HUNTER IS A DAD.

HUNTER IS A DAD.

To Hunter:

Happy Father's Day, babe. 

Your patience, expertise, attention and love for Henry astound me. 

You know exactly what to do.

You know exactly what he needs.

You are patient with every part of him. 

Henry will grow up happy, healthy and full of the Spirit because of you.

I love you!

-Natalie

 Hugging at the Gilbert Temple grounds:

Staring into each other's eyes playing "tongue tag".

Every night. EVERY night before bed Hunter and Henry cuddle and talk until Henry is sleepy.

Sometimes it's five minutes sometimes it's twenty or more. 

As I walk by Henry's dark room, I can hear Hunter talking and singing to him.

It is one of the most reverent and sacred times in our home.

Just some general cuddles:

Let's Love

It's terrible how long I've gone without posting.....

Enough of that.

It's Valentine's Day!  

And yes it is a joke of a totally commercialized-over-dramatized-consumer day.  But who cares?- get over it!

When you're in love- you can't have enough days to celebrate it.

And if you're not in a romantic relationship- there's still plenty of people in your life to love and that love you!   

My Valentine- my sweet Hunter- is everything I'd always wished I'd get in a husband/ valentine.  

He takes out the trash.  

He goes to the Temple.

He let's me whine (a little).

He tells me to stop whining.

He works hard.

He values education.

He has lots and lots of faith. 

He knows things will work out. 

He dances.

He loves food.

He loves music.

He likes to shop.

He travels.

He let's me decorate the house. 

We're going to eat out tonight- which is not unusual for a weeknight around here.  But we're going a little upscale and I get to wear heels.  So I'm stoked.  

We will exchange simple gifts and thoughtful love letters.  

And Hunter got us tickets to see Phoenix (the band) in April!!  Woot woot.  

So happy v-day to all of you readers (all six of you) and to my Romeo- Hunter!  

Tips for Getting To Christmas In Peace

This year my pre-Christmas life has been most awesome and calm and enjoyable.  As I've been mentally just reviewing some of the steps I've taken and goals I've followed through with to get to this point- I thought I'd share.  I'm sure many people have these same ideas or even better ones.  But I want to remember this for next year and probably add on to it every year:

How to Get to Christmas in Peace:

1.  Keep the kitchen clean.
This has not always happened, but as I've kept dishes done and counters clean, projects and baking and cooking haven't been as stressful.  Projects take a lot less time as I don't have to first clean up before I start.  It also feels really good to wake up or come home to a clean kitchen.  I don't feel like I have as much to do.

2.  Wrap presents as you buy them.
It really works.  I know it's difficult at times, but I at least kept up on it.  Every few days I'd wrap for 30 minutes or so.  Put on some Christmas music or a movie.  I gathered all the stuff - gift wrap, tape, extra tape for when that other tape runs out, two pairs of scissors, ribbon, tags, tissue paper- all of it so I didn't have to keep stopping and getting up to get more supplies.   Wrap as you go.  This is age old advice but it really keeps the burden down.

3. Shop online or pre-shop online.
I love shopping.  So much.  I actually like crowds and busy-ness.  But the problems for me at Christmas time is 1.-availability of merchandise and 2. time itself.  So like everyone says- go out early.  Which I have always done, but this year I added a lot more shopping online and pre-shopping online.  So when it came time to actually go purchase gifts- I knew what I wanted.  So my time in the stores was not frustrating, but productive.   If I didn't know what to get my Mom- I browsed amazon.com for some time snuggled on the couch or when I had a minute at work.  Then when I found what I knew would work- I took myself to the mall to pick it up!  So I get my "reality" shopping in while not having to wander around and get nothing done.  Or I just bought it online.  Amazon is AMAZING.

4. Limit your self to certain tasks per day or certain hours per day
This one was huge this year.  I usually try to cram in as much every day as possible and then still feel like I got nothing done because my lists were still full of things I wanted to do or I didn't finish all my projects for the day..  So I kept telling myself "just do this one thing today and see how it gets done completely".  Or "today I'm only going to shop for one hour and then go home". Or "today I need a nap".   And I was okay with that.  

5. Go to an extra school music concert
As a choir teacher I'm surrounded by Christmas music all the time.  Every year I have two concerts with my students and I always count those as my Christmas concert attendance.  Honestly, Natalie?  Being in charge of a concert of 110 junior high singers is not exactly the most peaceful event.  Haha.  So this year Hunter and I made it a point to get to an extra concert where I was not in charge and we got to sit in the audience and just partake.  I loved it.  And it actually made me reflect on my singers and how well they're doing and it got me excited about what I learned and how I can help my singers improve.  And of course it gave us some quiet time to feel Christmas.

6. Read all the scriptures under "Jesus Christ" for scripture study this month.
Seriously.  This one is awesome.  There are a ton of scriptures about the Savior- obviously.  But I've been going through each heading- "Jesus Christ, Advocate", "Jesus Christ, Birth of"...etc.   It really helps me keep Jesus in every day.  I am touched and amazed as I connect different ideas to one another and feel of HIS love.

7. Enlist help
Our small family includes me and Hunter for now.  Usually as I put up Christmas decorations or shop or cook or bake, I take control and want it all to be perfect.  This year I've allowed myself to let imperfections arise.  Hunter and I finally successfully decorated our Christmas tree without an argument; he has helped a ton with kitchen clean up, decorating and cooking.   And it really is better to do everything with him than on my own, right?  That just makes everything feel more cozy.

8. Do not listen to Christmas music all the time.
I don't know what is up in my OCD head but every year at Christmas I feel like I HAVE to listen to Christmas music all the time from Black Friday till Christmas.  I feel like I'm not truly "living in the season" or "getting the most out of Christmas" if I'm not tuned in to Jingle Bells, Feliz Navidad and the First Noel all the time.  I think "this is the only time of year I can listen to this stuff so I need to soak it all in".  Not this year.  Yes, most of my car drives and home tunes have been Christmas music- but I've taken the time to find my favorite albums and songs from years back.  It is so fun to listen to my favorite album from five years ago or a sweet playlist I forgot about.   Music is all about making you happy and giving you the "life is so good" feeling.  And when I finally realized that Christmas music for 5 weeks straight wasn't going to do that for me- I felt quite a bit more merrier.


That's all for now.  If I think of more I'll edit them in.

Busy-ness

This week was cra-zay.  

Now I know there are certain things no one wants to hear anyone complain about.  

1. The weather- no one is controlling this and everyone around you has to deal with it too- chill out. 

2. The traffic- Again, everyone has to deal with it. 

3. Your weight- Do something about it or shut up. 

4. How tired you are- Sleep more. 

5. How busy you are- You are as busy as you want to be. 

I love these "no complaining" rules.  I think they also apply to lame small talk subjects- but whatever.

Today I will choose to break rule #5.

We are TOO BUSY!

Haha- but really....

It's actually kinda fun to have racing weeks where it seems you fly from one event or task to the next. To feel needed.

And worth it.

To give service.

And work.

And play!

My calendars are chock full of stuff.  

October gave me one free day here it looks like......

And November offers me a whopping SIX DAYS! Wooo Hoo!!  

Hahahahaha.

Life is good! 

But man- it's BUSY!

Busy-ness I'm looking forward to:

- Show with the Olivers

- Getting my carpets cleaned!

- Ben's blessing

-Running a 3K (haha, yes a 3K) with my students

-Family Birthdays

-Auntie Toni's Birthday Party!! woot woot! 

-Stake Conference

-Holiday Boutiques

-Mom's Birthday

-Pie making party

- Thanksgiving!

- BLACK FRIDAY (embarrassingly my favorite day of the year...)

-Garner kids Christmas picture

-School field trips

-A Christmas Carol at Hale Theatre

Another Halloween

We were happy to host another year of our ward's trunk or treat.  

It's a lot of work.  

But it always turns out fabulous with EVERYONE'S help.  

Hunter and I are nothing more than master delegators.  

I'm all into balloons this year. 

There's quite a hype amongst our ward as they prepare for our costumes each year.  Last year it was actually announced from the pulpit: "Our ward trunk or treat is coming up and if you come only to see what the Garners will dress up as it will be worth it."  

I about died. 

Hunter was the Grinch this year.  He's been planning it since last year.  He's wearing a full green body suit that we glued white cotton spider webs to and then spray painted green.  

But his face completes it. 

I joined him as Martha May Whovier.   Eh.   

People really didn't know who I was.  And I understood.  It was a stretch.  But I loved wearing Christmas garb.  And yes, Kaci, that is the green dress from your wedding folded over into a skirt.

Night #2 Hunter and I toned down a bit.  Mostly because we used all the green paint and makeup we had.  

We were Pinterest and Facebook.  

(I have safety pins all over my sweater and Hunter has "book" written on his face.)

Sadly, on the actually 31st- Hunter has class till late at night.  Fortunately though- it is his surgical technics class where he will be re-arranging rats.  

Sounds very appropriate for Halloween if you ask me. 

So I'll be joining friends for some trick or treating and neighborhood halloween par-tays. 

75 degrees and counting

Anxiously Awaiting Autumn (aka how to fake Fall in Arizona) 

Burn a pumpkin candle  

Turn the AC colder

Start baking

Make a Christmas list

Take pictures/ post about it being 75 degrees at 7am

Ignore the fact that it's still 106 degrees at 4pm

Sign up for a Turkey Trot

Shop online for Holiday decorations (too hot to go shopping)

Polish your nails with Fall colors

Make hot cocoa.  (then put it in the fridge for two hours and drink chocolate milk)

Prep for your Halloween costume(s)

What really happened on the Fourth this year

Hunter and I are patriotic people.  And we are party people.  The Fourth is seriously one of our favorite days.  Yet, in this busy busy, fun FUN Summer we've had- we missed the fact that we hadn't planned any parties or get togethers for Independence Day.

Without a barbecue, swimming or family time- Hunter and I still believe that we paid tribute to our Land of the Free with some time together.

We first hung our Flag on the house and said the Pledge of Allegiance.  It was cloudy and unexpectedly cool for July in AZ, but we know that means nothing to us natives.  We took advantage of the cool clouds and did yard work.  Um, correct me if I'm wrong but I believe yard work is TOTALLY American- taking care of your property that is rightfully owned.  Classic, right?

Then it started to rain.

Then it started to pour.

And we just kept working!  It was awesome.

We took Old Glory inside for respect.  Showered up and did some shopping in bulk- another attribute of Americans.

I also took a cool down in the freezer.  

We went home fired up our toaster oven and had a delicious meal of taquitos and corn dogs while we watched The Sandlot.  I love that movie.  It is Summer all compact into one movie.  

I especially love the part where they play Baseball on the Fourth of July while fireworks are shooting all around them and Ray Charles is singing America the Beautiful.  

Speaking of beautiful spacious skies- we drove by the Gilbert Temple on our way to watch fireworks at the Gilbert Soccer Complex.  And look!  How gorgeous!  It was one of those times where I just knew no camera could catch how stunning this looked.  Because of the rain in the morning it was now a perfectly clear and crisp sunset with creamy blue skies throwing their light on the white Temple.  

The soccer complex was a great place to be for fireworks.  It's out in south Gilbert where it's all still fields with an occasional school or hospital going up.  So there's no obstructing views in any direction for miles and miles!  

Hunter and I plopped down with our lawn chairs and some snacks.  

The sunset was amazing.

The weather was also MIRACULOUS.  And I do not use that word lightly.  I have NEVER ever experienced a Summer day in Arizona- let alone a Holiday- where the evening temperatures are below like 89 degrees!  And I kid you not- it was about 77 when we left our car to walk to the soccer field.  And that was BEFORE the sunset.  Another blessing from that rain!  

I was just so happy.  

Hunter got a snow cone. 

Anyways- it got dark, fireworks were awesome.  I LOVE fireworks.  And it was cool to see all the shows in the valley off in the distance.  

And we all know photos of fireworks just are never the same as really being there.  So I made sure I was enjoying really being there and kept my camera in my pocket and my hand in Hunter's.  

We spent the last few hours of the Holiday at the Garner's having deviled eggs and homemade ice cream.   Happy Fourth!  

Love the one your with

I don't think I've ever celebrated V-day as much as we did this year!

RS Cupcake wars:  I did make those chocolate hearts.  Thanks to Martha Stewart's tutorial. 

All week we had fresh flowers and candles on the kitchen table.  It made each evening sweet.

Ok apparently now I'm writing below the photos.... Hunter surprised me on Valentine's EVE with these babies.  I love the different colors.   They bloomed minutes after I put them in water! 

The sweet man himself.  

Valentine's night Hunter made me a spectacular dinner- Grilled Peanut Butter Thai Chicken with Rice Pilaf.   Who is this guy?!  I also came home on my lunch break to find a list of 72 reasons why he loves me....  why 72?   That was my favorite gift. 

 I got him new Temple pants, a love note and a homemade Valentine's Word Search- he loves puzzles.  

This is a good early-year reminder to love the one your with.  I love him crazy.  And we will continue to cook up Valentine's LOVE all year round.  

There's no place like home

Yesterday morning my mom and I were texting about how much we like being at home.   It is such a blessing to love home- to be safe, comfortable, happy and productive in your home.  This time of year is just about the best for me.  I adore Christmas and all the late-year Holidays like Thanksgiving and the New Year, but when January comes there's just this freshness and cleanliness I feel.
Hunter's brother Nate and his wife Heidi and their three kids stayed with us for Christmas break.  I loved waking up and having kids in the house and busy-ness in the kitchen.  They are easy and fun house guests to have.
My family had a cozy Christmas Eve and Christmas morning together.  We ate lots of good food (as I know everyone does), opened charming presents (we are SO spoiled), and felt the Spirit at Church.  Christmas always makes me a little nervous though, because I have such high expectations and built up excitement.  It always turns out okay each year- different, but okay.  Visiting the Mesa Temple light display is my favorite Christmas tradition with my family.  I love them so much.
Christmas with the Garners was different this year- we didn't get to see all of Hunter's family until a few days ago.   Again, though, yummy food traditions, a well-thought out gift exchange and babies everywhere!  I love babies.
I  am grateful that Hunter and I live in the same place as all of our family.  Christmas at home is the best.  Our 8th annual Christmas Day-Night Hot Cocoa Party was one of the best we've ever had.  The turn out was exceptional- one of our highest attended ever!  The house was busy with friends and family.  We had ward members come for the first time this year.  And different groups of friends seemed to come at the right time so that everyone knew people to talk to, but met new friends as well!  We couldn't have planned that part.  I made homemade marshmallows for the first time! I've been wanting to make them for seriously like 5 years now.  See the how to on my food blog soon.
When Christmas comes down, I have a ball.  I am a little OCD with organizing and cleanliness... so when Hunter and Nate and Heidi left for the day without me, I was in heaven.  I organized all the boxes, had them ready to go in the atttic, dusted, re-decorated all the shelves and nooks in our house, vacuumed, washed the bathrooms and kitchen.  Then the real fun began- I started going through our closet and the living areas of the house.  I have a record 6 bags/ boxes of donations to charity!  I know everyone boasts about their accomplishments online, but I really will say, that I am good at cleaning and organizing.  I have fun (I know I'm psycho) when I clean or go through a stack of papers and throw most of it away.  Really, my favorite file is the trash.  Hunter and I are human though, and sometimes our house gets dusty, bathrooms get grimey, dishes don't get done for days etc.  But truly, I love fixing up the house.
And so this week as Nate and his family have left and I go back to work on Thursday- I'm soaking up these three full days at home.  Here are some items on my list:
-throw away old magazines
-go through recipes and throw unused ones away
- choose new recipes I want to try this month
- file important documents from the last few months
- gather tax items
- spray paint an old frame (I hate DIY so this is the hardest thing on my list)
-bake some Texas sheet cake to use up all the leftover buttermilk from Christmas baking and cooking
-go to the doctor and get an update on how to get this baby making business rolling.
-delete facebook account
-spend many hours on pinterest with no regrets
-read magazines
-clean out fridge (maybe)
-make lists

There's no place like home!

Also- Jenny always puts this kind of stuff at the bottom of her posts and I love it.   So I'm totally copying her- colored titles and all.

Listening to: Phoenix's album- Alphabetical... not as good as Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, but still groovy.
Drinking: Decadent Ghiradelli's Hazelnut hot cocoa mix that Hunter got me for Christmas.
Wearing: pajamas
Anxious: about school starting.... I honestly am okay with it because this year has been so fabulous.  But at the same time I relish my days at home!  (Obviously, see above post.)  This month will seem very relaxed compared to December.
Excited about: the Color run.  A lot of the Garners are running the 5k color run on January 28th...  This is my first race EVER and honestly, I am NO runner, but I've been training a little and will train a lot more when school starts and I can get on the free treadmills in the weight rooms after school.  Apparently in the color run- every kilometer you pass- you get sprayed with color.  That's my main motive behind this.