Day 40

We went to the park after gymnastics, but it was too cold.  I think we were there for 10 minutes. :)

Yay

1st Nephi read.

Day 39

Yeah today was this hot lol.  I wasted the whole day house searching.  I'm kind of behind on updating so THANK YOU FB for your reminders!

Stress

I just hate so much when i lose my temper with the kids.  Sometimes I get so mad that I yell at them and I hate thet.  And I HATE that that's sometimes the only thing that they listen to.  Today was a WAR with Lily.  She didn't want to wake up, took 2 hours to get ready, didn't listen in gymnastics and wouldn't stop looking to see what her friends were doing, she could not for the life of her get her capital"C" down, she refused to eat dinner. It was just none-stop whining all day... one thing after another.  The ONLY time she listened was when I yelled at her and I hate yelling at my kids.  I'd rather parent with love.  Today was just NOT a good day for anyone.

Side note-  Do you ever feel like after a day when you've spent all day with a bad temper, and a knot in your stomach that it's somehow wrong to read the Book of Mormon/Bible?  Not to read it, but to read it with the Spirit there?  I don't know, I just feel like how could I go from that and now expect such a clean, spiritual feeling to come into this house?  I mean I NEED to read tonight, but I know that with what i'm reading right now, I need the Spirit with me to comprehend some of this Isaiah stuff, and to keep me motivated and energized, because with this stuff... I can't do it alone lol. 

Day 38

Lily's 1st attempt to write our names. :)

Day 37

Today after my OBGYN apt, I took Lily and Gray to the park.  Gray wasn't very happy since I woke him up from his nap to go, but Lily had a blast!  I love sunny winter days!

My fav Scipture

"If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; ... for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them" (Ether 12:27)


The reason I love this scripture so much is because I can be weak.  I have "things" about my family that I have always thought was unavoidable... I would inherit them.  Well maybe not.  I don't have to just let things happen to me and my weaknesses aren't going to define me.  I'm a big believer in always improving and never just accepting that you will always be how you are.  No, I won't grow up being dependent on anti-depressants.  I don't need medication.  I inherited that trait by genes, but God can help, not only make it not be a weakness, but he'll turn it into a strength!  Same with my weight.  Weight problems run in my family, and I know it's going to catch up to me, BUT it doesn't have to.  Things aren't just inevitable, we make our path.  


Weaknesses I want to conquer:
Being genetically depressed.
No energy
Lazy
Horrible shape
really tired
bad sleeping habits
mediocre parent and wife
not a good housekeeper
make excuses
Quick to judge and gets annoyed easily
Not very social and shy in new situations


So there are just a few on the list of things that God is going to help me "make strong".


I never understood why some people are so stable and put-together and others are not.  I mean people with unstable brains didn't choose that.  They lay in their bed wanting to die.  Or people who have health issues that seem to take over there life.  But in this scripture is says that God gives us these weaknesses to make us humble and to have the oppurtunity to turn to him so he can help us turn that weakness into a strength.  I think that is very, very cool.  I think "perfectly normal" people who don't have suffer or turn to God for anything never grow as people.  What they find to be important are so shallow and they just have no depth to them.  I would rather have all these trials so that I can have the oppurtunity to grow and reap all the blessings from each trial I face.  


Anyway I don't know many scriptures, but out of the ones I know this is definitely a favorite. :)

Flicker.

Today was a wonderful, wonderful day.  At church today I took the Sacrament for the first time since I was probably 14 and the Spirit was in that room with me.  During the song we sing beforehand, every word touched my soul and during the prayer, every word also touched my soul, and when I took the bread and water, I felt... better.  I don't know how else to explain it.  Everyone else in that room are in different places spiritually, but I felt like this week was for me.  It was wonderful.

Then tonight as I read the Scriptures and prayed I had my first experience where I KNEW what I was reading was true and that the Spirit is with me.  It was like a burning, peaceful feeling.  A really happy one where you just want to smile and tell everyone in the whole world that God is love.  He has waited so long for me to find my way and to repent and now that I have, I can enjoy FEELING his love.  It's the most amazing happiness there is and I never want it to go away.

I hope as I read on, this feeling will stay with me and will open doors to revelation of my own.  I also would love if everyone in the whole world could feel this so we could all rejoice together!  It's definitely a feeling I want to share with everyone.  The Book Of Mormon is true and so is the Bible.  No one can convince me otherwise anymore, because those books are both of God.  Can't wait to read on tomorrow.

I'm still smiling.

Day 36

The kid's LOVE to run around in the gym after church.  Usually it's PACKED with kids!
Superbowl was today.  We went to a friend in the ward's party.  The pics turned out too dark.

Day 35

Went to the church to help my mom with the bulletin boards. 

Church

Tomorrow will be the first time taking the Sacrament in YEARS, feels weird lol.  I just hope nobody asks me to give a talk or pray, I'm definitely not ready for anything like that!  I like my prayers to be personal.

Stranger

So last night my friend from Colorado contacted me and asked me to get onto skype chat so she could ask me something (she said her phone had broke).  When I got on she told me her Aunt was head of the UCLA pregnancy Research Center and they needed some pregnant ladies to help with a study and she immediately thought of me.  So said I could make $3400 to do a few surveys and to make a few "what if" videos.  She told me her video wasn't working and that she wanted to see if I was showing enough and to skype her.  Since it was one of my friends I didn't even think about the fact that I was in my undershirt and panties.  After she SAW me she said that she needed me to make my first "what if" video to try out.  The first scenario was "what if you were 7-8 months pregnant, alone at home, and went into labor".  So pretty much I'd pretend like that happened and show it in a video, me pretending to give birth.  It was supposed to be realistic so I'd be pants-less and everything.  In this conversation we did some small talk, like she asked me how Lily was and about Chris in Afghanistan... just regular catching up stuff.  I told her I'd do it, I mean she said they blurred out the faces and it was just for the study purposes, plus $3400 is a lot of money.  Well the next day we talked and decided how we were going to do the video, later on I needed to tell her that we had to change the time, so I contacted her via FB.  My ACTUAL friend contacted me back asking what I was talking about.  Apparently we had NEVER talked the night before and she has no aunt at UCLA.  So I tried contacting whorever that person was, but the second I asked them who they really were they ended the contact.  So now there's someone out there that I almost made a video for, knows things about me, saw me in my undies, and I have  NO idea who they are!  I feel so dumb and violated!!

The funny part is, the whole time we were talking, I had a bad feeling about it.  Even though it was just for a study, I was just... unsure.  I asked my mom and Chris their opinion and they both seemed to think that it was okay to do, because it was for something like that, but I just couldn't shake that uneasy feeling.  I should listen to that feeling next time!

Day 34

Today I started my 24th week, yay for 6 months!!

Day 33

Today the kid's had fevers so we spent the day in bed watching movies.  Lily somehow forgot how to walk.  She's very dramatic sometimes lol.  

Day 32

Today Lily and Grayson went to the doctor.  They were wonderful!  They both got shots, and check-ups.  Lily also got some 5-year-old things done like got her eyes and ears checked which are great! :) 

Afterwards we went and picked up Wendy's and went to the park.  It was a beautiful day!

Roots

So here are my goals until May:
Read the BOM by doing the 100 day challenge. (should be done right before May!)
Attend Sacrament meeting and stay until after relief society every week... ATTEND classes!
Visiting Teaching.
Pay tithing.

I had a meeting with the bishopric, and these are informal goals that will help my testimony and then by May I will be officially temple WORTHY (not actually going)!

My life is working out so well!
I've been working on my life as a wife, parent, and as a person and I think thing are starting to go my way!  Goals and "lists" are my new favorite thing.  I feel like I'm more "put together" than I ever have been.  I'm completely drug free (like antidepressants) and surprisingly, I've never been more stable and in control of my feelings.  I'm just on the road to find myself and become who I want to be.  I'm even considering letting my natural hair grow out.  It's time to get back to my roots!  Literally!

Day 31

Claire's heart is developed and looks good, BUT she has tricuspid valve leakage and fluid around her heart in some places.  We have to go back in a couple weeks.

Day 30

Tonight we made s'mores for dinner.  Poor Gray didn't get chocolate on his... stupid allergies!

Day 29

Gray and I skipped church today, but Lily went.  This is an instagram photo.

Day 28

Lily in the morning... so pretty. :)

I wish I could feel whole again... just for one day.  Not just a broken person trying not to ruin my kid's lives.

yeah

So most of my blog posts are me trying to turn a horrible situation into a positive one and it is for me.  So if anyone gets offended or takes anything I say on my blog personally I recommend you don't read it.  This is my blog for my thoughts and feelings, and I'm not going to sit here and sensor what I write to not hurt yours.  I hate that everyone in life has challenges and I try to be sensitive to peoples things, but come one guys, this is a blog about me trying to find my way.  Let me, please have my place.  I may have to go private and that's really sad since this is how I share things with my husband as well.

Thanks for ruining my one spot now I'll sensor everything so I don't hurt anyone else.

Day 27

Yay for getting my car fixed!

instagram

Day 26

Today Grandma came to Gymnastics and Lily was extra awesome!

instagram

Day 25

It was a very slow morning, Lily didn't wake up until 11 so Gray and me watched cartoons. :)

instagram

instagram

instagram

Day 23

So I've started a new one hour "Play with Gray" time.  Lily is getting so busy with all of her pre-schooling, cleaning, technology, etc that she doesn't ever seem to just take time to play with her little brother unless I'm there.  So for an hour-a-day she gets to go into their room to play without me.  I can get stuff done and they can learn how to play on their own and hopefully stay close as they grow.

Instagram

Day 22

This pretty much describes our afternoon after church.  I love lazy Sundays!

(Also I've been playing around with higher iso's lately and am really enjoying pushing my photography limits, so pictures may not always be bright and perfectly clear, I need to grow as a photographer and staying comfortable is not the answer.)

Day 21

Today was a very relaxing day.  We woke up to it snowing (it was BEAUTIFUL), Lily and I made hot cocoa and eggos, we worked on Lily's letters, watched movies, and just enjoyed our Saturday!

Instagram

Day 20 (part 2)

Also for Lily's birthday i decided to take Lily out on a Mother-Daughter special Birthday date!  We went to Melting pot for cheese and chocolate fondue, and then we went and saw a special 3D version on Beauty and The Beast in the theater!  It was so much fun and we both had a blast!  I love my little Lily Belle so much!

(just phone-camera pictures, but will cherish the memory)

Day 20

Lily put together a fun package for her grandparents!  She helped me make them a treat, wrote them letters, packed the baggies herself, helped put them in the boxes, and then we took them to the post office to send off. She is so excited and is excited that they're on their way!

Instagram

Today I downloaded instagram, best decision ever!

Day 18

In Lily's words this was, "The BEST birthday EVER!"  It was a fun one.  She chose everything we did.  We didn't make it to everything on our list, but her favorite parts were:

Watching Gnomeo and Juliet
Eating Mcdonalds
Her cake of FRUIT
Her presents... especially her her "iPad" (leappad)
Skyping with her aunts (Emily, Natalie, and Jessica)
Eating lots of fun foods and playing, dancing, and being 5!

Happy Birthday Lily!

hatin'

I really don't like comments like this...

"I'm not Hot or gorgeous. I don't have an amazing figure or a flat stomach. I'm far from being considered a model but, I'm me. I eat food, I have curves, I have more fat than I should, I have scars, I have a history. Some people love me,some like me, some hate me. I have done good, I have done bad. I love OH's and I go without makeup and don't get my hair done. I'm random and crazy,I don't pretend to be someone I'm not. I am who I am, you can love me or not. I won't change!! And if i love you, I do it with my heart!! I make no apologies for the way I am."

I'm all for loving yourself, but that's not what these sound like, they sound like you've given up and now want everyone to accept it.  What ever happens to trying to become a better person??  Shouldn't we all be trying to improve and be better?  I mean, I have history... you all know that.  I got married and had a kid at 18... and it was choices I made that led me to that.  But instead of just accepting myself as some loser, I keep improving and kept bettering myself.  And I will keep becoming better everyday!  Why should you just accept your flaws and weaknesses?  Yes, there are things we can't change about ourselves and it's good to accept and even embrace those things, but if you CAN change it, then do!  Don't settle for being who you are when you could be so much better!  Okay y'all can hate now lol...

Day 17

Today after gymnastics, Lily and I went over to one of my friend's house for lunch and to hangout.  I had a great time and her kid is adorable!!

Day 16

Lily and I made french toast for breakfast... we went through a lot of eggs, before everything was said and done lol.  She'll learn eventually. :)

Day 15

Church was fun today.  I could hear the lessons, Grayson behaved, and Lily came home excited about what she learned. I think this is progress!  We did miss the Sacrament though, I'm slow in the mornings!

Now to spend the rest of the afternoon eating good food and playing games!

Ps. Yes Gray has food in his mouth, but atleast he's looking in the general direction of the camera... that's a success in my book!  He doesn't like the camera at all lol!

Day 14

This is Lily's "Hey!  I've got an idea!" face lol.  She does it atleast 100 times a day and it usually is followed by an absurd idea that we would never do, or a or idea for playing pretend.   

Day 13

I guess since I'm at my halfway point, I should show off my "big" belly.  

Day 12

My mom decided to paint her kitchen/Family room a really pretty Martha Stewart light grey (you can't really see the color in this pic) this week, and Lily was her little helper.  I'm definitely using this as the paint in Lily and Claire's room!  And Lily will get to help then too! :)

Day 11

Lily loves playing pretend all day... everyday.  She plays library lady, doctor, mommy, married couple, restaurant, pizza man, statue, sleepy baby, EVERYTHING!  Not only does she have a very big imagination, but she can stay in character for HOURS!  My favorite games when I'm busy are definitely statue and sleepy baby lol.  They're pretty self explanatory.  Today we played
"Lily's Fancy Restaurant" and I was the "cooker" :).  It was a fun twist to a normal lunch.  

Day 10

Today was a pretty exciting day for Lily.
She started a new gymnastics class, got to go to Panera for lunch, and she got to come with me to my 20 week ultrasound!  She LOVED it! 

Some of my favorite Lily quotes:

"how are we going to look at the baby? I don't want them to take off your belly"

"She's so cute, I want to bite her... I really think she wants to bite ME!"

"she's cute, but not TOO cute"

Oh and Claire is definitely a girl!  My due date got switched from the 31st to the 25th, which is like skipping a week of pregnancy for me!  Yay!  She LOVES her hand up by her face like Grayson!

Here is a picture from today of The O'Neal Girls! :)

Day 9

Claire Elizabeth O'Neal

Day 8

Lily's new OBSESSION is Uno.  She wants to play it all day and all night.  She's getting pretty good too.  I don't believe in letting my kid's win on purpose, and she has won quite a few times!  We taught her three days ago.  It was a fun after church activity while my dad watched football.

FB status-

We taught Lily Uno tonight and after playing around 5 rounds, she's a pro! She even dealt out cards when it was her turn to. I'm glad she figured it out so quickly! And she was so okay with losing! I'm a proud momma. ♥· Thursday at 8:43pm

Day 7

Yesterday as we were taking down the Christmas tree, Lily took all the popcorn garland outside for the birds.  She then found her binoculars and has been watching the popcorn all day yesterday and today.  She is the cutest!
Today, she's seen a red robin, blue jay, and a squirrel enjoying her treat. :)

Day 6

Grayson LOVES bathtime and his grandma's musical bath toys!
There's a xylophone, drum, and water flutes!
He loves to use the drum to pour water on everything!

Day 5

Today Lily graduated from her 8 week session of Gymnastics and got a ribbon.  She starts a new session next week but she loved getting a ribbon and cheers from all her classmates.  Next week she's starting new classes every Tuesday and Thursday.  I hope she improves as much as she has these past 8 weeks!  

Her favorite thing at gymnastics is the trampoline and what she calls her "carton wheel"!

Day 4

All my sisters, besides Jessica, came out to New york for Christmas this year.  Today Olivia leaves and she's the last to go. :(  I love Christmas and family.  I wish they could have all stayed longer.  Today we're eating good foods and playing fun games for the last time and then my Christmas season is officially over. :(

Day 3

Oranges have been the biggest part of the season!  I'm addicted!  We made orange rolls, orange Julius's, clementines, orange juice mixed with sprite, everything!!  It's my favorite fruit... and Lily's favorite color!  I painted her nails this morning. :)

Also yesterday at CVS, Lily stuffed her pockets with nail polishes and candy.  It was her first time stealing.  I made her apologize and put it all away.  We had a long talk on the car ride home and she promised to never do it again so when we got home she got a three minute time-out and that's it.  I'm glad she understands that it's wrong to take things without buying or asking for them.  I hope she really won't do it again.

Now for olivia to make orange Julius's for breakfast! ;)

Day 2

One of our favorite treats!

My Dad's famous green chili's and cheese broiled on corn tortillas topped with eggs!

YUM!!

Day 1

Even though Austin isn't in this picture, he is very much still apart of 2012.
Happy New Year

New Years.

Here are my resolutions for 2012.

• Read the Book of Mormon and FINISH it!
• Get completely active in church.
• Get up and go to bed at the good time.
• Get Lily school ready.
• Be more productive and set and keep a schedule for me and the kids.
• Save, save, save!
• Be a better wife.
• Keep up with my 365 blog.

Ultrasounds

So when I lived in Belgium, the whole pregnancy process was different. Every apt you got an ultrasound, and then around 23 weeks, they give you a 3D ultrasound to do a full exam. Here they do three and that it, and no 3D.

This makes me mad. Very mad. Mad enough to try to change it, but how?? They examined Austin's heart in every apt but never noticed his heart problem until the 3D one. I mean I see SO many babies die at birth of the same thing Austin had, and he lived till he was almost 3. We did so many things that I think made a huge difference. I am just so mad, that my baby has a higher chance of having a heart defect, yet they aren't planning on doing anything about it. I am mad.

ugh

I hate baby names.

Let's begin.

I am a believer. I always have been. I believed in Santa until I was in 5th or 6th grade and my parents had to sit me down and tell me. And for a long time after that, I still believed and had just thought my parents had lost their belief, like all adults do in movies.

So when my mom tells me a sacred, spiritual experience, there is no doubt in my mind that it's true. whether it is or not doesn't concern me... I believe. Or when people bear their testimony of the gospel... I doubt nothing.

Well here's the thing, Santa isn't real.

So as much and I want my belief to be enough, it's not. So today I'm beginning my road to knowing.

I believe in faith, but when you're presented a way to KNOW if the gospel is true, I think it's something worth doing.

So I'm going to read the whole Book of Mormon. And then pray.

"Years ago my great-great-grandfather picked up a copy of the Book of Mormon for the first time. He opened it to the center and read a few pages. He then declared,“That book was either written by God or the devil, and I am going to find out who wrote it.”
^ ditto, I plan to find out as well. :)

I know I've started before, but this time I'm determined to get through it, and pray while it's fresh on my mind. I'll let yall know!

:(

I know this is stupid to be upset about, but I'm really sad that I never got to attend any of my sister's weddings, and now I won't even get to attend my little sisters.

Still apart, but always together.

Can I just say that I love my husband and how much our relationship is growing? People who just give up on marriage after a year or two, shame on y'all. We're all human, we're always growing and adapting. Chris and I might have had a rough start and i'm not going to lie, I've looked up divorce online once or twice, but i'm so glad that I have a family that believes in marriage and believes in what Chris and I have.

I mean 5 years ago, Chris and I were crazy teenagers. We didn't have a long-term thought in our heads. But now look at us! We are both changing so much for the better... in such different ways!

Obviously, I've embraced a more religious lifestyle. And when I committed, I COMMITTED. I don't party on Saturday and then go to Church on Sunday. No, every aspect of my life is different. I pray every night, morning, and throughout the day. I read every self-help religious book I can get my hand on, I don't party at all. I don't even drink the occasional glass of wine or say even the more innocent of cuss words. I am not perfect, but I try everyday a little harder to be a little better. I'm sure that all God really wants us to do. Anyway back to Chris and I. Becoming religious again has made me want to be a better wife and mother. It has made me look at sex a completely different way. It has changed my priorities to "family first". It has made me want to grow as a person in every possible way.

Chris, on the other side, is changing in a completely none religious way, but just as good in my eyes. He's just growing into a man. He also is all about family. I've loved how much he's been calling his family and trying to be apart of their lives. I love that when we talk, It's SO much deeper than it used to be. He wants to make the kids and I happy. He is SO committed to our family, and so committed to me. He is supportive in everything I do, from buying THOUSANDS of dollars worth of photography equipment, to helping me go to church every week, all the way to watching the kids whenever I go through my "going out everyday" phases. He's always been one to say yes, and do to everything in his power to make us happy.

When I go through my depression, he completely takes over the household. He goes to work all morning, then comes home, feeds the family, cleans the house, and then relaxes with the kids and let's me be alone. I appreciate this so much, but I don't want to do this to him ever again. He should get to come home from a stressful day of work, eat a meal made my me, and relax with the family. He's not the mom and dad and he shouldn't have to pretend he is. When he gets home, things will be different, and I'm trying to get myself prepared for that. I don't need to only better myself spiritually, I need to better myself COMPLETELY.

I'm just so grateful. I don't know why I am so blessed in this life, but I am. I have it all. I have a Heavenly Father who loves me, a family that supports me, my own wonderful family that I don't deserve, I grew up in the gospel, I'm comfortable financially, I get to travel often, I forgive easily, I go on vacations regularly, I grew up in a good home and in a good area. I am educated and talented. I get to see my son again and I get to have him as motivation... to get back to him. My kids have the most amazing spirits, and my husband has my heart. Seriously, I can't imagine a happier life (and it's just getting better). I believe I can beat this depression. I can be the wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend I want to be.

Chris and I are bother changing for the better... together.