Let me be honest...

Some days I find myself feeling like this:

And yet I know,
cathartic though it may be,
a good scream won't change what is going on in my life.

I've been feeling this way A LOT lately.

It is hard to live for months
with all your belongings packed away.
It is hard to be both pregnant and raising your first baby
under the constant eyes of others
(not that these eyes are harsh--they just add a daily audience).
It is hard to own a home that is not yet fit to live in.
And I could go on...

BUT,
is my life really that hard?
This is the question
I have been trying to ask myself more often.

Hmm.
Let me look at my list of complaints again.

It is wonderful to have a FREE place to live,
allowing us the funds to purchase all of our appliances.
It is wonderful to have others to help me with my little one
while I am pregnant.
It is wonderful to own a home that will SOON be fit to live in.
And I could go on...

PERSPECTIVE.
This is one of my major goals for this new year.
Hopefully a good dose of it will help me feel like this more often:

1. perspective
2. contractors coming through
3. trips to Ikea

Looking Good

The siding is complete!
It was so cold that they had trouble
with it snapping when they had to make cuts,
but it is finally done!

The next hurdle is trying to get the heat going.
Until we have heat, not much interior work
can be accomplished.
We're still hoping for the end of February/beginning of March
as a move-in time.
Keep your fingers crossed with us!

1. Sunshine, especially when it is cold!
2. naps
3. countdowns

Book Worm

This girl LOVES to read books.

She has become very good at turning the pages,

thinking deeply about the author's meaning,

and even laughs out loud at the funny parts.

And THIS is what happens when you dare to
tell her that story time is over:

Yup.
She must be our kid:)

1. an early appreciation for literature
2. library books
3. a mom that read to me

SURPRISE! And wrapping up 2009.

Well, friends,
we have officially known the sex of baby #2
for a month now.
I suppose it is time to share the fun news!

Lucy Ambrosia
will be the next baby to join the Vieira Family Party!
I love me some hand-me-downs!

That is the super fun news.
If you are interested in other news, read on...

Dorothy is just such a sweetheart.
I love these stages with her.
Here she is all snuggled up in the comforter
while I was making the bed.

Christmas was incredible!
We had everyone except Nathan together.
How fun to finally see Will after 2 years
and to have Dorothy meet her uncle,
great grandpa, and great uncle.
She was nothing but smiles the entire week.

We figured that since she wouldn't remember anyway
we would just wrap up a bunch of stuff Dot already has and loves.
The girl was thrilled.
Yahoo for a very merry and inexpensive baby girl Christmas!

And here is the whole gang together.
17 people in 1 house = a crazy but fun family week

We have so few family shots,
I thought I should share this one.
I can't believe that in about 4 more months
we will be a family of 4!

We are incredibly excited for 2010.
We have a new house,
new baby,
new ward callings (we were recently both released
when our ward merged with a neighboring branch),
and many more new things to look forward to.

Happy New Year, everyone!

1. new recipes
2. good books
3. progress

What A Weekend

We have been a busy couple bees
the last few days.

Dorothy got all dressed up for her first wedding.
I daresay she was second most beautiful
to the bride.

We had a mini- Christmas opening
wonderful gifts from Auntie Mary.
Thank you so much, Mare!

And today we are
enjoying a day at home
courtesy of the blizzard of 2009.

They officially canceled church last night
and we have been staying snuggled inside
with a pan of cinnamon buns, movies, and music
all morning.

We ventured out with Dot for a few minutes,
but the snow hasn't let up yet.
We've gotten about 2 feet and
should be getting a few more inches before it is all over.

Who knows,
maybe Marty will get a snow day tomorrow, too!

1. a warm home
2. thoughtful friends
3. time for a warm bath

It's Here!!

Yesterday afternoon,
our house showed up in 4 pieces.

It was an incredible feeling
to peek in the windows
and see all the things we had only seen on paper.

The crane showed up this morning
and parked next to the foundation.

After eating lunch with some wonderful ladies
I took a walk out to see the progress.
This is what I found!

We have a house, ladies and gentlemen!!!

We should get to do a walk through
this afternoon to make sure everything looks right!

1. cooperating weather
2. technology
3. home sweet home

No day can be a Bad day...

When you wake up to This:

1. bed head
2. Linda's chocolate chip cookies
3. Not having to cook dinner