Remarkable Soul of a Woman by Elder Uchtdorf. It's an easy read but so wonderful! I love how Elder Uchtdorf has a way of building women up and making us feel so wonderful about who we are and what our calling is here on this earth.

One thing he talked about was our inclination to create. And it makes sense cause I don't know too many women who don't have a desire to create in some way or another. Some create life, others crafts, others cook, we all create in some way. I thought that was such a wonderful thought!

The other book is the following:

This was such a fun book to read! It really made me think about how I can simplify my life and how I can be a better at being happy with who I am. I love books like that!

Now I am in the process of reading "I didn't plan to be a witch" by Linda Eyre. It has some wonderful parenting ideas, such as the Repenting Bench". I am going to try that with my kids when they are a little older. She also talks about sibling rivalry and how to handle that. I needed to learn about it because I can see it starting already with Will and Lizzy. I guess it would make sense that they would have some of that this early on where they have always been together. I just need to make sure that I help them feel like they each are wonderful and I love them just as much. A thought that I think is good to keep in mind as a parent is that if you tell a child they are horrible and who knows what else, if you tell them enough times they will believe that is just what they are and they will act accordingly. So many things to think about as a parent! But if you are a mom and want a good book to read, I really recommend this one.

This time of year

2011-10-07T15:45:00.000-04:00

Oh how I LOVE this time of year! OK, I really love every season for different reasons but I love the smells of fall. I love the baking and the decorating for Halloween, Thanksgiving and just plain for fall! The colors are so beautiful and there is something so calming about walking into a home where something yummy has been baking. I just love it! Since I can't be up standing up and baking myself, I sat on the couch as my mom baked me homemade pumpkin bread and pumpkin donut holes. The smell alone as they were baking was amazing, not to mention the taste...YUM! So much for my not gaining more weight than I did with the twins! Ha ha! OK, not quite there yet but heading in the "right" direction. I just love fall!

My boys

2011-09-25T20:22:00.000-04:00

I love how similar Will and Scott are! Will just wants to be his dad's shadow and do everything he does and help with everything. So it's no surprise that when Scott was making cinnamon rolls tonight, Will was right there, his little helper. And he is just so excited that he gets to be there with his dad! I love my boys!

Closet idea

2011-09-24T17:56:00.000-04:00

I have always loved making things and pinterest is a super addicting site for ideas. And since I have a whole lot of time on my hands I have been looking up things I can do to decorate our house and to improve it. Well, the twins room has this really long closet with 4 bi fold doors. It's very nice to have such a big closet in their room but the middle of it is rather hard to reach. So I found this closet idea online. I think this would be awesome and functional in their room and also in the office!

I love finding awesome ideas online. And if you are not on pinterest yet, let me tell you...it's seriously addicting!

Pumpkin and some updates

2011-09-23T17:57:00.000-04:00

I love all seasons for different reasons but fall I love for the colors (which sadly lack some in South Florida) and for the baking. I love PUMPKIN! A couple of years ago I stacked up on cans and cans of pumpkin in the hope that I would make pumpkin stuff year round. Of course that did not happen but my love is still there. I love pumpkin bread, cookies, cake, pie and i even found a recipe for dinner in a pumpkin that is both fun and delicious. I have been looking forward to this season for a while now and now that it's here I can't make any of those things! So frustrating! As of Wednesday evening I am on full bed rest. I spent the night in the hospital on Tuesday with the doctors wondering what is going on with my body and why it is that it can't handle being pregnant. I guess it just doesn't like carrying 20+ lbs extra for a few months. So we were released to full bed rest at home. Thankfully my mom is coming on Monday to spend the next few months with us and help us while I get to chill on the couch trying not to go crazy cause there are so many things I want to do to prepare for this baby and so much baking I want to do for the season. Bed rest sounds great to some, I know, but I love to be active and do things so...I sure hope to still be sane at the end of this pregnancy. :-) 9 weeks to go! YAY!

Update and thoughts

2011-07-27T20:04:00.000-04:00

First an update. We went to the doctor yesterday and I am now on a modified bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy. I can't make any sort of effort, lift the kids or do much around the house. No grocery shopping or shopping period (that part made Scott very happy:-)) and I am to just take it easy. This will be a long 19 more weeks but I am keeping positive because I have a lot to be thankful for and really my trials are nothing compared to others. Scott and I talked to a man the other day who is selling everything him and his wife own and are packing their 4 month old in the car and driving to NY to spend her last few months with family. She has terminal cancer and so he is preparing to raise a child by himself. That made me feel like my trials were nothing. And if that was not enough, there was a couple I knew at BYU back when they were dating. They were both amazing people and it was fun to see them growing together. They got married and had a couple of kids and during all this he was diagnosed with brain cancer and passed away beginning of this month. I can't imagine having the trials that these amazing people are having to face. All of the sudden, 19 weeks of bed rest seem like nothing. I am just grateful to know that the Lord is there, helping us to go through our trails.

Seriously?

2011-07-20T16:12:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I spoke in church and was given free hand on what to talk about. I felt strongly I should talk on Adversity and how to deal with it. When I told Scott that he looked at me and said "You know usually what you talk about will be something you will have to deal with; so why don't you talk about how to handle being a millionaire instead?" Boy do I wish I would have listened to him because yesterday I was put on BED REST! Seriously! Again! I am only 18 weeks along with just ONE baby! SO note to self, don't talk about things you don't want to have happen to you. Next time you have to give a talk in church, talk about how to handle being a millionaire.

Odd

2011-07-06T21:42:00.000-04:00

So lately I have been craving a lot of these:

I have also been wanting a lot of this:

And I have been wanting a lot more of this:

And I can't seem to be getting enough of this:

So I called the doctor and he had me come in for a check up. It was an exciting one and he sent us home with pictures like this one:

Yup, there is a baby BOY that will be joining our family in December! We are so excited! Will and Lizzy are excited too but I don't know that they understand yet that the baby will come to stay at their house, unlike all the other babies they have been around lately and love so much. Till then, we are just praying that all will go well with the pregnancy since we are still considered a high risk pregnancy and are being watched accordingly.

Singin' in the Rain

2011-06-10T19:48:00.000-04:00

I don't know how many people like this movie but it is a very loved one around here. Will and Lizzy are pretty much obsessed with it. I love that my kids are interested in things like this. Don't worry, they still love the kid shows too like Finding Nemo, Meet the Robinsons and Tangled but they also like Singin' in the Rain. And they love books. They always take a book to bed with them and they fall asleep "reading". Oh if this would only last through college! I love these little guys and all the things that they teach me daily.

Sugarholic still

2011-05-31T21:39:00.000-04:00

So...the month of May was filled with visiting friends and family and eating out and having fun. Therefore I failed miserably at my goal. But as the month on June is starting tomorrow I am VERY committed to giving up soda for the rest of the year. I have actually done OK with that and I have no fear that I can do it. As for the sugar, I can't give it up. However, I have made it a decision to only have desert once a week and that is only if I desperately need it. So I have loaded up on fruit and fruit bars and propel water for those times when plain water is just not cutting it and off we go. I am confident I can do it even though I have not been very committed up to this point. But for personal reasons I am now very committed and therefore know I can do it. :-)

Sugarholic

2011-05-15T22:44:00.000-04:00

Hi, my name is Laura and I am a sugarholic. I have been told the first step is admitting that I have a problem.

This is my confession...I LOVE SUGAR! Yes I do. And I mean LOVE IT! I don't think there is a day when I don't have sugar in some form. Now, don't worry, I have not yet eaten it straight out of the can but I do look for any dessert I can make with it. There is always brownie mix in my house, most of the time there are a few kinds of ice cream and there are always supplies for cookie making, So yes, I am addicted. My other addiction is soda (Diet DrPepper to be more specific). That has been one that has been driving Scott crazy since he is not really a soda drinker. So.... since I am aware of my addictions I am trying to see if I can make it the rest of the month with no deserts and no soda. That means 16 days. Oh boy, oh boy this will be interesting. Wish me luck!

Shopping my own closet

2011-03-29T15:41:00.000-04:00

The only hard thing about living in Florida for me has been that I wear the same clothes year round and get bored of them by the time the second summer comes around. So I end up buying more clothes even though I have plenty. So this year I decided to take a new aproach to my insane desire for something new...I just went through my closet and picked out a few things that I like but have had for some time and would like to try and make them a little different. Then I have looked up websites that will have tutorials for such things and I am in the process of getting a few new items in my closet without making trips to the store. Wish me luck! I will let you know how it all turns out. :)

Camping indoors!?!

2011-03-17T09:14:00.000-04:00

Anyone that knows me knows that I am not a huge camper. I would much rather sleep in a comfortable bed than on the ground. But for the last few weeks I have been camping, against my will, in different rooms around the house. It started with the kids room because Lizzy wakes up in the middle of the night and climbs out trying to wake Will up to play. When she fails she comes into our room. Then it takes anywhere from 2 to 4 hours for her to go back to sleep and for that to happen I have to stay there so that she would keep climbing out. Then, this week, both kids and Scott have been sick so I have a camping spot set up on the couch, one in the spare bedroom and one on the family room floor. I am getting my camping in for the next 20 years in just 2 weeks. I also have Finding Nemo memorized as it has been Lizzy's movie of choice these past couple of weeks. Hope this all ends soon and I can get some normal sleep cause this is not working out so hot for me.

Here is what my camping spot looks like in the family room.

And this is the movie of choice at the moment.

A fraction of our life

2011-03-15T22:06:00.000-04:00

I know it's been forever but there have been so many things happening around here. As Will and Lizzy get older and their personalities develop we find ourselves more and more busy and with even more stories to tell thought those stories seem to make it to my journal and not here so much. Oh well...

For Valentines day they wanted to paint us a picture on the new area rug so they got into the food coloring and were covered from head to toe. It was all over the floor, the rug, their clothes, everything. I was impressed it did come out for the most part.

Grama and Papa came the first week in March and had some fun times with the kids so that Scott and I could go to the Grand Cayman. He won a trip with work for the great year that he had last year and we had a wonderful time. We swam with the sting rays, snorkeled, went on a submarine ride, Scott went scuba diving, we ate amazing food, danced, met wonderful people and just had a great time. It was my first time away from the kids and it was definetely hard but I was so grateful they had a wonderful time playing with Grama and Papa. As you can see, the sunsets there were absolutely amazing. Thank you honey for working so hard so we can have this experience!

Bed rest

2011-01-18T20:33:00.000-05:00

One of my friends who is pregnant with twins was just put on bed rest which made me think back 2 years ago when, after a routine checkup, I was sent to the hospital where I spent the next 2 months becoming "Inmate 151".

I think back to that time often but today I found myself holding my little miracles a little longer and squizing them a little tighter because I thought about how much I prayed during that time that all would be ok and that they would make it here healthy. And here they are now, having more energy than I can ever keep up with and giving me reasons to love them more and more daily. I am so grateful to be a mom. It it not the easiest thing for me but it has been very rewarding in ways I did not expect. I love it that they can both climb out of their cribs in the morning and they make their way to our bedroom, climbing in bed with us to wake us up. I love seing those smiling faces as they give each other the sippy cups or their blankets or Lizzy consoling Will when he is sad. Motherhood is worth it!

Inspiring

2011-01-17T14:24:00.001-05:00

I love it when I find something inspiring. Well, there are a few blogs that I have been reading for a while that I think are worth checking out. The first is a woman that I look up to and wish I could be more like her. Check out http://www.71toes.blogspot.com/.
Second is a crafting blog for those who may be into crafts like I am: http://www.makeit-loveit.com/.
Third is a cooking, crafting, whatever you want blog that I have learned about from my friend Melanie and it's http://www.talkchowplayhouse.com/. Check them out and you might find some inspiration on things to do with your time. :)

Lizzy and Tyler

2011-01-11T20:44:00.000-05:00

We finally get to call Tyler, Uncle Tyler because he will be just that starting April 30th 2011. We are so excited for them! They are so in love and just absolutely perfect for each other. Congrats you guys!

Christmas

2010-12-30T16:31:00.000-05:00

Christmas is my most favorite time of the year. I love the smell of fresh baked cookies, I love the trees decorated, the lights on the houses, the people who seem to get just a little nicer around this time, the gift giving and most especially remembering the Savior. This is a truly a special time, one that I would like to have last throughout the whole year. (But then again, we would take it for granted if it did)

This year we followed the Romanian tradition of Mos Niculae who comes on December 6th and leaves treats in children's shoos that are cleaned and shined and placed by the door the night before. Will and Lizzy though this was fun since they got some of their favorite treats. :)

Lulu loves her candy! First thing this little girl says in the morning is milk and cookie. She has been on a fattening up diet cause she has not been gaining weight and she has been LOVING life. :)

We got to go drive through the lights with our dear friends the Grays and that was wonderful! The kids all had such a great time!

This Christmas was especially fun because it was the first one where Will and Lizzy really could get into. We got them so worked up about Santa that Will had a hard time going to sleep on Christmas Eve cause he was so excited. He kept getting out of his crib, climbing unto the changing table that is in front of the window and picking through the slats to see outside. Guess he was looking for Santa. :) This is the best that I could get of him.

Christmas morning the twins were so excited about their presents! Lizzy loved the kitchen set that Santa put together for her the night before and Will loved his basketball hoop. Needless to say the first thing this boy says in the morning is...Ball! Ball!

There were a lot of other fun presents and these two just had a wonderful time. I am so grateful that we were all able to enjoy such a fun time together. :)

'Tis the season

2010-12-19T14:25:00.000-05:00

I feel so blessed and humbled! We had our ward Christmas Program today and it was just amazing. There is so much talent in my ward! I was pretty much teary eyed during the whole program and it was not because my kids were going crazy (which they were because Scott was singing in the choir and they could see him but could not be there with him). I love this time of year when I have the opportunity to ponder the birth of the Savior and all that He has done for me. I am so grateful to know that He is my Savior, that He knows me so well that there is nothing I can hide from Him.
As the end of the year approaches I have also been taking a look at what this past year has brought. We have been blessed with the twins turning one and being healthy and strong. Will is just all boy and Lizzy all girl, both giving us a run for our money. We have bought our first home which we are so grateful for! I love my new house. I will post pictures of the renovations soon. :) I am sad to have had friends move and happy to have made new friends. I hope to not have offended anyone this year but if you read this blog and have been offended at anything I said or did please know that it was not meant. I feel blessed to have good friends who teach me to be a better person and a wonderful husband who provides great balance for my intense personality. This is really an amazing time of the year.

29

2010-11-24T12:02:00.000-05:00

29 years ago today was born the most amazing man in the world. I was not fortunate enough to meet him till 25 years later but am so grateful that I get to spend eternity with him. Yes, Scott is 29. And let me tell ya, he has done wonderful things in the past 29 years.

*He has blessed the lives of his sisters with the example of what a man should be and how he should treat women.

*He has blessed the lives of people at both BYU-Idaho and BYU by attending the University and being involved in all the programs that he was a part of

*He has blessed the people of Santiago Chile by having brought the gospel to as many as would listen.

*He has blessed my life by asking me on a date and then asking me to marry him

*He has blessed my life by taking me to the temple where we could be Sealed for Time and for All Eternity

*He has blessed my life by taking me to South Florida where we have been building our family

*He has blessed my life by giving me twins and working along side me to raise them

*He has blessed my life by holding true to the covenants that we made and by honoring his priesthood.

I could go on and on about how this man blesses my life daily but I want to share a few things about him you may not see because he is too humble to put them out there:

*He has an amazing voice and the spirit is so strong when he sings

*He writes poetry. I will try to get permission to post some that he has written because they are really amazing

*He is VERY creative. With everything! Starting with activities that we can do as a family, to a recipe that he NEVER follows but it turns out amazing, to decorating our house. It's just his talent.

*There is nothing he would not do for his family; and I don't mean just the kids and I but his parents, sisters, cousins. He is a very devoted man

*He cares so much about the Young Men in our ward! There are very few things he would not do for those boys. (mainly cause he is one of them at heart)

I don't think Scott will ever grow up and I don't want him to. He knows when he needs to be serious and he knows when he can have fun. He is truly my best friend.

I LOVE YOU SCOTT! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Like father like son

2010-11-12T21:56:00.000-05:00

Scott has been working on the back splash in the kitchen and has been doing a fantastic job with it.

But to show just how much kids do watch and imitate what we do, Will went to the box with tile, got a few out and look what he was doing....just wanting to be like Daddy. :)

This little girl is not only thin but also very flexible. She fits in the smallest spaces. Here she is inside a toy!

She is also a master at temper tantrums. She particularly likes to bite furniture.

And then there is this cheese ball. Tell me that face does not say mischievous!

Don't worry, he throws quite the temper tantrums too I just have not caught one on camera yet. But I will soon and man oh man he is a crazy one. :)

We love our little monkeys. They add a whole new dimension to our life. :)

Finally

2010-11-03T13:26:00.001-04:00

Be ready for a long post! :)

We dressed the twins in their costumes and went out to Trick or Treat and meet the neighbors on Sunday. They had lots of fun and ate more candy than I thought possible. Lizzy was not letting go of her bucket by the end of the street. We also loved it because we got to meet our new neighbors and are just so excited that there are so many people with young kids around that we can play with. There are also 2 families with twins who live just down the street!

Gotta love Buzz lightyear and Darling Dorothy. :) This girl is so thin that the costume was falling off her shoulders.

Will and Lizzy and Daddy at the first door. :)

Last week we went to Vizcaya in Miami with a couple of friends and we were just so excited to see Will and Lizzy hold hands as they were walking. It was just adorable! I love these two monkeys so much!

Aren't they just so cute?

We had a great time visiting my family in Romania. Lizzy loved wearing her dads shoes. They are just a little big for her. ;)

We also celebrated that the twins turned 18 months. And since I love Romanian cakes and treats, we got a wonderful chocolate cake. It was delicious!

While in Romania we played at the park a lot and enjoyed having so much time together. So fun!

We also got a tour of the second largest building in the world. This is within walking distance of where I grew up. For the rest of our Romania pictures go here.

Scott and I celebrated 3 years of marriage this past month and what a wonderful 3 years it has been! Here are just a few of the reasons I love Scott:
- He is always up for an adventure
-What a fun guy! If you want someone to make you laugh, he is it!
-He is just such a wonderful dad who loves playing with his kids, changes diapers, bathes then and they absolutely adore him
-He is always so willing to serve. I have never heard him complain about the fact that he has to help someone move or someone needs him for any reason
-He loves the Young Men in our ward and would do anything for them
-He works hard and plays hard
-He is my best friend; he has seen me at my best and worst and loves me for who I am
-He loves to cook and is great at it
-He is Mr creative. You should have seen last years Ginger Bread house. I can't wait for this years. :)
-There is nothing in the world that would come before the Lord for him and I love that
-He is really the whole package.
I love you so much Scott and am so grateful to have you in my life!

A long time coming

2010-10-30T15:24:00.000-04:00

I know it's been a long time since I last blogged but lots has happened in the Schlofman Corner. We almost finished the kitchen in the new house, painted and moved in, all within 3 weeks. Just a few days after we moved in we packed our bags and left for Romania to visit my family. We had a great time being out there with my parents and brother, sister in law and niece. She is just so cute! (Pictures to come). While we were there the twins turned 18 months! Nursery here we come and bring on the illnesses! Speaking of illnesses, both kids and I have been super sick. I have a sinus infection and Will and Lizzy are fighting a common cold. Not fun! We have had some "fun" family time at 3 am. So since we have been so sick I have not had any desire to go through pictures so this post will be without any. But there are pictures coming...I promise. Other than that, life is great! We love the new house and especially the back yard. It is fenced in all the way around and so I can just let the twins run free out there and I can still see them from just about anywhere in the house. I love it and they do too. :) So these are our updates! Stay tuned for pictures coming soon!

We bought a house!

2010-09-13T20:56:00.004-04:00

A few weeks back I posted that we had been looking at houses here in South Florida. Well, on Friday we made it official and became the owners of this beautiful house! We love it and are very excited to get settled in. As you can see from the pictures following, there is some work to be done in this house. We have taken down the half wall as you walk in and the mirrors.

The kitchen has been completely removed and we are putting in new cabinets and also building a new island that will look NOTHING like the one that was there.

We are not quite sure about the previous owners taste in colors but it does not match ours at all so we are changing that almost everywhere in the house.

Yes, this is our new home for the rest of our stay in Florida!

Change of Perspective

2010-08-26T10:31:00.003-04:00

Motherhood was not something that came natural to me. I am a person that likes to plan things out and have a structured life. Maybe that is why the Lord blessed Scott and I with twins from the beginning. I love Will and Lizzy so much but they have sure changed so many aspects of my life. So for some time I have been looking to be more involved in the community, volunteer more and this way have something other than kids to worry about everyday. Well, I am proud to say my perspective has since changed. Last week I had lunch with an amazing lady that I look up to and who is a mother and now grand mother and involved in so many different amazing things that I don't even know how she does it all. The initial thought was to get involved in some of the things she does but as our lunch progressed and we got into a deeper conversation about being moms, I was helped to realize that I could be doing nothing better at this time than be home with my children. Then last night we were sitting here with Lizzy (my sister in law ) and Ty and we were reading the blog of one of his friends whose daughter, only 4 months older than the twins, died a month ago. As this sister shared her thoughts about her daughter's passing she said something along the lines of: so when you find yourself after a day of your kids driving you crazy, think about what you would be without them. That brought tears to my eyes as I realized even more that there is nothing in the world I would much rather do than be a mom. So I have decided that I will seek to be a little better in spending time with Will and Lizzy, playing with them and teaching them. Sure, my house may not always be spotless but I will build a relationship with my children that will last throughout eternity. I LOVE BEING A MOM!

McCall

2010-08-20T21:49:00.002-04:00

So here is what's been going on:

We had the anual Schlofman family reunion at McCall the end of July which was so much fun! Will and Lizzy loved the water and the boat. That is very exciting since I am pretty sure that grandpa will have them on water skis ASAP. Here are pictures from the reunion.

Since we have come back from ID we have found a house and have put an offer on which was accepted. Now we are under contract and waiting to close the middle of September. So I guess we are sticking around South Florida for a while.

Just a quick update.

2010-08-12T11:26:00.002-04:00

I have a lot of catching up to do and will take care of that in the next few days. Lots of pictures to post from our super fun family reunion and just little fun things that Will and Lizzy have been doing. The reason why I am so slow at posting is because....we're in the process of buying a house! Yup, you heard it. We are committing to south Florida a little longer than initially planned but things are going well here and we feel like this is where we need to be for a little while. So there you have it. I will post more info in the days to come. :)

Shout out to women

2010-07-13T15:26:00.000-04:00

I just want to give a shout out to the amazing women in my life. I have been blessed with a great mother and mother in law, great sisters in law and amazing friends. I learn something from everyone daily and feel so humbled to know these women. I love how creative women can be, starting with crafts and ending with figuring out how to discipline a child. It's fun learning something new from everyone. I have been blessed to serve in the Relief Society at church and I am learning so much from the sisters. Each has had experiences that has made them who they are and it's wonderful being able to associate with them. What can I say, I am proud to be a WOMAN!

4th

2010-07-05T10:08:00.000-04:00

Though I was not born in the US and I am not a US Citizen, I absolutely LOVE the 4th of July. I just love the patriotic songs and the celebration of Freedom. This year I wanted to make something fun for this celebration so I went to this website: makeit-loveit.com (You will become addicted should you choose to visit) and I made the flag cake featured on there. Sure, mine was not quite as professional looking as that one but it was still amazing.

We spent the 3rd having a little party with our friends the Grays and Will loved being around his girlfriend, Layla. These two are so cute! When they see each other they laugh and giggle and they hug and even kiss. It is so funny to watch. :) We will have to keep an eye on them as they get older.

How cute is she?

2010-06-14T16:25:00.002-04:00

For the first time ever, Lizzy decided to keep sun glasses on her face. We walked around a good majority of the mall with them on. She is just sooooo adorable!

2010-06-09T10:00:00.003-04:00

Scott was still home when Lizzy woke up from her nap and so he went to get her as opposed to me. She was happy to see him but as soon as she saw me she wanted down and then ran over to me with her hands raised and said the most clear and resounding "mama." That makes my heart melt...hearing my babies call me mama. I would say being a mom is the best feeling in the world.

Will and Lizzy

2010-06-07T22:05:00.005-04:00

Will and Lizzy are growing and it is so fun to see the different stages that they go through. They are now walking quite comfortably but since we have not put shoes on them they have a hard time walking with shoes on. It is quite funny! They also have a great desire to explore and open every door and look in every drawer. So a few weeks back I walked into the kitchen only to find Lizzy in one of the drawers and a few days later Will in the stove drawer. Crazy kids!
They also love music and it's been so fun to watch them dance when music comes on or how Will opens the door to the room with the drums and sneaks in to play them. They also enjoy playing the piano together. I love my little ones!

One

2010-04-12T23:27:00.007-04:00

I can't believe it's been a year since we met these two little ones. They have brought new meaning to our lives and have given us so many things to be thankful for. I can't imagine my life without Will and Lizzy. Their smiles and kisses just melt my heart and I love nothing more than when I hear "mama" out of their mouths. They have grown so much and their little personalities are developing daily and are so cute! I just love them so much!

Will had to try it out before going to town on it.

Lizzy was a little more cautious.

As you can tell they had a lot of fun on their birthday. :) For more pictures go to the link to "All our pictures" on the side.

All before 10 AM

2010-03-16T17:45:00.003-04:00

Being a mother of twins is not only a full time job but it is also a daily full body workout. This how our day goes:

Weigh lifting at 8 am. 22 lbs in one hand and 18 in the other (I have to switch them so that both my arms get the same workout.
Picking up babies as they are running trying to get into something they are not supposed to be getting in to = squats around the clock
Play time with the babies on the floor = crunches, bench presses and quite a bit of stretching.
All this is done in the first couple of hours after I wake up. So why would I need to get any other excessive? For mental sanity really. I love being a mom!

Time for an update

2010-03-12T21:39:00.011-05:00

I figured it is about time for an update and so here are some of our adventures.
Lizzy is a nut!

We went to the Zoo

At the southern most point in the US

Rode our first carousel

Mom had some fun with Will

These two do have a lot of fun together. Lizzy is a nut! Will is a sweetheart!I love these little monkeys. They have changed our lives so much but even through the sleepless nights we would not trade them for the world!

Our little ballerina

2010-01-14T20:25:00.003-05:00

Lizzy is just full of personality. She is not a fan of clothes and would much rather crawl around naked but she really didn't seem to mind the ballerina outfit. Isn't she adorable?

I just love this little girl!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-14T20:09:00.003-05:00

We spent Christmas in Phoenix and had a great time. The cousins got to be together and it was fun to see their interaction. Poor Jane kept looking at Lizzy and Will like they were crazy since they would not hold still for any amount of time while she is just so sweet and calm.

Lizzy got her first Princess Mobile and she loves riding it around.

Will got a Fire Truck and he enjoys pushing the buttons and playing the song. "I see a Fire Truck, a big, red, shiny fire truck...." Yeah, I have it memorized.

Sadly part of the vacation was spent like this:
We all got sick which made it not so fun at times, nights especially.

Overall we had a great time and are so grateful to grandma and grandpa for having us come out to visit!

Family photos

2009-12-03T22:17:00.003-05:00

The Young Women took family pictures for their fund raiser this year and these are some of the highlights of our pictures. Will and Lizzy even decided to cooperate for some of the pictures. They loved all the attention that they got from everyone. :)

Some updates

2009-11-24T21:48:00.002-05:00

Well, we are finally settled into our new place and finding some balance in our lives. Will and Lizzy are growing and are constant sources of joy. They are both crawling and pulling themselves up in their cribs. That makes it hard to put them to sleep sometimes because of things like this:

Scott and I have celebrated 2 years of marriage on October 27th. These have been such fun years! We have had quite a few changes in our lives since the day of our wedding but they have been exciting and have brought us closer. Here is us then:And us now!

We celebrated our anniversary by attending the ward Trunk or Treat where the babies had a great time, mostly laughing at each other. We did get to go out to dinner at a later time. :)

As you can see, Will was a monkey and Lizzy a Lady bug for Halloween. They were super cute and we had a great time with them dressed up. I just love my little family!

I am a fan

2009-10-21T20:00:00.003-04:00

I just have to say how much I love the Swiffer Vac. I had always chuckled at the commercials about the mop being replaced but had never tried it till my sweet mother in law purchased it for us when we moved into our new place. Well I LOVE IT! It is so easy to vacuum our tile floor with it and mop and everything! What can I say...I am a fan!

Will and Lizzy are 6 months!

2009-10-12T20:20:00.006-04:00

I can't believe it's been 6 months since our two little angels joined our family. They are sources of laughter daily as they try new things and discover new things. They have come a long way and we are so grateful for the miracle that they are.

Some of the latest accomplishments are that Will is army crawling and Lizzy has figured out how to put the binky in her mouth on her own and it's always in the right way too! They are still having a hard time sleeping through the night making it very hard for me but oh well....we survive. Lizzy then
Lizzy now Will then

Will now

The flower is as big as her head. :)

Little blondie

Mother trying to get some stuff done with twins. Still not very productive. :)

We walked into their room when they were supposed to be taking a nap after church on Sunday and this is what we found. :)

He sure loved his carrots! He wanted to make sure every part of his body had a taste. Needless to say he went straight to the tub after the feeding.

Definitely not as messy of an eater as her brother.

I really can't believe it's been 6 months! They have been some of the hardest 6 months of my life but they have been the most rewarding. I love being Will and Lizzy's mom and I love watching them grow. I thank Heavenly Father daily for entrusting me with these two precious little ones. I love them so much!

...and a comment from Dad...

There have been a ton of changes here in the past few houses that we have lived in. We got pregnant in the first, we spent a ton of time in the hospital during the second and now in the third there has been a lot of tears and long nights (not just from the kids.) It has been so much fun to watch these young kids grow. It is all happening so fast and we are loving it. I am just thrilled when Laura trusts me enough to babysit my own kids! Everything is going well and we are a cute and happy little family.

Family fun

2009-10-05T09:51:00.003-04:00

I realize it has been a while so here are some updates:

1. We have been enjoying family bike rides

2. Going for walks in the wagon :) The babies like this the best cause they get to see everything and enjoy each other.

3. We have moved into a new place. That has been the most exciting and hardest thing to do. Moving with 2 babies is very hard and we are very grateful grandma could come and help us, otherwise we would still be moving. So now comes the unpacking fun and figuring out where everything should go and so on. I just hope that this is the last move before we leave Florida. We shall see.

Another exciting thing is that the Saints here is South Florida have been praying for a temple for some time now and it was just announced in General Conference Saturday morning. That is so exciting that there will be a Temple here so close. How wonderful! Well, this is our update. Babies are growing and they are lots of fun. They constantly bring great joy to our lives.

Sleep training

2009-09-08T03:46:00.002-04:00

Tonight is the first night of the "cry it out" series that is supposed to teach the babies to sleep through the night. So far Lizzy has been crying for a good 50 minutes and it just breaks my heart. I am not a fan of this method of teaching babies to sleep but no one seems to have a better one unless their babies were just amazing and sleeping through the night on their own. And so here I am, at 4 AM, trying to keep myself busy because there is no way that I can lay in bed and listen to them crying. I sure HATE this part of being a mom but I have been reassured that this is the best thing for the babies. It better be cause it sure is hard!

Life

2009-09-01T21:39:00.003-04:00

I turned 28 on the 18th of August. That was a great time to think about the great blessings in my life. Scott is so wonderful! We went to Orlando for the weekend to celebrate with our friends Aaron and Krystal and Joe (who was in town from UT). It was so much fun!
Will and Lizzy are getting so big! They are both rolling over which is so funny because they will roll onto their tummies and then be stuck. They are so so cute and I love them so very much! They laugh and giggle and they giggle when they see each other. It's really cute to watch. :)

I also bought a bike and we got a bike trailer for the munchkins. I can't wait for all of us to go riding together!

I am very blessed to have such a loving husband and sweet babies! :)

What has been going on

2009-08-13T11:15:00.005-04:00

Lots has happened in the past month. We flew out to UT and Idaho for the Schofman Family Reunion which as usual was great fun. The babies did great on the flight and the drive from Salt Lake to Boise too. I love these little ones. While at McCall we played with cousins and enjoyed the other 3 babies there. Will and Lizzy got to meet their cousin Jane who is just adorable and so so sweet.

We have taken the babies swimming again and here is proof of that also!

Will and Lizzy have also started being better sleepers at night and taking good naps during the day which gives me a chance to rest a little more. They are good little babies and have now also gotten to the point where they can entertain themselves and therefore I don't need to be playing with them 24/7. That's also nice. :)

Poor little Will has been losing the hair on the top of his head so he looks like a little old man now but he is still cute and we love him so much. He will laugh and giggle when you kiss him while Lizzy is our little miss independent and she gets mad if you kiss her too much.

We love our little ones and are grateful they are a part of our lives.

First swim

2009-07-15T22:46:00.002-04:00

Today I took Lizzy and Will to the pool for the first time. They both enjoy bath time and so I thought I would give it a shot. My friend Lori came to visit with her 2 boys and we all went to the pool. It was so fun to watch the babies in the pool. Will was not sure what to think of this to begin with but then ended up having a fun time. Lizzy had fun from the beginning and she was moving her arms and legs like she was swimming. I will have to take some pictures and post them because these kids are just amazing. :)

I miss my mom

2009-07-14T22:01:00.003-04:00

My mom went home on Friday after having been here for 3 months to help with the babies. I have missed her greatly since she left not only because now I find myself all alone with 2 babies during the day but mostly because I miss having her around. She is a great woman who gives everything for us, her kids. I love her very much and miss her greatly!

Pistachio ice cream

2009-07-02T22:33:00.003-04:00

Back when I attended BYU I was introduced to Spumoni. I love Spumoni but only for the fact that it had pistachio ice cream as part of it and until now, that was the only way I could eat it. But Monday as I was grocery shopping at WalMart, to my surprise I found this...
Maybe everyone else knew that this existed but I had no clue. So imagine my excitement, especially since lately, due to breastfeeding, I have not been able to enjoy some of my most favorite things such as chocolate. But the downside to having found this is that only 2 days later, there is but 1/4 of the container left. :( I know what you're thinking but please don't say it. I just love my pistachio ice cream. :)

Sleep Deprivation

2009-06-23T11:09:00.002-04:00

I have to say that sleep deprivation is a hard thing. Last night both kids were on one and would not sleep after 4 AM. That is just not cool. As cute as they are I was not happy with them because I at least need SOME sleep! And on top of that, Scott woke up with me because there is not much I can do to console two screaming babies so of course he heard them and woke up. That is wonderful except for today is a stormy, rainy day in Florida and so it scares me to have him drive around when he is so tired. So yes, I love my kids but I am really wishing they would sleep at least 6 hours at night!

Cute kids

2009-06-20T23:44:00.000-04:00

Aren't we just so cute?

Blessing day

2009-06-16T11:09:00.003-04:00

Will and Lizzy were blessed on Sunday. It was an amazing thing watching Scott take them one by one into his arms and giving them a name and a blessing. I love him so much and am so grateful that he holds the priesthood and can do that. The babies were so good and didn't cry one bit during the blessing which was wonderful. Here they are in their blessing outfits. :)

Update

2009-06-08T18:34:00.003-04:00

I realize it has been a while since the last post but what can I say, these little bundles of joy have been keeping me very busy. :) But today I decided it was time for a little update.
I'm more and more in love with these babies every day. They are such good babies and they make me so happy! I love seeing their little smiles and their personalities. :) Will looks like me but has Scott's personality and Lizzy looks like Scott but has my personality. It's quite funny to watch them as they are developing every day. Will has become a little tank! He has this wide
back and is just all boy while Lizzy is this cute little princess! She has very petite features but is very long and has her own share of fat rolls. I just love how different they are!

One month old

2009-05-15T22:10:00.002-04:00

I can't believe that the babies are a month old! They are our little miracles and we are so grateful to have them in our lives. They are so cute and it's so great to see how they have developed over the last month.
Scott's mom has come to visit this week and it's been great having the extra help. This morning the grandmas took the babies and fed them and they let me sleep. I was so grateful for that because I have been feeling sick cause I have been so tired. I guess that comes with being a mom but these two little ones have been tag teaming on staying up therefore making me very tired. But it's all worth it!
Tonight Scott and I got to go on a date! The first one in over 4 months! So we went out to dinner and then were too tired to do anything else and so we just came home to be with the kids. But we did have a good time being together without being spit on and just enjoying each other. Life is great here in South Florida. :)

My adorable kids

2009-05-06T21:45:00.003-04:00

Here are some pictures of the kids.

I just love these little ones!

4 AM thoughts

2009-04-29T03:46:00.003-04:00

I never thought I would be posting on our blog at 4 am but here I find myself doing exactly that. :) After finally getting both kids fed and back to bed I find myself wide awake and therefore thought I would post my thoughts on motherhood. The past 2 and a half weeks have been some of the most challenging and yet most rewarding of my life. As my old roommates can attest, I cherish my sleep. I love sleeping in in the mornings if I can and I overall just love sleep. But I have not been getting much of that lately, as you can see from my being up at this time. I love my children though! They are both so cute and a constant source for joy. I love watching them sleep and the little expressions on their faces. Lizzy likes to smile in her sleep which is so fun to capture on camera because it feels like it's just one of those smiles that says " Ha ha! You really think I am sleeping!" type smiles and it just melts my heart. Will likes to be on his tummy and in frog position which is quite fun to watch as well. They have grown quite a bit and are now getting more awake time which has also been fun, especially since it is during the day and not night time yet (with some exceptions.) These kids are just so cute! What can I say...I am a proud mom. :)

Miracles

2009-04-26T21:37:00.002-04:00

Life has been busy around here but we are grateful for our little miracles. Today in sacrament meeting the talks were about the miracles that Christ performed and it was wonderful to think not only of what He had done while He was on the earth but of the miracles that He continues to perform in my life. Of course I look at my 2 children and they are my little miracles but really, there are miracles that take place every day that we just fail to notice just because. For example, we wake up every day and our bodies function somehow. That is a miracle. The sun comes out every morning and that is a miracle. I don't mean to make this cheesy but there are just so many miracles around us....so let's take some time to recognize them.

Finally reunited!

2009-04-18T20:12:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we were able to bring little Will home and now they are once again together. They are just adorable as you can see from the pictures following. (Of course I am biased cause I am their mom. ) We are very happy to have our kids home!

It is just beginning

2009-04-16T06:43:00.003-04:00

Laura has done a great job keeping up our blog. It is now my turn to keep the update. She has her arms full at the moment.

We were able to bring Lizzy home from the hospital yesterday after Mom flew in from Romania. Let me just paint the picture of where we are at right now. It is now 6:45 AM and we are feeding once again. We have laughed through the night at our new schedule and life. We arrived home yesterday to feed at 9:00 PM and then chatted for a little while with Mom. We slept for an hour before waking up at 12:00 AM for the next feeding. I changed the diaper and then fed our little girl while Laura pumped. At 1:00 AM were were done and slept for another 2 hours just to wake up at 3:00 AM where once again, I changed the diaper, fed and burped while Laura pumped. Then we went to bed at 4:00 AM and woke up at 6:00 AM. Now I get to go to work and Laura gets to continue this schedule.

Believe me when I tell you that we are really enjoying this... for now. The novelty of the new changes and the beauty of our little girl keep us going.

Tonight will be a whole new experience. You see... Will comes home from the hospital today. Laura and I have no idea what is coming our way. We have wondered if this is going to add an hour to our schedule or just a couple more minutes. If you don't see a post for tomorrow... just pray for us!

Laura and I are excited and having fun with our new role as parents. Sure there is no more sleeping in on Saturday morning or any such thing as a straight 4 or even 3 hours of sleep. We are happy and are thankful for all the support that is given. We are excited for Will to come home and hopefully we can still get 2 hours of sleep!

It is now 7:00 AM and time to get ready to go to work and for Laura to gear up for her day. I forgot to mention, with everything going on last night, I forgot to pick up her pain medication. Having had both types of deliveries she is still in a bit of pain. I think the only reason she is still talking to me is because I need to feed and change those diapers!

Here we go!

Our Easter present

2009-04-14T19:05:00.002-04:00

William and Elizabeth Schlofman arrived on Easter Sunday at 9:09 and 9:51 AM. And just because they are twins it doesn't mean they are not different. :) They each wanted to come into the world their own way and so he came normal and she came by C section. So yes, I am now recovering from both which let me tell you, is QUITE fun! :) Will was 6 lbs 9 oz and 19 inches and 3/4 long and Lizzy was 5 lbs 7 oz and 19 inches long. She has to be in the NICU for a little bit because her blood sugar was low but they are both healthy and beautiful. (Of course I am biased as the mommy but hey!) You can see pictures under the link for All our pictures here on the blog. We are very excited and grateful for their safe arrival. Thanks everyone for your prayers. We made it!

5 years

2009-04-07T20:44:00.003-04:00

Five years ago today I ended an amazing experience in my life. I have always wanted to serve a mission but Temple Square was not high on my list ( I guess that is the story of most Temple Square sisters.) I loved my mission and I miss it! I would not trade my time on Temple Square for anything in the world. I grew a lot during that year and a half and I learned a lot about myself and the Lord. I loved being able to share with people what I know to be true and bearing testimony of the Lord and the Book of Mormon. And even though Scott and I strive to share the gospel with others still, I miss being a set apart missionary. I really believe that, at least in part, I owe who I am today to my time as a missionary on Temple Square.

Update

2009-04-06T13:22:00.002-04:00

Things have been going well since we've been home. I have not been staying down as much as I should but hey, I need to gain my strength back before the little ones come and then I have to be ready to perform 24/7.
We had a baby shower on Friday evening and it was so fun! Everyone was so nice to come and we got a lot of adorable little outfits for the babies. They will be the best dressed babies on the planet, at least for the first 6 months of their life. :) I will post pictures later because I have not yet downloaded them from the camera. Scott and I have been nesting which has been so fun! We put together one of the cribs (we're having them share a crib for the first little while) and got all the outfits washed and put away. But, I have to admit to feeling a little overwhelmed again at the thought that there will be 2 babies and that they will be here sometime during this month! Don't get me wrong...I am very excited to be a mom and very excited to have the twins here but there is just a sense of inadequacy! I have faith however that all will be well and that if the Lord saw fit to send them to us it must be because we can handle it. So now we just wait and see when they decide to make their grand entrance into the world.

Home Sweet Home

2009-03-31T14:40:00.003-04:00

There is really no place like home! I love the nurses at the hospital and everyone was so nice and treated us all so well but home is still better. We "busted out" on Saturday and have been enjoying spending time together here. Scott has been more relaxed too being able to come home and not have to run to the hospital to see me only to come home again to an empty bed. I have enjoyed being able to go from the bed to the couch and getting food on my own when I need something. Oh the little joys of being home. :)
The babies are doing great and growing which makes me both happy and uncomfortable. :) But I am happy that they are still in there and developing. That is the news for now!

Going home!

2009-03-27T12:38:00.002-04:00

After almost 8 weeks in the hospital we are finally going home. Tomorrow we will hit the 34 weeks mark and that puts us in a safe enough zone to go home. I will still be on bed rest but at least I get to be in my own bed, in my own apartment and I get to see my husband before I go to bed and when I wake up in the morning! I am just so excited! There have been times when it seemed like this day will never come...but it's here! :)

33 weeks and counting!

2009-03-23T15:04:00.002-04:00

So we have made it to 33 weeks! Last night the doctor came in and said " I told the nurses you are the exception to the rule and not the norm." That is always nice to hear! So yeah, we're still in here, 7 weeks today, trying to maintain the good spirits and realizing that in 3 weeks we could be parents! The babies have been moving so much that they keep me awake at nights a lot of times. I am going to miss all that movement inside but I will be glad to have my ribs back to myself. :)

Best Husband in the World

2009-03-18T21:08:00.003-04:00

With the belly the size that it is and not being allowed to stand I had not painted my toe nails for a while. So a couple of days ago as I was getting monitored and could not move Scott decided to paint my toe nails for me. Isn't he so cute?! He did an awesome job too! I love my sweet husband so much!

32 weeks

2009-03-15T15:26:00.002-04:00

This is what the belly looks like at 32 weeks pregnant with twins. :)

Inmate 151

2009-03-13T13:06:00.004-04:00

Being stuck in the same room for 6 weeks makes you feel like an inmate and that can lead to crazy things. :) About a week ago I made a sign and put it up on the outside of my hospital room that says "Inmate 151" and has bars. People got a kick out of it and I even had random people walk into my room because they wanted to see who was this "daring inmate" who would put such a funny sign up. That led my creative husband to take things a step further and this is what he came up with:

He and his sister Mandy plotted and they got me orange scrubs and then he wrote on them. I wore those yesterday around and I just have to tell you the reaction was quite hilarious. :) The doctor told me he is not letting me out for good behavior and if I try to escape they would bring me right back based on what I was wearing. Personally I think they would take me to the station thinking I indeed escaped the penitentiary but hey, whatever works. So we have all had a good laugh and it has helped us go though another day here in the West Boca Residence Inn. We will be at 32 weeks tomorrow!!!! YAY!!!!!!!

A regular day while on bed rest

2009-03-03T16:54:00.002-05:00

Here is an idea of what my days look like here:

6:00 am wake up and take the meds
6:00 - 8:00 am doze in and out of sleep as doctors come in and breakfast is brought
8:00 - 10:00 am eat breakfast and try to doze in and out of sleep some more while the nurses come in to check vitals and monitor the babies
Sometime between 10 and noon I get to take a shower and get the bed changed after which I am consigned to it for the rest of the day (except to go to the bathroom).
Noon is lunch time and from there come ultrasounds once a week, weightings, more doctors visiting, more meds to take and in between all that I will spend my time watching a movie, surfing the net, planning stuff for when the babies are here and the occasional nap.
Then dinner is at 5 and then Scott gets here which makes the evening so enjoyable and makes it go by quite fast. That is a rundown of my day, for the most part. :)
Now, I know what you're thinking...that is a lot of sleep. Well, let's define sleep. If you're thinking of someone sleeping through the night and then sleeping so much during the day then yes, that is a lot of sleep. But since that is not the case with two, very active little ones in my tummy, there is really not enough sleep. With the boy being so low he is constantly on my bladder and so I have to go to the bathroom about every hour during the night and if I don't drink water I get dehydrated which in turn causes contractions which would make them put me on an IV. So we're trying to prevent that. :)
Anyone jealous and wanna trade? Even if you do, sorry but no can do. This is all for my babies!

Grateful

2009-03-02T13:43:00.002-05:00

I know everyone is looking for updates and so here are a few. We are still in the hospital and doing well. The babies are looking good and we have already been beating the odds. Heavenly Father has been very kind to us and we want to thank everyone who has been praying for us along the way because it has been working and we are hoping it continues to for another 6 to 7 weeks. :) I know we are asking for a lot but if we can make it, it would be wonderful.
Being in the hospital for a month has not been the easiest nor the funnest thing I have ever done but it's amazing how the reason why we are here makes it so much easier! The thought that at the end of the journey we will have two healthy kids that will brighten our lives makes it that much easier. And having a loving and supportive husband who spends most of the time he's not at work here with me makes things that much easier. I am so grateful to be married to my best friend. He makes the days go by so much faster and I know he will be a great dad. I love him so very much!
Those are our updates for this week. We will keep you informed on how things continue!

Valentines Day and some updates

2009-02-20T16:29:00.002-05:00

How do you make Valentine's Day romantic while laying on a hospital bed? Well, Scott called the nurses and they plotted to get me outside for 30 minutes. I had 30 min wheelchair privileges but I was just not taking them because I want to be cautious but on Saturday I had to cause the nurses came into my room and all they said was..."you're going for a ride today." So they took me outside where Scott had set up a table and had flowers and dinner set up for us. It was so cute! So we got to enjoy 30 min of fresh air and time with my husband away from the confines of the hospital room. I love my husband so much! He has been so supportive through this whole time even though I know it has been hard for him cause he feels so helpless!
As for an update on our situation, they had to up the dose of our medication because we stopped responding to it and I was having contractions again so that was on Tuesday. We will be 29 weeks tomorrow which means we have beat the odds by almost 3 weeks cause the doctors were not sure we would make through the first 48 hours. So that is very exciting and we are now working on getting to 30 weeks. The little boy is very low, so low in fact that they could not measure his head when they did the last ultrasound and so they took away my wheelchair privileges which I am quite ok with. Anything to not see my babies in the NICU. The babies are estimated at just under 3 lbs each which is great and we are making sure they keep on growing. It's such a crazy feeling the babies move inside of me. They are both on the go 24/7 and I wonder if they ever sleep. They have started getting the hick ups which is really funny also.
Overall we're doing good and we are in good spirits and we keep praying that we can make it to at least 34 weeks though my goal is 37. Thanks everyone for your prayers and thoughts. It really means a lot!

Evenings in the West Boca Medical Center

2009-02-13T17:06:00.002-05:00

Every day after work Scott comes to the hospital and we spend the evenings together. We have dinner and either surf the net for baby stuff or watch a movie and maybe even play a game. Playing games is difficult cause I have to be on my side and laying down but doable. I even have 30 min or wheelchair privileges and so we have taken strolls around the grounds and fed the ducks in the little lake they have here. Overall the evenings are very pleasant and we even get to hear our babies heart beats as they have to be monitored every night before I go to bed. The sad thing is that at the end of the evening, Scott has to go home! :( That has not been the case for almost a year and a half now so it is all taking me back to the dating days! But it is all good. In 2 1/2 months we get to take healthy babies home so it is all worth it.
This experience has taught me of how much I take for granted...like being able to go out into the sunlight rather than just seeing it out a window, or being able to use my legs to just walk around. We have been given so many things and we just need to appreciate them while we have them. So everyone...enjoy the fresh air for me! :)

Hospital Food

2009-02-08T12:32:00.002-05:00

Today is my 6th day of hospital food so I thought I would post my impressions since I will be eating this for quite some time. I have always thought hospital food to be disgusting and undesirable however in the last few days I have found that that may not always be the case. Thought the "Chef Special" may not be the incredible dish you would get at a fancy restaurant, the chef really doesn't do that bad around here. There is one thing though that needs major improvement when it comes to the dishes served...more greens! We are getting plenty of protein and carbs but when it comes to the veggies, there is a lack of those. There will be a few cooked carrots with a piece of chicken, or a few green beans next to a pork chop but really, we need salads! I have been wanting a dinner just made out of a nice, full salad and there is no such option. Maybe I will have to suggest it and see what the chef thinks. :) I realize however that there are a number of people in this hospital, eating the same food who may not enjoy the salad idea as much as I do. We shall see what the outcome of my suggestion will be. :)

Update

2009-02-07T11:34:00.003-05:00

We have been in the hospital for 5 days now and have been getting more and more used to the idea that we are here for a couple of months at least. The nurses have been so nice and the whole staff is just so kind and helpful! The doctor told us yesterday that everything looks stable and we just need to keep going that way. The contractions have been stopped but we are still at high risk because of how far we had gotten in the labor so I need to be extra cautious. Last night Scott and I got to take a tour of the NICU and let me tell you, as determined as I was before that these babies are not to be born before the due time, now I am even more so. We saw babies born at 24 weeks and they were so tinny and hooked to all these monitors and it was just so sad to see. There were some there born at 26, 28 weeks and so on and it just is better when they are born on time. So we will do everything in our power to make sure that these babies do NOT come into the world for another 8 weeks at least.

News

2009-02-05T11:41:00.003-05:00

Well, there has been quite a bit that has happened since the last post. On Monday we went in for a regular doctor check up and found out that we were in pre labor at 26 weeks. I was having contractions and not feeling them which is obviously a bad thing. I was dialated to a 3 and the water would have broken any day had we not found out. So we were sent straight for the hospital where we were admitted and out on a monitor and medication to stop contractions ASAP. We were having about 5 contractions in 8 min and I was not feeling anything! I was put on Magnesium Sulfate and given an IV and antibiotics and strict bed rest. We were also given a series of 4 steroid shots that would help with the development of the babies lungs so that if they were to be born early, they would have a better chance of survival. So far so good. We are off that strong medication and we have finished the shots but I am still on bed rest in the hospital and the doctor has lead us to believe that this will be my home away from home for the next while till these babies come. I do have access to the Internet and will try to post some updates every now and and then but please keep us in your prayers so that all can go well and that we can keep these babies in till at least 34 weeks. We feel very blessed already that the Lord has inspired our doctor to check even thought it was too early to do so and also one of His tender mercies is that my in-laws were in town and so my mother in law was able to stay and help us out and be a great support. The Lord has been very kind to us and we are so grateful!

Blame it on the Ritz!

2009-01-22T21:53:00.003-05:00

Scott had his National Sales Meeting in Vegas at the Ritz this year and since he achieved his quota I got to go with him. It was a fun trip for me and ok for him since he was in meetings ALL day and the only time he got to go out was on Sunday afternoon when, after morning meetings, we got to go to church with our friends Aaron and Laura Lewis, also there for the same meeting. Laura and Jackie (another sales rep's wife) and myself got to spend time together shopping and just enjoying the surroundings while our poor husbands were in meetings but we sure had fun!

My impression of the Ritz...I felt like a second class citizen when I pulled out our WalMart bought face wash and set it next to the Bvlgari shampoo, conditioner and body wash, all provided by the hotel. Not to mention the luxurious bathtub and chocolates on our pillows every day. It was incredible! Thank you BREG for paying for it cause we could never afford to pay for it ourselves. :) Here are a few pics from the Ritz.

Getting uncomfortable

2009-01-12T21:04:00.003-05:00

With a growing belly life has been getting more and more difficult. I am not complaining because this has really not been hard so far. But I have been realizing how much I have taken for granted, such as...being able to sleep in whatever position I want, being able to bend and paint my own toenails, and waking up without a sore back! Let's just say I will be excited to get those things back when these little guys are born. Till then, Scott and I are enjoying watching my belly move in all sorts of crazy ways and wondering what these babies are doing. I am convinced the girl will be a gymnast like her grandma and the boy, well he just might turn out to be a boxer. :)

Romania

2009-01-06T16:52:00.009-05:00

It's been a while I know but who wants to sit in front of the computer and write on the blog when they are in a foreign country?! Well, we had lots of fun and froze to death (Keep in mind we live in Florida where is was 80 when we left and about that when we got back). It was fun to show Scott around the places that I loved growing up and to see the changes that have taken place.

Scott had a blast trying different foods and participating in the making of some stuff. :)

He even ventured to try something I would think disgusting that is not even Romanian! We went to a restaurant and Scott saw the waiter prepare something at a table nearby but could not see what. When he was told what it was he thought it sounded great!...raw beef! So he ordered that. It came as 1/2 lbs of raw beef with a raw egg yoke on top and some spices on the side that were then all mixed together and served RAW on toast! And yes, Scott ate it and liked it! YUCK!

We really had a Thanksgiving feast every day while we were there and just enjoyed having a White Christmas!

We could not believe the traffic though! Driving in Romania was always crazy but now...I'm surprised there are not more accidents (they still have quite a few!).

Overall the trip was great and we are glad we had a chance to go before the little ones join our family. Here is a picture of my belly when we first got there. It has grown a bit since. :)

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-19T09:27:00.002-05:00

Today we're leaving for Romania and we are SOOOO excited! It will be so fun I am sure! But I wanted to take the chance to wish everyone a

Merry Christmas!

And also a Happy New Year since we will not be back before then! Enjoy this time of remembering our Savior and being grateful for loved ones!

Babies

2008-12-16T11:33:00.002-05:00

Yesterday for Family Home Evening we went to Babies R Us to register. It was so fun to pick out little toys we want and outfits and so on for our little ones! I just love them so much already! Scott talks to them daily because he wants to make sure they will know his voice when they come out. He is just so excited to be a dad that it is really quite entertaining to watch. When we were registering for pack&plays you would think we were registering for him because he was playing with the different gadgets they came with to see if he likes them. It was entertaining. :) I am excited to be a mom. It's a overwhelming feeling and I am not always sure how it will work out but it is so exciting! I love feeling them kick every now and then and knowing that they are there not just because my belly is growing but because I can feel them. The Lord has really blessed us and I am grateful for it.

Going home

2008-12-14T20:54:00.002-05:00

Life has been treating us well and we are now making preparations to leave for Romania on Friday. We are spending Christmas there with my family and I am so excited! I have not been home for 3 1/2 years and last time I celebrated Christmas there was 1999. So it's been a while. Plus, Scott has never been and so I am excited to show him where I grew up and have him taste some of the delicious foods that can't be replicated here. :) It will be great! And we have the doctor's permission to go which makes life even better.
In the previous post I said we have the girl's name picked out and that is true. Her name will be Elizabeth. You see, Scott and I like more traditional names and so we would like to stick with a traditional name for the boy. Some names that we have on the list are William (Will), Luke, Carter, Matthew, Mark but we are open to suggestions and votes.

Pink & Blue

2008-12-09T15:40:00.002-05:00

Yup you guessed it! It's a girl and a boy! We are very excited and if you have suggestions for boys names, we are open to them since we have the girl's name but nothing for the boy. So let us know!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T13:12:00.002-05:00

This was my first Thanksgiving ever spent with family. Scott's parents were very kind and they flew us out to Arizona to spend it all together. It was such a wonderful time! I love my in laws and I am so grateful for their hospitality! We spent our time shopping, making food, eating, playing games and having a great time together. It was so sad to leave! I am very grateful for 3 wonderful sister in laws whom I can have so much fun with. Molly's so cute with her little belly! She will have a beautiful little girl in April and we are so excited for her. :) And Nik and Scott got a great taking to from Dad who made sure to help them understand that since we are pregnant we are more sensitive and therefore they need to understand that and make us feel beautiful. It was funny.
On Friday, Mandy got us all up to go Black Friday Shopping which I have never done before and am not sure if I will ever again. We shall see. This year it was maternity clothes. :) Molly and I did get some good stuff. But since we also had to fly back to Florida, we couldn't buy too much stuff. It was fun because the whole family (except for Dad) went and so we all got to share in the excitement and the long lines. :)
We got home at 3:30 AM this morning because of the delay in Atlanta. Just as a suggestion, if you can avoid flying through Atlanta or Chicago, do it. There seems to always be some kind of bad weather or airplane trouble and therefore all flights were delayed yesterday. Oh well, we made it and we are very thankful to have had such a great time. Unfortunately we forgot our camera and so we don't have any pictures but we will hopefully get some from my in-laws and post them then.
I will end this saying that I am so thankful to have been raised in the gospel by good parents and that I have met and married a wonderful man who also has a great family. I am also so grateful for 2 little babies on the way whom I am sure will fill our lives with even more joy. We have been blessed with so much that I know I would be ungrateful to my Heavenly Father if I was not thankful for all He has given me.

Happy Birthday Scott

2008-11-24T15:39:00.004-05:00

I would like to tell you a little about my partner in crime and my best friend. It's his birthday today and so I thought I would tell you why I fell in love with him and continue to fall in love with him daily.

I will start with this picture. It's not hard to see that we have a lot of fun together. :) He makes me want to be a better person and he always seeks for ways to serve others.
He makes me laught on a daily bases
He gets me and that is amazing. I can't hide anything from him because he just knows me so well.
He cooks dinner when I don't feel like doing it
He talkes to the babies every day and it's so cute to watch
He enjoys the simple things in life
We can be in the car for hours together and not get tired of each other
We can sit next to each other and text each other (love the unlimited text messaging) and it's just fun
He'll make me soup when my tummy doesn't feel good
He works hard and anyone who knows him knows that he gives 110%
I could go on for pages and pages about why I love my husband but really, it just boils down to...he's my best friend and the one I am excited to spend the rest of eternity with! :)

Happy Birthday Scott! I love you so much!

There is another post from today. :) Just scroll down.

Orlando

2008-11-24T14:50:00.006-05:00

This passed week I was up in Orlando with our family friends, the Clowards, and their family at the IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) Convention. It was so much fun! We played all day and ate lots of junk food (I'm sure the babies will be addicted) and just had lots of fun. Scott got to come up on Thursday which was fun so Friday we got to do all the things together. He was able to do a lot more than I could, being pregnant and all so here are some pictures of how much fun we had. :)

In this blurry picture you can sort of see my belly though at this time it still looks like I have just eaten a few too many doughnuts. :( But I promise, there are 2 babies in there cause we went and saw them last Thursday!Then on Saturday, thanks to the kindness of the Clowards, we all went to Disney World, Animal Kingdom where we had a blast!On the safari ride! You can see the Jeep we took!

We got to play the Bongos

Let me tell you, these babies sure made me hungry!

This was an amazing week so thank you Clowards for making it happen for Scott and I. We sure love you!

More immigration frustration

2008-11-10T10:08:00.002-05:00

I thought I would get on my soapbox about the immigration process once again, this time on the Romanian side. Why would they make life easier for someone? So, my passport is still in my maiden name and I would like to have it changed to my married name. You would think that would be possible but no. We have to have the marriage registered in Romania and have a Romanian marriage certificate issued. OK, that's not that bad. The only thing is, they are making it almost impossible to do that since no one really knows what needs to be done for that. So you are probably thinking...so just keep the passport in your maiden name. True that and I will for a while. But when the passport expires, I still have to do it because my country of residence will be the US. So, now or later it will need to be done. Whoever said this would be an easy process really had no idea what they were talking about. So now I am only hoping that we can still fly home to Romania for Christmas and maybe I can get a few things done while I am there though I would doubt it since it will be the holidays. Oh well, I guess it will all work out somehow!

Life at the Schlofmans

2008-11-04T14:20:00.006-05:00

Halloween was fun! This was my first real Halloween, with Trick or Trickers and all the fun! We didn't celebrate it in Romania growing up and then since I have been here I have been in college and living in college apartments so...no Trick or Trickers! Therefore, this was my first full on one! It was great. Scott and I dressed up like vampires and sat outside carving our pumpkin while the kids came around. It really was great! I have had 3 different costumes for this Halloween and that's been fun but sadly I only have pictures of 1. We had a Murder Mystery dinner at out friends, the Wernli's, house and I was a witch for that and then for the ward Trunk or Trick I was a Kangaroo. The funny thing is I could only find one little kangaroo to put in my pouch and everyone was asking why there is only one when there should be 2. It was funny!

I was going to be the Grinch but Scott thought no one would figure out what I was so we decided against it. What do you think? Grinch next year?

On a different note, I am so excited for these babies! As time goes by I am more and more excited to be having twins! It will be fun. Plenty challenging, but also a lot of fun! Scott and I went and looked at baby stuff since we have no idea what we will need exactly and I loved looking at the little clothes and all that fun stuff! Then yesterday we got a package in the mail from our Aunt and Uncle in Idaho who sent us some little socks. They are just adorable! It made me happy just to look at them.
So yeah, I love my babies already and can't wait to meet them. Well, I just hope it's not any earlier than April 25th. :)

1 year

2008-10-31T14:50:00.003-04:00

On Monday Scott and I celebrated our first anniversary. I can't believe it's been a whole year! So much has happened in this year that it has gone by so fast! I guess being married to your best friend makes everything go by a lot faster but still. :) Here is a little of what has happened in the last year:

Two days after the wedding we packed everything and moved out to Florida. It has been so fun living here and making new friends and having wonderful experiences. :) We have since moved again into a different apartment (a little bigger) thinking this would be great for a baby addition. But we are now finding that with 2 babies coming our way we will need something bigger. :) Funny how that happens. So yes, we are having twins that we are excited about and can't wait for them to be here. (still a ways to go) We have gone on trips, have played hard and have worked hard. A lot of growing has been done in the last year on both sides and we have loved growing together.

Scott is a wonderful and carrying husband who texts me during the day just to tell me that he is thinking of me and loves me. I get flowers at random times just because and most importantly, I know that if there is someone in the ward that needs help, Scott is the first one there. I love his dedication to the gospel and willingness to serve the Lord.

We celebrated our anniversary by going out to dinner and then having some cake that I had made. You know how you're supposed to save the top tier of your wedding cake and freeze it and then eat it on your first anniversary? Well, we decided not to do that and so I made a carrot cake which is what the top tier of our wedding cake was and decorated it as nice as I could. The only problem is, with how hot it is in Florida, the icing turned out too soft and melted a little but it still looked ok and tasted great.

Out for dinnerThe cake

I love my husband and I am so excited that I get to spend eternity with such an amazing man!

Two birds with one stone :)

2008-10-21T16:01:00.003-04:00

Today we had a little (though little is not what I would call it) surprise as we went in for our second doctor's appointment. Last time the doctor told us there was a second sac but it looked like there was nothing in it so we though nothing of it assuming it was just a weird angle for the picture and he thought the same. Well, today, as he was checking for the heart beat of the baby, he found that there were 2! Yes, we are having twins. They will not be identical since they are separate but they will be twins! It was so fun to see the little hearts beating and they were moving and turning and it even looked like one was waving. :) So no wonder I am starting to show so early on! But they are active little ones so this will be an interesting pregnancy!
Now, are we excited? Yes we are! We are scared out of our minds and this is just a little more than what we had asked for but hey, if the Lord saw fit for us to have the 2, then there is a reason for it and I will not complain. I know He will make it work somehow. So yeah, here is our exciting news for today. Below you can see the pictures of the babies. They would not pose next to each other so we had to take separate pictures but in the one below you can see the one and then above it the other one's hand. So...there are 2!

Amazing weekend

2008-10-19T21:24:00.005-04:00

This past weekend was just amazing! On Friday evening Scott surprised me and we went to dinner at a Romanian restaurant and yes, it was good Romanian food and Scott got to use the Romanian he's learned. So it was a lot of fun and I am so grateful for him! Then on Saturday we went up to Orlando to go to the temple which was a great experience. We got there in time for the 12 o'clock session only to be informed that it was going to be a Spanish session. We were given the option of headsets but since we both speak Spanish we decided to just go through it in Spanish. It was so fun to see people being able to listen to the session in their own language and see how excited they were. I really need to work on my Spanish a bit because there were parts where I was very grateful I knew what the English version was because otherwise I would have been a little behind but it was so wonderful and I loved being there.

One of the perks of being Florida residents is that when you buy a pass for Sea World you get to go back all year. So we decided it was time we went back and visited Shamu. That was a lot of fun and I have pictures to prove that eating your veggies will NOT keep you skinny. :)

We really had a wonderful time and enjoyed the dolphins and whales and all the other fun things around. The best is sharing all this with my best friend. We really have so much fun together!

Our new place

2008-10-13T21:17:00.003-04:00

Everyone has been asking for pictures of our new place so I finally took some and thought I would post them. We have thought about painting but what is the purpose when we will be moving again in a year and therefore will have to paint it all back. So we decided against it. As for the furniture, the couches were free so we are grateful to have them even thought they may look like college apartment couches. :)

I love my kitchen!

General Conference Thoughts

2008-10-06T10:44:00.002-04:00

General conference is a wonderful time for me. I love listening to the inspired words of the prophet and the apostles. They are truly called of God and I have no doubt about that. This conference weekend I particularly enjoyed the messages of hope and faith. In the world we live in today I think those were really needed. I think of Elder Perry's message about life's ups and downs and about the relationship between body and spirit. I loved his message about simplifying our lives. Too often we get caught up in the here and now, the desires vs needs that we forget the eternal perspective.
I would like to especially give a shout out to President Uchtdorf's message during the Relief Society Conference when he advised us to learn a new skill, to create and be compassionate. Those who know me, know that I have no musical talent to show off nor any other art related talent. When talent shows are put on, I have nothing to contribute with. I have often times felt as though I have no talents at all. But I know that is not true, though my talents are not those that can be exhibited at a talent show and I was grateful to hear that once again out of an apostle's mouth. I am so grateful for the gospel and for the joy and peace it brings to my life. I feel my Heavenly Father's love daily and I know that I am not alone. We are not alone. He is there and He loves us and wants us to be happy. Those were some of the thoughts I had during this General Conference.

What's cooking

2008-09-23T20:50:00.003-04:00

Well, part of what's been keeping us busy lately is the following:

Yup! You got it! Scott is going to be a Daddy! We're so excited about this little addition to our lives! Scott is such a wonderful husband and I know he will be a great father. I know this will sound cheesy but Scott is the most amazing man in the world. I love his dedication to the Gospel, his calling and serving those around. He's always looking for ways to be better and in the process he helps me along. We make a great team and it's great being married to my best friend. And now we get to experience nausea together, and cravings, and nothing sounding good for dinner or making weired food combinations. :) I love my husband very much and we are so happy to become parents!

We had the first doctor's visit today and here is a little picture of our baby! It's due on May 9th.