The Atkinsons

Out Of The Mouth Of Our Babe

2011-01-25T15:46:00.000-08:00

Everywhere we go people always comment on how extensive Victoria's vocabulary is and what a "good talker" she is for only being two, and how well she interacts. To us she is more than just good at talking, she is incredibly smart and so eager to learn. She soaks up everything like a sponge, uses words and sentences in the right context-and has been for some time now. I read library books to her once and she can repeat exact sentences from the story and retell the story to me after hearing it for the first time. She has quite the imagination.

She amazes us all the time as parents. We have had several jaw dropping moments with her. Some of the things that come out of her little mouth are just too funny not to share and I don't want to keep forgetting them. So from now on I am going to record them here.

We were talking about 'The Little Mermaid' movie at dinner one night, specifically the scene when prince Eric falls off the ship into the water and Victoria says "uh huh, he got baptized."

On a Sunday afternoon Shawn and I were asking Victoria about nursery (her class at church) and her response was a deep sigh followed by "I'm just sick of it".

While listening to her 'Beauty and the Beast' audio book, when it got to the part about the beast giving Belle a library, Victoria says, "I wish I had a library!"

One evening Shawn was cleaning out all the cat hair from the vacuum and Victoria runs over and says, "Eww. What the hell?" Shawn and I were in tears laughing so hard...but trying not to laugh, ya know, trying to be good parents.

We were all playing one day and Shawn did something Victoria wasn't too happy about so she said "You're in timeout daddy, go to a TIMEOUT"! So Shawn goes up and lays in her bed. A couple minutes later she walks upstairs and:

Victoria: "Daddy? Dad?"

Shawn: "I'm in here, in a timeout. Can I be done?"

Victoria: "Will you listen?"

Shawn: "Yes."

Victoria: "Okay. Thank you."

And then she just walked back down stairs.

Kids say the darndest things!

She is just hilarious and has so much personality. We love her and everything that comes out of that little mouth of hers...
well, almost everything :)

A Little Bit of Chocolate

2011-01-24T13:57:00.000-08:00

Today started out a little rough and continued with non stop tantrums, screaming, crying, frustration, a few spanks (they were little ones with the diaper on...which don't even hurt anyway, and believe me it takes a lot of fed-up anger for me to spank and then of course I feel guilty the second after the spank is given. Plus we all know a spank to the bum solves absolutely nothing...only more screaming. So you end up coming a full circle.) I thought after nap time it would be better. Nope. I was in for round 2...or was it round 3, 4 and 5?
Turns out we both just needed some chocolate.
I should have fed her some for breakfast.

Four And A Half Months Later...

2011-01-17T21:40:00.000-08:00

Alright, it is time...this post has been in the works for a long time now, hiding as a draft. I keep having to change the title of it. It's hard to know what to start with when it's been so long and so many things have happened. I guess I'll just start with where I left off...

THE BIRTH STORY

I am still in shock at how fast it all happened and was over and done with! No epidural. Just a bit of the narcotic to "take the edge off"...love that stuff. The epidural is just not my thing...long needle in my back? No thanks.
Anyway we dropped Victoria off at our friend's Eric and Hilary early that morning and told her we would be back for her after lunch...so I had a promise to keep. My eyes were on the clock during most of the labor ha ha. Shawn and I were checking in at the hospital and, "what? My name is not on the list to be induced today?" and not to mention the place was full of expectant mamas. I was on the verge of tears and ready to rip someone's head off at the same time (hormones+being a week overdue=not my best self.)but I kept my cool, they made some phone calls, and we were ready to go. No big deal.
My RN, Brandy...I will never forget her! I wish I could have her for all my baby's births! She was hilarious, she felt like a best friend. Even though I had such an awesome nurse, she wouldn't have been able to replace Shawn. My one and only. I think I might have hurt his hand a few times, because he had to pass the hand squeezing off to the bed rail! He took good care of me though, as he always does.

I was started on the pitocin, the contractions hit and when they felt almost unbearable I asked for the narcotic. And just like last time I was at a ten before we knew it. I was feeling the urge to push so I started pushing. It felt better to push. The nurse saw that I was "baring down" on the monitor, came into the room and didn't quite believe me when I told her I was ready. She checked me, was a little shocked, told me not to push...she had to call my doctor...I told her to HURRY. It felt impossible not to push! I was afraid the Doc wasn't going to make it. I pushed for 10-15 minutes, out our baby came and onto my belly. For a second I had forgotten that I didn't know what I was holding in my arms...a boy or another girl. Then the doctor said something like "So what do we know about the sex?" I was about tell him it has been awhile, but then I realized what he meant and said "We don't know!", he told me to look and almost in unison everyone in the room said, it's a girl! Shawn saw it on the way out so he knew before I did.I was kind of shocked to hear "girl" I was pretty much expecting a boy. But nonetheless there we sat marveling at our second, beautiful, healthy baby girl, Nora, feeling overwhelmingly blessed and at the same time trying to process that we were parents now to TWO little girls.
Nora was born at 11:48am...I was able to keep my promise to Victoria...that we would be back for her after lunch.
Another blessing: Besides my "jelly belly" I didn't even feel like I had just given birth...really. I didn't tear,I was up and walking around right after, and I was barely sore. Don't ask me how that happened, because I wouldn't know what to tell you.
We were discharged from the hospital the next evening. I was so happy to be home.
The next couple of weeks that followed were emotional for everyone in the house. Probably more for Victoria and myself. It's an adjustment going from one to two, not just for Shawn and I obviously, but for Victoria too. She threw fits like I've never seen before, she cried and screamed louder than ever(never thought that was possible) and she wouldn't allow Shawn to hold Nora. There were many times that all three of us girls were in tears at the same time. The hardest thing was feeling like I was taking time away from Victoria, that it wasn't just me and her at home anymore. Victoria would always tell Shawn and I to put Nora down. She was still getting attention, plenty of it, but not all of it like she was used to.
That mess didn't last too long though. Nora fit right into our family and once Victoria realized her baby sister was here to stay she got used to the idea and even began to like it. Now she adores Nora and Nora adores her. It's sweeter than a cupcake with butter cream frosting watching my two baby girls together.
Nora brought with her so much love and happiness! Her fresh little spirit reminds me of a great purpose. She seems to keep me grounded. I love her very much.
I can't believe how fast time goes. No matter how tight I try to hold onto it, it still seems to slip away all too quickly. In the past four months Nora has gone from this...

to this...

and here's the in-between...

Nora is just 3 days old here. I caught Victoria during her one of her calm, sweet moments when she actually was okay with her baby sister. And believe me there were not too many of those moments the first 2 weeks!

Sweet baby. They don't stay tiny for long.

Nora at one week...

Look at that face. I LOVE those newborn faces!

And I LOVE the many faces of Victoria.
The countdown to her birthday begins...1 week.

Victoria had to try out her new boots (from my sis Rose) as soon as she got them in the mail. The rain outside didn't stop her and her skeleton PJ's made it that much better.

9.12.2010

Nora at 2.5 weeks.

Our first photo as a family of four. Nora was a week and a half.

Sisters. Nora at 3 weeks.

Victoria turned 2 years old! She asked for Chocolate Chip Pancakes for her birthday breakfast, and that is what she got!

Our Birthday Girl.
Two years? Really?! It's only been two short years but Shawn and I can't remember what life was like before our little babycakes was born. Sometimes I wonder if that's a good thing or a bad thing ha ha!

These are Victoria's birthday gifts she got just from us and the grandparents!Some of her gifts: play food for her kitchen (they are usually everywhere down stairs, all the time, all 120 pieces),Owl Babies-one of Victoria's favorites, Noah's Ark little people set, shopping cart, Barbie laptop, and much more.

Sugar and spice and everything nice, that's what little girls are made of.

We celebrated Victoria's birthday with some friends and a Sugar and Spice party!

Here is Victoria getting ready for the party. I asked her to look at the camera and this is her classic face she gives, with a sigh and shake of her head. It makes us laugh every time.

The party animals: Victoria, Sierra, Eliana, Seth, Abrams, and the newborns; Nora, Jake, and the twins Maci and Dane.

Lollipop piñata!

Victoria wasn't herself at her party, turned out she was really sick. Poor girl.

Victoria's birthday party table.

Nora at four weeks.

9.26.2010

Nora's blessing day was simple and sweet. She looked so beautiful in her dress. We are so lucky to have her.
It meant a lot to have our good friends, Eric and Ryan Stephenson, Jon Blood and Bishop Brady stand in on the blessing.

Nora was five and a half weeks when we headed out to Utah for Casey and Tracie's wedding (Shawn's little brother).
The girls got to meet their new cousin, Savannah (Melissa (Shawn's little sister) and Justin's baby). Nora was a week late. Savannah was a week early. They were born a day apart.

Most of my side of the family was able to come out to Utah to see us and meet Nora for the first time. Victoria had a blast with all of her cousins and LOVED her new pink Cowgirl boots that Grandma and Grandpa Waldron bought for all the Grandkids.

My parents with all the grandkids.

From left to right: Cody (4), Preston (1), Harlyn (21 months), Emma (almost 7), Victoria (2), Nora (6 weeks), and Madilyn (9).

There is nothing like the rush of running down a steep hill (Logan Temple's hill), not being able to keep up with your own two feet and feeling like the only way to stop yourself is to fall! So much fun.

Shawn and I left the girls with my family for a couple of hours while we were at the Temple. Apparently Nora missed us and wasn't up for any new faces...until my brother, Newt, held her. She would only stop crying for him. Maybe because she was trying to figure out what was going on with his hair!

It is impossible for Victoria to stay in one spot when we are in new places. There is just too much for her to explore. She was everywhere at Casey and Tracie's reception. I think she felt like a princess in a castle...

...then she hit the dance floor, or made up the dance floor, and tried to eat the cake before the bride and groom had their taste!

By the end of the night Munchkin #1 was exhausted and Munchkin #2 was wide awake.

The happy newlyweds.
10.9.2010

Our little family. They make me so happy.

Four generations.
The girls with Great Grandma Thomas, Grandpa Atkinson, and Daddy.

I love getting these pictures with grandparents and great grandparents. They are priceless.
10.10.2010

Once we were back in Maryland we got ready for the fall with a trip to the pumpkin patch.
10.17.2010

In search for that perfect pumpkin. One for Victoria and a tiny one for Nora.

Nora wasn't really into the whole pumpkin thing.

Victoria makes friends wherever she goes.

We had found our pumpkins, yummy acorn squash, fresh jam, and the best apple cider. As we were leaving Brad's Produce the tracker pulled up, so thinking it would be a quick hay ride, Shawn and Victoria hopped on. I stayed back with Nora. The hay ride ended up taking them to the "pick your own pumpkin" part of the farm and I sat waiting for 30 minutes.
check out the Ravens apparel in this picture. Thats how it is on game day or game weekend around here. Everyone wares purple or a Ravens jersey. Everyone. I felt like I should probably be a part of it all. I wanted to fit in around here a little better. So when I opened a bank account awhile ago I decided I better hop on the band wagon and went with the "Ravens fan" visa bank card.

Bath time! Nora gets SO excited for baths. She squeals and shrieks, laughs and smiles.
Nora at 8 weeks.

A Sunday afternoon nap.

Nora at (almost) two months.

Halloween 2010

This year's Halloween was so fun and I am sure they will keep getting better! Since Victoria LOVED Snow White...she just had to watch the movie everyday...my original plan was for the whole fam to dress up as characters from Snow White. Myself as the wicked queen, Shawn as the prince...he shot that down before I even finished asking him, so he was maybe going to be Grumpy, since he fit the character so well at the time (ooohh BURN)...(remember when it was so cool to say that?)Anyway, Shawn kind of wanted to be a ninja but there are no ninja's in Snow White. So Victoria was a beautiful Snow White and Nora was her poison apple. Shawn and I were just mom and dad. I made Nora's costume and had planned on making Victoria's but realized I was being a bit too ambitious with a new baby.

Nora's poison apple costume won a prize at our Ward's Trunk-or-Treat for "The most edible". She got some glow sticks for the big win.

Nora at 9 weeks.

Loves her candy! Our ward's trunk-or-treat was HUGE this year and Victoria loved every minute of it.

Carving the pumpkin.

Halloween night I took our little Snow White out trick or treating. She was so cute saying trick or treat! She saw a man dressed in a red checkered shirt and straw hat while we were out, "Look mommy, it's farmer Jed!" Farmer Jed is one of the fisher price Little People.

Nora helped pass out the pixie stix while we were out.

Our finished Snow White pumpkin.

Daddy and his girls.

Victoria loves making tents!

We attempted some family pictures.
11.11.2010
Nora at 2.5 months.

Thanksgiving 2010

We spent Thanksgiving day with friends, Eric, Hilary, and Kye at the Stephenson's home.

Hilary's table looked so good. The day was filled with good company and good food.

Sierra and Victoria at the Kid's Table.
There's that look from Victoria again!

Nora loves Victoria and Victoria loves to have a little sister to play with. I found these two sweets playing like this...

Nora is 3 months here.

I love it.

Next came decking the halls.

Nora at 3 months.

Fred the elf came to our house for the first time this year. Victoria named him. He made sure Victoria and Nora were doing stuff to make the "nice list". He reported to the Big Guy every night and was back in the morning for the girls to find him in the new spot he would take. Victoria wasn't too sure what to think about Fred at first and she would never get too close!

After the house was holly and jolly we waited weeks for Santa. Almost every day Victoria would say, "I want today to be Christmas".

Victoria and Nora at 3.5 months.

Victoria's first ginger bread house!

12.10.2010

You can tell that all Victoria could think about is how and when she was going to eat the candy stuck to the gingerbread house.

We attempted a visit to Santa but it ended with Nora pulling out a handful of his beard and Victoria screaming.
12.11.2010

We just can't get enough of our beautiful girls. We love them so much.

I had come into the room from the kitchen and found then girls like this. Victoria had put some of her jewelry on Nora so that they both could play dress up!

12.19.2010

Nora was almost 4 months.

Christmas 2010

Our little Christmas Eve dinner.

Nora is almost always a happy baby.

Christmas Eve we opened our Christmas PJ's. My mom had them made...

Shawn loved his Christmas pajamas that I got him.
Introducing...The Sweat Suit.

When Shawn finished celebrating his sweats we acted out Luke 2 (the Christmas story) with Victoria's Little People nativity set and then Victoria set out cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. She was so excited to set out the plate for Santa, and it was so hard for her not to take a bite of the cookies.

Silent night. Finally, our babies had fallen asleep.

I had the hardest time sleeping Christmas Eve! I was just so excited for Christmas morning and to watch Victoria's face light up! And believe me, it did. We woke Victoria up and the first thing that came out of her mouth was her wanting to go see if Santa had eaten his cookies!

The girls had so many things to open. Victoria had to take a few breathers.

This is what she ended up with...

Our new laptops!

Nora's Christmas.

Shawn got the new ipod nano touch, but his favorite gift were his sweats.
Below is a picture of Shawn doing his C-steppin in his sweats. Hilarious to watch!

Playing with the new toys.

Yeee haaaw!

On Christmas day we went down to DC to have dinner and spend time with some of Shawn's cousins, the Palmers.

Although we missed our families, we had an awesome Christmas holiday!

Last weekend the girls got to meet their newest cousin, Avery Jane (Justin (Shawn's little brother) and Jessica's baby). Avery was born 2 months after Nora!

Nora was trying to show Avery how to do things, and Avery just tried to suck on Nora's hands! Very cute!

Victoria loved this dog Molly. At first she made Victoria a little nervous, but after Victoria fed her a few treats, and watched her do some tricks, she didn't want to leave Molly's side...until Molly got a little excited while chasing after a ball and knocked Victoria over! But still Molly was all Victoria could talk about when we were back home.

I think it was Justin, Avery's daddy, who made the comment about the picture below saying that Victoria wasn't too happy about babysitting!
1.9.2011

At Nora's 4 month checkup she weighed in at 12lbs 12.5oz (a tiny bit below average) and for height she was a tiny bit above average.
She started rolling from tummy to back at 3.5 months. And tries to roll from back to tummy. She loves her cereal and we love all her smiles and laughing!

Phew! There, it's done. We are all caught up!

Our New Addition!!

2010-08-26T15:11:00.000-07:00

It's a girl!! Nora Alene Atkinson was born today at 11:48 am. Nora was 6 lbs 12 oz. and 19 1/4 inches long. Momma and baby are doing great. Krystal's labor only lasted 3 hours and she did awesome. I think the comment made by our nurse after the delivery pretty much summed it all up when she said "Krystal looks like a princess but gives birth like a horse!" Ha ha ha! A couple of hours after the birth, I went and picked up Victoria and brought her back to the hospital to meet her new little sister. It was kind of an emotional time for Victoria. She didn't like when the baby cried and she's not too sure yet about having to share her mommy. At one point she said "Victoria want to go home now. Mommy drop baby on the chair, Okay?" By the time we left the hospital she had warmed up a little bit and even attempted to give Nora a little kiss but kind of chickened out at the last second. Anyway, Krystal will post more of the details when she gets home but I wanted to at least post of few pics cause the grandparents are dying to see their new granddaughter.

Five Days Late And Counting...

2010-08-24T17:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this baby isn't here yet! I've tried everything to induce labor on my own...long, fast power walking, the elliptical, dancing and bouncing around the house...even Castor Oil (don't even want to talk about how sick that stuff made me feel). My Doctor even stripped the membranes last Monday. Everyone, even the doc said he was a bit surprised that that didn't work for me considering how dilated I was and how far effaced! I have contractions but they've felt mild and no big deal. I'm beginning to think I can't go into labor myself! I had another visit with the doctor yesterday. I am now 4cm dilated and pretty much all the way effaced, and the baby's head is lower than ever....so why haven't I had this baby?!?

We left the office with a scheduled induction and NST...because the birthing unit is packed right now the soonest they could schedule an induction was for Monday, August 30th (an entire week away!!) with a monitoring of the baby on Friday to check the fluid levels and everything else.

I'm tired, frustrated, worried about the baby, nervous about how Victoria will be while she stays with our good friends Hilary, Eric and Sierra, bummed that I have to be induced again (I really wanted to be able to say "Shawn, I think my water just broke!"), and a mix of other emotions....but not as much as I would expect to be....which is a blessing! I feel pretty calm actually and I know that is because of prayers!

Then, by some miracle, my doctor's office called me today and told me a spot had just opened up for a sooner induction time. Thursday at 6:00am! So the end is insight...I don't have much longer to see if I will go into labor by myself, but I think I would have gone crazy if I had to wait until Monday to hold this baby. Now I'm just hoping that none of the nurses slip and tell us the sex of the baby when they see it on the monitor! We've waited too long for that to happen!

Shawn is working from home right now...I think my sister made him a little nervous when she said that my water will probably just break and then by the time Shawn got home from work, Victoria was dropped off, and we finally made it to the hospital (20 minutes from our house) I would already be holding the baby! ha ha So Shawn decided to work from home for the rest of the week.

Well, our next post WILL be of the baby and I can NOT wait to share that news with you!

Feelin' Kinda Crabby

2010-08-15T19:39:00.000-07:00

We LOVE Maryland Crabs! We first tried them when my parents came out for a visit and I have been craving them ever since! So I was pretty excited when Shawn called me from work the other day and told me we were having crabs for dinner! One of his supervisors at work goes out crabbing and brought Shawn some left overs (a dozen) that she had steamed up and seasoned with Old Bay. Thank you Kathy! We had our own little crab feast. They were delish, and I am starting to crave them again...

How to catch a crab:

1. String chicken necks on a rope.

2. Let rope sit in the water for awhile.

3. Pull up rope and see the crabs clinching the chicken necks. Collect your crabs.

How to eat a crab: You have to work for the crab meat. First you need the paper to cover the table, next, a mallet and The Knife. After some hitting and cracking and pulling apart you get to savor that oh-so-yummy grab meat in the claws, legs and body. Caution: avoid eating the lungs and the mustard looking stuff (sick).

Victoria likes to hit the crabs.

Poor little guy...he was actually pretty big...and pretty darn tasty!

The next week, Kathy (the same lady who gave us the blue crabs) brought Shawn some soft shell crabs for us to try (yes, they all love Shawn at work. He is for sure a favorite. They even threw him a little surprise party a couple of days ago for the new baby. A party complete with cake and gifts; a cute handmade baby blanket and $200 cash from everyone in the office. SO sweet of them!) Back to the soft shell crabs...everyone says they are "REALLY good"...

Definitely not the words we would use to describe them. I almost threw up! They tasted pretty fishy/dirty water like...a familiar taste...like our tap water. Great. So now I am wondering if our tap water is coming from the Chesapeake Bay..? (we buy our drinking water) But our tap water is the kind that you can smell a little bit (a little like the water in Texarkana...) so every time I went to wash the dishes, brush my teeth, take a shower...I was reminded of these little beasts...

Shawn preparing to fry the crabs. These are soft shell crabs so you cover them in flour and Old Bay seasoning and fry up the whole thing (after it's been cleaned out).

Frying the crabs....they don't look that bad, right? maybe they were old, or we just did it wrong and that's why they didn't taste that great...I don't know.

Then you place the crab on a sandwich with mayo and tomatoes. Then eat it. I think that was part of the problem. Seeing a whole crab laying in the middle of my sandwich was just not that appetizing. You should have seen Shawn's face when he took his first bite! Pretty funny! He didn't know what to think.

Maybe we'll go out somewhere and give them a second try. Or maybe not.

After the soft shell crabs, we were all crabbed out for awhile. So we headed to the Maryland State BBQ Bash!

Smoked turkey leg and chopped pork barbecue sandwiches! It was good food, but not as good as the smoked/bbq stuff we ate in Texarkana.

Dinner is never complete without something sweet for us.

Love me some funnel cake!

Tom Cruise on Home Teaching

2010-08-06T11:31:00.000-07:00

Shawn sent me this video link today...I thought it was totally hilarious. Of course it's really only funny if you are LDS and you know what Home Teaching is.

To learn more about Latter Day Saints visit http://mormon.org/

38 Weeks and 1 Day...The Two Week Countdown

2010-08-05T07:49:00.000-07:00

This pregnancy has been awesome and has just flown by...except for these last couple of weeks. I am ready, we all are ready for this baby to be here...ready to hear the doctor say "it's a...." and fill in that blank. I'm ready to hold and kiss this active little baby (and give it more room to stretch and kick outside my belly. There is no more room in there!). I've been hoping I go into labor at least a little bit early (I've had August 6th in mind...which is tomorrow ha ha). Lets face it, most of us get to the point in pregnancy where we are ready to meet our babes, see our feet again, and be able to fit into something other than the same stretchy pants and white T-shirt (sorry Shawn, I've tried to look cute for you, but it's obvious we've hit that stage of the pregnancy :) ).

But really it's been such an easy pregnancy and such a blessing. I just can't wait to deliver another baby!

Victoria has been SO cute about the "baby in mommy's tummy". She kisses my belly all the time, puts her hands on my belly and waits for the baby to move, or she will lay her face on the baby bump and feel it's hickups, rolls and kicks and she'll laugh. She's always asking "Is the baby moving? or baby sleeping?". (She really is amazing at talking and talking in sentences. She cracks us up with some of the stuff she says!)

Anyway, just wanted to give a little update and post a few random pictures of recently that will have to count as my "belly pics".

We had a nice little visit from Shawn's brother Justin and his cute wife Jessica. We had to pose for a picture with our baby bumps and matching shirts. Jessica and Justin are having a girl in October!

Busy bakers.

A little play date at Chuck E Cheese with Seth and Sierra! {Thanks for the pictures Hil}

All three of them loved this ride!

And the two trouble causers. They make me smile when they team up and cause all sorts of ruckus...usually Trixie (our kitty) is involved too...more so the victim.

Enjoying a blue lollypop together.

Celebrating Freedom and Fun

2010-07-11T19:54:00.000-07:00

We kicked off the Independence Day weekend with carnies, funnel cakes, and carousels. Victoria loved most of the rides. Her favorite was the big slide. Shawn loved it too...they went down it like 5 times! I tried to ride on more rides with Victoria but they put a stop to it when they saw my pregnant belly...I tried to tell them it was just because I had eaten too many funnel cakes!

There is nothing quite like a carnival. It brings out some interesting people!

It looked a kind of funny to see a grown man riding on all the kid rides...it's all Shawn's stomach could handle anyway!

Here's the little girl playing one of the carnival games and holding up the prize she won.

The next night we took Victoria to see Toy Story 3 in the theater. It was just too cute watching her sit in her own seat (with a couple boosters stacked up) watching the movie, eating popcorn, and yelling for more "COKE!". She lasted through the whole movie, there was only a few minutes where she got a little antsy but a piece of licorice and mommy/daddy's lap made it all better!

Here is Victoria in her 4th of July Sunday outfit. We went to watch the fireworks later Sunday night and finished up our sparklers and poppers the next couple of nights.

She loves stomping the poppers!

Sparklers were another story...she held them once or twice, tried to touch the spark, got it a little too close to her face and then touched the hot end after it burnt out, and now she runs from them!

On July 2nd Victoria completed the summer reading program at our local library. We had to read and log 25 books :)

That was easy for her. She got a completion certificate and picked out a new book, her reward from the library!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar...she picked a classic!

While us girls were out shopping, Victoria saw this princess accessory kit and had to have it. It came with some clip on earrings but she hasn't let me put them on her yet. So when we got home we had to play a little dress up!

I love having a little girl!

{Random} This picture was supposed to go with our post about when my family came to visit but my mom just recently emailed it to me. We went out for some Maryland crabs while my parents and brother were here and they were delicious!! I've been craving them ever since! They are a lot of work, but so yummy! Even Victoria was getting in on the fun and hitting the crabs with the mallet. Shawn and I feel like true Marylanders now that we've eaten the crabs!

New York City

2010-07-06T19:13:00.000-07:00

June 14-21 My parents and little brother came for a visit. We loved having them here! Our week was pretty full of little adventures. We spent Friday and Saturday in New York City. That city is crazy, and although it was a lot of fun and I loved what I saw, we will probably never do it again with a toddler!

Here is a picture of the city taken from the car window while sitting in traffic.

Friday, after Shawn had been called an "ignorant cracker" by a NY local while trying to find Tylenol for his headache, we climbed on a tour bus and took a 6 hour tour of the city. I was pretty impressed with what we saw and heard...

My little brother Newt and Mom being tourists across the street from where John Lennon was shot and killed. Our tour guide held up this yellow sword so we could find him.

John Lennon Memorial in Central Park. And this guy decorates it everyday with different things. He's used apples, flowers, roses, pine cones, pumpkins, even marijuana.

The buildings were really amazing

Tons of Yellow taxis of course. We probably saw at least a dozen people come inches of getting hit by one of these guys while crossing the street.

Shawn and Victoria enjoying NYC.

Part of our tour included a boat ride on the Zephyr out past the Statue of Liberty. Victoria loved it, while I was sick to my stomach every time she got close to the railing (It would have been pretty hard for her to fall over, but still you get a little nervous).

Liberty. It's a beautiful thing.

I LOVE this man!

Grandpa and Grandma "Dub", Uncle Newt, Mama, and Victoria on the Zephyr. It was really windy. Victoria loved Uncle Newt, even though she was a little shy around him. She still talks about watching Nemo with "Uncle Newt". Every time she see's a skateboard she mentions "Uncle Newt!" and she still thanks Heavenly Father for Uncle Newt in her prayers at night.

Giant New York Pretzel! ( I like the mall pretzels better..ya know, the ones soaked and baked in butter.)

Ground Zero...where the twin towers once stood. This is what I had been waiting all day to see, a favorite part of our tour.

This is the construction of the Freedom Tower next to Ground Zero.

Standing across from where the twin towers once stood, and remembering, made me wonder of things to come. I worried about how safe the world will be for my sweet Victoria and my other babies. My heart ached for what had happened and why it happened. In all my worrying and heartache I looked over to Shawn who was chasing Victoria around the grass and they both were laughing, playing, and happy. And I noticed the tears in my Father's eyes as he thanked our guide for the words that he spoke. My thoughts then turned to hope, faith, strength, memories, family, and love. A few of the good things that came from the terrorist attack. I felt a reverence, a happiness, and that everything would be okay. I felt more gratitude for the people in my life and blessed that I am able to take part in raising a strong and faithful generation.

Playing in Central Park.

Soaking wet...and loving it.

Newt had to skate Central Park, and because my parents didn't want him alone, they bought him a new long board so that Shawn could borrow it and skate along with him.

Along with the tour of the city we devoured some local New York pizza, stood in Times Square, took Victoria to the 4 story Toy's R Us, went to M&M'S World (Victoria loves m&m's), stayed at the Belvedere Hotel, spent a lot of money (thanks mom and dad) and walked a lot (my ankles turned into cankles by the end of the day).

We left these two boys in NYC to catch a late bus back home so they could see Band of Horses play at Grand Central Station. They were playing a free, secret location show (they announced the location the day before). Shawn was so excited and I was a little bummed I couldn't go...but happy that he and Newt were there! It was a Happy Father's Day weekend for Shawn!

We spent the rest of our time celebrating Father's Day, relaxing...it's a lot of work being tourists...eating Maryland Crabs and watching Newt sleep.

Saying goodbyes to the Grands and Uncle Newt.

Thanks for the good time and making memories with us!

Ocean City

2010-06-24T06:34:00.000-07:00

June 11th-14th.

We rented a condo in Ocean City, MD with our good friends Eric and Hilary, their little girl Sierra, and Ryan and Alyssa. We had a really good time and just love these guys! Late nights, laughing, blizzards, girl talk while the guys did some grocery shopping, relaxing on the beach, and senior week pretty much sums up our vacation! Although we could have done without all the high school senior grads walking around liked they owned the place. Victoria still talks about the beach, board walk, and playing with Sierra!

Victoria would either LOVE or hate the water and waves...depending on the day and if it was nap time. She took a few spills too.

The water was freezing cold by the way.

Victoria and Sierra playing with the sand toys.

All of us girls...Pregnant! Alyssa (pregnant with twins, due sept. 1), Hilary (12 weeks prego, due Christmas Eve), and myself (due Aug. 18).

Victoria and Sierra were SO cute playing together and causing trouble. They would hide in this pantry together. Behind the closed door we heard a lot of cute giggles!

Digging for sand crabs. When our whole group was out there in the water we dug for some sand crabs...or I dug for them. Even the husbands were a little nervous to touch them. Growing up close to a beach I would collect these little crabs all the time as a kid. A few times I would find them in my bathing suit when I got home.

Beach Bums. I could have stayed out on the beach all day. It felt so good to be out there with good friends and our little family. Brought back memories of spending long days on the beach at home eating sandy ding-dongs and homemade sandwiches.

Daddy boy.

It was so cute to watch Victoria and her Daddy play in the water and build sand castles. Shawn asked me if he was doing it right because he said he had never built a sand castle before ha ha.

We bought the girls "Best Friends" necklaces to remember their OC trip.

Sierra's says "Best" and Victoria's says "Friends".

The whole gang... from left to right: The Stephensons (Sierra, Hilary, Eric), Us (Victoria, Shawn, Krystal), and the other Stephensons (Ryan and Alyssa).

The "silly" group shot.

Girls Just Want To Have Fun...And That's Just What We'll Do!

2010-06-06T19:25:00.000-07:00

Thank Heaven for little girls! I love having one, and Shawn loves to spoil us! A week or two ago Shawn had a business class down in DC again...of course I hate it when he leaves...but I love having a car around to go out and play during the day. We were a one car family...until Monday. Anyway, to make the week without Shawn bearable, Victoria and I did lots of shopping, had little lunch dates, shared ice cream sundays, danced, sang, laughed, painted our nails, and covered our lips (and face) with lip balm! Whenever we passed a jewelry counter or stand Victoria had to spend 15 minutes trying on every bracelet and necklace pointing out how "cute" or "pretty" they were. When she tried on new sandals she definitely voiced her opinion by either saying "no way" or "oh, cute!" and told me she wanted red or pink sandals to match her freshly painted pink toes! She's too cute! We had way too much fun, but missed Daddy terribly!

As of last Monday (Memorial Day) we don't have to wait for Shawn to go on trips to have the car around! YES! Finally, we bought a second car....and it's freedom! Victoria calls it "Mommy's white car"! We love our brand spankin new 2011 Hyundai Sonata! I kind of feel like a "Barbie Mom" in it...and I kind of like it. Shawn spoiled his girls once again! ...but we really needed another car that was safer for the kids...and safety, to me, doesn't have a price (but of course car dealer ships put a price on it anyway).

Girlie Girl!

The new car!

Here are our two cars together...The "White Pearl" and "Black Current" (complete with hail dents from Texarkana and Shawn's "quick fix" black duct tape on the back window that keeps it from falling down inside the door.)

Just out for a little stroll...

I Love Mother's Day

2010-05-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

Shawn and Victoria made my Mother's Day so special...

Shawn woke up early and made me a delicious scrambled egg, sausage, and hash brown breakfast (just what I was craving), served me a light lunch after church, grilled an impressive steak dinner and baked some yummy lemon bars for dessert! And he didn't forget the chocolates! Not to mention, I got spoiled again with a new lens for my camera. I think I need another Mother's Day! Victoria made me a card in Nursery at church....it melted my heart, and I got to load the dishwasher in peace...without little hands grabbing for knives and dirty dishes, and tiny feet standing on the door of the dishwasher! I love being a mom, it's such a blessing.

Here are Shawn and Victoria making lemon bars.

These two faces are my life. I love them so much and can't imagine my life without them.

And it's because of this sweet little girl, my baby (and the baby bump) that I've learned so much about how to live!

And even though Mother's Day was a week ago, I'm sending love and a "Happy mother's day" to all the mothers and women in my life, because it's never too early or too late to honor motherhood and womanhood!

24 Weeks

2010-04-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest ultrasound of lil' munchkin #2 at 24 weeks :)

We Celebrate Tax Day...Because It's Our Anniversary!

2010-04-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

We celebrated our 4 year anniversary on Thursday! 4 years...but it feels like we've been together forever. Maybe thats how it's supposed to feel with your eternal companion!

Shawn took the day off work and we spent some time together as a family, trying to find maternity clothes and something nice to wear for our date...oh, and letting Victoria pick out a cookie from "The Great Cookie"...it's kind of a sick feeling when you pay $5 for only 3 cookies!

Later that evening we hired a Babysitter and headed to Baltimore's Inner Harbor for dinner at Fogo De Chao, a Brazilian steakhouse. The meat and salad bar were incredibly tasty! We ate until we were about to throw up...and then we ordered dessert. I just had to taste their 7 layer chocolate moose cake. It hurt to breath after we were done eating, and walking to the car took some effort for sure! It was a lot of fun though! And Shawn outdid himself by surprising me with beautiful roses, a sweet card, a gift certificate for a pregnancy massage and a manicure/pedicure gift card!

Here is the chocolate moose cake. They wrote 'Happy Anniversary" on the plate and lit a candle in it. Plus they didn't charge us for the $8 slice of cake.

Dear Shawn,

I still love you so much, it hurts. I know I've said it a thousand times, but just so you don't forget...marrying you was the best decision I ever made.

A Beautiful Easter

2010-04-14T06:43:00.000-07:00

We had such a beautiful Easter this year and to have had conference during Easter weekend was the cherry on top! We started off the morning with a mini easter egg hunt and eating easter candy, of course (we are still eating it actually). Then we started in on the strawberry filled crepes, went for a little walk at Gunpowder state park to enjoy the sun (and try to walk off some of our breakfast), then it was back home for conference, another egg hunt, bubbles outside, and a yummy steak dinner.

Coloring the easter eggs.

Victoria would pop open every egg and take a little taste of whatever was in it. She's chomping a few white chocolate chips here. A few of the eggs she found hidden around the house, by the Easter Bunny, had a couple quarters in them and when she opened them she would say "MONEY!" With all the money she found in the hidden eggs she was able to buy a Popsicle from the Ice Cream Man the next day!

You can bet Trixie had to be in on the easter basket...just like last year...

(Easter 2009-Victoria getting mad at Trixie- almost like she's saying "MINE", which she says now!)

Hunting for eggs in the backyard.

Savoring a cookie she found in one of the eggs. She's our little cookie monster...always asking for a cookie!

Cherry Blossoms

2010-04-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

Shawn had a contract training all last week in Washington, DC. So we thought we would make a little vacation out of it. He came to pick us up Wednesday night and we spent Thursday and Friday in DC. Victoria loved being in the hotel and chasing the pigeons outside, Shawn loved the Spy Museum and now wants to be a spy ha ha and I loved the free continental breakfast's. Whats not to love about a free huge breakfast? Definitely a favorite meal for me when I'm prego (especially breakfast sausage dipped in syrup...I know, I sound like Buddy the Elf)! The most convenient part of the trip was being able to take the metro train. Traffic and parking are just insane in DC, so taking the metro everywhere eliminated the stress of driving. We had never been on the Metro before, so it felt like a ride at Disneyland...until Friday afternoon when we were packed in like sardines, having to stand holding Victoria and hanging on to Shawn, who was holding our Cadillac of a stroller, because I couldn't find a pole to hang on to for the ride, all while feeling everyone's hot breath on my neck...and then I felt something splashing on my leg...yup, Victoria was peeing and her diaper was too full to soak it up...so my leg, Shawn's toes (and I am sure stranger's legs and toes), and the floor of the train all soaked it up! Poor little girl!

The Cherry Blossoms were in full bloom while we were there and they were beautiful. We tried the National Zoo out, but it was so miserably crowded we left after 45 minutes then headed back home. It was SO nice to get away from our daily routine and spend a couple days together as a family!

waiting in a long line for a smoothie...

...and finally getting one!

After an evening of Cherry Blossoms we decided to go swimming back at the hotel. And this is Victoria checking herself out in her tankini...

She thought we were going swimming in the bath tub.

An All In One

2010-03-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

I wish I was better about keeping our blog updated...but because I'm a little behind (and nothing but the usual has been going on) I'll post a bunch of randomness all in one post.

At the beginning of this month Shawn started his "No Sweets" diet. He is trying to go all month with out devouring ANY yummy sweets. None. No candy, no cookies, no desserts...not even soda-except he recently gave into a Coke Zero and Pepsi 0 because "they don't have any sugar". He's been resisting those sweet cravings left and right (I wasn't sure if he could actually do it)...but I can't wait until March is over. It's just nice sometimes to share a dessert with your husband or go out for an ice cream cone every now and again. I've missed that.........okay, you got me, the real reason I can't wait for this "no sweets diet" to end is so that I can enjoy a nice gooey, sugar and calorie filled dessert without feeling like an oinker...and guilty about it!

Although I'm not a huge fan of "no sweets for my sweetie" month, it has done a little inspiring to make our home a little healthier when it comes to snacks and such.

As for me this month I am busy taking my photoshop course 2 nights a weeks from 6:30 to 9:30. I'm the youngest in my class by at least 30 years. Which I actually thought surprising. Despite the often pausing so the...how should I say this..."older ones" can catch up and find their way, it's been a great class. The pregnancy has been going beautifully, which is a blessing! I am over the nausea, getting a bigger belly by the week, and feeling the little baby roll and poke... huge relief. We will finally get to have an ultrasound this Friday (I will be 19 weeks). They should be able to tell if the little peanut is a boy or a girl, but we've decided to wait and have the sex of the baby be a surprise!...although it is getting harder to stick with that decision when I know they can tell me what we are having in 5 days.

The belly comments have already started. And we all know how fast those get old! I mean who wants to hear "You look SO pregnant" when you're not even 20 weeks yet?...not me, thats for sure! I guess I just have to laugh about it because if they think I look "SO pregnant" now, well, they're going to be blown away in the next few months!

Victoria is 18 months now. She's hit the terrible two sassy attitude and tantrums...even in public. That little girl can scream...loud!! It's kind of funny sometimes, but other times not so much. (I know my sister is laughing though-she has 4 kids. Been there. Done that.) Victoria had her check up last week. She weighs 24lbs and is just over 31 inches tall. She is now average for both height and weight. She used to be tall and skinny on the charts, now she's right in the middle. We can't get enough of her sweetness and I am loving all this imaginary play she does with her dolls/stuffed animals, her fake cell phone conversations, and kitchen play. It's way too cute. And now that the weather is warmer she constantly has to be outside. She just recently started saying "Hey baby" to me and Shawn (because we always say it to her). She loves going to the library and the park. She went down a tube slide by herself for the first time, yesterday. We tried to lay her on her back so she wouldn't fall back and hit her head, but she went down the slide trying to hold her head up and arms stretched out with huge eyes! So funny!

I don't know what Shawn and I would do with out her. She makes our life so happy.

Here's Your Birthday Gift...

2010-02-20T13:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Mom!

In honor of your birthday I made you a bag and of course I wouldn't have been able to make it with out the input and help from Shawn and Victoria...so the gift is from them as well.

Here's something to carry all your seminary goodies in, and when you're out and about you can turn the bag inside out for a new look...and pin the flower wherever you want...if you want it.

(My mom is an early morning seminary teacher)

...so you can see the bottom of the bag.

...and the inside.

Hope you have a perfect day today! We love you SO much!

(P.S. I'll send the bag on Monday...sorry it's not there today.)

Blizzards... And I Don't Mean The Dairy Queen Kind

2010-02-17T13:16:00.000-08:00

Now I've got myself thinking about a Reese's Dairy Queen Blizzard...I feel a craving coming on....yup...now I've GOT to have one! Maybe this post about all our recent snow will make me forget about it (is it possible to forget a craving when you're pregnant?...I don't think so. I don't care what 'What to Expect When Expecting' says...grabbing a handful of grapes is not going to satisfy my blizzard craving).

Anyway we've had quite the snow fall here in Maryland this winter. The fist blizzard was just a few days before we left for our Christmas vacation. I think we got around a foot or a foot and half of snow overnight with that storm. Church was canceled and schools were out for a couple of days. Just last week we had "Blizzard '10" were we got over two feet of snow...and then a few days after that storm we had more snow, almost another foot. Church was canceled again, businesses shut down, people were not allowed on the roads during the storm, power was out in some areas, and the schools closed for the whole week...I think they just went back today. It was nice to have Shawn home for a couple of days though! At least we finished up more painting around the house! But I think we are all pretty sick of the snow and cold days around here. Please, Snow, melt away fast so spring can come already!

Pictures from "Blizzard '09"

Doing a little snow dance.

Shawn shoveling during the first storm. With his sauconys on...no boots. Are you sure you're from Utah, Shawn?

Pictures from "Blizzard '10"

By the end of the storm, that red bug could not be seen.

Victoria's snowman...Daddy's hat, Mama's scarf, grapes for eyes, a rock for it's nose, and sticks for it's mouth...she loved it.

It was really bright outside.

Shawn's boots crack me up! They smelled so gross...he kept saying he should have bought the more expensive ones ha ha!

I couldn't pass up this picture of Victoria standing on an upside down basket to check up on her snowman from our front window.

Christmas Memories 2009

2010-02-03T11:06:00.000-08:00

I know Christmas is old news by now, but I had to post about it for our family record. We spent a week at my house in California for Christmas. It was SO good to be home and as an extra treat my sister and her 4 kids were there as well. I finally got to meet the newest member of the family...Preston. My sister's youngest who was born the end of August. He looked like a 6 month old...way too cute, I couldn't get enough of him! We did a ton of stuff in one short week and had such a good time...

We headed down to the Americana for a night of lights, Santa, trolley rides, and The Cheesecake Factory.

The pictures below are us waiting in line to see Santa. Because my brother worked at the Americana he gave us special treatment and took us all to the front of the line to get our picture with Santa!

The Big Guy....This picture is priceless and puts a smile on my face every time I look at it! The only thing that would make it more perfect would be if Cody had his famous scowl on his face.

Of course Christmas wouldn't be Christmas with out my mom's Christmas cookies...and all the other classic holiday cookies from the neighbors that we've gotten for the past 21 years! We all took part in decorating the cookies and eating them. We even found Cody hidden under a blanket eating a cookie that he had sneaked!

The Christmas tree...it's huge, and every one of the ornaments has a story to tell.

Christmas Eve and Christmas morning are below.

Victoria loved the park ( Wendy Park...the same park that I would spend hours at growing up...even as a teenager) and leaving was the last thing she wanted to do! Did I mention how beautiful the weather was while we were there?...I miss it so much!

We also spent some time at the Aquarium of the Pacific...totally expensive to get in and after 2 1/2 hours everyone was ready to go home ha ha. Victoria's favorite part was the bird forest. The birds would land right on you, fly right at you almost knocking you over, poop on you, and if you were too pushy they would bite.

Our second week was spent in Logan Utah with Shawn's family, where Victoria opened a ton more gifts, Shawn went "bunny hunting" (gross, I know), I threw up a bunch, and we all welcomed in the new year.

Victoria opened this special gift from her Aunt Melissa and Uncle Justin. Apparently she hated it ha ha.

Victoria with her cousin Harlyn in Utah.

Trying to get a picture with Grandpa Waldron.

Maybe I Should Document At Least a Little Something

2010-02-01T13:48:00.000-08:00

I hate getting behind on blogging...especially when I have a bunch of documenting to do from the holidays...still! I just have so many pictures from our trip that I am trying to narrow down for the blog, but it shouldn't matter how many pictures I put up...it's my blog my way, right? Right! Anyway, I've decided on a few new year resolutions, still working on resolving some from last year...been busy thinking about blogging, cleaning, cooking, making animal sounds, singing "If your happy and you know it...", laughing, crying, worrying, being grateful....and we've only finished just one month of the new year! Our biggest news? I am pregnant! Just over 11 weeks pregnant. I started feeling pretty sick while we were home in California, so I waited it out a little while and finally took a test when we were in Utah (our second part of Christmas vaca) and sure enough It was positive! So we will be blessed with yet another miracle on August 20th.....and Shawn's little sister, Melissa and her husband are also expecting their first...four days after us!

Well, Shawn will be home any minute so I better head upstairs and act like I've been productive all day. Maybe he'll take me to The Sweet Factory (candy shop), I've been craving sour belts, and chocolate covered gummy bears.

Pretty in Pixels...My Photography Blog

2009-12-14T07:08:00.000-08:00

I decided to create an official photography blog!

You can take a little looksie by clicking the link below or clicking my Pretty in Pixels button located on the right sidebar of my blog!

http://prettyinpixelsphotography.blogspot.com/

Swine Fever

2009-12-07T18:14:00.001-08:00

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

The Feast and Festivities

2009-12-01T06:38:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving day with the Palmer family this year (Shawn's cousins). We drove down to Alexandria, VA Thursday morning for a yummy feast and good company. Shawn's Aunt and Uncle were there from Idaho, Jeremy and Bridget came from New York, Stacey (Dave's fiance) came from Puerto Rico, and we all ate at Scott and Katie's house. Victoria had a blast playing with the five other kids there. The three youngest are all a month a part- Alex, 12 months, Magdalaina, 13 months, and Victoria, 14 months.
After we ate, all the girls left the kids and cleaning up to the Dads while we went to see New Moon. A few parts of the movie were a bit ridiculous as far as acting and Bella is just way too awkward to watch sometimes, but it was definitely enjoyable and entertaining, and so good to spend a few hours out to a movie with other women. I cant even remember the last time I saw a movie in the theater before then!
On Friday, we turned up some Christmas tunes, set up all the Christmas decorations, and hung the ornaments on our tree...then watched Victoria pull them all off!
{here I am helping Victoria hang her ornament on the tree}

{She decided she would rather hold on to it and play with it a while longer. Every morning she will go to the tree and pull off her ornament along with a few other bulbs...which she thinks are balls just for her to play with}

{Shawn hanging the Christmas lights outside around the door...once he was finished, I of course changed my mind and decided I didn't want them hung there after all ha ha}

Saturday evening we heard a couple fire trucks and police cars on our street so we peeked our heads out and saw SANTA riding on the back of the truck. So we bundled up and went outside to see him with all the other neighbors. Apparently Santa pays a little visit every year on the back of the fire truck. It was really sweet! Victoria just stared, she wasn't too sure what to think off all the loud sirens, honking, flashing lights, and Santa.

In The Spirit Of Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T18:29:00.000-08:00

For the past couple months I have seen my life in a bit of a different light. I mean I've always been grateful, but maybe I just didn't truly recognize the amazing, unmeasurable blessings in my life and stop to actually see what has resulted because of them. A new life. Love. Health. A home, a job. Family. Peace. Happiness. Knowledge. Insight. Humility. Faith. Strength. Courage. Comfort. Endurance. Friends. Compassion. Laughter. All the result of blessings big and small. I am not only grateful for my blessings, but also for how they've changed and shaped my life. It's touching really. It's amazing too how there are so many different ways and forms my blessings have come. It's nearly impossible to think of them all.
A few weeks ago I was checking out at Walmart (a blessing in it's self to be getting out of that place) and as I grabbed my bags and finished paying, the checker said, "have a blessed day". I thought about that simple little comment as I left the store and drove home. I really appreciated what she had said, because it made me think not only how blessed my day was, but also my life after that and how that checker cared enough about somebodies day to wish them a blessed day. Not many people say things like that these days.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving I give thanks to my Heavenly Father and all those who have blessed my life incredibly. I am living the dream...my dream, at least...which requires a few changes and adapting here and there, but I am grateful for changes, for the opportunities they bring, the new chapters they begin, and the memories they create. I am grateful for 2nd chances...and 3rd, 4th, and 5th ones too. I am grateful for the ability to pray, and for the answers to those prayers. I am grateful for my testimony of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for pure, unconditional love and that I have so much of it in my life. I am eternally grateful for family- for my remarkable parents who through living have demonstrated and taught love, devotion, passion, service, wisdom, care, hope, and faith. I am grateful for my strong siblings; Casey, Rose, Kurt, Jake, and Newt.
I am forever Grateful for my best friend, my amazing husband, Shawn, and for knowing with much confirmation, that we were meant to find each other and love together for the eternities. I find myself wordless to describe how grateful I am for my beautiful daughter, Victoria-she is the most astonishing blessing. I love having her smiles, laughter, sweetness...and even sassyness in my life, I love having her tiny hand to hold, being able to wipe away her tears from those chubby cheeks and to help her experience the world, all along side her Daddy. Although it is sometimes frightening to raise her in a world such as ours, I am overwhelmingly grateful to have her and to be a mother. I am blessed, and I am grateful.

Digital Scrapbooking Help

2009-11-20T06:25:00.000-08:00

I need some help from all you digital scrapbookers who do such and amazing job on all your designs...
I need a few good websites to get some cute stuff....or any freebies you know of would be awesome too! I need some good stuff for our Christmas Cards...

It's a Good Morning

2009-11-17T07:06:00.000-08:00

Lately we've had some crazy hair days around here. The other day we woke up to this munchkin mohawk.

GOOD MORNING!

Doesn't she look like a little rocker giving the "hang loose" sign!?

The next day I found her hair like this when she woke up from her afternoon nap...

The walls in her room are still blue, yes...with an airplane painted on the wall too. We haven't gotten around to painting her room yet. This weekend we will though, right Shawn? {I think we've said that for the past 3 weekends.}

Later in the evening, Shawn hooked up his ipod and head phones and put them on Victoria.

Feelin' it...

Victoria is 14 months now. She is such a cuddly, sweet baby and I am amazed at how fast she picks up on things. It seems like she understands just about everything I say to her. Of course she always has something to say back. She says a number of words like cracker, ball-which she used to pronounce as "bah", now she has tried to add the L sound at the end but it sounds like a W, it's too cute. She trys to say Jesus, she can say clock, Seth -the name of one of her little friends, her word for movie is still baba. The list goes on. A couple of weeks ago She was looking at a wedding picture of Shawn and I and Shawn asked her "who is that?" She pointed to us in the picture as she said "mama", "dada".SO sweet! When we get ready to pray before she goes to bed, or any other time she will smile really big and fold her arms...only for like 2 seconds though, but it's a start! And occasionally she will try to say "amen" at the end of the prayer. We're still working on that one. She can meow like the kitty...for some reason though it's a loud, harsh meow...really funny. And she'll meow back at Trixie and say "Pssst, Pssst". Trixie and Victoria are pretty hilarious together. Victoria will play with Trixie by swinging the kitty wand around, and she does tease her a bit, but Trixie gets her back by going into Victoria's room while she's taking a nap and meow really loud to wake her up...which makes me want to drop kick the cat!

Victoria still loves books and collecting the fallen leaves and pine cones on our walks. She has such a sensitive little heart. I love her so much and I love being her "Mama".

All Things Halloween

2009-11-08T18:27:00.000-08:00

I know Halloween is old news by now, you know me-I'm always two weeks behind on just about everything! Anyway, here's how spent our very happy Halloween...

Saturday we carved our Walmart pumpkin. Victoria thought that was pretty cool and loved helping me clean out the pumpkin.

Here is Victoria helping me pick out the pumpkin seeds so we could roast them. She loved getting her hands dirty with this stuff.

She even tasted it a few times. It took her a few more times of tasting the pumpkin to decide that it wasn't her favorite.

My turn to carve the pumpkin now.

Getting ready to go Trick or treating.

Cute little witch!

Our pumpkin. It's supposed to be a witch stirring her brew with a face in the steam...I'll never carve that pattern again. It took way too long.

Victoria had her friend Seth over on Halloween night for dinner and Trick or Treating. They were pretty cute!

These pictures below are from the night before Halloween, when we had our ward Trunk or Treat.

Peering into her little witches pot and checking out all her candy.

Victoria and Daddy trunk or treating.

Here is Victoria and Sierra as a cute little fairy just before going out to trunk or treat.

Shawn's awsome costume... that he made...he's "Balloon Boy"..ya know, the kid all over the news who was thought to be inside his dad's science balloon thing that floated away, but he wasn't..the whole thing turned out to be a hoax planned out by his parents who told their kid to go hide in a box in their attic while all sorts of rescue teams tried to catch him in the balloon....if you don't know what I'm talking about, you should, so google it! In the picture above Shawn is pretending to throw up...as the kid did on TV during his interview because he was so nervous about lying.

And here we are as a family..haha, kind of a ridiculous picture! We had such a fun Halloween!

The Perfect Pumpkin...Smashed

2009-11-01T17:10:00.000-08:00

So in the previous post I wrote about our trip to the pumpkin patch a couple of weeks ago and how we picked our perfect pumpkin...it really wasn't that perfect. It was half green and half orange...but it had a great stem! Anyway, the next day I picked up the pumpkin to put it out on our porch next to the cute little hay bail we bought at the farm where we got our pumpkin. The bottom of the pumpkin was a little soft...rotting obviously...I forgot to mention that the pumpkins were 40 cents a pound. Our pumpkin was 22 lbs, so we paid almost $9 for it...so I got the pumpkin out the door and as I was placing it on our cute little hay bale that "perfect" 22 pounder slipped out of my arms, rolled down all of our porch steps, spilling pumpkin guts and seeds along the way, then finally landing on top of the storm drain in the street. Smashed. All I could do was stand there and watch it all happen in slow motion with the "great stem" left in my hand. I just stood there staring at my smashed pumpkin and couldn't believe what had just happened. I sighed, started laughing a little, then looked up to notice that some worker was sitting in his truck parked in front of our townhome had watched the whole thing...kind of embarrassing, but totally hilarious to watch I am sure! I am still laughing about it!

Yep, there's the truck with the guy in it who saw the whole thing...probably recorded it with his cell phone and posted it on youtube

I might as well have thrown $9 down that storm drain

Picking The Perfect Pumpkin

2009-11-01T16:09:00.000-08:00

{Victoria and our perfect pumpkin}

On the 22nd of October we headed to a near by Pumpkin Patch. We were kind of bummed out that we missed the hay ride, which are only given during the weekends...we had to go on Thursday, before the rain came on Friday and Saturday. The pumpkins had definitely been picked through and we were left with the green ones..Victoria loved them just the same though, especially the tiny ones she could actually pick up. She loved the wagon ride down to the pumpkin patch. She bounced and pointed and gibber gabbered excitedly for the whole two minute wagon ride down there! She always has something to say!

Notice Victoria's cream cords? Not the best idea I've had... definitely cute, but not very practical. For some reason they seem to attract everything from V8 Splash juice and Mac N Cheese to sticky fruity cheerios, smashed bananas and soggy graham crackers...the five main food groups at our house (which change on a daily basis actually).

{Victoria trying to sit on the pumpkins}

What a Little Witch!

2009-10-25T11:27:00.000-07:00

I finally finished making Victoria's costume! I am pretty proud of the way it turned out...I even made the hat! But lets face it, Victoria definitely makes the costume look adorable! We took advantage of the beautiful day and snapped a few pictures of her outside. We just love our little witch!

Apple Of My Eye

2009-10-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago my friend Hilary and I took our girls to a local farm and met up with a few other kiddos and mamas for some apple picking. It was a lot of fun and the girls looked adorable in their wagon together! They did get a bit irritated of the bumpy ride though. Sierra just wanted to get out and run, and Victoria was more interested in snacking than apple picking.

Sierra is just a couple months older than Victoria

They weren't too into having their picture taken

This picture below cracks me up.

Victoria and Sierra in their wagon...and sierra trying to get out.

A quick update on what our family has been up to...

We are settling in our new town home (still renting, just upgraded to a bigger one...much bigger one compared to the one we were living in.) As soon as we clean up one mess we seem to make another with all the stripping of wall paper and painting. I will post more on that project. Shawn is still busy at work, and others are noticing his hard work and "get the job done" work style. He was given a cash reward for all his professionalism and hard work! That's my Shawny Pooh! Other than work he's been busy with his church calling, helping me paint, hang, and fix stuff around the house. As for me, I've been crazy busy trying to get the house organized, looking good, and feeling more like home-on top of all the mom and wife duties, which seem to be endless, but I love it...except putting together the grocery lists! I've been taking a photography class on Wednesday nights. It's been nice to be in a class room again, pretty fun actually. So if any local friends need some family holiday pics taken, let me know! We also had a little switch-a-roo in Young Women's at church. I was the Secretary in the presidency but the YW pres moved me to the Laurel's Advisor...so I teach the Laurel class (16-17 yr olds) just about every Sunday.

Victoria will be 13 months in a matter of days! A couple of weeks ago she had her 12 month check up and weighed in at 19 1/4 pounds and measured 30 inches tall. She is standing up/ pulling her self up on everything. every now and again she will get brave, let go and balance for a little while. She can crawl supper fast, it's like a sprint crawl. she claps and stomps her feet along with the song "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands...stomp your feet...". And of course she dances to everything and anything that has a beat...cell phone ringers, loud broken grocery carts in Walmart...seriously everything. It's so cute, and it's definitely the Waldron in her (my side of the fam). She likes to tease the kitty and tell her "no no" when I say it. She can say a few of her own words like banana, doggy, balloon, and a few others that sound the same but mean movie, cracker, or whatever. she jabbers all the time! She is still loving books and she just stated shacking her head back and forth like she's saying "no no"....just perfect. We love this little baby girl so much!

Our Birthday Girl

2009-09-20T18:03:00.000-07:00

We could hardly believe that our little baby girl turned a year old this past week, so we had to celebrate twice for it to sink in! Birthdays are 10 times as fun when they are for your kids. I will tell you all about it in pictures…

First I made some "candied" cupcakes...

Then Packaged them up and handed them out with Victoria's Birthday invitations (Sorry if the invitations looks weird, I had to blur out our address)

Next I made a birthday Tutu.

On Victoria's actual birthday I made her a cake...

Then Dada cam home and we went and got a cupcake birthday balloon... (the most expensive balloon I've ever paid for- 10 bucks!) Victoria loves balloons and in this picture she's saying the word balloon, or at least trying to.

After that Victoria ate her birthday cake.

And tried some cows milk for the first time.

A couple days later we had her cupcake themed birthday party with friends.

We ate some crab dip, fruit, and cupcakes (chocolate cherry and party mix all with cream cheese frosting)

Then everyone had some bubble fun and crawled around the backyard.

The cupcake pull string pinata was so fun!

Victoria and friend, Tessa, checking out the pinata after the pulling.

Group shot of all the kids at the party.

(Sierra, Eliana, Victoria, Felix, Everett, Owen, Lydia, Tessa, and Seth)

We opened presents and then I snapped this picture and it was too funny not to post with Victoria's finger up her nose (she just discovered that it fits up there) and Sierra playing with the gift she got Victoria.

Watching Baby Einstein in her new chair from Shawn and I.

She cracks me up!

Loving her new Dora the Explorer ride-from Shawn and I. She loves to stand up on the peddles as we push her around the house and outside.

Sitting with most of her Birthday gifts...

From Mom and Dad: Dora ride, Tinker Bell chair, Pj's. From Grandma and Grandpa Waldron: Noisey farm book, Five silly pumpkin book, outfit, Alpha blocks, nesting tower blocks, baby Einstein dvd. From Grandma and Grandpa Atkinson: Little People plane, animal book, two dresses. From Sierra: Little People SUV with mom and baby, From Tessa: 'My pretty learning purse'. From Seth: Toy car that plays "Are You Ready For This" song. From Eliana: Leap Frog Alphabet learning magnets. From Angelina: "Cute as a Cupcake" beach towel.

A BIG thank you to everyone for the fun gifts! Victoria loves them all!

Happy Birthday to our sweet baby girl! We love you so much and love being your Mama and Dada. You've made our life absolutely incredible. We only thought we knew what love was until you came along, and now we know for sure. Lots of hugs and kisses to you always!

With Love,

Mama & Dada

Shawn's Dirty Thirty

2009-09-20T16:34:00.000-07:00

(Baby Shawn 1979)

Shawn is officially 30 years old! We celebrated the big day last Friday with some shopping, gift opening, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and dinner at PF Changs. Despite the little bits of stress we had that day (rained on, no luck finding jeans for Shawn, and battling Victoria in the restaurant) mixed with that bitter moment of realizing he was 30, I think Shawn had an okay day. Thirty isn’t so bad when you’re Shawn and still look 26…and have a butt like his! We’ve still got a lot of life to live, babe!

Love you so much Shawn. Happy Birthday!

Shawn, with Victoria's help, opening his new Puma's and Fly Fishing DVD

It's About Time I Post Something

2009-09-10T11:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I blinked and July was suddenly two weeks into August! And then August turned into september! I've been busy...I couldn't exactly tell you what I've been busy doing though. A little cleaning here, some church calling duties there, a growing baby, and an overwhelming feeling for the need to prepare our food storage has all added up to being busy I guess.

We've had a pretty good summer with lots of grilling and s'mores. This is kind of embarassing to admit, but Shawn and I ate s'mores after dinner every night...for two weeks straight! Gross, I know, but they are oh so addicting.

The First two weeks of August Shawn was gone on another training workshop in San Antonio. I hate when he is gone, especially for so long, but it is awsome having a car around to use while he is off on his trainings..we only have one vehicle, remember, which Shawn takes to work everyday. It was freedom having that car! I think I went to Micheal's like six times. A day or two before Shawn left, in all our desperat attempts to get Victoria to crawl (at 10 1/2 months), she finally took just a few short crawls to get the car keys that we had thrown on the floor. By the time Shawn got back, Victoria was an expert at crawling!

Anyway, Shawn flew back from his trip on a Friday night, LATE. And then all three of us were up and on our way to the airport at 5:30 the next morning (Saturday). We flew into Salt Lake and drove up to Logan, Shawn spent the rest of Saturday packing with his brothers and Dad for their annual backpacking trip to the Windrivers, and then they left Sunday morning. So Victoria and I were without Shawn again until Thursday night! He had a good time though, and always does.

I tear up a little now when I realize that our baby girl will be a YEAR old next week! What the... Shawn and I can't believe it. Although the year has gone by incredabley fast...too fast...I can say that the time was well spent. Everyone told us that the time would pass all to quickly and to soak it all in...well, we have and not a day has been lost so far! Watching Victoria grow out of stages has been emotional, exciting, exhausting, and sometimes a relief!

Victoria isn't the only one who has a birthday coming up...Shawn turns 30, tomorrow!! He's a little bummed out about it too. I was going to throw him a "Dirty Thirty Birthday Party" but he said he wanted no part in it, I couldn't convince him-even if it was a surprise it would make his day worse he said. On top of the birthday planning we recently decided to upgrade to a larger townhome. We are moving on the 26th ...in two weeks. Have I started packing? Nope.

Okay, Picture time...

She loves Momma's cell phone

Rainy Day

check out those chompers...she has nine

Dog breath

opening early birthday gifts from Grandma & Grandpa Atkinson and Aunt Brittany

Family pic on the lawn of Aggie Ice Cream

Enjoying some of Grandpa's ice cream

Brittany, Casey, Carol, me, Victoria, and Brad at Aggie Ice Cream. Yum!

Saying "Bye Bye" to Uncle Justin and Aunt Jessica

Sunny Days

2009-07-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

It felt like as soon as Shawn and I both got home from our 2 week vacation (work training/vaca for Shawn) we turned around and got right back on the airplane...I guess that's because we did. Victoria turned 9 months when we got back and weighed in at 19lbs (average %tile) and measured 28 3/4 inches long (top %...she's tall for her age) at her checkup. We celebrated My 23rd birthday, which I had almost forgot about...but Shawn and Victoria made it a perfect day. Shawn took the day off work for...a root canal...my birthday too of course and we spent the day together as a family. It doesn't get any better than that! Yes, of course we celebrated with a sushi dinner, but this year it was the night before my birthday because of Shawn's horrible root canal...poor guy!

On the 26th of June we boarded our planes...separate planes again. Shawn had to fly a separate airline because he was technically flying to Salt Lake for business. Lucky for me I got a bit of special treatment at the airport, which made traveling alone with a baby, and a bulky stroller, a little easier!

*Click the collages to see them bigger

We arrived in Salt Lake, drove to Park City and surprised Shawn's dad and siblings. Brad had just gotten back from being in Iraq for 6 months and him and Carol were spending some alone time in Park City (that should paint a pretty little picture for you, Shawn). Grandpa was pretty excited to see his grandbaby who was only 3 1/2 months when he last saw her! And we were shocked to see how skinny Brad was!...not that he was fat before (but he did love ice cream)...he lost 35lbs while he was gone! Way to go!

After Park City we spent the rest of our time in Logan splitting the time with both families. Some of my family came over from California to celebrate the 4th in Logan. For some reason the 4th of July always seems better in Logan...

Feeding the ducks at First Dam.

Happy Independence Day!

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays! I love everything about it! I've even been caught blasting my patriotic CD, loudly singing along with my eyes tearing up a bit, while unloading the dishwasher...I get it from my mom.

Victoria and her cousin Harlyn celebrating their first Independence day with a mini photo shoot.

Grandpa and Grandma with their two (out of five..almost 6) grandbabies.

(Babies above are the Buehler 2008 babies...we were just missing one)

We ended our trip with the Buehler family reunion (Shawn's mother's side) which was at the beautiful family ranch in Malad Idaho. All the family members (all except Julie, Ryan and their little one) aunts, uncles, cousins, spouses and babies made an appearance at the reunion! It was a good time!

I Have Some Catching Up To Do

2009-06-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

First stop: Boise, Idaho to visit my sister and let the cousins play!

I feel so out of touch, it’s been too long since our last entry. The days and weeks have just flown by with so many happenings, and hardly time to document them…so I’ll start where I left off. The end of May Shawn and I both left, unfortunately in different directions. Shawn headed to Kansas City for a two week work training, and instead of spending the two weeks alone locking myself in our bedroom with the baby and cat when it got dark outside, I decided to pack my bags too. My little vacation started in Idaho, detoured to Logan, Utah for a day, and ended in California. Finally, after two long weeks, and a grand total of 10 take offs and landings, our little family was reunited at last! Here are some (and you know me, when I say “some” I really mean quite a few because I can never just pick a few) pictures of my trip.

Grandma “Dub” (Dub is short for “W”…so instead of Grandma Waldron it’s Grandma Dub) and the Grandkids- minus Harlyn

My mom came for a little visit and to watch Emma’s dance recital while Victoria and I were at my sister’s.

My sister, Rose (6 months prego) and I

Madi, Victoria, and Emma

After our visit with my sister, my mom and I drove to Logan, spent the rest of the day there with some family, and flew to California the next morning.

Victoria and Harlyn- My brother Kurt’s baby girl-Victoria was trying to give her kisses

While I was in Logan Victoria and I made a little surprise visit to my mother-in-law… Carol screamed and then Victoria screamed

The last part of our trip was spent in California, and I was reminded how much I loathe the LA airport…but it was good to be home.

Victoria with Uncle Jake

Victoria and cousin Stew- who belongs to my brother Casey and his wife Dawn

Daughtry...I mean Casey, Dawn, Jake, Victoria, Newt, Mom, Dad, Krystal

Casey, Dawn, Jake, Victoria, Krystal, Newt and his Girlfriend Dominique

My brothers and I…we were just missing Kurt

Grandpa and Victoria relaxing in the backyard

Our dog, Siena

Although it was rough being away from Shawn for what seemed liked forever, it was a good feeling to spend time with family.

Laugh Attack

2009-05-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

We found out that our little munchkin has laugh attacks {she must have gotten that from me}. This last Sunday I heard some laughing coming from Victoria's room, so I grabbed the video camera and started filming. The best laugh is at the beginning, so make sure you stop the music on my blog before you play the video. I've never heard her laugh this hard and for so long, and all because Dad was swinging Mama's shoe around! If you ask me, a child's laughter is definitely the best sound in the world! (The video is kind of long, the best part is the beginning...)

My First Photo Shoot

2009-05-14T12:34:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I had the opportunity to play "photographer" for our friends Jon and Megan. It was a ton of fun taking their family pictures...a lot of work too, trying to get a 10 month old (and Jon ha ha) to look at the camera and smile. We could have taken more pictures but when you are working with little ones they tend to call the shots and tell everyone when they've had enough. It was a good day and I think we got some good photos. I still have so much to learn, so all you photographers be gentle when you critique! Thanks to the Blood fam...and to Shawn who kept Victoria entertained and helped me spot some picture locations.

Some of the photos have been cut off because of the collage layout, but here are some favs.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

{The Waldron family left to right: Krystal, Rose, Mom, Newt, Casey, Kurt, Dad, Jake}

Thanks for being such a wonderful and perfect mother and grandmother! I never understood how much a mother loves her child until the day Victoria was born...thank you for your unconditional love and sacrifices. You've made life sweet and memorable! Have a very Happy Mother's Day! I love you so much!

-Krystal, Shawn, and Victoria

{Mom and Krystal}

{Atkinson Family left to right: Casey, Shawn, Mom, Dad, Melissa, Justin...little Brittnay came later}

Thanks for being such a great mom and for putting up with me for all of "those" years. Seeing these old pictures brings back a lot of good memories. Thanks for all of your love and support. Have a great mother's day. Love you!

-Shawn, Krystal, and Victoria

{Mom and Dad with Shawn}

Shawn and I would like to dedicate "Treat Your Mother Right" by Mr. T to our mothers (and all you other mothers out there) for Mother's Day...

Life is Good

2009-05-06T12:24:00.000-07:00

Well...there is not much to update. Our little family is enjoying spring, although it has been raining for the past few days. Everything gets more green by the day, it is beautiful!

After much thought and prayer we decided not to buy a townhouse, rather save for a down payment on a house in which ever part of the country the wind blows us next (hopefully closer to "home"). Yes, I am totally sick of renting but I am glad we did not end up buying...for a number of reasons!

Shawn has been taking fly fishing classes, which he is loving! It's really cute to see him get excited and light up when he talks about his new hobby. He can't wait to try out all his new fi$hing gear! As for me...I'm living the dream of being a stay-at-home mom. I'm anxiously awaiting my two week trip to Idaho and California at the end of this month! Victoria is almost 8 months now. Shawn and I can't get enough of her hugs and kisses, laughs, and sassy little attitude! Have you ever had those moments where your heart is full, where the word happiness just doesn't seem to capture the fullness of the way you're feeling?...where you're grateful to be living the life that you live and with the people that are living it with you..? Yeah, that's it, that's the way I am feeling, except it's more than just a moment.

We celebrated an early Cinco De Mayo with great Mexican food, fried ice cream (YUM), games and friends! Definitely a good time! We are all a bit off in our family picture, taken at the cinco de mayo party, but that's just us!

Here are us girls: Me, Victoria, Sommer, Caitlin, Marly, Megan, Dawn, and Megan's little sis!

Huck Finn And A Walk Through The Park

2009-04-19T17:30:00.000-07:00

We took advantage of the warm day today and headed out to Rocks State Park for a little "hike"...which was more of a quick walk for Mr. Mountain Man here... We had to cross this river to get to the water fall and didn't want to risk slipping on the rocks with Victoria in our arms, so Shawn volunteered to walk across Huck Finn style. When we were trying to decide how to cross I questioned Shawn on why he was so hesitant to cross after he had just finished telling me (again) that we are moving to Montana (I laugh every time at the idea) and he responds with "I'd run across this thing if I didn't have Victoria"..we both laughed because really it was only a hop and a skip to the other side...

We met some friends on the way to the water fall, you can see him in the picture...his wife was still on the other side a bit nervous to cross.

Victoria was mesmerized by the water fall. I couldn't even get her to look at me for a picture.

This little girl loves to be outside.

Here I am... The Mom, who carries the baby, the camera, and the bag with everyone's stuff in it.

We had our trail buddies take a picture of our little family... we did look at the camera for a couple of them..but of course they didn't turn out all that great. I like the candid shots better anyway.

Here's the little one enjoying the outdoors.

Here's To Three Years!

2009-04-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Shawn and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary...so here's to three years!

The Courtship

{January 2005-April 2006}

The Engagement {January 23. 2006}

The preparations began...

The Dress

The Shoes

The Bouquet

The Cake

The Reception {Berch Creek Golf Course-Logan, Ut}

The First Dance

The Bride & Groom

The Perfect Day

{April 15, 2006}

Dear Shawn- 4/15/2009

We've had an exciting 3 years of marriage, and we have a lot to show for it! Last night I was remembering 3 years ago...

I was lying in bed the night before we got married and was thinking "I can't believer I'm getting married tomorrow!" I couldn't wait to begin our life together. Then our wedding came, it was the best day of my life marrying you in the Temple. Nothing felt more right, or more perfect kneeling across the alter from you-the man that swept me off my feet, the man that I longed to spend the eternities with! The rest of our wedding was pure bliss, you were the only thing that mattered, WE were the only thing that mattered. I remember thinking that life couldn't get any better...but it has! We've laughed and cried, and laughed until we've cried. We've celebrated our successes, worried about our troubles, and brought a beautiful baby girl to this earth...the best part about it all is that we've done it together! I love you so much. You've an amazing husband and most perfect Daddy! Thank you for 3 wonderful years and for taking hold of my hand on that New Years Eve which started it all!

With Love- Your wife & "baby girl"

*Engagement picture and Wedding pictures taken by Candis Schow Photography

*Bridal pictures ("the dress") taken by Amelia Lyon Photography

A Week In The Life Of A Tourist

2009-04-16T06:10:00.000-07:00

Late Tuesday night (April 7) Shawn’s mom and little sis flew into DC to spend a week with us! Carol and Brittany were so excited to see Victoria they forgot that Shawn and I were even there! We all spent that night at Shawn’s Cousin’s house (Thanks again Scott and Kate!) and the next morning we were off to Williamsburg Virginia and began our week as tourists!

{From 1699 to 1780, Williamsburg was the capital of Virginia. Here, Thomas Jefferson studied law, and later he, George Washington, Patrick Henry, and other patriot leaders plotted America’s freedom from Great Britain.} * Taken from website

It was an interesting trip…my mother-in-law was in Heaven the whole time as she was surrounded by history. And Brittany couldn’t handle all the shirtless men (a bit on the older side) jogging in Neon colored short shorts…I think she took pictures of every one of them! It was kind of hard for Shawn and I to really get into it having Victoria to entertain, but really the history is amazing! Sitting in original buildings where our founding fathers sat and walking paths that they walked was pretty incredible.

Friday morning Shawn, Carol, and Brittany headed off to Jamestown, while I stayed back at the hotel to give Victoria a chance to take a good nap and give her a break from being in the stroller. We headed back up to our house…Saturday those three took a mega bus up to New York City…I stayed home. Taking a baby to NY on a bus when it was our first time up there would have been a stressed out disaster! So Shawn, Carol, and Brittany walked around as much of NY as they could in the cold and rain! Then on Monday we were back in Washington DC to see the monuments (third time for Shawn and I now…although Shawn spent the whole time circling to find a new parking spot). We also saw a little of the American History Museum…we would have liked to see more but Shawn and I drove around for an hour looking for a place to park…then when we found someone who was leaving we had to wait behind them 10 minutes while they ate Sushi in their mini van…I was tempted to ask If I could join them! The American History museum had some amazing stuff…the original flag that flew which inspired the writing of our Star Spangled Banner, the original Ruby Slippers that Judy Garland wore in Wizard of Oz (I’m a fan of both, so for me that was one of the highlights of the trip)! Later that evening we enjoyed dinner with Shawn’s cousins at Five Guys…a burger place that people love around here…yeah it’s good, but I still think Inn-N-Out is better! Tuesday morning Carol and Brittany boarded their plane and we returned to our normal life, and I feel like I’ve been doing laundry for four days straight! …and it’s still not done!

{click to see larger view} While in Williamsburg we ate lunch at King's Arms Tavern... Best Salad I have EVER had. I still can't get over how delicious it was!

Shawn and I - Williamsburg

Victoria checking out Alex...and picking on him ha ha!

Thanks for a fun week!

Some Bunny Loves Me

2009-04-14T16:56:00.000-07:00

We had a beautiful Easter! It was a bit chilly but the sun was shining and the smell of spring was in the air! The Easter Bunny paid Victoria a little visit and left her a basket full of goodies…I think she was more interested in the ribbon around the basket than what was inside…we dressed ourselves in our Sunday best and headed to church, where I was reminded of why this day is so special with a very touching talk of our Savior’s sacrifices and resurrection.

Shawn’s mom and little sister Brittney were here visiting and we all enjoyed a home cooked meal of Chicken Cordon Blu, Roasted Asparagus, mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls… okay, it was semi homemade. We had been out of town all week so when Shawn went to Walmart Saturday at midnight he came home with instant potatoes and Pillsbury rolls. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing…it was a good day.

Victoria not wanting to share with Trixie! I love this picture!

Notice how she is pointing to her basket!

I had seen Victoria’s dress at Baby Gap a little while before Easter and fell in love with it…wanted to make one similar to it, I even found a pattern and some cute fabric, but I just ran out of time…So we bought it and I snapped a few (when I say few I mean 70 ) pics the week before Easter so we could send them to the Grandparents. We got a lot of cute ones! Here’s our little cupcake in her first Easter dress…

A Mini Journal Entry

2009-03-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

I’m Tired. It’s just one of those days where I can’t think straight because my brain is so tired! Victoria is not sleeping well at night and it’s driving me a bit crazy! Not to mention Shawn is now working overtime…which is a blessing really because of the extra money it will bring in…but it means less time spent with him…and then all these week to two week trainings he goes on…usually on Fridays I would be singing our “Happy for the Weekend” song, not today though because Shawn will be working tomorrow…but I am counting my blessings, and there are far too many to count! Aw well, life is full of sacrifices…we give a little to get a little, or sometimes give a lot to get a little, and even give a little to get a lot…so I guess it all balances out in the end!

We are still house hunting (that’s TOWNhouse hunting around here). We haven’t walked into a place that has felt like “home” yet, but are still hoping to land a good deal, put a little money into it, and settle in for the rest of the time that we will be here in Maryland.

Victoria had her 6 month wellness checkup this morning, shots included of course! She handled them really well…If she was a little older she would have gotten to pick out a treat, but instead she got some juice…a little boring I know but still pretty yummy to a 6 month old! She weighed in at 16 Lbs 7 oz (a little above average percentile) and measured 27 3/4 inches! She is off the charts for her height!

I’m such a thinker…more like a dreamer, an observer. I keep a lot of who I am inside my head…but lately it’s been itching to get out. My brain is stuffed full of all these things I’d love to do and be…ideas for our house, sewing, learning how to play the piano and violin, becoming a ballerina, a photographer, running a marathon…even doing an Iron Man someday, finishing school…really the list goes on, and a lot of it makes some people laugh, well…some of my thoughts make me laugh! I’ve been sitting on some of my “dreams” since I was a little girl. I recently found out that one of my Mother’s biggest regrets is that she never pursued her dream to become a ballerina. No regrets…I’ve decided I’m going to start knocking stuff of my list…

{Added a little while later}

Of course being a mother (and wife) was my number one dream…and it’s been a dream come true. There is nothing that could replace being a mother to a beautiful daughter and wife to a wonderful, handsome husband. Victoria and Shawn come first and top any list that I may have. But what kind of mother would I be if I didn’t show my Children how to dream!

Happy Half Birthday!

2009-03-18T16:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, St. Patrick’s Day, Victoria turned 6 months old! That morning she was biting down on my finger and I discovered her little lower tooth had finally surfaced! You can just barely see the little guy. This whole teething thing has been a bit rough for Victoria…she had been getting up 5 times a night, which pretty much equals no sleep at all. At six months our little cupcake is sweeter than ever! She’s a pro at eating baby food in her high chair. Some favorites of hers?...sweet potatoes, squash, prunes, blueberry applesauce, and peach cobbler. She’s learning how to drink from a Sippy cup and comes so close to rolling from her back to her tummy! She’ll grab for specific toys, gets SO excited when she spots our kitty, Trixie, and is getting better at sitting up (but not quite there). She loves to play with other babies and always has some sort of expression on her face! She will reach and lean for me, and sometimes I’m the only one she wants (I would say that I secretly love it…but it’s really no secret that I do)!

Because it was St. Patty’s Day I threw in the green flower…which is super big! Victoria wasn’t quite sure what to do with it.

California Girls

2009-03-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

Between California, catching up with my calling in young women's, house hunting, and taking care of a 5 1/2 month old, husband, and home...there hasn't been much time to blog!

On February 19th Victoria and I kissed Shawn goodbye and flew across the country to Southern California. After a long flight (2 flights actually), being squished next to two large men (yes, I had to nurse Victoria while sitting next to them) who were giving me child rearing advice and telling jokes from comedians I had never heard of, we were finally to the place I call Home. I was surprising my mom for her birthday...she had no idea that Victoria and I were coming. We knocked on my mother's front door, she opened it, stood there staring for a few long seconds and then started crying (of course)! It was a perfect surprise! It had been over a year since the last time I was home visiting, and a year and half since I had seen a couple of my siblings...so the trip was long overdue! It always feels a little awkward and weird when you return home after being gone so long. It's almost like I had never left, that I still was in high school picking up where I had left off, yet everything and everyone had changed...but it was a wonderful visit where Victoria got to meet her uncles and a couple of aunts for the first time...and a new cuz! We didn't really do anything out of the norm, just spent time with the fam, enjoyed the nice weather, and put our feet in the Pacific!

As we were driving to the airport the morning of my flight to L.A, I realized I had left my camera as we were rushing out the door...I was sick about it for the entire trip (and still am)...so I had to borrow my little bro's Nikon...which had been on some sort of different setting when I was using it at the beach, that's why some of the pictures have a blue tint to them. Still love them though!

Victoria and Cousin Harlyn (2months)...whom she loved! (also Jeana and I)

"Babe" Watch

The water was a little cold...as usual

Grandpa and Grandma Waldron

First visit to California 2/2009

Little Moments (continued)

2009-02-15T18:52:00.001-08:00

The link to see these colleges larger wouldn’t work with the videos for some reason, so I had to put them in a new post!

Little Moments

2009-02-15T16:46:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to share a few Little moments from the past week. Victoria is 5 months (or will be on Tuesday) and not a day goes by without feeling overwhelmingly blessed to have this baby girl in my life! Some days the laundry is forgotten, dishes sit in the sink, a shower just is not an option, and dinner might just stink…and that’s okay because my time was spent listening to our baby laugh, kissing chubby cheeks, singing lullabies, and rocking her to sleep!

I didn’t mean for that to turn into a poem. J The first couple of phrases rhymed so I just went with it. Anyway…it’s been fun watching Victoria’s personality grow. She smiles at strangers a lot more now and because she’s a little shy she’ll turn her head into our shoulders after making eye contact and smiling. It’s so cute! If I hand her a toy she will take it from me, and loves watching everything we do! Here are some recent pictures and videos of her…

The Name Game

2009-02-08T06:33:00.000-08:00

We’ve been meaning to post this for a while now but I’ve just been struggling for the right words I guess. I don’t want to come off sounding rude, it’s partly our fault anyway. I know Shawn and I started out calling Victoria “Tori” here and there, but after a few months of the name Tori and hardly anyone calling her by her real name, Victoria, it started to wear on me (and Shawn) a bit. We hoped that friends and family would catch on when Shawn and I would only call her Victoria…I mean I like the nickname “Tori” and I am not going to freak out if someone calls our baby girl Tori…what I’m trying to say is that Victoria is our daughter’s name and would like it to be used more often by friends and family. This post isn’t meant to be offensive in any way, just an easy way to let everyone know how we are feeling. I know it may not seem like a big deal, but it kind of is. We chose the name Victoria for our daughter because it felt right and it fit.

Sorry if my words are little scrambled as I tried to get to the point ha ha, I just don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.