♥

today i am thankful for 

my wonderful husband.

We celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary this week.

Life is fuller, richer & more beautiful because I am loved by him.

.

"..today i love you more than i loved you yesterday,

but tomorrow i will love you even more than i do today..."

~Bethany

Celebration

Last week my mother, Melba, gave thanks for her 50th year of life.

Saturday evening, Nicholas & I hosted our first dinner party in honor of her. 

We were joined by a few very dear friends and family.

But rewind a bit. . .

I spent the whole month planning because I 

L-O-V-E 

LOVE 

l o v e 

birthdays! 

Any and all birthdays. I decided there was no reason this couldn't be my mom's best birthday yet. So I took a little of this and a little of that, borrowed dishes and tables and chairs and mason jars and buttons...

I printed up my mom's favorite poems and quotes from her favorite books and authors. I sneaked old photos from my parent's house, and even found my mom's old yearbook from her senior year at bible college from w a y back in the day. :)

Then I sewed, ironed, glued, snipped, folded, tied, pinned, spray-painted, decoupaged, hung, strung, arranged, cooked, cleaned, baked, frosted, brewed, chopped, mixed, etc. . .

And in the end, it was a perfect (if I do say so, myself).

See for yourself.

.

.

.

Parents

Yearbook.

I used this, along with other photos, in a special slideshow. Gold star to anyone who can tell me which small child is my momma :)

Our family (minus Nessa & Lucas)

Here's to the next 50, Momma :)

May they be even fuller and richer than the first.

♥ Bethany

Oliver is 10.

Look out, world

I am 10 months old.

& I strongly dislike to wear shoes.

 My little shadow, full of wonder,

toddling unsteadily behind me, the mother.

One chubby hand clings to my stable knee

The other outstretched toward danger, joy, 

unknown objects waiting to be discovered.

He gazes up at my faces, little back arched and head tilted back

to look upon my towering frame.

He cries, "ba-ba, da-da, ma-ma-ma!"

Loudly he shouts these sounds, simple linguistics

True language he has not yet learned

But he understands when we say, "No."

His little personality bursts from behind 

his laugh, his copper curls, 

his twinkling eyes the color of the seas.

He wreaks havoc, yet longs for attention, affection, approval,

a simple smile from "ma-ma" and "da-da"

And his tears, laughter and curiosity

his gleeful squeals as he kicks his little legs

his frustrated tears and exhausted wails

All these emotions and characteristics

 are wrapped in a tiny little individual

wobbling on two chubby legs,

arms reaching for my love.

He is my sun.

I am simple a moon in his orbit

reflecting his joy.

~Bethany

Baby+1 More Month=9

Facts:

1. Oliver walks now.

2. Oliver likes dogs.

3. Oliver currently has 3 teeth.

4. Oliver's hair is beginning to resemble a mullet when wet.

5. Oliver's middle name, Aiden, means "little fire." 

6. Oliver is fascinated by electronic devices.

7. Oliver-bites can make an adult scream. 

8. Oliver says "Mama" when he wants to be picked up. But he refuses to say it on command.

9. Oliver is 9 months old.

These Mommy Days…

I haven’t blogged in a while…

Lately Oliver & I have spent a lot more time playing, and less time being productive. So far, neither of us mind a bit that we get very little done on the days we spend together. I am preserving memories of him, these days.

Oliver is now eight months old, but I think he believes that he is much older. I am terrified that any day he will let go of the couch and walk without holding on to anything. Sometimes our house gets very quiet and when I find Oliver, he is standing on tip-toe against the television stand or the fireplace or the couch reaching for something dangerous or off-limits to him. When I say to him, “Oliver, what do you think you are doing??” He shoots me a silly grin, displaying his two teeth or waves at me.

Hand-waving is a recent discovery. Oliver recently learned how to wave and now he waves constantly: when he is happy, when he is trying to get my attention, when he is looking at his own reflection, when he is trying to get daddy’s attention, but of course not when he ask him to wave. When he does wave, though, it is heart-melting.

Oliver reminds me of my own carefree childhood. We play together and I sing songs to him, and sometimes we dance. And Oliver laughs.

These days, a two-and-a-half-foot little boy with chestnut curls and blue-green eyes fills our world with life and so much love.

~Beth

Advent

And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."

Luke 2: 10-12

Christmas  (ˈkrɪsməs)
— n
1.	a. the annual commemoration by Christians of the birth ofJesus  Christ on Dec 25
	b. Also called: Christmas Day  Dec 25, observed as a day of  secular celebrations when gifts and greetings are exchanged
	c. ( as modifier ): Christmas celebrations

This Christmas reminded me of how blessed I am.

Our Christmas season was filled with family and friends and joy and laughter and peace.

My sister Vanessa and brother in law Lucas travelled from Texas to visit the week before Christmas. Oliver was thrilled to finally meet them, and we had such a wonderful time visiting with them. They arrived in California on a Thursday and headed up to South Lake Tahoe with my parents and little brother. I was able to take Saturday off from work and Nicholas & I drove up with Oliver and Auntie Toya. We spent Saturday and Sunday enjoying the beautiful scenery and catching up with my sister. We enjoyed an early Christmas dinner with Vanessa & Lucas before they left.

I had to work Christmas Eve, but I got home in time to go to my parent's home to open gifts with my sister Toya, and enjoy delicious tamales. Nick's parents and sister Vicki also were able to join us. 

Nicholas & I spent Christmas morning with Oliver, trying to persuade him to unwrap his gifts. He pulled toys and books from his stocking but was less interested in unwrapping gifts. Instead, he entertained himself with the empty boxes. We also read the Christmas Story to him out of Luke chapter 2. He felt like he should talk too while I read so he helped out in his own baby language. 

We also spent time with both our families and Oliver played with his cousins from out of town. 

We received many beautiful gifts but even more special was the time we were able to spend with our loved ones. I was overwhelmed by all the gifts and love that our families showered on us and on Oliver. We felt incredibly blessed and thankful that we were able to spend such an important day with people who mean so much to us. 

Christmas reminds me of the wonderful gift that Christ gave to us: His birth as a human child, so that he could live and die for us as our Savior and in doing so, give us the greatest gift of all, eternal life with him.

I was reminded of the amazing love us Christ throughout this holiday season. 

Knowing this amazing story and knowing that Christ lives in my heart and is with me always gives me such joy and Christmas is such a beautiful day to share that story with our son and our family. 

I pray that you would feel this joy, and share it with those around you, too. 

Merry Christmas. Feliz Navidad. Buon Natale.

P. S. here are a few photos from our Christmas Season....

seven months later..

Look who turned 7 months old, today:

Oliver Aiden.

Each new day, Oliver grows a little more

and learns something new.

He learned to crawl this past month.

Almost immediately after that, he figured out how to stand up 

by holding on to stationary objects 

such as the couch, mommy or daddy's legs, chairs, tables, etc. 

Look out, world, little elf is on the move.

"Please be content with crawling for a little longer, " 

I silently beg my rapidly growing baby.

The muscles in my arms have strengthened from carrying him.

Even so, I still need a rest from time to time,

reminding me that the infant we brought home seven months ago

is fast approaching toddlerhood. 

I love every minute I spend watching this amazing little miracle of human life.

We play games now, 

Oliver & I.

As he sits in his highchair watching me wash the dishes or cook dinner.

He stares at me until I notice him and smile.

Instantly a huge smiles spreads across his face

and he gives me one of his fantastic baby laughs.

I dance for him, he giggles and waves his arms.

I try to feed him applesauce on a spoon.

Sometimes he loves it, 

more times he dramatically makes gagging sounds 

and spits it out. 

He shakes his head back and forth 

and repeats baby sounds over and over again.

I say them back to him and he laughs gleefully. 

And he drives me absolutely insane.

This is a thing he L-O-V-E, loves to do.

He crawls to the brick fireplace and stands against it, 

wobbling dangerously on his little toes.

I rush over and pull him away, bribing him with toys, books,

blocking his way with pillows.

Oliver scales the pillows and is back at the fireplace the minute I turn my back, 

all the while smiling his sweet little prankster smile.

And all the emotions Oliver brings me are insignificant compared to this 

overwhelming love that I feel for him, 

my baby boy.

I pray that God gives you many more days and months and years of life,

so I can watch you grow and learn and become who God created you to be.

For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.

Psalm 71:5 ESV

pondering.

"Life 

doesn't have

 to be 

P E R F E C T 

to be 

wonderful."

-Annette Funicello

Grammie-Day

Last year on Nicholas's mother's birthday, we surprised her with the exciting news that we were expecting a little one. One year later, Oliver celebrated with his Grammie on her birthday.

We shared dinner, conversation & laughter, a game of marbles, and yummy cake.

Happy Birthday Grammie-MOM-Diana Sellai :)

& in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. 

-Abraham Lincoln

another chapter..

When I was 4 years old, my family moved to the Central San Joaquin Valley from Gilroy, California. 

It was a big move. We had no family or friends here. 

But we began attending a little church shortly after our move and Toya & I immediately became friends with a crazy little girl named Larissa. She was fun and silly and she loved to play dress up just like my sisters & me. 

We quickly became best friends.

Our moms homeschooled us together, Larissa's mom taught us to sew, we had thousands of play dates, swim parties, even a super secret club. shhhhh :)

We experienced life together. 

Over the past 20 years, we've changed and grown and developed different interests, but we've managed to stay good friends.

& today, I will watch my dear friend marry her soulmate. 

Congratulations, Larissa.

May your life with Brandon be filled with joy, laughter & bliss...

and may the next years of our friendship be even better than the first 20. 

~Bethany

one year (and a few weeks) ago...

On March 27, Nicholas & I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. (I know this is a bit overdue but better late than never, right?) It was a beautiful spring afternoon in downtown Fresno, the day we said our vows. Surrounded by a few of our closest family and friends, we pledged the rest of our lives to each other; our hands clasped tightly together taking in the solemnity of our actions. Our joy overflowed that day and I will never forget it.

A year later, we spent our anniversary weekend reminiscing over our first year together as husband & wife. A year may not seem very long; a mere three hundred and sixty five days. Yet, I feel like we've grown so much this first year, both emotionally and spiritually. We've learned much about each other, yet I know we still have so much more to learn. We look forward to all that God has in store for us in the next days and months and years of our lives. 

One year ago, I married my best friend....

And now, I can't imagine life without him. 

"Grow old with me,

the best is yet to be."

-Robert Browning

roadtrip recap.

Last week Nicholas & I, along with Mom, Dad, Toya & Reuben, visited our family in Texas and Oklahoma. We got to hang out with my sisters and their families. From my nephew Cruz's 2nd birthday party, to The Alamo, to shopping at the fabulous La Cantera, to Dad getting crazy betting on some horse races, we had a blast. I thought I'd illustrate our joyous visit with a few snapshots. Enjoy!

~Bethany.

Our beautiful family. (minus one)

Cruz loved the racehorses (:

We told him not to let go but apparently the electric shock was too much for him to handle. 

Lunch at SaltGrass Steakhouse. yummm.

Lucas & Nessa.

The colors of the Riverwalk.

Ness & Toya.

Nick found a Buffalo in Oklahoma.