Brent, Dana and Little Miss London

2011-08-12T14:33:00.000-07:00

My brother Austin had his appendix rupture this summer and he has been in and out of the hospital with infection. The poor kid! But while he was in the hospital Kaden and Hallie had a sleepover at our house. We had so much fun. The girls played in the sprinkler and then in the mud! Kaden was a good sport to help keep them both entertained. He didn't enjoy it at all.. can you tell?

2011-07-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

London and Brent were swimming today and she discovered his nipples. She was laughing hysterically and kept poking them. She acted like they were the funniest thing in the world.

2011-07-09T20:06:00.000-07:00

Today London hit me in the face and told me "don't!"

She was sad because she had to go in timeout.

I was sad because I am not ready for her to start being sassy.

Things to Remember About our Weekend

2011-07-06T10:21:00.000-07:00

- Having Brent off of work and all to ourselves for 5 days
- Power outage in Mesa resulting in an impromptu sleepover at Grandpa and Grandmas
- Early morning swimming
- Trying to get London to sleep in the hotel. Her little head popping up every time we thought she was asleep and saying "Hi Da"
- London trying to give strangers kisses in the pool
- London having hives all over her entire body from the chlorine in the pool
- Trying to change a poopy diaper in a movie theater with no changing station
- London sleeping through the fireworks
- The sweet lady who came and offered to take a picture of all three of us
- Feeding the Ducks

4th of July

2011-07-06T09:19:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to see London's reaction to the fireworks. She was such a good sport about staying up way past her bedtime. Luckily Kaden was there to entertain her and Grandma took her on lots of walks while we waited. When the fireworks started London finally stopped moving for a second to watch. About three minutes in her eyes got heavy and then she was out! Fast asleep! Yup our Little Miss who is the lightest sleeper in the world slept through the loud fireworks and all of the people. We couldn't believe it! But Brent and I both agree that watching the fireworks while snuggling a sleeping baby was the best part of the weekend!

2011-06-20T08:57:00.000-07:00

London practically lives in the water these days. She doesn't seem to mind, she is a little fish!

2011-06-19T09:12:00.000-07:00

I was working on a little Fathers Day present for Brent and I had so much fun going through pictures of him and the Little Miss! I also ran into some of my all time favorites of me and my Dad. I have been blessed with the most amazing Dad! I am so happy that London will be able to say the same!

1st Birthday

2011-06-12T14:22:00.000-07:00

My Little Miss turned one! It seems like she was just born yesterday but at the same time I can not even remember life without her! One thing is for sure this little girl is very loved and SPOILED!

London didn't know what to think about opening presents. She was pretty happy to just let Kaden and Hallie open them and then show her what was inside. I think her favorite was the rocking chair from Grandma and Papa. She climbed right on up and then told them thank you.

When we handed London her birthday cake she sat and picked tiny pieces off and ate with such good manners. Luckily her uncles were there to teach her how to make a mess!

London has taken quite a few steps but for the most part seems uninterested in walking. She has finally turned into a snuggler! She can say Mom, Dad, Dog, Sara (my parents dog), Woo Woo (Woof Woof), Hi, Hello, and Thank you. She can sign more, please and all done. When asked she can point to her eyes, nose, teeth and bellybutton. And she is still completely attached to her blanky!

2011-05-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

2011-04-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

London has been such a Daddy's Girl lately! He had to work for a little while on Saturday morning and she threw the hugest tantrum when he left. When he got home she squealed Daaaddddyyy! As clear as day! So sweet!

And just like I suspected he is head over heels for our little Miss!

2011-04-22T12:26:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about Brent is that he LOVES to give me and London presents. I always get at least one of my birthday presents early because he can not wait to give it to me.

Well Easter is this weekend and one of the things we got for London is a little play pool. She had a BLAST playing in it for the first time. Yup I know Easter is still a couple days away but her Daddy just could not wait!

Xylophone

2011-04-15T15:52:00.000-07:00

I took London to this cute toy store to pick out a new toy. She picked out this cute little wooden xylophone. She held it all the way home. She clapped and clapped the whole time I was opening it.

When I got it out of the box I noticed that nothing was supporting the little keys they were strung from one end to the other with a piece of string. I knew that it would only last .5 seconds with my Little Miss so I put it back in the box so we could return it.

London cried and cried and cried.

I loaded her back in the car and we hurried over to Babies R Us to get a different xylophone. When she saw it in the store she started squealing and clapping. I let her hold it until we got up to check out. When I handed it to the clerk London cried and cried and cried.

We got all checked out and I let her hold it until we got to the car. Then I had to take it away to buckle her in. She cried and cried and cried.

Then she bear hugged it the whole way home. We got home and I took it away to take it out of the box and she cried and cried and cried.

When I finally gave it to her she held onto the little yellow wand and clapped her hands and squealed and then clapped her hands some more.

Now she has to hold onto that thing ALL the time even while she crawls and gets her diaper changed.

Such a funny little duck.

2011-04-11T16:19:00.000-07:00

So I have this favorite eye shadow... London really likes it to!

Can I just tell you this took FOREVER to get off! My little Miss is into everything these days. It is so hard to be mad at her when she looks up at me with those BIG brown eyes! All I could do is laugh.

And of course Brent just happened to come home right when all of this was happening! He thought she was covered in poop when he saw her at first so I think he was pretty relieved when he found out it was eye shadow!

2011-03-12T12:16:00.000-08:00

London got this cute little outfit in the mail from all of the Heuglys this week and I absolutely love it! Growing up my mom would always tell me that she was allergic to the sewing machine and to tell Carol if I needed something fixed. As you can tell she is amazingly talented!!! She used to make clothes for our dolls when we were little. I have to admit it is much more fun to put one of the outfits she made on a my real baby instead of on my dolls and darbies!

8 Months

2011-02-11T15:11:00.000-08:00

Remember how I mentioned that London is not the least bit interested in crawling???

Well she changed her mind! On Monday I set her down on the floor and went to get something in the other room and when I turned around she was crawling after me like it was no big deal.

All in one week London got her first tooth, learned to crawl, learned how to stand up in her crib, and learned how to take her diaper off. Oh and she is officially 8 months. Whew! Crazy week! She keeps me very busy!

Happy Valentines

2011-02-11T11:41:00.001-08:00

Do you ever have a bad idea and you know that it is a bad idea but you do it anyway?

I am not completely stupid I know that

8 month baby+finger paint=DISASTER!!!

But I saw some cute hand print valentines the other day and I knew that I had to try to make some with London.

I thought her grandmas would love to get some homemade valentines in the mail.

But it looks like they are going to have to wait a few years!

Happy Valentines!

Nicknames

2011-02-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

As soon as we found out we were having a girl we started searching for the perfect name for her. I even watched reruns of all of the first episodes of the bachelor. There are so many girls on there that I was sure one of them would have a good name. But I didn't like any name besides London so luckily my little four year old cousin is letting her share her name! Now she is here and she has so many nicknames that I don't think she is even going to know what her real name is!

London's nicknames....

-Paige- This is her middle name and what her uncle Kaden calls her. This one melts my heart!

-Crack Baby- Because she can never hold still!

-Yondyn- This is how her cousin Hallie says her name

-Onion- Her grandpa calls her this and I don't like it! He thinks it sounds like onion when Hallie calls her Yondyn.

-Little Cupcake- This is what grandma calls her.

-LP- Her initials

-Little Bean- The girls at work called her this while I was pregnant and it kind of stuck. My nickname has always been "beaner" so it kind of suits her being the little bean.

-Jumpin Jack- Our neighbors brought over this jumper for her to use and she LOVES it! She is totally crazy in that thing! When she is in there it looks like she is doing jumping jacks.

-Little Miss- This is what I usually call her

-Brent Jr.- That is what I call her when she makes her thinking face because she looks just like her daddy.

Resolutions

2011-02-04T20:43:00.000-08:00

For some reason I never make New Year's Resolutions in January. I think there is to much commotion going on around the holidays for me to focus on goals for the upcoming year. So this year I made February Resolutions. One of them is to take more pictures. Sometimes I am so distracted by things like trying to keep my house clean or keeping London on her schedule that I forget to relax and enjoy each stage that she goes through. So if you come to my house and it is a mess, that is because I am enjoying and trying to document each minute with my little Miss!

Some of my favorite things about London right now...

- When Brent and I sit next to each other on the couch London can't decide who she wants. She will reach for me and then turn around and reach for Brent, then she will try to sit on both of our laps at the same time.

- She waves, claps her hands, and shakes her head no ALL DAY LONG!

- She says "Hi." Nobody believes me until they hear her say it. She says it in this high pitched cheesy voice. (exactly how I say it to her!)

- She loves to look in the mirror and loves to give her reflection big wet kisses! My mirror has hand prints and slobber all over it!

- If you give her a doll or a stuffed animal she will hug it and make nice noises "Awww" "Ohhhh" and then give it kisses.

- She is not the least bit interested in crawling. She thinks she needs to be standing all the time! She pulls herself up on the coffee table, the lamp, my leg, pretty much anything she can get her hands on.

- She knows Brent is home from work as soon as she hears his key in the front door and she goes nuts!

- If you lay next to her she will try to put her Binky in your mouth, then she will poke your eyes, and if you are still not laughing she will suck on your nose.

Oh and the big news... Tonight she would not go to sleep she just kept chewing on her Binky so I finally felt her gums and her first little tooth is poking out! I clapped my hands and said "yay!" She cried. Apparently teething isn't very fun. Poor Baby!

Wow this list could get really long! I love everything about my sweet little Miss!

Grumpy Sunday

2011-01-02T12:16:00.001-08:00

Sundays make us grumpy! Do any other moms feel that way?!?!? It seems like no matter what time church is it is always nap time! London is usually a really good baby, but she does not like to be held for very long, does not like to be quiet, and does not like to hold still! Those things are fine at home but they make church so stressful!

But on a positive note London looks so cute in her church clothes, even when she makes her grumpy face!!!

Best Christmas

2010-12-28T18:47:00.000-08:00

We were so excited for Christmas but we had no idea how fun London would be! She definitely knew that something exciting was going on! If we unwrapped a toy or a book she would either do a big smile or a little squeal.

If you can't tell she has us pretty much wrapped around her little finger! We are so in love with our baby girl! She definitely brought out the fun in Christmas!

Santa

2010-12-20T08:29:00.000-08:00

The Saturday before Christmas is the annual Christmas party at Grandpa and Grandma Kelly's ranch. London did so good for the drive but she was so grumpy the whole time we were there. But she loved all the attention that she got from her sweet cousins. She also got to meet Santa for the first time. I was so surprised that she didn't cry! She immediately got a death grip on his beard. I think he almost cried, he looked at me and asked, "Is that good?" We are loving every minute of our first Christmas season with London! She has no clue what is going on but I am more excited for Christmas then I have been since I was in elementary school!

She No Want It

2010-12-14T07:13:00.001-08:00

Last week I was feeding London some green bean baby food and her cousin Hallie started throwing the hugest tantrum. She was laying on the floor kicking and crying. I asked her what was wrong and she yelled

"No Yondyn eat poo poo!!! She no want it!!! She no want it!!! Its cucka!!!"

Hallie sure loves her little Yondyn! I am so glad that Hallie is looking out for her cousin but I can't believe she would really think I was feeding her poop! She is so funny! I can see how there could be some confusion though the green baby foods do look a little like London's dirty diapers.

Here is a picture of London in all her messy glory! Brent had just gotten home from work. Can you tell from the look on her face that she is a total daddy's girl?

Giving Thanks

2010-11-17T15:54:00.001-08:00

Do you know those annoying people who go straight from Halloween to Christmas, totally forgetting about Thanksgiving???

I am one of those people. I have always hated Thanksgiving. Everyone eats way to much and then falls asleep. So boring.

Well the last few weeks I have had a lot of things that have reminded me of all that I have to be thankful for. Whether it is the guy standing on the corner asking for money for his sick daughter or people I love going through divorce. I have a new outlook on Thanksgiving this year. I have a very long list of things to be thankful for but I realize that nothing on that list would mean anything without these two.

Does anybody have a fun Thanksgiving tradition? I need some suggestions!

Three Little Pigs

2010-11-01T08:25:00.000-07:00

London, her cousin Hallie and their friend Lilly were the three little pigs for Halloween! They looked adorable! I made London wear her costume for months in advance to get used to it. No such luck! Her teeth were driving her crazy and she was so not liking her costume! We had the best Halloween with our family and with our little piggy! She makes everything so much more fun! I can not wait for Christmas!!!

And This Little Piggy....

2010-10-31T22:13:00.001-07:00

Went Wah Wah Wah all the way home.

2010-09-16T15:43:00.000-07:00

She Rolls:( Is it weird that this makes me a little bit sad???

2010-09-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

Last night was Austin's first home game of the year so my mom made Hallie and London cute little outfits to support their Uncle. He definitely had the cutest cheering section!

Mountain View had a rough game but Austin did so good! We are so proud of #72!!!

2010-09-04T21:19:00.000-07:00

When I first started gymnastics I had a coach that I HATED! Everyday when my mom would pick us up she would make us say two nice things about our coach before we could say one bad thing. So my two positives for the day...

#1. Brent helped me finish the chandelier for Londons room.
#2. I saw a tractor and a Ford truck full of hay driving down the road... In Mesa. I don't know how to explain it but it must be a small town thing.

and my two negatives...

#1. I accidently stole deodorant from Target today. (Don't worry I took it back. and yes they did think I was crazy!
#2. London pooped... In my hand!

2010-08-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

Cute little London gave us a scare the other day and had to stay in the hospital for a couple of days. She hated all of the tests and IV's but she loved her ambulance ride. I am so glad that she is home and healthy! Things like that help to put everything into perspective. Sometimes I stress that my house is a mess or that I smell like poop and spit up all the time but the truth is I wouldn't trade it for anything!

2010-07-28T17:25:00.000-07:00

Our baby is getting big way to fast. I wish I could make time move a little bit slower. She is so fun lately though, lots of smiles and giggles! I love it!

2010-07-16T11:34:00.000-07:00

2010-07-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

London Has Arrived

2010-06-13T18:11:00.001-07:00

GRASS

2010-05-31T11:21:00.001-07:00

These are some pics of the new back yard.

Still Waiting...

2010-05-27T10:55:00.000-07:00

We have been busy around here! Growing a baby, buying things for a baby, getting a bedroom ready for a baby, having baby showers, and making blankets and bows. Can you tell that our world already revolves around little London?!?! Now we are just waiting for her to get here!!!

It Aint Right

2010-01-16T08:20:00.001-08:00

Okay I swear I am not going to be one of those people who only blogs about being pregnant but I just got this email and I can not stop laughing....

"Why is it when your wife gets pregnant,
All her friends rub her belly and says, "Congratulations!"
But nobody rubs your d**k and says "Good Job"?"

Okay I know this is totally inappropriate but I swear I am going to say this to the next person who touches my freaking belly!!!!

Thinking Pink

2010-01-16T08:12:00.000-08:00

We are already starting to think Pink around here!

BABY GIRL!

2010-01-15T08:51:00.000-08:00

When we told my family that we were going to have a baby my little brother started a survey, Is it a boy or a girl? It seemed like EVERYONE thought it was going to be a boy! I didn't even dare let myself look at little girl clothes because I didn't want to get excited about how cute they all are! But yesterday was the moment of truth... It is a Baby GIRL!!! I made the lady check twice because I didn't believe her!

We could not be more excited! I have to admit I am a little bit worried about Brent being a sucker for this little girl! Anyone who has seen him with any of our nieces knows exactly what I am talking about! Looks like I will have to be the bad guy around here!

2009-11-14T18:12:00.000-08:00

My Love is 27 today! Happy Birthday Brenty!

2009-10-09T15:05:00.000-07:00

I loved this quote from General Conference.

"Think of the purest, most all-consuming love you can imagine. Now multiply that love by an infinite amount, that is the measure of God’s love for you. God does not look on the outward appearance. I believe that He doesn’t care one bit if we live in a castle or a cottage, if we are handsome or homely, if we are famous or forgotten. Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely."

-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I tuned into conference just as he was saying this but it definitely made me wish I would have turned it on earlier!

So Long Sweet Summer

2009-08-19T09:34:00.000-07:00

We have been enjoying summer to the fullest around here. I guess that explains why my blog has been so neglected! I was planning on putting up some swimming pictures since we practically lived in the pool this summer, but I got distracted by all the pictures of my niece Hallie. I babysit her one day a week and when she looks up at me with her big smile and cute little dimples I have a compulsive urge to grab my camera. As soon as she sees the camera her cute little smile disappears and she pulls one of these...

Pick the Ricks

2009-05-09T09:06:00.000-07:00

Kaden (my little brother and our best little budy)is running for student council this year... He even came up with his own slogan "Pick the Ricks." We had a little photo shoot so that he had pictures for his poster. Isn't he the cutest!?!?!

Love Him!

2009-04-26T13:16:00.000-07:00

Today I stayed home sick from church. I was laying on the couch reading when Brent walked in dressed in his Sunday best carrying this flower that he picked for me. It was so simple but so sweet! I love him!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-04-14T21:07:00.000-07:00

23. I am so freaking OLD! Thank you to EVERYBODY who helped make my birthday absolutely PERFECT!

The Ranch

2009-04-13T09:46:00.001-07:00

On Saturday we went to visit B's Grandparents on their ranch. We helped brand cattle, road four wheelers, went fishing and had a blast visiting with Grandma and Grandpa Kelly! I can't wait to go back!

Did you want him?

2009-03-09T07:03:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago I was twelve years old. I had already been through the fifth grade and had the "maturation talk." I was even forced to pay attention when my mom told me and my friend that if we didn't stop talking she would borrow the movie and make us watch it with our dads. So we paid attention. We learned all about the pleasures of being a girl and all about the birds and the bees. Then a few months later to my surprise my mom and dad told me that they were going to have a baby! Talk about traumatizing! Not only did I now know that my mom and dad did the magical nasty, now all of my friends would see my mom pregnant and they would know too! To make things even worse this new baby was due right by my birthday! I did not want to share my birthday, my birth week, or my birth month for that matter! I was sooo angry! The idea of having a new little brother started to grow on me slowly over the next few months. A few months later I was sitting in class and I got a note from the secretary that said "Its a dog!" What the heck! Oh wait she just had really bad handwriting... It was supposed to say "Its a boy!" But little Kaden was born way to early! His lungs hadn't developed right and he had to have all sorts of tubes hooked all over his little body. None of us could hold him we just had to look at him through the window to the NICU. Now all that I wished for was that he would have been able to cook a little longer. I would have even shared my birthday if it meant he could be healthy. It was really scary for a couple weeks but then baby Kaden got to come home. We called him creature because he had a teeny tiny body and a big head with even bigger eyes. He had each and every one of us wrapped around his little tiny finger. He became my best little buddy. I loved him so much the first time I finally got to hold him, but it seems like the older he gets the more I love him! He is the perfect caboose for our family. I love it when I walk into the door at my parents house and he comes running to give me a big hug, or when he sighs and says "Love you Dan" right before he runs off and starts doing his "moves."

Every year around Kadens birthday my dad always teases me and says "Did you want him" I get so mad when he says that! Now that Kaden is older I am so worried that he will catch on and think that I really didn't want him. So I thought that today on his tenth birthday I would announce to the whole world that I did and do want him! I did have a moment of selfishness when I first found out that he was going to be a part of our family. But all of that was gone the second I saw him! I love you sooo much little boy. I hope you have a very Happy Birthday!

I tried to have a photo shoot with him on Friday but he just wouldn't hold still!

Spring

2009-03-07T11:14:00.001-08:00

I have lived in Arizona for six years and I am still in awe at how beautiful it is this time of year! I love it!

The Girls

2009-02-27T12:41:00.000-08:00

We have been hanging out with "the girls" this week!

Lindsey started beauty school on Monday and brought these three lovely ladies home with her. They have been the center of attention around here! We have had so much fun playing pranks on each other with "the girls".

Me and my accomplices (Little boy and my mom) decided to scare my dad and Austin. So we tucked a girl in each of their beds. We scared my dad to death! He said that he "almost peed himself" Austin just brought the girl back by the hair and told us that we are "lame" That boy has no sense of humor!

Hallie Nicole

2009-02-01T07:32:00.000-08:00

I realized this morning that pretty much all of my posts have to do with Hallie! How lame is that?!?!? She isn't even my baby and I am completely obsessed with her! But you should forgive me because I did have to wait a very long time to be an aunt! And I promise to do better! Lindsey came over yesterday and we had a photo shoot with a very sad baby! But we still managed to get a couple cute pictures!

Baby Girl

2008-11-19T07:13:00.001-08:00

I think I am the luckiest girl in the whole world because I get to be the aunt of this baby girl! I cant't stay away from her! I miss her while I am at work and I have to stop for a quick visit everyday on my way home! I am seriously considering becoming a stay at home aunt. I love taking pictures of her and can't wait to have another photo shoot! I may be partial but I think she is the cutest baby that I have ever seen!

Baby Shower

2008-10-16T20:06:00.000-07:00

This week I had a baby shower for my baby sister! I don't think there has ever been a cuter pregnant girl! It is amazing to see how much she already loves baby Hallie! Lindsey will be the best mom in the world! I am so proud of her and I love watching her go through this process! Now I just want baby Hallie to get here so I can start being her favorite aunt!