Summer in North Country...

They say you can take the girl out of Florida, but you cant take the FLORIDA out of the girl.  Our first summer in Minnesota has been a little bit cooler than expected. Temperature wise. I cant remember a time when Florida had a 57 degrees day in June! Then turn around and have a 93. Talk about crazy. One thing i love is consistency, and thats something you lose with weather in a state not surrounded by water. Water helps stabilize temperatures and weather patterns, just in case you were wondering! Gotta show off that biology degree when i can!

We went to our first Farmer's Market early June. Its a little different than the ones we went to in Florida, but still fun to go out and se. They had a lot more danishes, breads, and treats tables than fruits and veggies, but i think that is because their summer hasnt started yet.

The weather is beginning to stay warm, but its definitely a different kind of heat than what i am used to. Humidity.... not here! It can be 75 outside but then a wind comes  that makes it feel 60! A little dramatic, but i have never gotten so many goose bumps while in the sun.

We finally got our bike attachment set up so Leila and I can go on bike rides. I AM SO EXCITED!! Its something we can do outside, its active, and we can explore new parks and the bike trail. We went to the park on the North Dakota side of town.  Leila did great for the first time in a new contraption. We brought all of our essentials. The classic quilt, toys, snacks, and the CAMERA!! And its a good thing, she has started to do a twist dance. Its the cutest ever. I attached some pictures from our adventure at the bottom.


Speaking of Leila and her new advancements....She is growing up too fast. She is 10 months, well i guess 10.5 months now. Yea im one of those moms. She is a great eater. She eats prety much everything i cook. Last night we had some chicken and esparagus and she ate it all! I am really thankful of all the books and magazines i read when she was little about expanding her palate, because she eats all her veggies and fruits and meats. I am blessed that is for sure. She has been having a little hesitation to dairy, so we have cut it out a little, but making up for the nutrients other places. Truth be told she even loves peas! Not mashed up like "baby" food, but the real thing. Her Favorites are eggs and bananas in the morning, Plum organic fruit pouches, chicken, watermelon, and gosh you name it she loves it. Strawberries are in season up here now so she is back on her berry kick. And if you put a blueberry near her face its gone!!

She is almost walking. which is ok with me. Take your time. I love that she is mobile and i wont lie i was excited when she started crawling even though i knew it was going to require a lot more work. So i am happy she is mobile but am totally okay with her walking a little later. Less for me to baby proof up here. She has recently found the stairs and likes going up them. She has figured how to get down from the bed and couch. She swings her legs down first and cautiously propels down. Now Brian and I are always there watching but she has some kahunas. She is a dare devil.


This weekend is going to be a BIG EVENT! One that we dont have to leave town for. My MOM IS COMING TO US!! And Leila is going to get Baptized. So that calls for a big party with Brian's Family and of course my mom! If you are reading this and live in the EGF area or would like to attend her baptism and party, email me. I dont have everyones number or address, so its word of mouth from me! We would love everyone to be there, The more the merrier. So i will be driving to Fargo saturday morning to pick up the best Cita ever. It has been tough being away from my family this long, so I am so excited to see her! I am excited to show her everything up here and for everyone to meet the woman who raised me, also an amazing person! lol

Thats all i can think of right now for life's adventures. I feel another bike ride coming today which is going to be fun! Some sun, fun, and time with my Leila!!

Leila the Explorer

Talking away about our Adventures

Pure Sweetness Captured

I dont think its possible to get any cuter...
She is my doll!

After drinking water Leila likes to blow Raspberries!

Celebrating the Fourth in the city of Rock and Roll... Memphis, TN

For the Fourth of July, our company Family Heritage, had its mid year meeting in Memphis, TN, home of Graceland, Elvis, and The Peabody Hotel. If you have never heard of the Peabody hotel, it is famous for the ducks. There is a huge fountain the main lobby and at 10am and 4pm the ducks waddle from the elevator down a red carpet and climb the couple of stairs and hop into the fountain. It brings people from everywhere to see this. I am talking there was like 10 people deep no matter where you went on the main floor and upstairs. It was crazy. Even on a Tuesday at 10... dont people have jobs. lol. Well, Leila was excited to see the ducks. She thought they were pretty cool. Brian, Leila, Carla (Brian's mom), and I were already for a busy weekend full of fun.

Saturday night was dinner and drinks at Alfredo's. The food was good and the drinks were great! It was outside and i wont lie i was loving the heat. You know you have been out of Florida too long when you long for heat and humidity!

Sunday was really special and we got to take a tour of St. Judes Childrens hospital. In case you dont know, its one if not the best cancer hospitals for children. The people we met were great and the facility is completely geared for children and keeping their spirits high. There was a wall of the ABC's of Cancer, where each letter was written by a different child. Here are a few, some are funny, but they all show the childrens fight.

The Hospital's budget is 1.7 million dollars a day! A day! Thats amazing. That money goes towards research for better and more accurate treatments, housing the children AND their families, paying for their transportation, schooling the children, and even providing therapy or guidance for all the family members. Its an amazing thing that they do. I applaud all of the staff and research specialist that are working with these children for a better tomorrow.






After the tour, we all went to a baseball game. The rocky redbirds may be the name... i dont know. I spent more time hanging out with some friends i havent seen in years. There was a minor rain shower, but it cooled the temperature down and made for a great game! Leila spilled two beers, but atleast she was keeping up. lol JUST KIDDING!

Monday was the 4th. A day which is normally filled with fireworks, hot dogs, hamburgers, watermelon, maybe some coleslaw if you like, and a softball tournament that we had arranged. A little competition between the different organizations. The weather was sunny and hott, so we were sure to pack extra water. But then at 5am, Leila woke up coughing. I rushed to her bed thinking maybe she woke up and put something in her mouth, but to my surprise she was puking. She has never done that before. I was worried, so i scooped her up, but she fell right asleep. For the next 3 hours every 20 minutes, Leila would wake up puke and go back to sleep. I called our pediatrician back in FL after a couple hours and asked what she should because i was nervous of her dehydrating. They said if there is a 30 minute span where she doesnt puke, give her 2 teaspoons of pedialite every 5 minutes. During that phone call leila got sick again. I was not about to chance it, especially since we had been in the heat the day before. So Carla and I took Leila to the ER.

I felt so helpless. Here she is sick, puking up nothing because its all out but her body is heaving. Almost brings me to tears again. The Doc says its a stomach bug and that she will give her some anti nausea and some pedialite. Small doses of course. A stomach bug, like they could be more vague. How did she get it? Possibly from the ducks at the hotel? is it contagious? What can i do to help it go away? all these questions but she was outta there. For the rest of the day we took it easy. Leila napped good, and i was right there in case anything were to happen. When she woke up, it was as if she was never sick. Her mood was drastically different and enthusiasm was at an all time high. She was ready to play. We still took it easy.

That night at dinner, she had had some formula and out of nowhere she got sick again.

The next day was our national meeting. So i only got to see Leila at lunch and right before getting ready for Graceland! Brian and I had already gone, but it was going to be fun to attend the sock hop at the Kings Palace. Then things took a turn for the worst. Brian and I both got sick. At least it was on the Kings Throne... sorry i had to throw in some potty humor!! Needless to say We went straight home. I may or may not have puked in front of the VP of our company in the Lobby! Nice one Malia!  All i have to say is that was the worst pain Brian and I have been in in our entire lives. I would have given birth 5 more times than go through what we did again. I will digress with the details but just know it was bad.

Our next day was a trip planned to see my host Family in Jackson. We were moving a bit slower than usual, but we got there and were able to hang out and visit with our amazing friends. Leila really like Pat and Sid. We will have to come back when we are feeling better for sure.















Thursday we flew out of memphis, not a day later, we were ready to be back in our beds, which wasn't going to happen for another 4 days, but at least get us away from memphis! We had a lot of fun while it lasted. The airplanes had downgraded the plane to a sardine can and lucky for us we were the second to last row. YAY! 30 minutes into Leila pukes all down Brian's shirt. The nice flight attendant then took the next 10-15 minutes to flirt and get drinks for the men behind us. I was about to throw some bows. While Brian was washing up, Leila then continued to projectile vomit on me and the seat next to me. Now you know i normally have Leila in a cute outfit especially on vacations, but she landed in Minneapolis wrapped in a red delta blanket and shoes! Just the perfect way to end the perfect vacation!!

So that was how we celebrated our country's independence. I hope you all had better holiday weekends. At least we got to spend the time together. What doesnt kill us makes us stronger?


I will also try to update on life in MN soon... Ta ta for now!!

Our Tour of South Dakota

So life has been a roller coaster. Literally up and downs. I feel like a start every blog like this, but life does not seem to be slowing down. Life in Minnesota has been going great. I like where we are working and loving where we are living. Brian's family is super awesome.

Two weeks ago we started a journey that was going to last thousands of miles and through many states. First we left and worked in Iowa for a couple days, then headed over to Rapid City. In case you are wondering thats on the west side of South Dakota, 50 miles from Wyoming. About a 7 1/5 hour drive! yay! Leila loves driving!  That night we went to a pre-wedding dinner for Katie Anderson, now Hunter. It was so great to see everyone and meet new people.

We then flew out the next morning at 7 for Georgia to attend Todd and Nancy's wedding. We had an extra surprise,  my mom drove 8 hours north to come see us! YAY! 3 weeks seemed like half a year! It was great to spend some time with both my friends, who i havent seen some since b4 i was pregnant, and my mom! The wedding was perfect! Beautiful reception and a happenin' dance floor! It was especially great to dance it up with my best friends!

It was a quick weekend, then a "short" flight back to South Dakota. Monday morning we had a busy day planned. Started at Julie, Mary, and Katie's Dad, Bruce, house. He has a sweet log house that he has remodeled and expanded. Then we stopped by where Katie had her wedding. Beautiful location. Our next stop was the Winery! I was excited. Julie works there and offered some great tips to buying a couple bottles... like i needed persuasion. We bought a couple and I have definitely enjoyed some so far!

We filled our day with touristy events like Crazy horse and Mount Rushmore. Took lots of pics! Then Brian made the suggestion that we should take Old Tyme Pictures. I thought that was a great idea! So we did... and right before the rain came!

As of Leila and her advancement... she has been learning by leaps and bounds. "Top 99th percentile you know!" She stands up by herself quite frequently and if you hold her hands, she will walk as far as you can go. She is super close to walking. We have our phones out to records almost always.

Brian and I started making the noise with our mouth and finger that goes POP... well leila tries to mimic us and puts her finger in her mouth and pulls it out to make her own noise. Cutest thing ever. She is more and more aware of everything and not only what you say but how you say it. She understands when Brian says no, doesnt mean she listens!!

We have another big week for work this week and then off to the twin cities, then Memphis! I have a feeling life is going to stay this way...

Thankful Thursday

Ever since I have gone back to work leaving Leila has been tough. Some days are better than others. But today instead of dwelling on the time we spend apart, I am thankful of the time we have together.

This morning was one spectacular moment. Leila was mimicking the kissing noise and made the cutest face. Her whole mouth turned inward to make the squeaking part of the smooch. I have tried to get a picture of it, but it comes and goes too fast. And makes my heart melt.

She has been a lot more talkative this last week and standing up by herself for 30-40 seconds at a time. She is so close to walking its not funny. I am tempted to take the next week off just to be there for the first steps! lol.

Today I picked up Leila around 7:45 and she was in the best mood. So happy and playful. We also had a great bath time while learning our letters and numbers. Its these moments that make life wonderful. If only there were more hours in the day to play!

Here is a picture of Leila standing at Mount Rushmore!! She is also exploring pine needles and dirt!! Looks like a future Scientist!! :)

Summer time in Minnesota...

So i am a little behind, but i am trying to keep up. Life has been a whirlwind. So i will try to catch you up... in a nut shell!

Sunday, May 22, Brian, Leila, and I and a bunch of our work friends participated in the "Get your Rear in Gear" 5k run. It was "fun." LOL. The weather was less than favorable. It was kind of cold and rainy, so Brian ended up taking Leila back to the car to stay dry! yea and it also got him out of running. It was fun to get together for a good cause.  That was at 8 in the morning and by 2 I was on a flight to Dallas for a week of sales training.









The week away from both of my babies was tough. I would be lying if i said i didnt cry. I know one thing for sure, I will never do that again! Or atleast for a long time.

Memorial Day weekend was great! We didnt do much of anything except move in and spend time with Family. Brian did a couple rounds of golf, but other than that, it was relaxing!

Today was my first day ON THE JOB! lol. It could have started off better, but Leila decided to have a scream fest at 2am. It was a long hour, because we could not figure out what was the matter. After an hour she just wore herself out and fell asleep. So the morning was slow but I followed this great guy. Works hard, recruits hard, and has a great smile. Oh did i mention i worked with Brian! :) Tomorrow is my first day by myself and I am excited! I am working in the little town of Warren, MN. If you look on the map, you wont find it! lol Wish me luck I will try and update you on my progress soon!

As far as the separation anxiety, I am doing ok. This morning I was ok dropping her off at Grandma Carla's, because i was able to stay and hang out for an hour then leave for the day. When i stopped back by on our way out to work to drop off her sippy cup and heard her crying, it pulled at the heart strings. Part of me wanted to go in and pick her up and rock her to sleep, and the other part of me was already inside with her! :) People keep telling me it is going to get better, but i dont understand how that is possible. When i am not with her, there is a void. But i am trying to thicken my skin and get thru this. One day at a time.

Oh and I forgot to mention, Leila learned how to wave last weekend. It is the cutest thing ever. She even said Bye, not sure if she meant it, but it sounded like it!

Life in the Fast Lane...

So it has been a little while since I have updated Life with Leila, but man there has been a lot going on. The last time I posted we were planning to go to Tarpon Springs with our favorite play dates, Emma and Brett. And we had fun. Not only did we get to see some cool new fish and animals, Leila went on her first bounce house. She loved it!

Sister from another Mister, Hannah!

Cita with her little angel

Yay for Friends and Family

This last week has been very busy. Last saturday was our going away party. And i thank everyone for coming and celebrating with us! I will me you guys so much! Special Thanks to my Aunt Neenee and Mamacita! They are the best!

Lauren and Mallory

The next day was our big family photo shoot on Hillsboro River. It turned out great! Leila brought her A-game and was an angel to work with! We just looked through our shots yesterday and we got some good ones! Cant wait for the canvas's to be done and delivered! They will be a great addition to the house.

Sunday night we went to game night at Jess and Brian's house. A play date for both adults and babies. It was a blast. We played Scattergories, which turned out to be hilarious!

Tuesday was our last night in florida and so of course we had another small get together of friends and Family! Shout out to Jessica for being the best mom and friend! Thanks for coming over and "sipping" some wine!

Wednesday morning was my BIG test day, and after all that wine, man was i feeling excited to take it! lol. But against all odds, I passed! with a 92 (wink wink)! I then drove home, finished packing up the car, then we took off to Nashville, Our midway point to Minnesota.

The drive was one for the books. Somewhere around hour 18 we realized we had wax spilling down our back seat. Talk about a fun ride after that. We some how made it through the 26 hours, but Leila made it an adventurous trip as well. Thanks to my mom for getting us the dvd player for the car. I always said I would never sit Leila in front of a tv screen, but it was a savior in the car.

Well it took 2 days, but we are here in Minnesota! We had some great friends over today for a welcoming party. As you can tell we find any excuse to have a party! pictures will be posted soon...dont worry! Tomorrow is our 5k and I am really excited. I hope it doesnt rain. I also leave for Dallas tomorrow for a week. A WHOLE WEEK. AWAY FROM MY BABY! I am not sure how i am going to deal. I would love some ideas to keep my mind off it. I have a feeling a good cry is in order! lol

Here are some adorable pics of our friends and family!

                                                                         !Enjoy!

9 month check up at 8 1/2 months...

Leila is so advanced she even gets to have her check ups early... lol! Today we went for her 9 month well visit. We scheduled it early because we will be in Minnesota for her actual 9 month bday! It was a great visit. Leila's head measured in at 42.5 cm around, 18lbs and 10 oz., and 28 inches long. That puts her in the 60% for height, looks like Leila got my height genes, and 50% for weight. She is lower in weight for a couple reasons. First, it is still 2 weeks away from her 9 month mark, and breast-fed babies tend to bulk up, aka get super healthy rolls, then slim down when they become more active (And boy is she active). She is still eating great and growing like a weed.

At 9 months the doctors test for Tuberculosis and prick their finger to check their blood. One test is for led because babies tend to put EVERYTHING in their mouths, so they want to make sure that their led is low. Which Leila's is. Her lymph-cells were higher than usual, which means she could be fighting off an infection or just getting over one. But the doctor said since she has not had a fever it will be gone soon. She also had to get a shot, to get us on schedule with the rest. Leila was a trooper with the tuberculosis "shot". She didnt flinch. The prick to the finger was a bit worse, she didnt like it when they were squeezing it to get more blood to come out. The last shot was as bad as the ear cleaning. Man she does not like that. She has been holding her hands in fists ever since the doctors, doesnt want to take any chances. lol.

When it comes to development, she is right on track, if not ahead :) She is picking up small items, like cheerios, and talking and even drinking from her sippy cup. I am in love with her new noises and laughs. We spend a lot of time laughing. And our new daily routine is dance time. We crank up the tunes and dance like no one is watching!! She even bounces to the music.

We "invested" in some new Baby Einstein. My first Signs and Baby Noah. Love them both. I try to do the signs for each word when I use it, like mommy and daddy. And Baby Noah teaches a little of the bibles and also takes you around the world and shows which animals live where. You know me and animals.

Speaking of Animals, we are going to our 3rd aquarium tomorrow with our play date pals, Brett and Emma and Jessica of course! So excited. Only one more aquarium to go to before we leave Florida. The clearwater aquarium, with winter the dolphin that has a fake tail!

That is all for now. In case your keeping a record, we leave for minnesota in 2 weeks!