The Stevenson Ohana Blog

Hairy Situation...

2012-01-25T17:47:00.000-08:00

So...this blog has been a long time coming...my little Leila has a Mexi-stash. She has had it since day one and I hoped it was the kind "baby hair" that rubs off after time. Not the case. lol!

My hairy sister Erika has been telling Leila since her newborn years, she would be the first one to help her "take care" of that. I'm assuming that means Erika will take her to the laser hair removal center and pay for the treatments too lol.

I love my hairy little monkii, and all the fuzz that comes with her. I just wanted to blog about it so it is never forgotten...even when the stash is gone lol.

Snuggly Saturday

2012-01-21T07:40:00.000-08:00

This morning the skies are grey and the world is quiet. I love days like this when all you want to do is snuggle up and relax. It gives me time to sit and think...and blog lol.

I wanted to take a second and say that I am so thankful for the blessing of motherhood...and like any mother I want to brag about my kid. The following are just a few scattered Leila moments...

I love daughter Leila so much! How did I get so lucky? Leila is such a good girl. I love her personality. I don't understand how she can have such a big personality this early in her life, but understand it or not she HAS it and I LOVE it. Right now her "thing" is being cute and convincing. She'll crinkle her nose, tilt her head to the side, and squint her eyes when she tells you something that is a "matter-of-fact" statement to her. She finishes her statement with, "huh?" and nods her head so that you will agree with her. It cracks me up every time! My sister Elisha watches her a couple times a week and said that Leila had been pulling this on her. When reporting it to me Elisha said, "...and I'm like, no I'm not going to agree with you! You're not even three years old!" LOL!!!

Another cute personality trait of hers is being a comedian. We went out to dinner last night and Leila saw the bus boy cleaning up another tables plates. After she got the gist of what his job was, she would hold onto her plate and say, "he no take-a my plate," each time he walked by. After Saovale and I giggled for a second, we told her he would only take her plate when she was done eating, that helped her relax...but kept grabbing her plate when she saw him for comedic effect.

I love my little Leila. I am going to try to blog more of these funny moments as they happen...right now I'm gonna go snuggle my girl. Or as Leila calls it, "cuddle nuggle" S's aren't really a favorite in her vocabulary heehee. So dang cute :)

Diapers Be Gone!

2012-01-14T16:36:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of the month I ran out of diapers and decided that I did not want to buy another pack. I asked Leila if she wanted to start wearing panties and go peepee in the toilet. She thought about it for a second and agreed!

Since then we have had 2 accidents of pooping her pants twice. Once at the gym daycare (HORRIBLE experience for me) and once with my friend Megan while she watched her (not so bad for me this time lol, poor Megan). Leila has wet the bed 3 times, maybe 4. As long as she pees right before bed at night she makes it through just fine. We haven't had any acciedents for a few days now! Potty trained...check :)

Yay Leila!!!

Almost Old

2012-01-12T09:05:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to do a quick post about how I'm getting old-ER. This past weekend I celebrated the last birthday in my twenties. EEK!!! The next step chronologically is 30!!! In case you were wondering...that is ALMOST old...but hey, at least it's not 40 lol.

Here's to making my last "young" year a great one :)

Happy New Year

2012-01-06T01:02:00.000-08:00

I know that I seem to say this every year but man, this year flew by.

I have a beautiful almost 3 year old daughter...ugh! I don't like that! Let me rephrase that...I have a 2.75 year old daughter (much better thinking she's only 2) who amazes me everyday. Leila's speech improved and vocabulary really expanded this past year. Her love of music and dance magnified, and she can say her prayers all by herself. This little girl has become just that, a little girl. Leila T.J. Stevenson is no longer a baby, she is a little girl. I am so blessed to be her mother and can't wait to be able to give her siblings because she will be an amazing big sister. The two nieces that were added to the Ena side of the family this year have helped Leila to practice to be gentle with babies. Leila automatically knew to be soft and sweet with them and she loves her Nayza-gil and Gunka-gil very much. Leila is a beautiful girl with a beautiful heart, I can see it already. The light of Christ is so amazing to behold in the purest form of a child, especially in my own. I am eternally grateful for the blessing that motherhood is.

This year also brought me the opportunity to focus more on motherhood. Saovale and I decided I should quit working and go to school. Saovale is a full-time student as well, joining me on this educational adventure. I am so appreciative and proud of the sacrifice he makes in taking on the burden of juggling school, work and parenthood. Saovale BYU Stevenson is the best man I know, and without a doubt the best man for me. I am so blessed to have a wonderful husband and partner in him. This year brought our 6 year wedding anniversary. I am so thankful for the good man that he is. He is a loving and supportive husband and father, and I am lucky to have been able to spend this last year with him at my side (6 down, eternity to go).

This past year was a big one for me personally as well. As I mentioned enrolled in college after I quit my 5 year run as a Lowe's employee. That was a big and scary step. Speaking of steps I have been doing a lot of steps...well running. I ran a 5k and 2 half-marathons this year. Whoa! That is crazy, I never thought of it like that. Ya, I'm smiling and beaming with pride right now :) I have also made some amazing friendships this year. I am so thankful for all of the friends who have come into my life and helped me become a better person. I am truly blessed to be surrounded by amazing women both family and friends.

Reflecting back on 2011 has helped me to appreciate the blessings given to me by a loving Heavenly Father. I am so thankful for all that I have and all that I am. It is very humbling to know that I would be nothing if not for Him and His son.

I can only hope and pray that 2012 will bring as many blessings and opportunities for happiness as 2011 did.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-05T23:50:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!!!

We had a wonderful Christmas...once we made our minds up on what we were going to do :) We had been toying with the idea of driving to St. George for Christmas to be with family there. The problem was timing. Saovale had to work a 4 hour graveyard shift Christmas day from 3-7am. We were thinking about driving down after he got off work. With this thought in mind, we decided to have Leila open up her presents at midnight so that 1) Saovale would be there to see her open them, and 2) we would be able to leave right away IF we were going to make the trip.

I woke Leila up by asking her, "Leila, do you think Santa came to fill your stocking while you were sleeping?" Her little head shot right up! I didn't even have to ask her a second time, it was so dang cute. She hopped up and ran to the front room to see if Santa had filled her stocking, and he DID!

After going through her stocking from Santa she proceeded to tear through the rest of her presents.

Leila was spoiled by family that love her! Thank you all for your gifts, thoughts, prayers and love. We didn't get pictures of everything but this little girl had a wonderful "Christmas morning."

Saovale headed to work after he tucked Leila back into bed. We figured that 2:45am is the best time for decision making, thus deciding to make the trip to St. George after Saovale got off work. Bright and early Christmas morning we headed down to beautiful St. George, Utah!

St. George is such an amazing part of this state. The red rock blows me away...especially when I am hopped up on Rockstars and RedBulls lol. We made it just in time for the Stevenson family eatery. YUMMM!!! The Tyrell and St. George Stevensons made the food and the Vegas crew supplied drinks and dessert...and we supplied the garbage disposal, aka my husband lol.

I was a junky photographer. I tried to sit in my chair the whole time, taking advantage of the zoom feature on my camera. NEVER AGAIN WILL I BE SO LAZY!!! I have slacked off in my photographer role as a mother but this was an all time low. I am sorry to family that I did photograph for posting these, but it's all I've got. Just know that you look a million times better in person!

After we ate, we played a fun game that we are going to have to buy ourselves, called Logos. Leila played hide and seek with the younger boys in the back rooms while we all played in the front. I'm pretty sure the only one who enjoyed her playing was the "seeker" because she would rat every "hider" out. They are wonderful cousins :)

After playing games Leila and I retired to my Uncle Pat and Aunt Debbie's house. My cousin Lani Ena-Fano and her family were spending Christmas with them so we stopped by to play. We played games and partied super late! It was so good to talk and catch back up with Uncle Pat and Aunt Debbie. The next morning the kids were kookoo! They were up in their secret kids-only "clubhouse" screaming and playing. I walked up to catch this...

They were playing and wrestling and just being CRAZZZZZYYYY!!! lol. After I went back downstairs they followed after a bit...

We had a wonderful Christmas! Our friends and family are the best!

Christmas Eve

2012-01-05T19:20:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve started off with a cousin gift exchange. Erika, Brandon and the kids were in Utah for Christmas to spend it with Brandon's family and we got to steal them away for a cousin gift exchange. We missed sweet little Norah girl though.

We didn't get a real "before" shot with the kids and their presents so here is the best I could find lol.

Here is sweet little Malia with her daddy Brandon.

Landen and his angry birds. He wasn't very excited with the paper weights, but he put on a good face :)

Lynnea was happier with her wrapping paper bow than anything else. I think her expressions say it all haha!

Leila got a beautiful Disney Princess book and she adores it <3

After the cousin time was over everyone went their own way to celebrate with their in-laws. Saovale had to work that night so we hung out at the house and I made a yummy dinner of ribs, shoyu chicken, corn and rice. YUM! We ended Christmas eve with Leila opening up her Christmas PJ's from her Auntie Elles...oh and PopRocks!!!

Trimming the Tree

2012-01-05T19:00:00.000-08:00

When we returned from our Thanksgiving trip Saovale had a great surprise for us. He set up the Christmas tree!!! I had been itching to set it up right after Halloween, so this was a wonderful treat. After church the next day we started decorating it.

Leila loved helping by getting the ornaments from daddy and helping me place them on the tree.

This kid cracks me up!

Finally it was done and Leila kept shouting "Ta Da!!!" with her arms raised up

Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving in Oregon

2012-01-05T18:29:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2011 was in Oregon this year. Leila and I flew by ourselves because Saovale was stuck working in Utah. The flight was fun and Leila did really great on the plane. I think that the passengers were pleasantly surprised that the kid didn't scream and cry the whole trip.

Leila and I had a blast the entire trip! We loved getting to play with family and the weather in Hermiston that week was INCREDIBLE! I forgot to take my camera out but I swiped some pics from FB...gotta love FB :)

Grandma Popcorn (my mom) has a trampoline in her backyard, Leila thought that was the COOLEST thing EVER!!! Cousin time spent outside jumping was lots of fun, especially when Auntie Felisha hopped in too.

We went over to Aunt Sherri's house to visit and the kids had a great time. First they got spoiled with popsicles then we bundled them up and let them play outside on the swing set.

I cried a couple times while the kids played. Seeing Leila playing by the fields and watching tumble weeds blow by gave me flashbacks of my own childhood with my sisters being a little country bumpkins :)

Pumpkin Carving

2011-11-03T18:49:00.000-07:00

We carved the pumpkin Monday morning before I went to school. We had fun carving Leila's first pumpkin...I know, I know, this is her third Halloween and first pumpkin. I'll admit to the bad mothering lol. Here are some pics of us thoughout the process. While us girls we carving, daddy was in the kitchen making us a delicious breakfast between snapping pics :)

I love these ones of her looking at me so sweetly :) Melts my heart.

We had lots of fun and had a great breakfast.

Trick or Treat!!!

2011-10-29T22:51:00.000-07:00

Ever the procrastinator, I didn't get Leila's costume until the day I needed it. We had a birthday party to go to after my classes were over on Friday, so my morning was HECTIC! Maybe I'll do better next year...right...ANYWAYS!

I bought Leila a witch costume because that was all she wanted to be for Halloween. We went to the birthday party and I forgot my camera, but Leila had a BLAST!!! She loves playing with her friends :) Later that night we made a VERY quick appearance at our ward event. So there were two opportunities right there for the too expensive costume to be worn.

My cousin Lani invited us to crash her in-laws ward's Halloween trunk or treat. Don't worry! We brought candy to hand out to the kiddies too! So there was dress up #3 (I officially feel like I've gotten my $'s worth out of the costume). Here are a bunch of pictures of my pretty little witchy.

She was SO excited to head out the door!

This is her "sad face" that she does, which it quickly followed by a "happy face" lol

Now here we are at the trunk or treat. They did a hay ride there too! Leila and her cousins hopped in the back of the truck and helped pull the trailer.

The first thing Leila did once she made her round was sit down and look through her candy lol

After the cousins pose for a quick "look what I got pic" they were off again. We hung out and talked with everyone there cuz Jun knew a bunch of people. It was the Provo Samoan Ward and they were trying to talk us into switching over...we'll see lol.

We have had a blast and Halloween isn't even officially here yet. And a good thing too because we still need to carve that pumpkin lol.

The Red Barn

2011-10-29T22:22:00.000-07:00

To find Leila's perfect pumpkin we decided to head out to the Red Barn in Santaquin. It was such a super cute place. They had an awesome hayride that took us quite a ways out to the pumpkin patch.

While we were out at the patch there were several activities that were set up for the kids to enjoy. Leila successfully mastered the maze and climbed up, down and sideways on hay bales and posed for pictures before finding her pumpkin.

Then it was time to get down to business, finding the pumpkin!

This could be it...

YUP!!! This is it!!!

Let's go daddy...you coming mommy? lol

Jumpin Jacks

2011-10-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

Leila and I went to Jumpin Jacks with some friends. We had never been there before and Leila was in heaven! After we payed this little girl took off!!! She had so much fun jumping around on all the bouncy houses. There was even a little spot that had coin machines with a little merry go round. The kids loved that too :)

There was a GIANT slide there. Leila's little friends went on it first thing and of course Leila was right with them...the little daredevil.

Potty Training

2011-10-29T19:18:00.000-07:00

The Stevenson house has been a little confused when it comes to potty training. One day Leila thinks she wants to go in the toilette and the next, it's back in the diaper. I think it just comes down to being her being lazy at times. She cracks me up. Potty training works best when she is naked and has no choice but to go to the bathroom in the toilette.

The other day she was fully bare. All of the sudden she ran over to the newspaper pile, grabbed an ad, and then she bolted for the bathroom. I was thinking, what is this kid up to? Assuming that she would be plugging the toilette up with torn off pages of the ad, I followed closely behind. Turning the corner to the bathroom I see this...

I thought it was hilarious that she already knows that reading while duking is the best policy lol.

Baby Hungry

2011-10-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

One morning Leila got her baby out to play with. She played for a little while and then told me she was hungry for a snack of bread. I gave her a slice and she continued to play.

After being suspiciously quiet for a minute or two I asked her what she was doing, she replied, "baby hungry." I thought, ok...this kid is silly. I asked her to turn around and let me see what she was doing. She turned and this is what I saw.

She jammed a piece of bread into the baby dolls mouth lol! Baby was hungry and she fixed it. Too dang cute.

Warning: Ooey Gooey Lovey Dovey

2011-10-04T03:50:00.000-07:00

Let me just start off by saying that I am a very lucky lady.

This weekend Brigham and I will be celebrating our 6 year wedding anniversary. I cannot believe that time has flow by so fast. I am grateful for having the rough times in the beginning of our marriage to look back on. I am grateful because I can look at the tough times and see where we are now and how much we have grown. We have grown SO much. We have grown as individuals, as a couple and as a family. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to feel love and happiness every day. It may not always be all day every day, but I do feel it every day and for that I am eternally grateful.

I love my sweet husband SO much. I am thankful for all that he does for our family. I didn't mention in an earlier entry that he is a full-time student as well. He is working full time to support us AND is a full-time student at UVU AND an amazing father to Leila girl! Even when he is dog tired from work and school and wants to sleep he is there for us emotionally, spiritually and physically. I know that I take him for granted much of the time, this is something I need to work on. He works SO hard so that I don't have to. He lifted me from the burden of juggling school/work/parenting and took it on himself instead. He is my very own Superman :)

I love my husband more today than I ever have, and I look forward to being able to say that each day for the rest of eternity.

Told ya this would be ooey gooey lovey dovey ;)

First day of school!!!

2011-08-29T21:25:00.000-07:00

Today was the my first day of school! I felt like I needed a new outfit, backpack and notebook. I was such a mess this morning! It all started with forgetting to put in my leave-in conditioner. For some reason I ended up rushing to get Leila to the sitter on time. After I dropped her off I got a couple more things from the house and headed off to school. When I looked at the clock I was SHOCKED. Was today day light savings??? NO! I'm just a friggin idiot that drops her kid off an hour before the scheduled time! That's where the time went what a doofus! ---However, it worked out ok cuz I couldn't find my class rooms for the life of me! I was walking from this hallway to that, wondering where one "building" ends and another begins. Not to mention the fact that by the time I found all my classes and sat down in front of my first classroom I was dripping with sweat. Of all days for my metabolism to pretend like it wants to work it had to be today (dear metabolism, I'm not complaining about you working please continue to do so).

So let's recap...I was an out of breath, sweaty, frizzy haired, neglectful mother today. Not to mention the fact that after my classes were over it took me about 10-15 min to find my car in the parking lot. I felt like a total dork...BUT I DID IT! Yay! I made it to school, found my classes and in the end I found my car too! lol

What a way to kick off the school year :)

Here is my sister Elisha and I in the hall on her way to class, and on my way home.

I know I look a little rough, but can you blame me after hearing about my day?!? lol

Snow Canyon Half Marathon

2011-08-16T12:37:00.000-07:00

Alrighty guys. I signed up for another Half Marathon. I am going to do it and complete my full training this time. The half I signed up for is the Snow Canyon Half Marathon in St. George, Ut Nov. 5. I am excited to get back on the training wagon and do it for real this time. Knowing that I can already handle the miles I am going to work on speeding it up a little bit. Who knows, maybe it'll just be by 30 sec per mile, but hey, improvement is improvement.

Let's do this!!!

Marathon...of sorts

2011-08-16T12:29:00.000-07:00

Last week we had originally planned to go to Oregon, but the trip didn't go through. We did a stay-cation instead and had a Harry Potter marathon, I know totally dorked out. Over 3 days we watched 6 movies and it was super fun. Leila got to watch parts of the movies here and there, when there weren't scary parts, but we watched 2 movies a night after Leila had gone to bed. While she was awake we would say "Harry Potter" with a British accent and Leila caught on and says it herself. It is super cute to hear her say, "Airy Pot-uh" lol

Ricky Bobby

2011-08-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

When driving in the car, Leila and I have some pretty funny conversations. Everything from her begging for a Slurpee to letting me know she sees cows and horses...and when I ask her where they are (cuz I sure don't see them), she says, "Shhh, they're sleeping."

The last couple days haven't been very conversational though. It's been more of a demanding trip now that I have a little Ricky Bobby in the backseat. All she says is, "Mommy fast, mommy fast, MOMMY FAST!" It reminds me a lot of Taledega Nights' "I wanna go fast!"

When I do speed up, and especially on turns or swerve a little she is the happiest little girl around. Like Whooo!!! lol

Goodbye Tasi

2011-08-08T23:32:00.001-07:00

Last Monday I posted Tasi on KSL classifieds and a woman called me that evening to meet with Tas. She and her husband have 5 kids. The meeting went really well and they took Tasi home that night. They were a little worried about their kids being too high strung for Tasi but everyone has adjusted. So we have officially said goodbye to Tasi. We had given her away once before and got her back, but this time it seems to have been a good fit for her. I am excited that she will be getting lots of love and attention from all the kids.

When I think about her being gone, and the almost 6 years that we had her in our lives, and the amazing addition she was to our family...it makes me really sad. I just stopped liking her...wow....I hope this doesn't happen with real kids too...wow...I kinda suck, a lot. I really hope that I don't just get sick of the things I love...I think you all may be reading a bit of a break down here...congrats to you all lol.

Well here is my "blog official" goodbye...

See ya later Tasi, you were the best "fur-person" daughter I have ever, or will ever have. I love you and just wanted better for you. I'm sorry I failed you and I hope that your new family will be AMAZING for you. I will love you forever <3

Camp it Up sukkas!

2011-07-31T21:26:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went CAMPING!!! It was so much fun.

Our ward did a BBQ/camp out Friday night. Luckily we had some friends hook us up with the necessities so that we could camp with them. I haven't been camping since...oh probably girls camp when I was like...14 years old or something like that. I forgot how much fun it was. I am so glad that Brigham hopped on the camping band wagon so that we could go.

After we ate dinner the boys set up the tents. The main camping area was pretty packed so the guys found us another spot and we got our own private fire pit. Brigham brought his uke along and we did some jammin by the fire.

I know this is a sucky pic but it's the only one I got of our camping buddies the Abrahao family.

We pigged out on starbursts, popcorn, hobo dinners and of course s'mores. And yes, when I say "we" I mean "I". It was a delicious night. Leila also was able to get a marshmallow...or 11 lol. Here is her sweet face (literally "sweet" that's not just dirt, it is dirt covered marshmallow) the next morning.

We went to bed around 2:30am so when we got in the tent we zonked out. Here is our cozy tent and my silly dump taking husband.

The little kiddos had so much fun this trip. Sometimes they don't quite mesh but this time they were little buds. I think it was solidified when Trey gave Leila one of his precious potato bugs.

After we packed up we went for some McDonald's breakfast and let the kids play in the Playplace.

We had such a fun time and are looking forward to our next camping trip :)

Funny glasses :)

2011-07-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

We ordered a free pair of funny straw glasses for Leila and they finally came in the mail!

Leila thought they were pretty funny. Her favorite treat these days is a Slurpee so I can't wait for her to try one of those with these silly specs :)

Spanish Fork Fiesta Days

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

On Saturday Leila and I went out to the Spanish Fork Fiesta Days. It was a HOT day out but we decided we wanted to get out and have some fun.

Our first stop was the bounce house...of course lol. This kid is my little kangaroo, she loves to jump (she's too sassy to call a bunny, that's why I went with kangaroo).

There was a rope ladder that led up to a slide on the other side

...at least we think so. Kangaroos apparently do NOT slide ;)

After I pulled her off of the bounce house we went onto the other side of the street where the rides were. There was a carousel and so of course the first thing Leila wanted to do was "ride the horsey." Everything was wonderful while we were waiting for the ride to start and we got some pics.

...then the ride started and terror ensued!

She was squeezing my hand the whole time AND made me face her to make sure she didn't fall. That meant I had to enjoy the ride backwards and can you say "motion sickness?!?" I am getting old.

We saw some of our friends on the rides too and the kids wanted to ride the motorcycles. Leila ran right in and hopped onto her blue "cycle". Ready to ride!

And then it started moving...and we had to move to another ride.

Luckily she had her little friend Trey to join her and be her rock for the last 2 rides. They still got to ride a motorcycle, this time they teamed up.

The next stop was the love boat...I mean the boat ride lol.

After a delicious lunch with our friends, we headed back to the car. We made a few stops along the way. Of course we hit up a face painting booth.

We were lucky enough to have parked close to a shaved ice stand. Thank goodness cuz it was so friggin hot out. Leila was such a happy girl :) she loved her treat.

And mine lol

Scarffin it down, just like her mommy. Atta girl!

Once we got in the car she was out within 2 minutes! Even with the sugar high she zonked out.

Such a fun day! :)

Sunday naps

2011-07-17T16:50:00.000-07:00

The best thing about Sundays are the Sunday naps. Err, uhh...I mean church and the second best would be naps lol. I think Leila would agree. She didn't even finish her dinner. The awesome mom that I am had to get pics before I put her in bed.

Don't worry about the missing chicken nuggets in the second picture, just mind your own business lol. DON'T JUDGE ME hahahaha

Hobbler Half

2011-07-10T14:42:00.000-07:00

Well I did it. My half marathon was almost a week ago and I'm still recovering. I look like a fatso, and I'm too prideful to be posting pics of a giant hippo running. I have gained 10 lbs in the last 3 weeks and I can't believe myself. I worked sooo hard to lose the weight and then I just let it come back.

At least I did it right? Here are some pics that Elisha took after the race that I will post to prove that this fat girl ran a half...even though most of it was downhill lol.

The race WAS a great accomplishment and I'm sure that it will soak in as such soon. I had amazing support the day of the race. My running buddy was there with her family to hoot and holler for me along the run and at the finish line. I love them so much. I told my family that the race started late so they didn't make it for the finish but were there with hugs after the sweat had dried a little. Probably perfect timing really lol.

I know that I am being quite negative about myself in this blog entry and it's just because I am disappointed in myself. I am working on my health once again and will get back to where I was with the loss, and then some. My sister's and I have set up a private blog (VERRRY VERRRY PRIVATE) so that we can all keep up with our, soon to be, weight loss. So with that added support system, we'll be rockin it out :)

Update

2011-07-08T10:13:00.001-07:00

So, I've been horrible with the blog the last couple of months...I know. In all fairness, I have had quite a busy time and a lot has changed.

Brigham and I have been trying to decide what needed to be done in order to be successful as a family. On our drive back from Oregon after my little sister's graduation we decided that school was the answer.

Brigham had already decided to return to school, which I am so excited for. Then somewhere between Pendleton and Pocatello I decided to stop being anti-school and go also. I realized that I will always be a working mother. If that is going to be the case, why should I work my tail off for such a small paycheck. I decided that I am going to school for nursing at UVU. I have enrolled in some pre req classes and should hopefully finish the pre reqs by the end of next summer. Then I'll apply for the nursing program offered at UVU if we are still here. I said goodbye to Lowes 2 weeks ago after being there for 5 years.

On to bigger and better things, as scary as it is. AND IT IS SCARY!!!

Brigham is going to go to school also. This semester he will just go part time and continue to work full time. Financially I am freaking out, but, it will all be okay. This is what our family needs. By the end of our struggles we will both have more knowledge to share with our children and degrees to prove it! :)

Busy July already

2011-07-08T09:37:00.000-07:00

Even though July has just begun, it has already brought a lot of excitement to our family. My sister Elisha and her husband Ikani blessed their baby Lynnea last weekend, and it was beautiful. This brought some of our family from Oregon down to Utah.

Since Monday was the 4th of July, we got to do some fireworks. Leila LOVES fireworks!!! She and her cousin Landen had a total blast. Leila has decided to call fireworks "twinkles" and has been asking for them every day.

Erika and her family stayed with us and the morning they left I got some pics of the cute pajama babies.

Leila loves to hold her little cousins and here she is trying to pick Malia up all by herself.

Elisha and Lynnea came over to say goodbye to Erika, Brandon, Landen and Lynnea. We got some cute picks of the grand kids. We sure did miss Norah girl though :(

It was a fun weekend :)

The Aquarium!

2011-07-08T00:56:00.001-07:00

During Father's Day weekend the Vegas crew came to visit. I have been horrible about having my camera out and really only took pics on this one day. We went to The Living Planet Aquarium in SLC and the kids had tons of fun.

Leila was running around from tank to tank.

Here are a couple cute kids amazed at the stuff in the tanks.

After the aquarium, Auntie Jen wanted to visit an old friend and Brigham snapped some picks in their lawn.

We had so much fun and always do with these guys :)

Let's get dressed

2011-05-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago Leila found a pair of daddy's shorts and wanted to try them on.

I think that sparked a little flame for fashion. Today she decided to strip down what I had put her in, and find her own fashion sense...this is what she came up with.

Next came her model poses. I asked her to face me and say cheese, but that wasn't good enough for her. She must have been looking through a Vouge magazine or two because this is the pose she decided to strike...along with a twirl lol.

I love this sweetie :)

Cheese

2011-05-21T18:28:00.000-07:00

Leila has decided that at times she LOVES the camera. During these moments and she spots it somewhere in the room she either hands it to me, or points at it and says, "cheese!" That is my queue to get into photographer mode and snap some pics of this little self sweetie...and then of course let her see the viewer to check herself out. The following pictures are some of these moments :)

CHEESE!!!

7 miles WooHoo!

2011-05-21T17:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I ran 7.1 miles this morning in and hour and 22 min. I'm sure that some of you may not be impressed and so to you I say...SUCK IT! I think it was pretty awesome. I indeed threw caution to the wind and ran without stopping. It felt wonderful to challenge my body and mind in that run. The first 3.4 miles were all uphill, which was miserable, but made the second part of the run pretty sweet...but also pretty rough on my knees.

I am definitely feeling some aches and pains in my knees this evening. I think I may have to break some ice out but I feel very accomplished in the fact that I completed the whole run without stopping for breaks like my previous training. I'm sure that my knees wouldn't be aching this bad if I kept to my other training tho too. So, I need to decide what method to go with...injury free, or more challenging. Since it is my first distance race I know I should just concentrate on the finish line and not completing it with a time goal. But...my competitive side kicks in and I want to push myself more.

I'll figure it out. If ANYONE has any thoughts, please feel free to post a comment to help a sista out. I will post my training regimen once I decide what it will be.

I CAN DO THIS!!!

2011-05-20T21:30:00.000-07:00

There has been a slight hiccup in my half marathon training. My running partner has had to bow out due to an injury. Now I have to be my own motivator, since I am not obligated to anyone but myself...which is how it should have been from the start. I am super nervous though. I am trying to remind myself that the whole reason I am doing this in the first place is to prove to myself that I can. I can finish something I start, I can conqure mind over matter, I can be a friggin super woman! I just don't know how to go about doing it lol.

I am feeling lost. I don't know if I want to kick my training up a notch so that I really challenge myself or just stick with what we were going with. I have been looking for different training methods and everything just seems like a big ol' jumble. I don't know what to do. I decided that since I only have 7 weeks left til the big race and I have basically taken the last month off...I'm pretty screwed. 7 weeks is plenty of time to get trained, right? It's time to get serious. I am going to run 7 miles tomorrow, then I'll see where I'm going from there.

This post is just a big mess, hang in there while I figure out what the heck I'm going to do with this training. All of the regimens that I've been looking at say that I should run 6-8 miles tomorrow so that's why I'm going with 7. Now I just have to see if I'm going to continue with the run/walk/run method or not. My 5k I just ran it outright...but that was only 3 miles. I have never run more than that, without stopping. I am so nervous!!! (As you can tell from my jumbled up, all-over-the-place thoughts.)

I can do this...I can do this...I CAN DO THIS!!! I'll get everything figured out after my run tomorrow. It will help me feel out what my next move will be. 7 miles is longer than half of the half (13.1 miles). So it will help me feel out where I am. I am going to try run it strait, throwing caution to the wind. I have only trained the Galloway way so wish me luck, cuz I'm gonna need it.

5k Baby!

2011-05-09T14:50:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if I made this announcement on the blog but here goes...I am running a 1/2 marathon this July. My good friend Lalani is the inspiration behind this hair brained plan.

Lalani did a 1/2 marathon last year and is planning to run another this year. After talking with her about it I decided I wanted to join her. I feel like I never complete anything. I always say I'm going to do something and then never follow through. Reasons being everything from laziness to fear. I decided that I NEEDED to do this race. I needed to push myself to an extreme limit. I am still very scared for this race, but excited at the same time. I am even more excited after this past weekend. To get pumped up for the 1/2 we entered a 5k to get excited about our big race.

The 5k was AWESOME!!! I loved it, it was such an adrenaline rush. I ended up deciding to run it through rather than use the method I've been training with. I completed it in 30 min and 50 sec, placing 102 out of 261 and placing 11th in my age group! Whoda thunk it?!? I know I am totally tooting my own horn right now, and you may not think it's anything to be proud of...but I AM!!!

Here are some pictures of the finish and then after the race. My mom and sister Ellery were in town because Elisha had her sweet baby girl (pictures to follow later), so they came to root me on at the finish line as well as my handsome hubby and sweet little monkii Leila.

They had some fun booths for the runners after the race. Leila's favorite was the bouncy house.

Leila also got her face painted. She loved every second of it because she felt like it was makeup and she loves makeup. However...she did not love getting picture taken tho :)

Easter 2011

2011-04-26T21:14:00.000-07:00

We spent Easter with the Stevenson's in Vegas this year, and we had a great time. Leila had so much fun playing with her cousins, Troy and Blake,and trying to hold her own up against these big boys. She loves them so much and is still talking about "Toy...Toy...where?"

I had to wake Leila up Easter morning because she tries to be a party animal when we are on vacation. Here she is avoiding me, then seeing that she had eggs in her room!

Let the hunt begin! The kids were so excited about the eggs that they wanted to open them right up and see the goodies. They were so funny to watch.

I'm not sure what Leila is yelling about in this picture, but it was just too cute to pass up.

The kids were so cute! Auntie Jen got the kids Thomas bubble blowers and they were a hit!!!

Time for church on Easter Sunday.

We had an awesome trip. It was so fun to be able to catch up with family and enjoy one another.

Little Model

2011-04-26T21:02:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness Easter comes after St. Patty's, aka-Leila's bday. If it hadn't, Leila would have looked like a little hobo in Vegas lol. Thanks to her auntie Elles she was stylin. I had her posing on the steps for some quick pics.

Those pics made me sad, cuz she's getting to be a little girl and not a baby anymore. Super sad...and then she cheers me up with funny things like this right after.

Hydrating in Vegas

2011-04-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some cute pics of Leila with her cousins Troy and Blake in Vegas. We went to spend Easter with them, the kids needed extra partners when egg hunting :) Here they are re hydrating from the beautiful Vegas weather.

Cute juice box babies :)

Poop Mural

2011-04-26T20:31:00.001-07:00

The blog title says it all. Last week I came home from work and the air was filled with nastiness. It will usually stink when she has had a messy diaper but this stink was RIPE. Brigham let me know that while he was getting ready for work, she got a little too quite, so he called for her. She ran back to him with her hands covered with poop and poop all over her shirt and pants.

When she eats foods that she is allergic to, her allergies manifest in rashes. Mostly on her face but her bumm itches too. Also, I think that her poop is extra itchy when it was foods shes allergic to in it (just my theory). So, when I walked in, Brigham was giving her a bath and I finished her off so he could go to work.

Once she smelt and looked like a normal human again I walked to the front to see how it was airing out. The smell was almost gone except in one area...so I started to hunt. Sure thing, find it I did. In Leila's favorite hiding spot was a lovely poop mural. I took pictures, if you don't have a strong stomach skip the pics.

It was disgusting! It stunk and as I was cleaning and sanitizing, this little girl came over.

"Oh no, she found it..."

"It wasn't me, it was Tasi..."

"Okay, so it was me. But c'mon, look how cute I am! You can't stay mad..."

She called my bluff, I couldn't be mad at that cute little girl. I am a lucky, poop cleaning mom :)

Internet

2011-04-18T20:21:00.001-07:00

I love having the internet! I am so thankful to have a lappy (laptop, thanks for the help mom) and for the internet! Our next purchase is a printer. I have tried to become a "super coupon-er", but without the printable coupons I don't think I'm getting all the savings that are out there. Once I am fully armed with all the coupons I can get I hope to save our family lots of moola. I'm doing pretty good so far and have a little bit of a stock pile building up...and I mean little :) But I'll get there.

When I have a decent haul I may brag a little on the blog because I will be so excited. Just bear with me. I hope that I am able get a good haul soon-ish :)

Sunbeam Beams

2011-04-17T19:58:00.000-07:00

I am a Sunbeam teacher in our ward. At first, I struggled with this calling horribly. I felt totally inadequate. Every Sunday I struggled to get going because I was so horrified by those little 3 year olds.

Everyone would tell me that all I needed to do was love the children. I thought that was crazy advice that wouldn't get me anywhere. I needed to learn a little humility, and boy did I. After a few Sunday nights in tears I was as humble as could be. Now that we are 4 months into the year I finally feel like I am doing some good. The children are able to focus better and stay in their seats a majority of the time.

I have found that the advice I was given to love the children was truly wonderful advice. It is so true that if you love someone, you seek for ways to help them. Once I got to know and love the kids, I have figured how they might absorb some of the lesson. I found that my kids love crafts and are very hands-on. They don't like to color, but they can pick out, place and glue crafts for several minutes at a time. I don't come up with any of my ideas by myself, I get them off of a wonderful website Sugardoodle.net and fit them into the lesson. It is my saving grace.

I am now very thankful for my calling. I am thankful for the youth that I am able to teach. I am thankful for the opportunity that it gives me to learn how to teach little ones about the Savior. I am especially thankful for the chance that I get to implement these lessons in my home with Leila.

I love my little family so much and am so grateful for the blessing that they are to me. I consider myself to be quite a lucky lady. :)

TWINNERS!!!

2011-04-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have been saying since day 1 that Leila is the spitting image of her daddy. Here's the proof. This is a picture of Brigham and his family back in the islands. His sister Joyce posted it on fb so I swiped it to show this off. The pic may be a little fuzzy but Brigham is the one on his dad's lap.

So look at that little guy and now look at this little girl. TWINNERS!!!

Leila's Party

2011-04-13T20:40:00.000-07:00

We threw Leila a little birthday party the following day. Grandma Shelley and Auntie Ellery came in from Oregon to celebrate. Auntie Lisha came over and we also were lucky to have our lovely friends, the Lyman girls, over as well.

Leila has been obsessed with balloons and so Auntie Lish blew some up for her party. Of course she loved them.

By the way...I dressed her up like a little clown. I love it when she looks silly and cute :)

We brought out the cake and she got to blow out the candles. I should have practiced first with her, because I'm pretty sure that's the first time she's seen fire lol. Luckily her friend Megan is an old pro and helped her out :)

We had a great time and Leila got hooked up! She got the alphabet letters she's been wanting...or I've been wanting heehee. She also got a bunch of cute clothes and toys and a new car seat. Now this baby is riding in style. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family that love us so much. :)

Happy 2nd Birthday Leila!!!

2011-04-09T08:08:00.003-07:00

I can't believe how fast time goes by. March 17, 2011 was Leila's 2nd birthday. Since she is still into trains, that was what we did on her actual birthday as a family. The Provo mall has a little train that circles the inside of the mall and Leila always has had her eyes on it. She finally got to ride it, YAY! She picked the green car and we were almost set, we were just waiting for Daddy to hop in.

Here are our faces when Daddy said that he would probably break the train if he got in with us. So it was just us girls lol.

We had a fun day. Grandma Shelley and Auntie Ellery were coming later that night and we partied the next day :)

Happy New Year!

2011-04-09T08:08:00.002-07:00

To welcome in 2011 I threw an accidental New Year's Party. My sister Elisha and I both invited our friends over for lunch and games. We had a wonderful feast of crab legs, corn on the cob, steaks, rice and bratwursts. I didn't get any pictures of the table full of food cuz I was busy stuffing my face, but it was sooo tasty.

While we adults digested for a little while we turned on a game for the kiddies. My mom gave Leila a dancing game for Christmas that progects them onto the TV screen and plays music for them to dance to. It was super cute. Here is Leila's little buddy Hanale trying to get it all figured out.

After the kids were done we kicked them off and turned on our own dance game. That's right, we got out the Kinect Dance Central. It was fun to shake it up lol. Here is one of my best friends, and Hana's mom, KaLei getting her groove on. And Auntie Lisha shakin it with the kids and finishing strong lol.

We had a really fun time and can't wait for next year...well, acutally I can but I'm ready for another party :)

Christmas 2010

2011-04-09T08:08:00.001-07:00

Christmas 2010 was so much fun because Leila was a blast during the holiday season. She noticed the presents, the colors, the tree, the songs and her absolute favorite were the Christmas lights. Every time we would drive around when it was dark out we would hear, "lights, ligHTS, LIGHTS!!!" coming from the backseat. She thought they were all so beautiful. I now know why some people have decoration after gaudy decoration in their front yards...answer-because they have a kid like Leila. It is a dang good thing we just rent an apartment otherwise we would have to join the 'eye sore on the block' club.

Here she is Christmas morning so excited to finally open presents.

Of course the fist present she would go after would be Tasi's.

Leila felt tons of love from all of her family who gave her presents and loving words. The one thing that we decided to get her this year was a train set. She has been obsessed with trains and we thought this would be something very fun for her. Here she is playing with them saying "Choo Choo."

All in all it was a very fun Christmas. We are so thankful to have had such a lovely time :)

Snow Time!!!

2011-04-09T00:45:00.000-07:00

This winter had a couple wonderful opportunities for fun snow time. Getting Leila ready was one of the funniest parts. Bundling her up and watching her get more immobile by the layer.

Here she is in our homemade sled. How exactly does it work???

Oh...that's how lol

Here she is practicing, attempting, and laughing at her first snow angel.

Checking out this stuff called "snow"

What a great day :)

What are you doing now?

2011-04-09T00:27:00.000-07:00

I was looking through some pictures to update the blog and came across these funny ones. Here Leila is around 19 months old. I think this must have been a day when I was doing something in another room and then had the thought, 'man...it sure is quiet. I wonder what that little girl is up to...' I walked into this little surprise.

Due to the fact that Leila has sensitive skin, we have to lather up quite a bit. However, we don't do it with Bag Balm. I guess Leila was thinking it would be a good idea to try it out.

"Wait Mom...that wasn't the right stuff? Oh no..." lol

Thanksgiving

2011-01-11T14:48:00.001-08:00

This year for Thanksgiving we had the family come down to Utah. Everyone made it down and it was such a fun time! It was so nice not having to worry about traveling up to Oregon.

Leila actually liked her Thanksgiving dinner. And daddy liked sharing it with her.

As usual the food was followed closely behind by our family tradiiton...POKER!

It was a wild couple of nights, thanks to pissed off dollar rows (acey-ducey). The biggest gut punch was a pot that was doubled and doubled and doubled! It was intense! Let's let the pictures tell the story.

Dad, "Hey, I just lost $200"

Mom, "I just won it!!!"

It was a very fun weekend. I think that we may host a holiday again someday, maybe when we have a house. It was tight quarters, but we all made it work. The best part of the weekend was having all of the babies together.

Our kids are such cute little kids and I can't wait for next year when we have 2 more additions. I love being an aunt and can't wait to have two more little nieces :)

Happy Halloween

2011-01-05T18:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween! We had a very fun Halloween with Leila this year. She still didn’t quite grasp the idea of begging for candy and the excitement behind it. I decided this was a very good thing, mostly because she couldn’t eat much of the candy. Don’t worry, the candy she did get did not go to waste…they went to my waist haha.

Leila had 2 costumes this year. She was a Tiger for her indoor party with her friends. Then she was a Giraffe for the outdoor Trunk or Treat. Leila was invited to a Halloween party with some friends from church. It was so cute and we had a lot of fun.

Here we are heading out to the party and at the party.

And here is her melting down at the party.

Here she is in the middle of the cake walk path looking through her goodie bag. One of the activities was for the kids to make their own little bags and this is what Leila did, with a little help

We went over to Elisha’s place to get ready for Trunk or Treat and when this girl was ready, she was READY to go.

Of course we had to stop for nuggets on the way there. Leila can’t eat the breading so Uncle Ikani was nice enough to peel it off for her in the backseat.

And get in on the goods too .

When we got to the parking lot it was the face off of the giraffes. Leila's friend Elina was also a giraffe and they were the cutest kids in the safari.

On Oct. 31 it was really stormy outside. We ended up taking Leila to the mall to trick or treat the shops. I was a black cat and daddy was a hot daddy :)

Everyone and their dog was there so we decided that a few shops was enough. Leila "picked" which shops to go to. heehee

All in all, Halloween was a BLAST!!!

Elisha's Wedding

2011-01-04T15:14:00.000-08:00

Elisha and Ikani were married on Aug. 6, 2010. It was such a nice day and such a pretty wedding/reception.

Leila was one of her flower girls luckily we already had a perfect dress for the wedding so we didn't have to buy anything. YAY! :)

I got a little carried away with taking pictures sorry if your sick of 'em by now, but TOO BAD. haha

Grandma's Birthday

2011-01-04T14:41:00.000-08:00

In July Grandma Norma turned 80 years old. Since she won't accept presents EVER all of her kids, and their kids, and their kids put on a talent show for her. There were tons of cute numbers but the one that made me remember I had a camera was this one. Tyler, Jason and Jody's son, had been taking ballroom dancing classes and treated grandma to a dance. It was THE CUTEST thing I had ever seen. Grandma was in heaven and wanted to dance the entire night away.

We all had to get pictures with our favorite grandmother.

She is the coolest person in the world and I love her so freaking much. I hope I'm just like her when I'm older...and that would be described in one word...BADASS!!!

Auntie's Bridal Shower

2011-01-04T14:27:00.000-08:00

My little sister Elisha had a bridal shower in July. It was fun getting together with all the family and catching up...oh and celebrating the shower j/k

Here are some pics of everyone just hanging out and enjoying the shower.

And here is the Bride to be...yes, she posed like that believe it or not.

Ducky time

2011-01-04T14:15:00.001-08:00

This last summer while, we still lived in Layton, we took Leila to the park to see the ducks. She thought they were VERY interesting creatures and kept trying to figure them out. So she chased them around...

and had a stare down haha

She liked feeding the ducks, but the geese were a little pushy. She got sick of their hissing, and started to hiss back. It was pretty dang funny.

She had a wonderful day :)

Sneak Peak

2010-12-30T16:12:00.000-08:00

While we were in Oregon for the birthday party, Jr and Alaina made the trip over to Hermiston also. I heard a bunch of giggling back in my mom’s room and snuck back to sneak a peek. They were back there with Leila getting “baby practice time.”
Fun stuff!!!

Leila's 1st Party

2010-12-30T13:28:00.000-08:00

The weekend of Leila’s birthday we went down to Oregon and had a party, Ena/Zabransky style. We didn’t want to do a big party, just have a few family members around to celebrate. Here are a couple pictures of the decorations and of Grandma Norma and Leila chillin before the party got going.

There were beautiful balloons and streamers that these two girls were able to gaze at while a few family members arrived.

Wyatt is here, let the party begin!!!

It wasn’t a slumber party, but he is rockin the space pajamas, John Deer slippers…and the birthday girl’s tiara.

Leila decided that she wanted her crown back, so her sweet cousin willingly obeyed the birthday girl’s wishes. I’ve got to say that these kids are super cute.
Once the party got going, it was time for cake! So we stripped Leila down to her bib and tiara.

LET HER EAT CAKE!!!

We made the cake and it had milk, egg, and soy in it. These by the way are 3 out of the 4 major allergies she was diagnosed having. We didn’t know of the allergies at the time of course. Luckily, she had this uncanny ability to try to naturally avoid most foods that she was allergic to. She knew something was going on in her little body before we did. So that explained why she didn’t really dig in as much as I thought she would.

After cake time was finished, it was time to wash off the sugar. So, into the kitchen sink she went. After she washed down the cake of course…

I have lots of memories of being bathed in Grandma Norma’s sink in the utility room, of the old farm house. So this was a fun moment that had some sentimental value to me in my little heart. I hope that Leila gets to make wonderful memories with her grandparents like I was able to.

Her birthday party was a success. She had lots of fun and ended the birthday party in her birthday suit.

It's about time...

2010-12-24T15:22:00.000-08:00

Hello world! I know I haven’t been on in about a year, and the last time I posted I said that it would be a regular thing…well I obviously lied. I hope that now that we have our very own special technology (yay!), I will be a better blogger. I know that I really need to keep this going for the family that isn’t able to physically be here to watch Leila grow. I don’t quite know where to start. The last time that I posted was around her 1st birthday. Since that time, there have been a few going-ons, so I think that I am just going to post moments that I captured on film.

So, please bear with me and enjoy the catch up efforts of a silly momma.

Happy Birthday Leila!

2010-03-27T07:52:00.000-07:00

Here's my "Happy Birthday Girl" in the car. We were on our way to the Hogle Zoo for her birthday. It was a pretty nice day that March 17th and we had a great time.

Here we are in the parking lot soooo excited to go in!!!

Auntie Ellery has joined our home now and came to help out at the zoo party.

We had to have our beautiful family pictures too haha

Here we are on our way out. I absolutely HATE this family pic but it just might inspire a new diet regimen...ya, sure.

Visit from Auntie and Uncle

2010-03-24T22:33:00.000-07:00

Kip and Sandi graced us with their presence on their trip through the west :). It was fun for Leila to get to spend some time with her great aunt and uncle. They spent the night at Hotel Stevenson and it was a great time.

Grandma Ena turns 50!!!

2010-03-24T22:15:00.000-07:00

We made a trip down to Oregon again to help celebrate Mom's 50th birthday. We went tut to breakfast at Hales ( YUM! ) and just enjoyed the weekend. I love being able to spend time with family!!!

Bathing cousins

2010-03-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

When Erika and Bradon came through Utah with Lando-Blando we had the little kiddies hop in the tub together. Leila didn't know what to think of her GIANT cousin who is 3months younger and 3 times bigger. She was actually totally afraid of the tiny guy. So here are some hilarious pics.

It's Christmas!!!

2010-03-24T21:43:00.000-07:00

For Christmas we went and hung out at the Tyrell's to ring it in. Especially since we were able to spend the holiday with them as well as Briggs parents. They were able to come up thanks to some last minute flights. After ringing it in we went came back home and took some pictures with our HUGE tree lol.

We decided to take from one of my family's traditions and do a sleepover in front of the tree. We woke up and opened presents.

Thanksgiving trip to Vegas

2010-03-24T20:56:00.000-07:00

For Thanksgiving we went down to Vegas to spend it with the family down there. Jen and Twinny took us out to a really great park where the kids could play. Our family pictures don't look too good, or we don't look too good in our family pictures but its the best I had...sad I know.

Leila got her first attempt at the turkey leg! Yummy yummy :)

We love spending time with our favorite Vegas crew!!! Briggs is constantly saying we need to move closer to his parents so that Leila can have more time with them. After seeing them interact...its hard to say no.

Halloween Recap

2010-03-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

Okay...I don't have any excuses for my blog absence so just get off my back lol.

I'm going to post a lot of blogs that are just full of catch up pictures and quick little snip-its on what's going on in them.

I know that I already posted some Halloween pictures, but here are a few more.

Briggs with a unicorn on his back.

Me and my favorite unicorn :)

2010

2010-01-03T20:44:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

I can't believe that it's already 2010. This year flew by. I know that everyone says that, but I really felt it this past year.

The begining of 2009 didn't go by fast enough...seeing as how I was still pregnant and waiting for D-Day. Every month since then hasn't gone by slow enough. I can't believe that Leila is already 9 1/2 months old. I think that I'm going to stop keeping track by the month, and see if that makes it go by any slower. I love this little girl SO much. She has brought so much joy to Briggs and I (this year also brought on Junior/Brigham's self proclaimed nick-name "Briggs")! It really is hard to imagine life without her.

Briggs (I can't get over the nick-name) and I also celebrated 4 years of marriage this year. We have had some ups and downs throughout our time together and I have loved it all! Don't you love hind-sight. He is such an amazing man and I am so blessed to have him as my best friend and husband.

I can't wait to see what this new year brings for our family. We are excited to be able to welcome 2 new cousins for Leila this year, one on each side of the family, Stevenson and Ena. Who knows there may even be wedding bells this year...there will be for sure if the girls have anything to do with it :)

I will get pictures posted sometime this year lol. I know that I still owe you pictures from Thanksgiving as well as Christmas. I'll get them up here someday. I'm looking for a USB connector that will go from my camera to the computer. That will make things go much smoother and get you off my back much quicker.

I love you all and thank you for your love and support. Miss you much...

Update

2009-12-02T19:30:00.001-08:00

Well, it has been about 2 months since I've posted...sorry Mom. Needless to say there have been a lot of new developments.

Leila is officially a crawl-er. She's not a speedy turtle yet, but I am still amazed at her speed. I can just feel the moment looming around the corner when I can't find her, and she'll be stuffing her face with Tasi's food...or butter.

On the subject of what she's eating...well, she'll be eating a steak in no time. She has 2 bottom teeth now. They are still fighting to get some size, but they are there...and sharp! She hasn't really bitten me too hard yet, but I'm so thankful it's almost time to stop breast feeding. A couple of people told me that when she does bite me, I should "flick" her under her jaw. So, I did it once. Poor baby looked at me with the saddest look of betrayal in her sweet, baby eyes. I vowed to never do it again...until she bit me 4 times in a row. She just stared me down, as if to dare me to do it...so I did. Again the alligator tears rolled down her sweet cheeks. I felt so horrible that I haven't done it since, and will not do it again. Unless she bites me 10 times in a row...then I don't think I'd feel bad at all. Not if we were both in tears from the pain. :)

We have also, sadly, had to switch baby sitters. Amy is going to have her little girl in a couple months! We will miss her and her family horribly, but at least we'll see them on Sundays :)

For Thanksgiving we went down to Henderson NV, to visit the Stevenson side of the family. Jen and Twinny will be having another little boy in March. Mom and Dad are doing really well. Troy...well Troy is the Jolly Green Giant!!! That boy is so big and healthy!!! I don't think that I could handle Leila if she was a 50 lb 2 1/2 year old. I'd better hit the weight room now, just in case :) I'll get some pictures of our trip on here soon...patience is a virtue.

All in all I will try not to take another 2 month break again. :)

Pig Tails

2009-12-02T18:08:00.000-08:00

About 2 weeks ago I finally tried to do something different with Leila's hair. Usually she just rocks a pretty headband and we call it good. So I thought...hmm...why not pig tails. When I did them the first time she just kept wondering what I was doing on top of her head. So, one second I'm tying up her hair and the next I've got my finger in her eye or nose. It was quite the experience for both of us.

I'm happy to say that I've made peace with the pig tails. That is still the only hair do that we've really tried...next is a beehive lol

Football fun

2009-12-02T18:06:00.000-08:00

A while ago we went to our nephew EJ's playoff game. We got Leila all bundled up and thankfully her Auntie Moira thought to bring plenty of big blankets and a waterproof jacket. I totally forgot about any blanket that wasn't her size...big mistake. I also forgot to take the umbrella out of the car. What can I say, I'm a genius. :)

Leila had a great time...when she was awake. Unfortunately the Dixie Fliers didn't make it to state, but they put up a decent fight.

Leila's first Halloween

2009-12-02T18:05:00.000-08:00

For Leila's first Halloween we didn't really do much. In fact, I wasn't even going to have her dress up...until I was reprimanded by my mother and many other mothers. So I caved and bought her a little costume the day before Halloween. However, since I waited I got it on sale :)

Leila was a little unicorn. Elisha came up for the weekend and us girls went out to lunch and I took the costume in the car with us. I regretted not having her wear it all day because she was just so dang cute. We ate at a restaurant that was right next to Lowe's so we went in to show her off to some of my co-workers. That was the extent of showing off the unicorn except we trick-or-treated daddy once he got home from work :)

That's Unicorn Leila sprawling out on the paint desk.

Our downstairs neighbor put out a pail of candy, that was wear she got her treats from. Thanks neighbor :)

Feasting upon the words of Christ...literally

2009-12-02T18:03:00.000-08:00

Once Leila figured out how to scoot around she found out that she LOVES the Ensign! That was the first thing that she would aim for. Hopefully this is just the begining of her hunger for gospel knowledge. :)

Family Weekend...again :)

2009-10-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

This weekend we were blessed to have my mom come visit. Erika came into town too so here is a pic of Grandma and her two grandbabies.

We had a really fun time hanging out and chit chatting. Nothing really big has to happen when we get together. The party is where ever we are. :)

Trip to Walmart

2009-10-07T19:47:00.001-07:00

Elisha finally found a place to call home down in Orem and needed to get a couple things from Walmart. We took a trip and Elisha was shocked at how much Leila had grown within a few days. While we were in the store, we had to snag a picture to capture Leila's long legs. Hopefully they continue to grow and grow :)

I'm excited to have a sister close. I have really missed the camaraderie that comes with sisterhood. Leila definitely needs a sibling so that she'll have a buddy. Maybe I can talk Saovale into having another one in about a year. lol

Baby Einstein Jumper

2009-10-07T19:47:00.000-07:00

While we were up in Oregon, Leila's Grandpa Ena bought her her most amazing toy yet. A Baby Einstein Jumper!!! She loves it. She bounces around, plays with the toys, and plays her music. She would be happy to play in it all day. After she plays for a while she will proudly turn to Saovale and I and show us what she has learned. This kid is a hilarious genius.

At first she didn't know what to think of it cuz there was so much to do and see.

Then she got the hang of it and has loved it ever since!

Quick trip to Oregon

2009-10-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

We took a quick trip to Oregon one weekend and here are a couple quick pics. I need to take more pictures danget because I didn't get any of Leila w/ my dad, Katelina and the kids. But she just loved her time with them and everyone. It's always fun to visit and let them get a quick peek at how this little stinker is growing.

Here's Leila at her Great Grandma Norma's garage sale. She's rockin' a clip on earring of my Great Grandma Matheney's, so her G-G-Grandma. She didn't think much of the jewelry.

Leila gets so dang tired and sometimes just knocks out. Here she is zonked out on her Grandma's shoulder.

On our way out we stopped by to say goodbye to Grandma Norma and these to just wanted to cuddle all day and not say 'bye bye.'

The girls visit again!!!

2009-10-07T19:43:00.002-07:00

A couple weeks ago we had Ellery and Elisha visit again. It was a fun week of hanging out with the girls...and Saovale :) We didn't do much while they were down just a lot of relaxin' time. We did head down to Provo one of the days so that Lisha could do some apt. hunting since she's packed up and movin on down.

I just love it when Leila gets to have time with family!

Mohawk child

2009-10-07T19:43:00.001-07:00

As I have already blogged out, Leila gets upset and scratches her head and pulls out her hair. Well, this is the result. My rebel child has a mohawk. It's pretty funny to see though. I can't really do anything with her hair without showing this off...not that I would know how to do her hair in the first place. So really, her Trichotillomania works to my advantage.

These pictures don't show the best of her hair but they are all I've got for now. Here's her sleepy face and her mohawk.

Here she is playing with a fun toy that she got from Grandma Ena. She thinks this toy is amazing because she gets to see herself and listen to amazing sounds. Thanks Granny. I had to put this pic in not only to show her loving the toy, but also because this shows the awesome sides of her head...awesome.

Happy Six Months!!!

2009-10-07T19:43:00.000-07:00

I know that it's been a while since my last entry and I'm so sorry to all of you who are sick of seeing the picture of Saovale's knee. Just a quick update on that...his knee continues to get stronger each day. We are thrilled with this because that means surgery shouldn't be needed.

During my blogging hiatus, sweet baby Leila hit her 6 month old mark! We threw a small little ceremony marking the event. Saovale had the idea of getting cupcakes, and individual 1 pint ice creams to celebrate. He thought it would be funny to get "mini" treats because it's just a 1/2 b-day...such a silly guy.

So here is baby Leila, longing for a bite of this yummy cupcake, that she couldn't have. I did let her have a few tastes of my sherbet. I highly recommend the pomegranate/blood orange sherbet from Target...so yummy.

Knee problems

2009-09-20T22:34:00.000-07:00

Last week Junior came home from work limping because he got hurt playing flag football at work :( We went to the doctor and she thinks that worst case scenario is a torn ligament. She told him to slowly try to get the knee stronger, since it had vastly improved since the original injury.

During the examination she tweaked his knee all over the place to find out what was wrong. Needless to say, he was sore that night and the following day. Nonetheless he wanted to help out with the laundry and in this thoughtful endeavor he tripped over and onto the laundry basket smashing it to smithereens!!! When I came home for lunch and saw the basket I couldn't help but laugh after I made sure he was ok. What a mean wife! But look at it...can you blame me???

Wild Hair

2009-09-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

Last week Erika and I got a wild hair and decided to play a game...the name of the game...Cross Dressing Cousins!!! lol

It was so funny switching up the kids' clothes. We now have the ultimate blackmail ammo :) We had such a fun weekend with Erika and Landen and can't wait until we get to spend more time with them.

Leila realized that Landen was wearing HER headband and wanted it back. This was hilarious. Before she went for the headband she ripped out the binki so fast that I couldn't get a good pic of it. So here are the pics of the headband struggle...

Cute Cousins

2009-09-19T18:08:00.000-07:00

This past week we got a special visit...Erika, Brandon and baby Landen came to visit!!!

Leila sure loves her little cousin. Well I guess the guy isn't so little. They are the same weight, though she is a few inches taller than him. Did I mention that he is 3 MONTHS YOUNGER THAN HER!?!?! This kid is a giant! My dad called and told me to widen the doorway for Landen, and he wasn't kidding :) They had a fun time together.

As a mother it made me proud to see how much Leila has grown and developed. The only other baby Leila hangs out with is 3 months older than her and I had been concerned that she seemed under developed. I would think 'why isn't she getting her teeth, why isn't she army crawling...' I know that you aren't supposed to compare babies, but I had been. The answer to all my dumb questions was...DUH! She's 3 months younger than him! Just as Landen is from her, and she got to show off her skills :)

Her are a few pictures of the little cousins. Now Leila has two big boy cousins to protect her from boys, bugs and monsters. Thanks Troy and Landen...cuz I'm afraid of bugs too. :)

Frogger

2009-09-06T20:14:00.001-07:00

You know when you have a cold and you get kinda flemmy??? Then it gives you that smokers voice. You know what I'm talking about.

Leila has that little voice! It is so freaking cute. Her little cry is hilarious!!! Not to mention all of the little stories that she tells. I just cuddle her up and kiss her tons cuz it's just so dang cute. Maybe I'll tape her and her little froggy voice and put it up...if I can figure out how to do it. :)

Funny Outfit

2009-09-04T16:09:00.000-07:00

I found some cute pictures of Leila from when Lisha was visiting last month that I thought I'd post for her fans out there, lol. Now maybe you guys can quit hassling me :)

Lish bought her this hilarious T-Shirt that says 'My Aunt is what you would call a Hottie.' So we decided to put it on her and throw in some mis-matched bloomers and leggings. All in all it was a funny moment and will land her on the paparazzi's worst dressed list :)

Sweet Dreams

2009-09-04T16:01:00.000-07:00

Hallelujah!!! That's all I can say!!! Why you may ask...

Leila finally slept through the night!!! It was awesome! We put her down at 11:30-ish, which is probably why slept so long. She slept until 8:00! It was so awesome. Granted I ran into her room when I woke up to make sure she was still breathing, but it was sooo nice. I hope that this becomes the norm for her (knock on wood). Most likely she was so tired because we went to the doctor yesterday to check on her nasty rash. We went to a new guy and let me just say, the grass is definitely not greener on the other side.

This guy was a total dope. I was not impressed with him at all. The place was so ghetto! I just kept thinking...'Rachel said the guy was really good, hang in there.' I should have ran out and not wasted our money. He was such a dope. He prescribed her 1/2 tbs of Prelone, another steroid only this one was MUCH stronger than the cream we were given before. She was to take this 2xs a day for 5 days. I called our usual Dr and asked her what she thought of that prescription and she said that she would NEVER prescribe that to a baby Leila's age, not to mention that the dosage was WAY too much. This totally freaked me out! I called to cancel the prescription and just got the Zyrtec that he recommended. Dr. Stokes didn't have much of a problem with that except that it for babies 6+ mo. and Leila is only 5 1/2 mo. but she said it should be fine and just to watch her for any negative reactions.

Her rash has calmed down a ton from it's worst moment. Thank goodness. Now we are just trying to keep her moisturized because it's really drying her up. The Soy milk was a bad idea and now that she's back on my milk she's doing much better. She has an appt at the allergist for testing on the 15th. I'm really nervous about it, but she needs it. I just want to pin point the problem so that she doesn't have to go through this again.

Pump, pump, pump

2009-08-30T00:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I talked with the pediatrician about possibly using goat's milk to feed Leila with. She said that it isn't recommended as there aren't enough nutrients there for baby. So, as per Dr. Stokes, she is going to be drinking the Soy formula for a couple days to see if the rash clears up. I'm hoping that she's not allergic to my milk just so that we don't have to buy formula. However, if that is the cause then we've found the problem and she can grow to be the beautiful, healthy skinned girl she ought to be :)

So I'm officially feeling like a dairy cow being hooked up to the pump every 4 hrs. At least I have a great one to have as my latest appendage (thanks Jen!).

I know that you guys want to see more pics of this little angel and don't want to just see the blog to get your daily reading points, but I'm being a little prideful. This little one is not looking very photogenic lately. Not to mention the fact that if I posted them CPS would come and take her away. So just hang in there and keep Leila in your thoughts and/or prayers so her skin can get better and you can see pics.

Comments

2009-08-27T20:15:00.000-07:00

I was talking with Kami and she told me that she couldn't leave a comment on my page. I think that I may have fixed this problem, well I hope that I have. I'm pretending that the reason why I have hardly any comments from friends/fam is because of this glitch. I also think that all of you who don't have actual blogger/google accounts can leave comments anonymously. So danget people...DROP ME A LINE, I'M DOING THIS BLOG FOR YOU (and Leila since I'm not really journal-ing anymore :)!

Don't count your chickens...

2009-08-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

So I have bad news...the rash is back with a vengeance! My poor little girl is a red dragon/alligator/cheetah. It's a sad, sad sight. I think that I just need to take to a dermatologist. She is so miserable, but a happy miserable. It amazes me that she is as mellow as she is all things considered.

Adding to the skin ailments, I'm pretty sure that she's also teething. I should take it easy on her fussiness when she really has every right to be a total nightmare. I just want her to feel better danget!!!

I got Tagged

2009-08-23T21:59:00.000-07:00

*8 Things I'm looking forward to:

1. My hair to stop falling out

2. Getting rid of my post pregnancy belly flap (TMI)

3. A new pair of shoes

4. Christmas in Oregon

5. Landen's Baby Blessing

6. Leila's skin to feel like baby's skin should

7. Kisses from Leila

8. Kisses from my man

*8 Things I did this week:

1. Hung out with Lisha

2. Swam with Leila in the pool

3. Went yard-sale-ing!!!

4. Work, work, work

5. Thought about dieting

6. Decided not to diet :)

7. Got the brakes fixed

8. Didn't shake my baby

*8 Things I wish I could do:

1. Dance...with the music

2. Be tan

3. FLY!!!

4. Make it rain at least once a week

5. Be sexy again...heck I'd settle for cute lol :)

6. Get paid millions for being a mom

7. Cook

8. Have more patience

*8 Places I'd like to travel:

1. Back in time...

2. High School

3. Valentine's Day 2004

4. Oct. 8, 2005

5. March 17, 2009

6. France

7. Atlantis

8. Kolob

*8 Shows I watch:

1. Big Brother!!!

2. Survivor

3. Friends

4. The Soup

5. Bizarre Foods

6. America's Next Top Model

7. Sex in the City

8. Jon and Kate Plus 8

H-E-A-V-E-N

2009-08-23T21:36:00.000-07:00

Today is my late Grandpa Jack's birthday. My sister and I called Grandma to check in on her and she said to give him a call to tell him Happy Birthday. I asked him what his new phone number was and she said H-E-A-V-E-N. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Then she told me to put it on "face-face or whatever," meaning Facebook. Then I just laughed. :)

It would be sooo hard to try to keep going when your other half isn't there anymore. I would feel so...incomplete...not to say that it takes a man to complete all women, but I DEFINITELY need mine. I don't think that I could handle not having him around and it's only been 5 years not 60. We have to treasure every moment in everything we do...life is too short.

Like Sisters In...Utah???

2009-08-23T08:51:00.000-07:00

My sister Elisha has been visiting this weekend and it has been really nice to have her here. It's really great to have a taste of home when I'm so far away. She's planning to move on down this way...but we'll see if it really happens. I love you 'lish, but you are quite the fickle girl. I really hope that she sticks with this plan because I would LOVE to have family close...hint, hint. EVERYONE COME TO UTAH :)

It's not so bad. The mountains are pretty and the winters are just as bad as they are anywhere else, only they know how to keep the roads clear. As I'm sure you've heard, Oregon struggles with :)

Long story short I love my family and just wish that I could see them more, especially for Leila's sake.

New problem...

2009-08-23T08:44:00.001-07:00

Leila has developed a new issue...SHE'S A CRY BABY!!!

I don't know what the heck is going on but she's starting to drive me up the friggin wall. She is just fine, not wet, not hungry, definatly tired but fighting it like crazy...and that's when monster-cry-baby-girl comes to visit. She does this fake cry where she puts on a HUGE frown and opens that (usually sweet) mouth and just shouts at the top of her lungs and sticks her tounge out causing her to cough and almost gag. I really hope that she doesn't become one of those kids that throws up when they cry. Ugh, this child. Please let it just be a phaze...a week long phaze. :)

It's a MIRACLE!!!

2009-08-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

My mom went ahead and bought Leila a little bottle of the 'Renew' lotion and...da da dum...it's a miracle worker!!! FINALLY something that works! We went swimming yesterday in the apartment pool and on the way back to the apt we checked the mail(Oh, and when I say "we" I mean my sister Elisha, Leila and I)...and there it was.

So when we got back in the house, I bathed baby down and put the lotion on. I don't know if it was a combination of the urine infested pool water and the lotion, or just the lotion, but there is a drastic difference already. I am so excited and hope that this is the answer to our problem.

Rice Cereal

2009-08-17T21:07:00.000-07:00

Last night I fed baby Leila some cereal!!! This was the first tasting of something other than milk/formula! Leila was hilarious. She just loved the nasty stuff. She gobbled it right down :)

I had to get a few pics of the momentous occasion. My little girl is growing up :)

Bathrobe Baby

2009-08-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

Leila's skin is flaring up AGAIN!!! I can't handle this!!! I have no idea what is causing this to occur. I've switched back and forth b/n lotions that seem to have a positive effect until all of the sudden she welts up again! Not only that but I have to rely on the steriod medication that the Dr. prescribed. My cousin Lani let me know about a lotion by Melaleuca that she uses for her sensitive skinned babies but I haven't been able to find anyone local that sells the stuff. I found some on e-bay, but you have to pay a ton for shipping. I should just bite the bullet and get it cuz my little girl is totally suffering!!!

I hate the fact that I can't figure it out!!! I feel like I am failing her as a mother. Not only that but after I gave her a bath I put her steroid ointment on and put a lotion over it (like the Dr. says to do) and she just starts SCREAMING!!! I can't tell if it's a painful cry, like "HOLY CRAP MOM THE COMBINATION THAT YOU JUST PUT ON ME IS BURNING MY FRIGGIN SKIN OFF!!!" or if it's a grumpy cry like, "HOLY CRAP MOM, QUIT LATHERING ME UP WITH ALL OF THIS CRAP THAT ISN'T HELPING ME AND FIND SOMETHING THAT WORKS YOU USELESS, USELESS WOMAN!!!"

Either way I feel horrible becuase I have had this little girl in my life for 5 months (today!) and she has been miserable with this rash for at least 3 months of it. Holy crap, she's been miserable for the greater half of her life! I suck...

I've tried Aquaphore, Cetaphil, Eucerin, Vaseline, this prescribed stuff and nothing works long term. I'm going to try this Melaleuca stuff and hopefully that does the trick. If there is anyone out there that knows of anything to help a baby with EXTREEMLY sensitive skin please let me in on the secret.

As you can see, this sweet little girl, fresh from her bath and in her cute little bathrobe needs to feel as good as she looks :)

Ladies night

2009-08-17T20:38:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, Leila and I decided to have a Ladies night out and wanted to invite Kami and Cooper to the Davis Co. Fair along with us. It was a fun night filled with lots of funny things to see. Everything from soldiers preforming Rock Band, to seeing a tiny tiny horse and a gigantically giant pig!

Leila got a little fussy and wanted a drink at the fair...that's pic #1. Then we had to get pictures with the pigs.

This totally gave me flashbacks to when I used to show pigs in the fair. It was such a fun time! I really got homesick and kept annoying Kami with my comments of "oh and the Hermiston fair..." I'm sure she wanted to shake me silly. :) But c'mon people...an Elephant Ear that fits on a paper plate and that you put honey butter on?!? I think not :)

Ghetto Baby

2009-08-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

So, I've been getting back from my lunch breaks late and asked Jun to have Leila ready to go to Amy's...
And this is what I walk into...my cute little baby girl looking as ghetto as they come. She looks like a garbage pail kid doll! Lol!!! Don't worry, I left her like that, haha. So I thought I'd share these beautiful pics for all to see.

Mad Scientist

2009-08-08T09:25:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted in quite a while...but here are some funny pics to make up for it.

The other night I gave Leila her bath, got her lotion-ed up on her little head and her hair totally frizzed out! It was hilarious!!! The whole night Jun and I just kept calling her our little Mad Scientist. :) I don't think they loaded onto the comp. very well but the pics on my phone are so funny because you can totally see her crazy hair. This little girl is the light of my life and is already good for a laugh :)

Catch-Up

2009-07-31T23:48:00.000-07:00

Hello! It's time to play catch-up...

First off I forgot to mention our little trip. A week and a half ago we went to Bear Lake with our friends Pat, Kami and baby Cooper Tumanuvao. We had such a fun time going and playing in the water. Leila was a crack up cuz she just slept in her little inflatable turtle the whole time. It was a beautiful day and we all had a great time...and Leila had a great nap :)

Leila started getting a bit of a runny nose and cough Friday and I joined her with that Saturday. Sunday rolled around and I got a nasty fever, the chills, a terrible cough...yuck. No fun. To make matters worse, Jun got sick mid week! Our apt. was a cesspool! I think that the most cruel joke ever is to be sick in the middle of summer! So, we have just been trying to get healthy this week and keep Leila from getting too sick. Not to mention the fact that she looks like a dragon again from her rash coming back. I sure hope that we can figure out what triggers her skin to flare up so that she doesn't have to keep suffering.

Aside from that, we have been trying to keep our little Leila occupied enough that she doesn't rub all of her hair off. I mentioned in a previous blog that she gets frustrated and scratches her head like her dad...well she's added pulling her hair out like her auntie. She has the receeding hairline of a 50 yr old man! To make matters worse, because of that the little girl is rockin a comb-over!!! LOL! She is still the cutest little stinker in the world though :)

The worst part about being sick was that I couldn't kiss my little girl for fear of making her sniffles worsten. That was the hardest thing ever! I miss giving her smooches and lovin on her without worries. It broke my heart to have to hold off. I worry for the time when she won't want any kisses cuz she thinks she's "out grown" them. Oh...please don't ever let that day come. I hope and pray that she will NEVER be too big for Mommy's smooches.

Tummy Time!!!

2009-07-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

Today we broke out the tummy time mat from Grandma Norma. As you can see Leila loves it! This vain little stinker loves to look at herself, it's so funny. When she's done w/ her baths I wrap her up and she watches herself in the mirror there too. Needless to say, the closer the mirror was to her, the more she loved it. :)

She also played in her Johnny Jumper. She thinks that little contraption is hilarious! Talking up a storm and laughing at her own jokes. This little girl is a crack up.

Growing Girl

2009-07-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that time has flown by as quickly as it has. Leila is 4 months old and is growing like a weed! Here are pictures of her right after she rolled from front to back. She's just chillin like, "ya mom...I did it, now what..." and so she wanted to try standing up by herself. Like I said...she's growing way to fast.

And look at her here holding her bottle all by herself! It's just crazy, and I love every minute of it. :)

I love my grandma Norma

2009-07-20T19:21:00.000-07:00

I love having time with my grandma!!! She is such a wonderful woman and I love her so much. I wonder if maybe...just maybe, I get a little silliness from her...just something to think about :)

Great Grandma Lovin'

2009-07-12T18:39:00.000-07:00

This was a very special trip because Leila got to finally meet her Great-Grandma Zabransky. We got to Oregon the day before grandma's 79th birthday, what a sweet little present :)

Here's Auntie Ellery handing Leila off.

Love at first sight :)