girls night out...oh and seth too!

While my sister Sharielle was in town we were able to sneak away for 2 fun nights with just the girls. Our first night was dinner and to hear Kurt Bestor. As we sat at dinner, with no children, we looked around and said...forget Kurt Bestor we could just sit hear and converse for the next 3 hours. But after going to Kurt Bestor we were so glad we did. He had the most amazing violinist there as a guest. She was AMAZING!! I just look at people like that, who have this unimaginable talent, and I am in awe. We had such a great time that night.

Our second night was to see Twilight. We all actually enjoyed the movie because we all had such low expectations going into it. And toward the end of the movie I found myself actually accepting the actor that was playing Edward. He wasn't as perfect and handsome as the Edward that is in my imagination, but he wasn't all that bad.

Getting away and having these girl nights always reminds me of how much I LOVE my sisters. There is just something about them. They are women that I look up too, I want to be like, and that I seriously could laugh for hours with. Every time we are together it is never long enough. We are very lucky to have each other. Such fun times.

it's a pre-school christmas program...

Lyza has loved going to pre-school this year and she has two fantastic teachers at her school. Ms. Kelsey, who is actually in our ward, and Ms. Jennifer. The week before Christmas they put on a Christmas Program packed full of songs about snowflakes, reindeer, and snowmen. And we had a visit from the Jolly Man himself at the end. (Lyza still hasn't warmed up to him yet.)

just dance (part 2)

Here we are at our 2nd Christmas Dance performance for Ly Ly. This was held at Timpview High School with The Dance Club. Lyza started at The Dance Club this year and takes one class a week. Her teacher is Ms. Bethany and I can't say enough good things about her. WE LOVE HER!!! Between Ms. Bethany and Shalice as her teachers Lyza is one lucky girl. We are sad though because Ms. Bethany just had her first little baby (we are actually so happy about that) but she won't be teaching Lyza's class anymore. Lyza will miss her so much, but hopefully we will be able to have her as a teacher again soon. We have been so spoiled having Ms. Bethany as a teacher.

Lyza did SUCH a great job at this performance. She remembered all of her dance and did her dance so well. I have actually posted the video of the dance at the end of this post. Her class was "Jingle Bells." and they were hilarious. The audience did not stop laughing.

Here is Lyza as a Jingle Bell. She loved the "Sparkly Dress" and of course the big bows!!

Lyza's number one fan...Seth (a.k.a. Scrubby) Mr. Bull and I apologize to him all of the time...because this little boy is going to have to sit through his fair share of dance performances, singing recitals, etc. But at least he will be surrounded by darling girls all of his life.

Lyza has such cute girls in her class. She has made some good friends and I have enjoyed getting to know their Mom's as well.

Here is that fan club of family members again. They were all so nice to drive down from Farmington to Orem in a bad snow storm. Now that is LOVE! We love having them with us all of the time. Here is Kelli, Lyza, Halle, and Jaicee.

I had to post this picture because I have 20 pictures like this...of the back of Lyza's head. She was so excited after her performance seeing all of her family that I couldn't get her to stand still for very many pictures. Here is the back of her head with Shalice and baby Ava! But this is a good picture of her hair we had to curl for the performance. Can I say...I am completely jealous of my 3 year old's hair!!!

This picture is so blurry but I had to post it. She is giving "Five" to her Papa Jer. LOVE IT!

These next two pictures I had to post and explain my anxiety. These are pictures of Lyza getting ready for her dance performance. We had to curl her hair and put a little bit of make-up on her. This is the first time I have ever put make-up on my little girl. Even though it was just a little bit of mascara and eye shadow...I really had anxiety about the whole thing. I don't know if it was because it made her look older to me or if I felt a little bit like "Jon Benet Ramsey's" mother? I just kept telling Lyza the entire time..."We only get to put make-up on this one time. You are too little and pretty to wear make-up." She probably thinks she has the craziest mother ever.

All-in-all it turned out great! I guess I just wish I could keep this girl bottled up and little. But no matter how much I fight it...she is going to keep growing up and experiencing life. I hope she has a wonderful life to experience. Full of fun and adventure. But for now...NO MORE MAKE-UP!!

Here is Lyza's Jingle Bell performance. Sorry for the poor quality, the video is taken from my digital camera. Lyza is the 4th girl in from the left!

just dance (part 1)

Lyza had a 2008 Christmas season full of performances. Between 2 Dance Concerts and a Pre-School performance her schedule was jammed packed. Seriously...she is only 3 years old, I can't imagine what her life will be like when she is 15! Yikes....lets not think about that. Anyway, performing on the "Big Dance Stage" is an activity that Lyza LOVES! She always asks me when she gets to go to the Big Dance Stage again. I asked Lyza what her favorite part of dancing on the Big Stage was. She replied, "I love it when mommy and daddy clap SO SO loud."

OOO, Lyza I know what you mean. It is so much fun performing for an audience and seeing /hearing their reaction. You enjoy all of your opportunities to perform on the Big Dance Stage.

Sami, Thomas, Lyza, and Halle

Lyza has the most amazing extended family on both sides of her. She had an audience full of Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins cheering her on at both of her Dance Concerts.

Here is a picture of one of our favorite people. Not only is she an incredible Aunt to Lyza but a fantastic dance teacher. We love you "Shaleeshee"

The only real picture I got of Lyza in this costume...I was struggling as a photographer this Christmas Season!!

Three Christmas's into her life and Lyza is still not so sure about this Jolly Man in the Red Suit. She likes the thought of him giving presents and riding in his sleigh with his reindeer...but up close and personal...she is not quite as excited.

One dance concert down and one left to go. Lyza, I am so glad you have the energy and passion in life to love being involved in fun activities. As always you make Mom and Dad so proud. And we will always be cheering the LOUDEST in the AUDIENCE for you EVERY TIME!!

wish you a very merry....

Holiday Season!!!

holiday casserole

2008 Halloween: Lyza a "good princess witch" and Seth a "friendly ghost."

You know how sometimes casseroles are just a combination of a bunch of stuff you had around the kitchen that you thought..."Hey this might go okay together?" Well welcome to my holiday casserole post!

I feel like life is so crazy right now, that I can't keep up with everything. I seem to always be 10 minutes late or if I actually make it somewhere on time...you can bet I have forgotten something and on occasion someone. So here is my holiday casserole post for Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Oh and just so you know, at the rate I am going you can expect my Christmas post some time in February!

Thanksgiving at my parents house first and then at Steven's parents house later that night. Seth with Scott and Larissa, and all 3 sisters with all 3 babies.

And P.S...I can't figure out how to upload from photobucket to get my entire collage to show...I seriously have tried it 10 times and either it is medium (very small in the blog) or large as you see it here...half way cut off. Where is my computer geek when I need him. Any suggestions?

piece de resistance

Hey look at me mom...I am in this great big seat contraption thing. This is pretty cool, it comes with a pull out tray and everything.

Hey, what are all you guys doing? Mom, what is that watery looking stuff in that bowl? And why is Lyza signing the "food" sign to me? We only use that sign when we are going to nurse...that is kind of funny, but whatever.

Hey Ly Ly, I am not sure about this? Remember Mom says you can't ever put food near my mouth. Babies can't have food, I don't think Mom is going to like this? Hey Mom, aren't you going to stop Lyza from putting this spoon in my mouth?

Oooo, what was that? Kind of mushy, kind of different? Did I like that I don't know?

Yeah...I liked it!!! Can I have some more please?

shear maddness

What six month old needs a hair cut? Oh wait mine does!!!

Here are the results!!

" i think i will call him scrubby."

Since the day we brought Seth home from the hospital, Lyza has been calling him "my little scrubby." At first we thought it was something she would call him a couple of times and then drop it. Well here we are six months later and "Scrubby" it is.

I always think it is fascinating the nicknames that each child inherits. When Lyza was born everyone started calling her "Ly Ly", that was not the name I thought people would call her. I thought they would just shorten her name to Lyz or something like that. People do sometimes call her Lyz, but 90% of the time she is "Ly Ly."

So another nickname has been born. "Scrubby" will be officially etched onto Seth's "Nickname Birth Certificate." My Ly Ly and my Little Scrubby...I am one lucky lady.

six months of gifts

Seth 6 months old

First Month of Gifts = You were born with all your working parts. I knew your lungs worked the second I heard you scream. You came to us on an "Even Numbered Day." Even before you came to me you knew of my little "quirks" and you agreed to comply...for some reason Mommy just loves even numbers.

Second Month of Gifts = You slept through the night (well at least 6 hours in a row)...that is what I call a GIFT. You gave me your first smile. I worked hard for that smile, but you gave it to me and no one else.

Third Month of Gifts = You decided to take after your sister and give me the gift of a full head of luscious hair. This full head of hair decided to appear pretty much over night in this 3rd month.

Fourth Month of Gifts = You recognized me as your Mommy. You'd cry when I would leave the room and stop crying when I would come back in. That made me feel so important to you.

Fifth Month of Gifts = You rolled over for us this month. This is the gift that keeps on giving...because once you figured out how to give this gift, you just wanted to keep giving it, and giving it, and giving it.

Sixth Month of Gifts = For this month, you decided to be very generous with you gift giving. You gave us the gift of sitting up, holding your own bottle, and the appearance of your first 2 Teeth.

It has been such a great 6 months of receiving gifts from you. I hope you never stop giving of your gifts to others.

Always remember it is better to give then to receive.

calling heaven...

Teaching your 3 year old that she can talk to Heavenly Father and Jesus anytime she wants (in prayer) can sometimes back fire on you.


Lyza: Mom I am starving please feed me before you feed baby brother. (she was not starving 5 seconds ago until she saw that I was going to feed the baby)


Me: Lyza I will feed you as soon as I am done feeding your brother.


Lyza: (now whinnying) No you have to feed me now… (and laying on the ground in the midst of a great tantrum)


Me: Lyza, remember that we don’t talk like that and we need to be patient. Mom will get to you as soon as she can.


Lyza: Stands up and stomps her leg and says. “Fine then I’m not going to be your daughter anymore. I’m going to call Jesus and Heavenly Father and I’m going to live with them up in Heaven and you will never see me again.” Walks off to her room.


Oh, the teenage years should be so much fun!!

my men

These are my men.

I want so much for my little man to turn out just like my big man. I want him to love his family like my big man does. I want him to be kind, be a gentleman, love sports, have an optimistic outlook on life, open doors for girls, cry when he cares deeply about something, work hard at whatever he wants to do, oh and did I mention love his mother!!!

Hey Little Man...stay close to the Big Man and you can't go wrong.

And oh yeah...love you Big Man.

what's in your freezer?

Freezer #1

What is in mine you ask?....PURE LIQUID GOLD!

There is little that gives me a sense of accomplishment as much as these two pictures do. For those of you who know me you know what a magnificent sight this is. Represented in these two freezers are hours of hard work, months of worry, and on occasion a few tears.

Freezer #2

I had to document this moment just for my own sake. Nursing has not come easily to me on either of my children. For some reason my sisters and I like to get mastitis quite frequently during our nursing months. (To see the latest story of a bad case of mastitis visit here...oh and check out my sister darling little girl Sloan.)

Anyway, after each case of mastitis I get the pleasure of building my milk supply up from scratch again....so long story short...to see the above pictures in my freezers makes me smile.

As payback for being so "confident" on this post, I am sure I will have my next case of mastitis within a few days. Stay tuned for that post. But I will enjoy the moment and each time I open my freezers I will bask in the glory of my LIQUID GOLD!!

P.S. Sorry if the pictures make you uncomfortable...just had to document!!

we came, we saw, we got stuck in the parking lot...

Last week the "Tour" came to town. I was so excited because this was the first year the tour had come to Salt Lake. This fact always baffled me because Salt Lake has such dance talent, I was always disappointed when the tour didn't come. However, they came and they danced. They seriously danced for 3 hours. I was exhausted for all of the dancers by the time the show was over.

This night had mostly highs but also had a few lows. The highs of course were...the show itself, hanging out with my sister and friends completely child free. (I actually carried a purse instead of a diaper bag), feeling like a teenager again while hanging out with "the girls", getting to see the show for FREE (thanks Brandon), and reliving the good old days when I too could dance for 2 straight hours for a show.

Shalice, Me, Cindy, Jessica, Celesta

The Lows...parking at the E Center, parking at the E Center, oh and did I mention parking at the E Center? Seriously I have never seen such a mess in my life. It took a half an hour just to get into the parking lot before the show. Oh and by the way, once you got into the parking lot you got to pay $10 just to park. And don't get me started about trying to leave the parking lot after the show was over. Lets just say that I sat in my car and watched over 1/2 of the movie "The Devil Wears Prada." (Thank goodness for the ipod)

Even despite "The Lows" it was such a fun night. There is no one I would rather spend time with then my sisters. We are all so close and love being together. I am one lucky girl to be "sandwiched" in the middle of two amazing sisters.

Thanks for the fun...hey girls...maybe we should try out for the show next year!! We would be amazing! :)

could it be...4 months?

Could it be...you are actually 4 months old? You have decided that you're not going to stay little forever?

But don't you remember little man a few months ago? It was the middle of the night. You and I were the only ones awake. We had our little talk, a heart to heart, and you specifically promised me you would stay little forever.

You promised that you would always let me rock you and cuddle you. You said that you would stay little. That you wouldn't wish that you were 5 like your cousin Halle. (You know I hear this statement every day from your big sister Lyza) Little man, I remember our conversation very well. If only you remembered this night as well.

I guess we will just have to have our talk again. See you tonight around 1:00 am.

a month in review

Lyza on her first day of preschool age 3

Where did this month go? How did the date on the calendar get to say the 25th? Slow down "Father Time" I can't take it all in. My children are growing , I am getting wrinkles, and my 401K isn't what it used to be. I want to take it all in. I want to live in the moment.

Speaking of moments...here are a few of the highlights from this month.


Lyza had her first day of preschool. She absolutely loves school and would be happy going everyday if we let her.


We ate the "fruit of our labors" (or veggies of our labors) when our garden came into full bloom and produced more "produce" then we could ever dream to eat in one month. But oh was it good!!

We visited the dentist and to our amazement...NO CAVITIES! (not even mr. bull) Lyza did great in the chair and let the dentist count all of her teeth.

We had tummy time. This is an activity the Seth has not found the love for yet. We keep at it but it usually only last a few minutes before frustration ensues.

We went swimming with our cousins. The children and daddy's had so much fun going down the slides and keeping all the little heads above water.

Lyza opened her first bank account from money she had saved up for about a year. Funny story that the bank, she opened her account in, closed their doors only a short 2 weeks later. I guess it is never too early to have an open discussion about the Economy with your 3 year old. Lucky her entire $22.00 was FDIC insured.

Shalice, Ave (3 months), Seth (4 months), me

Best of all, we spent many happy days with family and friends. These are the moments we remember always.

watch out michael phelps

Lyza was ready for her first year of swimming lessons. Correction...daddy was ready for Lyza to become the worlds best 3 year old swimmer! Mr. Bull grew up in Southern California with a pool in his back yard. He and his brothers were jumping off his parents roof into the pool by the time he was a young boy. So anything less then that for our daughter was going to be unacceptable. Except for the fact that our daughter screamed in horror in the bath tub anytime the water would get near her face.

Not a problem Mr. Bull decided. He would remedy this with a quick couple of swimming lessons and she would be on her way. Even though we found the most amazing swimming teacher, it turned out it was going to take much more then wishful hoping to make our little blonde beauty an Olympic swimmer. (a.k.a. even put so much as her chin in the water.)

We sat through a couple of rough lessons. And when I say rough I mean, rough for Miss Loni (a.k.a. the worlds best swimming teacher.) She was so patient with Lyza and just kept at it with her.

Along the road of those first few rough swimming lessons we did hear quite a few "classic" comments come out of Lyza's mouth. (see next picture)

Lyza: "Miss Loni I want to go back to the stairs...I've had a rough day."

Lyza: "Miss Loni, my swimming suit is all sweaty." (really just wet)

Lyza: "Miss Loni, if i jump in right hear I'm going to crack my head open."

And my all time favorite...

Lyza: "Miss Loni, if you let go of me...I'm going to FREAK OUT!" (who knows how she even knew that word???)

But somehow I think Lyza could feel her daddy's anxiety, she could feel him almost willing her to love to swim. Because all of the sudden during the 4th swimming lesson the light switch went on. Our little Michael Phelps was born. She couldn't get enough of the water. She was swimming with her face in, jumping off the side, and even jumping off the diving board. It was seriously the craziest thing to watch.

Miss Loni you are incredible! Oh, and you're pretty incredible too Ly Ly!

I posted 2 videos below...this is the swimming lesson that it all turned around. One moment she wouldn't have anything to do with the water and seriously the next she was doing this!

Lyza (age 3) first day of jumping at swimming lessons

Lyza's (age 3) first jump off the diving board

Olympics here we come!!!!