Merry Christmas to us!

Merry Christmas to us! Santa was so good to us this year:-). Malia got a slide from Santa and a kitchen from grandma Tommie! Grandma Tommie even stayed the night with us on Christmas Eve so that she could share in the excitement. You should have seen Malia's eyes light up when she came down the stairs at 5:30 a.m. No, this was not from the excitement of Christmas...that is the time she always wakes up.
Christmas Eve was great. We went to my aunt and uncles house to see everyone. When we were younger we would play football every year. Now, we just enjoy the company. I got to see a few of my cousins (there are nine of us) and spend some time with my cousin, Cory. He is Malia's godfather and one of my dearest friends. Christmas Eve is also the time that we fuss on Grandma. She is truly the reason our family is the way we are. Growing up, we went to her house every Sunday...my cousins are more like siblings because of this. Gotta love Granny.
Malia loved getting spoiled at the Grandmas' house. That is my mom and Michelle's house. We go there every Christmas and eat and get spoiled rotten. We have a Santa gift (uh...new golf shoes for the Quallses...score!) and stockings. It is really amazing to see because everyone has a stocking. We just love that Santa brings us all scratch tickets...I won over $60 this year!
My mom and I are like two peas in a pod. She gets me like noone else possibly could. How lucky am I?
Even my dad pops over to the Grandmas' for Christmas. If there ever was a 'right' way to be divorced...my parents have found it. They are still good friends after all these years. Also, they truly managed to put us kids first. I have so much respect. Christmas was such a blessing. Aaron and I do not really exchange gifts...we pick something we both really want and go for it. This year was ESPECIALLY good to us...we got a bedroom set and new cell phones. I am glad we got the same ones so that Aaron can figure them out and then explain it to me. I love my husband...he is truly the best gift of all.

We are blessed!

What an amazing family we have! I feel so lucky to be surrounded by such an amazingly close family. We try to golf on Sundays as a family (we sometimes have up to 12 people!) and the ladies love to golf together.

My brother is one of my very best friends and I feel lucky to say that. He and my sisinlaw are raising two amazing girls. Malia adores her cousins! Last night we got to have the girls stay the night and we enjoyed taking them to Zoolights...what an experience! The girls loved it and we loved having them!

Malia is so much fun!!!

Malia is such a hoot to be around. She is so fascinated with the world that you cannot help but take a fresh look yourself. This year she is so into everything around her!! She was impressed by the snow and has taken quite an interest in the stairs (much to our stress!!!). Life is such a pleasure looking through her eyes.

Besito Xolo

Well...it has been a while since people have gotten a photo of our four-legged family members. Maybe that is the reason I have already received numerous comments about Pizca and Chiapa. I think that people forgot that they are Mexican Hairless (the technical name is Besito Xolocuintle's or Besito Xolo). I thought I would put the website of where we got Pizca and Chiapa. They are amazing dogs that adore kids. Our dogs are slightly domesticated and so they are not the finely tuned muscle machines that they are supposed to be (okay...they are overweight!!!) These dogs actually come in three different "sizes"...small, medium, and large. We have the "mediums." We adore them and Malia does, too. I think the website is under construction but may have some information if you are curious. Much love!! The website is: www.xolo.com

Malia and Santa!

Malia met Santa today. She did not seem that impressed...she liked the tree behind him more. I tried to explain to her that someday he would be a big deal...she wasn't buying it. Life is good but busy. Malia is such a joy to be around. We cannot wait for Christmas...Malia will really get a kick out of it this year.

Our growing girl!

Malia is such a joy. She is at such a great age. She amuses Aaron and I daily. Her new thing is to say no and shake her head at the same time. Very cute...for now. She also has discovered the art of dancing. She likes to bounce up and down and wave her hands...ahhhhhh adorable. She loves singing...just like mommy! Malia does not want to sit still for pictures so we usually just get action shots. She is amazing.

I was driving to work today and I happened to catch Aaron and my wedding song. It is weird because I hardly ever hear it (It is Thank God I Found You) but a few lines caught my attention and made me think hard. They are...I had to endure the rain to appreciate... the gift of what we have...and I'd go through it all over again, to be able to feel this way. It made me truly think that God has a plan...and it made me appreciate Malia and Aaron all the more. Much love to all.

Baby Dos...we love you.

I have to be honest. I have dreaded doing this post. I sit here and am filled with sadness. But part of me feels that I can't hide from it forever. As many of you know, I lost Baby Dos. Last Wed. (Nov. 14th) I went in for my regular check up and my midwife could not find a heartbeat. One minute we were talking about where I wanted to deliver my baby...the next I had an emergency ultrasound scheduled. The sonographer had to come back from home...as you can imagine it was the longest hour and a half of my life. The worst part was that Aaron was out of town at a shoot in Vancouver...he had no idea of what was going on. Finally, they did an internal ultrasound and confirmed my worst nightmare. There was no heartbeat. I was bawling when the technician came to tell me that my mom was there. I thought she was crazy because my mom was at work and didn't even know anything was wrong. But I shouldn't have underestimated the bond between mother and child. She DID know something was wrong...and she knew she had to get to me. It was an amazing moment in my life and I was never so glad to see her. We went back to my midwife and I was given two options...wait for a miscarriage (it could take up to two weeks) and would feel like labor or get a DNC. Frankly, both options were awful but I ended up getting a DNC on Friday. The nurses and doctors were amazing. They snuck my family back with me in the waiting area and let me cry on their shoulders. When I woke up from the surgery, I kept asking for my baby and the nurse cried with me. Aaron, my mom, and Missy came back and spent time with me in recovery before I was released. Afterward I had the hardest time with little things, like cutting off my medical bracelet. Part of me felt like it was one of my last ties to my baby. Doesn't make any sense but it was how I felt.

I feel very blessed to have such loving family and friends. I go back and forth between despair and anger. It was horrible to take the baby counter off of the blog (the one that shows the baby growing) but it was even more awful to watch it continue on knowing that Baby Dos was not. I want to thank everyone for their love and support...especially Aaron. He is such a rock...and of course my baby girl. Malia keeps me smiling when all I want to do is cry. I am sure that this post is TMI...I tend to do that. BUT, it is something that I felt was very necessary for myself. Thanks for all of your support and love.

30...really?

Yes, the rumor is true. I am now 30. I want to say how thankful I am for such great friends and family. I received numerous phone calls and presents to celebrate my birthday. (Many I did not receive until I got back...Baby Dos enjoyed his or her first journey out of the country to Canada). I know how busy life is, and it really touched me that so many people took the time and effort to reach out. My grandma sent me a card that said she hated her 30th birthday but the next 54 never bothered her. That pretty much sums her up...gotta love her. But it got me to thinking about how I feel about breaking into a new decade. The truth is that I have no deep insights...I don't really feel different. I just thank God for all that I have been given.

What a great time we had in Canada. On Sat. my dad and stepmom made the trek. We had a great dinner (where is our water???) and breakfast the next day. They spoiled Aaron and I silly. The next day, it was round two! My brother, sister-in-law-, mom, and Michelle made the drive. When they got there, we had a drink at Doolin's Irish pub. Then we ventured to El Furniture Warehouse...the only Mexican food place that I have EVER been to where you can eat peanuts and throw them on the floor. That place was...unique. We went to Shenanigans and then finished the night with some drinking Jenga (Tumbling Towers I said!) and Apples to Apples. It was really great. Even the wait at the border was worth it. It meant so much to me that they made the journey. I will never forget it!!!

What in the world is going on with Baby Dos...

Your baby is now 5/8 of an inch long, about the size of a kidney bean. New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. His arms have lengthened, too, and his hands are now flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart. His knee joints have formed, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways.

8 Weeks!

Well...I guess everyone is right. With the second baby, you start showing MUCH sooner. I feel like I am about 4-5 months pregnant. It is probably not that bad...but it is MUCH more noticeable than it was with Malia. I always thought maybe it was just a myth, but in my case it is definitely true. Overall, I am feeling pretty darn good. As one student said, "Mrs. Qualls, you are much more mellow." I guess being pregnant agrees with me:-)

Happy Halloween

Malia's Halloween was a smash hit. We went trick or treating in Fircrest with my brother, sis in law, and the nieces. Malia was fascinated by Claudia's Dorothy dress...it was very sparkly! We pulled Malia in her wagon and she really enjoyed all of it. The fun was over when she started pulling candy out of her basket and sucking on it...mommy and daddy took her bucket away and she became an angry butterfly. Overall, good times. I can't wait until next year when I am one of the parents with the glass of wine or beer walking...my kind of trick or treating!

Baby Dos!

On October 5th, I came home from work feeling rather tired. As I walked into the house, I had superhuman smell. I could smell the Draino in the bathroom (upstairs), the stain on the deck...I knew there was only one other time in my life that I could smell like that. I went upstairs and took a pregnancy test. Malia and I brought it downstairs to daddy to let him in on the good (but surprising) news. After a doctors visit, an ultrasound, another nurses visit...we have a due date! Baby Dos (as we are affectionately calling him or her) is due to enrich our lives on June 12th. I am officially 7 weeks and busting at the seams to tell everyone. I told my students and they are VERY excited. They would like to help us choose a girls name (still undecided on that). If it is a boy his name will be Ramsey. Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers. We look forward to this journey as a family.

What a Wonderful World!

Our life is amazing! We have been married since June 29th, 2002 and love spending time together. We have many things that we love to do, but our first passion would be golf. We have been golfing together since February 2005. We also love spending time with family and friends. Aaron and I are blessed to have a beautiful daughter. Malia was born on September 9th, 2006. She was 11 days overdue...came after 23 hours of labor, 2 failed epidurals, fever...well you get the idea. She was born at exactly 9:00am with an emergency C-section. It was quite an emotional ride...but well worth it.