Things you'll never see Lisa in again

Okay, so Liz wanted me to post some of my old "looks" on here after my "tagged" post when I made a huge list of things I'll never wear again. So far all these pictures are just me at about 19 and 20 years old going through my many phases...I've misplaced my "ugly kid" photos, but when I find them I'll update this post and add them. In this slideshow you'll see wigs, crazy outfits, some outfits I don't wear anymore cause I'm endowed, and blond hair and bright colors. I can't believe I was brave enough to go out in public that way...

Tongue tied no more

It amazes me how much Crystal really soaks in, even though I don't realize it. We were at the pharmacy yesterday and there were several Sesame Street finger puppets on one shelf. She was able to identify every character that was on display. Everytime she was asked "where's Elmo, Grover, Zoe, Bigbird, Ernie," etc. she would easily point out every character. Then we found some stuffed animals on display and she made the animal sounds for every animal we picked up. I didn't know she new how to make the "baa" sound for the sheep or the "moo" for the cow. I would always tell her what they said, but out of nowhere she was saying it like she'd been saying it for weeks. Her tongue is loosening up more and more and as she's able to point to things and say what they are, it amazes me how much she really knows. This morning she asked me to get her ball, and she'd never said the word ball before. I was holding her on my lap this afternoon and she was pointing to the designs on my shirt and babbling while I was watching TV. Then I listened and could hear her saying, "one, two, three..." (she was trying to count the designs on my shirt.) I didn't know she could do that either. Again, I would always count things for her, but didn't know she could ever repeat it back untill lately when out of nowhere, she's just decided to talk. There are a bunch of other things she's started saying too, but I'm tired and I can't name them all off the top of my head. Sorry (: Anyway, up untill lately, she's always been my little "mute", who would make gestures to show you what she wanted, but couldn't say any words. We were told that it was normal, since we speak to her in two different languages, and that it was taking her longer to speak because she had more to learn. It just makes me pretty happy that out of nowhere she's just saying words I never knew she could say, and lots of them. It's nice when I see things that I work on starting to pay off.

Here are some short clips to show you that we're still enjoying her cuteness...

Man Vs. Wild!

Anybody who likes the discovery channel knows what the show "Man Vs. Wild" is, and if you don't, you should.
Scott and Lisa are die hard fans of the show, (which will have ALL NEW episodes starting June 15th). The star of the show, whose name is Bear Grylls, IS the new Steve Irwin. (In Scott's opinion, he's even better than Steve). I know this may sound pretty nerdy to some of you, but please bear with us and hear us out...
Bear Grylls is a modern day Hero. He is like Samson in the bible. He is seriously one of the coolest people on the planet right now. He's a Karate black belt. He was in the British air force for 3 years. He broke his back in 3 places in a parachuting accident during that time, and recovered...(this was before he climbed mt. everest). He is in the Guiness book of world records as the youngest man to climb mount everest at 23 years old. He lead an expedition of a small team across the atlantic ocean in a small inflatable boat. He was the first man to fly a powered paraglider above everest. He is a motivational speaker, and travels all over the world to do so. Basically, this dude is freaking awesome in every way. He is a born surviver, and a classic example of how to overcome opposition.
In Man Vs. Wild, he purposely gets stranded in popular vacation sites where tourists and hikers have been lost and even died simply because they didn't know how to survive. He teaches survival skills in every possible circumstance you can imagine. This is worth watching simply because people really do find themselves in these situations. Every show starts by him getting dropped out of an airplaine. He parachutes out not knowing where he will be dropped off and stranded next, and the only things he takes with him are his pocketknife, and canteen, and SOMEtimes his flint...but no more than those three things. He shows his viewers how to survive, and not only that, but how to find civilization from wherever he's stranded. Each episode ends when he finds his way back to civilization. We're telling you, this is one of the best shows on television! Not only that, but it's useful and helpful. Over and over again people die because they're stranded somewhere and don't have the means to survive, like that poor family last winter where the car broke down and the husband went for help and died..and the family was rescued without him. This show teaches viewers the things they need to know to avoid such tragedy in their own lives if they find themselves in such a situation. He teaches you what to eat, where to sleep, how to build a shelter, and even teaches about the most extreme situations by demonstration including escaping quicksand, what to do if you fall through a frozen lake, navigating dangerous jungle rivers in Costa Rica, crossing ravines, being stranded on a desert island, navigating your way by watching the stars, basically being lost or in trouble in anyway you can imagine. He demonstrates every possible option so that whatever the circumstance, you know your options on how to survive. We've loved this first season so far and are so excited to see the new episodes on June 15th. Anyway we highly reccomend the show to anyone who's never seen it. All the previous episodes are airing again starting tonight all the way untill the fifteenth, and all the new episodes air on friday nights at seven, on the discovery channel. Scott and Lisa use the Tivo to record all the episodes since friday nights can usually be pretty busy. Either way, its worth your time...it's great because what stunt men do in the movies, this guy will do in real life.

Here is a small montage of what he does on his show:

Cute Face

This is Crystal's new pouting face. We were waiting in the lounge at the doctors office today and she was bored. She came up to me and made this pose, and when I said
"say cheese" she said "no," and continued to stare at me with this look on her face.

Lisa's been Tagged!

Okay Liz, I looked on your blog and you tagged me (: how fun! So I am answering your questions and I'm also going to tag some of my other blogger friends who may be reading this so I can see their responses...I'm tagging (in no particular order):
Paula
Erin
Ramsey
Natalie
If you don't want to do it or think it's dumb, that's okay...but if you do, than just copy and paste the questions and answer them in your own blog post:
1. What were you doing ten years ago?
Well...at seventeen there's not THAT much to do...I was a junior in high school and all that mattered in the world was school and friends...and a certain athlete who's name I will not post because some embarrassing "things" should stay in the past. Hahaha! I helped direct and also performed in the high school fashion show that year...yes folks, sadly enough I was on the fashion team. lol. I also remember having said "I wish I could be seventeen forever...I don't ever want to grow up or my life to change." My father, to whom I said this to, told me that I'd change my mind someday, and boy was he right. I wasn't an idiot, but I was a teenager. Enough said.

2.What were you doing one year ago?

Learning how to live with a 5 month old. That was also the time I decided I was sick of our tiny appartment and we found the condo we live in now. Moving stunk, but it was really nice to be in a bigger place. Beyond that, I can't remember much.

3.Five Snacks You Enjoy:
Hmmm...I usually don't snack unless I skip a meal for some reason, but let me think...
-I love grapefruits...I peel them and eat them like oranges. It may gross some of
you out, but it's pure enjoyment for me.
-pamagranates.....totally spelled wrong I'm sure. I like them because they take me so long to eat and I like to eat them when I'm watching TV, it makes the show/move more enjoyable.
-Salt and Vinegar chips
-Corn nuts
-A really good piece of chocolate

4.Five Songs You Know All The Words To
-"Come on Eileen" (as sung by Save Ferris)
-"Calling all cars" by senses fail
-Almost any song by maroon 5
-"All the same" by sick puppies
-"Curse of Curves" by Cute Is What We Aim For
I just scrolled through my MP3 player and picked the first five songs I sing along to without skipping words. I love music; as a matter of fact I'm addicted to it, and it's the easiest way for me to memorize anything...(by adding music.)

5.Five Things You Would Do If You Were A Millionaire:
-Buy multiple homes in all the places I want to live or visit frequently
-Set up college and mission funds for all my kids
-Invest in some really good stock
-Set up an "Emergency" account in case I somehow lost the bulk of my money
-Buy cool toys (cars, boats, 4wheelers, jet skis, snowmobiles, etc.)

6.Five Bad Habits:
-I get grumpy when I'm hungry or tired
-I bite my nails
-I have a tendency hold off on doing laundry until I absolutely have to do it
-I stay up too late
-Not all the music I listen to is exactly wholesome

7.Five Things You Like Doing:
-Blogging
-Going on dates with Scott
-Playing with Crystal
-Almost anything I can do outside...(hiking, walking, fishing, camping etc.)
-kicking back and relaxing on the couch with a good movie

8.Five Things You Would Never Wear Again:
-The series of leather pants I used to wear when I went dancing as a twenty year old.
I had black ones, red ones, even silver colored ones. I'm not proud of this.
-The "Men" shirts that I made with Lisa F, Janalee, Natalie, and Happy. They said "Men" on the front, and on the back they said "They draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me" I guess we were all a little bitter. lol. Once
again, I was twenty years old. I retired mine after my mission.
-I'm just going to include the rest of my dancing/party clothes when I was twenty...(it was a phase). These things include the sparkly shirts, the glitter makeup, THE FAMOUS PINK WIG, and all the other crazy stuff I used to wear with my girlfriends when we went dancing. Although we had a blast, those days are long gone.
-Flannel shirts with baggy jeans that were oh so popular in the early 90's
-I went through a 70's phase for a while, and I wore vests, bellbottoms, platforms,
etc. Yeah, I don't think I'll ever do that again. I think I was 17 at the time,
and some of the style from the seventies was making a small comeback where I lived...
also, this isn't an article of clothing, but I had blue stripes in my hair when I
graduated high school, and then I bleached them blonde for the summer. Then I dyed
all my hair blonde until I was 20. I will never be blonde again...or put stripes
in my hair for that matter.

9.Five Favorite Toys:
-Computer
-Digital Camera
-Plasma T.V.
-MP3 player...yes I know the ipod is the thing but I love my MP3 player more than any
ipod
-Treadmill
Okay so there you go...thanks for tagging me Liz, I loved reading yours and as many of you know, I enjoy doing these things. I hope I'll see these questions on some of the blogs of the girls I tagged, if not all of you. (:

Loving our toddler

Life with our little toddler is never dull. It's it's fun to watch her discover the world. It's fun to watch her sense of humor which is already extremely apparent at only a year and a half. It's fun to see how happy she is just because she's alive, (wouldn't it be great if all adults were like that). It's fun to watch her express herself and her feelings. It's fun just because we love her so much. When she acts silly and makes us laugh, it's the best. She makes us so happy; why wouldn't anyone want something so precious in their life as a child? Anyway here are a few pictures of why it's so fun to be a parent.

Cute complaining

Crystal's at the stage where she babbles nonstop, but what's funny about it is that she thinks she's saying something. In this video she was frustrated with me and started complaining, and even though you can't understand any words, you can totally tell the feelings she's trying to express by her tone of voice and facial expressions.

for kicks and giggles

Okay I started out by putting these on the side bar, but I don't think I want them there permanantly, so now I'm sticking them on as a post...they made us laugh pretty hard, they're obviously not that accurate, it depends on the angle, facial expresion etc. of the photo, and depending on the photo one of us would pop up as a different gender (one time crystal was a little Chinese man), lol. but it's just for fun.

http://www.myheritage.com

http://www.myheritage.com

http://www.myheritage.com

Headbanging to sesame street

Crystal can't hold still when there's music she likes on (like her mom)...even when she's stuck in her playpen, she'll move to the music from there.

Mothers Day

Here's a picture of my sister Denise, My mom, and me that we took last Sunday for Mother's day.. It was a good mothers day, we ate roasted duck for dinner with Asian noodles, Ceasar salad and baked potatoes. Being a mother has made me appreciate my mom all the more. I can't believe what a strong person she is; and how much I could learn from her example. Anyway it was mostly a day for relaxing and good food, which in itself is a great mothers day gift. Crystal wasn't available for the picture, but I'm also posting these pictures of her at the bottom. Just in time for mothers day she's learned the art of scribbling on paper; and chairs and walls and herself among other things, but it was really cute to watch how excited she would get just by learning something new. I guess that's the mother's day gift that keeps on giving.
Crystals First Picture!! Awwwwww.....how sweet! *sniff, sniff*

Naptime Wars

Lately Crystal refuses to take her afternoon nap. Is this a phase? Usually she pouts and whines a litte when she doesn't like something and it's over, but lately shes extremely ademate about naptime...it's as if she feels she's being punished by it. After her lunchtime the other day I proceeded to tell her once again that it was naptime and she flat out yelled "no!" and shook her head. I thought it was funny. I asked her why and she pointed to the fridge and said "mas?" which means "more" in spanish...she was asking for more food. I ignored it and figued she was just stalling, but in the process of trying to remove her from her highchair, she threw a tantrum. I figured maybe she really was hungry so I put a little more food on her tray, and after putting 2 pieces of food in her mouth she was out cold. As funny as this was, I don't know if I'm just going to have to fight her everyday to make her take a nap or if this will pass...I'll guess I'll have to wait and see. Any of you moms who have experienced this and figured out a soloution feel free to comment. (:

Kissy kissy

Crystal likes to give us kisses all the time...if we're out of reach she'll kiss us on the knee from where she is, but she's a very affectonate and cuddly girl. We have seen her kiss her stuffed animals, and she has also asked us to kiss her stuffed animals at bedtime. She's even made two stuffed animals kiss eachother as well! Anyway today she grabbed one of her rubber ducks and went up to our wedding pictures on the table and pretended her duck was kissing our pictures. It amazes us that a 16 month old can already have that much to their imagination. She cracks us up when we see into her world sometimes.

May 2007

We can't believe that April has com and gone so quickly, and now it's already the cinco de mayo!!! (:
April was full of get togethers for Lisa, including her cousin Alessandra's wedding shower, her friend and ex mission comp, Ramsey's baby shower, her friend Robyn's wedding, and her other cousin Adam's wedding.
Scott was also busy all month dealing with finals (along with working fulltime,) and is happy to say that he passed all of his classes so we're all the more closer to his graduation which will hopefully happen in the next 6 months or so.
One little thing is that Lisa's had a relapse in her abdominal pain, and it turns out that instead of it being an ab muscle that they thought Lisa tore, it looks like a problem in her digestive system. (The only reason they thought it was the muscle at first was because she fell that day...but that apparently had nothing to do with it.)We're currently seeing a specialist who says he can fix the problem and we'll see how it goes. In the meantime she's being really careful of what she eats, mostly liquids and fresh fruits and vegetables.
Crystal has been battling a little cold, along with two new teeth coming in, so she's been kind of a whiner lately, which we guess is understandable, but still no fun. Luckily she's usually comforted with some kind of stuffed animal. She LOVES stuffed animals...her favorite is a little stuffed easter duck with rabbit ears...why it has rabbit ears we don't wanna know. Anyway at the bottom of this we'll attach a clip of how happy she gets when we offer it to her.
Lisa is going to start taking time to care for a 2 month old little girl, who belongs to a fellow co-worker of Scott, while she's at home with Crystal. She's looking forward to this, since it will give her more practice at being a mom and give her a taste of what more than one child would be like.
Aside from that, nothing too new. Scott is enjoying his short break from school and we're watching alot of PTI, the NBA playoffs, and the Office these days at home. We also went to see Spiderman 3 this afternoon (on opening day) and enjoyed it very much. All in all, this summer is off to a good start.