Pictures of Ellie

I have some new pictures that I thought were so cute that they needed to be shown to all of the world, or to the few people that look at this blog.  

Getting her picture right when she wakes up in the morning

The first time she sat by herself and she loved it.

Sucking her thumb

Ellie in her warm bear outfit Matt and Jenny gave her while in my new awesome running stroller Hubert gave me for my valentines/anniversary present.

And finally, wearing her first hat that came off about 5 seconds after this picture was taken and never worn again.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Today, February 16th, is the 6 year anniversary of Hubert and mine's wedding and I can't believe how fast it has gone by.  I was sitting back and thinking of the day that we were married and how it seemed to be a comedy of errors that turned out to be so right.  First of all, my hair dresser showed up 45 minutes late to do my hair and by the time she got all of her things ready, my dad and I were already supposed to be at the temple.  Second, because during that time no one that was with us had cell phones, Hubert was pacing around the parking lot imagining my father and I pulled over on the side of the freeway with him trying to convince me that marrying Hubert was a good idea and not to back out.  Of course, that was the last thing on my mind.  I couldn't wait to get there.  And third, when I finally walked into the sealing room, I could swear I felt a gust of wind come my way that was from all the breaths of relief from the people who were there.  But I made it and we were married and I was so unbelievably happy.  To this day I still can't believe that I was lucky enough to marry the man of my dreams and in order to fully show how much I love my husband, I have authored a list to detail my thoughts:

1) No other person has ever made me laugh as hard

2) He's "really really good looking"

3) He takes me for my faults and loves me more for them

4) He has supported me in all my decisions

5) He has the most wonderful smile I have ever seen

6) He loves his daughter

7) He laughs at my jokes (most of the time)

8) He's my very best friend

9) He eats whatever I make him, even when I catch him gagging a little bit

10) He is the best man I know

Even though there are 10 things there, there could easily be at least 100.  I love you, Hubert, and happy anniversary.  I never knew life could be this good.  And as a tribute to our lives so far, I have posted a few pictures to show what the past 6 years have been to us.

When we were dating

Our wedding day

One of our trips to Zions National Park, a place we love
One of many trips to California
Being pregnant

The birth of our daughter (I was very tired and very swollen)

And finally, being a family

I love you, Hubert.  Not only are you my husband, but you are also my best friend, the person I talk to about everything, my voice of reason, and the person I love most in this world.  Thank you for loving me as much as you do and, again, happy anniversary.

The anatomy of the failed "roll over"

Lately, Ellie has been rolling over more and more, but she still has her moments where she gives up.  These pictures are here to show the stages of the failed "roll over."

Stage 1:  Although she doesn't like to be on her belly for too long, she's usually happy to look around when we first put her down.

Stage 2:  Frustration sets in and we no longer have the happy baby we know and love, we now have an angry baby.

Stage 3:  This is the third and final stage where she decides that she's done trying, puts her head on the ground, and gives up.  

A moment...with Meagan

Sometimes I like to sit back after the day is through and think about the moments in my life that I would consider "defining moments."  These moments include events such as the move my family made from Oklahoma to Utah, my graduation from college, the moment I knew that I was going to marry Hubert, my wedding, and of course the birth of my daughter.  All of these moments, and a handful of other significant and not so joyous moments make up who I am today.  But what about the moments that are not defining and insignificant?  It seems that these moments pass by us like a speeding car down the street.  Sure, we look at it for a moment, but do we follow it with our eyes to see where it's heading?  Most of the time, we don't.  These moments last merely seconds and are very forgettable.  But what about the non-defining, insignificant moments that stick with us?  The moments that for some reason we can't get out of our heads like the annoying popcorn kernel that gets stuck in our teeth and no matter how hard we floss it's not budging?  Well, that's where "A moment...with Meagan" comes in.  Every week there will be a new "moment" where I will share an insignificant moment that has stuck me and won't go away.  Hopefully, through my candor, others will feel comfortable to share their own non life-defining, insignificant moments.  So, without further adieu, here is my moment:

Recently, I was sharing a lovely lunch with my sister-in-law, Ashley Steele, and my very good friend, Becca Reisbeck.  For some reason on that particular day, Ellie decided that me sitting down wasn't a good idea so I stood for the duration of our lunch and the conversation that followed.  As I was standing there, out of the corner of my eye I saw a woman walking towards me.  She had a fur coat on and the reason I remember that she had a fur coat on was because my first thought was that I wondered how difficult it was for her to trap and kill the ten minks it took to make that coat and how grateful her starving children must have been for the meat the minks provided.  Alas, I was wrong.  How do I know?  Well, the 2 karat diamonds in each ear and her freshly manicured nails were a hint.  I'm not saying that wearing fur is wrong if you're, say, a mountain man or an Inuit living in Alaska.  I'm just giving my own personal opinion about non-hunting fur wearing people.  Anyway, back to my moment.  As the woman walked closer to me and began to pass me, she stopped suddenly and looked right at me and Ellie.  She mentioned how beautiful she was and went on about her eyes, her hair, her lovely skin, and so on.  I couldn't help beaming with pride at the loveliness of my daughter.  At the end of her praises she turned to me and asked me a question that I found strange.  Not because the question itself was strange, just in the way she worded it.  She said, "Do you know how old she is?"  What did she mean?  Of course I know how old she is, she's my daughter!  I went through 21 hours of labor, 1 1/2 hours of pushing, and an emergency C-section to get her out.  Of course I know how old she is.  So I turned to her and said that she's about 4 1/2 months old.  She then looked at me with bewilderment and said, "Oh, she's yours?" I guess that kind of question is valid.  I mean, it's not like we're twins, or anything, but the way she said it took me aback.  As if what she saw, instead of a doting mother over her infant daughter, was a gargoyle holding an angel wrapped in heavenly white.  I understand that's a ridiculous comparison, but if you would have seen this woman's face you would know what I was talking about.   So now, because of this woman, I decided to look at my daughter and really see if there was anything about us that is alike and this is what I found:

Exhibit A: I didn't intend for her to look terrified in this picture, but she does.  Anyway, at close examination both of our ears stick out at the top.

Exhibit B:  We both have blue eyes.  Yes, hers are a completely different shade of blue, but they are still blue.  Doesn't that count for something? Oh, and sorry about the red eye, I have a weird pupil.

Exhibit C:  And last, but not least, could anything else make me this happy besides my baby girl?  I don't think so.

So there you go.  That was my insignificant moment.  Please feel free to write your own moment that in no way is defining and in no way significant.  Thanks for being part of "A moment...with Meagan."

Why I Love California

I love southern California for a multitude of reasons, many being that I have been able to share so many fun experiences there with Hubert.  We spent our honeymoon there, revisited and spent time with wonderful people that Hubert served during his mission, and recently while I was seven months pregnant, went with our wonderful friends, Matt and Jenny Meese, who was also pregnant with their beautiful twin boys Graham and Harrison.  But what I find interesting about all of the times I've been to California is the pictures that I have brought home with me and how some of them are so random, yet really funny, and how some of them are so wonderful and show our fun times with the friends we have made.  The following pictures are the top five reasons I love southern California:

1) When we went on our honeymoon, we ventured throughout San Diego, New Port Beach, Santa Anna, and many other places.  So why is it that the only pictures we have are of the animals at the San Diego Zoo?  Who knows, but I love this picture of what I assume is some sort of pig that swims and also the animal that I associate with the "Piggies" in Orson Scott Card's book Speaker for the Dead.

2)  We went on the Universal Studios tour where it takes you through various movie sets such as the War of the Worlds set, the Dr Suess set, the motel where Pyscho takes place, and many other interesting movie sets.  But what I loved most about that tour was none of those things, it was sitting behind this man and staring at his birth mark on his head.

3)  When we went the first time after our honeymoon, we spent some time with the wonderful Alcala family whom Hubert baptized.  Since their conversion, Simone, the father, has since become a bishop.  They are a humble family with three beautiful girls, the oldest twins, who live in a tiny two bedroom apartment, but they still know how to have a great time.  Oh, and when this picture was taken, I had the most horrific sunburn.

4)  The last time we went which was this past May, we had the opportunity to go with our wonderful friends, Matt and Jenny Meese.  Like me, Jenny was also pregnant but instead of one baby to come, she had two.  We had a wonderful time with them and went to such places as the Late Show with Jay Leno, In and Out Burger (my favorite place), and somehow we were at the red carpet during the American Idol finale laughing our heads off.  But we love Matt and Jenny and I love this picture of them when we were on one of the piers in New Port.

5)  And finally, the thing that Hubert and I love most about California is the beach.  We spend hours sitting on the sand just talking and looking out over the ocean and we love to walk up and down the beach and have the ocean water cover our feet and make them sink in the sand.  I love this picture because we are at the place we love the most, just months away from having our baby girl.

Look at what I can do!

Recently, Ellie has discovered that she can put both of her feet in her mouth at the same time.  Sometimes I think she likes the way her toes taste over her actual food.

SUPER TUESDAY!

I hope everyone had a chance to vote this past tuesday in the presidential primaries.  If your state wasn't on the schedule, I hope you will vote when it is or have voted when it was.  As the results show, every vote truly counts, both on the democratic and repulican side.  Hubert and I had a chance to vote and of course we brought Ellie.  The line was really long, but she kept everyone entertained and it made the experience so much more fun.  If you want to know how close the race is, please click on www.cnn.com and in the search engine type "Super Tuesday."  It's surprising how close it really is.  Hubert and I are really hoping that Obama gets the nomination and were very pleased to learn that the state of Utah chose him as their democratic candidate.  Also, Mitt Romney won the republican nomination in Utah, which was no surprise, and he won by getting 95% of the votes.  That's quite a large margin.

A Little Advice

When it's snowing outside and the pavement is covered in ice, it's best not to wear sandals.  If you do, you might fall in you brother's driveway and your foot might end up looking like this.  This is just a little advice.

Our Ellie

After five years of marriage, two graduations from college, and buying a home, Hubert and I decided to start our family.  On August 30, 2007 we welcomed our beautiful baby girl Eliana Steele Anasco.  She weighed 7 lbs and 8 oz and has brought nothing but joy and happiness into our lives and we couldn't be more proud of her.  She came into this world bright-eyed and curious and nothing has changed. She loves to wake up in the morning with a huge smile and that smile continues throughout the day, well, most of the day until it's nap time.  She is five months old now and loves to grab at things and put them in her mouth.  It doesn't matter what it is, she wants it now and she wants it in her mouth.  She has rolled over, but she's very choosey about when she does this.  If you look away you might miss it.  And she loves to talk and laugh, especially when her dad is around.  She is a total daddy's girl and truly the joy of our lives.

Where to begin?

Hubert and I met in the summer of 2001 when I started working at the University of Utah Hospital.  He made appointments for mammography and I made appointments for radiology exams.  I know, it sounds very exciting.  We began dating on July 24 at the fireworks display in the exciting town of Magna, UT.  After that day, we were never apart.  He proposed to me at the reflection pool in Temple Square and we were married on February 16, 2002 in the Bountiful, UT temple. It was an unforgettable day and we were surrounded by family and friends.  

Welcome

Welcome everyone to the blog of the Anasco's!  We thought that since everyone else we know has a blog, why not us?  So please come, enjoy, and read about the always interesting, always unpredictable, and always fun lives that belong Hubert, Meagan, and Eliana.