Christmas 2012

Our first Christmas as parents. I've got to say, its a lot more exciting! Even though baby Calvin literally slept through the whole thing. I think I was more excited than anyone. This year, as things happened, and we had Calvin, I wasn't working, meant strict budget. therefore we really didnt have any money to get each other gifts this year. But during the whole month of December I couldnt help but ponder about something creative and free at the time that I could give Steven as he's been working so hard for us. It then hit me, duh, why didnt this pop up earlier? I gave him the gift of time..by creating a year of dates. I planned a date for each month of 2013. He always talks about wanting to spend more time with us, and its super limited now with his busy schedule that we hardly get any time together. Now we can ensure to have a date night together whether it be just the 2 of us, or 3, we will be together at least one night of the month doing something as a family. It killed him to not be able to think of something or have time to come up with something to get me for christmas. But I told him I didn't need anything else, because we already have everything we need. The most important thing to me was that we were together as a family and we have a warm place to live with food and our adorable little son. He had to work christmas eve until about 8 i think it was. He came home with a poinsettia plant, a fresh christmas wreath and few other things he wrapped up. He was so excited to give them to me and I was so confused knowing we really didnt have the money for any of it. He said it didnt matter, he just worked really hard for them. I open them up, and he had gotten me a box of oreo cookies from whole foods and homemade reeses peanut butter cups. I couldnt help but smile, some of my favorite things :) He then informed me that he had gotten $5 whole foods cash for something he did at work. He was thrilled and scoured the store up and down the isles looking for something to get me for christmas. This is by far probably going to be one of my most favorite gifts from him as well as Christmases. It really isn't about the gifts, but the meaning of Christmas and having your loved ones by your side. We did manage to get Calvin a little something and hes slowly loving it more. We got him a sophie the giraffe and a litlte sock monkey. He was also spoiled from my aunts and uncles and of course his grandparents. He got some books, clothes, toys and music. what more could he ask for?

It definitely was a different christmas, but a good one! Stevens mom flew in christmas morning and showered us with gifts and we prepared a yummy christmas dinner filled with ham, potatoes, yams, and green beans. It was a nice quiet day :) Here are some pics :)

not havin it...he just wanted to sleep all day..

excuse myface...cooking christmas dinner!

 

His babys first christmas ornament with his name engraved on it (the look of his face kills me.."meh")

 

all smiles :)

Benji showin off his christmas sweater (he's a little fat..)

he seriously slept all day (after we went and saw les misrables)

I can't Belieb how wonderful this day was!

What a wonderful day it was!

 January 5, 2013

 Calvin Daniel Crosby was blessed with close family and friends surrounding. 

Elder Haleck a member of the seventy was there as well! He is actually one of Steven's mission presidents.  Steven gave a beautiful blessing and baby Calvin was so good not to make one peep the whole time! We were overwhelmed with joy when we saw how many family and friends showed up on a Saturday morning! Also a huge thank you to my mother and mother in law who helped prepare the food for the lunch we had afterwards! Yummy spanish rice, tostadas, beans and chips and salsa :)  We love you all and are blessed to have you in our lives!  We actually remembered to capture the lovely event!

Nana and Papa Preciado

   My Family

   The Ives

 3 generations - and they all look alike!

Crosby Siblings

 Stevens Family

 The other Crosbys! (Stevens Aunt and Uncle, other Uncle and cousins and their family)

(dont mind Noah's photo bomb in the bottom right corner...)

 After all the partying was done and the boys had their outing to the movies, us girls got to party it up at the Justin Beiber concert! To be honest, I felt really old, and like I shouldnt be there because I'm a mom...but so is my mom. I don;t know it was a little weird but still pretty freakin awesome and the same time! He had awesome special effects and clothes of course. Carly Rae Jepsen opened for him, and she seems like a really sweet person, I didnt know many of her songs but maybe two, of course call me maybe? we rocked to that one. lol. But she only sang for about a half hour, then the arena got even louder expecting Jbeebs to make his appearance..but we waited and waited. Got a little frustrated that nothing was happening for and HOUR we waited! Then of course his entrance was fabulous but we didnt know why he made us wait so long..

(the countdown)

 ...later we come to find out that he went to visit a little girl in Primary Childrens hospital who was supposed to come to the concert but had to be hospitalized again for her leukemia. That sure would have made my day! She's so cute! Knowing this, made that hour wait worth it :)

 Here we are on our way to the concert! Someones excited! (doesn't she look so grown up!?)

 They wouldn't let us bring in posters..so we had to capture her artwork and love for JB.

 This is how close we were! pretty awesome!

 this dad was ready for the screaming girls!...I wasn't..

 Mamasita

 His entrance on wings! I want to fly in!

 party!!

 She was in heaven!

All in all, it was a great concert. Screaming girls for days. I could hardly hear afterwards. There were wayy too young of girls there..some were maybe 3? seriously? oh ya and last but not least. I'm a Belieber! :)

New Year, New Life, New Me, New Us.

Welp, its 2013 folks! Weren't we all supposed to be dead by now? haha ya right. Looking back at least year...It was quite the year. Also looking back at our new years resolutions, we failed. haha ok lie. we acheived some of them. No I did NOT fit into my senior prom dress..maybe because I was too busy being pregnant almost the whole year?..However I did start to build my clientele, and I was actually getting pretty busy at the perfect timing...right when I was leaving to have the babe. But hey, at least I acheived that goal for the most part! I didn't read the whole book of mormon, started to, but pregnant women do not stay up very late. New moms on the other hand?..different story :) As for the soda, I did relatively well! I hadn't had any for a good part of the year, until after I had the baby, I realized how much I loved Dr. Pepper...darn you!. And last but not least I failed miserably with 365 things I'm grateful for. I can blame it on the preganancy brain can't I? hah. Anywho, I secretly knew as I made those goals that I could possibly not meet them all due to me getting pregnant. Man my instincts were good! so are my eggs...(: But I am back at it. Its a new year. I have a completely new life. I'm a new person; and we are a new family. I haven't quite made my new goals for this year. but I plan to make them more realistic and achievable so I dont feel so bad at the beginning of each year. Sunday is my deadline to make them, never to late to start! As for Steven's goals...ummm lets not even go there, he gets an e for effort? or extremely forgetful is more like it. 

My new job is probably my favorite. Being a mom. Yes it is the most exhausting and emotional job I've had but I wouldn't change a thing. My little boy will be 3 months next week. 3 months?! I can't believe how fast the time has gone! He has changed every single day and I grow to love him more and more just like my husband. I feel so lucky to be his mom. Steven has been so supportive through everything. He works so hard and I know he misses us everytime he has to leave the house and wishes he could just spend all day with us, and we wish the same! We cherish those days when he doesnt go to work till later or gets off early. I feel bad a lot of the time, that he is the only one working so hard to provide for our family. Before Calvin was born, we had planned on me getting a part time job soon after the delivery. But what we didnt expect was for him to be 3 wks early and spend 2 weeks in the NICU. That changed everything. Money didnt matter anymore, his health was the most important and still is. He is perfectly fine now but being a NICU baby he had more risks of getting sick easier and that would just lead to worse things. So daycare was not an option for us anymore. although I never really loved that idea anyways. I've had 2 job interviews around christmas time. I was SUPER excited about them and felt the interviews went well and everything. The hours worked perfectly the jobs were to my liking and interest, but for one reason or another I didn't get either. It really put a damper on my self esteem. as it would anyone. I started to question. What's wrong with me? I thought it would have worked perfectly? We really could have used this job? Why isn't anything working out? Maybe I'm supposed to be home for calvin? I still don't know the answers to most of these questions. I know that things happen for a reason but sometimes not knowing the reason until later is super hard. As stressful as things have been I wouldn't take any of the time I've been able to spend with my little man.  I know SOMETHING will work out one way or another. I just need to have patience, confidence, and faith. I've learned the being mopy around the house all day just makes things worse. So every day I get out of bed and instead of being in pjs all day with Calvin I make sure to get both of us dressed, even if it is something comfy cozy, its not my pjs. I also make sure that I get at least one thing done whether it be laundry, the kitchen or one of the rooms, Something so i feel accomplished and I did something that day. I've been better at making dinner which is huge, because I hardly made dinner before...maybe because I have all day to think about it and prepare it. most of the time. So far these things have worked. and then I have lazy days, which are nice too :) 

But if any of you readers...if there are any still out there...that now of a good part time job in salt lake county, please let me know! 

peace and blessings..peace and blessings....   :)