B+T

Pure joy

2012-01-22T16:04:00.002-07:00

*Thank you for all of your kind thoughts and comments on the post below. Each one made me feel better :)

The weather was unseasonably nice on Friday, so we took full advantage.

Olivia and I had a play date with some friends from church that morning while B went to class. We all got home about the same time and decided we needed to stay outside for the day. We headed over the the Dallas Arboretum to have a picnic and just enjoy the day. We got some lunch from the little patio bistro they have there, where you can see the Dallas skyline over the water, and then took our food over to a grassy area. Olivia enjoyed stealing all my chips, feeding the birds, looking at the clouds, and even ventured over to the benches to flirt with a little boy for a second. After lunch, we walked over to the water spitting frogs that we had avoided the last time we went because we thought it would be too cold for her to play. And we knew that once she saw the water there would be no stopping her. And judging from this time, we were right. I had totally planned on bringing her swimsuit so she wouldn't have to strip down, but I definitely forgot it. I hate when I'm not as prepared as I meant to be! Oh well, she still loved it. It was 75 degrees if you were wondering how it was okay for her to be in just a diaper and playing in the water in the middle of winter.

Its days like these I feel so blessed! Sitting enjoying the beautiful outdoors and the wind in my face, with my loving husband beside me and my healthy perfect daughter running circles around us, and a new little one kicking and rolling around inside my stomach...I honestly couldn't ask for anything more. Pure joy.

One more little story. When we rounded the corner enough for her to see the water at the end of the tree tunnel, I asked her, "what do you see"? She stared at the water and started tugging at the buckle of her stroller so she could get down, and simply said, "please". She took off running towards the water the moment her feet hit the ground.

2012-01-15T22:40:00.000-07:00

I decided to record this experience because If I had read or known someone else to have experienced this during their pregnancy I might not have freaked out as much as I did, and if I could save someone from feeling as terrified as I did then that would make me happy. This is really long, so I don't blame anyone for not making it through this one!

Around 14 weeks, I noticed some bleeding after I went to the bathroom. I had not experienced any spotting during my pregnancy with Olivia, so it scared me a little, but because it was such a small amount and it stopped immediately and didn't happen again for the rest of the day, I was confident that it was just random spotting. We were already scheduled for our first ultrasound the next day so I didn't even call the doctor. Everything was fine at the ultrasound and the heartbeat was strong.

We had another regular visit to the doctor at 16 weeks where the nurse had a really difficult time finding the heartbeat. I really wasn't too nervous because I could tell she didn't really know what she was doing. That sounds so arrogant, but trust me. I know how to take blood pressure and I take readings on all of my patients at work, so I could tell that she wasn't really taking it or at least didn't listen for anything, meaning she probably just made up a number. That bothered me because what if I had high BP? That's kind of important to know during pregnancy. Then she didn't really measure me like she was supposed to- again I've been measured so many times that I could tell. Then when she was trying to get the heartbeat she was putting the dopplar thing really high, like above my belly button, and because I had felt the baby move I knew she was in the wrong area. I realllly wanted to say "You're in the totally wrong spot. Move down!" Finally she figured it out and moved the dopplar down and found the heartbeat. It was strong. I want you all to know that I don't hate nurses, in fact I LOVE a GOOD nurse who is kind and will chat and SMILE at you. I have plenty of friends who are nurses who I know are wonderful at their job. I've even had great nurses at this office, just not this one.

Immediately upon my first step out of the bathroom (after giving a urine sample) a different nurse ~~came up to me~~ ambushed me, and kind of got really close to my face and asked quietly if I had felt the baby move.... which the other nurse had already asked me twice and I said yes all three times, this time a little annoyed because I was already annoyed at the other nurse for not knowing anything and also not being friendly to me whatsoever. I went back into the my room where Brady was and sat quietly and looked out the window, on the verge of tears. I couldn't even say anything to him about how I was feeling because I knew I would start crying. From those few seconds with the first nurse who had a terrible and cold bedside manner to the next nurse asking me for the third time urgently and quietly and in the middle of the hallway (where I could also see out of the corner of my eye the doctor look up and watch me to see my response) if I had felt the baby move, I felt like something was wrong. Am I crazy? I mean why are they asking a million times if I've felt the baby move? I was only 16 weeks so actually that's not a good indicator of if the baby is okay because its still pretty early and most people don't feel the baby move yet. Brady had even already felt the baby move. I was just totally confused. I'm a pregnant woman people! Hormones are crazy, you should know since you're nurses of pregnant women.

I sat there totally confused because I had just heard the heartbeat. It did take awhile to find but it was there, and now it seemed like they didn't believe me when I said I felt the baby move. Combine this whole experience with the light spotting I had earlier, and well, like I said I was sitting there staring out the window not looking at Brady and doing everything I could not to burst into tears. I've heard stories of friends who have had miscarriages, and this is what they describe- a nurse who is unable to find the heartbeat who then leaves quietly and then the doctor comes in to tell the woman that she's lost the baby.

We sat forever and Brady was talking about something, and I tried to glance over and smile and nod to whatever he was saying. When I saw him I felt so much better. I just knew when I looked at him that no matter what was going to happen, not just right then but for our entire lives, everything would be okay. He would help me go through whatever it was, even if it was bad. I was just really thankful he was there with me at that visit.

Finally the doctor came in and everything was completely fine. Heartbeat was fine, baby was fine, things were fine. I still didn't feel fine though. I left there, after also trying to deal with the fact that they overcharged us (literally 6x's the amount we were supposed to pay because they said that our insurance wasn't going to pay anything...which is not true- that's a different post for a different time), feeling frustrated with the whole experience and frustrated that I wasn't able to enjoy this visit and enjoy listening to the heartbeat like I usually got to enjoy.

Not done yet. I was working and had started to get a little worried about the nitrous being used in my office. It's not used a lot, and I am never in the room with it, but I'm a worrier so I just started to worry a little bit. I was 19 weeks along. Luck would have it that the very same evening that I started googling nitrous and reading horror stories online about spontaneous abortion caused by nitrous I had another bleeding episode. This time quite a bit more blood. Bright red instead of light pink, and it didn't stop as quickly as last time.

I was a wreck! I called for Brady because I needed him to see what I saw to make sure it was really happening. I was bawling and so scared, and sweet Olivia came in the bathroom, looked in the toilet and started saying "Red! Red Mama, its red!" in her happy innocent voice. For some reason her sweet little voice brought a little comfort and helped me calm down a little, as in stop crying. I was still terrified. Brady told me to go sit down and put my feet up and he would put Liv down for the night. Liv saw that I was crying and kept saying "Its okay mama," and kissing me. She wanted me to hold her so she could hug me, and I told Brady that I would just put her down for the night. As we rocked in the rocking chair I felt unbelievably grateful for her and that Heavenly Father had blessed me with such a sweet child. Then I started feeling sad and nervous again at the thought of losing this baby that I'm carrying and I lost it again, right in the middle of cuddling with my sweet girl. She looked at me and was frowning with a sad face and just flung forward and gave me a big hug. I cried on her shoulder and then she got nervous and said "Uh oh, Dada!". I laughed and stopped crying and said "Its okay, Mama's okay". She is so special to me. How is it that a 2 year old child can know just the perfect thing to say at a time like that? She is a blessing.

B and I were both a little worried. I was too far along for this to be happening. The bleeding had stopped, but I was going to the bathroom to check every few minutes. He told my mom what had happened for me, and I cried on her shoulder again. B and my Dad gave me a blessing and I truly felt so calm afterward. I didn't know for sure if things were alright with the baby, but I felt so calm and comforted. It was a special experience for me. I thought I was feeling the baby move, but I was now so nervous and combining this with the earlier experience (described above) at the Dr's office, that I thought "what if its not the baby moving and I've been wrong this whole time". I went to bed still nervous that I would wake up in the middle of the night with cramping (I had no cramping with the bleeding) and things would go terribly wrong. I actually had to work a half day the next day (a Friday which I normally don't work on). When I woke up the next morning and nothing had gone wrong, and there was no bleeding, I was feeling a little more at ease. I was then just hoping that if anything was going to happen, it wouldn't happen at work.

Work flew by with no problems, no cramping, and no bleeding and I was really feeling better because I was still feeling the baby move. I still wanted to go to the Doctor's office though to be able to totally put my mind at ease and hear the heartbeat again.

We went and I had a great nurse this time. When she got to the part to listen for the heartbeat, it took a full 2 minutes to find. It doesn't sound like a long time, but it really is and when your already nervous 2 minutes feels like 20 minutes. She was putting me at ease by talking and explaining that this baby was really low and other things about this baby just not wanting to be heard. There was only one split second where I let that terrifying thought cross my mind again, and I almost started to cry, but I stopped myself and reassured myself that I had felt the baby move and she would find the heartbeat. Finally, she found it. It was strong. Things were fine! The doctor was great and comforting and said he'd order the ultrasound just to get a look at the placenta and make sure there were no cysts or anything. But he did reassure me that the baby was fine and the bleeding wasn't related to pre-term labor.

After that I felt 100% better! I felt excited again for this new baby to come home with us in May. I also felt like maybe I had over reacted and I was kind of embarrassed that I was so terrified, but then I realized that its not embarrassing. I think all those things were playing a part in me being terrified and I'm pretty sure if that string of events had happened to someone else they might have reacted like me. But things are fine, and you can still have spotting in the 2nd trimester and be fine even though the internet would have you believe that any bleeding in the 2nd trimester is most likely a huge problem.

Little girl is already so special to me and I am so incredibly thankful that she sticking around even though I'm already an overly worried Mother. I just love her so much and I can't wait for her to be here safe and sound!

It's a...

2012-01-10T23:34:00.000-07:00

We had our ultrasound (US) last Wednesday (a little earlier than originally planned because of some really minor scares I might post more about later. I was really excited to get to actually have the Ultrasound when I was 20 wks instead of 23 or 24 wks like they had originally said). We had NO prep time as far as planning what we would do to reveal gender or if we were even going to do anything, because my Dr. ordered the US early, and they called to schedule the US appt on Tuesday while I was at work. I called back during lunch and made it for the next day at 1pm. It was my day off, and we were just out running errands as usual and not checking the clock. When we got home at noon I remembered "We have to be 15 minutes early to the appt". We dropped our goods off, ate a really quick lunch, and then were off to THE appointment. This pregnancy is literally flying by! I remember feeling like it took forever to finally find out with Liv, and here we were with baby #2 and we almost forgot! Sad. Poor baby #2. If this is the future and you're reading this we love you so much and would never forget about you! It was just so unexpected after being told we wouldn't know until 24 wks, to then all the sudden "you can come tomorrow". We're impatient for you to get here, so we love having it go by so fast! I hadn't even told my parents, whom I live with, much less anyone else that we were finding out that day.

We took a quick video of Liv on the way to the appt.

We didn't tell anyone the news after the appt, because we were still brainstorming something fun to do with my family. We decided to tell them after dinner and have everyone guess what they thought the baby would be by picking a pink cupcake for girl or a blue for boy.

And then Liv would "tell" everyone if it was a boy or girl with what she chose.

Its a........

GIRL!!!!

We are so excited to have another girl and a little sister!
Of course I would have been happy either way, but I was very slightly leaning more towards girl because I just really wanted sisters in a row. Does that make sense?
Plus we already have all the girl stuff, but really I'm just so excited for sisters! Can you tell I love my sisters? :)

And I am already totally in love with my healthy growing baby GIRL too.

Christmas evening

2012-01-07T21:54:00.000-07:00

On the evening of Christmas the Grants came over and we all had Christmas dinner together!

The kids table was all I managed to snap a pic of:

Then they got to open their presents from Grammy and Grampy, and Liv and I took sweet baby Anna for a little bit.

Liv loves trying to help with Anna, and she sometimes gets possessive of her even though she's not really her baby.

Liv is really trying to get that pacifier back in but its kind of tricky. Especially when she won't won't let me help AT ALL (its her latest thing to always say "No, Livy do it").

Meanwhile, the Grants were opening their presents.
Cowboy Luke!

These two girls are going to have lots of fun together as they get older.

Claire came in very excited to tell Liv that Grammy had painted her nails, and Liv hopped right off my lap and they ran over to Grammy so Liv could get her nails done too.

Then Claire showed Liv all her make up and gave her a little make over :)

And here is a short video of my adorable niece Claire putting some make up on Liv, then telling me about Santa and his reindeer!

Liv woke up on Christmas morning a little sick, so that's why she has an extra raspy voice.

Santa did good!

2012-01-04T21:12:00.000-07:00

Santa brought Liv a talking baby complete with highchair, sippy cup, food, stroller/bike, and bed, and a little zhu zhu pet puppy with a dog carrier.

She LOVED the doll and played with it forever before moving on the the stocking.

She liked her little puppy too :)

When she moved over to her stocking, she noticed that the reindeer hadn't eaten all of their carrots so she helped 'em out.

Blurry pic, but she loved this Dora coloring book set.

Two little puppies in her baby's stroller/bike.

Like I said, she played for a looong time before we ever moved on to presents.

When it was time for presents, and everyone was awake, she liked to bring each present to each person.

Then she'd stand there until that person said she could help rip the paper, haha!

She was all over the place that morning! It was hard to capture pictures so I just stopped trying pretty early on and decided to just enjoy the moment instead of getting frustrated I couldn't get the perfect shot. She loved every present and seemed to enjoy ripping the paper more than anything else. She would often get all the paper off and gasp, and then was ready for the next paper ripping experience.
I can tell in the pic below, she had just opened her new grey H&M gloves with a little white polka dot bow. She really loves gloves. Even just today she wanted gloves on when we went outside to play even though its 70 degrees here.

Except when she opened this vtech computer from her Grandparents! She wanted that thing out of the box right away!

We actually had to stop giving her presents at this point and left a small pile of the rest because she was just not interested in anything else. We were all giggling at what a techy girl she is because she was annoyed that the mouse on her "pewter" was not wireless. She brought her baby over to type on the keyboard...

...and then was teaching her baby how to walk. There was no prompting, she just did all of this on her own. I wonder where she's seen that? Of course we did that with her but she was only 9 months at the time, and we don't have any other children (yet) so it was just funny.

She's been wanting some slippers so we got her these penguins.

Then we went in and had a huge breakfast (buttery croissants from William Sonoma with their blackberry jam, bacon, sausage, cheesy scrambled eggs, and this blueberry buttermilk thing I found on pinterest (it was a hit, it was actually my second time making it)!

We were all spoiled this year by our families! Among my favorite gifts were a massage gift certificate from my in-laws (I sooo need that!) and this vintage book set from my parents!

With love, The Hansen Family

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

We did not mail out Christmas cards this year. Between working, chasing after a 2 year old, the move,

still getting settled, and growing a brand new baby, we have ALL been busy and extra tired!

So this year we will settle for a Hansen Family E-newsletter.

2011 was a busy one for us!

Brady graduated from BYU! He was the top salesman in the company he was working at and earned a place in the prestigious "President's Club" where he and I got to spend a few days in Zion's National Park, going on beautiful hikes and adventures all while being spoiled by the company (Thanks to Grandma Debi for taking Liv for us)! He is serving in double church callings, volunteering with refugees of Texas in an after school program, volunteering in the ER at a local hospital, and charming everyone he meets as is his way. Everyone just loves Brady, and it makes me happy when people constantly tell me what a wonderful husband I have!

Taryn graduated with her second Bachelor's Degree from Dental Hygiene school, and we said goodbye to lots of friends and family and moved from Utah to Texas. It has been a bittersweet adjustment saying goodbye to loved ones that we miss so much, but now having the chance to get to know other loved ones and make new friends! We have been adjusting to the changes and trying to put down some roots. I am currently working 2 days a week and run wild with my 2 year old the other 5 days of the week. I am loving finally being able to do the job I've spent years trying to get certified to do. It has been a wonderful blessing to be able to provide for my family and allow Brady to finally get the chance to focus and work toward medical school without having to stress quite as much about finances. I also love being home with my Livy and as always cherish the days we spend together!

We had a little girl turn from a toddler into a full blown 2 year old kid! Olivia Pearl is one very animated and opinionated lady! She has had her Daddy wrapped around her little finger from day 1, and its safe to say the feeling is mutual! She LOVES when he comes home for the day. She will always say, "Dada! I miss you! I love you Daddy!" She brings so much joy, happiness, and laughter to our home! She still likes to give kisses, and knows her ABCs and all the sounds each letter makes. Her most recent accomplishment is going to the bathroom in the potty chair. We are ALL very excited about this (she is still in diapers but is definitely showing major interest in learning more about this potty chair thing).

and one more tiny thing....

We are expecting baby #2 to join our family in May 2012!

2011 was a great year with many accomplishments and celebrations, but we think 2012 will be even better! We are so happy that we have been blessed with this new little life.

We hope this New Year brings happiness and joy to each of you as well!

We started early this year...

2011-12-28T13:39:00.001-07:00

This has been a different Christmas for me since none of my married siblings came home this year.

We have always had a FULL house since I have 6 sibs, and now almost all of them have several children of their own.

The last time we were together, Liv was 3 months old and the house was crazy with kids and people running everywhere.

That's just how it is over here, and how its always been. Even though it can get a little overwhelming at times, I missed seeing everyone this year.

With that said, opening presents on Christmas Eve with just our small family of 3 was really quaint and fun!

We were sent so many lovely presents all the way from Oregon from our cute Hansen family!

We decided to open them on Christmas Eve, after caroling. We were the only ones in the house because my parents

were dropping treats by few more places. We were so excited to open them, and set up the tripod to

catch some of the action. Liv really did love everything and so did we! Thank you!!!

'Twas the night before Christmas

2011-12-24T21:48:00.000-07:00

Christmas Eve is just as exciting as Christmas Day to me. We had a big breakfast of pull apart monkey bread, german pancakes, and sausage. Naturally, we were feeling the need to go on a walk after that meal! It was cold and it looked as if it would start raining at any moment so it was a good brisk walk to start out our day and get our energy going!

Liv waking up from her nap.

She's taking her time to wake up and being so cuddly. I really enjoy those moments when they come. As she gets older, they're coming less often.

As is tradition in our family, we went caroling and leaving treats for friends. Then came home to a cheesy corn chowder dinner, and "Christmas crackers" (not crackers to eat but the ones that have paper crowns, small toys, and jokes in them). Brady, Liv, and I got to open presents from our Hansen family (we were completely spoiled!!! I have a video of Liv opening those presents to come later), and then from extended family. We taught Liv about the birth of Jesus using one of the Nativity scenes, and skipped dressing up this year. We ended with B telling us the story behind "Silent Night" and listened to the Vienna Boys Chorus sing the first verse in German, then we all sang the first verse together (in English). It was simple and beautiful.

My gift to B

We put out some cookies for Santa, and explained that tonight was the night he would be coming down the chimney to leave presents.
I turned to grab my camera and snap a few pictures of Liv setting Santa's cookies on the fireplace, and when I turned back around she was eating them herself! It made us crack up. Then we got a carrot out for the reindeer, and Liv went ahead and ate that too! She was completely wired and was so much fun to watch! She was running around in circles, jumping, playing with Grammy and Grampy, and rolling around on the floor. Just beside herself with excitement!

I was tired at this point and wondering how I was going to get her to go to bed!

She's entertaining herself by looking in the mirror and making faces instead of brushing her teeth like I'm trying to get her to do.

I say this a lot, but she is just so much fun to watch! Even when I'm exhausted at the end of the day.

She absolutely fits her name "OLIVIA" because just like Olivia piggy (as we call the famous book over here), I could tell her,

"You wear me out, but I love you anyway", and I hope she would also reply "I love you anyway too"!

We're thankful for our Livy girl, and for this wonderful holiday to celebrate the birth of our Savior.

baking, crafting, eating, making, and train rides

2011-12-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

I'm always terrible at updating during Christmas time, and I usually just never get back around to posting all the things we did.

This year I'm trying to be better, so here is a "quick" post to record what we've been up to.

We've been doing lots of baking and Christmas crafts around here.

And taking cheesy pictures apparently: That's me eating my Mom's melt in your mouth ginger cookies.

Liv painting a gingerbread "ornament/light catcher"

You know her creative juices are flowing when her tongue comes out. Its usually wiggling from side to side when she's drawing or painting.

Baking, baking, baking!

My mom and I have been baking all day. The list this year included peppermint merengues, fudge, coconut craisin bars, ginger snap cookies, and pecan pralines.

Wassel- This tastes like Christmas to me. My Mom always makes it!

We snacked on a few (okay way too many) treats and drank wassel while we watched "A Christmas Story"

A few nights earlier we made pumpkin spice lattes, snacked on chex mix (this is another treat that tastes like Christmas to me. One of those special things my Mom makes every year), hand cut snowflakes, and watched "Christmas Vacation"

We took Liv to the mall to see Santa and ride the train. I didn't mention this in the post about Santa, so I will here- Every time we would ask her what she wanted for Christmas she would always first say with a big smile, "Christmas!", then we would tell her "a dolly and a doggy". This might be the last year we get to tell her what she wants for Christmas :)

While we were in line she stayed busy by decorating a felt gingerbread girl I picked up at Michael's for $0.99. Best purchase ever. She plays with it every day. You could totally make something on your own like this too. Speaking of making, I made a little girl version of this headband for Liv. I think its pretty adorable on her.

She LOVED the train ride! I was slightly surprised because I thought when the train started pulling away and getting further and further from us she might get nervous, but no way! Even that little boy in front of her started bawling and screaming on the 2nd time around. She was just kind of looking sympathetic at him, but would always smile and wave and blow kisses to us when she came around.

She loved it so much that we let her go around a second time. She was the only one on the train, haha!

Just loving all this time we get to spend together!!!

3rd time's the charm...wait

2011-12-22T23:04:00.000-07:00

Not in this case. I think this whole picture with Santa thing is actually getting worse!

2009 (just complacent)

2010 (crying- this is actually my fave of the three)

2011(terrified-

I didn't have the heart this year to just set her on his lap and leave.

He was kind of scary even to me)

I have to write a quick blurb on the Santa picture we just took this year. Its obviously not professional (in fact none of these ones are), B just hurried and took it. The cheapest package was $23. I guess this is pretty normal and I'm just a cheapskate, but holy cow I only want one photo. I would have paid $5 and even $10 for one photo if it was a good Santa and backdrop etc. But this Santa was the worst I've ever been to, not to mention the backdrop was nothing to get excited about. Liv was waving really cute at him while we were in line and saying Hi Santa, and he was sleeping in between kids and never acknowledged her. A small wave wouldn't have been too hard, right? He never smiled and barely said 2 words. No wonder she didn't want to sit on his lap. For the record, I do feel kind of bad for all the mall Santa's out there since the majority of the kids you see are screaming their heads off, but I've been to enough Santa's that smiled through it all and were still cordial.

We had prepped all week for visiting Santa. Liv seemed totally set. I showed her pictures of kids sitting on Santa's lap and she knew that she would go and "sit on lap". I had even gone over all the questions with her! If Santa asks if you've been a good girl you say, "Yes I'm a good girl". What do you want for Christmas? "A dolly and a doggy". She was seriously adorable when I was asking the questions. Like I said, in line just before it was our turn she was waving and talking to Santa, then when it was our turn she just turned and with terror in her eyes she said,"No...no...no" I picked her up and she dug her fingers in and wrapped those legs around me and I knew she wasn't going anywhere. I even tried to bribe with candy, but no go. She was not letting go. So I sat right down on mean Santa's lap and smiled for camera. I couldn't even get her to turn and look at her Daddy. Oh well. At least I didn't pay anything for that! And we have a good story to tell her when she's older!

Colors

2011-12-19T21:50:00.002-07:00

Its Fall! I know its really winter, but things move a little slower around here, and it would seem that it is just now that time of year when the leaves are falling from the trees, and the air has gotten a bit colder. I'm loving the colors and finally being able to enjoy the reds, oranges, and greens that I've been waiting (all fall) to enjoy.

I've had a cold for the last two weeks which then progressed to a sinus infection, and I haven't been sleeping well. Two night ago, it started to rain. I guess that was all I needed. I listened to the rain and slept like a baby, and when I woke up for the first time at 7am, I felt refreshed and relieved that I had actually slept through the night. I was greeted by teh kind of rolling thunder that only Texas can produce and dark cloudy skies; more rain. I rolled over and went back to bed. Heaven!

Today there is a break in the rain and the sun in shining, so we went outside to play. Everyday we go outside, Liv wants to pick an "apple" off the tree. Its actually a pear tree, but she continues to call them apples. Whatev. I'll always pick one for her and she takes a big bite before I can even get inside to wash and peel it. Its just a tree in our backyard so at least I know there were no pesticides used on it, right?! It kind of scares me every time she bites before I wash.

Today, though, she pointed at the pear tree and said, "tiny apple?" I looked and saw that there was not a pear in sight. I told her the "apples" are all gone. She was frowning and staring at the tree. I explained that the "apples" went to bed for winter, and they would come back in the summer. She said, "ohhhhh nooooo!" She was already over it immediately after saying that, and it just made me laugh.

Decorating the tree

2011-12-05T11:04:00.000-07:00

I knew my parents were going on a little trip to San Diego the first week in December, so I made sure we decorated the tree before that. My mom wanted to wait until after their trip, but I wasn't having it.

Liv was mesmerized by all the decorations. She loved taking each one out. When I brought her to the tree to hang the first one, she walked over and tucked it underneath the tree, like a present. Its weird that she's never decorated a tree before! And of course, fun as always when we get to introduce her for the first time, to something that is so special to us.

Getting some help from Grampy

About halfway through, she decided that all the ornaments were purses :)

2011-11-30T13:53:00.001-07:00

Tuesday I had my first working interview, and after working for 7.5 hrs, I found out I got the job!

This is not the office I work at, just an insta of when I worked a day at Mike's office.

He also paid me for that day of work right then and there which was really nice, because who wants to ask the boss (of a place your not yet hired) when you can expect to be paid for the work you've done.

It's a really small office, but I love that the entire staff (totaling 5) is friendly to not only the patients, but also each other. I've heard many a horror story about working in dental offices where the assistants don't get along with the hygienists and no one helps each other out, and they even kind of pick on each other. I was really pleased with how my day went at this office, and then even more pleased when they offered me the job! The assistant will always bag my instruments for me, and mount my x-rays. And I was able to help her out (when one of my patients cancelled) by sterilizing instruments and then when she wasn't able to get a PA of tooth #4 (she had taken 4 x-rays already trying to get this one shot- thank goodness the patient was in no pain and didn't mind) she asked me for help. I did it for her and got it on the first try! I was kind of really proud of myself because I've always felt like I'm not very good at taking x-rays, then when she was asking for help I was nervous because I was trying to impress these people for goodness sake! I must be alright because I also took a few bitewings and they all turned out well. Phew! It was a blessing that I got the opportunity to do something that really did impress them! Hooray for a steady income!

Dickens of a Christmas

2011-11-28T16:54:00.000-07:00

To get in the Christmas spirit we headed to the Dickens of a Christmas in downtown McKinney.

Their downtown reminds me so much of downtown Provo and that made me happy.

Liv was SO excited to get her winter hat and gloves on and go "see kids" (her cousins)!

It was actually quite cold and windy on this night and it was kind of fun to finally get bundled

up for a stroll in the winter weather! There were several activities, but it had rained earlier in the day and

most were closed. We were sad we missed the streusels and hot chocolate bar, but we stopped in several

stores, sampled lots of other food, and bought some yummy kettle corn.

We went in the Loco Cowpoke Salsa Shop and sampled TONS of jams, jellies, salsas, and types of honey butter.
Some of those salsas killed me- eyes watering, mouth on fire, and nose running!
Why would B tell me that it wasn't that hot...twice?
He was in trouble for not realizing that even though it wasn't hot for him, it was waaay too hot for me!

Because my mouth was on fire and there was no water in sight, I went and slathered on some honey
butter. It was delish! I loved the cinnamon honey butter and the praline pecan honey butter. To die for,
so good that we brought some of the Praline Pecan home with us :)

Afterwards, we went over to visit my sister and her family. As I've already mentioned, Liv loves their

dog Fritz and I'm pretty sure she thinks he is actually her dog! She was in heaven giving all kinds of

hugs and loves to that pup.

We had soup, hot chocolate, and chocolate eclairs while we talked and played. I loved their Christmas

decor and their awesome Dickens Christmas Village. If you look close, you can see inside the shop

windows!

It was a fun way to kick off the Christmas season!

chunky circle scarf

2011-11-26T20:28:00.001-07:00

Between interviewing and temping I've been filling my time with more

crocheting projects. I hopped over to this site when I saw my sister

made this headband. I was going to try the headband, but I got

sidetracked by a beautiful scarf that I just had to have.

This was a more difficult project than any I'd ever taken on up to this

point, but after 3 tries (starting and then unraveling and restarting)

I figured it out! I was seriously so proud of myself. Have you ever

done something that is way above your level of understanding, but

instead of quitting you try again (and again, and in my case- again)?

Well, when you finally get it, it feels really good! And I also have a

lovely infinity scarf to show for it! It doesn't get much better.

Now I kind of want one in every color.

Feast

2011-11-25T15:16:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of food, family, and football!

We are always especially grateful for all of our family at this time of year, and so happy that we got to spend time with a few of them.

I'm thankful for a husband that knows what he wants and is extremely driven and determined to achieve his goals.

I'm thankful for a healthy daughter that brings laughter to our home and pushes me to develop more

kindness and patience every day. I'm thankful for my education and career, and that I'm done with

school :) We are thankful for the roof over our heads, the food on our table, the love in our family, and

for a loving Heavenly Father that we know is watching over us.

Kjirstie is taking this pic, but she was there too!

the backyard

2011-11-22T20:18:00.001-07:00

B showed me this video he made last night, and I was laughing so hard!

We love this girl of ours. Does she not have the sweetest face?!

I know this is the time of year for sweaters and boots and all things cozy,

buuuuut our cold weather just barely came today (and I'm hoping it actually stays around this time).

This is Liv enjoying the backyard and all the sunshine, warmth, and wonder a little girl could find out there.

Sorry for the quality, it was all filmed with the iphone a few weeks ago.

p.s. She has never gotten any spliters, but we do usually put shoes on before we go outside.
For that matter, we usually put pants on too, but crazy little girls will be crazy little girls.
Oh, and B is donning those infamous blue scrubs! Who knew those would ever come in handy again?
He used them while shadowing a doctor over the last few months.

May the odds be ever in your favor...

2011-11-14T11:55:00.001-07:00

Lookin' pretty good Lionsgate. Pretty darn good.

All about Liv: 2 yrs (+ 1 and a half months)

2011-11-09T22:39:00.000-07:00

{Phrases}

Yeah, okay Momma/Mommy (her favorite phrase at the moment)
Okay my Dada
I see {moon, bubble, buggie, etc}
Kishesh (kisses) and then she runs at you with puckered lips
Ticken nugs (chicken nugs), I want ticken nugs...meeeeeese (please- this is said while digging her fingers into her cheeks to make dimples and fake smiling)
I make a {buggie, uh-fly (butterfly), smile mace, etc}
Momma do it (fine when she's handing me the pen so I can draw something, not as cute when she's talking about cleaning up a mess)
Ohhhh myyy guhness (goodness)!
Oook (look) at me Dada/Momma
Guh morneen (good morning)!

She says a lot more than this, but these are some of my faves at the moment. I LOVE talking and having mini conversations with this girl. I hope we always get to have our little chats.

{Convos}

At the tender age of 2 our convos usually go something like this:

Liv: I see moon!
Me: You see the moon!?
Liv: Yeah Momma, its BIG moon! (giggles)
Me: It is a big moon isn't it! I see a pumpkin. Liv, do you see the pumpkin?
Liv: I see tiny puckin. (whenever she's talking about something tiny she talks in a higher voice and kind of puckers her lips)

If you can't tell, she's really into pointing out things big and tiny. She'll usually draw two of everything, one big and one tiny. Which brings me to one of my favorite convos:

Me: There's your big Daddy (pointing at Brady)
Liv: Yeah, BIG Daddy, tiny Momma.

Haha, it still makes me laugh even though, unfortunately, I'm not that tiny. I was more trying to show her how big we (the parents) are and how tiny she is. But I'm fine with the other too! More often our conversations consist of me talking and her shutting me down:

Me: Look, do you see the Monkey playing with the bunnies (its a curious george episode)
Her: *still too enthralled with what is happening on tv to respond to me*
Me: Look at those bunny rabbits! They are so cute and tiny!
Her: Yeah, okay Momma. *then stares back at the tv*

Liv: I want coooo-kee (cookie)
Me: *approaching this very delicately* Oh sweetheart, you know what? Its night night time...
Liv: *starting to whimper* cooo-kee coo-kee
Me: Listen to mommy, we are not going to have any cookies right now. We can brush teeth instead (she thinks her toothpaste "tastes like choc-o-wet" so that usually works)
Liv: *desperate now* Coo-kee...yeah okay momma?!

{More}

I have to approach anything that I know I will have to say no to very delicately because it usually hurts her feelings when the N word escapes. Like when she filled a toy cup with water and then dumped it on the carpet, or when I saw her on her hands and knees sipping up some naaaasty rain water from outside, or when I caught her pressing all the buttons on the DVD player. If I do accidentally let the word NO escape my mouth (as a knee jerk reaction in such dire circumstances!) without thinking of some other way to stop her, she will look at me with giant eyes and a pouty bottom lip. Then I have to watch her big blue eyes fill with water. Its really the saddest thing ever, and I feel absolutely terrible. I do love that she (usually) runs right over to me and hugs me. If she doesn't come to me, then I go to her, hug her, and tell her that I'm sorry that I scared her. Then I reiterate that (whatever the thing is) is a no no for her to touch but that I love her and she is a very good girl. She usually gets over pretty quick, but for about 4 seconds I feel like the meanest person alive for making a girl as sweet and innocent as her sad.

She is a Daddy's girl through and through! They have a very special bond that I am so grateful for. I think its really sweet (and nice that sometimes she only wants her daddy!). She still always wants her Mommy when she gets hurt though. Even when Daddy is there first, the second she sees me walking up she reaches for me to give her cuddles. I think that's pretty sweet too. There is nothing better than being the one that makes her feel better. This is the age where a kiss heals all. I am trying to soak it up because I know I'll blink and it will be over.

I love how she says her name right now : Yivia, Yivy, or sometimes it comes out Bibee (Not as much anymore as when she was a little younger, but I always thought she was saying "baby" and I would always say "you're a big girl not a baby" then I finally realized she was saying her name).

{Nick names}

Tinkerbell
Singer girl
Bear, bear child, little bear, bear-y
Sweetest thing
big girl
tiniest girl

I know, I'm probably a bad mom for sending her mixed messages but she IS both our biggest and tiniest girl! We love her so much!

candy

2011-11-06T21:59:00.001-07:00

I let Liv eat ALL of her Halloween candy the other day.

photo from a Fairy Tea Party earlier this year

I was doing a thing where I would let her choose one piece each day from her pumpkin, but it started becoming such a sad afternoon.

Liv: "pick a ca-nee....puckin"
Me: "oh, you want to pick a candy from your pumpkin?"
Liv: "yeah, okay momma"

Then I'd have to explain to her that she already picked her one piece and she would have to wait until the next day to pick another; of course the next step was tears (like that video I posted below). Usually we'd end up giving her another piece later in the day.

Then I decided, candy is so bad for your teeth and its better to eat it all at once than to snack all day on it (from a dental hygiene point of view). So one day I just gave her the pumpkin and told her she could eat all the candy. She has never been so happy (or so hyper). It was kind of comical! The best part was that she actually would just take a bite of one piece and then get another. Our only rule is that she has to throw the piece she has away before getting another, you can see where I'm going with this, she actually ate less candy because she was throwing it away before it was finished. I was just glad to have it all gone (whether in the trash or in her stomach) because it was always taunting me.

This won't fly when she's older and has a lot more candy, but it works for now. The BEST part is now we never have tears about candy, she's been eating more carrots than ever, and she's back to thinking fruit snacks are candy (of which she only gets one pack a day)!

Being Grateful

2011-11-05T08:11:00.000-06:00

Lately I've heard from ALL directions to enjoy life right now and live in the moment. This is something that means a lot to me considering the place in life I am at right now. We are living with my parents and basically have no idea where life will take us next. Yes we have Plan A, B, and C but where we are in life right now is the definition of an "in between" moment. We have done all we can do and now we have to wait (this applies to several things that I'm not going to specifically go in to. B and I know what they are). The time of life that you can't help but think "I can't wait until....", so the call to "enjoy the journey" is something that I take seriously. Years from now I hope to be able to look back on this time with some of the fondest memories instead of barely remembering because I was so anxious to be done.

I just finished reading a book called "The Last Lecture" right now for my book club started by my cute SIL. In this book there is a chapter called "The Man in the Convertible" describing a woman who sees this man with the top down on his car, his hair blowing in the wind, and a content smile on his face. He is completely enjoying that day and that very moment. As the woman watched, she realized she knew the man. It was Randy, who she also knew had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had only a few months to live. This is a true story! If he can still be fully engaged in life and enjoying every moment, so can I!

Reading this passage has made me think about a lot of things, and realize a few things that I am so specifically thankful for. The first is that my parents have been so generous to let us live here with them while we "wait". They are the best teachers and examples of kindness and I am grateful just that I get to hang out with them! I feel blessed to have the parents I do and even more blessed that they are still my personal super heros. I won the parent lottery :)

And although this may seem random, if you've read this book you'll understand why this came to my mind while reading it. I am thankful for all of the pen marks, smiley faces, and buggies that are constantly drawn on Olivia's arms, legs, hands, and feet because I love that she is so creative and how such a small thing is so magical to her. I am thankful to have a husband that is as laid back as me and lets her draw all over herself (maybe he even drew ab muscles and some ribs on her once) and doesn't care what people at the grocery store say. One day we'll have to explain to her that its not PC to draw all over your body, but for now I want to let her imagination go wild, and I think I was blessed to have a husband who agrees.

Trick-or-Treat

2011-11-04T07:30:00.014-06:00

Monday night we drove up to McKinney to have dinner with my sister, Kjirsten, and her family! I was so happy they had invited us because trick-or-treating is so much more fun with a group, and this was actually Liv's first time to go real trick or treating (because it rained last year).

We have already visited once before this and Liv took to her cousins really easily, which was a relief! She loved playing with Luke and Claire, and Liam was so good to watch out for her too (we didn't get to see Caleb very much that time) and then of course there's Fritz. The first thing she did when we entered the house was look for their dog Fritz. Now you see why she was a puppy for Halloween. LOVES that doggy Fritzy! She even got inside his kennel (should have gotten a pic of that). She stayed and played with him while the rest of us ate.

Yeah, she only had candy for dinner. I felt like a really good mom, thanks for asking.

Before we even started knocking on doors she squatted down and started eating some candy (I think my Mom wanted to give them the first piece). I guess I don't blame her since she didn't eat dinner.

Liv (the puppy) and Claire (the "superman girl" as she says)

These teenagers couldn't get over how cute they were, and kept telling us they win for cutest kid costumes. Doesn't Liv look like she's having the time of her life!?

People already love dogs, so when you put a cute kid in a soft furry outfit people go crazy! One lady wanted to keep her as her third dog, she was "pet" on numerous occasions, and kids would see her and bend and pat their knees and say "Oh look at the puppy! Here poochie poochie!". Guys, she's not a real puppy :)

Pretty little Claire!

Luke (Karate Kid), Claire, and Liv! Liam and Caleb were long gone with friends by this point.

About halfway through, Liv was done walking and sat in Anna's (who is a newborn baby) carseat. My mom held Anna, Luke took Liv's place in the sit and stand stroller, and Claire kept her rightful place in the sit and stand. Poor Mom (Grammy) and also poor Dad (Grampy) because he pushed Liv in the stroller for the rest of the night. We asked if she wanted to get out and get more candy and she said no, which was fine with me, but her nice Grampy just pushed her stroller right up to the doorstep and she still got tons of candy. This was a cute neighborhood and most of the people actually sat out in the driveway for easier and faster access for the kids.

When we were making the walk back to the house, she was so happy to have a tray to put her glow stick and some candies in and a "bed" to lay down (when she needed a break from all that eating).

Luke came in and sorted his candy right away! And Claire danced to Halloween music for us. She has the cutest thriller-like dance, I die every time. I wish I would have filmed it.

We all ate too many Halloween goodies and talked the night away!

Liv's bucket. Full and pretty heavy by the end.

There's a full sized Snickers right there from the cutest older man.

Several minutes (hours?) later Liam was home with a pretty full pillow case!

And now, days and several pieces of Halloween candy later, this kind of makes me want to throw up :)

Happy Halloween!!!

(I'm sorry, but how did my little baby bumble bee (from last year) grow into a little girl? Its still amazing to me how fast they grow.

Post Halloween trauma

2011-11-03T15:36:00.000-06:00

What can I say, we watch a lot of videos around here.

You need to watch this one though because its hilarious! Parents tell their kids that they ate all their Halloween candy.

The 2 boys at the end are the best!
"Oh, good for you! Now you're probably gonna get a belly ache....
that's why you shouldn't eat so much candy"

Hipsters

2011-11-03T11:51:00.000-06:00

My husband is very cool and hip. He usually finds all the hip things and then sends them to me. I thought it was so hip that I'm posting it on here.

{This is what he told me to write, hahaha! Probably didn't think I was actually going to write it! He really did find it though}

Being serious now, I can't believe this is all stop motion! It's kind of amazing! Do you have any idea how long it would take to make something like that? The song is cute too. All you hipsters, enjoy...

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T13:20:00.002-06:00

Our ward Fall Festival and Trunk or Treat was this weekend!

After 3 other ideas, we finally decided on Olivia being a puppy for Halloween! She has had a special place in her heart for dogs forever, so I thought it was appropriate. People are always surprised at how much she loves dogs when they find out we don't have a dog and she didn't grow up with one around. It was kind of a last minute home made costume, but she was pretty cute if I do say so myself :)

She LOVED that she got to wear some make-up. Just a little lipstick and a black nose and whiskers :)

On our way!

I think maybe she's learned how to smile for the camera!

We sat by the Hansen's (there are 2 other Hansen families in our ward, haha) and the Howard girls. Emery was such a sweetheart to Liv and became her big sis for the night.

Going on stage for the children's costume parade

There was quite a turn out and 2 more rows of trunks!

I love seeing all those little pumpkin baskets!

Liv only made it around once and then just wanted to play on the stairs haha!

And now we're off again tonight for Halloween dinner and trick or treating with cousins!

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin painting

2011-10-29T13:00:00.001-06:00

We had a fun pumpkin painting playgroup one week this month. Liv is slowly learning how to interact with other kids. She is always super excited when I tell her in the mornings if we are going to get to play with kids on that day. We've had a lot of kids to play with lately (cousins, playgroup, nursery at church, halloween parties, and a play date with some of my friends from high school). She'll walk around saying "kids" and "bye-bye" meaning "let's go mom!", or when I reply and say"yeah we're going to see the kids today!" she'll just cover her mouth and giggle. The funny thing is, when we actually see the kids, she doesn't really play too much with them. For example on this day, all the kids were painting pumpkins so she went and played on the play set first. I had to start painting her pumpkin for her and then she realized she wanted to do it with everyone else. She marches to the beat of her own drum I guess.

Concentrating very hard:

She loves to line things up. She started with rocks (at our place in UT) and now even in nursery, during snack time, she lines up all her fruit snacks. I stayed with her one week and then was asked to sub the next. So much for teaching her to go in by herself, haha!

Lucy and Laney painting their pumpkins

I thought she looked adorable in her smock. I didn't take it off of her because I knew she'd go back for more painting. And she did.

Witches, black cats, and SPIDERS

2011-10-28T10:31:00.001-06:00

The other day my mom pulled out some Halloween decorations and let Olivia hang some of the widows stickers. She learned all about witches and black cats (because she already knew what the pumpkins and spiders were).

Do you love the little finger prints all over the window? My poor parents.

She pulled this Halloween welcome mat {that my mom had inside in front of the front door in the foyer} into the living room where she kept saying, "tucky" which is what she says when she wants to get tucked in for bed. She totally pulled in over herself and then pretended to be asleep.

This girl is too funny!

This was also the day that B informed me that there was a spider in the bathroom, but not to be alarmed or do anything like try to kill it when I saw it, because he had been keeping it as a pet for the last few days. He and Liv have been getting tiny bugs from outside and bringing them in to feed this spider. His counter to my first response (which was obviously that we needed to go ahead and get rid of it immediately) was that it eats all the other bugs that might be around. I haven't seen any other bugs so maybe he's right. He also thought we should leave at least for Halloween because it was a good decoration.
I'll let it stay for a little longer, mostly because its so small and doesn't scare me too much.

As I'm writing this, he and Olivia have caught a lizard and are also keeping that as a pet.

My first suggestion was to feed the spider to the lizard :)

Oh and if you were wondering, she doesn't like to wear clothes when we're home. She understands that she has to put clothes on when we leave the house, but as soon as we come back home she takes them off.

Morning walks

2011-10-27T10:13:00.000-06:00

Liv always wants to go outside first thing in the morning. Literally right when I pick her up out of bed she says, "outshide". Usually I tell her we have to wait, mostly because we all know I'm lazy in the morning and I don't wake up quite as quickly as she does. Sometimes though, I try to be fun and we go outside together (and if we're really lucky we all 3 get outside together). It is nice to go out in the morning because we've had a few really cool mornings. This particular morning, as you can tell by her clothes, I was tired and trying to throw on anything warm she had. It looks like she stepped right out of an anime cartoon or a Hello Kitty store.

We've done several nature walks and she thinks that acorns are the coolest things ever. Now we just go out to collect acorns (forget about the leaves). Then she brings them back to put on the pumpkins we have on the front porch.

Simple joys.

smile mace

2011-10-26T09:47:00.001-06:00

Last week, when Liv was supposed to be in sacrement meeting, she was in a classroom drawing some of her very first smiley faces. They are pretty cute and despite the fact that I was sad she didn't stay in with me, (she had stayed the whole time the past 2 weeks before this and I thought we were done needing to go out to the foyer, especially because both meetings went 30 mins over and she still stayed) I think they're pretty good for a new 2 year old :) Also, I love how her lips pucker out when she's drawing.

Liv Language:
smile mace = smiley face

Texas State Fair {part 2}

2011-10-24T22:31:00.000-06:00

I need to mention that the weather dropped 25 degrees and it was absolutely perfect! I've never been to this fair without it being pretty hot, but this day was amazing. Notice my scarf and Liv's cardigan. You don't always get to wear those things in Texas at this time of year.

We continued to "fair" by eating some fried foods. They have all kinds of fried stuff from fried moon pies, s'mores, ding dongs, and apple pie to fried lemonade and beer (how is that possible?). We tried the fried bubblegum because it was the 2011 winner. I wasn't a fan, but my dad liked it.

We walked around and enjoyed some music, first was an Irish band that Liv was seriously digging, then a little more walking got us to a country band. While listening to the country music, B decided to get a nasty smoked turkey leg. Nasty to me, not to him or (apparently) Liv. She was chowing. down. on that thing.

See.

A little later my mom, dad, and I got some corn dogs, and we all walked through a couple of exhibits (arts and crafts and then as seen on tv demonstration stuff). And even later we all got a funnel cake to share, but lets be serious. I ate over half of that by myself. It was seriously the. best. funnel cake. ever. It might be making an appearance later on. Get excited.

We stopped by a magic show where they had the kids sit right in front on "grass" and the adults sat behind on benches. Liv was enjoying being out of her stroller, and entertaining the adults :) She picked just the right time to try and learn how to somersault.

Right in the middle of the fair is the Cotton Bowl football stadium

We headed over to the Midway to look at all the crazy rides and impossible games.

And then we hopped on the Sky Tram to get the bird's eye of it all. We happend to go up during the sunset and got to see the Dallas skyline behind the Texas Star Ferris Wheel (which is HUGE by the way). It was pretty awesome, but these photos are not that awesome. Why have I STILL not learned how to use my camera? Sorry.

Getting tired.

Stopped by the car show, and let Liv get some wiggles out.

She wanted to keep trying for that somersault :)

And then it was time for the laser/light show! Liv stayed down on the sidewalk with my mom so she could dance to the loud music they were playing before the show.

Not a great video, but that girl of ours sure is cute. The first part is her dancing to the Irish band, and the second part is her before the light show. Also, she "lost" her pants somewhere between the car show and here :)

You can see it a little at the end, but kids kept coming over to dance with her.

Here's that funnel cake! Not a good pic because I was too embarrassed to let B take another pic with flash while the light show was going on! That's real chocolate on there folks, no nasty store bought chocolate syrup. And the cream so yummy and cool so it almost tasted like ice cream. Nom nom.

After the show, we checked out the other half of the car show, and then one more exhibit hall. The fair just isn't the fair without cotton candy, so we had to buy a bag on our way out to take home.

Fog coming from some haunted fun house.

Liv had her first taste of cotton candy. She wasn't sure about it because it looks and feels like a ball of cat fur, but we told her it was candy so she tried it. Her face was priceless as it changed from concerned to pure joy! Later she was asking me to wipe her hands because they were sticky and completely covered in the stuff, and while I was wiping she said, "Mama, its candy! Its yummy candy!"

Yes, yes it is.

Grampy and Liv

After the 10 lb weight gain, we were all tuckered out :)

Howdy Folks

2011-10-23T21:27:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the State Fair of Texas!!!

(in the iconic voice of Big Tex)

We finally made it to the fair! I've been waiting 8 years to get to go back to fair park and enjoy all the goodness the fair has to offer. I have such fond memories of fair days when our school district would take a day off from school so we could go to the fair! I love memories of going with my family when I was little, and then when I was older with my friends. I remember being super excited to go to the Utah state fair and then being thoroughly disappointed, and never going back, ha!

You see, the fair out here is just something special. Its HUGE, like there is too much to do. We didn't get to see all the shows or go to all the exhibits (or eat all the food), but we had such a fun time! We were so happy that my parents got to come with us too!

We went to "Little Hands on the Farm" (or something like that) and Liv must have enjoyed it because she was so serious. She did everything we asked her to do, I can't explain it right, but she was really cute with the whole thing. It basically teaches kids what we as consumers get from different animals. She got to feed all the different animals some corn feed and then collect "their items" in her basket (eggs from the hens, milk from the cow, wool from the sheep, etc)

If you were wondering, she wouldn't let me fix her hair after she woke up from her nap, so this is what you get.

She had already fed the (fake) cow in his bucket and she was supposed to milk it. She didn't quite understand what to do so instead she dropped some corn under the udder.

At one point they gave her some seeds to plant and water in the garden. She wanted to stay and garden all day :)

After planting the seeds she got to harvest all the veggies she "grew"

She LOVED driving the tractor around to drop off the feed to the pigs

At the end the kids "go to market" and drop off all the goods they collected and farmed, and the market paid them some money. They then get to go to a little store and buy one treat with their money. Liv walked in, saw the grocery cart full of crackers, threw her money in, and tried to steal that cart. Luckily it was tied to the wall, otherwise she probably would have been out of sight in .2 seconds.

Thanks Little Hands on the Farm!

Then, we made our way over to the petting zoo, where we fed sheep, cows, kangaroos, and had an ostrich steal our cup of feed! There were LOTS of animals in there (zebras, camels, llamas, lambs, pigs, and more and more)

The Mommy sheep was gobbling up any food we put in front of her, and then her little baby came up and I started feeding it. Liv liked the baby and wanted to feed the baby, but the Mommy kept sticking her nose out and taking the food from Liv. It was funny, and finally Liv closed her hand when the Mommy came and said "no" and shook her head. I grabbed some food so I could keep the Mommy busy and Liv could feed the little baby.

I just decided that I'm going to break it up into 2 posts because there are already a ton of pics in here, and there is a lot of fair left to see. Stay tuned for more!

A note....not a very nice one

2011-10-11T20:32:00.001-06:00

To whom it may concern (and I know exactly who it is):

I don't like you very much. I'm sick of waiting for you to give me my TX license. Its getting a bit ridiculous.

Let me make it easier for you. I had an active license in UT, and I sent you a certified letter with the UT state seal confirming this. Also, if you wanted to not be lazy for one day in your life you could just look it up online. Anyone in the world has the right to do so, so I'm sure you could figure it out too.

However, I am well aware that you are, indeed, too lazy to just do that, so I also sent you a million other things (several weeks ago) to further confirm that I am qualified to be a Dental Hygienist here (such as certified copies of all my passing board scores, my social security card, my CPR card, my passport, a letter signed by the Dean of my college confirming my graduation date, and a notarized copy of my diploma). Oh and lets not forget that I paid $50 to get fingerprinted and background checked (as you requested), and I took and passed an additional exam just for you (for $45 more bucks), as well as handed over another $100 to you like you asked for, which I guess you just use for kicks and giggles.

Thanks for taking all my money and then making me wait an absurd amount of time, while I actually really need to get a job because I happen to have a lot of student loans I need to pay off. Should it really take over 5 weeks to simply file/enter that info and print out a license with my name on it? I would understand if it was a busy time of the year, but September (you know, LAST MONTH when you first received all my documents) is not a time when many (dare I day ANY) schools are graduating or filing for licenses. I hope with all my heart that you are actually really busy and not just sitting on your hands, but somehow I just don't think you are.

Sincerely,

Okay, its me again. Not that angry person up there :) Don't worry. I didn't actually send this letter. Thank goodness I never intended to, because looking back its a little harsh, huh!? It just felt nice to rant for a minute. So other than waiting an absolutely ridiculous amount of time for my DH license, things are bouncing along. B is tutoring refugees after school and shadowing a doctor who has been really awesome. I have been enjoying my time with the cutest and craziest 2 yr old girl while continuing to wait for that blasted license.

pumpkins pumpkins everywhere

2011-10-06T20:10:00.000-06:00

Let the posts of kids in pumpkin patches begin!

Since it has cooled off to a mere 80 degrees (but seriously it feels sooo amazing after a few days in the 100's) we decided to go to the arboretum and see all the pumpkins. I was really excited for it, and I got Liv pumped up for it too. She was asking for pumpkins in the car on the way and then when we parked the car she looked out the window and with a confused look on her face said "puckins?" I quickly explained that we were about to see them, and she was happy again :)

My parents have a season pass to the Dallas Arboretum so we were able to go this time and see the pumpkins without feeling the pressure of needing to stay all day. It was just perfect and got me all excited for fall!

There were pumpkins lining all the walkways and then there was "Cinderella's Pumpkin Village" which had more than 25,000 pumpkins displayed. There were 4 pumpkin houses with pictures and fun things inside to bring the story to life. Really cute. She thought it was magical.

She wanted to go swimming in the sea of pumpkins, but we didn't let her.

She was really proud of herself for climbing all the way up there :)

Making some new friends in Cinderella's Carriage

Then we walked around more of the gardens and saw one of the coy ponds and more flowers.

I'm so glad we will finally get to be here to enjoy these gardens during some of the cooler months when the flowers aren't already wilting from the heat.

It was really beautiful and there were like a million butterflies all over those flowers. It was hard to get a photo of because they were opening they're wings at different times, but when they did open their wings they just came to life with light!

Olivia wanted to pet some butterflies and the bees too. She did actually touch the butterfly's wings!

We found out they also have a petting zoo, face painting, and other activities on Mondays and Tuesdays so we will definitely be back for more when it cools off again!

Sometimes all it takes is a run through the sprinklers and throwing some sand

2011-10-05T22:01:00.000-06:00

The little one is still having a hard time with the move. I feel badly about it, like its all my fault. I didn't think it would be this hard on her. Maybe its just that we moved, then she was sick (unfortunately it wasn't only one day for her like it was for me...she was throwing up off and on for 5 days), and now she's trying to figure out how to be normal again. Anyway, she's had some serious meltdowns, like 4 or more times a day. This is when I have to sit, take a deep breathe, and go somewhere else in my mind while I let her cry (scream) and cry until she's got it all out. Sometimes she wants a hug while she cries and sometimes she wiggles off of my lap and flails her arms around. That's when I wonder how my sweet child has become possessed by something evil ;) Or sometimes I just take her to Brady and say, "I can't take care of her anymore" and let him deal with it until I've had some time to gather the patience again.

The other day we got the sprinklers all set up and let her play in the water. She was happy. I was happy.

Then she made her way over to the sand box and threw it around for awhile.

Thank goodness she's the cutest thing I've ever seen! It does make it a little easier :)

Since then she actually has been doing better. In fact NO tantrums today!!!! I can't tell you how good it feels to have my good, sweet, obedient girl back.

Please don't go away again my sweet Livy!

This better be real

2011-10-03T10:35:00.003-06:00

'Arrested Development': New Episodes, Movie Coming

I know there have been rumors forever, but this is the first time I really believe it.

Is anyone else so excited?!

Everyday Moments

2011-10-01T19:49:00.000-06:00

Love. this. quote.

This was taken from the General Relief Society Broadcast, which I wasn't even able to attend because of that whole being sick thing.

Thank goodness I was able to read the talks online!

Loved General Conference this morning (are you still going crazy over the Provo Tabernacle being the 2nd Provo Temple? So exciting!), and I'm so thankful to be able to listen to our latter day apostles. Hearing gems like the one above brings me so much comfort in this time of adjustment for our little family.

Hope you're enjoying this wonderful weekend :)

Painting

2011-09-25T08:50:00.007-06:00

Liv got a special birthday delivery from Oregon!

Inside were some really fun fun presents from her Hansen family!

She jumped right in, literally, and wanted to play with everything.

This was her first time to paint and I think she mostly loved painting "nail polish" on her fingers.

Rare is the day when she doesn't find someway to color somewhere with something on her body!

You can tell when she's getting serious because she puckers her lips:

"Let's cut the charade. I really just want to paint my nails."

She sure keeps my life interesting and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Cancelled Plans

2011-09-24T22:54:00.000-06:00

Instead of going to our playdate this morning, I washed vomit out of this cute girl's hair.

I hate canceling plans, and I hate being sick.

This morning I woke to a whole lot of vomit all over the place in Liv's crib and on her blankies. This was, of course, after I had been up all night throwing up too.

We were warned about the stomach bug going around, and it seems we couldn't dodge it. Do I have the weakest immune system or what? I feel like I always catch whatever it is going around, and B never does. Oh well, I guess I should just be thankful he is always able to pick up the slack when I have to spend the day in bed/laying on the couch.

I was totally confused this morning because Liv didn't even cry last night (I should know since I was up) so I definitely did not expect that she would have been throwing up too. Then to top it off she was soooo happy this morning. I felt like crap, and did all day. Slowly she became lethargic and I could tell she wasn't feeling as good as it seemed this morning. Hopefully we're done with it for good!

Apples

2011-09-24T08:36:00.001-06:00

The other day Liv had asked for apples!

It was exciting because she usually doesn't like apples.

It's literally different day to day with that girl as far as eating.

She was watching her most favorite ABC movie and eating her apples quietly, so I snuck out to upload some pics to the computer.

She came in the room a bit later and I asked if she had eaten all her apples.

She said yes.

Then I came across this scene on the couch:

She had eaten one tiny Liv sized bite of each.

Silly girl!

Oh well, at least she took a few bites.

I'll write it off as a success :)
But really, how cute and tiny is her little bite?

Instas

2011-09-23T08:29:00.000-06:00

1) Loving having a big backyard to run wild in

2) Fun headband I made for Livy's Bday

3) Pink Bday cake

4) Messy face

5) Fancy straws

6) coloring on herself, as usual

7) Dehydrated pear trees in the backyard. We need more rain!
8) At the park with Grammy

9) Showcasing her rings from the Hansen's all at once
Pretty little princess...with black fingernails :)

Lazy Sunday

2011-09-22T18:47:00.000-06:00

I just found these pictures from our photobooth and had to post them.

I totally remember that day!
We came home from church and just wanted to relax/nap.

We went all went and hung out on our big (un-made) bed and took a bunch of silly pics.

I guess photobooth has a face recognition thing where (if you choose) it automatically puts hearts or birds on your head

Liv was watching and totally freaked out when she saw the hearts dancing on her hair :)

Then, since she put her hands up there, they went away

Don't you love it when you find old pictures that bring you right back to that happy memory?!

Olivia turns two

2011-09-18T22:09:00.002-06:00

Happy 2nd Birthday my girl!

*click here for her 1st birthday

My first time making a double layered cake! Good thing my Mom was here to help!
Strawberry cake w/ pink buttercream frosting = delish and girly

Yummy food! Ham Sammies, creamy tuna on mini bagels, farfalle w/ spinach and mushrooms, veggies, and of course cake and butterfly cupcakes!

She LOVED the hanging balloons

Trying to figure out how she's supposed to blow these candles out

After we cut her a piece of cake, she made me put the candles back in her piece so she could blow them out again and again

Jumping in the balloons

more balloon fun

trying on her lovely bracelet from Claire-bear

kissing her baby from Brett and Shannon

After all the presents were opened, she just wanted to pop balloons! This kills me! Her face! She loved it.

*the deets (for myself)

I've been planning this little shindig for 2 weeks, thank goodness for pinterest!

I didn't have time between packing, a mini vaca in PC, and the actual move to even bother with thoughts of a party, but I knew I needed to do something to make this little one feel special. It was just a family party because we don't really know any kids well enough yet to invite them to a party, and that was probably really good for her. She still having a little trouble with her new surroundings so it was nice that she knew everyone that was there, but we wished so badly that she could have had some of her Utah cousins there too! She would have really loved that.

When we got here, I got to work scheming and coming up with ideas. It was so nice to be at my parents house because my Mom already had a lot of the stuff I wanted (ie: cake stands, mason jars, a furnished home!). Thanks for letting me make a mess of your kitchen and house! I think the only thing I had to buy was fabric to make the banner, the paper straws, washi tape, and tall candles. The rest of materials came from my own crafting bin that has started to accumulate some good stuff over the past 4 years, and of course my Mom's crafting supplies! When it was all over, my dad said, "I think the Momma had just as much fun planning the party as the baby had AT the party" Probably true! I love planning, organizing, and crafting!

After starting the party with a mini meltdown, and then dropping her juice cup only to have have it break open (has NEVER happened before) and spill juice everywhere, things went smoothly. The best thing we ever did was have birthday candles and balloons. That was all she needed!

She called the candles "fireworks", and she made us re-light her 2 candles over and over and over so she could blow them out again, even though she couldn't do it on her own, ha! We spent a good few minutes trying to teach her how to blow, but she kept sticking her bottom lip way out and blowing her bangs everywhere. It was quite funny.

She LOVED the balloons! We knew she would so we were prepared. We hung balloons upside down from the ceiling, and every time she saw them her eyes got big and she said, "OH, balloon"! Then we had two bags of balloons blown up on the floor where all her presents were. I hung streamers from the doorway (which I loved to do because I remember having that for all of my birthdays and every single one of my brothers and sisters birthdays as well) and when it was time for presents she slowly peeked through the streamers, and then bolted into the room to jump in all the balloons. She didn't notice the presents for quite awhile.

The very first thing she noticed about her presents was a little bracelet made special from her cousin Claire. She made me open it immediately! She didn't really understand the "ripping the paper" stuff so I ended up opening most of the presents. She was happy to take what was inside, but she wanted to take each toy out of the box right away. I could have given her one present and she would have played with it and been overjoyed.

Today when she woke up, instead of doing her normal routine of getting some juice and watching a cartoon, she jumped out of my arms and ran into the living room to check on all her new toys. To her delight they were all still there along with all the balloons! She literally touched each toy and said something. Oh how I wish I knew what she was saying! Then she played and played. She is one very happy birthday girl!

**I just have to share this because they are so darn cute and great for decorating anything kid related-- the abc cards hanging over all the presents is a free download from here!

To our sweet girl on her 2nd birthday

2011-09-16T20:57:00.000-06:00

Today you turned two!

Dear O,
The world was made a little bit brighter and a whole lot happier on this day 2 years ago. You are so very special to me and your Daddy. We love your fun personality, and you seriously make us laugh everyday! You have brought us more joy than we'd ever imagined, and it just keeps getting better! You are still learning that crying doesn't mean you get what you want, but you are inherently a very sweet and gentle girl, even if a little bit clumsy :) We love singing with you when its "tuckie time" and doing "tickle arms", and I love walking by your room after you've been tucked in to hear you singing to yourself. You have music in your heart! You are so beautiful and very smart. We love watching you learn, grow, and imagine. We know as you get older, you can do absolutely anything you put your mind to. Thank you thank you sweet girl, for blessing our lives! We love you so very much!
Lots of hugs and kisses,
Mommy and Daddy

spare time

2011-09-14T21:20:00.000-06:00

**Pretty much everything on here I found on Pinterest

When I'm not chasing down a toddler or gathering proof of my identity for the Texas State Dental Board, I try to keep busy.

I'm currently waiting to get my TX Dental Hygiene License in the mail and then I can get to work, but until then I've got some extra time.

Thanks to my talented sisters, I am a beginner crocheter (is that a word?).

These are a few of the things I've made (sorry for all the random pics from various mediums):

{knotted headband}

{super bulky beanie}

{slouchy hat}

(thanks for the idea Care! I finished it on our drive to TX)

I've learned how to do lots of different braids, all of which I practice on Liv

{yay for having a little girl!}

Unfortunately they only last about 2 minutes on this rambunctious almost 2 year old.

Liv and I have been doing some toddler activities like this and this.

And I've tried some new recipes:

-fruit dip

(nutella and plain fat free yogurt-

totally takes the edge off when I need something sweet)

-peanut butter smoothie

(mmmmm)

-baked oatmeal

(I'm a breakfast person)

-blackened chicken w/ papaya salsa

(so yummy and SO easy)

I've also started leisurely reading again! I was so excited to be

done with school to get back to reading for fun :) I've read The Help

and my current read is The Palace of Illusions (thanks Danee!).

And now I'm crafting for a small celebration for Liv's 2nd Birthday!

The very best part of all this time is being able to spend so much of it with my big girl!

After spending the first 20 months of her life in school, I needed this time to be home.

Finally "just" a wife and a mother, which brings me far more happiness than anything else.

Finally we can all sleep in! We like our sleep around here :)

Since we've been home...

2011-09-12T06:53:00.001-06:00

We've...

-had a movie night

-realized that not all of our things made it out without a scratch or two

-played some late night tennis

-crafted my heart out

-splashed in the tub

-visited Mike's family in Round Rock (I gave all the girls fishtail braids)

-went to the UT v BYU game
-on our drive home from Round Rock on 9/11 we saw several American flags waving on the overpasses and we remembered where we were on that tragic day 10 years ago

Park City

2011-09-08T21:33:00.001-06:00

We got to spend some time in Park City with my family before we left Utah.

While there we went swimming a lot.
Biggie (One of my many names for Liv. She's just such a big girl now) loved the kiddie pool because it was only 1 foot deep. She can now jump to me in the deeper pool and go under. She loves it.

She would get cold in the pool sometimes and just want to cuddle, but not get out.

When it was time to get out, she always wanted what she calls a "towel hug". Basically we'd swaddle her in the towel.

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It was fun to go to the farmer's market too.

I was bummed that they didn't have any mint limeade (like last year), but these fresh fruit sorbets helped me get over it. They were so yummy!

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We also went to Uncle Kerry's Barn to swim.

Brady and Brett couldn't get enough of doing flips and dives off the rock wall (and climbing too). Livy liked the little kiddie pool and kiddie slide.

First they had to play a few games of ping pong to establish who was the best (it was Brady, by the way) and then they moved to the pool. Don't you love their cheerleader?

My Dad spraying everyone with the water gun :)

We finished off with some fishing, and caught a couple of little guys.

Thanks Uncle Kerry and Aunt Eunice! We had so much fun!

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The Bodines were playing a free outdoor concert while we were there.

It was nice to get out and enjoy the view, weather, music, and good company.

Liv immediately started clapping and waving her arms in the air when she heard the music.

Carrie, me, and Shannon

Love these two

And this photo kills me. I laugh every single time.

We also went to Main Street one night and enjoyed some Java Cow's ice cream, and then of course there was my cousin Matt's wedding (which was why my parents were out in the first place)! I'll have to post a few of the pics from the wedding (I didn't get many) and a video of Livy's sweet dance moves :)

Texas

2011-09-06T20:55:00.002-06:00

We made it! We are finally here in Texas! We're trying to make this state our home, but its only been 2 days.

We only left 3 months and few days later than we had originally planned, ha! We just couldn't leave Utah, but it was time. I'm actually grateful for all the extra time we had there because I finally truly felt ready to leave. I don't think I even shed any tears when we left. Probably because I had already cried about 5 weeks ago when we thought we were leaving and when we had to say goodbye to loved ones and some of our furniture (like O's dresser that we put so much work and love into). Is it weird to be that attached to some things? Since then, I was able to come to terms with moving on.

I guess we actually picked the right time to come seeing as how the 100+ degree weather has broken and the humidity isn't near as high as it has been here in Texas. This summer came 1 day short of breaking the record of 40 consecutive days of 100+ degree weather. Phew! Glad we missed it!

We are so grateful that my parents were able to fly O back to TX with them! That made the drive a whole lot more bearable. My mom said O was a little angel on the plane, just played with her lace and trace, colored a little, played peek-a-boo with Brett and Shannon, and even fell asleep for a bit. They had 2 layovers making it a total of 3 separate flights, spanned 4 states, and a time change, so it really was a blessing she behaved so well. People even commented on what a good travel girl she was. After such a long trip she only wanted her Grammy to hold her.

However, since B and I have arrived little girl has had it a little rough. I really feel for her. I'm sure she is a little confused and wondering where our little home went. The only thing we have right now for her to recognize is the rocking chair (which we were barely able to fit in our car) and her 'night night blankie'. Everything else is completely different, and not hers.

She wants to be held non-stop and carried from room to room, and has forgotten her bonding moments with her Grammy and Uncle Brett. She cries if we ever leave the room.

We shipped just about all of our stuff in a Ubox (like a POD but a whole lot cheaper), and will go pick it up tomorrow. Hopefully unpacking some familiar things will help her feel more at home. I am dreading unpacking not only because I don't know where everything is going to fit, but because I fear so many things will be broken.

The first day we arrived it was a little weird to be here knowing that it wasn't a vacation; we will be here (in TX) for at least 5 years. We are slowly starting to feel more at home, and I am enjoying getting back to my roots.

I pushed O in the very swing I remember swinging in when I was a little girl, and we watched giant colorful dragonflies (one of the very few bugs I don't fear) the size of my palm fly by. We laid in the hammock in the backyard I grew up in and listened to the cicadas and crickets sing their songs while enjoying a warm breeze rustling the treetops. Yeah, slowly but surely, we'll make this place our home.

Goodbye Utah

2011-09-02T10:31:00.001-06:00

We'll miss those mountains...and that view.

And a few other things.

Bridal Veil Falls . no humidity . Timpanogos . the low number of bugs per square inch . beautiful snowy white winters . city festival days . Mountain West Burrito . Friends . Rooftop Concerts . KSL Classifieds (we have literally made thousands on there) . dental hygiene friends . The Chocolate . Twilight Concert Series . the apt that we brought our very first baby home to . BYU campus . Apple Spice Junction . running on the Provo High track (i know that's weird since there are so many more beautiful places in Provo to run, but I loved it) . the Beehive Bazaar/Bijou market . good neighbors . having a Temple within a 5 minute drive . family . where we met and fell in love . where we started our family and had some of the very hardest and very best times of our lives.

Buggies

2011-08-20T17:40:00.001-06:00

Livia's latest obsession is bugs. Yes bugs. Who do you think got her into that?

She and her Daddy each find a poking stick, and keep their eyes and noses to the ground. This is so much fun for her, and when she does find a bug she is beside herself with joy.

This is something that she only gets to do with her Daddy, because little does she know, her Mommy is deathly afraid of bugs {spiders in particular}. A fact that {if she is anything like her Dad} she is sure to exploit once she realizes it. I've heard many a story about B sticking spiders and frogs in his backpack and bringing them home to his Mom and saying, "I have something important for you in this bag. You can't look, you just have to reach in." She was a really good sport and always let him "trick her". I don't think I have it in me to do that, but we'll see what happens when the time comes :)

playing peek-a-boo

Peek-a-boo

Hogle Zoo

2011-08-18T23:04:00.001-06:00

Liv and I wen to the Hogle Zoo with Carrie and her kids. It was so crowded that we had to park in the overflow of the overflow parking, and then basically hike to zoo. It was really hot and by the time we made it to the entrance to buy tickets, Colson was already saying "can we go home?".

We didn't go home, and once inside we ate and started seeing some animals, and I think everyone had a good time! Phew!

Olivia thought the animals were alright, but the dinosaurs were awesome!

Dinosaurs and buggies, do I have a tomboy or what? I love it!

Roaring like a Dino

Look how happy she is on that dinosaur!

Roaring again

This next picture cracks me up. It is so her. She's pouting those lips, TOTALLY ACTING like she's sad/scared but I know for a fact that she LOVED this guy. Just after this picture she was jumping up and down and roaring back.

Thanks for coming with us!

Duck Pond

2011-08-13T18:17:00.004-06:00

Its been kind of sad to think of all the places we won't be able to visit anymore when we move.

We took a little trip to the botany pond at BYU. They have remodeled it with a deck and a few little waterfalls above the pond.

I was regretting my decision to stand in the water. It wasn't anywhere near as nasty as the pond water, but there were lots of bugs, and I had to steel myself from screaming multiple times, so as not to ruin the bug love Olivia has going on.

The next two pictures are when Liv was saying "thank you mama" over and over for no apparent reason. Sweet little girl.

Fin

2011-08-12T23:58:00.001-06:00

It was a total last minute decision for B to walk. I had wanted him to walk in April, and we were planning on it, but things were a little too crazy still (with me being in school, a bunch of big tests, money flying out the door left and right, B working full time, and both of us taking care of our sweet girl) and he missed the deadline to apply and register for graduation then. I was really sad. More sad than he was.

Anyway, we both figured that was that and didn't think about it again. That is until my mom mentioned/asked if he was going to walk in August (it was the end of July). We looked into it for the first time and saw that it was once again way too late. Registration had passed long ago, but this time (since there wasn't quite as much going on) I pushed a little harder and was actually able to get him to do it. After a few phone calls and one meeting he was all set to go!

We were so happy that his family was able to come. We didn't know for sure it was going to happen until one week before it happened, so no announcements were sent at all. We only gave his parents one week of notice so we didn't really expect anyone to come, but they made it work! It was so fun to have them out and I know it really meant a lot to B to have his family there to celebrate his accomplishment.

It was kind of fun that Dr. Barnes (the dean of his college) was handing out the diplomas. They took a trip together to Washington DC a few years ago and have been friends ever since. Dr Barnes gave B a big hug along with his diploma.

Dr. Barnes also came out and found B when the ceremony was over, and met his family.

Liv was pretty good during the commencement, after I settled her down with some fruit snacks and she had all her Grandma's attention. She wanted nothing to do with me now that Grandma was around! I love that she loves her grandparents so much!

After B had walked across the stage, I took her out so she could run around a little bit.

We celebrated with PF Changs, and we got some really good fortunes about hard work paying off soon, and Liv having a water adventure in her near future.

Congrats B! And thank you for walking (even if you only did it for me, I know you liked it).

Thank you for working so hard, especially these past few years balancing husband and father duties with school. Thank you for helping and encouraging me to go back to school even though it meant it would take you longer. Thank you for providing for our family this whole time, and for listening to me when I had multiple meltdowns, even though you were probably just as stressed (if not more). The end of an era is finally here!

Thank you for making the trip out! We love you guys tons and tons!

The playground at dusk

2011-08-11T23:58:00.002-06:00

After The Hansen's got into town, Debi took us to the fun playground where she went to elementary school. They got to see how fearless Olivia is. She was climbing all over the place and going down all the biggest slides. We ALL had fun playing and chatting the evening away!

Olivia makes a splash

2011-08-10T17:14:00.002-06:00

Once we were introduced to this splash pad, nothing could keep us away!

First we went with Jack {iphone photos}

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Then we went with cousins

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Then we went just the two of us {iphone photos}

Livy was completely independent at the splash pad in Alpine. It was heaven for both of us, because she got to run wild splishing and splashing on her own, and I could keep an eye on her while enjoying company I was with or some "me" time. The water is only 2 inches deep, and she seriously loved to hop around and climb on the rocks (which weren't slippery).

Oh my goodness!

2011-08-09T17:39:00.000-06:00

Olivia is talking non-stop these days. Granted, most of the time we can only pick up a few words in a five minute long ramble. Lately she has been saying "oh my goodness" a whole lot. Makes sense since I say it to her all the time.

Like a few days ago, when we got out of the car and she saw the park she yelled "Oh-ma guh-ness!"

Brady has always pointed out the apple icon to her (on his simply mac shirt, on the computer, ipad, iphone, ect). Today when she walked by our room (where we have our computer) she freaked out and happily shouted "OH!!!! An apple! Oh my goodness!!!"

She's been saying this for a long time but I still love it, "Hold you Mama" when she wants me to hold her. Today she said to Brady, "Hold you my Da-da".

She has no trouble saying "thank you mama/dada" ALL the time for every little thing we do (such a sweet thing) but she still occasionally needs to be reminded to say please.

She pouts for almost everything, even when I am getting it for her. Its kind of frustrating because then I have to tell her that I can't give it to her until she's a happy girl, but we go through it every time. ugh. I don't get it?

When its time to leave an area, if she won't come with us we usually use the good old "okay say bye bye mommy and daddy" which will get her to run over to us. Not anymore though. Now she just continues walking away from me, and when I walk over to her she points across the yard/room/store and says "bye bye mommy" like she would rather me just leave her to explore the world on her own.

Even now, as I'm reading this aloud to Brady, she's repeating each of these phrases as I say them. Silly/funny/crazy/perfect little girl!

Yard sale

2011-08-08T10:01:00.009-06:00

We had a 3 day yard sale and was a big success! We sold so much (including our couches, end tables, coffee table, tv, computer chair, ect) and our things are sure dwindling now. We'll probably do one more and put the rest of our furniture out (we hadn't had enough packed away at the time to get it all out there). Hopefully it will go just as well.

These two just hung out in the tree all day, while Mama did all the hard work.

Totally j/k-ing. B did ALL the work! Come on, he's a salesman!

...there were never such devoted sisters

2011-08-03T10:13:00.000-06:00

Do you watch "White Christmas" and get that song stuck in your head every year for the rest of the year? Anyway,

I went out with my sisters for one last "sister day" before we move. I always look forward to time with my sisters because I can totally be myself, and we can talk about anything and everything. We had no kids (except I did actually have Liv) so it was nice to be able to talk and relax a little. We went to JoAnn's and picked up some crafting supplies, then they took me out to dinner at Malawi's. Yum! We picked up some cupcakes at Cupcake Chic on our way back to my place, and ate and talked and crafted the night away. It was so much fun for me and very sweet of my sisters. I mostly just try not to ever think about the fact that I'll be leaving them when we move, or else I'll start crying.

Thank you for such a fun night! I love you!

play dates

2011-08-02T22:30:00.001-06:00

We've been having lots of fun play dates with my friend Amanda and her son Jack. Olivia loves to go and play in their big fun yard, and I love that I get to hang out with my friend while she and Jack play!

We turned the sprinkler on and let them run and play in the water.

Olivia was a little more timid than Jack:

We always have fun with you guys!

Texas friends

2011-08-01T14:25:00.005-06:00

Our friends J, L, and little S will be moving to TX in Dec. so we thought we needed to get together once before we leave and don't see them for several months.

We went to Happy Sumo and ate a ton of sushi, lettuce wraps, edamame, and pot stickers. Then we played outside.

They really love each other :)

And they have the same birthday! They are exactly one year apart and weighed the same when they were born. Basically they're the same baby. Both cute and little.

Not a great picture of Olivia, but I like the hunk next to her.

Look at that cute baby!

There is a mini splash pad at Riverwoods, and Olivia was on her 100th tantrum of the night so we thought we'd just let her run around in the water. She and Sophie loved it! Why didn't I take her clothes off and let her run in her diaper? Not my smartest moment.

Olivia screamed and cried when we made her dry off and leave the water. We changed her diaper and we all went and played at Blickenstaff's. Then Olivia screamed and cried when we had to leave there too.

Nice to meet you Terrible Two's.

Can't wait to see you guys (i guess we actually need to start saying ya'll) again in TX!

Oh, hello

2011-07-25T11:25:00.000-06:00

Its been awhile...

Olivia getting tatted up

We're in the process of packing every single item we own and moving 22 hours away from here. I haven't had the motivation to blog even though I need to do a post just about Olivia because she is getting so big and she's so funny. I used to be very serious about not letting her even have pens, but I can never find the crayons anymore (she probably broke them all and threw them away- its amazing what you don't notice when you're trying to sort and pack), and she love love loves to color, so pen it is. Then I was very serious about not letting her color on herself, and she was being very obedient to me and thought she would just color on the walls and couches instead. So, I decided it was better she color on herself than my couches or walls. And I hate having to say NO to everything, so I picked the lesser of two evils. The ink comes off her skin, and not as easily off the walls and couches. I owe a million dollars to whoever invented the magic eraser (my new bff). Oh the things you think you'll never let your kids do.

*We are moving to the grand state of Texas, my motherland. Every time someone asks why in the world we would ever go to Texas I realize that no one ever knows or remembers that I was actually born and raised there. It is apparent I need more Texas pride, and that is the only reason we are moving there. Kidding. We are going to establish residency and apply to med school in TX, as well as be close to my parents for the first time in about 4 years of our married life (or 8 years since I moved away). Very exciting!

faces

2011-07-10T23:31:00.001-06:00

I've been teaching Olivia about feelings (not like she really understands) with different facial expressions.

This is her cheesy "smile with teeth"

If you say "smile" she'll poke her fingers in her cheeks to make dimples

Sad face

Happy face

Surprised face(s)

I can't get enough of the pic below (its now my desktop background). Chubby hands + chubby cheeks = perfection

More cute faces that I love!

Another {amazing} rooftop concert

2011-07-07T21:14:00.000-06:00

On Friday night we met up with our friends Russ and Misty for the Freedom Festival on Center Street. We got some patriotic burgers and fries from Marley's and of course I needed some funnel cake. Then we headed over to the rooftop concert with Cheri Call, Sarah Sample, and the Abbey Road Show!

There were tons of giveaways, and we won these camis! Well, really Misty won them and said she would share with me. Little did she know I would end up accidentally taking them home in my purse, and then feel awful that I had them. I WILL get one to you Mist! I promise!

Left: Cjane and Mayor John Curtis. Right: A BYU student who was confused and thought he was a professional photog. He made us laugh.

The Abbey Road Show was a ton of local musicians who came together to cover the Beatles Album "The Abbey Road". It was so awesome! Kind of cool to see all these people come together to do this. Seeing things like this make me with I was musically talented. For now though I don't mind getting to be in the audience to enjoy others talents. For each song there was a new person to sing the lead, and by the end there were a ton of people on stage just having a good time! It was fun to watch and listen.

And I stole these from C.Jane's blog:

During the encore fireworks lit up the sky out of nowhere. Made me so happy!

Misty and I are famous! (Left center)

And here is a video (also from C.Jane's blog) mostly for my mom who is a true Beatles fan. I always think of her and my Aunt Linda when I hear Beatles music. (We are in the bottom right corner of the first frame!)

What a weekend

2011-07-07T10:09:00.000-06:00

We had a such a fun time celebrating the 4th of July and our country's independence this year! Provo, hands down, has the best to offer for celebrating the 4th!

What we did:

-Parade-

-Freedom Festival-

-Rooftop Concert-

-Stadium of Fire Fireworks-

-Barbecue and slip and slide-

-Our own little fireworks-

Fourth of July: 2011

2011-07-04T22:26:00.002-06:00

After putting Liv down for the night I was home alone while B worked the night shift. Sometimes I enjoy getting some time all to myself, and sometimes I get lonely. On this night I was feeling the latter and missing my husband. So when he did come home around 9:30 I decided we needed an improtu date night. We grabbed our camping chairs, cell phone monitors (to listen for Liv), chips and a coke, and headed down the street to the open field to watch the stadium of fire fireworks show!

Cant beat that view! LOVE those mountains.

On the morning of the 4th (Monday), we rolled out of bed at 8:30 and were wondering if we were too late to even try to catch the Provo parade. After some deliberation, we decided to try. After all this time here, I had only been once (with my rommate). We waltzed up just as it was about to start, and grabbed a front row seat by the crosswalk. That's the beauty of only being a family of 3 I guess. No need to camp out all night to get good seats :)

The man above gave all the kids some flags to wave, which was just perfect because every time a band or any music marched by, Olivia stood and danced while waving her flag proudly. If she ever wasn't holding it and she heard music coming she would turn and frantically grab it and hop up on her feet. It was pretty cute if you ask me.

After the parade, we headed to my sister's for a barbecue and slip n' slide!

Olivia didn't quite understand the slip n' slide, but as you can see from above, she was fine just drinking up the run off water that collected on the basketball court. That's our girl!

Nope, not done yet.

We couldn't let the evening finish without a few little fireworks of our own.

On our way out, Liv had to check out what the buggies were up to first (her latest obsession).

She loved the snaps.

Pretty much all these photos are blurry, but I get a kick out of her reactions.

This girl has got the best expressions (below). She goes from kind of nervous, to thinking its fun, to wondering why its taking so long for the next one.

We let her stay up late, and I think she was getting a little tired by this point.

The above pic was just funny to me because I squatted down to talk to Liv and she immediately hopped up onto my lap. I almost fell over. Either she was tired or just a little scared.

We watched as our neighbors put on a show for us with their BIG fireworks.

And ended with a sparkler.

Instagrams

2011-06-30T14:10:00.000-06:00

1 & 2- playing outside; 3 & 4- swinging in our sweet neighbor down the streets backyard. Liv and I take walks fairly often down the street and back, and one day the man at the end of the street asked if we wanted to play in his yard (they have a chain link fence so we could see the FUN yard that he has). We let ourselves in and his wife told us to come back anytime. So glad there are still nice people in the world. 5- 2 dozen beautiful roses from my in laws for mother's day; 6- Date night = Sushi rolls!!!; 7- When I was sick I never dressed her and let her feed herself leftover green beans from the night before; 8- Liv, so proud of herself for figuring out how to climb all the way up there. She is such a climbing monkey these days; 9- Liv and Avery! Cousins visiting Grandma Hansen; 10- Liv shivering and saying, "cooode" (cold) because the air conditioning just kicked on; 11- King Kong cones from Macey's on a hotttt day; 12- Photobooth pics from Blickenstaff's; 13- My new favorite cupcake from Sweet Tooth Fairy = German chocolate. Go getcha one; 14- Free ice cream from Jason's Deli! Every time we visit Daddy at work (right next to JD), Liv thinks we're getting ice cream :); 15- Pretty little girl loving her veggies; 16- Picnic up the canyon; 17- Trying to get the fire started; 18- Peaceful river; 19- microwave s'mores...never got the fire going; 20- Gotta love that hair!

She thinks I'm awesome...

2011-06-29T14:14:00.001-06:00

...and I want to keep that feeling going for as long as possible. Do you think it could last through the teenage years? Here's to wishing!

And for the record, I think she's pretty awesome too :)
if you couldn't already tell from the 8.2 million posts I've done about her.

Dale and Deanna

2011-06-27T10:42:00.000-06:00

Our good friends Dale and Deanna were married on Saturday in the Provo Temple! Deanna was one of my college roommates and Dale was one of Brady's college roommates, so it was so much fun to celebrate their marriage. They looked handsome and beautiful and very happy! We feel like part of their story is similar to ours in that they were friends for quite awhile before ever dating. We are so happy for them!

Erin, Deanna, Amanda, me, Anne
Erin was visiting from Arizona so it was wonderful to see her and to have several of our college gang together again.

Preparing for the bouquet toss, and making sure the little girls know that only one person is going to get the bouquet.

For your reference as to what great friends Dale and Brady are. Tragically, this photo is a little out of focus.

Buddies

Best of Luck Dale and Deanna! We are so happy for you!

For those who use google reader...

2011-06-26T21:34:00.000-06:00

I'm "publishing" my old posts that were just "drafts". For one reason or another I never posted several things. Some I have no idea why I never posted, and others because at the time that I wrote it, I felt people might think I was depressed when in reality I was just writing my feelings (and looking back reading these posts, I LOVE that I actually recorded my true feelings).

So those who use google reader sorry about the 15 or so old entries that will be popping up in the next few weeks.

Picnic in the canyon

2011-06-25T14:28:00.001-06:00

We have Haylee in town visiting so we decided to go up the canyon for a picnic complete with watermelon, corn on the cob, barbecue chicken quesadillas, and Izze sodas.

Livy LOVES her veggies, and her favorite is corn. She especially likes to eat corn on the cob all by herself like a big girl.

She was all over the place and enjoyed being able to run wild in the grass. We enjoyed listening to the rushing river and seeing beautiful green mountains all around us.

Don't worry, the news had made me paranoid about rivers and children so I was following our little goose around and making her hold my hand anytime she was anywhere near the water.

That is a HUGE carpenter ant.

Father's Day

2011-06-25T14:28:00.000-06:00

Father's Day this year was pretty laid back. We're trying to save as much as we can right now before we move, so we both agreed on no presents for mother's and father's day. Livy and I still wanted to do something fun and special since B always finds a way to spoil me on special occasions, so we made all his favorite meals.

Breakfast: German Pancakes w/ strawberries and whipped cream

I got the recipe for German Pancakes from my college friend/and honorary roommate Anne. Its a family favorite now :)

Lunch: He had canned chili. It grosses me out, but he loves it.

Dinner: Honey Lime Grilled Chicken w/ Mango Salsa

We love this! Its a little spicy, but if you like things with a little kick, like we do, you'll love it too! Recipe here

And of course Dessert: Chocolate Ecuadorian Pie w/ whipped cream

A family recipe from my eldest sister!

We also made this candy gram. I think the last time I made one was in elementary school. It was fun to figure out how to include all the candy and everything in there is true!