I hate to use the excuse that "life got busy" because I always feel like life is busy. I guess I'm more in the "enjoying the moment" stage of life. Especially with so many changes on the horizon.
Quick update of the past 8 months or so...
I'm pregnant! Again! I am actually already in my third trimester and we are expecting a healthy baby boy on our 3rd wedding anniversary in August. I think it's funny how many people comment on how i'm having a baby in the hottest time of year and how miserable that must be.
Well.... # 1. I'm used to it. Rosalie was born in September so I guess my babies like to come in the hotter months in Texas and #2. I am just so grateful that I am blessed with a healthy pregnancy. After my miscarriage last June (almost exactly a year ago) we prayed and tried to get pregnant again for another 6 months before we were blessed with this baby. I will take what I can get and be happy about it. And we are happy! SO happy! We cant wait to meet this little man.
I could easily go through each month like I usually do, but that would take ages, so I'm going to do a very brief overview of these past months and life these days.
We spent the holidays this year in Texas. Thanksgiving was spent here in San Antonio with my Lane side of the family (Both David and Mary's families) On Black friday, we took them up to see the ranch for the first time.
Christmas was spent with the Hazens at the ranch. Rosalie had a great time running around and spending time with her cousin Naomi (who also celebrated her 1st birthday on Christmas eve).
My parents and my brother Ryan came to visit for a few days in January. It was the first time my brother Ryan had been to Texas. He left for his mission just DAYS before Sam and I married so it was fun to show him around. We did the whole tourist-y stuff here in San Antonio, as well as spent some time with my In-laws in Austin, and then spent a day at the ranch. It was a LOT to fit in in just a few days but we made it work. :)
This winter/spring we got to experience Sam's first "Busy Season" at work. It made for a lot of long days at the office, Saturday work days, a lot of trips away on audits and some days where Sam would leave before Rosalie woke up and came home after she fell asleep. It was hard having to be a sort of single parent some days but it made moments together so much more meaningful. I am amazed at how Sam handled being so busy with also teaching early morning seminary AND taking graduate school classes at the same time. He is truly an amazing man.
And now that the busy season is over, we are relishing our extra Fridays off work and the long weekends!
I was able to take Rosalie to Ohio twice this spring. In March, my parents bout Rosalie and I a ticket to fly to Ohio for a few days while Sam was busy at work. Rosalie was SO good on the flight to Ohio. Not so much on the way back. I vowed I would never fly with her again. We enjoyed time with Granny and Papa and Ryan as well as with Aunt Katrina and her children. Rosalie had the BEST time dancing and playing with her cousins. She got a LOT of attention from Grace and Noelle and she loved it. We just happened to be in town for Noelles 4th birthday which was a princess party. So fun!
My last day in Ohio, I had gotten what I thought was a bad case of allergies. Flying back to Texas, my head was spinning and I ended up going to bed early that night. The next morning I awoke with absolutely NO energy. I mean none! It took everything I had to get rosalie out of her crib and get her a bottle of milk before collapsing on my bed. I realized I didn't have the energy to even change my daughters diaper and that scared me. I've had exhausting days with this pregnancy but I knew something else was wrong. I felt feverish and nauseous. Sam was out of town on an audit, I texted him asking if he could come home, but he had carpooled and had no way to get back to San Antonio. He instantly called his mother, who was helping with her ward's girls camp that was being hosted at the ranch, a good two hours away. She showed up at my door two hours later, helped take me to urgent care where I found out I had the flu, and then picked up my prescriptions and bought me groceries while I napped. She packed some clothes for Rosalie and offered to take us both to the ranch where she could keep an eye on us. I didn't think I could make the two hour drive in my state, so I decided to stay home. She took Rosalie with her to the ranch which I am still SO grateful for. It was such a relief to know that my daughter was being well cared for while I recovered. I didn't realize how much I would miss her though. I cried each night because I missed my baby and at one point, I took a nap on the floor next to her crib because I wanted to feel close to her. Connie was so good at sending me pictures and videos of Rosalie having fun and causing a ruckus at the ranch. It did my heart good to see her so happy. But I cant even explain the joy I felt when I was reunited with Rosie that weekend when we went to Austin to celebrate the Hazen March birthdays. There are days when I feel like I could "use a break" but thinking about being separated from my daughter for that long again gives me pause. I really love my beautiful girl. SO in short, I have the most amazing mother in law. The End.
In April, Sam's parents bought us tickets to return to Ohio for a Hazen reunion over Easter. Since it was a special occasion, and we really wanted to see Grandma and Grandpa Hazen, I decided to renounce my vow of never flying with Rosalie again. Besides, this time Sam would be with me. Rosalie did GREAT on both flights to Ohio. On the way home from Ohio, not so much. It was WORSE! like 10 times worse! We sat on the tarmac for an hour while we waiting in line to take off. It was already a late flight getting into San Antonio and the waiting made it so we didn't land until 12:30. We hadn't given her a nap all day thinking that it would make her more likely to sleep on the plane. We were wrong. Oh and she was teething ... I have once AGAIN made a vow to never fly with a toddler again.... haha
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| Because. Ohio. |
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| I LOVE this picture! |
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| Flying is emotionally exhausting |
Another special day of note was March 27th. Not only was that my husband 27th birthday, but it was also the day we found out the gender of our baby. My good friend Natalie offered to babysit Rosalie while Sam and I went out for breakfast at a local restaurant we had wanted to try and then we immediately went to the doctors for the sonogram. I had had a feeling that we may be having a boy, but I didn't want to get Sam's hopes up. When they announced that we were having a boy, I just thought "of course we are!". Sam had the biggest smile on his face. Such a fun birthday gift. We picked Rosalie up from Natalie's and then met Sam's parents for lunch to share the fun news. Rosalie is going to have a baby brother.
The next day, we celebrated Sam's birthday by going to a SPURS game. And not just ANY spurs game, it was Manu Ginobili's retirement game. I had bought the tickets back in December when I noticed they were the day after Sam's birthday. They were a bit more expensive than I would usually spend on a birthday gift but OH SO worth it. It was one of those "once in a lifetime" things that I think meant a lot to Sam. It was a good game. One of those games with a last minute winning shot. The SPURS always win when we attend their games...just sayin. haha All two that we have attended together anyway. (The last game we went to was a playoff game when we were dating). Plus I got popcorn so I was one happy lady. :)
One of my main sources of sanity through Sam's busy season at work was the weekly play group a few people from church created back in September. We, as well as three other couples, all moved into the same apartment complex within a few months of each other and we decided to rotate going to each others apartments for a weekly play date. Its so nice to get together with other moms who know the struggle of loneliness and isolation with young kids. Especially when your kids are kind of considered too young for most "kid activities" that happen around the city. Rosalie wasn't quite yet one year when we started play group.
Anyway, we have since gotten together with our families to visit Boerne for a day and had a weekend at the Ranch during general conference. We have also had backyard dinners and last minute get together at one anothers apartments/homes, or trips to the zoo when we just need to get out of the house. This has meant SO much to me this past year. Seriously an answer to so so SO many prayers. Its so nice to have the support that we do. I know all that I can call on any of these ladies during an emergency or even if I just need some sugar for a recipe. I know that with the stage of life we are all in, this play group may not last forever but I hope it lasts as long as it can and I will be grateful for it every week! Since starting, two of the couples have moved into houses, and another couple moved to Utah for graduate school (which I am SOOO sad about). We will be the last family , holding strong, at the apartment complex. haha
This summer came faster than usual. I think it was because I was dreading Natalie moving, but also my uncle David and aunt Elaines family moving. I have felt so blessed to have them close by and have appreciated all they have done for me since moving to Texas. Of course I am happy that they are moving to there dream home, I just selfishly miss having them close.
We have been taking advantage of our summer as much as possible before our little guy joins our family.
We went to Dallas for Sam's work conference. Sam's work provided the hotel (since he had the work conference) and we enjoyed spending time the Neils, Kelly and Naomi. Unfortunately Rosalie got some sort of stomach bug on the trip. I was SUPER grateful that Kelly had a washing machine that allowed me to wash the outfits and blankets that rosalie soiled when getting sick.
We also went to Stephen (sam's cousin) annual Crawfish boil. The food was fantatsic! This year, it was held at Sam's uncle Jeff's home. Jeff and Elaine (his wife) went all out with the decor and extra desserts and sides. It was a pretty hot day, so it was nice to be able to go inside and cool off a bit.
Sam's best friend growing up, Colter, and his wife Misty, and their daughter Tatum came to visit. I hadn't met them yet and I had been wanting to for ages. Most of Sam's childhood memories includes Colter and he is practically a member of the Hazen family. They came specifically to San Antonio to spend a day with us, and then we met them in Austin the next day so we could see them again before they returned to Nevada. I know that it really meant a lot to Sam to spend time them.
Last weekend, we traveled to Lake Jackson to visit Mary and Colton. I know that traveling with two kids will be a lot more difficult so I wanted to visit as soon as we could. We enjoyed going to the beach as well as the small aquarium and library party. Rosalie had a blast! She loved the beach and the fish. Mary and Colton were nice enough to babysit for Sam and I so we could go on a date. We went to a local restaurant where we got seafood and cajun food. So yummy! Visiting family is always so much fun!
This weekend we drove up to the ranch and spent the fourth of July with Meme and Pappy. The next day, a few friends from San Antonio came to spend the day with us. Colin and Brittany came later that night and I finally got to meet their sweet baby Michael. Meme and Pappy kept us WELL fed the entire time and it was a nice "last getaway" before the baby comes.
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| Swimming with our San Antonio friends. |
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| One of Sam's bosses is Jewish so we got to play spin the Dreidel at the company Holiday party. |
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| All dressed up at a Christmas Ball a friend put together |
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| Daily Morning walks |
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| Yay Matching! |
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| Rosalie likes to sit in boxes. Any box. |
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| She was so proud of this leaf that flew into her hand |
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| Uncle Jeff's Fancy Car |
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| The one day Rosie went to work with Sam for a half day. In pajamas. Because dad was in charge. |
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| She loves her pappy |
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| Baby Bump |
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| Rosie and Tatum |
On Mother's Day, Mark Abernathy, a great photographer that takes our Hazen family photos, offered to take pictures of our little family. I'm a little self conscious because I'm pregnant, but I actually really loved them.
