Christmas 2014

   Even though this was our first Christmas without our families, I think this Christmas was one of my favorites!  We definitely didn't throw a big one, and it definitely didn't require much thought and planning, but it turned out just as magical as any.
     We were naughty this year and opened all of our presents from family and for Scarlett right when they arrived in the mail.  My only excuse is that we didn't know what packages were sent for Christmas or for my birthday on Dec 12th.  HA.  That's a lie.   Brian and I had Christmas mornings all month long, and Scarlett was enthralled with every gift she received-one at a time- for a couple days, at least.  It ruled.
 
At our ward Christmas party, waaaay back on Dec 5th, I got to perform as a dancer to represent the Relief Society.  It was a most embarrassing, most exhilarating moment.  We were all like graceful sugarplum fairies, I'm sure.

Scarlett enjoyed the lasagna, but not the camera.

Some of Brian's Chem buds joined us.  We like these guys.

 On Dec 23rd, we rented out a  Jacuzzi Suite at a nice hotel about two blocks away from our house.  I know, we're weird, but we all LOVED it.  We were contemplating a visit to Chicago or other big cities nearby, but we didn't feel like driving or paying for a big trip so we had a Stay-cation! I wish I brought my camera, I took a few phone pictures of our huge room but they turned out crappy.  Basically, we checked in, went to dinner at Riverside buffett, came back & swam in the indoor pool, then hot tubbed in our room with Lord of the Rings on the big screen.   In the morning, we enjoyed a large hot breakfast then Jacuzzied on 'til check out.  Scarlett is a fish and we brought our own bubble bath, so it was a hit.

On Christmas Eve, Brian and I ran to get last minute stocking stuffers for each other and Scarlett, so Santa could come.  We skyped with my family, then acted out the Nativity with Scarlett.  She was a good sport some of the time.  After, we popped popcorn and watched the Nativity Story, its one of my favorite theatrical depictions of the story of Christ's birth.  It was a very special holy night. 

 

We put out our stockings and a lot of the toys she had already received. She acted like some of them were brand new; I guess we fooled her!

The result of Brian telling Scarlett to smile.

German pancakes and a 19 week pregnant belly.

Her tiny stocking was full of pudding and gummies.  I got a lemon zester, and Brian got some beef jerky.  We are so romantic.

After taking away the Ipad, this was the best picture we could get of everyone's faces.  Merry Christmas from Bratlett (Brian, Nat, & Scarlett) Green.

Stuffs

Brian's very cool (and still single) mission friend, Nathan Marshall, called us the other day to catch up. He said he had no clue what we've been up to "cuz Nat hasn't posted on her blog" in a long time.   Ha, true dat.  Here's some stuffs about our lives going on lately:

Brian is just about to finish his third semester of grad school with a bang, probably with perfect grades, not to brag.  He has already been on several out of state conference/meeting/research trips, and we will be visiting Utah in January while he gets to recruit at Weber State for a U of Iowa Chem Intern program. Pretty kewl! Brian has gathered many a Jazz fan in our ward together to create a band of brothers to share an NBA league pass, so four bros can legally watch Jazz games on their home devices at once. Its a great way for shy(?) Brian to make friends. He has also gotten into playing League of Legends with his brother and friends, and I'm happy he can stay in touch with them. Sometimes I join him when I'm feeling brave, he's really great about boosting a newbie's confidence.

Ahhh, I seriously love this team.

 I, Natalie, have just turned 25 years old.  My city rec indoor volleyball team took second in the league and tournament (we have two plaques now!)  I am so proud, this season was a blast.  I've become a part-time babysitter for a family with two teens and a 9-year-old, and I'm relearning much about adolescent behavior. It makes me grateful that I just have to deal with toddler tantrums at my house for now.
I'm really enjoying cooking, not anything particularly extravagant, but I've been trying a lot of new dishes to set before the dinner table. My latest firsts were shrimp spring rolls, orange chicken stir fry, and Grilled Chicken Picatta. I look forward to cooking as a creative outlet, and a chance to let Brian and Scarlett bond while giving me my kid break.

The fixins' and peanut Thai sauce for the spring rolls

Crappier phone pic of them all yummy and wrapped in rice paper, ready to be dunked.

Also, we're expecting a baby in May! Pretty big news I'd say. We will be moving into a three bedroom home shortly after my due date, which will feel wonderfully big and more like our own place than our cinder block apartments.

Now, onto the cuter things:

Scarlett LOVES books.
Scarlett loves Elmo, she will scream his name when she wakes up in the morning, and try to copy the way he laughs.

She loves balls. She loves throwing, chasing, catching, bouncing, and hoarding them.

Much younger Scar from the summer. She's so tute.

She's an expert climber. At the gym we go to she always scares the new employees in the Kids' Club with her fearlessness with heights, but she doesn't fall often. She knows her boundaries, unless I am close enough to catch her and then she gets incredibly reckless (she loves to dive in or out of my arms).
Still obsessed with Frozen (Woshzen) but we just discovered Tangled, and she likes to call Rapunzel "Anna".

Watching Ana and Selsa.

She loves to count, in her own way. One, doo, dee! Or dee, dee, dee, dee, GO! She has been especially trying hard to put two fingers up for "Doo", but usually all four come up at once.
She loves fruit and cooked veggies that she can chew. She chokes on the leafy green ones, but she really likes cooked cabbage.
Not a big fan or bread, cake, cookies, dessert, or meat.
Big fan of pickles, olives, rice, noodles, salsa, beans, crackers and most things salty.
Loves cheese. Sometimes I shred up a carrot and put it on her plate and she gets excited for the shredded "cheese".

She knows her binky is only for nigh-night. She gets a really guilty look when she finds one and uses it when it's not time to be sleeping.

Obsessed with electronics which is super annoying! She gets frustrated with them and screams and I don't know what she wants. We try to avoid them until we need her to be seriously distracted.

Loves to sing primary songs with actions, especially head, shoulders, knees and toes (she skips the shoulders and knees).
When she's tired she gets so hyper and silly. She likes to sing and dance and be tickled.
She loves "All About that Bass" and likes to shake her finger and say, "No,(treble)!"
Loves VERY specific YouTube videos. There's about four of them she will allow and beg for.

Oh and we're happy if we get her in bed before 9:00 PM these days. She wants to stay up and play, but I can't complain about her usual 8:00 to 8:30 wake-up time. It totally rocks.

Halloween Festivities

We had so much fun dressing up this year for our ward's Trunk or Treat.  Scarlett's costume was an insomnia epiphany, I wanted something cute, easy, and CHEAP.  I Googled some baby Dobby costume pictures and YouTubed "How to make a Doo-rag" and voila! our old pillow case became  high fashion.

We stapled a sock to the back or her costume, because we wanted her to be a free house-elf.  It was also a great place to store her candy.

 Seeker #7. Wins it every time.

 Scarlett has a broom fetish.  Seriously.

 Brian is so cool, he flew.  

Brian and I (okay really just me) collected random items to complete our looks- a couple friends let me borrow a blouse and tie, I overused some red masking tape I found at Target, Brian's wearing my eye-liner on his forehead and Scarlett's ears are made from a plethora of foam I bought from Wal-Mart for 99 cents.  Point is, I seriously love home-made costumes that cost almost nothing.  I grew up wearing one-of-a-kind pink panther and Raggedy-Anne costumes hand-made by my Grandma.

 Proof.

 

In conclusion, Scarlett LOVED the chili, we enjoyed some candy, and I have the coolest ward ever.  Happy Halloween!

Scarlett's First Bike

According to My Young Adult Journal

Part 2

Brian came home from his mission after his parents went to "pick him up" in Trinidad and Tobago for 10 days.  I am forever jealous of their vacation, and I would LOVE to go there someday, btw.  Here was one of his last emails to me before he came home: 

Jeff Young (not Brian!) and I at my friend Jamie Heslop's wedding reception.  Jamie's husband served in the Caribbean too!

I see you met 'Jeffrey' or better known to me as my former companion Elder Young. So how was he? It was good to see a pic of you again. He just sent me the picture with no letter or nothing so I have no idea where or whatsoever you met him. Did you go around announcing that you know me or something?  Life is good here. I'm trying to balance looking forward to going home and loving staying out. Stay good.

Miss you Elder Green.

In my defense, I had no idea who Jeff was, and I didn't say anything about Brian.  I assume Brian was always talking about me, wink wink. I was so nervously excited for him to come home, but also cautious. I didn't want to get my little heart hurt, and I didn't want anything to feel forced and to get weird.

It was only weird for a week.

The day after he came back to Pleasant View, his friend Blake texted me,  "Hey, Brian and I are coming over right now.  Which apt. do you live in?"  It was around 10:00 PM and I was getting ready for bed, because I worked at 5:30 in the morning.  I remember getting suddenly worried about how I was going to greet him.  High Five?  Side Hug W/ a Back Pat?  "Wassup, B-dawg"? There was no un-awkward option. I kept playing the scene out in my head and practicing my voice. Then I heard I knock on my door while I was perfecting my ponytail.

I remember he looked a lot more red and bald than I remembered--which was a mixture of UV rays and a close buzzed cut to prevent sweaty-head, but he still had that big white attractive smile.  We shared a quick awkward hug, like the ones you have with acquaintances or extended relatives when you don't know where to put your face.  He was so nice, and very giggly.  He laughed at everything I said, which only fed my ego and led me to believe I was totally hilarious.  I can't help but like people who think I'm funny,  but it can be dangerous when I run out of steam and start trying too hard.  Its probably embarrassing.

 He came by my apartment a couple times that week.  He purchased a cellphone, got my number, and that weekend we went on our first date.

For that first date, he showed up at my door (on time, thumbs up!) without the faintest idea or plan of what we were going to to (thumbs down).  After some unproductive brainstorming, "Ummmmmm...." I said that my Jamie and Jon Heslop were making scones at her parent's house in Pleasant View, we could go do that.  I think Brian said something like, "Okay, I love scones," and off we went to hang with a newly wed couple that was very much in love and whose relationship was very much out of our league.  It really wasn't too bad tho, Jamie and I had much to talk about as girls do, and Brian had much Trini talk to speak with Jon.
   Later we drove up to Brian parent's house to watch some Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King.   Very long, very epic, very Brian.  I have come to love them as much as he does.

We did not fall in love on our first date (at least I didn't. Oohhhh! Wife Jab!).  I was still feeling a little awkward, and he was still recovering from his two year term of dating celibacy*.  When he tried to kiss me for the first time that night, I said, "I don't think we should do this just yet, let's wait."

*LDS missionaries focus on preaching the gospel and serving others, and missionaries do not go on dates or have any physical/emotional courtship with others. 

At this point, most men would take this confidence blow as a sign that he's outta the game, but not Brian. I don't really remember what happened next that night, because I was being so virtuous and brave, but I'm pretty sure he just shrugged and said, "Okay!."

Also, not tomato soup night, but a night in my cheap Ogden Apt. 

The next Thursday night, I had a nasty cold and fever.  I decided to call out from work and curl up on my couch and rest. Brian and I were still in flirt-texting mode, so he knew of my woes and came by in the evening.  He came bearing groceries, and while  we chatted he made me grilled cheese sandwiches -the kind with the square ooey-gooey processed cheese- and Cambell's tomato soup.  It was perfectly comforting and hopefully nourishing to my poor sickly state.

This was the night when we REALLY talked.  I don't even remember what about, maybe movies, religion, family,school, maybe everything.  In our opinion, this was the night that we really hit it off. The night that said, "Ah, yeah.  He is really awesome and totally perfect for you.  You really like him, and I'm pretty sure he really likes you."  That night I learned that Brian was simply honest, very humble, and funny...my top three.  BING BING BING.

We went to an institute dance for our first date.  This one wasn't it, but you get the idea.

We kissed for the first time on our second, sort of formal, date.  Sort of formal, in the fact that he said, "Hey, we should go on a date. How about Saturday?"  I'm SO glad we waited a whole week for that moment.  But honestly, I'm SO glad we waited. It was the difference I needed, for the trust had been earned and the magic built up.

November 1, 2009

Wow. Brian James Green has exceeded my expectations. I can't believe how right he is for me.  He does/is all of the cool things I imagined he would do/be.  It was weird, at first.  He didn't talk much and didn't know what to talk about besides himself and his mission.  I didn't expect him to.  I figured he might be different [post mission] but I was glad he was.  
Brian fits me-completes me- and there's something about him that I want to be like.  He's one that's cool and relaxed and laughs at little weird things and people that I would laugh at.  And for some reason I feel so confident around him.  I can be myself totally and I tend to like myself more.  

Here's what happened the night before I wrote that:

On Halloween, I fell two stories while attempting to rappel down my building. Not my best moment. Its probably best to rappel with a belayer on your first try as an adult.  Brian just laughed, he gets me.

Sorry for the grossness, but I couldn't help myself.  Got a couple threads to stitch her up.  Honestly, it barely hurt because there aren't many nerve endings in the skin of your elbow.  Pinch your elbow as hard as you can.  See?

Here's a little note that Brian left in a text on my phone.  I had left it in his car (typical) and he sneaked into my house and returned it while I was at church (never locked, unsafe).  Written in my journal 11-1-09:

"Dear Nat- I just want to thank you so much for being incredible.  Every time I see you I can't help but smile and every time you smile you light up my life and I can't help but think of how lucky I am to have you in my life.  You are honestly the most amazing and well-rounded person (I'm not talking about your weight:)) that I have ever met. Every day I pray and thank the Lord for you being in my life and beg that I can be the person that you need in your life.  You are always what I need. I absolutely love spending time with you and when I'm around you it seems the rest o the world melts away and you are the only thing that matters to me. I love the twinkle in your eye and your shining smile.  I love how confident and courageous you are.  I love how you can fall from a building and end up in the ER and it doesn't even phase you.  I love how you kick my butt at everything but bowling and how much you care about me as a person.  I love that you speak your mind and you aren't afraid to go after what you want.  I love how you like me as much as I like you and I like you a lot lot lot.  I hope and pray that I can live up to your example and that you can be in my life for a long longtime. You are honestly my better half and the best things about me.  I don't deserve someone as special as you but I work my tail off every day to be half the person you are.  Natalie you are the best.  Love- Your Secret Admirer." 

That was the best love note I have ever received.  I love that Brain.

To Be Continued....