I choose YOU, Aladdin!

The other day, I was about to put Jeremy to bed, hoping to get him down before a few friends came over, when there was a knock at the door.
Well, he definitely heard it. Maybe, even though all previous experiences would indicate otherwise, maybe he'll be okay with going to sleep after just a few minutes of seeing Lisa.
So, I keep Jeremy in my arms, gathering up a few of his stuffed animals, getting him his milk, all while exchanging pleasantries with my friend. Jeremy is, of course, very excited to see her, but I still try to keep him somewhat calm, hoping he'll go down.

The face of trouble

We had gotten into the habit of offering him several stuffed animals, and letting him choose which one he wants for the night. He hasn't formed a really strong attachment to any one stuffed animal yet, but definitely likes having one to cuddle at night. I'm hoping by letting him choose, he'll keep switching it up (which has worked so far!), and I won't ever have to deal with him only wanting one animal ALWAYS.
So, that night, I gathered up some of his animals, and asked him which one he wanted. What do you think he did? He turned away from all of the animals, and pointed RIGHT at Lisa!
Needless to say, he didn't go to sleep right away.
Later on that night, he spent quite a bit of time stroking Lisa's leg... I think Jake, her husband, might have something to worry about! Or maybe I should just take that as a note to shave more... It's winter, and I wear long socks and pants! Why bother, except for church, when I wear a skirt? Right?!

This little boy has been cracking us up SO much lately. He always knows just what he wants. The hard part for me is figuring it out! Sure, he points, but when he points to the kitchen counter, which tends to be covered in dinner dishes and goodies and who knows what else by the end of the day, it's kind of hard figuring out exactly what he is pointing to.

Life has been pretty crazy lately. There have been some incredible, wonderful things happening, and at the very same time, some very sad, tragic things happening. The juxtaposition of the two extremes has been a bit exhausting. My Papa went in for heart surgery on the 14th. Things were going well, until they very suddenly were not. He passed away on the 21st, and it's been very difficult to deal with, emotionally. We all knew it was a possibility with the surgery, but since he seemed to do so well recovering up until Thursday, it was still a pretty big shock. It has been really hard on me dealing with it away from family. I keep feeling like I can't quite connect to anyone. Justin has been very supportive, but doesn't have quite the same grief that I do. All of my family that is going through more of what I am is so far away, so it's hard to really feel connected to it all. It's very different, grieving from afar, than it is to grieve when you're there in the middle of it all. I think they're both very hard, but in very different ways. I am looking forward to going to AZ later on for his celebration of life.

In the midst of all this, a while ago Justin and I planned a Disneyland trip. I've been so conflicted about whether to reschedule it, because of the timing, but if we cancel it, it will be hard to find another time to go. This summer Justin will be transferring to a new role at Intel (still in Sacramento, just a different set of responsibilities). Between the training for all of that, and considering when his current desk tends to be busy, there isn't really a good time for him to take a week off of work. So, we're keeping the DL trip for the beginning of March.

But we're making him work for it! Okay, maybe not really...

Also in the middle of all of this, I started up a cake business! Crazy! I made up some business cards a few weeks ago and sent them in along with some cupcakes for Justin to take to work. I figured, okay, I'll throw these out there, and maybe if I keep sending in goodies with business cards, eventually I might get a business started. Well, that very same night, I got my first order! I was not expecting results so quickly, but I'm quite pleased! So I've been putting some effort into that, finding photos of cakes I've done and putting them together on a Facebook page so people can see my work. One of the missionaries in my ward mentioned last week that his birthday is this Wednesday, so I'm going to make him a cake. It won't be big, because it's for 2 elders, so it's not too much extra work, plus it gives me more to put into my gallery of cakes. Plus, it's nice to imagine someone in Portugal doing something similar for Justin's brother, who's on a mission right now. I like to imagine that any time I do something nice for the missionaries, it's like doing something nice for Luke.

So, life has been a roller coaster. Lots of high highs and low lows. I've also been dealing with some other frustrations (let's just say certain aspects of church are getting difficult, and it's a good thing I have a strong testimony, or I'd be one of those people that stops going because they are offended). So, lots of emotional turmoil. I am grateful that I do have a testimony, that I can rely on my Savior to help me through all of this. I know I will see my Papa again, and I know that the Savior understands me and is here to comfort me. It's been hard, but between that and the help of those who love me, Justin and a few good friends here, as well as family far away, I've been managing okay.

He sure loves being outside!

Well, this post kind of went all over the place. I started out just wanting to tell the funny story of Jeremy wanting Lisa instead of a stuffed animal, and look where I ended up! Anyway, I love you all, and I look forward to seeing some of you when I come to AZ later in March.

And, to finish, I will add all the photos that I didn't squeeze into the post.

He rubs his nose when he's tired. Not his eyes, like most babies. His nose. Crazy kid.

Sometimes I snap the picture at JUST the right moment!

He points a lot. All the time, really. I should probably tell him it's rude.