Two elves who make me smile

Heather

The instant friendship

We invited the Parkinsons over to our house on their first Sunday to our ward. Paul turned to Heather and said "can you believe they are inviting us over?" I guess, they had had bad luck in their previous wards when it came to social life and making friends. We ended up talking for hours. I really think they stayed over for six hours that evening. Ever since that night, Paul and Heather have been one of our closest friends. Of course, they have decided to take some geographical distance from us by moving to California and now in Washington D.C/ Utah/Idaho.

Comfort

Heather is one of those friends that I could spend all day with her doing absolutely nothing. We can just get together and talk for hours. During the last two months of my pregnancy, Heather and I walked together in the morning for an hour and chatted away. Many of the morning walks started with "I can't believe I'm still pregnant" and she was a fabulous friend and did not get annoyed with this. She would empathize with me and offer her love and support. Life is good when you have friend with whom you can be comfortable even when you have nothing new to say and who always finds your stories interesting.

Heather and Paul

The big preggo girls

Heather was one of my friends who could relate to the feeling of being huge in the end of my pregnancy. I think we were about the same size by the end of our pregnancy. Of course, she had James little more than a year before Saku's birth, so she was a hot and skinny momma when I was enlarging daily. Now I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight and she is pregnant with twins. Maybe one day we will be skinny together again:) Either way, she is beautiful.

Heather, James and Paul

Dedication

Heather is so dedicated to the gospel. I remember that she bore her testimony on her first Sunday to the campbell ward. And I remember thinking "wow she is so spiritual and so pretty". Sorry, I know I already admitted to checking out Camille's calves, but I just notice these things and I know I am not the only girl who does this, so don't judge me. Ok back to Heather; Heather has an uplifting effect on me. I want to become better and more dedicated to the gospel when I watch her live her life. She and Paul are amazing about going to the temple. It is so nice to have a friend who serves as an example to you and bears a silent testimony of the goodness of God by just living her life.

Heather, come back! I know I tell you this all the time, but I just miss you. Heavenly Father sure knew that I needed a friend like you few years ago and I am so glad that we are still so close; few thousand miles got nothing on us!

Alia

The red head husbands

Alia and I share the blessing of being married to red heads. While this is a superficial thing, it is fun to wonder whether our kids will be red heads. So far, both of our first babies are not sporting the red hair. Also both of our husbands have a passionate personality, they get excited easily about life and Alia and I try to moderate their actions at times. Brian gets away with more stuff since I keep Troy in a tight leash;)

First date

Troy and I were part of Brian and Alia's first date. They came over to Troy's parents house, where Troy lived at the moment, and we watched The Village together. I remember being really tired that night, so I don't think I was too social; however, it was fun to part of their first date and now part of their lives here in Tucson as we are both starting our families.

Decorations

Alia has transformed their home into a beautiful place. She was so committed to painting the rooms, finding the right furniture and re-painting some of the rooms:) When Alia wants to do something, she gets the job done. It has taken us almost three years to paint most of the house and there is still more decorating to do. Alia finished her house in a year or so. Alia also has an eye for details. One time she asked me if I thought that the toilet paper holder in their bathroom was too high. Sorry Alia, I am so the wrong person to ask since I am not that detail oriented. I love spending time in their home, because there is beauty there, yet there is comfort:)

Gets better and better

While Alia and I have known each other for few years now, we haven't hung out that much until the past year. And I'm loving it. I feel like each time I hang out with her, I come home and think "I'm so glad to be friends with her". I look forward to play dates and raising our sons together and of course, making sure our red head hubbies don't get into too much trouble.

Alia, I am so glad that we have become such good friends. I love spending time with you and it's a plus that you darling son is so adorable that I just want to cuddle him. It sounds like a cliche, but I feel very lucky to have you in my life.

An Apology

Tonight I got no juice to do a shout out for my much loved elves. I was busy all day and ended my night with a presentation to the cub scouts and six mile run, so I will just go and eat my cookies and cuddle next to my baby.

Tomorrow I will do a double duty:)

My Christmas Wonderland

This year, I really wanted to have some Christmas magic in my own home. Each year, we are away from home for Christmas; therefore, we never have a Christmas tree. It doesn't seem worth it to get a tree when we will be gone for most of Christmas season. Troy refuses to do a fake tree, and I would love to have a real one as well. So I have added other decorations here and there to bring the Christmas spirit into our home. I have to admit that I am missing the most important thing, which is a reminder of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Troy has been experimenting with something called light painting where you take a picture and add light to it with a flashlight.

Sporting the big G proudly for our beautiful last name;) Also I made a Christmas tree with some ornaments and we put up some snow and lights. I love turning the lights on in the morning when it's still sort of dark outside.

I am all about candles when it comes to the Christmas season.

I love this outfit on Saku. I think it is my brother's old one, which means it's 19 years old. I love dressing him up in cute outfits from Gymboree etc, but when I put him in the few outfits that we have from Finland, he just looks like a baby to me. His new thing is sucking his lower lip.

I made the ornamental wreath over Thanksgiving weekend. I think we used close to 90 ornaments. I know everyone and their mom is making these wreaths, so by no means is it an original creation of mine. However, it is beautiful and it makes me happy. Check the enlarged picture from more details.

These are my beloved reindeers. My mom got me the biggest reindeer three years ago. The following Christmas, dad found the "mom" reindeer from one of the closests where mom used to hide Christmas presents. It was bittersweet to receive a present from mom when she wasn't here on earth with us anymore. This coffee table is my Finnish Christmas decorations. I really want to find a way to bring my Finnish heritage into our home.

This little table in our entry way is one of my favorite spots in the house right now. It looks so simple and it just makes me happy.

I saw these cluster balls on this fabulous blog, and I want to make sure she gets credit for her creation. Again, check out the enlarged picture because these small pictures don't really do justice. Actually, I would love for you to come over to my house and check them out. I'll serve some hot chocolate and we can chat as well:)

I would love to see other people's Christmas decorations since I don't get to visit everyone's homes.

Little bit about Us, too

I'm having such a great time posting about all of you! But I don't want to get too behind with MY stuff:) Troy's friend Matt took few pictures of us over Thanksgiving. We didn't really have any family pictures and we always want more pictures of Saku, so we were grateful for Matt's willingness to share his talent with us.

I feel so blessed to have these two boys in my life. I feel like I have grown so much as a person since Saku's birth and Troy constantly supports me in my journey to become a better person.

Two Elves with a spunky spirits

Lili

Passion

Lili lives her life with passion. She has a passion for politics and expresses her opinions very well, I wouldn't get into a debate with her. She has a passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and her life is a great example of the kind of life that He desires from us. She has a passion for motherhood and makes motherhood fun as she raises her little Lois. And I know she has a passion for her marriage, but we will leave it at that;) Lili also has a passion for beautiful things. She has a great eye for decorating as well as for fashion. How many of us can pull off a leopard print jacket, not me for sure, but Lili can!

Love of life

Lili is always so positive. I am not sure how she does it, but I admire it very much. She always greets you with a smile and seems to enjoy each day to the fullest. She has so much energy and her laugh is contagious. Her little girl is so much like this. What a blessing and a great example she is to her family and those around her about enjoying life and making most out of every opportunity that is given to her.

Grading papers

Lili was my TA while I majored in public relations at BYU. I still have not been able to find the papers and tests that she graded. Fortunately, I am such a nerd that I did well in that class and don't have to be embarrassed about the fact that she graded my stuff. I also remember a certain class mate trying to flirt with Lili even though she was already engaged and had a huge rock to remind this guy. Can you blame the guy though, well maybe a little bit, but Lili is a babe.

Jason, Lois and Lili

The Chef

Lili cooks delicious meals and she loves hosting people. Whenever we get an invite to their house, I know my tummy and my heart will be happy after that visit. Somehow the food always tastes better when you know that the chef had a good time making it. She also is very generous with her talent. She offered to bring food to us to the hospital on the day that Saku was born. Hospital food obviously got nothing on Lili's cooking.

Lili, a friendship like yours is a gift that keeps on giving. I'm grateful to know that you will be with us in Tucson at least a little longer. Hope you will get to have Jason with you for Christmas, but no matter what, you will have little Lois to give you lots of holiday kisses.

Molly

The kind of strength that matters

Molly is incredibly strong. She gave birth to sweet Olivia in May; unlike most first time moms, she didn't get to take her baby home with her for a while and she has been juggling feeding tubes and doctor's appointments for months on top of the worries of an average first time mom. Olivia has been such a little fighter and she is doing fabulously well now. And how could she not, she has a mother who is so full of spunk and life. She has a mother who loves her so much and treasures every little thing about her. I was absolutely amazed by Molly's strength to handle everything so well. One day little Olivia will understand what her mother had to go through to just have her daughter with her and she will be so proud of her.

Molly and Olivia

A happy and fun marriage

Molly has a wonderful husband. And it has always been so obvious to me that these two are so in love. Molly might blog about something sweet that Charles did for her or make some kind of a romantic or even a cheesy comment about him; however, it is always heartfelt and it makes you feel happy. When Molly and Charles were engaged (and if my memory is correct, they were apart from each for few months), I remember Molly making a comment about how much she wanted to make out with him. And I thought "that is so sweet and fun" rather than "why would you tell me that?". Marriage takes a lot of work and Molly makes it look so fun. I bet she and Charles are an inspiration to the people around them. I know they are for me.

Charles and Molly

Unique, OK sometimes little weird:)

Molly has some very unique preferences such as she does not spoons, so I believe that she eats her cereal with a fork and drinks the milk. She also doesn't like dimes (or maybe it's nickels). I don't care what's in my pocket as long as it's money;) Molly can also say words backwards. I honestly don't really understand how it works, but she can take a word and pronounce it backwards. I know there are so many more fun and little weird facts about Molly that I don't know. Maybe one day she can email me a list:)

Molly, I hope you have the most wonderful Christmas. I wish we could be near each other to support each other during this adventure called motherhood. You are in my thoughts constantly. Much love to you and little Olivia.

The Elf who cuddles

Sonja

German/ Paraguayn as my first "American" friend

Sonja was officially my first friend in California. We were in the same geometry class as well as in the same drama class. That's right, I took drama in my first semester at an American high school. So here were were, two European girls busting out monologues in front of other students. Sonja had been in the States for a while, so her English was fine. However, it was comforting to have someone who understood my language issue. We also studied together for geometry. It was so nice to have someone to hang out, even if it involved math. I remember that Sonja actually called me on my birthday that year. I have no idea how she even had taken a note that it was my birthday, but she did. I didn't really have friends to eat lunch with, so she invited me to eat with her friends Sara and Sheeva. These girls became my best friends in high school.

Hopeless romantic

Sonja and I shared the same romantic notion of love during high school. We talked about marrying our high school boyfriends after we had dated them for few months. And it didnt seem ridiculous at the time. We would listen to love songs for hours and talk about boys. I never worried that she would think that my feelings or problems with boys were stupid. Anything and everything was shared between us. We both had our share of long distance relationships and could understand the difficulties that came with them. We would actually cuddle sometimes. This was 100% platonic and non-lesbian. Many of you know that Troy and I cuddle a lot and I'm sure Sonja makes Fabian cuddle her as well.

Party party

Sonja knows how to party; however, you would never know it because she knows how to balance her life. She is about to graduate from medical school in Germany and has always excelled in everything she has done. However, she can be the life of the party. Sonja got the smoking latin body and she knows how to shake it on the dance floor. I loved getting ready and going to high school dances because we had so much fun. Another thing I loved about Sonja is the fact that she would party, yet, she always respected my choice to be the designated driver or not go to a party where people were drinking.

Slightly Jealous

Sonja has traveled all over the world. She has done medical internships in Africa and Latin America. She has lived in three different countries and visited so many more. She adjusts so well. She makes instant friends no matter where she goes. She knows multiple languages and seems to adapt to different cultures so well. You would never know that she is just visiting a country because she seems to fit with anyone and everyone. I'm not going to lie about this. I am totally jealous of all the cool places that she has seen and experiences that she has been part of. Maybe one day we can take a girls' trip somewhere exotic.

Sonja, you are one of the best friends a girl could ask for. Thanks for being my fellow FOB and making those high school years so fantastic. I am so proud of you and can't wait to see you this summer. I know your 2010 will be fabulous!

The Cornell Elves

Bridget

First time over at the Palmer's

We enjoyed a fun dinner with the Palmer's and had been talking for few hours when Bridget's oldest daughter got sick. She had been sleeping on Bridget and started to vomit all over Bridget. I can't remember the exact words, but Bridget pretty much told Miriam to keep vomiting on her because it would make her feel better. If there is a trophy for a dedicated mother, Bridget deserved one that night. We left shortly so the girls could get cleaned up. I hope they didn't feel weird about it because we were just in awe with Bridget's maternal caregiving. At the time, we were still the couple without kids. Now I can relate to this, yet it does not make it any less respectable. (Bridget, I hope it's OK that I shared this).

High I.Q

Bridget is smart. I don't think smart really covers it. It's more like she is on a higher intelligence level than most people. However, she does not make you feel dumb. While I know she enjoys doing things such as reviewing books, she gets along so well with those of us who just read books to enjoy them. There is a talent of being smart and yet allowing other people to be comfortable around you. When Bridget comments on my blog, I feel like my story or writing must have been a good one. Bridget used to edit dictionaries. Honestly, I know someone had to do that, but it's pretty cool that I KNOW someone who is smart enough to do it. I rely on google to check my word choices and spelling. And now I'm wondering how many little grammatical errors I have already made on this post.;)

Bridget, Magdalena, Miriam and Jeremy

A degree of understanding

As I struggle with the decision whether or not to go to work, I feel like very few people actually understand where I'm coming from. While Bridget and I have not had a conversation about this topic, I feel like she understand the conflicting desire to use my degree and develop my career while being the kind of mom that I want to be. Sometimes it's enough to know that someone understands you even if it doesn't change anything nor does the person give you any advice.

Few similarities

Bridget and I share an appreciation for good public libraries, public transportation (hello, she took the bus to get to her prenatal appointments), not spending too much money on things and Finnish chocolate. There are people who like the Finnish chocolate that I share with them; however, Bridget is the only one who has shown the degree of appreciation for it that I believe it deserves.

Bridget, Troy and I would always (really, always) say "We really like Bridget and Jeremy" after each time we hung out. Too bad, the times were too few and now you guys are gone. Enjoy the beautiful white Christmas time while we are stuck with the dirt and the sand.

Christina

A rock star mom

Christina had her a little boy Luca (what a sweet name) last spring while she was finishing her first year at Cornell law. Honestly, I have no idea how she does it. I count it a successful day when I get few chores done, have a happy baby, worked out and showered and had a dinner ready when it was time to eat. ANd hopefully had enough energy to be a happy wife. The idea of memorizing and learning so much important stuff while juggling the demands of motherhood just blows my mind. She will be doing an internship at Harvard Law next summer. I know it isn't easy for her to get everything done. This just shows what a strong and smart lady is she.

Roberto, Luca and Christina

No hiding behind the bushes

Christina is honest and straight forward. She doesn't try to make something sound better than it is. She manages to do this without being rude, which is a serious talent. In high school, we used to joke that Sonja (Christina's sister) and I were the nice ones(read: people pleasers) while Anna(my sister) and Christina just said whatever they wanted. I would love to see her argue a case in front of a judge. Plus a compliment from Christina was always highly valued since she only said what she meant.

Cheerleading

CHristina and I tried out for cheerleading at the same time. I was a base and she was a flyer. I remember doing stunts and seeing Christina's tiny legs shaking as we were holding her in the air. Cheerleading wasn't really my thing, but I had fun with Christina while doing it. Plus we both enjoyed watching the football players; yes, I was such a typical high school girl.

Fellow European

Christina and I share the love for European things. She is also the only one of her family that is in the States right now. She speaks English, German and Spanish fluently. I believe she knows French really well and maybe even Italian. We will have to compare notes on teaching our little boys multiple languages.

Chrisi, I think you are amazing. When I see pictures of you and little Luca, my heart just melts.

Have a fabulous Christmas in Germany with all of your family:)