Our Little Fishy

Earlier this summer Nicci took swimming lessons and it was a really good experience. Since Nicci was born she has loved the water so we decided when she turned three that it was time to teach her how to survive in the water! She had a lot of fun and learned to listen to her teacher...(kinda)!

I'm very proud of the progress she has made! Last week she accidently fell in without her swimmies and she held her breath and never stopped kicking! We got her out of the water but she almost had her head above before we did!

Nicci had a bad habit of escaping her class...
The first thing Nicci would do when she woke up was put on her swimming suit, eat, and then patiently wait for swimming class. It was so cute.


I could squeeze her until she pops.

STORY TIME. The swim class was for two weeks and from the very beginning Nicci would refer to everyone as "her friends", even the older kids. Well the older kids, (particularly these two girls) were so mean to her. They would make fun of her right to her face and Nicci was so confused...and i was angry. I never said anything because that would make it worse obviously, but everyday i would go home in tears. Watching my little girl try to be friends with everyone and then rejected right to her face for no reason was pain i had never felt. Nicci is a sweet kid so everyday she just continued to be nice. Well, three days before the end of the class, all of a sudden these girls wanted to be friends with Nicci. They came early just to play with her before class and then stay late to play with her after. It was the most incredible example to me of unconditional kindness and love. I watched Nicci continue to get made fun of and laughed at...and all the while she was still smiling, being kind, and trying to be friends. And then low and behold, these girls had a change of heart. It was a cool experience. I absolutely adore my little girl. :)
After swim class Nicci's favorite thing to do was go to my parent's house and show off all her new skills to Grandma and Grandpa! It was such a fun two weeks.
No swimmies... Our sweet little fishy.

Smitten

Have you ever seen such a handsome guy in your life? I haven't. ;)

Lately i've been feeling very lucky to have such a hardworking lovable husband. He's so patient with my pregnancy mishaps...spilling milk all the time...knocking over the beautiful flowers he brings home for me...and lets not forget me sitting on the food i place on the couch to comfortably eat. He works close to 80 hour weeks and always makes time for his girls. NOT only time, but he makes us feel special every single day. I'm so glad i married my very best friend. I love you my insanely handsome hubby!

We Have An Announcement!!

Baby #2 is on his/her way!

I'm Pregnant!!

We are SO excited to have our family expand and for Nicci to be a big sister! When we told Nicci she was going to be a big sister she said, "Mommy! You having baby?! Awwww!" And then she kissed my belly. :) ...Pure bliss.

Homemade Love

In two days (on Saturday) our baby turns three. It's almost impossible to comprehend. It feels like just yesterday i was lying in the delivery room counting Nicci's fingers and toes, wondering how someone so tiny and new could surpass perfection like she was. It's so strange that it's been almost three years since that night. As it got closer to May this year we talked about all the different things we could give her for her birthday... a bike, a pool, a trampoline, an elaborate party... but then one night we knew. Homemade Love. The perfect gift. So with my two hands (and the help of my sweet husband) we made her a lap quilt and a scripture bag to match. We are giving Nicci her first little scriptures with Mommy & Daddy's testimonies on the inside cover. Nicci has such a bright little spirit. So many Dr.s told us there was a possibility that she would have mental complications, but instead she is growing into such a delightful little girl who absolutely loves, and i mean really LOVES church and her Savior Jesus Christ. So we felt that with a mix of homemade love and her first set of scriptures that on her birthday she would not only feel the love of her parents who simply adore her, but the love of her Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ who love her even more. We finished her gifts today and my heart is so full of both excitement and joy. Excitement to wrap Nic up in her quilt and show her her very own scriptures... and joy that Heavenly Father has so kindly blessed us with such a special little girl who teaches us more about love than we could ever teach her. ...In 30 hours my little princess turns 3!

The Joys of Easter

Easter was amazing this year. We created a lot of special memories that we will cherish forever. We also took a million pictures. What tells a story better than pictures?! I put them into collages to reduce the scrolling. :) Enjoy!

Our Easter Story 2009...

On the Friday before Easter we colored eggs and we all had a blast! I made Peanut Butter Popcorn and my parents brought a million fun things to decorate eggs with!
Nicci actually understood the whole Easter Bunny concept this year! It was a lot of fun. When we went to see the Easter Bunny at the mall she ran right up to him all by herself. I almost cried she was such a big girl!! We colored eggs on Friday night and then left a note for the Easter Bunny asking him to come on Saturday morning because Sunday morning we would be at church thinking about Jesus. Sure enough, the Easter Bunny got our letter!! All night Nicci kept telling us she "heard" the Easter Bunny coming! It was so fun.
When Nicci came downstairs and saw that the Easter Bunny had dropped some candy on the floor she looked up at me and said, "Oh no Mommy, Easter Bunny made a mess!" haha. It was awesome.

*EASTER SUNDAY*
Be prepared to drop dead {drum role please} I cooked our entire Easter Dinner, all by myself. :) We had Easter Dinner with my parents, it was so much fun! ...Honey Baked Ham & Turkey (thank you Mom & Dad!), Scalloped Potatoes, seasoned Corn, Spinach Salad with Strawberries and roasted Almonds, Rolls, Orange Glazed Beets, Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Apples. And Ice Cream and Sorbet for dessert. Seth was so excited i was cooking he couldn't stop breaking out into song. :)
Nicci had A LOT of fun playing with Grandma and Grandpa...and WAY too much candy! :)

We had such a special Easter with so many fun family memories. It was particularly special to watch Nicci have so much fun with the Easter Bunny but THEN to hear her tell us what Easter was all about right before our Easter dinner. In her words: "Easter bout Jesus, not Easter Bunny. Jesus was resrected for me. I love Easter. I Love Jesus, He's my friend." ( {tear} she does listen to us!! ) We are so thankful for our Savior and for all the sacrifices He made for us so that we could be with Him and our special family forever.

Happy Easter 2009

"I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home"

When Seth got home from work he went into the backyard and Nicci ran after him. I stayed inside and continued reading the mail when all of a sudden i heard lots of squealing. I opened the door to find Nicci with all of her clothes off and this...

Nicci has been a little devil lately, so this cute little Daddy-Daughter moment really melted my heart. I love them.

BFF

I came downstairs this morning to find this:

Nicci had poured her cereal and was reading Bella a story. (out of a cookbook) When i asked her, "Nicci, what are you doing?" She responded with, "Taking care of my best friend mommy." I almost cried.

They Say "Brunette's Have More Fun"...

so i thought i'd give it a try!

"Mommy Wow! I'm a Big Kid Now!"

Around the Ras household these days, two major accomplishments have been made that i feel worthy of mentioning. The first one being: our adorable Nicci is finally potty trained!! She loves her "pee pee in the potty dance" and had only 3 accidents during her 'training period', you might call it. Seth woke up one day and said, "No more diapers! You're a big girl now." I wondered if she was ready but he insisted that she was, and he couldn't have been more right! We are SO proud of her and her determination to learn! Congrats Nicci!!

The second thing has to do with me. :) Many of you know i quit my job at Outback. It was one of the best decisions i have ever made. Lately i have really embraced being a wife and mother and know that that's the most important thing in my life now, and forever...and i want to be good at it! I want to raise Heavenly Father's children to be the best they can be and to support my husband in every way...including yes, even the bane of my existence, cooking. So today, March 8 2009, i made dinner, on my own, for my family for the first time in almost 4 years of marriage. It was the most incredible feeling...the food ended up cold and it didn't look too appetizing, but it was made with love and the two most beautiful people in my life were so grateful and supportive. Some people would probably be embarrassed to admit the first time they had ever cooked for their family was almost 4 years into their marriage, but i'm not. I've fought it for so long, and now as i've made the small decision to cook for my family i've been blessed with the strength to learn how to cook and enjoy it. I'm going to fail sometimes in the cooking area, i know that. But i know i wont fail in helping my family come closer together and making my husband smile with each and every meal. :) It will only make me stronger, my family happier, and in the end, someday, i'll know how to cook and be good at it! I've watched my mother cook meals for my dad almost all my life, and when i hear my dad talk about how special something as simple as dinner was to him, and see the joy it brought my mom just by serving my father and her children every day and night with simple meals, it makes me want to give my family the love and unity she provided me with while growing up. So i'm doing it. I'm cooking meals for my lovely family everyday, and i'm so excited to do so! Nothing is more gratifying than seeing the smiles on their faces...and knowing that i helped put them there. :)

Mac n Cheese, Broccoli, Carrots, and Grilled Cheese sandwiches with marinara sauce. (Nicci calls them 'Pizza Sandwhichs') It's a start!!
The two beautiful people who make my world go round.

Heart Day.

Just a Sneak Peak. More cute Vday pictures to come...

All Grown Up

Nicci had her teeth cleaned for the first time today! Our baby is growing up...

Shake-a-Shake-a-SHAKE-A

Very early in the morning...

Nicci- (screaming), "Shake-a Shake-a Shake-AHH...!"

Seth- (irritated), "Nicci, you don't even know what those are...they're for babies."

Nicci- (confident), "No Daddy, they're Maracas! Shake-a Daddy Shake!"

We laughed for at least 5 min.

Pretty Little Princess

Have you ever seen such a beautiful little girl?

Nope. You haven't :)

Nicci-Longstockings

I'm fully aware i have a little bit of catching up to do but this is SO cute and SO funny that i had to post this. Seth and i were hanging out with some friends and it was time for Nicci to go to bed so we told her to go upstairs and get her pajamas on. Almost a half hour later we realized she had never come back down, so we went upstairs... and found this. She was in our bed, with my socks on, her shirt on backwards, and a clean diaper underneath her. We win the parents of the year award.

We have one very amazing kid.

If i Was Stephanie Meyers...

i'd be furious. Either my hopes were too high or Twilight, the movie, was really just that pathetic. I'm very upset. I spent hours bawling and delving into the character's souls while reading the book...and then i spent 2 hours of my life laughing hysterically while trying to find romance within the movie. What were those producers thinking?! I want my money back.

What Makes The World Go Round

This is what gets me out of bed every day...what makes me smile...what keeps me breathing.