2011 Overview

2011 has by far been the most exciting, challenging, sleepless, overwhelming, interesting, and happiest year of my life. A year ago, I would have never of guessed all that 2011 would have to bring but I wouldn't change anything for the world. We started off moving back down to California and living with my parents. We were sad to leave all our friends in Utah but we were excited to start a new chapter of our lives. Blake got a job working for a company called Hensel Phelps and was assigned to a job renovating a terminal at the LAX airport. He had to make the miserable commute into LA and it took him over 2 hours to get home. He was working a ton and often had to work the night shift.  We were so grateful that he had such a wonderful job but it was hard not getting to see him as much. I was just glad that we were living with my parents so I wasn't home by myself all the time.

During the end of January, things got a little more interesting when I found out that I was pregnant. This was quite a shock to both Blake and I but we were so excited to be parents but it also changed our plans quite a bit. I was originally looking to find a job such as a personal trainer but I doubt that many people would want to go to a pregnant trainer. Instead, I was a nanny for two little girls and I absolutely loved it! It was a perfect job to have while I was pregnant and I was able to work all the way to July. Being pregnant was definitely a challenge for me. I have always been super active and I had just finished my last season playing soccer at BYU and it was hard not being able to do all the things I wanted. I was training to run a half marathon and for the first time in my life, I had to put the things I wanted to do on hold.  Not only did I have a huge belly but I could never get comfortable and sleep was miserable.  I literally dreaded going to bed. I was super anxious to have this kid and time just seemed to crawl by. It was the longest 9 months of my life and I think I had a pretty easy pregnancy compared to most women so I don't know what I would have done if I had been sick. It only made things worse that I didn't get to see Blake very much.  Since we would soon be starting our own little family, it sort of expedited our search for a house. We knew we wanted to live close to family and we both had family out in Fontana, CA so we narrowed our search.  We found a house for a great deal and decided to pull the trigger and become homeowners. The house we found was built in 2006 and was in great shape but there were some changes that we wanted to make. We decided to completely redo the kitchen and tore out all the cabinets and the dinky little island and put in new cupboards, appliances, granite countertops, and a huge center island. I couldn't have asked for anything better. We put in wood floor downstairs and new carpet all throughout the upstairs and the house was basically brand new. The process of getting the house took a lot longer than we had anticipated and we ended up moving in the day we brought our son, Cody, home from the hospital. Getting settled in has been a slow process that was kind of put on the back-burner since we had a newborn. Our house still has several empty walls and bare rooms and I have a feeling it is going to be that way for a while.  I never would have thought that decorating a house could be so hard but I'm sure things will come with time.

September 2, 2011 was one of the best days of my life. I have never been so overwhelmed with happiness as I was the second Cody was born. I fell in love with him the moment I set eyes on him. I honestly can't imagine my life without him now. I now know how great a parents love is and I can only imagine how much our Heavenly Father loves us.  Don't get me wrong, being a parent is hard work and it has been quite a big adjustment for Blake and I but I love it more than anything. Even with the lack of sleep and trying to figure out his needs, I have never been happier and I can only only imagine that with every child comes a new set of challenges but also even more happiness. Sometimes I look at him and I am just so amazed that he is my kid. He is just so dang cute! He definitely gets his good looks from his dad.  He is a baby version of Blake. Cody is now 4 months old and lets just say that I don't think he is taking after Blake or I when it comes to how big he is. He is one big kid! I honestly can't believe how fast he is growing. Every week he seems to be learning more and hitting new milestones. One milestone that he has yet to hit is sleeping through the night. He is always so hungry and there are nights that he wakes up every 2-3 hours. Let's just say that there are days when I am a walking zombie. I have tried to give him rice cereal but I don't think he is a big fan so this week I am going to try to mix it in with some carrots or something. Let's hope that it can satisfy his hunger.  He is starting to get more on a schedule and I feel like things are getting a little easier and I am slowly getting the hang of things. I feel like being a mom is a lifetime learning process and it has made me appreciate my own mom a whole lot more.  When you are little you don't really understand everything that your parents do for you and I feel so lucky to have such awesome parents that have raised me the way they did.

This year was our first year being married and living in California and we have loved getting to spend time with family.  We have had fun getting together for Sunday dinners, playing games, celebrating birthdays, and spending holiday's with our loved ones.  In July we were able to go to Newport with my family and it is so much fun to spend a week down at the beach together relaxing and hanging out. While we were there, Blake and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary. It has been the best 3 years of my life and I am so grateful to have my best friend by my side.  He is everything that I have ever wanted in a husband and I feel so lucky to be with him. We weren't able to go to Lake Powell this year since I was very pregnant and Blake couldn't get very many days off of work. This year we got 2 new nieces, Liddy Kate Jackson and Elle Grace Christensen and one new nephew Christopher Blake Dow. I am so excited that Cody will have cousins that are close to his age that he can play with. I am so grateful for our family and for all that they have done for Blake and I.  They have helped us out so much with moving in and helping us get a little more settled. I have loved being so close to both our families.

The month of September was a crazy one for us. Not only was Cody born and we moved into our first home, but Blake also changed jobs. Two weeks after Cody was born he started working for Walton which is located in San Dimas which changed his commute from 3 hours to 30 minutes. It was the best thing ever and I feel so blessed that things worked out the way they did.  Blake loves his new job and I love having him home by 6 instead of 8 :)

As for me, I am getting into my new routine being a stay at home mom and I am starting to figure things out. I am slowly getting back into shape and I am starting to get ready for a half marathon in June.  I am amazed at how fast the body can bounce back after having a baby. I remember looking at my belly and thinking that there was no way that it was going to go back to it's normal size. I still have room for improvement but I am getting there and I feel like my body is back to my normal self. I still miss playing soccer but I guess I will just have to be patient and hope that the time will come when I can find the time to play.

One of the reasons we wanted to move out to Fontana was to be in the same ward as my brother Bryan and his family and Blake's brother Ryan and his family. We love our new ward and feel right at home (even though my brother is our bishop) :) Blake and I are teaching the 4-5 year olds in primary and we absolutely love it. Blake was able to play on a softball team with a bunch of guys from the ward and he loves going and playing basketball at the church on Tuesday nights.  Blake couldn't be happier :)

So as you can see, 2011 has been a great year for us. We have made so many great memories and have grown both as individuals and as a couple. I feel so lucky to be married to such an amazing man and I am so grateful for all that he does for me and for our family.  I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for us. No matter what, we will continue to find joy in our journey...