Vrajich Family

Giveaways!

2012-01-19T09:54:00.001-08:00

Check out awomanwholived.com for some giveaways and a really honest post about how I feel today (which is not great).

Good News and Bad News

2012-01-05T14:33:00.000-08:00

The good news for anyone who might be interested in our growing family is that we will be updating this more often. Also, that our family is growing! We are having another baby in September! The bad news is that it won't be here on this site! Well, that isn't really bad news. It will be at

awomanwholived.com

Please go subscribe there so you can find me in your "reader" every so often. I hope to have something useful/interesting at least weekly. Click subscribe so you won't miss the giveaways!

New Blog! SCARY!

2011-12-26T20:48:00.000-08:00

I am starting a new blog, and I am super scared. The main reason I am scared is that I love to look like I have everything together (to myself and to the world) and in fact I don't always. I have stupid, crazy, cranky, sad, angry, and unhappy days just like the next person. I am on a fairly unusual path with my husband to create an unusual life. I love, I laugh and I want to leave a legacy just like the next person. Come check out my new blog. I think you might like it. :) It will be a mixture of family, faith, inspiration, confession, and business. Also, I am doing some great giveaways in a few weeks. So subscribe so you don't miss out!

Finally, do you know of any very entrepreneurial dreamer types that happen to have blogs also? I am looking for some kindred spirits online and am having a hard time finding them. Any ideas?

Thanks!

Strangest. Christmas. Ever

2011-12-25T18:59:00.000-08:00

Strangest Christmas Ever. Sickness, colds, flus, far away from home, last minute shopping, no decorations except the tree, no Christmas events, no service to others, nothing pre-planned or slaved over, Peja so sick that he couldn’t even open presents (he asked to open them later when he felt better). Just not my usual Christmas!

I was feeling very alone, and sad, this morning. I went to Church with Ruth while everyone else stayed home and rested. As I partook of the bread and water in remembrance of my Savior , whose day this is, I was overcome with emotion. I cried, and cried, and cried. All I could think was of the blessed life I have been given. The rich and full life that mine is all year long. And although in that moment I was alone and sad, I knew that in reality I am never alone. I have my husband, my 2 lively children, siblings, parents, in-laws, grand parents, friends and just in general the ability to help and affect people. And most importantly, I remembered that I am never alone because I have HIM. I have the Savior of all mankind, who descended below all, and who knows how to succor all of my pains perfectly. I asked for forgiveness for being so selfish and thinking only of myself. I asked to remember always how blessed and full my life is, and I asked to feel His peace and spirit. Quickly I had a picture come to my head of our little Vrajich family (Ruth, Milan, Brane, Ilija, me, Peja and Sasha) caroling door to door tonight and asking the neighbors to join us. Then the neighbors grabbed their coats and said “yes!” let’s celebrate this beautiful Christmas day. Then we gathered around the community nativity scene, here in Crystal Lakes, in St. George, and sang Silent Night, Holy Night, All is Calm, All is Bright. I saw hearts who needed Christ turning to him, I saw lonely hearts filling with love and people, and I saw laughter, peace, smiles and tears. I saw a group of people, together worshiping the Savior.

I knew that I needed to do this. There were people that needed me, that were lonely tonight. So I resolved to listen, and make it happen. Well as I drove to a quick errand, I saw a few people along the road and asked them. They said, “that sounds lovely! I will see you there.” One of the ladies looked like she would cry and she called her mother as soon as I started to drive away to tell her how excited she was.

So I took care of my poor sick 4 year old, and my husband who began to come down with it too. I cooked dinner, cleaned up lots of Christmas messes, played with new toys and snuggled feverish bodies. Pretty soon it was 6:00 and I set out on my journey. My 18 month old and I started knocking on doors. “Do you want to come sing hymns with us by the nativity? I am gathering people from the community.” I asked with faith and excitement. I didn’t expect what I heard next, “no, it is too cold,” “no, I am not dressed right.” “no, we aren’t up to it,” “no, we are in the middle of dinner.” “no,” “no,” “no.” I got more and more discouraged, and pretty soon it was just me. Sasha and I went to one last house, and then we walked over to the nativity. It was one of those HUGE pretty white ones that has the palm leaf stable behind it, and landscape lights shining on it. As we walked toward it I started to cry. I was alone, still. I was trying to gather people so I wouldn’t feel alone, and so it would feel like Christmas, but here I was alone again. I just cried, and cried. And then I sang it, all by myself. I sang “Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright. Round yon virgin mother and child, holy infant so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace. Silent night, holy night, son of God, loves pure light. Radient beams from thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus Lord at thy birth, Jesus Lord at thy birth. ” Then I recognized it. This nativity had only Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus in a manger and a lamb. I thought that they might have been lonely that very important night. The little new family in the humble stable. Then I saw that baby, lying in the manger and I knew that they weren’t lonely. They had the precious son of GOD in their arms. They were not lonely, they were filled with love and the spirit, surrounded by angels, and I submit, even accompanied by Jesus’ Father - God himself. They were not alone. Then I walked to the side, and saw the stars and cried some more because I saw it. I saw a heart who needed Christ turning to him, I saw a lonely heart filling with love and angels, and I saw laughter, peace, smiles and tears. I saw a group of angels, me and Sasha together worshiping the Savior. It was everything I had pictured, just different. I realized that I could never really be alone, and my heart was so full.

This very different Christmas has been perfect. Because I have been so alone that I HAD to remember Christ. The Savior, whose day this is, has made this a perfect Christmas.

I love you. Merry Christmas.

Note: I didn't edit this, I am just journaling. So please excuse any spelling/grammar/sentence errors.

Katie and Ilija Update

2011-04-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

Life is so awesome these days!

Ilija is still finishing up his system for our elderly care facilities so that he can move to the next company. We hit a major breakthrough this week that came in the form of hiring his brother Milan. We have tried hiring administrative staff 4 different times and so far this one is working the best! So exciting! I think the main reason is that his system is to the point that he can actually pass it to someone else easier. All the other people we have hired have been very important for us in that moment, but this one is actually going to free him up for the next business. Wow, we have learned so much! Creating businesses is so awesome. He is also struggling through the process of learning how to balance family, church, work and self. I'm sure many men are struggling with this same thing. Men have a lot to take care of! I am so proud of him and his determination and stick-to-it-iveness. He is going to make it. For sure.

I am doing SO many cool things right now! The coolest of which is my Extraordinary Women Retreat coming up in May! I started a blog for it. It is ExtraordinaryWomenRetreat.blogspot.com. I have found my message, and it is all about inspiring women to be extraordinary! Extraordinary in their own self, their families, and their communities. I am so excited to party with all of these amazing women! I love inspiring women to purpose and greatness! I am also doing personal mentoring, and learning, learning, learning. Wow. I am becoming a better mother, better wife, happier self. This is so fun!

I play volleyball on the beach regularly, started yoga again and am getting so much better at cooking! This is so fun.

Some of Sasha's Favorite Things

2011-04-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

Peja. Sasha LOVES Peja. And doing model shots for me.

Eating.

Sorry for partial male nudity, but he LOVES taking baths! I love this round little boy.

Sleeping

Dada. That was his first word! He loves when Dada gets home.

Some of Peja's favorite things!

2011-04-08T13:13:00.001-07:00

Fire trucks, tractors etc. Anything that moves. He LOVES to drive them!

Dressing up. So cute, I love the different outfits that come out. One day he spent an entire day as "fireman Sam" and if I addressed him as Peja he would correct me. Cute little guy.

Work. He loves to do anything that Mom and Dad do. Love this laptop work. That is very common for Ilija and I these days.

Hannah. This is his best friend Hannah. They are so cute together! Sometimes they get a little crazy, and scream like banchees, but usually they play so well!

Family Photos - 6 months late!

2011-04-08T13:06:00.001-07:00

Who Are You NOT to be?

2010-11-06T22:18:00.000-07:00

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who are we to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Marienne Williamson

If there is anyone out there that is living beneath their potential, or not dreaming anymore, or feeling a little BLAH (or WAY blah), do something about that today! Life is so much more beautiful when we are progressing and being all that we can be. I'd love to help you. I am working on a coaching and mentoring business that I will tell you about later. But I'd love to talk to anyone that is interested. Leave a comment, or send me an email and I will get you started on this amazing journey.

Boy and dog

2010-08-11T09:02:00.000-07:00

Family/Maternity pictures.

2010-08-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks Nemiha! We love them!

More St. George

2010-08-11T07:21:00.000-07:00

There is so much fun kid stuff to do in St. George. There is this awesome little river thing and splash pad that Peja loves. There was a cute movie in the park night there also while we were there.

This temple is so special to us. When I was at BYU my first semester Ilija and I would meet in St. George and stay with his aunt. We would have long talks about life, relationship and the universe outside this temple. It is very inspiring.

St. George house

2010-08-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

We love sitting outside and watching golfers at the St. George house. It is so peaceful and beautiful there!

Lake Powell 2010

2010-07-30T15:58:00.000-07:00

We don't have a camera right now so I was reliant on my father in law's camera. We love Lake Powell so much. It was gorgeous, just like always. I didn't get much lake time in though. Me and the boys stuck pretty close to camp. Next year...

The Hallway In-between

2010-06-12T17:22:00.000-07:00

When one door closes another one always opens. TRUE, but you know what sucks? The hallway in between.

I started this post on 6/12/10 when Sasha was almost 6 weeks old and Ilija had held him/hung out with us maybe 5 times. It was a rough 6 weeks. Mainly because of our business, which was going crazy with employee problems. Since then it has improved dramatically, but is still not where we want it to be. About a year and a half ago we started working with the laws of thought and life has changed completely since then. We took a course called the Family Time and Money Freedom course and it was amazing. We feel so amazed and grateful every day for the money that has come and feel confident in being able to attract more, now we need to work on the family time part. I guess it is good to have something to work on. :)

Birthday pictures

2010-05-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

These pictures are backwards but I am too lazy to switch them around.

The crew at our little "birth"day party.

Peja watching the baby nurse for the first time.

Ilija had just helped me pull this baby into our arms. He is slightly purple...:)

This is blurry, but this was me pulling the baby out and into my arms.

Such a cool experience.

Thoughts from a first time home-birther

2010-05-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

I knew that I wanted an "intervention-free" birth because they are healthier for baby, for mom and have less chances of complications. So the only question was to try to brave it in the hospital or do it at home.

The main reason I decided to have a home birth...

I had to be in the hospital the entire labor with Peja and I hated it. Everything turned out fine with his birth, but I have never been happy with that birth experience. I hated having to have the IV thing in my arm, hated being strapped down to the chair every so often so they could monitor the baby (it was excruciating). I craved a tub, but didn't have one. Hated the cold, sterile environment and having to sneak food and drink because it was against hospital policy. I hated how the doctor didn't come until the last 15 minutes and then got all pissed off when I didn't want an episiotomy and just sat back and let me tear a ton. I hated the recovery from the epidural, and having to have a catheter because I couldn't pee. I hated having to fight so hard to get back home quickly, they took SOOOO long to get all the paperwork and other stuff done. I just wanted to be home snuggling with my husband and son. I realize that all hospitals aren't like this and there is probably one in my area that is significantly better, but I knew the best way to make it the way I wanted was to just birth at home.

Some reasons I felt okay with a home-birth:

Birth belongs at home!
My sister has had all 4 of hers at home and has shown me the beauty of that. I have also read about tons of women's homebirths.
I am really grateful for hospitals for extreme illness or injury, but I try to stay away from them beyond that. I am a firm believer that childbirth is neither illness nor injury and so for normal, low-risk pregnancy and childbirth there is really no reason to be there.
I am not comfortable in hospitals and I really wanted to be as comfortable during labor.
I think because of malpractice and having to use extreme caution several common practices in hospital just get in the way of labor and make it way harder. For instance, fetal monitoring and IV's. I know you can opt out of lots of things, but labor is hard enough without having to fight for what you want.
Women have been birthing and laboring forever without hospitals and they have done fine. If there was a complication I live only 15 minutes from the hospital. That is not a big deal.
Studies show that maternal and fetal outcomes are at least as good at home as in the hospital.
There are all kinds of studies about this that are very interesting and facts that I don't feel like searching for references right now about how bad the US maternal and fetal outcomes compared to the rest of the world - including some developing nations - and how the countries at the top of the list with the best outcomes have normal, low risk births at home with midwives and only high-risk deliveries in hospitals with doctors. If you are interested you should do some research.

What I love about homebirth

Being able to be HOME (duh)
The midwifery model of care that includes knowing you very well, being with you during labor, helping you to be healthy and strong throughout pregnancy and using more nutrition and natural things.
Not having to go anywhere during labor.
Not having to try to get home afterward.
Not having to fight for an intervention-free birth

So if you have any questions let me know! I know that was not very scientific, but I am not about to go look up anything right now. I don't necessarily think that all people should birth at home, some people would be too nervous there. You need to be able to relax during labor. I do, however, think that anyone remotely interested should look into in more because it is definitely worth it! Ilija was REALLY against it with Peja. He was so worried about not being close to medical care. But he felt totally fine about it this time because he saw how uncomfortable I was in the hospital and how actually prepared midwives are.

Some thoughts about home birth from Ilija: (who hates having to watch me in labor)

I would say, it is not as non-medical or unprepared as most people think. I defnitely want to do it again.
It went fast
It was beautiful.
I wasn't so worried about Katie being in pain because I felt like she was free to do whatever she needed - positions, the ball, counter, tennis balls, everything ready to help her.
She knew what she wanted and was able to get it so it made me feel better as opposed to the hospital where she just wanted to get in the tub and was just frustrated.

Sasha Jack Vrajich

2010-05-10T16:37:00.000-07:00

Just as the sun came up on May 2nd Ilija and I pulled our sweet son up into our arms. We are so excited and happy to welcome Sasha Jack Vrajich into our home. He was born at 6:49 weighing in at 8 lbs even looking like quite a wrinkled old man/reptile. He was born at home in a birth tub. He nursed almost immediately and is an expert already. He has his daddy's dimples and the cutest smiles when he is sleeping. I expected him to look more like Peja then he actually does. It is so fun having a baby to snuggle with and it is amazing how HUGE Peja seems now. If you like birth stories, you can read the following.

Since April 3rd (the day I was 37 weeks along) I was ready for this baby to come. I was very excited and basically thought or did nothing else. Finally around 39 weeks I decided that was dumb and tried to distract myself. It didn't work very well and I was constantly getting excited with every little contraction that kind of felt like it bothered me. I tried to stimulate labor LOTS of different ways, including acupuncture. To no avail. Finally on May 1st he decided he'd come. I had decided to hide myself in a hole to avoid the "you STILL haven't had that baby" comments so it was a good thing he came.

At around 7:30 or 8 Ilija and I were on an incredibly exciting date night of grocery shopping for our facility. I had a couple of contractions that kind of made me take notice. I tried not to get excited because I had been doing that for WAy too long. We picked up Peja, rented a movie and went home to put him to sleep and watch it. By 11:30, about half way through the movie I told Ilija that he had better start filling up the birth tub. He looked at me like "oh, this is it, okay, cool" and went about his job. I was resting in bed and had to get up every so often to sway my hips and breath through a contraction. They didn't feel great, but not bad as long as I wasn't laying down. So for the next hour and a half I did that as Ilija ran around all over town looking for a longer hose and a better attachment for the sink so we could fill up the birth tub (I guess we should have checked if ours worked earlier - oops!) Everything is closed in Atascadero by that time so we ended up with some stuff from my dad's house.

So Ilija got everything together and by that time I had to show him how to squeeze my hips during contractions because the back labor was quite uncomfortable. He was an expert! And often times saved me from A LOT of discomfort by his strong squeezes. He would often be shaking by the end of the contraction because he was working so hard, but he was a champ about it. Somewhere in here we had my mom come over and bring lots of towels and we called the midwife. I got in the tub and it was GLORIOUS, like if there was an sound track this part would have been angels singing "Hallelujah!", until a contraction came and it was exactly the same. But regardless, at least my down time felt heavenly. After a little while it felt like the contractions had really slowed down and I didn't want labor to slow at all - I wanted to get this show on the road!

So I got out and drank a really strong cup of raspberry leaf tea to make labor stronger and harder. It worked! Pretty soon I was having to be really vocal during contractions and I would yell "pressure" and someone (most of the time Il) would run to squeeze my hips. Somewhere in there I threw up a ton and peed all at the same time. There is nothing like labor to make you not care what kind of mess you are making of yourself. So I got back in the tub. It was so nice again. I had the midwife check my dilation before I got in to make sure I was far enough along so that labor wouldn't slow down. I asked not to know what my dilation was, just a yes or no to get in the tub. She said yes so in I went. I was in there for about and hour and a half and then I started to get REALLY hot and faint and worried I was losing too much energy. I got out and asked her to check if I had even progressed. She said yes I had.

As soon as I got out of the tub the contractions started coming fast and furious. I kept trying to lay down and take advantage of the break between contractions that I had had for the last few hours, but I made it as far as kneeling on the bed and every time I tried to start laying down another one would come. I know now this was transition, but I had no idea then. So I was on all fours on the bed and then I kind of propped myself up so that I was kneeling but in a more upright position - it seemed like it would make it easier for the baby to come down and holy cow did those contractions hurt! But it felt like something was happening and that made me excited so I didn't care. What seemed like a few minutes later my legs were shaking and I was so tired. I had to get down. It was really hard because that meant moving during contractions, but I made it to the birth stool so I could rest my legs.

Somewhere in here I spontaneously pushed with a contraction. I told the midwife and she said, "see if you can feel the babies head." So I checked and there it was - WOW! That meant I could push whenever I felt like it. So I felt like pushing the next contraction on the birth stool and the midwife (who was the apprentice) said "oh wow, you are going to be a fast pusher, let me go get Edana." (the real midwife). I hated the birth stool so I moved back into the tub. I was squatting and clinging for dear life to Ilija who was on the other side of the little tub wall. That urge to push is amazing! It took every ounce of strength I had to slow down at all and I didn't even do it very well. They kept telling me to slow down and breath and slow down my breath, but I was panting quickly and pushing like crazy with every contraction. It is so strange that incredible, involuntary push that happens. I was suprised by the strength of that urge. At some point as Sasha was crowning I realized that the back labor was gone so I sat back in the pool with Ilija behind me (still outside of the pool). A few more pushes and out came his head! They unwrapped the cord and then came his shoulders. Then he had kind of turned and his hips were still inside, but his arms and upper torso were out. He was facing up and had his eyes open and his arms moving. It was a little while before the next contraction that pushed the rest of him out so I just held him there in the water and got to see a glimpse of what it looks like for them to be in the womb. It was so surreal and special. He came out with the next push and Ilija and I together pulled him up into my arms. Oh it was so beautiful!

Peja had been awake for about 15 minutes (being distracted downstairs) and he came in right after we had the baby. He was very timid and asked me if I was swimming, but he had an interesting look on his face, like he knew something special had happened. I believe very strongly that at birth and death we are the closest we can get to God. The veil is very thin and I think a 2 year old can feel that even better then we can. It was such a sweet feeling to be able to climb into bed and snuggle with my sweetheart and two boys in my own home. I was so happy! and so very, very tired. My dad cooked an awesome breakfast and I chowed. Then we got to take a nap. That evening we had an AMAZING dinner that my dad cooked and some delicious chocolate cake with my parents, ils parents and my brothers over for a little "Birth"day party! How cool.

I will post more pictures when my mom brings the camera back from San Diego.
I will also post some thoughts on home birth from Ilija and I later.

Impromptu Photo Shoot - 32 weeks!

2010-02-21T20:16:00.000-08:00

So I decided it is high time to take a picture of this belly of mine. I was very faithful to take a picture every month last time around. This pregnancy is flying by and I can't believe I am already 32 weeks along. A lady at church told me "I hate to break it to you, but you have gained some weight honey." She is probably somewhere in her 70's and is pretty blunt. I am not sure if she meant it as a joke, or if she just totally forgot what it feels like to be pregnant and gaining weight. I just had to laugh and say "good". It is a good thing to be gaining weight...

Peja had to of course join in because that is what he always does and this is the photo shoot that ensued.

A quick update I guess: Ilija is working full time at our elderly care facility right now to get it into shape. It was too much for me to try to take care of. I am not great at multi-tasking motherhood. Especially with such a high stress thing as our own facility. I have got to hand it to those working moms out there - I have no idea how you do it! I am so grateful that he is taking care of everything and I can focus on Peja and growing this baby!

Our business is doing GREAT! It is making money and as soon as we pay off some start-up debts we will be making a great living from it. Now it is time to do lots of training and systemizing so that we don't have to spend so much time there. This is our fourth month of operation and and I cannot begin to describe how grateful and happy we are with how well it is doing. I 100% attribute the success to all of the things we learned from Jackrabbit Factor and our FTMF course. (click on the banner above if you want to learn more). Ilija and I are total believers that anything you want to do, you can do! SO COOL! A year ago we were feeling stuck and poor and frustrated, but now the possibilties are endless.

To your dreams and successes!

Fun in the sun...we love California

2010-02-21T20:08:00.000-08:00

His grandma's lipstick and hair combs...beautiful.

I love this concentration face.

Learning to massage at a young age...

2010-02-21T20:07:00.000-08:00

Doing dishes

2010-02-21T20:06:00.000-08:00

Fun with family

2010-02-21T20:03:00.000-08:00

This is baby Milla and he still LOVES feeding her.

Christmas in February?

2010-02-21T20:00:00.000-08:00

Broken camera, computer and....

2010-01-11T12:37:00.001-08:00

I don't really know what my excuse is for totally neglecting this blog, but I am pregnant, have a very busy 2 year old, and a very demanding business that I try to avoid often. Other then that I am cooking, cleaning and RUNNING after my sweet son. None of the cute pictures we have taken recently from my parents camera have gotten onto this computer yet, but I will work on that. These are the two most recent ones that I can find.

Peja and his "Nia" who he is VERY attached to.

Peja and I holding his cousin baby Milla. She is a beautiful baby girl that is about 10 weeks old. I think. Anyway, he LOVES holding her, and helping feed her and touching her little hands and hair. He is very gentle and sweet and it gives me hope that having the second one won't be so hard. I am somewhere in my 6th month I think and overall I feel great! The second trimester is fabulous.

We had a very merry Christmas. It was so much fun to celebrate it with Peja, who gets excited about practically everything.

Some of my favorite quotes:

This morning we took our muffins out of the oven and he said "okay, sing Happy Birthday!" I don't know why muffins = happy birthday song because he didn't get cupcakes at his birthday, but it was very cute nonetheless.

Peja woke up at 6:00 the other morning (he normally gets up at 7:30) and said "Okay, make Oatmeal!" He must be like me and wake up hungry.

This morning on our walk he was singing a little song to himself and it went something like this "blah, do, da,da,da....oh dang it, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle bells, da do de da...."

When I try to get him to do anything he says "no, no because..." One example: "Peja we need to put your pants on to go to Nia's house." "No, no because buzzes." (he calls his Buzz light year PJS buzzes.) Then when that battle was over, "Let's change your shirt." "No, no because this one odange jacket!"

He definitely has an opinion about EVERYTHING now and usually it is opposite of mine, just so that he can say no.

Have a great day!

Blogging Procrastination

2009-09-29T14:16:00.000-07:00

Some things that Peja has been up to:

nothing like "mama's soes"

"papa round and round"

"peja potty", "no no pee pee"

"gasses"

He is an expert hat dude. He specifically asked for this one.

I can't believe how much he is talking now. Full sentences that often times only make sense to me, but are very cute nonetheless. Some of his favorites: "man di tuck" (man drives the truck) "papa di boat", "mama hold bankies", "mama di voom voom poppy house" (Mama is driving the car to poppy's house) but he pretty much will say anything and totally copies what you say. He started yelling "honey!" to my father-in-law because that is what my mother-in-law does. So funny! Anyway he is so cute and fun right now. I love this age!

So I have a HUGE pile of dishes, loads of laundry, tons of cleaning and about 60 BILLION things I need to do to get ready for the opening of my business in 2 weeks, so why not blog for the first time in about 3 months? Sounds perfect.

I don't know if anyone even comes here anymore or not, but I thought I'd put something out there to the internet-sphere. I just read through some of my old posts and they were very inspiring to me! It is interesting how you learn something and then forget it and get some of the same feelings and then have to re-learn it. I guess that is why we are counseled to write things down - especially spiritual promptings!

So here is what has been going on in our lives.

Katie: Firstly, for those of you who don't facebook I AM PREGNANT! I am due sometime in the middle of April. Which means I am just finishing my first trimester (which is no fun) and that is very exciting!
Next, Ilija decided a few months back to work on opening a residential care facility for the elderly. Then he got too busy with amazing business things that are coming his way and basically I got to open it all by myself. If I felt okay with putting Peja in daycare all day every day it really would be no problem, but I am determined to be a mom first, so I get to do everything with him or during nap times. That is so hard when I am pregnant and desperately needing naps! Anyway, we have a very important final licensing inspection in two weeks and then we will start taking residents! It is very exciting and very nerve wracking. I have struggled big time this entire process with feeling totally overwhelmed and trying to learn how to truly rely on God. I have realized over and over that if I am feeling so overwhelmed that means that I am trying to do it all by myself. So I have to go back to my knees and tell God that I am doing all I can and I will be calm and know that he can make up the rest. Sometimes I even have to tell him that I can't even find it in myself to be calm, so he will have to do what he can with the frantic self that I am. Truly this has been one of the more difficult things that I have ever done! I feel lucky to struggle though, because that means I am learning huge lessons and that there will be huge rewards.

Also, I am getting to play LOTS of volleyball! Three times a week right now! Which is simply amazing and gorgeous and WONDERFUL and basically is what is keeping me sane. I still exercise a lot and that is great, but nothing compares to volleyball. Every Tuesday morning I go play doubles at Pismo Beach and my mom and I take turns playing/watching Peja. It is great that Peja gets to spend so much time at the beach. It was GORGEOUS down there today. It kind of reminded me of the mornings I spent in Antigua.

Finally, my sister had her fourth baby last Sunday and I am going up to Washington next week for 5 days to help her out a little bit and to meet me newest niece!

Bottom Line: I LOVE MY LIFE!

Ilija: Is so busy keeping up with so much work at Kurrels construction and then with Endura Block he has been crazy. He has been traveling a ton doing investor presentations and is so excited to be learning so much! He is in Colorado right now and I miss him a ton. He is excited that it is football season again but TV watching is down to basically nothing right now because we are just too busy. He was very stoked for his BYU cougars, but they have sorely disappointed him the last two weeks. At least his 49ers are doing pretty good.

Peja is in his "Bye, eye, u" shirt cheering for the cougars in their amazing victory at the beginning of the season.

Ilija went on an awesome Canyoneering trip in southern Utah and had a great time.

What a difference a year makes and some tender moments

2009-07-26T19:17:00.000-07:00

Exactly a year before...Man he was a chunk! I totally forgot!

Nina Richie, he never relaxes this much with someone else.

Peja loves music...

2009-07-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

Peja loves water...

2009-07-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

Lake Powell...really late

2009-07-26T19:13:00.000-07:00

We went to Lake Powell about a month ago...we are so busy!

Peja absolutely LOVED riding the sea doo. He especially liked going fast and asked for "more, more, more" if we ever stopped. Then when we got home he got one of the long pillows from our bed, straddled it and started "vroom, vroom"ing and then falling backward. I didn't know what he was doing, but then I asked him if it was a jet ski, a little boat and he said yes. It was so funny. It is amazing how much he remembers.

He LOVED the tent. He walked in and out about 5 million times.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2009-05-26T13:03:00.000-07:00

We desperately need to take some good pictures, but here is one of us on our anniversary. 5 years! Life is SOOOO GOOD! We had a very nice date that night, and we are hoping to give ourselves a cruise in a few months when I feel more comfortable leaving Peja for a few nights.

In other news...

I don’t even know where to begin I am so excited. I realized last night when doing my finances that we doubled our income this month! I had noticed that we have been depositing a lot of checks (so fun!), but I didn’t really realize the magnitude of it until last night. We have a few thousand dollars leftover after paying all of our expenses. IT IS AMAZING! We also have put in motion exciting things to get another business started that will be bringing in even more! There truly is no lack, there is only abundance. We are the ones that lack if we are experiencing lack. God has unlimited resources and if we need something he will either show us how to find it if it exists already or create it if it didn’t exist. I’ve noticed another awesome side-effect of working on my thoughts. I am much more relaxed about money! I used to be very anal about expenses and staying in budget and was very worried about spending any unnecessary penny. I’ve realized that we are staying well within that same budget very naturally now. The only difference is that we have more income also! I am so excited about all of the great things we can have that money do for us! For we are definitely going to put it to work! I have changed myself to believe that I am wealthy and it is truly working right before my eyes. I really can’t even explain how awesome this whole experience has been. I am almost done with my course called “Family Time and Money Freedom” and it has been life-changing. I wish everyone I know could have an experience like this. I feel like such a different person and I know that I can just keep improving.

Peja is 17 months...

2009-05-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

Putting on shoes is the best. He has become quite an expert, and can even walk with shoes about 10 sizes too big. He knows that shoes have to be on before we can go outside. So he will put his own shoes on, then bring you your shoes and then pull your finger and say "up" to get you to stand up. If my dad is around he will always start with him first because Peja knows my dad is a sucker and will do anything he asks.

He loved "driving" the motorhome while we camped at San Antonio lake over the holiday weekend.

He loves running and also expressing his displeasure with the fact that I am taking pictures of him instead of rushing to the car. Notice the keys in his hand. He LOVES anything with a noisy motor. He knows how and where to put the key in and even tries to put it in drive. That can't be safe.

Peja loves talking on the phone. He called my Dad the other day and started talking to him "papapapapa?" and listening for a little while before I figured out he really had actually made a phone call.

Driving the boat is fun too. Man, he is Ilija's child. He LOVED the boat this weekend.

My Two Cents

2009-05-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

I heard a story where a guy worked all of his life and made a lot of money so that he could retire at 65 and go to Mexico to live on the beach and fish every day. So he was living this great retirement life and there was a guy in his 30’s who would also fish every day around the same place. The retired man asked the younger one why he didn’t go work and make a nice retirement for himself. The younger man said, “why would I want to do that? You worked all your life just so you could come and do what I get to do everyday.”

I have been super busy these last couple of weeks and I had a moment of questioning about whether or not this is what I really want. Do I want to be wealthy if it takes a lot of work? Or just live a simple life and enjoy every day on the beach? I’ve always said that I would be perfectly happy with a little shack on the beach – and I would be. What I figured out is that that isn’t what God has planned for me. That quiet, simple life wouldn’t create the growth that I need to become the best me. That is really what life is about, is becoming the best person we can be and learning how to ultimately rely completely on God to make up for the rest.

There is no growth in comfort. It is only when we stretch ourselves that we grow – for two reasons. The first is that we push ourselves as hard as we can and that creates a new level of strength (just like in weight training where the overload principle is essential to make strength gains). The second is that we realize when we work towards huge goals that even if we stretch as far as we can and make huge strength gains, those big goals will be out of reach for us to do alone. It is at that point that we learn to rely completely on the Master to make up for the rest. Because with his strength we can do ANYTHING!

I have learned more in this last few months of stretching myself then I have in years and I know that this is just the beginning. I am so excited for what God has in store for me! I am so excited to be a co-creator with God of an amazing life! I plan on stretching like this all of my earthly life and that is so exciting. I’ve realized how much excitement there is in progression! Stagnation is the worst. I hope that all made sense. I don’t have too much time to be editing…I just wanted to share this thought.

Remembering Pat

2009-04-11T16:04:00.000-07:00

I made a little blog for people to write things about my Nana. It has some beautiful pictures of her if you want to see... rememberingpatstrickland.blogspot.com

I DID IT!

2009-04-11T16:03:00.000-07:00

In January I signed up for a 10 mile trail run. I wanted a 1/2 marathon, but the closest, cheapest and longest thing that I could find was this 10 mile trail run in Napa on April 25. I figured that since it was trail it was a little harder then regular road races, so it would kind of make up for the 3 miles less.

I have been training since then and it has been great. When I started, anything longer then 3 miles was REALLY hard for me. But now running feels really easy to me and a 1/2 marathon would definitely be doable. I run pretty slow, but who cares? My only goal is to run the whole distance. I run about 10 minute mile pace.

So, the race I signed up for ended up being canceled, but I did my own run today with my brother at Montana de Oro. It was gorgeous! Really windy, but SOOO pretty. The flowers, and the grasses and the turquoise waters. Almost the whole run was along the bluff. I am so grateful that I was able to do that. Thanks Mike! It feels so great to have accomplished this goal. Now on to training for some great beach volleyball. (Hopefully now that I can stop running so much I will be able to gain some weight.)

Bye Nana, we love you!

2009-04-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

My Nana passed away last night.

Nana LOVED Peja. He was her first and only great grandchild she was in love with him. (I guess most people are. :))

My Nana, mom and I at the famous Madonna Inn for a little birthday brunch last year.

She always felt like such a strong, independent woman. It was very strange to see her in bed, so feeble and sleepy the last couple of days. It is very fortunate that she didn't have to stay that way for very long.

Goodbye Nana, we will miss you!

People don't resist change...

2009-04-03T12:13:00.001-07:00

"People don't resist change, they resist being changed."

I read this in my FTMF course the other day and it really struck me. The FTMF course is so awesome. I was looking for more family time and money freedom, but I am getting so much more!

One example: my mom and dad have been studying a lot about addiction for the last 5 years or so. One of the things that happens with an addict is that someone is always a codependent to them. Growing up I have definitely learned some codependent behaviors. One of them is that I used to spend a lot of time and energy worrying about what other people were or were not doing. Instead of focusing on myself and improving myself I used to worry why someone else isn't doing this or that. It drove me CRAZY when people (especially my husband) would talk about wanting to do something, or improve in some area, but they would just stand on the platform. I just wanted to be able to push them! It created a lot of contention.

I have noticed one of the glorious side effects of this course is that I am so focused on achieving my own goals and dreams that I don't have the time or energy to focus on other people and how they need to be doing what they want to do. Another thing is that because I was worrying so much about other people, I hadn't taken the time to figure out what I wanted. So now not only have I been able to find dreams and goals for myself, but I am also keeping such positive and happy thoughts in my head! It is such a better way to live, for the moment and for my future.

I love living life on purpose.

Time flies...

2009-03-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

It seems like just yesterday I was in this townhome with "Y" mountain behind us just finishing up my last semester of college. But it has been two years! And now I have THAT (see below) little darling running around all over the place. WEIRD! I teach the young women at church and it is so weird to me that someday I will have children that age (12-18) and they will have no idea what I was like when I was their age. They will be just like me and think their parents have been adults forever. WEIRD!

More about Peja?

2009-03-30T11:38:00.000-07:00

I think this blog would be really boring for anyone who doesn't have kids or know and love this particular kid.

Drinking smoothies in the morning with dad. He loves his dad!

A little date with his friend Emma (she is almost 3). They have a lot of fun together when Peja isn't trying to pull her hair. (Is that inherent in all boys?)

Driving cars is the VERY best activity out there. He is definitely my child. According to my parents, when I was 5 someone asked me what I wanted for my birthday (was it you, GG?) and I said "a car and a driver's license." So you see how Peja can love driving so much.

He has recently decided putting on deoterant is very important. Except he likes to put it on his chest instead of his armpits. This was a few days ago. Yesterday he at least figured out to pull up his shirt and put it on his bare chest. (don't worry, this is a new one that has plastic over it so he is not really putting deoterant everywhere.)

A Word About Obstacles

2009-03-27T12:42:00.000-07:00

I felt like I should post this today. So I am... It is from The Jackrabbit Factor.

"Nobody has an obstacle so great that there is not also a way prepared for that person to succeed. That's a promise....

"Richard spoke up, cautious not to sound like he was trying to make excuses, 'Certainly there are times when a task is truly impossible, I mean, you'll never see a really old man place first in a traithlon, will you?'

"With a slight grin, the man raised his eyebrows, blinked slowly, and shrugged his houlders. 'I've learned to never say "never". I've also learned that if I believe I can't do something under certain conditions, somewhere in the billions of people on this planet someone exists who would do it anyway. So I figure, why not me?...Miracles do happen.'

"' I just don't understand how a person can do something remarkable if they don't already have what it takes.'

"'I'll be honest; most people can't achieve their dreams...as they are. But people can change. Success comes when a person submits to change, but it isn't the kind of change that you'd suspect. See, although a person might not have all he needs to make something happen immediately, he certainly has all he needs to get started, and that's all that matters. If they picture themselves successful, and feel the victory as though it were real, and believe that somehow there will be a way, then they can expect it.'" - Leslie Householder

It is going to be me, and I am so excited!

Peja is so fun!

2009-03-24T20:34:00.000-07:00

I've been having so much fun with Peja lately! He is so cute. (I know I am gushing, but I am an adoring parent what can I say?) Today he was posing for the camera and it was adorable. Yesterday we went to the doctor. Peja weights 29 1/2 pounds and is 34 inches tall. He is SUCH a big boy. Every day I marvel at how much he can do. Today we were in the car and that is our favorite time to practice animal noises. Sometime I am going to put a video on here of all of them. He loves to be quized on things so he can show off his skills. The animal noises he can do are: dog, cat, cow, pig, chicken, horse, duck, tiger, bird, lion, goat and I think I am forgetting something. But everything that I have tried to teach him he can do. How does he remember so much? His favorite words are ball (ba), water (wa-wa), belly button (ba-ba), mama, dada, amen (me). I just need to figure out what to teach him next!

Everything is amazing, nobody is happy

2009-03-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

This youtube video was very funny. It is very true that we have so many blessings that we take for granted every day. It only takes four minutes to watch. I laughed...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoGYx35ypus

Heaven's astonishing help...

2009-03-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

I have a story about the power of these laws in action. I have told some of you, but if you haven't heard it read on.

I have been on a very strict debt-elimination plan since we started having a regular income. (2 failed businesses and student loans had left us some debt that I was NOT okay with) We did a good job on our own, but I really wanted to sell our truck to pay off even more.

I tried last year, but really didn't think it would sell. I didn't even get ONE e-mail or phone call.

Then I read these books and started thinking of things that I wanted. One of them is all of my money to be mine! So I wrote about how great it felt to sell my truck as part of the process of releasing my debt. I didn't expect it to happen for a while, but I was certain it would happen. Then one day I felt like I should put it up for sale, so I listened to that prompting of the spirit - even though I was very surprised by it. The next week it was sold!!! I couldn't believe it. $10,000 in debt and a huge gas guzzler is gone! That was last month. Now we are on to attracting a new car that gets way better gas mileage. Except I am paying for this one in cash. :)

That is just one of many examples so far. I have heard about law of attraction stuff for most of my life and it always rang true for me that it was way more useful to think positively then to fear and doubt. I didn't really believe that you could control anything with your thoughts though - that seemed a little too hocus pocus to me. Leslie presented the information in such a way that it really fit in with my view of the world and my faith. Really it is just a principle of faith. Also, Leslie has helped and is still helping me to figure out how to use these laws. I feel like I have grown more in these last two months then I have in the last 5 years! I am learning so much about myself and God and our relationship every day!

As you can tell I am very excited...still.... If you haven't read anything please do!
Here is her website!

If any of you live close by, you can borrow the book(s) from me!

Ilija was FURIOUS

2009-03-11T11:42:00.000-07:00

While Ilija and I were out on date night last weekend, Micha (Il's dad) decided to cut peja's hair so it wouldn't be in his eyes. If you scroll down to the screaming picture you will see what I mean. I have been wanting to cut Peja's hair for a while but Ilija was adamantly against it. SO needless to say, Il threw a fit and was angry about it for 2 days. Well at least there is a good story about the first haircut.... :)

Before said haircut...

After.

In my completely objective opinion, he looks adorable either way. I don't care what his hair looks like...
Oh and if any of you haven't figured out a way to read Jackrabbit - READ IT! I am doing the home study course right now and it is SO FABULOUS. Every day I don't think it can get better and it does. I'll tell you a story a little later.

Story Time

2009-03-09T11:39:00.000-07:00

I had and am still having the most amazing experience! I just had to share it with some more people. My awesome sister gave my mom The Jackrabbit Factor for Christmas. Because I read this book, my life has completely changed!

I should clarify that I wasn't unhappy or depressed or really worried. I was actually floating around in this "blah" sort of state just going about my days. I didn't really realize it then - but seriously the only way to describe life was BLAH. I wasn't working towards any big goals because I was content with where I was and I knew I was going to be hanging out in this "mother" role for quite a while.

Anyway, my mom gave me the book to read and I had what I call an awakening. It was awesome!

These are the things that happened that I am most excited about:

I am feeling life in a whole new way and it feels great! It is like life in HD!
I can't even describe to you how excited I am every day.
I know what I want and I know that every day it is closer to me then the day before.
I feel like I know how to have faith in a whole new way.
My testimony of the Savior and Heavenly Father has been strengthened like never before. I feel like my relationship with them gets better daily.
I have HUGE dreams/goals and I am absolutely POSITIVE that I will be able to accomplish them with the help of God.
My relationship with Ilija has improved because I am focusing more on myself instead of trying to micromanage him. (my mom would call this something about co-dependence because I grew up in an addict household) Anyone that goes to 12 step meetings knows how important it is to work on yourself and I am doing such a great job at it right now!

Please take the time to read this book. The author began by learning and teaching from Bob Proctor - has something to do with the book/movie The Secret. She is LDS and her book Hidden Treasures is a great Christian take on the principles of the "law of attraction". I highly recommend checking out either of these books at the library, or on Amazon, or on Leslie's website. She has a great story, so check it out! The banner at the top of the page will take you there. Please go!!!!

Running

2009-03-06T11:38:00.000-08:00

Just in the last week Peja has taken it up a notch. He has become such a busybody! He can not sit still and runs around the house and is CONSTANTLY grabbing things and exploring. It is amazing.

Peja is 15 months!

2009-03-06T11:36:00.000-08:00

Some of Peja's favorite things to do:

Throw the football with his dad - or kick it (wrong sport!) Notice the 49ers - Ilija is a BIG fan, even through the bad years like right now...

Turn lights on and off. He loves that he can reach this one with the help of the stairs. It looks a bit precarious though right?

Express his displeasure with me when I am not doing exactly what he wants when he wants it. It is amazing how much he knows what he wants now. I don't believe in giving him everything he wants and so I get this face (and the accompanying screech) quite often. Look at those legs! STURDY boy...

He also just learned how to fold his arms to say a prayer with us. I just had to show him once and now he is professional! It is amazing how quickly he learns things. Last night I called downstairs to have the family come up and pray with us and by the time they got upstairs Peja was patiently waiting with his arms folded - I didn't even have to tell him to! He just heard me say it is time to pray. I am so amazed all the time... I love being a mom.

Personal Training

2009-02-10T11:54:00.000-08:00

I just started a little blog that people can go find out more information about my personal training. If you know anyone in the area that is looking for some extra workout motivation send them to it! Thanks! I am also working on business cards to have the information on. It is very basic and not intended to cover everything, but if you can think of something that would make it more user-friendly let me know. Thanks again! katievpt.blogspot.com

A BIG boy and a wedding

2009-01-26T11:16:00.000-08:00

Peja loves to go sit on the fireplace and recline into these pillows. I think it is hilarious. He snatched this half-loaf of bread from the counter and went to get comfortable in his little seat.

He also loves to do anything that we do. Our Sonicare toothbrushes are hours of fun. He knows how to "brush his teeth" but doesn't do it for too long before he starts brushing the wall, the carpet, the counter and sometimes he'll even try for the toilet - GROSS! (We don't let him of course.)

We went to a wedding on the bluffs of Shell Beach. It was a most beautiful sunset. I LOVE IT HERE IN CALIFORNIA!

In other news, Ilija has lost almost 20 pounds and the "fatdown" as one friend put it is still continueing. He has been able to fit back into ALL of his pants (he was down to wearing the same 3 over and over), and is feeling light and free. He loves the way that his shirts just hang loosely instead of having that bulge in the middle. Ilija and I both rolled our ankles last week - which is why I have those little flats on for the wedding. Mine was playing v-ball and Ilija's b-ball. Luckily they weren't too bad...I started personal training about a week and a half ago and I really like it! It is cool to be useful to someone and to be able to use some of the knowledge that I spent 4 years gaining. I definitely take what I know for granted.

Have a great week!

More fun...

2009-01-13T15:48:00.000-08:00

The beach was so amazingly gorgeous the other day. Winter at the beach is the best.

Peja looks a lot like his grandpa Milan.

Vacuum boy to the rescue!

"Don't worry, I'll vacuum up my toys."

All in a day's fun...

2009-01-13T15:45:00.000-08:00

I think Peja has figured out how to pose for the camera - he kept smiling when I wanted to take a picture. Do you notice my beautiful Christmas tree in a vase? I was too cheap to buy a tree so I asked for some free branches.

"I look like an idiot Mom". I got out Ilija's gel and made my son look like a ? I am not sure...

Then he was back to normal and looking very dapper for church (if I do say so myself.)

A Year Ago...

2008-12-08T12:13:00.001-08:00

A year ago today I (along with Ilija and Merrie) was working very hard to bring this sweet boy into the world. It is amazing how the time has flown. Happy birthday Peja! We are SOOOOO happy to have you in our life.

I did so much pacing - that tiny hospital room - back and forth, back and forth.

I remember those quiet days of recovery so clearly.

Peja has gotten so big and so fun! It is amazing what a year can do. Fastest year of my life for sure.

Our Walking Boy!

2008-11-27T20:59:00.000-08:00

At long last my son is walking. He is so heavy that I have been anxiously awaiting this day. I guess my cheapness is going to have to get over itself and buy some shoes for the poor barefoot kid. It is winter after all!

Last week he took a couple of steps here and there and he loved walking this thing back and forth, back and forth.

This week he is walking all over the place! And trying to carry heavy things - crazy child...

What a beautiful day!

2008-11-19T08:18:00.000-08:00

Ilija had to work on Saturday so I went on a little galivant to see the grandparents. We met for fish and chips and a short walk on the beach. My parents met us there too. It was such a gorgeous day, who would have known it was the middle of November! Peja's favorite thing about the beach is still eating sand. It was pretty gross, but he wouldn't stop!

Story Time

2008-11-14T22:26:00.000-08:00

These are a couple of months old, I'll take some new ones soon.

I have been a seriously slacker with pictures - sorry again GG. Ever since I moved to this apartment the blog is WAAAAY far down my to-do list. I haven't even been taking pictures and there are so many cute things to take pictures of. I will try this week to be better. Peja took a couple of steps on his own this week. He is very close to walking...

Story time: Last week Peja woke up in the middle of the night screaming and he cried for a long time. I couldn't put him back to sleep in the normal ways so I put him in the backpack and started pacing the house. Sometime between 1 and 2 AM as I was pacing back and forth in the living room I came up with this. (It took a whole hour of this to get him back to sleep so I had plenty of time to think.) Motherhood is not for the weak at heart. The pacing reminded me a lot of when I was in labor, because if I remember correctly I spent much of it pacing the hospital room. I sometimes wonder why God had to make delivering a baby such hard work. What I came up with in the middle of the night is that He had to make it hard, because Motherhood is hard! The pregnancy, labor and delivery is just the beginning of this joyous, arduous, blissful and overwhelming process called parenthood. These things help prepare you and help you to know that you can do anything. Also, hopefully it will scare off people who aren't ready for such hard work. Anyway, the main point is that every day I realize a little more about the joy of parenthood. Where much is given, much is required.

Halloween

2008-11-01T20:12:00.000-07:00

For Halloween Peja was my date. He had the cutest little tux costume with coat tales and everything. I had this weird dress on that was my grandma's. People said it could be Elvira, Princess Lea (sp) or the Adam's Family mom. Anyway, here you go. Peja is almost 11 months!

Date with Milan and Tani - Morro Bay

2008-10-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

We love the beach and for being only 15 minutes away we definitely don't go enough.

Peja Update 10 Months!

2008-10-19T19:56:00.000-07:00

I love to eat sand, and it sticks to my boogers.

I hang out with the big boys at church.

I have a sweet highchair that grandma found on the side of the road for FREE!

I love to climb up, stand on my tip-toes and play the piano.
I move up and down so I can hear the different keys.

Yes on Proposition 8

2008-10-01T21:51:00.000-07:00

I hate politics. I try not to get involved. I think it is because I hate arguments and nothing can start up a good argument like politics.

With that said, this is very important to me. In California there will be a Proposition on this upcoming ballot to put an amendment into the CA constitution that says "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."

I had a hard time with this proposition because I have a gay uncle and gay friends and I felt kind of bad. What is important to note is that civil unions can give same-sex couples some of the same benefits as a marriage. Marriage just needs to stay between a man and a woman. I was given an excellent article from the LA times. Here is the crux of it for me...

"All our scholarly instruments seem to agree: For healthy development, what a child needs more than anything else is the mother and father who together made the child, who love the child and love each other.

For these reasons, children have the right, insofar as society can make it possible, to know and to be cared for by the two parents who brought them into this world. The foundational human rights document in the world today regarding children, the 1989 U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, specifically guarantees children this right. The last time I checked, liberals like me were supposed to be in favor of internationally recognized human rights, particularly concerning children, who are typically society's most voiceless and vulnerable group."

Children are 'society's most voiceless and vulnerable group' - we need to protect them. They deserve to be raised by the father and mother that made them. Please help protect traditional families - if you live in California vote YES ON PROP 8.

Bathtime with Grandma Ruth

2008-09-21T18:21:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends

2008-09-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

Some of our bestest friends came into town for a little bit. It was so much fun to see them!
We even got a night out on the town with no babies! Their son Taevin had a lot of fun with Peja, or maybe the other way around. Regardless, it was a great time!

Peja's new friend

2008-09-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

Morning Play

2008-09-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

There has been a drought of picture posting - sorry GG. Here are a couple of posts to delight...

Peja likes to show Nia how to crawl. "Come on Nia"

He is learning how to smile for the camera and it is the cutest thing in the world!

This is the life...

Peja has learned how to copy hand gestures...especially wave

9 month bathtime boy

2008-09-09T15:30:00.000-07:00

Peja is nine months old and just keeps getting cuter. I remember crying when he was about a month old because I was so sad that he would grow up and not be as precious as he was just that second. The interesting thing is that it just keeps getting better! I wonder when the cuteness curve finally peaks and starts descending. Maybe it just makes a drastic fall off when they hit teenagerhood. Anyway, he has learned how to give big open mouthed kisses. They are so funny. He will only do it like 10% of the time though. The rest of the time he just stiff-arms us. Here is a post-bath one that I caught on camera.

This picture is from the day that Peja CRAWLED OFF THE BED! He was taking a nap and he woke up and crawled off of our very high bed onto a basket. I came home from running a quick errand and my mom said "no more having him sleep on the bed." She had found him sitting on the floor screaming. So I was traumatized, but he seemed to be fine. There were some red marks on his face and shoulder and a little cut on his nose. I don't know if you can see any of those things - mainly his cute smile and big forehead take over the picture. In general I am pretty relaxed about most things like little bumps on the head and germs and stuff, but this was scary.

Crawling

2008-08-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

The first couple days of his crawling were so funny. If he got especially excited then he would start pantingd and he would be such a crawling spaz. His legs would shoot out behind him or he would do a head dive. It was so funny. He especially loves the cats.

The first time that Peja found his way into the kitchen, this is what he found. It is some sort of base thing for the refrigerator. He twirled it around for a while, hitting himself on the head and then I took it away. He screamed. He seems to be doing that a lot.

Altogether, he has become quite an expert crawler. He cruises all over the house now and just loves to go exploring. Cupboards are so exciting. This is a very fun stage.

Crawling sort of, but at least he can move!

2008-08-17T08:21:00.000-07:00

Peja was so frustrated for a couple of weeks that he couldn't move. Now he still gets frustrated sometimes because he can't move fast enough or far enough without getting tired, but he can move and seems to want to try all the time. It is interesting to me how careful his movements are right now. He used to lunge forward and land on his face and it seems that he has learned how to avoid that result. This is such an interesting process. I though that he would never move, but all of a sudden he has figured it out. Now I am having dreams about him walking and opening doors tomorrow and not being prepared.

Last week

This week

Some important news.
1) I played beach volleyball this week again! Oh so fabulous. We just finished an indoor league about 2 weeks ago. We got 2nd in the league and 1st in the tournament. It was great fun! We are starting another one soon. I love living in California with all of this volleyball so easily accessible.
2) I started two little jobs. The first one is as an instructor for Stroller Strides. It is a great exercise class for moms with their babies. It is a sort of circuit training with a stroller. So three days a week I will get paid to exercise and I don't have to find a babysitter. Excellent. The second job is working a couple evenings a week at The Artisan. It is an awesome restaurant in Paso. I have always loved working in restaurants and it is so nice to get out of the house sometimes and talk to adults. I came home from my first night and was so excited to see Peja. That was a very good feeling. Also, it is only about 9 hours a week, so that isn't too bad.

Carmel and Crawling!

2008-08-10T20:21:00.000-07:00

Peja crawled for the first time tonight. The first real time at least. He was fully up on all fours and he actually moved his legs and arms and he moved forward. (Probably 3 whole inches) Ilija, Mom and I witnessed it and then we clapped and then Peja waived his arms like he was trying to be a bird.
In other news, this weekend Peja and I went up with my family to Santa Cruz for a wedding. Then on the way home we stopped at my Grandma's friend's house in Carmel. They were so generous to let us stay the night there and steal some food. Thanks guys!

This is a beautiful beach in Carmel. We went for a quick morning walk - it was so amazing!

"Yes, mom, I am a big boy."

This is sweet Will - Jeanie's** grandson. He is from Vietnam and is very beautiful and very smart. He was trying to teach Peja about putting toys back into the ball. Peja got as far as putting the toys in his mouth. He still feels the need to taste everything.

** Is this how your name is spelled?

Uncle Mark tries to teach Peja to crawl

2008-08-01T07:57:00.000-07:00

Transportation

2008-08-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

Ilija dragged him all over the house like this, it was hilarious...

7 months old!

2008-07-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

Peja is 7 months old. Here are some new things about him...

This isn't new, but he has to be chewing on something at all times. I gave him a banana peeled to see what he would do with it. This is what he did. He ATTACKED the peel. Loved it and turned it into a nasty mess.

He can sit up alone in the bath tub. I never thought I would love a buttcrack so much. :)

He stands like crazy and is only happy if he can find a way to stand up ( or chew, or both a the same time.)

He has two front bottom teeth. Can you see them?

Yummy

2008-07-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

I am too lazy to turn around these pictures, but I just had to post this. I left for a minute to get some canteloupe and I noticed that Peja was suspiciously quiet. I came back and found this.

"nothing going on here mom"

Memory Lane

2008-07-13T20:57:00.000-07:00

I got this from Jen Jurca's Blog. I like memories.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Lake Powell

2008-07-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

Lake Powell Cont.

2008-07-13T08:51:00.000-07:00

Here is another video of my swimming child. I am so sad that these videos don't really capture how hilarious this was. I wish you could see his face. He had a HUGE smile on his face - and it was hard to smile because his face was so squashed by the life jacket.

We LOVE Lake Powell

2008-07-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

This was the most hilarious thing. In this video he was just flapping in place, but he soon figured out how to move and was "swimming" all over the place. Too fun...

Peja and his cousins

2008-07-08T12:02:00.000-07:00

They had so much fun together while we were in Seattle.

Daily Exercises

2008-07-08T11:57:00.000-07:00

Peja loves to stand up and has started taking some steps when he is standing. I am determined to make him crawl first. We do this routine daily. I place him on his knees and this is what he does. I think the most he has lasted on his knees is like 30 seconds - and that is rare.

Yes, that is my SON

2008-06-24T21:32:00.000-07:00

Don't tell Ilija that I posted this picture. He is not happy with his son looking like a woman. Here Peja is with his cousin Camille and my mom. She is almost 2. They are almost the same height and she weighs like 2 pounds more. Cute kids... I have so much to post, we spent the last week in Seattle taking care of my sisters 3 awesome kids and now we are getting ready for Lake Powell. Will post more later....

First Time in the Pool

2008-06-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

We took Peja to my Ilija's parent's house last night for his first try at the pool. My mom was saying things like "just put his toes in and see if he likes it first." So I was a little curious how he would feel about so much cool water. I would call it amused. He was very curious about the whole thing and kept trying to grap the blue tiles. Overall he did a great job and was so fat and beautiful!

Happy 6 Month Birthday Peja!

2008-06-10T15:49:00.000-07:00

In honor of the end of Peja's 6th month I watched some videos and looked at some pictures from when he was first born. It is amazing how much changes in just 6 months. This first video is from when he was 4 days old. Those were the days when opening his eyes was a feat to be celebrated. All he did was eat, poop and sleep. The second video is from last week. In the video you see that he has now mastered the skill of making out with a reading glasses case. He does this often... He is also good at pinching my triceps fat, which he just did and it really hurts!

Sweet Boy

2008-06-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

Atascadero Greyhounds all the way!

2008-06-06T09:57:00.001-07:00

Ilija and I graduated from the same high school that had these SWEET colors. A lady from our home town made this awesome uniform for vrajich number 1. I think he looks very handsome and buff - even in orange.

Introduction of Solids

2008-06-04T22:46:00.001-07:00

He sucked on watermelon a couple of times last week until he figured out how to bite off pieces - then I got all scared he would choke.

You might think that this looks like a baby worried, sad or uncomfortable. No,this is just the face he made after every bite of banana. Or Ilija's sorry attempt at capturing the face anyway. I'm not sure if he was feeling weird about swallowing something non-liquid or if the taste was off. Regardless, it was funny.

This is the sweet new hanging chair that I bought at the used baby store. I am so cheap that I can't buy anything retail. So here is my chair that works great and was 1/2 the price I would have paid at target for something similar. Yes, very proud. Peja loves hanging out at the table with us.

My Funny Sweetheart

2008-06-04T22:19:00.001-07:00

I was going through some old pictures and these ones made me laugh. It was March 11, 2005. We were studying - we had a plastic folding table with a piece of tape down the middle. Ilija had the left side and I had the right. The tape was supposed to keep Ilija's mess on his side, but it always found a way to creep over to my side. Anyway, one time we were studying and he was getting irritated with his hair. A couple of minutes later I looked up from my book and there was Il sitting next to me like this...

I laughed so hard. It was a nice relief from the boring studying. And all of you that went to BYU will remember how long that month of March is. Sometimes I miss school. That was fun and very interesting. I have loved laughing with my beeties for over 5 years now!

A Weekend Full of Firsts

2008-06-01T21:32:00.000-07:00

First time watching someone Juggle. Uncle Mike says that he is going to have Peja ready for the circus by age 5. He is going to be a regular juggling prodigy. Hmm...

First time sitting at the beach and feeling the sand in his toes. We have gone for lots of walks and runs on the beach, but he has always been in a stroller. Mom attempted to watch him while I played a couple of games of volleyball. It was too windy and sunny. His hat kept flying off and I was worried his poor almost bald head would get burned since it didn't have sunscreen on - that part wasn't very successful. But it was fun to play. This baby better get used to the sun...or his mom better stop being such a worry wart.

First time to the temple. We brought Ilija's brother and sister in law to the temple in Fresno (2 hours away). The plan was to have them babysit while we attended a session and then let them go attend a session. Or do sealings or something like that, but Fresno (a small temple) works a little differently and instead Ilija watched the baby and the three of us enjoyed a session. I am very grateful for my sweetheart for doing that for me, the temple was joyous. So peaceful and inspiring. I love the temple.

First Bottle! In preparation for being in the temple and being unreachable I pumped some milk this week and practiced giving him a bottle. The first time I did it I fed him like an ounce to see if he would do it, then I breastfed him like normal. The next time was Friday night when I was out at a birthday dinner with the relief society and Ilija gave him a bottle to try to put him down to sleep (it didn't work...he is being very finniky about who puts him to sleep...sigh). The third time was while I was in the temple. Well my fears of him loving bottles and not wanting to breastfeed were for no reason. Ilija and I both cut our mothers off at 6 months so I was worried. He is still a champ of a nurser and will take bottles if there is a babysitter. That is great news becuase now I can go somewhere for more then 2 hours. Not that I would really want to be gone that long, because I really miss him and I feel like my chest will explode with milk. I missed my cousin's amazing play last weekend because I wasn't able to give him a bottle yet. I should have known it would be fine. He never has had eating problems. :)

Peja's Toys

2008-05-26T21:04:00.000-07:00

Nia's telephone (or curly hair or finger)

A Funny Monkey for our "Chunky Monkey"

Grandma Ruth's pillows

The table and silly booster seat

Dad's old blackberry cover

Really anything will work if it is not too heavy. He really enjoys pulling plants, hair, the cat's ears, poppy's nose - anything that his hand can fit around is fair game. I need to start watching out for this kid. He rolled over officially for the first time yesterday (from his belly). I keep trying to get him to do it again but he has only been able to do it once, the rest of the time his arm gets stuck. He has figured out that he can move himself though, so now he always wants to move. That little roll is the beginning of the end. It is taking me into the new world of real parenting - with a mobile child. Sure, it will still be a while til he can really do much, but it is a beginning nonetheless.

Peja's Hats

2008-05-22T13:31:00.000-07:00

Happy 4 Year Anniversary

2008-05-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

Four years ago Tuesday I married my best friend for time and all eternity.
It was the beginning of a long line of great decisions. Life is beautiful.

Peja's first time in a high chair. I really need to buy one of these for home. He would love to join us at the table.

Cheers!

Cutest traveling boy that I have ever seen.

For a cute little anniversary trip we rode the train to the very exotic city of San Luis Obispo. We walked to a cute B&B downtown and stayed there. My Nana met us in SLO with some yummy cupcakes. We had an awesome time, although very different then planned because Peja decided that he didn't want a babysitter and screamed bloody murder until he was back in my arms. I just laughed.

First Mother's Day

2008-05-14T09:52:00.000-07:00

He is becoming such a big boy!
He can ride on my hip now, meaning is head is nice and stable.

He gave me a mother's day card...complete with hand print and signature. :)

He fills his car seat completely.

And he can sit for a long time now all by himself!

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-12T08:01:00.001-07:00

He laid on my chest and his breathing
filled me almost to beyond what I could hold.

My mom gave me a card that had that on it and it was very descriptive for me. I feel that way sometimes even now. My sweet son's life and breath and purity and inspiration and happiness sometimes fill me beyond what I can hold. I sit with him and take the moment to realize what I am privileged to experience.

Grandma Ruth's Teeth

2008-05-01T21:43:00.001-07:00

Grandma Ruth had some dental work done and was knocked out on Wednesday. We went to go see her and Grandpa Milan.

I picked some roses from our garden and was very proud of my pretty bouquet. Spring has definitely sprung and it is beautiful.

Peja was so relaxed here reading with his grandma. He looks like such a big boy!

Volleyball

2008-05-01T21:31:00.000-07:00

I LOVE volleyball. On the list of loves in my life volleyball is a very important number 2. It is second only to the collective number 1 that is God, my Savior and my family. In other words I LOVE volleyball. And not this Sunday picnic in the park stupidness either. I am not the best player in the world and I don't have nearly enough height for what I want to be able to do, but it is just so wonderful. I got to play today for the first time since I had the baby. It has been forever since I played doubles sand and I was scared. It turned out great and although I didn't play amazing it was just the best feeling to be able to run around in the sand. My vertical is probably a whopping 2 inches right now and the sand probably cuts it down to 1/4 inch but it didn't matter! I lost 3 out of 4 of the games I played but that didn't matter either! I missed about half my hits into the net but, again, it didn't matter! I was just so happy to be there.
As you can tell I am elated.

My sweet grandparents (GG and Baca) babysat while I was playing and I think you could call it their workout for the day hauling that fabulous child all over the place...

He sits up!

2008-04-29T10:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it is only for like 30 seconds before he topples over to the side, or forward a couple of times and then screams because I just let him fall on his face. I can't believe how fast this happened - all of a sudden he is a great little sitter! About a week ago he was sitting better and then the last couple of days have been amazing. I marvel at my adorable boy every day. I also can't have him on my lap anymore without him reaching for anything that is in front of him. He especially loves to maul our faces if we are gootchi gooing....

SO I think that there was just a little earth quake. The room shook all of a sudden - I thought maybe I'd gone crazy, but I called Il in Paso and he said that he felt it too. Those things are so weird...

San Francisco Continued

2008-04-24T10:27:00.000-07:00

Peja LOVED Jen. I have never seen him laugh so much!

Peja and Joe

April Trip - San Francisco!

2008-04-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

We decided when we moved back to California that we would be better about exploring this awesome state since both of us had seen very little of it. Last month we went up into the Sierras to Twain Harte and this month we drove up the coast 3 1/2 hours to San Francisco. It was so fun, relaxing and beautiful. We love exploring together and we got to do just that. Our wonderful hosts were Steve and Jen - friends from school at BYU. I must say Ilija and I were both a little jealous - we would love to live in the city. Who knows if we ever get to, but we had two days of pretending! Thanks Steve and Jen!

I did a crappy job packing so I looked like a bit of an imbecile, but the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge is in the background. What a fun walk about the city we had!

Unfortunately I have no good pictures of our sweet host family...

I got to try out the Wii which was way fun. Maybe I'll add it to my Christmas list. Jen and I boxed and even though I lost I was sore the next day from all the arm flailing I did.

We had a great brunch at Squat & Gobble (who thought of that horrible name?). The atmosphere was beautiful and the food delicious. We highly recommend it to anyone going to San Fran.

Dinner at the Beach with Nana

2008-04-21T17:40:00.000-07:00

Funny Faces

2008-04-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

Peja was making the funniest faces in the car the other day - this is the closest to getting it on camera that I got.

Training for a 1/2 marathon...?

2008-04-21T13:32:00.000-07:00

So I got my fabulous jogging stroller a couple of months ago and promptly decided that I wanted to train for a half marathon (a full one sounds like rediculous torture). I have been finding lots of nice places to go for jogs including this great beach (Cayucas). It has been simply amazing down there these days. I wanted a picture of the beauty and unfortunately this fence in front of where you park your car was in the way so the picture is tainted, but you get the picture. I recently decided that training for long distance running goes against my most important work out goal (to get back into v-ball shape) so I ixnayed that idea and now I am just going to run a cool 5K somewhere. Anyone know of any good ones that aren't on a Sunday?

Family Blessings

2008-04-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

Peja loves his great-grandpa Baca

I am overwhelmingly grateful to be around so much wonderful family. We have been so blessed.
Ilija came home from his parents house (where he was lounging next to the pool in the perfect 90 degree weather) last Saturday and said, "I don't know why I complain about anything. We have so many blessings - what do I have to complain about."
* * *
I agree. Our life is wonderful.

Day in the life of new parents...

2008-04-08T16:48:00.000-07:00

So I thought that I would update the world (all 2 people that read my blog) about Ilija and I. I always read other people's blog and wish that the actual blogger would say something about themselves instead of just talking about the kids. There is very little of interest in our life besides our sweet son, but here goes anyway.

This is a Tuesday:

5:30 ish - Ilija wakes up to hang out
6:30 ish - Go to the gym? sometimes...
7:30 ish - start work upstairs at our house (they are moving to the office this week)
8:30 ish - Katie wakes up with a happy baby, has music hour and plays with baby.
9:30 - Grandma Ruth comes over to babysit so that I can go lift weights at the gym
10:30 Do random things while carrying baby around in the Ergo
12:30 Make and eat lunch with sweetheart
1:00 Take a nap with baby
3:00 Feed baby again and get up from nap (baby keeps sleeping :)) Do more random things...
4:00 baby wakes up?
5:00 Ilija done working, hang out (if we watch TV it is Monk, Biggest Loser, Lost, American Idol, Property Ladder or Flip that House previously recorded on our DVR. I don't stand commercials.) Il works on Real Estate classes he is doing online.
8:00 bath time and bed time for Peja
8:30 Basketball at he Church for Il
9:00 Scriptures and bed for Ilija and I

So I write this out and ask myself, how do I get so tired from all of this? Maybe it is carrying around an extra 19 pounds all day long. Maybe it is trying to find purpose in my life; or maybe it is actually the mundaneness that makes me so exhausted.

This is boring non make-up and non-pose.

I write all this about mundaneness and lack of purpose and then I sneak up on my baby talking to the angels and I remember that I couldn't be doing anything better then what I am doing just this moment. Like Elder Ballard said - the joy of Motherhood is in the moments. I am so blessed...