Family Photo Shoot

While we were in Cali my brother did a little photo shoot of our family! It was fun.. kind of exhausting because Oliver can be a little handful but we got some fun pictures! Here are some of the results!!

Out most recent trip to Cali- Goodluck Sis B.!!

We just spent a week (well Oliver and I did Berto spent 4 days) in Cali again!! It was super duper fun! We made another trip to Disneyland. This time my mom came along as well as one of my bff's Rebecca and her little boy Cameron AND one of my mission comps Robyn and her two kids Stone and Regean! It was a fun day!

The purpose of our trip was to spend some quality time with my little sister and hear her farewell talk at send her to the airport! She's all checked in now at the MTC! We are going to miss her tons and tons but are so happy she has chosen to serve the Lord for 18 months!! She's going to be a great missionary!

We had a great time! Also while we were there we had the chance to do a little family pictures shoot with my brother! That was fun! (The header picture on the blog is one from that day! ) We're waiting for more of the pics and will post those as soon as they are up!!

Don Bon Photography

So my brother Donnie is trying to get his own photography business started! Check out his blog Don Bon Photography He has a good eye, is creative and great with photoshop! Enjoy!!!

Oliver's Room

I've been itching to do something with those four white walls in Oliver's room since we moved in! Decorating was not in the budget so I had to get creative! I think it's starting to come together really cute! It started last weekend I got the idea to print out some pictures of the Disney Cars, cars! I found some awesome ones! I printed a couple out on our computer and they looked so cute that this week I decided to print out a ton more! I mounted them on card stock to add color and to save money because frames were also not in the budget! :) I also got the idea to put up some "road signs" on the wall. I was racking my brain trying to think of what to do and then I remembered I had a ton of scrapbook paper and lettering and I really don't scrapbook anymore! I had the perfect letters they look like tire marks! So cute! Anyway, so I created a bunch of road signs and stuck them up on the wall! Then I used the scraps of checkered fabric from the blanket my mom and I made him a few months ago for the border on the wall! I also added a stop light just for fun! I think it turned out really cute! I am happy with it! And I've only spent $6.22!! It's not amazing but good enough for a two year old who will probably get into something different soon and I won't have to worry about having spent millions of dollars on his room! :)

Oliver keeps dragging us into his room and saying "ta da" and then pointing out and naming every car on his wall! I love it! I think he likes it!

No Time For Flashcards

Okay, I have a new obsession! I founds this blog No Time For Flashcards (the link is in the right column under Some of my favorite sites). It rocks. I think the lady used to be a preschool teacher. She has amazing craft ideas to do with your kids. I'm always trying to think of new things to do with Oliver. This site is amazing! Love it!!!

Pleasant Sunday's Gospel ABC's Book

I frequently check out this blog Pleasant Sunday she has GREAT ideas to keep your kids occupied at church and at home on Sundays! My absolute favorite is this AMAZING book she did. It's a Gospel ABC book! I love it! I have saved it to my computer and am trying to decided if I want to order it hardcover like she did or just have it printed out and put it into a scrapbook or something. Anyway, it rocks and for those of you with little ones I think you'll love it too!!

B A L A N C E

I've been thinking a lot these first 11 days of 2010 about what I want to accomplish more than anything. I don't really believe in making New Year's Resolutions because like most people I always break them and don't want to set myself up for failure. But one thing I've been thinking a lot about is balance.

Last Thursday we had an amazing relief society meeting. It was several speakers who were teaching us how we can fill our cups this year! All of the topics touched me. One was on journal writing, one was on fitness and one was on finding balance. I kept having the same thing come to my mind throughout the balance talk and decided that this was the whispering of the spirit teaching me what I need to work on this year. I don't have a terribly hard time finding balance in my life for the most part. I don't feel too overwhelmed with taking care of Oliver and keeping up the house etc. What kept coming to my mind is a different kind of balance. Some of you may know this and some may not. I have left Oliver very few times in his 2 years of life. Short trips to the grocery store are pretty much it. Mostly because since we've been in Arizona we haven't had many friends and Berto was working nights so I didn't have much of a reason to. I can see how my marriage could be much better if we had an evening out away from Oliver from time to time. I can also see how I would feel rejuvinated by taking a couple of hours for myself every now and then. This is a big step for me. My goal with balance is to have a more balanced life by getting a baby sitter and going out to dinner with my husband or going to a movie for myself.

I've already taken a step in the right direction. My mom and I went to see New Moon last friday! (loved it by the way) And had a great time.. AND Oliver survived 4 hours without me! This is going to be a work in progress for me but I am aware of it and it is my goal to help me be a better wife and mom by finding this balance in my life!

Canyon Lake

Yesterday we took a spur of the moment drive up to Canyon Lake! We had never been and it was quite cute! We didn't stay long but took a couple of pictures! There was a nice lady wearing a Wisconsin Badgers sweatshirt with her two horses. I struck up a conversation (of course because everything Wisconsin is near and dear to my heart). I found out she was from Janesville! Her and her husband are snow birds out here! She was nice enough to let Oliver pet her horse! He was beyond thrilled! It was a fun afternoon! It ended with my mom and I FINALLY seeing New Moon! Loved it by the way!

Happy New Year 2010!!!

I'm not one for making New Year's Resolutions. I ALWAYS end up breaking them just like everyone else does. So I just don't usually set them! This year is much the same.
I am looking forward to a better year in 2010! Berto is going to graduate in May of this year. And we are very close to paying off all of our debt which is an amazing feeling that not everyone will completely understand!
My hope for this year is that we accomplish the few little goals we've had most of our marriage which is to be debt free and get a little closer to buying our own home. 2010 will definitely bring the former and will push us a little nearer to the latter!
We're also hoping to be able to grow our family in 2010! That is something we've both wanted for quite a long time but feel like right now is the time for us! (This isn't an announcement by the way we're not expecting yet!)
I have high hopes for 2010 and hope that the hard lessons we've faced in 2009 can be behind us and we can move forward with faith and receive the blessing we need!

We wish the best year for all of our friends and family! Happy New Year! God Bless you ALL!!

Love,
Berto, Elizabeth and Oliver

Happy 33rd Honey!

Today is my sweet husbands 33rd birthday! I am such a lucky girl to have such a sweet and hard working hubby! I love you Berto!! This is going to be a great year for you... especially in May when your hard work will pay off and you GRADUATE!!!!! I love this man!

We celebrated his birthday last night at his parents house! His mom was feeling up to and asked if she could make tamales! (YUM!!) So we went over to their house and had a great time with them and our friends Pedro and Crystal! I made the birthday cake which was a Tres Leches cake Berto's favorite! It was a fun night! I hope he had a great time too!

Christmas 2009

I know I'm a little delayed... but we had a lovely Christmas here at home. It was quiet and humble... again... but those are sometimes the best memories. My sister Lianna came to visit for four days and Oliver LOVED every minute she was here and is still asking for her on a daily basis. It was a good Christmas. On Christmas Eve we spent a few hours with Berto's parents in the afternoon. It was just spending time with them and they had a few presents for Oliver. Berto's mom had a big Chemo treatment the Tuesday before Christmas so it was very low key and ended early so we didn't wear her out too much. On Christmas Eve, evening we had dinner with our good friends Jenn and Sasa! It was a great time with great company. Then on Christmas day we just lounged around the house, ate yummy dinner with my mom and sister and the in the evening we went to the Mesa Temple to walk around and enjoy the lights!

All in all it was a great Christmas and I have enjoyed reading about all of your families Christmas' too!

My Closer to Christ Posts

Okay, for those of you who had been reading my blog I just wanted to say that I didn't totally fizzle out on my reading... just on my posting! :) lol... I felt like I just didn't have enough time to really get the studying that I wanted to and get everything posted. SO I decided not to worry about posting everything and I just have been studying. Sorry!

Free Photo Book EVERY MONTH!!

I follow this blog money saving mom and she posted a link to a site where you can get a free photo book EVERY MONTH! Go Here to sign yourself up!!! Thanks money saving mom!!

21 Days Closer to Christ: Days 4-6

Okay, I have not already started slacking! :) I just haven't had a spare moment since Wednesday to sit at the computer! I have kept up with my reading each day but have not had a chance to record my thoughts so I'm going to do that now for days 4,5 and 6!

Day 4:
On Day 4 I read in Matthew 9:18-26 about Jesus raising Jairus' daughter from the dead. In the book (not the bible) the author talked about the journey to get to Jairus' daughter and how just before they arrived the woman who had been suffering for twelve years and knew that if she only touched Jesus' robe she would be healed. And she was! She talked about how she imagines that Jairus needed to witness that miracle in order to really have the faith he needed to believe Jesus could raise his daughter. Then just as they were heading to his home servants came to tell them that the daughter had passed away. Jesus went anyway and she arose from the dead!

I can't even imagine witnessing the miracles that Jesus provided for so many during his ministry on earth. But I have the faith to know that He did them and that I can see miracles in my own life if I but have faith in Him!

Day 5:
On Day 5 I read in John 4:1-42. This is the story of the Samaritan woman. I love this story. It teaches me that Jesus does know each one of us. The samaritan woman was at the well getting water when Jesus asked her for a drink. In this time Jews did not speak to Samaritans. When she brought that to Jesus' attention he proceeded to tell her about her life. He knew her better than she knew herself. I try to remember that in my daily life. I try to remember that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know my needs, they know my thoughts, they know my strengths and my weeknesses. I also try to remember that they are mindful of me. When I am struggling and feeling like my prayers aren't being heard they are. They know Me. This is something that is difficult for me at times when I feel like I'm not seeing the answers to my prayers but I do know that God has a plan and that all things are possible through him!

Day 6:
Today she talked about how during times of trial it is hard to see the hand of the Lord in our lives. This really hit home for me. The reading was in John 9:1-38 where Jesus healed the man that was blind from birth. I have felt like Berto and I have moved from one trial to the next since we got married. Most of them have had to do with circumstances regarding family members but it affected us greatly. We've been married for 3 years now and I feel like we have not seen a break from the trials and frustrations. I have a hard time some days not asking the Lord why me? Some days I want to give up on prayer all together because I don't feel like my prayers are being answered. Something that I read today really jumped out at me today. The author suggested that you analyze through "different" eyes a trial that has been troubling you and "pray that the Savior will touch your eyes so that you can see what you need to do differently." That really hit home for me today. In fact I am going to kneel down as soon as I'm finished typing and pray for just that. She talked about hope and how when you are feeling your lowest it is hard to have faith and then when you do there is a glimmer of hope. Today's reading gave me the hope I need to make it through another day!

I'm really feeling uplifted by the readings. It's only been six days but I feel like I'm gaining a new testimony of the Savior. I highly recommend this book!

21 Days Closer to Christ: Day 3

Today's reading was talking about keeping journals as a way to record your life experiences as well as how your faith has helped you. This is not the first time (especially lately) that I've had counsel to write in a journal. I am not a good journal keeper but am going to make an effort for my children and grandchildren.

The "assignment" is to write down your testimony of Christ. I think this is as good a place as any. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior. I know that he sacrificed his life for me as much as anyone else so that we could one day return to our Father in Heaven again. I have seen many miracles in my life (especially recently) and I know it is because of my Faith in Christ that my little family was blessed with these miracles. I am so grateful to have a loving Savior who made up for my short comings. What an amazing thing it is to have Faith.

Today's scripture reading was in the Book of Mormon. It is actually one of my favorite passages in the Book of Mormon so I thought I would share it here. It is 2 Nephi 25: 21-26
21. Wherefore, for this cause hath the Lord God promised unto me that these things which I write shall be kept and preserved, and handed down unto my seed, from generation to generation, that the promise may be fulfilled unto Joseph, that his seed should never perish as long as the earth should stand.
22. Wherefore, these things shall go from generation to generation as long as the earth shall stand: and they shall go according to the will and pleasure of God: and the nations who shall possess them shall be judged of them according to the words which are written.
23. For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children and also our brethren to believe in Christ and to be reconciled to God: for we know that it is by grace we are saved after all we can do.
24. And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ we keep the law of Moses and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled.
25. For, for this end was the law given: wherefore the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith yet we keep the law because of the commandments.
26. And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ we prophesy of Christ and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

For those of my friends and loved ones that may not appreciate my beliefs or understand them. My intent is not to offend you. I hope you will continue to check back from time to time as I am still going to be posting the goings on of our family. But throughout the next couple of weeks I will also be posting these little "journal" entries for my own spiritual uplift. I

21 Days Closer to Christ- Day 2

Today I read about The Last Supper and Jesus washing the feet of the deciples. He shows us such an example of love and service in this story. To wash the filthy (I would assume) feet of these men knowing that one would betray him and that he was going to be sacrificing so much more for them and people for generations to come. The magnitude of Jesus Christs actions never cease to touch my heart.

The assignment is to go through today and find ways to have Christ with you always. I have been for a long time now trying to make sure I pray during quiet moments. Driving in the car (something I do often especially living out in the sticks) I always try to say a little prayer for our safety and just to feel a little closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I also have been trying to be an example of kindness. I think those things can invite the spirit into my life and my home daily. I know it's only day two but I'm feeling like I'm getting into the swing of this and am really going to enjoy the next 19 days!

24 Hour giveaway

I frequently visit the blog money saving mom she and shop at home.com are doing an awesome giveaway of 5 $100 gift cards!! You should check it out at the link above!!

21 Days Closer To Christ: Day 1

I have had this book 21 Days Closer To Christ by Emily Freeman for probably about a year and keep meaning to get into it. I decided today was going to be my day one! She recommends keeping a little journal throughout your 21 days and since my blog is kind of my journal I've decided to go ahead and use this as my journal for my experience with this book! I'm looking forward to it. I've needed a little kick in the pants for a while to step up my spirituality and I think this is just the thing that is going to do it!

Today the reading was about casting aside your "nets" and following Jesus! I read in Mark 1:16-18 about the fishermen who cast aside their nets to follow Jesus. The "assignment" is now to figure out what "nets" are keeping me from developing a personal relationship with my Savior. I would have to say that I let myself get easily distracted with other things. Keeping up with Oliver, housework, laundry and errands can be overwhelming for me. I let myself be consumed with those things and easily distract myself and make it hard to find time to study my scriptures and pray as I should so that I can continue to be close to my Savior. It's hard for me to find that balance in my everyday life so that I am fulfilled spiritually and feel like I'm giving enough time to Oliver and my chores as well. I am going to try and make it a point to make the first hour of Oliver's nap everyday my time to study and pray so that my family is blessed with the Spirit in our home.

Sister Lianna Bonelli You are called to Serve in...

So my little sister Lianna decided a few months ago she wanted to serve a mission for our church! She got all of her paperwork in order as is custom and sent it in! Yesterday she received what we call her "mission call" in the mail. Last night she had a bunch of friends and loved ones over (and my mom and I via Skype) so she could read her call. (that is another tradition). She is going to be serving in the Nebraska, Omaha mission at Historic Winter Quarters! We are so excited for her! I bet that is going to be such a great mission! She is going to be a great missionary and will touch the hearts of the people she serves! We are so proud of Lianna!

Love You Lianna!!

Battle Scars

I guess there are many hazards of being the mother of a BUSY two year old BOY! Yesterday Oliver threw a very hard plastic elephant in my direction and it hit me in the face. I was wearing my glasses and it hit my glasses and the part of the frame that sits on your nose sliced a nice little gash into the bridge of my nose. OUCH! It hurt SO BAD!! Here's a lovely picture of my worse feature (my nose) for you all to enjoy! :)