Week in review

This past week has been a crazy one! I went to Utah for the weekend without the girls, and it was wonderful! I had the opportunity to meet my cousin Jen's precious little baby girl Addison. Addison was born with Down Syndrome, and their family has been through so much. It has been so inspiring to watch Jen and Darren and the path that the Lord has taken them on to be prepared for Addison. The Lord's hands are truly in everything, and their story is amazing! We all know that this sweet spirit was meant to come to this family. I was just in awe when I held this precious bundle of peace and joy...I have never felt a spirit so strong and so close to our Heavenly Father!
While I was in Utah, my awesome parents and Marci and Julio took good care of the girls. They went to a Halloween party and carved pumpkins. Thanks you guys! I couldn't do it without you!
When I came home I was out with a migraine for 2 days (no fun!) and then went to get flu shots with the girls! Wahoo!

Katelyn pretending to be pregnant with a balloon, with Marci!

Today was Katelyn's preschool Halloween party and they did a cute performance for us! This little clip is the only part that worked out, and it's still a little dark, but it was adorable! I got all sentimental since this was Katelyn's first performance! And she was so proud to show me what she had learned!

Katelyn and her friend Colten

Day of Firsts

Yesterday I took Katelyn to get her first pedicure with me. I can't believe she actually sat still! She was terrified to move and was scared of the lady giving it, so she was real good! But 30 seconds after we get into the car she says, "Mom, look!" She had already scrapped the polish off! Oh, that girl! Oh, well at least we had fun doing it! Katelyn is getting so much easier to take out and run errands with...I never thought that day would ever come! If it's just her and I she does really well. She loves going places with me and has become my partner in crime!Yesterday Taylor got her first bee sting! We were outside and she just started screaming this awful scream. I ran over to her and she was holding a bee. She had picked it up and was playing with it, when it stung her thumb. She looked at me with such a shock and disappointed look on her face, as if she was saying, "I just wanted to play with it, why would it do this to me!?" After pulling that sucker out, her thumb turned into a balloon, but luckily the swelling went down. That poor girl cried for about an hour! Ouch!

Halloween Girls

Halloween Girls!

Today the girls got a Halloween package from Grandma Olsen...Katelyn was SO excited to get a package and to see all the stuff she got! Taylor loved the two stuffed animals and carried both of them all day today! Thank you Grandma for always thinking of the girls and for the sweet package!

Day of Reflection

I am having a long day of reflection today, and feel like I need to write down some thoughts for myself. It's amazing to see how much has changed and how far I have come in the last year. On this day a year ago, Greg and I separated and this year has been the hardest of my life. I have never said much and have kept most things to myself, but feel the need to get some things out....now that I am in such a happier place. Plus I would like to have some thoughts for my girls.

I can't believe I made it through this last year with a brand new baby and 2 year old. I know that if it wasn't for my mother and sister I would be lost and wouldn't have made it. But more importantly, I know that if it wasn't for my Heavenly Father, that I would have been lost in my sorrows and despair. It's hard to explain, but I know that the Lord GAVE me gifts of strength and peace. It wasn't like I figured it out on my own and overcame it on my own. It was like he literally lifted me up and gave me these tangible gifts of the spirit. People ask me how I did it, and it was because of Him...and because of these two precious spirits he entrusted me with. Their smiles, and strong spirits give me happiness everyday. I had a very spiritual experience with Taylor's birth, and it was like the Lord handed me this precious gift of JOY and PEACE.
I am so grateful for the Lord, for the gospel and for my testimony. I feel that I have come out of this a completely different person, and a much more grounded and spiritual person. I am thankful for the refiner's fire that I have been through and thankful for the lessons that I have learned. I know that because I was completely stripped down and at my "bottom point", that I was able to learn what it meant to truly depend on the Lord and the Savior. I will always be grateful for that.
I am looking forward to my future and looking forward to what the Lord has in store for me. I still have my hard times and the pain comes and goes, but I am so happy and so grateful for the blessings that I do have. Being a single mother is the hardest thing ever, but I know I can do it. I have such an amazing bond with my girls and know that the three of us were meant to be together.
Also, thank you to all of my friends and family who have been there for me and have given me so much support and strength!

Crazy weekend!

I had an amazing and fun filled weekend, and now I am suffering from only getting 3 hours of sleep 4 nights in a row! I will be going to sleep as soon as the girls do! Some activities include going to Disneyland, a UCLA game, the beach, dinner several times, Hollywood and the Pumpkin Patch! Here are a few pictures of the girls...

Taylor could have chased the seagulls all day!

Katelyn has become such a poser!Lombardi RanchIsn't this face hilarious!?