Through my lense

The One With A Big First

2012-01-18T16:10:00.000-08:00

We wondered when this day would come since the day she was born...

Can you tell what is different about her??

Paige wore her first pony tail today! She made it months (if not years) before I did, so as a mom, I am proud of her. Besides, it's just so cute. It took me the whole day to get used to, but now I love it.

Apparently today she learned how to pose too... she loves this duck thing... and she sat like that for almost a full minute (and if you know Paige, you know that's a big deal if she sits still for that long!).

The One With The Hungry Duck

2012-01-16T08:01:00.000-08:00

After one of Paige's surgeries, my visiting teaching companion gave Paige a ticklish, singing duck. Paige loves it and we have already had to replace the batteries.

Yesterday, I was walking from one room to another and noticed that Paige had done this to the duck...

I guess duckie was hungry!

It's been so fun watching Paige learn how to play and pretend.

The One With Photo Friday - "Something You're Afraid Of"

2012-01-13T14:26:00.000-08:00

For today's Photo Friday, I decided to pick

"something you're afraid of".

There are a few things that I am afraid of, but the absolute biggest one is...

Tower Of Terror 2008

HEIGHTS!

This includes, but is not limited to; standing on a tall building, going on amusement park rides, looking down from a tall building in a movie (I know...), and even sometimes looking up at the top of a tall building while I am standing on the ground.

Wow, I didn't know how ridiculous it all was before I wrote it all down.

I have no idea why I am so afraid of it. I know I am completely safe and won't get hurt.

Luckily now, I can laugh at the picture above, but I was squeezing rick's arm so hard his hand fell asleep & my arm was tired for a day or two...

The only reason why I went on that stupid ride (beside's Bryce never ending persistence, persuasion & lies) was because Rick said he would give me a diamond if I went on that blasted ride. I didn't know exactly how serious he was or what exactly he meant by that, but I did, and he followed through a few days later in Hawaii. :)

The morning after he proposed on OUR pier ;)

I guess it was worth it... ;)

PS - Mice are a close second...

The One With My Goals Update

2012-01-02T08:51:00.000-08:00

Last year I posted about the goals I wanted to accomplish in 2011... I wanted to update that list for myself.

Of my list from last year, these are the ones I have accomplished:

Throw Paige a cute first birthday party
Make an album of Paige's first year
write in Paige's journal more often
Make a magnetic nativity that goes on my fridge

I started most of the following goals I had, but haven't officially completed them, so they go onto the goals for 2012:

Make a traditions Christmas tree skirt
Quiet Book for Paige (started)
Organize my recipes (started)
Makes something like this to hang in my front room
Start a new "mommy" blog
Experiment with Photoshop (started... there's so much to learn on this program... it didn't help, though, that my computer died & I lost PS this year)
Make a magnetic alphabet puzzle
Take some pictures similar to this
Make my blog into a photo album journal for each year (started)
Find & use new recipes that use my food storage (started)

And here are my new goals for 2012:

Potty training & de-cribbing Paige
Starting Mommy Preschool with Paige (I'm excited!)
Finish decorating my room (I've taken my time with this one!)
Add a picture wall to Paige's room including this & possibly this.
Make a diaper strap... I got a new purse & the huge diaper case I have doesn't fit anymore.
Continue to write in Paige's journal regularly... especially as she learns how to talk & says funny things.
Read my scriptures more regularly (even if it's the children's picture BOM to Paige)
Finish an ABC book for Paige

I think that's It! I know it doesn't look like I accomplished a lot, but considering all that we had going on this year & how much I started (even if I haven't finished it yet), I'll give myself a pat on the back.

The One With Photo Friday

2011-12-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

One of the blogs I read did a photo post to share the top 11 photos of their family from 2011... I think I will do the same!

Here's my top 11 of '11...

I had a hard enough time picking 11, so I'm not going to try to put them in order of my favorite. Instead, I'll try to put them in chronological order to make my life easier. :)

This one is of Paige's first birthday. She didn't like being naked in front of tons of people and being made to eat cake. :)

Happy Easter! I loved this picture. She is just too cute.

I LOVE her smile in this picture. It makes me happy every time I look at it.

I like this picture a lot. It's cute of both of them and fun that the ferris wheel is behind them. Fair 2011.

I took this on my camera phone at one of Rick's flag football games and was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out. It sums up our time at the games.

Rick is going to kill me if he ever sees this... What can I say? I love it! We're a bandanna lovin' family.

As a mom, how can you not love this picture? Especially when your cute little almost 2 year old has only cuddled like this once or twice with you when she was sick. It makes my heart so happy to think back to that 30 min plus cuddle.

I think I took this picture at the pumpkin patch with my family. I just like it. :)

PS- don't her eyes look GREAT!?

This is possibly my favorite picture ever because of what it means to me. It's 4 generations, and we all look pretty good (and even color coordinated! we didn't plan that). The 3 people in this picture with me are some of the people that mean the most to me.

Oh Paige! You have the cutest expressions! I was playing peekaboo with her behind my camera and she thought I was the funniest person alive. It was so much fun. I'm pretty sure this is one of Rick's top 5 favorite pictures ever.

I like how this one turned out. This man means a whole lot to me. Christmas time 2011

The One With The Year End Review

2011-12-28T08:45:00.000-08:00

At the end of every year I try to do a blog post looking back on the past year & looking forward to the new year. Every year I think to myself... 'what a year!'. A lot happens in a year, I guess.

This was our 2011...
5 surgeries in 5 months between the 3 of us (and we are all doing well now!)
4 animal sounds that Paige can say
3 haunted houses visited
2 new jobs
1 graduation... Rick finished his masters degree!

Other notable memories:
Paige turned 1
Watching Paige take her first steps & growing some hair!
Watching Rick play lots of flag football & basketball games
Spending LOTS of time with our close family & friends.

This is what I hope our 2012 looks like:
Possibly adding another two feet to our home ;)
Doing at least weekly mommy-school activities with Paige. Possibly starting a blog about it...
Possibly buying a house
LOTS less surgeries
Potty training Paige & de-cribbing Paige (wish us luck!)
Lots less time wasted (for Michelle) on FB :)

The One With Photo Friday - "It Always Makes Me Smile"

2011-12-23T12:00:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to do a Photo Friday most Fridays, thanks to inspiration via my Pinterest.

Today I decided to do "a picture that can always make you smile".

I have a few of these, actually!

I have a couple pictures of Paige making funny faces. For the one below, I told her to smile. Can't you tell? :)

Christmas Time 2011

The picture below was Paige's first Christmas. We woke her up early to open our presents before visiting our 3 extended families. She gave me a look like, 'Mom... really? You are taking pictures of me NOW?'

Christmas 2010 - Paige's first Christmas

Last year for Halloween I was slightly camera happy (surprising, I know!), but boy am I glad I was. I LOVE the smile she is giving in this picture & the way her head is tilted, it makes me smile every time I see it.

Halloween 2010 - Paige's first Halloween

Last, but not least, is my hilarious husband Ricky. He took this picture to send to me and make me laugh, and it still does years later. It's everyone's cell phone wallpaper in his family.

Rick the Rickster

I love looking at these pictures. They all make me so happy & I love to remember back to those moments I was lucky enough to capture.

The One With The Beard That's Long And White

2011-12-19T11:37:00.000-08:00

...must be Santa!!

(That's one of our favorite Christmas songs this year)

Santa makes time in his super busy schedule to come to Grandma Jaleen's house every year. Well, starting last year anyway...

Thanks to some cropping, Paige actually looks happy in this picture :)

Paige didn't love Santa this year, which surprised me actually. She's usually not afraid of anyone & is very overly friendly to even the gruffest guys (like the big typical biker dude she waves at at WalMart).

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!!

The One With Photo Friday... "A Smile"

2011-12-16T15:36:00.000-08:00

I decided that most Fridays I would try to do one of many photo challenges (you can find some of the challenges on my Pinterest).

So, today starts off the first Photo Friday, and I chose "a smile".

Who better than to take a picture of my (usually) happy girl?

I want to challenge myself to take new and creative photos, so I tried to take one today, and with many odd attempts, this is the best one I came up with...

It's a good thing she's so cute.

I thought of taking a picture of my smile up close... only to find out I had something in my teeth... yuck! So I flossed & threw on some lip gloss and here you have it...

I was going to zoom in on my smile, but I liked the lights in the background.

A few weeks ago (back when I thought I would send out Christmas cards... yeah right!), I took some of Paige. We played peek-a-boo behind the camera and either she thought I was hilarious or she was faking it the whole time. Either way, I got some fun "smiley" pictures of her.

The One With Today's Grateful Post: Day 24

2011-11-24T18:35:00.001-08:00

Today is the day. Today is Thanksgiving. I am a very lucky girl with a ton of great things in my life that I am so grateful for. I don't always remember them, so I am glad I have done this challenge of blogging about what I am grateful for. I have enjoyed thinking each night about what has happened through the day & what was so good about it. Some days were easier than others. But, it was probably on the harder days that I needed the reminder more.

So today, for my final day, I am grateful for this holiday. I'm thankful that it helps me to be a more grateful person. I'm grateful that it is a holiday that lets us focus (mostly) on family. I'm grateful for the time I am able to spend with my family because of this holiday.

The One With Today's Grateful Post: Day 23

2011-11-23T20:00:00.001-08:00

Ever since right before General Conference, I have really been trying to do service on a regular basis. I knew it was hardly realistic, but I wanted to try to do something for someone once a day. It was very hard to come up with ideas. Call me crazy, but I usually enjoy serving other people. So, I was kind of bummed that it wasn't something that came easier to me. I kept trying, but came nowhere close to my goal.

Well, November rolled around, and I started doing my 'grateful posts', and the thought occurred to me that we should not just talk about why we are grateful, but act like we are grateful too. To me, that includes serving others. So, I tried to renew my goal again and focus more this month on serving other people. I still haven't met my goal of serving someone every day (unless you count changing diapers numerous times a day as service), but I have been much better about it. It has started coming a little bit more naturally & opportunities are falling into my lap more often.

Although I have a HUGE & never ending to-do list, I am so happy that I can help others, even if it's just by writing them a simple thank you note, or visiting someone who needs cheering up.

So today, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve. I'm grateful that it teaches me to not be so self centered. I'm grateful that I can help make other's lives just a little easier or happier. I'm grateful that it makes MY life happier (I had to throw something selfish in... huh?) when I do it. I'm so very grateful for those that have helped me when I was in need of their service.

I'm not sure how this post comes accross, but it is something I am grateful for. I'm not trying to say I am perfect, or toot my own horn. I just wanted to blog (the reason why I blog is for myself... like a journal, and if people want to read it, I'm happy for them to) about something I am grateful for.

The One With Today's Grateful Post: Day 22

2011-11-22T17:47:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, I was at Target (shocker, I know). I overheard a lady on her cell talking about how someone had just stolen her wallet. I was super protective of my wallet from then on. But today I couldn't find my wallet. I searched everywhere. I said a prayer and thought I should call Target. They had it. I swear that I saw my wallet in my purse as I was putting it in my car, but I must be crazy. I must have left it in the cart.

So today, I am grateful for that honest person who returned it. I'm grateful that I found it, and especially that everything was still in it (maybe they saw my temple recommend and felt bad... haha). I'm grateful that there are good people out there who do the right thing when we need them to.

The One With Today's Grateful Post: Day 21

2011-11-21T18:26:00.001-08:00

Paige & I are always so excited when Rick gets home from work. Sometimes we hear his car outside, so we go wait at the door for him. When he gets home, lots of times he is able to play with Paige (you know, the way only dad's can). This is a really good time for me to get a couple of things done, whether it's finishing dinner, sending out schedules for work, or even just having "me time".

Occasionally, though, I watch them.

It's the cutest thing. They adore each other. Paige runs and does her cute little happy squeal. They wrestle & chase each other. They play in her room. Whatever they do, they have a lot of fun doing it.

Today was one of those days when I was able to just watch, occasionally participate, and enjoy. When that happens, I realize that this is what life is all about, this is all that matters in life, and that this is what makes me the happiest. Not to sound too cheesy, but it's almost like time stands still for a moment so I can just breathe and enjoy. Everything on my (huge and continually growing) to-do list melts off my mind (which is a very rare occasion).

So today, I am grateful for moments like these. I'm grateful for Rick taking time to show Paige he loves her and give her some attention & fun time (lets face it, being with mom all day can be so boring!). I'm grateful for the relationship they have with each other. It's so sweet. I'm grateful for the reminder of what life is all about.

The One With Today's Grateful Post: Day 20

2011-11-20T20:58:00.001-08:00

Today (and for that matter, every week) we drove a lot. When we go somewhere together, we take my car because Paige's seat is in it. I bought my Lancer in 2006. It is a 2006, but it was slightly used. Although, it may or may not have been the smartest way to purchase a car, I am so grateful I did. It did leave me with a car payment that took a little while to get paid off, but with some budgeting help from Rick, we got it paid off in no time. It feels so great to have it paid off. Once it was paid off, Rick & I debated selling it & buying a super cheap car to get by & have a little extra cash to put towards a house. After months of discussing it, we decided not to do it.

I know that we are now in 2011 (almost 2012!), which makes my car about 6 years old (that seems so old, time has flown by).

My car isn't the nicest car, but my car has given me no problems (besides needing a rock chip filled, and maybe new tires... but that was my fault), and I am so grateful for that. (Knock on wood!) That is the reason why I bought this car, because it was newer, had one of the best warranties, and I knew I could count on it for years to come.

So today, I am grateful for my Lancer (ps, that's it name... clever huh?!). I'm grateful that it has been a good reliable car. I'm grateful that I like the looks of it, and think it's a cute car. I'm grateful that it has 4 doors, so it's easier to get Paige in and out of it (I did that on purpose...). I'm grateful that we decided not to sell it. I'm grateful that it is paid off, and officially ours.

I love my car.

The One With Today's Grateful Post: Day 19

2011-11-19T19:21:00.001-08:00

As I type this on my lap top, my battery is about to die. It says I have T minus 10 minutes remaining. Rick is watching football, and I am playing on my lappy.

So today, as silly as it sounds, I am grateful for my lap top. I'm grateful that I can still be with Rick, but we can both be doing separate things that we like to do. I'm grateful for technology. And in about 6 more minutes, I will be grateful for a rechargeable battery. :)

The One With Todays Grateful Post: Day 18

2011-11-18T19:04:00.001-08:00

This morning I was feeling overwhelmed. When this happens, it usually helps for me to make a to-do list so I can prioritize & accomplish as much as possible. So, I did that. While in the shower a few minutes later (one of the things on my to-do list), I realized I really needed a lazy day. I could put off most everything on my to-do list & just have a relaxing day. I even appreciated that thought so much, that I planned on writing my grateful post about being grateful for my lazy day.

Well, that didn't happen.

It was another super busy day. It seems like I have had a lot of those lately.

So today, I am grateful for the weekend. I know I probably still won't have a relaxing day, but it will be a change of pace, and I need that. I am grateful that Rick doesn't have to work on the weekends. I'm grateful for a little extra help from him on the weekends (since he's home a little more). I'm grateful for a little break. :)

The One With Today's Grateful Post: Day 17

2011-11-17T20:05:00.001-08:00

Today, I got my check in the mail. Not unusual, after all, it happens every two weeks. Although my checks aren't all that big (after all I do work part time), but I'll be honest. I work extremely hard for this pay check. This is the hardest I've ever worked for a job. I could go into details, but I won't. :)

So today, I am grateful, that even though it's not the easiest, that I have a job. I'm so grateful that I can work at home, and not have to leave Paige. I'm grateful that Rick and I both prefer that I stay at home, it makes life easier knowing that we are on the same page.

The One With Today's Grateful Post: Day 16

2011-11-16T19:38:00.001-08:00

Both my side of the family & Rick's side of the family are BIG ice cream lovers. When I was in high school, I would come home and have a bowl of ice cream every day. Because Rick & I are trying to save up for a house, we have been on a tight budget. So, I don't buy ice cream very often. I splurged the other day, and we had ice cream tonight. It was a fun little mini date.

So today, I am grateful for ice cream and other yummy treats. I'm grateful that ice cream just makes your day better. I'm grateful that this season we have lots of treats at get-to-gethers. I'm grateful that food helps bring people together. I'm grateful that I splurged a little and got some ice cream this week. :)

The One With Today's Grateful Post: Day 15

2011-11-15T20:15:00.001-08:00

Sheesh! It's already day 15! This month is flying by.

Well, in my last post, I wrote about how I am grateful for my friends. I decided I can't talk about my good friends without talking about my best friend. Ricky. Rick. Ricardo. Richard. I'm so lucky to have him as my best friend and husband. I can't imagine marrying anyone other than your best friend. Because I married my best friend, I am so happy.

I'm grateful for Rick & his friendship. I'm grateful for the fun we have together. I'm so grateful that we can be ourselves around each other. I'm grateful that he is pretty dang hilarious and he makes me laugh all of the time. I'm one lucky girl.

The One WIth Today's Grateful Post: Day 14

2011-11-14T18:40:00.001-08:00

The other day I realized that I have known one of my friends, Magyn, for 18 out of my 25 years of living. We were in the same class in second grade. We still keep in touch, and try to get together as much as our crazy schedules allow us. I feel so lucky to have been her friend for so long.

I am super lucky to have 2 cousins my age (Becca & Candice), who I consider good friends too. They, of course, have known me for my whole life. We also try to get together as often as possible. We have a lot of fun memories growing up. It has meant a lot to me that they make it a point to be friends and not just see each other at family functions.

I have one friend who I met in high school. It was one of those times where you were friends from the first day we met (it's a pretty funny story actually... I smile every time I think about it). Her name is Jessie. She is such a great, positive sweet girl. Once again, we aren't able to see each other very often at all, but when we do, you can't stop us from talking. We don't miss a beat & time flies when we are together. I look up to her so much. She is always so happy & a great example to me.

I have one friend, who I haven't known for very long, maybe a year. Her name is Kari & I met her at church. She is so friendly and kind & has invited me several times to do activities with her and her kids. She just moved out of the ward, so I'm kind of bummed. She and I still get together, but it hasn't been as easy for me to find friends in this ward (and we've lived here for 2 years), especially to do something outside of church, so her friendship meant a lot to me.

I am lucky too, because I have lots of other GREAT friends, even if I haven't known them as long. Time doesn't permit me to see them as often as I would like, but I always have a fun time catching up with them when I do get to see them.

I look up to all of my friends. They mean so much to me. They put up with me. They give me something to look forward to. They are amazing (chances are if you are reading this, you are one of them!) They help me to be a better person.

So today, I am grateful for my friends. I'm grateful for the happiness they bring into my life. I'm grateful for blogs, texting & Facebook so I can keep in touch with them easier & more often. I'm grateful that they put up with me. I'm grateful that they add so much to my life.

The One With Today's Grateful Post: Day 13

2011-11-13T17:26:00.001-08:00

Today, I was on Pinterest.

Shocker. I know.

But I saw something that one of my cousins pinned, and I knew I had to make it. Now, I know that's not big news, because this happens to me (and I am sure many of you) many times a day. But this time, I realized that this is something that I would benefit from asap, it was little to no sewing (I don't mind sewing at all, I just have a REALLY hard time getting it done because I have to do it when Paige is asleep, but something always trumps my sewing crafts), and I knew I could make it pretty quickly and do a cute job.

What is it, you say? It's really nothing special, but to a mom it might just be a life saver. It's this:

I know it's nothing special, but I am almost done already, and I know it will make our church meetings much more reverent. (I'll post pictures of it towards the end of the month)

So today, I am grateful for Pinterest. :) Pinterest makes me happy. It took me a long time to join. I just didn't get what all the fuss was about. Well, the minute I broke down, I understood. You see, I am kind of an organizing freak (you wouldn't be able to tell from the looks of our house), but Pinterest helps me to put all of my thoughts out visually and in an organized way. I am also grateful for crafts that give me an outlet and let me be feel creative. I'm grateful for technology & all of the fun aspects it brings into our lives each day. I'm grateful that I finally decided to join Pinterest.

On a very random note, I am also grateful for Paige's adorable run. It is impossible to describe how cute it is, but it makes me so happy whenever I see it. Her cute little excited squeal helps to add to the cuteness of her run too.

The One With Today's Grateful Post: Day 12

2011-11-12T12:16:00.001-08:00

As some of you know, every Saturday in the fall is a big deal at our house. Rick is a ~~huge~~ enormous college football fan. I'll be honest. I had a hard time with it at first. I remember having an emotional break down in front of my parents when Rick and I were dating (after about 1 year of dating... and I was totally PMSing... Rick was not there BTW), and while I was crying about who knows what, I remember mentioning about how obsessed Rick is with football. I looked up at my cute dad, and I am sure he thought I was being so ridiculous He was probably trying to hold in a smile, and if you know my dad, that's saying a lot. :) (I adore my daddy) After that point, I was embarrassed that his love for football bothered me so badly.

Each year after that was less and less dramatic. Last year, it was just the first week that I was uneasy, but it quickly faded.

This year has been even better for me. I don't think I had one uneasy moment this season. Partly because Rick has made it so much fun for me. He cleans each Saturday morning while we watch (and sing to) College GameDay, he usually makes his famously delicious french toast for breakfast (part of the reason why I gained almost 60lbs when I was pregnant...), he's even stocked up on snacks loosely designated for Saturdays (that could be a whole other post one day, he got SO many snacks, I can't believe we fit it all in our apartment... and even got some great deals doing it too!), he grills something on the grill each Saturday night for us to eat for dinner (and they are always yummy!), and his brother & his wife usually comes over to watch some games with us (we have a really good time together).

Now, Rick is still super in love with his football Saturdays. He still tries to watch as much football each Saturday as possible. We still talk about (possibly) planning babies around football season. We knew going into our marriage that we would need a DVR for our marriage to be a happy one (because of football). But I have been able to let whatever was inside me go.

So today, I am grateful for... GULP... dare I admit it???... football. I'm grateful that Rick has something that he loves and is so passionate about. I'm grateful for the fun we have each Saturday. I'm grateful that Rick wants to make it fun for me. I'm grateful for all of the yummy snacks that Rick makes & buys for us to eat during the games. I'm grateful for Bryce and Bre coming over so often. I'm grateful that I was able to get over that uneasiness about football, and let it be something that we could enjoy together.

The One With Today's Grateful Post: Day 11

2011-11-11T18:45:00.001-08:00

As you know, I am a couponer. I'm not an extreme couponer, and I don't always use them, but the more time I put into it, the more money I save. And, as long as I put in a decent effort, I am able to save 40-60%, often more. I also love coupon codes for online stores. Because of my ~~cheapness~~ thriftiness, I have been able to spend much less and save lots of money.

So today, I am grateful for coupons. I'm grateful for the money I have been able to save for our family.

For some reason I have had a harder time thinking of good things I can write more than a sentence or two about why I am grateful for that thing.

The One With Today's Grateful Post: Day 10

2011-11-10T19:37:00.001-08:00

The past week or so have been, well, not as easy as normal for Paige & me. Today, when I was giving her a bath, I noticed something new in her mouth. Then I noticed 3 something news in her mouth.

Three. New. Molars.

No wonder she's been so grumpy!

Don't mind the cell phone quality picture. I sent this to Rick on a day when Paige was possibly the grumpiest.

Yesterday & today she was her happy self. I needed that. It's been good to have her back.

Happy Paige

So, today I am grateful that Paige is normally a happy girl. I'm grateful that (hopefully) she's back for a little while (she's a toddler, I know we will have hard days sometimes). I'm grateful for the harder times, so we can appreciate the better times. I'm grateful for how happy she would get when Rick gets home, even when she was having a really hard day. She adores him, I can't say I blame her. :)

The One With Today's Grateful Post: Day 9

2011-11-09T08:11:00.000-08:00

As a family, you go through good times and harder times together. It seems, though, that we need our family the most during the hard times. Whether it's the death of a loved one, health problems, or other trials. Thankfully, your family is a unique group of people that love and support you, and are hopefully always there for you.

I got a call from one of my sister this morning that reminded me that that's what family is all about. Family is made to help us. Family is there to serve each other. Family is there to laugh with and to cry with. Family is a friendship that cannot be broken.

Our family has grown A LOT since then!

So today, I am grateful for my family. They are amazing, words cannot begin to tell how great they are. I am so grateful to be a part of my family. I'm grateful for their friendship. I'm grateful for their support and love. I am also grateful for the family I married into & the family that Rick and I are beginning.

The One With Today's Grateful Post: Day 8

2011-11-08T18:48:00.000-08:00

Once a month, my ward's relief society gets together to go to the temple. The relief society president offers to watch any and all kids so their mom's can go. Because of my work schedule, it just never worked out for me to go, but today, I made it a priority.

I was asked to work this morning, but turned it down for once. Paige and I woke up not feeling the best. The time overlapped with Paige's nap time. I almost didn't go again. It had been far too long since I had been, so I was so grateful for a couple of small changes made to the plans (requested by other ladies from the ward), that made it easier for me to go.

I felt at peace. I was happy to visit with such happy ladies from the ward. I was happy to get out of the house too... :)

Source

So today, I am grateful for the temple. I am grateful for an escape from this world. I am grateful for the peace that is there. I am SO grateful for our sweet relief society president who wasn't only willing, but excited to watch our kids for us. I wouldn't have been able to go without her. I'm grateful that Paige was good for her and loved every second of it.

The One With Today's Grateful Post: Day 7

2011-11-07T11:22:00.000-08:00

Paige is almost 21 months and not talking. She was talking before her surgeries (probably only words that I would understand, since I am home with her all of the time), but then after her surgeries, she kind of digressed. I didn't think much of it, until my mother in law told me that she saw a story on the news. Basically the study says that children under the age of two who have had more than one surgery have a high chance of having language delays/problems in their life. The more I thought about this, the more I realized that that's exactly what happened to Paige. She had 3 surgeries, and there was a difference in her language development after the first one even. She often will talk with her mouth closed, and that baffled her pediatrician. She said that she has never seen that before. By 18 months, a toddler should be saying between 10-20 words. Paige was saying none.

Rick and I have tried for several months to get her to talk, including tough love (that one is not fun), but nothing seemed to work. So, with prompting from her pediatrician, a neighbor (who is a speech therapist), and my sister, I contacted a program a month or so ago who is helping us.

Our therapist came this morning, and she is so cute and great with Paige. She plays with Paige, and does activities that will help Paige want to talk. She often gives me tips on what I can do on a regular basis to encourage Paige's speech to develop. Some of those things are sign language, holding an object by my mouth and labeling it (so it draws her attention to my mouth), mimicking her noises (like you do babies), making picture albums for Paige to want to show other people, and much more.

Rick and I had tried some of those things on our own, but didn't feel like she was making as much progress as we were wanting. But, this past week, Paige has learned 3 more signs, and says them without us prompting her to. This is a very important step. She also is trying to say, "moo" and "quack", which count as words.

So today, I am thankful for the Early Intervention program. I know Paige would have started talking on her own at some point, but as a mom, you just worry and want the best for your child. I am so grateful for Paige's cute therapist. She knows what she is doing, and connects well with Paige. I am grateful for communication. Part of toddler-hood that is so hard is the lack of communication, and I am grateful that this will help us a little bit in that journey. I'm grateful for Rick helping Paige. He has been very helpful in getting her to be excited to make noises with her mouth open. I'm grateful for the progress Paige is making.

The One WIth Today's Grateful Post: Day 6

2011-11-06T20:23:00.000-08:00

I've had a crazy day. I can't wait to go jump in my comfy bed and go to sleep.

So today I am grateful for sleep. I am grateful for a big cozy bed to sleep in. I'm grateful I have Ricky to snuggle with in bed. I'm grateful for the comfort of my home. I'm grateful that Paige is a good sleeper. I'm grateful that Rick wants to go to bed early tonight... sweet dreams. :)

The One With Today's Grateful Post: Day 5

2011-11-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

Today, I was able to spend some good, quality time with my mom & grandma. It was a really good experience. I wasn't planning on it, but I was also able to drive my mom home from my grandma's care center & we had a very good visit. We had a lot of fun together.

So, today I am grateful for both of my grandmas and my parents. I'm grateful for all that they have taught me. I'm also grateful for my grandpas (who I was never able to meet), and those others who went before me and made my life what it is today. I'm grateful for the friendships I have with my parents and grandmas. I consider my parents some of my best friends. I love them dearly & love being with them as much as possible. I'm grateful that I live as close to my family as I do. I often think about how cool it would be to live in different places, but then I think about how I never could be that far away from my family.

The One With Today's Grateful Post: Day 4

2011-11-04T20:58:00.000-07:00

Lately, Rick and I have been reading The Miracle Of Forgiveness together. Although we aren't very far at all, I have learned a lot. I have also felt closer to my Heavenly Father by reading this book. I don't like to get very churchy on my blog, but this was the only thing that fit when I decided what to blog about today. I have thought about it all day (don't get me wrong, I am a very grateful person), and just now at almost 10:00pm I finally decided on something that I really felt grateful about today & that I could write more than a couple sentences about.

Today I am grateful for; good books, our ability to continually learn, and for good music that makes me feel at peace. I'm grateful for the chance to still come to know our Heavenly Father, even though we cannot see him. I'm grateful that we are always able to keep trying to become better people, no matter what your religious preferences are. I'm grateful for forgiveness & repentance & the plan of happiness. I'm grateful that I know that God loves & cares about me.

Sorry, I'll try to post more grateful posts with pictures. They are the most fun.

The One With Today's Grateful Post: Day 3

2011-11-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

Paige is so fun. She is, though, nearing the dreaded age of 2. There are lots of great things & hard things about this age.

The Good:
She is learning so much. She's learning to sign on her own, without us prompting her. She's learning to tell us when we need to change her diaper. She's learning to play on the playground without us following her every step. She's working with a speech therapist, and doing well with that. She's just about mastered playing with us (especially her dad... did I mention she's a total daddy's girl?).

The Hard:
She's started throwing tantrums a little bit. She sometimes takes some convincing to eat. She likes to be out and part of the party, so going down for naps or bed is not as easy as it used to be. She is non stop, always going & doing something.

Don't get me wrong, she is still a really good baby/toddler. We lucked out with her. For the most part, she is obedient & people are often impressed (in public) at how well behaved she is.

So, today, I am grateful for Paige. I'm grateful for her fun personality. I'm grateful for her cute smile. I'm grateful for how much she adores her dad. I'm grateful for the happiness she has brought into my life. I'm so grateful that I'm her mom. Oh yeah, and one more thing... I'm grateful for nap time too. :)

The One With Today's Grateful Post: Day 2

2011-11-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, after almost a year of applying & interviewing, Rick got offered an accounting position. He currently (not for much longer) is working for the police department in gang investigations, and owns his own small accounting/bookkeeping job that he does from home. A couple of months ago, he even got his masters degree, but still has had no luck. I told him several times that when God thinks it's right, he will get a job, and that we needed Rick to keep his current job for his insurance (since we met our out of pocket and got his surgery & Paige's last surgery free... we needed that). Our insurance was renewed in July, so I kept thinking he will get an offer any minute. His feedback from interviews was that he either didn't have as much experience as other interviewees, or people thought he was too over qualified because he has a masters degree.

On Monday, he told me that they wanted to check his references & that it sounded like as long as those calls went well the job was his. On Tuesday, they emailed him an offer. Although, it's not much more pay than he is getting now, we are thrilled. This is what he needs to be doing & what he wants to be doing. I'm so excited for him.

For this month, I am trying to post one post a day about something I am grateful for. Probably something that has to do with my recent days. And I promise, to try to post pictures more often than not, because a post with a picture is so much more fun. :)

So, for today's grateful post, I am grateful for; Rick & how hard he is willing to work for our family (at one time he had 3 jobs), for his willingness & determination to go to so many interviews (I hate interviews), and for God & answering our prayers.

The One With Today's Grateful Post: Day 1

2011-11-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Rick & I were bored, so I suggested we go for a jog. I may or may not have been joking... I'll let you decide that. Keep in mind, it was 43 degrees outside, Rick hasn't jogged since before his surgery in May, and we were both completely worn out from one heck of a day.

Well, he surprised me. He said yes.

We threw on some running clothes and we did it. He jogged one more lap than I did. It felt good to get out and move a little bit.

For this month, I am going to try to post one post a day about something I am grateful for.

So, for today's grateful post I am grateful for modern medicine, insurance, God for helping us to get through (and time well) Rick's surgery, and for our healthy family.

The Other One About Halloween

2011-10-31T12:58:00.000-07:00

Well, shortly after the last post, my mom invited me to her school's Halloween parade (she's a teacher). We decided that we all 3 wanted to match, and my mom was thinking about being a cheerleader.
So...
I whipped out Paige's half finished costume from last year, and finished it on Saturday & Sunday. We had a lot of fun visiting her school and walking in the parade.

Paige always goes straight for the books in my mom's classroom. She pulled out, 'If You Give A Mouse A Cookie' so my mom read it to Paige & the class.

I was a coach, and Paige & my mom were cheerleaders. I even made up my own play on my clip board... :)

Paige was pooped after.

Happy Halloween!

The One Where It's That Time Of Year Again!

2011-10-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

We love Halloween in our house. We watch scary movies (I'm not fond of that part), go to haunted houses, decorate, prepare to scare innocent children when they trick or treat, and my favorite of all... my family gets together to go to the pumpkin patch every October. I don't know why, but it's one of my favorite traditions.

Lots of wheel barrel fun.

Our little Eskimo. It was chilly!

More wheel barrel fun with grandpa.

All of the girls that were there.

Afterwords, we go to my parents house & have a costume parade. All of the kids dress up & walk around for a while. I don't know why, but I love it.

I didn't get any pictures of her without a grahm cracker in her mouth.

I found a cheap elephant costume online, and that's the only animal Paige knows how to say (more on our speech adventures coming soon...), so I thought it was perfect. Click here if you're wondering what an elephant says. :)

This is the first time I put Paige's costume on. She HATED it.

The One Where She Gets Messy!

2011-10-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

My grandma gave us some outdoor chairs, and ever since we have spent lots more time in our little back yard. We never really spent much time there, so it's been fun & Paige has loved it. I decided to get out some chalk that I was saving for when she was a bit older, and she has had a ball. She wants to go outside and play with the chalk at least once a day now. As a mom, I almost regret getting the chalk out, because every time she plays with it we have to change & wash her clothes & hands (the pictures don't do it justice). I'm trying to be more easy going about that since I know how much she loves it and how bad we both need to get out of the house (even if its just to our back yard). She's been sad that she can't play with the chalk since it's been raining the past few days.

Paige's Chalk Gumby

She thinks chalk is makeup, so she puts it on her face.

The One Where I Don't Want To Forget

2011-09-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

Paige is at another fun age. She has been doing some cute things that I don't want to forget about. Like...

Every time I get her out of her crib (for a nap or in the am), she wants to do Ring Around The Rosies while she is still in the crib, and she always points at her Olivia picture that Rick put up for her (like she's showing it to me for the first time). Sometimes she even runs laps, or she's running away from me in her crib. Either way it's cute.

She is my little shadow & helper. She is learning to put toys away & help in other ways.
Paige LOVES her shoes. It's a good thing, too, because she has SO many of them. Sometimes she will bring us a shoe for her to wear just because. Other times, she will bring us 2 shoes that don't match and are the same foot, but she insists on wearing both at the same time.

Paige loves to watch tv. She especially loves to watch the tv standing up. Her favorite shows are Olivia & Mickey Mouse Club House.

She still loves swinging, but she loves sliding even more! She gets the biggest smile on her face every time she goes down a slide (except the giant slide at the fair... she didn't not like it, but she didn't smile like she usually does).

When I lay her down to have a nap, or go to bed for the night, I sing to her. She looks up at me with the absolute cutest smile you've ever seen, then gives me a kiss, then lays her head on my shoulder, then repeats several times. It's hard to lay her down when she's being so cute.
Every morning, and at least 3 times throughout the day, she takes me into her room so she can play her keyboard. She will leave the pre-programmed music on for hours at a time if I will let her. She loves it so much.

The One With My To Do List

2011-09-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

This was half of my to do list for the week...

Rick saw it and said I've been watching too much Blues Clues...

The One With NINE Sets of Grandparents!

2011-09-15T12:41:00.000-07:00

I should have included this my previous post, but I didn't :)

I've been thinking, since I made the Grandparent's Day Cards, about how lucky Paige is to have so many grandparents. They all adore her and she loves them all too.

I wish I had pictures of all 9 sets of grandparents (yes, that's right, she has NINE sets of great and grandparents) with Paige, but I don't. I think that will be my next goal, to get a picture of Paige with each of her grandparents. I just decided that :)

I doubt any of them will read this, but I really want Paige to know how blessed she is when she gets old enough to understand.

Grandma & Grandpa T. (my parents)
When Paige was just born, there were 2 people who I just loved watching with her, Rick & my dad. There was just something so special for me about it and you could really see their love and maybe even reverence for her. It almost makes me tear up just thinking about it again. My dad and Paige always click their tongues at each other (it's their 'thing') and almost every time she hears someone say 'grandpa' (even if he's not around), she clicks her tongue. It's so cute.
My mom is amazing with all of her grand kids. Paige is number 14 of now 16 grand kids for my parents. My mom was still so thrilled and excited all through my pregnancy, even though she had 13 other grand kids. It made me so happy. I could go on and on about them since they are my parents, they are just amazing!

My dad, mom & Paige at Rick's mom's wedding
Summer 2010

My mom & Paige swinging in her back yard.
They both LOVE to swing!
Summer 2011

Great Grandma S. (my mom's mom)
Paige & I have been able to visit her pretty consistently. My mom goes in more than weekly to help around the house, so Paige and I go about once a month to visit Great Grandma S. I am so grateful for that time we get to share with her. She is very low on energy, but is always so happy to see Paige. She LOVES babies! Lately we get out Grandma's toys, and Paige will play with Great Grandma. Great Grandma always comments on how busy and active Paige is. I like to see the two of them together.

Clapping & playing
09.2011

Great Grandma T. (my dad's mom)
We haven't visited her quite as much, but every time we do see her, she is so happy to see us. If I ever see her without Paige, she always asks about her. She is very thoughtful and sweet.
(pictures to come soon)

Grandma &Grandpa B. (rick's dad & step-mom)
We are lucky enough to live pretty close to them, so we probably get to see Grandma & Grandpa B the most out of all of her grandparents. Paige loves going to their house. Every time we go over there, we are greeted with such enthusiasm, they are always thrilled to see us. Grandpa B loves to make Paige smile, and does a good job of it. We recently went to Bear Lake with their family and Paige realized how much she loves Grandma Julie there. Ever since, she always wants Grandma Julie to hold her & play with her.

Grandma Julie, Paige & Grandpa B @ Bear Lake counting Paige's toes
Summer 2011

Paige and Grandma Julie adore each other.
Bear Lake, Summer 2011

Great Grandma & Grandpa B. (rick's dad's parents)
These two are some of the kindest, sweetest people you will ever meet. They always have something nice to say, and they love to watch Paige run around. It seems like every time Great Grandma B sees Paige, she comments on how cute or sweet or special she is. I think she's right. :)

Great Grandma B probably holding Paige for the first time
2010

Great Grandma & Grandpa S. (julie's parents)

We don't see these grandparents very much, but they are always so nice and willing to help us. Great Grandpa S is a retired doctor, so he has given us his opinion a few times, and we are so grateful for it. They always seem to be so happy.

(pictures to come soon)

Grandma & Grandpa F. (rick's mom & step dad)

Grandma always spoils Paige. Besides giving Paige the treats that grandmas are supposed to give, she has bought Paige several super cute outfits (in fact, we just got another one from her tonight). Every time she wears them, Paige always gets lots of compliments too. Grandma & Grandpa F got married last summer, and it has been so fun to get to know Grandpa. He loves Paige and is so caring of her. They are both always thrilled when we ask them to watch Paige, and they even offered to take her for the weekend when Rick had his surgery. Although it was our first time away from Paige, we were so grateful for their help. Jaleen also planned for Santa to come to her house so we could get pictures of Paige with Santa. It was so fun, and nice of her to set it all up.

Grandma Jaleen & Paige on her wedding day
Summer 2010

Grandpa Rob with Paige when Santa came to Jaleen's house
December 2010

Great Grandma & Grandpa L. (rick's mom's parents)
They live out of state, so we don't get to see them as much as we would like either. Great Grandpa L is a temple sealer (or was, but still can... I forget). Great Grandma L is great at sewing and she made Paige a beautiful quilt when she was born. They are so sweet to watch together, and with Paige. Great Grandma L loves to interact with Paige.
(pictures to come soon)

Great Grandma Ruth (rob's mom)
I have enjoyed getting to know Grandma Ruth the past year, since Rob & Jaleen got married. Her husband recently passed away, and we will miss him so much. He was a very happy man that was always willing to share his vegetables from his garden. When I sent out the Grandparents Day cards last week, hers came back in the mail. Instead of risking it come back again, Paige and I decided to drop it off to her and to have a short visit with her, since she lives so close. It was so nice to get to know her better, I think that card came back in the mail for a reason. She is so sweet and loves Paige already. When we were visiting, she let Paige wander around her house, and was okay with it! Paige is at a discovering age, so I was more nervous than Great Grandma Ruth was. I noticed when we were visiting with her that she had her toe nails painted. I don't know anyone her age who has their toe nails painted, and I loved that about her. She is so sweet and I am excited to get to know her better.
(pictures to come soon)

Oh my goodness. Before I started writing this, I knew Paige was so blessed, but now that I have put more thought into it and written it all down, I feel overwhelmed at how lucky all of us are to have these amazing people in our lives.

**Please excuse the pictures. Lots of them are cell phone pictures because I wasn't prepared with a camera. Others (the really good ones) were taken by my friend Carlye)

The One Where It's Grandparents Day!

2011-09-10T22:11:00.000-07:00

Pagie, Rick and I have all been blessed with some great grandparents. Sunday is Grandparents Day, so I decided to send out a few cards to show them we cared about them. I got the idea here, and grabbed some of our scrapbook paper and ended up making 9... yes NINE cards (Paige has 3 sets of grandparents and 5 sets of great-grandparents... some of them steps, but that's still family!). I used a few different patterns, but they all basically were the same thing.

I let Paige color on her hand print since she loves to color, and I thought it would make it more from her that way. Also, Rick told me I should write 'pull my finger' so they knew to move the hand. I did on most of them, but I just wrote 'pull down' for the more conservative grandparents. :)

I'm happy with how they turned out and I hope that it gave them all big smiles.

Thanks A MILLION to all of the grandparents we have. They have all been such great supports in our lives. We love them!

I will be linking up here and here and here and here and here. :)

The One Where Our Summer Is Coming To An End

2011-09-09T22:25:00.000-07:00

I'm always sad when school starts again (even if I'm not in it at the time), because it means Summer is over. Summer is my favorite season ever. This Summer started out pretty rough because in May, we had my surgery, then Rick's, then in June, we had Paige's. We were all just trying to get back to normal, but once we got going, there was no stopping us. :)

These are some of the fun memories we made this summer.

It's a long one... maybe I should have kept up with my blogging this Summer???

June:

My brother (from AZ... we'll call him Brother #2) was in town, so for my birthday, I had a pool party with some of the coolest kids ever. That's right, I invited all of my nieces & nephews (and of course their cool parents) to my house to go swimming for my birthday. It was great, one of my favorite birthdays. Rick & I missed my family vacation right after this because of our healing, but having them over for my birthday made up for it.
My brother (another one... brother #3) and his sweet wife were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. It was such a neat experience & I am so thrilled for them.

Brother #3, baby belly & wife. Special day!

I was able to meet with some friends who I hadn't seen in far too long. It was so nice to have some time to catch up with some of my great friends!
Because brother #2 was in town, I was able to spend a lot of time with my whole family the last week or so in June. I am so grateful for that time.

July:

Rick was able to go back to work & eventually stopped using his crutches. This was a huge step for us.
Rick & I were able to go to Bear Lake with his family, it was the first time I went up with all of them (Rick and I had been up there alone a few times), and we really enjoyed ourselves. We were able to go shooting, we attempted to tube with Paige, and we just enjoyed being with everyone. We did discover at Bear Lake that Paige loves something more than swinging... going down the slide!

The shooting gang (minus 1... she was taking the pic)

I was shooting the pigeons & Ricky was ready to go

I look pretty tough, huh?

Paige didn't like the tube, or the life vest, or either...

Does this face prove it?

Once we got to Bear Lake, Paige decided she absolutely adores grandma Julie.

She wanted to be with her the whole time.

She's counting her toes in this picture. She loves to do that.

We were able to have a much needed relaxing month. I was able to work a little less, spend more time with Paige & clean the house (it needed it!).

August:

I got called to teach Relief Society (a calling I used to dread), and taught my first lesson this month. I had taught Relief Society one time before (not as a calling), but I was pleasantly surprised with how it ended up. I know I received a lot of help, and I had some neat experiences.
One of my cute cousins got married. It was such a beautiful wedding & reception and she looked amazing! She had a photo booth, so Ricky & I had a little fun. Now I keep thinking of all of these cool poses we should have done. Oh well... next time...

We were able to spend lots of time with family again. I especially loved being able to spend time with my mom (she is a teacher, so she had the Summer off) at least once a week.

My mom & Paige both LOVE to swing.

September:

I was able to take Paige (with one of my cute friends & her daughters) to a toddler music class. Paige loved it. We ran, danced & made music. Paige & I also went to the library's toddler time, which has some similarities (except it's free), and we will be going to that weekly if possible!
Football season started. Which means I am a football ~~wife~~ (ahem) widow, but this year Rick has made it a lot of fun (partly thanks to the grill we got him for Father's Day), so I have been enjoying it a lot. He makes dinner on the grill & he has even been stocking up (using coupons even... I wore off on him!) on a bunch of snacks. I can't complain if he makes dinner AND cleans the house every Saturday!
Rick & I went to Flaming Gorge/Manilla for my family's trip to my brother's (Brother #1) cabin. It was a lot of fun. Labor Day is their BIG holiday. They had a parade that morning & a boat parade that night with fireworks. I guess they changed the boat route this year, so we barely saw the boats from where we were, but it was still a lot of fun.

Waiting for the parade to start

Playing at the beach.
She ate her first clump of dirt shortly after I took this pic.

Waiting for the boat parade to start... it was cold & Paige fell asleep in my arms... awhhh!

While we were at Brother #1's cabin, I found out that Paige had one molar cut through! I was surprised since she takes months to cut her teeth (for the first 4 teeth, she took 4 months to teeth, but in the past month, she has cut 5 teeth) & since molars are usually the last teeth to cut. She still has more teeth to cut besides molars.
We tried to take Paige swimming at our pool (at our apartments) several times throughout the summer. Last year she loved swimming, but this year, she seems afraid. As soon as she gets her toes wet, she screams and holds onto me so tightly. Thanks to our trip to Flaming Gorge, on Labor Day, we tried one last time, and she let me put her in up to her neck! She had fun this time.

One of the first times we took her to the pool this summer. We didn't get far.

Another time we tried to convince her to get in the pool

This time it was a kiddie pool at Bear Lake.

She did a little better here, but she didn't want to get out of my lap.

Rick started playing flag football again. His knee still has a long way to go, but he plays QB and doesn't run on it. Please pray that no one from the other team ruffs him up... :)
We went to the fair the other night. It was a lot of fun. Rick took Paige down the big slide (since she loves slides so much), but her favorite part was petting the sheep and goats.

She was fearless and wanted to pet everything.

Cute... :)

We had to get a normal family picture. (see below...)

This was maybe my favorite part of the fair... who does these things, really?

I had a good laugh.

Cute!

Did I miss anything? I am sure I did, but this will have to do! It sure was a fun Summer.

The One With One Of My Messes

2011-08-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

Lets just say laundry hasn't been my first priority. :)

I have been working less... much less, and I have been loving it! I actually have time for playing with Paige, laundry, cleaning & organizing. I even have had a couple of times where I thought to myself, "I'm bored." It's been a long time since I have been able to think that!

PS- the laundry is all folded & put away... yay!

A-Z... All About Me!

2011-08-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

I thought this looked kind of fun. If nothing else for memory's sake. :)

A. age: 25

B. bed size: king

C. chore you hate: i guess cleaning the kitchen. it just gets so dirty so fast.

D. dogs: none

E. essential start to your day: a hug from ricky & watching the weather

F. favorite color: purple

G. gold or silver: either

H. height: 5'8"

I. instruments you play: kind of piano.

J. job title: wife, mommy, cook, house cleaner, marketing director (it's not official, but it basically is what i am for work)

K. kids: cute little paige

L. live: in utah

M. maiden name: it's now my middle name

N. nicknames: shelly is all right now

O. overnight hospital stays: just when i had paige

P. pet peeve: mean people i guess

Q. quote: "it's better to look good than to feel good" lol... ricky told me that on our first date

R. righty or lefty: righty tighty

S. siblings: yep 5 of them (not counting lots of in laws)

T. time you wake up: when ever paige wakes me up :)

U. university attended: well, does slcc count?

V. vegetables you dislike: onions or peppers

W. what makes you run late: i guess paige, but i'm usually on time

X. x-rays you’ve had: dentist and when i broke my wrist (twice)

Y. yummy food: cheesecake!

Z. zoo animal favorite: giraffes, because my grandpa touched tongues with one of them.

The One Just Because I Can't Resist

2011-07-14T20:41:00.000-07:00

I love her...

We are having lots of fun.

Did I mention she learned how to walk the week of Rick's surgery? Bad timing for me!!

The One With The Before & After

2011-07-13T18:32:00.002-07:00

Things are finally starting to get back to normal, and we are so grateful for it!

Rick is doing great. He's down to one crutch and is hoping to be off of it within a week or so. He is back to work now, too. Although, I'm not sure how much he's really working. ;)

Paige is all recovered from her surgeries. She should be done (at least for a few years) with the surgeries. She may need some procedures here and there and one more surgery when she is close to kindergarten age, but we have a nice break now.

I took some pictures today so I could compare her eyes before and after, and thought I would share.

They aren't the best examples. Her eyes are even bigger than the "after" picture shows, but it was the best I got with as little sleep as she got today. :) But you can see a big difference in her right eye (its the one on the left side on the pictures). It's always been smaller than the other eye, but it seems proportionate now.

I am also working less (I gave my boss my notice, over a month ago, but told him I would help him train and work half days for him until the new girl is good to go), but it sounds like I will still be able to work a few hours a week once everything is all said and done. That's a good thing (for the most part), in case you were wondering :)

The other day I realized that between the three of us, we have had 5 surgeries in 5 months. Sheesh. The past week I have been able to actually feel like there is a weight off of my shoulders. I'm so happy that we made it through those hard weeks (and months), that everything went well, and we can look back on them.

And to all of my friends who I have not been able to see in so long because I was stuck at home, I would like to tell you I miss you! I would LOVE to see any and all of you whenever you can.

PS- Remember our duck?! Well, she's back! It's a sad, but a good thing. One of these days I will tell you more about it.

The One Where I'm Kind Of Busy...

2011-06-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

Taking care of these two recoverees...

Both surgeries went well, despite a couple of surprises. Paige is almost back to normal with occasional bloody tears & Ricky is still stuck in the recliner but has been able to get up a couple of times each day. We are making progress!

The One Where We Have A New Addition To Our Family!

2011-05-22T19:38:00.000-07:00

It's not what you think it is! :)

This morning we discovered that we have some cute little newborn duckies in our front yard. They must have hatched this morning, because they were so itty bitty, but they are already bigger and fluffier.

It's kind of hard to see them in the video, but it's the best we have right now with a super protective momma ducky. I suggest you make the video as big as you can. I'll post pictures as soon as I can get some.

The One Where My Life Is A Whirlwind

2011-05-17T19:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, so whirlwind might be an understatement right now....

Remember that one time when I said "What are the chances that all 3 of us need surgery within a few months of each other??" Well... let me rephrase that...

What are the chances that all 3 of us will have surgery within 2 1/2 weeks of each other?

Yep... you read right.

I had my sinus surgery (on Friday the 13th might I add) and it went well. I have been able to tolerate the pain, that is until my follow up appointment on Tuesday. I swear they tried to turn my nose inside out. It was the most awful sound, and I feel like I have been punched in the nose. But, other than that, I have been recovering with flying colors.

Rick got his call this week... the one saying there was a donor available for him. It is scheduled for a week from Friday. He will probably have to take 6 weeks off of work, but luckily, it looks like he has that much pto saved up. He will be on crutches for about 2 months, and it will take him a year to get back to where he is now.

Paige's next surgery is scheduled for June 1... yes, less than a week after his surgery. He won't be healed enough to go to hers even. If all goes as planned, this will be Paige's last surgery (at least until she's almost in kindergarten), so we are so happy about that. I have been way more nervous for her surgery than I was for mine.

Needless to say, we have met our max out of pocket from our insurance, and the next 2 surgeries will be on the house. Every week that goes by, I feel more and more confident that the job that fell into my lap, fell there for a reason. That doesn't necessarily mean it makes me like it more, but it makes it more tolerable. :)

And that's just the tip of the ice burg... wanna know what else has been going on at our house? :)

we sold rick's car
we bought him a "new to us" car
my laptop crashed (thank heaven I had almost everything backed up)
i am helping my sisters throw a shower for my sis-in-law this weekend
paige finally cut her 4th tooth (she had 3 teeth for like 2 weeks... it was so cute & funny)
we have a duck in our front yard that has been sitting on her nest for 3 weeks now. i named her ducky. the dad (who we hear more than see) is named mr. ducky. we feed ducky bread every morning.
i was able to do a mini photo shoot for my newest nephew
paige will walk if she's excited about something, but if she is thinking about it, she is scared to walk.
rick joined a flag football league and basketball league, so he has at least 2 games each week (that is, until his surgery)
we found out that paige loves nick jr & disney jr. how does she already know to like cartoons? olivia, yo gabba gabba, puzzle time & mickey mouse club house are her favorites.
paige says diaper, baby & ba ba (for bottle), and if we ask her where things like her book, ball, or doggie are, she will get them and show us. it's been so fun.
we have a cricket in our kitchen. it's very loud, and we can tell around where it is coming from, but can't find it.
paige loves to get into the laundry... the other day she found some diaper covers/panties and put them on her head.

And I am sure I am forgetting a couple of things. Life has been so crazy lately, but I am the happiest I have ever been. With all of this lining up the way it has, just strengthens my testimony, that God is aware of us and our needs, and he is taking care of things for us.

The One With My Little Easter Bunny

2011-04-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

The One Where I'm A WAHM

2011-04-20T13:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I ended up getting a stay at home job. It's a temporary (through the fall, weather pending) receptionist/scheduler job. I'm still training (due to the rainy weather). I am supposed to be available (by phone and internet) for ten hours a day, and every other Saturday. Supposedly the phones ring off the hook in the height of Summer.

I had a really hard time with it the first week or so. I have a lot on my plate already (who knew being a stay at home mom would be such a busy job), so I was super nervous.

I was nervous that I wouldn't be able to give Paige the attention she needed.
I was worried it would cause stress on my relationship with Rick.
I was worried that the house would be even messier than it already is (only ALL of the time).
I was worried I wouldn't learn everything I needed to for this job.
I was worried that I wouldn't be able to take Paige swimming or to the zoo (or other fun summer activities now that she is getting older).
I was worried that I would be jealous of all of the other SAHMs that get to do fun things with their kids.
I was worried that I had just lost my freedom.

(I'm a worry wart... can you tell?) :)

I expressed my worries to Rick (I may or may not have had a break down), and he gave me a blessing. It was such a special blessing, just what I needed. I now know, that even though it's not something I necessarily am excited about doing, it is something that God has provided for us. It is just temporary, and I am so happy that I can help take some of the burden of providing for our family off of Rick's shoulders for a few months.

I am so very grateful to have a husband who is worthy to hold the priesthood. Some of you may know that there was a brief time in my life when I did not have the priesthood in my home. There was an emptiness inside of me during that time. I knew that something was missing and that I wasn't as happy as I knew I could be. I won't go into details, but I am just so grateful for Rick.

On a very random side note, I just called the insurance, and found out that Paige has met her out of pocket, so we won't have to pay anything else for her until July. Yay! Also, we are $1,000 away from meeting our family out of pocket. Think we can make it? ;)

Another One With An Update

2011-03-31T20:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry for another boring post. People keep asking about Paige, and this is the best way to get the word out.

We had her follow up appointment with Dr. Hoffman yesterday. As of right now, it seems she won't need any more eye muscle surgeries which is probably the worst of all of the surgeries we've had to consider. We are very happy about that. We will, though, still need an eye lid lift surgery as of how things look right now. Her eyes are still tearing, after having the tear duct probe twice. I am not sure what we will do for that, though. We have another appointment in 4 weeks to just make sure everything is going as well as it seems. Dr. Hoffman has been really great to work with.

I also had an appointment this week, and it seems there is a high chance I will need surgery also.

What are the chances that all 3 of us need surgery within a few months of each other??

I have had 8 sinus infections within the past year and a half, so I finally decided enough is enough. I have loved my doctor, and we are trying to see if medicine will help enough that I will not need surgery, but she thinks surgery will be in the books for me. Honestly, I am happy to try anything, even if it means surgery. Most days it takes all I have to stay awake, and I just found out that is because of my chronic infections. I am so happy that there are options and that there is help out there for us.

Our insurance is up at the end of June (it lasted a year and a half this time...), so our goal is to have all of our surgeries done by then. We're close to meeting our out of pocket deductible :)

After going to both of our appointments this week I am very optimistic, even if it means surgeries, it will also mean that things will be better in the near future. I am so grateful for insurance & smart doctors!

The One Where She Does Tricks

2011-03-17T18:12:00.000-07:00

Paige has learned so many fun new things lately. It's been so much fun. I love this age.

I took this picture the day after her surgery. She's showing you where her head is. She's such a little smarty pants. :)

This video sums a good chunk of them up.

The One Where She Had Her Surgery Already!

2011-03-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

Last time I blogged, I said that Paige's surgery was scheduled for the end of April. Good news, they had a cancellation so they bumped us up to this past Monday. So, she had her first official surgery already.

This time, they redid the tear duct probe (this time with a bigger balloon... hoping that this time will be the last time) and an eye muscle surgery. They detached a muscle behind both eyes and reattached it, in hopes that it would help her to move her eyeballs up and down, and open her eye lid openings.

Her surgery was scheduled for 2:30 this time, so she was ready to eat and sleep by the time we were checking in and getting her checked out. The camera came in handy then, to distract her for a minute.

I think this picture sums up how she feels about her surgery...

The surgery was a pretty big deal. It took about an hour and a half (we were in the waiting room longer than most of the other parents). She, of course, really didn't like coming out of anesthesia, but eventually it wore off.

She has been doing so much better than I thought she would. I didn't know exactly what to expect, but I figured it would take her a week or so to get to the point where she is today. Each day she looks better and better, and each day her eye openings open a tiny bit more too. She still has goopy and bloodshot eyes, but other than that, doesn't look all that different.

I took these pictures yesterday (one day after surgery)...

She's not super thrilled about life, but I sure was thrilled that she was doing so well.

This picture isn't a good picture at all of her, but I had to show it because I FINALLY got a picture where her teeth were peeking through! She never shows them (especially in pictures).

We have a follow up appointment at the end of the month to go over things with the doctor. There's a chance she will still need more surgeries (2 or more), but so far I am optimistic since her eye openings are opening this soon.

Thanks so much for the calls, texts, and messages again. We are so lucky to have such a great support system around us.

The One With An Eye Update

2011-03-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

Sheesh! The past 5 weeks have been a whirlwind.

We've basically had someone sick (or having an allergic reaction) the whole time, minus the 2 most important dates in those 5 weeks - Paige's 1st procedure & Paige's 1st birthday party! I can't believe how lucky we got that we were all healthy for those two important events.

I was able to take Paige to her followup appointment with Dr. Hoffman at Primary Children's this past week, and we scheduled procedure number two for the end of April. This one is a surgery on the muscles behind her eyes. They are too tight and the doctor will reattach them so they will be looser. Poor girl, I have been reading the papers they gave me and to be honest, I think it will be hard a hard one for all of us. The first procedure didn't work as well as we had hoped, but the doctor said they can give it a whirl again during this upcoming surgery. I'm so glad that we have Dr. Hoffman. He's been so great, and he really knows his stuff.

Paige has been getting more and more fun every day. She's learning things like, what a duck says, where her head is, where the light is, and a few other things. I love this age. She's been so much fun.

The One With The Big Shabang

2011-02-20T21:10:00.001-08:00

So, we had a little party for Paige on Saturday. I can't believe she is one year old. I know everyone says it, but where did the time go?! Just over night she went from being a baby to wanting to crawl around and explore the whole house.

I decided on a "you are my sunshine" (under-toned) theme. The pictures don't show it the greatest (I had a lot of other things to pay attention to, so I didn't get as many or the greatest quality of pictures that I would have liked, but I'm not too upset about it).

I made a banner (and had originally planned to make more smaller banners to decorate with, but I didn't end up with enough time) that said "You Are My Sunshine". Sorry again... bad pic.

My sister in laws helped me decorate the strawberry flavor cake. I was slightly nervous about the flavor, but it tasted ok. The big cake sure turned out cute, huh?

I did most of Paige's cake (my first cake decorating experience), and was slightly rushed, so it doesn't look as cute (go ahead and laugh...) but I didn't stress.

And well, I have kind of been obsessed with photo booths and 'staches since I started thinking about this party, so I had to incorporate it. We set up a make-shift photo booth, and my sweet niece was the photographer for us. She did a great job, and I think we had a lot of fun.

When it came time to sing and let her eat cake, well... the picture below says it all.

I guess she didn't like the strawberry flavor. Silly girl.

Don't be fooled. Most of the mess of the cake was from us trying to get her to eat it.

It was a fun little (well, as little as our families are) get together. I always enjoy an excuse to see family. Thanks so much to everyone for the happy birthday texts, and for my family for coming.

The One With One Down...

2011-02-10T14:50:00.000-08:00

Paige is officially done with her first eye procedure! Yay! For those of you who wanted an update, this is for you.

She was such a trooper throughout the whole thing, and did so well with not eating and not taking a nap when she wanted. She was in heaven with all of the fun toys to play with.

It was a quick, 20 minute procedure called, 'exam under anesthesia & probe with possible balloon'. They un-clogged her tear ducts with the balloons, and did some brief testing on her actual eye balls. Her eye muscles are tight, and will need some surgery to loosen them up (so she can look up and down on her own, without making her whole head move up and down). Although, the doctor is now saying that there is a possibility that this could correct her low eyelids, and she might not need that surgery, but we will have to wait to find out for sure.

She was very very grumpy while coming out of the anesthesia, and has been sleeping almost constantly since we got home. My SIL was working that day and she was able to go into the beginning of surgery with her. and check up on us a few times, and all that jazz. It helped me that she was there, and knew who I should recommend.

Paige is such a sweetheart, and we are so happy that there is a way & people who can help her. Thanks for all of your texts, messages and calls of support! We have great family and friends.

The One Where I Am A Coupon Believer

2011-02-04T13:52:00.000-08:00

I'll say it once, and I'll say it again...

I love getting good deals!

Have you seen the show on TLC called Extreme Couponing? Well, I liked that show. And yes, I kind of related to them. I mean, I am NOT half as extreme as they are, but I agree with them in the sense that it is addicting, and gives you a rush.

For example:

Today, I went to Rite Aid. I bought 2 packs of diapers (on sale for $8.99 each), and 2 boxes of Excedrine ($5.29 each). The shelf cost was $28.56. I know it is dumb, but my heart was pounding as it the cashier was ringing me up, and that may or may not have been the first time that has happened to me...

I had several coupons (yes, I strategically planned this shopping trip), and the sub total came to $0.98... No joke. I paid more for tax than the actual 4 items. Don't believe me... click on the picture below to see the proof in a larger image.

Now, I am not saying I always get this great of deals. No ma'am. And when people hear that I coupon, they give me a look and ask, "do you really think it saves you money?" Yes! I usually save between 40-60% each grocery trip. It takes some planning, which isn't always easy with a baby, but nothing is completely 'free', right? It's totally worth it.

I am rambling, but I just wanted to let anyone out there who reads this, that they can do it too! I'm in no way "one of the best" at couponing, but we have seen a big difference in our home. Even Rick has come around to the idea of me couponing. He used to make fun of me for it, but just last night we were talking about how good it's been for us. :)

The One With Some Big News

2011-01-19T09:35:00.001-08:00

No! It's NOT what you are thinking! ;)

Unfortunately, we have several surgeries coming up in our little family, and several people have asked me to keep them updated. This is the easiest way to do it.

First, for Ricky... for those of you who don't know, he injured his knee in high school and has had 5 surgeries on it since. It works ok... meaning he can walk on it. But he can't run, play basketball, or several other things that he would love to do. He's very athletic and even played basketball in college, but had to stop because of his knee.

Well, it's been getting worse for quite a while now, so he decided to go see a new doctor. He will need to reposition his patella tendon (I think that's what it is...), which is a pretty big recovery time, but on top of that, they put him on the donor registry for cartilage as well. He will be on crutches for 2 months, but after 2 years it should be good enough to run a little bit, which is awesome. We could get the call any day now, or in a year. We'll just have to wait and see. I'm not good at this waiting game. There is a possibility of a second follow-up surgery for him, but we'll have to wait and see for that too.

As for Paige, we finally got into her ophthalmologist yesterday. That was a LONG time waiting! They are going to do a procedure on her in a few weeks to do 2 things - fix her tear ducts (she almost always has tears, but almost never cries) & test her eye ball. Apparently, her eye ball doesn't look up and down, she just moves her head up to look up. So, when they are doing the procedure, they'll check it out and see if she needs surgery to correct her poor eye ball. Then the final surgery (hopefully) will be to lift her eye lids. As you have probably noticed, her eye lids leave a tiny opening, and as I mentioned before, she looks up instead of using her eye lids. Her ped and I have been discussing her eye lid situation almost from the beginning. I think there's a pretty good chance she'll need a follow up surgery when she's 4, but we won't think about that until we have to. I am glad they can help her, and we are finally making progress as far as meeting with doctors, procedures, etc.

So, there's a possibility that we'll have up to 4 surgeries within the next few months to a year, or it could be just 2. Either way, I'm happy we have insurance and that there are things that doctors can do to help us.

The One With The New Year

2011-01-02T13:03:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!

My family has a relatively new tradition on New Year's Day, that is quickly becoming one of my favorites. We go hunting that morning, meet up with the kids and ladies who didn't come hunting for all you can eat soup, then we go sledding. Ricky and I haven't participated in the sledding yet (I was pregnant last year, then it was so cold this year, we were worried Paige would hate it, and she hadn't had a nap yet for the day), but we plan to go next year with Paige. It's such a fun thing to do, and a good reason to get together and have a little fun.

Here's the line up...

And here Ricky and I are...

I can't stop thinking about how much fun we had. Maybe it's because my arm is still sore, but it's still fun to remember the story why my arm is sore...

My brother-n-law wanted me to shoot his gun (I thought it was slightly weird that he WANTED me to, but I thought what the heck...) he assured me that the kick was minimal, especially today with the cold weather. Well, come to find out, he was playing a joke on me. The gun is a kicker, and on top of that, he put in High Velocity bullets.... hahaha. We all got a good laugh out of that one.

Do you have any fun New Year's traditions?

*****

I'm not one who loves to make New Year's resolutions, but this year I noticed something about myself that I want to change. I have been more judgmental than I would like to admit... I have hated that about myself lately, so I decided to make it my resolution, to be less judgmental.

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

These are the projects that I would like to work on for the coming year:

Traditions Christmas Tree Skirt (I should make this first, so I can still get her hand print for 2010...)
Quiet Book for Paige
Throw Paige a cute first birthday party (any ideas for themes?)
Organize my recipes... how do you organize yours?
Make something like this to hang in my front room
Make an album of Paige's first year
Start a new "mommy" blog
Experiment more with Photoshop
Write in Paige's journal more often
Make a magnetic alphabet puzzle
Make a magnetic nativity that goes on my fridge
Take some pictures similar to this (you know... to hang in my photography studio one day)
Make my blog into a photo album/journal for each year
Find and use new recipes that use my food storage

That's a lot of projects to do in one year with a baby, but I think I can do it!

The One Where 2010 Is Coming To An End

2010-12-31T19:04:00.000-08:00

As usual, we've had quite the year!

Obviously, the highlight of this year was delivering Paige and watching her grow up, but we've had some other highlights of the year.

This year, we've had...
2 poops in the tub (by Paige, of course...)
3 close family weddings
4 sinus infections
9 diaper blowouts (I really think we got lucky in this area, I've heard of people getting lots more)
13 completed crafts
15 walks with Paige in her stroller
24 doctor visits between the three of us
31 trips to the swings at the end of our street (about)
53 blog posts
and...
hundreds of dollars saved from coupons :)

I think it's been a good year.

Happy New Year!

The One Where Santa Came!

2010-12-22T18:39:00.000-08:00

Rick's sweet mom got Santa to come to her house so that Paige, and some other young children in the family could see him, and so we could get pictures. Paige loved him, I'm excited to see how she acts every year with him.

She's already testing his beard! Little miss smarty pants...

And here's our Christmas card, for those of you who I didn't have your address.

We hope you all have a great Christmas!

Can you believe it's 2 days away!?!?

My 2010 Year

2010-12-09T09:54:00.001-08:00

FB has an application that will take a chunk of your statuses from the past year and put them all together. It was kind of fun to read over what's been on my mind over the past year. I'm sure if you click on it it will be larger.

The One Where She's Already 9 1/2 Months Old

2010-12-03T19:33:00.000-08:00

~~We've~~ I've been kind of bored this week, so we I decided to pull out the camera (surprised?).

I took her for her 9 month checkup and she's still 90th% in height (I know, you're surprised again), and her poor little head is still in the bottom 5th%. At least she's consistent.

I tried to get a cute picture of our ~~Apple Bottom~~ cheap skinny jeans and boots with the fur, but it's really hard to get the picture you want with a timer. This was the best try.

Our washer and dryer are in our kitchen. I know, it's kind of odd. I needed to do some laundry though, so I pulled out a bowl and a spoon, showed her how to make fun noises, and off she went. She had a blast. We'll have to pull them out again.

One of Rick's cousins has been so nice to let us borrow some of her daughter's cute clothes. We decided to play dress up and she was lookin too cute not to take a few pictures.

If you see a lot of my pictures (on blogger or fb) you'll see a few pictures where her mouth has a vertical line in it. Don't be alarmed, it's just her tongue (well actually it's her frenulum (say: fren-yuh-lum) just in case you were wondering) touching the roof of her mouth. She likes to click her tongue and sometimes just smile like this without clicking...

I have no idea if this is normal or not, but she is still super flexible and likes to do this...

She does it the most in the tub for some reason, so I have some pictures of that, but I figured 15 year old Paige wouldn't appreciate her awesome mom putting nekked baby pictures on the internet for anyone and everyone to see. :)

The One With Our Little Indian

2010-11-27T10:31:00.000-08:00

This might be the whitest Indian you have ever seen, but at least she's a cute one!

I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and now Rivalry Game Day! :)

PS- I got my Christmas cards, and I love them! I can't wait to get them all out in the mail. I'll post a picture of which one I picked later.

The One That Might Just Be My Best One Yet

2010-11-20T21:29:00.001-08:00

Oh my goodness. I am excited and have to show something off.

Well, for those of you in blogger land who like to read craft blogs, you know that subway art is HOT right now. I decided that it would be cute to make some subway art with a picture in the middle. It could be done for a baby, a family, a holiday, etc. I have no idea where this idea came from, but somehow I imagined it up and it wouldn't leave my mind. Luckily, it's a Saturday night in November (AKA College Football Saturday) so I had some time to myself after I put Paige down and while Rick watched the game.

Sooo..... what do you think!?

I think I'll edit a couple of things after I have time to think about how I can make it better, but until then, I'll just be happy.

How cute would a few of these be on a wall. There could be one for the mom, one for the dad, some for the kids. You could even do one per year with the child's favorite things, age & qualities.

Now I'm just getting ahead of myself... :)

I'm linking up with the following linky parties:

The One WIth The Great Deal!

2010-11-17T12:47:00.000-08:00

You know me, and I love great deals! I recently found out from several other bloggers about Shutterfly's blog deal that lets bloggers (like you and me) receive 50 free Christmas cards! Here are some of my favorites...

Which one do you like best? I originally was leaning towards the first one, but now I'm loving the third one...

I've used Shutterfly for ordering prints and photo books for myself and for clients, and I have been very pleased with them. They have great customer service & usually have frequent deals that I like to take advantage of.

To find out more about how you can snag this deal before it's gone click here.

The One With Some Great Fall Photo Shoots

2010-11-11T18:52:00.001-08:00

I've loved this longer fall season this year. Last year it seemed to come and go too quickly. I've had some fun photo shoots lately too.

About a month ago, I took some autumn senior pictures for Mary and Maddie... twins! They are the cutest twins! We had so much fun goofing around, and the camera loved them!

A week or so ago, I took some pictures of my friend's 2 boys. They love each other so much, I was so impressed! Almost every time I turned around, they were tackling each other, or making inside jokes. I hope my kids get along as well as they did... especially when I'm trying to take pictures of them!

The One Where I've Been Featured & A Little Craft

2010-11-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

I've been featured!! Check out A Little Tipsy to see my blog post. She's having a baby, and wanted to have guests all week for a baby themed week. She asked me to post some of my nursery crafts.

* * * * * * *

I was blog hopping as I often do and I ran across this idea for a gift for your spouse.

Have any of you ever been in a date slump? Maybe even when you have a kid or two, and it's harder to get out as often?

Or maybe it's just us...

As soon as Paige goes down for the night we cuddle on the couch and catch up on tv. Although, I love that it's something relaxing, usually entertaining, and something we can do together, it's just that... well... it kind of gets old sometimes and even though we are technically together, we aren't really spending the most quality time together.

So... I decided to make my own version! (surprised?)

I made an envelope out of card stock and put my ideas in, along with a note to Rick. I gave it to him as part of an early Christmas present.

I put ideas like: a trip to our favorite frozen yogurt shop (something we can and often do with Paige), cuddling on the couch while we look at his baby pictures (I've been wanting to see them again now that we have Paige), and other ideas. Some take more planning than others, so we might have to plan ahead first.

What are some of your favorite date night ideas?

The One With A Day In Our Life

2010-11-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

Besides sleeping and eating, we do a lot of this...

and cute little Paige likes to always hang out on her side like this...

and she LOVES it when we get to do this...

We're gonna miss it when these are covered in snow...

I've had some great photo shoots lately, I'll try to post pictures of them soon. :)

The One With The Happy Halloween

2010-10-30T20:58:00.000-07:00

The other day, I went in to get Paige after I heard that she was awake and I found her like this...

Does that not just shout, "get me outta here!"?

Then, she started making this face, and it makes me laugh every time. Sometimes I can get her to do it, but you know how babies are. They do what they want, when they want. :) I still love it, and her.

I was lucky enough to get 2 pictures of this funny face! Sometimes when she's feeling extra silly, it looks like this...

Rick was a pumpkin for his first Halloween, so when my sister gave us a pumpkin costume that fit Paige perfectly... he was so excited. This is his scary face :}

I was just goofing around with my camera (I know, crazy, right?!) and I was so happy when I got this picture. I just LOVE that little smile of hers.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

The One In Autumn TIme

2010-10-22T17:07:00.000-07:00

Happy fall time!! It's so beautiful out, huh?!

We've been having fun, and keeping busy. I took Paige outside to take some pictures of her the other day, so here they are!

Super cute shoes from Grandma! She wouldn't be a Brunson without them.

I forgot a memory card at the pumpkin patch (my favorite tradition... tied with my daddy's Christmas morning dutch oven breakfast), and am waiting to get some pictures from my dad on a cd, so I thought I should get some pictures with her very first pumpkin ever. I think she likes it.

A friend just got married, so I made her a picture block, but I decided to make it different than the other ones I have done before. This one ended up to be my favorite. I think I need to make some for myself.

On a side note, I'm make tutorials from several of the crafts I made for Paige's nursery. Coming up next month I'll be featured on A Little Tipsy blog. I love that blog.

I also got a hair cut and we died it. You can't tell in this picture, but we added purple to the brown. It might be the shortest I have ever gone, but I'm enjoying it.

I've also taken lots of pictures in the past month or so, and have more to take this week, if the weather holds up. I'll post those pictures later.

The One With Another Craft ... Kind Of

2010-09-21T16:37:00.000-07:00

That's right! I've been crafting again! Well... I guess you could call this one a craft...
It was so easy! My sister sent me a link to this blog post, so I tweaked it a bit and made it my own. I also made one for a friend who had a baby a few months ago, but we haven't been able to see each other until now. You'll probably have to click on the picture to see a larger image and maybe even to read the words.

I've been working on some other crafts, so I'll try to post pictures of those later.

And what would a post be without some cute pictures of my baby? (btw, I am still kind of in shock that I am a mom... I guess I will be for ever)

She has to do her sit ups every day. She's training already for volleyball. She's an athletic Brunson for sure.

It's college football season again! That means football all day, every Saturday. Although, it also means a spotless house on Saturday, thanks to Rick! He has a tradition of making us french toast, then cleaning the house, then relaxing in front of 2 (yes... two) tvs while watching as many games as possible the rest of the day.

The One Where Time Is Flying By!

2010-09-15T07:50:00.000-07:00

I don't know where time goes anymore. I think the older you get, the faster time flies by.

I haven't been all that busy lately, except for cleaning. For some reason, you can spend all day cleaning, and then the next day it's even messier than before! Whether it's with finger prints, or toys, or my craft stuff... and my baby isn't even crawling or walking yet... I did, though, organize every closet in our house over Labor Day weekend, and it felt so great!

Paige is almost 7 months old already, and we're having so much fun together. We had a little scare over the past week. Her pediatrician has mentioned Paige's head size and shape since she was born, but she thought it would clear up as she started to sit up more. It did, a lot, but not all the way, so at our last well visit check up, her pediatrician recommended we visit a plastic surgeon to see if she has craneosynostosis (basically that is where the skull is fusing together too quickly). I didn't think it was bad enough to need the surgery (which is a pretty serious surgery), but I thought she might need a helmet. I took her in to Primary's, and the doctor said she was very borderline and sent us for a cat scan. Thankfully they were able to do it right then and there so I didn't have to wait any longer. She was so good during it too, even though she was strapped down like she was in a straight jacket, head and all. We wish we got a picture of her in that contraption. We met with him shortly after and he said everything looks good. Like I said, I didn't think she would need the surgery, but as a mom, you just have this worry and desire that your baby is as healthy as possible. Too bad though, she would have looked cute in a pink helmet. :)

Next on our list though, is to take her to a baby eye doctor. She will most likely need surgery to lift her eye lids, so she can see better (she looks sleepy all of the time... another thing my pediatrician and I have been watching closely since she was born), but I'll take that surgery any day over the head surgery!

She's still such a good baby, and she's growing so much. She's over tripled her birth weight already. We like her... a lot!

The One Where She's 6 Months Old!

2010-08-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast these past 6 months have flown by!

She's grown SO much! She started out at 5 1/2 lbs, and is now over 15lbs! She's tripled her birth weight in 6 months.

She does really well about sleeping most nights. She loves rolling around, splashing so much in the bath that she gets me wet, swinging, sleeping, and now talking and screaming. She's not a fan of Sundays... she doesn't get any of her normal naps.

We are going to try to give her more cereal in the next week or so (we tried earlier, but it gave her tummy aches - but she loved it while she ate it!). She's almost sitting up on her own, and is still as wiggly as ever. She's hands down the wiggliest baby I've ever seen.

Her hair is finally growing, but it's mostly blond, so you still have to look really close to see it.

Hopefully, next week, I'll get some pictures taken of her.

The One About August

2010-08-12T19:55:00.000-07:00

Where has the time gone!? It's been a fun summer. I love being a stay at home mom... love it! So far this summer we have gone to Manti with my family, and Bear Lake with Rick's family. I've also been able to spend some extra time with my family this summer.

Paige has learned how to roll over and is showing interest in toys now. It's been so fun to watch her learn and grow. She's such a happy baby & we're getting into more of a routine.

My friend Carlye took pictures at Rick's mom's wedding (we did casual family pictures too) and she did a great job! I love having a more recent family picture of us, since Paige is growing so fast.

The One Where I've Been Featured!

2010-07-30T08:23:00.001-07:00

I know most of you already saw my previous posts about Paige's nursery, but I've been featured! Check it out here! I love Sweet Charli's blog. She's got such cute ideas on it.

The One With The Family Trip

2010-07-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

What a week! My family has had a family vacation planned since Christmas (we have to plan it super in advance because there are so many of us!), so I was really looking forward to it.

I had a lot of things to do to get ready on Wednesday, because we were supposed to leave on Thursday. I had a hair appointment at 4, then I would go shopping, then I would finish packing, then I would be ready to leave the next morning. Around noon on Wednesday I noticed that my tummy didn't feel 100%, but I just figured I chugged down my slim fast too quickly (I'm not on a diet... I just like that they are easy to eat when you have so much to do). At my hair appointment, my tummy just kept getting worse. Well, by the time I got home from my appointment, I started puking like there was no tomorrow. It was awful. I ended up being so dehydrated I had to go get 2 liters of fluid, and the doc said that wasn't even going to be enough.

Needless to say, I didn't get to go on Thursday morning. It ended up that I wasn't the only one to get sick. Poor Paige & Rick did too. It's still lingering for us, but we're tons tons better.

So, Friday night, we decided we felt good enough to go Saturday morning and surprise my family for the last day.

We were able to go horseback riding with all of the kids, and we all loved it. Well, except for Paige. I learned the hard way, not to put the back pack carrier on before you get on the horse. I think I must have smacked her head on the saddle when I got on, and since she was tired too, she cried & screamed (which isn't like her) the whole ride. Poor girl.

It was tons of fun to be with everyone, even if it wasn't for the whole trip.

The One With All That Skwakin!

2010-07-06T17:12:00.000-07:00

Rick taught Paige to "talk" on demand (when we want her to), but she learned how to make this new noise, so now she "skwaks" on demand. She's cute.

The One At The End Of My Busy Month

2010-06-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

Not too much is new.
Our super duper busy month ends today... I am pretty sure it was the busiest month of my life. Between 3 family weddings, showers, girl's nights, doctor appointments, baby siting/sleep overs, my birthday, a concert, and lots of family get togethers, we found a little bit of time to spend just the three of us.
And on top of all of that...
Paige is teething.
:(
The poor girl. She's still been really good, considering, but some days, like today, she just doesn't like to sleep, and as you moms know... no sleep=sad babies.
I'll try to post pictures later of the past month... but no guarantees. :)

The One With All That Sleepin'

2010-06-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

Paige has slept through the night 4 nights in a row now!!! I am sure I am jinxing myself by blogging about it, but I just had to shout it from the roof tops! I keep thinking that for sure this is the night she will start waking up again (she's slept through the night a few times on and off but she has never been this consistent), but she just keeps surprising me! I love her.

We had another family wedding yesterday & Jaleen (Rick's mom) looked so gorgeous and happy. It was a really nice wedding! Rick and some friends got together and formed a band and they sounded great. For the most part, Paige did good... besides the first round of pictures... but I think I was just as emotional as she was. I got an IUD and should have known to get the non-hormonal kind. It really messes with my mind. I love it other than that. We'll see if I can try to control it better in the future.

I forgot to get some pictures of just our family on my camera, or else I would have posted them. My friend Carlye did the wedding pictures. She did great! :) Thanks, Car!

Two family weddings down, one more to go!!!

PS- I just realized last night that all three weddings were exactly 2 weeks and 2 days apart from each other! Weird!

The One With All That Swingin'

2010-06-03T19:16:00.001-07:00

Who says she's too young to swing!? :)

The weather was so nice today that we decided to walk to the swings at our apartment. Rick put her in, and she seemed to like it. It made her sleepy.......

Where did she go!?

Earlier today I took a couple of pictures of her. She's 3 1/2 months old now. Just in the past few weeks, she's started fussing less and even spitting up less. She's also started to smile more, and is learning how to play and use her hands more. All of that combined makes us extra happy parents!

They love each other...

The One With The Photo Craft

2010-06-01T09:06:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend. We were invited to go to a few different cabins with family, but decided to stay at home and take it easy since we had such a crazy week. We're still recovering :)

I mentioned in my last post that we had 2 bridal showers for 2 of my soon-to-be sisters-in-law. I was in charge of decorating for one of them, since I had taken their engagement pics, so I made these fun photo blocks. I made one for the other shower too for a gift, but I forgot to take pictures of that one. They are similar to Paige's blocks I made when I was pregnant.

All I did was sand the square blocks down, then stained them, then modge podged the pictures on. They're so easy, affordable, and it was fun because they doubled as a gift that she could take home.

After the shower, my brother called me to thank me for them (I was worried they'd be dorky, but even guys seemed to think they were cool) and asked if they could use them as decorations at their wedding. Awh shucks!

Maybe after I have more kids I'll make a block for each kid to put out in our family room. They're kid friendly, I'm not sure kids could ruin them... unless they drew all over them...

The One Where I Should Be . . .

2010-05-26T14:04:00.000-07:00

Showering
Getting dressed (ha... I haven't even gotten dressed or put make up on today... at least I did brush my teeth!!)
Working
Giving Paige a bath
Cleaning my whole house
Making dinner
Running errands
Doing Laundry

Why am I not doing all of those things, you ask? Well, we just had one of the busiest weeks of our lives, so I am enjoying just relaxing today! This past week, we had 2 bridal showers for 2 different family members, Rick's brother's wedding & Paige's baby blessing.

Paige was so good yesterday, even though she only got 2 tiny naps all day (she's such a light sleeper during the day), and got passed around all day. She looked cute, of course, :) and loved the music at the reception. We're so excited for Bryce & Bre to start this new stage of life together. They are perfect for each other. It was such a fun day, and we're excited for the next wedding in 2 weeks. For now, I will enjoy relaxing from all of the hub-ub.

The One With Paige's Big Day!

2010-05-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

We blessed Paige yesterday. I apologise to those of you who didn't know about it. We decided to keep it as small as possible, since both of our immediate families are so big. We ended up having about 70 people come (that's a lot of family!). I was a little bit stressed at times about how many people were coming, but it all worked out. We changed the location of where we'd have treats three times because of weather and finding out how many people were coming. She had little white shoes, that fell off a few times, so I stuffed cotton balls in the toes to keep them on. Her dress was a 2XS, and it fit her perfectly. Thankfully Rick got her to sleep minutes before blessing her, so she was quiet for her beautiful blessing, and slept the rest of the meeting. She looked so dang cute too :)

Before she was born, two of Rick's aunts gave her the cutest bracelet (can you see it below?) that has white and red beads, so we both painted our nails red. :)

Tomorrow marks the first of 3 family weddings we have within a month of each other, so Paige and I will paint our nails pink today. I'll post pictures after yet another big day.

The One Where I Have The Best Job Ever

2010-05-14T15:25:00.000-07:00

I love being a mom! She just keeps getting cuter and cuter!

Good news, too! Every other night, Paige has been sleeping through the night!

The One With 2 Great Photo Shoots

2010-05-03T17:18:00.000-07:00

A week or two ago, I had two photo shoots on the same day. I was so excited that they both went well. I was so excited, in fact, that I had them both edited the same day that I took the pictures!

The first was of {Baby P}. She is one of the babies that I have been lucky enough to follow through out her first year. She's been fun to watch grow. She was so good & cute at her 1 year old photo shoot!

The next was another special shoot. My brother is getting married!! We really couldn't be happier for him and Mandie! They are SO great together! I was excited that they asked me to take their pictures, and even more excited when I saw how great they turned out!

Aren't her eyes GORGEOUS!?!

I'm now booking photo shoots for spring mountain pictures for next month. This will be a great location for kids, families, and even senior pictures (it's not too late!!). Email or call me for dates and prices!

The One With The Pathetic Attempt

2010-05-01T18:13:00.001-07:00

Well, I decided to try to make these shoes for Paige last night....

Her feet are too small for buttons... and I couldn't find small black or pink elastic in time. She was asleep so I couldn't get exact measurements. So, I kind of had to improvise, as I always seem to have to do. Felt is really hard to work with on such tiny projects since its so thick... I'm embarrassed to say the shoes looked a little funny, but the worst part was that they were barely too small for her. I spent all that time for nothin... oh well... :) It was fun to craft again.

This is the outfit... how cute is that!? I love it. She looked so cute in it, even if she didn't fit in her shoes. On the way home from the baptism, she did one of her huge, huge pukes... twice, all over her, her new dress, and her car seat. I feel so bad for her when she does that. At least she waited until everyone saw how cute she looked!

I may or may not try to make one of the ruffle shoes. But not for a little while.

The One With My Tough Husband

2010-04-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

Rick had a fabulous day this week. In fact, he said it just might have been the best day of his life. I am assuming that meant it was the third best day of his life (the day he married me, and the day Paige was born being before that, of course).

Why did he have such a great day, you ask? Well, you see, he works for the police department in the Metro Gang Unit, and they issued him a badge. We still don't know why they gave it to him, but he's not complaining! In the first 48 hours, he only took it off to sleep. He was so funny about it. He even wore it to his mom's house to show it off to her.

This is him being tough...

This is the badge up close... don't ask my why I didn't use my nicer camera to take a non-blurry picture.

The One Where I've Been At It Again!

2010-04-29T10:15:00.000-07:00

Yay! I've missed crafting so much since I finished Paige's nursery. I wanted to keep making things, but just couldn't find anything I needed or that caught my eye. I was blog hopping as I usually do, and found this cute idea. I have a niece that is getting baptized soon, so I thought it would be the perfect gift for her.

I had a few speed bumps along the way and had to change a few things to make it work with the book I bought (I bought a hard cover book, not the flimsy ones, so it took more paper), but I made it work. I still feel like it's missing a little bit, so I might play around with it a tad bit more, but as for now I think it's alright. Sorry for the bad pictures... I don't know why I didn't use my nicer camera this time...

And for my next project....
I saw these cute shoes on this blog, and thought, "I can do that!".

We have 3 weddings coming up in our family in the next couple of months, so I think I will make at least one pair for the weddings. The problem is... what style should I make for her?! I need you to comment and tell me which style (not necessarily the fabric) that you like... including the picture above.

Button shoes

Ruffle Shoes

Mary Janes with flowers

Ballerina slippers

I'm excited to see what you think!

The One With A Few Of My Favorite Things

2010-04-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

These are a few of my favorite things (about Paige...) :)

When she smiles at me (nothing makes me happier than seeing her smile... I can't wait for her to start giggling)

When she doesn't puke after eating :)
When she sleeps really well... especially at night (she's been doing really well at night - knock on wood!)
When she falls asleep in my arms or on my chest

When she makes her cute baby noises, especially when she's talking to me
When she farts when she stretches or sneezes

That she is so tiny
That she looks so much like her dad

She really is such a great baby. She hardly cries, and usually lets me know what she wants. I've been so lucky to have the ideal pregnancy, delivery & baby! I love being a mom, there's absolutely nothing like it!!

The One With A Day In My Life

2010-04-26T10:38:00.001-07:00

Paige has acid reflux pretty bad. We've tried several things to help it. She has good days and bad days with it. She usually seems over all to be getting better, and then this happens...

I'd say this isn't a good day for her reflux. This was less than half of it too! She got it all over her and the chair we were in. The poor girl.

The One With All That Growing!

2010-04-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

I decided to try to take a couple of pictures of Paige this week, and when I did, I ran across some pictures I took of her when she was one week old that I had forgotten about. I hadn't even edited them. She hated getting her pictures taken that day, but we still got a couple of good ones.

9 weeks old...

Her aunts wanted to paint her nails... it was too cute. We'll probably do it again for her blessing and for the three family weddings in the next few months.

Oh how she has changed in between those two photo shoots. She went from the 5th percentile in height to the 90th percentile, not to mention she has started to fill out more. She almost has rolls on her legs... almost...

She hasn't grown on the charts much for weight, though. She now weighs 9 lbs 8 oz and is 23 inches long! She loves her baths, laying on her changing table in the mornings after getting a fresh new diaper on, and usually will sleep at least 5 hours, for one or two stretches in the night. We're working on the second! That makes me a happy camper for sure!

The One Where Money Isn't Everything

2010-04-19T11:25:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I had a realization over the weekend, and had to get it off my chest. The "small amount of money" I talk about is referred to as the money I use on necessities.

Rick and I have always been on a strict budget. He's really great with money, so we've been able to pay off credit card debt, save money for our down payment on our condo, pay off multiple hospital bills (after changing insurances 3 times in the past year, so that means 3 deductibles that we have met...), and manage our money well enough so I can stay at home (so far...) with Paige, and he can quit one of his 3 jobs (even though he took on another third job, but it's less hours and he can work from home, we're so happy about it!). We started our marriage out with a pretty strict budget, but it seems like it's gotten smaller and smaller.

I'm not telling you this so you feel bad for us, by any means, if anything I am telling you this so that you will feel happy for us. I'm not saying we're broke, I just came to the realization over the weekend at how little we have been living off of every month. I was kind of shocked about it, hence the need to blog about it. We have it set up so that I get a very small amount of money twice a month, and I use that money for groceries, diapers, my gas, and anything else Paige or I need. Rick, of course takes care of everything else. I have been clipping coupons, and planning our meals so that we can pinch every penny.

Isn't it great how God blesses us with what we need and when we need it? Although I have never ever lived off such a small amount of money (not even for myself, when I was living with my parents and didn't need very much, let alone had to cover a husband and a baby), I have never been happier. I feel like the past year has been the happiest of my life. Sometimes I think we get caught up in thinking that we need money for this and that and everything so we can enjoy ourselves, but I think that it's important not to stress about money too much, but to still live within your means. I've been on both sides of the fence, and think that the little extra effort and will power it takes to manage money a little better is so worth it. Like I said, I have never been happier.

The One With Our Spring Tradition

2010-04-17T21:29:00.001-07:00

Every year, we have 2 Utes traditions in our family. In the fall, we always go to the Red Blue game, where they have former players from the U and the Y play a flag football game. In the spring, we always go to the Red White game, which is kind of a scrimmage. That game was today. I was super nervous to take Paige in the heat and the sun, but she was so great the whole time. She slept until the very end, so we just kept her in her car seat in the shade, so it worked perfectly.

Here's our first Utes Family Picture

Daddy and daughter.
Her onsie says Utes Fan Since Birth.
Too cute.

Touchdown!!! :)

She is 2 months old now! How crazy is that? Time sure flies.

The One With The Cute Pictures

2010-04-09T19:23:00.000-07:00

For some reason I haven't been able to upload pictures on here lately, and I have been very busy, so please excuse this late post.

My friend Carlye took some pictures for us when Paige was 2 weeks old. (I think that was when it was...) She did such a great job, we love the pictures!! Here are a few of my favorites.

This one was just one I took on my cell a week or so ago... She finally held still while smiling, so we could get a picture. I told her to smile for daddy, so she did! When I see her smile it makes me the happiest person!!

The One Where She Smiles!

2010-03-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

Paige had been trying to smile for about a week, and then this weekend... it happened!!

I know the pictures aren't the best, and they are blurry, and she isn't smiling all that much in them (I guess she was getting tired of smiling by the time I got the camera), but I was lucky to get what I got on her first smile ever. :)

Unfortunately, I've been REALLY bad at taking pictures of her. I'll try to do better this week.

We love her!

The One With Our First Anniversary

2010-03-23T12:23:00.000-07:00

We will have been married for one year tomorrow.

I know what you are thinking... "they sure didn't waste any time starting a family..."
No, we sure didn't. :) Although, it wasn't how we planned, it was how God planned it, and we are thrilled and loving life. Thankfully, we've been together since August of 2007, so we had that foundation of our relationship before we got pregnant. (side note... I love that we dated for longer than the average "utahn"... I recommend it to everyone!)

It's been quite the journey for us. Here's a little walk down memory lane.

We've gone from this....
(our first picture together - we had been dating for a couple of months)

To this....
(the first couple sealed in the Draper Temple... sorry... I had to brag again) :)

To this...
(a cute little family!)

I know we haven't been together for all that long, but we have definitely been through our share of ups and downs. Thankfully, they always have helped us to grow stronger together. I wouldn't change a thing. I won't get too cheesy (for your sake and for Rick's sake), but I will say this... I have never imagined I could keep falling more and more in love with someone this much for this long. I adore him. I am so so happy with him.

Happy anniversary to us!!!

The One With The Milestones

2010-03-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

I was checking my email and following links when I came to a Baby Milestone Tracker. It estimates how old Rick & I will be when Paige hits some of her milestones... I found it kind of interesting, so I thought I would share it with you.

Smile at you in June 2010. Mom, you’ll be 23; Dad, you’ll be27.
Sit up in October 2010. Mom, you’ll be 24; Dad, you’ll be 27.
Say a first word in April, 2011. Mom, you’ll be 24; Dad, you’ll be 28.
Start walking in June, 2011. Mom, you’ll be 24; Dad, you’ll be 28.
Start preschool in September, 2014. Mom, you’ll be 27; Dad, you’ll be 31.
Go to kindergarten in September, 2015. Mom, you’ll be 28; Dad, you’ll be 32.
Lose a first tooth in April, 2016. Mom, you’ll be 29; Dad, you’ll be 33.
Start junior high in September, 2023. Mom, you’ll be 36; Dad, you’ll be 40.
Get a driver’s license in April, 2026. Mom, you’ll be 39; Dad, you’ll be 43.
Be eligible to vote in April, 2028. Mom, you’ll be 41; Dad, you’ll be 45.
Graduate from college in April, 2032. Mom, you’ll be 45; Dad, you’ll be 49.
They sure do grow up fast, don’t they?

It's so weird to think of her being old enough to graduate college, and just as weird to think of Rick and I at the ages of 45 & 49!!

The One With The Visit To Great Grandma's House

2010-03-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

I know everyone loves a new baby, but my grandma absolutely LOVES babies.

I was able to take Paige to visit my mom's mom when she was only a few days old, and then again this week. It makes my grandma's day, even week, but it makes me so happy too. I love to visit my grandma, especially since she, well, is getting older. She is under 100 lbs now (hence why Paige and I look so big next to her) and terribly shaky, but she always has a good attitude. I'm really glad that she was able to meet my Paige. Especially since I had a special experience when I was pregnant, where I felt that Paige and my grandpa might have been together. So, it's especially sweet to see my grandma with her, if Paige really was with my grandpa.

My grandpa passed away before I was born, but I have always felt a special, unexplainable, closeness to him. I love hearing my grandma tell me about him, how they met, and his love for practical jokes.

PS- Paige's silhouette of her face is exactly the same as the silhouette of her ultrasound...

The One With The Confessions Of A New Mom

2010-03-17T19:43:00.000-07:00

I've been realizing some things in the past month and thought I would share them with you. Some of these things I expected to happen, and others were surprises. :)

Although it's never fun to wake up every three hours in the middle of the night, that time is usually my favorite time with Paige.
I know newborns are easy since they sleep so much, but I still don't know how everyone does it with more than one other child.
You can never kiss your baby too much . . it never gets old.
I'm still in shock that I had a baby and that I am a mom.
A bigger chest helps you to look thinner (as opposed to a smaller chest...).
Sleep is great!
It's funny how my idea of "accomplishments" have changed. I get excited and proud of myself for just taking a shower.
I love it when she's a little fussy (she really isn't fussy very much at all...) when someone else is holding her, and they pass her to me and she stops crying.
Although I am not sure when I'll find the time, I am actually excited to start exercising again. That's big! :)
Time flies by now. Faster than I ever thought possible.
I'm surprised at how going out (just for one small thing during the day) is somehow an all-day thing. It takes the whole day to prepare for it.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate it when Rick appreciates the little things that I do (including me getting up with Paige at night), and ignores all of the other things (usually house chores) that didn't get done.
I knew nursing would be hard and take a lot of time and effort, but I didn't know it would be this hard.
You know you are a mom when it's 11:30 am and you realized that you haven't eaten breakfast or brushed your teeth yet.
It's kind of fun to have strangers gawk over how tiny she is, when she's really grown so much.
I haven't taken half as many pictures of her as I thought I would. We've just been focusing on eating and sleeping mostly. :)

My baby is 4 weeks old on Thursday (tomorrow). I really cannot believe it. She is 7 1/2 lbs now, so she's gained 2 lbs since she was born. She's finally the size of an average new born baby. She's so tall, and has grown over 2 inches in the past month. I don't want her to grow up, just grow more hair. :) Although, she hasn't lost any hair yet. Let's hope it stays that way. She's a happy baby and only cries when she's hungry. She does "complain", though, as my friend Carlye put it, when she isn't exactly thrilled with other parts of life.

I bought her blessing dress, and it's a size 2XS. We aren't going to bless her until May, but I hope she fits in it by then. It looks like it would drown her right now.

She's starting to wake up a little more and I love it. I felt like I was able to play with her for the first time yesterday and it made me so happy. She even did what seemed like a possible smile while we played. I don't care if it wasn't real yet, it still made my day.