And We're Off

A Random picture-

First of all, thanks so much to everyone for the birthday wishes, ya'll are the best! Especially my awesome sister Krystal- as you can see, I have wonderful sisters. (Tara's internet is down I think, so that's why she's missing.)

I had such a great birthday. Samuel surprised me with a party at California Pizza Kitchen with all our closest friends. He bought me this huge chocolate cake, but it didn't have writing on it, so he went home and put cream cheese frosting into a ziploc bag and squeezed out "Happy Birthday Heather". I think that was my favorite part of the whole birthday, that sweet, sloppy cream cheese writing.I also got these gorgeous white roses from Olya , THANK YOU SO MUCH!and some American Cream perfume from LUSH. I've been DYING to have it, so thanks Samuel, for making my birthday wishes come true. We went out to PF Changs last night, on my real birthday, just the three of us.
Next, a HUGE thank you to Crystal for her Pay It Forward Package. She sent some wonderful homemade goods to us, and it made our day. She made us a hooded towel, it's soooo soft, and we use it all the time!Then she sent some burp cloths that she made (pink and green, so cute!)
And so that I could enjoy some "homemade" cookies, she mixed up the dry ingredients of a cookie recipe, and sent them along with some chocolate chips. They turned out so yummy, and they were all gobbled up before I even took a picture. THANKS CRYSTAL, YOU ARE AWESOME!

I've been trying to decide what I can do to pay it forward, and I found this: There is a family in Tucson, AZ...they were expecting triplets, and the wife got really sick. The doctors saved the babies, but couldn't save her. The father is now left with these three tiny babies. My heart goes out to him, and I am going to pay it forward to this family, either in a package of stuff, or with some $$. Or both. Thought some of you might like to help as well: Here's the link to the blog, which has a link to the story.

Well, Kalia and I are flying home today, we leave in an hour. Samuel is coming Friday night. I don't like flying alone, but oh well, soon it will all be over. I want to wish everyone a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS, in case I don't blog again before then. We hope your holidays are filled with love and the Spirit of our Savior, the Reason for the Season.

Happy Birthday!

Written by guest author, and favorite older sister, Krystal Trapnell

Sweet! Heather gave me her login name and password three months ago when we were waiting for little Kalia to be born. Who would've thought I would remember it now?

Today is Heather's birthday, and since I have known her longer than anyone besides my parents, I feel that I am an expert when it comes to all things Heather. Here are some of my favorite things about my sister:

1. She is irresistable. Boys have always loved her and would do anything to catch her eye. It worked out nicely for me, because those boys always had friends...
2. She loves the finer things of life. Anytime I see something luxurious (a fancy hotel or a gourmet meal) I think Heather would love this.
3. She is very thoughtful--she loves doing nice things for those she loves and is a great friend.
4. She is incredibly talented--by far my favorite person to sing with--and isn't shy about sharing her many abilities.
5. She is so much fun. All of you reading this know that this is true. She lights up a room when she walks into it, and makes everything a little more fun.

Some of my favorite memories of Heather:

1. "Certain volumes for certain songs" in our 1987 Nissan Maxima. Especially "Strawberry Wine" and "Independent Love Song."
2. Sleeping naked on rainy nights (in the same room--in bunkbeds).
3. Getting dressed up for basketball/volleyball games. "When you look good, you play good."
4. One time I was rushing to class at PVHS, late, and I took a corner a little too quickly, smashing into someone rushing the other way. It was Heather. We seemed to have that "sister connection" even when we couldn't see each other.
5. Sitting with her at Tara's championship basketball game (which they won!) and cheering our hearts out for the Panthers. We lived our dream through Tara, and it was so much fun to do together (probably my favorite sister memory of Tara, too).

Heather and I haven't lived in the same house for almost 10 years now, and our lives have changed so much. I never would've thought she'd be in Hawaii and I'd be in Florida and we'd only get to see each other once or twice a year. But as I get older, my love for her grows stronger, and I am anxiously awaiting the day we both move a lot closer to home. I love you Heather. Happy birthday!

Things I'm Lovin' Right Now

1. Billy Blanks Ab Bootcamp I did this the other day and it KICKED MY BUTT! (trying to keep up with Shellie is hard. Some of you know exactly what I'm talking about. Did you guys know that she's Billy's DAUGHTER? I just found that out today.) But I really love anything by Billy Blanks, because he is SO motivating, and it seems like he always knows the exact moment when I start tiring out, and he starts motivating even more. I love him.

2. I have to do Ab Bootcamp because I've been eating Mele Macs! (Mele Kalikimaka = Merry Christmas). They are macadamia nuts, covered in toffee, then chocolate, with a dusting of powdered sugar.

3. M by Mariah perfume. It has marshmallow notes. Yummy.

4. Honey Graham O's-- the only cereal I know of that doesn't get soggy before you finish it.5. Strawberry Lemonade. (I know ya'll are drinking hot chocolate about now, but we're making strawberry lemonade instead. I used fresh lemons and frozen strawberries and sugar. And ice! Yum-o!
6. This video clip:

Rollin' Rollin'

Just a little bit more of my favorite baby: She's 3 1/2 months old, and rolling pretty well!




Since she was having a hard time napping during the day, we squeezed a crib into our tiny bedroom. Here she is testing it out (she can't really stand by herself for very long, but we were just pretending anyway.)

Now that she can roll (and apparently scoot) I find her in the crib like this. She got as far as she could. :) Thank goodness for crib bumpers.


And these are just two other pictures that made me smile.

Sicko

Have any of you seen Sicko, the documentary by Michael Moore? Now, I know there's a lot of controversy about the guy, but WOW this movie is an eye-opener. (In a nutshell, for those of you who haven't seen it, it's about health care and insurance issues here in the United States, compared to other countries like Canada, France, even Cuba.)

Sicko really makes you feel sick. It's so sad to learn about what's going on in the good ol' US of A: the fact that people all over the country are being denied health care (and being sent home, sometimes to die) because the insurance companies find excuses not to pay for the procedures, well, it's just awful!!

It really hit home. Do you guys remember when I was having all those problems right after Kalia was born?? One of my blood tests showed a high possibility of a blood clot (which can kill you) and so my doctor had my get a cat scan.

A few weeks ago we got something from our insurance, saying they weren't going to pay for it, because they considered it EXPERIMENTAL. Guess how much it's going to cost? Just under TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS.

Also, there was a (USA) doctor who testified in court that she worked for an insurance company, and the more claims she "denied", the higher she would get paid. To make it even worse, Michael Moore goes to all these other countries and finds out that they don't even have co-pays and stuff like that. Everything is just included, no questions asked. And, in contrast, a doctor in France told Michael Moore that he gets paid more money as his patients get healthier, i.e. when they quit smoking, their blood pressure or cholesterol goes down, etc. etc. Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!!

I obviously feel pretty strong about it, as I don't get on my soapbox very often. I was just wondering if any of you have seen Sicko, and what you think about it. All I can say is that I am ALL FOR universal health care. Either that, or moving to France. (Free nannies to come to your laundry when you have a baby!!)

Oh yes, and we are fighting the "experimental" cat scan. Two doctors have written letters to the insurance company for me, telling them how ludicrous it is to consider a cat scan "experimental." I really REALLY hope it's enough to change their minds.

What does your husband do??

I know this is kind of random, but I was thinking about the fact that I don't really know what your husbands do (job wise). So I was just wondering...where does he work? Or what is he going to school for? My hubby currently works for University of Phoenix as a Finance Counselor. That's going to change by next year, but for now that's what he does. So leave me a comment and let everybody know! Go husbands! Thanks for taking care of us!

Ward Christmas Party

This is probably the only time she'll sit on Santa's lap. I didn't get very good pictures. Oh well. She didn't cry, I guess she's too little to be scared, like little kids always are.
She's my little Santa Baby. "If I can't reach it with my hands, I'll just kick it!"

Happenings

Cute picture, huh! Kalia loves learning about Foreclosures.
I am sick...sore throat and sinus problems going on. (There's a good "mental" reason, but don't ask. Last time I wrote about that, I got myself in a little trouble!)

It's hard to be a mom when you're sick. Good thing Baby Einstein can occupy Kalia for 30 minutes while I blog. Then I think we'll go take a nap together.

So, over the weekend we took Kalia to the beach, but didn't put her in the water yet. This is Pipeline Beach. It's famous for having enormous waves in the winter. People just come and sit and watch the waves and take pictures. (it was in between waves when I got this shot though)Samuel and his friends got in an surfed, while the wives and babies chatted and watched from the shore.

In other news, I tried pigtails with Kalia's long hair in the back. I couldn't get a good part though. Haha.
She turned 3 months old, and here's another comparison pic:
Finally, my aunt and uncle from Utah came and stayed with us for a night. Then we dropped them off on a 7-day Hawaiian Island cruise. Lucky! Dropping them off at the ship just made me want to go on a cruise sooooooooo bad!!

Gratitude

I saw this Thankful A-Z on Natalie's blog, and loved it! So on this day of thanks I wanted to post a few things that I am really thankful for:
A: Air Conditioning
B: Baby Bigler
C: Craigslist
D: Dad
E: E-mail
F: Family and Friends
G: Gospel
H: Health
I: Insurance
J: Jogging Strollers
K: Krispy Kremes
L: Libraries
M: Marriage
N: Netflix
O: Ocean
P: Pepperoni Pizza from Papa Johns
Q: Q-tips
R: Rainbows
S: Sisters
T: Talents
U: Umbrellas
V: Vehicles
W: world wide web
X: X-tra time off for Samuel
Y: Youthfulness
Z: zzzzzzzzz

The first laugh

They say that first smile is wonderful, but the first laugh is by far theeeeeee best!! It came today, kind of out of no where. I was just trying to burp Kalia, while watching Ellen (and the Soulja boy dance...I want to learn it!) Anyway, she wasn't burping, so I demonstrated for her (which honestly, is rare, Kalia is the only one who burps in our household). I guess that's why she found it so funny. I'll just say EXCUSE MOI right now! Enjoy.

Do we look alike?

Some people think Kalia looks like me, but I haven't really been able to see it. Here's some comparison pictures...both of us at approximately 3 months- what do you think? I guess there's a little more resemblance than I thought. Her face is really round though, isn't it!!

Open Mouth Kisses are the Best!

Happy Birthday Krystal!

Happy Birthday to my AWESOME OLDER SISTER!! (here she is looking fab with Kyla, who is almost 6 months old now--isn't she adorable?)

Krystal is 13 months (and 2 days) older than me, and we have had a lifetime of fun being that close. We did so many things together! We went to young womens, girls camp, and EFY together. We played volleyball and basketball together. We shared vehicles and clothes, (and occasionally argued about both!)

But there were lots of things that she did all on her own. She was always my hero for doing all the hard things first.

• she went to kindergarten first
  
• she transitioned into womanhood first (we all know how crazy THAT is!)
  
• she dated first
  
• she graduated first
• she moved away first
• she got scholarships and straight A's in college first
• she got married first
• she had babies first

Well, she did everything first, and she did it all right. It's a little hard to live up too, but it was easy knowing that if she could survive it, I could too. She's been one of the kindest, wisest, most supportive people I've ever known. There was a time when it seemed all the world was against me, but she said, "Heather, I love you, and as long as you're happy, I'm happy, and I'll support you."

You really can't ask for a better sister.

Krystal, Happy Birthday, you deserve the best. I love you to pieces!!

First Swim

On Saturday we took Kalia swimming for the first time. She goes crazy in the bathtub, so we figured she'd like swimming. She did pretty good, but was a little weirded out by ALL THAT WATER!
We went swimming with our friends Michael, Kat, and baby Jack. We heard a rumor that babies have a reflex to hold their breath when submerged. So we decided to test it out in this little movie clip:

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And the best part about swimming? It just tuckers 'em right out...

Thanks Grandma!

To those of you who wanted to know about my blogger template layout, I created it following the instructions on this document:
http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dd8t7bxp_15hgft8p (thanks to shabbyprincess.blogspot.com for that link).

Do a google search for "digital scrapbooking freebies" or something like that, then find some papers that you like, save them in a photobucket account, and you're on your way. It takes a little bit of trial and error, but you'll catch on. Email me or leave me a comment if you want any help.

Or, I recently found this website with TONS of pre-made layouts, some of which are really fun. Try those out too.


Now I just wanted to say THANK YOU to my mom. She has some great SKILLZ and she made Kalia this darling hooded towel (pooped on during her first bath, but it came out!)
Then she made this beautiful blanket....and stitched it all by hand. Isn't she amazing? THANKS GRANDMA KAREN, I LOVE MY BLANKET!!!!

Tagged

6 things you might not know about me:

1. I HAVE to have a bazillion bottles of shampoo and conditioner in my shower. I love the variety. I never finish them though. I get bored and start looking for something else. Now I am getting obsessed with having tons of options of baby bath and lotions too.
2. I am good at following recipes. (My husband, on the other hand, is a great recipe inventor. I just ate a very tasty concoction of potatoes, beef, and Ramen noodles. Yeah, surprise, it was good!)


3. I have no gusher-self-control. I ate three boxes in three days. Time to stop buying them.

4. I chew on the inside of my cheeks. I'm trying to quit that.

5. I learned to play the harp my senior year at BYU6. I'm going to start doing Pilates (and see if I can get get my stomach back to pre-baby shape.) Any suggestions of a good DVD?

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween Everybody! I love seeing everybody's pictures. Here's a few fun ones:
This is my friend Kat- LOVE her! Matching costumes was an accident! Although she did suggest I go to Children's Place to find one (last minute). They were on clearance for $4.99!)

Halloween sure is fun when you have kids! Especially when they can't eat their own candy. (I am generously eating it so she can have some chocolate-flavored milk).

Samuel took her around to the candy-givers in the mall and said, "Chick or Treat!" Those candy givers just went crazy.
Clever. :)

She's already 2 months old!

Kalia hit two months on October 24th- where did the time go??
2 month check-up

Weight: 13 lbs, 8 oz (95th percentile)

Height: 24 1/2" (97th percentile- tall girl!)

Head: 39 cm (50th percentile)

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