It's that time again!

Send me an email with your address if you'd like a christmas card from us.  Happy season to you all!

wendyanne107@yahoo.com

Snow Day

Blanket of fresh snow + New boots = Fun!

Just ignore the filthy house.

Focus on the cute girl. 

Crazy Walking Man

Walking is not yet the preferred method to get around, but he's been taking steps like a champ! 

And yes, those PJ's are for an 18 month old. 

And yes, he is 9.5 months.

And yes, they will probably be too small next week.

LOVE that kid.

Notes

Dear Life,

Please slow down a little.  My children are getting too big and I'm afraid that by tomorrow they will be teenagers if I'm not careful. 

Yours truly,

Wendy

Dear Cecily,

Please stop peeing in your pants.  The end. PS- I love you very much even if you do. 

Love you a billion,

Mommy

Dear Nolan,

Please decide to love binkys.............. please?....................pretty please?  I need sleep. 

Love you a billion too,

Mama

Dear PF Changs,

You are the only part of my life that I would like to speed up and be done with.  Please work on that. 

Sincerely,

Wendy

Dear belly button,

Please return to your former state of cuteness before I had two children.  No, really, it's been almost 10 months and you are still ugly. 

Love,

Your owner

Dear House,

Please pack yourself up, clean yourself thoroughly and report back to me in a few weeks.  Make sure to label correctly.

Much appreciated,

Me

Gratitude

I get to move here!!!  Well, to the same town anyway.....

My cute sister-in-law Laura has a blog.  She does posts called "grace in small things".  They are fabulous and I love them.  SO, I'm taking a page from Laura's book and writing a "Grace in Small Things" post of my own about the last 5 months of my life. 

But first, the good news:  Michael got a job with the National Credit Union Authority! 

We are so excited and we are so grateful. 

SO grateful.

Ok, on to the grace part of this.....

I have hesitated to write too many posts during the past few months.  Part of it is that I've been working my tail off and I'm tired.  And part of it is that I didn't want to be a whiner.... Isn't it funny how we edit ourselves for the internet?  I am guilty of only wanting to put the best parts of my life on display, and I think that's ok.  Not that I don't post my fair share of blog complaints. You all know that. 

  But, the truth is, unemployment is difficult.  And I have whined A LOT and cried A LOT and been frustrated A LOT. 

However, I have learned A LOT.

And that is what this post is about, and why I'm so glad (now that we're nearing the tail end of this) that we were able to go through it.

1. I have learned to appreciate my role as a mom.  I am lucky to have a husband that supports my decision to stay home and be my kids primary care giver.  I have two amazing kids, and being away from them as much as I have has helped me appreciate their little souls.  I am glad I can be the one to teach them things, wipe noses and bums, give them kisses and hugs, and explore the world with them.  I didn't realize how much of thier lives I would miss.  Mike has done a good job while I've been away, and they haven't suffered, but I will be glad when it's ME that they run to with a booboo again. 

2.  Mike has been able to finish his MBA with honors.  With the extra time on his hands, he's been able to study study study and I'm so proud of him.  Some of his classes (Macroeconomics- grrrr) have been really really time consuming and difficult, but he's out with flying colors.

3.  I have learned to appreciate what it's like to be a working mom.  It's hard and I commend any and all of you that do it.

4.  Mike and I have switched roles in some ways, and I think he sees how much I put in to taking care of the house and kids all day.  It's not all bon-bons and soap watching for sure.  It's nice to be appreciated a little more :)

5.  Patience is a virtue that I am still working on.  This experience has helped me gain a tiny bit more.  Without a doubt it is one of the hardest things for me.  Waiting sucks, and we've done a lot of waiting, praying, and trying to have faith throughout this. 

6.  Money is just money and it's not the end of the world if you don't have a lot.  You can and will survive and thrive.   That being said, the Lord has been generous with us and has blessed us with EVERYTHING we need and more- even when we lacked faith (especially at the beginning).   Can't even tell you.  Makes me want to cry.  Oh, wait..... I'm already crying.

So, yay.  We are over the hump and excited about the next few years. 

Billings, MT- here we come. 

All Hallows' Eve 2010

 Happy Halloween.  And may the force be with you. 

Most definitely with us it was. 

 CJ with "the girls."

 Esther and Esther's friend Carrie came trick or treating with us in Provo.

Cecily pretty much worships the ground Esther walks on- it's totally cute.

Es was a witch and Carrie was an Oreo/witch. 

 Yoda and Stevie.... I mean Davy Crockett

CJ with her "cookie decorating" smile on.

Ok, ok, I took this a few days before halloween, but it's so cute.

New Favorite

Last night I was bored. I got off work early, didn't want to go to bed, and (SHOCKER) I didn't want to clean or do laundry or anything productive like that.

So, after trolling around blog world and facebook, I jumped on our Netflix account (which, by the way, if you don't have it - you need it).

I clicked on "Babies"

My review? CUTEST. MOVIE. EVER.

Not much to it, just a camera crew following 4 babies from around the world from birth until about 1 or so.  No dialogue or anything.  You would think it wouldn't be that great, but then you fall in love with the babies.

The little Mongolian baby (Bayar) was my favorite because he was so funny and in to everything and reminded me of my Nolan.

This movie will pretty much melt your heart and make you laugh even if you don't have kids.

Party, Party, Par-TAY!

Cecily's 3rd Birthday Circus Party was a smashing success, if I do say so myself. 
She had fun, so that's all that matters, right??

I didn't do much to make it a circus party except I decorated a cake to kind of look like a circus tent, hung some streamers, and Mike made balloon animals.
 That's pretty much exactly like Ringling Brothers, I think.

The birthday girl in her birthday outfit

 

This is a classic Cecily face. And my cake.

 

Mikes crazy array of balloon hats, bears, swords, flowers, and little mermaids.

 

CJ blowin' out her candle.  Woo hoo!

Cutest kid.  Now pulling himself up on things and cruisin' everywhere.  Yikes!

CJ with Aunt Laura

(Who took every picture you see here.  I was a lazy mom and let her do all the photography.  Fabulous job and lots of love!)

And BY THE WAY

A big shout out to Mike's little brother Sean, who goes in the MTC today.  He's going on a 2 year mission for the LDS Church to Lubbock, TX and we are really proud of him. 

I had 4 older brothers go on missions which was awesome, but now it's cool to have a "younger brother" go. For those of you who don't know him, Sean is awesome.  He is just the kind of person who goes and does without needing lots of praise and cheering. 

I guess now I am old enough to appreciate what a sacrifice it is to take 2 years and dedicate your life to God. 

So, Sean, even though you are already in the MTC and you will probably never read this, Mike and I are proud of you and the good decisions you've made to get you where you are, and we know you will be an awesome missionary. 

We will write.  And pray.

XOXO,

              MWCN

3 Years

3 years ago, 2 days after I turned 25,  I had my first child.

And she was perfect.

And my life started.

 Two years ago, she turned 1. 

It had been the best year of my life.

 One year ago was her 2nd birthday.

It had been the best 2 years of my life.

Saturday was the day she turned 3 years old.

It has been the most challenging, exciting, thrilling, growing, changing, loving,
 BEST 3 years of my life.

And that is all.

Veintiocho

I'm 28 today.

  Wow.  Kinda close to 30. 

Where did my 20's go??  Oh yeah-  college, marriage, vegas, 2 babies, and unemployment,

 just to name a few.....

Anyway, one year ago today I wrote this post about the things I've accomplished in my life.

Now, on to my 28 year list.  Last year was 27 things I've already done, so here's

28 things I WANT to do in the next 28 years

1. Have more babies.

2. Purchase or build a home.

3. Run a marathon

4. Take my kids out of school for 1 year and home school while traveling the US in an RV and teaching them about US History.

5.  Finish my kids 1st year scrapbooks

6. Record a song I've written (technically I've already done this, but I'm working on writing a better one)

7. Get REALLY good on my guitar

8. Have my own ceramics studio

9. Get a Master's Degree

10. Have a dinner party (I've never had one....)

11. Get 100% of my debt paid off, including my mortgage (when I get one).

12.  Take another dance class

13.  Help my kids with homework, and know what I'm talking about.

14.  Learn to play hymns on the piano

15. Teach at the Highschool level  

16.  Teach at the Pre-school level

17. Go to Thailand and Italy.

18. Get my body back in shape (working on this one, ugh) 

19.  Volunteer at a soup kitchen

20.  Teach my kids to be kind to everyone, no matter what

21. Improve/Re-learn Spanish

22. Share my testimony of the Gospel

23. Keep up on my record keeping (journal, blog, scrapbooks, life history, etc.  I'm WAY behind)

24. Sew a really big quilt

25. Learn to be patient

26.  Learn to knit

27. Teach my kids the value of working hard and accomplishing goals

28.  Love more freely, and be more Christlike.

Circus Circus

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey, aka  "The greatest show on earth!" came to town, so I took Cecily last weekend.  It was a great mommy/daughter date and my girl had lots of fun seeing the tigers and elephants.

Isn't she a cute little nose picker?

 

There was so much going on the whole time that Cecily had a hard time focusing on anything.  I think at times she was a tiny bit overwhelmed.  Clowns, dancers, elephants, motorcycles, bright colors,  acrobats, trampolines, tigers, and general craziness in all 3 rings.  Her eyes were wide the whole time. 

After it was over I asked her "What was your favorite part of the circus?" and she said  "My fave-it part was da Circus guys!"   

Like I said, it was a bit hard to focus on one thing. :o)

We got her a crazy circus hat, which was 10 billion times too big, but she loved it.

Also, my little girlie is turning 3 soon!!!!

If I haven't told you already, you are invited to an informal, cake and ice-cream bash at our house on October 9, 2010 at 6pm.  The birthday girl has requested a Circus party, so I'm sure it will be "the greatest party on earth." 

See you there!

little man visits the doctor

 Little Nolan-man went to the doc today and got his 6 month and 9 month shots and checkups.  No more until he's a year old.  YAAAAY! 

He is 120th percentile (yeah- off the charts) for height.  The doctor told me that his height (31.5 inches) is average  for a 15 month old.  He's a tall one.

He's 75th % for weight, which means he's actually fairly slender for his height.  And pretty dang cute. 

His head size is also nice and large-  75th %.  Love those Vincent genes. 

Can't get enough of the cuteness.  I know you can't either.

Early Halloween

Here's a little Nolan puppy for you.  He's pretty much darling.  I love him. 

We have a different costume for him for the real halloween.  Can you guess why?  Because he's huge!  I got this puppy costume last year on sale, thinking I'd have a normal "6-12" month sized child.  Nope, not Nolan!  He's too tall for it.  The sleeves are too short and his little legs stick out.  And another 1 1/2 months of growth are not going to help the issue.  I just thought it was too cute NOT to snap a few pictures of. Hopefully we'll use it for the next kiddo. 

We get to go to the doctor next week and find out how tall he actually is and how much he actually weighs.  He will finally get his 6 month shots - yes, he'll be nearly 8 months, but that's what happens when you have no insurance and have to save up for doctor visits. Good thing he's a healthy little guy.  Then I will bore you with one of those "Here's my baby's stats because I'm sure the rest of the world finds it as fascinating as I do" posts.  ;o) I'm sure you're excited.    

Long Overdue

I just updated my photography blog http://www.wendyvincentphotography.blogspot.com/ .  I took a year off from updates, 'cuz I had a baby :o)  I'll be posting more pictures soon.  I'm not taking the photo biz very seriously right now because of our crazy life and my stupid job and all that jazz, but I thought I'd at least let the world know I'm still here, and I still take pictures occasionally.  Hugs and love. 

Can't Stop Thinking

There's lots of things going through my head tonight. 

 Here are my somewhat random, unorganized thinkings of the evening:

I need to be healthy again.  Not just skinny.  Healthy.  As in, I actually get my buns out of bed in the wee small hours of the morning before my children wake up and go exercise. I don't eat fried food and drink soda.   I teach my children good habits while they are young. Anyone know of a Yoga place in SLC? I've been thinking of taking it up.

September 11, 2001.  Nine years and 2 days ago.  I was in my college apartment in Provo, Utah getting ready for my job wiih the BYU grounds crew when I heard about New York, DC, and PA.  It still breaks my heart to think about it.  I am still sad that there is that much evil in the world, and that Satan has twisted the hearts of men into thinking that killing is something to do in the name of God. Any God.  I won't ever forget.  And ps- I am proud to be an American.

I am tired of waiting tables, but grateful for the lessons learned during this period in our life.  I know the Lord is trying to teach me, and I am a stubborn student.  He is teaching me to be grateful for my children.  The time away from them has taught me that.  There was a time, not so long ago that I sometimes resented being a stay at home mom.  I guess resented is the wrong word............... I guess sometimes I thought the grass was greener on the other side, ya know?  At times, I mistakenly thought that being a career woman would somehow make my life more fulfilling.  Changing diapers didn't seem exciting enough.   I am learning now, while working 30-40 hours a week, that I LONG to be with my babies, and there are things I am missing in their tiny little lives.  Not only that, but I find happiness in cleaning my house and getting the things done that I used to loathe.  The prospect of Mike not getting a job and me taking on a teaching job in January is somewhat daunting and I don't know how to feel about it.  Anyway, I know that whenever Michael is able to find a job, I will go back to being a stay at home mom and I will be a MUCH better mom because of it. 

Speaking of being a better mom....... I've been reading the blog of a friend of a friend up in Idaho who lost her baby girl, Preslee.  She wrote an amazing post about how the Lord teaches us and molds us and helps us become better.  Reading her story helps me to appreciate my kids more.  Love them more. Hold them tighter.  Cherish the little moments when they giggle or smile or kiss me.  Because life can change in the blink of an eye. 

I've been busting out some songs my guitar for 2 nights in a row.  My fingers hurt, but I love it.  I am doing a "life course" right now (more on that when I actually finish) which is helping me focus on what I really value in life.  I value music, and I've been neglecting that somewhat for the past few years.  Time to start up again, I think!

I miss my girlfriends.  I am in need of a pedicure and a night out with my best gal pals.  Too bad you are all a plane ride or a weekend car trip away.  When I win the lottery, I'm flying you all to where ever I am and we're doing a girls night out.  Better yet, I'm flying us to some fab tropical location for some R&R. 

  See you there. 

XOXO,

            Wendy

Bouncing and Boxes

We just got this for Nolan-man a few days ago and he has been THOUROUGHLY enjoying it. 

 As in, he cries when we take him out.

I was scared to get one because I am paranoid about everything and thought they looked dangerous. 

My mind has been changed and I love it.

ps- Sorry about the wind sound in the video.  Our fan was on and the microphone picked it up. 

And above is just my cute girl playing in a cardboard box.  Please note all the toys in her room behind her, sitting stale and un-played with :)

Montana, Montana: Glory of the West

Of all the states from coast to coast, you're easily the best. 

I just feel more at peace when I'm there. 

I don't know why, but that's just how it is. 

Montana is for me what the beach is for Michael.  It's just where our souls are.

I'm lucky and we got to go home for a week and a day during the middle of August. 

It was glorious.

Highlights:

- Hanging out with my huge family at Spring Meadow Lake(I forgot my camera and got NO pics, boo)

- Hiking Mount Helena again (even with my out-of-shape, post baby body). Hurt. So. Good.

- Seeing/ spending time with my parents. LOVE them.

- Watching Cecily interact and play with her cute cousins.

- Going up stemple pass with my bro Ryan and his fam.

-Attempting to get family pictures in the raging wind. So funny.

This post is a little picture heavy :)

Made it up the Mt. Helena with CJ on my back.

Nolan was THRILLED, obviously.

Our weak attempt at a picture of all 4 of us with the city of Helena in the background.... except all you see are the kids' hats.......... sorry.

"Devil's Kitchen"  is the name of this tiny cave. We told Cecily we were going to eat lunch there and once she saw it she kept asking "mom, where's the kitchen?" 

Cecily with my dad on the 4 wheeler.  She  love love LOOOOOVES the 4 wheeler, almost as much as she loves Papa Lay.

 Haven't cropped this yet.  My brother took our pictures, but it was seriously SO windy that night!  Trust me when I tell you, wind blowing through your hair DOES NOT make you look like a supermodel. PS- my kids are dang cute.

When Cecily saw this one she said "Look!  It's mom and Cecily, and we've got hairs!"

Mike with Nolan trotting around Stemple pass.

She's quite the outdoors woman.

My older brother Ryan attempting to get "the shot" of some fish.

K, I'm in hate with this pic of me, but it's worth posting so you all can see Nolan.  Zoom in if you can't tell why I love it so much.  I laughed for hours.