The Sutherland Family

Pledge of Allegiance

2012-01-27T13:36:00.001-07:00

3 Weeks

2012-01-19T17:46:00.000-07:00

Sweet Haven is already 3 weeks old today- kind of breaks my heart!

She is an Angel baby.

She only wakes up once during the night, is a good traveler, is getting good at calming herself down to take naps, rarely cries, is getting used to her baths, and is just so sweet!

I'm trying to stay indoors as much as possible since she's not immunized yet and can't be for about another month. That's the only downfall about having a baby at this time of year. But I still get out everyday, and drive-thru's are my favorite right now =)

She fell asleep during her bath the other night =)

To Love or Hate?

2012-01-16T12:04:00.003-07:00

I think this is so funny and so true!!! I can't decide if I love pintrest or hate it. I think it does have some awesome/creative ideas on it, but then at the same time it makes me want to go out and buy everything, upgrade everything and change everything. Right?!

Maybe that's just me =)

I think I must love it more than I hate it though because I always seem to find time to login and do some pinning....it's pretty addicting in a weird way. What do you think about it?

Also Alli has been writing her name for awhile now, I think it's the cutest thing....

Also, I've been enjoying many "gas smiles" from Haven...they are the best!

2 Weeks

2012-01-12T14:03:00.001-07:00

Haven is 2 weeks old today! She is a really good baby so far. She doesn't cry very much and she only gets up once or twice a night to eat which isn't too bad. She is on a good 2 1/2 to 3 hour schedule right now and eats like a champ.

I went to Target the other night to get out, and I found these pictures on the camera when I got home. I thought they were so cute. There is nothing sweeter or special than Daddy with his girls, I love them..and such a good Dad he is.

Alli has been doing amazing with the new baby. We've tried our best to find a good balance between her and the baby. She is really good at entertaining herself which is good, but we've also been trying to give her some extra attention when we can. She is doing great at adjusting and I'm SO proud of her! She is a good helper with talking to the baby to keep from sleeping so much during the day, getting me drinks of water and putting away the dirty diapers in the diaper pail.

The other day I asked Alli to go pick up her toys and then a few minutes later I found her on her bed sleeping. Being a new big sister is very hard work!

Postpartum Cravings

2012-01-11T09:11:00.002-07:00

Ever since I came home from the hospital there's a few things have been tasting so good....well, pretty much everything sounds good to me right now because I am seriously RAVENOUS all the time! I forgot how much the whole nursing thing takes it out of ya! I think it's interesting what your body suddenly "craves" after having a baby.

First off...Lorna Doone shortbread cookies. I've never even heard of them and didn't even knew I liked shortbread cookies until the hospital, where I ate package after package and got hooked. Thank goodness I found them at the grocery store!

Next would be dried Mangoes from Costco. I tried these once awhile back and didn't care for them...now I totally love them!

Chocolate...in the from of M&M's. Don't think I need to say much about this one =)

Rolls with lots of butter on them =)

Last but not least....WATER, WATER & MORE WATER. I forgot how thirsty you get when you're nursing.

Love This....

2012-01-09T13:34:00.002-07:00

Cleaning and scrubbing

Can wait til tomorrow;

For babies grow up,

We've learned, to our sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs,

Dust, go to sleep;

For I'm rocking my baby,

And babies don't keep.

Precious

2012-01-06T15:38:00.002-07:00

I took Alli & Haven to get their pictures taken at Camera Shy and I thought they turned out SO dang cute! I was really impressed with the place- it has so many cute backgrounds and props and the photographers were so nice and easy to work with. I'm glad I could capture this moment in our life and this stage of our precious girls. There were so many too choose from it was hard to narrow it down, so sorry about the plethora of pics! =)

Baby Update

2012-01-03T15:06:00.005-07:00

Little Haven is doing so good. She is so sweet! The first couple nights were kind of rough, but now we've established somewhat of a feeding schedule and she is doing much better with sleeping. In fact, last night I woke her up at about 1am and 4am to eat, and then she slept the rest of the time and didn't have any gas/stomach issues! Hopefully soon we can get her sleeping through the night like Alli did (she did at 2 months).

Here are few pictures of Haven from the past few days. It's so fun to have a new baby in the home. We've had great help too which makes it easier to transition. Tomorrow will be my first day on my own with the baby and Alli. I'm a little nervous, but kind of excited at the same time.

LOVE all her hair!! I'm so glad both my baby girls have had lots of hair, so cute!

First bath...she was not a fan, but then she settled down real quick after we got her dressed and warm

Awake, she is actually very alert for just being a few days old

Hands behind her head...I've been told that means they are content. I hope so!

Haven's Story

2012-01-03T12:48:00.007-07:00

December 29th- a special day I will never forget.

We were scheduled to go get induced at the hospital bright and early at 6 am! I hardly slept the night before, and then woke up at 4:45 am to shower and get ready to go.

We arrived at the hospital, got into our room, got my lovely hospital gown on and got my iv's hooked up. Things were moving really slowly in the beginning. The nurse got the pitocin going about 7:30 am and then had my first contraction that I could feel at about 8 am. I was dilated to a 2 or 3 for hours it seemed like.

Then I got my epidural when I was about a 4...and it was actually working- hallelujah!!! (With Alli's birth they had to put it in twice, it wasn't in correctly and partially came out of my back) I think getting the epidural is the worst part, I get so nervous beforehand. I just don't like the thought of a needle going in my spine! But this time I was totally numb- my legs were like jello. It was the weirdest feeling ever but I was so glad I was not going to be in pain the rest of the time.

A couple more hours passed and then I was suddenly at a six...yay! Things were starting to progress, and they progressed real quick after that. Meanwhile, my doctor was supposed to come around 1 or 2 to break my water, but I guess it was a pretty hectic day at the hospital and at his office.

A little after 4 pm and the nurse said I was fully dilated and ready to go! My water still had not broke on it's own and still no doctor...I was starting to get frustrated that he wasn't there and I started crying and geting mad ha! Next thing I knew there were 4 or 5 different people in there ready to deliver because again... no doctor. We probably would have had the baby hours sooner had my water been broken, so that's also why I was frustrated because I could have been done already!

FINALLY, doctor made it at about 4:55 pm. They put my legs up for me, I pushed once and she was out! The water still hadn't broke up to giving birth which is rare they said, but I'm actually kind of glad because I think there could have been complications if she had been in the birth canal for that long without it. I immediately started bawling of course. She was so cute and had so much hair. It's always such a relief to hear that first little cry. Josh cut the cord and then they took her over to get cleaned off. Next thing I knew she was in my arms and shortly after I got to nurse her for about 45 minutes. Be able to give birth is so amazing, and it's a moment en-grained in my mind that I will always cherish remember.

Josh and my Mom were in the room and were a huge support holding my hand, giving me pep talks, fanning me off when I was hot, moving my legs for me, they were great.

It's a memory that I will never forget. It was a very long day and I was exhausted, but through it all I'm so thankful that she arrived safe and sound and is healthy.

Josh is totally out numbered now with 3 girls!

Sweet Baby Haven

2011-12-31T21:05:00.001-07:00

Baby Haven arrived December 29th at 5:04 pm

7 lbs 1 oz

19 inches long

She has TONS of dark hair just like Alli did. She is beautiful and we love her! More details and pictures to come....

Happy New Year! I'm sure I'll be up a lot tonight =)

Christmas at Home

2011-12-27T12:41:00.002-07:00

Christmas was nice and relaxing this year, we just stayed home and had our own little Christmas! We had no choice this year but to stay home because of the baby =) It was our first time ever doing our own thing and I have to say it was way pretty nice! No packing up, trying to hide toys, driving, etc. We did miss being with family but it was a nice change.

For Christmas Eve, we made a Turkey dinner and had Christmas slush and then went for a ride and looked at the lights. Afterwards we ready the Christmas story in the scriptures, opened one present (pajamas), looked up where Santa was, sang some songs, left some cookies for Santa and went to bed! Alli was really excited this year and she loved following the Santa Tracker throughout the night to see exactly where Santa was.

Sporting her new Christmas Jam's

Oreos, teddy grahams and milk for Santa and carrots for Rudolph.

Christmas Morning, Alli woke up about 8:30 and came in our room to wake us up. She said," I waited so long!" Such a sweetheart to let us sleep in!

We had a great Christmas, such a fun time of year! My parents stopped by later that day and we had some dinner. Alli played and played all day, that's the great thing about new toys...they are entertained for hours =)

I have my last ob appointment today and then I have to go to the dentist and get one of my root canal's re-done- not fun. So I'm really hoping I don't go into labor today!

Christmas Sunday Best!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T22:16:00.002-07:00

{Christmas Card 2011}

Tribute to Ruger

2011-12-23T21:16:00.001-07:00

Today was a sad day, especially for Josh. His German short-hair that he's had for 11 years passed away. He had been going down hill the last few weeks and then he took a turn for the worst the last couple days and his kidneys started to fail. The vet said there wasn't much they could do, so he had to put him down today. It's so heartbreaking to see your husband cry...I think I've only seen Josh cry 3 times in the 5 years we've been married.

Alli and I went and said goodbye to him right before they put him to sleep and she said "That makes me so sad, but he's going to see Heavenly Father and Jesus." It was so sweet.

I remember seeing Ruger for the first time, being shocked and surprised that he only had 3 legs! Of course Josh had already talked him up like no other, and had told me many stories about him! I was a little apprehensive as to how he could be such a great hunting dog with only 3 legs, but then when I went out hunting with Josh once, my outlook changed.

He really was such a good dog! He had so much determination and personality regardless of how many legs he had =) He always gave it all he had, even up to his last days.

We'll miss you Ruger.

This is a little tribute that Josh posted on his Facebook that totally made me cry.

My best buddy passed away today, he got me hooked on bird dogs, made me spend endless hours in forums talking and debating about dogs and birds. He fell out of the truck as an 8 month old puppy and we had to amputate his leg, but he never knew that he was a leg behind those around him. He made feel like I knew what I was doing, made my introduction into the world of bird dogs so easy. I still remember the first bird that was shot over him, and how proud I was that my Dad and Brother were able to be there and see "my" dog and how great he was. And then right after that happened he ran off for the rest of the day chasing tweety birds with me in hot pursuit.

As I sat at work today with a nervous stomach waiting to hear from the vet about the future of my best buddy, the news I got was not what I wanted. His kidneys were beginning to fail him and there was really nothing that could be done. The last few days he had just been sleeping in his crate and could hardly walk or stand.

Ruger is responsible for a lot of the people that I consider good friends, he truly did change my life and I will forever be grateful to him. It will be hard not seeing him standing by the tailgate for me to lift him in the truck, or hear his anticipating bark when I went to feed him each night. I will miss hearing his beeper collar echo through the canyon as I stumble and slide to find him, and will miss walking up on him through the cheat grass to flush birds. I have two really nice dogs that I hope will help fill the void, but it will be tough to finish the season without him. Their lives are so short, and they give so much that until they are gone you don't realize how much they really mean to you. I will always remember you Ruger.

This is a recent picture of Josh with Woody and Ruger and some his co-workers on a Friday afternoon after work.

Feeling Ready

2011-12-22T09:09:00.002-07:00

A week from today or possibly sooner we will be having baby #2! It has surprisingly gone by pretty fast I feel like, and I finally feel somewhat ready. I've got my hospital bag packed, carpet has been cleaned, diapers purchased, got my hair done and a pedicure, the house is as clean as it's ever gonna get, and the car seat is ready to go. I'm so ready to be done and meet our precious baby girl!
From the pics below, you can see that we have decided to go with the name Haven. Here is a little sneak peek of her room, we now just need some pictures now to fill those frames!

Also, I re-painted Alli's room when I was 35 weeks pregnant- yes, I'm crazy! BUT, it was really bugging me for some reason and now I think it looks much better. Now I just want to get her a new lamp and find something cute to go above her bed, but I haven't found anything that I love yet. Any suggestions?? Something besides a mirror or pictures because I already have those on the other walls.

Also, I want to give a shout-out to my great husband who has been helping me out so much the past few weeks. He's been a great help- doing dishes, folding clothes, hanging stuff up, picking stuff up for me cause it's hard to bend over =), carrying the laundry baskets upstairs, running errands, letting me take naps, taking Alli places, cleaning, fulfilling my every command. Thanks sweetness, I really appreciate all you have been doing!

A Cookie Kind of Day

2011-12-20T10:52:00.000-07:00

I just love making cookies with my little baking partner!

We make them quite frequently at our house.

Christmas Dance Recital

2011-12-17T21:48:00.005-07:00

Alli had her very first dance recital today! I don't know who was more excited...her or myself!!! I have always dreamed of putting my little girl in dance and watching her perform in recitals, and now here I am doing it! It's so fun.

Her class was the very first class to perform which was really nice because then she got to come sit with Josh and I and watch all the other dancers, which she absolutely loved- her eyes were glued to the stage pretty much the entire time!

Her class was "dolls." They were supposed to look like dolls being opened on Christmas morning. They hid under big wrapped boxes and then came out from under their boxes and did there little dance, it was super cute. She remembered a lot of her steps and did so great, especially for it being her first time on a big stage. I was so proud of her! Her big year-end recital is coming in the Spring, and she is already talking about it.

Good Job Alli, you did awesome!

Before we left, and no I did not tell her to pose...that is all her!

And yes, that is how their make-up was supposed to be like =)

In the rehearsal room, still doing poses!

So excited about the flowers Daddy gave her!

Preschool Program

2011-12-17T21:27:00.006-07:00

Alli's preschool had a little Christmas program on Friday! It was pretty dang cute! They said the pledge of allegiance and sang a few Christmas songs and then Santa even came in during their last song! Grandma Gail was able to come watch her, so she was extra excited!

Waving to Grandma & I!

Singing "We wish YOU a Merry Christmas" I think that was her favorite one

Gingerbread House

2011-12-12T21:35:00.001-07:00

Alli finally got to make herself a gingerbread house at Ikea! We were supposed to go last week with my sister, but Alli was sick so we couldn't go. I just love Ikea even more now- who doesn't love $5 gingerbread houses the frosting already made, candy provided and the house all set up ready to decorate? Best idea EVER.

Huntin' Fools

2011-12-12T18:54:00.002-07:00

Josh went with some of his friends to Wyoming on a bird hunting trip. They stayed at his friend's Jake's house....Lindsey, thanks for letting 3 guys crash at your home for a few days!

Even though it was negative 4 degrees at one point, he said "it was like a dream" and they saw hundreds of birds everyday...every bird hunters dream! He took all 3 of his dogs and all of them got into a lot of birds, so they got a lot of practice which was what he was wanting.

Josh and Bob

Josh & James

Sadie

James, Josh, Bob & Jake at "Irna's"

A mounted penguin they saw at a some gas station

He said it was the funnest trip he's been on in a long time!

Christmas Party & Lashes!

2011-12-10T00:46:00.003-07:00

We went to Josh's work Christmas Party a couple nights ago which was really fun! It was Casino Royal themed so it was set up like a Casino. Josh had fun gambling and I just watched and chatted with some other ladies. I was hoping we could win something cool but we didn't dang it!

Playing Black Jack

Alli took this picture for us right before we left

Also, I won a giveaway for eyelash extensions on THIS blog! I never win anything it seems, so I was really excited! I got them done last week and they're awesome. You don't have to wear mascara, they don't hurt your real lashes, and they are supposed to last 6 weeks! The girl who did them is Amanda Romney (amandaromney@gmail.com), she did great!

A Visit with Santa

2011-12-08T11:47:00.000-07:00

Alli had a little visit with Santa the other day. Can you see a little bit of skepticism in that fake smile?! Haha...she was so brave. She was frozen solid the whole time and didn't want to even look at him. She whispered to him that she wanted a Princess, got her picture and treat and was out of there!

Preschool Friends

2011-12-06T17:47:00.003-07:00

Alli's preschool had their pictures taken back at the end of September I think. We just got this class picture back last week and I thought it was too cute not to share. She Love, Love, LOVES her preschool and her teachers! I'm glad she has so much fun their, is learning a lot and gets to have some socializing time.

Alli's Preschool Class Picture- 2011

Little Sick One

2011-12-05T20:56:00.005-07:00

*Don't mind the blurry phone pic

This little lady was so sick today. This morning at about 5:45 am I heard her throwing up in the bathroom, and then once more a couple hours later. Poor thing threw up everything I gave her, even water. So sad. The good news is that she made it to the toilet or the trash can every time- such a good girl! All she wanted to do was watch shows and lay on the couch all day. Luckily, she started feeling much better at about 5 pm and started eating again, talking, running around and being herself. SO...I'm pretty sure she is better, or at least over the worst. Hopefully it was just a one day thing and I really hope I don't get it now. I had so many things I was going to do today, but I guess that's the way it goes...I'm just glad I could be home to lay by her and tickle her back. Sick kids are the worst- I hope she doesn't get sick again for a long time! We will both be glad to have Josh back home tomorrow, we were missing him today...he is currently in Wyoming on a bird hunting trip.

Countdowns & Snowflakes

2011-12-01T09:14:00.001-07:00

Alli and I made some paper chain countdowns and paper snowflakes yesterday!

Notice the change of outfits...she told me she was "so hot." She prefers to prance around in her undies all day, so she is actually being quite modest!

The finished snowflake display!

The finished countdowns! One is obviously a countdown to Christmas and one is for the baby- we just went off my inducement date, which is December 29th! Getting close, we can't wait!

Christmas Photo Outtakes

2011-11-28T19:37:00.001-07:00

I was on a mission today to get one very specific to-do checked off my list, and that was Christmas Cards!! I took some pictures of Alli today just so I could get them done and ordered...it was killing me. Usually I've got them all done by now.

The only way Little Miss would oblige to my request is if she had some white powdered doughnuts beforehand, so you may notice a little powder on her face in some pics =) She was being so silly during it- mostly because I was acting like a crazy lady, but you know how it is....you do what you gotta do to get some decent do-it-yourself pictures right? These are some that I didn't use for our actual card, but they make me laugh.

She's a sweet lil' thang isn't she?

Thankful

2011-11-27T11:44:00.001-07:00

This year for Thanksgiving we were originally planning to go to Richfield, however, my Mom got Shingles!! Can you even believe that?! Of all times, it has to be around a holiday, so sad! Apparently, it's pretty dangerous for pregnant women and little babies to be around somebody with shingles, so sadly both my sister and I had to make other plans. We of course, ended up going down to Cedar City to spend Thanksgiving with Josh's family. We had a lot of fun and it was great to see them all. I didn't take many pictures this trip, I've been a major slacker in the picture department, but here are the few we took.

Almost all the kiddos ready to eat their Turkey dinners!

I had fun holding the babies =)

Alli loved this little tent. She watched a movie in it with all her stuffed animal friends one night.

On Thursday night I went to Walmart for the Black Friday. I got everything I wanted, but I was only looking for 2 things so it was pretty easy. I was in and out pretty fast. It was a crazy town in there! Then I went home and bought some stuff online. The next day, Sarah and I met Lindsay and JoAnne in St. George to do a little more shopping.

Josh went Chukar hunting with his Dad one morning and then his brothers another day. Alli's new favorite word is "Chukar." Every time she sees a bird she says, "Look, there's a chukar!"

We had a good Thanksgiving, and have so much to be Thankful for- especially our good families and for our own little family. I love this little quote...

Leaves!

2011-11-19T16:51:00.005-07:00

Josh & Alli were outside raking the leaves in the front yard, and of course Alli just had to jump in them! She's been asking us to jump in them for like a week, so I'm glad she did.

I didn't see her in action, but from these pics that Josh took, it looks like she had a blast!

This one cracks me up

As you can see, she got really into it!!! Jumping in leaves never looked so fun right?!

RaNdOm....

2011-11-18T21:40:00.000-07:00

I've been busy doing a lot of stuff, but if you ask me what I couldn't tell ya exactly

I can't wait to see Twilight tomorrow

I went to the new H&M and it has a lot of cute stuff, I could spend a small fortune in there

I always want chocolate
I can't believe Regis is retired
Can't believe the Nordstrom in Orem in closing

My brain is very forgetful and scattered right now- I'll blame it on the pregnancy or just this time of year?

I get really tired really early

I'm doing projects in 3 different rooms and it's making me a tiny bit crazy

Love rice crispie treats right now

Love to watch movies on the couch with my hubby, but I hardly ever stay awake for the whole thing
Love my husband

Can't wait to hunker down in my house with the new baby & be a home-body for a bit

Can't wait for my Mom's Thanksgiving Dinner
I still love wall vinyl
Alli recently loves to entertain herself on NickJr.com coloring and playing games
Love how Alli draws a picture of me and then also draws a little baby in my tummy too
Love Ross when there is good stuff there
Ikea has the best ice ever

11/11/11

2011-11-11T16:54:00.001-07:00

I just had to post something today because it's 11.11.11, and 11 is one of my favorite numbers! Plus, it's going to be a good night because I'm going to be making THIS delicious stuff. It's also a good day because H&M opened up here in Salt Lake City at the Fashion Place Mall, but I totally missed it. Ah well, it's probably a good thing because it was probably so dang busy, I'll wait until it dies down a little bit.

Happy Friday and Happy 11.11.11! I will for sure be making a wish at 11:11 tonight =)

Weekend in Cedar

2011-11-08T22:18:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we went down to Cedar for Josh's sister's baby blessing. It was so fun to go down- we hadn't been down in a long time it seems like. Alli had fun seeing all her cousins and even had a sleep over at Peyton's house!

We went to lunch at Pizza Factory and then Josh and I went to see Footloose and I LOVED it!

Here is our newest cousin/niece, Madeline Kate Nielson. She is so cute- I loved holding her and can't wait to cuddle on my own baby girl here shortly!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T23:04:00.001-06:00

This Halloween was by far the warmest Halloween I remember in a long time, it was awesome!
We went Trick or Treating at Josh's work, went to a Trunk or Treat at the Doug Smith car dealership, and then went Trick or Treating around the neighborhood. We got loads of candy- Alli was so hyped up on sugar by the end of the night.

Here are some more pictures of our pretty princess. This little Rapunzel dress has been on here a lot by now, but she totally knew she looked pretty so she was doing all these serious poses for me before we left and I was loving it =)

She got scared at Josh's work and then kept saying she wanted to go home. She hates scary things...But then on the way home she said she had fun, so who knows. You can tell in this picture she was not really into it, but hey we tried.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Sugar Cookies & Dance Party

2011-10-29T20:12:00.002-06:00

We made some Halloween sugar cookies a couple days ago and then had some neighbors come over and frost/decorate them...she loves to have people come over!

It sounded like a lot of work to me, but I caved in and we did it. It was actually really fun! I didn't get pictures of the actual cookies and decorating but they turned out SO soft, cute and delicious.
I did however, get some pictures while we were making them.

I hope she remembers how I let her cook with me, make messes a lot and just be a kid!

I promise I washed her hands and cleaned the table like 3 times prior to this =)

Alli's dance had a really cute Halloween party. There was face painting, a fishing booth, nail painting, balloon-tying, bounce houses, stickers and lots of treats. She had a great time!

Showing me her curtsey, she told me "princesses do this"

Halloween Fun

2011-10-27T17:06:00.002-06:00

Rapunzel...aka Alli...got to go on her first round of Trick-O-Treating today at her preschool. She was so excited! I'm pretty sure she is the most perfect Rapunzel with her long blonde Rapunzel hair!

Also, she had her 4 year appointment today and here are her stats:

Weight: 36.82 lbs (65th percentile)

Height: 39.75 inches (52nd percentile)

Doctor says she's not underweight, not overweight, just perfect...AND the best part is that she didn't have to get any shots this time, yay!

30 Weeks

2011-10-25T11:00:00.006-06:00

Well folks the 10 week countdown is ON!! I'm getting more and more excited as we are getting more prepared & ready for this little girl to arrive. She is growing strong- I can definitely feel those punches and kicks! Here I am in all my glory and HUGE in my 30th week...

Birthday Continued...

2011-10-20T19:39:00.006-06:00

We had a little family party with just our little family on Alli's real birthday. We had a dinner, had more cake and opened more presents from us and the Grandparents and then went to Build-a-Bear. I think she had a super fun day. She kept telling us Thank You, and when she was helping me make some frosting earlier, she said.."Mom, Thanks for everything," and "This is so Great!" It was so sweet, it made my day! Don't you love it when kids say stuff like that? It makes me think that maybe I'm teaching her something right.

This cake was pretty hideous looking, but it tasted good!

Here she is at the Build-A-Bear Workshop. She picked out a puppy instead of a bear and named it "Alyiah," pronounced "E- Leah," you gotta be sure to get the E in there, she corrected me several times =)

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl, We Sure Do Love You!

Four...

2011-10-19T10:50:00.001-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our Beautiful 4 Year Old!!!

I can't believe I have a 4 year old.

Hee Haw Farms

2011-10-18T07:59:00.002-06:00

We went to Hee Haw Farms with my Mom, sister, Kael & Dax after Alli's birthday party. She loves pumpkin patches and she had been talking about going to get her "punkin" for weeks. It was so Hot, it felt like summer..if you can't tell by her rosy cheeks! All of us were dying of heat near the end.

We couldn't leave without a pony ride and luckily there wasn't even a line when we went. She LOVES horses and pony rides...always has. We've been reading a book about "Shetland Ponies," so she kept telling me she wanted to ride the "Shetland Pony."

The Barbie Party

2011-10-16T15:40:00.005-06:00

Alli had her much anticipated friend Barbie Birthday Party yesterday and it turned out so cute! She loved it. It was kind of a workout for my Mom and I, but we did it.

We painted nails, put on a little make up, took some pictures, played games, had cake & ice cream and opened presents. Happy Birthday to our Barbie Princess! Her real birthday is on the 19th, so we'll be celebrating again shortly.

Waiting for her friends to arrive, she could hardly wait!

Testing out the do it yourself photo booth

*Party Guests*

Alli & Grandma Gail

The birthday girl with Mom...don't mind the lovely prego-ness going on with me =)

Alli and Addison

Addi & Hally

Alli and Bella

Alli & Zoie

Alli and Hally

*Cake & Icecream*

She was IN LOVE with her Barbie cake! She kept checking on it in the fridge the night before and even told it goodnight!

Make a wish!

*Presents*

She opened her presents in about 3 minutes I think. She had one little melt down when everyone wanted to play with her toys, but she did pretty good sharing them overall.

A big thanks to Grandma for all your help and all of the little friends for coming and making Alli's party so special and fun!

I love it..

2011-10-06T08:45:00.008-06:00

Love the new chill in the air, it's kind of a nice change for the moment

Love that I got my first cup of hot chocolate with whip cream

Love that Alli comes up to me several times a day and gives me a hug and a kiss

Love a hot bath, especially on a colder day

Love to turn on some music and jam with my little sidekick

Love to go to Barnes & Noble

Love to bake

Love new makeup

Love DVR, we just barely got it. I know we're so behind the times!

Love that my husband is easy going when it comes to dinner, or pretends to be =)

Love freshly shaped eyebrows

Busy

2011-10-05T09:54:00.000-06:00

Consolidating

Reorganizing

Dejunking

Repainting

Pulling stuff out of the garage

Washing loads and loads of baby stuff

Moving things around

This is what I will be up to for the next little while to make room for baby #2! Josh thinks I'm crazy for doing it all so soon. He says "we can get everything when the baby gets here..." Um No, I don't think so honey :)

There is so much work to do, I forget all the crap that comes along with babies and getting ready for a new baby. But I'm excited! I want to get it all done before I can barely move AND before it's December & even more crazy and busy and snowy! I want to be all prepared so I can just relax during Christmas time.

Wish me Luck...I'll need it.

Caramel Apples

2011-09-27T20:06:00.001-06:00

After FHE this week we made home made caramel apples, which was a hit with Alli. Okay who are we kidding, I enjoyed eating them myself =)

Also, Josh finished up his fall softball league yesterday. This is like the 2Nd or 3rd league he's played in this year. They lost the championship game 22 to 21...one point!!!

He has turned in to quite the softball player and is really good! He either plays short stop or outfield, is a good hitter and is super fast! Alli loves going to watch Daddy play softball. Sadly, I did not get any pics of him playing or the team, but I did get a picture of his biggest fan.

Update

2011-09-24T20:51:00.003-06:00

I wanted to write down a few things Alli says as of late so I don't forget...

"Mom, GO...The light is green!"

"Mom, you're as pretty as a princess"

"I would like coke and fries please...please, you tell her okay?"

"Deal? Is that a deal?"

She is really into Barbies & Rapunzel right now

Loves to play softball, and she's pretty good!

Always talks about the baby..she says "I'll hold her and kiss her and sleep with her."

Says the sweetest prayers that melt my heart!

Loves to sing along to Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean and Katy Perry.

As for a little pregnancy update. I have about 14 weeks to go! My belly button is already poking out big time already. I am eating everything in site...everything sounds good to me right now, especially caramel popcorn, spinach & artichoke dip, zucchini/banana bread, sweet potatoes, salmon, pretty much everything I see =) Pretty sure I'll be huge by the end of this pregnancy because I have all the holidays and good food that comes a long with them. Oh well...that's the beauty of it right?!

Also, we went and saw our newest nephew/cousin Baby Ace at the hospital. My sister had her baby boy this week! He's such a sweet little guy. Alli didn't want to hold him just yet, but she did give him a couple kisses. Congrats Amber & Ryan!

Welcome Ace Levi Gardner!

The Pink Chair

2011-09-15T14:18:00.004-06:00

Alli wanted to paint one of her play room chairs pink so we did just that! Then, she wanted to take some pictures with it. This girl is full of great ideas I tell ya, and she knows what she wants. Here she is in a little impromptu photo shoot with her pink chair.

Oh and btw, I have another skirt like the one Alli has on in these pictures if anybody wants it. I accidentally ordered 2 online during Carter's Clearance Sale. I really don't wanna drive up to 106th cause it was only like $4. It's a size 4T....let me know if ya want it!

End of Summer Fun

2011-09-15T14:07:00.001-06:00

HOME MADE BUBBLES

This is an idea I got off Pintrest, I totally forgot to add the cornstarch and luckily they still worked.

Had to throw in another recent dance pic because she just looked so cute!

THE PARK

Yes!!!

2011-09-10T21:02:00.003-06:00

It's a great day at the Sutherland Household because....

PEACHES are out!!
I've been craving some for quite sometime, and the Costco ones just weren't cutting it for me...they weren't sweet enough.

A big bowl of peaches with cream and lots of sugar = Perfection.

Okay and yes, I know I'm so lame for blogging about peaches, but heck I get excited about things like this!

Gotta Love Fresh Local Utah Produce!

First Day

2011-09-06T19:46:00.002-06:00

PRESCHOOL
Our little princess started Preschool. She has been waiting a long time for this day to come and it finally came! I didn't cry when I dropped her off- I totally thought I would, but I stayed strong =) Alli really enjoyed her first day of preschool. Her teachers said she did great and that she is just Darling...I couldn't agree more. She is an amazing little girl and makes friends so quickly. We love you little school girl, and we're so proud of you!

She got right to playing with the toys within minutes!

DANCE

She also started dance this same day with Miss Chelsey at Jazz N Place in Lehi. I watched her for a few minutes through the window and she was doing awesome. I know she will LOVE this class. It's a combination class with ballet, jazz and tumbling.

Today has been a busy day for us. I'm so excited for Alli and the upcoming months.

Bittersweet

2011-09-05T12:58:00.002-06:00

Last Thursday was my last day at SHC (Stevens Henager College). It was definitely a bittersweet day for me. It's been the perfect job for me. All the people there are so nice and fun -it was such a great place to work! I will miss it, but I am ready to be home with Alli again and to get ready for the upcoming edition to our family! I have plenty of projects to do, so I'll stay busy. I guess I'll have to get used to being home again and getting back to a "stay at home Mom" schedule. Wish me luck with that transition...I'll need it!

The Team.

They took me to lunch at Mi Ranchitos...one of my favorite places that was close to work.

Left side front to back: Dr. Roberts, Me, Miss Cathy, Amelia

Right side front to back: Dr. Thayn (the best boss ever), Teresa, Courtney & Amy. We were just missing Tristen.

Weekend Fun

2011-09-03T22:06:00.002-06:00

Alli has been asking to go to Chucky Cheese for a little while, so we decided to take her and she loved it. We played games for hours! We met Grandpa Laine there so he could get a little break from being at the hospital. (Grandma JoAnne has been up in Salt Lake the last few days because she had to have an emergency surgery.)

I think these two were enjoying the games just as much as Alli was =)

Alli also went to a birthday party! She was really excited was looking mighty cute, so I had to snap a couple pictures.

2011-08-27T20:18:00.004-06:00

I had some days off this week and it's been so nice! I have no pictures because I took my camera absolutely nowhere, which was actually really nice. Anyway, some things that we have been up to while Josh has been gone hunting all week...

* Back to School (Preschool) shopping for Alli in Park City with my sister and Dax, so fun! I would have shopped for me but I hate shopping for me when I'm prego- I'm sure you know how I feel

* Playing with friends & neighbors

* Swimming! Alli is such a little fish now and I love it

* Cleaning/organizing

* Running hundreds of errands

*Cleaning out the car

*Sleeping in

* Getting my hair done

* Getting Alli's old baby clothes out of the garage & washing them

* Making yummy things like spinach & artichoke dip, sugar cookies, pasta salad...yes I may have had a few cravings here and there =)

Anyway, it's been a nice little break and now I'm ready to have my hubby home and Alli is ready to see her Daddy!

Side note- What is a good double stroller? Both jogging and regular...
Let me know your favorite..Thanks!

It's official...

2011-08-23T16:51:00.000-06:00

We are having a baby GIRL!!!! Everything looks great and we're so excited to have another sweet baby girl join our family. Alli is SO excited to have a baby sister. I can't wait to meet the little bundle.

Half Way

2011-08-19T22:34:00.000-06:00

Well folks, I am half way through this pregnancy! I'll be 21 weeks on Sunday which is so crazy to me! I felt the baby move for the first time on August 15th- it's always such a surreal comforting feeling.

This pregnancy so far has actually gone by really fast. I can't wait to find out what it is...right now I kind of think it's another girl. My ob office is pretty strict and won't let you find out until 21 weeks, so my ultrasound appointment is next Tuesday and I can't wait!!! Then the fun will begin and I can actually start preparing for it. Here is a half way belly pic...I HATE belly pics but whatev, I'll probably regret it if I don't take any at all.

In other news, Alli just finished her 2^nd year of swim lessons! She has made a vast improvement!!! By the last few days she was going under water all by herself by choice with no fear! It was so fun to watch her, and I have NO pictures. How lame of me. But she loved her two teachers both named Sarah and she was the cutest little swimmer in her class in my opinion =)

Josh is deer hunting for a few days and we will sure miss him. We’re not used to having him gone for more than a couple days. However, he will probably not be missing us much because he'll be doing what he loves, HUNTING!!

Alli starts preschool and dance in a couple weeks and is SO excited. I’m excited for her but a little sad..she needs to stop growing up so fast. We’ll see if I shed any tears on her first day, I’m guessing I will probably since I’m already a little hormonal anyway due to the pregnancy.

Gettin Stuff Done!

2011-08-09T17:59:00.001-06:00

The following things have been "checked off my list" and it makes me feel better to write them down...

Vacuumed and cleaned upholstery on couches

Stained picnic table

Cleaned out and organized file cabinet

Cleaned out a couple"junk drawers"

Cleaned play room

Cleaned out closet and got rid of old clothes and shoes that I've been holding on to

Organized towel closet

Organized bathroom cabinets

Finish painting a nightstand that I was refinishing doing for Alli's room

Changed batteries on all smoke detectors

We still have a lot more stuff to get checked off my list. I'm not sure if it's "nesting" already or if I've just been putting it off for way too long =) Either way, it feels great to get some of it done!

Furthermore, I went to Ikea today to get a couple things and Alli is now tall enough for the childcare play place that they have! Right when we walked in she saw it and wanted to go play and I was not complaining. They watch kids for up to an hour!!! Needless to say, it was divine and I had a very peaceful shopping trip. She's not too bad to shop with, but still...I really enjoyed it =) Now, I'll be making excuses to go there a lot more.

Owlz Game

2011-08-07T14:36:00.001-06:00

Josh won some tickets to the Owlz game so of course we went and used them! It was perfect weather and so relaxing. We stayed the entire game, the Owlz won and we saw some fireworks!

This was on our way to the game. She was out like a light in about 5 minutes of being in the car.

Pool Party

2011-08-05T10:32:00.000-06:00

We decided to go to our dental office pool party and Alli got to meet the Tangled Princess! Also, it was at the Lindon city pool which is pretty cool! We had never been there before.

5 Years ago today...

2011-08-04T11:03:00.002-06:00

Marks the day that we got married! Being married to this man makes marriage so much fun and exciting. He's such a great guy and Daddy. I love you Josh. Happy 5TH Anniversary with many many more to come!

Me with my Anniversary flowers that Josh brought home for me right before our date. We went to Outback and then went and got me a carmeled apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and then came home and watched "Shark Week". So romantic right?!
I liked it =)

Just for Alli

2011-08-02T08:17:00.022-06:00

Alli Loves to watch herself on video. She asked me to make a video of her the other night and then we made about 5 after that. Then she would watch them over and over and laugh and laugh! So this is mostly just for Alli so she can watch herself on our blog =)

2011-07-30T17:02:00.001-06:00

I want her legs!!

Just a couple things...

2011-07-30T09:45:00.001-06:00

Things that I love right now...

Pintrest! It's a pretty cool site. I love to look at it when I have some extra time. It definitely the ideas/creativity flowin!

Letting my hair air dry. I very rarely blow dry my hair these days because I just don't feel like it. Luckily my hair drys pretty dang straight.

Simply lemonade, simply apple and simply orange juice...all of em'. They are so good! I love that they don't have high fructose corn syrup and they're all natural.

A couple things I hate right now...

Mosquito's. Ugh...there is always one of them that ends up in my bedroom at night and bites me while I'm sleeping. So annoying!

Blog backgrounds. I have a hard time finding one that I love, so I just don't have one right now. I'm kind of a simple gal and they usually have too much going on for me. It seems like there are very few simple ones.

Camping at Accord Lake

2011-07-26T20:33:00.004-06:00

Last weekend we went camping with Josh's side of the family at Accord Lake above Salina. It was so beautiful and relaxing! We went four wheeling, geocaching, visited, ate, played softball, & roasted marshmallows. Alli had a blast with all her little cousins and loved playing in the dirt and going on many four wheeler rides with everyone. We stayed 3 nights and 4 days and that was the perfect amount of time- however, I'm glad to get back to my own shower and bed =)

Jordan, Alli and Dillon

Alli & our dog Sadie

Alli showed all her cousins how to make mud pies and "cookies."
Peyton, Kobe, Alli, Jordan & Ashlin

Right above the coal mine

Our night cooking dinner...we made Taco soup that was a success!

Grandpa Laine, Dillon & Alli

Lindsay & JoAnne

Josh practicing for his bow hunt

Jason stuck in the gravel pit ha ha

Dillon, Alli & Larissa

Uncle Craig with all the little cousins

Holding Nate & Sarah's new 6 week old baby Averi

She did it!

2011-07-17T22:21:00.003-06:00

We went to the AF Pool on Saturday and Alli went down ALL the little slides over and over all by herself!!! This is kind of a miracle for her. Usually she'll just go on the big slide with mom or dad or else just play in the water and sit on the steps =) This time she did awesome and I'm so proud of her! One of her good friends was also there, so I think the "peer pressure" helped her out a little. Now she can't stop talking about it and wants to go back as soon as possible. Way to go Alli, perhaps you've outgrown your fear of water a little bit? We'll see next time...

Sadly, this was about the only pic I got the whole afternoon...probably because I was too busy watching her ENJOY the water!

Pregnancy & Pampering

2011-07-08T14:42:00.001-06:00

One thing that I love about being pregnant is that it's a great excuse to get extra pampered!!! I think every woman who is prego deserves a little pampering don't you?! I've had two spa pedicures, a massage and now I'm getting a pre-natal massage here shortly at Dry Creek Laser and Aesthetics in Lehi. I think they do a really good job, and they always have a coupon out too...that is why I go there often =) You can get a 50 minute massage or a spa pedicure for $25 dollars. I don't know how long their coupons will last, but I'm going to take advantage of it while I can. You can print out a coupon for yourself HERE.

Happy Pampering!

The Red White and Blue

2011-07-06T22:31:00.002-06:00

Our 4th of July was really nice! We went down to my hometown Richfield to celebrate, it's a tradition we have. We love to go down for the 4th, you just can't beat it! There is the kids parade, the main street parade, park activities, the fish grab, old friends, great food, smores, the ideal dairy, Grandma & Gramps heavenly backyard, home made ice cream and of course FIREWORKS!

We LOVE the 4th of July, and spending it with family makes it even better.

Alli riding her bike in the kids Parade. She made it all the way to the end!

Mom & Dad's El Camino with Wyatt & BA throwing water balloons!

At the Fish Grab

This isn't her fish but some kind person let her hold it...she didn't even touch the water until the very end!

All ready for church

Singing Primary songs with Grandma

Making S'mores...she mostly just wanted to eat the chocolate =)

Sparklers & Fireworks!

Until next year.......

Lately...

2011-06-29T17:07:00.002-06:00

Some things that have been good to me are:

Coke Slurpees & Shaved Ice

Fruit

Chips

Crackers
Popsicles/Otter Pops
Salads

Lipton Soup

Suckers
Instant breakfast
Baked potatoes

Milk

Lots of water

SLEEP, SLEEP & MORE SLEEP

all because, yep you guessed it....we're pregnant! We are so thrilled! Right now I am just over 13 weeks. We've seen the little munchkin twice and just heard the heartbeat today, which is always a sigh of relief for me. I haven't been near as sick this pregnancy, but I still have had my days. I feel the worst in the morning time, but mostly I've just felt exhausted. However, I'm slowly starting to get some energy back.

It took a little longer than expected this time around! After one miscarriage, 14 months and 3 rounds of clomid it happened. I know 14 months is nothing compared to some, but it felt like a long time for me. We feel very blessed and are so thankful.

Alli seems to be excited, although I don't think she fully understands what's to come quite yet. She says she wants a "girl baby," Josh wants a boy, and I just want a healthy baby.

I have no doubt that Alli will be a fantastic big sister, however the first part might be rough, but I guess we shall see!

Anyway, Baby #2 is expected to make it's arrival on New Year's Day! Do you think it's a boy or a girl??!

Giddy Up Cowgirl!

2011-06-26T18:57:00.003-06:00

We went to the Lehi Round Up Rodeo on Friday night.This has become a tradition at our house- Alli looks forward to it each year! She was so excited to get her cowgirl boots on and go watch the horses. Although the bull riding wasn't too exciting this year, it was still fun. Here she is modeling her boots that she picked out herself and it SO proud of =)
Tis' the season of Rodeos, Carnivals & Parades..Love it!

Strawberry Days Carnival

2011-06-19T21:36:00.001-06:00

Addi, Hally, & Alli on the Ferris Wheel...wow try saying that 5 times!

She loves this ride, definitely a favorite.

We had a good time at the Carnival!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T21:28:00.001-06:00

Happy Father's Day to the best husband and Daddy out there.

We love you! For his day, he picked out Sunday dinner which was steaks, potatoes, & raspberry jello w/home made whip cream. Hope you had a great day!

Mia...

2011-06-16T22:18:00.004-06:00

Wow, I feel like I've been MIA from my blog! I've been so lazy lately, but I am ready to get blogging again. Alli has been so fun, she is so very outgoing! She is so fun to watch these days. Josh is loving his job and has been doing great. I'm happy that he's happy! Also, he started going to Velocity training, which is a work out that he does 3 times a week during his lunch break and playing softball once a week. I've been doing good too, just working and being lazy at the same time! Life is good. We're glad that it's finally warm around here and excited for summer time so we can get out and do stuff!
I just want to document a few things about Alli before I forget. I have the worst memory of all time, so I love to write these things down.

* She is not afraid to make friends AT ALL! I love this about her, she is super outgoing.

* She often says, are we going to the store (or wherever we're going) yes or no?

* Talks to herself and has conversations with herself in the bath. It's pretty funny, I'll have to post a video sometime. She has all sorts of stories and friends she talks about with her Barbies.

* She calls balloons "Cabloons"

* She is super excited for the rodeo, 4th of July and fireworks, camping, all things that she knows are coming up soon.

*She loves the Taylor Swift song "Mine" and tells us to turn it up!
*Loves chocolate pudding

*Loves Parties! She already has her birthday party all planned out from the type of cake, to the friends she wants to invite and she says she want to invite her primary teachers, she loves them and talks about them a lot!
Ask tons of WHY? questions! Sometimes it gets old but I do my best to answer them.

She is quite the little lady. I think three is definitely a good age. It's so easy (for the most part) and so fun!

Cowabunga & Clint Black

2011-06-08T18:15:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we met up with Josh's sister and her kids to go to Cowabunga Bay. Alli attempted to go down the slide, but never actually went down. She did love the kiddie pool though and that's where she spent the majority of her time. I think we'll just stick with the city pools this summer since she's not really into slides quite yet. She still had fun though, and she LOVED seeing her cousins Parker and Zach =)

Later that evening Josh and I went to Clint Black out at the Eagle Mountain Ampitheatre. It was super fun but freezing! Clint is getting old, but he still sounded great.

It was a really busy, fun weekend!

Memorial Weekend

2011-05-30T21:54:00.000-06:00

Our weekend was pretty uneventful, but that's what made it so nice! We basically just sat around and watched movies, ate, relaxed, slept in a lot, and did nothing.The weather kind of put a damper on things, but it was a nice little break!

On Saturday, we went up and ate lunch at the Little America, because I was really wanting a salad from there and then after that we stopped by the gateway and let Alli run around at the water fountains. It was a little chilly, but she still loved it!

Happy Happy Birthday...

2011-05-25T19:55:00.001-06:00

To Josh! He is 32 today- I can't believe it! He definitely doesn't look it! For his birthday, Alli and I made him a candy bar poster and then throughout the day I texted him 32 things that I love about him. I also made him a cheesecake...one of his favorites =) This weekend we'll celebrate more because tonight he is playing softball. He is such a good man and a great Father to our Alli. I'm so glad to call him mine. He's a hard worker, but also knows how to have fun and live life to the fullest.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Love! Hope you had a terrific day.

Here is Josh kissing the wall on a river rafting trip he just went on with his work to the Yampa River. Apparently kissing the wall is good luck!

Novae Clothing

2011-05-19T22:01:00.004-06:00

This post is a little experiment with Broadcast Bloggers, which I heard about through LeeLou Blogs. BUT....the main reason is I want to tell you about a great affordable clothing company called NoVae Clothing. Right now they are offering 2$ shipping on orders of 15$ or more! That's a great deal! Some of my favorites are the following, which can be found at the "Odds and Ends" section on their website.

This shirt is only $7.00

This one is only $5.00!

This cute necklace is only $6.00

I think these are fun, simple clothes that are super affordable! Go check em' out

on their website at NOVAE CLOTHING.

Alli

2011-05-14T17:58:00.000-06:00

Some things I want to remember about Alli right now...

She has a great memory! She can remember things from months ago, even the smallest details.

She is making lots of friends at her day care, she got 3 birthday invites in the last week! I'm not surprised on bit, she is very friendly!

She thinks she is fully capable of painting her own fingernails. I went into our bathroom the other day and she had nail polish everywhere in the sink and all over her hands. She thought she did a great job though!

Loves Primary

She said her first cuss word the other day =( She said, "Oh SH*#!" It was kind of funny, but not really.

She say's "It's wake up time!" On the other hand, the other day she said, "Mom, I'm ready to go to bed." What kids says that?

When she's mad at us, she yells "You're not my best friend anymore!"

Eats hot dogs cold. She eats so many that we were worried, so we called Jennie-O and they said they were pre-cooked. Whew! I used to eat cold hot dogs when I was a kid so maybe that's where she gets it =)

Loves to look at The Friend magazine that we got for her. We've also been doing very short FHE nights and she loves it.

She has to go to the bathroom all by herself now with NO help. If I'm in the room she'll say "Get out, don't watch me!"

Loves to play in the dirt and the water.

Loves cheese, chocolate milk, & potatoes. I think on every post like this I've put cheese. The girl loves cheese, eats it everyday.

This is the card she made me for Mother's Day. I love being her Mommy, she makes it easy.
Love you!

Kite Flying

2011-05-02T21:13:00.002-06:00

Sunday afternoon we went and flew Alli's kite...she had been begging us for like a week and finally the weather was decent. We had a rough start getting it to fly, but then we got it to work. It was the perfect Sunday activity.

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On a different note, can I just say that I'm so glad we finally got rid of Osama Bin Laden! I think that is awesome and it definitely makes me proud to be an American. I love this picture I saw on the internet.

Photo from abcnews.com

"U.S. Navy Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as SEAL Teams, are the best of the best. Their creed is to be a special breed of warrior ready to answer our nation's call."

Go Navy Seal Team, you guy rock!

Sweet Friends

2011-04-30T19:55:00.004-06:00

Whenever these two sweet little friends get together, they have such a good time! Usually =) It's funny to listen to them. On the agenda this time was dress up, makeup, baked potatoes and carrots, singing in the microphone and riding Alli's Jeep. Good times..they are too cute!

Picture of the Day

2011-04-27T21:54:00.002-06:00

I came in the bathroom to see this. I thought it was pretty funny! Alli is way into Barbi's and she gives them a bath every night and washes their hair. She even has names for a couple of them...Jenna & Tessa =)

Easter in the Snow

2011-04-26T21:38:00.001-06:00

We had a Happy Easter this year. We went down to Wayne Wonderland aka Bicknell, Utah. Although it was snowing, and I had a nasty cold we still made the best of it. Alli had a blast coloring eggs, and playing in the dirt.

She loved coloring eggs, she was a pro!

She had fun riding Grandpa's new toy that he got for the grandkids.

All the goods that the Easter Bunny brought Alli

Not only do we roll our eggs, we shoot em up!

HAPPY EASTER 2011.

I gotta say...

2011-04-20T22:03:00.001-06:00

I'm pretty excited for the big Royal Wedding of the year! I will definitely be watching next week=) I think Kate is a cute girl, and I can't wait to see her dress!

Tulip Princess Pageant

2011-04-17T16:28:00.006-06:00

Alli was in her first pageant this weekend! She was in the 1st annual "Tulip Princess Pageant" at Thanksgiving Point. She did SO good, I was such a proud Mama. When I heard about this pageant, I immediately registered her for it...hello that's like a dream of mine to put my little girl in a pageant! =)

She got to get her hair and makeup done before it started which she loved. It was super cold in the morning and then luckily it warmed up just before it started. When it was just about time to start, they broke out into age groups- Alli was in the 1-3 year old age group. They walked out on stage with a princes- either Belle or Snow White and then walked back. That's all they had to do, so it wasn't like a pageant pageant, but close enough! She did so great and was not scared at all! My sister came to watch and took like 200 hundred pictures for me, which I'm so glad. We got some good ones! Way to go Alli, you're the prettiest princess in the world!

Alli with Miss Lehi

Alli with Princess Belle- she was the one who walked Alli out on stage when it was Alli's turn to go

Learning what to do before it started

Practice Run

Having a pre-pageant snack...french fries!

Alli with Aunt Amber

Alli during her time on stage!

So cute-She did so good.

She was such a good sport and so sweet. While we were watching the other contestants have their turn, she would clap for each one.

Alli got her picture with some more princesses after it was over. They were the judges.

Good Job Alli!!!

Family Pics

2011-04-15T18:43:00.003-06:00

We recently got our family pictures done by the lovely Heather Telford. It was like 70 that day during the afternoon, and then it turned windy and cold when it was time for our pictures...of course right?! Anyway, we still did the session and we got some good ones, even if it was so windy & freezing!

The Chubby Game

2011-04-09T22:58:00.003-06:00

The Chubby Game has become a night time ritual between Alli and I. She thinks it's SO funny, which it is- but she really thinks it's quite hilarious =)

In case you have forgotten how this little game works, here's how it goes down...

She squeezes my cheeks and I say "Hello....my name is Chubby. I like....Chocolate" (or whatever it is...peanut butter, cookies, oreos, etc ) Then she laughs hysterically.

Then I squeeze her cheeks, she says her little spill and then laughs and laughs again. Then after that she tickles me. Then we take turns repeating the process over and over. It's so funny and so cute and the same time.

I just love this little face and the little moments like this.

Slump

2011-04-09T22:40:00.001-06:00

For some reason I have not been in the mood to blog lately which is pretty rare for me! I'll blame it on the weather =) Plus, I haven't taken camera with me much...sometimes it's nice to take a break.

Here's a little mini update:

Alli is now going to a new babysitter and seems much happier which makes us happy.

We got family picture done last week. It was a gorgeous day and then it ended up being cold and windy, but we still got them done. The girl that took them said they are cute so we'll see..

I got me a new pair of glasses from Target

I finally cleaned my shower ha- I had been putting it off for way to long. I gotta say that Ajax is like my new best friend. I usually use it just for sinks but I gave it a try on my shower and it was amazing! Plus it's only like 97 cents or something =)

I tried Sushi for the first time (other than California rolls) and I was surprisingly not a huge fan.

Our grass is green- now hopefully one day it might just warm up!

I also have a couple new favorite things. The first one is a new favorite mascara. It's called

L'OREAL Voluminous Million Lashes. You should try it out! I really like it.

The second thing are these crackers. They are called Multi-Grain Crisps by Crunchmaster. I think they are SO good!! Pretty sure I ate an entire box in like a day =)

Color Me Mine

2011-04-02T18:34:00.000-06:00

We went and checked out Color Me Mine this weekend! Alli chose to paint Minnie Mouse. She did a great job! We get to go pick it up on Thursday and it will be all shiny. It reminded me of my middle school art class when we got to paint ceramics for Halloween and Christmas, so fun!

Furthermore, Alli swallowed a penny yesterday! I'm not sure where she got it, but she had it in her mouth when we were putting her to bed. I told her to spit it out and she didn't, so I reached in her mouth to get it out and she swallowed it!! She choked for a second and then she was fine. I was totally stressed out about it. Then I read on the internet and most of the time, it comes out on the other end in a few days. She seems just fine, but I'll probably call her Pediatrician on Monday to see what he says, just to be safe!

27...

2011-03-31T22:57:00.001-06:00

So I turned one year older and wiser yesterday... I turned 27 yesterday! It's crazy to think that I'm in my late twenties. Not early twenties, not mid twenties, but LATE 20's...yikes! I don't like where this is going. But hey, on the bright side I'm still IN my 20's, so that's great!

Anyway, I had a really good birthday- I ate way, way, way too much junk food. My co-workers had made me some cupcakes and then when I got home we went to Chili's and had my favorite Chocolate Molten cake. So I had plenty of cake. When I got home I just had to have something healthy because I felt sick from all the junk I ate, so I had some broccoli to make up for it...as if that helped at that point- oh well, it made me feel better =)
My Mom was up here the day before my birthday, so she watched Alli for us and we went to dinner and a movie which was awesome. I also got some really cute things to add to my wardrobe and some money...yay!
Happy Birthday to Me!

Grateful

2011-03-27T17:59:00.000-06:00

Today is RS we had a great lesson on Gratitude. It was just what I needed to hear! I need to be more thankful for everything I have. I have A LOT of things to be thankful for. Sometimes I take things for granted, so I am going to remember to be more thankful and appreciate everything that I DO have and focus less on the things that I DON'T have.

I found this quote on another blog that I love, especially the last part.

Hunting Partner

2011-03-20T19:41:00.003-06:00

Josh took Alli out with his dogs this weekend while I ran some errands. I thought she was going to hate it but she loved it. Josh said she would yell at the dogs and give them some good pep talks. She went up to Woody and said "find the bird Woody." Good solid instructions for a pointing dog! As for me, I got so much done in so little time. It's amazing how much faster you can get stuff done without a 3 1/2 year old by your side! Not that I don't love taking her with me, but you know what I mean.

Also, this is proof that I CAN make cinnamon rolls! I have tried them a few times and have failed. For some reason they are hard to make for me! I always mess up the dough somehow. This time however, they turned out good. YAY! Oh, and we did cut Alli's hair 4 inches this weekend! It's looking nice and healthy and it's still long enough to do stuff with.

St. Patty's Day

2011-03-17T22:17:00.000-06:00

St. Patrick's Day is not a big holiday here at our house, but I did buy Josh a Corned Beef just for him! I am not really fond of it at all, I think it's so gross. I don't like the smell or the look of it. Josh LOVES the stuff though, so I thought I would get one for him. The best part is that he cooked it himself- what a good man! Probably because he knew I would gag or burn it or something.

Anyway, so Josh had the traditional Irish corned beef and potatoes meal today. Alli and I stuck with green salad and green pistachio salad. Hope you all had a Happy St. Patrick's Day was great with or without corned beef =)

To Cut or Not to Cut

2011-03-15T22:43:00.006-06:00

I'm asking you, should I cut these gorgeous golden locks Alli has, or keep them growing? The main reason I want to cut a few inches off is because she has taken a few "chunks" out of her hair with the scissors lately. A couple months ago she took chunk out of her bang area...then sometime after that she took a few more chunks out of the back. It's not very noticeable because she has so much hair.
Anyway, I want it to look well kept and healthy and not straggly. We've already trimmed her hair numerous times, but this time I kinda want to take like 3 to 4 inches off. Plus, lets be honest her hair seems to grow pretty fast and she's got a lot of it.
What do you think? I know it's just hair, but hair is a big deal! Like what if she doesn't like it, or I don't like it and she's mad at me? Ughh...help me! I asked her if she wants to cut her hair and some days she says yes, other days she says no.

So tell me what you think, should I....

A. Not cut it, just let it grow & grow
B. Trim it but keep it growing long
C. Cut it

Stylish Blog Award

2011-03-13T16:14:00.003-06:00

I have been awarded the

Stylish Blog Award!

I got tagged this award from my friend Lisa, so thank you Lisa and here I go!

The Rules:

1. Thank the person who tagged you to do this.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself.

3. Award 7 blogging buddies this "Stylish Blogger Award."

7 facts about me-I'll try and think of 7 things that I haven't already said about me on this blog in previous tags.

1. I am not a big phone person. I don't need to have the latest and greatest new phone. If it works and I can talk and take pictures with it, that's good enough for me. Plus, lets be honest I lose and drop my phone way too often =)

2. I love candy and chocolate...I eat some sort of sweet everyday.

3. I feel like I have a lot of great ideas for a house, business, decorating, yard, etc....I just need like 2 million dollars to do it =)

4. I love black licorice flavored things, but I enjoy red licorice in terms of actual licorice better than black if that makes any sense at all.

5. I love to make stuff on Sunday's. Sunday is treat/baking day at our house.

6. I love to sleep and I hate daylight savings time which is today- just that one hour throws me off and I hate it. Why can't it just stay the same all the time?

7. I love milk.

I award these 7 blogging buddies for the "Stylish Blogger Award." Have fun!

1. Savannah P.
2. Shera W.
3. Amber G.
4. Requel L.
5. Chynna C.
6. Kristen N.
7. Sarah S.

All about Alli

2011-03-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

Alli is now 3 years old 4 months! I can't really wrap my head around that sometimes. Seems like yesterday she had little chunky thighs and rolls everywhere.

Here is some things about our Alli lately...

She likes to delay bed time as much as she can. Her usual bedtime routine includes, story from Dad, brushing teeth, vitamin, & drink of water, prayer, song and done- lights out! Lately, she'll do anything to make it a little bit longer any way she can. These things include wanting Mommy to read a story, going potty a couple times, giving Daddy more kisses, taking cough medicine..even though she does not have a cough right now, singing a song & finding every stuffed animal possible. We usually give into a few of these, but now it's getting exhausting. I'm gonna have to put my foot down!

She always says "I wanna get married," and then she'll say "I wanna marry Daddy."

She loves to have her toes and fingernails painted.

Love to explore with makeup.

Has had a few bad dreams.

Likes to dress up like a princess everyday.

Says "I don't want that!" a lot.

Favorite color is purple.

Loves to eat frosted shredded wheat, little oranges, corn, oreos, noodles, hot dogs, cheezit crackers, grap juice, chunks of raw potatoes, apple slices and cafe rio/costa vida.

She is a really good water drinker.

Loves to shop!

Can fully dress herself and even put on socks/shoes and even tights.

Likes to play with friends and make new friends

Has a great imagination. She likes to talk to her dolls and stuffed animals and feed them snacks.

Is SO ready for preschool. Asks me everyday to go to school.

Comes in to our room a lot in the morning and snuggles with us, I love it.

She is an amazing little girl, and we're so proud of her. We love her SO so much!

Lately, she is really into watching things on the "compooter." She loves to watch Caillou and all the Disney movie songs while eating carrots and dip.

Home Show 2011

2011-03-01T20:15:00.003-07:00

St. George Home Show

Highlights for me included....

Hanging out with just the girls (my mom and sister) with NO kids

Breakfast at The Bear Paw & sitting next to Frank Layden

Eating way more chocolate Easter eggs than I should have

Getting inspired from all the great homes

Sweet Tooth Cupcakes

Letting my cough medicine knock me out and sleeping in at the hotel

My sister and I laughing our guts out at Outback for no reason at all

Shopping at a cute little new store down there called "Rock n Rose"

I had such a fun time, it was nice to get away for the weekend.

Thanks Mom, you are the best!

President's Day Weekend

2011-02-22T08:37:00.001-07:00

We had a such a fun weekend, I wish every weekend was a long weekend! We did so many fun things! Yesterday we went ice skating and that happened to be the only thing I took pictures of. I thought she did so good ice skating for the first time! Here is our little ice princess in action!

We met Josh's co-worker Matson and his wife Afton there. This is Alli with Afton, who is pretty much like a professional ice skater...literally!

She was following directions so good

Time to go home- she pouted like this quite a bit actually. She kind of had a love hate relationship with ice skating =) She did have a lot of fun though, when we got home that's all she could talk about.

It's that time again....

2011-02-20T20:45:00.002-07:00

The time for Easter Candy that is! I love, love, love Easter candy. I'm usually annoyed with how holiday stuff comes out like 3 months before the actual holiday, but not with Easter candy-don't mind one bit!

My all time favorite Easter candy goes like this...

Cadbury Creme Eggs

Black only jelly beans

Cadbury Chocolate mini eggs

Bubblegum eggs

Resse's Egg

Hershey's chocolate eggs

Chocolate marshmallow eggs from Christensen's. All you Richfield people will know what I'm talking about!

Yay for Easter candy! I'm a little excited as you can see now that I've done a whole post about it haha! What's your favorite Easter Candy?

Trouble

2011-02-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

Someone found my makeup AGAIN!

I'd say she's got the smoky eye look down, and then some!

Oh and btw, she's in a swimsuit and boots, gotta love it =)

1st Place

2011-02-15T20:33:00.004-07:00

So remember the dog trial that Josh went to last weekend in Mesquite? Well, Woody took first place! This is like Josh's dream. I think he would be a full time hunting dog trainer in a heart beat if he could. Anyway, so how it works is Josh is on a horse following behind Woody. There are also two judges on horses as well. The dogs are judged on style, speed, how and when they point a bird, and how far they range in front of the horse. Way to go Woodster!

Love Day

2011-02-14T18:45:00.003-07:00

To my two loves, I LOVE you sssoooo much. Happy Valentine's Day!

Hardware Ranch

2011-02-13T10:23:00.004-07:00

This weekend my family all went up to Logan to go to the Hardware Ranch. Afterward, we went to my brothers house and frosted my Mom's super delicious Valentine's sugar cookies and then Brandon and Carrie made us a dinner...smoked beef, rolls,baked beans and potatoes...yum! We missed Josh, he had a dog trial by Mesquite that he had been planning for months....he missed out! Anyway, it was good to see all my family and hang out. Love y'all!

All of us on the sleigh

The horses that pulled our sleigh...Norm and somebody else I forgot the name

Some of the elk we saw up close

Some of the bull elk

Little Sophia

Grandpa, Alli and Grandma

Alli and Wyatt, they had fun together

Cant go without a cousin picture!

Kael, Dax, Wyatt, Alli and Sophia

Alli

Kael

Dax

Decorating cookies

Enjoying a cookie, yum!

Love the sprinkles on her lips =)

Wyatt the hunter. He pretended to guide Alli on a hunt in his backyard and told me that Alli scared the deer away...darn!

Poser

2011-02-11T21:19:00.001-07:00

Every time we get home from somewhere Alli either 1. Takes her clothes off and runs around naked or 2. Take's her clothes off and immediately puts a dress on. Lately, she will get the camera and have one of us take some pictures of her. She comes up with the weirdest poses too, which I won't post because they're kind of bizarre...I wonder what goes through her head sometimes ha ha! Anyway, here is her latest pose session =)

I can't believe it

2011-02-10T20:35:00.008-07:00

I can't believe that Jerry Sloan is resigning! It still does not seem real to me. I've been to many Jazz games throughout my life and it just won't be the same without him. I think he has been a great coach. I love that he's been with the Jazz coach for 23 years (almost my whole life!) and hasn't gone anywhere else. I loved watching him during the games, always jumping out of his chair, yelling at the refs, and even getting kicked out a few times =) I loved how in his interviews and press conferences that he was always straightforward and wasn't afraid to just say it like it is. He will definitely be missed. I think it was probably time for a change for the Jazz, but it's still really sad. He's been with the Jazz for so long!

This picture makes me sad...

As for this guy...do you think he has what it takes?

Overload

2011-02-05T22:16:00.001-07:00

This is what happens when I get behind on the most dreaded chore of man kind...LAUNDRY. I really hate laundry with a passion, but it has to be done. So here I go to fold like 12 loads of laundry, or wait here WE go. Josh is definitely helping me fold this massive pile, and yes he usually always helps me fold clothes when I ask. Now that's a good husband!

Provo Beach Resort

2011-02-05T15:43:00.004-07:00

Last night, we went to the Provo Beach Resort at the Riverwoods. This place is a pretty awesome place for kids and adults. It has laster tag, a bowling ally, indoor surfing, carousel, playgrounds, miniture golf, a rope course, pretty much everything! I'm sure we'll be going back to play many times.

They even have a little mini bowling place for little kids, so cute!

This pic is randmon, but this is how Alli ate her chocolate doughnut the other night...I thought it was kinda funny =)