Christmas is almost here!

Christmas is coming up faster than I ever could have imagined and for the first time in quite a while I can actually say that I am ready or [ready as I'll ever be anyway] and very anxiously waiting. After an extensive trip to Toys R Us with only 3 rounds around the store and a bonus trip to Target we have the kids shopping done. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am for Evelyn and Preston to open their presents. Last year we didn't think Evelyn was old enough to understand so we kind of kept it small, but this year we went all out. Which brings me to my next reason to be excited. We Got a Christmas Tree! I know it's a funny thing to get excited about but I just can't help myself. This will be our 4th Christmas married and up until now for whatever reason we have never had a Christmas tree. So now we do. I even got to assemble it myself and decorate it too. Every year as a kid my Grandma Nelson made us a Christmas ornament so I am proud to say that is what adorns my tree. Wonderful childhood memories. Thanks Grandma, I Love You! I don't know if it's the presents or the tree but it's finally starting to feel like Christmas. Next Sunday we will be leaving for Utah to spend Christmas with Andy's 3 brothers and 4 sisters and their families. It's going to be so much fun!... and crazy. With 19 kids and 17 adults, there's never going to be a dull moment. I can't wait!

On a side note, last night we had our ward Enrichment night and we got to make these really cute Family Home Evening boards...

>Jocelyn was in charge of the activity and she is so creative and crafty. To add in a little plug for her. She has an online business where she sells most of her wonderful creations. Check it out! The website is http://www.sewcute.blogspot.com/

Why do kids have to be so CUTE and yet so MESSY?

New blogger!

I am thrilled to announce that my Grandma has joined the blogging community! She's been reading our blogs for a little while now and just decided she wanted to join in on the fun. Can you believe that? And she says she's not a computer person. I am very excited for her! She has some of the most incredible stories and I for one can't wait to read them.

Since I'm already on the subject of Grandma I just wanted to give a big THANK YOU shout out to her for giving the kids some much needed new toys. Evelyn got a super cute little kitchen set up which she was so excited about that she couldn't even wait until we got it in the house. Preston got a new sit-in play set. They really love their new toys! My grandparents also came down and helped me rearrange my living room and Evelyn's bedroom which was a huge help. Andy & I have absolutely NO creativity as far as decorating goes so it was nice to get that taken care of.

Preston's Blessing

Last Sunday (November 25th) along with being our 5 year engagement anniversary was also Preston's blessing. Andy did such an amazing job on the blessing as always. He's so funny because as far as I know he doesn't decide what to say beforehand or memorize it or even jot down notes the week before. If it were me I would take hours and hours of planning to know exactly what to say but not Andy, he just jumps right in and lets the spirit do it's work. He also rarely ever remembers anything that he said afterwards. Anyway, knowing that, I made a mental note of some of the things said in the blessing and thought I'd get them down in writing for future reference. First of all he was given the name Preston Erwin Waite. His name is special because the middle name Erwin is Andy's middle name, his Grandpa Waite's middle name and his Great Grandpa Waite's first name. After receiving a name Preston was advised to always look to the people in the circle for any problems or difficulties that he may have. To set a good example to those around him and to uphold his name. After that he was told that if he chose the right he would get the opportunity to go on a mission, get married in the temple, and live for eternity with his future wife in the Celestial Kingdom.

I love my son very much! Every day I am even more amazed at how much he is learning and growing. He has THE MOST amazing smile and he's not afraid to share it with everyone and anyone. He's ticklish just about everywhere but mostly under his little arm pits. He's big on the cooing and raspberry blowing and he is always amused by his big sis. I can sit with him trying to get him to laugh and Evelyn will walk over and talk complete gibberish to him and he laughs right away. I know that he will be a great man someday and that he will set high standards for himself and for those around him. I know that he will be a great example to his siblings and to others outside our family. I know that he will do great things and I look forward to watching his continued progress through life!

The "happiest place on earth"

Yesterday, our little family went on a day trip to the "happiest place on earth"! Nope, not Disneyland. The Apple Store! Unfortunately we don't have one here in Bakersfield so we had to drive 2 hours to Fresno just to go to the Apple Store. Wait, I know what our thinking and your wrong but not too far off. Andy and I are total mac fanatics but we normally wouldn't drive all that way, except that yesterday Andy had to pick up some software for his work. I don't even know where to begin to explain why I love the Apple store so much. It's just so wide open, with computers from wall to wall, all totally hands on. They even have a short table with computers just for the kids! Every time we go I see something that I didn't know even existed. And one of the best parts is their customer service. Its better than anywhere I have ever been. You don't even have to stand in line to checkout, they come to you. How great is that! They're such a great company that Preston's $1000 from his Grandpa Fitzgerald all went into Apple stock. Someday, it's going to make him a rich little kid. To prove how awesome mac is and how much I like it, I wrote this blog and shot all the pictures on this post with my IPhone.

On the way home we stopped at McDonald's and bought Evelyn her very first Happy Meal. Now, I'm not really one for buying kids fast food because of how unhealthy it is and I certainly don't plan on making a habit out of it but I just couldn't resist. Besides the fact that she barely ate any of her food she seemed to really like it. She definitely liked her little ginger bread toy. As you can see she actually cried when we took it away to see if she would eat some more of her food. Oh well, what's a trip without a few alligator tears. Don't worry though, she recovered quite quickly and did actually manage to eat a little more of her meal. It was so cute seeing my little girl with her very own little Happy Meal.

Before we left the store I decided that I wanted to get a picture of us. As usual, Andy was less than cooperative.

The BIG question

5 Years ago last Sunday (Nov. 25, 2002) Andy proposed to me. At the time, I was going to my first semester of college at BC. Andy and I had been friends since a little bit after I moved down to Bakersfield in August but we had only been "officially dating" since October 4 so I certainly wasn't expecting a proposal. I was in the middle of getting ready for my morning class when Andy called me up and explained that a friend of ours needed a couple for a photo shoot. Feeling privileged that she had picked us over any other couple in the institute I quickly agreed and didn't think much of it since I knew that she was in fact in a photography class. Andy came over and I totally blew off my classes for the day. Looking back I'm quite surprised that I did so well in all of my classes because skipping class became kind of a frequent thing for me. Anyway, we headed off to the mall for a little shopping trip and Andy bought me an outfit to wear for the shoot. After that we went out to Hart Park where it was all going to take place and met up with our friend. We took all the usual engagement photo shots; behind the tree, on the swings, one with me looking dreamily into Andy's eyes and then, just for fun, the other way around. Near the end we made our way over to this romantic little bridge by the river. Our friend then told us that she wanted to get a little creative and try something different so she asked Andy to get into a kneeling position on the ground as if he was going to propose. At first Andy was a little reluctant and I (being totally oblivious to the whole situation) prodded him and kept telling him that it wasn't a big deal because it was just a picture. Little did I know that that the whole day was a set up and he actually was proposing. He knelt down on one knee as I was looking around, totally clueless, trying to figure out how to position myself for the picture. I looked down and there he was with the ring in his hands. For a split second I was totally confused thinking, "what's going on?, are we still doing the photo shoot or is this really happening?. And then Andy asked me to marry him and I was in total shock. The obvious answer would have been yes but the first thing that I could manage to get out was "I think I'm going to cry!". I finally said yes and Andy put the ring on my finger. And the rest is history! 5 years later we are still happily married and have two beautiful children to show for it.

I've been meaning to put together a montage of the pictures that were taken that day but I've been just a little bit busy so you guys will have to wait until it's done. But don't worry it WILL be coming soon.

So You Think You Can Dance Live Show

You're never going to believe where I was last Wednesday? Yep, that's right. The "So You Think You Can Dance" live show. Woooo! To be totally honest, before that night I had never even seen the show (crazy I know) but I absolutely loved it. Loved it! Loved it! Loved it! The day started out not so great though, At first it seemed like there was going to be no possible way that I was going to make it. It seemed like everything that could have happened to get me to NOT go happened. Looking back now it's actually kind of humorous. First off, I called Andy and unfortunately he wasn't going to be home in time to watch the kids~ So, no problem, I found a last minute babysitter. Then, I realized that Andy had taken the car with the car seats leaving me with no way to get the kids to the sitter. Lucky for me, my incredible SIL Molly was awesome enough to agree to come over and watch the kids until Andy got home. Next, as I'm walking out the door to put my stuff in the car I realized that I didn't even have keys to the car because Andy accidentally took them to work with him. So I thought, no problem I'll just borrow Molly's truck. Yeah, unlucky again! Molly's truck was having some problems so Scott needed to take it in to get it fixed but again I was saved and Scott agreed to give me a lift into town. If you think all this sounds bad, to top it all off we RAN OUT OF GAS! It seemed like nothing was going my way but that all ended when I got in Liz's car and we headed off to L.A. We had a fun time finding our parking garage but managed to find it in pretty good time. The show was fantastic! Even having never seen the show I thought it was incredible. As soon as I have an afternoon off I plan on sitting down and watching the entire season in one sitting. Sabra was definitely my favorite girl, it's no wonder she won the entire thing. She's amazing! I love the solo dance that she did that 's posted on my SIL, Amanda's, blog. My favorite guy from the live show was probably Hok, the "breaker". All the dancers were amazing though, I couldn't believe half the stuff they pulled off. It was incredible! Thanks Liz and Grandma Bailey for letting me tag along with you. You've made a fan out of me. And thanks Molly, Scott & Andy for giving me the night off and helping me get there.

Grandma Bailey & I standing in line to get in the show

Liz & Grandma Bailey standing in front of the huge "So You Think You Can Dance" sign

The huge Grand Finale of the show

Fitzgerald's 2007 Thanksgiving

Sunday was a day full of Fun, Food & Family at the Fitzgerald's 2007 Thanksgiving. I had such a great time hanging out with all of my family.

Everyone made it to the party including a couple of extras. Thanks Uncle Danny & Aunt Lynn for joining us this year. My Grandma cooked a fantastic meal for everyone and others pitched in and made some great food too (including Lindsey's green bean casserole) YUM!

Evelyn made a new friend. My Grandma has had this doll for as long as I can remember (maybe even my entire life). Andy thinks he's scary but I love him.

The kids played in Grandma Nonnie's backyard. The cute little kid on the right is my cousin's son, Brody.

Joshua, Eliza, Brody & Evelyn

We tried to get the kids to hold hands but Evelyn wouldn't have it.

Evelyn & Joshua helping themselves to the leftovers.

We spent a good amount of time playing card games.

Evelyn and Eliza did a little card playing too.

Joshua was the first to fall asleep which to Evelyn meant he was fair game.

Preston & Grandma

Brother and Sister

You can't tell in the picture but they're both laughing at their daddy who's making funny faces at them.

This has become our morning routine & sadly probably Evelyn's favorite part of the day. We get up, eat breakfast & watch ONE episode of "street" (Sesame Street) before starting the day.

I've just started giving them baths together which they both actually get a kick out of. This is the two of them wrapped up in towels right after their bath.

A weeks worth of blogs in one

This past week I kept quite busy. Here are just a few of the highlights:

1. First of all I was privileged to attend the Officers Installation of the Order of the Eastern Star. Just FYI in cast you don't already know: the Order of the Eastern Star is a branch of the Freemasons. In some ways it's like the Relief Society of the LDS Church. In the Order there are 5 character building lessons that are taught through biblical inspired stories. The stories are of Adah, Ruth, Esther, Martha & Electa. At the Installation my Grandma was installed as Martha, Tiffany, my SIL, was appointed as Adah and my Grandpa was appointed as the Speaking Organist.

My mom and sister both came too so I got a good picture of all 5 of us.
From left to right it's Nichole, Grandma, Tiffany, Mom & Me

My Grandpa holding Preston

My Grandparents

My Little Brother Scott & his wife Tiffany

******************

2. For the first time in quite a while Andy and I went on a double date. We went to Uricho's with Nathalie and Richard. It was the first time EVER leaving Evelyn with a real babysitter (not counting close friends and family). We had a great time hanging out and even enjoyed a little peppermint icemilk from Dewar's to top it off.

3. After 2 weeks of wearing broken glasses and looking like a total nerd I FINALLY got my spiffy new glasses.

4. Nathalie, one of my best friends, is moving to Kentucky so we (Me, Jocelyn, Jane, Amber & Stephanie) had a Girls Night Out for her as our last little outing before she leaves next week. We went to BJ's and ate some very delicious food. The wait time was pretty long which normally is a bad thing but in this case it was great because it gave us plenty of time to talk about.... well... all the things girls talk about. Let's just say I learned a lot of interesting things at dinner. It was so much fun hanging out with everyone. I love girls night out! It's a ritual that should be done way more often. Nathalie is such a great friend and I'm sure going to miss her. On the plus side though Andy and I have always talked about traveling to the east coast so we're already planning our first trip out there to visit them.

5. Preston rolled over from front to back for the first time the other day and last night he actually slept through the night (well until 7 a.m.). I can't believe how fast he's growing up.


6. After several attempts and too many hours in the bathroom Evelyn has yet to go in the potty. I haven't given up though. I just know it's going to happen any day now.

Happy Birthday, Eliza!

I got to see my niece blow out the candles on her homemade birthday cake made by my very lovely and talented sister. My niece, Eliza, turned 2 on November 15th. Happy Birthday Sweetheart! Your Aunt Amber, Uncle Andy, Evelyn & Preston love you very much. We can't wait for your birthday party in a few weeks.

Eliza is such a cutie! She looks just like her momma did at her age. She is quite a character. As you can tell by the big cut under her eye she is a bit of a tomboy. With Joshua as a big brother though I'm sure that was unavoidable. She's also a little smarty pants. She's learning sign language and seems to know more and more words every time I see her. The way she says "Preston" is so sweet because she says it so clear. She is such a great cousin and friend to Evelyn and Preston and we all love her very much.

Potty Time!

I wasn't planning on potty training Evelyn for at least another six months but as with all kids she seems to have a mind of her own and she's decided she's ready to take the plunge. Of course I blame my sisters kids. It all started the other day when I watched my nieces and nephew for the day. My nephew is potty trained already and my niece who is only a few months older is already almost trained. Evelyn kept following her into the bathroom and somehow now thinks she's got it. I can't get her to keep her diaper on no matter how many layers of clothing I put on her and somehow she's already picked up the words pee pee, poo poo, potty, and my favorite, eew. Let's just say it's been fun. I've spent more time in the bathroom these last few days then I have probably in the last month. She keeps wanting to sit on the potty but then she just sits there. I figure if I can get her to go in the potty once then I can reward her and cheer her on but she still hasn't managed to go yet. I am totally not prepared for this but ready or not here it is. I've always heard that you will just know when your child is ready. I thought that was a joke but instead that YOU decide when they are ready but I guess I was wrong. Anyway, I went to wal-mart and bought her a potty chair. I'm crossing my fingers that she will like it and that it will work. I know a lot of the people reading my blog have already gone through this experience before so if anyone has any tips or suggestions please send them my way. I would love to hear what's worked for everyone and feel free to share any funny stories. It might make things a little more pleasant for me.

Movie cover lookalikes...OR not?

Apparently Andy and I have lookalikes. The other day Evelyn and I were hanging out in our movie room. I think I was playing a game or surfing the Internet or something and Evelyn was looking through our collection of movies. She happened to run across our wedding/engagement video and automatically picked us out as mommy and daddy. I was pretty impressed that she could recognize us from a photo that was taken almost 5 years ago. I clapped for her and told her she had done a good job finding mommy and daddy and she went right back to looking through the movies. At that point I was pretty confident that she knew what each of us looked like and could find us in other photos as well. A few minutes went by and she brought over the movie "Adventures in Babysitting" and identified me as the main character (I think her name is Elisabeth Shue). I laughed but didn't think too much about it until a few minutes went by and she brought over the movie "Billy Madison" and she kept saying daddy over and over pointing at Adam Sandler. So according to Evelyn these are our lookalikes. What do you think, is there ANY resemblance? Anyway, I got a kick out of it so I thought I'd share.

50th Anniversary Celebration

One thing I never got to mention last week was that Andy's Mom, Dad, Little Sister and Scott, her now fiancé, danced at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Los Angeles temple. I was unable to attend it myself but Andy made it and he took some great pictures that I think some of you might be interested in seeing. Enjoy!