Jeff, Ivy and The Cake!

2011 HoLiDaYs

2012-01-01T20:03:00.017-07:00

Wow, the holidays have already come and gone! What a crazy few months it's been. Kelsey is getting so big and is officially on the move. She had been taking a few steps here and there but when you wanted her to walk to you she wouldn't. It was a big joke around our house that she walked all night in her crib but didn't want us to know she could. But finally on December 15 (right before she turned 15 months) she just stood up and started walking and she hasn't stopped since! Needless to say, it's hard to get her to slow down to take pictures of her.

To start off the holidays we took a trip on the Heber Valley Railroad Polar Express train ride. Jeff's high school choir got to sing on the train so we all went to support him and see Santa. It was fun for the kids to travel up to "The North Pole" then Santa got on the train and met all the kids. To top off the night, we all went out for pizza afterwards. Such fun times! Here are a few pictures from that night...

Thanksgiving was really nice and chill. We had a nice dinner at my mom's then went over to Jeff's families house for another real nice dinner. Somehow I didn't get any pictures that day but it was just a really low key and relaxing day. I can't post about Thanksgiving without writing about things am thankful for. We have a lot to be thankful for and I can't say enough how much we are thankful for such a healthy happy kiddo! Am also very thankful for mine and Jeff's family, for all of our health, and for my job that reminds me daily how quickly life can change and how your health is something you shouldn't take for granted.

Christmas was so fun with Kelsey this year. We taught her that Santa says "Ho Ho Ho" and she loved loved loved all the Christmas lights and "pretties" everywhere. So on Christmas Eve we went to the Candle Light Christmas service at Grace Lutheran. Defiantly a tradition since Jeff proposed to me on Christmas Eve 5 years ago at that same church! Another tradition that I love that we do is that my sister and her kids, my mom and heather and us all open gifts together Christmas morning. So this year Amanda and her family spent the night at our house and the kids wrote a letter to Santa letting him know where to drop off their gifts at Honey's house.... On Christmas morning Santa delivered and the kids couldn't have be more happy. Kelsey was overwhelmed and didn't really know what to think of all the excitement. Nor did she really rip into her gifts like I thought she would. But I think she still had a good time. Kelsey got a bunch of little stuff like books, puzzles, clothes, a mini pillow pet, a blanket I made her and a blow up winter sled. She did get spoiled by the rest of the family that got her babies, toys and clothes. The best part of Christmas this year was my mom's gift to all of us. She booked 2 condos for a couple of days after Christmas down at Eagle Point Mountain Resort, which is right outside of Beaver. Although there was no snow and the ski resort wasn't open yet we had so much fun just hanging out with everyone. In one condo Jeff, Kelsey and I stayed with my mom and Heather, Amanda and Richard and the kids. Then in the other cabin AnnDrea and Ricci with their kids shared with Stephanie and Danny and their kids for one night and Katie, BJ and Trace one night. On one of the days we took the kids that were feel well out to a little hill side that had some snow for sledding. Kelsey had a blast in her sled! Although some of us, including me were sick on the trip, it was a blast. So glad we got to share that experience with everyone. What a great way to end the year! Am so looking forward to 2012 and all the blessings that are sure to come! Hope everyone had a great holiday season too!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-18T20:31:00.006-07:00

Halloween was so much fun this year with The Cake. Because am a dork, I decided to do a family costume theme and what could be cuter than a Bee and her Bee Keepers?! She looked so dang adorable and I had fun putting together our costumes. Our first Halloween party we went to was Bradley's 9th birthday party. It was a lot of fun and of course Amanda did a great job throwing the scary, kid friendly costume party. Kelsey's favorite part was the dance floor. She could not get enough of the music and dancing! The next party we went to was at Jeff's family house were we had a fun little Halloween dinner party. It turned out really well with lots of "disgusting, scary food." Then on Halloween day I took Kelsey to Jeff's work in the morning so all his choir kids could see her then I picked up Bradley and Olivia from school and we all got dressed up and went to my mom's work for the huge trick or treat thing. Seriously the kids got sooo much candy there we didn't need to take her out trick or treating that night! Just love that Girl! Me and my Bee All the cousin on the Zawalski side Jaycik loves his Kelsey. It's so cute! Yep, I made her that bag! Cute little Strawberry Short Cake and Mega Mind! Jacob, Kelsey, Brooklyn, Bradley, Heather, Olivia and Trace

Fall 2011

2011-10-25T07:42:00.002-06:00

As I have said before, fall is my favorite time of year and this year is no exception! We now have Kelsey's birthday to celebrate along with our anniversary, my birthday, halloween and Jeff's birthday! This year for our 4 year anniversary Jeff and I went up to Snowbird and had a very nice dinner and stayed in a nice condo. It was kind of a bummer that it happen to be the first snowfall of the season, so the tram and October Fest got cancelled. It seriously looked like the middle of winter up there. But it was really pretty and made me excited for the upcoming ski season. On one of the beautiful fall days we took Kelsey to the zoo for the first time with Heather. She had on her serious face for most the day, watching and exploring everything. The first animal she actually giggled at was the giraffe that we seen up close eating. She seemed to like the train ride too. After the zoo we went and picked out her pumpkin for halloween. It was such a great day spent with our little family and Heather. Heather is always fun to take to the zoo, she gets just as excited if not more than the kids when it comes to animals! Heather did a good job taking this picture! She would not look at me the whole time! 13 months old

1 year stats

2011-10-21T10:22:00.002-06:00

At Kelsey's 12 month appointment she weighed in at 18lbs 5 oz and 29 1/2 inches long. That makes her in the 10 % for weight and 75% for height! She is a very healthy and happy baby. She still only has her 2 bottom teeth but eats everything we give her. Some of her favorite foods right now are cheese, peas, bananas, guacamole and pasta. One little quirk she has is that she loves her blankies and woobies and she has to have them to sleep. She also tries to carry them around most the day. She actually has given herself a little sore on her tongue cause she sucks on her blankets so much. Lol. She took her first official few steps on October 9th with me, Jeff and Honey all watching. She still needs lots of encouragement and assistance to walk. But any day now I think she will be off and running. She loves, loves, loves music! Anytime she hears music she dances and tries to sing along. She's such a little ham. I love it! She also is such a smart little cookie. She says pretty clearly mom, dadda, cheese, dog, kitty, bye bye, duck and no-no. She also shakes her head no and says wasdat (what's that) a lot! I can't express how much fun she is right now. It is just amazing watching her grow and learn every day. This past year has been so incredibly wonderful having her in our lives. I truly feel blessed to have her as my own! I am so looking forward to the up coming holidays with our little family :)

First Birthday

2011-10-20T07:58:00.009-06:00

Kelsey's first birthday was great. On her actual birthday Jeff and I took her to ToysRus and let her pick out her birthday chair. She picked a pink princess one, of course! Then we took her out to dinner to the Macaroni Grill. It was really sweet cause they brought her over some gelato with a candle in it and sang Happy Birthday to her in Italian. It was a great day with our sweet little cake. It's so crazy all the emotions that come with celebrating your child's first birthday. It's kind of bitter sweet :)

Her Birthday party was on that following Saturday. We had it at Honey's house in the back yard. It was such a beautiful day, perfect weather for an outdoor event. We had the tent ball pit that Honey bought her out with another princess tent for the little ones to play in. We decorated the yard with bright colors and pictures of Kelsey. Amanda and my mom made her a fabulous birthday cake, or should I say cakes! We had lots of family and friends over including Danie'l and Jadon who made a special trip up for the event. We served rigatoni for dinner then let the cake open her gifts. She had a fun time opening gifts for a minute and then she just wanted to run off and play! I believe her favorite part of the party was the cake time! We had all the kids gather around her with their own cupcake and candle and after we sang happy birthday all the kids got to make a wish for Kelsey and blow out their own candle. Kelsey knew exactly what to do with her huge cupcake, she just dug right in! She was having a blast with it, it was so dang funny! Kelsey defiantly got spoiled for her birthday! Thanks to all our family and friends for sharing this very special day with us. Am a bit sad we did not get more pictures of everyone that was there that day... All in all it was a great birthday celebration spent with great family and friends.

1 year pictures

2011-09-25T19:49:00.000-06:00

Here are a few of Kelsey's 1 year pictures. They were taken at Gardner Village by my friend Kari. Her and my other friend Kelli do such an amazing job! Their website is utahphotographicmemories.com. Anyone looking for a great photographer should check these girls out.

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-15T07:17:00.006-06:00

Over labor day weekend we took our first official trip with Kelsey down to Mesquite for Jadon's first birthday. It was a short but great little trip. Kelsey did so much better in the car than I thought she would and she was great the entire trip. We left early Saturday morning and arrived to Danie'l's house around 10am. It was so fun to watch Kelsey and Jadon play together. It's still hard for me to believe these two kids are getting so big! Jadon's party was in the afternoon and it was wonderful. Danie'l and Chad did a great job putting it all together. The theme was dinosaur for baby "Rex" aka Jadon. It was so cute and well put together. The kids had a blast with the tent ball pit and all the balloons. Rex wasn't so sure about what he was suppose to did with his cake. Hahaha, what a sweet baby! The rest of the weekend was so nice to just be able to hangout with everyone and visit. Becky and Bryce also came down from Salt Lake to celebrate Rex's birthday. So we all had a good time going to dinner, hanging out at the pool and just enjoying everyone's company. I wish we could do that more often. It was just such a great weekend. Happy Birthday Rex!!

Summer time

2011-08-10T16:37:00.007-06:00

This summer has been super busy chasing Kelsey around. She is on the move and there is no stopping her! She crawls and climbs over everything and now she can even cruises around furniture and toys. It's so fun watching her learn and explore but it can also be down right exhausting keeping up with her at times! Lol. She's such a smart little cake too. She loves to give kisses and high fives, play patty cake and pick-a-boo and can even say bye bye and wave! She loves animals and can't get enough of the kitties, puppies and ducks. She loves looking through her books and kissing all the animals, hahaha. She babbles all day long and its so funny to hear her little baby talk! It's so cool that you can see she understands a lot of what you say to her now. She's such a little social butterfly and just loves playing and trying to keep up with all her cousins. It's so sweet to see how much all of them just love and adore her! Here are just a few pictures of what we have been up to this summer. I can't wait until next month, we are going down to Mesquite to celebrate Jadon's first birthday and then 2 weeks later will be Kelsey's birthday! Am so excited to see these two babies dig into their birthday cakes! Playing with her cousins Fun at the library Playing with her food 4th of July fun with the Zawalski's

We went swimming at the Crystal Hot Springs

She climbed into the suitcase at the hotel, lol!

Catching up

2011-06-20T21:12:00.005-06:00

Wow, time sure flies when your having fun! Summer is finally here and we have been enjoying have Jeff home all the time. Let's see, since my last post it seems like Kelsey has grown so much. She is now 9 months old and on the move! She is almost 16 lbs and 27.5 inches long, which means she's in the 8% for weight and 60% for height! We finally got the ok to take her off the high calorie formula, yay! Her doctor is really pleased with how well she is growing both physically and developmentally. She is crawling everywhere now and trying to pull herself up on things. Her little personality is coming through daily. She babbles all day and can say Mama, Dada, and baba. Her little belly laugh is just to die for! She is such a happy baby but it's funny cause when she is in a new environment she gets all serious and just analysis everything. She got her first little bottom tooth a bit ago and now has her second one growing in. She loves being outside and swimming... Oh yeah, and we got her ears pierced. Or should I say I got them pierced cause Jeff refused to go with me, lol. It hard to believe she will have her first birthday soon. They sure grow up fast, but am enjoying every minute of it!

She loves her hats :) First tooth Got the bling! Water baby Their bond is so sweet Playing at the park

Jeff's Graduation

2011-05-08T21:05:00.014-06:00

I took lots of pictures this weekend for this big occasion. S0 I will let the pictures do the talking! Jeff getting hooded for his master's degree Jeff's parents and sister Carrie So proud of Jeff! And glad it's over!! She thought that tassel was pretty cool. She's bound for success... hehehe Jeff was soooo suprised! He thought it was just going to be me and him going to Rodizio's, but I got both our families there to celebrate with us! Personalized M & M's and Amanda and my mom also made awesome cake balls and graduation cap candy's! Sooo cute! Special thanks to both of them for making this all come together! My family The Famous Ding-Dong Cake! And yes it's gluten free.. Thanks Mom The whole family! What an amazing night! The girls... Getting ready to go out and celebrate. We got a hotel room and went out with Danie'l, Chad and Becky to the Keys on Main. It was lots of fun. We finally got to meet little Jadon aka Rex! He is so cute and him and Kelsey are so cute together! What a cute baby! We miss him already! They are exactly 2 weeks apart!

Danie'l and Chad had never been to Park City, so we took them up there for some shopping and dinner.... Awww they have such good daddies!

Spring Photos

2011-05-08T15:33:00.008-06:00

What a month it has been...

2011-04-30T08:25:00.007-06:00

So the past month has been pretty crazy and hectic for our family, and I can't really say it's been fun either! First of all Jeff was diagnosed with dermatitis herpetiformis. Which basically a gluten allergy that presents it self with a real itchy skin rash. So we have been adjusting to a gluten free diet. It's been especially hard for Jeff cause he loves his treats and has never had to really diet, so reading every label and being restricted on everything you eat is real hard for him. But I've been trying to make the best of it by trying new recipes and baking gluten free treats. Next, I had a random case of pancreatitis.It was actually the Saturday before Easter and 2 ER's later and 4 nights in the hospital I was happy to be home and feeling better. I recovered pretty fast and Jeff did great job taking care of Kelsey and the "home front" while I was away. Among all this we have been on the count down to Jeff's graduation, so life has been a little hectic to say the least. But despite all the drama Kelsey is doing really well. She is sitting up on her own now and is so close to army crawling! Anyways, here are a few pictures of Kelsey's first Easter. Coloring eggs with the family Us after an all nighter in the ER. What a crappy way to spend her first Easter :( 7 months old with bear

Jeff's Graduate Piano Recital

2011-04-10T09:02:00.011-06:00

Last Saturday April 2nd Jeff had his last piano recital for his graduate degree. And let me just say, he did such an amazing job. It is mind boggling that he memorized about 45 minutes or 110 pages of crazy, difficult music and then he plays it so dang well! He definitely puts on an amazing show. I am so very proud of him. He has put in so much time and energy into the recital. He started learning this music a year ago and he has dedicated hours upon hours preparing for this big day. Often times he would wake up at 4 am to get an hour or so of practicing in before work and then stay up late into the night playing as well. Talk about dedication day in and day out! Although I had heard his music over and over playing in the house, it still amazed me how it all came together at the end. It was really just an amazing night. We had a really good turnout of support from family and friends. It was great see some people there we haven't seen in a long time. Special thanks goes out to my mom and sister putting together the always awesome refreshments. We got Jeff's favorite eclairs from Schmidt's and they made very yummy cake balls (or truffles if you want to be polite) Lol. After the recital we ended the night at the Olive Garden with some family and it was just a perfect ending for the night.

The Six Month Mark

2011-03-22T20:30:00.001-06:00

Wow, it's already been six months since Kelsey has been born! She is getting so big and doing so well. She is learning new things all the time. She rolled over for he first time on March 1st. Although she still has yet to do it when the cameras rolling....Lol. She is babbling and laughing lots. She's always smiling and making everyone else around her smile.

We went to her six month appointment today and she is now 13 lbs and 25 inches long. Which means she's in the 5th percentile for weight but 40th percent for height!! She is finally starting to fit into her 3-6 month old clothes now, Yay! Although she is continuing to grow well the doctor still wants her on the high calorie formula for now, but we do get start feeding her baby food so that's good. Her doctor is really impressed on how well she is doing over all, so that makes me very happy and relieved. I can't say it enough, we are so blessed she is such a healthy baby! It is so fascinating to see her grow and do new things all the time. Am so looking forward to the next six months with her learning how to move and explore everything around her.

She loves her wooby! Fell asleep playing My new toy! 6 months old now!

My Valentine

2011-02-14T17:42:00.004-07:00

Kelsey's first Valentine's Day has been great. We decorated a little poster for Jeff, my mom and Jeff's mom by putting her feet and hands in paint and making a flower. It was so funny cause I could not get her to open up her hand to make the flower, so I just dipped her fist in the paint and moved it around. They didn't end up like I would have hoped, but still so cute.

Kelsey is almost 5 months old now and as cute as ever! As you can tell I like to dress her up. It's funny cause you would have never guessed I would be so girly with her, but I just can't help it.... She gets cuter and cuter by the day. She now is over 11 lbs and growing by the minute. She loves her rice cereal, or should I say, she loves to grab the spoon from you and go at it with her gums! It's so funny, but she gets it everywhere! But I guess I need to get use to the mess anyways. She has also mastered how to suck on her thumb! She really only uses her binky at night now. Anyways, I hope everyone had a great Valentine's day with their loved ones!

4 months old

2011-01-29T11:24:00.005-07:00

Time is just flying by and I can't believe Kelsey is already 4 months old. We had her four month check up last week and the doctor was really happy with her progress. She is now 10 lbs 11 oz and 23 inches long. She is in the 5th percentile for weight and the 25th for height and head circumference! She is doing so well the doctor says she might only need to be on the high calorie (expensive) formula for another month. We also can start feeding her rice cereal now.

Her little personality is starting to come out and it is so adorable! She loves to babble lots, especially at her glow worm and "birdy" on her activity mat. It just melts my heart when she tries to talk to you. The other day it was so cute, I called my mom to see how she was doing and she put Kelsey up to the phone and when she heard my voice she started to "talk" to me! It was the most precious thing every! Kelsey also is giggling a lot more now and smiles all the time. She loves it when her cousin Olivia is over and we put on the music and dance for her. She definitely loves music! She is such a happy, healthy baby and am so grateful for that! I am so looking forward to seeing her personality to continue to grow. Here are the latest pictures of her.

My sunshine! January 20th, 2011 4 months old with bear Daddy's little cupcake!

A New Year

2011-01-16T11:40:00.002-07:00

Yeah, yeah.. am a little late on this New Year's post, but I thought I should go ahead and write it anyways. 2010 was a great year with lots of life changing events for me and Jeff. Kelsey's arrival has definitely been the most amazing experience yet. She has changed our life in so many great ways. She has made me a more loving, patient and caring person. She has brought more joy in my life than I could have ever imagine. And she has brought Jeff and I closer together than ever before. We just love our little "Baby Cake" so much!

Jeff's new job at Rowland Hall has been such a blessing and new challenge. Poor Jeff, his whole life has changed so much in the past 6 months with a new job, new baby and finishing up his last challenging year of grad school. Needless to say it was a crazy few months, but we all survived! Now these next coming months with me back to work and Jeff finishing up school, is going to be interesting! Lots of prayers will be needed! Haha

Life is a never ending challenge, but I am so looking forward to 2011 with lots of new experiences with our baby girl. I hope this year will be just as great as 2010 was!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T09:56:00.010-07:00

We had a wonder Christmas this year with our little Baby Cakes. Even though she is so little and has no idea what is going on, it was just amazing have a little one around to spoil and love at Christmas. We had lots of fun taking Kelsey to family parties, to visit Santa and church for the first time. Because she has just about everything she needs, we just got her a few toys, a CD player and music for her room, and a few clothes and some pj's. She got spoiled by the rest of the family with more clothes, toys and a play activity center mat from Honey. It's so fun now that she is interacting with her toys and with us more! She smiles, kicks and coos at her glow worm and activity center. It is so dang cute to watch her play and explore her surroundings.

Jeff and I got pretty spoiled ourselves. Jeff got this really cool recorder thing for his piano so he can make Cd's and do different music stuff on it. Jeff surprised me by getting me a new camera that is way cool. We got a blue ray disk player from Jeff's parents and got a really nice frying pan that I wanted along with Ove-gloves and gift certificates to Cafe Rio and Subway from my mom. Gifts are always nice to get but my favorite part of Christmas is giving to others. This year Jeff and I decided to do a little charity thing for our neighbors across the street from us. They are a small family with one little boy that is probably 9 or 10. They don't have a car or appear to have much extra money. We always see the dad walking his son to school while pushing his bike cause his son doesn't have one. Then after he drops his son off he rides his bike home. So with the help of my mom and Jeff's mom, we got the little boy a bike, a helmet, a bike chain and a few small toys along with everything you need to make a nice ham dinner. We had Amanda and Richard drop it off at their house on Christmas Eve while we were looking out our window, so they won't know it was us. It is such an amazing feeling knowing you made a difference in someones life! Along with giving, Bradley has wanted to get his mom a snuggy since last Christmas but Amanda hates fleece cause it attracts dog hair too easily. So I decided I would take Bradley to the craft store to pick out some sweatshirt material that I could make into a snuggy for her. Bradley was so excited to give her this snuggy! As a joke I thought it would be funny to make the rest of their family snuggies too. It was quite a job making all of them but it was fun and they all fit so well!

Am looking forward to Christmas when Kelsey gets a little bigger and believes in Santa and can enjoy the holidays with us too! We are so blessed to have such a wonderful daughter and family.

She loves her cousins!

Family Christmas party Brie cheese pastry that I made first the first time. Christmas Eve, Kelsey's first time at church (Of course the only time she was crying was when we wanted a picture!)

Christmas morning

Baby's first stocking

Christmas at the Haroldsen's The Snuggy family! Christmas at the Zawalski's She loves looking at the Christmas tree lights Playing with the activity mat

Mini Me

2010-12-20T10:21:00.008-07:00

From the beginning Kelsey has looked more like me than her dad. But recently I just can't get over how much she continues to look more and more like me every day. And I have to say, she's pretty dang cute! Hahaha... She's 3 months old today and weighs a little over 8lbs. She is such a smiley little girl, and just recently she has been holding up her head really well. This coming weekend I will post all her Christmas photos, but check out this picture of me taken when I was 6-9 months old and then look at her recent pictures. I swear, she's a spitting image of me!

Ivy Lee Kelsey Lee and Mommy 3 months old, December 20, 2010

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-28T22:04:00.006-07:00

Yay for Thanksgiving! I love this time of year. I love getting together with family and sharing great food. This year's dinner at my mom's was great. Everything turned out so perfect and yummy. Unfortunately the Zawalski family had a few people that were sick so Kelsey and I were not able to go over to their house for a second dinner. But Jeff brought home some good leftovers and a whole pecan pie that his mom made just for us, well I should say just for him but I made him share!

This year Jeff and I have lots to be thankful for. Thankful that we were able to expand our family and have a healthy beautiful baby. Thankful for our extended family and all their health. Thankful for Jeff's new job, thankful I have a great job and was able to have 3 months off of work for maternity. Thankful that I can go back to work at 30hrs a week. Thankful that we have a home and are able to live rather comfortably. Most importantly, thankful that we have each other and that we have a great support system from our family and friends.

Our little family Check out the tights! They are the cutest thing I have ever seen! Aunt Drea holding me in the "monkey hold"

2 month update

2010-11-23T21:47:00.004-07:00

Wow, time is just flying by. Hard to believe Kelsey is already 2 months old and I only have one more month left on maternity. Today we went to the doctors and she weighed in at 7.10 lbs and is now 20 inches long! She's still not on the charts for her weight or head, but she is in the 10th percentile for her height! Maybe she has a chance and won't a shorty like me... It's been a little hard having a preemie cause I just want her to do something new. It's like having a one week old for 7-8 weeks! But this past week she has been smiling and trying to make different sounds. It is so cute and I can't wait for her to continue to learn and grow (it will also be nice if she could start sleeping for more than 3 hrs at a time)! Well here are a few new pictures I have taken this month. I take so many pictures of her, but I just don't want to miss anything or forget what she was like at every stage. Bundled up to go to Honey's house Am trying to talk to mommy November 20th. 2 month picture with bear My snow angel My favorite past time, cuddling!

Bath time

2010-11-14T19:11:00.006-07:00

Kelsey loves her bath and I love giving her a bath! For the first few weeks she was home we just used the little bucket the hospital used to bathe her in. And she liked it ok but she was so squirmy it has hard for her to relax in it. But now in her "big girl" tub she is able to relax and have fun. She is so cute when she gets out of the bath too, because she is so relaxed and in such a great mood. Oh how I love her! My serious look, but really am having fun! Happy Girl! Look at those chubby cheeks!

Happy Halloween

2010-10-30T22:04:00.004-06:00

Kelsey's first Halloween, she was momma's little pumpkin! We got her costume at Build-a-Bear. She looked absolutely adorable in her little pumpkin outfit! We went "trick-or-treating" at Carrie's and Amanda's house tonight. All the kids looked great! Chloe was a 60's GO-GO girl, Heather was a lobster, Bradley was Bateman and Olivia was the cutest little lady bug. Oh how I love Halloween!! I can't wait for her to get bigger so we can really take her trick-or-treating!

Due Date

2010-10-28T21:15:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, October 27th was my official due date for Kelsey. It's crazy to think that I have got to hold her in my arms for the past 5 in a half weeks rather than in my belly. I just love being her mommy. She is seriously the sweetest baby! We went to the doctors today and she now weighs 5lbs 12 oz and is 19 inches long! She is officially out of her preemie clothes, although the newborn clothes are still a little too big for her. But most importantly she can now be in her car seat rather than the little car bed she has had to be in because she was under 5 lbs. Because am a dork and have nothing better to do, I decided to celebrate her due date by putting her in the outfit Jeff and I picked out for her to come home in the day we found out what we were having. Isn't she so precious!!

The booties are really too big, but I just had to see what they looked liked on her!

Kelsey's Photo Shoot

2010-10-23T16:27:00.011-06:00

This is kind of a late post, but when Kelsey was about 2 1/2 weeks we had her pictures taken by my friend Kelli. Her are just some of the adorable pictures we got. Kelli does awesome pictures, check out her website at utahphotographicmemories.com

4 Weeks old

2010-10-18T19:17:00.004-06:00

Yes, it has already been 4 weeks since Kelsey was born! As I have said a million times, she has been such a blessing. I can't imagine life without her now. I just can't get enough of her and I love taking lots of pictures of her. Although the pictures really don't do her justice. She is so much more adorable than the camera can capture... Anyways, Kelsey is finally starting to gain weight. Last Thursday at the doctors she weighed in at 4.10 lbs and 18 inches long. She is even starting to outgrow her preemie outfits. They all still fit her pretty snug, but I don't think it will be too much longer before we go to newborn clothes. Here is pictures of Kelsey at 4 weeks old. I am going to take a picture every month with her teddy bear so we can see how big she gets over the months!

3rd Anniversary

2010-10-13T18:12:00.008-06:00

Yesterday October 12th was mine and Jeff's 3rd anniversary. Hard to believe it's been three years since we got married. It feels like we just got married, yet I feel like I have known Jeff for many years. Jeff is such a great husband. He is a hard worker not only at his job but at home as well. Jeff always helps around the house, in fact he does more than I do on most days! I am so really blessed to have such an amazing husband, best friend and now father of our child. I cannot wait to see how Kelsey's and Jeff's relationship grows throughout the years. I have a feeling she is going to be a little daddy's girl! So to celebrate our first anniversary as new parents we ordered out from Texas Roadhouse and got dessert from The Cheesecake Factory and ate it at home with our little family. It was actually really nice to just be at home and have a fabulous meal to share together. Also, am just not quite ready to leave her with a babysitter yet.

Kelsey is now 3 weeks old. She weights 4.6 lbs right now. This past week she didn't gain any weight so the doctor is quite concerned and is having me mix my milk with high calorie formula between each nursing feeding for her. I worry so much about her and just hope she can start to gaining some weight soon. I want a chubby baby! Kelsey is such a little doll. She has had many visitors in her small little life. It's so great to have so many family and friends that love and support us. It's so cute that all her little cousins are in love with her. Especially her cousin Bradley is so obsessed with her. He always want to hold her and talks about her all the time when he is away from her. Here is some latest pictures of her.

Sweet Baby 3 weeks old Great Grandma Lu Four Generations (Great Grandma and Grandpa came to visit)

2010-10-08T11:54:00.001-06:00

Birthday!

2010-10-07T16:15:00.012-06:00

Wow, it's been a long few weeks! I now finally have found a few minutes to update the blog.... So the birthday story goes like this. On Tuesday Sept. 14th I went to my regular 34 week OB appointment to find that my blood pressure had jumped to 160/100! They immediately sent me up to the hospital to be evaluated. While at the hospital my blood pressure continued to be high, but they sent me home on bed rest and to do a 24hr urine collection to see if I had protein in my urine. At that time they just diagnosed me with pregnancy induced hypertension, if you develop protein in your urine it turns into preeclampsia. The next two days I went back to the hospital for more test and to monitor the baby. Everything look pretty good, no protein in my urine, baby looked good, blood pressure still elevated but they thought I would be fine if I just stayed on bed rest over the weekend and came back on Monday to my doctors appointment. They also gave me the betamethasone steroid shots to help develop the baby's lungs (just in case.) So over the weekend they had me monitor my blood pressure at home. Everything was going well until Sunday night my blood pressure was 180/100's, so I called the doctor and they had me come in to be evaluated again. By the time Jeff and I got to the hospital it was 10pm. They did a bunch more test and found that I had developed protein in my urine and my blood pressure remained extremely high so they decided that the best thing to do was to induce me. I was 34 weeks and 5 days and it wasn't worth the risk to wait much longer for the safety of me and the baby. So at 2 am on Monday Sept. 20th they started to induce. They also started me on a magnesium sulfate IV drip. And let me tell you that stuff is nasty! It's a smooth muscle relaxer that helps keep your blood pressure down but it also makes all your muscles in your body really weak and it makes you feel high on drugs. It really sucked because they wouldn't let me get out of bed and they had to check my reflexes and listen to my lungs every hour until 24hrs after I delivered! Talk about no sleep. So anyways, by six in the morning I was already dilated to a 3 from just having they cytotect to soft my cervix, so they then started me on pitocin. By 10am I was at 5 and really hurting so I opted for the epidural. To my surprise it only was working on the left side of my body! After about an hour the anesthesia doctor came in and gave me some extra meds and it seemed to help for a bit on my right side. I think they checked me again around 11:30 and I was at a 6. Around 1 pm I could start to feel lots of pressure and the epidural started to wear off again on my right side and some of my left side. They finally checked me around 1:45 and to every one's surprise I was crowning and ready to push! It was really crazy because they weren't ready for me to start pushing so soon, and told me to hold on and whatever I do don't push! In seconds there were lots of people in the room including a whole team of pediatricians just in case baby needed some extra help. Once everyone was ready and Jeff stopped sneezing (it was so funny that he couldn't stop sneezing to hold my leg,) I only pushed for about 5 minutes and Kelsey Lee was born at 1:54pm. It was the most amazing moment of my life! She was just perfect and came out healthy and breathing on her own. Kelsey weighed 4.25 lbs and was 17 inches long. She is such a little trooper! Even the doctors were surprised she did so well. She only spent 8 days in the hospital and never once had to have oxygen, an IV or feeding tube. All she needed was to keep up her temperature and gain weight. But it was so sad that she had to be in an incubator to keep her warm and we could only take her out every three hours for only a half an hour to feed her. It was the longest week of my life having her in the hospital. I was discharged on Thursday but they let me stay in a little room that was basically a closet with a bed and t.v. in it that they called the twilight room, so I could stay with her and keep feeding her around the clock. I am so very thankful that they had that room for me. It was so hard to leave the hospital for even just a few hours without her. Finally on Sept. 28th we got to take our sweet angel home. Because she is under 5 lbs she can't be in a regular car seat so they sent us home with this car bed that looks like a little bucket that she lays flat in. We also didn't have any preemie clothes for her so luckily my mom and sister went out and got her lots of little clothes to bring her home in. She has been so amazing and it's incredible that she is all ours! Well, sorry about such a long post. There is so much more I want to say but I will have to save it for another time. Lastly I just want to give praise to God for giving us such a beautiful, healthy baby girl. We could not be more blessed!

Last photo of me pregnant at 34 weeks

Baby Shower

2010-09-13T14:55:00.000-06:00

Friday August 27th my mom and sister Amanda threw me the best baby shower! We reserved a pavilion in South Jordan months ago, thinking it's pretty safe to plan something outside in August. Well, we were not exactly right! The weather was not really cooperating with us at first. We had everything decorated and set up just perfect and 5-10 minutes before the starting of things, a big gush of wind and rain came and blew everything everywhere! I thought the whole shower was going to be ruined... but sure enough, 10 minutes after a complete downpour and wind storm, it all let up and we were able to continue on with the party. The rain continued off and on throughout the night but it actually made if feel nice outside and the beautiful double rainbow that appeared afterwards was pretty neat to have at the baby shower! Amanda did an amazing job with all the decorations. She made the cutest banner for Kelsey out of onesies. The center pieces were polka doted painted flower pots with all different hand crafted flowers made out of baby socks, wash clothes, and spoons. Amanda spent many many hours making all the decorations and yummy cookies for this event. She even had time to make Kelsey tons of darling hair bows! Like always, my mom did an amazing job with all the food. We had hamburger, hot dogs, pasta and potato salad and her famous baked beans. To top it all off, my mom made about 40 individual ding dong cakes for everyone to take as a thank you gift! Seriously my mom and sister really went over the top! Jeff and I could not be any more thankful for everything they have done for us. Despite the weather, we had a great turnout of guest. I feel really blessed we have so many people in our lives that care about us and are excited to meet our baby girl! I could not believe how generous everyone was when it came to showering us with gifts! We got completely spoiled! We received lots of clothes, blankets, toys, bottles, binkies and bath supplies. I even got two adorable diaper cakes! One made by my friend Becky and the other by a very close family friend Mary Braun. Even though Danie'l could not come up from Mesquite because she is due with her own baby in 2 weeks, she sent a package of gifts that I was able to open at the shower. Among the many gifts she sent was an adorable hand sewed quilt! I just love handmade gifts! As many of you may know, my mom and I have been making lots of receiving blankets, burp cloths and bibs for Kelsey. On top of all this, my mom has also made me a beautiful crocheted bear blanket and the most softest, cutest baby quilt. But the big surprise of the night was that my mom made an absolutely beautiful crocheted dress and headband for Kelsey, that I had no idea she was making! She has never made anything so beautiful or precious! I can't wait to put Kelsey in it! Well I could keep going on and on about this shower....but here is a slide show of pictures from the night that says the rest! Angela, a friend of my mom's was so kind to come take these pictures for us. Enjoy!

2010-09-13T14:52:00.001-06:00

Updates

2010-09-07T15:59:00.008-06:00

Oh my, I can't believe it, Danie'l is a mommy now! She had her sweet baby boy early Monday morning, September 6th. They named him Jadon Dade and he is 6lbs, 5oz and 20" long. I have been so sad that I cannot be there in Mesquite with her. I wanted to be there so bad and I just want to hold that adorable baby! I am so grateful that Chad did such a great job keeping me posted with all the updates on how she was doing in labor. And when he was finally born, Chad sent the sweetest picture of Jadon and Danie'l. I just can't believe how adorable he is. This baby is such a true miracle. Am so happy for Danie'l and Chad, they are going to be great parents! Here is the latest updates on my pregnancy...Today I had another OB appointment, they have been watching my measurements closely because last time I went in at 31 weeks I only had gained 1cm in 4 weeks and was measuring just 27 weeks. Well today I am 33 weeks and only measuring 27.5cm. So immediately they had me go to the hospital for an ultrasound. And to our relief, everything is just fine! She is measuring normally and weighs 4lbs, my fluid is all normal and nothing appears to be abnormal. I was really relieved that they did the ultrasound so fast and we got to see her again. She is definitely looking more squished in there! It was so good to get confirmation that she is indeed a girl (Jeff still has doubts, and says he won't believe it until he sees it!) and we even seen that she has hair! Am so excited, I thought she was going to be just as bald as I was! I don't really get why am measuring so small, I have gained 19lbs already! I think am just carrying her all in my back and my weight must be going to my butt! So sad really... I am going back for another appointment in one week to check my blood pressure. It has been slowly creeping up the last two times I have been in so they just want to keep a close eye on it and to monitor closely the growth of the baby. Well anyways, until next time, here is some more pictures of "The Baby Cakes", aka Kelsey. A face shot Profile shot Another profile shot Hard to tell, but the lines coming off the circle to the right, is hair on her head!

The latest...

2010-08-22T12:12:00.010-06:00

This past week has been full of exciting, fun times. Last Sunday I had my first baby shower thrown by my church. It was so adorable how this small church that we belong to got together and made such a cute shower. Everyone there is so nice and generous! We had lots of goodies, great company and got lots of stuff for Kelsey. Jeff's mom even made an adorable diaper cake! To top it off, today at church Darlene had a quilt set up for everyone in the church to help tie it together. Talk about a special gift! We are so thankful for having such a great group of people at church! Also this weekend Jeff and I went up to Park City for a little "Babymoon." It was so much fun to just get away for the weekend. Of course my favorite part was all the shopping! We got Kelsey some pretty cute outfits! It makes me so excited for her to get here! We also had a great dinner and did some window shopping on Main Street and got some great desert there. The following day we did the Parade of Homes in Park City. That was awesome and also exhausting almost 8 months pregnant, to walk through some amazing house around there! All in all, it was a great time for me and Jeff to just hangout and enjoy each other before "life as we know it" changes forever!

7 months and counting

2010-08-08T11:57:00.005-06:00

Here is my latest baby bump photo at 28 1/2 weeks. I am starting to getting bigger ever day, I swear. Although everyone keeps telling me I look so small for how far along I am. I just think am carrying her more in my back then out front. She definitely likes being up in my ribs too! I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has been going. Am getting really excited for all these up coming things we have planned. Next weekend my church is throwing me a small baby shower and on Saturday Jeff and I are going to a birthing class. That should be interesting... The following weekend we are going to go up to Park City to shop and spend the night together. Am really looking forward to just having some one on one time before all this fall craziness begins! Then on the 27th my mom and sister are throwing Jeff and me a big baby shower BBQ. It's going to be so much fun, we are inviting lots of family and friends and it's just going be a celebrate for everyone! August is going to be a great month! Then sometime in September, if she makes it that long, Danie'l will have her baby! Am so excited for Danie'l and Chad! Can't wait to see their little guy. As you can tell I will have lots of things to post shortly. I am really trying to keep this blog updated so I can show Kelsey someday!

Another month down!

2010-07-27T17:39:00.005-06:00

So it's almost August and hotter than ever! Hope everyone is surviving the heat and having a great summer! Jeff and I have been staying inside and keeping ourselves busy by working on the house and baby's room. Jeff has been so great about getting all these little house projects completed this summer. The baby's room is done, well at least Jeff's portion. Now I get put the finishing touches on the decor. My latest project was doing the letters for her wall. And I am proud to say they turned out pretty dang cute! Jeff's latest project was putting the railing up by our stairs. This sounds like such a small task, but believe me it's been a lot of work and money! We have lived in our home for three years now with all the intentions on replacing the railing we ripped up when we first moved in, but we never had the motivation to do so. But now with our little one on the way, we got it done. And what an amazing difference it makes! Little Kelsey is doing great. I just went to my 27 week check up today. I am finally measuring right on target and her heart rate is a good 135. I can't believe am almost 7 months along! Time is going by so fast! Jeff has to go back to work in one month so I have been trying to get everything we can do done now because once he is back to work and school am afraid he will be just way too busy! Poor guy has to start a new job, finish his last year in his master's program and have a new baby, all at one time! We will need lots of prayers to get through this next year! LOL.. Thankfully I will have 3 months off with the baby, so hopefully that helps us get through this crazy time of change in our lives. Well enough rambling... here are the pictures of our latest projects. More baby bump pictures to come!

July updates

2010-07-05T17:06:00.006-06:00

Wow, can't believe it's already July! Time is just flying by... We had a great 4th of July weekend. Mom's birthday BBQ on Friday. Saturday got lots of shopping and sewing in and also went to Clayton's baseball game, did fireworks with the kids that night, and Sunday went to the Bee's game with the fam and seen a great fireworks show! Great weather all weekend with lots of good food and company, can't be that! This past week I went to my 23 week OB appointment. Everything is looking great. Baby is growing well, I am still measuring a little small but nothing to worry about I have gained 5 lbs now and feel her move lots every day! Can't believe am almost 6 months along! We have officially decided on a name for our baby girl. Her name is going to be Kelsey Lee. Jeff picked out her first name and we just gave her my middle name. I think it's way adorable. I love being able to call her by her name now instead of always having to say baby! This past week Jeff also got the crib and changing table/dresser put together. He has been so great about pleasing me by putting together all this baby furniture and making the room look so great! Here are a few updated pictures of the room. I just finished the pillows for the window seat and I have to say, they turned out pretty dang cute! (I also still need to wash and iron the baby blanket but I just had to put it up to see how it looks! hehe)

Busy times

2010-06-27T17:33:00.004-06:00

This summer has been pretty busy for us so far. Just last week from Sunday-Tuesday I volunteer at the Day Camp program for Camp Hobe. Camp Hobe is a camp for children with cancer and their sibling's that I have been volunteering at every summer since I was 16yrs old. So yes, this was my 11th year! This year I was a camp counselor/nurse for a group of 11 kids aging from 4-7. Talk about exhausting! But it is so much fun and the probably the most rewarding thing I have ever done. While I was having a blast at camp, Jeff was home working hard on the baby's room. Over the past two weeks he has installed new closet doors, painted and did all the trim and beadbord work and put together the new bookshelf we bought from Ikea. It looks so amazing! I can't believe how great it has turned out. I am so lucky to have such a hard working, perfectionist husband! The only thing left to do now in the room is to finish the toy box area and put together the crib and changing table, which I ordered and should be here this week. Am going make a little window seating area over the toy box by upholstering some pillows and a cushion. I am also hoping to get a new slip cover for the cute chair and ottoman I pick up on KSL. It's so comfy and cute but just needs a little makeover! Here are a couple of pictures of the room so far. 22 1/2 weeks and going strong!

It's a Girl!

2010-06-09T09:10:00.013-06:00

Yesterday we had our first ultrasound of the baby at one day shy of 20 weeks. Both Jeff and my mom came with me. It was so neat to see the baby moving all over inside of me! It just makes it so real now. So after about 10-15 minutes of measuring the baby, the baby finally turned over and we got a clear shot that it's a girl. Me and Jeff were just in shock (we were expecting a boy but hoping for a girl)! Jeff even asked the tech at the end of the scan if she could go back to "her important part, just to make sure!" Lol... I think Jeff is more excited it's a girl than I am! My mom was very sweet, right after we found it was a girl she pulled out an adorable baby girl outfit and onesies! She said she knew it was a girl, but she really had a boy outfit with her too! So after the ultrasound me and Jeff headed to the mall to find an outfit to bring her home in! We are just so excited! I cannot wait to get her room ready and get started on shopping and sewing projects for her. I can't believe I am already half way through my pregnancy! I am starting to show a little and I can feel her move a lot now. Jeff has yet to feel her move, but am sure it will be soon. Here are a few pictures they printed off for us. They are not the best pictures but still so neat to see! This is a face shot Her little hand waving to us! Both feet! Yep, she's a girl! Not the best photo of me, but here is my baby bump at 20 weeks

Update

2010-05-25T11:14:00.006-06:00

Well a lot has happened since I last wrote... It's kind of a long story but it turns out that because of a casual conversation at work one night with a patient of mine, Jeff ended up landing an amazing job! I was just talking with a patient and her husband about things and it came up that the husband is the principal at Rowland Hall. I was kind of joking and asked "Do you guys need a music teacher by change?" and to my suprise he said they actually do and gave me his buisness card for Jeff to contact him. So anyways, long story short after 2 interviews and a 3rd meeting were Jeff had to actually teach the students in front of all the board members, he got the job! Not only is Rowland Hall a very prestigious private school, Jeff will be doing what he has wanted to to for a long time and that is to teach high school students. His offical duties will be teaching the junior high and high school choir and orchestra as well as being the music director for the theater class. Jeff could not be any more happier! I am so very proud and excited for him. In the mean time, my pregancy has been going really well. From 6-12 weeks I was really tired and a bit nauseated all day but only threw up once! And ever since 13 weeks I been feeling great. I will be 18 weeks tomorrow and just found out that we will be having our first ultrasound in two weeks. I cannot wait to find out what we are having! At my OB appointment yesterday I was measuring kind of small and have not gained any weight but my midwife is not concerned because the top of my uterus is where it is suppose to be but am just not sticking out much yet. So either the baby is laying sideways or am just really carrying the baby more in my back. As far as the weight gaining goes, she's really not worried and either am I because I have been eating healthy and let's be honest, I really don't need to gain lots of weight, I have plenty of it already! LOL.. I think I have felt the baby move a couple times but it's just kind of early to tell for sure. I just feel really blessed that everything is going so well and hope the next half of my pregnancy continues to be that way! Well that's all for now, I can't wait to post pictures of this little creature growing inside me!

Joining the Baby Bandwagon

2010-04-18T19:39:00.007-06:00

As most of you already know, Jeff and I are expecting our first baby October 30th! Yes we had been trying for awhile now, but no we were not planning to have another big life event in October! Ha ha, I guess it just goes to show that we are not the only one's in control of our lives! We are so very excited! It still is crazy for me to think am really growing a little person inside of me. Now I just can't wait to find out what we are having! Am almost 13th weeks and today I went to my second doctors (or should I say midwife) appointment and everything is going great. Oh how I love to hear the baby's heart beating so fast inside of me! We actually first heard the heart beat when I was almost 9 weeks along! One of the most exciting things about being pregnant right now is that my very best friend Danie'l is also pregnant! She is 6 weeks ahead of me, and just found out she is having a boy! I am so excited for both of us to share this amazing experience together. It defiently is baby season right now, and I am so excited to join the baby bandwagon!

My latest hobby

2010-02-11T21:12:00.006-07:00

If ten years ago you would have told me I would be all domesticated and sewing for fun, I would tell you your crazy! But this last October I got really inspired and decided that I would sew some blankets for all the kids in the family for Christmas. Before this adventure, my only experience sewing was in the 7Th grade, and I don't think my project even turned out! But with the help of my mom and her sewing machine and some good tips from my mother-in-law, I managed to put together these rag quilts. I was really ambitious and set my goal to have all 7 blankets done by Christmas, unfortunately I was only able to complete Heather's, Bradley's, Olivia's and Chole's. But I just finish little Jaycik's and can't wait to give it to him. I also have learned how to tie a quilt for Jaycik's new brother that is on the way! I will have to post those pictures later. Now I working on Brooklyn's and Jacob's. I feel so bad it's already February and they don't have their's yet, but I promise they will be done shortly! I have just really enjoyed working on these blankets. I hope to continue to improve my skills and make lots of cute things!

Thanksgiving in Disneyland

2009-12-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the late entry. Life has been a little crazy for us all. But here is a few pictures and stories about our most recent trip....As you all know we went to Disneyland for Thanksgiving this year. It was such a wonderful trip! Heather, Bradley and Olivia were so dang excited and cute the whole trip. Heather's favorite part of Disneyland was the wheelchair she got to use everyday. We all appreciated the wheelchair too. Not only did we get on most the rides pretty fast, we only lost Heather twice the whole trip! Olivia of course loved all the rides and all the princesses. Bradley loved all the fast rides (except the Hollywood Tower of Terror that he had know idea how scary it was until he was on it!) Sorry buddy, I still feel bad about that one! My favorite part of the trip was watching the Fantasmic light show and the fireworks following the show. I loved watching how excited and thrilled Heather and the kids were watch the show and all the Disney characters. We had a great Thanksgiving buffet dinner. It was definitely a little different than homemade dinner, but none the less a great time with the family. I really can't express how much we appreciated going on this family trip. Thanks mom for all you do for us. This is a trip we will always remember!

2009-12-27T08:07:00.001-07:00

October 2009

2009-12-24T09:59:00.005-07:00

Sorry about the late entry... Here are some recent family photos. Don't we all look great!

Fall love

2009-10-02T08:25:00.014-06:00

I love the fall season! I love the change in weather and colors, I love fall decorations and the anticipation for the holidays. Mine and Jeff's birthdays are in the fall. I even got married in the fall. But what I love most about fall is how life just seems to get back on track. When I was in school I always looked forward to going back to school at this time of year. Since am not in school anymore, fall has now been the season that I am able to reflect on my life and get back to what really matters most. Lately I have been thinking about the quote "Faith, Family and Friends" Isn't that really all we need in life; a close relationship with God, our family and friends? Having a lack in any of these three areas can really impact our livelihood and spirit. I can't imagine living life without God's grace and guidance or my family and friends love and support. Life is just too hard to go through it by yourself. I feel very blessed to have such a wonderful husband and family. I am looking forward to a wonderful holiday season with those I love most.

Last camping blog for this year, promise!

2009-09-18T23:07:00.003-06:00

So I have to blog about our last camping trip of the year....Please bare with me. On Sept 10th weekend we spent our last camping trip at Bear Lake with my dad, all my sisters (Amanda, Heather and Toni) Amanda's family, and Toni's boyfriend Chris. It was really neat because we have never done anything like this with all of us sisters together with my dad. Even though it was a little chilly and we didn't catch any fish, we all had a great time. Bradley, Olivia and Heather couldn't get enough of the sandy beach. We all ate well and relaxed much. Here are just a few pictures. I can't wait plan more camping trips next year with the fam.

2009-08-10T16:58:00.001-06:00

More camping!

2009-08-10T15:25:00.008-06:00

This past weekend we went camping at The Spruces in the Cottonwoods. It was nice spending time with all of Jeff's siblings and their families. Chloe and Jaycik where so dang adorable and just had the time of their lives. Us adults had a great time hangout around the fire, going on small hikes and even taking a nap in the camper! I just love love love camping with a trailer! Every time I go camping I am just reminded how great God is and how wonderful his creation is! I really feel blessed to be able to enjoy the beautiful mountains and wonderful memories with family and friends! I had so many pictures, I decided to make a slideshow out of it! Hope you enjoy :)

Summer Fun

2009-07-29T19:14:00.010-06:00

Brooklyn and Jacob Bradley and Olivia "Now this is Camping"

Like I said before, Jeff and I are not too exciting so I have to find things to blog about... Anyways this summer has been pretty fun and productive. First, Jeff and my dad completed the daunting task of getting our sprinkler system running. I am way stoked I don't have to spend my summer watering the lawn. Thanks Dad and Jeff! Next we decided to finally give in and get a truck so we can get a family camp trailer. (Thanks Mom!) We took our first camping trip out to Soapstone Basin with my Mom and Heather, Amanda and Richard with their kids, cousin AnnDrea and her family, along with some friends. It was a lot of fun and definetly a learning experience on how the whole camping with a trailer works. I am looking forward to many more camping trips in the future. We already have 2 more trips planned for the rest of the summer! Jeff is finally finished with his month long summer class that has consumed him the whole month of July. I am so proud of Jeff for going back to school to get his Master's degree on top of working full time and keeping up with all of my honey due's! Lastley, this summer has been just really enjoyable kicking back and enjoying life. (Although, I am looking forward to the better weather in fall.) It is crazy how life comes at you so fast when your an adult! Before you know it, the holidays will be here!

2009-07-13T13:06:00.001-06:00

2009-07-12T22:10:00.003-06:00

So as you all know, my mom's Surprise 50th Birthday did not turn out as exactly planned. The "surprise" was over after learning of my mom's aunt Pat's death. We had to take the unexpected long road trip to Missouri for her funeral the weekend we had planned the party. It was really great to have some quality girl time with my mom, sister Amanda and favorite cousin AnnDrea in the Prius.... We then continued with the party plans on the 4th of July. It wasn't the best turn out because of the holiday weekend, but it was still lots of fun. My mom had a great time and I appreciate all the hard work and planning everyone did. Special thanks to Katie who put together an awesome slide show of my mom's life! As soon as I get a copy I will post it. It's quite funny to see her "back in the day." There is no question my mom is greatly loved by all the people in her life! We love you mom and hope you had a great 50th birthday!

Our friends

2009-07-02T21:27:00.004-06:00

Our blog would not be complete without mentioning our two furry friends Ghandi and Simba! Jeff has had Ghandi for over 4 years and we adopted Simba last summer when he was just 1.5 years old. They are definitely part of our family and love to do our favorite past time with us, Nap. Yes Nap. We try to nap as often as we can with them. Jeff is a softy when it comes to his cats. I have never seen a man so in love with his animals! It's way cute, and they have actually grown on me!

Bathroom Project

2009-06-29T18:21:00.004-06:00

So like I said before, we love fixing up our house. This has been our latest project. We took our 80's bathroom from dull and dingy to modern and "spa" like. I absolutely love our bathroom now. Jeff has done such an amazing job. Home repairs are always way more work and money then you ever anticipate when you start a new project! I am so lucky that Jeff gets the whole summer off to complete my long "honey due" list.

2009-06-27T19:39:00.000-06:00

So I finally gave in and decided to start a blog about me and Jeff's life. We're not very interesting people but I want to do this blog so we can document all our memories together. Enjoy, and please give me any suggestions you have about this blogging thing!