9 Years

9 years in, and we're already starting to look alike. Yikes! :)

Smile

*If you click on the title, you can hear the song and watch the video.....it kinda needs to be heard to be as effective....even if it is by Uncle Kracker :)

You're better then the best

I'm lucky just to linger in your light

Cooler then he flip side of my pillow, that's right

Completely unaware

Nothing can compare to where you send me,

Lets me know that it's ok, yeah it's ok

And the moments where my good times start to fade

You make me smile like the sun

Fall out of bed, sing like a bird

Dizzy in my heard, spin like a record

Crazy on a Sunday night

You make me dance like a fool

Forget how to breathe

Shine like gold, buzz like a bee

Just the thought of you can drive me wild

Ohh, you make me smile

Even when you're gone

Somehow you come along

Just like a flower poking the sidewalk crack and just like that

You steal away the rain and just like that

You make me smile like the sun

Fall out of bed, sing like bird

Dizzy in my head, spin like a record

Crazy on a Sunday night

You make me dance like a fool

Forget how to breathe

Shine like gold, buzz like a bee

Just the thought of you can drive me wild

Ohh, you make me smile

Don't know how I lived without you

Cuz everytime that I get around you

I see the best of me inside your eyes

You make me smile

You make me dance like a fool

Forget how to breathe

Shine like gold, buzz like a bee

Just the thought of you can drive me wild

You make me smile like the sun

Fall out of bed, sing like a bird

Dizzy in my head, spin like a record

Crazy on a Sunday night

You make me dance like a fool

Forget how to breathe

Shine like gold, buzz like a bee

Just the thought of you can drive me wild

Ohh, you make me smile

9 years ago today, Trevor and I got married! What a crazy 9 years it's been. We had some great, amazing, fantastic, once-in-a-lifetime experiences. We also had some horrible, awful, down-right-depressing times. We changed addresses 4 times, lived in 4 cities and 2 countries. We collectively worked almost 25 jobs (only 3 for Trevor.....you can ask me what my 22 were, if you're curious. :) We stood by our friends and family as they entered married life, and celebrated with them as they became parents. We were given an AMAZING child, and are preparing for another. We have one more year before the milestone 10 years, but that doesn't make this year any less special. I wouldn't have wanted to spend the last 9 years with anyone else, let a lone raise my children with anyone else. I am so thankful that God brought us together, and has helped us through all these years. I love you Trevor Gill.

*The song....well it's a romantic song for sure, but it also makes me think of my children. I had always thought of it as a cute song but the other night I really listened to the lyrics and I realized how much it works for a parent/child relationship. I thought about how I make the buzzing bee sound when I read Hello Bee Hello Me to Declan. I thought about how Declan and I will dance crazy-like every now and then just for fun. I thought about how just thinking of Declan makes me smile like the sun and shine like gold. Tears were immediately in my eyes. Then tonight, I heard the song again, and it made me think of my whole little family: Trevor, Declan, and Abby. They all make me smile like the sun, and just the thought of them drives me wild. Again....I just cried. A good cry of course. :) I love my family!!!

What's For Dinner?

This is a question that plagues me almost every day. Some days are better than others, either I have something planned, or an idea magically appears in my head. Most days I scramble, and usually come up with something weak: mac n cheese, cereal, ordering pizza, or, my favorite, eating out. It's not that I'm a bad cook, or at least I'd like to think I'm not. Give me a recipe, and I can follow it pretty good. Heck, I've got my share of cook books that I can choose from, and yet I still stress. The thing is, I don't prepare well. And I, personally, am an annoyingly picky eater, so a lot of the ingredients in those cook books are not something I would like to eat.

Before Declan, this wasn't as big an issue. Oh, an issue it still was, but not as glaring. Now, it's not only myself and Trevor that I have to take care of, it's my child, soon to be children, that I need to think of as well. And as much as Declan would probably love to have applesauce at every meal, I am DETERMINED to not let him get as picky as I am. I want him to have a taste for everything! Of course I know there is only so much I can do, but I don't want to let him get away with the excuses I use: "I don't like ______" about 75% of the time really means "I've never tried ______, and I don't think I'll like it." (Trevor, and other people who know me well, 75% is based on the fact that I think I've gotten a lot better in the last few years. Had I wrote this in 2004, it would be 95%.) I want him to TRY things! This is hard to do at his age, I should have been more "aggressive" (for lack of a better term) when he was little and just learning to eat.

Speaking of Dec when he was little and just starting to eat solids.....I have to pat myself on the back for a minute and say that I did something I really never thought I'd do: I made Dec's baby food. That may not be a big feat for some, but again, as most of you who know me well would agree, that is HUGE for me! It's really not that hard to do, which is probably why I was successful, but it is time consuming and definitely needs preparation. But I have to say that I think I did make a boo boo.

I was very careful to start with veggies, and with each new veggie, I gave him 2 or 3 days to observe for a reaction before moving on to the next new veggie. My boo boo is that I only did this for a month before I started fruit. And sweet potatoes were the first. I believe this gave Dec a sweet tooth a little too early, and he started rejecting veggies a bit early on for my liking. With Abby, she probably won't get fruit for a least a couple months after solids start, and sweet potatoes will probably not be high on the list of veggies. Well, I've got SEVERAL months before I have to worry about that.........

So what's my point? I know what I'm doing when it comes to cooking and preparing dinner, but I'm lazy and picky. However in the last year, I have tried two (pretty basic) entrees, even one that I "didn't like", and have now found that I love them and they are pretty stinking easy(-ish) to make. A year ago, Dawn and fam were in town and Jason made us Chicken Enchilada's. I had tried enchiladas before and wasn't too big a fan, but, in an effort to be a big girl, I gave them a try and seriously fell in love! It's really the sauce that makes them so yummy, but whatever, I like them! :) We asked for the recipe and have since made them for my entire family, two sets of new parents, and ourselves on several occasions. The other recipe I got last fall, Chicken Parmesan with home-made marinara. My friend Adrieanna had mentioned it was her husbands favorite, so I asked her to share it with me. It's pretty stinking fantastic! I've even made it for friends, who then asked for the recipe themselves!

Really, this is the point I'm actually trying to make: I need recipes. I know I said I have books, but they always have a huge list of ingredients, and it overwhelms me. Having gotten those two recipes last year, just as recommendations from friends and family, made me realize that YOU, my family, friends, followers, facebook people who didn't know what they were getting into when they clicked on my blog link, random people who visit from other blogs....YOU are who I need to get recipes from. Easy, minimal ingredient recipes! Here's what I make so far:

Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken Parmesan
Meatloaf (thank you Danny)
Spaghetti (thank you boiling water)
Quesadillas

I seriously can't think of any more, besides maybe grilled cheese sandwiches and popcorn! (No, I have never given Declan popcorn for dinner.) So if you've got something you think I may like, PLEASE tell me! I need more ideas before I get sick of these recipes! Here are somethings we're not too big on:

Fish (Both Trevor and I have tried salmon a couple times, and it's just not something we like.)
Herbs (That would be Becky, unless it's very finely chopped, I'm not a big fan, especially basil)

Other than that, I think we're up to trying things. If you have simple meal ideas for Declan too, I'd love to hear that.

I REALLY want to be a better housewife, and getting this dinner making thing under control would definitely boost me up! Thanks for the reading this and for those who respond. Be sure to check back and look for recipes that others have left. You may find something you'd like too! :)

Sleeping

Confession time: I'm obsessed with a sleeping Declan. He's just so sweet and cute and funny! Well, the funny has come later in life for him, but he's always been sweet and cute! :) My favorite part of him are his palms. They're warm and soft....I love it!!! I'm also constantly checking on him at night after he goes to bed, just looking at him, making sure he's breathing. And if I hear the slightest noise that sounds off, I'm up and running to him....like he's still a newborn! I know I'm not alone with this, right Trevor?! Right! :)

So about this funny business.....Dec really gets into some silly positions when he's asleep. Well, I think they're silly! :) And I end up taking a thousand pictures and posting them here....um, I mean 37 pictures. (Yes, there are that many here. Is that too many? Not for me! I love pictures!!) Here is my catalogue of Sleeping Declan Pictures! I'll start with the classic ones from his younger days.

One day old!

2 weeks old....

This one makes me think of Gizmo, the Mogwai. It's like Dec's saying "Bright light, bright light!"


3 weeks old
"I'm too sexy for my crib"


4 weeks
This is what I was talking about: so sweet and cute!


almost 6 weeks old
This is his Great Grandma Spice look! :)


6 weeks old


7 weeks old
Put your hands where I can see them!


Snuggle time with Daddy


almost 11 weeks old
And he's found his thumb!


4 months old
There goes the Mogwai thing again...


5 months old
This was the first time Jake let me borrow his nice, fancy camera, and these were in that first shoot I did.....which I haven't blogged....yet. :)

still 5 months old

Oh, you know it!

He looks like he's doing a jig, or clicking his heels like a Leprechaun.

7 months old

He started rolling onto his stomach about this time....really freaked me out! I have video of it too, we tried turning him onto his back, but to no avail....he would just flip back. It was actually really funny!

10 1/2 months old

I just thought his body position looked so funny here....

And when I looked away to see the last picture on the camera, and then looked back at him, he looked like this:

15 months old

This really scared me and made me laugh at the same time! How ridiculous is this kid!

I did move him, so he wouldn't break his leg trying to turn in his sleep, but a couple weeks later, it happened again...

And this is what happened when I moved him...back to the safety position!

After that, he just liked sticking his feet out of the crib....I couldn't stop him!

After lunch one day, he asked to watch Signing Times before going down for a nap. I obliged, sat him down in his chair, and went about cleaning up after lunch. When I went to get him for his nap, I found him like this. Poor guy was tuckered out!

Here is a series with his bear. Bear ends up in the oddest of places! Awesome!

As a pillow...

As a blanket...

As a shield...

As a body pillow...

As just something to cuddle...

And as an airbag.

This was on the way home from Disneyland for my birthday. How adorable is this kid!

He made this pose a lot in his ultrasound pictures, which was quite fitting: his name means "Man of Prayer"

On the plane ride to Texas in November....a blog you will see hopefully soon!

So thanks for sticking through all those pictures. I hope you enjoyed them as I much as I do!! Thank you and Goodnight! :)

Then and Now: Boppy Edition

5 weeks and 3 days old

1 year, 5 weeks and 3 days old!

Yup! These pictures were taken a year apart exactly! I didn't realize it until I was putting this post together today. Fun stuff! :) What a HUGE difference a year makes!

June 20th, 2008

June 20th, 2009

I'm pretty sure there won't be a repeat this year....unless it's of Abby. But she'll probably still be sitting comfortably with me.....who won't be sitting comfortably.....

Christmas 2009

I love this picture. It's not at all in focus, but I just think it's so precious!!

So I know this is over a month late, but.....

Anyway, we stuck to our normal Christmas traditions this year: Christmas Eve with the Gill Family, Christmas morning with our little family, and Christmas night with the Allan Family. I always love seeing Declan play with his cousins, he LOVES them all so much. And I'm always saying "he needs to see them more!" Perhaps that can be a New Years resolution....what? It's February? Ok, it can be a New Month resolution! :)

Ethan and Bella tearing into their gifts.

Such a beautiful girl!

Helping Dec open presents. Trev, thanks for telling me to look up. The ones where I'm looking down.....not so pretty! :)

Cheeseball!

So Ethan got a "Thomas the Tank Engine" book. Declan caught a glimpse of it, and then none of his presents mattered. All he wanted was the "choo choo".....I had no idea he had gotten so attached to Thomas.....uh....hmmm.....

Declan's first Elmo. An Original Tickle Me Elmo!

Our annual Cracker Crown picture.

What cute pj'd cousins!!!

After a rearrange, Ethan took Declan's hand! So sweet!

And Dec put his arm around Bella...

Um....and began choking her....?

And finished with a good tackle. Or steam roller. Did I say he loves his cousins? :)

Christmas morning. We got D a computer since he was always trying to use ours. He started playing with it right away, and it was SOOOO adorable!!

Now I bet you're wondering why I put a picture of Danny and Grace (yes, that's Grace with the monkey head on) dressed up as the Man in the Yellow Hat and Curious George. Well, the answer is three-fold:

1. Danny has always loved Curious George. He was sick a lot as a kid, even went into the hospital several times, and George was integral in getting him through that time. So what better way to pay tribute than to dress up as the two main characters for Halloween! (2005, by the way....that's pre-kids.)

2. To show you how awesome and dedicated my brother and sister-in-law are when it comes to Halloween costumes!! During their lives together they have been El Nino and La Nina (grey sweats with cotton balls attached, sombreros, a mustache for Danny, and squirt bottles to "rain" on people), Daisy's (green sweats with GIANT flowers head pieces. Danny got an award at work called the Daisy award....thus...the costumes.), Penguins, and Chickens. Grace is so amazingly creative and has made the costumes each year, including the paper mache George head you see her sporting in this photo. Seriously. Dedication!

3. (The reason that ties this all in, and yet shows what a very random tangent this is) Hopie put a "Man in the Yellow Hat" hat on at Christmas. Yup. That's it. :)

The kids and Danny playing the Ladybug Game.

Uncle Danny! Did you turn it into a drinking game?!?! :)

WOOO! Declan wins!!

Ok, I put this picture in because I was so amazed at how my son ate that night. I'm thinking this is after his first serving, but his plate looked the same after a SECOND piece of lasagna! That is a true miracle for Declan. Seriously Randy, it goes against nature...it is from God! :)

Sadly, that's all I got from the night. Once dinner was over and we started on presents, I wasn't real "on" with the camera. I was opening a lot of D's presents, so I didn't have time to take pictures. I assure you though, fun times were had!

Thank you Families for all the gifts! It is fun to see Declan play with his new toys, read his new books, and cuddle his big Frog! Yeah, Dec got a big frog stuffed animal that is "life size"....for him. He wasn't as big a fan when it came out of the bag, but now he LOVES it! And so do Trevor and I! Seriously, that thing is great to cuddle! :)

I leave you with our Christmas Card display. We totally felt the love this year, and I want to say thank you to everyone who sent us a card! Yours was (and still is) lovingly displayed! :) If yours seems a little buried.......then send it later next year! I learned the later you send a card, the more prime spot it gets! :)

(Yes, that is our card in there too.....and a picture of Jack Allan.....and a picture of me, Chantel, Bri and Megan from 1998.)