This is my Grown Up Christmas List

World Peace
Fight World Hunger

Ok, lets get real, I am going to be selfish for a few mins and tell you all what I really want to own at some point in my life...

A really nice bed, with a frame, and a bedroom set to match.
Treadmill
Kitchenaid Mixer
Nice Pots and Pans
Knives that cut like they are supposed to
Food Storage to last a lifetime
A pool and Hot tub
My back yard to be landscaped
A sewing machine, and the knowledge of how to use it
A Taho (not the lake, the car)
My Degree
Um...that pretty much sums it up.

There is plenty of other things I want my kids and husband to have but for me...selfish me...I want these things...

Can you say SELFISH!

Well Done Ashleigh

Thank you Emily for this beautiful button. If you would like one click on the button on the right and copy and paste the URL.



We love and miss you Ashleigh!

Our new ADDITION!

...

Share!

I want my kid to learn to be nice and share. Kiddie play date anyone?

Kyra and Ryah at the Park

I got to watch my cute little niece and she was a peach. Ryah had so much fun playing with her at the park. If you don't believe me, just look at the pictures!
Look at those silly faces

She kisses everything
Peek-a-boo



Yee-haw!




She thinks she is so big and can climb up all by herself

Plane!Kyra thought she would work out like her Uncle Brian

My Website Pictures

I teach gymnastics out of my house and will create a website with pictures of my gymnastics class on my site. Would anyone be willing to take some pictures of the kids in my class in exchange for advertisement of your photography on my site? Let me know and we can discuss details and times. Maybe we can put a link to your website on my website in order to do some free advertisement for you as well. This would be a great opportunity to get your name known and you can put the pictures of my class on your site, in your gallery as well (which would also help me!)
These are the most recent pics we have. Blurry and not very good. As you can see, we desperately need someone! =)

Happy Birthday Kyra!

We went to Desert Ridge Park (I think that is what it is called) for Kyra's party and we had SUCH a blast. Ryah was ALL over the place and POOPED when we got home. Here are a couple of pics of the CUTE, sweet birthday girl on her FUN birthday!
Kyra opening presents with momma and daddy.
The cute little birthday girl. I can't believe she is ONE already!!!
Going in for the kill.

Clapping for herself because she ate some cake!


Ryah is OBSESSED with pushing any strollers around. This entertained her the WHOLE time we were there. Pace was nice enough to let her, and Kyra was big enough to keep up. She is such a big girl!
Ryah and Kyra eating pizza

And getting it all over her face! =) Of course!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KYRA!

Bath time

It was bath time at my house and Ryah had some company. We LOVE bath time at our house, and bath guests are the best guests for Ryah.

And then there were three

Do you love how the title of my posts have nothing to do with the content therein? This title means "Woah, three posts in one week!?!?"

Here are a few random pics I forgot to add in my last blog posts

This is how poor little Ryah looks when she has a 104 degree temperature. She was like this for a full day, just so cuddly and lovable. It almost makes me miss when she is sick but I am SO glad she is better.
This is what happens when you feed frozen blueberries a teething 1 year old! Haha, it was awesome! This picture doesn't even begin to capture the amount of MESS that was ALL OVER her
And THIS is my FAVORITE! Ryah LOVES baths and this captured how big of a FISH she really is!

Yet another update!

You are so lucky because I am updating my blog twice in one week! Wahoo! Ok, so I am a little over zealous and you probably could care less whether I updated or not, but I have some time and a computer so I figure why not! =)

Ryah has had some interesting things happen the last few days...
If you didnt see my facebook status...it said something like this..."

A trip to the Urgent Care, a sapository, a shot, and a 75 dollar co-pay later and she is finally asleep."

And all that has nothing to do with these cute pics.
Ryah is holding an ice pack to keep her burns cold. The glove is also part of this story
And so is the sock on her hand.
You intrigued yet? Here is the story...

Sunday Ryah decided to climb up on the stove by putting one foot on the drawer under the oven and both hands on the oven door handle and she pulled herself up so her head popped up just above the stove top. I was cooking on the stove top so it was bright orange. That seemed to intrigue her to the point where she felt she needed to touch the bright orange-ness. Everytime I tell her, "hot" she usually listens and stays away, but this time she put her hand right on top of it and she felt the "hot" that I was referring to. So,

She has A&D ointment on all four fingers, a band aid on each finger to keep the ointment on, a little mit to keep her from pulling the band aids off, and a wet sock to keep it cold. Is there a better remedy for burning fingertips on a bright orange burner, as hot as hot can be?

And that has nothing to do with the visit to urgent care...104 degree temperature is no good temp for a baby. She is much better now though, hand and head are doing fine!

I am here

Well, I am sort of begrudgingly updating my blog. I have somewhat avoided doing this partially because the last few months have been extremely busy and I just haven't had the chance, and partially because my sister Ashleigh is usually the only one, or one of the only ones that ever really reads and comments on it and she is not here to do that anymore, and that makes me sad. I probably still wouldn't be updating my blog if it weren't for my little girl. She was taken to the urgent care last night with a 104 degree temperature and is still feeling the effects of whatever is plaguing her body. She is crying, not wanting to be held, not wanting to be rocked, not wanting to do anything but fuss, cry, and be alone, so that is what she is doing; fussing, crying, and being alone. This doesn't permit much sleep on my part, hence the long overdue blog update...finally. There has been much going on in the last few months, from out of state visits to Utah, funerals, visiting with family, in state but hours from the valley visits to Brians moms and from Brians mom, more out of state visits to Disneyland for Halloween, working from home, working at the gym, sick baby, to sick momma, to baking, cooking, cleaning and much, much more. You name it, I have probably done it in the last few months. Some of it was fun, some of it was not, but still, some of it was very time consuming and tiring and I am ready for the holidays to come, because I love the season, I love the feeling of closeness, I love the feeling of everybody is happy, just for a little bit, all at the same time, whether they really want to be or not, this season doesn't really give them a choice but to be happy. I love watching the Christmas movies with my hubby, cuddling up with him, eating our dinner, drinking hot chocolate, and talking about how these movies make us closer everytime we watch them. I don't know why but I am missing Ashleigh today for some reason, more than usual, and just wanted to post a little thought about her so we can all think of her. I love you Ashleigh and really wish you were here to help me know how to help my sick, sleepless, baby because you were always there for those little times when I needed a little extra help or advice from someone who has gone through it herself, not only once, but four times. I love you sis.
Anyway, I don't really know what got me started on my pointless rambling but I guess that is what happens whey I dont update my blog for so long. Anyway, thanks for reading, sorry I jumped from subject to subject with no real destination, but that is kind of how my brain works at night...well always actually. It is a wonder I ever got any homework done.

Here's a few pics of Disneyland. I don't have many good ones because all the good ones were taken on a different camera. Beth, Janae, Carrie, I need to steal all your pics!

Ryahs first Disneyland ride. She had so much fun pulling the bar towards her to go "Up"
Wilma Flintstone and Pebbles dancing in the streets
Fred and Wilma
Max
Wild Thing
Dancing with Kyra, Beth the Witch, and Pace (Max from Where the Wild Things Are) and half the people at California Adventure.

Mickey Mouse (You know you just sang the song)


Don't let their unhappy expression fool you, I caught them off guard. They had a BLAST!
The Castle
Being stuck in a stroller all day would probably make you have a similar face!
Tried to get a good pic of both of us smiling, but Ryah happened to look away just at the right time! Crazy girl!
Ryah LOVED this ride. She would shoot the gun at the targets, and that "Spin" joystick you see there spun us in circles if you pulled it one way or the other, and Ryah sure did pull it every possible way!
Buz

"Hold You"

Let Me Hold You Longer

Written by Best-Selling Author (and mother of 6 children)

Karen Kingsbury

Illustrated by

Mary Collier

Long ago you came to me,

a miracle of firsts:

First smiles and teeth and baby steps,

a sunbeam on the burst.

But one day you will move away

and leave to me your past,

And I will be left thinking of

a lifetime of your lasts…

The last time that I held a bottle

to your baby lips.

The last time that I lifted you

and held you on my hip.

The last night when you woke up crying,

needing to be walked,

When last you crawled up with you blanket,

wanting to be rocked.

The last time when you ran to me,

still small enough to hold.

The last time that you said you’d marry

me when you grew old.

Precious, simple moments and

bright flashes from your past-

Would I have held on longer if

I’d known they were you last?

Our last adventure to the park,

your final midday nap,

The last time when you wore your favorite

faded baseball cap.

Your last few hours of kindergarten,

those last days of first grade,

Your last at bat in Little League,

last colored picture made.

I never said good-bye to all

your yesterdays long passed.

So what about tomorrow-

will I recognize your lasts?

The last time that you catch a frog

in that old backyard pond.

The last time that you run barefoot

across our fresh-cut lawn.

Silly, scattered images

will represent your past.

I keep on taking pictures,

never quite sure of your lasts…

The last time that I comb your hair

or stop a pillow fight.

The last time that I pray with you

and tuck you in at night.

The last time when we cuddle

with a book, just me and you.

The last time you jump in our bed

and sleep between us two.

The last piano lesson,

last vacation to the lake.

Your last few weeks of middle school,

last soccer goal you make.

I look ahead and dream of days

that haven’t come to pass.

But as I do, I sometimes miss

today’s sweet, precious lasts…

The last time that I help you with

a math or spelling test.

The last time when I shout that yes,

your room is still a mess.

The last time that you need me for

a ride from here to there.

The last time that you spend the night

with your old tattered bear.

My life keeps moving faster,

stealing precious days that pass.

I want to hold on longer-

want to recognize your lasts…

The last time that you need my help

with details of a dance.

The last time that you ask me for

advice about romance.

The last time that you talk to me

about your hopes and dreams.

The last time that you wear a jersey

for your high school team.

I’ve watched you grow and barely noticed

seasons as they pass.

If I could freeze the hands of time,

I’d hold on your lasts.

For come some bright fall morning,

you’ll be going far away.

College life will beckon

in a brilliant sort of way.

One last hug, on last good-bye,

one quick and hurried kiss.

One last time to understand

just how much you’ll be missed.

I’ll watch you leave and think how fast

our time together passed.

Let me hold on longer, God,

to every precious last.

With recent happenings in my life and in my family I realize the lasts are just as important if not more so than the firsts and we can never take anything for granted. Please please PLEASE remember how precious, short, and miraculous this life, and every given day, is. I can't imagine not having my little angel to hold one more time, or to kiss me, or to say sorry for throwing tantrums, or to bark like a dog when she hears a dog, or to help me move the chairs out of the kitchen so I can sweep, or to grab my finger to help her walk across the beam and jump on the trampoline, or to throw food on the floor so she can say "uh oh" and make me pick it up, just to do it again, or to dance with Pooh, who is bigger than she is, because she knows how it makes her feel when momma and daddy dance with her, or to make messes, or to help clean the appliances with a rag because she sees momma do it, or to walk around the house jabbering on her phone, laughing as though she is having a conversation with someone and they just said something funny, or to only cuddle with you when she is sick, which makes her being sick so much more bearable, or any of the other lasts that will happen in her life, along with all of her firsts.

I love you so much little Ryah and I hope that your daddy can see why I don't get everything in the house clean, dinner made, and laundry done somedays because I would rather take that time to spend playing, reading, dancing, laughing, with you, chasing you around the house, and cleaning up your messes, because that is what really makes me happy.

Thanks Stephanie for introducing this book to me. Everyone should have this book.

thirtyhandmadedays.blogspot.com

Amazing, adorable, awesome, modest, modern, stylish, cute dresses.

Go check it out!

From this...
To THIS...I need to find a happy medium.

Am I a horrible Mom?

Ryah has given us a few scares in the last couple of months, I just wanted to share a few with you...

That is just a sneak peak. Don't worry, she is ok! Haha! Brian was watching her while I was at work and she was just hanging out in her room playing. Well, Brian heard her fuss, just a little, not a cry, more like a, "Hey, I am stuck" fuss. Well, she was, but he didn't know. He thought she just wanted Brian to come get her, so he called out to her "come out here Ryah". She didn't say anything for a min or two, then a little louder she did the same sound. "Come out here Ryah" Brian said. When she didnt show up or make any other sounds, he got up and went to go find out what that silly little girl was doing...


Don't ask how she did this. She didn't start crying till she saw Brian. Poor girl just wanted a little help getting out of a sticky predicament! I LOVE THIS GIRL!!! HAHA

Some real scary things she has done though is she lOVES blueberries and grapes. Every once in a while she would get too many in her mouth and choke, not cough and gurgle, but get some lodged in her throat and not be able to breath in or out or cough. The only way I knew is because I was sitting right next to her and felt a little hand on my leg and looked over to see this look of TERROR on her poor pretty little face and it took 0.01 seconds for me to figure out she was choking and I stuck my finger down her throat and pushed it down further till she swallowed it all on her own. A little scary but we both survived!

Another time I went swimming with some friends in my friends back yard and Ryah was walking around the pool on the pool deck. She loves walking anywhere and everywhere. My friends little four year old boy dropped his floaty in the pool and was trying to reach it. I was in the pool and didn't want him to fall in so I pushed it over to him. I was watching little ryah walk around the pool and the second I took my eyes off her to push the noodle over to the boy (a process that took less than 1 second) she had slipped and fallen in and was face down in the pool. WATCH YOUR KIDS AROUND WATER!!! Luckilly I was anticipating her getting too close (and was originally planning on being right there if she DID decide to jump/fall in) but the second I took my eyes off her was the second she fell in. I was only about 2 seconds away from her and she was only under water for those two seconds, and I grabbed her, brought her above water, and gave her a hug, wiped the water from her face and nose, and she hugged me again and was just fine...walking around the pool on the pool deck once again. (Dont worry, this time I was right by her side).

Ryah has fallen on her face a few times, bled a few times, smashed her poor little pinkey till her nail died and fell off, and fallen off her share of high objects, but the one that probably scared us the mose is when she fell off the table. She is not a sit-still-er. A still sitter. A person that sits very still...at all...ever...and I had her on top of the table in the living room, (I moved the dining room table and chairs so I could sweep and mop the kitchen) and she was sitting in her little chair eating some lunch...cheese, grapes, something of that sort. Well, as I was sweeping, she had scooted herself backwards by pushing on her heels until she moved back, and further back, and further back, and right off the edge of the table. I promptly knew exactly what had happened and I dropped the broom and ran over to her. She cried of course but as soon as I picked her up, we danced and sang and I rubbed her poor back, (which later had a bruise from where it hit the back of the chair she was sitting in) and she was just fine after that.

Here are a few other fun Ryah moments...I LOVE YOU GIRL!

She loves playing Peek-a-boo, except I dont say peek-a-boo, I say...
"wheres Ryah..."

"THERE SHE IS"

This girl loves to put on cloethes and shoes...

She picked out these outfits all on her own

I told her to say cheese...she did! =) Love it!

Oops...

She loves jumping on the trampoline and playing on the beam (in the background) I have for my classes. She will be quite the gymnast

There is a video on facebook of her dancing with Pooh...she LOVES Pooh. I bought her this little Pooh, we lost it two days later. RIP Pooh! =(

I LOVE YOU GIRL!

Ryah is SO SMART

I wanted to put a few things in words before I forget.

Some things Ryah says:

Me=Grammy
Bompa=Grampa
Nunny=Bunny
Mom=Mom
Dad=Dad
Shoos=Shoes
MMMmm=Yum!
Whew-ee=Stinky
Beepee=Peepee (Haha)


Some animal sounds she makes:
Dog
Horse
Pig
Monkey/Gorilla
Snake
Duck
Bee
Cow
Coyote
Sheep

Some things Ryah signs:

More
Food
Please
Thank You
All done
Milk
Up
Down
Help (which is really just holding her hand out for me to grab and help her)
Night Night (really just blows kisses)
More food please or more milk please (she will do all three signs to make a sentence)

Funny things Ryah does:

Blows on her food.
Bites my toes to make me laugh
Raspberrys (blows on) her arm or hand to make the noise
Holds the phone up to the ear and blabs or laughs like she is talking to someone
Lays down on a pillow and snores (wonder where she got that from)
Picks up Pooh Bear (bigger than she is) and wrestles him
Pulls herself up (litterally does a pull up) on anything, but mostly the freezer and the oven handels
Smacks her lips when she likes something yummy
Dances
Bounces up and down and screams when she gets excited
Waves her hand in front of her nose and says "Whew-ee" when we aske if she is poopy
Grabs my finger so that I will follow her somewhere
Takes her dirty diaper and throws it in the trash
Plugs her nose when I say, plug your nose
Blows bubbles in the water
Plays peek-a-boo (puts her hands over her eyes, or mommas eyes, pulls them away, and says Eee shis...which means..."There she is")
Grunts when she picks heavy stuff
Copys when we coughs, laughs, and anything else she can say/do
Does things to scare herself so she can turn around and run (literally book it) to momma for hugs
Gives kisses willingly. If she sees someone crying or sad, she will walks up to that person and give kisses...to stuffed animals too
Gives knuckles and high-five
Points to her eyes, ears, nose, mouth, teeth, lips, chin, and everything else she knows
Goes to get her shoes out of her closet in her room when we say "you wanna go outide?"
Takes the keys out of the bowl on the table and tries to put them in the door
Blows kisses when we tell her night night
Waves bye bye
Knocks on the door
When we read a book, if she gets to a familiar page, she will mimick hand gestures or words
Says Amen and folds her arms
Wipes her nose with tissues or wipes
Picks everything off the floor and hands it to you (she learned that from daddy, he is a clean freak)
If she sees me wiping down the appliances or mopping the floor she will insist that she has a towel to do it herself
If she is holding a stuffed animal and I say "rock the baby" she will grab it with both arms and rock it back and forth
Bring a small ball to you and turn around and back up so she can sit down on it and bounce
Does tuck, pike, straddle
If I have her in the shower, she will stick her tongue out and try to catch water on it
If I say "roll" she will stands in front of me and puts her hands on the floor with her legs straight and butt in the air and her head on the floor and I have to help her do a sommersault.
She loves watching football with daddy
Wont sit still for nothing =)
Sticks her hands in the air when we say "touchdown"
EATS EVERYTHING...and a lot of it
Holds stuff up to her mouth and grunts because she likes the way it sounds
Changes the channel (or so she thinks, really just pushing buttons on the channel changer)
Loves her evening walks with momma and daddy
Pretends like she is lifting weights when she gets in the garage
When swimming, I will sing "ring around the rosies" and when we get to "all fall down" I will take her under water and she will blow bubbles out of her nose
Brushes mommas hair and puts on her make up (for pretend)
Pushes chairs across the floor because it makes a loud sound
Runs away screaming and laughing when we say "Im gonna get you!!!" (so cute)
Is SO tickleish
Loves sweets! =)
Knocks on the wall when we put her in her crib (this freaked us out the first time she did this because we had no idea she was awake and all the sudden we heard knocking and scared us to death)
Runs back and forth in her crib
Loves sleeping with all her stuffed animals all over her and her favorite, her bunny, on her face
Loves pointing to pictures of family and having me tell her who it is...if it is her, she will point to herself
Knocks on doors, rings door bells, turns on and off lights and anything else that turns off and on
When I get my nail polish out, she will take out a color out and pretend paint her toes
Helps clean up her room
Closes doors and drawers when I say close/open
Puts on her headband (usually ends up over her eyes)
Pulls EVERYTHING out of the cupboard (usually big bowls) and bangs on them like drums, or puts them on her head like a hat
Brings me books if she wants to read
Follows mom and dad around everywhere
Likes to wear glasses/sunglasses
If she spills, I will give her a rag and ask her to clean it up and she will
When I put her down for a nap, she will spend sometimes an hour in there just playing and talking and I go to peek my head in to see what she is doing and she will hurry and lay down again like she is sleeping so I don't see she is awake!
When I get her up in the morning she always has so much to say.
I ask her to go sit down in her chair so we can eat and she will take the tray off, sit down, and try to put the tray on, then she will sign food.
Drinks bath water (not very funny, actually kind of gross, but what can I do)
Hits her chest and howls like Tarzan
Puts on different shoes becasue she can't decide on which one to wear
Puts my phone in her shirt because thats what mommy does
Walks backwards towards a little can we have sitting on the floor until she feels it behind her legs and then sits down on it. Sometimes she will go grab a book and "read" it while on the can.
Get toilet paper off the holder and hand it to me and as I do my business she will wave her hand in front of her nose and say..."Whew wee" (stinky mom!

That is all I can think of right now. Here are some cute pics of the last few weeks


We got her some new Sunday shoes
This is the face I see when she gets into the cupboards and pulls everything out...you should see the mess she made
The "life sized" Pooh Bear she likes to wrestle with
We were hanging out at Grammys and she saw an aunt
A fathers love

Waiting at the Dr and reading her fav book, Goodnight MoonShe LOVES shoes. She couldn't decide on which shoe to wear so she wore both! =)
Hangin out with her friends, Calan and Pooh
Beautiful blue eyes
She likes to try on sunglasses and regular glasses...these are daddys glasses
She LOVES animals. I will take her on walks and she will make animal noises as we see them...dogs, horses, pigs, etc.

We LOVE this little smarty pants!

Help if you can

http://tracyfamilyfun.blogspot.com/

Hello everyone. Ashley and Jake are my cousins and they are such an uplifting couple to me and my family and I wanted to share something with all of you that will hopefully touch you as much as they have touched me.

If you visit their blog, you will get a little bit of information about their family but I want you to focus on little Ryan. There are a few links to the right of their blog that you can get a little more information about him but what I wanted you to read is below. It is also the most recent post on her blog.

Attention all friends and family! I know this is short notice but I have been working a lot lately on special ways we can honor Ryan on his birthday coming up and after talking with the Assistant Nurse Manager of the NICU at UWMC the past few days she said the best and most useful way would be to donate fleece baby blankets and preemie layette's. I have a special plan for embroidering four blankets to be given to families in need representing the four days we had with Ryan with a special word embroidered representing the four main precious things he taught us : hope, strength, love and courage! Each blanket will come with Ryan's story.

I thought I would let family and friends know that if they wanted to celebrate Ryan's birthday with us by honoring him and serving another family they could bring by (or mail us) a fleece baby blanket, they prefer fleece because it keeps the preemies warmer outside the incubator, or a preemie layette that families will be a able to choose from for their babies, to our home before August 17th (before noon). We will be at UWMC the 17th in the late afternoon for my OB appointment and will distribute these gifts to the NICU then to be distributed on August 21, 22, 23 and 24... the four days of Heaven we call them, the four days we had with him. SO we love this and think it's a great way to honor Ryan and help other families. Hope you do too. Thank you!! Let me know if you have any questions :)

She is such a sweet mom and Jake is a wonderful father. If you would like to help, let me know and I will send you her address.

Ashley, good luck with everything and I will send you what I can soon!

A few fun things we have been up to

I started my gymnastics class, if your kids aren't in them, they are missing out! =) We have so much fun, here we all are stretching.
This bottle was full before she decided to dump it all out.
I handed her a rag and told her to clean up her mess and she did. What a smarty pants!
Opening and closing doors, drawers, and anything else is her new favorite thing.


Ryah learned that if she pushes the button on my camera, the flash flashes, so she took a bunch of random pictures of random things. This was one of them...I just had to post it cause she is so darn cute! Another picture Ryah took. Not sure where she gets her stellar picture taking skills!
All day Ryah kept waiving to me. I had to get a picture of it.
More waiving while drinking her milk
Ready to go swimming, one of our favorite summer activities
I am the neighborhood nail painter...

We went to my cousins babys birthday party and her in laws have chickens, horses, and dogs. Ryah loved all of them...(until the chicken pecked her finger). Here are a few pics of the fun day.



Ryah got some new clothes from her great Aunt Janet. Here is one of my fav. shirts!
Summer so far has been fun. Can't wait to get out of the heat and go to Brians family reunion though.

Carpet Shampooer

Does anyone that lives close to me have a carpet shampooer? I know I can rent one from Frys but if someone has one then I won't have to go to Frys to rent one. Thanks!

Her new trick