Spencer and Jessica

Big Girl Bed

2012-01-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

Livy has been out of her crib now for 2 weeks! This is something I have been dreading for a few months now. We decided we wanted to move her to a bed well before the baby came but I thought she might be too young. She was such an amazing sleeper in her crib and I didn't want to mess with that. Finally, we decided to take the plunge!
We took her to IKEA and she picked out her new bed! When we first set it up, she climbed in and out of it about a million times. She thought it was really cool. When it actually came time to go to bed that night things got kind of rough. She is such a mover that she kept whacking her head and getting hurt so I folded her bumper in half and stuck it on the wall side of her bed. I think that has really helped smooth the transition, having something familiar from her crib and keeping her little head bruise free. For the first 4 or 5 nights, she needed help falling asleep and then she woke up 1-2 times in the middle of the night and we had to go in and get her back to sleep. But now, she puts herself to sleep and sleeps through the night again-hallelujah! She even still puts herself to sleep for her naps and sleeps for 1.5-3 hours! Love that girl!
She still sleeps on a pile of binkies. The nights I went in to lay with her during the transition, I got up with binkies stuck to my face and tangled in my hair. I don't know why she thinks that is comfortable...

One more big girl transition to cross of the list! Where did my baby go?? Now on to potty training and binky weening! Hmmm, maybe not for a while...

Grandpa's Hat

2012-01-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

We were up at my parents' house and Livy found my dad's hat and insisted on wearing it. She loved pulling it on and off and actually wore it for quite a while!

Mazda 5

2012-01-21T23:23:00.000-07:00

It's official! We're a van family! We got a cute little Mazda van in December. I LOVE it!

And Livy does too.

26 weeks!

2012-01-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

Well in case you haven't heard, we're having a boy! I was convinced it was a girl, so when the ultrasound tech said boy, I asked if she was sure it wasn't a foot or something. But alas, it was definitely a boy!! I was completely shocked at first and it took several days to sink in, but now I'm so excited and can't wait to meet the little guy! Spencer is beyond thrilled and Livy is just excited about anything involving babies.
I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone! Olivia is definitely keeping me busy and the time is flying by! I'm sure it will come to a crashing halt here soon as I continue to get bigger and more uncomfortable.
This pregnancy has been pretty different than Olivia's. I wasn't nearly as sick this time around. With Liv, I threw up multiple times a day everyday until about week 18. This time, I've only thrown up a handful of times and started feeling much better around week 14. I've been more tired this time around which I'm sure has something to do with having a busy toddler. But all in all, I feel really good and love feeling him kick! He's a mover for sure-much more active than Olivia was! Just for fun...
Current Cravings: coke, spinach, bananas, PB&J's, water, water, water-so thirsty!
Belly Button In or Out? In
Weight Gain: +6 lbs (I pack it all on starting in a few weeks...just you wait!)
Labor Signs: None
What I miss: shrimp, being able to hold a decent amount of pee before feeling like I have to go
What I'm looking forward to: pulling out the bouncy seat, swing, boppy, etc. and all things newborn

Christmas

2012-01-14T12:05:00.000-07:00

Christmas was a little different for me this year because I worked Christmas Eve and Christmas day. But we rolled with it and still found plenty of time to celebrate and spoil each other. A few days before Christmas, we did our little 'Christmas morning' at our house. Liv got some puzzles, books, legos, an Elmo backpack, and some treats in her stocking. I got some fun stuff for the kitchen, a re-usable water cup I've been wanting (pregnancy makes me constantly thirsty), and some books. Spence got a TV mount and a fleecy pullover.

On Christmas Eve, we went to the Slade party and had a delicious dinner and opened presents. We were spoiled as usual! Rob does a fun restaurant giftcard game where we all choose a card in an envelope and then have to try to find who chose it's match. If your spouse has the match, you get a bonus giftcard. Spence and I didn't match, but we both got exactly what we wanted! I got P.F. Chang's and Spence got Red Robin-both our faves! Livy got a McDonald's giftcard in the kid's game. We also got our cute jammie pants that Jennie made and lots of other fun stuff! We were certainly spoiled!

Unfortunately I had left my camera at my mom's and missed both our Christmas and the Slade Christmas. I was so mad! But here are some pics from the Armstrong Christmas. We woke up and had a delicious breakfast, as usual, and then opened presents. Liv got a dollhouse which was by far the biggest hit. She is still constantly playing with it!

After T and Liv had opened all their gifts, they went in the other room to play and after a while, they both wandered in with boxes of cereal and sat right down on my mom's lap to snack. It was so cute! We were cracking up that they both went and found a box of cereal and helped themselves.

We had a wonderful Christmas season this year full of family, friends, and good times.

Oceanside

2012-01-12T07:54:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful trip to southern California with the Slades right after Chrismas. We drove down and stopped in Vegas for a night on the way. I love Vegas! It was fun to watch Livy discover the wonder of the Strip...all the bright lights and wierdos-so much to see! We stayed at the MGM Grand.

We ate at the Rainforest Cafe which was a blast! It was the first time we've never had to entertain Liv during dinner at a restaurant. She was totally enthralled by the animals, water, and noises.

We left the next morning and finished the drive to Oceanside. We stayed at the Worldmark condos there. Here is Spence and Liv searching for seashells with Jennie.

We went to Sea World which was a ball! They have an entire Sesame Street area with rides, playgrounds, and things to see. The Ya-ya's (Liv and her cousin, M) LOVED it there! They even got to meet Elmo and Grover! It was so cute! They could barely stand waiting in line to get up there and hug them.

Livy rode her first theme park ride-Elmo's flying fish. From where I was standing, her face looked very serious the whole time, but Spencer said she was kicking her legs and having fun.

They also rode Oscar's Rocking Eel, which was a little more thrilling. Both ya-ya's were a little unsure of this one, but they made it through with their daddys by their sides!

We saw Blue Horizons, the dolphin show and sat in the splash zone. This was Spencer's favorite show. Boy did we get soaked. It was fun! I brought a change of clothes for Liv, but Spence and I were pretty chilly for the rest of the day. We also saw the Shamu show. Liv was so tired, she didn't make it through that one. It was amazing-definitely my favorite of the day!

We saw sharks, sea otters, penguins, and sea turtles...

Livy having some Uncle Shaun time...

Spence and I got to meet up with my friend Ali who lives in LA while we were there! We had lunch and caught up. It was fun to see her!!

Spence and Liv went swimming...

But we decided it was a little too cold to swim outside, so we went to the bathtub instead!

We went to dinner at Joe's Crab Shack on night. Livy was hoarding her drinks. She drank so much on this trip! We probably went through a gallon of juice plus plenty of milk and water too!

Grandpa gave her a lemon to try...

Livy's favorite thing to do in our condo was get in the kitchen cupboards. I kept losing her sippy cups and realized she had been putting them all down there!

We also hit the San Diego Zoo while we were there. Here's Liv scoping out the map...

Monkeys! By far, one of her favorite animals!

Elephants!

We had such a great time with the family. We played games, ate plenty of junk food, watched lots of movies, played on the beach, and had a fun time together. Thanks for a fun trip, everyone!

Grandpa Peterson's 85th Birthday

2012-01-09T07:11:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Peterson turned 85 in December so we had a big family lunch at their house to celebrate. It was fun to see family that we don't get to see often and wish Grandpa a happy birthday!

December Fun

2012-01-03T19:05:00.000-07:00

We did lots of fun things in preparation for Christmas this year!
I decided I wanted to make an "Countdown to Christmas" nativity this year. I used hot glue and felt and it worked like a charm! I never got a picture of the final product and now it's packed away in Christmas storage so...maybe next year! But here's Liv and I getting ready to start the project.

We went to Candlelight Christmas at This is the Place Park. This was our 3rd year going and it was my favorite year! We went on a much less crowded night so we didn't have to wait in line for anything. It was freezing though so we wrapped Livy up in a blankie and I thought she looked really cute :)

We rode the train, visited the elf village, made an icicle ornament, learned about the tradition of stockings, and put our names on Santa's 'Nice' list.

We also saw Father Christmas! Livy wasn't so sure about the whole thing, so she sat on my lap while I sat on Santa's lap.

We also went downtown and saw the lights at Temple Square. Always a fun night! We rode
Trax downtown and had a nice evening walking around and enjoying the decorations.

My cousin Shannon was in SLAC's children's play "How I Became a Pirate." We went and saw the show with my cousins and aunts. It was adorable and Shanny did a wonderful job! Livy was thrilled to have her picture taken with the kids after the show.

Happy Girl!

2011-11-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

This girl doesn't hold still for anything! But finally I got a picture of her cute smile! Too bad it's blurry...

Top Ten Movies

2011-11-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

Here are the top ten movies of Jessica's life, meaning I have watched them more than any other movies. In no particular order:

1. Steel Magnolias

2. Mean Girls

3. Stepmom

4. The Lion King (Olivia's fault)

5. The Devil Wears Prada

6. Father of the Bride

7. Billy Madison (thanks to TBS)

8. Ever After

9. You've Got Mail

10. The American President

Do we sense a theme? Yes, I'm a chick flick girl. What are your top flicks?

Halloween

2011-11-11T20:50:00.003-07:00

Here's the only decent pic I got of Liv in her Halloween costume. She's at that age where she never sits still, so all the pictures I have of her are either blurry or she's not smiling. But anywho, here she is as Elmo. We passed on the trick-or-treating this year and opted to stay home and pass out candy. Spence was at school so it was just us girls. Every time we got a knock on the door, Livy would gasp and run to see who was there. Once the kids took their candy and turned to leave, she followed them right out the door! She'll be a great trick-or-treater next year!
The Slade Halloween party was fun as usual! All the kids wore their costumes and looked cute as buttons!
We had dinner in a pumpkin, decorated sugar cookies, and got some goodies from Grandma and Grandpa! It was a fun night!

Outing to Ogden

2011-11-06T23:28:00.000-07:00

It is kind of a tradition in my family lately to have your picture taken with my Grandpa in front of the Dee's sign. Every Tuesday, Grandpa and Co. dine at Dee's for breakfast. They even have a regular waitress, Nan. I'm pretty sure everyone who has participated in this tradition has had their picture taken in front of the sign. Anywho, here's Lana, Heath and T, Grandpa, me and Liv, and mom after a delicious breakfast.

Livy and Lana waiting for Nan to bring their hotcakes.

That Lana is so silly.

After breakfast, we went to the Treehouse Children's Museum. We had never been before and it was a blast! I'm so sad we don't live closer! Livy and T had a total ball running back and forth across this bridge. We literally had to drag them both off of it!

The train room and fake horses were also really fun! We will definitely be going back to the Treehouse!

Spencer the Student

2011-11-04T12:24:00.000-06:00

I came home one day during one of Spencer's study sessions to find the boys had carried the kitchen table into the living room in front of the TV to watch the Utes game.

That husband of mine...what a problem solver. Love him. And Kevano too.

Trick or Treat??

2011-10-31T21:08:00.002-06:00

A Treat!

Coming April 2012!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Party

2011-10-28T14:51:00.000-06:00

We had a really fun Halloween Party this year. We had spaghetti and apple crisp, carved pumpkins, and decorated sugar cookies.

Here we have a little dragon, Jordan Wynn, a spooky witch, Dorothy, and Elmo.

Carving pumpkins...we've got some real talent in our family :)

The final products.

We're all ready for Halloween now! Can't wait for the big night!

Gardner Village

2011-10-24T08:12:00.000-06:00

We went with Mom, Jed, Heath, and T to see the witches at Gardner Village. I think the adults had more fun than the kids! If you haven't been to Gardner Village in October, go! It's a must!

Liv loved the witch's chickens. She "bok bok-ed" at them for quite a while.

This witch's fingers were of particular interest.

She was too busy staring at the horses to look at the camera...cute little pumpkin!

It was fun to have Spence join us this year! Good times!

CIMM Halloween Party

2011-10-21T03:30:00.001-06:00

My lab Halloween Party was a blast this year! The kids were all adorable. Here's Liv with Stockton-how adorable is his little costume!??! He is the cutest little nugget, I swear.
Kehl and Claire were also equally as adorable. Kehl was all dressed up too-so handsome!

Mummy pigs in a blanket! Cutest food award goes to Lu!

We played a game where you dig through a garbage bag of newspapers to find candy bars. When the game was over, we dumped all the newspaper out and the kids had a ball playing in it. Pretty sure Liv was in heaven. She would run through the pile and fall to her knees to slide through it.

It was a great night! Thanks co-workers and their spouses!

Canning

2011-10-18T22:11:00.001-06:00

I've never canned/preserved/jellied/jammed/juiced before, so I jumped and the chance to learn from my mom-in-law who is a long time veteran of everything that goes in a jar. Spencer's Grandma and Grandpa have an amazing garden and grow grapes, raspberries, tomatoes, and lots of other stuff. We went out and harvested the fruit and brought it in to can it! It was really fun. We made grape juice, grape jelly, canned tomatoes, and raspberry jam. It was actually really fun and neat to use stuff that was grown right outside the door! Spencer joined in and ended up really liking it! Here he is steaming grapes to get juice.

Spence and Jennie

The grape juice! We're excited to try all of the things we made!

The Lion King

2011-10-15T09:32:00.001-06:00

If you've been to our house lately, you have probably watched the Lion King. Why, you ask? Oh, because it is playing on our TV 10 of the 12 waking hours of the day. Well, maybe not quite that much, but you get the idea, right? Since Livy saw it for the first time, she's been hooked! All we had was a really old VHS copy of it, so we were thrilled when Disney re-released it! I took Liv to go see it on the big screen and she LOVED it! When we walked in the theater lobby, she ran directly to the poster and was glued to it!

She had to give it "loves."

And then she sat down on the floor to admire it for a while.

I had to pick her up from this spot to actually go into the theater to see it. When "The Circle of Life" came on, she hopped off my lap and started dancing and laughing! It was so fun to watch her during the movie. She loved every minute of it.

Grammy Time

2011-10-11T06:00:00.000-06:00

Livy loves being at my parents' house. When she's not climbing the stairs, playing with Gracie the dog, or going through my mom's jewelry, she enjoys....

Baking with Grammy

Playing with piles of beanie babies

and riding in the baby doll stroller

Needless to say, Grammy's house is one of her favorite places!

Tupperware

2011-10-08T09:10:00.000-06:00

Just like her mama, this girl is crazy about Tupperware.

Compare

2011-10-01T21:01:00.000-06:00

This was Livy at her 4 month check up.

And here she was at her 15 month check up. (She refused to lay on her tummy.)

I love her expression in this picture...kinda ticked off that I'm making her sit still for a picture when all she really wants is to show off her belly button.

Where did that beensy baby go???

Bear Lake

2011-09-27T10:46:00.000-06:00

Over Labor Day weekend, we went to Bear Lake with almost all of the Slade crew. It was fun to have everyone together. It was a little chilly, but it warmed up enough in the afternoons to be able to get in the water. We had a great time and the ATVs, swimming, playing with the kids, and just hanging out.

I thought this was funny-this is all of the bread we went through in 2.5 days!

Here are all of the kids before Keirra and Sophie took them snipe hunting. So funny to watch! They totally bought it.

Livy Boo playing on the beach.

Whenever Grandma was holding baby Cole, Livy HAD to be on her lap as well. It looks like she's the jealous type!

We got an awesome group shot the morning everyone left.

The Greek Festival

2011-09-20T20:37:00.000-06:00

We stood in line for over an hour, but it was totally worth it. Gyros, souvlaki, pilafi, loukoumades, kalamata olives, and the feta...ah the feta! So worth every minute spent in line. Steep and Dan...and Lisa...
were my buddies for the night. Spencer refuses to go "just to stand in line forever to get overpriced food." So he got to babysit! For me, Greek Festival=Beginning of Fall. Yummmm...already dreaming about next year.

Utah State Fair

2011-09-16T14:24:00.000-06:00

Took a ride on the carousel...

Got friendly with the goats...

Gawked at the sheep...

LOVED all the animals...

Gardening

2011-09-13T12:24:00.000-06:00

We've spent many evenings out in the yard this summer. Liv's favorite thing to do is get wet! Whenever the hose is on, she's there. This usually results in us stripping her down to naked or almost naked. She loves it! I got some shots of her helping Spence do some gardening.

So Sleepy!

2011-09-10T20:20:00.002-06:00

Liv is a very light sleeper, so I was shocked when I lifted her asleep out of her carseat and she didn't even budge! Cute girl!

Cherry Hill

2011-08-21T08:15:00.000-06:00

We went camping at Cherry Hill with the Slades! It was a total blast! Rob and Jennie brought their trailer and the rest of us set up tents. It was a nice campground and we had a blast playing together in the "wa-wa," as Livy would say.

Mikayla and Liv in the trailer

Hanging out!

Liv crashed after a long day swimming and playing hard! I was a little nervous about her sleeping in a tent without all her normal stuff, but she did great!

She loved mashing her face up against the side of the tent, silly girl!

Unfortunately I never got any pics of us in the water! We had a ball though!

First Ice Cream Cone!

2011-08-18T14:00:00.000-06:00

I think she liked it!

Camp Wyatt

2011-08-16T12:05:00.006-06:00

Back in July (I'm so behind in blogging!) we all went up to Camp Wyatt for the week! Spencer is in charge of planning and putting on the camp for his job at the Lung Association. We have been involved for several years, first as volunteers and now as Spencer's job! Camp Wyatt is a week-long sleep away camp for asthmatic kids between 8-14 years old. It is always a really fun and busy week and this year was no exception! We had a game show theme and based our activities off of different game/reality shows! We did Minute to Win It, The Price is Right, Fear Factor, Myth Busters, American Idol, Wipeout, and others that I can' think of at the moment.

Here we are at the registration table.

Livy was in heaven being able to spend the entire day outdoors. One of her favorite places was the front steps of the lodge. The bottom step was the perfect size for her to sit on. She loved it plopping down, then hopping up to make a circle, then sitting back down.
Reptile Rescue came and Livy got to see and touch some pretty cool creatures!

Lady and me at one of the breakfasts.

The amazing kitchen crew!!

Spencer in the dunk tank at the carnival. The water was FREEZING so every time he got dunked, he would cling to the sides of the tank!

4th of July

2011-07-06T08:39:00.008-06:00

We had a really fun 4th of July. It started out at Cherry Days in North Ogden with my family. We went to the parade then back to Grandpa's for a picnic.

Every year Shanny makes a festive jello and chooses people to be in a picture with it. Livy was one of the lucky winners this year. I knew the cute outfit would do the trick! :)

Livy loved getting drinks from (and playing in!) Grandpa's well.

We spent the evening with Spence's family. We had pizza and the kids played on the trampoline. Livy LOVES to jump with Jaden. She laughs and smiles the whole time!

When it got dark, we watched the boys light fireworks. Liv was so sleepy but she enjoyed watching and clapping for the fireworks.

We had a great day!

Olivia and Mikayla Adventures

2011-07-02T20:42:00.008-06:00

These two little crazies have been having lots of fun together.

They LOVE the pool in the back yard.

Mikayla peed her pants when she saw the binkies in Olivia's crib. Now every time she comes over, she runs into Livy's room and screeches with excitement. She had to climb into the crib one day after Liv's nap to check things out.

Out and About

2011-06-27T12:17:00.008-06:00

Hogle Zoo

We went to the zoo with T on his birthday. This was Livy's first trip to the zoo and she like seeing the birds, the giraffes, and the monkeys.

The dads and kids waiting for the train

We loved the dinosaurs. Liv has been "raaaaaar"ing ever since.

Happy 2nd Bday, T!

ARUP Lagoon Day

We quickly realized that there are only 2 rides you can go on with a 1-year-old at Lagoon. Luckily we met up with one of my co-workers who has a little girl a few months older than Liv so we could hang out.

Races

2011-06-27T11:06:00.006-06:00

The first weekend in June started race season at our house. First, I ran the Fight For Air Lung 10K. Jed, Heath, and T did the 5K and Lisa and Kati did the Half Marathon. Lisa and Kati passed me just in time for Kati to push the stroller up the knarly hills. Love you, Kati.

The next weekend, Spence and I ran the Bear Lake Half Marathon. The first 6 miles were great. After that...not so great. I lost my momentum but Spencer, being the dear husband he is, stuck with me and encouraged til we crossed the finish line together. I didn't take any pics...oops!

And to round out the month, Spence ran the Ragnar for the 3rd time. I don't have any pics from this one either, but I hope Lisa or Kati will post some pics sometime soon :)

My Baby Musts

2011-06-10T10:47:00.000-06:00

Now that Liv is a big, old one-year old, I thought I would make a list of the things that made my first year of motherhood a whole lot easier.

1. The Bumbo

Liv LOVED sitting in her bumbo from about 3.5 months on, until her thighs were too chubby to fit into the leg slots. She loved being upright and I loved how content she was to sit up and look around/play with toys while I made dinner, folded clothes, ate, or did anything else that required 2 hands. When she started eating solids, this was her highchair. It's made from this plastic/foamy material, so it's wipeable and pretty much indestructable. We will definitely be pulling this baby out again for #2.

2. OxiClean. Since she came out of the womb spitting up and didn't stop til about 8 months old (well I guess she's never completely stopped, but there was a drastic decrease around then), we've gone through many, many tubs of powder OxiClean and several bottles of the spray kind too. Especially when Liv started on solids and her spit up became very colorful, OxiClean saved many cute outfits from a carroty death.

3. MAM Pacifiers. She sleeps surrounded by them. I'm convinced this is what helped her sleep train so well. She always has a binkie within arm's reach. It has become a security blanket for her. Even on our trips, as long as she has her army of binkies, she sleeps pretty well.

4. Sound Machine. The girl loves to sleep to white noise. I resisted at first because I didn't want her to be reliant on anything to sleep, but after a while, I decided if it helps her sleep=worth it! And bonus-we don't have to tip toe around while she sleeps!

5. Plum Organic's Fruit Mish Mash.

These are little bags of baby food. They come in all kinds, but Livy particulary loves the Strawberry Mish Mash. They are perfect for vacations, outings, snacks, or car treats. She can hold them (she's only squeezed it all over herself once) and sucks the yumminess out. I love them because its a healthy snack that she loves and it is super convenient for me!

6. Carseat mirror. Pretty basic-just a mirror that attached to the headrest in the backseat. For the first 4-5 months of life, the car was a painful experience. This made car rides much more bearable. She loved looking at herself and it was awesome for us to be able to see her in the rearview.

7. Board books. When she was tiny, she would lay on a blanket with books surrounding her. She loved looking at the pictures. Now, she loves flipping through her books and being read to. She rips paper pages to shreds, so I'm glad that board books are a bit more sturdy.

8. Elmo. That furry red muppet mezmerizes my baby. The minute she hears his song, she stops whatever she's doing and starts to dance. When I need a minute to get dinner on or pick up the house, we pop in Elmo in Grouchland and Voila! Instant half hour of entertainment.

9. Grandmas and Grandpas. I never would have lasted without our parents. We are lucky that Livy's grandparents live close and they have been a tremendous help not only in watching the little nugget for us but in giving advice and support. I know some people are bugged when people give them advice about their kids, but I appreciate fresh ideas and different perspectives. Thank you, thank you!

What are/were your baby must haves?

Washington DC and NYC

2011-05-24T09:51:00.017-06:00

Spencer's cousin, Aaron, was getting married in DC so we decided to make a trip out of it! Livy earned her first set of wings on our flight out there.I had never been to DC before, so we immediately set out to see the sights.

The Washington Monument:The Lincoln Memorial: The Pentagon: Spencer's uncle is a Colonel and works at the Pentagon, so we got a private tour-so cool! I didn't realize how big it is! We even walked past the Secretary of Defense's office.

Here is the group of us that went. Spencer's parents, us, Uncle Rick and Aunt Marlene, and Aunt Kathy and Uncle Rod.

Here is Liv waiting outside the temple for the happy couple to emerge.

Here they are! Aaron and Vanessa! The beautiful Washington DC temple:

As long as we went as far as DC, we decided to swing through NY to see Rach and her fam. We took the train early on Mother's Day so we could spend a few days with them.

Livy went on her first carousel ride in Bryant Park. She giggled and waved the whole time.

The Museum of Natural History:

Spence like the blue whale, Livy liked the monkeys, and I liked the live butterfly exhibit.

On the playground:

She absolutely loved going down the slide with Eli and playing in the sandbox. We had a really fun trip. I really enjoyed my first time to DC...a very fun city with tons to do! I would love to go back. I feel like we barely scratched the surface!

Olivia's First Birthday

2011-05-21T20:19:00.016-06:00

My little Liv bug has turned one! I can't believe it. What an amazing year it has been!

What better to do than get all dressed up and have a party?It was "the ultimate suburban birthday party" according to Spence...a classic backyard BBQ. We had a delicious spread of food.Cute kids on the swing.Livy's new godparents, Steep and Dan.Livy LOVED her cake. I wasn't surprised, she'd eat worms if they were on her plate.

The party theme was colors.

She got so many wonderful gifts. Lots of adorable clothes, fun toys, and cute new books.

(She wasn't thrilled to have to sit still for a picture)All of the Slade cousins that were there.

Livy's rainbow cake.

Thanks to everyone who came! I had a really fun time, as did Liv.

At one, Livy:

1. Loves walking (with help, but she's so close to going on her own)

2. Will eat anything and everything

3. Sings the tune of the first line of "Rock-a-bye"

4. Loves all things Elmo

5. Says "uh-oh"

6. Signs more and all done

7. Sleeps through the night from 8pm-8am, bless her

8. Knows what a doggie and kitty says

9. Has no intention of giving up her bottle

10. Loves bathtime

11. Has a little baby mullet

12. Is the cutest, smartest, sweetest, most wonderful daughter in the world

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

2011-05-04T23:00:00.012-06:00

If you are ever in northwest Washington in April, the tulips in Mt. Vernon are a MUST see! Dan recommended that we drive up there during our trip and I'm so glad we did. When you get off the freeway exit for Mt. Vernon, you drive into town and there are road signs that say "Tulip Route" with arrows that lead you past all of the tulip fields. We drove past the most amazing vibrant colored tulips. If you want to see some really amazing pictures, google it and look at the images. These are the snaps that we took while we were there...

Seattle

2011-04-30T11:31:00.012-06:00

We just got back from a fun trip to Seattle! It was Spencer's "yay!-I-graduated!" trip. We had tons of fun visiting Pike Place... Liv was fascinated with the fish.
We toured the old Underground city... Took a duck tour...

Visited the Freemont Troll...

And we saw the Ballard locks and fish ladder, hung out with Dan and his really nice friends, and went to the Mt. Vernon tulip festival (which gets a post all to itself becuase it was so BEAUTIFUL!)

And our plane ride out there was wonderful because we sat in the bulkhead seats AND had a spare seat next to us, so Liv got to sit all by herself! She is a great little plane traveler! Ate snacks, played, and slept!

Stay tuned for the tulip festival pics. I promise you won't be disappointed!

Easter

2011-04-24T10:36:00.007-06:00

Spencer and my bunny baskets full of yummy treats!
Here is Livy looking through her basket. She got sippy cups, those little baby crunchies that she loves, and eggs full of Cheerios!
She couldn't wait to break into her eggs and have a snack. (Sorry for the wierd black fuzz in the pic...it must have been on the camera lens. Definitely bad placement...) We dyed eggs too! Liv was more interested in opening cupboards than dying eggs.

Happy Easter! Bring on the springtime!

My Husband, the Master

2011-04-22T20:57:00.003-06:00

Congrats to Spence for all of his hard work!

Things I Like Right Now

2011-03-29T15:05:00.007-06:00

1. I got 5 sq. feet of my living room back! Liv has finally outgrown the jumper. She's into much more mobile things now.

2. Wandering the long, tall isles at Costco. We just got a membership and I heart it. Now if only I had more freezer space... 3. MC's Chicken Pot Pie. We have a love/hate relationship and right now I'm in love.

4. Hanna Andersson sleepers for Liv. Adorable!! Word to the wise-they run small. Liv is wearing her 18-24 month jammies.5. Sunkist fruit snacks have the perfect flavor and consistency. Not too chewy or gummy-just perfect!

Anything I'm missing?

Stuff

2011-03-25T20:18:00.011-06:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately. Spencer is in Global Macroeconomics and is working on homework, projects, and papers 23/7 so my computer time has been scarce, if not non-existant. But he's watching basketball-madness-something-or-other right now so I'm stealing it for a minute. Ps so sick of basketball changing all of my regular viewing schedules.

Here's my baby with her gorgeous baby blues.

The first thing Liv does when she gets in her walker is go over to the recycle bin in the kitchen. She loves cereal boxes or anything big that she can grab, but her all time fave is plastic bags (eek I know.) But sometimes you've got to get dinner going, so you let her shake the plastic bag to keep her entertained. (She was under my close watchful eye the whole time.)

Standing is the new favorite. She LOVES walking around (with our help, of course). The minute she gets on her feet, her face lights up with a big smile and she is so proud of herself. If my back could handle it, we would be walking around all day long! Thanks to Mikayla for letting us borrow her walker!!

Here is little goobey with her dinner all over her face (turkey and sweet potatoes, I think) and drool down her chest.

Peek-a-boo is also a favorite these days. Her favorite part is having something over her face. She cracks up!

I'm also loving the warmer days. Getting out has been so nice after being inside all winter!

Other than that, I'm still working and part-time mothering & Spence is still working and schooling. Livy loves spending a few days with Grandma Coco and Grandpa Rob and is quite impressive with her pat-a-cake skills, though she's still perfecting her "roll it".

A few random remarks:

1. We're way into Modern Family (i know, i know....johnny come latelys).

2. Excited to plant the garden...peas, basil, tomatoes, and cukes are my picks for this year...maybe pumpkin??

3. Reading Chronicles of Narnia. Loving it. I'm going to try to read more of the classics. I realized how few of them I've read.

4. I can't wait for Spencer's semester to be over. School is taking up every spare minute this semester!

5. Went to Zumba for the first time this week with Steep and Lady. Wow...it was crazy fun and a good work out. I looked like an idiot though. I have zero coordination for the arm movements. I'm glad we went in with a "no judgement" pact.

Sleepy Livy

2011-03-10T07:34:00.004-07:00

This is how I found the Livster this morning. Yes, she was still breathing. She sleeps with scores of binkies around her face. It's like her security blanket. When I lay her in her crib asleep, subconsciously she spits out whatever binkie is in her mouth and reaches for another.
When we pick her up in the morning, there are always binkies stuck to her neck and the side of her face.

Storytime

2011-02-27T20:10:00.002-07:00

Livy LOVES reading stories. She has learned how to turn the pages and loves poking the pictures. I love it too cause she'll snuggle with me in the rocking chair and read.

Shoot for the Moon

2011-02-08T10:37:00.003-07:00

In an effort to be more on my game, here are some things I'm trying:

I'm making a list of things that need to be done around the house. I'm going to divide them up into little 15-30 minute tasks and do one or two (or more) everyday depending on how much spare time I have. Hopefully that will lead to a tidier house without the burden of cleaning it all at once.

Spence and I have decided not to spend money on eating out during the month of February. We're trying to beef up our savings so we are trimming the fat. I never realized how much I depend on eating out on Friday nights. When I get home from work I don't feel like cooking, Spence doesn't either, and Livy isn't tall enough. It's just so easy to run out and grab something then relax the rest of the night. On the upside, I have had fun looking for new recipes and writing down a list of all the dinners we like. I've menu-ed out the month of February.

I'm going to try to prep as much of each day's dinner as possible while Livy naps. That way, it will be ready/almost ready when Spence gets home.

Just call me Holly Housewife!

Any other tips on keeping your house tidy or meal planning? Please share!

The Story of the RSV

2011-02-01T10:22:00.002-07:00

Last Sunday, there were some kids in my primary class whose siblings had RSV/they were later diagnosed with RSV. It just so happens that I brought Olivia with me to primary that day not knowing of the RSV epidemic in our ward.
She started acting off on Tuesday. Wednesday she started sneezing and sniffling. Thursday, I took her to the doc and they tested her for RSV-of course the results came back positive. By Friday, she was coughing, feverish, and all together unhappy. Friday night was terrible. She didn't sleep longer than about 15-20 minutes at a time before she would wake up coughing/stuffy/uncomfortable. I ended up holding her most of the night. Saturday morning we took her temperature and it was 102.8! Yikes! Poor baby was so lethargic, congested, and sad.
Because of her fever, I called the doc and we took her in again. Guess what? She had an ear infection! So we got a rx for amoxicillin. She seemed a little perkier that night and slept MUCH better. Everyday since, she has improved. Her energy is coming back, she's breathing better, and she's stopped pulling on her ears! She still has a wet, chesty cough but other than that, she seems back to her old self!

RSV

2011-01-29T13:09:00.002-07:00

the worst 3 letters in the alphabet.

At our house, we spell it M-I-S-E-R-A-B-L-E

Life Is Good

2011-01-23T19:16:00.005-07:00

Item 1: Livy had a fun playdate with Clara and Sam last week. Liv and Clara had fun grabbing toys from each other and Sam took a nice nap in his swing. I hadn't seen Angela or Becca in quite a while...it was fun to meet their babies and catch up! Item 2: We had dinner with the Alvey's the other night and were priviledged to see their worms. They raise worms in a Rubbermaid for worm tea. Very interesting. They showed us some of their plants that they have grown with tea...what an amazing difference from plants grown in regular dirt. Here is Clayton with a handful of worms.

Item 3: I have the happiest baby! She has been so bubbly lately and I'm loving it!

Item 4: My goals for 2011 are: a) keep my house more organized, b) lose the baby weight, c) focus on what matters, d) be a better friend

Item 5: One of my besties is in the beginning of a relationship and I am so excited about it! I love hearing her "beginning of the relationship twitterpations" and living vicariously through them. It is reminding me of the start of Spencer and my relationship. There is nothing like the beginning...but time only makes things better.

Bleh

2011-01-10T20:53:00.002-07:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately. I've been out of the mood. I'd much rather play with this lovebug...

She's almost 8 months old and she gets more fun everyday. She loves:

sitting up and playing with her toys (her dog, Violet, in particular)
smiling at strangers
clapping and waving
splashing in the bath and trying to grab the water as it comes out of the faucet
going for (short) rides in the car
sitting up in the grocery cart
jumping up and down in her jumper
running her hands through her spit up
chewing on her brush
arching her back when she's laying down (I think she might be figuring out how to scootch)
eating anything and everything...especially what mommy eats...

Speaking of which...any of you moms out there-what feeding schedules did you have your 8-month-olds on? How much formula/milk, baby food, table food??

I'm too lazy to go back and blog about all of the holidays...for now at least. They were good. Christmas Eve with Spencer's fam, Christmas day with my fam, New Years with friends. We had a wonderful time with loved ones. Maybe I'll post some pics later this week.

Candlelight Christmas

2010-12-21T10:15:00.007-07:00

We went to This Is the Place park last night for Candlelight Christmas. If you haven't been...definitely put it on your holiday to do list! Spencer sang in the caroling group a few years ago and that's how we found out about it. It has definitely gotten more popular in the last few years...it was packed last night! What they do is set up all of the buildings with a different Christmas activity like making ornaments, using the old printing press to make a Christmas picture, seeing Santa, dancing, etc. It is fun to walk around and get into the Christmas spirit. It is definitely geared towards kids, but we had fun too! There was a manger scene set up with real sheep wandering around. Livy LOVED the sheep! Spence put her right down by them and she was cracking up!

We made icicle ornaments...woo Lena and Lady! Nik was so nice to hold Liv while we made our ornaments. She had a ball!And...Liv got her first Christmas present yesterday from Auntie Lisa. She loved crinkling the paper and chewing on the ribbon! Thanks lady...she loves her new keys and I'm excited about her outfit!

Pajama Party

2010-12-18T09:09:00.002-07:00

Tman came over for a fun play date this morning. Liv had a blast playing with her cousin. She loves watching him play and is facsinated that he knows what to do with all of her toys! Livy has been so interested in feet lately. She grabbed T's and it looks like it tickled!

These are a few of her favorite things...

2010-12-06T15:04:00.009-07:00

My parents have a slinky that is wadded up in some Mardi Gras beads. Who knew this would be one of Livy's favorite things at Grandma and Grandpa's house? She is loving the Christmas tree. Sparkly lights, prickly needles, shiny ornaments...what more could a girl ask for?

She LOVES sitting in the laundry basket. She sticks her hands through the holes and chews on the edges.We have a basket of stuff that sits next to the rocking chair that holds random items. One of Livy's daily activities includes sitting in the recliner and chewing on each item as she empties the basket.

All done!

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend!

2010-11-27T14:38:00.010-07:00

We spent Thanksgiving this year with the Slades. I worked that morning while Spence and Livy stayed home and prepped our dinner contributions. Then we headed over to the parentals to hang out. Here's Liv kickin it with Mercedes. Mikayla learned how to give "loves" and was showing Livy some cousin love. It was so cute!

We had a delicious dinner, thanks to Rob and Jennie, of all the Thanksgiving classics. I only wish I could have fit more food in my belly!
Black Friday was awesome! This was my first year waking up super early to face the crowds. I wasn't sure I was going to go, but Livy has been sick and waking up alot during the night. At 3am, I figured, "I'm up...why not head out and see the crazies?" My first stop was Target. I got there just before 4am when they opened. It was completely nuts! I had to park in a neighboring parking lot. When I got up to the door, the line wound around the perimeter of the parking lot and all the way past the neighboring stores! They started letting people in so I just stood there and figured I'd go in when the line was over, but then they opened the door at the opposite end of the store! Boo yeah for not going to the back of the line. I actually ended up finding everything I went for! I learned a few things for next year:
1. Don't get a cart. You will be a sitting duck.
2. Go with a parter so one of you can stand in line while the other collects items. And then, the line-stander can keep a cart to collect everything without having to weave the cart through the store.
3. Don't get there to wait in line for hours before the store opens. Sooo not worth it.

I also hit Old Navy and JoAnn's. JoAnn's was also wild. I got there right as they opened too. There were people there with 3+ carts full of bolts of fabric! We did this one stretegically. Jennie, Katie, and Keirra hit the Sugarhouse location and I went to the Redwood store. They found the fabric they wanted and sent me a pic. I searched the store and found 3 more bolts! We divided and conquered.
Anyway, my first Black Friday experience was awesome. I'm definitely going again next year!
We decorated the house for Christmas (after taking down the Halloween decor...eek!). Here we are picking out our Christmas tree.
And today, we are cheering on the Utes! There was a Red and Blue breakfast for the ward this morning. I was in charge of milk, so I dyed it red :) It was a hit. The second counselor in our Stake Presidency came with a black eye. On his cheek, he wrote, "Max Hall hit me!" Way to put a funny spin on a nasty black eye!
Here's Liv enjoying the game in front of the tree. (We are going to buy ornaments this evening.)
The night before Thanksgiving we made egg rolls and cream cheese wontons. I'm only blogging this because I'm really proud we fried something. I always shy away from recipes that involve deep frying things because I have a fear of spattering oil. But it wasn't nearly as bad as I always imagined it would be. It was actually kinda fun...and delicious! Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone had a great holiday with people they love!

2010-11-23T17:50:00.003-07:00

Livy loves her Great Aunt Lana.She's one great aunt.

2010-11-15T17:09:00.004-07:00

Somebody is excited...that our new pantry is finished!We LOVE having the extra space! Thanks, Grandpa Rob!

Saturday

2010-11-13T15:42:00.003-07:00

I'm doing my weekly boiling of binkies and bottle nipples. Well, my goal is to boil them weekly, but it's more like bi-monthly. It makes the house really humid. Ick.
Baby and Hubby are napping. Quiet house all to myself=rare and wonderful
I bought a gift card for $71.25 at WalMart today. The ward was collecting for a baby present for a girl I VT and I was in charge of buying the gift. This is her second daughter and told me she would much rather have the money in spendable form at WalMart than in gift form...so a $71.25 gift card is what she gets!
I want to make "keep quiet" activity books for my nieces and nephews for Christmas. You know, the ones where you lace the shoe, velcro the flowers on the stems, etc. Any one have patterns/ideas? Have you made one before? (Thanks for the idea, Krista! PS-your blog seems to have disappeared??)
I'm in charge of bringing a gallon of milk to our ward red and blue breakfast the morning of the BYU/Utah game. Is it acceptable for me to dye the milk red?
Rob and Spence are going to put the shelves up in our new pantry tonight! I'm so excited! Almost done!
Livy is almost completely weened to formula. I'm trying out a bunch of different kinds of formulas (brands and types) to see if any of them help her spit up problem. I've tried the regular and A.R. Enfamils and the regular Similac so far. We're starting the Sensitive Similac today. Already, I've noticed a little decrease in spit up just having her on formula the majority of the time. Take that, LLL!
Sleep training is going well! I'm using Twelve Hours Sleep by Twelve Weeks Old by Suzy Giordano. Liv is definietly older than twelve weeks, but she says it can work at any age, so we're giving it a go. It is all about slowly decreasing the amount she eats at night and replacing it with more ounces during the day. Livy is laying down on her own and putting herself to sleep, but she still wakes up 2-3 times per night. Baby steps...we're getting there. My goal is to have her sleeping through the night by Christmas. Wish me luck!
Livy is sitting up on her own now and loves the new upright vantage point.
I have the day after Thanksgiving off work this year! I want to hit the sales! Anyone wanna go with?

Autumn Olivia

2010-11-06T11:15:00.008-06:00

She was way too busy chewing on leaves to smile, let alone look at the camera for all of the pictures except this one.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-30T20:24:00.005-06:00

from our little LivyBug.

Thanks to Grandma Jennie for Liv's adorable costume! We had a fun day making cookies, trick-or-treating to Grandma and Grandpa Slade's house, having soup while watching Nightmare Before Christmas, and passing out candy. A perfect Halloween!Don't you LOVE that double chin??

New York City

2010-10-25T07:32:00.018-06:00

We just went on a fabulous trip to NYC to visit my sister and her family. It was a chilly trip, but we bundled up and ventured all around the town. Here we are in Times Square. Spence and I always have to go the Toys R Us in Times Square cause they have awesome bulk candy. They separate the gummy bears by color so you can just get the good colors! Rach took us down to the Meat Packing District. Apparently it is the up-and-coming trendy place to see and be seen.

We walked through the Chelsea Market and got some hot chocolate from the Milk Bar.

Livy loved her snuggly stroller ride.
We walked the Highline, which is an old train track above the road that they have restored into a promenade. Here are Spence and Rach looking over the Hudson River.

We stayed in Rach and Omer's apartment on the Upper West Side. Here is Livy playing with her cousins, Eli and Sam. She was constantly entertained watching the boys run around and play.

On Saturday, we walked over to the Central Park Zoo. Here are the boys on stroller duty in the park.

Eli wanted to feed the llama but then got scared, so Omer and Spence took over.A lovely walk in Central Park.

We took a boat ride out past the Statue of Liberty...

And on to Ellis Island.

We took a tour of the museum. I didn't realize how strict the guidelines were to get into the country! They would detain people that had any kind of physical or mental illness. Even people who wore glasses or walked with a limp didn't get right in. Crazy...I had no idea!

We rode the subway over to Brooklyn. I got a cupcake at Crumbs Bakery. Rach said they were better than Magnolia...I'm not so sure. The cake part was delcious, but Magnolia's frosting is still tops in my book. It was a tasty treat none the less. Here's Spence with downtown Manhattan behind him.

We went to lunch at Grimaldi's under the Brooklyn Bridge...apparently it's supposed to be the best pizza in NY. It was delicious, but I'm no pizza connoisseur. We were sitting next to a table of ladies from the Philippines. They saw that I was struggling to hold Liv and eat my pizza, so they offered to hold her. I gladly passed her over and enjoyed my lunch! Here is Livy with one of her new friends. It was cute...they played with her and took pictures of her.

We walked back over to the city over the Brooklyn Bridge.

That night, when we were walking to dinner, I took over the stroller from Rach for a minute and realized that is what it would be like to have three kids in the city! Double stroller and Bjorn...yikes!

We had a wonderful time and Livy loved her first trip to the Big Apple!

Halloween Fun

2010-10-21T19:37:00.009-06:00

I'm growing to love Halloween more as an adult than I ever did as a child. It's so fun to decorate the house, dress up, and carve pumpkins. It's even more fun now that I have a little munchin to dress up! A few weeks ago, my lab had a "Fall Harvest" Party (we decided it was too early to call it a Halloween party) at Emily's. We dressed up the kids in their costumes, ate chili, and played some fun games. Here's Ellie the pumpkin and Livy the ladybug.One of the games we played involved digging through a bag of "garbage" (paper) with ski gloves on to find candy bars. At the end of the game, we dumped all of the paper out and Kehl (dressed up as Fonzie) and Brielle (who was a princess, but got sick of it) had a blast playing in it.
We went out to Gardiner Village last week to see the witches. Tommy and Livy loved it (ya right...it was really for us). We rode out to the witches village... And saw all kinds of fun witches. Here is mine and Heather's newest friend. I forget her name. They all had funny witch names.

Tman loved petting the witches' pet goat! I think he needs a pet goat.

This was at the entrance to the witches village. It was so cute! If you go to Gardiner Village during the month of October, you have to do this!

Pumpkin carving with the peeps! Lena taught Livy good technique while carving intricate patterns. (You can't tell, but Livy's shirt says "Little Pumpkin". I thought it was appropriate for a night of pumpkin carving).

Livy was excited to be up on the table and get a front row seat to all the carving.

I love October!

See Olivia

2010-10-07T16:30:00.008-06:00

See Olivia chew on her fingers. See Olivia check out her new jumper.See Olivia get loves from adoring Uncle RJ and Aunt Katie. See Olivia captain the boat at Bear Lake.See Olivia eat Carr-Oats, as her dad calls it. (Her favorite is definitely carrots, though she's also had

sweet potatoes and bananas and enjoys them as well. She enjoys anything you put in her mouth.) See Olivia hike Donut Falls in her floppy hat.
See Olivia swim the mighty seas at her 4mo check up.

weight: 14lbs 8oz (80th percentile)
height: 25 inches (75th percentile)
See Olivia congratulate her Uncle Nate before his wedding.

My Olivia has been busy lately!

Baby Names

2010-10-01T07:21:00.002-06:00

I was reading People on my lunch break yesterday and saw this:

"The Naked Chef" host Jamie Oliver and wife Jools
welcomed son Buddy Bear Maurice on Sept. 15. Buddy joins sisters Poppy
Honey Rosie, 8, Daisy Boo Pamela, 7, and Petal Blossom Rainbow, 1."

This is much better than changing the spelling of a common name to make it unique.

My aunt substitute teaches elementary school and here are two names she stumbled across a few weeks ago:

Siatyl (Seattle)
Trinadee (Trinity)

I will have to put these in my pocket for our next bebe.

I want your opinion...

2010-09-26T21:37:00.004-06:00

As a mother who works full-time outside the home in order to support my family, I want to give this letter to the editor a big AMEN:

I am a member of the predominate religion in this state.

I served a mission, got married, went to college and pharmacy school.

When I started my family, we were offered Medicaid to pay for our babies and my wife refused. Members of a religion that emphasized self-reliance, we know that our children are our responsibility and that taking government handouts or expecting others to pay is wrong and immoral.

We purchased a high-deductible catastrophic health insurance, which was affordable even for college students in order to protect us if mother or baby had complications.

We negotiated with a doctor and hospital to create a payment plan for us.

After we graduated, we continuted to live in an apartment and eat Top Ramen noodles until we had paid our obligations.

I've wondered why many college students accept Medicaid. Do they think Medicaid is just a free government grant for college students like a Pell grant?

Or worse, are they lacking in integrity to think they were being clever by having babies in college so someone else would have to pay for them?...

Those who would balk at the debt {of paying to have a baby} should remember they will plop down their first payment on their new $30,000 car without blinking an eye.

Many of the students are from politically conservative families. They appear to remove their mouths from the government teat long enough to complain about high taxes and government intrusion into their lives, then they go back to the trough.

This group should stop abusing the system; they should know better.

-Cole M. Brinkerhoff

Let me start off by saying, I am glad Medicaid and other government assistance programs are available for those that really need them, however, I believe many people accept help from the government so they can still live outside of their true means.

If I didn't go to work to add to our family income, we would fall into the category of those that qualify for government aid. This is why I have major issues with accepting aid when it is possible to make it on your own. I know in the LDS culture it is common to have children at a young age before adequate income is established. Why is that?

When prophets have counseled us "not to put off having children," I can't believe they meant "don't put off having children so that you can live off of government handouts (which are paid for by taxpayers) in order to do so." Is it fair that I, like many other working mothers, go to work (and by doing so, pay taxes that let many others stay home with their kids by accepting government aid) so that we don't have to take handouts?

I would love to stay home with Livy 7 days a week and still live the life we live. Is that possible? No. We chose to have Olivia when we did, so I am okay with going to work to support our lifestyle. I don't think it is fair to have your children before you can pay for them. If the right time to have kids is before you can afford to be a stay-at-home-mom, sorry! You shouldn't be a SAHM.

Spencer and I live frugally so that we can be self-sufficient and take pride in our lifestyle. We forego many luxuries because we can't afford them. The luxuries we do enjoy, I am proud to say, are paid for by our two paychecks. Would it be right for us to accept Medicaid/WIC/food stamps/etc. to pay our bills so that we could use that money to go on a vacation?

What are your thoughts?

Loving this Tattoo

2010-09-18T20:52:00.003-06:00

from Dan's blog

2010-09-14T22:23:00.002-06:00

Guess who's cutting her first tooth...

Utah State Fair

2010-09-12T09:24:00.007-06:00

I'm not gonna lie, the reason i go to the fair is to get a funnel cake. But it was actually really fun!We looked at cows.

It amazes me the things you can enter to be judged in the fair.

Like this...Bat Potato!

We made friends with goats.

We intimidated the pigeons.

Good times.

Football Season Is Upon Us...

2010-09-07T11:40:00.004-06:00

Like father, like daughter... Livy is all kicked back and ready to watch some football, thanks to her dad.
Go Utes!

Splish Splash

2010-09-04T21:16:00.003-06:00

Livy has learned how to splash...which means it was time to move from the infant tub (that was oh-so-convenient for baths on the kitchen counter-no bending, no kneeling) into the real bathtub. No more bathwater in the butter dish! She loved the big bath! She kicked her legs the whole time and splashed to her little heart's content. She's learning how to bring things to her mouth, so she rather enjoyed sucking the water out of a washcloth during her bath. She also loves it when I wash her hands for some reason. It always brings big smiles!Look at that happy little chub! I just love her double chin. I couldn't ask for a cuter, more fun baby! I'm lucky she loves the water-I'm sure that will make future trips to Bear Lake a blast!

This One's for you, Def and Stan

2010-09-01T16:26:00.005-06:00

There's nothing I love more than sitting in public looking at a paisley protuberance, probing probable perturbed pubescent paper boys.

Jake and Bethany's Wedding

2010-08-30T21:26:00.012-06:00

One of our dearest friends, Jake, got married last week. We were lucky enough to be a part of the special day. Here are Jake and Bethany coming out of the temple. Two handsome couples!The dudes giving their special sign.

The ring ceremony

After the luncheon

Livy wanted to greet people from the window after the ring ceremony.

She flirted with some handsome groomsmen.

Then she wished the couple good luck in their new life together.

It was a beautiful day. We're so glad Jake found such a wonderful girl to marry. We've only spent a short time with Bethany but we can already tell she is great. Thanks for letting us be a part of your special day! We love you guys!

Swimming Party!

2010-08-25T19:19:00.007-06:00

J, H, and T man invited us over for a swimming party! We had Papa John's (which is growing on me) and took Livy for her first swim in a pool! Here are the kiddies in their suits. Spence and Liv enjoying the pool.
Testing out the water.

Group shot!

All snuggled up after her swim.

Laying out after a nice day at the pool.

Thanks for the fun party!

Bliss

2010-08-17T08:20:00.000-06:00

Her two favorite things: Being naked and watching TV

Back to Work

2010-08-15T13:18:00.002-06:00

Wednesday, Aug 11th

1:40am Livy wakes up to eat
2:15am I climb back in bed
4:30am Alarm goes off
4:57am Pump
5:08am I leave Spencer feeding Liv a bottle
5:24am Clock in-first day back at work since May 19th!
5:50am Start missing Livy
6:00am First text to Spence asking how Livy is doing
6:30am First yawn of many throughout the day
6:45am Request a pic of Livy
6:50am Receive a picture message
7:45am Pump
8:50am First phone call to grandma checking up on Liv
11:00am Pump
12:15pm Second phone call to grandma
12:30pm Lunch
1:40pm Text grandma to see where Liv is on her eating schedule
1:45pm Pump
3:24pm Clock out exactly 10 hours after I clocked in
3:45pm Arrive home and yoink my sleeping baby from grandma's arms

My Special Spencer...

2010-08-08T19:21:00.004-06:00

Me: Liv is wearing her purple socks!

Spencer: A purple fox?

Me: Purple socks.

Spencer: Purple spots?

Me: Her PURPLE SOCKS!

He was distracted adding 1/2 stick of butter to a recipe that read, "1/2 cup (1 stick) butter"

Oahu!

2010-08-05T18:45:00.018-06:00

Aloha! We just returned from a relaxing and wonderful vacation to paradise, aka Oahu, Hawaii! Spence, Liv, Jennie, and myself stayed in a condo in Honolulu close to good shopping, good eating, and good beaching. The first day we were there, we tried to do Pearl Harbor but got there way too late despite everyone telling us to go early. Ooops! So we ended up going to the Diamond Head crater instead. We tackled the 282 steps and made the hike to the top. Here we are at the bottom-Liv and I sweat it out with the Bjorn.

Tackling some of the 282 steps!

Finally at the top! Very worth it for a breathtaking view of Honolulu and the ocean. That night, we took Livy down to the beach for her first dip in the ocean!

We saw the Laie temple and visitors center. Very pretty-and the visitors center was pretty cool.

Here we are at the Polynesian Cultural Center. It was a very hot humid day-pardon my red shiny face. This was right before the Canoe Pageant. Canoes with dancers from all the islands went by. It was a cool overview of what the PCC has to offer.

Livy was enjoying the Hawaiian hula dancers so much, she decided to have a major blow out and ruin her hula outfit. At least we got a picture of her before she blew. This was just a cute pic of Liv in her hat...love that girl!

We went to Pearl Harbor and saw the USS Arizona memorial. We took a ferry out to where the ship sunk. They built a memorial over it so you can stand over it and look down at parts of the ship.

The back wall of the monument had the names of all the men who died on the ship.

Liv snuggling with Grandma Jennie while we watched the Pearl Harbor video.

We put Livy in her swimsuit and went back down to the beach. She slept through most of it but looked cute doing it!

We took a nice drive (to Livy's chagrin-she hates her carseat) around the east side of the island and saw a cool blowhole in the ocean, some awesome waves and surfers, and the Hanauma Bay.

We also went to the Dole Plantation and got some amazing pineapple whip-so worth the drive! Jennie tended Liv so Spence and I could go out to dinner a few times. We discovered some great salmon at Uncle's Fish Market-even Spence approved (which is saying a lot about fish!).

All in all, a great trip!

Deseret News 10K

2010-07-24T11:13:00.006-06:00

My first motherly sacrifice...

2010-07-19T20:10:00.003-06:00

Since she was just a few weeks old, Livy has been quite the little spitter. After she eats, she spits up what appears to be everything she took down. I asked the doc about it and she prescribed us some Prevacid, which has been helping, but she is still a little spitter. The doc said as long as she is still making wet diapers, she must be keeping something down and coined her a "happy spitter." Fine with me...except she goes through 4 or 5 outfits each day and I have to change my shirt several times a day too cause we're both covered in baby puke!
I've talked to some nursing Mom's that have had the same problem. Apparently "happy spitters" are a dime a dozen. A suggestion all of them had was to cut dairy out of my diet. Seriously??!!?? What am I going to do without my daily bowl of cereal, lemon yogurt, cheese???? AHHHHH! I've been doing my best at cutting out dairy for a week now and it is so hard! Practically everything I eat contains dairy in some form. It seems impossible to completely cut it out.

Has anyone had babies with this problem? Any good suggestions for dairy free meals?

The Ellimpics

2010-07-17T10:07:00.010-06:00

Some of the best memories from my childhood are from my family Olympics. My mom's family name is Ellis hence the "Ellimpics." Uncle Layne, the Head Brother In-Law or HBIL, has put together the Ellimpic games and kept records since 1984. It is a time of friendly competition and good times with the family. As a kid, you compete in events such as long jump, push ups, sit ups, the dreaded obstacle course, several running events, the baseball throw, bowling, and swimming. This was Liv's first year as a competitor in the Ellimpics. She sat most of the events out except height and weight. These events all take place in North Ogden in/around my grandparents' house. The events begin with opening ceremonies which include a torch run starting at my grandma's grave. Each of the competitors has a turn running the torch until it ends up at their house.

Here are the two great grandchildren that are named after Grandma. Mycah Jean holding Olivia Jean in front of Grandma Jean's headstone.Since Livy is the youngest this year, she got to hand the torch off to Grandpa.All of the competitors with the torch.

After the torch run comes the flag ceremony. Each competitor makes a flag and walks in the parade to the Olympic theme.

Liv in her Ellimpic shirt. Each family member gets a shirt with their assigned number according to the order they entered the family.My mom is #7 and Liv is #77. No wonder they have such a special bond :)The days preceding, the adults all competed in Park City in events such as basketball shooting, tennis, football, track events, bowling, and baseball throw. As adults you compete in a partnership with your spouse or a significant other and build handicaps from year to year. It's all very complicated and we're lucky the HBIL keeps such good track of everything. There is also a super fun casino night with all kinds of games and a karaoke night/dance party. Good times. Spence and I didn't compete this year because he had to work and I'm grossly out of shape since baby. It was fun to go support the competitors and see everyone though.
Here's to another great Ellimpics! Can't wait for the 2012 games!

How can you resist?

2010-07-15T17:52:00.004-06:00

Liv has started smiling and cooing. She is quite the happy girl.

At 2 months, she's weighing in at 11lbs 8 oz and measuring 23.25 inches tall

Olivia's Blessing

2010-07-12T16:18:00.010-06:00

We decided to keep up our tradition of having special events on patriotic days (we were married on Flag Day) and we blessed Livy on July 4th. It was a chilly (July 4th??!!) but beautiful day! Many friends and a lot of family came to support our little peanut. She was blessed by her dad surrounded by loved ones then we had brunch at our house after. She is quite the popular gal!

Here is our family of three on the big day. (She loves sleeping with her head in all sorts of twisted ways!)

Three generations were blessed in this dress. My mom, myself, and now Liv! It is a darling little pink dress, but it is so old that I was afraid to leave her in it for too long. We had a few token pictures, then I changed her into another dress for the brunch.

Aunt Megan and Uncle Matt came with little M and Uncle Jed and Aunt Heather came with the T man!

With Grandma and Grandpa Armstrong Four Generations! Great Grandma and Grandpa (Peterson on the left, Slade on the right), with Grandma (left) and Grandpa (right) Slade, and Daddy!

We have such wonderful friends!

M was eager to play with Liv on her big day. Maybe in a few more months Liv will be more fun!

Thanks to all who came! It was a great day!

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-04T16:00:00.002-06:00

Liv wore the colors proudly...and her cherry shoes (thanks to Danny!) to North Ogden's Cherry Days!

I'm Addicted

2010-06-25T16:04:00.001-06:00

to Mini's Cupcakes. Specifically this one...

Treat yourself to one. You won't regret it!

Bear Lake

2010-06-22T17:07:00.011-06:00

We spent Spencer's first Father's Day up at Bear Lake. Here's Spence and Livy enjoying the view on his special day.

The three dads On the boat-it was actually freezing. This was right before I put on my sweatshirt. None the less, a lovely day and a lovely boat ride.

T man on the boat enjoying a bottle.

Grandpa with the T and Oly, as he calls her.

Dinner at Merlin's.

Me standing by the wheel of Dad's new tractor. It's huge!

Livy chatting with her Grandpa.

In other news, Spence ran the Ragnar Relay last weekend too. Unfortunatly I didn't make it to the finish line in time to get pictures! His team did great though! 188 miles in 32 hours, 13 minutes, and 42 seconds.

Lots of Livy Firsts

2010-06-11T10:27:00.011-06:00

We have been having so much fun with this little one! First time reading a story book.
First bath. She loves the tub!

First time meeting her cousin, M.

First time out on the town in the Bjorn.

First visit from Uncle Jed and Aunt Heather.

First walk around the neighborhood.

Olivia's First Playdate

2010-06-03T19:30:00.002-06:00

Livy and her cousin T had a fun playdate this afternoon. Okay, so maybe it was just an excuse for us adults to get together, but hey, any reason for a nice afternoon visit! T was kind enough to show us all of his toys and H made some delicious cookies. It was a wonderful first playdate for Liv and me. We need to make it a regular thing!

The Delivery

2010-05-26T14:32:00.003-06:00

Here is how our little Livy came to join us...
Last week I started having some really light, inconsistent contractions on Tuesday. Nothing really ever got intense or regular. They continued on Wednesday all day while I was at work, but still they were really light...more like just a tight tummy, not a big surge of pain. I knew it couldn't be real labor cause that was supposed to be much more painful.
Wednesday night, Spence and I went for a walk to try to get things going, but still...nothing. Lady and Ali took me out for delicious chocolate cake, which looking back, may have done the trick! A little after 11:00 Wednesday night, I got out of bed to go to the bathroom and BAM! The contractions hit hard. They were coming every 2 minutes and were definitely intense! I assumed it would take a while to build up, but they started fast and strong! We threw everything together and headed to the hospital. As we were getting off the freeway, my water broke...perfect timing!
They checked me when I first got there around midnight and I was at 4cm and fully effaced. Not much news there...I'd been at a 3.5cm and 75% for about 3 weeks so I settled in for what I assumed would be a nice long labor. The nurse asked if I wanted to get an epidural and I said yes, but that I wanted to wait til I was a little farther along. She said to ring for her when I was ready for it. Not joking-about a minute and a half after she walked out of the room, I rang for her to come back and get the epidural man. Later, she said they were all laughing at me out at the nurse's station...ya I guess I deserved it. But seriously, the contractions were coming so fast, I barely had time to take a deep breath before the next one would hit. I decided that I would rather get an epidural and enjoy the experience rather than sit clinging to whatever appendage of Spencer's was closest to me and breathing myself dizzy. After 3 IV attempts and a wonderful epidural, I was sitting pretty. Seriously, my experience totally flipped after that. I was completely comfortable and able to enjoy it much more.

At 2am, they checked me again and I was already 8cm! The nurse said she would be surprised if I hadn't delivered by 4am. We were totally shocked at how fast I was progressing. They got my room all set up for delivery and by 2:30am, I was at 10cm! I started pushing at 3am with the nurse and after about 15 minutes, Dr. Kaelberer arrived and pushed with me til she came out at 3:42am. Her head popped out and she was crying before the rest of her was all the way out...good strong lungs!
It was so surreal holding her and realizing that this was the little one that was inside of me for so long. It was amazing to finally see what she looked like and to have her look at me with her big beautiful eyes.
Overall, my delivery experience was great! So much easier and faster than I expected. I would do it all over again a million times to get this sweet little baby. She has definitely wrapped Spence and I around her little tiny finger.
After my delivery, I had some little hemhorraging complications, but after lots of meds everything was under control.
I am so thankful that everything went smoothly and that Olivia is healthy. What a truly miraculous experience to make you realize what is truly important in the world. I would do anything for this sweet little face.

Olivia Jean

2010-05-21T15:05:00.005-06:00

May 20th - 3:42am

8lbs 11oz - 22.5 inches long She is a little doll and we couldn't be more thrilled with her!

Happy Due Date!!!

2010-05-16T15:33:00.003-06:00

And still no baby!

But that's okay cause we're ready whenever she is!!

Nursery - check.

Baby's coming home outfit picked out - check.

Hospital bag packed - check.

Carseat installed - check.

Attend birthing class - check.

Prepared and ready for labor and delivery - working on it.

Being pregnant has been great, especially these last few weeks. People are so nice to very pregnant women! Everyone is so considerate - opening doors, holding the elevator til I can wadle my way over, carrying things for me, kind words of encouragement (the big belly is an instant convo starter). I'm kinda going to miss it!

The doc stripped my membranes last Monday and said he wouldn't be surprised to see me come back in labor within 24 hours...ha! I showed him! My membranes must be thick and leathery.

I've started having some "waves" this week. (I refuse to call them contractions yet because I know those will be much much worse, so I'm reserving the "c" word for when it gets bad. For now, we call them waves.) Nothing has been regular or too intense.

I have a doc appointment tomorrow morning. Maybe he has some special labor-inducing tricks up his sleeve. He said he would induce me if I get to 41 weeks. I hope I go on my own before then, but I'm getting really anxious to meet the little one. We've tried all of the at-home labor inducing tricks we've heard of. She's just not ready yet!

Baby Showers bring...May babies!

2010-05-02T16:39:00.020-06:00

The last several Saturdays, I have been so lucky to have had some wonderful baby showers. I have the BEST family and friends. They are so supportive. I don't know what we would do without them.

4/17/10

I had a wonderful shower with my family at my mom and dad's house. My aunts, cousins, sisters, and other family friends were nice enough to come and celebrate. We had a tasty brunch and some good visiting.

This is my 90 year old great aunt Beth. She gave me a pink flower outfit. This is her telling me she couldn't tell if it was for a boy or a girl until she saw the ruffle on the sleeve and then she knew it was for a girl. :)Lots of cute cousins!Sammy's favorite part of the shower was the blueberries!!My sweet Mama who put the whole shower together.

4/24/10

Next, I had an awesome shower with my friends! Lady was sweet enough to host and all my wonderful friends made it so nice. It was at Lisa's house. We had a delicious fried chicken lunch!

Love my Lady. My mom...what would I do without her?My awesome friends-you guys all rock!

My high school BF's made and tied this adorable blanket! I love it!

5/1/10
The ladies of Spencer's fam were sweet enough to throw me a shower. It was at Rob and Jennie's house and all of my cute sister-in-laws, neices, grandparents, and some aunts and cousins came.

Mystina, Keirra, and Jennie enjoying the delicious lunch.

My sis-in-law Megan and cute little M-she wanted to dive in and play with all the toys! Who can blame her?

Spence and his favorite sister, Katie :)Jennie has absolutely spoiled the baby with so many beautiful homemade gifts! She made this adorable sweater, not to mention all the snuggleyblankies and burp-cloths!

Thanks to everyone for the fun parties and wonderful gifts! I don't know what we would do without you. I'm glad our baby has so many people that love her already!

I also had some wonderful parties with ward and work folks, but didn't take any pictures...oops!

37 Weeks

2010-04-26T08:43:00.005-06:00

I can't believe we've made it this far! It has been a great couple of weeks with some fabulous baby showers! (I need to get the pictures off my mom's camera, then I will post!)
I got nasty sick last week and couldn't stop throwing up, so I had to get an IV with 2 liters of fluid and a double dose of Zofran. Bless the Zofran. But all is well now, the doc thinks it was just a little bug. Other than that, everything is going great! My legs and feet have started swelling. After work, it's like my leg goes straight down from my knees. No calves, no ankles...just one big trunk of a leg with a puffy little foot on the end. Blood pressure still looks good and everything else is great...hopefully it will continue to be til the end!

Here are my pregnancy tid-bits for this week.

Current Cravings: cucumbers, red PowerAid,
Belly Button In or Out? halfway out...only 3 more weeks to fully pop!
Weight Gain: +24 lbs
Labor Signs: 3 cm dilated, 75% effaced - no contractions yet though!
What I miss: shrimp, shaving my legs easily, being able to balance a laundry basket on my side...no hips left!
What I'm looking forward to: holding my sweet baby!!!, taking her for walks in her new stroller (we got an awesome stroller for one of my showers that we just put together...), not going to the gyno weekly, dressing her up in all her cute clothes

Easter 2010

2010-04-04T21:39:00.008-06:00

We spent Easter with lots of fun folks. We decorated sugar cookies at Mom and Dad's.
We listened to little T tell tales of the Easter Bunny.

We had dinner with Grandpa.

Spencer's Easter bowl (we don't have a basket) was filled by the Easter Bunny with all his faves.

Have you seen the movie Clifford?

Spence totally looks like Martin Short here. "You wouldn't lie to me, would you Uncle Martin?"

33 Weeks

2010-03-30T20:38:00.003-06:00

Current Cravings: strawberries and asparagus

Belly Button In or Out? Still in, but it's stretched to the limit!

Weight Gain: +20 lbs

Labor Signs: None yet...sometimes my belly feels hard as a rock, but it doesn't hurt...dunno what that means.

What I miss: Laying flat on my back, not including Tums in my daily meal plan

What I'm looking forward to: Baby showers starting in a few weeks (yay!), pajamas that fit again (most of my pants are now too small and I only fit in Spencer's t-shirts), not having to slather lotion on my belly twice a day (I'm just not a lotion person)

Pasta Party

2010-03-29T20:24:00.008-06:00

As if we needed a reason to load up on carbs...we had a pasta party Saturday night!

It was kind of a last minute thing, but it turned out really well.Fee made baked ziti, I made spinach manicotti, Dan made pasta-asparagus salad, Ali brought french bread, and Lisa brought garlic bread. First ever pasta party - success!

It was fun to visit and play games after we indulged on the delicious desserts...which were plentiful. Smore pie, brownies, and chocolate cake.

No wonder my glucose was high this morning at the doctor!

Super Saturday!

2010-03-22T10:37:00.004-06:00

Had a great lunch with these fine folks at Buca di Beppo. Look at the huge, delicious dessert...heavenly! (Sorry, camera phone pictures)

I love T's baby tube socks! They're such adorable little minis!

I may have to get some for our little binka just cause they're so cute.

We cleaned out the junk heap that has accumulated in the garage over the winter. I love our garage cause it has this nice storage cubby in the back. After our little remodel last fall (which I still need to post pictures of!) we never really cleaned it up again, so it was good to go through things and get rid of empty paint cans and stuff.

We made a trip to Home Depot for garden and yard stuff. I've got some serious spring fever, so the warm weather has given me the itch to work in the yard!
Our hopefuls this year:

Don't these tomato seeds look like mini easter eggs?

We went to a ward BBQ in celebration of the men's basketball team that got 2nd in regionals! Spence played on the team, so we went and celebrated their success. I didn't take any pics though...

We hung out with these peeps at a lovely wedding.

Lisa is licking chocolate sauce off Steep's elbow.

We ended the night by renting New Moon. What a quality feature.

Does anyone else hate formatting your posts/pictures in blogger?

Pregnancy Countdown

2010-03-20T11:43:00.004-06:00

I finally moved my countdown ticker to the top of the blog. It has resided at the bottom of the blog since Christmastime cause I couldn't stand looking at it slowly tick down from the hundreds, but now we're under 2 months! Hoorah!

2010-03-17T19:02:00.007-06:00

I finally finished the baby's quilt a few weeks ago! I started it back in November and have been very slowly working on it since. I wanted to make her a quilt that wasn't too pinked-out and girly, but still feminine. I found this pattern in the baby quilt book I bought last year and picked out colors accordingly. I can't wait to lay her on it to play!
In other news, I went shopping today and found some great deals!

At Rite Aid, I got:
$6.99 Stayfree Maxis
$6.99 Stayfree Maxis (ya know, for those unpleasant post-delivery days...sorry if you're grossed out)
$4.99 Stayfree Maxis
$1.99 Hershey's Kisses
$1.99 Hershey's Chocolate Eggs
$1.99 Reese's Eggs
Total: $24.94 +tax
BUT
after coupons and sales, I paid $4.95 +tax!! That's 80% savings! Woo! Plus the Stayfrees go toward my $25 Johnson & Johnson rebate! Double woo!
There were some awesome diaper deals there too, but I can't ever seem to get there before they run out! Grr.

I also went to Smith's and scored some great deals. I stocked up on Poweraid (running season is beginning!), cereal (an expensive craving that has run the course of this pregnancy), pasta, cheese, and a bunch of other things for dinners this week and next. My total originally rang up to $107.xx, but after savings and coupons, i paid $57.xx! That's 46% savings! Triple woo!

Thanks, I'm Flattered.

2010-03-15T18:11:00.002-06:00

9:32am
Coworker #1: How much longer do you have?
Me: 9 more weeks!
CW#1: Wow. That sounds like a really long time.
Me: Thanks.

2:17pm
Coworker#2: When are you due?
Me: May.
CW#2: Wow! You must be carrying a big boy in there!
Me: It's actually a girl.
CW#2: Oh. You are really big! I bet you will deliver next month.
Me: Ya, that would be nice. (glare)

It must be Monday.

Thoughts on the Oscars

2010-03-08T20:00:00.008-07:00

Alec Baldwin is so funny...and who knew? He was really nothing more than a name to me before 30 Rock, and now he's one of my favorite funny men. I'm a new fan - if he's in it, I will probably see it.

Sarah Jessica's hair looked fuzzy from the front. It's like they pulled it back really tight and then ran some velcro across the top of her head.
Oprah's tribute to Gabourey Sidibe was really great. I would have cried too if Oprah said that about me. (Oprah's voice is mezmerizing. I'm with Liz Lemon, I just do what Oprah tells me to.)

I hate it that there is a pool of 7-10 movies that get EVERY SINGLE nomination. Best Sound, Best Editing, Best Actor/Actress, Best Picture...
I think The Hurt Locker and Avatar were nominees in every single category and then the other spots were filled by three of the following: Crazy Heart, The Hurt Locker, Up in the Air, Avatar, An Education, Precious, or Inglourious Basterds. Really, were these the only 9 movies that did a good job in the last year?

Along those lines, it always seems like of the pool of 7-10 that get all the nominations, I've only ever seen/heard of half of them. Maybe I'm just not a huge movie buff, but many of the nominations go to pretty obscure movies.

They picked up the pace this year. Quick speeches, efficient reading of nominees, not alot of filler performers...bravo.

I love Meryl. Everything about her. She's fabulous.

I think it is funny that all the editors, writers, sound people, make-up people, and other no-names have to sit in the very back of the auditorium and the pretty celebrities get the good seats.

I'm really glad Sandra Bullock won for Blindside. I loved her in that role. I don't necessarily think she always does the best movies, but whatever she plays, she does it well.
The teasers for Best Director were funny. "Will it be the first African-American, the first woman, or...one of the three white guys?"

Miley Cyrus. What is with her teeth? Its like they are too far forward in her mouth. They don't look quite right. Her dress was pretty though.

Fight for Air Climb 2010

2010-03-05T17:59:00.010-07:00

Spencer's 2nd Fight for Air Climb at the Wells Fargo Building downtown Spence managing the lobby. Mom and Lady getting prepped to climb.
T and I made the climb in the elevator this year.

Jeron was out to prove that he is indeed a size medium.

Rob and I manned the registration table. We handed out bibs and timing chips.

Niklena came and supported the climb and even dressed up to boot! Thanks guys!

Uncle Grant came down with a freezer full o' Creamies.

Lady, me and Jennie on the 23rd floor. Good climbing, ladies!

Spence did a great job organizing and executing the event this year.

362 climbers raised more than $50,000 for the American Lung Association.

Way to go, Spence and all of the climbers!