baby girl turns 3

she's growing up to quickly.

i love this girl with all of my [heart]

guess who's back !!

and pregnant!

that's right! everyone else knows, however i haven't posted on my blog since August of last year ... so for all of you blog readers, this is a surprise!! 

2013 is going to be a wonderful year. i am back with lots of new things to write about. with a sweet baby boy due in May and a 3 year old girl ... i plan on using my blog as a place to write about family, children, day to day happenings, etc.

i will continue to add info here and there about 

[congenital heart defects] as that's why i started my blog almost two years ago ... but as time goes on and new changes happen, i am noticing my life taking me in different directions.

as 2013 just started, my goal is to post on here much more than i did last year! 

so come back and check in, as i will be adding new pictures, and updating my blog a bit!!

vacation

yesterday we arrived in Sunriver! so excited to spend the weekend here, enjoying the outdoor life and being comfy with my family. it's the perfect way to celebrate the amazing news i received from my cardiologist yesterday.

[blog post coming soon on all of that.] 

hope you all have a lovely weekend!

ladybug. ladybug.

i remember the first time that seeing a ladybug meant more to me than just "seeing a ladybug." ladybugs, as i call them "my ladybugs" mean so much more to me than most people might understand. i love these little creatures. i find myself spotting them in the most random places ... like my brand new bag of lettuce from the store, or the flowers that my hubby brings home for me, i find them on my ceiling all the time ...

my ladybugs are 100% the sign that gets me through bad days when i have them. i will never forget when i read this for the first time, almost two years ago:

Seen often as a messenger of promise, the ladybug reconnects us with the joy of living. Fear and joy can not co-exist. We need to release our fears and return to love  - this is one of the messages that the ladybug brings to us.

Ladybug teaches us how to restore our trust and faith in the great spirit.   When the ladybug appears, it is telling us to get out of our own way and allow the great spirit to enter into our lives.

Bella is taking a liking to these little creatures, as well. she finds them all the time ... "look mom, it's a "A-D-BUG" ... that's how she says it. i believe that we all have our own signs/symbols that have been sent to us, repeatedly, in our lives ... our very own "comfort." 

happy friday everyone. i hope you have a lovely weekend. 

go find "your ladybug."

soccer ball

the last few nights, we have been going to the track ... i have being doing the craziest thing ... running! the doctors always said that because of my heart condition, i would never be a long distance runner, and trust me, i won't! but, i am bound and determined to, at least, be able to jog ... as it's only been a few nights of jogging/walking for me, i have a long way to go. but i am so amazed at how well i am doing ... i have only been doing 4 laps, so basically a mile, but i don't want to start off by over-doing it, because trust me, i am so sore [i know, i must be out of shape ;)]the first two nights, i ran half of every lap and walked the other half. tonight, i ran the WHOLE first lap. for most people, that is the easiest thing to do ... run a whole lap, for me, that's a huge milestone! i can only think that from here, i can start building my endurance and strength, hopefully being able to keep on running ;)

the best part about this whole thing is that it has allowed my hubby and bella to have some bonding time. the last three nights i have been doing the running/walking with Tanko, [our puppy] while my hubby and bella have been playing soccer in the field. i think it's just been a great thing for our whole family. 

and bella ... she can't stop talking about "soccer ball." it's all she wants to do, play soccer ball. it's pretty cute.

bare with me.

as i started my blog in november of 2010, it was simply based on my emotions while going through the few months before my open heart surgery ... crazy to think that my two year anniversary from my surgery will be here in february. as we head toward february, i am finding that my blog is kind of all over the place ... jumping from posts about my everyday emotions, to stories on heart defects, to posts about my child and my family ...

basically, i am just asking you to bare with me. for those of you that do follow my blog, i am trying to find some sort of consistency in my posts. working on figuring out where my heart is right now ... what type of posts i want to share with my readers.

so just bare with me ... please! 

if you really knew me

if you really knew me ...

you'd know that i can be a very nervous person. i love being around people, but i'm not into being the center of attention.

you would know that when i laugh, i laugh hard. and it can be quite contagious.

you'd know that judge-mental people are my biggest pet peeve. i believe we are all different for a reason ... love everyone for who they are. 

you would know that everyday i try to be the best mom i can possibly be ... somedays, i have less patience ... somedays i feel like i fail. 

if you really knew me ...

you would know that growing up, i bit my nails ... i just quit in my early 20's ... but i sometimes find myself doing it, in "nervous" situations.

you'd know that i am extremely shy, quiet, and mellow ... especially around new people.

you'd know to not mistake my shyness for being rude

you would know that when i get mad, i cry. "the ugly cry."

if you really knew me ...

you would know that i would do anything to help someone that really needed it.

you'd know that i look up to my mom. i always have.

you would know that on my bad days, spotting a ladybug changes it all for me.

you'd know that i enjoy my "me time." 

i am very independent.

i always have been.

if you really knew me ...

you'd know what makes my heart happy.

you would know i am humble.

you'd know that i am strong, but not tough.

you would know that i have big dreams ... still working on them.

linking up here:

 Running on Happiness