New Year, New Beginnings

As I look back on the year 2010, it was one heck of a roller coaster.  The highlight of the year was when my husband and I found out I was pregnant last January and then giving birth to our daughter September 10, 2010.  The day I first met my daughter, Atalia, was by far the most emotional day ever.  Its such an amazing experience and I thank God for allowing me to birth a beautiful, healthy child. 

It blows my mind that in just 9 more days, our daughter will be 4 months old...seriously where has the time gone?  My little 6 pound baby girl is now weighing in at 14 pounds and has changed so much!  She amazes my husband and I each day with everything she is capable of.  We have been so deeply blessed to have a baby that is healthy, happy, active, smart, and most of all sleeps through the night! =)  It is definitely bittersweet to see how quickly she is growing and maturing, but all those changes always brighten our days and just make us realize our lucky we are to be parents to our baby girl!

This is going to be a new year filled with new beginnings and firsts and I can't wait to see what's in store for our little family!

Below are some photos from when Atalia was just 2 days old, taken by my sister-in-law Ashley.  The newer ones were taken by myself during the holidays.  Enjoy =)

Our baby girl~Atalia Jewell Perez

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 forever changed my life and my heart in a way I'll never be able to fully explain and I know it had the same dramatic effect on my husband too.  We got to see our very active baby girl, Atalia Jewell.  This day was different than others because our baby actually looked like a baby!  We could see her rub her eye, scratch her chin, suck her thumb, roll around, and even move her foot near her head.  It's like she knew her mom and dad were going to be seeing her in all her glory and she wanted to show off her skills. =)  She did not disappoint...not that she could...and it just made us fall even more in love with her than the day we found out we were expecting her!

I'm finally at the stage in my 2nd trimester (20 weeks) where I can feel her move inside of me and it is so amazing and weird at the same time!  When I think of what's going on in my body, I am simply in awe.  It is so incredible how the Lord gave me the ability to bear and eventually birth this child, a child that was simply created from my egg and my husband's sperm into a human being.  I think about everything we saw in the ultrasound, from her brain, skull, ribs, spine, fingers, hands, toes, feet, and heart and it just takes both of our breaths away that we created this life!

Baby girl, you have no idea how much your mom and dad love you~not to mention all your extended family!  I know you will be spoiled beyond belief, and to an extent that's okay, as long as you don't expect it your whole life.

You will be raised to respect your mom and dad and any future siblings you may have.  It is also important that we teach you to have a strong faith in God, a mutual respect for everyone in this world, and a good head on your shoulders!  Your dad and I promise to love you unconditionally and support you in all your decisions and goals.  We just ask that you be athletic like your mom and dad! =)  We have already decided you're going to be a star swimmer and water polo player...and well that's non-negotiable! j/k =)  Well maybe just a little, but no seriously we will never push you, we just ask that you try things in life at least once before saying you don't like something...never settling and never putting limits on your abilities.

Atalia, September 19, 2010 cannot come soon enough!  =)  We already love you so much and are beyond excited to meet you, hold you, cuddle you, and kiss you!

Jamie Laguette-Stevens.my cousin

My dear cousin, Jaime you were such an amazing woman, wife, daughter, sister, cousin, and friend.

This past Friday, my cousin passed away of cancer after 1 1/2 years of fighting this horrible disease.  She was a fighter until the very end and never lost hope-EVER.  She would constantly post on her Facebook for all to see that she was a cancer warrior and that she would beat this with the support of her family and friends. KATNER (Kickin' Ass, Takin' Names, Repeat)

One day last October it hit me how angry, sad, upset and just downright mad I was that the Lord would allow such a horrible disease to enter my cousin's body at such a young age.  I wrote to her, because I knew the words that I had intended to tell her, would not be able to make it out of my mouth without bursting into tears.  I told Jaime everything that I had been feeling for the days leading up to that moment, what my fondest memories were of her, and us, and our families.  I told her how amazing, inspirational, beautiful, and funny she was...how I had always remembered her to be since we were young.  I guess you could say I laid everything out on the table...and I'm glad I did...not just because I got to tell her everything I wanted her to know, but because I didn't get a chance to say goodbye.

Because I feel compelled...below are the words she wrote back to me and I will hold near and dear in my heart forever.  You can see the absolute determination and drive she had to beat her cancer, and that's just sheer fearlessness on her part to have such an awe-inspiring spirit everyday of her courageous fight.

Jaime Laguette-Stevens October 3, 2009 at 10:47am

Dear Natalie,

Words cannot begin to express how much your email means to me - it brought tears to my eyes. It is one of the nicest, most thoughtful, caring emails I have ever received, thank you. The feelings are definitely mutual and I think about you all the time. I love seeing your updates on facebook and it makes me SO happy to see you SO happy.

I completely understand your reactions and I would never fault you for that. I know that I am in your thoughts and prayers and that's all I could ever ask for. I am very open about my cancer journey so please never hesitate to ask me anything or feel vulnerable.

I too get upset about why I have this ugly disease, but one thing I realize is I cannot question why. I just have to keep my head held high and know that this too shall pass, as difficult as it is. I honestly believe that God put this challege in front of me for me to accomplish so that I could be the strength and inspiration for all others out there living with cancer or yet to be diagnosed. You rarely hear about the survivor stories and there are SO many. I know I will be a survivor so in the meantime, I am fighting with all that I have!!

As I write this, I am astonished with how well I feel physically, mentally and emotionally all things considering and that's all I can ask for. I am a human being LIVING with cancer who will BEAT it!!

Thank you again for your email and very kind words. I hope we can all get together again soon!

I love you,
Jaime

I love you my dear cousin.  You fought hard, really hard...and even though you have parted ways with your loved ones and friends we will all meet you again in the most precious place, Heaven.

Week in Review with the Tran kids

Today I will say goodbye to my favorite Asian munchkins in the whole wide world...the Tran kids.  I was fortunate enough to spend an entire week with them while their mom left for boot camp.  Surprisingly, the two hardest parts of the whole trip were being sick and having to still maintain their schedule, regardless of how I felt (I guess that's where my motherly instincts kicked in), and the second thing was of course saying goodbye to them.

During my stay we shared a few tears, tons of laughs, lots of cuddling, but more than that it was about creating memories.  I kept thinking to myself, if only someone could've taken pictures of our time together so I could cherish those memories forever on paper, but I'll just have to cherish them well within my heart.

I feel like after this past week I could write a book on kids saying the darndest things!  Ethan seriously said the cutest things all week, as well as his sisters, who for the most part just speak mumbo jumbo with occasional real words & sentences.  Some of the highlights of the week and what the kids said to me are as below:

Ethan...
- "Auntie Natalie thank you for watching me and my babies while my mom is away."
- "Auntie, I love you" (he said this probably on the hour, sometimes more)
- "Auntie, you are so good to me and my babies."
- "Auntie, I really hope you get better.  I wanted to get you a watermelon, because that always makes my throat feel better."
- "Auntie, if you make red soup (aka top ramen), that always makes me feel better.  You should try it!"

*My favorite thing he said to me came last night as he was playing his Wii sports game.  He was playing as 2 players with one remote in each hand.  Somehow my Mii won his Mii and so he said, "Auntie, you beat me again! I know how much you love beating me when we play the Wii!" It was the gosh honest truth coming out of his mouth and so adorable because for the first time he wasn't getting mad at me.  You see I'm beyond competitive...yeah you heard and read correctly, I don't even let my nephew or anyone else for that matter just win, because it's the right thing to do.  I know it sounds harsh, but losing builds character and why not start them out young?  I've finally proved my point with Ethan, that as long as you're having fun, it doesn't matter if you win or lose (for now that is...) =)

The few words/sentences the girls, Ellie & Avery could muster up all week that were so cute to hear were...
- "Auntie, I fall down!" (Avery)
- "Auntie, love..." (both girls)
- "Mommy, airplane" (Avery)
- "Kisses" (both girls)

We had such an incredible time at various parks, the mall, and of course at home.  I'll definitely miss my Asian munchkins, I'm just simply amazed at how fast they are growing.  I'm glad that I continue to have so many opportunities to be with them and help guide them along their way.  My life would not be complete without them.

Below are a few...ok maybe more than a few images from our time together.

 

 

My munchkin aka nephew Austin

This little guy warms my heart every time I see him.  He's my first legit nephew and I love him to pieces!  This past weekend my sister-in-law hung out in San Clemente and had a blast.  Austin definitely made us laugh the entire day!

Some of my memorable moments of this weekend that he did were:

- While playing with Austin he happily says, "Auntie you funny!"
- After giving him a sip/try of my orange bang drink, he paused and said, "Yummy! More!"
- As I was coming out of the restaurant (with more orange bang for the little guy) he says, "I found you Auntie!"
- In his stroller he shouted, "I happy!" (for no reason at all, adorable? YES)
- Once Austin woke up from his nap, he walks over to the hallway, lies on his back with his legs up and says, "haha I funny!"

Here are a few of my favorites I took of Austin for his Christmas present to his Great Grandmas...

A Family Affair~Hollebeke Wedding

Last Sunday, my mom was married to her sweetheart in Las Vegas.  It was a fantastic weekend full of fun, lots of laughter, and good times.  My mom, Anne & her new husband Paul, had friends and family come near and far to be apart of their special occasion.  The wedding was amazing and the newlyweds had a permanent smile on their faces the entire day, which could only mean one thing...they are completely & madly in love, and happy to finally be married!

love the cake topper~scuba divers...b/c they are!

before the "I do's"

my brother & mom walking down the aisle...mom is already crying...per usual ;)

Mr & Mrs. Hollebeke

first dance

a little fun w/ mom...my brother & I can never take a serious, good picture w/ our mom! =)

this picture doesn't do my brother & I any justice, but it proves my point 

that we like to rile our mom up by not taking good pictures with her.  its been that way since childhood, no sense in stopping now ;) love you mom!

my sister-in-law, Faith & I having some fun

The fam: Roland, me, Faith, Ryan

dance floor action...get down

Mom & Paul

In just a few short weeks my mom, Anne will be tying the knot to her fiancee Paul.  In the year that they've known each other they have already done so much as a couple.  From camping, to fly fishing, to snowboarding, and scuba diving they seem to be doing it all.  It is a joy to see my mom really happy for the first time in a long time.  She has found that special someone who has put an extra skip in her step and an extra twinkle in her eye.  


I love you mom and may the best be yet to come...