XO
Sarah
What Do Mormons Believe?
Friday, March 31, 2017
Have you heard about the Mormons!? Within the past few years, things like the Broadway Musical, Presidential Candidates, etc., have brought more attention to Mormonism, but do you know the core principles? Last week when I was thinking about this video, I was a little bit overwhelmed because I feel like there are so many amazing and beautiful aspects to the Religion that I didn't want to leave out, and they all feel so important. Then I had the thought to follow the principles that are outlined on mormon.org. So here in this video are just a few simple principles that are foundational to the LDS {Latter-day Saint} faith. Something that I was also thinking about this past week that I didn't put in the video is that if you've ever happened to come in contact with someone who doesn't seem accepting or comes off judgmental, and they happen to be Mormon: it's not a Religion problem, it's a people problem! Nobody is perfect, and I've come across people from all different religions or backgrounds who are judgmental or crass, but that doesn't make me love them any less! For some reason, I felt like it was important to say that sometimes I think the terms "judgmental" or anything else that implies a lack of acceptance for people who live outside of they way they live, are pegged as a "Mormon problem," when in reality it's just a human one. We are taught from Nursery aged toddlers {18 months +} to Love One Another.<3 I also explain in the video that my background comes from being immersed in a variety of religions and cultures, and I love them all! This is the path I've chosen because I find great joy in it, and I hope to shed even just a particle of light on that here!:) {The Instagram 40 second version is first, and the full 4 minute video is below!}
XO
Sarah
XO
Sarah
Baby O's First Birthday!
Baby O's first birthday was yesterday, and I wanted to make sure I got some pictures up! She is such a sweet, happy baby. She says, "Hiii" in the SWEETEST voice that totally melts us, and guess what...she started WALKING at her party! After cake, she got down and took steps! It was adorable and so exciting! Happy first birthday to our baby girl! She's going to be a big sister in a few months, she's going to love having a baby to poke at and snuggle! Haha!
Here are some pics from her little party, AND her birth video. We had an unmedicated hospital birth, and it was such a great day! Find that on the bottom, if you're into that sort of thing!:) Happy 1st Birthday, Baby O!
XO
Sarah
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Balboa + Newport Beach
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Loved our quick little trip to Disney, Newport, and Balboa Island! It was so much fun! Usually we take all of our babies with us, but I will say that it was easy breezy with our 5 and 3 year old! They are getting so big and fun! I didn't know it was possible for babies to get even more fun OR that it was possible to go on a trip with kids and actually sleep! Haha! I'll add the places we went under the captions! <3
XO
Sarah
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| We took a stop at Salon Bellagio to get big brother and daddy haircuts! We have been there several times before! Their esthetician also does a great job with brows! |
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| The Balboa Pier is so beautiful, and it's fun to watch everyone fishing! |
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| The Balboa Island Ferry is a lot of fun, too! And all the cute little houses are so quaint! |
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| Of COURSE we had to stop at our favorite bakery!<3 |
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| Bye Bye Beach and Back to Red Rocks! |
Phone Blunders and Savers
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
"My phone won't turn on."
If you've ever said those five words about your phone, you know they s-t-i-n-k. Hahaha! A couple of weeks ago now, my phone randomly went into this loop where the apple logo would come on over and over and over, but wouldn't turn on!
Out of pure desperation and fear of losing all of my pictures, videos, voice memos, apps, and TEXTS, {ohhh, I've had to wait a little bit to talk about it because it literally made me half way sick and half way sad! Haha!} I downloaded a bunch of programs to try to get my phone out of the recovery mode loop. There was some, not a lot, of info on it, and as embarrassed as I am to admit this, I probably spent about $150 on programs that were supposed to help! Little did I know that besides spending days on end getting migraines staring at my computer screen, I had also paid to download viruses onto my computer! I felt like a total ding dong, so when I called a tech guy to consult with me on my phone/computer, he said I should bring it in. He couldn't fix my phone, but helped clean up my computer and took a few viruses off it it, one of which was actually a serious one! One that I invited in and gave our money to. Insert "I'm an idiot face" emoji here.
Anyway...
Anyway...
"Wasn't it backed up to iCloud?" is something I heard a lot. No. No it wasn't. And I REALLLLLY regret that. Hahaha. Every time I went to do that, for some reason it failed! Now that I look back on it, I don't think there was enough iCloud space to do all of my pictures, so I've since upgraded to more storage. Kind of not a fun way to learn a lesson, and there are definitely worse things, but being without a phone for a week is a little inconvenient in our day and age of raising kids, running businesses, and having our schedules attached to our phones. Even though many days I choose to go without using my phone, it feels like a different story when you CAN'T use it!
Determined to not let this blunder happen again without being a little bit prepared, I wanted to make sure I put the right systems in place to make sure my stuff is backed up in case another apple loop attacks or my phone takes a little swim. Is this resonating with anyone? Or am I alone in my phone-backup stupidity!? Hahah!
Either way, here's what I found!:)
1. Upgrade cloud storage and let it back up when it's "locked and connected to wi-fi." {Still can't believe I didn't figure that out before, but hello, knowledge.}
2. Use a program that takes messages, voice memos, etc., off of your phone and keep them on an external hard drive. {But WAIT! External hard drive. That's another curse word this week, because when I went to plug mine in, it said to back it up and format it, which erases everything. Um, the EHD IS my back up! Hahaha! So, now: Hi, I'm Sarah. I'm a paranoid freak about losing my data and now I back up my external hard drive on to another external hard drive. Twice. And I'm signing up for an online backup, too. Cue eye roll and laughing tears! Haha!}
3. Picture backups. Google Photos, DropBox, etc., etc., I think even Amazon has one now!? Whatever you choose, use it! And remind it to back up often! I was able to save a lot of pictures this way. Not all of them, and not my videos, but it saved some picture heartache!
There are lots of iPhone extractor programs, and the one I chose to use is called iExplorer. I had it before, about two years ago, but there is an updated version, so I needed to buy it again. In my opinion, it's so worth it. I don't know why texts and voicemails are sentimental to me, but they totally are! And voice memos are too, because it's usually recording my kids' little voices or ideas, or random other tid bits that probably mean nothing to anyone else except for me. But that's okay. I like iExplorer because you buy it once and then can use it on a computer and plug all your devices into it, which is nice.
I hope that SOMETHING on here is useful, if nothing other than to provide a cautionary tale to the Mamas with cute kids who take lots of pictures... Back that stuff up. I hate thinking about the videos that I lost over the past several months! Boo! But we now know! Haha. My new nickname can be Queen Freak of All Things Backup, and I'll own it, because I want that history saved! Hahah! All in all, I learned a lot {I should have learned this before, because it's not the first time it's happened! Haha!} I did get a new phone, and sometimes fresh starts are good with all that memory and data, but I'd rather start fresh with the old stuff backed up! Haha. Hope this helps!
XO
Sarah
21 Week Bumpdate
Monday, March 13, 2017
21 weeks. It's taken a little while for me to start feeling this baby, so when I feel her kicks, I'm over the moon. This morning when I felt her, I was even a little bit emotional because I was feeling a tiny bit worried since I felt like it had been a good while since she had been active. I'm still throwing up, but trying to enjoy as much as I can. After 5 babies, I don't know how many more we will be blessed with or will choose to or be able to have!
As much as I love that birthing day where you are pushed to every limit physically, emotionally, spiritually, and then are met with that beautiful feeling of joy and relief as a perfect gift is placed on your stomach; I'm soaking in every blessed moment that this little girl is growing inside my belly.💕
XO
Sarah
Robe: Freshly Picked
Lips: Shade Violette + Rose Gloss {FIND IT HERE}
SALT LDS Retreat
Saturday, March 11, 2017
When I first saw that the SALT LDS Retreat was a thing, I was so excited! My cute college roomie and I decided to go to it, and we're so glad we did! We heard from some really great speakers, made friends, and felt the Spirit. I received answers to some things that I've been pondering on, and of course it's so nice {and important} for Mama's to have some time out to themselves, {even if you miss your babies 5 seconds after you walk out the door! Hahaha!}
Some take aways:
The sweet girl, Elise, who put on the whole event {which really was amazing and everything was done beautifully!} talked about giving God the time he deserves. This isn't word for word, just how I interpreted it, but when we look at things or give attention to things that aren't necessarily uplifting to our spirit, like articles and comments which aren't pro-religion, etc., we should also give God equal amounts of time. We should read the conference talks and quotes that our friends post, we should show Him that we want him in our lives. She shared her story, which was powerful. I think so many could relate to it, and it was such a great way to start the retreat!
The other speakers {in the classes I went to} spoke on things like:
Some take aways:
The sweet girl, Elise, who put on the whole event {which really was amazing and everything was done beautifully!} talked about giving God the time he deserves. This isn't word for word, just how I interpreted it, but when we look at things or give attention to things that aren't necessarily uplifting to our spirit, like articles and comments which aren't pro-religion, etc., we should also give God equal amounts of time. We should read the conference talks and quotes that our friends post, we should show Him that we want him in our lives. She shared her story, which was powerful. I think so many could relate to it, and it was such a great way to start the retreat!
The other speakers {in the classes I went to} spoke on things like:
- Inner beauty. {And that nothing changes our Divine worth.}
- "You are not broken" {talking about Postpartum Anxiety and Depression!}
- If you're not getting better, you're getting worse. {Putting energy towards things that make us better instead of making us feel worse and not being flooded by so much info that we can't focus on how we think, feel, and what we believe.} And that confidence is vital.
- Stress Management.
- When we are struggling or feeling vulnerable, turn outward. {From Rosie! She has a line of beautiful temple dresses called Q. Noor. I ordered a dress called Merry that is maternity friendly, and it's beautiful!}
That's the crazy short version of my notes, but it was uplifting and fun! My roomie and I went with another friend to Chick-Fil-A for lunch, which was also a treat since I don't live near one! Haha!:) And then we had Turkey Cranberry Sandwiches from the cafe downstairs at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building later on. We left a little bit early because my preggo self was nauseous and was getting a migraine {#preggoprobs. Haaha!} but we loved everything we heard and saw, and everyone we met!
XO
Sarah
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| Loved meeting Laura, AKA Marathon Mama, and so many other fun friends! |
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Dressing the Bump
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Dressing the bump! We are doing this! Last week when this was supposed to go up, I got strep. And let me tell you, puking with morning sickness on a sore throat is a major party. Hahaha! BUT, I got it together after some antibiotics {thank you, doctors,} and made this incredibly awkward video for your viewing pleasure. If you don't want to watch, I put the items below!<3 I'm sure none of this is novel information, but it's what I've learned over the past 5 years to avoid those "nothing fits me" meltdowns, so hopefully it's useful to someone!:)
Shirts {Size up!} If I didn't say it enough, don't be afraid to size up! Size up, own that Bump, and dress in what's comfortable! Don't look at the number, letter, or whatever it is! After all, you're growing.a.HUMAN!;)
Cardigans or something similar: I love pairing a cardigan or light cover shirt..{still don't know what they are called, hahaha} over a t-shirt or blouse that fits the belly. It gives some coverage to arms, and can be worn ovet dresses too. I even wear them with leggings and a tank sometimes for lounging. Point is: you need these. Hahaha!
Dresses: I'll be honest. I have spent too many-a-Sundays in previous pregnancies frustrated and crying because things "don't fit." No more. If you have a couple of dresses that stretch, you're in business. And combined with a cardigan/over-shirt thing {still don't know what it's called,} it makes it a whole different outfit and you're in business. Some of my favorites have been found at Jane! {HERE!}
Leggings: The ones with the band are my FAVORITE, because they are ultra comfy. I wear them a lot in the winter, and even postpartum, when like with the jeans, I will wear them to keep everything tight since I don't really do belly binding or anything like that.
Pants: I will say three words: WORTH.THE.SPLURGE. I have worn the same pairs of pants through 3 pregnancies and wish I had bought them with my first. {Same goes with a pregnancy pillow, but that's for another time! Haha!} I guess I did still have some flares from my first pregnancy, but apparently that was the style then, and the skinnies I got later on were my fave! I got some from Pink Blush Maternity during a sale, and am so grateful I did. Worth every penny. I even wear them postpartum while my belly is still too big to go back into "regular" pants and when I want to keep everything tighter. I don't do belly binding or anything like that, so I take all the help I can get from these guys.;) Haha!
Some other things I like to do that weren't mentioned in the video:
Bras: I DID mention in the video that I don't love spending a ton of money on clothes. Some things are definitely worth the investment to me, and bras are actually one of them! When I'm not pregnant. When I'm pregnant and nursing, I kid you not, the girls up front are all SORTS of different sizes, so I go to TJ Maxx or a store like that and buy several bras in a couple of different sizes for about $15 each. They are usually sports bras with cups so that the girls don't look to squishy and I can wear them under normal shirts without the cross cross that shows in the back.
Happy Bumping!
XO
Sarah
Shirts {Size up!} If I didn't say it enough, don't be afraid to size up! Size up, own that Bump, and dress in what's comfortable! Don't look at the number, letter, or whatever it is! After all, you're growing.a.HUMAN!;)
Cardigans or something similar: I love pairing a cardigan or light cover shirt..{still don't know what they are called, hahaha} over a t-shirt or blouse that fits the belly. It gives some coverage to arms, and can be worn ovet dresses too. I even wear them with leggings and a tank sometimes for lounging. Point is: you need these. Hahaha!
Dresses: I'll be honest. I have spent too many-a-Sundays in previous pregnancies frustrated and crying because things "don't fit." No more. If you have a couple of dresses that stretch, you're in business. And combined with a cardigan/over-shirt thing {still don't know what it's called,} it makes it a whole different outfit and you're in business. Some of my favorites have been found at Jane! {HERE!}
Leggings: The ones with the band are my FAVORITE, because they are ultra comfy. I wear them a lot in the winter, and even postpartum, when like with the jeans, I will wear them to keep everything tight since I don't really do belly binding or anything like that.
Pants: I will say three words: WORTH.THE.SPLURGE. I have worn the same pairs of pants through 3 pregnancies and wish I had bought them with my first. {Same goes with a pregnancy pillow, but that's for another time! Haha!} I guess I did still have some flares from my first pregnancy, but apparently that was the style then, and the skinnies I got later on were my fave! I got some from Pink Blush Maternity during a sale, and am so grateful I did. Worth every penny. I even wear them postpartum while my belly is still too big to go back into "regular" pants and when I want to keep everything tighter. I don't do belly binding or anything like that, so I take all the help I can get from these guys.;) Haha!
Some other things I like to do that weren't mentioned in the video:
Bras: I DID mention in the video that I don't love spending a ton of money on clothes. Some things are definitely worth the investment to me, and bras are actually one of them! When I'm not pregnant. When I'm pregnant and nursing, I kid you not, the girls up front are all SORTS of different sizes, so I go to TJ Maxx or a store like that and buy several bras in a couple of different sizes for about $15 each. They are usually sports bras with cups so that the girls don't look to squishy and I can wear them under normal shirts without the cross cross that shows in the back.
Happy Bumping!
XO
Sarah
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Thoughts on Pregnancy + Infertility
Sunday, March 5, 2017
I've had something on my heart and mind for days, weeks, and even years, and have said things like this before, but still wanted to share. When we were thinking about growing our family again, I kept a journal of the journey. For some reason it was so emotional. Actually, it was so hard for one or two main reasons. I was so sick, so emotional thinking about getting pregnant knowing what it would entail, let alone having to announce it to some of my closest friends and family who have longed for the same thing for months and years. I know we all have our own trials, some are seen, some are unseen, but somehow it didn't make the pit in my stomach or lump in my throat much better. I know my pregnancies aren't picture perfect, with lots of throw up bags, and a lot of time spent over 9 months in the hospital with IV in-arm, on the floor, or over the toilet. I try to have a good attitude and mostly share the good parts, because it doesn't change how grateful I am. I'm so grateful for my kids and this growing belly, but just wanted to say in conjunction with that how many pleading prayers are said tearfully and daily for all those who are waiting for that babe in their belly or arms. Love all of you sweet friends! Thanks for always showing love and friendship to me, I love each of you! Happy Sunday!💕
XO
S.C.
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