Moving on up

So last post was about us living in the hotel and hotel life.  This post is from the time we moved in to right before our 1st visitors arrived.

Here is what we were up to for a month and a half...
1. Playing with lots of toys...Cars matching game, Sorry, miniature figurines, coloring books, Legos, and other items that she can't live without.

2. Playing outside when I'm feeling good.  We have been to the beach many times, but I always forget my camera, so I don't have much proof of that.  But Gracie loves the ocean and playing in the sand.  She gets so excited when we go!

3. Went bowling at the nearby bowling alley.  Gracie loved it and by the end was carrying her own ball.  This made us nervous but it was so cute!

Check out her bowling shoes :)  I wanted to take them home, but I know karma would come back and haunt me.

4. Here are some of the mini figurines she loves to play with.  These are her Cars ones but she also has Toy Story figurines.

5. Another thing I don't have proof of is our playdates.  I've mentioned in previous posts about the great women/moms I've met out here, and we love to get together with them and play.  Gracie is making some good friends and getting back into the swing of things like sharing.  That is a tough concept for little squirts like her.  We've gone to the beach, to the pool and to one of the mom's house to play.  They are a great group of women and kids, and I'm so blessed to have met them.

So life will only get busier when I start feeling better.  I hate being trapped in the house when I'd rather have Gracie out playing with other kiddos.  Plus, I love the adult interaction.  You can only handle so many conversations about Cars, Toy Story, and potty training.  I'm slowing starting to feel better but it really takes it toll on what we do most days.  So I cannot wait for normallacy to come back into my life.  Gracie can't wait either.

Next post will be all about Pam and Rose and their first time in Hawaii.  Not sure when I will get to that as our 2nd pair of visitors will be arriving tomorrow!  We love having visitors and hope more of you can come out as it makes our time here that much more fun and worth it!

Pictures Post

Since I'm a terrible blogger and a terrible uploader...I'm combining the 2.  A blog post with pictures!  I actually blogged about some of these things when we first arrived but never attached photos so it may sound familiar.

Here is what we have done since we moved from Homaha to Ala Moana Hotel...
1. Made cookies in the hotel room.

2. Checked out the view from the hotel room since there was minimal for us to do (this is facing downtown)

3. Went site seeing on one small portion of the southeastern coast

4. Hung out in the hotel...a lot.  With no car and a 2 year old who likes to run free, we weren't really able to walk around the outside of the hotel to see what was around.  Plus, to be honest, it was kind of scary around the hotel.  Nearby were a few strip joints and adult stores, Ala Moana Beach a.k.a.  Bum Beach, a recycling center a.k.a. Bum Beach Extension, and the largest outdoor mall, which we did visit daily but that got old quick.

5. Enjoyed the daily rainbows at approximately the same time every day :)

6. Ate a Eggs n Things.  Packed house = having to entertain Gracie at next door coffee shop for 45-50 minutes.  It was so worth the wait though!

7. Hung out some more.  Like I said, the mall got old, especially when I knew I couldn't purchase anything because I do not have an income.  But seriously, look at this cute face!

8. Saw Dog the Bounty Hunter at the strip joint next to our hotel (he's getting in the SUV below).  I was so shocked and excited, my brain didn't function well enough to grab my camera sooner.

9. Enjoyed a fun afternoon at Wet 'n' Wild.  Gracie had a blast on the slides, definitely her favorite part.

10. Gracie became a shark at Jimmy Buffet's Restaurant.

Next post (hopefully within the next day or so) will contain pics of what we have done from the time we moved into the house till our 1st visitors arrived.  Until then, hope you enjoyed the pics and are becoming less jealous of our living situation.  Believe me, if you are in Omaha, I'm jealous of yours ;)

Baby, baby, baby...I'm back!

Ok, my blogging skills totally suck, especially since I haven't felt well since September 2011 (that feels like eternity!)

If you live in a cave or don't have Facebook, Justin and I have made it FB official...we are expecting baby #2!  Baby is due to make his/her appearance around May 6th.  I'm hoping for a Cinco de Mayo baby considering I'm Mexican and all and that would be pretty fitting.  I would even consider putting him/her in a baby sombrero for that special day if I find one.  But when he/she is ready, we will be here waiting!  Gracie is starting to kind of get it.  She knows there is a baby in my belly and points to where he/she is, she also likes to say "Baby Sister" and on occasion "Baby Brother", she is starting to get the jist of it.  I don't think she'll really get it till he/she is here and not going anywhere.

It helps having some close friends having some little tiny ones themselves since we've been gone.  After we left, Emily and Matt had their 2nd little boy, Dominic.  He is such a cutie and I can't wait to see him in person!  I tell Gracie that Jude has a little baby brother now and she says "baby brother" like she gets that he belongs to Jude.  A few weeks later, in September, Erin and Chris had their 2nd baby, a precious little boy named John.  He, too, is a cutie, and I can't wait to hold that little guy (well he'll be a bit bigger by the time we come to visit).  I tell Gracie that she will have a baby brother or sister like Millie.  She points to pictures of John and says "Millie baby brother".  Then came October, and another couple friend of ours, Katy and Matt, had their first baby.  Not to my surprise, it was a BOY and they named him Benjamin "Benji".  He is so cute and has the cutest little pouty lips in the world.  When I show Gracie pictures of Benji, I tell her how we will have a baby like that someday.  She again will say "baby brother, baby sister."

Now, I'm not the only one that she knows who is expecting.  One of my very best, most awesome, forever friends is going to have her first in April!  Our friends Emily and Charlie are preparing for parenthood, and we could not be any more excited for them.  I wish I could just physically be there with Emily to see her experience pregnancy and motherhood as it is happening.  But I know Emily and Charlie will be fantastic parents!  Another couple friend of ours, Anna and Nathan, are expecting their 3rd baby in February.  I went to Mercy with Anna and was reconnected through good ol' FB after Gracie was born.  The Magdanz's welcomed Gracie into their loving home weekly.  Anna watched and cared for Gracie when I went back to work and watched her until we left in August.  They have been such a blessing in our lives.  Gracie even calls Fiona her "best friend" when we look at pictures.   Now I tell Gracie that Fiona gets to have 2 baby siblings!  She is very excited for Fiona and Callie.  It's endearing to hear Gracie talk about the baby and even say those words.  I think she is going to be a great big sister come May.

Now that today was a good feeling today, and I'm praying that it's the beginning of many, I do need to blog about some things that we have been up to lately (parties, visitors, hiking, beaching, etc.) and add some pictures to these pictureless pages.  Hopefully tomorrow will be another good day and I can do some blogging during nap time.  Keep your fingers, toes, legs, arms, and eyes crossed!